By Nicole Cox
Associate Pastor, Springfield First UMC
Good morning Bishop and members of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference! What a wonderful honor to be with you all today! I am humbled, overjoyed, and a little nervous to have been asked to share with you.
For centuries, at least in my imagination, pastors have been using their children as illustrations for their sermons. And this morning shall be no different. Thankfully, my children are still young enough that they don’t get annoyed when I use them as sermon fodder, so I have to capitalize on it while I can, right?
My son, Corbin, is 3 ½ and just a couple of days ago, he was trying to put together a toy and he couldn’t quite get it to connect. He tried and tried and eventually had a break down and screamed “Mama! I can’t do it! It won’t stay togever!”
I feel like this is the perfect illustration for the situation in which our church currently finds itself. There has been so much discussion over our church splitting and it has been quite disheartening. I cannot even count the number of blog posts, Twitter conversations, Facebook threads, etc., that I have seen discussing what the future holds for The United Methodist Church. I mean has the word schism ever been used as much as it has been the past few years to talk about the state of our beloved church? And I wonder, will we be able to keep it togever?
I was born and raised in The United Methodist Church. I attended a United Methodist college and a United Methodist seminary. My life, like many of yours, is deeply rooted in our church. Discussions of schism break my heart and I long for a solution that will keep us together. It seems to me that we have forgotten that we are UNITED Methodists.
The apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of seeing ourselves as united. He reminds us that we are to work together as one. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and 24b-27, he says the following:
Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.13 We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.
Then he ends with these beautiful words:
But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor 25 so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. 27 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.
We know this passage right? We’ve heard it a million times. We’ve preached and listened to sermons on it. We’ve taught Bible studies about it. It is engrained in our minds. We are the body of Christ. And we work best when we work together. And we, my friends, have a lot of work to do….together.
Jesus Christ has given us a mission, our mission...which I know you all know – let’s say it together – “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This is what Jesus has entrusted to us. This is what Jesus has charged us to do. We are to change the world by making disciples in his name. We are to share his love and grace. We are to reach out to the homeless, the hopeless, the lost, the broken, the outcasts, those whom society has pushed aside and forgotten. We are to love them as Christ has loved us – unconditionally and without boundaries.
It’s hard to focus on such a mission when we spend time and energy bickering over our differing views. We’ve allowed arguing over liberal vs. conservative values to take the forefront of our discussions. We’ve allowed ourselves to be distracted by ideologies, policies, and bureaucracies. And I think it must pain Jesus when we allow these distractions to keep us from our mission. We should not be tolerating ideas of schism. Instead, we should work together as the body of Christ and rally around our shared mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of this dark, broken, lonely world.
When we engage in causes of social justice, when we seek to bring a balance of good to the evil of the world, when we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves; that is when lives are changed, when disciples are made, and when the world is transformed in the name of Jesus Christ.
But if we want to tackle issues of social justice, we must work together. For, together we are greater than the sum of our parts. Together we have greater potential to complete the mission God has set before us. And there are so many wonderful examples of this happening in our denomination….too many to count!
A big example that comes to mind is UMCOR. For 75 years, the United Methodist Committee On Relief has been focused on alleviating human suffering around the globe. They do not focus on political beliefs or religious differences. They are simply laser focused on our mission. They are out changing the world in the name of Jesus Christ in over 80 countries around the world. They are bringing aid to those who don’t have the basic necessities to live. They are mourning with families who have lost loved ones. They are helping lives to be put back together. This organization is an amazing testament to the heart of United Methodists!
Then there is Imagine No Malaria, a United Methodist initiative dedicated to eradicating malaria from the earth. To date, United Methodists have raised over 65 million dollars of our 75 million dollar goal. That is 88 percent of funding raised! And since 2007, the number of malaria related fatalities has decreased by almost half! How amazing! One of the most astounding parts of Imagine No Malaria is that the vast majority of donations have come in the form of small donations. That means people like you and me have funded the majority of the over 65 million dollars that has been raised. Talk about the Body of Christ at work! God is at work in us, friends!
We are the body of Christ. God is using all of us to change the world together. We can try to do it on our own, but we won’t be nearly as effective. For that woman in Nepal receiving help from UMCOR or the little boy in Liberia who no longer fears malaria - our unity is a necessity. For them, our unity is a life or death situation. We must unite and become the church that God desires us to be – and that is a church that is in the world doing good – by sharing the gospel and serving others.
Are we always going to agree on the best method to make our mission happen? Of course not. I mean what other denomination do you know of that has both George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton as members? Or Beyonce and Rush Limbaugh? We are a diverse church! And that means we hold varying views. But, that’s okay. Because different ideas, different approaches will reach different people and more lives will be changed as a result. Since when do we have to agree completely with one another before we can work on the same mission? Let our agreement be on the love of Jesus Christ. Let our agreement be on the grace of God Almighty.
As we continue on in our Annual Conference journey, as we explore the importance of the healing circle; of repentance, forgiveness, love, grace, healing, and unity, may we remember that it starts with knowing that strength can be found in differences, that our church is fortified by variety of thoughts and beliefs. We are one body with many parts, seeking to serve God through our differences, united behind our shared mission.
May God be with us as we engage in holy conferencing. May God show us new ways to keep the “united” in United Methodist. May he open our minds that we might be more accepting our differing opinions. May he open our hearts that we would be moved to compassion for the least and the lost. And may he open our ears that we might hear his still, small voice giving us guidance and direction. God be with us as we seek to right the wrongs of this world, to bring justice to the outcasts, to love to the unloved, and to inspire hope for the hopeless. Amen.By Nicole Cox
Associate Pastor, Springfield First UMC
Good morning Bishop and members of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference! What a wonderful honor to be with you all today! I am humbled, overjoyed, and a little nervous to have been asked to share with you.
For centuries, at least in my imagination, pastors have been using their children as illustrations for their sermons. And this morning shall be no different. Thankfully, my children are still young enough that they don’t get annoyed when I use them as sermon fodder, so I have to capitalize on it while I can, right?
My son, Corbin, is 3 ½ and just a couple of days ago, he was trying to put together a toy and he couldn’t quite get it to connect. He tried and tried and eventually had a break down and screamed “Mama! I can’t do it! It won’t stay togever!”
I feel like this is the perfect illustration for the situation in which our church currently finds itself. There has been so much discussion over our church splitting and it has been quite disheartening. I cannot even count the number of blog posts, Twitter conversations, Facebook threads, etc., that I have seen discussing what the future holds for The United Methodist Church. I mean has the word schism ever been used as much as it has been the past few years to talk about the state of our beloved church? And I wonder, will we be able to keep it togever?
I was born and raised in The United Methodist Church. I attended a United Methodist college and a United Methodist seminary. My life, like many of yours, is deeply rooted in our church. Discussions of schism break my heart and I long for a solution that will keep us together. It seems to me that we have forgotten that we are UNITED Methodists.
The apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of seeing ourselves as united. He reminds us that we are to work together as one. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and 24b-27, he says the following:
Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.13 We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.
Then he ends with these beautiful words:
But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor 25 so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. 27 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.
We know this passage right? We’ve heard it a million times. We’ve preached and listened to sermons on it. We’ve taught Bible studies about it. It is engrained in our minds. We are the body of Christ. And we work best when we work together. And we, my friends, have a lot of work to do….together.
Jesus Christ has given us a mission, our mission...which I know you all know – let’s say it together – “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This is what Jesus has entrusted to us. This is what Jesus has charged us to do. We are to change the world by making disciples in his name. We are to share his love and grace. We are to reach out to the homeless, the hopeless, the lost, the broken, the outcasts, those whom society has pushed aside and forgotten. We are to love them as Christ has loved us – unconditionally and without boundaries.
It’s hard to focus on such a mission when we spend time and energy bickering over our differing views. We’ve allowed arguing over liberal vs. conservative values to take the forefront of our discussions. We’ve allowed ourselves to be distracted by ideologies, policies, and bureaucracies. And I think it must pain Jesus when we allow these distractions to keep us from our mission. We should not be tolerating ideas of schism. Instead, we should work together as the body of Christ and rally around our shared mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of this dark, broken, lonely world.
When we engage in causes of social justice, when we seek to bring a balance of good to the evil of the world, when we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves; that is when lives are changed, when disciples are made, and when the world is transformed in the name of Jesus Christ.
But if we want to tackle issues of social justice, we must work together. For, together we are greater than the sum of our parts. Together we have greater potential to complete the mission God has set before us. And there are so many wonderful examples of this happening in our denomination….too many to count!
A big example that comes to mind is UMCOR. For 75 years, the United Methodist Committee On Relief has been focused on alleviating human suffering around the globe. They do not focus on political beliefs or religious differences. They are simply laser focused on our mission. They are out changing the world in the name of Jesus Christ in over 80 countries around the world. They are bringing aid to those who don’t have the basic necessities to live. They are mourning with families who have lost loved ones. They are helping lives to be put back together. This organization is an amazing testament to the heart of United Methodists!
Then there is Imagine No Malaria, a United Methodist initiative dedicated to eradicating malaria from the earth. To date, United Methodists have raised over 65 million dollars of our 75 million dollar goal. That is 88 percent of funding raised! And since 2007, the number of malaria related fatalities has decreased by almost half! How amazing! One of the most astounding parts of Imagine No Malaria is that the vast majority of donations have come in the form of small donations. That means people like you and me have funded the majority of the over 65 million dollars that has been raised. Talk about the Body of Christ at work! God is at work in us, friends!
We are the body of Christ. God is using all of us to change the world together. We can try to do it on our own, but we won’t be nearly as effective. For that woman in Nepal receiving help from UMCOR or the little boy in Liberia who no longer fears malaria - our unity is a necessity. For them, our unity is a life or death situation. We must unite and become the church that God desires us to be – and that is a church that is in the world doing good – by sharing the gospel and serving others.
Are we always going to agree on the best method to make our mission happen? Of course not. I mean what other denomination do you know of that has both George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton as members? Or Beyonce and Rush Limbaugh? We are a diverse church! And that means we hold varying views. But, that’s okay. Because different ideas, different approaches will reach different people and more lives will be changed as a result. Since when do we have to agree completely with one another before we can work on the same mission? Let our agreement be on the love of Jesus Christ. Let our agreement be on the grace of God Almighty.
As we continue on in our Annual Conference journey, as we explore the importance of the healing circle; of repentance, forgiveness, love, grace, healing, and unity, may we remember that it starts with knowing that strength can be found in differences, that our church is fortified by variety of thoughts and beliefs. We are one body with many parts, seeking to serve God through our differences, united behind our shared mission.
May God be with us as we engage in holy conferencing. May God show us new ways to keep the “united” in United Methodist. May he open our minds that we might be more accepting our differing opinions. May he open our hearts that we would be moved to compassion for the least and the lost. And may he open our ears that we might hear his still, small voice giving us guidance and direction. God be with us as we seek to right the wrongs of this world, to bring justice to the outcasts, to love to the unloved, and to inspire hope for the hopeless. Amen.