"Who Am I? Why Am I Here?" (Pastor's Message, January 2017 newsletter)

Dear Emanuel Members and Friends –

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.  (Matthew 2:1-12)

As I was considering this passage and reflecting on the start of another year, I was reminded of a famous (or infamous) moment from the 1992 presidential campaign.  Ross Perot, running as a 3^rd party candidate, had selected Admiral James Stockdale, a political unknown, as his vice-presidential running mate.  At the vice-presidential debate, in his opening statement, Admiral Stockdale introduced himself to the American public by flashing a goofy-looking grin as he uttered the words “Who am I?  Why am I here?”  He intended these as rhetorical questions, and indeed he answered his own questions, talking at length about his experiences in the Vietnam War, which he called the centerpiece of his life.  But as often happens, the press took Stockdale’s opening words “Who am I? Why am I here?” out of context, ran with them, and turned them into a punch line that haunted Stockdale throughout the remainder of the campaign. 

“Who am I?  Why am I here?”  These are good questions to consider as we begin another year.  It’s easy just to go from day to day, waking up, eating, working, spending time with our families, sleeping, and beginning the cycle anew the next day.  But there are times when we have to take stock of our lives, and now – as one year ends and another begins – is an excellent time to do so.  What have we done with the year that just passed?  What plans have we for the year to come?  What are our goals, our priorities?  To answer these questions, we need to answer two other questions first:  “Who am I?  Why am I here?”    Our goals and priorities should flow from our answers to these two basic questions.

“Who are you?  Why are you here?”  These are questions the Magi encountered as they went to Herod, seeking “the child who has been born King of the Jews.”  The Magi knew their mission, and were willing to follow their mission, as they followed the star, over many miles.  While they were a little vague on the exact location of the newborn King, they persisted in their search until they found the one whom they were seeking.  They did not allow themselves to be intimidated by the splendor of Herod’s court, nor misled by Herod’s deceptive words, but held fast to their mission.

“Who are we?  Why are we here?”  These are questions on which I hope Emanuel can focus as we begin another year.  Our congregation does a number of things – we maintain our property, hold weekly Sunday worship (plus extra services from time to time), hold two fundraising auctions a year, give away backpacks, provide counseling space for the Second Chance organization, welcome visitors, provide genealogical information, and help people who approach us for assistance – and there are seemingly more seeking assistance with every passing year.   These are all valuable activities in and of themselves.  However, all manner of other community groups maintain buildings and cemeteries, raise funds, provide meeting space, answer genealogical queries, and help those in need. What makes us and other churches unique is that we do what we do as an expression of our commitment to be disciples of the Risen Christ, our commitment to follow in the way of Jesus.   To answer the questions “Who are we? Why are we here?” I hope we can say the following:  as human beings we and our neighbors are persons created in God’s image.  As individual Christians and as the gathered community of Emanuel United Church of Christ, we are disciples of Christ, and we are here to follow in the way of Jesus, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.  We should be able to link any activity we do to our mission as followers of Jesus – and indeed, if an activity doesn’t contribute to that mission, we may need to rethink whether to continue it.  Certainly, anything decision we make as a church should take into account our identity and mission as followers of Jesus.

Church consultants sometimes make a distinction between “Great Commission” churches and “Great Commandment” churches.  The term “Great Commission” refers to Jesus’ parting words to his disciples in Matthew’s gospel,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  The term “Great Commandment” refers to Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke 10:25-28, in which Jesus identifies love of God and love of neighbor as the two great commandments.  Churches may tend to emphasize one of these over the other – perhaps putting more effort into witnessing to the Gospel (Great Commandment) than helping those in need (Great Commandment), or perhaps the reverse.  Ultimately, though, both are necessary, and both are connected.  As Christians, we need to be able to tell our neighbors about Jesus, to “give an account of the hope that is within us” (I Peter 3:15), to make disciples, baptize, and teach.  But any teaching about Jesus has to include the great commandments of love toward God and neighbor.

How about Emanuel Church? Who are we?  Why are we here? Are we a “Great Commission” church or a “Great Commandment” church?  Or both? Or neither?  I would say that we are both – some new believers have come to faith in Jesus here at Emanuel Church, and we have helped a number of people in the community.  At the same time, I would say there is much more we can do.  As Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  (Matthew 9:37) I pray that in 2017 we can challenge ourselves to be more effective in making disciples, to be more generous in loving God and neighbor – because that is who we are, and that is why we are here. 

Happy New Year!  See you in church!

– Pastor Dave