SETTING THE CONTEXT

Paul writes the letter we are about to read from Rome where he is in prison and possibly awaiting execution. And he writes this letter to a beloved younger pastor named Timothy. It is clear from the letter that there is a very strong steady friendship between this older experienced and weathered apostle and this young struggling pastor of the church in Ephesus. Paul reminds Timothy and us of who we are and what gift has been entrusted to us.

Read 2 Timothy 1:1-14

THE SERMON

Bill Miller one of our members who toured Russia last summer made a statement that really struck me in the Wednesday evening program he narrated. At the end of the program, he said that he and his wife Carol had realized that there are three things that people want no matter where they come from. They want freedom, freedom to speak, to believe, to live as they choose. Secondly, they want economic opportunities to provide for themselves and their families; they want to be able to give their families food, a home, an education and the other things that a decent living affords. And thirdly they want truth and honesty in their governance. They don’t want the corruption that is rampant among many of the powerful elite; they want to be able to raise their families with justice, safety and stability, what I would call true peace. As Bill and Carol shared, we are far more alike than we are different.

This is why celebrating World Communion is so important to me; it is a chance for us to remind ourselves that there are people all over the world who share a common passion, a common love. There are Christians, lovers of Christ, like us all over the world; in fact there are United Methodists just as we are United Methodists all over the world. It is so easy for us to get our focus locked in on our local church, on our own struggles and priorities, that we forget that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. We are part of a connection, an extended congregation of United Methodists that reaches across the world in all directions. We are part of a Body of Christ that is even larger than that for it includes all believers and followers of Christ.

In today’s Scripture reading Paul reminds Timothy to rekindle the gift of ministry. The Mission Director in Cameroon, Africa shared a vision of that ministry that he calls “the United Methodist way.” It is a balanced form of discipleship where we preach “holiness of heart, head, and hands. We preach a warm, experiential religion of the heart—thus, evangelism and spirit-filled worship are hallmarks of our services. We preach a reasoned and understandable religion of the head—thus, pastors are encouraged to attend seminary, and laypeople are given opportunities to study Scripture and theology. And we preach a practical and service-oriented religion of hands—thus, we move outside the walls of our churches to transform the cities, towns, and villages of Cameroon.”^[i] Now wouldn’t you say that is a wonderful description of our own understanding of what it means to be a disciple! Let us rekindle the gift of God, this call to ministry, to be a Beacon of Hope whether it is within the church walls, or in our personal lives or in the social and political structures that impact people all over the globe. This is the legacy that has been passed down to all of us through our Wesleyan heritage.

Lydia Mikhailova was in her forties in 1994 when her husband died of cancer, leaving her with two young sons. She was no stranger to trials. She was born into a family that had been exiled from Ukraine to the Russian Far North to work in a timber-cutting labor camp, she had spent the early years of her life barely able to survive. The family was rehabilitated only after Stalin's death. Still, the death of her husband sent her into depression. Grief-stricken, Lydia sought solace, which she found when a friend invited her to a church service at the United Methodist church in Lytkarino, outside Moscow. Blessed by the comfort that only Christ can give, Lydia spent the rest of her life telling others about the Good News. She became a pastor in the Russia United Methodist Church and the first district superintendent of the South Moscow District. Lydia came to the church through friendship evangelism (meaning a friend simply invited her to come to church with her), and she practiced that method of evangelism whenever she could. Rather than becoming hardened by her tragic experiences and difficult past, or forgetting about it as many tried to do, Lydia conquered her past with God's love. Love triumphed in her life. One outcome of this great love was her work to start a church in the Far North, where her family had once been imprisoned. It was an evangelism project from her church in Moscow, where she served as a pastor. Although she lived little more than a decade after her husband's death before she, too, died of stomach cancer, this decade was one of great joy and great fruit for the Kingdom, through the Russia United Methodist Church. Pastor Lydia is a wonderful example of a sister in Christ who relied on the power of the Lord.^[ii]

I discovered that the United Methodist Church in Kiev, Ukraine has a ministry similar to the Ethiopian ministry, Hope for the Hopeless, that many of us are supporting. The “Daybreak” Drop-In center in Kiev, Ukraine is a ministry that tries to be a bridge for children who have been living on the streets to living in a healthy home environment. This is precisely the goal of a similar ministry in Ethiopia. The Kiev ministry has moved from giving out lunch boxes 2 days a week in different places around town to a recently purchased Drop-In center that will house their activities as well as a new church congregation. This building is being purchased with help from Blacksburg UMC in Virginia, Central UMC in Bergen, Norway, other donors and a loan from Norwegian UMC. Christ draws this Beacon of Hope from the west, the east and the north to shine for vulnerable children in the Ukraine and in shining for those children it shines for all the people around them!

When we were in Ethiopia two summers ago and I was speaking to some of the street children in the Drop-in center in Addis Ababa, (and remember that these are children who have been shooed away, kicked around and much worse) I told them that Jesus had called us across the oceans that we might join with our Ethiopian brothers and sisters in Christ to serve them. He called us because he loves them. Can you imagine how that would sound to an abandoned child? The Son of God extending himself just for them; we are a Beacon of Hope Together. They have the people there to be physically present with the children, to be the hands of Christ and the heart of Christ to them, but they don’t have the money or the political influence. We as Americans have far more resources than they have and if a corrupt government official tries to harm the ministry, with God’s help we have the influence to stop it; that is one of the reasons Pastor Surafel makes so many trips over to Ethiopia and why our mission trips are so important.

Since we are very blessed to have Tselmeg with us today who is from Mongolia, I’d like to share about a United Methodist Church in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The church, Chingle Te UMC, is located in one of the poorest neighborhoods north of the city center. It is situated next to the only elementary school in the district, a school that serves 2,500 students. The church has installed a basketball hoop and has become an inviting place for children to be before or after school. (They go to school in ˝ day shifts.) The church is using Mongolian tents for its ministries right now, but will soon be moving into a renovated building. The Korean UM churches from the United States and Korea have been very active in supporting the mission in Mongolia. Chingle Te UMC has grown rapidly in the last four years. As the only Protestant congregation in the district, the congregation offers a place of worship and very active social and community ministries. The congregation provides outreach in such areas as job training, meal services for the needy, computer classes for women and children, and literacy. Chingle Te UMC also has an active ministry for children and youth which they plan to expand as their building projects are completed. They have already established a branch church in another poor neighborhood, Damb.^[iii] Again Christ draws his body together from the east and the west to be a Beacon of Hope.

We are a part of this great body. Through our denominational giving, through our active mission work, through our prayer, and our shared commitment to be heralds of Christ, we are Beacons of Hope together. One of the definitions of communion in the Dictionary is “the act of sharing; possessing in common.”^[iv] We share a great treasure, the knowledge and love of the Lord. In our world communion, we are Beacons of Hope touching the world with the light of Jesus the Christ, the revealer of God’s grace, the abolisher of death and the giver of Eternal life.^[v] Amen.

Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on October 7, 2007.