CHARLIE

Hello.  My name is Charlie.  I have lived in the Naugatuck Valley all my life. Growing up, we lived in Seymour. I went to Western Connecticut State University, where I met my future wife, Mary. After my son was born in 2010, we bought a fixer upper and moved to Oxford. For the past 15 years, I have been selling pharmaceuticals. I have made a good living and provided for my family.  In 2013, I was named my company’s national salesman of the year.  I work hard, and I am proud of what I can give to my family.

Now I am not what you would call a religious guy.  I didn’t like church growing up, and I don’t care much for it now.  OH, my wife, she goes to mass every week, and makes sure the kids go to their CCD classes. I go with her every now and then.  To be honest, I find it kind of dull. It is just the same old, same old over and over and over again—blah, blah, blah, week in and week out. I’m not really friends with anybody their…except some hypocrites, who are trying to look better than they really are.  The priest may not know these folk, but I went to school with them and I will tell you what…they are no angels.  I hate when I meet these folks at church because I must put on a fake smile and act like I like them. Then, like a herd of cattle we go up to receive communion. I suppose it’s a good thing, but it doesn’t do anything for me.

Besides, I am not a church person.  I don’t claim to be a church person.  I cuss. I lie. I cheat on my income tax. I cheat at poker. There are all sorts of associates at work, who have stabbed me in the back, and I don’t forgive them.  I don’t claim to be a saint. I have been faithful to Mary, but I flirt too much with the girls in the office. And to be honest, I envy some of the fat cats at the office, who work too little and earn too much. Now, I work hard, and I am proud of what I can give to my family.  I wish I had more.  I wish we could have a bigger house, like one of those McMansions.

No, I don’t fit in with religious people. Ah, I believe in God.  But I like to have fun. I don’t want to walk around with a prune face. Always going to confession to ask for forgiveness. That’s not for me.

Well, about a year ago, Fed invited me to attend a discussion at his house one, and then to go out for a beer.  I thought it was a good excuse to get out of the house. When I told Mary where I was going, she laughed, saying that I had better put in my sunglasses so that no one would know me.  I arrived at Fred’s house, and I felt a little embarrassed as I walked in the door. But then I recognized one of the guys. The rest looked like regular folks.

After introducing everyone, Freed played a DVD of this crazy pastor, who wears a Hawaiian shirt. He didn’t preach like others pastors; he just spoke to us, like we were his equals. He said that most people really don’t know their purpose in life.  After the DVD, we spoke about his ideas for a while. No one was pressured to talk, and so I just listened.

During the next week, I got to thinking about it. I work hard and I am proud of what I can give to my family.  But to be honest, I feel like I am in a rut. I work hard. I avoid the people I don’t like, and gossip with the people I do like. I come home, talk to my family, go to bed, and then I start all over again the next day.

 

Well, I went back to the group the next week, and saw another tape. Then, I began to realize that there’s more to God than just church. Some of the folks in the room spoke about God as if was their friend. Then I got to thinking—working hard is good. Giving to my family is good. But I wondered if I might be missing out on something?

 

The following week, one of the women in the group told us how her career had been flushed down the toilet, and how devastated she was when that happened.  She spoke about learning to pray, not like a priest, but all by herself, as if God was in the room with her.

 

Perhaps the thing that stands out in my mind the most is the fella who told us about a severe illness in his family. Now we keep everything confidential in in our group, so I am not going to tell you about this fella.  But I will tell you about the group.

·       Everyone is the group listened to him. Everyone was concerned. Someone even shed a tear.

·       Several questions were asked, so that fella spoke some more. One guy had had a similar experience, so he shared that. He talked about how hard it was, but how he got through it with help from his church friends,

·       One guy then said that he wanted us to pledge to do everything possible to help this fella over the next several months.  Everyone agreed.

·       The one older woman had us pray for the fella and his family.  She said all the words, and I just listened; but others joined in, adding to her prayer.

·       By the time, we were done praying, the fella was smiling. He said he felt better. He said that he had never had friends like us before.

Well several weeks have passed, and I have attended the group each week. I’ve even gone with Fred to his church a couple times. Boy, this church is not boring like mine. This church has great music and friendly people, who smile and laugh. But their priest—this Father John—he gives such great sermons. 

 

I have never seen a church like this. My kids are going to come with me next week.

