DREAMS FOR THE CHURCH

John 1:35-41

Well, we made it! And now Y2K can give way, at least in the Church of the Brethren, to J2K! In this 2000^th Anniversary of the Birth of Jesus, the Church of the Brethren rejoices and responds in faith, hope and love. J2K NEW HOPE NEW DAY.

The J2K Theme Statement says that while "scholars now tell us that it is likely that Jesus was actually born a little longer than 2000 years ago, perhaps in what we now would call 3 or 4 BC, ...we can nevertheless see this present moment as a milestone." ... "The past century has seen more change than perhaps all other centuries combined. In agriculture and industry to technology and even warfare, nothing is as it was merely 100 years ago. Nothing except the human heart and the longing for God and a richer and deeper sense of human community...."

And so it is that the Church of the Brethren joins this J2K celebration with a sense of new hope for a new day with opportunities for disciplined Scripture study, daily prayer focus, responding to a world in need, and looking forward in faith.

This morning, as we enter J2K with thoughts of New Hope and a New Day, I want to encourage us to dream about the future of the church. This weekend we also celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and we are reminded again of his now-famous "I Have A Dream" speech given in 1963. "I have a dream," he said, "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

As those of us who lived through the sixties will recall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was indeed a man with a dream. But as Jesse Jackson has pointed out more recently, he was more than a dreamer ... he lived to make his dream a reality, referring to himself as a drum major for justice.

This morning I will share some of my dreams for the church which will, hopefully, spark some of your own dreams for the Prince of Peace congregation. We need men and women and youth and children who have dreams for a better tomorrow. But dreams, while they mark a beginning point, are not enough. We need persons willing to commit themselves to making their dream a reality.

In our scripture lesson this morning, two of John's disciples have a dream of a Messiah who will come and bring freedom to their land. And when John identifies Jesus as the "Lamb of God," these two disciples are faced with a choice: Are they willing to commit themselves to the one who can make their dream a reality?

As Jesus walks on by, the disciples follow him. Suddenly, Jesus stops, turns around to the disciples and asks them: "What are you looking for?" or as another translation words it, "What are you seeking?" Jesus is planning for the future and is looking for disciples who will also be future oriented. "What are you looking for?"

The question Jesus asks of these two disciples is also the question he asks of you and me? "What are you looking for?" What are your dreams ... your expectations for the future of the church? Before we can make our dreams a reality, we need to be clear of our vision, our dream for the future. We must have some dream for what we want life to be like in the future. "What are you looking for?"

The disciples respond to Jesus question with an answer that seems a bit odd: "Rabbi," they said to him, "where are you staying?" Perhaps a better paraphrase would be: "Where do you hang out?" or "Teacher, where do you teach?" They are curious about the One identified by John as the Messiah -- the one who will usher in God's Kingdom. Jesus reply is a simple one: "Come and see." They went and spent the day with Jesus.

We are not told what Jesus shared with them that day but I believe he must have shared some of his dreams and visions for the Kingdom of God, for the next day Andrew goes looking for his brother saying, "We have found the Messiah!"

What a model for the church. You are walking down the street when you notice two young men following you. You don't panic and run, imagining the worst; rather you turn and ask, "What are you looking for? What are you seeking in life?" And they, in turn, ask you: "Where do you find meaning and purpose in life?" And you reply, "Come and see" as you invite them with you to church. They come and they spend the day with you learning of Jesus. The next day they go out to tell their friends and family members, "We have found the Christ. He is alive and living in those folks out at the Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren!"

That is one of my dreams for the church. Where we all become "Andrew's," sharing our faith with others who in turn come to see Christ through us. I have a dream of a church where all the members take seriously their role as ministers of the congregation, using their gifts and sharing their faith to build up the body of Christ. I have a dream wherein members are seeking to be disciples of Jesus Christ, having "counted the cost" and chosen "another way of living."

And I have a dream of a church that takes seriously the challenge of teaching and training and mentoring and preparing its new members to become disciples. I have a dream of a church that gives high priority to its children and youth ... with a strong and loving Sunday School program staffed by willing and able teachers ... with weekly opportunities to learn what it means to live and love and serve like Jesus did. And I have a dream that all persons who "come and see" will have the opportunity to learn and grow through a church membership program. O yes, I have a dream for the church today....

I have a dream of a church that is willing to take risks, that is willing to dream dreams, that is willing to look at possibilities rather than probabilities, that is willing to look seriously at the question: "What would Jesus do?"

I have a dream of a church that seeks new and creative ways to worship and to learn and to solve problems of human need, and yet does not need to forsake the tried and tested traditions that are meaningful and helpful.

I have a dream of a church that is known in the community as a place of love. I have a dream of a church to which persons are drawn because they know that they will be accepted and loved regardless of how "unlovable" they may feel. I have a dream of a church where the members will welcome everyone who comes through the door ... more for who they can become than for who they may be.

I have a dream of a church that gets involved in the needs of the community ... a church that dares to love the unloved, that dares to speak out against social injustice, that seeks to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless, that seeks and promotes the way of the Prince of Peace.

And just as Jesus, Martin Luther, Alexander Mack, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were all considered to be dreamers and revolutionaries in their day; so, too, I have a dream of a "revolutionary" church that is more committed to doing what is right in the sight of God than what is popular in the eyes of the world ... where there is no hesitation about getting involved in unpopular causes when they are in line with our understanding of the will of God.

O, I have a dream for the church today ... a dream that is more about the direction we are moving than about what we may or may not have yet accomplished. A dream that requires our response to Jesus invitation to "Come and see."

Having indicated some of my dreams for the church, let me share three additional dreams that I believe are necessary to achieve the church of my dreams:

First, I have a dream of a Biblically-literate church. I have a dream of a church where there is a sincere desire and effort to study the scriptures to find guidelines for living as God's people.

Just as Martin Luther argued in the 16th century that all Christians should be allowed to own and study the Bible, and just as Alexander Mack and his small band of eight in the 18th century based their Christians actions upon the result of their Bible study; so today, as we enter the 21st century, I have a dream that we will use the Bibles we own to become more biblically literate.

Charlie Shedd in his book The Exciting Church: Where They Really Use the Bible, writes:

Wherever I come on an exciting church, they are people with Bible in hand. They are studying the Scripture together. They are discussing. Laughing. Searching. That's the way it is. Talking it. Together and individually, these folks are getting their direction from the Book.

I have a dream that daily Bible reading will become a priority for each one of us, and I have a dream that the church will help us to move beyond Bible reading to discussion and on to true Bible Study. I have a dream of a church that will see itself as an extension of the Seminary where we can offer both Introductory and Advanced classes in Bible Study, Church History & Beliefs, and Theology.

I have a dream... of a more Biblically-literate church.

Secondly, I have a dream of a praying church. I have a dream of a church where persons share their concerns freely because they know the church will pray with them. I have a dream of a church that extends its prayer concerns beyond the immediate church family and community to pray for the needs of the larger world.

Further, I have a dream of a church where prayer means more than our talking to God on behalf of others. I have a dream for the church that we will discipline ourselves for times of meditation to listen for God speaking to us. That may mean reading a prayer from the Psalms, meditating upon it and how it speaks to our life, and then listening for God to speak to us. It may mean reading through a book of prayers (The Prayers of Peter Marshall is a personal favorite of mine.). It may also mean being silent for a period of time with our minds totally focused upon God and seeking God's will for our lives.

I have a dream of a church that will offer classes, workshops, retreats for its members on How to Pray. O, I have a dream .... of a praying church.

And finally, I have a dream of a tithing church where stewardship is taken seriously and an ever-increasing portion of the church budget is focused on outreach -- both locally and worldwide. I have a dream of a church that each year will hold a special meeting to decide what to do with its excess funds.

I have a dream of a church that understands the importance of being part of the larger church through the district and denomination and generously supports these various ministries ... while also developing new and creative ministries in its local community.

I have a dream of a tithing church where the members believe that giving 10% of their income back to God, through the church, is not too much to expect as a response to the God who has given us everything.

I have a dream today...of a tithing church...a praying church...a biblically-literate church! I have a dream of a church where the members understand they are not perfect, indeed where they confess that they are yet sinners in the sight of God, and yet where they are seeking to become all that God intends for them to become.

I have a dream ... of a church that will seek to walk the talk ... that will indeed carry out its ministry For the Glory of God and its neighbors good and will be about the mission of Continuing the work of Jesus ... Peacefully ... Simply ... Together.

Brothers and sisters, those are my J2K dreams for the church on the 2000^th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. As we look to this new year, and to a new Millennium, I ask you: "What are your dreams for the church?"

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?"

They said to him, "Teacher, where are you staying?"

And Jesus said to them, "Come and see."

Sermon by Herman Kauffman

January 16, 2000

Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren