“Image of Our Words - Truth of Our Actions”

Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 3:14-19

Sermon Transcript for May 3, 2009

By Pastor Bob Coleman

             Have you ever had a dream?  I’ve had dreams; and I can tell you about some but I won’t tell you about all of them.  In fact, I’m going to live in that dream of one that I had.  And it has to do with these two doors.  I’ve dreamed that I’ve gone back in to that door during the worship service, and came out thirty years younger.  Want to see if it works?  See, if I just go back in to here and if I count, 1-2-3-4-5-6, and sing, “I shall not be, I shall not be moved”.  Am I thirty years younger?  Well, I’m trying to dress like it.  Thirty years ago I did a whole lot of preaching like this at church camp and a few other places in between. It’s kind of the young feel, right?  It’s comfortable, it’s easy to put on, it’s easy to share.

            But really it’s not the T-shirt it is the logo that you see that we want to share with you this morning.  In fact, that’s the whole basis of the next three Sundays.  We’ll be sharing a new image of Grace United Methodist Church.  And we’ve thought a lot about it, almost a year now, thinking and asking people’s opinions and thoughts and involving leadership.  And simply what we want to do today is to kind of build a base in why the image and particularly why the one.  But before I get in to the explanation of that, I want to show you something.  In fact, it is what will be on our web site probably in about a week or so.  And if you’ll watch, see that little dot down there in the corner on your left.  Now watch what happens.  Now, if you recognize the person watering that’s not so important—it’s the tree that grows.  A tree grows in Franklin, a tree that has been here for a long, long time.  It has a strong and deep foundation.               In fact, I want to talk to you about the church being a metaphor.  For Grace is a church, is a tree.  And it is based upon the definition that we have an image of our words.  The image should communicate something.  And the truth of that image comes out in our actions. 

            To prepare us for this, I want to read to you from Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus, the third chapter, versus 14-19. Let us listen and read together:   “For this reason, I kneel before the Father from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the things to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.  And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to a measure of all fullness of God.” 

            Rooted and established in loved.  A tree has to be rooted.  It has to be deeply rooted to hang on.  It’s like the metaphor of the vine and the branch which is a caring forth of the image that Jesus gave us.  And we can think of a life as a tree.  We chose the tree because it was one that helped us to see something that was very common, very much in our midst, an every day experience in this area of the world, but yet something still beautiful and unique by God’s creation. 

            Just a week or so ago, we took a few days off and went to Cumberland State Park in southern Kentucky.  And the dogwood was out much further down there.  In fact there was a picture, I think, that was used for the offering if you could find that one Rick and re-display it.  It’s the one with the water pool, I think.  It’s a single without any words on it.  And as he shows this, it reminds me of a beautiful experience that Joyce and I had in the woods.  If we see it!  There we go!  Now something like this starts with the image of the fresh and flowing water.  That is an image in Scripture—flowing from the stream and from the throne of God.  Water is the basis of life and water is at the basis of the life of a tree. 

            So I want to describe Grace united Methodist as a tree--a beautiful expression of God’s creation, a purposeful expression, one that has reason and purpose and being.  What Grace has been about, what Grace is about, and what it will continue to be in to the future.  There are many trees in God’s forest.  Why one particular tree and not a whole group?  To help us focus on what this one tree is in God’s plan and purpose.  You see our root system of the tree of Grace United Methodist is to be founded in the soil of God’s truth and God’s Word.  We start from there.  The tree must run its roots deep into the soil as it has for well over a century, close to two in the history of this community.  Into the soul it finds nourishment and it also finds the depth of going deep to withstand the storms of time.

            Grace is a tree and this tree symbolizes Grace.  Grace is a tree that receives strength and nourishment from that soil.  It is one that helps us as a church to recognize that it is the truth of God’s love and His word that sustains us, helps us to live daily not just weekly or occasionally but every day to gain that.  Because you see, this metaphor is not just a multiple metaphor but it is a singular one also.  As I am describing Grace as a tree to you, then think of Grace being a tree and think of yourself being a tree.  Grace is a tree that spreads wide its branches.  It has continued to do so over the hundred and some years to receive warmth and light from the sun as an actual physical tree does but also respelling it s-o-n.  The warmth and love from God’s Son helps to grace the branches of Grace’s tree.  Grace is opening its arms to receive that warmth and light from the light of the Son. 

