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"Synergize!"
May 9, 2004
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Carlson
[first part missing from tape] and the theme was a bunch of cowboys running around trying to herd up cats. I guess they did it with computer graphics or something, but you saw on the plain thousands of cats, and cowboys running around trying to herd them in different places into the corral. One of my favorite scenes was--you know how the cowboys get the calves and put them on the horse? Well this cowboy--rough, gruff-type guy, you know--he had a couple of cats draped across his horse. And "such-and-such was like herding cats." The reason it's one of my favorites is I'm partial to cats. You know cats are individualistic. They pretend like they don't really need you (but they really do). Our cats are very funny in that when we leave them and go on a trip for a couple of days, they actually are very friendly for a couple days after we get back: "Where have you been? Why haven't you fed me? I love you." They purr. And after two days it's all back to normal like, "Hmph! So you're back."
And another reason that it's one of my favorite commercials is because I believe that in some ways, being a pastor of a church is like herding cats. But to some degree, that's the way it always is because the church is when God calls individual people--individualists--into community. The Greek word for "church" is "ekklesia." And "ek" means "out of." "Klesia" comes from the word which means "to call." So, essentially, the "church" literally means "called-out ones." Of course the question is, "What does God call us out of into?" Well, God calls us out of the world into fellowship. The word used there is "koinonia." And "fellowship" is much more than simply getting together to eat (which we do very well). In most every church I've been in, the food is wonderful--especially this one!
I think one of my favorite images also is the story of a teacher who had three boys who were a part of different faiths. One was a Jewish boy, one was a Catholic boy, and the other was a Presbyterian boy. She asked each one to bring a symbol of their faith. The Jewish boy, of course, brought a menorah. The Catholic boy brought a crucifix. And the Presbyterian boy brought a covered-dish (or around here it's "hotdish," I think).
Fellowship in the Bible is when we're all in it together, called to live and be a family. In the last weeks--I started a little before Easter and I got interrupted--I've been preaching a series of sermons based loosely on Stephen Covey's book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And his sixth habit is called "synergy." It literally means that "one plus one equals three, or four, or more." And what he's talking about is when you join together two people or three people, you get more effect than simply putting two people together. You get the effect of three, or four, or more, because there's synergy there. Not just one person, but two people by themselves, so the more the merrier in dealing with problems and living life. And I think "koinonia" captures that even more--that synergy. It's what God calls us into, this idea.
I'll read to you a couple of Scriptures. One comes from Acts chapter 2. After Peter had preached his great sermon and 3,000 were converted and they began to live in community in Jerusalem, this "koinonia" idea is right there in the middle of it. And then from Philippians. When you hear Philippians, you may not think it has much to do with "koinonia," but you see a progression in it and that's really what my sermon is all about this morning--this idea, this progression, in Philippians. But first from Acts:
They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
And the Word of God from Philippians chapter 2. Paul writes this:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
An old tramp appeared at the door. A woman went and saw him, and he asked a very troubling question to her: "Does God live here?" Not really understanding the question, she may have misheard. She said, "What did you say?" The tramp asked, "Does God live here?" Slamming the door in his face, she rushed into the living room and told her husband about this question. The husband looked up from his paper and said, "Well, I hope that you told him that we've been members of the church for years." She said, "I didn't. That's not what he asked." "Well, did you tell him that you teach Sunday School and I've been an elder for years and years at that church?" "I couldn't. That's not what he asked. He asked, 'Does God live here?' "
How do we as church people, or as people becoming members of the church and being members of the church, move from this worldly individualism to family, or "koinonia"? I think one place it starts is with our relationship with God. And we need to ask that question from time to time as individuals and as a church, and even in our own homes: "Does God really live here?" And it's not meant to be a judgmental question in the sense I think sometimes when we ask those kinds of questions, we tend to look at ourselves comparatively. And we might say, "Well, this person thinks he has a better relationship with God than I do . . ." I'm simply talking about us as individuals and about us as a church. "Does God live here?"
We see that in Philippians. Paul's says, "If you have any encouragement from being united in Christ, any comfort from his love, any fellowship with the Spirit." The Philippians were having trouble with "koinonia." In many ways, Philippians is one of the most joyful letters of Paul's writings, but there is a problem there. They are fighting with one another. And you see that along in chapter 4 of the book. Many people are not getting along and Paul is trying to encourage them to "koinonia," this fellowship, this togetherness. And the first place to look is a relationship with God. Does God really live here in our hearts? I think we need to ask that question first of our own hearts in the sense that--you know, Billy Graham used to say this all the time. He'd say it doesn't matter if you've been a member of the church for 50 years, or an elder, or a deacon, or a Sunday School teacher. Do you have a relationship with Christ?
