October 11, Communion Sunday, Laity Sunday, National Children’s Day, Columbus Day (Traditional)

Lessons: Philippians 2.19-30

Sermon Title: Honors 

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INTRODUCTION

The second-grade class was asked to write about their personal heroes. Her father was flattered to find out that she had chosen him. "Why did you pick me?" he asked. "Because I couldn't spell Arnold Schwarzenegger," she said.

I.        Today we talk about heroes and heroines.

          A.       There is a note in your study guide that makes a significant statement.

          B.       Notes for 2:29, 30

                     1.       It is prefaced with this comment:

                     2.       The world honors those who are intelligent, beautiful, rich, and powerful.

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MAIN BODY:

I.        Katherine Lee Bates wrote the famous song: America the Beautiful.

          A.       The second stanza speaks of heroes.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine.

                     1.       Heroes proved.

                     2.       Liberating strife.

                     3.       Who more than self their country loved

                     4.       And mercy more than life.

          B.       Garrison Keillor in his new book, Life Among the Lutherans, (edited by Holly Harden, Augsburg Fortress Publishers (August 1, 2009) p 39 writes:

“Our best moments are secrets, and sometimes we don’t even know them ourselves, so none of us can ever be honored appropriately. Honor is private. Our public reputations depend on the opinions of the uninformed. Each one of us is a book reviewed by critics who only read the chapter headings and the jacket flap. We are all a mystery. We should all respect each other on that basis.”

                     1.       I would agree with much of what Keillor is saying with one exception.

                     2.       Honor is more than private, it is public.

II.       We honor the heroes and heroines from the past with special days or monuments.

          A.       We observe, or did observe the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.

          B.       We honor our veterans with two days, November 11, Veterans Day; May 30, Memorial Day.

          C.       We raise statues to famous soldiers.

                     1.       In one web site I discovered:

                               a.       Custer

                               b.       Eisenhower

                               c.       Grant

                               d.       Lee

                               e.       Patton

                               f.        MacArthur

The Douglas MacArthur Monument at the United States Military Academy at West Point commemorates the Medal of Honor-winning former Superintendent and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

                               g.       Murphy

Audie Murphy became the most decorated soldier in U. S. Military history during WWII. He ultimately received 37 medals, including the Medal of Honor–the nation’s highest award for bravery and self-sacrifice, five medals from France and one from Belgium.

He died in a plane crash in 1971 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His grave is the second most visited after that of John F. Kennedy.

          D.       We must nor forget the heroines.

                     1.       Sojourner Truth, a Black former slave (1797-1883).

                               a.       She was an early advocate of women’s rights and the abolition of slavery

                     2.       Clara Barton

                               a.       Founder and President for 23 years of the American Red Cross.

                               b.       Provided comfort and provisions for the wounded during the Civil War.

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III.      We honor the heroes and heroines of the present.

          A.       Vote for your favorite hero, cnn.com/heroes

                     1.       You can vote now at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/vote/

                     2.       You can watch “CNN Heroes: An all-star tribute on Thanksgiving night 9 ET on CNN

          B.       There are six categories.

                     1.       Championing Children: commitment to the welfare of young people.

                               a.       6 Nominees.

                               b.       4 in top 10

Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company's 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.

                     2.       Community Crusader: creating solutions to a local problem or social issue

                               a.       11 Nominees

                               b.       3 in top 10

School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens -- for free.

                     3.       Defending the Planet: Innovative efforts to preserve and protect the environment.

                               a.       3 Nominees

                               b.       No one in top ten.

                     4.       Medical Marvel: Dedication to the enhancement of human health

                               a.       3 Nominees

                               b.       1 in top 10

Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida.

                     5.       Protecting the Powerless: Advancing the cause of equal of human rights

                               a.       2 Nominees

                               b.       1 in top ten

Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001.

                     6.       Young Wonder: Outstanding achievement by a person 25 or younger

                               a.       3 Nominee

                               b.       1 in top 10

Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

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IV.      Perhaps the note in your study guide is over stated.

          A.       But then it does ask some pertinent questions.

                     1.       What kind of people should the church honor?

                     2.       Paul indicates that we should honor those who give their lives for the sake of Christ, going where we cannot go ourselves.

                     3.       You will find an incomplete list in Hebrews 11.

                               a.       The Examples of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, and Noah’s Wife.

                                          (1)      She is not mentioned.

                                          (2)      Noah could not have accomplished God’s purpose without her.

                               b.       The Faith of Abraham

                                          (1)      ¹²Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

                               c.       ²⁰By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau.

                               d.       ²¹By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, “bowing in worship over the top of his staff.”

                               e.       ²²By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

                               f.        The Faith of Moses

                                          (1)      ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

                                          (2)      ²⁶He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward.

                                          (3)      ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.

                                          (4)      ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

                               g.       The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes

                                          (1)      ³¹By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

                                          (2)      For time would fail to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

                                          (3)      ³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection.

                                          (4)      Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection.

                                          (5)      ³⁶Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

                                          (6)      ³⁷They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—³⁸of whom the world was not worthy.

                                          (7)      They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

                                          (8)      ³⁹Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.

                               h.       We do not forget the first Apostles, including Paul, and what they endured to accomplish the commission of Jesus.

                     4.       And what about Timothy and Epaphroditus?

                               a.       We know a little about Timothy, very little about Epaphroditus.

                               b.       They received no human honors or rewards.

                               c.       Their rewards come from God who rewards faithfulness generously.

          B.       Honor those who provide faithful service to the church.

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CONCLUSION:

I.        The vision of Katherine Lee Bates is justified.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine.

          A.       This applies to our country, to the secular.

          B.       It also applies to the sacred (With apologies to Katherine Lee Bates).

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self true God they loved,
And mercy more than life!
Devotion and Service
May God your purpose refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine.

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