A certain lord kept a fool or jester in the house as great men did in olden times for their amusement. This lord gave a staff to his fool and told him to keep it until he met a greater fool than himself, and if he met such a person, a greater fool, he should give him the staff.
Not many years later, the lord fell sick. His fool came to see him and was told of the lord’s illness. The fool asked, “Whither wilt thou go?” “On a long journey,” said the lord. “And when wilt thou come back again,” asked the fool, “within a month?” “No,” said the master. “Within a year?” asked the fool. “No, never,” responded the master. “And what provisions hast thou made for thy long journey?” asked the fool. “None at all,” replied the master.
“Thou meanest thou art dying, going way forever,” said the fool, “and thou hast made no provisions before thy departure? No plans, no nothing? Here, take my staff for I am not guilty of any folly as that. Thou art a greater fool than I am.”
Are you like the master, a fool, because you have not planned for that last journey? Harsh though it sounds, that is the statement in our Gospel lesson for this week. It speaks about being ready for the coming of Christ. It speaks of our Hope.
As Paul wrote to the Romans, “…we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. …we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:22-25).
Not long before his death, Henri Nouwen wrote a book entitled “Sabbatical Journeys,” in which he wrote about some friends of his who were trapeze artists, called the Flying Roudellas. They told Nouwen that there is a special relationship between the flyer and catcher on the trapeze. This relationship is governed by important rules, such as “The flyer is the one who lets go, and the catcher is the one who catches.” As the flyer swings on the trapeze high above the crowd, the moment comes when he must let go. He flings his body out in mid-air. His job is to keep flying and wait for the strong hands of the catcher to take hold of him at just the right moment. One of the Flying Roudellas told Nouwen, “The flyer must never try to catch the catcher.” The flyer’s job is to wait in absolute trust. The catcher will catch him, but he must wait.
Nouwen said, “Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait, the more we hear about him for whom we are waiting.” Waiting is not a static state, it is a time when God is working behind the scenes, and the primary focus of his work is on us. I like Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Romans 8:24, “Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. God is creating his life within us, and we must wait for it to come to full term.”
The second point is we are to wait expectantly. Gary Preston tells a story in his book “Character Forged from Conflict,” that illustrates how we are to wait. He writes: “Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large noisy office. In the background a telegraph clicked away. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed the job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man completed the form and sat down with several other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this man been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily disqualified for the job. Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, ‘Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man.’ The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, ‘Wait a minute! I don’t understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair.’ The employer replied, ‘All the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out this message in Morse code: “If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.” None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. So the job is his.’”
The young man got the job because he was not just waiting – all the others were waiting – but he was waiting expectantly. We, you and I, are all sitting in the waiting room. But it is how we wait, and what we do with the waiting, that is important. Waiting does not mean just sitting down and doing nothing. You have to be watching and looking for God to fulfill His promise. You have to believe He is going to do it. We could miss what He is doing because we are just waiting without expecting God to really come through.
Finally, Jesus is reminding us that we are accountable to Him for the faith lives which we live. Our Lord challenges us to be faithful at all times as we walk our journey of trusting in Him. Our faith is not something which we turn on and off, but something which is always prevalent in our lives. Jesus wants us to be accountable in our faithfulness, a faithfulness based on the promises of God as we find them in the Bible and we are asked to have the same kind of reliance. The Gospel message is essentially a promise for our lives in which we are asked to believe.
It is like the following: Far away in a desert stands a water pump in the sand. You are alone, your canteen is empty and you come upon that pump. Tied to it is a hand written sign put there by some pilgrim. The sign reads, “I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump. Don’t drink any of it. Pour in half of it to wet the leather. Wait, and then pour in the rest. Then pump. The well has never run dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. Have faith, believe. When you are through drawing the water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler.”
Having come upon this pump in the desert with this sign and being out of water, what would you do??? Will you dig up the water bottle and drink from it?? Or will you believe and believing, dare to pour that water, every drop of it into the old ‘trusty’ pump?? Because you trust, you take a risk, both for yourself and for the next person who will pass that way. What will you do???
Will you be faithful in the written promises of God? God has promised through Christ to care for us, to redeem us, to provide for us in His unique way. Faithfulness calls us to rely on God’s promises for our lives not ours. Faith is trust. Faith is trusting in God’s promises each day, because we are accountable for our faithfulness at all times when we need it and when we don’t. Confidence in God’s promises is a way of life. We are held accountable for the way we live and because we believe and trust we will want to live a faithful life.
Let me close with another story. A man owned a little grocery store. It was the week before Christmas, when a tired-looking woman came in and asked for enough food to make a Christmas dinner for her small family. The grocer asked her how much she could spend. “My husband did not come back; he was killed in the War and I have nothing to offer but a little prayer,” she answered.
The grocer was not very sentimental or religious, so he said half mockingly, “Write it on paper and I’ll weigh it.” To his surprise, the woman took a piece of paper from the pocket of her dress and handed it to the man saying, “I wrote it during the night while watching over my sick baby.”
The grocer took the paper before he could recover from his surprise and, because other customers were watching and had heard his remarks, he placed the unread prayer on the weight side of his old-fashioned scales. Then he began to pile food on the other side, but to his amazement, the scale would not go down.
He became angry and flustered and finally said, “Well, that’s all the scale will hold. Here’s a bag, you’ll have to put it in yourself. I’m busy.” With trembling hands, the woman filled the bag and through moist eyes expressed her gratitude and departed.
When the store was empty of customers, the grocer examined the scales. They were broken and they had become broken just in time for God to answer the woman’s prayer. As the years passed, the grocer wondered about the incident. Why did the woman come at that particular time? Why had she already written the prayer in such a way as to confuse him so that he did not examine the scales.
Years went by and the grocer never saw the woman again. Yet he remembered her more than any of his customers. He came to treasure the slip of paper upon which the woman’s prayer had been written – simple words, but from a heart of faith. They said, “Please, Lord, give us this day our daily bread.”
The lady’s written prayer was a great act of faithfulness. She believed God would provide and He was true. She didn’t know exactly how God would do it, however, the unique circumstances of the story with the scales being broken, people in the store, and the frustration of the grocer all lead to God’s way of providing for this young mother.
The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. But we are called to live in the present, waiting in hope, waiting expectantly, and waiting faithfully as He has called us to serve with that which has been gifted us.
Amen.
Showing posts with label HF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HF. Show all posts
August 12, 2009
August 3, 2009
July 29, 2009 + “Where Is Your Investment Account?” (Luke 12:13-21) + Hayward Fong
Did you know you can purchase almost anything on eBay these days? About a year ago an Australian man sold his complete life – his home, his possessions, his job and his friends – the bidding reached L 400,000. About the same time a 20 year old student in the USA put his ‘soul’ up for sale on eBay. The bidding went to $400 before eBay removed the ad. What value would you place on your life this morning? If a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck when you arrive home today, what would you grab? How do you value a life? How do you measure what your life is worth? In buying life insurance, you think of the needs of those you leave behind, your family, meaningful organizations in your life, etc.
To the classical Greek world the division between soul and body was commonly accepted, as it is today. To the Hebrew mind, and to the Christian mind, such a division was, and is, unthinkable. For the Judeo-Christian mind it is impossible to separate the soul from the body. The Hebrew word ‘nepes’- the self, was a whole person, indivisible in parts and it is that understanding that we must keep in mind as we turn to this parable.
If we go back to the beginning of this Chapter, you will find that Jesus is teaching a crowd of many thousands. From the crowd a voice is raised above the others and asks the question of verse 13. ‘Teacher’ is Luke’s word for ‘Rabbi’ and the man in the crowd assumes he is addressing a legal expert. He asks Jesus a question concerning inheritance. Notice what he does not say in his question. He does not say that he and his brother are quarrelling over money and that he does not want this to get out of hand and destroy their relationship; therefore for the sake of their brotherly relationship would Jesus intervene and reconcile them. On the contrary, he says something like this, “Rabbi, my brother is in the wrong and therefore he should give me my rights.”
The words of this man, the demands that he makes, indicate that he and his brother had already been estranged because of the issue. The assumption behind the request is clear. The father had died without leaving a will or instructions, so according to the law of the time, the estate could not be divided until the older brother agreed. The fact that this man wants his inheritance would lead us to conclude that he was a younger brother. The petitioner had already decided what would be a just outcome of his request. But he doesn’t know Jesus!
In verse 14, Jesus addresses the questioner as ‘Man’ which was a form of address which denotes displeasure in the Middle East. He refuses to be judge between these two men and proceeds to explain why. He uses the question as a teaching opportunity, not just for the benefit of the man who had asked the question but for all who would hear.
Verse 15 gives us a clear warning about the insatiable desires of possessions. Possessions are attached to a deep, often irrational fear, that one day we will not have enough. There is always that gnawing fear that one day it will all be gone and it is never satisfied. Why, because the insecurity is never dealt with. Jesus warns the man, and us, that the measure of life is more than possessions. The amount that you have is no measure of the value of your life. Note how Jesus describes this desire for possessions – ‘greed.’ Greed is never satisfied; it never has enough. Jesus then moves on to tell them this parable, a strange and challenging story, to illustrate this general point.
Many of us may find this parable uncomfortable because, in America at least, we are considered wise if we hold onto our surplus and lay it up for the ‘rainy day.’ This is called ‘financial planning.’ The other tendency is to use our surplus to acquire more extravagant consumer goods. This could be called ‘upgrading.’ The ‘rich man’ in the parable, who could count up his amassed fortune and sit back and relax, living well off the interest, is the model for American retirement. Jesus shows us this ‘rich man’ in a very different way that convicts us all.
The man in this parable is already rich. He had what he needed for daily life and more than a little bit more. He did not work any harder for this bumper harvest that had arrived this year. It was not by the sweat of his brow or the toil of his labors that his fields yielded more than any other year. But listen to what he says in vs. 17-19. Let me read them again for you. “… and he thought to himself, ‘what shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’”
Did you notice that at the very beginning, ‘he thought to himself’? This would have come as a shock to those listening to Jesus that day. In the Middle East people make important decisions after long discussions with their friends. Everybody’s business is everybody’s business in such village life. Sometimes even trivial decisions are only made after discussion with family and friends; but if appears from Jesus’ account that this man had no friends. The literal translation as noted by commentators is that ‘he dialogued with himself.’ What a sad scene is depicted in those words – he had riches but he was alone. Isaiah 5:8 warned about the dangers of wealth – this man had paid no heed to the warning and was alone, with no one to discuss what he should do with this bumper harvest. How sad!
“What shall I do (with my crop)?” This man believes that this harvest is his. He shows absolutely no awareness that this harvest is a gift from God. He has a plan, but notice how self-centered it all is. He made no mention of the effort of the farm hands. It is all ‘I, I, I along with my, my, my - my crops, my bars, my grain, my goods, my soul.
It has been said that Jesus came to banish the words “I” and “mine” from life and to substitute “we” and “ours.” It is certainly significant that in the Lord’s Prayer the first person singular never appears; it is always the first person plural. Self is banished and man is taught to think of himself as one of a community of brothers and sisters.
The ancient monks of the Middle East may have made many mistakes in their outlook on life, but they had one custom worthy of emulation. It was laid down that no monk might ever speak of “my” book, “my” pen, “my” cell, and to use the word was regarded as a fault demanding rebuke and discipline.
This man remembered the first part of Ecclesiastes 8:15 to eat, drink, and be merry, but he failed to heed or chose to ignore the latter part of the verse – ‘it is God who gives the days of life to man.’ This man believed that a man made in the image of God can be ultimately satisfied with eating, drinking and being merry. What a fool he is? One of Lucy’ favorite hymns is formed with words from Psalm 42:1-2, ‘the soul of man thirsts for God just as the soul of a deer thirsts for water.’ St. Augustine stated, ‘my soul is restless till it finds its rest in thee.’ This rich man believed his soul would find rest, satisfaction, in the storing of the abundance of his wealth in bigger barns.
His plan is not God’s plan. God announces that this man’s soul is forfeited that very night and the goods that he was planning to store, and satisfy his soul with, would be left for someone else to enjoy. A commentary notes that in the Greek, there is a subtle play on words. The man, following the teaching of Ecclesiastes, plans to ‘make merry’ or ‘rejoice’ which is the Greek word ‘euphraino’ (from which we get the word euphoria), but God called him ‘aphron’- they sound almost identical when spoken. He thought he would ‘rejoice’ but God said he was a ‘fool.’ He learned, too late, that his soul is not his, but a gift from God. In fact the language used by Jesus here denotes the repayment of a loan. His soul was not his, but God’s and God has called it in. The question now becomes, who will inherit the man’s wealth? We turn again to the Book of Ecclesiastes (2:18-19), “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me; and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.” In this parable God reminds this rich man and us of this other gem of wisdom.
It may well be said that the most dangerous word is the word, “tomorrow.” It may be a grim thought but a necessary one. We have no bond on time. No one knows if tomorrow will ever come. There is an old story of three apprentice devils that were coming from hell to earth to serve their time. They were telling Satan before they left what they proposed to do. The first said, “I will tell men that there is no God.” “That,” Satan said, “will not do because in their hearts they know there is.” The second said, “I will tell them that there is no hell.” That,” Satan said, “is still more hopeless for even in life they have experienced the remorse of hell.” The third said, I will tell them that there is no hurry.” “Go,” said Satan, “tell them that and you will ruin them by the millions.”
The rich fool forgot time. It is said that Alexander the Great kept a little model of a skeleton on the table before him to remind him that, even at the happiest, time was short and death must come. It is a thing that all of us must remember, not simply as a grim and frightening thing, but as a challenge to prepare ourselves for taking a step to a greater work and a higher world and a life in the presence of God.
Jesus concludes this parable with another general principle. The young man had come demanding his share of the wealth of his father but Jesus turns his attention to his wealth with God. Whether the inheritance was under the control of his brother or them both, ultimately it was under the control of God. Ultimately it belonged to God and was on loan to them.
You know it would be easy for us all to dismiss this parable. You may say to me, “Hayward, I’m not rich like this man. I’m not about to knock down barns and build bigger ones. I have no bumper crops this year or for that matter any year. And haven’t you heard of the credit crunch? Get real, Hayward!”
If you have money in the bank, money in your purse and you have spare change in the dish at home, then at this moment you are among the wealthiest 8% of the world’s population. If you went to school while growing up and learned to read, you’re better off than 2 billion people in today’s world. If you have food at home, have shelter, a bed to sleep on, you are wealthier than 75% of the world’s population.
I could continue with these comparisons, but what I want to do is leave these thoughts for you to ponder: If God demanded your soul of you right now, where would your wealth/treasure be stored? Are you the blessed who has stored up treasure in heaven? Or are you the ‘rich fool’ before God whose material possessions are keeping you off the road to heaven? God will demand an accounting from each of us, but we don’t know when He will call in His chips. This young man came asking about material wealth and Jesus turned his eyes to his eternal wealth. Where is your investment account?
Amen.
To the classical Greek world the division between soul and body was commonly accepted, as it is today. To the Hebrew mind, and to the Christian mind, such a division was, and is, unthinkable. For the Judeo-Christian mind it is impossible to separate the soul from the body. The Hebrew word ‘nepes’- the self, was a whole person, indivisible in parts and it is that understanding that we must keep in mind as we turn to this parable.
If we go back to the beginning of this Chapter, you will find that Jesus is teaching a crowd of many thousands. From the crowd a voice is raised above the others and asks the question of verse 13. ‘Teacher’ is Luke’s word for ‘Rabbi’ and the man in the crowd assumes he is addressing a legal expert. He asks Jesus a question concerning inheritance. Notice what he does not say in his question. He does not say that he and his brother are quarrelling over money and that he does not want this to get out of hand and destroy their relationship; therefore for the sake of their brotherly relationship would Jesus intervene and reconcile them. On the contrary, he says something like this, “Rabbi, my brother is in the wrong and therefore he should give me my rights.”
The words of this man, the demands that he makes, indicate that he and his brother had already been estranged because of the issue. The assumption behind the request is clear. The father had died without leaving a will or instructions, so according to the law of the time, the estate could not be divided until the older brother agreed. The fact that this man wants his inheritance would lead us to conclude that he was a younger brother. The petitioner had already decided what would be a just outcome of his request. But he doesn’t know Jesus!
In verse 14, Jesus addresses the questioner as ‘Man’ which was a form of address which denotes displeasure in the Middle East. He refuses to be judge between these two men and proceeds to explain why. He uses the question as a teaching opportunity, not just for the benefit of the man who had asked the question but for all who would hear.
Verse 15 gives us a clear warning about the insatiable desires of possessions. Possessions are attached to a deep, often irrational fear, that one day we will not have enough. There is always that gnawing fear that one day it will all be gone and it is never satisfied. Why, because the insecurity is never dealt with. Jesus warns the man, and us, that the measure of life is more than possessions. The amount that you have is no measure of the value of your life. Note how Jesus describes this desire for possessions – ‘greed.’ Greed is never satisfied; it never has enough. Jesus then moves on to tell them this parable, a strange and challenging story, to illustrate this general point.
