Oops! (Again.)

Oh dear. Things have gotten away from me again! Got a little carried away with visiting, then I almost forgot about a Presbytery meeting and was in the emergency room with a family from the church.

And when things get busy, you have to go into triage mode, so I'm afraid the blog ended up being a low priority in the last day or two.

And since I'm still running around getting ready for Sunday School and church and our annual (luncheon!) and meeting, I'm just going to post this morning's sermon as a reflection. (And I'm going to hope that Monday is much more calm! This is one of those weeks I really need my day off!)

So, let's get down to business:
Here are the last couple questions and answers:
Fri, Jan. 23: What did Joseph try to do as Israel was blessing his sons Ephraim and Manasseh? (Gen 48)
Genesis 48:17 17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

Sat, Jan. 24: How old was Joseph when he died? What did he make his brothers promise to do for him? (Gen 50)
Genesis 50:25 25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." 26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Sun, Jan. 25: When the new king (who didn’t know Joseph) comes into power in Egypt, what does he decide about the Israelites and their pro-creation rate? (How else can I say that?!) (Ex 1)


And here's today's sermon:
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Gracious God, Still our minds and quiet our worries; open our ears and hearts so that we might truly hear your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

INTRODUCTION
Usually, when I write a sermon, I write it mostly with my head. I use my head when I’m writing a sermon because I am trying to make it make sense—I’m trying to be clear and logical in what I saw. I try not to let my train of thought wander so far off the track that we ALL get lost in what I’m saying. And a little bit of heart goes into every sermon too, but for the most part, I write sermons with my head.

But the sermon this morning is coming from my heart. Someone asked me a question this week that got me thinking—thinking not so much with my head but thinking with my heart, if that makes sense. Someone asked me, “Are you happy here?” And I quickly said, “Yes” because I am. But at that moment, I couldn’t say WHY I was happy here.

So that got me to thinking about why I am happy here. And after thinking about it for a while, I decided the main reason is because you have been so welcoming to me for the last three years. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was an outsider and you brought me inside. I couldn’t force my way in as a part of the congregation—you invited me in, you made a place for me among you, and you accepted me as one of your own.

MOVE #1
And the reason I’m bringing all this up is because you have done for me what Jesus did in our text this morning. Jesus welcomed into the kingdom of God a stranger, a foreigner, someone different from the normal circle of people he hung around with. The Canaanite woman from our Scripture passage this morning was an outsider—she was considered to be a pagan by the Jews; she was an outcast woman loudly chasing Jesus and the disciples through town, begging for them to heal her daughter.

Even though Jesus came first minister to the “lost sheep of Israel,” this Canaanite woman—a Gentile—is knocking on the door of the kingdom of heaven, asking to be let in. And though the disciples would prefer to ignore her knocking at the door, she will not be denied.

Despite all the strikes against her according to society’s rules, she knows God has different rules. She knows that God has enough love and grace to go around. She knows that there are always leftovers of God’s love and grace. So even though right now Jesus is only ministering to the Jews, she knows there’s enough love and grace for her and her daughter. She knows that there’s always more than enough bread for the children to share with the dogs. God has plenty of love and grace to go around.

And because of her persistence, she wears them down. Jesus brings her in to the kingdom, recognizing her great faith. Jesus invites her in and welcomes her as a part of God’s family.

I was an outsider. I was new; I was different. I was someone you weren’t sure you could trust, but just like Jesus, you invited me in.

MOVE #2
I know you took a leap of faith calling me as a full-time pastor three years ago and I know not everyone thought it was a good idea. And frankly, I don’t blame you at all. But you called me here to help this church grow. And for Frankfort Church to grow—or maybe we should say for God’s kingdom to grow—we need to continue to invite people in and welcome them into his family, just like Jesus did with the Canaanite woman.

It’s not easy to be a part of a small church. Everybody has known everybody else for so long that, when you’re new, it’s hard to figure out where you fit in. So we have to work extra, extra hard on welcoming people when they come through our doors.

You called me here to help the church grow, but I can’t do it all on my own. I need your help. I am looking for a DREAM TEAM. I’m looking for a group of people who are dreamers and idea people. I’m looking for people who are creative and people who aren’t afraid to really ask God for what their heart desires. I’m looking for people who love the church of Jesus Christ, and love their neighbors, and who want to do all they can to make sure that their neighbors know the love of Jesus Christ. I’m looking for people who want to bring outsiders into the kingdom of God.
There are all kinds of plans and ideas swirling around in my head but I can’t do it alone. I need your help. If you would like to be a part of the “Dream Team,” tell me—tell me after church, over lunch, send me an email or a text message or a paper airplane—I don’t care how, just tell me you’re willing to help bring outsiders into the kingdom of God.

CONCLUSION
Not every outsider is going to be as persistent as that Canaanite woman from Matthew’s gospel. Not everyone outside of the kingdom of heaven is so persistent; not everyone has such great faith.

That is why we need to go to where the outsiders are and bring the church to them. In case you haven’t noticed, not too many churches have lines of people in the parking lot waiting to get in on a Sunday morning. But remember the crowd we had at the ice cream social and the messy games? Remember all the cars parked in Ruth’s yard for Safety Day? Remember how many dogs were running around in the yard during the rabies clinic?

That’s how we bring church to people—we do things a little differently, a little unexpectedly. And we need a “Dream Team” to help us imagine all the things we can do.

I know not everyone is a dreamer. We need the “details people” to make the dreams happen just as much as we need the “ideas people” who think them up. It’s going to be a group effort; for God’s kingdom to grow, everyone in the Body of Christ has a part to play.

Somehow this sermon turned into a “State of the Union” address. I didn’t mean for that to happen, but in light of the congregational meeting after church, it somehow seems fitting. 2009 is an important year for Frankfort Church, for those of us who dream and for those of us who can make dreams happen.

So, I guess the only thing left to do is ask a question: where do YOU fit into God’s plan for his kingdom and for this church?

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.