Beyond the Ordinary: Between Carmel and Caesarea

09/22/07

Scripture:

Last Sunday at the close of the service I stood before the congregation and spoke the words of benediction.  Those words pointed us toward this Sunday.  A ship afloat in the harbor is a beautiful sight.  However, ships were not meant to stay in the harbor. 

            The church (local congregations) is often depicted as a ship or ark.  Recently I heard a gospel song that draws a picture of this concept.  Some of the words are Build an ark and head for the open waters.  Build an ark to save our sons and daughters.  The explicit idea is that the world is so bad that we Christians need to get into the church and head out to open seas where we can be safe from all the worlds influence. 

            Today’s Scripture stands in sharp contrast to that view.  The early followers of Christ struggled with the internal vs. external tensions of their faith.  Dr. Jack Haberer, Senior Pastor to the Clear Lake Presbyterian Church in Clear Lake, Texas, has written a book titled GodViews.  In the introductory chapter he tells the following story.  {relate story}

            Just as Peter and the first followers of Christ debated the issue of church expression, so do we.  We struggle with the tensions between Carmel (the internalization of faith venture) and Caesarea (the externalization of faith venture).  Last week we looked at six of the ten dynamics that provide the environment for a church to go beyond the ordinary.  We noted the six dynamics that are more internal in the life of the church.  Today we look at the four external dynamics that bring balance to the ministry of the church. 

            I recall my first visit to Orange, Texas.  It was in the late 1960’s.  I preached at a church on that Sunday morning, then went to one of the member’s home for lunch.  He drove me along a stretch of road that allowed me to see a fair number of ships, Naval ships, World War II vintage.  The gentleman told me that those ships were a part of the mothball fleet.  As the road allowed us to drive closer to the ships I could see signs of rust and deterioration on the ships.  This once proud body of ships was now safe in the harbor. 

            The question before us this morning is What are the strengths of our church that serve Christ best only when we get out of the harbor?

I.        Overcoming Membership Anemia

II.      “My life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can,”  (George Bernard Shaw)

III.    Mapping the trail for others.

IV.   What do the St. Anthony High School of Jersey City, New Jersey basketball team and a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding have in common?

Conclusion:  Research authors Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce writ at the conclusion of their work Beyond The Ordinary that Congregational life is not simple. 

Sermon Multimedia:

• Between Carme and Caesarea

  You do not have the Flash plugin installed, or your browser does not support Javascript. Both are required to view this Flash movie.