Another thing you often notice about true heroes is that theyâre not interested in getting attention for their deeds.  They just did what their beliefs and personal values told them they should do.

In America, since the events of 9-11, our fascination with heroes has really taken off.  Our culture is going to great lengths to declare that heroes are among us.  While there are many persons who probably do qualify as âheroes,â some days it seems that simply showing up for work regularly makes you a hero.

Witness many of the TV shows today that are in some way involved with âheroes:â for the adults, Smallville, Heroes, or Journeyman; on Nickelodeon, shows like Jimmy Neutron or Kim Possible show are there for our kids to see characters doing heroic things.

These are very popular shows.  In NBCâs drama, Heroes, for example, normal people find that they have superhuman powers, and the fate of the entire world rests on their shoulders.  The show is VERY successful: Top-20 ratings and multiple Emmy awards attest to the fact that lots of people keep tuning in.

Many communities will have  a spot on the local newscast for âhometown heroes.â

Itâs not my intention to disrespect anyone who has been called âhero,â so please donât worry about that.  There really are heroes in our world, and lots of these folks arenât doing it for the fame.

What I want to explore this morning is how our cultural and cultic elevation of heroes might be causing us to miss something very important.

Hereâs the question of the day:  What if, through the lives of heroes, God is trying to get our attention and help us align our values with His values?  Is God trying to get each of us to be heroes for others?

An online user poll ranked adult responses to the same âWhat-do-you-want-to-beâ question asked of the kids.

The top five things people had wanted to be one day as they began their more mature formation as an adult? Rich, singer, superhero, movie star and cowboy.

No surprise here: dump-truck driver and janitor were featured at the bottom of the rankings list, as honorable as those professions are.  Honorable, but not always admirable.

We learn at an early age that there are people in our world who are more admirable than others, based on our sense of their power, prestige and potential for greatness.

What about the Church?  When was the last time that you heard anyone talk about what an influence a hero of the Christian faith had upon his or her life?

Consider from todayâs text:  Peter, on a mountaintop with Jesus, suddenly sees his rabbi chatting with not just one, but TWO of the greatest heroes of his faith:  Moses, and Elijah.

Peter is ecstatic!  Suddenly, he can see everything clearly:  Jesus, his rabbi, is the Messiah, the anointed one of God who is going to bring the world back to the right.

But what does Peter NOT see?

The parallel passage from Luke 9 says, âAs the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three sheltersâone for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)â (Luke 9:33, NIV)

Peter wants to give Jesus the status of a hero â because heâs not seeing the whole picture.

But letâs not send Peter back to school for this until we think about the effects that this encounter had upon him. 

We can see this encounter as one of the ways by which God was changing Peter into one of the strongest leaders of the early Church. 

You see, Jesus certainly can be the heroâ but part of Jesusâ work is to unleash the heroic in us so we can be heroes for others, to inspire them to greater service and life in the Kingdom.

Therein lies the whole point of the process of being perfected in Godâs grace:  âYou were designed for something greater â the greatness of living to love others.â

This passage is about transfiguration (being changed into something glorious):  the transformation of Jesus AND the transformation of His people.

In the transfiguration, the Beloved is extending love to those whom he sends out to love the world. Perhaps heâs calling out to the hero in each of them â the desire for lowly fishermen and tax collectors to become something greater.

Your and my transfiguration by the power of God is what sends us on a love mission from God Himself.

Your life and my life are intended to be lived for the purpose of loving others, not for the sake of being loved by the masses.

Donât regular people want to know they are loved by their Father?

Donât regular people want to know that God is pleased with them?

Donât regular people need to be freed by love in order to love?

As Jesus is leaving his earthly ministry behind, heâs passing the mantle of the kingdom on to his disciples, and namely these Three. What better way to commission them to love the world than by demonstrating that being Beloved means extending love to others?

God has always engaged people this way â from Abraham to YOU â blessed to be a blessing.

Lord God, open our eyes that we may how you are releasing the hero in each of usâ that we may see you open the eyes of others.  Amen.

Sources Consulted:

âThe Divine Hero,â Homiletics, January 2008.

ACCS, Vol. NT-1b (IVP, 2002)

Morris, Leon The Gospel According to Matthew (Eerdmans, 1992)

Wilkins, Michael J. Matthew (Zondervan, 2004)

For example:

â A mother torn between an Olympic career and her adolescent daughter.

â The Cuban immigrant who overcame the strong disapproval of her parents and quit her lucrative career to go into social work.

â The OB/GYN physician who walked away from her lifelong âdestinyâ of being a doctor and was trying to make sense of it all.

â A high-powered IT saleswoman who gave up the certainty of salary to be a massage therapist because she missed a close connection with people.

So much of the time, as we think about who it is that we should be â or should have been â we end up looking back to discover who we really are.

This is the situation that the prophet Micah sought to address as he brought the Lordâs word to the people of Israel. A controversy exists between the people of Israel and Yahweh, their God. The controversy seems to start with the Israelitesâ exaggerated sense of the complexity of worshiping God, on the one hand, and an unwillingness, on the other hand, to acknowledge the unyielding and comprehensive demands of righteousness that form the basis of true faith.

Put in a simpler way, itâs like this: they were very much into the rituals of their faith, but not willing to take the second step into truth righteousness. 

They were faithful church-goers, but not faithful disciples.  Micah was sent to remind the people of their purpose in life:  God was saying, âItâs MY life, and it should be LIVED!â

Whatâs the answer? Simplify the way you live â donât make things so hard.

The people of Israel had not been keeping it simple. They clung to their relationship with God as His chosen people, and they filled their days with the rituals of their religion.

Their offerings to God were simply the fruits of their frantic labor, much like those of us who believe that if we can just do enough â if we can just give enough, work enough ... then our God, our boss, our families, our friends will finally be pleased with us.

But Micah comes to set things straight: âWhat really matters?â he asks.  The way the text puts it is, âWhat does the Lord require of you?â

Hereâs what really matters in Godâs sight: the relationship with have with Him, and the relationship we have with each other â relationships that have nothing to do with money, social status, or any other earthly division.  Three simple things sum this up: ââ[doing] justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our Godâ (6:8 NIV).

When we reach the final Day of Judgment, the conversation with the Lamb will not be about how well we set ourselves up for perfection, or how well we kept up with the rituals.  It will be how much we LOVED.  Have we simply loved people enough to act justly, to be kind, and to give ourselves over to walking humbly with God and following Godâs lead in our lives?

Itâs a simple question, but it represents the hardest work weâll ever be called to do. Keep in mind that the Bible spends a lot of time teaching about the importance of people who live on the boundaries â the people who often are the hardest to love.

Micahâs words remind us that life can be simple if weâll only be willing to make some hard choices â if weâll choose to love God and others and let the rest take care of itself.

How does this play out in our life as a church?  Here are some ideas, taken from a 2001 TV special called, âAnswering Micahâs Call:â[1]

   At Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, the Rev. James Victor, who is an associate pastor, and volunteer Anna Davenport show how faithful and committed individuals work in ministries for justice and healing, and how Ebenezer partners with other Micah 6 congregations.

