Sunday, July 20, 2008 "Hope"

SCRIPTURE Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
13:24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;

13:25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

13:26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.

13:27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?'

13:28 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'

13:29 But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.

13:30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."

13:37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

13:38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,

13:39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

13:40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,

13:42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!




“Good Morning, Sunshine!”

Good morning, folks! We are fresh back from vacation. It is so good to be back with you all. We have seen the world these last 2 weeks – Wheeling, Weirton and Berlin! No, not Berlin, Germany – Berlin, Ohio. The heart of Amish country. Susan and I used the wonderful gift certificate that you gave us to stay at the Amish Inn in Wilmot. Here is a bit of Amish humor for you:

While driving in Ohio, a family caught up to an Amish carriage.
The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... 'Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.' (thanks to Mickey Nardella for this one)

Let’s look out for the exhaust that characterizes so much of life. Perhaps today’s message will help. It is entitled, “Good morning, Sunshine.” Tell me, what is the first thing that you think of when you get up in the morning? Let’s check with our studio audience [interview various people in the congregation.]

You know, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who wake up and say, “Good, Lord, it’s morning” or “Good Lord, it’s morning.”

Each morning is an opportunity for hope to be renewed. It all depends on your mindset. You can get up and say, “Good Lord,” and lament the day, or you can get up and say, “Good, Lord,” another chance to serve you – another chance to make a difference, another chance to spread HOPE – something that people are desperate to have.

From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. "Stay in school," he admonished, "and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school. Parade Magazine. We all need something to look forward to. We need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life's troubles and failures, We need to remember that is God is still in control.

Our vision statement speaks to this. Our vision, the picture that God wants us to live into, is a community of hope offering hope to the community and beyond. Let’s dig deeper into this parable to find out more about hope.

Jesus told this story and then interpreted the story for his closest disciples. The sower of the good seed was the Son of Man. The Son of Man was a title Jesus used in referring to himself. The field where the seed was sowed was the world. And the good seed were the children of the kingdom. The children of the kingdom are not just good people, not just church people, but the truly saved – those who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ!
The weeds are the children of the evil one. The evil one is the devil himself, that crafty creature who has been tempting the children of God since the Garden. The Harvest is the end of the time, and the repears are the angels. Just as the weeds of the field were collected and burned in Jesus day, so will the weeds – the sons and daughters of evil, be collected at the end of time and punished by everlasting fire. The righteous – those made right by the blood of the lamb – will then shine like the sun in heaven – a morning to end all mornings – “Good morning, sunshine.”
This story raises at least one question in my mind – why does God allow the weeds and the wheat to grow together? The presence of evil creates constant trouble for all the children of the kingdom. Why does God allow that – why does God allow even the worse of suffering. This story provides the answer. If God removed the weeds, there would be danger in also removing the wheat. Weeds and wheat would both be uprooted, which means, among other things, that the wheat would not grow. Weeds challenge the wheat to grow. We are here on planet earth to grow into children of the kingdom.

Even the worse of weeds can bring out the glory of God in wheat. It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth, we receive new hope.

Besides, we don’t get to pick our brand of suffering. Remember, we are not just wheat – we are also the clay. And who is the potter? God. The pot doesn’t get to direct the work of the potter. The very bottom line is that we live, we die, we grow, we hurt, we speak and we pray to the glory of God.

At the same time, the weeds are allowed to grow with the wheat as a benefit to the weeds. The wheat may convert a weed to the way! Friends, there are many weeds in Staley – many weeds in the world – but there are also many wheat! The greatest way to affect a weed is to pray for him or her. The second greatest way to affect a weed is to walk the walk. We don’t need more talkers. We need more walkers! Let me say that again. We don’t need more talkers. We need more walkers. When I was going to Elementary School in Weirton, at good ole Cove School, I was a walker. I think it was about a half of a mile to school. One of the good things about being a walker was you got to leave first when school was over – even before the bussed kids. We tore out of there pretty fast. Those who truly walk the walk of the Christian life will be ushered into the kingdom of heaven. I think that they will be first in line! We need folk who will walk the walk of the Christian life – come heck or high water! It is an issue of faith – faith in Christ and faith in the future.

One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present." Halford E. Luccock, Unfinished Business.
We have the power – right now – today – thanks to Jesus - the power to right wrongs, the power to be somebody that makes God proud. We need a bucket list – of things that we want to accomplish for God’s sake. Take a good hard look at who you and where you are going. If you are saved, and your hope is in heaven, before you get there, do something great for God – something that couldn’t be done if God weren’t in it. Because the only thing better than going to heaven is taking someone with you. Let us pray!