HASTY TRANSACTIONS AND PAINFUL LOSSES

"HASTY TRANSACTIONS AND PAINFUL LOSSES"
Luke 14:25-33

Preached at the New Winchester Missionary Baptist ChurchDanville, Indiana by Dr. Arthur G. Ferry, Jr., Pastor

There is a delightful story about two merchants. One was clean-shaven. No matter how hard he tried, he could not grow a beard. The other had a long, thick beard.

One day the clean-shaven one asked, "Friend, you have such a nice beard. I was wondering if you would sell it to me?"

"Why not?" the bearded one answered. "If the price is right."

"I'll pay you whatever you ask," replied the clean-shaven one. "There is only one condition. I want the beard to remain on YOUR face. I will care for it. I will trim it, brush it, and perfume it. The beard will be on your face, but I will own it completely."

His friend was surprised but had no objection. So the clean-shaven fellow bought the beard on his fellow merchant's face. And he kept his word about caring for the beard. At any hour of the day or night, he might walk into his friend's shop or home and start grooming his beard--on the other man's face. Sometimes he would pull at the beard roughly with an extra fine comb. At other times he would coat it with heavy and sometimes unpleasant perfumes. No matter how busy the bearded man might be, the clean-shaven one would exercise his right to care for his beard.

Whenever his friend would protest he would retort calmly, "It is my beard. I will do with it as I please." Very soon this constant grooming became more than the bearded merchant could stand. "I can't bear this any longer," he cried. "I am going to have my beard shaved off."

The clean-shaven one replied sharply, "You mean MY beard. If you do I will sue. We have a contract."

Finally the bearded merchant said, "All right. You win. I want to buy back my beard. How much will you take?"

"Oh," replied the clean-shaven one, "I have grown very fond of MY beard. It will hurt me to part with it. But I guess if you pay me four times what I bought it for, I will let it go."

The poor bearded man howled, but considering what he had been through, he agreed to pay his friend four times what he had received for the beard. Then he had his beard shaved off. He had lost his money and his beard, but he had learned a lesson--about hasty transactions and painful losses.

Jesus once said, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?" (RSV) In other words, Jesus was saying, "Avoid hasty transactions and painful losses. Sit down and think through the consequences of your actions." Or as we would say today, "Look before you leap."

Somewhere I read about a town in Michigan that spent $50,000 on new flagpoles. Fine. Flagpoles are great. But then they ran out of money. They could not afford flags to put on their new poles. Is there anything more useless than a flagpole without a flag? Hasty transactions and painful losses. Counting the cost before building the tower.

JESUS WANTED PEOPLE TO GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO THE CONDUCT OF THEIR LIVES.
That is the first thing we need to see this morning. By doing that, you can save yourself a lot of trouble. In 1974 the government of Nigeria decided to bring their country at a single leap into line with most developed Western nations. The planners calculated that to build the new roads, airfields, and military buildings which the plan required would call for some 20 million tons of cement. This was duly ordered and shipped by freighters from all over the world, to be unloaded onto the docks at Lagos, Nigeria. Twenty million tons of cement. Unfortunately, the Nigerian planners had not considered the fact that the docks at Lagos were only capable of handling two thousand tons a day. Working every day, it would have taken twenty-seven years to unload the ships that were at one point waiting at sea off Lagos. These contained a third of the world's supply of cement--much of it showing its fine quality by setting solid in the holds of the freighters. Hasty transactions--painful losses. Poor planning--disastrous results. Building a tower before counting the cost.

It happens all the time. Most of us have been guilty at sometime or another. Of course, some people never learn--even from their losses.

Do you know the story of the two hunters who flew deep into remote Canada in search of elk? When they started back home, their pilot, seeing that they had bagged six elk, told them the plane could carry only four out. The hunters protested, "The plane that carried us out last year was exactly like this one. The horsepower was the same, the weather was similar, and we had six elk then." Hearing this, the pilot reluctantly agreed to try. They loaded up and took off. Unfortunately the plane did not have sufficient power to climb out of the valley with all that weight, so they crashed. As they stumbled from the wreckage, one hunter asked the other if he knew where they were. "Well, I'm not sure," replied the second hunter, "but I think we are about two miles from where we crashed last year."

Some people are hopeless. They never learn. But you and I are smarter than that. We can learn from past experiences. We can sit down, think things out and come to some logical conclusions. That is all Jesus is asking out of us. Some people think of Christianity as being primarily an emotional experience. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Christ wants us to think things through. He wants us to count the cost.

THE AMAZING THING IS HOW FEW PEOPLE WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST.
Do you remember the motion picture, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI? Alec Guinness played the Senior British Officer in a Japanese concentration camp who undertook to build a railroad bridge for the Japanese. He thought that building this bridge would lift his men's sagging morale and give them a sense of purpose, something to accomplish while they were imprisoned. It worked. They built the bridge. Indeed, they built it so well that the Allies had to organize an expedition to blow it up. When the Senior British officer saw that they were trying to destroy his achievement, he was outraged. Then there comes the terrible moment in which Alec Guinness realizes what has happened, and he cries out, "My God, what have I done?" He was so busy succeeding in his enterprise that he lost all sense of its meaning. He had built a bridge for the enemy! Surely he would not have made that terrible mistake if he had thought through the consequences.

Think how many tragedies would be avoided if people simply sat down a few moments and thought through the consequences of their actions.

Think how many homes would still be intact, think how many prisons would be empty, think how many lives would be spared if folks would just think!

Psychologists tell us that about 10,000 thoughts pass through the human brain each day. That makes 70,000 each week and 3.65 million thoughts a year. One or two of them ought to take! Sir Isaac Newton was once asked how he discovered the Law of Gravity. "By thinking about it," he answered.

