Vision Sunday.

My name is Abbie. I'm the pastor here at New Culture and so excited to be here on this Sunday. I'm going to be sipping my coffee. I preached at another church this morning and I get so used to like the evening church that even though the church service wasn't until 10 o'clock and it was like right around the corner from my house, it still was so hard to wake up and go to church on a Sunday morning. I'm like, I am out of practice. And then I had to actually go officiate a wedding today too, and then come back. So we've been like all over the place.

I went to pull up my notes and it was the vows for the couple. And I was like, oh, wrong notes, wrong notes. We're not, unless anybody wanted to get married. No, no one. Okay.

All right. If we're good, then we'll just preach the word and we won't do a wedding today. But I'm really excited today. We like to take just a couple of times throughout the year at New Culture, a time to just pause and kind of have a vision Sunday. And so really what that is, it's just a time to kind of be reminded of like, why do we exist as a church? Like, what are we doing?

And so if you've been here for a while, this is going to be like a refresher of that reminder. Okay, what are we doing here as a church? What is our mission? What is our vision? All of that stuff. But the thing about Madison is that like none of you have been here for a while because everybody in Madison comes and goes. And our church has been around for five years now. And I don't know if there's anybody else except for Josh, our lovely sound and slide and tech guy. He came a couple months after we started. We're like the OGs of New Culture, and nobody else has made it five years in Madison. So that's why it's important for us to keep going back to what is the things that God placed on our heart for this city? And what is he asking us to do?

We're going to be reading out of Luke chapter 10. If you have your Bibles today, you can follow along. We always have Bibles at the welcome table as well. If you don't have a paper Bible and you would like one, those are for you to take.

But first I just want to share what is our mission as a church. Well, it's in our name. We say it a lot. We exist here in Madison to create the culture of Christ. Culture is all about patterns, customs, beliefs, things that are passed down for years to come. So from the very beginning, we set out to say, what would it look like for us to live in such a way that if Jesus were here on earth, we would be modeling his patterns, his customs, beliefs? What does it look like for the hands and feet of Jesus to be walking around this modern city like Madison today? And a lot of it has been figuring it out, of continuing to read scripture, pray and discern and say, God, what does that look like to live like Jesus today?

So we believe that we're going to create the culture of Christ through being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what he did. You're going to hear us say that a lot here at New Culture.

I want to read today out of this specific text for this season as we head into fall. We have the Good Neighbor Gathering, which we've been planning for almost a year, this huge festival in Madison. And then when we come back on September 17th in person, we'll be walking through a new series that's going to be all about the table. What does it mean to come together around the table? Who did Jesus invite to the table to share meals with him, to live life with him? And how can we model that together?

We're going to be doing some really cool things where during the fall, once a month, we're actually going to have dinner together on Sundays right here as a part of church, which is going to be really special. And so we're excited for that.

So to kind of lay some of that groundwork, we're going to read in Luke chapter 10.

After the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go, he told them the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go, I am sending you out among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone on the road.

Luke 10:1-4

Let's pray again today. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you that you knew who was going to be in this room today. You know exactly what we need to hear from you. And so God, we just open up our hearts and we open up our ears to hear. We ask that you would speak. We are ready to receive whatever it is that you have to say to us. God, would you speak to us? Would you mold us? Would you shape us more into who you have created us to be? We ask this in your name. Amen.

A Culture That Goes

The first thing today that we're going to talk about is what does it look like for us to be a culture that goes, a culture that goes. You see, Jesus, the Son of God, left heaven to come down to earth. He showed us what it looks like to love, what it looks like to sacrifice, what it looks like to serve. But he also was the one who literally went first in showing us how we are to live as we are to be like him and become like him and do what he did.

Now what I love about Jesus is that after he died on the cross and was raised back to life and he ascended into heaven, he left with us his Holy Spirit, but also this commission to go and to make disciples. You see, when he was here on earth, he had the 12 disciples that he gathered around him to be his people that he modeled that type of love and life and sacrifice with. He was preparing them all along the way, knowing that at some point in time, he would no longer physically be with them, but they would be going out to make, continue to make disciples.

