Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
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"Capturing the Heart of the Community"
September 20, 2009 Matthew 5:13-16
“Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord, for thee.” That was the sentiment that filled the
crowd of over 15,000 Christians that marched through the streets of London in the very first
March for Jesus walk in May of 1987. It happened on a rainy day and the organizers were so
excited that they decided to do it again in 1988. Over 55,000 people joined the march that year and
it sparked the group to expand again. In 1989 Marches were held in over 45 cities in Great Britain.
Before long, this phenomenon crossed the ocean and came to the States where people embraced it
as well. In May of 2010 millions of believers from the Americas to Zimbabwe will take to the
streets to proclaim their faith in Christ.
Using banners, music, scripture readings and prayer they will seek to take the walls off the
church. Graham Kendrick was one of the founders of the marches and his song, “Shine Jesus
Shine” is the song to which they will march.
For people of faith, this kind of demonstration is nothing new. Our Jewish forebears often
marched through the streets and into the temple singing hymns of praise and glory. There is a
whole section of our book of psalms that was written for this purpose.
IT is good to show this side of our faith to the world outside. Too often Christians are thought
as being mean spirited, unhappy, and thoughtless. Think about the demonstrations you’ve seen that
show Christians with sides protesting this or that, yelling and screaming.
These Marches show a different side of our faith. A side which I believe is more in tune with
what it means to be a follower of Jesus. But as important as these Marches are they are not the
most effective way to share the message of the Gospel.
To do that, we need to get out into the streets. Then we are there, we need to do more than just
talk when we get there and preach at people. We need to be a reflection of who Jesus is to the
community in which we live. If we want to become the Church God envisioned, then we must
seek ways to capture the heart of our community. We can only do that the same way Jesus
captured our hearts: Through love.
Too often churches like ours have good intentions but we fall back into the tendency of what
author Frank Tillipaugh calls a “fortress mentality.” We wall ourselves in and expect others to
breach the walls and come inside. Year after year our membership and influence in the community
dries up and we can’t understand why.
If we want to make a difference, if we want to be the salt that Jesus talks about or the light that
will draw people in, we need to have a new way of thinking about church. We need to stop looking
at our building and begin looking at ourselves. We are the church. Six days and 22 hours we are out
in the world. We have the opportunity to change things in that time.
When I was in seminary one of my professors said something that really hit home. He said
“Attitude determines action determines accomplishment.” In other words, how we feel about
something affects what we do, which affects the ultimate result. Makes sense, huh?
If we are talking about the church and our ministry and how we feel about reaching out to our
community, our attitude will determine what we do. This in turn will determine our effectiveness.
For too many years we’ve read that story from Matthew and heard Jesus’ injunction to mean we
have to keep the lights on in the building so people can come to Christ. That worked well in the
twenties and thirties when everyone lived in the neighborhood and the church was a community
center to which people flocked. That worked well in the forties when Rev. Loomis was
broadcasting our services over the air on WICH and we were known as the West Side Community
Church. That worked well in the fifties and early sixties when church was at the center of
everything you do.
The world has changed since then. Next week Glynis LaBarre will be with us and she’ll tell you
how we are now meeting a third generation of people who have never been to church. They see the
church as one of many clubs you can belong to. They see us as being mean spirited and judgmental
and hateful. They see us as divided and fighting against ourselves.
Yes, we need more Marches for Jesus but we also need to take the next step and let our light
shine, that light which is the light of life, Jesus within us.
It certainly happened in the early church. In Acts 2, which we read last week, we found the
people were living out their faith and the joy that others saw drew them in. They took care of the
sick, the widows, and the marginalized and fed the hungry and bound up the wounds of the dying.
The text said that miracles and signs abounded and people were drawn to them.
Like moths to a light… The warmth, the glow, the promise of something very special touches
our souls. You see in that early church they had the right attitude. They understood that while they
were yet sinners, while they were non believers, while they were outside the circle, God loved them
so much he reached out to them with the gift of life in Jesus Christ.
That is the call of the church today. Somewhere along the way we got mixed up and began
thinking that in order to enjoy the benefits of the church, you needed to be a member. That’s not
the way God works and that is not the way he intended the church to operate. We were called to be
transformers, world changers, love givers.
