MW2 Fun
I came across this picture this afternoon as I was putting off mowing the lawn for another 10.... okay 15... minutes. It makes me want to play a little MW2. I still don't understand the purpose of the riot shield, but whatever....
Movie Tour: Dinner with Schmucks
We had our annual Tayla Day to celebrate our oldest niece's 14th (yikes!) birthday. We had a great lunch at Logan's Roadhouse, and went to see Dinner with Schmucks with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd.
Plot Summary
Dinner with Schmucks is about a guy who is working to get a promotion, and to play the corporate game (so to speak), he has to find a total moron to take to a dinner that is hosted by his boss. Initially, he was going to have no part of it, but, as fate would have it, he happens to run into a guy who fits the description perfectly. What I found most interesting is that while the movie is entitled "Dinner with Schmucks" and most of what you see in the trailers is the dinner, the dinner itself is not really a focal point of the movie. It is all the events in the 24 hours leading up to the dinner that take center stage.
Review
This movie was a lot like Year One for me. I found myself laughing through a lot of the movie, even though several parts of it were horribly inappropriate. It was slightly more recognizable to me because my 14 year old niece was sitting right next to me. There are parts of the movie that are so outrageously uncomfortable that I wanted to get up and go to the bathroom just so I would get a break.
Recommendation
Ehhh.... I'm not sure. If you aren't easily offended, you may like this movie. The uncomfortable parts are really, really uncomfortable. The sexual humor is laid on pretty thick as well. I would not highly recommend it, but if you like movies like American Pie, Year One, etc., you'll probably like this one as well.
Best Part
Steve Carell plays his role perfectly. He plays a total moron, but you don't get the sense that he's going "full retard" as Tropic Thunder puts it. Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords is also in this movie, and he is absolutely hilarious.
Plot Summary
Dinner with Schmucks is about a guy who is working to get a promotion, and to play the corporate game (so to speak), he has to find a total moron to take to a dinner that is hosted by his boss. Initially, he was going to have no part of it, but, as fate would have it, he happens to run into a guy who fits the description perfectly. What I found most interesting is that while the movie is entitled "Dinner with Schmucks" and most of what you see in the trailers is the dinner, the dinner itself is not really a focal point of the movie. It is all the events in the 24 hours leading up to the dinner that take center stage.
Review
This movie was a lot like Year One for me. I found myself laughing through a lot of the movie, even though several parts of it were horribly inappropriate. It was slightly more recognizable to me because my 14 year old niece was sitting right next to me. There are parts of the movie that are so outrageously uncomfortable that I wanted to get up and go to the bathroom just so I would get a break.
Recommendation
Ehhh.... I'm not sure. If you aren't easily offended, you may like this movie. The uncomfortable parts are really, really uncomfortable. The sexual humor is laid on pretty thick as well. I would not highly recommend it, but if you like movies like American Pie, Year One, etc., you'll probably like this one as well.
Best Part
Steve Carell plays his role perfectly. He plays a total moron, but you don't get the sense that he's going "full retard" as Tropic Thunder puts it. Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords is also in this movie, and he is absolutely hilarious.
Called to Ministry
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, August 22, 2010. The passage for this week's sermon is Jeremiah 4:1-10.
Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at several passages that help us focus on the topic of living the Christian life. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? What should our lives look like in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus? How are our lives different because of what God is doing? These are the types of questions that we need to be asking so that we can grow closer to God in this journey of faith.
This week and next week, we are going to be looking at the prophet Jeremiah. Today, we are going to be in the opening chapter of Jeremiah, and, more specifically, looking at his call into prophetic ministry. Whether we want to be or not, and whether we think we are or not, when we decide to follow Jesus, we are responding to a call to ministry. We are all called to ministry. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul tells us that leaders in the church are called to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” When he is talking about “the saints,” he is talking about those who follow Christ.
Those who follow Christ are considered to be saints and are called to ministry. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, I’m no saint.” Maybe not in the way you’ve defined saint, but the Greek word for “saint” that is used in the New Testament is the same word that is used to describe something as “holy.” Something is holy when it is consecrated, or set apart for a purpose. Those who follow Christ are indeed saints because they have been set apart for a greater purpose. In reality, the response that we have to our call to ministry may not be all that different from Jeremiah’s response.
