All For Christ
Stories
Object:
Contents
"All for Christ" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Risk of giving Honor" by Keith Wagner
"Streams in the Desert" by Keith Wagner
All for Christ
by Peter Andrew Smith
Philippians 3:4b-14
“Mabel, you do too much,” Agnes declared.
Teresa and Sarah looked up from the book of patterns they were consulting.
Mabel stopped knitting to look over at Agnes. “What do you mean?”
“You are looking pale.”
“I’ve always been pale, dear. Every since I was a little girl I have had the complexion of a ghost.” Mabel grinned. “My mother used to say that if I walked in the fog I would just disappear.”
Everyone in the room, including Agnes, chuckled.
“You know what I mean,” Agnes said. “You run yourself ragged doing this and that.”
“You do seem to be into a great deal,” Sarah said. “Are you still the head of the garden club?”
Mabel looked over the top of her reading glasses so she could focus on the women across from her. “Just for a while longer. Since Ida broke her leg I really couldn’t expect her to take over all that responsibility and work, could I?”
“How is she doing?” Teresa asked.
“I spoke to her last week and she said that she would be out of the cast next month.” Mabel reached into her bag and sat another ball of yarn beside the one she had almost finished. “She should be fine to take over the garden club by early summer.”
“You need to give up more than just that,” Agnes said. “You are running yourself ragged. We haven’t been able to have a conversation at night in ages without you yawning.”
“I have been finding myself more tired than before.” Mabel started knitting again. “I thought perhaps I just had a bug that was going around.”
Agnes shook her head. “You’re getting old. Let’s face it none of us are spring chickens anymore.”
Teresa cleared her throat. “Speak for yourself. I just celebrated my thirty-ninth birthday last week.”
“How many years will that make that you have been thirty-nine?” Sarah asked her.
“Let me think.” Teresa put her finger to her chin for a moment. “I guess it has been almost forty one years.”
All the women laughed at the old joke.
“I am serious, Mabel,” Agnes said. “I think you need to start slowing down.”
“I love all the things that I am involved in.”
Agnes put down what she was knitting and pulled out some new yarn and needles. “Well the truth is that you do too much.”
“I am busy,” Mabel said. “I’ll give you that.”
Agnes shook her head. “You are exhausting yourself. When was the last time you finished the day without being completely wiped out?”
Mabel paused and thought for a moment. “I guess it has been a while.”
“So give something up.”
“But what?” Mabel asked.
Sarah piped up.“Not our knitting circle I hope.”
“I’m going to knit and it may as well be sitting chatting with you.” Mabel smiled at her. “Besides this is not tiring at all.”
“Well of course not,” Agnes said. “What about all the time you spend at the church?”
“I don’t spend that much time at the church.”
“Sure you do. If it isn’t the women’s club then it is a meeting or event there.” Agnes shook her head. “You keep telling me that there are lots of young people attending. Let them do some of the work.”
Mavis nodded. “We are blessed to have young families attending.”
“So what about it?”
“What about what?”
Agnes sighed. “What about giving up some of the church work you are doing?”
Mabel tilted her head to one side. “Why would I do that?”
Agnes rolled her eyes. “Because you are exhausted and need to give some of your activities up.”
“I am giving up the garden club presidency in a couple of months.” Mabel looked over at Teresa. “Plus I won’t be working at the senior’s bazaar anymore.”
“We’re going to miss you at the bake table,” Teresa said. “You are still going to make your pies aren’t you?”
Mabel nodded. “Of course. I just find all that standing is too much.”
“But what about cutting back on your church commitments?” Agnes asked.
“No, I wouldn’t even think about that. I have already stopped doing some things that I find hard like helping to set up for suppers.” Mabel shrugged. “The other things I enjoy and need to do.”
“Why? God knows you have spent enough of your time and effort on your church.”
“Why? Because I know that Christ gave everything for me.” Mabel kept knitting without breaking her rhythm. “So I am doing all that I can do for Christ.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
* * *
The Risk of giving Honor
by Keith Wagner
John 12:1-8
In this story from John, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with extremely expensive perfume. It was imported from the Himalayas. From the story, we know that it cost three hundred denarii. That was equivalent to a person’s income in that time for an entire year.
Judas complained that it was extravagant and the money spent on perfume could have been given to the poor. Judas did not consider it important to waste the perfume on Jesus. Mary, on the other hand, paid honor to Jesus by anointing him with the precious perfume. Mary honored Jesus because he would soon be leaving them and this was a way of showing respect for a man who represented the love of God.
When it comes to our faith, honor is an important concept. Honor means to hold in high esteem, to show respect or give credit to. When you honor someone you make them feel special.
Several years ago there was a television program on TLC that my wife and I liked to watch together. It was called What Not to Wear. A person was nominated by their friends or co-workers because they didn’t dress in a manner that was appropriate for their age, physique and occupation. When they were selected by the What Not To Wear staff they were surprised with an all expenses paid trip to New York City to go shopping. They were given a credit card for $5,000 and in the process of shopping they were coached by a team of experts, Tracey and Clinton, who helped them to choose the right clothes. Besides shopping they were also given a trip to a beautician and cosmetologist, who showed them a better hairstyle and how to use some makeup to improve their looks.
The results were amazing. The person selected was almost always totally transformed. It was because they felt better about themselves and their self-esteem got a really big lift. However, the change did not come without a little sacrifice and grief since they had to give up their total current wardrobe. When the candidate returned home they were met by their friends and relatives who were overwhelmed by their newly changed friend. The show had a little flavor of Cinderella, but it did make the point that by purchasing quality clothing, a person’s personality and looks could definitely be enhanced.
I believe we honor God by giving God our very best and the love we give to others needs to be quality love. When it comes to faith, shortcuts can result in inferior results.
I recall one of Gary Smalley’s marriage enrichment seminars where he was sharing the key ingredients to a successful marriage. He said that a marriage is stronger when we “honor” our spouses. He demonstrated that honor by passing a Stradivarius Violin through the group. It was a priceless instrument. When they saw the label they were in awe of what they were holding. In the same way, he said, we should be in awe of our spouse. By doing so we are honoring them. When we honor our spouse we show them devotion.
By honoring others our relationships can be strengthened and transformed. The woman on TLC was transformed. She received some new quality outfits and it elevated her self esteem and enhanced her personality. The change also changed the people around her.
Here, Mary, a woman disciple surrounded by men, transformed their understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus. Earlier in John, Jesus was called teacher. Now, he is called, Lord.
Jesus acknowledged Mary’s devotion to him by saying to Judas, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Here, we have a key ingredient for discipleship. God wants and expects our devotion. Mary made a huge sacrifice to demonstrate her devotion.
Those who are chosen to participate in the program, What Not to Wear, were given an opportunity to be transformed. But, in order for that to happen they had to break from their normal tradition and habits. They couldn’t experience newness as long as they remained dependent on the past just as Mary took a risk to honor Jesus.
* * *
Streams in the Desert
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 126
In this Psalm the faith community was praising God for their restoration. “What amazing things the Lord has done for them,” they proclaimed. Not only were they acknowledging God’s intervention, they also prayed for future restoration of life in the future. “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.” They hoped for better times. They longed for newness and refreshment. In the past God had led them through the Red Sea, provided manna from heaven and delivered them from their oppressors, but the future lied ahead.
Those past experiences where God intervened on their behalf were spectacular. But as wonderful as the "good ole days" were, they hoped the best was yet to come. Clinging to the past would not help them in the future. They cried for “streams in the desert,” the comfort of knowing there would always be an oasis for them no matter what obstacle they faced.
As human beings it is often difficult to be hopeful in the future. We want God to be with us but we have doubts. Often times we travel without the right equipment to keep our faith strong.
One time a man and his family were sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. He had little experience and he had never been in waters where you had to navigate. Unfortunately he ran aground. The Coast Guard came to his aid and towed him back into safe waters. When they asked to see his chart he handed them a Rand McNally Road Map. He had been navigating with a road map on the bay instead of a nautical chart. For those of you who know nothing about sailing, a nautical chart shows the depth of the water, shoals, obstacles and safe channels. You always know your position by plotting the longitude and latitude.
I believe that today too many of us are navigating through life with the wrong map. Instead of remembering how God has helped us in the past we become anxious and rely on the wrong resources. Instead of plotting a course we wander from here to there with very little planning and a lack of goals. When the journey gets difficult people get stuck, like the fellow who went aground. All seems hopeless. We are not prepared to face rough waters or weather the storms that arise. We can’t cope with a crisis and we are unable to adapt to changing conditions. We want that oasis but our faith is weak.
In March, 2002, the USS Iowa navigated its way through the Panama Canal. The ship was over 100 feet wide. She slowly steamed through the narrow passage with less than one foot of clearance on either side. The Panama Canal has been used for decades but many larger ships were unable to use it. Fortunately they widened the canal to give clearance for larger ships.
Last summer my friends and I circumnavigated the Delaware-Maryland Peninsula. We made the voyage on a 29 foot Island Packet. The second day of our trip we motored through the Delaware Canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware Bay. Later we learned the canal had been widened three times to accommodate large merchant ships and military vessels. As the times changed so did the size of the canal. And, we had more than a nautical chart to lead the way. We had a modern GPS system to aid us, not to mention our smart phones that gave us weather conditions.
