CRESCENDO of MERCY & COMPASSION - March 17, 2012

WELCOME & Introduce Myself

Include that this is a unique opportunity to share at our campus alone.

In January of 2006, my wife Corrie and I’s lives changed forever. That month, her feet began to swell to twice their size, she couldn’t sleep and about every 4 days we were going up to Bethesda North hospital in Cincinnati asking “Is it time?” You see, we were the typical first time parents: excited, worried, hesitant, wondering if it will be a boy or a girl and thrilled to begin this new chapter of our marriage together.

Then, the night of January 18^th rolls around. Corrie’s water broke at 11pm. We go into the hospital and they admit Corrie. We’re up all night. The grandparents are driving in from Champaign and from Detroit. My kids’ pastors go to Taco Bell to bring me a midnight snack J. I get everything covered for the next few days at work. And on the 19th at 3pm EST, our firstborn Ezekiel Wesley was born.

What an amazing experience as my wife shouts outs “it’s a boy!” before the Dr. could even say anything. What emotion sweeps over you when you hold your kid for the first time! I can remember like it was yesterday, the compassion for that little life that we’d never met before.

Since then, we’ve had 2 girls (Ethne & Eydie) and the same kind of deep emotion, deep love, and deep compassion have flooded our hearts for each of them.

The day your child is born you give your whole heart to that little life. When you fall in love with your spouse, it will sometimes take years of courtship. It takes time to get to know each other and develop intimacy. With children, it’s like a lightning bolt.

And you are God’s child.

Which means: when He saw you in your mother’s womb before you were born, even then, He was completely in love with you. I think the dilemma for many of us is that we don’t always feel like we are loved, so it’s hard to extend mercy and compassion to others. Does God really have that kind of compassion & mercy for us?

Matthew 9: 35-38 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

There are a few key things that we can learn from this passage. First, that Jesus has deep feelings for us. In fact, the word “compassion” in this passage actually means that Jesus was actually FILLED WITH deep feeling for the crowds.

Now, I want to try something very bold today. I want you to close your eyes and put yourself in a state of receiving. For some this will mean, opening your arms or bowing your heads or just raising you palms (demonstrate also). I want to pray right now, that all of you will receive a touch from the Father’s heart. I think we all need to experience how God feels about us before we go forward. We all know in our heads that He was willing to send Jesus to earth… to become human… to live and experience our life… to go to the cross… to become sin so that we might be free… but I also want us to experience that deep compassion this morning. I want you to know how the Father feels about you!

PRAYER for the crowd to receive the compassion of the Father.

The second thing we can learn is that Jesus demonstrated His compassion and mercy everywhere He went.

The compassion that was in Jesus compelled Him to share God’s love wherever He went. And the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus is in us. If that is true, then all we have to do is ask the Father for a “Crescendo of mercy and compassion” for those around us. You see, His heart is to extend His passion for His kids through us.

Currently at the Urbana campus of the Vineyard, we have a really strong compassion team and several great programs. But, through this message and this season of “Crescendo,” we want to see an increased intensity of mercy and compassion for the community around us… and we want YOU to jump in!

Let’s take a look at some of the tremendous things that we already do (some details in the program):

·      Food pantry

·      Recovery Programs – HJ, GS, Dcare, freedom groups

·      Prison ministry – always need greeting card volunteers

·      Kindness outreach

·      RUM partnership – March 25^th @ 12:30pm – launching monthly outreaches

During this “Crescendo” season, we really want to highlight our new “Hope Center”:

·      Hope Center Vision: The Vineyard HC is a community outreach ministry where we serve men, women and children by providing them with spiritual and practical resources. In addition we want to connect them to other services in the community that may be able to support them in their daily lives. We are open to guests from the community and our church with a specific need. We begin by assessing their current situation and discovering their most critical needs in order to offer help. All of our services are free of charge to the participants.

·      What happens at our HC? Services vary on different evenings and from month to month. We are constantly adding and rotating services for our participants. Current services include haircuts, wellness appointments, oil changes, and home/ healthcare supplies. In addition to this, we also offer classes related to particular needs from month to month.

·      In the future we hope to add a number of other services. Some of these will include additional food resources, legal services, dental care, job preparation (making resumes, job training, etc.), English as a Second Language, reading classes, classes (finance, marriage, parenting, etc.), recovery classes (addictions, divorce, tragedy, etc.), and a number of others.

·      The Urbana campus HC started as a program monthly on Monday nights here at the church building. Over the past year, the HC team and the FP team worked to find a building where they could house both ministries.

·      We are pleased to announce that the HC and FP are now just a few blocks north of the Urbana campus. Next Sunday, we will be having an “open house” for any and all people to take a walk through and see their new facility.

·      Also, BAGS (have one for example) were placed on your chairs today. These were given out for the home and health care collection. (Explain in more detail) These are to be returned by Easter April 8.

All of this is to give the Urbana campus as many opportunities as possible to share God’s mercy and compassion with our city. If we are a “community of hope,” then we can’t keep it to ourselves. Christ’s compassion for us compels us to extend His compassion to our community around us.

This all sounds pretty good, but you may be asking what makes us different from other community organizations? What makes us unique in Champaign-Urbana? We think it’s simply this: that we come with the Good News of the Kingdom AND the demonstration of the Kingdom.

Let me share with you a story from our HC that also includes our pastoral care team:

Olivia Wills became a guest of the Hope Center in September of 2011. She shared her three main goals in coming to the Hope Center:

•          Improve mobility

•          Lost weight

•          Volunteer with senior needs as she has a Master’s Degree in Gerontology

In November she returned after having surgery on October 17th. It was discovered Olivia had uterine cancer and would have more surgery on November 25th. Her doctor was checking on healthcare after surgery thru Medicare as Olivia’s family and husband were unable to care for her.

The Life Encouragement interviewer referred her to cuvolunteer.com as a source of assistance and suggested she join one of The Vineyard’s small groups for folks over 50 for further prayer and assistance. Of course, the Life Encouragement interviewer prayed for her healing.

The interviewer asked if there was a prayer team available to pray with Olivia the day of her surgery. An email message was sent to Ricky Merriman to have his team pray with her the day of her surgery.

Olivia returned to the Hope Center in January. What a story she had to share with her Life Encouragement interviewer!! She was completely healed! A lot of blood was ordered for her but she shared she didn’t lose any blood during her surgery. She did not require the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as there was no cancer. She was so happy; she patted her head and replied, “I didn’t lose any hair either!!” How did this happen?

Ricky’s prayer team did arrive on the day of her surgery and they prayed. Then her doctor came in and prayed with them. Olivia replied, “It was a done deal. God was with me and my doctor!”

When asked how this all made her feel? “I just want to work in this Hope Center! I will help in anything. You know I have a degree in Gerontology. Just put me to work, please! I am so grateful.” Tears formed in Olivia eyes and her interviewer appreciated the awesomeness of God’s goodness with her. Both Olivia and her interviewer walked out of the Hope Center on clouds of joy and grace!

I want to pull one final truth from the Matthew 9 passage: Jesus wants to help us show compassion to our city. He doesn’t tell us that there’s a big job out there and not enough people …now have fun figuring it out. No! He tells us to ask Him for help. He wants to partner with us to see our city transformed through the compassion of the Father, through the demonstration of His Kingdom.

Let me share one final text with you from 1 Peter 4:7-11 (The MSG) “Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!”

We want you to be generous during this “Crescendo” season with God’s compassion that has been deposited in your life.

·      Be generous with love both in the church and outside it.

·      Be generous with your hospitality (meals & beds).

·      Be generous with the words of life God has given you.

·      Be generous with your hands to help a neighbor.

·      Be generous with Jesus so that He will shine in our city.

It doesn’t matter how you do it or where you jump in, what does matter is that we are moved to action. That we are moved to compassion in every area of our lives to the glory of God.

Prayer & Introduce Offering