Sermons for the Month

Proclaiming Jesus To All Nations
DATE: June 1st, 2003
SERVICE: The Ascension of our Lord
TEXT: Acts 1:1-11
“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
I bring you greetings on this first day of June as we celebrate The Ascension of Our Lord. I thought I'd begin today by retelling a story that was printed in the April edition of "The Lutheran" in the "Light Side" section. It was submitted by Pat Siegler of Madison, Wis.
Pastor Siegler writes that on his first Sunday at Zion Lutheran Church in Madison the service was progressing well as he stumbled through the particulars of a new place. However, when he was five minutes into his sermon, his 3-year-old son came up front and tugged on his pants leg. He took a break and asked, "Jake, is there something you need help with?"
His response was, "We're at a new church, Daddy. You've gotta tell them about that day Jesus died and then God brought him back on Sunday. They may not know that one."
Jake may not have realized it, but at the tender age of three he had gotten the point and was fulfilling the proclamation of Jesus made just before his ascension into heaven. "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Jake was making sure that the Gospel was proclaimed in Madison, Wisconsin on his Daddy's first Sunday as that congregation's pastor. What a great thing it must have been for Pastor Siegler to be reminded of his purpose in the midst of transition!
Indeed today, as we celebrate one of the great festivals of the church year, we all are reminded of our purpose as proclaimers of the Good News about Jesus Christ. You'll recall from the first lesson that after being raised from the dead Jesus spent 40 days with his followers. During that time he instructed them, helping them to understand all that had occurred before and after the crucifixion.
Jesus was preparing them for their own ministries. At the time of his Ascension the only thing his followers lack is the Holy Spirit, which has been promised to them. The instructions are clear; they are to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Then, they are to go forth as witnesses. The time has come for them to open their mouths and speak.
And what that message must be is clear. They are to proclaim the facts about the life and death of Jesus, especially telling about the resurrection. And, they are to explain the significance of these facts. Their words are to make the life of Jesus come alive and to inspire faith and hope in those who are listening.
In other words, the story of Jesus and its significance is not to be kept quiet. Faith is not a private matter. The apostles are to do something other than enjoying one another's company and tell stories of days gone by. One of the most vivid scenes in the ascension story is the description of how, as Jesus is taken up into heaven and the disciples stand gazing at the cloud, suddenly two men in white robes are standing by the. The question they ask is revealing, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?" The implication is, of course, that they have better things to do; they are to get out there and witness! "Don't just stand there", the heavenly beings might have said, "Do something!"
Every month I meet with a group of pastors for lunch, the goal being to provide mutual support for one another. This week we were talking about how odd it is that week after week after week, in fact, year after year after year, we say give basically the same message to basically the same people. One of the parents in the group pointed out that the same thing is true of parents. They too tell their children the same thing over and over and over again. (I'm sure some of you can identify with that.) But, another pastor said, with your children there is a future hope, and that is that by the age of 21 or so they will be able to take those messages and live them out in their lives in an independent and productive way.
Well, the same is true of the church, is it not? We too offer the same message repeatedly with the hope that people will respond to it, live it out, do something! The goal is not for us to sit around and enjoy each other's company. Those first disciples evidently grasped this reality. After the Holy Spirit arrived, an event that we will celebrate next Sunday, the followers of Jesus spread the word far and wide. It has reached our ears, and we too are commissioned to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to all nations.
Our focus usually is, naturally, on our ministry in this particular community. We do not often take time to think about how the proclamation of the Gospel happens - in global ways -in our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Nor do we consider that part we here at Faith Lutheran Church play in this ministry.
Today I want to take some time to consider how we respond to God's call to mission outside of the United States. The total 2003 budget for global mission in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is 16.4 million. Our church - the ELCA - not only calls missionaries who serve God and witness to God's good news, but we also support interfaith work developing leaders who know the local language, culture and beliefs to build new churches from the ground up.
We are connected to 63 companion churches throughout the world and provide support in a variety of ways, including leadership training. The Northeastern Ohio Synod is a companion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa.
And, of particular significance is the fact that the ELCA annually disburses about $12 million in World Hunger Funds. A portion of Faith's mission support - or benevolence - to the Northeastern Ohio Synod supports these ministries.
As of January 1 there were 290 missionaries in the ELCA doing ministry in 47 countries. Among them are Bob and Denise Schmalzles, and their sons Aaron and Jacob, who have been in Kenya for 7 years. Our congregation has budgeted $50 per month specifically for their support. In Africa - in the midst of a devastating famine and AIDS epidemic - the church is currently experiencing the conversion of millions to the faith.
Over 80 percent of the world's refugees are in Africa. Their plight is, for us, incomprehensible. In one of the Kenya Mission newsletters I read that new believers are given such intense belief that even when life is falling down around them they are able to remain strong in faith and appreciate the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Isn't it exciting that we here in Akron are a part of that?
In your bulletin this morning there is a blue insert that spells out the ways our congregation is involved in Global Missions. I've already mentioned a couple of them. Please note also that in your offering envelopes there is a quarterly envelope for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. I'd like to encourage you not to overlook these envelopes.
In fact, might I suggest that during the week when that envelope appears that you and your family do one of these three things: (1) put in the envelope the amount that you would spend going out to eat for one meal. OR (2) Not only put in the envelope the amount you would spend going out to eat, but also stay home and eat left-overs, food that might otherwise be thrown away. OR (3) Not only put in the envelope the amount you would spend going out to eat, but skip a meal and take a moment to pray for those in the world who are starving. And, as you do this, be sure to talk with your children about it - what a wonderful to help them begin to see beyond themselves.
Also on that insert are the Heifer Project International, which the Explorer Club and the 7th and 8th grade youth are doing a great job of championing, the work done by the Women of the ELCA, and a new project - the Lutheran World Relief Coffee Project - that you will be hearing more about in the months to come.
We are so fortunate that, through the ELCA and other international efforts, we are able to combine our resources and "do something" to bring about the world-wide proclamation of the Gospel. There is much more to be done, and we play a part in it.
Remember, though, lest we become either intimidated or self-centered, that it's not an individual, "what's in it for me" effort. Global Missions, and all ministry, is a group effort. It's the work of Christians who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim what God has done for us, always remembering that our witness is fixed on God's grace, God's strength, God's presence, rather than on anything about us as individuals or as a congregation.
So, just as little Jake reminded his Daddy, let us remind one another to "tell them about that day Jesus died and then God brought him back on Sunday. They may not know that one."

AMEN