Creekside Church Sermon of September 29, 1996 "Just Do It" Matthew 21:23-32	Rev. David Bibbee
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It is good to remember that the author of our faith and many of his followers thereafter did jail time. The kingdom of the world would not tolerate competing claims from the Kingdom of Heaven. It brings to the forefront the question that has been addressed often to those who claim to belong to Jesus Christ...if being a Christian was illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Being a Christian encompasses more than the surface of our lives, but the substance. In addition to declaration, it requires demonstration.

In today's text the scene is heavy with tension. Jesus had made his triumphant, symbolically thick entrance into Jerusalem and had created a riot by cleansing the temple. Now he returns to the temple to teach where he is immediately confronted by the priests and elders. "Any by whose authority do you do these things?" They asked. "I'll answer your question when you answer mine." Jesus said. "Where was John's baptism from, heaven or men?" They called time out to hold a caucus. Huddled in a corner we listen in..."Let's say it was from heaven." "Won't work. He'll ask why we didn't believe John." "Let's say it was from men." "No, we can't say that either because the Baptist Fan Club will start a riot." When they broke huddle they had to say, "We don't know." "Then I won't tell you, either." Jesus said. Then he delivered the parable.

A man had two sons. He said to the first son, "Give me a hand in the field today." Smart aleck said, "No way. I'm not getting dirty. I've got better things to do." But a couple hours later the father looked up to see his son down at the end of a row, hoeing his heart out. He thought better of his refusal, and decided to lend a hand. When the father asked the second son he said, "Father, I would be delighted to work for you. There's nothing I would enjoy more than helping where I'm needed." But several hours later Mister Yes Sir is sacked out on the sofa watching Oprah and talking with his girlfriend on the phone.

Jesus asked his antagonist, "Which son did the father's will? The one who blew him off then had a change of heart, or the one who said yes but did nothing?" The line waiting to get into the Kingdom of Heaven has just grown larger with this parable because the tax collectors, prostitutes, and all the other assorted riff-raff are up front. By their actions, this bunch said no, but upon hearing about life according to Jesus, they changed direction, while the good church folks responded with flattery, but faltered in living it out.

Christianity has something to say to the world, but even more, it has something to do in the world. When you come to worship it is not to be engaged by interesting ideas. It is not to be entertained or given a spoonful of spiritual sugar to help the foul-tasting prescriptions of the world go down. Jesus' idea of the church wasn't a weekly discussion group over coffee. Ideas alone do nothing, or as an ancient Chinese philosopher said of his trade, "Philosophy bakes no bread." And a religion that doesn't stand on strong legs and walk through the crowded ways of life, is empty.

I remember the story told about Martin Luther when he was teaching a seminary class on Genesis. One of the students asked, "Doctor Luther, what was God doing before he created the world?" Luther shot back, "God was gathering sticks to beat the devil out of stupid people like you who ask such stupid questions!" Sometimes I get the feeling that we would rather ask lofty questions and talk about what God would have us become as protection from the commitments which put us to work and give our lives meaning.

I often get calls from people who are church shopping and want to know what we believe. I don't like these calls. I get the feeling that it's a quiz and if I answer the way they want, they might come. "Do you believe the King James is the only true bible? Do you believe the adoptionist or the substitutionary doctrine of the atonement?" I'd like to tell them that I'm afraid my answers over the phone wouldn't say very much. Instead I would give them your names and addresses. I'd tell them to spend some time in your home and watch how you interact with your family. I'd tell them to visit Garnetts' classroom to watch how she relates to her students. I'd send them to the nursing homes to see if there's anything about the way Diane Ernsperger and Lodema Hoke treat their patients which would indicate what they believe most deeply. I'd send them over to Notre Dame to watch Dave Mastic racing from one department and class to another, troubleshooting computers to see if in his service there is evidence of the one he serves. I would tell them that after they have seen our people in action, then they'll know what we're about and what we believe...I hope.

If Christianity is what we say it is, then we will do something about it. As the Brethren say it, "Religion is life." We tell a story by the friends we make and the stands we take. In all kinds of ways we tell on ourselves daily.

I remember a movie called the Accidental Tourist. It was about a man who wrote a travel column for a magazine who hated traveling. He advised people how to travel as cheaply as possible and how to avoid spending money at their destinations. He was a compulsive man who came from a family where they stored foods in the pantry by alphabetical order. In one memorable scene he and his girlfriend are dining in Paris. With the romantic back drop of the Eiffel Tower they eat their meal, but the restaurant wasn't the classy French variety. It was a Burger King.

