On the Mark: 3. Miracle
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
January 29, 2012
Mark 1:21-28
It’s time to get your smart phones out to record another scene in Jesus’ life from the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark.
The Gospel of Mark is the place to go if you want to know what the man Jesus was really like. The book is filled with snap shots of the highlights of Jesus’ ministry. It is a photo album of Jesus’ last three years of life.
The first ten chapters show us, as it were, ‘U-Tube Videos’ of Jesus three years of ministry and start with a grown up Jesus and the last six chapters show us what Jesus’ last week in life was like.
This is the third in a series of five messages based on the first chapter of this dynamic action packed story.
Two weeks ago we saw that Jesus was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. It was a baptism of repentance or confession and I said, ‘that Jesus came remind us that we, too, are God’s children and beloved of God.’
Last week we saw that Jesus called his first four disciples—two sets of brothers. I said that Jesus calls us too. At the end of the message Bill Shewchuk sent us off the flight deck, as it were, and into the world.
The scenes before us this morning describe the first significant acts of Jesus. It is as though he is declaring who he is. He might have just come to the awareness of his divine powers himself.
Scene I
Visualize a beautiful small town by the side of what we call the Sea of Galilee with a climate similar to the central valley of California. The Sea of Galilee is about the size of Lake Tahoe. It is a beautiful place with an abundance of citrus crops. I have been there.
It was in this setting that Jesus began his ministry. He was most certainly known by everyone.
This morning I want you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of this small town?
Mark says that ‘they’ went to Capernaum. I wonder who ‘they’ were. Were they Simon and his brother Andrew? James and John? The first disciples?
Mark says that he began to teach. I think that this is a beautiful thought: the first thing Jesus did after he called his disciples was to take them to the synagogue. He knew that that was the place to begin.
Jesus didn’t just call them he was intentional about training them.
Jesus wasn’t just any teacher.
Scene II
1. He taught them as one who had authority—not as the teachers of the law!”
“And the people were amazed.”
Was that a ‘put down’ of the clergy of the day, or what?
And the Bible says, “The people were amazed.” They were surprised. He was so forthright, so confident!
Let’s stop right here for a moment and talk about authority.
Throughout the gospel, Mark seeks to highlight Jesus' authority in answering the main question of his work: Who is Jesus?
This scene in the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus teaches with an authority that the religious leaders lack.
The audience's amazement was due to the fact that he possessed an authority previously unheard.
2. His authority was recognized.
“I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
So, here is the story. Jesus is teaching. The people are spell bound. The disciples are being trained. Everyone is sitting with a sense of awe.
And then it happens!
Just then a man who is deeply disturbed yells out,
“What business do you have here with us?
I know what you are up to.
I know who you are!
You are the Holy One of God!”
Then he asks,
“What do you want with us?”
“Have you come to destroy us?”
Can you feel the feelings? Can you hear the people gasp?
I had the experience once in a worship service when a person cried out and marched around the church screaming during one of my sermons. It was a pretty unnerving experience. It must have been just as unnerving for Jesus.
We need to stop here for a moment and ask who this man was.
Was he mentally ill?
Was he emotionally distraught?
Was he overcome by a force of evil?
I honestly don’t know. All I know is that the man was experiencing a very emotional moment.
3. He gave orders with authority.
“He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”
Jesus authority gave him power and courage so he says, “Be quiet!”
The people of Jesus day perceived that this was an evil spirit in the man and so thought that even the forces of evil obeyed Jesus.
At any rate the people were amazed and asked, “What is this? He even gives orders to the evil spirits and they obey him.
Scene III
The gospel says, “The news about his spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.”
I’m sure that it was on Facebook and Twitter!
People talked about it with their friends. Everyone wanted to hear about it and everyone wanted to talk about it.
Groups of people walking up the road stopped groups coming toward them to say, “Do you know what just happened at the synagogue?” Or, “You won’t believe what just happened!”
It is the buzz of the town.
Now that to me is what I want for this church! I want us to be so involved in the pain of this community that we all want to tell others about it and everybody will want to hear about it because it is so exciting.
Three Action Points—they say that every sermon should have three points!
1. Claim the authority
Max Weber divided legitimate authority into three types:
The first type is legal authority. It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state.
The second type of authority is Traditional authority, which derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures.
The third form of authority is Charismatic authority. Here, the charisma of the individual or the leader plays an important role.
As a church we need to claim the authority and speak authoritatively.
I wonder, “Can you speak authoritatively about your relationship with Christ?”
How much authority does Jesus have in your life?
2. Speak to the pain of the world authoritatively.
If this church is to remain relevant we must address the hurts and hopes of the world.
There are people in this community that are just as distraught as the man who yelled in the synagogue that day. Emotional pain surrounds us and I would even guess is present with some of us this morning.
To us Jesus says, “Be quiet. Find peace. Calm your spirit.”
Some people in our world are confused like an old Irishman, Shamus, who was courting Bridget for 50 years.
Finally she said, “Shamus don’t you think it’s time we got married?”
He replied, “Bridget, who would have us?”
We need to be the peace and embody peace for the world.
Last week Linda and I were in south central Pennsylvania visiting my elderly mother. As we drove the back roads through the Amish country and saw the clothes on the lines drying I remembered a story.
It is a story of a housewife who told a visitor that she could not understand her next door neighbor who always hung out dirty clothes on her clothes line.
Her friend said, “Her clothes are clean. The problem is your our windows are dirty.”
Often we look at people and make false judgments. We are looking at them through dirty windows. Jesus saw people as they were.
As we visited my mother’s friends and relatives I became aware of the losses that many seniors face as they leave their homes and go to a care home. While there with my mother we discovered that in the same home are two other women that are her friends but she didn’t even know that they were there. They were just on a different floor in the same building.
There is much pain among seniors in our community. Can we address them with authority?
I thought about authority a great deal this past week as I watched the State of the Union address by President Obama and watched parts of the two Republican debates.
3. Share the story
In order to share the story you must have a story to share.
What is your story?
Where do you experience Jesus in your life?
How do you see the spirit at work in our world?
Where are you in this story?
Some years ago, a young man who wanted to change his life went into a church and sat down in the sanctuary for a while.
He took out a piece of paper and a pencil and began writing down a long list of things that he promised he would do to change his life - a whole page of things - and he signed his name at the bottom and took it up and placed it on the altar, and sat down again in the sanctuary. As he was sitting there, however, he began to sense the voice of God speaking softly in his own soul.
And the more he listened to it, the more he heard God saying to him, "You've done it all wrong. I want you to go back up there and get the piece of paper and tear it up. And then I'll give you another instruction. " So, the young man got out of his pew and walked up to the altar and did as the Lord told him. And then he went back to sit down in the pew and waited for the Lord to instruct him.
It did not happen immediately, but finally the message came through.
The Lord said to him, very gently, "Now take a piece of paper and sign your name to it at the bottom and let me fill in all the rest!"
This morning let God fill in the empty pages of your life. If you do so you will live authoritatively.
Next Sunday we will see what happens when Jesus left the Synagogue.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
On the Mark Sermon Series, 2. Ministry, January 22, 2012
On the Mark: 2. Ministry
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
January 22, 2012
Mark 1:14-20
This is the second in a series of five messages based on the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark. I decided to give this series of messages because for my personal devotions I have been reading this Gospel and have felt once more its exciting action based message. It has touched my spiritual life.
The Gospel of Mark is the place to begin if you want to capture the essence of Jesus and I challenge you to read and reread this first chapter over and over.
Last Sunday we saw the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and the affirmation from heaven, “You are my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”
Guess what happened next.
The Bible says that Satan appeared. Isn’t that so true to life? We are on the mountain top one day and then suddenly we crash.
Sounds like the life of politicians today doesn’t it?
After 40 days in the wilderness Jesus gets the news that John the Baptist is arrested. You know the rest of that story.
But, neither Satan or Nero could not stop Jesus now.
With a passion Jesus goes to Galilee proclaiming the good news saying,
“The time is fulfilled
The kingdom of God is near
Repent,
And believe the Good News.
Notice how this is different from John the Baptist’s message. There is more to do than repentance. There is believing the good news.
By this time Jesus is on a mission. He is driven.
He goes to the Sea of Galilee and finds brothers Simon and Andrew and says, ‘follow me.’ Immediately they left and followed.
Then he finds brothers James and John fixing their nets and says, ‘follow me.’ Immediately they left and followed.
I have read this story many times and noted that they left their father Zebedee but I never noticed that they also left behind their hired men. I always thought that they were poor fishermen. But, no, they had hired hands! They were business men.
This make me wonder, “As an entrepreneur what kind of people did Jesus want to work with him?”
Entrepreneurs know that starting a business requires some help from their friends. So what kind of friends is Jesus looking for?
In today’s world there are four types of persons entrepreneurs want to have on their team to help start a new business.
• The Cheerleader:
Cheerleaders are those who will rally behind an idea and provide encouragement. Clearly, you need to have positive-thinking people around you.
• The Role Model:
This is the “follow me and do as I do” person. A role model could be a teacher or mentor.
• The Expert:
It’s always good to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you about certain areas. Experts fill in the gaps by asking questions that begin with, “Have you given any thought to …” • The Techie:
These are folks who are wizards with things like computers and communication systems. They have the ability to provide efficient technical support. The point is that it takes a team to really be successful. Jesus needed help from his friends. Jesus is beginning an entrepreneurial venture and surrounds himself with a team. The practical side of Jesus’ mission required the help and participation of others. He doesn’t wait for them to come to him.
Jesus goes to the lakeshore reeking with the stink of fish, and begins by inviting some fishermen to be on his team.
We have to remember that any entrepreneurial venture worth its salt begins with a solid mission statement. Here it is:
“The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent,
and believe in the good news”.
In other words the time is now,
God is here,
change your ways and believe the good news. The announcement of the kingdom would have sounded both exciting and dangerous to those hearing Jesus by the Galilean lake.
It was exciting because it meant that God was going to act decisively on Israel’s behalf,
but dangerous because that meant a challenge to the prevailing Roman authority.
The message was that outsiders would be insiders.
That was the “good news” that required a response. A response is what Jesus was looking for as he came to the lakeshore.
Remember that these four fishermen were likely quite prosperous. Chances are that these men may have had some education. These weren’t desperate drifters with nothing to lose, but well-established businessmen.
Following Jesus, then, was no small disruption of their lives but a complete change of course. Throwing in with Jesus meant throwing out their security, their reputations and their livelihoods. Jesus wanted people with just one primary qualification for discipleship:
a willingness to follow.
Regardless of his role each disciple shared a common trait: They said “Yes” to Jesus’ invitation.
Even as Jesus disrupted their lives he will disrupt our lives. Later, these same disciples would be accused of “turning the world upside down”. Being a disciple means being willing to drop our own agendas for life and get on board with the kingdom agenda of Jesus.
Whatever job we’re working at, Jesus challenges us to see our primary vocation as being kingdom people, spiritual entrepreneurs who are fully invested — body, mind,
spirit, wallet,
time — in that venture!
Jesus' call to discipleship is an invitation to get off the flight deck and into the cockpit!
As I reflected on this message I remembered the movie "Top Gun"? All I remembered was that it was a 1986 movie about planes taking off and landing on aircraft carriers?
That is the metaphor I want to capture for today’s message. Jesus is sending us off the security of the flight deck, into the cockpit and off to the world.
In researching Top Gun I found some information that I thought was perfect only to find out from one of our own that it is wrong information. First I will give you what I found and in a few minutes you will hear how it is wrong!
What I found was that those trained to pilot the most powerful and sophisticated aircraft in the world must rely upon and wait for a series of "go-ahead" signals from their "airboss or air officer." Each step must be carried out in proper sequence before the big jets can set off on their appointed missions. 1. The first duty of the airboss is to signal the removal of the "chocks," the small clamps that lock in place the aircraft's wheels and keep them from rolling. The chocks have the same function on an aircraft carrier as do the blocks that you see placed under the wheels of commercial aircraft. By jamming the wheels, the chocks make it impossible for the big jets to roll forward. Without the airboss signaling to remove these chocks, the flight cannot get under way.
