The Rev. Neale L. Miller

“First Things First”

Texts: Isaiah 49:7/John 1:29-42

January 13, 2008

               Have you ever been to a campaign rally for a presidential candidate? Though the campaigns haven’t ventured into our state yet during this campaign cycle, some of us maintain memories of what the presidential rally involves; in most instances a great deal of waiting. By all means wear comfortable shoes. Invariably a rally includes remarks by a number of local and state representatives of the candidate’s party, an invocation delivered by a local clergyperson, and a rousing introduction of the candidate by a key party leader. An hour can easily pass before the candidate himself is ushered into the room.

                 If you possess great patience, or if you are passionately committed to a particular candidate, the long wait to hear the principal speaker might not be a burden, however, that is not the case with many of us. If you come to a rally to hear John McCain or Barak Obama, you may have little time to give the local party chairperson or the representative of your congressional district.

               When you come expecting McCain or Obama the opening acts just won’t do.  The main event must be the main event.  The local or regional party officials are not main event material.

                Distinctions of that sort, however, are not always so clear-cut.  Here is a “for instance.”  The preacher was a charismatic and riveting speaker.  As his reputation expanded people made special efforts, traveling substantial distances, to hear what he had to say.  The man was definitely main event material; everyone who found his or her way into his presence said so.

               The preacher may well have capitalized on that popularity; there were certainly advantages to be gained if he chose to do so.  He had already attracted a loyal and dedicated group of followers who were prepared to do his bidding.  It happened, however, that this man wanted no part of the main stage, and not because he couldn’t do the job.  You see, he understood that he was but the opening act for someone much greater.

                 He put it right out there, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”  It is rare for someone to decline a main event opportunity, particularly when the people around you constantly promote you as a main event performer.  John the Baptist, however, understood that he was not the main event, but merely the opening act.

                 John was an extraordinary man.  There was no doubt that he was a prophet, the signs were too abundant to ignore.  Some even chose to go much farther than that.  Perhaps John was the long-awaited Messiah ready to re-establish the reign of King David on earth.  No doubt about it, that was an entirely reasonable conclusion to draw considering the things he was up to.  The man spoke and acted with unquestionable authority.

                There are several possible lessons that can be drawn from the life and ministry of John, but right there at the top of the list would be his challenge to keep first things first.  Where a lesser man, even a godly man, might have chosen to capitalize on opportunity waiting to be seized—nothing prevented John from opening his own shop—John declined.  He accepted the judgment of God, declaring, “he [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” Putting first things first in John’s world meant leaving the main stage to Jesus; it meant doing everything within his power to insure that the world knew Jesus was Lord, the Son of God.

                 From the very beginning when John and others began promoting Jesus as the Messiah, Savior of the world, the followers of Jesus have found it extremely difficult to keep first things first.  Other agendas have continually crowded the stage that Jesus was meant to occupy.  Using Christ’s name to validate parochial aims, the church has succumbed to numerous temptations, allegiance redirected from Christ, its founder, to the human institution bearing his name.

                 A brief history lesson.  Gathering in private homes initially, often doing so at great personal risk, the followers of Christ sought to perpetuate at all costs the gospel of our Lord.  The message was quite simple.  Jesus, crucified by the Romans at the instigation of the Jews, had risen victorious from the grave and would return any day to establish his reign on earth.  Baptizing those who heard and responded to the message, the community of the faithful gathered frequently to pray, to reflect on the Lord’s teachings, and to break bread in his name.

              As the number of adherents to Christ grew, and his return to earth was delayed, the Christians felt compelled to organize.  Meetings moved from private homes into meeting places set aside specifically for Christian worship, churches.  As churches in various locations grew it became apparent that the future of the church was a risk if something wasn’t done to forge unity between the separate faith communities.  Church councils were called, delegates representing the various churches in attendance.

                 Over the course of years these informal councils evolved into more formalized structures with a hierarchy established to bring order to the apparatus.  Seizing opportunity afforded them, various church leaders rose to command great power and authority in the church.  One such leader, the head of the Church of Rome, was elected to be the supreme head of the church itself.

