"Real Life"
Real Life
Luke 12: 16-21
06-29-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 GOOD STORIES JESUS TOLD

PP2 LUKE 12: 16-21

Intro

PP3 VELVETEEN RABBIT

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams is a classic children’s book. The title character is a brown and white bunny with pink satin ears that is stuffed with sawdust. The rabbit belongs to a boy who loves him dearly. The story poses the critical question: “What is real?”
The "real world" is a common yard stick used for measuring life. In high school, students complain their courses are irrelevant to "real life." In seminary, we often said that our ivory tower professors needed to serve a few months in a "real church." At work when a new supervisor arrives with fresh ideas, we wait for him to learn the rough lessons of the "real world." When someone seems to be living with her head in the clouds, we say, "Get real!"
Reality is defined as the physical world in which we live, complete with responsibilities and obligations. In order to survive and succeed, we must be in touch with how things really work and then live accordingly.
Fans of Country and Western music will recall Alan Jackson's hit "Here in the Real World." He reminds us that we do not live in a movie where everything always ends well but instead face the harsh realities of a sometimes cold world.

I. What's Really Real?

PP4 ILLUSION AND REALITY

Let me say from the start that I agree wholeheartedly with this basic principle: life should be measured by what is real. What I question, however, is our normal definition of reality. What we commonly refer to as the "real world" may not be really real. For example, consider what the real world defines as real:

Real Estate: Real estate commonly refers to land and immovable buildings--there is nothing much more real and permanent than that. For years, real estate has been one measure of wealth. Will Rogers advised, "Buy land--they're not making it any more!" Real estate is a tangible, concrete investment. Something fixed and permanent that belonged to us. Nothing is much realer than real estate.

Words such as "permanent," "immovable," and "fixed," however, are relative even in real estate. If you don't believe me, ask the earthquake victims in China. Or California after the mud slides . . . or Florida after a hurricane . . . or a victim of fire after she loses her home. Real estate does not always really last.


Real property: Then there is real property--tangible goods such as money, jewelry, silver, and gold. This is liquid capital, readily available and easily used. Yet real property also has a way of really getting away from us.
My great grandmother had a drawer full of currency . . . issued by the Confederate States of America! Jewelry is subject to theft. Despite what DeBeers might tell you, even diamonds are not forever. Precious metals fluctuate with the market. Today’s millionaires can become tomorrow’s paupers.

Real time: One of the newer phrases in our modern vocabulary is "real time." In an age of computers and satellites, this refers to what is happening right now. The old expression was "live." What we see and experience is in the present—an eternal “now” reflected in reality bites of a few minutes on TV or computer.
Time is one of the most basic of realities in our lives; yet there is some question of how real it really is. Einstein's work on relativity suggests that time is as changeable as matter. Anybody who has ever sat in a dentist's chair knows how time can slow while good times speed by! And when we look at time within the context of eternity, it loses much of its "realness."

Real thing: And then we have Coca-Cola advertising campaign that first appeared in 1970, claiming that Coke was “the real thing.” Many obviously still agree. Most Southerners remember the dark day of April 23, 1985 when the company changed its formula to the "New Coke." Coca-Cola received over 40,000 letters and 8,000 calls a day in protest.
One customer wrote and said, "There are only two things in my life: God and Coca-Cola. Now you have taken one of these things away!" Seventy-nine days later, Coke announced that their flagship brand would return under the name of “Classic Coke. Now, I will quickly agree that Classic Coke is THE soft drink of choice, but let's get real. No thing is that important!
Reality: Today computer technology is blurring the lines of reality. Role playing games such as Second Life and World of Warcraft enable players to assume different personas or avatars. Hardcore players spend countless hours in an alternate universe of their own creation.
There is nothing wrong with such games in and of themselves. Any good movie, book, or software program transports us beyond our own world to experience others. However, some people are so dissatisfied with their present lives that they exchange reality for fantasy.

VR: The next step in computer technology is virtual reality. What was once science fiction is becoming science fact. Persons can put on a helmet and glove that project them into a simulated reality as created by a computer. As you look around, you "see" this different world. The glove can be used to manipulate objects within the simulation. Just beginning to explore how this will be helpful to architects, engineers, doctors, etc. Some envision having a virtual reality suit one day that will give the illusion of being in a different world.

I would suggest to you that what we normally consider to be the real world may in fact be a virtual reality. It is ultimately no more real than a computer generated landscape into which we can escape for a time.

PP5 MATRIX

In March 1999, “The Matrix” was released in American theaters. The movie immediately became a big hit. Kenau Reeves played a computer hacker who was contacted by the mysterious “Morpheus.” Reeves discovered that the world around him was a virtual reality. What seemed to be real was nothing more than a computer generated landscape.

DVD “THE MATRIX” BEGIN: 39:23 END: 41:18


II. What Really Lasts?

PP6 COLOSSIANS 3: 2

Our definition of reality may be wildly inaccurate. We find ourselves investing great importance in things that are not really real. Then what IS real? Colossians 3:2: advises: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Contrary to what our five senses experience, it is the spiritual and not the physical that is really real.
Contrast our normal understanding of reality with the Biblical understanding of what is real. This is partly revealed in Christ's words recorded in Luke 12. The Lord tells a story about a prosperous man we commonly know as "The Parable of the Rich Fool."

PP7 PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

You remember the story. Once upon a time, there was a farmer who enjoyed a bumper crop year. But he was faced with a dilemma. "What shall I do?" he said to himself. "I have no place to store my crops." Then he hits upon the solution. "I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'"
It sounds like every person's dream of retirement! But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
Jesus then drives home the moral of the story when he says, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God."
Christ defines what is real with a simple question: will it last? Is it eternal or temporal? Storing up the things the world calls real will result in disappointment. Only treasures stored up in heaven's vaults will last. True reality is not the physical but the spiritual, not the temporal but the eternal. After all, what good is it to “gain the whole world and lose your soul?” (Matthew 16: 26)

PP8 MONOPOLY

Most of us have played the game of Monopoly. The first order of business is to pick a playing piece. You can tell a lot about a person by the token they choose. The selection of the terrier, shoe, or ship is a poor man’s Ink Blot Test. Anyone choosing the iron or thimble should not be allowed to operate heavy machinery! Then the game begins and the dice are thrown. Along the way, property is purchased, homes erected, and hotels bought. Each turn around the board brings with it the possibility of gain and loss, riches and poverty, winning and losing.
Sooner or later, however, the game ends. We return the play money to its place, slide the green homes and red hotels off the board, and fold up the game for another day. What consumed our time and interest for a moment is soon forgotten.
Perhaps this is the most important lesson that we learn from Monopoly. So much of what we believe to be permanent is as transitory as a board game. The acid test in life is the question, “What lasts?” It takes keen insight to discriminate between the temporal and eternal, the passing and everlasting. As the rich fool discovered, standing face to face with eternity reveals what is really real.

PP9 GREAT DIVORCE

In his classic book The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis describes a man's visit to heaven. God's kingdom is so real that the grass will not even bend under the feet of those newly arrived. Streams of water are as solid as moving roads. And those who first enter seem as ephemeral and transparent as ghosts. As persons travel up into the "high lands" towards God, however, they become more and more solid. Lewis says, "Heaven is reality itself. All that is fully real is Heavenly." (p. 69)

III. What Really Lasts

When it is all said and done—and brothers and sisters, one day it will be—what really lasts? As disciples of Christ, we are called to the realization that there is a greater, spiritual reality to which we are to dedicate our lives. Citizens of God's kingdom have a different set of values than those who live according to the world.
After Jesus told his disciples the parable of the rich fool, he went on to discuss the cares and worries of life. He summed up his teaching by saying, "Seek God's kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Seek ye first the kingdom of God. And we do that most often by loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength; and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. These things alone really last, they are what is really real.

PP10 VELVETEEN RABBIT

Read pages 16-17 of The Velveteen Rabbit

The real world is not: paychecks . . . traffic jams . . . stocks and bonds . . . insurance policies . . . social status . . . school awards . . . recognition by our peers . . . latest fashions . . . our favorite TV program . . . politics . . . bank accounts . . . trophies . . .
The real world is: reading a book with our child . . . holding hands with your spouse . . . talking with a friend . . . studying Scripture . . . worship . . . prayer . . . sharing with someone else about Christ . . . feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, housing the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in jail . . .

In summary, reality is the spiritual part of life, the part of life that is invested in eternity. Any part of life that is exclusively related to this world is not reality, but only a passing moment, necessary for the time, but certainly not ultimate. What is really real connects us to the eternal while we live in the temporal, links us to God's kingdom while we continue on in the world.

The Ultimate Reality, of course, is the one who bridges the two worlds and allows us to pass over: Jesus Christ. To paraphrase the opening chapter of John's Gospel,

"In the beginning was the Real, and the Real was with God, and the Real was God. He was with God in the beginning . . . . to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . . The Real became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Conclusion

In the "real world," we need to discover what is really real in our lives. Is it lasting, is it eternal? If not, then it is not really real. I invite you to "get real" this morning. Give yourself the "real world" test. Life is not a game of Monopoly, and we dare not waste it on things that will one day pass away. Let us invest our lives in the eternal, and store up our treasures in heaven.

Don’t Listen to this Sermon if You’re Never Ever Been Rude
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
06-08-2008 Sam Jones UMC

PP1 LOVE IS NOT RUDE

Introduction

PP2 PASTOR ON BOARD

People of faith possess a moral compass that guides us through an often times bewildering world. Our understanding of spiritual principles helps us to apply God’s Word to our World. We are challenged each day to practice what we preach and walk what we talk. And for the most part, we experience some degree of success.
Yet we ALL have areas where we stumble and fall. Each person is tempted in his or her own way. Temptation is as diverse as human sinfulness. We struggle with gossip, lust, gluttony, impatience, temper, materialism, covetousness, bitterness, or (the ever popular) all of the above!

In a spirit of openness and honesty, I would like to make my own personal confession today. One of the greatest challenges in my life is to act like a Christian . . . in MY CAR! Something happens to me when I get behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. In my defense, I am convinced that I am the only one who knows what he’s doing on the road!
I know ministers who put bumper stickers and tags on their cars that read: “Clergy” or “Pastor.” I even have a friend with a prestige license plate that reads: “The REV!” I would NEVER put such a thing on my car. The way I drive, I don’t want ANYONE to know who I am! I’ve even hesitated to put one of our Sam Jones tags on the front of my car. Believe me, you don’t want people to know I’m your pastor when I’m driving!
Some years ago one of my children bought me a license plate for the front of my car with big brass-colored letters that said, “PASTOR!” I thanked my child for the wonderful gift and then said that I thought it would look MUCH better in my office than on my car!

I recall one day when I was running late and a car pulled out right in front of me. Then the dense driver proceeded to go ten miles slower than the speed limit. This is truly one of my pet peeves that can make my blood boil.
I hit the horn . . . and then the brakes. I stomped the brake pedal hard enough to produce a satisfying SQUEAL to let the guy know about his near-death experience! The moron could see my lips moving in the rear view mirror. In order to make sure the idiot got the message, I tailgated the car for the next few blocks.
Just then I suddenly realized that the idiot was also a member of my church! He was a patriarch of the congregation and a dear saint of God loved by all—even if he couldn’t drive!
I experienced what you might call “instant conviction!” I slowly slid down in my seat and eased off the accelerator. Then I turned on the next side street that I could find. And all the way home I prayed that he hadn’t recognized his pastor!

