A sermon by The Rev. Dr. David A. Marcus, Jr that explores the importance of mission statements in ministry and life. This sermon was delivered on February 7, 2010
A sermon based on Luke 4:14-21
What exactly is a mission statement? A mission statement is a formal, short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide their actions spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. Many academic accrediting agencies often determine if a college or university fulfills its mission statement and many companies in an effort to appease stockholders reveal mission statements on an annual basis. The national bestseller, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People declares individual effectiveness will only come to those who draft a personal mission statement. Still one of the most popular books among church leaders is the Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren. This book stresses the importance of establishing a mission statement. Mission statements illustrate the guiding principles we live by and generally what rules we observe as we operate under these principles.
While serving Covenant Moravian church I discovered the mission statement that had been created some years before I arrived as pastor. This mission statement was so outdated that it was virtually unknown among most members of the congregation. We began a process that helped to create a new mission statement that proved to be helpful for the church in attracting new members and capturing new energy and enthusiasm.
Here at New Philadelphia, our mission statement says the following:
To be a caring fellowship, worshiping God and encouraging one another to seek a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in service and mission.
I really like our mission statement at New Philadelphia not because of the way it is worded, but because of the way it is lived out among our membership. As a caring fellowship, I have no doubt that our members have given generously to the relief efforts in Haiti this morning.
As we talk about mission statements we see in Luke that Jesus used a section of Isaiah’s prophecy for his mission statement. This reading presents a standard by which we can evaluate the effectiveness of our life and work in God’s kingdom. For Jesus, this time in his ministry was most important. At this point in his ministry, Jesus had experienced his baptism and temptation for 40 days. He was looking forward to returning to Nazareth to see his family. He was “going home” to his hometown synagogue of Nazareth. Scripture says that a prophet is without honor in one place, home. Jesus was aware that the hardest people to minister or teach are those who know us best. Jesus begins this journey home facing the real possibility of being rejected by those who knew him best. As later verses in this chapter indicate it was not the greatest of days for Jesus as he taught in the synagogue in Nazareth. He read from the prophet Isaiah and at one point said the following, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
The people were offended by his words. They were offended not because he implied he was the Messiah for the Jews, but that he was the Messiah for everyone. Jesus despite facing resistance in his hometown persevered. No matter where he taught he was always consistent in his mission. Jesus was guided in his ministry by three things and I hope these things guide us in living out our mission statement as a community of faith.
First, we learn that Jesus returned home guided by the power of God’s Spirit. Dr. Paul Brand, a missionary doctor was once speaking to a medical college in India. His message was on trying to follow these words of Jesus from Matthew 5:16:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
In front of the pulpit where he was speaking, there was an oil lamp, with its cotton wick burning from the shallow dish of oil. As he preached, the lamp ran out of oil, the wick burned dry, and the smoke made him and others begin coughing. He immediately seized this opportunity. “Some of us here are like this wick,” he said. “We’re trying to shine for the glory of God, but we stink. That’s what happens when we use ourselves as the fuel of our witness rather than the Holy Spirit. Brand went on to say, “Wicks can last indefinitely, burning brightly and without irritating smoke, if the fuel, the Holy Spirit, is in constant supply.” As we strive to follow our mission statement as a congregation we must realize that reaching out to others will never be effective unless we are guided by the power of the Spirit. We need to remember that we alone never bring anyone to make a commitment to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit that leads them.
Secondly, Jesus was guided by the word of God. We see Jesus began reading and teaching the people from the prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue. As we talk about being guided by the Word of God, someone once shared that Christian lives can be compared to an aqueduct, a stone waterway that brings water from nearby mountains into cities that have a low water supply. The objective foundation of our spiritual lives, the Word of God, is like the aqueduct itself. Our subjective foundation, which is our daily experience with God, is the fresh water flowing through. Some Christians neglect the Word and seek only the subjective experience. Without the solid Word of God to contain and channel the experience, the experience can perhaps drain away. Other Christians boast well engineered aqueducts based on extensive knowledge of the Bible, but they are spiritually dry. They bring no refreshment through prayer or fellowship with other Christians. Strong spiritual lives require both a strong knowledge of the Word of God and a daily relationship with Christ through prayer and fellowship with others. We have a wonderful opportunity in the coming weeks to participate in our Lenten programs which will provide everyone a full reservoir of opportunities to grow in knowledge and enjoy fellowship with each other.
Finally, Jesus gave people time to think and reflect about what he had said. Verse 20 in Luke says the following:
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
Jesus was guided by the ability of people to make decisions individually. Philip Yancey, the Christian author in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew shared that Jesus would not have made a very good salesperson. The reason Yancey shared this observation about Jesus was because Jesus would only share his message and teachings with people around him. Jesus wasn’t manipulative or pushy in anyway. Jesus simply allowed people to move on or continue to follow him. We need to remember that when people begin to study Scripture especially the gospels, they need time to think and reflect. They need time to hear from the Spirit of God and to ask questions. Too often we are busy telling other people what they should think and we never give them time to listen for God themselves. Jesus read the Word of God and then sat down. He was ready to let people think about what he had said before he began to teach them further.
In following our mission statement at New Philadelphia, Bob Mumford, in his book Take Another Look at Guidance, compares following God’s mission with a sea captain’s docking procedure. There is a certain harbor in Italy that can be reached only by sailing up a narrow channel between dangerous rocks and shoals. Over the years, many ships have been wrecked and navigation is hazardous. To guide the ships safely into port, three lights have been mounted on three huge poles in the harbor. When the three lights are perfectly lined up and seen as one, the ship can safely proceed up the narrow channel. If the pilot sees two or three lights, the pilot knows they are off course and in danger.
God has provided us three beacons of light to guide us in sharing our mission statement. The same rules of navigation apply—the three lights must be lined up before it is safe for us to continue. The three harbor lights of guidance are:
1. The Holy Spirit
2. The Word of God
3. The ability to think and reflect upon decisions of faith
Together these beacons assure us that the directions we follow in life are guided by a greater power than ourselves. May God continue to bless our ministry together as we strive to share our mission at New Philadelphia Moravian.
The Rev. Dr. David A. Marcus, Jr.