Just as the waterways worked for ships of the past there will be “streams” for us in the future. Therefore we have to change and trust that new and improved resources will be available for us. Hopefully we too can sing the song of the faith community and believe that God will be with us in all our deserts and waterways of the future.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 13, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"All for Christ" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Risk of giving Honor" by Keith Wagner
"Streams in the Desert" by Keith Wagner
All for Christ
by Peter Andrew Smith
Philippians 3:4b-14
“Mabel, you do too much,” Agnes declared.
Teresa and Sarah looked up from the book of patterns they were consulting.
Mabel stopped knitting to look over at Agnes. “What do you mean?”
“You are looking pale.”
“I’ve always been pale, dear. Every since I was a little girl I have had the complexion of a ghost.” Mabel grinned. “My mother used to say that if I walked in the fog I would just disappear.”
Everyone in the room, including Agnes, chuckled.
“You know what I mean,” Agnes said. “You run yourself ragged doing this and that.”
“You do seem to be into a great deal,” Sarah said. “Are you still the head of the garden club?”
Mabel looked over the top of her reading glasses so she could focus on the women across from her. “Just for a while longer. Since Ida broke her leg I really couldn’t expect her to take over all that responsibility and work, could I?”
“How is she doing?” Teresa asked.
“I spoke to her last week and she said that she would be out of the cast next month.” Mabel reached into her bag and sat another ball of yarn beside the one she had almost finished. “She should be fine to take over the garden club by early summer.”
“You need to give up more than just that,” Agnes said. “You are running yourself ragged. We haven’t been able to have a conversation at night in ages without you yawning.”
“I have been finding myself more tired than before.” Mabel started knitting again. “I thought perhaps I just had a bug that was going around.”
Agnes shook her head. “You’re getting old. Let’s face it none of us are spring chickens anymore.”
Teresa cleared her throat. “Speak for yourself. I just celebrated my thirty-ninth birthday last week.”
“How many years will that make that you have been thirty-nine?” Sarah asked her.
“Let me think.” Teresa put her finger to her chin for a moment. “I guess it has been almost forty one years.”
All the women laughed at the old joke.
“I am serious, Mabel,” Agnes said. “I think you need to start slowing down.”
“I love all the things that I am involved in.”
Agnes put down what she was knitting and pulled out some new yarn and needles. “Well the truth is that you do too much.”
“I am busy,” Mabel said. “I’ll give you that.”
Agnes shook her head. “You are exhausting yourself. When was the last time you finished the day without being completely wiped out?”
Mabel paused and thought for a moment. “I guess it has been a while.”
“So give something up.”
“But what?” Mabel asked.
Sarah piped up.“Not our knitting circle I hope.”
“I’m going to knit and it may as well be sitting chatting with you.” Mabel smiled at her. “Besides this is not tiring at all.”
“Well of course not,” Agnes said. “What about all the time you spend at the church?”
“I don’t spend that much time at the church.”
“Sure you do. If it isn’t the women’s club then it is a meeting or event there.” Agnes shook her head. “You keep telling me that there are lots of young people attending. Let them do some of the work.”
Mavis nodded. “We are blessed to have young families attending.”
“So what about it?”
“What about what?”
Agnes sighed. “What about giving up some of the church work you are doing?”
Mabel tilted her head to one side. “Why would I do that?”
Agnes rolled her eyes. “Because you are exhausted and need to give some of your activities up.”
“I am giving up the garden club presidency in a couple of months.” Mabel looked over at Teresa. “Plus I won’t be working at the senior’s bazaar anymore.”
“We’re going to miss you at the bake table,” Teresa said. “You are still going to make your pies aren’t you?”
Mabel nodded. “Of course. I just find all that standing is too much.”
“But what about cutting back on your church commitments?” Agnes asked.
“No, I wouldn’t even think about that. I have already stopped doing some things that I find hard like helping to set up for suppers.” Mabel shrugged. “The other things I enjoy and need to do.”
“Why? God knows you have spent enough of your time and effort on your church.”
“Why? Because I know that Christ gave everything for me.” Mabel kept knitting without breaking her rhythm. “So I am doing all that I can do for Christ.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
* * *
The Risk of giving Honor
by Keith Wagner
John 12:1-8
In this story from John, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with extremely expensive perfume. It was imported from the Himalayas. From the story, we know that it cost three hundred denarii. That was equivalent to a person’s income in that time for an entire year.
Judas complained that it was extravagant and the money spent on perfume could have been given to the poor. Judas did not consider it important to waste the perfume on Jesus. Mary, on the other hand, paid honor to Jesus by anointing him with the precious perfume. Mary honored Jesus because he would soon be leaving them and this was a way of showing respect for a man who represented the love of God.
When it comes to our faith, honor is an important concept. Honor means to hold in high esteem, to show respect or give credit to. When you honor someone you make them feel special.