   The Rev. Bradley Schmeling, pastor of St. Johnâs Lutheran Church, Atlanta, helps build relationships around advocacy work, asking the tough question, âWhoâs not here (around the table)?â

   At First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, the Rev. George Wirth, pastor, and the Rev. Charles Black, an associate pastor, feed the hungry through volunteer Meals on Wheels programs.

   The Rev. Dr. Earl McCloud, pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, works at a prison ministry that builds relationships within the community.

All of these ministries combine the biblical mandate to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God into programs that reach into the community while at the same time building up the strength of the congregation.

Thatâs what God requires:  when God reminds us that the life he has given each of us is HIS life, we should spend it in a way that is worthy of His calling.

Remember the Lordâs grace in your life, and extend it to others. Itâs a simple way to honor God and walk humbly with Him all at once.

Sources consulted:

âMy Life,â Homiletics Magazine, January 2005.

National Council of Churches Web site

Whoever was âitâ was the one who would doing the âgoing, going, goneâ routine. After the third âsink,â the rest of us would try and find him or her and provide a good dunking.  Ah, those were the days.

Thatâs a lighter way of seeing the teaching of this psalm. The message of Psalm 40 is that one of the greatest joys which follows being restored to new life after a brush with death is the joy of entering oneâs house of worship to declare before all in the community that oneâs life has been saved and restored by God.

In other words, the writer has returned to his church to give a witness which praises God for rescue and restoration from hardship.

Verse 1 describes how the psalmist waited for the Lord to become aware of his situation and rescue him.

In verse 2, God rescues the writer of Psalm 40 from âthe pit.â A Jewish translation of this psalm uses images that clearly bring home that the psalmist was in a bad way: the pit was filled with slimy clay. Symbolically, this means that this person was near death, and in danger of being lost in the underworld forever â but God rescued him from the place where no one is supposed to ever escape.

Once God has drawn the petitioner back from the brink of death, then life returns to normal. One can rise and stand up securely, finding the ability to walk restored as well. One can once again speak or sing praise to God, and verse 3 declares that respect or fear of God is thus instilled in all who see the recovery of the person once believed to be in the grip of death.

In verse 4, happiness or fortune is promised to the person who trusts in the Lord instead of trusting in less worthy sources of help.

In verse 6 there is another possible return to the image of the well or cistern from verse 1 in that the psalmist credits God with âdiggingâ him a new ear, hollowing out his ear, as one would dig a well (Genesis 26:25). In exchange for the cistern of death in which he was trapped, God has dug through his obscured thoughts and given him a new enlightenment with which to understand the true desire of God for right devotion instead of sacrifice.

In the final stage of his restoration (vv. 9-10), the psalmist presents himself to the âgreat congregation,â presumably those gathered at the temple in Jerusalem, and testifies to his renewed dedication to the God who has saved him. He would have it recorded officially, âin the scroll of the book it is writtenâ that he is healed and restored.

Itâs a terrible thing to consider what it might be like, to slip away into nothingness; to be trapped in a place where you can never exit.

Yet, we all have experienced something like that at one time or another. Consider this verse from Psalm 69:

âSave me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.  3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.â (NIV)

The point is that, even though we have all known despair at some time in our lives â perhaps even more than once, it happens to us all â God is the one who can pull us up.

Maybe weâre dealing with some mystery of illness that we canât pin down or control, and life has become one dreadful doctor visit after another.

Or, maybe a family member just canât seem to get his or her life on track. Perhaps thereâs an addiction thatâs threatening to pull you under the waters for the last time.  Goingâ goingâ gone.

If youâre at this point, youâre at the point where you need to know that God will pull you up. Even if you are the one who got yourself into the muddy pit, God cares enough to help you up and out.

Like the guys who went out with their brand new speed boat one sunny July afternoon, and were very frustrated because it just wouldnât perform well. They came back to the dock and had a maintenance man check it outâ they had never unhooked it from the trailer!

Even if your troubles are of your own making, there is relief that can come your way.

Now remember the teaching of the Psalmist: First, wait for Godâ patientlyâ as you cry out for help.

Then, grab on to the life that He offers and LIVE.  Donât let the fear of what might happen keep you from moving forward.

And then, remember to tell others of how you have been saved from the pit. 

Your rescue might be a fast one, or you might need to wrestle with your demons first.  You might end up with a limp like Jacob, who kept that remembrance of his own deliverance for the rest of his life. Just remember, praise and gratitude to God can come from all times and situations.

We will always be in some need of Godâs help and rescue. But even so, your life can be changed for the better by the challenges you face and your experience of God bringing you through them.

Sing a new song and tell others of your deliverance.

Tell of how God is faithful, with your words and your actions.

Remember that, whether we are standing or sinking, when our remembrance gives way to praise and our gratitude creates hope, our response will be âHere I am Lord.â

Goingâ goingâ gone?  Not hardly â not with God there to pull us up.  Amen.

Sources consulted:

        âTuvalu Sinking,â Homiletics, January 2005

        Wilson, Gerald H. Psalms, Volume 1 (Zondervan, 2002)

I know thatâs a pretty radical notion, and it may not even set well with you. But, it is something to think about. Thereâs a called Christmas with the Kranks that floats this idea.

The movie was first called called Skipping Christmas, and it considers the notion of skipping Christmas. Tim Allen plays Luther Krank, a man who is furious that the family spent $6,000 on Christmas the year before â and has nothing to show for it. So, since their daughter is gone with the Peace Corp, he and his wife decide they are going to skip Christmas and do something else.

The whole story is about how the neighbors react to their choice of action. The neighbor who coordinates the neighborhoodâs Christmas lights becomes upset because the Kranks are not participating. Their daughter comes home for a surprise visit, only to find that the holidays are not being celebrated as usual.  And so on.

This movie, at least what I know of the story, asks the question, âWhat really matters during the holidays?â

Research has shown that the days between Thanksgiving and New Yearâs Day are among the most stressful of the year for everyone. Yet, year after year, so many of us get swept up with what one writer has called the âholly-jolly-jingle-bell-rock-Rudolph-and-Frosty-shop-till-you-dropâ season.

On a sad, yet humorous note, an article in Harperâs Magazine notes that the highest-rated television program in New York City on Christmas morning, 2002, was a continuous video loop of a burning Yule log.

What really matters? What are the limits? How many parties, concerts, festivals, or banquets is enough?  How many lights for your house are the right amount? at what point do we go from anticipation to being âChristmased out?â

 Itâs so easy to miss what Christmas is really all about.

God communicated to Jeremiah that he was very upset over the loss of all of the good shepherds. King Jehoiakim, who lived 600 years before Christ came, was a particularly bad example of bad shepherding. 2 Kings 23:35 notes that the Pharaoh of Egypt had demanded that Judah pay a hundred talents of silver and gold, and that Jehoiakim raised the money by taxing the people. He also used some of the money for his own personal pleasure.

