A Church for Outsiders by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

There is a story in the Old Testament about God sending a man named Jonah to some outsiders. You probably remember the part about Jonah being swallowed by a whale. We don’t really believe this story is historical. It is a STORY, used to teach us something about the nature of God and God’s people. Did you get that? We don’t read Jonah literally, but we can still learn some truths about ourselves in this story. 

There was a place call Nineveh and it was a place of great sin: Sex, drugs, rock and roll, gambling, -- think the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas – not all the shiny casinos with free food and shows.  Think of the worst part.  For the purposes of today’s sermon, I’m going to call Nineveh Las Vegas. 

The people in Las Vegas were awful. You look at the 10 Commandments and they broke them all before breakfast: stealing, cheating, killing, dishonoring God and their moms and dads. So God called upon Jonah, and said, “I want you to do to Las Vegas and tell those bad people to repent, and turn to me. Tell them to clean up their act.”

Jonah said, “You have got to be kidding! Las Vegas is a den of thieves. I am not going there.   Jonah ran the opposite direction. That is the first two chapters of Jonah, that we skipped over, where he gets swallowed up by a whale for disobeying God. Then we pick up the story where we started today. Once again, God said, “I want you to go to Las Vegas and tell those bad people to repent, and turn to me. Tell them to clean up their lives.”

This time, Jonah listens. He hates it, but he does it. But he is really half-hearted. No good stories, no flowery preaching to draw them in. He just walks about a third of the way into this huge city, stops and says:  “In forty days Las Vegas will be destroyed by God.” Now here is the amazing thing. The story says: ^“The people of Las Vegas listened, believed, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers.”

Jonah was a success, without trying.  Just like that, they changed. They went from being outsiders, away from God’s way, to insiders, living with God. 

Even the King repented. He said, “Everyone must turn around, turn back from an evil life and the violent ways that stain their hands. Who knows? Maybe God will turn around and change God’s mind about us, quit being angry with us and let us live!”

And that is just what happened. God changed God’s mind and did not destroy them. 

Isn’t that great? Wouldn’t you think Jonah would be happy? He did a job for God and he was a success! But no, Jonah was not happy.  You see, Jonah, was a sore winner. He had been an insider in God’s way. He had been the good son, like in the story of the Prodigal Son. He had been faithful. Those rotten people in Las Vegas has been horrible, and yet just like that all they had to do was say they were sorry, and put on some sack cloth and ashes for a few days and everything was hunky dory with God. God is so full of love that God just welcomed them into the club as insiders, just like Jonah. They would probably get an equal spot in heaven, after all they had done. Just imagine, Jonah having to spend eternity with the likes of those people. 

Jonah was so angry, he yelled at God. He said:  “God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! (Spain for those without a map of the ancient world) I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!” He stormed off out of the city. 

Jonah just did not get it. He was like some judgmental insider church people you may have encountered: the ones who think that God’s church is only for people that look and act just like them. They don’t like outsiders. They don’t get the idea that people who have made mistakes, or people who are broken, or even people who are simply different are just the people that God wants inside God’s circle, inside God’s church. They like being insiders. So when those outsiders, suddenly turned to God, and became insiders, Jonah did not like it. Not. One. Bit. 

God likes it when outsiders turn to God. And God loves it when insiders help outsiders come to God. This is what The Village is all about, being a place where anyone can find a home with God, insiders and outsiders, all are welcome, no exceptions. I’d like to invite Rock up here and she and I are going to tell you her story. 

  

          This is Rock Hoffman, I want to talk to her a little about her life

CHERI: How long have you been clean off drugs and alcohol?

ROCK: 17 years.

CHERI: Can you tell us about the day you quit.

ROCK: It was July 5, 1997.  The town of Prescott is a party.   I had been in and out of AA and it wasn’t working for me; I was at a 4^th of July party; there was a lot of drinking. I was drinking but I was such an alcoholic the alcohol had no effect on me. I was sitting on a fence this huge party; I said to myself: “I can’t do this anymore.” I went home and smoked pot.

The next day, I was sitting at my desk and I saw the white light and the red light came from the field across the street. It was like a battle between God and the Devil. God won the battle and I knew that I needed to honor God. Right then I gave my life to God. I said I would serve him and I would stay sober.   I’ve been sober ever since.  

CHERI: What was your life like before that day?

ROCK: My grandson is 5, I was drinking by then.  My granddaughter is 9 and by then,  I was a drug dealer…

CHERI: How did you come to The Village?

ROCK: In February 2011, I went to another church but I didn’t like it so I quit. One day my son Eli said: “Mom you’re going to The Village today.”  So I did

The next day your mom called her and talked to me like I was a person. No one had done that in a long time.

The first few months, people talked to me like they cared about me. I knew sitting there was going to change me somehow but I had to do it.  It was scary. I just kept saying to myself “Stay in your seat. Stay in your seat.”  

Cher:  What happened over time.

Rock:  I came to know that God did love me and I have as much chance of getting into Heaven as anyone else.  

CHERI: You came as an outsider. But now you are an insider. Do you remember the day you started feeling like an insider? 

ROCK: The day you gave me keys to the building, because you trusted me. I did not feel worthy.  But I know I am worthy, I am trust worthy.  Cheri kept saying you are worthy, I am leader in the church.   And after we moved to our new location, I came to say I am a leader in our church.

I know some of you are new and had never heard that story.  We thought you needed to hear that story, so we made Rock tell it again.  

My mom called Rock the day after Rock first attended church, and Rock says, “She talked to me like I was a person.” God used this congregation to help Rock see that Rock is a beloved child of God. Rock did not believe that before. Rock had a conversation experience, hitting rock bottom and getting clean off drugs and alcohol.  But I would venture to say that Rock was not significantly healed until finding this community. 

This is why we need church. We need a group of people to love us when we feel unlovable. And when we feel loved, we need to practice loving one those who seem to be a bit unlovable. Both are important. 

In The Village Church community, we practice patience, compassion, and forgiveness.  When we leave this gathering, we go out to share God’s healing love with a broken world.  Anyone experience any brokenness out there in the world recently? We are Jesus’ instruments of hope in our world. We are followers of Jesus and we can change the world!    

God called Jonah to be an instrument of hope. Jonah did it begrudgingly. Let’s not be like Jonah. Let us see what a blessing it is to be a community of hope. The Village Church is a blessing to our community. For five years, we have been here. We go out into the community, offering cups of cold water during a hot festival, and reminding them that God’s grace is for everyone. We worship, and when we do, we look for the newcomer, the person like Rock was the first time Rock came here. Rock did not feel loved but we loved Rock. Every Sunday more people come. We had 175 first time visitors last year. Just imagine what would happen if we embraced each one of them the way we embraced Rock. This room would be bursting at the seams. God would be overjoyed, and so would we. 

So my friends, let us keep being The Village Church. Let us welcome outsiders and treat them like insiders to God’s circle of love and acceptance. Don’t be like Jonah who was angry when the people turned to God and God’s heart softened. Let us be God’s people, God’’s people of mercy and acceptance. Let us be people who are grateful for God’s love in our own lives, ready to share that love with everyone we meet, insiders and outsiders alike. Amen.