State of the Church, November, 2004

Grace United Methodist Church

Urbana, IL

We are facing the annual challenges of planning our work for the kingdom of God:  finding and developing and appointing leaders to help us on our way, and establishing the financial means to undertake the journey.  The road is likely to be long and often difficult. It is crucial, therefore, that we have a clear understanding of why we should commit ourselves to this path.  To that end, we must consider three very fundamental questions.

We need to ask the question, "Why would anyone need Grace Church?"  What is it that is so special about this place?  There are other good churches in the community.  Sometimes it seems a lot of trouble to keep the building open, the staff paid, and all the programs running.  Why not just close up shop and go help out some other church?  Why Grace Church?

That raises a second question: "Why would anyone need any church?"  Over 90% of the population say they believe in God.  When people were asked during the last election why they voted like they did; more people gave  "moral values" and "religion" than any other answer.  Yet on an average Sunday, less than 30% of the American public attends church. It is obvious that many people prefer to shuck the church and just get on with spirituality.  A legitimate question is posed:  Why can't we just be good, moral, and spiritual without all the trappings of the church?  Is the institutional church really necessary?

That, in turn, raises a third question: "Why would anyone need Jesus?"  Even devoted church members seem to get along without giving much attention to Jesus.  Many church folks minimalize Jesus in their practice of religion.  Not all Christians act like Jesus.  Nor do they think like Jesus.  So why is Jesus so important?  Do we even need Jesus?

Let's examine those questions in reverse order.

WHY WOULD ANYONE NEED JESUS? 

We can process this question in two phases.  First, what do people need—at the deepest level?  And second, is there compelling evidence that Jesus can satisfy those needs?  Can learning about Jesus, following his teachings, and communing with his spirit really benefit us at the point of our most profound needs?  

Among human beings, there are many universal emotional and psychological needs.  One person, in the midst of a spiritual retreat, wrote this entry in a personal journal: 

I need to be loved,

I need joy and laughter and happiness,

I need to be at peace…

            With myself, with the people around me

I need independence, freedom, room to move around, I need to be on my own.

I need power…

            The strength to hold on to what needs to be held

            And the ability to change what needs to be changed

I need forgiveness and mercy and grace and a chance to start over.

Sometimes I need to fight

            Because I sometimes see things that shouldn’t be

            And if I don’t fight, I can’t live with myself.

I need to flourish,

            To live my life to the fullest, because it’s the only life I’m going to get.

            I need to live this life of mine abundantly,

            I need to live each day infused with eternal living.

I need to be surprised by rebirth, and miracles, and resurrection.

I need healing

            For my pain, for my wounds, for my brokenness and broken-heartedness.

I need to be able to live my life with meaning, wholeness, purpose, completeness.

I need wisdom, insight, perspective, clarity.

I need energy, renewal, and rest

            From fatigue and weariness.

I need to be able to live out the love in my heart

            In a way that blesses others.

These are profound needs.  Is Jesus relevant to them? 

We find Jesus in the stories of the gospels.  In those stories, it is exactly at the point of people’s profoundest needs that Jesus makes a difference.  In the gospel stories, Jesus is a catalyst for healing, renewal, forgiveness, wisdom, insight, rebirth, miracles, liberation, power, peace, and joy.  He is the pure embodiment of love.  He is the champion of abundant living.  He is eternally fighting for justice.  He is the ultimate evocator of hope. 

The same deep needs met in the gospel stories are also met whenever we experience Jesus by being in the company of his followers.  And those needs are met whenever we openly and obediently walk the walk Jesus showed us.  And furthermore, those needs are frequently met whenever we spend time in communion with Jesus through acts of religious devotion.

Everything else and everyone else is inadequate and insufficient for what we really need in our lives.  It would be cruel for us to expect the people of our lives to meet needs that only God can meet.  We need to let people be who they are.  And we need to turn to Jesus Christ to do the things for us that only he can do--meet our deepest needs.

Jesus is not a substitute for relationships with other people.  Nor is he a substitute for the wonders of creation.  He does, rather, infuse and transform every relationship and experience of this world.  We've got this one precious life to live, and we need Jesus so we can make the best of it.

WHY WOULD ANYONE NEED ANY CHURCH?

We need the church because getting what we need from Jesus isn’t all that easy.  Jesus is a peculiar fellow.  In his day, he was thought to be quite odd.  He lived by a set of rules that didn’t make sense to most people.  So the church exists to help us out with Jesus. 

Let’s be honest… Jesus is pretty confusing.  He lived 2000 years ago, then he died, then he was resurrected, then he ascended into heaven, then he came again in the form of the Holy Spirit, and he’s supposed to come again in a big way someday.  He left us a book, called the New Testament, which tells us all about him; but it’s often bewildering, thick, and ambiguous.  We need the church to help us wrestle out the meaning of the book and think through the traditions about the man.

