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Nearness and
Directness. In the lives of many of us today there is nothing that defines
Nearness and Directness more than our cell phones. And believe it or not,
they are about to get even nearer and more direct! Sprint Nextel has
announced plans to deliver short commercials and other ads on its phones.
The speculation is that users won't be subjected to the ads, which will
range from tiny banners to full-screen video clips, when they make a voice
call or send a text messages. But if you download a ring tone, it may well
come with an ad for a forthcoming TV show. Use a Sprint city guide or map
service, and you might also get an ad for a local hotel or restaurant. The
biggest target group for this program is to be business travelers who are
somewhat tethered to their cell phones. In the future increasingly the
target will be 18-24-year-olds, the demographic all advertisers seek.
Nearness and Directness from your cell phone.
Nearness and Directness are a pair of concepts found in the book,
“Faithshaping” by author Stephen D. Jones. He writes specifically for those
engaged in church youth ministry. He argues, very convincingly, that both
Nearness and Directness must be practiced by anyone who wishes to nurture
faith in young people. I believe he is absolutely correct and moreover I
would like to extend these two concepts and apply them not only to youth
ministry, but to our total ministry, to our entire activity as a church
family. Rightly viewed, Nearness and Directness is exactly what James had in
mind when he wrote the words we heard earlier, “Draw near to God, and God
will draw near to you.”
Both Nearness and Directness are needed to help each of us face the
challenge of living our faith faithfully. We need people near to us to
support us as we face new things, to encourage us when we get down, to teach
us about what it means for us to live as friends and followers of Jesus. We
need people near to us to forgive us when we screw up, to comfort us and
console us when we face difficulties. We really need people
near to us. But
we also need these people, the people near to us to be
direct with us if and
when we wander off on our own. We need people who will be direct with us to
steer us away from the whisky bottle or the medicine cabinet, people who be
direct, who will get in our face to remind us of the vows and promises we
have made, people who will explain to us over and over again, clearly and
simply and honestly the claim that God has on our lives and on our living.
To offer such nearness and directness to, with and for each other, and for
all of us, requires that we all are keepin’ on, keepin’ on in the walk of
faith. Keepin’ on, keepin’ on by drawing near to God, so that God will draw
near to us. To cultivate Nearness and Directness requires that we run the
race of faith with perseverance. It is easy, relatively speaking to be keepin’ on, keepin’ on at the start of the race; also it is a bit easier to
keep keepin’ on, keepin’ on as we approach the finish line. But it is in the
long stretch, when we face some hills that we need to be keeping on, keepin’
on. Between the excitement of the start and before the relief of the finish
the end, this is where we need to persevere with constancy and consistency.
Nearness and Directness will result as we practice our faith. I use the term
“practice” in this context to describe the acts of a community, rather than
in the sense of acts of preparation in the build–up to some game. Christian
practices identify us as people of faith, as followers of Jesus Christ, at
the same time these practices, as we practice them, as we live them, mold us
and form us into the people who belong to our Lord, who belong to His
Church. Christian practices mark us out as, and make us into, Jesus’
followers. Our salvation comes by grace through faith, not through practice
but Christian practices, our response to God are the means of grace by which
God strengthens us individually and corporately so that we can live
faithfully.
The practices of our faith involves the following: participating actively
in worship, celebrating the sacraments, praying, reading and applying the
Scriptures in our daily living, maintaining fellowship together in the
church community, encouraging, forgiving, giving, serving, sharing. In our
over-hyped culture, the very ordinariness of these Christian practices can
make them easy to overlook. These practices are of course very much the back
and forth of our life; they are the give and take of the rituals that happen
around the family dinner table or around the communion table; they are the
ongoing activities that subtly shape us into people who come to bear a
family resemblance – a resemblance to our Lord. Through such practices we
give our attention, our full attention, to God! The practices of our faith
help align our steps with God’s and, in so doing, create holy ripples that
radiate far beyond the church.
The practices of our faith, expressing and nurtured by Nearness and
Directness requires that we hang in there with one another, with God, with
all God’s people, Nearness and Directness means continuing to do the routine
things so that our lives will be routinely with God. Such Nearness and
Directness are a direct challenge to all ideas of instant gratification, to
the idea of, “do the dew, thrill-a-minute fun”. Nearness and Directness
involves the challenge of keep on keepin’ building bridges to enable all
people to move ahead in their faith experience.
The story is told of someone who got very near and was very direct to
Michael Jordan during his prime as a basketball player. Observing Jordan
shooting hoops before a game this guy said, “Michael, I wish I could shoot
like you.” to which Jordan looks at him and says, “No you don’t. If you did,
you would be out here on the court twelve hours a day practicing.” Keepin’
on, keepin’ on in our faith does not mean that we will immediately get it
all, sacrifice is still required. Our prayers will always be better and on
target when we begin, “Lord, what do YOU want from me?” Such a prayer will
almost inevitably move us forward as opposed to prayers that are more fully
focused on what we need!
Back to Jones and his focus on youth ministry for just a moment. Nearness, he
says, requires that youth see how much faith is prized by the important
adults around them.
But along with nearness there needs to be directness with youth. Directness
occurs as young people are intentionally asked to write a new chapter in
their faith story. Such Directness means frank questions and discussions
about the central meaning and significance of claiming the faith for
themselves. Directness will include occasions when worship is intimate, when
prayer touches our hearts, when service to others opens our eyes to a new
and fuller truth. Directness happens when either intentionally or
spontaneously youth are helped to address their own questions of faith.
Directness occurs whenever anyone shares their own faith story.
By virtue of the fact that you’re here for worship this morning, you are
showing your desire for Nearness and Directness with Jesus. By virtue of the
fact that you’re here this morning, you are showing your desire to take a
serious look at that pathway that Jesus has for us to follow. You are here
because you sense a connection here, with people, with the people around
you, with the people who together are the family that is Northminster
Presbyterian Church. Being able to experience that nearness makes it
possible for you to experience directness to and with God, and to and with
this community of faith.
My
friends, keep on, keeping on, saying your, “YES!” to Jesus. Keep on living
your faith in all aspects of your lives. Keep on practicing your faith, let
your life be marked out as a life lived for Christ. At the same time as
saying “Yes” to Jesus, we also need to be saying “No” to everything in this
world that tries to take us away from Jesus. In your life, can you point to
something to which you have said ‘goodbye’ so you can follow Jesus? As you
look at your life, are you able to identify a path from which you have
turned away from so you can follow the path that Jesus has for you? As you
look at your life, are the things inside of you to which you know you need
to say “goodbye” to best follow Jesus, but you haven’t yet done so? Now
would be a great time, to accept God’s help and say a profound “goodbye” to
whatever it is that holds you back from living for Jesus. Nearness and
Directness - the never-ending story. Say yes to Jesus.
Draw near to God,
and God will draw near to you!
Amen. |
