Sermons

Welcome: Sermons and Outlines 1st Quarter Contents Jan191 Epiphany POSSIBLY OUR FINEST YEAR! Isaiah 60: 1-6 Jan291 First Sunday after Epiphany YOU'RE A GOOD KID! Mark 1:7-11 Jan391 Second Sunday after Epiphany SPEAK, YOUR SERVANT HEARS I Samuel 3: 1-10 Jan491 Third Sunday after Epiphany THE DAY GOD REPENTED Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Feb191 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany WHAT GETS INTO PEOPLE? Scripture: Mark 1:23-28 Feb291 Transfiguration FACE TO FACE WITH GOD Scripture: Mark 9: 2-9 Feb391 First Sunday in Lent FACE TO FACE WITH THE TEMPTER Scripture: Mark 1: 12-15 Feb491 Second Sunday in Lent THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS FORMULA Scripture: Mark 8: 31-38 Mar191 Third Sunday in Lent I'M MAD AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! Scripture: John 2: 13-22 Mar291 Fourth Sunday in Lent TRUE LOVE Scripture: John 3: 14-21 Mar391 Fifth Sunday in Lent RISE ABOVE IT Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9 Mar491 Palm (Passion) Sunday WHY DID HE DO IT? Scripture: Mark 14: 1-15 Mar591 Easter A STORY ALMOST TOO BIG TO TELL Scripture: John 20:1-9; Mark 16: 1-8 Bonus Bonus Sermon (Holy Communion) THE ETERNAL FOOD John 6: 51-58 Children's Sermons CS1 ~ THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTMAS Scripture: Luke 2:22-40 Object: Discarded wrapping paper, Christmas ornaments to be put away, etc. CS2 ~ POSSIBLEY OUR FINEST YEAR! Scripture: Isaiah 60: 1-6 Object: A kite CS3 ~ YOU'RE A GOOD KID! Scripture Lesson: Mark 1:7-11 Object: A chain or a rope with a stake tied to one end CS4 ~ SPEAK, YOUR SERVANT HEARS Scripture Lesson: I Samuel 3: 1-10 Object: A watch CS5 ~ THE DAY GOD REPENTED Scripture Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Object: A football CS6 ~ WHAT GETS INTO PEOPLE? Scripture: Mark 1:23-28 Object: A mushroom CS7 ~ FACE TO FACE WITH GOD Scripture: Mark 9: 2-9 Object: A magnet CS8 ~ FACE TO FACE WITH THE TEMPTER Scripture: Mark 1: 12-15 Object: A candy bar CS9 ~ THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS FORMULA Scripture: Mark 8: 31-38 Object: A jar of honey CS10 ~ I'M MAD AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! Scripture: John 2: 13-22 Object: A light bulb CS11 ~ TRUE LOVE Scripture: John 3: 14-21 Object: A heart and a cross CS12 ~ RISE ABOVE IT Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9 Object: A shovel CS13 ~ WHY DID HE DO IT? Scripture: Mark 14: 1-15 CS14 ~ A STORY ALMOST TOO BIG TO TELL Scripture: John 20:1-9; Mark 16: 1-8 Object: A flag, a feather or a picture of a turkey, a star, and an egg. (BONUS4) THE ETERNAL FOOD John 6: 51-58 Annie Dillard was in the ninth grade. Like most people her age she was suspicious of the values and traditions of her parents. Her parents had been taking her to church ever since she could remember. Annie wasn't too sure she really wanted to be in church, but she went to church nonetheless because it was important to her parents. On a typical Sunday morning she was sitting in her usual place, the first row of the balcony in a large stone carved church in Pittsburgh. She enjoyed the balcony because she could watch the people below, the women in their fancy dresses, and the men in their stiff shirts and neck ties. In Annie's opinion the people had gathered to remind God how hard they had worked and how few pleasures they took for themselves since the flood. The people were always looking around for an entrance to another life or at least an exit from this one. Annie Dillard was at that age where she was quite sure of herself. She thought she knew better than anyone. On that Sunday she realized it was Communion Sunday. Annie always did her best to avoid Communion. To be honest the whole thing seemed absurd to her. Communion was something people did that had no real meaning. Annie wondered what Christ must have thought of the whole charade. She watched as the silver trays were passed out, with the cubes of bread and the Welch's grape juice. Then as she was looking around a strange feeling came over her. She saw her friends praying, even the boys she had seen at the ninth grade dance the night before. They were praying. It seemed almost unbelievable that they could take communion so seriously. Then she watched as the adults prayed. Every head was bowed in the sanctuary; no one was moving. As she watched she was alerted to a new feeling, something she had never experienced before. "I didn't know what to make of this," she thought to herself. As the ushers made their way to the altar Annie Dillard realized that she knew most of the people present and, more importantly, she knew what they loved and she wasn't so sure it was God. There in that old church she experienced the broken body and shed blood of our Lord and Savior. The people that she doubted came together as sinners in need of the bread and juice. That morning Annie Dillard realized why we celebrate communion. It's not because we deserve it. It's not because we have been so good. Rather we come to the Lord's table in need of something we cannot do for ourselves. We are offering ourselves to be part of the body of Christ--so that we can go out into the world that seems God-forsaken. Annie Dillard slowly realized this is not a God-forsaken world because God is present through His people. We live in an age when the sacred no longer seems important to people. For some Holy Communion has lost its meaning and importance. There are some like young Annie Dillard who think the whole thing is absurd. Others do their best to avoid Communion altogether. This morning as we reflect on the words of Jesus, "I am the living bread...if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever..." Let us consider the importance of Holy Communion in our lives. For Christians living in the first century, sharing in the Lord's Supper was very important. They could experience oneness as they came together to share the holy meal. After the Christians worked hard all day they met in each other's homes and shared a meal. After the meal there would be a message followed by the singing of hymns. They would remember the words of Jesus, "Take, eat, this is my body given for you...take and drink...." In a world that was often unkind to the Christians they found strength from their meal and fellowship together. The next day they were ready to go back into the world. For the early Christians fellowship around a table was a daily occurrence. Consider for a moment what takes place when people gather to share a meal. Something nearly indescribable takes place when people are able to sit down to eat and talk together. Once there was a family of five that disagreed on every subject. If one said the cup was half empty the other would say it was half full. At times their disagreements became heated arguments. Often feelings were hurt. Outside observers wondered how this family could stay together. Yet there was more to this family than that. Something magical took place when it came time to sit down for the evening meal. The disagreements and arguments were quickly forgotten when that family sat down for evening supper. They could put aside their disagreements long enough to enjoy each other's company. During the meal different members of the family would share the experiences they had during the day. There was a sense of closeness and unity as that family ate together. In the same way we come together as the church to share in Holy Communion. We are like family, are we not? As the hymn suggests we share each other's joys and burdens. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper we come together as one body. As the body of Christ we might have different opinions about beliefs, or about church business or other issues but we are able to put those differences aside when we come to the Lord's table. Our differences are forgotten as we kneel together to receive the bread and cup that God has given us. There is that sense of unity, of oneness as we come together and share the bread and cup. When we share communion with each other we acknowledge not only our need for food but also our need for each other. We're in this together "come hell or high water" as the popular expression goes. We cannot be Christians by ourselves, we need each other. Communion brings us together as a family and gives us a sense of unity. Holy Communion allows the body of Christ to celebrate its oneness: "One with Christ, one with each other and one in service to all the world." Communion equips each one of us to face the challenges of a new day. We have experienced something special as the body of Christ, and now we are ready to meet the world. We have shared the very body and blood of our Lord and Savior. Now were are ready to face the world head on. Like Annie Dillard discovered, the world is no longer "God-forsaken" because we are in the world and God is in us. The people who crossed the lake to be with Jesus were very confused. As we have seen, they did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They were upset over what he said. Verse 52 says that the people started an "angry argument" among themselves. They were stuck on the literal level of what Jesus was saying. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked. Eating someone's flesh sounded gross. Jesus, however, was speaking on a different level. Jesus knew what was in store for him. He knew that he would be put to death and rise again. He tried to tell the disciples as well as the people this, yet they could not understand what he was talking about. Jesus told them that the only way they could experience this new life was to believe in him, the One God sent. Remember, earlier the people wanted something they could see and touch--then they would believe. They asked Jesus for a sign or miracle to prove to them beyond a shadow of doubt that he was who he said he was. Jesus did better than that for them. Jesus offered the people something they could experience with their five senses. What Jesus offered them they could see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. This meal would be different from all other meals. This meal would change their lives. There could be no substitutes for what Jesus offered the people. Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day ." We have that promise and assurance. The bread and cup that Jesus offers us is the eternal food for which there is no substitute. "For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink." There is only one way to participate in the life that Jesus offers and that way is through Jesus alone. This was what Jesus wanted the people to understand. The person who accepts these truths will have eternal life. Jesus is the bread of life, the bread sent down by God from heaven. When we come to share the bread and cup we are acknowledging that we are sinners in need of something we cannot provide for ourselves. We come hoping and seeking to be more like Jesus. We come hoping that through the bread and cup we will be transformed as well as forgiven. When we eat the bread and drink the cup we are transformed. When we allow Jesus Christ into our lives we become different people. We become more Christ-like in our attitude and behavior. According to German folklore there once was a wicked man who wore the mask of a saint to woo and win the saintly girl he loved. Years later when a castoff girl friend discovered the deception, she challenged him to take off the mask in front of his beloved and show his face for the sorry thing he was. He did what he was told only to discover that underneath the saint's mask, his face had become the face of a saint. The food Jesus offers us in the real food, the eternal food, the food that will change us. Jesus said, "The one who eats this bread will live forever." Amen and Amen TOP (514drybones) IN THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:38-44 "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 delightful little spiritual brings to mind one of the most dynamic, hopeful images in all the Old Testament. It is Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. "By the Spirit of the Lord," Ezekiel testifies, "I was set down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones." Perhaps these were the bones of an army that had been trapped in this valley by hostile forces and had been summarily slaughtered. The flesh had long ago fallen away. Now there was nothing left but a pile of bones baked by the sun. In Ezekiel's words, they "were very dry." Amidst this scene of death, decay and destruction, the Lord asks Ezekiel a powerful question--a question that is important to your life and mine, "Son of man, can these bones live?" A young man in a wheelchair, crippled by an accident, asks his friend, "Do I have a future?" A couple sits in a counselor's office, "Can our marriage be saved?" A widow sinks into a chair. Only a few hours before they lowered into the ground the casket that contained her precious husband. "Can I go on?" she wonders as she softly cries. "Son of man, can these bones live?" Can that which is dead be returned to life? Can a situation that has been written off as hopeless be recouped, revived, resurrected? Is there any hope? MANY, MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES. Charles Plumb, author of the book, I'M NO HERO, has been in that valley. He was a fighter pilot in Vietnam. One day his plane was hit. As it fell toward the earth, it turned upside down, threatening to trap him inside. He managed to turn the plane around enough so that he could eject. He landed in enemy territory and was quickly captured. For the next six years his home was an eight-by-eight foot cell with a dirt floor and a tin can for a toilet. His captors frequently tortured him by twisting his body with ropes. "They would twist my body and I would think, `I can take this much, I know I couldn't take any more,' and then they would twist me tighter." Often he would be thrown back in his cell with torn muscles, and he would tell himself, "Well, I lived through that. I know I couldn't take any more." Somehow, though, he survived each instance of torture. One day Charles saw a wire appear beneath the bamboo wall of his cell and wiggle as if giving a signal. He watched the wire for several days before he had enough courage to pull on it. When he did, he found it came from another prisoner. Using the wire to signal letters of the alphabet, he began to ask questions. He discovered that two hundred other men were being brutalized just as he was. When he was finally freed, Charles was flown to San Francisco, where he quickly tried to call his wife. He couldn't locate her. Then he called his father, who told him that his wife had left him. "Come on home, son," said his father. "It's a new day. Let's start fresh." (1) After all he had been through, was a new start even possible? For a while he thought not. Could dry bones live again? Many, many people live in the valley of dry bones. Some live in that valley for a long time, all of us at least for a season. Mary and Martha were in that valley when their brother Lazarus died. They sent for the Master as soon as he fell ill, but Jesus was delayed. Now Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. "Lord," said Mary, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." Then she began to weep. Her tears were so moving that Jesus began to weep as well. For a time Mary and Martha were living in the valley of dry bones. Some of you have been there. All of us will be in that valley at some time in our lives. There in that lonesome valley we will find ourselves asking, Is there any hope? Can I go on? Can these bones live again? The answer is a resounding yes. There is hope. You can go on. These bones can live again. The question, then, is how? How can we find hope in the midst of desolation, courage in the face of impending collapse, comfort in our hour of ultimate distress? THE ANSWER IS, BY THE WORD OF THE LORD. "And he said to me, `Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, `O Lord God, thou knowest.' Again [the Lord] said to me, `Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'" The answer is in the Word of the Lord. Remember, it was with a word that the world was created. "And God said, `Let there be light,' and there was light." (Gen. 1:3) It was by the Word that God revealed the fullness of His love for humanity, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:14) And it was by a Word that Christ brought Lazarus back from the dead, "[Jesus] cried with a loud voice, `Lazarus, come out.' The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth." It is by the Word of the Lord that we live and move and have our being. Our hope is in the word of the Lord. THAT IS WHY THE SCRIPTURES ARE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES. I say that even though I realize that many of us rarely read our Bibles. There is an old story about a bandit in a foreign land who had been badly injured and was taken to a Christian mission hospital. As the result of weeks of excellent care, the bandit recovered completely. He was so grateful for the treatment he received that he resolved he would never again rob a Christian. The word got around, and everyone he tried to hold up would immediately say, "I'm a Christian." Obviously, this was bad for his business. So he went back to the hospital and asked the missionaries how he could distinguish who really were Christians. They said, "Well, every Christian should know the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments." And from that time on, he would tell his intended victims to recite the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. If they could not, he would rob them. How would you fare on such a quiz? Particularly the Ten Commandments? Many of us are practically illiterate when it comes to the Scriptures. Thus we miss a tremendous source of comfort and strength. The brilliant writer, Katherine Mansfield, died of tuberculosis. She came upon the Bible only in her mature life, never having read or studied it until then. "I feel so bitterly," she wrote in her journal, "that I have never known these writings before. They ought to be part of my very breathing." That is true of all of us. Particularly when we are in the valley of dry bones. We need the written Word of the Lord. It will give us comfort and strength. Our hope is in the Word of the Lord. That is why the Scriptures are so important to our lives. THAT IS ALSO WHY WORSHIP IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES. In worship we also discover the Word of the Lord for our lives. Some years ago a speedboat driver was near top speed when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning crazily into the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water--so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface. Worship is that time in the week when we wait calmly so that we can re-discover which way is up. Particularly is this important when we are in the valley. In his book BELIEVE AND BELONG, Bruce Larson uses an analogy which I find very helpful. He tells about a gigantic statue of Atlas in the entrance of the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Here is Atlas, this beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. Even though he is the most powerfully built man on earth, he can barely stand up under this burden. "Now that's one way to live," Larson says, "trying to carry the world on your shoulders." On the other side of Fifth Avenue, Larson notes, is Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus. He is perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. "We have a choice." says Larson. "We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, `I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world.'" For many of us this hour of worship is that time when we shift our burden from our shoulders to His. We find our strength in the word of the Lord. That is why the Scriptures are important to us. That is why Worship is important to us. FINALLY, THAT IS WHY PRAYER IS SO IMPORTANT TO US. When you are in the valley of dry bones is when you discover that prayer is more than a mere ritual at mealtime or before retiring. A pastor was visiting in the home of one of his parishioners. A small boy in the home started reaching for the potatoes before the blessing was said. His mother gently scolded him. The boy was confused. Why were they at the table, except to eat? As the adults bowed their heads to say grace, the child suddenly caught on. As his father started to pray, the boy, shouted, "Hey, Dad! Could I be the one that talks to the plate this time?" Some people could easily be talking to their plates, their prayers have so little forethought and passion. Such is not the case for those who have been in the valley. In the darkness of the valley we have reached out and felt an unseen hand. When Norris Dam was first built in the hills of East Tennessee, a worker on the night shift noticed how strange it was to hear the great dynamos humming in the quiet of the night and then look across the lake and see cabins lit with kerosene lamps. When he asked why this was, he was told that the transmission lines had not been laid yet. Even though these folks lived in the shadow of this great hydro-electric dam, they could not receive its power, because there were no lines linking the dam to their homes. (2) So it is with many people today. They have no link with the One who can restore new life to dry bones. Prayer is that link. Can these bones live again? Yes, there is hope even in the valley of dry bones. For God is a living God, a God who is faithful to His promises and is powerful enough to accomplish whatever He wills. Listen as Ezekiel's vision moves toward a climax, "So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone." That is the origin of the spiritual's little refrain, "The shin bone's connected to the knee bone and the knee bones connected to the thigh bone and the thigh bones connected to the hip bone..." But listen to the climax in vs. 10: "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived...." What an exciting piece of news for us. There is hope--in the Word, in Worship and through Prayer. Even dry bones can live again. ----------------- 1. Jane and Robert Handly, THE LIFE PLUS PROGRAM FOR GETTING UNSTUCK, (New York: Rawson Associates, 1989). 2. Herb Miller, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN VERBS, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989). TOP (515CutDown--Lifted Up) CUT DOWN--LIFTED UP Philippians 2:5-11 Once upon a time in the heart of a certain kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. Of all the dwellers of the garden, the most beautiful and beloved to the master of the garden was a splendid and noble Bamboo. Year after year, Bamboo grew yet more beautiful and gracious. He was conscious of his master's love, yet he was modest and in all things gentle. Often when Wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would throw aside his dignity. He would dance and sway merrily, tossing and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon. He would lead the great dance of the garden which most delighted his master's heart. One day the master himself drew near to look at this Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of love, bowed his head to the ground in joyful greeting. The master spoke: "Bamboo, I would use you." Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and destiny! His voice came low: "Master, I am ready, use me as you want." " Bamboo," the master's voice was grave, "I would be obliged to take you and cut you down." A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo. "Cut..me..down? Me whom you, master, have made the most beautiful in all your garden? Cut me down? Ah, not that, not that. Use me for your joy, oh master, but cut me not down." "Beloved Bamboo," the master's voice grew graver still. "If I do not cut you down, I cannot use you." The garden grew still. Wind held her breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. Then came a whisper. "Master, if you cannot use me unless you cut me down, then do your will and cut." "Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also." "Master, master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust, but would you take from me my leaves and branches also?" "Bamboo alas! If I do not cut them away, I cannot use you." The sun hid her face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low. "Master, cut away." "Bamboo, Bamboo. I would divide you in two and cut out your heart, for if I do not cut so, I cannot use you." "Master, master, then cut and divide." So the master of the garden took Bamboo and cut him down and hacked off his branches and stripped his leaves and divided him in two and cut out his heart, and lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh, sparkling water in the midst of the master's dry fields. Then putting down one end of broken Bamboo into the spring and the other end into the water channel in his field, the master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo. The spring sang welcome. The clear sparkling water raced joyously down the channel of Bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted and the days went by. The shoots grew. The harvest came. In that day was Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant. But in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his master's world. (1) A little parable for this Palm Sunday, 1990--not about Palm branches, though, but about Bamboo. Even more about Christ. "Have this mind in you," writes St. Paul, "which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (KJV) In these poetic lines we discover three things about Christ: who he is, what he has done in our behalf, what our attitude toward him ought to be. LET'S CONSIDER, FIRST OF ALL, WHO HE IS. Many of us would like to straddle the fence at this point. Intellectually, we count ourselves among the Trinitarians. We gladly embrace the language--Father, Son and Holy Ghost--but deep in our hearts we are reluctant to make an all-out commitment to the divinity of Christ. The moral superiority of his teachings we consider beyond question. The picture he gives us of God is one we would like the whole world to embrace. The love which he taught and personified we acknowledge to surpass our own in almost infinite proportions. Still, we want to lump him with other religious geniuses like Confucius, Mohammed, and Moses. We cannot allow ourselves to acknowledge him as Lord. That is too much to ask of us intellectually. Even more important, it is too much to ask of us spiritually, for if he truly is Lord, it would be impossible for us to keep him safely at arm's length. Acknowledging him as Lord may require too much from us--not only of our minds, but also our hearts. Yet this is the bold contention of our faith. Jesus is more than mere humanity. He is part of the Triune God. Dorothy Sayers had one of the simplest and most helpful explanations of the puzzling doctrine of the Trinity I know of. She uses the example of a book. She notes that at first the book is only an idea in its author's mind. Then it becomes a book that you can hold and read and study. As you begin to grasp and comprehend its ideas and to put its precepts into action, however, it becomes something else. It takes on a kind of life of its own in your mind. So, one work, but in three forms--idea, book, and realization in the reader's mind. (2) Christians believe that God also manifests Himself in three forms--God in His Divine essence, God in the historical person of Jesus, and God, the Holy Spirit, who is the inward witness of Himself. Thus we can see how St. Paul could describe Christ as "being in the form of God..." and thinking "it not robbery to be equal with God..." That is who he is. We need to focus on who Christ is this Palm Sunday. WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT HE HAS DONE IN OUR BEHALF. St. Paul tells us he "took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in the fashion of man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross...." In his immortal work, PARADISE LOST, Milton tells us about an angel who sought to be equal with God. For this he was cast out of heaven and now reigns in hell. These are the words Milton attributed to Satan, "Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven." Note the difference between Satan and Christ. St. Paul describes Christ as One who does not strive to be equal with God, but rather humbles himself to the level of humanity, who becomes a servant, and finally dies like a common thief. We are particularly mindful of Christ's humility on Palm Sunday. History records that when Chancellor Bismarck of Prussia in the nineteenth century chose to make his grand entrance into Jerusalem, he did so on a white horse. And he was accompanied by such a large army of officials that a section of the wall had to be removed. That is the way a person of greatness is supposed to enter a city. Limos and loudspeakers and lines of press releases. Not the humble Christ. He enters aboard a lowly donkey. Even more did he humble himself upon the cross. Just as Bamboo was stripped of his leaves, with his stalk cut in two and his heart cut out, so the beloved Christ was stripped of his dignity, forsaken by his friends, broken in body, if not in spirit. And he did it in our behalf. In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown and Linus are standing next to each other, staring at a star-filled sky. "Would you like to see a falling star?" Charlie Brown asks Linus. "Sure..." Linus responds. "Then again, I don't know," he adds, after some thought. "I'd hate to have it fall just on my account." In the book PARABLES OF PEANUTS, Robert Short uses this cartoon to make the point that a star did fall on our account. God came down to us as Jesus: like a lamb led to slaughter, He died on our account. What humility. What love and, oh, what he accomplished there. Back in 1927 a man named Asibi, a West African native, was stricken with the deadly disease, yellow fever. However, Asibi lived. Because his system had conquered the disease, Asibi's blood contained the antibodies from which to begin to develop a successful vaccine. Today doctors and drug companies have developed an efficient vaccine against yellow fever, and their cure has saved the lives of untold numbers of people around the world. Each dose of vaccine, though, can be traced back to one original blood sample--that of Asibi. Literally, one man's blood saved the lives of millions of people. (3) In a mysterious way we cannot understand, that is exactly what the blood of Jesus Christ did for us. "By his stripes, we have been healed. Thus we see who Christ is and what he has done in our behalf. FINALLY WE NEED TO SEE THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE ON OUR PART TO WHO CHRIST IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE. That response is to bow at his feet and acknowledge him as our Lord. "Wherefore God has also exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow...." We need to join the crowds who threw down their cloaks before him as he rode into Jerusalem. We need to join the chorus of children singing, "Hosanna to him who comes in the name of the Lord...." But more than that, we need to make him Lord of our lives. A lot of us would like to be like Tommy Lasorda, the irrepressible manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lasorda accepted a fee to wear a certain shoe a few years back when the Dodgers were in the World Series. Then another manufacturer made a similar offer, and now he had a problem. How could he wear both? He thought maybe he could wear one brand at home and the other on the road and get two fees, but neither company would go for that. Finally, he figured out a way to get both fees. He simply wore one shoe from each manufacturer. (4) Some of us would like to follow the same tactic in dividing our allegiance between Christ and the world. It cannot be done. If, as St. Paul instructs, we have the mind of Christ in us, we cannot at the same time have the mind of the world. Consider who he is. Consider what he has done in our behalf. And then consider your response. See if you are not ready this day to join in the hosannas and proclaim him Lord of your life. See if you too are not willing to be stripped of your leaves and be crucified with him. See if you are not ready to join that vast company that proclaims him Lord, to the glory of God the Father. --------------- 1. The Holstonian, August, 1985, Author not given. 2. THE MIND OF THE MAKER 3. Charles M. Crowe, The Years of Our Lord (Abingdon Press, 1955) as quoted in Robert J. Hastings, A Word Fitly Spoken (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1962), p. 53. 4. Joe Garagiola, IT'S ANYBODY'S BALLGAME, (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1988). TOP (Jan191) POSSIBLY OUR BEST YEAR! Isaiah 60: 1-6 Most of you are familiar with that apostle of possibility thinking, Dr. Robert Schuller. Schuller is best known for his glittering Crystal Cathedral. On one occasion Schuller invited entertainer Pat Boone to sing for his congregation. He introduced Boone by saying that Pat sometimes gets tired of his all-American-boy image. Once a year, said Schuller, Pat Boone checks into a motel under an assumed name, closes the drapes, goes into the closet, and puts on black shoes. The congregation chuckled. They knew that white shoes are Boone's trademark. Pat Boone came back to the Crystal Cathedral a second time. He remembered what Schuller had said. He told the congregation that Dr. Schuller got tired of his image sometimes, too. "So once a year," Pat claimed, "Robert Schuller checks into a motel under an assumed name, goes to his room, pulls the drapes closed, goes into the closet, shuts the door– and shouts: `It's impossible! I can't do it!'" (1) Schuller is famous, as you may know, for having cut the word `impossible' out of his dictionary. This morning we want to encourage some possibility thinking. We want to explore the possibility that this coming new year will be the best year any of us has ever had. I realize that for some of you that will sound flippant and trite. You are facing mountains--mountains you are not certain you can climb. Notice, though, I am not saying that this will be the easiest year we have ever faced. Only that it can be the best year. Success cannot always be measured in either accomplishment or accumulation. If the coming year brings us closer to God and closer to our friends, if it helps us value more highly the things that really matter and causes us to appreciate more deeply the gift of simply being alive, it will be a great year regardless of our outer circumstances. So, let's explore that possibility together– the possibility of a rich and rewarding New Year. Certainly our text from Isaiah is a possibility text. With the blessing of God anointing his words, Isaiah counsels his people, " Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." Many who heard Isaiah's summons surely responded, "What nonsense. How can I let my light shine?" "I've had a rough year." "I'm old and feeble." Or, "I'm young and restless." Besides, "I don't see any evidence of the deliverance of God." Perhaps there is someone here this morning who is of a like mind. You doubt that this can be a great year for you. You're too old for fantasies. Too cynical for fairy tales of better days ahead. Like many in Isaiah's audience, you see no evidence of the deliverance of God. Let me offer some items in evidence if I might– some reasons why you and I can have the best year ever. IN THE FIRST PLACE, WE KNOW WHO WE ARE. That's simple enough, but still profound. One of Isaiah's primary tasks was to remind the people of God who they were. They were no ordinary run-of-the-mill ragtag outfit. They were God's own anointed. They were the chosen. Like the Marines, they were the few, the proud. We need to be reminded, sometimes, who we are too. We are God's people. We are those for whom Christ died. We belong to the best family in town--God's family. Family membership is a real advantage in this world, is it not? When Senator Teddy Kennedy first ran for the Senate, his brother Jack was President, and his other brother Bobby was Attorney General. According to one source Teddy told his brother the President that he thought he would change his name. It was too well known politically, he concluded, and he did not wish to hang on to the coat tails of his brothers. The President asked, "What name are you going to ask for?" "Well," said Teddy, "I think I'll keep my first name. After all, I'm used to responding to that." "But for the last name I think I'd like Roosevelt." Well, Teddy Roosevelt would be a pretty nice name. There would be certain advantages to being a Kennedy or a Roosevelt or a Rockefeller. Membership in a prominent family is helpful in this world. I want to suggest to you, however, there is an even greater advantage to those who know themselves to be a part of the family of God. An unknown poet has written: I may be young; I may be old, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be educated; I may be unlettered, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be black; I may be white, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be rich; I may be poor, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be fat; I may be thin, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be married; I may be divorced, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be successful; I may be a failure, But I am somebody, For I am God's Child. I may be a sinner; I may be a saint, But I am somebody, For Jesus is my Savior. I am God's Child! There is the great secret of life--to believe you and I are somebody because we are God's child. We may not be a Rockefeller or a Kennedy or Roosevelt. No, our parentage is more exalted than that. We have God for our Father! We have a certain innate dignity because of our heritage. We know who we are. WE ALSO KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING. Isaiah wanted his people to know where they were going. He painted a picture of a peaceful, prosperous time– a time when the peoples of the world would look to God's people for guidance and inspiration. Isaiah understood the power of vision. If he could help his people see what they could be, if he could get them to buy into this victorious vision and make a move towards its realization, God would bless his people in a wondrous way. Here again is a great secret of life. People who arrive are those who know where they are going. General George Patton once told about a Chinese national young man who enlisted in the American army in WWII. This fellow's unit was stationed in Louisiana. As luck would have it this Chinese soldier got lost on one of the maneuvers. Being unable to speak English he couldn't ask where his outfit was located. He was stranded at a crossroads where he attempted to hitch a ride with any army vehicle of any unit. The problem was he tried to use his index finger to hitch a ride instead of motioning backward with his thumb. You can guess what happened. An army convoy approached. The Chinese soldier pointed his index finger down one of the roads at the crossroads. The driver of the first vehicle didn't stop since he thought the soldier was directing traffic. When the convoy failed to stop, the young Chinese soldier moved to another road and with the next convoy pointed down the new road. According to Patton, in one afternoon, this soldier split army units so badly by pointing down one road and then another that it took them over a week to locate all of the troops! Troops, trucks and tanks were scattered all over Louisiana and Texas! (2) Some people spend their lives going first down one road and then another. They wander nowhere in particular and then wonder why they never get anywhere. May I suggest that as we start this new year, we write down a description of the things we really would like to accomplish? Let's give ourselves a roadmap. What are some goals we really would like to attain? Spend more time with our family? Project ourselves more forcefully on the job? Devote more time to the service of God? Paint a picture in your own mind of where you would like to be this time next year. Write down your goals and refer to them from time to time. We will travel more surely in this new year if we know where we are going. And let's make certain our goals are worthy goals. In the spring of 1608 the settlers at Jamestown, Virginia discovered gold. At least they thought they did. They almost totally abandoned any efforts at planting crops, preparing buildings, and readying themselves for winter. They had found gold and devoted themselves to steadily digging out and washing the precious metal. The colonists probably would not even have survived the summer and fall if the Indians had not fed them. However, they were able to send a ship back to England with a heavy load of the metal for which they had labored all spring. Unfortunately their gold turned out to be iron pyrite, also called " fools' gold." They had given their time, their talent, and all their energies to "fool's gold." The colonists could say the name "fools' gold" had special meaning for them. For not only had they been deceived by the worthless look-alike mineral, but they had foolishly abandoned everything they needed for life in a quest that would have made no sense even if their discovery had indeed been real gold. (3) Is that not a parable of the way many people spend their lives? Stocking up fool's gold. Ignoring the really important matters in life until it is too late. We can have a great new year if we know who we are and if we know where we are going. AND, FINALLY, IF WE KNOW WHO GOES WITH US. Isaiah understood that any glory that came to his people was not their own doing. Their hope was in God and God alone. So it is with us. Somewhere I've read that among some Native American tribes an interesting rite took place in every little boy's life– a rite designed to help the boy learn the courage of manhood. When he was very little, he was taken out into the forest to spend the night alone. Left with nothing but a knife for protection, he was required to remain silent as he awaited whatever horrors the night might bring. The next morning, however, he was greeted with a delightful surprise. He found that his father had been standing and watching all through the night, with bow and arrow ready lest something hurtful should happen to his son. Many of us have discovered something like that in the midst of our own long, difficult nights. Someone was watching over us all through the night. Mrs. C.D. Martin wrote a song about it. With her husband, she was visiting Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle of Elmira, New York. The Doolittles were both physically handicapped. Their souls were still strong, however. They radiated such joy that the Martins inquired about its source. Mrs. Doolittle responded with pride, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!" Mrs. Martin was so taken by the response that she went home and that same day arranged those touching words into a lovely Gospel hymn that Ethel Waters immortalized. "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!" How can this be any other than a great year? We know who we are. We know where we are going. We know who's going with us. ----------- 1. Joseph Bayley quoted in Stephen Brown, IF GOD IS IN CHARGE, ( Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983). 2. THE EXECUTIVE SPEAKER'S NEWSLETTER 3. Cullen, Joseph P. "James' Towne," American History Illustrated: (October, 1972), p. 33. TOP (CS3 goodkid) YOU'RE A GOOD KID! Mark 1: 7-11 Harriett Beecher Stowe was a most successful writer. She achieved her first triumph as an author at the age of twelve. She was a student at Litchfield Academy. With the other Litchfield students she was required to submit an essay at the end of the term. Her essay was awarded first prize by the unanimous vote of the judges and was one of two read at the graduation exercises by the headmaster, John Brace. So outstanding was her paper, the audience applauded when it was read. When it was revealed that Harriett Beecher was the author of this paper, her father Lyman, pastor of the local church, smiled proudly. The smile of her proud father was a reward Harriett cherished as long as she lived. Her biographer said, "Neither the honors nor the success she won in later life meant as much to her [as her father's smile], and, in effect, her career was determined." (1) A father's smile--a mother's nod of approval. Powerful! Deep within the heart of every young person is the need to have a father or a mother say, "Well done. I'm proud of you. You're a good kid!" THE DEEPEST NEED EVERY YOUNG PERSON HAS IS THE NEED TO FEEL ACCEPTED, LOVED, WANTED, APPRECIATED. In our lesson for today Mark tells us that at Jesus' baptism he heard the voice of God saying to him, "You are my beloved son with whom I am well pleased!" What a marvelous affirmation! Do you remember Luke's comments about Jesus' younger years, "...he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." I wonder if his mother Mary ever said to Jesus, "You're a bad boy." I doubt it, don't you? I'm not saying that Jesus did not have a normal childhood. What I am saying is there were some things Mary believed about Jesus. She knew he was a special child. He might be mischievous, he might be rowdy, but he could never be bad! I wish every mother and father could believe that about their child. We are all familiar with the term self-fulling prophecy. It means that we tend to conform to the image we have of ourselves. If we see ourselves as clumsy, we will act clumsy. If we see ourselves as intelligent, we will generally act intelligently. And if we see ourselves as bad, unacceptable, unlovable and unworthy, that is how we will behave. In his book, MISTREATED!, Ron Lee Dunn tells about two altar boys. One was born in 1892 in Eastern Europe. The other was born just three years later in a small town in Illinois. Though they lived very separate lives in very different parts of the world, these two altar boys had almost identical experiences. Each boy was given the opportunity to assist his parish priest in the service of Communion. Ironically, each boy, while handling the communion cup, accidentally spilled some of the wine on the carpet. There the similarities end. The priest in the Eastern European church, seeing the purple stain on the carpet, slapped the little altar boy hard across the face and shouted, "Clumsy oaf! Leave the altar!" That little boy grew up to become an atheist and a Communist. He was the strongman dictator of Yugoslavia from 1943 to 1980. His name was Josip Broz Tito. The priest in the church in Illinois, upon seeing the stain near the altar, knelt down to the little boy's level, looked him tenderly in the eyes and said, "It's all right, son. You'll do better next time. You'll be a fine priest for God someday." That little boy grew up to become the much loved Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. (2) Two young boys. Two similar experiences with radically different endings. We all need to feel loved, accepted, appreciated. This brings us to the second thing to be said: WE BECOME WHAT OTHERS TELL US WE WILL BECOME. Tell a child that he or she is a good child, praise him for his positive acts, tell her she is pretty and you are proud of her, and he or she will live up to that positive self-image. Pablo Picasso once said rather immodestly, "When I was a child, my mother said to me, `If you become a soldier you'll be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the Pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." Whether you appreciate Picasso's art or not you will have to admit he had a wise mother. We become what people tell us we will become. If people prophesy success for us then success is probably what we will attain. There was once a very lonely and sad young man named Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). When Arthur was a boy, his father died by drowning. His mother, an advocate of free love, virtually abandoned him. Schopenhauer grew to young manhood groping for an understanding of life. Once when he thought he was alone he bent over a rose and began speaking lovingly to the flower. A gardener came by and said in all earnestness, "Who are you?" Schopenhauer replied, "Ah, if you could tell me that, you would be the greatest philosopher in all the world." Having said this he realized that if he could answer the question, "Who am I?" he would also be the greatest of all philosophers. How could he discover himself and realize his potentials? One day after his mother had settled down, he visited her. She was having a party. A group of children, catching sight of Schopenhauer's serious, brooding face, laughed at him. Hurt by the attitude of the children, he walked mournfully away and stood at a window gazing out despondently. The taunts of the young people were suddenly cut short by a deep German voice, " Children, don't laugh at that young man. In time he will surpass us all." Schopenhauer turned and met the thoughtful gaze of the speaker, a man named Goethe, proclaimed as the greatest genius of the eighteenth century. The words rang