Many of us may find this parable uncomfortable because, in America at least, we are considered wise if we hold onto our surplus and lay it up for the ‘rainy day.’ This is called ‘financial planning.’ The other tendency is to use our surplus to acquire more extravagant consumer goods. This could be called ‘upgrading.’ The ‘rich man’ in the parable, who could count up his amassed fortune and sit back and relax, living well off the interest, is the model for American retirement. Jesus shows us this ‘rich man’ in a very different way that convicts us all.
The man in this parable is already rich. He had what he needed for daily life and more than a little bit more. He did not work any harder for this bumper harvest that had arrived this year. It was not by the sweat of his brow or the toil of his labors that his fields yielded more than any other year. But listen to what he says in vs. 17-19. Let me read them again for you. “… and he thought to himself, ‘what shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’”
Did you notice that at the very beginning, ‘he thought to himself’? This would have come as a shock to those listening to Jesus that day. In the Middle East people make important decisions after long discussions with their friends. Everybody’s business is everybody’s business in such village life. Sometimes even trivial decisions are only made after discussion with family and friends; but if appears from Jesus’ account that this man had no friends. The literal translation as noted by commentators is that ‘he dialogued with himself.’ What a sad scene is depicted in those words – he had riches but he was alone. Isaiah 5:8 warned about the dangers of wealth – this man had paid no heed to the warning and was alone, with no one to discuss what he should do with this bumper harvest. How sad!
“What shall I do (with my crop)?” This man believes that this harvest is his. He shows absolutely no awareness that this harvest is a gift from God. He has a plan, but notice how self-centered it all is. He made no mention of the effort of the farm hands. It is all ‘I, I, I along with my, my, my - my crops, my bars, my grain, my goods, my soul.
It has been said that Jesus came to banish the words “I” and “mine” from life and to substitute “we” and “ours.” It is certainly significant that in the Lord’s Prayer the first person singular never appears; it is always the first person plural. Self is banished and man is taught to think of himself as one of a community of brothers and sisters.
The ancient monks of the Middle East may have made many mistakes in their outlook on life, but they had one custom worthy of emulation. It was laid down that no monk might ever speak of “my” book, “my” pen, “my” cell, and to use the word was regarded as a fault demanding rebuke and discipline.
This man remembered the first part of Ecclesiastes 8:15 to eat, drink, and be merry, but he failed to heed or chose to ignore the latter part of the verse – ‘it is God who gives the days of life to man.’ This man believed that a man made in the image of God can be ultimately satisfied with eating, drinking and being merry. What a fool he is? One of Lucy’ favorite hymns is formed with words from Psalm 42:1-2, ‘the soul of man thirsts for God just as the soul of a deer thirsts for water.’ St. Augustine stated, ‘my soul is restless till it finds its rest in thee.’ This rich man believed his soul would find rest, satisfaction, in the storing of the abundance of his wealth in bigger barns.
His plan is not God’s plan. God announces that this man’s soul is forfeited that very night and the goods that he was planning to store, and satisfy his soul with, would be left for someone else to enjoy. A commentary notes that in the Greek, there is a subtle play on words. The man, following the teaching of Ecclesiastes, plans to ‘make merry’ or ‘rejoice’ which is the Greek word ‘euphraino’ (from which we get the word euphoria), but God called him ‘aphron’- they sound almost identical when spoken. He thought he would ‘rejoice’ but God said he was a ‘fool.’ He learned, too late, that his soul is not his, but a gift from God. In fact the language used by Jesus here denotes the repayment of a loan. His soul was not his, but God’s and God has called it in. The question now becomes, who will inherit the man’s wealth? We turn again to the Book of Ecclesiastes (2:18-19), “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me; and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.” In this parable God reminds this rich man and us of this other gem of wisdom.
It may well be said that the most dangerous word is the word, “tomorrow.” It may be a grim thought but a necessary one. We have no bond on time. No one knows if tomorrow will ever come. There is an old story of three apprentice devils that were coming from hell to earth to serve their time. They were telling Satan before they left what they proposed to do. The first said, “I will tell men that there is no God.” “That,” Satan said, “will not do because in their hearts they know there is.” The second said, “I will tell them that there is no hell.” That,” Satan said, “is still more hopeless for even in life they have experienced the remorse of hell.” The third said, I will tell them that there is no hurry.” “Go,” said Satan, “tell them that and you will ruin them by the millions.”
The rich fool forgot time. It is said that Alexander the Great kept a little model of a skeleton on the table before him to remind him that, even at the happiest, time was short and death must come. It is a thing that all of us must remember, not simply as a grim and frightening thing, but as a challenge to prepare ourselves for taking a step to a greater work and a higher world and a life in the presence of God.
Jesus concludes this parable with another general principle. The young man had come demanding his share of the wealth of his father but Jesus turns his attention to his wealth with God. Whether the inheritance was under the control of his brother or them both, ultimately it was under the control of God. Ultimately it belonged to God and was on loan to them.
You know it would be easy for us all to dismiss this parable. You may say to me, “Hayward, I’m not rich like this man. I’m not about to knock down barns and build bigger ones. I have no bumper crops this year or for that matter any year. And haven’t you heard of the credit crunch? Get real, Hayward!”
If you have money in the bank, money in your purse and you have spare change in the dish at home, then at this moment you are among the wealthiest 8% of the world’s population. If you went to school while growing up and learned to read, you’re better off than 2 billion people in today’s world. If you have food at home, have shelter, a bed to sleep on, you are wealthier than 75% of the world’s population.
I could continue with these comparisons, but what I want to do is leave these thoughts for you to ponder: If God demanded your soul of you right now, where would your wealth/treasure be stored? Are you the blessed who has stored up treasure in heaven? Or are you the ‘rich fool’ before God whose material possessions are keeping you off the road to heaven? God will demand an accounting from each of us, but we don’t know when He will call in His chips. This young man came asking about material wealth and Jesus turned his eyes to his eternal wealth. Where is your investment account?
Amen.
July 27, 2009
July 22, 2009 +“Lord, Teach Us to Pray” (Luke 11: 1-13) + Hayward Fong
I think most of us who are here this morning feel a need of connecting with God in order to truly experience an abundant, fruitful life. Having said that, how often have you asked how do I achieve that connection? Jesus said, “You cannot bear fruit unless you abide in me.” So it seems the first thing we need to do is establish a relationship with Jesus. In order to establish that relationship, we need to overcome the barrier we call sin, that is to say exercising our free will contrary to what God would like us to do. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” Most of us try to carry out the Ten Commandments, or at least the major ones. And we also try to live by the Golden Rule most the time. It is the subtle ones that we tend to overlook, but they constitute sin nonetheless. We have the community of the church to provide the support and guidance to keep us connected and moving in the right direction. We have the Bible to read and study to provide the road map, or in modern day language, the GP?. And we also have prayer to help us stay connected with God.
You may ask, what is prayer? For most of us here the answer may be obvious but I don’t want to take anything for granted. Biblically speaking, prayer is simply having conversation with God, or spending time in God’s presence. If we are to remain connected to God and enjoy a fruitful life from this relationship with God (in Jesus), we must communicate with him. Can you imagine claiming to have a best friend whom you haven’t communicated with for 20 years? How can someone have a close relationship with you if they don’t know what’s going on in your life, your joys, your hurts, your struggles? Although God knows every detail in our life, he wants to talk with us, and the way we relate to God is through prayer. Typically we think of prayer as asking God to do something, but prayer is first and foremost a conversation with God.
Most of us probably realize the importance of prayer and yet prayer seems to be one of the easiest areas to overlook in our life. I don’t know about you, but even as your Wednesday morning leader I find prayer difficult at times. I can get easily distracted. I find it difficult to make the time. I sometimes wonder if I’m doing it in the right way, am I getting the words right. Perhaps we don’t know what to say (Romans 8:26). Sometimes prayer feels like more of a chore, one more thing on my schedule, than a joy of being with God. Take out the trash, don’t forget the groceries, and oh yeah pray. It is easy to get discouraged with prayer because we have not seen any answers. Perhaps praying feels more like talking to the ceiling than to God.
While preparing for this message, I came across a quote from one of the great writers on prayer in the 20th century, Thomas Merton. He writes: “But let us be convinced of the fact that (when it comes to prayer) we will never be anything else but beginners all our life.” – Thomas Merton
It gives me great comfort in knowing that a person who was considered to be an expert on prayer admitting to being a beginner. Rather than feeling guilty about our inadequacies in prayer, we should be courageous like Jesus’ disciples and boldly ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Let us learn from the Master. And being with Jesus and witnessing his prayer life, his disciples realized that they were missing something. Can you imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples and comparing your own prayers with Jesus? Talk of feeling inadequate. On one particular occasion after being with Jesus, while he was praying, one of the disciples finally gathered the courage enough to ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples.”
So, let us start by asking Jesus the same thing, in fact that can be our first prayer to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We recognize that we are all just beginners in prayer and we need to learn from Jesus how to connect to God in a deeper way through prayer. We need to learn how to delight in spending time with God, so we can see God work in our life and in the lives of those we pray for.
Before we get into what Jesus teaches, let us look at Jesus’ model of prayer. What is it about Jesus’ life of prayer that the disciples needed to learn? First off, notice that Jesus prayed frequently and in solitary places. Luke 5:16 says, “… Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” As busy as Jesus was in his ministry Jesus prayed frequently. Jesus always seemed to have a crowd of people around who needed healing, desired to hear his teaching, and of course there were the disciples he was training too. And yet in the midst of all that need, Jesus frequently got away from it all and spent time in prayer. We don’t know how frequent is frequent, was it every day, twice a day, three times a day? We don’t know; all we know is that Jesus spent significant amounts of time with his Father.
When Jesus prayed he often withdrew to a solitary place, or lonely place. In other words, a place where there was no one but God. Sometimes it was the top of a mountain, or in a garden, but it was away from people. No people begging for healing, not even any disciples. Jesus made it a priority to get away from the hustle and bustle to talk with his Father.
In our fast paced society with cell phones, pagers, wireless email so you can get your email anywhere at anytime; it seems we are available to everyone at almost anytime, everyone that is … except God. How often do you get away from the distractions of the world to be alone with God? No cell phone, pager, no radio or television playing in the background, no family, just you and God. When will you make time to get away to be with God? Jesus created time and space to meet with God.
Susanna Wesley, the mother of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, had something like 14 children. It is said, when she wanted to spend time alone with God, she would literally take her dress and pull it over her head. This was a signal to her children that she was spending time with God, and they better not bother her. Along the same line, she made time to spend with each child exclusively, one hour each week. I guess you can make the time if you want to. Susanna Wesley did; so can we.
There was a second thing we read about which the disciples saw modeled in Jesus prayer life. When Jesus prayed, miraculous things happened. Out of his time with God, things happened. It was during or shortly after times of prayer that some of the most significant events occurred in Jesus’ ministry. At Jesus’ baptism Luke’s gospel account records this: “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3: 21-22).
Notice that it was not only after baptism, but also after his prayer that the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and God the Father spoke from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Later in his ministry a similar thing happened when he was on the mountain with his three closet disciples, Peter, James, and John. “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29).
This change of appearance which we call the transfiguration occurred in response to his prayer. Jesus’ three disciples were able to see him for who he truly was in his full glory.
On yet another occasion Jesus had a crowd of thousands around him; he was given two fish and five loaves of bread by a boy. Jesus prayed by giving thanks to God, and he proceeded to hand out baskets and baskets of food until everyone had their fill.
You may think, “Well, that’s Jesus, of course he can do these things. What do you expect?” Listen to what Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).”
The power Jesus had came not from within his own human frame but from the presence of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that is in every believer, and it came from the Father’s answer to prayer.
Many times we underestimate the power of prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit in today’s world. We often get easily discouraged because we do not see any immediate earth shattering miraculous answers. The person with cancer we prayed for isn’t healed. The marriage we prayed for isn’t mended. The people who are far from God don’t seem to return. When we don’t see the results we hope for, it is easy to give up. But as Jesus reminds us that we cannot give up praying, and that we must pray in boldness and persistence. If it is a just cause, we must keep asking because it will be given to you; keep seeking and you will find, and keep knocking because the door will be opened.
The illustration Jesus used was a man getting up at midnight and going to his neighbor, awaking him up to get three loaves of bread because he didn’t have any for his guest. To you and me, this seems pretty rude, but in middle-eastern Jewish culture which prided itself on hospitality, the rudeness was the neighbor who refused to hand over the bread until he persisted. Although the neighbor initially said no, he eventually conceded in order to keep his integrity. Jesus’ point was, if a human neighbor is willing to do that, how much more will God respond to our needs if we ask. Of course God is going to give you good things, if you ask, particularly the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must pray in faith believing God is going to do powerful things if we ask and ask with persistence.
John Wesley once said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Think about that for a second; in fact write that down somewhere. What if God did nothing but in answer to our prayers? How much would God get done? Prayer is essential for God to act in our world today.
Whatever the reason for the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus decided to teach them how to pray, and he used a form for prayer which we call the Lord’s Prayer. He gave this model to his disciples and has been handed down through the ages to you and me. It is a powerful personal prayer, but often we just say it without any understanding or meaning. We just say it as our duty. I believe in order for us to be truly connected to God and experience the fullness of life he wants to offer us and our church, we need to be a people of prayer.
You may ask, what is prayer? For most of us here the answer may be obvious but I don’t want to take anything for granted. Biblically speaking, prayer is simply having conversation with God, or spending time in God’s presence. If we are to remain connected to God and enjoy a fruitful life from this relationship with God (in Jesus), we must communicate with him. Can you imagine claiming to have a best friend whom you haven’t communicated with for 20 years? How can someone have a close relationship with you if they don’t know what’s going on in your life, your joys, your hurts, your struggles? Although God knows every detail in our life, he wants to talk with us, and the way we relate to God is through prayer. Typically we think of prayer as asking God to do something, but prayer is first and foremost a conversation with God.
Most of us probably realize the importance of prayer and yet prayer seems to be one of the easiest areas to overlook in our life. I don’t know about you, but even as your Wednesday morning leader I find prayer difficult at times. I can get easily distracted. I find it difficult to make the time. I sometimes wonder if I’m doing it in the right way, am I getting the words right. Perhaps we don’t know what to say (Romans 8:26). Sometimes prayer feels like more of a chore, one more thing on my schedule, than a joy of being with God. Take out the trash, don’t forget the groceries, and oh yeah pray. It is easy to get discouraged with prayer because we have not seen any answers. Perhaps praying feels more like talking to the ceiling than to God.
While preparing for this message, I came across a quote from one of the great writers on prayer in the 20th century, Thomas Merton. He writes: “But let us be convinced of the fact that (when it comes to prayer) we will never be anything else but beginners all our life.” – Thomas Merton
It gives me great comfort in knowing that a person who was considered to be an expert on prayer admitting to being a beginner. Rather than feeling guilty about our inadequacies in prayer, we should be courageous like Jesus’ disciples and boldly ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Let us learn from the Master. And being with Jesus and witnessing his prayer life, his disciples realized that they were missing something. Can you imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples and comparing your own prayers with Jesus? Talk of feeling inadequate. On one particular occasion after being with Jesus, while he was praying, one of the disciples finally gathered the courage enough to ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples.”
So, let us start by asking Jesus the same thing, in fact that can be our first prayer to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We recognize that we are all just beginners in prayer and we need to learn from Jesus how to connect to God in a deeper way through prayer. We need to learn how to delight in spending time with God, so we can see God work in our life and in the lives of those we pray for.
Before we get into what Jesus teaches, let us look at Jesus’ model of prayer. What is it about Jesus’ life of prayer that the disciples needed to learn? First off, notice that Jesus prayed frequently and in solitary places. Luke 5:16 says, “… Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” As busy as Jesus was in his ministry Jesus prayed frequently. Jesus always seemed to have a crowd of people around who needed healing, desired to hear his teaching, and of course there were the disciples he was training too. And yet in the midst of all that need, Jesus frequently got away from it all and spent time in prayer. We don’t know how frequent is frequent, was it every day, twice a day, three times a day? We don’t know; all we know is that Jesus spent significant amounts of time with his Father.
When Jesus prayed he often withdrew to a solitary place, or lonely place. In other words, a place where there was no one but God. Sometimes it was the top of a mountain, or in a garden, but it was away from people. No people begging for healing, not even any disciples. Jesus made it a priority to get away from the hustle and bustle to talk with his Father.
In our fast paced society with cell phones, pagers, wireless email so you can get your email anywhere at anytime; it seems we are available to everyone at almost anytime, everyone that is … except God. How often do you get away from the distractions of the world to be alone with God? No cell phone, pager, no radio or television playing in the background, no family, just you and God. When will you make time to get away to be with God? Jesus created time and space to meet with God.