                With power concentrated in Rome, the other churches in Christendom vied for the various privileges the Roman church could dispense, and there were great privileges to be awarded.  Titles, land, and money flowed to those churchmen who won the favor of the Roman hierarchy.  Unfortunately, the church was not exempt from the greed that power and privilege inspire.  With great sums of money at stake, could corruption be far behind?

                 The church, greedy to expand its empire, went to war, seized lands, and taxed the people unmercifully.  Using any method it could devise to augment its revenues; the church put clerical offices up for sale.  “You want to be a bishop?  No problem.  A generous donation would be most welcome.”

                The greatest cash cow, however, came in the form of what were called “indulgences.”  For the price of an indulgence a person was granted peace of mind.  An indulgence was a church issued insurance policy to secure freedom from punishment for sins committed.  Money talked in the church.  An indulgence certificate was a valued commodity.

                 The descent of the church into vile commerce inspired a reaction in various quarters of the church, a reaction that effectively came to a head in the sixteenth century when one of the faithful, an accomplished German scholar and dedicated churchman, made his protest known in a dramatic act.  Nailing his protest on the Wittenberg Cathedral door, Martin Luther unleashed a wave of dissent within the church, a reformation that would eventually split the church.

                 Luther, John Calvin, Helmut Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger and others believed that the church had broken away from its moorings.  First things were no longer first.  The Reformers perceived that the word of God had been superceded in favor of man’s traditions.  In their eyes no longer identifiable as the body of Christ on earth, the Reformers wanted to purge the church of all that was alien to Jesus’ teachings.  The unintended consequence of that purging was something Luther and the others could not have envisioned.  Not only did the Reformer’s efforts to purge the church of its impurities lead to the eventual creation of another church, but through their actions the seed of denominationalism was ultimately sown.

                   It was not the intent of Luther and the other reformers to found a second church.  Rather, their ambition was to purge the church of policies and practices that were inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.  Their ambition was to put first things first.  In so doing Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Helmut Zwingli and the others carved out very distinct niches within the church.  Their individual legacies turned out to be so formidable that various Lutheran, Presbyterian and other Reformed denominations continue to perpetuate the theological traditions those men established centuries ago.

                Denominationalism would have been a foreign concept to the Reformers, for they had intended to release the church from the “Babylonian Captivity,” quote Luther, in which it was held.  Yet as blighted as it might be, the Reformers did not view the church as a “tear down,” but something that could be rehabilitated.  You see, the Reformers had no desire to perpetuate their personal legacies, to win theological points, or earn special acknowledgment in the annals of Christendom.  The Reformers viewed themselves as Christians first.

                First things first.  Not Presbyterian, but Christian first.  This church was not chartered in 1911 to perpetuate Presbyterianism, but to perpetuate the reign of Christ.  There is no effort made here to insure that the doctrine being taught accords with the teaching of John Calvin, the titular head of the Presbyterian Church.  The Bible, not Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” his major work, is the authority under which we gather.  Our aim here is not to build Presbyterian community, but Christian community.  Not one of the questions addressed to the leaders of this church, your pastors and elders, at the time of his or her ordination requested that the ordinated pledge allegiance to the Presbyterian Church.  Ordination is conferred on those judged to lead exemplary Christian lives, not exemplary Presbyterian lives.

                   The Presbyterian Church USA summarizes its mission in a statement called “The Great Ends of the Church.”  Those great ends are, quote, “the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.”  Note please that the statement makes no mention of undertaking those “great ends” as Presbyterians, nor are those ends cited as an agenda exclusive to Presbyterians.

                     Christians first, so why add the qualifier Presbyterian at all?  We do that to acknowledge that we Presbyterians are historically rooted in a specific biblical and theological tradition.  We acknowledge that we are Presbyterians to identify the particular polity, or governing structure, by which we order our collective life.  We communicate our worship preferences to the world as Presbyterians.  The origins of this worship service in which we participate today, can, with rather insignificant modifications, be traced all the way back to the sixteenth century.

