First Lesson: 1 Samuel 17: (1, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
Responsive Reading: Psalm 9: 9-20
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 4: 35-41

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Let me begin with a story as told by William Bennett[1]. Once upon a time, there was an old man who had lost his wife and now lived all alone.  The man had worked hard every day of his life as a tailor, financial misfortunate though had now left him penniless, and his body was too broken down to keep on working.  His hands trembled to where he could no longer thread a needle and his eyesight had declined where he could no longer properly stitch. The man had three sons who were grown and married. The sons would maybe try to stop in once a week to see their father though if they were busy other things would be given priority.
 
Dad kept declining more and more with every passing month.  His sons felt uncomfortable being around Dad in a declining state, so they kept coming up with excuses as to why they were never able to stop by at all.  Dad began to brainstorm for a solution, he finally after staying up all night thought of a way to bring his sons back around[2].
 
The next morning, he goes to see his friend a local carpenter, he orders a very large chest to be built.  He then goes to see a locksmith to purchase a lock for this chest.  Finally, he goes to see a glassblower and asks for any old, pieces of broken glass that he had lying around his shop[3].
 
The old man brings the chest home, locks it tight, and puts it underneath the kitchen table, so the next time his sons stopped by they couldn’t help but notice it. 
 
“What’s in the chest[4]?” They asked.  “Just some things that I’ve been saving?” said the old man.
 
One of the sons nudged the chest and realized how heavy its contents were, then heard a rattling from all the glass. “It must be all the gold that he’s saved over the years.” They began to whisper to one another.  They decided that they now needed to work together to guard this buried treasure.  They began staying with their father one at a time.  They cooked and cared for him while guarding this treasure[5].
 
Dad eventually grows sick and dies.  The sons decide that because of the treasure they should splurge and give him a very nice funeral.  Immediately after the funeral, they searched the house far and wide for the chest key[6]. 
 
They unlocked the chest and saw the treasure was nothing more than worthless broken, glass.  One son immediately got angry “What a rotten trick[7]!”  Another son realized a lesson in the chest “If it wasn’t for this chest, we would have neglected him until the end of his days[8].”
 
The sons then began to remove all the glass from the chest, at the chest’s very bottom read an inscription “HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER[9].”
 
The sons in our story always thought there was going to be a better time to see their father, whereas their father knew that time was going to be limited.  So Dad needed to do something radical to make his point about the nature of their time[10]. 
 
Today’s lesson comes to us from 2 Corinthians 6[11].  It’s a lesson that deals with the nature of God’s time.
 
Our lesson opens by declaring: “At an acceptable time I listened to you, in a day of salvation I helped you. Behold now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation[12].” 
 
Our lesson deals with the nature of time how God’s timing is different than our own.  Within the scripture, there are two words given for time[13].  The first word is Chronos which refers to the ticking of the clock.  Chronos is the limited number of hours that the old man’s sons had in the day that they prioritized.    Kairos refers to God’s time being very different from our own. 
 
The difference between God’s time and our own was referred to by the Psalmist when he declared: “For a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past.”  The point is how very easy it is for us to misunderstand the value of our time[14].
 
Jim and Lois were traveling when they decided to stop along the road for lunch[15].  After lunch, they were twenty minutes from the diner when Lois makes a realization.  Lois had left her eyeglasses behind at the restaurant.  To make matters worse, they had to drive a way up the road before finding a spot to turn around. 
 
Jim was mad!! He complained the whole drive back about turning around and all the time they were wasting[16].  Lois was relieved when they arrived at the restaurant so that she could get a break from Jim’s constant complaining. 
 
As soon as Lois got out of the car though, Jim had one request for Lois “While you’re in there, you might as well get my hat and credit card.”  [17]
 
Jim is a prime example of someone who didn’t understand the value of his time.  We like Jim often struggle with the meaning of our time.  What our passage for Today reminds us is that what we seek to do with our time is ultimately a matter of faith.
 
Phillip McLarty tells the story of his dad sitting in church one Sunday when the preacher made the following point: “If you don’t like what you’re doing for a living, quit it, and do something else.[18]”
 
While most people would ignore such bold advice, his dad took it seriously.  He had been employed at a Ford dealership for fourteen years and made a decent living.  He was miserable and didn’t see things ever getting better. 
 
So he submits his two-week notice.  He had no prospects for future employment.  His friends thought he was off his rocker.  He had a wife and three young children dependent on his income.  He heard the word of the Lord and that was that[19].
 
Years of struggle go by, but Mr. McLarty starts his own auto repair shop.  The most difficult decision he ever had to make turned out to be the best decision that he ever made.  He understood God’s time, not in the matter of mere days, but rather seasons, and in the words of Ecclesiastes[20].
 
 “For everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die…a time to weep and a time to laugh.”  

God’s timing is different than our own.  God’s timing asks us to expect some situations not to resolve themselves for a very long period.  Longer than we wish or even desire.  Paul speaks of all the things God’s people might endure in the meantime in troubles, hardships and distresses  in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger[21].
 
But if we fail to recognize this the consequences of misunderstanding time can lead to disaster:
 
Let me close with one final story.  Once upon a time, a United States Senator was walking down the street[22].  He gets hit by a truck where he is immediately transported to heaven.  The Senator is greeted by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.  Saint Peter upon his arrival points out “Before you settle in you’re going to have to spend one day in Hell and one day in Heaven.  Then you can choose where to spend eternity.”  Peter immediately transports the Senator to Hell.
 
The door to Hell opens and the Senator sees a beautiful golf course, he then approaches the clubhouse where he sees plenty of his old companions, they play golf, dine on Lobster and drink champagne together.  When the Senator meets the Devil he is charming, funny and an excellent dancer.  The Senator really enjoys his one day in Hell[23].
 
The elevator goes pack up where Saint Peter is waiting for him once again.  The Senator then spends a day in Heaven.  Heaven is nice enough, all sorts of harps playing in the background, and the Senator is perfectly content with his surroundings[24].
 
Saint Peter then takes the Senator aside and asks him where he wishes to spend eternity. The Senator ponders the question before replying: “I would have never said it before. I mean Heaven is delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell.”
 
Saint Peter shrugs the Senator goes back down the elevator what he sees in Hell is not what he had remembered.  Hell is a barren wasteland, covered in garbage, with the occupants covered in hideous rags. 
 
The Devil comes over to greet the Senator.  The Senator says “I don’t understand, yesterday there was a golf course where we ate lobster and danced all night.  Now there’s garbage all over, and everyone is in misery. What exactly happened[25]?
 
The Devil looks at the Senator, smiles and says “Yesterday we were campaigning…Today, you voted[26].”
 
This story makes sense of Paul’s closing words from our lesson how we might seem to have nothing, yet posses everything[27].
 
The Senator’s one day in Hell misled him into making the gravest of errors. Time can often do the same thing in our own lives.  The Apostle Paul proclaims within our lesson: “Now is the day of Salvation.”
 
We struggle as Christian people because even though the Cross changes everything, it doesn’t change things fast enough for our liking.  We struggle to hear that God’s timeframe often fails to match our own.  The course of history belongs to God rather than ourselves! Sometimes like in the case of the lonely old tailor drastic courses of action are required for us to realize this.  As in the case of Jim and Lois and the Diner our impatience is often on great display.  As in the case of the mechanic, Mr. McLarty faith and patience do eventually pay off.
 
Today is the Day of Salvation! Today is the Day of Forgiveness! Today is the Day of God’s Grace being poured over our lives even if these realities will not make sense to us until the Day of Resurrection that is soon to come!  Amen       


[1] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations. 13. Mar.2016. Web. June.5.2018 taken from William Bennett’s The Book of Virtues.
[2] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[3] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[4] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[5] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[6] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[7] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[8] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[9] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[10] Stier, Leon. “No Time for the Old Man.” Email Mediatations.
[11] 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. 
[12] 2 Corinthians 6:2. 
[13] McLarty, Phillip. “What Time Is It?” Sermon Writer. 2014. Web. June.5.2018
[14] Psalm 90:4
[15] Stier, Leon. “A Time to Laugh (A).” Email Mediatations. 5.Oct.2015. Web. June.5.2018. 
[16] Stier, Leon. “A Time to Laugh (A).” Email Mediatations.
[17] Stier, Leon. “A Time to Laugh (A).” Email Mediatations.
[18] McLarty, Phillip. “What Time Is It?” Sermon Writer.
[19] McLarty, Phillip. “What Time Is It?” Sermon Writer.
[20] McLarty, Phillip. “What Time Is It?” Sermon Writer.
[21] 2 Corinthians 6:4b-5. 
[22] Mast, Stan. “2 Corinthians 6:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. 2015. Web. June.5.2018 found on Text Week.
[23] Mast, Stan. “2 Corinthians 6:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[24] Mast, Stan. “2 Corinthians 6:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[25] Mast, Stan. “2 Corinthians 6:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[26] Mast, Stan. “2 Corinthians 6:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[27] 2 Corinthians 6:10b.  

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 15: 34 - 16:13
Responsive Reading: Psalm 20
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10, (11-13), 14-17
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 4: 26-34

Now my Grandma was widowed at the age of 50.  She’s been pretty much single ever since.  According to Grandma, this has not been due to a lack of attention from area gentleman.  Now while Grandma is certainly colorful, she’s never had traditional advantages in dating such as youth, fitness, or steady employment yet none of these things seemingly mattered when it comes to attracting suitors. 

When Grandma was 65, she was convinced a young lawyer fresh out of law school would always get a “twinkle in his eye” whenever he saw her. 

When Grandma was around “70”, she got really upset when our minister who was twenty years her junior hugged her convinced that he had a hidden agenda from his wife.

When Grandma was “75”, I took a trip with her to California.  While waiting for a rental car, Grandma struck up a friendship with a group of Marines.  Pretty soon, Grandma and the Marines were having a grand old time playing cards together.  As Grandma and I approached the car, she turns to me with a big smile to say “I think they kind of liked me.”

Even today approaching “95” later this year while spending her days in a wheelchair, Grandma remains convinced that nearly everyone at her nursing home from residents to administrators cannot possibly resist her charms. Grandma’s confidence will certainly stun others.

Today, I want to talk about what we can learn about our faith from people like my Grandma.

Today’s Lesson to us declares[1] “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body; we are away from the Lord[2].”

Paul within our lesson is writing about one of the greatest conflicts within the Corinthian Church over the meaning of Christ’s Resurrection. The questions raised were:  1. When will our loved ones rise from the dead? 2. Will the wait be worth it?

The importance of Resurrection was central in Paul’s preaching to the Corinthians.

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain"-1st Corinthians 15:13-14.

Here’s what makes Paul’s confidence similar to my Grandma’s.  Paul knew over time human bodies would grow weaker.  The Corinthians would indeed grow more fearful over the future.  The human body does have limitations and decay brought on by  age, strength, sin, and death.  These things though should not be a reason to lose confidence over what lies ahead. 

“For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”-1st Corinthians 15:53. 

The lesson speaks to the source of Paul’s confidence in the Resurrection that is soon to come. So Paul brings up the issue of confidence yet again: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord[3].”

Paul in our lesson expresses that his belief in the Resurrection is so strong that the members of the Corinthian Church can remain confident in spite of the death of their loved ones[4]. What lies ahead is better than anything that we’re encountering on this present day.  The Corinthians can remain confident in spite of any other events that might come their way even Earthquakes.  

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the greatest architects in American history[5].  In 1922, he was approached about a designing a hotel in Japan that would be able to survive an earthquake.  Wright travels to Japan where he sees a site with eight feet of earth to be built upon sixty feet of mud.  Wright decided not that such an earthquake-proof building would be impossible, but rather he needed to be innovative in its design.   Wright built the Imperial Hotel like a ship.  Wright designed the hotel so that if the Earth beneath it moved which he was expecting, then the hotel would travel along with it absorbing minimal damage in the process.  The rooms were built like train cars hinged together, pipes and lines were hung from the ceiling rather than the ground as protection for any Earthquake related fire. 

In 1923, a huge earthquake hits Tokyo. 7.9[6] on the Richter Scale, nearly 140,000 people were killed, fires burned all over the city.  A newspaper reporter calls up Frank Lloyd Wright for comment upon hearing a rumor that his hotel had been destroyed,  Wright told the reporter to print whatever he wanted about the rumor, but be ready to issue a retraction when his hotel survives.  A short time later, Wright receives a telegram declaring “The Imperial Hotel was completely undamaged[7].” The Imperial ended up taking in hundreds of people from all over the city as other structures in Tokyo burned. 

Jesus said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash[8].

Here’s what the story of Frank Lloyd Wright reminds us. We might see all sorts of evidence of forces seeking to devour us.  The ground might seemingly be shaking underneath our feet.  But God’s word will come through in the end because it is solid as a rock.  Just as Christ rose from the dead before the eyes of the disciples, they would soon witness Resurrection’s powers once more. 

