“Membership in the Club”

(Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)

But to what will I compare this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another.

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.”

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon;’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’  Yet, wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”….

            At that time, Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Come to me, all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

So, this morning’s scripture reading has caused me to think about what it means to be a church member partly because we accepted two new members into our fold today.  But, I’ll get to why today’s reading has made me think about church membership later.   

Now, I used to joke sometimes about church membership–comparing it to being a member of a club.  As in, “Oh, I’m in the United Methodist Club,” or “I’m a member of Peninsula United Methodist Church Club.”   

That can be a negative thing, as in, “Well, if you’re not part of our club, you’re really not quite up to our standards (the competitive thing).” Or “We prefer hanging around with folks who are like us.  We like those people fine, but we’re most comfortable with people in our own club. (the tribe thing). 

Now…being a part of a club can certainly can be a positive thing as well, as in, “Oh, we like joining in something that is greater than ourselves, that holds the same values as we do and with people who want to engage in work that makes our world better (as in the case of church membership, obviously, or service kinds of clubs, or board memberships in non-profit organizations, that kind of thing).” 

Membership in most clubs asks us to commit to the rules and terms of what it means to be part of that particular club, and church membership has those qualities, as well.  Being a church member requires that we join in a covenant with others who are in that membership.  When we are received into the larger United Methodist Church, we are asked, “As a member of Christ’s universal church, will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?” 

Being received into a local United Methodist church has folks answering this question: “As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?”

This is pretty straightforward.  It’s about being in ministry in the name of Christ in whatever way we are able, by our prayers, presence, gifts, our service and our witness.  We know there are times when we cannot give our gifts, financial or otherwise.  There are times when we cannot serve for whatever reason.  There are times when we cannot be present in worship or other activities.  There are times when we may be unable to pray, but we can almost always be present in ministry in some way.  Most of us most of the time are able to be supportive with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our witness, and our service.

But all this really is built upon the vows that we take and the membership that is ours at the time of our baptism, our birth, really.  At the time of baptism or birth, we talk about the basic and fundamental ways in which we belong to God, the way that God loves us and the way we are part of the Body of Christ.

What is clear at our baptisms is that this is not something that we do, but, rather, how God encircles us within God’s loving arms.  Ultimately, our belonging depends upon God, not us.  Belonging within God’s love is not a club membership, but it is the inevitability of God’s love for us. 

Still, there are three questions for us, either at the time of our own baptisms or at the time of our small children’s baptisms or as Godparents anytime in a little one’s life.  We are asked to renounce what is called the spiritual forces of wickedness and to repent of our sin.  Then we are asked to accept the freedom and power that God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression.  Finally we are asked to confess Jesus Christ as our Savior, to put our whole trust in his grace and to make a promise to serve him and his church which has been opened to all people.

These vows are the foundation of church membership and, incidentally, the base of the vows that were taken when folks like me were fully ordained as clergy. 

So, as church members, it is always good to have information about church history, about theology; it is excellent to be able to read and interpret scripture; it is absolutely helpful to know about the history of United Methodism, to be able to carry on a conversation, no matter how basic about John Wesley; it is marvelous to have a working understanding of the sacraments, that is, communion and baptism. 

But, you know what?  Even if folks don’t have this knowledge, even if their understanding is limited, as baptized folks, we still belong to the Body of Christ and can decide to become members of The Club.

One might say, well, we have to repent of our sin.  Yes, we surely do.  That is our work, but it is not something that other humans, other Club members, can know about or about which to make judgements.  Well, you might say, “We have to accept Jesus as our Savior and be able to accept his grace and God’s unconditional love.”  Yes, we do, and this really, truly is God’s work within us. 

Our job is to come before God with open hearts and a spirit of humility.  To experience this is an amazing miracle and a beautiful sign of God’s grace in our lives.

…So ALL this brings me to today’s text, particularly to Jesus’ prayer, “I thank you, Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants, for such was your gracious will….”  Eugene Peterson’s Message version of the Bible puts it this way, “God, you’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  That’s the way you like to work.”

The reference to John the Baptist that you heard at the beginning of today’s reading puts a point on what we’re talking about.  It highlights the way that both John and Jesus were misunderstood in their ministry by people who wanted only to prove themselves to be right.  They accused John of having a demon, and that accounted for his sometimes crazy behavior as he brought the prophetic message.   

They made Jesus’ ministry to look as though he was breaking all the club rules.  The fact is, he was making the rules for the new club, the Jesus Club…. 

God’s Gospel in Christ is simple.  We humans, all the time, want to make it complicated.  We want people to somehow qualify for God’s love, for being within God’s care.  The thing is: God simply wants us.   

Listen to Eugene Peterson’s Message again and his way of making Jesus’ last words in today’s text accessible to us, “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

So often we have made God into a not-to-be-satisfied judge, Jesus into the head of a club whose membership is closed to all but the elite who will do things the way we say they should be done.  We’ve made church membership into something we have to qualify for like the final rounds of the World Cup. 

…No, this Jesus Club is made for those who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and are looking for a better way of life.  Jesus says, “I’m gentle and humble, your souls will find rest, you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  It’s not for the perfect or those who wish to appear perfect.  It’s for all of us who are tired of putting up an appearance, but who want to come to a place where we can be exactly who we are, our authentic selves.   

If you want to be real and honest, then church is the place for you.  If you want to live simply, then, have we got a deal for you!  If you are looking for meaning and power in your life, oh my gosh, Jesus is reaching out to you.  If you want to let go of your burdens, the altar stands before you as the symbol of how we get free of our sin and separation from God and how we live within God’s love and care while reaching out in love and concern for all God’s children.

So, we know–we do–that our deeds matter, that learning the wisdom of God’s unfailing grace is our work.  We know that wisdom is about humility; wisdom is about reaching out in love and concern for one another; and wisdom is knowing to bask in the love of God through Christ.  May it be so.