FOUNDATIONS TO BUILD LIVES ON

Foundations!Trouble with foundationsis that nobody sees them.Roots.Trouble with rootsis that nobody sees them.And in our "show time" societymost people aren’t interested in foundations and rootsMost people want the skin deepthe show mefoundationless-Storyteller from DesperatePreacher.com

Foundations are one of those parts of a house or any building for that matter that most people don’t pay much attention to. We all figure that the contractor we have hired to erect our building knows everything about the building codes and understands the laws of physics and will put a foundation underneath that can’t be shaken. How many of you have checked the foundation of your houses lately? Is it still as strong today as when your house was built?
So, how many of you can tell me what are the requirements for a strong foundation, one that won’t be phased by strong winds or earthquakes? What type of foundation is best, poured concrete, cement block with rebar, or what about a wood foundation? Which one is the best?
I’m like most of you; I put my faith in the person I asked to construct my building to put the proper foundation in place so there would never be a problem for as long as I was alive. You do know that if the original design is flawed the whole house or structure will be susceptible to damage.
In order for a structure to be resistant to high winds or earthquakes the building design has to incorporate strong connections between the foundation, wall, and roof and connections between the walls, particularly at the corners and connections amongst all the components that make up a wall and roof. Connections and what they are made of are very important to a structure.
First, the proper foundation and footings needs to be in place at the proper depth and the proper width to carry the weight of the building sitting on it. And then the two have to be connected properly with bolts and/or plates up through the sill plate and into the walls.
Think about what I have just said and then think about us as human beings. I remember hearing my parents and grandparents talking about kids having a good foundation to build their lives on. I didn’t understand it that well then but now that I’m older and Linda and I have seen our own children more or less grown and out on their own I have a much better understanding what they meant.
Just as the a building must have a foundation constructed of the best materials with the exact physical dimensions to support the weight of the structure for a lifetime or two so our lives need a good foundation. So again, the same question as before, what is the best foundation for our lives?
Let’s start with the Old Testament lesson. It said that Noah was a good man, the most innocent man of his time; he walked with God. And when God told him to build this great boat it said that he did everything God commanded him to do. I guess that meant that he didn’t question him about any of it; he trusted that God’s word was enough. His faith in God to take care of him and not lead him down the wrong path was the foundation he built his life on.
The psalm we listened to this morning asked us to look at the beauty and wonder of the world all around us, to look at God with loving eyes. The psalmist knew that God would fight for us, that he would protect us. The foundation he built his life on was faith that the God who created this world would fight for him and protect him.
Foundations are seldom seen and don’t add a bit to the beauty of the structure but you won’t find one building plan that doesn’t have one. Well maybe you might find one or two, but you all know that kind of building is not going to be around long. It won’t be able to withstand the forces of nature. It probably won’t even last one lifetime.
Paul in his letter to the Romans reminded us that God has a plan for all of us, to rescue everyone who trusts in him. He said that our acts of faith show that we have a right standing before God and because we trust him we really live. Paul tells us that things have changed. It used to be that it was God who set things right but now it’s Jesus who is setting things right. And it’s not just for Jewish Christians but “for everyone who believes in him.”
Because God had a plan and created this solid footing through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ those who put their faith in Jesus are experiencing the glorious lives God wills for all of us. Like Paul said this is “pure gift,” there is absolutely nothing that we can do or could do to get ourselves right with God. We would just mess it up; in fact we often do make messes that he has to clean up for us. Getting the foundation right, trusting in God’s love through the sacrifice of his Son who took the world’s sins upon himself and died, went through Hell for us and rose again, is the first step in building a life that will stand up to the storms Satan sends our way.
It’s begins with the foundation but there’s more to it. In order for a house to be able to withstand the storms and forces of nature everything has to be connected. The connections between the foundation, the walls and the roof have to be solid and the connectors must be made using the right materials. I mean you wouldn’t think of using Liquid Nail to connect all the components of a house together would you. No, in some places you might use bolts and in other places you might use plates of steel or sheet metal straps to connect the structure together.
Connections are important in our lives too. We should begin with a good foundation, a belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior, but then we have to go one step further. We need to be sure that we have good connections. Without connections our lives can fall apart just as buildings do that don’t have all the components of the house secured properly to each other.
What kind of connections do you think we need? Houses or buildings use bolts, rivets, plates, etc but what type of connectors do we need in our lives? How is the foundation connected to the walls and the walls to the roof?
I believe it begins when parents make the decision to bring their families to church to worship and to be taught. I’m making the assumption that they have already given their lives over to Jesus and are now taking the next step.
That’s what church is. It’s about connecting mature Christians with new Christians, mentoring each other; it’s about being connected to each other in our relationships, supporting each other and holding each other accountable and loving each other. People who come to church are connected, connected with God and connected with other people who have come to worship God. Relationships develop in small groups and before you know it we are all held together by our connections.
When we begin by coming to church we learn that there is more we can do to build a strong life, a life that will withstand the forces of evil. We learn to build strong connections with God and each other through the study of the Word, through prayer, and in fellowship in small groups. We build connections when we are “sent” out into the world to make disciples of all nations. We are connected when we go out and tell others about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Each of these connections works to grow God’s family and make the church stronger.
It all begins with a strong foundation upon which to build. The body of Christ is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Paul told the Corinthians that “No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, the sure foundation that the prophet Isaiah talked about.
Friends, our foundation is in Jesus. He is the rock we can rely on to be there for us and support us no matter what comes our way. With Jesus as our foundation we have not one thing to fear. It’s all part of God’s wonderful architectural plan for his church.
Through God’s generous love we are connected to him through Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are connected to Jesus and his teachings. We are connected to all God’s children when we go out and share the love of God with those we meet on our journey through this life.
Foundations to build lives upon and strong connections to hold everything together trusting in God’s plan for his church, that’s what our lives are all about.
My friends God loved you enough to send his Son to die for you so that you could be saved from your sin. God laid the foundation stone. Today God is calling you to take the next step, trust in his Word, give your life to him and be changed. Come and be connected to the One who gave his life for you so you could be freed from the hold sin has over you life.
God loves each of you and so do I. Amen.

Priorities

I would like all of us today to use this time during worship to consider the priorities of our lives. Jesus tells us in the gospel lesson that we shouldn’t worry about food, clothes or tomorrow but that we should make the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness our priorities. Only you know where your priorities are but I can tell you honestly in these economic times I worry some about food, clothes, and tomorrow. It’s not that I don’t trust in God’s providence it’s that I don’t have a lot of faith in humanity to hold up its end and look out for their neighbors.
So how about it, are you worrying about tomorrow? Do you worry about where you’re going to get the next meal or if you’re going to have a clean set of clothes to put on in the morning? I’m not worrying about the food or the clothes but I do spend some time thinking about what tomorrow will be like.
After all that’s been in the news lately, especially all the weather related catastrophes that have occurred all over the world, an earthquake in China, a cyclone in Myanmar, and that humongous tornado in Colorado. Now those are things I do worry about some. But you know, there’s not one thing I can do to keep them from happening. I really do have to trust in God to provide the protection and the resources to rebuild if one of these weather events should happen to me.
The Prophet Isaiah told the people that after a period of time, in fact he said, “In the right time…,” he would bring his chosen ones back to their own country and restore everything back the way it was. And it goes right along with the gospel lesson, if we believe what we profess then we shouldn’t be worrying one minute about anything in our lives. Our minds should be filled with service issues. Who are we going to help next? What needs to be fixed now? Where do we need to go tomorrow to share the good news of God’s love for all people?
Did you hear what the psalmist said? Do you think our feet are on the ground? Do you think we are quietly waiting for God to show us and tell us what we should be doing? Or do you think we want to rule our own roost? Are we trying to control our destinies? And is that wrong?
I don’t think Jesus was saying that it is wrong to acquire wealth and possessions. But he was trying to get us to think about the why and the what of it. Why are we acquiring things and what are we going to do with the wealth we gain? And whose is it anyway?
What do you think would happen if everyone gave a certain percentage of their gross income to be used for the mission of the church? Every time that we received compensation for our work we would give a set percentage of the gross toward serving the mission of the church. Would we notice that we had fewer resources for food and clothes and rent or house payments? Would it make any difference to the amount of food that we put on our tables or the clothes that we wore? I wonder how many really trust enough in God to try it.
Priorities, where are our priorities? Jesus said we can’t serve two gods. Who are we serving, ourselves or God?
Paul told the Corinthians that what they should be concerned with was being a servant for Christ. They weren’t to be worrying about what anyone else was doing; they were to just be focused on the work they were called to by Christ.
I wonder what the world would be like if that were the norm. That we all looked out for each other and we made sure that there was absolutely no one who had any needs. Everyone everywhere had a roof over their head, clean clothes on their backs and nutritious food on their tables for every meal. What would that kind of world be like? Could we make that happen?
We can if we would change our priorities. But it won’t happen if all we think about is taking care of ourselves. As I’ve said before there is no early retirement from doing the work of the Lord. We are to make disciples, teach people, and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to love God and love our neighbors.
There are people in need all around us. Our priorities as the body of Christ are to care for those around us. The prophet Micah said, “…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Paul says we should be servants, the prophet Isaiah is telling us to trust in God to make everything right again, and the psalmist tells us to wait patiently with hope. And Christ tells us we can’t serve two masters.
I believe in order to make that happen we have to set priorities. And I believe that those priorities are not about you and me but about everyone else. I believe that means that I need to be focused on everyone else’s needs, not mine. I believe that Jesus is telling us to wake up and change our priorities. He will take care of us and we are to take care of each other, without judging. Leave that to God.
Friends, it’s not easy trying to be like Jesus. I was visiting with a neighbor this week and we both expressed our concerns with the state of the world. We both decided that it’s too big for us and we couldn’t change it anyway. What we could do is look out for our neighbors and see to their needs. By doing those simple things we might be able to change the priorities of the world.
As we are taught in the scriptures, we are to be in the world but not of the world. Our priorities are different than the world’s priorities.
Life has always been tough. Today it’s the price of a gallon of gas, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and tomorrow it may be something else. Hope in the Lord will make the difference and help all of us to look at life a little differently, to change our priorities. Trust in the Lord my friends and he will make it all happen.
Someday it will all be made right. Someday Christ will return and there will be a new world, a new Jerusalem, a new heaven. What a wonderful day that will be. In the meantime our priorities must be to look out for our neighbors here in our community and in all parts of the world as God gives us the resources.
Priorities, what are yours and are they the same as God’s? I pray that God gives us hope for the future and that we are all able to turn our lives around and change our focus to serving God and our neighbors.
Thanks be to God for his abundant grace. Amen.

What's It All Mean?

What’s it all mean? God, our God, the one we worship with all our being and are so grateful to for everything he gives us and who is the creator of this whole universe, is the great Three-in-One. What’s that mean? Who can explain how God can be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
If you have the rock solid answer that we can all understand come on up here and explain it. I’ll be the first one to tell you that it is a mystery to me. The more I read, the more I study, the more I realize that even the great theologians of the world can’t explain it any better than you and I can. Oh sure they can use some big words to try to get us all to understand the Trinity but the bottom line is it’s all a mystery.
God just is. He created everything around us, everything. There isn’t one thing that God didn’t make. Not one of us can take credit for even one atom of anything. Oh some may think they did it all by themselves but they’re just fooling themselves.
When I walk around in this marvelous world, especially in the spring, I realize how wonderful it all is. And the miracle is that in this part of the world everything dies in the fall and winter and miraculously comes back to life in the spring. And we are amazed every year that it happens. The same birds come back to find night crawlers in my yard, the same hostas come up in the same place every year, even when they get hammered into the ground by hail or chewed on by rabbits. They come back to life every year.
How can I not believe in God when all around I see so many beautiful and wondrous things? And each one is excitingly unique; no two are the same, like snowflakes for example. The intricacy of each cell, each atom, is beyond our comprehension.
Every time I think back to when Linda and I first discovered that we were going to be parents I am amazed at how God takes two people and from the love they have for each creates a new life. And when I think about the odds of it happening at all, well it’s all just a miracle. Each new life that we are blessed with is just a miracle. I don’t believe there’s any other way to explain it.
The only explanation I have is someone greater than all of us is responsible for the whole thing. I’ve seen some of the things I’ve tried to create and they don’t begin to compare to what God can do.
So what does it all mean? It means that God is in control and when he wants us to know everything he will reveal it to us. Until then I am just going to believe in the mystery that is God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I think that the most important thing for us is to remember what Jesus told his disciples just before he ascended into heaven. The Great Commission he gave to them and us was that all the authority he had in heaven and earth that had been given to him he was giving to his disciples was to make more disciples of all the nations baptizing and teaching them in the name of the Trinity. And to not worry he would always be with them and us, to the very end of time.
So I’m not going to concern myself too much about who God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is or worry too much about trying to explain it. What I am going to do is to do my best to make disciples wherever God plants me. And in order to make disciples that means I have to teach, and in order to teach that means I have to study. What am I going to study? I’m going to read the Word and pray that the Holy Spirit grants me the wisdom and understanding necessary to teach all God’s children.
While I’m about it, I’m going to walk about, or maybe ride about, in this great place God has created. I’m going to enjoy visiting and talking with these little ones who are the best part of God’s creation, ever.
Today we are going to baptize one of God’s miracles. What’s it all mean? It means that John and Vickie and all of us gathered here today accept the responsibility, in fact we promise, to guide and nurture this young person by our words and our life’s examples, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know Jesus, the Son of God the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit. I believe it means that God blesses this new life and with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ, the church, train Matthew to be one of his disciples. Just how he accomplishes all of this is the mystery.
What’s it all mean? It means that God loves us so much that he put us here on this little spinning piece of space dust with just the right conditions to support life. And it’s up to us to take care of it and trust in Him to provide for our needs. Do we need to know how the Trinity fits into all of it? Do we really need to know the why’s, what’s, and wherefores of it? No, I don’t think so. I think we just have to know that God is and trust in his love and providence for us.
I don’t think I have many answers to the question of the Trinity but I do believe that there is a God and he sent his Son to show us what God was like, and before he ascended told us he would send an Advocate, a Counselor, to be with us, to pray for us, to help us understand and remember everything Jesus taught his disciples. I believe that God cares for all of his children and it’s through the body of Christ that God’s love is to be shared. That I believe.
Friends, God loves all of you and so do I. Amen.

Wildfire

Ever seen a wildfire? A few years ago south of us, down by Oakland, a fire started and faster than anyone could imagine it raced across fields, jumping across road ditches burning everything in its path. It didn’t seem to matter whether part of a field was disked, the fire would hesitate for a moment and then leap the chasm to ignite the dry grass and cornstalks and race towards the next tree or building in its path.
Linda and I were listening to all of this on the radio scanner. Listening to the voices of the men and women who were trying to contain the fire we knew that this was a wildfire to be remembered for a long time. I know that those who lost homes and belongings will never forget how fast it moved and changed directions. It will be talked about for a long time.
So it was with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were all gathered together in the room praying and waiting for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise and all of a sudden there was this sound of a wild rushing wind. They were looking around to see where the sound was coming from and then they noticed the tongues of flame that looked like fire standing over each other’s heads. And if that wasn’t enough when they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit they began to speak, speak so that those who ran up outside to see what all the commotion was heard them speaking in their own native languages.
How was it possible for uneducated common people to speak so that every nation represented in Jerusalem could here the Message and understand it? It was an opportunity to preach the gospel, and being filled with the power, Peter was moved to preach the good news and explain what was happening.
Jews celebrated the day of Pentecost every year but this particular day was a day that was never to be forgotten. God’s Spirit came upon these disciples just as Jesus had promised and they were filled to overflowing; they were brimming over with the Spirit. It was spilling out from the depths of their souls like water bubbling up from an artesian well, like water overflowing the banks of rivers filled with the abundant snow melt from the mountains, like rivers filled with the recent rains passing through the Midwest.
That’s what happens when people give their lives to Jesus and are forgiven of their sins by God. They are baptized with and filled with God’s Spirit.
First, they can’t believe how they feel. A burden has been lifted from their shoulders. They know that God is working in them and has become one with them through the promise of Jesus, that anyone who believes in him will never be thirsty but will filled with rivers of living water from the Spirit. Their sins have been forgiven, they have been redeemed. Now what?
As they spend time in God’s Spirit they realize they have received gifts from God; they can do things that will bring glory to God. They can grow God’s kingdom when they use these gifts. Each of us has gifts, gifts God has given us to use to bring people to Jesus. And every one of us has different gifts; just as we all have different personalities and appearances, so we each have different and varied gifts. None of us is the same.
That’s why it’s so important that we share the Message of the good news with everyone we meet. Because that one person we talk with is the one God wants us to tell our story to. God has given you and me that one particular gift to enable us to communicate clearly the good news to those we meet on life’s journey.
God’s Spirit has been poured out on every kind of people, young and old, men and women, people of every ethnic background have been filled with the Spirit. Signs and wonders are happening everyday around us. Can you see what the Spirit is doing? Just look around you. God’s Spirit is in each person here today and he’s building a fire in hearts to spread the good news.
Are you feeling empty? Does something seem to be missing? Jesus said, “Come to me and drink. Anyone who believes in me will be filled with rivers of living water and they will spill out of the depths of them who believe, just as the Scripture says.” Let the breath of God fill you with new life. Feel the Spirit moving and let the Spirit move you to do things you never imagined doing. Maybe even speak to people you don’t understand and who probably don’t understand you, but with the Spirit’s help they will know what you are saying. Tell the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
God loves you my friends and so do I. Thanks be to God.

Witnesses and/or Witnessing

Have you ever been subpoenaed to testify at a hearing, to be a witness in a trial, or to give an account about something you observed in an accident or some such thing? How did that go for you? Was it a rewarding and/or enlightening experience or would you rather take a beating than do it again? How did you feel or how do you think you would feel if you were called to give your testimony about something?
The disciples wanted to know if this was the time Jesus was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. Did you hear how he responded? He said it wasn’t for them to know the time or the date because the Father has the authority to set those times. He told them they had other work to do; they would be receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and when he came upon them they would be witnesses to all the people in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth about all they had seen and witnessed while Jesus was with them. In others words don’t worry about things they had no control over and get to the work God had prepared them for, the business of testifying to the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.
You know what’s coming next don’t you? We, along with the disciples of Jesus Christ, have also been told to witness to the resurrection of our Lord. We are to testify about what God has done for us and what he can do for our sisters and brothers if they will just believe in him and accept the good news that the kingdom of God is here today. Our sins and their sins have been all been forgiven.
When someone tells us we have to go out and be evangelists for the Lord our toes curl into the concrete and darned near impossible for us to move outside of our comfort zone. We are so afraid of sharing the good news that we would just as soon get a beating than to tell our friends or even our family how much we love God and what he has done and is doing in our lives.
Yet Jesus told the disciples that they were to be witnesses…to the ends of the earth. You know what that means; it means that we also are to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Someone has to be out there witnessing to what God is doing in the world. Friends, that someone is you and me.
No matter how you cut it, it all boils down to this; we are to be out there telling folks about Jesus. There’s no way to get around it. The words are pretty easy to understand, if the good news is going to get out we have to be the ones to do it. After all if we don’t who will? How else will people hear the good news?
Oh sure, you could leave it all to your pastor. But will he be able to tell it to your friends as well as you could? Actually you are the only one who can tell it in precisely the way God planned for you to do it; in words that only you know how to put together in exactly the right way so that they will understand and believe. Only you can do that, I can’t. My words wouldn’t be as sufficient as yours. It really is up to each of us to do our part to spread the good news.
That means that when we are sent out of these doors today we are sent into the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to share the news that he died for our sins and they have all been forgiven, totally. He died but he also rose again from the grave and he ascended into heaven so that the Comforter he promised could come upon us and we would be filled with God’s Spirit.
That, my friends, is good news. So why is it so hard for us to get out there and tell the story? What are we afraid of? God has given us all these wonderful experiences and all we have to do is share them with our family and our friends. After we have let them be our guinea pigs then we will all find it easier to share the message with people we don’t even know yet.
Every one we meet is a child of God. The only way we will know if they know Jesus is to ask them or at the very least invite to come to worship with you some Sunday so they can hear the good news.
We can be witnesses to God’s glory by the example of our lives but at some point we are going to be asked the question about God, Jesus, the Bible and the church and why they are so important to us. And we will want to have an answer ready.
Friends, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be from the heart. The Holy Spirit will provide you with all the right words at the right time, trust him to do what Jesus promised he would do for us.
Children, God loves you and so do I. Amen.