 

Now, I am still not what I would consider a religious guy, or anything. But I am so grateful that Fred invited me to come to his group. I am learning that God is much bigger and more loving than I ever imagined.  I am learning that I am important to God. This is like the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life.

 

So, the reason I am telling you this is because you probably know a Charlie like guy: someone who might come to your small group, if only you invited him or her. All Fred did was to ask me to come one time.  And guess what? If I had said “No,” then it would have been NO BIG DEAL. But now I understand that Fred is not just my poker buddy, but her is a true friend.  I bet you know someone who could use a good friend or two.

 

If you have not signed up for a small group, give it a try…you might like it.

 

And if you have signed up—what is to stop you from inviting a Charlene or Charlie to go with you?

(NO AMEN)

THE MUTUALLY SERVANTHOOD COMMUNITY

 

Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus sent out the disciples, two by two, to serve Him by going town to town to proclaim Good News of God’s love.  They returned back with joy in their hearts. JJJ

 

 This gospel reading confirms the themes of our two previous Sunday sermons—that by serving God in worship and in helping others, God repays us with His joy—that same joy that the angels proclaimed the night that Jesus was born. This is one of the fundamental truths of the universe.

 

Upon hearing the news from His disciples , the Bible says,” Jesus, full of joy, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”   The self-centered wise, mighty, and super wealthy may not ever think about this; but Jesus has revealed this  precious secret to you and me.

 

Once we make a heartfelt commitment to serve Jesus, we break the erroneous idea, planted in our hearts by sin, that most of our lives should be souly focused upon our personal  needs,  our personal  troubles, our personal happiness, and our personal well being.

·       Long ago, I attended a conference  where the leader had us write down the major topics of what we think about most in daily life

·       My list was filled with concerns like my work, my money, my friends (or lack thereof), my tv shows, my opinions on the daily news, my resentments, and the like.

·       We were then asked to guess how much time we thought about God?

·       Well, I was shocked and ashamed.  I thought about God in my prayers, which were not daily; but most the time I didn’t think too much about him, except when I had problems, then I turned to Him in prayer.  You see, what we really love, we think about.

 

You see, a meaningful life should not be primarily focused upon me.  A meaningful life should extend itself beyond our selves to actively care about our loving God and his people.  When that becomes a major concern in our lives,

 that’s when life has full fulfillment, meaning, and joy.   It’s so simple: Serving God and others results in joy.

 

Now this has been proven scientifically. One study focused upon serving God and others by being generous with our money.  In a recent Swiss psychological study, using MRI scans, scientists discovered that generosity triggers a response in our brain which is closely related to happiness.  In a controlled experiment, the group that gave money away was analyzed to be much happier than the group of “self-spenders “only. They went on to find an added benefit. QUOTE “Generosity, and the happiness it generates, can improve wellbeing and facilitate greater social success. UNQUOTE

 

So, look how God has wired us.  He made us to be givers and servers...and such acts of self extention result in JOY.

 

I would like for us to reflect upon one context in which serving others is especially rewarding.  This story comes from the business world:

 

EVERYONE FROM SAM’S TEAM KNOWS THAT HE’S “THERE FOR THEM.” He checks in with them often to see how they are, and helps them develop skills they need to advance their careers, even if it means they may move on.  Sam also tries to see situations from others’ perspectives.  He makes the decisions with the team’s best interests in mind, and ensures that everyone has the resources and knowledge to meet their objectives.  Sam is an example of a , QUOTE, “A SERVANT LEADER.”

 

What is a servant leader? A servant leader is a servant first; and also a leader, in that the servant looks for ways to serve others on his or her team. This is a hot concept in business, because it results in less turnover and greater success than the top down structure of many old-style businesses.

 

Have you ever been on a team –where everyone is valued and cared for by everyone else?  PAUSE      JJJ This can be so exhilarating!!!!  Well, this is the true goal of Christian community: a community of mutual love and service, where everyone is important to each other, just as we are all important to God.

 

Now, the apostolic church, in the first 3 centuries AD, was built upon such small communities, because local churches were very small.  There were no church buildings. Different types of people of different races, creedal backgrounds, and nationalities all met in peoples’ homes for worship , fellowship, learning & service. They were very secretive about their meetings, which were outlawed by the Roman authorities. But their experience in these small communities made them happy.  Why?

·       Their fellow group members would listen to them, because everyone wanted to hear from everybody.

·       They listened to one another with empathy, listening to hurt feelings behind the spoken words.

·       People experienced healing—emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically, as they prayed for one another and their loved ones.

·       They mutually experienced emotional growth by interacting in a supportive community, their interpersonal skills matured.

·       And they grew spiritually ---for there is no better way to super charge your growing faith than by participating in a small group, studying God’s life giving word.

Do you know that millions and millions of Christians still experience this sense of mutual serving in church settings all over the world today?  It happens in small groups that meet for bible study, prayer, new friendships and fellowship.  Likewise, this is what dozens and dozens and even hundreds of people have experienced through our Small group program, which is now beginning its 6^th year.

 

The reality is –you need to feed your soul, so that you can grow to serve God and others until you receive His joy.  Ask yourself this:  Are you experiencing the abundance of joy, which God is ready to provide for you?  Or, are you caught up in a spiritual rut?  Spiritual ruts can capture us, as we are slowly aestheticized to vibrant Christianity.

 

But, don’t take my word for it.  Let’s hear what Carrie Stepek has to say.

Apostolic Church: Enter into the Joy of Your Master

 

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The parables of Jesus, these powerful little stories, like today’s Gospel, are meant to be understood on many different levels.

Now on the surface, this parable is about our stewardship of money.  Just as the master gave his treasure to his us, his servants, so the master expects that we would be faithful stewards of that money.  Jesus doesn’t literally give us 5 bags of gold; No, He gives us so much more.  The Bible reminds us that, first, he gives us life. Then, he provides the world and our own God given talents and abilities so that we can make and manage money; and in thanksgiving to Him, we give God a percentage return from us.  But it doesn’t stop there, because Jesus says that if we give, than even more will be given to us, just as it was to the 2 faithful servants in the parable.

 

But this parable is not just about money---for on a different level, the money in this parable represents a far greater treasure.  It represents you and me and the people of the world.  As some of you know, all people are important to God. Humanity is God’s precious treasure; and we, as His servants, are meant to be good stewards of all his children, at home and abroad.

·       At the time of the apostolic church, which we have been discussing, this was such a radical/ counter cultural movement, which eventually exploded throughout the Roman world. Before that, All people were not important to the Romans, who slaughtered whole towns and nations, in order to terrorize the world into submission.

·       BUT IN THE Apostolic Church, all people are important: men, women, the young and the old; the rich & the poor; the slaves and the free; people of all races, creeds, and national backgrounds Every soul was valued by the apostolic church because every soul is important to God.

This is an absolutely vital message in our country in our time, because you see, millions and millions of Americans  do not feel valued by God, and/or valued by the communities in which they live.

·       The abuse of African Americans, goes back through 300 years of slavery and has continued into modern times, resulting in generational wounds, in desperate need for reconciliation, healing and liberation.

·       But let’s go further—seeing the poor, the sick, the dying, the needy, the unemployed or underemployed, the homebound, the lonely, the overburdened and over taxed tax payers, neglected and abuse women and children, and the list goes on and on.  Are all these people in important to God? You bet.

·       And God’s response to this misery?  Please repeat after me: God so loved the world, that he agave his only Son//so that we would not perish//but have eternal life.

·       Eternal life refers not just to heaven. Eternal life begins the moment you accept Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior. Eternal life open up the possibility of eternal joy.   “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the JOY of your master.”

So as God’s servants, we were created, in part, to share the joy of God by loving all people. Jesus said, “It is too light aa thing to just love the people you like.  Even the godless and the heathen do that.  No, I tell you that you shall Love your enemies.”

·       How do you love your enemies? Oh, it’s hard.  How can I love, say, the North Korean dictator and terrorist, Kim Jung Eon?

·       Martin Luther King once said that loving your enemies begins within your heart.  It starts when you embrace the Biblical truth that there is some good in every person…some good in every person.   PAUSE

So, I was praying about this, and I said, “Lord, that is too hard.  I have no desire to see anything good in such enemies.  Considering the harm, they do to others, the idea is repugnant just to think about it. “

And what did Jesus say aback to me?  He said, “John, if I stopped loving sinners, then I wouldn’t love you.  Every single soul is important to me; and especially those who have chosen to embrace evil, for they are perishing now, leading to their ultimate damnation.  Remember, Vengeance is mine.”

