Shining with Jesus
Stories
Contents
“Shining with Jesus” by C. David McKirachan
“Shining A New Light On A Lost Era” by Frank Ramirez
Shining with Jesus
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Jimmy walked up the steps to the church. In front of him, he noticed the nice clothes of the people greeting and welcoming each other as they went into the building. He looked down at his threadbare coat and paused for a moment. He really wasn’t dressed as well as these people and everyone seemed to know each other. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t here to have other people admire his clothing. He was here to find out something he wanted to know.
Jimmy started walking again and made it through the door. The greeter gave him a service bulletin and nodded to him. He passed through the inner doors and found a seat in a pew by himself.
A man standing near the back of the sanctuary noticed him and started over. Jimmy wasn’t sure why but his heart began to race. Was he in someone else’s seat? Had he done something wrong?
“Welcome.” The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Tom.”
“Jimmy.” Jimmy shook his hand. “I thought I’d come here to worship this morning.”
“Do you live around here?” Tom asked. “You must be in that new apartment building around the corner.”
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “I’m from the East side. I took a bus to get here.”
“Oh.” Tom frowned. “That’s a long way to come. Why did you decide to-”
“Jimmy!” Alice came through the door and smiled at him. “You made it! Wonderful.”
Jimmy smiled back. “Yeah. I wanted to see for myself.”
“Well, I’m in the choir so you’ll see me up front but I hope that you are able to come back to coffee time afterward in the hall. I think John and Keith are here somewhere and I know they would love to see you.”
“I think I could do that,” Jimmy said. “Is it okay if I sit here?”
“Of course it’s okay.” Alice looked at her watch, “I need to get to the choir room but you come and find my after. Jesse will be tickled that you came all this way.”
“Will do,” Jimmy said. As Alice disappeared he turned back to Tom. “Sorry you were saying something?”
“I was wondering why you took a bus to come over here since there are some great churches closer to your home.” Tom nodded toward where Alice had gone. “Although I realize now you know some people and they invited you.”
“I’ve been into the hot meal program that you run on Tuesdays,” Jimmy said softly.
“Ah,” Tom nodded. “So that’s how you know Judge Carver,”
“Judge Carver?”
“Sure the woman who just came in and greeted you. Are you one of the volunteers who work with her?”
Jimmy shook his head. “No. I didn’t know Alice was a judge.”
“She sure is, one of the best legal minds in the area.” Tom narrowed his eyes. “If you aren’t a volunteer to help at the meal program then...sorry that’s not my business and you know what? It doesn’t matter. It is nice to have you here with us this morning.”
Jimmy smiled at Tom. “It’s okay. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m one of the people who has come to the hot meal program to eat. Some months I run a bit short and the food helps. Truthfully the program is one of the reasons I’m here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. At first I wanted to see what kind of church would just host a meal for people like me without wanting anything from me.”
“That’s who we are and what we believe Jesus asks us to do.” Tom tiled his head. “You said at first. Is there another reason you’re here?”
“Yeah. Your generosity made me curious but honestly that wasn’t enough to get me to come here, stranger that I am. It was the people like Alice who just light up when they are helping out. She almost shines and I asked her about it and she said that’s what happens when you spend time with God. So that’s why I’m here. To spend time with God and hopefully shine for others to see.”
Tom rubbed his chin. “I don’t think I have ever heard a better reason to come to church. Would you mind if I sat with you? I’m supposed to keep an eye on the door and help people who come late.”
“I’d be happy to.” Jimmy moved over to let Tom sit down and as he did he realized that by simply coming into the church this morning the light of God was already shining into his life.
* * *
Shining A New Light On A Lost Era
by Frank Ramirez
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Exodus 34:29)
The last of the World War I vets have passed away. There is no living connection to that conflagration that wiped away a whole generation of Europe's youth, and in which tens of millions from around the world died. Regardless of your opinion about its causes, or what it accomplished, in some sense it is not real to most people.
The filmed record is very spotty. It was the early days of motion pictures. Camera operators hand cranked their machines, and often used different speeds from each other. The film itself is over a century old, and has suffered various levels of degradation.
The result is that if we think of World War I, we often have a picture of odd people walking at a comic pace, in muddled black and white, against landscapes that are hard to see. The people in these films seem always to be aware they're being filmed. They march by quickly, one or two waving, and they are gone.
In 2015 New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson was approached by a committee that included representatives from the Imperial War Museum and the BBC, given a hundred hours of grainy, almost unviewable footage, and asked to create — something. It wasn't clear what. Jackson, who vividly recalled his grandfather who had fought in World War I and died before his time because of the effects of poison gas and his experience in the trenches, wanted to tell this story. But how?
