Sunday's Message: The Great Ends of the Church - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

As a denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has some guiding principles that shape our mission. They’re called The Great Ends of the Church, six statements written in the early 20th century that guide both the vision and work of the Presbyterian Church. And that’s going to be our focus during this series. You see, during the next six weeks, we’ll look at each one, seeking to understand what it means and how we can accomplish it within our community. 

• August 11 - The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity
• August 18 - The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• August 25 - The maintenance of divine worship
• September 1 - The preservation of the truth
• September 8 - The promotion of social righteousness
• September 15 - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

On Sunday, we continued the series by looking at the sixth great end of the church: The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, here we are, about to finish up this series we started a little over a month ago dealing with what the Presbyterian Church (USA) calls The Great Ends of the Church. And over the last five weeks, we’ve talked about the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity and the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God. We’ve looked at the maintenance of divine worship and the preservation of the truth. And last week, our topic was the promotion of social righteousness. And as I hope y’all recall, for each one, we discussed what it meant and why it’s important and how it might be done. And like I said in the first message, I think this is really something pretty important for us to know, especially since these six ideas have been part of The Book of Order since 1910.

And this morning, we’re going to look at Great End number six: The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world. And I’ll tell you, even though I didn’t plan it this way, I think we got an excellent example of what this exhibition business is all about this past week. Of course, just to be clear, I’m not talking about the debate, something that at times looked more like a skit on Saturday Night Live than a calm and rational discussion of issues so the American electorate might make an informed choice on November 5th. But I will tell you that since Tuesday, Coco Chanel has a whole new appreciation for living in Pennsylvania and not Ohio. No, that embarrassing and often weird exhibition is definitely not the example about which I’m talking. 

Instead, it was what happened the very next day in New York City. You see, as we were remembering 9/11 and all those men and women who died either in the attack itself or trying to rescue others, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance appeared at the same place, at the same time. And they didn’t attack one another or call one another names or act like a bunch of children. Instead, they shook hands in a way that wasn’t awkward and stood together as the prayers were offered and the silence observed. And I’ll tell you, as I was watching, I remembered what it felt like on 9/11 and 9/12 and 9/13, 2001,  you know, when it seemed as though we were ready to put aside all those things that separate individuals from one another and to come together as a people, united by shared values and a common focus. Now that’s what I remember when I was teaching World History in Buckingham County High School back in 2001. And you know, when I saw those four people together, man, I thought that was a wonderful exhibition of the kind of unity that we had twenty-three years ago but we’ve sort of lost over the last two decades. 

And you know, that’s pretty much what we’re going to be talking about this morning. You see, we’re going to tie up this series by focusing on the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world, in other words, the church’s responsibility to demonstrate the rule of God within a world where a whole lot of folks don’t have a clue. And as we’ve done in the past, we’re going to start by spending a little time talking about what the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven actually means. And then we’ll look at why this is something important for the church to do. And then we’ll explore how we might actually do it, both as individuals and a congregation. And hopefully, by the end, we’ll be ready to show what the Kingdom of Heaven, in other words, the rule of God is all about.

But of course, we can’t consider the “how” until we nail down the “what,” what does the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven actually mean? In other words, what does it mean to say that we’re called to be exhibitionists? I mean, what does it mean to take the values inherent and implicit in God’s rule and then to present them to the world around us? What does that mean? Now I think that’s a great question. And in my opinion, I think we can get a pretty good answer by looking at something Jesus said to his disciples early in his ministry. You see, when they were up there on the Mount and as he was teaching them about what they should do and expect, Jesus said this,

You are the salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.

You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:13-16, CEV]

Now that’s what he said.

And I think this really points to what exhibiting the Kingdom of Heaven actually means. You see, as Jesus reminds us, God has given us both an ability and an opportunity. I mean, think about it; he’s made us the salt for the earth and the light for the world, and as such we have the ability and opportunity to do something we’d never be able to do on our own. For example, as salt, we can actually change the world around us by challenging folks to take a look at what they value and by encouraging them to reconsider all those things and people they’ve decided to trust. This we can do because we’re like salt for the earth. But that’s not all we are; we’re also light. And because we’re light, light for the whole world, man, we can do the same sort of thing Jesus did when he entered our time and space and cut through our own darkness. You see, we can help people confront all the stuff they’d prefer to keep hidden while at the same time, we can show through our own example that the light isn’t anything to fear. As a matter of fact, it offers warmth when the world feels cold and comfort when life seems harsh and direction when choices are difficult. You see, we are the salt for the earth and we are the light for the world. And when we take God’s truth out into our families and communities, for me, that’s what it means to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven.

