"The Ministry of 'We'!"
Sermon by Pastor David Layman
February 18, 2007
II Corinthians 5:14-20
It was Sunday morning, and a wife decided it was time to rouse her husband so he could get ready for church. He sleepily
muttered "You and the kids go on without me. I don't want to go this morning." She decided to give him 5 more minutes of
sleep, and then came back and shook him
again: "Honey, it's time to go to church." This time the husband sat up and said "Look! I don't want to go to church. People
there are grouches and gossips, hypocrites, and apathetic. You go without me." The wife responded "Honey, you're going
to church. You're a grown man, a responsible citizen. You're supposed to be an example to your children and the
community. Besides, you're the minister of this church, and you've got to go!"
It might surprise you to think of a minister not wanting to go to church on Sunday morning. After all, the ministry is a great
profession--only working one hour a week! Early in my ministry, I attended a "New pastor's seminar", where young pastors
in the first 3 years of ministry were called together for fellowship and encouragement. I was surprised by hearing how many
young pastors were frustrated in their places of service. I came to see that behind some of the frustration was loneliness.
They were tired, and discouraged. Many didn't have much of anyone they could talk to. Today, some 30 years later, after a
long period of decline in mainline churches, with denominational controversies and threatened divisions, I'm tempted to
want to move back in time and say to those frustrated in the 70's "If you're frustrated and discouraged in ministry now, just
wait until the first decade of the 21st century! Then you'll have something to get discouraged about!"
I'm happy to report that the sleepy minister in our opening story is not me! From my earliest days of ministry at Second
Presbyterian until now, I wake up on Sunday morning raring to go. Not because ministry is without challenges. Because
there are many. Not because the ministry I've been involved with has been successful. Decline and struggle seems to be
more common than success. But because of a truth the Apostle Paul shares in our Corinthians reading.
The Apostle Paul didn't see himself as a "Lone Ranger" in ministry in the first century AD. When he wrote the Corinthians,
he consistently speaks in the plural: "For the love of Christ urges US on, because WE are convinced that one has died for
ALL....All this is from God, who reconciled US to himself through Christ, and has given US the ministry of reconciliation."
Paul concludes "So WE are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through US". As Paul sees it, ministry
is
not a one man show, to be performed by a hired professional in the center ring. Ministry is not to be restricted to
professionals: all of us are to be engaged in the ministry of reconciliation. In Christ, God
was reconciling the world to Himself, making it possible for a sinful humankind and a holy God to come together. It's the
calling of the Christian community, not just a few pastors, priests and evangelists, to become "ambassadors" or
representatives of God.
Martin Luther spoke of the "priesthood of all believers." Elton Trueblood spoke of the "ministry of the laity," "the company of
the committed," and emphasized that every believer, whether a banker,
teacher, student, nurse, plant worker, salesman, or retiree had a ministry. Ministry in the plural is more powerful. Jesus
could stand alone, as God's only son. But Jesus, understanding the mystery of the Trinity, could say "I and the Father are
one." Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples upon His resurrection, pluralizing His disciples by giving them the
Holy Spirit. Jesus' own ministry was in the plural form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And when Jesus sent out the
disciples, he sent them out two by two. The Apostle Paul almost always was accompanied in ministry by at least one other:
Barnabus, Silas, Timothy, Mark, or Luke. It's clear from Paul's letters that women were involved in this ministry of
reconciliation as well as men. At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul greets Priscilla and Aquila, calling them "fellow
workers," reminding us that men and women, husband and
wife, can work together in ministry. He also greets Tryphena and Tryphosa, "those women who work hard in the Lord."
Sometimes, Paul greets a whole household of people who work together to serve God. People are often hesitant to share a
solitary witness, to reach out by themselves. But there can be power and mutual encouragement in teamwork. There's such
a thing as "collective effervescence." People can feed off the teamwork and encouragement of others. Ministry is a matter
of "we" and God making His appeal through "us", not just through one.
We need to make this ministry felt in all kinds of circumstances and settings. I'll always remember taking Andrea to her first
day of first grade. She was naturally a little scared and anxious. And Andrea wasn't the only one. I saw many children with
tears in their eyes and anxious looks on their faces. My heart went out to them. I didn't want to leave; I wanted to stay and
try to encourage these children. I thought of going back to school and getting a teaching degree, so I could try to reach out
to children like these with God's love and encouragement. Thank goodness we have many fine teachers who try to live out
their own ministry through their work. And we often have aides that work in
classrooms. And team teaching. Parents and teachers are meant to work together in partnership, and the community of
study buddies and others need to work together and support one another. Much is being written about educational needs in
our community. That's not just a problem for schools, educators, or administrators. We all need to take responsibility and
work together. For Sunday School and youth activities in church, we pair people up to work together. It's very Biblical, and
very wise! Together, we serve God better than separately!
First graders aren't the only ones facing anxious moments. There are adults in waiting rooms, nursing homes, places of
employment that need encouragement and help. If everyone tries to rely on the handful of priests and pastors in this
community for support and guidance, only a small amount of ministry will get done. People are hungry for the lived out word
of God. There is plenty of God to go around, but often, not enough ambassadors and servants to represent Him. Jesus said
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:37)
There are movements which seek to multiply the participation of Christians in ministry. The Emmaus Movement is one such
effort. Emmaus is primarily a lay led movement to encourage believers to find a ministry in their own lives and seek to live it
out. Participants on Emmaus Walks are encouraged to join together in "share groups" following the walk and grow and
serve together with others. One of the reasons the Emmaus movement is effective is that Paul's "ministry of we" is
emphasized. Men and women work together in teams to reach out and share the good news of Jesus. Together, we are
ambassadors for Christ!
Stephen Ministry is focused on the ministry of "we." Lay members of a church can multiply ministry by developing listening
and caring skills. BSF draws together circles of students who share insights together about Biblical truth. Leaders meet
together in training early on Saturday mornings each week. Our outreach in Puerto Morelos, Mexico is not done by lone
individuals, but by a team of people that work together, not just from our church but from other congregations as well.
Christ's
Ambassadors Foundation is based on this passage from II Corinthians. Its purpose is to encourage people to work
together, within our church and beyond it, to share the good news of Jesus. It's a big concept, and big ventures aren't
accomplished by single people here and there seeking to accomplish them. We need to work together!
Sometimes it takes a while to find the combination of people that work well together. There was a time when Paul and Mark
parted ways. Some combinations of Christ's ambassadors work together far better than others. Often, people with different
ministry gifts can complement one another. It may take a period of time to connect with those with whom we can most
effectively combine to serve our Lord. And if we find ourselves trying to serve God on our own, that can be a lonely and
discouraging
task. Grace Groups can be effective vehicles for believers to grow in their faith and fellowship with others, developing
connections that can help us serve others well.
Paul faced many a challenge and discouraging time. But he wrote the Corinthians "The love of Christ urges us on, because
we are convinced that one has died for all...And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,
but for him who died and was raised for them." That is our calling, friends. That is our calling. Let us work together to
accomplish it!
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