Embracing Community Through Love and Ministry
Summary
### Summary
Today, we gather to celebrate the profound calling and ministry of those being licensed, commissioned, and ordained in Christ's holy church. This sacred moment is a reminder of our shared mission as the body of Christ, a community bound by love and service. Through baptism, we are all part of the priesthood of believers, called to live out the ministry of love and redemption for humanity and all creation. This evening, we reaffirm our baptism and our collective call to ministry, recognizing that we cannot fulfill this mission alone but need each other deeply.
The essence of our faith is captured in the two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. This love is not just a feeling but a transformative force that makes the invisible God visible through our actions and relationships. As John Stott once questioned, "How can the world believe in an invisible God?" The answer lies in our love for one another, which perfects God's love in us. This love requires us to abandon the notion of individualism and embrace community, as highlighted by Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone," which illustrates the isolation prevalent in our culture.
Holiness, in our tradition, is not about separation or exclusion but about connection and community. John Wesley emphasized that Christianity is inherently social, and to make it solitary is to destroy it. We are grafted into the body of Christ, drawing life and strength from Him and each other. This interconnectedness is essential for our spiritual growth and mission.
The journey of ministry is marked by love, not sentimentality, but a deep, abiding love that endures betrayal, abandonment, and loss. Our denomination has faced many challenges, yet our commitment to spreading scriptural holiness and increasing the love of God and neighbor remains steadfast. Love is hard, but it is the only force that can truly save us. As we navigate this season of pruning and growth, let us remember that one person who loves others can make all the difference.
### Key Takeaways
1. The Call to Ministry and Community: Our baptism calls us into a shared ministry of love and service, emphasizing that we cannot fulfill this mission alone. We need each other to live out the ministry of redemption for humanity and all creation. This interconnectedness is essential for our spiritual growth and mission. [21:13]
2. Love as the Visibility of God: The world can believe in an invisible God through our love for one another. This love perfects God's presence in us and requires us to abandon individualism and embrace community. Our actions and relationships make God's love visible. [34:17]
3. Holiness Through Connection: Holiness is not about separation but about being connected to each other and to Christ. John Wesley emphasized that Christianity is inherently social, and to make it solitary is to destroy it. We draw life and strength from our connection to the body of Christ. [36:59]
4. Enduring Love Amidst Challenges: Love is not easy; it endures betrayal, abandonment, and loss. Our denomination has faced many challenges, yet our commitment to spreading scriptural holiness and increasing the love of God and neighbor remains steadfast. Love is the only force that can truly save us. [46:15]
5. The Power of One Loving Person: One person who loves others can make all the difference. In our communities and churches, individuals who embody Christ's love can transform lives and foster a deeper sense of connection and purpose. This love is a model for how we should live and serve. [50:56]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[21:13] - The Call to Ministry and Community
[32:45] - Acknowledging Colleagues and Blessings
[34:17] - Love as the Visibility of God
[35:38] - Overcoming Individualism
[36:59] - Holiness Through Connection
[38:47] - The Real Presence of Jesus
[41:21] - Inclusion and Relationality
[43:16] - Mentorship and Love in Ministry
[44:36] - Love Beyond Sentimentality
[46:15] - Enduring Love Amidst Challenges
[47:44] - Only Love Can Save Us
[49:23] - Understanding the Season of Pruning
[50:56] - The Power of One Loving Person
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 1 John 4:11-12: "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
2. John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
3. Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to 1 John 4:11-12, how is God's love made complete in us?
2. In John 15:5, what does Jesus say about our ability to bear fruit?
3. What are the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23?
4. How does the sermon describe the relationship between love and making God visible to the world? ([34:17])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean for God's love to be "perfected" in us through our love for one another? ([34:17])
2. How does the concept of being "grafted into the body of Christ" influence our understanding of community and individualism? ([36:59])
3. Why is love described as a difficult but essential force in the sermon, especially in the context of enduring challenges? ([46:15])
4. How can one person who loves others make a significant difference in their community, according to the sermon? ([50:56])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own baptism and call to ministry. How can you reaffirm your commitment to love and serve within your community? ([21:13])
2. In what ways can you make God's love visible through your actions and relationships this week? ([34:17])
3. How can you overcome individualism and embrace a more communal approach to your faith journey? ([35:38])
4. Think of a time when you faced betrayal, abandonment, or loss. How did love help you endure those challenges, and how can you apply that experience to support others now? ([46:15])
5. Identify one person in your church or community who embodies Christ's love. What specific actions can you take to follow their example and make a difference in someone else's life? ([50:56])
6. How can you cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in your daily interactions, especially in challenging situations? ([47:44])
7. What steps can you take to ensure that your love for others is not just sentimental but deeply rooted in action and commitment? ([44:36])
Devotional
Day 1: The Call to Ministry and Community
Our baptism calls us into a shared ministry of love and service, emphasizing that we cannot fulfill this mission alone. We need each other to live out the ministry of redemption for humanity and all creation. This interconnectedness is essential for our spiritual growth and mission. [21:13]
Through baptism, we are all part of the priesthood of believers, called to live out the ministry of love and redemption for humanity and all creation. This evening, we reaffirm our baptism and our collective call to ministry, recognizing that we cannot fulfill this mission alone but need each other deeply. The essence of our faith is captured in the two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. This love is not just a feeling but a transformative force that makes the invisible God visible through our actions and relationships.
Holiness, in our tradition, is not about separation or exclusion but about connection and community. John Wesley emphasized that Christianity is inherently social, and to make it solitary is to destroy it. We are grafted into the body of Christ, drawing life and strength from Him and each other. This interconnectedness is essential for our spiritual growth and mission.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV): "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Reflection: How can you actively participate in your church community this week to strengthen the body of Christ?
Day 2: Love as the Visibility of God
The world can believe in an invisible God through our love for one another. This love perfects God's presence in us and requires us to abandon individualism and embrace community. Our actions and relationships make God's love visible. [34:17]
The essence of our faith is captured in the two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. This love is not just a feeling but a transformative force that makes the invisible God visible through our actions and relationships. As John Stott once questioned, "How can the world believe in an invisible God?" The answer lies in our love for one another, which perfects God's love in us. This love requires us to abandon the notion of individualism and embrace community.
Our actions and relationships make God's love visible. When we love one another, we reflect God's love to the world, making the invisible God visible. This love is not just a sentiment but a powerful force that transforms lives and communities. It calls us to move beyond our comfort zones and engage deeply with those around us, showing them the love of Christ through our actions.
1 John 4:12 (ESV): "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
Reflection: Think of a specific way you can show God's love to someone in your community today. How can your actions make God's love visible to them?
Day 3: Holiness Through Connection
Holiness is not about separation but about being connected to each other and to Christ. John Wesley emphasized that Christianity is inherently social, and to make it solitary is to destroy it. We draw life and strength from our connection to the body of Christ. [36:59]
Holiness, in our tradition, is not about separation or exclusion but about connection and community. John Wesley emphasized that Christianity is inherently social, and to make it solitary is to destroy it. We are grafted into the body of Christ, drawing life and strength from Him and each other. This interconnectedness is essential for our spiritual growth and mission.
Our journey of faith is not meant to be walked alone. We are called to be part of a community, to support and be supported by others. This connection to the body of Christ is where we find strength, encouragement, and growth. It is through our relationships with one another that we experience the fullness of God's love and grace.
Ephesians 4:16 (ESV): "From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Reflection: How can you strengthen your connection to the body of Christ this week? What steps can you take to build deeper relationships within your church community?
Day 4: Enduring Love Amidst Challenges
Love is not easy; it endures betrayal, abandonment, and loss. Our denomination has faced many challenges, yet our commitment to spreading scriptural holiness and increasing the love of God and neighbor remains steadfast. Love is the only force that can truly save us. [46:15]
The journey of ministry is marked by love, not sentimentality, but a deep, abiding love that endures betrayal, abandonment, and loss. Our denomination has faced many challenges, yet our commitment to spreading scriptural holiness and increasing the love of God and neighbor remains steadfast. Love is hard, but it is the only force that can truly save us. As we navigate this season of pruning and growth, let us remember that one person who loves others can make all the difference.
Love is not always easy. It requires sacrifice, patience, and perseverance. In the face of challenges, love remains steadfast and unyielding. It is through enduring love that we can overcome obstacles and continue to spread the message of God's grace and redemption. This love is a powerful force that can transform lives and communities, even in the midst of difficulties.
1 Corinthians 13:7 (ESV): "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent challenge you have faced. How can you respond with enduring love in this situation? What steps can you take to show God's love despite the difficulties?
Day 5: The Power of One Loving Person
One person who loves others can make all the difference. In our communities and churches, individuals who embody Christ's love can transform lives and foster a deeper sense of connection and purpose. This love is a model for how we should live and serve. [50:56]
The journey of ministry is marked by love, not sentimentality, but a deep, abiding love that endures betrayal, abandonment, and loss. Our denomination has faced many challenges, yet our commitment to spreading scriptural holiness and increasing the love of God and neighbor remains steadfast. Love is hard, but it is the only force that can truly save us. As we navigate this season of pruning and growth, let us remember that one person who loves others can make all the difference.
In our communities and churches, individuals who embody Christ's love can transform lives and foster a deeper sense of connection and purpose. This love is a model for how we should live and serve. One person who loves others can make all the difference. In our communities and churches, individuals who embody Christ's love can transform lives and foster a deeper sense of connection and purpose. This love is a model for how we should live and serve.
Galatians 6:9 (ESV): "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Reflection: Think of someone in your life who needs to experience God's love. How can you be a vessel of Christ's love to them today? What specific actions can you take to show them love and support?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "In the New Testament, there were two great commandments, a simplification of the 613 laws. Love God and love your neighbor. In our gospel lesson, Jesus says, Love one another. These two commandments define what sanctification means in our Methodist tradition. Not separation, not exclusion, loving God, loving our neighbor, and yes, loving ourselves." (44 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "How can the world believe in a God who is invisible? The answer he suggested, is in 1 John 4, 11 through 12. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and God's love is perfected in us. We experience the love of God through God's people. This love is a gift, but we must accept it. And this acceptance involves giving up on the idea that I can live the Christian life on my own, without community, apart from communion with others." (44 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We are bowling, but we are bowling alone. It is all about the individual. On the way to licensing, commissioning, and ordination, we overcome the obstacle of individualism. Amen? We really do need each other. We cannot do it alone. So this evening, you are being set apart as a person. You are becoming more intentionally a part of the connection. And this is our way of understanding holiness. Holiness, our goal in this life, is about rediscovering our purpose in this life, which is love. God is love. Love is holiness. We love one another." (73 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "I shall endeavor to show that Christianity is essentially a social religion. And that to turn it into a solitary religion is to what? Destroy it. 1 John 5, 27-28. said there is no holiness but social holiness we are connected and the life that flows from the vine into the branches is a life of love we are grafted into each other into the tree of life to use another image from Scripture into the body of Christ to use another I cannot be a Christian without you and cannot be a Christian without me for some reason God designed it this way and so a part of our conversion is a conversion into the community the body the believers the household of God the core conviction is our need for a friendship with Jesus I am divine you are the branches he teaches his disciples we draw our strength our life from him apart from me he says you can do nothing this is connection with Jesus which can happen whenever two or three are gathered in his name this is the real presence of Jesus who loved us and gave himself for our you did for us the fountain filled with blood the vine pouring life into the branches the teacher who said you have heard it said but I say to you love one another we are a holiness movement holiness is not separation holiness is not exclusion Jesus is the vine we are the branches God is the vine we are the sig接 branches" (157 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Only love can save us. I actually preached a sermon with that title on the Sunday I came back from being a delegate to the 2004 General Conference, which was in Pittsburgh. And I believe the text is the same as the Bible. And more recently, I have attached a thought to that. And here it is. Love is hard. Law is easy. Love is hard. I can be a hateful person And keep the law. But love is hard. Jesus said very little about law. He talked a lot more about love. And Love one another, he teaches. This is who we are. We're people who love each other." (70 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Years ago, I heard a talk by the British evangelist, John Stott. And he posed a provocative question. It's even more relevant now in our postmodern culture. He asked the question, how can the world believe in an invisible God? The answer he suggested, is in 1 John 4, 11 through 12. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and God's love is perfected in us. We experience the love of God through God's people. This love is a gift, but we must accept it. And this acceptance involves giving up on the idea that I can live the Christian life on my own, without community, apart from communion with others." (44 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "I think of the two men who stood with me when I was ordained on this stage 38 years ago right there. Neither served the largest churches of our conference. One was happily married. One never married. At times, they both sensed that they were not in favor with the conference power structure. I know that's a weird thing for a bishop to say, but they do exist, I suppose. But at the same time, that didn't dominate their lives or ministries. In their vocations, they mentored me. They, they loved me. They never said that. They never said, Ken, I love you. But they lived it by how they included me, by opportunities they gave me or difficult situations they pushed me toward, by how they spent time with me. Today, we might say they were holding space for me. Or as Ronald Heifetz of Harvard would say, they were creating a holding environment for me so that I could grow and take the next step. It was a way I knew that I was loved. And it gave me a model on how to love other people. This is what Jesus did for us." (115 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Love is not sentimentality. That's not what I'm talking about. I remember my wife, Pam, and I were watching a country music video a few years ago on television. Actually, I was watching it. She was sitting there doing something else. And a woman was singing the phrase, my baby loves me just the way that I am. My baby loves me just the way that I am. My baby loves me just the way that I am. Well, by this time, this had gotten my wife's attention. And she looked at the television and she rolled her eyes. And she said, that woman has gigantic blue eyes and maybe an ounce of body fat. What's not to love? reality, love is not easy. It's not. John 15 flows out of John 13. really dark chapter in the Gospels. Betrayal, abandonment, and loss. we confess that we do this work now amidst a ministry narrative, a national narrative, a personal narrative, a denominational narrative of betrayal, abandonment, loss? We have lived through a long, hard time as a denomination. Lawsuits, complaints, being the subject of misleading videos, videos that get many thousands of views. we could trace the longer, heavier, very different, more profound, long, hard time back to 1844, or 1939, or 1972, or 2019. we could go back centuries. could go back centuries. We have lived through this, the people called Methodist. I have lived through this. I bear in my body the marks of all of this. And many of you do as well. But I have no doubt that it has been worth it if we can be a community that spreads scriptural holiness, which is to say that increases the love of God. and neighbor." (180 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "The answer to the question who is important is the question of identity. But there's another question, and that is when. The time you happen to be licensed, commissioned, or ordained. That's understanding the moment, the season in which we live. It is a season of betrayal, abandonment, loss. You could even use the word pruning. As I read John 15 over the last few weeks, I discovered that God only prunes what is already bearing fruit. God does that to bear more fruit. The fruit of the Spirit, Paul writes in Galatians, is love. And so it is true for a person, for a local church, for a denomination. Only love can save us. So let me encourage you in this way with a simple idea. One person who loves other people can make all the difference." (96 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "When I was appointed to this church by Bishop Kammerer, I asked the Staff Parish Relations Committee members, there were about 11 of them, if they would each make a list of five people that I should meet and listen to over the first three months. I said, not the officers, not the lawyers, That was all theiquester and the super-largest donors. Now let me quickly say I am all for leadership and I am all for financial giving, Amen. wanted them to list five people who were at the heart" (48 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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