Howard Schnellenberger is an American Football coach born in 1934[9].  Schnellenberger was an All-American Football player at the University of Kentucky under the man considered by some to be Football’s greatest Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.  He then advances up the coaching ranks, becoming the Offensive Coordinator for the NFL Miami Dolphins.  In 1972, The Miami Dolphins became the only pro team in the last seventy-five years to never lose a game during the season.

In 1979, Schnellenberger is hired as the Head Coach at the University of Miami.  The University of Miami’s football program was in such rough shape at the time of Schnellenberger's arrival that the administration debated whether to eliminate their college football team due to lack of interest.  Local kids thought the University of Miami was a joke and looked for any excuse to go attend school elsewhere.  Five years after being hired, Schelleneberger and  Miami were the college football national champions.

After moving on from Miami, another opportunity soon presented itself for Schellenberger.  In 1985, his hometown University of Louisville was looking for a football coach[10].  The Cardinals were bad.  The Cardinals didn’t have their own stadium, and the crowds they drew were so small that the school often tried to give away tickets desperately.  The situation was so dire that once again officials were considering dropping the team to a lower level playing smaller schools and investing less money.

A typical coach would have downplayed expectations upon getting the job.  Schnellenberger though was different.  Schnellenberger stands at the podium of his first press conference and declares this team “is on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time[11].” The room grows silent; jaws are dropped on the floor.  A team that had been terrible for years becoming champions, no one should believe such a thing. 

Schnellenberger becomes an object for scorn; only Howard Schnellenberger would end up having the last word.  Six years after his arrival, The Cardinals would go 11-1-1 ending the season with a convincing win over traditional power in Alabama.  Schnellenberger's brash confidence had been backed up as the Cardinals were indeed contenders for a National Championship.  

Schnellenberger had seen things work out for him in college football before and inevitability believed they would do so in the future.  It was the same way for the Apostle Paul as he wrote our lesson.  Paul had seen the Risen Lord upon the Road to Damascus. Paul had seen Christian congregations rise from nothing in places such as Corinth.  Paul had seen Resurrection more than once and believed that it would happen again soon! Paul had reasons for his confidence, and it was not going to waver no matter what. 

Back to the story of my Grandma and her popularity, upon graduating high school, she enrolled at Macalester College right as World War II was breaking out.  Grandma spent one year at Macalester where her claim to fame was a “cheerleader” for the Scots.  Grandma with World War II breaking out received multiple marriage proposals which she considered before saying “yes” to my grandpa Kermit.  Grandma throughout her life never stopped believing that her confidence should be any less than a Macalester cheerleader.  Her age didn’t matter when it came to the previous confidence that she had been given.   

What Paul is saying to us Today is a rehashing of Jesus’ words “Take heart; Do not be afraid[12].” God’s promises are the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.  When we doubt any potential outcome, we look towards the cross.  We look towards the promises of Resurrection that lie ahead.  We are reminded that Resurrection shall eventually overcome all the forces of this world whether being one of the worst teams around, earthquakes, or even old age.  For while we might seemingly be away from the Lord at this very moment, our confidence in Resurrection reminds us that it will not always be so.  Amen
 


[1] 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:6. 
[3] 2 Corinthians 5:8. 
[4] Works, Carla. “Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 [11-13] 14-17.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 17.June.2012. Web. June.4.2018. 
[5] “Confidence.” Bits and Pieces. 7.Jan.1993. PG.11-14. Web. Taken from Sermon Illustrations.
[6] “1923 Great Kantō earthquake.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 15.May.2018. Web. June.4.2018. 
[7] “Confidence.” Bits and Pieces.
[8] Matthew 7:24-27. 
[9] “Howard Schnellenberger.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 28.Mar.2018. Web. June.4.2018. 
[10] Howard Schnellenberger.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[11] Howard Schnellenberger.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[12] Matthew 14:27

First Lesson: Samuel 8: 4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 130
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 4: 13 - 5:1
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 3: 20-35

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Once upon a time, there were two men who I’ll call Larry and John who were both ill and roommates in a hospital in Minneapolis[1].  Larry was allowed to sit up in his bed for one hour each afternoon to get fluid drained from his lungs.  Larry’s bed was next to the room’s only window.  John was required to spend his days lying still on his back.

Larry and John soon became good friends.  They would speak for hours on end about families, jobs, time in service, hobbies, and vacations.  Every afternoon, Larry would describe to John in great detail all that he saw out the window.

The highlight of John’s days was hearing Larry’s descriptions of the outside. 

Larry told John about a lovely park outside[2].  John heard about a lake where ducks and swans floated on the water, and children played with their model boats.  On a nearby path, lovers would walk by holding hands.  Flowers of every color of the rainbow sat in this park with huge trees completing the landscape.  The Minneapolis Skyline could be seen in the distance.  Even Target Field as both Larry and John were huge Twins fans.  John’s eyes would close, and a huge smile would break out on his face as Larry described these scenes. 

One afternoon, Larry even described a parade complete with floats and bands passing by the window.  John was thrilled as he pictured the most fun days of his years growing up when the parade came during his small town’s festival.  

Eventually, though John began to think, He wondered “Why should Larry have all this pleasure, while I never gets to see anything.”

John came to believe that Larry’s window wasn’t fair.  John began to resent Larry more and more with each passing day slowly.  John’s anger caused him to lose sleep at night[3]. 

One night though, John heard Larry start to cough.  It was a violent, unsettling cough[4].  Larry was choking on the fluid in his lungs.  John watched as Larry attempted to reach out to hit his call button, yet never quite hit it.  John never reached for his button.  Five minutes later, Larry’s coughing stopped.  The room was now silent.

The next morning, Larry’s lifeless body is removed from John’s room[5].  Later the next afternoon, John requested to be moved next to Larry’s window.  The nurse agrees to do so.  John gets excited at all the sights that he will now see.  As soon as John’s bed is moved, he props himself up on an elbow for his first look out the magic window.  John anticipates a joy soon coming like he hadn’t encountered in weeks.  As his head starts to turn slowly, he sees that what Larry’s window faced was a blank wall.

Today’s lesson contains some potentially difficult words for us to hear as Christian people.  These words are as difficult as John hearing descriptions day after day of an outside world that he couldn’t see. 

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal[6].”  These are words that the Apostle Paul drives further home in the next chapter when he declares: “For we walk by faith, not by sight[7].”

To understand Paul’s words, you need to know that one of the great conflicts within the Corinthian Church which Paul had previously visited was over the meaning of Resurrection. Believers were growing impatient at Christ not returning quick enough.  They thought Resurrection to be perhaps a hoax no different than the stories that Larry was telling his roommate John about the magical window.

Woody Allen, some years ago, declared: “If only God would give me one solid clue like depositing fifty thousand in my bank account[8].”

Woody Allen’s request though is as old as time itself.  When Moses stood on Mount Sinai he asked God to “Show me your glory[9]?” or “Give me just one good look[10].  Moses had a point if God would do this it would probably straighten out the disobedient Golden-Calf worshipping Israelites. 

In a world where I can look up details from a Vikings game from 1989 on my phone within seconds, not getting direct answers to the biggest questions in the universe can certainly frustrate[11].

Here’s the thing though perhaps the reason that we can’t see God’s face is that God doesn’t exist as we exist.  God doesn’t exist merely in material and visible ways.  Faith calls us to trust in invisible realities even when we’d like fifty-thousand dollars placed directly into our bank account. 

Martin Niemoller was born in Germany in 1892[12].  In World War I, he was a U-Boat officer in the German Navy.  Upon the completion of the War, Niemoller returned to school to become a Lutheran Pastor.  Niemoeller was a vocal opponent of the Weimar Republic set up in Germany in World War I’s wake[13].  Niemoeller was at first open-minded to Hitler’s opposition to the Weimar Republic.  He quickly came to see the Nazi Party’s agenda incompatible with his Christian faith.  Niemoller became a founder of a German resistance movement eventually becoming involved in the founding of the Confessing Church with Dietrich Bonhoeffer[14]. In 1937, Martin Niemoller was arrested.  He would spend the next seven years of his life in prison seemingly facing imminent execution. Niemoller could smell burning human flesh from his prison cell[15].  Years later, Niemoller was asked how he could survive all those days in prison while maintaining not only his sanity but also his faith.  

Niemoller replied that we do not know how much we can survive until our tests ultimately come.  “If God dwells in your life, you can stand far more than you think[16].”

All Niemoller could do spending day after day in a prison cell was cling to hope that what he could not see was ultimately more powerful than anything he had seen.  The following belief is what it means to walk by “faith” and not by “sight.”

Author W.P. Kinsella writes the novel Shoeless Joe which was eventually made into a very popular movie called Field of Dreams.

