Round Grove United Church
Pastor Wells' Sunday Sermon

Can you recall recruitment commercials for branches of the United States armed forces? Do you know who is looking for a few good men?

Uncle Sam wants new recruits and to win those new recruits rewards are promised. In commercials and on the web, each branch highlights the strengths and benefits of their division of the armed forces. Consider the Navy’s website which lists “the generous educational benefits, comprehensive medical and dental care, 30 days paid vacation each year, discounted travel, opportunity to reach advanced degrees at the Navy’s expense, and use of officer clubs around the world. All these benefits come with serving your country.”

Today’s Scripture includes a recruitment message by Jesus – not for the armed forces but for Christ’s disciple forces. Unlike the “feel good” recruitment messages presented by the armed forces, Christ makes it clear that his followers should expect to be ridiculed as well as experience significant hardship.

Peter Whybrow in his book, American Mania: When More Is Not Enough, speaks of the self-centered focus of today’s Americans. He said, “When the American dream is magnified through the commercially tinted lens of a globalized, technology-driven culture, the neighborly impulse to serve the social good has little practical value and offers even less opportunity for economic reward. The accumulation of material wealth is now America’s yardstick of social success. In the race to ‘get ahead’ and to triumph as an individual, competitive struggle and conspicuous consumption dominate our daily experience.” (p. 36)

Given the fact that today’s Americans are encouraged by society to be very self-centered; Americans are inclined to be less committed to God’s service. Because of this “self-centeredness,” there is a temptation to dictate to God and Jesus the kind of service we, as disciples, should fulfill.

Are you guilty of dictating to God? Consider this humorous example of a prayer of “self-centered” temptation. “Dear Lord, I so much want to serve You. I’ve been on vacation and I’m more ready than I’ve ever been. What I need now is an assignment. That’s what I want to discuss with You.

I’ve been offered program chairperson for the women of the church, but I’m hoping You’ll agree with me that it’s not quite right. They need a teacher badly in the Junior Department in the Sunday School, but I know too many of the children. Wild bunch if I ever saw one.

I would love to help out in the nursery, but that could mean missing the worship service occasionally, and I know You would not want me to do that. Besides, my children, are too old for the nursery.

The woman next door can’t drive. She needs help with the groceries and she needs company, but she never lets go once she gets hold of you. How about something different?

No nursing homes, please, I can’t stand some of what I see in those places. I know You’ll think of something. I can hardly wait with all my love. Ima Servant”

For “Jesus’ recruits” who are truly committed, Jesus made it clear that as a disciple ridicule and mistreatment will come from persons belonging to worldly living. Do you dare to be a disciple of Jesus?

If you dare, what reason would you give for putting yourself through such suffering and hardship?

One very good reason to commit to being a servant of Jesus Christ is revealed in the life of “an eccentric and flamboyant elder” in a church in Tennessee. This story, told by an unknown source, reports the pastor talking about how this lady impressed him with her intense commitment to the faith. She did not have a pietistic bone in her body, but her devotion was nonetheless clear and articulate. The pastor explained, “One evening at a dinner party in her home we were animatedly discussing some theological idea. In the midst of the give and take her teenage daughter, probably frustrated with all of the high-blown discussion of religion, asked, ‘Mother, you talk about religion all the time. Why are you so religious anyway?’ This query brought a loud hush to the dining table.

Her mother paused dramatically, pushed her chair back from the table, stood and responded, ‘Every morning before you are awake, I rise and walk into the living room. I lift my arms and ask, ‘Who’s in charge here?’ The answer always comes back: ‘Not you!’ That’s why I am religious. Because I am not in charge!’”

Who is in charge in your life? Are you willing to accept that God is in charge?

In Jesus’ recruitment message he pointed out an important “perk” for those who recognize God is in charge. That “perk” or bonus is simply freedom from fear of abuse and ridicule because of one’s faith in God. Christ said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, Who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.”

To encourage us even further to put our trust in God’s love for us, to “let go and let God” be in charge, Jesus Christ continued his description of God being in charge by saying, “As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!” God’s love for us is so great!

I came across an amazing story this past week told about a father’s love for his child and the child’s trust in the father. This story, to me, paints the perfect picture of the way our relationship should be with God. The story reported by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen takes place at the time of “the 1989 earthquake which almost flattened Armenia. That earthquake killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school. When he arrived, he discovered the building was flat as a pancake.

Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he’d made to his son, ‘No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!’ Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he couldn’t take his mind off his promise.

He remembered that his son’s classroom was in the back right corner of the building. He rushed over there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: ‘My son! My daughter!’ They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: ‘It’s too late!’ ‘They’re dead!’ ‘You can’t help!’ ‘Go home!’

Even a police officer and a fire fighter told him he should go home. To everyone who tried to stop him he said, ‘Are you going to help me now?’ They didn’t answer him but he continued digging for his son stone by stone. He needed to know for himself: ‘Is my son alive or is he dead?’

This man continued to dig for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally, during the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, ‘ARMAND!’ and a voice answered him, ‘Dad? It’s me Dad!’

And then the boy added these priceless words, ‘I told the other kids not to worry. I told ‘em that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised that, Dad. ‘No matter what,’ you said, ‘I’ll always be there for you!’ And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!’”

Like that Dad, God’s promises to us are always kept as well as those made by Jesus. Jesus promised God’s love would be manifested for us. He said, “If anyone declares publicly that he belongs to me, I will do the same for him before my Father in heaven.” The gospel message of God’s love for us is summed up in John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.”

• Do we do our part to keep trusting, to keep believing that God is always there?
  
  
• Can we withstand the conflicts that may arise when family members reject Christ?
  
  
• Do we as disciples love him more than our own family members?
  
  
• Do we offer self-giving service for Christ over selfish motivations?
  
  

• Do we bear our own crosses as we seek to serve Christ?