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Pastor Larry's Message for August 8, 2010
Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren
“An Authentic Community”
Good morning. The other evening I was watching the NBC News with Tom Brokaw and after some fairly
intelligent reporting…I kept the TV on and up followed a show called, “Inside Edition” which is kind of a tabloid
television show that tells about all the going-ons in Hollywood and elsewhere. What was reported on the
evening I watched? Lindsay Lohan being released from jail. Mel Gibson’s recorded phone rant to his girl
friend. More outrageous behavior from Lady Gaga. It was really amazing for me to observe people who are so
full of themselves and we (the public)…we watch it all with curiosity. My hunch is that our curiosity is more in
the fashion of slowing down in our cars to view a car wreck. A morbid curiosity. I have no doubt that we live in a
culture of self-absorption and self-centeredness. Narcissism.
The word “narcissism” comes from the Greek god named Narcissus who was known for his beauty. Many fell
in love with him, but he spurned them all, until one day he became thirsty and went to a pool of water where
he saw his own reflection. He ended up falling in love with himself to the extent that he could not pull himself
away from his reflection, even to eat, so he died. His death was caused by total self-absorption. And that’s
what we watch on TV about these celebrities who too often destroy their own lives because of a complete
preoccupation with themselves? In a nutshell…when we worship ourselves, we become our own god.
In a book on individualism by Robert Bellah. The author wrote of how our society as a whole is moving away
from concerns about family, community or society as a whole to instead what is good for us personally as
individuals. In his book, Bellah gives this interesting illustration of self-absorption by sharing of one of his
clients, a young woman named Shelia. He wrote the following: “We interviewed one young woman who
named her religion after herself. Sheila Larson is a young nurse who has received a good deal of therapy and
describes her faith as ‘Sheilaism.’ ‘I believe in God,’ Sheila says. ‘I am not a religious fanatic. I can’t
remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little
voice.’ Sheila’s faith has some tenets beyond belief in God, though not many. In defining what she calls ‘my
own Sheilaism,’ she said: ‘It’s just try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself.’” This is one of those stories
that is both funny and sad. Funny for it’s quirkiness but sad because of it’s eventual outcome. And here’s the
thing…the worship of self is quickly becoming the dominant religion of America.
Is it any wonder that we hear and see families falling apart? Or fickleness among friends? Even within the
church…people today come for what they might get out of it. Too many churches have become commercial
enterprises that try to market themselves as a business. People actually shop around for a church just like
they shop for a car or some clothes. And increasingly we see a trend of independence among followers of
Christ. That Christians don’t answer to anyone. They don’t believe they need a church or anyone to be
accountable to. Lone Ranger Christians.
Even though we’re considered a small church…we are a diverse congregation. We come from Brethren
background, Catholic, Baptist, no-church background. We have committed Republicans and Democrats and
Independents. We have people who like contemporary worship, and those who like traditional worship. We
have people with every conceivable aspect of education. These are the things that make our church so
wonderful and challenging to me. We are learning to live together and love each other in this wonderful
diversity. So, this morning I would like for us to take a few minutes to consider what it means to live in a
Christian community. First point…
I. COMMUNITY MEANS UNITY IN LOVE. Community comes from two words: “com” which means “with,” and
“unity.” So, community means to live “with unity.” Unity is very important topic in the Bible. The Apostle Paul
wrote in Romans 15:5: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity
among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” And in Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace”.
The distinguishing factor of the church is not that we all have exactly the same beliefs, but that we live in unity
and love. Beliefs are important…don’t get me wrong. But it is essential that as Christians we love each other
and treat each other with respect…especially when we disagree. One of my favorite Bible passages is 1 John
4:7-8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”.