Shoeless Joe tells the story of a struggling Iowa corn farmer named Ray Kinsella.  Kinsella loved two things in the world his family; wife Annie and daughter Karin plus the game of Baseball.  One day while out in the fields, Ray hears a voice almost as if from on high declare “If you build it, he will come[17].”

Ray and Annie discuss the voice which provides no clarity as to what Ray is exactly supposed to build nor who will come.  Ray builds a baseball field in the middle of his corn crop.  For a struggling farmer, this would seem to be an act of foolishness.  Building a baseball field was the boldest act of faith a corn farmer can imagine, especially with a mortgage due.

Following through on any act of faith was not going to be easy as we don’t always control our own future.  Ray can merely be guided by promise that his faith will be given a eventual meaning. 

Pretty soon though faith gives way to sight as appearing on Ray’s field is Baseball’s legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson.  The rest of the book has Ray hearing more voices “ease his pain” “go to the distance.” Leading Ray on a pair of cross-country journeys to bring redemption and healing to those who didn’t think it was possible. 

When Ray Kinsella first heard a voice, he saw merely a cornfield, yet he would soon come to see there was something beyond the cornfield that would eventually gather people from far and wide to have their lives changed.    

The Apostle Paul would write to the Corinthian Church earlier in his ministry[18]: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known[19].”

Ray Kinsella’s cornfield would reunite him with his Baseball playing father[20].  A strange voice would turn into a manifest reality before his very eyes. 

We can probably relate to Ray Kinsella or John dreaming about Larry’s window.  We wonder why doesn’t the Holy Spirit speak more clearly to us[21]? Why can’t God make his intentions clear? Why don’t we get $50,000 placed in our bank account?  Why can’t we see God’s face?

Here’s why we do walk by faith and not by sight? God knows more than we can ever fathom.  God knows more about sin, grace, heaven, hell, death, and resurrection.  We see the Cross as God’s ending when in reality it is merely the beginning.  We see the temporary on this day, but we cannot see the eternal.  The good news is our God can see both the temporary and the eternal. 

Larry could see many wonderful things out his hospital room window; John merely saw an empty wall.  As people of faith like Larry, we are called not to cling to the temporary windows we see on this day, but rather the great eternal hope given to all God’s people.  Amen


[1] The following is a reimagining of a story told by AuthorUnknown posted on Stories for Preaching retrieved on May, 29, 2018. 
[2] Author Unknown. “The Window.” Stories for Preaching. Web. May.29.2018. 
[3] Author Unknown. “The Window.” Stories for Preaching.
[4] Author Unknown. “The Window.” Stories for Preaching.
[5] Author Unknown. “The Window.” Stories for Preaching.
[6] 2 Corinthians 4:18. 
[7] 2 Corinthians 5:7
[8] Bowen, Gilbert. “Life by the Invisible.” Sermon Writer. 2005. Web. May.29.2018. 
[9] Exodus 33:18. 
[10] Bowen, Gilbert. “Life by the Invisible.” Sermon Writer.
[11] Bowen, Gilbert. “Life by the Invisible.” Sermon Writer.
[12] “Martin Niemoeller.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 7. May.2018. Web. May.29.2018. 
[13] Martin Niemoeller.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[14] Martin Niemoeller.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[15] Bowen, Gilbert. “Secularism: The Subtle Enemy.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. May.29.2018. 
[16] Bowen, Gilbert. “Secularism: The Subtle Enemy.” Sermon Writer.
[17] Huston, Jeffrey. “Why ‘Field of Dreams’ Is the Best Christian Parable in Movie History.” On Faith. Web. May.29.2018. 
[18] King, David. A. “Field of Dreams’ shines in the light of faith.” Georgia Bulletin. 19.May.2017. Web. May.29.2018. 
[19]1st Corinthians 13:12. 
[20] Wahl, Keith. “Field of Dreams - The Journey of Faith.” Complete Game Ministries. 30.Nov.2017. Web. May.29.2018. 
[21] Huston, Jeffrey. “Why ‘Field of Dreams’ Is the Best Christian Parable in Movie History.” On Faith.

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10, (11-20)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 4: 5-12
Gospel Lesson: Mark 2: 23- 3:6

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“The world is mysteriously full of suffering.” But he also said, “The world is mysteriously full of the overcoming of suffering…overcoming which leads to life[1].”- Albert Schweizer

Let me begin by telling you the story of a woman named Nadia[2].  While Nadia grew away far from here, Nadia’s experiences aren’t that uncommon.  Nadia grew up in a family of six.  Her father never showed her any love as a child.  Nadia viewed her dad, not as a loving father but rather a stern judge.  Nadia’s dad was physically and emotionally abusive to both his wife and all of his children.  Nadia witnessed her mom being beaten to within an inch of her life[3].  Nadia understood her mom endured this as a means of protecting her children.  Nadia witnessed her brothers fleeing from her dad out of sheer terror and despair fearing the same.  Nadia’s family had heard plenty of religious messages over the years, yet the outcomes with her father remained the same.

Nadia eventually leaves her home and moves far, far away[4].  She tried to come to terms with her faith.  She could never wrap her head around how a God above though could be a loving father.  Nadia lived every day of her life overwhelmed with negative views of the men she encountered.  Nadia one day prayed to God to take her life.  What ends up happening to Nadia, we’ll get back to her story in just a little bit.

Today’s Lesson comes to us from the Life of the Apostle Paul[5].  We’ll be looking at Paul’s life and ministry in greater depth this Summer.

Paul had grown up Saul; Saul had what could be described as a comfortable life of power and prestige.  One day while walking on the Road to Damascus, Saul’s life gets turned upside down[6].  Saul converts from the Church’s greatest enemy to its greatest evangelist. 

Saul had not only come to believe that Jesus is Lord! Paul came to the belief that life came from death, purpose comes from pain, and suffering shall lead to eventual joy.  So as Saul becomes Paul, he endures Malaria, shipwreck, and arrest.  As hardship keeps coming Paul’s way day after day, he never despairs[7]. 

Today’s lesson comes to us from the Book of 2 Corinthians[8].  Paul begins our lesson by talking about a great treasure coming in “jars of clay” that we shall soon inherit.  Paul speaks of this treasure coming in the very things that seemingly can easily break. 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed[9].”

How exactly does this work? How do we receive treasure though in clay jars?

Margaret O’ Rourke Gaffney was born in Ireland in 1813[10].  Gaffney’s family was poor at a time when Ireland was poor in the country due to British rule and summer famine.  When Margaret was five, her family immigrated to America.  Conditions were so harsh on board her ship; everyone was only allowed one cracker a day to try to survive on.  Her family eventually settles in Baltimore.  At the age of 9, a yellow fever wave hits the city leading to Margaret losing both per parents and becoming an orphan.  When things seemingly couldn’t get any worse, her older brother abandoned her, leaving her homeless at the age of 9.  Margaret eventually gets taken by a woman of Welsh ancestry to work as a servant and washwoman.  Margaret never learned to read or write on account of never receiving a formal education.

Margaret at the age of 21, gets married to a man named Charles Haughery (how-er-ree)[11]. They would soon move to New Orleans.  Charles though was sick as the couple had their first child Frances.  Charles Haughery would die a short time after Frances’ birth, and Frances would die a short time later.  Margaret lost her entire family for the second time in her life at 23.  Margaret could merely remark: “My God! Thou hast broken every tie: Thou hast stripped me of all. Again I am all alone[12].”

It was the loss of Charles and Frances that would forever change Margaret’s course in life.

Margaret was going to dedicate her life to the causes of the poor, widowed, and orphaned[13].  Margaret went to work ironing clothes nearby an orphanage.  When she got paid her meager wages, she would give a generous portion to this orphanage.

She then began working full-time in the orphanage, when the orphans would run out of food, Margaret would give every cent to her name to provide for them.  Margaret eventually got started trying to raise money for them; she raised so much money, several new orphanages opened in New Orleans. Margaret becomes an orphanage administrator.

As an administrator, she eventually reveals herself to be a brilliant businesswoman: she purchased cows and made enough distributing dairy throughout the city that the orphans were nourished, and the orphanages were soon debt free[14].  She eventually becomes a bread baker turning her into a rich woman.  She came to be known as the “Bread Woman of New Orleans.” Margaret saw to it that this bread ended up in the hands of any destitute who needed it. 

As the Civil War raged in New Orleans, Margaret found a new generation of orphans to support through her bread making.  After the Civil War, Margaret became one of the most renowned people in the city with people from all walks of life coming to her for advice.  Margaret throughout her lifetime gave away over $600,000 for New Orleans’ widowed, poor, and orphaned.  This money would be worth over 15 million dollars Today.  Margaret died in 1882.  She was so renowned throughout the city that she was given a state funeral.  Upon her death, due to her thriftiness including only owning two dresses, she was able to leave her entire vast estate to fund New Orleans’ orphanages further.

