Sermon: Lighten Up, Light the World

Lighten Up, Light the World

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

April 15, 2007

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven…

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance …

Ecclesiastes 3

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord…

"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5

We are 28 percent of the way through 2007, the Year of Discovery, and this month’s topic is Discover the Power to Make a Difference. Last Sunday we focused on the source of our power, Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and we learned about how God works with ordinary people with extraordinary results, like that Presbyterian Disaster Assistance team in Louisiana I told you about.

Speaking of PDA, we received an offering last week for One Great Hour of Sharing, which goes to disaster assistance and programs that help people help themselves in the neediest parts of the world. Your gifts last Sunday totaled $1300. Thank you so much.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were a scattered, frightened band of fugitives. But within a week, they began to change into the most remarkable collection of human beings the world has ever seen.

Luke 24:51-52 “Now it came to pass, while Jesus blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”

Sherwood Wirt says: “Joy was what changed them. .. Joy was the atmosphere in the early church. It was euphoria, hilarity, unspeakable gladness. The believers had become aware that the bars of nature had been broken through by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.” [1]

In the early Greek Orthodox tradition, an Easter custom developed, in which on the day after Easter, clergy and laity gathered to tell jokes and stories. They even played jokes on each other. The theology behind this was that they were celebrating the greatest joke of all, the joke God had pulled on the devil – the Resurrection. Theologians called it Riscus paschalis, the Easter laugh.

We can so easily miss our Easter joy.

Once the comedian Groucho Marx was getting off an elevator and he happened to meet a clergyman. The clergyman came up to him, put out his hand and said, “I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve put into the world.” Groucho shook his hand and replied, “Thank you, Reverend. I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve taken out of it.” [2]

How often do we go around looking like Easter never happened?

In 390, Chrysostom preached a sermon against it. He said, “This world is not a theatre in which we can laugh, and we are not assembled together in order to burst into peals of laughter, but to weep for our sins… It is not God who gives us the chance to play, but the devil.” [3]

But more Christian theologians through the ages have had a joyful point of view. Martin Luther, a very serious professor and reformer, had a fun loving spirit and said that the Christian can and should be a joyful person.

Evangelist Paul Rader, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago in the 1920’s, said that laughter is from God. He said, “When God chooses a man, he puts laughter into his life. God is delighted to fill the hearts of men with laughter. The anointing oil that was poured upon the head of David put laughter into David’s life…. It is the oil of Jesus’ presence that makes holy laughter in life – not only in the disposition to laugh at a joke, but the ability to laugh at calamity, to laugh at death, to laugh at the victory which the devil thought he had won.” [4]

When our hearts are filled with laughter, we can face life squarely and approach the problems of our lives more creatively.

Bill died, leaving a will that provided $30,000 for an elaborate funeral. As the last of the visitors departed the services, his wife, Lynne, turned to her dearest friend, Sue, and said, "Well, I think Bill would be pleased."

"I'm sure you're right," replied Sue, who then lowered her voice and leaned in close. "How much did this really cost?"

"All of it," said Lynne. "All thirty thousand."

"No!" Sue exclaimed. "I mean, it was very nice, but $30,000?"

Lynne replied, "Yes. The funeral was $6,500; I donated $500 to the church, and the wake, food and drinks were another $500. The rest went for the Memorial Stone."

Sue computed quickly and asked, "$22,500 for a Memorial Stone? My goodness, how big is it?"

"Two and a half carats."

Perhaps when you have a sense of humor, you can face life more creatively!

Joseph Michelli, a psychologist at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, often usues humor to help patients with cancer or depression. He says “Kids laugh 400 times a day. Adults laugh 16 times a day. We lose 384 laughs a day in a process I call adulteration.”

Albert Schweitzer was a doctor who used humor to combat depression and to keep from falling into a state of helplessness. He found that it not only helped him deal with stress, but it also seemed to positively affect the people around him. The stress involved with illness not only affects the patient, but it extends to the doctors and nurses who take care of these patients as well. He saw humor as being a vital nourishment for the hospital community.

King Solomon, who wrote the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. Solomon said, “A merry heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” He also wrote the quote that heads up my page on MySpace: “A cheerful heart has a continuous feast.”

I heard a story about a man who worked for the IRS whose job it was to read all the letters that came into the department and decide who should receive them. He said, “Several times it was my pleasure to read letters from people who had just given their lives over to the Lord, and who wished to start their new lives with a clean slate by paying back money that they had cheated the government out of.”