through Schopenhauer's mind: "He will surpass us all." It had been a chance encounter, but the sad, young philosopher never forgot it. Though he never let it be known, Goethe became his inspiration and idol. He did gain recognition as a philosopher of extraordinary ability. When he died he chose to do so seated in a chair beneath the picture of the German poet who saw him as he could be. (3) We all need somebody who believes in us--somebody who sees us as we could be. We all need to feel loved, accepted, appreciated. We become what significant others tell us we will become. This brings us to our final point. IN ORDER FOR CHILDREN TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES, PARENTS NEED TO LEARN TO SEPARATE THEIR CHILDREN'S DEEDS FROM THEIR WORTH AS HUMAN BEINGS. It's not easy being a parent. A mother of three unruly preschoolers was asked whether she'd have children if she had to do it all over again. "Sure," she responded, "but not the same ones!" A famous pediatrician was asked by a mother what the best time was to put her children to bed. "While you still have the strength," was the answer. It is not easy being a parent, but perhaps the most difficult part of all is separating a child's actions from his value as a person. It is one thing to say, "Tommy, you have done a bad thing. It is quite another to say, "Tommy, you are a bad boy." A child breaks a dish. Mother comes running with a scowl upon her face. "Naughty girl!" she says loudly. "Shame on you." A few moments later the child is tugging on Mommy's dress. She's looking up into Mommy's face. What she wants to know is, "Am I still loved. I have done something I shouldn't have done. Am I still a person worthy of my mother's love?" A wise mother or father will take the child up into their arms and offer comfort and assurance at this point. Here we take our cue from Jesus--for this is what the cross is all about. Because of what Christ has done, our acceptability is separated from our sinful actions. What else does it mean that our sins have all been washed away? It has often been noted that Jesus never called people sinners. The woman was not an adulteress. She was a person of worth who had committed an adulterous act. The man who stole is not a thief but rather a person of worth who has committed a grievous crime. When we say God loves the sinner but not the sin, we are stating the most foundational truth about the meaning of agape love. It is a truth we need to apply to our lives as families. Separate the action from the person. One last word. Some of us are not parents. There is no one for whom we are responsible to bolster their self-esteem. No, we are not all parents, but we are all children. Some of us bear scars from our own upbringing. Arturo Toscanini, as a child, never knew whether or not his mother loved him. When he grew up and received the acclaim of vast audiences everywhere, he still felt this gnawing emptiness, this chasm in his soul. He could never be sure that his success brought any joy or comfort to his mother's heart. In Faye Welden's book, FEMALE FRIENDS, one woman expresses relief that her mother has died, saying that now there is one less pair of eyes to judge her. Maybe that is your experience. Perhaps there were significant others who somehow communicated to you once upon a time that you were stupid, ugly, unacceptable. Or perhaps you have let yourself down. There was an occasion or perhaps several occasions when you fell into a grievous sin. You are coping with guilt, with the fear of discovery, or the regret of having hurt people you love. Now you are sorry. You can't change the past, you are seeking to change the future. The past still haunts you, though. I want you to look into the eyes of a man who hangs on a cross--eyes filled with forgiveness, renewal and love. Eyes that see you but not your sin. It makes a difference whether you once told a lie or that you are a liar. It makes a difference whether you once broke your marriage vows or you are an adulterer. It makes a difference whether you once cheated on your taxes or that you are a cheat. Unfortunately there are some people who their continue behavior until they actually become a liar, a cheat, or an adulterer. But it doesn't have to be that way. At the foot of the cross there is hope. He is able to separate our worth as a child of God from our bad deeds. A little child broke a vase that was a cherished heirloom. Because she knew its value, the child cried out when she broke it. Her mother came running. The child was surprised to see not anger but relief on her mother's face. "I thought you were hurt," her mother said, gathering her into arms. Looking back on that event later she said "I discovered that day that I was the family treasure." - Would that every child would grow up with that kind of feeling. "I am the family treasure." We all need to feel loved, accepted, valued. We have a tendency to become what people will tell us we will become. The wise parent separates a child's actions from his or her value as a person. Fortunately that is how God values us. He is able to separate us from our sin. Thus he can cleanse and help us start anew. -------- 1. Noel B. Gerson, Harriett Beecher Stowe (New York: Praeger Publishers. Inc., 1976), 10. cited in BROADMAN COMMENTS, 1990-91, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1990). 2. Ron Lee Davis, MISTREATED, (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah, 1989). 3. Marcus Bach, THE WORLD OF SERENDIPITY, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970). TOP (Jan391 servanthears) SPEAK, YOUR SERVANT HEARS I Samuel 3: 1-10 "[Sometime back] the San Francisco Examiner carried the photograph of a sixty-seven-year-old black man with a smile that went from ear to ear. The light coming from his eyes was extraordinary. "The accompanying story told about this man who had been a longshoreman all his life and had retired at the age of sixty-five. He was an alcoholic. He visited the same bar every day. One day he found that he was bored and decided to ask the universe for help. He didn't really expect an answer. However, he heard a little voice inside him saying that he should go out and buy a broom and a cart. There was no doubt in his mind that for the first time in his life he had heard God's voice. He was then instructed to spend each day sweeping the streets around Mission High School. He did just that, and he stopped drinking. He soon found that he had become a surrogate grandfather for many of the students, and the kids dearly loved him and his wonderful smile. After getting to know this man, no student would dare to throw trash in the street. "This man wasn't after recognition; he wanted only to do God's work. He said that he has never felt as peaceful and happy as he does now. He knows that his mission in life is to be a messenger of God's love, and that the form of his giving is to sweep the streets and to become friends with the students at Mission High School." (1) Have you heard God's voice lately? I realize that we must be careful at this point. Mark David Chapman killed former Beatle John Lennon. He said a voice inside his head kept saying, "Do it! Do it! Do it!" So heeding the mysterious voice, he pulled a .38 caliber pistol from his pocket and pumped five bullets into John Lennon's back. Be careful if you start hearing voices. They may not be from God. Young Samuel heard a voice. He was in the service of the prophet Eli. He was still a boy--but a boy whose mother had consecrated him to God. Eli's sons had proven unfit to wear their father's mantle. That is not unusual. Ministry is not something that can be inherited. It is a calling, a vocation. The word comes from the Latin, VOCARE. A voice is involved--a distinct inner voice that must be obeyed. Samuel heard that voice. He was lying down. It was early in the evening. He heard a voice, "Samuel! Samuel!" Being the obedient child he was, Samuel replied, "Here I am!" and ran to see why Eli needed him. Eli said, "Samuel, I didn't call for you. Now, go back to bed." Again the voice called, "Samuel!" Again he rushed back to Eli's room. "Here I am," he said, "for you called for me." "I didn't call for you," Samuel retorted, "Go back to bed." A third time the voice called, "Samuel!" and a third time Samuel went to Eli to see what the old priest wanted. By this time, it has begun to dawn on old Eli that something unusual is happening here. So he tells young Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" Samuel did as Eli instructed and soon the voice called again, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." And the voice of God spoke to young Samuel and an important volume of Sacred History was begun. Now, let's return to our original question. Have you ever heard the voice of the Lord? Has He ever called your name? Even more importantly, are you reasonably certain that right now at this time in your life you are where God would have you be--doing what God would have you do? FOR YOU SEE, EVERY WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOR IN LIFE IS POTENTIALLY A VOCATION--A CALLING FROM GOD. Martin Luther helped us see that. Until Luther's time work was viewed by Christian theologians as punishment for sin. When Adam sinned, part of the penalty was that he should work. "Not so," said Luther. Luther saw a person's work as his calling from God. Before Luther the word vocation referred only to life in a monastery where monks spent their lives worshiping God. I am reminded of the story of French composer Charles Alkan. Alkan was one of the great pianists of his day. Yet he would perform only on rare occasions. He spent all his spare time reading the Jewish scriptures, especially the Torah. Alkan passed many years absorbed in the study of his beloved religious works until one day a massive volume of the Torah fell off a shelf, hit him on the head, fractured his skull, and killed him. You can draw from that whatever conclusions you like. Luther proudly proclaimed that the man who shoveled the manure and the woman who milked the cow might be doing a work more pleasing to God than the monk in the monastery who spent his day praying and singing psalms. After all, every honest job is based on meeting human need, just like the role of pastor or priest. All of us have our place in the universe--a reason for being--a role in partnership with God. As Luther liked to say, "God milks the cows through you." Every worthwhile endeavor in life is potentially a calling from God. Sometimes it may be hard to see how our job could be a calling from God. A certain man was eager to hear the famous chimes of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam. He had heard that they were some of the most beautiful chimes in the world. Arriving at the church he went up into the tower to watch the man who plays the chimes. To his horror he discovered that as the man struck the immense keys with his hands encased in wooden gloves the noise was deafening. The air was filled with a discordant cacophony of sound. The man who had been so eager to hear the beautiful chimes was disillusioned. Surely he had heard wrong about their beauty. The next day about the same time he was wandering on a hill-side near that same church. Suddenly he heard one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. It was the chimes of St. Nicolas. He wondered if the man who played those chimes ever realized what a beautiful sound he was making for the people nearby. It sounded like only loud noise inside the tower, but to those in the countryside, it was the most beautiful music this side of heaven. Some of us may have equal difficulty seeing the beauty in our work. All of us may experience burn-out at some time or another. In a magazine of humor, an elder monk is admonishing a younger monk: "It has come to our attention, Brother Hooper, that you may not be happy with your vow of silence." The younger monk is seated on a bunk with a ventriloquist's dummy on his lap. We all get that way at times. How could God possibly be in our job? Suppose, however, there was no one willing to drive our buses, work our fields, type our memos, design our buildings, prescribe our medicine, teach our children, etc? Think how much poorer our world would be. Every worthwhile occupation is potentially a calling from God. SOMETIMES OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OUR WORK IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE WORK ITSELF. Want a beautiful example of this principle? For thirty-two years Otis Coles was the bathroom attendant at New York's Club "21." In a newspaper interview this is what he had to say, "I make the bathroom a happy place. That sounds funny, I know, but it is God working through me." (2) I believe Otis Coles is on to something. Any job can be a calling from God--even cleaning bathrooms. The question is one of commitment. Tim Bowden, in his book ONE CROWDED HOUR, tells an amusing story about an incident that happened in Borneo during the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia in 1964. A group of Gurkhas from Nepal were asked if they would be willing to jump from transport planes into combat against the Indonesians if the need arose. The Gurkhas had the right to turn down the request because they had never been trained as paratroopers. The Gurkhas usually agreed to anything, but on this occasion they said no. The next day one of their NCO's sought out the British officer who made the request. He said they had discussed the matter further and would be prepared to jump under certain conditions. "What are they?" asked the British officer. The Gurkhas told him they would jump if the land was marshy or reasonably soft with no rocky outcrops. Also they wanted the plane to fly as slowly as possible and no more than one hundred feet high. The British officer pointed out the planes always did fly as slowly as possible when dropping troops. However, he noted, to jump from one hundred feet was impossible, because the parachutes would not open in time from that height. "Oh," said the Gurkhas, "that's all right, then. We'll jump with parachutes anywhere. You didn't mention parachutes before!" (3) Now, that's commitment. Think how much better off our churches would be, our jobs would be, our marriages would be, with that level of commitment. Every worthwhile endeavor is potentially a vocation. Our attitude about our work and our lives is all important. This brings us to the last thing to be said. OUR ULTIMATE COMMITMENT IS TO GOD'S KINGDOM. Our jobs can be a vocation if we can see them as an extension of God's ultimate purpose for His world. A young man ran away from his conventional middle-class home to join the Unification Church. He became a Moonie. When asked why he did it, he said: "My father only talks about getting into college and getting a good job. Reverend Moon talks to me about helping him save the world." Douglas Hyde in his book DEDICATION AND LEADERSHIP paints an interesting contrast between Communism and Christianity. From his days as a Communist, Hyde testifies that the Party appealed to newcomers because of the sacrifice and commitment that they saw in those already in the Communist Party. The Party knew that it was bad psychology to ask for minimal commitment or small sacrifices. New members were expected to devote every area of their lives to the Communist struggle, and that is the only example that they saw from fellow members. By contrast, Hyde says that the Church often asks little. Even though we have the real truth and a message worth devoting one's life to, we often seem afraid to ask people to make serious commitments or live sacrificial lives. Hyde notes that such a lukewarm Christianity cannot be expected to grip men's minds and hearts. (4) Hyde's right. If our jobs are only a means of securing wealth, or passing time, or achieving status, they will eventually be as a millstone around our necks. If, however, we can see them as an extension of God's plan for humanity--each of us doing our part to clothe God's children, feed God's children, teach God's children, and in a thousand and one other significant ways making God's world a better place for His children to dwell--then we can get up each morning with enthusiasm believing that we are heeding God's call. Samuel's role was to be a priest of God. There may be someone here this morning who is hearing God's call to full-time Christian service. If so, then heed it. You'll never be satisfied until you do. But the rest of us have a calling, too. Our workplace, too, can be a cathedral where we live out the good news of God's love for His people and where we seek to be part of His eternal plan. -------------- 1. Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. OUT OF DARKNESS INTO LIGHT, (New York: Bantam Books, 1989). 2. Melanie Brown, PH.D., ATTAINING PERSONAL GREATNESS, (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1987). 3. Jon Noble, Castle Cove, New South Wales, Australia in "To Illustrate...," LEADERSHIP (Spring, 1990), p. 48. 4. Douglas Hyde, DEDICATION AND LEADERSHIP (Notre Dame, Indiana: Note Dame Press, 1966), pp. 27, 38. TOP (Jan491 godrepented) THE DAY GOD REPENTED Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 Johnny Moses, a Nootka Indian from the remote Pacific shores of British Columbia tells a story about an English missionary priest who came to his tribe in the 1800s. It took the priest years to learn the language, Moses said. "And when he did, he began to preach. The people were sorry," said Johnny Moses, "they taught him our language. "He spoke in an English dialect. He told our people about hell. No one knew what hell was. "They asked the priest where hell was, and he told them it was the place where bad people went. "Well, our elders told the priest that our ancestors had never given us directions to hell, so none of us had ever been there. "Then the priest told us that he would baptize us and that we would have to go to confession once a week and eat fish on Friday. "There was a very old man in our village. The priest baptized him and named him Anthony. The priest told Anthony that he would have to go to confession once a week and eat fish on Friday. "Anthony asked the priest what was Friday? "Some time later, the people of the village said Anthony was not going to confession. So the priest went to see him. It was a Friday. "When he found Anthony, the old man was cooking deer meat. "The priest asked him why he was eating deer meat, and Anthony told the priest that he was a very old man, and that he had shot the deer with his bow and arrow. "He told the priest that although he was very weak, he drug the deer to the river. There, he baptized the deer. And named him Fish in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (1) It takes more than a little bit of water and a new name to bring someone into the Kingdom of God, doesn't it? Only real repentance can do that. Only an earthshaking change--like unto being born all over again--can provide entrance to that kingdom. "To repent," says Frederick Buechner, "is to come to your senses. It is not so much something you do as something that happens. True repentance spends less time looking at the past and saying `I'm sorry,' than to the future and saying `Wow!'" (2) The Old Testament tells us that even God repented once. It was in the time of Jonah the prophet. Jonah was sent to the wicked city of Nineveh. He was instructed to tell the people God was going to destroy their city because of their great sins. So Jonah preached and the people repented--from the king down to the lowliest person in the city. It was amazing--the most successful revival crusade ever conducted. Then the Bible says something even more amazing. When God saw that the people of Nineveh repented, He repented. God repented of His anger and decided to spare the city. This, you'll remember, was exactly what Jonah feared would happen. That is why when God called him to Nineveh, he headed in the opposite direction and was swallowed by the giant fish. But that's another story. How can God repent? God cannot sin. How could a perfect God ever feel sorry for His actions? It is because repentance is much more than feeling sorry for our sins. Repentance is a change of direction. There are a lot of people who feel sorry for their sins. Their lives are filled with guilt and regret--but they never change. OF COURSE, FEELING SORRY IS AT LEAST A BEGINNING. Until recently there was a red brick prison in Germany known as Spandau. It held one man, Nazi war criminal Rudolph Hess. Sentenced 43 years ago to life imprisonment, the aged Nazi wandered the halls and gardens of Spandau prison waiting his death. Then one summer he strangled himself, and now the aged prison is being torn down. If there is one thing Rudolph Hess should be remembered for, it should be this: He never repented. Guilty of the most atrocious sins a man could commit, he never once felt any remorse. Until the day he died he thought of himself as the deputy fuhrer of the Nazi party. Listen to Hess' last public statement at the Nuremberg trials: "I was allowed for many years of my life to work under the greatest son that my people produced in their 1,000 year history. Even if I could I would not want to erase this. I am happy to know that I have done my duty to my people...as a loyal follower of my fuhrer. I regret nothing. "If I were to begin again I would act just as I have acted, even if I knew that in the end I should meet a fiery death at the stake. No matter what men may do to me, some day I shall stand before the judgement seat of the eternal. I shall answer to Him and I know that He will judge me innocent." Hess saw no need to repent. His stubborn pride would not allow him to admit that he had been guilty of barbarous crimes. My friends there is a tiny part of each of us that also clings to our pride and self-righteousness, that screams out, "Don't repent, You have no need to!" In a monster like Hess perhaps we can see a dim reflection the dark side of our own nature. Repentance unaccomplished, whether it festers in an ancient prison or in a quiet suburban backyard, is ugly and offensive. Yes, cringe at Rudolph Hess. But cringe even more at the part of him that lives within each of us. Feeling sorry is at least a beginning, BUT REPENTANCE REFERS TO A REAL CHANGE! C.S. Lewis wrote once that all people are on their way to becoming either creatures so loathsome that we meet them now only in nightmares, or creatures so glorious that we would be strongly inclined to worship them if we could see them as they will be. Repentance is a matter of changing directions. Loathsome creature or glorious child of God! There was a tragic news story sometime back about a man named Georgi Markov. Markov, 49, thought he was safe. He was an author, a Bulgarian author to be precise, who had written a book that wasn't favorable in its description of the Bulgarian government. Markov had fled his home country and tried to find peace and a new life in Britain. He had forgotten one thing, however: the enemy doesn't give up on you just because you've changed sides. That lesson came home swiftly one night on London's Waterloo Bridge. Markov was walking across the bridge, coming home to his family after a day of work. Suddenly he felt a sting on the back of his thigh. He turned around, and saw a man bending to retrieve an umbrella. "Sorry," the man muttered through a thick foreign accent. The next day Markov was dead. Scotland Yard announced that doctors found in his thigh a pellet containing ricin, a rare poison extensively studied in Eastern Europe. There is no known antidote. The pellet was the size of a pinhead, and had four openings to hold the deadly poison. Once inside the body, it could not be rejected. (3) Markov was seeking to change kingdoms, allegiances, ultimate loyalties. He did not make it, but we can. Part of the struggle is understanding that repentance involves that kind of shift--from the kingdom of self to the kingdom of God--from the kingdom of purposelessness to one of Divine passion. No longer are we our own. We have a new Guide for our lives, a new Standard, a new King. FOR SOME OF US THAT WILL MEAN A NEW LIFE-STYLE. Sam Jones, one of the great revival preachers of this century used to conduct what he called, "Quittin' Meeting" during his revivals. They were so called because he gave people the opportunity to confess their sins and repent. Many quit swearing, drinking, smoking, gossiping...etc. He asked one woman what she planned to quit and she replied, "I ain't been doing nothing and I am goin' to quit that too." (4) Repentance might mean getting rid of some bad habits. Certainly it would be in our best interest to do so. It is interesting that John Mahaffey, who won the Bob Hope Desert Classic in January, 1984, decided three years earlier to get rid of some of his bad habits in order to be a better golfer. He says that he quit drinking, smoking, and carousing and at thirty-five years of age began to feel better than he did at twenty-five. It is always in our best interest to get rid of unhealthy habits. But most of us are more like the old lady who said she "ain't been doin' nothin'" and was "goin' to quit that, too!" A change of life-style may mean that we quit doin' nothin' and get involved in Christian service to the aged or the less fortunate. It may mean greater loyalty to our church, a willingness to talk to others about the things of faith, a commitment to make life count for those things that are lasting and really matter. IN SHORT, REPENTANCE MEANS BECOMING GOD'S MAN OR GOD'S WOMAN IN THE WORLD TODAY. It means establishing new priorities dependent on God's purpose for our lives. A man lost his job in the great depression of the thirties. His savings were quickly gone. He and his wife lost their home. His grief was multiplied when she died quite suddenly. The only thing he had left was his faith, and it was weakening. One day when he was out looking for work, he stopped to watch some men who were doing the stonework on a church building. One of those men was skillfully chiseling a triangular piece of rock. Not seeing the spot where it would fit, he asked, "Where are you going to put that?" The man pointed toward the top of the building and said, "See that little opening up there near the spire? That's where it goes. I'm shaping it down here so it will fit up there." Suddenly God was speaking to him through these words: "Shaping it down here so it will fit up there." He discovered what he must do with his remaining days--shape his life to fit up there. Many of us need to make that same discovery. We need to change directions. Even God repented once. He was going to destroy a city because of its wickedness. They repented. He changed his plan. Are you open to a change of plans? You've been walking in your own way. Are you willing to walk in His way? Being baptized with water will not of itself make you a new person any more than deer meat can become fish because it has been baptized. Only a willingness to change directions and an invitation to Christ to come into your life can do that. -------------- 1. From a story in The Knoxville News-Sentinel 2. WISHFUL THINKING, (New York: Harper and Row, 1973), p. 79. 