Run the Race that You are in

October 23, 2016 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Luke 18:9-14 There is a story about a world-class woman runner who 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. (7) I wonder if that's not the story of many people. They are chasing after prizes that are piddling or illusionary. Meanwhile they are missing out on the most important race of all. I wonder if that is not the story of many people that we know, who are winning the wrong race in life. They are running the life in the world, and forgetting to get right with God. All of us are running a race. But how many of us are getting aprize. The Englewood 5K is today, and people from all over Chicago will be there. Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of interest in church people attending. Most races start at 8am, so that I can race, and get back to church just as it is getting started. This race is in my neighborhood, but it does not start until 10 am, which means that there is no guarantee that I will be done and back in church even by the time my sermon is supposed to start. But Paul’s scripture in Timothy is about running another race. The race of life. The kool thing about Paul’s race is that it is only for the righteous – for church folk. And we can run it, even if we have not trained for the Englewood 5K. Paul is talking to his student Timothy. He says that he is about to finish this race. He has been working hard to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Presently he is in jail, and he realizes that the end of the race is coming to an end. He realizes that he will die soon. Those who are trying to stop him, are gonna win, and they are going to kill him. So he tells Timothy to keep running the race, but to run in order to get the crown. The Greek word for “crown”--stephanos--refers to a wreath that was usually woven like a garland and placed on the winner’s head at the end of the race. But, in St. Paul’s case this is not just any crown. It is the crown of righteousness. We need to talk about this for a moment. Paul was not receiving the crown because he had been righteous, that is, because he kept all the rules and didn’t offend anyone. Some of us hear the word righteousness and we are turned off by it. In the New Testament, a righteous person is one who lives in a right relationship with God and his or her neighbor. It does not mean we are perfect. As long as we are clothed in flesh we will be imperfect. But we know that Christ died for us. We know that God is the Lord of our lives and that all God’s children are our brothers and sisters. And we know that at the end of our lives all imperfection will be removed from us and we will live forever in perfect harmony with God and with all God’s creatures. This we call heaven. This is what happens when we receive the crown of righteousness. It is not something we merit. It is the culmination of everything God has done in Jesus Christ to make us His own. We are all encouraged to finish the race. To win the game. What is involved in this admonition to "finish the race?" What does it mean for a Christian or a congregation to take this text seriously and train for a race where one runs for the duration? What does it take to complete the course? During broadcasts of various world series, super bowls and playoffs, four words, representing important sports concepts keep cropping up: Groove, Ambition, Momentum and Enthusiasm. They are easy to remember, for they shamelessly form the acronym GAME. You will notice that Paul did not say that we have to win the race, but we all have to run the race. Winning the race is up to God. Our job is tobefaithful, do whatweare supposed to do andto wait forGodto give theincrease, and to make the difference. The gospel lesson talks about us coming before God in prayer. One person was able to admit his faults and came before God as a sinner and asked for God’s help. A Pharisee came before God and bragged about who he was and thanked God for being better than the others. It is sort like a famous author who went to a restaurant and had to wait awhile for service. His companion told him to tell the waiter who he was so that he could get better service. The author said, if I have to tell him who I really am, I must not be that important. That is how it is with our relationship with God. If God does not already know that you are good, and you have to tell God who you are, you might not be that person. No matter how much we do here on earth- we are still sinners in God’s eyes. We give God the glory because all that we have and all that we are isa gift from God. The good news is that we don’t have to be great- we just have to be faithful. Some of those who have accomplished the least, have done the most in God’s eyes. Some clever person has written a fictitious letter from a pastor to a church search committee. The letter reads as follows: "I understand your church is looking for a pastor. I should like to submit my application. I am generally considered to be a good preacher. I have been a leader in most of the places I have served. I have also found time to do some writing on the side. I am over fifty years of age (no children), and while my health is not the best, I still manage to get enough work done to please my congregation. As for a reference, I am somewhat handicapped. I have never served in any place more than three years, and the churches where I have preached have generally been pretty small, even though they were located in rather large cities. Some places I had to leave because my ministry caused riots and disturbances. When I stayed, I did not get along too well with other religious leaders in town, which may influence the kind of references these places will send you. I have also been threatened several times and been physically attacked. I have gone to jail three or four times for expressing my thoughts. You will need to know that there are some men who follow me around undermining my work. Still, I feel sure I can bring vitality to your church. If you can use me, I should be pleased to be considered." The committee was dismayed that anyone would think that their church could use such a man. A trouble making, absent-minded, ex-jailbird could not possible be an effective pastor let alone be accepted by the community. "What was his name?" they asked. The chairman of the committee said, I do not know. The letter is simply signed, 'Paul'. Most leadership of the early church wouldn’t make it through the church interview process today. Theirs was a rough and dangerous world, turmoil on every side, both in the Jewish nation and the Roman. Think of the pictures we have seen from Afghanistan these past few weeks and you get an idea of the kind of hardships the Apostle Paul faced as he traveled for 20 years and thousands of miles all over the Roman world. There is power in purpose. In one of his novels, George Moore tells of Irish peasants at the period of the Great Depression. In order to meet the starvation crisis, the government put them to work building roads. For a time, the men worked well, sang their Irish songs, happy to be at work; but