"Illogical and Ridiculous"
a transcribed version of the sermon (aka 'the sorry ass sermon.) delivered by Rev. Kirk Moore on May 3, 2008 during the closing worship service of the 2008 Prairie Association Spring Meeting at Pilgrim Park Camp and Conference Center in Princeton, Illinois.

Podcast of "Illogical and Ridiculous

We have had quite a full two days – hearing reasons about how to be a more vital church – hearing an invitation to participate in more Ready, Set Grow! Initiatives in our churches – getting all kinds of ‘free stuff’ in packages. One of my favorites that I saw: Did you open this one up and see "16 reasons I Love Jesus"? Brand new resource. #12: (I love this one.) "Because Jesus welcomed all the little children and not all of them would have been well behaved." #16 – My favorite of all time: "Because he saves my sorry ass."

"He saves my sorry ass."

That’s funny. That’s offensive. That’s moving. That’s something that will preach – but we probably ought not.

You know – sometimes in our churches things don’t work out perfectly. Anyone have a church where things work out perfectly?

Sometimes we feel like we have screwed up so bad (And by the way – that’s really our job . . .isn’t it? The story of the Bible is ‘God creates, we screw up. God reconciles, we screw up. God makes it better, we screw up. God helps, we screw up. God saves our sorry ass, again and again and again.

Sometimes when we need that saving we feel devastated, helpless and hopeless.

And I think that’s the way people in cities - neighborhoods when everything is destroyed. It’s the way people feel when they are so betrayed. It’s the way people feel when they’re really angry about something . . . that may have happened in our denomination.

"We want to talk about this!" We have to do something about this!" " What are we going to do?" We’re going to leave!" We’re going to stay."

It’s in times like these that things don’t make sense to us. It’s in times like that that things do seem hopeless. They seem ridiculous. They seem illogical.

In today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 65 – It’s about a devastating time – or at least at the end or in the middle of a devastating time. Everything is destroyed and the people are going to return to start something new.

If you look at it – that’s illogical. To think about what we’re going to start in the middle of all the devastation. It’s ridiculous to think that there can be anything good when everything is so awful. When it’s such a sad time – when it’s such a devastating time.

But in Isaiah 65 there – there’s hope for something new: A new city, new homes, new farms, and new peace without destruction. From a hopeless, sorry ass situation there’s hope and there’s encouragement.

And I know that in our Prairie Association it’s not all bleak like that. We’ve got some great things to celebrate:

We’ve experienced – just in the last couple of days –

• Wonderful conversations about where we are, where we’re going
• How God is still speaking
• How we can listen for the stillspeaking God
• What we can do when things aren’t exactly right
• Where we can go from here

And we still have questions. We still have problems that are going on, like:

• We have disagreements in our churches. Not everyone was here today.
• We have a church that just left the association – and not to go to another association. They’ve left the United Church of Christ.
• We’ve had a lot of national press lately and it’s not the kind that we wanted to have.
• We have been struggling in the Illinois Conference over the past several years and many of us wonder, ‘What are we going to do?"
• We’re installing a new association minister today. What are we going to do? Do we have enough money to pay her? What kind of sorry ass situation are we getting ourselves into?

But do you know what? I know that Kathy believes in the kind of hope from Isaiah 65. It’s not logical. It’s not expected or wise by any standards, really. But it is God’s hope for us. That last verse:

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD."

And we know that wolves and lambs don’t feed together – one of them eats the other! But we’re looking past that idea to something new.

• God’s extravagant welcome is ridiculous – because if you invite everyone to church you’re going to get people coming that you didn’t want to be there. (I haven’t’ had the fortitude to do it, but we have a strip club in town and I’ve said from the pulpit, "Hey – we’ve gotta go there and invite the people there to come to church. And I’m terrified to go and do that. But God’s extravagant welcome says, "YES – that’s what we do.") It’s absolutely necessary. Not necessarily that particular part, but . . . .welcoming . . .
• There has to be a realization – inside the church and outside the church – this whole thing with the lost and the missing . . . there really is no US and THEM. There is "God’s children." – Throughout the world – everywhere – no exceptions.
• Didn’t Tony Campolo say it loud and clear? "When Jesus said ‘Love your enemies’, I think he probably meant ‘Don’t kill them.’?

There are God’s children all over the world – and it isn’t US and THEM. It’s God’s extravagant welcome for all.

So . . .what can we do to reach out to all of God’s children?

• We can reach within our church to all of God’s children
• We can be involved in different committees
• If we’re the pastor we can ‘not go’ to every meeting but we can go to some meetings.
• We can become the chaplain to Loews or Wal-Mart
• Invite our friends and neighbors to our churches – We can invite 5-15 people over the next 6 months.
• We can think of creative ways to tell others about this hope and this life that is in our churches.
• (I wrote down so much stuff while you were talking, Dave – I can’t even read my writing now)
• We can invite Kathy to speak at our churches when there’s no problem going on.
• We can get into our communities
• We can get our church ‘outside of themselves.’
• And a whole bunch of other things I can’t read. I’m sorry – I was writing so fast . . . .all the things we said . . .
• Vote
• Teach Sunday School
• Recognize God’s hope wherever we are
• And most of all - pray, a lot.

And there are lots of other that we will think of. We have thought of . . . and I believe that these things that we’re thinking of – these things that we will think of – they’re mostly about what God is doing.

Do you remember the translation that we heard earlier today? YAHWEH – I will be what the future requires.

God is what the future requires. God is what the past needed. God is now what the present needs.

We’re kind of along for the ride on that. But I think that God also says, "I want you to do. I’m prepared"

God is enough. But please be part of the process. "Don’t let me get it done in spite of you. Don’t let me get it done in spite of . . " all of us. I think God says, "Let me get it done through you. Let me get it done because of you. Let me get it done while you’re right there with me."

• God calls us to look forward –
• Through whatever is going on
• Trough whatever denominational problems we have
• Whatever church problems we have
• Or community problems we have
• Whatever political affiliations
• Whatever . . . Yeah – just whatever.

To share God’s love to the world.

It’s exciting. It’s hopeful. It’s necessary. It’s probably even illogical and ridiculous.

But here it comes. Here we go! Can you say it with me? We are getting

Ready, Set, Grow!

Amen

© 2008 Kirk Moore. All Rights Reserved