“Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Those are the last words in Matthew’s good news to you. The very last thing that Matthew wants to linger in your mind as you go about your life is this promise from Jesus, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
When you are at work or at school, it sings in your ears, “I am with you.”
When you are relaxing by the fire, embers crackling in the warmth, it sings in your ears, “I am with you.”
When you are stressed, wondering how you are going to get it all done, it sings in your ears, “I am with you.”
When the tears make it impossible to see, it sings in your ears, “I am with you.”
When you celebrate at the tiny new life held in your arms, it sings in your ears, “I am with you.”
“Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Why do we come to church? Why do we sit and listen to Jesus’ words? Why do we sing songs of thanks to Jesus Christ? I have a feeling that it has to do with this final promise right from Jesus’ lips, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But,
before we get to that, I want to explore the question of why we come to church.
The Pew Research Center asks this question of United States citizens regularly, and I have some recent answers right here. So, in the style of the family feud, there are ten answers on the board. Name the top ten reasons that people go to church.
10. To please me family, spouse or partner.
9. To meet new people/socialize.
8. I feel a religious obligation to go.
7. To continue family’s religious traditions.
6. To be part of a community of faith.
5. I find the sermons valuable.
4. For comfort in times of trouble/sorrow.
3. To make me a better person.
2. So children will have a moral foundation.
1. To become closer to God.
I am actually very happy to hear that the number one answer was, “to become closer to God,” because when I do my informal surveys of why people come to church, the first reason a lot of people give is, “to make me a better person.” And, though I am certain that Jesus has no problem with you becoming a better person, that is not the reason he went to the cross and died for you. He died to save you because you cannot get your life all together. He died because you and I are not always better people. How many of you still struggle with the same sin that you struggled with three years ago? My guess is that most of struggle with the same sort of sins over and over again, and that we need Christ’s grace and forgiveness over and over again. Jesus tells you to forgive seventy times seven times because that is how often he forgives you. More than wanting you to be a great person, Jesus just wants you. Jesus just wants you to be close to him.
There is this grandmother whose grandson stole her wedding ring in order to buy drugs. As he talked to her through the glass of the jail, through the tears he cried, I promise I will find it and buy it back. As soon as I am out of here I will get it back for you. The grandmother looked at him and said, “I don’t want my ring back, I want my grandson back. I want you.”
Jesus just wants you. Jesus just wants you to be close to him.
And, that is what worship is about, right? Worship is about being close to God. Worship is about being a sibling with Jesus Christ and following him around like a three year old glued to an older sibling.
It should be no surprise that church’s first value then is Christ centered worship, or Jesus centered worship. For us, it is all about Jesus Christ. It is about worshiping him and following him.
It is not about figuring out how to be a great person, though no one is against that! It is not about just making someone happy, so you show up to church. It is not even about getting to hear your pastor’s amazing, inspirational, and eternally engaging sermons! It also is not about the fifteen minutes of precious sleep that you get during that amazing, inspirational, and eternally engaging sermon. It is all about worshiping Jesus Christ and following him. We are gathered here to join in Christ centered worship, or Jesus centered worship.
Like the disciples at the end of Matthew who climb up the mountain to be with Jesus and fall down to worship and listen to him, we too fall down to worship and listen to the risen Lord. And, what is it that the Lord wants us to hear? What message does the Lord want spread to all the nations as we baptize in Jesus’ name and teach his ways? What is it that Jesus Christ cared most about?
Most people answers range from “teaching us his ways” to “caring about the poor” to “loving others, even our enemies.” These are all great answers, they truly are. Jesus cared about all of these things; there is no doubt about that. But, did you know that Jesus actually tells us what he cares most about?
Right in the beginning of Matthew’s telling of the Jesus Story, right after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and after John the Baptist was arrested, the Bible says “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’” (Matthew 4:17). You hear it again and again throughout the gospels, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” “Change your mind; see things in a different way, for the time when God will take charge is right here.” It is Jesus’ primary message. And, it certainly has to do with love and doing good things toward the lowly, but more to the point, it is actually the fulfillment of something that the Lord has been trying to do for a long, long time.
Back in the beginning of creation, when the first two humans were placed in the garden of Eden, God was able to walk with the humans through the garden as the evening breeze blew gentle by. It was a time when God walked with humans and humans trusted in God. It was a beautiful time that ended way too soon when humans were tempted to trust in themselves rather than God.
And, ever since that beginning, God has been trying to find some way, any way, to allow us to walk alongside and trust the Lord once again. “Maybe they will trust me in the desert?” They do not trust God in the desert. “Maybe they will make a kingdom for us by following my laws?” They fail to follow God’s laws. Maybe they will create a nation where they can trust me? They keep following others gods. God tries and tries to recreate this wonderful world where God walks with us and we trust God.
And, then Jesus comes. Jesus comes and asks us to turn our minds and our hearts toward him, because he has arrived. If we cannot figure out how to climb our way back up to God, then I guess that God will just have to come down to us.
This is the very thing that we pray for day in and day out. When struggle arrives, we ask, “Jesus come and bring your peace.” When health begins to tank we cry out, “Jesus come and bring your healing!” When the world seems to fall apart around us we cry out, “Jesus come and make it all whole again.” “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.”
Matthew is here to proclaim to you, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus has come near. “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
When the man lost his wife and his kids, and then the house and the truck…yes this very much sounds like the start of a country western song…when he lost it all a friend came in his time of need.
“You look like you’ve lost it all.”
“I have.”
“You look like you don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t.”
“You look like you might have lost your faith in God.”
“I have not.”
“How is that possible? You have lost everything that you have ever cared about, including your truck. It was such a nice truck.”
“It was a nice truck.”
“Then, give up on God! What has God done for you? God hasn’t given you another truck, or family. It is time to just let God go!”
The man looked right into his friend’s eyes and answered, “Trucks come and trucks go. People come and people go. Jesus is the only one who promised to be with me no matter what. If I give up on that promise, I guess I truly have nothing. He’s here. Don’t worry, he’s here.”
“Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” It is a promise from Jesus’ lips that sounds a lot like, “I never give up.” It is like Jesus is saying, “I will never give up on you.” “I will forgive you again and again.” “I will rebuild your life, again and again.” “I will fill your life with love, again and again.” “I was raised from the dead, I can raise you too.” “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And, that is why we value Christ centered and Jesus centered worship. It is all about the one who chooses to remember us to the end of the age. It is all about the one who comes down to make things right. It is all about Jesus Christ. To him belong all the praise and all the glory. Amen.
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