“How Are You Doing” Joshua 24: 14-28; Ephesians 2: 1-10

This was the final sermon in the preaching series on how our Book of Order describes ministry of members.  

 “How Are YOu Doing” Joshua 24: 14-28; Ephesians 2: 1-10; SAPC; Denton; Sept 4, 2022;  Richard B. Culp 

Ephesians 2: 1-10  You were dead through the trespasses and sins ²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Introduction:  We finish our summer preaching series on the ministry of members expectations from our Book of Order this morning.  

Fittingly, we finish the expectation that we “

“reviewing and evaluating regularly the integrity of one’s membership, and considering ways in which one’s participation in the worship and service of the church may be increased and made more meaningful.” (G-1.0304, Book of Order)

it’s the “How are you doing as a member?” or “how are you doing as a disciple of Christ” sermon!

Just as Joshua challenged the Israelites at a particular time to renew and examine their lives, renew their covenant with God, and make changes to how they live, we are asked to reflect on our own lives of discipleship to see how we are doing.

Fittingly, this week’s sermon points us to next Sunday when we will gather around the baptismal font and Reaffirm the Baptismal covenant.

So consider this morning’s sermon as the first step of reflection as you prepare to reaffirm the baptismal covenant next week.

Move 1: First, rules for our self-evaluation.

a.  Rule one - No comparing yourself.

1. this is not about the person next to you in the pew.

2. it is not, “i am such a bad member or disciple or Christ compared to so-and-so.”

Nor is it, “I may not be perfect, but I am so much better than so-and-so.”  

3. it is about honest reflection on who we are these days and how we are doing following Christ.

b.  Rule two - You can find a biblical character or two to use as your partner in reflection.

1.  For one thing, none of the bible characters get it correct all the time, except for Jesus, so we can find comfort in knowing that the people of God are as imperfect as we are.

2.  But the biblical characters reveal people who have discovered their need for God’s presence and guidance and the power of God to give them gifts for the particular tasks to which they are called.

3. As you reflect on your life, feel free to discover the inner Moses, or Esther, or Puah, or Gideon, or Peter, or Mark, or any host of other biblical characters.

c. Rule three - Grace abounds.

1. Paul tells the Ephesians, and tells us, “by grace you have been saved.”

2.  Your reflection is not a way of proving yourself worthy of being saved, but a tool to help you better respond to God’s saving grace.

Move 2:  The question as you begin your reflections is “Who does God want me to be?”

a. In my work in the presbytery in OH, I traveled with the Executive presbyter to different churches on multiple occasions.  I heard her speak and preach fairly regularly.

1. she had a favorite story she often told about her aunt who work with clay.

2.  she would sit at a spinning wheel and shape the clay.

3. her aunt would tell how she molded the clay in the Eskimo tradition.  

that is, she would talk to the clay to get the spirit to guide her as to shape the clay into what it should be.

Apparently, as she molded the clay she would continually ask, “Who are you?”

Then, she would listen for the Spirit to answer and shape it as she heard the spirit guide her.

b. As you reflect on your life this week, as the Holy Spirit, who does God want me to be?

1.  Examine your life.

2. Listen for the Spirit to speak.

3.  be shaped by God.

c.  in our reflections, we also need to ask, “how does God want the world to look.”

1 Who God wants us to be is not just about us, as if God’s desires is strictly a personal desire for each of us.

2.  God redeems all the world and calls us to be a part of what God is doing in the whole world.

3. If you cannot see how God’s transformation of your life connects to God’s work in the world, then listen some more.

Move 4:  Pick one area you want to change or improve.

a.  Prayer life

b.  Reading the Bible 

1. Read in a year.

2.  Confirmation schedule

3.  pick a gospel.

c.  Worship

d.  Super Wednesday

e.  Mission project

f.  As you take your discipleship into the world, maybe there is an area there that needs your attention.

g.  If you join us on live stream, how are you living out your calling wherever you live?

h.  Have you ever seen the movie Mr. Holland's Opus?  It follows the life of Mr. Holland, a high school band director who has grand plans for his life, and then spends most of his life teaching and directing the band at the high school. 

the movie has a poignant scene when Mr. Holland’s wife tells him that she is pregnant.  He clearly lacks excitement about the news – it will change his plan for his life, after all – and she gets upset by his lack of excitement.

To help explain why he acted that way, he tells her a story. As a teen, he had been given a John Coltrane album and listened to it only he disliked music. But assuming he was missing something that the giver had seen or heard, he listened again, and again, and again, until John Coltrane was all he wanted to hear. From that time on he knew that music was his calling.  And, when his son is born, he names him Cole.

A tribute to how he worked and worked and it changed his life.

And if you have seen the movie, you know that his changed life shaped the lives of others.

Conclusion: Reflect on how you are doing as a disciple of Christ, and for some, a member of St. Andrew

Begin to make a change.

And remember, grace abounds.