When Jesus utters his first proclamation of the Good News, that "the kingdom of God has come near", he follows it with the command to "repent." Before anything else can happen Jesus preaches repentance. Before we can hope to begin our own journey into discipleship, these "stumbling blocks" must be removed. 2. The second duty of the airboss is to listen carefully to the noises on all sides, judge the vibrations of the plane, and signal the pilot when the engines sound ready.
This signal means that the engines, screaming to life, sound strong and safe, ready to propel the plane down the runway when the time is right.
For us today vibration comes before vision. We must hear the call before we can see the calling.
Like the pilots of those aircraft, we sit perched on a seat of tremendous power--but we, too, must wait for the next signal before getting fully underway. 3. After the engine is revved up and ready, the airboss next looks into the cockpit of the plane and asks if the pilot is ready. The question is vision.
Can the pilot see his way forward?
Is the pilot prepared? Before Jesus calls his very first disciples, he is already calling people to faith. We have no way of knowing if the course ahead of us carries smooth air or turbulence and storms. We have no special foreknowledge if the skies will be friendly or filled with hostility and danger. What we do have is faith.
4. The fourth signal given by the airboss goes beyond the mechanical. In order to remind the pilot of the significance of the assigned mission the airboss offers the pilot a formal salute. By saluting, the airboss reminds the pilot of the seriousness of the venture.
Jesus called his first disciples not only to learn at his feet but to join them in offering the world a vital message. This is truly a mission of life or death. The gospel has the power to save but only if those called to discipleship understand the nature of their mission and choose to accept it. 5. The final gesture the airboss makes sends the waiting plane and pilot off into the sky. The airboss points the pilot off the flight deck, into the direction of the carrier's mission.
Can we let go and let God take us into the wild blue yonder?
Jesus calls us. We join Simon and Andrew and James and John on a mission. Jesus sends us forth to share the good news.
As we go and share our faith here are some tips:
*Be with people on their turf.*Be real, be vulnerable, be honest.*Be creative: Do old things in news ways.*Be spiritual, not churchy.*Be patient.*Be ready for surprises.*Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.*Be on the lookout for where God is at work.*Be praying.
Or as John Wesley said:
“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.”
This morning I have shared with you the version of the duties of an air officer that I came up with but here this morning is one who has ‘been there and done that’.
Bill Shewchuk come forward and ‘tell it like it really is’.
…………
Thanks Bill.
Send us off like you did many times!
Prayer
God of grace,
we want to save the world and yet sometimes we cannot even begin to save ourselves.
And so we gather our thoughts during this time of prayer and pray for ourselves.
………..
Teach us how to rearrange our lives so that what you would have us do is our first priority.
Grant us the courage to release what we desire and firmly grasp what you would have us do.
Help us to step outside of our comfort zone in your name.
Grant us a willing heart to serve you no matter where we are or what we do.
Alert us to the needs of those around us,
and encourage us to meet that need in love,
thereby being the church of Jesus Christ our Lord,
in whose name we pray and the one who taught us to
pray the prayer for all ages saying………..
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
January 22, 2012
Mark 1:14-20
This is the second in a series of five messages based on the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark. I decided to give this series of messages because for my personal devotions I have been reading this Gospel and have felt once more its exciting action based message. It has touched my spiritual life.
The Gospel of Mark is the place to begin if you want to capture the essence of Jesus and I challenge you to read and reread this first chapter over and over.
Last Sunday we saw the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and the affirmation from heaven, “You are my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”
Guess what happened next.
The Bible says that Satan appeared. Isn’t that so true to life? We are on the mountain top one day and then suddenly we crash.
Sounds like the life of politicians today doesn’t it?
After 40 days in the wilderness Jesus gets the news that John the Baptist is arrested. You know the rest of that story.
But, neither Satan or Nero could not stop Jesus now.
With a passion Jesus goes to Galilee proclaiming the good news saying,
“The time is fulfilled
The kingdom of God is near
Repent,
And believe the Good News.
Notice how this is different from John the Baptist’s message. There is more to do than repentance. There is believing the good news.
By this time Jesus is on a mission. He is driven.
He goes to the Sea of Galilee and finds brothers Simon and Andrew and says, ‘follow me.’ Immediately they left and followed.
Then he finds brothers James and John fixing their nets and says, ‘follow me.’ Immediately they left and followed.
I have read this story many times and noted that they left their father Zebedee but I never noticed that they also left behind their hired men. I always thought that they were poor fishermen. But, no, they had hired hands! They were business men.
This make me wonder, “As an entrepreneur what kind of people did Jesus want to work with him?”
Entrepreneurs know that starting a business requires some help from their friends. So what kind of friends is Jesus looking for?
In today’s world there are four types of persons entrepreneurs want to have on their team to help start a new business.
• The Cheerleader:
Cheerleaders are those who will rally behind an idea and provide encouragement. Clearly, you need to have positive-thinking people around you.
• The Role Model:
This is the “follow me and do as I do” person. A role model could be a teacher or mentor.
• The Expert:
It’s always good to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you about certain areas. Experts fill in the gaps by asking questions that begin with, “Have you given any thought to …” • The Techie:
These are folks who are wizards with things like computers and communication systems. They have the ability to provide efficient technical support. The point is that it takes a team to really be successful. Jesus needed help from his friends. Jesus is beginning an entrepreneurial venture and surrounds himself with a team. The practical side of Jesus’ mission required the help and participation of others. He doesn’t wait for them to come to him.
Jesus goes to the lakeshore reeking with the stink of fish, and begins by inviting some fishermen to be on his team.
We have to remember that any entrepreneurial venture worth its salt begins with a solid mission statement. Here it is:
“The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent,
and believe in the good news”.
In other words the time is now,
God is here,
change your ways and believe the good news. The announcement of the kingdom would have sounded both exciting and dangerous to those hearing Jesus by the Galilean lake.
It was exciting because it meant that God was going to act decisively on Israel’s behalf,
but dangerous because that meant a challenge to the prevailing Roman authority.
The message was that outsiders would be insiders.
That was the “good news” that required a response. A response is what Jesus was looking for as he came to the lakeshore.
Remember that these four fishermen were likely quite prosperous. Chances are that these men may have had some education. These weren’t desperate drifters with nothing to lose, but well-established businessmen.
Following Jesus, then, was no small disruption of their lives but a complete change of course. Throwing in with Jesus meant throwing out their security, their reputations and their livelihoods. Jesus wanted people with just one primary qualification for discipleship:
a willingness to follow.
Regardless of his role each disciple shared a common trait: They said “Yes” to Jesus’ invitation.
Even as Jesus disrupted their lives he will disrupt our lives. Later, these same disciples would be accused of “turning the world upside down”. Being a disciple means being willing to drop our own agendas for life and get on board with the kingdom agenda of Jesus.
Whatever job we’re working at, Jesus challenges us to see our primary vocation as being kingdom people, spiritual entrepreneurs who are fully invested — body, mind,
spirit, wallet,
time — in that venture!
Jesus' call to discipleship is an invitation to get off the flight deck and into the cockpit!
As I reflected on this message I remembered the movie "Top Gun"? All I remembered was that it was a 1986 movie about planes taking off and landing on aircraft carriers?
That is the metaphor I want to capture for today’s message. Jesus is sending us off the security of the flight deck, into the cockpit and off to the world.
In researching Top Gun I found some information that I thought was perfect only to find out from one of our own that it is wrong information. First I will give you what I found and in a few minutes you will hear how it is wrong!
What I found was that those trained to pilot the most powerful and sophisticated aircraft in the world must rely upon and wait for a series of "go-ahead" signals from their "airboss or air officer." Each step must be carried out in proper sequence before the big jets can set off on their appointed missions. 1. The first duty of the airboss is to signal the removal of the "chocks," the small clamps that lock in place the aircraft's wheels and keep them from rolling. The chocks have the same function on an aircraft carrier as do the blocks that you see placed under the wheels of commercial aircraft. By jamming the wheels, the chocks make it impossible for the big jets to roll forward. Without the airboss signaling to remove these chocks, the flight cannot get under way.
When Jesus utters his first proclamation of the Good News, that "the kingdom of God has come near", he follows it with the command to "repent." Before anything else can happen Jesus preaches repentance. Before we can hope to begin our own journey into discipleship, these "stumbling blocks" must be removed. 2. The second duty of the airboss is to listen carefully to the noises on all sides, judge the vibrations of the plane, and signal the pilot when the engines sound ready.
This signal means that the engines, screaming to life, sound strong and safe, ready to propel the plane down the runway when the time is right.
For us today vibration comes before vision. We must hear the call before we can see the calling.
Like the pilots of those aircraft, we sit perched on a seat of tremendous power--but we, too, must wait for the next signal before getting fully underway. 3. After the engine is revved up and ready, the airboss next looks into the cockpit of the plane and asks if the pilot is ready. The question is vision.
Can the pilot see his way forward?
Is the pilot prepared? Before Jesus calls his very first disciples, he is already calling people to faith. We have no way of knowing if the course ahead of us carries smooth air or turbulence and storms. We have no special foreknowledge if the skies will be friendly or filled with hostility and danger. What we do have is faith.
4. The fourth signal given by the airboss goes beyond the mechanical. In order to remind the pilot of the significance of the assigned mission the airboss offers the pilot a formal salute. By saluting, the airboss reminds the pilot of the seriousness of the venture.
Jesus called his first disciples not only to learn at his feet but to join them in offering the world a vital message. This is truly a mission of life or death. The gospel has the power to save but only if those called to discipleship understand the nature of their mission and choose to accept it. 5. The final gesture the airboss makes sends the waiting plane and pilot off into the sky. The airboss points the pilot off the flight deck, into the direction of the carrier's mission.
Can we let go and let God take us into the wild blue yonder?
Jesus calls us. We join Simon and Andrew and James and John on a mission. Jesus sends us forth to share the good news.
As we go and share our faith here are some tips:
*Be with people on their turf.*Be real, be vulnerable, be honest.*Be creative: Do old things in news ways.*Be spiritual, not churchy.*Be patient.*Be ready for surprises.*Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.*Be on the lookout for where God is at work.*Be praying.
Or as John Wesley said:
“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.”
This morning I have shared with you the version of the duties of an air officer that I came up with but here this morning is one who has ‘been there and done that’.
Bill Shewchuk come forward and ‘tell it like it really is’.
…………
Thanks Bill.
Send us off like you did many times!
Prayer
God of grace,
we want to save the world and yet sometimes we cannot even begin to save ourselves.
And so we gather our thoughts during this time of prayer and pray for ourselves.
………..
Teach us how to rearrange our lives so that what you would have us do is our first priority.
Grant us the courage to release what we desire and firmly grasp what you would have us do.
Help us to step outside of our comfort zone in your name.
Grant us a willing heart to serve you no matter where we are or what we do.
Alert us to the needs of those around us,
and encourage us to meet that need in love,
thereby being the church of Jesus Christ our Lord,
in whose name we pray and the one who taught us to
pray the prayer for all ages saying………..
On the Mark Series; 1. Messenger, January 15, 2012
On the Mark: 1. Messenger
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
January 15, 2012
Mark 1:4-11
A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. “But officer.” the young man began, “I can explain.” “Just be quiet,” snapped the officer. “I’m going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back.” “But officer, I just wanted to say ....” “And I said to keep quiet! You’re going to jail!” A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, “Lucky for you that the chief is at his daughter’s wedding. He’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.” “Don’t count on it,” answered the young fellow in the cell. “I’m the groom.”
That was a message that the officer did not want to hear.
The Gospel of Mark has a message that we do want and need to hear.
If you haven’t read much of the Bible I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of Mark. It is the easiest of the Gospels to understand. It was the first of the four Gospels to be put into writing. It was probably put into writing in the mid-60s some thirty years after the death of Jesus.
Yesterday I was walking on Dolores Street and saw a sign on a gallery that said, “If you don’t come in you will miss the wonder!” Likewise, if you don’t read the Gospel of Mark you will miss the wonder of Jesus.
Mark is not so much a biography of Jesus as it is a character sketch. Without any introduction or infancy narrative, Jesus bursts onto the scene as a fully grown man. Three years of ministry are packed into chapters 1-10, while Jesus’ final week stretches out through chapters 11-16.
