Illustrations for August 10, 2008
Illustration
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
In every generation, there are those who would kill the dreamers. John F. Kennedy dreamed of a "new frontier" -- and Lee Harvey Oswald's bullet cut him down in Dallas. His brother, Robert, liked to quote George Bernard Shaw: "You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' " -- Sirhan Sirhan ended that dreamer's life in the kitchen of a California hotel. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech was all about having a dream -- a dream that placed him squarely in the crosshairs of James Earl Ray's riflescope.
Those are just three examples of dreams from recent American history; we could cite many more from other countries and cultures. Maybe the best example of all is Jesus. He was a dreamer; and it was the persistent way he hung onto his dreams -- even as Pilate was offering a sleazy plea-bargain -- that sent him to the cross.
The sons of Jacob tried to murder their dreamy brother, and they nearly succeeded; but one thing they never could kill was the dream itself. That's the fundamental error of those who traffic in prejudice and hatred. They imagine they can kill the dream by attacking the dreamer. "Throw him down the well," they say: "we'll see what will become of his dreams."
What becomes of dreams -- of good and Godly dreams, anyway -- is that when they are assailed, they grow even stronger.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Our Genesis lesson today starts out with a startling statement. It says, "Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan."
As an alien?
Jacob's father Isaac had lived in the land of Palestine, Canaan, the holy, and, as an alien? Hadn't the Lord God called Jacob's father, Abraham, and his mother, Sarah, many years earlier, to leave their home and family and go to a land that God would show them?
And hadn't Isaac, their son, been born right there in that new land, Palestine? How then could Genesis say that he lived there in the land of Canaan as an alien?
Maybe it's like the Negro spiritual we used to sing at camp:
This world is not my home,
I'm just a-passing through....
If heaven's not my home
O Lord what can I do?
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home
In this world.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
On a warm summer day, the church youth fellowship visited a regional amusement park. The youth had looked forward to this day for quite some time. Earlier in the spring they held a car wash and bake sale to raise money for the trip. With the leftover money they decided to buy T-shirts and place the church name, city, and logo on each one. They wanted others to know where they were from. They purchased thirty vivid blue T- shirts.
The leaders and parents thought having all the youth wearing the same color T-shirt was a great idea. They would be able to identify the youth easily in the midst of the crowds. When they arrived at the park, they discovered that other groups had the same idea. There were youth from the inner city wearing bright orange T-shirts; there was another church group wearing red shirts. There were youth scattered throughout the park wearing T- shirts that identified their group. People in the park would ask them about their shirts. It was an opportunity to talk about their church and youth group.
Joseph was a teenager whose father had given him a coat of many colors. No doubt his brothers could easily spot him from a distance. Instead of admiration, however, his brothers were filled with jealously and rage against their brother.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
In Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the narrators sings about Jacob's presentation of the coat to Joseph. She sings that Jacob is unaware of the danger in presenting the coat to Joseph or by his clear favoritism of his son. But he was wrong. She continues, "Joseph's brothers weren't too pleased with what they saw." And the brothers sing, "We had never liked him all that much before, and now this coat has got our goat, we feel life is unfair."
No doubt that is exactly what the brothers were thinking when they saw Joseph coming to them in the field.
Romans 10:5-15
Richard Haklyut (1552/3-1616) was a force in English politics. He was a priest serving in the English government. His life's interest was to chronicle and promote voyages of discovery. He read, translated, charted, and published accounts of world exploration, always emphasizing that England should explore and settle the new world.
He was urgent to get the English to the Americas, and he constantly argued that the church should send missionaries to the natives. He viewed the efforts to find, investigate, and map the new world as serving the cause of Christ. He wrote of the "infinite multitudes" who awaited the good news of Christ and their need for salvation. He quoted Paul in Romans 10, noting that verses 13-15 clinched the argument for missionaries.
We also can use current technologies and the information from scientists and governments to get the word out to the "infinite multitudes" who await the good news of Christ.
Romans 10:5-15
She was the wife of a young pop singer whose song had jumped near the top of the charts. Apparently because of some shoddy dental work, an infection worked from his gums to his brain and put him in a coma. He never recovered. His wife went to the hospital every day hoping for a miracle. I prayed with them often.
One morning, the hospital medical staff asked me to have a frank talk with her about his condition. I drove to her house, rang the doorbell, and she came to the door. As soon as she saw me, she could tell that I wasn't bringing good news. I've had to bear bad news on numerous occasions since. It's never enjoyable.
