Christ The King Sunday Sermon

Christ the King Sunday

Proper 29

John 18:33-37

"The Real King?"


33 Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"

35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?"

36 Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."

37 Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

While taking a tour of Europe, a tourist visited a lovely estate in Italy. He admired the beautiful garden which had been taken care of in a wonderful way. He walked ground the garden, he came upon the gardener and said, " My, you have done a beautiful job with this garden. How long have you taken care of it.

The gardener replied," 25 years."

How often has the owner been to this estate?"

"Four times."

"When was he last here?"

"Twelve years ago."

"But, he must write to you often with instructions?"

"Never."

"Well, who comes to look after things? To make sure things are kept up?

"I am left pretty much alone. I take care of things."

But you keep the garden so lovely that one would think you were expecting the owner tomorrow."

"Today, sir, today,!!!"



"Studdard Kennedy, the great English chaplain used to say, "The judgment Day will be when you stand before God and the throne of heaven and God will turn, look you in the eye and say to you, "WELL.!!"



As you can tell from these two stories, our theme today concerns the second coming of Jesus Christ and the judgment which will come to each of us at this time. The first story reminds us that we must be ready or prepared for this coming since we don't know the time when he is coming again.

And the saying of Studdard Kennedy tells us that we will have to answer for our lives, God will look at us and ask us, "Well"....

How you answer will be very important.

Will you answer that you have lived a good life and try to impress the Judge with all your acts of righteousness? Will you answer that for most things in your life you were righteous. But honestly, there were a few areas that weren't so good? Or will you fall down on your knees as the Publican did in the temple and declare that you are a sinner only deserving God's punishment? Then the King of Kings will stretch out His hand from the right side of God's throne, lift you off of your knees and declare he has taken your punishment and then he will show you the place he prepared for you in his kingdom.

This morning, we are going to look at these 3 responses to the King of kings and God the Father. We can answer, I am the king of my life, or The king and I together control my life, or the King, not I, controls my life .

First I am king. This is the response that acknowledges that I control my own life. This is the response which is seen very clearly in the old Burger King slogan which said, "Have it your way." Or the favorite song by Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way". The slogan and that song speak very clearly of the thought which is very important in our world that I do and can control the destiny of my life. It is the thought that whatever I want, what ever I do, is okay because I did it my way. It is the thought which says selfishness is okay. I need to look out for number one and no one else. It is the thought that success is good, no matter how I achieve it. It doesn't matter how many people are hurt or treated unfairly in my quest for success as long as I feel good.

This kind of thought is seen in all areas of society. The million dollar athletes who play only when they feel like it, and who use drugs to make themselves feel good or high. The corporate executive who steps on as many toes as possible to climb higher up the company ladder of success. We could go on and on. All of us at one time or another have shown our selfish side when we are king of our lives. No one can tell us what to do or how to act. We can't see anything around us but our own needs. The welfare of our family or children take second place to our wants, our needs, our desires.

From history one of the people who epitomizes the highest degree of selfishness, personal comfort and an utter disregard for people was Louis XIV. His monument to himself the great palace of Versailles which still stands as a symbol of what severe selfishness means. Louis became king of France at the age of 5. He took the sun as his personal symbol of his rule. France, Europe and other parts of the world Louis thought revolved around him.

He was the most pampered person ever to live on the face of this earth. No one since has known such elegance.

As you stand in front of God's throne on that judgment day and God looks you in the eye and says, "Well,"

Will you answer that You had life your way, "I did did it my way??"

The next response is probably the most common and in that I think it is the most dangerous; the response which says the King and I control my life. This one seems good but upon closer examination it is really deadly. This response says that Jesus, the King and I control my life. There are areas in life that I turned over to Jesus, most areas of life, but there are some areas which I kept for myself.

For example, a story from the life of Pastor James Bjorge as told in his book Girded With Truth . He says, "I can remember as a child I liked to play in the town cemetery. I liked to drown gophers among the tombstones. ''Mom was not too fond of this activity. So she made a rule no more playing in the cemetery. One lazy summer afternoon, I found myself without much to do, so I thought of that forbidden cemetery. Off I went, knowing I was doing wrong but reasoned that I had been doing so much right lately, that just this time, I could be bad, and Mom wouldn't have to know. When I returned home Mom asked where I had been and I told her at a friend's house. A week past and my guilty conscious got the best of me and I confessed to Mom exactly where I had been. Now don't misunderstand, I was normally a good boy. But in this one area, I really wanted to play in that cemetery."

We are all like that small boy. We let Jesus be king of most areas of life, but there are some areas, or maybe just one area where we still want control. We are perceived by most people around us as being good, upstanding individuals, but we know in our heart of hearts that there is that one area which we need to repent and ask for forgiveness.

When you stand before the judgment throne and God says "Well"

Will you say, Jesus was king of my life, except sir, except .................

A third response we could make as we stand before the throne of judgment is the one which Christ wants us to make. It is the response which says, Jesus the king, not I, had complete control of my life. This response says I know that I am a sinner in need of complete forgiveness and the only way that is possible is to fall on my knees at the foot of the cross and lay my sins on the back of Jesus. Then, only then, can I feel the mercy, love and compassion of Jesus as He lifts me up and declares that I am free from sins and stand as a redeemed person in the eyes of God.

This response is made when I can let go of myself, turn over my pride, my selfishness, my whole life to the king of kings. This response is possible when I can acknowledge that there is a part of my life I have withheld from Christ's power. This response is possible when I turn over every dark corner, every hidden thought, every secret wish to the cleansing power of Christ.

When I know and believe that I stand helpless before the king of kings, when I know that in him I can find a friend and Saviour. When I realize I cannot make it on my own, then and only then can the redeeming and cleansing power of Christ wash away my sins completely. Then I will stand as white as snow before the throne of God. He will see me white and cleansed and as God turns his head to glance at his Son, he will see the image of one hanging from a cross, bloodied, bruised and broken, red with the blood for my sins and your sins. Then from that throne, a hand will stretch forth, and you and I will be led into the kingdom that was prepared for us from the beginning of time.

This is all possible because as the words of a favorite hymn says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer, Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear-- All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer."

As we get to know Jesus as our friend, as we trust him and his saving power, then, then we will be able to turn over every inch of our lives to his loving tender mercy.

When you stand before the throne of God and he says: "Well"

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 2003 updated November 20, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

24th Sunday after Pentecost Sermon

24th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 28

Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25

Mark 13:1-8

"The High Priest"

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

13 then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.


19 ¶ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,

20 by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Our sermon for this week is based on the second lesson from Hebrews.

A little introduction to the book of Hebrews first. We are not sure who wrote the book, maybe Paul, but we do know why the book was written.

The writer was addressing a Jewish Christian community who had begun to loose faith, or were not as "fired up" about their new faith as they had been at the beginning. So, the writer addresses them, trying to revive their faith and passion for Christ.

He reminds them what Christ did for them, dying on the cross, rising on the third day, and then ascending into heaven many days later. He reminds them that Jesus is the great high priest, the one who offered not just a sacrifice of lambs, or dove, but offered his own body as a sacrifice for sin. He did not do this over and over again as the priest in the temple did, but he sacrificed himself just once for the sins of all generations.

Then he goes on to remind them what their response to this mighty act of Jesus should be. It should be loving, forgiving, and being kind to your neighbor. And he says they should meet regularly as a community of faith to uphold each other's in faith.

So that brings us to look closely at the verses in our lesson today with the background as a basis for our thoughts.

The beginning verses today remind us of the mighty work of Christ as the great high priest. The priest that offered not doves, or lambs for a sacrifice to God, but his own body and blood.

Jesus sacrificed himself because almighty God needed a sacrifice for our sins, the sins of human kind. God is a just God and a forgiving God, but at the same time a righteous God who wants a holy sacrifice for sin. So the writer of Hebrews is reminding us that Jesus sacrificed himself for all sinner, sinners in the past as well as sinner now and in the future.

"George Buttrick wrote a book called Jesus Came Preaching. In it he describes a picture he once saw in an Italian church. It is a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. As you look at it closely you notice a large and shadowy figure behind the figure of Jesus. The shadowy figure is God, so that the nail that pierces the hand of Christ also pierces the hand of God, and the spear that pierces the side of Christ also pierces the side of God.

The picture makes the point that God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world. The crucifixion does not represent God against Jesus the human, but God incarnate taking upon himself the sin of the world."1

As the great high priest, Jesus made the sacrifice upon the altar of righteousness for our sins. For your sins and for my sins.

And when he did, our sins were forgiven and they are forgotten. God through Jesus does not hold grudges. Our sins have been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus when we seek forgiveness.

It is like the father in the following story:

A young man borrowed the family car without permission, knowing he could have it home and safely in the garage before his father found out. He hadn't reckoned on getting rear-ended at the second intersection he came to. No way to conceal the damage, he parked the car and closed the garage door, then spent an evening agonizing over how to deal with his father when he arrived home.

When his dad walked in, the young man flashed a look of terror. He told his father everything, complete with profuse apology. His father walked with the son to the garage and looked long and hard and silently at the damage.

Then he said, "Insurance will cover it. It wouldn't have covered the broken trust between you and me, however. Fortunately your apology took care of that."

"Can you ever forgive me, Dad?"

"I have already. You have learned your lesson. Forget about it."

A week later the son, still guilt-driven, came to his father and said, "Dad, in case they raise our insurance rates because of the accident, I'm willing to earn the money to pay the difference in the premiums."

His father didn't even look up from his newspaper as he said, simply, "What accident".

And the Lord, "I will remember their sin no more."

Jesus paid the price for our sins and made us clean before the almighty Father. Because God and Jesus are one, our sins have been cleansed forever.

It is like the little girl in the following. This is a story of pure grace. Listen:

"In the west during the torrential spring rains, the rivers frequently rise and flood the lowlands. There was a little girl who lived in the valley of one of these mighty rivers and one weekend she was going with her parents to visit friends. As she was packing, she placed her dearest possession in her suitcase---a little rag doll. She had made it with her own hands and cared for it with a mother's love. But her mother told her she could not bring it with her because it was too dirty, threadbare and falling apart. Reluctantly she left it home.

Over the weekend, a sudden storm hit the valley and the river reached over it banks and flooded all the homes. The little girl stood on the hillside looking down into the flooded valley; all she could think of was her little rag doll. When she could return home she rushed into her room, and her worst hear was realized---the flood had washed away her little rag doll.

One day while she was in town, she happened to pass a salvage store where objects found in the muddy debris were sold to raise money for the flood victims. To her surprise and overwhelming joy, there was her little rag doll with a price tag on it---25 cent. She had not money of her own, she went back home and helped her mother clean up. she earned a few pennies, she also helped the neighbors and earned a few more pennies. Finally, she had her 25 cents. She rushed to the store and placed her little sacrifice on the counter and claimed her doll.

As she walked from the store clutching her treasure in her arms, she was heard to say, "I made you, I lost you, I bought you back and now your are really mine!!!!"

Those could have been the words of God to us, "I made you, I lost you. I bought you back through the blood of Christ, and now you are really mine! Such grace!!

Jesus as the high priest has forgiven our sins, forgotten our sins so that we might live in His grace and peace. And that brings us to the second set of verses in our second lesson.

Here the author is telling his readers to love one another, stir up good works in the community because we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. Just as Jesus has forgiven us and washed away our sins, then we need to reach out to those around us with that same kind of love.

A closing story tells us about how to love one another.

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey they had an argument,and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied,"When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 13, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

1Source: Reported in John Stott, The Cross of Christ p158. Stott notes that Buttrick does not indicate in which church the picture hangs.

from http://www.ozsermonillustrations.com/


"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/SermonIllst.html
main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tzingalesermons

Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Petnecost

23nd Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 27

1Kings 17:8-16

Mark 12: 38-44

"Sacrificial Lifestyle"



8 ¶ Then the word of the LORD came to him,

9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

12 And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

13 And Elijah said to her, "Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son.

14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"

15 And she went and did as Elijah said; and she, and he, and her household ate for many days.

16 The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.RSV

Mark 12
38 And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places

39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

41 ¶ And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

42 And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny.

43 And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

44 For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

A modern parable: "Once upon a time, a pig and a chicken were walking down a village street. They came upon a church sign which was advertising a bazaar and breakfast which was going to be held in a few days.

At the bottom of the sign the menu was given, it read 'Ham and eggs will be served from 6:30 to 8:00 am.' The chicken turned to the pig and said, "See!!' Even we can help the work of the church!!!"

"Yes," said the pig, "but yours is only a contribution, mine is a SACRIFICE."

Now for a story in a serious vein, " Two wealthy Christian a lawyer and a merchant joined a party that was going around the world. Their pastor asked them to take pictures of any thing which they thought was unusual.

In Korea, as they were traveling, they saw in a field a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held in his hands the handles.. The lawyer was amused, and took a picture.

Commenting to the guide, he said,"That is an unusual sight. I suppose they are very poor."

"Yes," came the answer. "They are poor, that is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built in this area they were excited to give something to help it along, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are taking turns pulling the plow themselves."

The lawyer said thoughtfully, "That must have been a real sacrifice "

The guide said, "They did not call it that." They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell.".

The lawyer was real quiet after that event. When they reached home, the lawyer took the picture to the pastor. As he sat down in the pastor's study he said forcefully,"I want to double my pledge to the church. And please give me some plow work to do. I have never known what sacrifice for the church meant. A converted Korean taught me. I am ashamed to say I have never yet given anything to my church that cost me anything."

Mark says, "Jesus sat down opposite the treasury. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins which make a penny.....Jesus said: 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."!

The meaning of this story is very clear. Jesus is pointing up the true emphasis on giving, giving not the leftovers, or a little, bit so that a person won't notice it, but giving from the point of sacrifice.

One pastor in a sermon on this text said pointing text said, "It is simply that true giving is relatively to what is left, not absolutely the gift. As Jesus sat there among the alms boxes and watched people making their contributions out of them all one widow stirred him and moved him to say. Here was the real thing. To put the matter with stark concreteness it was her next meal. The temple was full of the noise of coins cropping. The thirteen big receptacles, shaped like ear trumpets made a lot clanging of metal on metals. Jesus' ears were attuned to the fairest noise of all, the fulling of two small coins, the smallest in circulation, worth in purchasing power about two cents...Yet.....it has was the one which caught the attention of Jesus".

Why was this giving so different, so unusual? Because this widow was willing to give from the heart. Her love of God knew no bounds. She gave even though she couldn't afford it. She gave because she wanted to give. She was not compelled by guilt, or fear, or reward, she gave because she was in love, in love with God. She gave because she felt a deep commitment to God. She gave because this was one way she could respond to God's blessings in her life. She gave sacrificially. She gave in humble respect for God. She gave quietly with no fanfare, no noise, but it was the small noise of her sacrifice that drown out all the noise in Jesus' ears, The noise of the big givers who gave so that all would see their righteousness. This noise of two small coins was heard above the show, the fanfare of the Pharisees giving so everyone would know they were up-holding the law. This widow gave from her heart and it was the noise of love which stirred Jesus to say, "This poor widow has put in more than. all....out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living,"

Maybe a story from the Seagull Methodist Newsletter from San Diego will help make the point. It is a modern parable from an Internal Revenue agent: he says "The other day I checked an odd return. Some guy with an income under $10,000 claimed he gave $1,248.00 to some church. Sure he was within the 20% limit but it looked mighty suspicious to me. So, I dropped in on the guy and asked him about his return. I thought he'd become nervous like most of them do, but not this guy.

"Have you a receipt from the church?" I asked, figuring that would make him squirm.

"Sure" he replied, "I always drop them in a drawer." And off he went to get his checks and receipts

" Well," I said to myself, "he had me. One look and I knew he was on the level. I apologized for bothering him and explained that I had to check on deductions that seem unusually high .

As I was leaving he invited me to attend his church.

"Thanks," I said, "but I belong to a church myself . "

"Excuse me," he replied, "That possibility never occurred to me."

As I drove home I kept wondering what he meant by that last remark. It wasn't until Sunday morning when I put my usual dollar in the offering plate that it came to me."

Sacrificial giving is linked to trust as seen in our first lesson from Kings, trusting in God to provide, to take care of our needs is seen dramatically in this story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. In this story, Elijah is commanded by God to go into a Gentile city and there a widow will care for him. To understand this story in all of its fullness, you need to know that there was a great famine and drought in the land, it had lasted already for three years.

This widow was giving to Elijah the small meal she had planned for herself and her son. Their only meal of the day. She even gives us a clue as to her physical welfare in that she says, she and her son are going to eat, then they will die. She was on her last bit of strength. She had fought for three years the hardships of this famine and drought, now her strength was failing, her will power to live was going fast. But a man of God comes to her and says,"please make me a cake out of the only bit of food you have left."

And what does the widow do??

She trusts in the saying of Elijah as he says, "The jar of meal shall not be spent the cruse of oil shall not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth."

Elijah says to her that God will provide, provide for this meal and all the rest,until rain comes and the land can produce again, As the text says, "She went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not spent neither did the cruse of oil fail,... ."

This widow trusted in the word of God to provide and that word came true for her. She trusted, she risked for God and God provided for her. Now notice it didn't say that she ate better than before. She ate the same meal and used the same oil for cooking, but there was plenty. She trusted God to provide not to extremes, but in a simple way. She wasn't hoping she would win the Iowa lottery. She was hoping God would give her some meal to continue to make cakes for her family. And God did provide. God came through. He delivered. God continued to be with that widow as he promised, as they ate, God provided.

A church member who was not exceptionally wealthy had a reputation of giving to many causes. One day he was asked rather frankly how he could give so much and still have some left over so that he and his family would life comfortably but modestly. "You see," he said, "as I shovel the money out, God shovels it in. And God has a bigger shovel than I do!

Now comes the part of the sermon which turns the attention to you and I.

Can you relate to the two widows in these stories, and I don't mean the fact they were widows. Can you relate to the one's sacrificial giving and the other's trust in God to provide the means for living?

Where are you?

Does this all seem so foreign to us that it is like a story out of a fairy tale book?

Or have you experienced the joy of sacrificial giving, the extreme happiness of a deep love for God in which giving becomes a source of joy and not a duty? Can you give and trust God completely to provide without thinking of getting it back or having regrets that you even gave?