He was commenting on this marvel of new life to one of his co-workers when they received an odd letter. The man who wrote it explained that he hadn’t been able to sleep well since 10 years ago when he had cheated on his income tax.

Enclosed with the letter were five one hundred dollar bills. The man concluded the letter by saying that if he didn’t sleep better now, he would send the rest.

Well, some people have to take baby steps to that place of joy. But others make a decision that they are going to lighten up, and it changes their lives.

You know George Forem an? Two time heavyweight boxing world champion, preacher, founder of youth centers and grill-master. George learned throughout his life to have a good attitude. But there was a particular day when he made a conscious effort to show it. It was when he returned to boxing at the age of 37. TV interviews were hard to get, and when you got on a sports show, they would only give you a few seconds. Athletes were unapproachable, and it seemed that Mik e Tyson wanted to kill everyone. George noticed when he watched TV that it was always the funny stuff that would make him stop flipping the remote. He writes, “I decided to meet everybody with a smile, so I would never have to put on an act. I was going to be the happiest man alive on TV.”

Even today, he says, “I tell my kids, ‘Keep your smile; it will be your health. There will be better students in college, but you can be the happiest about being there. Don’t let anyone beat you at this. Have it said when someone meets you, ‘I met the nicest person in the world,’ because you have a smile, joke, or time for the least of them.”

Jesus said, ^{MT 5:14} "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

And Paul continued the encouraging message when he wrote,

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."

---

[1] Sherwood Eliot Wirt in More Holy Humor P. 175

[2] Joyful Noiseletter 4/2000, p. 7

[3] And God Created Laughter, p. 26

[4] Paul Rader, quoted by Sherwood Eliot Wirt, quoted by Cal Samra, More Holy Humor, page ix

Sermon: The Source of Our Power (Easter)

Easter Sermon Acts 10:34-43

“The Source of Our Power”

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien

April 8, 2007

We are continuing our theme for 2007: The Year of Discovery. So far this year we have discovered the Bible, discovered our story, discovered our unique gifts, and this month we discover the power to make a difference. Last week we learned about the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, when he died on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God. Today and in the following three weeks, we learn how we tap into that power, to make a difference in our world.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, as the Scripture is read and your Word is proclaimed, may your Holy Spirit bring understanding to our minds, and move us to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are about to read a summary of a speech Peter gave in Caesarea, in the house of Cornelius. Cornelius was a respected centurion in the Italian Regiment. He was a man who prayed to God and gave to the poor, but he wasn’t Jewish and he didn’t know about Jesus. One day, Cornelius was praying and an angel appeared to him who said, “God has heard your prayers and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to the city of Joppa for Peter.” Meanwhile, God sent a message to Peter also, that this summons was coming and that he should go. Peter went, even though it was against Jewish law for a Jew such as Peter to associate with a non-Jew such as Cornelius. When he arrived, Cornelius said, “We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

^{AC 10:34} Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

^{AC 10:39} "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

What Peter just preached is the essential story of Jesus, who was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went around doing good and healing people, who had power over the devil, because God was with him, who was killed but was raised by God on the third day, who was seen by witnesses, who was not a ghost but flesh and blood who could even eat and drink, who told his witnesses to go out and tell his story to all the world. This is the story of Jesus, not a gentle, weak person, but God in the flesh, who lived the perfect human life and sealed his teaching with miracles. This is Jesus, whom God has made the judge of the living and the dead. This is the one with the power. If you want real power, you have to know Jesus.

The demon possessed man

Some of the best examples of how powerful Jesus was, are in the book of Mark in the Bible. Read the whole book of Mark; it doesn’t take long and it’s packed with action. There’s a great story in Mark about a demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs and would scream and cut himself. When Jesus saw him, Jesus commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. He started screaming at Jesus and identified Jesus as “the Son of the Most High God.”

Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

The voice came from the man: "My name is Legion, for we are many." Jesus made them leave the man, and allowed the demons to go into a herd of two thousand pigs. The pigs then rushed into the nearby lake and drowned. People heard about this and rushed out to the lake to see what was going on. When they got there, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and this made everyone afraid. In fact, people were so afraid of Jesus they pleaded with him to leave the area.

As Jesus was getting into a boat, the man who had been demon possessed said “Let me go with you.” Jesus said, "No, go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the city how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Whatever demons are on your back, real or just the trials of your life, Jesus has the power to cast them out. Through Jesus, you can be saved. Is there anyone in this room that can say that Jesus has saved them? Raise your hand if there’s something that was wrong in your life and through Jesus, you were saved.

