Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship · November 13, 2005

Prayer of the Day

Lord, we gather this hour to sing praises to you and to give thanks to your holy name!  For you have restored us to life, been gracious to us in our times of distress, shown us a path when we have stumbled in the dark.  Our souls cannot be silent!  We will speak, and we will listen and give ourselves anew to your reign!  Amen.

Scripture

Matthew 5:13-20

“You are the salt of the earth.  But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by people.

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill can’t be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the whole house.  In the same way, let your light so shine before others that they might see your good words, your good deeds, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Message

My Secret Is, I Need…

Rick Frost

How many here this morning or 35-years of age or younger?  Hands, please.  There’s one, two, three, four, five, six, (Mike, put your hand down), seven, eight, nine, ten.  [Editor’s note:  It is not certain whether the fact is that since Rick is well over 35-years of age he can’t see well, or can’t count higher than ten, but there were clearly more than 25 “honest” hands lifted in the sanctuary.]  That sounds about right.  Doesn’t it?  Wonderful!

You know, youth is a wonderful thing.  Someone said, “Youth would really be an ideal state if it just came a little later in life.”  Have you noticed that?

Will Rogers said, “We could certainly slow the aging process down a bit if it had to work its way through Congress.”

Most of you under 35 won’t remember this, but there was a time before when time and space were measured in nanoseconds and gigabytes, back when change was slow enough.  There has always been change, but it was slow enough that we had a chance to chart our lives.  There was some degree of predictability.  Those were the days we asked the “Who” question, and the “Why” questions. 

“Who am I?”  “Why am I here?”  “Why am I so lucky?”  “Why am I in this mess?”  “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  “Why do good things happen to bad people?”  “Why in the world are things the way they are?”  “Why?”

Back then, we figured if we knew the reason why, then we could fix whatever the problem was.  Then we could dig ourselves out of whatever it is we might be struggling with.

Now, everyone under the age of 35 knows the world has changed radically.  Things move much more quickly.  Life is more complex.  The world, by virtue of media and travel, is much smaller, and it is filled with all kinds of chaos.

“I live my life,” she said, “in a world where nothing goes as planned.”  And she is only 25-years of age.

The truth is today, today’s generation doesn’t have much time, and they don’t have much energy to ask the “why” questions any more.  They have discovered that answers, that propositions, that proofs do not help.  They do not heal.  They do not save.  Most of all, they do not satisfy.  That is because what they long for is not up here (pointing to the head) but down here (pointing to the heart).  Right here. 

They are not interested in religiosity, but they are very interested in authenticity.  They are not concerned, or have much value, or much respect for various answers, but they have a great deal of interest in actually encountering the Spirit of the Living God in this world.  They are not people interested in membership and becoming involved in a group just to be involved.  They are very interested in being involved in a place where relationships happen. 

In today’s world, we most likely are people who want to know where God can actually be experienced and found in community.  A place where somehow we can stay grounded, somehow we can stay connected, while the world does whatever the world is going to do.

How many of you saw the movie “Notting Hill?”  Do you remember “Notting Hill?”  Good.  That was Julia Roberts playing Anna Scott.  Anna Scott was this very successful, very beautiful Hollywood actress, who hit the big time.  She is in London doing a shoot.  She wanders into William Thacker’s little travel bookstore.  William is played by Hugh Grant.  He has this little shop on Notting Hill, a little village that is part of London .

If you remember that movie, the two share an instant attraction to one another.  They find themselves, against all odds, trying to develop some kind of normal relationship in spite of Anna’s incredible stardom and celebrity status.

A clip from that movie sees William invite Anna, the movie star, to his sister’s birthday party, where a bunch of very ordinary, very down-to-earth friends have gathered around the table to celebrate this birthday and to have dinner together.  At the table, one of the people initiates a contest for the last brownie that is going around for dessert.  The contest is, “This brownie will be awarded to the person at the table who can tell the saddest, sorriest excuse of why they are here.”  Now if you really want an upper for a dinner party, I want you to try that one.  OK?  But that is what they did.  You know… you are always looking for something that can be a discussion starter.  They went around the room, and my goodness, there were some sorry, sorry stories that were passed around.  After everybody had a turn, they were getting ready to award the brownie, and Anna said, “How about me?  Don’t I get to offer my story?”