The Road

Roads, what would we do without them? Roads are so much a part of our lives that we really take them for granted; we really don’t pay much attention to them, that is until they become so pockmarked with potholes we have to take our cars in to the shop to be realigned.
Roads are pretty important to us. Think what it would be like to live somewhere where there were any roads, just paths.
The United States has a whole network of roads crisscrossing the country from East to West and from the Canadian border on the North to the Mexican border on the South. There are Interstate highways, Federal highways, state highways, and county roads. All of them are very important to the people who live along them and to those who use them every day to go to work. How many of you remember what it was like before the interstate highways were constructed? What about before they had graveled roads? How many of you remember the County C road from Hancock to Atlantic? I remember it being so dusty we would drive to Avoca and take Highway 83 to Atlantic. Talking about these roads bring back a lot of memories.
What roads do you remember that bring back memories? How about Highway 6? It used to be the road we drove to go to the State Fair in Des Moines, or what about Route 66? There was a song written about it and even a TV show.
Roads were important in Jesus’ day too. The Romans were very good at building roads. In order to move their troops quickly from one hotspot to another they needed to have good roads for their cavalry and their foot soldiers.
Jesus traveled on quite a few roads as he spread the good news and healed the sick and the lame. He was very familiar with all the roads leading into and out of Jerusalem. These were the roads he walked when they came to the city to celebrate the Holy Feasts and the Passover. Remember when Mary and Joseph started home and walked three days before they realized he wasn’t with them. They had to travel that road back into the city and try to find Jesus.
There are a few roads mentioned in the Word but today in John’s gospel Jesus says he is the Road. In fact his road is the only route that can be taken to get to the Father.
Jesus had been telling the disciples that he was going to be leaving them and where he was going they wouldn’t be able to come. Peter couldn’t understand why he couldn’t go with him; he was willing to give his life for Jesus. He didn’t know that soon he would deny that he ever knew him, in fact he would deny him three times.
Jesus told them not to worry because where he was going there would be plenty of room for everyone. And he would be coming back to get them.
He told them they already knew the road he was taking. But they didn’t understand what he was telling them. Thomas was lost. He didn’t know which road to take. And when Jesus told them he was the Road I’ll bet that confused them even more. It sounded like they didn’t even know who he was talking about when he said that he was the way to the Father.
And we are still confused today. Jesus is a Road? He’s the way to the Father? What does he mean and how is it possible? This is a mystery to many people yet today.
God came here as a baby born of a virgin so that we would know his love and compassion for us his children. You want to know what God is like, read the gospels. You want to know how much he cares for you, read the stories Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about their Master, Jesus.
Jesus is the Way, he is the Road to the Father. Read everything written about Jesus and then read it again and then read it again. You will begin to realize the love God has for us because of the love Jesus, his Son, had for the least of those in Galilee. You will see how much he loved the people he met on the roads he walked in surrounding country.
Jesus really is the only road to the Father. He is the only way we can come to know God. How is this possible? It’s possible because I believe that with God anything is possible and that’s enough for me.
Not everyone believed though. As Peter said the religious of Jesus’ day rejected his claims. He was a threat to them and so they had him killed, they crucified him on a cross because he was a stumbling block; he was a barricade on the road they were traveling. So they dismissed him
But friends, we have all been called by this one who is now our cornerstone to walk the Road to eternity. We have been called to tell others the good news that God’s kingdom is here today. We are called to tell others what a difference Jesus has made in our lives.
In order to do that my friends we have to have walked on the Road. We have to know where the Road is and where it leads and how to tell someone how to find it. Do you have a map; where’s your GPS? Friends, the map is sitting right there on the back of the pew in front of you. That’s right, the map for the Road is found in that book right there by the hymnals; you can find the Way in God’s Word.
But we’re not going to have much success until we open the book and read it. The Gate to the Road is so narrow that we’re going to have to keep going back to the same book again and again and again in order to stay on the right road.
The truth of the matter is just as Jesus said, He is the Road, also the Truth, and also the Life. The only way to the Father is through him. And the only way to know him is by reading the Word again and again and again.
So if God is calling to you today, if he is telling you to get on the Road and you don’t quite know what he’s talking about, pick up the Book and read the gospels for a start. And then find someone to study with and talk to about what you’ve read. Don’t wait too long. God may be calling one of us home tomorrow and it will be too late to ask for help then.
Friends the Bible is the atlas complete with all the maps anyone will ever need to find their way along the Road to God. Find one today and start reading the map.
Thanks be to God for the Road. Amen.

The Gate Is the Way

What is a shepherd? Why would Jesus use a shepherd as an example of his role in relation to his disciples and us? After all shepherds were dirty, smelly people and no one wanted to get too close to them. All they did was take the sheep to the pasture and bring them back in to the fold. And when it was time to shear them they would do that. Sometimes the first born and the best lambs were offered as sacrifices to God for the people’s sins. But for the most part shepherds were people who lived alone with the flocks and so smelled a lot like those they cared for.
So why would Jesus want us to remember that he was our good shepherd? Maybe it’s because a shepherd spent so much time with his sheep that they became his friends. He spent so much time with them that he even had names for them like “brown leg” or “bent black ear” or “one black ear”. They were like a part of his family or maybe they were his only family. At the very least the wool they produced allowed the shepherd to earn enough to feed himself and his human family.
Jesus wanted them to know that he was their friend and like a shepherd he cared for them. He knew each of them by name. He probably even knew them better than they knew themselves. After all he was the incarnate God.
Shepherds lived very simple lives. All their waking hours and some of their sleeping hours were spent tending to the flock. They had to move the sheep from pasture to pasture and had to be certain that where they were going was safe for their charges. So while they were grazing in one location the shepherd would be checking out the next pasture to be sure it was clear of poisonous weeds and that there were no nests of snakes or scorpions.
Even though the sheep were leisurely grazing their way across the pasture the shepherd was ever alert for danger, whether it was a predator or some plant or insect that might cause the sheep to become ill and die. And when they were dead they didn’t produce any income.
The shepherd knew that the sheep only required three things for their well-being. What they needed were good pasture land, adequate water, and safe paths. They were incapable of securing their own needs or of defending themselves from danger.
This is what Jesus told the disciples and they didn’t get it. Why do you suppose that was? After all they lived in a country where there were sheep and goats and shepherds everywhere. You would think they would understand what he was telling them, but they didn’t get it and so he tried explaining it a different way.
Jesus said he was the Gate to the sheepfold. And the only way to enter was through him. Again this was a reference to the shepherd. The shepherd would put the sheep into the fold and then would lie down in the only entrance so that he would know if anyone was trying to get in or anyone was trying to get out. He was the gate to the fold and he was the protector of his flock. But there were then and still are those today who would try to come in over the fence to take what wasn’t or isn’t theirs.
This parable points out the fact that we are helpless to help ourselves. Oh we are sure that we can provide for all our needs and that we can take care of anything that comes our way. If that’s the case then why is it that there are so many who abuse their minds and bodies with sex, drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Why are there so many angry people around us if we are so taking care of ourselves? Why aren’t we exuberantly joyful? It’s because we aren’t taking care of ourselves spiritually.
We, the human race in general, are so focused on taking care of number one that we forget that we have been given a commission by Jesus to go out into the world and make disciples. We forget, or we shove it way back in the recesses of our brains, that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And that we are to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We forget these very important things. We get mean and surly with our neighbors and we neglect God. Shoot we can’t even be civil with our own members sometimes. But the Shepherd still loves and cares for us. He is watching out for us and listening for our cries for help. His voice is calling to us. Do we remember what it sounded like? He knows our names do we remember his voice?
Friends, we are all in need of healing. Every day the Evil One takes a nip out of us and we aren’t able to protect ourselves without our Shepherd. He has prepared a place for us. I pray that we can find our way back through the brambles where we have strayed.
How are we ever going to find our way to the Gate? Friends, Jesus told us he is the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through him, our Gate. We need to be opening the Word every day so that the light of Christ’s love shines on our path and we can find the way home.
Friends, I’m worried that there are many who are lost and don’t know it. I’m worried that we have become so complacent that we don’t see our neighbor’s needs or hear their cries for help.
Jesus is our shepherd but he has given us the task of caring for the little ones, those who are babies and are looking to us to give them food and shelter. The early Christians in Jerusalem pooled their meager resources so they all could eat. They took care of each other so none were ever in need. Now they had their own logistical problems and some just couldn’t trust in God to provide. There were many bumps in the road but eventually with God’s help they figured most of it out.
They made a commitment to the teachings of the apostles, to their life together with each other, to share a common meal, and to prayers. These were the most important things to the early Christians. They tried to live in harmony with everything in common.
What are the most important things for you? I believe it all goes back to what Jesus was teaching the disciples, love God, love your neighbor and proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God is here. And to do all of it required them to make changes in their lives and it requires us to make changes in our lives. For some of us it means that we have to make some drastic changes, focusing on the needs of the least in our community and providing for those needs so that they can come to know the love of Jesus Christ through us.
Jesus is our shepherd. He is calling to us; he is knocking at the door of our hearts. Are we listening? Can we find our way to the Gate of the fold? Are we able to help others find the way? Do we understand what Jesus is telling us?
Friends, today may be the day when God is laying his hand on your heart and begging you to make a commitment to him. Will you answer his call to be one of his children?
My friends, God loves you and so do I. Thanks be to God. Amen.