Feb 7, 2010

Spiritual Type #4 of Wares’ Spiritual Wheel

Preacher: Rev. Blaine Scott

Scripture: James 2: 14-18

Sermon: A Message From the CIA       

Theme:  Today, we experience God’s kingdom through our efforts to help the people and animals in need of care.  Remember a situation when you felt renewed and blessed by helping someone or an effort to do mission work.

James 2: 14-18 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

Last Fall, five of us from the congregation travelled to UMCOR West Depot to take some health kits and to assemble health and education kits there. (show photos on screens). I believe that those very kits went to Haiti.

Then, a team from our church just loaded and drove our bus with more than 1,800 health kits to replenish UMCOR West depot.  Three hundred kits were from our area.

James is really pressing the point to the early followers of Jesus that actions must accompany faith. He writes, “‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (vs. 18).

A wonderful example of type 4 Kingdom spirituality.

A “God thing” happened to me this week – I had just titled the sermon “A message from the CIA” and later that day  I saw our youth director wearing a t-shirt that said CIA. By the way, 11 youth and adults at an area wide youth leadership conference this weekend.

The t-shirt was from a big retreat last Spring at Westside Weekend in Cedaredge. Our own Abby Smith designed the logo.

I had forgotten about that t-shirt logo when I wrote CIA to mean Christians ln Action – exactly what the t-shirt says!

As we conclude this four-part series on spirituality types. “Kingdom” is the final type.

We remember type 1 as Head, type 2 as Heart, type 3 as Mystic. For the head and heart types, we experience God as close and personal: Emmanuel “God with us”. For the Mystic and Kingdom type, we experience God transcendent “I Am Who I AM” who is within us, and yet above and beyond us also.

Now, Types 1 and 4 are thinkers while types 2 and 3 are feelers. Therefore, Type 4 is both driven to fulfill God’s kingdom come on earth and a thinker. Don’t count on type 4 persons to watch a chic flick and share the Kleenex.

The Kingdom type is expounded on by Corrine Ware, author of Discover Your Spiritual Type  who writes, Persons in type 4 are probably the least represented in the congregation because they tire of the church’s slow response to social action and justice. This person is an active visionary who is single-minded with a deeply focused, almost crusading, type of spirituality… People of this type tend to care less about affiliation with organized religion, and more about obeying God’s call, transforming society, and taking responsibility for the change the see as needed: that is, to implement a vision of the world as the kingdom of God on earth.

As I mentioned in our prayer time earlier, persons in the kingdom type equate prayer and theology with action.  It can help these persons to remember that God is in ultimate charge and they do not need to be quite so driven in order to be faithful.

Those of us definitely not in this category are hear to say, “I don’t have to take myself too seriously because I do take my faith seriously.”

Now, type 4 persons can trouble our lives, even make us feel guilty for not doing enough to transform God’s world, yet we may find ourselves admiring this person for being willing to make a difference and believe in something so passionately.

Whereas, type 3 Mystic persons find it more important to be than to do, type 4 persons are the opposite. Theirs is a doing vision embodied in words like cause, mission, projects.  Doing mission work together can transform the lives of those receiving the help, and also those doing the helping. I remember a young adult group who worked on a Habitat House one day together. We grew much closer as a group than we had before – working side by side, teaming up, taking breaks and visiting.

Now, having said all of this. Persons of the other 3 types can certainly strengthen their own spirituality by branching out to do ministry mission work. It may be driving a person to their chemo therapy appointment, serving a meal at the shelter, or other projects.

Share Fest will happen in April again this year, and it will include more than 30 local congregations working locally on one weekend. It’s a great chance to reach out and help someone, because it will also help your own faith.

The United Methodist pastors in the Grand Valley and Montrose meet regularly. Over time we have begun networking to create ministry opportunities to reach out and serve the greater good. More recently we are in conversation about members from our respective congregations creating a mission work team to go on a trip next Fall. The destination is unknown, yet the collaboration between the congregations will be great.

Additionally, just two weeks ago Rev. Karen of Crossroads, Rev. Gary of Redlands, Rev. Annie and myself met with Dr. Don Messer. Don is our global connection and leader for HIV/AIDS support.  Don spoke to us last Fall about the global AIDS needs – especially in Africa.  And you may remember that a portion of our Christmas offering is going to the Center for the Church and Global Aids.   That offering is $2,500 to be used for medical supplies and equipment going to Maua Hospital which is located in a poor rural region of Kenya.

Now Don, who lives in Denver, has created a golf tournament in Denver which has been very popular the past 3 years in raising money for this hospital in Kenya.  And the people in Denver said, “hey we’d love to play golf at Redlands Mesa course on the Western Slope”. And I replied, “Hey we’d love to take your money!” All of it going to help families and children with HIV/AIDS.

Some of the proceeds from that golf tournament will stay here in Western Colorado to benefit WestCAP organization.

Anyway, the three United Methodist congregations in Grand Junction are helping to organize the golf tournament called Swinging For AIDS. For the golfers among us, it will be May 14. Friday, May 14 in the morning. We’re planning on raising lots of funds for people like Paula Gill.

Don Messer tells that “Paula Gill greeted me outside a Methodist church in Barbados after I had finished preaching on Jesus' command to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick (Matthew 25:31-46).  With a baby in her arms and holding another child by his hand, she whispered, ‘My husband has died from AIDS, and I am HIV-positive. I'm working, but I don't have enough money to care for the children. They need food, and the baby has no diapers. Can you find me some help?’  Infected by her husband, this faithful church-going woman felt terribly alone, uncertain what people were saying about her and her family.”

If the bumper sticker philosophy of “Think Globally Act Locally” would have existed in bible times, James may have amended it to proclaim “Pray globally and act locally”.

For in doing so, we fulfill our need to be relevant to others in need, and we partner with God to help God’s world.