God in all of God's Glory

October 22, 2023 Exodus 33:12-23 21st Sunday After Pentecost Year A God in All God’s Glory Prelude Welcome Call to Worship We gather today to remember and proclaim that we are God’s people. We are God’s people! God’s presence is among us! Like Moses, we seek an encounter with God’s goodness. God, show us your goodness that we may glorify you in all that we do. God’s goodness passes by us every day in the gracious gifts of creation and in the faces of our neighbors. God, help us notice your goodness in everything and everyone that we meet. When we notice God’s goodness all around us, we recognize this truth: all things are God’s. Let us give to God the things that are God’s! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, April 2023. Opening Prayer God, you are our refuge. When the world gets to be too much with us, we turn to you for consolation and healing. Help us today to hear your words of compassion. Enable us to be those who would willingly serve all people in need. For we ask these things in the name of Jesus our Lord. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me UMH 361 Children’s Sermon By Your Side By Lois Parker Edstrom Pictures of Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet available at: http://tinyurl.com/lw93l7f You may be familiar with Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh is a bear of very little brain. He isn’t exactly smart, but he is very loveable. Pooh has a best friend named Piglet. Piglet is shy and easily frightened, but when Pooh is with him he overcomes his fears and becomes brave. With Pooh by his side he is able to face danger, especially when he needs to help his friends. Have you ever had the experience of being frightened to do something and then found that if your mother, father, teacher, or a good friend was by your side you felt stronger? Braver? Ready to try something that seemed scary? You may have felt that way the first time you jumped into a swimming pool, or got on a bike without training wheels, or went to your classroom on the first day of school. It helps to have someone you can trust to help you through those scary times. Moses, the man who led the Israelites through the wilderness and through all kinds of difficult experiences, also felt the need to have someone by his side. Moses talked to God and asked, “…let me know whom you will send with me” (33:12). Moses must have felt tired, discouraged, and frustrated because the people he traveled with grumbled and complained a lot. He felt he needed someone to help him. This is how God answered Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (33:14). The Bible teaches us that God is with us. When we feel discouraged or frightened it is helpful to remember God’s words: I…”will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2013, Richard Niell Donovan Responsive Reading. Psalm 99. UMH 819 Prayer of Illumination Lord, in the stories of your Scripture, give us truth to cling to; help us hear your still, small voice. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Carolyn Holbrook Prickett) Scripture Exodus 33:12-23 Sermon God in all God’s Glory Have you ever found yourself in a position or place where you would rather not be? Sometimes it is our own doing, our own poor choices that bring us to a place we would not choose. At other times it is a series of circumstances that carries us to that place. Story of a girl feeling like everything in Christianity is fake A church near campus has a chapel for university students to meditate and pray. Students have the opportunity to reflect and share their thoughts in a notebook. The entries sometimes reveal an inner struggle. One young woman candidly shared, "My thoughts, ideas, beliefs, preconceptions; my ways and feelings of what is right or wrong are being challenged." We can probably all identify with her at some point in our lives. Other people sometimes challenge what we believe. We wrestle with how we can live in the world while maintaining our faith. This same young woman writes, "I do not want to live a secluded lifestyle from the rest of the world." We can sense her pain when she writes, "I'm frustrated with some of the Christians I know whom I feel I have to hide some things from." She then pleads, "From the small details of my life to the big — show me truth in how you desire this life of mine to be lived." Then in despair she concludes, "All I see is fakeness in me, in him, in her, in all." She cries out, "I want to know what is real." Have you ever felt that way? Perhaps it was peer pressure that thrust this young woman into a place where she was uncomfortable and clearly did not want to be. I think we have all had those in times when we feel that we are just going through the motions, but nothing is going right, or that nothing really matters. I think that we all get to the point where we even think that we are not important to anyone. And we don’t matter. Story of student asking student am I really there? The story Up the Down Staircase is a story of a teacher who takes as her first teaching assignment a class in the ghetto of New York City in a high school. The story tells of her difficulties relating to this mixed racial class of deprived children. Finally, she puts a small question box on her desk, and she tells the children that anything they want to say to her, they can write on a slip of paper and put in the box. This fails to elicit any response, until she finally receives a small slip of paper in the box. She finds out later that it had been written by a Puerto Rican boy who, when he was in school at all, would sit back in the corner of the room, antagonistic, uncooperative, completely at odds with the teacher. Plaintively he had written on the little slip of paper: "I wish you knew