July 5, 2020 Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30 “Leaders: Gentle and
Humble” Pastor Jacqueline Hines
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After 14 weeks of
quarantine we are grateful for an opportunity to have communion, to remember
that God so loved the world that he gave us his only son.
Though we are not
gathering face to face, we are still remembering, we are still communing with
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and with one another. We are still the Church.
We are still the beloved community. We are still bringing our financial
offerings to continue the mission and ministry. We are still offering ourselves
daily as a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God.
On this communion
Sunday, whether or not the table is physically set, we are, as always, feasting
in the awesome presence of the Lord. We remain connected to one another, united
as one body in Christ. Isn’t that awesome!
Let’s listen to Donna’s
rendition of Just A Closer Walk with Thee. (on YouTube version if not here)
The Christian life
means we are all one family in God.
We come together as
often as we can in every way we can – phone, email, snail mail, Zoom, Facetime,
and texts. Some have even gathered in their cars in parking lots!
We expect something
good and positive when two or three of us gather to fulfill God’s purpose and
plan. Our founding father John Wesley had a good and positive experience when
he decided to keep the faith.
John Wesley, his
brother Charles, and a couple other guys boarded a ship on its way to America
to spread the gospel in Georgia October 14, 1735. If planes were available in the 1700’s he probably would have
taken a plane instead. It must have been a long and tedious nearly 4 month trip,
but what made it worse was that the two years he spent on the Georgian mission
field was not a success at all, according to what was expected.
There were lots of
conflicts and few converts to show for their efforts. His brother Charles was
so disappointed and distracted and spent so much time being sick that he went
back home in 6 months. John began to feel that his relationship with God was
very shallow. He became so discouraged and depressed. He felt ashamed and humiliated
in the presence of the Moravian Christians whose faith was fervent and genuine.
They were calm and singing God’s praises even when the ship was being tossed in
a terrible storm and they didn’t know if they would live through it.
During those two years
in mission, John also fell in love with Sophy Hopkey but she married someone
else, which left a bitter taste in the preacher’s mouth. Somewhere along the
way, she came for communion and he was brought up on charges because he refused
to serve her.
In spite of setbacks, Wesley
eventually inspired revivals in England and may have even raised the social
consciousness to such a level that England was spared the riotous revolution
that the French went through.
We are blessed to be
the United Methodist Church today because he paved the way, even though it was
a very difficult journey. Some days, it is still a very difficult journey. Yet,
there are always victories to celebrate.
During his spiritual
crisis, John Wesley confessed his need to be converted, even while he was
trying to convert others. He was so disturbed by his lack of spiritual depth
that he was going to give up preaching forever. He spoke to his Moravian friend
Peter Böhler who talked him out of giving up. Peter’s mission in Georgia with
black slaves, Native Americans as well as whites took a different turn from the
Wesley’s. The Moravians were put out of Georgia, but they traveled to Pennsylvania,
forming Moravian communities in Nazareth and Bethlehem. Our own Amy and Carl
have roots in the Moravian churches and they share rich memories.
The Moravian
encouragement worked out well because John Wesley went forward and shared the
gospel with a prisoner and the prisoner was instantly converted. That one soul
built John’s confidence and he began to search the scriptures in a new way. He
boarded a ship back to England on December 2, 1737.
Though he was still feeling
the sting of not doing great things in his ministry, he went to church in
Aldersgate England on what we now call Aldersgate Sunday, May 24th, 1738.
Roman gates were built
there around the year 200. Gates bring to mind the Watergate and Sheep Gates
that surrounded the city of Jerusalem. Ancient gates were walls that designated
political territory and wards like townships with politicians in charge. The
gates walled off protection and directed the population where to go and not to
go for certain purposes.
Aldersgate was also the
name of the street where the Bishop’s chapel was located. It was there when
listening to a reading from the book of Romans that John had a deeply spiritual
experience. He said his heart was strangely warmed. He felt the blessed
assurance that his sins were mercifully forgiven and Jesus would save him.
He got that experience
when communing with other Christians as we are today – whether or not we have
actual bread and grape juice. It was customary for Wesley to actually have
communion at every worship service possible and Wesley did the same in America.
Our Bishop encouraged it a few years ago, but culturally, it has not caught on
for most of our United Methodist Churches.
It takes a certain
humility and gentleness to remain a part of the family of God. When we are
down, we gently lift each other up. When we are hurting we humbly care for one
another. We rejoice with one another and we weep with one another. We shine our
light when someone is in a dark place.
We want our hearts to
light the way for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our world. We want to
remain as fervent as a flame
We want to be on fire
for Jesus. We gather to rekindle hopes and dreams and godly desires, to satisfy
our hunger and thirst for righteousness – for living right, to submit and
surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit helping us to bear much fruit of the
Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (generosity) ,
faithfulness, and self-control. In order to overcome any evil in this world, we
come together to be filled again and again with goodness and mercy, to be
aflame
for God’s sake.
You would think that
everybody and anybody would want to be a part of the wonderful family of God.
Not so. Jesus described his generation like children on a playground. Not
everyone wants to play. Not everyone wants to play on a certain team. In verse
17 he says “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance…”
Not everyone shows
compassion when you fall and skin your knee on the playground. “We wailed, and
you did not mourn.”As children of God, we learn who is
with us and who is against us. Our Creator reveals the truth to our humble
hearts and we do well to treat the truth and to treat one another gently. That
is not always easy to do when we are having uncontrollable spasms of hate and fear
or when we have gone apoplectic with greed or guilt. Remember, the most
important reason to gather and feast in the presence of our wonderful God is to
be more like Jesus, to be purged of attitudes and ideas that are not like him,
to have our cold hearts warmed again.
So instead of doing
what we want to do, we take on the yoke of Jesus, like cattle when they are
plowing a field for harvest. For his yoke is easy and his burden is light. The clergy collar we sometime wear is a symbol of that yoke, that commitment do
go where we are led. Not every Christian needs to wear a clergy collar, but we
all need to symbolically wear the yoke.
If we have allowed ourselves to be yoked, we
experienced the truth that Jesus is humble and gentle as he says in verse 29 for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In our best moments, we
yield ourselves to Jesus, we humble ourselves, we gently approach one another, offering
ourselves as an offering, giving ourselves over as a sacrifice for the sake of
those to whom God sends us.
Someone shared a story
of gentleness and humility that they heard on Fox News.
Politics aside, the
niece of Martin Luther King, Alveda King, trained in peaceful protests, told
how her home was bombed and burned. A restless crowd gathered wanting revenge
and rioting. Alveda’s father jumped on top of his car and cried out to the
people, “If you want to hit somebody, hit me. I am safe, my family is safe…go
home.” They were trained to put their troubles in God’s hands.
It takes supernatural
humility and gentleness to let go and let God fight our battles, give us
justice, and help us in our time of trouble. Sometime we do have to speak up
with a loud voice, for often silence is violence. Sometimes the Holy Spirit
does call us to fight, not each other but the enemy, and the first enemy we
pray about is the one “en e me.”
As you commune
together, with a gentle and humble heart, you will know what time it is. Amen.
Let us pray – God give
us gentle and humble hearts that we might have peace when the storms of life
come our way. We pray as you taught the disciples.
Our father who art in
heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as
it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Benediction – This is the day the Lord has
made, go forth and put all the humility and gentleness in it that you possibly
can.
Next week
If you would like to make your contribution to
the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is Bethelumchurch.com
Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road,
Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!
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