Everybody in the room was stunned, because everybody thought that Anna had it all it together.  Anna had everything that anybody could possibly want.

So she said, “Well, let me offer this.  You may not know this, but I have been on a diet since I was 19-years of age, which means, basically, I have been hungry for a decade.  I have had a series of not-so-nice boyfriends, one of whom hit me.  Every time I get my heart broken, the newspapers flash it around as if somehow it is entertainment for the world.  You may not also know it, but it has taken two rather painful operations to get me to look like this.  One day, not long from now, my looks will go, and they will discover that I do not know how to act, and I will become a sad, middle-aged woman who looks a bit like somehow who was famous for a while.”

Oh, my gosh!

We think everybody has it so together.  We think people have it made.  Folks, many in the post-modern world are vulnerable.  Almost everyone I know is afraid of relationships, struggling with commitment.  Many are rootless.  They have been ripped from all kinds of foundations.  Many have been born in suburban vacuums of idleness, and alcohol, and violence, even though everything on the outside, in front of everybody else, looks wonderful.  In some senses, we have a whole generation of folks who seem to have everything.  They’ve seen everything.  They have everything.  At least it seems that way.  Yet in other ways, they haven’t really seen hardly anything at all.  They have nothing, really, that is genuine and authentic. 

In today’s text, folks, Jesus preaches his famous Sermon on the Mount.  In it he tells those who will listen that the people who are blessed in this life are the people who aspire, who try to, who attempt to live their lives out of God’s strength rather than their own.  They are the people who are the meek.  They are the people who are the merciful.  They are the people who are the peacemakers.  They are the people who are pure in heart.

There are folks who live life and nothing changes.  But there are others who try to live in God, and as a result live salty, light-filled lives that attract other people, that do good works, and gives glory to one’s Father in heaven.

My goodness!

Today’s generation, folks, want and need the Christian community of faith, not a religious club.  They want desperately to hear about the transforming power of Jesus.  They have very little interest in discussions that might take place with our Unitarian brothers and sisters over tea.

“You can be religious and still not enter the Kingdom of God,” said Jesus.  But I tell you what… You cannot have an authentic encounter with the Spirit of the Living God without being absolutely, forever changed because of it.  The truth is… Our secret is, we need God.  The Spirit of the Living God.  Not some idea about God, the Creator of all that is.  We need God.  Today’s generation needs God.  I need God, because I can no longer make it by myself.  I need God’s grace, because God’s grace is the only thing I know that somehow keeps me from drifting off into who-knows-where. 

We need God.  We need God to help us.  We need God to help us give.  Oh, my gosh.  We need God to help us give, because we live in a world that just no longer seems capable of giving.  We need God to help us be kind, because we live in this world where so many no longer seem capable of being kind.  We need God to help us love, because we live in a world where so many people are having a hard time really loving.

Now, folks, this is today’s world.  And if you are over 35, what I want to ask you to do is to realize there is a new world here.  It is not just coming.  It’s already here for those under 35.  What we’re about is not ministering to the world that used to be, but our task is to minister to the world that is today and is going to be tomorrow.  You have been called to that ministry.  Jesus has called you to be a follower in that world, and if you are willing to follow, he says, “You will be the light of this world.”  Not maybe.  Not if.  Not probably.  “You are the light of the world.  You are the salt of the earth.”

That is who Jesus has called us to be.  That is who he is making us to be, for today and for tomorrow.  I ask you to write it down, put it on a big sign, stick it to your refrigerator or your mirror so you are reminded about it everyday.  Then walk out that door to whatever world you are walking into and let it shine. 

“Let your light so shine before others, that they might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

And we all say together… “Amen.”

Benediction

Light of the World, be in our hearts.  As the chaos of life threatens to distract and discourage us, let us hear your sweet invitation: “Take my hand, let me lead; I will never forsake you.”  And let us hold on to you and dance with the realization this, too, is true.  Amen.