who I was." Here is the cry that comes out of our crowded ghettos everywhere: "I wish you knew who I was," - the cry for recognition of our individuality and our personhood. The ultimate story of feeling like you are just a file in a cabinet- Morris Bishop tells this story of feeling like a file in his job’s file drawer Norman Cousins puts it this way: "Impersonality is epedemic. It is almost as though we feared contact, almost as though the soul of man had become septic. If a man becomes ill, he hardly hangs up his hat in the doctor’s office before he is placed before a whole battery of machines and testing devices. The traveled road is not between the mind of the diagnostician and the heart of the patient, but between the clinic and the laboratory. If a man submits himself for a job, he is seen, not as a personality, but as a fit subject for various tests which presumably have more to do with ascertaining his worth than the human responses which may figure largely in the work that he is called on to do." Morris Bishop has caught the spirit of our day in the lines he calls The Perforated Spirit: "The fellows up in personnel Have a set of cards on me. The sprinkled perforations tell My individuality. And what am I? I am a chart On the cards of I.B.M. The secret places of the heart Have little secrecy for them. It matters not how much I prate They punch with punishment the scroll The files are masters of my fate They are the captains of my soul. Monday my brain began to buzz I was in agony all night I found out what the trouble was - They had my paper clip too tight." CSS Publishing Co., Inc., His Hands, by Jon L. Joyce I think we have all gotten to the point in life where it seems that we feel that our lives is reduced to a series of unfortunate events. Our lives is a series of appointments, case numbers, situations, file numbers. We get used to not being important to other people and to the world. But what happens when things get so bad that we are convinced that we don’t matter to God. How can we know that God is really there for us? There are times in our life, when we are struggling where we will ask where is the God in this situation? When things happen that we were not expecting, or when life just doesn’t seem fair, or we feel that we or someone we know just doesn’t seem to have a fair chance in life, we question God, and the point of even believing in God. In our scripture, Moses starts to ask God a lot of questions about their journey. As the leader he starts to ask God where God is, he doesn’t see God’s leading very clearly, So he asks God are you there, are you leading us, if you don’t lead us – what is the point of the journey. And finally, he asks God to just show up- help us to see that you are really there with us. When we feel like we are just going through the motions, and nothing is really happening, where can we go to find God? Do you ever have moments in your life when you feel that God must have decided somehow not to be on speaking terms with you anymore? Maybe you haven’t seen him answer your prayers for some time, or perhaps you haven’t sensed his presence in your life for a while. For some reason, you have been led to wonder if he’s giving you a cold shoulder. You begin to think that he has stopped talking with you altogether. When we are questioning god’s presence in our lives, there are three, no I will talk about 4 sure fire places to go to find God. The first is in prayer and relationship. Our scripture shows that clearly. This scripture is about Moses relationship with God. He had a very close relationship with God. And reached a point felt there were not talking anymore. God’s relationship with Moses was completely different. They talked to each other like two old trusted, lifelong friends (v. 11). They seemed to enjoy each others’ company, and everyone in the camp knew it. The people knew when Moses would make his way to his conversation with God. They would watch Moses pass on his way to the tent of meeting, and silence filled the camp when he passed. Out of respect for Moses and fear for God, they stood to their feet when he passed their way. They knew better than to show any form of disrespect. In his deep and abiding friendship with the Lord, Moses made a serious request. He appealed to the Lord, “Show me your ways” (v. 13). We can understand why Moses would make such a daring request. He wanted to know what God expected of him and the people who had followed him out of Egypt. He seemed to be asking God, “Show me your intentions.” If Moses only knew what God had in mind for them and what he wanted them to do, he would lead the people to do it True to his nature, the Lord didn’t hold a grudge against Moses or the people. He responded favorably to Moses’ request. And he did something else. In a way, he told Moses, “You want me to give you a map, but I would rather give you a guide.” Moses made a second request of God. He asked the Lord, “Show me your glory!” Again, he made a daring request, but he felt confident in making it because nothing was off-limits between him and his God. We can appreciate Moses’ request. God’s glory involves his physical presence. Consequently, seeing his glory means seeing him with our eyes. How many times have you wished that you could actually see Jesus in the same way that his disciples saw him? If you could look on his face, listen to his voice, observe his body language, and touch his hand, everything would be better for you. The questions that have gone unanswered so far could be put to God directly. The needs that you have could be brought to his attention instantly. You could hear for yourself God’s answer and watch him actually take care of the need that you brought to him. Probably most important, you could feel God’s gentle touch as he placed