2921 11 07 Sermon

1

Sermon for November 7, 2021 Sermon Series: Week 5 House of Prayer Lutheran Church

“The Walk: Sharing the Faith of Saints” Rev. Karl-John N. Stone Matthew 5:1-2, 14-16; 1 Thessalonians 2:4-8, 13; Psalm 34:1-10

You are here today because someone once told you a story. Sure, there are probably a lot more steps and details that you could fill in between the first time you heard that story and being here in church today specifically. But chances are, it all started with a story—a story about God. A story about Jesus that we Christians call “the gospel”, “the good news”.

Who first told you that story? A parent or grandparent? A close friend or spouse? An aunt, uncle, or godparent? A teacher from Sunday School, youth group, or bible study? Was it someone you stood beside while serving others? Or maybe someone you didn’t know very well but who radiated an attitude of love and authenticity towards others? Maybe you don’t exactly remember who told you first. Maybe you heard about an inspirational person somewhere else in the world, and it made you curious to learn more. Or maybe you stumbled upon it yourself and the stories of faith, that have been passed down from one generation to the next, made an impression on you.

Whoever told you that story—that person is a saint! We are all here because of the saints who came before us, and because of the saints who are still around us today. They told us stories about God and Jesus—stories that were important to them, that changed their life, gave them hope, surrounded them with love, filled them with joy, comforted them in sorrow, directed them to serve others, led them to give and receive forgiveness, and opened the door to salvation and eternal life.

The point of a saint is to point you to Christ. All of their stories helped to point you to Christ by shining a light on the faith they carried in the hearts, minds, and souls. As Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world!” That’s a pretty big comparison to live up to. How can our little lights light up the whole world? It’s not because any one saint shines so brightly, but because when all of the saints are spread throughout the community and throughout the world, each saint reflects a little bit of the light that’s given by Christ himself. Like a giant chandelier, thousands of little tiny lights all put together turn into something very bright. And that’s the kind of light that will never go out—Christ’s light shines forever, because he went to the cross to forgiven our sins, he was raised from the dead to accomplish our salvation, and he united us to himself in baptism so that Christ’s story and our own stories will be connected forever.

So for each of us, there is a saint (or saints) out there, either in heaven or still on earth, who told you the story that pointed you to Christ. Think of those people, and thank God for them. Now, did you ever stop to think that you yourself may be that saint that someone else is thanking God for right now? That you’ve reflected the light of Christ into the world in a way that’s pointed someone else to Christ? Well, chances are you have!

So this brings me to Adam Hamilton’s book “The Walk”, and how he teaches us to use our hands as a reminder for sharing faith. Hold up one hand, and bring your fingers together. This represents the way our church works together to point people to Christ. Each finger is like one of the saints who reflect a little bit of the light of Christ—

2

light that is greater than the sum of its parts, and how together we become the light of the world through Christ.

Now hold up your other hand, and spread your fingers apart. Let each finger represent a personal goal to share your faith with five people over the next year. So by next All Saints Sunday, you can stand in church and say I pointed five people toward Christ this past year.

Some of you may be thinking, “no problem!” But I can almost hear what others of you are thinking: “I’m not good at that kind of thing!” And you are not alone. So throw out all the stereotypes of evangelism that often make people feel uncomfortable—I’m not asking you to do that. Instead start small, start easy. Maybe start with someone you already know—a child, a parent, a friend, a spouse. Gain a comfort level there first. Or maybe start by going to our House of Prayer google page or facebook page and writing a review.

When you do share your faith, don’t start with preconceived ideas of what will happen—let the Holy Spirit do its work. Also, don’t be pushy. If someone is not interested, that’s okay, just move on. At the same time, keep yourself open to however the Holy Spirit may be working. God may be working in the life of the person you are talking to in ways you don’t understand. Maybe the person has actually been looking for a way to explore faith and God more deeply.

Maybe somebody tells you that they are looking for a church; or looking for a supportive community to be part of; or looking for a way to meet people and make friends, or to volunteer and find a way to have a positive impact in the community. Or maybe they just ask you, “what have you got going on this weekend?” These are all openings where you might find a chance to share your faith. And it doesn’t have to be a big thing. Just like prayer can range from “one word” to “lots and lots of words”, it is similar with sharing your faith and the story of Jesus.

I’ve had opportunities to share my faith everywhere from being a guest at a wedding, to spending an afternoon at a friend’s pool, camping in the wilderness, or eating at a fundraiser dinner. Now, I’ll grant you, maybe people are more willing to talk about faith with me when they find out I’m a pastor (last time I checked, most of you are not pastors). But we all are Christians who are part of the “priesthood of believers”, meaning that because you are baptized, anyone of you can be an intermediary between God and another person. And in each of the scenarios I’ve mentioned, it’s the person who I was talking to that wanted to talk about God and faith with me. It was something that was on their mind, not something I pushed on them.

And that’s an important point, too—a lot of times, people simply want to be able to tell their own story about God and faith to someone else, and we don’t often make room for that in our society. So if someone wants to tell you their story, simply listen. This opens up the chance to have a conversation, and if appropriate you can share your story as well.

I want to try a little something to help us get started—if you were at the campfire a couple weeks ago this will be familiar. I’d like each of you to think of one word, or phrase, or sentence that you would want someone else to know about God. Something simple. Then turn to someone near you, and share your one word, or phrase or sentence. …… That’s one down for the year, four to go. Amen.