Acts 4:5-20
(CEB)
United Methodists
are formed by Christ Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit to love boldly,
serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Lead courageously? When we look back at
the story of Scripture and Church History, we see those who led courageously—Moses
leading the people of God out of Egypt; Nathan other prophets confronting kings
and calling for social reform. In Church history, 19th Century Methodists in
England took on the economic structures and leading the charge to end child
labor; Dorothy Day and the Catholic Workers Movement championed labor rights; Martin
Luther King, Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement; and, E. Stanley Jones and
others led in international missions—all of these formed in the Gospel and
empowered by God’s Spirit to bring justice and fairness to our world, to bring
hope and promise to the lives of others.
The “Nones” – We are the Church, and we the Church should
lead in our society (not rule, but lead). But what happens when we fail to lead
courageously? When we the Church fail to lead in our society courageously? And
when we fail to lead courageously, there are repercussions. Today, over 28% of
Americans today identify as “nones” (not “nuns”!)—no religious affiliation. This
is not a result of a “godless society.” This, I know—from conversations and
extensive reading—is because the Church has NOT led courageously.
In 2013, after
the wrongful deaths of Trayvon Martin and George Floyd and other African
Americans at the hands of law enforcement officers, and because of the lack of
justice in response to these deaths, the Black Lives Matters movement rose up
in America. The Church largely remained silent, closed their eyes (again!) the
abuse of people of color and said little to nothing about it. In 2017, the
#MeToo movement grew out of revelations in Harvey Weinstein’s trial revealing
his use and abuse of women, revealing a culture of use and abuse of women. And
the Church again was dismally silent. Today, the Church has been slow to
respond to “Christian Nationalism,” a movement that erroneously and
destructively tries to marry the Christian religion with American politics. The
Church so far has said too little…and I only hope we’re not too late. Finally,
instead of leading the way in sharing the faith and planting new congregations,
in 2023 we managed to set the bar agonizingly low as we sloughed through
“disaffiliation”—rather than plant congregations, the United Methodist Church
said goodbye to ¼ of our congregations.
Our young people and
young adults grew up hearing “God so loved the world…” and watch the Church
remain silent to violence and war. They grew up singing, “Jesus loves the
little children, all the children of the world—red and yellow, black and white,
they are precious in his sight…” and they see the Church saying nothing when
people are hurt, ignored, abused. They heard sermons on the great
commission—“Go therefore into all the world and make disciples…”—and they watch
as our churches turn inward instead of outward. Their response to all of this?
“We’ll have none of that.” Our reluctance to lead courageously is having
serious, heart-breaking repercussions.
Lead
Courageously – So, how do
we lead courageously, you and I? Well, we listen to Jesus: “You are the salt of
the earth... You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14) We take on
the flavor of Jesus as we read God’s word, as we gather with God’s people, as
we do the things God calls us to do. We flavor the world around us as we lead
courageously. We reflect what we experience in God, we reflect the message of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we reflect that work of God’s Spirit…we reflect the
light of God into the world. We lead courageously.
Jesus even tells
us how to interact with the world: “Look, I’m sending you as sheep among
wolves. Therefore, be wise as snakes and innocent as doves.” (Matt. 10:16) Snakes
are intensely aware of their surroundings. We need to be this way—know the
Gospel well enough to smell something rotten…and then respond to it. Doves—symbols
of peace and gentleness. When we smell the rotten ideas and see the direction
of destruction, we respond gently…kindly. We speak truth … and we do so with
gentleness. Afterall, too much salt at once, and the food becomes inedible; too
much light all of the sudden, and we blind people.
United
Methodists Lead Courageously – In
the United Methodist Church, each geographical area is led by a bishop. The UM
bishops gather in the “Council of Bishops.” Together, consider the direction of
the Church and from time to time publish a “Letter to the Churches.” Here is a
letter issued last month: https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/umc-bishops-issue-four-letters-on-justice-and-peace-19062039
Responding to
injustice is only part of leading courageously. We can’t only be responding and
reacting—that is not leading. Leading means looking ahead and moving forward in
new directions courageously. As we recover from COVID, an aging population, and
disaffiliation, we have a HUGE need to plant new churches. Today, we have no UM
presence in Rio Grande City, in Harlingen, in several cities of the Valley. Courageous
leadership on the part of McAllen FUMC can begin that work of starting new
congregations here in the Valley.
Conclusions— We, like Peter and John before the Council
in Jerusalem, must make a choice: “It’s up to you to determine whether it’s
right before God to obey you rather than God. As
for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts
4:19b-20) Courageous leadership means obeying God rather than people, means
sharing with others what we have experienced in faith.
My hope, my
prayer, is that we United Methodists—all of us—will lead courageously, lead
from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, lead as a people of faith, hope, and Christian
love. When we do, we will season the world around, we will shine the light of
Jesus into the darkness of our world. And, we will have lived faithfully into
the call of God in our lives. Together, let us lead courageously.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Disciples – Leading Courageously
Watch/Listen: HERE
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