But even if we do, we are prone to locking God out, to falling away. And we need renewal. In Revelation it has Jesus saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone would open, I will come in and be with him and eat with him." That's fellowship. And that saying is addressed to Christians, not to unbelievers. It's often used as an evangelistic text, but the context is with people who are already believers, because the people he's talking to there have fallen out of fellowship in one way or another, with the living Christ. So from time to time, we need to ask that question: What is our relationship with God? Does God live here at Faith Church?
The second thing synergy--or Christian synergy--requires is a mindset of community. I remember many years ago going to interview with a Commander as a Chaplain. In the Reserve system (I'm a Reserve Chaplain) you aren't simply transferred from one place to another. You sort of have to go and find your own thing. And if there's a unit in town and you want to be in it, you have to go interview with the Commander to see if he likes you (or she likes you) and see what happens. I was interviewing with this Commander. We were getting along just fine and he says something like, "You know, Chaplain, we all believe that religion is an individual thing." And I just cringe because as a Christian, I do believe that I come to faith with Christ as an individual. I have an individual faith. But God has called me out of the world into fellowship with others. There's no such thing as a "Lone Ranger Christian." And it wasn't the time or place to argue with the Commander, so I just bit my tongue and nodded and moved on. But I really do believe that.
There's a story about a man who was clearing some land for farmland a long time ago. It involved getting all the trees off the land and putting them in piles and burning them. He looked at his son and looked at the fire and said this is a parable about people. As they were looking, one of the logs rolled off of the fire, away from the blaze. For a while it burned just fine, but then it grew cold. It's just exactly that way with us. And yet, in America our heroes are John Wayne and Gary Cooper, Rambo or Hans Solo of Star Wars fame (for those of us who are younger). I like that name, "Hans Solo," the rugged individualist who goes out and conquers. And that is America and there's something great about that. But not as Christians. We can't be individual Christians, and our faith is not individualistic. It's not simply something we have unto ourselves and no one else can be involved in it.
We have this culture that basically says (and it's really more humanness), "What's in it for me?" And we choose things with that question in mind. "What's in it for me?" when I go to Sears, or Walmart, or go to the movies, or I take this job, or am involved in this activity. And we bring it to church. And so if the sermon isn't good that Sunday, we may not be back the next because "there wasn't anything in it for me." Or the people. It becomes, "What's in it for me?" and that's why, I think, so many people do choose to go fishing on Sunday, or to read the paper. I don't know how many times I've had people say to me, "It's the only day I have to be to myself, so I don't go to church." It's what's in it for me at that moment. It becomes a question of economics. And if it becomes a question of economics, the church probably will loose in many cases. But we're called to have a faith that's together.
Last Sunday we had a "small group Sunday." And I told John that I'm going to reinforce his pitch. I really am a believer in small groups. My own life has been affected by being in a group over the years in so many ways. When you get a group of men (or a group of people) together, there is a bonding that happens. And I'm not talking about simply "touchy-feely" sorts of things. I'm simply talking about being together and being friends. And when you have a problem, you go to them. I had a group like that in Kingwood and they had to force me to be in it because they met at 5:30 in the morning on Thursdays. And when I came here, the other Associate Pastor in the Kingwood church took them over, but he said, "I can only meet on Wednesdays." So their first meeting, guess what happened. At 5:30 in the morning my cell phone rings: "Hi, Chris! We're here and we love you!" ("I'm not sure if I love you very much . . .")
My mother passed away about 4 years ago on Thursday, about 3:30 in the morning. I received a call from the hospital and I still went to that group because who else would I go to? After my wife and I talked about it and prayed, this was the group I went to because I can't exist by myself, either. I'm not a super-Christian. None of us are.
Another thing that's required to have synergy is a certain humility and a sacrifice. Paul says:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing.
