You Are Maaaalvous!

Ephesians 2:10

Main point – We get in ‘shape’ for God when we choose to accept ourselves as God’s greatest creation!

(Take video camera, that is patched into TV and ‘shoot’ the audience. Take time to focus on 6 persons and tell them by name, “__________, you are maavelous!”)

All of us are maavelous! All of us matter to God! All of us have a place of ministry in this church and in God’s Kingdom!

(overhead 1)If we are going to get into ‘shape’ for God then we must choose to accept ourselves as God’s greatest creation. And we accept ourselves as God’s greatest creation when we believe, accept, and live by three things that Paul told the Ephesian church in our text for this morning:

We are God’s Masterpiece

We are created anew in Christ Jesus

We are created to do good works

Each of these truths will change our lives for the better when we believe, accept, and live by them with the power and help of the Holy Spirit.

I have no doubt that some of you got very uncomfortable when I started panning us with the video camera this morning. You probably wanted to duck under the pew and hide. Why?

We have trouble accepting ourselves. We have played the comparison game for so long that we simply do not like what we see in the mirror. We are either too tall or too short. We are either too light or too heavy. We are either too blonde or too gray.

We have to stop doing this! All of us have room for improvement. (What do you think New Year’s resolutions are for?)

Show me a person who has confidence, not a cocky self-arrogance, but a wholesome confidence in who he or she is, and I will show you someone who will make a difference. That’s what God wants to develop in us. This is one of the ways that we get into shape for God. And we get in shape as we believe, accept, and live by the truth that we are God’s masterpiece.

Have you seen the show “Extreme Makeover” on ABC? That’s quite a show! How many of us here would like to have an extreme makeover? A tuck there. A lift there. (Here a tuck, there a tuck, everywhere a tuck, tuck.)

Sure, we have some parts that could use a make over. But, the most important make over is from the inside out.

Consider the following facts and thoughts about the human body:

An article in Sunshine Magazine reported on the efforts of some scientists who were asked “to determine the size, the cooling system, and the power required to perform electronically the same functions” [by a human brain] during [one person’s] lifetime.”

The article goes on to say, “They decided that if all the parts were transistorized and built on a miniature scale like those used in rockets to the moon, the following would be needed:

A machine the size of the UN building in New York; a cooling systems with an output equal to Niagara Falls; and a power source that would produce as much electricity as is used in homes and industry in the entire state of California.”

Someone has written about the human ear: “The inner ear has a keyboard with 15,000 different keys, because that is the number of different tones that can be detected. Not only does the ear perform the function of hearing, it acts to control equilibrium as well.”

King David said it well in Psalm 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it.”

We are God’s workmanship. We are God’s masterpiece. And we begin to get in shape for God when we begin to believe, accept, and  live out this truth.

We also get in shape for God when we believe, accept, and live out the truth that we are created anew in Christ Jesus. In our tradition we preach the necessity of personal salvation. Now, what does that mean?

It means that a person becomes a Christian not by membership or confirmation or baptism, but by making a personal confession of faith in Christ alone and accepting His forgiveness. Membership/confirmation and baptism, we teach and practice, comes as a result of our personal confession and acceptance. In other words, a salvation experience makes us a member of the church. So, if you have been saved, then you are a member of this church.

But, just a membership has its privileges, as the commercial says, it also has its responsibilities. And one of the most important is that we believe, accept, and live out the second truth about ourselves, “we are created anew in Christ Jesus.” But what did Paul mean by this statement?

Like a lot of things, the Christian faith has a terminology that sometimes prohibits further understanding and more important, belief and practice. It’s the same for other things as well. For example, the field of law enforcement has its “codes,” (code-10 for example) and its “signals” (such as signal 43) that are a part of its lingo.

The manufacturing process has its own terms. We see them on the sides of plants, or a company semi, or in the company literature, and they tell those who know of that company’s commitment to certain practices and standards of manufacturing. A common one is ISO 9000.

An important word that helps us understand this particular phrase, “created anew in Christ Jesus,” is “conversion.” Sometimes we have heard other words used in place of this word:
”saved” or “accepting Jesus.” But, what does “conversion” mean?

The original meaning of conversion in the New Testament is two-fold. One meaning of conversion is “to return to or comeback.” Another meaning is “a change of mentality.”

In other words, conversion creates a change in a person. When a person converts to Christianity it means that s/he makes a change. And what changes? Everything!

If you have been saved; if you have confessed your sins and asked God to forgive you of them, then your life’s priorities and agenda becomes God’s priorities and agenda. You live your life for God and not yourself.

This is what the “created anew” in our text for this morning means. We created all over again to live the way that God has planned for us to live.

But, the challenge is to choose to live that way. And that way sometimes is very hard to live. Jesus acknowledged this when He said, “narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.” Yet if we are going to get into shape for God then it requires us to let God completely into our lives to make this newness a reality as we believe, accept, and live out a new life.

Finally, we get in shape for God as we believe, accept, and live out the truth that not only are we God’s masterpiece that is created anew in Christ Jesus, but that we are also “created to do good works.” I think that another name for “good works” could be “ministry” or “place of service.”

If there is only one thing that you take from this message this morning, I want it to be this: “Each one of us has a ministry or place of service that God has called us to and will give us the skills and ability to do.” And as we believe, accept, and live out this truth, we will be in even better “shape” for the Lord.

Now, I know that questions begin to come to our conscious thought, “What do you mean, Jim? God wants me to teach a class? I can’t teach a class. I don’t like classes!” Or, “Oh boy, you aren’t going to ask us for a big time commitment to something that I have no time to give to, are you?”

All of us have things that we are deathly afraid of doing. We live in fear that someone, including God, will ask us to do one of those things. Ministry is more than teaching a class. There are other places of service other than going door-to-door.

I would remind us of what Paul said in I Corinthians when he was telling the Corinthian Christians about the value and place of ministry. “Now all of you together,” he says in I Corinthians 12:27, “are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.”  I want us to notice two words, separate and necessary, because they give us some help about this truth that we are created to do good works.

We are separate. We are individuals. We are unique. God made us that way. There are a lot of human begins. But, God put us together one at a time.

Some of us are organizers. Some of us are artistic. Some of us are thinkers. Some of us are feelers. But when God created us, He put us together with a variety of gifts and abilities that He wants to build on as we serve Him. So what?

It means that if God has wired us and given us a gift and desire to teach, then we teach. And if He hasn’t wired us and given us a gift to teach, we don’t.

Now this doesn’t mean that we may not serve in a ministry of teaching in some way from time to time, but it means that we have been wired and gifted in other ways. So we when we begin to search for and discover how God has wired and gifted us, then we begin to find great pleasure in service because we are serving in ways that God has equipped us to do.

I find great pleasure in being a pastor. It took me a while to fully realize and accept that this was God’s place for me. I love being here. I enjoy being your pastor.

A little over four years ago, I was miserable. There was what I now call a “holy discontent” within me. There was just this antsy ness that finally drove me to put my name out as a candidate. And when I did, there was a peace that came because I was following God’s plan.

Now, please understand me, I loved my former church. I had eight years of great ministry there. But, it was time to go on. God had prepared me for a new chapter and place in service. But, it required me to make some steps of faith and to keep moving forward through obedience and further learning and development of my gifts and skills.

The same holds true for you. God has gifted and called each one of you to a place of ministry and service. And when you obey the Lord and find that place of service, life is great! But, this also means that you will go on a journey that may lead you to places of service and ministry that you have only dreamed about and never thought that you would be there. (I certainly didn’t.)

We are also necessary. I have an important place as your pastor. I accept that place.

But, you are necessary as well. What would have happened if I would have disobeyed God and not come here? (And given the story of how I came here, I do believe that it would have been disobedience.)

You probably would have found another pastor. And I would have found another church. But, I would have missed the mark.

The same holds true for you! You are a necessary part of the ministry of both this local church and the Kingdom of God. God needs you on the team! He has gifted and wired you for a specific task and function.

I recently read a quote from Emmet Fox that needs to be heard this morning. It is from his book, Your Heart’s Desire.

“… how is one to find his true place in life? Is there any means whereby you may discover what it really is that God wishes you to do? You may feel inclined to say: “Even if it be true that God has some splendid thing that he wishes me to do, and to be, how can I possibly find out what it is?”

“Perhaps,” Fox continues, “You may even be tempted to add: “I am a very plain, everyday sort of person; my circumstances are extremely restricted; the conditions of my life are just drab commonplace. How then can there be something wonderful, beautiful, splendid awaiting me? Or, even if there were, how could I possibly get to know about it?”

“… the answer is Divinely simple- Already in your past life from time to time, God himself has whispered in your heart just that very wonderful thing, whatever it is, that he is wishing for you to do, and to have. And that wonderful thing is nothing less that what is called Your Heart’s Desire.”

“Nothing less than that. The most secret, sacred wish that lies deep at the bottom of your heart, the wonderful thing that you hardly dare to look at, or to think about…that is just the very thing that God is wishing you to do or to be for him. And the birth of that marvelous wish in your soul – the dawning of that secret dream-was the Voice of God himself telling you to arise and come up higher because he had need of you.”

God has a dream for you. God has a purpose for you. It includes any current responsibilities of family, work, and school that you already of have. But there is more to it than just these three things.

But, to discover this dream, this passion, requires us to get in shape for God. Which means that we must believe, accept, and live out these three important truths this morning.

I have repeated, “believe, accept, and live out” several times this morning because they are actions we take to get in shape for God.

Do you believe these truths? Do you believe that you are God’s masterpiece? Do you believe that you have been created anew in Christ Jesus? Do you believe that you have been created to do good works?

Belief is the first word listed because we act on our beliefs. And if we don’t believe these things, then none of what I have said makes any difference. But, if we do, then steps of faith are required to embrace the second step of faith – acceptance of these truths.

Do you accept that you are God’s masterpiece? Do you accept that you have been created anew in Christ Jesus? Do you accept that you have been created to do good works?

If you believe and do not accept, you’re between a rock and a hard place. It’s like being half in and half out a door. What do we tell the kids when they do that? “Either get in or get out.” But, when one does believe, and accept that we are God’s masterpiece, that we have been created anew in Christ Jesus and that we have been created to do good works, then the next step of faith is easier – living it out.

And to live it out means that we begin to search for and embrace God’s gifts and calling for our places of ministry and service. It means that we get in shape for God.

This morning I am not asking you to do something that you are not wired to do. This morning I am not asking you to give more time than you need to give as you serve the Lord.

This morning I am asking you to get in shape for the Lord by believing, accepting, and living out the truth that you are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, for good works.

Your church needs you. Your church needs you; your gifts, your time, your place of service. I encourage you to find it if you are not sure what it is (we have this class that starts this morning) and if you are in a ministry, I encourage you to hear God’s voice of reaffirmation that you are where He wants you to be and if you are not, that you will be willing to let go of that place of service and embrace where He wants you to be.

Let’s get in shape for God in 2004 and beyond because all of us are maaavelous in His eyes! Amen.

Faith Is Service in Action

Philippians 2:1-4, James 2:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Before us this morning are three items: a watch, a billfold, and a Bible. The watch represents the time given to us each day. The billfold represents the financial resources that we earn or are given to us. The Bible represents the faith that we proclaim.

Now, keeping in mind the meanings of these items I ask, “Which of these three is the best way to serve others?

How many of you say the watch? How many of you say the billfold? How many of you say the Bible? How many of you say all three?

I would suggest this morning that all three is the best way to serve others. To serve others takes time. To serve others takes financial resources. To serve others is an expression of our faith.