As one cynic said, "Use your brain. It's the little things that count." Use your brain. Instead we settle for hasty transactions and painful losses. I believe it was Dwight L. Moody who once said that if he could get someone to think only ten minutes about the condition of his soul, he could convert him. The trouble is that most of us refuse to think about the things that really matter most.

THIS BRINGS US TO THE FINAL THING TO BE SAID: THE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT WE CAN HAVE CONCERNS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
When Jesus taught about counting the cost before building a tower, his real concern was not architecture or construction. He was advising potential followers about what it meant to be his disciple. He concluded this teaching with these words: "So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Wow! That will clear the room in a hurry. Renounce everything? How many of us really want to take this religion business that far? Yet that is the demand Christ makes out of every one of us if we would be his disciple. And why not? People all the time are committing themselves to matters of far less importance.

I read recently that of the 70,000 members registered with the Screen Actors Guild, 80% earn less than $5,000 per year. Remember that if any of you are star-struck and ready to head for Hollywood. Only 3% earn more than $50,000 a year. Yet many of these professional actors will tell you that acting is their life. Why do they do it? Evidently it is not the money. Then why?

One of our leading professional athletes startled many of us when he said recently that he does 1,000 sit-ups a day. How could anybody be that dedicated to a game? We hear about business people who work 60, 70, even 80 hour weeks, neglecting their health and their families in their service of the god of success.

Why, then, should we be surprised that Christ would ask as much? He asks even more. He asks for it all.

That doesn't mean we live at the church. No. The call to renounce everything is not a call to everyone to become a full-time churchman. It is a call to make our entire life--our work, our play, our family relationships, everything--pleasing in God's sight. The ironic thing is that when we renounce everything for Christ's sake, we find that we are the winners. No hasty transaction--no painful loss. We find that in pleasing God, we ultimately please ourselves. Because God's way leads to life.

Many years ago a young couple had their first child, a boy. As the boy began to grow, they noticed that he had musical talent. He could play the violin. So they began to try and find the best teacher for him they could find. They were told about an old Swiss maestro who used to teach but had retired. They decided to try anyway and took their boy to him. When he heard the boy play he realized his ability and decided to teach him. The boy was just eight years old. For ten years his teacher worked with him every day. Then came time for his debut. His parents booked Carnegie Hall. The press and all the important people came. The lights dimmed and the boy came out on stage. From the very first note he held the crowd mesmerized until the end.

When he finished, the people stood to their feet and filled the hall with cheers and applause. Yet the boy ran off the stage crying.

The stage manager yelled, "Get back out there. They love you. They are all cheering and clapping."

The boy replied, "There is one who is not."

The manager ran out on stage and came back and said, "O. K., one old man is not applauding. You can't worry about what one old man thinks when the world loves you."

The boy replied, "But you don't understand, That's my teacher."

The world may think of us as a success, but if sometime in our life we have not thought out that one thing in our life that matters most--whether our life is pleasing to God--our life is a hasty transaction and a painful loss. All Christ asks is for you to use your brain. You can save yourself a lot of problems by thinking through the consequences of your behavior. Be smart. Lose your life and save it.

WHERE ARE YOUR LOAVES AND FISHES?

"WHERE ARE YOUR LOAVES AND FISHES?"
Matthew 14:13-21
Preached at the First Baptist ChurchGarrett, Indiana by Dr. Arthur G. Ferry, Jr., Pastor

A 13-year-old boy once read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer's work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over Dr. Schweitzer's hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station broadcast the story about this young fellow's concern for helping others. Others responded as well.

Eventually, he was flown by the government to Schweitzer's hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000 freely given by thousands of people. When Dr. Schweitzer heard the story, he said, "I never thought one child could do so much."

We are not told how old the young fellow was who offered his 5 loaves and 2 small fish to Jesus. Neither Matthew nor Luke even mention him. They simply record that in answer to Jesus' request the disciples came up with 5 loaves and a couple of fish with which to feed a vast throng. The Gospel writers even differ in their estimate of the size crowd.

There is a time-honored story about a young minister preaching his first sermon in a tiny country church. He was so-o-o nervous. His nervousness showed as he tried to expound on this text. "The Master fed the multitude," he said, his voice quivering, "with 5,000 loaves and 2,000 fish." An old fellow sitting on the front row chuckled sarcastically and said, "Why I could do that." The next Sunday the young pastor tried again. "Last Sunday I meant to say that the Master fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 tiny fish." Then he turned to the old man and asked, "Could you do that?" The old fellow grinned and said, "I could if you'd let me use what we had left over last week." The size of the crowd doesn't really matter. The point of the story is Jesus' compassion and his ability to feed the hungry. Even though the lad who offered the 5 loaves and 2 fish is not mentioned in our text for the day, I am glad that the Gospel of John brings him to our attention.

We have young people in this church and they are so important to the work of Christ. Every once in a while, when something important needs to be done, a young person will step forward and make a difference.

THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO GO TO BED HUNGRY EVERY NIGHT.
You and I have heard that truth so often, we might not take it very seriously. That would be tragic. Someone has noted that the average person BLINKS his eyes 13 times every minute. This person also noted that 13 PEOPLE STARVE TO DEATH every minute in this world. That means, of course, that every time you and I blink our eyes, another person has died from starvation.

In an article sometime back in the CHRISTIAN CENTURY, Tom Peterson described the tragedy of world hunger like this: "Imagine a DC-10 preparing to land; it is filled with preschool-age children. Some of the children sleep; others play and laugh; still others cry out for pestered flight attendants' attention. But just before landing, something goes wrong, and the plane plummets to the ground, killing all aboard. "Ten minutes later--even before emergency vehicles arrive -another planeload of children crashes right next to the first. Ten minutes later, a 3rd crashes. And the tragedies continue: every 10 minutes, a jet falls to the earth, all day and night, day after day, month after month. "Such a great number of deaths is not farfetched. The same number of children--40,000--do die each day from hunger-related diseases." 40,000 children each day. The mind can hardly grasp the scope of such a catastrophe. Millions of people go to bed hungry every night.

THIS HUNGER PERSISTS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT WE LIVE IN A BOUNTIFUL WORLD.
Did you know that in one day Americans eat 228,000 bushels of onions? Every day of every year--over a quarter million bushels of onions. And the earth just keeps on producing more and more. And that's just onions. That doesn't count all the corn, green beans, and former President Bush's favorite, broccoli, etc.

Annie Dillard describes what she calls God's "extravagance" by using the example of a rye plant. In 4 months a single rye plant can grow 378 miles of root and 14 billion root hairs. In one cubic inch of soil the length of these root hairs would total 6000 miles. What an abundant world!

The battle to feed the world's people is not a hopeless one. God has given us the resources. And in some places in the world real progress is being made. For example, when we think of hunger, many of us still think of the nation of India. Yet in 1986, India grew so much grain that it didn't have enough room in its storage facilities to hold it all. And 17 years ago a famous rock concert was staged to raise money for the malnourished of Bangladesh; these days, Bangladesh is self sufficient. Lee Iacocca tells about a California dairy farmer who was so productive that the government paid him $8 million to slaughter his herd. In the 1950's and 1960's scientists were predicting world famine by 1985. They were wrong. There is plenty of food to feed the world's people. We don't really have a food problem. What we have are people problems. Some of these problems we can't do anything about.

For example, we can't do anything about the political problems of governments that use food as a weapon to conquer their own people. And, we cannot control the ravages of climate in parts of the world. But there are some things we can do.

WE CAN RE-THINK OUR OWN STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH'S RESOURCES.
Did you know, for example, that 6 million Europeans eat as much food as 240 million Africans? Even more startling, the citizens of America, who form only 5.7% of the world's population, eat half the food produced in the world. Somebody's eating more than their share! Americans spend 10 times more money on the feeding of cats and dogs than the sovereign country, Guinea, earns as its national income. Each of us needs to examine our stewardship of the bounty with which God has blessed us.

WE ALSO NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT AS CHRISTIANS WE ARE ACCOUNT-ABLE FOR THE NEEDS OF OUR NEIGHBORS--WHETHER NEXT DOOR OR AROUND THE WORLD.
There is a story about a missionary team in Africa. They were loading their boat to go down the Congo river. As they were preparing to start out, a native chieftain called to them from across the river: "White man, I want you to come and tell my people about your God." The leader of the mission group answered, "We can't come today. We have an appointment downstream this morning. We will come another day." The chief persisted, "No you must come today and tell my people about your great God." Again the leader tried to explain that they could not go with him that day, but would be glad to come another day. This did not satisfy the chief. As the mission team pushed off to leave, the chief waded out into the water calling after the missionaries, "White man, if you don't come tell my people about your God, I'll tell your God on you!"

I hope nobody ever tells God that we heard that 40,000 children are dying each day from hunger-related diseases and we did nothing to help. In 1930, during the Great Depression, a man named Golden Rule Jones was mayor of Toledo, Ohio. During his term of office, he sometimes sat as the presiding judge in night court.One night a man was brought in for stealing money from a grocery store. His defense was that he needed the money for food and that he was simply a victim of hard times. Nevertheless, Golden Rule Jones found him guilty. "You did not steal from society." he said. "You stole from a private citizen and you broke the law. I'm fining you 10 dollars. However," and he reached for his wallet, "I'll pay it for you." Next he instructed the bailiff to pass the hat around the courtroom. "I'm fining everybody here at least 50 cents. You're all guilty of being members of a society that made it necessary for this man to steal. The collection will go to the defendant."

I believe that salvation is by grace and grace alone, but I wonder if one day the Divine Judge won't hold those of us who have so much accountable for those who have so little. The teachings of Jesus on such things ought to make us tremble. We are accountable.

FINALLY, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE HUNGERS IN THIS WORLD FOR MORE THAN BREAD.
Some of those hungers are right here in our very own community. Erma Brombeck wrote once in a column that she dreamed every volunteer in the land had set sail for another country. She waved goodbye and breathed a sigh of relief. No longer would she be bothered by someone badgering her to help with some drive or project. But then, she noticed that the reception desk at the hospital was vacant and the children's wing had no clowns and laughter. The blind listened for a friendly voice that never came and the crippled were imprisoned in wheelchairs that never moved. Flowers on church altars withered and died. Children in nurseries lifted their arms but there was no one there to hold them in love. The search for cures for diseases was cancelled for lack of interest. Symphony halls and museums were dark and still. Alcoholics, prisoners, shut-ins, the poor cried out in despair but no one came. Erma continued, "I sought in my sleep to regain a glimpse of the Ship of Volunteers once more. It was to be my last glimpse of civilization....as we were meant to be."

There are hungers besides those for bread. Many of you are already involved in meeting those needs. Of course, the greatest hunger people have is for the Bread of Life which is Christ. The Christian missionary enterprise will not be completed until every child in this world has a full tummy, a safe and comfortable home in which to live, and knows deep in his or her heart that he or she is a child of God. That is an ambitious dream, is it not? I believe that is a dream worthy of the followers of Jesus Christ. A relief official had just returned from the famine areas of Africa. He wrote a letter to a New York City newspaper telling of the young people, the young volunteers, he had found there who were giving their time and energy and who were making sacrifices to help the impoverished and suffering Africans. The young people were living in mean and difficult conditions, and the official was terribly impressed with them. He wrote in his letter to the newspaper: "As we passed the day together, I took a moment to ask each of them `why'--why had they volunteered? Charles Petre, who had just finished his MBA program in France and planned to become an international consultant, said he was there, "to make a contribution." Ann Levin, with a masters degree in economics, said, "there was a need." And Mary Crickmore said it was her "Christian commitment."

Tell me, what is it that you are doing because of your Christian commitment?

Each of us can do something.

Each of us has some kind of fish and loaves to offer the Master.

What's yours?

HOW DO YOU ACT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN?

HOW DO YOU ACT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN?
Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11

Preached at the First Baptist Church Garrett, Indiana by Dr. Arthur G. Ferry, Jr., Pastor

A woman in our nation's capitol welcomed Queen Elizabeth II into her home in a warm and beautiful way. She gave her a hug. This simple act made headlines around the world because British protocol forbids commoners from touching a monarch. The queen, accompanied by first lady Barbara Bush and Washington Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon, visited 67-year-old retiree Alice Frazier's home in an area formerly plagued by drugs and crime but now rehabilitated. It was on this occasion that Frazier shocked British sensibilities with her effusive hospitality. Frazier was simply showing her happiness at being visited by royalty. No one had explained to her that you don't hug a queen.

I was reminded of this incident when I came to our Old Testament and Gospel texts for the day. In Isaiah, we read about one of the most notable confrontations with God in recorded history. Isaiah writes: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: `Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. `Woe to me!' I cried. `I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.'"
(NIV) In our lesson from the Gospels Jesus is speaking to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." They did let down the nets and caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Soon both boats were so full that they began to sink. And it began to dawn on Simon Peter that this carpenter from Nazareth was more than just a man. He fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

How you act in the presence of a queen is one thing. How you act in the presence of God is quite another. Suppose God appeared to us in this hour in this place. How would you react?

SOME FOLKS PROBABLY WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
They haven't had that much experience. King Duncan, editor of DYNAMIC PREACHING, had an experience that brought this truth home to him in a memorable way. Let him tell it in his own words: "I was getting dressed one Sunday morning to speak at old First Church--a high-steeple church with a rich history. The radio was on. The early morning service from a fast growing Pentecostal church was being broadcast. I knew the pastor. He is not a great preacher--a little too emotional for my liking. But he knows how to reach people no one else can reach. "As I straightened my tie, I heard him say, `Before we begin this morning, I want to say a couple of things to you. First of all, I want to say that there is far too much moving around in the service while I am preaching. It's distracting.' I thought that was a rather amusing thing for him to say on radio. Then he added, `And another thing. I would appreciate it if you would wait till after the service is over to go out to the restroom.' I thought to myself, `Is he really saying this on radio?' Then to make matters worse he added, `I have to wait till the service is over to go to the restroom and so can you!'
I let out a hearty laugh. That's not the sort of thing most of us would broadcast as part of a worship service. Smugly I finished tying my tie and laughed inwardly about this unsophisticated messenger of the Gospel. "Then the voice of God spoke to my heart. `King,' God said, `the reason that pastor has to tell his people how to behave in church is that a year ago many of them were not in a church. Some of them were having serious problems with alcohol and drugs. Some of them were going thru painful divorces. A few were even in jail. That's why they don't know how to act in church. They haven't been in church very long.' Then God said, `Don't worry, King, you won't have that difficulty at old First Church.'"
And I thought to myself, `God help us, we won't. Everybody at old First church will know how to behave in church.' And I couldn't help thinking that might be the most tragic thing that can be said about any congregation.'" Some people may not know how to behave in the presence of God because they have not had much experience with God.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REASON WHY SOME OF US MAY NOT MAINTAIN A PROPER DECORUM IN GOD'S PRESENCE. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE PICTURE JESUS GAVE US OF GOD.
Once there was a church in Holland which felt strictly bound to obey God's commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. On a certain Sunday the area was threatened by wind and waves. If the dikes were not strengthened, the people would not survive. The police notified the pastor of the danger. He was faced with the decision of whether to call off the services and urge his people to work on the dikes. Unable to make the decision, he called a meeting of his church council.

They concluded that God, being omnipotent, can always perform a miracle with the wind and waves. Their duty was to keep the commandment not to work on the Sabbath. The pastor tried one last argument: Did not Jesus himself break the commandment and declare that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? Then an old man stood up and said, "I have always been troubled, Pastor, by something I have never ventured to say publicly. Now I must say it. I have always had the feeling that our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal."
Jesus was a bit of a liberal--particularly when it comes to how we approach God. How can we maintain a proper distance from God--how can we maintain the stern, cold, stained-glass demeanor often associated with worship when Jesus teaches us to address God as "Daddy?"

A young boy burst into the great throne chambers of a medieval king. The boy was skipping and singing as children do. He was completely oblivious to the regal sobriety of his surroundings. Suddenly, he was intercepted by an armored solider. "Have you no respect, lad?" hissed the soldier. "Don't you know that the man on the throne is your king?" The boy wriggled out of the soldier's grasp. Dancing away, he laughed and said, "He is your king but he is my father!" And the boy bounced up to the throne and leaped into the king's lap.

Some people could never approach God with such freedom. They feel that religion must be painful if it is authentic. When anesthesia was first used to diminish the pains of childbirth in the late 1840s, churchmen (all males) objected. After all Eve was told, "in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children," as one of the punishments for eating the forbidden fruit. In 1853, however, Queen Victoria allowed herself to be chloroformed while giving birth to her 7th child, and all criticism stopped. None of the churchmen had the nerve to criticize the Queen. Some Christians have that attitude toward worship. They do not have the freedom of Jesus. Indeed, they see him as a bit of a liberal in how he approached God. He was also a bit of a liberal in the kind of people he brought into God's presence. Suppose Jesus filled the front row of our church this morning. Suppose he were the pew captain in a fill-the-pew campaign. Can't you just see what we might be in for? There next to the aisle sits a man with a serene expression on his face. Rumor has it that just a few months ago he was running naked among the stones at the town cemetery, cutting himself with rocks and screaming at passersby.Next to him sits a man named Bartimaeus. He's a nice enough fellow, but I wish he wouldn't get quite so carried away with the hymns. Particularly when we're singing "Amazing Grace" and he comes to that part about "I once was blind, but now I see..." Really, that kind of emotional expression is out of place here. Next to Bartimaeus sits a woman. Her clothes are a little too gaudy. She could use some lessons in good taste. I don't mean to gossip, but I understand that sometime back she was caught in the very act of adultery. Jesus had to protect her from a mob. Really, she should know better than to show up here. And so the story goes. Some people don't know how to act in the presence of God. Jesus may be partly responsible for that. He was a bit liberal, you see. But there's one thing more to be said.

