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Ministry Today

Faith Builder 8 - Rededication

 

Ezekiel 2.1-8

Matthew 28.16-20

 

Did you know that The Scout Association marked its centenary this summer. Which means 100 years of boys and now girls dedicating themselves to a cause with the words– "On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to [the Queen], to help other people and to keep the Scout law."

 

Actually that is not a bad oath of allegiance. In fact, its all there - doing right by God, doing right for other human beings in need and doing the right thing by keeping a moral code against barbarity. All and all then pretty good!

 

 

Well, we too will be taking an oath of allegiance after this sermon. This time it is to an even greater movement than the scouts. Because, we will be rededicating ourselves to the timeless body of believers who have done right by God; that fellowship which has ever looked to their fellows when they are need. Not only that but we will be recommitting ourselves to the work of being godly in this generation. Moreover, we will promising to going the next round of for Jesus Christ. And in return, he will call us disciples of every nation, he will covenant to lead us, guide us and fulfil us and he guarantees to be with you until the end of time.

 

But in the scouts oath there is one word that seems wondrously old fashioned. A word that smacks of a simpler, calmer and less cynical age. And that word is duty. Who for goodness sake takes of doing your duty today?

 

Well, the Bible does. For it is the duty of every faith builder to make the word of God live no matter the difficulties of the age.  

 

And to prove that please read Ezekiel 2.1-8.

 

 

 

One of the most popular computer games is called Call of Duty; so if we do respond to God’s call to duty what indeed does that entail. What might you ask is the job description of a speaker of God’s word to a rebellious generation. And what are we going to rededicate ourselves specifically to do today.

 

Our second lesson is Matthew 28.16-20

 

 

One young Naval Instructor Officer once asked his old and bold CPO his teaching technique. To which the venerable salt replied – I tell’s em what I going to tell’s em – then I tell’s em and then I tells’ em what I’ve hold them. Not it has to be said that is not a bad teaching method. So I hope you then forgive me when I just recap upon the rationale behind our faith building programme that we started just a few weeks ago here at St Luke’s.

 

Because you’ll remember we set out by seeing faith as like a saucer. Now, if we aren’t careful, it can be upside down saucer. So that when things go wrong or we just neglect our relationship with Christ, we slide to the edge. This starts very slowly but then speeds up and up until before we know it - we helter-skelter - fall of the edge. We end indeed in free-fall towards the oblivion of meaningless experiences and purposeless days. But with active even at times strenuous effort we turn the saucer of faith the right way up. For then even when the storms of life blow us outward we keep gravitating back to the centre of God’s caring arms; we are pulled again into living by and for the gospel; we grabbed back into have a tomorrow as well as today.

 

I am sure you remember the series of BT adverts that featured Moira Lipmann. Possibly the one that went on to national fame was when he grandson phones with his abysmal O level results. But when she hears he got psychology – she says if you got an 'ology' you’re a scientist. Phone calls then can bring encouragement even at the worst of times and so can faith. Faith too starts with a call just as Ezekiel and the disciples had; a call that will be as persistent as any telesales team.

 

And if we want all the fruits of faith such as finding meaning in the world and having a purpose to our lives and a real relationship with God, then we do need pick up that phone and answer the call. We do need to be open to Christ’s arrival in our lives. We must be ready to start out towards the person we know we can be. For it is only in that daily call and response that we commence the building of faith; only when we willingly react to that call constantly are we a constantly Christian.

 

 

A little boy was asked what his father did. The boy answered, "He watches." "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh no", the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?"

 

"Well, he watches TV, he watches Mum do the housework, he watches for the post man, he watches the weather, he watches the computer.  "He watches the stock market, football matches and he watches us do our homework. He watches us leave to go to Church and school and shopping. He watches me play with my dog and Mum pay the bills. But mainly, he just watches."

 

There are many then who idly sit and watch life pass them by. They live lives which have no ongoing direction or any lasting significance. Maybe at one time they heard the call to faith and they responded wholeheartedly but as they just watched – they saw it fade away.

