Acts 10:44-48 | 5/25/2003
The Nike swoosh. There’s probably no brand or logo with more worldwide recognition than that swoosh.
Among the many items it has adorned are the Air Jordan shoes. Nike’s Air Jordan shoes were red-hot sellers for 17 years. Named for basketball’s Michael Jordan, 60 million pairs were sold. Recently the two Jordans — both man and shoe — have dropped down to earth. Michael Jordan’s not the main-man megastar of hoops now. His namesake sneakers have lost their appeal, too.
And what did Nike do about its lost revenue? Tried another shoe.
First try was the VC Shox, named for Vince Carter, a.k.a. “Air Canada,” the gravity-defying forward of the Toronto Raptors. His shoe retailed for an astronomical $160 per pair and quickly faded...
So now Nike is marketing similar shoes with unknown “streetball’ players.” This maneuver plays on the fantasies of kids and young adults, but it isn’t producing a championship shoe that’ll score big bucks season after season like the Air Jordan.
Maybe Nike’s problem is re-branding a too-familiar product. Maybe it’s time to fold ’em and walk away. After all, letting go — at just the right moment — is what keeps you in the game. There’s a lesson here. While we don’t want to think of Christian ministry as a “game” or a “business,” we do need to stop to consider whether the methods we’re using — tried and true in the past — are working for us today.
When the apostle Peter was faced with a crowd of heathen Gentiles whose ways were not his ways, and whose thoughts were not his thoughts, he knew--and had learned —that God was doing a new thing. And when God is doing a new thing, you’ve got to let go of your old thing, whatever that is.
In Acts chapter 10, Peter is preaching to the people gathered in Cornelius’ home. When Peter crossed the threshold of Cornelius’ doorway, he broke a whole list of Jewish rules, because Cornelius was a Roman soldier, sent to keep the peace in Israel and hated by the residents. Peter even admitted to the crowd that he was uncomfortable being there. But his presence was an answer to Cornelius’ prayer that God would give him more knowledge about Jesus. And Peter began to sing a familiar hymn to a new tune, a new beat and a new band — one which included Gentiles. It was a shocking turn of events.
Peter told them God shows no partiality, he recapped Jesus’ life on earth, including the miraculous resurrection, and he told them that Jesus’ followers were commanded to testify that everyone who believes in Christ receives forgiveness of their sins.
And then something happened, like an exclamation point sent by God to emphasize Peter’s sermon. Verses 44-48: “While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.” Notice the reaction: “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:45 NIV).
The word even is telling. The unthinkable had happened. Even the Gentiles were heirs of the gospels, even the homeless, even the drug addicts, even the alcoholics, even singles, even the non-traditional families, even the gays and lesbians, even ethnic communities — were and are heirs of the Good News.
So who are those Gentiles, those outsiders, in our community that we should be trying to reach? To reach them may require letting go. Here’s an example:
When the Reverend Stephen Carnahan of a UCC church in Portland, Maine, got permission from his deacons for an outreach worship program, the first thing he did was lock the organ and hire a three-piece band. He says: “We now have a band that can play contemporary pop music. It’s a music style the people know. Music is essential.” He advertised in the city’s alternative weekly newspaper with this headline: “Church for people who don’t like church.”
RevFun — Stephen’s e-mail nickname — changed everything, except one thing: the Word of God. He tossed out religious language. There’s no pew talk. No pulpit. No message called a sermon. The Word is the one thing that stays the same, but the words are different. Attendance grows and grows.
Peter saw an opportunity to spread the Word while not letting his preconceived prejudices prevent him from acting. Reverend Carnahan does the same. Each abandons tactics, sticks to the core message, and succeeds. Radical? Yes. Is it reaching more souls for Jesus Christ? Definitely.
Here’s one more example: the Ford Motor Company.
In 1908, Henry Ford created his remarkable route to personal profit with his revolutionary hand-cranked Model T “Tin Lizzie,” which sold for $825. By 1914, because of Ford’s production line, the car price dropped to $206. His Model T, which came in every color so long as it was black, achieved a 60 percent market share, and in 17 years 10 million cars were sold.
But Henry Ford very nearly sat at the table too long, holding losing cards.
In the 1920s the car market changed. General Motors offered new cars at competitive prices with conveniences that the Model T lacked — like an electric starter. Suddenly this novelty starter took on the characteristics of a desirable consumer product. 1920s drivers demanded conveniences.
Ford wouldn’t let go. Once when he returned from a vacation he found his engineers had updated a Tin Lizzie. Ford stomped in its roof and kicked out its windshield.
Finally, sales sputtered and Ford faced reality. He didn’t change just its color or its name — he changed tactics. In May 1927, Ford stopped the Model T’s production. He closed his factory for six months, retooled and then produced: the Model A. The Model A was a winning hand. He still produced personal motorized transportation, but by abandoning the tried and true and experimenting with something new, Ford succeeded in recapturing the market.
When successful and beloved products fail, it’s time to let go. Did you know that there was a time in the church when no accompaniment music was allowed? Pianos and organs were forbidden, were seen as sinful. Sort of the way some of us might see a rock band up here with me as sinful.