In the wake of Margaret’s death, a monument was built in the city to honor her legacy.  The monument read: “She was a mother to the motherless; she was a friend to those who had no friends; she had wisdom greater than schools can teach; we will not let her memory go from us[15].”  Many Catholics today believe because of her efforts, she deserves being declared a “saint.”  Margaret today remains one of the most prominent regarded people in New Orleans’ history[16]. 

Margaret Haughery’s life is the greatest of testimonies to receiving treasures in clay jars of becoming an orphan, abandoned by her brother, working hard-thankless jobs, yet all these things eventually revealing itself in a greater purpose.  Margaret’s life reminds us that as fragile and broken as we might be.  God can find treasure in the lowliest clay jars of life even upon a cross. 

“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake[17].”
How God shines through our broken lives for the sake of our Gospel.  How even certain death has ways of bringing about Resurrection. 

Jesus was hanging upon the Cross when he cried out what we maybe cried out a time or to throughout our life. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me[18]?”  It was in Christ being forsaken that God’s greatest of promises would be known[19]. 

As Paul concludes our lesson for Today: “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you[20].”

What ends up happening to Nadia, who was contemplating taking her own life[21]?  Nadia decides against killing herself as not to shame her mother.  Nadia then encounters a woman from back home.  The woman admits that she is a non-believer but that her daughter’s life had been changed upon an encounter no different than Saul becoming Paul with the Risen Lord.  Nadia decides to attend a church near her home.  Nadia has her Damascus Road salvation experience, like the Apostle Paul her life was forever transformed.
Nadia began to see men in a new way, she no longer saw them as her mortal enemy but rather as forgiven sinners[22]. 

Nadia’s previous suffering began to lead to a newfound sense of joy. As Nadia begins to encounters a “new” loving heavenly father, she began to forgive her own “dad” slowly[23].

Nadia began to travel home more frequently.  Nadia’s father at first seemed beyond hope of redemption.  He left Nadia’s mom for a woman who was Nadia’s age.  Her mother’s tortuous marriage had ended with unimaginable shame.   Nadia though refused to give up on her father[24].

Nadia’s dad eventually gets a diagnosis of terminal cancer.  His new wife leaves him.  Nadia’s mom cares for him when no one else would dare.  Nadia reaches out to him, yet again in the days before his death.  Nadia tells him the story of Jesus and the Thief at the Cross “How it is never too late to receive God’s forgiveness.  Nadia’s dad cries out for forgiveness as he grabs her mother’s hand[25].  The story of Nadia’s father shows us no matter how dark a path might be in this life; the cross ultimately changes everything. 

Saul of Tarsus was a man much like Nadia’s father.  He was a man who persecuted the Christian Church and lashed out at those around him.  Saul becoming a “Christian” seems too unbelievable to hear, even as unbelievable as the worst father in the world.  The Cross does change everything.  The Cross gives meaning to sin and suffering.  The Cross gives hope.  Saul becomes Paul.  Paul proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the whole wide world.  The stories of Nadia, Margaret of New Orleans, and Paul remind us that Grace continually comes to us in the most unlikely of places.  Amen


[1] Bowen, Gilbert. “Down But Never Out.” Sermon Writer. 2003. Web. May.22.2018
[2 Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father” Eternal Pespective Ministries 18.May.2018. Web. May.22.2018.  Taken from  Email Mediatations.
[3] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[4] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[5] 2 Corinthians 4:5-12
[6] Acts 9:1-31. 
[7] Bowen, Gilbert. “Down But Never Out.”
[8] 2 Corinthians 4:5-12
[9] 2 Corinthians 4:7-8. 
[10] “Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 29.Jan.2018. Web. May.26.2018.
[11] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[12] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
[13] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[14] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[15] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[16] Margaret Haughery.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
[17] 2 Corinthians 4:5.
[18] Mark 15:34.
[19] Malcolm, Lois. “Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:5-12.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 3.June.2018. Web. May.28.2018. 
[20] 2 Corinthians 4:12.
[21] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[22] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[23] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[24] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.
[25] Nadia (Psedouymn). “I Couldn’t Call God Father.” Eternal Pespective Ministries.