The Great Commission

June 4, 2023 Matthew 28:16-20 The Great Commission Trinity Sunday Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship (adapted from Psalm 8) One: Gathered to worship the Creator of the stars and all of life, Many: we lift our hands and hearts to praise God, whose glory is greater than all the heavens. One: Formed as God’s own people, we are just a little lower than God. Many: And it is God who gives dominion to humans! One: How excellent is God’s name in all the earth! Many: How majestic is your creation! (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer God, maker of all life, we’re together to give you our praise and offer you our heart-felt gratitude for making us in your image. We’re surrounded by a billion stars, and yet we only know ONE where you’ve given dominion to your creatures. You’ve called us by name, and made your home with your human sons and daughters. So we praise you and ask you to draw us close so we may be filled once more by your Spirit and led into a new week of love and service. AMEN (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Song Sweet Sweet Spirit UMH 334 Children’s Sermon Greet children, prepared with your mail or postal items of your choice. Hello, children of God! Today I want to talk with you about a very important job we have as Christians. Before Jesus went to Heaven, He gave His disciples some special instructions, and they apply to us, too! First, though, I want to show you some items I just picked up from the Post Office. See, here’s a letter from my Grandma, and this one is a card from my friend who lives far away…this one is a boring bill, but this one has some important news for me! Ooh, and this one is an invitation for a birthday party. I enjoy getting to pick up the mail from the box, and seeing what is inside. Do you like to receive mail? What do you think would happen if the mail carriers decided they just didn’t want to do their jobs anymore, and they quit bringing the letters? All of those important notices, and letters, and bills and information and invitation, all of that would never reach people! They might miss out on something they really needed to know. Did you know that our Post Office is actually controlled by the Government? If the mail delivery agents don’t properly drop off mail, it’s actually considered a crime! They have to do that job, and it’s an exciting one. Did you know that we have an essential task to carry out, as well? Jesus gave us some important instructions to fulfill. Before He ascended into Heaven, He reminded the disciples that He would always be with them. And He told them to go into all of the world and make disciples of other people. That meant they were commanded to spread the Gospel, start churches, and tell others of Christ. We often refer to this sending as the “Great Commission”, as Jesus was sending us out to perform an essential task. Guess what? Those directions were not just for the disciples. It’s our turn, now! God wants us to serve others and tell them about the good news of Jesus. That’s something that Jesus commanded us to do. It’s not something we can just choose to do if we feel like it, but a critical part of who we are as Christians. Just as mail is sent out, we are sent out, and it’s our job to share God’s love with one another. We can do this around the whole world, but we can also do it with people near to us. What are some ways we can follow that Great Commission of Jesus? Well, we can tell people about Jesus. We can invite them to church or Sunday School. We can Copyright © Ministry-To-Children.com – Permission granted for any non-profit use. Written by Kristin Schmidt . Illustrations from ChristianClipArts.com Scripture quotes The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016 Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles. send them cards or letters…and we can just love them and be their friends! That’s a great way to share and spread the good news. When we are faithful to God, we can make more followers. And it’s a beautiful thing! This is not just a task we have to do, but something we get to do! It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to take part in helping God bring the world into relationship with Him. People need to get those good news messages. Let’s deliver them! Children’s Prayer Moment Dear God, Please help us to love and serve others Those near us, and around the world Thank you for allowing us to be part of your great plan Help us to share the good news And spread your love to one another Thank you for your love We love you, God! In Jesus name, Amen! Affirmation of Faith UMC 880 Scripture Matthew 28:16-20 Sermon The Great Commission The mission statement of the United Methodist Church is to go make disciples of all nations for the transformation of the world. When we are baptized, it is in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. These are both statements that come from the last few verses of Matthew 28. Christ has risen and he tells his disciples to meet him on a holy mountain in Galilee. Before Jesus rises to heaven, he gives them these last words, words that will stick with us until the end of time. Matthew has told an epic story of the messiah and his impact on the world, and in the end Matthew reminds us all that the ball is in our hand now – Jesus simply tells us to go….that is the great commission. Get on with It! A college choir was all set to present its package of music in a large church. The program of sacred song was to be carried live by a local