Discover the Wonder of Life: 2. By Reaching into Ourselves
The Church of the Wayfarer
Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor
July 31, 2011
Isaiah 55:1-6
In an email this week Clay Berling asked, “Are you as old as dirt?” Then he goes on to say that you are as old as dirt if you remember the Burma Shave signs. How many of you remember the Burma Shave signs?
For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's, 40s and '50's. Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.
They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart. Isn't it funny that back then it seemed we would never get to the next sign, at the speed Dad was driving?!
Each sign contained 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.
Here are some of the actual signs:
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEADTO GAIN A MINUTEYOU NEED YOUR HEADYOUR BRAINS ARE IN ITBURMA SHAVE
BROTHER SPEEDERLET'S REHEARSEALL TOGETHERGOOD MORNING, NURSEBURMA SHAVE
SPEED WAS HIGHWEATHER WAS NOTTIRES WERE THINX MARKS THE SPOTBURMA SHAVETHE MIDNIGHT RIDEOF PAUL FOR BEERLED TO A WARMERHEMISPHEREBURMA SHAVEAROUND THE CURVELICKETY-SPLITBEAUTIFUL CARWASN'T IT?BURMA SHAVE
So, Clay, are you older than dirt? I guess some of us are, too.
The message of all of these signs was to slow down, enjoy the ride and be safe. That is my message today.
The Burma Shave signs sound a lot like the Psalmist who said,
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Or, the writer of Isaiah giving an invitation to an abundant life,
“Incline your ear,
and come to me;
listen,
so that you may live.”
and, “Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near.”
This is the second in a series of three messages based on our Mission Statement which is:
Discover the wonder of lifeat Carmel’s Church of the Wayfarer by
Reaching up to God
Reaching in to ourselves
Reaching out to others
Last Sunday I talked about the wonder of life and I said that life is truly a wonder as we reach up to a loving, forgiving, caring God who at the same time is reaching down to us.
Isaiah 55 is an invitation to an abundant, fulfilling, satisfying life.
The invitation has your name on it.
The invitation is personally addressed to you.
The invitation is for everyone!
Isaiah 55 starts with the word, “Ho.” What fun. “Ho!” H-O.
To my knowledge this is the only place in the Bible where we find the word, “Ho.”
“Ho, everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters!”
The writer wants to get our attention and does so with the word, “Ho!”
If you are thirsty.
If you are longing for something more in life.
If you are not satisfied.
“Ho.” Come to the waters.
The waters are flowing.
The waters are crystal pure.
There is plenty of water for everyone.
“Ho.” Come and get it.
Jesus says it this way,
“Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest.”
The message this morning is that we not only find God by reaching up but also by reaching in to ourselves to find the God within.
The setting of Isaiah 55 is Babylon where the people of Judah are in exile. What a surprising invitation! Four times the Lord invites us to “come.” Imagine the excitement for people who where experiencing severe drought to be invited to quench their thirst with abundant water.
Some of us here this morning are longing for that living water. The good news is, “Ho. Come and get it through prayer.”
Prayer for the Christian is firmly established in the life and ministry of Jesus. Prayer is the singularly central means for experiencing God’s grace. The Christian spiritual life is established and maintained by prayer. It is the means by which we relate to God—and Christianity is, at its heart, a relationship.
Remember the words of Isaiah, “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” As we seek I want is to do four things.
1. Pray.
I call our church to be a church of prayer. Gin Weathers is a wonderful new friend. We both serve on the Carmel Chamber of Commerce Board. It is her vision that we start a prayer group for local business people here in the early morning. This is my prayer!
2. Take Inventory.
As we look within we can take inventory and ask—
Am I the kind of person God wants me to be?
Am I the kind of person I want to be?
Am I the kind of person that people around me need me to be?
From time to time I go in search of a rock to sit on. Rock sitting is a good thing. As we rush here and there in life we miss the inner solitude and peace that is deep within. As I ‘rock sit’ I take inventory of my life.
3. Love yourself.
In her book The Body Love Manual, Lily Hills, talks about recovering a sense of self esteem—of loving ourselves.
As we reach in to ourselves we can know that we are:
Created in God’s Image
A beautiful Child of God’s
A unique individual with a special purpose.
I have a secret to tell you. There is something you have never seen but I see it every day—actually several times a day. I am the only one who sees it because it is in the restroom off my office.
It is a beautiful needle work of art that was made for me by my sister-in-law, Laura, who is here this morning. It says:
“I’m me.
I’m beautiful….
Because God don’t make junk!
4. Search. Question. Think.
Yesterday Ted Getschman and I spent a couple of hours discussing the meaning of life, birth and death. I believe that insight is within us as we stop and think. What did that Burma Shave sign say?
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEADTO GAIN A MINUTEYOU NEED YOUR HEADYOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
God wants us to stop, be still and think.
It is my privilege to introduce Elizabeth “Lily” Hills who is an award winning author, life coach and founder of the Body Love Center, a coaching service designed to assist women in developing connected and accepting relationships with their bodies as they heal food addictions. Her award winning book The Body Love Manual—How to love the body you have as you create the body you want is a result of her personal recovery.
Lily co-hosts a television talk show: The Third Side….because there are always more than two sides to every story.
She lives life to the fullest right here in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
1. The Body Love Manual is not just about weight loss it is about getting to know ourselves. How do we do that?
2. You say, “With each passing year, I have reached deeper levels of friendship with my body.” What do you mean by that?
3. In your book you have written, “I have learned to value myself independent of how I look, and I am experiencing peace and happiness on levels I didn’t know were available to me.” That must be a wonderful place to be in life, isn’t it?
Prayer
Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh on your people gathered here in this special place.
May the world know your desire for all people to praise andgive thanks?
In our differences, bring unity;
in our lethargy, bring life;
in our despair, bring hope!
Surprising God, generous God,
your Spirit is among us,
sending us into new adventures,
opening new doors,
exploring possibility beyond our dreams.
May we be a people filled with the desire to respond,
with the energy for your purpose,
for the centeredness that only your Spirit can bring.
Today we pray for Ward Prickett, Laney Dowlen and Virginia Babka who were hospitalized this week and we continue to lift up the Lorenz family during this time of loss.
We also pray for the political leaders of our country during this time of conflicting ideals.
Grant us new life in the Spirit this very day, for we pray in the name of Jesus our Christ who taught us to pray saying……….
