Crows and Methodists (Sermon)

Mt 28:19-20: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I enjoy reading the stories of the early American Methodists as they forged into the great unknown of the West. There was an account in one local paper that recalled when the people called Methodist held an open-air revival meeting in a small western town. Just down the river from the meeting was a large group of revelers, spending their afternoon drinking gin. Well, the paper says that at some point, a new wagon of gin arrived at the party and there went up a great shout of joy from those in attendance. Hearing this at the revival, the evangelist encouraged the people to shout to God all the louder. This so disturbed the drinking party that several of their number came with an axe “to fell the evangelist.” What happened next is not entirely certain. The paper reported, “ Mr. Smith charged into the meeting brandishing his axe. He was shot twice in the leg, and thereafter, the revival continued on for fourteen days.”

Another story from the frontier came from the journal of a Texas ranger, who on one particularly harsh, wintry day remarked, “It is not fit outside for any man to pass. There’s nothing out today but crows and Methodist preachers.”

Sometimes I praise God that I live in this time, when the frontier is already settled, but as I thought about it, we have a new frontier that confronts us today. It isn’t physical as much as it is philosophical and social. Today, our frontier is people in our own back yards who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet frontiers are always resistant to change. I want to share with you five factors of resistance.

1. Lifestyle of consumption. We’ve clean this term up quite a bit, and say we’re consumers, but consider, for a moment, the implications of that word. In the US, less than 10% of the world’s population consume over 90% of the world’s resources. On a more personal level, we define our lives and our social status largely on the basis of what we own and what we can buy. This has led to a dangerous and disturbing trend of debt, as those who can’t afford to keep up with the latest and greatest are offered easy credit to purchase these things. Last year, the average household spent 130% of their annual income.

2. Instinct for security. This is not just corporate (as evidenced by all of the changes since 9/11), but also private. We have to sign waivers for our doctors to be able to share information with each other about our health, because there is a new concern with privacy. We have gated communities in many towns and cities, and even in the country we always lock our doors -- something that our grandparents would have thought completely unnecessary.

3. Orientation towards self. “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.” We live in a time of self-indulgence. Modesty and self-restraint have been taken completely off of society’s moral grid. There was a time that it would have caused a person to blush for living to excess, but our society today encourages us to just that.

4. Inclination towards Skepticism. This found its origins in modern advertising. What do our ads say to us? You NEED this product. You can’t live WITHOUT it. Today, everything is suspect and all motives are questioned. There is nothing sacred, for this skepticism removes any trust or respect, and it opens all of aspects of society to be criticized and to be poke fun at. Whether it is our leaders, the church, or Christ himself, everything is free game for the pundits, sitcom writers, and late night comics.

5. Reliance on the empirical. This simply means what can be proven by modern science. It leaves little or no room for faith. The idolatry of the 20th century was certainty. Anything we can’t KNOW by science as pushed to the margins. While this is being questioned by a postmodern generation, the vast majority of our society still clings to the frail crutch of empiricism.

Now none of these things are bad in and of themselves, but they must be held in balance. To do so, we need to rediscover the counterbalancing characteristic that Christianity offers.

1. Consumption must be moderated by devotion. When we give continuous partial attention to God, or even fully give him our attention, we invite a sustained gaze on the person of Christ. It is this upon which we focused on last Sunday, for people need to seek the face of God. Only when we begin to be consumed with devotion to Him will our own consumption be tempered. When I am devoted to God fully, my wants begin to be redefined. Our mantra shifts from “I’m all I think about,” to “He’s all I need.”

2. Security must be tempered with a sense of adventure. We want to experience the awsome things of God, but we fear to do it. We need to let go of our dependence upon control, and allow God to move through us and in us. Only then can we begin to break the spirit of control that asserts itself in the name of security. Life should be the greatest of adventures for the Christian, but we can only live it out when we walk by faith . . .

3. Self must be balanced with society. African Banatu tribe has a saying, which translates, “ A person is a person only because of other persons.” The New Testament concept is expressed by the Greek word koinonia, which refers to our sense of community and family. If we are the body of Christ, then Paul is right to say that one part can’t say “I don’t need you!” The New Testament is full of passages that I call the “one another”s. When I begin to see self in the light of others, it helps me manage those conflicting pulls.

4. Skepticism must be balanced with trust. We call it faith, but to the world, faith is a foreign concept. There was a boy named Muta who was born and raised in inner city. The church in the community began to have some outdoor events for the neighborhood children: Games, food and drinks, movies. Some of the kids would hang back and watch from a distance, but others were bold and came and joined in the fun. Muta was somewhere in the middle. After watching for a few weeks, he came and participated. He often did’t show up for a couple of weeks and then would suddenly be back again. One Sunday, the pastor of the church saw Muta come into the back of the church on a Sunday morning. The youth pastor went and sat with him. It was a communion Sunday, and when the time came for communion, Muta looked at the youth pastor and said, “I can’t go up!” “Why not?” inquired the youth pastor. “I don’t got no money ta pay for it.” With a smile, the youth pastor replied, “It’s OK, Muta. It’s already been paid for.” Muta was a prime example of the world’s skepticism, but with love and patience, trust will come, and trust can lead to faith and the deeper truths of the Gospel.

5. Emperical must be woven together with the mystical. We need to give space and silence for God to show up and shake up our rational world. We need both, but we must not give up either. While science will continue to inform us, teach us, and improve our lives, there is an aspect of our being that requires something more. You see, we are spiritual beings inside of physical bodies. We can never be wholly content with just the physical understanding. Faith provides us with the other side of the discussion, as we look upon the spiritual reality that is all around us.

If we want to go to all the world, even our back yard, we must find balance ourselves and help bring back the balance that can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ. There is a poem that I’d like to close with. It says . . .

There once was a carpenter who built the most wonderful things from wood.
There once was a priest who fed the crowds of hungry souls with bread and wine. There once was a storyteller who could make the world seem to come alive.

And this carpenter,
this priest,
this storyteller said to us,
“As the Father sent me, so send I you.”

Church, the conditions out there are harsh. In fact, you might say that it’s only fit for crows and Methodist. Are you willing to God and make disciples?