Looking forward 1 8th September Sermon

What sort of church?                      Acts 2: 42-47,     Luke 14: 25-35

About 350 years ago a shipload of travellers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.
In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?
Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.

In Proverbs 28 it says: Without vision the people perish.

We need a vision to reach forward for the future. We can all be abit like those first settlers we get to a point in life and we think we are quite happy as we are – we are settled, we have achieved something why change now.

But for those early settlers they lacked the vision to move forward and to discover more of the land they had come too. 

In our life as a church we can also be comfortable and think we have got to a point where this is how it is going to be- we have good friends, we enjoy good worship which feeds us and helps us in our Christian lives- BUT what more is there on offer if we only had the vision to move forwards an to travel that little distance.

I love the analogy of an ancient church building. Back in Dorney where I was before people used to ask how old the building was. And I used to say well it started in the 12^th century but it has been changing ever since. Over the generations people had added to it and had the vision to use it to enhance there worship. It was never a static building but one which was changing and developing. In a similar way this building has changed a new buiding was built almost 200 years ago but we know how that too has changed from the great pulpit in the middle of the nave aisle and other things too.

A building is not static and the church should not be static – We are told in scripture that we are being built into a holy temple – an organic changing place where God is present. That is not static but changing and the challenge to us is what is our vision now to change and develop for the future.

So let’s think what our vision might be for the future and to do this I want to go back to the reading from Acts 2 and the way that the first Christians the new church acted and behaved and what we can begin to learn from them.

Acts 2: Now here we have very soon after Pentecost the early Christians gathering together. They didn’t have a church building – they met in the synagogue and in each others homes. And in this account and in elsewhere in Acts we can learn a huge amount from their priorities.

Firstly they were Showing the life of Christ – they were showing the life of Christ in the signs and wonders – people were healed from physical and spiritual bondage- we see that in the Acts – Just next in chapter 3 peter and john go to pray and meet a lame begger and they give him more than alms but they give him his wholeness. Jesus message and life of bringing healing and wholeness was being shown visibly in their life together.

They showed the life of Christ not only in the miraculous and in healing but also they showed the life of Christ in how they lived together.

Jesus showed no distinction between the haves and have nots – he was in fact often more at home with the outcast of society than the high and mighty, and here we see that too. There was no sense of distinction between the group they were all in it together, it says they had everything in common – they shared all they had together. This was in a sense a re-enactment of the priorities of Jesus of his breaking down barriers between people and living in unity one with each other.

When people saw this new community of believers it was as if they were seeing Christ himself – they took seriously Jesus’ command to us to be and to reflect his light in the world.

And then they also took seriously the need to Grow in the life of Christ.

Grow in the life of Christ – what we are told is that they  devoted themselves to the teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.

They knew that for them the Christian life was not static but that they needed to continue to grow and develop in their understanding of God’s call upon their lives.

They grew not only by studying together but by being with each other – in fellowship, by praying with each other, by sharing the Lord’s supper together. In all these ways they grew in the life of Christ – they grew in their sense of discipleship. They didn’t stay the same but they grew.

And then they also served all in the fellowship of Christ

Serve all in the fellowship of Christ – here we are told that they gave to those in need, elsewhere we are told that they set a system by which the vulnerable the widows and those in need could be looked after by deacons. Elsewhere too in Acts we know that the early church outside Jerusalem when they realised that the Christians  in Jerusalem where suffering hardship took a collection to support them. they served other Christian groups – collection for the people in Jerusalem later in Acts. 

And as a result – I love this verse probably one of my favourite in the whole bible – because of this, because they were the beacon of light to others, sharing and growing and serving in the life of Christ – The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Not occasionally but DAILY.

The life of this new testament church was so vibrant, so meaningful that others came to see what was going on.

What about us – can we begin to compare ourselves to this sort of Church?

Those of you are on the PCC or have been on the PCC in the past may recognise something that I have said this morning – because I have deliberately used the vision statement that this church has had in place for a number of years when talking about this new testament church.

What is it:

To show the life of Christ

To grow in the life of Christ

TO serve all in the fellowship of Christ.

This is something that I think should continue to stand as our Vision as a church for the future – because this is the fundamentals of what we are about as a church and reflect what the church should have been down the centuries starting with this example back at the start of the Christian church as we know it.

This church has stood here proudly for almost 200 years in the form we know it and has been a Christian beacon of light in this community. We need to ensure as a church that that continues that we build on the heritage that we have inherited to ensure that we continue to be a vibrant Christian presence for the future.

So what things can we do to develop this.

What I have shared with the PCC which we are now looking to work forward is a strategy to look at the next 5-10 years which will shape our thinking and our priorities and it is based on the three areas of Showing, growing and serving

So our vision is that in 5-10 years time you would see I this church that

 Shows the life of Christ  - by the fact that

All ages worship God in the church and the  Church family is a true representative of family with all generations represented

The Church building is used as a Spiritual space for the community throughout the week and offers opportunities for others to engage in different ways such as art, music silence and retreat

Prayer central to the life of the church

In 5-10 years time you would see in this church

Which grows in the life of Christ by being  a church where

People are passionate about their faith 

There is a structure of teaching throughout the week and on a Sunday to support all age and stages of discipleship

There is an onus on mission and outreach both at home and worldwide

Stewardship is taken seriously and all members involved in the life of the church

A variety of worship opportunities are on offer.

In 5-10 years time you would see in this church a church

Serves all in the fellowship of Christ by being a church where

A trained pastoral care team offers support both to those inside and outside the church family

There are opportunities to receive prayer for yourself or others available at services and other occasions as appropriate

The church buildings are used to serve the community

The Church is involved in community activities with other local organisation to meet the issues within our parish community eg Alcohol and debt

This is our vision for the church  based on the new testament church I think this is God’s vision for the church. I hope that you as a congregation would join us in owning that vision.

I will be talking about the church with low wall next week and you will see on the back of the document the priorities for this year which please do take home and read and come back to myself or the PCC with any questions about this.

BUT a word of warning. Jesus says if you want ot follow me we need to carry our cross. Following Jesus in his vision for the world, a world where are salt and light, where we bring his hoe and love is something which can be costly to us all. We need to support each other in our own Christian lives and in the life of the church.

But we started with a story about vision and I want to end with a great quote about vision. It is from Helen Keller the first deaf blind person to get a Bachelor of Arts. She was given the chance of education and took it with both hands and in turn used her own  education as an activist for a number of issues particularly that of disability rights.Helen Keller said:  what is worse than being born blind – having  sight without vision

May we who have been given the life giving sight of knowing Christ our saviour – be given his vision to share this with the world.

Amen