Update February 29th, 2008

Dear Good Shepherd,

Good Morning. Not a great deal of new information this morning, but there is some news, so please be sure to read the entire update.

WEEKLY ARTICLE

The vestry will meet this Saturday to discuss, among other things, the mission goals for the upcoming year.

Before doing this it is important to remember what the Church is and what the Church is called to do.

The Church is, in New Testament terms, the Body of Christ. Believers are intimately and inextricably bound to Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Body, through the Holy Spirit and bound to one another by the same Spirit so that the Church is, like a body, an organic, living whole. But Jesus Christ is the Head. Elsewhere the Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. This imagery reminds us of Adam and Eve. The first Adam failed his bride Eve. He neglected to pass on to her his knowledge and understanding of God's commands, he failed to stand up and protect her when she was being tempted by the Serpent, and rather than leading, he followed her into disobedience by eating the fruit. But, unlike the first Adam, Jesus, the second Adam has given us the full revelation of the Word of God in himself. He is that Word and through the prophets and the apostles of the Old and New Testaments has revealed his character and will to the world. Finally, Jesus placed his body between his bride and the serpent, withstanding temptation and suffering death in the place of his bride so that by his blood shed on the cross his bride may be cleansed, sanctified, forgiven, and live eternally with him and the Father.

But what does all of that have to do with Good Shepherd?

There are two categories of Church we need to keep in mind. The first is called the "Invisible Church". The Invisible Church is the body of all those who believe bound together accross time and space. The invisible Church transcends all denominational, national, and historic boundaries. It stretches from Heaven to earth. It is called invisible because at present, even though all believers are One in Christ, that oneness, that unity is not seen. It will be seen when Christ returns to establish his Kingdom, but at present it is not seen.

The second category of the Church is referred to as the "Visible Church". The visible church is the Invisible Church made partially manifest in a local congregation. How do you know whether a given congregation is part of the Visible Church?

There are three criteria given in scripture that help to define the visible Church. Any congregation in which:

1. The Word of God is truly and rightly taught and proclaimed

2. The two Sacraments of Baptism and Communion are rightly celebrated

3. Discipline is justly exercised

is considered to be a true manifestation of the Church. In so far, then, as Good Shepherd, does those three things, then we can be assured that we are One with Christ, One with the invisible Church, and that we are, as a body, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. God is present in a special way when we worship together and when his word is publicly read and taught and his sacraments are delivered.

But having those three things present does not necessarily mean that they are done well. We don't just want to preach and teach the Word of God rightly and truly, we also want to do it with excellence and in an effective manner. We don't simply want to offer the sacraments, we want to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit availible through them and avail ourselves, by faith, of the promised help and sanctifying power inherent in them. We do not simply want to be sure to obey the commands of Christ, we also want to be a community full of believers who bear one another's burdens and come along side those who have fallen to offer encouragement, help, and strenght.

It is up to you, to the vestry, and to the clergy of Good Shepherd, to be sure that we are by the grace and power of God, doing the best we can do with the gifts God has given us to "be" the Church.

But since the Church is the Body and Bride of Christ and must what does the Church do?

The Church takes the Great Commission and the Great Commandment (and the second greatest Commandment) which is like unto it, as our primary purpose and vision.

The Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20, gives the Church the responsibility to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Christ commands.

The Great Commission means that every believing congregation must, as a matter of obedience, be committed to Evangelism and Discipleship. Good Shepherd must proclaim the gospel from the pulpit and in the community by preaching and through personal relationships. But we are also to teach believers to obey the commands of Christ, we are to train disciples to be disciples. That means we not only preach and teach the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but we also teach, study, and inwardly meditate on the Word of God, the bible, in a systematic and comprehensive way. We study the bible together and in private to know God's will and be conformed to it.

The Great Commandment (and the second greatest) is found in Matthew 22:36-40

To follow these means that believing congregations must love the Lord our God with every fiber and faculty of our being and the second greatest means that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our worship, music, liturgy must be centered on this command to love God with all that we are and all that we have. So we use all the gifts of all the people to give glory to God every Sunday. We apply, as best we can, God's Word to our present circumstances so that as a Body we express our love to Christ by and through our obedience to his commands.

And as we draw near to Christ in love and he draws us close through his Holy Spirit, we then  turn out into the world and, in keeping with the second greatest command, love our neigbors as ourselves. Christ was among us as a servant and so Good Shepherd must serve the poor and needy on the South side.

The Church then, at the very least, must do the following:

Evangelism

Discipleship

Bible Study

Worship

Social Outreach

It is, in fact, quite helpful that the vestry does not have to come up with new and different goals every year. Our mission was articulated and revealed 2000 years ago. Our role as the people and leaders of this visible manifestation of the Body of Christ is to ensure that the ministries and programs of the Church are consistent with the mission given the Church by Christ in the New Testament and that the goals we set are intended to help us fulfill that mission.

That will be the vestry's task this Saturday and that will be every member's task throughout the year. Please pray for us and for the Church of the Good Shepherd.