Love and Outreach

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

John 17:6-19

               Today I want to spend some time talking about that scary E word – evangelism.  This is not a comfortable topic for most of us.  We don’t tend to talk a whole lot about evangelism in mainstream churches.  We don’t talk about it because we live in a culture that values independence in every way, independence in thinking, independence in acting, independence even in faith.  The “spiritual but not religious” idea is one of faith being a very personal experience, one that doesn’t work in a group, within a community.  But scripture gives us a very different model for what it is to be the people of God.  If we are the stones that God uses to build God’s house, or even if we are the stones helping God to build God’s house, we cannot do it alone.  The corner stone, or Christ, is the necessary foundation.  It is the beginning, it is the base.  But it is not the whole of the house.  Jesus is who he is in relationship to us.  As much as we need Christ for our wholeness, for our grounding, for our center, Jesus also needs us and calls us to be the rest of the house.  That is an awesome idea, isn’t it?  The idea that God needs us.  But it is true.  Our confessions tell us that God created us to glorify God.  God calls us into relationship with God for our own sakes, yes, but also because God is a God of community.  That is why we are here in church today.  We, in this church, recognize that no matter what our culture tells us about standing independent of others, the reality is that we are a communal creation.  We are called into relationships with God and with each other.  To go back to the house metaphor, Jesus cannot be the cornerstone without a building to support.  And we cannot be the house of God, we cannot even be a stone in the house of God, alone.  Without others, we are not a house strong and full.   We need others in God’s house, in faith, to stand strong and tall, to help us to continue to keep our focus on our cornerstone. 

We need community and we need each other to build God’s house.  And while Clayton Valley is an incredible community of people, we are charged to bring in more bricks into the house of God, to expand the community of folk who seek God, who see God, who engage God in this place.  In other words, we are charged with evangelism, with sharing the Good News.  The Great Commission tells us that we are to make Disciples of all the Nations – that we are to include all people in the invitation to follow in the Way of love, giving the Good News that God is a God of love, for all creation, a God who invites us to be connected and who made us ONE, a community united in love.  Today is Mother’s day, and as we know, we’ve learned that it takes a village to raise a child.  In the same way, we care for each other as a village, as a community.

Again, I recognize that this is not comfortable.  But we are called to invite people to join in the celebration of community that we live here.  However, there are many ways to do this.  We do this by acting in a Spirit of love so that people want to know us and want to know what inspires us to act in the way we do.  We do this by reaching out in care to the people we meet and by example.  But we also are called to do this by inviting people into our Spiritual lives and our spiritual understanding by inviting them to church.  We need to continue to build God’s house through inviting new people to come in our doors, into our spiritual house.  I know this is not easy.  But this call is not just for those we invite to come.  This is also for our own health and the health of our community.  We are healthier when we are challenged by others to continue to grow and expand in our thinking.  We are healthier when we meet new people and learn how to be the body of Christ with them.  Our house is stronger with more bricks.  Studies show that building a church is done most successfully through the members of the church inviting their friends and acquaintances.  So what prevents this from happening?  What stops us from inviting people to church?

One reason people don’t invite others to church is that we aren’t excited about church.  We don’t want it to change, but at the same time, we don’t find it interesting enough to invite others to come.  If that is the case, I think we really need to reevaluate why it isn’t exciting for us.  And then rethink whether or not we want it to change.  The truth is, if a person is excited about something, they tend to share it.  Many of you have shared with me about books or TV programs or movies you thought I might enjoy.  You’ve shared with me about plays and programs that are exciting for you.  If you are excited about a program that is going on at church, you will share it with their friends and if their friends come and enjoy it, they will share it too.  If you like our senior program, or our Tai Chi class share it.  If you enjoy our quilting group, share that.  If you enjoy the men’s group, or women’s group, invite others to come.  If you enjoy our concerts or our Faith and Film nights…  If the service work you do: the lunch programs or Winter Nights or Convoy of Hope are meaningful to you, share them.  If you are fed by worship, share it with others.  If you appreciate what we do with the children through Godly Play… The other part of this is that if you are not excited about any of the programs going on here, including worship, then this is something we should discuss.  Because I am always open to trying exciting new things: things that you WOULD enjoy sharing.  I am open to even starting a different kind of worship service in addition to this one: maybe a Saturday evening service that has communion every week, if it is something you would be excited about enough to invite your friends.  I encourage you to begin a program here that will excite you, or to join the worship committee to make worship something that you truly enjoy.  Remember that you, the people, are the ministers of this church, and so you, the people have the responsibility for making it the church you want it to be.  If your faith is meaningful to you, wouldn’t you want to share it?  Does it feel too personal to share?  Again, that is not what Jesus encourages.  Jesus encourages a faith that is communal as well as personal.

