K – Kingdom: From Attracting to
Deploying
Pastor Mathew Magera – 4/7/19 – Sermon 342
St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Trufant, MI
To God be the Glory!
Grace and peace to you from God our Father, from our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
To win World War II, we needed strength, courage, and
a little bit of statistics. There was a man who helped bring World War II to an
end without ever firing a shot and his name was Abraham Wald. He saved
countless lives throughout the war because of his brain. He was born in
Austria-Hungary, now present day Romania, and completed his PhD in mathematics.
When the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938, Wald and his family, because they were
Jewish, fled to the United States and he took a job with the Cowles Research
Commission in Economics. Before long, he found himself working for the US
government using his mathematical skills to help devise better strategies in
the war against Germany. He struggled as an immigrant during the war, not being
authorized to view classified documents or calculations and being closely
watched in his work in such a way that once he wrote something down it was in
someone else’s hands, for the sake of national security, of course.
One of his projects was this one: The Navy wanted to
determine better ways to armor their aircraft to ensure they came back home
safely. How do we increase the survivability of aircraft while not impacting or
even compromising their flight range or maneuverability?
Wald and other allied forces gathered data by looking
at returning B-29 bombers, noting where they had taken fire. They looked over
riddled fuselages, appearing much like swiss cheese. They noted that the
American bombers were taking nearly twice as many hits on the fuselage than on
to the engine area. They also noticed heavy fire on the wings, commonly hitting
the fuel systems more than the engines. After gathering this data for quite
some time, the decision seemed simple: add extra armor to the most commonly hit
locations which were determined to be the wingtips, the central fuselage, and
the elevators.
The data could not be ignored. They could clearly see
where these planes were getting shot. It was only a matter of time before they
could get to work, armoring these planes so we could win the war. The only
problem was that the conclusions they came up with were wrong. This is where
Abraham Wald came in. He disagreed with the decision because he noticed
something that nobody else had.
The smart thing to do in this situation, Wald
concluded, was to reinforce the armor in the areas that were not being shot up.
Upon first hearing this, it probably didn’t sound very worthwhile until Wald
was able to explain his theory. You see, the planes they had been analyzing for
data were ones that had returned safely. The data had only been compiled using
survivor aircraft. Sure the engine area hadn’t taken too many hits because when
it did, those planes went down and didn’t return. The aircraft they analyzed
only proved to them which areas of the aircraft could sustain heavy fire and
still remain airborne and useful. In order to properly prepare these planes to
be deployed into the mission field once more, they had to receive reinforced
armor in those places that didn’t appear to need it in the first place. As a
result, Abraham Wald became one of many who helped World War II come to a
close.
Jesus is preparing us for deployment. He’s looking us
over and he’s working to strengthen those areas in our lives that cannot be
compromised, areas that are essential for bettering and growing God’s kingdom.
Jesus is looking at our soul and providing us the armor we need to go out into
the mission field and lead people to Jesus and to his love. He is shocking us,
His Church, to life so that we can in turn shock the world with this good news.
In Mark 16 we hear Jesus speak words to his disciples after
the resurrection, deploying them out into the world to make disciples from the
far reaches of our planet. Not only, though, is he deploying them into the
world but he is reassuring them of their work, reassuring them of his presence
with them, reassuring them of the power of God within them, reassuring them of
benefits of the kingdom of God.
We have spent the past several weeks hearing, praying,
and dwelling on ways that Jesus and his ministry came as a counter-cultural
shock to the world, igniting faith within many who would follow him, bringing
to life a new generation of believers who would develop into what we know as
the Christian Church, the body of Christ. Jesus went against the norms. He
brushed right up against the Law. He went to places people wouldn’t dare. He
associated with people from whom others would keep away. He got right next to
people, in their lives, in their struggles, in their sickness, in their
desperation, he came to them and he brought them hope and reassurance. Jesus
came and he commissioned his Church to go and make disciples, to go beyond just
reaching people and inviting them to worship but to actually go and make
followers of Christ. Jesus came and he modeled himself for us in how he helped
people, being unafraid of getting in close proximity with those who were
hurting. Jesus came and he showed us how to look for opportunities for ministry
and how it looks to respond to those opportunities. Finally, last week, Jesus
came and showed us how to move from complacency to being transformative. Jesus’
ministry on this planet was to prepare us for being sent out, deployed into the
world to proclaim his glory, to point people to him, to assure them of
salvation in Christ alone.
With that in mind, as we conclude this sermon series
and prepare to hear the message of salvation coming to us in Holy Week and
Easter, I want to share with you three truths that will help us make that
transition from attracting to deploying.
We’re Not Feeling Ready
The first truth I wish to share with you is one you
probably already know. We’re not feeling ready. Can you imagine what it might
have been like to be one of his disciples in Mark 16? To be standing there in
the presence of the resurrected Lord in all his glory, brought back to life by
the power of God, hope restored in the teaching and preaching you’ve heard,
only to be thinking to yourself, “now how in the world am I going to be able to
do this?” I can only imagine the underlying apprehension these followers felt
as Jesus concluded his final moments in preparation of deploying them into the
mission field. Shortness of breath, butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms.
It honestly reminds me of my seminary graduation. I
had spent four years of my life preparing for parish ministry, taking classes,
embarking on adventures in learning across the country and even across the
world, and by the end of those four years, I and my classmates looked at each
other and said, “now how in the world are we going to be able to do this?” There
were so many classes I never took, so many experiences I never pursued, not
because I chose not to but because there was just no time. There was enough
leftovers to keep me going for another four years at least. If my classmates
and I were nervous after four years of seminary, just think about the nerves
the disciples felt after only three years of directly learning from Jesus. Jesus
spent three years teaching and preparing them and now was the moment they would
be deployed. Wait, Jesus, tell me more again about things to talk about when I
go visit shut-ins. Jesus, tell me more again about the doctrine of
justification and how to translate it into a post-Christian worldview. Wait,
no, Jesus, tell me how to preach in such a way that I can connect with first
century millennials. No, wait, Jesus, tell me more how to prepare for council
meetings. Wait, Jesus, one more, how do I translate my faith to my neighbor in
the best way?
You know how they tell parents to never wait until
they have enough money to have children or they will never have children? Jesus
is commissioning and deploying his disciples because if they waited until they
felt they were ready to be deployed, they’d never leave. If I could stay in
seminary until I felt I was ready to be deployed, I’d still be there. If we
could stay in the pews until we felt we were ready to be deployed, get out some
sleeping bags and order a few pizzas because we’re going to be here a while. We
do not feel ready and we can’t ignore this truth.
Christ Declares Us Ready
The second truth you need to hear is that though we do
not feel ready, Christ declares us ready. The likelihood of us feeling ready on
our own is pretty slim. But, Christ confidently commissions and deploys us
because he has equipped and empowered us to serve. We’re not going to know
everything. We’re going to stumble through a few things. We’re going to say the
wrong words. We’re going to give some bad advice. We’re going to offend some
people, and not in the ways we should be offending them. The obvious question
we want to ask is how can Jesus possibly be saying these words to us when we
don’t feel ready? How can Jesus come to us in our struggles and reassure us of moving
forward when we don’t feel we can even take one step? How can Jesus put it on
the line by asking small little me or you to be his voice? It’s time to take
ourselves out of the driver’s seat and let the Holy Spirit start driving this
Church.
It’s time. It’s time to deploy because Christ has
prepared us. He’s done the pre-requisite work. He’s died for the world. He’s
been raised from the dead and he has eyewitnesses of these things. We can sit
around and complain about it his calling, but when we complain we remain; when
we praise, God is raised. In other words, when we debate what Jesus wants us to
do, when we show apprehension, when we say we are too unsure that we won’t take
a step, then the Church is not advancing. It’s not moving forward. On the other
hand, when we are deployed and we go out and we praise God’s name, then God is
raised. God’s name is raised up, his power is raised up, his presence is raised
up, his grace, his mercy, and his love are raised up. When we live our lives on
purpose for God, God is lifted up. When God is lifted up, then we are raised
with him by his promise. When we complain, we remain; when we praise, God is
raised.
This does require change. After all, what have we been
hearing about a lot this Lenten season? Change. Change is the one thing that
will make a Lutheran run and hide. There’s the old joke, how many Lutherans
does it take to change a lightbulb? None, because Lutherans don’t change
anything. Or how many Lutherans does it
take to change a lightbulb? We can’t change that bulb, someone’s grandfather
gave that to the Church 75 years ago. I don’t want us to be the butt of those
jokes anymore. Jesus doesn’t want us to either. Remaining here and attracting
people to this building is not fulfilling the mission Christ has for us. He
calls us to be deployed.
We are called to go and to preach, to proclaim that he
is not dead, but alive. We are called to cast out demons in his name, to speak
in new tongues, to place our hands on sick people, and oddly enough we are also
called to pick up snakes with our hands. That’s another sermon, but I thought
I’d throw that in there from Jesus’ calling. In his name we can do this. If we
are unsure of what it is we are to proclaim when we are deployed, if you are
not quite sure what you should be telling people or if you are not quite sure
what is so good about this good news, then hear this: We are quickly
approaching the time where the most important stories will be heard. Beginning
next Sunday and for the next seven days we will hear the story of salvation.