And why is this important? Why is it important for us to be salt and light? I mean, why is it important for us to challenge and to encourage as well as to help and to show? Why is this important for us to do? Well, for me, I think it really comes down to a conversation Jesus had with some teachers of the Law. I mean, just listen to what Mark wrote:

One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”

Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”

The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”

When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions. [Mark 12:28-34, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s also why it’s so important for us to show the world around us what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. You see, on one hand, I think it certainly shows our love for God. I mean, when we decide that we’re going to step out and be the kind of people God has called and created us to be, namely salt and light, we’re certainly showing our dedication to God, showing him that he really is at the center of our focus and that we’re willing to offer him everything we have, and I’m talking about our hearts and souls and minds and strength, to do what he’s called us to do and to be what he created us to become. On one hand, I think we show our love for God by exhibiting his Kingdom. But on the other hand, I also believe that, when we’re doing this, we’re also showing our love for others. I mean, by living as salt for the earth and light for the world, we may be bringing something new and different into the lives of folks with whom we’re close as well as those men and women we’ve never met. My gosh, we’re offering them a new source of truth they may never have heard and a new source of confidence they may never have appreciated and a new source of unconditional love and undeserved grace they may never have felt. You see, we’re offering them the opportunity to trust that, by his action, they’ve been made the children of God. And I’ll tell you, if that doesn’t show love for others, I don’t know what does. And so along with giving us the chance to show our love and devotion to God, for me, that’s why exhibiting God’s Kingdom is important. 

Which leaves us with how; how might we do it? In other words, how might we live as the salt for the earth and the light for the world? And how might we, right here and right now, demonstrate our love for both God and others? I mean, how might we take those values and principles inherent and implicit in God’s rule and then present them to the world around us? How can we do it? Now, for me, that’s a pretty important question. And as to the answer, well, I think we can get a lot of insight from what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians. You see, as he was showing them how they could live as recipients of undeserved grace, he wrote this:

If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.

People’s desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God’s kingdom.

God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. But don’t be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are. [Galatians 5:16-26, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote to the Galatians.

And even though, for me, it really sounds pretty complicated, when you cut through all the words, I think the actual lesson is really simple. You see, in my opinion, he was telling them and us to do two things, you know, if we’re serious about being salt and light and showing love to God and neighbor. I mean, first, we’re going to have to make the conscious and intentional decision to stop looking back, to stop looking back to the good old days when our value as a person was based on what we had and when it was perfectly alright for us to do whatever it took to get what we wanted, in other words, to stop looking back to that time when all we cared about was self and our desires, because that attitude, that perspective led to a selfish, conceited arrogance that was just about as far from the rule of God as you could get. If we want to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven, first, we’ve got to stop looking back. And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense, because to do what we’ve been called and created to do, second, we must move forward. We must move forward as men and women guided by the Holy Spirit rather than our own selfish desires. And we must move forward as brothers and sisters who are working together to cultivate in one another those qualities that the Spirit has already planted in our lives, because, as Paul wrote, “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.” [Galatians 5:22-23a, CEV] You see, we’ve got to be willing to leave the past behind so that, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can move forward. And if we’re dedicated to exhibiting the Kingdom of God to the world around us, that’s exactly how we can do it.

And I’ll tell you, I think we can believe this is possible because of something I saw this past week. But like I said, it sure wasn’t the debate. Good night nurse, that just reminded me of how  our country is really divided, and how far we’ve fallen. My gosh, since the rules of civility have sort of broken down and the nature of truth is a lot more, let’s just say, flexible, people can now get away with saying just about anything they want without worrying about showing respect or even making sense. That seems to be where we are, God help us. But then, every now-and-then, well, we can see some sign that we can do better, sort of like what I saw on Wednesday, when those four rivals seemed to demonstrate that something Abraham Lincoln said in his first inaugural address in 1861 as he was looking at the coming Civil War is also true in 2024. He said,

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature. [Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861]

I’ll tell you, I think Joe and Kamala and Donald and J.D. must have been touched by the better angels of their natures, because they exhibited a spirit of unity during that 9/11 service that I hadn’t seen in twenty-three years. Of course, sadly, we were back to normal the next day.

But as Christians, that doesn’t have to apply to us. You see, we can accept that we’ve been called and created to be the salt for the earth and the light for the world. And we can recognize that, in this way, we’re able to show our love for God and for others. And right here and now, we can decide to do it by not looking back so that we can move forward. And I’ll tell you, if we do, I think we’ll be taking seriously the last great end of the church, and I’m talking about the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world.