Note: Following the distribution of my earlier hymn “Glory to God,” a friend wrote, “Can you do something with ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’?” I took this as a challenge. When preparing to preach on the idea of Election (how God selects people to join God’s mission in the world), I could not find hymns to express my thoughts and so decided to write my own lyrics … to the tune of, yes, “Onward Christian Soldiers” (which is known as ST GERTRUDE). Furthermore, I decided to introduce the lyrics in my sermon; so what I present below is my sermon, with the hymn text buried in it. That is, I used my March 24, 2024 sermon at Providence Baptist Church of Hendersonville NC to explain and introduce the hymn. (This new hymn text also works well with hymn tune WYE VALLEY, used for such hymns as “Let Your Heart Be Broken,” “Fill the Earth with Music,” and “Like a Glorious River.”)
The Great Dechurching is the title of a book that is making the rounds these days. It is one of hundreds of publications, videos, and personal testimonies of people who are either announcing or explaining their giving up on religion. What they mean is church, and doctrine, and organization, and often the most basic designation. “I am no longer a Christian,” is the way many say it.
Where is this coming from? What has happened in American society to make this dechurching a thing? It is even fashionable in some circles to announce independence from organized religion (or even disorganized religion, as so much of it is).
Yesterday, yet another article came across my feed: “18 Reasons People are Leaving Christianity.” It references this Dechurching book, tags the departure at 40 million people, and suggests lots of reasons. I don’t have time to engage those 18, but if I can invoke a noted interpreter of American religious culture who names only three, I may make it through this sermon today.
I refer, of course, not to John Prine as you are expecting, but to Kramer. He made some point in a Seinfeld show by referring to “Here, and here, and here.” Here is the heart, our feelings and experiences; here is the head, our thoughts and ideas; and here is the world, what we see in the world that carries the tag, “Christian.”
In other words, is our Experience of the Risen Lord strong enough to sustain our faith, our hope, our discipleship.
Second, is our Explanation of our faith—the head—compelling enough to handle doubts and challenges.
And third, are both of these sturdy enough to manage what we see in the world around us that carries the names of Jesus, both good and bad?
My professional disposition is theology, or the task of the head, the mind—the second of Kramer’s “here” and it is this intellectual focus that has inspired this series of sermons which I call “The Last Things on My Mind.”
In other words, I am working out for myself and for you what I think and believe, after 55 years as a preacher, teacher, professor, writer, and pastoral theologian.
I recognize that an explanation of religion is not as powerful as an experience of religion.
Which is why I turn to music today. Music is primarily a vehicle of experience. Music stirs our emotions. Music reaches down deep into our souls and shapes us inside: shapes our moods, our affections, our likes, our loves, our loyalties.
This is why I put so much emphasis on music in our worship, music that touches the soul, moves the emotions, and stirs up our affections for the things of God, for the care of those around us.
In a few weeks, I will preach on worship, and I have selected three elements of worship for our focus: not communion or processions or even baptism, but reading the Bible, praying, and singing.
Today, I am going to sing my sermon. More correctly, I want you to sing the sermon.
I have written this hymn text and set it to the tune of “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Go with me down this path.
I.
God has elected you and me to join in the great, eternal mission of God. Scholars use a Latin phrase, Missio Dei.
It is the work of God in the world: to bring life and health, joy and hope, grace and peace to every person, every community, every family, your family, you! This is our mission. We have been elected by God, or selected by God, to join with Jesus in this wonderful mission.
Simon Peter wrote this in his first letter long ago, “I am writing to God’s chosen people…. God the father knew you and chose you long ago. God’s spirit has made you holy (that is, set aside for a special purpose) …. May God give you more and more grace and peace…. (2:9f) For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God. God called you out of darkness into this wonderful life.”
I have tried to capture some of this in the first stanza of this hymn. It is about “walking in the way.”
That phrase, “the Way,” is from the Bible; it is the earliest description of the Jesus Movement. Followers of Jesus were said to be “of the Way.” That is, the way of Jesus.
Let’s sing this first stanza:
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way,
Finding in Christ Jesus, grace for every day.
We join God’s great mission, justice, life, and peace.
Welcome to the banquet hall for this delightful feast.