What we share with the world is the truth of those eyewitness accounts. If you
are unsure about what exactly we are to be sharing than I expect to see you
here in worship ready to hear, ready to take notes, ready to be fed and filled.
The bottom line is, by that message alone, and by the change it makes within
us, Christ declares us ready.
We May Not Be Perfect, But God is
Perfect
You may have begun feeling more apprehensive when I
said we will mess up along the way. This leads me to this last truth. We may
not be perfect but God himself is perfect. If we look at the end of Mark, the
very last verse says that the disciples did what Jesus called them to do. He
deployed them and that’s what happened. They went and preached everywhere. But,
not only that but the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs
that accompanied it. What he said would happen, happened.
As we prepare now for the coming of Holy Week and for
the celebration that is Easter, we should not be afraid as we go because the
same Jesus who promised and was with the disciples in their work promises he is
with us in our work as well. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of what is
ahead. Do not be afraid to refine what you are doing. We are constantly in a
cycle of planning, practicing, refining, and being released. Think of how many
different times Jesus sent out disciples and how many times he redirected them.
Think of the many journeys Paul made to the same places to preach and teach
them more. We won’t be perfect but we have Jesus with us and Jesus is perfect.
I was watching an online seminar this week featuring
our bishop and the Executive Staff of the NALC. Answering questions surrounding
what they would say to people considering joining the NALC one of the answers
was, “don’t expect to join a perfect Church.” In other words, don’t think that
by switching to the NALC you will be in a Church body with fewer sinners,
problems, and dysfunctions. By all means will you be welcomed but by no means
are we perfect. Not only do I think that applies to congregations joining the
NALC but it’s helpful for those of us already in the NALC. It is quite humbling
to remember this. We’re not perfect but Christ still calls us. It’s encouraging
to know this, to remember that we are constantly adjusting, making small
corrections, all in the name of and for the sake of Jesus, our perfect leader.
At one point early in Jesus’ ministry he called his
disciples to be fishers of men. Jesus said go out and fish for people. He
didn’t say we had to clean them too. He’ll clean them. But we’ve got to go to
them and catch them. I will say this: We have so many ministries in this
congregation, so many different ways in which we are working to go out and
catch people for Christ. In fact, we have so many different ways we do this
that we’ve spent the past four weeks in our bread crumbs time trying to list
them all, and we’re still not finished. We really have a lot going on for a
small congregation. We have a lot of people who are ready, despite them
resisting a bit, to help us move forward as a congregation, as the Church, but
we have a lot of people who have gifts and are ready to use them. Most
importantly though, we have the words of Jesus that say it’s okay to do it and
we trust in his perfectness to lead us through.
* * *
These three truths are important for us to hear as we
continue to reflect on Jesus’ culture shocking ministry during this Lenten
season. We are shut down by our belief that we are not ready. The task seems
too daunting, too big, meant for someone else, not for me. It’s reassuring to
hear that Christ declares us ready but at the same time it may also seem that
he is being careless in sending us out early. But, when we realize we are
dealing with God, we remember that though we are not perfect, God is perfect.
If God calls us to do something, we can have the faith to believe that God will
do what he says. If God says let there be light, we better believe there will
be light. If God tells Abraham to pick up and leave for a distant country
without any idea as to where they would be going, but only that God would be
with him, we better believe God is with him. If God, through the prophets,
declares that a Messiah would come, we better believe a Messiah is coming. If
God tells us that though Christ has died on Good Friday that he will be raised
on Sunday morning, we better believe Christ has the victory. Because God can be
trusted, because God loves us, because God sent Jesus to the cross for us,
because we can place our faith in him therefore his perfect love, his perfect
will, his perfect grace shines through us and becomes what others see when we,
deployed into the mission field for the sake of His Kingdom, bring God to those
who do not know his love.
Again, do not be afraid. The love of God is displayed
in all that we do in his name. Here in this place. In this very hour. With
God’s grace and with God’s power we have been made ready. Jesus has worked to
shock us to life. Here comes the moment of truth. We will hear those very
life-giving words as we soon approach Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as we gather at
the Lord’s Table for the Last Supper, as we accompany Christ to the cross and
the women to the tomb. Will those words shock life into you? Will they inspire
you to shock the culture around you that Christ’s love be shared? Or will you
be unresponsive? It’s okay to feel unsure. It’s okay to feel apprehensive. It’s
okay to feel afraid even when you’re told not to be. But, this is where the
power of faith takes over and when faith comes into contact with grace, it runs
like crazy. I pray that Jesus will shock you to life once more, that the Church
would not continue to be shaken by the culture but that the culture would
instead be shaken by the deployment of the Church, by Christ, and by his love
for the world. To God be the glory, now and always. Amen.