23 Help!

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"HELP!"

Do you believe that God has a plan for your life? If so, do you
know what it is, and if you know what it is, are you doing it?!
When Jeremiah was just a young lad, God spoke to him. Jeramiah
was growing up surrounded by priests - as part of a family of priests in a
town that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. Perhaps it was not surprising
that God spoke to him - or does God speak to all of us?
God speaks to all of us! How do we hear God speak? Jeremiah
puts it this way - "The Lord's message came to me" That describes
the process perfectly. It says that deep within you is - shall we say - the
gnawing presence of God's Spirit which nibbles persistently at your
conscious self to make Itself heard. We all have it. Some listen better
than others.
To those who listen, God's plan for them begins to take form. So
while you're going about your daily routine as a business man or woman,
- as a father - as a mother, you should go about with a secret mischievious
smile knowing that you are pursuing your task as God's helper. as your
main job! It's like you're a double agent - you do what everyone expects
you to do but you have another life entirely - a life in the Spirit. You have
learned life's secret - that you are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit that
temporarily has a body attached to it - which one day you will shed like a
butterfly emerging from a cocoon.
On my last cruise which was so long ago it has faded into the
misty past, I went to yet another "Butterfly World" - I guess I like to go
to them because there you see the impossible happen - this incredible
beautiful etherial like body comes out of a silent, death-colored mass of
nothingness. It's unbelievable!
God has an unblieveable life mapped out for you and as you enter
into the exciting, challenging, fulfilling reality of that life, if you give conscious
attention to what God is saying to you from within yourself. Just as Jesus
said, The Kingdom of God is within you. You are so much more than
you know yourself to be!
When God's voice first surfaced in the boy, Jeremiah, telling him
that he would be a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah said: "Hey! Wait a
minute, God. I am just a boy! Get real!" (We are always telling God
how off base He Is!)
You see who you are now. God sees who you can become and
what you can do. God sees what is essential for your life. Unfortunately
what is essential for our lives is often invisible to OUR eyes - that's why
we come here to the mystery of this place where God shares the essentials
- where we catch a vision of where we came from, where we're going
and what we are to do while here. Let me illustrate as is my custom!
I'm a Katy Couric fan and I TIVO her news report each weeknight.
One thing I like about it is that each Friday they have a human interest
story about people who are doing interesting things. - I believe it's called
Eye on America. The audience picks one of three options for each week
. The one chosen for this week, like our Scripture lesson this week,
involved a young lad . The young boy featured this week lamented
that no one was doing anything to restore the parks of New Orleans from
the devastation left by the hurricane. A big problem was that the grass
was growing wild and unkempt. So this young man - I don't remember
his name - began to mow. After all, the park covered only thirteen acres!
Who would start that knowing how big the job was? Only a kid with
good in his Spirit and grit in his constitution - and smarts. He soon
recruited other mowers - one I saw came with a ride-on mower.
Collectively they are known as the Mow Rons. But there is nothing
moronic about them, for they have listened to the still small voice within
them and they have begun to walk the path outlined for them. God said,
HELP! and they responded. They asked,
Who?" and God said, "You!"
What we do for God is also good for us. A recent study shows
that after just one week of volunteering - volunteers found that their degree
of happiness skyrocketed. Doing what we are designed to do releases
chemicals in our bodies that make our lives rich and full - the scientists
conducting the study verified that.
Lining oneself up with Good is lining oneself up with God. Lining
oneself up with God is what I call "Lining Onceself Up With the Universe"
- going WITH the grain of the Universe - a much smoother ride. Anyone
of any faith can do it - even a person without any - though that would put
them in great danger of getting some!
So each morning I want you to say to yourself - "That darned
Reverend said that I am first and foremost a Spirit. I know what
my body is going to do today - that's pretty well prescribed - but
what is my Spirit going to do? What small or large Divine missions
can my Spirit accomplish today? What mischief can IT get into -
what incredibly beautiful, etherial miracles can come out of one
seemingly ordinary day?"
(Don't say any more than that, or you won't have any time to DO
anything!)
I mowed grass when I was a kid, but my motives were not altruistic.
I wanted the money so I could buy things - one of the first things was a
record player so I could listen to classical records - I especially liked
opera and had quite a few Caruso recordings and Mario Lanza's too. My
older brother, Duane, ridiculed my choice of music. His comments about
