First Lesson: Acts 8: 26-40 Responsive Reading: Psalm 22: 25-31 Second Lesson: 1 John 4: 7-21 Gospel Lesson: John 15: 1-8 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Once upon a time in a town not unlike this one sat a husband and wife that you could very well know. On this day came a knock upon the door[1]. The husband and wife weren’t expecting any company. Standing before them was a gentleman that neither of them had ever seen before. He looked tired and road weary like he hadn’t been home for months. The husband confused at the stranger’s presence asks “What can we do for you?” The gentleman then proceeded to ask “Does God live here?” The husband and wife were stumped, he wasn’t dressed like a Mormon, he had no literature in front of him like a Jehovah Witness, and he had no reason to know what they believed or where they went to church. The wife then asks “What exactly do you want?” The gentleman replied again “Does God live here?” The husband gets mad and begins to walk away; he orders the wife to slam the door in the man’s face. The husband keeps on fuming, “Doesn’t he know that we attend Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church” every Sunday[2]. To which the wife began to correct him “His question wasn’t whether we go to church?” She reminded him, he asked, “Does God live here?” They began to further reflect on the stranger’s question. Finally, the wife spoke up “Dear, yes God does live here. We might be busy day after day. We might not always be the perfect Christians like when we slammed the door in that man’s face. Behind all this, we believe that Our Lord’s Gospel is at the center of our faith. We believe that we shall abide in our faith because our Lord promises to abide with us[3].” The husband spoke up “We might not be wealthy in this world. Our lives certainly have had their share of difficulties with kids and marriage and jobs. But through it, all God’s promises to us never waver. God’s word shall abide through the end[4]?” Does God live here? Does God live within our own lives? Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from John 15[5]. The key word that keeps coming up again and again in our lesson is “abide.” What exactly does it mean to abide in Jesus as the husband and wife talked about in the previous story? Abiding is a word that constantly appears in John’s Gospel[6]. John uses it to describe the mutual love dwelling inside of us. How we love Christ because he first loved us[7]. John uses abiding to speak of the points and moments of our lives where God’s love is most clearly made known[8]. Samuel Timothy McGraw better known as Tim was born in 1967[9]. McGraw is one of the most successful country music superstars of all-time. He has seen ten albums and twenty-five singles reach the top of the Country Music charts[10]. In 2004, he wrote perhaps his most important song for the sake of our Gospel Lesson. McGraw wrote a song titled “Live Like You Were Dying[11].” McGraw based the song on conversations with a friend of his who had received a seemingly fatal diagnosis of a lung condition while still a young man in his early 40’s. This diagnosis had given the man a whole new perspective on his life when he thought of life regarding months rather than decades to live like before. The song tells the story of McGraw’s friend describing the impact of his diagnosis. It was released shortly after the death of McGraw’s father Tug[12]. The song asks “What do you do when you get news that your life has changed on a dime.” The song begins by describing fun activities to do like sky-diving and rocky mountain climbing knowing that your days are numbered. As the song goes on though, it gets deeper and more spiritual[13]. To quote McGraw: “I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying. I finally was the husband that most of the time I wasn’t, and I became a friend a friend would like to have, and all of a sudden, goin’ fishin’ wasn’t such an imposition, and I went three times that year I lost my dad. Well, I finally read the Good Book, and I took a good long hard look, at what I’d do if I could do it all again; And he said, someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying[14].” The song asks what we do when confronted with the prospect of pending death? Jesus within our Gospel lesson says “If anyone does not abide in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned[15].” We hear this verse and picture a warning against hell. Like Tim McGraw what this verse seeks to address is confronting death. For it is only in Christ that we have any hope in death. How the Cross of Christ points to an abiding place even beyond the grave itself[16]. I want to close this morning with the story of one of the most remarkable Christians that you’ve maybe never heard. A gentleman whose story shows us what it truly means to abide to the end. Joseph M. Scriven was born in Ireland in 1819[17]. Scriven grew up the son of wealthy parents. Scriven’s life seems to be going along great. He graduated college in 1842. He seems destined for a career as a school-teacher. He is scheduled to marry his childhood sweetheart in 1843. The day before the wedding, Scriven’s life would turn on a dime. He and his finance were scheduled to meet down along the banks of the local river[18]. She arrives first, her horse gets startled, she was bucked, thrown into the river, knocked unconscious, and drowned moments before Joseph Scriven arrived[19]. Scriven has to