Creekside Church Sermon of February 8, 1998 "One On One" Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-17	Rev. David Bibbee
Send this sermon to a friend

Back when the Supreme Court legalized abortion, a pastor friend was phoned by a reporter for his reaction. He gave what he thought was a clear, conservative statement against abortion. However all the other pastors interviewed were of the fundamentalist persuasion, and the next day's headline read: "Local Pastor Lauds Supreme Court Decision." Like I heard my mother often say, "Don't believe everything you read in the paper." When the press tries to summarize second hand a process as involved as last Sunday, inaccuracies are inevitable and regrettable, and in our case, created confusion. Our stance on information on what we did and what we will do is in this body, not the paper.

Today I need to share some thoughts with you on how we proceed from here and how we relate to one another as we move ahead. First we must recognize that when churches make tough decisions, unanimous votes are virtually non-existent. I had hoped that the margin of the vote would have been greater. The closeness of the vote says that we care deeply about the church and what is best for its future and the responsibility it has to be in mission. What we have experienced in our discussion and discernment is inevitable conflict. Most of us try to avoid conflict. We don't like it, but conflict in itself isn't bad. No conflict in a church means no ideas are being generated and no goals are being sought. When there is conflict it means there is something worth struggling for that we feel deeply about. If we didn't care about the church and what God is calling us to do, we would not have conflict. It can focus our energies to be a better church and stronger Christians. Our conflicts shouldn't be feared or swept under the rug, but channeled into something constructive.

Conflict is a response to change. Change is always happening. God wove it into the fabric of life. "For everything there is a season," Ecclesiastes says. A time to be born and die. A time to plant and pluck. A time to seek and lose." Change is something we both welcome and abhor. The Bible speaks of things that change, and things that change not. Matthew says our lives are built on a firm foundation. The rock of Jesus and his love can withstand the storms of change. The church built on this firm foundation isn't defined by building or location. The church is people rooted in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. Making a hard decision doesn't destroy it. A badly worded headline doesn't destroy it. Differences don't destroy it. The vote to relocate was by a slim margin. Feelings run very deep and strong. But I keep falling back on the fact that we learned through the cottage meetings that many of you expressed the willingness to help the church succeed regardless of the outcome. We need to move ahead. Plans must be made for a move which will take a good seven years. Creative ways to be in mission here and beyond must begin anew now. Unity does not demand that we see things the same. The foundation is strong enough to support the differences.

There are lots of decisions and commitments ahead of us, and along the way, we will need to keep close to Paul's admonition to the Ephesians. In the first three chapters he tells how Jesus brought a disordered, disunited world to order and unity. Chapter four spells out our role in reconciling people to God and each other. "I beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing each other in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Here is the prescription we will need to keep filled.

We are to be humble. This means to have an accurate assessment of yourself, your limitations, and partial perceptions. You do not know all there is to know. We have much to learn from others. Knowing who God is and you aren't keeps you in perspective. We are to be gentle with one another. In Greek it refers to an animal that has been trained or domesticated. It suggests that a gentle person is one who has their instincts and passions in control, but not of their own will. Their passions are God controlled. We are to be patient. In trying situations with others it takes a steadfast commitment to hang in there and work things through. Patience is defined by a bumper sticker I saw which said, "God loves you, and I'm trying."

We are to bear with each other in love. This is agape love...God's love. It isn't an emotion, but an act of the will. It means to seek the highest good for another. Unity isn't the result of a unanimous agreement. It's the gift of God to people whose lives are defined by humility, meekness, patience, and love. Here is a passage which we must visit often to maintain the unity we are called to have as the body of Christ.

I have found that one of the hardest things to do is disagree with someone you love. Growing up I was close to my grandfather. When I became a teenager, and like all teenagers became a royal pain, I became aware of my differences with him. He thought my guitar playing was good, but only if I played Country. I grew my hair like Paul McCartney, and he said I looked like an Airedale dog. I couldn't accept the fact that he voted for George Wallace for president. But for the most part, I kept my thoughts to myself.

One of my regrets is that I didn't share more of myself with Grandpa. I had an unfounded fear that if I disagreed with him, our relationship might suffer. I have learned since that a relationship that can't weather conflict isn't much of a relationship. I have learned that disagreement can create a new strength in relationship. If Christ is the bond between us, we can disagree. We can challenge each other. We can speak the truth to one another as long as it is in love. One of the wonderful ironies that I've realized is that some of my Christian friends I couldn't love more, I couldn't disagree with more on certain issues. It can be hard to differ with those we love, and that's okay as long as humility, patience, and love are present.

But remember, this love is not our doing. Paul said there is one body and one spirit. We are called to one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. We can move from the decision to mission and remain united if we remain one on one. By this I mean our soul basis for being the church is Jesus Christ...we live in him, with him, for him. There is no other basis for bringing us together than him. Only in him can we hope to be one. Moving from here to tomorrow. We are in the midst of something for which Christ is key.

One of the most unforgiving devices ever created was the combination lock...if you forget the combination. Early in the seventh grade I forgot my locker combination. The class bell had rung, the hall was empty, and there I stood in a panic, helplessly spinning numbers unable to get my books. The surest way to put a lock on the future is to forget the combination. The key to the future is a common commitment to Jesus Christ. In the face of change we must be founded who doesn't.

It has been hard to get to this point. It's scary to take a stand when feelings on this issue run so strong. You have impressed me thus far by the candor and care with which you have been able to speak with each other. There is much for us to work on, so much care and prayer and seeking and ministering to do if we're to have unity in the body of Christ. But unity does not demand that we see things the same.

God has given us the best way to live, and the quality of our lives is largely in our hands. I know a pastor who tries to practice what he calls a "last day mentality". He says that if we want to make the most of our lives, we should treat others as if it were their last day on earth. He put this to the test one day when he was driving at an excessive speed down a two lane road near my home town. He flew over a rise and there was a state patrolman. He knew he was a goner, and sure enough on came the flashing lights. Barry was ticked, but as the young officer approached his car, he tapped into the last day thought.

With license in hand he said, "How you doing, officer?" "I'm fine sir, but you seem to be in quite a hurry." "Not really. I just wasn't paying attention and was trying to make up time for a construction zone." He stared at his license. "Well, Mr. Johnson, I really don't want to do this, but I'll have to issue a citation." "That's okay, you've got a job to do and I'm glad you're doing it. How long have you been a trooper?" The officer got a smile on his face and leaned on the door. "Seven years. Started in accounting and got bored. I'll be right back."

He went back and wrote up the ticket. When he walked back to the car he said, "I gave you a break on the actual speed. This shouldn't be too much of a hassle for you." He stood there smiling and extended his hand. They shook. "You have a good day, okay?" he admonished. "You too!" Barry said.

Unity in Christ is a product of humility, gentleness, patience, and love. And I wonder...would prefacing our relating to each other with a "last day mentality" make a difference? Difficult situations, tough times, become manageable if we stop and ponder how precious each life is. Be careful with each other. God has given us each other as gifts to equip us for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

This doesn't make us immune to disagreement and conflict, nor does it make hard choices a breeze. But it does enable us to value the Christians with whom we are in the ministry of this church, and at this turning point, we can discover not just what we are made of, but who.

All of the sermons that have appeared in text form on our Web Site since August 1996 are available here in the On-Line version. Use the search engine below to find the sermon you want. You may search by date, sermon title, or content. The sermons are full-text searchable.

Sermon Search:



Exact phrase    All words (AND)    Any word (OR)