Sunday, August 2, 2009

apathetic faith 8.2

This week as we gather together we are looking at the Church of Sardis in Revelation chapter 3. Throughout these summer Sundays we have been looking at the churches of Revelation and seeking to understand who they were and what they have to say to us. And so it is today that we look at the church of Sardis.

One of the things I’ve found interesting lately is facebook. You know about facebook right? Let me tell you something about facebook, you are either on it or you have an immediate relative who is. Facebook is the number one social networking group worldwide. What is interesting about facebook is that it can connect you with people in your neighborhood, your city, your school, whatever group, or location. It is a way to connect. One of its most prolific tools of connecting is with friends from the past. Just this week I was able to connect with three friends from high school who I haven’t talked to in over 10 years. It’s been fun to talk with them, find out what’s going on in their lives, and laugh about the past. When we connect with old friends we’re able to laugh at the stupid and silly things we did, while also remembering the times where we came around one another and supported each other through the tough times.

The past is vital to us. It helps define who we are doesn’t it? The past gives us mile markers, events to point to, times where change happened. It points to times where the unexpected took place and surprised us. Joy, tears, sorrow, and bliss all scatter the pages of our past.

We all have interesting stories from our pasts. We, as a church, have an interesting story. We started over 100 years ago, in a small church building down town. We’ve gone through 3, or more, fires. We have seen some amazing God things happen.

And this is what I want to do, I want us to share some of these amazing things God has done to us and through us. Cuz they are there!

So, turn to your neighbor, and share something God has done to you or through you.
Ok, who wants to share what God has done in your life to all of us?

You know, the Sardis church is interesting. It’s said that the city of Sardis had never been taken captive by direct assault. But twice in its history, in both 549 and 195 BC, the city was conquered by its enemies. You see, Sardis sat atop a great cliff with only one access route, so it was easy to defend its gates. Yet, each time Sardis was attacked and taken over it was by enemies who during nightfall scaled their way up the sides of the cliffs to find a small access hole in the wall of the city. The history of Sardis demonstrated the need to be aware of enemies who come “like a thief in the night.”

To the church of Sardis, chapter 3 says “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” Like so many churches, the church in Sardis had learned to coast on its past glories and achievements. It became a picture of a church that is proud, bored, and living off its memory – and not moving forward. It was stagnant. It wasn’t going anywhere.

One writer says the church of Sardis was a church of apathetic faith. It was a pathetic faith, one where nothing took place. It was dead, dormant, bored. It was one which was a sleep – filled with slumber.

It’s easy to understand how this can happen isn’t it? We all like to look back on the past. We often have shiny well painted pictures of the way things were, the way things have happened, and the way things should be. And so it was with the church in Sardis.

Alright, so, I’ve got a question for you. Who here knows what happened on March 31, 2007?

That’s the day we opened our coffee house. That’s the day we set aside space for our community to use. That’s the start of our mission to allow friends to come together, neighbors to know one another, relationships to be forged and renewed. March 31st is the day we began, on a regular basis, to feed homeless people and give them a place to be loved. It’s a day we chose to step forward in faith. Through Mosaic we have hosted great events, we have made amazing friendships, and we have shared God’s love with Wallingford.

And I dare say, we’re not done there! Amen? We’re not done with Mosaic. Mosaic is not history. It has made history, but it is not history. But we cannot rest in the good times of the grand opening of Mosaic. We cannot rest in the memory of the great flood of 2006 which enabled God’s grace to transform an old basement. We can not!

We cannot rest there! For when we begin to rest, we begin to fall into the pattern set before us by the church of Sardis. We must not become complacent in the success of yesterday. No, yesterday must function as a motivation for us to continue forward. It must allow us to look out into the future and see new possibilities. We have an active God who is always loving, always engaging, and always speaking new life into dry and dying bones.

So, what’s next? What do we do? Where are we to go? Who are we to meet, to love, to introduce to the grace of the kingdom of God? Who, what, where, when, and how?

We all have events in our past, glory days, days we look back on with fondness. The church of Sardis sparks the question: how do we remember these past triumphs, these good times and be impassioned for today?