I know a lot of people who feel like their lives are going OK – up and down, but OK – and yet they feel like they’re just surviving. Feels like you’re working all the time, trying to make a life for your family, trying to overcome challenges of work or money or marriage or kids or all of the above, but you also feel drained.

Then you hear about truly serious needs – Children in Africa whose parents are dying of AIDS. Women and girls who are victims of human trafficking. Veterans unable to get proper medical care. Hurricane victims. Even other local families who don’t have a simple, decent place to live. And you think, I’ve got to do something to help them, too, but shoot, I’m just trying to keep my whole deal together.

John Mayer sings about it on his new album “Continuum.” At 29 years old, he has a song, “Waiting on the World to Change,” which seems to be an explanation for why his generation seems so apathetic:

It’s not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change.

Rather than urging people to change the world, he seems to say, there's nothing we can do. I heard him interviewed on NPR last month. He said, "Look, demanding somebody do anything in this day and age is not going to fly. Kids don't even like being talked to like kids anymore, you know. 'Just give me the option and I'll think about it.'" He says, "All I want a song to do is just to kind of present an idea..."

So there’s an idea to consider. Now, how long do you want to be waiting on the world to change? If you’re ready to be part of the solution, that’s where Jesus comes in again. Because Jesus commanded us to share the love, spread the healing, and he also gave us the power. He said to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” The power comes from Jesus.

If there’s someone near you who raised their hand earlier, they’d be glad to tell you after church about the power of God in their life. But let me tell you a simple story about someone who got the power to make a difference.

Suzan Robison – the power to become a nurse

When Suzan Robison graduated from high school, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to become a nurse. As she looks back, she remembered that time in her life. She said: “The idea of helping people really appealed to me. On the other hand, studying four hours a day had no appeal.” Her grades showed it. At the age of 19, she failed her first year of nursing school. The next year, she failed again.

A teacher bluntly told her she didn’t have what it took to become a nurse, and that she should drop out. She was humiliated. She moved to another city, away from her family and friends, and took a position as a medical transcriptionist. It went well, but, she said, “I couldn’t get nursing out of my mind. It became clear that I wouldn’t be satisfied doing anything else. But my desire to become a nurse was threatened by an equally compelling fear of failure.”

Every year for 5 years, she planned to go back to school. And every year she was paralyzed by the fear of failing. She found endless excuses for not signing up. The years passed and she was no closer to what she really wanted. Finally, she realized she didn’t have the strength within her to do it alone.

“I asked God for help. I asked Him to grant me the ability to achieve my goal. I started reading the bible, and friends recommended several books. My faith grew, and with it, my courage. Over time, I believed that with God’s help, there was nothing I couldn’t do.”

The next time the nursing program enrollment opened, she applied. She was nervous, but confident God would see her through. Two years later, she graduated with honors in the top 5 percent of her class, and she has been happy being a nurse ever since. “It took me five years to discover my faith, to build my confidence, and to find the courage to try one more time.”

Suzan had a dream for who she wanted to be – a person who made a difference in other people’s lives. With God’s help, she is both personally fulfilled and an asset to her community.

I look around and I’m so pleased to see how so many people give of themselves to help others. This summer, 25 of our church adults and teenagers will be spending 10 days on the coast of Florida doing hurricane cleanup work. You would think that it would be like pulling teeth to get a person to spend his or her hard-earned vacation time doing hard labor, but people who come back from these work trips seem to have received as much as they gave.

New Orleans story

A pastor at the Presbyterian church in Corvallis, Linda Gebetsberger, went to New Orleans with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to help with hurricane relief. She also sent her youth group down there, and this summer she’s going again with a group from around the presbytery. She told me this story.

This time last year, in March of 2006, a work team from PDA, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, had an assignment to clean out a particular home in Louisiana. First thing in the morning, they went to their assigned home. They had a map, but many street signs had been blown down. House numbers were visible, so having finally found the home, the team went to the front door. An elderly man and his wife answered the door.

The team leader explained that they had come to help on behalf of Presbyterian

Disaster Assistance. The elderly man welcomed them in. All day as they worked, he watched them. At the end of the day, the team had accomplished quite a bit.

When they got ready to leave the elderly man again asked them where they were from and who had sent them. The team leader explained that they had been assigned to the home through PDA. The man shook his head and said , "I believe it was God that sent you." The team leader said, "Well, yes...but we were assigned by PDA."

