Sr. Sermon

My senior sermon went well on Friday. I preached a totally different sermon than what I presented in class. Wednesday in class we ran it through the ringer and it was well worth it. I walked out of class with the story of Eisleben, Germany and the text. 48 hours later I preached the most tightly focused sermon I have ever done. Now the bar of my expectations has been raised as well.

Bound by Circumstance, Free in Christ

Faintly, you could hear the rhythm of the pickaxe, mining copper and silver. As you moved closer to the village, you began to hear the voices of the crowd gathered in the market square. Then, over the din of the noise, from the tower, the church bells began to peal. This might have been the sounds of Eisleben when Martin Luther was born or even upon his death, but they are not the sounds today .

On a cold gray day in January, our seminary group toured the Luther death house museum and 2 churches in town where Luther was known to have preached. The churches felt like museums too. St. Andrews was housing the historical memorabilia from the Luther birth house, which made the church feel even more like a museum.

Besides a few people hurrying through the damp cold of the day, there was very little activity in the town. After spending the morning as tourists, we met with the local Lutheran co-pastors, Scott and Claudia at the house church they use during the winter. They use the house church to save on the cost of heating the cathedrals. We found out that this town, once in an area that was a hotbed of religious activity, was struggling in many ways. Where there had once been a thriving mining and smelting industry, there was now high unemployment. We learned that our tour guide had no other job than being the local guide. Where the church had once been vibrant, it now languishes. When Scott and Claudia arrived 3 years ago, there were 1000 people on the membership roles, but average worship attendance was 15.

If I were to see this church on a church information form I would look no further. I would look for another church. This church scares me. The church in Eisleben is oppressed by financial burdens; there are 3 cathedrals, but only enough money to maintain 2. It is subdued by societal norms; Scott told us of a Lutheran study found that it takes an average of 17 invitations to church before someone will attend in America, in Eastern Germany it is cultural taboo to do it once . It is shackled by an a-religious culture; a survey was taken at the train stations, one of the questions was “Are you a Christian or an atheist?” One of the responses was “I’m not Christian or atheist, I’m normal.” The church scares me because there are so many factors that bind it.

As Paul wrote to the Philippians he was bound too, in a literal sense. He was in prison. If we look at the book of Acts we find that Paul was arrested for preaching the gospel. His opponents thought imprisonment would hinder Paul and the gospel message. When it didn’t, there were people who preached to spite Paul, to upset him while he awaited the verdict of his trial. Paul could have been oppressed by his situation.

But for Paul, chains and preachers with false motives were not of concern. In fact life or death as he awaited the outcome of his trial was not an obstacle, for one reason. Christ. The situations did not determine Paul’s response, Christ and the power of the gospel did. While it didn’t change the situation, we know from the book of Acts, it changed Paul. As Fred Craddock puts it “Paul was in bonds, but the gospel was not.”

This imprisonment was not in a small cell with bars, nor was it chained to a stone pillar. Paul was shackled, 24-7, wrist to wrist with one of the elite Roman praetorium guards. These were the bodyguards of the emperor and high officials.
The guard on Paul rotated every 4 hours. This is how the whole palace guard knew about him and his imprisonment for the defense of the gospel . So Paul is shackled to a different guard every 4 hours, what do you think he was he going to do? He was in chains for preaching, so in chains, he continued to preach. What should have been a hindrance to proclaiming Christ, has “actually served to advance the gospel.”

Eisleben and its congregation with 15 in worship 3 years ago could have been a hindrance to Scott and Claudia proclaiming Christ, but has served to advance the gospel. Again, an obstacle seen in light of the gospel, became an opportunity. In 3 years the average attendance has changed from 15 to 60, but where the gospel is truly evidenced is not in the numbers, that is only a quantifiable measurement, but it is in the spirit of the members of the church. A church dedicated to continuing their witness in the life of the town. The people are working to advance the gospel. The people have been encouraged.

Paul has encouraged fellow believers as well. He tells the Philippians of those who have been encouraged to speak more boldly. And just as there are those who speak from good will and love, there are also those who preach out of rivalry and envy. But Paul is not concerned with them. No matter the motive of the preacher, if they are proclaiming Christ, nothing else matters. The gospel has its own authority and is not dependant on human motives. The message is more powerful than the messenger.

The message is more powerful than the messenger was a sentiment that Scott expressed to us as well. He told our group that he didn’t worry about numbers, money and the like because if “God wanted a church in Eisleben in 20 years, there would be a church in Eisleben in 20 years.” He and Claudia understand that they are witnesses to the gospel. They are the acting agents, but it is Christ working within them that makes the difference. They, like Paul, have discovered that they need nothing else, only Jesus Christ.

In their community the church, like the land, bears the scars of the mining industry, but there are signs of healing and hope. Scott and Claudia have been able to reach out to the youth in the town. They told us about the kids who aren’t members but who come with their friends. And even though the pastors know these kids are out of Eisleben as soon as they are able, they also know that they are opening them up to the good news of Jesus Christ. All that matters is that Christ is proclaimed. As they talked about their work in Eisleben, I got the sense that while they are deeply saddened by the state of the church in their town and in the area, they are not bound to the circumstances. They are free in Christ and they have a vision of what the power of the gospel can do. They encourage not only the people they pastor, but they encouraged me.

Before we left, we prayed together. Their only request of us was to continue to pray and to encourage others to as well. Christ is at work in this village in Germany, the gospel is being advanced. Christ was at work in Paul, in those who heard him, and in the church at Philippi, the gospel is being advanced. Christ is at work here and now at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, the gospel is being advanced.

As I sat in Stotts (our campus dining hall) yesterday at lunch, surrounded by the community. I looked around the room, and thought about how each of us is called to boldly proclaim the gospel message, even though we have no way of knowing where that call may lead us or the situation in which we will find ourselves. I have listened to many stories shared around those tables. People confronted with obstacles, yet they are able to press on, knowing that Christ would see them through and knowing that they had the support and encouragement of the community.

To hear those stories, to listen to Scott and Claudia who minister in spite of their circumstances, to read the letter to the Philippians as Paul continues to preach even in prison, is to be encouraged to speak more courageously; and it is to know that it is not just Paul or Scott and Claudia or us who are called to advance the gospel, but every believer from Eisleben, to Philippi, to Austin, and to where ever we are sent. May we all see with new eyes so that our obstacles become opportunities, that where we may be bound by circumstance we find freedom in Christ. May we be encouraged to go out into all the world and boldly proclaim Jesus Christ so we might serve to encourage others and to advance the gospel. Amen.