[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 29B- Christ the King Sunday

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Nov 24, 2012 10:10 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 29B- Christ the King Sunday


Dear Friends,

This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Jesus, the Christ Is Lord” or “Those
Four-Letter Words!” and deals with all the lessons.  Here it is:

Some years ago after we had to have our cat Astrophe euthanized, I
asked the veterinarian how to pick our next cat.  The doctor said to
gently pick up the kitten I think I like and hold it like a baby on
its back.  If it didn’t struggle- it had a good chance of being a
happy, loving animal companion.  She reminded me that both dogs and
cats are much happier if their humans are at the top of the “pecking
order.”  She explained that animals without a leader live confused,
frustrating, sometimes aggressive lives.  Sounds a lot like people to
me- I think we also need a leader- and for me, that leader is Jesus.
I guess this is why Christ the King Sunday really speaks to me.  A
life with only “self” in charge has real possibilities of being a sad,
confused life.  Example- a reporter once asked Marilyn Monroe if she
believed in astrology.  She replied, “Sure, I believe in everything a
little bit.”  You remember the tragic end of her searching life was
suicide.  My challenge to you today is- don’t believe in just a little
bit of everything- astrology, psychics, rabbits’ feet, luck.  Give
your life to God- totally, completely, no holding back.  Jesus said,
“I am the Way, I am Truth, and I am Life.”  A song we haven’t sung in
a really long time speaks to me about a minute-by-minute Christ-the-
King centered life.  The song is “God Is in Charge,” and I’d like us
to focus on it this morning.

You remember the song.  It starts: “Be still my soul, for God is in
charge.”  A life with God in charge is a life in which our priorities
are clear.  If God is in charge, we won’t have many frustrating, panic-
stricken times when we worry about what to do next, because we’ll be
in close touch with our Heavenly Dad- so we can follow his direction
and trust him to lead us.  We can put our troubles in God’s hands and
leave them there.  We know what we will do and what we won’t do,
because we have Jesus to guide us.  How do you get to that point in
your relationship with God?  You put him first.  Don’t let God be an
afterthought.  Discipline yourself.  Start everyday with prayer and
spiritual reading or listening.  Talk to him through the day.  Close
each day by evaluating it- confess your sins and put your life in
God’s hands as you drift off to sleep.  Our Old Testament lesson is
from Daniel. 7.  In Daniel 6, the Bible tells us how Daniel was in the
lions’ den because of his determination to follow God’s way.  If we
place God first in our lives, we can have as much peace as Daniel did
in that den of lions because- we don’t know our future, but we surely
know who holds our future in his hands, and that’s our Heavenly
Father!

Next we sing, “Open Thou my mind, for God is in charge.”  Did you
notice- this matches what many Episcopalians say mentally just before
the gospel is read: “May your words be in my mind…”  If Jesus is
really your Lord, he starts by being Lord of your mind.  Our minds are
like computers- junk in, junk out; poison in, poison out.  The while
ago a friend sent me an email that had an attachment with a virus-
designed to destroy the guts of my computer when I opened the
attachment.  Yes, she is still my friend- she didn’t know her computer
was infected any more than we know when we pass our colds on to
others.  When I clicked to open the attachment, my anti-virus software
warned me- asking if I wanted to immediately delete the message
without opening it.  You know I said- “Yes,” so the message was gone
and my computer remained uncontaminated- thank God!  Don’t let
spiritual viruses into your mind.  All evil and destructive actions
start in our minds.  Stop those thoughts of revenge, desiring
something or someone you know you shouldn’t have, hatred, greed, worry
when they first start.  Give them to God and think about something
positive.  Put God in charge of your mind.

The next verse is, “Open Thou my lips, for God is in charge.”  Once
again it matches our statement before the gospel: “May your words be
in my mind and on my lips…”  It’s our lips, our mouths, that build up
or tear down.  Do you remember in the Acts of the Apostles when John
Mark was the teen-age apprentice scheduled to go with Paul and
Barnabus on one of their missionary voyages?  John Mark got homesick
and cut out on them, leaving only Paul and Barnabus to do the work.
When Paul was planning the next trip, John Mark wanted another
chance.  Paul’s answer was basically, “No way John Mark!  You had your
chance and blew it.  Not with me again!”  It was Barnabus, whose name
means “Son of Encouragement” who put his arm around John Mark and
communicated that he was forgiven.  I can just hear him saying, “Son,
don’t listen to Paul- he’s just upset.  God has a great place for you
in Kingdom work.  Why don’t you come with me on my next trip.  Paul
can take Silas.”  Actually, that’s what happened.  Barnabus reclaimed
John Mark for the Kingdom.  John Mark was probably the person who went
on to write the first recorded gospel (Mark), which turned out to be a
prototype for the other gospels.  So perhaps: no Barnabus- no
gospels.  Be a person of encouragement.  One of the best ways to know
the degree to which you have allowed Jesus to be your Lord is by
watching what comes out of your mouth.  If someone angers or
frustrates you, especially a person of lower power- like a child, do
you cuss at them or talk to them as Jesus would?  Another test- what
do you say when you’re driving and another car cuts in front of you?
Put God in charge of your lips.

The last verse- “Open Thou my heart, for God is in charge” again
matches our pre-gospel statement: “May your words be in my mind and on
my lips and in my heart.”    Are you hard-hearted, cold-hearted,
“cool”-ie- nothing gets to you?  The prayer that I challenge you to
say every morning (if you dare) when you first awaken is, “Dear Lord,
may the things that break your heart also break mine.”  Then be open
to other people- their pain, the injustices they face.  Don’t see
people as numbers, but see every single person as God’s kid- your
sister or brother enslaved by sin, disease, discrimination, abuse,
neglect, hunger, loneliness- all the many evils that afflict us.  Then
open your life to touch other lives.  If you love Jesus, prove it.
Your love will start in your mind, but then flow through your lips and
your actions- WWJD.  I’m going to close with a story.  A young couple
got married and went on their honeymoon. When they got back, the bride
immediately called her mother. “Well,” said her mother, “So how was
the honeymoon, darlin?”  “Oh, mama,” she replied, “The honeymoon was
wonderful! So romantic...!”  Suddenly she burst out crying. “But,
mama, as soon as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible
language - things I'd never heard before! I mean, all these awful four-
letter words! You've got to take me home... PLEASE MAMA!”  “Sarah,
Sarah,” her mother said, “calm down! You need to stay with your
husband and work this out. Now, tell me, what could be so awful? WHAT
four-letter words?”  “Please don't make me tell you, mama,” wept the
daughter, “I'm so embarrassed, they're just too awful! COME GET ME,
PLEASE!!”  “Darlin, baby, you must tell me what has you so upset. Tell
your Mama these horrible four-letter words!”  Still sobbing, the bride
said, “Oh, Mama... he used words like: dust, wash, iron, cook...”
“I'll pick you up in twenty minutes,” said the mother.  God uses only
one four-letter word, and he truly expects us to live it.  You know
God’s four-letter-word?  “L-O-V-E!”  What would Jesus, our king do?
Love!  What did Jesus, our king do?  Love!

May God bless us as we follow our Lord and King- King Jesus!  Amen.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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