REV CHARLIE (FEBRUARY 2021)
Our first sermon in February is based on Luke 5, when Jesus called a tax collector named Levi to follow him. The passage describes how Levi immediately abandoned his unscrupulous business and threw a party in Jesus’ honour.
Luke 5: 27-29
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
Levi was a sinful, irreligious and unprincipled man, but he turned away from his old way of life to embark on a new life with Jesus. InteresIngly, the first thing he did was to throw a party so that his friends could meet Jesus.
Tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low. They ripped off fellow Jews to line their own pockets and to support the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. The only people who would go to a tax collector’s home were other tax collectors and social outcasts. When the Pharisees demanded an explanaIon as to why Jesus was prepared to share a meal with such miscreants, Jesus made it clear that he had come to save sinners.
In summary, a clueless, newly converted social misfit with a colourful past, opened his home to the worst that society had to offer, so that they could meet with Jesus; and Jesus showed up because he loved them.
Jesus preached to large crowds, someImes numbering thousands of people, but he also taught small groups in homes and on hillsides. Jesus took the Ime to connect with people on a personal level. We want to follow this model as a church, hence we have a large weekly gathering, but we also meet during the week in small groups called Hubs.
If our church involvement is limited to Sunday services, we can find ourselves receiving informaIon without experiencing transformaIon. Our Hubs are a safe environment to share our experiences, pray for one another, use our spiritual giRs and increase our understanding of God’s Word, the Bible. Our Hubs provide an environment where we can share the love of Christ with each other, but they can also be mobilised for mission, to take the love of Christ to the world.
Finding people who are willing to lead Hubs is challenging and I suspect this is due to misconcepIons about what it takes. You don’t need to be an experienced Bible teacher or to have been a ChrisIan your whole life. Consider the example of Levi, who opened his home and invited people to come and meet Jesus. That is essenIally what leading a Hub is all about.
If you are willing to open your home weekly (or even monthly), to meet with a group of friends and put Jesus at the centre of things, then please let us know. Similarly, if you would like to be part of a Hub, even if you currently have nothing to do with the church, please let us know. Everyone is welcome!