Look at the early church, before building and formal worship and you see they were living in the
midst of the community. In Acts 5:12 -16 we read:
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the
believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though
they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in
the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and
laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed
by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those
tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
People’s lives were touched as they lived out the call to be light to the world. Do you remember
Jesus’ commandment to his disciples in the upper room just before his death? They were going to
continue his ministry and he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another
even as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are my disciples…
This was so important that Jesus prayed it again as he struggled in the Garden of Gethsemene.
He asked God to help us fulfill that commandment.
Today we are called to be the salt of the earth. We are called to be the light in a darkened world.
The only way to fulfill this calling is to get out into the community with the love of Christ.
As I was reading about this March for Jesus I got excited. I began thinking of ways to promote
it next May here in Norwich or in Connecticut. I thought about calling all my friends in ministry to
see if I could get them on board. Then I read a little bit more about the March for Jesus movement.
At the turn of this century, (that sounds weird doesn’t it?), there was a shift in emphasis that came
with a new understanding of God’s call. As a result, the first Jesus Day was held on June 10, 2000
in over 450 cities across the United States. By combining our worship and prayers with acts of
kindness, Jesus Day has become an open expression of our faith in action, which brings honor to
Jesus’ name. The idea of “a day on earth as it is in heaven” developed with the realization that
within the church lies the resources to feed every hungry person, care for every fatherless child,
touch every suffering person, and fill the streets with singing.
This, I believe, is the Church that God envisioned and it wasn’t just something for the first
century AD. He called all of us together to be a blessing to the world he so loved.
That is why I am so proud of the work we are doing to share God’s love in and through this
congregation. Last Monday we talked about the mission endeavors we are engaged in. I was
amazed at how many there were once we started to name them.
There is the interfaith luncheon today (Who can help?) There are the socks and coats and
sweaters we are collecting. The winter survival kits we are putting together. The Thanksgiving
baskets we prepare each year. The hats and mittens we collect. The food pantry. The mission trips.
These are just a few of the ways that we reach out with the love of Christ. Believe me, people are
noticing and God’s ministry is growing day by day.
September 20, 2009 Matthew 5:13-16
“Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord, for thee.” That was the sentiment that filled the
crowd of over 15,000 Christians that marched through the streets of London in the very first
March for Jesus walk in May of 1987. It happened on a rainy day and the organizers were so
excited that they decided to do it again in 1988. Over 55,000 people joined the march that year and
it sparked the group to expand again. In 1989 Marches were held in over 45 cities in Great Britain.
Before long, this phenomenon crossed the ocean and came to the States where people embraced it
as well. In May of 2010 millions of believers from the Americas to Zimbabwe will take to the
streets to proclaim their faith in Christ.
Using banners, music, scripture readings and prayer they will seek to take the walls off the
church. Graham Kendrick was one of the founders of the marches and his song, “Shine Jesus
Shine” is the song to which they will march.
For people of faith, this kind of demonstration is nothing new. Our Jewish forebears often
marched through the streets and into the temple singing hymns of praise and glory. There is a
whole section of our book of psalms that was written for this purpose.
IT is good to show this side of our faith to the world outside. Too often Christians are thought
as being mean spirited, unhappy, and thoughtless. Think about the demonstrations you’ve seen that
show Christians with sides protesting this or that, yelling and screaming.
These Marches show a different side of our faith. A side which I believe is more in tune with
what it means to be a follower of Jesus. But as important as these Marches are they are not the
most effective way to share the message of the Gospel.
To do that, we need to get out into the streets. Then we are there, we need to do more than just
talk when we get there and preach at people. We need to be a reflection of who Jesus is to the
community in which we live. If we want to become the Church God envisioned, then we must
seek ways to capture the heart of our community. We can only do that the same way Jesus
captured our hearts: Through love.
Too often churches like ours have good intentions but we fall back into the tendency of what
author Frank Tillipaugh calls a “fortress mentality.” We wall ourselves in and expect others to
breach the walls and come inside. Year after year our membership and influence in the community
dries up and we can’t understand why.