PP3 HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS

Of course, others share my road rage. A friend tells about driving down the road and seeing a van with a “Honk if you love Jesus!” bumper sticker. So she honked her horn. The stranger waved back vigorously. It took my friend several minutes to realize not all of the strangers fingers were extended on the person’s waving hand!

I realize that my driving confessions are not the stuff of front page news. I didn’t really FALL in my spiritual walk . . . but I sure managed to STUMBLE some along the way.

I. The Thump Test

PP4 ON THE ANVIL

In his book, On the Anvil, Max Lucado describes how a potter tests his work. A finished piece of pottery is placed in a hot kiln to bake. When the craftsman removes the piece, he thumps it with his fingers. If it "sings" with a clear tone, then the pot is ready. If it "thuds" with a dull sound, however, then the pottery goes back into the fire.

PP5 THE THUMP TEST

Have you been thumped lately? Some thumps might include:


 A long line at the store
 Cut off in traffic
 Caught by the train
 Grumpy spouse
 Bad call by the umpire
 Dirty clothes on the floor
 Flat tire
 Car left on empty . . . again.
 Computer crashes.
 A butter dish lands butter-side down.


Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. And when you were thumped, did you sing or thud? Such experiences in life both reveal our inward character and affect our outward witness.

II. Inward Character

Life’s THUMPS reveal our inward character. How we react shows what is inside us.

PP6 INWARD CHARACTER

The Christian Growth class at Kennesaw UMC played a practical joke on newlyweds in the class. They entered the house with a key left with a fellow classmate while the happy couple was on their honeymoon. They removed all the labels from the food cans in the cupboard. The couple spent months not knowing what they might have for supper when they opened a can.

Our lives are like that. You never know what is inside until the content of our lives is revealed in adversity. Many can talk the talk. And even walk the walk . . . until life's little annoyances occur. When the going gets tough, you discover who someone really is inside. We are like saturated sponges. When squeezed, what is inside comes to the surface.

PP7 LUKE 6:43-45

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus said, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored upon in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Our words and deeds—especially in times of adversity—reveal the content of our hearts and souls. Thumps become a diagnostic tool of our spiritual health.

PP8 ON THE ANVIL QUOTE

"The true character of an individual is not seen in momentary heroics but in the thump packed humdrum of day-to-day living." (Lucado)

PP9 THUD OR SING

A. Thud
Sometimes a thump produces a thud. We snarl at a store clerk. Honk the horn at a motorist. Lose it with our child. Fuss at our spouse. Slam a door. Throw a fit. Kick the dog. And cuss the cat. We usually recognize the sound of a thud in our lives. We later wish we could stuff those words back in our mouths. Undo the harm we've done. Lay in bed at night kept awake by a guilty conscience. We swore we would do better next time . . . and now it is next time, and we fell just as hard again.

B. Sing
Sometimes we thud and God has to put us back into the oven. But over times by God's grace, we sing. The world's worst brings out our best. Love conquers hate, patience irritation, and kindness rudeness. We might even be surprised at ourselves, not realizing how much we have grown in the Lord until the chance came to show it.

III. Outward Witness

PP10 OUTWARD WITNESS

This revelation of our inward character by the thumps of life does not affect us alone. The times we thud or sing are also a witness--either bad or good--to those around us.

I am presently engaged in the parental challenge of teaching my son to drive. I earned most of my gray hair teaching Child One to drive. And now Child Two has gotten his learner’s license. I figure the gray will go away when I pull out the rest of my hair! Actually, he is doing fairly well with the exception of some occasional excursions on the shoulder of the road.
Teaching someone else to drive is also a refresher course for the teacher. Now, I KNOW how to drive—I’ve been doing it for 35 years now; but over time it is easy to grow complacent and sloppy. When someone else is watching your example, you become much more aware of what you are doing.

Remember my experience with the car pulling out in front of me? I felt guilty the moment I realized it was someone I knew. And even more importantly, it was someone who knew me. The knowledge reminded me of who I was and how I was supposed to behave.
There is always someone watching us. We’ve all called a business and a tape recording announces, “This call may be monitored for quality control.” Our lives are always being monitored by others. When we thud, we hurt our witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. When we sing, they see Christ within.

IV. Learning How To Sing

PP11 VOICE LESSONS

So we need to learn how to sing. I knew a music teacher once who confidently told me that she could teach anyone to sing. Maybe not sing well enough to solo, but at least hit the majority of notes. That's a lie. I cannot carry at note in a bucket in a bathtub . . . and never will this side of heaven's gates. But while we are in this thump filled world, we can learn how to sing in response to problems. Here are some simple guidelines that help.

A. Situational Awareness

PP12 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

The first principle to dealing with thumps in life is situational awareness. Pilots use this phrase to describe a three-dimensional sense of what is going on around them and the plane they are driving.
Simple as it seems, when we get hit by life's annoyances and irritants, it is very helpful to say to ourselves, "Oh, this is a thump!" We need to be aware that this is a situation in which my inward character and outward witness are being tested.
It is also helpful to recognize we all have “thump slump” times that are predictable. We are more prone to react poorly at these times.

 Place: home, church, community, ball field, car, etc.
 Time: end of the quarter, holidays, tax season, Mondays, etc.

PP13 LONE RANGER CARTOON

B. Attitude


The second principle is closely related. Recognize the situation as an opportunity rather than a problem. This approach is a key that enables most successful people to overcome adversity. They are not Polyannas that think everything is well. Yet they do recognize that difficulties are also opportunities. There is a silver lining to every dark cloud. We can make lemonade out of lemons. James 1 says to rejoice in trials and tribulations because this is an opportunity to grow and mature in our faith.
No one is thump proof. So we can view each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and perseverance. Each thump helps or hurts, depending upon our attitude. Attitude with irritant: here is a chance for me to practice patience, fortitude, courage, faithfulness, love, kindness. Might not feel like it. My first reaction might be to act otherwise. But see this is as another small step in my Christian faith. I am exercising my spiritual muscles.

C. Perspective

PP14 PROPER PERSPECTIVE (SEE BULLETS BELOW—COME IN ONE AT TIME)

The third key is keeping perspective. Easier said than done. You've heard me quote the psychologist who says there are two principles to stress reduction:


 Don't sweat the small stuff.
 It's all small stuff!


I heard a variation of these familiar rules:


 Don’t sweat the petty stuff.
 Don’t pet the sweaty stuff!


There is a lot of truth to this! Ask yourself, will it matter ten years from now? One year from now? One week? One hour? One minute? We are called to cultivate an eternal perspective, and see our lives and world through God's eyes.

Conclusion

PP15 THE THUMP TEST

While we are alive in this world, we are always in the fire. The thumps of life test our inward character and outward witness. By God’s power and grace, we can choose to sing rather than thud. Thump, thump, thump, thump. What’s in your life?

"All I Really Need to Know I Learned in VBS"
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in VBS
Matthew 18: 1-5
06-01-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW VBS MASTER SLIDE

Pre-Introduction

PP2 ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW

In the 1980s, Robert Fulghum wrote an article about some lessons learned in kindergarten. The essay took on a life of its own and spread across the nation. One day a copy went home from school in the knapsack of a child whose mother was a literary agent. She contacted Fulghum, and a book deal was negotiated.
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten was published in 1988. In the title article, Fulghum wrote:

“All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

In the name of sermon preparation, preachers are shameless. Using one person’s work is plagiarism; using three sources is research! Today I have “borrowed” from Fulghum’s work. The sermon is entitled: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Vacation Bible School.”

Scripture: Matthew 18: 1-5

PP3 SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 18: 1-5

Introduction

PP4 SERENGETI TREK VBS PACK

Vacation Bible School Season has arrived in the South. Although such a time is not marked on any liturgical calendar, the annual observance is sacred in the southern church year. A summer would not be complete without this Holy Week of bedlam and chaos in local congregations.
I grew up attending VBS at my home church. The event was widely publicized in the congregation and community. In a clever church growth strategy, we were encouraged to invite our family and friends. I never could gauge the long-term effectiveness of this evangelistic approach. However, non-churched parents gladly agreed to send their children to a week of free daycare!
Years and decades have passed since I attended VBS as a child. Yet the lessons I learned seeped deep into my soul. Looking back, I realize that I all I really needed to know I learned in VBS.

I. Assembly and Singing

PP5 JESUS LOVES ME

Our church had VBS on weekdays from 9:00 to 12:00 as God’s Word commands. We began each day with “assembly.” The title calls to mind an orderly group listening attentively to a speaker. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
In theory, each class sat on a pew with its teachers. In practice, it was more like herding cats, counting minnows, and organizing earthworms—only not that organized. Later when I read the Old Testament story about the Tower of Babel, VBS assembly would come to mind.
We began with a prayer followed by the pledges. We would stand, salute, and pledge our allegiance to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Holy Bible. Then we would put nickels and dimes in the offering plate for some mission project in a far off land. This was my humble introduction to missions and stewardship.
The best part of assembly, however, was the singing. This occurred in the blessed days before I realized that I couldn’t sing. And the adults in my life were too kind to tell me otherwise. We would belt out the songs of faith. Our “Top Ten List” included “This is My Father’s World,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands,” and “The B-I-B-L-E.” Our all time, number one favorite, however, was “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.”
I didn’t realize it at the time, but these songs contained a theology that continues to inform and direct my life. The tunes, words, and concepts saturated my soul and shaped my image of God. Long before I studied theology in seminary, I intuitively understood God’s great truths in childhood songs.
Most of us would say we’re not very good at memorization. Yet we are walking human hymnals with thousands of tunes and stanzas inscribed upon our souls. The Old Testament Psalms were Israel’s song book; today we recognize and revere the 150 Psalms as Scripture. The great hymns of our faith are also God’s Word in our lives. In good times and bad, it is often the songs of VBS, Sunday School, church, camp meeting, and revival that sustain and nurture us along the way.

II. The Lesson

PP6 FLANNEL BOARD AND CHILDREN’S BIBLE

After assembly, we followed our teachers to the classroom for the day’s lesson. Each summer featured a different theme. A joyful Jesus with a broad smile on his face adorned all the materials. Maps, pictures, and posters decorated the cinderblock walls of the Sunday School rooms. Thirty-three rpm records of flimsy plastic accompanied the curriculum with the week’s featured songs.
Filmstrips were high tech way back then. The more elaborate presentations included a cassette recording that BEEPED when the slide should be advanced. The multi-media presentations consisted of felt boards and punch out figures. For years, I thought all the disciples were six inches tall with Velcro strips down their backs.
I’m not sure who first told me “the old, old story.” One of the greatest compliments I can pay to my home and church is I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know about Jesus and his love. I absorbed it like a sponge placed into water. I instinctively understood God’s love in the same way I knew day followed night, water felt wet, and the sky turned blue.
I have learned a lot since my VBS days. Yet the foundation and apex of my faith is a soul deep certainty of God’s grace in my life. I live with the assurance that “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And before I could read this message from the Bible, I learned its truth at home, Sunday School, worship, and Vacation Bible School.

III. Recreation

PP7 CHILDREN PLAYING

Assembly, singing, and lessons were fun; however, recreation was the highpoint of the day. VBS graduates in their teens normally led recess. This meant the teenage boys flirted with their female counterparts while we ran wild. The more organized leaders would toss us a kick ball before standing aside.
We would play dodge ball, kickball, hide-and-go-seek, Mother-May-I, Simon Says, freeze tag, and chase. We were filled to the overflowing with the vitality and excitement of life.
The young possess an exuberance and joy about life that adults lose somewhere along the way. Children see the world through new eyes. All of creation is seen as this marvelous playground built by God for their enjoyment. Each day is filled with firsts. Flowers, shadows, bumblebees, mud puddles, puppy dogs, rainbows, all intrigue and delight. One of the fringe benefits of parenthood is to see the world anew through their eyes. Our children can lead us by the hand in a wonderful adventure of rediscovering the world around us.
Children intuitively know the words to Maltbie D. Babcock's hymn:

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world, he shines in all that's fair,
in the rustling grass, I hear him pass. He speaks to me everywhere.