Most people know Peter Jackson as the man who produced and directed the fantasy epics “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” for the big screen. While filming these movies he created a whole industry in his country of companies that could bring to life worlds that had never existed. Now he used those same resources to restore to life a world that was long lost — without a fee!
He decided he could not tell the history of the war because that story was too large, and others have told it. Instead he focused on what the war was like for British soldiers, even though people from around the world took part.
It was not easy to restore these films. First they had to move at the right speed. If they were just a hair too fast or too slow they were clearly false, but when the speed was exactly right Jackson was amazed that suddenly the subjects looked like real people!
Next they worked at colorizing the films. Normally movie enthusiasts like Jackson would never colorize a film that had been shot in black and white, but these filmmakers from a century earlier never had a choice, and he knew color would make them more lifelike. Jackson and his film teams travelled to the original sites in France where the scenes were originally filmed to determine the exact colors of the landscape. The uniforms of the various units were researched so they were exactly right as well.
Having researched the origins of each unit, Jackson brought in lip readers who would speak for everyone whose lips were moving in the accent of those speakers. When soldiers trudged through mud he recreated the sounds of slogging through actual mud. Soon a rich sound landscape was produced authenticating what could be seen on the films.
The result is we see soldiers in trenches listening to orders, some only minutes from death and acutely aware of it. We see soldiers smiling and waving at cameras and talking among themselves in the way they would have. These movies were then interspersed with photographs and artwork for those scenes that simply could not have been filmed with the technology of the day.
Jackson and his team reviewed over six hundred hours of oral remembrances from over two hundred veterans of the war, recalling in their later years what their experiences had been like. Theirs is the only narration in the film.
The film was titled “They Shall Not Grow Old,” after words taken from the poem “For the Fallen,” by Laurence Binyon.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Upon its release in 2018, on the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I, the achievement was applauded by critics and audiences. The faces of soldiers long dead were brought to life and shone with a fierce light. The scenes of the trenches, with their rats and the dead bodies, are almost too real too look at. Individuals, landscapes, a lost world, and a lost era, are transfigured, so they are seen for what they really are.
In our celebration of the Transfiguration figures like Moses and Elijah are seen by the apostles as real people, seen as they really are. Jesus is revealed as divine before the resurrection. And in the passage from Exodus read this Sunday Moses is not only revealed as a prophet who has stood in the presence of God, the brilliance of the light reflected in his face reveals at least a little the glory of the God who spoke on Mount Sinai!
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 3, 2019, issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Shining with Jesus” by C. David McKirachan
“Shining A New Light On A Lost Era” by Frank Ramirez
Shining with Jesus
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Jimmy walked up the steps to the church. In front of him, he noticed the nice clothes of the people greeting and welcoming each other as they went into the building. He looked down at his threadbare coat and paused for a moment. He really wasn’t dressed as well as these people and everyone seemed to know each other. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t here to have other people admire his clothing. He was here to find out something he wanted to know.
Jimmy started walking again and made it through the door. The greeter gave him a service bulletin and nodded to him. He passed through the inner doors and found a seat in a pew by himself.
A man standing near the back of the sanctuary noticed him and started over. Jimmy wasn’t sure why but his heart began to race. Was he in someone else’s seat? Had he done something wrong?
“Welcome.” The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Tom.”
“Jimmy.” Jimmy shook his hand. “I thought I’d come here to worship this morning.”
“Do you live around here?” Tom asked. “You must be in that new apartment building around the corner.”
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “I’m from the East side. I took a bus to get here.”
“Oh.” Tom frowned. “That’s a long way to come. Why did you decide to-”
“Jimmy!” Alice came through the door and smiled at him. “You made it! Wonderful.”
Jimmy smiled back. “Yeah. I wanted to see for myself.”
“Well, I’m in the choir so you’ll see me up front but I hope that you are able to come back to coffee time afterward in the hall. I think John and Keith are here somewhere and I know they would love to see you.”
“I think I could do that,” Jimmy said. “Is it okay if I sit here?”
“Of course it’s okay.” Alice looked at her watch, “I need to get to the choir room but you come and find my after. Jesse will be tickled that you came all this way.”
“Will do,” Jimmy said. As Alice disappeared he turned back to Tom. “Sorry you were saying something?”
“I was wondering why you took a bus to come over here since there are some great churches closer to your home.” Tom nodded toward where Alice had gone. “Although I realize now you know some people and they invited you.”
“I’ve been into the hot meal program that you run on Tuesdays,” Jimmy said softly.
“Ah,” Tom nodded. “So that’s how you know Judge Carver,”
“Judge Carver?”
“Sure the woman who just came in and greeted you. Are you one of the volunteers who work with her?”
Jimmy shook his head. “No. I didn’t know Alice was a judge.”