Todd Wendorff tells the story of walking into a bathroom at his church and noticing a man in a wheelchair at the sink, with his shirt off and his toothpaste tube open. Todd said, “He was attempting to wash up and I concluded that he was homeless. Fear struck me, “God are you going to ask me to help him?”

“I didn’t know if I could do anything for him. I wrestled with God and finally washed up next to the man and left.”

He concluded, “As I walked out I felt a stab of guilt. I should have asked him if he needed help. This lonely man, I thought, probably doesn’t have a friend in the world.”

Can you relate to Todd? I can. You can.

We continue this morning with our series, “Getting In Shape for God.” Last week we looked at Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece,” wrote Paul. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” And we were told that getting in shape for God requires us to believe, accept, and live out the truth of this verse.

This morning we are going to learn another way that we get in shape for God. We get in shape for God as we learn to serve and be a servant to others.

In the book of James, chapter 2 and verses 14 though 18 we read, “Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well.” but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. Now some people may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.”

Getting in shape and staying in shape for God means that we serve others – in Jesus’ name. But, this passage of scripture also challenges us with regard to service.

One reason for this challenge is because our American heritage has shaped our thinking about serving others in a couple of ways. First, we often see serving others as enabling them to stay dependent and not become responsible.

We have been taught to be self-reliant and responsible persons. We have been taught not be lazy.  So our upbringing often creates a barrier to caring for others because we often see those in need as weak or lazy and if we help them in some way, then we are enabling them to continue to be irresponsible.

Another part of this challenge comes as we honestly wrestle with living out our faith by doing good works as an expression of it and yet fearing that we are going to be trapped into a commitment that we cannot get out of and find that our time and money is being expended far beyond what we had anticipated. While at the same time we don’t want to be hard or mean! (Help!)

The Bible has some important things to say about responsibility. Read through the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They are filled with lists of responsibilities that God expected from the Israelites as part of the covenant. The Ten Commandments are a clear example of being responsible to God and one another. But the New Testament has some important things to say as well.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 – 13, Paul says this about responsibility: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and doesn’t follow the tradition of hard work we gave you. For you know that you ought to follow our example. We were never lazy when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It wasn’t that we didn’t have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Whoever does not work should not eat.”

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and wasting time meddling in other people’s business. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to such people—no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living. And I say to the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.”

Pretty heavy words aren’t they?

In reading this passage, I am reminded of the story about the family in the loaded station wagon who pulled into the only remaining campsite and was observed with admiration by a camping neighbor as the four children leaped from the car and began feverishly unloading gear and setting up the tent.

The boys rushed to get firewood while the girls and their mother set up the camp stove and cooking utensils. Such teamwork, the neighbor commented, he had never seen. The father replied, “I have a system. No one goes to the bathroom until the camp is set up.”

Paul is making an important point about serving and responsibility. He points out that he and his team purposely did not come to Thessalonica to be a “drag” on the believers but to be responsible as they served as followers of the Lord: “We were never lazy when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It wasn’t that we didn’t have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.”

Could we not say that Paul’s service was enhanced by his emphasis on personal responsibility? To be a good servant is to be a responsible person.

So when we serve others, as scripture commands us, it does not mean that we enable people to continue to be “takers” and not learn how to become “givers” as well. Serving others is a way that we help others get in shape for God as well as helping them get up and become responsible and mature followers of Christ. But there is also more to being a servant than responsibility. In the text that was read earlier in the service there is the very important issue of attitude that we have to deal with.

In a sermon entitled, “Becoming A Servant” that used Matthew 20:17-26 as one of its texts, a passage in which Jesus speaks of His coming suffering on the cross and James and John’s mother asking for places of honor for her sons, Pastor Brian Bill quotes Warren Wiersbe on this passage “Jesus spoke about a cross, but they were interested in a crown.” It is a pointed statement about our attitudes and priorities in relation to serving.

Paul says the same thing: “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.”

Now some of us may take exception to the statement “don’t live to make a good impression on others” because we don’t want to be rude or irritating to people but kind and caring. Paul isn’t telling the Philippians to be rude or irritating. He is telling them to not act in such a manner that puts self-interest ahead of God-interest. As Pastor Bill also says, “our default setting is selfishness, not other-centeredness. In order to improve our serve we must seek the Savior and follow the model of the Master.” How do we do that? By looking at passages such as this one for guidance on how to serve as Jesus did. Paul gives the Philippians and us some good tips on how to serve as Jesus did by cultivating an attitude.

Tip number one comes from Philippians 2:1: Think about how your relationship with Christ and other Christians has helped you.

Paul begins chapter 2 with a series of important questions: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic?

How do you answer these questions this morning? Have you gained encouragement in your relationship with Christ? Have you gained comfort from His love? Have you experienced fellowship, closeness as part of this church (or any church) through the Spirit? Have your experiences as follower of Christ created a caring compassion in your heart? Or has your experiences created the opposite of encouragement, comfort, fellowship and compassion? What’s your answer?

Servant hood thrives in an environment when we can give an affirmative answer to these questions. But, when we can’t our ability to serve, individually and congregationally is impaired. Not necessarily disabled, but impaired.

Tip number two comes from Philippians 2:2: Make the decision to work together and be one in Christ by loving and working together for one purpose – to bring people to Christ and help them follow Him!

Servant hood becomes increasingly effective when we make the choice to work together in Jesus’ name. Getting in shape for God requires us to work together.

I like the current emphasis in ministry on building teams and doing church as a team. (There’s even a book by that title.) Ministry is so important and so demanding that one person cannot do it all!

Much has been said about burnout. I used to think that burnout was about working too hard. That can be a problem.

But, as I have lived longer and read more, I realized that, as someone has written, burnout is more about the “emotional” position that one is in or put in. In other words, those who think that they are totally responsible for the ministry or a ministry or that success or failure of a ministry is totally dependent on their performance, creates a pressure cooker environment that will, if not dealt with, cook their spirits and they will burn out. A key attitude of servant hood we learn from Jesus is that we work together. After all Jesus had the twelve disciples and a host of others who served along with Him.

Tip number three comes from Philippians 2:3: Keep working at keeping selfishness and self-centeredness out of your life.

Keith Miller tells the story of how dealing with the issue of pure motives almost kept him from going to a speaking engagement at a church. He did go and prayed just prior to the start of his presentation, “that God would use me if you can use a man as full of himself as I am.”

Miller went on with his speech and goes on to say “several days later a man who attended the meeting came to my office. He said that he had been desperate and almost had lost hope, but as a result of attending the session that he had decided to give life another try. After he left, I sat thinking about what had happened.”

One of the conclusions that he drew from the experience was “it came crashing home to me that my motives are always mixed to some degree – and that most likely they always will be in this life. So that the leap of faith in witnessing (and I would add serving) for Christ is to go…[and] take the risk I will speak (and serve) for Him instead of myself.”

In Philippians 1, the previous chapter, Paul himself addresses the issue of motives as he honestly states that some who are preaching the Christian message do so, as part of verse 17 says, “with selfish ambition, not sincerely.” “But,” as Paul says in verse 18, “whether or not their motives are pure, the fact remains that the message about Christ is being preached, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.”

We will always do battle with selfishness and self-centeredness as we serve. We will serve with a variety of motives in our hearts and minds. But, the basic thrust of the Bible is that we do so less and less over the years.

Each of these tips builds on one another. For as we think about all the blessing and benefits that God has given to us as we have followed Him, then attitudes of love and trust begin to grow and develop in our lives so that we think less and less of ourselves and more of others and their needs, especially their need to experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

This requires us to get in shape for God so that as we serve, in Jesus’ name, we are able to serve well and effectively and God is made clearer and more credible in our hearts and lives.

In a moment, we are going to sing a hymn that gives us perspective on our service for Christ and the struggles that we have as we serve Him:

Does the place you’re called to labor, seem so small and little known? It is great if God is in it, And He’ll not forget His own.

Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth or fame, there’s a crown and you can win it, if you go in Jesus’ name.

There are no small places of service in God’s church. Every place is important. Every place is a large and important place. The smallness comes in our thinking and in our standards.

Last month, we celebrated the home going of ______. I e-mailed ________ of her passing and he wrote a wonderful note that said in part “Her humbleness and desire to serve others and tell others about Jesus was a great inspiration to me. She taught me that a person doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles of “professionalism” to love and follow Jesus and share Jesus with others…just availability. Many people, both young and old, male and female, in both places we served together, were touched by her sacrifice and simplicity.”

That was true of Letha. And as I prepared for her funeral the depth of service that she gave for Christ throughout her life struck me. May that depth of service be a hallmark of our lives and … our faith as well. Amen.

What Position Do You Play?

