First Lesson: Acts 7: 55-60 Responsive Reading: Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16 Second Lesson: 1 Peter 2: 2-10 Gospel Lesson: John 14: 1-14 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Hunter Adams was born in Washington D.C. in 1945[1]. Hunter Adams lost his Dad to a heart attack as a teenager. He was bullied in High School. Hunter lost his closest uncle to Suicide. Hunter dropped out of college in 1964 after being dumped by his girlfriend. Hunter’s mind became obsessed with his loneliness and felt he would be happier dead. Hunter eventually tells his Mom that she better check him into a mental hospital or else[2]. Hunter described his early life as “being caught in a snowstorm so blinding that you could walk in circles for days and not even know it. You are incredibly tired and no one is answering your cries for help. How small can you feel? How far away from home can you be[3].” “Home is both where you are from as well as your destination[4].” What ended up happening to Hunter Adams as he tried to find his way home in the midst of life’s snowstorms, I’ll get back to his story in a little bit. Today’s Gospel lesson contains some of the most famous words in the New Testament. “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”-John 14:2 Here’s the background for this passage. Jesus knew that he was about a week away from being arrested and his eventual journey to the grave. Jesus figures that he needs to get the Disciples ready for this event. Jesus wanted them to have the right attitude as they witness his arrest, and execution. To do this, Jesus wants them to focus not on the present but rather the future. Jesus knew that the Disciples would worry about the future as soon as Jesus was no longer with them. Jesus wanted to ease their future fears. Jesus wanted the Disciples to know what he was getting ready for them was way better than anything they have seen or could imagine. William Montague Dyke was ten years old when he was blinded in an accident[5]. William’s disability was not an obstacle to his success. William graduated university with highest honors where he met a woman to whom he was soon engaged. While engaged, William Montague Dyke had eye surgery[6]. The eye surgery had a catch if it failed he would be permanently blind, but if it succeeded, he would finally be able to lay his eyes on his bride. After surgery, William had an odd request; he wanted to keep the bandages over his eyes until the day of his wedding. He wanted the first person that he saw to be his new bride. While he had no evidence that he could see, he wanted to wait. William Montague Dyke’s wedding day arrives[7]. Bandages cover William’s eyes. Pretty soon, the bride’s wedding march begins to play. At this point, the eye surgeon cut William’s bandages. The room was dead silent. Then they hear William proclaim “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.” What Jesus is saying to the Disciples is do not dread the events of the week ahead, because what lies ahead is more beautiful than you could ever imagine. You might be blind today, but soon you shall see. In many ways, we might be like Jesus’ disciples when hearing what lies ahead. We might want to be with Jesus, but we realize that there is a tension involved[8]. We don’t want to leave this world behind before we achieve our goals, before we see our grandkids married, or before for some of us, we see the Minnesota Vikings win a Super Bowl. We struggle to leave this world behind for what we might miss in life. Perhaps in many ways, our apprehension about Heaven has to do with our misunderstandings of it. As Steve Molin points out “The world’s theology tells us that we have 60 or 70 or 80 years to sufficiently impress God with our goodness, and if we do right, we will earn heaven[9].” What Jesus is assuring us is our path is not the way to heaven, there is instead one way to heaven instead. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”-John 14:6 Last Friday Night, Silver Bay had their prom. Some girls started working on their hair at 9 A.M. on Friday Morning to get ready for a 6:00 PM Grand March. Kids had been waiting for weeks or years to attend prom. After the prom, Afterprom takes place at the Arena. Prizes, games, and parents fill the Arena with the desire to make the night as special as possible for the kids. They needed a chaperone for the late night shift (2-5 AM), so I get to the Arena about 2 AM. The kids are dead-tired, half of them are sleeping on the floor or in the ball tent. The ones awake comment on how tiring it had been to be up since 5 in the morning. Even kids eventually need sleep, before awakening to New Life. Morning from the darkness of this world is the promise of Resurrection that Jesus is giving to his Disciples today. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8 declares “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us[10].” Earlier, I told the story about Hunter Adams checking into the mental institution. Did Hunter Adams never escape the snowstorm that afflicted him? Hunter Adams at the mental institution comes across all sorts of people like him and it forever changes him. Hunter begins making friends with the other patients, he begins making them laugh, and Hunter Adams decides that he’s going to get out of the mental institution with the goal of becoming a doctor. Hunter Adams does become a Doctor. People best know Hunter Adams by his nickname “Patch.” Patch Adams had a popular movie made about his life starring Robin Williams and today is one of the most well-known voices in American medicine. Patch Adams’ story reminds us that we can never let the pain of our “now” overwhelm the promise of our “not yet.” Jesus within our Gospel lesson is letting the Disciples know that pretty soon Resurrection will change absolutely everything. Tim Zingale, tells the following story[11]. One time a preacher was flying on a plane. Pretty soon, the preacher hears a bump. Then coming overhead flashes “Fasten your seat belts.” During the flight, the turbulence keeps getting worse and worse. The passengers are getting more and more apprehensive. Rain started coming; thunder could be heard roaring across the sky, lightning started flashing seemingly right out the window. The wind kicked up to a point; the plane felt like it was being tossed around the air. Pretty soon people began praying and calling on the Lord’s name to bring them to safety. On this flight, there was one strange, little girl[12]. The whole flight she sat in her seat in the very same position, her feet never even moved as the plane was tossed around the sky, she kept casually reading her book. The child wasn’t even flinching no matter how scary the flight became. The minister was shocked at what he saw. The plane eventually touches down safely. The minister decides to talk to the little girl and find out why she remained so calm during the flight. The girl replied: “Sir, my Dad is the pilot, and he promised to take me home[13].” What Jesus is saying today is similar to what the pilot said to the little girl that no matter how turbulent your life shall become, I promise that I will take you home.” There will certainly be times when this is hard to grasp. It was hard to grasp for Patch Adams before he checked into the mental institution, it was hard to grasp as William Montague Dyke lost his eyesight, and it will be hard to grasp as we like the Silver Bay High Schoolers run out of energy in the middle of the night. Here’s what I want to assure you of though. In the storms of life, the promises of Resurrection are such that they assure us that the best is always yet to come. The final story[14], once upon a time there was a lady who had received a terminal diagnosis and told she had less than three months to live. She decides that she needs to then plan her funeral with her pastor. They discuss the normal things: songs and scripture readings. Finally, right before the pastor left, the woman said, “I’ve got something very important to tell you.” The woman then declared “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor was stumped[15]. The woman begins to explain, how she sat through meal after meal at the church and as soon as we put plates away, someone would always say “Keep your fork.” These words were a reminder that dessert was soon to be served, whether it was chocolate cake or apple pie. So when people see my in the casket and they wonder “what’s with the fork, then you can tell them …”The best is yet to come.” The pastor began to tear up as he heard the powerful promise of what lies ahead in this lady’s sermon. So on the day of the lady’s funeral people kept asking “What’s with the fork?” The pastor just kept smiling. The pastor explained the fork during the sermon, and no one there ever forgot it[16]. So as Jesus in Our Gospel Lesson is getting ready to leave this world behind, he promises his disciples that no matter what they see, “Don’t worry the best is yet to come.” Amen. [1] “Patch Adams.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.4.May.2017. Web. May.8.2017. [2] Additional background information can be found on the Chasing the Frog website accessed on May.8.2017. [3] Ruffcorn, Kevin. “I Am The Way, The Truth And The Life.” Sermon Central.com. 17.Feb.2006. Web. May.8.2017 [4] Ruffcorn, Kevin. “I Am The Way, The Truth And The Life.”. [5] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102 taken from Kent Crockett.com on May.8.2017. [6] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity. [7] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity. [8] Alcorn, Randy. “Six Questions about Heaven.” EPM.org blog published on 30.Oct.2016. Web. May.8.2017. taken from Leon Stier’s Email Meditations on May.8.2017. [9] Molin, Steve. “Speaking of Death.” Sermon Writer.com. 2008. Web. May.8.2017. [10] Romans 8:18. [11] Zingale, Tim. “Life.” Sermon Central.com. 18. Apr.2005. Web. May.8.2017. [12] Zingale, Tim. “Life.” [13] Zingale, Tim. “Life.” [14] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.” Web. May.8.2017 taken from Unknown source. [15] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.” [16] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.” Comments are closed.
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