Sermon Prep
Dan Metzger, pastor at St Marks United Methodist Church in Findlay, goes behind the scenes of weekly sermon prep, addressing cultural and spiritual issues, and what happens the other 6 days of the week.
Sermon Prep
Episode 19 - A place to belong
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Pastor Dan and special guest Bruce Beck talk about sharing our faith and the importance of having a church community to belong to
Hey everybody, welcome to another Sermon Prep Podcast. This is Dan Mesker. I'm the pastor at St. Mark's United Methodist Church here in Finley. And with me today is a brand new guest, our uh tech person extraordinaire Jack of all trades. It's true, Bruce Beck. That's awesome. That is true. That's true. Uh and uh Bruce has been a longtime member here at St. Mark's and uh and a volunteer and also just has a great face for radio. And so it's on the fine here today.
SPEAKER_01I think it's a reflection of the on the work I've done in public.
SPEAKER_00I think so. But uh but yeah, I want to invite Bruce in uh to be a part of our conversation today. Um we are uh gonna be finishing up our series called Rooted uh here at St. Mark's, where we have been talking about some of the things that root us in our faith that help us to um kind of be established in who we are. And one of the things that we know that we're supposed to do is share our faith. And that's what we're gonna be talking about on Sunday, uh, the ideas of like what it looks like for us to share our faith. But I wanted to start the conversation with. We were talking a little bit before this. Um one of my favorite things that I've seen recently uh with uh the World Cup being in the United States has been the stories of people who have been here from other countries who are discovering in America that they that they just can't have are having a hard time wrapping their minds around. And some of the really beautiful, uh beautiful things about the country that have just kind of maybe even changed their mind about the United States. I think some people maybe don't have a favorable opinion always and uh from what they see on the news or just uh stereotypes or whatever it might be, but now they're here and they're discovering America in a new way. And you're saying that you had seen some of those too.
SPEAKER_01And I think the term everyday Americans versus all this stuff in the other in the media, but they're excited about going to Bucky's and experiencing that environment. Yeah, or ranch dressing. Yeah, they can't believe the ranch dressing, and how people smile and say hello.
SPEAKER_00I I saw somebody say about Buckeys, um, I think they were here from South Africa, and they're said, This place is bigger than my village. Like, like it's it's incredible, and yeah, just like cannot cannot believe it, or even just going into a gas station and like they've got combos and and stuff, and they're like, ah, this is wonderful.
SPEAKER_01I saw a guy at Costco and he couldn't believe the volume of stuff that they could purchase all at once. Oh, yeah, and the variety of stuff that they could get.
SPEAKER_00But it wasn't just that, it was also yeah, people who are friendly, yeah and people who are uh just being kind to them.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And I don't think that we're to I don't think we're as divided as it's portrayed when it comes down to it.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's yeah, I think it's less. I mean, if you watch the news or whatever else, yeah, it seems like everybody's always fighting all the time, and it can feel that way sometimes. And um, but uh it's been great that yeah, their experience has been that. And so um I think that that's a great reflection of you know, the thing that changed their mind is is getting to meet, like you said, the average everyday American. And it changes their mind. It wasn't from uh somebody arguing that the United States is better or or getting to meet a politician or getting to meet a celebrity or anything like that. It's just um meeting somebody who's genuinely genuinely living in in that you know, in a certain kind of way that's kind and compassionate.
