SPECIAL DAYS: February 29, First Sunday in Lent

Lesson: Matthew 13.31-33

SERMON TITLE: All of Me!

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INTRODUCTION:

  1. Vulnerability is the hallmark of a successful life and a welcoming church

"One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat and an equally worn-out old Bible.

"The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. It had high cathedral ceilings, ornate statues, beautiful murals and stained-glass windows, plush carpet and velvet-like cushioned pews. The building must have cost many millions of dollars to build and maintain. The men, women and children of the congregation were all dressed in the finest and most expensive suits, dresses, shoes and jewelry the old cowboy had ever witnessed.

"As the poorly dressed cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted him. No one welcomed him. No one offered a handshake. No one spoke to him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide the fact. There were many glances in his direction as the others frowned and commented among themselves about his shabby attire. A few chuckles and giggles came from some of the younger members.

"As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him. Instead of welcoming him, the preacher asked the cowboy to do him a favor. 'Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worshiping in this church,' the preacher said. The old cowboy assured the preacher he would do that and left.

"The very next Sunday morning the old cowboy showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots and hat. Once again the congregation was appalled at his appearance. He was completely shunned and ignored again.

"The preacher noticed the man still wearing his ragged clothes and boots, and instead of beginning his sermon, stepped down from the pulpit and walked over to where the man sat alone. 'I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church,' the preacher said. 'I did,' replied the old cowboy.

"'If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?' asked the preacher. 'Well sir,' said the old cowboy, 'God told me that he wouldn't have the slightest idea what was appropriate attire for worshiping in your church. He says he's never even been in here.'"

    1. Jesus and his disciples were like the 'old cowboy' to the authorities who were in power.

    2. Those who opposed Jesus looked with contempt upon the motley throng now intently listening to him, particularly the few unlearned peasants and fishermen who, as his disciples, sat next to him.

    3. They concluded that Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah and that the "kingdom" he proclaimed, composed of this insignificant group of followers, would never amount to anything.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. Here is Jesus with the motley, unlearned peasants and fishermen, an insignificant group of followers.

    1. Jesus has a problem.

    2. He is deeply concerned with the total morale, motivation and movement of his followers.

  2. How can one maintain a sense of Excitement?

    1. The excitement of a small boy who is provided with a pair of shoes and a arm jacket.

One winter day, a little boy in Alabama was standing on a grate next to a bakery trying to keep his shoeless feet warm. A woman passing by saw the frosty-toed child and her heart ached. He had on only a light-weight jacket and no shoes and the air was chill, the wind sharp.

Where are your shoes, young man? she asked. The boy reluctantly admitted he simply didn't have any. Why don't you come with me and we'll see what we can do about that? the woman said. Taking his hand, she led him into a nearby department store and bought him a new pair of shoes and a warm jacket.

When they came back out onto the street, the little boy was so excited that he immediately started to run off to show his family his gifts. Suddenly he halted, turned around and ran back to the woman. He thanked her and then hesitated, Ma'am, could I ask you a question? Ma'am, are you God's wife? The woman smiled and said, Oh no, I'm not God's wife, just one of God's children. The little boy grinned and nodded enthusiastically, I knew it! I just knew you were related!

    1. Is there a sense of excitement contained in what Jesus is teaching, doing and offering?

      1. What so often happens to that sense of excitement.

      2. It is destroyed by good people attempting to find a solution to a need.

How many Methodists -- use your own denomination -- it takes to change a light bulb.

There are many variations on this theme. Here are a few: It takes 24 Methodists to change a light bulb:

- 1 to get the ladder
- 2 to research types of bulbs available
- 1 to question whether the bulb needs changing
- 1 to pray for the bulb
- 1 to argue that before the bulb can be changed, it must really want to be changed
- 1 to refer the issue to committee
- 5 to review the history of light-bulb changing in the church
- 5 to discuss the theology of light
- 1 to suggest that since we've always been in the dark, why change now
- 3 to establish a fund-raising drive to purchase a bulb
- 1 to question whether a man or a woman changed the bulb last time
- 1 to draft a proposal requesting the change
- 1 to object to the sexually offensive language of the resolution, as in "screw in the bulb"
And so on...)

      1. Think about what might have happened if this tact had been taken by the disciples.

      2. They did not follow this method

      3. They just went and did it.

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  1. How do you maintain a high level of Eagerness?

Phone Line (1)
A young businessman had just started his own firm. He had just rented a beautiful office and had it furnished with antiques.

He saw a man come into the outer office. Eager to appear the hot shot, the businessman picked up the phone and started to pretend he had a big deal working. He threw huge figures around and made giant commitments.

Finally he hung up and asked the visitor, ''Can I help you?''

''Yeah, I've come to activate your phone lines.''

