“The Church On Fire”
June 14th, 2009
Today, as we begin our celebrations that will culminate in the 25th anniversary since our first worship service at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church, it is appropriate to look back on how God has been faithful to this church. We look back, not so that we might slip into a state of blissful, nostalgic inertia. We look back so that we might better know God’s story, and our place in it. We look back at the last 25 years in order to prepare ourselves for the next 25 years.
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Matthew 25:1-13
1. As I mentioned earlier in the service, Stewart Kreiss was not able to be here today. Please keep Carole and Stewart in your prayers.
A. I know it was his intention to reflect on his time here at LOTC.
B. As this was to begin our celebration of 25 years since we first began worshipping together, I thought it appropriate that I share some thoughts on where we are as a church, and on where we are heading.
2. In the parable that was read this morning – 10 bridesmaids, 5 smart, and 5 not so much.
A. Custom in Jesus’ day was for the bridal party to walk through the town receiving congratulations and good wishes from friends and neighbors.
B. Trek through the community – the wedding party grew until, by the time they arrived at the bridegroom’s home, they were ready for a wedding banquet.
C. Bridesmaid’s job – wait at the house in order that the bridal party might have a proper escort into the banquet when they arrived.
D. The wedding banquet began when the bridal party completed their journey through the village. Sometimes, the bridesmaids would have to wait for as much as a day or more. But, wait is what they did. Wait and watch.
E. They were keepers of the flame.
3. In this parable, Jesus’ disciples – his followers – are the bridesmaids. He is the bridegroom. The wedding banquet = his return in glory.
A. Obvious question = are we the smart bridesmaids, or are we not?
B. Will we be vigilant as keepers of the flame, or will we not?
C. I think the question resonates with us today.
D. We, too, at LOTC are keepers of a flame. 5 years of rich history. Of God’ faithfulness.
E. LOTC is a unique congregation – I have said this before. We occupy a very special place in spiritual landscape of Orange County.
F. We are truly a place where spiritual seeker can become loving, serving, followers of Jesus Christ.
G. This is no not because – cool worship, we dress casual, contemporary design, etc.
H. True because – we have developed hospitality as a primary virtue.
I. We truly embrace people where they are at on their spiritual journey – that is why our congregation is so diverse theologically.
4. In his book Finding Our Way Again: The Return of Ancient Practices, pastor and author Brian Mclaren envisions a unique scenario.
A. Time traveler – returns to middle ages. Ancient monastery. He is talking with the abbess one night as they sit by the fire.
B. The abbess told the man to place the iron in the fire – he watched as it got hotter and hotter. First the end that was end the fire turned red with heat – then the heat began to move up the iron.
C. The abbess told the man – that is the life that is aflame with the love of God.
D. It changes us first on the inside, and then on the outside. It is not something that we can stop.
E. But the iron must be in the fire – the life must be given to God.
5. As I reflect on the last 25 years, most specifically the last four, I am mindful that God has been faithful to the people of LOTC, more than we can imagine.
A. I think, however, sometimes, we have – out of fear, or caution – taken the iron out of the fire because we do not know what the change God is making in us will look like.
B. We offer our lives to God, but then we want to remain in control.
C. We claim the biblical principle of hospitality as out own, but then we draw the hand of welcome back if the people coming to us make us uncomfortable.
D. I want us to think about today, what would happen if we took seriously our role as keepers of the flame.
6. The foolish bridesmaids lived under a false illusion. That illusion, we will just play it cool, and wait to see what happens, and hope for the best.
A. That illusion cost them dearly – they missed the wedding banquet.
B. My friends, like the bridesmaids, we have been entrusted with a sacred fire.
C. It is not our job to contain it, or to control it. Our only job is to fan it, to keep it burning. And then we will let God do what God is going to do.
D. We in Anaheim Hills are no stranger to fire, are we? Our community still bears the scars from the fires last October.
E. When a fire begins to burn, there is a natural momentum – last year, the fire actually jumped the 91 – it just jumped it. It took a great deal of work from a great many firefighters to finally contain the flames.
F. But, that is what God calls the church to be – not a campfire, not a candle, but a wildfire that can only be contained by the spirit of God himself.
7. The church is alive when we cannot even contain the work that we are doing. We cannot help but to draw people into the warmth of our spirit.
A. The church is alive when our light so shines that it cannot help but illuminate our community.
B. There is an old question that people ask of the church in order to gauge its outreach to the community.
C. If your church closed its doors tomorrow, would anybody notice?
D. That is my question for us this morning. If our church were to go away tomorrow, would anyone in our community notice?
E. If the sacred flame of our lamps were somehow extinguished, would anyone be effected?
F. My friends, the time has come for the people of LOTC to live into the promise that we have cradles so closely for 25 years.
G. Now is the time for us to shine God’s light before people…
8. Driving my car recently, saw a license plate frame, “Faith, trust, and pixie dust.”
A. That ain’t going to do it.
B. The church is going to be the church when we all together roll up our sleeves, and get to work on building God’s kingdom.
C. When we can say that 100% of our membership has participated in a small group study or bible study…
D. When we can say that we do not only welcome people who come in our doors, but we are actively inviting others to participate in our fellowship…
E. When we have to begin a new service because too many people are filling our sanctuary at 9:30 a.m.
F. When we have at least ½ of our congregation participating in some kind of compassion ministries…
G. Than we can say that we have been faithful keepers of the flame that Christ has entrusted us with.
9. Goal might sound lofty. But, I assure you, it us minute in comparison to what Christ has done for us.
A. For 25 years, LOTC has been a place where spiritual seekers become loving, serving, followers of Jesus Christ.
B. For 25 years, we have face innumerable challenges with faith and hope. And God has been faithful.
C. Now, it is time, not to look backward, but to look forward. What will the next 25 years bring?
D. What will our legacy to LOTC be? Because, the future is not something that just happens. It is something we begin working on right now.
E. Where will you fit into the story that God is writing at LOTC? What will your contribution be?
F. Now is the time, my friends. Now is the time. Amen.
Sermon delivered at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church Anaheim Hills – June 14, 2009.
