This was written for and given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on October 17, 2004 and again at the Wanda (IL) UMC on June 14, 2015. It is Also used as the fifth chapter in my book, ‘What We Learn’, available as a self-printed version through me Now, and, hopefully, commercially printed and available through a number of sources sometime in 2012!

The Scripture is from 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5.

          I believe that it was the spring of 1971 that one of my best friends started telling me about this really great 2-album set he had gotten, and wanted to bring it out to the house for me to listen to. I had been ‘out-of-circulation’ for a while and was just beginning to get caught up to some of what was going on in the world around me, and it seems that this new rock-opera was causing waves in many circles.

          He had ordered his album from a record club he belonged to, and one of the discs had a big warp in it which his record player had a real problem with playing. Mine, however, was fairly new and used a slightly different method of tracking, so when we played it on it, everything worked just fine. For that reason, he offered to sell me that copy at a bargain and he ordered a replacement, which we did… here is that very album, complete with the original jackets, though I Have lost the book somewhere along the way…   

          JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR became, at first, a cult classic, then over time matured into being accepted as a masterful piece of music and art, eventually being turned into an actual stage musical. (For those who might have thought it was always a musical, such was not the case! The first live productions I went to of it consisted merely of a stage full of musicians and singers performing the songs!)

          The success of it catapulted the composer into a stardom-role of his own, and he was soon writing and releasing a string of musicals, many of which have become classics in their own rights, breaking many different records on Broadway and around the world, winning kudos and awards throughout the industry. Who cannot marvel at the magic of watching a performance of Cats, or shiver at the sound of the organ runs in Phantom of the Opera? Even some of his less-well-known shows, such as Song and Dance, are pure genius in their way of using music to set and establish a particular theme and feeling… in fact, it is his ability to write almost any ‘flavor’ of music and use it to enhance… or even Create… the plot of the story that has always fascinated me. From the circus atmosphere of ‘King Herod’s Song’ in JC SUPERSTAR to the sound and rumble of the train in ‘Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat’ in the musical Cats to his ability to theme music in Song and Dance that delineates the differences of New York City and Los Angeles and perfectly capture the ‘feel’ of each, Andrew Lloyd Webber is a true master of using music to tell a story. Just as an example, listen to ‘The Song of the King’ from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Pharaoh… the ‘King’… tells Joseph his dreams…

          Now, that is a fun song! And aside from using just a little poetic license, the story it tells is pretty much correct, as we have it in Genesis. But… there-in lies the problem!

          I have listened to this CD for many years now, and have even seen it performed live, and thoroughly enjoy the music and story. However, I was always just a trifle concerned about its accuracy. Some years ago I purchased a multiple-CD set of a ‘dramatic’ reading of the Bible and would listen to it while driving the big-truck from time to time. One time, not long after hearing the actual full story of Joseph and his brothers on the Bible CDs, I chanced to listen to the musical as well! And I was struck by how different the two stories actually are! Oh, Rice and Webber have the basic idea down, but they obviously have to omit an awful lot… and to liven it up they make free use of poetic license, which, again, I think is mostly acceptable. But I came to realize that for many people, this is about as close to Bible learning as they get… and if that be the case, they are getting an improper view of the Bible!

Just as one example, in another song, Joseph proclaims that, “Anyone can make it if they get a lucky break!” No attempt is made at explaining how it was part of God’s plan for Joseph to be in Egypt at that time and to be in a position to save his family from the famine sweeping their world… and thus assuring the survival and growth of the nation of Israel. Indeed, the basis of Webber and Rice’s story seems to be to believe in yourself and your dreams and anything is possible… propagating the current trend towards promoting self-worth and self-importance!

There was a successful book, and even a movie, some years back, called The DaVinci Code… I’m sure that most of you have heard of it, or at least heard of some of the scenarios it tries to paint regarding Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail, Christianity in general, and the institutional church in particular. Some of you may have even read it. The book was written as a fictional novel, but had enough factual information in it to make one wonder just how much of it is true. Much of its ‘theology’ came from the Gnostic Bible, a collection of supposed gospels and letters that many purport to give a more realistic picture of Christ and His teachings than what our standard Bible has.

Not long after The DaVinci Code was released, I found and studied a book entitled The DaVinci Deception, in which author Erwin W. Lutzer debunks all of the supposed claims and notions put forth in The DaVinci Code. I enjoyed it so much that I have often pondered doing an entire study based on it in which we would explore in more detail some of the concepts put forward in the ‘Code’ and why they simply cannot be! For now, though, suffice it to note that historians date the writings of the Gnostic Bible to be between two and four hundred years after the time of Christ, whereas the Books of the New Testament were written by either eye-witnesses of Christ or those who interviewed eye-witnesses and wrote down their words and memories regarding these happenings. As Mr. Lutzer points out in his book, if you wanted to study a biography of Abraham Lincoln would you be more prone to accept as fact one written shortly after his death by someone who knew him or at least had access to people who knew him… or one written today by someone who wanted to impose their beliefs or current trends onto what people believe about Lincoln? The same holds true for the Gnostic gospels… they were written, primarily, to support the Gnostic view of the world and how they wanted religion to fit into it!

And therein lies the secret as to why this book, The DaVinci Code, and all others like it, sell so well… people are still trying to find and make a ‘religion’ that agrees with the way they want to live… one that fits their lifestyle, as they see it. And all of these other teachings are much more acceptable to people who have been brought up in a culture that promotes the individual and individual rights… over the tight, seemingly restrictive Scriptures that God has given us. And since these texts and stories and legends all have a hint of truth about them, far too many people accept them as truth… and in so doing, they deny the credibility of what we accept as Holy Scripture!

But in our verses this morning, Paul says to Timothy, in his second letter to him from a Roman jail, that… “All Scripture is God-breathed”. Do you understand what that means? It means that even though it is true that every word that we have in this compilation we call the Holy Bible was indeed written by a human hand… those words were inspired by the very hand… the breath, if you will… of God!

When I listened to JC SUPERSTAR as a young man, way back when, I had enough of a Christian education to know that some of the facts and words contained in it where scriptural. And since that music was far easier to listen to than reading any Bible, I heard it many, many more times that I ever did actual scripture, and over time, grew to accept all that I heard in it as being scripture-based… and that is just not the case!

And I knew that! I had grown up in the church… I had been taught Scripture since before I was old enough to read! And yet I was so easily led into believing something else because it was so much easier to do so!

Indeed, Paul’s words to Timothy could just as easily been written directly to me… “…continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

In Psalm 119 David declares…

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.

He loved the Word of God! He studied and obeyed it! He centered his entire life and being around it! And yet, even he made mistakes! How much more so will those who have only a passing knowledge, if any, of God’s Word make mistakes and lose their place in Paradise… sinning only because they are unaware… or un-convinced… of their sin?

Paul could be speaking of today when he says, “… the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

This is the Word of God! And as Paul says, it, “…is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Do YOU know what it says? Are you familiar enough with the teachings and love and promises contained in it to not only live it yourself but to teach it and demonstrate it to others?

Or are you a leaf in the wind… being blown about by any and every new idea put forward as to just what you are ‘supposed’ to believe? For the truth is, any ideas put forward by anyone other than God can only come from one other source… Satan! And true is said the axiom… if you don’t believe in something… if you are not firmly rooted in that belief, and strong in the knowledge and content of it… you will believe in anything!

And people… there is only one belief by which we receive Salvation and our place in Paradise! And that is the one contained within these pages… which have been given us through the ‘breath of God’!

This was my response to a comment on another forum supporting the tearing-down of ‘Confederate’ statues…

I must admit that I have Never made a ‘concerted’ effort to study the Civil War… anymore than I have the Revolutionary War, the Indian Wars, the War of 1812, the ‘World’ Wars, or any of the vast multitudes of ‘wars’ and/or ‘conflicts’ that this country has been involved in. What I mean by that is that I imagine I have read, proportionately, a similar number of books and articles, seen a similar number of documentaries, etc., and been to a similar number of museums, battlefields (as they exist), etc. for each of them!

However, having grown-up and lived in Illinois (During a time when one could be Proud of having done so! ☹ ), with the majority of my adult years in Morgan County (where Lincoln came [to MacMurray Collage] to visit his ‘want-to-be’ girlfriend and spent time in the courthouse practicing law), I learned a Great deal about Abraham Lincoln!! I Have studied… and Written!… much about New Salem and his days there, toured his home, law offices, and tomb Multiple times, as well as often noting and visiting many of the other Illinois sites ‘associated’ with him, such as Galesburg, Alton, Edwardsville, and Vandalia. And I DO know that one cannot make an in-depth study of Lincoln without Also learning about the Civil War!?!

As a teenager and young adult, I often took ‘offense’ at the ‘rebel’ flags that would occasionally appear on a car-or-pickup in the high-school parking lot or driving down the road. My ‘offense’ was pretty-much the same reaction I had to ‘long-hairs’ and ‘hippies’… At that age, at that time-in-my-life, I considered All of it as being ‘Anti-American’… at least it was ‘anti-American’ to the ‘America’ I ‘saw’ at that time! But as the years went by, I came to realize the ‘incorrectness’ of many of my adolescent views and came to adjust them as needed.

The ‘War Between the States’ was fought over whether-or-not State’s rights overrode Federal law or not. Until that time, each state considered themselves an autonomous unit, bowing only to the Federal’s ‘rights’ as allowed specifically in the Constitution… that is, concerning such things that Required inter-or intra-state commerce, such as banking, mail delivery, etc. Each state still considered Their own government as controlling Their own concerns! Lincoln and others saw that for the country to grow AS a ‘nation’, a central government was necessary. Yes, the ‘catalyst’ was the slavery issue… but it was Not until mid-way through the conflict that Lincoln realized he was losing support of a number of the northern states and needed to ‘Rally’ them around a ‘Just’ cause to salvage the situation.

The notion that southerners were All ‘evil’ because they fought to ‘preserve’ slavery as an institution is Not correct! They fought to preserve what they perceived was their right as a free-state to govern themselves!?! I may, well, disagree with what I might think their intent in using that freedom was… but I Have to support their right to fight For that freedom!

I am Glad that the north won! I am happy that ‘these’ United States became ‘THE United States’!! But to condemn ANY person’s ‘history’ as being ‘improper’ is as unjust and Far More improper than Any supposed memory might be… ESPECIALLY when that ‘memory’ has been manufactured and programmed into individuals to serve the needs of the ‘state’!! (In this instance, the ‘state’ refers to any form of ‘power’ bent on coercing or controlling ‘subjects’ to ‘believe’ and/or ‘follow-a-course-of-action’ as determined by the ‘state’…)

ANY destruction of history, for ANY reason, is a bad thing… but to do so under the ‘direction’ of a ‘political agenda’ is Dangerous and just flat Wrong!?!

Given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on September 26, 2004. The Scripture is from the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 19-31.

It is Important to NOTE that there are references and occurrences contained herein that correlate to That time!

       Any of you who have ever taken the driver’s test for driving any kind of truck may remember that the maximum weight limit on most roads in Illinois is 73,280 pounds. However, the federal limit is 80,000 lbs., and Illinois allows that on all interstates and certain designated secondary roads throughout the state, and they print-up a map every so often clearly delineating just what roads those are. Now obviously, if a trucker gets paid by the pound of load, he wants to be as close to that 80,000 lb limit as he can, but that means he really needs to pay attention to which route he takes so that he stays only on those roads that allow that much weight. For example, highway 54 through Pittsfield, IL, Atlas, and across the river through Louisiana, MO, allows 80,000 lbs, but the road from Atlas through Hardin and along the river to Alton, IL. does not!

       Some years ago I was told a story of a small trucking outfit who had a contract to haul a series of loads out of Mexico, MO into downtown Alton. Now, the shortest route is certainly crossing the Mississippi at Louisiana and coming down through Grafton and such, plus it avoids the big scales west of St. Louis along Interstate 70. So, even though they knew it was technically illegal, every driver opted to take that route with their loads.

As luck would have it, the Secretary of State Police had set up their portable scales that day near Pere Marquette State Park, and as each truck came to them and weighed in, each was pulled to the side and parked, and the driver arrested for being overweight and placed in a squad car! When the owner of the company came to bail everybody out and pay all of the fines, he asked some of the drivers why they hadn’t tried to warn off the ones behind them. He was told that each had been removed from their trucks and didn’t have access to their CB’s and there were no telephones nearby to report in. I’m sure that each must have been thinking something very similar to what verses 27 and 28 say this morning… “I beg you… send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”

       I think most people know this story of Lazarus and the rich man. When each died, Lazarus stood by Abraham’s side in heaven while the rich man went to the flames of hell, “where he was in torment.” And when he asked for even a small bit of relief, Abraham reminded him, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” As the rich man comes to accept his lot, to his credit he asks if someone could be sent back to warn his brothers.

       In high school, I learned that any play or story with a happy ending is called a comedy while those with unhappy endings are considered tragedies… hence the two drama masks are always displayed with one joyous and one mournful countenance. Are any of you familiar with the Shakespearean tragedy, King Lear? I have a copy of it on three cassette tapes as performed and recorded as a radio play by the BBC. Each tape is about an hour-and-a-half long, so the entire production takes about four-and-a-half hours to listen to! Many years ago, while I was still driving a ‘big-truck’, I chanced to take it with me one time and work my way through it over the course of a two-day trip. Since it was produced in Britain, they remained very faithful to Shakespeare’s original words, and the native actors… many of them very well known… remained true to their native accents. So it was that I spent a fair amount of time, listening to the first tape, in deciphering just exactly what was being said and what was meant by it… but by the time I was listening to the third, I found myself thinking things like, “Wither is yon rest area? Me thinks my mind and body dost, indeed, need a rest!”

       The story of King Lear centers around the King’s having three daughters. Knowing he is aging and looking forward to what we might consider retirement, he asks each of his daughters how much they love him. The two eldest carry on with such prose and flattery as one might expect to hear from one’s offspring, and the king eats it up and gives each of them one third of his kingdom. The youngest daughter, however, states that she only loves her father an average amount… meaning the amount that might be average for one totally devoted to someone, as she was to her father… but the old king takes offense and banishes her from the kingdom. Over time, the two eldest daughters, with the aid of the depraved and decadent illegitimate son of the duke, seek to control their father and gain total control of the kingdom. In the end, the illegitimate son of the duke is dead, his father’s eyes have been put out, the younger daughter is murdered while imprisoned for trying to rescue her father, the two eldest daughters each take poison, most of the king’s friends and supporters are dead around him, and Lear, himself, dies of exposure and a broken heart! As I said, the epitome of a tragic story!

       When it was finished, and my mind dwelt upon the cruel injustices that had been unleashed in it, I was struck with some of the inhumanities mankind inflicts upon itself! Consider, if you will, some of the attempted genocides over the years… the mass graves discovered in Germany after WWII… in Sarajevo not so long ago… and in Iraq during the last few months. Consider how many families were affected by the deaths caused by the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma… the attacks of 9-11… and the recent school takeover in Russia. How many lives are destroyed everyday by drugs, alcohol, and AIDS, not to mention hunger, exposure, lack of clean water, or any number of unsafe and unhealthy conditions? How many people will die today from the action… or inaction… of another human being? A case could easily be made that the human race has deteriorated into a mass of cannibals… feeding on itself in a feeding frenzy of evil and decadence!