The third verse to a very familiar Hymn speaks of trusting in God to provide; Listen: "Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to thy cross I cling. ., .,, Naked, come to thee for dress, Helpless, look to thee for grace...Foul, I to the fountain fly;...Wash me, Saviour, or I die."

Do you know the hymn, yes Rock of Ages. As we cling to the cross of Jesus, we rely on the Father's care to provide for us. It is in complete surrender, it is in living sacrificially, when that trust in God is answered by His caring hand.

But not only does He care for us with physical things, as food, shelter and warmth. I believe He gives us each other to build up our spirits and faith in Him.

The two widows were a source of inspiration, the first was a sign to Elijah that God was still with him, and the second was a sign to the disciples and us that Jesus wants us to live in complete trust that God will provide as we sacrificially give to Him from our blessings. You and I are signs from God for each other as we walk this journey of faith. I see your witness in your lifestyle and you see mine, and hopefully, we can draw strength from each other. But that is only possible as you and I are walking the road of faith as Jesus would want us to, living sacrificially and trusting in God's care to provide.

The question can be asked each of us, are we a good examples for our brothers and sisters in Christ? As a brother or sister looks at my life or your life can they draw encouragement for their faith? Can another see in you or me a love for Christ and a love for God which allows me to trust completely in His power so that I can live sacrificially? What does another see as they observe your life?

"A man was asked to visit a member of the church, but he was hesitating in going. It had been a rough week at work with a lot of overtime and then demands from the family.

He felt he was too tired to visit and besides he wouldn't be a comfort to anyone as lousy as he felt.

But he went anyway. He drove up to the house and waited in the car for a few moments as he prayed for guidance.

The couple welcomed him in with a warm greeting. He could see the man was recovering well from his open heart surgery and the man's and woman's face were beaming with the joy of life.

They said to him, "Come, let me fix you some coffee...you look down and a little tired let's talk...God answered that man's prayers. He gave him the guidance of this couple who knew the journey of faith was difficult as they walked it these many years. They could reach out a comforting hand."

God does provide sometimes in ways in which we least expect, but God's ways are not our ways as the Bible says.

Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 7, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

All Saints Sermon

All Saints Sunday

John 11:32-44

Revelation 21: 1-6

"Past, Present, Future"


21:1* ¶ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2* And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;
3* and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
4* he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
5* And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6* And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. RSV

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

A couple of weeks ago, we were driving in the car as it was raining. Sara watched the rain fall on the front windshield and watched as the force of the wind drove the rain drops together, then forcing them up to the top of the windshield. She hoped the drops would make it to the top before the wipers could swish them off. These drops joined together to form larger drops, and they in turn formed together to make even larger ones, and before we knew it, there was a little river running up the window. But there were other drops which remained apart from these larger ones, and there were other drops which formed their own smaller rivers. At one time we saw the drops of rain coming together to form a river, then for some reason, they parted again forming even smaller rivers. It was fascinating to watch the different patterns of rain on the windshield. Try it some time when you aren't doing the driving.

Those rain drops joining together to form larger ones and even small rivers are a lot like the saints of God. You and I who are believers in God, for that is what a saint is join others to form a small river, a community in Christ. We journey together for awhile, but then some leave because of illness, moving away or death. But others join this community in Christ, this bond of saints continue their journey until the second coming of Christ when all will join with him in the heavenly home.

This morning we are going to look at these saints, saints we have journeyed with in the past, saints we journey with now in the present moment, and then the hope all the saints have for the future.

First the saints of our past. The saints we recall in our past, the ones who have found their eternal rest. We remember their faith and the fact that our fellowship is a communion of eternal life. The members of this community remain part of it, even after death. It is from these saints that our heritage of faith has been past on. It is from these saints the time honored values are past on are brought to present. It is from these saints we can draw courage and strength as we remember their lives, their actions, their relationship with us. As we reflect back over our lives, we recall many saints, even loved ones, who though they are now resting in another land,still keep a relationship alive within us. Maybe it is a husband's memory' or a child's memory, or a father's memory, or a grandparent's memory which on this day tugs at the heart strings of our lives. Whatever it is, it is good to ponder to reflect, to relive those special moments.

As I think back over my years of being a pastor, many saints flash through the pictures in my mind's eye. Each one holds a special memory, a special picture which influence my life today. And from my personal history, the images of my father and two grandmas and one grandpa flashes across the screen of memory. Some of these images influenced my present moment. From Grandpa Spachtholz I have learned and will always cherish the green thumb which I received from him. Grandpa loved flowers and gardens. As a little boy in Germany, he worked in a greenhouse, and when he came to America he enjoyed planting gardens and flowers. I would always enjoy going over to his house to look at his flowers and gardens. He would then pass on some of his knowledge, some of his secrets and I eagerly accepted them. Today because of those moments, I do enjoy flowers and gardening. And many times as I tend the flowers, thoughts of grandpa would come to the surface, pleasant thoughts, thoughts of the friendship, the companionship we had together.

On this All Saints day it is good to allow those special thoughts of a loved one to surface, to be relived, to be cherished once again. As we confess in the creed, " I believe in the communion of saints" there is a relationship with the past saints which affect our present in a good and healthy way. The writer to the Hebrews says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witness as we worship the Lord. The lives of those past saints do affect us today. It is good to recall their influence, their friendship, the bonds that link us to them and to the past.

Helen Stiener Rice has a poem entitled The Golden Chain of Friendship which speaks about our friends as links on a golden chain. Those friends now in the present moment and I think to, those friends who no longer are here in the present, but none the less are part of that chain in the memories we hold dear. Helen Stiener Rice says:"Friendship is a Golden Chain,....The links are friends so dear,.... And like a rare and precious jewel,. ...It's treasured more each year.. . . . .It's clasped together firmly... ..with a love that's deep and true, And it's rich with happy memories......And fond recollections, too.....Time can't destroy its beauty....For as long as memory lives,.....Years can't ease the pleasure.....That the joy of friendship gives,.. .For friendship is a priceless gift....That can't be bought or sold,....But to have an understanding friends....Is worth far more than gold.....And the Golden CHAIN OF FRIENDSHIP...Is a strong and blessed tie...Binding kindred hearts together...As the years go passing by."

The friendships of the post saints lead us into the relationships we have now in the present moment. For the present moment is also made up of the community of the faithful believers who share with one another their trust, their belief, their acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives. And in this present moment, Christ comes to each of us to give us the power, the courage, the strength, the confidence, the Holy Spirit to continue our journey faithfully in Him and in service to our neighbor. Saints on the faith journey today can be a faithful witness to their faith and belief in Christ for other brothers and sisters. We gather together in a community of faithful believers because it is from our mutual witness that our faith remains strong and alive. We draw courage and faith, confidence and trust, strength and fortitude from each other and the Lord to allow us to be His witnesses in this world for the faithful and non faithful.

For example: a pastor describes some saints who are faithful in his church: "The faithful saints are: the husband or wife who singlehandedly tries to bring their children to worship while having no support from a spouse : the poor, elderly person who is the first to give an extra gift when the church asks:the paralyzed member who hears and reads of the church's work and has hopes for it and prays for it: the worshipers whose frail body makes it difficult to come to worship, but comes anyway to add voice and body to the event of Christ's body:....the troubled partner in the middle of a marriage crisis who comes to be held and renewed by the Good Word of forgiveness and the healing power of the body and blood of Christ Jesus;....the teenager who comes to worship because he/she wants to praise and thank the Lord;the voice who sings off-key and doesn't hesitate because he would just rather be making his joyful noise;....the office worker who says he would rather not be part of the cheating and wrong practices of the firm-and quits;.....the retired gentleman who faithfully waters, mows 'and plants flowers around the church to beautify it for the Lord;....

The list could go on and on, but you get the point. We need each other in this present community to give us the strength and the assurance that our faith can be strong inspire of the many challenges to that faith from the world and these around us who don't understand our faith

The famous Beatitudes of our lord which is our gospel lesson this morning are a clear description of the faithful as they live in this world. Notice these descriptions turn the world ways upside down. They describe people who are not victors but who are victims of this life however because of Christ, victory has been achieved.

For example take the second beatitude Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,"There are many meanings for this one but one which describes the love, the faithfulness of the community of believers says; Blessed or happy is the person who identifies with the sorrows of the world. Blessed are they that voluntarily share their neighbor's pain. Blessed are those who walk with another as they face the brokeness in their lives. Blessed are those who walk with another to give support, encouragement, strength and the comfort of God's word. Blessed are those who allow another to feel the pain and heartache of life without pretending that somehow all will be ok.

Can you see that being in community with another, being a witness, being a saint for another saint is what the body of Christ, the church, is all about. Being able to be and walk with another down their path without wanting to direct or lead that person is our calling in the body of Christ. Being able to share with another their burdens without making it your own, being able to comfort another with our witness of action as well as the word is what the priesthood of saints is all about. The present moment as we celebrate this All Saints Day is a time for each of us to turn to our brother and sister in Christ to give them strength, courage, comfort and confidence as they walk their journey of faith.

As our journey in faith continues, this all Saints Day reminds us again that each step we take toward the future is another step closer to our death, and the eternal life which God has promised all who believe in His Son. Our hope and promise for the future is that there is life beyond this one. Jesus says; "I am the Resurrection and the life, he who believes in me shall never die." We hold onto that promise each day we live not knowing whether tomorrow will come for us. Each day we live, we live in the joy and the hope of eternal life. As saints, those who have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb of God end his broken body, we live with the conviction, the assurance and the hope that there is life for us after this one. So each day is lived for the Lord and in the Lord because we don't know where we will be tomorrow. As we journey with the past saints in our memories and the present saints besides us, we live in Christ and for Christ so that tomorrow we might be in Christ and resting in our heavenly home if the sting of death should take us away from this journey.

An ancient Greek wrote about Christians: "If any righteous persona among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God,as they escort that body with songs and thanksgiving, as if the person were setting off from one place and going to some other near by place. "

The slants of old give us courage as we relieve their past memories as we continue to walk with the present saints who walk step by step with us toward the time when we will join all the heavenly saints in praise and thanksgiving to God and His Son for the redemption which is our.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale October 30, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

Reformation Sermon

Reformation Sunday

John 8:31- 36

"Freedom"


31 ¶ Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, 'You will be made free'?"

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.

35 The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever.

36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.

38 ¶ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. amen

Since this is reformation Sunday, the Sunday we celebrate the reforms of the church and honor the life of Martin Luther, I think it is appropriate and right that I begin my sermon this morning with a quote from Luther.

Luther says in his little book, "Christian Liberty" the following: "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

Luther is saying we are free and at the same time we are slaves. How can that be???

Maybe the following stories might help shed some light on this confusing subject..

" A man who didn't believe in God was giving a lecture telling of his reasons why he thought Christians were weak people who were dependent on God and used him as a crutch in life. The man went on and on about how he didn't need anyone but himself and he was making a pretty good living doing just that relying on himself. After his speech, he asked anyone who had questions to come up front to the platform. After a short while, a man who had been well known as the town drunk came forward. He had just had a conversion experience and had completely changed his life. He came forward, reached into his pocket and pulled out an orange and coolly and slowly began to peel it.

The lecturer became impatient with this man, and asked him to ask the question he came forward to ask. But without saying anything, the former town drunk finished peeling the orange and began to eat it right there in front of everyone. When he had eaten the last of the orange, he turned to the lecturer and asked him, "Was the orange I ate sweet or sour?''

Angrily, the lecturer shouted, " Idiot, how can I know whether it was sweet or sour when I never tasted it?''

To this the former drunk replied, "And how can you know anything about Christ if you have not tried Him?"

Or, there was a pastor who was riding with a coachman one day. He turned to the coachman and asked, "Friend, if your team were running away with you, after you had done your best to stop them what would you do if you suddenly learned that a person sitting beside you knew exactly how to control your team and save you from disaster!. "

The coachman reified, "I'd instantly hand over the reins to him!!"

Then replied the pastor' "Why haven't you handed over the reins of your life to Christ, since he is the one who can save you' from eternal disaster."

Do you see what Luther is trying to say. Yes, we are free because of the freedom we have in Christ, but at the same time we are slaves, slaves to Christ and to the people we serve in Christ's name.