his loving hand on your shoulder or hugged you in his strong arms. His physical presence with us would make following God easier. It wouldn’t be best for us. Like Moses, we can’t see God’s face and live. To see God’s face means to behold what lies ahead of us. Frankly, if we knew all of what’s ahead of us, we would probably die of shock! No, God doesn’t show us where we’re going, but he lets us see where he’s been. By the same token, he’s not always going to let us see what lies ahead, but he’ll point out how he walked with us in the past. That’s what the Lord seemed to be saying to Moses. He told him, and us by inference, “I won’t show you my glory, but I will let you see my goodness.” He went on to say to his friend, “Stand here close to me, and I will protect you.” As Moses moved next to the Lord’s side, he felt God’s hand directing him to a cleft in the rock that served like a cradle. There God placed his friend for his protection. Like a baby tucked safely into a cradle by a caring and loving parent, the Lord placed Moses in the cleft of the rock. Then God’s mighty hand covered him. When his glory passed by, no harm would come to Moses. What’s the most striking part of the scene for you? For me, it’s when God told Moses, “Come here and stand by me” and then placing him gently in the cleft of the rock and covering him with his hand. That portion of the scene raises an important question. How often does the Almighty invite us to come close, to make our way to him, to stand by his side so he can watch out for us? When we come close, we find in God’s presence that we can trust him. We can trust him to place His mighty, gentle hand over us to hold us close. He calls us to come close so God can protect us in his mighty hand. The story of Moses, God’s friend, encourages us. Through it we get a clear picture of how much God wants us to know him intimately. Granted, he expects us to come to him on his terms, not ours. But his terms always serve us best in the long run. By coming to God and learning to trust him, we come to comprehend how much he wants to guide us, how good he is to us, and how much he wants us to come close to him. What does this story have to say to us when we feel that God’s not on speaking terms with us? It assures us that God doesn’t hold grudges and that he’s always willing to open his arms wide to us. What’s even more beautiful, he’s waiting for us to take that important step. In fact, he may have been waiting for some time now, so don’t put God off any longer. He wants to hide you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with his hand. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Walking with God: and other Cycle A sermons for Proper 23 through Thanksgiving, by Argile Smith We can also find God in the life of Christ. When we look at the life of Christ, we don’t see how God looks, but we do see who God is. Ultimately, I suppose, this is exactly what we experience in the person of Jesus Christ -- not how God looks, but who God is. Or as Edmund Steimle once expressed it: in the One who dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, we see "God's afterglow."3 In the One who healed the sick and fed the hungry, we view the footprints of God. In the One who forgave sinners and befriended outcasts, we find evidence of how God acts in a broken and hurting world. Indeed, through the One who died in our stead -- taking upon weary shoulders the burden of human life at its lowest ebb -- we are finally shown all that we could ever hope to bear: the hidden backside of God stretched out up on a lonely cross.4 But perhaps the most accessible place to find God is in the heart of others. We find it in love and kindness.In those times when we are searching for God, the best place to look is in the hearts of others. When I was in high school, every senior was required to do a community service project. Now I'll admit, mandatory volunteerism seems like an oxymoron. However, if you wanted to graduate, you participated in the program. I was assigned to a clothing locker in downtown Detroit. If the truth be told, it wasn't my first choice. But inasmuch as I was already starting to feel the Spirit's gentle nudging toward ministry, I decided I could use the experience as a way of encountering God at work in the world. Every Wednesday, I made my way over to the small Episcopal Church which ran the clothing locker -- always hoping that I would see the Lord's glory, but never being quite sure where to look. There was one morning, though, that I will never forget. It was a bone-chilling day in February, and when I pulled into the parking lot, there was already a line of people at the door. I had barely gotten myself organized, when down the stairs came an elderly gentleman carrying an armload of clothes. "These are all donated from my church," he said, "Where do you want them?" "Just put them over there for now," I replied, pointing to a table against the wall. "I've got a whole van load!" "Well, I'd offer to help," I said, "but you see the line at the door." "Don't worry about it. I can manage." He smiled and trotted back up the stairs. I let the first fellow in. "How can I help you?" "I need a pair of shoes," he whispered in a low, gravelly voice. I peered over the counter, and my goodness, did he ever. I mean, the shoes he was wearing weren't fit to play fetch with a dog. They were cracked and worn. In fact, he had taken a piece of twine and wrapped it around them just to keep the shoes intact. "What size do you wear?" I asked. "Size ten." I went back to the shelf and rummaged through a few boxes. "It doesn't look like we have any right now," I said, returning to the counter. "But people bring in clothes all the time. You see this man unloading his van. It happens almost every morning. I'm sure