1 Corinthians 12:4-7
At a recent “Y” league basketball practice one of the boys’ coaches began to ask them questions about the game. “What is offense?” “What is defense?” And he explained what it means to be on defense and what it means to be on offense. Then he assigned positions. To some he assigned the position of forward. To other kids he assigned them the position of guard. And to one kid he assigned the position of center. And then he began to teach them how to play that position both offensively and defensively. Some of us know the joy, and agony, of giving it all through tryouts for either a team, a band, choir, or something else. And we wait for the moment when either we read our name on a list or hear it read aloud. And when we make it then we know that we will be assigned a position on the team or play in a certain instrument section in the band or be paid to perform a certain job on the line. Now, we always realize that we may not get chosen or hired or selected. But, sooner or later we find ourselves as part of a group – a team, band, job, or family and we gain a place in that group. The same holds true in the church. The Lord has a place, an assignment for each of us, as we rightly relate to Him by faith through Christ. We have been talking about getting in shape for God the past two weeks as we do the following: (Overhead 1) 1. As we believe, accept and live out that we are God’s masterpiece 2. As we learn to serve and be a servant to others 3. As we discover and utilize our spiritual gifts. This morning we are going to focus on the third point, discovering and utilizing our spiritual gifts because one of the ways that we get in shape for God is finding our place on His team, the church. Each one of us has a place on the team no one is excluded. Now, I know that I have preached on this every year since I have come to Kendallville. Let me tell you why. I believe that a church whose members earnestly commit to and live out a personal relationship with Christ, and then earnestly seek to discover their place of ministry and service that God has both gifted them for and called them to, is becoming a growing and healthy church that will make a difference in people’s lives. Such a church will be used by God in some powerful ways because its members, not just its pastor, but its members, will be ready, willing, and able to serve in ways that they have been gifted and called to serve. And I believe that this is the kind of church that God wants this church to become. It is a church of servants who discover, accept, and then do what God has called them to do. In our main text, I Corinthians 12:4-7, we are given some very basic and important information on spiritual gifts that is basic to finding our place on the team. Let’s read the text again: “Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” First and foremost we need to remember the final statement of this segment: “A spiritual gift is a given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” From the get-go our giftedness is to be used to serve the church; not to rule it or run it or control it but to serve it and to help it. As we get in shape for God we use the gifts and abilities that God has given to us to help the church grow, to help the church reach out, and to help the church fulfill the purpose that God has given to it. It is a transformational experience. It changes us and it changes others around us. We are transformed from mere by-standers into active participants in the ministry and mission of the church. We are transformed from being “takers” to being “givers.” I have often heard over the years from many people that when they have moved from “merely attending” into “ministry,” be it a classroom or VBS assignment or membership on a committee or board (or team) they have grown so much in their spiritual maturity and understandings. That’s what serving does for you. God becomes more real and alive. We partner with Him as we serve and help others to come to faith and grow like we have. But sometimes such commitment is scary. We don’t know what to do or what to say or how to make a motion or chair a meeting and we don’t want to make a mistake or look bad. We feel the tension as we step out in faith to serve. But, if we keep in mind that we are serving the Lord and serving the church, then as we trust the Holy Spirit to help us, we can serve and serve well for God’s glory! Second, we need to understand the use of two words different and same in this passage because it is critical in our understanding of being on the team. We read of different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different ways that God works in our lives. But, we also read of the same Holy Spirit who is the source of these different gifts; the same God we are serving in different ways; the same God who works in different ways in our life. When we look at a football team lined up for a play all of us see 22 men on the field – 11 on each side (unless one side forgets to get counted before the play clock is started and they have too many men, or as is the case sometimes, not enough on the field). Some of us see those 22 men differently. We see positions – guard, tackle, center, quarterback, linebacker, strong safety, free safety and we see the field in an entirely different manner. We see zones of coverage, where a player is assigned to be, or a route to be run where we hope that the ball and the player assigned to that route will connect at the same time. Some of us concentrate on positions- the big positions; the glamour positions – quarterback, running back, fullback, and wide receiver. We learn and remember the names of those who play these positions –Manning, Harrison, James. But how many of us learn and remember the names of those who stand on the line and push and shove and get all beat up to enable the “glamour” positions to do their stuff? Even though we read and hear of ego and jealousy getting in the way of playing and team unity, good players, those who play the positions we admire and those who play the positions that we don’t admire, eventually learn to accept their place and role and do it for the team and they show up and they practice and they commit themselves 110% to the job they have to do. Their ability to accept their role and their abilities is critical to the success of the team. Have you ever seen a sports team or a band or another organization turn on itself? Ugly. The church to which the words of our main text were written was a church that was turning on itself. There was jealousy and pettiness and compromise of the wrong kind going on. People were comparing themselves to others in the church and wanting to be something that they weren’t. They wanted to have certain abilities and positions and they pouted and whined and complained when they did not get them. So Paul, who had helped start the church, had to write to them and tell them to get their act together and be in unity with one another. The book of I Corinthians opens with a great deal of praise for the church at Corinth: “I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts he has given you, (verse 4) now that you belong to Jesus Christ. He has enriched your church with the gifts of eloquence and every kind of knowledge…. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly await for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.” But, he goes on to say in verse 10, “Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” That is why he informs them of the many places of ministry that are in use because of the many spiritual gifts that one God, and one God alone, has brought into their lives. And he encourages in verse 11 them to accept the truth that it is the Spirit “who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” What am I trying to say? Every person who confesses their sins and accepts the forgiveness of God is given a gift and a place of ministry to accept that gift. And it is God who decides who gets what! Every one of us has a place on the team! Do we know what it is? We need to seek to discern and discover what God has given to each one of us. But we cannot let jealousy or ego get in the way of our service. Some of us are called to serve in a public way. Others of us are called to serve in a “behind the scenes” way. Yet others of us find ourselves moving around because we have been given a mixture of gifts that require us to serve in a variety of ways. But, all of us need to accept our gifts and place of service from the Lord and be grateful and content with what He has given us and called us to do in His name. Now, what do you mean by spiritual gifts, Jim? Supernatural abilities given to us by God for the purpose of serving Him is one definition. By supernatural I mean God empowered not something out of a Hollywood movie. It comes to us, as we become a follower of Christ. The study guide that is currently being used in conjunction with this series, “Developing Your SHAPE to Serve Others,” (published by Zondervan as part of the “Doing Life Together” Series) offers a helpful classification of spiritual gifts and I recommend this guide to you for your study and growth. They break down a standard list of gifts into the following categories: 1. Gifts that “communicate God’s word “such as evangelism and missions. 2. Gifts that “educate God’s people” such as teaching and encouragement. 3. Gifts that “demonstrate God’s love” such as service and giving. 4. Gifts that “celebrate God’s presence” such as intercession and music and the arts. 5. Gifts that “support all four purposes” such as leadership, administration, and faith. As you heard that list, where might you place yourself? Maybe you believe that you are in one primary are or perhaps two different areas of service might be your place. We conclude as we began-on the basketball court. Some of those kids who are currently playing “Y” basketball will play it until they can’t play it anymore. Then they will either stop playing or go on to the next level. Some will then go on to play in the school leagues for a while and either stay with it until the get cut or lose interest and then stop. Others will play through High School then graduate and go on to other things. Some will find themselves playing before college or these days, pro scouts and will offered to play for money or for a college education. If they go to college some of those will finish as college players and go onto other things. But others will get to the pros and play. Service in the church is somewhat, somewhat like that. We learn the basic skills of ministry, the importance of following through on assignments and opportunities, and learning how to serve. Then as we grow and mature in our faith with Christ we get better as serving. Then God might call us to a new place of service that stretches us or builds on our current ministry. But, we can take the analogy only so far. For the goal of ministry and service is not professionalism but maturity, faithfulness, commitment. It is a growing faith and deepening life that looks more and more like Jesus as the years go by. But it starts in simple steps of faith and confident obedience to the One who has give us the tools for ministry and service. May you trust God and find joy in serving Him. Amen.

“I yam what I yam”

Philippians 3:4-14
This morning it’s time for a cartoon quiz! Ready? Here we go! (Winners win the satisfaction of knowing their cartoon trivia!) Who says, “Yabba dabba do?” (Fred Flintstone) Who concludes a certain cartoon series with “TTThat’s all folks!” (Porky Pig) What two partners would rather eat than solve mysteries? (Shaggy and Scooby-Doo) “Who lives in pineapple under the sea?” (Sponge Bob Square Pants!) Who says, “To infinity and beyond!?” (Buzz Lightyear) Who has been known to say, “I yam what I yam?” (Popeye) Not only are we “maavelous” we are who we are! And this morning we continue our series getting in shape for God by learning and understanding that we accept ourselves for who we are while growing in Christian maturity. Now we have spent the past three weeks looking at ways of getting in shape for God. (Overhead 1) We get in shape for God when we “believe, accept, and live out the truth that we are God’s workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus to do good works that He planned for us to do long ago.” Another way that we get in shape for God is by learning to serve and be a servant to/for others. Now being a servant takes time and money and faith. But it does not mean that we keep people from becoming responsible for their lives or allowing ourselves to become doormats. Then last week we looked at a third way of getting in shape for God as discover and use our spiritual gifts and find our place on God’s team – the Church. This way requires us to embrace what God has given to us and accept our place and space of ministry and service. This morning then we turn to a fourth way – accepting ourselves for who we are while still obeying the Holy Spirit as we mature as followers of Christ. Now what does this mean? It means a couple of things: 1. It means that we begin to understand who we are and how we operate in life. 2. It means that we surrender to the Spirit who makes us more like Christ, and more like the person that God wants us to become. Let’s turn to our scripture passage for this morning and take a look at what Paul said as it relates to our two points: In this segment of scripture Paul is reminding the Philippian Christians that their place in Christ is not based on the issue of circumcision or any other “human effort” as he says in verse 3 but on the work of Christ for us and he uses his own life to make a point about what he is saying. First of all he says, “I was a real Jew if there ever was one.” He had the right lineage, the right upbringing. He was, as he says in verse 5, “born into a pure-blooded Jewish family.” And not only was he “real Jew” he was also a Pharisee – who demanded the “strictest obedience to the Jewish law.” And not only was he a Pharisee he was zealous in his efforts to be one! And such zealousness caused him to be a passionate persecutor of the church and to carefully obey the Jewish law so that he would never be accused of any fault. So what kind of a person was Paul? He was a passionate person. He was a driven person. He was a disciplined person. He was an educated person. And God knew that quite well. And one day, while he was acting like the passionate, driven, disciplined, and educated person that he was, God stood right in his path (as we read in Acts 9) and turned all of these characteristics in the direction of His purposes and plans. Paul was still Paul in many ways after his conversion experience. Yes, his name changed from Saul to Paul and his purpose in life changed as well from persecution of the Christian church to the proclamation of its faith. But, he was still Paul in many ways. But, God knew what he was doing when He stopped Paul in his tracks as he was going to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. Paul wrote, or is credited with writing nearly half of the New Testament. He went on three separate trips to spread the gospel that took a total of nearly 9 years to accomplish. He traveled thousands of miles around Southern Europe and Western Asia on foot and ship and probably by camel, horse, and donkey. He was, as we read in 2 Corinthians 11, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, arrested, and jailed as he traveled to spread the Christian faith. What other kind of person could have done that? Paul was God’s person for the job, flaws and all. Paul admits, throughout his writings, that he was still growing as he needed to. In fact, he says in verse 13, “I am still not all that I should be” but I continue to work toward what God has in mind for me. The same holds true for you and me. So one of the ways that we get in shape for God is to understand who we are. It has to do with personality. Now for a lot of good reasons, we need to learn to keep personality out of the way. But, one of the ways that many of us have grown in our faith and relationship with Christ took place when we began to accept ourselves for who we were (and still are) but knowing that God has called us to become more like Him. For a moment I want each of us to reflect on a couple of dimensions of our personality. (Overhead 2) (This comes from our study guide, “Developing Your Shape to Serve Others” published by Zondervan.) First, “How do you get recharged and excited?” In other words, are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introverts are private people. They process their thoughts internally before they speak. People will often tire them out. Extroverts are public people. They process things out loud before they speak. People get them going. The ministry of the church needs both. God made both introverts and extroverts. He needs extroverts like Paul and Peter who are outgoing and able to influence people toward a Christian faith and commitment. He needs introverts like Andrew; the first disciple called by Christ, who through a deeper and quieter influence brought his brother Peter to Jesus. After that encounter that is recorded we hear little of Andrew. But, when we read the gospel accounts of disciples in action and ministry, we remember that Andrew was right there with them doing what Jesus had told them to do. Now there are times when the Lord puts extroverts in a place where they have to be quiet and still and He puts introverts in a situation where they have to interact and be more outgoing or even outspoken. Why? Because God is in the process of helping us grow and sometimes that growth comes in ways that require us to develop the importance of quietness and outgoingness so that we become more mature and Christ-like. Jesus knew the importance of time with people and the practice of being alone for times of rest and prayer. Second, “How do you like to work?” In other words do you prefer routine or is variety your spice of life? Some of us like routine and tasks. Predictability is important to us and change is hard at times. Others of us, however, like variety. We thrill to new opportunities and challenges. Change is looked forward to. The church needs both. In fact, this is perhaps where the greatest tension and difficulty often lies not just in the church, but also in our family life and work and other areas as well. Some of us like things the way they are and want them to continue. We value continuity. We value tradition. Stop messing with it. Others of us like variety and newness. “The old has passed away, the new has come.” We see potential and possibilities. “Let’s try it! Let’s go forward! Yee-haw!!!” The ministry of the church, the message of the faith is both about continuity and change. It is also about continuity through unity, about being one in Christ. Change is at the heart of the Christian message – a change that is made possible through a personal salvation experience. Jesus spoke to the disciples about unity and love as being just as important in sharing the faith “as going into all the world to make disciples.” Again Paul and his ministry is an example of one who had a place of service and ministry that was rich and varied. It required him to be. But, he acknowledged in the letters (now called books) that he wrote of those who did the routine of ministry. We read their names at the end of each book as Paul wraps up his writing and identifies people who are a part of the ministry of that particular Christian community. In the book that contains our main text we read some of these names in chapter 4- Euodia and Syntyche – two women who were having a disagreement that Paul wants to see resolved. Then there is also a reference to Clement and Epaphroditus two men who are involved in the ministry of the church there in Philippi. We know little or nothing about these people – but they are involved in continuing the ministry there that Paul started. And just as God sometimes puts outgoing people in places of quietness and reserved people in places of outgoingness God will also sometime call those who like routine to step out in faith and walk with Him and others. And sometimes God will tell those who are way out in front, “Stop! Turn around and wait for the others to catch up.” Third, “How do you express yourself?” In other words, are you self-controlled or are you self-expressive? Some of us think before we speak. We are people of few words (and there’s nothing wrong with that.) Others of us are very transparent and people can tell by our expressions what we are thinking before we say anything. The church needs both kinds of people. God uses both kinds of people. He uses people like Peter who was very self-expressive and let his opinions be known right away. He also uses people like Mary, who as we read in John 12, says nothing but demonstrates a great love for Jesus when she anoints his feet with expensive perfume. The disciples were a mix of all these traits. And Jesus called them to follow him. The same holds true for us. The ministry of the church needs both kinds of people. We need thoughtful people who can help us see different sides of the issue in a caring and godly fashion. And we need those expressive go-getters who get us fired up for the cause and challenge us to move forward and take that hill! But there are times when God moves in the self-controlled people to have faith and take a risk for Him and there are times when He calls the self-expressive people to calm down and relax. Fourth, “How do you relate to others?” In other words, are you competitive or cooperative? Now it would seem that competition and the Christian faith do not go together. And by and large that is true. The opening chapters of I Corinthians, which we studied a portion of last week, paints a picture of a church in which competition was in operation and cooperation was not. And if we reflect on what the Gospels tell us – competition is in direct conflict with doing good in Jesus’ name and helping people follow God through Christ. But we are in competition – competition for people’s souls. We see this in the temptation of Christ when He is tempted to compromise and give into common temptations such as the challenge to turn stones into bread that demonstrated the common temptation to take shortcuts in the meeting of legitimate needs such as hunger by using His power to do so. We read of it in Paul’s statements in Ephesians when he speaks of the battle that is fought between good and evil in chapter 6 and that the weapons that are used to fight are not laser guided bombs or M-1 tanks or F-117 stealth fighters but the weapons such as the sword of the Spirit – the Bible, the body armor of God’s righteousness and the shield of faith. “For we are not fighting against people of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” Some of us love a good fight. We are ready for battle. We are competitive. We stand for the faith. We are ready to suffer inconvenience and even discomfort for the faith. “Bring it on!” we say! Others of us thrive on cooperation. We love to be a part of a group that is working toward a common goal. We may agree with the action plan that says we are in a battle against evil, but we play a support role (always aware of the battle however). As we read the Bible we find common illustrations of both and even in the same person moments of cooperation and moments of competition – King David comes to mind. And I would have us recall this morning the passage from Philippians 1 in which Paul rejoices that those who are “competing” with Paul in the spread of the faith are still spreading the faith despite their motives for doing so. Now if Jesus were to move an extrovert to a place of quietness and a person who loved variety in ministry to a ministry that required routine, how might He direct a person who is in a competitive mode as well as a person who is in a cooperative mode? Some of the front line warriors may need to take a break to be renewed and they may be replaced by those who need to be reminded of what the battle is all about and pick up the armor and put it on and have at it with Satan and His forces in the lives of people who are broken and bleeding and battered and need some one to come and help them to Jesus. He may also ask, “Where are you doing battle?” It is very easy to fight the wrong battle for all the right reasons. He may also ask, “Who are you aligning with?” It is very easy to be on the wrong team for the right reasons. So… what kind of servant are you? Maybe you are an introvert who says little yet finds great service in a variety of ministry tasks and thrives on competition. God uses you. Or maybe you are an extrovert who loves routine and cooperation. God uses you. The beauty of the church is that it takes all kinds of people to accomplish its God-given mission and purpose because the world is filled with all kinds of people who need Jesus. And for some of us, God’s call is sometimes to a group of people or an individual who seems the total opposite of who we are because that opposite is the avenue in which God moves to bring people to Him. Just as Paul acknowledged who he was, we are to acknowledge who we are so that Christ can do His work in and through us. And that’s the second part of this aspect of getting in shape for God. Paul goes on to say, (and I am paraphrasing here), “Though I am an extrovert who likes variety and am ready to take on the world for Christ, I am still growing more and more like Jesus as time goes on so that I will be more effective for Him.” “You are who you are.” And God uses you that way, as you also become “who you truly are in Him.” Two things to conclude: 1. Be who you are. 2. Become the who that God wants you to become. We get in shape for God this way. This is true of us individually and congregationally. Amen.

