Sermons for the Month
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Christians: Invite
DATE: September 24, 2000
SERVICE: Pentecost XV
TEXT: Mark 9:33-37“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Invitations are fun. When we receive an invitation it is usually because we have a relationship with the person who invites us. These invitations often call us to join with others to celebrate life's important events, like weddings and birthdays, and to witness life's transitions, like funerals and retirement parties. Linda and I receive as I am sure you do many invitations. Most of these invitations are spread out over the year. This summer, however, we received four invitations to four different events in four different cities all on the same day, August 12: Akron, Hudson, Mansfield and Cincinnati. Here in Akron Judy and Ken Rosebrock's oldest daughter Kirsten was marrying Tom Hayes. In Hudson, Jeff Sneeringer my father's only surviving brother's grandson was getting married in Hudson. In Cincinnati, Linda's nephew Joshua was marrying Laura and in Mansfield my best friend's daughter was having a couple's shower. Now that was a day when I wished that human cloning had become a reality. Between the two of us we tried to cover all the bases that day. But there other kinds of invitations are there not that we receive everyday. We get hundreds of invitations every day to invest in products and programs. L.L. Bean invites me to "Go Anywhere." De Beers invites me to "give her something that won't wilt in a week." Morgan Stanley Dean Witter invites me to "Move [my] money. Get will connected." Best Buy invites me to "Turn on the Fun." And McDonald's invites me to "Take a break today." The average child is exposed to 400 ads per day. That means in a lifetime we receive about 4,000,000 invitation. There is still another invitation we received every day of our lives. Though ads can be memorable, it is more important to remember that a relationship with Jesus has more benefits than a best-selling product. He offers a greater adventure than any party, cruise or safari. In His initial invitation to Peter to follow him and become "fishers of people," Jesus first issues a command: "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." I could imagine that Peter was a little put off by that request. He had fished all day and had caught little. He was after all a fisherman by trade. He knew where the fish hung out in Lake Gennasaret. He knew their feeding habits. He knew when they went deep or come up shallow. So why did he do what he was asked? The Bible doesn't say only that he did obey. I believe that Peter sensed something was different about the man who was asking him to set out his nets once again. I believe that Peter could feel a power, an authority, a promise emanating from this man that he could not deny. Overwhelmed with the extraordinary number of fish in those nets, Peter was humbled even awed by the man who was standing in front of him so much so that he wanted to run. But he couldn't. He was, after all, in a boat. And so Jesus said to him, "Don't be afraid, Peter. From now on you will be catching people." Then Jesus calls Matthew, a hated Roman tax collector. Though his fellow Jews ostracized him, Matthew had received power and authority from the Romans. He had financial security and protection. But then Jesus approaches and says "Follow me." Jesus did not call his disciples to come and merely observe, nor did he abandon them once a relationship was begun. He called them to walk and stay with him. He asked them one on one. He was sensitive to their needs. He gave them an opportunity to say yes or no (and there is evidence in scripture that some he asked to follow him said no just as often as others said yes). Those who said yes, however, turned out to be astonished. In private and in public worship, the Holy Spirit calls us through the Word to "share" our faith as we serve our neighbor. But where are our pulpits? Words from Matthew's gospel still challenge each one of us today: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19) We call what Jesus commanded his church, the Great Commission. I ask my Confirmands to memorize this verse. It is a memory verse in our Explorers' Club. This Great Commission is the basis of Faith's Mission, Vision and Values statement. This Great Commission impels us to the habit of invitation or evangelization. It names baptism, it names us and it becomes the focus through which we are invited to view and approach others. Baptism makes explicit who we are and whose we are: we are God's. Baptism moves us beyond our personal families to see our identities as members of a whole family of God. Faith-inspired compassion for our "sisters" and "brothers" moves us to share our faith and love with conviction. One day Jesus was in Capernaum taking some R&R. While resting he heard his disciples arguing over which one was the greatest of the group. Jesus called them around him and said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!' Then gathering up a small child in his arms, he turned to them and said, "When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me." This morning we invite these three young Faith members--Athena Goumas, Katie Gottas and Katie Garman -- to be our sisters in our adult fellowship. As we welcome these young women, my friends, we welcome Jesus and when we welcome Jesus we welcome his, theirs and our heavenly Father. For the greatest among us this morning are these three about to give witness to their Faith. It would be hard for me to argue which one of the seven habits of highly effective Christians would be the greatest: worship, study, encouragement, prayer, service, giving or inviting. But I would have to put inviting way up there because without this habit, the church becomes a closed community whose primary concern becomes that of its own welfare. We might even find ourselves arguing over which church is the greatest, the one true church. The great commission of Jesus--to go and make disciples -- is at the very heart of our life of faith. We have not been called into God's family to simply enjoy being called a child of God or gather with others who have been baptized to celebrate what we have received. We have been sent. We are to "tell what God has done for us" in a way that invites those who are not yet baptized to know the God who loves them and has redeemed them in Jesus Christ. More than just a practice, the gift of invitation is the very way we live in relationship with others who have yet to hear and believe. The experience of God's