There are issues right now in our denomination and even in our district in which people disagree. Sometimes
our feelings for a certain issue can be so strong that we forget Jesus’ command to love others. But we need
to consider our brothers and sisters and our words and efforts ultimately must be to strive to maintain unity
within the church and not division. Second…
II. COMMUNITY MEANS WE KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS. If we focus our eyes on always being right about a
particular issue…don’t be surprised if our eyes aren’t always focused on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,” It seems to me that today we live in such a polarizing
world. Too often…people are looking for something to criticize. And this happens not only in the world around
us but also in the church. Happens here at Prince of Peace. Quick to judge. Quick to criticize. Quick to talk
about it. What would happen in the church today if instead of being quick to judge and criticize we kept our
focus on Jesus?
We focus too often on rules and regulations, religious tradition, that will support our self-righteousness and
judgment of others, rather than focusing on Christ. But according to Christ…unity means loving people who
are different from us…who we may even disagree with. And that leads to my third and final point.
III. COMMUNITY MEANS LOSING OURSELVES IN SERVICE. In thirty years of ministry one of the things I’ve
noticed is that when people start serving others, the disagreements and quarreling dissipates. When we
serve and minister it is then that we work side by side for the common good. Serving God builds up the
Kingdom of God. Even here at Prince of Peace we are considered a serving church. Today we receive hot
dogs and chips because of the generosity of this church for our local Food Bank. Yet…we need to find
renewal in our outreach to our community. Joy Kemmerer and I had an opportunity to meet with
representatives from other churches in the Kettering area that are preparing to help a single mother with three
autistic children to an Extreme Home Makeover of her house. And we’re going to help out. Keep your ears
open for the latest news. But that’s what it is all about to be part of an authentic community. We’re imperfect
people serving other imperfect people in the name of our awesome God.
I want to close this morning’s message with a story from John, chapter four. You‘ve heard the story. Jesus
meets a woman by a well in Samaria and begins to reveal that he knows all about her. She says to him, “Oh,
you must be a prophet! While you’re here, I have a question for you. We Samaritans say that you should
worship on this mountain, but the Jews say that we should worship on the mountain in Jerusalem. Which is
it?” Jesus basically tells her that both sides have missed the point. It is not where you worship, but how you
worship that is most important. I believe we are often involved in arguments that totally miss the point. The
point is not whether we all have the same understanding of things, but whether we love God and love people.
Can we love imperfect people? People who might be different from you and me? Are we committed to people
and the relationships that come from that, or are we willing to divide people over issues? Am I involved in
ministering to all people? Even Jesus’ disciples shunned the Samaritans. Even these men who were closest
to Jesus could only think of how much more right they were than the Samaritans. Jesus had to teach and
open their eyes from their very own blindness.
Larry Crabb, a Christian psychologist wrote: “A central task of community is to create a place that is safe
enough for the walls to be torn down, safe enough for each of us to reveal our brokenness.” You remember
the TV show “Cheers”…about a Boston bar? The theme song lyrics spoke about that bar being a place
“where everybody knows your name.” You know…as a kid…I sat on many a bar stools with my father. He
would drink his beers while I sat drinking my coke with a cherry to munch on. One of my fondest memories
about those bars was the fact that you could come as you are and openly share your problems. My dad would
sit there with others and they would just let their hair hang down. It was a permissive, accepting, and inclusive
fellowship. And bars and taverns continue to flourish to this day. And they flourish not because everyone who
goes there are alcoholics but because people deep down inside want to know and be known, to love and be
loved, to be real with their problems.
We…in the church can learn a lot from bars…because I believe that Jesus wants the church to be a
fellowship where people can come and be real…where everybody knows your name and mine. May God, in
his grace, help us to model what it means to be a place of authentic community where people are loved,
encouraged and spiritually nurtured. And now…as we close this morning’s worship service…as the
authentic community of God…you are invited to receive the blessing of God’s anointing. Whatever your need
might be…God is available. My friends…in the name of Jesus Christ…we are here for each other.
We’re going to do the anointing a little different this morning. For the closing…everyone remain seated as we
sing. If you want to be anointed…please stand and I or Tracy Downs or Sandy Jenkins will come to you to be
anointed. Let’s sing our closing hymn, #145, “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”.
