Preaching to the Rich

September 21, 2025 15th Sunday After Pentecost Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1 Preaching to the Rich Year C Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Turn us, O God, away from the world’s temptations and distractions Return us, O God, to the quiet calm of your presence Restore us, O God, to the path you call us to follow Orient us, O God, to the hope of all that is possible through you (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Invocation Great God, who gathers us together in spirit and in truth, sanctify our time together. Grant us wisdom and discernment. Open our hearts to receive and to give. Be glorified in our worship and the transformation that moves us forward as your people. In your glorious and precious name, we pray. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song There is a Balm in Gilead UMH 375 Children's Sermon jeremiah 8:18 - 9:1 For a children's sermon on Jeremiah 8:18–9:1, you can focus on how Jeremiah and God felt sad and hurt by the choices of the people. The key idea is that when we make bad choices, it hurts not only ourselves but also the people who love us, especially God. The main point: God and Jeremiah were so sad over the people's bad choices that they wept, showing us how much God's heart can be broken when we turn away from him. Children's Sermon: A story about a friend (Visuals: A happy face drawing or emoji, a sad face drawing or emoji, and a drawing of a heart with a Band-Aid on it). (Start with the happy face) "Imagine you have a best friend. You and your friend do everything together and have so much fun. You know what makes your friend happy and what makes them sad. But one day, your friend starts hanging out with new people who aren't very nice. These new friends start getting into trouble, and your best friend starts making some of those same bad choices, too. (Switch to the sad face) "You feel really sad about this, right? Your heart hurts because you know the good person your friend is, and you know these choices are going to get them into trouble. You want to tell them to stop, but they won't listen. When something bad happens to your friend, you feel their pain right along with them. (Show the heart with the Band-Aid) "This is a little bit like what happened to the prophet Jeremiah and God. Jeremiah was God's friend, and God's people were making some very bad choices. They weren't listening to God anymore and were worshiping fake gods instead. Jeremiah felt so much sadness and pain for the people he loved, the people of God, and he cried and cried. "In the Bible, Jeremiah 8 and 9 tells us about this. It's like Jeremiah and God are saying, 'Oh, if only my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night'. They were so, so heartbroken. Bringing it home • God's heart gets hurt, too: We sometimes think of God as so big and powerful that our choices don't affect him. But just like our hearts hurt when a loved one makes a bad choice, God's heart hurts, too. • The path to healing: Just like we would want our friend to stop making bad choices, God wants us to turn away from our sins and back to him. The Bible talks about a 'balm in Gilead,' a kind of medicine that could heal wounds. God is the only true physician who can heal our broken hearts and the hurt our sin causes. • Jesus wept: The sadness Jeremiah felt reminds us of Jesus. Remember the shortest verse in the Bible? 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35). He wept over the pain and sin in the world, showing us that God deeply understands and shares our suffering. (End with a question) "So, when we feel sad about a choice we've made or when we see someone we love making a bad choice, we can remember that God is with us and understands our pain. And most importantly, we can remember that turning back to God is the first step toward healing for our own hearts and for the world around us. What choices can you make today to show God and others that you care about their feelings?" (AI) Affirmation of faith (from a Brief Statement of Faith) We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Welcoming of Gary and Sherri Eich. – Page 50 Prayer for illumination Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us. Open us to your life-giving Word. Quiet the voices within us that do not align with your will. Focus our minds on the message you intend for us, so we may faithfully discern your way. Amen (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Scripture Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1 Sermon Preaching to the Rich In 2023, the surgeon general listed loneliness as an epidemic in the U.S. More and more people feel isolated and disconnected. Theologian Henri Nouwen says The wound of loneliness (to repeat) is like the Grand Canyon - a deep incision in the surface of our existence, which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding. The Christian way of life does not take away our loneliness; it protects and cherishes it as a precious gift. The painful awareness of loneliness is an invitation to transcend our limitations, and look beyond the boundaries of our existence. The awareness of loneliness might be a gift we must protect and guard, because our loneliness reveals to us an inner emptiness that can be destructive when misunderstood, but filled with promise for him who can tolerate its sweet pain. Have you found some sweet pain in your own loneliness? Our primary task together in the church, as Nouwen puts it, is not to take away pain, but rather to deepen the pain to a level where it can be shared. In the sharing of our wounds will our healing come, not in the hiding of them, or the pretending that they do not exist. As God made visible in Jesus his wounded heart and showed us the stigmata way of suffering communication, so only as we are willing to suffer the baring, the sharing of our wounds, will the healing power flow; but it will flow. That’s when it flows. As Nouwen puts it, "The wound which causes us to suffer now will be revealed to us later as the place where God intimated his new creation." Henri Nouwen is famous for using the term wounded healer. For him, in our hearts, we all experienced some level of deep ache. ROBERT A. RAINES is a prolific author, currently Director of Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center in Bangor, Pennsylvania, following twenty years in parish work. His sermon, God’s Wounded Healers, was preached on a return visit to First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he had been co-minister from 1961-1970. In it he lifts up the principle that our preaching has its greatest strength and integrity sometimes when we are speaking from the experiential knowledge of our own wounds such as loneliness; when we are invoking the compassionate authority of Henri Nouwen’s "wounded healer." One night several years ago, at a group meeting at our house here in Philadelphia, a man shared his personal pilgrimage with us, his own struggle with suffering, and he concluded with a comment that I remember. He said, "I am one of the walking wounded." When that man spoke those words years ago, I didn’t realize that I was one of the walking wounded, too. I wasn’t conscious of the wounds in my heart or in touch with my own inner ache. But today I realize that I, too, am one of the walking wounded. Are you also in the ranks of the walking wounded? Are you in touch with your inner ache? Kazantzakis writes somewhere, "Every woman has a wound which will never heal" - and every man does, too. Recently I came to know a young Dutch Roman Catholic at Yale Divinity School. Henri Nouwen is his name. He is a man of rare depth and warmth. He has written a little book called The Wounded Healer, in which he suggests that loneliness may be the deepest and most painful wound in the human heart. He writes: "The wound of loneliness is like the Grand Canyon - a deep incision in the surface of our existence, which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding." Robert Raines says that loneliness and other dark conditions of the soul can affect everything in our lives, and can have physical, mental and spiritual symptoms. I would imagine that a prophet or either ancient or modern times would know the ache of loneliness very well. In challenging people to think in a new way, they would feel isolated and alone. The bible records every season of the prophet Jeremiah’s life. And it seems that dark emotions followed him all of his life. There is no biblical character that embraces dark emotions like Jeremiah. As he gives God word to his community his words still haunt us even today. He says, no healing only grief. Listen to the weeping of my people. The harvest is past, the summer has ended, yet we are still not saved. Jeremiah so personifies that part of the human condition that we named it for him. The word for the words spoken by such a soul as Jeremiah's is "jeremiad." The dictionary defines a jeremiad as: "a lamentation; (or) mournful complaint."3 That's Jeremiah: a mournful complainer! One who laments even as he lambasts the situation of his people. Who cries as he cries out the wrath of God. One who is sorry for the sorry state of affairs in which he is called to minister, but to which he must still speak the truth. Jeremiah speaks the truth in tearful lamentation and in tender love. During Jeremiah’s lifetime, his country was being attacked and oppressed. The attackers prevented them from coming outside the city walls to get food. And when they tried to grow food themselves, it was so hot and it never rained. – nothing grew. So when it came time for the harvest, there were no crops. Jeremiah is so sad for his people that he says that he wishes his tears were a fountain to give water. Jeremiah’s tears were not just for the outside circumstances of life, he also cried for the soul of his nation. He saw that people started to live dark lives- there was no hope, no compassion, no love, no community. People lived isolated lives. Seeing this internal darkness leads him to ask the famous question – is there no balm in Gilead? His prayer was for relief – he prayed that people would be nicer. That they would put God first in their lives. The crisis was not the famine, the crisis was for people to return to the ways of God. I am sure that today we can all relate to that same prayer. There is a lot of things going on in the news. And no matter what side we are on, we are distraught. I have heard many stories of people who feel the need to come back to the church and to get in touch with God. The old testament asks the question is there no balm in Gilead. We sung the Christian response to that Question – there is a balm in Gilead. That balm, we profess, is none other than Jesus the Christ, the Great Physician. His was a ministry of touching the untouchable, embracing the social outcast, healing the bent-over, and forgiving the unforgivable. His was a death of suffering for the cause of the kingdom so that the unredeemable might find redemption. And, his was a resurrection which proved God's own commitment to the salvation of humanity. In Jesus we encounter a God who has not abandoned us even in our sin, but rather has become invested in restoring what has been broken. Our God stands not only for "Law and Order" but for mercy and compassion. Because of that, we find the strength to look beyond our fountain of tears and live for the day when joy shall be restored. Rather than the "ching-ching" of Law and Order we await the sound of the trumpet announcing the day when "he will wipe every tear from [our] eyes," when "death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things [will] have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Middle Third): The Hard Task of Truth-telling, by Lee Ann Dunlap Christ’s message to us there is indeed a balm even today – the balm, the relief, the healing here in the church. Jeremiah spoke to the heart of a nation, Jesus speaks to the heart of the church. There is indeed salvation – and it is up to us. Salvation is in who we are, how we live, how we treat others, more importantly in who we bring into the arms of God. Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, told a story of how one time he was preaching a crusade in a large city, and he was preaching on this text, Jeremiah 8:20. When he gave the invitation, the man's wife who was sitting next to him, who loved the Lord Jesus, begged him with tears to go forward and give his heart to Christ. But he adamantly refused to do it. Many many years later Moody was back in that same city preaching a crusade. There was an older man who had contracted a terminal illness, and he asked to see the great evangelist. Well, Moody and his song leader, Ira Sankey, went to see this man whose hair was now gray, whose face was now wrinkled, whose body was now withered with age and disease. When Moody walked into his bedroom, his sweet godly wife was kneeling beside his bed pleading with her husband. The man was mumbling something. Moody leaned down to hear what this man was mumbling. He was repeating over and over: "The harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved." Moody asked this wife why he was repeating that verse. She said, "You preached on that text the last night of your crusade here many years ago. My husband heard that sermon and adamantly refused to be saved. That's why he is repeating it now." Moody got on his knees and began to plead with that man to come to Christ. But the man just kept shaking his head and repeating over and over, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Dwight L. Moody said that man died about sundown with gritted teeth and clinched fist, saying as he went out into eternity, "The harvest is past." Is it too late? I heard about a young man that started out of his house and he was lost, rebellious, had no use for God. His mother who loved the Lord with all of her heart, with tears in her eyes, knowing that he was going out for a night of sin, placed a little gospel tract in his hand. He cursed through clinched teeth and said, "Why did you give me that?" Today at the job somebody gave me one of those blank things." He said, "I want to tell you I am so sick and tired of gospel tracts. Where can I go where someone will not give me a gospel tract?" His mother, with a broken heart, said, "My son, you can go to hell. Nobody will give you a gospel tract there." The sun is setting on the harvest. Even now the golden grain of the harvest is falling to the ground. That's why Jesus said, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." (Jn. 9:4) Robert Moffett, a great missionary and a great statesman, said, "We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before the sun sets in which to win them." The sun even now is setting on the harvest. The harvest is passing and the summer is ending. The book of Jeremiah tells a tale of the seasons of a man. The seasons of a man are childhood, youth, maturity, and old age. Sometime in childhood we are supposed to learn about the Lord, so that we can begin to understand that the same God who made this world made us and provided for us all that we have and all that we need. Sometime in youth we are supposed to learn to love the Lord, just as we learn to love our father and our mother, our sisters and our brothers. We learn to love the Lord who gave us our family and included us in his family through Jesus. And then sometime in our maturity we are supposed to learn how to serve the Lord. As we appreciate what God has done for us, we begin to do things for him. As God has given to us, we learn to give to him. Then in our old age we can have joy in the presence of the Lord. We can then stand firm in the faith that God is with us and that, as the songwriter wrote, "He is very present help in the time of trouble." But in Jeremiah chapter 8, something has gone wrong with the seasons. In verse 13, God tells Jeremiah, "There will be no grapes on the vine, there will be no figs on the trees, and their leaves will wither." In verse 20, we find out what is wrong: "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." There is something very special about the harvest. The harvest is the culmination of all the seasons that precede it, and the preparation for all the seasons that follow it. The reason that there is the season of Spring is so that the seed that is planted in spring will become fruit for the harvest. The reason that there is the season of Summer is so that the fruit will become ripe, and the vegetables will reach maturity. The reason that there is the season of Fall is so that the fruit can be picked, and the vegetables can be gathered, and then there will be food in the storehouse for winter. Friends and Family, Family and Friends, the Lord sent me to ask you this question: "Is this the season to seek salvation?" A single mother had to ask this question concerning her teenage daughter. At age eleven, her daughter began to ask questions about God. She told her mother she wanted to go to church. But her mother wasn't religious and did not see any reason why her teenage daughter should be so religious. So she kept her out of church, but she couldn't keep her from the parties. Two years later at age thirteen, her young daughter had a baby. As she looked at her teenage daughter, the mother had to ask herself this question, "Did I miss the season to seek salvation?" A young man had to ask this question concerning his family. The young man was 25, raising a good family. The woman was a good wife for a good husband. He had no faults, except that he worked all the time. He was trying to excel in his job so that he could build up his home and take care of his family. He never had time for church. He believed in God, but he also believed that he would have time for God after a while -- after he got his promotions, after he built his new home, after his family was settled. But one day before he got his life together, time and circumstances tore his life apart. A driver missed a brake pedal, and his car went out of control. The car struck the young man, paralyzing his body from the waist down. As he was lying in the hospital bed, he had this thought: "Is this the season to seek salvation? What happens if we don't have a season of salvation? What will happen to the abused child, if our children don't find salvation? What will happen to the motherless child, if our children don't find salvation? What will happen to the babe born out of wedlock, if our children don't seek salvation? What will happen to our youth, if we don't have a season of salvation? What will happen in our schools, if our youth don't find salvation? What will happen in the neighborhood, what will happen in the "hood," if our youth don't seek salvation? What will happen to our families, if fathers don't seek salvation? What will happen to our homes, if mothers don't seek salvation? Who is going to meet us in heaven, if our old folks don't seek salvation? Who is going to be left down in Hell, if we all don't seek salvation? Is this the season to seek salvation? Maybe winter is too cold. Nobody wants to go to church in winter. Maybe spring is too wet. Too much rain, we need to stay inside. Maybe summer is too hot. And we have to enjoy ourselves sometime. Maybe the fall is too busy with baseball and football. Maybe, maybe ... The harvest is past, and summer is ended, and we are not saved. The only place to seek salvation is here; the only time to seek salvation is now. So somewhere in the here and now, we need to seek salvation." CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Lord, Send The Wind, by James McLemore The title of this sermon is preaching to the rich. That is not a physical statement, but a spiritual statement. Let us be rich in God’s love, in Christ’s teaching and in being the community of the church. When we live Christ for the world we can make a difference. There is hope in difficult circumstances. There is hope in Christ. Today is the last day of summer. Summer is over and the harvest begins. But the good news is that there is salvation. Last Friday, I was moved by Billy Graham’s sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D. C. He has been called The Nations Pastor. Presidents look to him for guidance and wisdom. And yet, even Graham struggles with the problem of evil in our world. Let me leave you with his thoughts, “I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He’s a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering. The Bible says that God is not the author of evil. It speaks of evil as a "mystery." In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 it talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" He asked that question, "Who can understand it?" And that’s one reason we each need God in our lives.” Though it is hard for us to see, especially during our sorrow, there is hope. There is a balm in Gilead. A physician whose hand can heal. A teacher whose words are sure. A healer who will make us whole. A savior to save our soul. He is Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. www.Sermons.com, Collected Sermons, by Brett Blair Let us pray….. Song Jesus, Lover of my Soul UMH 479 Prayer of the Day Healing God, when dismay is our daily companion, you come to touch us with your healing hope. When grief falls on us like a wall of bricks, you rebuild our joy with your comfort and love. Jesus Christ, Faithful Spirit, when bullies pick on us, you stand by our side. When neighbors taunt us for choosing to be faithful, you commend us for our wisdom. Teaching Spirit, when we are heart-sick over the brokenness of our lives, your compassion races to bring your gentle balm. When our joy is gone and we are stained by the world's cruelty, you bathe us in the tears flowing from God's broken heart. God in Community Hear our Prayer. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment There are two things you will never have an opportunity to do in heaven. First of all, sharing is over in heaven. I mean by that, giving. There are no offering plates in heaven. That's why a lot of people will be happy to get there. There will be no talk of tithing. There will be no stewardship campaigns. There will be no buildings to build, no land to buy, no mission projects to finance. That's why you had better do your giving when you're living so you know where it's going. But also in heaven soul-winning will be over. There's is no more obligation for soul-winning in heaven, because there is no more opportunity for soul-winning in heaven. When the saint goes to heaven he can never rescue a sinner from hell. In heaven there is no sowing. In heaven there is no reaping. Therefore in heaven there is no harvest. But the summer's also ended when the sinner dies. You see, you can only have a harvest where seed is sown, and there is no gospel seed sown in hell. Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, you provide in abundance for us. Thank you! Help us make the decision each day to use our resources as opportunities to share your goodness with those who suffer from a lack of resources. Please receive these gifts and help us put them to full use as we seek to co-create your Realm on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN (Disciple of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Sending Forth Prayer for Facebook God has filled us with joy and wonder. We will go to let it overflow in the lives of others. Jesus has filled us with comfort and hope. We will go to wipe away the tears of those around us. The Spirit sends us forward in faith to share the truth of God's presence in our lives. Alleluia! We will live everyday as God's own. Amen. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Go out into the world to love and serve the Holy One In word and in deed In season and out of season In trust and in stewardship Go, faithful servant of God Go in peace (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Additional illustrations Yes. Yes - again and again. Wherever we went there were children in search of visions and people in search of affirmation. Grief, steadfastness of soul, a yearning for the balm of Gilead. Laughter and picnics. Supper of Bread and Wine. The Book. The community which, when we make it our own, transforms the world and what we come to expect of it. CSS PUBLISHING COMPANY, THE ROMANCE OF PREACHING, by James Angell One night several months ago, I came into the garage and on into our house to sounds of fighting and arguing and hollering, and found Cathy, our eighteen-year-old, and Nancy, our thirteen-year-old, in a real fight. Quickly, too quickly, I felt for the younger, the littler one, and took her side, and went over to Cathy, by the sink. There must have been something else in me that day - some frustration, some emotional power, or whatever - because all of a sudden as I was talking with her and angry with her, I slapped her face. I was appalled at what I had done! She burst into tears and ran upstairs to her room. I thought to myself, "I’ve really blown it. She’s tough and strong, and she’ll hold that against me for weeks, and she’s got a right to." So I moped around for a few minutes and then went upstairs and knocked on the door of her room, expecting it to be locked. She said, "Come in," and I opened the door and walked in. There she was, sitting on the floor, with tears on her cheeks, and I said to her, "Honey, look, I’m sorry. Forgive me will you? Can you forgive me?" Through her tears she nodded and said, "I forgive you, Daddy." I stood there for a moment, receiving her forgiveness, and then through the evening, I tried to do little things, like ask her what time it was, or bring her some cookies, or - you know - something. One time I was standing in the doorway, and she grinned at me and said, "Daddy, you don’t have to do those things. I really have forgiven you." There’s nothing you and I have to do. God really has forgiven us. And there really is a balm in Gilead - and right here - to make our wounds whole. In biblical tradition, Jeremiah is known as "the weeping prophet." More than any of the others, he expressed the heartache, the tragedy, the sorrow of being right in his truth-telling. For years, he warned his people about the consequences of worshiping false idols and abusing the poor and the helpless. For years, he had ranted and raved to kings about placing their trust in political gamesmanship rather than the God of the covenant. For years, he had condemned the religious institution and its leaders for receiving the people's sin offerings without condemning sin or teaching righteousness. Sometimes, it is as devastating to be proven right as to be wrong in our warnings. For the hurt of my people, I am hurt; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears; so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people! — Jeremiah 8:21; 9:1 Even those of us who have committed ourselves to faithful living by God's commands may wonder at times if such faith makes any difference. We pray for years for the soul of a friend or loved one; we implore God to defend us amidst "office politics"; we tithe faithfully but still struggle to find a job that can pay the bills and provide for the family. We live the wholesome lifestyle prescribed by the scriptures but still experience chronic pain or sickness. We do our best to "trust and obey" but still we sometimes wonder if God even knows or cares. But clearly the scriptures, both Hebrew and Christian, reflect a God whose heart aches for the abuser as well as the victims; for the lawbreakers as well as the enforcers. That is a place where few of us are willing to go emotionally unless forced there by circumstances in our own lives and families. When the accused is someone we love, even when they are guilty as charged, we weep a fountain of tears. And, even when our fountains run dry and all our compassion is spent, God continues to care. I am afraid the church looks at buildings, budgets, and baptisms, and has frozen the ball of evangelism, when we ought to be in a full court press, because we really are behind. Let me ask you a question, the answer to which will astound you. Who is the best known person in the world today? If you said Billy Graham, you would be wrong. If you said Mohammed Ali, you would be wrong. If you said the Pope, you would be wrong. If you said Elvis Presley, you would be wrong. If you said Jesus of Nazareth, you would be wrong. The answer is Mickey Mouse!1 Think about it. A figure who does not even exist, is better known than the Son of God who died for the sins of this world. Someone has well said that they have no fear that the church will not succeed, but that it will succeed in those things that do not matter. No matter how many barns are built, how much cattle is bought, how much seed is sown, or how much land is cultivated, that farmer is a failure who does not bring in the harvest. We have here before us, one of the most haunting statements in all of the Bible. "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." (Jere. 8:20) Jeremiah warned the people that only God could deliver them from the armies of Babylon that were marching toward the city. But they did not listen. Instead they formed an alliance with Egypt to fight the Babylonians. But Babylon defeated Egypt and marched on Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and laid siege to the people. Now back in those days people lived within the walls of the city, and the crops were outside the walls. The army simply waited for the people to run out of food and surrender. All the people could do was watch the crops spoil, the harvest wither, the summer end, and say, "We are not saved." They learned the bitter lesson that there is no loss like the loss of the harvest. I want you to see in this text before us three things about the loss of the harvest. The first statement says "the harvest is past." Right before our very eyes the harvest is passing away. The harvest is passing globally. I want you to listen to these statistics. The unevangelized population of the earth called "World A" is growing at a rate of 23,600 persons per day faster than they are being evangelized. Of the 95 invitations given to people to become disciples of Christ, 87 will be extended to people claiming to be Christian already (World C); 7.7 will be extended to people who have already been evangelized, but are non-Christians (World B); only .3 will be extended to individuals who have never heard the gospel (World A).2 There are 4.4 billion people in the world who have never heard the name Jesus. Now think about this: 23 people a minute, 1,400 people an hour, 32,600 people a day, 235,000 people a week, 12,230,000 people a year will die without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The harvest is passing nationally. Here in America the harvest is passing. Listen to these facts: Fact: Since 1980 there has been no growth in the proportion of the adult population that can be classified as "born again" Christians. Fact: Since 1970 there has been no appreciable change in the proportion of adults who attend church services at any time during the week. Fact: The fastest growing churches in America are not Christian. Among those that are expanding most rapidly are the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and various cults.3 The harvest is passing individually. It is a proven fact that the harvest is greatest during the prime of life, that is, during the early years of life. Wise old Solomon said, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth." (Eccl. 12:1) Several years ago a famous evangelist concluded after many many years of surveying the crowds that came to his crusades, that if a person isn't saved by the time he is 21, the chances are 5,000 to 1 that he will ever be saved. If he isn't saved by the time he is 30, the chances are 15,000 to 1 that he will ever be saved. If he isn't saved by the time he is 40, the chances are 30,000 to 1 he will ever be saved. If he isn't saved by the time he is 50, the chances are 150,000 to 1 that he will ever trust Christ as Lord and Savior. For some of you the harvest is passing, and you don't even realize it. You're getting older and your heart is hardening, and you don't even realize it. You think about it. We are a soul-winning church. We baptize hundreds of people a year, but how many do we baptize over 60? Just a few. How many over 70? Hardly any. How many over 80? None Why is the harvest past? Because "the summer is ended." The time to harvest wheat was primarily May and June. After that, the burning sun would dry out the wheat and cook the life out of it. So when the summer was ended the harvest was past. The reason the harvest was past was the season for harvest was gone. Just as there is a season for harvesting grain, there is also a season for harvesting souls, and when that season is over the harvest is past. When is the summer ended? When the saint dies his summer is ended. But the summer's also ended when the sinner dies. You see, you can only have a harvest where seed is sown, and there is no gospel seed sown in hell. I read a poem years ago that has stuck with me and it really is haunting. I want you to listen to it: When the choir has sung its last anthem, and the preacher has prayed his last prayer, When the people have heard their last sermon, and the sound has died out in the air. When the Bible lies closed on the altar, and the pews are all emptied of men, And each one stands facing his record, and the great Book is open, what then? When the actor has played his last drama, and the mimic has made his last fun, When the film has flashed its last picture, and the billboard displayed its last run, When the crowd seeking pleasure have vanished, and gone out in the darkness again, And the trumpet of ages has sounded, and we stand before Him, what then? When the bugle's call sinks into silence, and the long, marching columns stand still, When the captain repeats his last orders, and they've captured the last fort and hill. When the flag is hauled down from the masthead, and the wounded afield checked in, And a world that rejected its Savior, is asked for a reason, what then?4 I read a long time ago a true story of a young man and his wife who are very much in love. They lived in Alberta, Canada. They went out one moonlit night in the time of harvesting to walk in the golden moon as it was shining there upon the wheat fields. The wheat fields were like a golden ocean waving in the breeze and in the moonlight. It was so beautiful. They had their little son with them. This couple, so much in love with each other and that little boy, were walking through the wheat fields enjoying the beauty. They just forgot where the little boy was; he was just a little tot, not even old enough to go to school. All of a sudden they realized their little boy was no longer with them. At that particular moment the wife went in one direction and the husband went in the other. They started calling him, thinking they would find him immediately. But instead they got further and further away from the spot where they first missed him. They realized that they had misplaced him in thousands of acres. They realized that before long the coldness of that Canadian night would be settling in. Their little boy who was not heavily dressed would probably freeze to death. So while the wife stayed there, the husband hurried back to the village and called the people and said, "Would you please come help us? We've got to find our son." So as many of the people as could came there to that wheat field to help them look for that little boy. It seemed as though they literally were threshing the wheat as they were looking for that lost son. They prayed, they searched, they looked, they called, and finally as the night grew on in its bitterness, one man said, "I believe there is a better way to do this. Let's get organized. Let's make a human chain. Let's stretch out and join hand to hand and then sweep these fields. We will go up one side and turn around and come back the other and if he's in here we'll find him." Up and down they went until suddenly there was a cry "I found him." Everybody rushed together to find the lifeless form of that little fellow who had died of exposure. According to that story strong men wept, and one voice was heard to say, "Oh God, why didn't we join our hands together sooner?" There are people all around us and all over the world who are slipping out through the jaws of death into a Christless eternity. Would you say with me today, "We will join hands for the harvest that people might come to Jesus?" 1. D. James Kennedy, The Gates of Hell Shall not Prevail, p. 215. 2. Networker, April/May 1993, p.1. The name, Albert Einstein, is one of the most well-known names in all the world. Time magazine chose him as "Person of the Century." His influence is seen in every life around the world. The atomic bomb, the big bang, electronics, quantum physics all bear his influence. He will probably be considered for all time the standard by which all scientists measure themselves. But as tall as he was in scientific theory, he was equally as small in spiritual theology. Because even though Einstein believed in a being who had "superior reasoning power" he once said, "Certainly there is a God. Any man who doesn't believe in a cosmic force is a fool. But we could never know Him."1 Einstein believed in a "cosmic force" that was intelligent and powerful. But he denied that He was a personal God that could be known. Now contrast that to what the prophet Jeremiah was told by God Himself. "Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight,' says the Lord." (Jere. 9:23-24) This verse is not only an antidote to the wrong kind of pride; the pride that either denies God or denies that God is a personal God, or denies that God is a personal God that we can know. It is a prescription for the right kind of pride. There is a pride that is right, and it is the pride of knowing God. You see, there are two things about human wisdom that make it a poor place to place your pride or your trust. First of all, human wisdom alone can never know God. V.21 of this same chapter says, "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God." Prov. 