The Holy Spirit is like an exuberant child who knocks on our door, inviting us to come out and play. Jesus told his disciples: "Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the KOH."
Today’s Scripture lesson tells us that there are no grownups in God's kingdom! Only children go to heaven! This is the entry point into the new world Jesus preaches.

Jesus' invitation in Matthew 18 is restated in a different way in John 3. The Jewish leader, Nicodemus, came to Jesus. asking about eternal life. The Lord responded, "You must be born again/anew/from above!" Nicodemus heard his words literally and asked how anyone could return to his mother's womb. Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the KOG unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
We must become like infants, starting all over again. Recreation is literally re-creation as we are made anew by the Holy Spirit. In Christ, we are new creations—the old has passed away and the new has come. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus not only proclaim that “You MUST be born again” but also promise that “You CAN be born again.”

IV. Refreshments

PP8 COOKIES AND JUICE

After recreation, we would break for snack time. Refreshments normally included fruit flavored juice along with cookies. Cream filled cookies were a favorite, although we also liked the butter cookies that could be worn on your fingers like rings.
When I first heard the story about Jesus feeding the five thousand with loaves and fishes, I always assumed the writers meant to say Kool-Aide and Oreos. I also thought that the Communion Service would have benefited by switching the stale crackers with iced sugar cookies.
I do recall one year when our class took an imaginary plane trip to the Holy Land. The teachers served us unleavened bread, shriveled dates, and tart grape juice. They assured us these “snacks” represented authentic food from the Holy Land. We assured them that the land flowing with milk and honey did not live up to its reputation.
All of God’s people are pilgrims traveling through a foreign land. We need sustenance and refreshment along the way. John Wesley talked about the “means of grace” by which the Lord revives our souls. Prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship, fasting, testimony, the Lord’s Supper, and more are food and drink for God’s children. And everyone knows that snacks always taste best when prepared by loving hands and shared with others.

V. Arts and Crafts

PP9 CRAFT STICKS

Following recreation and refreshments, we enjoyed arts and crafts time the most. Some congregations ordered expensive kits with their Vacation Bible School materials. We self-righteously rejected such Philistine ways. Markers, construction paper, glitter, balsa wood, and modeling clay were the art materials of true VBS veterans.
Oh, and the things we could do with a few Popsicle sticks and some paste glue! These basic materials formed the building blocks for anything imaginable. No doubt Noah constructed the ark with only these supplies on hand. Given enough time and craft sticks, a Vacation Bible School class could construct a flight ready space shuttle with Popsicle sticks.
Our art teachers taught us the joy of creation. We share the privilege and joy of serving as co-creators with the “maker of the heavens and the earth.” Our heavenly Father rejoices in our labors in the same way mothers and fathers “ooh” and “ahh” over VBS projects brought home half-painted and almost dry on Friday afternoons.
The adult leaders also planted a seed in our souls that suggested all things are possible with God. Give a generation of children a foundation of faith along with some juice, cookies, and Popsicle sticks, and they will change our world forever!

Conclusion

PP10 ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW VBS MASTER SLIDE

I cherish my childhood memories of Vacation Bible School. I am a proud VBS veteran with the certificates and ribbons to prove it. I attended VBS from pre-school through seventh grade. Then I became a teenager helper with refreshments and recreation. I went on to serve as a VBS teacher.
It is funny how the experiences of our childhood continue to shape us as adults. Almost thirty years ago, Loggins and Messina recorded the popular hit House at Pooh Corner. Kenny Loggins wrote the song in high school when he was supposed to be studying for a test. Drawing upon AA Milne's enchanting tales about the Hundred Acre Wood, Loggins sang about getting "back to the ways of Christopher Robin and Pooh."
Twenty-eight years and four children later, Kenny Loggins issued a new CD entitled Return to Pooh Corner. In the title track, he added a third verse to his classic song.

“It’s hard to explain how a few precious things
seem to follow throughout all our lives.
After alls said and done, I was watching my son,
sleeping there with my bear by his side.
I tucked him in, kissed him, and as I was going,
I could have sworn that old bear whispered,
'Boy, welcome home!'”

Times have changed, and we live in a different era. Harpsichords and pianos have been replaced by recorded music in CDs. Flannel board presentations are passé and PPT presentations the norm. Film strips and projectors are old school while videos and big screens are new school. Even Popsicle sticks have been replaced by craft kits.
The medium constantly changes, but the old, old message of “Jesus and his love” remains the same. As VBS begins tomorrow, my prayer for the children of our congregation and community is that they will experience Jesus’ love through singing, lessons, recreation, snacks, crafts, and fellowship. AND I hope their parents, grandparents, and teachers will be reminded of the lessons of God’s grace.
Those summer weeks of VBS became moments of grace in my life. I learned that the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, loved and cherished ME! Such knowledge overwhelmed my heart with wonder and love. And it continues to do so today.
After all, everything I really needed to know I learned in Vacation Bible School. Amen.

"Memorials"
Memorials
1 Samuel 7: 12-13
05-18-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 MASTER SLIDE

PP2 1 SAMUEL 7: 12

Introduction

PP3 HERE I RAISE MINE EBENEZER

During seminary, I served three years as the associate pastor at Kennesaw United Methodist Church. One of my duties was to preach on Sunday nights. We often asked the congregation to call out favorite hymns to sing. On a regular basis, Ed G. would request, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." The second stanza of this hymn always intrigued me. The verse said:

Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come.
And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

At the time, I was not at all sure that I had an Ebenezer; and I was fairly certain that I had never raised it! So one Sunday I asked if anyone knew just what an Ebenezer might be. The next week I found a slip of paper on my desk with the Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 7. So I turned to the appropriate chapter and read the story behind the word.

It is a rather obscure tale in the Old Testament. After a period of national disobedience and calamity, the people of Israel had turned back to God and repented of their sin. The Lord agreed to restore the people. So the prophet Samuel called the nation to gather at a place called Mizpah to renew their covenant with God.
When Israel’s archenemies, the Philistines, heard of this, however, they launched a surprise attack. The Jewish army was in trouble, but Samuel prayed for the Lord to intervene. The battle turned into a rout, and the Philistine armies were decisively defeated.
So Samuel took a large stone and created a monument to the victory. He named the pillar "Ebenezer" which meant "Stone of help." Samuel proclaimed, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." The memorial served as a reminder to Israel of God’s deliverance.
Reading this story from 1 Samuel 7 gave new meaning to the hymn's words for me. Naming a stone pile Ebenezer testified to how God's grace is with us through out life and also at particular moments in life.

I. Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer

PP4 WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?

Using stones to mark places of religious significance is a common occurrence in the Old Testament. Abraham raised numerous altars at special places where he encountered the Lord. In Genesis 28:18, Jacob fell asleep with a rock for a pillow and dreamt of a ladder going up to heaven. When he awoke, he named the place "Bethel" or "God's house" and marked the stone with oil. In Exodus 24:4, Moses built an altar and erected twelve stones that symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel.
In Joshua 4:3, Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. God caused the Jordan River to dry up so the people could cross. They collected twelve stones from the river bed and built a monument on the far side. God told Joshua, "These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." These stones marked moments of deep significance for both individuals and the people of Israel.
We still follow this practice today. For example, there’s a large stone pillar just outside the sanctuary in front of the courthouse that honors Reverend Felton. There is another obelisk for those who died during the Civil War. Our confirmands took a field trip to see the tall stone monument that marks Sam Jones’ grave at Oak Hill Cemetery.
In Scripture, these stones of remembrance represent a tension between two basic beliefs about God.

A. God's Omnipresence
First, Christians believe that God is omnipresent. The Lord is in all places at all times. We accept this theological concept easily today. Yet this was a revolutionary idea in an Old Testament world where gods and goddesses were associated with particular geographical areas. Over and again the people of Israel are warned not to worship the gods of the lands around them but the Lord God Almighty instead.
We discover in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Israel an evolving understanding of who God is. He forms covenant with individuals and a people. He leads Israel out of Egypt by a cloud of smoke and a pillar of fire. The Ark of the Covenant travels with the pilgrim people during 40 years of wilderness wandering. Later the temple in Jerusalem was constructed to represent God's earthly home. God's people came to understand that the Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, is not bound to one place or time. His spirit is always present. We are never alone.

B. In Particular Places
God is in all places at all times. Yet stones of remembrance like the prophet Samuel erected also recognize that God is with us in special ways in particular times and places. These sites become sacred for us. Believers are marked by these moments and mark the moments in turn. To use Internet terminology, we bookmark these sites in our memory.
We encountered God there in some extraordinary fashion. Heard the Lord's voice, saw God's face, felt the Master's touch, sensed the Spirit's presence. There/then we raise a monument to how God has acted in our lives.

In Celtic mythology there is a notion that "thin places" exist in the universe. These sites mark where the visible and invisible, the material and the spiritual worlds come into closest proximity. (Homiletics, 4/98, p. 78)

II. Personal Places

PP5 WHERE HAVE YOU RAISED YOUR EBENEZER?

A friend of mine (Phil S.) has kicked around an idea for a guidebook to modern shrines in America entitled Spiritual Road Food Guide. The book would mark places where people have experienced God in special ways. Examples would include:

 The monastery in Conyers, Georgia
 Covington, Georgia where a woman reportedly had visions of Mary
(One diner’s sign: Eat, drink, and see Mary!)
 The Crystal Cathedral in California

Suppose you wrote your own Spiritual Road Food Guide. Where and when have you encountered God in an extraordinary way? To use Old Testament terminology, where have you raised your Ebenezer and marked a time when the Holy Spirit intervened in a powerful way? When have you heard the Lord's voice, saw God's face, felt the Master's touch, sensed the Spirit's presence? You left that place saying, "Surely, we have been in the presence of the Lord." Recall those places, and be reminded anew of what they have meant in your spiritual journey.
As I remember my own faith journey, I suppose that I should not be surprised to realize that most of my Ebenezers have been raised at church altar rails.

 Baptism as baby Kirkwood UMC
 Salvation Camp Glisson Chapel
 Call to ministry Columbia Drive UMC
 Ordination Kennesaw UMC
 Marriage Unity Baptist Church
 Baptism Katie Mossy Creek UMC
 Baptism Will Summerville FUMC

Today our confirmands come to God’s altar to publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ. This is an Ebenezer moment for each of them. This is both a culmination of the past twelve years and a milestone along a path that will extend into the future. Our prayer is that this will be a time when they encounter the Holy Spirit in a powerful and personal way.
Yes, God is with us in ALL times and places; but the Holy Spirit also acts in particular times and places. And we join in singing:

Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come.
And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

III. Memorials

PP6 WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?

