Creekside Church Sermon of December 30, 2001 "The Perfect Church" Matthew 16:13-20	Rev. David Bibbee
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It was an "ahaa" experience for me when I learned that there are very few perfect things in the world. I thought I was able to draw a perfectly straight line, or make a perfect circle. But I learned that what I thought was a perfectly straight line drawn with a ruler and a sharp pencil when looked at through a microscope was a line that had little bumps and valleys that was not at all a perfectly straight line. In a way it kind of got me off of the hook when my art critics criticized my work by saying you can't even draw a straight line. There is no such thing as a straight line. A straight line or a perfect circle only exists in the mind.

So it is with the Church. A perfect Church is only accomplished through our imagination. At this point of our history with the Elkhart City Church we are in the process of building, although we are not starting from scratch. We already have a group of people who are committed to God and wants to do his will in the process of building upon what we have. As we think about what our Church is becoming as we look to a new year in 2002, I thought it would be a good thing to contemplate what a perfect Church would look like. I would expect that this question would enter our minds as we complete our budget process that we call ministry based budgeting.

Keeping in mind that the perfect Church does not exist, it would be worthwhile to evaluate where we are, whose we are and where we are going. I believe that to hold up certain ideals and goals will help us become a better church and a congregation that God is pleased with as we press onward and upward. In sharing with you what my concept of a perfect church is, I am also eager to hear about your ideals.

First and foremost is to imitate Jesus. Cultural and sociological changes since the first century would suggest that it is impossible to imitate Jesus in dress and customs and still be taken seriously. I am reminded of an anecdote that comes out of the late sixties and early seventies. There was this 16-year-old boy who had just received his driver's license. His first request was for his father to buy him a car. His was his father's response. "I will buy you a car on three conditions. One, you must attend worship and Sunday school every Sunday for six months. Secondly, you must make the honor at the next grade report from school. Thirdly, you must get a respectable looking hair-cut." He went to church every Sunday for six months. He made the honor roll at school. He did not get his hair cut. When his father confronted him on why he did not comply with the haircut requirement he pointed out that while he was going to Sunday school he saw some pictures of Jesus and noticed that he had long hair, and if it was good enough for Jesus it was good enough for him and it should not be a barrier to getting a car. His father's reply was it is true that Jesus had long hair, and he walked everywhere he went.

As a people trying to imitate Jesus we should not be concerned about the length of hair or wearing sandals or a white sheet over our shoulder. However, we should be concerned about living the simple life. We should avoid the things that rob us from an intense relationship with God. The values of a consumer driven society should not control our purchases, our automobile, our house and furnishings or our recreation. Before we spend and consume, we need to ask ourselves if this purchase will aid or impede our spiritual life? If it does not contribute to our inner peace and growth as Christians we need to reconsider. We do live in this world but we are not of this world. We need to be free to imitate Jesus and not be ham strung by the dictates of what is popular and socially advantageous. We march to the beat of a different drummer.

As a church that attempts to imitate Jesus, we should learn to deal with and expect persecution. Christians of every era have faced some kind of persecution. There is a price to pay. When we face that price we again have to imitate Jesus during his suffering by saying, "Not my will but yours be done."

Finally, in our attempt to imitate Jesus, a perfect church maintains an attitude towards others similar to that of Jesus. Every person is a human being of worth, and is or is potentially a child of God. Every child born is a gift from God that awaits his or her fulfillment.

So in the decision making process of discerning what we should do, think and respond we should ask two questions. What did Jesus do? What did Jesus say? The few references that we have about the entire life of Christ do not deal specifically with most of the ethical questions that we face today. However, this hypothetical perfect church must heed the admonition of Paul in his letter to the Philippians, "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."

The second criteria that I have for the perfect church is a group of people who allow for opportunities of intimacy. Regardless of how large or small the congregation if there are not opportunities for getting to know and appreciate one another I don't want any part of it. There is too much loneliness in the world. It is possible to feel alone in a crowd of people. I need to be attached to a small group of people who can honestly share who they are and their deepest pain and joy. It needs to be a group that will laugh with me, encourage me, cry with me and be real. It needs to be a group that can work, eat, play and pray together. Christians can grow and churches can grow where there are close, authentic relationships. I have high hopes that as we build a perfect church that every one who associates with us will be invited to become a part of a small group of 7 or 8 people who regularly meet together to study the Bible and share the Good News of what God is doing in their lives. I envision small groups that will safeguard each person's dignity and respect each other's ideas even when they do not agree.

The third criterion is a church that practices holy hospitality. By that I mean a church that recognizes that the most important thing one can do is assist someone else to join in a walk of faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we invite, welcome and nurture those who are in need. It is not God's plan to have churches half full, but rather go out to the highways and by ways and compel all those in need to come to the table. "Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest," said Jesus. The beginning of evangelism is hospitality.

In closing, I want to refer back to the scripture that was read this morning where Peter said to Jesus, "You are the Christ the son of the living God." Jesus' response to that was, "Good for you Peter, you are a rock and on this rock I will build my Church." That is all well and good, however, in a few verses later when Jesus was talking about his shameful death, Peter said, "God forbid, I will never let that happen." Jesus said, "Get out of my way Peter you are an obstacle." Some versions say get behind me Satan.

How can this be that at one time Jesus calls Peter the very foundation of the Church and then turn around and call him Satan. The answer is that Peter was not perfect. Just as Peter was not perfect neither are we. The reality is that we like Peter are the ones that are called build His Church. As long as we imperfect human beings are building the Church it will not be perfect. As long as we continue to do his will in moving towards perfection, God in His way will bless our efforts.

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