Good morning. The other evening I was watching the NBC News with Tom Brokaw and after some fairly
intelligent reporting…I kept the TV on and up followed a show called, “Inside Edition” which is kind of a tabloid
television show that tells about all the going-ons in Hollywood and elsewhere. What was reported on the
evening I watched? Lindsay Lohan being released from jail. Mel Gibson’s recorded phone rant to his girl
friend. More outrageous behavior from Lady Gaga. It was really amazing for me to observe people who are so
full of themselves and we (the public)…we watch it all with curiosity. My hunch is that our curiosity is more in
the fashion of slowing down in our cars to view a car wreck. A morbid curiosity. I have no doubt that we live in a
culture of self-absorption and self-centeredness. Narcissism.
The word “narcissism” comes from the Greek god named Narcissus who was known for his beauty. Many fell
in love with him, but he spurned them all, until one day he became thirsty and went to a pool of water where
he saw his own reflection. He ended up falling in love with himself to the extent that he could not pull himself
away from his reflection, even to eat, so he died. His death was caused by total self-absorption. And that’s
what we watch on TV about these celebrities who too often destroy their own lives because of a complete
preoccupation with themselves? In a nutshell…when we worship ourselves, we become our own god.
In a book on individualism by Robert Bellah. The author wrote of how our society as a whole is moving away
from concerns about family, community or society as a whole to instead what is good for us personally as
individuals. In his book, Bellah gives this interesting illustration of self-absorption by sharing of one of his
clients, a young woman named Shelia. He wrote the following: “We interviewed one young woman who
named her religion after herself. Sheila Larson is a young nurse who has received a good deal of therapy and
describes her faith as ‘Sheilaism.’ ‘I believe in God,’ Sheila says. ‘I am not a religious fanatic. I can’t
remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little
voice.’ Sheila’s faith has some tenets beyond belief in God, though not many. In defining what she calls ‘my
own Sheilaism,’ she said: ‘It’s just try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself.’” This is one of those stories
that is both funny and sad. Funny for it’s quirkiness but sad because of it’s eventual outcome. And here’s the
thing…the worship of self is quickly becoming the dominant religion of America.
Is it any wonder that we hear and see families falling apart? Or fickleness among friends? Even within the
church…people today come for what they might get out of it. Too many churches have become commercial
enterprises that try to market themselves as a business. People actually shop around for a church just like
they shop for a car or some clothes. And increasingly we see a trend of independence among followers of
Christ. That Christians don’t answer to anyone. They don’t believe they need a church or anyone to be
accountable to. Lone Ranger Christians.
Even though we’re considered a small church…we are a diverse congregation. We come from Brethren
background, Catholic, Baptist, no-church background. We have committed Republicans and Democrats and
Independents. We have people who like contemporary worship, and those who like traditional worship. We
have people with every conceivable aspect of education. These are the things that make our church so
wonderful and challenging to me. We are learning to live together and love each other in this wonderful
diversity. So, this morning I would like for us to take a few minutes to consider what it means to live in a
Christian community. First point…
I. COMMUNITY MEANS UNITY IN LOVE. Community comes from two words: “com” which means “with,” and
“unity.” So, community means to live “with unity.” Unity is very important topic in the Bible. The Apostle Paul
wrote in Romans 15:5: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity
among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” And in Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace”.
The distinguishing factor of the church is not that we all have exactly the same beliefs, but that we live in unity
and love. Beliefs are important…don’t get me wrong. But it is essential that as Christians we love each other
and treat each other with respect…especially when we disagree. One of my favorite Bible passages is 1 John
4:7-8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”.
