What Lies Ahead

The Rev. Joseph Winston

June 29, 2008

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
It does not take an advanced degree in economics to see that something is dra-
matically transforming the automobile industry. Listen to what the recent head-
lines have been saying. Domestic automobile manufacturers are loosing money
at near record levels. Sales for certain brands are down dramatically. Some larger
models are completely discontinued while others are delayed indefinitely. The ad-
vertisements for new and used cars repeat this same litany in their own ways. Buy
a car and receive discounted gas. Everyone pays the same price that employees
pay. Purchase a new car and you will have zero percent financing for up to five
years. Take huge discounts of five, ten, and even twenty thousand dollars on our
existing inventory. Some dealerships south of here are even willing to pay you if
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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you will just come in and look at their cars.
The downturn in the American economy due to mortgage debacle, the weak
dollar, and the high price of energy has kept potential customers away from the au-
tomobile showrooms in droves. Already, the automobile industry is talking about
dramatically reducing the number of places where you can buy cars. This has al-
ready started happening here. One of the biggest discount automobile dealerships
in this area has pulled out of Houston and retreated back to their hometown of
Hepmstead.
While it is safe to say that no one correctly guessed the combination of events
that brought on this current downturn in automobile sales, it is perfectly reason-
able to assert that many people saw it coming for a long time. Cheap energy has
been on the way out for years. This has happened because it is harder to find the
oil that we use to make gas and there are many more people who want to con-
sume this precious resource. This reality translates into higher prices as the pump.
Now people are thinking twice about what cars they buy. We see this played out
in all the places that sell cars. Those dealerships with vehicles that only get a few
miles per gallon are being passed by for those sites that have more fuel-efficient
automobiles.
You do not need a Ph.D. in sociology to see that the early church is in severe
trouble just a few weeks after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. They are
out fishing rather than carrying out Christ’s commission to go into the world.
Since we rarely listen to the entire Gospel according to St. John at one time,
a little review of the details surrounding today’s lesson are probably in order.

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The author of John has given us one of the most well loved verses in the New
Testament, the so called “Gospel in a nutshell.” “For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life (John 3:16 KJV).” Immediately after this verse, we hear
that, “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the
world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17 RSV).”
It is fair to say that almost every bit of the Gospel according to St. John is an
illustration of these two verses. Time and time again, we hear how Jesus goes out
and shows people that God loves them. One example that comes readily to mind
is the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:3-39). Jesus is sent on a trip through
Samaria. There He finds a woman at the well and He asks her for a drink of water.
She cannot imagine that a Jew would even talk with her, much less drink after her.
Jesus then tells the Samaritan woman that He is the water that gives everlasting
life. Next, Jesus inquires about her husband. After she replies that she does not
have one husband, Jesus agrees that she is telling the truth because she has had
many different husbands. The interchange between a righteous Jew and an unclean
outsider continues and they discuss topics such as worship and the Christ. At the
end of the conversation, the Samaritan woman goes into her town and tells the
others about Jesus.
Jesus continues bringing God’s message of salvation to everyone. Sometimes
God’s Word comes to a small group. For the nobleman with a dead son, Jesus
leaves him with two gifts (John 4:49-53). The man’s son is raised from the dead
and his entire family is given the gift of belief. At other times, the size of the

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crowds that see what Jesus brings staggers the imagination. Jesus feeds five thou-
sand men along with their families with five barley loaves and two small fishes so
that they would see that He was sent from the Father (John 6:2-15; 26).
The message that God loves everyone has never set well with those in power
since the dominate players of this life are very jealous. They want every bit of our
attention. Whenever our focus wanders from them, the powerful attempt to bring
back our wandering eyes. They did this two thousand years ago by killing Jesus
so that God would be off the scene.
God’s responses to our simple minded idea that we can get rid of Him by
murdering His Son, were to raise Jesus from the dead and to empower others with
the same mission as Jesus: to go and tell others. That is exactly what happened on
the evening of that first Easter. Jesus commanded all the disciples to go into the
entire world just as He was sent into the world by His Father and He gave them
the power to do that by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22).
About half of the disciples decided to do something all together different. Peter
and six others of the disciples went fishing instead of bringing God’s message of
love to the ends of the earth.
Now, it does not take a rocket scientist to see why the early church was doomed
to failure. The disciples were only interested in witnesses to their fishing buddies.
Maybe they thought that Jesus was just kidding about His command to go into the
world. Perhaps they assumed that others would be able to find their fishing boat
on their own accord and then ask them what they were talking about once they
pushed off into the safety of the waters. It really does not matter what Peter and

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the other disciples thought. This way of witnessing would never work. Slowly,
but surely, the other men would leave either through death or discouragement.
Finally, the day would dawn when no one would push off the dock for a great day
of fishing.
It is obvious that we act in the same ways as those seven disciples.
Last week the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life published the second half
of their report on religious belief in the United States. This report might shock
you but it gives us an accurate representation on what most adults believe in this
country. We will start with the good news. More than ninety percent of people
confess that a God exists.2 And nearly two-thirds of the population believe that
God gave us instructions in the form of a book.3
Given this judgement on God and the holy texts, you might think that faith is
something that we hold dear. The report did not find this to be true. A little more
than half of this country thinks that faith is important.4 Lutherans as a whole do
not fair much better. While we follow the national trend in thinking that faith is
something that we should have, less than one in three Lutherans go to church once
a week.5
It might be nice to think that the almost two-thirds of Lutherans are out wit-
nessing every week rather than sitting in worship, but we know better than that.
2
Luis Lugo et al.; Tracy Miller and Hilary Ramp, editors, U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
Religious Beliefs and Practices: Diverse and Politically Relevant, (Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life, 2008), p. 26.
3
Ibid., p. 5.
4
Ibid., pp. 3, 23.
5
Ibid., pp. 115, 118.

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Our weekly attendance in this denomination has fallen by more than 190 thousand
members in the last twenty years.6 During that same period our Sunday School at-
tendance has dropped by 400 thousand. Maybe we thought Jesus was just kidding
about His command to go into the world. Perhaps our inability to witness to others
comes from the next startling fact. It seems that we Lutherans do not care what
other people believe because nearly eighty percent of us think that other religions
bring eternal life.7
The total result from our way of thinking is absolutely devastating. If the trends
continue, our way of faith will no longer exist. This has happened because we are
not following Christ’s command to go into the world that is right outside our
doors.
The last chapter of the Gospel according to St. John is full of Good News.
Jesus could have whipped up a fierce storm on the lake and drowned the seven
disciples on the boat. He did not. When the disciples finally came to the shore, he
could have told all seven men to forget it since He was going to find some people
that took his command to go into the world seriously. He did not. He could have
yelled and hollered about their inability to remember anything that He ever told
them. He did not.
Instead, He fed them with a simple meal of bread and fish (John 21:9, 13).
Afterwards, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these? (John 21:15)”
Peter answered, “Yes.” Jesus replied with, “Feed my people.” A second time Jesus
6
Kenneth W. Inskeep, Life in the ELCA: The Brutal Facts, (Luther Seminary Board Address,
October 2006), p. 30.
7
Lugo et al., U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, p. 133.

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said, “Do you love me? (John 21:16)” Peter answered, “Of course.” Now Jesus re-
stated to Peter the command that He gave to all the disciples, “Take care of the
sheep.” One more time, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me? (John 21:17)” By
now, Peter is slightly upset and you can hear it in his voice when he answered,
“You know Lord that I love you.” The command that Jesus gives Peter this time
echoes His first command, “Feed my sheep.”
Today, Jesus is with us and He knows that we are just like His first disciples.
We have gone our own way and we have forgotten to tell other about Him. He
does not wipe us out of existence with a storm. He does not tell us that we should
forget following Him. He does not even yell and holler that our memory is bad.
Instead, comes with a simple meal. No, it is not what He served the disciples
on the beach. Rather, the meal the Jesus gives us is bread and wine. This divine
food, like the bread and the fish served to the seven disciples, prepares us for the
journey through life.
It does not take a marketing genius to see that the American automakers are
in serious trouble. For too long, they assumed that fuel would be affordable. The
world’s markets have taught them a harsh lesson about their questionable business
plan. The days of cheap gas are over and the auto manufacturers must change or
die.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America otherwise known as the ELCA
is suffering a similar fate as the automakers. Obviously, our problem is not the
increasing price of gasoline that leads to a build up of excess inventory. We like
the big three automakers have lost our vision. The automakers have focused on

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short-term profits instead of investing in technologies to improve gas mileage.
The ELCA has not seriously looked at Christ’s command to go into the world
because we have allocated our precious resources on other matters.
For some of us, the issue is the infrastructure. In a way, it has hindered our
calling by emphasizing diversity over mission. For others of us, the problem can
be summarized in the phrase “task force.” In the ELCA, we are studying items
such as genetics and sexuality. It is good that we have the ability to talk about
these issues, which can be divisive. I have personally participated in part of the
genetics task force. The problem is one of emphasis. First and foremost, we are
to tell others that God loves them. Only when this has occurred, should we talk
about the other issues.
Christ asks us here at Tree of Life the same questions that He asked Peter on
that lakeshore some two thousand years ago, “Do you love me more than this?”
What are we willing to give up so that we can take Jesus up on His command to
follow Him?
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”8

References

Inskeep, Kenneth W., Life in the ELCA: The Brutal Facts, (Luther Seminary Board
Address, October 2006), Research and Evaluation Evangelical Lutheran
8
Philippians 4:7.

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 Church in America.

Lugo, Luis et al.; Miller, Tracy and Ramp, Hilary, editors, U.S. Religious Land-
scape Survey Religious Beliefs and Practices: Diverse and Politically Rele-
vant, (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2008).