This Gospel was written for a Gentile audience.
It was to bring a word of hope to people whose faith was severely tested by persecution from the Emperor Nero.
The Gospel of Mark is a message of encouragement for the world beyond Jerusalem.
It is the nearest thing we will ever get to an eyewitness report of Jesus’ life.
Here we see little vivid details which are the hall-mark of one who was there with Jesus.
Mark emphasizes both the human and the divine nature of Jesus and he tells the story as an eager child might tell it.
The Gospel marches! Youth today would say that it rocks! It rushes in a vivid attempt to bring the story alive. The word immediately is used 30 times in this book. Mark says, ‘And then this happened, and then this happened over and over.
This book encourages the early followers who are suffering but it also calls them to serve Christ faithfully even as they shared in his sufferings. It would encourage these suffering believers by showing them Jesus’ authority over all types of opposing forces.
This Gospel has a message that is relevant for us today. I have been reading it for my personal devotions. That is why for five weeks we will be looking at just the first chapter of this action packed book.
Mark chapter 1 has of Jesus. It is as though the writer grabs his I-phone when he sees Jesus takes five different short videos and then up loads them to U-Tube.
Today we look at the first story Mark tells.
Here we see Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus through baptism. Talk about a strange character –John the Baptist is it! Even though he was Jesus’ cousin he was someone I’m not sure I would like if I met him today. John the Baptist said it like it was! He didn’t pull any punches.
John the Baptist’s baptism emphasized that confession must be made to three different people:
1. Ourselves—there is no one in the entire world harder to face than ourselves.
2. Those we have wronged—why is it so hard to say, “I’m sorry?”
3. God—it is when we say, “I have sinned,” that God gets the chance to say, “I forgive.”
What a strong message! Isn’t it interesting that crowds of people came to hear him! Mark says that the whole country of Judea and all of Jerusalem went out to hear him.
John the Baptist was clear that more than confession was needed and that is where Jesus comes in. He knew that there was something more. John promised that Jesus would bring the power of God’s love and grace! Spirit was needed.
When we receive Christian baptism, we all can lay claim to the most powerful secret weapon ever offered to creation--the power of God's love and grace.
God's love is a transformative, transfiguring power so great that it can change lives.
Why is it that so few of us have taken this power,
unleashed it
and released it into our lives?
To live in that spirit there are three things we need to do daily:
1. Daily alignment with God and the Sacred:
Sunday morning at 10 a.m. just isn't enough. Spirit-powered living requires that we intentionally seek out God every day. The more we seek to encounter the divine in our daily lives, the more we will begin to recognize that God's presence surrounds us and sustains us wherever we may be. 2. Daily self-scrutiny and self-reflection:
Everyone who has ever tried to tone a few muscles knows that isometric exercises--those that push our own muscles against each other--are the ones that build both strength and elasticity.
Spirit-powered living turns the power of the Spirit inward as well as outward. 3. Daily embodiment:
This is Spirit-powered living in action. The Spirit that God lets free within our souls needs to be set free out in the world. The strength of the Spirit is in service. We are God's people, touched by the Spirit to ... think more clearly. feel more deeply. speak more truthfully. love more extravagantly. serve more creatively. live more fully.
All of life changes when Jesus comes on the scene of the life changing spirit of Jesus.
Mark tells us that Jesus comes from Nazareth of Galilee and is baptized by John in the Jordan, and just as he is coming up out of the water, he sees the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”. The meaning of baptism is that Jesus is God’s Son, the Beloved.
The mix of feelings up to this point —
gratitude for cleansing,
surprise at the baptizer’s clothing,
confusion about the identity of the powerful one —
are suddenly pushed aside.
In their place, a new emotion emerges: joy.
In Jesus baptism,
we are filled to overflowing with a feeling of joy that God has revealed his Son,
announced his love
and proclaimed just how pleased he is with Jesus. Jesus is now, for us,
the Word of God in human form …
the Way,
the Truth and the Life …
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God.
After witnessing his baptism, we don’t have to wonder any longer about who Jesus is. We know his true identity. The very same is true for us, as we remember our own baptism. In this sacrament, we are connected to the body of Christ — the universal community of Christians that’s nothing less than the flesh-and-blood physical presence of Jesus in the world today.
In this sacrament, we become children of God, no less loved and accepted than Jesus Christ himself. The meaning of baptism is that we are connected to the body of Christ.
It gives us a freshly minted identity as children of a loving Lord.
Think about what happens immediately after the baptism of Jesus — Mark tells us that the Spirit immediately drives Jesus “out into the wilderness,” where he is tempted by Satan for 40 days.
Then his Galilean ministry begins, and Jesus comes face to face with a woman with a fever and a steady stream of people who are sick. So there’s no rest for the freshly baptized.
But I will save that story till next Sunday. Some years ago I discovered this for myself when I led a group of volunteers on a mission trip to Mexico. A number of times through the first days there, different people came to me and confessed how overwhelmed they felt as they saw the need. One person said, “I feel like I’m drowning.” We were all experiencing the flood of the world’s pain — and that’s not a bad thing.
It is when we feel like we’re drowning — overwhelmed by the flood of the world’s anguish, pain and loss — that we discover that the breath of God fills us.
The message this morning is that you are baptized.
“If I say, ‘I was married,’ you will likely assume that my wife has died or I am divorced.
But if I say, ‘I am married,’ you will assume I have a wife and that on a certain date I was married and still am.
Although it’s true to say ‘I was baptized,’ it is also necessary to assert, ‘I am baptized’”.
More than anything else, baptism marks our birth as Christians. Through baptism, we are identified as children of God who are both loved and lovable, chosen by the Lord to be his people in the world.
“The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now,” wrote the Dutch priest Henri Nouwen, “is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God’s eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace.” Think of it! The chosen child of God! This is not just for Jesus … it is each one of us.
Precious.
Beloved.
Safe in an everlasting embrace.
Our true identity. Maya Angelou said,
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We are the Body of Christ. The medium is the message. Who we are is the message that the world hears. God’s spirit bears witness our spirit that we are children of God.
Today I want you to embrace your baptism.
Claim the power of the spirit in your life.
Know that you are a child of God’s
Daily connect with the spirit.
God says to you, “You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
On the Mark: 1. Messenger
“You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
1. Daily alignment with God and the Sacred
2. Daily self-scrutiny and self-reflection
3. Daily embodiment
We are God's people, touched by the Spirit to ... think more clearly. feel more deeply. speak more truthfully. love more extravagantly. serve more creatively. give more lavishly. live more fully.
This is the meaning of baptism: Jesus is God’s Son, the Beloved
This is the meaning of baptism: Baptism connects us to the body of Christ
“If I say, ‘I was married,’ you will likely assume that my wife has died or I am divorced. But if I say, ‘I am married,’ you will assume I have a wife and that on a certain date I was married and still am.
Although it’s true and essential to say ‘I was baptized,’ it is also necessary to assert, ‘I am baptized’”. The medium is the message
“You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Most gracious God,
In your own good time you moved to reveal yourself firsthand, fully, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
We give you thanks for the cherished stories which surround his birth, particularly for the story of that bright and wondrous star that guided wise men from far away to his side.
With them, we hail the light of your love, for your creation and for us, which shone from that little boy. On this day, we praise you for expanding your circle of witnesses to include, beyond his people, all those who find in him the Light of the World; for creating, out of his sacrificial death and resurrection, a new people, a worldwide community of his disciple.
We pray for the church; for that strange, richly diverse company of women and men who have found in your divine Son a fresh start for human history and an unquenchable source of light. Help us, O God, to let his light shine from us that we may be sources of light for others who stumble about in
ignorance,
anxiety,
self-destructive passion,
hatred
or any other form of darkness.
Grant that we may serve as messengers of your grace for persons whose lives have been darkened by illness or who are at this very moment walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Amen
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
January 15, 2012
Mark 1:4-11
A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. “But officer.” the young man began, “I can explain.” “Just be quiet,” snapped the officer. “I’m going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back.” “But officer, I just wanted to say ....” “And I said to keep quiet! You’re going to jail!” A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, “Lucky for you that the chief is at his daughter’s wedding. He’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.” “Don’t count on it,” answered the young fellow in the cell. “I’m the groom.”
That was a message that the officer did not want to hear.
The Gospel of Mark has a message that we do want and need to hear.
If you haven’t read much of the Bible I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of Mark. It is the easiest of the Gospels to understand. It was the first of the four Gospels to be put into writing. It was probably put into writing in the mid-60s some thirty years after the death of Jesus.
Yesterday I was walking on Dolores Street and saw a sign on a gallery that said, “If you don’t come in you will miss the wonder!” Likewise, if you don’t read the Gospel of Mark you will miss the wonder of Jesus.
Mark is not so much a biography of Jesus as it is a character sketch. Without any introduction or infancy narrative, Jesus bursts onto the scene as a fully grown man. Three years of ministry are packed into chapters 1-10, while Jesus’ final week stretches out through chapters 11-16.
This Gospel was written for a Gentile audience.
It was to bring a word of hope to people whose faith was severely tested by persecution from the Emperor Nero.
The Gospel of Mark is a message of encouragement for the world beyond Jerusalem.
It is the nearest thing we will ever get to an eyewitness report of Jesus’ life.
Here we see little vivid details which are the hall-mark of one who was there with Jesus.
Mark emphasizes both the human and the divine nature of Jesus and he tells the story as an eager child might tell it.
The Gospel marches! Youth today would say that it rocks! It rushes in a vivid attempt to bring the story alive. The word immediately is used 30 times in this book. Mark says, ‘And then this happened, and then this happened over and over.
This book encourages the early followers who are suffering but it also calls them to serve Christ faithfully even as they shared in his sufferings. It would encourage these suffering believers by showing them Jesus’ authority over all types of opposing forces.
This Gospel has a message that is relevant for us today. I have been reading it for my personal devotions. That is why for five weeks we will be looking at just the first chapter of this action packed book.
Mark chapter 1 has of Jesus. It is as though the writer grabs his I-phone when he sees Jesus takes five different short videos and then up loads them to U-Tube.
Today we look at the first story Mark tells.
Here we see Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus through baptism. Talk about a strange character –John the Baptist is it! Even though he was Jesus’ cousin he was someone I’m not sure I would like if I met him today. John the Baptist said it like it was! He didn’t pull any punches.
John the Baptist’s baptism emphasized that confession must be made to three different people:
1. Ourselves—there is no one in the entire world harder to face than ourselves.
2. Those we have wronged—why is it so hard to say, “I’m sorry?”
3. God—it is when we say, “I have sinned,” that God gets the chance to say, “I forgive.”
What a strong message! Isn’t it interesting that crowds of people came to hear him! Mark says that the whole country of Judea and all of Jerusalem went out to hear him.
John the Baptist was clear that more than confession was needed and that is where Jesus comes in. He knew that there was something more. John promised that Jesus would bring the power of God’s love and grace! Spirit was needed.
When we receive Christian baptism, we all can lay claim to the most powerful secret weapon ever offered to creation--the power of God's love and grace.
God's love is a transformative, transfiguring power so great that it can change lives.
Why is it that so few of us have taken this power,
unleashed it
and released it into our lives?
To live in that spirit there are three things we need to do daily:
1. Daily alignment with God and the Sacred:
Sunday morning at 10 a.m. just isn't enough. Spirit-powered living requires that we intentionally seek out God every day. The more we seek to encounter the divine in our daily lives, the more we will begin to recognize that God's presence surrounds us and sustains us wherever we may be. 2. Daily self-scrutiny and self-reflection:
Everyone who has ever tried to tone a few muscles knows that isometric exercises--those that push our own muscles against each other--are the ones that build both strength and elasticity.
Spirit-powered living turns the power of the Spirit inward as well as outward. 3. Daily embodiment:
This is Spirit-powered living in action. The Spirit that God lets free within our souls needs to be set free out in the world. The strength of the Spirit is in service. We are God's people, touched by the Spirit to ... think more clearly. feel more deeply. speak more truthfully. love more extravagantly. serve more creatively. live more fully.
All of life changes when Jesus comes on the scene of the life changing spirit of Jesus.
Mark tells us that Jesus comes from Nazareth of Galilee and is baptized by John in the Jordan, and just as he is coming up out of the water, he sees the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”. The meaning of baptism is that Jesus is God’s Son, the Beloved.
The mix of feelings up to this point —
gratitude for cleansing,
surprise at the baptizer’s clothing,
confusion about the identity of the powerful one —
are suddenly pushed aside.
In their place, a new emotion emerges: joy.
In Jesus baptism,
we are filled to overflowing with a feeling of joy that God has revealed his Son,
announced his love
and proclaimed just how pleased he is with Jesus. Jesus is now, for us,
the Word of God in human form …
the Way,
the Truth and the Life …
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God.
After witnessing his baptism, we don’t have to wonder any longer about who Jesus is. We know his true identity. The very same is true for us, as we remember our own baptism. In this sacrament, we are connected to the body of Christ — the universal community of Christians that’s nothing less than the flesh-and-blood physical presence of Jesus in the world today.
In this sacrament, we become children of God, no less loved and accepted than Jesus Christ himself. The meaning of baptism is that we are connected to the body of Christ.
It gives us a freshly minted identity as children of a loving Lord.
Think about what happens immediately after the baptism of Jesus — Mark tells us that the Spirit immediately drives Jesus “out into the wilderness,” where he is tempted by Satan for 40 days.
Then his Galilean ministry begins, and Jesus comes face to face with a woman with a fever and a steady stream of people who are sick. So there’s no rest for the freshly baptized.
But I will save that story till next Sunday. Some years ago I discovered this for myself when I led a group of volunteers on a mission trip to Mexico. A number of times through the first days there, different people came to me and confessed how overwhelmed they felt as they saw the need. One person said, “I feel like I’m drowning.” We were all experiencing the flood of the world’s pain — and that’s not a bad thing.
It is when we feel like we’re drowning — overwhelmed by the flood of the world’s anguish, pain and loss — that we discover that the breath of God fills us.
The message this morning is that you are baptized.
“If I say, ‘I was married,’ you will likely assume that my wife has died or I am divorced.
But if I say, ‘I am married,’ you will assume I have a wife and that on a certain date I was married and still am.
Although it’s true to say ‘I was baptized,’ it is also necessary to assert, ‘I am baptized’”.
More than anything else, baptism marks our birth as Christians. Through baptism, we are identified as children of God who are both loved and lovable, chosen by the Lord to be his people in the world.
“The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now,” wrote the Dutch priest Henri Nouwen, “is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God’s eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace.” Think of it! The chosen child of God! This is not just for Jesus … it is each one of us.
Precious.
Beloved.
Safe in an everlasting embrace.
Our true identity. Maya Angelou said,
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We are the Body of Christ. The medium is the message. Who we are is the message that the world hears. God’s spirit bears witness our spirit that we are children of God.
Today I want you to embrace your baptism.
Claim the power of the spirit in your life.
Know that you are a child of God’s
Daily connect with the spirit.
God says to you, “You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
On the Mark: 1. Messenger
“You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
1. Daily alignment with God and the Sacred
2. Daily self-scrutiny and self-reflection
3. Daily embodiment
We are God's people, touched by the Spirit to ... think more clearly. feel more deeply. speak more truthfully. love more extravagantly. serve more creatively. give more lavishly. live more fully.
This is the meaning of baptism: Jesus is God’s Son, the Beloved
This is the meaning of baptism: Baptism connects us to the body of Christ
“If I say, ‘I was married,’ you will likely assume that my wife has died or I am divorced. But if I say, ‘I am married,’ you will assume I have a wife and that on a certain date I was married and still am.
Although it’s true and essential to say ‘I was baptized,’ it is also necessary to assert, ‘I am baptized’”. The medium is the message
“You are my child, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Most gracious God,
In your own good time you moved to reveal yourself firsthand, fully, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
We give you thanks for the cherished stories which surround his birth, particularly for the story of that bright and wondrous star that guided wise men from far away to his side.
With them, we hail the light of your love, for your creation and for us, which shone from that little boy. On this day, we praise you for expanding your circle of witnesses to include, beyond his people, all those who find in him the Light of the World; for creating, out of his sacrificial death and resurrection, a new people, a worldwide community of his disciple.
We pray for the church; for that strange, richly diverse company of women and men who have found in your divine Son a fresh start for human history and an unquenchable source of light. Help us, O God, to let his light shine from us that we may be sources of light for others who stumble about in
ignorance,
anxiety,
self-destructive passion,
hatred
or any other form of darkness.
Grant that we may serve as messengers of your grace for persons whose lives have been darkened by illness or who are at this very moment walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Amen
How Do You Live Your Dash?; January 1, 2012
How Do You Live Your Dash?
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor of the Church of the Wayfarer
August 6, 2006 and January 1, 2012
Philippians 4:4-9
The question that I want you to think about today is “How do you live your dash?” I’m not talking about the dash of your car or running a 50 yard dash.
I’m talking about your dash. We all have a dash.
Our dash is that little line on our tomb stone that will be between the date of our birth and date of our death sometime in the future. One little line will represent all our time on earth.
Isn’t that a happy thought? Our whole life will some day be summed up with a little dash. We are all living our dash right now.
How are you living your dash?
A poet, Linda Ellis, said it this way:
“I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning …to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth…
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars…the house…the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard…
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spend your dash?”
The book of Philippians gives some good advice as to how to live our dash. It says:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Do not worry about anything.
Be prayerful.
Have the peace of God in your hearts and minds.
Think about what is true.
Think about what is honorable.
Think about what is just.
Think about what is pure.
Think about what is
lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy.
There are some other things that I hope will be a part of your dash.
1. I hope that dreams are a part of your dash.
“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win—but you think you can’t
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost
For out of this world we find
Success begins with a person’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re out-classed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve gotta be sure of yourself,
Before you can win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or fastest ones.
But sooner or later the one who wins,
Is the one who thinks they can.”
A woman, named Maude, had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. As Maude was getting her things “in order” for the end of her life, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at the funeral service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
Then Maude remembered something very important. “There’s one more thing,” she said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at Maude, not knowing quite what to say.
Maude explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.”
It was my favorite part because I knew that if they said that some better dessert than jello or custard was coming…like chocolate cake or apple pie.
I want people to see me there in the casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?”
Then, pastor, I want you to tell them: “The best is yet to come.”
Maude had a dream that something better was coming for her. I hope that great dreams are a part of your dash.
2. I also hope that basic principles for living will be a part of your dash.
Some years ago when I was serving on the School Board I attended a Model Schools conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the speakers, Dr. Willard Daggett, emphasized the importance of public schools teaching guiding principles for living like:
Responsibility Respect
Compassion Initiative
Adaptability Honesty
Optimism Trustworthiness
Courage Loyalty
When I left that lecture I said, “That is what I’ve been preaching for over thirty years.” Are these principles part of your dash?
I was raised at Dry Run, Pennsylvania. Dry Run is two miles north of Spring Run, Pennsylvania. I’m sure you all know where that is. One of my teachers at Dry Run taught me an important principle for living when I was in high school.
At that time we had “Newsweek” standardized current events tests. One week a student broke into the teacher’s closet and stole the answer sheet. He shared the answers with all the class—except me. He knew that I would not cheat.
My nick name in High School was ‘Deacon’ because I was quite religious. I think I’m still religious!
Anyway we all took the test. Everyone else got an ‘A’ but I failed the test!
The teacher, Mr. Miller, knew that everyone else had cheated and he was very angry. He lectured the class about cheating. By this time I was feeling rather self-righteous because I hadn’t cheated like all the others.
But, then, Mr. Miller came to my desk, looked me in the eye and said, “Deacon, you’re just as bad as everyone else because you knew they were all cheating and did nothing to stop it.”
That day I learned a basic principle for living. It is not enough to simply do what is right. We also need to stand against that which is wrong.
One time there was a very fine carpenter who took great pride in his craftsmanship. He worked for many years doing quality work but the day came when he felt that it was time to retire. His boss asked the carpenter if he wouldn’t please build him one last house.
The carpenter agreed to do so but his heart wasn’t in his work. His previous quality work became shoddy on this last house. The corners did not match and the house was not plumb. Finally the day came when he went to his boss to report that the house was finished.
With that the boss gave the keys to the house to the carpenter and said, “Here, this is your house. I want you to have it as a gift from me.”
What is the quality of the house we are building with our lives? What are your basic principles for living?
Mohandas Gandhi once warned against the “seven deadly social sins” that could destroy a nation from within.
· Politics without principle,
· Wealth without work,
· Commerce without morality,
· Pleasure without conscience,
· Education without character,
· Science without humanity, and
· Worship without sacrifice.
3. Finally, I hope that you will have service as a part of your dash.
As any good Rotarian would say, “Put service above self.”
In the 1960s, Bishop Muzorewa became the first African leader of a major denomination in Rhodesia. In 1979, he became Zimbabwe’s first black Prime Minister. His philosophy was:
“People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.”
The story is told that a young reporter went through the hill country of Texas interviewing people as he was writing a book about Lyndon Baines Johnson. Over and over the reporter heard the response, “He brought the light.”
“He brought the light?”
After a time the reporter discovered that what the people were saying was that when Johnson was a first term congressman he brought electricity to the hill country of Texas.
I hope that it can be said of each of us that we brought the light to this world.
A few years ago my wife, Linda, and I took a little vacation to New Orleans. We had a great time drinking chicory coffee and eating Cajun food but the thing that I enjoyed the most was learning a new word.
It’s lagniappe.
L-a-g-n-i-a-p-p-e means to “give beyond full measure.” If you sell a bag of flour give an extra cup. If you sell a dozen apples, give a couple extra.
Laginappe means to go beyond that which is expected—to give a little more. Why don’t you put the word lagniappe on your desk to remind you to give more than what is expected.
I hope that dreams, guiding principles, and service will all be a part of your dash—that little line between your birth and death.
Independence, Missouri, was the staging area during the 1800s for covered wagons as they were about to set out for the Pacific Northwest on the Lewis and Clark Trail. I’m told that at the beginning of the trail there was a sign that said, “Choose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it the next 2000 miles!”
Choose a rut in life that includes great dreams, basic principles for living and acts of service.
How do you live your dash?
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor of the Church of the Wayfarer
August 6, 2006 and January 1, 2012
Philippians 4:4-9
The question that I want you to think about today is “How do you live your dash?” I’m not talking about the dash of your car or running a 50 yard dash.
I’m talking about your dash. We all have a dash.
Our dash is that little line on our tomb stone that will be between the date of our birth and date of our death sometime in the future. One little line will represent all our time on earth.
Isn’t that a happy thought? Our whole life will some day be summed up with a little dash. We are all living our dash right now.
How are you living your dash?
A poet, Linda Ellis, said it this way:
“I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning …to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth…
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars…the house…the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard…
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spend your dash?”
The book of Philippians gives some good advice as to how to live our dash. It says:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Do not worry about anything.
Be prayerful.
Have the peace of God in your hearts and minds.
Think about what is true.
Think about what is honorable.
Think about what is just.
Think about what is pure.
Think about what is
lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy.
There are some other things that I hope will be a part of your dash.
1. I hope that dreams are a part of your dash.
“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win—but you think you can’t
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost
For out of this world we find
Success begins with a person’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re out-classed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve gotta be sure of yourself,
Before you can win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or fastest ones.
But sooner or later the one who wins,
Is the one who thinks they can.”
A woman, named Maude, had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. As Maude was getting her things “in order” for the end of her life, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at the funeral service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
Then Maude remembered something very important. “There’s one more thing,” she said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at Maude, not knowing quite what to say.
Maude explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.”
It was my favorite part because I knew that if they said that some better dessert than jello or custard was coming…like chocolate cake or apple pie.
I want people to see me there in the casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?”
Then, pastor, I want you to tell them: “The best is yet to come.”
Maude had a dream that something better was coming for her. I hope that great dreams are a part of your dash.
2. I also hope that basic principles for living will be a part of your dash.
Some years ago when I was serving on the School Board I attended a Model Schools conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the speakers, Dr. Willard Daggett, emphasized the importance of public schools teaching guiding principles for living like:
Responsibility Respect
Compassion Initiative
Adaptability Honesty
Optimism Trustworthiness
Courage Loyalty
When I left that lecture I said, “That is what I’ve been preaching for over thirty years.” Are these principles part of your dash?
I was raised at Dry Run, Pennsylvania. Dry Run is two miles north of Spring Run, Pennsylvania. I’m sure you all know where that is. One of my teachers at Dry Run taught me an important principle for living when I was in high school.
At that time we had “Newsweek” standardized current events tests. One week a student broke into the teacher’s closet and stole the answer sheet. He shared the answers with all the class—except me. He knew that I would not cheat.
My nick name in High School was ‘Deacon’ because I was quite religious. I think I’m still religious!
Anyway we all took the test. Everyone else got an ‘A’ but I failed the test!
The teacher, Mr. Miller, knew that everyone else had cheated and he was very angry. He lectured the class about cheating. By this time I was feeling rather self-righteous because I hadn’t cheated like all the others.
But, then, Mr. Miller came to my desk, looked me in the eye and said, “Deacon, you’re just as bad as everyone else because you knew they were all cheating and did nothing to stop it.”
That day I learned a basic principle for living. It is not enough to simply do what is right. We also need to stand against that which is wrong.
One time there was a very fine carpenter who took great pride in his craftsmanship. He worked for many years doing quality work but the day came when he felt that it was time to retire. His boss asked the carpenter if he wouldn’t please build him one last house.
The carpenter agreed to do so but his heart wasn’t in his work. His previous quality work became shoddy on this last house. The corners did not match and the house was not plumb. Finally the day came when he went to his boss to report that the house was finished.
With that the boss gave the keys to the house to the carpenter and said, “Here, this is your house. I want you to have it as a gift from me.”
What is the quality of the house we are building with our lives? What are your basic principles for living?
Mohandas Gandhi once warned against the “seven deadly social sins” that could destroy a nation from within.
· Politics without principle,
· Wealth without work,
· Commerce without morality,
· Pleasure without conscience,
· Education without character,
· Science without humanity, and
· Worship without sacrifice.
3. Finally, I hope that you will have service as a part of your dash.
As any good Rotarian would say, “Put service above self.”
In the 1960s, Bishop Muzorewa became the first African leader of a major denomination in Rhodesia. In 1979, he became Zimbabwe’s first black Prime Minister. His philosophy was:
“People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.”
The story is told that a young reporter went through the hill country of Texas interviewing people as he was writing a book about Lyndon Baines Johnson. Over and over the reporter heard the response, “He brought the light.”
“He brought the light?”
After a time the reporter discovered that what the people were saying was that when Johnson was a first term congressman he brought electricity to the hill country of Texas.
I hope that it can be said of each of us that we brought the light to this world.
A few years ago my wife, Linda, and I took a little vacation to New Orleans. We had a great time drinking chicory coffee and eating Cajun food but the thing that I enjoyed the most was learning a new word.
It’s lagniappe.
L-a-g-n-i-a-p-p-e means to “give beyond full measure.” If you sell a bag of flour give an extra cup. If you sell a dozen apples, give a couple extra.
Laginappe means to go beyond that which is expected—to give a little more. Why don’t you put the word lagniappe on your desk to remind you to give more than what is expected.
I hope that dreams, guiding principles, and service will all be a part of your dash—that little line between your birth and death.
Independence, Missouri, was the staging area during the 1800s for covered wagons as they were about to set out for the Pacific Northwest on the Lewis and Clark Trail. I’m told that at the beginning of the trail there was a sign that said, “Choose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it the next 2000 miles!”
Choose a rut in life that includes great dreams, basic principles for living and acts of service.
How do you live your dash?
Monday, December 19, 2011
Restore Us O God: Love, December 18, 2011
Restore Us, O God: Love
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 12/18/2011 Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Church of the Wayfarer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
What's the craziest thing you have ever done for love? To what lengths would you go for the one you love? Has love ever inspired you to make some vaguely ridiculous,
over-the-top actions? I’ve noted elaborate marriage proposals that pop up in the news from time to time.
· I remember one man who paid to have his marriage proposal flashed across the jumbotron at a baseball game.
· Another that I heard about invited his girlfriend into a small plane so that they could have a bird's-eye view of a hayfield where the farmer had mown out the words "marry me."
· Another guy took the risk of proposing to his girlfriend on live morning television as millions watched.
· Our own Amber Hess was proposed to by Gus who rewrote a video game. While the two of them played the game one of the characters popped the question! Each of these people took a risk;
because these proposals could have gone wrong.
Instead, they had the desired effect—the answer in each case was yes! The point I want to make is that daring openly to express our love can have wonderfully satisfying results. It's not just new love that encourages dramatic displays of devotion. Love can invite sacrifice and determination at any age and under many circumstances.
· Consider the father who drives all night to avoid missing his first grader's school play.
· Or the mother who sits at her desk every day to write to her son during his yearlong deployment overseas.
· There's the insurance agent who donated his kidney for his coworker in the next office cubicle.
· Even animals can demonstrate a humbling sense of loyalty and devotion; think about the beagle that refused to leave the site of a car accident which left its owners badly injured.
· Concerned neighbors fed the dog for weeks until the owners could finally reclaim this faithful animal that just wouldn't give up. What would you do for the one you love?
What wouldn't you do for the one you love?
There comes a time when it's not enough to simply declare love; words can seem empty without convincing actions to back them up.
A constant theme in love songs is the celebration of
tangible,
visible
devotion on display for all to see.
· Love is the thousand yellow ribbons on the old oak tree;
· it's Marvin Gaye vowing that there's no mountain too high,
no river too wide
or any valley too low
to keep him away from his beloved.
This is what love looks like. The Psalm for today tells of God's love for the world. The psalmist sings God's love song for the world to hear as God's unbreakable covenant is proclaimed.
God's steadfast love will be recklessly poured out on God's beloved.
Psalm 89 is filled with action verbs, reflecting a God in motion, unstoppable because of the power of this love.
· It says that there will inevitably be obstacles to love, but God is prepared.
· God will not allow the enemy to outwit the beloved.
· Any foes will be crushed and haters will be struck down.
This is not a fairy tale,
sticky-sweet,
unrealistic love;
this is a relationship that will be tested by daunting obstacles but which will continue because of the faithfulness of God. In this enduring covenant,
God promises "my faithfulness and steadfast love."
The beloved will respond to this lasting relationship with the heartfelt cry, "You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!"
This is what God would do for love—God enters into this relationship wholeheartedly and without reservation.
God declares unending love without abandon. This is Christmas love. This kind of love demands courage.
As we celebrate Advent and Christmas, we're fully aware of where God's love is leading us.
· The love might begin in the soft manger, but it inevitably will lead to the harsh noonday sun reflecting on the Cross.
· God knows this but does not shy away from the pain that is coming.
· God's extravagant love is demonstrated in God's willingness to give sacrificially.
· God bestows the most precious gift, God's Son, knowing that this offering will not
be appreciated, honored, or at times, even recognized.
The price is great, almost beyond measure.
The gift of Christmas is that God looks at the cost without blinking. God does indeed care enough to send the very best.
The best is the gift of Christ.
It's the gift -- - that makes the angels sing, - the shepherds run to attention, - the magi travel to worship - and it's the gift that continues to bless us even today. God's love is an "always" love;
the psalmist assures us that God is steadfast in devotion and faithfulness.
This covenant is reminiscent of a marriage vow;
the divine promise is to be faithful until parted by death.
This covenant is like the covenant we have made with Pixie. You knew that Pixie would come into this sermon someplace didn’t you?!
Pixie is the newest member of the Mowery family.
Pixie is a rescue dog that has been a part of the Mowery Family for a total of one week.
Pixie is an eight pound ball of fluffy joyous loving Maltese mix.
Pixie has changed my life! What a week it has been! I had no idea what was involved in adding a dog to the family.
We have had to make a commitment to Pixie with an ‘always’ kind of love. I am only beginning to realize how big a commitment we have made. We ask,
Why won’t she eat?
Does she need to go out?
Why won’t she stay in her bed?
What is she trying to tell us now?
The thing that I have become most aware of this week is how dependent Pixie is on Linda and me and how we must now schedule our activities around her. She is the one in charge!
When we got Pixie from the Peace of Mind Rescue agency last Saturday we were told that we could return her at any time.
No way! Not! Pixie is ours. We are committed.
The love that we light in our hearts as we light the love candle on the Advent Wreath is not a conditional love. There is no turning back.
It is not a careful love.
There is no prenuptial agreement here.
There is no backing out.
This is dive in,
take no prisoners,
head-over-heels,
no-holds-barred kind of love.
God is willing to give Jesus the beloved
on behalf of this fickle, unappreciative world.
God is willing to give Jesus even if we reject him.
This is what God would do for love:
God will offer that which is most precious. The strength of this love should bring to mind the pledge of parents when they catch the first glimpse of their newborn child.
In that instant an unbreakable bond is formed with the understood vow, "I will always be there for you."
It is fierceness like that of a tigress or a mother bear—“I will fight for you, if necessary,” God says. I will defend you with my life. Although this love will seek to protect
and promises never to abandon,
it does not and cannot promise
an absence of danger, loss or stress.
As we face the longest night of the year this coming week we remember that God promises that the love of God will never end;
the evil that exists cannot prevail.
It's not a gilded path free of pain or sorrow, but rather the faithfulness along a precarious journey;
it's the promise of a love that is steadfast,
strong
and true.
We can count on this love, no matter what comes. As creative as some marriage proposals might be, it's this mature,
lasting love
that every couple really needs.
They need a love that offers the armor and protection that is needed to see them through the ups and downs that await them down the road. That love arrives in a simple package,
laid in a manger,
approachable by all who wish to encounter him.
This gift and promise of God is for everyone.
One could mistakenly believe that Advent is about an adorable baby who mysteriously appears annually at this time of year.
Yet this child who is born to us,
this Son who is given is the Savior of the world.
The Advent season asks us to prepare our hearts to receive a love that is humbling in its passion
and amazing in its depth. God's love does not fade, weaken or diminish.
It's offered to us fresh and new every day.
What are we asked to do for this love? Simply say "yes" to God who is always willing to give us more.
Longest Night
Harry Andersen
Joan Solak
Margaret Nelson
Matt Maybaurer
Compassionate God, as we face the longest night in this time of darkness, we wait for the One who will come to us.
As we revel in the merriment of the season we need to remember there are also many for whom the holiday season isn’t one of joy and good cheer.
We pray for those who cannot see the light in the darkness, that they would find hope in the promise of the Christ child.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those who grieve this Advent season that they would know your hope in the promise of the resurrection.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those who struggle to feel joy because lack of employment, that they would have faith that you will provide.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for our military families who are separated by great distance from their loved ones serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, whose tables have an empty seat this Christmas.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those whose family dynamics make holidays not a time of festive joy but of stress and anger.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We lift our joys and give over our concerns to your tender care as we pray the prayer that you pray for your disciples of all ages saying……
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 12/18/2011 Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Church of the Wayfarer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
What's the craziest thing you have ever done for love? To what lengths would you go for the one you love? Has love ever inspired you to make some vaguely ridiculous,
over-the-top actions? I’ve noted elaborate marriage proposals that pop up in the news from time to time.
· I remember one man who paid to have his marriage proposal flashed across the jumbotron at a baseball game.
· Another that I heard about invited his girlfriend into a small plane so that they could have a bird's-eye view of a hayfield where the farmer had mown out the words "marry me."
· Another guy took the risk of proposing to his girlfriend on live morning television as millions watched.
· Our own Amber Hess was proposed to by Gus who rewrote a video game. While the two of them played the game one of the characters popped the question! Each of these people took a risk;
because these proposals could have gone wrong.
Instead, they had the desired effect—the answer in each case was yes! The point I want to make is that daring openly to express our love can have wonderfully satisfying results. It's not just new love that encourages dramatic displays of devotion. Love can invite sacrifice and determination at any age and under many circumstances.
· Consider the father who drives all night to avoid missing his first grader's school play.
