Which kind of cloud do you trust? Based on Hebrews 11 and 12 By Rev. Larry Fry College Avenue UMC August 18, 2013 The clouds in the Kansas sky can be amazing. They can be like giant puffs of cotton, or spread out on the horizon to bring a beautiful sunrise or sunset to take your breath away. I know of a man who has one who computer storage full of nothing but images of clouds. I cannot remember where I read it but one great writer said: “Whenever you see something of great beauty, that is the handwriting of God.” I agree with that. Over the years, one picture of heaven has been a place where people float on white clouds in white robes and playing harps. That image of heaven never did much for me. The world of computers has given us another kind of cloud. I receive computer messages often that want me to try the ICloud. For some time you can buy a computer that stores all of your created data on a “cloud.” I cannot manage the documents on my own computer. Having all of my stuff on that kind of “cloud” scares me. And to add to the confusion, those invitations to try the ICloud on my computer come to Penny S. Fry????? This Bible passage gives us another image is of a cloud of witnesses: that is, a large group of witnesses in heaven and on earth. These faithful Christians include all those who have gone before; it includes us and our children, and generations to come. It includes our youth who gave their powerful witness today. We are part of the cloud that goes all the way through time and history. I am going to trust this cloud for the witness of all gives me inspiration and hope. This is the cloud I trust in. I get asked to witness about what makes this church so vital. I can talk about the activities and programs. I can talk about the Harvester’s Food Distribution we do this Tuesday. But more than anything I like to talk about people, the cloud of witnesses here. Often people hear about our youth and their football parking grants reviewed in their presentation today. I would like us to think of a giant flash mob, or track meet. And we are in the saints relay race. People have been running around and around the track for years receiving the baton and passing it on to others. Those we remember from time to time passed it on to us. It is not end with them. We are participants and we the ones to carry it to the next time. We get the baton and race and we have it. We do our best. And then we get ready to pass the baton on to those who are next. Those who come after us will carry on the race. Our hope is that they too will look to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. BEING WATCHED A cloud of witnesses entered the giant new building at the corner of College Ave. and Claflin last night. The addition to the football stadium was unveiled at an open house. A cloud means a giant group, like would fill a stadium. Another term might be a mob of witnesses…a big group. A cloud of people contributed to that new portion of the stadium. Soon we will have parking on church property a cloud of witnesses, headed to watch the football games. Soon the stadium will be filled with people watching football. When the football team takes to the field for the first game and the crowd roars with approval and excitement. Thousands are watching. A witness someone who sees something. Each fan at the stadium will be a witness to what happens. WITNESSES OF THE GAME And once they leave the stadium each fan could be a witness to tell what happened. After that first game, every coffee group, every tailgating party, will tell others what happened. They become witnesses, tellers of the story. The news media will send all over the world statistics and stories about the game. Who were the most valuable players and how many yards did they carry the ball. WITNESSES WATCHING US FROM HEAVEN The book of Hebrews lists a bunch of our heroes of faith celebrating what God did through them. They were not perfect superheroes. But they contributed to the work of God for the kingdom of God. One way to look at this is like we are on the field, and thousands of people, the saints who have gone before, are looking down on us, so to speak, seeing how we do as we carry on in the Christian faith. We are the ones who are to run our race set out before with faith and courage. WITNESSES TELLING THE STORY THROUGH OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS The movie, 42: the Jackie Robinson Story. We loved it! The owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Richey, was the one who changed baseball when he hired Mr. Robinson to play, breaking the color line in professional baseball. The movie is not a baseball movie; it is story about overcoming racism and establishing justice. Jackie had to endure the racism of fans, other players, other coaches, and his own difficult days wanting to give up. We can, if we have faith in Jesus, expect some opposition and bad treatment. The world is threatened by those who do not share its values and the world around will lash out at us. And thank God for the faith helps us persevere when this comes. Jackie Robinson received death threats and a constant barrage of racist slurs. Jackie was able to persevere with courage, faith, and his love of baseball that won over his critics and fans and teammates. To decide who was going to be this first rookie, the owner chose a younger man from the Kansas City Monarchs. He was looking at characteristics that would make him a responsible player. You will be surprised that Branch Richey looked at Robinson’s denomination. (Let’s watch.) On almost every part of this movie the owner is a great witness to his Christian faith. One of the reasons he picked Jackie Robinson using his own words: “He is a Methodist. I am a Methodist. God is a Methodist.” We laughed and laughed. In several major decisions, he did biblical insights, stories, and guiding values that he learned from Jesus. I am not sure he is on safe ground in saying that God is Methodist. God may be, but God is also other denominations and faiths. I am grateful for a movie that shows faith in a very positive light, without being rigid. Another hero: “Buzz” Aldrin was on the moon 44 years ago. Many people do not know that before he left he got permission to take the Lord’s Supper on the moon. He took a small container of wine and bread. Neil Armstrong was the first one on the moon because he did not want to participate. Aldrin, who followed Armstrong out poured the leftover wine on the moon. The first liquid poured on the moon by humans and the first food eaten there were communion elements. His idea was to give people on earth something to think about. But those in charge of the broadcast chose not to air it…just a few moments of silence were aired. The silence was to invite each person listening in, wherever and whomever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way. He read a bit of John “I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit.” The cloud of witnesses has gone far above our earthly clouds. As Christians we look to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Our goal in this race is to become like Christ. This is the race set before. I don’t care who comes in first in this race. The important thing is to get on the track, to take the baton, and do our part and pass it on to a new generation. We have a cloud of witnesses watching us and that makes us want to do our best. That cloud includes those who have gone before and now inspire us through our memories of them. There are people who have inspired us and inspire us now. Prayer Lord, help us to get rid of our excess baggage in order to travel light. Thank you for the power which sustains us. Thank you for the presence of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who needs donuts when you have love? Based on Luke 12:13-21