In Scripture and in our own lives, there are times and places where we erect “stones of remembrance” to mark a supernatural moment in our lives. In my own experience, there are usually human faces surrounding that moment. God often acts through human agency.
I have said on many occasions that we all owe a debt to the past. We are who we are today because of whom we were with others yesterday. There is a basic “given-ness” to the gospel. First and foremost, divine grace is given to us as a free gift neither merited nor earned. Secondly, this grace shines in, through, and sometimes despite the lives of others. We pass on what we have received from others. I encourage you to recall the faces of those who have shared the gospel with you in the past through word and deed. Give thanks to God for their lives.
In turn, we have the opportunity to serve as God’s agents to shape and form others lives. For better or worse, we leave lasting impressions upon other persons lives by which we will be remembered. What memorials are you creating with your words, actions, and example? What will we leave behind for others to remember?
There are many things I hope can be said at my eulogy and recalled from my life. I hope people will say he was a good husband, loving father, committed pastor, faithful friend, generous giver, Nobel laureate, and winner of the Publishers’ Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. But first and last, I hope that I am remembered as a man who lived his life for Jesus Christ. It is on this claim that I will raise mine Ebenezer.

PP7 TOMBSTONE 1

I lived next door to a church cemetery during the first nine years of my pastoral ministry. People often asked if a graveyard’s proximity ever bothered me. I always answered quite truthfully, “No, it contains some of the best neighbors in the world!” The local residents never bothered me. However, it would have only taken one incident for me to consider relocating.
I enjoyed walking in the cemeteries and reading the headstones. Some of the names were familiar while others were unknown strangers. Many had lived long years on the earth; but their entire existence was summed up by two dates with a dash in between.
I have been thinking about my own tombstone lately. Not that I actually own one, mind you. Possessing an engraved tombstone while I am still above ground is a bit disconcerting to me. There is no need to bother the stonemason before my time. Quite frankly, I find myself in no hurry to need the services of a marker or a plot.
I did find a site on the internet that features a “tombstone generator” where you can design your own epitaph. I enjoyed designing a few friends’ tombstones but found it a touch eerie. Here is a start on my own grave marker.

PP8 TOMBSTONE 2

I have thought about what epitaph might best sum up my life in stone. A sentimental “Gone but not forgotten” would be nice. Or I could go the religious route with “Asleep in the Lord.” I’ve even considered a humorous inscription such as “I told you I was sick!”
Regardless of my final decision, there will come a day when I am not. Although the possibility seems incomprehensible, the world will continue long after I am gone. Even graven lines etched deep in granite will weather and fade with time.
The United Methodist Book of Worship contains a committal service to be used at the graveside during a funeral. One prayer always gives me pause for thought. It says:

Eternal God, you have shared with us the life of NAME.
Before he/she was ours, he/she is yours.
For all that NAME has given us to make us what we are,
For that of him/her which lives and grows in each of us,
And for his/her life that in your love will never end,
We give you thanks.

Here is the question I would challenge you to wrestle with today. How will our lives be remembered? How will our example continue to shape others even after our death? And what of us will live and grow in those that we have loved? What memorials are you leaving with your life?
The Lord acts in many different ways in our lives. More often than not, the Holy Spirit touches us through the lives of others. And we have the same privilege to act as God’s servants in the lives of those we encounter.

Conclusion

PP9 TOMBSTONE 3

The message on my tombstone will not ultimately matter. My challenge is to make the dash between the two dates into the Christian race run well. We are all challenged to live lives worth remembering. Our words, actions, and examples will live on long after we are gone. What lasting memorials are we making? And what Ebenezers do we raise to God’s work in our lives?
Maybe I will simply have my name and the two customary years inscribed on my tombstone. After the second date, however, they can place a comma rather than a period. Death is not the end but a new beginning for all that trust in the Lord.

PP10 MASTER SLIDE

You’ve Got to Preach about Mothers on Mother’s Day
Proverbs 31; Luke 10: 38-42
Mother’s Day
05-11-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 MASTER SLIDE

PP2 LUKE 10: 41-42

Introduction

PP3 HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

I will let you in on a professional secret: pastors DREAD Mother’s Day Sunday. It’s not that we have anything against mothers—most preachers have one. However, Mother’s Day is a pastoral minefield, and many a minister has made a fatal misstep on this red-letter day.
I still suffer from flashbacks from a few Mother’s Days past. Years ago I served a country church near Cleveland, Georgia. The congregation followed the quaint tradition of awarding corsages to the various mothers present. Long time southerners will immediately know what I’m talking about.
We began by recognizing the youngest mother present. Then we honored the mother with the most children, the mother who had traveled the farthest, the mother with a child present who had traveled the farthest, the mother with the most generations present, and so on. The rules and regulations governing the ritual would have made a New Testament Pharisee green with envy.
The contest culminated with the crowning of the oldest matriarch present. On this particular Mother’s Day, however, trouble arose. The two finalists got into a shouting match across the sanctuary concerning their relative ages. One silver haired saint finally shrieked, “Ruby Lee, you KNOW that you’re older than me. But if you won’t admit it, then I’ll take the blessed corsage!”
As I recall, this also turned out to be the LAST year that we observed this hallowed Mother’s Day tradition. The next May the youth gave pink carnations to every female that walked through the door!

I. You’ve Got to Preach about Mothers on Mother’s Day

PP4 HOW TO HONOR MOTHERS

In his book, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, Robert Fulghum wrote about preaching on Mother’s Day Sunday:

"For twenty-five years of my life, the second Sunday in May was trouble. Being the minister of a church, I was obliged in some way to address the subject of Mother's Day. It could not be avoided. I tried that. Mind you, the congregation was quite open-minded, actually, and gave me free rein in the pulpit.
But when it came to the second Sunday in May, the expectations were summarized in these words of one of the more outspoken women in the church: 'I'm bringing my MOTHER to church on MOTHER'S DAY, Reverend, and you can talk about anything you want. But it had better include MOTHER, and it had better be GOOD!' She was joking—teasing me. She also meant it!”

Perhaps it is different in other regions of our nation, but Mother’s Day is a holy holiday in the South. I grew up in an era when everyone still wore a boutonniere or corsage to church on the second Sunday of May. Anyone with “raising” knew that you wore a white flower if your mother was deceased and a red flower if your mother was still alive.
Every southern preacher KNOWS that you’ve got to preach about mothers on Mother’s Day. On the years that I have chosen to ignore this sacred rule, I have always been chastised by church members for this sinful omission. So today I’m preaching about Mother’s Day.
But what do you say? And NOT say? Our pastoral prayer today recognized the variety fo situations that this day encompasses. My standard Scripture lesson for the day comes from Proverbs 31 which declares: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” It’s hard to go wrong with this passage.
However, today I have chosen a less orthodox text for the day. Our Scripture lesson is not normally associated with Mother’s Day, but I think it has an important lesson for ALL of God’s children on this holiday honoring the women in our lives.

II. Mary and Martha

PP5 MARTHA IN THE KITCHEN

Today’s Gospel lesson is found in Luke 10: 38-42. Jesus and the disciples were touring the region of Judea near Jerusalem. Each day Christ would instruct the crowds in the principles of God=s kingdom. At night, they would camp in the fields or stay in the home of a friend.
They arrived one evening in Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. These close friends of Jesus invited the entire group to dinner. Luke doesn’t indicate how much time the women had to prepare. Even with advance warning, a dinner party for 15 plus people was quite an undertaking. But Martha was one of those prepared people who could rise to any occasion. She was happiest when busiest. She hustled and bustled from one pot to the next, cooking a lavish feast.
Meanwhile, Jesus and the others rested in the living room. The Lord continued to teach them about God=s kingdom. At his feet sat Martha’s sister, Mary. She soaked up Jesus’ words like a sponge in water. All else was forgotten as she sat at the master=s feet.
As the pots began to boil in the kitchen, so did Martha! She was stuck with preparing supper all by herself while her sister sat around with the men folk up front. First, Martha began to bang the pots and pans. Then she shot several glares at her unsuspecting sister. Finally, she began to loudly mutter, AFifteen guests for dinner . . . the meal is late . . . and my sister isn’t doing a thing to help!@
The overworked sister finally exploded like a steaming pressure cooker. She stomped into the living room, interrupted Jesus, and said, ALord, don=t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to come help me!” In one statement, Martha manages to chastise both Jesus and Mary along with everyone else in the room!
But Jesus answered, AMartha, my dear friend. You are so upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and I will not take it away from her.@ Martha had missed what Mary discovered. The most important thing in the world is sitting at the Master=s feet.

III. Mary’s Example

PP6 HAVING A MARY HEART IN A MARTHA WORLD

Martha was not a bad woman. Jesus himself counted her as a close friend. Today Martha would be a pillar of the community and admired by all. She would probably work a full time job along with being a wife and mother. She would be president of the PTA, coach of her son=s baseball team, room mother for her daughter=s class, troop leader for the scouts, supervisor of the car pool, member of an ALTA tennis team, and a leader in the local church.
I have just described many of the women in our congregation. Times have changed in the past decades for females in our society. And for the most part, the changes have been good. Yet along with all of these new privileges and responsibilities, women have also kept the same old ones also. Work, family, housework, laundry, grocery shopping, and a dozen other tasks fill a woman’s day.

One woman said that she works a double shift every day. She puts in eight hours at work, and then comes home for her second shift with her family! Calling someone a “working mother” is repetitiously redundant!

Martha would have felt at home in the twenty-first century. And none of Martha=s activities were wrong in and of themselves. She committed no terrible deed. Martha=s dinner preparations were a labor of love.
She simply made a common mistake. Martha got so busy that she forgot what was really important. In her hurry and scurry, she focused upon the urgent rather than the eternal. Martha majored on the minors and minored on the majors. She settled for the good instead of the best. She became so preoccupied with earthly matters that she forgot the son of heaven sat in the front room.
Jesus made her pause in the midst of her hustle and bustle when he said: “One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” (The Message)

In time management literature, consultants talk about “the tyranny of the immediate.” We get so caught up in the demands of the moment that we lose all perspective on what is important and unimportant. In our spiritual lives, we allow busy schedules to crowd out any time for Bible study, prayer, worship, fellowship, and service. This becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. We become so busy with busyness that we don’t take a breath to ask if what we’re doing is worth doing. We don’t have the time—or at least we don’t take the time—to examine how we are spending the precious coin of our lives. The result is making biscuits in the kitchen while the Son of God is sitting in the dining room.

PP7 PROVERBS 31

The Biblical definition of the ideal woman is someone who loves the Lord. Proverbs 31 declares: “Charm is deceitful and beauty if vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to praised.” The number one characteristic in God=s black book is not charm or beauty but righteousness. He calls his daughters (and sons) to a life of holiness.
Jesus lifted up Mary as an example for Martha. She did not allow earthly distractions to keep her from heavenly matters. Her first allegiance was to God=s kingdom. All else came second.
Sisters in Christ, you can be respected in your career, established in your community, admired in your church, cherished by your husband, loved by your children, and adored by your grandchildren, but if you are not first and foremost a woman of God, then you have failed yourself and all those who love you. For you have misplaced the most important priority of all--serving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. When Christ is first in life, then all other priorities fall into place. When Jesus is not the Lord of our living, then life becomes a mad dash from one boiling pot to another. Mary’s example reminds us all to slow down and look up.

IV. Martha’s Example

PP8 MARY AND MARTHA WITH JESUS

There is no doubt that Mary is the heroine of our story today. I must confess, however, that I have always sympathized with Martha. I’m just curious, how many people here identify with Mary? And how many identify with Martha? My experience has been that most of us relate to Martha and her busyness in the kitchen. As someone who has more Martha than Mary in him, I think she has gotten an unmerited reputation. So I would like to speak a few words in her defense today.
Yes, we all understand that Martha should have taken the time to sit at the Master’s feet. The lesson Jesus taught the oldest sister is clear: our first priority is to seek God’s Word and will in our lives.
But here’s something else to ponder in the context of the story—sooner or later, someone was going to ask, “What’s for supper?” And it would probably be sooner rather than later! There was a room full of hungry folk sitting in the living room—and the Bible says, “Man does not live by bread alone.” You also need some meat and vegetables to go with the biscuits! And it doesn’t hurt to have a pound cake with ice cream and coffee ready for dessert.
If the church is going to fulfill our ministry, then we need people with the attributes not only of Mary but also of Martha. Folk who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work that often occurs in backrooms beyond public attention, recognition, or appreciation. Examples:


 Kitchen Crew
 Nursery
 Finance Office
 Sunday School Teachers
 Youth Counselors
 Etc.