Susanna Wesley, the mother of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, had something like 14 children. It is said, when she wanted to spend time alone with God, she would literally take her dress and pull it over her head. This was a signal to her children that she was spending time with God, and they better not bother her. Along the same line, she made time to spend with each child exclusively, one hour each week. I guess you can make the time if you want to. Susanna Wesley did; so can we.
There was a second thing we read about which the disciples saw modeled in Jesus prayer life. When Jesus prayed, miraculous things happened. Out of his time with God, things happened. It was during or shortly after times of prayer that some of the most significant events occurred in Jesus’ ministry. At Jesus’ baptism Luke’s gospel account records this: “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3: 21-22).
Notice that it was not only after baptism, but also after his prayer that the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and God the Father spoke from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Later in his ministry a similar thing happened when he was on the mountain with his three closet disciples, Peter, James, and John. “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29).
This change of appearance which we call the transfiguration occurred in response to his prayer. Jesus’ three disciples were able to see him for who he truly was in his full glory.
On yet another occasion Jesus had a crowd of thousands around him; he was given two fish and five loaves of bread by a boy. Jesus prayed by giving thanks to God, and he proceeded to hand out baskets and baskets of food until everyone had their fill.
You may think, “Well, that’s Jesus, of course he can do these things. What do you expect?” Listen to what Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).”
The power Jesus had came not from within his own human frame but from the presence of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that is in every believer, and it came from the Father’s answer to prayer.
Many times we underestimate the power of prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit in today’s world. We often get easily discouraged because we do not see any immediate earth shattering miraculous answers. The person with cancer we prayed for isn’t healed. The marriage we prayed for isn’t mended. The people who are far from God don’t seem to return. When we don’t see the results we hope for, it is easy to give up. But as Jesus reminds us that we cannot give up praying, and that we must pray in boldness and persistence. If it is a just cause, we must keep asking because it will be given to you; keep seeking and you will find, and keep knocking because the door will be opened.
The illustration Jesus used was a man getting up at midnight and going to his neighbor, awaking him up to get three loaves of bread because he didn’t have any for his guest. To you and me, this seems pretty rude, but in middle-eastern Jewish culture which prided itself on hospitality, the rudeness was the neighbor who refused to hand over the bread until he persisted. Although the neighbor initially said no, he eventually conceded in order to keep his integrity. Jesus’ point was, if a human neighbor is willing to do that, how much more will God respond to our needs if we ask. Of course God is going to give you good things, if you ask, particularly the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must pray in faith believing God is going to do powerful things if we ask and ask with persistence.
John Wesley once said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Think about that for a second; in fact write that down somewhere. What if God did nothing but in answer to our prayers? How much would God get done? Prayer is essential for God to act in our world today.
Whatever the reason for the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus decided to teach them how to pray, and he used a form for prayer which we call the Lord’s Prayer. He gave this model to his disciples and has been handed down through the ages to you and me. It is a powerful personal prayer, but often we just say it without any understanding or meaning. We just say it as our duty. I believe in order for us to be truly connected to God and experience the fullness of life he wants to offer us and our church, we need to be a people of prayer.
July 9, 2009
July 8, 2009 + Who Is Your Neighbor? (Luke 10:25-37) + Hayward Fong
Samuel gave such a stirring sermon last Sunday, I’m glad I had skipped the Lectionary assignment and spoke instead about Independence Day and Christian Freedom. Immanuel is in the Second Year cycle, so as to avoid any duplication of thoughts, I’m using one of the other two years for our Wednesday worship. The familiar selection, which I just read for the 15th Sunday is commonly called the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
A few years ago, one researcher found in a survey that 49% of the people interviewed said they would be able to tell the story of the Good Samaritan if asked to do so, 45% said they would not be able to, and 6% were unsure whether they could or not. Among those who attended religious services every week, the proportion that thought they could tell the story rose to 69%.
But whether or not one could accurately retell this parable, the concept of the “Good Samaritan” is familiar enough to most everyone. We name hospitals, churches, and institutions in his honor. Most people know a ‘Good Samaritan’ when they see one…Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, that anonymous person who simply stops to change a flat tire for you or helps a blind person across the street. Yes, we have all met one or have heard of one even if we can’t relate to the details of the parable.
In the story, we are immediately introduced to a lawyer, who poses a question to Jesus as a test, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” When I was teaching in the Army, I would often encounter someone in the class who would “sharp shoot”, put me to the test. I wish I had the ability to turn the tables as Jesus in those situations. Jesus answers the lawyer’s question with one of his own, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”
The answer comes back, “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Good answer. And Jesus agrees. But the lawyer, not satisfied with that, still wishes to be noticed, so he asks another question, “And who is my neighbor?” In other words, “OK, Jesus, I understand that I’m suppose to CARE, but what are the limits of my caring? When can I quit? And here Jesus tells this famous story.
The first person to whom we are introduced is the poor traveler. He had taken the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, which was notoriously dangerous. It descended nearly 3,300 feet in 17 miles, running through narrow passes at various points. The terrain offered easy hiding places for the bandits who terrorized travelers. This unfortunate man had been stripped, beaten and left for dead. Jesus’ audience that day knew how easily it could happen and I suspect that we as Jesus’ audience today could easily identify by glancing quickly through the newspapers or watching the TV news of the violence taking place on a daily basis.
Suddenly who should come along but a Priest? If anyone could be expected to stop and help it would be a Priest. But wait! The Priest doesn’t come over to help; on the contrary, he passes by on the other side. No reason is given. Perhaps it was fear? The Priest may be thinking, those who beat the man in the ditch might be lying in wait to beat him as well. Have you ever come upon someone after an ugly accident, and simply passed by for fear of becoming involved? You didn’t want to be a hero! As a note, if a Priest found a body on their journey they had a duty to bury it. Maybe that was what was going through his mind. For whatever reason, he went on his way.
Next, along comes the Levite…an “assistant” Priest. As Luke records it, “…he came to the place and saw him, (and) passed by on the other side.” He wasn’t going to be a hero either!
Now the final character comes along – a Samaritan. The GOOD Samaritan! Nowhere in the Bible will we find the words “Good” and “Samaritan” next to each other. For those folks who first heard this story, the phrase “Good Samaritan” would have been an oxymoron, (oxymoron is the putting together of words which seem to contradict each other) – the only GOOD Samaritan would have been a DEAD Samaritan.
Why such a depth of feeling? A little Jewish history! The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was hundreds of years old. It went back to the time of the division of the nation into the Northern and Southern kingdoms – Samaria came to be identified with the North and Judea with the south. Following the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 721 B.C., exiles from many nations settled in Samaria, creating something if a melting pot, no longer was it purely Jewish. Move forward a hundred years or so. Now it is the turn for the Southern Kingdom to fall – this time the conqueror was Babylon, and, as was the custom of the day, the people were carried off into exile to prevent any uprising in the occupied territory. The few Jews left in Samaria were considered no threat in that regard, so they were left in Palestine. Seventy years passed and the exiles were allowed to return. The Samaritans were ready to welcome them back, but the returnees would have none of it – Samaritans had intermarried with gentiles making them “half-breeds.” They had perverted the race. The Samaritans had also perverted the religion. They looked to Mt. Gerizim in their own land as the place to worship God, not Jerusalem. The interpreted the Torah differently that the Southern Jews.
By the time of Jesus, the animosity toward Samaritans was so great that some Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid walking on Samaritan soil. The hatred between Jew and Samaritan in Jesus’ day was as least as deep as the feeling Jews and Arabs have towards each other today. So much of this necessary historical background; let’s get on with the story
If Jesus were just trying to say we should help the helpless, supply the need of the needy, he could have talked about the first two men who passed by and the third one who stopped and cared for the half-dead guy in the ditch, without any identity. If Jesus were also making a gibe against the religious establishment, we would expect the third person to be a layman – some ordinary Israelite – in contrast to the two professional clergy. If Jesus were illustrating the need to love our enemies, then the man in the ditch would have been a Samaritan who is cared for by a loving Israelite. But that’s NOT the way the story goes. I’ll get into the question “Why a Samaritan?” in a few moments. Let’s get back to the story and try to see why Jesus cast these roles as He did?
The Samaritan sees the man, but instead of distancing himself just as the Priest and Levite had earlier, he comes closer. As Luke states, “…when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them (oil to keep them soft, wine to sterilize). Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii (two days wages), gave them to the innkeeper. And said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’” Not an insignificant amount, not lavish either, but enough to do the job. End of story!
Jesus has responded to the lawyer’s question about the neighborliness with this story and now turns the question back to the lawyer. “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” His answer, “The one who showed him mercy.” Amazing isn’t it? The concept of the GOOD Samaritan is so distasteful that the lawyer cannot bring himself to even speak the name. Perhaps the answer to that question I raised a few moments ago, “Why a Samaritan?” is that Jesus did not want his hearers to identify with this generous caregiver. It would be a temptation to identify with the charitably attractive and winsome behavior of this man, the helper/hero that he obviously was, but no good Jew could do that. He would not want to be like the Priest or the Levite either, so the only character left with which to identify would be the man in the ditch.
Now Jesus concludes, “Go and do likewise.” What? Be the guy in the ditch? Perhaps that is not so far-fetched as we might think. We never hear if this poor victim recovers, but my assumption is that he does. That being the case, what would the effect have been on him that a Samaritan had rescued him? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world’s victims. There would be less callousness, less inclination to lay blame for getting into such fixes in the first place, less temptation to “pass by on the other side.”
If Jesus’ story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the rest of the world than he would have ever dreamed possible. On occasions, when thinking of this parable, I’ve wondered about the rest of the story. What effect did the charity have on the man who was robbed and beaten and taken care of? Did he remember the cruelty of the robbers and shape his life with that memory? Or did he remember the nameless generosity of the Samaritan and shape his life with that debt? What did he pass on to the strangers in his life, those in need he met? Has anyone ever helped you?
“Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” Amen.
A few years ago, one researcher found in a survey that 49% of the people interviewed said they would be able to tell the story of the Good Samaritan if asked to do so, 45% said they would not be able to, and 6% were unsure whether they could or not. Among those who attended religious services every week, the proportion that thought they could tell the story rose to 69%.
But whether or not one could accurately retell this parable, the concept of the “Good Samaritan” is familiar enough to most everyone. We name hospitals, churches, and institutions in his honor. Most people know a ‘Good Samaritan’ when they see one…Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, that anonymous person who simply stops to change a flat tire for you or helps a blind person across the street. Yes, we have all met one or have heard of one even if we can’t relate to the details of the parable.
In the story, we are immediately introduced to a lawyer, who poses a question to Jesus as a test, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” When I was teaching in the Army, I would often encounter someone in the class who would “sharp shoot”, put me to the test. I wish I had the ability to turn the tables as Jesus in those situations. Jesus answers the lawyer’s question with one of his own, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”
The answer comes back, “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Good answer. And Jesus agrees. But the lawyer, not satisfied with that, still wishes to be noticed, so he asks another question, “And who is my neighbor?” In other words, “OK, Jesus, I understand that I’m suppose to CARE, but what are the limits of my caring? When can I quit? And here Jesus tells this famous story.
The first person to whom we are introduced is the poor traveler. He had taken the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, which was notoriously dangerous. It descended nearly 3,300 feet in 17 miles, running through narrow passes at various points. The terrain offered easy hiding places for the bandits who terrorized travelers. This unfortunate man had been stripped, beaten and left for dead. Jesus’ audience that day knew how easily it could happen and I suspect that we as Jesus’ audience today could easily identify by glancing quickly through the newspapers or watching the TV news of the violence taking place on a daily basis.
Suddenly who should come along but a Priest? If anyone could be expected to stop and help it would be a Priest. But wait! The Priest doesn’t come over to help; on the contrary, he passes by on the other side. No reason is given. Perhaps it was fear? The Priest may be thinking, those who beat the man in the ditch might be lying in wait to beat him as well. Have you ever come upon someone after an ugly accident, and simply passed by for fear of becoming involved? You didn’t want to be a hero! As a note, if a Priest found a body on their journey they had a duty to bury it. Maybe that was what was going through his mind. For whatever reason, he went on his way.
Next, along comes the Levite…an “assistant” Priest. As Luke records it, “…he came to the place and saw him, (and) passed by on the other side.” He wasn’t going to be a hero either!
Now the final character comes along – a Samaritan. The GOOD Samaritan! Nowhere in the Bible will we find the words “Good” and “Samaritan” next to each other. For those folks who first heard this story, the phrase “Good Samaritan” would have been an oxymoron, (oxymoron is the putting together of words which seem to contradict each other) – the only GOOD Samaritan would have been a DEAD Samaritan.
Why such a depth of feeling? A little Jewish history! The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was hundreds of years old. It went back to the time of the division of the nation into the Northern and Southern kingdoms – Samaria came to be identified with the North and Judea with the south. Following the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 721 B.C., exiles from many nations settled in Samaria, creating something if a melting pot, no longer was it purely Jewish. Move forward a hundred years or so. Now it is the turn for the Southern Kingdom to fall – this time the conqueror was Babylon, and, as was the custom of the day, the people were carried off into exile to prevent any uprising in the occupied territory. The few Jews left in Samaria were considered no threat in that regard, so they were left in Palestine. Seventy years passed and the exiles were allowed to return. The Samaritans were ready to welcome them back, but the returnees would have none of it – Samaritans had intermarried with gentiles making them “half-breeds.” They had perverted the race. The Samaritans had also perverted the religion. They looked to Mt. Gerizim in their own land as the place to worship God, not Jerusalem. The interpreted the Torah differently that the Southern Jews.
By the time of Jesus, the animosity toward Samaritans was so great that some Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid walking on Samaritan soil. The hatred between Jew and Samaritan in Jesus’ day was as least as deep as the feeling Jews and Arabs have towards each other today. So much of this necessary historical background; let’s get on with the story
If Jesus were just trying to say we should help the helpless, supply the need of the needy, he could have talked about the first two men who passed by and the third one who stopped and cared for the half-dead guy in the ditch, without any identity. If Jesus were also making a gibe against the religious establishment, we would expect the third person to be a layman – some ordinary Israelite – in contrast to the two professional clergy. If Jesus were illustrating the need to love our enemies, then the man in the ditch would have been a Samaritan who is cared for by a loving Israelite. But that’s NOT the way the story goes. I’ll get into the question “Why a Samaritan?” in a few moments. Let’s get back to the story and try to see why Jesus cast these roles as He did?
The Samaritan sees the man, but instead of distancing himself just as the Priest and Levite had earlier, he comes closer. As Luke states, “…when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them (oil to keep them soft, wine to sterilize). Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii (two days wages), gave them to the innkeeper. And said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’” Not an insignificant amount, not lavish either, but enough to do the job. End of story!
Jesus has responded to the lawyer’s question about the neighborliness with this story and now turns the question back to the lawyer. “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” His answer, “The one who showed him mercy.” Amazing isn’t it? The concept of the GOOD Samaritan is so distasteful that the lawyer cannot bring himself to even speak the name. Perhaps the answer to that question I raised a few moments ago, “Why a Samaritan?” is that Jesus did not want his hearers to identify with this generous caregiver. It would be a temptation to identify with the charitably attractive and winsome behavior of this man, the helper/hero that he obviously was, but no good Jew could do that. He would not want to be like the Priest or the Levite either, so the only character left with which to identify would be the man in the ditch.
Now Jesus concludes, “Go and do likewise.” What? Be the guy in the ditch? Perhaps that is not so far-fetched as we might think. We never hear if this poor victim recovers, but my assumption is that he does. That being the case, what would the effect have been on him that a Samaritan had rescued him? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world’s victims. There would be less callousness, less inclination to lay blame for getting into such fixes in the first place, less temptation to “pass by on the other side.”
If Jesus’ story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the rest of the world than he would have ever dreamed possible. On occasions, when thinking of this parable, I’ve wondered about the rest of the story. What effect did the charity have on the man who was robbed and beaten and taken care of? Did he remember the cruelty of the robbers and shape his life with that memory? Or did he remember the nameless generosity of the Samaritan and shape his life with that debt? What did he pass on to the strangers in his life, those in need he met? Has anyone ever helped you?
“Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” Amen.
July 1, 2009 + Independence Day: Christian Freedom (Psalm 33:8-22; Galatians 5:13-18) + Hayward Fong
Next Saturday, July 4th, we celebrate the 233rd birthday of our nation, The United States of America. Since the date falls on a Saturday, many offices will be closed on Friday and people will take the day off to make it a three day holiday weekend.
People will be celebrating Independence Day in a variety of ways. Many have become traditions. Some people will travel to see loved ones and others will just stay at home with the family. There will be fireworks. With the tinder dry brush conditions, I hope people will realize the high danger of wild fires associated with neighborhood firework displays. There will undoubtedly be the traditional barbeques and picnics, and hopefully some patriotic observances in recognition of what the Day stands for.
We celebrate this holiday because of what happened in 1776.
On July 4, 1776, there was signed in the City of Philadelphia one of America’s historic documents: The Declaration of Independence. It marked the birth of this nation which, under God, was destined for world leadership.