Another reason people don’t invite others to come to church is that they feel uncomfortable about that “e” word.  We have experienced evangelism that is aggressive and manipulative and we don’t want to be part of that.  I understand that.  I can share with you story after story of uncomfortable situations I’ve found myself in where the other person has been trying to evangelize me.  The fact that I’m a pastor usually only makes this worse because our most vocal evangelists usually have a problem with women pastors.  These strangers take up our time, they beat us over the head with a God who would destroy us if we don’t follow the path these evangelists have laid out for us.  They invade our personal lives and spaces without invitation. Many of the most prominent preachers also lie about so many things: they tell you that if you just give money, God will bless you ten-fold.  They tell you that if you just do what they say, that your life will be easy.  They tell you about a God who wants your money, and then they are caught, again and again, in scandal, in corruption, in hypocrisy. I understand why we want nothing to do with this.  But there are other ways to invite people and other reasons to invite people.  As I mentioned before, if you were excited about a movie you saw, you wouldn’t hesitate to encourage others to see it, too.  If you were excited about a class you took, you wouldn’t hesitate to encourage others to attend it, too.  Our mega-churches grow because people have that same excitement about their church that others might have about classes or movies.  And again, if you aren’t excited about church in this place, then we need to change it and do something different.  Also, we do not have to threaten people to invite them.  I don't believe God needs us all to believe the same thing.  Not by any means.  But inviting people to share in what makes us happy is just plain kind, it is polite, it is generous.

This also means that we have a responsibility for making friends outside of the church. Approaching strangers and trying to invite them usually doesn’t work.  But connecting with others, making friends outside these walls and then inviting them to join us in an activity… these are things we can do. Connecting with people outside of these walls in order for this place to stay healthy and in order to continue to build the house of God is a part of our calling as people of faith.  Faith and our churches mean something.  I want you to start thinking about the ways this place has made a difference in your life and I am asking you to volunteer to share those stories.  We do so much good in this community… we feed people, we participate in things like Winter Nights and Convoy of Hope, we offer space for recovery groups and 12 step programs, we offer community programs and education.  We raise money for Monument Crisis Center, for Contra Costa Interfaith Housing.  Why would we want to keep this quiet?  Clayton Valley is a warm, caring place that does a great deal of good for the size that we are.  We remind all who come that God loves them just as they are. 

The Church, big C, has some special challenges at this time in history in terms of outreach.  We know that church decline is a real issue.  When we look at the numbers of church’s closing every day, at the increasing numbers of “nones” and “dones”, we know we are in a crisis time.  Every day I read new articles written by pastor colleagues who are either coming up with analyzes and “solutions” (none of which have worked) for the dying of mainline Christianity, or are writing about why this is actually a good thing – that the people in our churches are there not because it is just a cultural thing to do but really because of their faith, for example.  But they all point to the same thing.  We cannot expect that people will just wander in off the street to find us.  We can’t expect that anymore.  We can’t count on visitors to just show up anymore.  But it still remains important that we build and create and invite a community into this place.

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.  After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.  It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing.  In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.  After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.  As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.  Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.  The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.  He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.  Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fire-y sermon.  I will be back in church next Sunday'.

Just as the man without a church is an ember without a fire, our fire is hotter and fuller when we invite new members in.  Clayton Valley is a healthy, vibrant community.  I have heard it said that , “Clayton Valley is the best well-kept secret in the area.”  In many ways we are becoming more visible for taking stands on important issues, for the flag, for our PFLAG group, for our commitment to interfaith work, hunger work, presence in the community.  But we have a long way to go.  Let’s see if we can stop it from remaining a secret.  We are charged with spreading the Good News.  Clayton Valley is part of that Good News.  We are strong stones in God’s house.  That is a Good News I am proud to share.  And I hope you are as well.  Amen.

The Spiritual Discipline of Guidance

Philippians 2:12-18, 1 John 4:7-16

Today we continue our look into spiritual disciplines.  As you know, I have been trying to focus on ones that we don’t talk about as often or as much, and today we will be focusing on the spiritual discipline of guidance. 
As people of faith, we recognize that we need God’s guidance.  But how do we seek that?  How do you seek out God’s guidance? 
Many of us are good at asking advice from loved ones when we are struggling to make a decision.  But as a spiritual discipline of guidance, we are called to frame these questions and the conversations with others differently.  Rather than asking, “What should I do?” the spiritual discipline of guidance calls us to ask, “Where is God in this decision?  What is God calling me to do?  Which choice will best allow me to serve God to my fullest potential?  Which choice is best not only for me, but for all of God’s people?”  This last question is especially important because it calls us to see that every choice we make impacts more than ourselves and that every choice we make, therefore, is a choice about if, how and how much good we do for God and God’s people.   It again, honors the Spirit in the “other”.