Henry Ford built cars. When his car didn’t sell, he changed everything — except he still built and sold cars, only better ones. Nike builds shoes. When sales fell they changed marketing, not tactics. Unfortunately, that’s not enough. And some denominations are trying to regain market share the Nike way, by trying to create “brand loyalty.” Denominations are creating logos, instead of focusing on the word of God.
Too often we’re loyal to the how, how we do church, rather than to Christ. We’re in love with a crank-start and forget that the whole point is to make the car go.
I believe that I—and that means all of you, too, my precious flock—we are also standing on the threshold of a doorway just like Peter was. And on the other side are all those the world rejects, waiting there for us to share our love with them, share our faith with them, share our Jesus with them.
What applies to us as a church applies to us as persons as well. Perhaps God is calling us to a reinvention of our individual lives. Perhaps he is calling us to let go and retool for a greater experience of life and of himself. I do know this: if we are faithful in following His leading blindly, without being able to see what is ahead for us, we will be renewed, reinvented, and blessed beyond our wildest dreams.
As I thought of this, of what God is directing US—specifically each and every one of you, not just the world-wide church—what God is directing us to do is hard work. We are small. There aren’t very many of us. We all have busy lives and are already tired at the end of the day. Every church is in transition because every church is being born, growing, maturing, declining or dying. Every congregation is at some stage in a cycle of life. How we meet the demands of change can mean not only the life of the congregation for the future, but more importantly the ability of the congregation to be effective in fulfilling Christ’s command to go and make disciples of the entire world, teaching them His ways and baptizing them in His name.
If—and I say “if” because you do have a choice, freely given by Christ—if you choose to explore this new direction, it will mean letting go…focusing on what is absolutely essential and discarding what doesn’t work…it will mean trying a few things and seeing what works and what doesn’t. It will mean seriously looking at how we “do” church and making some big changes. It will mean MORE time given to the church which means you will have to choose what to give up in your lives because there are STILL only 24 hours in every day.
It will mean more meetings and activities that you will need to be a part of. It will mean more time for me, also. People, I am just the messenger. I have accepted that one of my strongest spiritual gifts is the gift of prophesy, which isn’t a popular one. But for me to be faithful, I must give you the message, I must give you the glimpses into the future that God gives me.
I said earlier that you have a choice. We can choose to keep right on doing what we have been doing—coming together once a week on Sunday morning for an hour, or maybe two hours if you attend Sunday School, having a Bible School once each year, having a few fundraisers and a few meetings where we do not have to make BIG decisions, just small decisions like whether to add a windbreak outside fellowship hall or not. We can choose that path, to continue as we have been, and you will still make it into heaven, because the Bible tells us all we have to do to have eternal life is confess our sins, accept His forgiveness, and believe with our hearts and minds that Jesus is Lord of our lives. You can choose to make no changes and I will continue to be your pastor and your spiritual leader, because God has called me here.
But I ask you to reflect on this question this week: If Jesus is TRULY the Lord of your life, wouldn’t you be willing to take His hand and let Him lead you where He wants to take you, instead of you at the wheel? I will be gone for the next two weeks and during that time, I ask three things of you: (1) read chapter 10 of the Book of Acts every day (that should only take about 5 minutes of your busy day); (2) pray and ask God what He is wanting to reveal to you through these verses and through my message this morning; and (3) Plan now, by rearranging schedules or whatever it takes, to attend the All-Church meeting on June 22. That’s all. Just 10 minutes each day for the next two weeks.
On June 22, we will have a carry-in meal and a meeting following, to discuss what God revealed to you personally. We will decide if we want to change anything and brainstorm what that would mean. This is an exciting time for the church as a whole and for us as a part of that world-wide family of God. Let us look to it with anticipation and not fear, with eagerness and not as another burden on our valuable time. NOTE TO ANYONE WHO MAY BE READING THIS ONLINE: WE INVITE YOU ALSO TO ATTEND THIS MEAL AND MEETING IF GOD IS LEADING YOU TO SOMETHING MORE. JOIN US!
Someone once said, “We’re born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.”
That’s a pessimistic point of view. Rosabeth Moss Kanter argues that “Change happens when we become discontented enough with the status quo to actively take steps out of our pain.”
Let’s step out of the pain and into the Living Hope of Jesus Christ, looking for God to do new things in our congregation and in our personal lives.
PLEASE PRAY WITH ME:
Father, we live at a time when one age is ending and another beginning. Yesterday’s maps are already out-of-date, and today’s soon will be, too. We stand on the brink of a new century and we are filled with questions about the future—our own and the future of church as we know it. Guide us and direct us, Lord, in our prayers and in our decisions. May we live our lives for you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
BENEDICTION: “You were born by God’s purpose and for God’s purpose. You were made by God, and for God. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. Your purpose is far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.” Go home and pray for guidance in discovering your purpose and the greater purpose of the Union Church of the Brethren. Amen.
Sources:
Gross, Daniel. “Leap of Faith,” Attaché Magazine. October 2002. Magatopia.com.
“Happy birthday Model T,” Vintage Cars Weekly Feature, November 7, 1998, VintageCars.about.com. Retrieved November 27, 2002.
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. Quoted by Ron Martoia, “That life-giving feel,” Rev., September-October 2001, 91.
Kirk-Davidoff, Rev. Heather. First Congregation of Somerville UCC, Mass. Interview by telephone, Nov. 2002.
Warren, Rick. “The Purpose Driven Life” chapter 1.
