SCRIPTURE TEXT JOHN 13:3-5
RESPONSIVE READING PG. 579 YEARNING FOR GOD
Aristotle said that the soul never thinks without an image, that it never comprehends anything without a picture. Jesus understood that thoroughly; He taught almost entirely in parables, in little pictures which he hung on the walls of peoples imagination, sometimes the pictures were deeds--something he did Himself to put the image in the eyes of the hearers. His whole life was a picture. He was the Word made flesh, and they said, "We beheld His glory. We saw Him!"
The cross was a picture, vividly drawn --the birth in the manger, the last supper, the open sepulcher: all these were pictures deeply etched in the memory of the people. "He took a towel---poureth water into a basin, and began to wash disciples feet..." Do you suppose they could ever forget that picture? Or the lessons drawn from it--He taught them the real meaning of power. Let's try to get it in proper focus. Remember that night was dangerous, the meal secret. "Go into the city," He had said, "and there you shall meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him and he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared." By ones and twos they gathered in from the dusty road for what was to be--though they did not know it then-- the Last Supper. Remember, too, that they had been quarreling. Luke tells us how, right up to the last, they were disputing among themselves as to who would be first and greatest in the kingdom. Perhaps that is why none of them rushed to the task of washing each others feet.
Everyone in Palistine wore sandals--a bit of leather bound on the feet with leather thongs, and the first duty of the host towards his dinner guests was to provide a servant to remove their sandals and wash their feet. The disciples, having no servants, knew that they must take turns at this menial task.---The most menial service imaginable.---But nobody moved. Nobody took up the basin---nobody took up the towel. No man among them, each wanting to be first would consent to be last, give in to the rest, and wash another's feet. Nobody!
There they sat until He who was greatest, unto whom all power was given, took the towel and became their servant.
Just try to forget that picture! Infinite power with a towel on it's arm!
What I want to emphasize above all else is the spectacle of Christ taking those powerful elements of life which we so often consider evil, tyrannical forces, and putting them to good use. I want you to see power with the towel on it's arm, transforming all the powers of life into servants of the divine purpose.
Let us consider the idea of turning tyrants into servants. Consider first the tyranny of habit, social custom and established tradition, Jesus said, "You know how it is with Gentiles, how their kings and ruling classes lord it over the little people, how they build their greatness on the backs of slaves and servants. Not so shall it be among you. With you, the great shall be the servants."--think about that--- It was a challenge to the established custom of the centuries.
How often too we write false thinking into custom, what a tyrant habit can become. When people do the same thing long enough it becomes tradition, and we pass it on from father to son as an accepted rule of life. Behind us are generations in which men held certain notions and followed certain behavior patterns, and walked so long in the same crooked paths that they inspired us to walk in those crooked paths, too, until now we have not only our own sin to conquer, but the sins of our ancestors as well. Call it heredity, call it race memory, call it original sin, call it anything you like it is there. Some one has said that every man is an omnibus in which all his ancestors are riding. This is why so many of our notions are false out dated and wrong.
But Jesus challenged custom! He never regarded any custom as sacred simply because it had been handed down from father to son, or because it had been accepted because of long use. He walked up to many a custom made sacred by tradition and challenged it. Recall to mind how many times Jesus began his talks with people by saying, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time---but I say---" It was as though he was saying, "What if men of old walked a crooked path? It need not be so with you. Suppose man has always answered violence with violence, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth it need not be so for you. Suppose man always has measured his importance by counting his servants, and sought greatness for himself by lording it over lesser men. This is false thinking handed down, and it need not be so among you."
Jesus, you see, believed in the change brought about by conversion. He refused to believe that men had to be helpless victims of heredity, or history, or fate. He believed they could change their habits, enter into new life, be born again from above. Custom was never made to be the tyrant of man. Conversion is the process---sudden---or slow that puts a towel on the arm of habit and makes it a servant instead of a tyrant. Jesus said, "the great people are the servants."
Let us look next at the tyranny of pain. Certainly the men around the table in the Upper Room were headed for pain and trouble; as they sat there they could hear the angry men outside their window. Soon they would learn in their own school of experience what the book of Job tried to tell them--that goodness is no defense against trouble. It is simply not true that if you are good you will escape trouble, or that if you are bad you will catch it. The Bible is the story of how people faced trouble. In the old testament times when man raised his prayer to heaven and still received pain and trouble he attributed this to punishment for evil and sin that he had done.
What we have in Christianity is not a new philosophy about human suffering, nor an explanation for its mystery, but rather a way of facing it to make it productive and to turn it's tyranny into a ministry. Jesus was not spared pain---neither did he avoid it, instead He spoke through His pain to tell us that God suffered too--that he enters into our lives when it is darkest. He is telling us not merely to endure pain, but to use it, to make it an instrument of redemption.
Lastly let us go on to that which our scripture most graphically illustrates: the tyranny of power.--Our scripture says--Jesus knowing that all power was given to him--took a towel and became servant to all--- Whoever dreamed at the beginning of this century that knowledge, that which we were taught to believe was power, would become, at the half century mark, a fearful tyrant before which even it's creators cringe.
Why are we so afraid of power. The danger is not in the power we hold for power itself is neutral. The same power that would destroy us could be the means to save us. It can build a bridge or blow it up, it will fertilize the soil or destroy a city.
Power itself is not an evil thing, nor is the pursuit of it in any way incompatible with God's Divine rule. Jesus in fact encouraged the will or desire to know---with His words---in John "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
I think God has been proud each time man has discovered new power. When Galileo discovered the telescope and brought the heavens closer to man. When James Watts took hold of the power of steam and made it drive his engine, when Edison first made his lamp, the day the Wright brothers took wings and flew at Kitty Hawk---and even the day man began to tinker with the power of the atom.
The danger is not in the atom, it is in us. The peril is not in the power we hold, but in the ideas we hold about it, in what we think power is given for, in what we do with power.
Back of us is a long line of sordid history of misused power. Go back as far in history as you want and you will find the struggle between two concepts of power, between tyrants and the servant.---They faced each other in the Egyptian court when Moses the servant man stood before Pharaoh the tyrant man and cried, "Let my people go." They faced each other in the Roman court when Pilate representing the kingdoms of force and domination shouted--"why don't you answer me?" Pilate got his answers from the calm depths of Jesus when he said, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it had been given thee from above." Yes there always has been two kinds of power.---that of coercion and that of persuasion, that of the tyrant and that of the servant.
They face each other still and the clash between them is being written down as history as we make it, the Pilate men are still with us today in government--in business--in all walks of life, These tyrant men would have us dominate the rest of the world by sheer strength. Oh we have the same choice today that Pilate had. But if we take the role of the tyrant and by superior power dominate the world, we shall be hated as Pilate's imperialist's were hated. And we shall destroy ourselves by the corruption that always follows the misuse of power.
Think Then
What will be your image when you face habit--- tradition and social custom. What will be your Image when confronted with pain and suffering. What kind of an Image will you portray when faced with the use of power.
Will you be the "servant man" with the towel on your arm?
You say the risk is great? Of course it is! That is what the cross was--a great risk, with the odds terribly against it. But that is why we are here today---two thousand years later---here at the feet of Jesus not Pilate.
Jesus calls us to be servant man and he says the reward is great---"the servant shall be the greatest."
Let us pray.---
Dear Lord, Instill in each of us the desire to be the servant man. Amen
Benediction:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen
Nottingham UMC July 25, 1965
Nottingham Village, Cleveland, Ohio
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
THE VIRTUE OF COMPASSION
SCRIPTURE TEXT JOB 15:1 TO 16:4
RESPONSIVE READING: PG 614 FORTY-SIXTH SUNDAY SECONDREADING CONFIDENCE IN GOD
The book of job is in the main a conversation between Job and three of his friends known as Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhit, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job the hero of the book is not an Israelite, but and Edomite sheil from the land of UZ, which was located in the southern part of Palestine around Edom. The book of Job has been considered the greatest moment of wisdom literature in the Old Testament. Thomas Carlyle said, "I call the book of Job, apaprt from all theories about it, the grandest thing ever written by pen." The prologue chapters 1 to 2:13 and the epilogue chapters 42:7-17 are written in prose. The remained is written in poetic form.
The prologue presents a man named Job, famous for his rightness of principle and piety, he was wealthy, with a large and happy family. The epilogue finds Yahweh rebuking Job's three friends for not having spoken rightly of him as Job had done. He orders them to offer sacrifice and have Job pray for them that they might be forgiven, Yahweh now restores Job's fortunes, giving him twice as much property as he had lost. After this he lives 140 years 4 sons to beautiful daughters and sees grandchildren to the fourth generation. He dies in contented old age. This piety of character, this portraying of a man who patiently and serenly suffered "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes" without losing faith, hold true only in the prologue and epilogue. The main part of the book some, 30 chapters, is in poetic form, and here Job is anything but a paragon of patience. He begins by cursing the day of his birth, and his spirit gathers the fury of a tempest as he hurls his protest to God.
Let me quickly set a thumb nail sketch of the Job story that we might better understand our lesson for this morning. The narrative tells the story of Job, a man renowned for his piety and blessed with divine favor that accompanied his righteousness. But Job's sincerity was suspect to one of the members of the Heavenly Council--the Satan--who in the prologue is an angel in goos standing, who's special function is to investigate affairs on Earth.
When Yahweh boasted the the Council about his servant Job, the "Satan angel" suspecting Job's service to Yahweh was motivated by self interest, cynically asked, "Does Job fear God for nought?" Thereupon he made a wager with Yahweh that if Job's prosperity and family were taken away his faith would be destroyed. These losses did not shake Job's faith, however, for in his sorrow he patiently murmured: "Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away; blessed be the name of Yahweh." So the "Satan proposed a more severe test. Job was stricken with loathsome sores from head to foot, making it necessary for him to sit alone in the city refuse dump. Job's wife advises him to curse God and die. Ignoring his wife's advise, he still refuses to "sin with his lips" by cursing God. Then his three friends--Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar-- came to comfort him in his plight. This brings us to the scripture verse that will consider this morning--16:4 were Job says to his three so-called friends--"I also could speak as ye do; if your soul were in my soul's stead." Job made these three friends the butt of his anger--"Miserable comforters", he called them. He was never polite to them, nor patient with them, nor even fair to them. It says a good deal for their self restraint that they kept on listening to him so long.
