Sunday, November 9, 2014 How did it get to be Sunday again so quickly? Only yesterday the paper said, ‘Monday November 3rd. Couldn’t be. But is. Time is our friend, but one who hurries rapidly away. That line “redeem the time for the days are evil…” (Ephesians 5:16) There is that. There is also “redeem the time for the days are what we make them. So, in the best sense, let’s make a little time together, here and now. I’m ‘up’ (in the pulpit—well, standing near it) at 8:30 and even after all these years (went quickly years), I still find my heart rushing up and my spirit anxious to declare something of the grace of God, and our real chance for new life. That ‘new life’ business (II Corinthians 5:17b) is the basis for the 8:30 message. The reason is this: One can only move toward being ‘Brave and True,’ if such life motivates the heart, soul mind, and strength. Last Sunday evening we tried to sing again. I’ve just got to remember to say when our morning crew is gathered, that “We need one of you for the evening services that would like to play the piano for us.” We are just a few folks anyway, and with my voice stuff from the cancer treatments and surgery, I cannot, cannot!, ‘set the tune.’ We sing anyway---‘joyful noising’ it the whole way through. And you know what? God touches and blesses. It’s just that someone at the keyboard might help make it more joyful for human and divine ears! We sang, “I would be true,” an oldie but goody from the old Cokesbury song book. We don’t sing this one all that much but it caught my heart’s eye: “I would be true for there are those who trust me, I would be pure, for there are those who care, I would be strong for there is much to suffer, I would be brave for there is much to dare, I would be brave for there is much to dare.” “Next week’s sermon,” the old heart said, “and maybe James will do it with me. James Martin, our choir director and director of creative arts, is to me our ‘minister of music.’ (This week James spent about six hours with me in the doctor’s and hospital tests—Anthony was home Monday in bed with an overnight bug, chills and fever.) I mentioned it to James, and as he often does, he said, “Sure, I’ll be glad to do that if you feel right about it.” James will sing the verse above, and I’ll preach a bit. Then I’ll pause and he’ll sing the second verse: “I would be friend of all, the foe the friendless, I would be giving and forget the gift, I would be humble, for I know my weakness, I would look up and laugh, and love and lift, I would look up and laugh and love and lift.” Then we’ll try to ‘take it home,’ as they say, hoping our offering will be a gift worth taking away. One of the wonders of our faith is that when we ask others to share their gifts with us, sometimes God uses it to better advantage. I remember one preacher who said, “If I don’t preach will they get the message?” Good passion, but bad theology. God will make Himself known to us, if not by the one, then by another. I’m always touched as our services begin with a layperson in charge. That they are ‘there’ in the very beginning says ‘this worship is about God and us, not just about the preacher.’ I’m glad that God uses preaching, and still can’t believe I was called to do it, but I do so believe I was licensed to preach in 1954, and called to do it a year or two before that. Kept putting it on the back burner, denying it, sidetracking it, the whole routine. But then one afternoon, my dear friend Penny and I were taking a short cut through the woods, “What are you going to do with your life after high school?” he asked. “I’m going to be a minister, I’m going to preach.” “I knew it,” he said, and after that affirmation replaced denial. It’s good that the song in our shared sermon says, “Laugh, and love, and lift,” because God must have a grand sense of humor considering (some) of those of us called to preach! So, with new life working inside, we’ll see if we can take ‘Brave and True’ and have it move us toward something like that. “I resemble that,” we say on occasion, when people put you down. It would be nice if it were said, in the attempt to lift people up, don’t you think? Always love, always, Keith
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 12:44:42 +0000
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