The Joy of Missions
Rev. Mike Browder
February 6, 2011
We have a great tradition of missions here at First United Methodist Church.
I truly believe that it is this Spirit of mission, which makes us an active and
dynamic church. We have found that there is great joy in being part of the
mission, which God is doing in this world through the followers of Jesus Christ.
We remember that it is Christ who calls us to missions. We read that call
today in our scripture from the Gospel of Matthew, the Great Commission.
Jesus calls us, in fact he commands us to go into all the world and preach the
Gospel, to make disciples, and to help those who are in need.
Did you notice that Jesus never calls us to build churches? I must say that I
love beautiful, well-built and well-decorated churches. But, when I read the
Bible, I see that Jesus never called us to build churches. He only called us to
be in mission. Churches exist only as outposts to fulfill the call and mission
of Jesus Christ. Churches exist for mission.
And, mission is who we are, especially as United Methodists. Did you know
that, for the first hundred years of its existence, the Methodist church never had
a Mission Office or a Mission Committee? Why? Because they saw
themselves as literally fulfilling the call and mission of Jesus Christ. They were
sending preachers and lay workers into every part of the globe, including the
wilderness of America, to preach the Good News of God’s salvation, and to
share the love of Jesus Christ. There is a church here where we are sitting today,
because some early Methodist came here in mission.
Why do Christians do it? Why do they go off to the far corners of the world
to share Christ? Why do they stand around in the cold and hand out
blankets? First, it is because of the blessing that comes from fulfilling the
call of God. Christ calls us to go. And when we go, we are blessed.
Second, we go because of the need. People need to know about Jesus. They
need to know about his salvation, about his love. And people have so many
physical needs. How can we sit warm in our home, staring at a big TV,
stuffed to the gills with Super-Bowl snacks, and not have a heart for people
with no place to sleep, or no food to eat? If we have the heart and the mind
that are in Christ Jesus, we want to reach out and help those who are in need.
We can help them with our financial gifts. And today is the day for our
annual Faith Mission pledge. This includes the money, up and beyond our
normal budget, which goes to missions. We will ask you to give generously
to this mission fund today.
But missions is more than money. It is involvement. You have heard me
say that it is my prayer that every person in this church will touch missions
with their hands this year. Actually touch the work of missions. This week
our church’s Missions Committee said that they share that prayer.
I ask you to search your heart today, and ask yourself: “How can I touch
missions this year?” Maybe you could participate in one of our trips to the
homeless; such as we are having this afternoon. Or you could work for a
day at a Habitat house. Maybe you could go on one of our trips within the
US, like the mission to Texas, or Tennessee, or the one coming up to North
Carolina. Perhaps you could go on one of our international teams, to places
like Belize, or Colombia, or the District missions to Haiti or Hungary.
Perhaps you are not able to go on a trip, because of your health, or your
schedule. In that case, you might consider making a baby blanket, or
purchasing a homeless blanket. You could come down and volunteer with
neighborhood children at Bible School. You could sit by one of our guests
from Special Olympics. You could teach Sunday School. You could visit a
nursing home. It is amazing where the Lord might lead you, when you ask
yourself that question: “How could I touch missions this year?”
Why do these Christians get so excited about Missions? It is because you
can’t out-bless God. When you go to give yourself to other people, you
always end up getting so much more out of it in return. The rewards are
particularly great when you are able, by God’s strength, to step outside your
comfort zone. Look at people like Billy Williamson. Do you think he is not
blessed when he does something for the Lord?
Look at Doug Patrick, who is sharing at 11:00 this morning. He is totally
uncomfortable to stand up and speak. But he made a commitment… to be
where God needs him. So, with the Lord’s help, he has stared down his
fears. He has said, “Lord I will do this for you.” (I wouldn’t do it for
anybody else! But Lord, I will do it for you.) Doug’s faith has touched me.
I wrote to some of our mission partners and asked them to share their stories.
Lyle Rainey, our missionary host in Belize, grew up on a dairy farm in south
Mississippi. He found the love of Christ through the faith of his extended
family and the little church that they attended. He said that his grandfather
was probably the one who influenced him the most.
As an adult, Lyle started going on mission trips to Honduras, after the
terrible hurricane. One of the places where they worked was an orphanage,
and he started making friends with the children. He didn’t realize how much
God was speaking to him through that experience.
Then Lyle and his wife Rose felt called to full-time mission work. They
thought they were going to Honduras, and so they were in Spanish language
school, in Central America. While they were there, the mission organization
for the Vo-tech School came and invited them to work in Belize, because the
school had a big farm, and they needed someone who knew farm work.
Well, when they got to Belize, Lyle and Rose didn’t look all that closely at
the farm. What they saw was the boys. And they fell in love with those
boys. They knew that that was where God wanted them to be.
I could tell you so many stories. For example, about my friend Bob Lamb,
who started the Pastors’ School in Belize where I teach. Bob wanted to be a
missionary his whole life. But when he finished seminary, and went to the
Board, they told him that his allergies were too bad, and they couldn’t let
him work in another country.
So Bob went back to do his Ph.D. and became the dean of Gardner-Webb
Divinity School. When he retired, he had to look for something to do, so he
signed up to go around the world and teach pastors. One day, the church
leaders in Belize contacted him. They did not have a seminary. Could he
start a program for pastors to study part-time?
Now Bob goes to Belize three times a year, for two-week pastors’ schools.
At age 75, he finally became a missionary. He is 80 years old now, and he
has never been happier.
I could tell you about Bishop Cardona in Colombia. How he was a
businessman, with no church experience, lost in sin. One night God led him
into a church meeting. There he was saved. He went to the Baptist
seminary. One day, he was reading about John Wesley, and he realized that
he was a Methodist.
What do all these people have in common? Yes, they answered God’s call.
Yes, things turned out differently than they expected. Yes, they got outside
of their comfort zone. But what really strikes me is how much God blessed
them. What really strikes me is the incredible joy they have from following
Christ’s call to mission.
That what I want you to have. I want you to have that joy. I want you to
have that blessing that comes from being in mission for Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we hear your call to missions. We come today to
say, “Yes, Lord. I will answer your call. I will follow you. Show me the
way. Where are you calling me to serve? I will answer your call, even if it
leads me outside of my comfort zone. I know you will give me strength to
follow. Lord Jesus, I commit my self to you.” Amen.
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