Today’s passage begins with the word of the Lord coming to Jeremiah. The word of the Lord is powerful. If you read through the beginning of the Bible, the first book you come to is Genesis. And in the opening chapters, God creates all the universe, and He does so using merely the spoken word. The word of God has the power to create. When God speaks, we should listen because His word is formative. And He speaks to Jeremiah.
He says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Before Jeremiah was ever even born, he was set apart for a particular ministry. He had a purpose, a reason for being. Jeremiah had a calling.
In his popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren begins with a completely counter-cultural statement. His very first sentence is, “It’s not about you.” He puts it in bold print just to make sure that we don’t miss what he is saying here. He goes on in the opening paragraph to say that the purpose of our lives is not about personal fulfillment, our own peace of mind, or even our happiness. If we want to know why we have been placed on this planet, then we have to start with God. Warren says, “You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”
What he is saying here is not all that different from what we see in Jeremiah 1, is it? Before our birth, God knows us. We may not come to know Him for a very long time, but we are not unknown to God, the one who created us. We spend so much time in this life trying to figure out what it is that we are supposed to be doing, but all too often we forget that there is One who knows our purpose.
When God talks about knowing Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb, the language again points to God’s ability to create in the Genesis story. There are two words that are important in this phrase, “form” and “know.” The Hebrew word that is used for “to form” is the same word that is used in Genesis 2:7 when God forms man out of the dust. In the creation story, humanity is the only thing that is created where we get the image of God getting down on his hands and knees to form it. Then He breathes life into the form. God’s creation of humanity reveals a level of care and concern that we don’t necessarily see with the rest of creation.
The second word, translated as “to know,” is the Hebrew word yada. This word suggests an intimate type of knowledge. It is the kind of knowledge that only those who are close to the individual are going to have. It suggests knowing somebody down to the very core of their being. God knows us better than any individual could ever know us. Again, this deep knowledge comes from the fact that God created us, and this isn’t just a one time instance. God’s knowledge of Jeremiah is the same kind of knowledge that He has for every person.
You can never come to God with more hidden in your life than you would like Him to know. We cannot hide who we are from God. A couple weeks ago, we talked a lot about what is going on in our hearts. God knows what is going on in our hearts because He formed us and knows us down to the very core of our being. What we see in this language of forming and knowing is that humanity has a special place, a special purpose in God’s plan. For Jeremiah, that purpose is to be a prophet to the nations.
God tells Jeremiah that he has been consecrated, or set apart, to be a prophet to the nations. This call that Jeremiah is getting from God is a very special type of calling. Not everybody is called to be a prophet to the nations. It is a difficult ministry that awaits Jeremiah. He is going to speak out not just against his own people, but against the other nations as well. He is not going to be a popular person.
Typically when we hear about the role of a prophet, we think of a person who tells the future. But as we read about the prophets in the Old Testament, we see that speaking to the future is only a portion of their task. The primary task of the prophet is to serve as the spokesman of God. This does involve speaking of things to come, but it also involves a call to return to the Lord. What we see in the prophets more than anything is a call to repent and return to the Lord.
We see messages that are designed specifically to warn the people of what will happen if they continue on their current path. We see messages that are not given out of arrogance or a sense of superiority, but out of a sense of love. I think there is a mistaken perception that in the Bible we get two different pictures of God. In the Old Testament, there is a God of wrath and judgment. In the New Testament, there is a God of love. However, God doesn’t change as we read Scripture. It’s not like He is hot-tempered in the beginning and, by the time the New Testament rolls around, He has chilled out a bit. No, God’s judgment in the Old Testament comes as a result of the love that we see in the New Testament. It was necessary correction for His people.
The people of Israel are called to be God’s people. They are a chosen nation that is to be an example to the entire world, but they continually fail in that task. As a result, because God’s name is soiled by their actions, judgment is brought upon them in order to get them back on the right track. It was Jeremiah’s task, as a prophet, to let the people know what was going to happen if they didn’t return to the Lord. This was not going to make him very popular amongst the people, but sometime following God’s call in life is not about popularity; it’s about doing what is right. Doing what needs to be done can sometimes be difficult, and as a result, the first thing that we see from Jeremiah is an excuse.
In verse 6, Jeremiah says, “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” It is an excuse that is very similar to what Moses had to say at the burning bush. To be sure, Moses was much more persistent in his objections, but both of them talked about their inability to speak for the Lord. In Jeremiah’s case, his objection had a lot to do with his age. Jeremiah was a young man at this point. We don’t know exactly how young, but the Hebrew word for “youth” gives us the impression that he is still dependent on parental support.
In his culture, Jeremiah has yet to reach an age where the elders would take him seriously. He would have been seen as just some kid who was speaking out of turn. Yet, God still calls him, and doesn’t listen to his excuse. Because, the simple fact of the matter is, when God calls us, God doesn’t make mistakes. God calls us at just the right time.
When Jeremiah objected, God didn’t pause to double check His calendar. He knew how old Jeremiah was. He wasn’t surprised by that information. We may feel unprepared for the task at hand, but that doesn’t mean we are unqualified for it. God prepares those whom He sends, and He does just that for Jeremiah.
God overturns Jeremiah’s objection, and verse 9 tells us that the Lord put his hand on Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” Jeremiah is not called to come up with clever messages that will change the hearts of the people. He is simply called to relay the messages that God tells him to relay.
There seems to be a certain amount of fear involved when it comes to answering our call to ministry, and I think that fear just comes from the unknown. We don’t know what God is going to ask us to do, and so we are afraid that He might ask us to move to Guam and live with the tribal people. (Are there tribal people in Guam? I don’t know; that’s not the point.) Or, worse yet, He might ask us to completely change our lives and what it is that we have been doing with them up to this point. And, some times, in some instances, God might ask you to move to Guam and be a missionary. But more often than not, it’s going to be that second scenario.
God is going to call us to be faithful right where we are. He is going to call us to be a witness right where we have been placed. Jeremiah wasn’t sent to Jerusalem from some far off place. That’s where he lived. That’s where he grew up. His father was a priest, and Jeremiah probably grew up around that aspect of his culture, and that was where he was called to do his ministry. Sometimes that is a little scarier, though, isn’t it?
It’s hard to minister in a place where people remember you as the kid who used to play kickball in the sanctuary. That’s why I hope I’m never appointed to my home church! I wasn’t an awful child, but there are a few people there who knew me prior to my more mature days. Think about the people that knew you as you were growing up. If you told them the difference that God has made in your life, would they say, “Yeah, that makes sense,” or would they just laugh at the thought of you going to church? But when God calls you to ministry, and remember, all people who follow Christ are called to ministry in one way or another, you can’t worry about what other people are going to say. God can and will transform our lives in such powerful ways that we can’t help but be a witness for Him wherever we are.
Jeremiah’s call to ministry was not going to be an easy one. He had a rough life, but in the end, he was faithful to the call to ministry that God had for him. And that’s what is really important. He trusted in the Lord just enough to get him through to the next day. God never said that Jeremiah was going to have it easy. In fact, He says, in verse 8, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.”
Now, I have to be honest with you, if I was in Jeremiah’s shoes here, my first thought would have been, “Deliver me from what? What are you getting me into, Lord?” Jeremiah’s message wasn’t a popular one, and people lashed out against him because of it. But he was assured from the very beginning that God was going to be with him and was going to deliver him. That makes it a little easier to swallow, doesn’t it? Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, we can take a measure of comfort in the fact that God will be with us, even when He calls us to share His word in difficult circumstances.
In looking at Jeremiah’s call, we’ve been able to see a handful of things that are very important for us to remember as we try to live the Christian life. First off, and this really comes from Paul, whether we think we are or not, we are saints who have been set apart for a special ministry. Each person’s ministry is going to look a little different, but at its core is our trust and obedience to the one who calls us.
Secondly, when God calls us – when not if - He knows that we aren’t ready to fulfill that calling completely. God knows us from before we were born, and God is not surprised by our inadequacies. In fact, God thrives in our inadequacies. God equips those whom He sends, and we are all sent to be His representatives – sometimes we may be called to go to distant places, but more often than not, we are called to be a witness right where we are.
Above all, it is important for us to remember that God doesn’t call us and leave us. God is with us through even the most difficult parts of our ministries. We are never alone. God calls, equips and delivers. It is up to us to stop making excuses and be faithful to that call.
