THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE....

      I read a story about a statue of a Prince that stood high above the city. From his vantage point he could see that the city was filled with suffering and pain and the weight of it caused him to cry. So he sent a little swallow, who had just happened to light at his feet, to take the ruby that adorned his sword-hilt… to a weathered old woman who could not afford to feed her sick boy. Then he sent the swallow to a young man who was freezing and hungry, with a sapphire that was one of his eyes. Then, although the swallow protested, the statue prince gave his other eye to a little girl in need. The Prince could no longer see, but he sent the swallow out to meet other needs, each time taking some of the gold that gilded his body. In the end, the swallow died and the rusted statue that was once a prince was torn down, except for his lead heart, which laid next to the dead bird because they could not destroy it. “Bring me the two most precious things on earth,” God said to one of his angels, and the Angel returned with a dead bird and a leaden heart that had been cast away, “You have rightly chosen,” God said! 

      I bet the Kingdom of God is like this- that it’s a place where love rules and sacrifice opens the door! In the kingdom, the Bible says, there is no pain, no worries, no conflict- just joy and shalom. In the Kingdom of God, the last will be first, the poor will feast at a banquet, and the forgotten people will sit on the dais.When I was working for the Iowa Commission for the Blind, I helped one of my clients get a job. In the process of taking him back and forth to Iowa City, I got to know Tom better, and although I could see that he had some challenges, it was also clear that he could do some things for himself and the world. Thus, his job as a dishwasher in one of our diners, and whenever I would be in that restaurant, I peeked in the kitchen and waved, just to hear Tom yell out, “Hi, Ken. How’s it going?” His smile was contagious and it made me feel good. I bet the kingdom of God is like that. I bet it’s a place where people are affirmed for who they are… and where everybody is somebody!

      One of the members of our church in the Quad Cities was a quiet man whom I will call Jim. Jim didn’t attend our Men’s Breakfast or our Men’s Supper, so I didn’t get to know him well, although he was always affirming when he came through the greeting line at the end of worship. The day came when I visited Jim in the hospital and found that he was waiting to see Jesus. He had quit eating and drinking and was musing about heaven. “When I close my eyes,” he said, “I see my Mary with Jesus. They’re sitting together. They’re waiting for me… and I can’t wait to join them!” I bet the Kingdom of God will be like that! I bet it’s a place where we will be utterly fulfilled and completely filled with joy!

      The Kingdom of God is a place where children are welcome. It’s a place that’s filled with repentant and forgiven sinners. It’s a place that’s very difficult to enter if you’re dragging your money and possessions along behind you. And the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God is breaking in and with eyes of faith we can see it at work. According to Mark, the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It’s small, rather ordinary in appearance, and of little apparent value… but once it’s sown, it grows into a large shrub that’s capable of providing rest, comfort, and opportunity to the birds of the air and the animals that find shelter in its shade. The Kingdom of God comes silently. It touches a troubled heart. It gives hope to the hopeless and a sense of peace to those who live in war torn countries, neighborhoods, and homes. The Kingdom of God begins in a small way- maybe a prayer- “have mercy on me”- maybe a song that gets a hold of our heart. It may come suddenly when we are at bottom; it may nag at us for some time; it may be in a smile so sincere that we can’t help but smile ourselves; it may be a passage in a Bible verse, maybe one that we’ve heard a dozen times before; it may come to us through a sermon, when something that is said, really does seem to come from God; it may be in a visit to someone we know, or in a casual conversation with someone we don't know. Someone noted that we might plant a small seed in someone’s heart… if we greet them when they’re vulnerable, visit them when they’re lonely, feed them when they’re hungry, forgive them when they’re guilty, and pray for them when they’re down.

      The Kingdom of God is like a small, honest, caring word or deed that leaves God’s fingerprints on someone else’s life. I will close with a story about a Rabbi in a small Russian town, whom the people adored. Our rabbi, they would say, goes to heaven on the high holy days. But one of the newcomers to their village wasn’t so sure. He noticed that their rabbi was often missing from his office and that sometimes, he was even missing on the high holy days, So, he followed the rabbi at a distance early one morning when the rabbi went deep into the woods, cut firewood, delivered it to a poor widow on the far side of the village, and started a fire for her. Then he followed the rabbi when he delivered a holiday dinner to a very poor family of three, and stayed to talk with them. Well, the skeptical newcomer became the rabbi’s biggest fan and whenever the people would say, “our rabbi goes all the way to heaven, he would hasten to add, “If not higher, if not higher.” 

