Proper 18
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle C
Object:
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 18:1-11 (C)
The metaphor of the Potter's House is a powerful one, very suggestive of the problems facing America today. There is reason to think that we have lost our moral bearings. We are a ship at sea without a compass. All around us are the threatening shoals of destruction. Make no mistake, the possession of nuclear delivery systems by the Chinese, who aren't famous for their regard for human life, and the possession of hand held missiles which can bring down a passenger jet by almost every terrorist group, plus the possession of such substances as anthrax which could wipe out New York if someone had a suitcase full, and I don't think they look for that in most people's luggage -- need I go on? It's high time someone took the lead in bringing about some common sense and some kindly, good spirit to the rest of the world. The strong implication of this Bible passage is that God has the capability and, under certain conditions, the willingness, to restore a nation to its healthy state of moral excellence and faithfulness. But the question for the individual to ponder is this: what must I do? What is my part in all of this?
Lesson 1: Wisdom 9:13-18 (RC)
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (E)
"Choose Life." There's the sermon title. The writer tells us that God has placed before us "life and good, death and evil." If we're wise, we'll choose life. That requires that we walk in the ways of the Lord. If preaching on this, I would be mindful of the fact that most of us -- maybe all of us -- don't fully do this. The dean of a famous theological seminary has resigned because it was learned that his computer contained thousands of pornographic images. My first reaction was how dumb can a man be to be so smart? To hold such a prestigious position, yet not to know that the computer experts he called in to expand his computer capacity would immediately head for the hard drive to see what was there? But on reflection, I began to remind myself that we all have our little foibles. Who knows? As long as the man didn't act out anything illegal or hurtful, it's none of my business or yours. I don't happen to care for pornography myself. But who am I to judge? We all have our failings which fall short of the injunction here. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect. If we did, I'd be in deep trouble, and I have to think that Saint Paul would argue along with me, so would everyone else. The issue here is: am I trying to walk in the way of the Lord? Is that what I would do if I could? Am I willing to persevere in doing what I know to be right, accepting forgiveness for my failures? The returns are simply not in yet on any of us. The issue is this: what direction am I heading?
Lesson 2: Philemon 1-21 (C); Philemon 9-10, 12-17 (RC); Philemon 1-20 (E)
Before we get our noses out of joint at the fact that Paul is sending an escaped slave back to his master, let's stop to consider some things.
Several years ago, I attended a splendid conference on the Bible at Canterbury, England. One of the speakers announced that he planned to speak on this book of Philemon. I expected, of course, a diatribe about slavery. Instead, that speaker helped me understand why the ancient Christians were able to countenance slavery. Let's start with the fact that slavery was the accepted, and by those standards, the only means of production. For someone to denounce slavery at that time would be like denouncing automation and factory work today. Not only would it sound ridiculous to twenty-first century ears, it would be laughed out of town. Today there would be no cars, no refrigerators, no inexpensive clothes if that happened. Worse, millions of people would be out of work in an economy suddenly shut down because its primary means of production would be eliminated. The stock market would crash, people would starve, mortgages would be foreclosed. In a word, disaster. And if someone got in the pulpit and urged such a movement, he or she would be laughed at as some kind of a nut.
To oppose slavery would have had a first century version of the same effect. Paul and Jesus would not have been taken seriously. Some things have to change by evolution, not revolution. Probably the idea hadn't occurred to Paul anyway, given that from the beginning of time, slavery had been an acceptable means of getting things done. Paul's approach was not only sensible, it's probably the only one that had any chance of changing things. He taught kindness. He taught that if you have a slave, you treat him as today one might treat a beloved and respected employee. He implored Onesimus to love Philemon, to (by implication) see that his life was a good one. Most of us today would consider slavery a horrible state in which to live, but in ancient times, when starvation and slavery to unloving people was a reality, slavery to a loving and kind master may not have been a bad life.
In a sermon? One theme could be that societal change simply doesn't come about by some gripey preaching by clergy who are so sure they're always right they can't hear any other point of view. It happens slowly, by the efforts of good and decent people who see the ills of their society, and who decide to change things over the long haul. Rosa Parks knew that. Martin Luther King knew that. I have a friend who during the civil rights era, took part in the march at Selma, Alabama. On another occasion, he chained himself to a light post in a demonstration in his own city, demonstrating against the governor on what he deemed a critically important issue. Then one day, he told me it began to dawn on him, and I use his own words: "Those gray little preachers with their white shirts and maroon ties were having more success changing things than all of us rabble rousers would ever have." Press on. He then joined us.
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33 (C, RC, E)
We could title this "Counting The Cost." I'm sure Jesus would have explained that we weren't to take this literally. After all, the Ten Commandments which he extolled required that one honor one's father and one's mother. How often we have heard of cult groups who have won gullible people, mainly very young ones with very little life experience, and have those people virtually imprisoned. Brainwashing, I believe it's called. I can't believe Jesus had anything like that in mind. Nor would he recommend giving everything we own to the church. The churches might briefly be very wealthy, but the economy would shut down almost completely. Once again, disaster would result. These were hyperbole -- exaggerations -- to get the listener's attention. They were a dramatic statement that if we are to follow Jesus we are to give our very selves. As Reinhold Niebuhr once remarked, "It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian but it takes all of him." It is a clarion call to live the very best we know; to fight temptations to be dishonest, or to say hurtful things, or to do or say anything which subverts the teachings of the gospel. It is a command to lay down one's life for others -- not very often literally -- but by the daily sacrifices we make, great and small, to live by the word.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "What Can A Person Do?"
Text: Jeremiah 18:1-11
Theme: Professor Peter Gibson of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education recently pointed out that the changes in America can be symbolized by the fact that in 1959 the movie High Noon won four academy awards with a hero who is a U.S. Marshall, while in 1992, the "Best Picture" award went to the western The Unforgiven with a hero who is an alcoholic, a reformed killer reduced to pig farming. And the graduating honors students in the class of 1999 at Miami of Ohio University heard an address by Professor Gerald M. Miller of that school's department of Economics. The honors students had chosen him as their speaker. He then informed those in the audience that he was recently asked by a graduate of 25 years ago what he found to be the difference between college students today and those of that earlier era. He said that today's students have very poor skills in communication, both verbally and in writing. He said they can't spell, and they can hardly put three sentences together which make any sense. He said most students today have a sense of entitlement -- that they think because they paid tuition and went to class they deserve an "A." They think, when they graduate, that they should therefore be given a job. And when they get the job, they deserve a raise soon after because they showed up for work as required. Just as bad, he scolded his own colleagues for the fact that most teachers in colleges today cave in to this expectation.
This is to observe the sad disintegration in the ethic which used to prevail, that hard work, a high sense of moral responsibility, and the courage to qualify oneself for the life ahead were necessary for a worthy life. It's time -- past time -- for those of us who have any authority to cry out against this decline. Young people today need to hear that there is no free lunch. They need to return to the idea of hard work, to learning which comes of reading good literature, turning off the television set, get the dickens off that computer and start doing something for someone else. I know that many young people already have learned all this, but I also know they're in the minority. They'll be the ones who succeed in life and, too late, the great majority will wonder why that feeling of entitlement was ignored in the market place. Learn computers, sure. I know they'll be essential to a successful life tomorrow. But quit obsessing over them.
I think a good, hard hitting sermon on good old personal responsibility is in order. I wouldn't be preachy about it in the worst sense of that word, but someone needs to remind the young generation that those who have been successful in the very best sense of that word, have worked hard and learned a skill by working at it. It has been said that "in the service of love only broken hearts will do." I'd say that very same thing about preaching. Until one has suffered, and failed, and been brutally honest with oneself, and experienced life with all its blood flow, all its sorrow, all its pain, preaching will sound academic. The same, in its own way, is true of every vocation. Whether you build a house, or perform an operation, or try a case, or lay a carpet, or sell a policy, until you've been down the long hard road, it's not going to happen, not excellence, not true success as that word should be used. It didn't come easy for Paul, it didn't come easy for Peter, it sure as the world didn't come easy for Jesus. No, and it didn't come easy for George Washington or Abe Lincoln or Audie Murphy. It didn't come easy for Arnold Palmer who hit several thousand golf balls a day, or for Walter Payton who ran up a hill near his home every day until he vomited, following which he lay quietly until he could get up, at which point he ran up the hill some more. It doesn't come easy -- it's not supposed to come easy -- a worthy life. And we currently confront a generation who needs to hear this word. We're the preachers. Provided we've paid our own dues, it's up to us to preach this word.
Title: "Persevering In The Faith"
Text: Philemon 1-21
Theme: Paul (assuming he wrote this) was trying to arrange two things: one, that Philemon would be obedient according to the demands of his society because he believed it to be God's will, and two, that Onesimus be a loving and supportive master. We've already discussed the fact that this could never be allowed in our culture, much less be encouraged by a Christian leader. But we need to think ourselves back a couple thousand years, and realize that what was happening here was the best possible outcome at the time. It takes time, both for societal change and for personal change. Both as individuals and as a culture, we must "Climb the steep ascent of heaven / Through peril, toil, and pain" (Edw. Dickinson).
1. Change requires perseverance. Many Black leaders believe change in race relations has not been sufficient. Perhaps. But at least it has come a long way. But this has happened because of the devoted efforts and patience of people who followed the lead of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Change is usually painful. I quit smoking many years ago. It wasn't painful in the sense that a broken arm is painful, but there was a long period of grim effort not to smoke when it was desperately wanted. I still have a dear friend who has emphysema, and is a chain smoker. The price he must pay to extend his life will be painful in a way any addict understands.
3. Change requires changed attitudes. Those who would take part in tomorrow's world must prepare to see many things in a new light.
4. Change requires wisdom. Not every aspect of change is good. Being wise enough to retain what is best of the present while going into the future is the only hope we have for a faithful world.
Title: "On Not Counting The Cost"
Text: Luke 14:25-33
Theme: Reading this out of context could make Jesus sound much more hard nosed than he really was. It conjures up a picture of some thoughtless young enthusiast dashing out of the house, suitcase packed, heedless of the years a loving mom gave up for his sake, imbued with this new religious fervor which she, of course, stodgy old woman as she is, could never understand. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. This was hyperbole. This was a dramatic statement of the total commitment one must make if the Christian faith is to become the life changing force it has the capacity to be. If Jesus were with us, I believe he would counsel the exact opposite of my cynical scenario. He would urge love for parents and for others, no matter how stressful the process of following the inner beat of one's new faith.
Another kind of analogy could be that of learning to swim. No matter how many lessons one might receive in shallow water, you can't call yourself a swimmer until you've gone in water over your head and survived. It's like marriage: either it is no real marriage at all, or there is total commitment to the beloved.
1. Jesus wants our complete loyalty. As I write, it is approaching the Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis where one of the big events of the weekend will be the running of the Indianapolis 500 race. But there's a bigger event to my mind: the 500 parade in which nearly 100 winners of the Medal of Honor will be featured. These are men who through total devotion to duty with complete disregard for their own safety, performed feats of bravery beyond the imagining of the common man. These men gave total commitment to their country and to their men with whom they served. They are a total inspiration. But they represent what Jesus wants from us on the moral-spiritual level.
2. This requires moral excellence. To be completely loyal to Jesus requires that we be scrupulously honest in all our dealing with other people. Many, many years ago, I was an Eagle Scout. In more recent years, that has sounded rather nerdy to many people, too straight, too conventional. But as I look back, the values I was taught in those years were the ones which almost without exception grow out of the Christian faith. One could do no better than to live by those.
3. The result is a marvelous life. Bad things may happen. Failures of many kinds may mar our lives. Death, illness, grief, discouragement -- all of these may be our lot. But underneath it all will be a never failing knowledge that nothing can defeat us. We will know that God is on our side, and He will see that for all our set backs, we shall never be defeated in life.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Garibaldi, liberator of Italy, subsequent to the 1849 siege of the city of Rome, made an announcement that, on the surface, doesn't sound very inviting:
Soldiers, all our efforts
against superior forces
have been unavailing. I
have nothing to offer you
but hunger and thirst,
hardship and death; but I
call on all who love their country to join with me.
Result? Hundreds responded, rising to the challenge.
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Marshall Foch, celebrated World War I General of the battle of the Marne, will always be remembered in history for his announcement to the world at the height of the battle: "My left is giving way; my right is falling back; consequently I am ordering a general offensive, a decisive attack by the center." Talk about courageous audacity in the face of danger.
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Apropos of values today, Oregon State football player Brandon Reynolds was asked what is one of his ambitions. His reply: "To eat 322 Butterfingers in 22 minutes." While we're on the subject of eloquent sports commentary, we might be interested that New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, asked to assess pitcher David Cone, replied: "David Cone is in a class by himself with three or four other players." And then there's boxer Mike Tyson's explanation of why he quit reading Tolstoy while in prison in Indiana, and started reading comic books instead: "I'm not as deep and complicated as people think." And finally, some of us can identify with Pittsburg Pirates manager Jim Leyland when he told of one season's beginning: "I knew it was going to be a long season when, on opening day, one of my players turned to me during the playing of the National Anthem and said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.' "
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"God is only known when the chips are down."
-- Helmut Thielicke
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The heights by great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight.
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
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A number of years ago, a book was published, Take One Step, written by the mother of a little girl who had suffered a terribly disabling injury. Doctors assured the mother that while her daughter would live, she probably would never walk again. One day, when the child had finally been allowed to go home, Mother took her into the family room, pinned a five dollar bill on a curtain at the end of the room, and told her daughter that if she could walk over and retrieve the money, they'd go out shopping for some doll clothes. The child therefore tried to stand, but fell. Time after time, fighting back the tears, the child tried and failed. Time after time, Mother fighting back her tears encouraged the child to try again. It was surely heartbreaking work for both of them. Any outsider could have wondered how a mother could be so callous as to drive a crippled child to such effort. But Mother wouldn't give up.
This all went on for days, then weeks. But the day did come when the child managed a few halting, stumbling steps before falling. Then one day, she almost made it, falling at the last and pulling the curtains down on top of her. Patiently, Mother restored the curtain, replaced the five dollar bill, dried some tears of frustration on dear little cheeks, and urged the child to try again. Only those two could know the physical and emotional exhaustion these efforts involved. Maybe it would take a deeply loving mother to understand the price being paid by that mother as well as the child, in the effort to accomplish that walk. But the day came. One glorious, celebrating day, the little girl walked to the curtain without falling. What a wondrous shopping trip that must have been.
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James Russell Lowell wrote some words many years ago which are very timely today as we face a time of rapid, constant change in almost every dimension of our common life.
New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good uncouth.
They must upward, still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth;
Lo, before us gleam her campfires! We ourselves must Pilgrims be,
Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly, through the desperate winter sea,
Nor attempt the Future's portal with the Past's blood rusted key.
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It was interesting to read about a police raid on an apartment in Greenwich Village in New York some time ago. The apartment was nearly bare of furniture, but on the floor were mattresses, and sleeping on those mattresses were dozens of homeless men. Some were winos. Several were in an alcoholic haze. Six were found to have drug paraphernalia on their persons. They, along with the owner of the apartment, were hustled off to jail. But as that man was booked, the police were amazed to learn that he was John Sergeant Cram, multi-millionaire philanthropist. Educated at Princeton and at Oxford, Cram wasn't satisfied with the conventional efforts being made by local charities to help such people as the police had found. He had decided that these were the hard core people of the lost, men who were never going to change, yet men who suffered and needed some kind of care. So, at the cost of a large sum of money per day he had arranged to care for as many of such people as possible. He saw that they were fed, that they had a warm, safe place to sleep. He admitted that he had not known it was against the law to harbor such people. Among the Spanish speaking people of the area, he was known as Papa Dios -- Father God.
Cram was released with the pledge that he would henceforth not admit drug addicts. As he was returning to the apartment, Cram was interviewed by a news reporter. He said: "I don't know that my work does any good. But I don't think it does any harm. I'm quite happy, you know. I'm anything but despondent. Call me eccentric. Call it my reason for being. I have no other." A man who, in giving his money, his effort, and his love, had found purpose in his life.
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A writer named Stanley Durkee told of a ship caught in a violent spring storm on the North Atlantic. Lashed by gigantic waves, its super structure awash in Atlantic water, the bow digging deep into the violent sea, the squeal of metal plates twisted near the bursting point. Passengers, scared to death, gathered in the ship's salon. Then the door opened and the ship's captain stepped in. His face was calm. He smiled, and then he addressed the terrified landlubbers. "My friends," he said, "you need not be afraid. This old ship has been through worse storms than this. She will, by the grace of God, weather many a storm yet to be. Do not be afraid." The people listened to those encouraging words, but were most reassured by the calm demeanor of the captain himself. When they saw his certainty, they believed that all would be well. Indeed, after another hour, the storm began to abate and they reached their destination safely. Dr. Durkee suggested that this story is a parable. We too must face the often terrifying dangers of life. But we have One who has been there before us, who gently assures us that in his care no final harm can come to us.
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Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18 -- "O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me."
Prayer Of The Day
Arm us, O Lord, for the conflict ahead -- that battle within our own hearts -- that we may find within ourselves the strength to be loyal to the one who died for us. Grant us strength beyond our own, courage not of our own doing, that we might follow him wherever he may choose to lead us. In Jesus' beloved name we pray. Amen.