2010 Fantasy Football Roster
It's almost that time again! The Swish's Pals league had its draft this morning, and I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with the team I was able to assemble. You'll be getting the weekly updates once the league rolls around, but I'm just going to throw out that I'm shooting for an 11-2 season with a successful defense of my 2009 title. We'll see how it goes.
QB - Drew Brees, Alex Smith
RB - Ray Rice, Steven Jackson, Ryan Mathews, Matt Forte, Clinton Portis
WR - Hines Ward, Johnny Knox, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Donald Driver, Derrick Mason
TE - Jermichael Finley, Heath Miller
D/ST - 49ers
K - Neil Rackers
I've got a lot of guys with some significant upside, but overall production is going to be uncertain. I'm not too heavily dependent on any one team this season; I've got two from 4 different teams, but in each grouping, only 1 is going to be a regular starter unless something major happens. I am pretty happy about having 3 of the Top 10 overall players (Brees, Rice & Jackson). We'll see how it goes!
QB - Drew Brees, Alex Smith
RB - Ray Rice, Steven Jackson, Ryan Mathews, Matt Forte, Clinton Portis
WR - Hines Ward, Johnny Knox, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Donald Driver, Derrick Mason
TE - Jermichael Finley, Heath Miller
D/ST - 49ers
K - Neil Rackers
I've got a lot of guys with some significant upside, but overall production is going to be uncertain. I'm not too heavily dependent on any one team this season; I've got two from 4 different teams, but in each grouping, only 1 is going to be a regular starter unless something major happens. I am pretty happy about having 3 of the Top 10 overall players (Brees, Rice & Jackson). We'll see how it goes!
Movie Tour: Toy Story 3
What better way to follow up a movie like Predators than with Toy Story 3? I can't think of a more perfect follow-up.
Plot Summary
The final (?) installment of the Toy Story series picks up just as Andy is about to head off to college. The toys desperately want to be played with again, but Andy has outgrown them for the most part. Through a series of events, they end up at a day care, and before long, it turns into an animated version of The Great Escape.
Review
It appears as though this is going to be the final installment for the Toy Story series, and I can't imagine a better way to close it out. It is funny, interesting, engaging, and even a little heart-warming. I have heard where a lot of people have teared up near the end... wimps. The story is great, and, as always when it comes to Pixar, the animation is spectacular.
Recommendation
Go see it. If you liked the first two Toy Story movies, you'll definitely want to see this one. In fact, if you're a fan of the series at all, you've probably already seen it. Go see it again. Yup, it's that good.
Best Part
I think the ending of the movie was perfect. I won't give anything away, but it was a great way to end the movie, as well as the series.
Plot Summary
The final (?) installment of the Toy Story series picks up just as Andy is about to head off to college. The toys desperately want to be played with again, but Andy has outgrown them for the most part. Through a series of events, they end up at a day care, and before long, it turns into an animated version of The Great Escape.
Review
It appears as though this is going to be the final installment for the Toy Story series, and I can't imagine a better way to close it out. It is funny, interesting, engaging, and even a little heart-warming. I have heard where a lot of people have teared up near the end... wimps. The story is great, and, as always when it comes to Pixar, the animation is spectacular.
Recommendation
Go see it. If you liked the first two Toy Story movies, you'll definitely want to see this one. In fact, if you're a fan of the series at all, you've probably already seen it. Go see it again. Yup, it's that good.
Best Part
I think the ending of the movie was perfect. I won't give anything away, but it was a great way to end the movie, as well as the series.
Movie Tour: Predators
I know I've been on a bit of a blogging break on this particular blog lately. Part of it has been because I've been spending a lot of time working on a different project (Bases Loaded Balk, check it out when you have the time), but part of it has been that I just haven't felt like writing a whole lot this summer. Here to make my point is the Movie Tour review of Predators... a movie I saw nearly a month ago.
Plot Summary
When it comes to movies involving the Predators, the plot summary is easy. Here are all these people who are getting hunted by a warrior-alien race. They will try to survive, but most of them are probably going to die a gruesome death. This movie wasn't all that different. It starts off with one of the main characters in a free fall, he wakes up and discovers that he is falling, and then a parachute automatically opens as he gets closer to the ground. He then finds other people who had a similar experience, and they start their journey. It's not long before they realize that they are no longer on Earth, but have been abducted and are now part of a game preserve... as the game.