SPEAKER_01And it's more one-on-one hanging out or in small groups, yeah. And you know, people you have the keyboard warriors fighting on social media. How many people have gone, you know, I'm gonna change my whole outlook. Oh, yeah, because of because of that, right? Of course.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I think that the same thing can also be said of the church, in that um, I think we know that the church hasn't always had uh, well, especially recently, um, maybe over the last uh few decades, um, there seems to be this decline in church attendance. There's this rise of a group of people that uh researchers call the dechurched, who um for whatever reason are are turned off by by the church, maybe they had a bad experience or it just didn't speak to them anymore. And um, and then also sometimes you know whether it be scandals or or just whatever it is, um, that the church has maybe not always had a great reputation uh for a lot of people. But I think what what you and I know, and at least a part of part of what I think keeps you coming back and keeps me coming back, is that the people are are fantastic. Yeah. And it's the personal connections. And it's those, and so I think just like people who come from other countries are are having their opinions changed by getting to meet you know your average everyday American, I think that a part of the hope for for the church in being able to reach people who have maybe been turned off by the church or Christianity or whatever, uh is for people to have real genuine encounters with real genuine Christians. Um because I think it I believe that we've got something you know great to offer, something that we found in Christ that is that is really great to offer. And it's through those those are most often when when people come to the church for the first time or um find their way back into church, it's usually not because oh well I read this book and it convinced me, or I yeah, or I heard this argument and somebody else changed my mind or anything, it's because someone was kind to them.
SPEAKER_01Because they felt something, they felt a connection, and they felt the kindness or the warmth. I think I think um the staff that we have now is engaging, um, welcoming, and creates an atmosphere that people want to come back to that they feel like a really good connection.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it I think it goes, and I appreciate you saying that about the staff because I'm on it. But um, and we and we've really worked hard to cultivate a really good staff, but it it's it goes way beyond um the people who are the quote unquote professional Christians, right? To yeah to it's it's all of us, it's a community that we create, it's the relationships that we form that are so so important. And I know, I mean, you've been here for you've been here for a few years.
SPEAKER_01I yeah, I'm in my like seventh or eighth decade. Yes, I was brought in against my will back in the early 60s, and then I was born and I started attending.
SPEAKER_00That's yeah, I know ever since. And so I mean, just think about the relationships that you've formed over the years here. Like, are there um that's put you on the spot, but are there are there people and relationships that you can think of that are that are some of the ones that have been like just really meaningful to you over the years or um oh cliff height, yeah, Fanny Dodderman, she was my high school teacher.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, yeah. Betsy Jackson that that um directed the bell choir and Willetta Height, Cliff's mom, different pastors, you, yeah, um, you're a pastor. I am so you qualify for that. Um so many people here now that just like when you see them, it's like, oh, there they are. Yeah, they get to hang out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it's just and they're with you in the middle of the really hard things, and you get to celebrate together. They have been with me through some really hard things. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't think anybody makes it through life without having without having some some difficulty, and I can't imagine trying to go through the hardest parts of life without having a community like this around me uh to help walk through those really hard things. Yeah. So I think a part of what we get to do as as Christians, as followers of Jesus, as and also as church members is we get to go out and we get to share that kind of thing with others. Um you know, one of the things that uh there so I'm gonna I'm gonna list off on Sunday some different things that I think Jesus gives us uh forgiveness, he gives us purpose, he gives us um, you know, so many unconditional love. Um but one of the ones that really stuck with me as I was as I was working on the sermon was this idea of community, just just our our need for we were built for community, we were family. Yeah, I mean the church we're not supposed to be long rangers, right? From from the beginning. I mean, this was not meant to be a solo endeavor, you know, acts the 12 disciples. Yeah, you had the 12 disciples, and then even like when the churches formed in Acts 2, immediately it's and they met in each other's homes and they were breaking bread together and they were with each other every day. They did laugh together, yep. We were always always together, it was never meant to be um a one-man show, it was always supposed to be something that we do together, and we were talking a little bit before this about um, and I'll share some of these stats on Sunday, but there's been like this um they've called it like a loneliness epidemic, they've called it a friendship recession that that we seem to be in in the United States. I think I've actually talked about this in a sermon before. Um, there was a guy who wrote a book called Bowling Alone, and um it's really the idea of like it used to be back in like the 70s and 80s, whatever, everybody was in a bowling league. Um, there were you know, it was there's places yeah, there's places you go for community, there's just things you would do for community, service organizations, lots of different things that people would just join, and you were just that's what you did with your time. Is I'm gonna go be a part of this.