· Or the mother who sits at her desk every day to write to her son during his yearlong deployment overseas.
· There's the insurance agent who donated his kidney for his coworker in the next office cubicle.
· Even animals can demonstrate a humbling sense of loyalty and devotion; think about the beagle that refused to leave the site of a car accident which left its owners badly injured.
· Concerned neighbors fed the dog for weeks until the owners could finally reclaim this faithful animal that just wouldn't give up. What would you do for the one you love?
What wouldn't you do for the one you love?
There comes a time when it's not enough to simply declare love; words can seem empty without convincing actions to back them up.
A constant theme in love songs is the celebration of
tangible,
visible
devotion on display for all to see.
· Love is the thousand yellow ribbons on the old oak tree;
· it's Marvin Gaye vowing that there's no mountain too high,
no river too wide
or any valley too low
to keep him away from his beloved.
This is what love looks like. The Psalm for today tells of God's love for the world. The psalmist sings God's love song for the world to hear as God's unbreakable covenant is proclaimed.
God's steadfast love will be recklessly poured out on God's beloved.
Psalm 89 is filled with action verbs, reflecting a God in motion, unstoppable because of the power of this love.
· It says that there will inevitably be obstacles to love, but God is prepared.
· God will not allow the enemy to outwit the beloved.
· Any foes will be crushed and haters will be struck down.
This is not a fairy tale,
sticky-sweet,
unrealistic love;
this is a relationship that will be tested by daunting obstacles but which will continue because of the faithfulness of God. In this enduring covenant,
God promises "my faithfulness and steadfast love."
The beloved will respond to this lasting relationship with the heartfelt cry, "You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!"
This is what God would do for love—God enters into this relationship wholeheartedly and without reservation.
God declares unending love without abandon. This is Christmas love. This kind of love demands courage.
As we celebrate Advent and Christmas, we're fully aware of where God's love is leading us.
· The love might begin in the soft manger, but it inevitably will lead to the harsh noonday sun reflecting on the Cross.
· God knows this but does not shy away from the pain that is coming.
· God's extravagant love is demonstrated in God's willingness to give sacrificially.
· God bestows the most precious gift, God's Son, knowing that this offering will not
be appreciated, honored, or at times, even recognized.
The price is great, almost beyond measure.
The gift of Christmas is that God looks at the cost without blinking. God does indeed care enough to send the very best.
The best is the gift of Christ.
It's the gift -- - that makes the angels sing, - the shepherds run to attention, - the magi travel to worship - and it's the gift that continues to bless us even today. God's love is an "always" love;
the psalmist assures us that God is steadfast in devotion and faithfulness.
This covenant is reminiscent of a marriage vow;
the divine promise is to be faithful until parted by death.
This covenant is like the covenant we have made with Pixie. You knew that Pixie would come into this sermon someplace didn’t you?!
Pixie is the newest member of the Mowery family.
Pixie is a rescue dog that has been a part of the Mowery Family for a total of one week.
Pixie is an eight pound ball of fluffy joyous loving Maltese mix.
Pixie has changed my life! What a week it has been! I had no idea what was involved in adding a dog to the family.
We have had to make a commitment to Pixie with an ‘always’ kind of love. I am only beginning to realize how big a commitment we have made. We ask,
Why won’t she eat?
Does she need to go out?
Why won’t she stay in her bed?
What is she trying to tell us now?
The thing that I have become most aware of this week is how dependent Pixie is on Linda and me and how we must now schedule our activities around her. She is the one in charge!
When we got Pixie from the Peace of Mind Rescue agency last Saturday we were told that we could return her at any time.
No way! Not! Pixie is ours. We are committed.
The love that we light in our hearts as we light the love candle on the Advent Wreath is not a conditional love. There is no turning back.
It is not a careful love.
There is no prenuptial agreement here.
There is no backing out.
This is dive in,
take no prisoners,
head-over-heels,
no-holds-barred kind of love.
God is willing to give Jesus the beloved
on behalf of this fickle, unappreciative world.
God is willing to give Jesus even if we reject him.
This is what God would do for love:
God will offer that which is most precious. The strength of this love should bring to mind the pledge of parents when they catch the first glimpse of their newborn child.
In that instant an unbreakable bond is formed with the understood vow, "I will always be there for you."
It is fierceness like that of a tigress or a mother bear—“I will fight for you, if necessary,” God says. I will defend you with my life. Although this love will seek to protect
and promises never to abandon,
it does not and cannot promise
an absence of danger, loss or stress.
As we face the longest night of the year this coming week we remember that God promises that the love of God will never end;
the evil that exists cannot prevail.
It's not a gilded path free of pain or sorrow, but rather the faithfulness along a precarious journey;
it's the promise of a love that is steadfast,
strong
and true.
We can count on this love, no matter what comes. As creative as some marriage proposals might be, it's this mature,
lasting love
that every couple really needs.
They need a love that offers the armor and protection that is needed to see them through the ups and downs that await them down the road. That love arrives in a simple package,
laid in a manger,
approachable by all who wish to encounter him.
This gift and promise of God is for everyone.
One could mistakenly believe that Advent is about an adorable baby who mysteriously appears annually at this time of year.
Yet this child who is born to us,
this Son who is given is the Savior of the world.
The Advent season asks us to prepare our hearts to receive a love that is humbling in its passion
and amazing in its depth. God's love does not fade, weaken or diminish.
It's offered to us fresh and new every day.
What are we asked to do for this love? Simply say "yes" to God who is always willing to give us more.
Longest Night
Harry Andersen
Joan Solak
Margaret Nelson
Matt Maybaurer
Compassionate God, as we face the longest night in this time of darkness, we wait for the One who will come to us.
As we revel in the merriment of the season we need to remember there are also many for whom the holiday season isn’t one of joy and good cheer.
We pray for those who cannot see the light in the darkness, that they would find hope in the promise of the Christ child.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those who grieve this Advent season that they would know your hope in the promise of the resurrection.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those who struggle to feel joy because lack of employment, that they would have faith that you will provide.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for our military families who are separated by great distance from their loved ones serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, whose tables have an empty seat this Christmas.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We pray for those whose family dynamics make holidays not a time of festive joy but of stress and anger.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.We lift our joys and give over our concerns to your tender care as we pray the prayer that you pray for your disciples of all ages saying……
Monday, December 12, 2011
Restore Us O God: Joy, December 11, 2011, Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
Restore Us, O God: Joy
Psalm 126 12/11/2011 Third Sunday of Advent
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
The theme for this the third Sunday of Advent is JOY.
Talk about joy.
Yesterday, from the first moment that I met Pixie, I experienced sheer joy! Pixie is the cutest, most lovable and adorable rescue dog in the whole world. I am thrilled to announce that Linda and I are in the process of becoming Pixie’s family.
It was sheer joy for me at first sight.
Some weeks ago I read about a man who recovered his wallet that was lost for 63 years, and rejoices.
I thought that that story was a great example of joy until I met Pixie.
As we journey to the Christ Event during this Advent Season, we imagine the joy that man had as he recovered a piece of his identity!
Have you ever lost your wallet? It’s hard to imagine something more traumatic.
Our wallets contain the proof of our identity,
They tell others we're licensed to drive a car,
We carry our cash and credit cards in them,
just about everything we need to move about in the world can be found in our wallets.
You can tell a lot about a person by what they have in their wallets.
A few years ago as Linda and I were flying to China we lost Linda’s Passport.
Panic.
Fear.
I could imagine either being sent home or going to jail when we arrived in Bejing.
Relief.
Joy—when the flight attendant found it among the purses on the floor of the plane.
It was a man named Bill Fulton who lost his wallet in 1946, and 63 years later he'd pretty much forgotten about it. Bill's not sure exactly when or under what circumstances he accidentally dropped his smooth leather wallet behind the wooden bleachers at Baker Middle School in Baker City, Oregon.
It was probably during a basketball game between the Baker Bulldogs and some long forgotten opponent.
There it sat for 63 years until a worker found it in June 2009, while tearing out the old bleachers at the school.
The wallet was found right where Bill had dropped it; along with stuff other students had dropped back there during the school's history:
some old homework,
and lost library books. The next day, the Baker Middle School secretary brought the newly found wallet to Fulton's home in Baker City and reported, "He was pretty much amazed.”
"He just kept saying, 'Thank you. Thank you so much.'" Bill was overjoyed to have it back, but not necessarily because of what was still in it. His Social Security Card was still tucked in its usual place. He didn't have any cash to begin with, so none was missing. His bicycle license was in there.
While all those things were important at the time, the real value of the wallet for Bill was the memories it brought back of a wonderful period in his 78 years of life. After high school, Bill went off to the Korean War, then to Berlin, and back to Baker City where he worked for a lumber company for 30 years.
If only for a moment, feeling the leather of that long lost wallet reminded Bill that life has all been worth it, and reminds him of who he is. Finding something we've lost—especially something as valuable as a wallet that reminds us who we are—is cause for both relief and joy.
On this Sunday during Advent, as we light the candle of joy, we celebrate the fact that God exposes our lost and hidden identity and, to borrow the words of the psalmist, restores our "fortunes". Psalm 126 is a musical piece that pilgrims would sing on their pilgrimage up to Jerusalem—to Zion and the temple.
Like an ode to a lost wallet, the psalm is divided into two parts, each beginning with the restoration of the "fortunes" of Zion and God's people.
The phrase "restore our fortunes" is difficult to translate but it's usually used to denote the radical change between the conditions that existed as the result of the exile and the conditions that result from
God's restoration,
forgiveness
and divine favor.
It means the restoration of the situation between God and God's people that existed before the people's apostasy or rebellion. The people who were once lost,
scattered
and forgotten
would now be found,
brought together
and remembered forever. Notice, however, that the phrase is used as a past-present contrast between the two parts of the psalm. The first section brings up memories of the past. Back in the good old days, the psalmist seems to be saying, things were great, "dreamy," if you will.
Back then, he says, everyone laughed and shouted for joy.
Humans have a tendency to remember "the good old days" with fondness, and something like recovering a wallet or finding a photo from a bygone era makes us nostalgic.
Maybe it's part of our healthy defense mechanisms to dwell on good things, but the psalmist seems to imply that the passage of time and the painful remembrance of sin can turn the good old days into only a memory.
Reputations can be lost,
good memories clouded by hard truths,
and joy squelched by the realization of what we've lost.
From the moment of our birth, life is a series of loses! The psalmist, however, doesn't dwell on the past but invites God to restore the people's memories by giving them a vision of the future. Those shouts of joy whose echoes have long faded can be lifted again if we return to the Lord. "Restore our fortunes, O Lord," prays the psalmist in the present tense. What good things the pilgrims remember about the past they pray for in the present.
Zion can be restored,
sins can be forgiven,
new life can emerge
and a fresh start can be embarked upon.
The psalmist equates God's forgiveness and reconciling love to the way water flows in the desert—a vision of refreshment and sustenance in the midst of the harsh and brutal reality of the pain of life.
Such a vision turns tears and weeping into shouts of joy and the seed of hope can grow into a harvest that will sustain the people forever. The psalmist thus teaches us that joy isn't just a good feeling that arises spontaneously.
Instead, we feel joy most intently after the resolution of a period of distress.
It's one thing to be happy to be carrying around a wallet that we take for granted, it's quite another to find that wallet after a long period of searching for it frantically.
It's one thing to live in God's grace when everything's going well, but it's quite another to experience the reality of that same grace after a period when we ourselves have been lost,
searching
or distant from God.
It's not just something you nod and smile about but, it's something you have to shout about! Like Lent, Advent is a season of preparation,
self-examination,
repentance
and restoration.
The culture around us celebrates the "joy" of Easter and Christmas, but it's really more a general sense of warm and fuzzy feelings connected to holiday memories with family and friends.
The joy the Psalmist feels is not the warm and fuzzy feeling I have for Pixie, either!
Real joy only comes after we've been willing to allow God to deal with the brokenness in our lives,
which is what the season Advent is designed to do.
We can't really express the joy of being found unless we are first able to name the fact that we've been lost—that we need God!
We light the candle of "joy" during Advent because we want to recognize that the coming of Jesus is the climax of all of history.
That's why the babe in the manger is the ultimate discovery. When we were lost, God himself came to find us! Bill Fulton could only keep repeating "Thank you, thank you" when that long lost wallet showed up at his door in the hands of a caring school secretary.
The third Sunday of Advent is an opportunity for us to say "Thank you" to God for giving us the ability to discover our true identities as children of God and to shout with joy! You’ve heard the phrase, ‘Naughty Or Nice?’ If you've been naughty we are told that Santa may skip a nocturnal visit to your house.
This week I discovered that if you're not sure, you can go to http://www.santaclaus.net/Naughty.asp and type your name into a box, and Santa will do some research and let you know how you're doing.
When I typed in Mike Fillmore the naughty/nice meter went up to green which meant, “Great job, you are perfect!”
When I typed in— Norm Mowery, ops; I better not tell you any more!
The fact is you can't teach happiness.
You cannot earn it, buy it or deserve it.
It is a divine gift to receive rather than a goal to pursue. The opposite of joy is not sadness or sorrow but anxiety.
Jesus encouraged his followers, "Do not worry about your life. Consider the joy of the birds in their morning songs, or the flowers in their springtime glory.”
"Happiness is a warm puppy" is one of the most famous quotes by Peanuts comic strip creator, Charles Schulz.
Schulz is a man who, by every ordinary standard, should have known what happiness is. At the height of his success, in the 1980s, he was one of the 10 highest-paid entertainers in America. A not so recent biography of Schulz presents a different picture of this beloved figure's inner life. He was a tortured soul, troubled by frequent bouts with depression. In fact he was lonely and unhappy.
When Schulz was pulling in the unprecedented sum of over a million dollars a week from his comic strip and its merchandising empire he built an ice-hockey rink outside his family's home in Santa Rosa.
Schulz's hockey rink includes a fully-equipped snack bar. It is called, "The Warm Puppy Snack Bar."
It's almost as though Schulz knew that happiness was not to be found in earning and spending millions, or in being world famous.
The truest happiness is found in small, ordinary experiences: like sitting quietly at home with a sleeping dog on one's lap.
That is what I intend to do this evening with Pixie!
The truest happiness is found, in other words, in simple gratitude for the goodness of God's creation.
Today, let God’s joy find you!
Will you please excuse me? I must go home and walk Pixie.
Prayer
O Creator, promise for the world, hear our prayers during this time of wait-ing. We hear your call to journey toward the light, and yet we stumble. Our journey toward your promise of Christ's coming is filled with doubt, pain and often despair that there is meaning in the waiting.
Our losses, our worries overtake us, so that we dwell in darkness rather than moving toward the light.
[silent prayer]
Create in us the thread of hope that pulls us forward from promise to the miracle of new life.
Create in us a clean spirit so that our journey is no longerweary, but filled with the energy of adventure!
As the Christ child comes, so we, too, come back to you this day and we join disciples of all ages in praying your prayer saying…..
Psalm 126 12/11/2011 Third Sunday of Advent
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
The theme for this the third Sunday of Advent is JOY.
Talk about joy.
Yesterday, from the first moment that I met Pixie, I experienced sheer joy! Pixie is the cutest, most lovable and adorable rescue dog in the whole world. I am thrilled to announce that Linda and I are in the process of becoming Pixie’s family.
It was sheer joy for me at first sight.
Some weeks ago I read about a man who recovered his wallet that was lost for 63 years, and rejoices.
I thought that that story was a great example of joy until I met Pixie.
As we journey to the Christ Event during this Advent Season, we imagine the joy that man had as he recovered a piece of his identity!
Have you ever lost your wallet? It’s hard to imagine something more traumatic.
Our wallets contain the proof of our identity,
They tell others we're licensed to drive a car,
We carry our cash and credit cards in them,
just about everything we need to move about in the world can be found in our wallets.
You can tell a lot about a person by what they have in their wallets.
A few years ago as Linda and I were flying to China we lost Linda’s Passport.
Panic.
Fear.
I could imagine either being sent home or going to jail when we arrived in Bejing.
Relief.
Joy—when the flight attendant found it among the purses on the floor of the plane.
It was a man named Bill Fulton who lost his wallet in 1946, and 63 years later he'd pretty much forgotten about it. Bill's not sure exactly when or under what circumstances he accidentally dropped his smooth leather wallet behind the wooden bleachers at Baker Middle School in Baker City, Oregon.
It was probably during a basketball game between the Baker Bulldogs and some long forgotten opponent.
There it sat for 63 years until a worker found it in June 2009, while tearing out the old bleachers at the school.
The wallet was found right where Bill had dropped it; along with stuff other students had dropped back there during the school's history:
some old homework,
and lost library books. The next day, the Baker Middle School secretary brought the newly found wallet to Fulton's home in Baker City and reported, "He was pretty much amazed.”
"He just kept saying, 'Thank you. Thank you so much.'" Bill was overjoyed to have it back, but not necessarily because of what was still in it. His Social Security Card was still tucked in its usual place. He didn't have any cash to begin with, so none was missing. His bicycle license was in there.
While all those things were important at the time, the real value of the wallet for Bill was the memories it brought back of a wonderful period in his 78 years of life. After high school, Bill went off to the Korean War, then to Berlin, and back to Baker City where he worked for a lumber company for 30 years.
If only for a moment, feeling the leather of that long lost wallet reminded Bill that life has all been worth it, and reminds him of who he is. Finding something we've lost—especially something as valuable as a wallet that reminds us who we are—is cause for both relief and joy.
On this Sunday during Advent, as we light the candle of joy, we celebrate the fact that God exposes our lost and hidden identity and, to borrow the words of the psalmist, restores our "fortunes". Psalm 126 is a musical piece that pilgrims would sing on their pilgrimage up to Jerusalem—to Zion and the temple.
Like an ode to a lost wallet, the psalm is divided into two parts, each beginning with the restoration of the "fortunes" of Zion and God's people.
The phrase "restore our fortunes" is difficult to translate but it's usually used to denote the radical change between the conditions that existed as the result of the exile and the conditions that result from
God's restoration,
forgiveness
and divine favor.
It means the restoration of the situation between God and God's people that existed before the people's apostasy or rebellion. The people who were once lost,
scattered
and forgotten
would now be found,
brought together
and remembered forever. Notice, however, that the phrase is used as a past-present contrast between the two parts of the psalm. The first section brings up memories of the past. Back in the good old days, the psalmist seems to be saying, things were great, "dreamy," if you will.
Back then, he says, everyone laughed and shouted for joy.
Humans have a tendency to remember "the good old days" with fondness, and something like recovering a wallet or finding a photo from a bygone era makes us nostalgic.
Maybe it's part of our healthy defense mechanisms to dwell on good things, but the psalmist seems to imply that the passage of time and the painful remembrance of sin can turn the good old days into only a memory.
Reputations can be lost,
good memories clouded by hard truths,
and joy squelched by the realization of what we've lost.
From the moment of our birth, life is a series of loses! The psalmist, however, doesn't dwell on the past but invites God to restore the people's memories by giving them a vision of the future. Those shouts of joy whose echoes have long faded can be lifted again if we return to the Lord. "Restore our fortunes, O Lord," prays the psalmist in the present tense. What good things the pilgrims remember about the past they pray for in the present.
Zion can be restored,
sins can be forgiven,
new life can emerge
and a fresh start can be embarked upon.
The psalmist equates God's forgiveness and reconciling love to the way water flows in the desert—a vision of refreshment and sustenance in the midst of the harsh and brutal reality of the pain of life.
Such a vision turns tears and weeping into shouts of joy and the seed of hope can grow into a harvest that will sustain the people forever. The psalmist thus teaches us that joy isn't just a good feeling that arises spontaneously.
Instead, we feel joy most intently after the resolution of a period of distress.
It's one thing to be happy to be carrying around a wallet that we take for granted, it's quite another to find that wallet after a long period of searching for it frantically.
It's one thing to live in God's grace when everything's going well, but it's quite another to experience the reality of that same grace after a period when we ourselves have been lost,
searching
or distant from God.
It's not just something you nod and smile about but, it's something you have to shout about! Like Lent, Advent is a season of preparation,
self-examination,
repentance
and restoration.
The culture around us celebrates the "joy" of Easter and Christmas, but it's really more a general sense of warm and fuzzy feelings connected to holiday memories with family and friends.
The joy the Psalmist feels is not the warm and fuzzy feeling I have for Pixie, either!
Real joy only comes after we've been willing to allow God to deal with the brokenness in our lives,
which is what the season Advent is designed to do.
We can't really express the joy of being found unless we are first able to name the fact that we've been lost—that we need God!
We light the candle of "joy" during Advent because we want to recognize that the coming of Jesus is the climax of all of history.
That's why the babe in the manger is the ultimate discovery. When we were lost, God himself came to find us! Bill Fulton could only keep repeating "Thank you, thank you" when that long lost wallet showed up at his door in the hands of a caring school secretary.
The third Sunday of Advent is an opportunity for us to say "Thank you" to God for giving us the ability to discover our true identities as children of God and to shout with joy! You’ve heard the phrase, ‘Naughty Or Nice?’ If you've been naughty we are told that Santa may skip a nocturnal visit to your house.
This week I discovered that if you're not sure, you can go to http://www.santaclaus.net/Naughty.asp and type your name into a box, and Santa will do some research and let you know how you're doing.
When I typed in Mike Fillmore the naughty/nice meter went up to green which meant, “Great job, you are perfect!”
When I typed in— Norm Mowery, ops; I better not tell you any more!
The fact is you can't teach happiness.
You cannot earn it, buy it or deserve it.
It is a divine gift to receive rather than a goal to pursue. The opposite of joy is not sadness or sorrow but anxiety.
Jesus encouraged his followers, "Do not worry about your life. Consider the joy of the birds in their morning songs, or the flowers in their springtime glory.”
"Happiness is a warm puppy" is one of the most famous quotes by Peanuts comic strip creator, Charles Schulz.
Schulz is a man who, by every ordinary standard, should have known what happiness is. At the height of his success, in the 1980s, he was one of the 10 highest-paid entertainers in America. A not so recent biography of Schulz presents a different picture of this beloved figure's inner life. He was a tortured soul, troubled by frequent bouts with depression. In fact he was lonely and unhappy.
When Schulz was pulling in the unprecedented sum of over a million dollars a week from his comic strip and its merchandising empire he built an ice-hockey rink outside his family's home in Santa Rosa.
Schulz's hockey rink includes a fully-equipped snack bar. It is called, "The Warm Puppy Snack Bar."
It's almost as though Schulz knew that happiness was not to be found in earning and spending millions, or in being world famous.
The truest happiness is found in small, ordinary experiences: like sitting quietly at home with a sleeping dog on one's lap.
That is what I intend to do this evening with Pixie!
The truest happiness is found, in other words, in simple gratitude for the goodness of God's creation.
Today, let God’s joy find you!
Will you please excuse me? I must go home and walk Pixie.
Prayer
O Creator, promise for the world, hear our prayers during this time of wait-ing. We hear your call to journey toward the light, and yet we stumble. Our journey toward your promise of Christ's coming is filled with doubt, pain and often despair that there is meaning in the waiting.
Our losses, our worries overtake us, so that we dwell in darkness rather than moving toward the light.
[silent prayer]
Create in us the thread of hope that pulls us forward from promise to the miracle of new life.
Create in us a clean spirit so that our journey is no longerweary, but filled with the energy of adventure!
As the Christ child comes, so we, too, come back to you this day and we join disciples of all ages in praying your prayer saying…..
Monday, December 5, 2011
Restore Us, O God: Peace, December 4, 2011
After a very long and boring sermon, the parishioners filed out of the church saying nothing to the preacher. Toward the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the sermons. "Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" The pastor was thrilled. "No one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why." "Well," said the parishioner, "It reminded me of the Peace of God because it ‘passed all understanding’ and the Love of God because ‘it endured forever!’"
Psalm 85 contains the verb "to restore." This suggests a theme that speaks to the spiritual hunger within us—that of having once known a very precious truth or felt a very special experience that has somehow slipped from our grasp.
The human dilemma is that we spend a lot of time groping
on our hands and knees in the dark,
hoping to find a light that will reveal the meaning of life, or a lantern that will light our path.
What we need is the Light of the World, to come to us and reveal the truth, and perhaps to remind us that the treasure we've been seeking isn't the true treasure after all.
Last Sunday I talked about the Restoration of Hope. Today we look at the Restoration of Peace.
On Friday night Linda and I took our granddaughters, Emma and Kira, to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Devendorf Park. It was a festive time with Santa, music, food, hot cider—an all American evening.
I couldn’t wait to see the expressions on my granddaughter’s faces when the tree would be turned into brilliant red and green lights.
As I waited I thought, “I wish that we could just wait for a time and then magically the world would be transformed into a world of peace.”
After counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 the tree magically changed from darkness to brilliance and I was not disappointed by Emma and Kira’s reactions. Emma said several times. “This is the best day of my life!” and “This is like the magic at Disneyland.” And grandpa’s eyes got tears!
That is the magic that the Psalmist expresses as he visions the restoration of peace in our world. I have come across a chain of stores called Restoration Hardware. This high-end store is where people go when they want to step back in time and buy an item that reminds them of some golden age from the past like:
Paris in the 1880s.
Hollywood in the 1940s.
The space race of the 1960s. People who buy things at Restoration Hardware look back with longing, feeling that something precious has been lost. They want a missing treasure to be restored. And so do we. Our world’s darkness is not going to be eliminated by a Hollywood lamp designed to illuminate the famous faces of classic films.
We long for a lantern that will light our path,
a beacon to guide us and lead us home.
And so we light a candle—an Advent candle.
Each Sunday we light another candle and say, "Restore us, O God." Restore our hope.
Restore our peace.
Restore our joy.
Restore your love. We know we need restoration but not something we can buy at Restoration Hardware.
True peace will escape us until our restless hearts begin to rest in God.
Serenity cannot be granted by
a diploma,
a promotion,
a McMansion
or a luxury sedan.
It comes to us as a gift from God, and it includes the restoration of our relationship with God. I recently learned about an artist named Franck Mercedes who is taking the idea of peace packages literally. He mails small boxes with abstract designs on the outside to anyone, anywhere in the world—for free. Pasted under the address is a label that reads:
Fragile.
Handle with Care.
Contains Peace.
When I read about that I thought, “That’s fun. I’ll order one.” When I did so I discovered that it would be back ordered for eight months unless I paid extra and got VIP shipping! That’s the way it is with peace. We wait patiently. There is not enough of it available so it is back ordered and if we want it now we must pay a price! Franck says that we expect something of value to come in a box. But his boxes are empty of everything except a message that has no price, such as "Peace," "Love" or "Hope." Since 2006, the artist and his wife have mailed more than 9,000 boxes to people around the world. Franck's hope is that people who receive his boxes will devote some thought and conversation to intangibles such as peace, love and hope. The idea has now spread to schools and churches that are making their own boxes. God offers a peace package, too. When God sends a peace package, the box is never empty and it is not back ordered. You don’t pay extra for express shipping. God offers peace but God requires a response. The only way we will benefit from this gift is to accept it. Each of us must accept this package, instead of choosing to "return to sender," unopened. When we open it, a precious collection of treasures spills out. "Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet," says the psalm, "righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps". God's peace package contains more than meets the eye. Packed into this box is the entire character of God:
Steadfast love,
faithfulness,
righteousness,
peace and goodness.
All of these qualities are intertwined and mutually supportive, since love is connected closely to faithfulness, and true peace is always dependent on the presence of justice and righteousness.
It is impossible for peace to exist in a community or a country that is marked by injustice and unrighteousness. As one American leader said in the mid-20th century, "Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin." The speaker was not a peace activist or a radical. He was Dwight David Eisenhower, five-star general and president of the United States.
Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin, in the world as we know it and in the peace package that comes to us from God. As the Hebrew prophet Micah says, “Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God.” When we tear open this package, we find the gift of God's own self.
We need this gift now more than ever because we are not going to find peace by shopping at Restoration Hardware—even if we could afford it.
The economic recovery is moving slowly, and our material fortunes have not yet been restored. But even in tough economic times, God gives us the gift of non-material wealth:
Steadfast love,
faithfulness,
righteousness,
peace,
and goodness. Nonmaterial wealth.
Not the kind of riches we normally pursue. We don't really need Hollywood lamps or space pens, aviator-wing desks or models of the Eiffel Tower—all things you can buy at Restoration Hardware. The treasure that needs restoration today is the gift of Christ at Christmas.
It is through the birth of Jesus that God speaks "peace to his people."
Our homework is to send a peace package? In this season of Advent, why not respond to God’s gift by sending out some peace packages of your own? So what could it mean to send a peace package?
Extend steadfast love to a teenager who is rebelling.
Practice faithfulness in your marriage.
Show kindness in your school or workplace, by being honest and fair in all of your activities.
Work for peace in your relationships,
looking for ways to reduce tensions and increase harmony
.
If you invest as much in these packages as in your holiday gifts this year will turn out to be your best Christmas ever.
Restore us, O God. Give us the gift of your peace, so that we can share it with others.
Prayer
Most gracious God, we are bound for Bethlehem and we come with gratitude that you are ever with us as we journey.
Help us as we travel to stay on the path and keep us focused on the purpose of our mission.
We confess that in the busyness of this season, we stray from the holy day and concentrate instead on the holiday.
So we would ask that you guide us. As we put up our Christmas lights, might we be reminded of your light.
As we trim our trees, let us take time to share the treasured memories of family gatherings so that it is your love that decorates our homes.
As we shop for gifts, keep us mindful of whose birthday we celebrate.
When we bake cookies and make candy, let us stir in forgiveness ... serenity ... peace ... joy ... and love so that they reflect the gift of your presence. We are bound for Bethlehem, O God.
We each must answer as to whether there is room inside the inn of our hearts for you.
Grant that it might be so.
We pray in the name of the one whom the wisest seek, the baby Jesus the Christ, the Messiah who taught us to say…
Psalm 85 contains the verb "to restore." This suggests a theme that speaks to the spiritual hunger within us—that of having once known a very precious truth or felt a very special experience that has somehow slipped from our grasp.
The human dilemma is that we spend a lot of time groping
on our hands and knees in the dark,
hoping to find a light that will reveal the meaning of life, or a lantern that will light our path.
What we need is the Light of the World, to come to us and reveal the truth, and perhaps to remind us that the treasure we've been seeking isn't the true treasure after all.
Last Sunday I talked about the Restoration of Hope. Today we look at the Restoration of Peace.
On Friday night Linda and I took our granddaughters, Emma and Kira, to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Devendorf Park. It was a festive time with Santa, music, food, hot cider—an all American evening.
I couldn’t wait to see the expressions on my granddaughter’s faces when the tree would be turned into brilliant red and green lights.
As I waited I thought, “I wish that we could just wait for a time and then magically the world would be transformed into a world of peace.”
After counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 the tree magically changed from darkness to brilliance and I was not disappointed by Emma and Kira’s reactions. Emma said several times. “This is the best day of my life!” and “This is like the magic at Disneyland.” And grandpa’s eyes got tears!
That is the magic that the Psalmist expresses as he visions the restoration of peace in our world. I have come across a chain of stores called Restoration Hardware. This high-end store is where people go when they want to step back in time and buy an item that reminds them of some golden age from the past like:
Paris in the 1880s.
Hollywood in the 1940s.
The space race of the 1960s. People who buy things at Restoration Hardware look back with longing, feeling that something precious has been lost. They want a missing treasure to be restored. And so do we. Our world’s darkness is not going to be eliminated by a Hollywood lamp designed to illuminate the famous faces of classic films.
We long for a lantern that will light our path,
a beacon to guide us and lead us home.
And so we light a candle—an Advent candle.
Each Sunday we light another candle and say, "Restore us, O God." Restore our hope.
Restore our peace.
Restore our joy.
Restore your love. We know we need restoration but not something we can buy at Restoration Hardware.
True peace will escape us until our restless hearts begin to rest in God.
Serenity cannot be granted by
a diploma,
a promotion,
a McMansion
or a luxury sedan.
It comes to us as a gift from God, and it includes the restoration of our relationship with God. I recently learned about an artist named Franck Mercedes who is taking the idea of peace packages literally. He mails small boxes with abstract designs on the outside to anyone, anywhere in the world—for free. Pasted under the address is a label that reads:
Fragile.
Handle with Care.
Contains Peace.
When I read about that I thought, “That’s fun. I’ll order one.” When I did so I discovered that it would be back ordered for eight months unless I paid extra and got VIP shipping! That’s the way it is with peace. We wait patiently. There is not enough of it available so it is back ordered and if we want it now we must pay a price! Franck says that we expect something of value to come in a box. But his boxes are empty of everything except a message that has no price, such as "Peace," "Love" or "Hope." Since 2006, the artist and his wife have mailed more than 9,000 boxes to people around the world. Franck's hope is that people who receive his boxes will devote some thought and conversation to intangibles such as peace, love and hope. The idea has now spread to schools and churches that are making their own boxes. God offers a peace package, too. When God sends a peace package, the box is never empty and it is not back ordered. You don’t pay extra for express shipping. God offers peace but God requires a response. The only way we will benefit from this gift is to accept it. Each of us must accept this package, instead of choosing to "return to sender," unopened. When we open it, a precious collection of treasures spills out. "Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet," says the psalm, "righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps". God's peace package contains more than meets the eye. Packed into this box is the entire character of God:
Steadfast love,
faithfulness,
righteousness,
peace and goodness.
All of these qualities are intertwined and mutually supportive, since love is connected closely to faithfulness, and true peace is always dependent on the presence of justice and righteousness.
It is impossible for peace to exist in a community or a country that is marked by injustice and unrighteousness. As one American leader said in the mid-20th century, "Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin." The speaker was not a peace activist or a radical. He was Dwight David Eisenhower, five-star general and president of the United States.
Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin, in the world as we know it and in the peace package that comes to us from God. As the Hebrew prophet Micah says, “Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God.” When we tear open this package, we find the gift of God's own self.
We need this gift now more than ever because we are not going to find peace by shopping at Restoration Hardware—even if we could afford it.
The economic recovery is moving slowly, and our material fortunes have not yet been restored. But even in tough economic times, God gives us the gift of non-material wealth:
Steadfast love,
faithfulness,
righteousness,
peace,
and goodness. Nonmaterial wealth.
Not the kind of riches we normally pursue. We don't really need Hollywood lamps or space pens, aviator-wing desks or models of the Eiffel Tower—all things you can buy at Restoration Hardware. The treasure that needs restoration today is the gift of Christ at Christmas.
It is through the birth of Jesus that God speaks "peace to his people."
Our homework is to send a peace package? In this season of Advent, why not respond to God’s gift by sending out some peace packages of your own? So what could it mean to send a peace package?
Extend steadfast love to a teenager who is rebelling.
Practice faithfulness in your marriage.
Show kindness in your school or workplace, by being honest and fair in all of your activities.
Work for peace in your relationships,
looking for ways to reduce tensions and increase harmony
.
If you invest as much in these packages as in your holiday gifts this year will turn out to be your best Christmas ever.
Restore us, O God. Give us the gift of your peace, so that we can share it with others.
Prayer
Most gracious God, we are bound for Bethlehem and we come with gratitude that you are ever with us as we journey.
Help us as we travel to stay on the path and keep us focused on the purpose of our mission.
We confess that in the busyness of this season, we stray from the holy day and concentrate instead on the holiday.
So we would ask that you guide us. As we put up our Christmas lights, might we be reminded of your light.
As we trim our trees, let us take time to share the treasured memories of family gatherings so that it is your love that decorates our homes.
As we shop for gifts, keep us mindful of whose birthday we celebrate.
When we bake cookies and make candy, let us stir in forgiveness ... serenity ... peace ... joy ... and love so that they reflect the gift of your presence. We are bound for Bethlehem, O God.
We each must answer as to whether there is room inside the inn of our hearts for you.
Grant that it might be so.
We pray in the name of the one whom the wisest seek, the baby Jesus the Christ, the Messiah who taught us to say…
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