St. Marks United Methodist Church

     To “Confirm,” means “to make sure” of something, to verify, to validate, to authenticate something.  In these days you had better confirm your flight reservations, to make sure you have a seat!

Today, five fine confirmands are here to make sure, to validate what they believe about Jesus and his Church…and their commitment to follow Jesus and be involved in his community.  Three of them were baptized as infants.  They cannot remember the vows their parents took on their behalf. So today, along with the others, they make those beliefs those commitments their own.

Just moments ago, our newest members were asked about what they believe and what they will do.  They were asked if they repent of sin and confess Jesus as their Savior.  They were asked what they believe about God…and their response came from The Apostles’ Creed, a belief statement that is centuries old.  They promised to be active in and supportive of the Church.

We could spend a lot of time talking about right beliefs and what it means to be a good Church member; however, there is another aspect of living as a Christ Follower that many church goers never understand.  Today is a perfect day to be reminded of it!

Believing the right things about God is a starting place.  Before we can commit to something or someone, we need to believe what is true about them.  Attempting to live the loving way Jesus lived is the most important commitment we could make.  And Jesus called us to follow him together in a Christian community.  But being a Christian is much more than what you believe in your head to be true about God.  It’s much more than trying to live a distinct lifestyle.  Being a Christian much more than a belief or a promise….it’s a relationship.  More than what you believe, it’s someone you know, someone you rely on, someone you have conversation with, someone you hang out with. A lot of grown-up church members can tell  you what they believe and try hard to live up to their promises to God; yet they still don’t understand, what Jesus wants more than anything is to share with us an intimate belonging, a deep trust…to experience his power and presence. Last Sunday we learned that Jesus went back to heaven, so that he could dwell in our hearts.  So, let’s focus on our relationship with God…..

One aspect of a healthy relationship—it’s reciprocal.  In other words, every alive and growing relationship is a two-way street!  There must be giving and receiving, speaking and listening, responsibility and interdependence flowing both ways….it goes both ways!  Each side has a part to play.  This is true of any vital relationship, especially your relationship with God.

Whatever happens between you and God, both you and God have a part in it!  God created us for the purpose of sharing intimacy and belonging with him and with each other.

The life blood of any relationship is communication, conversation.   Conversation with God can be like talking with your soul mate, or your best friend.  You can tell your best friend anything and not worry if they’ll still be your friend.  Whether it’s the shallowest thought off the top of your head…or the deepest secret you wouldn’t tell anyone else, you can tell God.  Or you can just hang out together and not say a thing.  God will still be listening whether you’re speaking, thinking or imagining.

But, it goes both ways!  We should be listening for what God is trying to say to us! Now hearing God is much different than listening to your “earthly” best friend; but if we listen intently God gets through to us.

The Bible isn’t called God’s Word for nothing!  Like the Psalmist says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path!” The Bible is alive with what God wants to say to us.  In there you’ll find promises to get you through troubles…people who prayed the same words you’ve been thinking…insights that clear up questions.  I think God most often and most clearly speaks to us through the Bible.

God’s Spirit also lives in our hearts….so we should also be listening to what God might be whispering down in our hearts.  Sometimes when we’re about to make a wrong choice…or after we’ve said something unkind…or when we’ve ignored someone’s hurt…God will put that “Off” feeling in our heart, an urgency to make things right.  Other times, we might feel drawn to make a difference…or feel a burning to reach out to someone. Perhaps God is nudging us.  God has placed gifts and passions within us for a reason…perhaps he’s telling us to use them.  Sometimes, when reading the Bible or praying with others, God’s Spirit settles a sense of peace and rightness in our hearts.

God also speaks to us through who we are as a person.  For instance, I’m a nature person.  I’m drawn to God’s creation.  So, I can get close to God and talk best with God when I’m sitting by a stream or walking through the woods or staring at a campfire.

And God might speak to you through another person…. Their observations, their insights, their encouragement, their kick in the pants might be just what God is trying to say  to you through them.

But like I said, it goes both ways! If we work at being close to God, God will do God’s part.  The Apostle Peter said it like this, “Draw near to God; and God will draw near to you!”

Another aspect of a deep relationship that goes both ways,is that both best friends count on each other.  One doesn’t do all the working while the other watches.  One doesn’t do all the giving and caring while the other does all the receiving. You walk through storms together.  You accomplish missions together.  In other words, whatever happens between you and God….whether it’s your forgiveness, your pilgrim’s progress toward loving like Jesus, or making a wonderful difference in the world, or your healing, or the making of a miracle…God always counts on YOU for your part in it! That’s right!

From the first tug of the Spirit on your heart… to your accepting Christ as your Savior…to fulfilling God’s plan for you…God will give YOU a part in it.  Throughout the Bible, whenever God wanted to make something wonderful happen in the world, he gave people a part in making it happen.  Last Sunday we pointed out that Jesus could have fixed everything wrong in the world while he was here; but God is counting on us to partner with him to fix things.

Now the tricky thing about relationships is that it’s so easy for a friendship to become lopsided, out of balance.  It’s like when you get too many clothes to one side of the clothes washer…before long it’s so out of balance, the bolts almost shake loose.