radio station. When everything appeared to be ready, the announcer made his final introduction and waited for the choir director to begin. One of the tenors was not ready, however, so the venerable conductor refused to raise his baton. All this time, nothing but silence was being broadcast. Growing very nervous, the announcer, forgetting that his microphone was still on and that he could be heard in the church and on the radio, said in exasperation, "Get on with it, you old goat!" Later in the week, the radio station got a letter from one of its listeners--a man who had tuned in to listen to the music from the comfort of his easy chair. When he heard "Get on with it, you old goat!" he took the message personally. He had been doing nothing to further God's work, and this startling message was enough to convict him and get him going again. Sometimes we need a wakeup call. We need to be reminded that before Jesus left this earth, He gave us all the instructions we need. He told us we should go and make disciples. We need to get on with it! Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating while harvest fields are vast and white? Revive us, Lord--the world is waiting! Equip Thy church to spread the light. It's what you're doing today that counts, not what you're going to do tomorrow. Our Daily Bread There is a difference between a command and a commission. When we were a child, our parents would tell us to do something. If we dare talk back and ask why – they would always say “because I said so that’s why – that is a command. God tends to not do that with our faith. If God wants us to truly do something and understand what and why we are doing it, God shows us, stands with us, and gives us the tools to do the job – that is a commission. The last words of Matthew chapter 28 is called the great commission. We read them today on father, son and holy spirit day. Trinity Sunday is important – because Easter is the season of the power of Jesus, Pentecost, even though it is only one day – it is the season of the holy spirit with us right now. Trinity Sunday reminds us that God is the guiding force behind everything. God is creator, redeemer and sustainer. God is the power of Christ and the holy spirit. The trinity is the wholeness of God at work in our faith. The trinity reminds us that God is everywhere. In the scripture Jesus tells us to go in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. This is the only place in the bible where Jesus says that. This is a very short scripture – but it tells us everything. Annual Conference is coming up for us this week. Last week, the clergy met together in order to handle our business. Bishop Scherwin also taught us about spiritual development. He says that every morning, he begins his devotional time by reading the psalms and picking out a word that speaks to him. I enjoy reading his devotional on facebook. The process that he used is called lectio divina – or holy words. In this scripture, the word that stood out to me – is doubt. When Jesus called his disciples to the holy mountain, they worshipped, but some of them doubted. Worship is the normal response when you realize that Jesus is our saviour. But for some of us – life is not that easy – we have questions and concerns. But I would not say that there is a division between the worshippers and the doubters. No matter who we are – we all have questions. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have questions. We would not have real faith, if we had not gone through times when none of this made any sense. The good news is that a God that gives us the commission, is a God who gives us permission to wrestle. Just as Jacob wrestled with an angel, we too get to wrestle with our beliefs. Where there is adoration there is indecision, where there is prayer, there is puzzlement, where there is worship there is doubt. That is okay, As long as we remember the great commission – go – keep it moving. The best way to work through our doubt is to continue to work, the have a sense of purpose, and to know that God is with you no matter what. A Blanket Order I love the story of the raw army recruit standing at attention on the drill field. The drill instructor yells, "Forward, march!" And the entire ranks begin to move, all except this one raw recruit. He's still standing there at attention. So the drill instructor strolls over to him and yells in his right ear, "Is this thing working?" "Sir, yes, sir!" The recruit yells. Then the drill instructor walks around to the other ear and yells, "Is this thing working?" "Sir, yes, sir!" The soldier says. "Then why didn't you march when I gave the order?" "Sir, I didn't hear you call my name." Some of us are like that soldier standing around waiting for God to call our names. But the great commission is a blanket order. It has everyone's name on it. And you can be sure that the man in charge says, "Go! Disciple! Teach!" Stephen M. Crotts / Stan Purdum, Sermons for Sundays: After Pentecost (First Third): Hidden In Plain View, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. The primary purpose of everything that we do in the church and in our faith is to glorify Jesus, which in turn glorifies God. Jesus says that he has been given all authority to help us with the mission of spreading love all over the world. Jesus does not make a distinction between the worshippers and the doubters, he is talking to us all. My fear is that sometimes we get so caught up into doing to work of the church – that we lose sight of why we are doing