3. George Will, THE MORNING AFTER, (New York: Collier, 1986), pp. 329-331. 4. DON EMMITTE TOP (Feb191) WHAT GETS INTO PEOPLE? Mark 1: 23-28 There is one similarity between mice and men. None of us wants to die. Self-preservation is one of the strongest instincts in living creatures. And yet high in the Scandinavian mountains lives a small mouse-like creature that every few years commits mass suicide. The creatures are called lemmings. They have given us the phrase, "like lemmings headed for the sea," for that is what they do. Every few years when their population has grown too large and the food supply has become too scarce they leave their burrows and like a mighty army, swarm out of the mountains and rush downward toward the sea. Normally, lemmings fear and avoid water. During their mass march, however, they brave streams and lakes. They also devour everything in their path. After running for weeks the lemmings finally reach the seashore, and then, row upon row, plunge headlong into the water! For a short time the frantic rodents remain afloat, but soon the creatures tire, and one by one sink to their doom. Many theories have been offered about this mass suicide. Some zoologists argue that the fatal plunge of the lemmings is just an error of judgment. Perhaps the creatures think the ocean is just one more wide river to cross on the way to a larger food supply. All explanations remain only guesses, however. No one really knows what gets into all those suicidal lemmings. Usually the behavior of animals is relatively predictable. Rarely, for example, will a dog bite the hand that feeds it. As Mark Twain noted, that is the principle difference between dogs and humans. Strange things do happen in the animal world, but not as often as in the world of humans. Did you read about the census worker in the last census who approached a house in her territory very slowly? There was a fence around the house and the worker was terribly afraid of dogs. She opened the gate ever so quietly and hurried stealthfully up to the house and rang the bell. She breathed a sigh of relief when the lady of the house opened the door. She felt safe now. Whereupon the lady of the house promptly bit her! It's true. The census worker required medical attention for a human bite. (1) When a dog bites someone we might ask, what got into Rover? We are more likely to ask, however, what got into Ronnie or Rhonda or Randy or Ramona. Humans are far more unpredictable than animals. What is it that gets into people? What is it that got into Jim Baaker and Jimmy Swaggart that caused them to jeopardize their ministries and their marriages? What is it that causes a man to go on a rampage and murder his former boss and several co-workers before killing himself as we've read about in recent days? What gets into a young person that causes him or her to experiment with dangerous drugs and run around with the wrong kind of people? What is it that causes a woman to make one wrong choice after another in the kind of man she marries? What gets into a man who abuses his wife and his children? How do you explain it? What gets into us? Some would say, "The devil made me do it." That reminds me of a story about a little girl who got mad at her younger brother. She pushed him down, called him a name, and then spat on him. Her father got onto her and said, "Honey, I think the devil made you do that." The little girl answered, "The devil might have made me push him down and call him names, but I thought of spittin' on him all by myself!" Some would say with regard to our destructive impulses, "Satan made me do it." There are others who would trace aberrations in human behavior to a chemical imbalance in the brain. For example, depression is often treated nowadays with chemicals. Some forms of aggression can be controlled chemically. It is easy to demonstrate in animals changes in behavior caused by stimulating different parts of the brain. One of the most famous examples was a feat performed by researcher Jose Delgado. Delgado had planted electrodes into the brain of a ferocious bull. He went into a rink with the bull armed only with a red cape and a radio transmitter. He waved his cape, the bull charged, Delgado pressed a button on his transmitter, and the bull came to a screeching halt only a few feet from him, then calmly wandered away. By stimulating a certain section of the bull's brain, its entire disposition had been changed. Wouldn't it be great to have a radio transmitter like that in your possession? Then when someone in your family or in your office was hostile, you could just press a button and instant calm. Unfortunately life is rarely that simple. The causes of human behavior are usually very complex. Nevertheless, if someone in your family undergoes a severe personality change, a good physical examination is the first order of the day. There is, however, inappropriate behavior for which there is no chemical or physical explanation. I suspect that this was true concerning this wretched man that Jesus met. The Bible says simply that the man had an unclean spirit. Today we would probably say the man had a mental disorder. Maybe he was in the habit of harassing people who went to the synagogue. Today we have people with unclean spirits who paint swastikas on synagogues. Mark is not specific about the man's symptoms. All we know is that the man cried out, " What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. There are three impressive elements to this story about the man with the unclean spirit. THE FIRST IS THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS. That is what impressed the people who heard him teach. He taught as one with authority. Some people have that, don't they? There is something about their demeanor, something about their tone of voice, that inspires action. I heard about a man who went to see a doctor about a headache. A large, businesslike nurse was behind the receptionist's desk. "I'd like to see the doctor," said the man. "I have a headache." The nurse said sharply, "Go in that room, close the door, and take off your clothes ." "But ma'am,..." "Get in that room, close the door, and take off your clothes." Well, what did he do? He went into the room, closed the door, and took off his clothes. Suddenly he realized that another man was in the room with him. He also had his clothes off. He said to the other man, "I can't believe I'm standing here like this and all I've got is a headache." To which the other man complained, "You think you've got problems! I just came in to read the meter!" (2) Some people seem to have that kind of authority. Jesus spoke with authority, but his was an authority of another kind. Even unclean spirits recognized the authority of Jesus! Even Pilate, when he ordered that sign placed above Jesus' head on the cross, `King of the Jews,' may have recognized Jesus' authority. Jesus' authority came from his relationship with the Father. His was Divine authority. THE SECOND IMPRESSIVE THING ABOUT THIS STORY IS THE POSSIBILITY OF DELIVERANCE. Jesus delivered this man with the unclean spirit. He has that authority today. He can deliver us from whatever may get into us. It is sad that so many people even in the church only give lip service to the authority of Jesus. They really don't believe that he can deliver them. There is an old story about some linemen who were busy putting up telephone poles through a farmer's fields. The farmer ordered them off his land, whereupon they showed him a paper giving them the right to plant poles wherever they pleased. Not long afterward a big and vicious bull charged the linemen. The old farmer sat on a nearby fence and yelled: `Show him yer papers, darn ye, show him yer papers!'" To many Christians Jesus' authority is only a paper authority. It is something we study for inspiration, but we really don't believe it applies to our situation. For many of us Jesus' authority doesn't extend to putting a marriage back together or a family. It doesn't mean curing an addiction or healing a character flaw. Maybe 2,000 years ago he had authority, but not today. Some have only a tepid faith in Jesus' authority. Others outright rebel against that authority. Francis Schaffer tells us that Vincent Van Gogh abandoned Christianity believing it to be irrelevant. He believed that he could set up a new religion in which sensitive people ( artists) would blaze the trail. He dreamed of starting this religion in the artistic community in which he lived. After Paul Gauguin joined him, however, his dreams for a new religion among the sensitive crashed. He and Gauguin quarreled violently. Many believe that Van Gogh committed suicide because he was mentally ill, or because he lost his lover to fellow artist Gauguin. But there was a deeper reason. Van Gogh died from disillusionment and loss of hope. He found that there is no human substitute for the authority of the Master. Deep within the soul of every person is a longing for hope and purpose. Some disguise it, others seek it out in the wrong places. We need to tell them there is hope in this world. There is help. There is deliverance. It is found in the person of Jesus. He has authority! This brings us to the final thing to be said from this text. SURRENDER IS ESSENTIAL. We are not lemmings. We are not slaves to some primordial instinct that drives us to inevitable destruction. We are free moral agents. We can choose, but choose we must. If we want the healing of Christ, we must open ourselves to the Spirit of Christ. We must yield ourselves to the authority of Christ. Some of us want a nodding acquaintance with him. We want to be counted in his company, but at a distance. It cannot be done. Regardless of how hard or harsh it may sound, sooner or later we must confront our personal Gethsemane and pray either "My will" or "Thy will" be done. As he came to the end of his distinguished ministry at City Temple in London, the great British Methodist preacher Leslie Weatherhead said: "I am to be asked shortly on a radio program to answer the question, `What have you learned from life?' Well, I have learned a lot of things from life, but from my own failures, from the confidences of innumerable men and women, from the rough and tumble of forty-five years in the Christian ministry, and from my observations as a student of personal, national and international affairs, I will tell you the outstanding thing I have learned. It is this: Life will only work out one way, and that is God's way. He made it like that. Every other way has across it a barricade bearing a notice which says, `No thoroughfare this way.' If you surmount the barrier, there is a precipice. Men will not learn the truth of half a dozen words: `OUTSIDE GOD THERE IS ONLY DEATH.' After all, Jesus did say, `I am the Way.' Perhaps He meant it. Perhaps He was right after all." Jesus has the authority to deliver us from whatever may get into us. This is not to say that we throw away our medicine if our problem is physical. Neither is it to say that we should not seek human counseling if our problems are mental. It is to say, however, that many of the things that get into us go beyond human understanding and chemical fixes. At times such as these, only our Creator has the key that unlocks the doors to peace and serenity. He alone has the authority to say to the unclean spirits, "Come out!" Only a totally surrender of our hearts to His makes such a result a reality. Won't you surrender to Him today? ------------ 1. KEY NEXT DOOR, ( Nashville: Abingdon Press) p. 88, 89. 2. Francis Schaffer, THE GOD WHO IS THERE, p. 28. TOP (Feb291) FACE TO FACE WITH GOD Mark 9: 2-9 H.G. Wells once told a fascinating story. It is about an Episcopalian bishop, though he could have been a cleric in any denomination. He was the kind of man who could always be counted on to provide a pious platitude. He had a favorite answer that always served him in good stead. When troubled folks came to him, he would assume his best stained-glass voice and ask, "Have you prayed about it?" If said in just the right way, no more needed to be said. The bishop himself didn't pray much. After all, his life was quite uneventful. He felt quite self-sufficient. One day, however, life tumbled in on him, and he found himself overwhelmed. It occurred to the bishop that maybe he should take some of his own advice. So, one Saturday afternoon he entered the cathedral. He knelt down and folded his hands before the altar. He could not help but think how childlike he was. Then he began to pray, "O God...." Suddenly there was a voice. It was crisp, businesslike. The voice said, "Well, what is it?" When the worshipers came to Sunday services the next morning, they found the bishop sprawled face down before the altar. When they turned him over, they discovered he was dead. Lines of horror were etched upon his face. The good bishop had advised others to approach God in prayer, but when he found himself face to face with the Almighty, it scared him literally to death. (1) The disciples of Jesus had a terrifying experience with God. At least three of them did. It was the inner circle consisting of Peter, James and John. They were with Jesus on a high mountain. Mark tells us simply that while they were in his presence, Jesus was transfigured before them. His garments became glistening, intensely white. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." Mark tells us Peter said this because "he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid." Have you ever been so afraid that all you could do was babble? People react in different ways to fear. Some become quite talkative, others morosely silent. Fear brings out the best in some people. Others crack under the strain. The legendary Knute Rockne knew the power of fear. Today we call it "psyching out your opponent." Notre Dame was facing a critical football game against a vastly superior Southern California team. Rockne recruited every brawny student he could find at Notre Dame and suited up about a hundred "hulks" in the school uniform. On the day of the game the Southern California team ran out on the field first and awaited the visiting Fighting Irish. Then, out of the dressing room came an army of green giants who kept on coming and coming. The USC team panicked. Their coach reminded them that Rockne could only play eleven men at a time, but the damage was done. USC lost. They did not lose to the hundred men. They were beaten by their own fear. (2) This was not the only time the disciples were fearful in Jesus' presence. There were many such occasions. In this same chapter Jesus tries to tell his disciples that he must be crucified but after three days he will rise. Mark tells us that they did not understand what he was talking about, "but they were afraid to ask him." Gentle Jesus, meek and mild--how could anybody ever be afraid of Jesus? We have so sentimentalized this man from Nazareth that we cannot even imagine grown men being afraid in his presence, but they were. And why not? If he is who we say he is, who could help being fearful in his presence? Here was absolute purity--absolute love. Have you ever been in the presence of someone who was so perfect that they made you uncomfortable? We talked last week about Jesus' authority. Have you ever been around anyone who spoke with authority? Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, spoke with authority. Even his toughest linemen were no match against Lombardi. "When he says `sit down,'" said one player, "I don't even bother to look for a chair." I doubt that Jesus used the same leadership style as Vince Lombardi. Only a couple of times, according to the Gospels, did he vent his anger. Still, Jesus could not have been the passive, non-threatening Casper Milquetoast sort of fellow some have made him out to be. He was absolute purity. That was the significance of the glistening white garments. Absolute purity and absolute love. These were the sources of his authority. The Transfiguration experience helps us focus in on Jesus' uniqueness and power, his purity and love. One of the men whose stock has risen in the popular mind over the past few decades is former president Dwight David Eisenhower. W. Howard Chase handled the public relations part of Eisenhower's first campaign for the presidency. He tells about an incident that he believes was a turning point in that campaign. Eisenhower was scheduled to make a stop in Colorado prior to the Republican convention. One of his supporters, a member of the meat cutter's union and a veteran of the 101st Airborne invasion of Normandy Beach, came up with an idea. How about an arrival lunch for 2,000 or more Ike supporters on the Friday before the convention? And how about if he and his union buddies assembled 50 paraplegic victims of the attack on Normandy in wheelchairs and on cots, with another 250 walking wounded front and center of the podium where Ike would stand? It was a good idea and it was put into action. Using a mobilized cheering section of 5, 000, Ike was met upon his arrival from Colorado at Union Station, and escorted to the hotel ballroom. He was not told of the conspiracy of veteran's--and union--support that awaited him. At the head table there stood eight thick black candles, each three feet tall. From the upper balcony came the sound of Taps, accompanied by the poignant roll of drums. A ghostly silence swept the hall as paraplegic veterans of the 101st approached each candle, extinguished it and a voice from nowhere intoned "Corps of Engineers, 101 killed, 395 wounded," " Communications, 80 killed, 425 wounded," and so on down each of the eight components of the Division. Eisenhower stood like an ivory statue, bloodless fingers gripping the lectern as the eery ceremony continued. When the final drum roll ended, and taps wound down, no one spoke or moved for a full minute. No one introduced Ike. Finally he broke the silence and spoke to the wounded. "With the help of God," he said, "this will not happen again." He said no more. The tension broke. From silence as in death, the ballroom became a chamber of pandemonium. The press, radio, and TV people were not immune. Their cheers, and tears, mingled with those of Eisenhower supporters. W. Howard Chase turned to his wife with two words: "He's in." (3) Political gimmickry? Yes, but it would not have worked if Ike had not been the kind of man that he was. Of course, Eisenhower was not in Jesus' league. That's all right. No one else has been either. The experience on the Mount of Transfiguration will not allow us to make a timid, tentative, tepid affirmation about this man Jesus. Either he is who he says he is or not. All heaven and earth depends upon our answer. The verses that follow Peter's mindless babbling are insightful. "And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, `This is my beloved Son; listen to him.' And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only." (RSV) The focus of the story ends where it must end--on Jesus. Herb Miller in his book, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN VERBS tells about the famous Chapel of Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This chapel contains a twenty-foot-high stairway that winds into the choir loft. This engineering miracle, with no supports except its own form, has withstood several hundred years of use. As a pastor and his wife entered the chapel on their tourist excursion into Santa Fe, the pastor paid little attention to the giant, life-size statue of Christ standing in a shadowy alcove on one wall. At a distance, it looked quite average. Shortly, however, the pastor felt a tug at his sleeve. "Go over there and stand right under that statue and look up into its eyes," his wife whispered. "It will give you the strangest feeling." He obligingly wandered over, expecting nothing of significance. But the steel blue eyes looking down at him seemed so real that he waited breathlessly for the figure to speak and correct his lack of observational skills. This was the main thing in that room--not the elaborate stairway, but the Christ. (4) Mark tells us the disciples "no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only." There is more to those words than we might suppose. All other concerns were eclipsed by the glory of what they had seen on that mountain top. Quietly they would make their way back down the mountain pondering in their hearts the significance of it all. It was all too grand for them to get their little minds around. Even after the resurrection they would still be questioning, searching for understanding. But surely after the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration their lives would be elevated. There is a marvelous story out of the life of George Matheson, one of the renowned preachers of Scotland in another generation, that gives us a "feel" for what this experience must have done for these three disciples. When Matheson came to one of the great Presbyterian churches in Edinburgh, there was a woman in the congregation who lived in filthy conditions in a cellar. After some months of Matheson's ministry, it came time for Communion in the life of the church. In the Scottish Presbyterian tradition, elders call on members of the congregation to sign them up for Communion. When the elder called at this woman's cellar with the card, he found her gone. After much effort, he tracked her down, finally locating her in an attic room. She was very poor; there were no luxuries. But the attic was as light and airy and clean as the cellar had been dark and dismal and dirty. "I see you've changed your house," the elder said to the woman. "Aye," she said, "I have. You can't hear George Matheson preach and live in a cellar." (5) Is that not true for those who have experienced the reality of the transfigured and resurrected Christ? You can't live in the cellar of life after an experience like that. The disciples would make their way back into the valley, but a part of them would forever be on that mountain. Their fear had been transformed to faith. The focus of that faith was Christ and Christ alone. If for any reason, you are still living in the cellar of life, might I introduce you to the transfigured and resurrected Christ? He can set your feet on a mountaintop. ----------------- 1. Haddon Robinson, PREACHING TODAY. 