And so what we're seeing here is that the disciples and us here today, we are the strategy. We are the plan of how hope and life and the kingdom of heaven is going to continue to come down to this earth. It's really important for us to grasp that today and to believe that today and understand our responsibility in that here in this room. We are God's plan to continue to bring his kingdom from heaven down to earth. What does it look like to be a culture that goes?

You see, with this, though, when I say go, I don't mean necessarily physically have to go far. Maybe for some of us it is. We're going to be going to different parts of the world to share the good news of Jesus. But a lot of times, if we look at even the life of Jesus, he didn't go very far from his hometown. Sometimes going is just going out of your comfort zone. Sometimes going is just going to a new place where maybe nobody else is going to be able to represent Jesus there. But because of who he created you to be and the gifts that he gave you, he wants you in that space doing it. What does it mean to go?

The second thing that we see is that he's saying, are you willing to go? But then the next thing is go together. It says the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. You know, I was thinking about this today as I was driving. About how the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie. I remember that they would always talk about how there were so many people that would be like working and planting their fields and waiting and waiting for the crops. The harvest sometimes just wouldn't come depending on the season, right?

So it didn't matter how many people were out there planting seeds and growing. It's like if the rain didn't come, there was going to be no harvest and nobody was going to be able to eat. That's not what God is saying here. He's saying there is plenty of harvest. There is plenty of people that are hungry, waiting for the hope of Jesus, waiting for someone to come and to share his love with them. But we need people to go.

He sent them out two by two. He sends us out to go together. And what a beautiful gift that we have in community together. We do not have to go alone. But we can go empowered by the Holy Spirit and we can go with the community of one another.

A famous quote is go fast, go alone. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. And how true is that today? If we want to go fast, then we might as well go by ourselves. Because when you're running alongside someone, you can't just take off because you're probably not going to be at the same pace. But sometimes it's good to run with someone that might cause you to slow down just a little bit so that you don't wear yourself out, right? You have to keep pace together.

Another way to think of this is if you think of playing tug of war. Did anybody ever have to play tug of war in school? Hopefully it was like only school. I don't know where as adults you would play tug of war. Maybe like a family reunion if people do that kind of stuff.

But here's the thing about why it's important for us to go together. I think oftentimes as Christians, we can get excited about being like, okay, I know all these people that need Jesus. And so I'm going to go and I'm going to be this light and I'm going to bring this hope and I'm going to be this great influence. We try going alone. It doesn't matter how strong you are. If you are one person on the side of the rope and you have three people, even if they're smaller than you on this other side, you might be able to keep up in that tension for a little bit. There might be some back and forth. You might even have moments where you're like, oh my goodness, I'm being a good influence. They're getting it. It's good. They're coming my way.

But at the end of the day, you can only live in that tension for so long. And eventually, if you're going alone and you're not going in the context of community, and with other people surrounding you and with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, at some point, you were going to cross lines that you never thought you were going to cross. And you were going to end up in places you never thought you were going to end up. Because we were not created to go alone. We were created to go in community.

Jesus called a community of people to follow him. He empowers us as a community to go out and to make disciples.

Going Empty

The third thing in these first few verses is he says, go, go together, and go empty. What a concept. When he's saying, don't take anything with you. Why? Because even that is a discipleship moment, a formation moment of saying, I am all that you need. I am the one that can sustain you. I am the one that can empower you to do the things I have asked you to do.

And we have to be so aware of this today in the modern world that we live in, where we can almost get any comfort that we want the snap of a finger. How can we continue to go and to make disciples empty, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, relying on Jesus?

Verse 5 says, when you enter a house, first say, peace to this house. If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them. If not, it will return to you. Stay there eating and drinking whatever you give them, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

When you enter a town and you are welcomed, eat what is offered you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them the kingdom of God has come near to you. But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into the streets and say, even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this, the kingdom of God has come near.

When we talk about what does it look like for us to create the culture of Christ, I believe that it's going to happen just one person, one place at a time. He said, go to each house. Go into people's homes. Enter into their space. Enter into their culture. Enter into their context. Enter into their world. Sometimes when we think of this call of going to make disciples, we just want to bring everyone to church with us and to come into our world. But so much of it is going to be going to where people are at.

One person, one conversation, one place at a time.