On the other hand, it must be admitted that they were rather irritating. They were saying the correct thing in a complacent and orthodox way. They were not Pharisaical nor were they insincere, but they were thoroughly conventional. They had no real feeling for Job's problem. The difficulty would seem to be this. They were trying to help a man in trouble, when they had never been in trouble themselves.
This whole long first part of the book of Job is like certain conversations in which we often found ourselves involved. It is not that we are talking at cross-purposes with someone else, but rather that we are talking to no purpose at all. Our minds never really meet because we have no common ground for experience on which to stand not premises on which we agree. Thus in the words of the text, Job put his finger on what is the real difficulty in such a situation. "I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my soul's stead." In other words, if you could put yourself in my place and I could put myself in your place, we might understand one another and help one another. Here in the sense of this text we have a bit of Messianic prophecy---Jesus put himself in our place, and in turn asks us to put ourself in his place. "In all things", says the writer to Hebrews, "he has made like unto brethren."
We are living at a time when it is very difficult to see just what the Christian religion can fairly be expected to contribute to our troubled world. But we may say a Christian ought to be a person who can put himself in the other man's place. This does not mean that he will approve of all that the other man thinks and says and does, but it does mean that we will understand how other man came to be as he is--as we say in the vernacular--"how he got that way."
There are a vast number of people in the world who seem anxious to do good to others, but who will do good only on their own terms. We meet them on committees, we watch them manage our philanthropies, we find them at work in politics and in business. They are not bad, yet somehow they are imperfect Christians. They are, if the truth be told in Job's words, "miserable comforters" or our humanity, because they stand aloof from it; they never identify themselves with it.
Our experience of life may seem to us to be of a personal and private character. But they are more than that, they are a passkey into the lives of others. There are three words which describe what our attitude ought to be towards humanity today: the first is "pity", the second is "Compassion", the third is "sympathy". There is a difference between the first of these words and the other two. Pity is an aristocratic virtue: Pity is static, Sympathy and compassion are dynamic virtues. Pity condescends; compassion and sympathy share. The greatest help we get in time of trouble comes to us from someone who can say to us wuite simple, "I have endured all that".
We have in those words the secret of the appeal of Jesus to our minds and hearts. He was tempted just as we are. He was hungered and homeless as millions are today. He was misunderstood and rejected and lonely. The greatest thing we know about pain is that Jesus felt it. And for the Christian the significance of these facts rests on the conviction that God Himself is not content with divine and aristocratic pity for his children; but that He has compassion on them and sympathizes with them.
Life has not been easy for any of us. Yet we are here alive, in securtiy, and as the world goes, in great comfort. Our happy circumstances might prompt us to be content with pitying the rest of the world. But that temper that thought will never get us far. There is in our humanity some proper pride, some deep-rooted self-respect which prompts the comeback, "I don't want your pity. I prefer to do without it."
Our real problem as a Christian is, therefore this; How far can you really put yourself in the place of another whom you would really like to help? How far can you say, "I have endured all that," or if you have not endured enough to understand something of your life and your lot, even though it be far off. From the Christian standpoint the hurt of our time will never be healed by an autocratic pity. They require the Dynamic and Christian virtues of compassion and sympathy.
There remains one final problem. You may not pretend to experiences you have not had, and all of us know quite well that there are ills in the world that lie beyond our experience. No two lives coincide, and given the totallity of man's experience, what any of us may know and feel is very little. How then, are we to match a limited life to the limitless occasion's for sympathy.
The best we can do is try to cultivate patiently that unselfishness of mind and heart which we know as imagination. When human relationships break down, that break down always implies failure on someones part to put himself in the place of another. Thus a student of social affairs says, "The broken link between classes in the modern world is a fundamental defect of imagination." This is the weak link, ending often in broken link, in homes, in churches, in races, in states. The white Gentile is inclined to talk in a condescending way about the Negro problem and the Jewish problem. But he has never tried to feel what it is like to be regulated to a Jim Crow car in the south, or tuned away from an apartment house in the north. It is not the Negro or the Jew who is his initial problem. His first problem is his own unimaginative self. He will never contribute much to the solution of those other problems until he has solved that prior, and more intimate problem. He will be in Job's words, a "miserable comforter" of mankind until he has cultivated the power to put his soul in their sou's stead.
An unknown author says:
I sought my soul
but my soul I could not see
I sought my God,
But my God eluded me.
I sought my brother
and I found all three
Jesus stood in our place he calls us to stand in his place. What will you do with this call of Jesus.
Let us Pray
Nottingham United Methodist Church.
Nottingham Village, Cleveland, Ohio
August 1, 1965
RESPONSIVE READING: PG 614 FORTY-SIXTH SUNDAY SECONDREADING CONFIDENCE IN GOD
The book of job is in the main a conversation between Job and three of his friends known as Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhit, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job the hero of the book is not an Israelite, but and Edomite sheil from the land of UZ, which was located in the southern part of Palestine around Edom. The book of Job has been considered the greatest moment of wisdom literature in the Old Testament. Thomas Carlyle said, "I call the book of Job, apaprt from all theories about it, the grandest thing ever written by pen." The prologue chapters 1 to 2:13 and the epilogue chapters 42:7-17 are written in prose. The remained is written in poetic form.
The prologue presents a man named Job, famous for his rightness of principle and piety, he was wealthy, with a large and happy family. The epilogue finds Yahweh rebuking Job's three friends for not having spoken rightly of him as Job had done. He orders them to offer sacrifice and have Job pray for them that they might be forgiven, Yahweh now restores Job's fortunes, giving him twice as much property as he had lost. After this he lives 140 years 4 sons to beautiful daughters and sees grandchildren to the fourth generation. He dies in contented old age. This piety of character, this portraying of a man who patiently and serenly suffered "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes" without losing faith, hold true only in the prologue and epilogue. The main part of the book some, 30 chapters, is in poetic form, and here Job is anything but a paragon of patience. He begins by cursing the day of his birth, and his spirit gathers the fury of a tempest as he hurls his protest to God.
Let me quickly set a thumb nail sketch of the Job story that we might better understand our lesson for this morning. The narrative tells the story of Job, a man renowned for his piety and blessed with divine favor that accompanied his righteousness. But Job's sincerity was suspect to one of the members of the Heavenly Council--the Satan--who in the prologue is an angel in goos standing, who's special function is to investigate affairs on Earth.
When Yahweh boasted the the Council about his servant Job, the "Satan angel" suspecting Job's service to Yahweh was motivated by self interest, cynically asked, "Does Job fear God for nought?" Thereupon he made a wager with Yahweh that if Job's prosperity and family were taken away his faith would be destroyed. These losses did not shake Job's faith, however, for in his sorrow he patiently murmured: "Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away; blessed be the name of Yahweh." So the "Satan proposed a more severe test. Job was stricken with loathsome sores from head to foot, making it necessary for him to sit alone in the city refuse dump. Job's wife advises him to curse God and die. Ignoring his wife's advise, he still refuses to "sin with his lips" by cursing God. Then his three friends--Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar-- came to comfort him in his plight. This brings us to the scripture verse that will consider this morning--16:4 were Job says to his three so-called friends--"I also could speak as ye do; if your soul were in my soul's stead." Job made these three friends the butt of his anger--"Miserable comforters", he called them. He was never polite to them, nor patient with them, nor even fair to them. It says a good deal for their self restraint that they kept on listening to him so long.
On the other hand, it must be admitted that they were rather irritating. They were saying the correct thing in a complacent and orthodox way. They were not Pharisaical nor were they insincere, but they were thoroughly conventional. They had no real feeling for Job's problem. The difficulty would seem to be this. They were trying to help a man in trouble, when they had never been in trouble themselves.
This whole long first part of the book of Job is like certain conversations in which we often found ourselves involved. It is not that we are talking at cross-purposes with someone else, but rather that we are talking to no purpose at all. Our minds never really meet because we have no common ground for experience on which to stand not premises on which we agree. Thus in the words of the text, Job put his finger on what is the real difficulty in such a situation. "I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my soul's stead." In other words, if you could put yourself in my place and I could put myself in your place, we might understand one another and help one another. Here in the sense of this text we have a bit of Messianic prophecy---Jesus put himself in our place, and in turn asks us to put ourself in his place. "In all things", says the writer to Hebrews, "he has made like unto brethren."
We are living at a time when it is very difficult to see just what the Christian religion can fairly be expected to contribute to our troubled world. But we may say a Christian ought to be a person who can put himself in the other man's place. This does not mean that he will approve of all that the other man thinks and says and does, but it does mean that we will understand how other man came to be as he is--as we say in the vernacular--"how he got that way."
There are a vast number of people in the world who seem anxious to do good to others, but who will do good only on their own terms. We meet them on committees, we watch them manage our philanthropies, we find them at work in politics and in business. They are not bad, yet somehow they are imperfect Christians. They are, if the truth be told in Job's words, "miserable comforters" or our humanity, because they stand aloof from it; they never identify themselves with it.
Our experience of life may seem to us to be of a personal and private character. But they are more than that, they are a passkey into the lives of others. There are three words which describe what our attitude ought to be towards humanity today: the first is "pity", the second is "Compassion", the third is "sympathy". There is a difference between the first of these words and the other two. Pity is an aristocratic virtue: Pity is static, Sympathy and compassion are dynamic virtues. Pity condescends; compassion and sympathy share. The greatest help we get in time of trouble comes to us from someone who can say to us wuite simple, "I have endured all that".
We have in those words the secret of the appeal of Jesus to our minds and hearts. He was tempted just as we are. He was hungered and homeless as millions are today. He was misunderstood and rejected and lonely. The greatest thing we know about pain is that Jesus felt it. And for the Christian the significance of these facts rests on the conviction that God Himself is not content with divine and aristocratic pity for his children; but that He has compassion on them and sympathizes with them.
Life has not been easy for any of us. Yet we are here alive, in securtiy, and as the world goes, in great comfort. Our happy circumstances might prompt us to be content with pitying the rest of the world. But that temper that thought will never get us far. There is in our humanity some proper pride, some deep-rooted self-respect which prompts the comeback, "I don't want your pity. I prefer to do without it."
Our real problem as a Christian is, therefore this; How far can you really put yourself in the place of another whom you would really like to help? How far can you say, "I have endured all that," or if you have not endured enough to understand something of your life and your lot, even though it be far off. From the Christian standpoint the hurt of our time will never be healed by an autocratic pity. They require the Dynamic and Christian virtues of compassion and sympathy.
There remains one final problem. You may not pretend to experiences you have not had, and all of us know quite well that there are ills in the world that lie beyond our experience. No two lives coincide, and given the totallity of man's experience, what any of us may know and feel is very little. How then, are we to match a limited life to the limitless occasion's for sympathy.
The best we can do is try to cultivate patiently that unselfishness of mind and heart which we know as imagination. When human relationships break down, that break down always implies failure on someones part to put himself in the place of another. Thus a student of social affairs says, "The broken link between classes in the modern world is a fundamental defect of imagination." This is the weak link, ending often in broken link, in homes, in churches, in races, in states. The white Gentile is inclined to talk in a condescending way about the Negro problem and the Jewish problem. But he has never tried to feel what it is like to be regulated to a Jim Crow car in the south, or tuned away from an apartment house in the north. It is not the Negro or the Jew who is his initial problem. His first problem is his own unimaginative self. He will never contribute much to the solution of those other problems until he has solved that prior, and more intimate problem. He will be in Job's words, a "miserable comforter" of mankind until he has cultivated the power to put his soul in their sou's stead.
An unknown author says:
I sought my soul
but my soul I could not see
I sought my God,
But my God eluded me.
I sought my brother
and I found all three
Jesus stood in our place he calls us to stand in his place. What will you do with this call of Jesus.
Let us Pray
Nottingham United Methodist Church.
Nottingham Village, Cleveland, Ohio
August 1, 1965
Friday, November 13, 2009
From the desk of William F Morgan 196_?
I was asked to come this evening and speak to you concerning witness. Specifically witness on the job, or more specifically how and why do I as a Christian, witness on my job.
I think we must first consider why. And even before we consider the why we must determine together just what we understand witness to mean. Webster says it means to act so as to furnish proof of ones convictions. There's a word in that last sentence that's very important when we try to understand the meaning of witness. Did you catch it? It was a little three letter word "act". Yes we can witness with our mouths and this is important to do, but we make our greatest witness, our best presentation of our convictions by the way we act. Now we said witness was furnishing proof of our convictions. Convictions about what? Well, tonight because we are talking about Christian witness, we understand our task to be to furnish proof by our acts about our faith in Christ and our belief in God as Heavenly Father.
I happen to be one of those persons that believes that there is a purpose and plan behind this universe. I could never believe that all of this, all that surrounds us is an accident.--And so because there is purpose and because our Bible tells us of God's rule--and God's creation---I have in my belief of Rule and order the beginning of belief in God. And as I read, study and observe life around me my conviction of God's rule and care over my life firms up my belief in a Heavenly Father, a Heavenly Father who loves me, who loved me to the extent that he sent his son Jesus our Lord to set forth a pattern of life for each of us to follow. And because of this pattern this plan of life that tells us to love God and our fellow man with all our hearts, and as we love ourselves, because of this I witness, this is the reason I am here tonight.
The proof of God is within me and all around me, this is why I witness.
Now, how do I witness, and specifically how do I witness on the job. First let me tell you what my work function is. I work at National Acme Co. in the Engineering department as a supervisor in Hydraulic and Pneumatic Control section. We are responsible for all control functions of the machinery that requires hydraulic or pneumatic muscle. I also am the Supervisor of the experimental department. So I have both engineering and shop personnel working for me. Now because I believe that witness is action, I try to demonstrate this to these people who work for me by always showing an interest in each of them personally. I am concerned about their working conditions, their health, their family health and problems, and I try to always be ready to help in any way I can. Some times my position requires me to be a Solomon and I try to be fair to all persons concerned when I have to settle disputes.
I always make it a point to talk to each person I become associated with at work about their Church life. If they are active members of a church I praise them and encourage them to do even better. If they are so-so about church and are receptive to discussion I try to show them the need for an active life in the Church. If they are not receptive I won't force myself on them---(Tell story here) Rather the forcing my views on them I try to demonstrate the advantages of Christian life, and yes, the joy of a Christian life, by the interest and concern I show towards them. When I feel by either their action or something they say that the time is right to discuss their position concerning the church I go back at them. I don't give up on them. ---
I have an opportunity on my job to witness to many salesman during the working day. Here I have an opportunity to witness concerning morals.
I think we must first consider why. And even before we consider the why we must determine together just what we understand witness to mean. Webster says it means to act so as to furnish proof of ones convictions. There's a word in that last sentence that's very important when we try to understand the meaning of witness. Did you catch it? It was a little three letter word "act". Yes we can witness with our mouths and this is important to do, but we make our greatest witness, our best presentation of our convictions by the way we act. Now we said witness was furnishing proof of our convictions. Convictions about what? Well, tonight because we are talking about Christian witness, we understand our task to be to furnish proof by our acts about our faith in Christ and our belief in God as Heavenly Father.
I happen to be one of those persons that believes that there is a purpose and plan behind this universe. I could never believe that all of this, all that surrounds us is an accident.--And so because there is purpose and because our Bible tells us of God's rule--and God's creation---I have in my belief of Rule and order the beginning of belief in God. And as I read, study and observe life around me my conviction of God's rule and care over my life firms up my belief in a Heavenly Father, a Heavenly Father who loves me, who loved me to the extent that he sent his son Jesus our Lord to set forth a pattern of life for each of us to follow. And because of this pattern this plan of life that tells us to love God and our fellow man with all our hearts, and as we love ourselves, because of this I witness, this is the reason I am here tonight.
The proof of God is within me and all around me, this is why I witness.
Now, how do I witness, and specifically how do I witness on the job. First let me tell you what my work function is. I work at National Acme Co. in the Engineering department as a supervisor in Hydraulic and Pneumatic Control section. We are responsible for all control functions of the machinery that requires hydraulic or pneumatic muscle. I also am the Supervisor of the experimental department. So I have both engineering and shop personnel working for me. Now because I believe that witness is action, I try to demonstrate this to these people who work for me by always showing an interest in each of them personally. I am concerned about their working conditions, their health, their family health and problems, and I try to always be ready to help in any way I can. Some times my position requires me to be a Solomon and I try to be fair to all persons concerned when I have to settle disputes.
I always make it a point to talk to each person I become associated with at work about their Church life. If they are active members of a church I praise them and encourage them to do even better. If they are so-so about church and are receptive to discussion I try to show them the need for an active life in the Church. If they are not receptive I won't force myself on them---(Tell story here) Rather the forcing my views on them I try to demonstrate the advantages of Christian life, and yes, the joy of a Christian life, by the interest and concern I show towards them. When I feel by either their action or something they say that the time is right to discuss their position concerning the church I go back at them. I don't give up on them. ---
I have an opportunity on my job to witness to many salesman during the working day. Here I have an opportunity to witness concerning morals.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
COMMITMENT
OPENING HYMN: #249 I LOVE THY KINGDOM LORD
THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Oh Lord God, who hast bidden the light to shine out of darkness, and who hast again wakened us to prasie thy goodness and ask for thy grace: accept now the sacrifice of our worship and thanksgiving. Make us to be children of light and of the day, and heirs of thine everlasting inheritance. Remember, O God, thy whole Church, our brethren in every land. Pour out the riches of thy mercy, so that we, being redeemed, and steadfast in faith, may ever praise thy wonderful and holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #623 THE LORD CREATED MAN
SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 2nd Chapter
HYMN: OF PREPARATION: #170 JESUS CALLS US, O'ER THE TUMULT
COMMITMENT
Websters says that commitment is an agreement or pledge to do something in the future, it is the state of being obliged or bound to do something. Webster also says commitment is a moral choice that involves a person in a definite course of action.
I think you will agree that our lives are bound by commitment. We are committed to a daily work schedule. If we are house wives we are committed to a schedule in order to maintain a peaceful, orderly clean home for the family. If we are a working person we are committed to a work schedule by an agreement. We who are married commit ourselves to a life long partnership in marriage. The success of that partnership is related to the degree to which we adhere to the vows we made together in marriage ritual. We each of us commit ourselves to many causes and many things in our daily lives, and we feel honor bound to uphold every commitment that we make, and this right and good.
But these are not the commitments i want to talk with you about this morning, however the commitments I'm going to talk about deserves the same or I should say a higher place of honor in our lives.
I want to talk to you this morning about commitment to God through Jesus Christ, about commitment to the Christian life as outlined in the Scriptures.
Let's approach this subject from three basic points, namely, the "Reasons" for commitment, (2) the outgrowth of commitment, and (3) the result or perhaps a better word than results would be the benefits of commitment.
What are the "Reasons" for commitment to God and the Christian Life?
In today's world it is hardly respectable to be good. We see this in the attitudes of many younger people and some that are not so young. As churchmen today in the twentieth century we are constantly seeking the comforts of life and are feverishly striving to build security for our old age. When we attain this in our material world, when we have a nice home, a good job and money in the bank for our old age, we suddenly discover that something is missing, that all this is not enough. We want to be sure also about security in the life to come. So as we search for the ways to obtain this assurance of security we are driven to the Bible and God's plan of salvation that is set forth in it's pages. The Bible is a window in this prison world, through which we may look into eternity.
Each of us has within ourself this need, this drive, to seek out God's way as he has set it forth in the life and teachings of his son Jesus Christ. Today more than ever we need to be committed to the "Jesus Way". And just what is the "Jesus Way"?
First of all it is total. He told the rich young man to go and sell all he had and then to come and follow him. I believe that commitment today must also be total, not that we must sell all tha we have, but rather we must commit all that we are and have. Our lives must be totally envolved in the "Jesus Way". And not after we have made our material world secure, but rather day by day as we live out our lives we must serve God. What did he say to the rich farmer. Jesus gave us marching orders when he said, "Thou shalt love thy Lord thy Gos with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Why? Because on these two commandments Jesus said hang all the laws of the prophets. Pattern your daily life to obey and be commited to these two commandments and then you shall surely "See the city of God".
Now this is not accomplished by coming to church Sunday morning, or by contributing regularly to the church budget, or by joining a Men's or Women's Society of the church, or by teaching a Sunday School class or by serving on a church commission or board.
Many people are running away from God today by being envolved in "Church work". We must make our commitment either to God or against him. We cannot remain forever poised on the spring board. Eventually we must either jump into the water or get off the board.
All these avenuse of service are necessary and good, but they are not all that was intended by Jesus when he said, "go and sell all that you have and come follow me."
It means that you will honor God in everything that you say and do. It means that you will be concerned about the problems of your neighbor both at home and away. It means that you will be so committed to this concern for others that your service to the local church will become a service of love instead of service duty. And your service to the community outside of the local church will be changed into service of action. Instead of giving lip service to the needs that are all around us we will place ourselves within the circle of need and work, work so that every man might live in dignity, and come to love the Lord God, and to live according to the "Jesus Way". We need to remember that God loves each one of us, as if there were only one of us. This is the total commitment that Jesus was talking about to the rich young man who had sought him out. It is the same today--Jesus is saying to us if you love me, jeep my commandments.
Notice he doesn't say give me lip service alone by saying, "I believe", he says, "keep my commandments". Be envolved, act. -
Harry Emerson Fosdick said something concerning commitment: "No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated disciplined." Yes we need to be committed to the Jesus Way to become great.
When then are the outgrowths of this commitment to the "jesus Way" if we make it and truly keep it?
First of all we will have a sure faith to live by, a faith that gives to us the promises of future life. It will make of us humble persons, obedient, loving and sacrificing persons. We will be able to carry on through hardship and suffering, because Jesus knew hardship and suffering, but he overcame, and because he overcame we have the promise that if we endure we will also overcome. The promise is good and true--there shall be no more sorrowing no more suffering, no more pain. " Jesus has overcame". So you see we are made enduring Christians because we are committed to the "Jesus Way". And we will be made loving Christians. Jesus said, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me: shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
Now what are the results or benefits of commitment. The basic ingredient involved with commitment is "faith". The Bible says faith is the assurance of things hoped for the proving of things not seen. People who are committed to the "Jesus Way" have a firm belief and will remain true to the pilgrimage to the "City of God". This pilgrimage is what life is all about.
And then we will become witnesses to the "Jesus way". This is a blessing of commitment. And never say that you are not good enough to be witness, because you will be saying, "I am not a Christian." When we think of witnessing we naturally think of speaking words, but remember you make your greatest witness with your lives, the way you live and the way you act. Phillip brooks said, "It does not take great men to do great things, it only takes consecrated men." So each of us as we commit ourselves to Christ can do great things, he gives us this power.
Commitment then is handing God a blank sheet to fill in, with your name at the bottom.
Christ calls to us, "Follow Me." What will your answer be?
Let us pray--
PRAYER:
Have thine own way, Lord
Have thine own way
Thou art the Potter, We are the clay
Mold us and Make us
According to thy will
While we are waiting
Yielded and still. Amen
Noe add -
Instead of being work horses we turn into hobby horses
1962
THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Oh Lord God, who hast bidden the light to shine out of darkness, and who hast again wakened us to prasie thy goodness and ask for thy grace: accept now the sacrifice of our worship and thanksgiving. Make us to be children of light and of the day, and heirs of thine everlasting inheritance. Remember, O God, thy whole Church, our brethren in every land. Pour out the riches of thy mercy, so that we, being redeemed, and steadfast in faith, may ever praise thy wonderful and holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #623 THE LORD CREATED MAN
SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 2nd Chapter
HYMN: OF PREPARATION: #170 JESUS CALLS US, O'ER THE TUMULT
COMMITMENT
Websters says that commitment is an agreement or pledge to do something in the future, it is the state of being obliged or bound to do something. Webster also says commitment is a moral choice that involves a person in a definite course of action.
I think you will agree that our lives are bound by commitment. We are committed to a daily work schedule. If we are house wives we are committed to a schedule in order to maintain a peaceful, orderly clean home for the family. If we are a working person we are committed to a work schedule by an agreement. We who are married commit ourselves to a life long partnership in marriage. The success of that partnership is related to the degree to which we adhere to the vows we made together in marriage ritual. We each of us commit ourselves to many causes and many things in our daily lives, and we feel honor bound to uphold every commitment that we make, and this right and good.
But these are not the commitments i want to talk with you about this morning, however the commitments I'm going to talk about deserves the same or I should say a higher place of honor in our lives.
I want to talk to you this morning about commitment to God through Jesus Christ, about commitment to the Christian life as outlined in the Scriptures.
Let's approach this subject from three basic points, namely, the "Reasons" for commitment, (2) the outgrowth of commitment, and (3) the result or perhaps a better word than results would be the benefits of commitment.
What are the "Reasons" for commitment to God and the Christian Life?
In today's world it is hardly respectable to be good. We see this in the attitudes of many younger people and some that are not so young. As churchmen today in the twentieth century we are constantly seeking the comforts of life and are feverishly striving to build security for our old age. When we attain this in our material world, when we have a nice home, a good job and money in the bank for our old age, we suddenly discover that something is missing, that all this is not enough. We want to be sure also about security in the life to come. So as we search for the ways to obtain this assurance of security we are driven to the Bible and God's plan of salvation that is set forth in it's pages. The Bible is a window in this prison world, through which we may look into eternity.
Each of us has within ourself this need, this drive, to seek out God's way as he has set it forth in the life and teachings of his son Jesus Christ. Today more than ever we need to be committed to the "Jesus Way". And just what is the "Jesus Way"?
First of all it is total. He told the rich young man to go and sell all he had and then to come and follow him. I believe that commitment today must also be total, not that we must sell all tha we have, but rather we must commit all that we are and have. Our lives must be totally envolved in the "Jesus Way". And not after we have made our material world secure, but rather day by day as we live out our lives we must serve God. What did he say to the rich farmer. Jesus gave us marching orders when he said, "Thou shalt love thy Lord thy Gos with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Why? Because on these two commandments Jesus said hang all the laws of the prophets. Pattern your daily life to obey and be commited to these two commandments and then you shall surely "See the city of God".
Now this is not accomplished by coming to church Sunday morning, or by contributing regularly to the church budget, or by joining a Men's or Women's Society of the church, or by teaching a Sunday School class or by serving on a church commission or board.
Many people are running away from God today by being envolved in "Church work". We must make our commitment either to God or against him. We cannot remain forever poised on the spring board. Eventually we must either jump into the water or get off the board.
All these avenuse of service are necessary and good, but they are not all that was intended by Jesus when he said, "go and sell all that you have and come follow me."
It means that you will honor God in everything that you say and do. It means that you will be concerned about the problems of your neighbor both at home and away. It means that you will be so committed to this concern for others that your service to the local church will become a service of love instead of service duty. And your service to the community outside of the local church will be changed into service of action. Instead of giving lip service to the needs that are all around us we will place ourselves within the circle of need and work, work so that every man might live in dignity, and come to love the Lord God, and to live according to the "Jesus Way". We need to remember that God loves each one of us, as if there were only one of us. This is the total commitment that Jesus was talking about to the rich young man who had sought him out. It is the same today--Jesus is saying to us if you love me, jeep my commandments.
Notice he doesn't say give me lip service alone by saying, "I believe", he says, "keep my commandments". Be envolved, act. -
Harry Emerson Fosdick said something concerning commitment: "No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated disciplined." Yes we need to be committed to the Jesus Way to become great.
When then are the outgrowths of this commitment to the "jesus Way" if we make it and truly keep it?
First of all we will have a sure faith to live by, a faith that gives to us the promises of future life. It will make of us humble persons, obedient, loving and sacrificing persons. We will be able to carry on through hardship and suffering, because Jesus knew hardship and suffering, but he overcame, and because he overcame we have the promise that if we endure we will also overcome. The promise is good and true--there shall be no more sorrowing no more suffering, no more pain. " Jesus has overcame". So you see we are made enduring Christians because we are committed to the "Jesus Way". And we will be made loving Christians. Jesus said, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me: shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
Now what are the results or benefits of commitment. The basic ingredient involved with commitment is "faith". The Bible says faith is the assurance of things hoped for the proving of things not seen. People who are committed to the "Jesus Way" have a firm belief and will remain true to the pilgrimage to the "City of God". This pilgrimage is what life is all about.
And then we will become witnesses to the "Jesus way". This is a blessing of commitment. And never say that you are not good enough to be witness, because you will be saying, "I am not a Christian." When we think of witnessing we naturally think of speaking words, but remember you make your greatest witness with your lives, the way you live and the way you act. Phillip brooks said, "It does not take great men to do great things, it only takes consecrated men." So each of us as we commit ourselves to Christ can do great things, he gives us this power.
Commitment then is handing God a blank sheet to fill in, with your name at the bottom.
Christ calls to us, "Follow Me." What will your answer be?
Let us pray--
PRAYER:
Have thine own way, Lord
Have thine own way
Thou art the Potter, We are the clay
Mold us and Make us
According to thy will
While we are waiting
Yielded and still. Amen
Noe add -
Instead of being work horses we turn into hobby horses
1962
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Bible and Science
SERMON TOPIC: SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE
PROCESSIONAL HYMN: #26 HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Almighty and eternal God, who searchest the hearts of men: We acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against thee in thought and deed, and that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us our transgressions and help us to amend our ways, and of thine eternal goodness direct what we shall be, so that we may henceforth walk in the way of thy commandments, and do those things which are worthy in thy sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #55 O LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS THY NAME!
SCRIPTURE READING: ROMANS 12
HYMN OF PREPARATION: #133 BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD
HYMN OF DEDICATION: #148 BRIGHTLY BEAMS OUR FATHER'S MERCY
When a popular speaker wants to give authority to what he says, he introduces his statement with the words, "Science say", and then his hearers sit up and listen because they respect the authority of Science.
When a preacher wants to give authority to what he says, he introduces his statements with the words, "the Bible says", and his hearers sit up and listen because they respect the authority of the Bible.
Do you agree with both of these statements, or do you find yourself raising some questions about one or the other? When we think about the authority of the Bible and the authority of Science, is the situation the same today as it was fifty years ago? Was authority of the bible more generally accepted one-hundred years ago than it is now?
When what "Science says" contradicts or contrasts, with what the "Bible says", then we hearers are confused. Must we reject the one authority and hold to the other, if so, which shall we hold on to? Or can we hold on to both authorities? The problem of the Bible and Science is a real one to many people. It is one that cannot be lightly shoved aside, it deserves careful thinking.
Before we can hope to know what Science is; and before we can claim to state what "the Bible says", we must understand what Science is and what the Bible is. Let us look first at what Science is.
In the simplest and broadest sense of the word, science means knowledge. The dictionary defines science as "knowledge obtained by study and practice." It is often defined as organized, systemized knowledge.
The Science I have been speaking of is Science with a capitol"S" if we break it down to it's various disciplines and use a small "s", we can speak of the sciences, such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc. All of these sciences represent systematized knowledge within a limited area, BUT we cannot add them together to make one Science (capitol"S"). We can refer to certain men as scientist, and we can quote scientists as authorities. But Science with a capitol "S" is an abstraction, that is it has no application, and we are not quoting anybody when we say "Science says". What I'm trying to say is let us be careful to identify the authority we refer to. We most certainly ought to respect the authority of a scientist in his own field of work. An astronomer is one who has studied the stars and can tell us about them, but he cannot speak with authority about animals; because they belong to the field of zoology. The range of knowledge is to great for one man to be a specialist in every field, and he should not be quoted as an authority when he speaks outside his own field. We jokingly say an expert is anyone fifty miles from home. But we do listen to scientists when they speak because we feel that these are the men that know. The scientists, working in their various fields, have greatly increased and broadened our knowledge of the world around us. Through the efforts of the scientists we know about the planets and the stars and the vast reaches of space. We understand as men have never understood before, the atmosphere of the earth and what causes the changes in weather. The earth's crust and the oceans, lakes, and rivers have been explored, measured, and described. Through the study of living forms we have available a vast store of information about plants and animals and the microscopic forms that work both great benefit and harm to human beings. And this information, we feel, is considered reliable, WHY? Because the scientist agree upon it.
How is this knowledge arrived at? What methods do scientist use to reach results that are assured and can be relied on? The first step in the scientific method is observation. Modern science is based on the belief that the only way to discover the truth is to look at the facts. If you want to know whether palm trees grow in Scotland, you will not find the answer by studying the writings of Aristotle or Moses. You will go to Scotland and see for yourself, or you will read the report of some reliable observer who has been there.
Scientist wants their observations to be firsthand, impersonal, and unprejudiced. No scientific journal would accept a report in these words:--"There are palm trees in Scotland. I did not see them myself but a real estate agent who was trying to sell me a house lot said there was a beautiful grove of palm on it."
Accurate description is a characteristic of scientific method. To be scientific the report would have to be something like this--"The tree measured fifty feet high, and the trunk rose without branches for the first thirty-five feet. The trunk was eighteen inches in diameter at the base and it had fan shaped leaves that resemble the palm of the human hand."
Accurate observation is the first step. Scientists try to make their descriptions complete by gathering all the facts they can, but the mere gathering of facts is not enough. The facts must be organized, and as new facts are gathered they must be related to what is already known.
In religion we respect tradition and authority from the past, especially as this authority comes to us in Scripture, in science we begin with doubting tradition and questioning authority, we demand facts supported by observation.
Scientific observation must always be an experience that can be shared, but religious experience is intensely personal. The experience of Paul on the road to Damascus is an event of inescapable importance to the beginnings of Christian Religion, but it was an experience that came to Paul alone. The men who were with him did not share the experience, and no other person---on the Damascus road or any other road---has exactly duplicated the experience.
The conduct of experiments is a feature which completely separates scientific from religious method. You cannot set up an experiment in religion. Religion is a matter of individual, personal relationships, and in these relationships the controlled condition of experiment are impossible. When we attempt to include God in the experiment the situation becomes silly.
If we drive around the country side in the spring, we might see signs that have captions such as this--"this field has been sprayed with Bloggin Fertilizer. Watch for a bumper crop." But we never see signs that say---"This field is being prayed for regularly by St. Mark's Church. Watch for a bumper crop."
It would seem from what has been said that scientific method and religious method are so different that we cannot hold them together, but we must remember that it was the Christian civilization that gave birth to the natural sciences.
Christian civilization garnered the philosophy and the geometry of Greece, the astronomy of the whole ancient and medieval worlds, the arithmetic and algebra of the Indians and Arabs, as well as the religion and ethics of the Hebrews. Natural science and it's offspring technology and medicine are the gifts of Christian civilization to mankind.
The whole progress of science is based on a community in which men share their discoveries with one another, and respect and cooperate with one another.
Lets turn our thoughts to the bible now.
The Bible is the Holy Scripture of the Christian Religion. More exactly, we should say the Bible represents the Holy Scripture of the Hebrew-Christian tradition. The Old Testament shared by both Jews and Christians and the New Testament accepted by CHristians alone. We as Christians can say that is "our" holy book, the basis of our faith.
The words and the ideas of the bible are woven so intimately into our language and thought that we speak biblical words and express biblical ideas without recognizing their orifin. Expressions like--"salt of the earth"--"Shinning lights"--"The skin of our teeth"---"Spare the rod spoil the child"--"Pride goeth before a fall"--"The first shall be last".
These are famaliar quotations but when we look at the whole of the Bible, we discover that great areas of the Bible are totally unknown to us. Although we don't do it deliberately we select and choose the parts of the Bible that appeal to us and fill our needs. Scriptures read in church service, selections for church school lessons, passages listed in devotional books, and magazines and literary references to biblical events and characters sets the limits of ur aquaintance with the Bible.
Whole books could be dropped out of the printed Bible, and we"the men in the pew" would not know it for years. How long has it been since you read a chapter in Chronicles or Leviticus? Off-hand could you suggest an idea that the book of Obadiah contributed to our religious knowledge? Oh yes, we know about Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, and Paul. But who was Abimelech or Ishbosheth or Zerubbabel?
The Bible has many rules and regulation,if we tried to obey all the rules and regulations laid down in the Bible, we would be hampered and confused. Some of the rules we choose to hold up as guides to right conduct, and other rules we choose to ignore. For example Christians today are convinced that the food laws of the Old Testament were given for the ancient Jew only and so are not binding on us today. Other laws are dismissed as "ceremonial" and generally ignored.
In the Christian church today women play an active and public role in violation of the rules Paul laid down for the early Church. Paul decreed that women must keep their heads covered when they pray (1 Corinthians 11-5) and he preferred them not to pray in public. He also said they should keep silent in church, and if there is anything they desire to know they should ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a women to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:33-35)
So as you see---our familiarity with selected parts of the Bible causes us to overlook the strangeness of other parts. The people who wrote and experienced these events lived long ago and far away in a land utterly different from ours today.
Now before we go any farther and lest you get the wrong opinion---I believe in the Bible, and I believe that it is possible for a Christian today to hold to the Bible and to modern science.
The biblical writers held ideas about time and space completely different from the ideas held be educated persons today. Scientists today estimate the age of the earth in billions of years while biblical writers thought in terms of only a few thousand years.
The simplest lessons in science teach that the earth is a sphere which rotates on it's axis and revolves around the sun. In the Bible the earth is pictured as a flat disc. The earth, with hollow space under it, floats on water. Over the earth stretches the sky, separating earth from heavens. God dwells in heaven, but on occassion he comes down to earth--as when he talked to Adam or NOah or extended a ladder down to Jacob.
If we turn to the New Testament we find the same "three story universe", of the flat earth with heaven above and hell (Sheol or the pit) underneath. John writing in the book of Revelations, described how he could look through an open door and see the throne of God in Heaven. He says a battle was fought in Heaven; and when Satan and his angels were defeated, they were thrown sown from heaven to earth. (Rev. 12: 7-9). They fought on earth, and when they were defeated there, Satan was bound with a chain and thrown down through a hole into the pit, and the hole was shut and sealed over him (Rev. 20:1-3). The defeat of Satan is no less true because the Biblical account of the earth differs with that of science today.
Medical science has made great progress within the last hundred years in discovering the causes of disease and in devising the causes of disease and in devising the means of preventing and curing disease. No one today would want to wipe out the benefits of medical science, and no one would want to go back to biblical methods of dealing with disease. Yet we marvel at some of the biblical cures.
While the children of Israel were crossing the wilderness they encountered snakes so poisonous that their bite cause painful inflammation and death. As a cure Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it up on a pole in the middle of camp. After that a person who had been bitten by a snake need only look at the bronze serpent and be cured. (Numbers 21:4-9)
Naaman was cured of leprosy when he took baths in the river Jordan, as prescribed by the prophet Elisha.
Mental disturbances were believed cause by demons that took possession of a man. One day when Jesus and his disciples landed on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a raving maniac rushed down the shore toward them. The man was cured when Jesus ordered demons out of him into a nearby herd of swine.
A more interesting case of mental disturbance is that of Saul, the first king of Israel. Saul was a promising young man, physically big and strong; but he was not capable of handling the responsibilities laid on him by the kingship. Often he found his prestige rivaled by someone else. First is was Samuel, then Jonathan and then David. Saul like David, but the young man's popularity was more than Saul could take. He became jealous, suspicious, andfearful so that he distrusted his friends, and his own family. In a moment of violence he threw a spear at David, who was playing harp for him. A person who understands psychology can see here the symptoms of progressive break-down, but the biblical historian does not see it that way. The whole experience is explained in a sentence. "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." (1 Samuel 16:14) Notice here also that a Spirit capitol"S" from the lord departed and a spirit small "s" from the Lord tormented him. Would we hold this second spirit being from the Lord today?
There are many problems of conduct in the Bible, let's look at two in closing.
If the apostle Paul had lived in the twentieth century, he might have been arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injury. The "deadly weapon" was a curse, and the "serious injury" was blindness. The victim was a man named Elymas who rivaled Paul for the favor of the governor, Serguis Paulus. When Elymas tried to resist Paul's appeal to the governor, Paul denounced him and cursed him so that " mist and darkness fell upon him" and he was blind (Acts 13:7-11). You may say that Elymas was an opponent of the truth, but nevertheless the great apostle made a sorry spectacle of himself in the attack on his opponent.
Let's look at one event in the life of Jesus as it might be seen through the eyes of a Hindu or Buddist. It is recorded that Jesus and his disciples were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem. Jesus saw a fig tree, and the sight of the tree made him think how good it would be to pick some figs and eat them. But it was not the season for figs, so when Jesus came to the tree, he found nothing on it but leaves. He was so disappointed he he cursed the tree and said, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." When the disciples came by the next day "they saw the fig tree withered away to it's roots." (Mark 11: 12-14) A pretty childish action, if you were to ask the Buddhist.
We can of course explain the story of the barren fig tree. From what we know of the character of Jesus we can be sure he did not strike out peevishly and destroy the tree because it did not favor him with fruit. Perhaps he condemned the tree to illustrate the fact that the tree like some people put up a false front. And perhaps a story Jesus told about a fig tree as an illustration got into the record falsely as something he had done to a fig tree.
Interpretation is important throughout the Bible. It is interpretation that distinguishes between the ethical and trivial in biblical laws. By interpretation we see the biblical characters in proper perspective, and we see when we should follow their example and when we ought to be warned by their faults. When we claim to take the Bible "just as it is written", we are following the "common sense interpretation", that does not include thought and study. Let us be very hesitant in using the phrase, "the Bible says",---it takes careful and prayerful study to interpret correctly the message of the Bible.
And having read, studied, and interpreted the Bible----remember "it is better to be a sermon than to preach one."
Let us pray
Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift: teach us to render unto thee all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise thee, not with our lips only, but with our whole loves, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all our days into a living sacrifice unto thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
1962
PROCESSIONAL HYMN: #26 HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Almighty and eternal God, who searchest the hearts of men: We acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against thee in thought and deed, and that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us our transgressions and help us to amend our ways, and of thine eternal goodness direct what we shall be, so that we may henceforth walk in the way of thy commandments, and do those things which are worthy in thy sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #55 O LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS THY NAME!
SCRIPTURE READING: ROMANS 12
HYMN OF PREPARATION: #133 BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD
HYMN OF DEDICATION: #148 BRIGHTLY BEAMS OUR FATHER'S MERCY
When a popular speaker wants to give authority to what he says, he introduces his statement with the words, "Science say", and then his hearers sit up and listen because they respect the authority of Science.
When a preacher wants to give authority to what he says, he introduces his statements with the words, "the Bible says", and his hearers sit up and listen because they respect the authority of the Bible.
Do you agree with both of these statements, or do you find yourself raising some questions about one or the other? When we think about the authority of the Bible and the authority of Science, is the situation the same today as it was fifty years ago? Was authority of the bible more generally accepted one-hundred years ago than it is now?
When what "Science says" contradicts or contrasts, with what the "Bible says", then we hearers are confused. Must we reject the one authority and hold to the other, if so, which shall we hold on to? Or can we hold on to both authorities? The problem of the Bible and Science is a real one to many people. It is one that cannot be lightly shoved aside, it deserves careful thinking.
Before we can hope to know what Science is; and before we can claim to state what "the Bible says", we must understand what Science is and what the Bible is. Let us look first at what Science is.
In the simplest and broadest sense of the word, science means knowledge. The dictionary defines science as "knowledge obtained by study and practice." It is often defined as organized, systemized knowledge.
The Science I have been speaking of is Science with a capitol"S" if we break it down to it's various disciplines and use a small "s", we can speak of the sciences, such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc. All of these sciences represent systematized knowledge within a limited area, BUT we cannot add them together to make one Science (capitol"S"). We can refer to certain men as scientist, and we can quote scientists as authorities. But Science with a capitol "S" is an abstraction, that is it has no application, and we are not quoting anybody when we say "Science says". What I'm trying to say is let us be careful to identify the authority we refer to. We most certainly ought to respect the authority of a scientist in his own field of work. An astronomer is one who has studied the stars and can tell us about them, but he cannot speak with authority about animals; because they belong to the field of zoology. The range of knowledge is to great for one man to be a specialist in every field, and he should not be quoted as an authority when he speaks outside his own field. We jokingly say an expert is anyone fifty miles from home. But we do listen to scientists when they speak because we feel that these are the men that know. The scientists, working in their various fields, have greatly increased and broadened our knowledge of the world around us. Through the efforts of the scientists we know about the planets and the stars and the vast reaches of space. We understand as men have never understood before, the atmosphere of the earth and what causes the changes in weather. The earth's crust and the oceans, lakes, and rivers have been explored, measured, and described. Through the study of living forms we have available a vast store of information about plants and animals and the microscopic forms that work both great benefit and harm to human beings. And this information, we feel, is considered reliable, WHY? Because the scientist agree upon it.
How is this knowledge arrived at? What methods do scientist use to reach results that are assured and can be relied on? The first step in the scientific method is observation. Modern science is based on the belief that the only way to discover the truth is to look at the facts. If you want to know whether palm trees grow in Scotland, you will not find the answer by studying the writings of Aristotle or Moses. You will go to Scotland and see for yourself, or you will read the report of some reliable observer who has been there.
Scientist wants their observations to be firsthand, impersonal, and unprejudiced. No scientific journal would accept a report in these words:--"There are palm trees in Scotland. I did not see them myself but a real estate agent who was trying to sell me a house lot said there was a beautiful grove of palm on it."
Accurate description is a characteristic of scientific method. To be scientific the report would have to be something like this--"The tree measured fifty feet high, and the trunk rose without branches for the first thirty-five feet. The trunk was eighteen inches in diameter at the base and it had fan shaped leaves that resemble the palm of the human hand."
Accurate observation is the first step. Scientists try to make their descriptions complete by gathering all the facts they can, but the mere gathering of facts is not enough. The facts must be organized, and as new facts are gathered they must be related to what is already known.
In religion we respect tradition and authority from the past, especially as this authority comes to us in Scripture, in science we begin with doubting tradition and questioning authority, we demand facts supported by observation.
Scientific observation must always be an experience that can be shared, but religious experience is intensely personal. The experience of Paul on the road to Damascus is an event of inescapable importance to the beginnings of Christian Religion, but it was an experience that came to Paul alone. The men who were with him did not share the experience, and no other person---on the Damascus road or any other road---has exactly duplicated the experience.
The conduct of experiments is a feature which completely separates scientific from religious method. You cannot set up an experiment in religion. Religion is a matter of individual, personal relationships, and in these relationships the controlled condition of experiment are impossible. When we attempt to include God in the experiment the situation becomes silly.
If we drive around the country side in the spring, we might see signs that have captions such as this--"this field has been sprayed with Bloggin Fertilizer. Watch for a bumper crop." But we never see signs that say---"This field is being prayed for regularly by St. Mark's Church. Watch for a bumper crop."
It would seem from what has been said that scientific method and religious method are so different that we cannot hold them together, but we must remember that it was the Christian civilization that gave birth to the natural sciences.
Christian civilization garnered the philosophy and the geometry of Greece, the astronomy of the whole ancient and medieval worlds, the arithmetic and algebra of the Indians and Arabs, as well as the religion and ethics of the Hebrews. Natural science and it's offspring technology and medicine are the gifts of Christian civilization to mankind.
The whole progress of science is based on a community in which men share their discoveries with one another, and respect and cooperate with one another.
Lets turn our thoughts to the bible now.
The Bible is the Holy Scripture of the Christian Religion. More exactly, we should say the Bible represents the Holy Scripture of the Hebrew-Christian tradition. The Old Testament shared by both Jews and Christians and the New Testament accepted by CHristians alone. We as Christians can say that is "our" holy book, the basis of our faith.
The words and the ideas of the bible are woven so intimately into our language and thought that we speak biblical words and express biblical ideas without recognizing their orifin. Expressions like--"salt of the earth"--"Shinning lights"--"The skin of our teeth"---"Spare the rod spoil the child"--"Pride goeth before a fall"--"The first shall be last".
These are famaliar quotations but when we look at the whole of the Bible, we discover that great areas of the Bible are totally unknown to us. Although we don't do it deliberately we select and choose the parts of the Bible that appeal to us and fill our needs. Scriptures read in church service, selections for church school lessons, passages listed in devotional books, and magazines and literary references to biblical events and characters sets the limits of ur aquaintance with the Bible.
Whole books could be dropped out of the printed Bible, and we"the men in the pew" would not know it for years. How long has it been since you read a chapter in Chronicles or Leviticus? Off-hand could you suggest an idea that the book of Obadiah contributed to our religious knowledge? Oh yes, we know about Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, and Paul. But who was Abimelech or Ishbosheth or Zerubbabel?
The Bible has many rules and regulation,if we tried to obey all the rules and regulations laid down in the Bible, we would be hampered and confused. Some of the rules we choose to hold up as guides to right conduct, and other rules we choose to ignore. For example Christians today are convinced that the food laws of the Old Testament were given for the ancient Jew only and so are not binding on us today. Other laws are dismissed as "ceremonial" and generally ignored.
In the Christian church today women play an active and public role in violation of the rules Paul laid down for the early Church. Paul decreed that women must keep their heads covered when they pray (1 Corinthians 11-5) and he preferred them not to pray in public. He also said they should keep silent in church, and if there is anything they desire to know they should ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a women to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:33-35)
So as you see---our familiarity with selected parts of the Bible causes us to overlook the strangeness of other parts. The people who wrote and experienced these events lived long ago and far away in a land utterly different from ours today.