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." But there's one other thing that we do not know that puts a limit on all that we do know, and that is the future. The most brilliant Ph.D. at Harvard University does not even know what is going to happen in the next sixty seconds. That is why no wise man should glory in his wisdom. When he was the Heavyweight Champion of the world, he got on an airplane, and he was walking up and down the aisles signing autographs and enjoying the adulation of the people on board. A stewardess walked up to him and said, "Mr. Ali, you'll need to take a seat and fasten your seatbelt. We're about to take off." Muhammad Ali said, "Listen, superman don't need no seatbelt." The stewardess said, "Superman don't need no airplane either, now sit down and buckle up." Let not the mighty man glory in his might. Well, the reason why God wants us to know Him is that we might become like Him. Because to know God in your heart is to show God in your life. Now that raises a practical question. How can you know God? I mean really know God; not know about Him, but know Him personally. Let me give you three steps: Number one: By listening to Him – God has given us His word not just to put facts in our head, but to put faith in our heart. This word is God's revelation to us. When you read it, not just with your eyes, but with your soul, you will begin to know God. Secondly, by living for Him – Did you know the more you obey God the better you'll get to know God, and the more you'll be like God. 1 John 2:4 says, "He who says, ‘I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Finally, by loving God – That is the real mark of knowing God, because to know God is to love God, and to love God is to want to listen to God and live for God. When there is nothing left but to grieve, as Christians our call is to accompany the suffering through their grief. We love them through their journey and grieve with them — but we grieve as a people who have hope. We grieve as a people who know that there is "a balm in Gilead" to make us all whole. We know that the Holy Spirit has the power to revive our discouraged souls. We know that the love of God shown us in the death and resurrection of Jesus will carry us through — through suffering and even through death to life and to peace. In the name of Jesus. Amen. When a person is diagnosed with a serious disorder, one that threatens their very existence, life as we know it is turned upside down. There is research to conduct about traditional and alterna¬tive treatments. There are specialists with whom to consult. Some¬times there are changes in lifestyle and in priorities to be consid¬ered, as Tim McGraw sang in his 2004 hit, "Live Like You Were Dying." I have watched this process in many parishioners over the years. Quite often everyone, including the person with the terminal diag¬nosis, is amazed when they outlive their prognosis by months and sometimes even years. Medical science and mental attitude can do amazing things to sustain and extend the quality of life and the number of months a person has to live. But there comes a point, when treatments can no longer fend off the threat ... or the prospect of death becomes more tolerable than the treatment of the disease. At this point, hospice organiza¬tions can be a tremendous resource to a terminally ill person and their family. Hospice care encompasses nearly every aspect of a dying patient's needs so that she and her loved ones can simply be with one another. Hospice's ability to manage pain is a great bless¬ing that enables loved ones to be as present with one another as possible until the end. It is at this point in a terminally ill person's journey that he and his family often truly begin to mourn. There has been grief work going on since the moment the words of the diagnosis fell upon the ears of those in the physician's office, but the stage of grief that Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross calls "acceptance" is the stage when there's nothing left to do but keep watch and mourn. nd now, for the first time, the prophet Jeremiah acknowl¬edges that there is nothing left for him to do but mourn. Although his ministry with the people of Judah will continue on for several years, he knows that no matter what he says or what he does, Judah will not listen. Judah will not own up to her condition. Judah will not seek healing. No, Judah will be destroyed, or at the very least, she will be severely debilitated. She will eventually fall to the forces of Babylon. The treaties previously forged with neighboring na¬tions will do her no good. Even her claim of holiness as the place that is home to the temple of the Lord will mean nothing to the Lord. The Lord can raise up another temple in three days. All of this is not to say that Jeremiah won't continue to warn the people of Judah, won't continue to call them to repent. Jeremiah will continue to serve God's purposes, even as it causes him pain and anguish and grief to do so. His life will be threatened. He will forego the joys of marriage and family. He will face ridicule and despair, but Jeremiah has been called of God, called to a ministry for which he would never have asked. And he cannot help but ful¬fill it. I don’t know why the suffering in Sudan is so widespread, so intense. Who could explain it? I don’t know. But I do know that Angelina is right. I do know that Christ is present there. I do know that Christ will help, even when no one else will, when no one else can. There is so much I do not know. But I do know that our lives are in God’s hands. I do know that God’s love for us has no boundary. I do know that there is someone to heal us. There is someone to make us well. There is someone to soothe the pain and mend the heart. I know it is so. The weeping prophet Jeremiah, who wishes his eyes might be like fountains because his need to cry for his people is so great, asks with sorrow in his voice, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” Is there nothing to make it better? Is there no one to save us? Know the answer? I do. This answer is yes: Yes, there is a balm to make the wounded whole. Yes, there is something, someone to make it better. Yes, there is someone to save us. Yes, there is a balm to heal the sin-sick soul. The answer is yes. I know it is so. That’s why I’m here. And I suppose that’s why you’re here, because you know it is so, too. Or you suspect it is so. Or you hope it is so. Friends, the tear-stained face of Jesus is a reminder that our suffering is God’s suffering. Our pain is God’s pain. God became flesh in Jesus because God has promised not to leave us alone. The cross is the sign of God’s commitment to this world, God’s commitment to us, God’s commitment to you. In the cross, God’s love intersects our sorrow. In the cross, our lives are inextricably linked with God’s life. You can see that for yourselves. You can see that in every cross. You can see that in your own life. The summer is past. The seasons are changing. Time is moving. The one whose love heals and soothes and makes us whole gives us a new chance to keep those promises and follow through on those good intentions and make those dreams come true and see those hopes come to pass. Friends, we have been saved. The news is good. I know it is so. There is a balm in Gilead. Hallelujah! Another season has come and gone. Promises that were made have not been fulfilled. Good intentions haven’t yielded any tangible results. Dreams have not come true. High hopes have proven to be only wishful thinking. Nothing has really changed; nothing has really improved. The time keeps moving along, but we seem stuck in the same ruts. Old routines remain, prejudices persist, dullness and anxiety continue to be constant companions. Lingering in the air is that nagging sense that things aren’t quite right, not as they could be, not as they should be. As Jeremiah says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (8:20). Time has moved along, the seasons are changing, but nothing has really changed for us. Same old people in the same old lives. Sin still has us in its grip, running our lives, ruining our lives, confusing our sense of what matters, leading us away from God. Why aren’t things better? What about those promises God has made? Why haven’t we been restored? Why haven’t we been made whole? Is there not a balm in Gilead? Is there no one to heal us? Nothing to make us well? No way to soothe the pain and mend the heart? "There is a balm in Lima to make the wounded whole, there is a balm in Lima to heal the sin sick soul." Thanks be to God for that balm, who is Jesus, his Christ. The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved (Jeremiah 8:20). At the beginning of his ministry, Jeremiah hoped that the destruction would not come. But alas, he knew it could not be stopped. Israel had gone too far and God’s decision had now been made. In his grief Jeremiah remembered Gilead—a region to the east where great spices grow, which physicians use to heal wounds. Is there no balm in Gilead? He asked. Is there no physician, no healer, no prophet, no priest, no teacher that can cure Israel’s wound? The answer is “No.” Israel will not know healing until she has paid for her sins. Jeremiah stood at the crossroads of history. His great nation came face to face with an angry God and with good reason. They had forgotten God and worshiped idols. They stopped defending the fatherless and protecting the poor. They had become violent and sexually promiscuous. For these reasons and more God judged his people. But it is not the end of the story. There was a promise that God would one day forgive the people and heal the land if they would repent while in exile. So you see God’s relationship is no longer to a nation but to a people—his church. Does that mean that God is not somehow involved in the affairs of nations?

Just because you can, doesn't mean that you should

June 25, 2023 Year A 4th Sunday after Pentecost Romans 6:1-11 Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should Prelude Welcome Call to Worship L: Welcome! This is a time to celebrate and worship God who loves us! P: We are grateful and thankful for all God’s blessings in our lives. L: We gather to remember that Christ gave his life for us. P: We humbly praise God for such a gift! L: Come, friends! Come and worship the God of love and hope. P: Praise be to God at all times and in all places! AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Holy God who created all that exists, we praise you. We open our hearts and our spirits this day to your eternal love and forgiving mercy. Be with us as we participate in this worship service. Remind us again that Jesus Christ gave his life that we might fully understand the depth and breadth of your love. In all things and at all times we praise you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song And Can it be that I Should Gain UMH 363 Children’s Sermon “Hello children of God. What do I have here? It’s kind of hard to tell. These are tortilla chips, well they’re sort of turning into the crumbs of tortilla chips now, but you get the idea. The delicious chips that you could dip in salsa or sour cream or make nachos or have with tacos or something like that. But where did tortilla chips come from? What were they before they became chips? Well, if you said tortillas, you’re absolutely right. Sorry, no product placement here, but prior to becoming a chip, this was just a tortilla. Now, can the chip turn back into a tortilla? No, of course not, because this is soft, this is the before stage, and this is the after. There’s nothing this delicious satisfying chip could do to go back to being a soft little tortilla. Well, that might have been obvious, but here’s one that is a little more exciting. What is this? A pickle, a very delicious pickle. But where do pickles come from? What was that before it became a pickle? Believe it or not, that was once a cucumber, probably a smaller kind