Matthew 22:34-40; Matthew 28:16-20
I believe that Mission Statements are important; they help us understand who we are and what we should be doing in the world. Many organizations have mission statements. Google’s mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful;” which is ambitious to say the least. I used to work for a computer company called Cray Research and their mission back then was to “build the world’s fastest computer.” And, back in the 80s and 90s they were very successful at doing that. I have observed that when groups know and understand their mission then they are successful; when they forget their mission, forget what they are trying to do then they begin to falter and fail.
I believe all of us here at Linganore need to know our Mission Statement because it keeps us focused on our goal; and, it keeps us all moving in the same direction. It turns out we have several mission statements. First, we have the Mission Statement of the United Methodist found in paragraph 120 of the Book of Discipline. There, it says that “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” I think that sounds a bit like today’s second reading from Matthew. After Jesus’ Resurrection he met with his followers for one final time and defined their mission: “Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them Jesus’ message.” I might quibble that the UMC’s mission statement does not say anything about baptism and only obliquely refers to teaching. But, overall, our church’s mission lays out what we should be doing. Another mission statement have is Linganore’s; “To offer ourselves to be Christ-like in our community.” I see much to like there, especially the call to be Christ-like in our community. When we keep our mission statements before us, they can guide us as we make decisions about what we should be doing in this community.
Today I would like to share with you another, “unofficial,” mission statement I saw on one of our bulletin boards recently (I am not sure where Sue Cooney found it, but I like it). It is an acrostic based on the word “SMILE.” I like it for several reasons; it is short and easy to remember (no one likes a ten page mission statement) and it guides us as we seek follow Jesus Christ. So, I would like to spend our time together looking at this mission statement and learning what it means to SMILE.
S
Serve Others. One complaint I might have about the UMC’s mission statement is that it does not explicitly mention service to others. After all, when Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment he said, “Love and worship God” and then he quickly added the second commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourselves.” That word “love” especially as it pertains to those around us means to serve them, it means to help them when they have fallen, it means to care for them when they are in need, and to provide for the least and lost among us. In fact, as James reminds us, it is impossible to fulfill the first commandment about loving God if we ignore the second commandment about loving our neighbor. I frequently close the service with a charge to show our love for God by loving and serving our neighbor. So, I believe that to be the Church we must embrace our mission to “Serve Others.”
M
Make Disciples. This is clearly taken from Jesus’ commission to his disciples to make disciples in the world. So, what is involved in disciple making? Well, one component is certainly teaching. No one can follow Jesus’ teachings unless someone teaches them what Jesus said and did. That is one reason I believe Sunday School and Bible Study are so important. We all (myself included) need to spend time reading the scriptures, reflecting on their meaning, and asking how to apply them in our lives. But, making disciples involves more that teaching. It also means mentoring others; it means walking beside others and sharing the wisdom we have gained as we have followed Jesus. And, it means being an example for others. We will talk more about that what it means to be Christ-like in a moment. But for now, I want to say that discipleship is all about imitating Jesus.
I
Invite All. One uncomfortable thing we see in church history is our human desire to exclude others. We want to define who belongs in the church and who must remain on the outside. We even find this in the pages of the New Testament. One early controversy was whether a person had to become a Jew (and observe the Jewish rituals and obey Jewish dietary laws) before becoming a Christian. Fortunately for us, the decision was made that a person can follow Jesus Christ without first becoming a Jew. But, we continue to struggle with the proper role of women in the church and how to celebrate racial and cultural diversity. The latest controversy (which may sadly lead to a schism in the Methodist Church) involves how to welcome and include people with different sexual orientations. Yet, when we take the time to read Jesus’ commission to his disciples we find he says “make disciples of all nations” (with emphasis on that word all). Jesus does not say that some people are more deserving of salvation than others or that only certain groups can become disciples. Jesus says all. We can never put any barriers on our doors. Christ died for all and we must invite all.
L
Live in Hope. One thing that seems to be missing from most of the church mission statements I have seen is a statement about hope. Hope is one of the greatest gifts the Church offers to the world. Hope is not about “wishing” things would change; Hope is all about living with the knowledge that God is at work in the world and is making a difference in the world. Hope is about not giving up when the way ahead looks dark; Hope says that God is with me even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Hope says that God is not yet finished with me or my situation. Hope says I can repent and I can be forgiven. Hope say my past does not dictate my future. The world needs hope; it needs to know things can change for the better; and, it is our mission, as Christians, to live in hope for the world.
E
Embody Christ. This may be the most important part of this mission statement because it calls us to imitate Christ in all facets of our life. It calls us to love as Jesus loves. It calls us to teach as Jesus teaches. It calls us to reach out to others as Jesus reaches out to others. It calls us to serve others as Jesus serves others. It calls us to live as Christ lives. It calls us to live up the our name as Christians. The very word “Christian” is a call to be “little christs” in the world; to live in such a way that when someone looks at us that do not see us but they do see Jesus. I think you can see why I think this is so important. When we become so transparent that only Christ can be seen we will have fulfilled our mission to embody Christ in the world.
So, how do you see our mission here at Linganore? Is it, as the United Methodist Church says, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?” I believe that is certainly part of our mission; I believe that we must follow Jesus’ Great Commission and make disciples in all the world. But, does that cover everything? Is our mission to “offer ourselves to be Christ-like in our community?” I believe that this too is part of our mission; I believe we are called to serve in this particular place and to be Christ-like in all we do. But, should we add anything else? Is our mission also to SMILE? Yes, this too can help us understand and fulfill our mission in the world.
All of these are mission statements help us understand what it means to be called by Christ and to be made by God into the Body of Christ. All of them help us see things in new ways and draw us to come closer to the ideal of being Christ in the world. And, all of them come with an implicit prayer, a prayer to God to make us into what he calls us to be. Left alone there is no way we can ever fulfill even the smallest part of them. But, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we can Serve Others; we can Make Disciples; we can Invite All; we can Live in Hope and we can Embody Christ. With God all things are possible. With God’s help we can SMILE for God in the world.
Amen.