I don't know how many times I've had people say to me, "I'm not going to church! The church is full of . . ." You know what I'm going to say, don't you? "Hypocrites." "The church is full of hypocrites." I think that's a bad rap because I have found most people in the church are not hypocrites. But there is a sense in which we all are. We have a little hypocrisy in us and we have to come get cured of it by coming to church. But there is also a sense--and sometimes we exude this idea, "I go to church and you don't, therefore you're a bigger sinner than I am." We don't really mean to. Sometimes it just comes from wanting people to come to church and saying, "If you come to church, you get all these benefits! There are so many good things about coming to church. You'll become a better person!" Oooh. . . I don't know how to say it to people. They will, but at the same time, we need to watch our attitude. Everybody is on a scale spiritually of, say, 1 to 10. And new Christians or people who are searching are maybe a 1 or even a 0.5. Other people are up to 6 or 7. But we avoid comparing ourselves with other people if we can. We just have to realize that people are in different places and we have to accept everyone and get along with each other. It takes a kind of humility and a giving to do that. A sacrifice, if you will.
To go along with that, true fellowship requires a certain courage and compassion. It says that Jesus gave Himself up for us all. This idea of sacrifice. And I say "courage" because I think sometimes we do come into church and we're a little bit afraid, just like in any new group. We're afraid to be who we are. "What will people think of me?" "Who are they?" "Will they look down on me because I'm from this side of the tracks, or dressed in that way?" "If I open my mouth and demonstrate my ignorance of the Bible, what will they think of me?"
I don't know how many times I've taught Sunday School classes and couldn't get anybody to talk. They're just incredibly brilliant people from all walks of life. They're experts in their field, but they don't say a word in a Bible class because they don't know it. So part of my job is to make them feel comfortable as best I can. But part of really becoming one with one another is learning how to share deeply with one another--not walking around saying, "How are you doing?" "I'm fine." Everybody says, "I'm fine," even when they're not. Maybe we ought to be able to say, "I'm not doing very well right now spiritually. Can you help me? Can you pray for me?" To get to that place.
And last, but not least, we need grace. All of what we talk about is grace. I want to end with a story Max Lucado tells. He wrote of a friend named Joy who taught a Sunday School class in an underprivileged area. Joy had had in her class a timid 9-year-old girl named Barbara. Lucado writes:
Barbara's difficult home life had left her afraid and insecure. For the weeks that my friend was teaching the class, Barbara never spoke. Never. While the other children talked, she sat. While the others sang, she was silent. While the others giggled, she was quiet. Always present, always listening, always speechless--until the day Joy gave a class on heaven. Joy talked about seeing God. She talked about tearless eyes and deathless lives. Barbara was fascinated. She wouldn't release Joy from her stare. She listened with hunger, then she raised her hand. Joy was stunned. Barbara had never asked a question. "Yes, Barbara?" Barbara asked quietly, "Is heaven for girls like me?"
[Says Lucado:] Barbara couldn't be more qualified. The promises of God are for people like you and me. Those dressed in white robes before the throne of God suffered as we suffered and they made mistakes as we made mistakes. But their suffering and their sinfulness made them aware of their dependence on God. And out of their weakness, they experienced a strength that the world cannot know because they found that God was with them.
And one more thing about those dressed in white robes: They are part of a fellowship. Here again, this is so important. We are part of an individualistic culture, a Lone Ranger culture. This extends to our religion. Many people confuse touching God with a pleasant, wistful feeling, and so we say, "I can experience God on a golf course, or on a mountain top, or at the beach, just as easily as I can in church." But I have to warn you, the two are not synonymous. A warm, fuzzy feeling is not the same as being in the presence of the holy God. Jesus never promised that where one person is on a golf course somewhere by himself, I will be there also. No. He said, "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am also."
This is biblical faith. It is biblical "koinonia." People coming from different places, saved by grace, into fellowship of one another. Sometimes like cats, but with the goal of becoming brothers and sisters. And that's what we are, by God's grace. And by grace for one another in different places. So let me encourage you as we pray for and work toward this synergy I am talking about. We're not there yet--we may never be. But we hope to be more and more, as we experience the love of God and His fellowship with us and with one another.
Let us pray. God in heaven, thank you for first having fellowship with us--"koinonia." And we ask your forgiveness, Lord, for being judgmental and sometimes not loving to others. We know we fail in that so often. So we ask for your compassion on us and we ask for compassion and grace on others, as well. May we grow as a church and as individuals together in the kind of church you want us to be. To be the "called-out ones," for Jesus Christ. And to "koinonia," this synergy that you want us to have. We thank you for all you give us. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Carlson Senior Pastor Faith Presbyterian Church Minnetonka, Minnesota
[Transcribed from an audiotape of the 9:00 a.m. worship service on May 9, 2004.] |
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