SPEAKER_01You were plugged into so many different things.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we had so many opportunities for community, and there's there's a lot of different reasons things like that have fallen away. Um, you could blame it on a bunch of different stuff, you could blame it on technology, and everybody just has their face and their phone, and you could blame it on um, you know, whatever, whatever you might want to blame the busyness of life, uh kids' sports schedules, whatever. You can blame it on on a lot of different things. Whatever the the cause is, I think one of the solutions for this loneliness epidemic or friendship recession, whatever you want to call it, is the church. The church is a place that is designed for community.
SPEAKER_01It was really across time the place for fellowship and to being together. It was a stable of everyday life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It's you know, whether it's been small groups or even just getting together, you know, church softball leagues, things like that. Or potlucks potlucks, all that different kind of stuff. Yeah, we yeah, uh, it's a place for community, and it's sometimes it's it's just for fun and fellowship, and sometimes it's a place where community comes together when there's when there's a loss of life and we gather together and we do that as a community, or when we're celebrating something, a baptism, a wedding, you know, we come together for those kinds of things, yeah. And we walk with each other through hard stuff, and we do things like grief share where we gather together in community and we figure this out.
SPEAKER_01It was awesome, yeah. Yeah, I um I had a couple, I had some healing and and just thoughts and a couple issues that I've been dealing with across time. I and when I thought about doing it, I thought, I kind of cheat. Am I cheating? Because the losses that I've experienced have been across time and I've pretty much dealt with everything. But it just brought some healing to a couple areas that really meant a lot to me.
SPEAKER_00And it's it's something that you I don't want to put words in your mouth, but something you couldn't do just solo.
SPEAKER_01No, I couldn't sit at home and go, I went, I mean, I yeah. I I could tell myself the things that I verbalized in a great share, but having other people hear it and saying out loud, yeah, just I felt so light a couple of times. It was incredible.
SPEAKER_00Well, and getting to work and getting to talk with other people and their their things that they're going through. So you're pouring into one another, yeah, and building each other up in that way. And I think that's just one example of the ways in which community is just such an important part of how we share our faith, um, and and what we what Jesus has to offer uh to a world that's that's broken and hurting. I think there's a lot of people who are looking for that kind of community and uh those kinds of relationships, and it's something that that we that we can offer. Um so I didn't prep you for this question beforehand. So this is gonna have to come off the coffee. Okay. But so as you think about what it looks like um to share our faith today, how do you most commonly see yourself in that or see other people doing that? What that looks like and I'll just tell you that I think that it's usually not a whole lot of um sit down, let me tell are you saved? Let me tell you about, you know, it it's it's generally more in the way that we live our lives. Do you do you find a use case?
SPEAKER_01I was I was involved in Canvas Crusade for Christ back at Bowling Green. And you know, we had the four spiritual laws, and you go up to people have we share those and we have that model. Um but like you said, I think it's more relational and sharing truth out of friendship and and knowing each other and doing life together and just having conversations come up naturally.
SPEAKER_00Kind of that thing about like where they don't care what you know until they know that you're there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. They want to feel safe and they want to feel connected and they want to have a place of belonging, and the church can give that can be the place for that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's absolutely right. It's it's again kind of going back to the thing we talked about at the beginning, right?
SPEAKER_01It's not like uh come to church and get hit over the head with a bunch of rules. Right. Thou shalt, thou shalt not. It's like Jesus loves you, yeah. He wants he's given you everything for a good life.
