Intergenerational traveling
Commentary
Unfortunately my mother's father died several years before I was born. From the stories told about him, he would have been a fascinating man to know. His grandparents, born in Prussia, had emigrated to the United States in 1848. The trip from Bremen to New Orleans took nine weeks and three days. Like many immigrants to the United States, Fred and Catherine had hopes of a better life here for their family. They traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis and then on to Beardstown, Illinois, where they settled on a farm near some relatives.
Even though farm life was difficult, they didn't seem to mind, because this was America where dreams come true. Their dream was for the family to be together and happy, enjoying enough to eat and keeping themselves warm in the winter. With many other German-born folks in the Beardstown area, they found themselves surviving and thriving in ways they had only dreamed of just a few short years before. A big reason for their success was that they were a determined bunch of people.
That element of determination has continued to make itself evident down through the generations. Fred and Catherine's son, Henry, lost his first wife to disease when she was only 33 years old. He could have given in to despair, but his faith in God and his commitment to raise his young son kept him going strong. That son, the only child of four to live through infancy, became my grandfather. Determination shone brightly in my grandfather's life when one Sunday he decided it was time that men and women should get to sit together in church. He made the announcement of his decision while holding his baby daughter, my mother, in his arms.
That intergenerational traveling of the personality trait, determination, is quite similar to the existence of power in the lessons for this day. It began with David's defeat of Goliath. Then David's descendent, Jesus, displayed some real power over the weather itself while out on the lake with his friends. Finally, Jesus' followers take their turn at power by surviving great hardships in order to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE I
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49(Revised Common)
In good stories, we often learn important lessons. This encounter between Goliath and David has all of the excitement, intrigue and instructional value you would expect in any championship story.
A. There is a villain. The Bible calls him a champion from Gath who stood nine feet tall. Besides being tall, he was also strong and he taunted and challenged the troops of Israel, knowing all along that he could defeat anyone in their army.
B. As you read the story for the first time, there are seemingly unbeatable odds in defeating this evil, taunting, giant of a man.
C. Just as we begin to settle in to the notion that all is lost, a highly unlikely hero appears to challenge the giant. He is everything the giant is not: small, unshielded, and quick. Drawing from his experience as a shepherd when he has done battle with forces stronger and larger than him, he moves quickly and decisively to strike the fatal blow of the battle. Goliath treats his appearance as a joke, but it does not take long for the encounter to get very serious.
D. One person's courageous act brings victory into the grasp of a nation when it had seemed impossible only moments before.
E. David claimed that the Lord would assist him and give him the victory. And that's the way it was.
F. As good a story as this is, it is also an empowering adventure as well. When we absorb it, we become aware of possibilities in our own lives to overcome evil as God works with us.
OUTLINE II
Discipleship
2 Corinthians 6:1-13(Revised Common)
In this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul lays out a framework or a template for discipleship that is at once thorough and potentially intimidating. As modern day Christians compare themselves to this outline, they may feel as if they have a lot of spiritual growth ahead of them to meet the challenge. Nevertheless it is a spiritually enriching experience to observe and study Paul's litany of contrasts.
A. Honor/dishonor: We may be viewed as dishonorable persons according to this world's standards, but we know that we have honor as part of God's kingdom.
B. Ill repute/good repute: Paul had people attacking him for every action or speech. But his fame or notoriety among people was not too important to him. He preferred to be known and appreciated by God.
C. Treated as imposters/but true: Since he had not been one of the original 12 disciples or even one of Jesus' early followers, many felt that Paul was an imposter. But he had several things going for him to be just the opposite: the truth of his proclamation, the sincerity of his discipleship, and the effect of his message.
D. Unknown/yet well-known: Paul's enemies accused him of being an unimportant person whom no one really knew anything about. Yet, to all those folks who had been introduced to Jesus through Paul's work, he was known very well and remembered gratefully.
E. Dying/alive: Paul had survived not only his "thorn in the flesh," but also every hardship known to humanity. In spite of that, he lived life with a vitality and a joy that was contagious. We would do well to do the same.
OUTLINE III
Special someone
Mark 4:35-41(June 19: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 26: Lutheran)
Recruiting youth to go on a church group outing, you often hear responses like, "Well, I'll go if Jenny goes." or "Are any of my friends going? I don't want to be the only one in my group that's going." Actually we are all a bit like those young people who feel more comfortable if certain people are with them.
A. In this passage Jesus becomes that special someone we like to have along with us on our life journey. As he traveled with the disciples across the lake, a storm threatened their safety. Jesus calms the storm, amazes his disciples, and helps them see that he is the one who can bring them through storms fearlessly.
B. Matching up that story with what we know about Jesus, we realize that Jesus also brings peace and calm into our lives when we experience sorrow and grief. For instance, two elderly sisters had lived together for a majority of their lives. A week after a lengthy illness claimed the eldest, the younger sister experienced an epiphany which she explained this way: "I was sitting in the living room where my sister and I used to spend so much time together in the afternoon. Without warning, a creature clothed in bright light came and stood right in front of me. It didn't say anything, but it smiled and all of a sudden, I felt a message being given to me that my sister was going to be all right now. I remember pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming this. When I smiled a knowing smile back to this angel creature, it just disappeared. I know it was God's way of calming my fears about my sister's death."
When life presents us with choices, there is often anxiety involved. What school do we attend? Who should we marry? Should we have children? How do we raise children? How and what do I teach them about God? Should I change careers? We worry about these things even though Jesus tells us not to. But if we pay attention to this man who calms the lake's sudden storm, we will soon be aware of the fact that in our storms of anxiety, he brings us peace and calm born in the love of God.
Even though farm life was difficult, they didn't seem to mind, because this was America where dreams come true. Their dream was for the family to be together and happy, enjoying enough to eat and keeping themselves warm in the winter. With many other German-born folks in the Beardstown area, they found themselves surviving and thriving in ways they had only dreamed of just a few short years before. A big reason for their success was that they were a determined bunch of people.
That element of determination has continued to make itself evident down through the generations. Fred and Catherine's son, Henry, lost his first wife to disease when she was only 33 years old. He could have given in to despair, but his faith in God and his commitment to raise his young son kept him going strong. That son, the only child of four to live through infancy, became my grandfather. Determination shone brightly in my grandfather's life when one Sunday he decided it was time that men and women should get to sit together in church. He made the announcement of his decision while holding his baby daughter, my mother, in his arms.
That intergenerational traveling of the personality trait, determination, is quite similar to the existence of power in the lessons for this day. It began with David's defeat of Goliath. Then David's descendent, Jesus, displayed some real power over the weather itself while out on the lake with his friends. Finally, Jesus' followers take their turn at power by surviving great hardships in order to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE I
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49(Revised Common)
In good stories, we often learn important lessons. This encounter between Goliath and David has all of the excitement, intrigue and instructional value you would expect in any championship story.
A. There is a villain. The Bible calls him a champion from Gath who stood nine feet tall. Besides being tall, he was also strong and he taunted and challenged the troops of Israel, knowing all along that he could defeat anyone in their army.
B. As you read the story for the first time, there are seemingly unbeatable odds in defeating this evil, taunting, giant of a man.
C. Just as we begin to settle in to the notion that all is lost, a highly unlikely hero appears to challenge the giant. He is everything the giant is not: small, unshielded, and quick. Drawing from his experience as a shepherd when he has done battle with forces stronger and larger than him, he moves quickly and decisively to strike the fatal blow of the battle. Goliath treats his appearance as a joke, but it does not take long for the encounter to get very serious.
D. One person's courageous act brings victory into the grasp of a nation when it had seemed impossible only moments before.
E. David claimed that the Lord would assist him and give him the victory. And that's the way it was.
F. As good a story as this is, it is also an empowering adventure as well. When we absorb it, we become aware of possibilities in our own lives to overcome evil as God works with us.
OUTLINE II
Discipleship
2 Corinthians 6:1-13(Revised Common)
In this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul lays out a framework or a template for discipleship that is at once thorough and potentially intimidating. As modern day Christians compare themselves to this outline, they may feel as if they have a lot of spiritual growth ahead of them to meet the challenge. Nevertheless it is a spiritually enriching experience to observe and study Paul's litany of contrasts.
A. Honor/dishonor: We may be viewed as dishonorable persons according to this world's standards, but we know that we have honor as part of God's kingdom.
B. Ill repute/good repute: Paul had people attacking him for every action or speech. But his fame or notoriety among people was not too important to him. He preferred to be known and appreciated by God.
C. Treated as imposters/but true: Since he had not been one of the original 12 disciples or even one of Jesus' early followers, many felt that Paul was an imposter. But he had several things going for him to be just the opposite: the truth of his proclamation, the sincerity of his discipleship, and the effect of his message.
D. Unknown/yet well-known: Paul's enemies accused him of being an unimportant person whom no one really knew anything about. Yet, to all those folks who had been introduced to Jesus through Paul's work, he was known very well and remembered gratefully.
E. Dying/alive: Paul had survived not only his "thorn in the flesh," but also every hardship known to humanity. In spite of that, he lived life with a vitality and a joy that was contagious. We would do well to do the same.
OUTLINE III
Special someone
Mark 4:35-41(June 19: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 26: Lutheran)
Recruiting youth to go on a church group outing, you often hear responses like, "Well, I'll go if Jenny goes." or "Are any of my friends going? I don't want to be the only one in my group that's going." Actually we are all a bit like those young people who feel more comfortable if certain people are with them.
A. In this passage Jesus becomes that special someone we like to have along with us on our life journey. As he traveled with the disciples across the lake, a storm threatened their safety. Jesus calms the storm, amazes his disciples, and helps them see that he is the one who can bring them through storms fearlessly.
B. Matching up that story with what we know about Jesus, we realize that Jesus also brings peace and calm into our lives when we experience sorrow and grief. For instance, two elderly sisters had lived together for a majority of their lives. A week after a lengthy illness claimed the eldest, the younger sister experienced an epiphany which she explained this way: "I was sitting in the living room where my sister and I used to spend so much time together in the afternoon. Without warning, a creature clothed in bright light came and stood right in front of me. It didn't say anything, but it smiled and all of a sudden, I felt a message being given to me that my sister was going to be all right now. I remember pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming this. When I smiled a knowing smile back to this angel creature, it just disappeared. I know it was God's way of calming my fears about my sister's death."
When life presents us with choices, there is often anxiety involved. What school do we attend? Who should we marry? Should we have children? How do we raise children? How and what do I teach them about God? Should I change careers? We worry about these things even though Jesus tells us not to. But if we pay attention to this man who calms the lake's sudden storm, we will soon be aware of the fact that in our storms of anxiety, he brings us peace and calm born in the love of God.