One way we seek out spiritual guidance is to pray, but then do we take the time to listen for the answers? 

Contemplative listening is a practice that many spiritual directors learn as they listen to their directees, but it is one that we can do with ourselves as we listen to God as well.  It involves asking God a question and then literally sitting in the silence and listening.  We try to listen for God in a non-anxious space.  We try to limit the rattle of our thoughts and our comments to God and simply be with God.  We pay attention to the feelings that emerge in our bodies, the images that come to our minds, the questions that pop into our heads, as ways God might be leading us to think, reflect and move differently. 
Another practice in guidance is reading scripture, but as we use it for guidance, we are called to read it differently, to sit with it, practicing things like lectio divina, which means “divine word” and is a call to really listen to what scripture is saying to us in each moment.   
The spiritual discipline of guidance includes other things though as well.  We are called to recognize that God calls not just individuals but communities, and that God’s wisdom is to be found not just within scripture or within one self but also within the community of God’s people.  We have come to recognize that the Holy Spirit can talk through groups as well as scripture and prayer, and that we are called to seek out the wisdom and guidance of all those whom the Spirit touches.
As Presbyterians, especially, we believe that call, any call (and we believe that all of us have a call) is discerned in community.  Our call process for pastors, for example, involves many people who must affirm and support each potential pastor’s call into ministry.  Each pastor-to-be goes through extensive interviews and examinations in ever widening circles. A candidate for ministry must be trained in a theological school system, must also go through rigorous testing that takes place separate from the school, and also must pass through a committee at their home church, and a committee at Presbytery, one on one interviews as well as interviews with committees, finally ending with an examination before the entire Presbytery to discern if that person really is called into ordained ministry.  This belief that call is discerned in community is very central to who we are.
Several years ago, there was a debate on the floor of the Presbytery I was part of at the time about whether or not a pastor seeking ordination through our Presbytery should be required to attend at least a few classes at a Presbyterian seminary.  There was one pastor who argued vehemently that pastors wanting to be Presbyterian ministers should not have to attend any classes at a Presbyterian seminary.  He himself had never attended any classes at a Presbyterian seminary and he told us all that the Committee on Ministry had insisted that he do so.  He said it like this, “The Holy Spirit was calling me to attend a different seminary, but the Committee on Ministry told me I had to attend at least a polity (church government) class at a Presbyterian Seminary.  I refused to do that, and I’m fine as a Presbyterian Minister.”  But as the debate continued, it became clear that he was not, in fact, fine as a Presbyterian pastor.  He had failed to understand this very basic principle of Presbyterian belief that a call is discerned through community.  The Holy Spirit was calling him, through the committee and through the Presbytery, to take one class at a Presbyterian seminary.  He refused the call of the Spirit, and arrogantly assumed that his wishes were in line with the Spirit despite a whole group of people whose call it was to help others discern, telling him otherwise.  And as a result, he had no understanding at all of what it really means to be a Presbyterian pastor who recognizes and values the Holy Spirit’s strong and amazing work through communal discernment.  Not surprisingly, he left the denomination a couple years after this debate, joining another denomination that does not believe in the call of every individual, nor in call being discerned in this communal way.
Still, the truth is that this is hard for all of us.  We all can become arrogant at times and assume that we know what God wants, especially for ourselves, despite a praying body of people who are telling us differently.  We all can assume that we are hearing the Spirit more clearly than the body.  We all can, at times, fail to follow the call that we are led to through the discernment of the body of Christ in community because we are so individualistic in this culture and we are, frankly, out of practice in discerning God’s will through community.
So, how do we do this with regular concerns?  There are several practices of guidance and discernment that are available to us.  I mentioned above contemplative listening, study and simply asking God and others for help, and guidance.  But there are many other ways as well. 
The Quakers practice something called Spirit Rule.  When Quakers worship together, they sit in silence, listening for God.  Sometimes a Quaker worship service will be entirely silent for the whole hour.  However, often times a person will feel called to speak.  He or she will say what they feel compelled by the Spirit to express and the rest listen for the underlying truth in what is said.  Anyone may speak - woman, man, child, visitor, member.  But they see their worship time as a corporate seeking of God’s will.  All present are encouraged not to respond to what others have said, but to continue to sit in the silence and listen for the Holy Spirit’s words to them. 
