How to Deal With a Hopeful Message
Text: Acts 4:1-12
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
August 6, 2006


It has often been said that one of, if not, the greatest ministers ever produced in our country was a man named Jonathan Edwards. Edwards served as the pastor of First Church in Northampton, Massachusetts.

In 1741, in Enfield Connecticut, he preached the sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, and that one sermon was called the greatest sermon ever preached and helped launch a religioius revival in New England that spread across the colonies like wildfire.

Edward was becoming, in this ministry and career, a prolific preacher, author, and advisor to so many people. He was easily the most influential religious thinker and preacher of his era.

And, on June 22, 1750 his congregation honored him by firing him with a vote of 230-23.

Have you ever heard of Clement Attlee?

Most historians, when reflecting on the 20th Century, state that Winston Churchill was the greatest world leader, head of state, of the 20th Century. Indeed, if one looks at the plight of Great Britain during World War II, and see how Churchill rallied the nation, and built up its military might to continue fighting the war, it is incredibly easy to see why Churchill was classified the greatest world leader of the 20th Century. When a nation and a cause needed someone to step up, Churchill stepped up like no other.

Which brings us to Clement Attlee. In 1945, when the war ended, the British people rewarded Churchill’s greatness by electing Clement Attlee in a landslide election over Churchill.

Sometimes, when people do great, amazing, and hopeful things, they are rewarded, well, by punishment.

Peter and John had performed a miracle. A lame man had been healed. They announced to the world that they did this in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of Jesus Christ, and preached a message of the resurrection of Jesus, a gift of eternal life for all people. It was a profound message of hope.

And, of course, they were arrested. No good deed, it seems, goes punished. It seems that the best way to deal with a hopeful message is to kill or punish the messenger.

One cannot have too many helpful messages running around!

But I thought to myself, why is this?

First, I think is that when there is a profound message of hope, the wrong people might get hopeful.

One of the raps Christians have gotten over the years is that people often perceive it that Christians see themselves as part of an exclusive club.

A few years ago a friend of mine and I did faith journeys talks on a clergy retreat. I was raised Roman Catholic in northern New Jersey, my friend was raised Baptism in Texas. I belonged to a huge, huge church and so did he. It turned out, I was raised, in that time, that I was a part of the one true church; he was raised, at that time, as a part of the one true church.

We both grew up in different churches, in different traditions and in different regions and we were taught that we were in the one true church.

The fact that we are both United Church of Christ ministers now, indicates one of two things.

We didn’t believe we were raised in the one true church.

Or.

Both are us are hopelessly stupid.

I can assure you, my friend isn’t stupid. I’ll leave me up to you!

But, the point is this. Often we don’t like a real message of hope out there because people get too hopeful. We all are so terribly inclined to make whatever we are the ‘one true thing’ and we want to make it at least somewhat exclusive.

The thing is, the Gospel is a message of profound hope and that is God’s ultimate message. We often view the Gospel as our’s. We often view the church as our’s. We often view hope as our’s to offer or not to offer.

The thing is, the Gospel is not our’s. it’s God’s. The church is not our’s, it’s God’s. The message of hope is not our’s to offer or not to offer. It’s God’s.
Until we learn, truly, that what is God’s, is God’s, we will always attack those who bring a hopeful message.

Secondly, we like God to deal with our whims and desires, and not deal with God as God is.

I read recently that Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes, Minnesota was building a new Sanctuary, forgive me, auditorium, Sanctuary makes the church sound like a church.

They are putting theater seats in there complete with cup holders. Coffee, it seems is such a part of church culture that they decided to offer a place for people to hold their coffee cups during Worship.

21st Century Christianity has become one of the most consumer driven products ever seen.

I was thinking of some things a smart church ought to do in order to attract customers, I mean, members.

Maybe we should get head phones. This way people have a choice of which music to listen to. Dial one for traditional music, dial two for contemporary music, dial three for classical music, etc. Oh, and people can use these during the sermon as well. If you don’t like the sermon being preached live, you can listen to another sermon from another time or another preacher.

Churches can have sales! Come this Sunday and get half off your morning offering!

Perhaps we can have vendors in the aisle selling doughnuts or fresh fruit or breakfast sandwiches for those who were unable to have breakfast before coming.

And, of course, we ought to have a money back guarantee. If you were dissatisfied with Worship in any way, we’ll give you back your offering.

Churches have become very consumer driven.

And, while my list may sound preposterous, it’s only a little tiny bit out there. A lot of churches are going in this direction.

It is sometimes easier to compromise the Gospel and make church easier than it is to totally confront reality----even when that reality is a message of hope. So often the problem is that we view the Gospel, even the church, as a object or an item to serve us and meet our needs. The Gospel, as it is, is not a message there to serve us, but an invitation for us to serve God and each other. It is in service to God and one another that the true message of hope lives.

Our world has consistently had great people and messages of hope. Sadly our world consistently kicks those who bring the message.

But the message of hope always remains. God’s message of hope is a message for all; it is not our’s, but it is God’s.

It is also a reminder to us that our faith is not a faith that is there to accommodate us or even serve us. It is a faith built on serving God and one another.

So, don’t expect the coffee holders any time soon.