The Church Must Gather and Faithful Stewards Must Preach Against the World

Some may think the Church doesn’t need to bother condemning sin and false teaching in the world. We should just focus on the sins we have right inside the Church. It’s true that judgment must BEGIN at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), but that does not mean we turn a blind eye on the world or cease to warn our people to avoid the false teaching that surrounds them. An occasion presented itself for me to do so this past Sunday. Below is the sermon I preached for Gaudete, the Third Sunday in Advent, on the Epistle, 1 Corinthians 4:1–5.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As you know, I don’t give my personal opinions from this pulpit. What I speak here, I speak in my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word. And so I do not speak in my person as Anthony Dodgers, I don’t give my opinions on the news or political events. Yet today, I am driven to speak as the servant of Christ against at least one of this nation’s political officials. The Governor of Virginia recently told the citizens of his state: “You don’t need to be in church to worship God this Christmas. God is wherever you are. You don’t have to sit in a pew for God to hear your prayers.” He doesn’t want churches to hold services for one of the most important holidays in the Christian religion.

Okay, it’s true that you don’t have to be in a church in order to pray. In fact, you should be praying regularly at home and in other places of your life. And it’s true that God is everywhere—although that really has nothing to do with the real purpose of worship. There’s a lot that’s wrong in what the Virginia Governor was trying to say. First of all, he overstepped his bounds as a servant in the civil estate. He deserves honor and obedience according to his office as governor. But he is not called to be speaking for the Church or teaching in the Church. He has no business as Governor or private citizen telling Christians how they should worship. He does not have that authority or responsibility.

But there’s something even worse. If we understand what he’s really trying to say, then he is a false teacher. He wants to say that you can worship God wherever you are and you’ll receive the same blessings and gifts even if you are not gathered in the Church. He’s promoting a false teaching called “enthusiasm,” which literally means, “God is in you.” This teaching says that you don’t need sacraments like Baptism or the Lord’s Supper; you don’t need pastors to preach the Word or pronounce forgiveness; you don’t even need the Bible itself because you can just have a direct connection with God in your own thinking or feeling. This is false, and it is rejected by sacramental Christians.

Christ commanded Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the preaching of the Word. There is no promise that His Spirit will come to us apart from God’s Word and the Means of Grace. So, it is actually essential for Christians to gather. The words “synagogue,” “congregation,” and even “church” all mean the same thing: “assembly, gathering.” Christian worship is not a private affair. It is corporate—meaning it is done as a body. It is necessary for the Church to gather and assemble so that as the Body of Christ we might receive the Means of Grace: confess our sins and hear the Absolution; listen to preaching that teaches us the Scriptures; eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood as members of His Holy Communion.

St. Paul has this in mind when he speaks about pastors in our Epistle reading: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. The “us” here are the apostles and ministers of Christ. So, pastors are to be servants of Christ, which means they follow His orders and no one else’s. And they are to be stewards of the mysteries. Pastors are the caretakers and overseers of the gifts that Christ gives His Church. So as a pastor I’ve been ordained, that means I’ve been ordered by Christ to fulfill this ministry. And specifically I’ve been ordered to be a steward. It’s my job to distribute God’s gifts. It’s my job to preach the Word, forgive sins, baptize, and offer the Supper. And the only One I’m finally answerable to is the One who gave me my orders: Christ the Lord.

Paul says, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. So, even if I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong in my ministry, that’s not my call. The Lord is my judge. I have to be faithful to the orders I’ve received from Him, no matter what.

I’m teaching you what’s expected of pastors, but thinking this through can also help us understand what is essential or foundational for the work of our church. What must we be about? Well, the most important thing we absolutely have to be doing is proclaiming God’s Word and administering His Sacraments. What does that look like? Well, at the bare minimum, it means I, as pastor, have to show up, and at least one other person. If no one shows up, meaning there’s no one there to hear the Word or receive the Supper, then I can say a few prayers by myself and go home. Notice, the service wasn’t canceled, it just didn’t happen because no one was there to receive it.

But cancelling a service is different. Cancelling means that automatically I’m not doing my job as a steward. In fact, it means I’m actually working against my job because I’m telling people the church is closed, they may not come receive God’s gifts. See how that changes things? People are always allowed to decide if they want to receive God’s Word and Sacrament. But it is wrong for me as a servant of Christ and steward of the mysteries to make that decision for people and tell them that they cannot come, that God’s Word and Sacrament are not available, that they’ve been cancelled. Instead, I do my job, the church does her job—we offer God’s Word and Sacrament for all who desire it, and we leave it up to you whether you come and make use of it.

If we get this foundational thing right, then we can build from there. So, it should work the same with teaching the faith to young and old: Sunday School, for example. All that’s required is someone to teach and someone to learn. If we have no teacher or no students, then we don’t have Sunday School that day. But if we cancel, then we are telling people they cannot come learn God’s Word. And we definitely don’t want to send that message.

Here’s how we should think about what we offer as a congregation: Are we proclaiming the Word and offering the Sacrament? Are we teaching the faith? As long as we’re doing those things, then we’re good. And we can keep building and adding on from there as we have opportunity.

That’s what’s required of pastors and required of Christ’s church. But besides the fact that we have these things as commands, we also have great benefits and blessings in regular worship. A recent Gallup poll shows that the only people who reported an improvement in their mental health over the past year are those who attended a religious service every week. Even in this difficult year, those who regularly came to God’s House were able to improve their mental or emotional well–being. That’s wonderful. It’s always good to see how the Church can have a positive impact on life, even just on a secular, human level.

But we who trust in God our Father and His Son our Savior Jesus Christ, we know there are far more important and precious blessings to be gained from attending service every week. Not just for your mental health; there are eternal blessings: forgiveness of sins, new life, union with Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit. These are things that cannot be measured by a poll or study, but we know they are things we really cannot do without.

All of these gifts, all of these blessings are absolutely essential to who we are as the Church because they are all part of Christ’s Advent among us now. His first Advent was when He was conceived in the womb of the virgin, born in Bethlehem, died on Calvary, and rose from the tomb. His final Advent is when He will come again in glory. But just as important as those Advents, is the Advent taking place in His Church as often as we gather—His coming to us in words, water, bread and wine. That first time He came, He accomplished our salvation with His birth, death, and resurrection. The final time He comes, He will bring our salvation to completion with our resurrection from the dead. But now is when He comes delivering salvation to us. Now is the time of His grace given to sinners. And as sinners, we do not want to be stingy with His grace or limit or cancel or postpone His gifts.

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. Do not make your own judgments about yourself and your church now. The Lord will reveal His judgment on that final Day. But what we need to be about right now is being faithful, welcoming and meeting our Lord as He comes to us. He does not come now in judgment, but in blessing. So we rejoice at the work of His servants and stewards, we rejoice at His coming in the Word and the Sacrament, all the while eagerly waiting for His glorious return.

Come quickly + Lord Jesus. Amen.

Here is the news report on the Gov. of Virginia, where Mollie Hemingway, reporter and LCMS member, makes the points I use at the beginning of this sermon.