      We have it in us to heal, forgive, renew, save, and challenge those around us in small ways, like a mustard seed. Oh, the Kingdom of God is at hand, and for someone we may meet, it could be in our hands! Amen!

ME AND OTHER 5 O'CLOCK SINNERS REVISITED

 As most organizational psychology students know, "Equity Theory" is one of the theories that attempts to explain employee motivation in a group setting. It asserts that each one of us maintains ratios in our heads... of our inputs and outcomes versus someone else's... and as long as these ratios stay in balance... we are satisfied. For instance, if you earn more than I do, I can live with that... IF there is a "legitimate" reason. If you work harder or longer than I do, or have more education or experience than I have, I'm okay with you receiving more. If you have a better batting average than I do, or run faster than I do, it makes sense that you should receive more compensation. I may even understand it if you are the boss' son or daughter... BUT if you are receiving more than me, or even less, for reasons that are illegitimate to me, I will be unsettled. It isn't fair. The input-outcome ratios are out of whack, and I am likely to feel guilty if they are out-of-whack in my favor... and downright angry if they are unfair in your favor!
      It's not fair if you do less than me and receive more. Everyone knows this... except Jesus of Nazareth, who told this story for the entire world to hear. It was harvest time, and a landowner needed additional help to bring in the crop. So he went to the village... and hired a number of eager men at 6 in the morning. They were dedicated workers, the "early birds," but by mid-morning, he could see that he needed more help, and he hired more men at 9:00. This went on through the day, and he hired more men at noon, more again at 3:00, and finally, a few more at 5:00 pm (the 11th hour), even though he wondered why they had been idle all day. It was a good day for all, and at the owner's request, the men gathered to be paid. Well, for reasons of his own, the paymaster started with the last hired first. He approached the men who had been hired at the 11th hour... and (to everyone's delight) he paid them a full day's wage! It was very generous, and it bode well for everyone left. Surely, they thought, we will receive more because we worked longer... but the owner gave the same pay to those who had started work at 3 pm, at noon, at 9 am, and yes, to the men who had started working at 6 am.
      Even the "Johnny-come-lately's" received the same pay that they received... and as every student of "Equity theory" would know, this made the workers in all the other groups angry. It especially outraged those who started at 6 am, and they cried "UNFAIR."THIS IS OUTRAGEOUSLY UNFAIR. The owner noted that he had paid them exactly what they had agreed to, but they were more concerned with what the others had received, and they complained bitterly. We've worked harder and longer...and we deserve more! Right? Right? Doesn't everyone know that they deserved more? Don't we all agree that those who have run longer and harder should receive more? Of course, we do! Everyone knows that! According to Equity Theory and all that is holy, the men who started at 6 am were right! But... the owner was perplexed and he said, "Do you begrudge my generosity?" Do you resent my grace? Do you talk about grace in church... and secretly pray that God has a scorecard so that you will receive what you have coming? Do you really believe you ought to be compensated for the good person you are and the great person you intended to be? Would you do whatever you had to do to make sure you get the rewards you deserve? Yes, yes, yes. It's been my experience that people will throw their best friend "under the bus" to get the rewards that they think they deserve.
      They do this under the guise of being fair... but fairness is NOT a Biblical concept, and since we're all sinners, FAIRNESS is the last thing we need. Jesus' story must have upset his hearers, even as it upsets us, because it's about love, not equity. We live in a grace-less world, where there's no free lunch, and we know that nothing- not the game nor life itself- is worth doing without a score. 1) Effort and consequence- tit for tat- is all we know. This is one of the reasons that stories about grace confound us, but there's another. 2) We also have a perception problem! We have a tendency to place ourselves in the best and most faithful roles in every situation. We make ourselves the stars of every Biblical story, which we read as if it's written to someone else... when, in fact, the story is actually speaking TO US. When I hear the story of the Good Samaritan, for instance, I shake my head when the religious leaders walk by the man in need... but I have walked by more people in need that I can even count, and I have also walked to the other side of the street on many occasions. Likewise, when I read about the widow giving all that she has in faith, I shake my head at the religious types who are pretending to be generous by flashing twenty dollar bills. I roll my eyes... but in truth, I would rather flash a twenty dollar bill now and then... than give sacrificially... in faith. 
      And when I hear Jesus' story about the pay system in heaven, it makes me more angry than grateful... because I see myself as being part of the 6 am crowd! But who am I kidding? I'm not a good Samaritan. I'm not the widow with her mite. And most assuredly, I'm not part of the 6:00 o'clock crowd. Not even close! The 6 o'clock crowd died in faith centuries ago. They met in caves and they were martyred in arenas. The 9 o'clock crowd died... to give us Bibles in our own tongues and to reform our church. The noontime crowd left their homes and endured great hardships to found this land and to build it... on faith in God... and the 3 o'clock crowd held Bible studies in Nazi concentration camps because they knew that Jesus Christ and not Adolf Hitler... is Lord! No, I'm not one of these, not even close, and I haven't earned anything at all. On the contrary, I'm one of those who stumbled in at the last minute, and I need grace more than anything else in the world! YOU do to! Not sort of, not kind of, but really... and deep down! I need grace more than anything else. Me. A sinner who was blessed... to be called at all... has no business shedding a single tear about unfairness. I have no business worrying about what anyone else deserves or doesn't deserve. None at all. I must keep my eyes on my Lord, and utter words like this: Thank you, Lord, for having mercy on me. I know that I didn't deserve to be called at all, but now I ask simply this: that you show me my neighbor and mold me into the servant you want me to be. Amen.