of cucumber than this, but yes, mind-blowing though it may seem, the great delicious pickle was once a lowly cucumber. So see, if your mom tells you to eat more vegetables, just throw some pickles on your burger. Not really, vegetables are important, you should have fresh vegetables, very delicious. But what did the cucumber have to go through to become a pickle? Well, it kind of soaked in this juicy stuff for a while with some different spices and seasonings and everything, and over time it became a pickle, kind of like a baptism in a way, but we’ll get to more on that in just a little bit. (Kristin Schmidt) Words of Grace and Peace In Christ, we are welcomed fully and enabled to exchange our fear with faith, our forgetfulness with the reassurance grounded in remembrance, our turning away with the possibility of turning toward our call and life more abundant that we might transform the world and all creation by the power of God’s unconditional and all-encompassing love. With open hands and hearts, let us receive the peace of Christ’s grace and peace. Amen (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Ann Jefferson) Scripture Romans 6:1-11 Sermon Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should I don’t know I do it to myself every time. I choose to preach from the epistle lesson. It sounds like a really good message, and then when I Start to research for the message, I realize that I am in trouble – There is nothing nice to say about that passage. It doesn’t get much worse than Romans 6 – the subject is sin, death and slavery – where is the grace in that message? – the good news is that grace abounds! Paul also talks about grace, new life and freedom in Christ. Paul’s great message to us today is that God loves us no matter what we do or who we are. That grace us not only what we depend on to live, but it also saves our souls. One of our teenagers got the point (sort of), reminding his mother that God could love him whether he cleaned his room or not. Unfortunately, I cannot report what his mother said in response. But one of our mothers got the point, when she told me she was glad her salvation was not going to depend on whether her refrigerator contained green things that were turning brown, or brown things that were turning green. And one of our fathers got the point ... powerfully so ... .when he said at the door: "Maybe instead of constantly yelling at everybody to tidy up, I ought to tell myself to lighten up." In Romans, chapter 5 talks all about grace through salvation, in chapter 6 Paul teaches us how to use it. Our scripture today starts with a question – should we continue to sin so that grace can abound? In other words does it really matter if we clean our rooms – won’t God still love us? And the answer is absolutely. But just because we can sin and receive grace, that doesn’t mean that we should. It all boils down to baptism – that strange ritual that most of us have experienced in some way. Of all the things Christians do, baptism might be the weirdest –– at least from an outsider perspective. For those born into the Christian tradition, baptism is a wonderful, beautiful moment, a joyful celebration. For those outside the Christian faith, it can seem completely strange, even macabre. Baptism is a “ritual drowning,” a symbolic death that ushers the baptized into a spiritually reborn, renewed life. However we dress this ritual up — whether with lacy baptismal gowns for infants or with lemonade and cookies for older children and adults — it is still a truly strange ceremony. One eight year old, upon being told that baptism meant she was being “buried with Jesus” responded, quite reasonably, “Well! That’s not very nice.” (As told by theologian Claire Watkins in her book Living Baptism [2004] 58) That eight-year old child was absolutely right. That does NOT sound very nice. It sounds nuts. It sounds “weird.” Maybe that’s part of our problem Christians aren’t “weird” enough. We die with Christ so that we can live with a new life with christ. In America, we pride ourselves on our freedom, our freedom to chose our life and make our own decisions. There are a lot of things that we can choose, but we cannot chose death. At some point we are all going to die. Baptism is that moment when we are challenged to face death. We all meet death because death and sin go hand in hand. No matter how devoted to Christianity that we are, we are all sinners. We all need God’s grace – we come here every Sunday in order to search for grace in our lives. Now when Paul speaks of sin, he is not talking about our character flaws, or even the long list of things that we have done wrong. For Paul, sin is a pervasive power, or force that seems to pervade the world and our lives. No matter how holy we are, we all have those human moments. Moments when we live in the moment, and we react without thinking or feeling our faith. We cant escape those moments. I was reading recently about Raynald III, a fourteenth Century duke in what is now Belgium. Raynald was grossly overweight. Captured in a revolt by his younger brother, he was imprisoned in a room that was built around him. The room had no bars on the windows not even a locked door though the door was slightly smaller than normal. Still, because of his size, he could not squeeze through to freedom. He was too large. Still there was hope. All he had to do to be a free man was to go on a diet. His brother even offered to restore his title and wealth as soon as he was able to leave the room. His brother knew Raynald's weakness, though. Each day he had sent to Raynald's room a variety of delicious foods. Instead of growing thinner, Raynald grew fatter. He was a prisoner not of locks or bars or iron gates. He was a prisoner of his own appetite. (1) We all have those habits, those thoughts that can keep us locked into patterns. Some people are slaves to shopping. They cannot pass up a sale, even if they have a house full of things they don't need. Some people are slaves to cholesterol. They have never met a donut or a piece of bacon they didn't like. Some people are slaves to their jobs. They do not like their jobs, but the company is paying them too much for them to quit, so they go to work in golden handcuffs. Some corporations are slaves to greed. Everybody answers to the bottom line. If the bottom line is not high enough, somebody has to go. In the last few years, we have had all kinds of revelations about that, but it's not news to anyone. I have a friend who is a slave to Budweiser. If he doesn't have a drink in his system, his body drives him crazy. He's admitted that he is embarrassed about it, and he ought to be. Two weeks ago, he wrecked another truck. His friends hope it's a wake-up call. The good news is that we get locked into patterns, but humans are the only species that can break those habits and start new habits. We have the ability to reflect on our actions and do something new – all thanks to God’s love for us. We can find new life in Christ in the midst of death. Paul called himself a slave to Christ. In other words, if you have to be attached to something, it may as well be Christ. bout twenty years ago, singer Bob Dylan went through a brief spiritual phase. A lifelong Jew, he got serious about God, even thinking about becoming a Christian. He wrote some new songs, hired a back-up group of gospel singers, and went on tour. One of the songs said, "You gotta serve somebody. You gotta serve somebody. It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody." One night on tour he sang that song and the crowd began to boo. The more he sang, the more they booed. He stopped playing and left the stage. Afterward, one concert-goer said, "I didn't come to hear that kind of bologna. I'm free. I don't serve anybody but myself." Believe me, friends, there is no greater slavery than serving only yourself. Paul says he is a slave of Jesus. He struggles with his own urges, just like anybody else. But he knows in his gut that no good can come from listening only to his own desires. He is bound to a greater purpose than following his nose or listening to his stomach. He belongs to Jesus Christ. That is his identity. That gives him a purpose. Paul’s message to us – is that we all get stuck in our habits. But God didn’t intend for us to live that way into eternity. He wanted us to look for something better. We receive God’s grace so that we can live a righteous life. But we can’t take our righteousness for granted. It is a struggle everyday. Once there was a young man who was seeking true love. He went to the spiritual master and asked, "Wise teacher, I am searching for genuine love. How will I know when I have found it?" The master smiled and said, "I will not tell you the answer, but I will tell you that there are three ingredients to genuine love. Are you willing to search the world to find them?" "Yes," said the young man. And so the young man traveled the world over. He went to the great schools of learning. He talked to the wise masters and mistresses. He fell in love. He was loved. He failed in love. After many years the young man returned to the old master. The old master recognized him immediately and asked what he had found. The young man said, "Alas, I have only found two of the three ingredients of genuine love." "Tell me what you have learned," said the master. "First of all, genuine love is life-giving. When you love and are loved, life itself is richer and more full. And love shared creates new life in children." "That is right," said the master. "Secondly, genuine love is a forever love. It stands the test of time. Genuine love is deepened by the passing of the years." "That is right," said the master. But then the countenance of the young man fell and he said, "That is all I have learned." The master said, "Are you willing to go out again and seek and learn and experience more?" "Oh, no," said the young man. "I am too tired." The old man smiled and said, "You have indeed found all of the ingredients of genuine love. For not only is true love life-giving and forever. Genuine love is very hard work." (3) Dear old Martin Luther, whenever he was depressed and undergoing strong attack from the devil, or sensed his courage and spiritual strength failing, he would lay his hands on his head and say aloud to himself, I am baptized. And so do we, and our identity through baptism becomes a means of grace. I close with this. In the earliest baptismal liturgies, after the person had been baptized, he or she appeared before the bishop. The bishop embraced the new Christian then did something of great significance – the bishop dipped his finger into oil and made the sign of the cross on the Christian’s forehead. This was known as the signation, the signature. The sign of the cross upon a person’s forehead was like a brand to show ownership. As sheep are marked to show ownership, so Christians are marked by baptism to show who owns them and to what flock they belong. By baptism, Christians are branded to show who chose them and who now owns them. Remember your baptism. Maxie Dunnam, MaxieDunnam.com, by Maxie Dunnam During baptisms, we bring the font up front, but usually, it sits amongst us – available for us in those tought times in life to touch the water and remember your baptism. Remember your purpose, remember God’s intention for you. Baptism in intended to be a bridge – between our human life and our spiritual life. For some people Christianity is an adjective – it describes a part of their life. It is what they do or what they strive for but never quite achieve. When we remember our baptism – we are reminded that Christianity is a noun – it is who we are deep to the core. Our actions may not show it – but fundamentally we are a child of God. God loves us and claims us no matter what. Because of that grace – we may sin, but we don’t live there. God called each of out of our personal identity – together to be the body of christ for the world. God needed to raise up a righteous army in charge of healing the world. Healing the world so that all people can live in grace and not sin. But what happens when the righteous are just as sinful as the rest of the world – what happens then. The good news is God has a plan for that. God sent christ to not only be our example, but to be our salvation. Christ leads us into death to new life.We are transformed so that we can transform others. A family once had two little puppies. One of the puppies was a boy and the other was a girl...and for some strange reason wherever the sister went, the brother was on her tail following