We need both Mary and Martha in our churches; and we need elements of both their characters in each of our lives. Mary and Martha represent two sides of the Christian coin. Contemplation and vocation, study and work, reflection and action, thinking and doing. Both are essential attributes for the person of God.


• Paul: Works without faith is dead
• James: Faith without works is dead


Both are right! The Christian life must include the very best attributes of Mary and Martha. Christian discipleship is not a choice between faith and works but a radical combination of the two sides of belief in our daily lives.

Conclusion

PP9 MASTER SLIDE

You’ve got to preach about mothers on Mother’s Day. However, today’s message has a much broader application. It is vital to our spiritual health to sit at Jesus’ feet through Bible study, prayer, meditation, worship, and fellowship. However, it is also important to walk in the footsteps of Jesus through service, witness, mission, and ministry. Mary and Martha both set examples to emulate in our lives.

A Graduation Invitation
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
Graduate Sunday
05-04-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU MASTER SLIDE

PP2 ECCLESIASTES 3: 1

Introduction

PP3 OH, THE PLACES YOU WILL GO

Congratulations! Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go was one of the last books written by Ted Geisel under the pseudonym of Dr. Seuss. The book was published in 1990 just a year before the author’s death. The story describes the adventures awaiting a young person venturing out into the world. It became an instant classic, and many of our seniors here today will no doubt receive it as a graduation gift.
However, the story is for children of all ages. The book reminds us that life is a journey with milestones that mark the way. We should take great care in the paths that we choose. In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins warns Frodo: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step on to the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” So today we come to ask the question: How is God with us on the journey in every age and stage of life?

I. Milestones

PP4 ROMAN MILESTONE

The Roman Empire was noted for its accomplishments in construction. Latin engineers designed and built amphitheaters, aqueducts, and roads that still exist today. The main Roman roads were engineering masterpieces. The roads were marked in 1000 pace sections called “milia passuum” from which we get the English term “mile.” These milestones served as markers to gauge progress along the way.

PP5 BABY’S FIRSTS

We note and mark the milestones along life’s journey. They are easily recognizable and memorable. We celebrate life’s “firsts” as red letter days in our lives. Parents keep “Baby Books” that commemorate a child’s first word, step, birthday, Christmas, school day, and lost tooth. We vividly recall these inaugural moments of life as times of joy and celebration.
On Graduation Sunday, we recognize another such milestone in our young people’s lives. In the next few weeks, they will graduate from high school, college, and beyond. We celebrate with them these great accomplishments in their lives.
For the parents of our high school seniors, the past eighteen years have flown by. The babies we held in our arms and rocked to sleep are now graduating from high school and stand on the verge of adulthood. I recall older persons counseling me when our children were young, “Enjoy them while you can—they grow up before you know it.” I found this difficult to believe in the midst of two a.m. feedings, colic, earaches, and spit-up. Yet their words turned out to be prophetic. And now I find myself saying to young parents, “Enjoy them while you can—they grow up before you know it.”
On the other hand, I recall a more experienced parent who had been there, done that, and had the scars to prove it. She told me, “God has a way of preparing parents for the empty nest syndrome—it’s called adolescence!”
Children go through these predictable ages and stages of life. We recognize and celebrate the “firsts.” Yet we also realize that each transition marks a “last.” Milestones are both beginnings and endings. Wise parents would have it no other way. Yet the gain is shadowed by a sense of loss and the joy accompanied with a bit of grief.

Someone recommended to us a book by Karen Kingsbury entitled Let Me Hold You Longer. Parents, if you’re looking for a good cry, this is the book for you! It recognizes children’s first and lasts. The author writes: “I look ahead and dream of days that haven’t come to pass. But as I do, I sometimes miss today’s sweet, precious lasts.”

First and lasts—perhaps the best part of milestones such as today is that they give us the opportunity to recall the past and anticipate the future. By definition, they define the ending of one stage and the beginning of another.
Milestones can also mark crisis times in life. Crisis normally carries with it a negative connotation, but crises can be good or bad; however, crisis times always signify change. We tend to become “frozen” into one form. During crisis times, however, our lives thaw and then refreeze. We have the opportunity to assume new shapes and forms. Milestones can mark times of transition and change.
God is with us in the milestone and crisis moments of life. The Holy Spirit calls us to assess our lives and anticipate the future. We are given the opportunity to rededicate our lives as Christian disciples.

II. Journey

PP6 ROAD

Memory is such a strange thing. We tend to remember the milestones of life, but we forget much of the events in between. Some studies suggest that adrenaline is the “glue” of long-term memory. Unforgettable events are accompanied by a release of adrenaline that helps the memory “stick” in our minds. This is why we seldom remember the ordinary, humdrum events of life. BUT if you think about it, most of life is lived BETWEEN the milestones in the here and now.
I suppose it is human nature to constantly be looking forwards or backwards towards milestones rather than focusing upon the moment. Young people tend to look to the future: they anticipate turning 13, 15, 16, 18, or 21. They look forward to graduating from high school and college, landing a job, getting married, and having children.
Older people, on the other hand, tend to look backwards into the past. We recall when we were in our teens, twenties, and thirties—and given the chance, would do it all over again—with the stipulation that we could know THEN what we know NOW. I’m not sure where the tipping point occurs from looking forward to looking back, but most of us will experience it at some point in our lives.
But here is the danger of living for the future or in the past—you miss the present. Tomorrow’s anticipation and yesterday’s nostalgia borrow from today with no promise of repayment. We can misspend the present by getting lost in the past or living for the future. The only time we have to live is here and now. The only time we have to love is here and now. The only time we have to serve God is here and now.

PP7 ECCLESIASTES 3: 1

The Scripture lesson today comes from Ecclesiastes 3. It is a familiar passage describing the ages and stages of life. Those of a “certain age” will recall that it was put to song by “The Byrds” in 1965 with the title, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The Old Testament book is traditionally associated with King Solomon who was renowned for his wisdom. The author introduces the section by writing: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
When we are tempted to look backwards or forwards, consider this: we are in the time and place that God intended us to be. This is God’s time and God’s place for our lives. Every season of life is a gift from God. If this is the case—and I believe it is—then we are pressed to answer to critical questions:


Where is Christ in our lives and world?
What is the Holy Spirit calling us to do?


In a book on church growth, Ken Callahan wrote that the critical question each church must answer is whether its best days are in the past or the future. I think this is a question each individual must also ask and answer.
Life begins with limitless potential. If you could graph life, then two lines diverge at birth into ever widening arcs. At some point in midlife, however, the future’s possibilities begin to narrow. The lines finally meet again at the point of death when all potential dies. However, the Christian faith believes that death is simply another stage of life which opens life back up to endless possibilities. If you can imagine the shape formed by these intersecting lines, then they providentially form the Christian sign of the fish.

PP8 FISH

For the Christian, our best day is always today, and then it only gets even better! Remember the old advertisements (for Loving Care) that declared, “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better?” In the Christian faith, this is always true. And we are invited to cherish and employ EVERY age and stage of life for God.

III. Graduation

PP9 KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU MASTER SLIDE

On Graduate Sunday, our youth help us to recognize an important truth—life is a journey with milestones that mark the way; but most of life is lived between the milestones. And God is with us every step of the way.
When we look at the graduates’ photographs, we see promise incarnate. These young men and women represent our past, present, and future. They possess the potential to change the world with the gifts God has given them.
Today is very personal for me. First and foremost, our daughter is among those that we recognize today as high school graduates. She is an extraordinary young woman in a group of extraordinary youth. When we moved to Cartersville in 2000, this group was entering fifth grade. We have witnessed their struggles, failures, and triumphs in middle and high school.
This was the first class that participated in the year long confirmation experience called PUMP (Programs for United Methodist Preteens). I vividly recall that first year Rosie, Merry, Martha, and I spent with those sixth graders. It is a miracle that some of them survived! And now these youth are preparing for the next stage of life. Commencement marks the start of something new.

I have already begun to receive graduation invitations in the mail. I’m SURE it is not the case today, but when I was a teenager, we used graduation invitations as a not-so-subtle request for a gift! The only problem was that most of my invitations went out to older family members who had no clue what an 18 year old boy might like. I received more than my fair share of handkerchiefs, gift books, pen and pencil sets, and ties.
However, I have a special gift for our graduates that I KNOW they will appreciate: advice! Now I realize that graduates seldom listen to anything you tell them. For those who are a bit older, how many of us remember who our commencement speakers were at our various graduation ceremonies? And even if you remember WHO spoke, do you remember WHAT they said?!?

There is a popular email that claims to be the graduation speech given by noted author, Kurt Vonnegut, to the 1997 MIT class. The “speech” was actually a column written by Mary Schmich, a writer for the Chicago Tribune. The article begins:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. (The article dispensed some gems of wisdom and the concluded with the statement:) But trust me on the sunscreen!

Human advice is often suspect. However, here is God’s graduation advice for children of all ages:

 Cherish your past—your family, friends, and church give you roots that provide faith. Celebrate your triumphs and forget your failures. Ask God forgiveness for those things you said and did that you shouldn’t, and those things you didn’t say and do that you should have. But don’t live in the past or play the losing game of what might have been. And don’t blame the past for who you are today—God gives us the power to be something more than our yesterdays.

 Anticipate the future—if we truly believe what we believe and practice what we profess, then the future is so bright that we have to wear shades. Regardless of whether you are 8, 18, or 88, your best days are ahead of you. God holds all of our tomorrows firmly in his hands.

 Live in the present—yesterday is the past and tomorrow is the future, today is a gift and that’s why it is called the present. Here and now is the time to love and serve God and others. You cannot undo the past or live in the future—this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Conclusion

PP10 CAP AND GOWN BLANK SLIDE

Life is a journey with milestones along the way; but most of life is lived between the milestones. God is with us in every age and stage of life—now and forever.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go concludes with these lines:

And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So . . . Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
Or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting. So . . . get on your way!

And I conclude with these two blessings for all of God’s children:

 Vaya con dios Go with God.
 Goodbye God be with ye.

PP11 KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU MASTER SLIDE

Sleeping through Church 4/4 Psalms of Faith
Psalm 100
04-27-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 MASTER SLIDE

PP2 PSALM 100

Introduction

PP3 SLEEPING IN CHURCH CARTOON

“Frank” sang in the choir of a church I once served. During the sermon time, he had the disconcerting habit of closing his eyes and bowing his head. Call me cynical, but I strongly suspected that he was NOT praying. He sat on the top row of the choir loft, and his comatose condition was obvious to all. One day he caught me after church and confided in a low voice, “Preacher, you’ve probably noticed that I close my eyes during the sermon. I wanted to assure you that I am NOT sleeping—I just listen better with my eyes closed.” In fact, some weeks he listened SO well that his snores disturbed his fellow choir members.
I remember another church member who was confined to her home. During a pastoral visit, the dear saint talked about how much she enjoyed the church’s tape ministry. She said, “I like to listen to the services at bedtime. Many nights I fall asleep to the sound of your sermons.” I truly believe that she meant her words to be a sincere compliment. However, I was humbled to discover that my sermons served as the liturgical equivalent of a sleeping pill with a warm glass of milk. This woman took seriously the verse from Psalm 4: 8 which reads: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety!”