The Magnificance of Failure

John 21:15-19
Take a moment and look at the sermon title printed in your bulletin. Do you find it to be a strange title? Do you find it to be a contradiction? Most of us do not like failure and many of us have been taught – consciously or subconsciously – that failure is not acceptable. In fact, we live in a “one strike and you’re out” environment these days. I was recently talking with an acquaintance regarding our growing up years. And she noted to me that what used to get us a “slap on the wrist” or a “pat on the bottom” or “grounded” now will get us jail time or probation. For all our talk on tolerance these days there is often little tolerance for much of what in another time and place passed for foolishness. So failure in our day and age is not often tolerated, so how can there be a magnificence to failure? We have begun 2004 with some ways of getting in shape for God as we: (Overhead 1) Accept ourselves as God’s greatest creation Learn to serve and be God’s servant Discover and accept our place on God’s “team” – the church. Accept ourselves for who we are while growing in Christian maturity And this morning we are going to get in shape for the Lord as we let God use all of our life experiences including our failures and disappointments. It does seem that failure and faith do not go together. But, I would remind us right up front this morning as we approach the Lenten season it was our greatest failure – the failure to obey that resulted in the disobedience that we call sin – that brought Jesus to the Cross and out of the tomb so that we could be free from that failure and be right with God through Christ! Failure is a tool in God’s hands to make things right in us and in this world – now and one day in the future at the final judgment. Not only does God use our failures he also uses our pain and disappointments to bring others to him. All of us here this morning have experienced pain and disappointment in our lives. Some of that pain and disappointment has come as a result of our choices and some of it from the choices of others. We have experienced the end of a marriage and the pain of divorce. We have experienced an unexpected pregnancy. We have mourned the loss of a child. All of which has changed our lives. But, God still loves us. God still wants us to be totally His despite the consequences – good and bad – of those choices. We see this in our text for this morning. It is a familiar text and has often been used to remind us and encourage us that forgiveness is possible no matter what we have done or said because none of us, while we are still living, are beyond God’s forgiving reach and touch. I want to again read the passage ending with verse 17: “After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. Once more he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” Now what does this passage have to say to us about God’s use of past experiences, especially the painful ones? Let’s start by noticing a couple of things. First we must pay attention to how Jesus asked the same question three different ways. The first time Jesus asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” The second time He asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” The third time He again asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” What is Jesus asking? First, He is asking, “Peter do you really love me more than those who are sitting around you?” And who was sitting around Peter? It was some of the remaining disciples. Now let’s stop and think about it for a minute. Here sits a group of 7 men who have been together with Jesus for three years. They are a diverse group of men. They had their battles and disagreements. Yet, they were first-hand witnesses to the power of God through His Son, Jesus and would soon be given the assignment to go and make other followers of Christ by telling them of what Jesus had done for humanity. Don’t you think these 8 had developed a bond of love and commitment during those three years? But what Jesus wanted to know is, “Do you really love me more than these close friends and colleagues?” And Peter said, “Yes, you know that I really love you more than my brothers in Christ.” Then Jesus changes the question, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” No comparison this time. A flat out question, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter do you really, really love me? Do you love me more than anything or anyone else? Jesus is probing Peter; deeply and thoroughly probing him – his motives, his love, and his intentions. Jesus wanted to know, “Peter, after all that has happened in the past several weeks, after all that you have said and done, do you really, really, still love me?” Let’s step back for a moment from the scene to consider what is taking place. Let’s try to imagine Peter’s facial expressions and body language. What do you see? I see a man who is very uncomfortable with what is going on. I can see a man whose gaze flits between the questioner, the ground, and those around him. I see a man who is internally, and probably externally, shifting in his sandy seat, wishing that he were some place else right now. He is growing uncomfortable as he remembers that dark night of failure when he denied his relationship to Christ. Perhaps he is in tears. Perhaps there is a longer pause between question and answer than there was the first time. (We don’t know for sure.) But, there is great emotion. Finally, we hear, “Yes, Lord you know I love you!” But there is more from the questioner. It is the same question this third time, except, except, this time he asks, “Simon son of John, do you like me? And as the text says, “Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time.” Why was Peter grieved? Maybe he was grieved for a couple of reasons. First, Peter had twice now responded to the question of sacrificial love for Christ with a statement of brotherly affection. “Yes Lord, I phileo you.” According to the original text the word for love in the first two questions is agape. It is a word that describes a sacrificial love. I Corinthians 13 uses this form of love. All three times Peter responds with phileo a term that is descriptive of a brotherly affection. So there is a gap, a gap of meaning, perhaps a gap of commitment between what Jesus is asking and what Peter is indicating. The level of love is not the same. So Jesus decides to change His question and ask, “Simon son of John do you like me?” Peter is grieved with the question. Why? Maybe he is grieved because he recalls his third response to the question about his involvement with Jesus as he stood outside the courtyard where Jesus had been taken prior to His death and crucifixion. Matthew gives a strong wording to Peter’s third denial as he says in Matthew 26:74, “I swear by God I don’t know him.” Peter’s emphatic oath seems to cement his denial of his relationship with Christ very deeply and with this third question he is reminded of the depth of his denial – his failure. Another reason that Peter might be grieved is that Jesus changes the level of love in the third question and Peter then realizes that his love for Christ is not what it should be. And by Jesus asking, “Do you like me?” Peter realizes that his love for Christ, and thus his commitment to Christ, needs to be more than it is. Another item to examine in this passage is the commands which Jesus gives Peter after each question: First Jesus says, “Then feed my lambs.” Then He says, “Then take care of my sheep.” Finally He says, “Then feed my sheep.” The progression is an interesting one: “Feed lambs, care for sheep, feed sheep.” What is Jesus saying? “Serve me Peter by taking care of those who are following and will also follow me.” Jesus focuses on two things – loving Him and serving Him. I can see Peter deeply broken and sobbing as the weight of his failure and his disappointment comes down on him in the presence of those who loved him, including Jesus. And I can see Jesus reaching out to Peter, putting Peter’s face in His hands with great emotions in His own voice, and telling Peter, “feed my sheep.” “Serve me Peter. Serve me.” Peter acknowledges his failure by his honest answers to Christ’s questions. He cannot hide from Christ. It is an uncomfortable period for Peter because confession is always an uncomfortable time. But, Jesus does not dwell on the failure. That has been addressed. Confession and repentance has been done. Jesus points Peter toward the future and points Peter in the direction that He wants Peter to go – in service to/for Him. So what does this passage reveal about how God uses our failures and disappointments for His honor and glory? It is a process that requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to help us face, admit, and let go of our failures and disappointments. Now several weeks went by between Peter’s denial and this conversation. Peter had been to the empty tomb and as we read in John 20:19-29, he was with the disciples on two different recorded occasions when Jesus appeared to them. In fact John points out in verse 14 that this was “the third time that Jesus had appeared to His disciples since he had been raised from the dead.” So why now does Jesus approach Peter? Why not earlier? Perhaps a clue is in the actions of verses 7 – 14 of this chapter. These 7 disciples have been fishing all night long and as dawn broken Jesus approaches them from the shoreline about the results. What does verse 4 say? “They had caught nothing all night?” They had failed. Jesus encourages them to try again specifically on the right hand side of the boat. They reluctantly do so and they get this huge catch of fish. John then notices that it is Jesus with whom they are speaking and in verse 7 he says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Peter responds by jumping into the water and swimming to shore. And when Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” it is Peter who jumps back into the water and retrieves the net full of 153 fish, large fish.” (The same thing happened 3 years earlier at the same location as we read in Luke 5:1-11. And Peter’s response in verse 8 to such a large catch was, “Oh Lord, please leave me – I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”) Perhaps Peter’s actions, as one Bible scholar, RVG Tasker suggests, indicates that “more than his six colleagues present with him in the boat [Peter] needs to be personally assured of the forgiveness made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection, for without that forgiveness he will be unable (and he knows it) to be what Jesus had said that one day He would make him ‘a fisher of men.’” Let me also suggest this morning that only now was Peter ready to face the Lord and deal with his failure. Why? Because sometimes we are not fully ready to face our failures and disappointments, as we need to. I think of King David and the length of time that had passed between his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan’s confrontation. Perhaps if David would have been confronted with his sin earlier he would have denied it up and down and perhaps Nathan would have found himself on the receiving end of the King’s wrath. So God waited until Peter was ready. The second thing that this passage reveals is that just as Jesus told Peter to serve by “feeding” those who follow the Lord, so He tells us to “feed the lambs and the sheep.” Our failures are forgivable and as there is no sin (except the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit) that cannot be forgiven. And when we are forgiven, God can use these experiences to help others as we serve them in His name. God can use all of our experiences. He wastes nothing! And the Bible is filled with many stories of circumstances that God used to accomplish His purposes and plans. There is Esther who is chosen queen by a foreign king who signs an order that makes it possible for Esther’s people – to be killed. And her uncle, facing death right in his face, says to her, “… who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?” There is Abraham who is told to move to a new county because he will become the father of a great nation but panics and tells a foreign king that his wife is his sister. Then later on his wife, who believes that she is too old to become a mother, tells Abraham to get their servant girl pregnant. But, despite of all of this, Abraham still believes and God makes him the father of a great nation through whom our salvation comes! And then there is Mary, a young woman, who is told by an angel that she will have a baby, God’s baby! Mary wonders how since she has never been sexually active with a man. The angel says (basically) “That’s God’s doing.” And so she says, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything that you have said come true.” One of the great challenges in our time and lives is to see purpose in our lives. So much seems disjointed these days. We sometimes feel as if we are living in different compartments and wonder, as we look back, and look around, and look in at our lives. But, God wastes nothing in His plans and purposes. The key is to align our lives with His purpose! As we conclude, I want to have you take a few moments and complete an exercise that only you will know the results of, okay? (Overhead 2) If you want to be in shape for God you need to take stock of your experiences. We need to look at our: Spiritual experiences… Have you ever been saved? Have you confessed your sins and asked God to forgive you? Are you current in your relationship with Christ? Painful experiences… God can use our painful experiences in a variety of ways one of which is sharing the pain of someone else that is going through what we have gone through. Educational experiences… A good education is important. God has given us a mind to use. Poor use of our minds (as well as an unsurrendered mind) can be a hindrance to fulfilling God’s purposes. Perhaps a seminar, workshop, or a class is one of the experiences God is going to use to help you serve Him more completely. God can use your education experiences to make a difference in His name! Ministry experiences … In other churches, or at other times in the ministry of this church, you have served in different capacities. What are those experiences? Are you still willing to serve in those areas if the Lord would have you? God wastes nothing in His plans and purposes for us. And that includes our experiences. Not long ago I was sent an interesting and thought provoking story that illustrates how God can use our experiences to help others come to Him and give our lives meaning and purpose even in the midst of pain, discouragement, and failure. It is called CARROT, EGG OR COFFEE and was originally sent by a Nicole Madison. It seems that a young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. “What’s the point, mother?” Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?” The point of the story deals with how we handle the experiences of life. And while there is scientific truth in the results of boiling water’s effect on carrots, eggs, and coffee beans, God wastes nothing in our lives. He uses moments when our hearts turn to mush with grief, disappointment, and sorrow. He uses moments when our attitudes get hard and faith, hope, love and a whole host of other life giving attitudes are locked out. He uses our experiences, as we let Him, to release His power and His life into not only our own lives but the lives of others because God uses you and me, in all of our circumstances and situations to fulfill His purpose of bringing others to Him just like coffee beans. This morning you may be at a place where you feel all has been wasted and that life is awful and terrible. You may be at a place where you want to serve the Lord and do more for Him but you are held back by the past. Or you may be at a place where you think that you have nothing that God can use. Think “coffee bean!” Why? Because just as the coffee bean uses the boiling water to release its flavor and taste (to some of us at least) God wastes nothing in our experiences for His purposes in our lives and in others. He can and does use it all! So, let all of your experiences – the good, the bad, and the ugly- be used by the Lord so that others can come to Him and so that you will experience the “joy of the Lord” in fresh and exciting ways! Amen. (The categories of experience are taken from the small group resource, “Developing Your Shape To Serve Others,” published by Zondervan. )

