A couple things have been going through my mind this week as I listened to the news and read the papers. Paul Harvey said, “You know the news, now for the rest of the story.”   We know the news; they say things are going to get worse before they get better.  But what’s the rest of the story?

 

The rest of the story is found in the words of Mordecai to his niece Esther. “Who knows but that the LORD has brought you to this place for just such a time as this!”   I believe God has placed us, Christ Lutheran Church, the Body of Christ in this new building, in the Flathead Valley, in January 2009, in the midst of this great recession - for just such a time as this.

 

Rick Warren once said “A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will build a great church!”   I would edit that to read, “A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great commission in the course of a great trial will build a great church.”

 

The Great Commandment is to Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. The great trial is essential in bringing us to the end of ourselves and our ability so that God’s power can be displayed in our weakness.

 

Let me say it again “A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great commission in the course of a great trial will build a great church.”

 

God is more interested in making us faithful than in making us successful. Satan is perfectly content with a church being successful, as long as he can keep it from being faithful.  Satan rarely disturbs a sleeping church, but when a church risks great things in their commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, Satan will go to go on high alert and throw sand in the gears in every conceivable way.

 

When we run into obstacles, frustrations, adversity, discouragement, we need to remember, the Lord has not abandoned us. If we are willing to remain in his will, hold course, resist giving up or falling into fear, we will see the Lord act and he will turn our struggle into blessing.

 

When we examine Jesus’ life on earth, there is no doubt he was committed to fulfilling the great commandment and the great commission even through the great trial of the cross and the giving of his life. Our salvation is the fruit of what he was willing to endure. The road of faithfulness isn’t easy. It’s a very real battle.  The question remains, will those who follow after us find that we’ve been faithful?

The mission statement of CLC flows right out of the great commandment and the great commission.  Let’s read it together. Mission is never static; it is dynamic, moving, active. We, the people of Christ Lutheran Church called together by the Holy Spirit, gifted for ministry and sent into the world, commit ourselves to joyfully proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ through: Living Worship, Growing Faith, Serving Fellowship, Sending Saints.

 

Living Worship: We belong to God.  God created us, redeemed us, and called us into a relationship of love through our baptism.  In the same way a baby gazes at the face of its mother, we begin our life in the Spirit by learning to worship. Worship involves much more than just what we do here on Sunday morning. It involves a conscious awareness that everything I am, and everything I do and say, is done to bring glory and pleasure to God.

 

Growing Faith: Children begin from infancy to learn about the family that surrounds them.  They learn names, language.  They learn to obey, relate, interact.  They learn who they are and who mom and dad are.  In the same way, it is only natural that we learn who our heavenly Father is, who Jesus is, and what it means to be in God’s family.  If our faith is not growing and maturing something is wrong.  Growing faith involves education, Bible study, Sunday School, small groups, etc.  Growing faith only happens as we struggle through adversity.

 

Serving Fellowship: As we grow up, we are given greater responsibility in the family.  We take out the garbage, clean up our room, and feed the cat, cooperate. Jesus said “In the same way I have served you, I want you to serve one another” .

 

He said the second great commandment was to “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  Fellowship only exists as we serve one another.  Without servant-hood, there is no fellowship; without fellowship, there is no church. 

 

The early church was famous for how they loved and served one another.  If people are not serving, they are not growing. They are stuck in mature bodies with infant faith and that’s a sure recipe for a self-centered childish church that’s more interested in fault finding and criticizing than in stepping up to the plate and contributing to the team.  Trials help us grow up.

 

Sending Saints: If all goes as it should, one day our children leave the nest.  They move from dependence to interdependence and independence.  We leave worship, Bible Study, small groups, youth group, prayer meetings as people sent out with the Great Commission.  One day we will all graduate from CLC to minister in another place.  Maybe we’ll move to a different community, maybe heaven. Our goal is to make sure everyone is ready when that day comes.

 

So how is our church doing in fulfilling these mission objectives?  You might be surprised…

Living Worship – Praise and worship team, Altar guild, Visual arts team, Nursery team, Chair set up team, A/V tech team, Radio broadcast team, Ushers, Greeters, Readers, children’s message.

 

Growing Faith – Small group Bible studies, participants and leaders, LOGOS youth ministry team – students, small group leaders, cooks, kitchen crew, recreation leaders, assistant administrators.  FISH Sunday School team – students, teachers, helpers, administrators.

 

Serving Fellowship – Prayer teams, Care teams, Transportation team, Coffee cup fellowship team, Kitchen team, Library team, Newsletter team, Church Council team, Finance team and offering counters, Maintenance and construction team, Thursday Lunch team, serving teams for funerals, special events teams.

 

Sending Saints - Shepherd’s Hand Clinic team, Ecuador mission team, Quilters, Community Christian Pre-school ministry, Boy Scouts, Grief Share team, Divorce care team, Stephen Ministry team, Home communion team, church full of people who give of their time, treasure, talent every week.

 

Woven in and through all of these are the faithful servants we know as church staff.   They bring their skills underneath the rest of the Body to support and equip and lead us in the work of ministry.  We are blessed to have this team, those that are here now and those that have served before them.  They are humble, faithful, diligent.  Each one is a gift from God.

 

I believe God has raised us up for such a time as this.  The role we will play in bringing the light of Christ into the world in 2009 will be critical. We are not a perfect church, but God never called us to be perfect, he called us to be faithful and with his help we can do that.

 

 

CLC is not our church, it is the Lord’s church. It was here before any of us got here. It will be here when we are gone. If we back away from our task, God will raise up deliverance from someone else. But I believe God has raised us up for just such a time as this.

 

Things before us in the New Year:  New member class Sunday evening Jan 25, Feb 1 6:30-8:00. New member Sunday Feb 8^th.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our congregation whether or not you become a member. You are part of our family by being here.

 

Our Ecuador mission team leaves the end of March.  Stay tuned for more information. The capital campaign will begin soon.  It will help us reduce our debt and refocus our vision and open up the funds necessary to hire an associate pastor to expand our outreach and ministry.  Pray that God will prepare us and the person he has in mind. We want to move on this ASAP.

 

In the coming year we will completely finish phase 1 of our building to God be the glory.  In a few minutes you will hear about a very special journey of discipleship our congregation will be taking during Lent called the Truth Project.  I’m very excited about it. 

 

Together in 2009, we will love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We will help people grow in their faith and train them for ministry.  We will reach new people with the Gospel.  We will help those who have been affected by the recession.  We will stand together with those who are in pain.  We will celebrate, work, play, laugh, worship and grow together.

 

This is a great congregation and I am honored to be your pastor.  We are the Body of Christ. God has called us, equipped up, empowered us, and raised us up for just such a time as this.  Let’s take the light of Christ into the world.  AMEN