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05.03.09

4th Sunday of Easter

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

PSALM 23: 1 JOHN 3:16-24

The Necessity for Change

The Changing Landscape of America

All across the landscape of America, it seems as if everyone is trying to do something new and different

From corporate board rooms to church offices, everyone is trying to reinvent themselves, to be creative and innovative, to find new and different ways to market a product, provide a service, or conduct a business
“Think outside the box” has become the cliché of post-modern America

In the heat of our current economic crisis, corporate America, from Wall Street to Detroit, is trying to reinvent itself

In order for the Big Three automakers to survive, it is absolutely essential for GM, Ford and Chrysler to think outside the box
Their survival depends upon them reimagining the way they do business, and it is imperative that they completely redesign their products in order to stay competitive in a global economy

Even in government, we must escape the business-as-usual approach

In order to tackle the challenges that we face, there is a need for broader vision, fresh perspectives, new strategies, and creative innovations
A leader who can “think outside the box” is a priceless asset to any government, business, or organization

The slogan “Think outside the box” has also become the mantra of the church

The church has recognized its need to change, to transform itself, in order to maintain its place in the landscape of America
Unfortunately, the church hasn’t been immune to the decline and decay that has afflicted so much of the nation
In order to survive, the church must discover ways to transform itself by finding new and innovate ways to proclaim the Good News and to demonstrate God’s love and grace to the world
The reality that every business, every organization, and every church must face is that this world is a different place than it was 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago
The culture has changed, and in order to be able to survive and thrive, we must be willing to think creatively and reinvent the way we do things
Because something worked in the past doesn’t guarantee that it will work today
The reality is, unless we change, we will die

Maintaining Core Values

Having said all that, we must be careful not to move too far outside the box

In the endless rush to embrace new ideas, too many groups have forgotten who they are and what they are supposed to do
While it’s beneficial to see visions and dream dreams, it’s also important not to lose sight of the core values that make us who we are

Consider Volkswagen of America, for example

It once produced efficient volks wagens, “people’s cars,” with plain interiors and simple mechanics
The Volkswagen Beetle was wildly popular in the decades after World War II
Millions of drivers fell in love with the car’s low price, high quality and affordable running costs
But now, Volkswagen’s cars include a luxury sedan, an SUV, and a minivan
Although Volkswagen reintroduced the Beetle several years ago, the have struggled to reclaim that portion of the market
In the niche that Volkswagen abandoned, BMW introduced its Mini Cooper, and that has become the Beetle of the 21st century
It’s simple, solid, and small

The lesson here is that it’s OK to get outside the box, but don’t lose the box

The box is what got you here
And sometimes it’s important to crawl back into the box, close the lid, sit in the dark and think inside the box for awhile
The value of crawling back inside the box from time to time is to help us stay connected with our core values—those values that make us who we are
Sometimes, in our attempt to be creative, to keep up with the latest trends and fads, we forget what it is we are called to be and do

The challenge we face as the church of Jesus Christ it to think inside the box while we live outside the box

In order to meet that challenge, there are two questions we must consider:

What are the core values that make the church unique and different from other businesses and organizations?
How can we be faithful to those core values as we seek to minister in new and different ways that are relevant to our day and time?

Our answer to these questions are critical to the successful transformation of the church

What’s Inside the Church Box

The Value At Our Core

The first letter of John makes it clear that our core value as Christians is to love one another

This is the theme that John repeats over and over again in this letter, and it’s based upon the command Jesus gave to his disciples prior to his crucifixion
In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus give this command: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (13:34-35)
We see this love in what Jesus did for us when he laid down his life for us, and we act on this knowledge when we “lay down our lives for one another.”
The sacrificial love of Jesus isn’t just a nice idea or a noble concept—it’s a pattern of behavior that’s supposed to be displayed by us in action
The love Jesus talks about isn’t a sentimental emotion—this love Jesus speaks about is always an action demonstrated in the way we live in relationship to others

“How can the love of God be in one,” John asks, “who has material possessions but does nothing to help a brother or sister in need?”