Marriage – Made in Heaven Not TV

Marriage- Made in Heaven Not on TV
Song of Songs 2:15-15
While attending a marriage seminar on communication, David and his wife listened to the instructor declare, “It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other.” He addressed the men, “Can you describe your wife’s favorite flower?” David leaned over, touched his wife’s arm gently and whispered, “Pillsbury All Purpose, isn’t it?” It’s Valentine weekend and for many people thoughts of love and romance have been on their minds and in their buying habits. Relationships are remember and cards, flowers, and candy (as well other things) are sent and received. I felt strongly led a few weeks ago to take time out of our current series, “Getting In Shape For God,” (to be completed next week) and take time on this Valentine’s Day Sunday to address the importance and place of marriage in our lives and society. If you have read the papers and watched the news you know that the issue of marriage has been frequently mentioned especially in regards to the push (in some parts of our nation) for same sex marriage. Then there has been the ongoing concern regarding the divorce rate, the cohabitation rate, and the impact of both on children and family life. Not to mention the impact of TV on perceptions of marriage. Marriage is important. Marriage is wonderful. God created marriage for the purpose of both creating the human race and for a morally correct outlet of love. Genesis 2:24 and I Corinthians 7:1-9 supports these purposes. I could take several weeks to deal with each of these issues and a series on marriage is a very appropriate sermon topic, but this morning I have felt led to speak primarily to married couples, but I invite all to listen today. And my sermon title gives you an idea of where I am headed. I am also aware of the emotions that surround this subject because of the experiences of many here this morning. It is my sincere hope and prayer that all of us will hear God’s voice and experience God’s presence, as we each need to, this morning. A January 21, 2004 article by Emma Juhlin in the Oregon Daily Emerald, the University of Oregon Independent Student Newspaper, questioned the effects of reality TV on marriage. The article is entitled, “Counselors say reality TV shows harm image of healthy marriage.” With a subtitle of “Some marriage counselors claim shows like ’Newlyweds’ and ’The Bachelor’ exploit the institution of marriage.” Juhlin interviewed several Oregon marriage counselors for this article and this is what two of them said: Diane Thurlow, a counselor at Healthy Marriage Counseling in Eugene, said, “The reality television marriage shows make the institution look like a game… “It’s just fun and smiles and sex… “I think they minimize the vows people make to each other when they get married.” “Society,” she continued, “doesn’t do a good job of showing people that it is difficult and how to be together successfully.” She added that couples in their 30s and 40s are most likely to be influenced by the idyllic standards of reality television.” Marriage counselor Marlin Schultz said he “is concerned that reality television programs don’t allow enough time for the couple to get to know each other. “One of the highest correlations in a successful relationship is friendship,” Schultz said. “I’d like to see couples who have long-term, stable relationships (in reality television).” Which brings us to our text of the morning, Song of Songs (or Songs of Solomon) 2:15, “Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love, for the grapevines are all in blossom.” Now some of you read your bulletin this morning and saw “Song of Songs” and perhaps gasped. “What, we are having a sermon out of this book?” And some perhaps thought, “What in the world is “Song of Songs?” That’s in the Bible?” It appears after the book of Ecclesiastes and before the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. It is a book that some have wondered why it is in the Bible in the first place. It is a book that is a love letter between a man and a woman that speaks directly to the sanctity of love that God wants us to have in our lives and especially in our marriages. Some might consider it erotic. But, maybe that is because we have forgotten that true love in marriage contains passion and because of our societal preoccupation with sex we have tainted this proper passion. I recently read an excerpt from John Trent’s book, Love For All Seasons, in which he uses this verse to address the “little foxes” that can ruin a marriage. And I suggest this morning that when these foxes are not hunted down and done away with they can, in Trent’s words, “quickly grow into patterns of behavior or personal problems that become irritants and then genuine threats to the health and stability of our relationship.” How do we deal with them? Trent suggests five steps: (Overhead 1): 1. Recognize the Need to Do Some Things Differently 2. Focus on Your Strengths 3. State A Clear Goal 4. Divide the Goal into Measurable Behaviors 5. Stay Open To Change through All Seasons What are some of the foxes that Trent speaks of? “They seem like annoyances not fundamental issues. “Small” things like bouncing a check, procrastinating on a chore, skipping church to sleep in on Sunday, or snipping at each other.” But they can grow into larger issues that can destroy a marriage. We read in Exodus 18:13-26 of someone who recognized the need to do some things differently. It was a father-in-law, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro. Here is the jist of the passage: The next day, Moses sat as usual to hear the people’s complaints against each other. They were lined up in front of him from morning till evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “Why are you trying to do all this alone? The people have been standing here all day to get your help.” “This is not good!” his father-in-law exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. “Find some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as judges over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. [T] hey can take care of the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. If you follow this advice, and if God directs you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.” Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and made them judges over the people. They were put in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were constantly available to administer justice. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but they judged the smaller matters themselves. Overwork, it plagues all of us! But overwork affects our relationships as well. A similar term that is often used in family therapy is “over functioning” because it describes a dynamic in which one member of a family either accepts the place of doing more than his/her share of the “work” or has that burden placed upon them because of the dynamics in the family, i.e., one is emotionally healthy and balanced and can function where as the others are not so healthy and balanced and cannot function like they should. We see over functioning in Moses’ leadership. He is wearing himself out and working harder is not helping. Jethro sees this and makes a suggestion to do things differently. Moses decides to try it. And it works! The workload begins to decrease. Moses then begins to come home earlier for supper! Talk about marriage enrichment! I can almost see Moses’ wife grabbing her dad then hugging him and saying, “Thanks for helping Moses get home and be more available! I love you daddy!” Couples, as you think about your marriage, what is one “fox” you are dealing with and while you have tried to work harder at, it has not dealt with the “fox?” Do you have another idea in mind that you have not suggested for fear that it would be rejected? Write it down and find a good time when you both can discuss it. Jethro took a risk by suggesting something different. And maybe it was hard (at first) for Moses to accept the idea because for many people (men and women) their identity gets too wrapped up in a role and when the role is threatened, so is their identity. Our identity must be rooted in Christ. We also can learn from this passage that Jethro had Moses focus on his strengths that helped Moses to make the transition. We read in verses 19- 20 that Jethro affirms Moses’ strength by acknowledging his place of leadership, “You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing him their questions to be decided. You should tell them God’s decisions, teach them God’s laws and instructions, and show them how to conduct their lives.” Then he goes on to encourage Moses to find some help in the decision-making process. Couples, what are the strengths that your spouse brings to your marriage? Write them down. How might those strengths be used to take care of the “fox” you have identified? We have all heard and used the expression, “I can’t see the forest for the trees.” What does that mean? It means that sometimes we are so focused on a situation, issue, or problem that we fail to step back from time-to-time and review what the goal of our work is. And some times it takes another person (which can be our spouse) to make a statement that helps us step back and ask, “What am I trying to do here?” Jethro saw something that Moses, in the midst of his daily leadership, had perhaps forgotten – the goal, the reason why he was doing what he was doing which was the Godly leadership of the Israelites. Jethro stated a clear goal in his suggestions of decentralized leadership. What was it? It was to reduce Moses’ workload as leader. The plan was a decentralized decision-making process. But the goal was to reduce Moses’ workload. “Time and time again,” writes John Trent (who is a marriage counselor), “I’ll ask a couple who seems stuck, “Where would you like to be in your relationship?” A very good question! Couples, as you think about this “fox,” what is the goal? What would you like to see happen? Did Moses have any idea what he would be doing when he obeyed God and became the leader of Israel? Probably not! The same holds true in our marriages. When we get married, we assume that all will be well. But, then the “fox” of an unexpected illness comes along and our relationship is tested. Or the “fox” of a terrible tragedy causes our priorities and goals to be forever changed. Or the “fox” of an affair damages the soul of our relationship. We need to keep in mind a clear and stated goal that comes as we answer the question that John Trent poses to his clients, “Where would you like to be in your relationship?” Couples, what is your answer? Now having a goal and achieving that goal are two different steps. And once again Jethro gives us a helpful illustration with his very specific plan of appointing judges over 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s and giving them the specific tasks of dealing with lesser matters that are “not too complicated or too important” as he says in verses 21 and 22. Stating clear goals in measurable terms can help in our marriages. For example, as we deal with the challenges of income and expenses and the constant pressure to buy more and more on what seems to be less and less, a budget and/or a financial goal can be very helpful. Such goals serve as a reminder to us to stay the course during tough times. Couples, what are two clear-cut things that you can do to deal with your marriage fox? Finally our time with Moses and Jethro provide us a picture of our fifth way of keeping the foxes at bay in our marriages (and all of our relationships as well): Stay Open To Change through All Seasons. Change happens. As we reflect on our lives, how much change has taken place? Quite a bit! Now some of that change we have had no control over – like aging. All of us are growing older. The question is, “How well we will age?” It’s an attitude issue. And some of the changes have come, whether we like it or not, as a result of choices that we have made. Some of those choices we wish that we could take back, but we can’t and we, and others, are stuck with the results. It is those moments that we turn to God and His grace and mercy. But, things are going to change for Moses. Down the road, Joshua will replace him as the leader of the Israelites and he will only see, and never enter, the Promised Land that he was leading the Israelites toward and into. He probably never believed that his leadership would end for him the way it did. Flexibility is an important thing in a marriage. If we think (and we have) that we are going into a marriage to fix our spouse, we are going to find out (and have found out) that we cannot “fix” them. So we have to make a decision whether or not we are going to stay with them. (Abuse is not a good reason. Can an abusive marriage be restored? Maybe. But, when a spouse begins to beat and threaten the other spouse and even family members I believe that the marriage vow of “to love and to cherish” has been broken by the acts of abuse.) There are seasons to our lives and seasons to our marriages and with God’s help we can walk through them together. Flexibility is important as we change throughout our lives. Couples, what can you do to keep the “foxes” out of the garden of marriage? What are some ways that you can incorporate flexibility into your marriage? I believe in marriage. I believe that God created marriage so that the human race would function, as it should. But, there are tremendous challenges to marriage these days. And the view of it from the perspective of “reality TV” troubles me. It is not a game. It is not a show. It is a sacred promise to love and to serve “until death do us part.” Marriage is made in heaven and not on TV. And while I am concerned about the condition of marriage, I am also encouraged that there are signs of a clearer understanding of and honest commitment to marriage. The comments of 23-year-old newlywed Lana Crator-Mabry (that appear in the final paragraphs of the University of Oregon article that I quoted from earlier) give me some hope. She says, “I would hope no one would believe these shows and think that is how marriage is,” Crator-Mabry said. “Marriage is a strong bond between two people that love each other. Marriage is full of commitments and sacrifices that bring friendship, passion and adventure. Reality shows don’t portray that.” God gave us marriage for some wonderful (and passionate) reasons – let us stay committed to adventure and wonder that God intended when He first created man and women. Amen. (The five steps suggested by John Trent come from his book, “Love For All Seasons” published by Moody Press)

