I AM DOING A NEW THING

Isaiah 43:16-21

A story appeared in the newspapers on January second of this year. It was about a seventy-one-year old man in Evansville, Indiana who had his life saved in a most unusual way. A truck smashed into his house.

It was 2:35 a.m. when a driver lost control of his truck on wet pavement, struck the curb and sailed on to the porch of Lee Roy Book's house. Later, a utility crew sought to restore electricity to Book's home and to check for gas leaks. They discovered that Book's chimney and pipes were plugged with two feet of soot and leaves. The blockage was causing odorless, poisonous carbon monoxide fumes generated from burning natural gas to back up into the house.

For the past two years Book, who lives alone, has been sick with classic flu-like symptoms, including chills, nausea, shakes and headaches. These are also the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. He would black out and couldn't remember doing such things as visiting a friend. "I'd come to when I got in the fresh air," said Book, "but every day it was getting worse and worse. It was awful." Chances are that if the car had not smashed into his house, by now Lee Roy Book would be dead.

The kicker to the story, however, is at the end. Booker once worked as a building contractor. He is very much aware of the dangers of improperly vented furnaces. He always warned his customers to check their flues every two or three years to make sure they weren't clogged.

"But somehow or another," he said, "it never did dawn on me to check my [own] chimney." (1)

The season of Lent is a time when we who are supposed to be the spiritually enlightened of the world have an opportunity to check our own chimneys.

For you see, we do not live in a static world. Neither is God a static God. God says in our reading from Isaiah, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!"

Is there anybody in the room who is not encouraged by this good news? God is doing a new thing! He is not confined to the pages of this book. Neither is He confined to the faith of our fathers and mothers. God is our contemporary. HE IS DOING A NEW THING.

HE IS DOING A NEW THING IN OUR WORLD.

Some of you can remember when it was fashionable in our land to look for communists under every bed. We lived in mortal fear of the Red tide that would one day wash over our beloved shores. What nonsense! People of faith should have known that the Soviet Union had far more to fear from freedom that we ever had to fear from creeping communism. Why? Because freedom is God's way. Human dignity is His agenda.

Do you remember Archibald Rutledge's story about the time he tried to capture and cage a young mockingbird? On the second day in the cage, the young mockingbird's mother flew to her off-spring with food in her bill. This pleased young Rutledge for surely the mother knew how to feed her child better than he did. The following morning, however, he found his pathetic little captive dead. When he recounted this experience to Arthur Wayne, the renowned ornithologist, Wayne explained. "A mother mockingbird," he said, "finding her young in a cage, will sometimes take it poison berries. She thinks it better for one she loves to die rather than to live in captivity."

A sad story, but a sound principle. There is something within the heart of every creature that wants to be free. Freedom is God's plan for His children. He was there as the bricks were removed from the Berlin wall. He was there when that lone student defied the tank in Tienneman Square. He was there when Terry Anderson walked out of his prison cell in Beirut a free man. It is absurd to interpret history as if God is dead. God is doing a new thing!

That is a word of warning, my friends, as well as a word of promise. There are still ways in which we degrade people's dignity in our land. God will not tolerate such indignities forever. As long as people live in poverty, in hunger, in fear, God's agenda is not completed. As long as people live in sin, squalor, and despair He will not cease to labor. "My Father is working still," said Jesus, "And I am working." God is doing a new thing in our world.

HE IS ALSO DOING A NEW THING IN OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES.

It was 1884. The New Orleans Cotton Exposition wanted to make an even bigger splash than the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia a few years before. And New Orleans did come up with something never seen before.

All the ladies oohed and ahhed over an exotic water flower with an orchid-like bloom that came from Venezuela. Even the name smelled good--the water hyacinth. Thousands of lady visitors sneaked little slips of the plant into their handbags and took them home, praying they would take root in some spot of their own damp Louisiana yards.

The prayers were answered. Before many years, it became evident that the water hyacinth was not only going to survive--it might even take over every water channel in the South! Soon rivers and canals were solid water hyacinths from bank to bank.

A little too late, horticulturists found that each plant produces a thousand little water hyacinths every two months! Because pieces break off and float down the river, they can even transplant themselves with no help at all. (2)

What a profound parallel to the way sin comes into our lives. A simple phone call. A drink at a party. Growing resentment over a tiny slight. A callused attitude toward people with less opportunities than you or I have. Such small, insignificant things. But watch out when they take root. The human heart is fertile soil for everything that is twisted, distorted, evil. Every student of human behavior knows it is true.

A lady wrote into READER'S DIGEST sometime back to say that a co-worker of hers had his car stolen from the company's parking lot. When the police finally located the vehicle, they found that the thief had installed a burglar-alarm system in it.

That thief, out of his own experience, knew the human heart. There is something within us that is out of whack. There is something within us that scorns the delights that are permitted and craves the forbidden fruit. There is something within us that is self-destructive and causes us to throw away our most precious possessions of all--including the gift of life itself.

One of nature's deepest mysteries is why whales from time to time will beach themselves. You've seen the newspaper accounts. Probably the most famous incident took place in Oregon in the late 1970s. A crowd of 5,000 people gathered on the beach. They watched helplessly as life ebbed out of 41 sperm whales that had thrown themselves on the beach earlier that morning. Scientists theorized that even if there were some way to move the 15 ton monsters back into the deep, their efforts might be in vain. Freed whales often turn around and swim determinedly back onto the shore.

Why? No one knows. It's been happening at least since the time of Aristotle. Many possible explanations have been offered, but nobody really knows the answer. In the words of Yul Brynner's king of Siam, "It is a puzzlement."

But there is a greater mystery. Why will a bright, healthy, well-clothed young person risk impairment of mind, soul and body by experimenting with drugs? Or why, knowing all we know about the effects of nicotine on the body, do some people still begin the habit of smoking?

Why will a man with a wife who loves him and children who depend on him risk it all on a cheap, meaningless affair? For that matter, in this day of the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases including A.I.D.S., why would any thinking person engage in promiscuous sex?

Are we crazy? What gets into us sometimes? The Bible calls it sin. There is a brokenness in our lives, a sickness unto death. It is the curse of our very existence. And God wants to help us do something about it. He wants to do a new thing in our lives.

This brings us to the last thing to be said for the morning.

MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR US TO DO A NEW THING AS WELL.

For, you see, sin is what the cross is all about.

Somewhere I read about the origin of the word "firemen."

Today's firemen, or firefighters as we now call them, put out fires. Originally, though, firemen were men who started fires.

The original firemen worked in coal mines, and it was their hazardous job to be the first to enter a mine each morning.

They would wrap themselves in wet rags to make themselves as `fireproof' as possible and then, grabbing a long, flaming stick, they would go in and ignite any explosive methane gas that had seeped into the mine overnight. Burning off the dangerous gas thus made the workplace safe for others. (3)

Perhaps if the writer of Hebrews had known about this tradition, he would have called Jesus `our fireman.' For as the New Testament church struggled with the reality of Christ's death on the cross, they concluded that it had something to do with our sin and our need to be justified before God. Calvary was God's new thing, they concluded, for that day as well as for all time. By his sacrifice are we saved. By his wounds are we healed. By his death are we brought to eternal life. But only if we respond in repentance and faith.

In a PEANUTS cartoon strip Lucy is livid at her mother. "You promised me a birthday party," she wails, "and now you say I can't have one. It's not fair!" Linus tries to intervene. "You're not using the right strategy," he counsels. "Why not go up to Mom and say to her, `I'm sorry, Dear Mother...I admit I've been bad, and you were right to cancel my party, but from now on I shall try to be good!'" Lucy has a grimace on her face as she thinks this through. Finally, in the last panel, she cries out, "I'd rather die!"

Unfortunately, that is the response of many of us. God has done a new thing. He has done a new thing for the world. He has done a new thing for each of us. What is our response? Shall we continue in our same self-destructive ways? Shall we continue to hurt those who love us most? Or shall we begin to do a new thing ourselves?

"This is what the LORD says: `...Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland....'"

Isn't it time you allowed God to send His healing streams into the wasteland of your barren life? He's willing to do a whole new thing. Are you?

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1. Eileen Dempsey, Scripps Howard News Service.

2. Suzanne Hilton, HOW DO THEY COPE WITH IT? (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press).

3. Source Unknown.

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I WAS THERE

If I told you my name you wouldn't know me. There's not enough room in historical documents to record everything and everybody. History merely tries to capture the important events that chronicle our progression as a people.

Individuals who are on the scene are rarely known (much like the background characters who fill in your movies). However, I have been allowed, by the grace of the Almighty, to come to you during this special season of the year, to remind you of THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY. I have come to recall something from that terrible day when they crucified Jesus of Nazareth that none of you could know or feel. Because, you see, you would have had to be there to sense what I am going to tell you. I WAS. I was in the crowd in Jerusalem those last few days of Jesus' life. I witnessed what happened. And, sadly to say, stood by and watched as they crucified Jesus.

That fateful week in Jerusalem started out exciting. It was an atmosphere of a festival. Perhaps something like your Mardi Gras, or your Independence Day celebrations. The talk was that a certain prophet was coming to town. That was not all that unusual. There were always religious leaders coming to Jerusalem. After all, it was one of the great religious centers of all times. In fact, many well-known teachers and proclaimers of the Pentateuch resided there. Indeed, we had the great temple where people from all over journeyed many miles to bring their offerings and make homage to God. So Jerusalem was a hub of activity more often than not.

But I could hear people saying that this prophet was different than the others. I was skeptical. Each new evangelist said the same thing. Nevertheless, word kept circulating that this man they called Jesus, from the little town of Nazareth, had spent much time walking the roads and visiting the towns of Judea and Galilee, preaching a message of compassion and forgiveness--what he called "true worship of God." I didn't pay much attention. I had a job to do. But then one claim caught my ear. They said this Jesus referred to God as "Father" as if he were His son!

Stories spread about his miracles which most of us considered to be propaganda. But there were other stories, stories of his kindness, his genuine love of everyone whether they were rich or poor, strong or weak, male or female. It was obvious he hadn't had much association with the Roman pigs who marched into our cities, took over the government and kept order with their soldiers. I'll tell you, there is much rage within a captive people. We were looking for someone, somewhere, to deliver us from this bondage.

So you can understand that many of us zealots didn't get too concerned over some prophet who circulated stories of turning the other cheek, and praying for your persecutors. We needed someone who would lead a revolt and drive the Romans out of our sacred city. They had no respect for God. They had no respect for our temple. They only lived on might--pushing people around, making us do their work for them.

It was hard for a lot of us to get too excited about this carpenter boy who preached peace. But it wasn't only his passive stance that bothered us, it was also his conflict with the scribes and pharisees. They were our religious leaders. They had been for centuries. We placed our faith in them. They were learned men. They interpreted Torah for us, kept us looking for a brighter tomorrow. Even in a time of difficulty they had arranged with the Romans to allow us to continue our worship in our temple. If it hadn't been for them, our religion might have been snuffed out.

So many of us working people did not approve of Jesus' disparagement of the scribes and pharisees. That very week we saw from a distance Jesus disrupting the affairs of the temple. We heard him making accusations against the religious leaders, calling them names, and telling them that harlots would enter the kingdom of God before they would. How did he know? How dare he say such things to the men we put our trust in, who performed our marriages and the bar mitzvahs of our children, who gave their life in service to God.

Now, I'll admit there were a few who seemed to have gotten the big head. One must be very careful in saying he or she has been called of God, you know. And there were some we knew who had betrayed their calling by things they did. Seems like there are those in every generation.

But all in all it made sense to many of us when the scribes and pharisees suggested that this Jesus was not who he pretended to be. And the most convincing argument of all was when they told us he was calling himself the very Son of God. That was blasphemy!

I have to admit to you that the time or two I myself heard him preach it didn't seem like blasphemy. His voice had a sound of genuine caring. You know, one of those things you can't put your finger on, you just sense it, feel it. He in fact did seem very loving and caring to everyone. Those disciples who followed him from place to place seemed to have no doubt about him. And they were people just like us. Good men, working men. It was especially touching when we saw the children gathered around him, and some sitting on his lap. There's something sincere about a person who loves little children--he said they belong to the kingdom of heaven, and then he said something I didn't understand: "We must turn and become as innocent as children" to enter the kingdom of God.

Sermons like that had never been preached before. On the one hand I liked what he said; on the other hand I respected our religious leaders. Things like that confused my mind the day the crowd gathered outside the governor's palace. Jesus had been arrested because the Sanhedrin accused him of blasphemy, calling himself "King of the Jews," and the Romans thought he was an insurrectionist. One thing the Romans didn't stand for was troublemakers.

All at once, Pilate and Jesus and a few others appeared on the porch. At the feast the custom was for the governor to release any one prisoner the people wanted freed. Many of us talked together and we felt we ought to release Jesus because he really hadn't done anything wrong. Not like the criminals in prison.

But even as we talked the scribes and the pharisees told us that Jesus was a troublemaker and we should ask for Barabbas instead, who was one of the most terrible of all prisoners. They said Jesus was of much more threat than Barabbas. We believed them. And when Pilate asked us for our answer, many in the crowd began to yell for Barabbas. It was almost funny and besides, we knew the Romans wouldn't harm someone as innocent as Jesus. So I have to admit I joined in. I got caught up in the moment, in the ecstacy of the crowd, and yelled for Barabbas. It's funny, now that I think about it, how a crowd consciousness affects a person's rational thinking. Has crowd psychology ever affected you--times you found yourself on one side or another; or found yourself influenced by friends or people you respect--even when your heart tells you it's wrong?

We all cheered when Barabbas was released. We started walking away, enjoying this good joke on the Romans, who would surely hear more in the future from Barabbas and his group. In fact, I think many of us secretly wanted to encourage Barabbas. However, as we turned away, Pilate yelled at us. It was obvious that he was stunned by our decision. So he asked us what we wanted him to do with Jesus. Again, we followed the lead of our leaders in continuing what we thought was a good joke on Pilate. We yelled, "Crucify him!" We knew crucifixion was used by the Romans for rebels, slaves, and criminals of the lowest class. We knew they wouldn't listen to us. They never did. They didn't let Jews set punishment for them. I never dreamed they would actually crucify him.

It wasn't until Friday that I saw and heard the crowd again. People were lining the streets leading to the execution hill, Golgotha. I made my way through the crowd and was shocked to see Jesus carrying the heavy beams of the cross. He could hardly walk. He had been abused. I could see blood on his back where his robe had been torn. I could see the ugly results of the Roman whip. They had even pressed a ring of thorns on his head. Finally, he fell, and the Romans made another man carry Jesus' cross. They had authority to pick someone to do such a thing for a mile but no more. Even the Romans understood that there was only so much the human body could sustain.

I watched in horror as they nailed him to the cross. I have to admit that I cried when I saw his mother and brother and others weeping and wailing at the foot of the cross. I saw others mock him, calling him "King of the Jews" and asking him to come down from the cross. I saw him crucified between two robbers. I made my way closer and could hear a conversation between Jesus and one of the robbers:

"Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus' response: "This day you will be with me in paradise."

How could he think, even say such a thing at a time like this? I pressed closer. For some reason I couldn't leave as many of the others did.

And then it happened. It was then I got the shock of my life. He could barely lift his head. He seemed to be praying...I couldn't make out too much of what he said, except he lowered his head and looked at what was left of the crowd, his mother and the Roman soldiers, and finally his eyes met mine. They seemed, even at this stage, so loving, they cut me through to the very core. And then he uttered the words I shall never forget, and I pray the world never forgets as long as there is a planet earth.

He said, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do."

I wanted to die myself. I now realized what I and the others had done. He was who he said he was. I almost wish you could have been there because it was a moment that would have changed your life too. There would be no doubt about your belief. There would be no question about your loyalty. You would definitely be part of his company.

I tell you, that night I realized that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. He is Messiah. That Friday was the darkest day in human history. We killed the only true and good thing this world has ever known.

I ask you before I leave--believe this story. Don't make the mistake that I made, that others have made. Pray to God to make you a better follower.

AN EMPTY STAGE OR AN EMPTY TOMB?
APR392

Luke 24:1-10; John 20:1-18

In his book, THERE I GO AGAIN, Steven Moseley tells about Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballet superstar of the early 1900s. Ms. Pavlova has been acclaimed as the greatest ballerina of all time. Her most memorable performance, however, took place after her death.

Anna was to play the role she made famous, the Dying Swan, at the Apollo Theatre in London. Tragically, she succumbed to pneumonia and died two days before the event.

Still, on the appointed night, a crowd of her fans packed the Apollo Theatre. The orchestra began playing, the curtain rose, a spotlight flashed through the dark, and the entire audience rose to its feet. They all stood gazing at a pool of light wandering around the stage, accompanied by the orchestral theme. As the light danced and the orchestra played, they remembered Anna Pavlova. In their hearts they could see her on stage, dressed in white with flashing dark eyes. And when the music stopped at last, they gave the vanished Anna a thunderous ovation that echoed on and on in the night. (1)

An empty stage with only a spotlight, but in their hearts she was alive.

For some, this is the experience of Easter. The Lord was crucified, he died as all of us will one day die, and he was laid in a borrowed tomb, but in the hearts of his disciples he lives forever. An empty stage, but not an empty tomb.

This is not the testimony of the New Testament. Yes, he was crucified. Yes, he did die. Yes, he was laid in a borrowed tomb, but when the women and later his disciples came to visit his tomb on the third day, the stone had been rolled away. The borrowed tomb was empty. The grave clothes that had been wound around his blood- stained body were neatly folded and laid to the side. He was not there! He was alive! He met with them, dined with them, reassured them--not as a mere memory dancing in a spotlight, but as a real person. This is the Easter story. Not an empty stage, but an empty tomb.

Is this important? You bet it is. Ultimately, you and I have a choice to make. It is the most important choice we will ever face. It is whether to accept the empty stage or to accept the empty tomb. Does Christ merely live in the hearts of his disciples or is he really alive today just as you and I are alive?

Remember Woody Allen's comic assessment? "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work," he said. "I want to achieve immortality by not dying."

Which is it? Are we immortal because there are those who remember and cherish the fact that once we walked this "vale of tears" or are we immortal because Christ has once and forever battered down the gates of death? Empty stage or empty tomb?

DEATH IS OFTEN AN UGLY EXPERIENCE.

It means separation, loss, heartache beyond description. Oh, we try to pretend it is not so.

Has anyone here ever hear of Mrs. Martin Van Butchell? I would be surprised if anyone has. She's been dead for over 200 years.

Mrs. Butchell left a will. It specified that on her death, her husband had control of her fortune only as long as her body remained above ground. I don't know what she had against being buried, but that was her stipulation.

Mausoleums were little known at the time, so the husband hired the Scottish anatomist William Hunter to embalm his dead wife. Then he dressed her in fashionable attire and put her on display in the family parlor. Daily visiting hours were held for those who wished to view the corpse inside a glass-lidded coffin.

As news of how life-like Mrs. Butchell looked spread, the art of undertaking quickly became a thriving business. Families were encouraged to soften the loss of loved ones through embalming the person to look as life-like as possible. Some embalmers, to drum up new business, took their prize corpses on tour, exhibiting embalmed bodies in the windows of barbershops, in public halls, and at country fairs so that rural folk could get a glimpse of the latest in funeral treatment. And the public was duly impressed. (2)

We disguise death in many ways. Through our language, for example--he passed away, she's gone, mother's no longer with us. We dress the deceased in his finest suit or her prettiest dress. We make use of the embalmer's art. Sometimes we retreat into memories of better days. Anything to keep us from dealing with the finality of death.

DEATH IS UGLY IF EASTER IS MERELY A SPOTLIGHT ON AN EMPTY STAGE.

But if it is about an empty tomb, then death is an entirely different matter. Indeed, if Easter really is about an empty tomb, death can be seen in an entirely different light.

Many of you know of Tony Campolo. He is one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking speakers in America today. Many of you know about his love for his home church, Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, which happens to be a predominantly black church. Tony Campolo tells about the first funeral he attended at Mount Carmel when he was twenty years old.

Clarence, a college friend of his, had been killed in a subway-train accident. At the beginning of the service, says Tony Campolo, the pastor brilliantly expounded upon what the Bible says about the promise of the resurrection and the joys of being with Christ. Then he came down from the platform and went over to the right side of the sanctuary, where the family of Tony's dead friend was seated in the first three rows. There, he spoke special words of comfort for them.

Then the pastor did a most unusual thing. He went over to the open casket and spoke as though to the corpse. He said, "Clarence! Clarence! There were a lot of things we should have said to you when you were alive that we never got around to saying to you. And I want to say them now."

What followed was a beautiful litany of memories of things that Clarence had done for many people present and for the church. The list recalled how lovingly Clarence had served others without thought of reward. When he had finished, the pastor looked at Clarence's body and said, "Well, Clarence, that's it. I've got nothing else to say except this: Good night, Clarence. Good Night!" And with that he slammed down the lid of the casket as a stunned silence fell over the congregation.

Then a beautiful smile slowly lit up the pastor's face and he shouted, "And I know that God is going to give Clarence a good morning!"

With that the choir rose to its feet and started singing, "On that great gettin' up morning we shall rise, we shall rise!" As the choir sang, everyone in the congregation rose to their feet and started singing it with them. "On that great gettin' up morning we shall rise, we shall rise!" There was clapping and crying, but the tears were tears of laughter. "Celebration had broken out in the face of death. Something of a party that is to come had broken into that church...Death had been swallowed up in victory." (3)

No empty stage, but an empty tomb. That's the message of Easter. Death has been conquered. AND SO HAS LIFE. Because of what happened that first Easter Sunday, you and I can walk in freedom and dignity and joy.

That prince of the pulpit Charles Hadley Spurgeon was walking the streets of London deep in thought when he saw a young street boy. The lad was carrying an old, bent bird cage. Inside was a tiny field sparrow. Spurgeon stopped the boy and asked him what he was going to do with the bird.

"Well..." the boy said. "I think I'll play with it for a while, and then when I'm tired of playing with it--I think I'll kill it." He made that last comment with a wicked grin.

Moved with compassion for the bird, Spurgeon asked, "How much would you sell me that bird for?"

"You don't want this bird, mister," the boy said with a chuckle. "It's just a bleeding field sparrow." But then he saw the old gentleman was serious.

"You can have this bird for--two pounds," he said slyly. Two pounds at that time would be worth more than a hundred dollars today--an astronomical price for a bird worth only pennies. Spurgeon paid the price, and let the bird go.

The next morning, Easter Sunday morning, an empty bird cage sat on the pulpit of the great Metropolitan Tabernacle where Spurgeon preached.

"Let me tell you about this cage," Spurgeon said as he began the sermon. Then he recounted the story about the little boy and how he had purchased the bird from him at a high cost.

"I tell you this story," he said, "because that's just what Jesus did for us. You see, an evil specter called Sin had us caged up and unable to escape. But then Jesus came up to Sin and said, `What are you going to do with those people in that cage?'

"`These people?' Sin answered with a laugh. `I'm going to teach them to hate each other. Then I'll play with them until I'm tired of them--and then I'll kill them.'

"`How much to buy them back?' Jesus asked.

"With a sly grin, Sin said, `You don't want these people, Jesus. They'll only hate you and spit on you. They'll even nail you to a cross. But if you do want to buy them, it'll cost you all your tears and all your blood--your very life!'"

Spurgeon concluded, "That, ladies and gentlemen, is just what Jesus did for us on the cross. He paid the ultimate, immeasurable price for all who would believe, that we might be free from the inescapable penalty of death." (4)

That is the message of Easter. Death has been overcome, but so has life. You and I can be free, free as that bird delivered from its cage. We can walk in dignity and joy, with purpose and power. Christ is stronger than sin and the grave.

A young boy came home after Sunday school and was asked by his grandmother what he learned that day. He said, "`God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have everlaughing life.'" And that's the good news for the day--we can have both everlasting and everlaughing life. We are free!