little by little they discovered that the roads they were building went nowhere. There was no real destination. They ran out into the dreary bogs and stopped. As the truth gradually dawned on them, that they had been put to work by the government simply as an excuse for feeding them, the men grew listless and stopped singing. And the author made this perceptive comment, the roads to nowhere are difficult to build. For a man to work well and sing, there must be an end in view. We know that, don’t we? Life hangs heavy on our hands. Our days drag drearily on if some purpose doesn’t pervade our lives. We have to be reminded that the crown is given to those who are righteous. Who live their lives according to what they know about the bible. Who order our steps according to doing what Jesus would want us to do in every situation. We want God to acknowledge our actions not man. In man’s race, there are always winners and losers. If you win, somebody else has got to lose. If you get the prize, there is not enough for others to get the same prize. When we are committed to righteousness, we understand that our winning does not preclude others from winning also. In God’s economy there is enough for everyone to get a prize, and God is not going to close the shop once so many people win. As a matter of fact, God is prolonging the race, he does not want just the first ten to get in to win, he wants everyone to win. And He will wait at the finish line until all of his children come home and achieve righteousness. That is just how Good God is. The Race We Are In Several years ago, I told you a story about one of my all-time favorite people. Not that I know her, or have even met her. But I admire her. Because one day, at age 42, in beautiful downtown Cleveland, she ran a marathon by accident (all 26 miles, 385 yards of it). Her name was Georgene Johnson. Still is. As you will recall, she lined up with the wrong group at the starting line. Not the 10K group, where she belonged. But the 26 mile group, where she didn't. It wasn't until the four mile mark that she realized her mistake. So she just kept going, finishing the race in four hours and four minutes. But it's what she said later (by way of explanation) that has stayed with me since. Said Georgene: "This isn't the race I trained for. This isn't the race I entered. But, for better or worse, this is the race I'm in." Which is true more often than you might think. Relatively few of us are exactly where we figured we'd be....doing exactly what we figured we'd be doing. But we are where we are, and (for better or worse) we're keeping our feet moving. William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com I want to share with you one more story, It is not so much about running the race, but it is about Paul’s reason for writing the story. Paul knew that it was time to encourage others to step up to the plate and let others run the race of faith. How Is John Quincy Adams? On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?" The former president replied graciously, "Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well." In other words, John Quincy Adams was telling others, that his body was not doing so well, he was struggling with a lot of physical ailments that slowed him down. But in the midst of it all, his spirit was well. It was well with his soul. That is the attitude we need to cultivate so that when the call home comes we may say with Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith Unknown Amen. Additional illustrations…… The famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the maitre d' who you are?" Gregory Peck responded with great wisdom. "No," he said, "if you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't." Watching Life Pass By A little boy was asked what his father did by an older man. The boy answered, "He watches." "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh no", the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?" "I don't know if I can tell you everything, but I can name a few things." "Well, tell me," the curious man replied. "He watches TV, he watches Mom do the housework, he watches for the mail man, he watches the weather, he watches the computer, and I think he watches girls, too" he said with an impish grin on his face. "He watches the stock market, football games. He watches Mom spank us, and he watches us do our homework. He watches us leave to go to Church and PTA and shopping. He watches Mom write letters and me play with my dog. He watches Mom pay the bills. But mainly, he just watches." There are many who idly sit and watch life pass them by. They live lives for which there is no meaning, no significance. If this is characteristic of your life, the Apostle Paul offers a challenge to fight the good fight, to finish the race, to keep the faith. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from Williams, H. Page: Do Yourself a Favor: Love Your Wife. Children’s Sermon…… Lesson: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Object: A crown, a vase of flowers, a gold cup, a pile of money, candy, and a small prize for each child (lollypop, balloon, tootsie roll, etc.) Good morning, boys and girls. Look at all of these good things I have with me today. A crown, money, flowers, candy -- what do you suppose all of these things are for? (Let them answer.) Well, these are all prizes. What is a prize? Can anyone tell me? (Let them answer.) Yes. A prize is something you win. Can you think of anyone who would ever win a crown for a prize? (Let them answer.) That's right. The young lady who wins the title of "Miss America" receives a crown for her head. That means that she was the best person of all the women who tried out. She could sing or dance better, talk better, and she probably looked very pretty, too. Who would win all this money? (Let them guess.) A person who had the fastest horse or car in a race would probably get a lot of money like this. I wonder what kind of a person would get flowers for a prize? (Let them guess.) Sometimes a person -- especially a woman -- who sings very well in a big concert or stage show will get flowers when she comes out to take her bow. A gold cup is given to the best tennis player, and if you won a spelling contest at school, you might get this candy. Did any of you ever win a prize? (Let them answer.) That's very good! How many people usually win a prize in a race? (Let them answer.) That's right. Usually only one person wins the prize in a contest or a race. But you know what, boys and girls? Paul tells us today that when it comes to being a Christian, everyone wins the prize! There isn't just one person who gets the flowers or money or gold cup; all of us who have believed in Jesus will win the prize. Do you all know what the prize is, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) Right. The prize is heaven. We will all share it with one another. Isn't that a better prize than money or flowers or crowns, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) It sure is! Today I want to give you this small prize to help you remember the big prize of heaven. (Pass out small prizes.) Amen.