While we have our own history and maintain certain traditions and practices that distinguish us from the Methodist church across the street, the Baptist, or the Episcopal Church up the street, we are Christian first.

                  Christian first.  No denomination can presume to know the mind of Christ on all matters.  If such claims are ever made in the name of the Presbyterian Church or any other denomination, people of conscience must protest, even withdraw from those churches.

                  Credit John the Baptist with putting first things first. “After me comes one who ranks before me.”  John may have succumbed to temptation and sought to carve out a niche for himself as a rival to Jesus. He had followers who would have gladly engaged in that effort. John, however, knew his role and faithfully executed it.

                   The church thrives where people know their roles and are committed to executing them. For members of the Presbyterian faith community that means striving to meet the challenges presented in “The Great Ends of the Church,” which in effect means, living the values that Jesus taught, and encouraging and equipping the people beyond these doors to do the same. 

                  First things for us personally means acknowledging we are children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, baptized to make his gospel visible throughout the world. AMEN.   

              PRAYER

              Gracious God, even as we gather for worship this morning we confess that first things are not always first.  We are so thoroughly occupied by other agendas that we forget that our first obligation is to honor you.  We confess, O God, that our progress in faith is stalled because we esteem other things more than you.  We say we are committed to a relationship with you, but we want that relationship to be on our terms, and to accommodate our schedule.  Have mercy on us, Lord.  Reveal how we might shake ourselves free of old habits and amend our lives after Christ’s example.

              O Christ, we thank you for all the faithful who day by day demonstrate their obedience to you.  With gratitude we acknowledge sacrifices made, consolation offered, hope restored in your name. May your Spirit, O Christ, continue to inspire us to think beyond ourselves, to extend ourselves even farther on our neighbor’s behalf. Help us to recognize your presence in all the people we meet, to accord all people the respect they deserve as your sons and daughters.

              Bless this fellowship, O God.  A legacy of ministry lies behind us.  Grant us wisdom to build on that legacy in the right way.  May all that we do be consistent with your holy purposes.  Inspire the leaders of our church with vision, and the persistence to work in fulfilling it.  Abide with each person who shares his or her time, talents, and money with this ministry, that in return for efforts made, money committed, each person may claim the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts fulfill a just and holy purpose.

              We pray for the church in Africa where hostility to the gospel has resulted in the martyrdom of pastors and church workers. We thank you for the faithful throughout that continent who, with extremely limited resources, are establishing seminaries and teaching posts to equip pastors and church leaders. We thank you for evangelists on that continent who carry the message of hope to their neighbors.  Abide with the church in Kenya whose efforts are directed in bringing consolation to those victimized in riots following that nation’s recent elections. Continue, O God, to sustain those who labor in the mission field, particularly the Shroeders in Bangladesh and the Streshleys in Cameroon.  

              Even as we long for the era of lasting peace to dawn, we live out our days victimized by the nemesis of war.  Though many of believe that the peace we desire shall never come, we know, O God, that the death dealing forces that oppose you shall never ultimately prevail.  We pray for those who are committed to peace, who are striving today to address the root causes that prompt men to take up arms against each other.

              O Christ, hear our prayers for those who have special needs today and grant that faith and courage to meet the challenges they face.  We pray for Shane, Pam, Rudy, Mary Ann, Joyce, Gary, Wayne.  We pray for Evan and Lisa and their family that they might find strength in their trials.  We thank you for Bobby and the new path on which he has embarked. We continue to pray for Joyce Guillot in her convalescence. 

              As the day of our rededication service approaches, we pray that your Spirit, O God, will disclose new visions for ministry to our church.  May the rededication of our buildings be matched by a rededication of our lives to the high calling that became ours in baptism.

               O Christ, anointed in baptism with the power and authority of God himself, grant that in all we do may be transparent to your light.  Embolden us to live as you lived, and to pray as you prayed.  Our Father,