Jesus’ lead can be very difficult for us to follow.  Sometimes we think we're doing what Jesus wants us to do, but it's really just what we want to do.  That's why we need the church--the church is where we hear the genuine stories about Jesus.  Through the stories and songs of the church, through its fellowship, and through its traditions, we come to understand the real Jesus.

The church is the repository of the stories and songs about Jesus and his people.  Nearly everyone wants the quality of life that Jesus has to offer.  There are people waiting with eager minds and yearning hearts for the church to stop serving up institutional religion and start serving Christ.  The servants of Christ today are the folks of the church.  And the folks of the church are those who serve Christ to the world. 

The church has the singular responsibility for helping people see Jesus and relate to him, so that their lives can be fulfilled and transformed.  The church consists of people whose sole responsibility is to serve Christ to the public:  to invite people into communion with Christ; to invite people to make Christ the center of their lives; to invite people to walk the paths of Christ; to invite people to participate in a community where people are Christ to one another. 

The folks of the church are the curators of the stories and songs about Jesus.  And the folks of the church repeatedly tell the stories and sing the songs.  Quite often, Jesus mysteriously appears in the relationships between church folks.  And there is arguable evidence that Jesus is strangely present whenever church folk work with children, or youth, or the sick, or the hungry, or the weary, or the downhearted. 

People need the church because the church is made up of folks who have committed themselves, openly and decisively, to live as Jesus lived, to commune with Jesus, and to be Christ to others.

WHY WOULD ANYONE NEED GRACE CHURCH?

Not everybody does need Grace Church.  There are other good churches in our community, fine churches, where people can experience Jesus.  So why Grace Church?

People need Grace Church because of our peculiarities.  No one is quite like us.  No one else helps people experience Jesus with quite the same pungent particulars or melodious mediums as us.  Some people simply experience Jesus best through the unique phenomenon that is Grace. 

Grace Church is 105 years old.  It is an institution with quite a story. 

Grace Church is weddings and funerals and Christmas Eve programs.

It is sweet corn and popcorn and pancake breakfasts.

Grace Church is a converted creamery building on Main Street 105 years ago.

Grace Church is a dream in a cornfield on Philo Road 40 years ago.

Grace Church is lots of money going in the offering plate. 

And sometimes not enough money going in the offering plate.

Grace Church is individuals taking the initiative to see that things get done right.

Grace is a place where dreams are fulfilled, but also disappointments.

Grace is a place where people have felt loved and healed,

            But sometimes wounded, and confused.

Grace is a place where we’re still waiting for some things to happen.

Grace is rich in memory and tradition.

And Grace is a place where people occasionally guard customs a bit too zealously.

Grace is a place where anybody can be a saint, for a few minutes at least.

And Grace is a place where everybody is a sinner, and always will be.

Grace is a place of surprising mercy, acceptance, just as you are.

But it is, once in a while, a place where forgiveness is a struggle,

slow and painful in its coming.

Grace is a place where people have put in hours and hours and hours of work.

But it is also a place in need of major renovation.

Grace is a place of Bible study, and gossip, and music, and meetings, and mission, …and people who aren’t perfect, and people who are so delightful you want to take them home with you, and people who….you get the idea.

Why do people need Grace Church? 

Because some people are just going to blossom when you put them in the same church with (NAME THE NAMES OF WHO YOU SEE IN THE PEWS)

There is no other church quite like us.  Nobody has the same story that we have.  We started out a group of courageous, far-sighted people who wanted to organize a church in east Urbana because there were some children whose spiritual, emotional, and social needs were not being met.  And then, about 40 years ago, some folks stood in a cornfield on Philo Road and dreamed of what could happen if the church moved to that new location.  And they did, in order to better serve the growing population of southeast Urbana. 

Grace Church is where many people's lives have been changed.  There are people who have come here in brokenness—and found grace.  In this congregation, people have been healed, loved, and forgiven. 

Not everything about Grace is always good.  Grace is also a place where people have been disappointed.  It is a place where some people came and didn't feel like they were included.  People get confused and sometimes wounded in churches—and Grace Church is no exception.  Like all churches, this is also a place where people sometimes let each other down.  But a part of the gift of this place is that portion of God’s grace that is only known through wounds, disappointments, and struggles.

Our waiting is also a part of who we are.  We are still waiting for some of the healing to take place.  We are still waiting for some things to happen, for some dreams to be realized, for some strength to come upon us, and for some goals to be fulfilled. 

People need Grace Church because we are inimitable, one of a kind, endearingly odd.  Likewise, each person is unique, on a one of a kind journey.  And for certain people—Grace Church is simply a most fruitful match.

HOW IS GRACE CHURCH DOING?

Our annual checkup shows that there are causes for both celebration and concern.  Let's do the celebrating first. 

