Grand Opening Worship Celebration, the Paradox of Greatness

Welcome to Lifeline Tapes, a ministry of North Way Christian Community in Wexford, VA, where Dr. Jay Passment is Senior Pastor. All of our teachings are available on cassette tape from the Lifeline's Resource Center by calling the church office at 412-935-6800. The following message from Jay Passment is from the Sunday service of October 16, 1994, which is the first service in our new worship facility. The title of his message is, The Paradox of Greatness. Now, here's Jay. I want to thank Cheryl Beck for that beautiful interpretation. And by the way, just before I go on, I want to say I mentioned the banners, but I don't know, Michelle, can we get any more light? These are two of the most beautiful banners I think I've ever seen. Gloria Karn and Mimi Lodeck, we thank you. Where are you? Stand up. Where are you? Gloria and Mimi. Gloria and Mimi, where are you? Oh, there's Gloria. Wave. Gloria Karn and Mimi, where are you? Anyone? Mimi Lodeck. Well, you two, we love you. You're just so gifted, and we thank you so much. The banners, other places in the building, as you walk around, you'll see them. If you have your Bible today, I'm not going to overdo our welcome, but I do want to share something from the Word this morning. Are you doing okay in those seats? First Corinthians? One, sure, and two, no way. First Corinthians 13. By the way, I don't know, I have a friend who I think maybe has come the greatest distance that I know of, apart from a couple of family members. This is just a friend who came to visit. Mr. Ed Butler from Washington, D.C. Ed, did you make it here from Washington, D.C.? If you did, would you stand? Ed Butler, did you make it? He was on his way. He's probably stuck in traffic somewhere for the football game or something crazy. Well, Ed, if you're here, please come and see me afterwards. You've been an encouragement. I want you to turn to First Corinthians 13. Let me just read the end of the passage. Nancy will put that up, please. First of all, read it with me out loud if you can see it up here. And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. And now I want to read that from a new translation called The Message, if you'll read it with me also. But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation. Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. Now, it says in your program today that it's time for The Message on a normal Sunday. This is my most exciting time, but this is not normal. I suppose in many ways you've already had the best message you could hear today and what you've seen and what you've expressed. But I want to share with God's place in my heart and try to pull all this together and give you a couple of things to walk out of here with, things that perhaps will speak to your spirit, to your mind. Because I've been wrestling with one major question for about two weeks, and that's this one. Why are we really here? Why are we here? I mean, I know the answer is that you could, you know, shoot off the top of your head. Well, hey, you know, I've been waiting for two years for the building to open. Or, oh, it's Sunday, that's where I always go in the morning. Or I've been driving by for months and I finally got a chance to come see. Or, you know, my boss told me I had to be there. Or, you know, one little kid said, yeah, my parents are paying me five bucks to go to church with them tomorrow. I don't know. But really, why are you here? There's something far deeper than that going on, I believe. And it has to do with the possibility that every one of us has of connecting with something that helps to make sense out of life. You know, the world that we live in is both wonderful and dreadful, isn't it? I mean, it's wonderful in so many ways. We've experienced some of its finest moments over these last weeks. But we've also experienced some of its most terrifying, haven't we? Crash of Flight 427. I mean, the glorious, beautiful mornings like this happen now and then. But there's always that inevitable storm of light that's coming down. And we all know that sooner or later nightfall comes when life will end. So all of us are looking for a way to kind of make sense. And we're wondering if maybe this whole thing has something to say about making sense of life. Because, you know, we're finding, by and large, that the rest of the world doesn't really have anything to tell us about it, does it? I mean, people who study our culture are telling us that more and more in the 90s, there's a quest for meaning. Because the standard answers have not made it for people. I mean, you're not finding it in pursuing money. There's no answers to the whys of life from education. I mean, they can only go so far. Our government certainly doesn't have the answer. With all due respect, they're asking more questions than getting answers on many occasions. Just watch C-SPAN now and then. How about sports? Does sports have the answer? I mean, you're probably in withdrawal if you're a sports fan this morning, aren't you? I mean, what's going on? Other than the football, it's all shut down. They clearly don't know what life's all about. Science? Listen, as one philosopher said, even when all the possible scientific questions have been answered, the problems of life remain completely untouched. And that is so true. It can only take you so far. But yet, you know, we understand something about ourselves. We know that we are unique. We know that there's something about us that transcends what we see and experience in the routines of life. There's a mysterious little passage in Revelation chapter 2 where Jesus says this. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says. To him who overcomes, I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Have you ever wondered what's written on that little white stone that you're going to receive? It's some expression of your uniqueness before Almighty God. And that's what we're all about today. We're here looking for meaning of our lives. Making some sense of the parts of life which seem so disconnected at times. Our message as a church, and you can celebrate if you believe it, and you can investigate it if you're not sure, is simply three things. And I believe it's all kind of captured in what we're experiencing today. First of all, we are about, as a church, discovering continuity in life. Discovering really what connects us with the past and with the future. Every one of you want to know something of your roots and something of your destiny. It's who we are. That's why the Bible, by the way, has all those little begots and nuts of the Old Testament, even in the New. This person begat that person. Because they want you to know it's all connected. We're all part of this flow of history. That's why when I pick up my great-great-great-grandfather's biography and read in here of his spirit, and of his hunger for God, and of his desire to serve the Lord, when I read about things that he did, the same spirit of faith and prayer, the same readiness to serve and sacrifice, to spend and be spent, are present in him. As I see in many of you, I know that I'm connected. And it blesses me. And that's why we sing hymns here at North Way now and then. It's because we're connected with the church of the past. And we're part of the church of the future. Well, you see, knowing about the future has to do with one particular quality, and that's the quality of faith. You see, without faith, you can't go forward. Life to be fulfilling beckons us to leave a legacy, doesn't it? No one wants to leave life and have nothing to say that they gave to the generations to follow. That's why, you know, elderly people driving around in these huge motor homes with the license plate on the front that says, I'm spending my kids' inheritance. You ever seen those? Those people are never smiling because, really, life was meant to leave a legacy. One thing that we have learned in the process of constructing this building is about faith. Faith is acting on a vision of a better future. Faith is risking everything for what is yet to follow. And there are many here today who have discovered the continuity of life by acts of faith toward this project. And you can make that application to where you are in your life today, relationally or vocationally or emotionally. Dear ones, this building has taught me a lot about faith, and it's taught me a lot for living. And I can tell you this, if you're wondering about your future and you're wondering about faith, you can discover what God has to say with the people that call this their home. Faith will always be tested, won't it? Not long after we took ownership of the deed of this property, God put our faith to the test. Everywhere on this property there was toxic waste. Where I'm standing right now, actually a little closer to where the Martins are seated, is where the refreshment stand was. And when they tore it down, they just kind of buried it with the asbestos down on the ground. That and a few hot dogs. And it made toxic waste like you wouldn't believe. Paint and oil and gas from the body shop and stuff dribbled down. We had to take care of cleaning all that. Car bodies over the hill in the back. Whole car bodies. Apparently a couple came in to go to the drive-in and got real serious making out. Disappeared over there. I don't know what happened. Never heard from them again, but we found the car bodies back there. Not human bodies, car bodies. And all these problems. Faith was put to the test. And that was just the beginning of sorrows, as Job said. Jersey barriers and reconfiguring intersections and DER and IRS and LNI and AT&T. We had so many people telling us stuff we had to do. When they went to cut the gas line and under the highway, they hit solid rock under Route 19. Had to drill for five days. Things like that. Hundreds of ways. We heard the message, give up. The coldest winter that any of us can ever remember. Faith was put to the test. But if we were to have a sense of continuity with the past and a sense of destiny in the future, we had to press on in faith. Faith sustained us. And how did it happen? Because God was in it. God is in it. God will always be in it, as we trust him. And dear ones, I just want to say, if you're going through something today, in your marriage, with your children, in your job, in your physical body, and something says, give up, give up, give up, I want you to say, this building and the people in it are a symbol to never give up, because God will answer your prayer. God will come through. God will sustain you through it. You know, the paradox of it all is simply this. The darker that it seems, the closer you are to breakthrough. It's just when you think you can't go another day that God comes through. So Paul says, these three things abide. Faith and then, number two, a sense of direction in life. A sense of purposefulness. Paul uses the word hope. You see, hope has to do with the future. It has to do with a vision of better things, a preferable future. When was the last time you said in frustration, what's the use? Nothing's going to change. I feel that so often about myself. Anyone else feel kind of like it's hard to change? Like it's so difficult improving myself, so difficult changing things, you know? Sometimes we get to talk even among ourselves and about our families, and we get mad. Ever say something like this to me? You turned out just like your dad. Or you turned out just like your mom. You ever hear that? Kids, let me tell you something. You say sometimes, I'll never say the things you say, but you know what? We don't change. Ever say things? How many of you ever said things that you heard your parents say, you said, I'll never say that? You know, like, well, wait till your father gets home. And your parents ever say that? Do I have to stop this car? What do I look like, a bank? No, just an ATM, that's all. I've said all those things, but I never would. But you see, hope gives us direction for our lives. It keeps us purposeful in moving forward. And what happened here at North Way over the last years has been that hundreds and hundreds of people have latched on to a hopeful vision of a preferable future. And they've marshaled their resources and given of themselves and caught fire. And that's what's mobilized all these volunteers that you see listed in that program. That's what brought people out on cold days and hot summer afternoons. That's what caused people to reach down in their savings accounts and give and give and give to get us where we are today. It's the hope of a preferable future. It's a vision of something better for those who will follow us than what we have. Like the old story of two bricklayers working on a great cathedral over in Italy. Side by side, working on the bricks. Someone came up and asked him, what are you doing here? One man said, I'm just laying bricks. Brick after brick, line after line, course after course, I'm laying bricks. The other one said, I'm building a great cathedral for my grandchildren and their grandchildren and the children who follow them. Neither one of them lived to see it completed. But one had a vision and the other didn't. You see, that's the power of hope. Hope gives vision