The Reality of Truth

John 18:28-40

Main point – Truth is real.

A. Introduction:

Dialogue introduction to “Pilate and His Wife” in the Lenten Series, “Overheard: Conversations by the Cross” written by Arden W. Mead. Copy written by Creative Communication for the Parish, 1983.

B. “Dialogue” between Pilate and His Wife.

C. Remarks

“What is truth?” Is it merely a dream?

We live today in a time that is frequently called (in some circles at least) “postmodern.” And one of the views of postmodernism is that truth is created by what each person believes truth to be to them or to a group of people they are a part of. In other words, there is no objective reality or truth a part from our own experience of it.  This is a challenge to our faith because if truth and reality are merely made up by us out of our own experience then what hope is there for the human condition?

Pilate almost seems to be a practicing postmodern in his time – an ancient time. He is a man torn by duty to his work and the fear of the implications of that work. He tries in this imagined dialogue as well as in our text of this morning to create a version of truth that will make him comfortable. Something that all of us can relate to, right?

Truth is real. Truth stood in front of Pilate that day. Truth was involved in the events, actions, and decisions of that day.

Our faith must be more than belief in and commitment to a written set of beliefs. Now the Bible contains truth and is truthful but it reveals God, the Holy Spirit uses it, and it points to Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the Truth, and the life.” This is where our faith must lie – in the Truth of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.

In our ease dropping of this morning, we hear a man who is trying to both keep the truth at bay because of his fears regarding that truth while trying to uphold and maintain the various truths that he believes in – the truth of power, the truth of duty, and the truth of authority. As you listened, couldn’t you see Pilate “twisting in the wind” as his wife challenged his assumptions that were behind his decision to sentence Jesus to death?

*“Was he guilty of treason?”

“That is what the inscription of accusation said over his head on the cross.”

“It said, “Treason?” “This man is guilt of treason?”

“Not exactly.” “This is the King of the Jews.”

“What is that, some kind of joke?”

“Not at all. In fact, the chief priests and the leaders tried to get me to change the sign. They wanted it to say, “He claimed to be the King of the Jews.” But I wouldn’t budge.”

“You wouldn’t budge.”

“What I have written stays written.”

“You wouldn’t budge! You let them maneuver you, the Roman Governor, into condemning an innocent man to death – a righteous man, a man you yourself said was innocent-and then, when that injustice was complete; you suddenly got firm in your resolve, and wouldn’t change the words on a stupid signboard.”

“What I have written stays written!”

Truth is real. Truth is demanding. Truth is hard to accept at times. And Pilate faced all of this when he faced Truth in the face – the face of Jesus Christ.

“Pilate replied, “You are a king then?”

“You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.”

Sometimes we treat truth with a cold and calculating detachment. We set it on a table on one side of a room and then go to the other side and study it from a distance.

We become scientific and objective in our attitude and approach to truth. We place our emotions in check and look at it with a cold eye of objectivity.

Pilate seemed to do that when he was faced with the angry crowds and the violently jealous leaders who could not wait to get this upstart rabbi out of the way. He seemed to look upon the scene with a detachment, at least for a while, until we get into John 19 and verse 12 where we read, “Then Pilate tried to release him, but the “Jewish leaders told him, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”

“What’s it going to be Pilate? Your job, maybe your life or this one’s?”

Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” And some have added to this statement, “but first it will make you miserable.”

Truth makes us miserable at times because when we encounter the truth it points out the gap between what is and what should be:

“You failed the test didn’t you?”

“Well, kinda, but I wasn’t the only one that failed.”

“But you failed the test, right?”

“Yes, I failed the test, but not too bad.”

“Did you adequately study for it?”

“Probably no more or no less than the rest of the class.”

“Which was it, more or less?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

“What is truth?”

Truth is found in the person and work of Christ. We cannot be changed for the better by merely believing in a set of writings, important as they are. The Bible, like the Law that Jesus read in His home synagogue to begin His earthly ministry, points us to the truth of our spiritual condition and tells us how we can personally experience the freedom and liberation of truth.

We are not be saved by church attendance. The Pharisees “attended church” and they denied the truth about Christ up and down. The Truth of who Jesus Christ is – the Son of God, and what He did for us – died on a cross for our sins – is what liberates us. It is what changes us for the better. It is the truth that brings us life!

The Truth is not “out there.” The Truth is closer than you think. It is a truth that forces us, like Pilate, to make a decision, not just once but a various points in our lives. Like Pilate, we also have a choice to make about Christ. Do you believe, not merely accept, but believe that not only Jesus died for your sins but that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? And if so, are you both living in the truth and experiencing the truth that can truly set us free? What are you doing with Jesus Christ? Amen.

*From the dialogue of Pilate and His wife in Conversations by the Cross, by Arden W. Reed, Creative Communications for the Parish, 1983.

Which Side of Jesus?

Luke 23:32-43

Main point – Which side of Jesus are you on?

A. Introduction:

Dialogue introduction to “The Two Thieves” in the Lenten Series, “Overheard: Conversations by the Cross” written by Arden W. Mead. Copy written by Creative Communication for the Parish, 1983.

B. “Dialogue” between The Two Thieves.

C. Record of “Thief” by Third Day (CCLI in use)

D. Remarks (from off stage)

This morning I want each of us to look at the cross for a few moments. Now there’s only one this morning, the most important one, but I want us to imagine two more crosses up there this morning… on either side of the one we see…try to imagine it…. (Pause)

Can you imagine the other two? Can you see the other two? Can you imagine those two thieves hanging there on either side of Jesus? Hanging there, hideous to look at?

They were someone’s children. Somebody loved them. Have you ever wondered if their mothers were there for them like Mary was for Jesus? Did they see the agony and hear the cries of pain as well as the statements of both faith and mockery that are recorded in our passage of scripture for this morning coming from their lips?

Have you ever wondered what their crimes were? Were they murderers? Were they political prisoners being executive for hostile actions against Caesar? Or were they common thieves like they are described this morning who were caught stealing from the Roman military?

Have you ever wondered… Could one have been rich and had all the advantages that came with wealth? Could one have been poor with little on his back or in his stomach?

Have you ever wondered… Could one have been going along the right path up until recently and then in a moment of anger did something that caused a court to pass a sentence of “death by crucifixion?”

Have you ever wondered… Could one have been a rabble-rouser, a political activist who constantly harped on the Roman occupation forces and sought to stir up trouble and create a rebellion and finally was arrested and sentence to death?

Who were these two thieves? What were there names? What was their crime?

(Move to the pulpit)

Matthew’s account of the crucifixion mentions that both men mocked and belittled Jesus while they hung on the cross. Mark’s account acknowledges that Jesus was hung between two criminals. John only says that Jesus was hung between two other people. Only in Luke’s account do we hear some of the things that were said by these two men.

But, taking the information from Matthew and Luke and putting it together, we notice that one had a change of heart and the other, from all we know, never had a change of heart. Why?

What happened to the one who changed from a mocker to a follower? What made him say to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom?” What made him say to the other thief, “Don’t you fear God even when you are dying? We deserve to die for our deeds, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong?”

A change of heart happened! The Holy Spirit moved in this man’s heart. His eyes were opened to the reality of Jesus and who He was. He stopped living in denial about his condition and he admitted the truth about himself and sought to be acceptable to God by a deep and profound spiritual experience that was behind his request to be remembered when Jesus went into His kingdom.

Let’s step back and think about it for a moment: This man, this criminal, has probably been hanging along side Jesus and the other criminal for several hours. He has mocked Jesus and he has heard the crowd mock Jesus, too.

But as time passes and the pain has increased, the mocking stops and more profound things creep into this man’s consciousness – things like death and his past. He begins to reflect on his life and his choices and he, at some point, looks over at Jesus and begins to look long and hard at Him.