It was because of this man and others that caused God to say, "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.  I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the

LORD.â

God will place his people under a new generation of kings who will be good shepherds â shepherds who are good, wise, and fair in their dealings. Then, God will raise up a righteous branch of David â that means, a descendant of David â who will execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In other words, our Lord Jesus Christ, âthe Lord our righteousness.â

Thatâs something we donât see in Christmas cards or decorations; the name of righteousness doesnât often come up in our caroling. And maybe thatâs the reason behind why so many people are skipping past the true meaning of Christmas.

Jesus is not like Frosty the Snowman. Well, he might show up and surprise us, but He is not someone who laughs and plays, but melts away when things get too hot!

Jesus is not Santa Claus, either. He does know whoâs been naughty and whoâs been niceâ but his character is not built on saying âho-ho-hoâ and bringing expensive gifts down a chimney.

Who is Jesus? Heâs a SHEPHERD. Whatâs a shepherd? Someone who pays more attention to the lost sheep than the ones who are safely at home.  His joy comes from seeing one sinner turn his or her life around, not from watching people exchange gifts.  This is why He is, as Jeremiah said, âthe Lord our Righteousness.â

Itâs ok to have a wonderful and enjoyable time during the holidays, but letâs not forget who Jesus is and why He came: to make a connection between God and the people, and help people see that any righteousness they have comes from God.

Thatâs why Jesus shakes so many people up â so many folks believe that they were born on third base, and somebody just hit a triple for them. So many people make the assumption that doing well is the same thing as doing good.

It is only God who makes us righteous; it is only through Jesus Christ that we become just, honorable, and free from guilt. The life, death, and resurrection Jesus Christ is the gift from God that makes it so!

Only the Lord is our righteousness. Righteousness does not come from our nationality, or our political party, our social class, the color of our skin, our denomination, or the school we went to. The true meaning of Christmas comes from the connection between righteousness and Jesus. And that, friends, is way too good to skip!

So what does Jesus bring us for Christmas?  Wonderful gifts from God: forgiveness, new life, and new righteousness.  Jesus brings a state of grace that restores our relationship with God.

But, as the commercial says, âWAIT! Thereâs MORE!â  Christmas is not about how we found religion â itâs about how, no matter how far weâd fallen, God came and found us.

Righteous living comes from a living relationship with God.  Not only do we live in harmony with God, we also live in TRUE harmony with our neighbors in this world. We enjoy this world that God has placed under our care, while taking care of this world. We find ways to solve conflict without resorting to violence on the first try. We always remember that God has a special place in His heart for the poor and powerless. We find inner harmony by obeying Godâs commandments.

When you live in a righteous manner, you find that social justice goes hand in hand with personal peace.

Jeremiah teaches that you cannot be a good shepherd and abuse the sheep; that you cannot be a good ruler and abuse your power. Jesus taught the same thing.

Now that Iâve said all of that stuff, let me say this: go ahead, put up your Christmas lights; Frosty can stand on your lawn, and if thereâs reindeer in your yard, thatâs fine.

Just donât forget to keep your attention on Jesus in this coming Christmas season â the one who shows us that the Lord is our righteousness. 

Because if you skip that part, you are indeed skipping Christmas.

Sources consulted:

            âSkipping Christmas,â Homiletics, November 2004.

            Dearman, J. Andrew; Jeremiah/Lamentations (Zondervan, 2002), 214-223.

Have you ever been to a Jewish cemetery? Ever notice the headstone erected on the grave of a Jewish man or woman? Instead of flowers, you may have seen stones carefully placed on top of the grave marker. Sometimes these stones will be lined up across the top, like some kind of train. These stones have a specific, commemorative meaning, a meaning that binds that individual person to the whole history and people of Israel. They are stone testaments to the ongoing relationship between God and every son or daughter of Israel.

Letâs go back to the question of the day.  Any takers?

Let me offer you a scripture, and letâs see where we go: (Genesis 2:4-7).

Any ideas?  Okâ what you and I have in common with the harvest is that God has brought us from the very same earth â or dirt â in which He has caused our crops to grow.  Our lives are all connected in a very basic and essential way:  the Lord God has given us all life!  And from the life of the harvest, He provides the blessing of nourishment and livelihood that we might also have life.

In Joshua 4, the still-wandering Israelites faced the final barrier that lay between them and the long-awaited Promised Land. It was no small bump in the road, however, for between them and their new homeland lay the daunting Jordan River. But as had happened throughout their wilderness wanderings, God intervened to help Israel surmount the obstacle in her path.

Under God's specific instructions, the priests carrying the holy ark of the covenant walked right into the center of the river. At the touch of their feet, the Jordan's waters halted and stood back _ creating dry ground downstream of the ark-bearing priests. As the priests continued to stand there midstream, the entire nation of Israel crossed safely into the Promised Land.

To mark this miraculous safe crossing, God commanded Joshua to choose one representative from each of the 12 tribes and to have each of those individuals select a stone from out of the still-dry riverbed. These 12 stones _ just ordinary river rocks _ were carefully carried to the people's first campsite inside the borders of the new homeland. There, at the place that became Gilgal, whose name means "

It is in memory of these stone markers, stone testaments to God's gifts of deliverance, freedom, redemption and the land itself that graveside mourners still place a simple rock on the top of the deceased person's headstone. Those solitary stones connect that one Jewish man or woman to an entire history of a people. But it is up to each individual mourner to place the stone there â to keep the connection unbroken.

Itâs in the same spirit that we gather each to give thanks to God for the blessing of the harvest.  It is essential that we remember to thank the Lord of Life for the connection that we have with Him and each other through the dirt of the earth.

As we ponder the nature of the harvest, our thoughts cannot help but turn to the spiritual harvest to which Christ calls us to work.

If our bodily existence is nourished by the soil â the dirt â from which we are formed, then itâs only right that we should consider the spiritual soil which has formed us.

Can you identify the spiritual soil you arose from?  What keeps you connected to your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to the God who gives you life?

Think of the seeds that have been planted in the soil you are made from.  What fruit has been born of the faith that has grown in you?  What harvest has come from your discipleship?

In 1965, there was a severe drought in the city of Santa Rosa, Guatemala. People were leaving the city. Businesses were going bankrupt. Crops were perishing. Animals were dying. Special efforts were made to bring water in, but it was scarce everywhere. Catholics were holding special Masses. Evangelicals were holding prayer meetings. There was no rain and no water.

Then it happened. In a small Pentecostal meeting, where some believers from the Principe de Pas church had assembled for their regular worship service, the Spirit of the Lord moved in a mighty way. There was a message in tongues, followed a few moments later by an interpretation. It ran like this: Dig a well in the pastor's backyard. There you will find water.

There was much opposition from other churches as the deacons, elders and pastor began to dig. They thought these people were fanatics and/or were hallucinating -- especially when they saw that the pastor's backyard was on a hill. A well would never be dug on a hill, as the water runs low. But the pastor, deacons and elders all continued to dig. Soon one of the deacons became quite upset. Why is it in the pastor's backyard? he asked. Why couldn't it be in mine? Another elder thought that maybe the prophecy was biased. One deacon gave up. Another elder left. But there still remained a group ready to press on.

Because of the drought, the land was hard, so the digging progressed slowly. On the fourth day, they encountered a big boulder. It was so large they thought they had hit solid rock. The disappointments and frustrations were intensified as another elder left the shoveling team.

But they kept digging around the boulder until finally, after two days, they were able to remove it. As they did so, a gush of water came forth. It poured, and they began to drink and drink. It was a remarkable sign for the whole town. What the miracle of the well did to the growth of this church carries on until this day. The number of conversions to Christ was staggering; the entire town was influenced by it. Church membership grew from a few dozen to over 900 within that same year.

The branch does not need to get up every morning and say to itself, I must work hard, or there will be no grapes. The branch's power comes from staying connected to the vine. In the same way, God gives us spiritual growth as a gift, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we connect and stay connected with Christ. I am the vine, you are the branches ... bear much fruit (John 15:5).

May the richness of the soil God created you with become the source of the most blessed harvest ever seen!

Sources Consulted:

âStone Testaments,â Homiletics Magazine, 1995

Herb Miller, Connecting With God (Abingdon, 1995)

NIV Hebrew-Greek KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996)

If you only look at the big picture, it may not seem like it would be that much of a problem if one or two of the parts of that group were missing. But, if we paid attention, we would notice that things didnât work as well as they should.

Thatâs the point of saying, âDO sweat the small stuff.â Weâve been told for a long time that we can reduce our stress levels by not worrying about the little stuff, just worry about the big problems. But is that really the best solution?  Well, it might be for some things, but for life in general, maybe not.

Hereâs an example of why this is true. Researchers in the field of crime and urban decay have discovered something interesting: In a neighborhood, if a single broken window is allowed to remain unrepaired, it will slowly lead to a complete breakdown of the neighborhood.

If you think thatâs ridiculous, you should read a book by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called, Leadership. He applied the âBroken Window Theory,â as itâs called, to crime in the city, and in the process, reduced murders from around 2,000 a year to under 600.

The first thing he did was deal with the âsqueegee guys,â those people who would run out to your car while you were stopped, and wash your windshield (with dirty water) and then demand payment. Once Mayor Giuliani started having these guys arrested, he discovered that a lot of them were convicted felons.  When he started cracking down on people jumping turnstiles in the subways, he found that he was also arresting a goodly number of drug pushers.

The point is, working on the little stuff WILL lead to big results, whether itâs your town or your spiritual life that youâre working on.

This is the Apostle Paulâs focus. He doesnât spend a lot of time preaching on the big-ticket items of the faith â believing in God, or trusting Christ, or reaching others with the gospel. What he does focus in on is how the Thessalonians should attack the little stuff that is eating away at their foundations â the broken windows of the Christian community.

In verse 6, Paul says that we are to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received.

There are two ways that we can take Paulâs words about being âidle.â One way to see this is that heâs talking about lazy people who donât do anything. The other is that we should be concerned about people who waste time by being unproductive.  They may be busyâ but theyâre not getting anything done.  Either way, this is a âbroken windowâ that has to be dealt with. Grandma used to say that âidle hands are the devilâs workshopââ Well, so are misdirected hands!

Whatâs the difference between being idle, and being busy but unproductive? There is none!

Having a full schedule is not a sin. Keeping up with the busy lives of your children, doing your job, and being involved in your community are good things. But, each one of us has some decisions to make somewhere in our lives that are very important. If you donât choose to fix your broken windows â that is, if you wonât fix the areas in your live where youâre not productive â the quality of your life and spiritual health is going to go flat in no time.

How might you know what the symptoms are? What about the relationships in your life?  Are they as good and healthy as they could be?  What about how you use your time?  Do you make room for things that nourish your soul, your family, and your community â and your church?

A good way to consider the issue is to think about the things in your life that you never seem to get around to doing.  If youâre not coming up with answers, find someone who knows you well who will lovingly tell you the truth.  Often times, others can see our broken windows better than we can.

If you sweat the small stuff, youâll find that you donât run into as many of the big problems.  If you take the time to fix the little stuff, you are doing as Paul teaches, to ânot be weary in doing what is right.â

Donât ignore the small stuff! You could end up like the cow that got lost grazing. The cow eats a little patch of grass, then looks for another one. She locates one just a little ways away, and moves over to it. She eats that one, and then another, and then another â never realizing that sheâs eaten her way through the hole in the fence, across the road, and into the next pasture. A big problem came into being, one small bite at a time.

The more attention you pay to the little stuff, the less likely you are to get out of control without realizing youâre doing it.

We are the most useful to God when we are in controlâ and our bodies are a well-maintained temple for the Holy Spirit to live in.

Take a look at your life. Find out what needs to be fixed, what needs to be cleaned â and take the steps you need to take so that what is damaged within you can be healed.

God wants us all to be solid and strong.  When we will confess our brokenness to God, he WILL restore us through the gift of forgiveness!

Sources Consulted:

âThe Broken Window Theory,â Homiletics, November 2004.

Holmes, Michael W. 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Zondervan, 1998)

Walking is a very popular image when describing the journey of faith and discipleship. The point is that true discipleship is always going somewhere:  there is a direct connection between believing and putting oneâs faith into action. For the true disciple, it is doing that defines the life.  To put it another way, faith is not strictly an intellectual act. Faith is always busy â it cannot help but clothe itself in good works.

What does that have to do with walking?  Well, itâs like this: people can tell things about you by the way you walk.  Thatâs because we all have a unique way of walking that is all our own. Some researchers in the Homeland Security part of our government have figured out ways to identify a person by his or her walk up to 500 feet away â regardless of the time of day or night, or what the weather conditions are. They will know you by your walk.

As the song goes, âthey will know we are Christians by our love.â  The world will also know we are Christians by our walk of faith.  If we are for real, people will sense that and see it, too. They might even be interested enough to ask how they might learn to âwalk the walkâ themselves.

Whatâs a Christian âwalkâ like? Check out verse 3:

-         Your faith is always growing; âmore and more,â Paul says.

-         The love that we have for each other is always increasing.

The kind words Paul has for the Thessalonians says that theyâre walking the right way â so well that he tells others what a great job theyâre doing in Jesusâ name.

We should always be aware that the walk of faith is something that is very visible to the people around us. Even when our backs are turned, people can tell what weâre about and how serious we are about it. Our behavior, our actions, our words; everything we do says much about the quality, reality, and depth of our faith in God.

What does that mean? Whatâs your daily life like? Do you fight a lot? Are you a gossip or a mean-spirited backbiter?  Or, are you kind, merciful, generous, patient, charitable, compassionate, and uplifting by showing love at every opportunity you find?

Godâs hope for us is that others will see us as Paul sees the Thessalonian church: disciples who were patient and loving; in it for the long haul, and very focused on ministry in ways that everyone can see. In other words, clearly identifiable as workers for the Kingdom.

The truth of the matter is that love is the bond that unites the entire church (1:3), and that growth is a sign of Godâs blessing, not judgment.  Our faithfulness is very measurable by observing our Christian walk.  Are we interested in being worthy in Godâs sight? Are we willing to follow God wherever He calls us?  Are we committed to sticking with this life for all of our days?

