The following transcript was generated using AI from the sermon recording. Some grammatical and transcription erros may be found.
As we go about our time of worship today, this Trinity Sunday, we remember God's holiness. We remember the holiness of the Father, the salvation of the Son, and the ever-presence of the Holy Spirit. The holiness of God. It's easy to forget this feeling that Isaiah had when he realized he was standing in the throne room of God with these angels with six wings flying above, singing praises to God's holiness, and recognizing that he shouldn't be there. Sometimes I think as Christians we start settling into this idea that following God, following after Christ, is something that is safe, that is easy to do. It's how we should live. Doing so increases our safety. I was thinking about this and I was reflecting on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a children's book written by C.S. Lewis. And in this book there is a great lion who is the creator, who is the Lord of all of Narnia, of all of creation. And the kids in that story hear about this lion. They haven't quite met him yet. And one of the children asks, as they're hearing about this lion, well, is he safe? And the one telling him about this lion says, of course he's not safe, he's a lion. But he is good. And that's what matters. When God invites us to follow him, when Jesus invites us to be disciples, to follow after him, to be his emissaries, to be in mission to the world, he does not invite us to a life of safety. It's a life of challenge. It's a life that led many to martyrdom. It's a life that leads many to place themselves in harm's way around the world today. Whenever we follow after God, we should expect our life to be turned up. We should expect things in our life to be transformed and challenged. But our God is good. Our God is holy. Our God is faithful. Our God is loving. If you are following Christ because you think it will make your life easier, I hate to disappoint you. We experience this in this Isaiah passage in terms of Isaiah's fear. He says, I am an unclean person with unclean lips, living among people who are unclean. I cannot be in the presence of God. And that's where we get the image of the seraph with the six wings grabbing a coal off of the altar before the Lord and grabbing a coal and touching it to his lips and saying, you have been made clean. And immediately after that, a voice from the heavens say, who will go for, for before us who will spread my message, who will go and pro preach to the people. And Isaiah experiencing this cleansing says, here I am send me. It's God's holiness that drives him to be God's messenger. It's God's holiness that drives him to go out into the world, proclaiming God's goodness, proclaiming God's justice in a world where there was and is. In. Injustice. It wasn't born out of this sense of if I follow God, I will be made safe, but God is good and holy. And because of that, I wish to follow him wherever it may go. The challenge for us is if safety is our primary driver, if safety is what we are looking for, then we will become more and more distant from God because God does not drive us into places of safety. God drives us to places of safety. Places where his good news needs to be shared. Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. Tells the parable of a shepherd who noticed that one was missing and he leaves the 99 and he goes out looking for that one that is missing. And I envision this searching happening under the cover of darkness because it was when he put the sheep away for the night in the safety of the sheep pen that he noticed this one was missing. And so he says, He's fumbling across the countryside. He's looking and listening for this lost sheep. He's in harm's way where there may be wild animals, maybe bandits that attack him, but he leaves the safety where he was planning to spend the night with the sheep to keep them safe. He leaves that behind, places himself in harm's way to find the one that is lost. How much more can we? How much more can we understand our mission if we see ourselves in this role? There are people in our communities who are hurting, who are lost, who need to hear the good news. We know that they are missing. For the sake of the one that is lost.