Now before we go any farther and lest you get the wrong opinion---I believe in the Bible, and I believe that it is possible for a Christian today to hold to the Bible and to modern science.
The biblical writers held ideas about time and space completely different from the ideas held be educated persons today. Scientists today estimate the age of the earth in billions of years while biblical writers thought in terms of only a few thousand years.
The simplest lessons in science teach that the earth is a sphere which rotates on it's axis and revolves around the sun. In the Bible the earth is pictured as a flat disc. The earth, with hollow space under it, floats on water. Over the earth stretches the sky, separating earth from heavens. God dwells in heaven, but on occassion he comes down to earth--as when he talked to Adam or NOah or extended a ladder down to Jacob.
If we turn to the New Testament we find the same "three story universe", of the flat earth with heaven above and hell (Sheol or the pit) underneath. John writing in the book of Revelations, described how he could look through an open door and see the throne of God in Heaven. He says a battle was fought in Heaven; and when Satan and his angels were defeated, they were thrown sown from heaven to earth. (Rev. 12: 7-9). They fought on earth, and when they were defeated there, Satan was bound with a chain and thrown down through a hole into the pit, and the hole was shut and sealed over him (Rev. 20:1-3). The defeat of Satan is no less true because the Biblical account of the earth differs with that of science today.
Medical science has made great progress within the last hundred years in discovering the causes of disease and in devising the causes of disease and in devising the means of preventing and curing disease. No one today would want to wipe out the benefits of medical science, and no one would want to go back to biblical methods of dealing with disease. Yet we marvel at some of the biblical cures.
While the children of Israel were crossing the wilderness they encountered snakes so poisonous that their bite cause painful inflammation and death. As a cure Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it up on a pole in the middle of camp. After that a person who had been bitten by a snake need only look at the bronze serpent and be cured. (Numbers 21:4-9)
Naaman was cured of leprosy when he took baths in the river Jordan, as prescribed by the prophet Elisha.
Mental disturbances were believed cause by demons that took possession of a man. One day when Jesus and his disciples landed on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a raving maniac rushed down the shore toward them. The man was cured when Jesus ordered demons out of him into a nearby herd of swine.
A more interesting case of mental disturbance is that of Saul, the first king of Israel. Saul was a promising young man, physically big and strong; but he was not capable of handling the responsibilities laid on him by the kingship. Often he found his prestige rivaled by someone else. First is was Samuel, then Jonathan and then David. Saul like David, but the young man's popularity was more than Saul could take. He became jealous, suspicious, andfearful so that he distrusted his friends, and his own family. In a moment of violence he threw a spear at David, who was playing harp for him. A person who understands psychology can see here the symptoms of progressive break-down, but the biblical historian does not see it that way. The whole experience is explained in a sentence. "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." (1 Samuel 16:14) Notice here also that a Spirit capitol"S" from the lord departed and a spirit small "s" from the Lord tormented him. Would we hold this second spirit being from the Lord today?
There are many problems of conduct in the Bible, let's look at two in closing.
If the apostle Paul had lived in the twentieth century, he might have been arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injury. The "deadly weapon" was a curse, and the "serious injury" was blindness. The victim was a man named Elymas who rivaled Paul for the favor of the governor, Serguis Paulus. When Elymas tried to resist Paul's appeal to the governor, Paul denounced him and cursed him so that " mist and darkness fell upon him" and he was blind (Acts 13:7-11). You may say that Elymas was an opponent of the truth, but nevertheless the great apostle made a sorry spectacle of himself in the attack on his opponent.
Let's look at one event in the life of Jesus as it might be seen through the eyes of a Hindu or Buddist. It is recorded that Jesus and his disciples were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem. Jesus saw a fig tree, and the sight of the tree made him think how good it would be to pick some figs and eat them. But it was not the season for figs, so when Jesus came to the tree, he found nothing on it but leaves. He was so disappointed he he cursed the tree and said, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." When the disciples came by the next day "they saw the fig tree withered away to it's roots." (Mark 11: 12-14) A pretty childish action, if you were to ask the Buddhist.
We can of course explain the story of the barren fig tree. From what we know of the character of Jesus we can be sure he did not strike out peevishly and destroy the tree because it did not favor him with fruit. Perhaps he condemned the tree to illustrate the fact that the tree like some people put up a false front. And perhaps a story Jesus told about a fig tree as an illustration got into the record falsely as something he had done to a fig tree.
Interpretation is important throughout the Bible. It is interpretation that distinguishes between the ethical and trivial in biblical laws. By interpretation we see the biblical characters in proper perspective, and we see when we should follow their example and when we ought to be warned by their faults. When we claim to take the Bible "just as it is written", we are following the "common sense interpretation", that does not include thought and study. Let us be very hesitant in using the phrase, "the Bible says",---it takes careful and prayerful study to interpret correctly the message of the Bible.
And having read, studied, and interpreted the Bible----remember "it is better to be a sermon than to preach one."
Let us pray
Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift: teach us to render unto thee all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise thee, not with our lips only, but with our whole loves, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all our days into a living sacrifice unto thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
1962
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Feed My Sheep
Sermon Topic: "Feed My Sheep"
Processional Hymn: #28 O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST
INVOCATION:
Almighty God, who in thy providence hast made all ages a preparation for the kingdom of thy son: We beseech thee to make ready our hearts for the brightness of thy glory and the fullness of thy blessing in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Almighty and most merciful father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed to much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #599 THE GLORY OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE TEXT: JOHN 21: 12-17
HYMN OF PREPARATION: #45 THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD
HYMN OF DEDICATION: #274 MASTER, SPEAK! THY SERVANT HEARETH
Feed My Sheep
There is in this vast, complex and rapidly changing world of ours a desire on the part of all people to be happy and successful.
The big question is how does one measure happiness and success. In trying to answer this question as simply as possible if we look into the word of God - The Bible - and examine the life of Jesus we would find our answers. His life demonstrated and his teachings showed that it is when we are working for the good of mankind that we really show our love for God and are happy and successful in all our undertakings. This is what life is all about, -- and if we don't plan our day's activities in the light of the commandments of Jesus we can not expect to be truly happy and successful.
Let me illustrate what I mean by a story that was in the July issue of Reader's Digest.
A young boy by the name of Sione was chosen from among many young people on the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga to be educated in the United States. After five very successful years of study he was now on his way home to Tonga. He didn't need to return because he had been a very successful student and had received many offers for fine positions in the United States. As much as he would have liked to stay he chose to return to Tonga where he plans to start a college for his people.
He knew he would miss books and libraries, films, plays, and concerts; the change of seasons, snow and the thrill of skiing, and most of all he would miss friends. He said he didn't think he would miss modern conveniences like television, hot baths and uncomfortable clothes, or the crowds, the noise, the polluted air, the traffic jams and the people who in their hurry always half run--half walk.
He explained his returning to Tonga by saying, "I have a goal; it is to give my people a deep apprectiation of what we have in Tonga--something you can only discover by going away. He said--we have nothing really buy yet we have so much. We have "Ofa". "Ofa" is a Tonga word meaning respect, kindness, sympathy, and love;--all the things of the heart. It is the most important word in our vocabulary. In America success is measured by what you produce or what you posses. In Tonga, success is measured only in terms of your relationship with other human beings.
In the text that I read this morning Jesus repeats his question to Peter three times and three times he tells Peter "Feed My Sheep". In the revised standard version I think that we get a better understanding of what jesus was telling Peter and us.
After his first question "do you love me?", and Peter answers, Jesus says to Peter, "Feed my Lambs". This seems to indicate that Jesus wants us to teach the young children at an early age, when their minds and hearts can be easily molded to the ways of christ that they might be committed to Christian life. Then after questioning Peter the second time Jesus says to him "Tend my sheep". I think that Jesus here is giving a message to the ministers of the Gospel to preach the word for God--for without the Word of God, which is our only hope, men cannot succeed. After the third time when Jesus Questioned Peter about his love of Christ--Jesus said to Peter "Feed my sheep".
Yes--Simon Peter the boastful disciple, the impetuous follower, the apostle who denied our Lord in the hour of greatest need stood before the Risen Christ to answer a very important question. "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"
"Yes lord", he answered, "you know I love you". Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." The Lord Jesus knew that Peter would be a pillar in the early Christian Church, and that he would write two epistles to instruct and encourage all Christians through the centuries, and that he would die a martyr's death and give honor to God. But Jesus didn't say to him, "Peter become a saint". Instead He gave a command of service, "Feed my sheep."
Every Christian has at some time stood at the summit of spiritual experience and in the light of it's inspiration, pledged his or her best to the service of the Lord. Peter was so swept up in the excitement of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem that he promised more allegiance than he was prepared to give. Each of us has known similar situations. We confidently offer "all that we have" never expecting to be required to give our ambitions, our comfort, our time, our possessions to any great degree.
What a different world this would be if so many of the promises made by Christians in revival services, camp meeting, spiritual retreats, and church service hadn't collapsed on the way home. Commiting our lives to Jesus Christ is easy, even glamorous when we kneel at the carpet covered alter of a beautiful sanctuary. But it's the performance in the cold night air of the courtyard that determines how sincerely we love the Lord Jesus.
Too many Christians are content to pray a little, read a little, and surround themselves with other believers who enjoy discussing the things of God over a cup of coffee in meetings that we call "meaningful dialogue sessions". We rationalize this withdrawal from the core of life by humbly acknowledging our own personal limitations and surrender the privilege of soul-winning to leading laymen, pastors, and missionaries. This is a sad comentary on the Christian church today. We desperately need a revival of Christian zeal in the cause of soul winning.
Complacency in the life of a Christian usually indicates one of two things. Either he has an exaggerated idea of what God expects him to do or he has a poor concept of what calvary was all about.
Some people who surrender their lives to Christ mistakenly assume that a great, dramatic challenge will send them into a ministry that will rock the world, or at least astonish their friends. Really if their sacrifices and their service are to go unnoticed by others they really aren't interested in the surrendered life at all.
How foolish this is---If God can't trust us to visit the sick, feed the hungry, be faithful in prayer, accept responsibility in the local church, then what gives us the gaul to piously fold our hands and bow our proud head to wait for God to give us an angelic summons into martyrdom.
To refuse to obey Christ at any point in life is to deny him. There may be many beautiful promises in our past and noble intentions in our future, but it's our immediate obedience that he wants and needs if Christianity is to go forward.
Every Christian professes love for Christ, and all of us intend to serve Him later, but He needs workers to shepherd lambs now. He has too many people say, "My family responsibilities are so involved, my job is too demanding, my health isn't good; besides I can't compare to a man like Simon Peter. Christ doesn't expect me to tend the flock".
Yes, He does! If Jesus Christ has lifted us from the distress of a sinful life, if he has removed the bondage of fear and revealed himself with such reality as to enable us to believe in His power to save and His grace to sustain, how can we fail to love Him enough to obey.
If we love him, we are to fee his sheep.
He didn't say feed them if it's convenient, or, if you have been given a special talent, but He did say, "If you love me."
Consider your love for this Saviour. How far does it reach? Is it great enough to make you willing to clean the kitchen after a church supper while some one else attends the rest of the planned program? Do you love Christ enough to visit a shut-in when you'd rather go to a movie, play golf, or watch television? Do you love him enough to refuse to participate in activities that are not wholesome and moral? Have you made a prayer list and are you a faithful intercessor for others? Does God receive your tithe to support His Church?
Can you be content to let the light of Christ shine through your life without the praise of men? Are you concerned about the many crises' that are all about us today---famine---poverty---poor housing---poor education---segregation---lack of respect of law--and all the rest--, and if you are concerned, just how much do you love him?
We are surrounded by people who are hungry for peace that only comes from God. The mission fields are not all on foreign soil. Our own neighborhood is filled with people in spiritual poverty. If we have seen the Risen Lord, as Peter saw Him on Galilee's shore, we are responsible for a surrender that will allow Him to have his way that others might see Him in our lives. He had only one Simon Peter to serve him, but always remember that He has only one of you and one of me. Nobody else will or can do the job He sent us to do.
He calls to Us today "Do you love me?" if our answer is "yes Lord you know I do." than he says to us "feed my sheep".
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel---heal the sick---feed the hungry---comfort the comfortless, educate the uneducated, do all these things and more then you will be feeding my sheep.
In Cleveland, Ohio as in the Polynesian Island Kingdom of Tonga success in life is measured only in terms of your relationships with other human beings....
Let Us Pray
Processional Hymn: #28 O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST
INVOCATION:
Almighty God, who in thy providence hast made all ages a preparation for the kingdom of thy son: We beseech thee to make ready our hearts for the brightness of thy glory and the fullness of thy blessing in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Almighty and most merciful father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed to much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING: #599 THE GLORY OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE TEXT: JOHN 21: 12-17
HYMN OF PREPARATION: #45 THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD
HYMN OF DEDICATION: #274 MASTER, SPEAK! THY SERVANT HEARETH
Feed My Sheep
There is in this vast, complex and rapidly changing world of ours a desire on the part of all people to be happy and successful.
The big question is how does one measure happiness and success. In trying to answer this question as simply as possible if we look into the word of God - The Bible - and examine the life of Jesus we would find our answers. His life demonstrated and his teachings showed that it is when we are working for the good of mankind that we really show our love for God and are happy and successful in all our undertakings. This is what life is all about, -- and if we don't plan our day's activities in the light of the commandments of Jesus we can not expect to be truly happy and successful.
Let me illustrate what I mean by a story that was in the July issue of Reader's Digest.
A young boy by the name of Sione was chosen from among many young people on the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga to be educated in the United States. After five very successful years of study he was now on his way home to Tonga. He didn't need to return because he had been a very successful student and had received many offers for fine positions in the United States. As much as he would have liked to stay he chose to return to Tonga where he plans to start a college for his people.
He knew he would miss books and libraries, films, plays, and concerts; the change of seasons, snow and the thrill of skiing, and most of all he would miss friends. He said he didn't think he would miss modern conveniences like television, hot baths and uncomfortable clothes, or the crowds, the noise, the polluted air, the traffic jams and the people who in their hurry always half run--half walk.
He explained his returning to Tonga by saying, "I have a goal; it is to give my people a deep apprectiation of what we have in Tonga--something you can only discover by going away. He said--we have nothing really buy yet we have so much. We have "Ofa". "Ofa" is a Tonga word meaning respect, kindness, sympathy, and love;--all the things of the heart. It is the most important word in our vocabulary. In America success is measured by what you produce or what you posses. In Tonga, success is measured only in terms of your relationship with other human beings.
In the text that I read this morning Jesus repeats his question to Peter three times and three times he tells Peter "Feed My Sheep". In the revised standard version I think that we get a better understanding of what jesus was telling Peter and us.
After his first question "do you love me?", and Peter answers, Jesus says to Peter, "Feed my Lambs". This seems to indicate that Jesus wants us to teach the young children at an early age, when their minds and hearts can be easily molded to the ways of christ that they might be committed to Christian life. Then after questioning Peter the second time Jesus says to him "Tend my sheep". I think that Jesus here is giving a message to the ministers of the Gospel to preach the word for God--for without the Word of God, which is our only hope, men cannot succeed. After the third time when Jesus Questioned Peter about his love of Christ--Jesus said to Peter "Feed my sheep".
Yes--Simon Peter the boastful disciple, the impetuous follower, the apostle who denied our Lord in the hour of greatest need stood before the Risen Christ to answer a very important question. "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"
"Yes lord", he answered, "you know I love you". Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." The Lord Jesus knew that Peter would be a pillar in the early Christian Church, and that he would write two epistles to instruct and encourage all Christians through the centuries, and that he would die a martyr's death and give honor to God. But Jesus didn't say to him, "Peter become a saint". Instead He gave a command of service, "Feed my sheep."
Every Christian has at some time stood at the summit of spiritual experience and in the light of it's inspiration, pledged his or her best to the service of the Lord. Peter was so swept up in the excitement of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem that he promised more allegiance than he was prepared to give. Each of us has known similar situations. We confidently offer "all that we have" never expecting to be required to give our ambitions, our comfort, our time, our possessions to any great degree.
What a different world this would be if so many of the promises made by Christians in revival services, camp meeting, spiritual retreats, and church service hadn't collapsed on the way home. Commiting our lives to Jesus Christ is easy, even glamorous when we kneel at the carpet covered alter of a beautiful sanctuary. But it's the performance in the cold night air of the courtyard that determines how sincerely we love the Lord Jesus.
Too many Christians are content to pray a little, read a little, and surround themselves with other believers who enjoy discussing the things of God over a cup of coffee in meetings that we call "meaningful dialogue sessions". We rationalize this withdrawal from the core of life by humbly acknowledging our own personal limitations and surrender the privilege of soul-winning to leading laymen, pastors, and missionaries. This is a sad comentary on the Christian church today. We desperately need a revival of Christian zeal in the cause of soul winning.
Complacency in the life of a Christian usually indicates one of two things. Either he has an exaggerated idea of what God expects him to do or he has a poor concept of what calvary was all about.
Some people who surrender their lives to Christ mistakenly assume that a great, dramatic challenge will send them into a ministry that will rock the world, or at least astonish their friends. Really if their sacrifices and their service are to go unnoticed by others they really aren't interested in the surrendered life at all.
How foolish this is---If God can't trust us to visit the sick, feed the hungry, be faithful in prayer, accept responsibility in the local church, then what gives us the gaul to piously fold our hands and bow our proud head to wait for God to give us an angelic summons into martyrdom.
To refuse to obey Christ at any point in life is to deny him. There may be many beautiful promises in our past and noble intentions in our future, but it's our immediate obedience that he wants and needs if Christianity is to go forward.
Every Christian professes love for Christ, and all of us intend to serve Him later, but He needs workers to shepherd lambs now. He has too many people say, "My family responsibilities are so involved, my job is too demanding, my health isn't good; besides I can't compare to a man like Simon Peter. Christ doesn't expect me to tend the flock".
Yes, He does! If Jesus Christ has lifted us from the distress of a sinful life, if he has removed the bondage of fear and revealed himself with such reality as to enable us to believe in His power to save and His grace to sustain, how can we fail to love Him enough to obey.
If we love him, we are to fee his sheep.
He didn't say feed them if it's convenient, or, if you have been given a special talent, but He did say, "If you love me."
Consider your love for this Saviour. How far does it reach? Is it great enough to make you willing to clean the kitchen after a church supper while some one else attends the rest of the planned program? Do you love Christ enough to visit a shut-in when you'd rather go to a movie, play golf, or watch television? Do you love him enough to refuse to participate in activities that are not wholesome and moral? Have you made a prayer list and are you a faithful intercessor for others? Does God receive your tithe to support His Church?
Can you be content to let the light of Christ shine through your life without the praise of men? Are you concerned about the many crises' that are all about us today---famine---poverty---poor housing---poor education---segregation---lack of respect of law--and all the rest--, and if you are concerned, just how much do you love him?
We are surrounded by people who are hungry for peace that only comes from God. The mission fields are not all on foreign soil. Our own neighborhood is filled with people in spiritual poverty. If we have seen the Risen Lord, as Peter saw Him on Galilee's shore, we are responsible for a surrender that will allow Him to have his way that others might see Him in our lives. He had only one Simon Peter to serve him, but always remember that He has only one of you and one of me. Nobody else will or can do the job He sent us to do.
He calls to Us today "Do you love me?" if our answer is "yes Lord you know I do." than he says to us "feed my sheep".
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel---heal the sick---feed the hungry---comfort the comfortless, educate the uneducated, do all these things and more then you will be feeding my sheep.
In Cleveland, Ohio as in the Polynesian Island Kingdom of Tonga success in life is measured only in terms of your relationships with other human beings....
Let Us Pray
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