Time

It’s time. Do you remember hearing those words? Maybe you were being prepped for surgery and the nurse had just come in to let you know it was time to go to surgery. Maybe you were in the delivery room at the hospital and the nurse said, “I think it’s time.” Maybe you heard those words when you were at the receiving station and the sergeant came in and said, “It’s time to go.”
It’s time. The time has come or as Paul put it, “the time had fully come.” What’s that mean to you to hear those words, “the time has fully come?”
When I hear those words I realize that I can’t put off any longer whatever I’ve been waiting to do. The time has come for action.
When we get the message that the time has come it is usually something we have written on a particular day on our calendars or it may be something we’ve put in our scheduler to remind us about appointments or commitments. Whatever it is we soon realize it’s time. We can’t put it off any longer.
I don’t know how your lives are governed but I can’t seem to go anywhere without my watch. If I don’t have my watch on my wrist I’m just not comfortable because I don’t know what time it is. Isn’t that silly? What does it matter if I don’t know what time it is? It seems as if we are all governed by time, whether it’s our timepieces or a calendar on the wall. They both show us how quickly time passes and if it’s wasted how we can’t ever get it back.
Some would say it’s very important to know what time it is. It may be very necessary for us to be somewhere at precisely the correct time. If I had stayed in bed until I felt like getting up and then took my time eating breakfast and then arrived here whenever I might or might not be here when people expected worship to begin. I might arrive too early or be too late and that might make some folks unhappy.
Time, it does seems to have a certain power over us. As I have gotten older I realize that time has gone by awfully fast and the time I have left in this world gets shorter with every day. And I wonder if today will be the day that I hear, “It’s time.”
When the time was right for God he sent His Son to us. And when the days were complete…Joseph and Mary offered Jesus to God. Simeon and Anna, when they saw Mary and Joseph come in with their offering of pigeons and Jesus, knew that God was keeping his promise to send the One who would be the world’s salvation and would free the world from its sin. It was time.
What time is it today? Is it time? Has the time come that we’ve been waiting for?
We have been waiting, watching, and preparing for the Messiah. He has come. God has been with us in Jesus and I believe is still with us in the Holy Spirit. Did we notice or have we been too fixated on what time it is?
The promise the Prophet foretold has been fulfilled as Simeon reminds us. The Promise is a light for all nations and glory for Israel. But not everyone believed it at the time and many don’t believe it today.
It is time. Peter’s letter reminded us during Advent that it’s time, time for judgment to begin and we’d better not wait too long to accept Jesus as our Savior. Paul said the same thing in his letter to the Corinthians when he said, “…brothers…the time is short.” Jesus will come again like a thief in the night and none of us knows the time.
It’s time, time to decide what we’re going to do with the lives God has given us. Are we going to believe in this Son he sent into the world or are we not? The time is now and it’s getting shorter.
Friends, Jesus doesn’t push himself on us. He’s patiently waiting for us to answer his call. But first we have to empty ourselves of everything that’s holding us back. Only when we are empty can God fill us up so we can serve Him.
It’s time. The time has come for our decision. Are we ready to make our offering to God and dedicate our lives to his service as Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to God in the temple? Is today the time?
Time is in God’s hands but he has left the timing up to us. Is today your time to make your offering? Friends, it’s time.
Thanks be to God for the gift he gave of himself to the world, Emmanuel, God with us. Amen.