Review
I've seen Predator, Predator 2, Alien v. Predator, and Aliens v. Predator: Requiem. That's right, I'm a fan of the movies. In all honesty, this is the best one since the original. It gets closer to the roots of the series, which is bad-a** aliens hunting bad-a** people, and seeing who wins out.
Recommendation
Obviously, there are violence and language issues, but that is to be expected. If that kind of stuff bothers you, don't see it. If you are a fan of the original Predator (which gets a bit of a wink in this one), you'll enjoy this movie. Don't go in expecting to see an Oscar-worthy film or award-winning performances because you'll be disappointed. Go in expecting to have a good, mindless time and you will be well-rewarded.
Best Part
Laurence Fishburne makes a brief appearance in this movie. He is a guy who has managed to survive on the planet for a while, but he is also starting to lose it. He's pretty entertaining, but he's not in it for very long... and I bet you can imagine why.
Plot Summary
When it comes to movies involving the Predators, the plot summary is easy. Here are all these people who are getting hunted by a warrior-alien race. They will try to survive, but most of them are probably going to die a gruesome death. This movie wasn't all that different. It starts off with one of the main characters in a free fall, he wakes up and discovers that he is falling, and then a parachute automatically opens as he gets closer to the ground. He then finds other people who had a similar experience, and they start their journey. It's not long before they realize that they are no longer on Earth, but have been abducted and are now part of a game preserve... as the game.
Review
I've seen Predator, Predator 2, Alien v. Predator, and Aliens v. Predator: Requiem. That's right, I'm a fan of the movies. In all honesty, this is the best one since the original. It gets closer to the roots of the series, which is bad-a** aliens hunting bad-a** people, and seeing who wins out.
Recommendation
Obviously, there are violence and language issues, but that is to be expected. If that kind of stuff bothers you, don't see it. If you are a fan of the original Predator (which gets a bit of a wink in this one), you'll enjoy this movie. Don't go in expecting to see an Oscar-worthy film or award-winning performances because you'll be disappointed. Go in expecting to have a good, mindless time and you will be well-rewarded.
Best Part
Laurence Fishburne makes a brief appearance in this movie. He is a guy who has managed to survive on the planet for a while, but he is also starting to lose it. He's pretty entertaining, but he's not in it for very long... and I bet you can imagine why.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, August 15, 2010. The text for this week's message is Hebrews 11:29-12:2.
The last couple of weeks, we have looked at passages that help us to understand what it means to live the Christian life. Two weeks ago we looked at some of the practical application portion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, and we saw the importance of keeping our minds occupied with heavenly things. Last week we looked at the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah. It was a difficult message for us to hear, but I think that just makes it all the more important.
The people of Israel had gotten to the point where their sacrificial system became a way for them to sin, and not have to worry about it. If they sinned against God or their neighbor, they knew that their sacrifice would atone for it. It was no big deal. They were just shrugging off their sin. In speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God lets the people know, in no uncertain terms, that this is unacceptable. They cannot simply go through the motions of their faith and assume that everything will be all right. Living a life of faith is about what is going on in your heart. It doesn’t matter what you do or what you say if your heart is not in the right place.
Today, we are going to go in a little different direction. Today’s Scripture is not so much about what to do or what not to do when it comes to our life of faith, but, rather, it’s a way for us to stop and take a look around. We are not in this alone. Nobody becomes a Christian without somebody else coming alongside, and nobody can mature in their faith by doing everything alone. We need to have people to help us grow. Now, keep that in mind because we are going to come back to it in a minute, but to begin with this morning, I want to take just a couple of minutes to introduce Hebrews, the letter where we find ourselves this morning.
First off, while tradition tells us that the apostle Paul is the author of this letter, the truth is, we don’t really know. Nowhere in the letter is the author identified, and some of the grammar doesn’t match-up with Paul’s other writing, so say people who study such things. It appears as though the recipient of the letter is a group of Jewish believers, and we can see that through some of the content, but also in the first verse, the author talks about how God spoke to “our fathers” through the prophets.