So, I decide to begin a process…a process of serving Jesus by loving my opponents and enemies.  I began to try to pray for Dictator Kim, asking Jesus to confront him with his sin, and to lead him to complete repentance for the evil he has done, and the evil he is contemplating. I told God that even though I cannot understand, that I would choose to accept by faith that there must be something good about him; something which maybe only Jesus can see.  PAUSE.  The next time I prayed about Him, I prayed “thy will be done.” And so far, that is the extent to which I have tried to love that enemy.

You see, all over the world, in our country, and in our towns and homes, there is a human mindset which can turn people into enemies:  It is called “We versus them.”

·       We are right, and they are wrong

·       We are good, and they are bad.

·       We have been hurt, belittled, or robbed by THEM.

·       And if this attitude is left unrestrained, it will escalate to further conflict, mutual hurt, and finally into violence.

Jesus’ Good News frees us from the “We versus them” mindset. You see, since all the people of the world are important to God; and we are called to be His servant is loving them on His behalf. Why?  because we are called to His servant peacemakers—through calm conversation, forgiveness, and the recognition that we are all on the same team—Team Jesus. And the people on His team seek changed hearts that we might share his LOVE with one another.

 

Back in earlier this year, when we held discussions at the annual meeting and you all filled out surveys, many, many of you spoke of the warmth and acceptance that you experience at CCQF. Since 2011, your Rector and leadership have sought to diffuse “we versus them” conflicts.  In Christ, there is no “we versus them.’   In Christ, there is only US, together, all working together to serve the same Team Captain, Jesus Christ.  Now CCQF is not perfect, but the Holy Spirit is leading us to even greater harmony, cooperation, forgiveness,  and compassion.  And as we serve Jesus in this way, he releases His joy.  Perhaps that’s why some local folks, who worship elsewhere, call us “THE HAPPY CHURCH.”

From this launching pad, we can take this out into the world as  servant stewards of all God’s children, most of whom we will never meet. But as we grow in the truth that all people at least, have some good in them---then, like the good servants in today’s Gospel, we, too, will enter into the Joy of our Master.  Amen.

APOSTOLIC WORSHIP

So, as you can see, we have 2 churches heRE.  Both are rectangular, both have steeples ; both have crosses.  On the outside, they look very similar.  But on the inside on Sunday mornings, they look very different.

This church is very traditional –they have done church in the same way, at the same time, for 250 years. 

• ·       They rigidly follow the prescribed liturgy from their prayer book.
• ·       No one laughs.
• ·       The Choir sings; most others do not.
• ·       Sermons to often focus upon our sinfulness.
• ·       Very few smiles on faces.
• ·       The children have to be bound and ganged to  bring them into the service after Sunday School.
• ·       Most of the people coming to receive communion look like they are attending a funeral, and not a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection.
• ·       Announcements are brief, because there is nothing happening.

This next Church was the way Christ Church was last Sunday.

• ·       The order of the service was modified, so that we could hear an inspiring testimony on healing from Seth. 
• ·       Sermons focus on the reality that we are all important to God.
• ·       People sung, prayed and said the responses enthusiastically.
• ·       Some people laughed.
• ·       Some prayed right put loud, inviting those present to join them in their prayers and thanksgivings.
• ·       The children eagerly came into the church to receive communion with their families.
• ·       Those receiving communion did so with deep gratitude, and many smiled to receive the Risen Lord.
• ·       While communion was being distributed, the Prayer Team was praying for the concerns and needs of others with those who solicited their prayers.
• ·       The announcements took a little while, because there is lots going on.
• ·       Joy permeated the room.   (PAUSE)

Which church would you prefer to attend?  Some of us would prefer to attend the first service, which is quite traditional and fairly common in most churches on any given Sunday morning.

• ·       And to those who prefer that type of worship, I need to tell you that I know where you are coming from, because that is the way I preferred to worship up until 1990.  
• But over those years, I began to see that this style of worship lacked the (Mini pause) WHOLENESS of the full worship experience that Jesus wants for  us when we gather together as one family on Sunday morning.
•   There is a time and a place for quiet worship, which I love.  But when the whole parish family is together, through the resurrection of Christ,  we are meant to celebrate.  JJ

·       Worship as experienced in the early church was 

• not characterized by church buildings; they had none;  
•  it was not characterized by clergy; they had none; was not characterized by liturgy; they had none. 
• Rather true Christian worship was characterized by the free movement of the Holy Spirit, who was embraced by those worshipping.

