Remembering the Future

November 3, 2013 All Saints Day Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Ephesians 1:11-23 Year C A world-class woman runner was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions -- or so she thought -- given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race scheduled just up the road and directed her there. When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she'd anticipated; an easier race than she'd been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials' excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she'd hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place. Only after the race--when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money-- did she confirm that the event she'd run was not the race to which she'd been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town. She'd gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize. As we gather on this Sunday morning, we have a special task this morning to honor those in the body of Christ who have run the right race, and have won the prize of eternal life in Jesus Christ. God’s promise for all of those who have led a faithful life, who have remembered to love God even in the midst of their struggling, is triumph over all troubles, by living in God’s lights forever. Last year, Pope Benedict said that as we remember the lives of those who have departed, we have an opportunity to deepen our relationship with the promise of eternity. This day reminds of our destiny, where we will dwell with the truth of the universe and realize the fulfillment of our purpose. This life with all of its darkness, sickness, evil, pain and death is not all that there is. God has promised that if we are faithful, then we too will prevail and overcome. On this day, as we get a chance to look up in heaven, it is important for us to realize that in Christ we are connected. Our loved ones are a part of the communion of saints, and so are we. In this life we cant touch them, or hear their voice. But in Christ, we are united. The book of Ephesians talks about the gifts that we have received from Christ. If we die in Christ, then we will rise again in Christ. Paul reminds us that life does not begin, until we are united in Christ. Once the holy spirit seals us with baptism – we have been given our inheritance The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply. “What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was. “When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me. “’Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ “I felt the old weight come down on me. It was like a big, black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. “But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said, ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God.’ “With that he slapped me across the rump and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’” The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, “That was the most important single sentence ever said to me.” With that he smiled, shook the hand of Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends. Suddenly, Fred Craddock remembered. On two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate to be their governor. His name was Ben Hooper. (from Power for Living, by Jamie Buckingham, 1983) The good news of Ephesians, is a reminder that we are all children of God. God claims us all. God cares about us all. God loves us all. And that we have all inherited the gifts of God. Paul is praying for the wellbeing of all that are under the seal of the holy spirit. He wants us to know that we have inherited 3 things from God. Paul says that the first thing that we can see and experience is the hope to which he has called you, the second is the realization of the preciousness of the saints in our lives, and the third is the power of immeasurable greatness. The December 11, 2002, online issue of Forbes magazine carried the story of a family feud in one of the richest families in America. The Pritzker family of Chicago owns the Hyatt hotel chain. They also own many other businesses, including cruise lines, railroads, and banks. In 2002, 18-year-old Liesel Pritzker sued her father and other family members, claiming that they drained her trust fund of more than $1 billion. Because of their mismanagement, Liesel claims, her inheritance has been greatly reduced. She is suing for $5 billion dollars in punitive damages. (1) One billion dollars! Poor Liesel! Some of us would like to have her problems. She didn't have to lift a finger to earn this money. It's just there, what's left of it, earning interest, and waiting for her to collect it. Don't you just weep for her? Perhaps we should. No amount of money is worth being alienated from your family. It is sad to think that Ms. Pritzker didn't trust her own father to protect her inheritance for her. What would you do if you knew you had an enormous inheritance waiting for you? Would it make a difference in how you live while you wait to receive it? Reflect on that as I tell you another story I heard recently about a man who came into some money unexpectedly. But when we understand our inheritance of God, we realize that we have things that cannot never be taken away from us. Things that money cannot buy. Anne Graham Lotz sat down and made an alphabetical list of the eternal blessings that cannot be taken away from us. Listen to the items on her list and notice her clever use of the letters of the alphabet. She wrote: I am: Accepted by God / Beloved by God / Chosen by God / Delivered by God / Enlightened by God / Forgiven by God I have: Grace of God / Hope for the future / Inheritance in heaven / Justification / Knowledge of God / Love / Mercy of God / Nearness to God / Oneness with God / Peace / Quickening of the Spirit I am: Redeemed / Sealed with the Holy Spirit / Treasured by God / United with other believers / Validated as an authentic child of God I have: His Wisdom And one day I will be: Exalted with Him! (4) A lady, when her husband was absent, lost both her children to cholera. She laid them out with a mother’s tenderness, spread a sheet over them, and waited at the door for her husband’s return. “A person lent me some jewels,” she told her husband on his return, “and