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way.
II.
The second stanza doubles down on this theme. It evokes the call of Jesus, who says to us today, “Come, follow me.” It describes the followers of Jesus, all of us and also our brothers and sisters around the world, as a “sweet community.” Our baptism is our initiation into this community of faith, hope, and love.
One of the special gifts of the Baptist tradition is our practice of baptism of believers by immersion in water. At one time, there was a baptistry in this sanctuary. I think it was a church of God that first began meeting in this space; but then the Lutherans bought it and they do not immerse adults but sprinkle infants, so they took out the water feature!
I wish we could create one outside, an outdoor baptistry.
I am sure there are city regulations about such things. Before I made the two additions to our church sign out front, I wanted to replace the existing sign with a digital sign, one that could feature many images and messages that would change, like a big message board in a basketball arena.
But I was told: no such signs in residential areas!
But I think we could put in a baptistry, even one with a handicap ramp!
Imagine what that might look like as we sing stanza two:
Called by Christ our Savior, “Come and follow me.”
Trusting in his goodness, sweet community.
Baptized in the water, with a shout of praise.
Chosen for a life of service, now and all our days.
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way.
III.
Two ideas dominate stanza three.
One is the brokenness of the world. That was part two of the Christian Worldview: first, Creation, then Corruption.
There is struggle and death, not only in the human world but also in the animal world and even in the natural world: floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes bring chaos and catastrophe. We live in this world of natural disasters, social chaos, and personal distress. This is the chaos of the created world. This is the world that needs redemption and salvation.
This vision of corruption, chaos, and challenge finds voice in verse three.
But there is another big idea here: the universe as one, which is why we call it a universe! The earth is one. The people are one. There is one common race, the human race. We are part of that human race.
Sometimes, the Bible makes distinctions among the human race. Sometimes, we find it easy to think of two groups: the elect and the non-elect, the saved and the lost, the blessed and the damned. There are some songs that pick this up.
For instance, hymn #255 in our hymnbook begins like this, “We are God’s people, the chosen of the Lord.” Verse two reads, “We are God’s loved ones, the bride of Christ our Lord.” I recognize there is language in the Bible to support this division of the race into us and them. We are the people of God, they are not.
But I think this is not good.
This division of the people into the in-group and the out-group ignores a host of biblical material, such as the story of Noah and the Flood, and the vision that comes to Peter at the house of Cornealius.
It makes a difference what you emphasize in the Bible, what you read and teach and affirm in the Bible.
The People of God are to the World Population what the tribe of Aaron was to Israel: a part of the whole but with a special calling to serve the whole.
I have read several times in your hearing these words from Psalm 145: “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. The Lord showers compassion on all creation.”
It is this vision of the human race that pushes me to believe we have one origin, one history, and one destiny. “Common destiny” I call it in this hymn. Let’s sing stanza three:
Living in this broken world, knowing all the pain,
Sharing what God gives to us with no thought of gain.
Joining hands with every soul, one humanity,
Living with our gospel hope, common destiny.
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way.
IV.
Verse four of this new hymn focuses on the Day of the Lord.
In the Hebrew Bible, this phrase is used by the prophets to describe a coming event or a future epoch or era when God would be revealed to save and judge.
The Christian people of the first century picked up this idea and used it to anticipate the return of Jesus, the Parousia, it is called in the Greek. The Day of his Appearing is one way it is used.
The book of Hebrews says we are to continue meeting so as to “encourage one another especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
We pray every Sunday and many days with Christians all over the globe that God’s kingdom, God’s rule will come on earth, just as it is in heaven. The Revelation to John, the last book of the New Testament, describes the coming of Jesus our Lord as a city, the New Jerusalem, descending out of heaven to the earth.
Far from snatching people out of this world, God plans to make God’s place with us here on earth.
God will answer our prayers, at the Appearing of Jesus.
Paul described it this way in his letter to Titus, “We are to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”
Keep that picture, that hope, in your mind as we sing this fourth stanza:
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way,
Working with the Savior, waiting for the Day.
God will answer this our prayer, kingdom come on earth,
New creation, full redemption, wonderful rebirth.
Joyful Christian pilgrims, walking in the Way.