Maybe this man had been in the crowds the day that someone was healed by Jesus. Maybe he had been in the crowds the Sunday before laying down his coat as Jesus came into Jerusalem. Maybe he had been one the five thousand who were miraculously fed.

Maybe he had a family member who had experience Jesus’ touch. Maybe it was a friend like the woman caught in adultery who said, after her accusers walked away from stoning her, “Where are you accusers? Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

We don’t for sure anything about either thief. But we do know this for sure … this criminal, this man, someone’s child, knew that Jesus could do something for him that he could not do for himself – redeem himself. And so he asked to be remembered by Jesus when He came into the Kingdom. But Jesus did more than remember him He brought him along!

For as this repentant thief acknowledged the truth about his own condition and the truth about who Jesus was, He opened the door to God’s salvation – the very reason that Jesus was on the cross.

During this time of year we must, must confront the question, “What am I doing with Jesus Christ?”

As we conclude this morning, I ask you, not harshly, not judgmentally, but honestly and caringly: “Which side of Jesus are you on? “

I am asking for all of us to bow our head in prayer and I want to give you the opportunity to make the most important decision that you will ever make in your life, the decision about what to do with Jesus Christ.

With all heads bowed and eyes closed, I simply want to offer you the opportunity (if you have never done so) to invite Jesus Christ into your life right now. All that it requires is a simple confession of your sins, a profession of faith, and a willingness to allow Him to be the leader and director of your life.

This happens as you pray to Him, right where you are at, and ask Him to forgive you, fill you with his Holy Spirit, and make the conscious decision to follow Him. No fancy words are needed. No spiritual “abracadabra” is required. Just a simple and honest prayer of confession and turning away from sin and turning to God. (Pause)

If you have done this morning, would you raise your hand and acknowledge this action?

Maybe you have done this before and you have walked away from the Lord and need to come home to Him. You can this morning. All that is needed is a willingness to confess your sins and ask for God forgiveness and for the Holy Spirit to strengthen your willingness to follow the Lord.

Normally our extended prayer time takes place earlier in the service, but this morning we are going to end our service with prayer and then with the singing of “Were You There?” The altar is open for your use to pray for yourself or for someone else. We are going to take a few moments for silent prayer before I pray and we sing. Be open to the Lord this morning. Let us pray.

Celebrating and Embracing God’s Salvation

Luke 2:9-10, 24:1-7

Main Point – When we gather as the church, we -gather to celebrate and embrace God’s salvation!

The Sunday School teacher was extremely enthusiastic. She looked at the class of four-years olds and asked this question: “Does anyone know what today is?”

A little girl held up her finger and said, “Yes today is Palm Sunday.” “That’s fantastic!” the teacher replied. “Does anyone know what next Sunday is?”

The same little girl held up her finger and said, “Next Sunday is Easter Sunday.” Again the teacher replied, “That’s great!”

Then the teacher asked, “Does anyone know what makes next Sunday Easter?” The little girl again responded, “Yes, next Sunday is Easter Sunday because Jesus rose from the grave.”

But before the teacher could again congratulate her, she continued, “But if he sees his shadow, he has to go back in for seven weeks!”

Jesus did not have to go back into the grave, did He? He came out of the tomb, appeared numerous times to His followers, gave the remaining disciples an assignment to go “and make disciples of all nations,” and then returned to heaven to the Father from whom He will one day come back for the Church.

In our church we do not believe in a God who is dead or absent. We believe in a God who is alive and a “very present help” in times of both trouble and peace! A God who through His death and His resurrection makes it possible for us to live life free of guilt and shame and doubt and a whole host of other things. Amen? Amen!

What a great Sunday last Sunday! We had nearly 160 persons present for our Easter Service and the choir and readers and children did a wonderful, wonderful job!

I am also grateful for the group of readers who led us in some very important moments of meditation and reflection during the Lenten season as well. Those off-stage readings really gave us something to think about, didn’t they? Did you hear yourself in those stories? I did!

I was very, very glad for the wonderful turnout for Easter Sunday because Easter is a celebration critical to our faith. Why? No Resurrection? No Christian faith!

Jesus came to die a terribly inhumane and cruel death and then returned to life because it was that resurrection that makes possible the “Sunday after Easter.” It also makes our faith possible because when Jesus died, He died so that we might have eternal life through saving faith in Him! But He left the tomb so that we are able to leave our lives of sin and brokenness behind.

Paul said it very well in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us!”

This morning we begin a very important series, “Celebrating Our Past … Embracing Our Future … In Christ!” I ask that you be in sincere and earnest prayer for me during this series because I believe that this is one of the most important series that I have preached up to this point in my life. It ranks above the first sermon that I preached (almost 25 years ago) and the first series that I preached here almost four years ago! (Can you believe it?)

I also believe that it is an important series for us as we enter the future that God has for us as this church. Please be in prayer, for one another, yourselves, and me that we will clearly hear and obey God’s voice!

We are going to be spending the next six weeks “Celebrating and Embracing:” God’s salvation, God’s faithfulness, God’s plan, God’s people, and God’s Son – Jesus Christ! We are going to have some special speakers as well. _________ will be here from Church Builders Plus in Anderson the weekend of May 14, 15, and 16 as we come to the climax of our series and our capital fund campaign with a dinner at Cobblestone (no charge and childcare for those up through 5th grade will be provided by our sister congregation from LaGrange here at the church) at which time we will have the opportunity to respond to the Lord in faith and trust as we pledge toward a new facility.

Then on Memorial Day weekend, ____________ will be here sharing about their work in Paraguay as we “celebrate and embrace God’s work” on that Sunday which is known as Pentecost Sunday. But, there’s more, ____________ will be here the following Sunday, June 6th, to share about their future work with the Church of God in Southeast Asia. _____ is the grandson of ___________.

We have much to celebrate and embrace and this morning we are here to celebrate and embrace God’s salvation. Eric Reed in this past week’s Leadership Weekly e-mail column related the following story.

“After Easter last year, a woman approached a pastor I know and asked, “So what happened with Jesus after the Resurrection?” “Well, he ascended into heaven and he’s still alive,” the pastor said.

“I know he was resurrected, but he’s alive?” she said. “Yes, he’s alive.” “Alive? ALIVE?! Why didn’t you tell me!!” For the next two weeks, she telephoned everyone she knew and exclaimed, “Jesus is ALIVE! Did you know he’s ALIVE?!” Many people know Jesus is resurrected, but they don’t seem to understand he’s alive.”

Yes, Jesus is alive! He did not die a second time after His Resurrection but returned to Heaven.  Let’s look at Luke 24:50-51 for one of the Biblical accounts of this event:

Then Jesus led them {that is, the disciples} to Bethany and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.

Jesus is still in heaven. Jesus is still alive! And this is something to celebrate!

And it is this message that we celebrate and embrace this morning!

In the same e-mail column that I just quoted from, Ben Patterson tells a story from the jungles of East Asia regarding a missionary who was showing the Jesus film to a group of people from that region. For many, if not most, of the group this was the first time they had ever seen a projector let alone a movie.

The missionary observed with interest the reactions to the film as it went through the life of Christ from His birth to His arrest and crucifixion to His resurrection and return to heaven. At one point during the arrest and trial of Christ, they got so angry at what they were seeing they stood up and started yelling at the people on the screen to stop. When that failed that they attacked the missionary showing the film thinking that he was perhaps responsible for what was happening. But, he calmed them down and told them there was more to the story and keep watching it.

Then came the crucifixion and again the projector had to be stopped by the missionary as he again said that there was more to this story. Finally came the resurrection and quoting Patterson this is what happened, “Pandemonium broke out this time, but for a different reason. The gathering had spontaneously erupted into a party. The noise now was of jubilation, and it was deafening. The people were dancing and slapping each other on the back. Christ is risen, indeed! Again the missionary had to shut off the projector. But this time he didn’t tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening.” Patterson basically concludes his column with the question, What if we responded to the resurrection of Christ in the same way?

It’s a good question. Do we celebrate God’s salvation like we should? And how should we celebrate His offering of forgiveness and reconciliation?

Let me make two suggestions:

1. We celebrate God’s salvation with thanksgiving and praise to God for saving us from an ominous demise!

I am reminded of the joyousness of the Israelites when, having safely arrived on the other side of the Red Sea and saw the death of many pursuing Egyptians, they sang for joy with praise and thanksgiving as recorded in Exodus 15:

“I will sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory…with unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed.”

It looked hopeless for the Israelites.  Finally freed, they were pursued by the Egyptians who were coming to take them back to serve as slaves. Then, as we read in Exodus 14:10-12 panic, fear, and anger set in their hearts and minds. But, Moses trusted God and told them to “stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you.” And He did! He saved the Israelites! He does the same for us today! We celebrate because God has saved us from serious, serious situations, sometimes right out of them!

Paul, in prison for spreading the good news, told some believers, (Philippians 4:4-6) “Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again-rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.”

Praise and thanksgiving are essential to our faith. Celebration is not a requirement it is a necessity! We must, we must continuously thank God and praise Him for all He has done for us!

Praise and thanksgiving are like water and light are to plants. They help plants grow and develop and thrive. So it is with praise and thanksgiving.

Praise and thanksgiving are two important elements in our lives and faith. We need them to have a vital and personal faith and relationship with the Lord.

It is easy to let weariness, discouragement, and despair set in over the course of time in our lives. Maybe that is one reason why Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the right time.”

This idea of doing what is good leads me to the second suggestion of how we can celebrate God’s salvation.

2. We celebrate God’s salvation by living it out – day in and day out for the rest of our lives.

Did you catch the last few lines of Patterson’s story? “Again the missionary had to shut off the projector. But this time he didn’t tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening.

We celebrate (and embrace) God’s salvation as we live in the joy and the hope and the reality of that salvation each and every day of our lives. And this living not based on our emotions – things that come and go- but on the unchanging and stable reality of God!

Paul, because of His utmost trust and confidence in God was able to write, “I am still not all that I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”

I don’t know at what point in his life Paul wrote these words, but based on good scholarship, his ministry lasted nearly 30 years! And at some point, probably later in life, he said, “I am still working at living out this commitment, I am still learning how to faithfully walk with God.”

I don’t know about you, but that speaks to me. Here is a man, a leader in the faith, one who sacrificially and obediently in response to God’s call is spreading the Good News, saying, “I am still learning how to live for and walk with God.” That’s a word of both challenge and encouragement to me because I too, am still learning how to live for and walk with God. It needs to be for all of us.

But, Faithful, honest, and consistent living out of our “profession” of faith (walking the walk not just talking the talk) is not just one of the ways that we celebrate God’s salvation. It is also a key way that we embrace God’s salvation.

The story of the ten lepers is helpful to us as we consider the connection between celebrating and embracing God’s salvation. Luke 17:11 – 19 tells the story:

As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the boarder between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten leapers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go, “Your faith has made you well.”

All ten were healed. All ten lives were changed for the better. But, only one returned to give thanks to Jesus and glory to God for the healing. And by that act Jesus affirmed his faith.

This one leper embraced God through his act of thanksgiving and praise. He acknowledged the work of God in his life and Jesus affirmed his commitment.

We must continue to do the same. And we must continue to do the same as a church.

Our history as a church has been based what we remembered in word, song, and prayer last weekend. Over 6 decades ago, Cecil Knight and a host of others brought that message to this community.

Now others had also brought this message of resurrection and salvation before this church was planted. But, we have been able to tell this story to some who did not hear it from the others. And we have connected with those who believed but had not joined a community of faith, like all of us need to, in order to more fully embrace this salvation.

And we celebrate this history. We have been a part of God’s work and God’s kingdom in this community for 61 years. And that is something to celebrate.