Take communication…it’s so easy for us to do all the talking, and not take the time and care to listen to what God is trying to say to us.  When we do that, it doesn’t take long to find ourselves lost in the woods, walking in circles; and we wonder how we got so far off the path. 

And when it comes to God and me counting on each other, each doing our part… At times, it’s so tempting to leave everything up to God.  We say, “I just turned it all over to Jesus!” as a way to avoid any responsibility God is counting on us for!

Like the man who climbed up on his porch roof during a flood.  When a rescue boat came along, the paramedic shouted, “Hop in!”  “No thanks,” said the man, “I’ve turned it over to God.  The Lord will save me!”  As the water rose, he climbed to the second story roof.  Another boat offered to rescue him; but again, he refused.  Finally, the rising water forced him up on the chimney.  A helicopter hovered overhead and dropped a ladder; but he waved them off.

Next thing he knew, he was standing dripping wet in front of St. Peter at heaven’s gates.  “The Lord let me down!” he complained.  “I prayed and believed, confident the Lord would save me!”  “What do you mean?” chided St. Peter.  “We sent two boats and a helicopter; but YOU refused to get in!”  God did God’s part.  And most of the time OUR part involves more than to pray.

But our relationship with God can get lopsided to the opposite extreme!  Isn’t it easy to get the idea that everything is up to YOU?  Even when God is waiting for us to call on him, don’t we sometimes think that it’s up to me to get through this… if this is going to succeed, it’s up to my leadership…  Sometime I get the idea that the success of a vision, or the battle against a giant in my life is entirely up to me.  It’s easy to forget that after I do what I can, I must turn the rest over to God, relying on God to complete his will and plan.  To realize that my Christian maturity or the success of a vision is not entirely up to me, is a hard lesson to learn…especially for those of us who are duty-driven, or control-oriented persons.  The Lord is counting on us to do our part; but also is counting on us to depend on him to do the miracle part…the God-part we could never do!

If anyone was prone to think that everything depended upon his own effort, it was the Apostle Paul.  Paul was strong-willed, determined, driven, independent, an authoritarian.  But Paul learned that, in every part of his life, his leadership and drive could take him only so far.  Paul wrote in confidence, “I can do ALL things THROUGH CHRIST, who strengthens me!” Phil. 4:3  Paul believed he could do ANYTHING the Lord calls him to do; but he had also learned it could be accomplished only through the strength of Christ beyond his own best efforts.

 In today’s scripture, Paul sets the Corinthian congregation straight on the same truth.  These people had been under the teachings of more than one leader.  They attributed too much credit to individual leaders for their Salvation and spiritual growth. Some considered themselves to be followers of Paul, or followers of Apollos, or another leader.

Paul corrected them when he wrote, (I Cor. 3;4-7) “Who do you think Paul is, anyway.  Or Apollos, for that matter?  Servants, both of us… We each carried out our servant assignment.  I planted the seed; Apollos watered the plants; but God made you grow!  It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow.”  Paul was determined to do what God was counting on him for; but Paul knew that nothing would grow in his life or in the church without God’s green thumb.

So, in all things, don’t forget that it’s not all up to you.  God is there, ready to do more than you can expect or imagine.  On the other hand, don’t forget that Christ is counting on you to be available, to be vulnerable, and to be faithful.

When it comes to our forgiveness and reconciliation with God, Jesus already did his part when he gave his life for us.  Our part is to turn back to God, to confess our selfishness and to accept God’s outstretched hand.

When it comes to knowing God more deeply and following Jesus more closely…our part is to draw near to God- to listen intently, to share with him deeply.  And when we do, God will draw near to us.

When it comes to the healing of our hurts, we must ask the Lord what is our part.  He will reveal steps for you to take to complete your healing. And in God’s time and way, the healing will come. But it usually takes more than a prayer.

When it comes to mending a broken relationship, God may ask you to hold out your hand, even if they might spit in it…or to be courageous enough to speak the truth in love.  If you follow God’s lead, He will be with you and make the grace happen, regardless of how they respond.

When it comes to God’s plan or mission for your life, Christ will not ask you to do what you cannot do with his help!  The mission may be out of your comfort zone, or to do something you never imagined yourself doing. But when we say, “Here I am, Lord!” God will not let us down.  Jesus isn’t looking so much for talented or successful persons as he is obedient and faithful persons.

Yes, being a Christian is much more than believing the right things about God and keeping promises to God….its mostly about knowing God, sharing a deepening belonging with God.  It’s not about religion, it’s about relationship.   God wants to share deep belonging, intimate conversation with you.  God yearns for a relationship, a partnership where you can count on each other to make God’s will happen in your life and in the world around you.

Know what you believe and why you believe it.  Work hard at keeping your promises to God and to his Church.  But above all, draw near to God…go deeper with God…count on Christ and let Christ count on you.

 

 

                                                                                  

Confirmation Sunday * April 27, 2008  *  St. Marks UMC

“It Goes Both Ways…”

         Reading- I Corinthians 3:1-11