The Church as Sign
Matthew 5:13–16
March 4, 2007 (2 nd Sunday in Lent)
University Christian Church, Seattle, WA
Rev. Sandy Messick

• Remember back a couple of months and the windstorms that swept through our area? Like many of you, my house found itself without power on more than one occasion, though, not for as long as some of you. Now, I don’t know if your house is like mine, but when those lights go out, our first question is, “Now where did we put the flashlight?” So we stumble through the darkened rooms, bumping shins on furniture, feeling our way around walls and through doorways and finally to the drawer where the flashlights are supposed to be kept. If we’re lucky, the flashlight will be in that drawer. And if we’re really lucky, the batteries will work. More often though, the flashlight is nowhere to be found, and when it is finally found, it doesn’t work. My family can bear witness to the fact that a light that doesn’t light is useless. It’s not serving its purpose.
• Matthew records Jesus admonishing his Disciples in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount:
• You are light, Jesus says, but if you’re hiding your lamp under a bushel where it cannot be seen, it is useless.
• You are salt, Jesus says, but if salt has become flavorless, it is worthless, you might as well toss it into the street.
• Light and salt, if they’re not serving their purpose, then of what value are they?

• All the talk today in churches is about transformation. Churches need to be about transformation. They need to be transforming, they need to be changing. But what does that look like? What would that be like? During the month of March, I’m going to focus these sermons on images of the church and imagine for a bit what our life together might be like if we were to live out these images. Today, we begin with the image of Church as Sign.
• Let me know if you’ve had this experience: You’re traveling to someplace you’ve never been before. Perhaps you’ve “mapquested” the trip, or plotted it out on a map, and so you know what mile markers to look for, what signs you should pass on the way. At first, all is going well, road signs, street signs, highway signs, all appear as they should and help you navigate the twists and turns of the journey. But then suddenly, just as you are drawing near to the destination, the signs stop! The last marker is missing. The street sign is down, or the directional sign is misplaced, or the sign marking the entrance to your destination is covered over. For whatever reason, the sign is missing. You know the frustration when you know you’re close…but you just can’t get there from here.
• The purpose of a sign is to give direction. And no matter how well designed, or how beautiful, or how well-placed, if the sign doesn’t give direction, it’s not doing its job; it’s missing out on its purpose.
• The sign itself is not the destination, it only points the way to the destination.
• And like a lamp that doesn’t give light, or salt that’s lost its flavor, if the sign doesn’t point the way, its worthless.

• Now the Church is a sign – not in the sense of an omen or a foretelling of an event, but as that which points the way.
• The Church is a sign that points the way to God, to a relationship with God, to the experience of the reign of God. The church is not the destination, it is a means to find the destination, and that destination is our relationship with God.
• So how would a church, living out its purpose as sign, look like, act like, be like today? Here are some possibilities:

• First, a sign needs to be well-placed. A sign that is hidden behind bushes, or placed too far off the beaten path, or covered over with other signs is of little value. So the Church as Sign would be visible in the world (and I’m not talking about a building here, I’m talking about a people). If those who are seeking God or seeking meaning in their life, or seeking direction, aren’t coming in here, then the church needs to be out there. The church needs to be actively engaged in things unchurched people care about, many of which are the same things we care about: feeding the hungry, promoting social justice, ending war, caring for the earth.
• I had a conversation with a young person not too long ago. I asked her if she believed in God and she said she wasn’t sure, but that it didn’t matter anyway. The church didn’t seem to have any meaning or purpose to her, but she cared passionately about issues in her community and in her world. But then I asked her, what if, what if the church was engaged in those issues, not just sending money sometimes, but physically involved, would you maybe see the church differently? As something more relevant in your life? Yes, she said, maybe she would.
• The Church as Sign needs to be visible in the world, engaging those who are struggling to find meaning, and leading others to see a purpose behind their passion, a reason for seeking justice that is related to the God who demands justice. That’s what a Church as Sign might look like.

• Second, a sign needs to give direction. A sign needs to point the way to something and give information about where you’re going and how to get there. For the Church as Sign, that means education. One of the things pointed out in the report by Church Extension was that we have many opportunities for education, but most are aimed at those with a fairly mature faith. The Church as Sign recognizes that many young people today weren’t brought up in the church. They don’t know our stories or our traditions. Even our language is at times inaccessible as we use our big words like theology and eucharist and sacrament and ecumenism. So our education, in fact all of our life together, has to offer many entry points for people to learn the stories in user-friendly ways. We need to be about teaching others what it means to be church. Not just to go to church, but to live our life together as church. It means offering regular Bible Study that many people take part in, and that engages the ancient texts in new and relevant ways. It means offering opportunities for people to drop in occasionally on Sundays and still feel like they can belong. It means having all the pieces in place, quality nursery attendants and facilities, quality youth programs, good well-placed signs, and people ready to greet new faces. A sign needs to give direction as it points the way to something else. That what Church as Sign might look like.
• And third, a sign needs to indicate what the destination is like, what you might find when you get there. The Church as Sign paints a picture of the destination through our life together, but especially through our worship. The pieces of our worship aren’t randomly thrown together, each piece has purpose.
• We gather together and are called to worship, it is the re-creating of the community each week as we come from our various places to this one place to worship the one God. And in so doing, we point the way to the reign of God in which we all will gather in fellowship and communion with God.
• We hear the Good News proclaimed in scripture, word and song. In those words and in those songs we hear again the stories of our faith and the saving acts of God, and in so doing, we point the way to the reign of God in which the God who was present in creation and continues to create will bring to life the fulfillment of God’s promises.
• We offer our gifts to God, in money, prayers, bread and wine, and in so doing we point the way to a God of relationship, of giving and receiving who offers gracious and unlimited love and receives it back from us again.
• We participate in the Holy Meal: much more than a pinch of bread and a tablespoon of grape juice in a plastic cup. In the Eucharist, we experience communion with one another around the common table, and communion with God through one bread and one cup.
• And we are sent forth into the world through benediction and sung response. We are sent forth in God’s name and by God’s grace and in so doing, we point the way to a relationship with God that is not limited to this sanctuary or this day of the week, but goes with us into all the places and spaces of life.
• Our worship service, in its design, and by God’s grace, serves as Sign, pointing the way to God, to a relationship with God, to a life lived in God’s reign.
• And you know, if we are to be a Sign, giving direction through our worship, it needs to be a sign spoken in many languages, not just the language of college-educated, over 65, liberal theists, but the language that people can hear today, young and old, gay and straight, people of many colors and abilities and backgrounds and experiences. The Church as Sign seeks to speak in many ways, in as many ways as possible, with the purpose of pointing the way to God. That’s what a Church as Sign might look like.

VIII. A sign that doesn’t point to anything is worthless, but we are a Sign, given by God, for the purpose of pointing the way to a deeper relationship with God. And by the grace of God we can point beyond ourselves to the One who really is worthy of our praise. To God be the Glory. Amen.