But do you catch what he's saying there? He's saying, go heal. Like you. I'm empowering you to go bring healing to people. I'm empowering you to go completely transform and change their lives as you surrender to me and let me do the work. Do we believe that today? Do we live in that type of way where we believe that we carry that kind of hope, that kind of healing? When people come to us and they share things that are going on in their lives, things that are stressing them out, things that are weighing them down, hardships, things that are so overwhelming to bear, do we believe that we can bring them the hope that's going to change everything?

And if we did, how would that change the way that we lived?

Verse 13 says, woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, then they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted into the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. But whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.

The 72 returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. He replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Jesus is giving the disciples a picture of what's to come. Of saying your names are in heaven. Satan is going to fall like lightning. Someday, Jesus' name will be lifted high and every knee will bow down and every tongue will confess. I believe that if we are to create the culture of Christ, we have to live in a way where we always have the end in mind. Where we are always living knowing that this is not our home. But this is a place that we have been sent to make disciples. That we have been sent for a time. But someday we will be reunited with Jesus for all of eternity.

We know how our story ends. We know that the darkness that we face, that the depression, the anxiety that we feel, is not how we are going to be forever. This is temporary. We know that joy is coming. That hope is coming. That eternal peace is coming. And we know that there's so many people in this world that need to know this. That need to receive this healing in Jesus.

Verse 21 says, at that time, Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

The next thing is I believe the culture of Christ is a culture that sees. A culture that sees people. Sees where they are. Steps into the faith of believing for healing. Of believing for miracles. And gets to see lives transformed for all of eternity. Do we see people? Do we see them created in the image of God? Do we see them as people that have great purpose on this earth? That the Lord is longing to have relationship with all for all of eternity?

Sometimes we need to be reminded that the Lord sees us. The Lord sees you today. He sees what you're facing. He sees what you're walking through. He sees what you're feeling. He sees the purpose that you have in your life. He sees the things that are going to come. He sees you. The Lord sees the people around us.

And I believe that if we ask him, the Lord will give us eyes to see too. The Lord will give you eyes to see the person sitting next to you. To really see them as he sees them. He's going to give you eyes to see your co-workers, your neighbors, your classmates, your friends. And so when we talk about what does it look like for us to go, because the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, well, first we have to say yes to going. And then I think it's saying, God, will you give me eyes to see along the way?

But just taking a second to process this, I want you to think right now. Because so often I think that's how the Lord speaks to us and shows us where he wants us to be planted and to be making disciples. It's the things that he's given us eyes to see. You know, I shared when we planted the church five years ago, it really was because the Lord gave me eyes to see this city in a way that I couldn't look away. And even though this wasn't where I grew up, and I never thought I'd end up in Wisconsin with Packers fans, I still think it's weird and I'm getting used to it all.

But I do like cheese a lot more than I did before. So I'll give you that, Wisconsin.

But the Lord has given me eyes to see different places and different people were saying, I can't look away from this. And that's so much of how the Lord has guided me and led me even in moments like today or the weeks to come. And I believe that that's how the Lord wants to speak to you too. He probably already has opened your eyes to see things. And now the question is, what are you doing with that? Because the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

You see, when Jesus saw people, he met them where they were at. He welcomed them and he made sure they knew that they were seen. And he offered them this relationship that would transform their lives.

Practical Ways to Create the Culture of Christ

And so as we head into this fall, I want to take a minute and I'm just going to kind of share some practical things of what is this going to look like this fall. I shared earlier, one of the things that we're going to be doing on the 17th is we're going to be starting these things called table nights, where once a month, we're literally just going to come around the table together. We're going to worship. We're going to share communion. We're going to share a meal. Because this is what we see so much of Jesus doing. He just shared meals with people.

And how beautiful for us to get to do that together. We're also going to be starting our communities again. Our small group communities. And this is a time where we come together weekly and we break bread and we pray together and we have this time of community. This is a way that we are going to go together. Knowing that if we are all throughout the week in different workplaces, in different classrooms, in different homes, we're going to need community with other people that are following Jesus to continue to empower us and equip us to make disciples everywhere that we go.