MAYBE NONE OF US KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO ACT IN GOD'S PRESENCE.
Maybe that's why worship does not affect us more. Imagine if we came into this room with the feeling that God really is in this place. There would be no yawns as we made our way thru the service--no bored, glassy-eyed stares. Instead, we would react just like Isaiah and Simon Peter.

FIRST, WE WOULD BE CONSCIOUS OF OUR SINFULNESS.
Isaiah said, "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips." Peter said, "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man." Such a consciousness of our inadequacy is necessary for any real change to take place in our lives.
Lillian Roth was a superb entertainer who drowned her career in a sea of booze. Her struggle with alcohol was told in a motion picture starring Susan Hayward titled I'LL CRY TOMORROW. Lillian Roth confessed that she was absolutely powerless in trying to overcome her problem with alcohol until she was finally able to utter 3 little words: "I need help!" In the presence of the Divine, Isaiah and Peter suddenly realized they were sinners and needed help. Such an acknowledgement is necessary if we are to be all God means for us to be. They also discovered something else.

THEY DISCOVERED THEY HAD A MISSION.
Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me!" Peter heard Jesus say, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." If we truly felt ourselves in the presence of God this morning, we too would realize we have a mission. That mission would be to go out from this place to live the Jesus life--to reach out in love not only to those who are "our kind of people," but also to take Christ's love to folks who wouldn't know how to behave in our church.
And now, the good news for the day. God is here. He is seeking to make Himself known to each of us. Do you not sense His presence? Are you not aware of your own inadequacy? Do you not feel a call to His service? In 1922 Max Flack of the Chicago Cubs and Cliff Heathcote of the St. Louis Cardinals were traded for each other. This is not unusual except that they were traded after the first game of a double-header between the 2 teams. During the 2nd game both men played in different uniforms. I am asking you this morning, if you really sense God's presence in this place, to accept a change of uniforms. How do you act in the presence of a queen? Protocol says you do not hug her.
How do you act in the presence of God?
First, don't be afraid. He's your Daddy.
Secondly, confess your need.
Finally, heed His call.

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED
Acts 2:1-21

A man at an airport was worried about missing his plane. He had no wristwatch, and he couldn't locate a clock, so he hurried up to a stranger and said, "Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please?" The stranger smiled and said, "Sure." He set down the 2 large suitcases he was carrying and looked at his wristwatch. "It is 6:08, the temperature is 75. The barometric pressure is 30.19 and falling. Rain is predicted. In Madrid, the sky is clear. The temperature is 40 degrees Celsius. In Istanbul, the weather is sultry and the moon full."

"Your watch tells you all that?" the man interrupted.

"Oh, yes...and much more," said the stranger. "You see, I invented this watch, and there is no other timepiece like it in the world!"

"I want to buy that watch!" said the man. "I'll pay you $2,000 for it right now!"

"No, it's not for sale," said the stranger as he picked up his suitcases.

"Wait! $4,000. I'll pay you $4,000 cash," offered the man, reaching for his wallet.

"No, I can't," said the stranger. "You see, it has great sentimental value for me." "O.K. listen," said the man. "I'll give you $10,000. I've got the money right here."

The stranger paused. "$10,000? Well, O.K. It's yours for $10,000." The man was absolutely elated. He paid the stranger, took the watch, and snapped it on his wrist with glee, and said, "Thanks," as he turned to leave. "Wait," said the stranger. With a big smile, he handed the two heavy suitcases to the man and added, "Don't forget the batteries."

Silly story, but this is the continual temptation that haunts us as the church, is it not? That we will forget the batteries--that we will forget the source of our power. That we will leave behind what is essential to the life of the community of faith.

On February 2, 1985, the Daytona 500 Auto Race had just started when, on the beginning of the 3rd lap, the $250,000 machine, driven by professional driver Donny Allison, rolled to a stop on the infield side of the track. When it was checked, it was found that no one had filled it with gas.How embarrassing. One of the top drivers in auto racing stalled because he had run out of gas. But that is where many churches are. And that is where many individuals are. Trying to operate without batteries. Trying to drive on an empty fuel tank.

Ever since Christ's ascension, the disciples and the women and the brothers of Jesus had been devoting themselves to prayer in the upper room. They had been preparing themselves to receive the Holy Spirit that Christ had promised them. Now it was the day of Pentecost and they were all together in one place. Suddenly, there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house. And they saw tongues of fire which seemed to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem from every nation on earth. And when this sound occurred, a large multitude of them came together, and they were bewildered because they were each one hearing the disciples speak in his own language. "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" they asked. "How is it that we each hear them in our own language? We hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." Obviously the church on the day of Pentecost had its fuel tank full. Its batteries were connected. What can we learn from their experience that will energize us as we celebrate Pentecost 1996? Here is the first thing we need to note:
THE SOURCE OF THE CHURCH'S POWER IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
If we are going to have the joy and the energy and the enthusiasm of the early church, we are going to have to pray for God's Spirit to fall afresh on us. Anytime we try to substitute any other kind of power for God's power, we are in trouble. It makes no difference what that power may be. It may be political power. The church has often in the past sought to exercise its political power. Sometimes this has had beneficial results--sometimes not.

Our laws regarding the separation of church and state are very fortunate laws. They keep the state from meddling in church affairs and they help the church resist the temptation of political power. Political power is no substitute for spiritual power. Or we might substitute what might be called celebrity power.

Many growing churches nowadays, as a central part of their ministry, bring in celebrities--musicians, athletes, politicians--to share their faith. Nothing wrong with that--as long as we remember that these celebrities are just people. They sin just like the rest of us. Their weaknesses do not disappear just because they are in the public spotlight. Any church that builds its faith on the power of personality--even the personality of the pastor--is potentially in trouble. People have a way of letting us down. But that is another form of power in our world today--celebrity power. There is even a danger of what we might call need-centered power. One of the effective ways of growing churches in today's world is to focus on people's needs and to begin groups within the church to meet those needs.

So in many churches today you will find all kinds of 12-step groups and recovery groups and support groups, etc. All of these are good, and they are a vital part of the church's ministry. We are here to meet people's social and emotional and even their physical needs. As long as we do not lose sight of our central reason for being. Maybe you heard about a certain hen that won dozens of awards. She was really quite amazing. If you put a red quilt in front of her, she would lay red eggs. If you put a green quilt before her--green eggs. A blue quilt--blue eggs. But one day someone accidentally put a plaid quilt in front of her...and the poor bird died trying to deliver the goods! That can happen to us. We can be so busy trying to be all things to all people that we lose sight of our central reason for being. Nothing in the church can substitute for God's Spirit as the basic source of our power. If we ever become what God means for us to become, it will not be because of our programs--as effective as they may be. It will be because God's Spirit lifts us. One writer has used the analogy of an albatross. He notes that the albatross has the longest wingspan of any living bird: 12 feet. He also notes that it is too heavy to fly--it can't support itself in the air. In fact, in still air, it can't even take off. Yet the albatross is a marathon flier. Some speculate it can stay years at sea without returning to land. Scientists put a radio transmitter on one to track it. After 30 days and 9,000 miles, the battery gave out, and the albatross was still over the ocean. How can a bird too heavy to support itself be a marathon flier? The answer: it doesn't flap. It glides. It is a master at riding the winds. For example, it knows that slightly higher, the faster air currents provide greater speed. Then it dives, letting gravity give acceleration. Then it catches an updraft off the waves, and the cycle starts all over again. The albatross not only survives winds of almost any force at sea, but it is not even blown off course. It can ride out the storms by reading the winds and circling. Then when calm returns, it continues on its way.We need to learn from the albatross. If we could ride the winds of God's Spirit, we could accomplish far more than we think possible. That is the first thing we need to learn from Pentecost. The source of our power is God's Spirit.
THE SECOND THING WE LEARN FROM THE DAY OF PENTECOST IS THAT WHERE GOD'S SPIRIT IS THERE IS UNITY.
People of differing backgrounds, differing social classes, differing skin colors, differing national origins, all heard the Gospel in their own tongue. Rather than fragmenting into tiny self-serving groups, they were drawn into a cohesive whole.

One day, we are going to see how silly we have been about all the barriers we have erected between people. There was a cartoon once which showed 2 people staring at each other. One was a little man in a loincloth, looking like Mahatma Gandhi. The other was a stalwart man with a full feathered headdress looking like Sitting Bull. Both are speaking simultaneously, and the caption reads: "Funny, but you don't look Indian." Silly perhaps--but also thought provoking. And we should not forget the Irishman who said he would rather die than be buried in a Protestant cemetery. What an absurd world we have created. I appreciate Ted Turner, the head of Cable News Network. It's said that Turner fines any CNN newscasters who use the word "foreign." We're all in this together, as he sees it. When Billy Graham held his historic crusade in Montgomery, Alabama, in the 60s, he insisted on an integrated choir. The newspaper editorialized that Graham had come to Alabama and set the church back a hundred years. Graham's answer was classic: "If that's the case, I failed in my mission," said Graham, "I intended to set it back 2,000 years."

Where the Spirit of God is present, there is unity. When the waters of God rise, the fences disappear. No longer is there male or female, black or white, Jew or gentile. There are only precious souls for whom Christ died. We are one in the Spirit. Of course, that is even more important when we apply it to the church. A somewhat humorous story came across Associated Press lines sometime back about 2 groups of firefighters in a small town in Maryland that came to fight a fire and ended up fighting each other. It seems that paid and volunteer firefighters got to the fire at the same time and argued over who should be the first to carry a hose into a burning townhouse. Eventually, they had to be separated by county police. Fortunately, the fire was put out before too much damage was done.
BUT I COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK OF THE CHURCH.
Rather than fighting the fires of evil in this world, we would rather fight each other. Not so with the church at Pentecost. They prayed together, ate together, even shared possessions with one another. The source of the church's power is the Spirit of God. Where the Spirit is, there is unity. But one thing more:
WHERE THE SPIRIT IS, THERE IS OUTREACH TO OTHERS.
Where the Spirit of God is, people concerned about sharing the good news of Christ with their family, their friends, their neighbors... The church at Pentecost was a rapidly growing church. They were reaching out. Richard Lederer is a teacher and writer who has become nationally known by collecting what he calls ANGUISHED ENGLISH. Lederer collects such things as unintentionally funny headlines and signs, etc. You've seen some of his work. Here are some typical classified ads from one of his books: "Home. $199,500. Great Location. 2/3's of an acre with 4 bedrooms, 2-bath, brick Cape. Built the way they used to. Won't last." "For sale: Bull dog. Will eat anything. Loves children." And my favorite: "Extremely independent male. 17 years old, needs to rent room. Call his mother at..." PEOPLE magazine did a story on Lederer. Their photographer asked Lederer to think about setting up a humorous, posed picture that would somehow summarize his work and lead into the article. The solution immediately presented itself. On the outskirts of Lederer's town stands a telephone pole with the street sign ELECTRIC AVENUE. Sure enough, right below it is a yellow diamond traffic sign announcing NO OUTLET.And that is the greatest danger for the church--that we will experience God's electricity but find no outlet. That we will experience God's power but will refuse to share that power with others. That we will experience God's unity among ourselves but shut out others. That we will have the joy of God's Spirit but not try to bring joy to the world. Have we forgotten the batteries? The source of the church's power is God's Spirit. Where the Spirit is, there is unity. And where the Spirit is, there is a concern for reaching out to others.

RESPONDING INSTEAD OF REACTING

"RESPONDING INSTEAD OF REACTING"
Jeremiah 28:1-9

Preached at First Baptist ChurchGarrett, Indiana by Dr. Arthur G. Ferry, Jr., Pastor
Will Rodgers had a reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge had a reputation that he never laughed at anything. Finally, Will Rodgers was invited to the White House. People wondered what would happen. Both men's reputations were at stake. It is said that Will Rodgers came through the reception line and was introduced to the President. "President Coolidge, this is Will Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers, this is President Calvin Coolidge." Will Rodgers leaned forward and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." The President cracked up and started laughing.
We admire people who are quick on their feet, don't we? Quick on the comeback, saying the right thing at the right time.
General George Armstrong Custer was that kind of person. In fact, many historians think he might have been the next President of the United States if he hadn't been killed in the Battle of Little Big Horn. He was so popular that the Democrats were priming him to be their next candidate. Gen. Custer had a reputation for being quick on his feet, able to analyze battle situations and react quickly. His quickness paid off in many battles. Fresh out of West Point, he served under General McClellan in the Civil War.
Once Gen. McClellan marched to the edge of a river, where he and all of his officers stopped their horses. Gen. McClellan commented, "I wish I knew how deep this river was so I knew whether the troops could cross or not." The officers sat on their horses wondering what to do. Custer spurred his horse and rode into the middle of the river. From the river he called out, "General, this is how deep it is." No wonder Custer had a reputation for being able to make quick decisions. It was his strength. Also, it was his weakness. Once when Custer was marching his 7th Cavalry across the plains he decided to try the speed of his greyhounds against a herd of antelope grazing 2 miles away. On the spur of the moment, he left his troops and took off after the antelope. He chased this herd several miles but couldn't catch up with them. By the time he stopped he realized he was lost out on the Great Plains. Looking around to try and get some directions, he spotted his first buffalo. Giving in to the emotions of the moment, Gen. Custer spurred his horse and took off after the buffalo. After chasing the huge bull for several miles, he decided to finish the hunt by shooting the buffalo in the head. As he lowered his revolver to the buffalo's head, the animal whirled on the horse, so that Custer's thoroughbred reared just as Custer fired the shot. Gen. Custer shot his own horse in the head. As he freed himself of his dead horse, he discovered he was without food, without water, without a horse, lost out on the Great Plains. Hours later, his troops found him. He might easily have died out in the middle of the prairie.
People like Gen. Custer are popular because they show the ability to be decisive--sometimes to their own detriment. The prophet Jeremiah, on the other hand, was not quick at all. He did not react like Will Rodgers or Gen. Custer. He was the kind of person who had to go home and think about it for a while and then come back later to give his response.

