Groundbreaking: Ministry

      

6th Sunday of Easter, Deacon Wayne Walker                                                      May 26, 2019

Groundbreaking: Ministry

This is the sixth and final week for our Easter series we've been calling Groundbreaking.  A groundbreaking event is something new; perhaps revolutionary.  It surprises, often shocks, sometimes amazes.  It might change history or shape culture.  From Beethoven to the Beatles, from Coca-Cola to Starbucks, from Coco Chanel to Mother Teresa: groundbreaking.

Easter celebrates history’s most groundbreaking event.  Its impact is still being felt by a third of mankind, who worship a Jewish carpenter from over 2,000 years ago from the middle of nowhere: Jesus of Nazareth.  He wasn’t rich, well-traveled, nor held any kind of public office.  By all logic and any reasonable standard, He would not even be a footnote in history.  Yet the whole world is touched and changed by Jesus.  And it all comes down to His Resurrection on Easter, proving that Jesus is God, as He said; that He could do whatever he willed.  Most significantly for us, He said that He would rise from the dead, and we, his followers would, too.  That's why Easter is groundbreaking for everybody.

Jesus’ Resurrection was also groundbreaking because it was the event that launched the Church.  The early Church changed the world by introducing Christ's groundbreaking teaching: things like worry is useless and suffering can be redemptive.  Through this series, we've tried to rediscover the principles and practices of that early Church that made them a movement that mattered.  We want to know what they did so successfully, because that's what we want to do.  We also want to be a movement that matters.  By the way, if you've missed any or all of this series, you can always catch up online—to find them just click on the “Media” button at the parish homepage.

In this final “installment” we're going to look at the first major controversy in the history of the Church.  It took place at the very first Church Council—the Council of Jerusalem, as described in today’s first reading.

The first half of the Acts of the Apostles focuses mostly on how the Church in Jerusalem was growing.  The second half describes how it grew in the rest of the world, especially through the efforts of Saint Paul, whose mission was to bring Christianity to the non-Jewish community, known as Gentiles.  Remember that most of the early Christians were Jewish, who came to see Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, predicted by all the prophets.

But as Paul began spreading the gospel to the Gentiles, he focused on the common ground he had with them which had very little to do with Jesus' Jewish identity.  So over time, two very different opinions and approaches developed about what it meant to be Christian.  Eventually, this conflict within the Church had to be addressed.  And how this problem was resolved determined the way forward for the whole life of the Church.

Some of the early Jewish Christians were rigorous, saying it's not enough for Gentiles to accept Jesus personally and be baptized.  They believed, in order to be saved, to be a part of the Church, converts had to learn and observe the Mosaic law, which included that men had to be circumcised.  For them, circumcision was a major part of the Jewish covenant with God, so it would be a necessary and indispensable part of joining the Church.

It should be no surprise that this became a stumbling block for Paul’s Gentile converts.  "Because there arose no little dissension and debate…it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go to Jerusalem to the apostles about this question."  Paul's out there on the front line and having phenomenal success in reaching the un-churched with the message of the gospel.  And meanwhile, some are trying to impose the old rules.

It can be the same for many Christians today: we can become overly focused on Church stuff, all the rules and laws and do's and don'ts, things that people love to meet about, and talk and talk about, even fight about.  And that may be great discussion for them, but if you think about it, to un-churched people it's mostly all stuff that's irrelevant and inaccessible.

Lots of un-churched people in our community and culture want to have a relationship with God.  They do, and all of the research supports that.  Unfortunately, when they come to church, they can be intimidated. They don’t know the rules: where to park, which door to use and where to sit, when to stand or kneel (you know Catholic calisthenics), or what to do with their kids.  They don't know if they'll be welcomed!

Meanwhile, we're inundating them with rules and laws and do's and don'ts that don't make any sense to them. 

Obviously, the proposed teaching on circumcision was a contentious debate, the culmination of which is that the apostles and elders made a decision—one of the most important decisions in the history of the Church.  Basically, what they said is: We ought not make it difficult for the Gentiles to turn to God.  We ought not make it difficult for people to come to church.  There's a groundbreaking idea: we ought not make it difficult for people to come to church.  Let's make it easy—as easy as possible for people who are interested in turning to God and learning more about Him to get started.

Not Catholic-Lite, which is what critics might accuse us of, not dumbing it down, not compromising the Faith, just start with common-sense approaches to getting out the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The rest of the story in Acts is a working out of those details of how the early Church decided to do that.  In fact, they eventually came to the conclusion that, if they weren't doing that, they were working against God.  Same for us, we're partnering together to make it easy and accessible for people to at least consider getting started in a relationship with Christ.

In our weekend experience, we work to communicate that goal through our music, through our message, and, most powerfully, through our ministers.  Ministers are volunteers who take responsibility for some small task here at church.  In some ways, they're most important, at least when it comes to creating the environment that we want to create for un-churched people, an accessible inviting one.  Our actions speak louder than our words.

The environment that we want to create should be irresistible, especially for the un-churched.  But that won't happen, it can't happen, without teams of ministers.  Our ministers are not just about tasks; they're not just about getting people efficiently seated, not just about keeping the building clean or kids occupied.  Ultimately, they're all about making it easy and accessible for people to get to know God.

In the past we have talked about many ministries here at St Mary, and every one of them is important; but today, I'm asking those of you who do not yet serve in ministry to consider doing so.  And to help make that happen in a bigger way, we want to be building a team of ministers.  For our part, we promise, as a parish staff, to make ministry service easy and accessible for you, to limit what we ask of you, into manageable commitments, easy to accommodate in your busy schedule.

We also promise to always give you what you need to succeed in your ministry.  Whatever that ministry, it can make a difference in the lives of people in our community.

And serving in ministry can make a big difference in your life, too.  It brings personal growth—spiritually and emotionally.  It further connects you to the Church.  You have the opportunity to become the hands and feet of Jesus, both locally and in our extended community.

We have many ministry opportunities here at Saint Mary, but today we’re focusing on only one.  This morning the only commitment that I'm asking you to make is to learn more about our ministry to children. Take one of the cards which you can find in your pew and fill it out indicating your commitment to learn more about one of our seven children's ministries--Vacation Bible School, Explorers, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Sacramental Preparation, Sons of Treasure, Childcare Nursery, and Children's Choir.  After you learn more, you can decide whether or not you want to get started in a ministry this fall.  After you complete your card today, return that card to one of our ministry leaders in the main entryway of the church.

In today's Gospel, we hear some of the most beautiful promises Christ ever made to his friends and followers.  Most especially is the promise to come with His Father, to make their dwelling with us, to be with us, to send the Holy Spirit to us, and to give us His peace.  We need to share that promise with everyone.  A great way to do that is to minister to our young.  Just a few hours to share the Faith with those who are eager to hear the Good News.  Now that's a groundbreaking idea.