Several years ago there was a television program on TLC that my wife and I liked to watch together. It was called What Not to Wear. A person was nominated by their friends or co-workers because they didn’t dress in a manner that was appropriate for their age, physique and occupation. When they were selected by the What Not To Wear staff they were surprised with an all expenses paid trip to New York City to go shopping. They were given a credit card for $5,000 and in the process of shopping they were coached by a team of experts, Tracey and Clinton, who helped them to choose the right clothes. Besides shopping they were also given a trip to a beautician and cosmetologist, who showed them a better hairstyle and how to use some makeup to improve their looks.
The results were amazing. The person selected was almost always totally transformed. It was because they felt better about themselves and their self-esteem got a really big lift. However, the change did not come without a little sacrifice and grief since they had to give up their total current wardrobe. When the candidate returned home they were met by their friends and relatives who were overwhelmed by their newly changed friend. The show had a little flavor of Cinderella, but it did make the point that by purchasing quality clothing, a person’s personality and looks could definitely be enhanced.
I believe we honor God by giving God our very best and the love we give to others needs to be quality love. When it comes to faith, shortcuts can result in inferior results.
I recall one of Gary Smalley’s marriage enrichment seminars where he was sharing the key ingredients to a successful marriage. He said that a marriage is stronger when we “honor” our spouses. He demonstrated that honor by passing a Stradivarius Violin through the group. It was a priceless instrument. When they saw the label they were in awe of what they were holding. In the same way, he said, we should be in awe of our spouse. By doing so we are honoring them. When we honor our spouse we show them devotion.
By honoring others our relationships can be strengthened and transformed. The woman on TLC was transformed. She received some new quality outfits and it elevated her self esteem and enhanced her personality. The change also changed the people around her.
Here, Mary, a woman disciple surrounded by men, transformed their understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus. Earlier in John, Jesus was called teacher. Now, he is called, Lord.
Jesus acknowledged Mary’s devotion to him by saying to Judas, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Here, we have a key ingredient for discipleship. God wants and expects our devotion. Mary made a huge sacrifice to demonstrate her devotion.
Those who are chosen to participate in the program, What Not to Wear, were given an opportunity to be transformed. But, in order for that to happen they had to break from their normal tradition and habits. They couldn’t experience newness as long as they remained dependent on the past just as Mary took a risk to honor Jesus.
* * *
Streams in the Desert
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 126
In this Psalm the faith community was praising God for their restoration. “What amazing things the Lord has done for them,” they proclaimed. Not only were they acknowledging God’s intervention, they also prayed for future restoration of life in the future. “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.” They hoped for better times. They longed for newness and refreshment. In the past God had led them through the Red Sea, provided manna from heaven and delivered them from their oppressors, but the future lied ahead.
Those past experiences where God intervened on their behalf were spectacular. But as wonderful as the "good ole days" were, they hoped the best was yet to come. Clinging to the past would not help them in the future. They cried for “streams in the desert,” the comfort of knowing there would always be an oasis for them no matter what obstacle they faced.
As human beings it is often difficult to be hopeful in the future. We want God to be with us but we have doubts. Often times we travel without the right equipment to keep our faith strong.
One time a man and his family were sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. He had little experience and he had never been in waters where you had to navigate. Unfortunately he ran aground. The Coast Guard came to his aid and towed him back into safe waters. When they asked to see his chart he handed them a Rand McNally Road Map. He had been navigating with a road map on the bay instead of a nautical chart. For those of you who know nothing about sailing, a nautical chart shows the depth of the water, shoals, obstacles and safe channels. You always know your position by plotting the longitude and latitude.
I believe that today too many of us are navigating through life with the wrong map. Instead of remembering how God has helped us in the past we become anxious and rely on the wrong resources. Instead of plotting a course we wander from here to there with very little planning and a lack of goals. When the journey gets difficult people get stuck, like the fellow who went aground. All seems hopeless. We are not prepared to face rough waters or weather the storms that arise. We can’t cope with a crisis and we are unable to adapt to changing conditions. We want that oasis but our faith is weak.
In March, 2002, the USS Iowa navigated its way through the Panama Canal. The ship was over 100 feet wide. She slowly steamed through the narrow passage with less than one foot of clearance on either side. The Panama Canal has been used for decades but many larger ships were unable to use it. Fortunately they widened the canal to give clearance for larger ships.
Last summer my friends and I circumnavigated the Delaware-Maryland Peninsula. We made the voyage on a 29 foot Island Packet. The second day of our trip we motored through the Delaware Canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware Bay. Later we learned the canal had been widened three times to accommodate large merchant ships and military vessels. As the times changed so did the size of the canal. And, we had more than a nautical chart to lead the way. We had a modern GPS system to aid us, not to mention our smart phones that gave us weather conditions.
Just as the waterways worked for ships of the past there will be “streams” for us in the future. Therefore we have to change and trust that new and improved resources will be available for us. Hopefully we too can sing the song of the faith community and believe that God will be with us in all our deserts and waterways of the future.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 13, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