Just as we are not exactly sure who the author or audience for this letter is, we do not know exactly when it was written. It is a pretty safe bet to say that it was written prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D, but that only narrows it down to a 30-40 year window.
This letter is really more about encouraging believers to hold on to their faith in Jesus Christ. The author spends quite a bit of time talking about how Jesus is greater than the angels, priests and the old covenantal system. In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of all that God has been doing in history. Instead of calling the people out of the old covenant, however, this letter encourages us to take the next step in faith and find true rest and peace in Jesus Christ. In some sense, it is really about persevering in the faith no matter what obstacles may arise.
Hebrews 11 begins by giving us a definition of faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we come to today’s reading, we are coming to a part in the letter that points to the history of the people of Israel. This is a section that would have brought to mind a ton of different stories of people that we can find in the Old Testament; stories that really meant something to the Jewish people.
Throughout the portion of the chapter that we didn’t read this morning, the writer talks about the stories of Cain & Abel, of Abraham and of Moses; stories that are rich and deep in significance. We opened today’s reading with more great stories and figures for the people of Israel – the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea and the fall of Jericho. Stories of great people of faith in their history – Rahab, a woman who wasn’t even an Israelite, but still displayed an amazing amount of faith; the judges, the kings, the prophets – all people who were far from perfect, but still were examples of faith for the Jewish people.
I find this passage to be really inspiring because it is a call to remember those who have gone before us in the faith. And at the end of the section, the writer says that all of these people, these giants of the faith that had gone before us, though they were certainly commended for their faith, they never saw the fulfillment of God’s promises. Their stories are stories that should inspire us to greatness in our faith, and yet, even they could not see what has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. As great as they were, there was still something more.
The writer then goes on to give us this great image. He says that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. One of the highlights of my life, apart from the obvious things, has to be taking a trip to Cooperstown to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I know that sounds like a weird statement to make, but stick with me for a minute on this one.
Cooperstown is just an unassuming town. I think it’s fair to say that it’s not all that much bigger than Covington. It is a small town tucked away in middle-of-nowhere New York state. And yet, in this town, there is a place that is inspiring. You walk into the Hall of Fame, and you are greeted by those who have gone before. You see the exhibits; you remember the stories of the past; maybe you even learn a few more stories along the way. Being a Cardinal fan, obviously some things were going to stick out more – Musial’s locker, Brock’s cleats, the World Series rings. But I also remember seeing a tribute to Jackie Robinson, and other greats of the game.
After you go through all the exhibits, and you remember those stories, you go downstairs to the hallway where all the plaques are located. And it is awesome. It is pretty quiet, and you are surrounded by the likeness and stories of the greatest players of the game of baseball. As a baseball fan, there is no place quite like it. And when I read this passage of Hebrews, I get that same feeling.
I get the feeling that the author is taking us on a tour. We are going through the museum of our faith, and we are seeing and hearing and experiencing these stories as if for the first time. We should be in awe of what is happening all around us. We should be inspired to a greater faith, and that is what we see in this passage. We see a call to live our lives in a way that is consistent with the greatness that has been laid down before us.
And here’s the thing, we aren’t just walking through a museum where we can see the great feats that others have done. We have to realize that we are a part of something greater than just ourselves. We are a part of a community of faith. Take a look around you. You are not on this faith journey alone. Not only are there people who have gone before us, but there are people all around us who are on that same journey.
I don’t know of a single person that has ever gone through their entire life of faith all by themselves. You are here this morning because somebody influenced you life in a powerful way, and you decided to check out what God was doing. Maybe this happened recently; maybe this happened decades ago. Nobody does it alone. The community of faith is just that - a community. It is a gathering of people seeking after God. Nobody has got it all so right that they don’t need others to take the journey with them.
As a response to this reality, because we are surrounded by so great a community of faith, we are called to press onward. We are called to put away the things in our lives that hold us back from our relationship with God. I like the language that the author uses here. He tells us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.”
Have you ever thought of your sin as something that weighs you down? Have you ever thought of your sin as something that clings closely to you? Those are great analogies for the things in our lives that do us no good. It is difficult enough to go through this life, but when we try to do it with things weighing us down, it is even more difficult.