 

For once we respond to God’s call to find faith we need also to work conscientiously at building upon it. And we do that by doing the usual faith building activities such as bible reading, praying, worshipping and bring to mind all the faithfulness of God in the past. The latter crystallised in the title of the old hymn – count your blessings one by one. However, there is one more important task.  And that is to strive continually to achieve God’s laws. For these are the real ways to safety, to fulfilment and to acting as the person we truly can be.

 

Now it has to be said none of these exercises come easily – they do require self-control and self –organisation. In truth they need the same disciplined approach that Benjamin Franklin had. For when he was 27 years old, he decided he would take control of his life. He selected 12 virtues he wanted to acquire, and kept a daily chart of his progress in the development of each one. Whenever he missed the mark, he put a black dot beside that virtue. His goal was to ultimately have no dots on the chart. This method contributed to Franklin's success as an inventor, publisher, and statesman.

 

Such rigorousness in our faith building too would contribute to us being better Christians. It would help us be true athletes for God. It would help us a faith of such attractiveness as to grasp the interest of others. No surprise then that discipline and disciple shares so many letters in common!

 

I am sure you have seen the dreadful fires that have occurred in California. One of the evacuees CNN told us was a Zorse. Now surely you know what a zorse is? It’s a cross between a horse and zebra of course.

 

Well if we have heard and responded to God’s call to faith and then studiously built that faith up – the final essential step is to use it. And just like a zorse is an unlikely mix then so is faith in its usage. For faith is an amalgam of fortress or a sword. It is like a citadel when we use it to protect ourselves when forces which are beyond our resources are attacking from outside. It can restore us into peace even when a personal battle of huge proportions is battering at our door. In truth faith can be an assured port in any storm. Yet faith is also a weapon to go out into a hostile environment – Ezekiel’s rebellious nation- and fulfil Matthew’s great commission. It is a battleaxe to enforce that authority given to us by Jesus. It is indeed mighty war hammer to break through the distracted indifference of the globe’s nations. And it is even a scalpel to excise our own afflictions and terrors and ailments.

 

And this strange mixture of defence and attack is beautifully summed up the ancient Celtic hymn - be thou my vision whose 3rd verses goes:

 

Be thou my battle-shield

Sword for the fight

Be thou my dignity thou my delight

Thou souls shelter

Thou high tower

Raise thou me heaven-ward

O power of my power!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his book Directions, author James Hamilton tell us this story "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lochs were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

 

Now a man once lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile.

A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon break and soon emerged with the watch.

 

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

 

I closed the door,'' the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.''

 

Well today if we want to find a pearl beyond price; the answer to so much in life, the gift of Christ to his bride. Then we must start being quiet and hearing God calling to us; let us be calm as we respond to his invitation to know the meaning of why we are here and what we have to do. Let us be steady as we build our faith daily up into a fortress for survival and forge it into a sword to do battle. Let us be at peace as we refresh ourselves at the Lord’s Table for the duties ahead; the duties in fulfilling the great commission for all mankind and the generations yet to come.

 

Therefore, let us now listen. Listen to our rolling back to the cusp of God’s love. Listen as we pulled towards the mercy seat. Listen as Ezekiel’s and the disciples did - there to heard the Christ saying     

 

Listen to what I say to you – open your mouth and eat what I give you.

 

Amen

Come the time of our rededication is upon us. So let us now together say the confession that is on the right hand side of your order of service and together let us walks as faith builders into the brighter future;

 

We believe in one God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We confess Jesus Christ

as our Saviour and Lord.

 

We promise to join regularly

with our fellow Christians

in worship on the Lord’s day.

 

We promise

to be faithful in reading the Bible,

and in prayer.

 

We promise

to give a fitting proportion

of our time, talents, and money

for the Church’s work in the world.

 

We promise,

depending on the grace of God,

to profess publicly our loyalty to Jesus Christ,

to serve him in our daily work,

and to walk in his ways all the days of our lives.

 

Lord, in this resolve enable us by your Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

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