the work. The work of the church becomes a chore. Church of God Grill A story was told about a church in Atlanta. A man noticed in the Yellow Pages, in the listing of restaurants, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused his curiosity and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, "Hello! Church of God Grill!" He asked how the restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and the man at the other end said: "Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that’s Church of God Grill." The easiest thing in the world to do is to lose sight of the mission of the church. The clearest and most comprehensive command of our Lord is given in Matthew 28:16-20. This command was the last command given to the chosen disciples after Christ's resurrection and just before Jesus ascended to heaven. Jim Davis, The Call of Discipleship The great commission is important to us – it helps us to stay worshippers in spite of our doubt. William Willimon said: "In baptism we are initiated, crowned, chosen, embraced, washed, adopted, gifted, reborn, killed, and thereby sent forth and redeemed. We are identified as one of God's own, then assigned our place and our job within the kingdom of God." Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. A Marathon Not a Dash I can't imagine a football player coming off the field in the third quarter, walking up to his coach, and saying, "Coach, I've been thinking. I've played enough. Let some other guys finish the contest. I'm going over there for a box of popcorn and relax with my girlfriend." It'd never happen! Yet it does happen in the church. "For ten years I've labored for you, Jesus. Sunday school, group prayer, worship, small groups. I've done it all. So now I'm going to buy me a sailboat and head for the beach every weekend I can. Let somebody else do your work for a while." And Jesus says, "Until the close of the age." You see, the Christian life is not a 100-yard dash. It's a lifelong marathon. Stephen M. Crotts / Stan Purdum, Sermons for Sundays: After Pentecost (First Third): Hidden In Plain View, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. If Christ will always be there for us, then we can be there for him. Amen Song Lord, You Give the Great Commission UMH 584 Prayer Creating God, we marvel at your work; the way you shaped this world from a formless void into our beautiful earth; we live because you loved. Hear our thanks and praise, Creator, for your wondrous work. Redeeming God, we needed a teacher, a prophet, a guide through the wilderness, a savior. You blessed us with Jesus and redeemed us through his death and resurrection, hear our thanks and praise, Redeemer, for your wondrous work. Sustaining God, you fill us with inspiration, a fire burning within us to seek your Word and your way. Holy Spirit of God, you call us together for community and communion. Hear our thanks and praise for your wondrous work and hear these prayers from our community: We pray for those who are ill and for their caregivers… We pray for those who grieve… We pray for those are isolated and alone… We pray for those who are overwhelmed and exhausted… We pray for those who are lost and afraid… In your mercy, Beloved God, hear the prayers of your people (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Stewardship Moment Matthew’s Gospel ends with a blessing from the resurrected Jesus, framed as “marching orders” for the disciples. Early Christians would have heard these instructions as a job description for followers: 1) go make disciples 2) baptize the new believers 3) teach them everything I commanded you 4) remember “I am with you” As we prepare for our offering, we recognize our financial gifts, joined with our gifts of time and talent, make it possible for us to make disciples, inviting others through _________ [please describe specifically: advertising? On-line presence? Billboards? License plates? Support of a food pantry? Free classes?) welcome newly baptized (describe! with a reception or lunch? Banners at baptism? Introductory classes to link newcomers?) teach Jesus’ commandments (Sunday School? Bible study? Book groups?) remember Jesus will always be with us (communion, small groups who pray together?, support groups for those grieving?, groups for those recovering from addiction?) Knowing your offering makes a difference for this congregation and for many who yearn for a community with which to identify, let us share our tithes and gifts. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all creation, thank you for each one who is present, and for all who continue to offer portions of their time, their talent and their treasure to follow Jesus’ instructions. Inspire each of us to be grateful for all you’ve given each of us, and generous in our giving, that we might continue to share the Good News of the Gospel both here and around the world. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Invitation for Communion (you do not need to print) (quotation from F. Buechner and reflection from Joanna Siebert, found at https://www.joannaseibert.com/daily/2018/8/5/buechner-memory-eucharist) “There are two ways of remembering. One way is to make an excursion from the living present back into the dead past. The old sock remembers how things used to be when you and I were young, Maggie. The faraway look in his eyes is partly the beer and partly that he’s really far away. The other way is to summon the dead past back into the living present. The young widow remembers her husband, and he is there beside her. When Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ he was not prescribing a periodic slug of nostalgia.” (Originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words) Buechner gives us two ways to remember, going back and bringing memories forward. The going back to past memories can allow us to relive a scene from our lives. Anthony de Mello writes that sometimes that scene was too powerful to experience at the first time. As we relive it, we can participate in it again and again perhaps with a greater sense of its meaning. Bringing memories forward is like doing active imagination with a friend or someone you deeply loved who has died. You imagine their presence with you. My experience is sometimes you will feel their presence even without trying to imagine it. Buechner believes that when Jesus said, “Do this is remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), Jesus is calling us to bring him back into our presence and know and feel his love so that we might go out and do the same for others. Some believe Jesus is actually present in the bread and wine at the Eucharist. Others believe the bread and wine are messengers or symbols reminding us of Jesus’ presence and love in our lives. Either way, the God of love is present. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Communion Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go, therefore, because you are children of the Triune God and partners in God’s work of light, life, and love that even now is at work all around us. May the mystery of the Trinity enfold you, the glory of the Trinity astound you, and the love of the Trinity companion you on your way. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, November 2022. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Lord dismiss us in your light and in your love. Let us leave this worship experience stronger and wiser than we entered it. Let us leave with a renewed sense of hope and healing. Let us leave this space walking and serving in authenticity understanding that our greatest witness is our truth. The truth that you offer love and peace to every person as they are no matter who they are. Thank you God. Amen (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Derek Terry) Additional Illustrations Understanding the Trinity This is Trinity Sunday. God in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do we fully understand this wonderful doctrine? No, but some of us will fight for it. You may remember that ancient story about St. Augustine. One day he took a break from writing about the Trinity to take a walk along the seashore. There he came across a child with a little pail, intently scooping up a pail full of water out of the ocean, then walking up the beach and dumping it out into the sand, then going back down to scoop out another pail of water to pour into the sand, etc. Augustine asked the child what he was doing, and the child explained that he was “emptying the sea out into the sand.” When the Bishop tried to gently point out the absurd impossibility of this task, the child replied, “Ah, but I’ll drain the sea before you understand the Trinity.” There’s truth to that child’s comment. We don’t understand the Trinity, but we’re ready to go to war to defend it. Well, maybe not anymore. But there was a time when battles were fought over church doctrine, and even today churches are being split over whose interpretation of the Word is correct. And it’s tragic. King Duncan, Collected Sermons.www.Sermons.com Who, Me? Unfortunately, most of us act like the out-of shape, overweight man who decided to take up tennis. He took lessons from a pro. He read several self-help books which advised him to "think positively" and "develop a winning attitude." A friend asked him how his tennis was going. With a positive, winning attitude in his voice, the man replied, "When my opponent hits the ball to me, my brain immediately barks out a command to my body: 'Race up to the net.' Then, it says, 'Slam a blistering shot to a far corner of the court. Then immediately jump back into position and return the next volley to the other far corner of the court.' And then my body says, 'Who, me?'" I'd be willing to bet, if we could go back in time, that the first words out of the mouths of all the Disciples after Jesus spoke these words were the same: "Who, me?" You have to remember that the events of this passage actually took place before Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But the question is still pertinent. "Who, me?" Billy D. Strayhorn, Go! “Feeling Like…” I rather like the story Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick once related from his own childhood days. His father had said to his mother, upon leaving the house one Saturday in the morning hours: “Tell Harry that he can cut the grass today, if he feels like it.” Then, halfway down the walk, his father turned once more to add: “And tell Harry that he had better feel like it.” Well, in its own rather humorous way, there is something essential about life wrapped up in that. For there is a difference between knowing we are supposed to do something, and ‘feeling like” doing it. There is a difference between a sense of obligation and a sense of generosity. There is a difference between obedience and desire. And the one of those weighs us down, while the other lifts us up. Christianity says to us, you do not know God, if you know Him only as a sense of authority over your life. Furthermore, you do not know God, if you merely believe