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 18:1-11 (C)
The metaphor of the Potter's House is a powerful one, very suggestive of the problems facing America today. There is reason to think that we have lost our moral bearings. We are a ship at sea without a compass. All around us are the threatening shoals of destruction. Make no mistake, the possession of nuclear delivery systems by the Chinese, who aren't famous for their regard for human life, and the possession of hand held missiles which can bring down a passenger jet by almost every terrorist group, plus the possession of such substances as anthrax which could wipe out New York if someone had a suitcase full, and I don't think they look for that in most people's luggage -- need I go on? It's high time someone took the lead in bringing about some common sense and some kindly, good spirit to the rest of the world. The strong implication of this Bible passage is that God has the capability and, under certain conditions, the willingness, to restore a nation to its healthy state of moral excellence and faithfulness. But the question for the individual to ponder is this: what must I do? What is my part in all of this?
Lesson 1: Wisdom 9:13-18 (RC)
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (E)
"Choose Life." There's the sermon title. The writer tells us that God has placed before us "life and good, death and evil." If we're wise, we'll choose life. That requires that we walk in the ways of the Lord. If preaching on this, I would be mindful of the fact that most of us -- maybe all of us -- don't fully do this. The dean of a famous theological seminary has resigned because it was learned that his computer contained thousands of pornographic images. My first reaction was how dumb can a man be to be so smart? To hold such a prestigious position, yet not to know that the computer experts he called in to expand his computer capacity would immediately head for the hard drive to see what was there? But on reflection, I began to remind myself that we all have our little foibles. Who knows? As long as the man didn't act out anything illegal or hurtful, it's none of my business or yours. I don't happen to care for pornography myself. But who am I to judge? We all have our failings which fall short of the injunction here. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect. If we did, I'd be in deep trouble, and I have to think that Saint Paul would argue along with me, so would everyone else. The issue here is: am I trying to walk in the way of the Lord? Is that what I would do if I could? Am I willing to persevere in doing what I know to be right, accepting forgiveness for my failures? The returns are simply not in yet on any of us. The issue is this: what direction am I heading?
Lesson 2: Philemon 1-21 (C); Philemon 9-10, 12-17 (RC); Philemon 1-20 (E)
Before we get our noses out of joint at the fact that Paul is sending an escaped slave back to his master, let's stop to consider some things.
Several years ago, I attended a splendid conference on the Bible at Canterbury, England. One of the speakers announced that he planned to speak on this book of Philemon. I expected, of course, a diatribe about slavery. Instead, that speaker helped me understand why the ancient Christians were able to countenance slavery. Let's start with the fact that slavery was the accepted, and by those standards, the only means of production. For someone to denounce slavery at that time would be like denouncing automation and factory work today. Not only would it sound ridiculous to twenty-first century ears, it would be laughed out of town. Today there would be no cars, no refrigerators, no inexpensive clothes if that happened. Worse, millions of people would be out of work in an economy suddenly shut down because its primary means of production would be eliminated. The stock market would crash, people would starve, mortgages would be foreclosed. In a word, disaster. And if someone got in the pulpit and urged such a movement, he or she would be laughed at as some kind of a nut.
To oppose slavery would have had a first century version of the same effect. Paul and Jesus would not have been taken seriously. Some things have to change by evolution, not revolution. Probably the idea hadn't occurred to Paul anyway, given that from the beginning of time, slavery had been an acceptable means of getting things done. Paul's approach was not only sensible, it's probably the only one that had any chance of changing things. He taught kindness. He taught that if you have a slave, you treat him as today one might treat a beloved and respected employee. He implored Onesimus to love Philemon, to (by implication) see that his life was a good one. Most of us today would consider slavery a horrible state in which to live, but in ancient times, when starvation and slavery to unloving people was a reality, slavery to a loving and kind master may not have been a bad life.
In a sermon? One theme could be that societal change simply doesn't come about by some gripey preaching by clergy who are so sure they're always right they can't hear any other point of view. It happens slowly, by the efforts of good and decent people who see the ills of their society, and who decide to change things over the long haul. Rosa Parks knew that. Martin Luther King knew that. I have a friend who during the civil rights era, took part in the march at Selma, Alabama. On another occasion, he chained himself to a light post in a demonstration in his own city, demonstrating against the governor on what he deemed a critically important issue. Then one day, he told me it began to dawn on him, and I use his own words: "Those gray little preachers with their white shirts and maroon ties were having more success changing things than all of us rabble rousers would ever have." Press on. He then joined us.