I remember going camping once with a friend and a handful of middle school boys. We went on a hike, and it was a pretty hot day. So, we brought a backpack full of granola bars and bottles of water to give us the energy to do this hike. And guess who got to carry the backpack. This hike was going to be hard enough as it was, but to add an additional 20-30 pounds in the backpack made it even more difficult. And while I was tired and worn out by the end of the hike, do you know what made it a little easier? The fact that the backpack weighed significantly less as we drank the water and ate the snacks.
Life is a lot like that. As we continue in our journey, and we begin to release more and more of the sin that is weighing us down, it becomes a little easier. I’m not saying that giving your life to Christ means that you are suddenly going to have smooth sailing, but it does become less of a burden when we hand over our sins to the Lord. Our sins weigh us down, and over time, they wear us down. They cling to us. They make life difficult. But because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is possible for us to be rid of our sins once and for all.
The call in this passage is for us to look at the example of Jesus Christ and be encouraged by it. We are called to press on. Let go of the sins that are clinging to you and follow the example set forth by Jesus. Living the Christian life has a lot to do with perseverance and endurance. It is not always going to be easy. We are going to need to stick to it, even when it is difficult, and the reason why we can is by faith, by looking at those who have gone before us, and even by turning to those who are walking alongside us right now.
The last couple of weeks, we have looked at passages that help us to understand what it means to live the Christian life. Two weeks ago we looked at some of the practical application portion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, and we saw the importance of keeping our minds occupied with heavenly things. Last week we looked at the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah. It was a difficult message for us to hear, but I think that just makes it all the more important.
The people of Israel had gotten to the point where their sacrificial system became a way for them to sin, and not have to worry about it. If they sinned against God or their neighbor, they knew that their sacrifice would atone for it. It was no big deal. They were just shrugging off their sin. In speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God lets the people know, in no uncertain terms, that this is unacceptable. They cannot simply go through the motions of their faith and assume that everything will be all right. Living a life of faith is about what is going on in your heart. It doesn’t matter what you do or what you say if your heart is not in the right place.
Today, we are going to go in a little different direction. Today’s Scripture is not so much about what to do or what not to do when it comes to our life of faith, but, rather, it’s a way for us to stop and take a look around. We are not in this alone. Nobody becomes a Christian without somebody else coming alongside, and nobody can mature in their faith by doing everything alone. We need to have people to help us grow. Now, keep that in mind because we are going to come back to it in a minute, but to begin with this morning, I want to take just a couple of minutes to introduce Hebrews, the letter where we find ourselves this morning.
First off, while tradition tells us that the apostle Paul is the author of this letter, the truth is, we don’t really know. Nowhere in the letter is the author identified, and some of the grammar doesn’t match-up with Paul’s other writing, so say people who study such things. It appears as though the recipient of the letter is a group of Jewish believers, and we can see that through some of the content, but also in the first verse, the author talks about how God spoke to “our fathers” through the prophets.
Just as we are not exactly sure who the author or audience for this letter is, we do not know exactly when it was written. It is a pretty safe bet to say that it was written prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D, but that only narrows it down to a 30-40 year window.
This letter is really more about encouraging believers to hold on to their faith in Jesus Christ. The author spends quite a bit of time talking about how Jesus is greater than the angels, priests and the old covenantal system. In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of all that God has been doing in history. Instead of calling the people out of the old covenant, however, this letter encourages us to take the next step in faith and find true rest and peace in Jesus Christ. In some sense, it is really about persevering in the faith no matter what obstacles may arise.
Hebrews 11 begins by giving us a definition of faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we come to today’s reading, we are coming to a part in the letter that points to the history of the people of Israel. This is a section that would have brought to mind a ton of different stories of people that we can find in the Old Testament; stories that really meant something to the Jewish people.
Throughout the portion of the chapter that we didn’t read this morning, the writer talks about the stories of Cain & Abel, of Abraham and of Moses; stories that are rich and deep in significance. We opened today’s reading with more great stories and figures for the people of Israel – the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea and the fall of Jericho. Stories of great people of faith in their history – Rahab, a woman who wasn’t even an Israelite, but still displayed an amazing amount of faith; the judges, the kings, the prophets – all people who were far from perfect, but still were examples of faith for the Jewish people.
