Date Posted: 2024-09-08 22:24:55 | Video Duration: 00:27:13
Highland Park Presbyterian Church recently welcomed Nikki Gumble, the former Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London, known for pioneering the Alpha course. Gumble, now focused on making Alpha effective for the next generation, delivered a sermon centered on the power of vision and its pivotal role in life and faith. With a mixture of humor and wisdom, he captured the congregation’s attention, emphasizing the importance of having a “big vision” inspired by Jesus himself.
Gumble’s message drew from Matthew 9:35-38, a passage that marks a significant turning point in Jesus’ ministry. He explained that up to this point, Jesus had been working largely on his own, preaching and performing miracles. However, in this passage, Jesus calls his disciples to step out and join him in ministry, highlighting the urgency of the need around them. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” Jesus tells his disciples, urging them to pray for more workers. Gumble emphasized, “The need is urgent,” drawing parallels to contemporary society’s struggles with anxiety and helplessness.
He painted a vivid picture of a world where people, despite outward appearances of success, often feel harassed and helpless. “This generation has been described as the anxious generation,” Gumble noted, underscoring the critical need for a shepherd in the form of Jesus. His personal anecdotes, including his journey from atheism to faith, illustrated the transformative power of encountering Jesus’ love and compassion—a central theme of the sermon.
The second point Gumble made was the motive behind Jesus’ ministry: love. He explained that the Greek word for “compassion” in this passage is “splankna,” which refers to a deep, gut-wrenching emotion, unique to Jesus in the New Testament. Gumble shared how his own life was changed at 18 when he encountered Jesus’ love. This experience drove him to devote his life to sharing Jesus with others, as it is “the most loving thing we can do for anyone.”
Gumble’s third point focused on the trigger for this vision: prayer. He candidly admitted his struggles with prayer, recounting how he often gets distracted during his prayer walks. Yet, he encouraged the congregation by quoting an Anglican bishop who said, “Fear not because your prayer is stammering… Jesus can understand you.” Prayer, Gumble stressed, is essential to triggering action in fulfilling Jesus’ vision.
The potential of this vision, Gumble argued, is vast. “The harvest is plentiful,” he repeated, emphasizing that there are countless people who need to hear about Jesus. He shared a moving story about a young man named Kay, who found hope and transformation through the Alpha course after a chance encounter with a friend’s credit card at a cemetery. These stories, he noted, illustrate the incredible impact that can result from even one person embracing the vision.
Gumble concluded by challenging the congregation to have a vision for their community and beyond. Citing Martin Luther King Jr., he asserted, “Everyone can become great because anyone can serve.” Whether it’s on a local or global scale, he reassured the church that they can all play a part in the evangelization of the world. With a collective goal set for 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ resurrection, Gumble encouraged everyone to contribute to ensuring that every person on the planet has the opportunity to hear the gospel.
In his closing prayer, Gumble invited anyone feeling harassed or helpless to turn to Jesus, encouraging them to trust in Him and be filled with the Holy Spirit. His hope was that each person would leave with a renewed vision and empowered to make a difference in their spheres of influence. “You can have an impact on your community, on your family, on your nation, and on the world,” he affirmed, leaving the congregation with a powerful call to action in Jesus’ name.
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