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33 (C, RC, E)
We could title this "Counting The Cost." I'm sure Jesus would have explained that we weren't to take this literally. After all, the Ten Commandments which he extolled required that one honor one's father and one's mother. How often we have heard of cult groups who have won gullible people, mainly very young ones with very little life experience, and have those people virtually imprisoned. Brainwashing, I believe it's called. I can't believe Jesus had anything like that in mind. Nor would he recommend giving everything we own to the church. The churches might briefly be very wealthy, but the economy would shut down almost completely. Once again, disaster would result. These were hyperbole -- exaggerations -- to get the listener's attention. They were a dramatic statement that if we are to follow Jesus we are to give our very selves. As Reinhold Niebuhr once remarked, "It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian but it takes all of him." It is a clarion call to live the very best we know; to fight temptations to be dishonest, or to say hurtful things, or to do or say anything which subverts the teachings of the gospel. It is a command to lay down one's life for others -- not very often literally -- but by the daily sacrifices we make, great and small, to live by the word.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "What Can A Person Do?"
Text: Jeremiah 18:1-11
Theme: Professor Peter Gibson of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education recently pointed out that the changes in America can be symbolized by the fact that in 1959 the movie High Noon won four academy awards with a hero who is a U.S. Marshall, while in 1992, the "Best Picture" award went to the western The Unforgiven with a hero who is an alcoholic, a reformed killer reduced to pig farming. And the graduating honors students in the class of 1999 at Miami of Ohio University heard an address by Professor Gerald M. Miller of that school's department of Economics. The honors students had chosen him as their speaker. He then informed those in the audience that he was recently asked by a graduate of 25 years ago what he found to be the difference between college students today and those of that earlier era. He said that today's students have very poor skills in communication, both verbally and in writing. He said they can't spell, and they can hardly put three sentences together which make any sense. He said most students today have a sense of entitlement -- that they think because they paid tuition and went to class they deserve an "A." They think, when they graduate, that they should therefore be given a job. And when they get the job, they deserve a raise soon after because they showed up for work as required. Just as bad, he scolded his own colleagues for the fact that most teachers in colleges today cave in to this expectation.
This is to observe the sad disintegration in the ethic which used to prevail, that hard work, a high sense of moral responsibility, and the courage to qualify oneself for the life ahead were necessary for a worthy life. It's time -- past time -- for those of us who have any authority to cry out against this decline. Young people today need to hear that there is no free lunch. They need to return to the idea of hard work, to learning which comes of reading good literature, turning off the television set, get the dickens off that computer and start doing something for someone else. I know that many young people already have learned all this, but I also know they're in the minority. They'll be the ones who succeed in life and, too late, the great majority will wonder why that feeling of entitlement was ignored in the market place. Learn computers, sure. I know they'll be essential to a successful life tomorrow. But quit obsessing over them.
I think a good, hard hitting sermon on good old personal responsibility is in order. I wouldn't be preachy about it in the worst sense of that word, but someone needs to remind the young generation that those who have been successful in the very best sense of that word, have worked hard and learned a skill by working at it. It has been said that "in the service of love only broken hearts will do." I'd say that very same thing about preaching. Until one has suffered, and failed, and been brutally honest with oneself, and experienced life with all its blood flow, all its sorrow, all its pain, preaching will sound academic. The same, in its own way, is true of every vocation. Whether you build a house, or perform an operation, or try a case, or lay a carpet, or sell a policy, until you've been down the long hard road, it's not going to happen, not excellence, not true success as that word should be used. It didn't come easy for Paul, it didn't come easy for Peter, it sure as the world didn't come easy for Jesus. No, and it didn't come easy for George Washington or Abe Lincoln or Audie Murphy. It didn't come easy for Arnold Palmer who hit several thousand golf balls a day, or for Walter Payton who ran up a hill near his home every day until he vomited, following which he lay quietly until he could get up, at which point he ran up the hill some more. It doesn't come easy -- it's not supposed to come easy -- a worthy life. And we currently confront a generation who needs to hear this word. We're the preachers. Provided we've paid our own dues, it's up to us to preach this word.