Still, any conversation gives us the opportunity to tell the good news about what Jesus has done. He forgave our guilt. He defeated death. He opened heaven's doors to all who believe in him. Will your feet carry you to tell the good news today? Doing that will give you beautiful feet.
Romans 10:5-15
J. Hudson Taylor tells this story about his missionary work in China. "While we were at Hang-Chow, my child -- she was only eight years of age -- for the first time saw a man making an idol. The sight grieved her to the heart. She looked up into my face, and said, 'Oh, Papa, that man does not know Jesus! Could you go and tell him about Jesus? He would never make an idol if he knew Jesus; go and tell him about Jesus.' "
Taylor went on to tell that he told the idol maker the story of God's great love in the gift of his Son, Jesus. After he left the man continued making the idol. This troubled Taylor's young daughter. He could see her heart was troubled -- "What shall we sing?" he asked her.
She said, "Let us sing 'Rock Of Ages, Cleft For Me.' "
They sang the hymn, and then he said to her, "Will you pray first?" He said he had never heard a prayer such as she offered. For nearly an hour she went on praying that God would have mercy on the Chinese and strengthen her papa to preach Christ to them. The eight-year-old girl, herself, was very sick, and Taylor remembered, "That prayer was the last one I heard her speak."
Matthew 14:22-33
Some years ago, the Israeli National Parks Authority approved a developer's proposal to construct a submerged, transparent bridge in a small part of the Sea of Galilee. The crescent-shaped bridge, located a few inches below the surface of the water, would allow tourists the opportunity to get their pictures taken "walking on water," as Jesus did.
So as not to spoil the effect, architectural plans for the thirteen-foot-wide bridge included no protective guardrails; the plan was to have lifeguards standing by in rescue boats, just in case some absent-minded tourist happened to step off the edge.
(From a BBC News report, "Pilgrims To 'Walk on Water,' " February 3, 1999, www.bbc.com)
Matthew 14:22-33
An amazing thing happens in our gospel today. It's night, and the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a storm comes up and begins threatening them and their boat -- and they see what they think is a ghost, walking on the water, coming toward them.
They're terrified!
But it's Jesus, and he tells them not to be afraid. And then Peter gets out of the boat -- and needs to be rescued. Then, after Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the wind suddenly stops blowing.
What do the disciples do? They worship Jesus, and they say, "Truly you are the Son of God."
To worship is to realize the worth -- the worth-ship -- of someone else. Of how much worth is the Lord in your life and in mine? Is his worth above that of everything else in our lives? Do we truly worship him?
Matthew 14:22-33
Alan and Jane had looked forward to their summer trip to the beach for several months. It had been a hectic year for both of them. Alan's parents had spent several days in the hospital throughout the year with various health concerns. A position was eliminated where Jane works. The entire department was on pins and needles for weeks over who would lose their job. Jane breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that she would keep her job. Unfortunately, the dismissed person's responsibilities now fell to Jane. Jane would complain that it was not fair; she "was doing the job of two full-time people."
They counted down the days until vacation. It would be good to get away for a week. On their second morning at the beach they decided to go for an early morning walk on the beach. As they walked, occasionally waves reached their feet, they talked about their lives together, as well as their joys and frustrations. They passed others on the beach, those jogging or walking, some searching for seashells and other treasures. As they were nearing the end of their walk, they encountered a gentleman who stood staring at the ocean. Excitedly he said, "Did you see that?" Both Alan and Jane stopped and looked out over the ocean. Neither saw anything. Later, Alan would say that he thought the man was crazy, because he did not see anything. They stood there for several minutes before they saw the fin of a dolphin in the water. It was as if the Lord were speaking to them on that walk. Upon their return home they realized that they needed to set new priorities. They realized that they were missing out on the simple joys of life.
The crowds had been pressing in on Jesus, the disciples dismissed them, and Jesus retreated to the "mountain by himself to pray." Jesus knew the value of time away to pray and reflect on his life.
Matthew 14:22-33
Cameron was learning to water ski. His father instructed him how to crouch low on his skis, "Sit on the water," was how he put it, and then stand when the boat began to pull. Cameron was ready. He sat back in the water, the rope between his skis, his skis relatively straight. The boat moved forward, the rope became taut, and Cameron straightened his legs. He was up. His dad and brother in the boat cheered, then opened the throttle for a bit more speed. "You're up," they hollered back to him. "You're skiing." Then it happened. It was as if Cameron suddenly realized what he was doing. He looked down frantically, let go of the rope, and tumbled through the water. As his father explained it later, "It was like he lost faith that he could do it." A couple of tries later and Cameron's faith was restored and he was skiing.
Peter momentarily lost faith, too. As a result, he sunk like the rock (you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church) he was.
In every generation, there are those who would kill the dreamers. John F. Kennedy dreamed of a "new frontier" -- and Lee Harvey Oswald's bullet cut him down in Dallas. His brother, Robert, liked to quote George Bernard Shaw: "You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' " -- Sirhan Sirhan ended that dreamer's life in the kitchen of a California hotel. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech was all about having a dream -- a dream that placed him squarely in the crosshairs of James Earl Ray's riflescope.
Those are just three examples of dreams from recent American history; we could cite many more from other countries and cultures. Maybe the best example of all is Jesus. He was a dreamer; and it was the persistent way he hung onto his dreams -- even as Pilate was offering a sleazy plea-bargain -- that sent him to the cross.
The sons of Jacob tried to murder their dreamy brother, and they nearly succeeded; but one thing they never could kill was the dream itself. That's the fundamental error of those who traffic in prejudice and hatred. They imagine they can kill the dream by attacking the dreamer. "Throw him down the well," they say: "we'll see what will become of his dreams."
What becomes of dreams -- of good and Godly dreams, anyway -- is that when they are assailed, they grow even stronger.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Our Genesis lesson today starts out with a startling statement. It says, "Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan."
As an alien?
Jacob's father Isaac had lived in the land of Palestine, Canaan, the holy, and, as an alien? Hadn't the Lord God called Jacob's father, Abraham, and his mother, Sarah, many years earlier, to leave their home and family and go to a land that God would show them?
And hadn't Isaac, their son, been born right there in that new land, Palestine? How then could Genesis say that he lived there in the land of Canaan as an alien?
Maybe it's like the Negro spiritual we used to sing at camp:
This world is not my home,
I'm just a-passing through....
If heaven's not my home
O Lord what can I do?
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home
In this world.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
On a warm summer day, the church youth fellowship visited a regional amusement park. The youth had looked forward to this day for quite some time. Earlier in the spring they held a car wash and bake sale to raise money for the trip. With the leftover money they decided to buy T-shirts and place the church name, city, and logo on each one. They wanted others to know where they were from. They purchased thirty vivid blue T- shirts.
The leaders and parents thought having all the youth wearing the same color T-shirt was a great idea. They would be able to identify the youth easily in the midst of the crowds. When they arrived at the park, they discovered that other groups had the same idea. There were youth from the inner city wearing bright orange T-shirts; there was another church group wearing red shirts. There were youth scattered throughout the park wearing T- shirts that identified their group. People in the park would ask them about their shirts. It was an opportunity to talk about their church and youth group.
Joseph was a teenager whose father had given him a coat of many colors. No doubt his brothers could easily spot him from a distance. Instead of admiration, however, his brothers were filled with jealously and rage against their brother.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
In Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the narrators sings about Jacob's presentation of the coat to Joseph. She sings that Jacob is unaware of the danger in presenting the coat to Joseph or by his clear favoritism of his son. But he was wrong. She continues, "Joseph's brothers weren't too pleased with what they saw." And the brothers sing, "We had never liked him all that much before, and now this coat has got our goat, we feel life is unfair."
No doubt that is exactly what the brothers were thinking when they saw Joseph coming to them in the field.
Romans 10:5-15
Richard Haklyut (1552/3-1616) was a force in English politics. He was a priest serving in the English government. His life's interest was to chronicle and promote voyages of discovery. He read, translated, charted, and published accounts of world exploration, always emphasizing that England should explore and settle the new world.
He was urgent to get the English to the Americas, and he constantly argued that the church should send missionaries to the natives. He viewed the efforts to find, investigate, and map the new world as serving the cause of Christ. He wrote of the "infinite multitudes" who awaited the good news of Christ and their need for salvation. He quoted Paul in Romans 10, noting that verses 13-15 clinched the argument for missionaries.
We also can use current technologies and the information from scientists and governments to get the word out to the "infinite multitudes" who await the good news of Christ.
Romans 10:5-15
She was the wife of a young pop singer whose song had jumped near the top of the charts. Apparently because of some shoddy dental work, an infection worked from his gums to his brain and put him in a coma. He never recovered. His wife went to the hospital every day hoping for a miracle. I prayed with them often.
One morning, the hospital medical staff asked me to have a frank talk with her about his condition. I drove to her house, rang the doorbell, and she came to the door. As soon as she saw me, she could tell that I wasn't bringing good news. I've had to bear bad news on numerous occasions since. It's never enjoyable.
Still, any conversation gives us the opportunity to tell the good news about what Jesus has done. He forgave our guilt. He defeated death. He opened heaven's doors to all who believe in him. Will your feet carry you to tell the good news today? Doing that will give you beautiful feet.
Romans 10:5-15
J. Hudson Taylor tells this story about his missionary work in China. "While we were at Hang-Chow, my child -- she was only eight years of age -- for the first time saw a man making an idol. The sight grieved her to the heart. She looked up into my face, and said, 'Oh, Papa, that man does not know Jesus! Could you go and tell him about Jesus? He would never make an idol if he knew Jesus; go and tell him about Jesus.' "
Taylor went on to tell that he told the idol maker the story of God's great love in the gift of his Son, Jesus. After he left the man continued making the idol. This troubled Taylor's young daughter. He could see her heart was troubled -- "What shall we sing?" he asked her.
She said, "Let us sing 'Rock Of Ages, Cleft For Me.' "
They sang the hymn, and then he said to her, "Will you pray first?" He said he had never heard a prayer such as she offered. For nearly an hour she went on praying that God would have mercy on the Chinese and strengthen her papa to preach Christ to them. The eight-year-old girl, herself, was very sick, and Taylor remembered, "That prayer was the last one I heard her speak."
Matthew 14:22-33
Some years ago, the Israeli National Parks Authority approved a developer's proposal to construct a submerged, transparent bridge in a small part of the Sea of Galilee. The crescent-shaped bridge, located a few inches below the surface of the water, would allow tourists the opportunity to get their pictures taken "walking on water," as Jesus did.
So as not to spoil the effect, architectural plans for the thirteen-foot-wide bridge included no protective guardrails; the plan was to have lifeguards standing by in rescue boats, just in case some absent-minded tourist happened to step off the edge.
(From a BBC News report, "Pilgrims To 'Walk on Water,' " February 3, 1999, www.bbc.com)
Matthew 14:22-33
An amazing thing happens in our gospel today. It's night, and the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a storm comes up and begins threatening them and their boat -- and they see what they think is a ghost, walking on the water, coming toward them.
They're terrified!
But it's Jesus, and he tells them not to be afraid. And then Peter gets out of the boat -- and needs to be rescued. Then, after Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the wind suddenly stops blowing.
What do the disciples do? They worship Jesus, and they say, "Truly you are the Son of God."
To worship is to realize the worth -- the worth-ship -- of someone else. Of how much worth is the Lord in your life and in mine? Is his worth above that of everything else in our lives? Do we truly worship him?
Matthew 14:22-33
Alan and Jane had looked forward to their summer trip to the beach for several months. It had been a hectic year for both of them. Alan's parents had spent several days in the hospital throughout the year with various health concerns. A position was eliminated where Jane works. The entire department was on pins and needles for weeks over who would lose their job. Jane breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that she would keep her job. Unfortunately, the dismissed person's responsibilities now fell to Jane. Jane would complain that it was not fair; she "was doing the job of two full-time people."
They counted down the days until vacation. It would be good to get away for a week. On their second morning at the beach they decided to go for an early morning walk on the beach. As they walked, occasionally waves reached their feet, they talked about their lives together, as well as their joys and frustrations. They passed others on the beach, those jogging or walking, some searching for seashells and other treasures. As they were nearing the end of their walk, they encountered a gentleman who stood staring at the ocean. Excitedly he said, "Did you see that?" Both Alan and Jane stopped and looked out over the ocean. Neither saw anything. Later, Alan would say that he thought the man was crazy, because he did not see anything. They stood there for several minutes before they saw the fin of a dolphin in the water. It was as if the Lord were speaking to them on that walk. Upon their return home they realized that they needed to set new priorities. They realized that they were missing out on the simple joys of life.
The crowds had been pressing in on Jesus, the disciples dismissed them, and Jesus retreated to the "mountain by himself to pray." Jesus knew the value of time away to pray and reflect on his life.
Matthew 14:22-33
Cameron was learning to water ski. His father instructed him how to crouch low on his skis, "Sit on the water," was how he put it, and then stand when the boat began to pull. Cameron was ready. He sat back in the water, the rope between his skis, his skis relatively straight. The boat moved forward, the rope became taut, and Cameron straightened his legs. He was up. His dad and brother in the boat cheered, then opened the throttle for a bit more speed. "You're up," they hollered back to him. "You're skiing." Then it happened. It was as if Cameron suddenly realized what he was doing. He looked down frantically, let go of the rope, and tumbled through the water. As his father explained it later, "It was like he lost faith that he could do it." A couple of tries later and Cameron's faith was restored and he was skiing.
Peter momentarily lost faith, too. As a result, he sunk like the rock (you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church) he was.