They had a contest on public radio, recently, seeking a new name for the Soviet Union. One entry suggested that in light of the disintegration of the country, the name should be changed from the U.S.S.R. to the U.S.S. Was.

That's what Easter is all about. Pardon the grammar, but it is taking what we are and making that what we was. It is about giving us new life--today and forever.

Anna Pavlova danced in the hearts of the people who loved her and admired her. The resurrection of Jesus was something more. He is alive. More than an empty stage--his was an empty tomb.

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1. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991).

2. Charles Panati, PANATI'S BROWSER'S BOOK OF BEGINNINGS (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984).

3. Tony Campolo, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A PARTY (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1990).

4. Gary Smalley and John Trent, THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE (Pomona, CA: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1988).

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HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS

Acts 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

Hubert Humphrey loved meeting people. That made him a much- loved politician. On a fishing trip in northern Minnesota, Hubert and federal judge Miles Lord were in a sporting-goods store. Lord noticed that a tour bus from California had broken down outside. Lord sneaked out to the bus and introduced himself as the mayor.

"Folks, I'm sorry to see you're having trouble," he said. "If there's anything we can do for you, just stop by my office. And by the way, there's something you can do for us. We have a fellow here in town who looks like Hubert Humphrey. He sounds like Hubert Humphrey. He even thinks he is Hubert Humphrey. Now, if you should run into him, don't give him any money, but please be nice to him, because we kind of like him and he doesn't do any harm."

Lord then went back into the store and said, "Hubert, there's a bus load of California tourists out there just dying to meet you." Hubert roared out and proceeded to shake hands with every person on the bus. Afterward he had a puzzled look on his face. "I just don't understand those California people," he said. "Every time I shook hands with one of them, somebody else started to giggle." (1)

I'm sure that no one loved that gag more than Hubert Humphrey.

Comedian Billy Crystal tells about being in an airport coffee shop. He was nearly exhausted from a demanding road trip. He reached for his coffee, and a voice said, "Has anyone ever told you you look a lot like Billy Crystal?"

He looked up. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "People tell me that all the time."

"You're not Billy Crystal, are you?" the lady asked.

"No ma'am," he replied

"Too bad," she said. "You should only have his money." (2)

Mistaken identities always bring a laugh.

This morning we want to deal with an identity that was not mistaken--though many have claimed otherwise. It is the identity of the risen Christ.

After his resurrection, his disciples devoted their lives to proclaiming to the world that Jesus is the living Lord. When the religious and civil authorities sought to silence them, those authorities had their hands full. If they threw them into jail, these audacious people converted fellow prisoners and even prison guards. If they martyred them, they discovered that they died with such radiant confidence, that people who witnessed their ordeals were often won to their cause. Consider, for example, the effect of the dying Stephen's witness on the chief persecutor of the early Christians, Saul of Tarsus.

He is who he says he is, his disciples insisted. And their witness rings loud and clear even as we prepare to enter the 21st century. As the writer of the Revelation testifies, "...he is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth."

FOR ONE THING, WE HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM.

It was difficult even for those in the select company of the twelve to deal with Christ's resurrection. Such things just don't happen in this world. Thomas, particularly, found it hard to accept. He was not with the other disciples when Jesus made his first appearances. When the other disciples told Thomas, "We have seen the Lord!" he was skeptical. "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands," he said, "and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

A week later Christ's disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them this time. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. " Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus did not reveal himself to the world at large, only to those who believed. But appear to them he did--in ways which left no doubt that he had conquered the grave. And they went out to tell the story. Against all kinds of opposition they told the story. Nothing could stop them. No power on earth could defeat them.

I read recently about a door-to-door salesman who had the worst kind of luck. Day after day he'd walk up and down the streets with his product. No one would buy a thing. Every day he knocked on the same woman's door. Every day she turned him away. Finally, he appeared on her doorstep for the umpteenth time. Just to keep the man from ever returning, the woman made a purchase. The next day, the man rang her doorbell again. "What are you doing here?" she asked, exasperated.

The man replied, "Well, now that you're an established customer..." (3)

Jesus' disciples had a persistence to their witness that would not be defeated. In the arena with lions, burned as human torches in Nero's gardens, suffering the vilest kinds of humiliations and bodily pain, they stayed faithful to what they had experienced. They had met the risen Lord and they wanted the whole world to know it.

This brings us to the second reason we know he is who he says he is:

THE CHANGED LIVES OF THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED HIS RESURRECTION.

It's been said many times before, but we need to affirm it this day--people do not die defending a deliberate lie. The men and women who walked with Jesus daily and experienced his resurrection knew without any question that he was what he said he was. Why in the world would they lie about it--particularly when their lie could cost them their lives? What could they possibly gain by holding fast to a fictitious account? Heaven? Why would they look forward to heaven if the resurrection never occurred? It is absurd. And yet they told their story.

If we followed their example, we could turn this world upside down. Unfortunately, most Christians prefer what Bishop Michael Marshall has called "Decaffeinated Christianity"--it promises not to keep us awake at night.

Witnessing to our faith does not have to be offensive. Pat Riddle, a Lutheran pastor in North Carolina, tells about a most interesting event that occurred to him and his wife on their honeymoon in Savannah, Georgia.

They decided they felt like Chinese food for supper. They noticed a little Chinese restaurant across the way from their room. It didn't look five-star and it seemed to be a little tattered at the edges, but they decided to go. Once inside, they were treated to a marvelous meal.

As they went to the door to pay their check, the lady behind the cash register noticed they were newlyweds. She asked if she could give them a present. When they nodded, she reached under the counter, pulled out a little porcelain Chinese house and handed it to them and said, "Always keep Christ in your home and marriage. This house will remind you of keeping him in your lives. That is my gift to you."

How do you think they responded to this kind and warm witness? Do you think anyone would ever be offended by such a gentle and sincere token of love? Of course not. Witnessing does not have to be offensive. Indeed, it can be beautiful and caring.

We know he is who he says he is because we have the testimony of those closest to him. They testified not only with their lips, but also with their lives.

WE ALSO HAVE TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF OBSERVING THE CHANGES HE HAS MADE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.

Look around you in this church. You will find people who will tell you of crises they have gone through. They will tell you, "I could not have made it if he were not at my side." Look at the good neighbors and good friends on every side who will tell you that everything they have and everything they are they owe to him.

I was reading about a man who stopped his car in front of a house that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had helped to build for Habitat for Humanity. A little boy was standing in the front yard. He was probably five or six years old.

The little lad ran out and put his hands on the side of the car, and said, "Man, you sure got a pretty car."

The man in the car replied, "Well, you sure got a pretty house. Which one of these houses is yours?"

The little fellow said proudly, "That one."

The man in the car asked, "Young man, who built your house?" He thought the boy was going to say, "President Jimmy Carter built my house." But, instead, the lad gave a big smile, and said, "Jesus built my house." (4)

The little fellow was right. I believe if Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were here this morning they would gladly testify that they do their good works because once upon a time Jesus Christ touched their lives. How can we deny the worth of such testimony? But there is one more piece of evidence.

IT IS THE INNER TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

A gospel song writer once gave a witness for many of us, "You ask me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart." That is my experience. I hope it is yours.

We know that subjective experience on its own can be misleading. But when you combine that experience with the testimony of those who walked with him and died for him two thousand years ago as well as the testimony of millions of others over the centuries who also have experienced his healing and life-giving power in their lives, we are led to cry out with Thomas, "My Lord and my God."

If you have not had that kind of experience of Christ, might I invite you to open yourself to him this day? A simple prayer of faith is all that is required.

An elderly lady walked slowly into a life insurance office in Minneapolis during the worst part of the Great Depression. She wanted to know if she could stop paying the premiums on her husband's life insurance policy. "He's been dead sometime now," she said, "and I don't believe I can afford making the payments any more."

The clerk behind the desk looked up her husband's policy and discovered it was worth several hundred thousands of dollars. This poor lady was wealthy, but she had no idea. No one had ever explained to her how life insurance works.

Perhaps no one has ever explained to you that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you too are rich. He is available to you--his love, his power, his joy. You can experience his presence in you life beginning this moment. Why? Because he is who he says he is. He is our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord.

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1. Rep. David Obey (D., Wis.) READER'S DIGEST

2. Billy Crystal with Dick Schaap, ABSOLUTELY MAHVELOUS (New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1986).

3. Bob Woolf, FRIENDLY PERSUASION (New York: Berkley Books, 1990).

4." About Habitat for Humanity," Millard Fuller, PULPIT DIGEST, Nov./Dec. 1991, p. 69.

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THE GRAND MARSHAL OF THE JERUSALEM PARADE

Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:39, 40

During the nineteenth century it was Chancellor Bismarck of Prussia who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding a white horse. So great were the number of soldiers and officials that an entire section of the city wall had to be removed.

During the first century it was Jesus Christ of Nazareth who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding, not a symbol of prestige of honor, but an animal symbolic of servitude, a donkey. In accordance with Old Testament scriptures, the animal was set aside for sacred purposes such as this.

According to William Barclay, the city may have easily been crowded with as many as one and one-half million people who had come to celebrate this holy time called Passover. Every Jewish male within twenty miles of Jerusalem was required to attend.

What could possibly be more appropriate than a Passover with the ultimate Passover Lamb as the Grand Marshall!?!

Yet His clear purpose was not to be their city honoree.

JESUS KNEW THE REASON FOR HIS COMING.

In reading this passage, one cannot help but be reminded of Paul's description of Christ. Paul wrote, "Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6, 7)

Civil War General George McClellan was put in charge of the great Army of the Potomac, primarily because public opinion was on his side. He enjoyed being told he was a "Young Napoleon." However, history records that his efforts were less than sensational and he was not a great military leader.

One evening President Abraham Lincoln and two of his staff members went to visit McClellan at his home. McClellan was at a wedding. One hour later McClellan appeared and did not even pay attention to the three men awaiting his return.

Later, a servant reported back to the waiting party that McClellan had gone to bed! The President's associates were enraged, but Lincoln merely got up and led the way home. "This is not the time to be making points of etiquette and personal dignity," the President explained. "I would hold McClellan's horse if he will only bring us success."

Jesus knew that the price of redemption would be the cross. It would be a humbling and painful death, but the Father's plan of salvation would prove successful.

THE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY KNEW THE REASON FOR HIS COMING.

During President Ronald Reagan's campaign in 1979, a woman of about 80 spoke out from the audience at the end of one of his campaign speeches, "Mr. Reagan, everything you've said sounds just fine. But what about the old folks? Haven't you forgotten us?" The man who was to become the oldest president of the United States smiled down at her and replied, "Forget you? Heavens, how could I ever forget you? I am one of you."

No matter how dismal our lot may be, God has not forgotten us. Jesus' coming was God's way of saying, "How could I ever forget you? I am one of you."

The people looked to Jesus because He was one of them. Yet, He was not just another brave Messiah seeking to lead them to victory over the oppressing hand of the Roman authorities. They wanted a political candidate to establish an earthly empire, but Jesus came to be their Savior. They cried out, "Hosanna," which literally means "Save Now." Now was their timetable for liberation. Now was their King coming to set up a new empire. Little did they know that His kingdom was for another place and another time.

Enthusiasm for Christ filled the city. People were pressed everywhere in an effort to see Him. Like King Jehu (2 Kings 9:13), the people stretched out their cloaks in the path to honor Him as King. Like Simon Maccabaeus (I Maccabees 13-51), they cut down palm branches and laid them in the street to honor Him as a victor coming home from battle. This was their "red carpet" treatment.

It was so sad to think that a few days later their praise turned into rage. Some people today want Christ, but only on their terms.

THE WORLD WOULD KNOW THE REASON FOR HIS COMING.

While most dignitaries today would be offered the keys to the city, Jesus was offered a cross outside the city. But it would be the cross that would unlock the door to heaven for all who believed.

What separates our beliefs from all other religions of the world is Christ's physical resurrection from the grave. He is alive. He is not another spiritual leader who had come and gone. He is alive to be our mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5).

A man during the Civil War was sitting on a park bench in Washington, D.C., crying. His son, under great distress, had deserted his post in battle and was to be shot by a firing squad soon. The father had come to the capitol to see President Abraham Lincoln but couldn't get past the front gates. People passed by, but nobody stopped to listen.

Finally, a little boy paused and asked the man why he was crying. In his emotional distress, he told his story. He ended by saying that if he could talk to the president, he knew his son would be pardoned.

The young boy asked the man to follow him. When they came to the front gate of the White House, the little boy said to the soldiers, "It's all right, he's with me."

The man followed in amazement. They came to the room where President Lincoln was conferring with his generals and cabinet members, guarded by yet another detachment of soldiers. The young boy pushed inside and jumped up on the president's lap. Conversation stopped as the boy said, "Daddy, there's a man I want you to meet. He needs your help."

The man was brought in to talk with the president. His son received the presidential pardon because the son of the president took an interest in his plight.*

Jesus said in Revelation 1:18, "I am He who was dead but now I am alive forevermore." Friends, the Grand Marshal of this particular parade will lead us all into the gates of the New Jerusalem! He brings us face to face with God. All we have to do is follow our Leader.

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* The Preacher's Magazine (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, Volume 67, Number 2, p. 75.

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FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT

Good Friday

Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:44-49

Isaiah said it, possibly 550 years before Jesus was born: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Is this why the people who executed Jesus had to torture him so much before they killed him? I think not! There is a mean and cruel streak in many of us when we are faced with love and forgiveness. Sometimes it seems we have to humiliate and hurt those who have come to help us before we can accept their healing and care. God knows it, Isaiah discovered it, Jesus experienced it, and the world lives by it!

The soldiers were under orders to kill Jesus in the standard style of execution Rome used for public criminals: agonizing death on a crude Cross driven into the ground at the city dump. That was bad enough, but they exceeded their orders by brutally subjecting Jesus to physical and psychological torture before carrying out the cruel political and religious mandate to kill him.

Mark puts it plainly: The execution squad called "together the rest of the company. They put a purple robe on Jesus and a crude crown made out of thorns on his head, pushing it down until blood sprinkled from his brow. They beat his head with a stick, spat on him, and bowed down before him, as if to pay homage. Then they led him out to crucify him."

Why the cruelty, why the ridicule, the attempt at humiliation? Don't tell me it was to make come true what Isaiah forecast six centuries earlier. I won't buy that! No, there's more human nature at work here than we care to admit! I won't let you make God or Isaiah take the blame for such savage cruelty! I'm afraid it's a part of human evil to curse, abuse, cajole and hurt those who come to save us. We see love here, suffering love, and we can't stand such unwarranted affection. We can't accept unearned love until we draw blood, see tears, or watch the loved one writhe in anguish. Then, and only then, will we accept the healing help and acceptance that can redeem us, and restore the relationship that can save our souls!

Why do women publicly ridicule the men they love and care for? Why do men privately beat and abuse the women they sleep with? Why do parents slap, scold and belittle their own children? I believe it has something to do with what Isaiah envisioned in those Suffering Servant passages through which we see Jesus prefigured.

I wonder... Was it that cruel soldier who organized the torture of Jesus, who later heard the Savior say from the Cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Would this be the same soldier who, after Jesus had breathed his last and escaped into the blessedness of death after such cruel torture, made his own judgment on Jesus, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent," or as another translation renders it, "Certainly this was a good man." (Luke 23:47) Luke says the commanding officer of the assassination squad "praised God" after hearing Jesus say, just before he died, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

Did this mean the soldier had found salvation? Did it mean that Jesus had fulfilled Isaiah's somber prediction about the fate of the Son of Man, for whom suffering Israel waited so passionately? Did it mean that death squad would never again torture its victims?

What can we say about THIS NAIL OF THE CROSS CALLED CRUELTY? What does cruelty at the Cross of Jesus, the Christ, teach us about God's plan of Salvation?

WELL, ONE THING IT TEACHES, ABOVE ALL ELSE, IS THAT QUITE OFTEN WE ARE TOO EVIL TO SAVE OURSELVES WITHOUT SEEING OUR EVIL THROUGH THE SUFFERING OF OTHER PEOPLE.

Why does the whole world have to see on network news, over and over again, the brutal beating of a drunken, black speeder in Los Angeles before the FBI takes seriously the long-standing cries of police brutality from black and hispanic residents of the city?

Why does a community have to witness the murder of a mother by her fifteen-year-old son, and then his suicide, before parents, students and teachers recognize the seriousness of the young man's social and psychological estrangement from school and family?

Why did Hitler have to exterminate half of the Jewish race in the 1940s before the rest of the world rallied to stop the Nazis? Why did the great Christian nation of Germany, that produced a Bach and a Schweitzer, allow the Nazis to come to power in the first place?

William Shirer, the noted radio reporter stationed in Europe during the awful days of World War II, said this a couple of years ago to Bill Moyers:

"What was important and terrible for an outside observer was that the vast majority of people supported Hitler with incredible enthusiasm. Now, why was that? Well, for one thing, he was giving them full employment. He was im- proving the economics of the place by borrowing a lot of money he never paid back. There's a certain militarism, in our time, in their blood...the Germans didn't care about loss of freedom, as long as they had some prosperity."

Further along in that interview, Shirer said to Moyers: "As you know, President Reagan put out this idea of history that only Hitler, one man, was responsible for the evil, and that the poor German people, including the soldiers, were innocent victims. History gets distorted all the time. I guess we all do it, and that will go on. It's too bad." (pp. 246, 249)

Like history, theology also gets distorted; that we have seen over and over again. The Jews forgot the purpose for which God had called them out under Abraham and Moses. Christian churches forget all too easily, that Jesus died for all people.

Christians in the Middle Ages forgot that the Arabs and Muslims were God's people, too, and consequently earned the enmity of the Middle East, for which the Western World is still paying.

Palestinians and Jews in Israel now have a half-century of grievances against one another. The Palestinians, as a political power, have not bought into the theology of Isaiah, and the Israelis seem blind and deaf to their own historic scriptures that call for the chosen people "to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with their God." As one news columnist has noted the world lives more by reality than by either Isaiah or the Gospels! Then he adds, "Only when people of good will and dreamers of peace on both sides are able to overrule the hard people of reality will tranquil times return to the ancient land of Palestine." (The Daily Jeffersonian, 3/23/91)

Isaiah revealed that God gives power to endure the cruel injustices of those who do evil. Before Isaiah, it was common wisdom that only the guilty suffered, and suffering was a sign of God's displeasure with the sufferer.

So, in a very real way, Isaiah prepared the Jewish mind, and the Greek and Roman world to which Jesus came, for God's new way: Isaiah, inspired by God, was saying that "the suffering of the innocent becomes a medium of salvation to the whole community, for the good and the evil alike! The righteous must be the means of salvation for the unrighteous, for the unrighteous have nothing by which they can save themselves." (Isaiah, McKenize, p. 135)

Why is it always that way; that the innocent have to experience extreme cruelty before the will and the way of the guilty is broken? Will it ever change? Is it really God's way, or is it our human perversity that requires the shedding of blood before we give in?

Why did the indigenous natives of North America have to suffer two centuries of cruel destruction by European Christian invaders who had come, not to save, but to stay?

Why did the evils of cruel slavery in the South require a senseless slaughter of innocent young men from the North and the South in our nation's most costly war before slavery was made illegal?

Why did the idealism of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., have to end in their assassinations before racial equality became the official position of American society?

Why did allied military might have to destroy much of Iraq before Kuwait could be invaded and liberated?

Why did Iraqi troops have to set more than 500 oil wells on fire and unleash terrible loss and environmental calamity to the liberated country before they retreated back to Iraq?

Why did American and other allied forces stop short of a complete takeover of Iraq, as we did Japan and Germany in World War II, and thus provide for that troubled country's liberation just as we liberated Kuwait? Is stopping too soon in a just war as cruel as starting a war?

No one has satisfactory answers to these troubling questions, but from my Biblical perspective, the answers to these heart- rending questions are somehow rooted in the reality that Isaiah put forth in Judah's dark hour:

"Because of our sins God's suffering servant was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received! (53:5)

The cross of Jesus is our only hope in life or in death! It is here that we learn once, and for all times, that the cruelty that people do to one another is not equal to the caring that God gives to the innocent and guilty alike. Isaiah learned it first, but we have seen it at work in the world supremely in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, God's one chosen to reveal His truth.

May we see on the Cross of Calvary both the cruelty of which humanity is capable as well as the divine love of which God is capable, and may we by His grace always choose love over cruelty. Let the prayer that Jesus prayed in his last few seconds of life become our prayer tonight and forever:

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit! Amen."

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DO YOU HAVE A FORGIVING SPIRIT?

Matthew 18:21-35; Psalm 32:1-5; Colossians 3:13

I want to ask you a very important and penetrating question this morning to set the stage for our sermon today. Please answer it in the quietness of your own heart but with utter honesty. Do you have a forgiving spirit? Do you have a forgiving spirit?

You could probably answer this question with both a yes and no. When it comes to the difficult subject of forgiveness, there are always limitations, conditions, circumstances, and varying qualifications to the answer we give.

However, as we gather this morning, we know that forgiveness is central to the living out of the Christian faith. We pray every week in our Lord's Prayer the following petition: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We further recite week after week in the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins."

Yes, forgiveness is something so powerful that it can frustrate us, frighten us, and freeze us into an assortment of human behaviors that can paralyze us in many detrimental ways. It can also "free" us to love more deeply.

From our Gospel lesson today found in St. Matthew 18:21-35 it so frustrates Peter that he asks our Lord Jesus Christ, how many times shall I forgive my brother? It was as though Peter was saying, "Preacher, make it plain," so I can understand. We further know by this time in Matthew's account that Peter had been traveling with our Lord Jesus Christ from towns to villages to cities. Peter had probably heard our Lord Jesus share great teaching stories and parables with the various groups of people as he taught about the necessity of forgiveness and the grace of God. Perhaps his mind had already been stirred by the fabulous parable of the Prodigal Son. Perhaps he had witnessed with his very own eyes the attempted stoning of the woman caught in adultery recorded in John 8:1-11. Peter by now was beginning to see that this thing called forgiveness was an integral part of this new kingdom and new life that Jesus was ushering in. It was not just theological jargon but a lifestyle of obedience to the work of our Lord. Peter knew that forgiveness was both difficult and demanding to the human spirit. He wanted to know just what he was getting himself in for. Peter, never being bashful to open his mouth, asked straightforwardly, "How many times shall I forgive my brother?"

I believe here in this text we see Peter asking for help about the subject called forgiveness. I'm glad, aren't you, that Peter asked for help, because I also need help with this thing called forgiveness. May I ask again, do you have a forgiving spirit?

I want to share today three exhortations for your consideration about this word called forgiveness.

FORGIVENESS IS VERY DIFFICULT UNLESS WE FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST.

A couple of days after President Kennedy was tragically gunned down in Dallas, Texas, a Presbyterian church from the state of Michigan wrote to the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. They had heard that she wished to stay in America and learn the English language. They took it upon themselves to write to her and invite her to come to their community with the promise of finding her a home that she might get a fresh start on a productive life. Unfortunately, many persons both in the local community and from around the nation got wind of this plan and began writing many critical letters about their offer to this widow. One person probably described the situation most correctly when she said, "I never heard of a church doing anything like this before." She knew that forgiveness is not often found even in a group of believers who could probably best be called and known as "sinners anonymous." Forgiveness is so hard.

The minister began the painstaking job of answering each letter that came across his desk that was both unkind and critical of the church's response. With great sensitivity he wrote each person a letter sharing that he understood their feelings and emotions about their efforts on behalf of Mrs. Oswald. However, he ended each letter by sharing, "The only thing you have not shown us is that what we have done would not have been done by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Yes, forgiveness is never easy, but it is the will of God. Forgiveness is not something based on popularity as determined by the most recent Gallop Polls but is a biblical mandate that is reflected in God's salvation act at Calvary.

Fred Snodgrass was a successful baseball player for the Giants, but he was remembered for one of his failures. In the 1912 World Series, he dropped a pop fly. His error set up the winning run, for the next batter hit a single. Consequently, the Giants lost the game and the Series. When he died in 1974, the New York Times printed this headline: "Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead; Ballplayer Muffed Fly in 1912." Sixty-two years later, and yet they could not forget his mistake. Never mind the fact that Fred later became mayor of the city of Oxnard, California, and was a successful banker and rancher and raised a fine family. He dropped a pop up in the 1912 series, and they couldn't forget his mistake. How different from Christ who not only forgets our mistakes but forgives them. (1)

FORGIVENESS IS NEVER EASY BUT IT IS ALWAYS THE WILL OF GOD.

Many years ago there was a movie titled, "Stars in My Crown." It told of an elderly black man who owned a little farm outside a southern town. Some very precious metal was discovered in that area, and suddenly there was pressure on him from many people to sell his land. But he would not sell. He wanted to stay exactly where he was. However, the people in the area would not take "no" for an answer. They did everything they could to make him move. They burned down his barn, shot through his house one night, and eventually threatened to hang him by sundown the next day if he did not agree to sell.

The local Methodist minister heard about the trouble and went to visit the old man. At sundown of the next day, all the leading citizens of the community came to the farm dressed in their white hoods. They were ready to hang the black gentleman if he refused to sell. The farmer came out on the porch to meet them wearing his best clothes. He said that he was ready to die and that he had asked the minister to draw up for him his Last Will and Testament, which he wanted to have read at that time.

The minister read the will, and those present realized quickly the old man was giving everything to them. He willed the farm to the banker who seemed so hellbent on having it. He gave his rifle to another of the men there who had first learned to hunt with it. He gave his fishing pole to another. In fact, that old man gave everything he had to the people who were prepared to kill him. He killed them first with love and affection.

The impact was incredible. Seeing goodness given in the face of such animosity was more than any of them could tolerate. One by one, in shame, they turned away, and the entire lynching mob disappeared. The minister's grandson had watched everything from a distance, and as everyone departed, he ran up to his grandfather and asked, "What kind of will was that, Granddaddy?

The old minister answered, "That, my son, was the will of God."

Doesn't that make you think about the cross? And thinking about the cross makes us think about God and God's forgiving, self- giving love. This is the way we sing about it:

And when I think that God his Son not sparing Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing He bled and died, to take away my sin. (2)

This man was able to forgive because he had been forgiven by his Father in Heaven and he in turn could then pass on and share the gift of forgiveness in any circumstance of life. This man was able to forgive because he was close to the heart and mind of God.

The story is told about a young man who applied for a job with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (better known to us as PennDOT). His application was accepted and he was given the job of painting the white lines on a nearby roadway by hand because all the machines were temporarily out of order.

The first day he painted eight miles. The second day he painted four miles. The third day he painted two miles. The fourth day he only painted one mile.

His supervisor, who at first was very pleased with his performance, became curious why his production level continued to decrease. The young man replied, "I am getting slower and slower because the paint can is getting further and further away."

If you find that your ability to forgive is getting more difficult and further away from the will of God, perhaps it is because you are not as close as you should be to the heart and mind of the Lord Jesus Christ.

GOD'S FORGIVENESS OF US IS CONTINGENT ON OUR FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS.

The Bible is very clear here. If we do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our Heavenly Father forgive us. We must forgive in order to be forgiven. There is a good reason for this. The love of God cannot enter an unforgiving heart, and if we don't allow God's forgiveness to first enter us, we can't pass on what we haven't yet received. However, once we genuinely experience it, we can do nothing else but forgive. Being unforgiving has the effect of locking the door of the heart from the inside; since our God never forces His way in or kicks down the door, we must first open it from the inside.

A captive was once brought before King James II of England. The King chided the prisoner: "You know that it is in my power to pardon you?" The scared, shaking prisoner replied, "Yes, I know it is in your power to pardon me, but it is not in your nature." The prisoner had keen insight to know that unless a person had a spiritual rebirth that we have no nature to forgive.

The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is that it is both in the power and the nature of Jesus to forgive and to pardon. Yes, Jesus doesn't forgive the sin as much as he forgives us.

Frederick Buechner, who is a most creative Christian writer, shares that of the seven deadly sins, anger is probably the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel, both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. This skeleton at the feast is you.

I close with the story told about a woman who heard the imminent return of Christ was at hand, and he was going to knock on her door at 3:00 p.m. that day for a short visit. She prepared herself and her house for such a royal visit. At 3:00 p.m. the bell rang. She ran enthusiastically to the door, and she was disappointed because there stood an angry bitter, cold, frowning, grotesque looking person. She shouted out, "Who are you?" and Jesus said, "Didn't you expect me to be here?" She shouted out, "You are not the real Christ." He said, "You are absolutely right, I am not. I'm the Christ everyone sees in you."

Unless we forgive 70 times 7 the real Christ will never live inside of us. It is a lifestyle--not a luxury.

The Christian way is a way of love and forgiveness. Real love can only be born because you have experienced God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Remember his forgiveness is both real and liberating. It will set you "free" to forgive others and--the hardest task of all--to forgive yourself.

WHERE ARE YOU IN THIS STORY TODAY?

How are you responding to Christ's offer today?

I hope and pray that we can all stand at the foot of the cross. Each time we stand at the foot of the cross two truths emerge for us:

At the Cross we are reminded of our need of forgiveness.

At the Cross we are reminded we are already forgiven.

Do you have a forgiving spirit?

------------------

1. Thanks to Maxie Dunnam, PERCEPTIONS, Bristol books.

2. BOOK OF HYMNS, No. 17, The United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN, 1964.

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THE STRUGGLE OF MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

I read with great laughter a story that appeared in the New Yorker Magazine a couple of weeks ago concerning a 61-year-old Massachusetts grandmother who took some wrong turns and made some poor choices as to which roads to take with her school bus on the first day of her new job as a driver. She got so lost that she wound up in the state of Connecticut. Because she had already picked up ten kids on her route, an all-points bulletin was issued for her on charges of kidnapping and, since she had crossed the state line, the F.B.I. was called in. After finally locating the lady and interrogating her, though, the police and F.B.I. agents concluded that she had made some wrong turns and simply lost her way.

MY SERMON THIS MORNING HAS TO DO WITH CHOICES AND WHAT IS INVOLVED IN MAKING CHOICES. The story recorded in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy put me onto this subject. You will recall that this is part of Moses' farewell address in which he is recounting those acts done by God. He reminds the people of Israel that it was God who freed them from their captivity while in Egypt and that it was God who journeyed with them through the wilderness.

In response the people are told that they now stand before God in order to enter into the Covenant. Obedience to the Covenant of God would mean crossing the river and going into the Promised Land. However, disobedience meant that they would be rooted out of their land. Moses was placing the choice squarely before them. He offers death or life.

Moses must have known that folks like to have some guidance when it comes to making choices, so he was willing to offer some suggestions. We all would accept some guidance. Many in this room face difficult choices. Some of our choices are not always black and white, but sometimes are in the grey area because that is the best that can be done. Not all choices are between obvious right and wrong, and oftentimes our choices are made with the full knowledge that it is not necessarily right or wrong, but it is the best choice that can be made at that moment.

Charlie Brown was once asked by Peppermint Patty if he knew any good rules for living and he gave her his own personal set: "Keep the ball low; don't leave your crayons in the sun, use dental floss every day; don't spill the shoe polish; don't let the ants get in the sugar, and always get your first serve in." That is not a bad list. It is not nearly as adequate as the list offered to us by Moses in his farewell speech, however, when he offered the five verbs of life:

1. Loving the Lord
2. Walking in his ways
3. Keeping his Commandments
4. Obeying his voice
5. Cleaving or being faithful to God.

These five verbs of life turn out to be our way to the Promised Land. They will greatly assist us in the process of making choices. This morning I would like to suggest to you some ideas that ought to be considered when making choices.

FIRST, THERE ARE USUALLY MORE CHOICES THAN WE REALIZE.

Not only are there many choices, but sooner or later, we come to grips with the reality that at some time we must choose and we must be accountable for our choices. There are some persons who will try to go through life without making choices. This is often very dangerous. Seminary professor Dr. Stanley J. Manking used to tell his classes that every road will lead to nowhere when you don't know where you are going. That is good advice for seminary graduates; that is good advice for everyone who participates in the human race. Moses is telling us that it is only by choosing the proper pathway, "life and good over death and evil" that we can ever possibly find our way into the Promised Land. The question before each and every one of us is what or where is your Promised Land? Where is it that you want to go? Where do you want to reside? There are many Promised Lands, but only one belongs to God. Therefore, there are many choices.

The phrase, "The Devil made me do it," makes for good comedy, but poor theology, in my judgment. The Devil does not make us do anything. We are assured the Devil is powerless against a faithful person. You and I are talked or enticed into only what we want to be talked or enticed into.

The flip side of the coin would suggest that God does not make us do anything either. God invited and encourages, but does not force us to act in any particular way. If God made us do good works or made us choose the proper choice, what credit would that be to us? We would have exercised no choice at all. It is always a matter choice, just as it was a matter of choice for those persons sitting on the banks of the Jordan River, anticipating the great life in the Promised Land, but the choice would have to be theirs.

Once a young, eager seminary graduate said: "There are two sides to every question." " Yep," said one of the older professors, "and there are two sides to fly paper, but it makes a difference to the fly which side it chooses." Moses was telling folks how to get to the Promised Land. It's a matter of choice and to guide us in our choices he offers the five verbs of life. If we attempt to follow those five verbs, Loving the Lord, Walking in his way, Keeping the Commandments, Obeying his voice, and Cleaving to God, we will be able to feel good about the choices we have made.

SECOND, ANY DECISION OF SIGNIFICANT MAGNITUDE WILL BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE.

In thd award-wi
ning novel, "Gandhi," a Hindu leader comes to the bedside of Gandhi, who is now near death, pleading with him to end his long fast. Gandhi reaffirms that he will end his fast only when the Hindus and Muslems stop fighting.

The Hindu, with hatred for the Muslems burning in his eyes, says he will continue fighting. To justify his resolve, he tells how Muslems took his little boy and crushed his head. He, in turn, captured a Muslem boy and killed him the same way. Then he added sorrowfully, "I have been living in Hell."

Gandhi reflects on this a moment and then says softly, "I think I know a way out of hell." And with the Hindu hanging on his words, Gandhi tells him, "Go and find a boy similar to the son the Muslems killed, take him into your home as your son, and raise him as a Muslem."

Gandhi places before the anguished Hindu father the kind of choice Moses placed before the people l out to e ter the Promised Land. A way out of hell is to choose life over death. One's choice brings God's blessing or it can bring God's curse. "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse: therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants might live."

We decide. We choose, and as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. Choices of substance are seldom easy to make. We may make wrong decisions, but even that is okay, for we have the choice of admitting a wrong decision and the assurance of God's freedom and forgiveness that enables us to make another choice.

You see, the question which every person has to answer for himself is this: `Wilt thou be a hero or a coward?" Obviously, the possibility of either one resides within the life of each of us. A coward stresses the difficulties and wants to play it safe by waiting until he can see his way clear beyond all shadow of doubt. The hero, however, sees the difficulties and is willing to grasp the lantern of faith which lights the way for the next step, and steps courageously forward. That kind of choice will be guided by God.

FINALLY, ONLY THOSE DECISIONS WHICH ENCOMPASS THE FIVE VERBS OF LIFE WILL GET US TO A PROMISED LAND THAT IS WORTHY OF REACHING.

Our choices are vital because God has given us the opportunity to find answers in the choices we make. If I may quote Gandhi again, "In the midst of death, life persists; in the midst of untruth, truth persists; in the midst of darkness, light persists." We make the choices that bring about life, truth and light.

We may not always understand why things happen to us, but no matter what happens to us, we at least have a choice as to how to respond, and it is often that response that determines what our existence is going to be like in the Promised Land.

Recently I was struck by the story of two paraplegics. One was Kenneth Wright, a high school football star, boxer, hunter, and an avid wrestler. A broken neck, sustained in a wrestling match in 1979, left Kenneth paralyzed from the chest down. He underwent therapy and his doctors were hopeful that one day he would be able to walk with the help of braces and crutches. But, apparently the former athlete could not reconcile himself to his physical disability. He prevailed upon two of his best friends to take him in his wheelchair to a wooded area, where they left him alone with a 12-gauge shotgun. After they left, he held the shotgun to his abdomen and pulled the trigger, Kenneth Wright, 24, committed suicide.

The second paraplegic in the news was Jim McGowan. Thirty-five years ago at the age of 19, Jim was stabbed and left paralyzed from the chest down. He is now confined to a wheelchair and has been for many years. But he has been in the news recently because he made a successful parachute jump, landing on his target in the middle of Lake Wallenpaupack in the Poconos. Newspeople learned a number of interesting things about him. Jim lives alone, cooks his meals, washes his clothes, and keeps and cleans his own home. He drives himself in his specially- equipped automobile. He has written three books, and did the photography for the country's first book on the history of wheel-chair sports. Three years ago he tried to swim the English Channel. Two paraplegics: one chose life, the other did not.

This only serves to illustrate the fact that most of the choices you and I have to make are usually "either-or" propositions. There isn't much of a middle ground. Practically all of the Biblical choices are either-or propositions. It is simply not possible to come down on the side of both life and death or good and evil.

Some try it, but those who do often remind me of those equestrian riders in the circus with a foot on two horses riding side by side. Even if they manage some semblance of balance, straddling the two horses, they only go in circles. Biblical choices are never easy. They are often like Jesus telling the rich man to "go and sell what you have and give it to the poor," or like Gandhi telling a Hindu wrestling in hell, "go and find a son and raise him as a Muslem..." Not many can do it; not many do it, but the few who do know the rewards of life and blessing.

The reward? The reward, or the Promised Land, so to speak, is that assurance that our voice is one which will be pleasing to God.

Abraham Lincoln was once asked by a member of a certain church who was making a plea for a certain cause and closed his remarks with the pious hope "that the Lord is on our side."

President Lincoln responded by commenting, "I am not at all concerned about that for we know that the Lord is always on the side of right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should choose to be on the Lord's side."

Today we know the things that will make for peace, but will we do them? Blessed are the peace-makers for they are the children of God.

Discipleship begins with such a choice. To be on the Lord's side is far more an important issue than trying to get the Lord to be on our side. When the FIVE VERBS OF LIFE are put into action, we stand an excellent choice of getting to our Promised Land. Amen and Amen.

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PALMS PROJECT A NEW POWER-FILLED PERSON

Everyone loves a winner. One psychologist has described our age as the age of the "Winner Syndrome." Everybody wants to identify with a winner. Advertisers know that. When they select celebrities to endorse their products, they want people identified in the public eye as winners.

In 1980, pollsters were shocked and amazed when the national television newscasters projected a winner for the Presidential election on the East coast at 8:00 p.m. It greatly influenced the voting of people out on the West coast especially in the state of California. Studies show that many people there voted exclusively for the persons projected as the winner. They no longer voted because of moral or political convictions, but voted for a winner. One voter when interviewed about it said, "I didn't want to have to tell my wife that I voted for a loser again." Now political pollsters aren't supposed to predict the winner until the polls have closed. We hope that helps.

They say television programs that are planned in advance must project a clear-cut winner or the show will not be very successful. Television executives have learned that Americans demand a clear-cut winner.

This is why sports programming has become so important in American culture. Everybody loves a winner. When you see a football or basketball coach's name listed in the paper, you often see their won/lost record listed behind their name.

I heard this week of a college football coach who had gone undefeated this past season. The coach was having dinner with the college president who was praising him up one side and down the other for having the best won/lost season ever. The college president said he was the best friend that he had on campus. The coach then asked, "Mr. President, would you be this friendly to me if we had lost all eleven games instead of winning all eleven games?" The college president said, "Of course you would be my friend, BUT I SURE WOULD MISS YOU A LOT AROUND HERE."

I think it was Bear Bryant, the legendary coach at Alabama, who once said it was unfair to have coaches always judged on their won/lost record. What if doctors had to have their records listed in the Yellow Pages: 1,149 operations; 500 deaths, 500 recoveries, 149 still alive, but barely kicking. What if everybody's profession HAD TO LIST THEIR WON/LOST RECORDS? Jesus healed 10 lepers, but only ONE leper cared enough to give thanks.

Well, I believe Palm Sunday deals with the question of might, power, and winning. The ancient story of the palms, for me, PROJECTS A NEW KIND OF POWER-FILLED PERSON. You see, a palm was a kind of trophy. It was like a ribbon for one who had won something or achieved something. A palm could then be a sign of one who was a winner.

When Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, the people spread out their garments and palms. Perhaps they wanted to signify to the Roman Empire `Now you have met your match,' and `Here is our winner--our military Messiah who is going to wipe you out.' Then Jesus, to their disappointment, taught them something different about winning. He was not the kind of Messiah they expected him to be. In only five days his welcome party turned into an ugly crucifixion.

Recently one of the members of our church family shared with me a clipping from a religious paper that describes the difference between a loser and a winner. Please listen closely.

A winner is always part of the answer (solution);

a loser is always part of the problem.

A winner always has a program or response;

a loser always has an excuse or explanation.

A winner says "Let me do it for you,"

a loser always says "That is not my job."

A winner sees an answer in every problem; a loser sees a problem in every answer.

A winner exclaims `It may be difficult, but

it is possible;' a loser cries out `It may

be possible, but much too difficult.'

A winner makes a commitment;

a loser makes promises.

FIRST, JESUS TELLS US THAT IN ORDER TO BE A POWER-FILLED PERSON (OR A WINNER) WE MUST BECOME NEW PERSONS RATHER THAN IMPROVED PERSONS.

We can only become children of God through the grace of God given in Jesus Christ, not by improvements. We hear so much today about improving ourselves. You can go to a bookstore and literally buy hundreds of books on how to improve yourself. Society is always letting us know how to improve.

God is not interested in improving us. God is interested in giving us a new birth by water and the spirit. In John 3: 3-7, we find out that Jesus is not in the improvement business, but in the TRANSFORMATION business. Nicodemus wanted to be a winner. He wanted to improve himself. He felt this would help him win the favor of this man named Jesus whom he had heard so much about. Jesus doesn't give Nicodemus any new teaching to help him improve. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be BORN AGAIN. "You must die to yourself and all thoughts of human achievement and justification and become completely dependent on God. You must start at the beginning; no halfway methods will be enough."

In II Cor. 5:17, Paul shares the important truth: "If any person is in Christ, the old things have passed away; all things have become new."

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 9:17 that you can't take old wineskins and pour in new wine. An old wineskin was made of leather and it became stiff as it aged. When the NEW WINE was put in, it would FERMENT and expand and break open the old wineskins.

Jesus isn't interested in patching old things, but bringing new life and new beginnings.

THE PSALMIST DAVID CRIED OUT "CREATE IN ME, O LORD, A CLEAN HEART." A NEW HEART--NOT AN IMPROVED HEART.

If you want to be a power-filled person in God's Kingdom, don't buy any old book on self -improvement. Instead, get on your knees and ask God to do a new work in your life. Then follow the guidelines and instructions of this old, old book.

One day in New York City a communist and a Christian were debating. They both saw an old drunk pass by on the street who only had tattered, worn-out clothes on. The communist said that the genius of Communism was that they would put a new suit of clothes on the man. The Christian then said the genius of Christianity was that they would put A NEW MAN IN THAT SUIT.

ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN GIVE US A NEW START--A NEW HEART.

SECONDLY, IN ORDER TO BE WINNERS, WE MUST LEARN TO GIVE RATHER THAN GET. JESUS ISN'T INTERESTED IN WHAT A PERSON GETS AS MUCH AS WHAT HE GIVES.

This runs 180 degrees counter to what our culture teaches today. The first word out of most people's mouths when they go in for a job interview is--What do I get? What is my salary? My benefits? My vacation time? What is coming to me? Most people live by the motto "What can I get out of life?"

In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus tells about a farmer who was quite successful. His picture was on the cover of FORTUNE, and the Jerusalem WALL STREET JOURNAL. He had to tear down his barns and build BIGGER ONES. Many of his neighbors cried out `Look, he is a successful man.'

JESUS, HOWEVER, WASN'T IMPRESSED. JESUS CALLED HIM A FOOL!!!!

God is always impressed by what you give and share--not by what you get and accumulate.

One day a wealthy man came to Jesus and wanted to be a follower. Jesus said he had to move from being a GETTER TO A GIVER. Jesus said, "Take what you have and sell it and give what you receive to the poor and then follow me."

Jesus said to Zaccheus he must move from being a GETTER TO A GIVER.

Jesus said the best evidence of a Christian is the way a person uses or abuses his finances. Are you a giver or a getter?

Look at your checkbook stubs from last month. What do they show? Are you close to the biblical standard of tithing? Has God's word converted your pocketbook as well? Are you stealing from God and keeping for yourselves?

Albert Schweitzer once said "You can divide the world into two groups - TAKERS or GIVERS ."

THIRDLY, JESUS SAID IT IS NOT BEING SERVED BUT BY SERVING THAT YOU WILL BE A "WINNER" IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

The night in which Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper, He gathered his disciples around the table. They were arguing over who was the greatest--who was the winner--who would get the golden ring. Jesus took a towel and a wash basin and knelt and washed their feet.

FEET!

JUST PLAIN, ORDINARY,
TIRED FEET!
JESUS CARED
ABOUT FEET.
HE DIDN'T IGNORE THE HEAD, THE HEART, THE SOUL
--SPECTACULAR THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT I'M ESPECIALLY GLAD
THAT HE CARED ABOUT FEET.
NOT MANY MESSIAHS EVER DID THAT.
YOU CAN BE ELOQUENT
AND BEAUTIFULLY ABSTRACT
ABOUT PEOPLE'S HEADS AND HEARTS AND SOULS.
BUT IT'S HARD TO BE
REMOVED FROM HUMAN NEED
WHEN YOU'RE KNEELING DOWN ON THE FLOOR
WASHING ANOTHER PERSON'S FEET.
DUSTY ROADS ARE SCARCE
AND VERY FEW SANDALS ARE WORN THESE DAYS.
BUT FEET TRAPPED IN LEATHER
ARE JUST AS TIRED
--AND JUST AS IGNORED--
THERE STILL AREN'T MANY
MESSIAHS AROUND
WHO CARE ABOUT FEET.
~~ WILLIAM T. JOYNER

He took a towel, not a sword
to share the dream that night
Reveal the truth, too long ignored,
That peace can only be restored
By serving, not by might.

LASTLY, WE BECOME WINNERS IN THE KINGDOM WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO DIE TO CHRIST RATHER THAN LIVING IN SIN.

What do most television commercials tell you to do? Live it up--go for all the gusto. " The night belongs to Michelob." "You only go around once; be sure you live it up."

Jesus taught that it is the person who dies to self who will experience real life now and life forever in Heaven.

I PETER 2:24 says, "HE BORE OUR SINS ON THE TREE THAT WE MIGHT DIE TO SIN, SO WE COULD LIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS."

PHILIPPIANS 1:21 says, "FOR ME TO DIE IS GAIN, FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST."

I am Chairman of the Allentown District Board of Ordained Ministries. In the fall we had to interview eight ministers and approve them to be recommended for the next step in the ordination process. I always ask these candidates what is their favorite Bible verse as it relates to ministry. They are interviewed one at a time for one hour. Of the eight interviewed, six chose Philippians 1:21 or Galatians 2:20. Inside my soul I shouted, "glory be to God." The Ministry is in good hands when people are willing to die to self, and proclaim Jesus Christ as the Lord of Life.

IN JOHN 12:24 IT SAYS THAT UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLS INTO THE EARTH AND DIES, IT REMAINS ALONE; BUT IF IT DIES IT BEARS MUCH FRUIT. The same principle is involved in our spiritual life.

On Palm Sunday when he came marching into town Jesus was proclaimed a winner by the crowd. But he gave a new definition of winning: become a new person rather than an improved person; concentrate on giving rather than getting; serve rather than being served; die to Christ rather than living it up in sin.

Yes, Americans love a winner. So does God--if we go about winning Jesus'way.

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OUR DAMASCUS ROAD EXPERIENCE

Acts 9:1--20

Have you ever noticed that most of us fit into one of four styles of behavior? That's what some psychologists tell us--four distinct styles of behavior. Some of us are dominant. Dominant folks like to be in control. Nobody has to ask dominant people what they think. They are blunt, direct--fast to make judgements and ready to take action.

Then there are those for whom life is a party. These are "people" people. They like to talk. They are very animated. They like meeting new friends. Their nature is optimistic. They are fun to be around.

Then there are folks who are marked by their steadiness. They like situations that are dependable, predictable. They're not the rah-rah type. They will never be the life of the party, but they're good listeners. They make others feel comfortable.

Finally, there are the detail people. They like to do things right. They take care of the little things and are highly conscientious. Some people call them perfectionists. Some of them are. But most of them simply take pride in a job well-done.

Four personality types--all valued, all necessary. There is a clever story that helps illustrate these four types of personality.

Four of King Arthur's knights were guilty of betraying him. They were sentenced to die on the guillotine. Somehow, though, as the blade was ready to drop, it jammed. King Arthur took this as a sign that he should show mercy and give the knights their freedom. The reaction of the four knights to this good news tells us a lot about their personalities.

The knight high in dominance growled, "I told you I was innocent. This execution should never have been planned in the first place!"

The knight who was primarily a people person shouted, "We're free! We're free! Let's go party!"

The steady knight was consoling the executioner, "I want you to know," he said, "that I don't blame you. You were just doing your job."

Meanwhile, the detail oriented knight had been staring thoughtfully at the jammed blade on guillotine. "Hmmm," he said aloud, "I think I see how this thing can be fixed!"

Four distinct styles of personality. I'll let you choose your own category.

St. Paul would definitely belong in the category for high dominance. There was nothing retiring about his personality. He was direct, forceful. Such folks are sometimes wrong, but never in doubt. They are wonderful folks who get things done in this world, but misguided, they can be a menace.

When we first meet St. Paul, his name is Saul and he definitely is a menace. Christians trembled at the very mention of his name, for he had vowed to destroy their tiny but growing movement. Saul was a zealot--a religious fanatic--a man so certain that he was right that he persecuted those whose views differed from his own. After all, if he was right, they had to be wrong. Maybe you know someone with a dominant personality.

Have you noticed how God dealt with Saul, though? Those who have studied the four personality types tell us that the dominant person fears loss of control more than any one thing. They like to be in charge. They hate to depend on anyone but themselves. And what happened to Saul? As he neared Damascus on his mission of persecution, a brilliant light from heaven blinded him! He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

"Who is speaking, sir?" Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city and await my further instructions."

Saul picked himself off the ground. He was now blind and helpless. Did you note that? A man who prided himself on being self-sufficient, who feared loss of control more than anything else in the world was now blind and helpless. He had to depend on someone else to lead him through the streets. Without someone to bring him food and water he would have died. His blindness was only temporary, but for three days Saul the dominant became Saul the dependant. Do you think perhaps God had a message for Saul? My guess is He did. Do you think perhaps God has a message for each of us? My guess is He does. We can learn from Saul's experience.

FIRST OF ALL, GOD WORKS WITH EACH OF US ACCORDING TO OUR OWN NEEDS. Each of us is unique and because we are unique God works with us in different ways. The sad part is that we make the same mistake that St. Paul made. We try to fit everyone into our mold.

Dr. Lee Morris tells a delightful story from years ago about an Episcopalian who died and went to Heaven. St. Peter was conducting him through Purgatory when he saw some people who were just miserable. So he asked, "Who are those people and what have they done to deserve this?"

St. Peter said, "Those are Jews, and they are guilty of eating ham."

They went on and found another group in worse shape, so the man asked who they were and what they had done. St. Peter said, "Those are Catholics, and they are guilty of eating ham on Fridays."

They went on and found a group of people even more miserable, and so he asked, "Who are these people, and what have they done?"

"Well," said St. Peter, "those are Episcopalians, and they were caught eating ham with their salad forks."

So many of the differences between Christians have more to do with individual tastes and backgrounds than they do with authentic faith. Is Gospel music or Bach more sacred in God's eyes? Is God to be worshipped before an ornate altar or in a bare, unadorned room? Is conversion instantaneous or can it be a life-long growth in grace?

God speaks to us in different ways according to our own needs and experiences. We are on shaky ground any time we presume to judge another's experience of God. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO RECOGNIZE WHEN GOD IS DEALING WITH US AND TO RESPOND.

There are very few problems in life that God doesn't give us some kind of warning about. That's true in our marriages, with our health, in our business and in almost every area of life. Chuck Swindoll uses the analogy of a warning light on the dash of a car. This warning light glows red when your engine overheats. Now, one thing you can do if that light comes on is hit it with a hammer. Then you keep right on driving. This will work for a while. But soon the car will stop and you'll look under the hood, and kick yourself for attacking the wrong problem. This is how most of us go through life--hitting the warning signs with a hammer while ignoring the real problems.

In his book, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, Commentator Paul Harvey tells about an announcement that came across the intercom of a passenger jet. "There's a warning light for the thermal expander valve on the number two engine," said the pilot, "and I will not fly until it is replaced. Please return to the terminal waiting room."

The passengers were off the plane only ten minutes when they were told to get back on again.

A passenger from Hartland, Minnesota, asked a flight attendant, "Did they get a new thermal expander valve already?"

The attendant said, "My land, no! There's not one of those things within a thousand miles. They got us a new pilot."

That's one way of dealing with life's warning lights. And that's sad. Those warning lights are so important. A lump in the breast needs to be examined immediately. A teenager who becomes remote and withdrawn needs help without delay. Couples who can no longer find enough to talk about to make it through a meal together need to give attention to their marriage. So it is with warning signs about our spiritual life. An emptiness--a general sense of dissatisfaction with life--a decreasing ability to control our behavior--a general blindness to the needs of those around us--may be warning signs that our relationship with God is deteriorating.

Saul probably received a warning light as he stood holding Stephen's garment as the mob stoned Stephen to death. Perhaps that is why Saul became even more fierce in his determination to stamp out this new Christian sect.

That's the way we sometimes respond to warning lights. We become defensive and we become more determined than ever to pursue our own stupid designs. But God had a message for Saul. God had a ministry for St. Paul. And God has a message and a ministry for each of us. God got Saul's attention. Is God trying to get your attention?

Most of us won't have the same kind of experience St. Paul had. Why? Because God works according to our needs and our experiences. GOD WILL GIVE SIGNS, HOWEVER, TO THOSE WILLING TO SEE.

He will speak to those willing to listen. Why? That's His nature. He cares about each of us. He wants only the best for us. It breaks His heart to see us continually fouling up our lives. Thus He tries to make Himself known. Over a lifetime He speaks again and again. If we listen, we will hear Him.

Once there was a young man named Francis. Like some of us, Francis tried to ignore God's warning signals in his life. Francis intended to become a priest. His father was a medical doctor, however, and wanted him to study medicine. Francis' real passion was poetry. He never told his father that. To make matters worse, while he was in his early twenties his mother suddenly died. Francis' world crumbled about him. Unable to pass his medical school exams, he went to London where he lived as a tramp and an opium addict.

But something kept pulling at him. One night, under a lamp post, he scribbled an essay on a piece of paper and sent it, along with some brief poems, to the editors of a magazine. They ignored his grimy letter for six months. Then one day, one of them happened upon it and quickly recognized the mark of genius. The editors made unsuccessful efforts to find him. They published his poetry anyway. Months later, Francis Thompson saw his published work. He went to the publishing office and identified himself as the author. The editors of the magazine befriended him and guided him to the care of a Christian home in London. Francis eventually conquered his opium addiction. He entered a church school. Later he wrote one of the most famous poems in Christian literature, "The Hound of Heaven."

He had been meditating on these words from Psalm 23: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Francis Thompson knew the truth of those words from his own experience. He wrote, "I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years." And he compared God to a great hound who would not give up the chase.

God speaks to each of us according to our own needs. He places evidences of His love on every side. He gives us warning signals when our lives are askew. Saul had a dominant personality. He believed that he could handle every situation. What a surprise to find himself blind and helpless. God dealt so effectively with Paul that he never again bragged about what he could do of his own strength. Rather he testified, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Is God dealing with you this morning? Has He placed some warning signs in your life? This is a good day to heed those signs and to make a new beginning with God's help.

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LIKE THE LOVE OF A MOTHER

John 10:22-30

A man was boarding an airplane one day. As he came on board, he happened to notice that the head of the plane's cockpit flight crew was a woman. That was no problem. Still, it was a new experience for him.

As he found his seat, he noticed three persons sitting immediately behind him. One was a young boy about six or seven years of age. Next to him was a man in his early thirties. And next to the man was a woman in her early sixties.

The man could not help overhearing the conversation among these three persons as the plane made final plans for departure from the gate. It was not long before he realized that they were the woman pilot's family. The boy was her son. The man was her husband. And the older woman was her mother. Suddenly he realized why the family was on the plane. This was the first time the woman pilot had been the head of a flight crew! They were there to honor her promotion.

The plane taxied down the runway and poised itself for takeoff. The engines began to roar, and the plane gained speed quickly. Within seconds they were airborne. As the plane began to ascend the bank to the south, the six- year-old boy began to applaud! "Way to go, Mom. Way to go!" (1)

This morning we are applauding our Moms. "Way to go, Moms, way to go!" Truly, today's Mom deserves all the support and applause she can get.

Our text this morning suggests that God is like a loving Mom--and a loving Dad as well. Jesus uses the analogy of the Good Shepherd, but he could be speaking of the good parent just as easily. He says, "My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me." (NIV)

On this day when we honor our mothers and celebrate the significance of the Christian family, what are some of the analogies we could draw between the love of a parent and the love of God?

FOR ONE THING, THE LOVE OF GOD IS A VERY PERSONAL KIND OF LOVE.

"My sheep recognize my name," says Jesus, "and I know them...."

There is a delightful story about Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the military hero of a few years back.

MacArthur was highly thought of in Washington and was regarded as a leader. However, he also had a reputation for being a cold fish personally. So his Public Relations people came up with an idea. They would have him review a contingent of veterans. In the middle of the review they would have him suddenly recognize an enlisted man who had served under him during the war.

"It will be a tremendously moving and human moment," the advisers said to MacArthur. "Out of hundreds of men lined up for your inspection, you will suddenly pick out a single individual, call him by name and recall past campaigns." MacArthur agreed to go along with the plan.

So they set up the inspection and chose their veteran. The lucky soldier would be unaware that he'd been singled out for the honor. They went through the Army records, found out everything about the fellow and figured out precisely where he would be standing when MacArthur marched through the ranks. To be on the safe side, they arranged for an aide to nudge MacArthur discreetly when he was directly in front of the proper soldier.

It all went off like clockwork. MacArthur saluted the veterans, the veterans saluted MacArthur. The general began his march along the lines of soldiers. At the right moment, the aide gave MacArthur the nudge.

MacArthur halted. He turned and looked at the man standing stiffly at attention in front of him. "Jones!" he boomed. "We were together on Corregidor. You are Corporal Jones. I remember you."

Jones looked startled for a moment. Then he peered at the general with a puzzled expression. Finally, he blurted out somewhat quizzically: "MacArthur?" (2)

General MacArthur got his bubble burst that day. It served him right. We live in a lonely world. So much that is counted as love is artificial. It sometimes seems that we don't really count for much. But there is one place where most of us still are somebody. That is at home. At home we are not simply a number. We are a valued member of the family. So it is with God. With God we are more than a number--more than a face in the crowd. God loves us with a very personal love. Even the very hair of our head is counted. That is the first thing to be said from our Scripture. The love of God is a very personal love.

FOR ANOTHER THING, THE LOVE OF GOD IS A VERY GIVING KIND OF LOVE.

"My sheep recognize my voice," says Jesus, "and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish...." The very nature of God is to give. He gave us life in the first place. He sustains our lives with His gifts of sunshine and rain and much more. And when our days are finished on this planet, He gives us eternal life. Jesus once asked, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7: 9-11) God is a giving God.

A mother took her six-year-old boy into a doctor's crowded waiting room. As they waited their turn, he began to ask her all kinds of questions. In half an hour he managed to cover almost every subject known to humanity. To the wonder of all the others sitting in the room, his mother answered each question carefully and patiently. Inevitably, he got around to God. As the other people listened to his relentless "how's" and "why's," it was plain to see by the expressions on their faces that they wondered: "How does she stand it?" But when she answered her son's next question, she answered theirs too. "Why," he asked, "doesn't God ever get tired and just stop?" "Because," she replied after a moment's thought, "God is love; and love never gets tired." (3) That's true.

If you or I were God, we would tire of giving, particularly when we get so little gratitude in return.

A pastor was visiting some of his parishioners. He took his young daughter with him. As they visited an elderly couple, the man gave her a handful of peanuts. Expecting her to show a spirit of gratitude, the father asked his daughter, "Honey, what are you supposed to say?" Sincerely, and with her eyes fixed upon the man, she asked, "You got any more?" (4)

That sounds like many of us. We accept God's gifts, never saying "thank you" but simply asking, "Have you got any more?" Yet God keeps giving. That is His nature.

FOR YOU SEE, GOD'S LOVE NEVER QUITS.

Jesus said, "No one will snatch them from me...." St. Paul said, "Nothing shall separate us from the love of God...." and that is good news. God never quits loving. That's also true of the love of a faithful parent.

Of course, there are two sides to this. A man wrote to READER'S DIGEST recently. Here is what he said:

"My mother has always treated me like her baby, no matter what my age. After turning 30, I purchased a computer and learned to use it. Thinking I'd impress her with my skill and maturity, I sent her a well-written letter, complete with computer graphics, borders and an elaborate typeface.

"I phoned to ask what she thought of the letter. `It's lovely, dear,' she replied. `I have it hanging on the refrigerator for all the neighbors to see.'

Any of you know a mother like that--who still sees a thirty year-old- offspring as a child? It's not all that uncommon. At least we know we are loved. The good parent never quits loving--even when we don't deserve it.

Arnold Prater, in his book YOU CAN HAVE JOY!, tells about a man in a little English village named John Deckard. He was a clerk in a textile factory. A modest and quiet man, he lived in an ordinary little house at the edge of town with his wife and his six-year-old son, Rob. Like thousands of Englishmen, every morning John put on his plain tweed suit, got on his bicycle, and rode to work.

Returning home at five in the evening, he would work in his garden until suppertime. Then he would spend a quiet evening with his pipe and family. He was a very ordinary man living what most people would call a very ordinary life.

But he had one claim to fame. For five consecutive years he had won the blue ribbon in the Village Garden Show with his prize rose. It had gone on so long that people had come to expect it. John Deckard's prize rose would win, and that was that.

Behind his house was his rose garden. When he returned home each evening, he would don his coveralls and spend his time out there with his roses. Some said he had more than just "a way with flowers." Some said he mothered them, that he talked to them and that they understood what he said.

This year, deep in his own heart, John Deckard knew that he would again win the blue ribbon, for this year his rose was truly a rose among roses. Never had he seen such perfection in a flower. This was his masterpiece and as he watched it daily, his contentment and pride grew.

The show was on Saturday and he planned to transplant his rose to a pot early in the morning. But while he was at breakfast, the tragedy happened. His little son Rob burst into the kitchen, and chatting excitedly he rushed to the table and cried, "Look Daddy, look what I have for you!"

And in his grimy little hand, half its petals gone, its head drooping, was John Deckard's prize rose.

That afternoon, visitors to the Garden Show were astonished when they came to John Deckard's entry. For in a flower pot he had thrust a stick, and attached to it, at the very top, was a picture of his little son, Rob. When the judges heard what had happened, they gave John Deckard an honorary blue ribbon. Some said that the rose that was not a rose was the finest he had ever grown. (5) God's love is like that and we can all be thankful.

So, hooray for our Moms. They deserve it. But also, hooray for God. God is a loving parent. His love is a very personal love. His nature is a very giving nature. His love never quits.

-----------

1. Thanks to Dr. Eric S. Ritz who credits Norman Neaves for this illustration.

2. James Dent in Charleston, W.Va. GAZETTE, 7/2/91

3. Arthur Fay Sueltz, LIFE AT CLOSE QUARTERS (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982).

4. Ray Bowman, First Baptist Church, Mantachie, MS

5. Arnold Prater, YOU CAN HAVE JOY! (Atlanta, Georgia: Lay Renewal Publications).

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SERMONS FOR CHILDREN

Fifth Sunday in Lent

IN THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Object: A bone

Boys and girls,

Have you ever sung the little song: "The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the shin bone...now hear the word of the Lord." That little spiritual comes from our lesson from the Bible for today.

I brought a bone with me this morning (show bone). Did any of you bring a bone with you? Of course you did. You brought all kinds of bones just under your skin, didn't you? You brought your hand bones, and your ankle bones and your foot bones. You don't go anywhere without your bones, do you? I'm glad for my bones. We would be in trouble if we didn't have bones, wouldn't we? We wouldn't be able to sit up or walk and all kinds of things.

I'm glad for my bones. But I'm also glad for my skin and muscles that cover my bones. But, you know what's even more amazing than skin or bones or muscle? It is the gift of life. My bones are part of my living body, and I am up here sitting with you and you are here and smiling and beautiful and it all happened because there is a loving God who gives us the gift of life. That's what the story about the dry bones is really all about. It's not about bones but about the God who gives life to bones and muscles. I'm glad God loves us enough to give us the gift of life and in return I'm going to make my life the best life of which I'm capable just to show Him how grateful I am. That's a good idea for all of us. Take these bones God has given us and use them to his glory.

Passion/Palm Sunday
CS292

CUT DOWN--LIFTED UP

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Object: A Palm Branch Boys and girls,

The children welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with palm branches and songs as if he were a visiting king, didn't they? And of course, he was in a way, wasn't he? The king of kings.

I read recently about an ancient tribe of primitive people who had a very strange custom. Every seven years they would select a member of their tribe to be the king. This man was treated royally for seven years. He had absolute power. He could have anything he wanted. But, at the end of those seven years, the people would kill the king and choose a new king.

Now that's something to think about. Would you want to be a king if you knew it meant you would be killed seven years later? I think I would be happier remaining one of the common people.

That reminds me of Jesus. He was king of kings. Yet he also had to die. But he didn't die for selfish reasons, did he? He didn't die so that he could be a king. He was already a king. No, he died so that you and I could be children of the King. That's who we are. We are children of the King. Jesus loves us so much, that he gave himself in our behalf. I am thankful that he loves me so much, aren't you? It makes me want to wave this palm branch like the children did 2,000 years ago and shout "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Blessed is the king who was willing to give his life in my behalf.

CS392
Easter

HE IS RISEN!

Scripture: Matthew 28: 1-10 or John 20: 1-10
Object: Both raw kernels and fully popped popcorn
(which you may want to share with the children.)

Boys and girls,

Usually when we think of easter we think of brightly colored clothes--symbolizing the joy of the season. Or we think of Easter eggs symbolizing new life. Or maybe flowers which we plant in the ground as ugly bulbs and which emerge as a beautiful plants. Or even butterflie which were once creepy caterpillars before they entered a cocoon and were miraculously changed. All of these can be a symbol of Easter. So, how about popcorn?

I happen to like popcorn and it can remind us of Easter, too. For once it was a tiny, hard kernel of grain. How would you like to eat uncooked popcorn? Doesn't sound too great, does it? But we put it in a popper. Now it is fluffy and white and delicious. I doubt that popcorn will ever be as big at Easter time as eggs, or flowers, or butterflies or new clothes. But it can remind us of the wonderful power of God to take anything and change it into something beautiful and useful. He can even what is dead and bring it to life as He did Jesus on that first Easter Sunday morning.

So, the next time you are at a movie munching on popcorn, let it remind you of God and His love and power. Then it can be Easter all over again.


CS492

Second Sunday of Easter

NOT HAVING SEEN HIM

Scripture: I Peter 1:3-9

Object: A remote control

Boys and girls,

I don't know about you, but I love playing with a remote control. It amazes me to sit in a chair and press a button to change channels on my TV set. I love closing a garage door sitting in my car by just pushing a button. It amazes me. Where are the wires that connect the remote with the television? That's what I want to know. Of course, there are no wires. Electronic signals travel through the air. But we can't see them, can we? We can't feel them. How can we know they are there? We can see the TV change when we touch a button, so we know they are there.

A verse in our Bible praises people who love God even though they have never seen Him. I've never seen God, have you? Nobody has seen God and yet we know He is there. We see His beautiful work everywhere--in the flowers and the trees, in the love of our parents and friends, in the wonderful music of our choir. We see God's love and handiwork everywhere. We may not be able to see Him, but like watching the TV change, we know He is around. And we love Him and we thank Him for every good thing in life--both the things we can see and the things we can't.


CS592

Third Sunday of Easter

COMING ALIVE TO CHRIST

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Object: An article made from silk.

Boys and girls,

A true story. Once upon a time, thousand of years ago, a Chinese empress was sitting under a mulberry tree while her servants prepared her some tea. Suddenly a strong wind came along and blew some cocoons that had been hanging in the mulberry tree into the pot of boiling water that was to be used for the tea. The empress was amazed to see something very strange happen to the cocoons in the boiling water. They began to unravel into strands hundreds of feet long. When the empress took one of the strands out of the water, she couldn't believe how thin, yet how strong it was. She had one of her servants use the strand to weave her some fabric--and that is how the Chinese first learned to make silk. Silk comes from the cocoon of the caterpillar which feeds on the mulberry tree.

I thought you might enjoy knowing that. Caterpillars are kind of ugly creatures, aren't they? But they produce one of the most beautiful fabrics on earth to make their cocoon. Then they come out of their cocoon as beautiful butterflies. That is remarkable to me--that a baby caterpillar who may feel very ugly and very tiny and insignificant can look forward to all that. But, if that is true of caterpillars, think how much you and I can look forward to. Just think how beautiful God can make our lives if we will let Him.

CS692

4th Sunday of Easter

ON GETTING KNOCKED DOWN

Scripture: I Peter 2: 19-25

Object: A light bulb

Boys and girls,

I read recently about a power company in the Philippines that grew suspicious when one of their wealthier customers consistently had an electric bill of only one dollar per month. How could it be? they asked. Had he tampered with his meter? They sent someone out to see.The investigator discovered that even though this man could afford all the power he could use he limited himself to only two light bulbs and no electric appliances. No television, no oven, nothing that would use power. He saved his money, but think how much he missed.

Of course, some of us are missing out on a lot, too. We could all have more power in our lives, if we would learn to trust God. Trusting God gives us confidence and courage. It helps us to always be our best.

Are you living on one light bulb? Trust in God. Let Him give you power.

CS792

5th Sunday of Easter

BELONGING TO THE RIGHT FAMILY

(Mother's Day)

Scripture: I Peter 2: 4-10

Object: An object of child's clothing or shoes (your own if possible)

Boys and girls,

Sometimes it is hard to realize that our parents were once boys and girls, too. I have these baby shoes with me this morning. These were mine when I was a small child. Can you imagine me with these little shoes on? Why I couldn't get these on my big toe now.

What special day is today? That's right, Mother's Day. Does your mother or your father ever have to correct you? Do they ever try to tell you what to do? Sometimes, don't they? Do they do it because they are mean? No, of course not. They are trying to protect you and help you grow. They know what it's like to be your age because once upon a time they wore the same size shoes and clothes you are wearing. They have learned some lessons about life--some of them the hard way and they want to help you learn those lessons, too, but with less pain. Let's give God thanks for our mothers and fathers and grandparents and every grown-up who is important in our life. Let's thank God that once they were small too.

CS892

6th Sunday of Easter

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS

Scripture: John 14: 15-21

Object: A "security" blanket

Boys and girls,

Many boys and girls when they are small have a blanket that is very important to them. Linus in the Peanuts cartoons is famous for his security blanket. (If you have had a personal experience with such a blanket or other object, it would be nice to share it.) Some of you may have a Teddy Bear or doll that you fall asleep holding at night just like a security blanket. I have heard of adults who still have a favorite Teddy Bear.

All of us need something to hold on to. It is interesting that some blankets are called comforters. When Jesus left his disciples to ascend to Heaven, he told them he would not leave them comfortless. Of course, he wasn't saying that he would leave them a blanket to hold on to. No, he was giving them something better. He would send his Holy Spirit into their hearts so they would have something on the inside to give them courage and peace and joy. They wouldn't need anything on the outside like a blanket. They would have something on the inside.

Most of us outgrow our blankets or our Teddy Bears. We are very fortunate if we replace them with a good feeling on the inside--the feeling of knowing that we are God's children and that His Spirit lives within us.

CS992

7th Sunday of Easter

WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?

Scripture: Acts 1: 6-14

Object: A bundle of sticks

Boys and girls,

I need to see a muscle. Will somebody step up here and make a muscle for me? (Get one of the fellows to flex an arm muscle.) I read somewhere that the word "muscle" goes back to a Latin word which means "little mouse." The muscle in your arm looks like a little mouse under your skin.

Our message for today is on power. Where does it come from? Muscle power is one kind of power, isn't it. We say a person is a powerful man. We could mean, he is very muscular. There are all kinds of power.

In the church we have two very special kinds of power. One is the power of working together. If I took one of these sticks out of this bundle, I could easily break it. Breaking a bundle of sticks, however, would be difficult. That is one source of power.

The other kind of power we have in the church is prayer. Whose power do we rely on when we pray? That's right--God's power. Since God is all powerful, His power is the greatest power we can have.

Some of us may never have very big muscles, but we can still be powerful--by working together and through prayer.

CS1092

Pentecost

EXCITED, MOTIVATED, CHANGED!

Scripture: Acts 2: 1-11

Object: A pom-pom or some other means of introducing the idea of "cheerleading"

Boys and girls,

Do you like to get excited? Do you like to watch a game and yell and cheer for your team? Do you like to clap your hands and jump up and down? I know you do. I've seen some of you get excited before.

Today we celebrate the most exciting day the church has ever had. It was the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Jesus' disciples gathered in an Upper Room and the church was born. They didn't yell or clap or jump up and down. At least the Bible doesn't say they did. But they were excited--so excited that a large crowd gathered around and Peter had to explain what all the excitement was about. What was exciting was this. God had sent His Son Jesus into the world. He was crucified but on the third day God raised Him from the dead and made him our Savior and Lord. Wow! That is exciting news! We don't yell and jump up and down in our church, but I don't thing God would mind if we clapped our hands. Let's ask the adults to join us. If you are excited that Jesus is you Savior and Lord, clap you hands. Everyone. (Lead them in clapping.)

That is exciting. It's the most exciting news in the world and I am glad that we could be in church to celebrate it together.
CS1192

Trinity Sunday

WHAT ON EARTH IS THE TRINITY?

Scripture: John 14:18-27; 16:12-18

Object: A three-leaf-clover

Boys and girls,

What do I have in my hand? No, this isn't a four-leaf-clover. What do we normally associate with a four-leaf clover? That's right--good luck. But a three-leaf-clover is much more important than a four-leaf-clover. To show you why, we must go back many years--to a man named St. Patrick. You have heard of St. Patrick, haven't you? Once a year we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick, an Englishman, was sent to Ireland in the fifth century as an evangelist. His most memorable lesson was his explanation to the people of the Holy Trinity. He plucked up a three-leaf-clover and held it up, saying that the Trinity--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--was like the clover--three Divine Personages in one Entity--God.

None of us understand the Trinity--how God could be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet it is a term you will hear many times growing up in the church. When you hear it, just think of this lucky three-leaf-clover. We worship one God who reveals Himself in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

CS1292

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

TEACH THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN

(Father's Day)

Scripture: Deuteronomy 11: 18-21, 26-28

Object: A hat

Boys and girls,

Some of you may have read about other children who are very sick getting transplants in order to make them well again. Some children have received new hearts, some livers, etc. It is wonderful that when some parts of our bodies break down, doctors can replace them. Of course, this is very expensive. A heart transplant can cost over $100,000. Just think, you are walking around with a $100,000 heart. That is how much it would cost to replace it.

I am going to put my hat on to cover a part of my body that can't be replaced, but if it could, might be worth millions. What part is it? It's my brain. Our brains could be worth more money than we could ever even imagine. For example, with you brain, you might someday find a cure for cancer, or design a new kind of rocket, or write beautiful music that will inspire people for centuries. The brain is priceless. Did you know that a lot of people

never use their brains, though. They drop out of school. They never try to learn anything new. How sad. Today is Father's Day. You know what the best gift you can give your parents is? Keep growing--not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. Make something out of that million dollar brain. Be everything God created you to be. Your father will be happy. God will be happy.

CS1392

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU?

Scripture: Hosea 5:15-6:6

Object: A yardstick or tape measure

Boys and girls,

You are growing up. There are many ways of measuring that growth. One of you come up here for a moment. Let me measure you to see how tall you are. (Measure someone.) Here's something all of us can do. I read that in Borneo years ago, children were considered old enough to go to school if they could reach over their heads and touch the opposite ear. Can you do that. Let's try it. That's another way to measure your growth.

The most important kind of growth is spiritual growth. That is, are you growing into the kid of person God is pleased with. That's much harder to measure. For example, are you a kind person? Do you share with others? Are you honest? Do you try to do what's right always? These are ways of measuring spiritual growth. I'm sad to say that there are people who are six feet tall, who are still spiritual babies. That makes God very sad. His will is for us to grow--mentally, physically, and spiritually. Two out of three isn't good enough. He wants us to be the very best we can be in every way.

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WHO WILL WIPE AWAY THEIR TEARS?

Revelation 21:1-6

TIME magazine, January 27, 1992: There is an article that will tear your heart out. It is titled, "Corridors of Agony." It tells the stories of children caught in the almost hopeless jungle of our juvenile courts.

There is Antwan, age 10. His mother warned him about the drug dealers who hang around the playground where he spends hours each day. A mother's warnings are no match for threats by street thugs, though. These thugs know how to shield themselves from the law. They keep a small child nearby when they are dealing drugs. If the police close in, they hide the drugs on the child. When Antwan was arrested, vials of narcotics were stuffed in his socks. Fortunately, the police saw the older boys force the illicit contraband on him.

Then there's Emily, aged 6, a victim of incest. Her father sexually abused her and her 10-year-old sister Tracy in the bedroom while their mother cooked dinner. Emily clings to a doll that plays, "It's a Small World After All." Further details of the depravity of her family environment are really too graphic for Sunday worship.

Then we meet Timothy and Tommy, ages 11 and 9. Their mother is a cocaine addict. She loves her boys, she'll tell you, but not as much as she loves Mr. "C," cocaine. Their living conditions are unimaginable. The County tried putting the boys in separate foster homes, but the younger one couldn't adjust. His brother is his family. Without him the younger boy cries pitifully and is unable to eat or sleep. He sits around with a shopping bag under his arm waiting to go back to his tragic home.

Such situations are overwhelming our social welfare system today, as well as our courts. The stories of such children rarely have happy endings. What struck me, though, was the way Time magazine ended its story. The article took us to Antwan's apartment--the 10-year-old with drugs stuffed in his socks. He has been placed in a special program that offers him at least a glimmer of a better life. The writer tells how his mother unscrews the light bulb from the kitchen socket and screws it into the living-room ceiling. It is the only light bulb they have. Its harsh glow illuminates a poster on a far wall. It's a poster of a young black boy crying. A caption at the bottom of the poster reads like this, "He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever."

I hope you recognize those words. They are from our Scripture lesson for the day. They speak of God's final conquest over sin and death. They are a picture of the New Jerusalem. I believe they are also a picture of how God desires this world to be--a place where tears are wiped from children's eyes. Where they shall no longer be surrounded by death, sorrow, crying, or pain. "All of that will be gone forever."

BUT THAT WILL ONLY HAPPEN IF YOU AND I GET BUSY!

That is our reason for being. We are God's hands, His feet, His messengers. If tears are wiped from Antwan's eyes and Emily's eyes and Tommy and Timothy's eyes it will be because we are there ministering to them as representatives of Jesus Christ.

I know, every Christian doesn't have this level of concern. Some unknown author described many of us like this:

"I was hungry and you discussed my hunger. Thank you. I was imprisoned and you prayed for my release. Thank you. I was naked and you discussed my appearance. Thank you. I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health. Thank you. I was homeless and you preached to me of the shelter of the love of God. Thank you. I was lonely and you prayed for me. Thank you. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I'm still very hungry, and lonely, and naked and homeless and imprisoned and cold and without Christ in my heart."

Those words hurt, don't they? They hurt because they hit too close to home.

They remind me of a story that Clifton Fadiman tells about Vladimir Nabokov, the Russian-born novelist.

One summer in the 1940s, Nabokov and his family stayed with James Laughlin in Alta, Utah. There Nabokov took the opportunity to enlarge his collection of butterflies and moths. One evening at dusk he returned from his day's excursion of chasing butterflies. He said that during hot pursuit near Bear Gulch he had heard someone groaning most piteously down by the stream.

"Did you stop?" Laughlin asked him.

"No," answered Nabakov, "I had to get the butterfly."

Fadiman adds, "The next day the corpse of an aged prospector was discovered in what has been renamed, in Nabokov's honor, Dead Man's Gulch." (1)

There were two dead men there--the prospector and Nabokov himself.

So it is with those of us who cannot hear the cries of children at our door. If tears are wiped from their eyes, it will be because the church of Jesus Christ got busy. We are his ambassadors. We are those entrusted with carrying on the ministry he began 2,000 years ago. Where there are children who need tears wiped from their eyes, that is where Christ means for us to be.

And you know what?

THERE IS NO GREATER SATISFACTION IN LIFE THAN HELPING ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.

That's true.

John Hersey, in his book HIROSHIMA, describes the aftermath of the atomic bomb that exploded in that never-to-be-forgotten city. At the center of the explosion area was total incineration. On the fringes, houses collapsed. People were trapped under rafters. Unable to extricate themselves they faced the horror of spreading fires.

Survivors fled in every direction. The streets were crowded with frantic people. Most of them ignored the agonized cries of imprisoned people pinned down in these collapsed houses calling out for help. In the midst of the chaos, however, there were some fleeing refugees who would hear a cry, would drop out of the crowd, and would pick their way into a collapsed building, to give a hand to releasing a trapped person. (2)

In many ways, you and I are in a society where folks are trapped in the rubble of life. Some of their woes are self-inflicted, to be sure. But that doesn't mean their suffering isn't just as real. Who will reach out a helping hand? Who will show real love and concern?

I have some good news for you. There is nothing you can do for yourself that will enrich your life more than demonstrating that kind of compassion.

Want proof? AMERICAN HEALTH magazine reported the findings of a study by the University of Michigan's Research Center. This study says that more than any other activity doing regular volunteer work dramatically increases life expectancy. It's more important than jogging or aerobics or even oat bran. Help somebody else and you will live longer. You will have more vitality, more energy, more zest for life.

During the bombing of London, it was found that people suffering from nervous disorders found unexpected health by forgetting their own troubles and ministering to the terrible needs of victims of the air raids. The reason many of us have no energy, no vitality, no joy, is that we are living only for ourselves.

There is an ancient story called "The Servant of the Kingdom." It is about a man who's a servant. One day he meets a genie. The genie gives him one wish, but warns him to be careful what he wishes for.

The man wishes to be waited on, for others to serve him hand and foot. Things go great for awhile. But soon the luster wears off. He tires of people catering to his every whim. He grows bored. Finally, he goes looking for the genie. He says "I can't stand it. I want to go back to serving people. I'd rather be in hell than live like this." The genie replies, "Where do you think you've been the last 90 days?"

And there is truth to that little story. We were not created to be served but to serve. The happiest people in this world are people who out of their own volition serve others. There's nothing you can do for yourself that will yield greater rewards. But there is one thing more to be said.

WHEN WE WIPE AWAY ANY CHILD'S TEARS IT IS CHRIST'S TEARS WE DRY.

Former Governor Jerry Brown of California visited with Mother Teresa. He tells of attending a six o'clock morning service. The setting was austere. Everyone sat on the canvas-covered concrete floor. The windows were open and the street noises were so loud it was difficult to hear the priest recite the prayers. At the conclusion of the service, Mother Teresa took a few minutes to speak to the volunteers and give them encouragement. Her message was very simple: "Jesus is found in the distressing guise of the poorest of the poor," she said. "What you do to them, you do to Him."

She held out her hand and touched each finger as she repeated, "What you do to Him; what you do with Him; what you do for Him. Look at the fingers of your hand," she said, "and you will always remember that it is Christ whom you are touching in the poor...."

On another occasion Mother Teresa put it like this:

"At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received--how much money we have made--how many great things we have done.

"We will be judged by `I was hungry and you gave me to eat...I was naked and you clothed me...I was homeless and you took me in.'

"Hungry not only for bread--but hungry for love...Naked not only for clothing--but naked of human respect and dignity...Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks--but homeless because of rejection. This is Christ in distressing disguise."

Maybe one day Antwan will meet a follower of Jesus who will take those words seriously. Or maybe Emily will. Or maybe Timothy and Tommy. Maybe someday the prophecy will be fulfilled, not just in Heaven, but in this world: "He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever."
--------------

1. THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF ANECDOTES

2. Douglas V. Steere, TOGETHER IN SOLITUDE, (New York: Crossroad, 1982).

3. Mother Teresa, WORDS TO LOVE BY, p. 80.

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THE PEACE THAT CHRIST GIVES

John 14:23-29

A couple was traveling out West. They stopped at a sign that said, "Echo Point."

"Try it," the wife suggested.

"I think it's silly," her husband said. Finally he agreed to try it. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Baloney!" After a moment, he said, "See, nothing happened."

"Try it again," his wife said.

This time he shouted, "I'm the best looking man in the world!" Then the echo came back--"Baloney!"

Is there anyone here this morning who is absolutely satisfied with everything you are and everything you have? I read recently that only one-third of men and one-half of women rate themselves as being happy. Did you make the cut? The truth is that many of us find ourselves bogged down in the mire of discontent.

The philosopher Schopenhauer once compared us to a Bulldog Ant. If we cut a Bulldog Ant in half, the front and rear segments will enter into a savage fight. The head will seize the tail with its teeth, while the tail will sting the head with fury. The fight might last for hours.

That is the way some of us are on the inside. There is part of us that wants to move ahead and a part that wants to stand absolutely still. There is a part of us that wants success and recognition. There is another part that wants to sit on the river bank and while away the hours. There is a part of us that wants to serve Christ. There is another part that says, "No, I've enough to do right now. Let someone else take their turn." There is a fierce battle going on within many of us. Few of us know what it is to live lives of contentment and peace.

Jesus said to his disciples, "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." What a promise! What a gift! Peace of mind and heart. He can give it to us. How? Let me suggest some ways.

FIRST OF ALL, CHRIST GIVES US A HEALTHY SENSE OF WHO WE ARE.

Oliver Wendell Holmes was walking down a street one day. A little girl joined him. When the girl started to turn back home, the famed jurist said, "When your mother asks you where you've been, tell her you've been walking with Oliver Wendell Holmes."

To which the little girl replied confidently, "And when your folks ask you where you've been, tell them you were walking with Mary Susanna Brown." There's a little girl with a healthy sense of who she is!

Psychologists tell us that a healthy sense of identity is one of the most valuable gifts we can give our children. First, however, we need that gift ourselves. And if we did not receive it from our parents, we will need to look to God.

Every basketball fan knows the name Larry Bird. Due to a combination of age and injuries he's now in the twilight of his extraordinary career. He has won nearly every award possible for a basketball player. Yet he still remembers what it was like to be slighted, to be overlooked, to feel unappreciated.

He tells about being chosen in his senior year of high school for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star games. Those games are a big deal in Kentucky and Indiana, as you may know. The only reason Larry was chosen was that usually there was a representative from southern Indiana. He was the one selected to fill that slot. However, from the beginning, he was placed on the second team.

In the practices, however, the second team out-played the first. And in the first game in the All-Star series in Louisville the Indiana team was up by eight points or so in the second half when the coach put Larry's unit in. They blew the Kentucky team off the floor.

The same thing happened in Indianapolis. The Indiana team was trailing in the first half, but when Larry's unit went in, they went crazy and took complete control of the game. In the second half the coach started the first unit again. Then the second unit was put in--everybody but Larry Bird. Larry just sat on the bench, wondering what was going on.

With about two minutes to go in the game, the coach came over to Larry and said, "Hey, I forgot all about you. Why don't you go in now and get something?" Larry said, "Too late, Coach. I've already been embarrassed."

The coach got pretty angry at that. But Larry Bird had been humiliated. He had put in his time, just like everyone else. Everybody else got to play. If the coach had told Larry he wasn't good enough, that would have been one thing. But to come and say he had forgotten about him was another. How can a coach forget about somebody, asks Larry, after he's been practicing with him for two or three weeks?

"I know I reacted wrong," Larry Bird says, "but I was young. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably do the same thing because I know how embarrassed I felt that night. My values have changed. My outlook has changed. But I can remember how I felt that night, just sitting there--totally forgotten." (1)

Friends, if one of the all-time greats who ever played the game of basketball can feel forgotten, how about the rest of us who are not as skilled as he? It hurts when we are overlooked, unappreciated, forgotten.

God doesn't forget us. He tells us we are somebody. Those early disciples faced all matter of opposition and even persecution, but they knew they were not forgotten. Christ had given them a new identity. He had given them an inner peace that the world could not take away. Christ gives us a healthy sense of who we are.

HE ALSO GIVES US THE JOY OF A GREAT PURPOSE.

That's what he did for those disciples. He sent them out into the world to make disciples of all humanity. That's a purpose big enough for anybody. What's the grand purpose of your life?

Highly esteemed futurist Alvin Toffler once said, "You've got to think about `big things' while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction." That's true. If we are to be effective and successful and happy, we need to be driven by something bigger than ourselves.

Companies today are encouraged to write out their mission. What is their purpose for being? Whom are they seeking to serve? It would be helpful if we all could write out a personal mission statement. What great purpose drives our lives?

What are some such purposes? How about, "To live all my days making my life pleasing to God." How's that for a purpose? Or perhaps, "To enrich someone else's life--someone who cannot do anything for me in return." Or, "To use my gifts, abilities and opportunities to the utmost. To make a significant contribution to the world in which I live." Those are some examples of a personal mission statement worthy of the follower of Jesus Christ.

And everyone of us can be guided by a great purpose--even those of us in the lowliest of occupations. Have you ever noticed what happens to a great city when the garbage collectors go on strike? Disaster. We take such persons for granted, but their contribution to the public good is immense. We all have something we can do to make the world a better place. The real issue in life is not our abilities or our opportunities. The issue is commitment to a purpose.

A schoolmaster in France was discouraged with one of his students. He wrote in his rollbook concerning this student: "He is the smallest, the meekest, the most unpromising boy in my class." Half a century later, an election was held in France to select the greatest Frenchman. By popular vote, that meekest, smallest, most unpromising boy was chosen. His name? Louis Pasteur, the founder of modern medicine. At age seventy-three, a national holiday was declared in his honor. He was too old and weak to attend the ceremony in Paris, so he sent a message to be read by his son. The message read: "The future belongs not to the conquerors but to the saviors of the world." (2)

Louis Pasteur was driven by a great purpose. Your name and my name may never be a household word like Pasteur's, but we, too, can be driven by a great purpose. Christ can give us that purpose. But there is one thing more Christ gives us. HE GIVES US THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

There are those who will tell you that all you have to do is believe in yourself and you can have it all. There are others who say you can move mountains if you are driven by a great purpose. Both are partially right. But a healthy sense of identity and a driving purpose are not enough in themselves. One thing more is needed. It is the in-dwelling Spirit of the living God.

Luis Palau tells about an Air Canada flight that ran into trouble one fateful Monday. Passengers were enjoying a movie on a Boeing 767 when the jumbo jet's massive engines abruptly stopped. Only those without earphones noticed at first. Then came a break in the movie. The pilot announced that Flight 143 would be making an emergency landing. Sixty-nine people were trapped in an agonizingly slow but inescapable descent to earth.

For several minutes, a desperate silence hung over the cabin. Then fear gave way to screams as the landing neared. All the latest technology couldn't keep the jumbo jet in the air another second.

What had happened was this. The electronic digital fuel gauge was out of order. The flight crew depended on figures given by the refueling crew before takeoff. But someone on the refueling crew confused pounds for kilograms. Thus, eight hundred miles short of its destination, the jet had run out of fuel. Fortunately, the captain and the co-captain were able to glide Flight 143 some one hundred miles to a former military air field. A dramatic crash landing heavily damaged the jumbo jet's landing gear, but, by the grace of God, no one on board was hurt. (3)

An impressive craft--headed in the right direction--but running out of fuel. That's happening to a lot of people today. They have a high sense of self- esteem. They are motivated by a sense of purpose. But one day they wake up disillusioned and disheartened. The fuel has all been spent.

Where does the fuel we need for life come from? It comes from God's in-dwelling Spirit. This was the most important gift that the Father bestowed upon those first disciples of Jesus. And this is the most important gift He can bestow upon us. And He will give it to all who ask.

It's important to have a healthy sense of who you are. It's good to have a great driving purpose in your life. Indeed, Christ will supply us with those if we ask. But the greatest gift He can give us is Himself. Then we truly know His peace in our minds and in our hearts.

------

1. Larry Bird, DRIVE! THE STORY OF MY LIFE (New York: Doubleday, 1989).

2. Edward Chinn, WONDER OF WORDS (Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 1987), p. 18.

3. Luis Palau, SAY YES! (Portland, Oregon: Multnomah, 1991).

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A TIME TO REMEMBER

Revelation 7: 13-17

(Memorial Day)

Memory is a tricky thing. Particularly as we get older. You may know the story about three women who were talking.

The first said, "Sometimes I go to the refrigerator and forget what I need by the time I get there."

The second woman said, "When I go upstairs, I can't remember whether I'm going up for something or I'm on my way back down."

The third woman said, "I'm lucky, I guess (knocking on wood), I don't have that problem. Oh, there's someone at the door."

One of our older comedians says he can always find his car in a parking lot--it's the one with the lights on.

Memory is a tricky thing. There are some things, however, that we should never forget. One of these is the sacrifices that others have made in our behalf.

It was a spring morning in 1866, just after the Civil War that had devastated the South. A group of Southerners did something quite extraordinary. They marched down the streets of what was left of their town to a cemetery. There they decorated the graves of the soldiers. ALL the soldiers--Union as well as Confederate.

The mothers and daughters and widows had buried their dead. Now they buried their hatred. The time for healing had come. It was the first Memorial Day.

Have you ever wondered why Memorial Day is marked in May? Its date doesn't recall some historic battle. Or the start of some war. Or the signing of an armistice. Why, then, May?

For a very practical reason. Because it is a time when flowers bloom. Flowers with which to decorate graves.

There are those who remember when Memorial Day was called Decoration Day and when the cemeteries were filled with people kneeling to plant a flower or place a garland or unfurl a flag or to say a prayer. Some still do. But most people can no longer be bothered. It would take time away from the beach, the backyard, the ball park. (1)

At the National Cemetery on Long Island, one of the nation's largest, it has become necessary to advertise for volunteers to place flags on the graves of veterans as the number of veteran volunteers has decreased.

However, many of those who volunteer have no idea why they are there.

One young man, a 13-year-old Scout, was asked if he understood why the members of his Boy Scout Troop were there placing flags on the graves. He quickly replied, "To get service hours." (2)

Memorial Day is obviously not one of our major holidays. But we need to remember. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE DEBT WE OWE TO OTHERS.

You and I do not have what we have today by our own efforts alone. There is no greater myth than that of the self-made man or woman. We owe an enormous debt from the moment we come into this world. Some of that debt is owed to young men and women who shed their blood on battle fields. Many of them gave their lives because they truly believed that freedom is worth dying for.

To honor their sacrifice is not to glorify war. War is the ultimate blasphemy against God. Still, we live in a cruel world where tyrants would impose their will on others. It would be nice if we lived in a world where people always played by the rules, where no one coveted his neighbor's property, where never again would we have to depend upon military might to enforce justice. But such a world does not yet exist. We do not know what dangers may yet await us.

When the war between the states flared up, a young Texan enlisted and marched off to fight with his friends. "We won't be gone long," he claimed, "cause we can lick them Yankees with broom sticks."

Four years later when the fighting was finally over, the young man came home, a beaten man. One of his neighbors asked, "What happened? I thought you were gonna beat them Yankees with broom sticks."

"We could have," replied the young man, "Except we couldn't get 'em to fight with broomsticks." (3)

It would be nice now that the Cold War is over if we could totally eliminate our defense establishment with the knowledge that no nation would ever commit aggression against its neighbor again. But that's not the way the world is.

Winston Churchill used to tell a parable about a zoo in which all the animals decided to disarm. They arranged `peace talks' to work out the details. The rhinoceros asked for a strict ban against the use of teeth in war. The stag and porcupine agreed, but the lion and tiger defended teeth as being honorable weapons. The bear, however wanted both teeth and horns to be banned, but suggested that all animals be allowed to give each other a good hug when they quarreled. This only served to offend all the other animals, and so they never could agree.

That's the kind of world we live in. And thus, through the centuries young men, and sometimes young women, have been sacrificed in the cause of one noble ideal after another. Some of these wars have been senseless and barbaric, to be sure. But others have been necessary. We honor the memory this day of those who have given their lives believing that they were making the world safer, freer and more humane.

OF COURSE, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR US WHO NEVER WORE A UNIFORM, NEVER CARRIED A GUN.

Our Scripture lesson talks about those who "wash their robes in the blood of the lamb." Among these are those who have given their lives in the service of Jesus Christ. And there have been hundreds of thousands of such sacrifices through the ages.

In the sixteenth century there was a bloody purge of Christians in Scotland. Thousands of ministers and lay persons suffered for Christ's sake. Many were hanged or slaughtered in cold blood. Some of these believers endured the torture of burning at the stake or being beheaded. Patrick Hamilton was a young Scotsman, twenty-four years old, when he was sentenced to die. As he was tied to the stake and the fire was burning at his feet he pulled off his outer garments and handed them to his servant, saying, "These will not profit me in the fire, yet they will do thee some good." Hamilton was taunted by one of his persecutors to deny God, but answered, "Wicked man! Thou knowest I am not at guilt, and that is the truth of God for which I now suffer."

As the fire burned, the young martyr called out, "How long, O Lord, shall darkness overwhelm this realm? How long wilt Thou suffer this tyranny of man?" As he was being consumed by the flames he prayed like the biblical Stephen, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (4)

While we remember those who have died in battle we also need to remember committed followers of Jesus like Patrick Hamilton. They died in battle, too--the battle between light and darkness. Their sacrifices remind us how anemic our own witness for Christ sometimes is. They gave their all. We dare not forget them.

AND THERE IS ONE MORE WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS DAY. IT IS THE LAMB HIMSELF--THE LAMB SLAIN BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD.

J. Wilbur Chapman used to tell a story of a soldier who was mortally wounded. His buddy Jim stayed by him through his long and lonely illness to the very end.

"Jim, I'm going to die," Charlie whispered to his friend. Knowing Jim had no family of his own, Charlie added, "But I want you to go back to my mother and take my place there."

"But Charlie, your mother doesn't know me," Jim reminded his dying comrade, "and she would not allow me to come into her home and live as a son."

"I will write her a letter and you will take it to her," Charlie explained.

The letter told the mother of her son's ill fortunes, of his wounds, and of his suffering, and how Jim had stuck by him day and night through it all. The letter closed like this, "Mother, receive Jim for my sake."

Jim carefully tucked the letter away in his waistcoat. After the close of the war he went to Charlie's hometown and sought out the mother's home. He knocked at the door and stood waiting, ragged and worn from the ravages of war, a very unsightly character.

As the lady opened the door, she looked upon him and thought him to be just another beggar passing by. But Jim handed her the letter through the half- opened door. She read it, recognizing her son's handwriting. When she read the last line, "Mother, receive Jim for my sake," the expression on her face changed, tears of deep emotion welled up inside, and she threw the door open wide, receiving Jim "for Charlie's sake." (5)

According to our Bibles, that sort of acceptance is the story of the cross. God accepts us as His own beloved children for Christ's sake. We may not understand why it had to be this way. But we look at the cross and we see there an open door.

And thus we remember. We remember those who died that we may live in freedom. We remember those who died that we may live in faith. We remember Christ who died that we may live forever. That's the ultimate meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. It is a time to remember and it is a time to finish what they started.

They were shooting the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on the day after Pearl Harbor. The cast listened as President Roosevelt announced on the radio that the United States was at war with Japan and Germany. At that point director Michael Curtiz came on the sound stage with Jimmy Cagney. They all listened in silence for the national anthem to finish. As the women dabbed tears from their eyes, and the men were deeply moved, Curtiz said in his best Hungarian accent:

"Now, boys and girls, we have work to do. We have bad news, but we have a wonderful story to tell the world. So let's put away sad things and begin." (6)

That's our challenge, too. We remember with sadness and gratitude the sacrifices others have made in our behalf. Now we go out to tell our story.

-------

1. NY DAILY NEWS, editorial, 5-30-88, p. 22.

2. Long Island, NY, 5-18-89, p. 6, "A Legion Turn Out to Place the Flag" (Thanks to Dr. John Bardsley for these first two clippings.)

3. Wallace O. Chariton, TEXAS WIT & WISDOM, Wordware Publishing, Inc., 1990.

4. Lockyer, Herbert, LAST WORDS OF SAINTS AND SINNERS (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1969) cited in Billy Graham, FACING DEATH (Waco: Word Books, 1987), pp. 260-261.

5. Rev. D. F. Sebastian, SEBASTIAN'S SERMONS (Orlando: Christ for the World Publishers).

6. Peter Hay, MOVIE ANECDOTES, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990).

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Third Sunday of Easter

OUR DAMASCUS ROAD EXPERIENCE

Scripture: Acts 9: 1--20

Object: Twig or piece of wood and a piece of paper.

(Hold these up at the same time for the kids to see).

Boys and Girls:

What have I got here? (Pause for answer). That's right, a piece of wood and a piece of paper. What do we use paper for? (Pause for answer). (Suggestions: coloring, schoolwork, writing notes, paper airplanes, etc.) So we use paper for a lot of things, don't we? Well, did you know that paper comes from wood, just like the wood I have here? It does. They can take a big piece of wood and send it off to a paper factory. There they cut up the wood and put it through lots of machines, and when it comes out, it's a piece of paper just like I have here. This piece of paper is really just a different form of wood.

You know, when we become Christians, we go through something called conversion. "Conversion" means we change from one form (hold up the wood) to a different form (hold up the paper). God changes us inside, in our hearts, and makes us different from the way we used to be, and that's good.

Saul in the Bible was a man who persecuted the early Christians. But God came to Saul in a blinding vision, and God changed him. Saul was converted. God didn't change him on the outside, but He changed him on the inside. He changed his heart. Saul changed his name to Paul and, rather than persecuting Christians, he became a great Christian leader.

God can take bad people and make them good. He can take lonely people and make them feel loved. God likes to help people change for the better. He will help us become better if we will let Him.

CS1692

Fourth Sunday of Easter

LIKE THE LOVE OF A MOTHER

Scripture: John 10:22-30

(Mother's Day)

Object: One pair of mismatched socks (for instance, a brown and a green sock) tied together.

Boys and Girls:

Can anyone tell me what I have here? That's right, two socks

stuck together. Do these socks go together? No? Why not? That's right, because they're different colors.

Now in my family my mother would match up all the socks. She would never put a green sock and a brown sock together. She would put all the socks together just right so I'd have nice socks to wear to school. That was nice of my mom to do that for me. What are some other nice things that our moms do for us? (Pause for many answers.)

Moms do a lot of nice things for us. Aren't we lucky to have our moms? In the Bible God says to honor your mother and father. That means that we should treat them nicely and do what they tell us to do. Well, today is Mother's Day. This is the day when we should all give our moms a big hug and tell them how great we think they are. Let's thank God for our moms.

CS1792

Fifth Sunday of Easter

WHO WILL WIPE THEIR TEARS?

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-6

Object: Facial tissue, like Kleenex.

Boys and Girls:

Well, what have I got today? (Pause for answer). That's right, I've got a Kleenex. You can use a Kleenex for lots of things. You can use it to wipe your nose, or clean up a mess. And sometimes when you cry, you can use a Kleenex to dry your tears. (A dab at your eyes with the tissue would illustrate).

Doesn't it feel all better when Mom or Dad dries off your tears and gives you a big hug and tells you everything is going to be okay?

The Bible tells us that someday God Himself will wipe away all our tears and there will be no more pain or suffering or death. Doesn't that sound like something to look forward to?

In the meantime we need to wipe away one another's tears. That's what it means to be His family. We comfort one another when someone is sad. That is one time we can act like God. Because God loves to comfort people. He comforts us when we are hurting, and He wants us to comfort others.

CS1892

Sixth Sunday of Easter

THE PEACE THAT CHRIST GIVES

Scripture: John 14:23-29

Object: A bowl (preferably transparent) filled with water.

(Hold bowl up where kids can see the water and jiggle the bowl around to stir up the water).

Boys and Girls:

I want you to look at the water. What does it do when I shake the bowl? That's right, the water jiggles and bounces around. If I'm not careful, it will spill right out of the bowl. Now what happens when I hold the bowl really still? (Hold the bowl very still or put it on a small table). That's right, the water gets all smooth and calm and it doesn't move around.

Sometimes our heart is like that water. When we are mad at our best friend, or when we're in trouble, or when we hurt ourselves, we feel all jumbled inside just like that water that jiggles all over. That's not any fun, is it?

But Jesus said that he would give us peace in our hearts. That means that when our feelings are all jumbled up inside of us, he can make them smooth and calm, just like the water when we stop shaking the bowl. Then we'll feel all better. That's what "peace" is.

How do we find that peace? One way is to go off by ourselves for a few moments and talk with God about our problems. Often, when we do that, we will feel more peaceful. We won't be as angry or as hurt. We will be like the water in this bowl when it's still--calm and peaceful.

CS1992

MEMORIAL DAY

Object: a piece of string tied around your finger.

Boys and Girls:

Does anybody know why I've got a piece of string tied around my finger? It's to help me remember things. When I was little, my mom and dad taught me that if you want to remember something you should tie a piece of string around your finger. Then every time you saw the string you would think: "Now, what am I supposed to remember?" And you'd remember it.

Tomorrow is a holiday. Does anyone know which one? It's Memorial Day. This is the day when we are supposed to remember our soldiers and the people from our country who have fought in wars for us. These people worked hard to help our country and to protect our freedom. Some of them died while trying to help our country.

You know, Jesus died to help all of us, too. He did it because he loved us very much. So today let's remember to say "thank you" to God for all those who made sacrifices in our behalf and especially for Jesus who made the greatest sacrifice of all.

CS2092

Seventh Sunday of Easter

JESUS PRAYS FOR US

Scripture: John 17: 20-26

Object: A jar of honey

Boys and Girls:

Does anyone here this morning like honey to eat? Honey is sweet, isn't it? Most people like its taste.

I read recently that honey has uses other than in food. For example, some golf balls have honey as their center. Some kinds of anti-freeze that our parents put in their car in the winter-time have honey in them. Honey is quite an interesting subject.

Now, who makes honey? That's right, honey bees. It probably took thousands of honey bees working together to produce this jar of honey. To me, it's one of the most amazing miracles in nature- -that all those bees work so hard and work together like they do and produce this sweet-tasting food.

From our Bible this morning we read a prayer that Jesus once prayed for the church. He prayed that we would all work together as his body. He wanted us to make this a sweeter world, didn't he? If we are going to make this a sweeter world, maybe we need to learn from the honey bees and start working harder and start working together. It is amazing how much bees or people can accomplish when they work together. That is Jesus' prayer for the church--that we will work together in love for one another and love for him.

CS2192

PENTECOST

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Object: Magazine pictures of the Olympics or some small piece of sports equipment.

Boys and Girls:

How many of you watched the Olympics when they were on? (Pause for answers). That was pretty exciting, wasn't it?

People came from all over the world to be in the Olympics. They came from France, Africa, Spain, Russia, everywhere. They all spoke different languages. Like in Japan, they say "Aregato"--that means "thank you." What about "Gracias?" That's "thank you" in Spanish. Now, even though they all spoke different languages, they all came together and worked hard and cheered for each other. Their different languages weren't a problem.

We celebrate Pentecost because a long time ago a group of men and women came together to worship God. God sent what we call "the Holy Spirit" to these men and they all started speaking different languages. Even though they were speaking different languages, they still understood each other. And they were still worshiping God.

Maybe one thing that Pentecost represents is that though people may be very different--they may speak different languages, they may have different skin colors, they may live in the country or the city--if they have the Spirit of God in them, they can live in friendship and love.

Let's pray that God will fill us with His Spirit that we, too, may love all people.

CS2292

First Sunday after Pentecost

GET IT RIGHT BY GETTING RIGHT

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Object: An egg (hard-boiled for any of you nicknamed "Butterfingers")

Boys and Girls:

Do you know what this is? That's right, it's an egg. You know, if a mama chicken takes care of its eggs, after a while, the egg cracks open and a little baby chick comes out. Now, before the little baby chick can come out, it has to break this shell around the egg. For us, it's easy to break this shell. But for a little baby chick, it's a very hard job. The baby chick has to work a long time to break the shell. And the baby chick has to do it all by herself. If anyone tries to help her, by breaking the shell for her, the little baby chick could die. You know why? Because when the little baby chick works hard to break out of the shell, she gets stronger and stronger. If she gets out of the shell without having to work very hard, she won't ever get strong. She'll be really small and weak, and she'll die. Now, the baby chick probably doesn't like having to work so hard to get the shell off. But the hard work is good for the baby chick.

The Bible tells us that sometimes things we don't like are good for us, too. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do (like clean our room or eat vegetables). Or things happen that make us sad (like we get in trouble). These things are bad, but they teach us about good things. When we eat our vegetables we get healthier. When we get in trouble we learn how to be nicer people. Bad things can sometimes make us stronger, just like working hard to get out of the shell makes the baby chick stronger.

CS2392

Second Sunday after Pentecost

FATHER'S DAY

Object: Something that belongs to your father--a hat, pipe, watch, shoes, book, hammer, newspaper, etc.

Boys and Girls:

(Hold up object for kids to see). What have I got here? (Pause for answer). Good, that's right. You know why I brought this up here? It reminds me of my father. See, this is my father's ____________. (Reminisce for a few seconds about your father and this object).

Now, what are some nice things you think of when you think of your father? (Steer them toward good adjectives---fun, nice, strong, etc.) You know what? The Bible says we have a "Heavenly Father." Who is that? God...right. God watches over us, and loves us, and keeps us safe, kind of like our dads do. Aren't you happy you have such a nice father? Well, today is Father's Day, when we all tell our fathers "thanks" for being so nice. So be sure to be nice to your father today, okay? And be sure you say a word of thanks to your Heavenly Father, too. After all, He's the best father of all.

CS2492

Third Sunday after Pentecost (Lutheran/Roman Catholic)

CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

Scripture: Galatians 1:11-24

Object: A roll of film

Boys and Girls:

What is this? (Hold up the film) That's right. This roll of film is from my camera. Tomorrow I will send it off to the photo finisher and he or she will send me some beautiful pictures taken from this roll.

I read somewhere that when Kodak cameras were first invented, it was necessary to return the entire camera every time you needed film developed. Later they would return the camera to you loaded with film along with the pictures that you had taken before. I'm glad they changed that system. There wouldn't be very many pictures taken if we had to send our entire camera in every time for the film to be removed.

A lot of things have changed through the years. When our grandparents were our age, they really didn't even dream of computers and VCRs and microwave ovens. We live in a world of change.

The best news that the Bible gives us is that people can change, too. People who are mean can become kind. People who are always afraid can become courageous. People who seem to lose at everything can become winners. We can change. If we sometimes don't like ourselves, we can do something about it. And the most important thing we can do about it is ask for God's help. God will help us change. After all, He created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what makes us mean or afraid or a loser. And He can help us be new people. All we have to do is ask.

We no longer have to send a camera back to the factory to have the film developed, but we still need to go back to the One who made us, God, to see how we may develop. He can help us change.

CS1492

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

THE REPENTANT HEART

II Samuel 12:1-14

Object: A calculator

Boys and Girls:

Who can guess what I have in my hand? That's right. A calculator. How many of you have one? How many of you have ever used one? They are really very interesting. They add, subtract, multiply, divide and do a whole bunch of other things that I don't even understand. There is one button on this calculator though, that I would like to talk to you about.

It is a red button with the letter, "C" on it. What does that mean. That's right. It means clear. If you get all of your numbers in the calculator and then you make a mistake, what can you do? You press the "clear" button and automatically all of the information is eliminated from the calculator. Then you begin all over again without trying to sort out the other mistake. In fact there is no record of your mistake. None! It is lost forever!!

That is what happens to our sins when God forgives us. God erases them from His memory just like hitting the "clear" button on this calculator. When we ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives us, but He also forgets. Isn't that great?

That is also what God asks us to do with people who ask for our forgiveness. We are asked to be just like the "clear" button on the calculator. God says that we are to forgive and then we are to forget. That's not easy, but that is what God asks us to do.

The next time you see a calculator, look at the "clear" button and remember that God will forgive and forget your mistakes that quickly. We must also remember that God expects us to be that way with others. We are expected to forgive and to forget.

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EMPOWERED

Acts 2:1-21

A family driving a large camper pulled up in front of the church just as the pastor started toward home. Desiring to be friendly, the pastor introduced himself and expressed his admiration for the camper. The man of the family told him rather proudly: "This camper sleeps eight people." Then he asked: "What is the capacity of your church, Pastor?" The beleaguered pastor replied rather glumly, "Oh, it sleeps about eighty."

It is embarrassing sometimes how little the modern day church resembles the church that first Pentecost. The sound of a windstorm, tongues of fire, disciples speaking in different languages, thousands being added to the church and lots of excitement. Excitement everywhere.

We're more like a small town I heard about. A traveler stopped at a gas station in the town to buy gasoline. He asked if there was a place close by to get something to eat. The attendant answered, "No, there's just the cafe down the road and it closes at 6 o'clock."

"What do you folks do around here for excitement?" the motorist asked.

"Well," the attendant said, "'round here, folks don't get excited."

Such could be said of many churches. They are an indication that we have forgotten what the church is really about. If we go back to the Day of Pentecost, the day the church was born, we will see that God gave us the church to satisfy one of the great hungers of our time--EMPOWERMENT.

Have you heard that word before? It is a current buzz word in our society. Everyone nowadays wants to be empowered. We want to feel that we have control over our lives. We want to feel we can take charge of our destinies. We want to know we can follow the dreams of our hearts. But many of us feel powerless. Some of us are held back by our lack of initiative. Others of us are held back by a deprived environment. Others by barriers in our society. Still, we hunger to believe we can pull ourselves out of the muck and the mire of a disappointing and dismal situation. And the church is the place where true empowerment takes place.

Can we not see that Pentecost is about empowerment? A handful of farmers, fishermen, tax-collectors and housewives became so empowered that they turned the Roman empire upside down. That's quite an accomplishment. It may very well be the greatest single act of empowerment in recorded history. How did they do it? The answer is quite obvious. And, if we study their example and pattern our lives after it, we will become empowered too.

IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEY OPENED THEMSELVES TO THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD.

That is always the first step in any momentous victory. It is to place ourselves in God's hands.

Neil T. Anderson, in his book VICTORY OVER DARKNESS, tells a thrilling story about a little girl born with major health problems which left her crippled. She had a large, wonderful Christian family. But while her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing outside, she was confined to braces.

"Will I ever be able to run and play like the other children?" she asked her parents.

"Honey, you only have to believe," they responded. "If you believe, God will make it happen."

She took her parents' counsel to heart and began to believe that God could heal her. She practiced walking without her braces with the aid of her brothers and sisters. On her twelfth birthday, she surprised her parents and her doctors by removing her braces and walking around the doctor's office unassisted. She never wore the braces again.

Her next goal was to play basketball. The coach only agreed to let her play as a means of getting her older sister on the team. She was given an outdated uniform, but she was allowed to work out with the other players. One day she approached the coach and promised him if he would give her an extra 10 minutes of coaching each day, she would give him a world class athlete. He laughed, but seeing she was serious, half-heartedly agreed. Before long her determination paid off. She was one of the team's best players.

Her team went to the state basketball championships. One of the referees noticed her exceptional ability. He asked if she had ever run track. She hadn't. He encouraged her to try it. So after the basketball season she went out for track. She began winning races and earned a berth in the state championships.

At the age of 16, she was one of the best young runners in the country. She went to the Olympics in Australia and won a bronze medal for anchoring the 400-meter relay team. Four years later in Rome she won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team--all in world- record times. Wilma Rudolph capped the year by receiving the prestigious Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in America. Her faith and hard work had paid off. (1)

In a sense, that is what Pentecost is about. People opened themselves to God's Spirit and God's Spirit empowered them to do things they never dreamed possible. That is what the church is about. It is to preach faith. It is to remind us that all things are possible to those who believe. It is to declare with St. Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is to encourage us to open ourselves to God's Holy Spirit and let God do miraculous things with our lives. That's the first secret of the church on the Day of Pentecost--they were empowered by God's Spirit. But they did not stop there.

THEY WERE ALSO EMPOWERED BY THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH ONE ANOTHER.

They ate together, they prayed together, they sang together, they had all things in common. They built each other up in the faith. That's the way the Christian community was designed to regenerate itself. We are to build one another up, encourage one another. There is power in such encouragement.

A study was done by psychologist Dr. Henry H. Goddard, on energy levels in children. He used an instrument he called the "ergograph." How he ever got some children to stand still long enough to connect them to the machine is a mystery. But he did, and his findings are fascinating. He found that when tired children are given a word of praise or commendation, the ergograph shows an immediate upward surge of new energy. When the children are criticized and discouraged, the ergograph shows their physical energy take a sudden nosedive. (2) My guess is that those results could be duplicated in adults. When we are praised our energy levels go up. When we are criticized our energy levels go down.

What, then, is one of the most helpful roles that we can play in one another's lives as Christ's body? It is to praise one another, encourage one another, pray for one another. That is energizing, enabling, empowering.

Chuck Swindoll says that in the Marines he was taught you should dig a hole big enough for two when preparing for combat. There's nothing quite like fighting a battle all alone. There's something strengthening about having a buddy with you that keeps you from panic. We all need someone to lean on. We all need another's show of support.

Professional speaker Joe Larson once said, "My friends didn't believe that I could become a successful speaker. So I did something about it. I went out and found me some new friends!" There's some wisdom there. Many of us can think of times when encouragement from a friend made all the difference in the world. Especially when that friend was a person of deep spirituality.

A Harvard University professor once sought an interview with Phillips Brooks, the beloved preacher of another generation. The professor had a serious problem and needed help. He spent an hour with Phillips Brooks and came out a changed man. Later it dawned on him that he had forgotten to ask Brooks about his problem! He says, however, "I did not care; I had found out that what I needed was not the solution of a special problem, but the contagion of triumphant spirit." (3)

I like that phrase--"the contagion of triumphant spirit." A triumphant spirit is contagious. That was the spirit with which Simon Peter stood up to address that large throng on the day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls were added to the church that day. And daily more souls were added by the contagious spirit of the community of faith which was the church. That's the kind of contagious spirit I dream for this church! There's is no limit to what we might accomplish if we were empowered by God and empowered by one another.

FINALLY, THE CHURCH ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST WAS EMPOWERED BY THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE OTHERS.

If they had kept the Good News to themselves, their excitement would have withered quickly.

Leighton Ford, in his book THE CHRISTIAN PERSUADER, tells about the time his little girl, Debbie Jean, was lost. His wife had left Debbie Jean and her four-year-old brother with Leighton while she went to the store. Suddenly Debbie Jean was gone. A neighbor's child saw her heading toward her school which was only a few hundred yards away. They looked at the school, and no Debbie Jean. While his wife checked the shopping center across the street, Leighton Ford went to the principal and they looked through the class rooms. There was no sign of her. Panic gripped his heart; he remembered stories about men picking up little girls. He wondered if he ought to call the police. He walked up and down the road calling her name.

Half an hour later when he had all but reached the end of his rope, the little girl came around the corner of the school smiling. The explanation was simple but hard to take. She had gone to the candy store just beyond the school, met a friend, and had gone on to her friend's home a half mile away.

Later (after the thunder and lightning and tears were over), Leighton Ford reflected on the incident. During the nearly two hours that Debbie Jean was missing, nothing else mattered. In his study were books to be read, letters to be answered, articles to be written, planning to be done. But all that was forgotten. He could think of only one thing--his lost little girl. He had only one prayer and he prayed it a thousand times: "Oh God, help me to find her." (4)

May I say to you that the church of Jesus Christ will never be what God intends it to be until we have that kind of passion for reaching out to the world outside these walls. When we have the passion that the early church had for introducing boys and girls, men and women, to the Man from Galilee, we will discover a power we never dreamed possible.

Pentecost is about empowerment--a small group of folks turned the world upside down. May we, like they, be empowered by God's Spirit, by our life as the community of faith, and by our love of a world for which Christ died.

----------------

1. Neil T. Anderson, VICTORY OVER DARKNESS (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1990), pp. 107-108.

2. Les Giblin, CONFIDENCE AND POWER (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1986).

3. G. H. Morling, QUEST FOR SERENITY (Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1989), p. 62.

4. Dr. John W. Keith, Oak Ridge, TN

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ISN'T IT TIME TO GET IT RIGHT?

Romans 5:1-5

Did you ever notice that some people always get it wrong? Paul Harvey, in his book FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, tells about a county jail in south Florida where jail officials found a plastic trash bag hanging to the bars of a cell.

Inside was Jimmy Jones, a prisoner who hoped he'd get taken out with the trash. And he might have--except during roll call his reflexes took over. And when the name Jimmy Jones was called... From inside the bag came a muffled response: "Here." Some people just can't get it right.

But here's some good news--especially for those of us who sometimes get it all wrong. St. Paul says we have been made right with God. Think of that. We no longer need to concern ourselves about our salvation. We no longer need to wonder whether we will be found acceptable when we stand before the throne of grace. We no longer need to cast an anxious eye over our life's work. Because of what Christ has done, those of us who so often get it wrong have been made right!

HOW? ST. PAUL SAYS THROUGH FAITH IN GOD'S PROMISES. That's the essential element for success in life--faith in God's promises. So many of us live not in faith but in fear. We live in dread of tomorrow. We expect not the best but the worst. And because our lives are constrained with fear, we are often our own worst enemies.

Jamie Buckingham tells about a pilot in Ecuador who was involved in a plane crash because of a passenger's fear. The wheels of the heavily loaded Cessna 206 had barely left the wet jungle airstrip when the passenger, sitting in the co-pilot's seat, panicked. The pilot had the throttle pushed all the way forward to the firewall. He had done this many times before and was confident they would clear the huge trees towering at the end of the little airstrip.

The passenger, an American who had been visiting the Indians, had never taken off from a jungle airstrip. Looking up, all he could see were the on- rushing trees filling the windshield. Why doesn't the pilot pull back on the controls? he thought in terror. Fearful they were going to crash, he tried to help. He grabbed the wheel and pulled back. That was the worst thing he could have done. A plane needs to build up airspeed before you point the nose skyward. Otherwise, the plane will stall.

The plane did stall. It pitched up, lost critical airspeed and began to settle toward the jungle below. The pilot wrenched the controls back and tried desperately to get the nose down. But it was too late. As the airplane reached stalling speed, the heavy engine pulled the nose over sharply, and the craft spun to earth. By God's grace, no one was killed, but all were injured because of a passenger's lack of trust in his pilot. (1)

How like that frightened passenger some of us are. We are continually grabbing the controls from God. We damage our health with worry. We deny our dreams because we fear risk. We dampen enthusiasm and joy with our anxiety. How we need to turn our lives over to God and trust His promises! There is no greater issue in the lives of many persons in this congregation than that one. We are made right with God by faith in His promises.

AND THIS TRUST IN HIS PROMISES BREEDS CONFIDENCE IN OUR FUTURE.

St. Paul says, "We rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God." That's one of the three great characteristics of the Christian--hope! We believe tomorrow will be better than today. Why? God holds the future.

Polls tell us that the confidence of the American people in the future is at an all-time low. That's the world's attitude. Those are people who can only trust in the government and in their own resources. The people of God have another attitude, however. We take our confidence not from the economists nor from the political pundits nor even our own ingenuity. We take our confidence from God. And God tells us that because of what Christ has done in our behalf our confidence can be at an all-time high! We have hope of sharing in His glory.

Now, I'm not talking about looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. There is a good story about a husband and wife who had walked out on a long dock extending into the Mississippi River. As they stood there, looking at the vastness of that great river, they heard running footsteps behind them. Here came a man running as fast as he could toward the end of the dock. They stepped back as he passed them going full speed. At the end of the dock he increased his speed, gave a mighty yell and took a flying leap toward the opposite bank. He went about fifteen feet and splashed into the water.

Alarmed, the couple raced out to the end and fished the man out of the water. "What in the world are you doing?" the woman asked the man when he was safely on the dock.

Panting and spitting water, he said, "A man up there on the hill just bet me a million to one I couldn't jump across the Mississippi River. I couldn't stand there and think about those odds without at least trying it." (2)

In today's world, no one should be foolishly and overly optimistic. This will always be a hard, cruel world. Before you start a new business, talk to a good accountant. Before you risk your fortune on a dream, make certain that you have considered every possible eventuality. Before you jump into the unknown, get all the advice you can. Still, as people of faith, we should not fear the future. After all, the future belongs to God.

Some of you are old enough to remember when Jackie Robinson broke into baseball. He was a tremendous player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was also the first black man to don a major league uniform. Jackie Robinson once told of some excellent advice he received from Branch Rickey, former President of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He received this advice the same day Rickey asked him to take this historic step--knowing there could be trouble up ahead.

Rickey said to him, "You know, Jackie, I was a small boy when I took my first train ride. On the same train was an old couple, also riding for the first time. We were going through the Rocky Mountains. The old man sitting by the window looked forward and said to his wife. `Trouble ahead. Ma! We're high up over a precipice and we're gonna run right off.'

"To my boyish ears," said Rickey, "the noise of wheels repeated `Trouble- ahead-trouble ahead....' I never hear train wheels to this day but what I think of this. But our train course bent into a tunnel right after the old man spoke, and we came out on the other side of the mountain. That's the way it is with most trouble ahead in this world, Jackie--if we use the common sense and courage God gave us. But you've got to study the hazards and build wisely....

"God is with us in this Jackie," Mr. Rickey said quietly. "You know your Bible. It's good, simple Christianity for us to face realities and to recognize what we're up against...We've got to fight out our problems together with tact and common sense." (3)

Branch Rickey gave Jackie Robinson some good advice. God is with us. Faith in His promises gives us confidence in our future. The light at the end of the tunnel is not an on-coming train. It is the light of God's glory. We need not live in fear if we trust the promises of God.

THIS IS TRUE EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE GOING BADLY FOR US.

We have such times, don't we? All of us do. One of the lessons you learn as you go through life, though, is that sometimes events that seem like absolute tragedies carry in them the seeds of a better tomorrow.

Journalist James Dent tells about an actor friend of his. This friend and another beginning actor, early in their career, landed bit parts in a live TV drama. The show was a murder mystery, and they played policemen. His friend had no lines, but the other actor had a single line he was to deliver. In the second act there was supposed to be a gun fired offstage, and he was to say, "Listen! I heard a pistol shot!"

He practiced his line diligently, trying out various intonations to give it different shades of meaning. Finally, he was satisfied. The night of the show arrived and his moment came.

"Listen!" he exclaimed dramatically. "I heard a postil..." and he stopped befuddled. Remember, this was live television.

"What?" Dent's friend ad-libbed.

"Did you hear it?" the actor babbled frantically. "A shistel pot!"

At that point, mercifully, it was time for a commercial. Everybody--except the red-faced actor--collapsed in hysterics.

"After that," Dent's friend told him, "the actor left the business and became a wealthy stockbroker. I only hope he remembers when he's counting his money that everything he is today he owes to a shistel pot." (4)

It is not unusual for adverse circumstances to yield beneficial results. A man once tried to kill Samuel L. Brengle by throwing a brick at his head. Brengle survived the attack, but had a long convalescent time. During that period he wrote many inspiring articles which were put into a book titled HELPS TO HOLINESS. The book was a huge success. Brengle's wife would say, "Had there been no brick, there would have been no book!" Indeed, she kept the brick and had painted on it some words from the Old Testament. They were the words of Joseph to the brothers who had sold him into slavery: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."

Sometimes it happens like that. That which we think is the most tragic event that could happen to us leads to later triumph.

But even if it doesn't, there is good news. St. Paul tells us that even when we see no beneficial results, at least with God's help we can keep growing. Nothing that happens in this world is in vain if we will entrust it to God. Most of us will testify that the most important lessons we learned in life we learned through adversity. There are many successful people who will tell you they made it simply by hanging in there when things got rough. They trusted God, they learned their lessons and they achieved more than they ever dreamed possible.

St. Paul put it like this: "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts...." (RSV)

Are you one of those people who never seems to get it right? Isn't it time you made a new beginning? Get right with God through trust in His promises. Then you will find confidence for the future and life's difficulties will not defeat you.

---------------

1. Jamie Buckingham, PARABLES (Lake Mary, Florida: Creation House, 1991.

2. Ibid.

3. John Haggai, WINNING (New York: Inspirational Press, 1991).

4. James Dent in Charleston, W.Va., GAZETTE

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WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS?

Gal. 1:1-10

Have you ever tried to impress somebody and looked silly doing it? Author Sidney Sheldon tells a memorable story about an embarrassing event that occurred to him years ago. He had acquired a lovely blue Rolls-Royce. A few days later he parked in front of a shop in Beverly Hills. He went inside, did his shopping, returned to his car and got behind the driver's seat of the Rolls. An arm reached through the window and grabbed his shoulder, and a voice said, "What do you think you're doing?" He looked out the window, and there stood an enormous Texan. "This is my car," said the Texan.

"No, it isn't," Sheldon told him. "It's mine." To prove it, he started to put the key in the ignition. It didn't fit. He realized what had happened. He said to the Texan, "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm driving the same model and color Rolls as you, and I obviously parked right in back of you."

And as the huge stranger stood there watching him, Sheldon got out of the car and walked in back--to his wife's white Volkswagen, which he was driving that morning. (1)

I love that. Have you ever done something like that? Have you ever tried to impress people and looked all the sillier for your trouble?

Perhaps it was a member of the opposite sex. Think how foolish we often felt in those dating years--trying so hard to make the right impression. Everybody has his or her own favorite story to tell--particularly about those awkward days of adolescence.

Or perhaps it was your boss. There was a terrific Broadway musical years ago, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. The main character, played by Robert Morse, was constantly trying to impress his boss. For example, in one scene he arrived at work a few minutes before nine. He loosened his shirt and tie. Quickly he scattered papers on his desk and filled the ashtrays with cigarette butts. When the boss arrived a few minutes later he found Morse "collapsed" at his desk as if he had been working all night.

Is there anyone here who has not tried to impress his or her employer at some time or another?

Or perhaps it's your friends. Impressing friends is always important. At any age. Many parents have forgotten how important it is in the teen years. We want desperately to fit in. Sometimes that leads us to adopt some rather bizarre fashion and behavior.

I was amused to read a quote that appeared in the Houston Post recently. They were quoting University of Houston football player Torrin Polk. He was discussing his coach John Jenkins: "He treats us like men," says Polk. "He lets us wear earrings."

Every generation has its fads--its styles. It's important to us when we are young to "fit in." The opinion of our friends is important. We adults sometimes need to be reminded that we value the opinions of our friends, too.

EVERYBODY HAS SOMEBODY THEY WANT TO IMPRESS.

If we are teachers, it may be our principal. But certainly it will be our students. If we do not impress them, we will not be able to teach them.

If we are in business, it is our customers. At least it better be. Several years ago American Airlines was sued by one of their former employees, Robert W. Cox. He was fired for not smiling enough. Cox, suing the airline, contended that he had met all requirements for the job except for the smile. But the judge said that the airline's policy of requiring a "friendly facial expression" was essential in the competitive airline industry. So American Airlines is still doing what it does best, without Mr. Cox. (2)

If we are in business, we try to impress our customers. If we are looking for a job, we try to impress our prospective employer.

There was a study performed at the University of North Carolina recently that dealt with the importance of making a good impression. A group of psychologists there set up a false corporation office and began conducting interviews as if they were a major employer. They advertised job openings for students at the school. They arranged so that some of the students who applied for jobs there could dress up, but others could not.

They found that the dressed up students, as a rule, asked for $4,000 more salary and felt much more confident in the interview than those who were not allowed to dress up. And why not? When we look our best, we feel better about ourselves. When we seek to impress others, we often impress ourselves as well.

Everybody, though, has somebody they want to impress. For example, another recent study revealed that only four percent of corporate chairmen have moustaches and just two percent have beards. Could it be a little peer pressure is being exerted even at the top of the business world?

Everybody is trying to impress somebody. Sometimes this occurs at a sub-conscious level. Some of us go through life seeking to please our parents, and we are not even aware of it. They may even be dead. But still, the motivating force in our life is not to disappoint them. There are marriages held together not for the sake of the children, "but because it would kill mother."

Some of the more conscientious among us can identify with the story of two young men. They were toying with the idea of doing something with which they knew their fathers would disapprove. One of them finally decided he could not go along. The other young man asked sarcastically, "Are you afraid your dad will find out and hurt you?" Quietly the response came, "No, I'm afraid he will find out and it will hurt him." We can identify with that, many of us. Everybody wants to impress somebody.

AND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WE OUGHT TO TRY TO IMPRESS.

Especially as the church of Jesus Christ. For example, we ought to try to impress the people in our community. They should have no difficulty believing we are who we say we are.

A ball-point pen salesman persuaded a small business owner to order five hundred pens. He was writing the order in his sales book when suddenly the business owner exclaimed, "Hold on! I'm cancelling the order!" With that, the business owner turned to wait on a customer and ignored the salesman. The salesman left the store angry and confused. Later, the business owner's bookkeeper asked, "Why did you cancel that pen order?" "Why?" responded the man. "Because that salesman talked ball-point pens to me for a half-hour. He described the benefits. He showed me how I could use them to expand my business. He had me convinced that I could not get along without those ball- point pens. Then he turned around and wrote my order with a lead pencil. He doesn't even use his own product!"

There is nothing in the world that will defeat us in life like saying one thing and doing another. It is still true, what we do speaks louder than what we say. People today are tired of phonies.

Driving past certain slum neighborhoods in New York City, you see cheery curtains and venetian blinds in many of the windows. But wait! If you look closer, you will see that these are not curtains and blinds at all. Rather what you are actually seeing are vinyl decals--plastic imitations of curtains and blinds placed over the broken windows of abandoned apartments. Some ingenious city official thought the illusory decals would make a good impression on potential real estate investors! It looks good. But it's a deception. (3)

How sad if that should happen to a church. We need to impress the people in our community--not merely with our spire or our windows or our neatly trimmed lawn. We need to impress them with the quality of our lives. We need to be who we say we are. Our lives ought to speak to the world about our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Once long ago there was a gigantic oak tree that stood in the middle of the town square of a small community. The tree was the pride of the townspeople. It had been there long before most of them were born and would undoubtedly outlive them. Then one day storm winds cracked the tree in half and revealed a trunk filled with disease. A symbol of strength on the outside, the oak had been weak and vulnerable on the inside. For years it had fooled its unknowing admirers. (4)

A parable, perhaps, of what can happen to us as a church or as individuals. We can put our emphasis on the outward facade and neglect the inner reality. That brings us to the last thing to be said for the day.

THE ONLY ONE WE ULTIMATELY HAVE TO IMPRESS IS GOD.

St. Paul says, "You can see that I am not trying to please you by sweet talk and flattery; no, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please men I could not be Christ's servant." Here is a paradox. The harder you try to impress people, the sillier you become. If you seek to impress God, you will eventually make the kind of impression you desire on people. Consider with me one final parable.

Just imagine that a man is given a present by one of his friends. The present is neatly wrapped in a small box with a pretty bow on top. Imagine that the man opens the box and discovers a huge diamond inside. He is flabbergasted at his friend's extravagance, and thanks him effusively. But then the man takes the gift home, removes the diamond from the box, and tosses it into the trash can! Incredibly, he puts the box and the bow on his fireplace mantle. When visitors come to the house, he proudly shows them the box and the ribbon. He explains that the box once contained a precious diamond, but that he threw it away because he liked the wrapping better. His friends are speechless and leave the house shaking their heads at the man's obvious lack of discernment...

The box in that story is the body, and the diamond is the soul. We take great pains to display the box to the world. We feed it, paint it, want it to be attractive at all times. But, sadly, we forget the diamond inside the box. We neglect the soul that is eternal and most precious. How foolish to spend all our energy and attention on the box and neglect the diamond. (5)

So it is with those who try to impress the world and forget that their primary audience is God. If we impress God, we will become the kind of people who impress the world.

Everybody has somebody they want to impress. And there are people we should want to impress--particularly people who need Christ. But while we are impressing people, let's not forget there is really only One we have to impress. May we center our lives on impressing God.

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1. Robert Morley, PARDON ME, BUT YOU'RE EATING MY DOILY! (St. Martin's).

2. Peter Hay, THE BOOK OF BUSINESS ANECDOTES (New York, NY: Facts On File Publications, 1988).

3. Ken Durham, SPEAKING FROM THE HEART (Ft. Worth, Texas: Sweet Publishing, 1986).

4. Bill Hybels, HONEST TO GOD (Grand Rapids, Minnesota: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990).

5. Judson Edwards, REGAINING CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1989).

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CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

Galatians 1:11-24

A woman bought a piece of needlework at a craft fair. On it was stitched these words, "Prayer Changes Things." Proud of the handiwork, she hung it up above the fireplace in the family room. Several days later she noticed that it was missing. She asked her husband if he knew what had happened to it. "I removed it," he replied. "Don't you believe that prayer changes things?" she asked, mystified. He responded, "Yes, I do. I believe in prayer. In fact, I believe that it changes things. I just don't happen to like change, and so I took it down." (1)

Some people don't like change. And the principle thing most people don't like to change is themselves. How many people caught in a troubled marriage refuse to seek counselling? They would rather lose a good marriage than change. How many people caught in the cycle of chemical abuse feel desperate about their lives? Still, they won't seek help because it might require change. How many people, unhappy with their lot in life, try frantically to find happiness? But they won't take the one step necessary to change themselves.

CHANGE IS DIFFICULT.

Most of us resist change even when it is in our best interest. The standard typewriter keyboard is a good example of that. Have you ever noticed where the most frequently used keys are located? They're placed as far apart as possible. "The original purpose of this arrangement was to slow down typing speed. Keys on the machines of the 1800s used to jam if the typist went too fast. About 40 years ago, a keyboard called the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard was developed. On this keyboard, the most frequently used keys are in the home row, and the right hand does more of the work (56 percent) than the left. Tests show that typists can greatly increase their speeds (up to five times) with no increase in errors. (2) Still, we labor on with a keyboard designed to be inefficient. Why? We don't like to change.

In fact, some people are so rigid they cannot change even when the facts are in total opposition. Philip Holzman and George Klein conducted an interesting experiment. They showed subjects a set of two-inch and five-inch squares. Then they gradually showed the subjects larger squares. The two-inch square became a three-inch square and the five-inch square became a seven- inch square, then ten inches, and then larger. The subjects were not told the squares were increasing in size.

When asked about the size of the squares, some subjects simply couldn't change their original statements. Even though the size of the squares increased, they kept close to their original estimate. If they told themselves it was two inches square, then that's what they kept telling themselves, even as the square grew much larger. Especially rigid subjects were estimating squares that were actually thirteen inches on each side to be only four inches on a side! Some people simply can't change the original message they give themselves; it remains the same even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. (3)

Change is difficult. For some of us it is more difficult than others. Some of us would rather die than change! And unfortunately, that sometimes happens. People abuse their bodies and die rather than do something about it. People abuse their marriage partners and watch a good relationship die rather than make necessary changes. People abuse their souls and watch those souls wither and die rather than plug in to the regenerating power of God's love.

CHANGE IS DIFFICULT, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. St. Paul is the best evidence of that. He had been a fierce persecutor of the Christian community. Suddenly, he became its most eloquent spokesperson. His story has been repeated millions of times throughout history. People can and do change. However, there is usually a progression.

FIRST OF ALL, WE MUST WANT TO CHANGE.

We change when it is too painful to remain as we are.

Workers in Akron, Ohio, are busy restoring an unpretentious home, seeking to return it to its Depression-era appearance. It was once the home of Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, commonly known as Dr. Bob. It was Dr. Bob who along with Bill Wilson created Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

A National Historic Landmark and a State Historic Site that opened to the public in 1985, the house is visited by many who travel there simply to have a cup of coffee. They want to sit for a few moments in the kitchen of the house where Dr. Bob and Wilson launched the program in an effort to keep each other sober. Although it got off to a slow start, AA gradually grew into an international organization that has helped countless individuals achieve and maintain sobriety. (4)

There are thousands of members of Alcoholics Anonymous who can tell you that change is possible. But you have to want to change. Few people even attempt change unless staying like they are is more painful.

Ron Jensen in LEADERSHIP magazine tells of a painful ending to an attempted ski jump that appeared for years as the opening of THE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS television program: "The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off the side of the jump, bouncing off the supporting structure.

"What viewers didn't know was that he chose to fall rather than finish the jump. Why? As he explained later, the jump surface had become too fast, and midway down, he realized if he completed the jump, he would land on the level ground, beyond the safe landing area, which could have been fatal.

"As it was, the skier suffered no more than a headache from the tumble."

It's hard to change, but it's better than a fatal landing. We can change if we really want to.

WE CAN ALSO CHANGE IF WE HAVE A VISION OF SOMETHING BETTER THAT WE MAY ASPIRE TO.

Flip Wilson used to say, "What you see is what you get." Modern research into human behavior says that is true.

There is a scene in the original KARATE KID movie that is quite striking. The main character, Daniel, is befriended by the wise and elderly maintenance man, Mr. Miyagi. Daniel goes to see Mr. Miyagi and finds him trimming a delicate bonsai tree. Daniel is fascinated by this, so Miyagi tells him to try his hand at it. Daniel replies that he doesn't have any idea how to do it. Miyagi encourages him to try. First, he tells Daniel to close his eyes. Then Miyagi tells Daniel to picture in his mind the way he wants the tree to look when he is finished. Daniel concentrates fixedly on every single detail of the tree. Miyagi asks him if he has got the tree in his mind. "Then," Miyagi says, "open your eyes and begin." Daniel starts slowly to trim the tree. Every move is deliberate and focused. Then he stops, unsure, and asks, "How do I know if my picture is right?" And Miyagi replies, "If the picture comes from your heart, then it must be right. Just trust your picture."

People who study human behavior tell us that visualization is a powerful tool for people who want to change. If you can see yourself as being slender, then you can probably become slender. If you can see yourself as successful, that picture will guide you to making better choices. Of course there are limits to this. Visualizing yourself six-feet tall will not make it so. Still, seeing ourselves as we might be--as God created us to be--can motivate us to change.

That's why every follower of Jesus ought to have in mind a picture of the Master. I don't mean his appearance, but the kind of man he was. His gentleness, his patience and acceptance, but also his willingness to stand for his convictions. His willingness to lay down his life for others. It is this picture of the Master that has caused millions of people to rise to new levels of humanity. "Lord, I want to be like Jesus," says the old spiritual, and that is a key to a changed life.

We can change if we want to. We can change if we have a mental image of the kind of person God created us to be.

MOST OF ALL, THOUGH, CHANCE COMES WHEN WE SURRENDER OUR WILL TO GOD.

Perhaps St. Paul was ready for a change. As he held the Apostle Stephen's robe while the mob stoned Stephen to death, perhaps St. Paul knew deep down that Stephen was right and he was wrong. We know after his blinding vision he had a mental image of Christ, because he urges us to be conformed to that image in our own lives. The important thing about St. Paul's life is that he was totally surrendered to the will of God. His conversion was complete. It wasn't simply a product of a New Year's resolution, or a naive desire to somehow live a better life. It was unconditional surrender to God. And that's the way complete change occurs.

E. Stanley Jones once said he had seen missionaries leave loved ones, friends, home, business, prospects, and come to other lands and find that they had given up everything except self. Self was still there, assertive and jealous of its place and honor. The greatest battle any of us undertake is the battle with self.

There is no other way except surrender--complete surrender to the will of God. Such surrender requires a life-long journey. A young woman wrote a poem after a late-night struggle with a high school English assignment. The poem went like this:

Although three hours it costed,

I'm still not Robert Frosted.

Change generally doesn't come in three hours. It can. But generally it doesn't. Change usually is the product of a life-long commitment. But it is worth the price. Particularly the change involved in moving from the world of darkness to light, from despair to hope, from death to life.

It is said that when Earl Weaver was manager of the Baltimore Orioles he would charge at umpires shouting, "Are you gonna get any better, or is this it?" Maybe God is asking us the same question. Maybe we're asking ourselves. Are you going to change or is this it? We can change if we really want to. We can change if we fix our eyes on Jesus. We can change if we are willing to surrender our lives completely to God.

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1. By William K. Quick in "Signs of Our Times: A Vision for the Church," and submitted by Donald Brenneman in Circuit Rider

2. Source unknown.

3. Holzman and George S. Klein, "Motive and Style in Reality Contact," BULLETIN OF THE MENNINGER CLINIC 20 (1956): 181-91. Cited in Dr. Nelson Boswell, INNER PEACE, INNER POWER (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985).

4. AMERICAN HISTORY ILLUSTRATED, March/April 1992, p. 8.

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HELP WANTED, DAD. ASK FOR CALVIN AND HOBBES.

1. What Do Daddies Do?

Six-year-old Calvin is talking to his stuffed Tiger Hobbes:

Calvin: Here's a box of crayons. I need some illustrations for a story I'm writing. You can draw something besides tigers, can't you?

Hobbes: Sure, Leopards, pumas, ocelots....you name it.

(Time passes and we find Calvin in bed with his stuffed tiger, ready to be tucked in by his father.)

Calvin: Here Dad, read this story tonight. I wrote it and Hobbes illustrated it.

Dad:...Um. OK. (He reads aloud.) "The Dad Who Lived to Regret Being Mean to His Kid."

Hobbes: What are you pausing for. Keep reading.

Dad: Barney's dad was really bad. So Barney hatched a plan. When his dad said, "Eat your peas!" Barney shouted, "NO!" and ran. Barney tricked his mean ol' dad and locked him in the cellar. His mom never found out where he's gone, 'cause Barney didn't tell her. There his dad spent his life, eating mice and gruel. With every bite for fifty years he was sorry he'd been cruel. THE END.

Calvin: You know how a lot of stories have morals to them...?

Dad: (With great annoyance) I get it. I get it! (1)

What are the primary tasks of being a father? And how should they be performed?

Fathers protect, teach, model, instill values, empower (or disempower), and are a child's point of contact with the wider world. In particular, a father is essential for the development of his children's sense of values. In simplest terms: No dad, no conscience.

Dads provide leadership by example and encouragement. The key words- -to repeat--are example and encouragement. A child sees as possible what Dad says is possible, and what the child sees as possible in Dad's life. Later in life, the same child will realize that Dad's word is not the only word or necessarily the final word.

2. Taming the Barbarians: Dad and Discipline

(Dad is sitting at a desk in the living room, balancing his checkbook. Calvin enters carrying a clipboard.)

Calvin: Dad, your polls took a big dive this week. Your "Overall Dad Performance" rating was especially low. (He hands the clipboard to Dad.) See? Right about yesterday your popularity went down the tubes.

(Dad protests vehemently) Dad: CALVIN, YOU DIDN'T GET DESSERT YESTERDAY BECAUSE YOU FLOODED THE HOUSE!!

(Calvin walks away as he replies.) Calvin: I'd suggest a new line of work, "DAD".... (2)

Dads not only empower; they set limits. And when the limits are transgressed, it is Dad's job to discipline the wayward. In the words of Dr. Alberta Siegel, a professor of psychology at Stanford University:

"When it comes to rearing children, every society is only 20 years away from barbarism. Twenty years is all we have to accomplish the task of civilizing the infants who are born into our midst each year. These savages know nothing of our language, our culture, our religion, our values, our customs or our interpersonal relations. The infant is totally ignorant about communism, fascism, democracy, civil liberties, the rights of the minority as contrasted with the prerogatives of the majority, respect, decency, honesty, customs, conventions, and manners. The barbarian must be tamed if civilization is to survive." (3)

That is not to say that discipline is only Dad's job or that it is Dad's sole job. But just as fathers represent the possibilities of the outside world to their children, so also do they react as agents of that world.

3. Leaving Dad Behind

Calvin: I wanna horsey ride!

Dad: (stirring paint) I'm busy Calvin.

Calvin: You know, Dad, it won't be long before I'm all grown up. One day you'll wake up and wonder how all the years slipped by. You'll look back and say, "Where has the time gone? Calvin's so big. It's hard to remember when he was small enough that I could give him horsey rides..." But those days will be lost forever.

(Calvin is on Dad's back as they gallop toward a fence.)

Dad: I think I've worked through my potential guilt now.

Calvin: No, no! Jump the fence! (4)

In one of my memories of my childhood, I am about ten years old. My playmates have bicycles, and I want one, too. My father discovers that the Chicago Herald-American is selling Schwinn bicycles to its carriers for nineteen dollars. He convinces the local newspaper distributor to sell one to him. It is delivered unassembled in a cardboard carton.

For most of a weekend, we work together in the basement of our apartment building assembling the red, one-speed, balloon-tired bicycle. It proves a formidable task, which I assist by passing him tools and asking impatiently when he will be finished.

Finally, it is done. Dad rides the bike around the block, tinkers with the chain some more, and rides it again.

Then he has me mount it. He walks alongside, steadying the bike. At first, he grips the handle bars. Then he holds the saddle as I practice steering and pedaling. He walks faster and faster. Soon he is running. As the bike picks up speed, he lets go, and I lose my balance and fall in the street. We repeat the sequence again and again. Balance still eludes me. He demonstrates, explains as best he can, and we try again. It is after dark when we quit.

A few days later we try again. He rides the bike for several minutes, and has me try. He steadies the bicycle again. I manage a few yards on my own, become frightened and stop. Then we try again. I add a few more yards to my range. We try again. Finally, to his surprise and mine, I am riding alone. I am frightened and excited. I glance back over my shoulder. Dad is waving at me, smiling, and shouting encouragement as he recedes into the distance. I am on my own!

I am still unsure and wobbly. In the next few days there are spills and scrapes. Trying to stop, I scratch the paint on a car door about three blocks from home. I explore new neighborhoods, meet new boys my own age. About a mile from home, a bully stops me, tries to goad me into a fight, and tells me to stay out of his neighborhood. From month to month, my self-confidence and rage increase. Some days I bicycle from morning to night. I am on my own!

Psychiatrist Martin Greenberg explains:

"As fathers, we struggle to get our children on the `cycle' of life. We race alongside of them, panting--exhausted sometimes--and, finally, they're able to ride off on their own, and we are saddened because we feel we've been left behind. But indelible memories can keep you running alongside that bike." (5)

Unalterably etched in our very being, influencing our sense of self, are what we as sons and daughters remember about our father's teaching us. For they were there from day one instructing us how to ride a bike or shave or flirt or gut a fish or entertain guests at a pretend tea party or start a lawn mower or shag flies--in sum, to "be a man" or "act like a lady." These memories color not only our relationships with our father, but with all other human beings as well. The memories of a son, in particular, surface again and again in the way he acts as a father with his own children. In his book, THE BIRTH OF A FATHER, Greenberg states that he often thought of his father and the bicycle-riding lesson just after his own son was born. He comments:

"The images captured the closeness that I have with my father and yet the reality that I was leaving him behind, that I was moving on to a new phase of my life. My recollection of my father running beside me filled me with a need to be near my own child, to be a part of his life, recognizing nevertheless that at one point he would also leave me behind." (5)

Dad is our teacher and our model. He recedes into the distance--yet is always there. For a lifetime we idealize him, fight him, blame him, and resist him. But when we become fathers ourselves, we catch ourselves repeatedly using his very words and duplicating his very reactions. We keep telling ourselves that we are smarter than he was, that we will never make the same mistakes with our children that he did with us. Consciously and unconsciously, we keep asserting: "Look, Dad, I'm on my own now!" But we never truly are.

(Calvin's Dad is in his chair, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.)

Calvin: How come you're still home? Why aren't you at work?

Dad: I took the day off. (Calvin looks horrified.)

Calvin: Say, Dad. Can I have a look at the classified section?

Dad: As soon as I'm through with it.

Calvin: Gosh, Dad. I'd sure like to borrow that section right this minute. Why don't you read the editorials?

Dad: (Looking astounded, reads aloud,) "New Dad wanted. Frequent traveler preferred. Liberal views on discipline a must. Ask for Calvin during normal work hours." (6)

4. Fathering Made Easy(?)

(It is a quiet Sunday afternoon. Calvin's dad is sitting on the patio reading. Calvin walks by, covered with mud.)

Dad: Wow! How did you ever get so muddy?!

Calvin: Well, I was just standing there, minding my own business, when all of a sudden, a horde of dirty cannibals comes...

Dad: Forget it.

(Calvin wanders off. Dad throws back his arms and takes a deep breath.)

Dad: Boy, what a delightful afternoon. Sometimes I feel like I work all the time to afford this place, and never get to sit back with a good book and enjoy it. Well, at least I have the weekends to...(Dad's reverie is interrupted by his wife's scream)

Mom: CALVIN! YOU GOT MUD ALL OVER THE HOUSE! LOOK AT YOU! AIE!--THE COUCH! WHAT'D YOU DO IT?! DID YOU WALK ACROSS THE COUCH?!

Calvin: I didn't do it! Someone else must have! I saw a muddy guy go running from...

Mom: OUT! OUT OF THE HOUSE! NOW!

Calvin: OK, OK! I'm going! You don't need to push! I can tell when I'm not wanted! Hey! Leggo! Ow! All right, goodbye!

(Dad sits with his book in hand, staring into space. Calvin reappears.)

Calvin: Hey, Dad, catch the water balloon. (Dad and his book are drenched.) Great reflexes, Dad. By the way, don't go in the house like that. Mom's in one of her moods again.

Dad (talking to himself): I'll bet I could get a lot of work done at the office on weekends....(7)

So here we are on this weekend--on Father's Day no less--trying to brush up on our fathering skills. No one gave us a guidebook when we took on this job, but there are a few obvious rules.

First, as a father realize that your only responsibility is to do the best that you can do, to be aware of the impact you have on your children, and to respond as fully as you are capable of responding to their needs.

Second, do the best you can do under the circumstances, just as your father did the best he could do.

Third, do whatever you do for your children because it gives you pleasure to do it--not because you have to or because it's good for them--and expect nothing in return.

Fourth, accept responsibility for your own happiness and stop expecting Mom, Dad, your spouse or your kids to do it for you.

Fifth, start now to make positive contributions to your children's memories of their childhood. You cannot guarantee that their memories will not accentuate the negative while ignoring the positive, but you can create a basis today for being remembered as a great father tomorrow. It is all in the execution. Time and focus are all that separate a good father from a rotten father. There is no such thing as a few minutes of "quality time." Quality means attention, dedication, commitment, talent, and, above all, ample time.

Great fathering requires three things: being there, being aware, and being real. Everything else is dessert.

Being there, wanting to be there, committing oneself to being there, being proud of being there, putting up with the messes and the disappointments and one's own shortcomings, and still choosing to be there for this child--that is what fathering is all about.

And don't worry too much about not having all the answers. That's what children are for!

Calvin: Dad, can you get my ball out of the gutter again?

Dad: This is the third time this afternoon! I thought I told you to play out back!

Calvin: Relax, Dad. It's just a ball in the gutter. It's not as if I've been embezzling money or killing people, right? Aren't you glad I'm not stealing and murdering?

(Dad walks away. Calvin turns toward the reader.)

Calvin: I always have to help Dad establish the proper context.(8)

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1. Bill Watterson, THE CALVIN AND HOBBES LAZY SUNDAY BOOK (Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1989), p. 45.

2. "Calvin and Hobbes," by Bill Watterson, June 11, 1991, San Jose Mercury News, p. 6D.

3. Stanford Observer, October 1973, p. 4.

4. "Calvin and Hobbes," by Bill Watterson, San Jose Mercury News, June 25, 1987.

5. "Father's Day can be a celebration of all kinds of ties," by Al Morch, San Francisco Examiner, June 21, 1987, p. E-4. See also Martin Greenberg, THE BIRTH OF A FATHER (New York: Avon Books, 1985), pp. 71-72.

6. "Calvin and Hobbes," by Bill Watterson, August 25, 1987, San Jose Mercury News, p. 7C.

7. Bill Watterson, THE CALVIN AND HOBBES LAZY SUNDAY BOOK (Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1989), p. 75.

8. "Calvin and Hobbes," by Bill Watterson, August 21, 1987, San Jose Mercury News, p. 7C.

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THE SOURCE OF JOY

John 3:25-30; Philippians 4:1, 4-7, 10-13

One cold, rainy morning a teenager awakened on a farm and walked out to the back of the barn where she kept her favorite pet- -her animal friend, the mule. The mule was standing outside in the rain, and as the drops of water rolled off the end of the long nose of that ugly animal, the mule seemed discouraged and depressed. She looked at her favorite friend and said, "You know, Betsy, you would make a wonderful Christian because you look like so many Christians I know! You look like you have lost your last friend. You look like the world is coming to an end." (1)

How many here today can remember that special "Joy" song we would often sing in Sunday School and in summer vacation Bible School programs when we were youngsters. I believe it went as follows:

"I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart..."

And then the song leader would shout, "Where?" And we would shout, down in my heart to stay!"

Have you had those moments in your spiritual journey when for whatever reasons you didn't feel you had an ounce of JOY in your heart? Have you had those moments when joy was lacking in your orientation to life?

Have you ever wondered how the Apostle Paul could have joy down deep in his heart when he was in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ but yet he writes to fellow Christians from the Philippian jail cell that we as Christians were to "rejoice" in the Lord regardless of what state of being or difficult circumstances we would find ourselves. How could John the Baptist once again have joy in his heart when he knew that his importance in the salvation drama that God was unfolding was decreasing rather than increasing? How could he say, "This joy of mine is now full," when he knew that he would soon die.

I have often heard others remark, "Aren't Christians supposed to have JOY? Aren't they the unique people of the Earth who claim that we have found the secret and the source of unending joy? At Christmas, Christians sing, "Joy to the World, the Lord is Come." How often do worship services in Christian churches begin with that great hymn, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"? Many hymnals also have responsive readings based on Psalm 118 which declares, "Let us rejoice and be glad."

In Nehemiah 8:9-12, we find God instructing the leaders to tell Israel that it is okay to be joyous and festive in our celebration and praise of God. I remember Erma Bombeck once sharing a story about a mother and father who sat with their three-year- old child during a Sunday morning worship service. The small child was quietly walking in the pew, smiling and grinning at the people sitting in the pew behind them. The father very solemnly grabs the boy and tells him to stop smiling and having fun, because this was church and we were to look serious and somber. I remember a quote that I once saw in Reader's Digest where a person is quoted as saying, "I'm going to be happy and joyful, even if it kills me."

I would like to share three insights as we look at the source and the secret of joy.

THE FIRST SOURCE OF JOY IS FOR IT TO BE GOD CENTERED RATHER THAN CIRCUMSTANCE CENTERED.

One of the most gifted Christian writers today is Max Lucado of San Antonio, Texas. Max tells about meeting a gentleman called Robert Reed. Robert's hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can't bathe himself. He can't feed himself. He can't brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette. Robert has cerebral palsy.

Max shares, "I heard Robert Reed declare, `I have everything I need for joy!' Amazing, I thought!

"The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But it didn't keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn't keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five mission trips. And Robert's disease didn't prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.

"He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language.

"I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, `I have everything I need for joy.' His shirts are held together by Velcro, but his life is held together by JOY." (2)

This real life story from one of God's special saints demonstrates that the source of joy depends on your orientation to life. It has nothing to do with the events of your life but with the deeper orientation of your life. Joy is a gift that comes when a life is centered on God. People like Robert Reed, David Ring, and Joni Erikson Tada teach us that joy is always only one decision away. Choose God.

THE SECOND SECRET OF JOY IS TO BELIEVE DEEPLY IN CHRIST.

The first Christians preached and believed Jesus as the one come from God to lead men and women to the experience of true joy. This is why the angels sang at his birth. This is why Jesus is called the "Good Shepherd."

We often get confused in life about many things. I heard the other day about an executive who was given a prank gift for his birthday, a penguin. He decided just to accept it in the spirit in which it was given, so he called in one of his employees and said, "Will you please take this penguin to the zoo?" The employee never returned to work that day. That night, however, he appeared at the executive's house, with the penguin. Exasperated, the business executive said, "I thought I told you to take the animal to the zoo." "I did," said the young employee. "He enjoyed it so much, tomorrow I'm planning to take him to the museum!" (3)

There are a lot of things we are confused about in our day by day experience of living. But this one thing we must never become confused about: Jesus came to bring us life and joy that can be found in no other. We cannot confuse our spiritual orientation of life by worshipping the creature rather than the creator. Everything in life is a poor substitute for God.

Life without Christ is no life at all. It is a pulse without purpose, heart without happiness, existence without eternity; life without living. With Christ we have a purpose to live for, a power to live by, and a person to live with. Jesus not only saves us from our sins, he also saves us for a new life of purpose and power in the presence of God. He gives us unending JOY.

Recently, I attended with five colleagues an Evangelism Congress in Pittsburgh. Included on the program each afternoon were times of personal Christian witness by various persons who had experienced some challenge in life which forced them to assess their faith.

One speaker in that series was Dr. Hugh Crocker. He told the gathering of his life's journey in the past ten years. First, he told of the terrible automobile accident which nearly claimed his life. And then, in a totally unrelated turn of events, he told of his current battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Hugh did not wish to dwell on his infirmities. Rather, he wanted to make a Christian witness as a servant of Jesus Christ. I shall never forget these words which he spoke: "I am determined that no human limitation shall ever strip me of my joy." (4) We can get bitter or we can get better.

When Jesus Christ enters our lives as Lord and Saviour he imparts a deep inner strength for us to continue on when the journey in life is difficult. St. Paul, like Hugh Crocker, discovered that the joyful vitality of life is found in a daily appreciation and thankfulness for what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. If we aren't filled with joy, we soon will be filled with bitterness.

THIRDLY, THE SECRET OF JOY IS TO SIMPLY OPEN OUR LIVES TO CHRIST AND JOY WILL FLOW IN.

Do you want joy? You must begin with God. Is God preeminent in your life? The first priority in life is to be the worship of God. The worship of God is directly related to the freedom to be obedient to God. His will becomes the ruling principle of life. God's will becomes the dominating passion of life. More important than any preference, tastes, ambitions, ego, or the opinions of others is what God wants. This is the delight of a Christian. This is to be the priority of life. God's will brings life and joy.

In our generation there has been a number of books published under the banner "the one minute" approach to life. First, there was the "One Minute Manager" which was about a one-hundred page book and sold for $15.00. Then that book was followed by one titled, "Applying the One Minute Manager." Then these books led into the following books: "The One Minute Scolding;" "The One Minute Father;" "The One Minute Mother," and the series just seems to continue into every aspect of our lives. These books tell you how to do things quickly and efficiently.

However, this modern day approach to life will never work when it comes to developing real joy in our lives. We will never know real joy if we only have a one minute God, one minute devotions, one minute prayers, and only attend one hour worship services on Sunday morning. For joy is the echo of God's life within us. Joy is a form of energy which helps us live above the circumstances of trouble and sorrow. Joy is the celebration of life which doesn't center its focus on what we might lose but on what we have left. Joy is that power which makes us strong from the inside out.

We find joy, or maybe I should correctly state that joy finds us, as we journey through life looking at life through God's eyes. God grants the gift of joy to pilgrims who seek Him rather than those who seek joy.

A recent evening news program told a story of a man and his crew who were on a "Treasure Hunt" to locate a ship in the Atlantic Ocean that had gone down in the 16th Century.

Today the hunts are done with sophisticated sonar equipment that helps save valuable time. The head of the expedition told how they located the boat and various small pieces of valuable coins and metals--but they couldn't find the big pot of gold they anticipated finding. The sophisticated equipment was of little help. They went back up for the night to rest and said they would try it one more time in the morning.

About noon the next day, one of the divers located the "buried treasure." Parts of the outer coating of the treasure box were stripped by the years of pressure on the ocean floor and only then was the real treasure found. How true in life. Our real inner beauty of joy is also discovered when life exerts pressure and attempts to rob us of joy. When the storms of life are raging, joy is far more valuable than a full bank account. Joy is only discovered in the richness of faith that Jesus Christ imparts to those who are filled with him.

Perhaps Saint Francis of Assisi said it best, "Let us leave sadness to the devil and his angels. As for us Christians, what can we be but rejoicing and glad."

Like John, for our joy to be complete and full, we must decrease and Jesus Christ must increase. Like Paul, we can declare, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Will you make this the passion and principles of your life? Will you make your decisions based on this radical approach to life? Will your orientation to life be filled with God and His purposes?

If you do, you will have discovered the secrets of joy that are complete and unending. Be God centered, rejoice more deeply in Christ, commit every aspect of your life to God's unfailing grace. Do this and you will have "Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in Your Heart to Stay!"

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1. SOUTHERN BAPTIST PREACHING TODAY (Broadman Press, 1987), p. 438.

2. Max Lucado, THE APPLAUSE OF HEAVEN (Word Publishing, 1990), pp. 6-7.

3. Thanks to Brian Harbour for this story.

4. Thanks to Brian K. Bauknight for the remainder of this public testimony in Pittsburgh by Hugh Crocker.

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