The people of our community will always be watching to see how we live out our faith. Because people are different, they will perceive what we do from different perspectives:  some will be watching to see how compassionate and charitable we are. Others are interested in whether or not we will take a stand that is faithful but unpopular. Some will be impressed at the patience we show with persons who are a real pain in the neck.  Others will marvel at the love we show for one another when one of our own is in need.

All of these things are what make up our Christian walk. If we are truly about sharing Godâs love, then we must do it every moment of our lives with focused intention and passionate purpose.

This is so very important to spreading the gospel in our world. Here in America, Christianity is seen more and more as just a choice among many options â a way to be âspiritualâ that isnât any better or worse than any other choices.

The battle of the day is to not give into the idea that choosing Christ is the same as deciding which laundry detergent you are going to buy.

A quality of our modern consumer culture is that choice is lifted up as the ultimate freedom. So, when we shop â for whatever â we find that we are confronted by a mind-numbing array of choices that seem endless. The trap is that we may not notice that as our choices increase, the significance of our choices decreases. A year from now, it really wonât matter which brand of soap, gasoline, or paper towels we purchased. Thus, our choices become trivial even as they multiply.

The choices that make all of the difference are those with consequences that do matter. Whom shall we marry? What career to pursue; whether or not you will use illegal drugs or terminate a pregnancy â will you be faithful in your commitments?  These are the choices that shape the fabric of our lives.  Whether or not we choose to accept and live the Gospel is a choice that matters. Those who do choose to accept the invitation will be accepted by God and will enter into joy.  Those who reject it will be treated likewise.

The best way to go walking is to make sure you have three things:  the right company, the right shoes, and the right distance. If you walk with the right company, your faith and commitment will grow stronger, and your discipleship will grow along with it. With the right shoes â the right equipment â you will be equipped for the life. And, you have to walk the right distance. If the walk is too short, you gain no benefit. Too far, and you lose your energy.

Jesus calls us all to walk with him â in our own unique and diverse ways â together with all who love the Lord and would follow him. When the church does this, the community around us will see us people who are worthy of Godâs call and will who have been granted the power to fulfill every good resolve and work of faith.

Thereâs an old joke that says, âWalk this way.â Itâs usually followed by something silly. If we walk as Jesus teaches, it wonât be silly at allâ but truly graceful. 

Sources consulted:

âGait Analysis,â Homiletics, October 2004; pp. 68-72

Holmes, Michael W. 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Zondervan, 1998); 209-226

Morris, Leon. The 1^st and 2^nd Epistles to the Thessalonians (rev. ed.)      (Eerdmans, 1991); 191-211

In such a significant time of life, itâs interesting that Paul doesnât any time recounting his life accomplishments.  WE donât hear about the churches he planted, or the sermons he preached; thereâs no mention of how many souls were converted â no report card to document his successes.

Thatâs the kind of behavior that will confound many in our culture today. Ask a football fan how âhisâ team is doing, and odds are, he will know.  Talk to an athlete about his or her competition, and youâll hear about performance, records, and how hard they are to beat.

In school, we keep track of grades to determine how successful a student is (or isnât).  The report cards come home, and itâs a stressful moment for student and parent as the reckoning is performed.

What do grades really say?  Well, they can be the sole ruler you evaluate yourself byâ or they can be something that helps you get a clear picture of what you need to do to keep growing in strength and ability.

Learning is a process, not an event.  Maybe we didnât get it right this timeâ but knowing what went wrong, next time, weâll do better.

The Apostle Paul models this type of thinking:  Paulâs own self-assessment in Philippians 3:4-6 reveals prior to the

After that day, though, Paul would look at that transcript and realize that it was all ârubbishâ (vv. 7-8). He would throw his permanent record in the trash and start over by learning to redefine success in a relationship with Christ.

There is no official list of Paulâs accomplishments.  The fact is that Paul probably never really got to see the end result of all his work in those many places and with so many people. He couldnât have imagined that his letters would someday be published and read by generation after generation of Christians who can trace their spiritual roots all the way back to those faraway places.

During Paulâs lifetime, many of the churches he planted were rocked by conflict and enticed by the bad theology and moral failure of some of their leaders. People whom Paul trusted as coworkers abandoned him at critical moments (2 Timothy 4:9-15).

Looking at it from the perspective of achievement at the time, youâd have to give Paul an âEâ for effort, but maybe not much more than that.

When Paul evaluates his Kingdom work at the end of his life, he doesnât spend time on failure, or success.   What mattered to Paul is that he had done his best, and that he had been faithful in the work God had called him to.  Using the illustration of the Greek games, he spoke of having âfought the good fightâ and âfinished the raceâ (2 Timothy 4:7).

We as a people often have a hard time with saying that our efforts (or someone elseâs) are âgood enough.â  So often, if you havenât come out on the top of the heap, youâre a failure.  As some say, âsecond place is the first loser.â

In a lot of ways, we live in a culture of fear.  We deeply fear not being good enough.  Our children fear the consequence of not having grades in school that are good enough; we adults often fear the consequence of not having produced good enough results in our work.

What are the fruits of our fears?  We are a frantic people who are beset with all sorts of stress-related illnesses, unethical behavior and a crisis of self-esteem.

The end result of this fear is that often, we are afraid to try something new because we are simply afraid of failing.

A successful relationship with Jesus Christ is based on faithfulness to Godâs call on your life.  If you are faithful to your job as a disciple, you will be judged faithful.  Youâre not responsible for how other people responded to the message.

Every once in a while, someone will try and stick me with, âwell, how many people have YOU brought to the Lord, Pastor?â

I have to honestly answer them with, âI donât know.â 

Iâll tell you why, by way of a story.  Many years ago, now, there was a young couple in my community who felt the church was important enough that they should be married in the church, and have their children baptized in the church.  The pastor before me at the church had performed their wedding ceremony, and I baptized their first two children. 

Beyond those events, though, they didnât have time for church â too busy with other things.

As I prepared them for the baptism of their second child, I took some time to really engage them on the idea that baptism is your entry into the community of faith â and that, if youâre going to do it right, you really need to be in the community of faith, so your children understand what a special thing their baptism is.

Long story short, they never did start coming to church â under my pastorate.  But, the pastor who followed me was able to seal the deal, and they are now part of that congregation â worshiping, participating, and growing in Godâs grace.

So, who was it that âbrought these people to the Lord?â

It wasnât just me, it wasnât the pastor before me, and it wasnât the pastor who came after me!

Truth be told, it was all three of us! 

If the pastor before me hadnât faithfully reached out to this couple at the time of their marriage; if I had not kept gently bugging them about the importance of not just baptizing your children, but following through on the vows and helping them become part of the congregations; if the pastor who followed ME had not kept inviting them until they did in fact join in the life of the Church â this probably wouldnât ever have happened. 

It took THREE of us to get the job done!

If I evaluated this strictly on my own actions and nothing else, I wouldnât be able to say that I was successful!  But, I believe I can say with confidence that I was faithful, and my faithfulness combined with the faithfulness of other disciples made it a day of joy in the Kingdom.

Godâs grace is about helping us learn to be faithful even when the world doesnât understand anything other than winning and losing, of performance and production.

We will always experience the consequences of our moral failures. Thatâs a given. 