I. Sleeping through Church

These saints are certainly not alone. Sleeping through church is a time honored tradition in Christian history. Probably some of the crowd even dozed off during Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” The best of preaching can still inspire nodding heads and drooping eyes in the most faithful. People who normally never take a nap find themselves enjoying a small snooze during the sermon time.

PP4 CARTOON: BORED AGAIN CHRISTIANS

In the New Testament book of Acts, the author recounts Paul’s final visit to the town of Troas. On Sunday, the faithful joined together in an upper room for fellowship and worship. Paul planned to leave the next day, so he spoke far into the night. The long-winded apostle preached well past midnight. A young man named Eutychus was seated in one of the windows. During the lengthy sermon, he fell into a deep sleep and then fell out the third-story window. They rushed outside and found the boy dead on the street.
Paul gathered Eutychus into his arms and declared, “Don’t be alarmed, he’s alive!” The young man awoke and rejoined the congregation on the third floor. One assumes that he chose to sit in a chair this time. Given a second-wind by the experience, Paul continued to preach until dawn. Despite the late hour, my guess is that no one else dared fall asleep!

Needless to say, clergy find their congregants’ sleepy habits distressing. Most preachers invest a great amount of time, effort, and prayer into homiletical preparation. Granted, ministers can occasionally be boring; I have heard sermons that were so dry that they could have served as kindling for a brush fire. On Sunday mornings, I KNOW that I’m in trouble when I get sleepy and bored halfway through my OWN sermon!
When we doze and daydream during church, however, there is no telling what we might miss. I cannot tell you how many good hymns, anthems, and sermons I have missed while sitting in church. I was THERE, but I wasn’t really THERE. Worship should be the highlight of our week, but people find themselves counting the organ pipes, flipping through the hymnals, doodling on bulletins, and daydreaming in the pews.
There have been Sundays when I thought the hymns dragged, the choir was off key, the prayers were listless, and the sermon boring. I left the pulpit thinking, “Nothing moved at church today except for the offering plates.” Inevitably, these are the days that someone will come up to me afterwards and talk about how meaningful the service was for them. And I smile and think to myself, “Did we attend the same church service?” The difference is that they were open to the Holy Spirit’s presence, and I somehow managed to miss what was going on.

PP5 BURNING BUSH

I have often quoted a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
And only he who sees takes off his shoes
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

We are all familiar with the story of Moses and the burning bush. While tending his father-in-law’s sheep flock, he saw a bush that was aflame but not consumed. He turned aside to see this strange site and changed the course of world history.
How many folk do you reckon had walked past that same burning bush without stopping? Oh, I realize this is a rather fanciful question, but it is worth considering. Was Moses the best equipped person God could find OR was Moses the one who made himself available to God? How many young women did Gabriel visit before Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant?” How many disciples did Jesus call before Peter, Andrew, James, and John abandoned their nets to follow the Lord? How many times does God speak, and we do not hear?
Sleeping in church is dangerous. Oh, I’m not suggesting you might fall out a window like Eutychus. But you might just miss an up-close and personal encounter with the living God. We could paraphrase Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem to read:

All worship is crammed with heaven,
And every hymn, prayer, and sermon afire with God,
And only those who see take off their shoes
The rest sit in the pews bored.

II. Staying Awake in Church

PP6 ISAIAH IN THE TEMPLE

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is God’s call of the prophet Isaiah. The incident is recorded in Isaiah 6. No pastor ever forgets God's call to the ministry . . . it’s just that Isaiah's story is more memorable than most. Isaiah had no intention of coming face-to-face with the living God that day. He only went to worship in the temple. Who would expect to meet the Almighty at church, for heaven's sakes?!?
Isaiah entered the temple gates and passed through the outer courts. He walked up the steps and entered the sanctuary. At the far end, the double door entrance into the Holy of Holies stood. There God himself was thought to reside in the Ark of the Covenant. The priests began to chant the Psalms and prayers. The flicker of candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls. Incense filled Isaiah's nostrils and stung his eyes. Then IT happened. At the far end of the smoke filled chamber, Isaiah saw . . . . Like spying a face in the clouds or a figure in the stars, perhaps what was seen had been there all along. But now Isaiah clearly saw the Lord God Almighty himself.
The Lord was seated on a throne, high and exalted above the worshippers. The train of his robe drifted like smoke, filling the temple while the candles dusted the hem with light gold dust. Winged seraphim, hovered on either side of the throne. They called back and forth like excited children, "Holy!" At the thunder of their voices, the temple trembled and quaked.
And this poor man, who had only wanted to go to church, found himself completely undone. With senses and spirit reeling, Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me! I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and I have seen the Lord!"
Then a seraph flew to Isaiah with a coal it had taken with tongs from the altar. Pressing the live coal to his mouth, the creature pronounced the prophet's sin forgiven. Then the voice of the Lord himself asked, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" With burning lips and trembling voice, Isaiah dared to reply, "Here am I. Send me."

Our Lord loves surprises more than a five year old at his own birthday party. We serve a Jack-in-the box God who jumps out at the most unexpected moments. The Holy Spirit ambushes us unannounced, and the shock feels like we stuck our tongue in a 220 socket! Examples include:


• Abraham entertaining angels
• Moses and the burning bush
• The Transfiguration
• The women at the empty tomb
• Paul on the Damascus Road
• John on the island of Patmos


We are going through life, minding our own business, when we abruptly bump smack dab into the mystery, majesty, and eternity of the Almighty. We get a glimpse of the God who is with us always. You never know what might spark the revelation: the brilliance of stars on a clear country night. Hearing the first cry of your newborn. Saying goodbye beside a grave. It can happen any when, any where. But it seems to happen most often when we gather in worship as God’s people. For those with eyes to see, there’s no telling what we might see. For those with ears to hear, there’s no telling what we might hear. For those who stay awake, we might just encounter the Lord God Almighty.

III. Anticipation, Expectation, Preparation, and Participation

PP7 ANTICIPATION, EXPECTATION, PREPARATION, PARTICIPATION

By definition, God’s grace is something we do not deserve or earn but a divine gift freely given. The Lord can and does touch our lives in unexpected ways. In the Methodist tradition, we talk about “prevenient” or “preparing” grace. This is God at work in our lives long before we are even receptive to the Holy Spirit’s presence. God can work in, through, and sometimes DESPITE who we are.
So hear THAT before I say THIS! For the MOST part, we tend to get out of worship what we put into worship. If we come expecting little, then this is probably what we will receive. If Sunday morning church is an hour to be endured, then chances are good that we will miss any God-moment altogether.

I titled this section of the sermon: “Anticipation, Expectation, Preparation, and Participation.” If you want to increase the significance in church in your life, then I recommend these four disciplines. Come into God’s house with anticipation—look forward to time in worship with brothers and sisters on either side. Think about this for a moment: what better place do you have to be?
Secondly, arrive with a spirit of expectation—EXPECT that God has something to say to you in the prayers, songs, sermon, and silence. It’s a funny thing—we tend to get what we expect.
Thirdly, come as a people of preparation. Prepare your heart for worship through prayer, Bible study, and meditation. Before church, I will sometimes see people reading the Scripture lesson for the morning. One person likes to smile and say, “I’m cramming for the test.” Prepare yourself for God’s blessing.
The final step is participation. If you come to church, we’ve got you for the next hour. Why not participate? I can’t sing, but I enjoy singing the songs. My voice is usually hoarse by 11:00, but it is still meaningful to recite the Apostles’ Creed or The Lord’s Prayer with the congregation.

IV. Psalm 100

PP8 PSALMS OF FAITH

Today we are concluding our April worship series entitled “Psalms of Faith.” Each week we have explored a different song from the Psalter, including Psalms 1, 8, and 23. Today we finish with Psalm 100 which is a song of thanksgiving. In fact, the entire passage is a psalm of worship and praise.

PP9 PSALM 100: 1

The Psalmist begins with the cry: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” During the early days of Methodism in the United States, one of the nicknames given to the church was “the shouting Methodists.” People got excited and happy when they came to church. In our Celebration Service, every time we sing “Shout to the Lord” I get goose bumps from praising God.
I have said to you before that one of the advantages to serving on the worship team is that we get to watch you during church. And you do some interesting things. And you don’t do some interesting things! I have been with many of you at baseball, football, and basketball games when we yelled ourselves hoarse. What if we brought that same enthusiasm to worship?

PP10 PSALM 100: 2

The next line calls us to: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” I realize that we cannot all sing WELL but we can all sing. I take great comfort in the Psalmists’ call to “make a joyful NOISE unto the Lord.”
In John Wesley’s “Directions for Singing” printed in our hymnals, we are instructed: “Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.” We should sing to God with the same strong voices we use in our showers and cars!

PP11 PSALM 100: 3

Then the Psalmist shifts images by saying: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” We are the created, and God is our Creator. It is a natural and supernatural thing to give God praise. Last week we examined Psalm 23’s claim that “The Lord is my shepherd” and we are indeed “the sheep of his pasture.”

PP12 PSALM 100: 4

In verse 4, the Psalm invites us: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” In the original setting, the words call to mind the faithful entering into the Temple’s gates for worship. In Psalm 122, the author declared: “I was GLAD when they said to me let us go into the house of the Lord!” Our attitude when we enter these doors helps determines what occurs during worship.

PP13 PSALM 100: 5

Then the song of faith concludes with an affirmation of faith: “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” And if this is not cause enough to celebrate, then what is?!? In the African-Methodist churches, there is a traditional litany in which the preacher will declare: “God is good.” And the people will respond: “All the time.” Then the minister will echo: “All the time.” And the congregation declares: “God is good.”

Conclusion

PP14 MASTER SLIDE

Every Sunday we have the opportunity and privilege to gather together as God’s people in worship. Like Isaiah, we are in the very presence of the Lord God Almighty. At its very best, worship is a foretaste of heaven itself.
Sleeping in church is risky business. When we nod off, there’s no telling what we might miss. Worship is crammed with heaven, and we are in the presence of the living Lord. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

"The Good Shepherd"
The Good Shepherd 3/4 Psalms of Faith
Psalm 23
04-20-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 MASTER SLIDE

Scripture: Clip from “Bluefish” of little girl reciting Psalm 23

Introduction

PP2 PSALM 23

Memorization has gotten a bad reputation over the past years. However, this is an opinion that my elementary school teachers did NOT share. I can still recite portions of many poems and other works, including “If,” “The Song of the Chattahoochee,” “The Gettysburg Address,” “The Declaration of Independence,” and “The Preamble to the Constitution.” Experts argue that students should incorporate information rather than memorize it by rote. I am sympathetic with their point, however, I think BOTH memorization AND comprehension might be the best method of all.
In the church, the memorization of Scripture is no longer emphasized either. Yet I think this can have great benefit for our spiritual health. There are certain passages I have memorized over the years, and it is amazing how often they surface in my mind during different situations and circumstances of life. The Scripture that we memorize becomes the Bible that we truly hold in our hearts along with our hands.
Even without effort, there are some Scriptural passages that most of us know by heart. John 3: 16 would be prime example: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” However, THE most familiar passage of the Bible would have to be Psalm 23. Christians and non-Christians alike know the first line to this familiar Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd.” We are exploring the Twenty-third Psalm and its meaning for our lives.