It's easy to be an accidental Christian, exposing yourself only to the edges, looking for the least costly, most cautious involvement, participating in the outward forms, using the right words, but never really becoming immersed in it, never really knowing the joys and satisfactions, never really discovering the meaning which comes from giving oneself to God's purposes for changing the world. Do you remember the time Jesus' mother and brothers were looking for him? They felt he'd been in the sun a little too long and wasn't all with it. But when he was told they were looking for him he asked, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers. My brothers and sisters are those who DO the will of my father."

The peace and purpose of the gospel is for those who say yes and are obedient to its claims. While this parable was a judgment of the righteous pharisees who didn't do what was called for, it was also a parable of grace. The way of the kingdom is open and repentance puts us on the path. Those at the bottom of society's least respected list were ahead of the pharisees in the line to the kingdom because they came to their senses and went a different direction. We need to remember something important about repentance. We picture it as a humiliating, painful, unpleasant experience. Sometimes it is, but the predominant picture of repentance isn't a crumpled, soggy heap of humanity at the alter. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which means, "Turning around, going one way then turning another. It means to change your mind." The first son said no, but changed his mind. He wasn't forced. The father gave him space and the grace to be about his father's work.

What is so fantastic about the gospel is that it holds before each life the possibility of change. The past doesn't define you and the future isn't closed. The good news of Christianity is that it is the religion of another chance. Like the saying goes, "Saints have pasts. Sinners have futures." We can turn our no's to yes', and God's grace helps it happen.

Lloyd Ogilvie tells of driving to preach in another town. He had never been there before, and he found himself flying down the expressway with the flow of traffic while looking for the church. He finally saw it, but had already blown by the exit, driving too fast. He had to turn around, but couldn't. At every block the street was marked with big yellow and black signs, "No U-Turns." He turned down a side street to double back, but this street was also marked with the blasted no U-turns signs. He thought of calling the church to say, "I can't get there from here." Then he came upon a beautiful, tree-lined cul-de-sac. It was as if the neighbors knew his problem. It was graced with a large sign painted by the neighbors that read, "U-turns absolutely required."

Here's a picture of grace that makes it possible for us to turn around and know the experience of a living, working faith that cannot be had by being a mere spectator. We generate lots of words here, don't we. Our classes, committees, and commissions are word factories. These words say what we want to do, what we should do, what God needs done. The danger is talking so much about it that we think we're actually doing it. How much talk about inviting people to church does it take till we do it? How much talk about a quality Sunday School program does it take until we get the teachers we need? How much talk about how caring we are is required to get you to fill out a Stephen Ministry application and make a concrete commitment to caring ministry in Christs' name? How much talk about helping the broken and hopeless will it take until we extend a hand and share the source of our hope? The renowned missionary and evangelist D.T. Niles tells the story that after WWII, the World Council of Churches wanted to see how its money had been spent in a remote part of the Balkan peninsula. John Mackie, president of the church of Scotland, with two other pastors of another denomination who were very severe and pietistic, traveled by jeep to the remote villages where the funds were spent. One afternoon they visited an orthodox priest in a tiny Greek village. The priest was overjoyed and eager to pay his respects. He brought out a box of Havana cigars, a real treasure in those days, and offered one to each guest. Dr. Mackie took one, bit off the end, took a few puffs and said how good it was. The others looked shocked and said, "No, no. We don't smoke."

Sensing that he had somehow offended them, he was anxious to make amends. He excused himself and reappeared with a bottle of his best wine. Dr. Mackie took a glass, took a connoisseurs sniff, sipped it and praised the quality. Soon he asked for another glass. His companions drew back more than before. "No thank you, we don't drink." Later as they left the village, the two pastors turned on Mackie with a vengeance. "Doctor Mackie, do you mean to tell us that you are president of the church of Scotland and an officer in the World Council of Churches and you smoke and drink?" Mackie had all he could take and he let his Scottish temper fly, "No, blast it, I don't. But somebody had to be a Christian."

Somebody indeed. Will we sack out in the pews as the second son did on the sofa, talking a fine line but not following through? Will we just talk about being Christians, or just do it? Somebody has to be a Christian. Somebody has to match the talk of faith with the walk of faith. Will that somebody be you?

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