Sunday Sermon?

I got this back from Don Yelton at Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ who has been involved in disaster relief for decades. It was part of his reply to some questions I had about the core of our mission and I thought well worth some focused contemplation for those of us who have served, are serving, and will serve.

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

STOP HERE and make your own conclusions before you continue. Spend at least 5 minutes...


...OK, I I'm guilty of reading 7 chapters of the purpose driven life in one setting myself, but really take a couple of minutes before you go to the official answer....



... the official answer being from the Tyndall Life Application Study Bible. Chapter 58 is on True and False Worship. To quote the Tyndall, (I hope properly without copywrite infringement here)

True worship was more than religious ritual, going to the temple every day, fasting, and listening to Scripture readings. These people missed the point of a living, vital relationship with God. He doesn't want us to act pious when we have unforgiven sin in our heart and continue our sinful life-style. More important, even than correct worship and doctrine is genuine compassion for the oppressed, the poor, and the helpless.

Specifically for this passage

We cannot be saved without faith in Christ, but our faith lacks sincerity if it doesn't reach out to others. Fasting can be beneficial spiritually and physically, but at its best fasting helps only the person doing it. God says he wants our fasting to go beyond our own personal growth to acts of kindness, charity, justice, and generosity. This truly is pleasing to God.

The lyrics of Audio Adrenaline's song "Dirty" off the WorldWide CD has become our theme song and echoes this:

Tired of being clean, sick of being proper
I wanna live among the beggars and dig out in the dirt
Step outside the walls we built to protect us
Don’t be afraid to get some mud on your face.

Come on, come on everybody.
Come on, come on and serve someone

Let's get dirty, let's get used
No matter where you come from
If you're beaten up or bruised
Let's get foolish, let's get free
Free to be the one thing
We were meant to be – let’s get dirty

Have we not all found amazing freedom in doing this work!? Angie G has. If you know her, please get me in touch 'cuz I can't track down where this quote came from. It was an email soon after the storm during our initial work in Mandeville, Louisiana. She supplied the quote I use on the blog, web site, tabletop display, and business cards.

"I don't want to go back to church and dress up and everything be nice and pretty. What we've been doing here is real church, it's getting dirty and helping people."

Servants Unite exists for 2 reasons. To serve victims of natural disasters and a fallen world. And to serve those without faith, or who are not experiencing the fullness of their faith.

In many of our churches, only 20% serve and don't realize what they are missing. People have joined our teams and served for a week who have never been on a mission trip before. My family included actually. In fact, I believe the majority of our volunteers were first time missionaries when they went to the Gulf their first time and many of those have since made return trips.

You all have a part in reaching more people, storm victims, those without faith, but with big hearts, and your brothers and sisters who's faith may be warming a pew most Sundays. All of us together are making a huge difference and the more people you bless with your stories and exhortations to come along, the bigger this kingdom effort becomes.

Thank you Lord for all these volunteers who have given a week or more for Your work to answer Your call. Thank you for the opportunity you've given us to fight in your ranks, to serve as your ambassadors, to minister to the afflicted, to break the yoke of oppression, depression, and hopelessness. Thanks for allowing us with our limited skills, but the benefit of Your Spirit guiding us to feed the hungry and rebuild shelter for those made poor by this tragedy. Thanks for allowing us to reflect your noonday light.

Thank you for helping us to find this "real" faith, this "true" and compassionate faith you mean for us. Thank you for blessing us with your peace, the ability to do work in your name that we don't posess the skills for ourselves, and the cooperative effort this has been between people from all parts of Your body without the malicious talk we engage in when we are idle. Thank you Lord for this mission and may you continue to bless it, our work, and those who serve in Your name. Amen

John McGuire