How to Provoke One Another -- FPC sermon excerpt
The Letter to the Hebrews says, “provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (10:24-25). Hebrews knows that one of the dangers of Christianity is that it will become a very individualistic religion, one which is focused entirely on having a personal relationship with Jesus.
A personal relationship is not enough. “Provoke one another to love and good deeds,” says the letter. Don’t neglect to meet together. Encourage one another. The relationship between Christians, one to another, is every bit as important as the relationship between individual Christians and Jesus.
Some of the most exciting things I discovered on sabbatical had to do with the ways in which healthy churches gather people together to encourage one another, and to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Every healthy congregation that I visited showed me some creative ways to gather people in small groups for this challenging and important work.
At Saddleback Church in California, pastor Rick Warren offers a sermon series every fall, and I happened to be present when he launched this year’s series on healing. What I found interesting was that he said that his sermons were not enough. No, to really benefit from the series, members of Saddleback had to join small groups, and then gather together during the week to discuss the topic of healing together. The church makes it very easy to join a small group — all you have to do is go outside of the Sanctuary and sign up for one of the thousands of small groups that were being launched the week I was there.
Yes, you heard right: I said thousands of small groups, in houses throughout Orange County. You’ve got to have that many groups if you are going to include the 20,000 people who come to worship at Saddleback every weekend.
At the Reconciliation Parish in Germany, I talked with a pastor named Manfred Fischer, who serves a congregation that was divided by the Berlin Wall. In 1985, he watched his church building get blown up by the East German government, and then four years later he watched the Berlin Wall come down. Since the fall of the wall, exactly 20 years ago, Reconciliation Parish has opened itself for community discussions, and has become a place for discussing the significance of the wall.
The congregation has also hosted conversations between former members of the East German Secret Police and their victims, conversations aimed at releasing emotions in a controlled and productive way. Manfred has found that “victims are keen to forgive, and willing.” But first there needs to be an honest and open word, such as, “I am sorry. I acted in a wrong way.”
He says that in East Germany, people were punished for speaking openly, and they are still suffering from speaking out — they lost education and jobs. So speaking openly, and admitting that there was a problem, is very difficult for many who did wrong. He saw this same problem with the Second World War generation, people who did not want to discuss their history under Hitler.
Where do these honest and open words get spoken? Not surprisingly, they are spoken in small groups. That’s where apologies can be offered, and reconciliation can happen. That’s where people can be provoked to love and to good deeds.
I saw the same kinds of small-group gatherings at the Washington National Cathedral and at other churches in the DC area, and I was inspired by them. As a result, we’ll be doing something similar at FPC. During the season of Lent, Jessica and I will be offering a sermon series, and we’ll be inviting each of you to join a small group that will be discussing the series topic during the week. Some groups will meet here at FPC on Sunday mornings, others will be meeting in the church or in homes during the week. There will be at least 15 groups beginning on February the 21st, so there will be room for everyone, and I’m sure that you’ll find that at least one offers you a convenient place and time.
By the way, February the 21st will be my 50th birthday. The best present you could give me would be to join a group. Of course, it won’t really be a gift to me — it will be a gift to yourself.
Being provoked by the cross of Jesus is just the beginning of the Christian journey. It is the first step, not the last. It is only by meeting together and encouraging one another that we can grow in faith, in understanding, and in service to the world around us. It is in small groups that we can really provoke one another — not to anger and resentment, but to love and good deeds.
A personal relationship is not enough. “Provoke one another to love and good deeds,” says the letter. Don’t neglect to meet together. Encourage one another. The relationship between Christians, one to another, is every bit as important as the relationship between individual Christians and Jesus.
Some of the most exciting things I discovered on sabbatical had to do with the ways in which healthy churches gather people together to encourage one another, and to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Every healthy congregation that I visited showed me some creative ways to gather people in small groups for this challenging and important work.
At Saddleback Church in California, pastor Rick Warren offers a sermon series every fall, and I happened to be present when he launched this year’s series on healing. What I found interesting was that he said that his sermons were not enough. No, to really benefit from the series, members of Saddleback had to join small groups, and then gather together during the week to discuss the topic of healing together. The church makes it very easy to join a small group — all you have to do is go outside of the Sanctuary and sign up for one of the thousands of small groups that were being launched the week I was there.
Yes, you heard right: I said thousands of small groups, in houses throughout Orange County. You’ve got to have that many groups if you are going to include the 20,000 people who come to worship at Saddleback every weekend.
At the Reconciliation Parish in Germany, I talked with a pastor named Manfred Fischer, who serves a congregation that was divided by the Berlin Wall. In 1985, he watched his church building get blown up by the East German government, and then four years later he watched the Berlin Wall come down. Since the fall of the wall, exactly 20 years ago, Reconciliation Parish has opened itself for community discussions, and has become a place for discussing the significance of the wall.
The congregation has also hosted conversations between former members of the East German Secret Police and their victims, conversations aimed at releasing emotions in a controlled and productive way. Manfred has found that “victims are keen to forgive, and willing.” But first there needs to be an honest and open word, such as, “I am sorry. I acted in a wrong way.”
He says that in East Germany, people were punished for speaking openly, and they are still suffering from speaking out — they lost education and jobs. So speaking openly, and admitting that there was a problem, is very difficult for many who did wrong. He saw this same problem with the Second World War generation, people who did not want to discuss their history under Hitler.
Where do these honest and open words get spoken? Not surprisingly, they are spoken in small groups. That’s where apologies can be offered, and reconciliation can happen. That’s where people can be provoked to love and to good deeds.
I saw the same kinds of small-group gatherings at the Washington National Cathedral and at other churches in the DC area, and I was inspired by them. As a result, we’ll be doing something similar at FPC. During the season of Lent, Jessica and I will be offering a sermon series, and we’ll be inviting each of you to join a small group that will be discussing the series topic during the week. Some groups will meet here at FPC on Sunday mornings, others will be meeting in the church or in homes during the week. There will be at least 15 groups beginning on February the 21st, so there will be room for everyone, and I’m sure that you’ll find that at least one offers you a convenient place and time.
By the way, February the 21st will be my 50th birthday. The best present you could give me would be to join a group. Of course, it won’t really be a gift to me — it will be a gift to yourself.
Being provoked by the cross of Jesus is just the beginning of the Christian journey. It is the first step, not the last. It is only by meeting together and encouraging one another that we can grow in faith, in understanding, and in service to the world around us. It is in small groups that we can really provoke one another — not to anger and resentment, but to love and good deeds.
posted by Henry Brinton | 7:38 AM
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