Title: "Persevering In The Faith"
Text: Philemon 1-21
Theme: Paul (assuming he wrote this) was trying to arrange two things: one, that Philemon would be obedient according to the demands of his society because he believed it to be God's will, and two, that Onesimus be a loving and supportive master. We've already discussed the fact that this could never be allowed in our culture, much less be encouraged by a Christian leader. But we need to think ourselves back a couple thousand years, and realize that what was happening here was the best possible outcome at the time. It takes time, both for societal change and for personal change. Both as individuals and as a culture, we must "Climb the steep ascent of heaven / Through peril, toil, and pain" (Edw. Dickinson).
1. Change requires perseverance. Many Black leaders believe change in race relations has not been sufficient. Perhaps. But at least it has come a long way. But this has happened because of the devoted efforts and patience of people who followed the lead of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Change is usually painful. I quit smoking many years ago. It wasn't painful in the sense that a broken arm is painful, but there was a long period of grim effort not to smoke when it was desperately wanted. I still have a dear friend who has emphysema, and is a chain smoker. The price he must pay to extend his life will be painful in a way any addict understands.
3. Change requires changed attitudes. Those who would take part in tomorrow's world must prepare to see many things in a new light.
4. Change requires wisdom. Not every aspect of change is good. Being wise enough to retain what is best of the present while going into the future is the only hope we have for a faithful world.
Title: "On Not Counting The Cost"
Text: Luke 14:25-33
Theme: Reading this out of context could make Jesus sound much more hard nosed than he really was. It conjures up a picture of some thoughtless young enthusiast dashing out of the house, suitcase packed, heedless of the years a loving mom gave up for his sake, imbued with this new religious fervor which she, of course, stodgy old woman as she is, could never understand. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. This was hyperbole. This was a dramatic statement of the total commitment one must make if the Christian faith is to become the life changing force it has the capacity to be. If Jesus were with us, I believe he would counsel the exact opposite of my cynical scenario. He would urge love for parents and for others, no matter how stressful the process of following the inner beat of one's new faith.
Another kind of analogy could be that of learning to swim. No matter how many lessons one might receive in shallow water, you can't call yourself a swimmer until you've gone in water over your head and survived. It's like marriage: either it is no real marriage at all, or there is total commitment to the beloved.
1. Jesus wants our complete loyalty. As I write, it is approaching the Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis where one of the big events of the weekend will be the running of the Indianapolis 500 race. But there's a bigger event to my mind: the 500 parade in which nearly 100 winners of the Medal of Honor will be featured. These are men who through total devotion to duty with complete disregard for their own safety, performed feats of bravery beyond the imagining of the common man. These men gave total commitment to their country and to their men with whom they served. They are a total inspiration. But they represent what Jesus wants from us on the moral-spiritual level.
2. This requires moral excellence. To be completely loyal to Jesus requires that we be scrupulously honest in all our dealing with other people. Many, many years ago, I was an Eagle Scout. In more recent years, that has sounded rather nerdy to many people, too straight, too conventional. But as I look back, the values I was taught in those years were the ones which almost without exception grow out of the Christian faith. One could do no better than to live by those.
3. The result is a marvelous life. Bad things may happen. Failures of many kinds may mar our lives. Death, illness, grief, discouragement -- all of these may be our lot. But underneath it all will be a never failing knowledge that nothing can defeat us. We will know that God is on our side, and He will see that for all our set backs, we shall never be defeated in life.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Garibaldi, liberator of Italy, subsequent to the 1849 siege of the city of Rome, made an announcement that, on the surface, doesn't sound very inviting:
Soldiers, all our efforts
against superior forces
have been unavailing. I
have nothing to offer you
but hunger and thirst,
hardship and death; but I
call on all who love their country to join with me.
Result? Hundreds responded, rising to the challenge.
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Marshall Foch, celebrated World War I General of the battle of the Marne, will always be remembered in history for his announcement to the world at the height of the battle: "My left is giving way; my right is falling back; consequently I am ordering a general offensive, a decisive attack by the center." Talk about courageous audacity in the face of danger.
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Apropos of values today, Oregon State football player Brandon Reynolds was asked what is one of his ambitions. His reply: "To eat 322 Butterfingers in 22 minutes." While we're on the subject of eloquent sports commentary, we might be interested that New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, asked to assess pitcher David Cone, replied: "David Cone is in a class by himself with three or four other players." And then there's boxer Mike Tyson's explanation of why he quit reading Tolstoy while in prison in Indiana, and started reading comic books instead: "I'm not as deep and complicated as people think." And finally, some of us can identify with Pittsburg Pirates manager Jim Leyland when he told of one season's beginning: "I knew it was going to be a long season when, on opening day, one of my players turned to me during the playing of the National Anthem and said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.' "
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"God is only known when the chips are down."