Another, non-denominational practice of guidance is something called a “clearness committee”.  A clearness committee can be called by any individual for the seeking of guidance around a very specific issue.  I graduated from seminary with a concentration in spirituality and one of the required classes for that concentration was a semester long course on clearness committee.  We were divided into small groups and each person brought an issue to the group for group focus for a number of weeks before moving to the next person’s question.  The purpose was for the group to work together to listen to and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  The person with the question for discernment presents their question, their issue along with any background information that may be informing the question for them.  During the first sitting, the members of the group are not to give advice, but to ask questions with the purpose of moving the questions deeper.  The questions are not to be hidden advice.  For example, “Have you thought about doing x?” is not really a question, but advice.  Similarly, “My brother once tried x and it worked for him” is not a question, it is advice.  Instead, the questions might be, “How do you feel when you think about this part of what you shared?”  “What memories or images come up for you around this part of the issue?”  “When you ask God about this part of what you shared, what do you hear?”  Other questions might ask for more information, clarification, or deeper thinking.  The next session, the person with the question gives feedback as to where their thinking has moved and what has been helpful and then again, the committee asks questions.  At this point, committee members can also talk about how they have been impacted by the issue the one member is facing.  But again, this must never be framed in terms of advice, but more “when I think about x, I feel anxious because I remember when I made a similar decision and this is what happened.”  Or “when I reflected on y, I felt moved to make a change in my own life…” etc.  Also , the focus person may ask clarifying or thinking questions of the committee. There is a great deal of silence during these meetings as well, as people listen for the Spirit, and listen for the movement of feelings, etc.  The process continues for several weeks, but the key component is that while it is a committee of folk helping one person have greater insight and discernment, advice is never given.  We can never fully understand what another person is going through.  So helping another person gain insights, remember factors, explore the issues is helpful.  But giving advice is not because it is always based on limited information.  My own personal experience of clearness committee was that as a listener it was hard not to give advice.  At the same time, all of us found that the exercise or practice of listening becomes impeded when we are thinking in terms of advice.  When we are just called to listen, the listening can go much, much deeper because we are not distracted by trying to think about what we are supposed to say.  As the focus person, it was extremely helpful to not be bombarded with others’ advice, but simply be accompanied in the journey of discernment by wise and thoughtful people who were willing to ask the questions and reflect back what they were hearing without giving direction or advice.  This is a practice that I think would be very helpful for any of us to try, and if any of you would like to be part of a clearness committee, or have a particular issue you would like help with, please let me know and we will put one together.
      The final practice of discernment or guidance that I want to mention this morning is that of seeking out spiritual direction.  Spiritual direction includes many things, and listening to sermons or being part of small groups studying scripture is an aspect of spiritual direction.  But actually visiting with a spiritual director is also extremely helpful.  Their role and their goal, again, is not to give advice.  They listen for God, they help their directees to listen for God, they push questions about where God is acting and what God is guiding us to do.  My personal experience is that seeing a spiritual director is extremely helpful in deepening our relationships with God, which then allows for much clearer decision making.
     I want to point out one last time that seeking guidance as a spiritual practice is not asking for advice.  It is not giving advice.  I can’t state this strongly enough.  The practice of guidance is a practice of listening for God, deepening our relationship with God, being led by the Spirit, truly, whether that Spirit is talking through an individual or a community.  The process of guidance can be distorted, there is danger in it, but the greatest danger comes in the form of charismatic voices trying to give advice, telling us what we need to do, and claiming that they know what needs to be done because God has spoken to them.  This is a good reason in itself why advice should never be part of it.  And when someone is giving you advice in response to your seeking guidance, I would encourage you to be very wary.  Guidance invites you deeper into relationship with God.  Real spiritual guidance never seeks to manipulate or control.
          The purpose then of seeking guidance is not to have all our problems fixed and to know exactly what we need to do in any moment.  The purpose of seeking guidance is to deepen in our relationship with God.  That is why it is an important spiritual discipline.  We deepen our hearing of God, we deepen our seeking of God, we deepen our experience of God.  And we do so with the humility to recognize that we can’t do any of that alone.  We are led by the community of God’s people as well as the Holy Spirit in our deepening.  We acknowledge that none of us have all the answers or really any of the answers.  Only God does, and when we have the humility to seek guidance in these different ways, we remember that God is always there to lead us when we but ask.  We remember that God wants us to be in full relationship with God because in choosing relationship with God, we are choosing to be the most whole, genuine version of ourselves that we can be.  We remember that God’s answers are perfect, and are just waiting to be given.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.