The following is the text of the sermon preached Sunday, July 7, by Stafford Frederick. The text was submitted to the Annual Conference Office in mid-June and may have been modified for the actual presentation. Stafford Frederick Focus: For the glory of God Title: "Living or dying, glorify God" Scripture: Nehemiah 4:1-6, Ephesians 3:14-22; and I Peter 4:7-11 1996 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio July 7, 1996 The land of Judah had remained a Jewish nation for more than 300 years. But when King Nebuchadnezzar and his troops over ran Jerusalem (and all of Judea) in 586 B.C., the nation was fragmented. This began what is known as the Babylonian Captivity. Most of the residents were taken away as captives, and in most cases, worked as slaves in a foreign land. The wall which surrounded the city was burned and toppled. The temple and all its valuable furnishings were burned, along with the fortified buildings. While in captivity, word came to Nehemiah, who was a cup bearer to the king. He heard that there was a remnant of his people who still lived in Jerusalem. However, the temple and the walls were burned, and his people were suffering. When he learned of this, he sat down and wept. He then prayed and fasted, and sought permission to return and rebuild the walls of his city. Permission is granted from his king, and he goes back to Jerusalem and begins to rebuild the wall. Now as the work gets underway, there is opposition from the neighbors, and it is here that we see a people determined to be obedient to their God even while their lives are being threatened. In the New Testament text for today, the Apostle Peter writes, and provides the church with a "divine and eternal" view of their earthly lives. He encourages the church of Jesus Christ to live like Jesus lived. They are to so live in order that the community of faith will be preserved. He urges them to live for God even though the end approaches. They are to "faithfully administer God's grace" in its varied expressions. He is concerned with prayer, with love, hospitality, service, and humility. He wants the community to live in solidarity with each other. In other words, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to live for the glory of God, in worship, work or play. I. We glorify God in our relationships How we relate to and treat each other in the faith speaks volumes about our love for Christ and each other. It is significant that Jesus said, "...love one another. As I have love you...by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13: 34). By the expression of that love for each other they glorified God. If we are to build significant relationships, we must welcome each other. You have, I am sure, been refused entrance or acceptance in some group or with some person. And you recall that the feeling is not good. It's the kind of experience which forces you to respond with anger or wallow in depression or self pity. On the other hand when one is welcomed, "it's a new day." Charles was in his early 40s. He had lived all of those years not knowing three of his father's children. They were two girls and one boy, each of whom were older than him. In 1989 he began a search for his siblings. However, with no records and little information by which to pursue his siblings, the search could prove to be very difficult. With dogged determination, he undertook the task and it took just about two years before he finally got the right lead to his family. It came about when he was introduced to someone who knew the people for whom he was searching. But it would not be a cut and dry meeting. The mutual friend wanted a phone number where Charles could be reached. They would call one of his sisters and give her the number, and let her determine whether she wanted to meet this brother she had not known for over forty years. That very evening, a call came to him and one of his sisters was on the other end of the line. She and her sister who lived in the same town would like to meet him. A date was set, and he traveled to the home. Would she accept him? Would she even like him? Were they asking themselves, "who was this trying to barge into our family?" Would they welcome him? These were the nagging questions that haunted this man. The moment finally arrived and following their initial greetings, it was evident to him that they would welcome him. I know, because that young man is me. I learned from them that my brother was living on the island of Jamaica, and they provided me with his address and phone number. When I returned to our home in Olathe, Kansas, I contacted our brother by phone. It was an unusual conversation to say the least, but we were pleasant to each other. Plans were made for me to visit him and his family in March of 1995. I flew to Jamaica and the nagging questions rode with me on the way to that island. Would he accept me? Would he even like me? Was he asking the question, "who was this trying to barge into their family?" Would they welcome me? I got off the plane, exited customs and there waiting for me was my brother whom I had never met. Welcomed? Why I am one of the family. Less than a month ago, we were in Jamaica attending the wedding of my niece. I was even invited to pray God's blessings on the marriage and wedding ceremonies. Have you ever been welcomed? It gives one a warm feeling of love and acceptance. A sense of belonging floods the soul when you are welcomed. We glorify God in our relationships when we welcome brothers and sisters in the faith. And when we welcome each other, we build unity, a needed commodity in these days. Nehemiah was rebuilding the city wall because he cared about his people, and loved his God. But in the act of rebuilding the wall, he was doing much more than providing for their defense. He also was restoring the essential unity of a people. God's chosen people. He was uniting his brothers and sisters. II. We glorify God in our work (service) Nehemiah felt moved to lead the people in rebuilding the walls. God called this one who was a servant to the Persian king. The city was a heap of rubble. Building blocks were everywhere, but he was going to organize this bunch into rebuilding the city of God. The task at hand was monumental, but one of the benefits of raising the wall would be the rebuilding of relationships among the people. It is next to impossible to work together and not build a relationship, so that would be one of their worthwhile accomplishments. However, Nehemiah had other problems on his hands. Judah was surrounded by four Persian provinces. There was Samaria represented by Sanballat; Ammon located on the eastern border of Judah; and Ashdod which represents the Philistines and whose territory became the Assyrian province in 711 B.C. Then there were the Arabians who provided for Judah an immediate neighbor to the south. These neighbors began to disrupt the rebuilding of the wall. They despised, laughed at, ridiculed, scorned, and threatened the work that was underway. The workers were called to the place of fear. Sanballat and Tobiah the Ammonite saw a people who were "dead" or at least dying. "They should pack it in because they are weak and feeble." "They do not have the strength and where-with-all to build