I. The Lord is my shepherd

PP3 THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller recognizes that the Bible was written in a time and place much different from our own. He writes: “Much of its terminology and teaching is couched in rural language, dealing with outdoor subjects and natural phenomena. The audience to whom these writings were originally addressed were for the most part themselves simple, nomadic folk familiar with nature and the outdoor life of the countryside about them.”
The primary image of the Twenty-third Psalm is a shepherd caring for his sheep. In the twenty-first century, few of us have spent much time with sheep. So we need some assistance to appreciate the content of the Psalm. Yet the basic understanding of God as our shepherd communicates in every time, place, and culture. People who have never come near a sheep can still understand the Psalmist’s simple affirmation of faith.
The Psalm is traditionally credited to King David. He was the youngest son of a shepherd who began life as a shepherd himself. He would later become “the Shepherd King” of Israel. We often have a romantic image of shepherds caring for their sheep, however, David knew the demanding reality of the vocation. He had shivered in the cold, baked in the sun, slept in the pastures, and fought against predators.
The declaration that “The Lord is my shepherd” says a great deal not only about God but also about humanity. Our Lord is the good shepherd who cares for his flock’s every need. Yet we also know that sheep are not the sharpest of creatures—they need a Master to care for them.

II. Psalm 23: 1-3

PP4 PSALM 23: 1-3 A

The first section of the Psalm contains verses 1-3. The introduction declares: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

A. I shall not want
The good shepherd provides for his flock’s every need. This speaks to both sides of our relationship with God. On the one hand, God provides for our needs. In “The Lord’s Prayer,” we ask God to “give us this day our daily bread.” This constant care is much more than physical food—the Lord meets the deep needs of our soul. In John, Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” Our Lord gives us life, abundant life, and everlasting life.
This affirmation of faith also speaks to us as the recipients of God’s blessings. God grants our needs and not our wants—a distinction we often wrestle with! “I shall not want” describes a life that finds complete contentment in our relationship with the Lord. In Philippians 4: 11, Paul wrote: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

B. He makes me lie down in green pastures
In A Shepherd Looks at the Psalm 23, Phillip Keller writes that sheep will only lie down and rest when they are free from fear, tension, aggravation, and hunger. The Psalmist paints a beautiful picture of a lush, green pasture of peace and tranquility. Greener grass is not found on the other side of the fence. The greenest grass of all is discovered by tending our own pasture and discovering comfort, ease, peace, and fulfillment in Christ.

PP5 PSALM 23: 1-3 B

C. He leads me beside quiet waters
An alternate reading to this verse is “waters by resting places.” There are two parts of the verse. First, sheep take their lead from the shepherd who walks before them. Jesus’ initial charge to the first disciples was: “Follow me!” Christian disciples submit their will to God’s will and our way to God’s way. We sing the hymn: “He leadeth me, o blessed thought, o words with heavenly comfort fraught. Whatever I do, wherever I be, ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”
The image of “still waters” or “waters by resting places” reminds us that Christ provides us “living water.” God alone slakes the thirst of our dry souls. When we hunger and thirst for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, we will be satisfied.

D. He restores my soul
Jesus said to the crowds, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy leaden, and I will give you rest.” Our Lord provides us rest, recreation, and regeneration. According to Genesis, humanity was originally created in God’s own image. At the cross and empty tomb, the power of sin and death is broken. To use good Wesleyan language, we receive God’s gift of regeneration—our souls are made new in Christ.

E. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake
We sing the hymn: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Our sinful nature calls us to follow our own will and way. However, our Lord is the God of righteousness. Our Creator’s character is to be reflected in our own character. Jesus challenged his followers by saying: “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
However, sheep are creatures of habit. Without supervision, a flock will quickly overgraze a pasture down to the roots. The sheep tend to follow the same pathways and wear deep ruts into the trails; but a rut is just a grave with two ends knocked out. We are called to be a holy people different from the world. God not only calls us to change but also provides the power to change.

III. Psalm 23: 4

PP6 PSALM 23: 4

In some ways, Psalm 23: 4 marks an abrupt shift in the Psalm. After offering a beautiful, peaceful vision of a flock that is well-tended by the good shepherd, the Psalmist now looks at the dark side of life.
Another change occurs at this point in the Psalm. To this point, the Psalmist has spoken in the first person like one sheep describing the shepherd to another sheep. The verses have been filled with statements that begin with “I” and “my.” However, the Psalmist now addresses God directly.

A. Even thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
We live in a fallen world, and we regularly bump into the sharp corners of this reality. None of us escapes without our unfair share of bumps, bruises, scars, and stitches. Eventually we all encounter the shadow side of life with trails, temptations, and tribulations. We also recognize that each day brings us closer to death.
The Christian faith does not deny the shadow side of life. We will walk through the valley—however, we walk THROUGH the valley. It is a transitory stage of life that we enter, endure, and then exit.

B. You are with me
The secret of walking through the valley comes in the next phrase: “You are with me.” We don’t walk through the dark shadows alone. Our Lord is “Emmanuel:” God with us. If God gave us his only Son, will he not give us all other things as well? Our Savior promises that there is NOTHING that can overcome us in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 8)

C. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me
The Psalmist refers to the two main instruments that the shepherd used to manage his flock. The rod was a long club used to protect and discipline the flock. Our shepherd God provides us protection against the world’s worst.
The staff was a shepherd’s crook used to guide and examine the sheep. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, guide, and tutor. Whenever we enter into God’s presence through Bible study, prayer, and worship, we experience the Spirit’s conviction and call. The sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit is constantly remaking us in the image of Christ.

IV. Psalm 23: 5

PP7 PSALM 23: 5

In Psalm 23: 5, the image shifts again to seeing God as a host that provides for our every need.

A. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
The Psalmist imagines a great banquet prepared by God for his people. Surrounded by enemies, we need not fear. Our God is the host who cares for our every need.

B. You anoint my head with oil
Anointing an honored guest’s head with oil was a mark of Eastern hospitality. “Messiah” or “Christ” literally means “anointed one.” In the New Testament, the church anointed the sick as a way of claiming God’s healing in their lives.

C. My cup overflows
God’s grace is not only sufficient but overflowing in our lives. Jesus said: “Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6: 37-38)

V. Psalm 23: 6

PP8 PSALM 23: 6

In Psalm 23: 6, the Psalmist looks forward to the future.

A. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life
Perhaps I’m stretching the Psalm, but in my imagination, I see a shepherd leading his flock with two dogs bringing up the rear. We are encompassed by God’s love, grace, and protection. A colleague in the ministry, Quincy Brown, has a prayer he often uses in worship:

May God walk in front of you to lead you,
may God tarry behind you to keep you from straying.
May God hover above you to protect, and drop underneath you to support you.
And most importantly,
May God walk beside you because of the promise to never leave you.

B. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
One of the church fathers said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. God is our eternal home; however, eternal life does not have to wait until heaven. We receive foretastes of its glory in our relationship with Christ and in the church on earth.

Conclusion

PP9 STAINED GLASS

During our worship teams meetings, we discussed the Twenty-Third Psalm. We tried to come up with a modern metaphor for a shepherd caring for his sheep. Many different images came to mind: parent, coach, mentor, teacher, advisor, guide, tutor, counselor and more. Yet none of them truly captured the simple statement: “The Lord is my shepherd.” Although the Twenty-Third Psalm was written in a different time and place, its message still speaks to our hearts today.
I use The New International Version of the Bible for preaching. I also often use The Revised Standard Version for Bible study. However, there are some passages that were just meant to be read in The King James Version. Psalm 23 would certainly qualify. Even if you have never memorized the words by heart, many of the phrases are familiar to you. So today in response to God’s word I invite you to recite the Twenty-Third Psalm from memory. When you are uncertain about a word or phrase, allow the voices around you to carry you forward to more familiar territory. In turn, you can help others say the words they might stumble upon.
And herein is an allegory for the church: in all of our affirmations of faith, we help one another proclaim and claim the words at times when we cannot. So whether today you find yourself in green pastures and still waters or in the valley of the shadow, this is a Psalm we can all claim together.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

"Knowing our Place"
Knowing our Place 2/4 Psalms of Faith
Psalm 8
04-13-08 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

PP1 MASTER SLIDE

PP2 PSALM 8: 1

Introduction

PP3 UNIVERSE

In the cartoon strip, Peanuts, Linus and Lucy are staring up at the stars in the sky. Lucy wonders out loud, “I wonder if the stars really do have little points.”
Linus answers, “No. This is due to our astigmatism, which is a distortion of vision caused by irregularities on the surface of the cornea. My ophthalmologist says that a slight degree of astigmatism is normal, and that keeps us from seeing the stars are round little dots of light.”
Lucy thinks about this for a moment and then replies, “You go tell your ophthalmologist that he is ruining my stargazing!”

You certainly do not have to be a trained astronomer to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. However, we may not always grasp the true grandeur of the universe. At the risk of ruining your stargazing with a few facts, consider this: whenever we view starlight, we are actually traveling back in time.
The closest star to our solar system is Proxima Centauri which is a red dwarf star 4.3 light years away. Light travels at 186,282 miles PER SECOND in a vacuum. So Proxima Centauri is . . . a long ways away! And this is the CLOSEST star to Earth. Other starlight we see may has traveled for centuries and even millennia across the galaxy.

I. Creation

PP4 PSALM 8: 1

Recall a moment in life when you have taken the time to gaze into the night sky. The light of the moon, planets, and stars are awesome reminders of creation’s beauty and majesty. It is no stretch of the imagination to envision David lying on a hillside as a shepherd boy and staring up at the stars. Overwhelmed with the wonder of God’s handiwork, he wrote down the words to what we now know as the eighth Psalm
Psalm 8 begins with an exclamation of adoration: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Creation directs our eyes towards the Creator. When we experience God’s presence in our lives, the natural, instinctive response is worship and praise. We fall to our knees before God in adoration. This is why the opening hymn in our worship services is a song of praise. In a United Methodist hymnal, the first hymn is traditionally Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”

In Christian education, some church traditions use a series of memorized questions and answers called “catechisms” to teach the content of our faith. In “The Westminister Shorter Catechism,” the first question asks: “What is the chief end (purpose) of man?” And the response comes back: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever!” I like that last part—to ENJOY God forever!

In church architecture, many sanctuaries are topped with steeples. A steeple’s purpose is to lift our eyes beyond the earth and towards heaven. Yet people often walk by with their eyes on the ground. Every day the Holy Spirits places numerous reminders of God’s love and grace in our lives. If we are not careful, however, we might miss them. One of this world’s constant reminders of God’s presence is the beauty of creation. However, we do not worship creation but the Creator by which all was made.

PP5 PSALM 8: 3-4

Yet the very grandeur of the created world can also be overwhelming. It is easy to feel insignificant in such an infinite universe. We are but one of many in our world and nothing more than a speck of matter in an infinite universe. Consider this: there are about 90,000 people who live in Bartow County. Georgia has about 10 million residents. The United States’ population is 303,800,000 plus. At last count, the estimated population of the earth is over 6.8 BILLION people.
The earth is one planet of nine in our solar system. The entire solar system orbits around the center of our home galaxy, a spiral disk of 200 BILLION stars called the Milky Way. The Milky Way is one galaxy out of billions that compose the universe.
We experience the Psalmist’s words in the pit of our stomach when he wrote: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Psalm 8: 3-4)

PP6 PHOTO FROM THE MARS ROVER

A Ziggy cartoon shows the main character looking at a map in the mall. It has the traditional arrow pinpointing his spot but the sign reads, “You are here—but who cares?”