THEY ANSWERED THE CALL

      Well, it's Memorial Day again, and once again we are called to honor those who gave their lives by answering our country's call. Over the years men and women have answered our country's call and put sacrifice ahead of life. It began on April 19, 1775 when the War for Independence broke out. 10,623 people died in that war and another 6800 died just a few years later in the War of 1812. Millions answered the call to win the War that was supposed to end all wars on July 28, 1914... and 300,000 died. WW2 was more than twice as costly... and my father's co-pilot died on the cliffs of Dover. His name was Ken, or Kenny, and I was named after him. Viet Nam took more than 200,000 lives and our War on Terror has already cost 22,000 of our heroes their lives. When I was in Rock Island, we conducted dozens of funerals at the Arsenal, and while I was waiting for the service to begin, I would sometimes walk around the graves and take in the courage, the grace and the holiness of it all. Many have given their lives in response to our country's call and we recognize them on this holiday, which is much more than the unofficial beginning of summer, because it's not about us at all!
      But there are other calls, aren't there? And none of them are more important than God's call in our lives! In the year that King Uzziah died (740BC) Isaiah was in the temple when it was filled with the presence of God. There were angels too and Isaiah was overwhelmed by a feeling of unworthiness. He was justified by the touch of a hot coal and then he heard the voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us!" It was as plain as day and Isaiah shouted out, "Here I am! Send me!" Send me to go to where I don't know and use me for as long as you please.You know, the Bible tells us about several "call" stories- Jonah, Samuel, and Paul among them- and there are many stories of men and women answering God's call in our own time. Mother Teresa, Corrie TenBoom, and Billy Graham stand out... but I want to focus on God's call in our lives because we're all being called to action. Each one of us is being called to do something important for Christ, within our own context and with our own talents and gifts. Each one of us is called to do something that needs to be done and fulfills a need in us. Some of us are called to preach, some are called to teach, and some are called to sing or play music... and if God is calling you to do such things, you ought to do them. However, most callings that have nothing to do with a far away mission field, or with a chancel in a church somewhere. Let me mention Tammy Boggs, who answered God's call to take care of and look after our church property. Of course, she doesn't do it alone, but she does a lot of it. Just during the last few weeks, she has seen to it that I have WiFi and phone service in my office, done repair work on our windows and doors, helped clean up our property, and wired a section of our downstairs. I don't know when it happened, but when God called, "whom shall I send?" she said, "send me."
      I remember Pat Gollier from my time in Joliet. Among other things, Pat led our Prayer Group for well over 4 decades. It wasn't our most popular ministry and sometimes there were just a couple people who joined Pat, but year after year, without fanfare, she led a group in prayer... because God had called her to be a Prayer Warriior. In Rock Island, there were three church members who were called to attend funerals for people in our church and others whom they knew. No one asked them to do it. It wasn't official, but there they were- Vic, Dianne, and Don- for funerals big and small, to pay their respects in another family's sacred hour. In the same church, we had a number of women who spent hours making Prayers Shawls for members and friends of the church who were in need of comfort and love. We blessed these shawls during church services and they touched peoples' lives for Christ in powerful ways, including my wife's. We had an elder in Joliet named Jan Gehrig, who heard God calling her to get involved in a ministry of empowerment and social justice. We weren't the most likely candidate for this sort of a ministry, but Jan wouldn't let go of it. She said, 'Send me," and led us into a citywide ministry of justice and empowerment. God calls each of us to do something for him- something that will bring us joy and help repair the world. Last Thursday I visited our Resale Shop because I think it's an exciting place. I wanted to talk with our church members, but they were too busy to talk with me. People were coming in, things were being sold, and many really good things were being received as donations. They were too busy ministering to chat with me, but what about you? What is God calling you to do? Where can you bring a bit of joy to yourself and others?