What’s next? What is God calling us, his church, to? What is God calling you to? What does he want you to do for him? What does he want to do through you? Is God speaking to you? Can you hear him?

God is not sleeping. God is awake, he is speaking. He is always doing, always engaging. It’s his M.O. It’s how he rolls. It’s what he does. He engages with his people. He loves the interaction of the relationship.

If we’re not hearing from God… I don’t think it’s cuz he’s not speaking. I don’t think its cuz he’s asleep. Perhaps it’s because we are.

In his book on Revelation Scott Daniels writes: The church in Sardis is called to, ‘Remembr what you received and heard’ (3:3). The remembering that Sardis needed to do was a special kind of remembering. The kind of memory it had been keeping was a glorification of the past. Living solely in the past often causes the church to become stagnant as it dwells on all that has gone on before. The kind of remembering Sardis needed to do was the recalling of the presence of God that enlivened and gave power in the challenges of the past so that they could have faith to move forward into God’s future.”

I love that last line. The kind of remembering Sardis needed to do was the recalling of the presence of God that enlivened and gave power in the challenges of the past so that they could have faith to move forward into God’s future. Can we substitute Sardis for Seattle First?

Here, listen to this: The kind of remembering Seattle First Church needs to do is the recalling of the presence of God that enlivens and gives power in the challenges of the past so we can have faith to move forward into God’s future. God’s kingdom future.

Wow, Yes! That is what we need isn’t it! That’s why the past is so important. The past helps us to have faith, faith in the future. The past helps us to have hope, hope in the future. The past helps us to put movement behind our desire to follow God into his kingdom future. The past is vital. But we cannot get stuck only looking at the past. When we do that, its death. The past has to be a lens to look into the future.

We, the church, have to begin, continue, always be asking how we can transform the community, how can we hit the streets with the gospel. The church of Sardis had a tendency to believe that if we simply ‘build it, they will come.’ We often are lulled into believing the practices of the past worked for us and so they should continue to work for others regardless of their culture and background. But we know this is not true. We know we must continue to engage with our culture, engage with our neighbors and be willing to step out in faith to be Christ – here and now!

So, again I ask, what’s next? What do you want to see God do in your life? What do you want to see God do next in your community? What do you hope to see happen in the coming days for the glory of the lord? And how will you step out to ensure it happens?
Turn to your neighbor, right now, and share some things you want to see God do next. I want us to share some of these amazing things we hope to see God do through us. What’s next?
Ok, who wants to share your hopes and dreams of what God might do next?

We cannot become like the Church of Sardis – asleep fostering an apathetic faith. We must, continue in passion, proclaiming the good news. Living our lives, our Holy, Sanctified lives, that the kingdom of God might be here on earth as it is in heaven.

You know, there are many churches in North America that are in danger of becoming a vacant reminder of better days. Let’s never become one of them. Let’s use the past to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. For us, the people of God, the best days are always ahead, not because of who we are, but because of who God is, calling us into his future.

Jesus asked us to remember didn’t he? He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and giving it to his disciples he said, "This is my body broken and given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

We participate in communion, not because it’s a ritual, but because it reminds us of the past and spurs us on to the future. As we eat the bread and drink from the cup we remember what was done for us. We remember the pain that was suffered, the grace that was given, the power that was wrought. And in so remembering, we are empowered to live today on into tomorrow.

May we not slumber in apathy, holding tightly to things that were, but remember the graces of yesterday and enable them to ignite the smoldering embers of our faith to burn boldly into tomorrow! May we always be people of action, looking for ways to engage love to this hurting world. May we always be ready to move when tomorrow comes calling us to hope.

God is not sleeping. God is always awake, he is always speaking. He is always doing. He is always engaging. It’s his M.O., his mode of operation. It’s how he rolls. It’s what he does. He engages with his people. He loves the interaction of the relationship.

If we’re not hearing from God… I don’t think it’s cuz he’s not speaking. I don’t think its cuz he’s asleep. It might be because we are.

May we not slumber in apathy, holding tightly to things that were, but remember the graces of yesterday and enable them to ignite the smoldering embers of our faith to burn boldly into tomorrow!

As you go, look upon the past as to empower your faith for tomorrow.
Go and Love.

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