            But not just for its own purpose.  If a tree is just to exist for its own sake, then that’s all it can ever be.  But Grace is a tree that has many other reasons to exist.  We produce leaves as a tree.  We are all leaves if we take it in that image.  And the leaf is a part of the tree that helps it to grow.  It receives nourishment from the tree, each leaf does, you and me, and yet also the tree can not live without the leaf.  Every spring, just as we are experiencing now, new life is coming forth.  Now it is interesting, someone once said this and I thought it made dumb sense at the time but it makes better sense today.  The Holy Spirit is the sap in this tree.  It is the Holy Spirit that brings forth the life that pulls back and forth.  The leaves help to produce nutrients that go back in to the tree.  The tree is providing life and health for the leaves.  You and I need the tree of Grace.  You and I need to be a part of the tree of Grace because Grace as a tree need you and myself, all of us together, producing and returning food and receiving food and nourishment from the tree.  That’s what we are about.

            Another understanding of Grace as a tree is that it receives that nourishment and produces strength and produces something greater than itself.  And that means that it becomes an image and a message of the word of God’s love and the warmth and the love of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  We are an image for the Kingdom of God in the community of Franklin and beyond.  Some people know this church very well.  You do, you’re here. Others do not know of this tree yet.  It was interesting this last week to hear someone say, “Oh, Grace, that’s that church up on 31.”  They live on 31 but have never been on this side of town.  They, yet, do not know of what we are here about.  It is wonderful that there are other trees in the forest--the ones up on 31 and wherever God has planted them.  But we are here.  We are here for the purpose of providing those broad limbs to reach out and be like a shelter for people who come and seek protection from the storms of life. A couple just came by this morning needing gas on the way.  They understood a church to be a place where you could come and find help.  And they did and we helped them on their way.  They simply needed gas to make it home to Louisville and so we did that.  A small act, but they see the church in general as a place where they can come for shelter and for protection and for maybe, hope.  And hopefully, if we are faithful, to provide the Word of God, the grace of God, the gift of God’s love.  We’re here for a reason.  We have been for a long time; we expect to be here for a long time. 

            And the other piece of being the leaves of the tree are that we are equal, each of us.  And as new leaves come and become a part of this tree, they are equal also.  It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been connected to this tree for 50, 60, or more years or you are here for the first time today.  You can become a part of that and you’ll become a part because you accept the connection to Grace as a tree that finds the strength in the foundation of God’s Word and truth and also to receive the love and the warmth of Jesus, the Christ. 

            Now, there is another reason for the tree, another reason for Grace.  And that’s to produce fruit--another beautiful image out of Scripture.  And Pastor Andy will be sharing next week about another part of that and it is praying together.  And then the following week we’ll be sharing together.  You can see those two that are on the logo.  “Grace United Methodist Church, Caring Together – Growing Together”.  As an expression of two of the results of the fruit that God asked us to produce.  They became for us kind of a summary of what we are here for.  We care for those who are present, care for those who come, and we grow together as God enables us to grow. 

            The metaphor of a tree is more than just one characteristic.  It becomes something that represents so much of what we do.  So we’ve chosen to live with this and to accept it as a gift of who we are, a representation of what we did, what we are, and what we’ll continue to be.  That’s why singing beforehand the music, “Like a tree that’s planted by the water”, recognizes that not only do we need to be planted deep within the soil of God’s truth and Word but through that we receive the  life-giving water that only God can provide. 

            And there are two Old Testament images I want to share with you this morning.  They are based upon that same image of a tree.  In Psalm 1:2-4, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord.  And on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”  Think of the tree as Grace.  Think of the tree as yourself.  That as you take that and hear, that it is through God, connecting with God, that we find a way to prosper.

            In Jeremiah, the prophet in Chapter 17 carries a similar message when he says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in the Lord.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when he comes.  Its leaves are always green.  It has no worries or a fear of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”  Now it is true, a physical tree created by God may go in to a state of dormancy.  And sometimes churches may for awhile rest.  But there that spring moment when we are growing and reaching out.  I believe we are in that season for the life of this church.  And as we continue to reach deeply both individually and as the church in to God’s Word and truth and continue to reach and receive the warmth and love of Christ in our hearts and in our lives, we will be, as God intended us to be, Grace United Methodist Church now and as long as God blesses us to be so. 

            So, the new logo.  It’s something you’ll see quite frequently, quite regularly.  We hope that people in the community will begin to identify Grace United Methodist Church by this image of the tree.  If you’d like to see more of the information or things that have been done like stationery and such, there are examples out there.  And the ushers at the end of the service will be at the door.  And there are bookmarks that they can give to you that have that image that you can take with you.  But more important than the image is for us to live in the image.  It’s not just a way to look good on the outside.  It’s a way for us to be God’s truth in this place so that the image will become our words and our truth will become our actions.
                                                                                   
            Let’s join together for a short word of prayer.  “Lord, we simply have as an opportunity to reclaim what you’ve given us so long ago—a place in your creation to be your people, to be messengers of your truth, to be witnesses to your Son, Jesus Christ. May we be a productive tree in your forest.  Let us be the tree of life.  In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.”