[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for November 7 - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

Like All the Others
 
Many of you know Charles de Gaulle as the famous French WWII soldier, statesman, author. What you probably did not know was that Charles and Evonne deGaulle were the parents of a very mentally handicapped child. She was a treasure and a great concern to them both. No matter how bad things were in France, Charles would always make time for he and his Evonne to have time with their daughter. Almost every night after they had put her to bed, Evonne would ask, "Charles, why couldn't she have been like the others?"
 
As predicted, the little girl died in her youth. There was a private graveside service. After the priest had pronounced the benediction, everyone began to leave, everyone except Evonne. Charles went back to her and said, "Come, Evonne. Did you not hear the blessing of the priest? Now she is like all the others."
 
That is the promise and the power of resurrection!
 
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, adapted from unknown source.
 
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Philosophers and Pessimists
 
When it comes to talking about the hereafter, I like the words of St Paul: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him."
 
Resurrection is not some natural right that we are given. It is a remarkable gift from the grace of God. Gratis! Some Greek philosophers believed that we are, by nature, immortal spirits. The human body and life on earth are but crude prisons that we endure like caged eagles. For them immortality is our right, which is restored at death as we escape to our true element.
 
Pessimists on the other hand said we die like any animal and that is it. Look at Ecclesiastes and you will find this emphatic despair.
 
But Christianity said two things:
 
To the pessimists Christianity answers: "No! You are wrong. There is a gift of life after death." Death does not snuff out the candle of our soul.
 
To the Greeks: "No you are wrong. The body is not a cage; it is a good gift to be used in this life. Death is real to be sure but it is not an escape, a loophole by which we escape the sentence of living on earth. God gives us the gift of life: Earthly life and Resurrection life: Both are Gift! Both are Grace!"
 
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Australian Pastor Bruce Prewer.
 
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Missing the Point
 
One New Year's Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was the float represented an oil company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas (C. Neil Strait, Minister’s Manuel, 1994, 315).
 
They had the entire resources of heaven at their disposals. They were entrusted with the oracles of God; however, in Luke chapter 20 the parade of Chief Priest, Elders and Sadducees come to a sudden halt when they cut themselves off from the resources of God who was now in Christ.
 
Brett Blair 
 
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A Theological Curveball 
 
A certain minister has made it a policy for many years to refer "six-year-old theology questions" to his wife. Since she has taught very young children for many years, he says, she has a much better grasp than he does of how to address the questions which little kids ask. 
 
The other day, a first-grader brought a drawing of a skeleton into class where she teaches English as a second language. The titled across the top of the drawing read "Inside of Me." It was designed to teach children that everyone has a skeleton inside of them. He unfolded it proudly and showed it to the class. One little girl from India was astounded at the thought that she and others had this scary-looking skeleton inside them, and so she pressed the issue a bit farther. "Even you got one of these inside you, Mrs. K?" The teacher replied, "Yes, I have one, too." 
 
The next question was the theological one. "Even God got one inside him?" Now in a class made up of children from many different countries, cultures, and religious backgrounds (most of them not Christians), you can imagine that this question had the potential for major theological debate. I doubt if I'd have had the presence of mind to give the answer the teacher did; but, as usual, her expertise in six-year-old theology saved the day. "If God needs a skeleton, I'm sure he has one," she replied. "God has everything he needs." This apparently satisfied the theological curiosity of the class, and they got on with the lesson.
 
Asking questions is an essential part of learning. If we don't know something, we look for someone who does and we ask. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. We learn by asking questions about what we don't know.
 
Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company
 
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Hypocrisy
 
With tongue in cheek, Mark Twain spoke of the two-faced life we all live: I am constructed like everybody else and enjoy a compliment as well as any other fool, but I do like to have the other side presented. And there is another side. I have a wicked side. Estimable friends who know all about it would tell you and take a certain delight in telling you things that I have done and things further that I have not repented. The real life that I live, and the real life that I suppose all of you live, is a life of interior sin. That is what makes life valuable and pleasant. To lead a life of undiscovered sin! That is true joy.
 
Mark Twain in a speech to the Society of American Authors, November 15, 1900 
 
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Who’s Stupid Now?
 
There is an Italian legend about a master and servant.
 
It seems the servant was not very smart and the master used to get very exasperated with him. Finally, one day, in a fit of temper, the master said: "You really are the stupidest man I know. Here, I want you to carry this staff wherever you go. And if you ever meet a person stupider than yourself, give them this staff." 
 
So time went by, and often in the marketplace the servant would encounter some pretty stupid people, but he never found someone appropriate for the staff. Years later, he returned to his master's home. He was shown into his master's bedroom, for the man was quite sick and in bed. In the course of their conversation the master said: "I'm going on a journey soon."
 
"When will you return?", asked the servant. 
"This is a journey from which I will not return." the master replied, 
The servant asked: "Have you made all the necessary arrangements?" 
 
"No, I guess I have not…
 
The conclusion to this illustration and for many additional illustrations and sermons for the Proper 27 can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 
 



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