Using the Old Testament Scripture from Psalm 116, verses 1-4 and 12-19, This is a VERY ‘sensitive’ subject… and I ‘allow’ some Very Sensitive things about myself during it! All I ask is that IF you seem, at first, to take offense to what is being said, PLEASE read/listen all of the way to the end before condemning me!!!

This was written for and given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on April 10, 2005…

       Some years ago, I received this ‘history test’ through my e-mail … let me read just a few of the ‘questions’ to you this morning and see if you know the answers…

HISTORY TEST
Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual cuts from past history. They actually happened!!!

Do you remember…?

1. 1968 – Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by
a. Superman             b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter         d. a Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by
a. Olga Corbett                

b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger  

d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians

b. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
c. Elvis                     

d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger             b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts          d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera           d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs                 b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid    d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kidd               b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa             d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo         b. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
c. The Tooth Fairy   d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons       b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan           d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers          

b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s

women problems

c. The World Wrestling Federation  

d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
a. The Supreme Court of Florida

b. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
c. Mr. Bean                           

d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron                    b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL               d. Muslim male extremists mostly between

                                         the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde              b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham                     d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

(There are several others listed here, but) Nope, …..I really don’t see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President’s security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone lest they be guilty of profiling.

       This came to me under the file name, ‘Makes You Think!’, and I thought enough of it to forward it to everybody in my address book. And I would almost bet that most of you here are wishing that you had a copy of it as well so as to show other people! You know what? That labels each one of us as a racist!

       Let me read what the District Superintendent I had at the time e-mailed back to me in response…

Steve:   Part of me agrees totally with the sentiments conveyed in this little “test.”

However, another part of me says this kind of thinking is what gave some Americans permission to loot, kill, and otherwise abuse Muslim-Americans who call the U.S. home, are tax-paying U. S. citizens and deplore the kind of violence perpetrated in all the acts referred to by “Muslim male extremists between the ages of 17 and 40.”  We must be honest enough to admit that not all Muslim males between 17 and 40 are extremists intent on killing U.S. citizens, Israelis, or anyone else.  They, too, can be, and many are, peace-loving, law-abiding citizens of this country who deserve the same protection under the law that you and I enjoy.

Frankly, I think this little test serves to perpetuate prejudice and is antithetical to Jesus’ teaching and his rule of righteousness in human affairs.

Barnes’ Notes tell us that, “The author and date of Psalm 116, the verses that I read this morning, are unknown. It seems to be rather of a private than a public character, and there are expressions in it which must have been drawn from the personal experience of its writer. It is adapted to public use only because in all public assemblages there are those who would find their own experience represented by the language of the psalm. It may have been composed after the return from Babylon, but there is nothing in the psalm to limit it to that time, and the language is such that it may have been composed at any period after Jerusalem became the place of public worship…”

And the main thing I would like to pull from it this morning is the thought contained in verses 12 & 14… “How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.”

On this Sunday, as we do Every Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. And the verses in Luke 24: 13-35 tell the story of the men on the road to Emmaus meeting Jesus but not recognizing Him… obviously because he did not intend for them to! And after listening to them tell about all that had been going on and how they did not understand any of it, He said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

       And it was only then that the men began to understand how everything that had happened had all been foretold! Later, Jesus revealed Himself to them, and we’re told that… “within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus were gathered. When they arrived, they were greeted with the report, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!”

       Christ died on the cross for our sins! And through the power of God, His Father, He arose, and lives today! And all of this was done through the love that each have for you… and you… and, yes, me! So, “How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.” But that begs the question, ‘How do I do that?’

In the first chapter of 1 Peter, verses 17-24, Peter says…

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

I have to admit that I have not always been very good at ‘loving my brother’. Having grown-up in an all-white town in the 50’s and 60’s, I can’t say that I have ever fully learned to not be prejudiced against almost anybody who isn’t like me! If I see a black family in a really nice car, my first thought used to be to wonder where they got it! When I read about all of the Hispanics moving into the area, I worry about what influences they might have! When I see Orientals in positions of trust and power, I worry about conspiracies. All in all, I worry way too much!!! I know full well that there are many blacks far more intelligent and have better educations than I have… and most of them have had to work twice as hard to overcome similar prejudices to mine surrounding them in their daily lives!

I know that many of the jobs that the Hispanics are taking are those that most ‘white-folk’ just plain don’t want to do! And if they are willing to move from their homes to take jobs that can’t be filled in this country in order to build a better life for themselves and their families… then I must applaud and salute them! And if our education system is failing to educate our population in new technologies and ways of thinking, then we must expect those who are educated in those fields to hold those jobs, as well!

Listen, again, to what Peter is telling us… “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” Loving our brothers… deeply… from the heart… is a part of our purifying ourselves and obeying the truth!!! It is a part of our ‘repaying the Lord for all His Goodness to me!

Let me read another story to you that came over the internet to me just yesterday… it is purported to be entirely true!

Where we live, on the Eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips. They curl into the smaller creeks and coves like tender palms.  The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and the ducks who ride an inch above the waves of Chesapeake Bay as they skim their way into harbor. In the autumn, by the thousands, they come home for the winter.  The swans move toward the shores in a stately glide, their tall heads proud and unafraid. They lower their long necks deep into the water, where their strong beaks dig through the river bottoms for food. And there is, between the arrogant swans and the prolific geese, an indifference, almost a disdain.

Once or twice each year, snow and sleet move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, or the creek shallow, there is a freeze which hardens the water to ice. It was on such a morning, near Osford, Maryland, that a friend of mine sat at the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the TredAvon River. Across the river, beyond the dock, the snow laced the rim of the shore in white.

For a moment she stood quietly, looking at what the night’s storm had painted. Suddenly she leaned forward and peered close to the frosted window. “It really is,” she cried out loud, “there is a goose out there.” She reached to the bookcase and pulled out a pair of binoculars. Into their sights came the figure of a large Canada goose, very still, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice. Then from the dark skies, she saw a line of swans. They moved in their own singular formation, graceful, intrepid, and free. They crossed from the west of the broad creek high above the house, moving steadily to the east. As my friend watched, the leader swung to the right, then the white string of birds became a white circle. It floated from the top of the sky downward. At last, as easy as feathers coming to earth, the circle landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life he still had might be pecked out by those great swan bills.

Instead, amazingly instead, those bills began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again, it went on for a long time. At last, the goose was rimmed by a narrow margin of ice instead of the entire creek. The swans rose again, following the leader, and hovered in that circle, awaiting the results of their labors. The goose’s head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. He was moving his big webbed feet slowly. And the swans hovered in the air watching. Then, as if he had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around him. Their powerful beaks scraped the goose’s wings from top to bottom, scuttled under its wings and rode up its body, chipping off and melting the ice held in the feathers. Slowly, as if testing, the goose spread its wings as far as they would go, brought them together, accordion-like, and spread again. When at last the wings reached their fullest, the four swans took off and joined the hovering group. They resumed their eastward journey, in perfect formation, to their secret destination. Behind them, rising with incredible speed and joy, the goose moved into the sky. He followed them, flapping double time, until he caught up, until he joined the last end of the line, like a small child at the end of a crack-the-whip of older boys.

My friend watched them until they disappeared over the tips of the farthest trees. Only then, in the dusk, which was suddenly deep, did she realize that tears were running down her cheeks and had been for how long she didn’t know.

This is a true story. It happened. I do not try to interpret it. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question: “If so for birds, why not for man?”

       We all know that the world we live in is growing more dangerous and complex everyday… and I think that we would all agree that solving security issues sometimes means giving up certain freedoms… putting bars and locks over all of your windows and doors may make you more secure, but the cost is the feel of living in a prison! And so, while I won’t pretend to deny that the situation that I addressed at the start of this sermon requires some kind of action and resolution, I also won’t pretend that I know what it should be! I only know that Jesus requires us to love all people!!! And maybe… that in itself would be the answer!