if you come back tomorrow ..." "But I need shoes today," he insisted. "I know you do, but I can't give you what I don't have." "Mister, it's awfully cold outside," he pleaded. "I realize that, but I'm not a cobbler. I mean, I can't make shoes for you." Well, about this time, the elderly gentleman came over. I hadn't been playing much attention to him, but evidently he had been paying attention to us. "Did I overhear that you wear size ten shoes?" he asked. Startled by the interruption, the man nodded meekly. "Well, I wear size ten," the older gentleman said. "Here, I'll trade you." He slipped off his shoes and set them on the counter. "You may have to break them in a bit," he explained, "they're new!" Having finished unloading the van, he wished us both a nice day, and walked out onto the cold, bitter pavement of that February morning, wearing those old, cracked shoes -- gift-wrapped with twine. Looking back, I now realize that something of God's glory passed before me that day -- veiled in the love which is constantly walking in our midst, seeking always to find us. You know, it's rather embarrassing to admit, but I'd always thought I would see that glory seated safely out in the audience. And here, without realizing it, I had been up on the stage all along. Just whose story is this anyway? ________________________________________ Just this morning I came across an article written about Albert Einstein and his relationship with his daughter. He wrote a series of letters to her, but he asked that the letters not become public until years after his and her death. They have just been released. He spent his life telling the world about a force in the universe that was so powerful that it created the universe. He created the formula to explain this force and how it was able to put the planets, the stars and everything into being. He has always been very clear that force is not scientific, that force is love. In the letter that I read today – he tells his daughter that love is the most powerful thing in the world. It is the one force in the world that we have no control over, we really cannot dictate, we have no way of expecting it, and no real words to explain why it works – but we see evidence of it everyday. Afterall that, he told his daughter that he never told her how much he loved her, but said that she was the most important thing to him. How touching. We spend a lot of time personifying God, trying to explain God in human terms. Is God a father or a mother, is God capable of entering into our lives and controlling certain outcomes? Can we really have a conversation with God and expect God to respond to us in English? The bible makes it very clear that God is a spirit. God’s preferred language is usually silence. And like Moses, we all demand that God speak, that God show up, that God makes something happen so that we know that God is there. Today, in scripture we come to the end of the book of Exodus. As we read this book, we have watched the relationship of Moses and God. It starts with Moses escaping life and noticing a bush burning on its own. Moses listens to the call of God and brings his whole tribe out of slavery. Moses becomes a leader, follows God, shows the people how to look for God and follow. And not just as they are about the enter the promisedland and live in God’s blessings – Moses asks for God to finally reveal himself. God tells him that is not possible – God is a spirit not a body. But God tells Moses that God can show him his backside. – in other words he can see the but of God, but not God’s face. I think there is some truth in us only being able to see the butt of God. At the burning bush, God tells Moses that his name is I am – or more correctly, I will be what I will be. God’s name is destiny – God is the future, God is what will be. So it is impossible to see God clearly, none of us knows the future. We can never see what it ahead of us, even though we are all headed in that direction. Hope is the Kingdom of God. But the only way to see evidence of God in our lives is not to look forward, but to look back. If we are looking for proof of God in our lives, we only find it when we look back on events in our lives. When we look back for old troubles, old fears, old challenges – we can see clearly how God and only God was able to pull us through. None of us would be here today, if we had not overcome those old challenges – with the help of God. We can all relate to the poem footprints in the sand, where we can see where God carried us through. When Moses started to question where he was leading the people – he had to look back and remind himself of his past. Before the Isrealites could claim the promise of God, they had to go back over the journey and remind themselves of how they Got here in the first place. Every year, we read something from Genesis and the journey in the desert, so that we can look back on our faith journey – and see the tracks of God in our lives. We look back, so that we can have the strength to go forward – into an unknown future – knowing that God is with us. In our personal lives, and in the mission of the church, we aren't promised that everything will go the way we want. We face challenges, surprises, pain, and difficulties. We can face tasks that seem too great for us to accomplish. We may say, along with Moses, that if we have to keep going, we want to know that God is with us. If life is painful, and we can't make deals with God to avoid the pain, we at least want to have the assurance that God is there. This peculiar little story, with God hiding Moses in the rock and covering up his eyes so that Moses can see God's back, lets us know that we will not likely get a full vision of God. We don't see God directly, unmistakably. We never see God face to face, so to