I-60
Just the other day, one of our members came up to me and said, "Pastor,
I must have a strange kind of sickness. All week long I am plagued with aches
and pains. But on Sunday they seem to leave me and I am able to go to church.
That one hour we spend together, my Lord and I, somehow makes it easier for
me to endure my suffering throughout the other six days."
As she turned away, completely unaware of the tremendous thing she had said, I couldn't help but think about many others who use every little excuse imaginable to rationalize away their absenteeism on Sunday mornings. I couldn't help but wonder if, maybe, it wasn't because they had never really been in love with Jesus!
From "How To Be Sure You're In Love"
****
I-61
A young mother does not nurse her baby because she must, but because she loves
the baby. Indian mothers have a Proverb:
"Children tie a Mother's feet."
That's true. But
the interesting thing is that mothers seem to like having their feet tied. They
literally make themselves willing slaves to their little ones. Love dictates
the terms. And when we carry this third sign of love over to the Christian's
experience, we realize, as someone has suggested, that "Giving is never
a problem for a genuine Christian. At home, when he picks up the grocery bill,
light bill, gas bill, cleaning bill, phone bill, he never growls and says, 'Always
asking for money'. Neither does he look upon his tithe as another burden inflicted
upon him by his church. Rather, he sees it as a privilege. An opportunity to
say, 'I love you, Lord' in a concrete, tangible way."
From "How To Be Sure You're In Love"
Love, Giving, Stewardship, Money, Marriage, Home, Husband, Wife, Mothers
****
I-62
There's a charming tradition that has to do with the site upon which the beautiful
temple of Solomon was erected. It is said to be located in the center of a wheat
field once owned by two brothers. One of them had a family, the other was single.
One night, after the harvest, the wheat having been divided into two equal parts
and placed at opposite sides of the field, the elder brother said to his wife,
"My younger brother does not have a family. Surely he must be lonely without
the companionship of a good woman and the laughter of happy children. I think
I'll take some of my wheat and put it with his. I am so much better off than
he."
At the same time, in his house at the other side of the field, the younger brother was saying to himself, "My elder brother is married. He has the added responsibility of a wife and children. His expenses are so much greater than mine. I think I'll take some of my wheat and put it with his. I am so much better off than he."
In a spirit of
giving, not out of a sense of duty but out of a sense of love, the brothers
arose and started out on their respective missions of brotherliness. In mid-field
they met, each with his arms loaded with wheat for the other. According to the
tradition, it was upon that piece of ground, hallowed by the spirit of love,
that the magnificent temple of Solomon was built.
From
"How To Be Sure You're In Love"
****
I-63
The important thing to remember in all of this is that when you're in love,
whether it be with your brother, your spouse, or your Lord, the motive for your
giving is never a sense of duty, but always a sense of love. Right now I am
thinking of my sainted Mother. Suppose, when she was still alive, I took her
a present and said, "Mom, you've been so very kind to me in the past. Now
that I have a little money of my own, I feel it's my duty to give you a present."
What kind of satisfaction would there be in that for her? How much more pleased
she would be if, whatever gift I gave her, came out of a sense of love. How
much more she would value it.
From "How To Be Sure
You're In Love"
****
I-70
There are those who have nothing in their heart but contempt for Christ. They
view Him with scorn and skepticism. To them, He is just another Jew. They cannot
see that He has made any contribution to history. As a matter of fact, they
rather look upon His coming into the world as something of a catastrophe. His
life and death resulted in upsetting the status quo. The new religion which
sprang up in His wake brought division among friends and demands for social
justice. All of that upset the quiet, easy-going world of His time.
This attitude of skepticism is reflected in a recent poll conducted by Grossest and Dunlap, the publishers of a new history book. They asked a panel of 28 historians, educators and journalists to rate the 100 most important events in history. First place went to the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. In second place was the development of modern methods of printing. Eleven events tied for third place and, in fourth place, along with the setting up of the United States Constitution, the use of ether in making surgery painless, and the beginning of flight by the Wright brothers, was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In other words, the best that Jesus could do, in the judgement of 28 modern historians, educators and journalists was a tie for fourth place!
Some people rate
Him even lower than that! They act "as though Jesus never lived, as though
He never died." That is the attitude of modern skepticism. Jesus was just
another Jew. A Galilean carpenter who had grandiose ideas about His own importance
and, to maintain peace, He had to be put to death by His Roman rulers.
****
I-85
One of the disturbing things about the teachings of Jesus is that they are loaded
with contradiction, or so it seems to us who look at life through single vision
glasses. But Christ was not hampered by such vision. He looked at life through
what we might call "spiritual bi-focals". He knew that truth is not
singular, but plural, that it has a double edge. It is made up of a multitude
of individual truths, none of which stand alone, all of which are interdependent.
So He constantly presented His disciples with truth in the form of paradox,
or apparent contradiction.
Let me show you what I mean. On one occasion He said we should avoid the danger of becoming hypocrites by doing our good deeds in public so people could see them. On another occasion, He said we should let our light shine so people could see our good works. A paradox? Yes. A contradiction? No. For you see, it's not a case of either/or but both/and. The complete truth regarding good works is they must be done -- whether public or private -- in a spirit of humility as a witness to God's goodness, not our own.
Or, look at His teaching regarding prayer. In one place He said that when we pray we should shut the door and pray in absolute privacy. In another place, He said that where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in their midst. A paradox? Yes. A contradiction? No. For the truth regarding prayer, like all truth, has a double edge. Jesus wanted us to know that prayer was both a public and private affair.
Or, again, Jesus was constantly bumping up against the obstructionism of Hebrew tradition and law which made it difficult for Him to fulfill his mission on Earth. As a result, He denounced the Pharisees for practicing a religion which was nothing more than rigid tradition and hollow forms.
And yet, at the same time, He saw the incalculable value of God's law and great tradition and so He said, "I am not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it." His whole ministry of teaching was characterized by a careful balance that emphasized the double edged nature of truth. Christ knew for the most part, individual truths are half truths. That is to say, they do not stand alone, but are interdependent. Unfortunately, the rest of us rarely possess this spiritual sensitivity. We discover a precious truth and then, instead of using it in its proper context, we exploit it to our own detriment. Because we over-emphasize one side of life while we ignore its equally important counterpart, what begins as a virtue (bringing balance) becomes a vice (producing imbalance).
Such is certainly the case with the cult which has infiltrated many Christian circles. For want of a better name, I have called it "The Cult Of The Comfortable." It is made up of an alarmingly large group of those who have fallen under the hypnotic spell of the 20th century's Pied Pipers who play a lilting tune called: "Peace of Mind." Perhaps you've heard the story that's been making the rounds about the young woman who went to a salesperson in a book store and said, "I want that new Book 'A Piece of Your Mind' by Rabbi Sheen."
Well, of course,
there is nothing wrong with peace of mind...whether it be the variety of Bishop
Sheen, Rabbi Liebmann or my good friend Norman Vincent Peale. In its proper
sense, the sense in which Jesus promised it, peace of mind is of tremendous
value. Unfortunately, it has been distorted and even exploited, until this precious
virtue has become a vice.
From
"Peace Of Mind It's Wonderful?"
****
I-86
Again, let me show you what I mean. Suppose the good Lord had so created the
solar system as to be at what someone has called "Heat Peace". That
is, a situation in which every part of the Universe is constantly at the same
degree of temperature. What would happen? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Actually, it would mean death. We could not exist in such a state of intolerable sameness, for if everything was constantly at the same degree, it would then become impossible for us to extract heat energy from one part of the solar system to be used elsewhere for some constructive purpose. And, in the last analysis, we would die. This is the physical counterpart of perfect "peace of mind." Nothing happens. Nothing can happen. This is physical peace or, more accurately, death!
My scientist friends have a humorous puzzle which asks: "How can we prove the temperature of hell is uniform?" And the answer runs something like this: "If the temperature of hell were not the same at every point, then some scientist in hell (and the scientist who told me this story conceded there would probably be plenty of scientists available there) would set up a heat engine which would use this difference in temperature as a means of making energy available. Then this scientist would use this energy to run a refrigeration unit which would cool down some place in hell until it was a comfortable temperature. But, you see, it is contradictory to the basic idea of hell that any spot in it should be comfortable. Thus, one concludes by the classical reductio ad absurdum, that the assumed difference cannot exist. Hell, therefore, is at a uniform temperature."
Now, the important thing to remember in all of this is that the place said to be at perfect physical peace -- that is, uniform and never-changing -- is not heaven, but hell! That's the whole point of the story, and of my sermon. To strive for peace of mind as an end in itself is to ultimately awaken to the fact that you have forsaken heaven and are living in hell.
From "Peace Of Mind
It's Wonderful?"
****
I-87
The Scandinavians have a saying which we would do well to remember in these
days when the 20th century pied pipers seek to lure us with their siren song
called "Peace Of Mind." The Scandinavian saying goes like this: "The
North wind make the Vikings."
These people of sturdy stock did not just happen. They developed through hardship, difficulty, and pain. They would never have gained a reputation as men of strength and valor by scurrying for cover when the wind began to blow. "Good sailors were never made on calm seas."
This is a lesson the church needs to learn. There is a moral flabbiness about a lot of Christians today that is frightening to behold. They clamor for spiritual aspirins. As long as you preach a kind of Phenobarbital religion, they're happy. But, they want nothing of the cross.
From "Peace Of Mind It's Wonderful?"
****
I-88
Peace of Mind -- It's Wonderful? In it's proper place, it is absolutely indispensable,
for it provides the underpinning which enables us to live above the harassments
of life.
But taken out of context -- made an end in itself -- it becomes an opiate which dulls our sensitivities and numbs our conscience. We become satisfied with the state of the world. We become content with the behavior of human kind. The issues of life become lost in the ugly fog of amoralism in which nothing is really black or white, but only various tints of gray. And so, we come at last to a state of mind in which we want nothing more than rest, quiet and freedom from stimulation.
It is then that
this priceless virtue becomes a deadly vice. As such, it is something to be
shunned as we would shun a plague.
For on the day that we lose our restlessness,
On the day we lose our divine dissatisfaction with life on the lower plane,
On the day we are satisfied to give first-rate loyalties to second-rate causes,
On the day we let the church become just one more pot on an already overcrowded
stove,
On the day we become so dull and lazy, so complacent and apathetic, as to be
at peace in a world which is very much at war,
On that day we miss out on heaven and discover we have chosen hell.
"Father, root us out of the rut which is really a premature grave, the
rut of easy, self-centered, complacent living. Show us the meaning of true peace,
the peace that Jesus gives. Fill us with that peace, and then send us forth
to do something for Jesus' sake and ours. Amen."
From "Peace Of Mind
It's Wonderful?"
****
I-131
For a man who didn't start to school until he was 40 years old, Charlemagne
the Great did alright for himself. His initial wealth and power came through
inheriting the kingdom of Franks from his legendary grandfather, Charles Martel.
But he wisely exploited this rather meager beginning and extended that kingdom
from the Baltic to the Mediterranean and from the Atlantic (except Spain) to
the Slavlands.
In so doing, he quite naturally built up something of a reputation as a fearless warrior who performed super-human feats. He became known as the perfect ruler dispensing perfect justice and, as a loyal disciple of the Christian faith, in the year 800, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor of the entire West.
However, like all human beings, Charlemagne had his Achilles heel. In a rather colorful biography, Charles Lamb pokes a gaping hole through the conqueror's otherwise shining armor by showing him to be a thoroughly henpecked husband. In fact, the inference is that his wife, Fastrada, a cruel, conniving woman had something to do with his incessant campaigns to distant lands and the totally uncharacteristic outbreaks of ruthlessness which sometimes possessed him.
It makes a rather fascinating picture, doesn't it? Taken from the angle of a profile, one sees the shadowy outline of a conquering hero. Owner of vast stretches of terrain. Benevolent ruler of uncounted throngs of the earth's population.
But seen from the front, with the shadow torn away, one glimpses the little lines of hate and frustration which had been etched there by the constant harassing of his conniving wife. And, you know that with all of his wealth and power, his pomp and circumstance, he still is human and can be touched by our infirmities.
For Charlemagne
the Great -- Emperor of the West, ruler of half the known world -- is , after
all, a henpecked conqueror.
****
I-132
Mechanical, industrial, economic, and social "progress" have all taken
their toll on Christians, just as they have left their mark upon our entire
culture.
Speed has become the watch word of the hour. The average suburban business person has become captive of the 7:31 and the 5:02. They have been so conditioned that if, on their way to the office on a Monday morning, they miss one opening in the revolving door, they feel they're behind schedule all week.
Fortunes are made and lost and made again overnight. Great ships which once took months to construct are now completed in a matter of a few days. I can still remember sharing in the launching of a 10,000 ton Liberty ship which had been built from the keel up in 96 hours!
This great industrial revolution has contributed to the confusing eruption of population that has beset our metropolitan areas as hordes of people, many unprepared for urban living, descend upon cities like Chicago, looking for economic health and security.
We live in an age of prosperity without precedent, but unfortunately it has been accompanied by self-indulgence without parallel. As a result, the world seems to lack the moral fibre it takes to get off the treadmill.
All around us bewildered, emotionally distraught men and women scurry helter-skelter amid the maddening maze of modern life, searching for that nebulous thing called "success."
And even though the wayside is strewed with glittering gadgets and gaudy accruements, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is often found to be full of iron. And, when the balance is struck, the result of all this struggle hardly seems to be worth the effort. In fact, professor John Bailey contends that: "There is in the life of every person today a sense of failure, a feeling that idealism has collapsed." And because we as Christians must, of necessity, live in this confused and confusing world, we cannot avoid the daily harassment of a complex society.
****
I-133
In the 31st chapter of Genesis, there is the story of Jacob's flight from Laban.
In it, you will remember that Rachel, the wife of Jacob, stole the little heathen
god that belonged to her father, hoping it would bring happiness and prosperity
to her own household.
It was a case of competing loyalty. For a while, Rachel believed in the one true God of Israel, then she floundered in her faith, giving way to the prevailing superstitions of her day. As a result, she was not only guilty of stealing, but of lying. When Laban came looking for the missing idol, Rachel, who had hid them in her camel saddle, claimed to be sick and unable to move, so they could not search her tent. Two grievous sins...lying and stealing...were committed because she fell prey to the siren call of a false loyalty.
****
I-134
Idolatry always leads to other sins. Perhaps that's why the first commandment
is:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."
God knew that when we give our loyalties to the "little gods" of life, we will soon be guilty of lying to ourselves. We seek to argue ourselves into believing our mis-spent loyalties are not mis-spent at all. We attempt to convince ourselves that our lives are counting just as much for God and good as if all our concern and ability were going into the cause of Christ through His church.
Yes, and God also knew that if we sell out to second-rate loyalties, we are soon guilty of stealing too. The stealing, misuse, misappropriation of the precious time, energy and resources which belong to Him.