SPEAKER_00There's there's forgiveness, there's grace, there's healing. Yeah, and and those are some of the things that I'm gonna kind of lift up on Sunday, the things that Jesus offered offers, and and I think forgiveness is one of those big things. I've I know there's been people I've talked to before who church hasn't been a part of their life, and I've like, hey, I'd love for you to come. They're like, I think that the whole place will catch fire if I were given. Like, I don't know if I I don't like you don't know, you don't know what I've done, right? And so this whole idea that and maybe that's a part of the the misconception of the church of of who we are, um, is that it's it's um it's either full of perfect people or it's full of hypocrites.
SPEAKER_01Did you ever hear the saying um church isn't a isn't it isn't um a museum for saints, it's a hospital for sinners.
SPEAKER_00That might be a direct quote that will be in my this Sunday. Um and that's absolutely true. There's no perfect people allowed. Come on to meeting. There's no perfect people and uh yeah, this is a place where you can go.
SPEAKER_01That's not shocked by what somebody's done.
SPEAKER_00No, of course not. Oh my gosh, I can't believe that. Yeah, exactly. There's no perfect people, the only perfect person allowed is the one who's in our stained glass window. Exactly. And everyone else, including your pastor, is is a mess in some way. We're all just broken people. And so sometimes people will look at that. I think there's two ways people look at that. They'll say, either, well, the people who are good church people, like, I don't belong there, I'm not good enough to be there, or they see church people like they're not all that they say that they are, they're they're hypocrites or something like that. And I don't think that's necessarily accurate because a hypocrite is is someone who um is turning a blind eye to their own their their own shortcomings and and sinfulness and that kind of stuff. And I hope that we don't do that. I hope that we're not turning a blind eye to it. We're saying, no, I am a mess and I see it, and Jesus is working on me, and I'm trying to get better. So I always tell people when they say there's too many hypocrites in the church, I always say, There's always room for one more. There's room for one more. Yeah, come on in. We'll heal together. Yeah, come on in. Yep, there's there's fine. There's always room for one more because none of us, there's nobody here that lives up to the example of Christ 100%. No, there's just none of us.
SPEAKER_01And uh people have that view that there are people like that, but they're not. There's there's just none. And we compare our insides to other people's outsides in their life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And so one of the other things then that that gets offered to us that's kind of related to all of this, is the the unconditional love of Jesus. If if you've ever felt unloved or uh alone or whatever it might be, like that's a thing that I think that we have to offer that that we get to share with people, say, you are not unloved, you are not alone.
SPEAKER_01There's a place where you I remember, you know, uh unconditional love from family and friends. But another source is the Mayus Weekend. Oh, yeah. I've never felt so much.
SPEAKER_00Well, and what another another great example of community, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Just the love that I felt at the different times, yeah, was incredible.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's so all that kind of going back to the idea of sharing our faith. I mean, these are the things that we have to offer, and it's so good. And uh, one of the jokes that that I'll often make is I mean, when you find a place with a great cheeseburger or something like that, you tell people about it. You tell everybody that you know, right? This thing was amazing, you gotta go there. All this place. There was a place when uh at one of the churches I served, it was called Sonny's Three Meat Burger, and it was just down the road from the church. And I was an evangelist for Sunny's Three Meat Burger. I was telling people the good news. It was because it was um beef, pork, and lamb. And like, oh, and it was it had just red pepper sauce on it. So it was in Cincinnati. Uh it was so good. That sounds good. Um hungry. So, and but I remember using that example. Like, I told everybody about that, and if I'm gonna do that for a burger, I should probably be able to do that for can be a little bit easier for Jesus, right? Yeah, like this is something that's pretty awesome and that I I really want to be able to share with others. So yeah. So we're gonna we'll give some ideas on how to do that this Sunday and those sorts of things.
SPEAKER_01So Bruce, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I really like the green room with all the food that you had prepared.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that's I try to make sure my guests don't want to fast. I hope that other guests don't expect it now. Yeah, it wasn't there right now. I just made that aspiration up. Oh shoot. All right, well, thank you uh all so much for being a part of this, and uh, we'll see you next time on another Sherman Prep podcast. All right, I'll see you Sunday.