We often forget, in declaring independence from an earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The closing words of this document solemnly declare: “With firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
The fifty-six courageous men who signed this document understood that this was not just high sounding rhetoric. They knew that if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hang man’s noose.
We celebrate that these people had the wherewithal and courage to break the existing hold of Europe on these wilderness colonies.
It is important to remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge; they were not poor men by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal lives. They were wealthy landowners, respected men in their communities. Among the signers was a Presbyterian minister, John Witherspoon.
But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledge. They paid the price. And freedom was won. It has been said, “To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility.”
Freedom is never free. It is always purchased at a great cost. On the signing of The Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.”
We celebrate the actions of people we only know about because of books. We celebrate the actions of people who lived without the things we take for granted in our everyday living.
What did they want to become independent from? If you read through the document you find oppression, abuse, removal of rights, false justice and punishment. You find a precisely stated set of charges against the king and their justification for independence. Their declaration was to break free of the strangling hold of a tyrant.
Interestingly we celebrate the day of declaration not the day it was actually achieved. I guess if they had actually lost the struggle we would not be celebrating at all on Saturday. We celebrate the ideal of the prize that was worth so much time, energy and lives.
So what is the Christian comparison?
The scripture we heard this morning is talking about freedom. This passage is about Mosaic Law, something that helped to identify sin and how to live a life honorable to God. However, too many people, religious leaders, used the Law as a tool of control. They used it for power and position and separation.
Paul declares freedom from the Law. He tells the churches in Galatia that they are called by God through Jesus to be free.
The people of Paul’s day suffered persecution and hardship which increased as they become Christians. The community made it tough to live this new found faith. It was hard to celebrate the freedom that Paul encourages.
They had already broken from their old tradition. They were trying to figure out the ins and outs of this new faith. They had lots of questions and pressures to give into and it appears in Scripture that one of the most logical was becoming a Jew to become a Christian. The pressure was to live under the Law as a first requirement. Paul argued that it was not so.
Hindsight is so good. Today we can look at United States history and find the investment made by these signers so long ago was worth it. It is great to be free. It is fantastic that I can pretty much do what I want and say what I want.
The structure of the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence would give an English teacher apoplexy. The second sentence is straight forward and says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable (unchangeable) Rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 233 years later we still enjoy the freedom that the Declaration of Independence created for us: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
This is my kind of place. I am so happy that God placed me here – in the United States of America, in Los Angeles, in your company here at Immanuel. There are a lot of less comfortable places in the world where there is little or no freedom. Places where the liberty and pursuit of happiness are a pipe dream. The sun does not set on any part of this planet where the biggest goal is to have life and there is little hope for much else.
Great as it is to live here in the United States, we are not without our problems, or should I say challenges to freedom and the pursuit of happiness: traffic laws, traffic lights, speed limits, home mortgages, income taxes, building codes, unemployment, medical costs, long lines at the checkout counter, need for money…the list could go on and on. It seems to me that with freedom, a lot of other things come which steal away our freedom.
The freedom we receive is cooperative, not exclusive. It is a union of people to protect God given rights at a cost that is shared by the group. The freedom we enjoy was not obtainable by one or two. In the revolutionary war they fought to make something new.
The freedom we receive has limits that keep us from expressing our freedom at the expense of another. But let us look at this from a Christian perspective. We live in the greatest country in the world, the richest, the finest, and the seemingly blessed.
In our reading, Paul tells the churches in Galatia that they are meant to be free. Free from slavery to sin – free from the obligation to keep the Law which is impossible to keep. However, Paul explains that with freedom there are still rules and limits.
He states Rule 1 like this: “Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (vs. 13).
We cannot use our freedom to become immoral people!
We cannot use our freedom to abuse or use other people!
We cannot use our freedom to avoid obligations with the church!
We cannot use our freedom to sit around and do nothing!
Our freedom is not a license to sin in any way. Paul adds, “We are to serve one another in love” (vs. 13).
Sounds like a limited version of freedom with all sorts of restrictions, kind of like the fine print that comes with the no interest credit card from B of A. But it really isn’t too expensive. After all, the people at church are family by birth or holy adoption. Remember Paul is writing to the churches in Galatia. We all do things we don’t necessarily like for family, at least occasionally.
Paul states Rule 2 like this: “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (vs. 14). Here’s that “Love your neighbor” thing again. It starts in Leviticus (19:18), then Jesus is quoted in Matthew, Mark and Luke, then Paul (Gal. 5:14) and James (2:8) both remind us. Sort of a pain, isn’t it, to be reminded about loving your neighbor, over and over and over again?
Perhaps, we need to take the reminders as extra significance or importance. Here Paul reminds us that this one rule replaces the entire Law. This one rule, if followed, will set your life on an even footing in the right direction. This one rule will set you free of all the little nuances and petty restrictions of the Law.
Loving your neighbor as self, what does that really mean? How do we demonstrate our love for ourselves?
When we are hungry, thirsty or sick, we do something about it. When I decide to go someplace, I get in my car, something I bought to meet my needs. I guess there are a lot of things I do for myself… some are needs, some are comforts or fun. But I am worth all of it…right?
According to Paul, our neighbors are worth something as well. With freedom comes obligations to our family, community, neighbors and even individuals along our path. Folks that don’t value you or me at all, should still be important to us because of our freedom.
Paul is writing to people who are in the middle of a battle over salvation. They do not have the advantage of hind sight. They are fighting their way toward the path of righteousness and are uncertain of the proper steps. Some of their issues are raised within the Church itself. There must have been some real knock-down conversations and accusations between fellow believers, as they struggle with the freedom that Paul reminds them of.
The main struggle is to try to live under the oppression of the Law in hopes that it would get better or to choose the freedom that God offered through Jesus Christ.
Our forefathers in this nation recognized that their lives were on the edge of slavery to the king. No rights or self government and more and more loss of control over lives led them to declare freedom against the all powerful King of England.
They did not declare war on the king. They just severed their servitude to a life as servants to an unjust king. They changed their direction, choosing the harder path of independence. A path of struggle and pain that would end in freedom like few in the colonies had ever known.
Paul tells his readers that for Christians that path is directed by the Spirit. The battle he describes is between the sinful nature of every person and the guidance offered by the Holy Spirit. He explains that the struggle is an individual battle within each person. The choice is being bound and controlled by a sinful nature or following the Spirit toward ultimate freedom.
The struggle for independence is still going on today. In our nation the battle over religious freedom is growing and I would suggest that if we don’t join the battle, we will continue to see our rights and freedoms trimmed and removed. Our nation’s founders obviously were much more open to the leading of God than many of our politicians and judges today who are trying to lead us to their form of a theocracy to the exclusion or limitation of other religious beliefs.
The battle over our individual spiritual freedom continues as well. We struggle over right and wrong everyday. We decide over loving ourselves and loving our neighbor and we probably don’t do as good a job as we could or should.
God offers us the help we need though it’s not as easy to find as we want. It takes real effort and control to listen to the Spirit. It takes an even greater effort to follow its direction.
All Glory be to God! Amen.
People will be celebrating Independence Day in a variety of ways. Many have become traditions. Some people will travel to see loved ones and others will just stay at home with the family. There will be fireworks. With the tinder dry brush conditions, I hope people will realize the high danger of wild fires associated with neighborhood firework displays. There will undoubtedly be the traditional barbeques and picnics, and hopefully some patriotic observances in recognition of what the Day stands for.
We celebrate this holiday because of what happened in 1776.
On July 4, 1776, there was signed in the City of Philadelphia one of America’s historic documents: The Declaration of Independence. It marked the birth of this nation which, under God, was destined for world leadership.
We often forget, in declaring independence from an earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The closing words of this document solemnly declare: “With firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
The fifty-six courageous men who signed this document understood that this was not just high sounding rhetoric. They knew that if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hang man’s noose.
We celebrate that these people had the wherewithal and courage to break the existing hold of Europe on these wilderness colonies.
It is important to remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge; they were not poor men by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal lives. They were wealthy landowners, respected men in their communities. Among the signers was a Presbyterian minister, John Witherspoon.
But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledge. They paid the price. And freedom was won. It has been said, “To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility.”
Freedom is never free. It is always purchased at a great cost. On the signing of The Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.”
We celebrate the actions of people we only know about because of books. We celebrate the actions of people who lived without the things we take for granted in our everyday living.
What did they want to become independent from? If you read through the document you find oppression, abuse, removal of rights, false justice and punishment. You find a precisely stated set of charges against the king and their justification for independence. Their declaration was to break free of the strangling hold of a tyrant.
Interestingly we celebrate the day of declaration not the day it was actually achieved. I guess if they had actually lost the struggle we would not be celebrating at all on Saturday. We celebrate the ideal of the prize that was worth so much time, energy and lives.
So what is the Christian comparison?
The scripture we heard this morning is talking about freedom. This passage is about Mosaic Law, something that helped to identify sin and how to live a life honorable to God. However, too many people, religious leaders, used the Law as a tool of control. They used it for power and position and separation.
Paul declares freedom from the Law. He tells the churches in Galatia that they are called by God through Jesus to be free.
The people of Paul’s day suffered persecution and hardship which increased as they become Christians. The community made it tough to live this new found faith. It was hard to celebrate the freedom that Paul encourages.
They had already broken from their old tradition. They were trying to figure out the ins and outs of this new faith. They had lots of questions and pressures to give into and it appears in Scripture that one of the most logical was becoming a Jew to become a Christian. The pressure was to live under the Law as a first requirement. Paul argued that it was not so.
Hindsight is so good. Today we can look at United States history and find the investment made by these signers so long ago was worth it. It is great to be free. It is fantastic that I can pretty much do what I want and say what I want.
The structure of the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence would give an English teacher apoplexy. The second sentence is straight forward and says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable (unchangeable) Rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 233 years later we still enjoy the freedom that the Declaration of Independence created for us: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
This is my kind of place. I am so happy that God placed me here – in the United States of America, in Los Angeles, in your company here at Immanuel. There are a lot of less comfortable places in the world where there is little or no freedom. Places where the liberty and pursuit of happiness are a pipe dream. The sun does not set on any part of this planet where the biggest goal is to have life and there is little hope for much else.
Great as it is to live here in the United States, we are not without our problems, or should I say challenges to freedom and the pursuit of happiness: traffic laws, traffic lights, speed limits, home mortgages, income taxes, building codes, unemployment, medical costs, long lines at the checkout counter, need for money…the list could go on and on. It seems to me that with freedom, a lot of other things come which steal away our freedom.
The freedom we receive is cooperative, not exclusive. It is a union of people to protect God given rights at a cost that is shared by the group. The freedom we enjoy was not obtainable by one or two. In the revolutionary war they fought to make something new.
The freedom we receive has limits that keep us from expressing our freedom at the expense of another. But let us look at this from a Christian perspective. We live in the greatest country in the world, the richest, the finest, and the seemingly blessed.
In our reading, Paul tells the churches in Galatia that they are meant to be free. Free from slavery to sin – free from the obligation to keep the Law which is impossible to keep. However, Paul explains that with freedom there are still rules and limits.
He states Rule 1 like this: “Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (vs. 13).
We cannot use our freedom to become immoral people!
We cannot use our freedom to abuse or use other people!
We cannot use our freedom to avoid obligations with the church!
We cannot use our freedom to sit around and do nothing!
Our freedom is not a license to sin in any way. Paul adds, “We are to serve one another in love” (vs. 13).
Sounds like a limited version of freedom with all sorts of restrictions, kind of like the fine print that comes with the no interest credit card from B of A. But it really isn’t too expensive. After all, the people at church are family by birth or holy adoption. Remember Paul is writing to the churches in Galatia. We all do things we don’t necessarily like for family, at least occasionally.
Paul states Rule 2 like this: “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (vs. 14). Here’s that “Love your neighbor” thing again. It starts in Leviticus (19:18), then Jesus is quoted in Matthew, Mark and Luke, then Paul (Gal. 5:14) and James (2:8) both remind us. Sort of a pain, isn’t it, to be reminded about loving your neighbor, over and over and over again?
Perhaps, we need to take the reminders as extra significance or importance. Here Paul reminds us that this one rule replaces the entire Law. This one rule, if followed, will set your life on an even footing in the right direction. This one rule will set you free of all the little nuances and petty restrictions of the Law.
Loving your neighbor as self, what does that really mean? How do we demonstrate our love for ourselves?
When we are hungry, thirsty or sick, we do something about it. When I decide to go someplace, I get in my car, something I bought to meet my needs. I guess there are a lot of things I do for myself… some are needs, some are comforts or fun. But I am worth all of it…right?
According to Paul, our neighbors are worth something as well. With freedom comes obligations to our family, community, neighbors and even individuals along our path. Folks that don’t value you or me at all, should still be important to us because of our freedom.
Paul is writing to people who are in the middle of a battle over salvation. They do not have the advantage of hind sight. They are fighting their way toward the path of righteousness and are uncertain of the proper steps. Some of their issues are raised within the Church itself. There must have been some real knock-down conversations and accusations between fellow believers, as they struggle with the freedom that Paul reminds them of.
The main struggle is to try to live under the oppression of the Law in hopes that it would get better or to choose the freedom that God offered through Jesus Christ.
Our forefathers in this nation recognized that their lives were on the edge of slavery to the king. No rights or self government and more and more loss of control over lives led them to declare freedom against the all powerful King of England.
They did not declare war on the king. They just severed their servitude to a life as servants to an unjust king. They changed their direction, choosing the harder path of independence. A path of struggle and pain that would end in freedom like few in the colonies had ever known.
Paul tells his readers that for Christians that path is directed by the Spirit. The battle he describes is between the sinful nature of every person and the guidance offered by the Holy Spirit. He explains that the struggle is an individual battle within each person. The choice is being bound and controlled by a sinful nature or following the Spirit toward ultimate freedom.
The struggle for independence is still going on today. In our nation the battle over religious freedom is growing and I would suggest that if we don’t join the battle, we will continue to see our rights and freedoms trimmed and removed. Our nation’s founders obviously were much more open to the leading of God than many of our politicians and judges today who are trying to lead us to their form of a theocracy to the exclusion or limitation of other religious beliefs.
The battle over our individual spiritual freedom continues as well. We struggle over right and wrong everyday. We decide over loving ourselves and loving our neighbor and we probably don’t do as good a job as we could or should.
God offers us the help we need though it’s not as easy to find as we want. It takes real effort and control to listen to the Spirit. It takes an even greater effort to follow its direction.
All Glory be to God! Amen.
June 24, 2009
June 24, 2009 + “Keep the Faith!” (Mark 4:35-41) + Hayward Fong
According to the Lectionary, the Gospel reading was for last Sunday, the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Because I chose to speak on a Father’s Day theme last week, I’m a week behind.
I don’t need to tell you how the economic recession had shattered the lives and dreams of so many Americans and their families. I get a lot of mail from charities. Many include real life stories of people who are facing the realities of today and how they are managing to face the “Storms of Life.” I want to begin this morning by sharing with you a real life story of a man named Steve.
Steve was living what some people might call the American Dream. He had a great wife and two wonderful children. He lived in a beautiful house on a quiet street, and had a job that most people would love to have. However, upon coming to work one day, Steve found out that his job in management had been eliminated…not downsized, but eliminated. As the bills grew higher and higher so did the tension between Steve and his family. The things that Steve and his family were going through could be summed up in four words, and they are the “Storms of Life.”
Have you experienced storms in your life?...those times where things just didn’t make any sense…times where your problems seemed so big and your faith seemed so small…times where you felt so swamped and so afraid that you were going to be taken over by the storm. I think all of us have had a feeling like that. I know that I have. Jesus’ disciples were no different. How did they deal with the storm? There are some major points that we can apply, between the Spiritual Storms and the disciples’ Physical Storm.
The first point is there will be storms…storms will come, sooner or later, they will come. Do you remember the lyrics of a song of the 40-50s, “Into each life some rain must fall, but too much has fallen in mine…!” Even if everything is going great right now, you must keep your faith in Jesus, because the storms will come. It only takes a second for everything to change, for everything to be flipped upside down. Maybe you lose your job, or a family member is in a serious accident, or as we’ve noted in recent years here in Southern California, home destroyed by wildfires and earthquakes. You can fill in your personal storms because the list goes on and on and on, physical storms, spiritual storms.
For the disciples, it wasn’t a spiritual storm, but rather a physical storm. When they left the docks that evening, everything was fine. However, it only took a split second for everything to go horribly wrong. The winds picked up and the waves crashed over the boat, and the disciples were afraid. When the storms come, they bring out the emotions of fear, anger, frustration, and uncertainty.
If we know the storms will come, we have to ask ourselves the next question, “How do we deal with these storms when they come?” The first thing we need to do is never give up. We need to take the storm that is plaguing our life for what it is, and that it is a test or trial or temptation. We must remember never give up!
