Sermon by Pastor Cheryl Foulk (March 18) - "Unbinding Your Heart: Healing Hospitality"

Do you think of Jesus having a home? I think of him as wandering around with his disciples from place to place, finding shelter wherever he can.  But here, in Mark chapter 2, the story goes that Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a fishing village, and that he came home .It  makes it sound like the house he's at might have been his house!  He had a home in Nazareth before he began his traveling ministry, so perhaps he now had a place by the lake in Capernaum.  He is there and the word spreads that Jesus is home. People start to gather outside his door and there is a large crowd. 

In that crowd of people are four folks who have brought a friend who cannot walk. They want to get him to Jesus to see if Jesus can do anything for him. But when they reach the house, it's too crowded to get in. So, they have to find another way. Now, this story doesn't tell how they made the decision to carry this guy to Jesus' house or if they felt awkward bringing him to Jesus. It just says that they did.

In the book,Unbinding Your Heart, we've read together about two kinds of barriers we might have to overcome to bring our friends to Jesus.  Internal barriers and external barriers.

First, the internal barriers are personal barriers,  the barriers inside our heads.

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When we think about talking to someone about our faith, we can get stuck        before the words even come out of our mouth. Usually it's because we don't want to lose a friendship, embarrass ourselves or someone else. We don't want to impose on someone's faith zone.

We worry:

What happens if I invite my neighbor to church and then they say no?

What if I make my friend feel awkward?

What if someone thinks I’m pressuring them? What if I come across as judgmental? What if . . . ?

So most of the time, we don't talk to our friends about our faith. These inner barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to our friends.

This is Jeff's story. Jeff was going through a difficult time in his life. He had been laid off from work just before his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The financial and spiritual struggles were nearly debilitating. Fortunately, Jeff and his

wife had some dear friends. Two couples that they had known for some

time stuck by them. They came by to see them regularly and brought food.

When Jeff's wife died, they were there to comfort him. These were good friends. After some time had passed, Jeff began to consider returning to church. He hadn't gone to church anywhere since he was a teenager. He kept thinking about church. He decided to try the church in his neighborhood first. When he walked into the sanctuary, there were his friends!

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Both couples had been going to that church for years. They had also been friends with Jeff for years. But they had never talked about their faith, even through his ordeals. It just hadn't come up. They all were surprised, and very glad, to see each other at the church.

Research  shows that these internal barriers that keep us from talking about our faith never fully go away. Even people who eventually get really good at sharing their faith still have qualms. Even pastors  worry about losing a friendship or pressuring people. But we work around that barrier! We let our apprehensions  make us sensitive to others, but not shut off from others.

One woman expressed  that a new definition of evangelism had helped her. She thinks of evangelism as sharing something she enjoys with someone she likes. For her, this takes away the fear she has of being overbearing. Sharing something you enjoy with

someone you like. That can be evangelism.

For the four friends in today's gospel story, it was a matter of sharing something they thought might help with someone in need. That can be evangelism too.

Sharing something you need with someone else who needs it . . .

Sharing something that makes you smile with someone who could use a smile . . .

Sharing something that gives you peace with someone in chaos . . .

Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like -That’s evangelism.

Somehow, the four friends in this story had the courage and determination  to bring this man in need to Jesus. Somehow, they had overcome whatever reservations they might have had.. But then, they had to get him to Jesus and   that was another barrier entirely.

Remember, there are two kinds of barriers that might keep us from bringing people to Jesus. Internal barriers in our own minds have to be overcome. But still, external barriers must be broken down.  When the four people got there with the man on the

stretcher, the doorway was crowded and  people were not letting them by. Wonder how long they tried to push their way through before they decided to try another way: the roof!

External barriers can be very daunting. Like a fortress. Do you remember how you felt the first time you visited a church? Or maybe you recall going to some other organization for the first time.

A man had recently moved and went to his neighborhood association meeting.  He

didn't see anyone there he knew, so he just sat in the back .When it was over, he signed up to help with a neighborhood  clean-up day.  He wrote down  his name and his phone number . But no one ever called him.  Afterward he wondered  "I sure hope people don't feel like this when they come to my church."  ( Unnoticed, unimportant)

"They could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowds," we read in the Gospel. Are there any barriers that are keeping people from getting to Jesus in our church?

 No matter the number of people inside, a church building can feel  restricted,closed off. In your mind's eye, join me in a virtual tour of our church facility.

Where do guests park? Do they know what doors to come in? Do they have to "dig through the roof" so to speak, like the paralyzed man's friends did? When they get  come inside, are they greeted by more than one person?

Are there evident signs to show them where the restrooms are, the sanctuary, the nursery?When a guest comes into worship, do they find  room in the back pews?  Do we move over and make room? Do we invite guests to sit with us?

We don’t know for sure whether or not this house described in Mark’s Gospel was Jesus' home. But where really is Jesus’ house? Chapter three of Ephesians says that we are the very dwelling place of God, with Jesus Christ himself as our cornerstone. This is Jesus' house.

As we took our mental tour through the church building, did you see any barriers to Jesus' house?Anything that would keep people from coming in and finding him here?Anything that says “Keep out!” instead of “welcome!”  A large proportion of folks return after visiting a church for a second visit because they felt they were received with genuine caring. Where are we needing to be more ready for guests?  What has made you feel at home? 

A church had a Vacation Bible School outdoors that was set up to be a marketplace from New Testament times. Volunteers portrayed different characters from Jesus' time. They even had a Jesus. The kids loved it, especially  a child named  Elizabeth. After VBS was over for the day, Elizabeth was at home when she fell and scraped her knee.  She showed it to her mother, who gave the required hug and  the Dora the Explorer band aid. But that wasn't enough for Elizabeth

 "I have to show it to Jesus," she insisted. "He can make it better." The mom tried to explain that Jesus didn't really live at the church, that it was a man in a costume, but this made it worse. "He does!" she cried. At a loss, the mother loaded her kids in the car and headed back for the church.  Even though is was late afternoon, people were still taking down the outdoor decorations.

The man who had been portraying Jesus was there, sitting on the church's front porch. He wasn't in costume, just in his usual clothes. Elizabeth didn't seem to notice. "There he is!” she shouted, and ran to him. The man seemed surprised, but held out his hands to greet her. The child told him all about her scrape.. He listened. Together, the mother, two children, and "Jesus" said a prayer.  The very real presence of Jesus' love was found by Elizabeth in her church.

This is our bicentennial year. For many years, the people of Fairfield County have found the presence of Christ in this place. Hearts have been encouraged, lives have been saved and changed, forever friendships have been made, broken people have found healing here. What an amazing place!  What a privilege we have to extend hospitality to one more person seeking the Savior. What a privilege !  Let's pray together that every guest meets Jesus here, from the front porch on. As I look out at you, I say “Welcome, old friends!”  Thank you for your faithfulness. And “Welcome new friends!” To all of you, welcome home.

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Based on the resource, "Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism," Chalice Press, 2008