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01.25.09

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

THE CHURCH THE CARPENTER BUILT

MATTHEW 16:13-20; 1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-15

• What Makes a Church a Church?
• Baptism by Fire
• It was a day in May of 1995
• A day that began as any other normal day quickly turned to a day of tragedy
• The fire whistle began to blow, and the news quickly spread that the Community Church was on fire
• Members of the congregation, along with other residents of the community gathered on the street to watch in horror as the firemen struggled to contain the fire and save the old, historic church building
• When it was all over, the church was a total loss
• Tears flowed as people shared memories of what that church meant to them
• Memories of baptisms, weddings and funerals; memories of worship services held there and the times of fellowship enjoyed within its walls; memories of the mission and ministry that was an important part of this congregation
• Located in the center of town, this church building was a symbol of hope
• But this church was more than just a building in the center of town; it was the heart of the community
• It was the place where people gathered for so many things; it was the center of life in that community
• Within hours of receiving word of the fire, representatives of the presbytery gathered with members of the congregation to show their concern and support
• A session meeting was held that same afternoon to assess the damage and begin making plans for the future
• The local Catholic Church opened its doors to the congregation to use their sanctuary for worship
• Arrangements were made with the Cooperative Extension office to use their hall for meetings and social gatherings
• And since the manse was empty since the church had no full-time pastor at the time, the church office was moved into the living room and the rest of the rooms were used for Sunday School
• Up From the Ashes
• The church functioned this way for two years until a new building could be built
• Finally, in June of 1997, the first worship service was held in their new building at a new location
• Later that same day, a service was held to dedicate the building, and the building was filled to capacity with congregation members, community residents, and others from across the presbytery and across the nation
• Three months after that, on November 1, 1997, I began my service there as their new pastor
• When I arrived at the church, everything was new
• Not only was there a new church building, there was a new sense of energy in this congregation
• There was new excitement for ministry in this community of faith and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was alive and well and working in their midst
• Looking back, the members of the congregation say the fire was a blessing
• Certainly, they grieved the loss of their beloved church building, but there were lessons they learned as a result of this tragedy
• They learned that the church was not a building—the church is people of faith who come together to support and encourage one another and to reach out to others with the love and grace of God given through Jesus Christ
• They learned what they could accomplish as they come together and work together with each one using their gifts and skills for service to Jesus Christ
• They learned that the church did not die because their building had been destroyed—the gates of Hades could not overcome it
• They learned to use the power they had through the power of the Holy Spirit as they opened themselves up to the Spirit’s leading
• What It Takes to Build The Church
• The Church Jesus Sought to Build
• What does it take to build a church?
• That’s a question we are led to ponder as we hear Jesus’ words to Peter
• “I tell you the truth that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
• Jesus wasn’t talking about building a grand cathedral or a building that would stand for hundreds of years
• He was talking about creating a new kind of community—a community that would live its life faithful to God, a community that would follow his teaching and example, a community that would demonstrate the love of God for all people, a community that had the power to transform the world
• There are at least four significant building blocks upon which such a community is established
• Unless all four of them are present, the community is not the church
• The first building block is faith
• The Building Block of Faith
• Jesus spoke these words to Peter after Peter responded to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?”
• Answering for the disciples, Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
• Jesus responded to Peter’s correct answer by affirming that it wasn’t the testimony of people that caused Peter to understand this, it was the working of the power of God through faith
• The name Peter means “rock,” and Jesus uses a play on words to indicate the foundation upon which his church must be built
• Peter is not the cornerstone of the church; Jesus Christ is the cornerstone
• The foundation upon which the church must be built is a rock-solid profession of faith like the one Peter just made
• In order to be the kind of community Jesus is seeking to build, we must have a solid foundation of faith in who Jesus is
• He cannot be just another prophet or another great teacher
• We must know him as our Savior and the Savior of the world
• We must serve him as our Lord and not allow anyone or anything else to take first place in our life
• He is God’s Son, God’s gift to us
• He is the only way to salvation, and the only one who deserves our worship
• The Building Block of Love
• The second building block is love
• It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we come to understand and experience God’s love for us
• It is through that experience of God’s love that we learn to accept the responsibility to love others in the same way God loves us
• In the 15th chapter of John, Jesus teaches the disciples that love is the demonstration of their faithfulness
• In verses 12-14, Jesus says: My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.”
• This love Jesus is talking about is agape love—it’s love that’s willing to sacrifice itself for the sake of others just as Jesus sacrificed himself for us
• This kind of love isn’t reserved only for those who love us back; it’s not reserved for those who are like us or for those who are already part of the church
• This love is for all people, no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they have done
• It’s through our love for others that God’s love is communicated to the world
• The Building Block of Commitment
• The third building block of this new community is commitment
• This community cannot grow unless we are committed to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, unless we are committed to each other as we share a common faith, and unless we are committed to investing ourselves in the ministry Jesus commissioned us to do
• Our commitment in these areas enables the community to grow
• At the end of the second chapter of Acts, we are told about the commitment of the believers to this new community called the church—vs. 42-47
• They committed themselves to studying the Scriptures so they could know what God had to say to them
• They committed themselves to fellowship and worship, to celebrating the sacraments and to prayer
• They met together every day, (yet we find it difficult to come together once a week) because Christ was the center of their life and he called them together to be the church
• They were also committed to supporting the work of the church with the material gifts God had given to them
• They didn’t give just what they thought they could afford, they gave everything they had and trusted in God working through the church to provide for their needs
• And notice the last sentence of this passage: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
• A church that is committed to serving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who trusts God in faith, and who loves as Jesus loves can’t help but grow
• Like steel to a magnet, faith, love, and commitment will attract others to Christ’s church
• The Building Block of Unity
• The fourth building block is unity of purpose
• We must be a community of the same mind who is willing to work together to serve our one Lord, Jesus Christ
• When Paul wrote this letter, the Corinthian Church was fractured and divided
• There were factions in the church, each clamoring to do things their own way
• They had forgotten one basic point that is critical in the life of the church: this was not their church, it was Jesus’ Church
• This Carpenter from Galilee is the one who built it
• In verse 11 of our text, Paul reminds them of this fact: “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
• We are each called to build upon that one foundation using whatever gifts we happen to have
• But we work together
• We do not seek to get our own way or to glorify ourselves
• We seek to do things God’s way so that we might glorify Jesus Christ
• This is the community into which we are called, and this is the work for which we have been commissioned
• As disciples of Jesus, we are apprentices of the Master Carpenter, learning our trade from his nail-scarred hands
• The church is his community
• He is the foundation upon which it is built
• He has called us, he has gifted us, and he is training us to build his church according to his plans for this new community
• It must be a community of faith, love, commitment, and unity if it is to be the Church the Carpenter built
• Anything less will not stand the test of time