right behind her. Every morning, as they were let out to play, they would go scampering out the door, down the steps, across the lawn and through a hole in the fence, and always, the brother was following right behind his sister. One day, the family decided to fix that hole in the fence, and the next morning, they let the dogs out to play. As usual, the puppies went out the door, down the steps, across the lawn. As the lead dog approached the fence, she saw that the hole in the fence had been fixed and she quickly turned to the right to avoid hitting the fence. Her brother, however, was not so fortunate; he crashed right into the fence. Later, the family discovered why: he was blind the puppy had been blind since birth. He had simply learned that to get around he had to listen, listen to the sounds of his sister's footsteps, listen to where his sister was going and follow her. (4) There is a blind world outside this door. If we do not think so, all we have to do is to read the headlines in our morning paper. More than anything else people need to see the grace, love and peace of Jesus Christ lived out in human form and that will only happen when we who have been buried with Christ in Christian baptism are resurrected with him to new life. Do not settle for making Christ your whipping boy. Make him the Lord of your life. The world depends upon it. The rest of the world may not go to church every Sunday, they may not be as close to God, they may not know that Christ is their salvation – but they are watching our actions. They are watching to see how grace works in our lives. Why can’t we sin so that grace abounds – because the rest of the world needs to know that they can come out of the world of sin and live in new life in Christ. "Christ rose from the dead and will never die again," writes Paul. "Death no longer has any power over him. He died once for all to end sin's power, but now he lives forever in unbroken fellowship with God. So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to him, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (vs. 9-11, The Living Bible) Amen Song It is well with my Soul UMH 377 Prayer God of summer, This world is yours and we live according to your abundance. Wherever we wander during these June days – road trips to the beach, family camping trips, visiting friends and relatives – watch over our travels. May we reach our destinations safely and make our journeys with wonder at the blessings bestowed upon us by your amazing grace. As we kneel in the dirt of our gardens, pulling the unwanted weeds, pruning the untamed overgrowth, may our harvest be plentiful and the smell of soil, air and sun spark joy. You give us enough to share, Holy God. Remind us of those who don’t have enough and our ability to make a difference in their lives. The heat and humidity can be oppressive, God. Perfect weather for those with access to a swimming pool. So, we pray for those without access or excess. We pray for people without cool places of respite and refuge. We pray for those whose lives are threatened by the heat. We pray for the poor and impoverished of this country, as well as around the world. May we find ways to shelter and nurture all your children, Holy God. Hear our thanks and praise for the blessings of this summer. Hear, also, our prayers for those who are struggling. Especially, we pray for Those who – for whatever reason – cannot enjoy the blessings of summer In your mercy, Beloved God, hear the prayers of your people Amen (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Paul’s letter to the Romans lays out a description of what Christ means for each of us who have been buried with Christ in baptism. Alleluia! We now walk in newness of life, just as Christ was raised up to new life in his resurrection. What a gift! We are alive to God in Christ Jesus. In full-hearted gratitude, then, we offer back to God our time, our talent and our treasure. Joyfully, we bring our financial gifts as one way we of expressing our gratitude. Prayer of Thanksgiving Mighty God, giver of life and all its goodness, thank you for the gifts you pour out for each of us, day by day. Morning by morning, new mercies we see! Please accept this offering as one symbol of our gratitude and our love. Give us insight in how we might best use these gifts to share Good News with those who are fearful and frightened. AMEN (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Grant, O Lord, that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (JOHN HUNTER, SCOTLAND, 19TH CENT., ALT.) Joys and concerns Benediction God, bless us. Jesus, walk with us. Holy Spirit, guide us. As we leave this house of worship may the grace, hope, peace and love of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with us all, now and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Additional Illustrations If it has not happened to you yet, you can be sure that sooner or later life is going to acquaint you with death. We can decide whether or not we want to go to Australia; we have the option of eating horsemeat or not eating horsemeat; but we do not have the option of meeting death or not meeting death. We will meet it, perhaps have already met it, of this we can be sure. But meeting it does not mean that we automatically have made our peace with it. Meeting it does not mean that we have accepted it, befriended it, integrated its reality into our lives. Young people are listening to a song these days that carries the line, "I'm going to live forever." It's repeated many times in the song and maybe some hear that so often they begin to believe they will never have to die. The Christian faith helps us stand up to death. It looks death in the eye and says, "Death, you have been overrated; your power has been overestimated; your influence has been miscalculated. Some influence you have, but much that people have led us to believe you can do you cannot. You can't squelch my ultimate identity; you can't destroy what is essentially me; you can't kidnap me from God. From you I will not run. Do to me what is yours to do, because you will not be my undoing. Death, where is your victory? Grave, where is your sting?" C.S.S Publishing Co., IN SURE AND CERTAIN HOPE, by Robert Noblett For one thing, the cross of Christ -- the sign of God’s new covenant with us in Jesus Christ -- is invisible. It cannot be seen with the naked eye; it was traced on our foreheads with a “bare” finger, or possibly with water or oil. It could not be seen at all, or not for very long, at best. The “mark” of the cross in baptism is not meant to be visible in the manner that the branding of cattle or other animals is intended so that they might be identified when the visible brand is seen. One of the National Geographic specials on television related the story of a study made of polar bears to learn how they are coping with the infringement of modern culture upon their environment. The hunter/scientists making the study used a helicopter to locate and anesthetize a large polar bear; they shot a “loaded” dart into the animal, waited until the bear was helpless on the snow and ice, and conducted their examination. They measured the bear, checked its teeth, took blood samples, and fitted it with a tracking collar, taking great care to allow for the seasonal weight gain that occurs in these animals during the summer. The last thing they did was spray paint on the animal a large number 25 which was highly visible from the air, as they watched the animal regain its feet and run away. In contrast, the mark of the cross, God’s covenant with us, is invisible and can never be seen with the naked eye. A visitor asked me, on one occasion -- and I suspect that his question often goes unasked by visitors -- “Why does a theological seminary need a baptismal font? It is never used, is it?” My answer was that it really is used for baptisms, on occasion, when children of students and other persons may be baptized. But the fonts need to be there not only so that the liturgical appointments of the chapels will be complete, but to remind worshipers that they have been “marked with the cross of Christ forever,” that they belong to God, and that what happens between the walls of our churches, as well as in the world, is his business. That’s why the font is used by some people every day; many persons (students, staff, faculty, and others) dip their fingers into the water and retrace the sign of the cross on their foreheads, because they remember their baptism into Jesus’ death and his resurrection. The mark of the cross is indelible; it cannot be washed away or removed by time because the very spirit of the risen Lord makes it indelible. The creation has not yet come to an end. The Bible says that God created man on the sixth day and rested, but each of those days was a million years long. That day of rest must have been a short one. Man is not an end but a beginning. We are at the beginning of the second week. We are the children of the Eighth Day.1 "Even so we also should walk in newness of life." "Man is not an end but a beginning." "We are at the beginning of the second week of Creation." Creation is not just something I receive. Creation is something that I do and continue to do in a working fellowship with God. The line of succession could be Abraham, Jesus, and now us. That puts life in a different perspective. What, that is meaningful beyond my personal support and my family upkeep, am I doing creatively in the life of the world? In my neighborhood, at work, in my carpool, through my vocation, in my community - anywhere? Am I helping to heal the hurt of the world? Am I working with God in any project that I recognize to be God’s work? Am I really living yet? lf I stood before God tonight, and he asked me, "Why should I let you into heaven?" what would I answer? I might stammer, "Your grace, your love, your forgiveness!" "But how did you share my love? What did you do for others because of my love for you?" Paul had the overall picture. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice." An invested life, invested under the guidance of God, in healing the hurt of the world! I recall an interesting story about an old snake. He lived in a pasture under a rock. Every morning he left his rock, crawled through a hole just his size in the fence, and hunted for food in the field beyond. One day he caught nothing and was coming home half-starved. Just before he reached his little hole in the fence, a baby rabbit jumped up. Without thinking, the snake snapped out, grabbed the rabbit, and swallowed him. The rabbit worked back in the snake’s body like an orange in a Christmas stocking. He started now, to go on through the hole, but he got only as far as the little rabbit, and there he was stuck. Just then another baby rabbit jumped in front of him on the other side of the fence. Without thinking the snake snapped that one up also (two oranges in the Christmas stocking). There was the snake, bulging with two rabbits - one on either side of the fence. He couldn’t move forward or backward. At this moment the old farmer heard the commotion and came with his pitchfork. As he lifted the fork to kill the snake, the old snake, being a philosopher, looked up and moaned, "Here lie I, the victim of circumstances beyond my control." Perhaps this was true for that moment, but he didn’t have to swallow the first rabbit; he didn’t have to swallow the second rabbit. After that, plainly, the circumstances were definitely beyond his control. How often do we make the same mistake - doing thoughtlessly the thing that condemns us? There is a fascinating story about Emma Calve, French soprano, that turns out much better. She was famous in Brussels, Paris, London and the Metropolitan in New York. While she was in Venice waiting for a letter, there came some crushing news. In despair, she started to leap from the balcony to her death. At that moment, she was stopped by the song of a gondolier. She had a deep urge to sing once more before she died. She hired the boat, and while floating down the canals of Venice, she sang all the songs she knew, her last performance - all the music in her welling up through her intense struggle and sorrow. When she had sung it all, she became aware of the multitude of boats jammed all around her boat, and she was amazed. She hid under a cover as the gondolier rowed her back to her hotel. The next morning there were flowers and a special note: "From Paul and Jeanne, who love each other greatly, to whom you have given an unforgettable night! May the blessing of God be upon you, who are the bearer of the Fire Divine." She lived! She had found her place: "The bearer of Fire Divine." What’s your place in the divine scheme of things? David Cairnes, in The Faith That Rebels, declares: "If Christ were here in the body ... and we all gathered round him, and each of us told him in turn the story of our failures and tragedies and sins, he would say to each of us: ‘What has been wrong with you, and what is wrong with you still, is that as yet you have not enough faith in God.’ "2 It is too true. If we don’t really believe in God, life doesn’t make sense, and we are confused and lost. We do not make an investment of our lives in that which we do not trust. My son Robert G. Tuttle, Jr., tells of a young doctor coming to him for counseling. The doctor opened with this strange declaration: "I’ve got everything I ever wanted. I have a big practice, plenty of money, a beautiful home, a wife I love, and three children. I have the house at the beach, the boat and all that. Why do I want to blow my brains out?" My son looked at him and was inwardly praying for understanding. He answered: "You’ve achieved every goal you ever set for yourself. You’ve lived your life; there’s nothing else to live for. Go ahead and take your life. But there is one thing I want to tell you before you do. "You’ve been living only for yourself and you are bored. If you dared turn your life, your family, your practice of medicine, your money over to God, you would be lifted into a living challenge you could never catch up with. God would put you to work meaningfully, and you can never exhaust God. Life will go on and on in creative mystery and excitement; new life will come to you, your family, your practice, and your world. Do you dare try it?" The doctor really tried it; he gave it all to God, consciously and subconsciously. New life flowed; every new day was fresh and full of expectations. God was rescuing him. His practice had a rich new meaning and effectiveness. God can do this for any of us, if we dare let him. Thomas Wolfe seemed always to be waiting for someone to fling open the door for him, to let the light in. God doesn’t do it all for us. There are always two keys to the strongbox. In love, God flings us out into the world of struggle and darkness, not to pity ourselves. He meets us there. He brings a light. He helps us find ourselves and helps us to help others find themselves. As we help others find themselves, we, too, are found and God is there. This is the "unfound door." This is the "lost lane-end into heaven." Under the realized touch of God, we become workers together with God in building that ultimate world. We are the children of the "eighth day of creation." We are the "bearers of the Fire Divine." Paul calls us to this vision: "Even so, we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4b). What a parable of the dilemma faced by many people every day. There are forces within the human personality that can attain an almost demonic grip on our behavior. We must admire the person who wins a permanent victory over nicotine or alcohol or cocaine or even chocolates. It is not easy. Of course, there are other serious weaknesses of the flesh. Psychologists are now talking about sexual addiction, people who are forced to deal with an enormous drive to abuse the blessed gift of sexuality. Inability or failure to keep this drive under control has broken hearts, families, and lives ever since humanity made its appearance on earth. Two months later, Sir Roger woke up and sensed a compelling inward voice that said, "Go to York." He was not a man given to such voices, but the next day he saddled his horse and set off to York. When he arrived he discovered a large crowd gathered outside the courthouse. On hearing that it was the last day of a murder trial, he entered the courthouse and sat in the public gallery, from where he heard the guilty verdict pronounced. When the accused man was asked if he had anything to say, he replied: "I am innocent. I was more than one hundred miles from the crime on the day it took place. I was in Colchester. Another man and myself heard a clock strike thirteen. If only I could find him, he could vouch for my innocence." Immediately Sir Roger stood up and declared: "Now I know why I was to come to York." He explained who he was and showed the judge his diary which he always carried with him. The accused was declared innocent on the basis of Sir Roger's testimony. As he and Sir Roger walked out of the court, the freed man turned to his benefactor and said, "You are the only man in all the world who could have saved me." (2) Here is God's word for today. You and I are in torment and turmoil because of our estrangement from God, and there is only one man who can help us. That one man is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the only one who can make us truly free. Genuine love is very hard work; so is genuine religion. But we need that. A religion that costs us nothing has no power to lift our lives from the hum-drum to the extraordinary. One of the great stories of literature is that of Jean Valijean in Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables. After his parents died, Jean went to live with his sister. After her husband died the responsibility of being the breadwinner fell to Jean, who was 17 at the time. Many times the family went hungry. Jean once broke through a window and stole a loaf of bread when he was out of work and the children were starving. He was arrested, tried, and put in prison. After attempting to escape several times, his sentence was increased. Ultimately, he served a total of 19 years in prison--for stealing a loaf of bread. When he was finally released, he found life outside the prison every bit as cruel as the world he had just left. Everyone rejected him and no one trusted him. He went to visit the bishop at a local church. The bishop invited him in, seated him at the table, which was set with the finest silver and treated him with dignity. He gave him a bed for the night, but Valijean woke in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. He was confused by bishop's kindness. He was tempted to kill his benefactor but then he decided not to. Instead he stole the bishop's silver and left the house. He was caught the next morning by a policeman who brought him back to the bishop's home. When the door was opened the bishop said, "I'm glad you came back. I had intended to give you the candlesticks as well as the silver." Valijean was released. But he left the bishop's house even more confused than before. As he sat thinking about what had happened, a child came by and dropped a coin near him. He reached out and covered the coin, and the child ran away crying. Later, when he realized what he had done, he tried to find the child to return the money, but he couldn't. But from that time on, a gradual transformation began to take place in his life, and Jean Valijean became a respected citizen. He was eventually elected mayor of his village. Then one day he read about an old man who had been captured in a nearby town and was being accused of being the Jean Valijean who had stolen a coin from a child. After a great struggle in Valijean's soul, he surrendered himself to save the innocent man. (2) The story of Jean Valijean is the story of a man who was the object of mercy--the mercy of a kindly bishop--and could not forget it. My friends, you and I are objects of mercy too. It's sometimes hard for us to realize this, because I fear that the cross has become a cliche for many of us. It has become so familiar that we are no longer touched by its central theme--that the One who created us loves us so much that no price is too great to pay for our salvation. Look to your baptism, look to Christ's death in your behalf. But also look to his resurrection--his victory over sin and the grave. In his book, The Gospel For The Person Who Has Everything, William Willimon tells of a young friend, age 4, who was asked on the occasion of his 5th birthday what kind of party he wanted to have. I want everybody to be a king and queen, Clayton said. So, he and his mother went to work, fashioning a score of silver crowns – cardboard and aluminum foil, purple robes – crepe paper, and royal scepters – sticks painted gold. On the day of the party, as the guests arrived, they were each given a royal crown, a robe, and a scepter, and were thus dressed as a king or a queen. It was a royal site - all kings and queens. Everyone had a wonderful time. They ate ice cream and cake, they had a procession up to the top of the block and back again, and then when it was all over, everyone knew it had been a royal, wonderful day. That evening as Clayton’s mom tucked him into bed, she asked him what he wished for when he blew the candles out on the birthday cake. I wished, he said, that everyone, everyone in the whole wide world could be a king and a queen. Not just on my birthday, but everyday. My friend Willimon closed this story by saying, well Clayton, baptism shows that something very much like that happened one day at a place called Calvary. We who were nobodies became somebodies. Those who were no people became God’s people. The wretched of the earth became royalty. Two or three years ago, I saw the death door at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. Some of you may remember that the great Pope John XXIII, bless his memory, commissioned the eminent artist, Geacoma Manza, to sculpt a new door for that great basilica, and the artist depicted on that door a series of death scenes. There was death by falling, death in war, the martyred death of Peter upside down on the cross, and others. Death by drowning is there, death by water. And I reasoned as I looked at that door, that this was behind the sculptor’s theme – we enter the church by death. Baptism – our acted entrance into the church is by water. So death by water is a challenging and authentic understanding of baptism. The early church even built its baptismal fonts in the shape of tombs to make that meaning graphic. So we cannot underscore the meaning of baptism too much if we’re going to save ourselves from approaching casually that event in a person’s life which is so crucial. Being buried with Christ in baptism – having the sign and the seal of our salvation placed upon us with water and the laying on of hands. What does that mean? -- to walk in newness of life? To answer that, let's look at another question: How Christian are we Christians? How Christian are you? A few years ago, the Christian scholar, Wilfred Cantwell Smith, wrote a book, Questions of Religious Truth. He concludes that book with a chapter bearing the title, "Christian -- Noun or Adjective." Dr. Smith says that if he is asked if he is a Christian, he readily answers, "Yes!" But, if someone asks him if he is Christian, using the adjective, "the situation changes radically." Do you see the difference in the questions? Are you a Christian? Or, are you Christian? In one question, Christian is a noun -- in the other one, an adjective. Do you see the point? Do we use Christian as a noun or as an adjective? If someone asked you if you were a Christian, you would say "Yes," -- but if they didn't put that little article in there (a Christian) -- if they didn't ask if you are a Christian, but rather said "Are you Christian?", using the word as an adjective, you might find that a searching question -- a disquieting one. "One that undermines your complacency." Dr. Smith said, "Indeed, to ponder it is to set all atremble. The noun is comforting, the adjective is demanding." I know what Dr. Smith is talking about, and so do you. I am a Christian, but I know that I do not always act authentically and consistently Christian. So the noun-adjective distinction with that word makes me very uncomfortable. I hope it does you. J. A. Davidson, who inspired this line of thought, says, "We are misled when we think of being a Christian and being Christian as matters of achievement." St. Augustine, one of the most influential thinkers in Christian history, said that "God deals with us, not as we are, but as we are becoming." Martin Luther reflected this insight when many years later he wrote, "The Christian is not in a state of being, but in one of becoming." Christian-ness, then is not a condition but a process." (J. A. Davidson, Perspectives and Prejudices, "Christian: Noun or Adjective", Pulpit-Digest, July August 1983, page 18). So, it is a legitimate question: How Christian am I? How Christian are you? Malcolm Muggeridge is a great