I find this passage to be really inspiring because it is a call to remember those who have gone before us in the faith. And at the end of the section, the writer says that all of these people, these giants of the faith that had gone before us, though they were certainly commended for their faith, they never saw the fulfillment of God’s promises. Their stories are stories that should inspire us to greatness in our faith, and yet, even they could not see what has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. As great as they were, there was still something more.
The writer then goes on to give us this great image. He says that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. One of the highlights of my life, apart from the obvious things, has to be taking a trip to Cooperstown to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I know that sounds like a weird statement to make, but stick with me for a minute on this one.
Cooperstown is just an unassuming town. I think it’s fair to say that it’s not all that much bigger than Covington. It is a small town tucked away in middle-of-nowhere New York state. And yet, in this town, there is a place that is inspiring. You walk into the Hall of Fame, and you are greeted by those who have gone before. You see the exhibits; you remember the stories of the past; maybe you even learn a few more stories along the way. Being a Cardinal fan, obviously some things were going to stick out more – Musial’s locker, Brock’s cleats, the World Series rings. But I also remember seeing a tribute to Jackie Robinson, and other greats of the game.
After you go through all the exhibits, and you remember those stories, you go downstairs to the hallway where all the plaques are located. And it is awesome. It is pretty quiet, and you are surrounded by the likeness and stories of the greatest players of the game of baseball. As a baseball fan, there is no place quite like it. And when I read this passage of Hebrews, I get that same feeling.
I get the feeling that the author is taking us on a tour. We are going through the museum of our faith, and we are seeing and hearing and experiencing these stories as if for the first time. We should be in awe of what is happening all around us. We should be inspired to a greater faith, and that is what we see in this passage. We see a call to live our lives in a way that is consistent with the greatness that has been laid down before us.
And here’s the thing, we aren’t just walking through a museum where we can see the great feats that others have done. We have to realize that we are a part of something greater than just ourselves. We are a part of a community of faith. Take a look around you. You are not on this faith journey alone. Not only are there people who have gone before us, but there are people all around us who are on that same journey.
I don’t know of a single person that has ever gone through their entire life of faith all by themselves. You are here this morning because somebody influenced you life in a powerful way, and you decided to check out what God was doing. Maybe this happened recently; maybe this happened decades ago. Nobody does it alone. The community of faith is just that - a community. It is a gathering of people seeking after God. Nobody has got it all so right that they don’t need others to take the journey with them.
As a response to this reality, because we are surrounded by so great a community of faith, we are called to press onward. We are called to put away the things in our lives that hold us back from our relationship with God. I like the language that the author uses here. He tells us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.”
Have you ever thought of your sin as something that weighs you down? Have you ever thought of your sin as something that clings closely to you? Those are great analogies for the things in our lives that do us no good. It is difficult enough to go through this life, but when we try to do it with things weighing us down, it is even more difficult.
I remember going camping once with a friend and a handful of middle school boys. We went on a hike, and it was a pretty hot day. So, we brought a backpack full of granola bars and bottles of water to give us the energy to do this hike. And guess who got to carry the backpack. This hike was going to be hard enough as it was, but to add an additional 20-30 pounds in the backpack made it even more difficult. And while I was tired and worn out by the end of the hike, do you know what made it a little easier? The fact that the backpack weighed significantly less as we drank the water and ate the snacks.
Life is a lot like that. As we continue in our journey, and we begin to release more and more of the sin that is weighing us down, it becomes a little easier. I’m not saying that giving your life to Christ means that you are suddenly going to have smooth sailing, but it does become less of a burden when we hand over our sins to the Lord. Our sins weigh us down, and over time, they wear us down. They cling to us. They make life difficult. But because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is possible for us to be rid of our sins once and for all.
The call in this passage is for us to look at the example of Jesus Christ and be encouraged by it. We are called to press on. Let go of the sins that are clinging to you and follow the example set forth by Jesus. Living the Christian life has a lot to do with perseverance and endurance. It is not always going to be easy. We are going to need to stick to it, even when it is difficult, and the reason why we can is by faith, by looking at those who have gone before us, and even by turning to those who are walking alongside us right now.