Before I get started on my sermon today, I want to take the opportunity to share something that I've found really helpful and healthful with you. It has to do with our friend, fiber. Studies say that men need between 30 and 38 grams and women need between 21 and 25 grams of fiber a day. This may be too personal to speak of in church, but the bottom line (no pun intended) is that fiber helps keep us "regular".
     Beyond that, it can help with weight loss, lowering your cholesterol and decreasing your risk for diabetes and heart disease. Now, if you're anything like me, you have days when it can be hard to get all your fiber grams you need. That's where this Fiber One bars come in. It packs a whopping 9 grams of fiber per bar -- about a third of the average daily need -- with only 140 calories. The best part is that it is delicious! I wanted to bring one for each of you to try out today. Take one and let me know if you think it is a "regular" treat like I do.
     OK, now that that's over, we can get on with our sermon. Last week, we began a sermon series on our name as we remembered the place called Elim in the 15th chapter of Exodus. Today, our series has us looking at the word "Evangelical". This is a pretty powerful, multi--faceted word in our culture today, so I did quite a bit of searching about its various meanings.
     The website of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska, gave a pretty clear explanation of the word and why it is used in the name of our denomination -- the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. From this, we can begin to understand the word "evangelical" in our name -- Elim Evangelical Lutheran Church. Here is what their website says:



     As our Swedish founders named Elim Evangelical Lutheran Church back in the late 1800's, we can bet that the word "Evangelical" was put in our name not as a political statement, not as a way to define individuals in the church using certain criteria, but as a word that helped them stay connected to their Scandinavian and Reformed heritage.
     That we still exist today, however, makes the case that our founders and all the people who have come before us in our community of faith also understood the Biblical meaning of this word. That is, they understood the call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with anyone and everyone they could. This is what I'd like to focus on for the rest of the time today.
     Final words are important. Think about your own conversations. On the phone long distance for example. Aren't we most likely to end with "I love you," or "goodbye," which is short for "God be with you" rather than "It's raining here today," or "I had pizza for lunch."?
     It's the same with letters or emails we send. Sincerely, peace, God bless you, love, blessings. These are common ways many letters seem to end. In our Gospel passage for today, we hear Jesus' final words to his disciples in Matthew's version.
     ". . . Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
     Mark, Luke, John and Acts also provide us with their own version of Jesus' last words and they all have at least one thing in common. Jesus sends us out -- to proclaim the good news, to witness about Jesus' love, to make disciples of all nations. Final words are important.
     Jesus' final words ask us all to take on the name, "Evangelical." He asks us, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to share the good news that we have learned about him. The way we share this good news is in word and deed -- by what we say and how we act.
     Earlier this week as I planned what I wanted to share with you today at the beginning of my sermon, I hesitated in my mind for just a second before deciding to share the Fiber One bars. I hesitated because talking about fiber means talking about digestion which means talking about things in and of the bathroom. That can be a pretty personal thing to talk about. So, as I said, I hesitated for just a moment.
     But, overall, sharing these Fiber One bars was an easy thing to do. It was easy because I love these little bars. I've tried them myself and have enjoyed not only their taste, but the health benefits as well. I believe in them as far as providing fiber goes. Sharing this bar with you all today was also easy because I love all of you. I want you to be as healthy as you can. I want you to be able to eat delicious food that is also good for you.
     Carrying out the final words that Jesus has for us -- in other words, being evangelists -- is in many ways no different than me sharing Fiber One bars with you today. As we think about sharing Jesus Christ with those around us, many of us hesitate. We wonder if it's too personal to talk about -- even with our closest friends. We worry about crossing a line, speaking of something that might be uncomfortable or even offensive. Sometimes, that stops us. And we stay silent. We don't share our faith in Jesus that we have been given and are discovering.
     Other times, we move through our hesitation and we are able to share. We share for two reasons. We share because of our love for Jesus. The life changing effect He has had on our lives makes it easy. We can't keep from speaking of the help we've received from him in time of trouble. We can't help but tell others about the health and wholeness that our relationship with Him is giving us.
     We also share because our love for another person. Wanting them to have a taste of the faith that we are experiencing makes it easy. We want them to have the hope we have as they understand God's great capacity for mercy, forgiveness and grace. We want them to have the security of God's love which knows no bounds and crosses over any line that humanity tries to draw.
     My dear friends at Elim Evangelical Lutheran Church, we have incredible news to share. So, let us work on living into the second word in our name. You can do it in word by inviting a friend to church or the education hour or telling someone about an experience you've had in your journey of faith. You can do it in deed by sharing your God--given talents out in the community. You have something awesome to share. It was never meant for you to keep to yourself, but to be shared with all people -- anyone who will listen.
     And now, final words from Jesus in the gospel of John, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Amen.



Do the sermon from the back door of the church. Did you know that our church has 4 names? Today we're talking about our second one. Does anyone know or remember from the sermon what it is? Evangelical. It's kind of a big word. It means sharing good news. The back door of a church is a great place to talk about this word because it helps us remember that when we walk through these doors and our into the world, one of the things that Jesus asks us to do is share with other people what we know about him. He wants us to tell others about our faith, how he forgives us, how there is nothing we can ever do to make him not love us. Sometimes we forget this, so will you help me do something? I have three signs I want to tape up on the doors to help remind us all that Jesus asks us to be Evangelical. (Have kids tape signs to main doors, side door and the door leaving the sanctuary. Signs say: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."