​Ballston Spa United Methodist Church
  • Home
  • The Latest
    • Recent posts
    • January 29 message
    • January 22 message
    • January 15 message
    • January 8 message
    • January 1 message
    • December 18 message
    • December 11 message
    • November 27 message
    • November 20 message
    • October 30 message
    • October 23 message
    • October 16 message
    • October 2 message
    • September 25 message
    • September 11 message
    • September 4 message
    • August 28 message
    • August 14 message
    • August 7 message
    • July 31 message
    • July 24 message
    • July 17 message
    • July 10 message
    • July 3 message
    • June 5 message
    • May 22 message
    • May 15 message
    • May 8 message
    • May 1 message
    • April 24 message
    • April 17 message
    • April 3 message
    • March 27 message
    • March 20 message
    • March 13 message
    • March 6 message
    • February 27 message
    • February 20 message
    • February 13 message
    • February 6 message
    • January 30 message
    • January 23 message
    • January 16 message
    • January 2 message
    • December 19 message
    • December 5 message
    • November 28 message
    • November 14 message
    • November 7 message
    • October 31 message
    • October 17 message
    • October 10 message
    • October 3 message
    • September 26 message
    • September 19 message
    • September 12 message
    • January 17 message
    • September 5 message
    • August 29 message
    • August 22 message
    • August 8 message
    • August 1 message
    • July 25 message
    • July 18 message
    • July 11 message
    • July 11 Scripture
    • June 27 message
    • June 13 message
    • June 6 message
    • May 9 message
    • May 2 message
    • April 25 message
    • April 18 message
    • April 11 message
    • April 4 message
    • March 21 message
    • March 14 message
    • March 7 message
    • February 28 message
    • February 21 message
    • February 14 message
    • January 31 message
    • January 24 message
    • January 10 message
    • January 3 message
    • December 13 message
    • December 6 message
    • November 29 message
    • November 15 message
    • November 1 message
    • October 11 message
    • Sept 13 message
    • Sept 6 message
    • Aug 30 message
    • Aug 23 message
    • Aug 16 message
    • July 26 message
    • July 12 Message
    • July 5 message
    • June 28 message
    • May 24 message
  • Videos
    • This week's service
    • Worship videos 2023
    • Worship videos 2022
    • Worship videos 2021
  • About Us
    • Church Staff
    • Church Directions
    • How to reach us
    • History
  • Ministry Matters
    • Announcements >
      • Ministry Matters January 29
      • Ministry Matters January 22
      • Ministry Matters January 15
      • Ministry Matters January 8
      • Ministry Matters January 1
      • Ministry Matters December 18
      • Ministry Matters December 11
      • Ministry Matters November 27
      • Ministry Matters November 20
      • Ministry Matters November 6
      • Ministry Matters October 23
      • Ministry Matters October 9
      • Ministry Matters October 2
      • Ministry Matters September 25
      • Ministry Matters September 11
      • Ministry Matters September 4
      • Ministry Matters August 28
      • Ministry Matters August 21
      • Ministry Matters August 14
      • Ministry Matters July 31
      • Ministry Matters July 24
      • Ministry Matters July 17
      • Ministry Matters July 3
      • Ministry Matters June 26
      • Ministry Matters June 19
      • Ministry Matters June 12
      • Ministry Matters June 5
      • Ministry Matters May 29
      • Ministry Matters May 22
      • Ministry Matters May 15
      • Ministry Matters May 8
      • Ministry Matters May 1
      • Ministry Matters April 24
      • Ministry Matters April 17
      • Ministry Matters April 10
      • Ministry Matters April 3
      • Ministry Matters March 27
      • Ministry Matters March 20
      • Ministry Matters March 13
      • Ministry Matters March 6
      • Ministry Matters February 27
      • Ministry Matters February 20
      • Ministry Matters February 13
      • Ministry Matters February 6
      • Ministry Matters January 30
      • Ministry Matters January 23
      • Ministry Matters January 16
      • Ministry Matters January 9
      • Ministry Matters January 2
      • Ministry Matters December 12
      • Ministry Matters December 5
      • Ministry Matters November 28
      • Ministry Matters November 21
      • Ministry Matters November 14
      • Ministry Matters November 7
      • Ministry Matters October 31
      • Ministry Matters October 17
      • Ministry Matters October 10
      • Ministry Matters October 3
      • Ministry Matters September 26 >
        • Understanding the UMC Budget
      • Ministry Matters September 19
      • Ministry Matters September 12
      • Ministry Matters September 5
      • Ministry Matters August 29
      • Ministry Matters August 22
      • Ministry Matters August 1
      • Ministry Matters July 25
      • Ministry Matters July 18
      • Ministry Matters July 11
      • Ministry Matters June 27
      • Ministry Matters June 13
      • Ministry Matters June 6
      • Ministry Matters May 30
      • Ministry Matters May 23
      • Ministry Matters May 9
      • Ministry Matters May 2
      • Ministry Matters April 25
      • Ministry Matters April 18
      • Ministry Matters April 11
      • Ministry Matters April 4
      • Ministry Matters March 28
      • Ministry Matters March 21
      • Ministry Matters March 14
      • Ministry Matters March 7
      • Ministry Matters February 28
      • Ministry Matters February 21
      • Ministry Matters February 14
      • Ministry Matters February 7
      • Ministry Matters January 31
      • Ministry Matters January 24
      • Ministry Matters January 17
      • Ministry Matters January 10
      • Ministry Matters January 3
      • Ministry Matters December 20
      • Ministry Matters December 13
      • Ministry Matters December 6
      • Ministry Matters November 29
      • Ministry Matters November 22
      • Ministry Matters November 15
      • Ministry Matters November 8
      • Ministry Matters November 1
      • Ministry Matters October 25
      • Ministry Matters October 18
      • Ministry Matters October 11
      • Ministry Matters October 4
      • Ministry Matters September 27
      • Ministry Matters September 20
      • Ministry Matters September 13
      • Ministry Matters August 16
      • Ministry Matters July 12
      • Ministry Matters July 5
      • Ministry Matters June 29
      • Ministry Matters May 31
      • Ministry Matters May 24
      • Ministry Matters May 16
      • Ministry Matters May 7
      • Ministry Matters April 30
      • Ministry Matters 4/23/20
  • How We Serve
    • Food Pantry
    • Clothing Thrift Shop
    • Prayer Shawl Ministry
    • UM Economic & Lakota Ministries
    • Fair Trade Coffee
    • Regional Food Bank Trip
    • 2020 Falling Leaves 5K Run
    • 2019 Falling Leaves 5K Run
    • Bright Red Book Shelf
    • Summer Lunch Program
  • Giving
    • Online giving
    • Sign up for automatic giving
    • Through On-line Purchasing
  • Resources
    • Safe Sanctuary Policy
    • Links
    • Forms
    • Photos & Videos

God’s Provocative Possibilities
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1,4-9; Matthew 4:12-23

Picture
​     Have you ever experienced being in a pitch-dark place?  What’s possible in the deep darkness?  Can you prepare a meal?  Travel to see family?   Could work be done to build a home?  Darkness limits us; it decreases our options. 
      What follows nighttime is the dawn.  Dawn begins with the first sight of indirect light and continues until the sun breaks over the horizon.  At that moment, direct sunlight outshines the softer hints of light.  Dawn becoming a sunrise is a glorious sight, fresh every morning. 
        Long ago Isaiah wrote this prophecy for His people, Israel: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.  On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.”  He was telling them about a future day, when the Promised Messiah, the Light of the world, would come and banish all darkness. Dawn’s gentle light would give way to a light that outshines all that’s come before. That day is on the horizon.
        In our gospel reading, Matthew was writing to his fellow Jews. He quoted the Isaiah 9 passage I just shared: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.  On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned. Matthew was boldly announcing that this ancient prophecy, which His people knew so well, was now fulfilled in Jesus.  He then gave them evidence: Jesus left his hometown of Nazareth, travelled to Zebulun and Naphtali on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, settling in Capernaum.  The location Jesus chose as his home base for ministry was exactly where Isaiah said people should expect to find the Messiah. Matthew went on to say that Jesus was calling people to repentance and telling them the kingdom of God was coming – the sun was emerging on the horizon. 
      Jesus called two sets of brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John, to leave their life as fishermen and follow him. He promised he’d teach them how to be fishers of “people”.  Immediately the men decided to be his disciples.  They travelled throughout Galilee, listening to him teach in synagogues, watching him heal every sick and diseased person he encountered.  They witnessed him banish darkness in its many forms.  His life is the light that has shone and will shine in the darkness for all people, for all time, without end.
      I want to fast-forward now to the early church, which was under the leadership of Peter.  He was one of the first men to leave everything to follow Jesus, but many others did as well, men and women.  There were 12 disciples in the inner circle, but a large crowd of people followed Jesus during his three years of ministry.  It’s likely that some who were in those crowds formed small house churches after Jesus’ death and resurrection. 
     They gathered to worship, learn, share a meal and Holy Communion.  They then went into their community and helped meet unmet needs of their neighbors.  They shared themselves and their faith with those they helped, and some of those became followers of Jesus. In this way Christianity spread, but persecution soon fanned the flame, displacing Christians into distant lands.  They were faithful, continuing to share the message of Christ wherever they lived.    
      The book of Acts describes the rapid growth of the church, but better yet, it reveals how that happened.  New Christians had no building to meet in; they met in people’s homes or in public places.  This movement brought Christians into different parts of their villages and cities.  They had few resources, but they were known for their generosity.  They had no designated spiritual leader – Jesus taught them that they were part of the priesthood of believers.  They were eager to tell others about Jesus, who had changed their lives.  They prayed often, together and by themselves, and they trusted that God’s Holy Spirit would guide and strengthen them in all they did. 
     I don’t know if anything I just shared about the early church is new for you.  Many of you have probably heard these things before. What you may not have heard before is a comparison of today’s church with the early church.  I think it’s gives us insights worth exploring.   Today you and I can easily find a public church building.   We aren’t meeting all over the village or outside; we are established, an institution. We have brick and mortar buildings; our location is fixed.  We have far more wealth and resources than first-century Christians did; we have homes, access to medical care, jobs, transportation, food, and leisure time.  We may give generously to the church or missional needs, but I doubt any of us are sacrificial to the point of selling all we have and giving it to the church.   We have trained clergy, ordained and lay, giving them the authority to lead a congregation. This has become a paid profession, but one of its unintended consequences is that it’s weakened once-vital lay leadership.  These days we open the church’s door or create a website, hoping we’ll attract visitors.  We can be more maintenance- minded than missional.  We are grateful to be Christians but some of us never learned or made it our habit to share our faith with others.  We do pray and believe in the Holy Spirit, but it may seem like the early church was wild and bold in ways we can’t quite relate to today.  
       My sense of today’s church may not be identical to yours, but I think we all recognize that there’ve been several shifts away from the practices and realities of the early church.  So this morning I want to talk about provocative possibilities.  I chose this title for my sermon purposefully.  If something is provocative it’s designed to elicit a response, perhaps a strong one.  Being provocative is often associated with being controversial. I believe that Jesus’ life was provocative, in the best ways.  Everywhere he went, people had strong reactions to him and his teachings.  He crossed boundaries, spending time with all people, especially those in greatest need.  He offended the people in power who put up barriers, making laws about insiders and outsiders.  He raised uncomfortable questions and cast doubt on the status quo.  Sometimes he refused to answer someone’s questions.  Wherever Jesus went there was an unsettling, a sort of disturbance, because he opened people’s eyes to see truth.  He told stories that led people to make radical changes in their lives.  He spoke of a future far greater than what people imagined was possible.  He controlled the wind and seas and changed water into wine at a wedding. I’m certain Jesus was provocative, in the best sense of the word.  He elicited responses and was controversial because he was ushering in the new, fresh, holy kingdom of God.  What Jesus did was a mere foretaste of what is to come.   
       With Jesus as our example, and the early church as inspiration, I want to talk about provocative possibilities for Christ’s church from long ago, and today, so we might better envision provocative possibilities for the future. 
     The Word of God for the People of God – access to Scripture.  The earliest Christians passed around papyrus scrolls.  At worship services they might get to hear part of one of the gospels read, or some of Paul’s letters.  Earlier writings, what we call the Old Testament, were accessible in some local synagogues, but very few people could read. 
     Nowadays, thanks to the printing press, audio and digital technology, the Word of God can be sent almost anywhere in the world.  Literacy is strong in many nations – plus we have eyeglasses, hearing aids, Braille Bibles, and sign language to widen the reach of Scripture.  But what provocative possibilities are there for the future?  And how can we be part of spreading God’s word?  Could we become literacy volunteers and offer a Bible to those we teach?  What place in the world is in desperate need of the Bible in their own language, and how can we help it reach them?   What hasn’t yet become a reality, but could?  Will there be a virtual reality experience that can take us back to Jesus’ life and times?            
     Financially supporting Christ’s church and mission.  In the early church, they’d heard Jesus teaching about good stewardship many times.  For example, if they had two coats, they should give one away to someone who needed it.  Generosity was one of signs that made Christians easy to identify.  There were occasional collections taken; they were sent to churches helping their community during a time of hardship.     
      Nowadays we know God counts on us to be open-handed, generous in supporting Christ’s church and mission. We welcome donations of food, clothing, yarn, empty prescription bottles, can pulls and items for our rummage sales.  We have quarterly mission giving of our own choosing and collect funds for 6 special missions selected by the United Methodist denomination. 
     We offer many ways to receive financial offerings.  We accept cash and coins, personal checks and cashier’s checks.  You can give funds electronically and through automatic withdrawal. We accept stocks, bequests of money, land, or property, and I suspect, any winnings from a lottery ticket!
     But what about the future?  Will the church of tomorrow need resources like people’s time and expertise to expand online content, like worship, small groups, support groups and more?  Will there be fewer paid clergy and more bi-vocational laity?  How many church buildings will be closed, eliminating high utility bills and costly repairs?  Will the recent trend of house churches continue?  Would opening one’s home be a future need?  
       These are unknowable things, but in the words of Anne Frank, “We can trust our unknowable future to our known God.”   Thank you for considering Christ’s church – past, present, and future.  Despite the challenges, changes and fears we may face, we’re given a beautiful promise:  The Church of Jesus Christ will be here until the day our Lord returns. 
      We who follow Jesus have Scripture, prayer, one another, and the Holy Spirit… who is powerful, but also unpredictable.  So if you and I don’t come up with any provocative possibilities for the church, rest assured, the Holy Spirit will bring them to us.   Thanks be to God. Amen.   

Like us on Facebook:

Visit our Facebook Page:

© 2023 Ballston Spa United Methodist Church. 101 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, NY 12020
E-Mail: