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The Threshold is a profound image. We walk through dozens of these
everyday, and yet there remains something powerful about this object.
Since I have been in College Station thousands of young people have
walked through the threshold into Reed Arena as undergraduates and
walked out of that same threshold as college graduates. Just
yesterday two young women walked through this sanctuary threshold as
brides and walked out of it as wives, each given a different name. On
May 28, 1970 I walked into a church one person, and walked out of the
same threshold changed by the power of Christ’s grace. I invite you
to think of some of the thresholds in your life that have proven to be
quite powerful.
Moses understood the power of the Threshold moment. Most of
Deuteronomy was set at the threshold into the land of Canaan.
However, before they crossed that threshold, Moses wanted them to be
aware that they would be changed. It was a powerful moment. Listen
to how he framed this moment in Deuteronomy 4:32-40. Hear now the
Word of the Lord:
32For ask now about former ages, long before your own,
ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask
from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this
ever happened or has its like ever been heard of? 33Has any
people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you
have heard, and lived? 34Or has any god ever attempted to
go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by
trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the
Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your
very eyes? 35To you it was shown so that you would
acknowledge that the Lord is God; there is no
other besides him. 36From heaven he made you hear his voice
to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, while you
heard his words coming out of the fire. 37And because he
loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them. He
brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power,
38driving out before you nations greater and mightier than
yourselves, to bring you in, giving you their land for a possession,
as it is still today. 39So acknowledge today and take to
heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and
on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40Keep his
statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for
your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that
you may long remain in the land that the Lord
your God is giving you for all time.
In this passage Moses reminded his hearers of all that
God had done and all that God would do if they walked faithfully with
God. Let us pray.
We, too, stand at a threshold today. I am not sure
that the Promised Land stands on the other side of the new year, but I
am aware of the power of the Threshold that is before us. This is an
opportunity for us to remember our deliverance, our direction, and our
destiny. I encourage you to take a 3-D look at this threshold
of time before crossing it.
At this Threshold of Time we remember our Deliverance
Moses was insistent that the Israelites reflect on what
had happened to them and the uniqueness of it. God had rescued them
in a Rambo-like fashion. He had gone into enemy territory where they
had been held for generations as slaves and delivered them. The Lord
God himself had delivered the people of Israel from Egypt with some
amazing displays of power and miracles. As they were preparing to go
through the threshold that would make them a nation, they must never
forget the One who delivered them.
This year has been a different year for our church. Every member that
has joined A&M UMC this year has met with Laurinda or me prior to
joining. This has given us the chance to hear individual’s faith
stories and to outline the vision of this church. It has also given
us the chance to talk about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I
cannot remember a time in my ministry when these questions of faith
have meant more to me than they have this year. I ask parents of
children who are about to be baptized as well as persons who are
preparing to profess their faith publicly for the first time, “Do you
confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his
grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord?” Then I ask them what
that word, “savior” means to them. There are all kinds of responses,
but the one I resonate with most in my life is that Christ saves me
from myself. He delivers me from self-absorption and apathy that are
always at the ready to take us over. I wish you could have seen
Becca’s face during her baptism. I wish you could have seen
Samantha’s face when the waters of baptism washed over her son’s face,
then over hers, then the hand that had baptized them both reminded
Jacob of his baptism. I have pictures of Amanda’s baptism posted on
my Facebook page, it was such a huge day for her, for me, and for this
church.
We have a Deliverer. Our lives are different because of that. I
invite you to reflect upon your relationship with your Deliverer
before you cross the threshold of time. 2007 has been an amazing year
where individuals have experienced deliverance right here and each
time they have we had the opportunity to remember our deliverance.
Take a 3-D look at this threshold of time before crossing it.
Remember your deliverance.
At this Threshold of Time we remember our Direction
Moses turned his attention from Egypt, the place from which the people
of Israel had been delivered, to Mount Sinai, the place where the
people of Israel received their direction. The Contemporary English
Version paraphrased verse 33 with these words, “You became his
people, and at Mount Sinai you heard him talking to you out of fiery
flames. No one has ever heard of another god even trying to do such
things as the LORD your God has done for you.” There was
direction given to Israel. Moses spent almost the entire book of
Deuteronomy reminding them of that and instructing them to teach these
directions to their children.
A&M United Methodist
Church recalibrated our compass a couple of years ago. We did not
determine a new direction, we clarified the purpose of this church
when we declared that A&M United Methodist Church exists to
invite and equip followers of Jesus Christ. This is our
direction. We identified steps to facilitate this mission which have
become known as the five I’s (Invest, Invite,
Include in Worship, Involve in Small
Groups, and Implement Spiritual and Financial Gifts).
We have seen these come alive in 2007.
A little over two years ago, someone told me that this
church is not strong in its Invest Ministries, where we invest
in people’s lives through authentic relationships. However, this year
has been a much different story. The children have collected books
for Scotty’s House and Phoebe’s Home, blankets for Twin Cities
Missions, heifers and goats for poor families around the world, and
Christmas boxes for children they will never meet. Members have
helped with Habitat Homes, built three homes in Juarez, fixed up
churches in Lufkin and houses in Livingston, collected health kits,
school supplies, and food for the hungry. We are putting together a
Medical Mission Trailer and have members visiting prisons every week.
This is a church committed to Investing in people’s lives through
authentic relationships.
