September 10, 2023 Sermon: Welcome Back

Rev. Steve Nofel
First & Franklin Street Presbyterian Church
September 10, 2023
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:15-20

One of the great privileges in my life, is that I am honored to stand before you and proclaim the TRUTH of the Gospel.
Jesus is here. Right here. Right now!

As we listened to the choir, could there be any doubt that the Son of God is here smiling, swaying and tapping his foot?

Look around you. I mean it. Look up, look down, and look around this sanctuary. As our spire reaches toward heaven, our sanctuary speaks volumes to us about the presence of the Almighty maker of heaven and earth, of Jesus Christ, Son of God. And the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life.

Let your eyes rest on this pulpit, look down at the communion tables, look over at the baptismal font. In theological language all are the sign and symbol of the reality that Jesus Christ is here. Here now. Here forever.

As we read and listen to the Word of God proclaimed, Jesus is in the very Word. Yes, it is the great privilege of my life to preach the Gospel. It is also the most awesome and frightening responsibility of my life – I am preaching the Word of God. Jesus with us.

Now, please tap your heart. I’m serious. Thump the left side of your chest. I wish I had the ability to take the very words I am about to say, and have them explode in your heart, so like the Grinch, you heart will grow three times.

Jesus is in you! Jesus dwells in you! You are one of the saints in light. Jesus is here – in each one of our hearts.

Now, those who are here in person – again I ask you to look around. This time not at the sacred architecture, but into the face of another saint. You who are on-line with us, look at the congregation. Jesus promises, Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

Welcome back. Welcome in. I welcome you saints in light. Jesus is in you and with you. With each of us. With us as the Body of Christ – the Church.

Along with the Apostle Paul, I do not define us as saints because of our outstanding virtues. We define saint as those who try our darndest to believe where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, He is here among us.

And then try as we might to live it out! Just because we are saints, doesn’t make us like Mary Poppins practically perfect in every way.

We are saints AND we are human. Very human. We have always been. And so has the church.

From the earliest days of the infant church, we saints, we humans have struggled to figure out how to live into Jesus Christ together. Yet, here we are. Here we are.

In the very new-born church, the saints were arguing about the distribution of food at the agape – the love meal — for corn sake. To solve this controversy, Peter and the 12 gave us the gift of Deacons. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

I always say, our technology is different after 2,000 years but as the saints, in whom Jesus dwells, are still the same, human. And always will be.

The Roman Christian church of 55 ad was just a baby congregation. They were NOT a mega-church with all the answers, with the charismatic pastor who was on TV weeknights at 11pm preaching from the arena sized sanctuary.

The Roman Christians were less than 100 saints, trying to figure out church. And they were human. Sometimes they struggled. They loved each other and they groused at each other.

In those days in Rome, every pagan god, small “g”, had their own temple in town. People would go to that temple, parade around, spend hours yelling out the name of that god. Say it is Artemus. “Yay Artemus… As they yelled, they would offer food / meat to the altar of Artemus.

After all the hubbub, they would have a BBQ with the sacrificed meat. The pagan worshipers would invite their neighbors to the block party including their Christian friends.

Now those who described themselves as “Spiritually Strong” – Faithful people who lived out their faith in Jesus Christ by kind of ignoring all the small g pagan silliness. They would come bringing a salad, or a Jello mold, and would party. Enjoying a big slice of brisket or a gyro or a pulled pork sandwich once offered to say Artemus and think nothing of it.

Those who the Spiritually Strong considered the Spiritually Weak would go Ewww – yuck – that is gross. In fact, those dubbed the weak wouldn’t even hang out with the pagan or meat-eating Christians.

All the while both groups, both groups did their very best to ignore the Lord’s demand that we not judge one another. There was a whole lot of judging going on by the Christians about their brothers and sisters in Christ. And you know what Paul said.
STOP IT! All of you hush up!

Stop judging. Stop fussing. Don’t you know that the Lord Jesus is with you. AND the Lord Jesus is with all who have faith and are working it out the best way they can.

Those who eat pagan meat: Give thanks to God! Jesus is here!

Those who don’t eat pagan meat: Give thanks to God! Jesus is here!

No matter how much we think it is about us, it isn’t.

For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. We are the Lord’s – And Jesus is right here with ALL OF US!

And if you hold onto to whatever it is your judging about another saint: eating meat sacrificed to idols or whatever our 21st century stuff might be – It is held so tightly nobody can move. You, the other saints, and the church are stuck. Bound up and hog tied, pun intended.

But, if you let go and let God. Look the other saints in the eye and try to remember Jesus is in your heart and Jesus is your neighbor’s heart we will be loosed – witnessing to reality of our Heavenly Savior! A foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

I feel like saying to Jesus what they say to me when I walk into Starbucks – “Welcome in.”

I say to all of you. Welcome into the church. Not the perfect human institution but the imperfect – prone to make mistakes – easily distracted – cause of controversies – holder oners to our own stuff and judgement makers.

AND AND AND the place where we find love and forgiveness and Jesus. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 18:17, what Jesus says if you are going through a thing with another saint.

If you are looking each other in the eye and if they or you can’t or won’t get over it – and the church itself is fussing with THEM, then here is what you do, and I am quoting Jesus: “Let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.”

For years, decades I thought treating others with whom I am going around and round with like tax collectors and gentiles meant that it is ok to cut them off. See ya. You act in this way, I don’t need you or want you in my life or in my church. I could not have been more wrong.

However, Jesus, being Jesus, the Forgiver. The Redeemer. The Prince of Peace. The One Who Always Judges with Love means just the opposite.

Treat those with whom you are having issues like you would someone who you know needs God in their lives! Bring them closer. Keep plugging away at finding common ground. Love them even when you want to slug them.

Don’t shun those with whom you are at odds. Bring them closer. Try and try harder.

If you give up on them and they on you, if we hold onto to whatever it is we are fighting about with another saint: eating meat sacrificed to idols or whatever our 21st century stuff might be – It is held so tightly nobody can move. You, the other saints, and the church are bound – tied up so tight circulation stops, gangrene sets in and the system dies.

But, if you let go and let God. Look the other saints in the eye and try to remember Jesus is in your heart and Jesus is your neighbor’s heart we will be loosed – witnessing to reality of our Heavenly Savior! A foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

Jesus says this to you and those whom you love more than life itself. Jesus says this to you and those with whom you find it challenging to be in the same room. Jesus says this to all of us in this beautiful sanctuary, streaming in remotely and anywhere and everywhere two or three saints find themselves.

Welcome In. Thanks for being here. Thanks for being saints. Even really human saints.

Now, please stand in body, spirit or voice and as we ask God’s blessing upon one another and welcome each other home to our church.

Welcome Back Blessing:

In Psalm 100:1-4 we read: Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness and come before God’s presence with a song. Know this: The Lord alone is God; we belong to the Lord, who made us; we are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture. Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving; go into the holy courts with praise; give thanks and call upon the name of the Lord.

St. Peter reminds us in his 1st Letter 2:9 You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of the One who called you out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

Please answer I will to the following question based on the Book of Acts 2:42:
Will you devote yourself to the church’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers?

Let us pray. Holy God, we praise you for calling us to be your saints in light and for gathering us into the body of Christ. Together, may we live in your Spirit, and so love one another, that we may have the mind of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom we give honor and glory forever. Amen.

ABOUT REV. STEVE NOFEL: Steve was originally ordained in another denomination 32 years ago. He has been a PCUSA pastor for 28 plus years. His wife, Kim, is also a PCUSA pastor. Right after they were married, they moved to her first call in southeast Nebraska. Steve fell into interim / transitional ministry and found his calling. He served as an interim minister for 11 years. Then Kim and Steve became co-pastors for 12 years in Cortez, Colorado. After leaving Cortez, he once again found his niche in transitional ministry. Steve has been serving congregations in Baltimore Presbytery as “Staff Interim” for the last year.