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Abundant Life talk by Reverend Charmaine Braatvedt 23rd December, 2007 Jesus said: “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” This is a pretty bold statement. I wonder whether those people who do not call themselves Christians or Christ followers or who are not church attendees would agree that following Jesus offers a full life. How does Jesus’ statement stand stack up against all the challenge, variety and excellence that the modern world offers? Church is the place where Christ followers congregate, so what does Church look like to those outside the church and is their assessment of the Christian life a fair one based on their impressions of how we live? Let’s be honest, when comparing life in the world with life as a practicing Christian, this is how the world may see the church: - Whereas Life in the secular world, also referred to as the ‘real world’, seems modern and contemporary, church may come across as somewhat old fashioned and dated. - While the real world offers excitement and freedom, the perception is that church life is restrained and predictable. - While un-churched people are watching action movies and going to parties, church people seem to be reading the Bible and going to Bible studies. - while others drink wine and beer church people are perceived to be drinking weak tea and grape juice; - while un-churched people drive cool cars and light cigarettes, churched people seem to drive the church van and light candles. - Science is befriended in un-churched circles while the church it is believed regards science as some kind of monster threat - and while questioning and exploration and independence are encouraged in the secular world, the church seems to require people to be accepting, passive and dependent. Many people see life in the world as exciting and interesting and life giving while Church as a stagnant club which sucks the life out of the people who attend. Now many of you will be thinking: wait a minute that’s not fair, that is a gross generalization it is simply not true and I agree, but that is the perception of many people and frankly even of many Christians in fact Many Christians come to church as a duty. Their Christianity is worn like a light cardigan which is flicked on, on a Sunday and then discarded for the rest of the week. What is said and done here has very little impact on the rest of the week. Advent is a reflective time. A stocktaking time. Here is a little stocktaking exercise for you this morning. In the pew sheet you will find four statements: 1. Christ is important in my life Very ---------------------quite----------------not at all 2. Christianity can answer all of today’s problems. Very true----------------------quite true-----------------------not at all true. 3. When making decisions about my life I pay great attention to where God is leading me. Always --------------------------------mostly-----------------------------never. 4. I find that coming to church is the highlight of my week. Very true-----------------------mostly---------------------definitely not. Consider these now and circle the one that is most true for you today. Clearly in an ideal world we would all have ticked the very, true and always boxes and so have achieved a 10 out of 10 score. But I would like to bet that at least some of you may have scores that are further to the right than to the left. We would all like to be excited about our faith and our church and fully devoted to Christ in the way we live our lives but this is not always the case. Why is this so? I believe it is in part because we lose sight of the vision of the life that Jesus is offering to his followers and settle instead for a rather bland mediocre version of what it means to be a Christian. Yet this is not the life that Jesus has promised us. Jesus promised us an abundant life, not just one day when we die, but here and now while we live on this earth “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” As we wait for Christmas, the coming of Christ the saviour in this season of advent, this may be a good time to explore what that abundant life looks like. Well here is another question for you: What would you like the life you have in Christ to look like? What would you like the life you have in Christ to look like? I have had a chance to think about the question so here, for what it’s worth is what I would like the life I have in Christ here on earth to look like: - I would like my Christian life to be filled with meaningful activity, stuff that will last. - I want to devote myself to something that is effective not just something that is going to make me busier than I already am. - I want a compelling vision that promises to make a difference for good in the world. - I want to belong to a team that actively plays on the offensive rather than one that stands on the sidelines and watches the game go by. - I want a life that offers me both security and an element of risk. - I want a life that is founded on the principles of truth and love, but one that also includes the thrill of risk, fun, and challenge. So is this the kind of life that Jesus is offering me? Can the Christian Faith offer me this kind of life? It seems to me that we spend rather a lot of time in Christian circles talking about the security and comfort that our faith offers us. At Christmas time we appropriately reflect on the infant Christ, the little Lord Jesus. That’s all good and well but let us not forget that this baby Jesus grew into a powerful, assertive, adventurous and dangerous man, who saved the world from moral and spiritual death. This man on whom we model our own faith walk was once a little lamb who grew into a dynamic, courageous amazing human being, ( the Lion of Judah !!?) who took risks, had a lot of fun and was both physically, emotionally and spiritually very tough. His short life was a full and abundant life of risk, fun and challenge and this was true of the lives of his followers and the early church also and this is the kind of life that he offers us here today also. I am going to explore the three aspects of his life that I find most appealing and which I believe are integral to the rich full life that he is offering me. The first aspect is that of Risk taking. The abundant life that Jesus offers is a life of risk taking. Jesus lived a life that was defined by a bold vision. He was the Messiah. Not only was that a huge role but he had the added task of re-defining what it meant to be a messiah. He would not conquer the world in a conventional way with weapons and war but in an unconventional way with love and servant leadership. This meant that he did not play it safe in the way he lived his life, he took a risk, gave up everything, all his material possessions and family ties and through himself into his mission. At this time it is easy to over-emphasize the meekness and mildness of Jesus, the sweetness and the humility, but let’s face it he was one giant risk taker who was not afraid when it mattered to live dangerously. Christ offers his followers the same adventure. How adventurous is your Christian life? How adventurous might it be if you gave yourself permission to take a bold risk with your faith. Consider the work of Desmond Tutu; Mother Theresa; William Wilberforce. Each of these people worked in a different field but each embraced the risks of their calling and as a result lived abundantly fruitful lives. What would happen if we were to develop ministries that were dangerous and involved personal risks? Ministries that worked to preserve and improve the environment; ministries that took the Gospel to the un-churched here and or abroad; ministries to youth with drug problems and the list goes on. In fact there are probably ministries which you will think of that no one else here this morning has thought of that you could add to this list of needs. These ministries may or may not happen here on this church plant depending on what they are. Most ministries need to happen away from this church plant in order to be effective. They will be where you spend most of your time and with those who need you most, on your school or university campus or at your work place or out in the community. Christ spent very little of his exciting adventurous life in the synagogue. His ministry was a going concern. He went. He went out to where people were and there ministered to their needs in exciting and innovative ways. And his story is a fascinating and inspiring one as a result. It’s fine to be one of Jesus’ little lambs but are we anything more than that? If not then why not? Let’s live our lives as Jesus did, and define ourselves by the by the bold risks we take in order to bring glory to God! 2. Abundant life is a life of Fun The abundant life that Jesus offers is a life full of fun. Jesus lived a life peppered with fun. We find him at parties all the time: Wedding parties; dinner parties; picnics and cooked breakfasts. He would have had a lot of fun or he would not have been going to them. Do we take ourselves too seriously? Do we take our church practice too seriously? Are we able to drop our inhibitions and enjoy our church services as much as we enjoy a dinner party with friends? If you dance at parties, why not dance in church. If you clap at a music concert why not clap in church? If you tell jokes to your friends, why not tell a few jokes at church? Let’s recapture the JOY of worship this Christmas! 3. The life Jesus offers is a life of Challenge The abundant life that Jesus offers is a life of challenge. When the two disciples James and John (also known as the sons of thunder) asked Jesus what they needed to do to be greatest in heaven, Jesus did not reprimand them for wanting to be great. He showed them the way to greatness explaining that servant leadership was the model. When talking to his disciples about their ministry he foretold that they would do great things, greater things even than the things he was doing. Jesus was a man who liked a challenge and who enjoyed challenging others. In my view, Challenges are what makes life interesting. The path to greatness is not one every person will tread, but for those who enjoy a challenge Jesus offers them an assignment that will last for eternity. Now let’s understand this, Jesus was very clear that true greatness does not lie in egotistical fulfillment. True greatness reflects God’s glory just as the moon reflects the sun’s light. You and I are not called to be the sun, only God is the source of light but we are called to reflect his glory just as the moon reflects the light of the sun. The Christ-like challenge is to deny self, to pick up the towel as Jesus did at the last supper and to serve God’s world. The Christ-like walk challenges us to be brave, generous, self-sacrificing and innovative. I am sure you can think of Christians whose lives reflect this kind of greatness and aren’t those lives rich and abundant? The name that springs to my mind in this regard is David Friend and Dianne Robertson who runs the Auckland City Mission, Michael Jones. Do you see church as a place where you can be challenged to do great things for God? The Christian walk offers each of us individually and collectively a shot at greatness. The choice as to whether we take up this challenge is ours. Joan of Arc once said: “I know this now. Every person gives his or her life to what he or she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing and so they give their lives to little or nothing.” Jesus gave his life for a great cause and we can too! Paul said: I want to suffer and die as Christ did so that somehow I also may be raised to life” Philippians 3: 10 – 11. Christ called his disciples to do something when he called us to follow him. This involves partnering with him in changing the world, in building the kingdom of God. How each of us chooses to do that is our choic, but the offer is there for each of us and for us as collectively as the body of Christ, the Church. Know this though that God does expect something of us. We are a cog in the wheel of his grand purpose for the world. When we take up this challenge with wholehearted commitment and enthusiasm, it is then that we will experience the full abundance of the life that Jesus offers us. I return to the words of the reflection we heard earlier: If Mary had not birthed the child in the stable I would not have a glimpse of the eternal If Joseph had not had the courage to stick with Mary I might not remember the commitment to love If the child had not been laid in a stable I might not remember to respect the lowly If the angel had not spoken God’s message I might not expect to hear the voice of God speaking into my life If the wise men had not searched for the infant in spite of Herod I might not be encouraged to disobey the ungodly If no gifts had been offered to the child I might not understand that I too must offer my gifts in God’s service To offer the best I have at the feet of my king If the child had not come I would not have had a glimpse of the abundant life that is on offer to all of humanity through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. |