The man shook his head and again said, "I believe that God sent you." He then went on to say that he and his wife had been living in their kitchen since the hurricane hit. No one had come to help them and that morning they had held hands, sat at the table after breakfast and agreed that today they would end their lives. And then ... the doorbell rang.

Each evening back at camp, the teams have a devotional and debriefing time together and share experiences. That night, this team was sharing their incredible experience and telling about the elderly couple, when the village manager got up and left the community tent. He returned shortly with a large binder. He had it opened and his face was an ashen color. Everyone became silent and looked at him. He told the team that they had gone to the wrong house. The homeowner names didn't match up. It was the right house number but the wrong street.

Do you want the power of Jesus to save you, to overcome the demons in your life? Do you want the power to make a difference in this world? It’s yours for the asking.

Let us pray.

Great God, we praise you that in Jesus, you demonstrated your love for us and your power to heal us, and in raising Jesus from the dead, you broke the power of sin and death. Yours is the glory, and the victory. Please give us the courage and the power to join you in bringing healing and salvation to all people. Help us in this church to be the place where every person can find the power to make a difference. Amen.

Sermon: A Sacrifice of Love (Palm Sunday)

A Sacrifice of Love

Hebrews 9:11-14

First in the series “Discover the Power to Make a Difference”

Rev. Cynthia O'Brien

April 1, 2007

^{HEB 9:11} When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

In this year, 2007, the Year of Discovery, we have learned that each of us has a story of God’s love for us, and that each of us has unique gifts. This month’s theme is Discover the Power to Make a Difference.

“Making a difference” is what many young people today identify as their reason for coming to a church. They don’t just want to sit in the pew, they don’t just want to worship God on Sunday. They want to do something that helps other people’s lives be better. They want to see tangible results. Feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, keeping kids healthy, that’s what they are interested in.

A couple of weeks ago, Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis held a Community Safety Summit at City Hall. He brought together law enforcement like Chief Piluso, Sherriff Giuso, the head of the FBI, the head of Tri-Met, the District Attorney and about 200 interested people. The question on everyone’s mind was, How can we, the people in this room, keep our citizens safe? Gresham is about to reach a population of 100,000 people, and that will mean a natural jump in crime unless we can do something about it. The people at the Safety Summit were committed to combining their individual efforts to make a difference.

And “making a difference” is the clear call of every Christian. Jesus made it clear by his example, in his ministry of healing and forgiving people’s sins. He told us to go out into the world and make disciples.

Where do you want to make a difference? Maybe you want to be a person in your neighborhood who helps others in an emergency, and you want to join me in being trained for Community Emergency Response. Maybe you want to help your friend who’s in trouble, but you’re afraid of offending her. Maybe you want to start a new business or nonprofit that fills a real need, but you don’t know if you have the strength. Maybe you just want to raise your kids right in a challenging, confusing world. You want to make a difference, but how do you start?

This month, we’ll discover the Power to Make a Difference. On Thursday night I’ll talk about faithfulness and commitment. Next week, on Easter, we’ll envision a better life and hope for the future. On Bright Sunday, we’ll discover how a sense of humor and a good attitude will give you success. The following week, I’ll be talking to young couples and busy families about how they can make a difference even when they have limited time.

But before we can move forward, we need to be aware of something that has been done for us that makes it possible for us to have the life that we do, and to even think about making a difference in the world. We need to acknowledge something that has been given to us that we don’t often give much serious thought to.

Let’s go back to that day in Jerusalem, when Jesus came into the city. The people knew they needed to be saved, and they hailed Jesus as the one who would save them… from the Romans. But Jesus wasn’t a warrior king, riding a stallion, ready to overthrow the government. He came into Jerusalem riding a donkey, humble, with something else in mind. While the people wanted to get out from under the burden of Roman occupation, they really needed something much more important – to be forgiven of their sins.

Go back further, back to Genesis, to the Garden of Eden. When Eve and Adam disobeyed God and were cast out of Paradise, they became slaves to their sin. God, loving people, first tried to start over with Noah and his family. But there was no way for humanity to get away from sin. Sin is so serious that death is the only way to get rid of it. But God loved people and didn’t want us to die. So God made a promise with Abraham, and a promise with Moses, and set up a system by which the people could bring an animal to a priest, and the blood of the animal would cover the person’s sin.

“Cover” is actually a pretty good word to desribe it. It’s as if you got a stain on your carpet, a bad one, like red wine. By the way, did you know that many churches don’t allow red punch or red jello at church for that very reason? When my children were younger, I started putting up signs in the church kitchen: “Please do not serve red punch at coffee hour, and if you do, don’t give any to my children!” Anyway, imagine getting a terrible stain on your carpet, so you put an area rug over it. The stain is “covered” but it’s not clean.

When you brought an animal for a sacrifice, you realized at that moment how serious your sin was, and how merciful God was. Our weekly prayer of confession and assurance of pardon doesn’t begin to have the impact that the temple sacrifices must have had on people. Because when you realize that a sacrifice was made for you, then you know that a sacrifice will be required of you. You will have to live in a new way, obedient to God, out of your appreciation for how God has forgiven you. You’ll go and try to follow God’s laws and love your neighbor because you are thankful for the sacrifice that was made.

We can all grasp the idea of making a sacrifice to benefit someone else. Every parent makes sacrifices for their children’s benefit. There are things you’d like to buy, or places you’d like to go, that you give up for the love of your children. Every veteran knows what it means to make a sacrifice to serve his or her country with honor, to be prepared to make a sacrifice of personal well being. Many have paid the ultimate price, in the hope that their death would lead to the ultimate good.

So we can understand, in a way, the sacrifice of Jesus. That he, the Son of God, who had been tempted to become a great world leader, who had instead lived an itinerant life with a few close friends, who spoke wisely and showed compassion to the needy, who had been challenged and derided and humiliated by those who should have welcomed him, this extraordinary person became the ultimate sacrifice for us.

We know the famous verse from John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Now sin is not just “covered.” It is cleansed. It is completely erased. We can approach God knowing that he considers us righteous. And one thing that amazes me, is that even though the Bible says that “God gave his Son,” it also took Jesus’ willingness to give himself.

By this point in the life of Jesus, when he came to Jerusalem, he knew what was coming. He was extraordinary in his wisdom, and he knew that it was the Father’s will for him to die. He said things that made it seem like he knew everything would be all right after his death, like “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it.” And, “Where I am, you will be also, in my Father’s house are many rooms.” But I wonder how much Jesus could comprehend that he would be the sacrifice by whom all people would be saved. Through Jesus, all people in every time in history, could be saved. Even the people in the Old Testament, those who went through the sacrificial system, would ultimately be saved through the blood of Jesus. Could Jesus comprehend that? Did he have time to think about it, that last week in Jerusalem?

This week, I will have the church open every day from noon to 1 p.m. for prayer and reflection. There will be a prayer guide for you, and one of the suggestions will be to read the Scriptures of the last week of Jesus’ life. What he did, what he taught, and how he suffered. As you reflect on that, you draw closer to God and learn more about your own faith.

One man came to a time in his life where he was thinking about the passion of Jesus a great deal. His name was Johann Heerman. It was a difficult time in his life. There was a war going on, and there was a lot of tension and uncertainty. He was also experiencing suffering in his personal life. In any case, Heerman was reading a Christian devotional and was struck by an early Latin text, maybe of Augustine, that was in this book. Based on that text, he wrote a hymn called "Ah, Holy Jesus" and published it. The year was 1630.

In the lyrics, Heerman describes the afflictions of Jesus.

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Then he poses a question:

Who was the guilty- Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
'Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was, denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

He goes on to talk about what Jesus had done for him, for us: the incarnation, meaning God being born as a human child; the oblation, meaning that Jesus gave himself as an offering, and Jesus’ passion, meaning Jesus’ suffering between the night of the Last Supper and his death. Here’s how Heerman wrote it:

For me, kind Jesus, was Thine incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life's oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,

For my salvation.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For our atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

In the last verse of his hymn, Heerman suggested what our response should be to the sacrifice of Jesus for us:

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.

Let us pray.

Dear Jesus, kind Jesus, we cannot repay you for your love for us, and your sacrifice on our behalf. Forgive us for the sin which drove you to the cross. May we, in this Holy Week, draw near to you, adore you, pray to you, and think on your love, which we do not deserve. Accept our love and our prayers. And empower us, by your Spirit, to forward your love to others. Amen.

Ideas for Observing Lent

OBSERVING LENT

DURING LENT MANY CHRISTIANS OBSERVE SOME FORM OF FASTING OR SELF-DENIAL. This is not only a way to strengthen our will, but also helps us to simplify our lives. When we eat less, we realize that we normally consume more than we need for health and well-being. This may lead us to consider simplifying our lives in other ways. Here are some possibilities, you can think of many more. Choose those that seem most meaningful and appropriate for you.

