Adopted
Into the Family of Faith
Part Three: Abundantly Accountable
Sermon preached by Rev. Brad Beeman
July 30, 2006
Scripture:
Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
Over
these past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at this letter
to the church at Ephesus and being adopted into the family of faith.
Two weeks ago it became very apparent that all need to be welcome.
I talked about this church becoming the Orphan Train to any seeking
to be surrounded by the love of God. We examined the three loves:
love of God, love of each other and love of neighbor. Then last week
I talked about becoming extraordinary – extraordinary examples
of what a church can be, as it loves God, each other and its neighbors.
That brings us to this morning. To accomplish any of what I’ve
described will take leadership. Today I’d like to look a little
more closely at three figures: Jesus who gives us a model of leadership;
the author of the letter to the church at Ephesus who implements it;
and John Wesley as one who exemplified it. Let’s begin with
prayer.
May
the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable
in thy sight O Lord our strength and our Redeemer.
The
readings you heard this morning will allow us to move even deeper
into what will lead us forward as a church – this from John’s
gospel about Jesus feeding the five thousand and this oft-quoted statement
from the author of Ephesians that states: Now to him who by the power
at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we
could ask or imagine…. Today we approach it with leadership
in mind. Christianity is certainly in a time of transition. Church
leadership in this time is challenging. It is also deeply needed.
Understanding leadership is vital. And as we begin this final piece,
please know that by leadership I’m not just talking about pastors.
I’m talking about all of us – any who seek to serve God.
This message is for each one of us, so let’s move through this
together. As I’ve said before, we are in a time of shifting
and changing in Christianity and in this church. This is a time of
searching – for answers, for hope and for models of leadership
that will move us forward. We need look no further than Jesus.
Like
so many other stories in John, this one begins with Jesus wanting
to spend time with the disciples only to be “interrupted”
by a crowd. As Jesus sees the crowd approaching, he also sees another
teachable moment. Jesus does this a lot – sees himself playing
a dual role – helping and healing the people, while taking advantage
of opportunities to teach the disciples. It’s important to note
that John gives us example after example of Jesus creating this atmosphere
of possibility – possibilities for teaching and for healing
– thus the reason the crowds seem to always be with them. This
time, the teaching begins with a focus on Philip.
Look
again at the story – notice who asks the question about having
enough food. I always thought it was Philip. It wasn’t. Let
me read it again. “When he looked up and saw the large crowd
coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy
bread for these people to
(continued...)
"Abundantly
Accountable " by Rev. Brad Beeman, July 30, 2006
eat?” The author then states, “He [Jesus]
said this to test [Philip], for he himself knew what he was going to
do.” Jesus said it to test Philip. Jesus said it to open the opportunity
to teach Philip. Philip responds stating the obvious, “Six months’
wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a little.”
Enter Andrew. Andrew approaches and with him is a little boy –
a boy ready to offer what he has. Andrew seems to see the possibility
in what the little boy has to offer, as small as it may be – five
loaves and two fish. Not much when you look at how many are hungry.
But Jesus takes the gift and makes it extraordinary; blesses it, distributes
it and gives instructions on what to do with the abundance of food that
remains. In as much as the miracle takes our breath away, don’t
miss the leadership elements here.
Jesus
has led by first creating an ongoing and ever-present atmosphere of
possibility. In everything he does, he opens up possibilities. But he
takes it further. Within that atmosphere of possibility, he continually
draws the disciples in, teaches them and helps them define what’s
going on around them. In situations like this, particularly when dealing
with the crowds, he always gives them clear instructions. Then, either
he or they take action. And don’t miss that he or they always
take action. Finally, once done with the situation, they move on, having
learned a bit more about the possibilities. Notice the five parts:
1.
Jesus led by creating an atmosphere of possibility.
2. He draws the disciples in, teaches them, and helps them define the
realities that surround them
3. He then takes the lead by offering clear directions on what to do.
4. Then he or they take intentional action
5. Finally, they finish and move on
We
see this pattern over and over again in each of the gospels. John takes
it to another level. Take some time this week to look back at the wedding
at Cana, the healings, the clearing of the Temple, the woman at the
well, and the other stories in this Gospel. Jesus offers a model for
leadership.
Now,
back to the story. What I find intriguing is that by this time at least
some of the disciples are catching on. The teaching is paying off. For
instance, Andrew sees the potential when a little boy offers his gifts
– as small as they may be. Jesus responds immediately by implementing
the process. As the opportunity presented itself, the leadership he
gave was clear and confident. He knew, with confidence, that the process
would bring the hoped for outcome. People did in fact get fed and the
disciples did once again learn to never underestimate the power of Jesus.
He was Jesus, their leader and their teacher.
Now
I realize that we’re not Jesus. That’s where we turn to
the author of Ephesians. Here was a leader in the third or fourth generation
of Christianity. We readily see that there was no doubt about where
his confidence came from – he knew whose he was. He led and wrote
with the humble confidence that comes from being made new by Christ.
He had been transformed. He had also been taught. And because of this
personal transformation and his understanding of Jesus’ leadership,
this writer knew that it was only in creating an atmosphere of possibility,
defining the realities, and offering clear direction followed by intentional
action that the church at Ephesus would grow. He wouldn’t have
necessarily used those words to describe the process, but all of the
elements are there with one significant addition. The possibilities
began (continued...)
"Abundantly
Accountable " by Rev. Brad Beeman, July 30, 2006
in
him because of his transformation. Transformation becomes step one
in the leadership process.