The obvious answer to that is this: It Isn’t
God’s love lives in those who see a need and responds in concrete ways to help
Sadly, we have lost sight of this core value that makes us who we are, so it has become increasingly difficult for us to live outside the box and find creative new ways to demonstrate God’s love to others

Many of us find it easier to argue with those who disagree with us than to love them

Many of us are more comfortable taking a stand on issues such as abortion or homosexuality than we are in taking care of a woman with a problem pregnancy, or welcoming one who lives an alternative lifestyle
Many of us would rather write a check to a homeless shelter than to spend time on the streets to get to know who these people are and use our talents to help them in specific ways
Many of us find it simpler to define our religious duty in terms of attending church and giving a nominal offering rather than committing ourselves to the challenging and rewarding work of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison
Basically, we’re lazy

In order to be the church Jesus calls us to be, we must know what’s inside the box—we need to be firmly anchored to the core values of what makes a church a church

And the primary core value is to love others in the same way that Christ loves us
The challenge before us is to think inside the box—in other words, to hold that core value in high regard—and live outside the box by demonstrating that love in innovative and meaningful ways

Central to this challenge is the command John give us in verse 23: “to believe in the name of [God’s] Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

To believe in the name of Jesus Christ is to believe in the nature and character of Jesus Christ—that is, to accept that he is the Son of God
To love one another means that we must love each other with the same selfless, sacrificial love that Jesus has for us
The Christian life depends on the combination of right belief and right conduct
We can’t have one without the other
Bible scholar, William Barclay, says: “Our belief is not real unless it is translated into action; and our action has neither authority nor force unless it is based on belief. We cannot begin the Christian life until we accept Jesus Christ for who he is; and we have not accepted him in any real sense of the term until our attitude to others is the same as his own attitude of love.”

Shepherding the Flock of God

The words of Psalm 23 declare to us the gracious love of God

How often we take comfort in those words that remind us of God’s presence, God’s provision, God’s guidance and care, God’s love and grace to us at all times, both in this life and in the life to come
What we often miss in these words, however, is the challenge to pattern our relationships with others so that we might be shepherds of God’s people and do for others what God does for us
David wrote these words as a shepherd of his father’s flocks
Later in his life, he became the shepherd of the people of Israel as he served them as their king
As the shepherd of the people of Israel, David faced the challenge of applying the responsibilities of a good shepherd to his leadership of God’s people
These same responsibilities are important for us as we live out the core value of our Christian faith, which is love

A good shepherd provides for the physical needs of his flock by making sure they have the basic necessities of good grazing land, fresh water, and shelter

In our ministry of love to those we are responsible for shepherding, we must do all in our power to provide them with food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, and a warm, safe place to live
As the shepherd provides guidance for his flock to lead them along the right path, so, too, we must guide those who are lost onto the path of righteousness and truth, counsel them in their troubles, and provide training and assistance so they might find gainful employment
The shepherd is there to rescue any sheep who wanders astray, care for them when they are sick or injured, and encourage them during times of darkness
So it is our responsibility to do the same for our sisters and brothers

These things and more are what God does for us, so in turn it is our responsibility to do them for others

God does all these things purely out of love, and even when we stray, God continues to love us
That love we have received must be the motivation for the love we give, and we must give it as freely and generously as God gives it to us

One other thing God provides for us as our Shepherd is the opportunity for reconciliation

Because of God’s great love for us, our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to God
Through a renewed relationship with God we have the opportunity and the ability to be reconciled to each other
As we live out this core value of love, it behooves us to be generous in our forgiveness of others and do all in our power to heal broken relationships

As we live outside the box, we must continually find new ways and new opportunities to communicate God’s love and grace and put love into action

That’s our charge as children of God
That’s what keeps the work of the church relevant to every generation
We must never be afraid to try new approaches to ministry, but we must never lose sight of what’s inside the box