• Give up something you value, to remind you of what Jesus gave up for you.
• Try to live more simply in all areas of your life: watch less TV, walk instead of driving, observe a quiet period each day.
• Go through your closets and give away clothes that are still in good condition, but that you could do without.
• Clean your home and use spring cleaning to reflect on your spiritual renewal.
• Cook and eat a dish that you always avoid, not necessarily because it repels you but because it is “foreign” and you tend to limit yourself to the familiar.
• Listen to some music you normally can’t “get into.” Wonder if it resonates with something in you, and might not be so bad after all.
• Treat yourself to a meal of rice and tea once a week as a physical sign of concern with the real majority, the hungry world.
• Give up movies or forego some favorite sports events.
• Choose simpler, more healthful meals: less meat, no dessert.
• Do without between meal snacks.
• Give up desserts.
• Eliminate wasteful and expensive habits.
• Drink only water with your meals for one week.
• Eliminate snacking and junk food.
• Give up an hour of TV each day for scripture reading, prayer and reflection.
• Clean house and give unneeded items to charity.
• Give up one big meal a week and donate the money saved to help feed the hungry.
• Serve meat half as often as usual.
• Once or twice a week serve a simple meal that consists of soup or salad, bread, and a beverage.

LENT IS A TIME FOR PRAYER AND REFLECTION. By setting aside special times for prayer and reflection during Lent we give ourselves the opportunity of learning more about ourselves and our relationship to God.

· Pray the Psalms or use a devotional guide to choose Lenten prayers.

· Think about attitudes and behavior patterns that you need to change. Pray for help in changing them.

· Make prayer a daily habit. Set aside a quiet time when interruptions are unlikely.

· Reflect on the importance of Jesus in your life.

· Accept difficulties patiently. Through reflection, try to understand them. Through prayer, try to accept them.

· Write a short Lenten prayer to add to grace at meals.

· Resolve to work on a virtue or correct a fault.

· Pray for those you know are suffering.

· Spend time alone today reflecting on your need for God’s grace.

· Pray for forgiveness for past judgments of others.

· Make a special effort to practice the Golden Rule.

· Make a special point to attend church services each Sunday during Lent.

· Pray especially that those who have abandoned their faith will experience a renewal of belief.

· Pray for the patience and the courage to develop your gifts.

· Make a cross-shaped collage of scenes of suffering and violence. Resolve to do something to join in Jesus’ work of healing. Save this cross to redecorate for Easter with scenes of life and love.

· Draw a picture of your face and write all the things you do to “save face.” Try a week or a day without any face-saving activities.

· Spend time today reflecting on how Jesus’ love and teachings affect your life.

· Each day for a week pray for a different neighbor or friend.

· Look through the newspaper or listen to the news to identify someone who may be suffering. Pray for that person.

· Plant seeds or bulbs indoors and as they grow think of how you grow in God’s love.

· Give thanks for a talent or skill that you have.

· Pray for world peace.

· Each day for a week pray for a different member of your family.

· Reflect on your faith and trust in God.

· Give thanks for God’s forgiveness and grace.

· Reflect on your baptism and what it means for your life.

· Take 15 minutes and think about a world problem – war, hunger, pollution, drug abuse – until you are ready to “give up.” Read T. S. Elliot’s poem The Hollow Men. Then in faith, pray slowly the Lord’s Prayer.

CHRISTIAN STUDY AND WORSHIP ARE BOTH IMPORTANT LENTEN ACTIVITIES. Christian study will help strengthen our faith and increase our understanding. Attending the special church activities and worship services offered during this season helps to renew our sense of community and deepen our faith.

· Keep a Lenten journal of struggles, successes, feelings and discoveries.

· Make Sunday a special day reserved for the Lord and your family.

· Read the Bible daily, especially the Gospels. Discuss your readings with family and friends.

· Participate in religious education or Bible study classes.

· Read a book that will contribute to your spiritual growth.

· Set aside some time to write each day, focusing on how Jesus’ love and teachings affect your thoughts, feelings and actions.

· Read your favorite story about Jesus and think about what it means for your life.

· Start a Lenten prayer and study group with a few friends. Set aside a special time each week to meet together to pray and read and discuss Bible passages.

· Read a book or article about a world problem that you tend to dismiss or that you blame on the media for enlarging beyond proportion.