loving touch in one's life is a gift the maturing disciple feels compelled to share with other. One way our faith becomes active is when we put into words what God has done for us. Words of witness and acts of genuine hospitality directed toward our friends, relatives and neighbors -- and everyone is our neighbor -- create the opportunity through which the Holy Spirit brings others into a relationship with Christ and his church. I once attended a class titled "Sharing Your Faith without Losing Your Friends." I think the title tells it all. We have learned there are two things one is not to talk about in public: religion and politics. Both we believe are sure to generate arguments. But there is a way to talk about religion without resorting to a debate. The biblical model for evangelism is very simple: friends bring friends to Jesus. "Come and see" are the operative words and find frequent expression in the Gospels, the story of the early church, and in the tradition of the church over the centuries. The disciple plants seeds and invites; the Holy Spirit works the miracle of faith and conversion. Part of a disciple's job description is to invite others and invite others often. One of the best ways, of course, is to invite them to be part of one of our Sunday morning worship celebration. We have three worship experiences here at Faith on an average Sunday. Each one speaks differently to the needs and desires of persons interested in knowing more about Jesus. The 8 AM Faith service is most appealing to those who have grown up in the Lutheran church, who are familiar with our liturgy, language and hymns. Our 10:45 AM Celebration service reaches those guests of our church who were raised in the church but not necessarily in the Lutheran church. The service still follows a form but since it is all printed in the worship brochure, it is easier to follow and participate than when negotiating a hymnal. These two services are attractive to the 25% to 30% of our surrounding population who attend church. Our 9:15 AM Light service is most friendly to those who perhaps were part of church at one time but who have not felt comfortable there for quite some time. This service is less formal with little or no pre-arranged format like the other two services. However, it too has its limitations. One who is unfamiliar with this thing called Holy Communion could very well be asking, "What is this all about? Should I participate? And how can I sing about my commitment to Jesus when I really do not know this Jesus all that well." I say all this because when you invite someone to worship with you on Sunday morning, the first question we all need to ask is, "At which service would my guest be most comfortable?" In other words, when inviting a neighbor or friend to worship at Faith, the best place to start is with their needs, their welfare. Even then you may have to take time to explain some parts of the experience, the "how to's" many of us take for granted. And for those of you who are guests here this morning, please feel free to participate as you are able and as you are comfortable. Don't be afraid to ask questions on the back of the worship card or by email. Quite frankly, every church does things a little differently from others. We are long past the days of homogenized worship. Now just a brief word about how to invite someone to a relationship with Jesus. 1) Remember that helping someone to know Jesus is a process that involves more than just you. You may be the first in the chain to offer the invitation or you may be one of the final links. You don't have to be the final link to be an effective friend. 2) Invite those persons you know who do not have a church home. It's easier to talk to people you know than strangers. And by the way, that means getting to know people who are do not go to church. Most churchgoing Christians hang around with other church-going Christians. Get involved with groups where you get to know people you don't normally meet. 3) Pray continually. We are learning everyday here at Faith Lutheran Church the power of prayer. 4) Be yourself. You are simply introducing one of your friends to another of your friends. 5) Ask for permission to talk about your faith. No one likes to be cornered. 6) Ask your friend simple questions like what they think of God. Start with their concerns not yours. Remember you are their friend. 7) Don't start by trying to convince someone of their sin. Most people have more than enough guilt in their life already. Grace is, after all, our message. 8) Christianity is not about creeds or doctrine. It is about being friends with Jesus. Forget theological debates. When I was a young pastor in Mansfield, there was a group of members who met twice a month on a Sunday evening for coffee and pie. We then divided up into two's to visit people who had been first-time guests in that morning's worship. One of those was a home-maker whose name was Rosie Cowell. Rosie said, "I want to go with you Stan and I want you to do all the talking. I would not know what to say." Rosie didn't know that I didn't know what to say either. All I knew was that if I opened my mouth and made sure I didn't put my foot into it, the Holy Spirit would tell me what to say. I can still remember out first visit. We walked up to the door (as I silently prayed for no one to be home) and we knocked on the door holding our little loaf of bread as a present. After the man of the house opened the door, I said, "Evening. My name is Stan Sneeringer and this is Rosie Cowell. We're from St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Your wife visited us this morning. We just wanted to come by and say thank you and give you this present." The man then turned to his wife who was sitting on the couch and said, "You are never going to believe who is standing here at the door. It's Rosie Cowell. Rosie, we haven't seen you in years. Come on in and bring your friend with you." I never said another word for the twenty minutes we were there. Later, Rosie turned to me and said, "I can do this Pastor. Thanks for helping me." I learned last summer that Rosie is still calling on first-time guests after 22 years. Inviting friends to meet another of your friends, that is the basis of this habit of highly effective Christians. In two weeks we will be talking about the habit of giving as we receive our 2001 estimates of giving. Next week, the Christian drama group the Covenant Players will be bringing our message. So until then, may the peace of God which surpasses all our expectations keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN