Sermons in Glass 11. Missions

Sermons in Glass: 11. Missions

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

November 17, 2013

Matthew 2:13-16; Luke 24:1-5

          One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church, to which he replied, “I’m not going.”

          “Why not?” she asked.

          “I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. At that church—

                   1. “They don’t like me, and

                   2. I don’t like them.”

          His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church today:

          1. You’re 59 years old, and

          2. You’re the pastor!”

          I found that in my box this week!

          I do like you and I know you like me so I am here this morning!

          I can always tell when my sermons are getting a little dry because someone always comes to the rescue with a joke.

          Before I go to the ‘Sermon in Glass’ message I want us to pause to remember two great men.

          Both died on the same day, November 22, 1963, 50 years ago this coming Friday. They are:

          President John F. Kennedy, and

          C.S. Lewis.

          The death of C.S. Lewis was overshadowed by the assassination of Kennedy. C.S. Lewis touched my life in a special way with his books, Mere Christianity and Screwtape Letters.  

          I could do a whole sermon on C.S. Lewis but instead we will go to Lancet 11 in our Stained Glass windows in this series based on the ‘Sermons in Glass’ from our windows.

         

          The stories in our windows are

                   stories of the life of Jesus,

                   stories of faith,

                   stories of history,

                   Bible stories that have been passed down through the years.

          They surround us each Sunday and I think that it is important that we know them.

          In fact, next Sunday, there will be a quiz and a prize for the person who can identify the most pictures. The prize will be that you don’t have to listen to my sermon! NOT!

          In today’s window Jesus triumphantly emerges from the tomb in this scene of resurrection.

 

          Then we go back to the beginning of Jesus’ life. Here we have the flight into Egypt. Joseph, Mary and Jesus leave Judea, having been warned of Herod’s rage, and escape the “Slaughter of the Innocents.”

          And finally, Albert Schweitzer, doctor, missionary, scholar, minister and musician stands at the pinnacle of twentieth century western civilization.

          Here we have two stories of Jesus life.

                   An event that happened when he was an infant, and

                   Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

          There is an unusual Easter card on the market. It is designed to look like a Christmas greeting card.

          The upper half of the card features a nativity scene with a baby in a manger, surrounded by adoring shepherds.

          The lower half of the card features those same shepherds, 30 years later, standing before Jesus' empty tomb.

          Ever wonder which revelation of God was greater news to tell?

                   Was it the birth of God's love?

                             Or the triumph of God's love over death and hell?

          Isn’t it interesting that in the same lancet we have both miracles—

                   Jesus birth and resurrection.

          It takes child-like trust in God's love and assurance to have faith in these two visions of love incarnate.

          1. Jesus triumphantly emerges from the tomb.  

          Do you see the butterfly?

          Jesus is still wrapped in the grave cloths coming out of the tomb.

          The phrase in this scripture that stands out to me every time I read it is the question by the angels,

           “Why are you looking for Him who is alive among the dead?

                    He is not here. He is risen?”

          This is the all-important question for us this morning. There are some of us who still look for Jesus among the dead.

·        There are those who regard Jesus as the greatest man who ever lived on earth and who then died.

          That will not do.

                   Jesus is not dead; He is alive.

                             He is not a hero of the past;

                             Jesus is a living presence today.

·        There are those who regard Jesus as a man whose life must be studied and whose teaching must be analyzed. Jesus is not only someone to be studied; he is someone to be met and lived with every day in life.

Jesus is a living presence.

·        There are those who see in Jesus the perfect pattern and example.

He is that.

He is not only the pattern and the example,

          he helps us,

          and guides us,

          and strengthens us to follow that pattern.

He is not simply a model for life; Jesus is a living presence.

It might just be that our faith has lacked something essential because we too have been looking for Him who is alive among the dead.

          2. The flight into Egypt.

          This picture tells a story about Jesus early life—one we don’t talk about very often. When Jesus was a baby his parents were afraid that Herod would kill him along with all the other male children under two years old.

          This was called ‘the slaughter of the innocents.’

          The ancient world had no doubt that God sent his messages to people in dreams. So Joseph was warned in a dream to flee into Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous intentions.

         
          Matthew shows that Jesus' early childhood consisted of a series of moves—        the whole family shifted from place to place, giving Jesus a lot in common with modern day "army brats" and "preachers' kids."

          Joseph and Mary live both undercover and underground in order to safeguard their child's life.

          Joseph is told that no less than King Herod himself wants the baby not worshiped, but killed.

          Joseph's obedience to the angel's warning is immediate and unquestioning. He turns away from

                   his homeland,

                   his established livelihood,

                   and goes "underground" for the sake of his family's safety.

          Matthew's gospel interjects into the birth narrative the intertwined stories of the baby Jesus' family's flight into Egypt, and the murderous rage of Herod the Great.

          The so-called "slaughter of the innocents" recounts a crime so heinous that it continues to confound and confuse us—even with today’s violence.

          This is a story of choices.

          Joseph faced a night of terror.

          Faced with the choice of staying where it was comfortable and familiar or leaving for a strange land, he chose the latter, based on the divinely relayed word of warning he had received in the dream.

          We, too, face the same choice. We can stay where it is comfortable or go through new doors of opportunities.

          What doors?
          • The door of resentment, opening up possibilities for achievement.
          • The door of materialism, opening up opportunities for contentment.
          • The door of destructive habits, opening up pathways of freedom.
          • The door of sterile spirituality, opening up vistas of growth and maturity.
          • The door of relational distance, opening up circles of intimacy.
          • The door of entrenched attitudes, opening up arenas of openness and flexibility.

          When we are crippled by fear there is one thing to do—open the unknown door.

          This past week I spent time with a business man in our community. With tears in his eyes he shared his fears with me. Among them was fear of failure—he had a major business set back that day.

         

          Joseph had fear for his family.

          So, he opened the door to a strange land.

          We can do the same.

          3. Albert Schweitzer was a German—and later French—

theologian, organist, philosopher, physician,

and medical missionary in Africa,

known for his interpretive life of Jesus.

          He challenged both the secular view of Jesus as depicted by historical-critical methodology current at his time in certain academic circles, as well as the traditional Christian view.

          He depicted Jesus as one who literally believed the end of the world was coming in his own lifetime and believed himself to be a world savior.

          Schweitzer received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life.”

          Among his famous writings is the book, The Quest of the Historical Jesus.

If you go home and read it you will get extra credit for today!

          From 1952 until his death he worked against nuclear tests and nuclear weapons with Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn and Bertrand Russell.

          Dr. Albert Schweitzer was not without controversy particularly his paternalistic attitudes regarding the Africans he worked with.

          Dr. Paul Woudenberg was the pastor here when the windows were installed. He spent time with Albert Schweitzer and even wrote a book about him.

          I have talked with Paul a couple of  times over the past weeks as I have worked on these sermons. This past week I asked him about the criticism of Schweitzer. His response was instant, “Schweitzer was totally honorable and this criticism is nonsense.”

          There are many Schweitzer quotes that I like:

          “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.

          It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.

          We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

          “Success is not the key to happiness.

                    Happiness is the key to success.

          If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

          “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.”

          “Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”

          “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

          Today’s Sermon in Glass reminds us of the resurrection of Jesus,

                   the protection of Jesus because of Joseph’s courage,

                   and a unique, though flawed, visionary missionary.

         

         

Sermons in Glass 10. Sacrifice

Sermons in Glass: 10. Sacrifice

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

November 10, 2013

Genesis 22:11-14

            A few months ago a movie was filmed here at our church. It is ‘The Right Regrets’ staring Marilyn Mason. There was a private showing of it last Sunday at Del Monte Theaters so Linda and I attended. It is very good.

          The good news is that I was an extra in the movie.

          The bad news is that I was cut out and ended up on the editing room floor.

          After the movie Linda and I took the ‘red eye’ and flew all night to Pennsylvania to see my 94 year old mother for a couple of days.

          The good news is that we had a very fine visit with her.

          The bad news is that it was very hard to leave her. We both cried.

          Our ‘sermon in glass’ this morning has good news and bad news.

          This a series of messages based on the stories of faith in our stained glass windows. We are now looking at the tenth lancet.

          The top picture is the crucifixion of Jesus.

                    The good news is that the cross is a symbol of love.

                    The bad news is that the cross is a symbol of death.

          The Biblical Scene in the major theme window is of Abraham who is put to the test by God as he is required to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah.

         

          As he is about to plunge his knife into the boy, the angel tells him to stop. Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket which is offered up instead of the boy.     Sarah, Abraham’s wife, waits anxiously at home.

          The bad news is that Abraham was asked to sacrifice that which was most precious. 

          The good news is that God’s grace provided an alternative.

          The bottom window is of William Taylor an early Methodist preacher in San Francisco who preached at Union Square.

         

          Taylor Street is named for him.

          After seven years in California, Taylor went to Australia, and it is said that he returned with eucalyptus seedlings which introduced the tree to California. I am not sure how factual that is but that is what has been reported.

          He then went to South Africa. As a retired lay man he was elected Bishop of Africa and served twelve years in Liberia. In the window Bishop Taylor stands in front of the Golden Gate with a eucalyptus tree at his side.

          The good news is that William Taylor preached the gospel.

          The bad news is that he brought those nasty, dirty, fire prone eucalyptus trees to America. If you have ever seen El Camino Real in Burlingame following a storm you will know what I mean.

          The key word in all of the pictures is sacrifice.

          Sacrifice is the act of giving up something that you want to keep in order to get or do something else or to help someone.

          1. The Crucifixion of Jesus is the ultimate example of sacrifice.

                    Here the last act begins.

                    Here we see love’s extravagance.

                    Here we see love’s last appeal and the failure of friends.

                    Here we have courage and cowardice.

          2. Abraham was willing to sacrifice that which was most dear to him to fulfill God’s demands.

          There is hardly any more disturbing story in the Hebrew Scriptures than the binding of Isaac.

          The only way I can make sense out of this story is to think of it as a test. Genesis 22:1 says, “After these things God tested Abraham.”

          The Bible never meant its readers to understand that God would allow Isaac to be harmed. While Abraham apparently does not know, we are allowed to know that the whole episode is a TEST, a test of Abraham's devotion to God.

          If you're expecting me to resolve the Abraham and Isaac story for you, I can only say that I can’t.

          I don't have the answer.

          Some people say that Abraham's wife, Sarah, was there all the time, hidden, pushing the ram up the hill in order to save her child.

           It wouldn't surprise me to find that a woman once again had saved the day, and once again had been God's instrument—and had been left out of the story!

          I suspect that the story says more about the way the ancient Israelites understood God than it says about God himself or herself.

          There may not even be an answer.

          Muslims tell this same story but instead of Isaac the child is Ishmael.

          There is no way to soften this story.

                    You have to feel some sense of moral outrage.

                    This is a strange, strange story.

                              A command to kill a son.

                              An obedient father.

                              An example of great faith.

          We have to remember that this story comes after Abraham has walked with God for quite some time.

          He’s seen God provide for him over and over again.

          He has come to rely on God, rather than on luck, to sustain him.

          Now, in this ultimate ‘test’ of faith, Abraham puts everything on the line and demonstrates a radical dependence on God, even offering God the most valued part of his life.

          This was not the first test of Abraham and his wife Sarah.

          Remember, how they could not have children so Abraham had a child, Ishmael, by his servant Hagar.

          It was only when Abraham was 100 years old that Isaac was born.

         
          Let’s turn this story into a metaphor of today’s fathers.

 

          Some fathers today are sacrificing their children on the altar of:

                    Materialism

                    Societal expectations

                   Keeping up with cultural norms.

          There are other dads who put their children on the altar of their own needs and ego.
         

          Parenting has never been easy but perhaps there are even more challenges today.

          Linda and I were in the Amish country of Pennsylvania this week. There we heard about the challenges the Amish are facing with their teenage children even to the point of them going out with horse and buggy to party.

          One even got a DUI while driving a buggy!

          While we were three girls were in an accident with their buggy at 11:00 p.m. when they pulled out in front of a large SUV. They were injured seriously enough to be air lifted.

          Parenting has its challenges in all cultures.

          Malcom Gladwell has written a new book. It is David and Goliath. In it he says something very interesting. He says that parents who have an income of less than $75,000 a year can tell their children that they can’t afford to help the children buy a house or a car. They just can’t and the children know that it is true.

          However, he says that if families make more than $75,000 a year they have to say they won’t help their child because the children know they can. That is a very different message and creates a different dynamic between parent and child.

          My point is that parents today are tested just as Abraham was.

         

          From this unforgettable story of faith, let me extract two great truths.

          FIRST, ALL PEOPLE OF FAITH WILL BE TESTED.

          Not as Abraham was, but all of us will be tested.

          Without testing, one’s faith gets flabby.

          Remember, if you want to improve your cardio-vascular condition, you must exercise. So it is with faith too.

          God is not like a recreational director on a cruise ship, just wanting to make sure we are having a good time. God’s aim is to mature us, to grow us into Christ-like people.

          That involves testing!

          As you look back over your life, think of the times when you did the most growing and maturing.

          Were those periods when life was tranquil and easy or were those periods of difficulty?

          My guess is that we do most of our growing and maturing during times of stress and difficulty.

          There is a poem by Robert Browning Hamilton that I like.

“I walked a mile with pleasure;

she chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser

for all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow

and not a word said she;
But oh the things I learned from her

when sorrow walked with me.”

          If you are a follower of Jesus, you will be tested.

          Here is the second truth:

          GOD WILL PROVIDE AS MUCH HELP AS YOU WILL RECEIVE.

The Lord will provide!

          The most important help he provides is for our greatest need—forgiveness.

          In silence father and son walked the final steps to the mountain. As they approached their destination Isaac asked his father, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

          Abraham replied, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering my son." There was no other conversation as they slowly made their way up the mountain.

          A troubled father,

                   a trusting son,

                   making their way into the dim unknown.

          That's what faith is all about, isn't it?

          3. William Taylor was a person who put his faith into action from preaching in Union Square to South Africa to the West Indies to India and finally to Africa.

          He was tested many times.

          But he remained faithful.

          He was an amazing person living during the 1800s. Can you imagine San Francisco during this time? It was pre earthquake and during the gold rush.

          Here is his picture.

          John Wesley once said, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America.

          But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.

          And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”

          What he meant was that we need to be willing to sacrifice—to give up something that you want to keep in order to get or do something else or to help someone.

          Geoff Van Loucks has a challenge for us. It is an opportunity to sacrifice.

Geoff,would you come forward?

Prayer

          As the world rushes by, O God, we want to slow down and find meaning in
you.

          In the age of information, may we stop and listen and empty ourselves to
find the simple and true message about your love for every human being.
          Create in us a place that is not touched by the world that calls us to rush,
hurry, consume and satisfy all our wants.

          Simplify our desires so that they become one with your desire for us.

          And when we are weary, give us the strength to find the quiet place that renews us for the days ahead.

          In your goodness, we pray the prayer of the ages that you have taught us saying……. 

Sermons in Glass 9. Prayer

Sermons in Glass: 9. Prayer

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

November 3, 2013

Mark 14:32-35; Genesis 3:22-24; Genesis 7:1-5

            Today’s sermon moves us to the Garden Window. In the first lancet—

            Jesus Prays in great agony in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest.

          Adam and Eve are driven from the Garden of Eden after disobeying God’s command and the flaming sword is placed by God to bar them from re-entry and from the tree of life.

          The serpent watches the event and the apple, the symbol of their disobedience, lies on the ground.

          Fuchsias decorate the upper corners of the window.

          God destroys the world by flood because of sin, saving Noah and his family. Noah builds the ark in which two of all species on earth are preserved.

          A dove sent aloft on the forty-seventh day returns with an olive branch symbolizing the end of the flood.

          Isabella Thoburn was the first woman missionary to India sent in 1869 by the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society.

          She founded Lucknow University plus three high schools, three hospitals, four boarding schools and seventy day schools.

          She is pictured in front of the Taj Mahal. She died in 1901 of cholera.

          Artichokes decorate the upper corners.

          In this series of messages I am telling the stories that surround us in our stained glass windows.

                   They are Bible stories.

                   They are stories of faith.

                   They are stories that all Christians should know.

          The upper panels tell of the life of Jesus.

          The bottom panels are church history scenes.

          The six major theme windows are biblical scenes.

          The theme in all of today’s windows is prayer. Let’s think about prayer—particularly prayers to overcome evil.

                   Jesus struggled with the forces of evil in the garden of Gethsemane.

                   Adam and Eve struggled with evil in the Garden of Eden.

                   Noah struggled with evil as he built a big boat.

                   Isabella Thoburn traveled to India to educate the people about evil.

          Jesus knew that prayer was the only way to overcome evil.

          Prayer doesn’t really need to be taught.

                    It doesn’t require training, like being an astronaut.

                    It doesn’t require a manual, like flying a spacecraft.

                    It simply requires a heart willing to speak honestly to God.

          Prayer is not an interview of God,

                   or a speech to God,

                   it is a conversation with God.

          It is a time to listen for what God has to say back to you.

         

          Prayer means we are never alone.

          Even when we feel we are completely isolated, floating aimlessly through space, prayer is our lifeline to God.

         

          I can remember a plaque in the old stone Pennsylvania farm house I was raised in that said, ‘Prayer changes things.’

          Prayer is about unleashing the power of heaven to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

          1. Jesus prays ‘thy will be done’ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

          Last Sunday we saw Jesus in the Upper Room with his disciples.

          At that time the feelings must have been overwhelming for Jesus.

          Jesus needed some space. Even though he needed to be alone he took some of his closest friends with him to the Garden of Gethsemane.

                   There was a cloud over Jesus.

                   He knew that he was in trouble.

         

          In time of trouble we want someone with us.

                    We do not necessarily want them to do anything.

                    We do not necessarily even want to talk to them.

                    We do not want them to talk to us.

                    We only want them to be there.

          Jesus was like that. Certain things are clear about Jesus in this passage.

          He did not want to die but he had to compel himself to go on—just as we have to do so often.

          He did not fully understand why this had to be. He only knew beyond a doubt that this was the will of God, and that He must go on.

          He had to accept—as we so often have to do—what He could not understand.

          He submitted to the will of God as he prayed—Abba.

          Abba is the Aramaic for ‘My Father,’ and it was that one word which made all the difference.

          If we can call God ‘Father’ or ‘Mother’ everything becomes bearable.

          Jesus knew that.

          That is why He could go on—and it can be so with us.

          2. Adam and Eve

          The story of the Garden of Eden is about one little word.

                    It has three letters.

                    We don’t talk about it very much.

                    That word is—SIN!

         

          The Bible resounds with a crystal clear message.

          There is a power at work in the world whose mission is not of God's design.

                    You may call it a variety of names but nevertheless it is very real.

                    You may call it the devil, Satan, the serpent or simply evil.

          The point is that even Jesus had to wrestle with a power hostile to God in the Garden of Gethsemane.

          Recently I heard about a suburban neighborhood in which several residents were extremely upset at the reckless and fast driving that was occurring in their quiet subdivision. They organized a petition drive and demanded that the police patrol the area with greater frequency and penalize drivers who ignored the speed limits.

          The police obliged and immediately ticketed five drivers who ignored the speed limits. All of them were fuming at the fines they received. It seems, however, that all five of these ticketed drivers had signed the petition calling for enforcement.

          We hate sin, don't we? At least other people's sin!

          Mark Twain once said that Adam was only human—this explains it all.

          He did not want the fruit for the fruit's sake; he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent, says Twain, and then Adam would have eaten the serpent!

          Comedians have a great time with Adam and Eve in the garden, but there is nothing funny about temptation.

                   Millions of broken lives,

                   broken families,

                   broken hearts

          give testimony to the power of temptation in our lives.         

          As someone has said, "Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell."

          3. God destroys the world by flood

Why did the people on the ark think the horses were pessimistic?
          They kept saying neigh.
What kind of lights did Noah have on the ark?
          Flood lights.
Which animal took the most baggage into the ark?
          The elephant took his trunk.
Where did Noah keep the bees?
          In the ark hives.
Why couldn’t Noah catch many fish?
          He only had two worms.

          There are two principal characters in this drama.

                   Noah—so, what sort of ancient man builds a boat at the command of a                       God he cannot see?

                   God—and. what sort of God asks him to do it?

           Noah was a man who

                   saw what others didn't see;

                   heard what they didn't hear;

                   looked where others didn't look.

          He took risks and planned and acted, no matter what anyone thought or said.

          Did it matter to Noah that no one else dared build an ark where there seemed to be little need for one? No.

          What sort of man was Noah?

          The words "eccentric" and "patient" come to mind.

          The man's building a boat, the first of its kind, on dry land, in anticipation of a natural phenomenon that had never occurred before; moreover, he's cooped up in cramped quarters with his wife and family, not to speak of a boat load of animals, for 40 days and 40 nights.

          The Biblical account also tells us what he did when he got off the boat—he got drunk!
          Did Noah have doubts? Probably.

          Did he sometimes question himself? Likely.

          Wouldn't you?

          Noah was a risk-taker, a man who wagered his reputation, his wealth and all that he had on an idea—the idea that it is healthier to listen to what God says, than not to listen.

          Noah's character was strong enough to endure ridicule, tongue-clucking, name-calling and derision. He must have had high tolerance for public embarrassment.

          Noah was a righteous man, living in an unrighteous time, yet he was able to make good choices.

          It is always hard to be righteous and countercultural.

          It is as difficult now as it was then.

          Noah was a persistent man.

          Mrs. Noah might have called him stubborn.

          How much work does it take to build a huge ark without power tools or a lumber mill when you are 600 years old?

          Finally, he was a man who "walked with God.”

          He knew the companionship and fellowship of God, and when you have that in your life, you can put up with just about anything else.

          As for God—here we see—
                   A righteous and just God.
                   A merciful God.
                   A faithful God.
                   A personal God.
         

          4. Isabella Thoburn (1840–1901) was an American Christian missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church best known for her establishment of educational institutions and missionary work in North India.

          She was an American missionary to India whose work in education there, culminated in the founding of an important woman’s college and Methodist High School in Kanpur. These two educational establishments were amongst the first in colonial India.

          Thoburn attended local schools in United States. After she had taught for several years, Isabella was invited by her brother to assist him, in his educational and missionary work in India.

          Jesus, Adam and Eve, Noah and Isabella Thoburn all sermons in glass!

Prayer

          Most loving God, we thank you for this time together, this sacred space of prayer.

          We thank you that you are always present to us, to guide and to strengthen, especially when we are uncertain and lonely.

          We would pray for those who feel abandoned and isolated and therefore feel as though they have been left behind while everyone else continues on their way.     We offer our prayers for those who are in transition, and feel as though they walk on unsafe ground.

          We lift our prayers for those who are far away from home in unfamiliar lands.

          May all for whom we pray feel surrounded by your love through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          Keep us mindful of Jesus who walked this earth as we do,

                   who also felt loneliness and betrayal

                   but who triumphed over all adversity

                   and lives forever as our sure foundation,

                   the very ground of our being.

          Help us to remember that no matter where we are -- you are there.

          For we pray in the name of Jesus the Christ who taught us to pray, saying…..