· Attend the special Lenten church services: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday communion, and Good Friday service.

· Read a book about Christian meditation.

· Write a statement of your beliefs and think about how these beliefs are reflected in your life.

· Make a Days of Lent Prayer Book – a book with just 40 pages on which you write, or draw, or copy something that has special meaning for you during this season.

· Read a book by an inspirational author such as Thomas Merton or Catherine Marshall.

· Make a special point of attending church services each Sunday during Lent.

· List ten top priorities in your life. Determine the amount of time, energy, money used for each. Can and should there be a shift?

· Plan how you will continue in the spirit of Lent after the season is over.

DURING LENT WE ARE CALLED TO DO WORKS OF CHARITY. What we do will depend on age, situation, and many other factors. But no matter what our circumstances, we can find ways of reaching out to others. Lent is a time to give of our goods and of ourselves. Either way, we are reaching out in charity. It is what Jesus did, and as followers of Christ we are called to do likewise.

• Write a letter to a friend or relative who would enjoy hearing from you.
• Make it a point to spend some time alone with someone who is feeling discouraged or rejected.
• Give a bouquet of flowers to a friend.
• Go out of your way to perform a generous act.
• Join a worthy cause and commit yourself to giving time throughout the year.
• Tithe during the six weeks of Lent and give the money to charity.
• Contribute money or food to a needy family.
• Forgive someone who has hurt you.
• If you have been holding a grudge against anyone, go to that person and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
• Baby-sit free of charge for someone who doesn’t get out often.
• Do something to make God’s world more beautiful.
• Buy a bag of groceries for CCSA or the Crisis Center.
• Prepare a meal for a person who is a shut-in.
• Buy an Easter lily to decorate the sanctuary and then take it to someone who needs to know you care.
• Give family and friends cards or letters that express your love.
• Make a friendly gesture to an unfriendly neighbor.
• Spend time with an elderly parent, a small child, an ill or lonely person.
• Run an errand for a house-bound neighbor.
• Spend an hour in conversation with someone you long ago decided you had little in common with.
• Write a note to a friend, relative, or neighbor to let them know you remember and care about them.
• Visit someone in a nursing home or convalescent center.
• Invite someone to share a meal in your house.
• Avoid gossiping or being critical of others.
  

Sermon: I Know What I Know

John 9
“I Know What I Know”
Rev. Cynthia O'Brien
February 11, 2007

Discover Your Story.

Can you remember a time in your life when something changed for the better? Maybe it was your job or your family, or maybe it was you who changed. Perhaps you stopped yelling at bad drivers, or you stopped caving in to ethics violations at your work. People noticed the difference in you. When they ask you, “What’s different,” what do you say?

Brian had a younger brother who got himself addicted to meth. He had stolen from several family members and been in and out of trouble for years. Brian came to the realization that this was his only brother and he should reach out to him. He tracked him down and started getting together with him. The rest of the family challenged Brian, saying that the whole family should be unified in shunning his brother to show their disapproval of his lifestyle. What should Brian say to his family?

Ron was getting ready to graduate from law school and was considering a lucrative offer from a downtown firm. But an experience on a short term mission trip made him aware of poor people who needed legal assistance. As he prayed about it, he became strangely drawn to them. It broke his heart to see the problems they had simply because they were not getting good legal advice. He decided to work for a nonprofit organization for a fraction of the salary he would have made at the downtown law firm. This angered his wife, who had put him through law school. She demanded an explanation. What should he say?

Last week, we heard the story of how a Samaritan woman met Jesus by a well. In that one conversation, she had an encounter with God. She told other people what had happened to her. That’s called a testimony. The Bible says, “Because of her testimony, many other people like her, believed.”

In today’s story, Jesus heals a man born blind. Everyone sees the difference in the man, who can now see, and they want to know how it happened.

JN 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

The disciples believed that a disability such as blindness was a punishment for sin, partly because of texts like Exodus 34:7

God was giving the 10 commandments, and he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

While we can understand that God would punish wrongdoing, you can’t look at a disability and say for certain that someone’s wrongdoing was the cause. This is a dangerous line of logic, to say, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus clears it up right away.

JN 9:3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life….I am the light of the world."

There is a reason for this man’s suffering – so that God will be glorified, and so that the world would know through this story that Jesus was the light of the world. There’s no reason to think God struck the man, but more likely God let nature run its course so that this man would receive both miraculous physical vision as well as spiritual vision.