In today's scripture, we read about the false prophet Hananiah who announced to the people that they didn't need to listen to Jeremiah any more. Jeremiah had spent many weeks wearing a wooden yoke around his neck. It was the same kind of yoke that an ox would wear to plow the field. Wearing the yoke around his neck, Jeremiah announced to the people and to the priests, "God will send us into bondage. God is going to judge us for our lack of repentance unless we turn from our evil and wickedness. God will send us into slavery in Babylon."
Hananiah took the yoke off of Jeremiah's neck, broke it, and announced, "Thus says the Lord, our bondage will be broken. Babylon will be defeated so that we will be victorious and live at peace within 2 years."
Jeremiah stuttered and stammered. He didn't know what to say. His only reaction was to answer sarcastically, "A-men! Go ahead, tell everybody that. I hope you are right!" Not knowing what to say, he went home.
When Jeremiah got home, he rethought that whole conversation. Have you ever done that? Have you ever thought, "Boy, I wish I had said such and such...." I suspect Jeremiah laid in bed at night thinking about what had occurred. He prayed about it until the Lord gave him a response. Jeremiah came back some days later and made his announcement to Hananiah, "You've taken a wooden yoke from my neck and you've broken it and said that God will break the yoke of Babylon. Here is the word of the Lord. God says you have broken a wooden yoke but God will replace it with a yoke of iron. Babylon will destroy our nation as punishment for our sins. Hananiah, since you misled the people with your lies, you will be dead within a year. Now, let's see who the true prophet is!" Jeremiah responded instead of reacting. He wasn't quick on his feet. He had to go home and think about it for a while, but when he was finally ready with a response, it was a message from the Lord. Let's think for a few moments this morning about the difference between reacting and responding --between taking impulsive actions and thinking things thru.
FIRST OF ALL, WHEN WE RESPOND--WHEN WE GIVE SITUATIONS ADEQUATE THOUGHT--WE GUARD AGAINST BEING GULLIBLE.
The false prophet Hananiah used all the right phrases. He said, "Thus says the Lord," the official phrase of a prophet. He brought comforting words. Shouldn't a preacher comfort the people? And yet, Jeremiah knew the message was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it at first, but he knew something was wrong. He needed to go home to think about it and pray about it in order to clarify God's will for that situation.
We also need to be careful not to be too gullible just because someone uses the right words and sounds convincing. In the 1930s, a politician in Germany used all the right phrases. He spoke about "God and country." He spoke about God being "on our side, so let's get this nation going again." The German people cheered for him. But not just the people. He was against communism, so the churches thought he must be on their side as well. Thus, Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany using all the right phrases. Many thought he would save their nation. How sadly mistaken they were. When we learn to respond instead of reacting, we are recognizing that quick, easy answers are usually not the true answers. Quick, easy answers look like they offer an immediate solution to problems, but usually they don't take into account the complexity of certain situations.
Sir Thomas More wrote a book in the 1500s called, UTOPIA. He described a place where everything is perfect. Utopia is a place where decisions are always wise and people are always happy. As Garrison Keillor would say, "The children are all above average." Sir Thomas More devotes a portion of the book to his ideas for a perfect government. He writes, "There's also a rule in the Council that no resolution can be debated on the day that it's first proposed. All discussion is postponed until the next well-attended meeting. Otherwise someone's liable to say the first thing that comes into his head, and then start thinking up arguments to justify what he has just said instead of trying to decide what's best for the community. That type of person is quite prepared to sacrifice the public to his own prestige, just because, absurd as it may sound, he's ashamed to admit that his first idea may have been wrong--when his first idea should have been to think before he spoke."Wouldn't it be wonderful if we made a rule in Congress that when a resolution or a new bill is presented on the floor, nobody can debate it for a month, because everybody has to think before they speak. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I wonder what it would do for the leadership of our country if we learned to respond instead of reacting off the top of our heads? What if we stopped jumping to quick, easy answers and instead carefully thought out the deeper issues with all their complexities?
Arthur Gordon is a wonderful Christian writer. He has written a book called A TOUCH OF WONDER, telling some of his own experiences. He has interviewed famous people and traveled widely. One of his chapters is titled, "The Power of Purposeful Pausing." In it he discusses a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson. Here's the quote: "Extreme busyness, whether at school, work or market, is a symptom of deficient energy." In other words, staying busy is not the sign of a person with a high energy level. It is rather the sign of a lazy person. Why? Because the overly busy person has not put enough energy into the really hard work of thinking and setting priorities first! Arthur Gordon read that statement and realized that if we took more time to pause, we would increase our efficiency and the work we do would be better. He calls it "the power of purposeful pausing."But there is a second reason for responding rather than simply reacting.
WHEN WE PAUSE TO RESPOND, WE GIVE GOD A CHANCE TO SPEAK AND TO ACT.
If Jeremiah had merely spoken with no time for thought, the words would have been his words and not God's. Sometimes we need to pause to listen to God. Most of us cherish the music of Handel's "Messiah," particularly at Christmas. We love the beautiful choruses and the solos. We stand together reverently as we listen to the "Halleluia Chorus." But most of us don't know much about Handel's life and what brought him to write "Messiah." In his 30's Handel became successful as a composer. By his 20's he had already established his reputation throughout Europe as an outstanding organist. On moving to London, he decided to build a reputation as a music composer. Thru his 30's and 40's he continued to write music in London. He primarily wrote operas for the upper class. The difficulty was that it took him so much time to write an opera and to rehearse it with the singers and to get everything ready that by the time it was finally performed, he was deeply in debt. His income from each opera went to pay back the debts he had incurred during the composing and rehearsals. It took him about 2 months to get an opera ready. The opera would run for 3 or 6 nights; sometimes a really well-received opera would run for 11 nights. He would pay his bills and then immediately he needed to start on another opera. For 20 years his life became a frantic routine of churning out more and more operas to pay his debts. He was living on the edge of debtor's prison day in and day out. Can anybody relate to that--running day and night just to stay even? Then, when he was 52 years old, Handel suffered a stroke and lost the use of the right side of his body. He could no longer accompany his operas. He was forced, by his bad health, to take a break. He left London and went to France to soak in some hot, natural baths. He wanted to get the right side of his body working again. It was on one of those days, while sitting in the bath, praying that somehow his right hand would be restored so he could continue with his music, that somebody said to him, "Sometimes people need more than entertainment. I can still remember when I heard your oratorio, `Esther.' That oratorio inspired me. It lifted my spirits at a time when I was discouraged." The speaker was not aware that the music for "Esther" had been stolen from Handel and used by someone else who combined it with the biblical material. The speaker continued, "Monsieur Handel, the world is full of discouragement. Why don't you write something that will inspire human beings to live useful lives?"Bathing in those hot baths for a number of days, Handel finally began to get a little movement in his hand. With full recovery, he was able to use his arm and his hand again. It was a day of rejoicing when he could sit down at an organ and play again with both hands. He returned to London. But in the back of his mind he kept thinking about that statement made to him at the baths. When he got back to London, he began writing music for biblical oratorios along with operas. Writer Charles Jennens asked for an appointment with Handel to discuss some new music for a libretto he had written called "Messiah." Handel was so impressed by the compilation of Old Testament prophecies which were fulfilled by Jesus that he sat down and worked for twenty-four straight days. In less than a month he completed the music for the "Messiah." The last 20 years of his life he spent writing music for biblical oratorios. He took many Old Testament passages and put them to music. He discovered his real gift was inspirational music. Now he had a higher purpose than frantically churning out opera after opera to pay debts. But it took a crisis in his life to make him pause long enough to make the discovery.

It is a shame when we wait until we have a stroke or a heart attack or a divorce before we sit back and think about where our lives are headed. Like Handel, you and I need to pause every so often in order to get God's perspective. We need to respond instead of frantically reacting. Jeremiah went home and prayed, "Lord, give me a response." We need to do the same. When we take time to thoughtfully and prayerfully respond, we find our way through to real answers--not the simple, superficial answers that always please the crowd. And we give God a chance to give us His answer. We give Him the chance to act in ways that bring real solutions, real healing, and real hope.