The following is the text of the sermon preached Saturday, July 6, by Richard Schreckhise. The text was submitted to the Annual Conference in mid-June and may have been modified for the actual presentation. Richard Schreckhise Focus: Welcoming Christ Title: "Someone's knocking at the door" Scripture: Matthew 25:31-36 1996 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio July 6, 1996 Come, Mighty God, gather us in your greatness! Come, Lord Jesus, inspire this preacher! Come, Holy Spirit, awaken this denomination Amen. The first church I ever served as a pastor was the Buckeye Church of the Brethren near Abilene, Kansas. I was a student at McPherson College. After filling the pulpit there for several Sundays the congregation decided to have a vote to call me to be their pastor. The next call to fill that pulpit I refused, but was told by that I had to go, they were voting on me. Well, they called me, I hesitated; my wife encourage me, and I said "yes." I was visiting, trying to get to know the people. I stopped at a Mrs. Lindheart's. She was hoeing weeds in her garden while leaning on a crutch. She invited me in, served me some unsweetened Kansas tea, and got straight to the point. "Well, I reckon you know we voted on you last week." "Yes," I said, "that is why I'm visiting." "Well, I reckon you know the vote was 100%." "Gee, no, uh, not really...wow!" I stammered. "Course, we were mighty desperate!" Well, I reckon Annual Conference got mighty desperate. But these are desperate times for the church and that is good news! We've taken the gospel of Christ for granted too long. We've settled in and became lazy in our evangelism and worship. We yawn before the Holy, Holy, Holy God. More people arrive D.O.A. in church then in our country's hospitals! Like soldiers at the foot of the Cross throwing dice, we play religious games in the shadow of the cross, so near to Christ, yet so far away... Matthew 25 is a beloved text for us Brethren. It has inspired us to go out washing feet, to feed the hungry, care for the sick, offer hope to those in prison, to send clothing all over the world, to offer the cup of cold water, to welcome refugees/strangers into our homes and churches. Absolutely wonderful ministry and service! When I look at this text I see Jesus immediately in the least, last and lost. "Whatever you did for one the least, last, lost of these...you did to me." But I also see Christ in the conscienceness of those who served so readily and intentionally. I believe that Jesus was present and available to the "goats" as well. Their grief was that they did not make the connection between who they were and who Christ is. In this text I see a three-fold mystery of the presence of Jesus Christ. Christ is present within me! Christ is present in others! Christ is present in every corner of everywhere! A new twist on the "Golden Rule" - To do unto Christ Jesus as you know the Lord would do unto you. Christ is present within me. This is the beginning place for intimacy. To attract others to our Savior the Savior must live within us, transforming us into a people of Christ-likeness. Transforming me into a Christ-like human being. If Jesus were to appear before you now, look deep into your eyes, your soul, Do you really think he would shrug his shoulders saying, "Well, I don't see a thing there that needs changed?" Someone's knocking at the door. Christ is present in others. Yes, in the least, last, and lost, but also in the church, within the well-to-do and the down-and-out. In Matthew 25 there are the sheep and the goats. It has been said that at this point in history there are only these two groups of people. Where are the hungry, sick, imprisoned, thirsty, ragged, least, lost, last strangers in this scene? I believe they too are there mixed in with both groups. They too are surprised that the people they rejected was Christ...surprised that the ones they helped was Jesus. Annie Dillard tells the story of a new priest who instituted a new practice in the church of "passing the peace," which consisted of shaking hands with those around you and saying "Peace be with you," and responding "and with you." Well the people of the congregation had limits to their endurance; this passing the peace was beyond their limits. They could not endure shaking hands with people against whom they bore lifelong grudges. They fired the priest and found a new one, sympathetic to their needs. Hello? Someone's knocking at the door. We can be so busy serving "out there," that we neglect the presence of Jesus in our nearest neighbor, the one beside me in the pew. Christ is present in every corner of everywhere! All people, the grace and beauty of our own natural environment, the grandeur of the universe, in quantum theory, in little children. Someone's knocking at the door! Listen: "It's Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for... Christ has designs on us for glorious living...To make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear...grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for you... All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe.. No power exempt from his rule. Not just for the time being, but forever! He is in charge of it all. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world in peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. -Eugene Peterson "The Message" (Ephesians 1: 11-23). Someone's knocking at the door! You have a hand-out that looks like this (hold up hand-out, describe.) If you do not have one, share...you can pick one up later. Instructions: how to hold it, stare at dots, close your eyes, see the image. That's who is knocking at the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Schreckhise is the pastor of Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. 1996 Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio July 6, 1996