Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY
I'd like to start by reading something by Sandy Zeigler (szeigler@gbod.org), Director of Lay Leadership Development at the General Board of Discipleship
Partners in Ministry: All God's People, Singing the Song and Living the LifeAs part of the family of Christ, we are all automatically part of the priesthood of all believers. Laity Sunday is designed to recognize those who are committed to discipleship. But I think that is all of us: by living a Christ-filled life, we are bringing his light into this world for others to see. Its as simple as being nice, being generous with your time, your good attitude, your skills – and not just to the church, but to all around you, stranger and friend alike.
As this year's Laity Sunday theme suggests, we are all called to ministry and to sing the song and live the life. What is your song? How do you sing it? Are you a soprano, alto, tenor, or bass? We all have a song to sing, no matter how we sing it. We are all called.
It is not just the clergy who are called to live for Jesus and represent him to a hurting world; we all belong to a royal priesthood of believers.
How does the song you sing affect your life? Do you whistle while you work? Our lives should reflect Christ. No matter where we are or what we do, we must mirror our faith. Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, that a city set up on a hill cannot be hidden, and that we should let our light shine for all to see and not hide it under a bushel.
To reflect the light of Christ, we need to spend time with him. Prayer, searching the Scriptures, Christian conferencing, worship, fasting, and Communion are ways to develop a closer relationship with Jesus. John Wesley called these practices the means of grace. They are ways in which we can partake of and experience more fully the grace of our Lord and Savior.
Living the life is more than just attending worship on Sunday or attending meetings or singing in the choir. Prayer, both private and corporate, is essential to a close relationship with God. Searching the Scriptures (Bible reading and study) is crucial to our development as disciples. Worship and Holy Communion and fasting can draw us closer to God and help renew our relationship with God. Small groups or covenant discipleship groups help us to grow and persevere in our daily walk. Acts of compassion and justice reveal our faith to others.
How are you singing the song and living the life? Are you devoting time to abiding in Christ? Can others see Christ through your actions? I would suggest that you seriously consider practicing the spiritual disciplines — means of grace — so that you can more perfectly reflect the light of Christ and live as his disciples.
I am reminded of a saying I heard last weekend: God does not choose those who are talented and gifted, but gives gifts and talents to those who choose him. I have seen this happening in my own life. People tell me I have a powerful speaking voice – first of all, God gives me the words to speak. And 20 years ago, about the best you could say about my public speaking ability was that I could read pretty well. In fact, the first time I ever spoke in public, at a conference, the comment I got at the end was that my talk was “very nicely read.” And people seem to be moved by the music when I play and sing. I have been playing guitar and singing for almost 25 years, but it wasn’t until the last five years when I began to sing regularly for Christ that my humble talents really began to shine.
Whatever gifts or talents you have, God will use them if you let him. And if you pledge to serve God, ask him “Lord, use me as you can, your will, not mine,” listen, and go where he calls, you will find gifts you didn’t even know you have.
2 Corinthians 5:17 speaks of what it means when we become part of the Body of Christ. “What this means is that those who became Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life is begun!”
When we choose Christ, it is not a one-time thing. We are baptized once in our lives, but we choose Christ daily, sometimes minute by minute. We are sinners by nature, frequently tempted or distracted by daily life. Micah 6:6-8 (NLT) speaks to us sinners who choose Christ:
What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad? No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.We who have made that choice to follow Christ, who daily make that choice, our fate is sealed. We can not give back the knowledge we have gained in knowing Christ, the knowledge of right and wrong, the call to serve. However, in return we are many times blessed by God’s love, God’s forgiveness, and God’s grace. Yes, we are sinners, but it is our sins that have made us who we are. It is our sins that have brought us to this very place in our lives. And it is God’s forgiveness that enables us to use our humanity to serve others, to tell others. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Now that we have it, what are we going to do with it? Now that you know the power of Christ in your life, what are YOU going to do with it?
Michael R. Martin – October 17, 2004
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM
No comments:
Post a Comment