The next thing we need to do in dealing with the storms is to keep focused. It’s so easy when times are hard to lose our focus from the things that are really important or the tasks we need to accomplish. And isn’t that how the devil traps and entangles us...by putting other things in our life to break our focus and to make us lose sight of our goal? You can bet your bottom dollar on it! That’s why we need to keep focused.
The third and final thing we need to do in order to deal with the storms in our life is that we must remember! We must remember to have faith in Jesus. With faith in Jesus we can be assured that no matter how bad things get, the storm will not stick around forever. And that leads us to the next major point.
The storms will go. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a storm that stuck around forever. I know that when it rains, infrequently as it does here in Southern California, and it’s wet and miserable outside, it feels like the storm will last forever, but what eventually happens? The Sun comes out, the temperature rises and before we know it, the storm is over. We can always take hope in the fact, that no matter how bad things get, the storm will pass. The same can be said of the blizzards in the Midwest or the hurricanes in the Southeast, the storms will pass.
Jesus’ disciples saw the same tings. They thought the storm may last forever, or at least long enough to put an end to them. But what do we see from the story, the SON, S-O-N, not the SUN, S-U-N, came out and calmed the winds and the waves and the storm that they were so worried about ended.
And isn’t that the way it usually goes? When we realize that we can’t do it on our own, that’s when we ask for help. That’s when we start looking for Jesus. And why do we do that? We do that because we know that Jesus will always be there to calm the winds and the waves of our spiritual lives. He will always be there to strengthen and comfort us.
But one question remains, what do we do with Jesus after the storm is gone? And here is an answer that I think is most important. We must remember to put our faith in Jesus! Now you might be asking yourself, why should I put my faith in Jesus? The storm is already over. Well, the storm may be over, but Jesus is still there! And that leads us to the third major point.
Jesus always remains. Just because Jesus is there in the storms of your life, that doesn’t mean you can’t look for Him in the good times. It doesn’t mean that you should only ask for help and guidance in the bad times. He wants to be there when things are going great also. He wants to share in you joys as well as your sorrows. When I say Jesus always remains, I mean always!
When we look at the disciples in the story, at what time did they go and get Jesus? It was when times were really bad, it was when they had no place else to turn. I think that is something each and everyone of us should think about!
I like a poem called “Footprints in the Sand,” by Mary Stevenson (1936). Let me read it for you.
“One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
“In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was only one.
“This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“’You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?’
“The Lord replied, ‘The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you’”
A lot of people feel that the greatest phrase in this poem is the concluding phrase. While it is a wonderful phrase, I feel the best part is during the rest of the man’s life where there were two sets of footprints in the sand. The two sets of footprints remind me that we must put our faith in Jesus. For the simple fact that Jesus is always there! For the simple fact that Jesus’ love is always there! For the simple fact that His peace and patience and kindness is always there! And most of all for the simple fact that Jesus Always Remains!
Let us revisit our friend Steve. Since we last saw Steve, everything has changed. He has found a new job, and has rediscovered his relationship with Jesus. Steve summed everything up in this way, “When everything was going great, I thought I could do it all on my own. I thought Jesus was there to help in my times of trouble. However, when the storms hit my life, I began to read the Bible and I found out that Jesus always remains. He is there in the good times as well as the bad. And all I had to do is remember to put my faith in Him.”
I think Steve is on the right track. When the storms come we must remember to put our trust in Jesus, because He will help us through tough times. When the storms go we must remember to continue putting our faith in Jesus, because He will help us put our lives back together, strengthening and encouraging us along the way. And finally we must remember to keep our faith in Jesus, because Jesus Always Remains! So, let Him remain in your life always, through good times and bad.
Amen.
I don’t need to tell you how the economic recession had shattered the lives and dreams of so many Americans and their families. I get a lot of mail from charities. Many include real life stories of people who are facing the realities of today and how they are managing to face the “Storms of Life.” I want to begin this morning by sharing with you a real life story of a man named Steve.
Steve was living what some people might call the American Dream. He had a great wife and two wonderful children. He lived in a beautiful house on a quiet street, and had a job that most people would love to have. However, upon coming to work one day, Steve found out that his job in management had been eliminated…not downsized, but eliminated. As the bills grew higher and higher so did the tension between Steve and his family. The things that Steve and his family were going through could be summed up in four words, and they are the “Storms of Life.”
Have you experienced storms in your life?...those times where things just didn’t make any sense…times where your problems seemed so big and your faith seemed so small…times where you felt so swamped and so afraid that you were going to be taken over by the storm. I think all of us have had a feeling like that. I know that I have. Jesus’ disciples were no different. How did they deal with the storm? There are some major points that we can apply, between the Spiritual Storms and the disciples’ Physical Storm.
The first point is there will be storms…storms will come, sooner or later, they will come. Do you remember the lyrics of a song of the 40-50s, “Into each life some rain must fall, but too much has fallen in mine…!” Even if everything is going great right now, you must keep your faith in Jesus, because the storms will come. It only takes a second for everything to change, for everything to be flipped upside down. Maybe you lose your job, or a family member is in a serious accident, or as we’ve noted in recent years here in Southern California, home destroyed by wildfires and earthquakes. You can fill in your personal storms because the list goes on and on and on, physical storms, spiritual storms.
For the disciples, it wasn’t a spiritual storm, but rather a physical storm. When they left the docks that evening, everything was fine. However, it only took a split second for everything to go horribly wrong. The winds picked up and the waves crashed over the boat, and the disciples were afraid. When the storms come, they bring out the emotions of fear, anger, frustration, and uncertainty.
If we know the storms will come, we have to ask ourselves the next question, “How do we deal with these storms when they come?” The first thing we need to do is never give up. We need to take the storm that is plaguing our life for what it is, and that it is a test or trial or temptation. We must remember never give up!
The next thing we need to do in dealing with the storms is to keep focused. It’s so easy when times are hard to lose our focus from the things that are really important or the tasks we need to accomplish. And isn’t that how the devil traps and entangles us...by putting other things in our life to break our focus and to make us lose sight of our goal? You can bet your bottom dollar on it! That’s why we need to keep focused.
The third and final thing we need to do in order to deal with the storms in our life is that we must remember! We must remember to have faith in Jesus. With faith in Jesus we can be assured that no matter how bad things get, the storm will not stick around forever. And that leads us to the next major point.
The storms will go. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a storm that stuck around forever. I know that when it rains, infrequently as it does here in Southern California, and it’s wet and miserable outside, it feels like the storm will last forever, but what eventually happens? The Sun comes out, the temperature rises and before we know it, the storm is over. We can always take hope in the fact, that no matter how bad things get, the storm will pass. The same can be said of the blizzards in the Midwest or the hurricanes in the Southeast, the storms will pass.
Jesus’ disciples saw the same tings. They thought the storm may last forever, or at least long enough to put an end to them. But what do we see from the story, the SON, S-O-N, not the SUN, S-U-N, came out and calmed the winds and the waves and the storm that they were so worried about ended.
And isn’t that the way it usually goes? When we realize that we can’t do it on our own, that’s when we ask for help. That’s when we start looking for Jesus. And why do we do that? We do that because we know that Jesus will always be there to calm the winds and the waves of our spiritual lives. He will always be there to strengthen and comfort us.
But one question remains, what do we do with Jesus after the storm is gone? And here is an answer that I think is most important. We must remember to put our faith in Jesus! Now you might be asking yourself, why should I put my faith in Jesus? The storm is already over. Well, the storm may be over, but Jesus is still there! And that leads us to the third major point.
Jesus always remains. Just because Jesus is there in the storms of your life, that doesn’t mean you can’t look for Him in the good times. It doesn’t mean that you should only ask for help and guidance in the bad times. He wants to be there when things are going great also. He wants to share in you joys as well as your sorrows. When I say Jesus always remains, I mean always!
When we look at the disciples in the story, at what time did they go and get Jesus? It was when times were really bad, it was when they had no place else to turn. I think that is something each and everyone of us should think about!
I like a poem called “Footprints in the Sand,” by Mary Stevenson (1936). Let me read it for you.
“One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
“In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was only one.
“This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“’You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?’
“The Lord replied, ‘The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you’”
A lot of people feel that the greatest phrase in this poem is the concluding phrase. While it is a wonderful phrase, I feel the best part is during the rest of the man’s life where there were two sets of footprints in the sand. The two sets of footprints remind me that we must put our faith in Jesus. For the simple fact that Jesus is always there! For the simple fact that Jesus’ love is always there! For the simple fact that His peace and patience and kindness is always there! And most of all for the simple fact that Jesus Always Remains!
Let us revisit our friend Steve. Since we last saw Steve, everything has changed. He has found a new job, and has rediscovered his relationship with Jesus. Steve summed everything up in this way, “When everything was going great, I thought I could do it all on my own. I thought Jesus was there to help in my times of trouble. However, when the storms hit my life, I began to read the Bible and I found out that Jesus always remains. He is there in the good times as well as the bad. And all I had to do is remember to put my faith in Him.”
I think Steve is on the right track. When the storms come we must remember to put our trust in Jesus, because He will help us through tough times. When the storms go we must remember to continue putting our faith in Jesus, because He will help us put our lives back together, strengthening and encouraging us along the way. And finally we must remember to keep our faith in Jesus, because Jesus Always Remains! So, let Him remain in your life always, through good times and bad.
Amen.
June 17, 2009 + “Joseph: Jesus Step-Father” (Matthew 1:18-25) + Hayward Fong
Next Sunday is Father’s Day. Looking at the makeup of our Wednesday morning attendance, I don’t think a traditional Father’s Day message is appropriate. Yet at the same time, there should be something that I can say that would be equally applicable for male and female. So, let me try.
One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm, a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was just about to turn out the light when he asked in a trembling voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?” His mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. “I can’t, Dear,” she said, “I have to sleep with your daddy.” After a long silence he said, “The big sissy.”
There are certain sayings we associate with our fathers. Here are some typical quotes attributed to current vintage American Dads.:
“Ask your mother.”
“Don’t worry; it’s only blood.”
“Do I look like I’m made of money?”
“I’m not sleeping; I was watching that show.”
“I’m not just talking to hear my voice.”
“A little dirt never hurt anyone; just wipe it off.
“We’re not lost.”
“No, we’re not there yet.”
“Don’t make me stop this car.”
There are numerous quotes of different fathers in the Bible, but try as I might, I wasn’t able to locate a single quote from a prominent father, Joseph. I never thought about this before, but Joseph doesn’t say a single word in the Gospels. He listens and obeys. Once would think his words are recorded. We can only imagine the conversations he might have had with Mary and the angel Gabriel. We can hear him talking with the innkeeper. We can visualize him teaching Jesus about carpentry, but then he fades from the scene. It is widely thought that Joseph was much older than Mary, and when Jesus began his ministry, Mary appears alone. And, although the Bible doesn’t say she’s a widow, we can figure Joseph has since died.
Joseph probably thought his life was pretty well planned. His marriage and vocation were all arranged neatly for him, but then his world came crashing down. He discovered that his bride-to-be was pregnant. We know that Joseph was a man of integrity – he wanted to do the right thing, in the right way. He considered divorcing Mary when he learned of her pregnancy, but wanted to do so without calling attention to the reason, whereas he could have had her publicly disgraced or even stoned to death for adultery. Instead he risks being questioned about Mary’s pregnancy and marries her. As you may recall from earlier homilies, a marriage contract in those days was worked out between families and the engaged couple continued to live with their parents until their wedding. The townspeople could well have thought Mary and Joseph didn’t wait till their wedding. Joseph protected their reputation by moving up the wedding date and the Roman census took them far away from the town’s questioning eyes. This serves for all time as an example of godly wisdom and tender consideration for others.
Although Joseph came from the royal lineage of King David (thanks to the Gospel genealogy), we can easily picture him as a humble man. The brief portrait of him in Scripture suggests he was a quiet, unobtrusive man, available when needed, willing to endure hardship and disappointment. Looking forward to fathering his own child, Joseph was faced with being a step-father to a child not his own. He accepted the humbling circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth. He trusted the providential care of God every step of the way. He didn’t have Dr. Spock’s book on parenting, any training on how to be the father to the Son of God, but he possessed faith and compassion. Bible scholars portray Joseph as an effective provider and protector of the family.
A Sunday school class was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty upset but he didn’t say anything to the director.
During all the rehearsals he thought what he might do the night of the performance to get even with this rival who got to be Joseph. Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the in-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly, “What do you want?”
Joseph answered, “We’d like to have a room for the night.” Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door open wide and said, Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house.”
For a few seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do. Thinking quickly on his feet, he looked inside the door past the inn-keeper then said, “No wife of mine is going to stay in a dump like this. Come on Mary, let’s go to the barn.” And once again the play was back on track.
In all the Christmas pageants performed, Joseph doesn’t get a starring role, but his role is so important. His task is to watch over Mary and the baby Jesus. Joseph had the important role of caring for the needs of others.
When our lives take a nasty turn, we cry out, like Joseph must have cried out, “God how can this be?” But like Joseph, we hear a still small voice from God saying, “Trust me.” God’s ways are not always our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and we may never understand everything that God is doing this side of heaven, but God says, “Trust me, and all things will work together for good.”
It’s been said the best thing a father can do for his kids is to love their mother. Joseph’s love for Mary is reflected in Paul’s definition: “Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast; it is not proud or rude. Love is not self-seeking or easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres (I Cor. 13). Instead of being indignant, Joseph accepted this child as his own. Joseph accepted the revealed will of God. He followed the instructions – journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then to Egypt, then back to Nazareth. We can easily picture Joseph receiving his son as a gift from God. The Bible doesn’t tell much about the 30 years that Jesus lived at home, but it’s safe to say that there was a deep and strong affection between Jesus and Joseph.
Joseph became a father to the Messiah, who would teach us all about the acceptance and grace of God. Joseph is charged with naming their son and thus defining His mission. The name Jesus means “Savior”. Archeologists have uncovered the ruins of Sapphoris, a thriving city near Nazareth. It is believed that Joseph spent much time there working on carpentry jobs, probably with Jesus, his carpenter apprentice son. When Jesus returned to his hometown, the people responded, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph, the carpenter?”
Was Joseph a perfect father? I don’t think so. We’re told that after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had children of their own, and they did not become believers in Jesus till after His resurrection. In spite of what their parents tried to tell them of their older brother’s miraculous birth, they refused to accept it. Parents can teach their children, but they cannot give their children faith. They can tell their kids how to live, but they can’t make them moral persons. They can baptize their children, but they cannot make them believe. They can love their children, but they can’t give them eternal life. The influence of parents is important, but we individually choose to accept or reject faith in God.
There’s a lot I’d like to know about Joseph – where and when he was born, how he spent his days, what he said, when and how he died. The last we hear of him is when he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Mary and Jesus, when Jesus was 12 years old. He was apparently a man of few words, for even in this episode, it is Mary who is quoted, but he did what he was suppose to do. We don’t know much about Joseph. We’re pretty sure he wasn’t a sissy - afraid of thunderstorms! Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was: “a righteous man” (Mt 1:18). Joseph may have thought that being righteous involved doing the right thing; he found out that it is also about being the right person.
Prayer: Lord God, when we observe the action of this mature, responsible man; when we study the compassionate involvement, his disciplined restraint, his plain obedience, all woven together into righteous action, we know that we too can live in accordance with your will for our lives. Amen.
One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm, a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was just about to turn out the light when he asked in a trembling voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?” His mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. “I can’t, Dear,” she said, “I have to sleep with your daddy.” After a long silence he said, “The big sissy.”
There are certain sayings we associate with our fathers. Here are some typical quotes attributed to current vintage American Dads.:
“Ask your mother.”
“Don’t worry; it’s only blood.”
“Do I look like I’m made of money?”
“I’m not sleeping; I was watching that show.”
“I’m not just talking to hear my voice.”
“A little dirt never hurt anyone; just wipe it off.
“We’re not lost.”
“No, we’re not there yet.”
“Don’t make me stop this car.”
There are numerous quotes of different fathers in the Bible, but try as I might, I wasn’t able to locate a single quote from a prominent father, Joseph. I never thought about this before, but Joseph doesn’t say a single word in the Gospels. He listens and obeys. Once would think his words are recorded. We can only imagine the conversations he might have had with Mary and the angel Gabriel. We can hear him talking with the innkeeper. We can visualize him teaching Jesus about carpentry, but then he fades from the scene. It is widely thought that Joseph was much older than Mary, and when Jesus began his ministry, Mary appears alone. And, although the Bible doesn’t say she’s a widow, we can figure Joseph has since died.
Joseph probably thought his life was pretty well planned. His marriage and vocation were all arranged neatly for him, but then his world came crashing down. He discovered that his bride-to-be was pregnant. We know that Joseph was a man of integrity – he wanted to do the right thing, in the right way. He considered divorcing Mary when he learned of her pregnancy, but wanted to do so without calling attention to the reason, whereas he could have had her publicly disgraced or even stoned to death for adultery. Instead he risks being questioned about Mary’s pregnancy and marries her. As you may recall from earlier homilies, a marriage contract in those days was worked out between families and the engaged couple continued to live with their parents until their wedding. The townspeople could well have thought Mary and Joseph didn’t wait till their wedding. Joseph protected their reputation by moving up the wedding date and the Roman census took them far away from the town’s questioning eyes. This serves for all time as an example of godly wisdom and tender consideration for others.
