7th
Sunday of Easter at Epiphany on
John
Quitting isn’t an option!
May was a month of highs and lows. Seeing another
child brought into God’s family through Holy Baptism. Seeing thirteen
confirmands publicly promise to remain faithful to the Lord until death.
Watching our fourth through eighth graders at the awards banquet receive pins
for athletic, academic and musical achievements. Receiving two $5,000 checks
from members for our ministry. Emotional and spiritual highs.
Then definitely a low on Monday night as we
rescinded the call of Mrs. Schram, our first grade teacher. I’m not a nervous
person, but I was shaking all day Monday. I’m not a stressful person, but I was
lethargic and stressed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a difficult decision to
make on Monday and we made it. Our hearts were heavy on Monday night.
Great highs and then severe lows. A fun beginning
to the month. No fun at all this week.
Still, no matter how difficult it is for us in
our synod or church or school or personal lives, quitting isn’t an option.
Although ministry can be frustrating,
disheartening, and a lot of hard work, we keep going. We struggle as a
congregation. We grow in number but we also need to grow in spiritual maturity.
We have committed people who give of their time and money, but we have a lot of
bills. We have programs for our teens and children, but there could always be
more. It would be easy to become discouraged. It would be easy to become
frustrated. It would be easy to throw in the towel and just quit. But quitting
isn’t an option!
As demanding as ministry may be, we cannot quit.
As difficult as mission work is, we cannot give up. God is with us. He has
brought us all together for a reason. And that reason is to grow together as a
Christian Church. Today, let us promise ourselves that quitting isn’t an option.
We are united with Christ – He won’t let us quit. We are united with each other
– we won’t let each other quit.
Jesus’ prayer in the
A pastor was giving a children’s devotion in his
church. A bright-eyed three-year-old girl listened intently as the pastor
explained to all the little children that God wanted them all to get along and
love each other. "God wants us all to be one," he said. To which the little girl
replied, "But I don’t want to be one. I want to be four!"
Jesus wants us all to be one. To get along with
one another. To be united in the way that God the Father and God the Son are
united. Jesus had brought the disciples together into one group. They were very
different people – a tax collector, a zealot, fishermen. There were loud-mouth
braggarts, egomaniacs, vindictive stooges. There were deniers, doubters,
betrayers, bunglers. And Jesus united them into one group.
Jesus has also united very different people into
one group at Epiphany. We have veterans, business owners, farmers, factory
workers, educators, students, housewives. We have different races, different
backgrounds, different incomes. We have Packer fans and … everybody else. And
miraculously, Jesus has united us into one cohesive unit.
Jesus prayed, “As you sent me into the world, I
have sent them into the world.” Jesus prayed that we would be completely united
in mission and ministry to the world. But carrying out this mission of sharing
Christ with others is difficult. We share the message of Christ with others in
our community, but most reject us. That becomes tiresome. We try to build this
church with strong Christians, but then sheep wander and stray from the flock.
That’s a struggle to keep the church moving forward. We give money to our Lord
for His mission, but it never seems to be enough. We want to do so much
ministry, but we can’t always afford everything we want to do. That’s
frustrating. And then sometimes our own members can’t get along. Personalities
clash, opinions differ, self-righteousness takes over. And that becomes
disheartening. Sometimes it’s enough to make someone want to just quit.
Think of people in the Bible who wanted to quit.
Moses became fed up with the Israelites’ incessant whining. He wanted to quit
being God’s chosen leader. God wouldn’t let him. Jonah didn’t want to go to
Ninevah. He wanted to quit being God’s prophet. God wouldn’t let him. Elijah was
scared of Queen Jezebel’s threats on his life. He wanted to quit being God’s
spokesman. God wouldn’t let him.
Maybe you’ve felt like Moses. You become sick and
tired of dealing with people who are stubborn and complaining. You’ve felt like
Jonah, too. You see problems in our church, like in any church, and sometimes
you don’t want to deal with them. You’ve felt like Elijah. You see the fierce
opposition of the devil and how we are hated by the world and you feel like we
can’t compete, we are outnumbered and outclassed.
Interesting, isn’t it – Moses, Jonah, Elijah –
all wanted out at certain times in their lives. It’s a very human thing. But
these prayers of some of the greatest saints in the Bible weren’t answered. God
told them to stick it out. He wanted them to keep working for Him. He wanted
them to keep preaching about Him. He wanted them to keep touching lives for Him.