he now wants to have them back. What shall I do?” “Return them, by all means,” said the husband. Then she led the way, and silently uncovered the forms of their children. On this day we remember the jewels in our life that have been returned to God. We miss them dearly, as we acknowledge that they are now present in the bosom of God. They are resting in the bosom of Christ. They have realized the fulfillment of the inheritance that is for us all. Their life with us was a glimpse of heaven. A glimpse of eternity. A chance for us to look into heaven and to see that God will not break his promise. God is with us in life and in afterlife. That which is born of the flesh shall die, but that which is born of the spirit shall have eternal life. We are connected here on earth to heaven in our spirit. In our ability to life a life of holiness. And hope. The greatest gift of our inheritance is our ability to have hope. To know that no matter how much we suffer, that pain is never god’s final word. God promises that life will be better, we will feel better, those who we remember are in a better life and are living in God’s peace. All Saint’s day is a time for us to look up, and to have a better relationship with eternity. For us to realize that our hope in life is in Christ. In Christ, we are all connected. We are united. When we look up to heaven and see eternity, let us also look around and see those on this earth with us. Those who Christ has sent us to journey with. A holy life, is a life connected to brothers and sisters. Showing the love of God to all of God’s children – living with us and living in eternity. "Holiness is the very principle of eternal life, the very beginning of eternal life in the heart, and that which will certainly grow up to eternal life." ~Jeremiah Burroughs Mrs. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was ninety-three years old on July 22, 1983, applauded and admired by millions, was quoted by many before and during her celebration. Knowing the sorrow she has gracefully borne, I was challenged by words that appeared in Parade magazine addressed to and about her grandchildren: I hope they will have the strength to bear the inevitable difficulties and disappointments and griefs of life. Bear them with dignity and without self-pity. Knowing that tragedies befall everyone, and that, although one may seem singled out for special sorrows, worse things have happened many times to others in the world, and it is not tears, but determination that makes pain bearable. May we inherit the determination, the hope, the power, the spirit of those who now with Christ. And may we life a holy life, that shows others the way to their inheritance in Christ. Amen. Hope For A New Year by King Duncan Passage: Ephesians 1:1-14 • Lectionary: All Saints Item 12 of 19 | Back to Results Object: A letter An Upbeat Word for a Downbeat World, #1 Boys and Girls: Suppose a member of your family--your grandparents or an aunt and uncle--lived hundreds of miles away. Suppose it was not possible for your family to visit them or for them to visit you. And suppose they had never seen you. Your parents are very proud of you. Now imagine that they want to tell your family members all about you. How could they do it? They could send a letter like this one, couldn't they? They could describe the color of your hair and your eyes and how tall you are. What would be a better way? They could send a picture of you. Or if you have a video camera, they could even send a video. But what would he better? Maybe they could send you to spend a few days with them. That would be the best way. Then your family living far off would know exactly what you are like. God wanted people to know what He was like. He tried speaking through great leaders of the Bible like Moses and Elijah and others. But somehow people still couldn't accept God's great love for His children. So He sent a living letter. That living letter was Jesus. John called Jesus the Word of God. We don't know exactly what he meant. But we think it was something like this. That rather than sending a letter like this one. Or a photograph. God came in person in the life of his Son. That way we could know exactly what God is like. belong to the Kingdom of God The story is told of Frederick William IV of Prussia who once visited a school and quizzed the students. He held up a stone and asked the children: to what kingdom does this belong? They responded: mineral. He then, pointed to a flower and asked: to what kingdom does this belong? They answered: plant. He then pointed to a bird flying by outside the window and asked: to what Kingdom does that belong? They replied: animal. Then he asked: now, to what kingdom do I belong. He had raised a profound theological question. To what kingdom do we belong? On a literal sense, we are, off course, part and parcel of the animal kingdom. I belong to the same kingdom as my dog Ruff. He has many human traits. He can pout, he can get excited, he has a temper (as some of you who have visited the parsonage have discovered). But yet, Ruff does not understand time. He cannot grasp that there is a point beyond which he will not live. Only humans can grasp time. Ruff cannot tell right From wrong. It is not within him to share. His limited mind cannot set goals. All of those are human traits. The magnificent thing for humans is that it is within us to rise above purely animal desires and become a part of another kingdom----the Kingdom of God. Staff,www.Sermons.com If a man is filled with anger, than anger controls his life. If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life. If a man is filled with lust, then lust governs his life. If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does. And if a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is controlled by the Spirit - it is, if you will, "control by consent." Realizing that he would soon be gone from this world one day, Moody said to a friend, “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. “At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher, that is all—out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die; that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.” POSTED BY JOSHUA HEARNE AT 7:00 AM Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20