Connections Community Church
by George J. Saylor
What I've Done, by Linkin Park
In this farewellWhen we listen to the lyrics of our culture we find all the stuff we talk about here in a church. People asking questions, looking for answers. We hear people crying out for forgiveness, asking for mercy, for a new beginning. We hear the songs of the broken, and the longing for hope. Everyone’s broken, sings Boni Jovi, Everybody hurts…sometimes, sings REM, What I’ve done sings Lincoln Park. Everyone needs healing.
There's no blood
There's no alibi
'Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies
So let mercy come
And wash away...
What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty
So let mercy come
And wash away...
What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
For What I've done
I'll start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
What I've done
The bible is full of stories of great healing: from the Old Testament, to Jesus, to the birth of the church. God worked miracles in people’s lives. Jesus had a period in his ministry where he was literally like a superstar because of the miracles he performed- healing the sick and the lame, giving sight to the blind, casting our demons, raising the dead. The church saw miracles happen when people prayed in Jesus’ name and would lay hands on people. And the church today sees this happen. Healing is a part of the Christian life and experience. We have faith in a God that we believe still does miracles, still heals today. This might be the weirdest thing you’ve every heard. You already ready to write this off and walk away. And you know what- it is kinda weird, it’s kind of out of our control, and it’s kind of wonderful too.
In my former church we had a Wednesday noon communion and healing prayer service. We would read the bible, break bread together, then pray for the sick. We’d lay on hands and ask for miracles in Jesus’ name. Sometimes they happened. One man had a brain tumor almost the size of a baseball. The survival rate for his tumor after 5 years is 3 percent. Nearly five years later he is still on my list of prayer partners. Is it possible that God had nothing to do with it? Lot’s of stuff is possible. I really don’t see it that way. But to be honest, most of the time we didn’t get the answer we asked for. Cancer spread, people died. But that didn’t seem to deter or discourage our group.
What I want to get into today is a different kind of healing. Cultivating a healing culture that deals not just with the outward stuff, the stuff we know we should pray about- cancer, surgeries, etc, but the inward stuff. A culture of healing the brokenness in people’s lives.
Have you ever heard the expression,
The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.I think the pastor of the church I grew up in must have said that every Sunday. But if the church was in fact a hospital for sinners, we were just a bunch of doctors and nurses waiting around, because few patients ever admitted themselves. For some reason this culture developed where everyone was walking around dressed in a white coat, a stethoscope around their neck and a clip board in hand. Oh wait, I mean they had on their Sunday best, a cross necklace and a bible in hand. Everyone else was sick, but not us.
Rarely would the culture be created to deal with people’s personal brokenness, addiction and pain. Pray for me, I’m off the wagon. Pray for me, I’m one step away from an affair. Pray for me, I’m in debt over my head and still sinking. Jesus demonstrated something different- Jesus helped people deal primarily with the inward stuff- the pain, the brokenness, the sin. Sometimes outward stuff happened too.
In Matthew 9:1-8 some men brought a paralytic to Jesus, and Jesus says, “Take heart son, your sins are forgiven.” What a let down? It was like watching Brittney Spears at the Grammy’s this year; it was like watching the Leaf’s play hockey- I knew I’d get you on that one! The crowd was like, OK, get ready for it, and…you’re forgiven! Do’h. That’s not what we wanted! The crowd wanted to see a miracle. And the religious types were incensed- who is this Jesus to just say your sins are forgiven?
Jesus knew exactly what was going on- what’s easier to say- your sins are forgiven, or get up and walk. One is easy to say, because nothing visible, nothing spectacular is going to happen. Another is spectacular to see, it does change a life, and it also pleases a crowd. So then, since you folks want a show, and since this man genuinely has a need- get up, take your mat, go home. And the man does it. The crowd goes wild, they got their show, and they were amazed- yeah Jesus, he’s our man, if he can’t do it no one can!
Then Jesus moves on. He sees a man named Matthew, who would later write this book we’re reading from, who was a tax collector. Jesus says follow me, and he does it. If you were here two services ago, when we talked about acceptance, you can read into this the radical, amazing, life changing acceptance of Jesus- calling this man, saying he is worthy to follow Jesus, the rabbi. Saying in effect, you will be the kind of man I am, you will do the kinds of things I do.
They go to Matthew’s house and have a party where all the sinners and tax-collectors join in. The religious types are all riled up about Jesus hanging out with the wrong types. It’s like they are saying Jesus, do you really believe this business that the church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners? And he says yep. He says hey, let me tell you what should be obvious to anyone-
It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13).
Jesus came not to the righteous, but sinners. Not for healthy folks, but to the sick. That’s just great for them isn’t it, because you know, if you’re like me, you’re not really sick, right? You’re not really a sinner, right? We’re all righteous folks here. We all have our life together. We all have everything ordered and under control. Hey, we’re all in church!
It’s not like you ever lied to your parents, or to your spouse, or to your kids, or to your boss? No, only sick people do that. You never cheated on a test in school? You never stole anything as a kid, or as an adult, or on your tax return, right? Only sick people do that. You never lost your temper with your kids or your spouse? You never took out the stress of your day on the people who love you the most, have you? Only sick people do that. You never had an affair right, you never found yourself breaking the one promise you swore to never break or forsake, because all of us should be able to keep at least one promise that we make in this life. Only sick people do that, not us. You never looked a pornographic website, did you? You’d never objectify another woman, or a man? Only sick people would do that. You never did something you really regret, never made a really big mistake that kind of haunts you now, every day of your life? A regret that makes you feel shame down to the very core of your being? You never worry about the future, or wonder why you feel so bad about yourself, or struggle with an addiction or an eating disorder. Only sick people are dealing with those kinds of things. Right?