But, there is a future to embrace as well. It is based, in part; on our past but more importantly it is based on our message that came into being a long, long time before we did. It is based on God’s word. It is based on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is based on the doctrines of the church that existed before we, individually and as a congregation, existed.

The future that we are to embrace is based on God and His salvation for all of us!

We still have a mission and a ministry here in Kendallville that we must continue to embrace. And one of the ways that we embrace it is by faith. Why?

Because our ministry and message can only, completely and fully, be embraced by faith. It is faith in Christ and acceptance of His act of salvation that makes us Christian.

It is walking by faith, and not by sight, that makes our life with God possible.

It is only by faith that we engage in this capital fund campaign to raise the financial resources necessary to future this ministry of faith and trust in Christ alone. We must believe that only God can multiply our gifts and our service as we walk by faith and trust in Him.

Let us celebrate God’s salvation. Let us remember and give thanks for the forgiveness that we have experienced! Then, let us embrace the ministry and mission that is ours and obey, by faith, God’s directions for the future ministry He has for us to do. Let us give, not just our money, but ourselves to the ministry and mission that we have been given, by Jesus. Amen.

Celebrating and Embracing God’s Faithfulness

Lamentations 3: 22-27

Main point – Great is God’s faithfulness!

A common source of challenge in life is commitment as illustrated in the following story:

The church choir director was frustrated with the sporadic attendance of all the choir members for rehearsals for the Christmas Choral Concert. At the final rehearsal he announced, “I want to personally thank the pianist for being the only person in this entire church choir to attend each and every rehearsal during the past two months.”

At this, the pianist rose, bowed, and said, “It was the least that I could do, considering I won’t be able to be at the Christmas Choral Concert tonight!”

Thank goodness for cassette and CD accompaniment tracks! I am very glad that our Easter choir was very faithful in their attendance through the practice season and that we had a wonderful cantata two Sundays ago. And that they had a tape to sing with! But, in a humorous way the story does illustrate the challenge of commitment in our lives. All of us face the challenge of balancing the various commitments in our lives and sometimes it truly is a challenge to fulfill them.

I would like to suggest this morning that one important component of celebrating our past and embracing our future in Christ is commitment. We are seeking financial commitment to the continued and future ministry of our church through pledges (beyond one’s tithes and offerings) over the next three years. But this morning we need to look behind and beyond that commitment to the reasons for making them in the first place. And a place to start is with thinking about the issue and importance of faithfulness.

There are a whole host of people through the history of our church who have exhibited faithfulness in their lives and service.  They’ve been pastors and laypersons. They’ve been young and old. They’ve been kids and teens. Their faithfulness influenced many people in ways large and small. And some of us here this morning are the direct result of their faithfulness. And all of us here are the indirect result of their faithfulness.

What were they faithful to? Well, for starters we can say the church and its mission. They were taught and they embraced the beliefs and practices of the Church of God and attempted, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to live out those beliefs and practices no matter where they were – here at church, at home, at school, in the workplace – everywhere they were. And God, through the teachings of the church and the Bible and through the obedient walk that was nurtured by the Holy Spirit, planted and nurtured faithfulness in their lives and used it to continue the ministry and mission of this church.

They were faithful to their own place of service. Some of those who we think of this morning taught Sunday School for years.  Some played the piano or organ or led the singing.  Other served on the Trustee’s or as an usher or in the nursery. Some served in one area of ministry for their entire time of service and others served in many different areas. And they served faithfully through easy times and hard times. They served in times of world conflict and in times of significant peace. They served faithfully.

But they also (most importantly) were faithful to God. Because of His faithfulness to them, they responded with faithfulness to Him. And because of that faithfulness – their service and ministry were empowered by God through His Holy Spirit and they made a difference in people’s lives. They believed in God. They committed themselves to the Lord. They had asked for and received the forgiveness of their sins. They were faithful to the Lord.

We celebrate that this morning! We celebrate others faithfulness to God and the ministry of this church and we celebrate God’s faithfulness to us!

In our text for this morning we are reminded of God’s faithfulness. I want to read it again:

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for the young to submit to the yoke of his discipline.

What words and/or phrases catch your attention? Take a moment and write them down. (Pause) Now, pick one of those phrases and write down a reason why that phrase speaks to you. (Pause)

The first phrase is one that speaks to me.  The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! The church has been a part of my life before I was born. My parents were faithful followers of the Lord and faithful servants. My father I think did just about every thing in the church over the course of his adult life except preach and perhaps do nursery duty. My mother taught Sunday School, did VBS, served in various leadership capacities.

I accepted Christ at age 8. I was baptized around 16. (By the way, if you are interested in baptism, let me know. We have not had a baptism for a while.)

I went to a Christian college and while there began to experience God’s direction and call to ministry. I spent 13 years in youth ministry before coming here.

But, I have not lived my commitment to the Lord absolutely perfectly. I have failed from time to time. I have sinned from time to time. I have been as faithful as I needed to be. I still, like Paul, strain to reach the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. So to read, “the unfailing love of the Lord never ends!” is a boost to my spirit and soul because even when I fail, even when I have been “unfaithful” God still loves me.

Now, I have to do some confession and repentance from time to time to again fully enjoy this love because when a relationship is broken by something like harsh words or a selfish act seeking and asking for forgiveness is sometimes needed to restore the relationship because even though the love is still there, it is blocked by the conflict or sin. So, in spite of my failures, I know that God’s unfailing love is still there for me! It’s one of the ways that God is faithful to us.

Pastor Don Schultz wrote a sermon based on this same passage entitled, “No Such Thing As A “God Failure!””  And in it he says,” Is there such a thing as a “God-failure,” when God stops working? Sometimes there are signs that seem to indicate that we are experiencing a God-failure: a physical problem, a financial problem, a personal problem, a natural disaster, a national disaster. Something bad happens, and it looks like you are experiencing a God-failure. “Has God stopped working,” you wonder to yourself. “It looks as though God has stopped caring, stopped protecting, stopped blessing. I think we are experiencing a God-failure.”

But, he goes on to say, “There is no such thing as a “God-failure.” God never stops working, never stops blessing, never stops caring, never stops protecting – even during those times when it seems as though God has failed.” Amen? Amen!

It is this faithfulness, God’s faithfulness that we have proclaimed throughout our history as a church. The faithfulness of God has been a central part of our message and mission.  We have preached and taught a God who is faithful no matter what or when or where. We have experienced again and again in both our individual as well as congregational lives God’s faithfulness to us. And we have experienced this faithfulness in both times of joy and times of sorrow; God has been faithful to us when we have been on the upside of life as well as when we have been on the down side of life.

His faithfulness has entered our hearts and minds in times of unity and growth as well as in times of conflict and decline. This is something to celebrate, isn’t it? Amen? Amen!

But as we look to the future that God has for us, His faithfulness is also something that we need to embrace! Why? Faithfulness is a very important way to demonstrate that God is really a part of our lives.

I believe that faithfulness is such an important thing to embrace I have come to believe that a person who truly is attempting to be faithful to God in the work place could probably get a job for which he/she was qualified anywhere because their employment record would indicate that they would be a faithful employee!

“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day,” wrote the prophet Jeremiah in our passage of this morning. And when we stop and take a look at what is said elsewhere in this book (and consider the title of the book, Lamentations) we are given a very strong contrasting picture between a people who are in real trouble and a God who, though He disciplines, still has a great love for them.

To lament is to grieve for or mourn. This book is not a happy book. The nation of Israel has been invaded and is now controlled by a foreign power. Jerusalem, as chapter 1 and verse 1 says, “Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave.” A pretty bleak scene, isn’t it?

But as Jeremiah laments what has happened to the Israelites and he also encourages them to lament, “Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day and or night.” (2:18) In fact, as we read in the beginning of chapter 3, Jeremiah is black with depression and gloom, “I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.” And he continues that lament until we get to verse 21, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.”

There is still a ray of hope! And this ray of hope is in the Lord! It is in His unfailing love and His mercies! This is what Jeremiah embraced in those dark days. This is what He remembers when all seems lost and hopeless. He remembers the unfailing love of God! He remembers that “great is his faithfulness!”

Our ministry has gone through times of joy and times of sadness. Times of unity and times of conflict. But God has been faithful to this church! His mercies are indeed new every morning! Amen? Amen!

Therefore we must continue to embrace God’s faithfulness as we move into the future that He has for us!

“Got any rivers you think are impossible? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specializes in things that are impossible! He can do things no one else can do!”

We live in an unfaithful world. Kids cannot rely on their parents staying together through thick and thin.  Companies, as we are all too painfully aware, seem to be less faithful to employees and their communities than they used to be.

Adults have trouble trusting teens and teens have trouble trusting adults. Commitment seems to be a foreign word these days.

But as a church we have shared the story of a God who is faithful as well as loving and just and merciful and wants to forgive us from our sins! And we have told this story throughout our history no matter what our circumstances have been – good or bad!

And we will continue to tell the story of a faithful God who can help us live a life of faithfulness to Him, in our families, our jobs, our classrooms, and our communities because if we stop telling the story of God’s faithfulness, then we will descend into the gloom and doom described in Lamentations.

It is easy to celebrate God’s faithfulness to us. It is sometimes harder to embrace God’s faithfulness in order to serve Him!

But we must embrace God’s faithfulness because of His faithfulness to the human race down through history! The Christian faith is a faith about a God who is passionately interested in the human race.

He has not given up on us! He still seeks to forgive us and give us a new and better life! “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you here me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.”

Pastor Brian Bill in a sermon entitled, “Our Faithful God,” tells the story of a family in the country of Armenia who experiences an earthquake while their son is in school. The father rushed to the school that is now a pile of rubble. “Samuel found the place where Armand’s classroom used to be and began pulling a broken beam off the pile of rubble. He then grabbed a rock and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one.

One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?” “Digging for my son,” Samuel answered. The man then said, “You’re just going to make things worse! The building is unstable,” and tried to pull Samuel away from his work.

Samuel set his jaw and kept working. As time wore on, one by one, the other parents left. Then a firefighter tried to pull Samuel away from the rubble. Samuel looked at him and said, “Won’t you help me?” The firefighter left and Samuel kept digging.

All through the night and into the next day, Samuel continued digging. Parents placed flowers and pictures of their children on the ruins. But, Samuel just kept working. He picked up a beam and pushed it out of the way when he heard a faint cry. “Help! Help!” Samuel listened but didn’t hear anything again. Then he heard a muffled voice, “Papa?”

Samuel began to dig furiously. Finally he could see his son. “Come on out, son!” he said with relief. “No,” Armand said. “Let the other kids come out first because I know you’ll get me.” Child after child emerged until, finally, little Armand appeared. Samuel took him in his arms and Armand said, “I told the other kids not to worry because you told me that you’d always be there for me!”

Fourteen children were saved that day because one father was faithful.”

God digs through the rubble of our lives and our hearts and offers a way out. He is relentless! He is faithful to us as He digs and cleans out the rubble of shame and guilt out of our hearts and lives.

And He uses the church to help people get out of the rubble of their lives. In contrast to the story, we must get involved with the Lord to help others out of the rubble of their lives. That is the business of the church.

That is why we are here. Kids….teens….and adults are in need of a God who can change them for the better.  People are stuck under the frustrations and pain of life and need to be reached out to and brought to a place of freedom and peace…. and into the hands of a God who is faithful to us.

Do you believe in this faithful God? Have you experienced the joy of salvation and the freedom from the forgiveness of sin? Have you had the joy of helping others get out from their pile of rubble and experience the joy of life in Christ?

That’s our purpose, that’s our mission! That’s our future! That’s why we are here!  Amen? Amen.

Quotes are from Pastor Brian Bill and Pastor Don Schultz at www.sermoncentral.com