Vision

Webster wrote that an anniversary is “a stated day returning with the revolution of the year.” He noted that it is applied to the day on which a remarkable event is celebrated or the day on which an interesting event is commemorated by solemnities of religion or exhibitions of respect.

That is exactly what Jesus and his disciples were doing in the upper room as the Passover began. For some 1,500 years the Jewish people had gathered in their homes around their dining tables on a particular day of each year to celebrate the remarkable event that occurred with their miraculous release from Egyptian bondage. They had commemorated it with solemnities rehearsed in a rich liturgy and a meal full of metaphor, where each item on the plate represented part of the unfolding story.

The roasted lamb, slain so that its blood could be painted on the doorposts. The bitter herbs and salty water for hardship and tears. And of course, bread and wine, staples of Jewish life. These all meant something. They were part of the liturgy itself. And they all pointed to something beyond, a vision for a better life.

Luke tells us Jesus and his disciples entered the upper room to begin the liturgy at the appointed time. But Jesus cast a new vision as he began. “I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God,” he said.

He took bread and passed it according to the liturgy, but added, “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then he passed the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant of my blood, which is shed for you.”

With that Jesus did more than give us a sacrament. He took commemorations of anniversary, and instead of looking to the past he gave vision for the future in a new kingdom. Bread and wine became a vision of something new, that we are released by the sacrifice of his body and blood that we may pass into his kingdom.

Today we commemorate 130 years of ministry at Calera First. It is important to see the photographs of people through the years, to ring the old bell, and to remember the places of worship that have housed our congregation during this time.

More recently it is significant to note the extreme makeover this congregation made a few years ago when you sold the old church and built here with a vision to move into a new century equipped to meet new challenges. What has been done here is nothing short of impossible but for the grace of God.

Now we come to this time with a glance at the past, where the church was founded in the 19th century, and then re-founded in the 21st. But we come here today to think about vision to move forward.

Vision refers not only to physical sight. It is the capacity to see into the unseen, particularly as it relates to God’s kingdom. Vision is the basis of faith, which works to bring vision into present reality. When we don’t have vision, Proverbs warns, we fall apart. It is important to write down and make plain, so that it can be understood on the go.

So what exactly are we looking for? As I have been here these four, almost five, months, I have been asking God about the vision for this church. And people have been asking me. We sense a shift in the wind, and that a course adjustment is taking place, but we have been unsure where.

First, let me underscore that I am firmly committed to the truth that the church is the embassy of the kingdom of God. The unseen kingdom should become visible in us, and we should represent the kingdom. Our primary emphasis here is to resemble as much as we can God’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Our emphasis here is to spread that into the community around us, not take in its culture. Everything we do must be measured against that. Everything.

Jesus spoke of that in terms of a city on a hill which cannot be hidden. As he said that the disciples looked over his shoulders to a prominent city on the bluffs above the Sea of Galilee. At night its lights shone across the entire lake. Isaiah spoke of “the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; a people called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.” It is a place so visible and attractive people seek it out.

Secondly, let me declare that the mission of this embassy is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Committed Christ-followers. People completely, absolutely, sold out to Jesus. People whose baptismal covenant truly means death to self and life to Christ, not an emotional response to an emotional event. It means all-Jesus-all-the-time. Everything we do must aim at moving us from casual acquaintance with Jesus to full-bore, Christ-like believers bearing the image of God broken when we made consumer choices with eternal consequences.

We are developing a system of Christ-centered discipleship that will include God-honoring worship, a network of small-groups that challenge and equip us to grow in faith and maturity, and a means of flowing into the community with the love of Jesus and the reality of God’s kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our children will be well schooled in the content of Scripture, essentials of the faith, and the traditions of the church. Our adults will be well trained in the skills needed to be productive and effective leaders in our world.

Thirdly, let me proclaim that our message is the good news of Jesus Christ made available for all to hear and understand. That message of good news is easy enough to understand that a small child could learn it and recite it.

The good news is simply this: God created us in his image and likeness, and gave us the power of choice. But we made the wrong choice and entered bondage. Jesus came to live the image and likeness of Christ, and chose to pay for our sin. By grace through faith the Holy Spirit restores us to the image and likeness of God, and we are empowered to live in the freedom to be Christ-followers. God created. Jesus redeemed. Holy Spirit restores. We must be able to tell this.

Not only is the good news told, but it is lived. We live it out in holiness. We live it out in service. Mission priorities like No Child in Need will continue, but they help us clarify where mission work will be done first.

The good news must be lived and taught in the world. In Calera and beyond. We need to get out of our four walls and go where people are. I am proposing opening a coffee shop in Calera for a hang-out for the community. Here we can interface the community where it lives.

Everyone here is a minister of the Gospel. John David Crowe was right on last week when he asked that two-fold question: How many are followers of Jesus? How many are in ministry? Followers of Christ are ministers of Christ.

We have come to this anniversary today to remember the accomplishments of the past so we can be inspired to move into the future with vision and purpose to be what Jesus wants us to be in Calera. The embassy of his kingdom.

In the next five years I believe God wants us to build this embassy that fully represents his kingdom, makes committed disciples, and witnesses good news through word and sign. Envision with me a church that does that.