We celebrate all that we are doing around here:  The worship services, including our four Grace Years services in local retirement centers, the mid-week WellSpring service of renewal and healing, the joys of wedding ceremonies, the grief of funeral services, worship at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  Our lives are profoundly touched by the beauty and solemnity of the worship. 

We celebrate our small groups.  We notice the healing taking place in people's lives as they come here for counseling.  We celebrate all the new people who have been coming into this church.  We see friendships formed right before our eyes.  We are satisfied watching people close ranks around those going through a hard time.

We celebrate our great music program, Vacation Bible School, all our Sunday School classes, the confirmation class, and a workshop that is helping people work through some of the things that happen as people get older and needs have to be reassessed.

We celebrate our mission trips, the Activities Fair, the middle school youth group, the Fellowship Café, our softball team, and potluck and game nights.

We celebrate the staff, our newsletter and other tools of communication, and all the work that gets done around Grace, week by week, hour by hour, to make this building truly hospitable and truly the house of the Lord.

We celebrate that the Spirit is indeed with us, in this place, blessing all our activities.  God's spirit is alive and powerful and moving among us. 

In the midst of the celebration, there are also some concerns.  We are concerned about all the losses that Grace Church has suffered in the last year.  In just one year, we have had 17 deaths in the church.  While many of these people have not been able to be active in recent years, they have been at the very heart and soul of this congregation for decades.  We lost people in this last year who were highly significant to the leadership, the direction, and the spirit of this church.  In addition to these deaths, some families have moved away, and it has hit this church hard.  We also have some families who are going through some difficult times, major life changes--and those people have not been available to provide the stability, leadership, and the resources that they have in the past. 

Also of concern is the financial situation of the church.  We have had a hard year with  people meeting their pledges.  If present trends continue, we will come up short $22,000 of what people pledged for 2004.  This church has been extremely active in its ministry this past year.  We have given and given to people in need.  We have invested in the building and in equipment so that this church can have a future.  We have expanded and reorganized the staff in order to help us grow and serve the public.  But when uncollected pledges are combined with deaths, moves, and higher apportionments from the annual conference, the church finds itself in a huge financial crisis in the coming 12 months.   

SO WHAT DOES THE CHURCH NEED FROM ITS MEMBERS?

I want to share with you a portion of the Scripture from 2 Kings.  This is the familiar story of Elijah, the grand old prophet.  He has been with the people a long time; he has been through lots of ups and downs with them, and everybody feels a little more comfortable with Elijah around.  But the time has come for Elijah to depart.  It is time now for somebody else to take his place.  He takes his young protégé, Elisha, and they cross over the Jordan River.  Let's pick it up in chapter 2, verse number 9…

"…When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you."  Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."  He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not."  As they continued walking and talking, a

chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a

whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father!  The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"  When he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.  Then he picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen to the ground, put it on, crossed back over the Jordan, and began his ministry." 

We need for some folks to step forward and pick up the mantle that has fallen this past year.  We need for some of you who have been holding back from leadership--to at long last step forward and offer yourself for leadership in this church.  We need for a number of you who can give more money to do so. We need for some of you who have been erratic in your participation to get your act together and get here reliably.  We need for some of you who have been lukewarm in your faith to make an open, decisive commitment to Jesus Christ and to live out that commitment in the life of this church.  We need those of you whose lives are a mess to put Jesus at the center of that messy life, so that other things can finally begin to happen like they need to happen. 

When I look at where this church is right now, at all that we have lost, and at all that we need to do, I have to tell you, it's a little scary.  But I have been leading churches now for 30 years, and I have been a little scared before. Yet the Lord has always provided.  The spirit of the Lord does stir in the lives of people.  And when the Lord stirs in our lives, we find a way to do the things that need to be done, and to give the gifts that need to be given, in order that the church can have the power to offer Christ to the many who are in need.  People are hungry and thirsty for the gift of Christ.  And for it to happen in Grace Church for another year, the Lord is going to have to stir in ways we haven't seen before.

It has been a hard year to be the pastor of this church, with all our losses.  I've had to beware of those discouragement demons.  And sometimes they’ve been most exasperating.   But I’m ready to face our new year—together.  As long as the bishop appoints you and me to serve together here at Grace, we are not going backward.  We will not cut corners.  We will not blame each other for our problems.  We will not stop taking responsible risks.  We will not stop praying.  We will not stop dreaming.  We will not stop doing the right thing. We will not stop reaching out to new people.  We will not stop telling the stories of our faith, and we will not stop singing our songs.  We will not stop being Christ to one another.  And we will not stop believing in miracles.  We will not go backward. 

I don't know all the particulars of how we are going to climb this hill, but I do know we are going to do it TOGETHER.  The Lord will stir among us and supply our needs. 

We are here because we need Grace Church, and people we know need Grace Church.  We are here because we need Christ, and people we know need Christ.  We all know that for us, and for so many others, this is the place.  May God bless Grace Church.