“She sure is, one of the best legal minds in the area.” Tom narrowed his eyes. “If you aren’t a volunteer to help at the meal program then...sorry that’s not my business and you know what? It doesn’t matter. It is nice to have you here with us this morning.”
Jimmy smiled at Tom. “It’s okay. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m one of the people who has come to the hot meal program to eat. Some months I run a bit short and the food helps. Truthfully the program is one of the reasons I’m here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. At first I wanted to see what kind of church would just host a meal for people like me without wanting anything from me.”
“That’s who we are and what we believe Jesus asks us to do.” Tom tiled his head. “You said at first. Is there another reason you’re here?”
“Yeah. Your generosity made me curious but honestly that wasn’t enough to get me to come here, stranger that I am. It was the people like Alice who just light up when they are helping out. She almost shines and I asked her about it and she said that’s what happens when you spend time with God. So that’s why I’m here. To spend time with God and hopefully shine for others to see.”
Tom rubbed his chin. “I don’t think I have ever heard a better reason to come to church. Would you mind if I sat with you? I’m supposed to keep an eye on the door and help people who come late.”
“I’d be happy to.” Jimmy moved over to let Tom sit down and as he did he realized that by simply coming into the church this morning the light of God was already shining into his life.
* * *
Shining A New Light On A Lost Era
by Frank Ramirez
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Exodus 34:29)
The last of the World War I vets have passed away. There is no living connection to that conflagration that wiped away a whole generation of Europe's youth, and in which tens of millions from around the world died. Regardless of your opinion about its causes, or what it accomplished, in some sense it is not real to most people.
The filmed record is very spotty. It was the early days of motion pictures. Camera operators hand cranked their machines, and often used different speeds from each other. The film itself is over a century old, and has suffered various levels of degradation.
The result is that if we think of World War I, we often have a picture of odd people walking at a comic pace, in muddled black and white, against landscapes that are hard to see. The people in these films seem always to be aware they're being filmed. They march by quickly, one or two waving, and they are gone.
In 2015 New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson was approached by a committee that included representatives from the Imperial War Museum and the BBC, given a hundred hours of grainy, almost unviewable footage, and asked to create — something. It wasn't clear what. Jackson, who vividly recalled his grandfather who had fought in World War I and died before his time because of the effects of poison gas and his experience in the trenches, wanted to tell this story. But how?
Most people know Peter Jackson as the man who produced and directed the fantasy epics “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” for the big screen. While filming these movies he created a whole industry in his country of companies that could bring to life worlds that had never existed. Now he used those same resources to restore to life a world that was long lost — without a fee!
He decided he could not tell the history of the war because that story was too large, and others have told it. Instead he focused on what the war was like for British soldiers, even though people from around the world took part.
It was not easy to restore these films. First they had to move at the right speed. If they were just a hair too fast or too slow they were clearly false, but when the speed was exactly right Jackson was amazed that suddenly the subjects looked like real people!
Next they worked at colorizing the films. Normally movie enthusiasts like Jackson would never colorize a film that had been shot in black and white, but these filmmakers from a century earlier never had a choice, and he knew color would make them more lifelike. Jackson and his film teams travelled to the original sites in France where the scenes were originally filmed to determine the exact colors of the landscape. The uniforms of the various units were researched so they were exactly right as well.
Having researched the origins of each unit, Jackson brought in lip readers who would speak for everyone whose lips were moving in the accent of those speakers. When soldiers trudged through mud he recreated the sounds of slogging through actual mud. Soon a rich sound landscape was produced authenticating what could be seen on the films.
The result is we see soldiers in trenches listening to orders, some only minutes from death and acutely aware of it. We see soldiers smiling and waving at cameras and talking among themselves in the way they would have. These movies were then interspersed with photographs and artwork for those scenes that simply could not have been filmed with the technology of the day.
Jackson and his team reviewed over six hundred hours of oral remembrances from over two hundred veterans of the war, recalling in their later years what their experiences had been like. Theirs is the only narration in the film.
The film was titled “They Shall Not Grow Old,” after words taken from the poem “For the Fallen,” by Laurence Binyon.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Upon its release in 2018, on the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I, the achievement was applauded by critics and audiences. The faces of soldiers long dead were brought to life and shone with a fierce light. The scenes of the trenches, with their rats and the dead bodies, are almost too real too look at. Individuals, landscapes, a lost world, and a lost era, are transfigured, so they are seen for what they really are.
In our celebration of the Transfiguration figures like Moses and Elijah are seen by the apostles as real people, seen as they really are. Jesus is revealed as divine before the resurrection. And in the passage from Exodus read this Sunday Moses is not only revealed as a prophet who has stood in the presence of God, the brilliance of the light reflected in his face reveals at least a little the glory of the God who spoke on Mount Sinai!
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 3, 2019, issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
