The 22nd Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 24A), Oct. 16, 2005
BCP: Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96 or 96:1-9; 1 Thess. 1:1-10; Matt. 22:15-22
RCL: Exodus 33:12-23 or Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 99 or 96:1-9, (10-13);1 Thess. 1:1-10; Matt. 22:15-22
Where is the best place to go to find the purpose of a church? Its mission statement? That is certainly what is intended, but maybe the true purpose that galvanizes can be gleaned by observing special events.
Take the season between now and late November. Church activity might indicate that our purpose is the Christmas bazaar, or this month may indicate the purpose of raising money.
David had a special event, the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem. Around it he cast a reminder of Israel’s calling. Psalm 96 is identical to part of 1 Chronicles 16 where the celebrations of the ark’s arrival are described.
David chooses the occasion to make clear what the purpose is – the church is to show the true and living God to the nations who worship other gods. God wants to put himself on display through the church. His agenda is to displace all other gods so that they are exposed as frauds and imposters.
The church’s role takes us to the nations where the other gods are still in place. God knows that all other gods deceive, dehumanize, destroy and discard. He grieves over the loss of life this has caused and longs to bring his people back to him. He calls the church to tell it out among the nations, “The Lord is King!” (Psalm 96:10).
Isaiah states the purpose unequivocally. “I will give you treasures and riches so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel ... I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
This drew praise from Paul for the Thessalonian church. People in Macedonia and Achaia and beyond were seeing the true God through the witness and life of the Thessalonians.
There were pagan nations then, what we would call people groups, whose people were clueless about the living God. Sadly there are more than a billion clueless people today — people who haven’t heard for the first time about the God and Father of Jesus Christ. So the call to the church remains the same.
This is not evangelism. We cannot show Christ to the nation of Uzbeks, for example, by evangelizing our neighborhoods. Our purpose is to see that the Uzbeks have witnesses of the living God. They may be sent from Ohio or Oklahoma, or we may assist witnesses from Armenia or Iran.
Bazaars and stewardship will always be with us. So will God’s purpose for the church and so will nations that do not know of him.
Look It Up
This may be stewardship season for us, but for 2 billion Muslims it is Ramadan. Find out the reasons and the practices of this month. Talk to a Muslim acquaintance about it.
Think About It
Look for other places where the phrase “so that” occurs, indicating the purpose of the church. Check out Ephesians 1 first.
Next Sunday
The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25A), Oct. 23, 2005
BCP: Exodus 22:21-27; Psalm 1; 1 Thess. 2:1-8; Matt. 22:34-46
RCL: Deut. 34:1-12 or Lev. 19:1-2, 15-18; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 or Psalm 1; 1 Thess. 2:1-8; Matt. 22:34-46