for the future. And I've learned about hope in this building. And I want to say today, if you feel hopeless, let this building and the people that are in it be a symbol to you that there is a God of all hope. Every time you drive by, every time you enter in, let hope fill your heart that whatever's holding you, whatever's crushing you, whatever's a burden to you, God will prevail because He is a God of hope. And we wait for the day when we all face the transition of life into eternity. The Bible says it's the wait for that blessed hope, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, hope, and the third thing that Paul says, the third thing that we all yearn for is to be connected in life with another. And that has to do with love. And I have to tell you, I've learned more about love in this building process than anything else. You see, we were never meant to stand alone, were we? I mean, inside every one of us, we want to belong to someone and something. You're here today wondering, is this a group that I can belong to? And I want to say, mutual commitment gives meaning to life and is the only catalyst I know for true sacrifice. I mean, you've got to know, folks, that there were hundreds and hundreds of decisions in this process where people had to prefer one another in love, as it says in Philippians, give up their right to be right. You have to know the sizes and the shapes and the colors and the light and the heat and the openings and the accessibilities and the keys and the windows and all those things, everyone had to make room. And sometimes, dear ones, it got down to where ego and pride just had to be laid down. Preference had to be given. Love had to be demonstrated, even though many times we were sorely tempted to protect our own territory, weren't we? It's human nature to kind of protect myself, isn't it? It's like the two campers that set up their camp at the base of a rocky hillside at the end of a long, narrow trail. Well, in the middle of the night, they were awakened by the tremendous growl of a huge grizzly bear, nine feet tall, standing about 40 feet away on one of the craggy rocks. By the fading firelight, the campers crawled out of their tent and were frightened. And one began to put on his running shoes. And the other one looked over and said to him, those shoes aren't going to help you outrun that bear. And he looked back and said, I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun... We have to prefer one another. And I've learned what this is all about over the last couple of years. It was the power of being connected to one another that sustained us when difficult situations came. You know, I want to say to all of you today, words can't really express how I feel about those of you who hung in there. I mean, it's no secret there are some people that aren't part of North Way now that were part of North Way when we started all this. But when I look out and see you today, and I realize that there was something that made you remain connected. I mean, it's... It's a powerful thing. I wish I could say to you that being connected, demonstrating love has no pain, but you know something? It's not true when someone tells you love never hurts. Sometimes it does. There have been some moments of pain in the process, words exchanged in the heat of deadlines, statements made, later repented of, but never retrieved. Sometimes good people just differed, and sometimes that even led to the parting of ways. And those kind of things hurt, don't they? But the power of love has prevailed, and I've learned something new of the grace of God through all of this. Faith is hope and love, but the greatest of these pulses is love. And so what is the paradox of it all? Well, it's simply this. As wonderful as these lessons are, as awesome as this achievement is to us as a church, as breathtaking as this all seems to be to us today, it's all just a tiny little speck of light under the brilliant beam of God's expression of faith, hope, and love that we see in the cross of Jesus Christ. You know, I've had a lot of little things buzzing around about symbols. People are wondering about this and wondering about that. But we made one very important statement at North Lake. The reason we kind of delicately avoided a lot of the symbols that people get hung up on is because they substitute symbols for substance, and they think when they have a symbol that they have the substance. But I want you to know that Jesus Christ didn't die on a piece of jewelry. Back in his day, the cross was the most horrific form of punishment and pain that man had ever devised. Now, there's nothing wrong with the cross as a piece of jewelry, but far too many people substitute that, thinking by having one in their pocket or around their neck that somehow that connects them. It's the symbol. Dear ones, it's not the symbol. As Hebrew says, it's the substance that the symbol points to. But we made one very clear and important statement, one thing that will never change because it's permanently affixed, and that is underneath the great, wonderful facility that God has given us here, under the very place where you sit right now, there is erected a six-foot stainless steel cross, and it stands at the pinnacle. No matter what achievement this church will ever make, it will always fall short of the glory of God's statement on the cross of Jesus Christ. Our message now and forever is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Thank you, Lord. Yes. Can you be the praise, God? There's something powerful. There's something magnetic. There's something mysterious about the cross. It's not attractive. It's magnetic because it speaks to our deepest needs. And the paradox, you see, is that Jesus Christ modeled for us the pathway to greatness. It was not a pathway of ascension. It was a pathway of descent. In the Christian life, the way up is down. And we forever, as God's people, will seek to pursue that life of a servant, that life of coming underneath, so that God in His due time will exalt us. That's the paradox of greatness. The greatest of all is the servant of all. And in the cross, we see God's symbol of faith, hope, and love. Faith that bridges continuity of the eternal ages past and the ages to come. Hope for eternal purpose and destiny with God forever. And love, which gave Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son to us. That's the cross. And may every time you enter this building, every time you drive by it, every time you think about it, may this building and the cross that sits on top remind you of faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.