Change the world #2
Reinbeck UMC 4/14/2013
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
There must be a thousand ideas that would make the world a better place. There are probably a thousand ways to make each of those changes.
So what do you think… should we start with hunger this morning and tackle war this afternoon?
Or maybe since this is child abuse awareness month, we should start with child abuse this morning and hold off on hunger until this afternoon.
Maybe we split up and half of us take care of inter-religious conflicts and the other half take care of child abuse, then we can hook up to take on world peace this afternoon.
…Come on, if we are going to change the world we have to start somewhere.
Consider this:
· Would you say that electricity has changed the world? The first electric light was so dim that you had to hold a candle up next to it to see its socket.
· Would you say that steam engines changed the world? One of the first steamboats took 32 hours to chug its way from New York to Albany, at a speedy 4.6 miles per hour.
· How about air travel? That was a world-changing event wasn't it. Wilbur and Orville Wright's first airplane flight lasted only 12 seconds.
· Don't forget automobiles…they have certainly changed the world for every one of us. The first automobiles traveled 2 to 4 miles per hour and spent as much time being repaired as being driven. Carriages would pass them with their passengers shouting, "Get a horse!"[1]
Every world-changing event started with somebody taking one small step. You know the old saying "Every journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."[2]
Let's listen to the conversation between Noah and God in Evan Almighty.[3]
Morgan freeman says, "you want to change the world, son. So do I." Jesus doesn't quite say it in those terms, but how about these words,
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
To my ears that sounds like, "I'm here to change the world! Ready or not here I come!"
There is no getting around it. Jesus came to change the world.
Jesus came to turn the world and it standards upside down.
Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
Jesus came to show us what it means to be world-changers.
How did he do that? Simple…
· He invited friends
· He loved
· He challenged injustice
· He reached out to people no one else wanted to see
· He accepted the unacceptable
· He taught about trust and faith
· He prayed
· He identified with ordinary people like farmers and shepherds
· He resisted temptation
· Encouraged the downcast
· Empowered the powerless
· Gathered people into true community
· Told stories
· Fed people
· Learned from everyone he met
· He forgave
· He blessed
· He Condemned abuse
· And he was willing to die for his beliefs.
That's how Jesus changed the world. Tell me, is there one thing in that list that we could not do? (I intentionally left out saving the world and performing miracles.) No, we are capable of doing all those things. In other words, we are capable of changing the world.
So what is stopping us?… in the video clip, Noah tries to convince God that he has other plans. Do you remember how that goes for him?
In today's scripture lessons the same thing happens
Peter says, "Jesus this doesn't' really fit into my plans here. I have fishing to do."
Jesus says, "When you were younger you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old… when you grow up in the faith… you will stretch out your hands and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." In other words
In the other scripture for today, Saul says, "Jesus, this doesn't really fit into my plans here I have Christians to persecute." Jesus replies,
And we say, "Jesus, this change the world thing just doesn't' fit into my plans. I have lots of things to do." Jesus laughs in our faces.
As disciples of Jesus our plans just don't matter… we are now part of HIS plan.
If the only thing stopping us from changing the world is following our own plans instead of God's plans; if the only thing stopping us from changing the world is trying to keep control of our own lives instead of letting Jesus have control, Then it is time to put down our pathetic little road map and follow the one who created the road an knows ever twist and turn.
As disciples of Jesus, we are now part of HIS plan. His plan is that we would
· Invite friends
· Love
· Challenge injustice
· Reach out to people no one else wants to see
· Accept the unacceptable
· Teach about trust and faith
· Pray
· Identify with ordinary people like farmers and factory workers
· Resist temptation
· Encourage the downcast
· Empower the powerless
· Gather people into true community
· Tell stories
· Feed people
· Learn from everyone we met
· Forgive
· Bless
· Condemn abuse
· And be willing to die for our beliefs.
There is nothing so hard about any of that… if… if we can get our own plans… our own egos…our own need to control out of the way.
If we get ourselves out of the way, changing the world is easy.
But where do we begin you ask…
Hollywood calls that one act of random kindness at a time. Do you know what we call that in the church? It is called SERVICE. It is called being a SERVANT!
Remember that last week I talked about LOVE. I asked you to love someone. Radically pour your love into them without regard for what you will get in return. How did that go? Did you try it? I hope so, because this week I want you to KEEP DONG THAT, and I want you put skin on that love … GO SERVE SOMEONE.
What do I mean? I am going to be concrete because I want you to be concrete. You can love someone without them knowing it. You can't serve someone without them knowing it.
· Serve someone at home and do a chore than someone else always does. Like guys, you can wash the dishes!
· Serve a neighbor and do something for them. Without pay, without strings, just do something for them. (make sure it is something that needs to be done) Pick up their sticks, clean out their gutters, offer to baby sit, give them a ride, take them food when they get out of the hospital, give them a Casey's gas card if they are financially stressed. Tell them that you will mow their yard for them this summer… for free.
· Serve someone else in town who needs something. Give them a ride to church, the grocery store, or the doctor, leave an anonymous envelope of cash taped to their back door. Spend the afternoon visiting at Parkview and Westview. Go visit the Adairs in Traer. Volunteer to read to a child. Listen to a teenager. Carry groceries to the house. Pay for someone else's pizza at Nana Rosa's. Clean up trash in the back schoolyard. There are 1000 things you can do to serve someone right here in town. .
· Serve the church. Clean something you notice that no one else notices. Help Dian with the newsletters. Visit some of our homebound people. Volunteer to head up the pork burger tent. Volunteer to help a committee with their next project. Pay for a child's summer camp. Teach vacation Bible School, run the computer for worship. Sing a solo. You can think of 1000 more things
· Serve someone outside our community. Serve meals at a senior meal site, or the Salvation Army. Donate food to a shelter. Serve at the humane society, or a summer camp, or an after school program for low-income kids. Volunteer for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or 4-H. Work for the political party of your choice. Volunteer at the hospital, or blood center, or nursing home. Be a foster parent or big brother/sister. You can think of a thousand other ways to serve if you try.
· Serve someone way outside of our community. Donate to UMCOR's current disaster, or better yet volunteer to help at the next disaster. Go on a mission trip. Sponsor a child. Go on an educational tour of a 3rd world country. And I'll bet you can come up with even better ideas.
There is no end to the ways you can serve. But, if the world is going to change, we have to put skin on our love and serve somebody.
When Jesus tells peter "Feed my sheep.", he is telling him to take care of my people. Love my people. Serve my people.
That's what I am asking you to do. Feed Jesus' sheep.
Help me conclude the sermon with this litany from that story.
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L: Jesus said to the People of the Reinbeck United Methodist Church, 'Brothers and sisters, do you love me more than yourself?'
P: 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'
L: Jesus said to them, 'Feed my lambs.' A second time he said to them, 'Brothers and sisters, do you love me?'
P: 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'
L: Jesus said to them, 'Serve one another.' He said to him the third time, ''Brothers and sisters, do you love me?'
P: 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.'
L: Jesus said to him, 'Serve my people, and change the world."
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