But we should always remember that Godâs grade book is written in pencil. Like a good teacher, God comes alongside us, corrects us, reorients our thinking, and helps us see new possibilities.

What the world sees as failures are opportunities God gives us to take a good, honest look at ourselves and find opportunities to grow.

The Bible teaches that âno weapon formed against us shall prosper.â  We neednât surrender to our culture of fear we run the race of faith.  Simply doing your absolute best without thought of winning or losing in the eyes of the world makes for a powerful witness for Christ.

Always remember that Christ comes to us with life and love, filling us with hope, grace, and renewal.  So go forth now, living with courage the hope that the Gospel has placed within you.  And may the lives you touch grow closer to the Lord.

 Amen.

Sources consulted:

âDeferred Success,â Homiletics, October, 2007

NIV KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996)

NIV Bible Commentary, Vol. 2 (Zondervan, 1994)

As United Methodists prepare for this significant event in the life of our Church, there are some perennial issues that are already arising.  Let me explain:

I received a letter recently urging me to work with my congregations and draft petitions to General Conference that get really tough on a certain topic:  homosexuality.  In short, what they want is that I would rally my people to stand firm in saying that homosexual persons who won"t repent of the lifestyle are not fit for membership in the Church.

I havenât received any letters from "the other sideâ but I imagine theyâre making similar efforts in similar avenues. 

Homosexuality has been a contentious issue in our church, and present at every General Conference since 1972.  As the UMC came into existence in 1968, it should be plain that weâve been wrangling on this since weâve been born. 

Youâre probably wondering: what has happened in the last 36 years of debate about this issue? 

Not much.  True, denominational policies have slowly swung to a more conservative position â but overall, roughly the same proportions of votes for or against, every time.  Neither side is gaining any ground.

In other words, my friends, itâs a stalemate.

How does one resolve a stalemate?  Quit fighting, and find a different way to confront the problem!

So am I going to lobby on this one?  YOU BET!

But Iâm going to lobby differently than the manner in which the activists want me to lobby:  Itâs really very simple: I would really appreciate it if my brother and sister United Methodists would arise and tell both sides very firmly , âENOUGH ALREADY!â

Do I have an opinion on homosexuality?  Of course I do, and I am sure that you do, too.  I arrived at my conclusions after a great deal of prayer, study of scripture, and consultation of historic church tradition, as well as current thought on the issue.  As I am sure that you did as well.

So please donât think me disrespectful in saying that a lot of people have gotten so focused on this issue that they are missing the real point behind all of this struggle.

My opinion on this one issue of homosexuality is not a primary point.  I donât think yours is, either.

In this commentary, I am deliberately not expressing my conclusions on this issue because I believe it would only obscure the bigger  (and most important) issue: we are losing all ability to work together for the greater glory of Godâs Kingdom because weâve gotten so divided and distracted on ONE issue.

If you really want to know my position, ask me (privately), and I will tell you (privately).  If you and I donât agree, Iâm fine with that.  I love you even when we arenât eye to eye on something!  Isnât that part of the nature of the true church?

I would think that the United Methodist Churchâs loss of membership from 1968 to today might be a glaring warning that we need to do some serious âgetting together.â  If we are to do that, we need to lower our swords and let them be plowshares.

I do not believe the right answer to the question of homosexuality is to simply deny persons of homosexual orientation membership in the Church.  Or, put another way, hereâs why I am not for tossing out gays from my churches because theyâre âunfitâ for membership:

Itâs not godly or fair.  If I toss out gay people because of their unrepentant attitude, there are a number of unrepentant persons that, in all fairness, I should also excommunicate: 

1. Members who gamble or wonât stand against gambling, though they know full well what The United Methodist Church teaches on the practice

    

2. Members who use tobacco (our Discipline says that use of tobacco is not a morally indifferent issue) or alcohol (after all, we DID start Prohibition)

    

3. Members who recite their membership vows (a promise made in the presence of God to support your church with your prayers, presence, gifts, and service) yet never show up in worship or contribute in any way to the life of their congregation - and still expect the church to be always available to them.  If you ask me, youâve uttered a rather potent untruth in doing this.

    

This could become a very long list, but I think you get the point. 

Iâm a pastor.  What shall I do with all these sinners? 

Oh, hold on a moment: I forgot that I should also give myself the old heave-ho since I wrestle with sin as much as anyone and Iâm never 100% successful in resisting it. 

Please donât misunderstand what I am saying.  I am not attempting to make sin less important.  The Bible is very clear about sin, and that â... all have sinned and fall(en) short of the glory of God.â (Romans 3:23 NIV)

Have we forgotten that the absolute, God-given truth that sin is sin? Whether you cheat on your spouse, murder your neighbor, or steal from someone â itâs all sin.  Sin is sin.  Period.  If we are going to âget toughâ on the practice of homosexuality because, as the Discipline states, it is ââincompatible with Christian teaching,â perhaps we should, in all fairness, get a lot more specific (and tough) on all sin, whether controversial or not. 

Itâs also a clear, God-given truth that if you want to receive Godâs salvation, you must repent of your sins, devote your life to following the Lord Jesus Christ and give up conscious sin.  There is no salvation apart from Christ and His Church, and a place of eternal misery awaits those who will not accept Jesus as Lord.  

But itâs also an absolute, God-given truth that there is grace for those who truly seek transformation.  As the âchildrenâ of John Wesley, we understand this to be the process of perfection in grace: how God, by His grace, transforms us into the persons He always meant for us to be.

The Church is an instrument of Godâs grace. No one should be deprived of the place where itâs most likely that you will be influenced to turn to Christ and live for Christ.  The final judgment of the condition of our souls will be well-handled by God on Judgment Day.  Let Him handle this one!

This doesnât mean unrepentant sinners should be able to go anywhere or do anything in the church.  A person whoâs unwilling to repent of clearly identified sin should not be a leader in the Body (the Bibleâs clear on this, too).    But why on earth should we shut him or her out and away from what is needed the most?

Expelling people because theyâre stuck in sin denies them the opportunity to truly experience a holy transformation they wonât find elsewhere.

As I said, this debate is going nowhere in the Church, nationally or locally, despite all of the âpolitickingâ on both sides. Weâre stalemated.  It is time to consider a different tack.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians about a thorn in his flesh that God would not take away, no matter how much Paul asked Him (see 2 Co 12:7-9). Perhaps itâs time we United Methodists ask ourselves, âWhy isn't God removing this thorn from our flesh?â 

It seems a valid question to ask! 

Perhaps it's time that we work for peace in our âvalleyâ by first celebrating what we hold in common:  the foundation of our unity â the salvation of Jesus Christ.

The next step is that we do ministry and bring glory to God instead of giving the media ammunition to report on âwho attacked whom at the General Conference.â

We may never reach consensus on this issue.  Why not use all of this energy differently â and create peace instead of division?  We will surely bring more glory to the Father in this way, than by breaking the Body.

This is my hope and prayer. Peace, my friends!

Now, letâs get âchurchy:â What are the first four books of the New Testament of our Bible?  Who was the person who betrayed Jesus? Who was the Apostle Paulâs most famous student?

How did you do?  Howâs your memory today, for the things you know? If youâre having some trouble, maybe you could use a smart pill. Donât laugh â there are some very dedicated scientists who are hard at work on creating new drugs that will help us not just remember, but think better.

Improving memory is something of great interest to many people. In some cases, the quest for a cure for diseases like Alzheimerâs has unearthed some new possibilities. But, there are also many efforts going on to create âsmart pillsâ that you would start taking in middle age so that you could stop the normal forgetfulness that comes with advancing years.

This has become a part of the eternal search for what I like to call a âsilver bullet,â that will give us everything we want in one easy dose. The weight-loss gurus will always have some way to keep people hooked. Twenty years ago, you were supposed to cut all fat out of your diet. Now, with the popularity of the Atkins diet, the silver bullet is removing carbs from the equation. Or, take a pill like Corti-Slim that allegedly will magically melt away the fat from every area of your body that you donât like.

No one wants to talk about side effects, though. What price are you paying for short-term success?  I guess âsmart pillsâ arenât necessarily âwise pills.â  We might take them, but that doesnât mean weâll be given more wisdom just because our memory became better.

If there were more wisdom in the world, a lot of companies would be out of business, because there wouldnât be so many suckers who would snap up their products without thinking things through first.

This is a trend in religion in our world, too. Millions of people, including Christians, will latch on to anything that seems as though it might have something of substance below the surface without ever really sitting down and asking, âIs this for real, or is it bogus?â

This is what has sucked so many people into all that goofy New Age stuff; this is why so many people accept books like the Left Behind series or The DaVinci Code as pure truth when actually, theyâre entertaining fiction that expertly weaves fact and fantasy together into a good story. There is nothing wrong with reading a good novel and enjoying it. Thereâs nothing wrong with well-crafted fiction.  But you should not be led astray by it!

The Apostle Paul warned his student Timothy that he would face times such as these in his ministry: when people would reject solid doctrine and the foundation of the faith for anything that tickles their curiosity.  Instead of sticking to the proven and tested articles of Scripture and tradition â the reliable guides to knowing God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ â theyâll be seduced away by teachers who will tell them what they want to hearâ to satisfy their itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

This sounds like a problem for lots of Christendom today: skimming over the more prominent parts of the Bible that challenge us to reconsider what we do with our wealth and position in life; to question things weâd rather not question like the social order and the churchâs responsibility to influence society and culture; to concentrate on the lighter stuff and avoid talking about the wrath of God for fear of driving people away. Itâs easy to get pulled away by someone who concentrates on making you feel good.

The people who are led astray are the ones who havenât taken the time to acquire serious knowledge of Scripture and the historic teachings of the Church.  Case in point: Practically every American home (93%) has a copy of the Bible, and one in five adults report that they read it regularly. Yet, itâs said that only 4 of 10 churchgoers can identify the man who betrayed Christ (Judas Iscariot), or name the first four books of the New Testament.  

This is why we need to cultivate the ability to recognize the teachings that sound Christian, but really arenât â to know what will improve our imagination, but not teach us wisdom about the ways of God.

Thatâs the entire point of what the Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy: stay grounded in Scripture so that we know what is required for righteous living and God-given wisdom.  As Paul said, âAll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.â (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

Being grounded in Scripture means doing more than just memorizing verses â it means learning Scripture, and having a living relationship with God to shape your mind and your thinking so you can gain spiritual smarts and true wisdom.

Whatâs the benefit in that? For one thing, you can teach others about what truth is and what fiction is â and how they can tell the difference. Further, it would help you in your own service to understand the relationship between Godâs grace and good works â and be prepared for action.

Paul gave Timothy five smart pills that are of use to us all.  See 4:2, where he names them:

-         Proclaim the message

-         Be persistent

-         Convince

-         Rebuke

-         Encourage

You might get a little more memory with a daily smart pill, but a daily search of the Scriptures with an open heart and mind will give you more: youâll learn how to love God more every day, gain wisdom beyond your years, and be able to see false teaching from a great distance.  In other wordsâ you will gain spiritual smarts and true wisdom, and you will be, as Paul told Timothy, âequipped for every good workâ (4:17).  Amen.

 
Source Consulted:

        âSmart Pills and Wise Living,â Homiletics, October 2004

You can learn more about Children of the Harvest through the Dakotas Conference's website: www.dakotasumc.nonprofitoffice.com.

Missionaries Mike and Libby Flowers are the directors of COTH Ministry.  Mike and Libby visited our parish today and brought the message, news of what God is doing with this ministry with and to the Spirit Lake Nation.

Thanks for listening!

âTaking the First Stepâ

Luke 16:1-13

September 23, 2007

The parable of the dishonest manager is a Bible story that has given scholars fits for centuries:  Jesus seems to be praising the dishonest managerâs behavior. 

In general, this story has three ways that Jesus seems to be advocating for the disciples â all of which can be difficult to swallow, because they seem to contradict other things that He has said.

(1) Are we to be âshrewd?â

The first way starts with verse 8: ââFor the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.â (NIV)

This seems to be a statement about how those who obey God can be naÃve about the workings of the world, and dealing with worldly people.  You could draw the conclusion that Jesus is saying, while we shouldnât be dishonest, we should be shrewd in our dealings. 

The problem with this point of view is exposed is by looking at the Greek word translated as âshrewd,â which  has also been used to describe the behavior of the snake who was the tempter in the garden of Eden. So, we will want to tread carefully with this interpretation!

(2) The Things We Do

Continuing to verse 9, depending on Jesusâ tone, this could be either a positive or a negative comment.  (Again, we donât know what tone Jesus spoke these words with).  If Jesus is speaking in a straightforward tone, heâs apparently saying that while all money corrupts, his followers should use it to do good and thus earn themselves a place in heaven (âeternal homesâ).

This is worrisome, because it would seem that Jesus is giving a green light to âworks righteousness,â where the goodness of our deeds determines whether we get into heaven or not.  Thatâs pretty âold covenant,â if you ask me!

If Jesus were speaking sarcastically, he could have been saying that those who use money to gain friends like the dishonest manager did face final condemnation and another kind of eternal home, an unwelcome one.  Hmmmm.

(3) Faithful and Honest?

Verse 10 offers more advice â that seems to make some sense:  âWhoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.â (NIV)

Sounds good â but didnât Jesus praise the manager for his dishonesty a few verses back?

What to do with this parable?

The bottom line is, this story is in the Bible, so we should consider what God can teach us through its details.  It might not be as clear as weâd like it to be, but there is something in here that the children of light can adopt from the children of this age â but only for the right reasons.

Letâs put this into context with a story that is just a story, though it could happen these days:

A mom and a dad were sitting in the family room when their two children, ages 10 and 12, walk in. âWeâve got a question,â Chris, the younger one announces. âWe know you two are worth about 800 grand, we were wondering when we get our shares.â

OH MY GOODNESS!  This is quite a shock.  The parents had never talked to your children about any financial arrangements more than when to expect their allowances.  The other thing was, this â800 grandâ that they mentioned was remarkably close to their actual worth!