-- Helmut Thielicke
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The heights by great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight.
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
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A number of years ago, a book was published, Take One Step, written by the mother of a little girl who had suffered a terribly disabling injury. Doctors assured the mother that while her daughter would live, she probably would never walk again. One day, when the child had finally been allowed to go home, Mother took her into the family room, pinned a five dollar bill on a curtain at the end of the room, and told her daughter that if she could walk over and retrieve the money, they'd go out shopping for some doll clothes. The child therefore tried to stand, but fell. Time after time, fighting back the tears, the child tried and failed. Time after time, Mother fighting back her tears encouraged the child to try again. It was surely heartbreaking work for both of them. Any outsider could have wondered how a mother could be so callous as to drive a crippled child to such effort. But Mother wouldn't give up.
This all went on for days, then weeks. But the day did come when the child managed a few halting, stumbling steps before falling. Then one day, she almost made it, falling at the last and pulling the curtains down on top of her. Patiently, Mother restored the curtain, replaced the five dollar bill, dried some tears of frustration on dear little cheeks, and urged the child to try again. Only those two could know the physical and emotional exhaustion these efforts involved. Maybe it would take a deeply loving mother to understand the price being paid by that mother as well as the child, in the effort to accomplish that walk. But the day came. One glorious, celebrating day, the little girl walked to the curtain without falling. What a wondrous shopping trip that must have been.
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James Russell Lowell wrote some words many years ago which are very timely today as we face a time of rapid, constant change in almost every dimension of our common life.
New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good uncouth.
They must upward, still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth;
Lo, before us gleam her campfires! We ourselves must Pilgrims be,
Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly, through the desperate winter sea,
Nor attempt the Future's portal with the Past's blood rusted key.
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It was interesting to read about a police raid on an apartment in Greenwich Village in New York some time ago. The apartment was nearly bare of furniture, but on the floor were mattresses, and sleeping on those mattresses were dozens of homeless men. Some were winos. Several were in an alcoholic haze. Six were found to have drug paraphernalia on their persons. They, along with the owner of the apartment, were hustled off to jail. But as that man was booked, the police were amazed to learn that he was John Sergeant Cram, multi-millionaire philanthropist. Educated at Princeton and at Oxford, Cram wasn't satisfied with the conventional efforts being made by local charities to help such people as the police had found. He had decided that these were the hard core people of the lost, men who were never going to change, yet men who suffered and needed some kind of care. So, at the cost of a large sum of money per day he had arranged to care for as many of such people as possible. He saw that they were fed, that they had a warm, safe place to sleep. He admitted that he had not known it was against the law to harbor such people. Among the Spanish speaking people of the area, he was known as Papa Dios -- Father God.
Cram was released with the pledge that he would henceforth not admit drug addicts. As he was returning to the apartment, Cram was interviewed by a news reporter. He said: "I don't know that my work does any good. But I don't think it does any harm. I'm quite happy, you know. I'm anything but despondent. Call me eccentric. Call it my reason for being. I have no other." A man who, in giving his money, his effort, and his love, had found purpose in his life.
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A writer named Stanley Durkee told of a ship caught in a violent spring storm on the North Atlantic. Lashed by gigantic waves, its super structure awash in Atlantic water, the bow digging deep into the violent sea, the squeal of metal plates twisted near the bursting point. Passengers, scared to death, gathered in the ship's salon. Then the door opened and the ship's captain stepped in. His face was calm. He smiled, and then he addressed the terrified landlubbers. "My friends," he said, "you need not be afraid. This old ship has been through worse storms than this. She will, by the grace of God, weather many a storm yet to be. Do not be afraid." The people listened to those encouraging words, but were most reassured by the calm demeanor of the captain himself. When they saw his certainty, they believed that all would be well. Indeed, after another hour, the storm began to abate and they reached their destination safely. Dr. Durkee suggested that this story is a parable. We too must face the often terrifying dangers of life. But we have One who has been there before us, who gently assures us that in his care no final harm can come to us.
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Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18 -- "O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me."
Prayer Of The Day
Arm us, O Lord, for the conflict ahead -- that battle within our own hearts -- that we may find within ourselves the strength to be loyal to the one who died for us. Grant us strength beyond our own, courage not of our own doing, that we might follow him wherever he may choose to lead us. In Jesus' beloved name we pray. Amen.