Our God is a good God. Our God is a loving God. Our God is a faithful God. And because of that, we can trust in him when we leave. We The safe and secure. We can trust in the God who is with us. Who is with those who are sent out into the wilderness and found us. Who is with the Christians that place themselves in harm's way as they go from the United States into distant lands to proclaim Christ. And in fact are with the people in those distant lands who are sent to the United States to proclaim Christ. Missionaries and missions in this world is not just us. Going out to them. Also them coming to us. Taking that leap of faith. For the sake of God's kingdom. For the sake of God's glory and God's work. And doing so. Because God is good. Because God is faithful. Because God is true. I don't know how else. We could leave the safety that we seek. The safety that our heart longs for. The safety that our. Just our anxiety. And our fears long for. We've built up this place that is safe. That is ours. That is secure. And we don't want to give that up. Because the world out there is scary. There are people out there who would do harm. There's a culture and the powers of principalities of this world that want to tear the church apart. And we think that the only way we can protect it is to huddle up closer and closer and closer. find safety in numbers. To find safety in one another's presence. But the more we huddle up. The more we close around one another. The more we circle the wagons. To be safe. The more we're closed off from people who need to be brought in. How might it be right now. That your desire for the safe. The desire for the usual. Might be actually closed off. Closing people off. As we go about our lives. We feel safe just living out our faith. But not talking about it. We feel safe just going about our daily lives. Without worrying about impacting other people. Without worrying about sharing Christ. Without worrying about challenging the powers and the principalities in this world. Because that is scary. That is unsafe. But in our own desire to be safe. We are withholding the gospel from people that need to hear it. We are withholding justice from those that need to experience it. Because we feel safe in the way things are. We feel safer when we are surrounded by people who look like us. Who believe like us. Who sound like us. Who worship like us. We feel safe because we can huddle up together. And have safety in numbers. But in the process are cutting out. The kingdom work that we have been called to. We have encircled the wagon so much. That we are afraid of what is different. We are afraid of what is other. We are afraid. God does not give us that fear. And that spirit of timidity. From the Romans passage. We are elected. We are adopted. As children of God. Through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. And his resurrection. And as heirs to God's kingdom. As heirs to God's mercy. We also become heirs to God's work. We live in a world today. Where most people do not go into a family business. My father probably wanted me to go into his business. Which as a roofer. It was hard work. And I had a slight fear of heights. Especially when I rode a ladder down. As I was climbing up on it. I had no desire. To To be a roofer. Which I know hurt. But in this passage from Romans. This was a world where you generally went. Into your father's business. If your father was a fisherman. You went into the business. Of being a fisherman. If your father was a tanner. You went into the business of being a tanner. You learned the trade. Over years working side by side. And you went about that business. If your father was a trader. You learned that business. And you became a trader. So when Paul says. You are adopted heirs. Of God. With Christ. It's not just family status. Like it is today. It's not just familial relationships. Created with those around us. Like we feel today. But this was saying. When you become a part of this family. You are not only heirs of the family. But you are. Incorporated into the family business. Family business. To proclaim the good news. Of the Lord's favor. To preach release. To the captives. To proclaim good news to the poor. To bring sight to the blind. And proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. When we are. Heirs to Christ. We are heirs. Not only to the benefits. But incorporated into the work. And the only way. We can go about that work. The only way we will find. Fulfillment in that work. Is if we leave behind this idea. Of safety and security. Which Christ himself. Didn't even have. And proclaim the good news. In all of the places that need to hear it. That is risky. That is challenging. It's scary. To step out of the safety of numbers. It's scary to step out into the unknown. It's so. Intimidating. To leave what you know. And what you feel. And what you find comfort in. But it's that calling. That God has placed on us. To do just that. Now there are some who say the denominations work. Over the last three weeks. And annual conferences work. Has been one of safety. To become more accepting of the LGBTQ community. To say that gay people can be married. In our churches. And can be ordained.
In our culture. Because it's safe. But I've got to tell you. For the church. It's actually not safe to do that. It is far safer to stick with the status quo. Than it is to change. It is far safer to stay with what was. And is known. Than it is to go out onto this new direction. To tell you. The United Methodist Church. The annual conference that I just went to last week. The general conference that I watched online. It feels different. It feels. Like something new. Is happening. And new is about to happen. It feels different. This just does not feel. Like any of the annual conferences. That we had before. Where there was contention and anger. And distrust. And it was dragging down on our worship. It was dragging down on our business. It didn't feel like that until the end. In the last piece of legislation. That came up. It felt new. It felt different. And it felt exciting. As our denomination steps out. As it learns what it means to be different. In the world that we are living in today. To reach the people who are hurting most today. And it allows. For that diversity of opinion. That diversity of work. It is leaving. The safety and security. That has defined us for the last 50 years. Of debate and challenges. There is something. Safe and secure. About sticking with the way things are. But it wasn't working. The safety didn't allow. For the mission of God. And so as it steps out. As the denomination steps out. And as we as a church figures out. How to step out of the safety and security. Of what is. We can experience the hope. And joy. And some fear. About what could be. But we do so. Through God who may not be safe. But is good. Is loving. And is faithful. This is what drives us.