Over
time as he brought others into this transformational relationship,
and therefore saw the power of Christ come alive in the church and
out into the community. Then come these powerful words. Hear them
again with this model of leadership in mind. “Now to him who
by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly more
than all we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
How could anyone make a statement like this without having seen what
this transformational power can do? Leadership in the church always
begins with transformation.
In
their book, The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal
and Congregational Transformation, Jim Herrington, R. Robert Creech
and Trisha Taylor identify key elements of today’s church leaders.
First, they identify the realities of all too many of us. They state:
“Rather than living a reflective life characterized by spiritual
disciplines, far too often we live a frantically busy life that occasionally
has daily quiet time.” Sound at all familiar? Tough to have
transformation occur when our schedules don’t allow time for
it. They then ask a profound question. “Is what you are doing
getting you what you hope for?” I would ask the same question
of us – is what we are doing getting us what we are hoping for,
or are we simply doing the busy work of the church, finding ourselves
frantically looking for that which will help us grow, while only spending
minimal time on what might deepen our faith? These authors answer
the question this way. They say, “To all who would lead, personal
transformation in one’s own life is the only foundation on which
effective leadership can be constructed. To the degree that we are
allowing ourselves to be personally transformed are we able to lead
the way as congregations change. Only then will we be able to see
God’s plan for transformation in the community.” Christian
leadership begins with personal transformation.
I
want to caution us at this point not to confuse transformation with
conversion. Transformation is a deepening effect brought on as we
open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit. Transformation occurs
when it becomes the priority and only when it becomes the priority.
Transformation is an imperative in Christian leadership and will be
what moves us forward.
How
do I know? Look back through history. John Wesley is the perfect example.
Only after his heart was “strangely warmed,” as he writes
of it in his journals, did the movement he was trying to bring to
life ultimately take off. Remember, Wesley had grown up in the church.
He had made a commitment to Christ and to ministry in the church very
early on. He knew what he believed, but seemed unable to communicate
in a way that changed people’s lives. This disturbed him deeply.
Then something happened. Wesley had been praying about this for years.
He had failed in a number of different ways and finally decided to
give up and turn toward God in a new way. God answered and filled
him as he attended a meeting at Aldersgate Chapel. Wesley’s
life, his ministry and his leadership were never the same. And as
Wesley continued to move deeper, God worked through him in more profound,
even miraculous ways. Friends, that’s the design God has for
us.
It
is when we open ourselves up to this transformation that we can imagine
as God would imagine or that we can ask as God would have us ask.
It is then that we can see the possibilities God may be seeing in
us and in our community, then that we will have clarity about the
realities that surround us, then that we will be able to hear and
offer clear direction and only (continued...)
"Abundantly
Accountable " by Rev. Brad Beeman, July 30, 2006
then
that we can, with great confidence, take up the actions of God in
this church and in this community. And what are the possibilities?
We certainly know of some, but more will reveal themselves. But ask
Andrew before the feeding of the 5000 to see what he believed possible.
Then again, after. Andrew gave it a shot and experienced something
far greater than he could have asked or imagined. So did that little
boy. You think his life was ever the same? So what about us?
Why
do we seem to sell ourselves so short? Is it fear of disappointment,
fear of failure, fear of believing that God might not have any miracles
left? Why do we sell God so short in believing that our own gifts
are too small to create miracles? When in fact it is the kind of belief
found in Andrew and this little boy, and in this intentional action
of giving, that will provide us the opportunities to say, like the
author of Ephesians – “Now to him who by the power at
work within us – here at First United Methodist Church –
is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine
– so let’s let God be God – to him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus to all generations – beginning today
and from today moving toward – forever and ever. Amen.”
God is trying, I’ll guarantee you that. God is seeking right
now – this morning – to open the possibilities in us to
see how exceptional and extraordinary our gifts can be when combined
with God’s power. Those willing to recognize this will be the
leaders that take us into the future. So, by God, bring your gifts
and let’s see what happens.
We
are the church and we do profess to believe in One who can do far
more than what our imaginations can fathom. My hope for this church
is that we establish ourselves as possibility thinkers, even possibility
dreamers. It means we have to stop saying things like: that won’t
work here, or we’ve never done it that way before, or back then
we were so great but…. Those are not the words of possibility
thinkers, nor are they the words that will carry us forward into God’s
intended future. What we need are more people willing to be transformed.
Are you? We need more of you ready to step up and step out –
like Andrew, like the little boy, like the author of Ephesians or
like John Wesley. We need more of you ready to – with great
honesty and integrity – define the current realities in this
church; the challenges and the potential, those things that are preventing
us from moving forward and those that will take us forward. We need
more of you ready to take action, Christ-centered action, holy action,
and Spirit-filled action. Any who can respond with a humble “I
can” to any of those – you are the leaders that will take
us forward – the leaders in whom we need to be abundantly accountable
as a church. To those of you who are presently leading – keep
being transformed. This church needs you to lead. God needs you to
lead. This community needs you to lead. And I wonder what we haven’t
yet asked or imagined, who God is identifying even this morning to
deepen and expand the leadership, what God may have in store for us
as we offer our gifts with humble confidence and as a transformed
people. We do this and it is going to be a tremendous adventure to
be a part of it over the years to come. I look forward to walking
this adventure together as together we lead into God’s future.
Amen?
Amen!
Notes: Jim Herrington, Robert Creech, Trisha Taylor, The Leaders Journey
(Jossey Bass, 2003) 7, 11, 14
©Brad
Beeman , 2006. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved.
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