speak. There is a mystery to God we can never penetrate. Even in that mystery, though, God reaches out to us. We can experience God's presence, even if it seems only a fleeting glimpse. We may experience God's presence in a feeling of assurance after a prayer. We may experience it as a feeling of power and energy when we stand up to social injustice. Sometimes we just feel God's love breaking through our loneliness and fear. God is available to us in the church, through the Holy Spirit. God's presence may not be unmistakable, but it is real. Whatever Moses saw when he saw God's back, it was enough to sustain him as he picked up to continue his long journey toward the Promised Land. In the twists and turns of our lives, in the exhilarating but frustrating work of the church, God will give us just enough presence that we know we are not alone. With that glimpse of God's back, we can put one foot in front of the other on our journeys. If we can hold on to the glimpses of God's back, we can face what the future holds with courage. Wherever life leads us, God will go with us. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Last Third): View from the Mountaintop, by Charles L. Aaron In Mark Connolly’s classic play, “Green Pastures,” there’s a moving scene in which Moses watches his people as they go into the promised land. You know that Moses was not able to go into the promised land. That seems to be one of the tragedies of the whole story. Having given his life to deliver the people out of bondage, to forego moving into the promised land. The setting is Mt. Moab. From the mountain, Moses can look across the horizon and see the destination, but he knows that he’s not going to be with them. His day is coming to an end. Joshua has already taken his place. In Mark Connolly’s play on stage, Moses sits disconsolate on a rock as the twelve tribes pass by to receive his final blessing. They march off toward the land of Canaan. As they go, the old campaigner’s shoulders sag and his head bows low. With every sound of those retreating footsteps, the light grows dimmer and dimmer. The stage is almost in total darkness. But suddenly, you’re aware that Moses is not alone. There’s somebody else on stage, behind him. The presence walks over to where Moses is sitting. Gently, he lays his hand on his shoulder. Without looking up, Moses knows who it is. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his shoulders began to straighten and he raises his head. He says, “Youse wid me, Lawd, ain’t ya? Youse wid me.” And back conies the answer, “Cose ah is, my chile; cose ah iz.” That’s what we need to know isn’t it? That the Holy God is a God of love, and He’s with us. Because He is. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Sermons, by Maxie Dunnam God is here with us, calling us forward, calling us to play our part in destiny, calling us not to lose sight, calling us to believe in the spirit of love. For me, the question is not Where is God, or even God show yourself so you can believe. Find God, even if it is only God’s butt – its still a glimpse of the glory of God. God still has a place for us all. One of the places that I go to find God is music. One of the songs that stands out to me every time I hear it – a song by Leanna Crawford – How can you not see God. In her video, she shows a spot in the Northwest on the pacific ocean that she used to go with her family, She goes there when she is looking for God. It inspired her to write to Song – How can you not see God? I see the sun rise in the morning And a million stars at night I hear the birds, they can't stop singing hallelujah I see His goodness when I fall down And it's grace that picks me up Every day, I can't stop singing hallelujah How can you not see God In every little thing, in every little moment? How can you not feel loved? How can you not? How can you not? 'Cause He's in the middle of Every little thing and every little moment How can you not see God? How can you not? How can you not? Everything is evidence (ooh-ooh) Showing me that You exist (oh-oh) All creation singing hallelujah Everything is evidence (oh, everything) Showing me that You exist (He's God) All creation singing hallelujah How can you not see God The places where we find God when we know where to look are innumerable. Moses sadly never made it to the promisedland – but in reality none of us ever do – destiny is always a place in the future – and yet his spirit lives on with the spirit of love, kindness and faith. He showed us how to continue on the journey, how to move forward in the wilderness – but most importantly he showed us what a relationship with an awesome God looks like. God is always there – we just have to have faith. Song Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise Prayers of the People (just print the title) God, we know that you see everything that happens in this world; nothing we pray about is news to you. Yet still we pray, asking that your peace and wisdom rest on us, and your presence transform our lives. We pray for those across the world and in our communities who are scared today; for those who face violence, because of where they live or where they work or who you have created them to be; for those whose future seems dark; for those whose anxiety eats away at them and who cannot find peace. Spirit, living flame, encourage them. We pray for those who hurt today; for the sick, the hungry, the abused, the grieving, the lonely. We pray for those who struggle with pain in body or mind or spirit. We pray for the compassionate, who hurt because the world hurts. Jesus, healer, comfort them. We pray for those who woke up angry today. We pray for those who feel excluded, overlooked, trapped. We pray for those who feel entitled, unappreciated, out of control. We pray that where anger leads to pain, you would bring peace, but that where anger leads to justice, you would bring wisdom. Jesus, table-turner, guide them. We pray for those who are full of hope today. We pray for those who are beginning new relationships or careers or working to get clean. We pray for those who see sprouts of your kingdom poking up through cracks in the sidewalk. We pray for those who are a light in the darkness. Strengthen them, Holy Spirit. These prayers we lift you always, that we might be attuned to the needs of your children. We also lift to you now the specific concerns of this day: God, there is much we have forgotten to pray for today, yet we know that nothing escapes your notice. Direct our eyes this week, we pray, that we might come to know your heart more fully. 