Delivered June 3, 2007
by Pastor Marilyn Henderson
They had the attention of denominational and conference leaders. In March, those students who have been in the Ministry Inquiry Program or who will be this summer gathered with Mennonite Church - USA conference and denominational leaders. Mennonite Church USA sponsors a program in which Mennonite College students work in a church ministry setting during the summer to test their call. The purpose of this March gathering at Eastern Mennonite University was to listen to and share visions of the church and these students had the attention of denominational and conference leaders. Some of the comments and questions expressed:
Suddenly the nation of Judah found themselves in an unbelievable situation - the absolute worst they could have ever imagined. The theology of the day taught that God had chosen Jerusalem as God's holy city and because of God's choice, the city would be protected. This tradition also emphasized God's choice of the Davidic monarchy and Abraham's descendants.
They thought they were safe! Sure, Hezekiah and Josiah had introduced "reforms," but in real life one couldn't be that particular. Their reforms lasted only as long as they lived. By and large, the Israelites of Judah, with a few exceptions, did not follow after God's ways.
As we read the Old Testament, we notice that God gives the Israelites chance after chance to get rid of all the idol worship and worship God only. He sends prophet after prophet to call Israel back to their destiny as an example of what God's reign looks like when lived out in a group of people. A few kings pay attention to God's laws and ways and are true and godly kings. And at the end, during the reigns of the last kings of Judah, God called out his spin masters - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos and others. But the Israelites never really stepped into their destiny. They constantly deviated from God's plan for them. They refused to listen to God's true voice because of what they believed about God. And finally God said, "Enough!
But after the worst happened, when Jerusalem had been completely destroyed and most of the people sent to Babylon - when God finally had their undivided attention - God began to send messages of hope through the prophets.
The Message (MSG)
22 - 23 "Therefore, tell Israel, 'Message of God, the Master: I'm not doing this for you, Israel. I'm doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you've blackened in every country where you've gone. I'm going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes.
24 - 28 "'For here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God - willed, not self - willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!
29 - 30 "'I'll pull you out of that stinking pollution. I'll give personal orders to the wheat fields, telling them to grow bumper crops. I'll send no more famines. I'll make sure your fruit trees and field crops flourish. Other nations won't be able to hold you in contempt again because of famine.
31 "'And then you'll think back over your terrible lives - the evil, the shame - and be thoroughly disgusted with yourselves, realizing how badly you've lived - all those obscenities you've carried out.
32 "'I'm not doing this for you. Get this through your thick heads! Shame on you. What a mess you made of things, Israel! 33 - 36 "'Message of God, the Master: On the day I scrub you clean from all your filthy living, I'll also make your cities livable. The ruins will be rebuilt. The neglected land will be worked again, no longer overgrown with weeds and thistles, worthless in the eyes of passersby." People will exclaim, "Why, this weed patch has been turned into a Garden of Eden! And the ruined cities, smashed into oblivion, are now thriving!" The nations around you that are still in existence will realize that I, God, rebuild ruins and replant empty waste places. I, God, said so, and I'll do it.
This passage begins and ends with God's vision - that the nations will realize and know that it is God who holy and sovereign. It is God who gives heart and spirit transplants. It is God who restores and rebuilds ruins and replants waste places. And God wants God's people to demonstrate these truths.
In the last few years God has gotten the attention of Petitcodiac Mennonite Church. I don't believe we can compare this situation completely with that of the Israelite people. But there are times when people can get into a "rut" where things are predictable and comfortable and make sense. Sometimes we need life to be as safe as possible for awhile.
However, when God is moving in us and among us, things usually aren't predictable and comfortable because change generally upsets things a bit, no matter how welcome or longed - for the change is. God's ways are not our ways, so we often don't understand what God is doing - God's movement doesn't always make sense to us.
I've wrestled often with what to say to this group, for you do well in following the ways of God. However, I invite everyone here to carefully consider who you are individually and as a group before God. Today we have another God - given opportunity to open our hearts to the cleansing and transformation of God's Spirit so that this group of God - followers can step more fully into the destiny God has for PMC.
This congregation has not offered sacrifices to heathen gods as the Israelites did. However, what have we offered to the god of Self?
Have we been so intent on what we believe to be true about God that we miss God's movement and call?
We say we want to grow. Are we ready to personally change in order to allow that growth? Are we ready to change how we do things here to make church work for more people?
The first comment of the young people at the March conference haunts me: "I love the church and I hate the church." This statement was not made nor taken lightly. I believe it speaks for many young adults the world over. I believe we at PMC and in the larger church must pay attention.
The world no longer looks like us - white, European, etc. - yet we seem to want things to continue as they always have and work in the ways we're used to having things work. Are we paying attention to God's movement, God's vision?
The Israelites were God's chosen people. God had done wonderful things when the Israelites listened and acted according to God's instructions. When the Israelites moved towards God, God divided seas and dried up river beds for them, fought battles for them, defeated armies with the latest technology for them. The Israelites moved toward God and God transformed them from a bunch of slaves into the mightiest and, eventually, the richest nation of the known world. It was a miracle!
I'm not expecting PMC to become a mega - church in two years, but when we discover what it is God has for us now and we step into that destiny, moving towards God's vision with our whole being, we can expect things to be different. Good but different.
Another statement from the March conference stands out for me: "Miracles come from movement. We need to keep moving toward God's grace and toward His vision." It's important to emphasize that the movement must be towards God and God's vision. Movement - doing something - for the sake of moving is not the idea. Carefully discerned, intentional steps towards God's vision and purpose for this congregation will result in "… the miracle of transformation" - a new heart and a new spirit.
What would be an ideal vision of church for these young people? They expressed the following:
One person who is involved in an emerging Mennonite congregation in Harrisonburg expressed the following:
"… it's exciting and energizing to me to begin to address the issue that church isn't working for a lot of people. So what do we do with that as believers? How do we make this work for more people?"
The gift of faith in God, in Jesus Christ, and citizenship in God's Kingdom are the greatest gifts of all. I believe that God's vision is that, with the help of followers of God, all people will know God as the One True God and become citizens of God's Kingdom, receiving these great gifts with joy and gratitude.
"… movement toward God's vision for the church will result in the miracle of transformation in congregations."
Growing involves change. Real lasting change requires a transplant of heart and spirit. And the transplant that only God can perform will result in transformation.
Are we ready to move towards God's great vision for the church and step more fully into our destiny as the people of God?
SOURCES CONSULTED
www.biblegateway.org
Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible
Gaebelein, ed. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 3: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel. 1992.
Lind, Millard C. The Believers' Church Commentary: Ezekiel. 1996
The Mennonite (1 May 2007, 24), "Young adults share visions, dreams"
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church