Brothers and sisters, when we want to quit
because of disappointments and discouragements within the church, God shouts a
resounding, “No!” He says, “You will stay right there and see it through. I’m
not finished with you yet. I’m not taking you out of the world, but I will
protect you from the evil one. I know church life isn’t easy. But then, nothing
worthwhile is ever easy. My Son went to the cross for you and that wasn’t easy.
But it was worthwhile. If you want to wear the crown, you must also bear the
cross.”
Jesus has united us together. He has chosen us
sinners to become a part of His Holy Christian Church. He has loved us enough to
suffer and die for us. He has called us to follow Him. He has gathered us around
a love for His pure Word and a love for His holy Sacraments. He has assembled us
together to grow in faith with each other. He has united us in the common goal
of teaching young children and saving lost souls in our community. He has
sanctified and dedicated us to doing His Father’s work. He has prayed for us.
Quitting isn’t an option. We are united with Christ – He won’t let us quit.
Jesus prayed that we would be united with each
other in the same way that the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is
united. A team – the Perfect Team – One in Love, One in Purpose, yet diverse in
character.
Jesus’ prayer is that we, His disciples, be like
that – one in love, one in purpose, yet diverse in character and gifts and
experience. A team, working toward the same mission and vision. That’s what we
are to be. We are to be united with each other so that we won’t let each other
quit.
We are to have a love for one another in Jesus
Christ. The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that we are bound
together by God’s love in Jesus Christ. Think about your workplace—there might
be some camaraderie, some friendship. You might see yourself as a team. But,
what binds you to your co-workers isn’t a sense of love for each other. What
binds you together is a common source of a paycheck and a sense of job
satisfaction. But as Christians, the glue that binds a church together is the
love Jesus has for us. A Christian team is made possible only by that love.
This Christian teamwork means that we pray for
each other. We send cards of sympathy and support to each other. We call each
other. We work together. We eat a lot together. We are friends. We are family.
The family in this church is like almost any
other family I know – just a little dysfunctional. There are many possibilities
for disagreement. There are many possibilities for dissension. Jesus prayed for
us, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Jesus prayed that the world
would recognize us as children of our heavenly Father. But we don’t look like
God’s children if we are constantly nitpicking, sniping, gossiping, or whatever
else happens in a church.
I’ve always said that the problem with our church
is that there are too many sinners here. We are all sinners. But that’s why
we’re here. We don’t come to church because we’re perfect. We come because we
are imperfect and we need Christ’s forgiveness. The church isn’t a country club
for good people. The church is a hospital for people who are sick with sin. The
church is a fitness center where we train to work together as a team. The church
is a home where we grow together as a family of believers.
We come to this church because we are followers
of Christ. He has united us together. However, Jesus never promised that
following Him would be easy. He said it’s hard work. It’s hard work to be united
together with other sinners in a church. Even though we are forgiven, we still
sin. We have to work together as a united family of forgiven Christians. That is
hard work. But if you want to wear the crown you have to bear the cross.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes you feel like
you’ve had enough and you want to quit. Sometimes you are just bone tired. You
are weary from not having enough money. You are worn out from the cleaning,
calling, working, meetings and the myriad of others things to do in the church.
You may feel fed up and you would love to relax.
Guess what – being a part of a church isn’t easy!
Jesus doesn’t pray to spare us from the difficulty of our calling. Instead he
prays that the Father will unite us together in one family. A family that loves
and cares for each other. A family that prays with and for each other. A family
that works together and encourages one another. We are a family, a team, a
church. And we can’t let each other quit. We are united with each other.
A little child in an African tribe wandered off
into the tall jungle grass and could not be found, although the tribe searched
all day. The next day the tribal members all held hands and walked through the
grass together. This enabled them to find the child, but due to the cold night
he had not survived. In her anguish
and through tears, the mother cried, "If only we would have held hands sooner."
It isn’t enough that we all share a common goal. We must all work together to
accomplish it without hesitation. We must all join hands and work together to
accomplish this goal!
God has called us to a great ministry –
To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty,
power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, now and forevermore! Amen.
(Jude 1:25)