JN 9:6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.

Based on Jesus’ other miracles, he didn’t need to make mud in order to heal. Why does he do it now? Maybe he was giving the man the opportunity to participate in the healing, to respond in faith – the man would have to go wash off the mud. Not only that, when Jesus kneaded the mud with his hands, that constituted working on the Sabbath, and that was designed to challenge the Pharisees who said that one should not heal on the Sabbath.

So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

There were various reactions to his healing. People wanted to know who healed him, and where the healer had gone. They brought him, this “seeing man,” to the Pharisees. Each time, the man just said what he knew or didn’t know.

He confirmed he had been blind.
He told them what happened.
Where is this healer? I don’t know.

They brought him to the Pharisees, which is like going to small claims court or going to see the school principal. The Pharisees were the super religious people who kept the law of God better than anyone else and and a lot of other laws, too. The people knew the Pharisees would be interested to know that Jesus was doing work on the sabbath. Again, the seeing man simply told what he knew.

How did I receive my sight? "He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I see."
"What do I think about this man? He is a prophet."

The Pharisees were not convinced. Maybe he hadn’t been blind after all. They checked it out with the parents. Then they cross-examined the man again.

“We know this Jesus is a sinner."

If you were that man who was now seeing for the first time, how would you answer that? Would you be capable of entering into a discussion of Jesus’ moral qualifications? Would you defend him?

If your coworker stood with you in the break room and said,
“What has made you so different? How are you getting through the hard things in your life? What made you change your mind on that issue?”
Are you capable of giving a theological or philosophical defense? You might be. Or you might not. We can all learn from the seeing man.

JN 9:25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

Throughout the Bible, people who have had an encounter with God tell others about it, not in fancy words, not in theological treatises, not with a pamphlet. They simply say what they know. Here’s what my life was like before that moment. Now here’s what I am like since this has happened.

JN 9:26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

The seeing man is not exactly polite in his response. JN 9:27 He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?

and then gives them some old fashioned back talk.

Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

He knows that the Pharisees are not ready to accept Jesus as one who has disciples, and at this point you really can’t blame them. They don’t even know where he comes from.

JN 9:30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

Now the seeing man is going to get theological, but it’s not complicated. Here is his argument. in v. 31
God doesn’t listen to sinners. God listens to people who do his will.
This is a miracle that can only be from God.
Therefore, Jesus must be from God.

In the beginning of the story, he had responded with the simplest of answers. “The man put mud on my eyes and now I see.” But as he has to tell the story again and again, and as people press him for an explanation, he begins to have more spiritual sight. He is processing what has happened to him, and he is gaining more understanding.

This did not go over with the religious people. They were unwilling to believe this man, who probably spent his whole life as a beggar at the city gate. What, now you’re a lecturer in theology? Of course they threw him out.

We’re all afraid to some extent that the person listening to our story might reject the story, or reject us. That’s why I love the last part of this text. For all the questioning and rejection that the seeing man has experienced, God rewarded him with a deeper spiritual sight.

Jesus went back to find the seeing man. Jesus heard that he had stood up to the Pharisees, that he had simply told what he knew, that he had plainly said what made sense to him. So Jesus found him, to let the man see God.

JN 9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
JN 9:36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
JN 9:37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
JN 9:38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

In the story of the man born blind, what stands out is his telling the simple truth.

Last week we heard of a Samaritan woman who had an encounter with Jesus. She left her water jar, ran to town and told people to come and see the man who could be the Messiah. This act makes her an evangelist.

The seeing man in today’s story is not as clear in his own mind what’s going on, and he’s not as bold. He is not sure exactly who Jesus is, nor does he pretend to know. But that doesn’t stop him from telling what he does know. What he is does know for sure is that he is healed. It is in the process of having to tell his story and reflect on what has happened to him that the man begins to understand who Jesus was and how Jesus was acting in his life. That’s why later he can suggest that Jesus might be a prophet.

Perhaps to discover our story, we need to make the attempt to tell it to others. When I explain to someone else what is happening in my life, I come to see God working in my life. And over time, I recognize the hand of God in my life all along, even if at the time I missed the signs of God’s love.

When you sit down for lunch or dinner today, or when you talk to your adult son or daughter on the phone tonight, tell a story from your life. It could be something that happened this weekend or something long ago. And as you tell the story, as you processed what happened, see if you can discern how God was at work in your life, how God changed you, or comforted you, or led you in some way. You’ll be on your way to discovering your story.