You know, if you’re sitting there saying “Yeah George, I’m right there with ya, I’ve never done anything like that, and I wouldn’t want to associate with anyone like that!” Then you really have no concept of sarcasm, and second, this really isn’t going to be the kind of church where you’ll feel connected.
Because the culture we are creating here isn’t going to be a church where all us self-righteous people get together and pat ourselves on the back and look down our noses at all those sinners and misfits and mistakes. No. We are going to be a church where all of us mistakes and misfits and sinners get down on our knees and look up to God and pray, “I’m sick, and I need help. I’m a sinner, and I need mercy. I’m broken, and I need to be healed.” And if that means you’re going to heal my on the outside, or heal the phsysical brokenness in my life, that’s awesome, that’s great God. But that’s not what I’m asking for today. Today, I’m asking for you to fix me on the inside. heal what’s really broken, heal my spirit God, heal my soul.
Many churches set themselves up to create the wrong culture of healing. From the beginning they set up two sorts of programs- one program for people with problems- AA groups, recovery groups, support groups. And another program for the normal people. And all us normal people are going to sing Kumba Ya, we’re going to tell of all the great things we’re doing and how perfect our lives are, then we’ll say a prayer and get together again next week. Then churches wonder why the groups for people with problems thrive, and the groups for the normal people struggle.
We’re going to have one kind of program here- one for us normal people who are really messed up people with problems and who are powerless over them and who are ready to trust God, to accept one another, to admit the truth of their situation in life, and who are ready to go to God and other people to find healing. Do you want to be a part of a church like that? Do you want to be in a group like that?
Can we take the first step of recovery right now? Can we just use the words of Jesus. (You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready, it really is OK, because this first step is HUGE, I mean it might be the biggest step in our life.) Can we just say, “I’m sick; I need a doctor; Jesus help me.” Can you say that- I’m sick. I need a doctor. Jesus help me. If you can say those words you taken the first three steps of recover: you are powerless of your situation in life; you need a help from the outside; you will turn your life and will over to the help of God as you understand God.
Now take two of these and call me in the morning! Hey, is that liberating? Is that freeing? Is that healing? To admit we can’t heal ourselves, we can’t save ourselves?
I was asked to conduct a funeral yesterday. It was a strange set of God circumstances that lead to a call to me. I got a call and was getting some basic information- the church where she’s a member is without a pastor, the first guy they asked hurt his back, so he asked me. He told me it was for a stillborn baby. I immediately felt over my head, so I said I know a minister who older, wiser and has lost a child himself- he would be better than me for this. So we called Dan and he agreed. But I couldn’t stop thinking about this woman. I called Dan that evening and said hey, if anything comes up, anything, just call and I’ll help out. So Friday morning I get the call- Dan woke up with the flu, so they went to the third string- me. (How’s that to make you feel really good about yourself). I’m not making this up- then he gave me the address- the woman lives three houses over from me- I stood their on the phone looking over at her house.
Margaret* immigrated here from Uganda 8 years ago. She has two beautiful children, Sharon and Wilson. She was only 23 weeks along in her pregnancy, but hadn’t been feeling well. She tried to go to work at St. Joe’s hospital, but found herself unable to manage. With the help of a friend and her husband, she eventually got to an emergency room. She ended up delivering at just before midnight. Orion Murry lived nearly five hours before passing away. 23 weeks old, and he still fought to live.
Where were you when you got the bad news? Where were you when your life changed forever? You were at work, you were on vacation, you were spending a quiet evening at home, and then it happened. Where were you when you got the phone call? Where were you when you found out you had cancer? Where were you when your spouse said they had found someone else, they were leaving? Where were you before you lost your job? Before you lost your health? Before you lost you child? Where were you when the world as you knew came crashing down and life has never been the same? And if it hasn’t come crashing down, if everything is just fine, that’s great. Praise God…but it’s coming. It’s coming, because in this world we will have trouble, we will have heartache, we will have pain, we will be broken.
But this is what I want to leave you with today- no pain is too much for God’s grace. The Apostle Paul learned to live with brokenness. He had a thorn in his side it says in 2 Corinthians. Three times he prayed for the thorn to be taken away, “Lord take this thorn away.” And God’s answer came back a resounding “No. No Paul, I’m not going to take the thorn away, and you will learn that my grace is sufficient for you.
My grace is sufficient for all your needs.
You’ve said that prayer. You’ve called out to God in your hour of need. Maybe it was a last ditch effort, a prayer of desperation crying out: “Lord heal my wound. And God answers, “No, I’m not going to heal you wound in the way that you think it needs to be healed, and then, only then, you will begin to learn that my grace is sufficient for all of your needs. Go ahead, fill in the blank of your wound, name your pain, name your need that is causing you to cry out to God. God, save my marriage, save my wife, save my husband, save my child, save my job, save me from this cancer. And God says, “I’m not going to save you marriage, I’m not going to save your spouse. I’m not going to save your child. I’m not going to save your job. But you will learn, my grace is sufficient for your loneliness, for your brokenness, for all your needs. My grace is sufficient.
“My child, I want you to know that my grace is sufficient. My grace is sufficient for the mother who holds her child’s lifeless body. My grace is sufficient for the child left an AIDS orphan. My grace is sufficient for the widower, my grace is sufficient for the man left to raise his kids alone. My grace is sufficient to help in your darkest night. My grace is sufficient for you, and all my children. My grace is sufficient."
(Amazing Grace, By John Newton)
* Margaret gave permission for her story to be told.
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