Now to understand this better, please look at the sermon insert, where you will the ONE MIGHTY RIVER OF FAITH, which comes from God.  Worship which is complete, which is whole (w-h-o-l-e) and Holy (h-o-l-y) taps into the river of faith is 3 ways:

1  1.  It is catholic.  We are not talking about Roman Catholic. Rather, this word means the one universal church, of which Jesus is the head. This stream of worship is manifest through the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.  This was central in the life of the early church, just as it is central to us.

2.2.    It is apostolic in teaching, focusing upon the Bible, the Word of God;

3.    And finally, it is Holy---being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Many churches are fed by one of these streams; most of fed by two; but rare is the church that drinks from the full river of life, made up of all three streams.

Now, if you would turn to page 11 in your bulletin, there is a paragraph in the middle of the page, that refers to the 3 streams.  This paragraph begins with the words, Christ Church Quaker Farms is dedicated to ….

 I invite those of you, who are willing to join me in reading, saying,

Christ Church Quaker Farms is dedicated to JOYFUL WORSHIP utilizing:

1.     Relevant, encouraging, & positive Biblical preaching;

2.     Treasured traditions of the Episcopal church, including Holy Communion and upbeat hymns

3.      Spirit-filled worship (which includes appropriate informality, contemporary songs and creative enrichments) to our services.

So, just what is Spirit filled worship?  Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and already is, when true worshippers will worship in SPIRIT and in truth; for such worship is pleasing to the Father.”

Spirit filled worship is empowered by that presence//that power// which enlivens our words and songs, and makes them meaningful. Spirit filled worship occurs when a significant # of worshippers are open to the Holy Spirit, who is invited into our hearts individually, and as a family.

·       1. The Greek word for worship means Kiss.

     2.  Worship is our actively expressing our Love to God by enthusiastic singing and praying; by hearing and applying God’s word to our lives; by seeking and receiving forgiveness of sin; and by sharing Love through the PEACE.

3. Spirit filled worship is not a spectator sport where you sit passively and watch the choir sing and the clergy pray. 

4. Spirit filled worship is a participation activity of YOU expressing your love to God.

You notice, the name of our worship is called, “The service…the worship service.”

Once there was little boy who came to Sunday service, and he noticed the memorial plaques hanging at the church entrance.  He asked his father,” Dad, who are those people, whose names are listed there?” His father responded, “Well, those are people who died in the service.”

FOLLOWING THE SERVICE, the boy greeted the pastor on his way out. “Pastor, today my Daddy said that the service was so boring that he could just die. Those names on the plaque—are they people who actually

died of boredom in the service here at our church?” J J J J

Service. The worship service. We are intended to serve God by expressing love—whole hearted love, to Jesus.   “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart”

Whole hearted worship results in in blessings falling upon us...and this occurs automatically. This is what our Song of Praise meant when we sang, ”Come, now is the time to worship…for the greatest treasure remains for those who choose you now.”

So, we want to express our love to God, and one way we do that is through our financial offerings; and another way is through the altar flowers; or serving as an Usher, or the like.  Another way we express our love to God is creative enrichments to the service.

• ·       We serve the Lord by bringing Him glory by enthusiastic singing of both traditional and contemporary music.
• ·       We serve the Lord by sharing our prayers, as we pray out loud for those we love;
• ·       We serve the Lord by articulating our gratitude to God, during the Prayers of the People, or through testimonies, like the one shared by Seth last week. 
• ·       We serve the Lord through creative enrichments, which include our periodic family Eucharists, designed for the entire parish family.
• ·       Also, we make liberal use of visual aids, because a picture is of better than a thousand words.

The bible warns us, “Do not quench the Spirit…but in everything, give thanks.”

And as we do all of this, what does it produce?                 JOY  J  J  J

  

       Today our psalm says, pls repeat after me, “

                              BE JOYFUL IN THE LORD…

                               SERVE HIM WITH GLADNESS.

Over the years, it has been my joy to watch hundreds, thousands of faces enter into whole hearted worship. As that happens, I see many of those faces light up with smiles—or tears---or relief---or hope.  These folks, like us, can learn again, that the JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH. AMEN.

When we serve the Lord in worship with gladness in our heart, He returns the favor of releasing His joy from within us, through the grace of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Amen.