Although Joseph came from the royal lineage of King David (thanks to the Gospel genealogy), we can easily picture him as a humble man. The brief portrait of him in Scripture suggests he was a quiet, unobtrusive man, available when needed, willing to endure hardship and disappointment. Looking forward to fathering his own child, Joseph was faced with being a step-father to a child not his own. He accepted the humbling circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth. He trusted the providential care of God every step of the way. He didn’t have Dr. Spock’s book on parenting, any training on how to be the father to the Son of God, but he possessed faith and compassion. Bible scholars portray Joseph as an effective provider and protector of the family.
A Sunday school class was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty upset but he didn’t say anything to the director.
During all the rehearsals he thought what he might do the night of the performance to get even with this rival who got to be Joseph. Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the in-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly, “What do you want?”
Joseph answered, “We’d like to have a room for the night.” Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door open wide and said, Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house.”
For a few seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do. Thinking quickly on his feet, he looked inside the door past the inn-keeper then said, “No wife of mine is going to stay in a dump like this. Come on Mary, let’s go to the barn.” And once again the play was back on track.
In all the Christmas pageants performed, Joseph doesn’t get a starring role, but his role is so important. His task is to watch over Mary and the baby Jesus. Joseph had the important role of caring for the needs of others.
When our lives take a nasty turn, we cry out, like Joseph must have cried out, “God how can this be?” But like Joseph, we hear a still small voice from God saying, “Trust me.” God’s ways are not always our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and we may never understand everything that God is doing this side of heaven, but God says, “Trust me, and all things will work together for good.”
It’s been said the best thing a father can do for his kids is to love their mother. Joseph’s love for Mary is reflected in Paul’s definition: “Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast; it is not proud or rude. Love is not self-seeking or easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres (I Cor. 13). Instead of being indignant, Joseph accepted this child as his own. Joseph accepted the revealed will of God. He followed the instructions – journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then to Egypt, then back to Nazareth. We can easily picture Joseph receiving his son as a gift from God. The Bible doesn’t tell much about the 30 years that Jesus lived at home, but it’s safe to say that there was a deep and strong affection between Jesus and Joseph.
Joseph became a father to the Messiah, who would teach us all about the acceptance and grace of God. Joseph is charged with naming their son and thus defining His mission. The name Jesus means “Savior”. Archeologists have uncovered the ruins of Sapphoris, a thriving city near Nazareth. It is believed that Joseph spent much time there working on carpentry jobs, probably with Jesus, his carpenter apprentice son. When Jesus returned to his hometown, the people responded, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph, the carpenter?”
Was Joseph a perfect father? I don’t think so. We’re told that after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had children of their own, and they did not become believers in Jesus till after His resurrection. In spite of what their parents tried to tell them of their older brother’s miraculous birth, they refused to accept it. Parents can teach their children, but they cannot give their children faith. They can tell their kids how to live, but they can’t make them moral persons. They can baptize their children, but they cannot make them believe. They can love their children, but they can’t give them eternal life. The influence of parents is important, but we individually choose to accept or reject faith in God.
There’s a lot I’d like to know about Joseph – where and when he was born, how he spent his days, what he said, when and how he died. The last we hear of him is when he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Mary and Jesus, when Jesus was 12 years old. He was apparently a man of few words, for even in this episode, it is Mary who is quoted, but he did what he was suppose to do. We don’t know much about Joseph. We’re pretty sure he wasn’t a sissy - afraid of thunderstorms! Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was: “a righteous man” (Mt 1:18). Joseph may have thought that being righteous involved doing the right thing; he found out that it is also about being the right person.
Prayer: Lord God, when we observe the action of this mature, responsible man; when we study the compassionate involvement, his disciplined restraint, his plain obedience, all woven together into righteous action, we know that we too can live in accordance with your will for our lives. Amen.
June 15, 2009
June 10, 2009 + “The Price of Freedom and Forgiveness” (Luke 7:36-47) + Hayward Fong
The month of June holds many important dates in my life as an American citizen. June 14, 1775 is the birthday of the United States Army. On the same date two years later was our first Flag Day. On June 12, 1898, (Pista Sai Nayon) the Philippines were freed from the Spanish rule only to endure many more years of foreign rule until she received her independence from the United States. On June 6, 1944, the Allied Forces stormed onto the Normandy beaches to free Europe from the Axis powers. Last Saturday, President Obama in the company of British, Canadian and French leaders stood on the shores of Omaha Beach in Normandy where thousands of servicemen gave their lives on the D-day invasion that led to the eventual liberation of Europe from the Axis powers. Having served my country for 36 years in the United States Army, you can understand why these dates are so meaningful to me.
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stood on the battlefield of Gettysburg to dedicate a portion of that land as a national cemetery. The featured speaker of the day was Edward Everett, acclaimed as possibly the greatest classical orator of his time. A former United States senator, Governor of Massachusetts and President of Harvard University, he spoke for more than two hours to an audience of some 25,000 people. His was a masterful address, broad in its scope and dramatic in its presentation.
Next was a musical interlude by the Baltimore Glee Club and then, finally, President Lincoln. Lincoln was formally introduced and the people settled back down in their chairs and on the grass to listen to him. Lincoln spoke simply and clearly and startled the people by the briefness of his remarks.
Now, I realize that most of you are already familiar with what he said, but would you listen again to a portion of it? After his opening sentence, he said:
“We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
“But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
“It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Gettysburg does not stand alone in our memory. I would run out of time were I to detail scenes of carnage and courage in places as Valley Forge, Flanders Field, Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, the Mekong, and of recent times the operations throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
But friends, we must realize that if freedom is to be carried on from generation to generation – if our children and grandchildren are to enjoy freedom – then we must be willing to pay the price, because “freedom is never free.” “Freedom is never free.” It sounds like a paradox when you say it, but it is true. “Freedom is never free.”
In the same way, “forgiveness is never free.” That, too, sounds untrue at first. But before forgiveness takes place there is always a price to be paid. Let me call your attention to the Scripture reading of a few minutes ago. This incident and the parable that Jesus shares in it are of particular importance
Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee by the name of Simon. That is something quite unusual because the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their power, their teachings and their legalistic system. They saw Jesus as their enemy, not all of them, of course, but most of them. But this Pharisee invited Jesus to his home. We’re not exactly sure why he invited Him but most commentators believe he invited Jesus because he wanted to upstage Him. And Jesus accepted the invitation.
It was normal, when a guest arrived, to make him feel welcome by going through certain common courtesies.
First of all, his feet would be washed. A guest’s feet would be caked with dirt after walking in sandals on the dusty roads. So a servant would greet him at the door with a basin of water and would wash and dry his feet. After his feet had been cleaned, the host would come and greet him with a kiss to make him feel welcome and let him know that he was an honored guest.
Then it was a matter of courtesy to anoint the head of the guest with some cooling oil. Maybe it because of the hot oriental sun. Maybe some of the men were thin on top and slightly sunburned. Whatever the reason, it was customary to use oil to anoint the head of a guest. All these things went together to say, “You are welcome to our home.” But when Jesus visited the home of this Pharisee, none of these things happened.
Now, as they began eating, an unusual thing happened. This woman – Luke calls her a sinner (the word means “an immoral woman, a prostitute”) came to where they were eating – probably an outdoor courtyard to catch the evening breeze. She fell at Jesus feet and started to weep. Her tears fell on his feet so she dried them with her hair. Then she broke a vial of expensive perfume and anointed his feet and began kissing them.
All the while, Simon the Pharisee was watching. He was greatly offended and embarrassed by what was going on. Because all the things he failed to do as a host she was doing. Simon knew what kind of women she was, so as he judges her, he is also judging Jesus. He is thinking to himself, “If this man is truly a prophet, he would surely know that she is an immoral woman.” Simon saw her as a prostitute but Jesus saw her as a child of God who needed forgiveness.
Then Jesus told this parable about the two men who owed a money lender money. I won’t try to translate how much a denarii is suffice to say that a denarii represented a days wages at that time. So one fellow owed the equivalent of 50 days wages and the other 500 days. Assuming a five day work week, one owes ten weeks and the other 100 weeks or almost two years.
So Jesus says to Simon, “Simon, since neither can repay their debt and the money lender says to these two men, ‘Tell you what, fellows, I’ll stamp your bill paid in full and you won’t owe me anything,’ which one would be the most grateful?” Simon was caught between a rock and a hard spot. He thinks to himself, I may admit that I am a sinner, but not to the same degree as that woman. Jesus is making me out as the fellow who owes the 50 denarii’s and she as the person owing the 500. So he answers, “It would be the one who owes the most who would be most thankful.” Jesus said, “You have answered correctly,” and leaves it there for the time being.
He turns to the women and reminds her that her sins have been forgiven. He tells Simon that those who have been forgiven much love much and those who have been forgiven little love little.
How does this tie into “Freedom” and “Forgiveness” you may ask.
Every one is a spiritual debtor – you and I are in debt to society, to our nation and to God. We are all debtors. You may not thought of it in this way, but face it, all of us are debtors.
Now, an important asset when you are in debt is a good memory. Because if you don’t remember to whom you owe money, you’re going to have all kinds of problems. Simon’s problem was that he had a poor memory.
I suspect when Simon looked at himself he thought, “God, you’re lucky to have me on your team. I’m pretty special. I’ve memorized the law! I pray beautiful prayers! And I do so many significant things for you! I’m a Pharisee and I’ve mastered the art of being a Pharisee. God, I’m a pretty special guy.”
What Simon forgot was that he was a sinner. His sins were sins of the heart and he didn’t recognize them as sins. It was easy for him to forget that he stood in the need of forgiveness.
And isn’t it so easy for us to forget how indebted we are to those who paid the price to achieve freedom for us? Isn’t it easy for us to get in our cars and drive from one place to another without even thinking about the blessings of the freedom we enjoy?
Isn’t it easy for us to come into God’s house and open our Bibles and never give it a second thought. Isn’t it easy for us to forget those pilgrim forefathers who crossed the ocean to this new land? Isn’t it easy to forget the blood that was shed at Valley Forge and at Gettysburg?
We put hamburgers on the grill and sit around enjoying all the material blessings that God has given us and forget the blood that was shed so that the stars and stripes could fly in the breeze and that we could still enjoy the freedom that is ours as citizens of the United States of America.
We owe a great debt to our country and to those who have gone before. We also owe a great debt to our God who has redeemed and forgiven us. We are all debtors. We all owe a debt. We can never repay that debt.
Our nation’s fiscal situation is a good example of what I said. General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, AIG, Bank of America, Citicorp and all the other corporate “money managers” found that they owed more than they were able to pay and the Federal government had to bail them out. Our citizens who learned to live by the credit cards soon found themselves in the same situation. By making minimum payments, they were getting deeper and deeper in debt. The federal government faces the situation by printing more paper money and selling them as “IOUs”. In so doing, the United States faces the same dilemma should all its creditors decide to collect what is owed them all at once. All of these debtors, be it the government, the corporations or John Q. Public, have remained solvent so long as the creditors don’t demand everything at the same time.
When I think of the debt of freedom that I owe to our forefathers, I realize that is also a debt I can’t pay. And when I think of the debt I owe God for the price He has paid for my sins, I realize that I can’t pay that either.
Now getting g back to the story: When she wet Jesus feet with her tears and tried to dry them with her hair, and anointed Him with the oil, it was an expression of gratitude and love. Though you and I may think that was the way to pay God back, she wasn’t paying Him back. She was saying, “Thank you Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins.”
And that’s all you and I can do. We can never pay God back. But we can show our gratitude and love by rolling up our sleeves and go to work. We can worship and we can serve and we can cry a little bit and we can pray a bunch. And we can get out and reach people for Jesus. We can do all that, but we will never be able to pay the debt that we owe our God.
However, forgiveness is available to everyone. Though we can’t pay it, forgiveness is not free. In the instance of the money lender, it cost him 550 dinarii to forgive the debt. A pittance compared to the forgiveness of God, but it is a teaching parable. When God forgives, the forgiveness cost God through the cross. The ledger had to be stamped “Paid in Full” before forgiveness became a reality. Now that it’s been paid, it’s available to all.
Isn’t that also true of our freedom? The price has been paid. It is available to all in this great land. That is why we rejoice at the Declaration of Independence. That is why we rejoice in the Statue of Liberty. Freedom is available to all of us, regardless of where we live in this great nation.
Let me close with a story that I’ve told many times. One day, Abraham Lincoln went to a slave auction and noticed a young Negro girl who was about to be auctioned off. So he began bidding and eventually purchased her. They brought her over to him and he instructed them to take the shackles off her wrists and ankles. The he said to her, “You are free to go.”
She looked at him and said, “You mean that I don’t have to go home with you?” He said, “No, you don’t.” She said, “You mean that I don’t have to do what you say?” “That’s right.” “You mean I don’t have to be your slave, I don’t have to put up with your whims and your fancies?” He said, “No, you don’t. You are free to go.”
She bowed her head and tears started flowing down her cheeks. She looked up at Abraham Lincoln and said, “Then I guess I’ll go with you.”
Freedom is never free. It always costs someone something. Forgiveness is never free. There is always a price that must be paid.
Right now we need to remember the price and to thank God for our freedom and for our forgiveness. And we dedicate ourselves to keep on paying the price so that freedom and forgiveness might be enjoyed for generations to come.
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stood on the battlefield of Gettysburg to dedicate a portion of that land as a national cemetery. The featured speaker of the day was Edward Everett, acclaimed as possibly the greatest classical orator of his time. A former United States senator, Governor of Massachusetts and President of Harvard University, he spoke for more than two hours to an audience of some 25,000 people. His was a masterful address, broad in its scope and dramatic in its presentation.
Next was a musical interlude by the Baltimore Glee Club and then, finally, President Lincoln. Lincoln was formally introduced and the people settled back down in their chairs and on the grass to listen to him. Lincoln spoke simply and clearly and startled the people by the briefness of his remarks.
Now, I realize that most of you are already familiar with what he said, but would you listen again to a portion of it? After his opening sentence, he said:
“We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
“But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
“It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Gettysburg does not stand alone in our memory. I would run out of time were I to detail scenes of carnage and courage in places as Valley Forge, Flanders Field, Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, the Mekong, and of recent times the operations throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
But friends, we must realize that if freedom is to be carried on from generation to generation – if our children and grandchildren are to enjoy freedom – then we must be willing to pay the price, because “freedom is never free.” “Freedom is never free.” It sounds like a paradox when you say it, but it is true. “Freedom is never free.”
In the same way, “forgiveness is never free.” That, too, sounds untrue at first. But before forgiveness takes place there is always a price to be paid. Let me call your attention to the Scripture reading of a few minutes ago. This incident and the parable that Jesus shares in it are of particular importance
Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee by the name of Simon. That is something quite unusual because the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their power, their teachings and their legalistic system. They saw Jesus as their enemy, not all of them, of course, but most of them. But this Pharisee invited Jesus to his home. We’re not exactly sure why he invited Him but most commentators believe he invited Jesus because he wanted to upstage Him. And Jesus accepted the invitation.
It was normal, when a guest arrived, to make him feel welcome by going through certain common courtesies.
First of all, his feet would be washed. A guest’s feet would be caked with dirt after walking in sandals on the dusty roads. So a servant would greet him at the door with a basin of water and would wash and dry his feet. After his feet had been cleaned, the host would come and greet him with a kiss to make him feel welcome and let him know that he was an honored guest.
Then it was a matter of courtesy to anoint the head of the guest with some cooling oil. Maybe it because of the hot oriental sun. Maybe some of the men were thin on top and slightly sunburned. Whatever the reason, it was customary to use oil to anoint the head of a guest. All these things went together to say, “You are welcome to our home.” But when Jesus visited the home of this Pharisee, none of these things happened.
Now, as they began eating, an unusual thing happened. This woman – Luke calls her a sinner (the word means “an immoral woman, a prostitute”) came to where they were eating – probably an outdoor courtyard to catch the evening breeze. She fell at Jesus feet and started to weep. Her tears fell on his feet so she dried them with her hair. Then she broke a vial of expensive perfume and anointed his feet and began kissing them.
All the while, Simon the Pharisee was watching. He was greatly offended and embarrassed by what was going on. Because all the things he failed to do as a host she was doing. Simon knew what kind of women she was, so as he judges her, he is also judging Jesus. He is thinking to himself, “If this man is truly a prophet, he would surely know that she is an immoral woman.” Simon saw her as a prostitute but Jesus saw her as a child of God who needed forgiveness.
Then Jesus told this parable about the two men who owed a money lender money. I won’t try to translate how much a denarii is suffice to say that a denarii represented a days wages at that time. So one fellow owed the equivalent of 50 days wages and the other 500 days. Assuming a five day work week, one owes ten weeks and the other 100 weeks or almost two years.