Lost

Help! I’m lost and can’t find my way! Is there anyone here who can tell me how to get there from here? Does anybody here have a map or one of those “never lost” things on their cell phone? I mean it. I’m lost and don’t know which way to turn. Is there anyone here who can help me?
I don’t know what I’m going to do. If I don’t get some help soon I’m going to miss my appointment with the One who is supposed to be coming soon. Surely there’s someone here who knows the Way. Are you all as lost as I am?
Oh, God, what am I going to do? What if you come now and I’m not prepared?
I knew I shouldn’t have taken that left turn back there. I should have known that I couldn’t trust those people in the last town. They just didn’t look like they knew enough to come in out of the rain let alone know the Way. But I was desperate and I would have taken almost any route to get to where I need to be. Surely there’s someone here who has heard the voice of the one crying in the wilderness and knows where I should go.
How about you? Do you know the Way? What about you? Can you help me? Doesn’t anyone here know the Way?
Things just aren’t the way they used to be. It used to be that you could always count on someone to have the answer; there was always someone to tell you the way you had to go to get there. Where have all those people gone? Don’t they realize that we haven’t all got the Message yet? What am I going to do?
I’ve always thought I had all my ducks in a row. I always figured I was prepared for anything but I never believed that it would be so hard to find my Way to the light. If only I hadn’t listened to those folks in that last town. They really led me astray. I shouldn’t have been so gullible. I should have remembered what Paul said, “Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.” Why didn’t I think of that then?
Man I hate getting old. When I was younger I had all the answers. Now, I just don’t know anymore. I thought we were supposed to get wiser as we got older. It seems like I have more questions today than ever. I keep getting lost. I just can’t seem to find my Way to the light. Don’t any of you know the Way?
I should have paid more attention to my teachers at Silver Creek Church. They knew the Way. In fact some of them sat down and made sure I understood the directions. What did I do with that paper? You’d think I would’ve kept something that important some place where I’d be sure to find it when I really needed it.
Oh, why didn’t I listen to Grandma when she tried to show me the Way? I’ll bet if she were here she’d have the directions in her apron pocket.
Oh, what am I going to do? I’m so lost. I’m never going to find my Way to the Light. Isn’t there anyone here who cares whether I find my Way?
There’s so much apathy in the world today. Everyone’s afraid to lend a hand for fear they’ll be sued if they give the wrong directions and someone gets hurt. Oh, how I miss the good old days, back when you could get a ride just by standing on the side of road and putting your thumb in the air. Now those were the days. If you were lost then you could always find somebody to get you home to the Light, not today. No sir. Everybody’s a little gun shy.
I don’t know what I’m going to do. Wait a minute. Someone’s left a book here in the pew. The title on the cover is “The Message.” Do you think it might have the answers I need? Maybe it knows how to get to the Light.
But how will I know where to look? It looks like a pretty big book. Man, I sure wish there were someone who could show me where to start. That’s all I need. I’m a smart guy. I know I could figure it out if someone would just get me started on the right path.
Well maybe if I just put my trust in whoever’s in charge of this whole thing called Life; maybe they’ll just let this book fall open to the right spot. Should I try that? What do you think?
Wait a minute. How did you all find your Way here? Are you lost too? Well, maybe we could work together to solve this problem. I think our time is getting short. I wish I would have started sooner.
I had a plan once. But somehow along the way I got sidetracked. I thought I knew a better way. Boy was I wrong.
You know those Boy Scouts were right when they said, “Be Prepared.” I never knew it was that important. I just didn’t understand what my purpose in Life was.
Last week I heard that He was coming and I’d better not wait to get ready. I’m still not ready and I heard he could be coming any day.
I think my plan will be to pick up that book called “The Message” and start reading it to see if it has the answer so I can find the Way and be prepared. It sure would be nice if someone would help me.
Are you sure you don’t know where I can start? Would you help me find my way to the Light?
Friends, do you think we’re all prepared? Do you believe everyone knows the way to the Light? If you truly believe God has called us here for a purpose and he hasn’t called us home yet, then I believe we’d better be doing what God has called us to do. Make sure everyone hears the Good News and can find their way to the Light. We each can be the voice calling from the wilderness. Make smooth the way of the Lord.
Thanks be to God for his gracious love for all his children. Amen.

News from the Wilderness

John the Baptist has been preaching to us from the wilderness for over 2,000 years. He is still calling for us to repent, to turn our lives over to God, to have our lives changed from the inside out.
Why is it so difficult for us to change? Why do we not heed the call of the prophet to change our lives? Peter in his final letter to the followers of the Way says that we had better not delay because the Lord will return like a thief in the night. We won’t have any warning before he makes his appearance. And again, this is a Message we’ve heard before. Why are we so resistant to change?
I believe that we drag our feet because we are basically sinful people who refuse to give it all to God. Our faith is weak and we believe that we can do it all ourselves. Or we believe that the Message is for someone else; we don’t need to change, the Message isn’t referring to us. There is no reason for me to repent. I don’t need to make any changes in my life. My life’s perfectly fine the way it is.
Is it really? I used to think that I was just fine doing the same thing year after year. The pledge I made last year was enough, I shouldn’t need to make any changes to it. After all, there are others who are better off, financially, than I am. They’ll pick up the slack. The church doesn’t need me to work on any committees this year. I’ll just sit back and relax this year. Someone else will visit the folks in the care centers. I don’t really have the time anyway. After all, the pastor said we all need quiet time to study and reflect. Isn’t that how most of us think? Surely I’m not the only person who’s had these thoughts.
Friends, I was wrong. I did need to change. I still need to change. My heart is convicted every day by my sinfulness. I am reminded constantly that I am not where I should be. My only consolation is that God has forgiven all of us through the sacrifice made by the One whose birth we are waiting for again this year.
Isn’t that the Message that Peter was trying to get us to understand? We must be working continually to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
John the Baptist was the voice calling from the wilderness exhorting the people to change. He was the prophet who knew that there was One coming after him who would baptize folks with something that would last. They wouldn’t have to keep coming back every year with a sacrifice for the priest to make in their behalf. And his voice, John’s, still calls to us from across the centuries. Our lives must be changed. We can’t keep doing the same old thing expecting something different to come from it. God had promised through the prophet Isaiah that he was going to do a new thing. There would be a voice crying from the wilderness to make the road smooth, flatten the mountains, fill in the valleys, to prepare for the coming of the King. John reminded the people of this day. His voice is calling to us today from the pages of our Bibles for us to change our lives.
The prophet Isaiah and the apostle Peter are in agreement when they remind us that our lives are as fragile as grass or the flowers that bloom in the spring. We are here one minute and gone the next. Or that’s what it seems like.
A thousand years are like a day to God and a day is like a thousand years to us. It’s only been a few days using that kind of logic since Jesus ascended to be with the Father.
Has everyone heard the Good News? Have all their questions been answered? Have they been baptized with the Holy Spirit? Is there still someone who hasn’t received the Message about the arrival of the kingdom of God? Have all your questions been answered? Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit? Do you need to make some changes in your life? I do.
What better time than right now, with John calling us to repentance and Peter reminding us that we shouldn’t wait. Friends, is there anyone here today who doesn’t need to change? Is there anyone here today who doesn’t need to be healed from all the sickness in their lives?
Let us humble ourselves and come to God. Let us pray for the strength to change our lives. Let us pray for God’s grace to be forgiven and pray that He will grant us the peace and love that comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
To God be the glory and the honor. Amen.

Quilt for the Youth

This is a picture of the quilt being raffled at the Antique Walk on this coming Father's Day weekend. The money raised is going to be used to help defray the costs for the younger members going to camp and to Minnesota.

Our thanks go to Linda K. for donating her time, talents, and materials for this project.

Things Are Bad; The Sky Is Falling; Jesus Is Coming Again!

Things are bad. The little red hen would say the sky is falling. Mark is telling us to not panic. Jesus is coming again.
There is war in the Middle East. The economic conditions aren’t getting better fast enough. Companies are laying off employees. Some companies are almost bankrupt. People are starving. Murders are reported every day on the news, some not too far away in Omaha. Can the end be close at hand?
When the gospel according to Mark was written people of the Way had seen their brothers and sisters dragged before local authorities, sometimes by members of their own families. War was all around them and some of the things Mark is alluding to may have already taken place. In fact the temple in Jerusalem may have been destroyed already. As one commentator pointed out, “That was the bad news, stuff that the community didn’t need to be told.” Things looked like they couldn’t get much worse.
When bad things like this are going on you can’t just say, “Don’t worry. Be Happy.” That might not go over too well. Someone just might take a poke at you. Instead we need to acknowledge the terrible things that are taking place and share in the grief they are feeling before we say, “Don’t panic. God has everything under control.”
Is our world in any better condition today than it was when Mark wrote this gospel lesson? We may not have war in our country but we do have men and women from our country who are in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the world. And there is the fear that terrorists may even strike here. If not here they may attack and kill Americans who are travelling in Europe or other parts of the world where there is unrest. As the news said this week they may be doing this to bring attention to the pain they are experiencing in their part of the world, or to bring attention to the unfair conditions and injustices in their countries.
It doesn’t make this message any easier to listen to. But the truth is God is in control. And he does care what’s happening here in our world today. After all He did send His Son to this world so that the world could experience first hand what He, God, was like. The kingdom of God came down to earth as a fragile little baby.
There weren’t many people anticipating the arrival of the Messiah and there weren’t any here who understood what it meant. The prophets predicted it and there were some religious of the day who were waiting for it to take place but they really didn’t understand what that meant. Oh they thought they did but they really had no idea what God’s plans were.
It’s not any different today. Friends, there is trouble everywhere, even right here in Walnut, Iowa. The school struggles to keep operating as an independent entity. The town struggles to survive in this new economy where people’s budgets get tighter and tighter. People are worried about their jobs, their retirement incomes, and the unrest in the world. And then we hear today’s Message that says, “It’s okay. These things are going to happen but it’s not the end of the world.” No one knows when Jesus is going to return. All we know is He promised that he was coming back.
And so we wait and work and hope. And we continue on doing the work we have been given to do to make disciples of all the nations. We continue doing God’s work while keeping an eye on the things going on around us, keeping an eye on the horizon watching for Christ’s second coming.
The prophet is crying to God to tear the heavens apart and come; the psalmist is calling on God to restore our fortunes; the community in Corinth is waiting for Christ to be revealed and Mark’s little apocalypse helps us understand the birth pangs of the world around us. Only God knows the schedule of events.
This is the beginning of Advent. Are we as excited about Jesus coming again as the children are to see Christmas arrive?
Some questions to ask ourselves are: “What are we waiting and hoping for-for each of us as individuals, for our church, for our community, for the world?” Isaiah was waiting and hoping that God would come and make his presence known in the world. He was hoping for one thing and God did something different. What are you waiting and hoping for?
This season is a time for reflection and penitence. A time to reflect on where we should be, on our knees, full of faith, changing the direction of our lives, waiting, watching, working, knowing that all will be well because God’s in control.
Are you waiting for God’s kingdom to come? It has already arrived. God’s kingdom comes when we hear the Word and believe it. When this happens then we will realize true peace in our lives.
Thanks be to God for the gift of his Son. Amen.