    1. This is not eager appearance.

    2. This is not eager one-up-mans-ship.

    3. This is an eagerness to continue in the journey.

    4. It is an eagerness to learn.

    5. It is an eagerness to share what is being learned.

  1. How do you keep people Energized

    1. You get and install the Energizer Bunny, who just keeps going and going and going.

    2. There is another way.

Justin Martyr paid for his energizing witness with his life as did many other early Christians for whom the earliest Christian creed, "Jesus Christ is Lord."

This statement was a political statement as well as a theological one. John M. Buchanan analyzes how this early creed really energized the church with the resolve not to let the emperor or the state take precedence over God. (2)

And in that simple affirmation, Christianity deprived the emperor and every totalitarianism in history, from Nero to Hitler, to failed Marxist regimes in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Soviet Union, of the one thing totalitarianism must have, and that is the unquestioned loyalty and obedience of its subjects. 'Jesus Christ is Lord' was first of all a political statement. And people who said it were not scolded for their misguided theology. They were executed for treason.

  1. So What does Jesus do to help this, what was said a moment ago:

    1. The motley throng now intently listening to him, particularly the few unlearned peasants and fishermen who, as his disciples, sat next to him.

    2. They concluded that Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah and that the "kingdom" he proclaimed, composed of this insignificant group of followers, would never amount to anything.

    3. Prepare for the future.

      1. There will be incredible disappointment.

      2. They will be faced with such opposition that it will tempt them to utter discouragement.

      3. They will become depressed.

      4. They will experience a depth of fear that they have not believed could be possible.

    4. These few people are all Jesus has.

    5. What does he do?

  2. Jesus tells a story or two about the kingdom of heaven.

    1. He tells a story about Mustard seed that someone planted in a field.

      1. This probably refers to the Sinapis nigra, or black mustard, which grows wild in abundance in Palestine but is also often cultivated for its seeds, which are used as a condiment.

      2. In Jewish literature the mustard seed is frequently referred to proverbially to denote minuteness.

      3. The mustard of the parable was not wild. It did not grow by accident.

      4. The planter planted the mustard seed in his field.

        1. Though Satan, the enemy, claimed this world as his, it was nevertheless God's "field."

        2. This was particularly true of the church, possibly also here especially referred to as "his field"

      5. Mustard seed was smaller than any other then sowed by Palestinian farmers, far smaller than either wheat or barley seed, for example.

      6. But the bush itself, when grown, was larger than any other cultivated plant.

      7. Jesus could have chosen no better representation of the way His "kingdom" appeared to the minds of unregenerate men than the illustration of the insignificant mustard seed.

      8. In the story the seed becomes a tree.

        1. Not in nature but in size.

        2. The Sinapis nigra, or black mustard, of Palestine commonly reaches a height of from 6 to 12 -ft., with branches an inch or more thick.

          1. Here the figure of a "tree" represents the triumph of the gospel message throughout the world.

          2. The kingdom and its subjects might appear insignificant now, but, says Christ, this will not always be the case.

    2. Then Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to yeast.

      1. As leaven permeates every part of the dough in which it is placed, so the teachings of Christ would penetrate the lives of those who received them and were willing to be transformed thereby.

      2. In O. T. times leaven was symbolic of evil.

        1. Prior to the Passover service every trace of leaven had to be removed from the homes of the people as being symbolic of sin (see on Lev. 23:6).

        2. Christ Himself referred to leaven in this sense, speaking of "the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees" (Matt. 16:6, 12; cf. 1 Cor. 5:6-8).

      3. But leaven cannot symbolize sin in the parable spoken upon this occasion, for eventually the "whole [lump of dough] was leavened," and Christ could certainly not mean that his kingdom was to become completely permeated with evil. The "bread" would be ruined.

    3. The parable of the Mustard Seed represents the extensive growth of the kingdom, that is, in numbers, so the parable of the Leaven represents the intensive, qualitative growth of the individual members of the kingdom.

      1. What does not happen now will happen.

      2. It will happen because it is promised to happen.

      3. The following texts make this abundantly clear and believable.

Daniel 2:44-45, (NRSVA)

44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; 45just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy."

Revelation 21:1-5, (NRSVA)

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."

2 Peter 3:8-10, (NRSVA)

8But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

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CONCLUSION

  1. At the funeral service in the hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, the W. H. Auden poem "Funeral Blues," (3) is read.

    1. Some of whose lines include:

He was my north, my south, my east, my west,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought love would last forever;
I was wrong.

    1. Is that the case?

  1. The illiterate fishermen and the women with them turned the world upside down.

    1. They saw the mustard seed grow and fulfill its potential.

    2. The observed the leaven at work in the lives of their companions and those who chose to join them.

  2. We can do the same with our own little world.

    1. We plant the seed and help raise the bread dough.

    2. The results may not be immediate, but there will be results.

Amen!

1. Retrieved from www.jokes.com

2. John M. Buchanan, Chicago, Ill., 3 July 1994.

3. W. H. Auden, The Collected Poetry of W. H. Auden (New York: Random House, 1995).

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