So Jesus says to Simon, “Simon, since neither can repay their debt and the money lender says to these two men, ‘Tell you what, fellows, I’ll stamp your bill paid in full and you won’t owe me anything,’ which one would be the most grateful?” Simon was caught between a rock and a hard spot. He thinks to himself, I may admit that I am a sinner, but not to the same degree as that woman. Jesus is making me out as the fellow who owes the 50 denarii’s and she as the person owing the 500. So he answers, “It would be the one who owes the most who would be most thankful.” Jesus said, “You have answered correctly,” and leaves it there for the time being.
He turns to the women and reminds her that her sins have been forgiven. He tells Simon that those who have been forgiven much love much and those who have been forgiven little love little.
How does this tie into “Freedom” and “Forgiveness” you may ask.
Every one is a spiritual debtor – you and I are in debt to society, to our nation and to God. We are all debtors. You may not thought of it in this way, but face it, all of us are debtors.
Now, an important asset when you are in debt is a good memory. Because if you don’t remember to whom you owe money, you’re going to have all kinds of problems. Simon’s problem was that he had a poor memory.
I suspect when Simon looked at himself he thought, “God, you’re lucky to have me on your team. I’m pretty special. I’ve memorized the law! I pray beautiful prayers! And I do so many significant things for you! I’m a Pharisee and I’ve mastered the art of being a Pharisee. God, I’m a pretty special guy.”
What Simon forgot was that he was a sinner. His sins were sins of the heart and he didn’t recognize them as sins. It was easy for him to forget that he stood in the need of forgiveness.
And isn’t it so easy for us to forget how indebted we are to those who paid the price to achieve freedom for us? Isn’t it easy for us to get in our cars and drive from one place to another without even thinking about the blessings of the freedom we enjoy?
Isn’t it easy for us to come into God’s house and open our Bibles and never give it a second thought. Isn’t it easy for us to forget those pilgrim forefathers who crossed the ocean to this new land? Isn’t it easy to forget the blood that was shed at Valley Forge and at Gettysburg?
We put hamburgers on the grill and sit around enjoying all the material blessings that God has given us and forget the blood that was shed so that the stars and stripes could fly in the breeze and that we could still enjoy the freedom that is ours as citizens of the United States of America.
We owe a great debt to our country and to those who have gone before. We also owe a great debt to our God who has redeemed and forgiven us. We are all debtors. We all owe a debt. We can never repay that debt.
Our nation’s fiscal situation is a good example of what I said. General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, AIG, Bank of America, Citicorp and all the other corporate “money managers” found that they owed more than they were able to pay and the Federal government had to bail them out. Our citizens who learned to live by the credit cards soon found themselves in the same situation. By making minimum payments, they were getting deeper and deeper in debt. The federal government faces the situation by printing more paper money and selling them as “IOUs”. In so doing, the United States faces the same dilemma should all its creditors decide to collect what is owed them all at once. All of these debtors, be it the government, the corporations or John Q. Public, have remained solvent so long as the creditors don’t demand everything at the same time.
When I think of the debt of freedom that I owe to our forefathers, I realize that is also a debt I can’t pay. And when I think of the debt I owe God for the price He has paid for my sins, I realize that I can’t pay that either.
Now getting g back to the story: When she wet Jesus feet with her tears and tried to dry them with her hair, and anointed Him with the oil, it was an expression of gratitude and love. Though you and I may think that was the way to pay God back, she wasn’t paying Him back. She was saying, “Thank you Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins.”
And that’s all you and I can do. We can never pay God back. But we can show our gratitude and love by rolling up our sleeves and go to work. We can worship and we can serve and we can cry a little bit and we can pray a bunch. And we can get out and reach people for Jesus. We can do all that, but we will never be able to pay the debt that we owe our God.
However, forgiveness is available to everyone. Though we can’t pay it, forgiveness is not free. In the instance of the money lender, it cost him 550 dinarii to forgive the debt. A pittance compared to the forgiveness of God, but it is a teaching parable. When God forgives, the forgiveness cost God through the cross. The ledger had to be stamped “Paid in Full” before forgiveness became a reality. Now that it’s been paid, it’s available to all.
Isn’t that also true of our freedom? The price has been paid. It is available to all in this great land. That is why we rejoice at the Declaration of Independence. That is why we rejoice in the Statue of Liberty. Freedom is available to all of us, regardless of where we live in this great nation.
Let me close with a story that I’ve told many times. One day, Abraham Lincoln went to a slave auction and noticed a young Negro girl who was about to be auctioned off. So he began bidding and eventually purchased her. They brought her over to him and he instructed them to take the shackles off her wrists and ankles. The he said to her, “You are free to go.”
She looked at him and said, “You mean that I don’t have to go home with you?” He said, “No, you don’t.” She said, “You mean that I don’t have to do what you say?” “That’s right.” “You mean I don’t have to be your slave, I don’t have to put up with your whims and your fancies?” He said, “No, you don’t. You are free to go.”
She bowed her head and tears started flowing down her cheeks. She looked up at Abraham Lincoln and said, “Then I guess I’ll go with you.”
Freedom is never free. It always costs someone something. Forgiveness is never free. There is always a price that must be paid.
Right now we need to remember the price and to thank God for our freedom and for our forgiveness. And we dedicate ourselves to keep on paying the price so that freedom and forgiveness might be enjoyed for generations to come.
June 10, 2009
May 20, 2009 + “Lest We Forget: People Count Most of All” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) + Hayward Fong
Ron was a fifteen year old, tenth grader. It was game day and he was the only sophomore suiting up with the varsity team. With great excitement, he asked his mother to go to the game. She had never been to a football game before and she promised to be there with several of her friends. After the game, she waited outside the locker room to drive her son home.
“What did you think about the game, Mom? Did you see the three touchdown passes our team made and our tough defense, and the fumble recovery that we recovered on the kickoff return? Did you, huh?”
His Mom replied, “Ron, you were magnificent. You have such presence and I was proud of the pride you took in the way you looked. You pulled up your knee socks eleven times during the game, and I could tell you were perspiring in all those bulky pads because you got eight drinks and splashed water on your face twice. I really like how you went out of your way to pat No. 19, No. 5 and No. 90 on the back every time they came off the field.”
“Mom, how do you know all that? And how can you say I was magnificent? I didn’t even play in the game.”
His mother smiled and hugged him, “Ron, I don’t know anything about football. I didn’t come here to watch the game. I came here to watch you.”
The moral of the story is, “People count most of all!” Football is fine and it is fantastic for some people. But people are supreme.. People are more important than the game. Here’s another way to look at it.
One time the beautiful and popular actress Sophia Loren sobbed to her Italian movie director, Vittorio De Sica, over the theft of some of her jewelry. And he said to her: Listen to me, Sophia, I am much older than you and, if there is one great truth I have learned about life, it is this, “Never cry over anything that can’t cry over you!”
What a lesson! What a great lesson for life! People are more important than things! People are more important than cars and computers. People are more important than houses and furniture. People are more important than all material things!
Next Monday, the last Monday in May has been set aside by Congress as Memorial Day. Traditionally, it would be observed the following Saturday, on May 30th rather than the last Monday in May. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. I think the Monday observance has turned what should be a day of spiritual observance into the make-up of another three-day weekend. Many organizations feel that changing the May 30th observance has undermined the very meaning of the day. I hope its observance this year will be more in keeping as a day of memorializing the sacrifices that have been our nation’s hallmark and make it a more spiritual observance, most especially as we hear of our men and women dying daily in Iraq and Afghanistan, a total of almost 5,000 since the war began.
Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally called, was an outgrowth of the Civil War. Waterloo, New York was the birthplace of Memorial Day. On May 5, 1866, the people in that community placed flowers on the graves of northern soldiers who had died in the war between the states. Two years later, Major General John Logan declared May 30th as a day for honoring soldiers who had died fighting for the north. After World War I, it was expanded to include the memory of all who had died fighting for our country in all of its wars – the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I. It has now been expanded to include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and ipso-facto, the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those who still observe the occasion take the time to remember family and loved ones who have passed on to their eternal home by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.
I have read that on an average 750 persons will visit the U.S. Arizona in Hawaii and on Memorial Day weekend, about 4,600 will visit the memorial. And on an average some 3,000 persons will visit the Vietnam War Memorial and on Memorial Day weekend 7,600 will visit it.
God bless those who remember our deceased veterans. God bless those who remember any of their deceased loved ones. People count. People are what life is all about. People have contributed greatly to our lives and we need to remember them!
The American military through several wars and several centuries have preserved liberty for our citizens and others abroad. Many times a great price has been attached to their service.
In 2005, two pictures which were awarded first and second place at the Picture of the Year International were printed in the Rocky Mountain News.
The first place photo was of 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body being unloaded off the plane at Reno Airport. Accompanying the picture was the following by Todd Heisler: When 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.
During the arrival of another Marine’s casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process: “See the people in the windows? They’ll sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta (sic) wonder what’s going through their minds, knowing that they’re on the plane that brought him home. They’re going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They’re going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.”
The second picture was of Lt. Cathey’s widow sleeping on the floor in front of her husband’s casket. Todd Heisler wrote the following: The night before the burial of her husband’s body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag.
Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of ‘Cat,’ and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. “I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,” she said. “I think that’s what he would have wanted.”
Each year some 5,000 wreaths decorate the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. They are donated by the Worchester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worchester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He has been doing this since 1992. Most years, groups of Maine school children combine an educational trip to our nation’s capital. with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is one of the poorest parts of Maine. Doing “good” is not necessarily well publicize.
It is well to remember those who have given their lives in the military service of our nation; it is equally important to remember others who have been most important in our lives.
First, we need to glorify our memory of Jesus the Christ!
Not everyone accepts the freedom offered in Christ, just as many do not properly use the freedom of this nation, which others died to provide for them. Paul said:
“Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
“So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:21-24 NLT).
And, we need to clarify the memory of our family and friends.
Many of us have parents who are deceased. Have you reflected and given thanks for the positive impact they had on your life? At the same time, have you faced up to the negative influence they may have had on you? Those who have had negative issues, need to face them honestly in order to be emotionally strong and free of them. In forgiving, you may still remember those issues, but they will merely be historical facts without their ability to disable you any longer. Free from that bondage you can live in a more positive relationship with your loved one and friends, and help prevent you from passing on those same errors to your children.
For some the process may involve deceased spouses. Some should seek to correct bad memories. Others should rejoice and give thanks to God for loving, cherishing, spiritual, responsible spouses that were their strength and mainstay.
Each year, my family conducts a memorial observance at several cemeteries where our loved ones are buried. Some are connected by blood or marriage, others are people who have formed a link of love in our Golden Chain of life. Some have been buried over seventy five years and others only a year or two. Many of the family never met some of those we honor but it gives those who have a chance to share and recall the influences on their lives.
We need to look back and remember people. We need to remember the people who made an impact on our lives. Lest we forget-Memorial Day means people and people count most of all.
Remember these words of Jesus! “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Amen.
“What did you think about the game, Mom? Did you see the three touchdown passes our team made and our tough defense, and the fumble recovery that we recovered on the kickoff return? Did you, huh?”
His Mom replied, “Ron, you were magnificent. You have such presence and I was proud of the pride you took in the way you looked. You pulled up your knee socks eleven times during the game, and I could tell you were perspiring in all those bulky pads because you got eight drinks and splashed water on your face twice. I really like how you went out of your way to pat No. 19, No. 5 and No. 90 on the back every time they came off the field.”
“Mom, how do you know all that? And how can you say I was magnificent? I didn’t even play in the game.”
His mother smiled and hugged him, “Ron, I don’t know anything about football. I didn’t come here to watch the game. I came here to watch you.”
The moral of the story is, “People count most of all!” Football is fine and it is fantastic for some people. But people are supreme.. People are more important than the game. Here’s another way to look at it.
One time the beautiful and popular actress Sophia Loren sobbed to her Italian movie director, Vittorio De Sica, over the theft of some of her jewelry. And he said to her: Listen to me, Sophia, I am much older than you and, if there is one great truth I have learned about life, it is this, “Never cry over anything that can’t cry over you!”
What a lesson! What a great lesson for life! People are more important than things! People are more important than cars and computers. People are more important than houses and furniture. People are more important than all material things!
Next Monday, the last Monday in May has been set aside by Congress as Memorial Day. Traditionally, it would be observed the following Saturday, on May 30th rather than the last Monday in May. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. I think the Monday observance has turned what should be a day of spiritual observance into the make-up of another three-day weekend. Many organizations feel that changing the May 30th observance has undermined the very meaning of the day. I hope its observance this year will be more in keeping as a day of memorializing the sacrifices that have been our nation’s hallmark and make it a more spiritual observance, most especially as we hear of our men and women dying daily in Iraq and Afghanistan, a total of almost 5,000 since the war began.
Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally called, was an outgrowth of the Civil War. Waterloo, New York was the birthplace of Memorial Day. On May 5, 1866, the people in that community placed flowers on the graves of northern soldiers who had died in the war between the states. Two years later, Major General John Logan declared May 30th as a day for honoring soldiers who had died fighting for the north. After World War I, it was expanded to include the memory of all who had died fighting for our country in all of its wars – the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I. It has now been expanded to include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and ipso-facto, the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those who still observe the occasion take the time to remember family and loved ones who have passed on to their eternal home by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.
I have read that on an average 750 persons will visit the U.S. Arizona in Hawaii and on Memorial Day weekend, about 4,600 will visit the memorial. And on an average some 3,000 persons will visit the Vietnam War Memorial and on Memorial Day weekend 7,600 will visit it.
God bless those who remember our deceased veterans. God bless those who remember any of their deceased loved ones. People count. People are what life is all about. People have contributed greatly to our lives and we need to remember them!
The American military through several wars and several centuries have preserved liberty for our citizens and others abroad. Many times a great price has been attached to their service.
In 2005, two pictures which were awarded first and second place at the Picture of the Year International were printed in the Rocky Mountain News.
The first place photo was of 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body being unloaded off the plane at Reno Airport. Accompanying the picture was the following by Todd Heisler: When 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.
During the arrival of another Marine’s casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process: “See the people in the windows? They’ll sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta (sic) wonder what’s going through their minds, knowing that they’re on the plane that brought him home. They’re going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They’re going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.”
The second picture was of Lt. Cathey’s widow sleeping on the floor in front of her husband’s casket. Todd Heisler wrote the following: The night before the burial of her husband’s body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag.
Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of ‘Cat,’ and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. “I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,” she said. “I think that’s what he would have wanted.”
Each year some 5,000 wreaths decorate the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. They are donated by the Worchester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worchester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He has been doing this since 1992. Most years, groups of Maine school children combine an educational trip to our nation’s capital. with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is one of the poorest parts of Maine. Doing “good” is not necessarily well publicize.
It is well to remember those who have given their lives in the military service of our nation; it is equally important to remember others who have been most important in our lives.
First, we need to glorify our memory of Jesus the Christ!
Not everyone accepts the freedom offered in Christ, just as many do not properly use the freedom of this nation, which others died to provide for them. Paul said:
“Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
“So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:21-24 NLT).
And, we need to clarify the memory of our family and friends.
Many of us have parents who are deceased. Have you reflected and given thanks for the positive impact they had on your life? At the same time, have you faced up to the negative influence they may have had on you? Those who have had negative issues, need to face them honestly in order to be emotionally strong and free of them. In forgiving, you may still remember those issues, but they will merely be historical facts without their ability to disable you any longer. Free from that bondage you can live in a more positive relationship with your loved one and friends, and help prevent you from passing on those same errors to your children.
For some the process may involve deceased spouses. Some should seek to correct bad memories. Others should rejoice and give thanks to God for loving, cherishing, spiritual, responsible spouses that were their strength and mainstay.
Each year, my family conducts a memorial observance at several cemeteries where our loved ones are buried. Some are connected by blood or marriage, others are people who have formed a link of love in our Golden Chain of life. Some have been buried over seventy five years and others only a year or two. Many of the family never met some of those we honor but it gives those who have a chance to share and recall the influences on their lives.
We need to look back and remember people. We need to remember the people who made an impact on our lives. Lest we forget-Memorial Day means people and people count most of all.
Remember these words of Jesus! “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Amen.
April 29, 2009 + “Jesus Is Speaking To You: Are You Listening?” (John 10:22-30) + Hayward Fong
At first glance, our gospel lesson as prescribed in the Lectionary for the Fourth Week in Easter seems out of place. This story takes place before the events of Passion Week, before Jesus’ death on the cross, before his resurrection. As a matter of fact, the events in this story lead to the events of the past several weeks. So why has the Lectionary placed this text at this point in time for our study?
For three weeks, the Lectionary has led us to see Jesus appearing to Thomas, appearing to the people in the upper room, appearing to the two people along the road to Emmaus, appearing to the disciples as he made breakfast on the lakeshore. The physical fact of the resurrection has been very clearly documented in the scripture. We have seen that Jesus has risen indeed.