9Presbyterian Outlook – Carolyn Holbrook Prickett) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (inspired by Matthew 22) Matthew sets up a time of conflict between the Pharisees (religious leaders) and Jesus in chapter 22, with the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into denouncing the Roman emperor. Jesus answered their question in a way which amazed them, and foiled their plan to discredit Jesus. When asked for the coin which was used to pay taxes, Jesus asked a question about whose image was on the coin. However, good Jews would recognize the human image shown on the coin was someone made in the image of God. This coin could be easily understood as both available for taxes (serving the emperor) AND for God (and all that builds up God’s Realm). As we come to our offering, remember! We are stewards/care-takers of all God has provided. Each one of us decides how best to use the resources we have. What will you bring today for the on-going work of this congregation and in response to the needs of our community and our world? With joyful hearts, let us share our tithes, our gifts and our offerings, that God’s Realm will be blessed by these resources. Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy God, receive this offering, filled with symbols of our lives in coin and check and notes for our electronic gifts. Accept all of it as a sign of our desire to give back a portion of what you’ve first given to us, for you are holy and call us to holy lives of service and thanksgiving. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Gicing0 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May truth gentle your heart. May truth find itself in your speech. May truth guide your actions and attitudes. May truth release you to be fully you. May truth compel you to greater love and compassion. May truth fortify you as you go into the world as God’s agent of healing and hope. Live in truth, go in peace, Be love. In the name of Jesus the Christ. (United Church of Christ, Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Blessed and redeemed, go forth into this world, linked together, in the knowledge and love of God; and the peace of God, which passes our understanding, will go with us, everywhere, now and forever. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Sermon Illustrations Only the assurance of that Presence can make us happy. One day John Tauler, the fourteenth century German mystic, met a beggar on the highway, and, as was his custom, he addressed the beggar, saying, "God give you a good day, my friend!" The beggar answered, "I thank God I have never had a bad day." "Well then," said Tauler, "God give you a happy life." But the beggar responded again, "I've never been unhappy." "What do you mean?" asked Tauler. "Well," said the beggar, "when it is fine, I thank God; and when it rains, I thank God. When I have plenty, I thank God; and when I am hungry, I thank God. And since God's will is my will, and since whatever pleases him pleases me, why should I be unhappy?" "Who are you anyway?" asked Tauler. "I'm a child of the King," came the reply. "You, a child of the King?" laughed Tauler. "Where is this King?" "In my heart," whispered the man in rags. "In my heart." He Lights Up My Life! But, more often than not, in all kinds of tragedies that occur in life, we are likely to ask, "Where was God when I - we - really needed him?" The Israelites were not the first people to ask that question, nor will we be the last ones. The story Up the Down Staircase is a story of a teacher who takes as her first teaching assignment a class in the ghetto of New York City in a high school. The story tells of her difficulties relating to this mixed racial class of deprived children. Finally, she puts a small question box on her desk, and she tells the children that anything they want to say to her, they can write on a slip of paper and put in the box. This fails to elicit any response, until she finally receives a small slip of paper in the box. She finds out later that it had been written by a Puerto Rican boy who, when he was in school at all, would sit back in the corner of the room, antagonistic, uncooperative, completely at odds with the teacher. Plaintively he had written on the little slip of paper: "I wish you knew who I was." Here is the cry that comes out of our crowded ghettos everywhere: "I wish you knew who I was," - the cry for recognition of our individuality and our personhood. "The fellows up in personnel Have a set of cards on me. The sprinkled perforations tell My individuality. And what am I? I am a chart On the cards of I.B.M. The secret places of the heart Have little secrecy for them. It matters not how much I prate They punch with punishment the scroll The files are masters of my fate They are the captains of my soul. Monday my brain began to buzz I was in agony all night I found out what the trouble was - They had my paper clip too tight." CSS Publishing Co., Inc., His Hands, by Jon L. Joyce