      God is calling each one of us through 1) our prayers, especially when we listen; 2) our Bible studies, especially when we ask questions; and 3) the issues that affect the lives of the people we know here. Get into prayer, study, and community... and you will have a much better chance of hearing God speak to you! Consider the 4) skills and talents that God has given to you. What do you do well? Consider what you have to offer and then find a way of using it for God. If you're an introvert, help us think things through, help us organize, help us discern who we are and where we should go; and if you are an extrovert, organize a get-together or go out and invite someone to join us. Consider the things that 5) cause you concern and 6) break your heart. Consider your tears because God may be calling you through your pain and the burdens you carry for others. Consider 7 7) your passions as well. Since I was a counselor for the Iowa Commission for the Blind in an earlier life and since Sherry worked for Access Living in Chicago for years, we are quick to notice things like ramps and large print Bibles. Some people don't give these things much thought, but they are passionate about poverty, gun violence, or drunk driving. Some people have a passion for inviting new people to church, others have a passion for reaching members who've drifted away and become inactive, and still others don't give either group much thought. As a people we're blessed with different gifts, different stories, and different voices... and we will be stronger if each one of us responds to God when He calls us.
      In the year that someone I loved or something within me died, I was in church, as I had been a hundred times before, when I became aware that God was calling me. I'm not sure why I hadn't heard it before, but I heard God's voice just as clearly as I hear any voice. He was asking "Whom shall I send?" and "Who will go for us?"... and although I've never been one to get involved too deeply, I found myself raising my hand as if I was back in school. "Here I am," I cried, as I waved my hand in the air, "Here I am, send me!" On this Memorial Day, as we honor those who gave their lives in response to our country's call, let us open our own hearts and minds to God's call in our own lives. Each one of us has something to do for God- something that will bless us and some part of the community. Listen now.... listen and pray. Listen and pray, experience a burning coal if you must. Then raise your hand and say, "Send me, Lord!" Amen.

GO OUT AND FORGIVE SOMEONE!

"When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way... so I stole a bicycle... and asked him to forgive me."

Well, there are 100s of jokes about forgiveness- the one above is by Emo Phillips- and there are legions of people who actually believe that God's forgiving nature allows them to do whatever they please... but today I want to talk about forgiveness in a serious vein because... forgiving lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian! Jesus' entire ministry was dedicated to forgiveness and renewal. Among his last words on the cross were, "Father, forgive them...," and when his disciples received the Holy Spirit (John 20), he said, "If you forgive the sins of any, they will be forgiven." In short, our Lord lived and died with forgiveness on his mind, and it seems to me that the most quintessential thing we can do as Christians is to FORGIVE others. Friends, if you want to do something today for Jesus, get out there and forgive someone.You have the power to do it, and in the forgiving... you will free yourself from the same chains. Also, according to Matthew 6:12, every time we say the Lord's Prayer, we affirm that there is a distinct relationship between forgiving others and being forgiven ourselves. In short, apart from accepting Christ, forgiving others is one of our single greatest Christian acts! If you want to do what Christ did, get out there and forgive someone and do it again and again and again- 70 times 7- as a way of life! Forgiving is not just another good trait. It is- more than a clerical collar or church attendance- a sign that a person has experienced rebirth and that he or she is growing in Christ. A forgiving spirit is a Christian spirit... so let me offer a few thoughts that may be helpful... as you seek to be more and more Christ-like:

1. Forgiving others is a choice! It's not a feeling. Each day, when we ask Jesus to show us ways in which we can witness to Him, we are agreeing to forgive another person if the Holy Spirit opens the door- no matter how badly that person has hurt us, or how long we have piled up resentments, or how much we think that the person deserves to be punished. Forgiving others, especially those who need forgiveness most, is not easy... but If you're waiting to feel like forgiving another person, you may be waiting a very, very long time;

2,  Forgiving others will make you healthy! Yes, it's true. For the engineers and scientifically minded, let me say that forgiving others... a) helps lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate; b) improves sleep quality; c) strengthens immunity among HIV-positive patients;

d) reduces depression, anxiety, and anger; e) lowers risk of drug abuse; and f) allows YOU to move on with your life In short, forgive... even if you think it's all about you. However,

3.      Forgiving others restores our relationship with GOD.  Friends, resentment is a deadly spiritual cancer, which like sin, will block our growth in Christ and hinder our relationship with God. If we're burdened with anger and resentment, we won't pray, study, or serve God as we

should, and we will deprive ourselves, our neighbors, and our God of the joy that emanates from a healthy, loving relationship. Refusing to forgive others creates a lose-lose-lose scenario and the entire world is lesser for it. This is why Christ urges us to restore relationships with one

another... before we come to His table; (Matt. 5:23)

4.  Forgiving others... fulfills the new Commandment that Jesus gave in John 13:34- which calls us to love one another AS he has loved us!  As Christians, we are called to love each other AS  Christ loved us, and while this includes a lot of things, it MUST include forgiving one another. To talk about Christ-like love without talking about radical forgiveness would be nonsensical;

5.  Forgiving is NOT the same as minimizing or denying the pain you have incurred! Some people, even those who have been hurt badly, dismiss the pain that they've experienced. "I'm fine," they say, or "It's nothing." Well, you're not fine and it is something! We are all God’s children. We are all precious in His sight. Each one of us carries the image of God within us, and in Christ, each of us is an heir to His throne. In Christ, we are worth loving, even worth dying for, and no one has permission to violate us, dismiss us, or diminish us in any way. Thus, while we must find the grace to forgive, we must also have the courage to confront the full depth and breadth of the sin that we endured;

6.  Forgiving sin has NOTHING to do with tolerating evil! When one of us hurts or offends another (and it's just a matter of time), we will forgive one another's debts, but that does NOT mean that, individually or corporately, we will tolerate the behavior involved. Things like

abuse, theft, harassment, bullying...cannot be tolerated in any Christian and/or loving family; and finally:

7.  Forgiveness MUST have a face! I cannot forgive anyone anything in the abstract. I cannot forgive all sinners everywhere; I can't forgive the Nazis for murdering the Jews; I can't forgive Andrew Jackson for the Trail of Tears; and I can't forgive people who haven't sinned against

 me. I feel bad about these things, and I'll work to make the world a more compassionate place, but I can't let go of someone else's pain. This means that forgiving others is a behavior and not a thought, and that it is specific and not abstract. Forgiveness must have a face, and to be a forgiving person, I must show the grace and courage that Corrie ten

Boom showed when she met one of the Nazi guards who had abused her at Ravensbruck. Listen now, because this story captures the essence of real forgiveness…

It was in a church in Munich that a saw him- a balding, heavy-set man in a grey overcoat, a brown, felt hat in his hands. People were filing out of the basement where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland with the message that God forgives... And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent... "You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he said, "I was a guard there...but since that time," he went on, "I became a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well... 'Fraulein... (his hand came out... will you forgive me'"


And I stood there- I whose sins had every day to be forgiven- and could not. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow, horrible death simply by the asking? It couldn't have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours... as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it- I knew that... And still I stood there, with coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion- I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me." I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling." And so, woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you brother," I cried, "With all my heart."  For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never knew God's love so intensely... as I did then, 

Can I hear an "amen"? Get out there and forgive someone!