Everyone Matters Because God Is With Us
Exodus 33:12–23
This Sunday is EVERYONE MATTERS Sunday. We want every person who calls Perry Methodist home to find their sweet spot: something they can bring to the table that brings them joy and helps others. This is a battleship, not a cruise ship. We have important work to do for God, and every person matters as we seek to accomplish what God wants to do through us.
But before we talk about everyone finding a place to serve, we need to tell the truth about the ways we approach “the work.” We can become frustrated because things are disorganized. We can become controlling because we do not trust anyone else to do it right. We can become territorial because we have served so long that we begin to believe the work belongs to us. We can become resentful because we think others are not carrying their share. We can criticize the next generation instead of teaching them, making room for them, and trusting them. We can even hide behind the excuse that we do not know where we fit when what we really want is for someone else to invite us, affirm us, or make the first move.
These are not merely organizational problems. They are spiritual problems. We can be busy doing work for God while failing to depend on God. We can talk about serving the church while treating the church as our possession. We can demand commitment from others while refusing to surrender control ourselves. We can insist that everyone matters while making it difficult for anyone to contribute unless they do things our way.
That is why Exodus 33 matters. Moses is leading a people who have sinned against God. They have made the golden calf, worshiped what they created, and broken covenant with the God who brought them out of Egypt. Now they are supposed to continue toward the promised land, but Moses understands something the people have forgotten: the destination is not enough. The work is not enough. Progress is not enough. They need God.
Moses says to the Lord, “If your presence will not go, do not bring us up from here.” He does not ask God merely to bless their plans. He does not ask God to help them manage the work more efficiently. He says, in effect, “God, we need you. If you are not with us, we should not go.”
That is the word we need to hear. Maybe we are frustrated because we left God back there somewhere. Maybe we have been trying to build the church through effort, personality, tradition, control, or resentment. Maybe we have been asking people to give more while failing to ask whether God’s presence is at the center of what we are doing. We may have plenty of activity and very little dependence. We may have strong opinions about how the work should be done but little hunger to know what God wants to do among us.
Moses understands that God’s presence is what makes the people of God different from every other people. Without God, they are only a crowd with a destination. With God, they are a people. Without God, our ministries become programs, our service becomes obligation, and our disagreements become battles over ownership. With God, our work becomes worship, our gifts become offerings, and our life together becomes a witness to the grace of Christ.
God answers Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” God does not promise that the work will be easy. God does not promise that every person will agree, that every system will be organized, or that every generation will serve in exactly the same way.
God promises his presence.
That promise confronts our sinful approaches to the work. If God is with us, then no one gets to claim the work as personal property. If God is with us, then no one is disposable. If God is with us, then those who have served for years must be willing to release control, and those who are newer must be willing to step forward. If God is with us, then we cannot use our gifts as weapons against one another. We cannot confuse our preferences with God’s commands. We cannot demand that everyone serve exactly as we served.
EVERYONE MATTERS because God is with us. Every person has a gift, but no person is the Savior of the church. Every person has a responsibility, but no person carries the church alone. Some have been faithful for decades. Some are just beginning to discover what they can offer. Some need to lead. Some need to learn. Some need to work. Some need to rest.
All of us need God.
So the first question is not, “Who will do the work?” The first question is, “God, will you go with us?” The first confession is not, “We need better systems.” It is, “God, we need you.” The first step toward everyone finding their place is for all of us to stop pretending that our effort can accomplish what only God’s presence can accomplish.
This is a battleship, not a cruise ship. We have important work to do. But the church is not powered by busyness, control, nostalgia, or frustration. The church is the body of Christ, and Christ must be at the center. When God goes with us, every person matters, every gift has a purpose, and the work belongs not to us but to God.
If you’re not sure whether you really matter at Perry Methodist, I dare you to come to worship at 9 or 11 this Sunday. Walk into a Sunday school class at 10 a.m. for the first time. Smile and shake a few hands. And be sure to hang around for Soup Fest at noon!
If you come to Sunday school, worship, and Soup Fest and still have questions about whether you matter at PMC, come find me.
Thanks!
Tom
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