2. A. Philip Parham, LETTING GOD, (New York: Harper & Row). 3. W. Howard Chase in Vital Speeches. 4. Herb Miller, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN VERBS, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989). 5. Maxie D Dunnam, THE CHRISTIAN WAY, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Francis Asbury Press, 1984). TOP (Feb391) FACE TO FACE WITH THE TEMPTER Mark 1: 12-15 This morning we want to deal with a theme that applies to all of us. Temptation. None of us is too old or too young, too sophisticated or too naive, to escape the tempter. Temptation can lead us into all kinds of problems. For example, the newspapers recently carried a story about an Alabama man who planned to profit from a simple burglary. He entered a house and began clearing out the valuables. He came across a .44 Magnum and accidentally shot himself in the calf with it. However, despite the fact that a .44 Magnum makes a very painful and dangerous wound, he obviously could not take his problem to the hospital. About this time, the woman who lives at the house returned home. So the burglar felt he had no choice but to tie her up. That added seriously to his original burglary offense. Now wounded, the man needed a car. He stole the woman's. Grand theft-auto. However, pain and loss of blood from his leg wound were causing him to drive rather erratically. That attracted the attention of a police officer. The burglar pulled off the road in his car and the policeman pulled up behind him. The fleeing criminal, now desperate, shot through the windshield of the patrol car and wounded the officer. However, the patrol car was still moving forward and managed to run over the shooter. Although the car didn't do much damage because the burglar was in a ditch as the car passed over him, neither that nor the complication of the attempted murder of an police officer was improving his day. Next, the Alabama man fled into the woods on foot. Somewhere back in the woods, he apparently came close to a moonshine still or a marijuana patch. At least that is the best explanation suggested for why someone put three .22 caliber slugs in his posterior. Now, obviously in no shape to walk, he stole another vehicle. However, he actually had to crawl to this car. When police finally captured the man, he had been shot four times and run over once. He faces charges for attempted murder, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of grand theft-auto, and a host of lesser crimes. All this in an attempt to cover up a burglary! That's a true story. No exaggeration. (1) Temptation is a very real fact in our lives and it brings all matters of complications. Thank God Jesus was victorious over the Tempter. I wish it was that way for all of us. Russian novelist Feature Dostoyevsky made the Temptation scene a centerpiece in his master work THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. Ivan Karamazov calls the Temptation the most stupendous miracle on earth: the miracle of restraint. If he had yielded to the Temptation, Jesus would have been a very popular figure, not just with Satan but with all Israel. He would have established himself beyond dispute. Imagine for a moment--stones turned to bread to feed the hungry, a spectacular descent from the pinnacle of the Temple as the crowds gasped in amazement and awe, political appeasement as the foundation of the Kingdom program rather than righteousness and justice. According to Dostoyevsky's view, Satan offered three easy means of inciting belief --miracle, mystery, and authority--and Christ refused all three. (2) Again I say, I wish we could all be so fortunate. LET'S BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE REALITY OF TEMPTATION IN OUR LIVES. None of us is beyond temptation. It is a foolish Christian who treats temptation as no threat, believing he cannot fall. We are all susceptible at times, and if we are not vulnerable in one area, we usually are in some other. During the early days of the Civil War, body armor became a bit of a fad, especially in the North. Some of this body armor did not work very well. In other words, it failed to stop bullets. Some of it actually saved some lives, however. The danger lay in believing it made one invincible. When the 21st Alabama unit was skirmishing with Union soldiers in Mississippi, one Union soldier was boldly exposing himself to fire from the rebels. He was wearing body armor. Twice Confederate sharpshooters hit him but with no effect. Then a third sharpshooter aimed for the arrogant soldier's head. That ended the matter. Only a fool deliberately exposes himself to gunfire or temptation! (3) Better persons than you or I have given in to the Sirens' song. The Jim Bakkers, the Ivan Boeskys, and the scores of other prominent persons who have fallen to lust or greed or any of our darker passions, are no different than you or I. Temptation is a reality for all of us. GENERALLY TEMPTATION SLIPS UP ON US BEFORE WE RECOGNIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT. In her autobiography, Lauren Bacall described how she became romantically involved with Humphrey Bogart. Bogart was married at the time, but his marriage was going badly and his wife was an alcoholic. Bacall and Bogart were thrown into constant close contact filming the movie, " To Have and Have Not." Bacall says, "From the start of the movie, as Bogie and I got to know each other better--as the joking got more so--as we had more fun together--so the scenes changed little by little, our relationship strengthened on screen and involved us without our even knowing it." (4) Bacall's last comment is interesting, "Our relationship strengthened on screen AND INVOLVED US WITHOUT OUR EVEN KNOWING IT." Such is the powerful but sometimes gradual pull of romantic attraction. It is precisely because our romantic and sexual feelings build so strongly and silently that the Bible commands us to flee certain situations. And if we choose not to flee in the beginning, we really cannot claim later that we don't know how we became involved in a situation that we shouldn't be in. The Tempter in the Garden of Eden was a serpent. From the first pages of the Bible we are introduced to the way sin comes into our lives. It slips in and grabs a quiet foothold before we are aware of it. Temptation slips up on us before we recognize the seriousness of what's happening. Someone has put it this way: "Who's there," I cried, "A little lonely sin." "Enter," I said, And all hell was in. THE THIRD THING WE NEED TO SEE IS THE ADDICTIVE NATURE OF TEMPTATION. There is something about the very nature of temptation that not only makes it initially attractive, but keeps us coming back for more. Even when the initial thrill is gone we find ourselves mired in the muck of our own worst instincts. It's sort of like a recent incident on the Enterprise ride at the Minnesota State Fair. Riders boarded their little cars on the Enterprise to be spun around at high speed for about four minutes. Being dizzy and scared is apparently something for which people will pay money. The ride, however, ceased to operate properly and could not be stopped for about 20 minutes. When people were finally rescued from their thrill, all were sick and some were taken to the hospital. There is something exciting about certain areas that the Bible tells us to avoid, but the excitement is an emotion one feels when he gets on the ride, not when he gets off. (5) Ask the person whose adultery has cost him his marriage and the respect of his family and friends. Ask the person whose carelessness with his company's funds has cost him his job. A little leads to a lot and the end is a tragedy for all concerned. THIS IS ALL TO SAY THAT THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WAY FOR MOST OF US TO DEAL WITH TEMPTATION IS AVOID IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. You see, we are not Jesus. He could take on the Tempter and win. Every day there are many Christians who think they, too, are strong, but find themselves, too late, weaker than they ever imagined. I say this as your pastor and friend. Some of us are strong. With God's help we can be victorious over temptation. For many of us though--perhaps the majority-- victory will be the avoidance of temptation from the very beginning. An old Indian legend sums up our situation: Many years ago, Indian braves would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees, bright with flowers. There, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one rugged peak, capped with dazzling snow. I will test myself against that mountain, he thought. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders and set off to climb the pinnacle. When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle at his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. "I am about to die," said the snake. "It is too cold for me up here, and there is no food. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley." "No," said the youth. "I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite, and your bite will kill me." "Not so," said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, I will not harm you." The youth resisted awhile, but this was a very persuasive snake. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it down gently. Suddenly the snake coiled, rattled and leaped, biting him on the leg. "But you promised," cried the youth. "You knew what I was when you picked me up," said the snake as it slithered away. (6) That is a powerful little parable. The snake could be drugs or alcohol or extramarital sex or greed or a host of other attractions forbidden by God and our good sense. The best protection we have is in avoidance. Jesus resisted the Tempter. Perhaps some of us can put ourselves in the presence of the Tempter and resist as well. Don't bet on it, though. Too much is at stake. Temptation is a reality in our lives. Temptation slips up on us before we realize its seriousness. Temptation is addictive--even when it ceases being enjoyable, we find ourselves in its snare. The surest path to victory lies in avoidance. That poor Alabama burglar found himself in a heap of trouble--shot four times, run over, arrested for grand theft-auto, attempted murder, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and a host of lesser crimes. All this in an attempt to cover up a burglary! That's the way it happens sometimes when we open the door only a crack to temptation. ------------------ 1. Charlie Appleton. " Ardmore Suspect had Bad, Bad Day," NASHVILLE BANNER (Aug. 30, 1990), Section A, p.1. 2. Williams, Charles. HE CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1938, Pg 115. 3. Wayne Ansterman. "Armor for the Soldier," CIVIL WAR TIMES ILUS. (Jan., 1988), p. 36. 4. Lauren Bacall, LAUREN BACALL BY MYSELF (New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1978), p. 105. 5. "Stuck Amusement Ride Leaves Dizzy Fairgoers Unamused," THE KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL (Aug. 27, 1990), Section A, p.5. 6. Published in GUIDEPOSTS (July, 1988). Requoted here in condensed form in "But You Promised" by Iron Eyes Cody, READER'S DIGEST (June, 1989), p. 131. TOP (Feb491) THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS FORMULA Mark 8: 31-38 Jesus would turn over in his grave, if he were in his grave--which, of course, he is not. However, I want to suggest to you this morning that the ultimate formula for worldly success is found in a portion of his words in Mark 8:34, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." In a secular sense that text alone would guarantee any person's success in the wonderful world of business or art or education or sports or whatever career you may choose. After all, what does it mean to deny yourself and take up a cross? We know what it does not mean. It does not mean in times of adversity saying in a whiny voice, "Well, I guess this is just my cross to bear." No, denying ourselves and taking up a cross has to do with discipline and hard work. It has to do with unselfishness and committing ourselves to the finest of which we are capable. It has to do with forgetting ourselves and concentrating on the needs of others. It has to do with a commitment to excellence in all things. In short, in these few words Jesus has summed up all the most helpful advice of all the self-help books written over the past several decades. PEOPLE WHO SUCCEED IN LIFE DENY THEMSELVES AND TAKE UP A CROSS. It is true. You don't get to be the best by staying in your comfort zone. You do it by working till you sweat blood. You sit at your typewriter or your designing board or your blueprints or your lesson plan or whatever, long after everybody else has gone home. That's what it means in a secular sense to deny yourself and take up a cross. And it works! The University of Chicago did a five-year study of leading artists, athletes, and scholars. Conducted by Dr. Benjamin Bloom, the research was based on anonymous interviews with the top twenty performers in various fields. These people included concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, tennis players, sculptors, mathematicians, and neurologists. Bloom and his team of researchers from the University of Chicago probed for clues as to how these achievers developed. For a more complete picture, they interviewed their families and teachers. The report stated conclusively that drive and determination, not great natural talent, led to the extraordinary success of these individuals. Bloom noted, "We expected to find tales of great natural gifts. We didn't find that at all. Their mothers often said it was another child who had the greater talents." What they found were extraordinary accounts of hard work and dedication: The pianist who practiced several hours a day for seventeen years; the swimmer who rolled out of bed every morning at half-past five to do laps for two hours before school, etc. (1) That's how you get to the top--you give your all! when the nation's top achievers were asked to rate the factors they consider most important in contributing to their own success, hard work emerges as the highest- rated factor. Not talent or luck--but hard work. Even in an area in which we would suppose talent would be a critical factor--such as playing the violin--hard work still wins out. A recent study of elite student violinists showed that the number of hours spent practicing was the only thing that separated potential music superstars from others who were good but not top caliber. Psychologists followed the careers of violinists studying at the Music Academy of West Berlin. By the time they were 18, the academy's best students had already spent about 2,000 more hours in practice, on average, than had their fellow students. (2) That is denying yourself and taking up a cross. Here is the secret of the amazing success of recent immigrants to our land from such countries as Japan, Korea and Vietnam who barely speak our language but are achieving the American dream. In 1986, a group of researchers published a study of Japanese mothers and mothers in Minneapolis. The mothers were asked to rank the most important things that a child needs to succeed academically. The answers tell a lot about the difference in our two cultures. The mothers in Minneapolis chose "ability" as most important. The mothers in Japan said "effort." Effort! Deny yourself and take up a cross. The secret is not only in working hard, but working hard at the right things. Our Jewish friends have often understood the importance of this principle. A sociology professor with an Italian heritage, when telling how he grew up, remarked, "When I would start off to school in the morning, my mother would push the screen door open and call out, "Do you have your lunch pail?" Like all good Italian mothers, his mother made sure he never went hungry. He said a Jewish boy lived a few doors down. And when he started off to school his mother would push the door open, too, but she would call out, "Isaac, do you have your books?" Effort. Hard work. Practice. Commitment. Business Guru Tom Peters recalls a wonderful story of a musician--it may have been Pablo Casals--who died at almost one hundred years of age. The morning he died he was downstairs practicing his notes at 6:00 a.m. "That's just lovely," says Peters. It is lovely if being the best at what you do is important to you. (3) In other words, it is self-defeating to sit around and say, "Oh, if I had his talent, then I could make it." Or, "if I got the same breaks as she did, then I could be successful." Sure, talent is important. And some people do get lucky. But studies show that those factors are of minor importance. The reason most people succeed is that they are willing to pay the price for their success. They are willing to put in the effort and the hours to make it to the top. They are willing to deny themselves and take up a cross. So, there it is, the ultimate success formula. By the way, let me say to our young people, that denying oneself and taking up a cross at your stage in life can mean staying in school and learning as much as possible. It's always sad to see a capable young person fall short of his or her dreams because he or she wasn't willing to stick it out to the end. I know sometimes school gets discouraging. Some of you can sympathize with the fellow who said, "I didn't hate school, I just hated the principle of the thing." However, in today's world a good education is vital. Don't limit yourself just because you are discouraged. Deny yourself and take up a cross. The ultimate success formula. Try it. I guarantee you it will work--or double your money back. But before you go out into the world to try it, let me add one thing. Some of you are going to find that material success is not really all that satisfying. There are a lot of lonely people driving Cadillacs and Mercedes, living in homes with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. These folks are finding out too late that upward mobility is not necessarily the formula for a peaceful heart or a loving home. So we need to re-examine for a moment Christ's words. We overlooked some of them. He said, "IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, let him deny himself and take up his cross AND FOLLOW ME." He's not talking about Rolex watches at all, is he? He's talking about forgetting ourselves for the sake of others. Isn't that what he did? Isn't that what the cross really is all about? He's not talking about becoming real go- getters but real go-givers. He's not talking about stocks and bonds, but soup kitchens and bread lines. He's not talking about winning the rat race, but serving the human race in his name. That's the kind of self-denial and cross bearing about which he is concerned. Grandma Moses achieved worldly success late in life. By the time she died, her name was a household word. And yet when Grandma Moses was asked at ninety-three what she was proudest of, she replied, "I've helped some people." The gentle actress, Audrey Hepburn, has been a star for many years. Ask her, though, about her most important work and she will tell you it is traveling throughout the world as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. "If my fame as an artist helps me get people to listen," she says, "I want to tell them that if a family gets a shovel, which UNICEF provides in its programs, they should use it to dig a well or cultivate the land--and not to dig the graves of their children." You see, Audrey Hepburn knows about starving children. She once was one of them. As a youngster in Europe during World War II, she and her family endured years of hunger and, toward the end, near-starvation. "Immediately after the war," she recalls, "an organization was formed that gave us food, medicine, and clothing. That organization later became the United Nations Children's Fund [UNICEF]." Today Hepburn is repaying a debt. (4) Dr. Arthur Tuuri retired a few years back in Flint, Mich. He once helped a mother who, having given birth, died. He cared for the baby until it was adopted. From that he started The Flint Area Health Foundation, a help for needy children. For years he was head of the Mott Children's Health Center, which helps with medical and dental care. Dr. Tuuri said, "Many people asked me why I devote my life to the poor and disadvantaged when I could be in private practice and a wealthy man. I tell them knowing from whence I came and the fact that the greatest healer of all time, Jesus Christ, said when you do it unto the least of these you have done it to me (it is enough)." (5) What I am saying to you is this. Jesus DID give us the ultimate success formula. And the upward mobility he offers is truly out of this world. But the formula he gives us goes beyond the superficial values of today's materialistic culture. It goes beyond looking out for No. 1. It is found in forgetting ourselves and losing ourselves in service to others. And do you know what? It works. It really works. According to research conducted by George Gallup, 12% of Americans are "highly spiritually committed." They are those who truly understand what Jesus meant when he said, "deny yourself, take up a cross and follow me." Gallup says the members of this group are "a breed apart from the rest of the populace in at least four ways: 1. They are happier. 2. Their families are stronger. 3. They are tolerant of people of different races and religions. 4. They are community-minded." (6) *See Update They are involved in service to others. That is cross bearing that really makes a difference. So we have a choice. We can heed part of Jesus' words--deny yourself and take up a cross--and have all the success this world has to offer. And there's nothing really wrong with that. Jesus wants us to be the very best of whatever we choose to be, as long as it does not cost us our souls. There is a better way, however. Use him as your guide. Deny yourself by giving yourself for others in his name. That's where real happiness lies. That's what ultimate success is all about. ---------------- 1. , WINNING THE INNOVATION GAME, (New York: Berkley Books, 1986) 2. University of Colorado 3. Dr. Paul Faulkner, MAKING THINGS RIGHT, (Ft. Worth: Sweet Publishing, 1986). 4. WORLD PRESS REVIEW: February 1989 5. David W. Richardson, Source: "Pulpit Helps" 6. What Do You Think? ~ Personal Retrospection by Robert B Craig ~ 2003 7. Pole conducted by the George Gallup Group. ~ Return to UPDATE TOP (Mar191) I'M MAD AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! John 2: 13-22 It is an old story, but a good one. Former baseball manager Billy Martin told it in his autobiography titled NUMBER 1. He says he and Mickey Mantle were doing a little hunting down in Texas. Mickey had a friend who would let him hunt on his ranch. When they got there, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he went in and cleared things with his friend. Permission was quickly granted for them to hunt, but the owner asked Mickey to do him a favor. He had a pet mule in the barn who was going blind and he didn't have the heart to put him out of his misery. He asked Mickey to shoot the mule for him. Mickey agreed. On the way back to the car a plan formed in Mantle's mind. Reaching the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the car door shut. Billy wanted to know what was wrong. Mickey replied that the owner wouldn't let them hunt there after all. "I am so mad at that guy that I am going out to that barn and shoot one of his mules," said Mantle. He drove like a mad man to the barn. Martin protested and said, "We can't do that!" But Mickey was adamant, "Just watch me," he shouted. When they got to the barn, Mantle jumped out of the car with his rifle, ran to the barn and shot the mule and killed it. When he got back to the car he saw that Martin had also taken his gun out and smoke was curling from its barrel, too. "What are you doing, Martin?" he yelled. Martin answered, "We'll show that Son-of-a- gun. I killed two of his cows." One of the questions we all have to deal with from time to time is what to do with our anger. We are aware of the negative results of anger. People do stupid things when they are angry like shooting someone's cows. Are there any positive aspects to anger, though? Are there times when we ought to get upset? Indeed there are. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN A CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO GET ANGRY. One of the angriest young men to grace the American spotlight over the past two decades was the black activist of the sixties, Stokely Carmichael. Remember Stokely, with his rhetoric of hate and rebellion? Why was he so angry? There were reasons. Let me give you an example. A school was being desegregated and Stokely Carmichael took his six-year-old niece to the school to begin kindergarten. Six years old. Remember that. The cops in that southern town weren't about to let the school be integrated. One cop grabbed Stokely's niece, put the girl on the ground, put his boot on her neck, stuck his gun in her ear, and said, "This is the last time I'm gonna tell ya. You're never gonna go to school with white boys." Carmichael took his niece home in shock. She was a basket case. At that moment Stokely Carmichael vowed that he would never let a boot hold down the neck of another black person again. He would kill the person wearing the boot rather than let it happen. (1) Now, regardless of how you feel about Stokely Carmichael, regardless of how you feel about civil rights--wouldn't you have been angry if you had been in his place? If someone had thrown your six-year-old niece on the ground, stuck a gun in her ear, and threatened and humiliated her, wouldn't you have been about to explode? If not, something very fundamental is missing in your character. There are times when it is right to get angry. Jesus was angry when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. They had turned a place of worship into what he called a "den of robbers." The moneychangers were originally an answer to a problem raised by Roman coinage. The coins had on them the image of Caesar. Therefore they were unacceptable for Temple ceremonies. The people were thus forced to change their Roman coins into coins that were acceptable. Those of you who have travelled abroad have probably traded currency at a little shop set up for that purpose. It can be a very profitable enterprise for the moneychanger. The moneychangers Jesus confronted, however, had brought their little shops right into the Temple itself. Even worse, they were also selling sacrificial animals right there in the temple precincts. They were clearly running the risk that an animal might get loose and violate the sanctuary. Worse than that was the competiveness among the shopkeepers vying for the business of the worshippers. The most sacred shrine of the Jews had become a tawdry, commercialized circus. This made Jesus mad and he wasn't going to take it anymore. This was his Father's house and they had desecrated it. Suddenly he was turning over tables, scattering coins across the pavement. Then he took a whip and forced the traders out of the temple and drove the sacrificial animals out into the courtyard. When the dust cleared, people probably wondered what had hit them. Nobody, however, protested. Everybody knew deep down Jesus was right. Christ's example tells me there are times when a Christian ought to get angry. THIS IS TO SAY THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THIS WORLD THAT ARE NOT FAIR AND ARE NOT RIGHT. Are you surprised at that? No, we all know it's true. Did you read about a Connecticut Supreme Court case in which the court reluctantly ruled that a Suzanne Benson is entitled to half the estate of her dead son? If the newspapers are correct, this mother abandoned her two-year-old son 13 years ago. Recently the son was killed in a car-bicycle collision. His dad's insurance company awarded $300,000 to the son's estate. Mrs. Benson showed up after all this time to claim half the money. Under Connecticut law if Mrs. Benson had officially terminated her parental responsibility, she could not have profited from the money. Abandonment of a baby, however, does not constitute formal parental termination. (2) So she collected $150,000. That violates my sense of justice, doesn't it yours? It's not fair. It's not right. But listen. There are far worse injustices taking place in our world than that one isolated case. We all know it's true. There are racial injustices, religious injustices, economic injustices. One does not have to be a Stokely Carmichael to realize that there are some people who never get a fair shake. That's true all around the world and that is true right in our own backyard. The fear that many of us feel as we drive into the inner city of some of our large metropolitan areas is God's judgement on our failure to correct some of the injustices in our own land. For you see, as the saying goes, what goes around, comes around. The fruits of injustice are bitter indeed. There is a most interesting story from American history about a man named George Wythe (pronounced - with), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and perhaps one of the period's most noted legal minds. In 1776 George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and Edmund Pendleton began the task of reworking and updating the laws of the state of Virginia. The task took most of their time for three years. It was really an extraordinary piece of work. However, there was at least one flaw--a flaw that would one day haunt the family and friends of George Wythe. In 1806, Wythe suffered for almost 2 weeks from what almost certainly was arsenic poisoning and finally died. It is also reasonably certain that Wythe's grand-nephew, George Wythe Sweeney, had added the arsenic to his elder's coffee. However, the only person who saw Sweeney commit this act was Lydia Broadnax, Wythe's devoted mulatto housekeeper; and negroes and mulattoes were forbidden under Virginia law from testifying in court against whites--a law that George Wythe had chosen to let stand during his revision process. So despite fairly certain knowledge that Sweeney had murdered Wythe, the court had to let Sweeney go free. (3) I suppose we might consider that a case of poetic justice. If he had recognized the rights of African Americans, George Wythe's killer would not have gone free. Justice does not always work out that neatly, of course, but we should tremble when we reflect that God is a just God. For eventually justice does prevail. There is a time when Christians ought to get angry about some of the inequities and injustices in our world. As Melvin Wheatley once said, "There are situations in life in which the absence of anger would be the essence of evil." There is a time for anger. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THERE IS A TIME FOR ACTION! The danger with acting when we are angry, of course, is that we will act foolishly. You may have heard about the farmer who was plowing his corn one day when he spotted a mouse gnawing away at a stalk of corn. He thought of the long hours he had spent clearing, planting, and cultivating this field. Now this mouse was trying to destroy it. Anger raged within him. He grabbed a stick and rushed toward the mouse--beating, slashed, chasing until finally he dealt the mouse a lethal blow. A sense of sweet revenge swept over him. Then, he looked around and realized that he had destroyed nearly half an acre of corn to kill one little mouse that couldn't have eaten more than three stalks in an entire season. The old Greek, Aristotle, once said, "Anyone can become angry--that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way--this is difficult." It is difficult. And certainly we are not advocating anyone to become a Stokely Carmichael. We are simply saying that anger can be a great motivating force in our lives. Sometimes that anger can be constructive. God has used angry people to cure some of the worst injustices and to solve some of the most perplexing problems this world has known. Recently a man named Leonard Haslim got angry watching the 6 o'clock news. Hundreds of people had died in an airliner crash in Washington, D.C. because the plane's wings iced up, making it too heavy to fly. Haslim decided to make sure it didn't happen again. Haslim came up with a brilliant, but rather simple solution. Everyone who has studied science knows that opposite charges attract and like charges repel. Haslim used that principle to come up with the ultimate wing de-icer. He wrapped a thin sheet of rubber around an airplane wing, with wire ribbons carrying electrical current underneath. When he threw the switch on, the positive wires jumped away from each other, as did the negatives, breaking the ice that had frozen to the layer of rubber above them. "It's like snapping a hall carpet," drawls Haslim, "and watching the dust fly." His invention can pulverize ice an inch thick on the surface of a wing. Yet it uses no more power than a single landing light, and costs less than an airplane tire. "It's so simple, lightweight, and cheap, it's nauseating," says Haslim. It may be that over the next several years, hundreds of lives will be saved because Leonard Haslim got angry watching the 6 o'clock news. (4) Is there something making you angry? I am not talking about shooting somebody's cows because he didn't let you use his farm to hunt. Is there some evil in the world that a voice within you keeps saying, "Somebody ought to do something about that." Maybe that's the voice of God. Maybe it's time you went beyond anger to action. --------------------- http://craigpages3.100megsfree5.com/sermons/janfebmar91.html#Brother 1. Larry King, THE KING, (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1988) 2. "Mother Who Abandoned Son Wins Half of His $300,000 Estate," The Knoxville News-Sentinel ( May 10, 1989), Section A, P. 7. 3. Brother C. Edward, FSC. "The Law That Failed," AMERICAN HISTORY ILLUSTRATED: (Jan., 1973 ), pp. 38-45. 4. SUCCESS, October, 1990. TOP (Mar291) TRUE LOVE John 3: 14-21 When Richard Nixon ran for President in 1968, the Vietnam War was at its height. One of Nixon's TV commercials showed a photo of an American soldier in Vietnam with the word "Love" written on his helmet. The image bothered Harry Treleavan, one of Nixon's media men. "It reminds [people] of hippies," he said. "They don't think it's the sort of thing soldiers should be writing on their helmets." About a week later, however, a letter arrived from the mother of the soldier. She said how thrilled she was to see the photo of her son in Nixon's TV commercial. She wondered if she could obtain a copy of the photo. The letter was signed "Mrs. William Love." (1) That's an interesting story. The soldier was not making a statement about his feelings at all. He was simply putting his name, Love, on his helmet. That reminds me of something humorist Doc Blakely said recently. He was poking good- natured fun at the Civilian Air Patrol--those courageous pilots who are so much help in locating missing aircraft. He said that he worries about any group that has to have C-A-P initialed on their head gear. That young soldier with "love" written on his helmet was not making a statement. He was simply stating his name. Go with me now, back in history, two thousand years. Jesus of Nazareth hangs on a cross. He wears no helmet--only a crown of thorns. Above his head is written neither his name nor his ultimate purpose, though there is a sign that reads, "King of the Jews." Yet on that cross a statement is made, the most radical statement ever made about the nature of love. What is love? Love is Jesus Christ giving his life for a sinful world. That is love in its purest sense. That is love without reservation. That is love that asks nothing in return. All other love pales in comparison. A parent loves his or her children, but expects in return respect and companionship. A husband loves his wife. He expects in return her fidelity, her emotional support, her physical intimacy. When Christ loves, when God loves, however, He loves without condition. That is what agape love is all about. John 3:16 sums it up as well as it can be summed up: GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD.... That is where we begin this morning. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD...Can you think of anything this world is hungrier for than love? A lonely man once programmed his computer to write him love letters daily. He built a voice system that would speak lovingly to him, but he remained lonely. Manufactured, controlled love isn't love at all. Yet that's the only love that many people ever experience. And how we long for something more. Anthony Campolo tells about a mountaineer from West Virginia who fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the town preacher. The gruff and tough man one evening looked deeply into the eyes of the preacher's daughter and said, "I love you." It took more courage for him to say those simple words than he had ever had to muster for anything else he had ever done. Minutes passed in silence and then the preacher's daughter said, "I love you too." The tough mountaineer said nothing except, "Good night." Then he went home, got ready for bed and prayed, "God, I ain't got nothin' against nobody." (2) Many of us know that feeling. To love and to be loved--what joy that simple emotion brings into our lives. Then to realize that the very nature of God is love is almost more than you or I can comprehend. We're told that when early printers, using hand-set type, received an order to print a collection of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poems, they immediately ordered hundreds of extra letters L and V for their presses. They knew Tennyson. He used the word `love' so often in his poetry that the average set of type could not possibly supply all the necessary letters. It is with that same kind of extravagant love that God loves us. God so loved the world. But there's more. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON... To love as God loves is to give--wonderfully, extravagantly, without holding anything back. Who can ever forget that cynical hero of the classic motion picture, CASABLANCA, played by Humphrey Bogart, named Rick? Rick is suspicious and self-protecting. He has learned to survive by looking out only for himself. He is a stranger to tender feelings and generous gestures. When a desperate man is arrested by the Gestapo in his bar, the man asks Rick, "Why didn't you help me?" Rick sneers, "I don't stick my neck out for anyone." Rick is living amid the cruelty and inhumanity of the Second World War. Once he was hurt when he made the "mistake" of sticking his neck out for someone else. Now he is cynical, safe, and successful. Something is missing from Rick's life, however, and he knows it. Circumstances have forced him to become tough and uncaring. When he looks at the Nazi officers stationed in Casablanca, though--tough, powerful, unsentimental--he knows that he does not want to be like them. Some people become like Rick. They become hardened by life. They become cynical, suspicious. They refuse to stick out their neck for anyone. Fortunately God is not like that. Jesus was not like that. God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son. Pity the poor person who never is willim to stic out his or her neck for another human being. The best feeling you will ever have in your life is when you give of yourself for someone else. Dr. Roy Angell tells about Carey Barker who used to play football for the Washington Redskins. One night after a game Carey Barker was walking in the snow to relax. He came upon a lad sitting on a curb and crying. "What's the matter, son?" Carey asked. "My daddy sent me to the store to buy a loaf of bread," said the boy, "and I have lost the dollar he gave me. And I'm afraid to go home." Carey took the child into a store and purchased the bread for him. The lad departed, saying, "Gee, Mister, I wish you wuz my daddy." Carey Barker said he walked the streets that night trying to find another boy who needed a dollar and a dad. (3) There is nothing in life that will bring a good feelir into yor life like giving to another. It's worth it to sometg es stick out your neck for another. But there is an important principle that we must recognize. Before we are able to give love we must receive love. Let me give you a powerful example. Once years ago there was a little girl in an institution who was almost like a wild beast. The workers at the institution had written her off as hopeless. An elderly nurse believed there was hope for the child, however. She felt she could communicate love and hope to this wild little creature. The nurse daily visited the child whom they called Little Annie, but for a long time Little Annie gave no indication she was aware of her presence. The elderly nurse persisted and repeatedly brought some cookies and left them in her room. Soon the doctors in the institution noticed a change. After a period of time, they moved Little Annie upstairs. Finally the day came when this seemingly "hopeless case" was released. Filled with compassion for others because of her institution experience, Little Annie, Anne Sullivan, wanted to help others. It was Anne Sullivan who, in turn, played the crucial role in the life of Helen Keller. It was she who saw the great potential in this little blind, deaf and rebellious child. She loved her, disciplined her, played, prayed, pushed, and worked with her until Helen Keller became an inspiration to the entire world. It began with the elderly nurse, then Anne Sullivan, then Helen Keller, and finally every person who has ever been influenced by the example of Helen Keller. (4) That chain of love goes on forever. Before it began with that elderly nurse, though, we have to go all the way back to the beginning when God first loved His creation. We give love because we have received love. A child who has not known love will never give love. That is why the Bible tells us, "In this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and gave His Son to be the expiation for our sins." (I John 4:10) Humankind could not love God or one another if we had not first been loved. There is no higher truth than that. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Faith is our response to God's love. Faith is not a response to the fear of God. Faith is not a response to an intellectual acknowledgement of God. Faith is a response to God's love. That is why the cross is such an important part of Christian faith. It is on the cross of Calvary that we see the love of God most clearly. Could it be that part of the spiritual, emotional and moral malaise of our time can be explained by the fact that secular humanity has lost sight of the cross? The October, 1988 issue of PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, pointed out that today's average 30 year old American is 10 times more likely to be depressed than his father was and 20 times more likely to be depressed than his grandfather was at the same stage of life. Could it be that in this secular society we really do not feel loved? Could it be that we feel that our lives lack significance? Could it be we feel isolated and alone? A book a few years ago dubbed this the AGE OF ANXIETY. When we feel unloved, our lives are filled with anxiety. In the words of the psychologist Erickson, it is because we have failed at the most elementary stage of our development--the ability to trust. How can you trust unless you know yourself to be loved? Thus we are an anxious people whose anxieties keep us from being all God means for us to be. One day in his later years, the composer Johannes Brahms reached a point in his life when his composing almost came to a halt. He started many things--serenades, part-songs and so on--but nothing would seem to work out. Then he thought, "I am too old. I have worked long and diligently and have achieved enough. Here I have before me a carefree old age and can enjoy it in peace. I resolve to compose no more." This cleared his mind and relaxed his faculties so much that he was able to pick up with his composing again without difficulty. Many of us are a bundle of anxieties. That is why we accomplish so little. What we need is to relax in the knowledge that we are loved. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him..." Do you believe in Christ? Then what in the world are you worried about? Accept his love. Lay your deepest concerns at the foot of the cross. God made a statement on Calvary two thousand years ago. There were two signs that hung above Jesus' head. The unbelieving world saw only one. It read, "King of the Jews." The believing eye, however, sees another: "In this is love." "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." --------------- 1. Gerald Tomlinson, SPEAKER'S TREASURY OF POLITICAL STORIES, ANECDOTES, AND HUMOR, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 1990). 2. SEVEN DEADLY SINS, ( Wheaton: Victor Books, 1987). 3. Harold S. Kushner, WHEN ALL YOU'VE EVER WANTED ISN'T ENOUGH, (New York: Summit Books, 1986 ). 4. Jeffrey Holland in VITAL SPEECHES TOP (Mar391) RISE ABOVE IT Hebrews 5:7-9 Nothing perplexes the sensitive heart more than the problem of human suffering. Studdert-Kennedy used to say that anyone who was undisturbed by the problem of pain was suffering from one of two things: either from a hardening of the heart, or a softening of the brain. He's absolutely right. Is there any purpose to pain? Any advantage to adversity? Any solace in suffering? "Don't be discouraged, Charlie Brown," Schroeder tells him. "These early defeats help to build character for later on in life." "For what later on in life?" asks Charlie Brown. "For more defeats!" replies Schroeder. Charlie Brown then invests in five cents' worth of Lucy's psychiatric help. At first her advice sounds a bit more sophisticated: "Adversity builds character," she says. "Without adversity a person could never mature and face up to all the things in life!" "What things?" he asks. "More adversity!" she says. (1) Our text today from Hebrews is perplexing. It speaks of Christ being made obedient through suffering: "In the days of his flesh," we read in verse 7 of chapter one, "Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him...." (RSV) We don't know how Jesus learned obedience through suffering. After all, he was the Christ! Still we know that he suffered, and because he suffered there are some helpful and hopeful conclusions we can draw. THE FIRST IS THAT PAIN IS AN INEVITABLE PART OF LIFE. Even Christ could not avoid pain and complete his mission and neither can we. Charlie Brown, in another "Peanuts" cartoon, walks away from Lucy after a baseball game, head down, totally dejected. "Another ball game lost! Good grief!" Charlie moans. "I get tired of losing. Everything I do, I lose!" Lucy replies, "Look at it this way, Charlie Brown. We learn more losing than we do from winning." Charlie shouts at Lucy, who is startled and flips over backwards, "That makes me the smartest person in the world." Don't worry, Charlie Brown, you've got a lot of company. Dr. John Drakeford, well-known Christian psychologist says that at any given time one out of every ten people is going through a crisis experience. Certainly the Bible knows about pain, crises, suffering. There is Moses gazing upon a promised land that he will never enter. Hannah, downhearted, unable to eat, because of a child she is not able to bear. Elijah, fearful of his life, fleeing into the desert, alone and miserable. The widow of Nain, distracted by grief over the loss of her only son. The Gadarene demoniac, so emotionally wrought he is mutilating himself. The woman with the issue of blood. Twelve years of hemorrhaging, seeing doctor after doctor, all to no avail. Blind Bartimaeus, Mary and Martha at their brother's tomb. And, of course, Jesus upon the cross. The list could consume several pages. The Bible knows about suffering. All kinds of suffering. Physical, emotional, spiritual. Many of us know about suffering. We've known pain, disappointment, failure, grief. We can sympathize with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro football coach John McKay. In the midst of a long, losing season, McKay was asked what he thought of his team's execution. His answer: "I'm in favor of it." That's a joke for football fans. What life does to us sometimes, however, is no joke. Pain is an inevitable part of life. SOME PAIN MAY EVEN BE ESSENTIAL FOR OUR EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH. All sunshine makes a desert we say. Lucy was essentially right in her advice to Charlie Brown. Some adversity does build character. Consider the unique situation of birds in New Zealand, for example. That island nation has more flightless birds, I understand, than any other country on earth. Among these are the kiwi and the penguin. Scientists tell us that these birds had wings but lost them. They had no use for them. They had no natural predators on those beautiful islands and food was plentiful. Since there was no reason to fly, they didn't. Through neglect they lost their wings. Necessity is the mother of invention. Scholars point to the advanced technological progress of nations in the colder climates of the world. Where food and shelter are easily attained, there is no drive to innovate, to problem-solve. We live in a hard world in order that we might grow to our full stature as children of God. How difficult it must be for God, however, to watch us seek to cope with this hard world. Peter James Flamming tells about a young man who had been pitched from a horse and had been paralyzed. Slowly, but surely he had begun to respond. He had gone to the huge regional hospital for further therapy. On the day he was to take his first step, the people who helped him stand stood aside. He fell flat on his face. He wept in pain. Nobody moved. A chaplain, a friend and confidant of the family, felt every instinctive push to rush to his aid. But the therapists would not let him. Again the boy tried. Again the agony of the fall and the defeat. Again and again the cruelty continued, for it could indeed have been called that. Pain was the product of the whole occasion. Every part of the experience was painful. It was dreadfully painful to the young man. It was painful to the therapists who watched. It was painful to the chaplain who empathized. But the boy walked! The day came when he walked! Flamming contrasts that young man's painful experience with a cartoon he saw that showed a mother helping her son into a wheelchair. A nearby friend said, "I didn't know your son couldn't walk." The reply: "Oh, he can. But thank God he doesn't have to." He goes on to say, "From everything we know in the Scripture, God is not like that mother. He is more like the therapists. He wants us to walk and run and soar. He is about the business of soul making. If He needs to work through this stained, bent-out-of-shape world we live in, He will. His will for us is not to make us happy or unhappy. It is to make us, us, as only He knows we can be. To will for us fullness and growth, He weaves into the tapestry of our lives both joy and pain. He will not give up until we all attain to the `unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ' ( Ephesians 4:13)." (2) Pain is inevitable in life. Pain may be essential to growth. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, PAIN CAN EVEN PROVE TO BE BENEFICIAL. You may know that the sound of a violin is determined by the type of wood from which it is constructed, as well as the s kill of the musician playing it. It has been determined that the best wood available today for making violins is found in the timberline of the highest mountain ranges. In the United States, craftsmen will seek the wood found on the peaks of the Rockies, 12,000 feet above sea level. Up there where the winds blow so fiercely and steadily that the bark to windward has no chance to grow, where the branches all point one way, and where a tree to live must stay on its knees all through its life, that is where the most resonant wood for violins is born and lives and dies. (3) Through pain and perseverance is born the most beautiful music. In the same way there are those who will tell you that a painful and heart-wrenching experience turned out to be one of the most fortuitous events in their lives. Some of you may know that Julio Iglesias was a professional soccer player in Madrid when a car crash ended his career and left him paralyzed for a year and a half. A sympathetic nurse gave Iglesias a guitar to help pass the time in the hospital. Though he had no prior musical aspirations, Iglesias went on to become a huge success in the pop-music field. Iglesias's accident marked a watershed in his life, a turning point after which everything changed. (4) A less serious event changed forever the fortune of an old-time vaudeville performer named Al Jolson. Jolson was starring in a musical, Honeymoon Express, early in his career, when he came down with a serious ingrown toenail on his left foot. The pain was so intense that he was on the verge of dropping out of the show. Instead, he managed to relieve the pain that fateful night by getting down on one knee halfway through the performance, and pouring out his sentimental ballads with a great show of emotion. He later worked the technique into his famous "My Mammy" number--long after the offending toe had healed. It became his trademark and helped make him a star. (5) As Tim Hansel says in his book, YOU GOTTA KEEP DANCIN', "We have two choices when we hit adverse trials. They can break us or we can break them. Not surprisingly, some of the great achievements of men and women in the past have been achieved by those suffering the fires of personal trial. But unlike most of us, these men and women wring from their adversity the determination and insight to do what others have not done. The book "Pilgrim's Progress" was not written from a pleasant mountain getaway, but from the dingy British jail cell that became home for John Bunyan. Florence Nightingale did not reorganize the hospitals of England from a top- flight, lushly decorated health management office, she managed to do it while bed-ridden herself. Pasteur was semi-paralyzed, but still attacked others' diseases. American historian, Francis Parkman, suffered so terribly that he could work no more than five minutes at a time. Yet he managed to turn out twenty classic volumes of history. These men and women broke their trial. Others let it break them." (6) Pain is inevitable in life. Some pain is essential. Some pain can even be beneficial. Here's the good news for the day, however. WHETHER OUR PAIN IS MILD OR SEVERE, JESUS CAN HELP. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says that since Christ has been made perfect by his sufferings, he is the path of salvation for all who obey him. He knows what it is to suffer, thus he is equipped to aid us in our times of suffering. Frank Lloyd Wright, the noted architect, recalled how he was awakened one night by a frantic telephone call from a client whose house had just recently been completed. It seems it had been raining, the roof leaked, and the living room was flooded. "What should I do?" asked the distraught client. Calmly, Frank Lloyd Wright replied, "Rise above it." That is what faith in Christ allows us to do. It allows us to rise above our failures, our disappointments, our fears, our frustrations, our grief and our pain. By obedience to him and faith in him we can be victorious. Pain is inevitable in life. Some of it is essential, even beneficial. However, we can rise above it by faith in Jesus Christ. ------------- 1. THE PARABLES OF PEANUTS 2. LAYMAN'S LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1985). 3. Don Emmitte 4. "Take Charge of Your Life" Robert H. Lauer and Jeanette P. Lauer in Reader's Digest, Sept. 88. 5. Joe Franklin, A GIFT FOR PEOPLE, (New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1971). 6. (Elgin, Illinois: David C. Cook Publishing Co., 1985). TOP (Mar491) WHY DID HE DO IT? Palm (Passion) Sunday Mark 14: 1-15 Each Lenten season we come to the same troubling question. Why did Judas betray his Master? Thirty pieces of silver was a paltry sum. Why go to the trouble? There is evidence to indicate that before the betrayal, Judas had a place of honor among the disciples. The fact that he was the treasurer shows he was trusted. John 13:29 indicates that he may have been reclining alongside Jesus at the last supper. He was in a place of honor. Why in Heaven's name did he do it? What caused him to betray innocent blood? WAS IT DISILLUSIONMENT? Certainly that must have been part of it. Jesus is never the kind of Messiah people expect him to be. Immediately before telling us of Judas' betrayal, Mark tells us about an important moment at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany. As Jesus was sitting at the table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment, a very expensive ointment, and broke the flask and poured it over his head. "But there were some," Mark tells us, "who said to themselves indignantly, `Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor.' And they reproached her. But Jesus said, `Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burying. And truly I say to you, wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of me." (RSV) John 12:4-6 tells us it was Judas Iscariot who complained most vigorously about this extravagance. Maybe Judas expected that Jesus would be more of a social reformer. There are those today who would reduce Christ's ministry to the narrow focus of social reformer. We can sympathize with them. There are political systems, economic systems, social systems in this world that do oppress people. And let's make one thing clear: No one cares more about the poor and the oppressed than does Jesus. His entire ministry was devoted to reaching out to the least and lowest. As the story of the anointing at Bethany makes clear, however, the Gospel is more than social reform. It does no good to destroy systems, whether they be capitalist or communist, dictatorships or democracies, if you leave the creature who builds systems unredeemed. Jesus was not excusing our neglect of the less fortunate when he said, "The poor you will have with you always." He was saying, rather, that poverty is simply a symptom of humanity's sickness. He came to cure the sickness. Maybe Judas missed the point. Maybe that was why he hurried off to the chief priest. OR MAYBE HE WAS JUST IMPATIENT. Perhaps he was frustrated at Jesus' failure to strike at his enemies while he was riding a crest of popularity in the Holy City. After all, had not the crowds thrown their cloaks in front of him shouting, "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord?" Judas' anticipation had been mounting ever since Jesus announced they were taking their campaign to Jerusalem. Now he felt let down. Graham Greene once wrote a novel entitled, THE HUMAN FACTOR. It is the chilling story of the execution of an innocent man, because a detective made a premature decision without checking all the evidence. The detective was guilty of impatience. Maybe that was Judas' error. Maybe his impatience led him to try to force Jesus' hand. After all, this was the Messiah. The world was corrupt and Jesus could set it right. What was he waiting for? Besides, what harm could it do? After all, he WAS the Messiah. If worse came to worse, Jesus could call a band of angels to come to his rescue. And if he wasn't the Messiah, then it was time the disciples knew. Yes, maybe Judas was merely impatient. I sometimes get impatient with God, don't you? There is an old legend that one time a man had a dream and found himself in heaven. He was taken to a huge room, containing all kinds of gifts, blessings, and marvelous things. He asked what they were. St. Peter replied, "Those are answers to your prayers that you simply couldn't wait for!" I imagine I will find a room like that in heaven. We are so certain that our questions ought to be answered and our complaints resolved and our heartaches remedied right now! It is difficult to comprehend a God who spent millions of years, perhaps billions of years, preparing the universe before Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, ever made their appearance. If we want to get in tempo with God, we have to realize that a million years is just a moment in eternity. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who created the Mount Rushmore Memorial, was once asked if he considered his work to be perfect in every detail. "Not today," he replied. "The nose of Washington is an inch too long. It's better that way, though. It will erode to be exactly right in 10,000 years." That's the kind of thinking that has to take place if we are to understand God's plan for our universe. Perhaps Judas was impatient. MAYBE JUDAS FELT A SENSE OF REJECTION. His surname indicates that he was the only one of the disciples who was not a Galilean. Maybe he felt that he was never really accepted within the group, even though he was selected to be treasurer. Maybe he resented the fact that he wasn't part of that inner circle of three--Peter, James, and John--that was selected by Jesus to be with him at those most important phases of his life and ministry. Judas was number four and he couldn't understand why he was shut out of the inner core. I mention this because it is a problem in every group, including the church. The need for recognition and appreciation is almost overpowering in some people. There is a story about a young man who was very eager to become a member of an exclusive club. He cultivated all the right friendships, altered everything from his image to his opinions in order to be acceptable to the membership. He learned how to play the right sports and developed just the right haughty expression on his face. Finally he was in. He was a member! Now he sat in the club parlor. As he looked around he suddenly realized he had paid a terrible price to belong to this exclusive club and there was really nothing about it that appealed to him. None of its activities were things he enjoyed doing. All he had wanted was to know he could get in. For some people this is a problem that will haunt them all their lives. Actually it is because they carry their rejection around with them that they never feel accepted in any group. In his book, THE REJECTION SYNDROME, Charles R. Solomon says that when rejection occurs, as in early childhood, it gets into a person's deepest self. The person then first rejects himself and later rejects others and even worse, feels rejected by others. Such a person is undone by the most harmless of slights. Perhaps this was Judas. Dr. Sidney Simon once wrote a little booklet called The IALAC Story. The story was about a boy who wore an invisible sign around his neck that said IALAC. The letters stood for "I Am Lovable and Capable." Pieces of the sign would be torn off when he had conflicts with his parents, peers, teachers, and even himself. Every time he lost a portion of his self-esteem, another part of the sign was ripped off. Maybe Judas had his IALAC sign torn to shreds through the years. He couldn't let anyone love him, even Jesus. It can happen to people. People can feel shut out in any group. I know we have to watch out for it continually in the church. AND MAYBE IT WAS SIMPLY A WEAKNESS OF CHARACTER ON JUDAS' PART. After all, why does anyone betray a friend, a spouse, an employer? Betrayal happens all the time in this world. People wander around in a moral quandary and do horrible things. Doubtless, many of these things are unintentional, but still they hurt. Stanley Rogers draws an interesting parallel for us. He says that when a ship is rolling in a heavy gale her passengers grow nervous and begin to regret their past sins, but when the same ship is groping her way slowly through a thick fog the passengers go to bed and sleep soundly. Yet, paradoxically, the greatest peril at sea is the fog. It has been the cause of more disasters than all the storms that ever blew. Maybe Judas was in a moral and spiritual fog that caused him to mistake wrong for right and made him vulnerable to an unthinkable temptation. That happens in our lives if we are not diligent--if we do not keep our eyes fixed on that which is good and right and lasting. Actually we do not know why Judas did what he did. Whether it was disillusionment or impatience or a feeling of rejection or simply a moral fog that came over him. We only know three things for certain. ONE THING WAS THAT HE WAS REMORSEFUL. He pleaded to the chief priests to take back the thirty pieces of silver. When they refused he threw the money down and fled. How many people have betrayed someone who loved and respected them and have had to deal with the remorse of their terrible deed? There is a tradition that the lily sprang from the repentant tears of Eve as she went forth from paradise. When we gaze upon the Easter lilies next Sunday we might see in them Judas' remorse over his betrayal. THE SECOND THING WE KNOW IS THAT JUDAS MET A HORRIBLE END AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIS BETRAYAL. The reports in the scriptures of the exact nature of his death are confusing, but the record is clear it was a terrible way to end a life. From the time he gave in to the idea of betraying a friend, his life turned from one of hopeful possibility to one of unmitigated tragedy. THE THIRD THING WE KNOW IS THAT JESUS WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN JUDAS IF JUDAS HAD GIVEN HIM THE CHANCE. It is usually impossible to undo the damage we do when we betray someone's trust. Scars like that are very difficult to remove. It is possible, however, to make a new beginning. Christ gives us that opportunity. Maybe somewhere along the way you betrayed someone who trusted in you. It might have been your parents, your children, your husband or wife, or a friend. There is forgiveness for all at the foot of the cross. Of course, once we are forgiven, we are then to forgive those who may have once betrayed us. If we are truly to have in us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, we will want to pass on his forgiveness to others. There are so many legends that surround the painting of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. One in particular gives us food for thought as we leave this service today. It seems that just before the painting of the faces of the disciples in the portrayal of our Lord's last supper with them, da Vinci had a terrible argument with a fellow artist. He determined to paint his fellow artist's face into the portrait as that of Judas Iscariot, and thus take revenge by handing down the man in infamy and scorn to succeeding generations. Thus the face of Judas was one of the first he finished, and everyone could easily recognize the face of the painter with whom he had quarreled. However, when he came to paint the face of Christ he couldn't make any progress at all. Something seemed to be frustrating even his best efforts. At length he came to the decision that the cause of his difficulty was in his bitterness and lack of forgiveness toward his fellow painter. He came to the conclusion that you cannot at the same time be painting the features of Christ into your own life, and painting another with the colors of hatred and enmity. * That is true in our lives as well. Christ offers forgiveness to all. May we forgive others as he has forgiven us. ------------------ a sermon by Don Emmitte TOP (Mar591) A STORY ALMOST TOO BIG TO TELL John 20:1-9; Mark 16: 1-8 Sportswriter Red Smith once told a story about novelist and film writer, Laurence Stallings. Though he was not a sportswriter, Stallings took an assignment to cover a football game between the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois. The year was 1925. The brilliant halfback Red Grange was on the field that afternoon and he was dazzling. On a muddy field he broke loose for three touchdowns and set up another. The old hands in the press box were pounding away at their typewriters. Not Stallings, however. He was in a tizzy. He paced up and down the press box with his hands clasped to his head. "I can't," he wailed. "I can't write it! It's too big." (1) The writers of the four gospels probably felt that same emotion as they put quill to parchment to tell the last chapter of Jesus' story on earth. "It's too big. How do you tell it?" How do you describe something as earth shaking as the Easter story? Christ has been raised from the dead! Each of the four gospels tells the story a little differently. For me that adds authenticity to the story. This is no carefully crafted tale. This is reality--confusing, complex, chaotic. Bruce Larson in his book, LIVING BEYOND OUR FEARS, tells a great story about a judge in Yugoslavia who had an unfortunate accident. He was electrocuted when he reached up to turn on the light while standing in the bathtub. His wife found his body sprawled on the bathroom floor. He was pronounced dead and, as was the custom in that particular town, he was placed in a room under a crypt in the town cemetery for twenty-four hours before burial. In the middle of the night, the judge came to, realized where he was, and rushed over to alert the guard, who promptly ran off, terrified. Fortunately, he returned with a friend, and they released the newly revived judge. His first thought was to phone his wife and reassure her. He got no farther than, "Darling--it's me," when she screamed and fainted. Next he went to the houses of several friends, who were sure he was a ghost. In a last desperate measure, he called a friend in a distant city, who had not heard of his death, and who interceded for him with his family and friends. (2) The writers of the gospels were writing at least a generation after the fact of Christ's victory over death and the grave. The reports of his resurrection were piece-meal, fragmented. Different witnesses recalled different events. Only one thing was certain. On Friday Christ was dead. On Sunday he was alive! The Scottish scholar James S. Stewart wrote of the Resurrection, "Not one line of the New Testament was written...not one sentence, whether of Gospels, Epistles, Acts or Apocalypse, was penned apart from the conviction that He of whom these things were being written had conquered death and was alive forevermore." And here we are today, gathered in joyful anticipation to celebrate the most exciting news on earth. Christ lives! Let's consider for a few moments why Easter is so important for the followers of Jesus and why we wish for the whole world to embrace an Easter faith. EASTER IS IMPORTANT, FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE WE HAVE LOVED AND WE HAVE BEEN LOVED. Christine Fodera of Louisville, Kentucky wrote recently in READER'S DIGEST about an amusing experience she and her husband had. Their priest had asked her husband, Sam, to do some rewiring in the confessionals. The only way to reach the wiring was to enter the attic above the altar and crawl over the ceiling by balancing on the rafters. Concerned for her husband's safety, Christine waited in a pew. Unbeknown to Christine, some other parishioners were congregating in the vestibule. They paid little attention to her, probably assuming she was praying. Worried about her husband, she looked up toward the ceiling and yelled, "Sam, Sam--are you up there? Did you make it okay?" There was quite an outburst from the vestibule when Sam's hearty voice echoed down, " Yes, I made it up here just fine!" For those of us who have lost someone we love to death, it is most comforting to know they made it "up there" okay. When C.S. Lewis lost his dear friend Charles Williams, he wrote something which he said he thought he would never write. It sounded so like sentimental claptrap. He wrote that since Charles Williams died, heaven was no longer a strange, far-off place. Why? Because now his friend was there. When his beloved wife Joy died, he said the same thing. Heaven was closer still, for Joy was there. When Humphrey Bogart died on January 14, 1957, his wife Lauren Bacall placed a gold whistle inside his coffin. The inscription on the whistle read, "If you need anything, just whistle." That was a line from their first film together "To Have and To Have Not." We can appreciate that. Separation is difficult for people who have truly loved. Easter is important to us for what it says to us about our continuing relationship with them. EASTER IS IMPORTANT ALSO BECAUSE LIFE IS SO PRECIOUS. None of us is eager to die! A rancher out west left an unusual request with the funeral director when he made arrangements for his interment: "I want to be buried in my trusty old pick-up truck." The undertaker tried to talk him out of the bizarre request but to no avail. "It's like this," said the rancher. I ain't ever seen a hole that old truck couldn't get me out of." We appreciate that farmer's sentiment. There is such a thing as putting too much faith in a truck, but life is so beautiful, so rich, so wonderful. Only a deeply troubled person wants to die. We all want to live. Still death is one reality in life that confronts us all. Recently the newspapers carried a story about a small town hospital that received a bomb threat. Officials decided that they had to take it seriously and evacuate the hospital. Some patients were slipped to the local rescue squad building and some, due to a shortage of space, had to go to a local funeral home. One woman, who had been in surgery when the bomb threat was first received, came out from under her anesthesia and realized that she was staring at the surroundings of a funeral home. She was quite concerned until she saw other patients and had the situation explained to her. Although the awakened woman initially misunderstood her situation, she was only premature--not wrong--in her conclusion. Each of us will face a day when our life on