Erik Erikson was an influential psychologist of the past century. He believed that people go through predictable stages in life that confront us with questions of existence. For teenagers, the primary challenge deals with issues of identity and self-worth. They seek to answer the questions: “Who am I?” and “Am I worthwhile and valuable?”
These are issues and questions that we wrestle with not only in adolescence but also during every stage of life. In an infinite universe where it is easy to feel insignificant, people desperately search for something that will make them feel important. So we try to base our self-worth on worldly things: vocation, money, social standing, cars, homes, intellect, looks, physical fitness, athleticism, spouse, children, grandchildren, and more.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things—all are divine gifts to be enjoyed. However, they were never intended to grant us ultimate meaning and purpose in life. We are expecting more from them than they were designed to give. Any attempt to base our value on created things will ultimately end in disappointment. Our ultimate worth must come from somewhere beyond us.

II. Knowing Our Place

PP7 PSALM 8: 5

The Psalmist recognizes how easy it is to feel overwhelmed and insignificant; and after considering the vastness of creation, he asks God the question, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them?” However, the question is answered by an affirmation of faith: “Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” Our ultimate worth comes not from ourselves but God.
From the very beginning, the Genesis account describes how humanity was created in God’s own image. However, the image was distorted by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. In The Chronicles of Narnia (Prince Caspian) by C. S. Lewis, Aslan the Lion says to the children: “You come from Lord Adam and Lady Eve. And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content.”
The Bible is God’s love story for his people as he has sought to make right what is wrong. As unlikely as it may seem, the Lord God Almighty—the Creator of the heavens and the earth—is head over heels in love with his creation. And he never gives up on winning our love and devotion.
The Old Testament tells the ongoing story of a covenant-making God and a covenant-breaking people. The New Testament declares that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. He went to the cross to grant us forgiveness and arose from the grave to give us life.
The Lord God Almighty declares that we are of infinite value. Before birth, the Psalmist says to God: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139: 13-14) Jesus said that the very hairs on our head have been counted and numbered by God. (Luke 12: 6-7) The “Namer of the Stars” knows each of us by name.
Our worth and value is a SACRED worth and value that ultimately comes not from who we are but whose we are. We receive our identity, purpose, and significance through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

One of the marks of our divine importance is that God has entrusted all of creation into our hands. God has given humanity a share in his own divine dignity by granting us dominion over creation. The Psalmist echoes the creation story of Genesis when he declares: “You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.”
Human beings put a great deal of stock in titles, designations, and honorifics. This is true not only in the world but also in the church. Ordained ministers are normally called by the title “the Reverend.” In some church traditions, certain ministers can even gain the title of “The Right Reverend” or “The Most Reverend.” Sometimes people will ask me if they should call me “Doctor Burch” or “Reverend Burch” or even “The Reverend Doctor Burch.” I normally respond by saying, “You can call me Bill!”
Here’s a title for you: “Assistant Manger of God’s Creation.” According to the Bible, this is our job description. We are not only stewards but also co-creators with God. The entire world has been placed into our hands to manage.
So imagine the next time you meet someone new and the normal question arises, “What do you do for a living?” See what sort of reaction you get when you say, “Oh, I’m in the family business. I’m God’s assistant manager.”

III. Knowing Others’ Place

PP8 KNOWING OUR PLACE AND KNOWING OTHERS’ PLACE

Psalm 8 helps us know our place: we are born again, children of the king, sons and daughters of the Master of Everything! Our value and worth comes not from the things of this world but our relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:9-10: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are a people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
This realization informs not only how we view ourselves but also how we view others. If we are all children of God, then this makes us brothers and sisters. We cannot claim our own divine value and worth without also recognizing the same divine value and worth in others.

PP9 OLD TURTLE AND THE BROKEN TRUTH

Douglas Wood wrote a children’s book entitled Old Turtle and the Broken Truth. The story tells how a rock fell out of the sky with a great truth written upon it. But as it fell to earth, the rock broke into two pieces. A man found the first piece which declared, “You are loved.”
The story tells what happened next: “The man took the wonderful truth to his people—those who lived with him, who spoke as he spoke and dressed as he dressed and whose faces looked like his. And together they cherished the newfound truth and believed in it. They hugged it to themselves, and it became their most important possession.”
Yet this truth did not bring them peace but conflict with others. They feared and hated those not like themselves. In turn, others envied them for the truth they possessed. So the conflict became combat and the combat shattered the world.
Finally a little girl went on a long pilgrimage to find the missing piece of the broken truth. When she finally found it at world’s end, she brought it home for others to see. The two pieces fit perfectly together. The original message still declared: “You are loved.” But the other piece added: “And so are they.”

In his first letter to the church, John writes: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.” (1 John 2: 9-10) How can we claim to love our Heavenly Father and not love his other children? We are called to love others the way that God has loved us.

Conclusion

PP10 PSALM 8: 1

We are of sacred worth and value because God has claimed us as his own. Others are of sacred worth and value because they too have been created by God. The Psalmist begins and ends the eighth Psalm by praising God: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” This statement forms the bookends of the song of faith. And like the Psalmist, we are called to make God’s praise the first and last parts of our lives.

Guided Prayer

PP11 MASTER SLIDE

I invite you to bow your heads and close your eyes in an attitude of prayer. Imagine you could see our congregation from overhead. See yourself in your seat with others sitting around you. You are one of hundreds gathered in this time and place for worship. Now draw farther up so that you can see the church buildings from above. We are one church among several that meet in downtown Cartersville.
Go farther up and see Cartersville as one town in Bartow County. And Bartow County one county in Georgia. Georgia is one state in the southeast which is one region in the United States. Farther still and you see that the United States is part of the North American continent which is a part of the northern hemisphere. Now imagine yourself looking down on the earth from space and realizing that you are but one person among the 6.8 billion that live here.
Continue your journey beyond the earth to the moon. Then farther out of the solar system past Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. As you expand your view even farther you will see our solar system is one among billions in the Milky Way galaxy. And the Milky Way is one among billions of galaxies in the universe. Little wonder there are times when we feel insignificant, unimportant, and valueless.

Yet superimposed upon this image in your mind I invite you to see the cross . . . and the empty tomb. God so loved the world—God so loved YOU and ME—that he sent his only Son into the world. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Salvation is offered to all who call upon the name of the Lord.
The Lord God Almighty—Creator of the heavens and the earth—formed you in your mother’s womb. He knows you by name. He has counted every hair upon your head. And you are of infinite importance to God. You possess a sacred worth and value that the world cannot give or take away.

Reread Psalm 8.

Amen.

"Sappy Saints"
Sappy Saints 1 of 4 Psalms of Faith
Psalm 1
04-06-2008 Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church

Introduction to the Series

PP1 PSALMS OF FAITH MASTER SLIDE

During April, I am preaching a four part series entitled Psalms of Faith. We will examine four Psalms from the Old Testament, including Psalm 1, 8, 23, and 100. The sermon titles are:


1) Sappy Saints
2) Knowing our Place
3) The Good Shepherd
4) Sleeping through Church

The Psalter was the hymnbook of Israel. It contains 150 songs covering the gamut of human experience. The Psalmist honestly expresses his joy, sorry, triumph, failure, faith, and doubt. Although the original music has been lost, many of the Psalms have been put to music in contemporary hymns. Many Christians also read a Psalm each day as a part of their devotional life. Today’s sermon is entitled “Sappy Saints.” Hear God’s word from Psalm 1.

Scripture: Psalm 1

PP2 PSALM 1: 3

Introduction

PP3 TREES POEM

During the past century, countless American children have been required to memorize Joyce Kilmer’s poem entitled “Trees.” Mr. Kilmer wrote:

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest.
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that my in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Kilmer paints a vivid picture with his words. This same image of a tree with roots sunk deep in the soil plays an important role in today’s Scripture lesson.

I. Psalm 1

PP4 PSALM 1

Every writer KNOWS that the first sentence is always the hardest. Beginnings are difficult. So authors stare at blank paper with pen in hand. Fingers remain poised over a keyboard while the cursor blinks on an empty computer screen.
By definition, Psalm 1 introduces the entire Psalter. Its words and meter set the theme and tone for the entire book. So the Psalmist begins by focusing upon the importance of God’s Word in our lives. The Psalm begins with a beatitude or blessing:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
Or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

The first two verses compare and contrast the final outcome of two “ways” of life: the way of the wicked and the way of the righteous. We are offered a choice between two fundamentally different ways of life. Our decision determines our ultimate fate. The way that we choose to travel becomes a matter of life and death.
The way of the righteous leads to God’s blessing of life. The faithful person rejects sin and embraces holiness. In a spirit of repentance, we turn our back on evil and turn towards righteousness.
In a negative sense, the person of God rejects evil and sin. The first principle in “The General Rules” of the United Methodist Church states: “Do no wrong.” Our church is named after the famous Methodist evangelist, Sam Jones. One of his favorite sayings was “Quit your meanness!”
In a positive sense, the faithful delight in “the law of the Lord.” They immerse themselves in God’s Word and become lifelong students of the Bible. Christians are “a people of the Book,” and we believe that God speaks to us through the pages of the Old and New Testament.

PP5 PSALM 1 TREE

The Psalmist uses a beautiful image to describe the faithful one who plants himself firmly in God’s Word:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

In elementary school, children learn how the roots of a tree grow deep into the earth in search of moisture and nutrients. In poetic verse, Joyce Kilmer writes: “A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast.” The water and food is then carried through a series of capillary tubes to strengthen the wood and sustain the leaves.
The righteous person who grounds herself in God’s Word grows like a tree planted in rich, watered soil. The roots tap into a deep source of nurture and strength. The result is that her spiritual life does not wither and she yields God’s fruit in season.
Those who choose the way of the wicked, however, find a different fate. They are like chaff that is blown away in the wind. They have nothing to anchor or sustain their lives. The Psalmist concludes with the declaration: “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

The world would like for us to believe that we do not have to choose between the two ways. We are always tempted by a spirit of moderation and compromise. Oh, you can be religious and attend church, just don’t over do it. Yet God’s Word demands that we decide. Like Joshua before the people of Israel, we hear the Holy Spirit challenge us: “CHOOSE this day whom you will serve!” As Harvey Cox once wrote, “Not to decide is to decide.” I would invite you to ask the question which way you travel today: the way of the righteous or the way of the wicked. Our answer is a matter of life and death.

II. God’s Word

PP6 HEBREWS 4: 12

It is a fundamental understanding of our faith that God seeks to be in relationship with His people. The Lord constantly calls us to come home like a parent calling a child to dinner as darkness falls. The Bible reveals how God is constantly speaking His Word for those who have ears to hear. In the beginning, God spoke the world into creation. He entered into covenant with the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Old Testament. When John wanted to describe Christ’s coming into the word, he described Jesus as “the Word.” Jesus called the first disciples to follow him. The Holy Spirit continues to speak our names today.
We call the Bible “God’s Word.” Have you ever thought about the meaning of this phrase? What is the Bible? People view the Scriptures in many different ways.

1) The Bible is a collected library of 66 different books written by numerous authors over hundreds of years. The literary styles include history, short story, poetry, parable, letters, and sermons. It is the most widely published and influential book in history.

2) A second answer is the Bible is a religious manual containing instructions on how to live a moral and ethical life.

3) A third answer is the Bible is the history of faith of the people called Jews and Christians. We believe the Scriptures record God's dealings with his people over the course of existence. The stories told within its pages are family tales of our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers. Our identity is defined by this family history. We are indeed a people of this book.

4) All of these answers are true as far as they go. But they do not go far enough. We believe that the Bible is also the Word of God. The pages of Scripture do not simply contain ancient history or outdated advice but the living and active message from God's own lips that is as relevant as the morning's newspaper. W