When I was in seminary, we were taught that a good sermon always had three points - we called it the Dell Method, named after the founder of that homiletical theory, Jake Dell. But when I was called to my first congregation, in Baltimore, I was introduced to another theory of homiletics - I call it the Matz Theory. Mrs. Matz was the wife of a retired pastor in the congregation; as a recent seminary graduate, I tried hard to master the fine art of preaching, and the pastor I was serving under always used the Dell Method - in fact, he used to name them for the benefit of his catechumens: "point 1," "point 2," "point 3;" and then you'd know he was about home.

But one day after worship, Mrs. Matz stopped me and said, "You don't have to be so complicated. Just give me something to hang my hat on for the rest of the week." I really thought about that, and that's what I've tried to do ever since.

But today I'm breaking all the rules, with a four-point sermon. But if you have trouble hanging your hat on that, I'll also just give you one point: Jesus. That's all. Remember that and you'll do alright. Have you ever noticed that any time I have the kids up here, and ask them a question, if they're not sure of the answer, someone is bound to say, "Jesus!" "Who led the Israelites out of Egypt?" "Jesus!" "Jesus did it!" Pastors like to think that is spiritually insightful - after all, it wasn't really Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt - it was God. Moses was just the vehicle. And Jesus is God. Of course, that's not what the kid meant, but they're not stupid, either. They know where they are! And "Jesus" is always a safe answer here. The Bible even says that we are to be child-like in our faith; so hold on to "Jesus" as your answer, and the details will work themselves out!

Today the Gospel lesson focuses on the Great Commission, which I've chosen to call, "the ABCD's of Ministry."

Jesus begins his instruction with one word: "go." That is where we must begin. A - Accept responsibility for ministry. We have become to accustomed to sitting. We have gotten used to the idea of the church as a place for insiders, for those who know the lingo, who were brought up in the church. We think of ministry as taking care of the membership, first and foremost. But that's not what Jesus says. Seventy percent of people who come into the church come because someone brought them. Six percent come because of the pastor. Jesus says, "you go." "But we're just stupid fishermen!" "You go!" "We don't know enough - we don't have the expertise!" "You go!" Why you? Because you have the life experiences, the personal relationships that can touch someone's life in a way that no one else can. The Gospel is more caught than taught. If you are a faithful witness, God will show people to your door. A - Accept responsibility for your ministry. "Go!"

B - Baptize people into Christ. Jesus said, "Go and baptize." Now, what he wasn't talking about was simply sprinkling them with water and saying the right words. The word, "baptize," at root means to immerse or pour over. With what? With Christ! Paul uses another little word instead of "baptize." It's a word that means "in," or "into." "In Christ you are a new creation." "If anyone is into Christ, they are a new creation." It is a picture word. It means to be placed in a particular position - that of being within Christ. The question, then, is what is it like to be within Christ? It means to feel his heart beat, to think as he thinks, to experience as he experiences, to see the world with his eyes. What would that be like? Well, in the early church we have one outside testimony to what was seen to be happening in the church; the writer said, "See how they love one another!" The witness of the early church wasn't found in the clarity of its doctrine. In fact, there were a lot of heresies floating around. But they had something that the secular culture was shocked and amazed by, which offered a challenge to that culture - their love. Their love knew no boundaries, tearing down age-old hostilities or race, culture, class and gender. Christians went out of their way to embrace those who were different from them, as a sign of their baptism into the all-encompassing love of God. The local congregation is meant to be the Kingdom of God in miniature - not perfect, but enough to be a model, a vision of the possibilities, so people are challenged by the claim of Christ. B - baptize people into Christ.

C - Chart a course. Jesus told them to start in Jerusalem, then go to Judea, and finally to the ends of the earth. Charting a course sounds strange to most Christians - that we should have some plan of action just doesn't seem right. In matters of the Spirit, we generally assume that it just "happens." But Jesus was specific in telling the disciples what they were to do.

Some folks wait all their life for God to act on them. "I'm waiting for God to speak to me." I had a fellow seminarian that believed that he didn't need to plan out his sermons. When he got up in the pulpit, he believed that God would give him the words he needed to say. My homiletics professor responded, "Yes - he'll say that you should have prepared a sermon!" We know that we have to prepare ourselves in every other avenue of life, but we don't prepare ourselves and plan for ministry. At one point, Paul was planning to go to Asia, but was prevented. He rethought his plan, and decided to go on to Troas instead, but again was prevented. Then he heard a man calling him from Macedonia, so he worked out a new game plan, and the result is us - he founded the first European church, from which the Gospel could spread to the rest of Europe. There's an old saying that "God never closes one door without opening another." But a lot of folks never try any doors. They're satisfied to sit and wait for God's will to happen to them. Somehow it never does. C - Chart a course for ministry.

D- Disciple someone. That is the last part of Jesus command: "make disciples of all nations." Nothing is worse than the person who says, "I've done my part. I've put in my time. Let someone else do the ministry." The advantage of getting older is that you've made most of the mistakes already. You know the countryside and the pitfalls. Help out someone who is younger. They may not listen to you, but at least when they fall, they'll be able to recognize what they did wrong, and you'll get to say those wonderful words, "I told you so!" The great developmental psychologist, Eric Erickson says that the last developmental stage in life is what he calls, "generativity." It is the satisfaction of passing the torch, of sharing our knowledge and wisdom with the young.

The purpose of our receiving the faith wasn't so that we could get to heaven. If that is our hope, then we aren't Christians yet - our hearts have not yet been converted. Paul said that he wished he could be damned himself, if that would mean the salvation of his people, the Jews. He was following Jesus' lead - Jesus didn't die for himself - he died for us. The end result of a mature faith is the desire to see others incorporated and growing into the body of Christ. Jesus doesn't simply say, "go;" he says, "go, teach and baptize - immerse them into my life, teach them, make them into disciples - faithful, faith-filled disciples." D - Disciple someone.

A - Accept responsibility for ministry.

B - Baptize people into Christ.

C- Chart a course for ministry.

D - Disciple someone.

And when in doubt, remember: the answer is always, "Jesus!"