[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 15 - Part 3

[Joe Parrish]

Why Do You Keep Crying Aloud?


Elie Wiesel tells the story of a prophet who came to a city and delivered his message every day in the marketplace. After a time his ranting became a fixture of the city's life and people regarded him with amusement when they regarded him at all. Finally, a small boy, pitying the old man, approached him and said, “Sir, why do you keep crying aloud like this every day, year after year? The people here will never listen to you.”
“I gave up hope that they would listen to me a long time ago,” said the prophet. “I go on crying lest I begin to listen to them.”
In the journey to Jerusalem the disciples are given a genuine moment, a transparent happening that reveals will clarity that Christ above all men has pleased God and above all others speaks for God. It is this glimpse that will sustain their discipleship into the future. They will continue to cry out in a world not eager to listen.
Scott F. K. Kober, A Genuine Moment
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It's A Lot More Fun If You Open Your Eyes


What do you think about roller coasters? When I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of them. We didn’t live too far from Great America, which was the big amusement park in our area. So we would go down there about every summer, but I would never go on a roller coaster with my brother or sister. They would always say, "Come on, you have to try it to see if you like it," but I was happy riding the bumper cars and the merry-go-round. The psychologists call that having a type B personality. Type A personalities are those folks who love roller coasters. That’s what my sister Susan is like. She’s a definite type A. Type B personalities like me tend to shy away from anything too exciting.
But then my senior year in high school came. I was on the student council, and the student council always went to Great America at the end of the year. I hadn’t been there in quite a few years, and so I was looking forward to it. But still I had never ridden on a roller coaster, and for some reason I admitted that to my friends. They couldn’t believe it. "You’ve never ridden on a roller coaster? Well, you’re going to ride on one now." So I did, and I really did enjoy it. I was excited and terrified at the same time. After that first ride, my friend sitting next to me had one piece of advice. He said, "You know, it’s even more fun if you open your eyes." You’ve probably heard it said before, "If you don’t keep your eyes open, you’re bound to miss something." That was me on the roller coaster. It’s a good encouragement that we all need to hear once in a while: Open your eyes.
That’s the encouragement that our God is giving us this morning. He says to the disciples of Jesus – you and me – Open your eyes and look at the glory of Jesus.
Peter Prange
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What Goes Up Must Come Down


A little boy was out in his backyard, throwing a ball up in the air. An elderly passerby, not accustomed to such youthful delights, asked the boy what he was doing. He replied, “I am playing a game of catch with God. I throw the ball up in the air and he throws it back.”
I am in no position to comment on God’s ability to play ball, but I do know that whatever goes up must come down. There may be exceptions, such as Charlie Brown’s kite! But as a rule, whatever goes up must come down. The process is so predictable that you could refer to it as a scientific law. The same process applies to our religious lives. It is a good thing to “go up” to a great experience with God, but we will become greatly disillusioned if we do not remember that eventually we have to “come down” again.
John Thomas Randolph, The Best Gift, CSS Publishing Company
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I've Been to the Mountain


All this "mountain" talk puts me in mind of Martin Luther King's last sermon. He delivered it April 3, 1968, on the eve of his assassination, at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, the largest African American Pentecostal denomination in the United States. He concluded his remarks that night:
“I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountain top. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
David E. Leininger, WOW!!!
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Keeping Alert


In Luke's account, Jesus prayed but the disciples slept. They had fallen asleep. With their heads in the clouds, they drifted off into an unconscious state. Remember the story of Rip Van Winkle? He fell asleep one day in a quiet spot on the banks of the Hudson River and he didn't wake up for twenty years. When he went to sleep, the sign above his favorite tavern read: "King George III, King of England." He was a subject of the British crown. When he woke up, King George was replaced by George Washington and he was an American citizen. The tragic part was that he slept through a revolution. While he snored, oblivious to his surroundings, fantastic, earth-shaking events had taken place. This is what happened to the disciples. They were oblivious to all that was taking place. Don't be too critical of the disciples at this point. Many times we have our heads in the clouds, enclose d in our own little world and losing sight of the larger world, and sleep through great events. How many times are we preoccupied with our own self-importance? We become the prisoners of our own little world of trivialities.
John A. Stroman, God’s Downward Mobility, CSS Publishing
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When You Talk to God, Your Appearance Changes


Antoine de Saint-Exupery was noted for his beautiful little book entitled, The Little Prince, but he also wrote stories about flight. He was one of the first professional pilots. He flew the mail in North Africa before the First World War. He wrote a marvelous book about flight, titled, "Wind, Sand and Stars." In it he drew an analogy between flying and the human spirit. He said, that is what we are born for. Our spirits should fly, be free, soar, take risks, and achieve great heights. That is what we are born for he wrote.
He said he experienced that kind of spiritual exhilaration when he flew, especially at night, over the deserts of Africa. Once when he came back to France, he took a train up to Paris, and sat opposite an old peasant couple in one of the compartments. He said he was shocked at what he saw. Their appearance was old, defeated and tired.
As he watched them, he imagined what they looked like when they were young. He pictured them falling in love, the man bringing gifts of love to his beloved, flowers and candy. She being flirtatious. Them getting married and looking forward to a wonderful future together.
He looks at them now, seated across from him, and considers that they are now like lumps of clay…
Many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week’s readings for Transfiguration and Epiphany 6, Ash Wednesday and Lent, as well as the whole church year can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 

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