intellectually that God is a God who cares and loves. You do not know God somehow at all, unless the same spirit of His authority and His love captivates you from within, so that you live knowing the spirit of it for yourself. You do not know God, unless all this that we have been saying about Him becomes for you your own way of life and not an obligation imposed on you by the Church, or by the fear of death, or by anything else. Paul van Dine, Not the Nature, But the Character of God – Trinity!, Cathedral Publishers. Following Orders Have you ever been given orders for which you could get no reason? I suspect so. Everyone of us, at some time were told by Mom or Dad to DO something; we asked "Why?" and got the response, "Because I SAID so, that's why." We followed those orders because we had no choice in the matter - the one who gave them had the power to back them up. But we probably did not carry them out with as complete conviction as we might have had we understood why they were being given. As we grew older, others gave us orders...orders that were not to be questioned. "Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do and die." One fellow, on getting out of the military, filled out an application for some insurance. When he came to the question, "What did you do in the service," he wrote in large letters, "AS TOLD!" No doubt. But again, what conviction might have been brought into the completion of any task was diminished because the superior felt no need to give any rationale for doing it. At least Jesus gave his troops a reason before he told them what their orders were. David E. Leininger, ChristianGlobe Illustrations Evangelism Most people expect me and every other minister in the world to witness and do the "E" word thing. You're sort of like secret agents. Most folks don't expect you to talk about your faith or be involved in this whole Evangelism deal. But you know what, you are exactly who Jesus would have chosen. Jesus called fishermen, tax collectors, and the every day ordinary kinds of people. He didn't have a single Pharisee, Sadduccee, Priest or Levite on his staff. It was all run by the laity. And after Pentecost their ministry exploded. _________________________________ Why the Word ‘Doubt’? Who doubts? Most English translations render v. 17: "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted" (NRSV). However, the word "some" doesn't occur in the text. The little Greek word de is often translated "but," but it can also mean "and". With this understanding, the verse could be translated: "And seeing him they worshiped and they doubted." Those who worship are also those who doubt -- like being simultaneously saint and sinner, or the divine and human natures in Jesus, or the body/bread, blood/wine of communion. We frequently talk about two things existing at the same time. Mark Allan Powell writes about this verse in his book, Loving Jesus. ... I want to note that the word some is not actually found in the Greek Bible. Why is it in the English version? Well, Matthew uses a particular construction here that allows translators to think that the word some could be implied. He also uses that construction in seventeen other instances, though no one ever seems to think the word is implied in those cases. It could be implied here, but why would it be? I asked a Bible translator that question one time and got the following response: "The verse wouldn't make sense otherwise. No one can worship and doubt at the same time." I invited this fellow to visit a Lutheran church. We do it all the time. [p. 121] Exegetical Notes, Brian Stoffregen Trinity: The Power of God Is Real In David Dunn’s book entitled “Giving Yourself Away,” he tells of a lesson he learned from a bus driver whom he once had met. Riding the bus this day, Dunn noticed a driver who was exceptionally cheerful in every imaginable circumstance. There was a kind and happy word from him for everyone who stepped on the bus, and again for everyone who left. As he was about to get off, Dunn told the driver he was the happiest bus driver he had ever seen and wondered what the reason was. “Well,” the driver said, “to be honest, I read in the paper a few months ago about a man who died and left a lot of money to a bus driver who was nice to him. So, I thought maybe I would try it myself. But (now) I’ve enjoyed myself so much being nice to people, I don’t care whether anybody ever leaves me any money (anyway).’ I would suggest to you the doctrine of the Trinity tells us something about God which is akin to that. If you would know Him, you cannot fully know Him with your mind. There must be the discovery of the spirit of it all somewhere living within you. There must come that point in your life when you know both of the love and power of God are real, and they are true--not because you have run up against God’s authority and fear to do otherwise, nor even because you have seen His love expressed and feel attracted to that in return. For to know God is to have chosen for yourself to live like that, simply because the spirit of it has become your own. Trinity! Does it say very much to us of God? Perhaps not very much, as only a word --not very much at all. But, if you mean by “Trinity,” this reality of how men and women have to come to know God in their own lives, if they know Him at all, then Trinity is surely a word we can scarcely do without. Paul van Dine, Not the Nature, But the Character of God – Trinity!, Cathedral Publishers. ____________________________________________________ M. Eugene Boring (Matthew, NIB) says this about the verse: "Whatever the nature of the resurrection event, it did not generate perfect faith even in those who experienced it firsthand. It is not to angels or perfect believers, but to the worshiping/wavering community of disciples to whom the world mission is entrusted." [pp. 502-503] We are commissioned even if we don't fully comprehend the doctrine of the Trinity or if we are unable to understand the Athanasian Creed or even if we waver in our own faith. Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes. Paying Attention to Business A good many years ago now, a brilliant theologian by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr noticed and wrote about an interesting thing that happens in groups and organizations. Put any group of people together, Niebuhr said, no matter how high and noble their initial purpose may be, and it doesn’t take too long before two things begin to happen: they start becoming self-serving and self-protective. And when that happens, their own self-preservation becomes more important to them than their mission or their reason for existence. Pretty amazing, huh? A classic example from business is IBM. They used to rule the world, with a business machine dominance nobody, anywhere, could match. But then a subtle shift started occurring. Niebuhr would say they became more fixated on their preservation and self-interest than their mission. And so for a time there, to people watching from the outside, it looked like IBM was spending more time, money, and energy building huge, impressive corporate office buildings, filled with gifted managers and executives, than improving and selling what had been state-of-the-art, cutting edge products. And in that gap, little upstart companies like Apple and then later Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Compaq and others, stepped in and took a huge slice of the pie. Now IBM’s a great company, and it was smart enough to fix that problem and regain a whole lot of their strength and market share. But it’s a classic case of not paying attention to business; of shifting away from the assignment, and worrying more about taking care of yourself than paying careful attention to your whole reason for being. Phil Roughton, Inviting the Unchurched The Difference Between Believing and Believing I grew up in the NiagaraPeninsula, and so, all through my childhood, I heard stories of barrels, wheelbarrows, acrobats and publicity stunts that happened over Niagara Falls. One of the most amazing stories I ever heard was about the French acrobat Blondin. Blondin would do amazing feats on a tightrope stretched out over the Niagara Gorge. One day, Blondin's manager was standing on the Canadian side of the gorge, doing his best to attract a crowd for his acrobat to perform. Blondin had just done a series of stunts (walking on his hands, doing cartwheels, using a unicycle, etc.). His feats were really quite spectacular. The Frenchman took up a wheelbarrow and got onto the rope between the two sides and turned to his manager. In front of the crowd, he asked him, "Do you believe that I can push this wheelbarrow across this rope to the other side?" The manager said, "Yes, I do." Blondin said, "Get into the wheelbarrow!" As you can tell from that story, there is a profound difference between believing and believing. David Chotka So Much Extra Love We're told that when early printers, using handset type, received an order to print a collection of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poems, they immediately ordered hundreds of extra letters L and V for their presses. They knew Tennyson. He used the word `love' so often in his poetry that the average set of type could not possibly supply all the necessary letters. It is with that same kind of extravagant love that God loves us. God so loved the world. King Duncan, ChristianGlobe Illustrations __________________________ Parable of the Cafeteria Two counter girls stood at their post of supply in the cafeteria. As they kept the display of foods replaced, they conversed. One said, "It just aggravates me to watch these hungry wolves snatch up the beautiful salads we have made. I don't think they see any of the beauty or skill in our work. In a few moments the artistic salad is torn to pieces by their teeth." Said the second girl, "I look at it in a different way. It pleases me to think that these hungry people will shortly leave our place feeling stronger and better able to do whatever their work may be. I like to think of our supplying the power, that they use to serve, as a result of eating our food. Each time they take one of my salads I accept it as another person who has voted in favor of my service and one who has been attracted by my display. I consider it a compliment." The lives of all humanity are interwoven endlessly. We live in a world of many choices. As different foods are attractive to different people and each may go forth from the cafeteria having chosen to his satisfaction; so we choose our own happiness by what we see and how we interpret it. The Christian life is ruled by a God of love and a Savior who seeks to bless all who have eyes to see and ears to hear. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Sermons.com Illustrations One step won't take you very far, You’ve got to keep on walking. One word won't tell folks who you are, You’ve got to keep on talking. One inch won't make you very tall, You’ve got to keep on growing. One deed won’t do it all, You’ve got to keep on going.