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Epiphany 2020: Why?Church? – Sermon StartersBelow each week you will find a “sermon starter” resource and a brief summary; by no means a commentary. Hopefully each will be helpful, but remember it is only a starter for you to use or dismiss. I close each with the phrase, “Church is at its best when…” For me this process speaks to it; Church is at its best when the community generously shares in the work. Blessings to each of you and your congregations this Epiphany Season. This Epiphany season, we will be exploring the question, “Why Church?” As you know, people come to church for a variety of reasons – community, obligation, or even for the coffee. But those are surface level reasons. When we really look deep into the “why” of church, it’s all about what God does in our hearts: transformation. And, that’s what people are seeking, to be transformed! So why church? Because church…JANUARY 5: RESTORATIONMark 1:21-45?Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit, Peter’s mother-in-law, and a leper. (Psalm 103:1-5)Jesus gets up very early and goes out alone to find a quiet place to pray – his way to restore his soul. The disciples cannot find him but when they finally do, they say, “Everyone is searching for you.” In our fast-paced society, what is it that we searching for? How do we find it? Is it Jesus??Why church? Because church is restoration.Sermon Starter – Resource: a world that likes to point fingers, identify flaws, and often distances itself from those in need of healing, the church at its best provides sanctuary and offers restoration. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb "restore" as to bring back to or put back something to a former or original state (Restore, n.d.). The promise of restoration, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:17, New International Version), is a repeated theme throughout the Bible, offering hope when all else seems to contradict it. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with rich images of healing and restoration—it is a consistent and persistent theme in both the Old and New Testaments. This theme of restoration provides a foundation for correctly understanding sin and suffering, God’s plan for creation, and the unstoppable quest to save all people and restore them to the image of God…Conclusion: The Biblical perspective of health and wellness is a message about the Master Restorer working relentlessly to make [people] whole and restore [them]—not just spiritually, but emotionally, mentally, and physically. Mankind is invited to participate in God’s work of restoration by choosing life (Deuteronomy 30:19) and cooperating with God who provides everything needed for life and godliness (Exodus 15:26; 2 Peter 1:3). Furthermore, this message of restoration is to be shared. “[Church is at its best] when it teaches others how to preserve and to recover health … and should point them to the one who alone can restore.” (White, 1923, p. 31)JANUARY 12: RE-IMAGINATIONMark 2:1-22?Jesus heals a paralytic and eats with tax collectors. (Psalm 103:6-14)People are clamoring to get near Jesus. When the crowds are so great, a group cuts a hole in the roof to lower a friend through to be healed by Jesus. They used creativity to figure out how to connect with Jesus. Jesus, too, reimagines what it means to be a follower when he seeks out Levi, a tax collector. People often think of church as unchanging — “we’ve always done it that way.” That is not the tone set by Jesus!?Why church? Because church encourages re-imagination!Sermon Starter – Resource: many of us go through life with blinders on, only seeing what has been in front of us throughout our life. When something comes along that is different we tend to tighten our blinders, narrowing our view even more. Jesus came into a world that had blinders. The religious leaders were unable to see God at work through all things. Jesus did not allow divisions or barriers to get in the way. When the church is at its best, it is able to remove blinders so people can see and experience the fullness of life – life that is re-imagined through Jesus. “I have been in a process of reimagining my life. The word “reimagine” means to reinterpret or rethink an earlier version. It is approaching again something already experienced but?in a new way. Sure, the church talked about living out on Monday what was preached on Sunday. But there was often an underlying assumption that spiritual stuff did not happen unless it was wrapped in certain language and experiences that had overtones of the ecclesial ethos. There was a subtle us vs. them mentality emanating from the church.Today, when I encounter my former life as demonstrated by friends and acquaintances, I’m acutely aware of how that church life was a closed system. People who are within that sub-culture have difficulty truly grasping the meaning of life outside of the support structures without which life in that bubble would disintegrate.?In my journey into a reimagined life I am not forsaking Jesus, ceasing to follow him. Truly the opposite is happening. I’m reveling in his words as he walked on earth and allowing him to influence my life. I’m learning from those who knew him when he was a physical presence among humanity.?I believe the Christian life is lived in relationship and not in principles or rules or laws or things we’re supposed to do. I’m learning to live in a relationship with Jesus the Christ, and with people with whom I walk this earth. The governing principle in these relationships, both with Jesus the divine presence of God, and with earthly sojourners living out God’s great human experiment on earth, is love.?Many people, who claim Christ’s name, are not living this kind of life. I’m not saying they are not Christian in their life commitments, or even in their daily walk. What I am saying is that they have added way too many accoutrements to the Christian walk. The actual requirements are simple: love God and love humanity. - David WiggerJANUARY 19: RE-CREATIONMark 4:1-34?Parables of sower and mustard seed (Psalm 126)In God’s kingdom, even when things seem to die such as a seed, God brings new life through ways we could never imagine. Both the sower and the mustard seed begin small but with God, amazing things happen.?Why Church? Because church is a re-creation of boundless opportunities.Sermon Starter – Resource: type of soil does the Church find itself in today? How bright is the Church light in our world? Do you believe the Church What steps could the Church take to improve the soil, so that it can grow? I believe the mustard seed offers an answer. When the seed is planted it grows in a manner to provide shelter for another. The church is at its best when planting trees. Whether it is legend or truth, the quote is good, “Many more legends about Luther and trees swirl around, one of the best known should be mentioned, the famous saying:?"If I knew that tomorrow was the end of the world, I would plant an apple tree today!" is attributed to Luther. One must remember, that the first written evidence of this saying comes from 1944... 