earth is over. Realizing the certainty of that fact gives us proper perspective on the years that we do have here. (3) Is Easter important? It is if you have ever loved or been loved. It is if you value life and want to cling to it forever. ONE MORE THING. EASTER IS IMPORTANT IF WE WANT TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF LIVING. Easter is important not only in what it says about life beyond the grave, but what it says about life on this side of the grave. If Christ lives, then life has meaning. There is hope even in the most difficult circumstances. Even at the very end of my rope, here is a knot I can hang on to. If Christ did defeat death, if my life goes on forever, if the gospel is true, I can live courageously, victoriously. I can overcome my fears by his grace and I can be all He intends for me to be. I need never countenance the possibility of absolute futility and failure--not if Christ be risen from the grave. It is that knowledge that has given followers of Jesus Christ power over their circumstances in every era for nearly two thousand years. Easter Sunday, 1973. Uganda under absolute dictator Idi Amin. Kefa Sempangi was a pastor in that tortured land. Under the growing shadow of Amin, Uganda was becoming a land of terror. Still fresh in Sempangi's memory was a face burned beyond recognition, the sight of soldiers cruelly beating a man, and the horrible sound of boots crushing bones. Sempangi was exhausted and wondered what difference his sermon that morning could make. He prayed for wisdom and strength and then delivered his sermon to seven thousand people. Afterward he made his way to the vestry, tired but joyful. Five men followed him into the small building and closed the door behind them. Sempangi turned around to find five rifles pointed at his face. He had never seen any of them before, but immediately recognized them as the secret police of the State Research Bureau--Idi Amin's assassins. Their faces were full of pure hate and rage. "We are going to kill you," said the leader. "If you have something to say, say it before you die." Sempangi stood there feeling himself lose control. He thought of his wife and child and began to shake. Somehow he managed to speak. "I do not need to plead my own cause," he said. "I am a dead man already. My life is dead and hidden in Christ. It is your lives that are in danger, you are dead in your sins. I will pray to God that after you have killed me, He will spare you from eternal destruction." The leader looked at him with curiosity. Then he lowered his gun and ordered the others to do the same. "Will you pray for us now?" the leader of the assassins asked. Though fearing it was a trick, Sempangi asked them all to bow their heads and close their eyes. "Father in heaven," he prayed, "you who have forgiven men in the past, forgive these men also. Do not let them perish in their sins but bring them unto yourself." Sempangi lifted his head, waiting for the men to pull the triggers. But then he noticed their faces. Gone was the hate and rage, and when the leader spoke again, it was without contempt. "You have helped us," he said, "and we will help you. We will speak to the rest of our company and they will leave you alone. Do not fear for your life. It is in our hands and you will be protected." Relief and joy flooded through Sempangi's heart. God's love had given him the strength to say a simple prayer--one that changed the lives of those five men forever. (4) What was it that gave him the courage to face the enemy's guns? It was Easter. If Christ be raised from the dead, we need fear nothing in this world. We can love and be loved. We can enjoy the wonder of life and escape the fear that one day it will be snatched from us. We can face our gravest fears in the knowledge that there is One who has faced it all before and conquered it. And by His grace, we can be conquerors as well. It's a story almost too big to tell. But it can be reduced to two simple words that changed the world forever: Christ lives! ------------------------- 1. Gerald Tomlinson, SPEAKER'S TREASURY OF SPORTS ANECDOTES, STORIES, AND HUMOR, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1990). 2. (New York: Harper & Row, 1990). 3. Charlie Appleton. "Patient Wakes Up in Local Mortuary," Nashville Banner (July 26, 1990), Section A, pp. 1-2. 4. WEAVINGS, Vol. III, No. 3, (May/June 1988), pp. 33-36. 5. Ibbid. Childserm Children's sermons 1st Sunday after Christmas CS1 ~ THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTMAS Scripture: Luke 2:22-40 Object: Discarded wrapping paper, Christmas ornaments to be put away, etc. Boys and girls: I hope you had a very merry Christmas. I hope Santa Claus was good to you. It's kind of sad to pack away Christmas for another year, isn't it? I brought some things with me this morning that I'm packing away. What's this? That's right, some wrapping paper from a gift I received. It was a special gift and the wrapping paper is so beautiful. But I tore it and made it unusable. So, into the trash it goes. And here's an ornament off of our tree. We will pack it away until next Christmas along with the star off of the top of the tree, and our creche and some bells and some other very important reminders of the Christmas season. There is one thing I don't plan on packing away, however. That is the love I felt this Christmas. Love from my family and from people in our church. The love I saw in the faces of people as they sang their favorite Christmas carols. I'm not going to pack that away and wait until Christmas next year to bring it back out. I plan on keeping that love in my heart all year long and I hope you will do. After all, love is what Christmas is all about. And love is what Jesus is all about. If Jesus is in our heart, then his love is in our heart and we keep that love with us always. So, pack away the paper and the ornaments. And take down the tree and the wreath and the holly. We have the important part with us all the time--the love of Christmas, the love of Christ. TOP Epiphany CS2 ~ POSSIBLEY OUR FINEST YEAR! Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 60: 1-6 Object: A kite (a balloon could be substituted if a kite is not available) Boys and girls: It is not very often I bring my kite with me to church. Particularly in January. Usually we associate kites with Springtime and Summer. Why would I have a kite with me this morning? Maybe it's because somebody was angry with me and told me to go fly a kite! No, that's not it. I have my kite with me this morning because we have started a New Year. I read somewhere that in Korea people fly kites during the first week of the new year. The kites are then released to carry away all their bad luck. I don't know if it works or not. I am not a superstitious person. I don't really believe in bad luck. Rather I believe in God. I believe God makes every day to be a new day with new opportunities. Just because yesterday went badly for us, or last week went badly for us, or even last year, doesn't mean today will go badly. With God's help every day can be a better day, every year can be a better year. So, when I fly my kite it will be just for fun--not because I believe it will bring me good luck. TOP First Sunday after Epiphany "YOU'RE A GOOD KID!" Scripture Lesson: Mark 1:7-11 Object: A chain or a rope with a stake tied to one end Boys and girls: A little boy once noticed an enormous elephant tied to a tiny stake in the ground. He asked the elephant's trainer if the elephant could pull the stake up and get away. The trainer replied, "Yes he could." But then the trainer added, "But he never will. "You see, when he was just a baby elephant, we had to tie him up with a heavy chain. The chain was fastened to a six-foot pillar of steel and concrete buried in the ground. Even though he kept trying to break away he never could. One day, he quit trying. Ever since, all we've needed to keep him in his place has been this little stake. You see, elephants have excellent memories, and every time this enormous elephant thinks about breaking away, he remembers back to when he tried before and failed. So he doesn't even try." We are sometimes like that, boys and girls. Maybe, somebody along the way tells us that we are clumsy, and we never forget that. All the rest of our lives we act clumsy, even though we are not really clumsy at all. Or maybe somebody tells us that we are stupid or weak. And for some crazy reason we believe them and it becomes like a stake driven into the ground. For the rest of our lives we think of ourselves as stupid or weak. How sad for that to happen to anybody. I want to tell you this morning that God created you beautiful and wonderful. Don't you let anybody tell you any differently. You are a marvelous person and God loves you. If you want to tie yourself to anything, tie yourself to that truth. God has created you to be a very special person and you can do anything He wants you to do. TOP Second Sunday after Epiphany CS4 SPEAK, YOUR SERVANT HEARS" Scripture Lesson: I Samuel 3: 1-10 Object: A watch (Would be helpful if you had one from which the back could be removed to show the inner workings) Boys and girls: A little girl came home from school one day crying because she had been given only a small part in the school play. She had hoped to get the leading part. After drying her tears, her mother took off her watch and put it in her hand. Opening the back of the watch, her mother asked her what she saw. The little girl answered that she saw many tiny wheels. "This watch would be useless," her mother said, "without every part--even the ones you can hardly see." The little girl suddenly understood that even though she did not have the leading role in the play, her part was just as important as any of the others. Our lesson from the Bible today is about young Samuel. God came to Samuel and called him to be a great priest. God calls people do many different kinds of work. Some are called to be farmers, some truck drivers, some doctors or nurses, some teachers. But all of us are important in God's kingdom. We can all serve Him--even if our calling is to go to kindergarten or school and be His boy or His girl there. We are all important in God's work. TOP Third Sunday after Epiphany CS5THE DAY GOD REPENTED Scripture Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Object: A football Boys and girls: Once upon a time there was a college football player who became famous because somehow he got turned around and ran with the ball toward the wrong goal line. Before anyone could stop him, he scored a touchdown for the opposing team and lost the game. Has anyone ever heard the word we `repentance?' We say a person repents of his or her sins. What do we mean? (Let the children answer.) Actually repentance means `turn around.' It's like a football player heading for the wrong goal line. Except the goal line is God's purpose for our lives. We are running away from God's purpose. We are selfish and mean and hurtful to other people. We are doing something we know we shouldn't, when all of us sudden, we hear a voice--the voice of God--and turn around. We head toward God's purpose for our lives. We become loving and kind and we do the things we know God would have us do. That's repentance. But how about your teammates? What if you saw one of your teammates headed for the wrong goal line. What would you do? You would yell, "Hey, you're headed the wrong way!" Our friends are teammates on God's team, aren't they? And sometimes the kindest thing we can do if we see a friend who is doing something that we know is not right, is to go to that friend and say, "Hey, you're headed in the wrong direction." So, when you hear the word repentance in church from now on, think of this football and a player running in the wrong direction when suddenly he hears a voice saying, "Turn around." Some day if you should find yourself heading toward the wrong goal, I hope you will hear that voice, so you can turn around before it is too late. TOP Fourth Sunday after Epiphany CS6 WHAT GETS INTO PEOPLE? Scripture: Mark 1:23-28 Object: A mushroom Boys and girls: I brought with me a mushroom this morning. As you probably know, some mushrooms are edible. That is, we can eat them. Other mushrooms are poisonous. It would be dangerous to eat one of them, wouldn't it? Now, how do you tell the difference between a poisonous mushroom and a non -poisonous one? The answer is you cannot. Oh, experts have ways of telling. That's why we can buy mushrooms in the store. But the average person simply cannot tell one from the other. Now, what does that mean for you and me? It means that we should never pick a mushroom and eat it, doesn't it? It could very well be dangerous. Can you tell by looking at a person whether he or she is a good person or not? Well, that's hard to say. Sometimes people who look real good on the outside are as mean as they can be. Some people who look really very rough can turn out to be some of the nicest people in the world. We should never pass judgement on another person by the way he or she looks. And sometimes even the nicest people can forget who they are and do things they know they should not do. That's the difference between mushrooms and people. Mushrooms are either poisonous or they are not. People are not quite that simple. Sometimes any of us--even the smartest of us- -might do something really stupid. That's why God forgives us. He doesn't have to forgive mushrooms. Mushrooms can't help being what they are, but we can choose. I am glad when I do something stupid that God love me and forgives me, aren't you? All of us can be thankful for God's love and forgiveness. TOP Transfiguration CS7FACE TO FACE WITH GOD Scripture: Mark 9: 2-9 Object: A magnet Boys and girls: What is this piece of metal I am holding? That's right, a magnet. Do you know where a magnet gets its power? Even though the magnet looks solid, it is made up of millions of tiny molecules each of which has its magnetic charge. When a magnet is magnetized, all of the little molecules line up in the same direction like tiny soldiers. The magnet has south and north poles each of which point to the opposite north and south magnetic poles of the earth. A magnet, of course, can pick up various metals like iron and nickel. If we were to drop this magnet, however, and it hit the floor hard enough, the tiny molecules would be thrown in every direction. Even though the magnet would not break, it might no longer be magnetic. This suggests two possible lessons to me. The first has to do with Jesus. Where did Jesus' power come from? Could it be because every part of his life was lined up with the will of his Father, God, just like the molecules in this magnet are in line with the poles of the earth. Jesus always did God's will. A person is always strong when he or she is lined up with God's will. The other lesson has to do with the church. When is a church really powerful? It's also when all its members are lined up with the will of God and are moving in the direction God wants them to move, isn't it. I sure hope we can become a magnetic church. I hope we are so in line with God's will so that we attract others to us, so that we are powerful like Jesus was powerful. TOP First Sunday in Lent CS8 FACE TO FACE WITH THE TEMPTER Scripture: Mark 1: 12-15 Object: A candy bar (A small one for each of the children, if possible) and a weight of some kind. Boys and girls: One of the most persistent problems every human being faces is temptation. I have a candy bar for each of you this morning. I hope your parents don't mind if you have one. Some parents do mind. Too much sugar is not healthy for us. Some people have a difficult time resisting a candy bar, though. Why is that? That's right, most of us think they taste good. The sugar tastes good. Some of us are wild about chocolate. Candy bars, then, are very tempting for some people for some people, aren't they? That is what temptation is all about. We are attracted to something that is not good for us. I also have this barbell with me. Let me ask the fellows something, though this could apply to the girls, too. How many of you would like to be real strong when you grow up--as strong as a weightlifter or a professional football player? You know who is even stronger? A person who can resist temptation. That is the really strong person. A 90 lb. great-grandmother can be stronger than the heavyweight champion of the world if she can resist something that is not good for her and he cannot. That is inner strength and it may be the most important force in our world. How strong are you? Some day you will be tempted to do something that you know in your heart is not right, it is harmful to you, your parents would be very disappointed in you if you did it, and you will have to make a choice--to give in to the temptation or not. Then you will know just how strong you really are. TOP Second Sunday in Lent CS9THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS FORMULA Scripture: Mark 8: 31-38 Object: A jar of honey Boys and girls: Have you ever heard the old phrase, "as busy as a bee?" Did you know that bees are very busy little creatures. I've read that bees in a hive travel about an estimated 50,000 miles, or about twice the distance around the earth, just to produce one pound of honey. That is a lot of travelling, isn't it? The next time you see a honey bee flying around, invite him in to rest awhile. I'm kidding, of course. But bees are very busy. I like to see people who are busy as bees. People who sit around and don't do anything are usually not very happy. It's better to be working or playing or learning or exploring. It's good to be busy as long as we are busy at the right thing. It doesn't do a person any good if he or she is busy doing the wrong thing. It is amazing to me that some people stay busy at the wrong things--even when they know it is a mistake. Some people work harder to get out of work than they would if they simply followed the example of the bee and stayed busy doing the things that need to be done. Of course, the best kind of busy-ness is doing God's work. We have a lot of busy bees in our church. Some of them teach Sunday School, some sing in the choir. Some of them keep our books, serve on our committees, arrange our flowers on the altar, and a hundred other things that keep our church humming. I am so thankful for these busy bees. Like the bees gathering honey for the hive, they make this church a sweet place to be. TOP Third Sunday in Lent CS10I'M MAD AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! Scripture: John 2: 13-22 Object: A light bulb Boys and girls: This morning we are talking about the fact that sometimes Christians ought to get so upset about problems in the world that they do something about them. The question we often ask is, how can we have much effect on the rest of the world? The answer to that is easy. I want you to think about a little bug that carries a light bulb with it. What kind of bug would that be? That's right, a lightning bug, or firefly. Does it go around holding a light bulb in its hand? No, the light is in its tail. I read that many years ago a famous doctor was performing a serious operation in Cuba. There was no power in this remote part of the country and it was late at night. So what did they do? They captured some fireflies and put them in a jar. They captured enough of them to give off enough light to perform the operation. Have you ever heard the little song, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine?" What would happen if enough of us let our little lights shine for Jesus? Why we would light up the world. Maybe one person can't do much about the problems of the world, but if enough of us work together, we can make a difference. TOP Fourth Sunday in Lent CS11 TRUE LOVE Scripture: John 3: 14-21 Object: A heart and a cross Boys and girls: There are all kinds of ways to say, "I love you," aren't there? I could give you this heart. Or I could do something nice for you. I heard about one little fellow who liked a little girl in his class, but he was too shy to tell her. So, instead, he tried to annoy her. He pulled her hair. He pushed her down on the playground. He stole her book and played keep-a-way. He was trying to say, "I like you," but he was going about it the wrong way, wasn't he? When God wanted to say how much He loves us He sent His Son to die for us. That was the greatest gift He could give to us. So we have at the center of our Christian faith a cross. The cross says, "I love you." I am sorry Jesus had to die. But I am so glad God loves me, aren't you? So, every time we see a cross, we can say, "Hey, that means God loves me." Let's give thanks for that love. TOP Fifth Sunday in Lent CS12RISE ABOVE IT Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9 Object: A shovel Boys and girls: Comedian Jerry Clower tells a silly story about Uncle Versie Ledbetter who had a mule named Della. One day Della fell in a cistern Uncle Versie thought he had covered up, but hadn't. Do you know what a cistern is? It's a big hole for catching rainwater. Old Della stumbled and fell down in that thing about thirty feet. Well, Uncle Versie had a problem. There was his best mule down at the bottom of that cistern and no way he could get the mule out of there. He didn't want her to stay down there and starve to death, and so he decided he would get a shovel and cover her up. It would be cruel but it wouldn't be as cruel and inhumane as to let Della starve to death in the bottom of that deep cistern. Uncle Versie took a shovelful of dirt and threw it down into the cistern and every time a shovelful of dirt would hit old Della, she'd shake the dirt off and stomp it. It wasn't long before Della had shaken off enough dirt and stomped it so she was high enough to jump out of the cistern. This morning we are talking about having problems. Everybody has problems, don't they? Even Jesus had problems. One of the most important questions in life is how we handle our problems. Either they can bury us. Or like Della the mule we can keep trampling them under our feet until we rise above them. God doesn't want us to let our problems get us down. He wants us to face them and with His help trample them under our feet until we stand on top. TOP Palm (Passion) Sunday CS13WHY DID HE DO IT? Scripture: Mark 14: 1-15 Boys and girls: Have you ever had someone hurt your feelings? That is a terrible feeling, isn't it? Sometimes it is your best friend that says something that is cruel. That hurts even more, doesn't it? What do we do when someone who is a friend betrays us? I hope we forgive. One of Jesus' closest friends betrayed him. What was that friend's name? That's right, Judas. There is a beautiful legend I want to share with you, this morning. According to this legend, the Last Day had come. Everyone who loved Jesus was going to be united with him in Heaven. In Heaven there was singing and shouting and celebrating. All the saints were gathered in for all eternity. Only one resident of Heaven was not celebrating. It was Jesus. He was standing just within the gates with his eyes directed outside. Someone asked him what he was doing, standing there so quietly while everyone else is celebrating. He answered, "I'm waiting for Judas." Jesus' friend had betrayed him. Jesus still wanted him to join him in Heaven, though, didn't he? Jesus always forgave people who hurt him, and that is what he wants for us as well. He wants us to forgive, as he forgave. TOP Easter CS14A STORY ALMOST TOO BIG TO TELL Scripture: John 20:1-9; Mark 16: 1-8 Object: A flag, a feather or a picture of a turkey, a star, and an egg. Boys and girls: I want to test your knowledge of holidays. I'm going to hold up some objects. I want you to tell me what holiday they remind you of. Let's begin with this flag. What holiday does it make you think of? Right. The Fourth of July. Let's try this feather. Anybody? Let's pretend it is a turkey feather. That's right. Thanksgiving. How about this star. Christmas. Now this egg. That's right. Easter. Now let's try some words. "Freedom." Right. Fourth of July. "Gratitude." Thanksgiving. " Birthday." That's right. Christmas is Jesus' birthday. The last one is a phrase: "He is alive." That's right. Easter. Now the hard part? Who is alive? That wasn't hard at all, was it? Jesus is alive. Evil people thought they had killed him, but he is alive and he is present right here in our service today even though we cannot see him. He is present in our hearts. Sometimes we are so busy enjoying holidays that we forget what they are really all about. Easter is about Christ being alive. TOP Authority of The Bible ~ By: Harold J. Sala Lookup a word or passage in the Bible