       I was pondering on these thoughts, and many others, while pushing my 18-wheeler through the wee hours of the morning, when out of the darkness shown a huge white symbol… a barn some ways off of the highway had a gigantic cross on it made out of white lights… and as I drove by with my thoughts of man’s inhumanity to man, it shown out of the darkness as an answer to all that I saw wrong with the world! And yet… I then considered the rest of today’s verses!

       When the rich man asked Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers, he replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’  Indeed, one could imagine Abraham saying to one of the first drivers sitting in the squad car, ‘those drivers know the law… they know the speed limit and weight restrictions! Let them obey them!’ We can then imagine that driver saying, as did the rich man, “’No, father Abraham… but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent and obey.’ But I ask you… would they? Isn’t true that they… like so many of us, on occasion… only considered what they are doing as wrong if they got caught at it?

And I thought of this… and King Lear… and the cannibalism of the human race… and I realized that Abraham’s next statement was just as true… “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”  For I saw that one had indeed risen from the dead to warn us… our Lord, Christ Jesus… and yet so many of the world truly ignore, disown, or disavow Him… ‘they will not be convinced… even if someone rises from the dead!’

So… here we sit… surrounded by these walls we have built to honor God… in a service intended to Praise and Worship Him… and feeling very good about ourselves, our lives, and all that we perceive around us… but I put it to you… are you convinced? Do you know in your heart that Christ Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins, and that He rose back to life three days later, and now sits at the right hand of God, the Father? Do you KNOW that?! And if you do… what are you doing about it?! What are you doing to convince your fellow travelers down this road that all is not well unless they heed the warning? What can we Christians do to make that warning come to life and have meaning for all those unbelievers? What are we… the arms and legs of Christ… doing to further His teachings and reach ALL of our brothers and sisters with the Gospel of His love… His peace… and His offer of salvation?

       Well… we start by praying. Praying for His help and guidance… and yes, praying for His protection, as well. We also start by giving! Giving of our money to go towards His ministries all over the world… and yes, lest we forget, our neighbors are a part of this world as well! We give of our time, and our energies, and our knowledge that ALL may come to know God as God… and Jesus as His Son, our Lord! In short, we start by giving our entire lives over to Christ and allowing Him to shape us and mold us and guide us in doing whatever He deems necessary!

       Do you know the story of Jesus? Does the person sitting next to you know it? How about your neighbor? How about the person you know across town, or the friend you work with everyday… do they know the story of Jesus? Because, people, that is what we are each called to do… spread His story to every man, woman and child across the face of the earth! For the only thing that will cure humanities hunger for devouring itself is a steady diet of the Gospel… and that can only be served up by the likes of you and me!

Based on the 2nd chapter of the first letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, verses 1-7, this was first given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on September 19, 2004, and again at the Hartford (IL) East Maple Street Chapel on January 25, 2009.

          I think most of you here this morning would be familiar with the story of Captain Miles Standish… though some of you may need a little jog to the memory to remember why. Miles was one of the leading characters in the classic poem, ‘The Courtship of Miles Standish’, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1858, which seemed to be standard reading fare for many of us during our school years. If you recall, the story centered around the captain having a fancy for the fair Priscilla, but being too shy himself, asked his friend, John Alden, to intercede on his behalf. John has a thing for Priscilla himself, but as the captain’s friend, agrees, not knowing that Priscilla has a thing for him! As John pleads the captain’s case, Priscilla finally pops off, “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John!”

          The characters of John, Priscilla, and the captain are purely fictional, as are, for the most part, the events in the poem. However, there actually was a Cyrano de Bergerac, although the actual living person bore very little resemblance to the one many of us are also familiar with from an 1897 drama by the same name. This story centered around Cyrano’s wanting to woo the lady of his heart, but believes himself unworthy because of his overly-large nose. So instead, he assists a friend in wooing her by feeding him all of his own poems and words of love to use and win the lady.

Now, there is definitely a lot more to each of these stories, but these are the parts that I most remember, because they are the parts that I could most relate to back then. You see, I never went through that time of life that most boys do when I didn’t like girls… but I was deathly afraid of them! The word ‘shy’ doesn’t come close to describing what I used to feel whenever any girls were around… especially a pretty one! My tongue would get all tied up in my mouth, my legs would get all weak and rubbery, and my whole body just wanted to melt into whatever background was there and disappear! And I can’t begin to tell you how many times over the years I wished for someone to intercede with one or the other of them on my behalf, just as in these stories.

Indeed, I seem to recall trading off with my best friend in high-school and going to the girl he was interested in at the time and trying to find out what she thought about him, while he did the same for me. The results of those inquiries can only be attested to by the fact that I cannot recall at all either of the two that we each approached, nor would I actually state that the whole episode was fact or merely a vague memory of something I wished had happened!

Regardless of that, though, I think it safe to say that almost everyone listening here today appreciates it when someone ‘goes to bat’, if you will, for them… and that is part of what Paul is telling Timothy in these verses…

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

The Life Application Commentary tells us that, “If we live in a country with a good government, our lives move along peacefully and quietly, making it difficult to remember to pray for those in authority. We take good government for granted. But we should pray for those at the top — whether we agree with them or not, whether we voted for them or not. In this way, we Christians can make a difference in the course of our nation. We should also pray for world leaders so that other cultures will be open to the gospel. Pray for your leaders, not just in times of national crisis, but every day — thousands of decisions are made daily that affect everyone. And beyond praying for those decisions that will affect you, also pray for the conversion of your leaders.”

Two-hundred-and-forty-five years ago, that wasn’t much of an issue… by most accounts, many of the founding fathers of this great nation of ours were Christian… and more than that, they believed in and professed and practiced Christian ideals and concepts. Congress would pray before each session, and sometimes before each vote, and each member paid attention to what was being prayed… George Washington would kneel and pray before going into battle… even the writers of our very Constitution based it on fundamental Christian principles, even though, in the name of ‘freedom’… in this case, so-called ‘religious freedom’… they had to couch it in such words as to make it sound more secular! But who would deny that we were a Godly country, led by Godly men? And the country prospered! We grew and became strong!

Yes, over the years we have had to deal with many trials and tests… in the late 1800’s, we had to eliminate the abominable practice of slavery from our shores, and it took a great internal struggle to do so! Yet, as Abraham Lincoln left Springfield to address that struggle, he said, “Without the assistance of the Divine Being… I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well.”  Despite our wanting to be isolated from the rest of the world, we have been drawn into two world wars, each of which were ultimately tests of good versus evil… As Roosevelt addressed congress after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he said, “With confidence in our armed forces – with the unbounded determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.”

          My point is that, even through all of the trials and troubles… through the wars and strife… through the depressions and natural disasters… and un-natural disasters… those that are man-made… as long as we kept our faith in God and tried to live and conduct our lives and affairs in His name… we overcame each of these things and grew into a strong and vibrant nation!

          But times change… people change… and our ideas about what is considered right and wrong have changed as well! People brag about cheating on their taxes… speeding is only illegal if you get caught… shoplifting is a game of chance… and I won’t even start on current ideas about sexuality and marriage! Under the guise of modern sophistication, Satan has been transforming and degrading our morals so much that it is difficult to find and recognize a true Christian concept in this country that has not been altered in some way!

As an example, Jesus said to love everyone… so we are taught to love all people, including sinners. By expanding on that, people tell us that we should love homosexuals and unwed mothers because Jesus taught us to love everybody! And that is right and good! But do you see what happens next? Satan takes and adds a modern twist to that by pushing us to accept sinners… not so different from loving them, is it? But what’s the next step? If we love them as Jesus taught… and accept them as Satan encourages… then by default, we accept the sin! By using that train of thought, people tell us, then, that we should accept homosexuality! We should accept drunkards and drug addicts! We should accept promiscuity and gambling and all types of evil… and Satan wins!

          In the first part of the 16^th chapter of Luke, Jesus declares, “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” In that instance He was referring to worshipping money, but I tell you the same thing applies to ANYTHING! And frankly, I believe we in this country have become far too attached to our ‘modern-inity’… that is, our pursuit of all things new and modern! We want to be accepted by our peers… we want to be perceived as being ‘with-it’ and ‘hip’ and ‘keeping up with the times’! And if those ‘times’ tell us that a gentle shift in our understanding of the Bible is in order, who are we to argue… after all, it is over two-thousand years old, right!

Well, yes, that is correct. But I ask you… where does it stop? Either this book contains the Word of God or it doesn’t! And if it contains the true Word of God, do you really think He hasn’t allowed for social shifts and changes over the years? If this is the Word of God… and I believe that it is… then what is in it is still just as true and relevant today as it was when Jesus actually uttered the words that are contained in it!

          So read it! Know and understand what it says! Let God talk to you and explain the true meanings and concepts that it contains! Pray for that understanding! Then, stand up for what you know to be true! Stand up for what Jesus says, and don’t be influenced by those wanting you to be ‘politically correct’! And then pray for those very people!

          Pray for those who are trying to tell you that Jesus’ teachings are two-thousand years out-of-date! Pray for those who are striving to make individual choices more important that moral ones! Pray for those who are fighting to keep religion away from our children and out of our schools and out of our lives! Pray for the scientists who seek to disprove the existence of God… for the social reformers who want equality for homosexuals and gays… for the drug pushers and bar owners and unethical employers and prostitutes and all of Satan’s minions, that they may come to see the Christ and know the God that we know… pray that they can learn to accept Him as Lord of all and to change their ways!

          And while you’re at it… pray for our leaders! Pray for the lawmakers and politicians that they may once again hear and fear and follow the Words of God and make this country and this world into the place God intended for it to be!  And then, pray for our country itself… Pray for our world! Pray for the tyrants who want to rule at any cost… Pray for those leaders who seek fame and wealth at the cost of their constituents… Pray for those who do not accept our Christianity and are fighting to destroy it by destroying us!

For, as these verses say, God wants ALL people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth! And what part of ALL do you not understand?

Cumberland Gap

Working from verses 1-10 of the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, This was given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on September 12, 2004. As noted in the ‘live’ presentation, this was a Sunday that we were receiving a Number of new members into the congregation AND into the Family of God! I decided, though, to Leave it as written!

       During the summer of 2002, My wife and I went on our fourth mission trip with the Wesley Chapel youth group. Now, this was the second year that we had combined our group with that from the Jerseyville UMC, and so we had the full use of one of their touring buses and one fifteen-passenger van. Since, in addition to being the leaders of the trip, I would also be the sole driver of that bus, we deemed it prudent to go on out by ourselves over the Fourth-of-July holiday and pay a visit to Sneedville… the county seat of the poorest county in the state of Tennessee, and the location of the Jubilee Project, our ‘home’ for that year’s trip. We wanted to check-out some of the work we would be doing, where we would be staying, and what some of the roads might be like that I had to drive on through those mountains. (You see, Sneedville is only about thirty miles-or-so from the Cumberland Gap, as the crow flies, but takes well over an hour to drive!)

One of the other things we were taking particular note of during that trip were possible recreation sites that we could take the kids to on the days that we had a break, and with that in mind, we chose to drive up the steep, narrow, and twisty paved path that passed for a road as it wound its way up the side of the mountain to a look-out over the Cumberland Gap itself. I knew that there was no way that bus would ever make it up there, but it was such an impressive sight that we really wanted everybody to experience it! So, after much deliberation and finagling, when the day came, we climbed into and filled two fifteen passenger vans… one graciously loaned by the Jubilee Project, itself… and two personal vehicles that had accompanied us, and spent an afternoon touring some of the local sights and flavors, culminating with the circuitous climb up that mountain!

At the top, we all hiked out the path that led to the overlook… which included stepping over a line painted on the path marking the border of Tennessee and Virginia… marveled at the view from the summit, tried to scare one another at the edge, and took pictures of each other before making our way back to the vans.

Somewhere along the way, two of the boys decided that they would head off down another path and see where it went… you all know where this is going, don’t you? Once we were all back to the vans and learned of the actions of those two, I felt I had no choice but to head out after them. Yes, they were old enough to take care of themselves, but I was the ultimate one responsible for them if anything did happen… and as I walked, I was considering all of those possible things… they could get lost on the wrong trail back… they could fall into a ravine or trip over some obstacle and get hurt… they could get snake-bit… (for some reason, I always worry about somebody getting snake-bit!). But the worst of it all was that, by their actions, everybody else had to wait, and they were all missing out on the other things we had planned to do… so, more than anything, I was angry with them! So angry that I wasn’t really sure just how I would handle the situation when I found them! So, when the father of the one boy, who had gone with us, caught up to me only part way down and offered to go get them, I decided it was probably more appropriate for him to have his say in private once they were found, and made my way back up to the vans.

To make a long story short, the path they were on intersected the road we drove up on, and through some complicated but effective communication techniques, we all met back together at the lower level. Now, I was still angry with them, but the kids had all decided that they were going to just give them the silent treatment, so I abided by their wishes and held my tongue. Besides, the truth of the matter is that I really was greatly relieved to see them safe and sound!

You all know that feeling, don’t you? How many parents have put up a brave front waiting for a child to come in from a date that ran longer than usual, or from a long trip? How about the spouse or parent who is traveling alone or in bad weather or through unfamiliar territory? Can any of us not recall the terror and fear that we are forced to fight back and keep under control during those times? And who cannot also recall the joy and jubilation that came with the relief of seeing them walk in safe and sound? That is exactly the kind of rejoicing that Jesus is describing in today’s verses!

The Pharisees and ‘teachers of the law’ were mumbling about Jesus’ consorting with tax collectors and “sinners”, and, as the Life Application Commentary points out, they had a point, to some degree…

“There is wisdom in choosing friends wisely. Sports stars are told not to hang out with gamblers. A teenager who runs with druggies stands a good chance of becoming one. In big cities, caring parents forbid youngsters any contact with street gangs.

In Jesus’ case, however, time spent with sinners was part of a mission to spread the Good News to all people.”

And in verse 7 He says, “…there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Now, do you understand that? He is not saying that the ninety-nine righteous people are not acknowledged or appreciated! If the rest of your family is safely at home, do you love them any less while you’re waiting for the one who is out that evening? Of course not! You love each and every one of them equally! But it is the one who is out that you are concerned about right then, and when that one returns, it is that one that causes you to rejoice and celebrate! But the fact is that if it should be one of the others out at another time, you would be just as joyful and celebratory at their return as you were for the first one!

In the same way, God loves each and every person on this earth! It doesn’t matter if saint or sinner, God loves each and every one of us! Now, loving and accepting isn’t necessarily the same thing… and that’s a sermon topic for another day… but, it is also why there is such rejoicing when just one sinner repents and turns to God for salvation… for, as much as He loves us, He will condemn each and every person on this planet to eternity in the fires of hell unless we truly accept Him as Lord and give our lives over to Him!

Today, however, Satan is the loser! Today, we are not talking of hell… we are rejoicing with all of the heavens as we welcome two new members into the family of God, as well as four others into our Lynnville UMC family! Let our hearts shout with all of the same joy and happiness that God and His hosts are experiencing right now! Hallelujah!

However… let me leave you with one word of caution. As those two boys headed off down the side of that mountain in Tennessee, they didn’t realize that they were lost! Indeed, they had a very clear picture in their own minds of where they were going and what they were doing! It was only from where those of us above were standing that we could see the error of their way, and all of the trouble it was causing!

The Life Application Commentary reminds us that, “The Bible is full of gladness when lost valuables are found: the Prodigal Son, the lost coin, and, here, a lost sheep.

Picture yourself in both roles.

If you find yourself in the shepherd’s role, take a step beyond your comfort zone today. Start a conversation with a stranger, greet a neighbor on the other side of the block, cross a standard dividing line that separates you from others.

However, if you’re better cast in the lost-sheep role today, follow the Savior’s voice home without delay or detour.”

After we accept and welcome these new members into our family here this morning, we will all share in the feast of Communion with out Lord and Savior. And as we do so, I invite you to focus your thoughts on three things… First, welcome our new members into your hearts and into this family. Second, consider where you are on this path of life… are you traveling in the warmth and safety and protection of the Lord… or are you cold and lost and alone? And thirdly… and people, this is always, by far the most important thing to consider during this time… remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. Yes, He died on the cross for your neighbors sins… He died on the cross for my sins… but He also died… was crucified… for yours, as well!

September 10, 2021

As many of you know, I have had numerous issues over the years with F@c3b00k showing/allowing the links to the various talks/sermons/messages that I put on this website almost every week… and have posts on here from as far back as 2006!?! So… about 2 weeks ago I spent the time (AND Money!) to set-up a ‘commercial’ F@c3b00k account and have been Paying to get these posts out to more people! And it has been Somewhat successful…

However…

One must remember that if you are reaching a larger audience… you are Also inviting more Negative responses as well! On my current post, “The Master Potter”, as it appears on my ‘commercial’ page, a ‘reader’ in Florida spent Some hours ranting about how Awful ‘Christians’  are, in general, and ‘American Christians, in particular!

These are my two responses to those many ‘comments’…

• “Shall we discuss the Crusades? Or the various waves of conquerors that have swept over Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East? ‘Mistakes’ have been made by humankind since Adam & Eve!?! I am not… CANnot… be responsible for Eve giving Adam the ‘forbidden Fruit’! Nor am I, nor Anyone alive today, responsible for the atrocities one man/people might have inflicted on another in the past! I can Only attempt to follow and obey God’s Word, and then express it to others!”
• “As I have stated on numerous occasions, you cannot use Scripture to make a ‘point’ with someone who does not believe that the Bible is the ‘Breathed-Word-of-God’, but I challenge Anyone to find fault with my use of them! Many ‘learned’ people have tried to twist-and-turn the words and messages contained in the Bible to mean what they Want them to mean at any given time… and if a person only reads what Those people claim, then That way-of-thinking will become Their belief as well! But If that individual will actually READ the Scripture for themselves… actually Pray to God for discernment and understanding… and actually THINK for themselves with that discernment in mind… Then the Truth and Fullness of God’s Wisdom and Knowledge will come to light inside that very person!?!

“There is no question that humans have been making ‘mistakes’ since the dawn of humanity, and people who call themselves ‘Christian’ are certainly not exempted from that! But consider with me for a moment where those ‘mistakes’ often originate. It has been mentioned in these comments how ‘wrong’ the ‘United States’ was to come into the ‘New World’ and claim it as their own, displacing the… I believe the term used was… the Aboriginals that were here before us. This is very true… and a case could be made that it was done in the ‘cause’ of religious freedom, since many of the first settlers came here to escape persecution in their own countries. The Crusades were mentioned as another example of one ‘peoples’ trying to kill/conquer another ‘people’ in the name of religion. And, YES, there have been Many so-called atrocities committed in the name of ‘Christianity’. But… first of all, consider God’s command to the Israelites as they set-out to conquer the ‘Promised Land’… God told them to Kill Everyone… to take NO PRISONERS, SLAVES, nor WIFES from among the people they defeated. And, as they So Often did, the Israelites disobeyed… which lead them, once again, to falling away from God to the point where He had to punish them! However, I do NOT believe that That concept applied to the Crusaders setting-out to conquer the World in Christ’s name, nor do I believe the accepted ‘science’ at the time many nations, Including the U.S., were setting out to colonize and ‘rule’ the world that stated… and even Charted!…  the ‘ranks’ of ‘development’ of all of the so-called ‘races’. The ‘science’ was wrong… and the actions carried out because of that ‘science’ was wrong!

“But again, consider the origins of all of this incorrect ‘thinking’… of the ‘mistakes… That ALL humankind has made since Eve offered Adam the ‘forbidden fruit’. WHO stands to gain from ANY of these ideas and actions? NO ONE BUT SATAN!?!

“It was stated in these comments that ‘Christianity was designed to fail.’ But I state unequivocally that Christianity can NEVER fail!?! It is only WE Christians who sometimes fail! And whatever the individual causes of that failure might be… failure to read and understand the Scripture for ourselves, following well-meaning but incorrect leaders, or just a weariness, procrastination, or lackadaisical effort on our part… it ALL originates with the orchestrations of Satan!”

Given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on September 5, 2004, this is another in a series of ‘strong’ talks regarding the ‘church’ and our country! The main Scripture is from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, chapter 18, verses 1 – 11.

       When my best friend Larry came back from vacationing with his family the summer between our junior and senior years of high school, 1970, he carried on and on about this amusement park they went to called Silver Dollar City, someplace down in Missouri. Now, I had never heard of it before then, and some of the things he was describing to me seemed really neat, or ‘groovy’ if you will! And when I made my first visit to Silver Dollar City during the summer of 1977, much of what he described to me was still the same. There were the hills and trees… the three-or-four simple but fun rides to go on… the walking tour through Marble Cave… the people dressed up and acting as Ozark hillbillies… funnel cakes… and crafts! Oh my, the crafts! Even back then there were glass blowers, candle makers, bakers, leather-workers, blacksmiths, woodcarvers, and potters, just to name a few.

       In the decades since, I have been down there a number of times and have seen many, many changes as the park has changed some of their focus by adding more and more rides aimed at the younger adults while at the same time trying to build on their reputation for being a sort-of ‘craft central’. Today, you will still find all of those same ones I mentioned along with all kinds of artists working in jewelry, glass, copper, tin… in fact, you name it, and you’ll probably find somebody there doing it! Indeed, I could probably talk all morning, and then some, on all of the truly amazing things I have seen and learned there over the years, but some of you probably would like to go home for lunch at some point! So for now, I just want to tell you about making pottery.

       Over the years I have had the opportunity to watch many different potters working down there, and although the locations have changed with the growth of the park, the actual process has not changed in hundreds, in not thousands, of years, and I always find it fascinating!

       The potter first tears off a big lump of clay from that in the tub or stoneware that it is stored in, wets it, and plunks it down on the work surface, generally a wheel of some sort. They then smooth it into a roughly round cylindrical shape that generally bears no resemblance whatsoever to what the final product might be. Then, with the wheel spinning, they begin to work and stretch and shape the sides with their wet fingers as they begin forcing the clay to become what they envision in it. One potter might bring up the sides of what turns out to be a simple vase or bowl… another might form a cup or pitcher, while still another stretches and works the clay into intricate art forms. Most, then, will use various tools and techniques to add individual touches… for example, a fancy lid or handle for the pitcher or carved patterns in the vase… some will look at what they have done, rewet their fingers and begin to stretch the sides still more, or add a groove or a rise here or there, or shorten it , spread it, narrow it, or lengthen it… the point is that what ever they want to make of it is up to them… they are the potter, and they are in control! And when, on occasion, a particular lump of clay is being uncooperative or they just don’t like the results, they will pummel it flat, throw it back into the pot and start over again!

       And that is exactly what God is talking about in this morning’s verses when He says, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?… Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand…”

       Matthew Henry’s Commentary makes three points pertaining to these verses…

1. That God has an incontestable sovereignty over us… He is not debtor to us… He may dispose of us as he thinks fit… He is not accountable to us… and it would be as absurd for us to dispute this as it would be for the clay to quarrel with the potter.

2. That it is a very easy thing with God to make what use he pleases of us and what changes he pleases with us… we cannot resist him. One turn of the hand, one turn of the wheel, quite alters the shape of the clay, makes it a vessel, unmakes it, new-makes it. Thus are our times in God’s hand, and not in our own, and it is in vain for us to strive with him. It is spoken here of nations; the most politic, the most potent, are what God is pleased to make them, and no other. He increases nations and He destroys them… All nations before God are as the drop of the bucket, soon wiped away, or the small dust of the balance, soon blown away, and therefore, no doubt, as easily managed as the clay by the potter.

3. That in the end, God will not be a loser by any in his glory…, if He be not glorified by them, He will be glorified upon them. What that means is that if the potter’s vessel be marred for one use, it shall serve for another; those that will not be monuments of mercy shall be monuments of justice. The Lord has made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. God formed us out of the clay, and we are still as clay in his hands… has not He the same power over us that the potter has over the clay? And are not we bound to submit, as the clay to the potter’s wisdom and will?

       In Psalm 139, reading from the New Living Translation, we find David praising God by declaring …

“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.”

Isn’t that beautiful? God knew us… He saw us and started shaping us… while we were yet in our mother’s womb! His plan for us is established before we are ever born! We have only ourselves to blame if we fail to acknowledge and follow that plan! Oh, yes, we can blame it on the world, we can blame it on Satan, we can blame it on any number of things… but the simple truth of the matter is that we are the ultimate one responsible for our lives! And if we fail to respond to God’s kneading and forming and shaping of us… if we ignore His leading and try to make of ourselves what WE want to be… then the Potter’s hands will either smash us flat and remake us into what He wants… or will just allow us to continue as an example of what happens to an inferior vessel… in this case, eternal damnation in the fires of hell!

Yes, we are God’s children… but we are also His creation! And that means that He has full authority to decide whether to salvage us and help shape and guide us to become the useful, meaningful instrument that He intends, or to utterly destroy us and begin again! And the same holds just as true whether talking about an individual, a congregation, or a nation!

In these verses from Jeremiah, God says, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

It seems like the last few weeks of my talks have all shared the idea of noting the deplorable state of the church in this country of ours and what that may well mean to the future. Our currency all declares, “In God We trust”… but do we? We pledge our allegiance to ‘One Nation under God’… but are we? If we, the people who claim to be the children of God, resist His shaping and molding of us into the loving, caring, and compassionate human beings He would have us be… resist His teachings and leadings that would make us into the strong and obedient Christians that His plan called for… resist His working and forming and melding of us to be the hands and feet of Christ, His Son… how can we expect the country we live in to not do likewise? Indeed, how can we expect such a country to not give itself fully over to Satan and revel in all of the so-called ‘delights’ of the world? For, as we go, so goes the country… only far, far worse!

What do I mean by that? Let me read the last verse of this scripture, but change one or two words… “Now therefore say to the people of the United States, and those living under its jurisdiction, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’

This country is in trouble! And the reason it is in trouble is because Christianity in this country is in trouble! And the reason Christianity in this country is in trouble is because the Christians in this country… that’s you and me, folks… are in trouble! And the only reason we Christians are in trouble is because we failed and are continuing to fail to allow God to shape us and mold us and guide us and use us as He sees fit!

How do we heal our country? What can we as individuals do to reestablish this nation of ours as a nation under God? We can ask and allow God to remake us into the Christians that He wants… and intended… us to be… and we do that by listening, learning and obeying all of His commands!

After all, God does not make mistakes! And if we find ourselves arguing over some point or action with Him, maybe we need to stop and consider just who it is we are arguing with… the Master Potter!

Based on verses 1 and 7-14 of the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, this was given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on August 29, 2004.

       Some years ago my wife and I spent a long weekend up in the Cedar Rapids, IA area, and as part of that trip, spent two-or-three hours in Amana. This, though, was enough to pique our interest so that when we had a chance to spend a few days up there again that next summer, we spent most of them touring and learning about the Amana Colonies and their history.

       The ‘Community of True Inspiration’, or, as it was called then, the ‘Amana Society’, was, in effect, a protestant offshoot of the German Lutheran church dating from the seventeenth century which came to this country in 1842 to escape poor conditions and persecution in Germany. They first settled in Ebenezer, New York, but were again being threatened by the expansion and influence of the city of Buffalo as it began to grow towards and around them. Seeking room to grow while maintaining what they perceived as the purity of their beliefs, they purchased 3,300 acres in Iowa and moved there in 1855. By 1861 their property had grown to 26,000 acres and included seven villages: Amana, West Amana, East Amana, Middle Amana, and Homestead. Homestead was the only existing town when they first moved there, but they soon purchased all of it so as to have access to the railroad that ran through it.

The inhabitants created their own unique culture which emerged from their common beliefs, their common language, and their common ethnic background. Even today, though English has begun to make inroads, their Bibles, Hymnals, and most of their service are still in German! And even though the technologies and economics of the 20^th century had reduced their numbers and forced them, in the early thirties, to reform their communal existence into a capitalist society, there still existed a small but powerful Christian community holding strong to their old ways.

Each of the original meeting buildings still stood and were owned by the Society, though by then only two were still used regularly for services. One of the unused buildings had been opened up as a museum, and we spent about 45 minutes sitting in their sanctuary listening and talking with the curator… who was a very strong Society member… about the history and beliefs of their church and traditions. For example, when someone of their community passed away, they are placed in a very plain pine casket and buried in the order of death, row by row, in that community’s cemetery. Each received an identical cement headstone bearing the same exact information about each person… their name, date of death, and their age at death… no more, no less… everyone was treated exactly equal.

The meeting house, itself, was a study in theology… the ceilings were very high and the windows very tall, with only clear glass in them, so as to give the impression of being open and close to God in His heavens. To further that effect, the walls were bare of all pictures or adornments and were painted a very specific shade of light blue, which has come to be known as ‘Amana Blue’. There were two doors into the hall, and the seats were divided down the middle… that’s right, the men-folk came in one door and sat on that side while the women came in and sat on the other. The plain wooden table and chairs at the front were where the leaders sat… there was no podium nor lectern of any kind, and the pews, themselves, were plain wooden planks and whittled legs… indeed, our speaker told us that when they moved from New York, their frugality caused them to disassemble and bring the ones already made with them, and the years of use had worn and polished them to a beautiful finish. And here I come to a matter of some confusion…

I’m sure I remembered our speaker telling us how the youngest sat in the first pews, accompanied by their respective parent until they were old enough to control themselves, and each set of pews back represented some stage of physical and spiritual maturity… and so, it became a matter of great pride to sit on what was dubbed ‘the wisdom bench’ at the rear of the room. However, in a research article I had found online, it was stated that the spiritually mature moved forward over time, and any kind of spiritual setback during your life could cause you to be moved back one or two rows. Perhaps further research will reveal just which, if either, scenario is correct, but either way, they play into some of what Jesus is telling us in our verses this morning…

As He watches the people at a dinner party trying to outdo one another by sitting at the ‘better’ spot, Jesus advises, reading from the New Living Translation…“If you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t always head for the best seat. What if someone more respected than you has also been invited?  The host will say, ‘Let this person sit here instead.’ Then you will be embarrassed and will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 

“Do this instead — sit at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place than this for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.  For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”

The Life Application Commentary says that, “Jesus wasn’t one to mince words; he didn’t wait for a discreet time to teach and preach. In the midst of his enemies (the Pharisees were carefully watching him to see if they could trap him in any way), Jesus admonished them for their arrogance. The Pharisees possessed great social power in first-century Israel, and they were jockeying with each other for the greater position (similar to the disciples, whom Jesus also rebuked in chapter 9). Jesus’ rebuke is clear: Don’t exalt yourself. Instead humble yourself — even to the extent of being willing to serve the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Jesus was encouraging the people to refocus their sights, from exalting themselves to exalting and serving others. Jesus calls Christians today to do the same. Humble yourself before the Lord and seek to serve others. Whom can you help this week?”

William Temple tells us that, “Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all. . . . The humility which consists in being a great deal occupied about yourself, and saying you are of little worth, is not Christian humility. It is one form of self-occupation and a very poor and futile one at that.”

       All of this is meant to be teaching us about humility… the problem is that humility is a subject that most Americans have great difficulty with anymore! I mean, just look at us… aren’t we a great country? Aren’t we a great people? Why, even our poor and hungry are far better off than most of the entire population in many countries around the world! It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as we are! Right? Beware!!!

       The verses in Jeremiah 2: 4-13 were aimed at the nation of Israel but could just as easily apply to us today! Let me read some of them, gently paraphrasing them as I go…

       “This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD… I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets… followed and worshiped worthless idols.

“Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the LORD. “And I will bring charges against your children’s children. Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols! Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the LORD.”

       The people in the Amana Colonies tried very, very hard to keep their faith and their beliefs pure by turning inward to themselves and trying to keep the world outside. Indeed, I always felt that that was one of the main problems with the church that I grew up in… we were far too focused on ourselves to pay much attention to what was going on outside… after all, we were saved, and those outside were sinners!!! It was that attitude that eventually caused the deterioration of the Amana Society, because in their failure to look outside of themselves, they failed to ‘love their neighbors as themselves’ and in ‘going out to make new disciples’. And I believe that it is that same attitude that is allowing this great nation of ours to deteriorate to the point where God will no longer consider us as worthy of His favor!

Consider these selected verses from the Book of Hebrews, chapter 13…

“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it…

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings…

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

       It is time that we as a congregation stop worrying about ourselves and start getting out there and doing God’s work! It is time that we as a church start acting like the body of Christ and get His arms and legs moving! And it is time that we as Christians start letting the world know that we believe in God… that we accept His Son as Lord… and that we believe in and follow His teachings!

       In the last verse of this morning’s reading, Jesus says, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 

       It is time to reach outside… it is time to think beyond these walls… it is time to make this country back into what it once was… a nation under God… and it is time to become proud once again… not of ourselves and our accomplishments… but of what God is doing through us!

       I’d like to close this morning by reading the very next verse to those that I read earlier… verse 15…“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

       Blessed indeed are those who will eat at that feast… and I pray that each of you here share a place at that table with all of those that you have helped get there as well.

February 03, 2015

Some years ago, Silver Dollar City had a ’ride’ that involved 8-10 people sitting in a jon-boat and actually rowing around Lake Silver while a guide went through his script warning of pirates or Baldnobbers ahead. The problem was that the parents would put their children at the oars, and the oars were the only thing that made the boat move! On the time that we went, the three of us sat in the very rear of the boat, my seven-year-old son on one oar, me on the other, and my wife between us. As the ride began, seven oars dipped into the water and just sat there, while I dug-in and paddled for all I was worth! My wife said, “Come on, dad, Row!” The kid manning the rudder behind us said, in a very low voice, “Lady, if Dad wasn’t rowin’, we wouldn’t be movin’!”

Each church is just like that boat. For any progress to be made, Everybody needs to be actively taking part, rowing as best they can! If anybody drops out, our progress is slowed, and we are all diminished because of it. Oh, sure, sometimes one-or-two strong arms can push it forward, but if they work alone, then progress is slow, and they will soon tire and be forced to quit as well. It is only by everybody working together towards a common goal that we move forward, gaining in our closeness to God and the destination He has in mind!

But even when everybody is rowing & working together, how do you control the direction that you are moving? How do we keep the boat on the course that God intends? You use a rudder! In the Methodist tradition, that ‘rudder’ is the Pastor!

The rudder is the means by which we stay on course. The rudder is the means by which we avoid dangerous whirlpools or sirens. The rudder, in this instance, is the means by which God directs His people onto the course that brings them towards Him!

To be effective, the rudder must be an integral part of the boat. If the boat cannot be controlled and guided, then the destination will not be reached… very likely resulting in the loss of all those on board!

Still, in the Methodist wisdom of doing things, every so often our rudders are replaced. And on occasion, the new rudder doesn’t always seem to be compatible with our boat. But the truth is, such incompatibility is too often caused by a lack of determination on the part of the rowers to see to it that the new rudder is accepted and attached as an integral part of the boat! A loose rudder cannot steer! A loose rudder cannot guide! A loose rudder cannot save us from the perils ahead, or even see to it that we Are moving ahead!!

So, as a church… as a congregation… it is our responsibility, first, to all row together, always being aware of the greater good of all. And it is also our responsibility to see to it that any new rudder is firmly and properly attached to the boat, so that the boat may be properly and safely guided forward, and our journey continue. It is Also, then, our responsibility to see that our rudder is given all of the proper attention and maintenance that such an instrument of God deserves!

May we All be rowers and workers in the Service of our Lord!

Given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on August 15, 2004. The Scripture is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 12, verses 49-56…

       Many of you probably remember me telling at various times about how I worked for our neighbor on his farm during most of my junior and senior high school years, and even, off-and-on, for some years after. You may also remember me telling how his farm had originally been mostly swamp ground until he ditched and drained it, and how it sat well off of the road with only a mile-long dirt lane leading back to it. So it only makes sense that access to the barns and equipment was almost impossible after a heavy rain, and needless to say, you did not want to be caught back there during a storm… you might not get out!

       Because of that… and the fact that teenagers will inherently find any excuse they can not to work anyway… anytime I might be in the field working and it started to sprinkle, I would head to the barn. Now, most of the time, the sprinkles would stop before I got there, and I would have to turn around and head back. Other times it might rain lightly until I’d made it home and found someplace else to go, but would quit before it actually was enough to even ‘settle the dust’, as it were. On those occasions, I always had to listen to Albert carry-on the next morning about ‘why didn’t I stay and get more done’, and I’d always answer, ‘it was raining when I left!’

       Fast-forward a few years… after I had left college and had married, I was ‘trying’ to act a little more responsible about some things, at least, and so when I would go out on occasion to help Albert and make a little extra money, I tended to take my responsibilities a bit more seriously. So it was, on one such occasion, that when a gentle rain started one day as I was disking up a field, I decided that it would probably stop soon, and just kept going.

Now, at this time, his big tractors were a pair of Farmall 450 semi-diesels with narrow front-ends, one of which I was using that day, and his two 12’ IH disks were of the old fold-and-unfold-type. Now, these were new enough that the fold was hydraulically operated, but the important point here is that they had no wheels… they did not lift off of the ground like modern disks.

I was working the field side-to-side right then, and was just about at the far end when the rain got heavier. ‘No problem’, I thought, ‘I’m still turning-up lots of dust.’ I kept going. The rain got heavier. ‘The tires aren’t slipping, and the disk is still working good… so what if I get a little wet!’ I kept going. I was about as far from the barn as I could get when… as Lloyd Bridges used to say on ‘Sea Hunt’… “And then I saw it!!!”

Coming over the tree line less than a quarter-mile away from me was a solid wall of water!! I started to the barn, but I didn’t get very far before it caught me! Even with the disk in the straight position it was all I could do to pull it… all of that freshly worked dirt was now one gigantic mud pie! My rear tires were spinning and throwing mud every which way as I crawled through, while the front ones weren’t even turning anymore, being so caked-up with mud… I was steering with my brakes!!! Steam was rolling off of the tractor’s transmission housing, hood, and muffler as the cold rain made contact with hot surfaces, but I felt like I was drenched through to my second or third layer of skin! And of course, you can’t back up with those kinds of disks, so once I did make it to the barn, I had to stop and unhook before I could pull the tractor in!

I’m not even going to tell you, right now, about how much fun I had getting my old truck out of that ‘dirt’ lane… I’ll save it for another time! Suffice it to say that, after that, I went back to being a little more cautious about staying out in the rain for too long a time!

In the last of today’s verses, Jesus starts out with what might sound like someone teaching ‘Meteorology 101… “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does… And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.”

But… perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself… because in the first of today’s verses He says, “I have come to bring fire on the earth!… Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.”

What does he mean by all of this? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I was always taught that Jesus was the Prince of Peace… and here He is telling everyone that, no, He was bringing division! What’s going on here?

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary tells us that, “Our Lord realized that his mission was divisive and disturbing. He saw clearly that the cross would be a point of controversy and argument, and wished that his lifting up had already been accomplished.” In saying “I have a baptism to be baptized with,” Christ was, of course, referring to his death. He felt that his power would be restricted until the work of the cross could be finished. And when He talked about division, He knew that Judaism was a family religion in which the people worshiped by households rather than as individuals, and foresaw that his claims would cut across family life, and… necessitate individual decisions.”

Meanwhile, the Life Application Commentary explains it this way… “Jesus promises peace, but it is not the kind of peace the world gives or tries to give. Peace on earth, universal peace, will not come until Jesus’ second coming when evil is destroyed and he reigns forever. Instead, Jesus’ first coming, and the time now as believers await his return, is a time of division between God’s forces and Satan’s forces. There is no middle ground with Jesus. Because he demands a response, intimate groups may be torn apart when some choose to follow him and others refuse to do so. Loyalties must be declared and commitments made, sometimes to the point of severing relationships with those who reject Jesus or who try to substitute him with someone else.

Micah also prophesied about these kinds of divisive conditions. Jesus explained the response to his call — conflict will arise between those who respond and those who do not. The reaction may be violent. In the early church, Jews who became Christians were excommunicated from the synagogues and often shunned by their families. Even today, the road is difficult for Jews or Muslims who turn to Christ. Their own family members become their worst enemies. Jesus did not come to make such divisions happen, yet his coming, his words, and his call inevitably will cause conflict between those who accept him and those who reject him.”

Just as a side note, isn’t that what we are seeing today in the Middle East and other parts of the world? How many times have we read where a number of Christian churches had been destroyed and the worshippers inside killed as religious fanatics tried to eliminate all traces of Christianity from their country, and indeed, the world! I remember my first thoughts were that, OK, if they want to truly make this a religious conflict, we’ll give it to them! But… then I realized that the Christian backbone in this country has probably grown far too weak to do anything about it! It is far easier to justify this conflict as righting an injustice than it would be to further the cause of Christianity! That would be a terribly ‘politically incorrect’ statement in our ‘enlightened’ society! Chalk one more up on Satan’s side of the board!

And yes, regardless of the ‘politically incorrectness’ of it, I believe that this is part of the division Jesus is talking about here… don’t get me wrong, I believe in being accepting and tolerant of others in many, many things. But Jesus told us that the only way to heaven was through Him, and if I believe that, I have to believe that no follower of Any other so-called faith will ever make it into heaven! For their sake, I hope I’m wrong, but that is what the strictest interpretation of the Word means to me!

But Jesus was also talking about a father accepting Him as Lord when a mother won’t… about a sister or daughter being baptized into salvation and being ostracized by the rest of her family… and even today… what about a Christian father and mother coming to grips with their children dropping away from their faith and accepting the axioms of the world! Because these are the kinds of things that do and will continue to happen each time Satan wins over one family member but not another.

And I believe that that is far more often the case… I think anyone who has ever been ‘introduced’ to Jesus believes that those ideals and concepts are correct! But Satan seduces them away from Christ by making them think how easy and desirable all of the ways of the world are! And each time, unless we can win them back, Satan chalks up one more for his side!

Now… to me, at least, all of this begs the question… ‘Just what is it that lets one person stay firm in their belief and another not… what is it that would split families apart and drive wedges between entire countries and races… just what is it that guides one person down a path that leads them to heaven while another chooses the road to hell?’

Maybe I can shed some light on that by reading from the 11^th chapter of Hebrews, beginning with verse 29…

“It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians followed, they were all drowned.

It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God, for she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

…how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson…,  David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.

…

“All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith…”  

Right there it is! Faith! And believe it or not, that brings me right back to what I started talking about today!

Jesus, “said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.” Unlike today, most of the world at that time was dependent on agriculture for its existence, and so it was that practically everyone, probably from childhood, learned how to keep a weather-eye out, and how to interpret what they saw… their livelihood, and sometimes their very lives depended on it! And knowing and believing these things were not at all dependant on faith, but on observation and experience!

But Jesus shouts at them, saying, you… “Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” They had all of the facts in front of them! They had Jesus, Himself, right there among them! And yet, they were blind to all of it!

The Life Application Commentary says that, “Jesus was announcing an earthshaking event that would be much more important than the year’s crops — the coming of God’s kingdom. Like a rainstorm or a sunny day, there were signs that the kingdom would soon arrive. While people could successfully discern the signs of the weather by watching the sky and predicting fair weather or storms… …they were intentionally ignoring the signs of the times.”

And you know what? That is just as true today as it was two-thousand some years ago!!! The signs are still there! God is still there! Christ is still there! But the people are ignoring them!!! Ask the average citizen on any street in this country if they know who Jesus is and they can tell you! They’re not ignorant of His existence! But they choose to discount Him… to turn their back on Him… to ignore Him!!

And my friends, that is the challenge of Christianity today… as it has been for two-thousand-odd years… getting people to truly pay attention! Pay attention to not only Christ’s teachings, but also His desires… to pay attention to not only His desires, but also His commands… and to pay attention not just to all of these things… but to who He is, and what He did for each of us… sacrificed His life on the cross for our salvation!

Are you aware of Christ? Are you conscious of Him working in your life? Or are you just sort-of acknowledging that, yes, He’s there somewhere, but…

Because, if that’s how you see Christ… if He is not the center and focus of your life and all that you do… then it is you who are discounting Him… it is you who are ignoring Him… and it is you who lets them ‘chalk one more up for Satan’!