Today, the Lectionary leads us to see who Jesus is, the Son of God, the Good Shepherd. Today our Scripture tells us that Jesus and the Father are one. Today, we see who Jesus is beyond the resurrection. We see Him as the Son of God.
Our text begins as Jesus is walking in the portico of Solomon in the temple in Jerusalem. It was a cold day as John says it was winter. Winter in Jesus’ day meant that the wind came in from the east and it was raw and cold. He was walking in the part of the temple that was enclosed which sheltered him from the raw east wind. As he walked, prayed and meditated, a group of Jews came to him and asked him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life,…”
Jesus tells the Jews that he is the Christ, the Messiah. He tells them that he has told them over and over again who he is, but they will not believe. He speaks, but they do not hear.
Jesus wants us to hear his words; he wants us to understand who he is for our lives. He wants us to know and believe that he is our shepherd and we are his sheep. He wants us to follow his voice; he wants us to hear his words of peace and comfort in our lives. But sometimes you and I have a difficult time hearing.
Let me share a story about a dear old lady whose hearing had largely failed and was experiencing great difficulty understanding what was being said to her. Persons trying to communicate would draw close and shout loudly. They would cup their hands and scream into her ears. And even with all this, the dear old lady would often shake her head and sigh that she was unable to hear.
But she was married to a kind and patient man whom she had shared love and life for more than 60 years. It was strange to many that she could hear him when she was able to hear no one else. He would take her frail hand in his, look deeply into her eyes, and speak distinctly in a tone which seemed only a trifle louder than normal. And the wife he loved always heard and understood.
There wasn’t anything really strange about this. It was a matter of relationship, of basic understanding, a sense of love, compassion… a link connecting these two people. There was a bond of understanding, true mutual love and a sense of kindness that let the man have patience with his hard of hearing wife, and let her surrender herself to him for she knew he wanted only what was the best for her.
One of the consequences of the resurrection that is pointed out in this text, one of the things Jesus is asking us to understand about our risen Christ, is that we need to hear his voice and follow it in this world. Though we might have a difficult time hearing his voice, though it might seem we are deaf to his voice, Jesus is reminding us that he wants to be patient with us, he wants a bond of trust and understanding between us so that we can hear his voice, so that we can trust him, so that we will know he wants what is best for us.
But I think you and I are too easily distracted in the rush of the modern world. Maybe we are deaf to the words of Jesus; maybe we don’t have a hearing problem as much as we hear what we want to hear so we tune out Jesus and tune in on all the sounds and words of the world as it rushes by. Maybe part of our problem is we don’t have a trusting relationship with him to listen intently to his words.
And maybe the other part of the problem is we only listen to what we want to listen to, and far too much of our listening is centered on the world and not on Jesus. I think the following story will demonstrate far better what I’m trying to say.
Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly one of the men remarked, “Listen to the lovely sound of the cricket,” but the other man couldn’t hear the sound. He asked his friend how he could hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of traffic and the sound of the people. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature. He didn’t explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, but instead, he reached in his pocket, pulled out a fifty cent piece, dropped it onto the sidewalk, and watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking around amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the crowded city living. He said to his friend, “We hear what we listen for.”
Maybe that is our problem with the voice of Jesus as he is trying to get us to follow him. We hear everything else but him because we aren’t willing to listen. We don’t want to hear his voice; we tune it out instead of focusing our attention on it.
The Jews heard, but did not believe. They saw his signs, but did not get the message. We have heard his word down through the centuries through the Bible, through preaching, through the sacrament, that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Lord. We have seen his deeds as the Holy Spirit has worked in the lives of countless people, but still we don’t believe, still we have a difficult time centering our attention, our focus on this shepherd who would guide our lives. In one sense we have an advantage over the Jews of Jesus’ time; we have the whole story. We have seen in the scripture the witness to the resurrection. We have heard sermons these last three Sundays from Frank, Sam and Elizabeth, giving powerful witness that indeed Jesus has risen. So we should be able to trust him, to follow him, to believe in his Lordship for our lives with greater conviction than the Jews who approached Jesus in the temple. But sadly, many people still doubt; many people still do not trust Jesus as their savior. Many people are still looking, still searching for meaning and purpose to their lives. Many people have found no one to help them with the burdens they carry. Many people are still wandering aimlessly in life, with no direction, no goal, no idea what to make of their life, what they want to accomplish with the God given gifts that have been so generously given to them.
I think one reason so many people are direction less, are aimless, are just wandering around with no purpose is because they have not let Jesus control; they have not surrendered to him so that he can be the good shepherd, so that he can take care of them giving them guidance, giving them peace, giving them a sense of worth and direction.
I want to close with a story that speaks of a guide who will guide us through the abyss of life. It was published among a collection of stories in a book entitled, “A Fresh Packet of Sower’s Seeds, Third Planting” back in 1994.
“A traveler was returning to his home from a journey to a distant country. At nightfall he arrived at the entrance to a vast forest. Unable to either delay his journey or retrace his steps, he was prepared to traverse the sullen forces when he came upon an old shepherd from whom he asked the way.
“‘Alas!’ cried the shepherd. ‘It is not easy to point it out, for the forest is criss-crossed by hundreds of paths winding in every direction. They are almost all similar in appearance, though all with one exception lead to the Great Abyss.’ ‘What is the Great Abyss?’ the traveler inquired.
“‘It is the abyss which surrounds the forest,’ replied the shepherd. ‘Moreover, the forest is filled with robbers and wild beasts. In particular, it is ravaged by an enormous serpent, so that scarcely a day passes but we find the remains of some unfortunate traveler who fell prey to it. Still,’ the shepherd continued, ‘as it is impossible to arrive at the place where you are going without traversing the forest, I have, through a motive of compassion stationed myself at the entrance of the forest to assist and direct travelers. I have also placed my sons at different intervals to assist me in the same good work. Their services and mine are at your disposal, and I am ready to accompany you is you so desire.’
“The candor and venerable appearance of the old man satisfied the traveler, and he accepted the proposal. The shepherd held a lantern with one hand and with the other took the arm of the traveler. Then they set out upon their journey through the dark forest.
“After walking for some distance, the traveler felt his strength waning. ‘Lean on me,’ said the shepherd. The traveler did so, and was able to continue the journey. At length the lamp began to flicker. ‘Ah!’ groaned the traveler. ‘The oil has nearly spent, and the light will soon be gone. What will become of us now?’
“‘Do not fear,’ consoled the shepherd. ‘We shall soon meet one of my sons, who will supply us with more oil.’ Just then the traveler perceived a glimmer of light shining through the darkness. The light shone from a small cabin by the side of the narrow path. At the sound of the shepherd’s well-known voice, the cabin door swung open. A seat was offered to the weary traveler, and some plain but substantial food was set before him. Thus refreshed, the traveler set out again, guided by the shepherd’s son.
“In this manner the traveler journeyed on for the rest of the night. From time to time, they stopped at different cabins built along the path. At each stop he obtained refreshment, a bit of rest and was furnished with a new guide. With the dawning of daylight, the traveler arrived, without incident, at the farthest boundary of the forest. Only then did he appreciate the magnitude of the service rendered him by the shepherd and his sons. At the very edge of the forest, right before his feet, lay a frightful precipice, at the bottom of which he could distinguish the roar of an angry current.
“‘This,’ said his guide, ‘is the Great Abyss which my father spoke about. No one knows its depth, for it is always covered with a thick fog which no eye can penetrate. As he spoke, he heaved a deep sigh, and wiped a tear from his eyes. ‘You seemed grieved,’ said the traveler. ‘How can it be otherwise?’ replied the guide. ‘Can I look at the abyss without thinking of the thousands of unfortunate people who every day are swallowed up in it? In vain do my father and my brothers offer our service. Very few accept them, and of those few the greater portion, after journeying for a few hours, accuse us of needlessly alarming them. They despise our advice and set out on paths of their own choosing. The consequence is that they soon lose their way and are devoured by the serpent, murdered by robbers, or plunge headlong into the abyss. You see there is only this one little bridge by which the Great Abyss can be crossed, and the way which leads to the bridge is known to us alone. Pass over with confidence,’ continued the guide. He turned to the traveler, embraced him and said, ‘On the other side is your true home.’
“The traveler, overcome with gratitude, thanked his charitable guide and promised never to forget him. He crossed the narrow bridge and discovered he was now in his own land and his family was there to welcome him.”
Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Amen.
For three weeks, the Lectionary has led us to see Jesus appearing to Thomas, appearing to the people in the upper room, appearing to the two people along the road to Emmaus, appearing to the disciples as he made breakfast on the lakeshore. The physical fact of the resurrection has been very clearly documented in the scripture. We have seen that Jesus has risen indeed.
Today, the Lectionary leads us to see who Jesus is, the Son of God, the Good Shepherd. Today our Scripture tells us that Jesus and the Father are one. Today, we see who Jesus is beyond the resurrection. We see Him as the Son of God.
Our text begins as Jesus is walking in the portico of Solomon in the temple in Jerusalem. It was a cold day as John says it was winter. Winter in Jesus’ day meant that the wind came in from the east and it was raw and cold. He was walking in the part of the temple that was enclosed which sheltered him from the raw east wind. As he walked, prayed and meditated, a group of Jews came to him and asked him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life,…”
Jesus tells the Jews that he is the Christ, the Messiah. He tells them that he has told them over and over again who he is, but they will not believe. He speaks, but they do not hear.
Jesus wants us to hear his words; he wants us to understand who he is for our lives. He wants us to know and believe that he is our shepherd and we are his sheep. He wants us to follow his voice; he wants us to hear his words of peace and comfort in our lives. But sometimes you and I have a difficult time hearing.
Let me share a story about a dear old lady whose hearing had largely failed and was experiencing great difficulty understanding what was being said to her. Persons trying to communicate would draw close and shout loudly. They would cup their hands and scream into her ears. And even with all this, the dear old lady would often shake her head and sigh that she was unable to hear.
But she was married to a kind and patient man whom she had shared love and life for more than 60 years. It was strange to many that she could hear him when she was able to hear no one else. He would take her frail hand in his, look deeply into her eyes, and speak distinctly in a tone which seemed only a trifle louder than normal. And the wife he loved always heard and understood.
There wasn’t anything really strange about this. It was a matter of relationship, of basic understanding, a sense of love, compassion… a link connecting these two people. There was a bond of understanding, true mutual love and a sense of kindness that let the man have patience with his hard of hearing wife, and let her surrender herself to him for she knew he wanted only what was the best for her.
One of the consequences of the resurrection that is pointed out in this text, one of the things Jesus is asking us to understand about our risen Christ, is that we need to hear his voice and follow it in this world. Though we might have a difficult time hearing his voice, though it might seem we are deaf to his voice, Jesus is reminding us that he wants to be patient with us, he wants a bond of trust and understanding between us so that we can hear his voice, so that we can trust him, so that we will know he wants what is best for us.
But I think you and I are too easily distracted in the rush of the modern world. Maybe we are deaf to the words of Jesus; maybe we don’t have a hearing problem as much as we hear what we want to hear so we tune out Jesus and tune in on all the sounds and words of the world as it rushes by. Maybe part of our problem is we don’t have a trusting relationship with him to listen intently to his words.
And maybe the other part of the problem is we only listen to what we want to listen to, and far too much of our listening is centered on the world and not on Jesus. I think the following story will demonstrate far better what I’m trying to say.
Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly one of the men remarked, “Listen to the lovely sound of the cricket,” but the other man couldn’t hear the sound. He asked his friend how he could hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of traffic and the sound of the people. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature. He didn’t explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, but instead, he reached in his pocket, pulled out a fifty cent piece, dropped it onto the sidewalk, and watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking around amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the crowded city living. He said to his friend, “We hear what we listen for.”
Maybe that is our problem with the voice of Jesus as he is trying to get us to follow him. We hear everything else but him because we aren’t willing to listen. We don’t want to hear his voice; we tune it out instead of focusing our attention on it.
The Jews heard, but did not believe. They saw his signs, but did not get the message. We have heard his word down through the centuries through the Bible, through preaching, through the sacrament, that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Lord. We have seen his deeds as the Holy Spirit has worked in the lives of countless people, but still we don’t believe, still we have a difficult time centering our attention, our focus on this shepherd who would guide our lives. In one sense we have an advantage over the Jews of Jesus’ time; we have the whole story. We have seen in the scripture the witness to the resurrection. We have heard sermons these last three Sundays from Frank, Sam and Elizabeth, giving powerful witness that indeed Jesus has risen. So we should be able to trust him, to follow him, to believe in his Lordship for our lives with greater conviction than the Jews who approached Jesus in the temple. But sadly, many people still doubt; many people still do not trust Jesus as their savior. Many people are still looking, still searching for meaning and purpose to their lives. Many people have found no one to help them with the burdens they carry. Many people are still wandering aimlessly in life, with no direction, no goal, no idea what to make of their life, what they want to accomplish with the God given gifts that have been so generously given to them.
I think one reason so many people are direction less, are aimless, are just wandering around with no purpose is because they have not let Jesus control; they have not surrendered to him so that he can be the good shepherd, so that he can take care of them giving them guidance, giving them peace, giving them a sense of worth and direction.
I want to close with a story that speaks of a guide who will guide us through the abyss of life. It was published among a collection of stories in a book entitled, “A Fresh Packet of Sower’s Seeds, Third Planting” back in 1994.
“A traveler was returning to his home from a journey to a distant country. At nightfall he arrived at the entrance to a vast forest. Unable to either delay his journey or retrace his steps, he was prepared to traverse the sullen forces when he came upon an old shepherd from whom he asked the way.
“‘Alas!’ cried the shepherd. ‘It is not easy to point it out, for the forest is criss-crossed by hundreds of paths winding in every direction. They are almost all similar in appearance, though all with one exception lead to the Great Abyss.’ ‘What is the Great Abyss?’ the traveler inquired.
“‘It is the abyss which surrounds the forest,’ replied the shepherd. ‘Moreover, the forest is filled with robbers and wild beasts. In particular, it is ravaged by an enormous serpent, so that scarcely a day passes but we find the remains of some unfortunate traveler who fell prey to it. Still,’ the shepherd continued, ‘as it is impossible to arrive at the place where you are going without traversing the forest, I have, through a motive of compassion stationed myself at the entrance of the forest to assist and direct travelers. I have also placed my sons at different intervals to assist me in the same good work. Their services and mine are at your disposal, and I am ready to accompany you is you so desire.’
“The candor and venerable appearance of the old man satisfied the traveler, and he accepted the proposal. The shepherd held a lantern with one hand and with the other took the arm of the traveler. Then they set out upon their journey through the dark forest.
“After walking for some distance, the traveler felt his strength waning. ‘Lean on me,’ said the shepherd. The traveler did so, and was able to continue the journey. At length the lamp began to flicker. ‘Ah!’ groaned the traveler. ‘The oil has nearly spent, and the light will soon be gone. What will become of us now?’
“‘Do not fear,’ consoled the shepherd. ‘We shall soon meet one of my sons, who will supply us with more oil.’ Just then the traveler perceived a glimmer of light shining through the darkness. The light shone from a small cabin by the side of the narrow path. At the sound of the shepherd’s well-known voice, the cabin door swung open. A seat was offered to the weary traveler, and some plain but substantial food was set before him. Thus refreshed, the traveler set out again, guided by the shepherd’s son.
“In this manner the traveler journeyed on for the rest of the night. From time to time, they stopped at different cabins built along the path. At each stop he obtained refreshment, a bit of rest and was furnished with a new guide. With the dawning of daylight, the traveler arrived, without incident, at the farthest boundary of the forest. Only then did he appreciate the magnitude of the service rendered him by the shepherd and his sons. At the very edge of the forest, right before his feet, lay a frightful precipice, at the bottom of which he could distinguish the roar of an angry current.
“‘This,’ said his guide, ‘is the Great Abyss which my father spoke about. No one knows its depth, for it is always covered with a thick fog which no eye can penetrate. As he spoke, he heaved a deep sigh, and wiped a tear from his eyes. ‘You seemed grieved,’ said the traveler. ‘How can it be otherwise?’ replied the guide. ‘Can I look at the abyss without thinking of the thousands of unfortunate people who every day are swallowed up in it? In vain do my father and my brothers offer our service. Very few accept them, and of those few the greater portion, after journeying for a few hours, accuse us of needlessly alarming them. They despise our advice and set out on paths of their own choosing. The consequence is that they soon lose their way and are devoured by the serpent, murdered by robbers, or plunge headlong into the abyss. You see there is only this one little bridge by which the Great Abyss can be crossed, and the way which leads to the bridge is known to us alone. Pass over with confidence,’ continued the guide. He turned to the traveler, embraced him and said, ‘On the other side is your true home.’
“The traveler, overcome with gratitude, thanked his charitable guide and promised never to forget him. He crossed the narrow bridge and discovered he was now in his own land and his family was there to welcome him.”
Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