26: RECONNECTIONMark 5:1-20?Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac (Psalm 89:1-4)We face many demons that separate us from community. A man’s body has been ravaged, his wholeness broken by what the Bible calls demons. Jesus, then, shows up. He reconnects this man to himself and his community.?Why Church? Because church is all about reconnection.Sermon Starter – Resource: This was one of the harder weeks to find a sermon starter. I was searching for a modern day story of a person being ostracized by a community, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the church, the person is reconnected. Maybe someone has a better story. What we have in the resource is Jesus giving the demoniac a purpose and a mission, to tell of what God (in Jesus) has done for him. He has (in Tom Wright’s words) become the first apostle to the Gentiles, anticipating what will unfold in the larger narrative. When church is at its best it identifies a person’s uniqueness, whatever that may be to discover a purpose and mission. The demoniac uniqueness was the desire to go and share the Good News after being in solitude confinement for years prior. You could argue that Jesus directed him to stay with his people, people that asked Jesus to leave, who better to stay than the one miraculously experienced reconnection. The Church is at its best when we create sanctuary allowing anyone and everyone to be re-connected. FEBRUARY 2: RESURRECTIONMark 5:21-43?Jesus heals Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the flow of blood. (Psalm 131)Jesus continues his healing work, but ups his game. Not only does he heal a woman who had been cast out from society for twelve years, but he even raises a girl from the dead.?Why church? Because the church tells and lives the resurrection story.Sermon Starter – Resource: and found both of these articles to be quite interesting. The first is a medical doctor who gives a theological perspective. The second is from a science website which shares “resurrection” happenings that are experienced in our world. The take away for me is that God loves the whole world and gives a glimpse of miraculous resurrections in this world, but more importantly The Church is at its best when it speaks to the fact that the Church didn’t create the resurrection, resurrection created the Church.FEBRUARY 9: REORIENTATIONMark 6:1-29?Jesus rejected at Nazareth; sending of the Twelve; death of John the Baptist. (Psalm 122)The gruesome death of John the Baptist gives us a glimpse of the suffering that is to come. In response, Jesus empowers his disciples to continue and magnify his work. God’s kingdom is not coming to an end, but is just beginning.?Why church? Because our callings receive reorientation.Sermon Starter – Resource: is the main thing for Why Church? If we lose our focus we can veer off the path into many other good things, but is it the main thing? I love the phrase, “Let us not major in the minors.” If we are honest every person needs some reorientation, which I believe happens best when one shares their own failings and the desire for reorientation. Being vulnerable in this manner gives people the permission to be vulnerable and seek assistance. Remember the Twelve are sent out completely vulnerable needing the acceptance and support of those they would meet to continue their mission. The Church is at its best when it demonstrates reorientation, leading by example instead of making an example of others faults. FEBRUARY 16: REDEMPTIONMark 7:1-23?What defiles one comes from within (Psalm 51:1-3, 6-7)When Jesus is challenged because his disciples are neglecting purity laws, he points out that what really matters is what comes from the heart. Jesus turns people’s expectations on their heads showing them what the Kingdom of God really looks like.?Why church? Because the work of the church is the redemption of our hearts.Sermon Starter – Resource: Kingdom of God is bigger than any specific denomination, more significant than any doctrinal belief, and infuses all creation. What really matters is what comes from the heart – the heart of God redeeming the world in Christ. The Church is at its best when its members share their hearts with others; fellow believers, neighbors, and even our enemies. FEBRUARY 23: REVELATIONMark 8:27-9:8?Peter’s confession, passion prediction, bearing the cross, Transfiguration. (Psalm 27:1-4)Peter proclaims Jesus as the long-ago promised Messiah. On the mountain top Peter sees Jesus alongside the titans of the faith, Moses and Elijah. The real truth about this savior is revealed. The status quo dies and we find new life on the other side.?Why Church? Because church proclaims Jesus’ revelation.Sermon Starter – Resource: Transfiguration was the Mountain Top revelation of Jesus for Peter, James, and John. Question is, what was your “mountain top” experience which revealed Jesus as Lord and Savior for you? Many in the Christian realm answer this as the time and place when they were born again. This often causes consternation for those who simply grew up in the Church and cannot claim such an experience. Maybe we are like the disciples wanting to stay on that mountain or unsure of the significance of the event? The Church is at its best when we can help one another discern the times when they have witnessed God at work in their own lives and in the world; a revelation where were transfigured, forever changed. Perfect wonders to ponder as we begin the season of Lent. ................
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