English writer who became a Christian later in life than most. He tells the story that he became Christian because of the life, the presence, and the ministry of Mother Teresa. He wrote a book about Mother Teresa entitled Something Beautiful for God. In that book he tells about the time when he first met her and visited with her in Calcutta in the late 1930's. This is what he said, "I walked through the streets of the poverty of that city, poverty beyond belief. I kept walking, experiencing that until I became physically ill. I ran away, I went back to my comfortable hotel room and took a stiff shot of whiskey to expiate the wretchedness of my experience." Later he said he met Mother Teresa, and discovered that she walked the same streets, she went into the same place he was. He said, "The difference -- I ran away, but Mother Teresa crossed the line. She stayed, and healing took place." It always does, doesn't it? -- When we give compassion a chance. Go back to my question, "How Christian are we?" We can give a pretty good answer to that, and an honest answer, if we will look at the degree to which in each of our lives we add flavor to our kindness. And we give compassion a chance. This is what Paul is talking about when he calls us to walk in newness of life. Maxie Dunnam, , by Maxie Dunnam But James Braddock was an honest and courageous man. He took his son and the sausage back to the butcher, his son confessed his crime and they left. And outside the shop, James turns to his son and says, “No matter what, no matter how bad it gets we don’t steal Ever.” (9) It is important for us to hold on to the idea that there are some absolutes in life. It is wrong to steal. It is wrong to kill. It is wrong to commit adultery. There are circumstances that cause us to understand why a person might engage in wrong behavior, but sin is sin and it has consequences. And for us to be at peace in our hearts, our sins must be forgiven. John Vannorsdall tells the story of a young soldier during World War I. Somewhere along the Western Front, with shells bursting, and handsome bodies mangled beyond hope, with grownups wailing like babies, a young man, who is no more than a boy himself, says to a comrade, “We weren’t meant for this.” Commenting on this statement Dr. Richard Lischer writes, “We weren’t meant for this. Post that sentence on all the battlefields and prisons of the world; post it above the urban garbage dumps where humans made in God’s image scavenge for food, post it above homes filled with abuse. Nail it to this whole mass of damnation, which is our world: ‘we weren’t meant for this.’” (10) I hope that each of us will take that as our motto whenever we are tempted to betray our values, “We weren’t meant for this.” We were created in the image of God. We were created for something great and beautiful. It would be sad if we settled for squalid lives when we were created for splendor. would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are those who care; I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare. (11) Those words may sound archaic in our present world but it is important to see that young Walter, confronted with a strange culture’s many temptations, knew he “wasn’t created for this.” And neither are we. So, without any intent to create guilt or any desire to condemn, as you leave this room this day, I simply offer up these words of St. Paul for your reflection: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace . . .” And whenever you are tempted to sin, remember these important words, “You weren’t meant for this.” Timothy Radcliffe, a British Dominican priest, has written a beautiful book on the transforming power of baptism. His book Take the Plunge (Bloomsbury: London, 2012) redefines the moment of baptism for Christians, putting it in 21st century terms. The moment of baptism, of a ritualized death, is the end of our purely privatized life. As individual beings we have individual lives. In that individual existence we are born, we live, and we die. Baptism, our willing commitment to participate in something that reaches beyond that biological cycle, extends our individual lives, our personal stories, into something beyond our knowing and knowledge. It morphs our personal story into God’s universal story. The end of our privatized life is the beginning of our Christian life — a life lived as a member of Christ’s body, here on earth and after our earthly existence. In the act of baptism we acknowledge that our individual, earthly existence must inevitably come to an end. But it embraces the beginning of an existence lived wholly in God’s love and in God’s presence. Our “death” in baptism is our first baby step into our life as a disciple, as a person who has a resume that goes beyond the grave. Our baptism is our real natal day, our birth day into eternity. O Lord remember not only the men and women of good will, but all those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us. Remember the fruits we have bought thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyalty our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits we have borne be their forgiveness. (As quoted Duncan B. Forrester, Apocalypse Now? Reflections on Faith in a Time of Terror (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2005), 115). ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Leonard Sweet Sermon, by Leonard Sweet Professional speaker Phillip Wexler notes that the human being is the only creature on earth that is not the prisoner of its programming, but is the master of it. Birds are programmed to fly south in the winter. They don’t suddenly decide that because of the bad economy they had better stay home this year. Beavers build dams. Fish swim in schools. Only humans decide to build a dam or to go back to school. We have the power to decide. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we always make good decisions. Some of you will remember an episode of Seinfeld in which George Costanza is frustrated because every decision he makes turns out to be wrong. Jerry says, “Here’s your chance to do the opposite. If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.” George realizes that Jerry is on to something. If he would act and react completely opposite of his normal actions and reactions, he might have better results. George makes a decision to alter his behavior. “Yes! I will do the opposite!” he declares. It turns out that Jerry was right. Whenever George does the opposite of his normal reactions, the situation always turns out in his favor. (3) You really have to have a perverse view of the world to make such an approach to life work for you, but that is why the comedy on Seinfeld worked. “Congratulations, today’s your day. You’re off to great places. You’re off and away. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Those rhythmic words of advice come from the delightful little book by Dr. Seuss titled Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1) “You’re on your own,” he continues. “And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.” It’s up to us, says Dr. Seuss. The world is ours and we are free to choose what kind of life we will have. He even provides a warning: “You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, ‘I don’t choose to go there.’” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.” I wish that were true, don’t you? I wish we only went places our brains told us to go that we always made rational choices. A. Philip Parham tells about a minister who asked a person he was counseling if he had any trouble making decisions. The man answered, “Well, yes and no.” Parham notes that the word intelligence comes from two words inter, meaning “between,” and legere, meaning “to choose.” An intelligent person is one who has learned to choose between good and evil, truth and falsehood, love and hate, gentleness and cruelty, humility and arrogance, and life and death. (2) In other words, “You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, ‘I don’t choose to go there.’” As one preacher in the Southern U.S says, “God always votes yes, the devil votes no, and your vote decides the election.” When Pompeii was being excavated, they found a woman’s body. Her body had been preserved by the ashes from Mount Vesuvius as it swept over the city. This woman’s feet were turned toward the city gate, toward safety but her face was turned backward. She was looking back toward something that was just beyond her outstretched hands. The archeologists wondered what she was looking for. As they dug, they found a bag of pearls. Maybe she dropped this bag of pearls as she ran for her life. Maybe someone else dropped them, and this lady saw the chance for instant wealth. But, one way or another, with her life on the line, she thought it was worthwhile to stop and pick up some pearls. She turned to pick them up and the volcanic ash swept over her. (4) What a terrible choice. It was a very human thing to do to reach out for the bag of pearls, but it cost her her life. But all of those responses raise an interesting question. Does it mean that we can go on living in dirt and filth forever? Is there nothing to be said for tidy rooms, shiny souls and mold-free refrigerators? Thirty-three years after ordination, I still know precious little about going on to perfection. But I know that it begins by climbing the basement stairs. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Sermons, by William A. Ritter He signs this letter to the Romans with the words, "Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ." The word in Greek is doulos. That can be translated "slave." It can be translated as "servant." Then he said, "You know, Paul calls himself a slave. And if you're going to belong to anybody, you ought to belong to Jesus. He is a tough master, but he is more than fair. And if you belong to Jesus, nobody else can have a piece of you." He's right. Paul believes that he has a master. In fact, if you listen to this whole passage from Romans 6, it sounds like Paul believes that everybody has a master. Somebody owns us. Paul is right. Even in a land of freedom and liberty, somebody has shackled us in chains, whether we know it or not. The question is: Who is yanking your chain? He says this because he knows if the only thing he does is what he wants to do, if the only opinion he listens to is his opinion or his friends' opinions, if the only purpose for his life is to cover his tail or save his skin, then he is in a whole lot of trouble. The power of sin is so pervasive that it can take and twist our best impulses into something foul. There are so many kinds of sin that work on us and bind us. It's hard to be free for all of it. The day may come when she'll say, "Mom, do I have to go to church?" We can laugh about that; most of us have said that, some time or another. There are a lot of things in church that seem like forms of imprisonment. Like one parishioner once said to me, "Reverend, how long am I supposed to serve on this committee? It's been 42 years." There are a lot of things in church that seem like slavery. We come here, and pray for forgiveness, and somebody tells us we're forgiven. Then across the aisle we see somebody we'd rather not ever spend any time with. And we pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," and we think, "Oh, I don't want to forgive him. I'm not going to forgive him." But we've said those prayers, and we are bound to those words. There are some things we learn through the church that feel like burdens. We get to know somebody, and discover that they are hurting, and we don't know what to do. We don't know how to help. It would be a lot easier to slip away and ignore them. But we can't do that because we are bound together through Christ, even when we'd rather go our own way. There are some occasions when the church decides it has to do something. A widow with seven kids comes to our neighborhood. She speaks with an accent. We don't know where we're going to put them. We are wondering how much money this is going to cost, and what else this is going to put off the plate. But we know it's the right thing to do, and we are bound to the work of justice and new beginnings. There are a lot of times when it would be easier to do our own thing. To play it safe. To back away. To retreat in comfort. Then we come to church and remember that we are bound to Jesus Christ. Not only that, he has bound himself to us. We are never free from him. The good news, of course, is that in this kind of bondage, there is great freedom.