be a witness to her body being recovered from the river. Upon seeing her deceased corpse, all he could comment was “The bottom of my world seemed to disappear[20].” Scriven is so heartbroken by her loss that he decides he could no longer stay in his native Ireland. He would see her memory every place that he looked. He decides to move to a small-town in Ontario, Canada[21]. Scriven decides to dedicate his life to helping others in need especially the sick and poor. Scriven develops a reputation as the local Good Samaritan. He was known for being willing to do anything for anyone especially chop wood[22]. To give you an idea of the type of man that Joseph Scriven was one day two businessmen saw Scriven walking and carrying his saw. One of the businessmen said that’s the type of guy that I would like to hire to chop my wood. The other businessman began to shake his head “I know that man. He would not cut your firewood. He cuts wood only for the financially destitute and for those who are physically handicapped and cannot cut their own firewood[23].” Scriven's philosophy was that he would only help those who couldn’t reimburse him to serve as an example of God’s grace. In 1857, Scriven appeared on the verge of finally getting married. While working as a tutor, he met a young woman. They got engaged to be married. Shortly before the wedding, his second finance contracted pneumonia. Just like his first finance, she would die the day before their wedding[24]. Scriven though continually retained hope in life regardless of any devastating pain he endured. When his mother got ill back in Ireland, he wrote a poem whose words he hoped would serve her as a source of comfort. Scriven never expected that the poem would be seen by anyone other than him or his mother. One day though Scriven grows ill, a friend comes to help care for him and discovers Scriven’s seemingly long-lost poem[25]. Scriven is asked if he wrote the poem to which he replied: “The Lord and I did it between us[26].” Scriven’s poem begins to spread especially becoming a favorite of well-known evangelist D.L. Moody. Perhaps you’ve heard it: “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Joseph Scriven would die in 1886. The legacy of his testimony even after enduring the greatest of trials lives on. What the story of Joseph Scriven reminds us of is the point of Our Gospel lesson. Jesus abides with us even as those moments when we do not feel like it is so. Jesus speaks these words of promise on the night before his crucifixion[27]. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”-John 15:13. Jesus’ friendship was most ultimately made known upon the cross[28]. This friendship is sustained in all our imperfection and despair. It is the one friendship in life that is not conditional of our circumstances, but rather unconditional. Our Lord will abide with us to the end through getting annoyed with strangers knocking on our doors through cancer diagnosis, through lost loves, and ultimately through our graves. Amen [1] The following is based on Zingale, Tim. “Are You Attached?” Sermon Central. 3. June.2003. Web. Apr.23.2018. [2] Zingale, Tim. “Are You Attached?” [3] Zingale, Tim. “Are You Attached?” [4] Zingale, Tim. “Are You Attached?” [5] John 15:1-8. [6] Stamper, Meda, “John 15:1-8 Commentary.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 3.May.2015. Web. Apr.23.2018. [7] 1 John 4:19. [8] Stamper, Meda. “John 15:1-8 Commentary.” [9] McGraw, Tim. “Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 20. Apr.2018. Web. Apr.23.2018. [10] McGraw, Tim. “Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. [11] “Live Like You Were Dying.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 3.Mar.2018. Web. Apr.2018. [12] Live Like You Were Dying.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia [13] Stier, Leon. “Abide in Me (part three of three). Email Mediatations. 6. May.2015. Web. Apr.23.2018. [14] Stier, Leon. “Abide in Me (part three of three).” [15] John 15:6. [16] Stier, Leon. “Abide in Me (part three of three). [17] Scriven, Joseph. M. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 15. Dec.2017. Web. Apr.23.2018. [18] “The Story Behind the Hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.” YouTube. 27.Jan.2012. Web. Apr.21.2018 published by jmose1009. [19] The Story Behind the Hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.” YouTube. [20] The Story Behind the Hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.” YouTube. [21] The Story Behind the Hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.” YouTube. [22] The Story Behind the Hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.” YouTube. [23] Brenneman, David. “The Story Behind the Hymn’ What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ “ Stuarts Draft and Retirement Community and Christian Homes. 28. Oct.2013. Web. Apr.23.2018. [24] Hall, Sharon. “Hymnspiration: What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” Digging History. 17.Jan.2015. Web. Apr.21.2018. [25] Hall, Sharon. “Hymnspiration: What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” [26] Hall, Sharon. “Hymnspiration: What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” [27] Habben, Daniel. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Sermon Central. 22. May.2006. Web. Apr.23.2018 [28] Habben, Daniel. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Comments are closed.
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