In our gospel lesson this morning Jesus is talking about this same subject. He says we are slaves to sin, but at the same time he is telling us we can he free in and through him.

Luther's famous saying that we are saint and sinner at the same time comes to mind here. We are saints, believers in Christ because of Christ's action in our lives through Baptism. But at the same time we are sinners, never having fully arrived at our sainthood until we come into the glorious presence of Christ at the gates of heaven.

Our lives are an ongoing process of becoming what Christ wants us to he. He is constantly molding, shaping, forming, developing, guiding us so that we can be free in Him to serve Him and our neighbor.

So there is a paradox to the Christian life. I am tree in Christ to become what God truly created me for in His image, but at the same time I am a slave to sin, because that nature is always with me until through Christ at the gates of heaven it is finally removed.

Paul says in Romans. 7:19 "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me."

But he goes on to says in Romans. 8:1,2 1 " There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death."

Maybe the following story will help us to understand this paradox to Christian living.

" A man named John Elliott was caught in a blizzard high in the Rocky mountains. He became lost, and finally he saw a cabin and crawling to the door with his last ounce of strength, he found it to be unlocked and he crawled in. But being dazed and near exhaustion, he didn't light a fire or take off his wet clothing. He laid on the floor sinking into oblivion, paralyzed by the pleasure of the storm's icy caress. Suddenly, his St. Bernard dog came into the cabin, for he too had become loss from his master. He saw his master lying on the floor, and became to arouse John from his near comatose state. The ranger said later, that the dog saved his life.

John said,"When you're freezing to death you actually feel warm all over, and don't wake up because it feels too good. "

Some people are like that in their spiritual lives. They actually don't realize the state of sin they are in, because everything seems so good. They don't see their need for Christ because they feel they are really handling their salvation pretty good by themselves. But as Paul says, it is only through Christ Jesus that we can be free from sin death and the power of the devil.

As Luther says not my work but the work of Christ in me that sets me free.

Or as Jesus says in our gospel lesson, '"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

As we continue to surrender our sinful selves to Christ, we will become free in Him to live the kind of life he has called us to live. There is that daily surrender, that daily drowning of my sinful self in the waters of my baptism and then letting Christ raise me as a new and cleansed person.

There is for us a conscious decision of asking for Christ to drown my sins daily and letting raise up a new me. You and I can and should participate in this figurative daily baptism.

I can and am born again each day in Christ. I have an active part to play in that process. I need to bring to Christ, I need to surrender to Christ those sins, those things that separate me from Him and from those around me.

But it seems to me, we Lutheran have not taken as seriously this part of our understanding of Baptism. We don't see the daily consequence of Baptism for our pilgrimage on this earth. It is not an act with no consequence for the future, yes it is an act that happens once, but we live in the consequence of it each day.

Each day I surrender my sinful to Christ, he grabs me, pushed me down into the water of my Baptism, cleanses me, and raises me to a new life so that I might serve Him and my neighbor. I must surrender to Him daily. I must acknowledge my sinful self daily

But I think a lot of us like to straddle the fence on this one. We don't really see that daily we need to do this, or we don't like to admit to ourselves that we are really sinners in daily need of Christ's forgiveness.

So we are like a little boy who wanted to ride a horse, but seeing that the horse was bigger close up than he thought, he decided to proceed cautiously. He climbed a wooden fence where the horse was standing and mounted him from there. With one foot on the left side of the top fence rail, he threw the other leg over the horse who was on the right side.

Immediately the horse began to walk slowly away from the fence. The boy hadn't planned on that and he needed to make a hasty decision. He wanted to both ride the horse and to hold on to the security of the fence. Needless to say, after his legs had stretched as far as they would go, he fell face down on the ground.

We like to straddle the fence of admitting to ourselves that daily we need to return to the waters of our Baptism and drown our sinful self and allow Christ to raise up a new me.

Yes, there is freedom in Christ, but at the same time, a struggle to remain captive by Christ. True freedom in life only comes when we are captive by Christ, when we are as Luther says, "A Christians a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

Subject to all, subject to Christ and subject to our neighbor. There is freedom and life in our willingness to be captive by Christ and in being captive by Christ, we have a freedom to live, a freedom to risk, a freedom to be and use all the potential God created in us.

We are like the butterfly in the following story.

A woman was awakened one morning by a strange sound. She went to the window and saw a butterfly flying inside the window pane in great fright; outside a sparrow was pecking at the pane and trying to reach the butterfly. The butterfly did not see the glass pane and expected every minute to be caught. The sparrow did not see the glass and expected every minute to catch the butterfly. All the while the butterfly was safe because the glass was between it and the sparrow. While the butterfly was being captive by the glass it was safe.

As you and I are captive by Christ, he protects, saves and gives us life. Yes, make me a captive Lord, so then I will be free to live.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale October 23, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

20th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 24 Sermon

20th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 24

Mark 10:35-45

"Your Eyes, God's Eyes"


35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Clarence was always very particular, even as a fledging only just out of the nest. He happened to have been born with an especially large and beautifully radiant white bib, which he probably wouldn't have noticed if the large snowy owl, who kept a weather-eye on all the young birds, hadn't remarked to Clarence's mother, "Oh my! What a bootiful bib! You'll have some trouble keeping that clean with a young chick like that! But he'll sooon get into mischief, so it won't be white for long."

From that day, Clarence had vowed never to get into mischief, and to make sure his "bootiful" bib stayed as white and as special as it was from the very first minute. He wanted to be the only tree creeper who stayed as pure white as the owl himself. Consequently he was an exceptional good little bird - and was often taunted by his brothers and sisters for being so self-righteous.

It was quite difficult for Clarence, since unlike owls, tree creepers instinctively creep round trees, whether they want to or not. Owls merely perch on convenient branches, turning their necks at extremely odd angles in order to survey all the world around them. Therefore their snowy white feathers generally remain clean. But tree creepers are much closer to the bark of trees, hanging on with their tiny claws and pecking madly with their tiny beaks, which means that their white bibs are often very close to rough and dirty tree barks.

Clarence was so determined to keep his bib white and bootiful, that he decided never to creep around the trunks of the trees. Instead, he would flutter gently up to the branches and perch just like the snowy owls. But try as he would, again and again Clarence found himself clinging to the tree trunks and gently creeping round, pecking at the bark just like all his brothers and sisters. He didn't know why he acted in this way, and he didn't want to act in such a way, but he simply couldn't help himself.

Clarence became a very unhappy tree creeper. He wanted so much to do what he thought was right, but he couldn't. He became very dejected and sad, and after a while, hardly went out at all.

When the snowy owl next came to visit, poor little Clarence tried to hide away, he was so ashamed of himself. But the owl spotted him and hooted. Clarence cringed. He knew exactly what the owl would say. But to his surprise he heard the owl admiring his radiant white breast.

"It can't be," muttered Clarence to his mother. "I must be filthy after all that creeping around trees. My white bib is surely grey and grimy by now."

But his mother just laughed. "You're a tree creeper, silly! No-one can change that! And you can't go against your own nature! But the trees won't make you dirty - they protect you and enable you to feed and keep strong. And the healthier you are, the whiter your bib will remain. That's the way God made you - and he made you into a beautiful tree creeper. So I think it's now time to put all those silly ideas behind you, and thank God for the way you are."

So Clarence did just that. He gave up trying to change himself and instead, put himself into God's hands. And he soon discovered that not only did he always have a bootiful white bib, but also he was the happiest tree creeper that ever lived. 1

Clarence saw the world through his eyes, he wanted to have the world's best white bib. He wanted to be proud of himself and the sacrifice he could make to keep his bib white.

But inside of Clarence was God's nature, and that nature saw that Clarence would be a creeper, getting close to the trunks of trees, getting himself dirty, but when he did that he became healthy and his bib became even whiter.

James and John in our gospel lesson where a lot like Clarence. they wanted something for themselves, they wanted power, they wanted honor, they wanted to be set apart. They wanted to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus. They wanted to be in power when Jesus came into his glory.

So, Jesus asks them if they can drink the cup which he has to drink. He says: Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

And they answer they are, they say: "We are able."

And then Jesus says: "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

But did James and John know what they were getting themselves into. Jesus is foreshadowing his death on the cross and predicting that these two, James and John will die for their faith.

James was, in fact, martyred by Herod Agrippa -- "killed with the sword" rather than crucified (Acts 12:2) We don't know for sure what happened to John.

James and John saw God's kingdom through human eyes. They saw that Jesus did have power, authority, and greatness and they wanted to be apart of it. They wanted glory.

But Jesus says his kingdom his different that what is seen through human eyes. He says: "but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus turns the disciples eyes from the eyes of the world to the eyes of God. Jesus sees things differently in his kingdom. He sees service, helping others, sacrifice rather than power, might and glory.

Jesus sees his kingdom as one of the cross, not glory, but servant hood. Jesus sees his kingdom through God's eyes and those eyes see people in God's kingdom helping, sacrificing, serving others.

James and John saw God's kingdom through the eyes of human beings and they saw power, majesty, glory and wealth.

Jesus sees the kingdom of God with different eyes. He sees sacrifice, giving, commitment and servant hood.

There is a story that was told by Soren Kierkegaard as he says:

"Once upon a time there was a fire in a small town. The fire brigade rushed to the scene, but the fireman were unable to get through to the burning building. The problem was the crowd of people who had gathered not to watch but to help put out the fire. They all knew the fire chief well - their children had climbed over his fire engines during excursions to the fire station, and the friendliness of the fire chief was legendary. So when a fire broke out the people rushed out to help their beloved fire chief.

Unfortunately the townsfolk were seeking to extinguish this raging inferno with water pistols! They'd all stand there, from time to time squirting their pistol into the fire while making casual conversation.

The fire chief couldn't contain himself. He started screaming at the townsfolk. "What do you think you're doing? What on earth do you think you're going to achieve with those water pistols?!"

The people realized the urgency of the situation. How they wanted to help the fire chief. So they started squirting more. "Come on" they encouraged each other, "We can all do better, can't we?" Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt.

Exasperated the fire chief yells again. "Get out of here. Your achieving nothing except hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We need fireman who are ready to give everything they've got to put out this fire, people willing even to lay their lives on the line. This is not the place for token contributions"

Jesus says the kingdom of God is not squirt, squirt, squirt, but it is those who are willing to lay down their lives of another. Jesus says the kingdom of God is not squirt, squirt, squirt, but it is those who are willing to make sacrifices for others, to give for another. Jesus says the kingdom of God is not squirt, squirt, squirt, but it is rather seeing the world through God's eyes, not humans.

How do you see God's kingdom? Are you looking at this world through human eyes, or God's eyes? Do you see the world as Clarence did and want to play it safe? Do you see the world as those people with the squirt guns only giving a partial commitment to God? Do you squirt, squirt squirt, or do you come with a hose and whole lot of water?

With whose eyes do you see the kingdom of God?

In the following story, with whose eyes did boys see the world?

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything that God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?" The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by his piercing query.

"I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that He seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Shaya.

Shaya attends Chush throughout the week and regular Torah school on Sundays. One Sunday afternoon, Shaya and his father came to Torah school as his classmates were playing baseball. The game was in progress and as Shaya and his father made their way towards the ballfield, Shaya said, "Do you think you could get me into the game?"

Shaya's father knew his son was not at all athletic, and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen in, it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.

Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked, "Do you think my Shaya could get into the game?"

The boy looked around for guidance from his team-mates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs and the game is already in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field, a position that exists only in softball. There were no protests from the opposing team, which would now be hitting with an extra man in the outfield.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded and the potential winning runs on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shaya was told to take a bat and try to get a hit. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible, for Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so that Shaya should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came in and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shaya.

As the next pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far and wide beyond the first baseman's reach. Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first! Shaya, run to first!" Never in his life had Shaya run to first.

He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the rightfielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head, as everyone yelled, "Shaya, run to second! Shaya, run to second."

Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran towards him, turned him towards the direction of third base and shouted "Shaya, run to third!"

As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya, run home! Shaya, run home!"

Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father who now had tears rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of perfection. They showed that it is not only those who are talented that should be recognized, but also those who have less talent. They too are human beings, they too have feelings and emotions, they too are people, they too want to feel important."2

Can you see the world in the same way?

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale October 16, 2006


1 Revd. Janice Scott http://www.sermons-stories.org/

2 from http://www.ozsermonillustrations.com/


"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/SermonIllst.html
main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tzingalesermons

19th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 23 Sermon

19th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 23

Mark 10:17-31

"Your Choice"


17 ¶ And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"

20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."

21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?"

27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you."

29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,

30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

For those of you who can remember Jack Benny, I would like to share with you one of his classic stories. For those of you who don't know Jack, he was a comic of the old school. His main interest was money. He liked money and never wanted to spend any of it. Do you remember the old classic joke: A hold-up man approaches Benny and demands: "Your money or your life." After a pause that seem. like a lifetime, Jack Benny pleads, "I'm thinking .... I 'm thinking . "

Benny had a choice to make. What was it going to be. Choices in life are always difficult to make. Some choices have only a limited consequence for the moment, like what am going to eat, or what am I going to wear today. Other choices involve consequence that can alter life, what am I going to do with myself, how am I going to live, and then other choices involve not only life now, but life for eternity. Do I believe Jesus is my Lord and my savior who has given me the gift of eternal life?

Our gospel lesson this morning can be seen from many different levels, one that is usually used is stewardship. This text is usually used as a stewardship text, how do we use what God has given us? But I would like us to see this text in more than the light of stewardship, I would like to have us zero in on the choice this man had to make, the decision he had to make about his life, because on one level this text for me is a text that can help us to see where you and I place our values of life.

This man approaches Jesus. Notice Mark doesn't call him the rich young ruler, but only a man. A man, a human being, someone like you and I. This man approaches Jesus with the age old question what must I do to inherit eternal life.? Or to put in another way: "Lord, there is something missing in my life, there is so much that I have been looking for, help me to find it? " This man sensed that something was lacking in his life. His life didn't seem complete, there was a strange emptiness, there was no feeling of self sanctification, a feeling of self-worth in his life. So he goes to Jesus asking him to help him find the missing piece, to find fulfillment.

Jesus then asks him if he has been a respectable man. If he has lived the right kind of life. And the man answers that he has. He is your typical middle class man. He doesn't 't really do anything really wrong, but neither is he happy with the way things are going. Then Jesus hits the nail on the head, Jesus finds the missing link, he sees into this man's heart and finds that yes, he hasn't done anything wrong in the way he has lived life, but neither has he done anything. He has not dared to risk. He has lived the safe life. He hasn't done anything for anyone.

So Jesus tells him to risk, to sell all that he has give it to the poor. Jesus asks him to risk himself for Jesus and others. Jesus asks him to make a choice, to give up comfort, to give up security, to give up respectability for Christianity.

Respectability consists of not doing things, but Christianity also consists in doing things. Jesus is telling this man that yes you have lived a respectable life, a good life, but you haven't committed yourself to anything but yourself. You have taken all of this time to dwell on yourself, your own respectability, but what have you done for someone else. What have you done to improve the life of someone around you? What have you committed your life to? Jesus saw this man needed to make a decision concerning his life. Jesus asked him to commit himself to something other than himself, to give of himself, to risk himself, to put his being on the line for something, or someone else besides himself. Jesus is asking him to live for Jesus through his neighbor.

Notice, Jesus asks him to do this not because it is a new law, but because Jesus loved him, had compassion on him. Jesus wanted him to find the fullness of life. The text says: "And Jesus looking upon him loved him". Jesus comes to him with the good news of the gospel message, the good news that lets him live life outside of himself, to live life for Jesus and others. Jesus comes to him with a message of freedom, a message of liberation. Jesus gives him a way out of his frustrations with life, but the man has to decide whether he will take it or not. He has to decide whether he will heed this message of freedom or ignore it and go about living as usual playing it safe, living for himself instead of others.

I would like to suggest to you that the story in this text is but an example of how Jesus comes to each of us with the message of his gospel that demands that we make a choice about how we are going to life our lives. Our choice doesn't necessarily involve our possession, but it may be how we will use our lives for Jesus. But the point being, I think Jesus asks each of us to make some hard choices in life concerning those things which are of value to us and to him.

Maybe it is not how we use of resources, but how we use our person hood in relationship to others. Or how we see ourselves in relationship to our families, or our loved ones. Or maybe it is how we make a choice about how we will use our life in this world for others.

I don't know what your questions are in your life? I don't know where each of your empty feelings are. I don't know where each of your longings are. I don't know where each of your searching questions lie, but I would like you to be aware that Jesus does come to those areas of your life with some answers. He asks you to decide what you will do with the answers he gives.

I would like to share with you a poem written by a teenage girl who has felt the pain of not knowing what life was all about, the pain of searching for answers. As I listen to her words, and feel her struggles, I can see these words and feel these struggles on countless of faces all through the decades of time.

Listen:

"When there is no place to go,
How do you get there?
When there's nothing to say,
Who do you talk to?
When you've nothing to do,
When do you find the time?
When there's nothing left,
With whom do you share?
When you don't know where it hurts,
How do you find the cure?"
If this is your search, if this is your struggle, if this is your quest, may I suggest you come to the one who will help you find the answers. May I suggest you come to the one who will love you, who will look with compassion on you, who will show you the answers you are looking for. May I suggest you come to Jesus. May I suggest you come but come knowing he will give you a choice. He will give you an answer, then you will need to decide if you will follow him, or keep on searching. You will need to decide if you will heed, or keep on searching. For when we come to Him, when we fall on our knees before him with our search for fulfillment know and believe there will be no easy answers. But here will be the choice of commitment, commitment to him and his way, or commitment to keep on searching, to keep on struggling, to keep on looking.

Someone said:

Commitment is a relationship with Christ that enables you in the midst of life's greatest comforts, to be willing to die, and in the midst of life's greatest trials, to be willing to live.
Commitment to Jesus does mean living with him in all aspects of life, the good and the bad.

As you search for the meaning of life, what will you do? Play it safe, or take a leap of faith and allow Jesus to give meaning and purpose to your life?

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale, October 9, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.


"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/SermonIllst.html
main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tzingalesermons