If we want to make a difference, if we want to be the salt that Jesus talks about or the light that
will draw people in, we need to have a new way of thinking about church. We need to stop looking
at our building and begin looking at ourselves. We are the church. Six days and 22 hours we are out
in the world. We have the opportunity to change things in that time.
When I was in seminary one of my professors said something that really hit home. He said
“Attitude determines action determines accomplishment.” In other words, how we feel about
something affects what we do, which affects the ultimate result. Makes sense, huh?
If we are talking about the church and our ministry and how we feel about reaching out to our
community, our attitude will determine what we do. This in turn will determine our effectiveness.
For too many years we’ve read that story from Matthew and heard Jesus’ injunction to mean we
have to keep the lights on in the building so people can come to Christ. That worked well in the
twenties and thirties when everyone lived in the neighborhood and the church was a community
center to which people flocked. That worked well in the forties when Rev. Loomis was
broadcasting our services over the air on WICH and we were known as the West Side Community
Church. That worked well in the fifties and early sixties when church was at the center of
everything you do.
The world has changed since then. Next week Glynis LaBarre will be with us and she’ll tell you
how we are now meeting a third generation of people who have never been to church. They see the
church as one of many clubs you can belong to. They see us as being mean spirited and judgmental
and hateful. They see us as divided and fighting against ourselves.
Yes, we need more Marches for Jesus but we also need to take the next step and let our light
shine, that light which is the light of life, Jesus within us.
It certainly happened in the early church. In Acts 2, which we read last week, we found the
people were living out their faith and the joy that others saw drew them in. They took care of the
sick, the widows, and the marginalized and fed the hungry and bound up the wounds of the dying.
The text said that miracles and signs abounded and people were drawn to them.
Like moths to a light… The warmth, the glow, the promise of something very special touches
our souls. You see in that early church they had the right attitude. They understood that while they
were yet sinners, while they were non believers, while they were outside the circle, God loved them
so much he reached out to them with the gift of life in Jesus Christ.
That is the call of the church today. Somewhere along the way we got mixed up and began
thinking that in order to enjoy the benefits of the church, you needed to be a member. That’s not
the way God works and that is not the way he intended the church to operate. We were called to be
transformers, world changers, love givers.
Look at the early church, before building and formal worship and you see they were living in the
midst of the community. In Acts 5:12 -16 we read:
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the
believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though
they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in
the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and
laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed
by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those
tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
People’s lives were touched as they lived out the call to be light to the world. Do you remember
Jesus’ commandment to his disciples in the upper room just before his death? They were going to
continue his ministry and he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another
even as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are my disciples…
This was so important that Jesus prayed it again as he struggled in the Garden of Gethsemene.
He asked God to help us fulfill that commandment.
Today we are called to be the salt of the earth. We are called to be the light in a darkened world.
The only way to fulfill this calling is to get out into the community with the love of Christ.
As I was reading about this March for Jesus I got excited. I began thinking of ways to promote
it next May here in Norwich or in Connecticut. I thought about calling all my friends in ministry to
see if I could get them on board. Then I read a little bit more about the March for Jesus movement.
At the turn of this century, (that sounds weird doesn’t it?), there was a shift in emphasis that came
with a new understanding of God’s call. As a result, the first Jesus Day was held on June 10, 2000
in over 450 cities across the United States. By combining our worship and prayers with acts of
kindness, Jesus Day has become an open expression of our faith in action, which brings honor to
Jesus’ name. The idea of “a day on earth as it is in heaven” developed with the realization that
within the church lies the resources to feed every hungry person, care for every fatherless child,
touch every suffering person, and fill the streets with singing.
This, I believe, is the Church that God envisioned and it wasn’t just something for the first
century AD. He called all of us together to be a blessing to the world he so loved.
That is why I am so proud of the work we are doing to share God’s love in and through this
congregation. Last Monday we talked about the mission endeavors we are engaged in. I was
amazed at how many there were once we started to name them.
There is the interfaith luncheon today (Who can help?) There are the socks and coats and
sweaters we are collecting. The winter survival kits we are putting together. The Thanksgiving
baskets we prepare each year. The hats and mittens we collect. The food pantry. The mission trips.
These are just a few of the ways that we reach out with the love of Christ. Believe me, people are
noticing and God’s ministry is growing day by day.