The Invite Ministries are also exciting as I
have met many people who are asking about becoming Christian and
becoming members because a neighbor or someone at work or school
invited them to A&M United Methodist Church. In 2007 we have received
104 new members and in addition to that 102 student members. We have
also declared ourselves extended family to children that have been
baptized here including children from Indonesia, Romania, and Italy.
Include in Worship
has been incredible aspects of our direction for ministry in 2007. In
January we kicked off the Ekklesia worship, which if viewed as a
church, would be the fastest growing church in our district. There
have been many times when the old Lutheran Sanctuary, our present day
annex, has been filled to capacity for this 9:45 contemporary worship
experience. Meanwhile in the main sanctuary, Sterling Allen has a
goal to make our traditional worship services of the highest quality
where God is always honored. Anyone who experienced the Gospel
Mass on All Saints Sunday, Handel’s Messiah earlier this
month, and Christmas Eve worship on Monday night can see evidence of
this commitment. Whether it is worship in the main sanctuary, the
annex sanctuary, College Mosaic, or Youth Fellowship the aim is always
the same: relevance, awe, community, and inspiration.
Involve in Small
Groups
continues to be a key element in turning this house of worship into a
home church. I have seen it happen over and over. Those who join
this church and do not get connected to a small group will drift off
at a high percentage. Those who join this church and get involved in
a small group will not only stay members, but will grow as followers
of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to do this without living out the
“one another’s” of scripture, which is done in small groups. A couple
of weeks ago I was at a Sunday School Christmas party and saw one of
our new members there. Her baby was baptized here this year and was
also there. Like most children in this church, the baby was not in
her mother’s arms, but in the arms of the teenage son of a Sunday
School member. I smiled as I saw community in action. 2007 has been
the year for many members of this church to recalibrate their compass
and get involved in a small group.
Implement Spiritual
& Financial Gifts
is another area in which great strides were taken at A&M United
Methodist Church in 2007. In the Spring this church committed over
one million dollars in estimates of giving toward the operating budget
of the church. This was the first time that had ever happened. In
addition to that the Finance Committee has balanced the budget and if
you continue to give in the next two days as you have in previous
years on the last two days, we will eliminate all operating deficit,
as well as the carry over deficit from previous years. Friends, this
is phenomenal. Add to this the Country Fair, which was a fun way to
raise over $10,000, and this has been an incredible year for
proportional giving. Last month we had a Ministry Fair that focused
on implementing our spiritual gifts and another record was set in the
number of people committing to ministries and the number of ministries
to which people committed. Plans are already in place to coordinate
follow-up so that all those who committed to a ministry will be
contacted to execute that ministry.
As I stand at this threshold of time I can see clearly
our direction to invite and equip followers of Jesus Christ.
Take a 3-D look at this threshold of
time before crossing it. Remember your deliverance. Remember
your direction.
At this Threshold of Time we remember our Destiny
Moses seemed to move his gaze from Egypt, where the people of Israel
had been delivered, to Mount Sinai, where the people had received
their direction, to Canaan, the land of destiny for the Israelites.
Eugene Peterson paraphrased verse 38 in The Message, “He personally
and powerfully …is turning their land over to you as an inheritance.
And now it's happening. This very day.” Before
they crossed over the Jordan River, they were to remember their
destiny in relation to their deliverer.
A&M United Methodist Church has such an amazing
destiny in front of us as we stand at this threshold of time. Look at
it, a growing community, a vibrant college campus, a world in
desperate need of the grace of Christ – all of that stands just on the
other side of the threshold. It is our destiny. 2008 is our chance
to begin to claim some of that territory. Next month I am so looking
forward to offering an International Bible Study on the gospel of
Mark. I have been touched by the number of international students
that live in our neighborhood, many of them are away from home for the
very first time. Jin is one of those students. Jin is from China and
a frequent visitor to our College Coffee House. One night a few weeks
ago I smelled an amazing aroma coming from the Fellowship Hall
kitchen. It was Jin cooking a feast. I asked him what was going on
and he said, “I am cooking for you and for all the nice people who
have welcomed me to this church.” The guests of honor were the Coffee
House volunteers. Unfortunately, I had thirty teenagers coming to my
house for Subway sandwiches, but I did get a taste of this hospitality
reciprocated and it was delicious. Stories of international students
finding a home church can multiply in this church this coming year.
Our Portable Medical Clinic will sail in 2008, we will grow in our
partnership with the churches of Tamazunchale in 2008, we will serve
as one of ten host churches for the Family Promise Ministry that
reaches out to families in desperate need of housing and food as they
get back on their financial feet. Time will not allow me to list all
that awaits us on the other side of the threshold of time that we will
pass through tomorrow night. However, we will move ever closer to our
destiny of becoming the church that God desires us to be. Just as God
never intended for Israel to remain on the other side of the Jordan,
God does not desire for us to remain where we are. With God’s help
let us move forward in faith toward our destiny. Take a
3-D look at this threshold of time before crossing it.
So here we are, only hours away from another threshold
of time. The Threshold is a profound image – a 3-D image. Standing
here we can see our deliverance on this side, our
direction toward the doorway, and our destiny on the
other side. Before we cross it, though, let us heed the words from
Moses as he prepared his people for their threshold, “Keep
his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may
go well with you and your children after you.” 2007 has been a
wonderful year for this church and 2008 will be great as we move with
faith through the 3-D threshold of time. Take a 3-D look at
this threshold of time before crossing it. Amen. |