There are issues right now in our denomination and even in our district in which people disagree. Sometimes
our feelings for a certain issue can be so strong that we forget Jesus’ command to love others. But we need
to consider our brothers and sisters and our words and efforts ultimately must be to strive to maintain unity
within the church and not division. Second…
II. COMMUNITY MEANS WE KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS. If we focus our eyes on always being right about a
particular issue…don’t be surprised if our eyes aren’t always focused on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,” It seems to me that today we live in such a polarizing
world. Too often…people are looking for something to criticize. And this happens not only in the world around
us but also in the church. Happens here at Prince of Peace. Quick to judge. Quick to criticize. Quick to talk
about it. What would happen in the church today if instead of being quick to judge and criticize we kept our
focus on Jesus?
We focus too often on rules and regulations, religious tradition, that will support our self-righteousness and
judgment of others, rather than focusing on Christ. But according to Christ…unity means loving people who
are different from us…who we may even disagree with. And that leads to my third and final point.
III. COMMUNITY MEANS LOSING OURSELVES IN SERVICE. In thirty years of ministry one of the things I’ve
noticed is that when people start serving others, the disagreements and quarreling dissipates. When we
serve and minister it is then that we work side by side for the common good. Serving God builds up the
Kingdom of God. Even here at Prince of Peace we are considered a serving church. Today we receive hot
dogs and chips because of the generosity of this church for our local Food Bank. Yet…we need to find
renewal in our outreach to our community. Joy Kemmerer and I had an opportunity to meet with
representatives from other churches in the Kettering area that are preparing to help a single mother with three
autistic children to an Extreme Home Makeover of her house. And we’re going to help out. Keep your ears
open for the latest news. But that’s what it is all about to be part of an authentic community. We’re imperfect
people serving other imperfect people in the name of our awesome God.
I want to close this morning’s message with a story from John, chapter four. You‘ve heard the story. Jesus
meets a woman by a well in Samaria and begins to reveal that he knows all about her. She says to him, “Oh,
you must be a prophet! While you’re here, I have a question for you. We Samaritans say that you should
worship on this mountain, but the Jews say that we should worship on the mountain in Jerusalem. Which is
it?” Jesus basically tells her that both sides have missed the point. It is not where you worship, but how you
worship that is most important. I believe we are often involved in arguments that totally miss the point. The
point is not whether we all have the same understanding of things, but whether we love God and love people.
Can we love imperfect people? People who might be different from you and me? Are we committed to people
and the relationships that come from that, or are we willing to divide people over issues? Am I involved in
ministering to all people? Even Jesus’ disciples shunned the Samaritans. Even these men who were closest
to Jesus could only think of how much more right they were than the Samaritans. Jesus had to teach and
open their eyes from their very own blindness.
Larry Crabb, a Christian psychologist wrote: “A central task of community is to create a place that is safe
enough for the walls to be torn down, safe enough for each of us to reveal our brokenness.” You remember
the TV show “Cheers”…about a Boston bar? The theme song lyrics spoke about that bar being a place
“where everybody knows your name.” You know…as a kid…I sat on many a bar stools with my father. He
would drink his beers while I sat drinking my coke with a cherry to munch on. One of my fondest memories
about those bars was the fact that you could come as you are and openly share your problems. My dad would
sit there with others and they would just let their hair hang down. It was a permissive, accepting, and inclusive
fellowship. And bars and taverns continue to flourish to this day. And they flourish not because everyone who
goes there are alcoholics but because people deep down inside want to know and be known, to love and be
loved, to be real with their problems.
We…in the church can learn a lot from bars…because I believe that Jesus wants the church to be a
fellowship where people can come and be real…where everybody knows your name and mine. May God, in
his grace, help us to model what it means to be a place of authentic community where people are loved,
encouraged and spiritually nurtured. And now…as we close this morning’s worship service…as the
authentic community of God…you are invited to receive the blessing of God’s anointing. Whatever your need
might be…God is available. My friends…in the name of Jesus Christ…we are here for each other.
We’re going to do the anointing a little different this morning. For the closing…everyone remain seated as we
sing. If you want to be anointed…please stand and I or Tracy Downs or Sandy Jenkins will come to you to be
anointed. Let’s sing our closing hymn, #145, “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”.