how opera singers sound will definitely not preach! But just about then,
he discovered his wonderful tenor voice - soon he was putting his ear to
the speakers to hear how the professionals did it! And he has sung in
churches for decades, so though my purposes in cutting grass were not
altruistic or religious, they did have a good result. I noted with some
glee, that the young boy who launched the Mow Rons would not mow the
grass at home. There must be a non-sermon in that somewhere!
God says to you, HELP! Jesus, with a simple "Follow Me" has
called you to walk down a road with Him. And there's no telling what
will happen in your everyday experience.
In December of 1955, a humble, black Methodist seamstress sat
down in a bus seat in the front of the bus. The driver, J.P. Blake, ordered
her to the back of the bus, but on that particular day, Rosa Parks took
upon herself the oppression that weighed down on all her people. She
sat where she was, and justice moved forward. Oppression lifted. History
marveled. God had tears in His Eyes, but He wasn't surprised - not this
God who told a young lad named Jeremiah - "Today I have put you in
charge of nations and kingdoms. you will pull up and tear down.
You will destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant."
The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom then shall I
fear, of whom shall I be afraid?
So listen to what God has to say to you from deep within you. Be
attentive to your life and find the way that you can make your life count for
God. In your own quiet way, you may well be a guide for others on the
Pilgrim's way - through your joy, your enthusiasm, your thoughtful ways,
your caring spirit.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle." (I read that this week) If the people around you
sense that you know they are fighting a battle, they will be strengthened by
your insight - grateful for it - and benefitting by your kindness can learn to
be a friend in need to others. It's a catching kind of thing. Your kindness
will draw people to you.
Sometime ago and also just recently I came across this relevant
story: "Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in
it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you
stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite
amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is
blind.
His owner has not chosen to have him put down, but has
made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.
If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it
comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is
a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is so he can
follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see
how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her
bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not
lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each
evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her
friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us
away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems
or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our
lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes, we are the blind
horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places
in our lives. Other times, we are the guide horse, helping others
see.
A reporter of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Time Madigan, was
suffering from depression. So he reached out to Mr. Rogers (yes the one
from the Neighborhood), Fred Rogers whom he had interviewed some
time before and had begun a correspondence with. During that interview,
Mr. Rogers had opened up to him and told him how consumed by grief he
had been over the death of one of his best friends. Tim listened quietly as
he revealed his feelings. Tim shared his faith with him and listened some
more. And Mr. Rogers said, "You're ministering to me , Tim. By
listening, you minister to me."
Now it was Tim that needed ministered to - he was consumed by
depression. "Dear Fred" he wrote and then followed with a detailed
account of his anguish, asking pitifully at the end if Mr. Rogers would be
proud of him. His reply came. "Dear Tim. The answer to your
question is YES - a resounding YES. I will be proud of you. I am
proud of you. I have been proud of you since first we met. (Tim and
his wife now refer to the letter as Fred's IPOY - Fred's 'I'm Proud Of
You" letter. The depression lifted.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing
bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide
horse, helping others see.
As followers of Jesus, we are all on the pathway together with
Him, forming a community that feeds us and fuels us giving us the strength
for the battles we are fighting and to help others with theirs. That's our
calling. When God says "HELP!" we answer and therein find solace
and satisfaction in the daily experience - knowing we are on the right path,
finding helpful and fulfilling things to do - seeking to bring the Love of
Christ into a world much in need of It. May God guide and direct us.
He has told us: "You shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall
speak whatever I comand you. (Jeremiah 1:7.) Amen

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
Sermon Notes(Not edited nor proofed)The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community ChurchA sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)August 26, 2007 10:30 a, m. Jeremiah 1:4-10