On Being in Second Place
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
If anyone is in Christ, he has become a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! To God be the glory and praise!
Opening Prayer
O God, we praise you for coming to us in your Son, Jesus the Christ. Sometimes we feel as if our lives are so unimportant. As we grow older, and are less able to do the things we have usually done, we question our worth and value. Help us to remember that our real worth is based not on what we think or others think of us, but on the fact that the Son of God gave his life for each one of us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"To God Be The Glory"
Originally composed in America sometime before 1875, this hymn failed to become popular in this country. It was sung, however, in Great Britain. When Billy Graham held one of his crusades in London in 1954, someone there suggested it be sung. It was so popular with the audience and with Billy Graham's team that it was sung every night during that evangelistic crusade. Returning to America, Billy Graham used this hymn in a meeting in Tennessee in August of 1954. It was as if America rediscovered this great old hymn! Ever since 1954, the people of God have been singing this song which reminds us all that the real praise and glory in the Christian faith belongs to God and not to us!
Scripture Reading
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Meditation
There is an old story about a young preacher who was invited to speak one Sunday evening in a neighboring church. He felt very flattered by the invitation until he was being introduced to the congregation. The person in charge told the group that the speaker they really wanted for that night could not come, so this young preacher was their second choice. Pointing to a broken window in the church that had been crudely covered with a piece of cardboard, the man introduced the young preacher by saying, "Our guest tonight is like that cardboard -- he's a substitute for the real thing!" The young pastor was somewhat shaken by all this, but he got up and did his best. At the end of the service, an elderly woman said to him, "Son, you weren't a cardboard substitute tonight -- you were a real pane!"
We laugh at the predicament of that young preacher, but in almost all of life, most of us have ended up being somebody's second, third, or even fourth choice. Most of us never got to play baseball in the Major Leagues. Most of us never were the president of the company, or the smartest person in our class in school. The vast majority of us are people who never make first place in the eyes of the world.
In the Bible there is a man named Justus who must have known what it feels like to be passed over for promotion, or to end up in second place. After the death of Judas, the Apostles needed to find a replacement. Two men of faith were suggested, Matthias and Justus. The Apostles voted, and Matthias was elected. But how do you think Justus felt? He apparently was qualified, experienced, and deserving, yet someone else was chosen for the top spot. So how do those of us who place second, third, and fourth in life maintain a sense of our value and worth?
My guess is that Justus remembered two very important things about his relationship to Christ. The first is the fact that everyone who has received God's grace in Jesus Christ is worthwhile. Our worth in life is not measured by popular opinion, or Gallup polls, or even our credit rating! Our worth lies in the fact that God counts us valuable enough to let his beloved Son die in our place at Calvary. You and I, no matter what others may think of us, are worth the life of God's own Son! Years ago in Paris, a derelict man was picked up by the police and brought to a hospital half dead. The doctors looked at the man on the table and one of them said in Latin, "What shall we do with this worthless wretch?" Suddenly, the man on the table opened his eyes, and in flawless Latin said, "Sir, call no one worthless for whom Jesus Christ died!"
The other great thing Justus remembered in his disappointment was that all of us take on a new worth just by being related to Jesus Christ. Think back to when Jimmy Carter was our President. Do you remember hearing about the President's brother Billy? No one would ever have paid a moment's attention to Billy Carter except for one thing -- he was the brother of the President of the United States! Our lives take on a whole new value because we are now related by God's grace to the Son of God! So when you get discouraged and feel as if your life is no longer worthwhile, do what Martin Luther used to do. Say to yourself, "I am the friend of Jesus Christ!"
Closing Prayer and Benediction
God of grace and glory, remind us that it is not who we are or what we have accomplished that is important. What really counts is what you have done for us in Jesus Christ. To your name be all glory and praise, both now and evermore. Amen.
If anyone is in Christ, he has become a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! To God be the glory and praise!
Opening Prayer
O God, we praise you for coming to us in your Son, Jesus the Christ. Sometimes we feel as if our lives are so unimportant. As we grow older, and are less able to do the things we have usually done, we question our worth and value. Help us to remember that our real worth is based not on what we think or others think of us, but on the fact that the Son of God gave his life for each one of us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"To God Be The Glory"
Originally composed in America sometime before 1875, this hymn failed to become popular in this country. It was sung, however, in Great Britain. When Billy Graham held one of his crusades in London in 1954, someone there suggested it be sung. It was so popular with the audience and with Billy Graham's team that it was sung every night during that evangelistic crusade. Returning to America, Billy Graham used this hymn in a meeting in Tennessee in August of 1954. It was as if America rediscovered this great old hymn! Ever since 1954, the people of God have been singing this song which reminds us all that the real praise and glory in the Christian faith belongs to God and not to us!
Scripture Reading
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Meditation
There is an old story about a young preacher who was invited to speak one Sunday evening in a neighboring church. He felt very flattered by the invitation until he was being introduced to the congregation. The person in charge told the group that the speaker they really wanted for that night could not come, so this young preacher was their second choice. Pointing to a broken window in the church that had been crudely covered with a piece of cardboard, the man introduced the young preacher by saying, "Our guest tonight is like that cardboard -- he's a substitute for the real thing!" The young pastor was somewhat shaken by all this, but he got up and did his best. At the end of the service, an elderly woman said to him, "Son, you weren't a cardboard substitute tonight -- you were a real pane!"
We laugh at the predicament of that young preacher, but in almost all of life, most of us have ended up being somebody's second, third, or even fourth choice. Most of us never got to play baseball in the Major Leagues. Most of us never were the president of the company, or the smartest person in our class in school. The vast majority of us are people who never make first place in the eyes of the world.
In the Bible there is a man named Justus who must have known what it feels like to be passed over for promotion, or to end up in second place. After the death of Judas, the Apostles needed to find a replacement. Two men of faith were suggested, Matthias and Justus. The Apostles voted, and Matthias was elected. But how do you think Justus felt? He apparently was qualified, experienced, and deserving, yet someone else was chosen for the top spot. So how do those of us who place second, third, and fourth in life maintain a sense of our value and worth?
My guess is that Justus remembered two very important things about his relationship to Christ. The first is the fact that everyone who has received God's grace in Jesus Christ is worthwhile. Our worth in life is not measured by popular opinion, or Gallup polls, or even our credit rating! Our worth lies in the fact that God counts us valuable enough to let his beloved Son die in our place at Calvary. You and I, no matter what others may think of us, are worth the life of God's own Son! Years ago in Paris, a derelict man was picked up by the police and brought to a hospital half dead. The doctors looked at the man on the table and one of them said in Latin, "What shall we do with this worthless wretch?" Suddenly, the man on the table opened his eyes, and in flawless Latin said, "Sir, call no one worthless for whom Jesus Christ died!"
The other great thing Justus remembered in his disappointment was that all of us take on a new worth just by being related to Jesus Christ. Think back to when Jimmy Carter was our President. Do you remember hearing about the President's brother Billy? No one would ever have paid a moment's attention to Billy Carter except for one thing -- he was the brother of the President of the United States! Our lives take on a whole new value because we are now related by God's grace to the Son of God! So when you get discouraged and feel as if your life is no longer worthwhile, do what Martin Luther used to do. Say to yourself, "I am the friend of Jesus Christ!"
Closing Prayer and Benediction
God of grace and glory, remind us that it is not who we are or what we have accomplished that is important. What really counts is what you have done for us in Jesus Christ. To your name be all glory and praise, both now and evermore. Amen.