The other thing that we're going to be doing this fall, starting after September 17th, is we're going to be starting our Alpha course. This is a space where we host on Sunday mornings, downstairs in the living rooms, 11 a.m. to 12:30. We're going to have brunch and we're going to have a time to just ask some of life's big questions. Like what is the meaning of life? Who is Jesus? What does it actually mean to follow him? And it's a place for us to just have open discussion about it and conversation.

And so my encouragement to you with that is if you are someone where you're like, I have some of those questions, come to Alpha. If you know people in your life that maybe have never even walked in to the doors of a church, this is for them. They have questions. Invite them. Take them to Alpha.

The next way that I feel like we're going to continue to create this culture is through continuing to contribute, right? We talk about, again, the workers are few. At New Culture, we call our volunteers contributors. And that word, to contribute, means to add value. And it's because we truly believe that every single person was made in the image of God and that you have value to add. Not only to this church community, but this city and the kingdom of heaven.

And so we want to come together and do that. And so if you don't yet serve here at the church, sign up to be a contributor. That's what tonight is going to be about. There's so many different ways that we can create the culture together. And those are just a few.

But I'm going to invite the worship team back up as we get ready to close. Our so what for today, the what is this all about, is that we need the culture of Christ. Now more than ever, we need the culture of Christ. In our cities, in our communities, individually, we need Jesus. We need more of him.

And so our now what is our invitation today. It's to create that culture. What does that look like for you to create the culture of Christ? What does it look like for you to say yes? That I'm going to go into the harvest fields. That I'm going to go wherever the Lord asks me. Do whatever he tells me to do. That I'm going to be willing to go and to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Each and every one of us, when we leave this place, we're going to different homes all across the city. We're going into different spaces that desperately need the hope of Jesus. And we get to bring it. But what is he inviting you to do today? I mean, I believe that probably even as I'm speaking, there's different things or situations or people that maybe have come to mind.

And so what we're going to do tonight is I'm just going to invite you to stand. And we're going to close in a time of worship. And during this time, you can go ahead and stand now. I just want you to begin to process some of the things that we talked about.

What does it look like for you to create a culture in your life that you're willing to go? That you're willing to go into uncomfortable spaces, maybe, uncomfortable conversations, and share the good news and the hope of Jesus. What does it look like for you to live with the end in mind? Do you need to be reminded of that today? Is there a situation that you're walking through today that you need the Lord to come and to just remind you of the end goal? Because when you have the end in sight, it's amazing what you can do. When you know what's coming at the end?

And are there people that you just need to say, God, would you help me to see? Maybe you're like, I don't really know what the Lord's asking me to do. I don't really know if there's anyone that I need to be serving, that I need to be loving, that I need to share the hope of Jesus with. Then I want to invite you to just take time to say, God, would you open my eyes as I head into this fall, this change of season? Would you open my eyes to see people the way you saw them? See them in a way where I too would be willing to follow your example and lay down my life for them.

So would you just close your eyes tonight. And I'm just going to open us in a time of prayer. And then I just invite you to pray to process this with the Lord and invite him to come and speak to you.

God, we thank you so much that we have the honor of being your hands and feet. God, we thank you that you already sent your Son Jesus down to pay the price for our sins. That you already won. That you're already victorious. And that now we just have the honor of sharing that hope and sharing that good news with everyone around us.

God, we thank you that there is healing that is just waiting to be found. God, that there is freedom that is just waiting to be found. And so, God, I pray right now for those of us in this room that maybe there's things that you put on our heart that we just need to go and we just need to put ourselves there in that place, in that position. Would you speak to us now, Lord?

For those of us here that maybe we have just been living day to day and we haven't been stepping into the full purpose and the things that you have placed for our lives, would you give us just a glimpse of heaven? Would you remind us what is in store for us? Would you give us that endurance then to continue to walk the walk? Would you give us the faith to continue to step into whatever things that you are asking of us? Remembering that our hope is in eternity with you, Jesus.

God, and for those of us that maybe we just need to be reminded tonight that we're seen by you, would you just speak to us? Would you meet us where we're at? And would you give us eyes to see people the way that you see them? Would you give us eyes to see those that are lost and far from you, desperate for hope?

And would you remind us that we are your strategy? That we are the ones that get to go and get to bring that peace and bring that hope? And we thank you for that, Jesus. So we just invite you now to come to speak. We invite you to come and make us more like you, Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen.