SPECIAL DAYS: Maundy Thursday

March 28, 2002

Lessons: Psalm 116.1-4, 12-19; Exodus 12.1-14; 1 Corinthians 11.23-26; John 13.1-17, 31b-35

Sermon Title: Coping with Changing Conditions

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INTRODUCTION:

Illustration 1

"Zig Ziglar (1) tells a story about this old boy down home who several years ago won a bass fiddle in a drawing. It came complete with an instruction book, but unfortunately every page--except the first one--had been torn out. All that was left was a single picture showing the left hand in one position at the top of the fiddle and the other hand with the bow in a position across the strings near the middle of the bass fiddle. The old boy thought that was THE position for playing the bass fiddle, so he carefully noted the position of each hand and started pulling the bow back and forth. Obviously, he was 'Old Johnny One Note.' Back and forth he drew the bow and the gruesome sound came forth. He was diligent in his practice and did it every single day.

"Needless to say, his wife was soon climbing the walls. Then one day she went to a concert and, as it happened, sat next to the orchestra within a few feet of the bass fiddle. She was intrigued with the way the fellow moved his left hand up and down the strings while repeatedly changing the bow position. He made fast strokes and slow strokes, and he pulled the bow all over those strings. The music was beautiful, so the wife returned home all excited about what she had seen and found old Johnny One Note playing his fiddle.

"Knowing his nature and not wanting to upset him, she gently said, 'Honey, can I ask you a question?' Without breaking stride or slowing down, he said, 'Sure.'" Wife: " 'At the concert I noticed that the bass fiddle player kept moving his left hand up and down and left and right, while his right hand moved slowly on occasion and rapidly on occasion, and he moved it in a number of different spots. I'm just curious as to why he was moving his hands and the bow in so many different ways and places, while you hold both your hands and the bow in the same spot.'

"The old boy never broke stride. Continuing to play, he simply said, 'The answer's easy. That old boy's still lookin' for his place and I done found mine!'"

Illustration 2

One deacon in a small, mid-western church said, "Change is sin, and we sin as little as possible around here."

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Illustration 3

Many people approach life like the 4-year-old boy whose parents brought home from the hospital a new brother.

The mother said, Here is your baby brother that you said you wanted. The young lad stepped back and said, Yes.

The mother pressed, You said you wanted him. Now what do you have to say? The 4-year old thought for a moment, and then said: I have changed my mind.

Illustration 4

1 in 10 people in the work force change jobs every year looking for income, security, responsibility, respect. They won't find it that way.

  1. I still like, "That old boy's still lookin' for his place I done found mine."

MAIN BODY:

  1. There are some things which change and there are some things which remain the same.
    1. The constant that we face is what is changing or needs to be changed and what remains or needs to remain the same.
      1. On that first Passover night, life changed dramatically for the Hebrew People.
      2. What appeared to be the same with the Disciples of Jesus in the upper room was the beginning of huge change.
    2. The present form of this world is always passing away.
      1. It passes for us in so many different ways.
        1. Did you know that there is a part of your body that changes 1,000 times in your lifetime?
          1. Every single day we lose thousands of skin cells.
          2. Every 4 weeks we have a new skin on our bodies.
        2. We confront death in the dying of family and friends and know that the present form of this world is passing away.
    3. How may we find the strength to cope with changing conditions?

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  1. This night serves as a means of informing and reminding us of the source of our strength and future.
    1. Maundy Thursday
      1. Each time we partake of the Lord's Supper we remind ourselves that the elements are symbolic of what Christ has done for us.
      2. Each time partake of the Lord's Supper we are reminded of a constant in life.
        1. It is the consistency of the meaning of the elements.
        2. It is the consistency of the person the elements represent.
        3. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever.
        4. We are reminded that we will partake of this meal until he comes to claim his rightful place in this world and those who will share in it with him.
    2. This helps us to be able to cope with changing conditions.

CONCLUSION

  1. Partake and learn; invest and find strength; trust and find hope
    1. The present form is passing away
    2. We usher in the new form which will not pass away.
    3. This is the intent of the song Abide With Me written by H. F. Lyte

ABIDE WITH ME

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou, Who changest not, abide with me.

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have not weight and tears no bitterness;
Where is death's sting? Where, Grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies,
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

1. Zig Ziglar, TP

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