anything, much less a wall." "A wall that will fall, 'if even a fox should climb on it.'" But Nehemiah knew that God's people, his people were alive. He would pray and work because his God also was alive. His God had called him to the task of rebuilding. Alan Redpath writes, "The general principle of allocation of labor appears to have been that every man repaired beside his own house" ("Victorious Christian Service," Fleming H. Revel CO). Let us rebuild our own walls. There is nothing as disturbing to a man's family as that man who fixes everyone's home, but his very own, which is in disrepair, goes on begging for needed attention. With the threat of death, literally surrounding, Nehemiah prayed and worked. As God's people, we should always regard prayer, not as a last resort, but as our primary opportunity against opposition. We are called to do our service for God in unity. United in Christ we will travel a lot further than we can on our own. In September of 1995, I attended the City Wide Prayer Summit in Kansas City. We were gathered at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Independence, Missouri. It is a beautiful setting with pond on the grounds, just north of the main building. There were during the week, a number of Canadian Geese around the pond, just hanging out, together. On Thursday morning, I was jogging up the long driveway which leads to and from that retreat center. Ahead of me I observed, flying just over the tree line, about eight crows. They were flying in no particular formation. There were two up front, about two feet apart. Further back were two more and they were further apart. The others were still further back doing their own thing. In that moment, the Holy Spirit said to me, "They are not going very far. But those geese, when they fly, they fly to go the distance. They fly way above the tree line. They fly together. They help each other. They are going on a long journey." Brethren, hear me. We fly like crows when we ought to be flying like geese. We must fly to go the distance. Flying together provides support for each other. Flying together, we break the winds of division and distrust. Flying together we glorify our God. III. We glorify God in our worship Love is the overflow, not only of our faith in God, but also our fellowship of worship. And yes, we worship when we gather on Sunday in our local congregations, but worship expands beyond Sunday morning. We worship when we hear and obey the call to "love each other deeply." J. H. Jowett tells us, "Love covers a multitude of sin because love is willing to forget as well as to forgive! Love does not keep hinting at ass failures and past revolts. Love is willing to hide them in a nameless grave. Make love tense: push back the walls of family love until they include the neighbor; again push back the walls until they include the stranger; again push back the wall until they comprehend the foe!" ("The Redeemed Family of God," Hodder & Stoughton, N.Y., 1962 p. 165). We worship when we extend hospitality to one another without grumbling. Romans 12: 13, "Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." My friend Jim is a member of one of the big churches, that many have the tendency not to like. Back in late May, on a Monday we met for a cup of coffee at McDonalds. He shared with me a moving experience (let me clarify it, a Divine experience), which he and some of the members of their Sunday School class had that Sunday. Henrietta is a mother of two, homeless, and living in a shelter with two teenage daughters. Henrietta lost her husband less than a year ago to the dreaded "C" disease (cancer). During the preliminary sharing time in the class, the leader asked for requests. Henrietta asked for prayer for her children, because just the week before, her oldest daughter was diagnosed with the same kind of cancer with which her husband had died. Her car was not working and she needed to get her kids to school. Following the prayer, Roy the teacher got up to teach, but one of the ladies in the class waved her hand for attention, and apologized for breaking in on the lesson. She then said how can we go on with our lesson when right here before us we have such a great need? Slowly people in the class began to be hospitable. "Henrietta, tomorrow take your car to the Western Auto Store and have them fix what ever is wrong with it, I'll pay for it." Another said that they would pay for her rent in an apartment for the next six months or more, if necessary, we'll help you find a place to live. By this time, Henrietta had to leave the room, she was all broken up and in tears. Roy the teacher of the class suggested that the class empty their pockets and the money would go to Henrietta. The class collected $1,800. The work of faithful obedience has not ended, but that is hospitality, the kind that we the church today must move toward. Remember your fellow saints. "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13: 2). We worship when we serve others. Here we should not say much because if anyone knows what serving others is all about I think that we do. Are we not people of the "basin and towel"? I want to conclude with two reminders. First, as you go back to your churches, here across America and to several world areas, tell your brothers and sisters it's time to stop flying like crows and to begin flying like geese. Let's fly in unity. Begin with the help of the Holy Spirit to rebuild the breach in your own wall. Secondly, encourage each other. I quote from John H. Elliott, "The Church is here for the task of encouraging those who are in the faith to continue their good works of faith" ("A Home For The Homeless," Fortress Press, PA, 1981, p. 116). Encourage each other in the faith to serve Jesus Christ. On Friday, May 3, I had my annual physical done by Dr. James Malizewski, my doctor. Margaret the nurse came out to the waiting room and called my name. I got up, followed her, and went into the examination room. Following a few informational questions, she took my blood pressure, told me what it was, and wrote in the file she had with her. Then she told me to put on one of the gowns and the doctor will be in shortly. I knew the routine so I went to work. It was only a few minutes when Dr. Malizewski came in and went through the usual questions, and then the examination. In the process, he pushed here and there. Oh, by the way, I am a little ticklish so I grinned while he was pushing here and there. Tried my best not to laugh out loud. When the examination was completed, he had me sit up. Then he said, "Boy, how old are you, Reverend?" After a little calculation, I said, "47." And he replied, "Man, you have the body of a 32-year-old man. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it." Folks, that's what I call encouragement. He is the kind of doctor I want to go to every two or three months for a check-up. We in the church must give encouragement to each other and thereby build up the body of Christ. Hear the word of God today, and living or dying, glorify God. Amen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stafford Frederick is the pastor of Olathe (Kan.) Church of the Brethren. 1996 Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio July 7, 1996