So the parents were sitting there, trying to catch a breath and decide what to say when Frank, the older child, says, âI told Chris that we each get our 400 Gâs when we turn 18, but he says we have to wait until you both die. Whoâs right?â

After a painful silence, the father finally says, âJust who says we are worth that kind of money?â  âNobody told us,â Frank responds. âWe used Google and looked it up on the Internet.â

Brings you into the modern age, doesnât it?  Keep in mind, this story is just a story â but what it illustrates is very possible. 

You no longer have to be a member of Forbes 400 or Fortune 500 to show up in databases. If you have stock options, a high salary or significant business sales, thereâs a good chance that at least some of that data is available online.

Some kids have discovered that they can find those reports by sifting through the filings of the Securities and Exchange Commission to locate the info, or using real estate Web sites like Zillow.com to calculate the value of the family homestead and vacation homes.

Even if the kids canât find a specific mention of their parents, they can still look up average salaries in the professions of their parents and make an educated guess.  Nowadays, kids can be pretty shrewd â at an early age!

Were the Internet been around in New Testament times, the dishonest manager would surely have used it to his advantage. Living well on his income from the rich manâs properties, but not doing his duties diligently, heâs affecting the returns his boss is expecting.  And the boss knows something is going on.  The portfolio is taking a dive.

But the manager is a shrewd dude â so shrewd that even the boss is impressed!

Maybe the teaching of this parable is that initiative is a good thing that we can learn from the children of this world â because it can increase the strength of the church in a way that is pleasing to God.

Initiative has a definite role in the life of the church.  Thereâs every reason to use our best and strongest abilities, including our initiative, for kingdom purposes.

Think of how often we speak of wanting our memberships to grow, of reaching further into our community, and of making sure that the unchurched hear the gospel.  Now think of what percentage of our membership really take that to heart and put it into practice.  In this sense, we who walk in Godâs light would do well to adopt the persistent initiative of the children of this age.

Hereâs another way to think on this:  the manager resorted to drastic action in an urgent situation. The church needs to take drastic action to make sure it does the work of the kingdom of God.

Thereâs a story about a husband and wife who were out in their car on some errand, with the husband doing the driving. The wife was sitting at the other end of the bench seat, by the passenger door, and she was in a pensive mood. She said to her husband, âRemember when we were first dating? When we went anywhere in your old car, we sat as close together as we possibly could. Sometimes you even put your arm around me. What has happened to us? Our relationship doesnât seem as close as it used to.â

The husband considered that, and then he said, âWell, I havenât moved.â

If we think of God still sitting in the same place â meaning that he has not withdrawn from us â and we feel some loss in the closeness, then we can better understand who needs to make some movement. 

God took the first step.  Now, we must take the initiative and respond â and get the gospel where it is needed the most.  Take the initiative, and make the invitation to someone who needs to respond.

Will you do this, today?

Sources consulted:

âSmooth Operator,â Homiletics, September 2007

ACCS, Vol. NT.III, Luke (IVP, 2003)

NIV KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996)

Bock, Darrell L. Luke (Zondervan, 1996)

When it came time for the trial run, the two entrepreneurs climbed up the platform and looked down on the gathering crowd. They knew what they had to "do," but decided to shoot fingers to see who got to "do it."

The entrepreneur who "won" (or "lost," depending on how you look at it) put on the harness and dove off. When he came up the first time, his partner noticed that his nose was bloody. When he came up the second time, it was obvious that one eye was turning black. When he came up a third time, part of his ear was missing.

He yelled out, "Are you okay?" On his way down a fourth time, his partner yelled back, "What's a piÃata?"

Those two entrepreneurs didnât take into account the differences of perspective from New York to Mexico.  For some folks, bungee jumping is, wellâ just bungee jumping. But for a lot of folks in Mexico, when you have something bouncing around on a string (no matter how large the package or how long the string is), you get a stick and hit it to see what falls out!

There is an important difference of perspective that sets the Christian apart from the world he or she lives in. The truth is, though you and I live in this world, our spiritual commitments dictate that we operate from a different perspective â one that acknowledges that we are only here for a while. We are passing through on our journey to eternity with our Lord. If we live out our faith in the way that the Bible teaches it, then we have to take into account that we wonât see things that the way the world does; we will not live the way the world accepts as ânormal.â

What does it mean to live out your faith in this different perspective from that of the world?

If you are really serious about considering that question, there is no way that you can avoid Hebrews 11.  The verses we are studying today provide a summary of the Christian faith that teaches two things. First, it brings together the New Testament and the Old Testament and demonstrates why the Old Testament is relevant to our story as disciples of the New Covenant. Secondly, it provides examples of faith that will help us stay away from the kind of faith that really only trusts in one thing: ourselves and our abilities.  

This faith in ourselves is the kind of faith that will fail the final test every time because it only has the form of true religion and none of the substance of true religion. Whatâs the difference? True religion arises from living faith that is focused on the world to come. This faith is concerned about making new disciples for Jesus Christ ALL the time, regardless of the cost. The person with the faith of true religion will always live out that faith with a bold confidence in Godâs reality.

What does that mean â âGodâs reality?â  Letâs turn to the examples in todayâs reading:

         the story of Abraham teaches us that home is wherever God is â and wherever God leads us. No matter where God was calling him on that nomadic pathway, Abraham was confident that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, which is why everywhere he went he built altars to God, holy structures, like at Bethel â âan Altar to the LORDâ (Genesis 12:8).

         Noah lived within the reality that his life was always in Godâs hands â and the fate of the world is always in Godâs hands.

         Abel and Enoch remembered that pleasing God is important â verse 6 says, âWithout faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.â (NIV)

Now, we get to the âGreat What If?â  This is the point where we will often stumble in our quest to live a biblical faith. âI suppose I could live that wayâ but what ifâ

â my friends canât or wonât understand, and I will end up alone?

â the town I live in will think Iâm weird and shut me out?

â God calls me to go someplace else to serve Him, and I have to leave everything behind?

â I canât measure up to the standard of faith, or the examples the Bible gives me?

Those are perfectly valid questions. We will all struggle with them at some time, probably more than once. Here are some answers to any of the âwhat-ifsâ:

         Weâre not called to be superheroes, weâre just called to be faithful.  The heroes of the faith that we read about in the Bible are for our inspiration, not necessarily for us to duplicate. God calls each of us to live boldly by faith â with all of our warts, worries, and shortcomings â as we are. Thatâs why God provides grace greater than our sins â thatâs why itâs grace, after all! Thatâs not weird at all!

         Weâre not called to follow blindly; weâre just called to follow faithfully. Just because youâre a believer doesnât mean you have to surrender your ability to think.

         Faith involves God doing extraordinary things in the lives of ordinary people. Every one of the faith heroes named in todayâs reading had a very human side to them â go read the stories, and youâll see. Yet, God did powerful things through them even as they were searching and struggling for holiness.  This means that you and I are equally eligible to be included in Godâs workings.

         Faith works in many situations â and you have to be content knowing that you are being faithful, even though you may not see the results immediately.

Faith carries us through times of victory and times of trial. We need not become paralyzed with the fears of what might or might not happen if we are faithful. God is with us always, and He is very patient â and He doesnât wa