Rosemary Carroll Tuesday morning Bible Study how, as a boy, her son saved his money to buy a stereo system, with a turntable and connected speakers with tweeters and woofers and everything.  After several months of enjoying his new investment which required records to play, needles to replace, and extras….he wondered: “Do I own a stereo, or does my stereo own me?”  Good question for all of us.

We all dream about things, good things, and big things: cars, houses, and vacation homes.   We must admit that in our culture, having stuff is a big thing.  Comedian George Carlin, now deceased, has a whole comedy routine about stuff.  We love stuff he said.  The meaning of life is having stuff.  We search for stuff, we have stuff, and we live in houses that store our stuff.  And when all our stuff will not fit, we rent other storage places.  Then we make arrangements to go visit our other stuff.  

Our garage is full of stuff.  This week in the middle of the night I heard a crash.  I turned on the lights on the outside of the house to scare away anyone outside, then I looked in the garage and did not see anything.  But in the morning when I checked things out, I found that a kayak I had hanging from the ceiling had fallen.  Luckily it missed the cars.  Dan Beach was able to help us get it back up.  Stuff.

DONUTS AND DONUTS

So what in the world does this Bible verse have to do with donuts?  Several weeks ago I told you about a library book that my son and I treasured in the 70’s.  Using a computer I found out that someone had paid $500 for a copy.  Now, it is back in print so I did not pay that much.  It is as much an art book as it is a story so I ordered one. 

Today, I want to go into it with a bit more detail.  A boy named Sam has dreams of lots and lots of donuts.  So one day he decides to go to the big city to seek his dream.  And sure enough he meets Mr. Bikferd who wears a paisley suit and collects donuts, stores them in a warehouse.  He is happy to have a helper.   In the midst of collecting donuts the wagon breaks down and they meet Pretzel Annie.  Mr. Bikferd and decide in an instant to marry and start a pretzel store.  That leaves Sam alone.  He is full of donuts and he doesn’t care anymore.  You would think he would head home but he has to learn one more thing.  A woman is taking an afternoon nap when the coffee factory springs a leak and floods her basement apartment.  She cannot get out and yells for help.  Sam dumps the whole wagon of donuts in and they soak up all the coffee and she is saved.  She offers to give him all of her life savings.  But he decides to head home knowing that: “Who needs donuts when you’ve got love.

The boy in the donut story has a huge warehouse of donuts and it does not mean very much.  He learns that the meaning of life does not reside in having stuff. 

A TEACHING MOMENT

Back to the story about Jesus!  He is interrupted and stopped by a heckler in the crowd.  Everyone once in a while, we see on the news a clip of a speaker being heckled.  Someone yells out.  It makes everyone feel uncomfortable and sometimes security comes to help the heckler out. 

This heckler yells out a complaint about his brother.  In that day, and in our own, inheritance disputes often bring people into the courts.  It was the law then that the younger brother gets 1/3 and the older 2/3.  But instead of ignoring him or rejecting him, Jesus uses this moment to teach a great truth to all who were in the crowd.

SO JESUS TELLS A STORY

So he tells the story of a rich man who has had a great run at farming.  And obviously he takes all the credit.  And all he can think about is himself.  He has all need and more….so he decides bigger storage places instead of a bigger heart.  He could have said, “Why do I need bigger barns.  I will keep the old ones and share my good fortune with others.”

What is wrong with eating, drinking, and being merry?   Jesus himself did that.  Our having communion today is based on the last gathering of the disciples before he gave his life.  Jesus loved to be with people around the table.  Was Jesus accusing him of relaxing now and then and having a good time?  No, Jesus did that, too. 

Jesus uses a story to remind us all that idolatry always begins with “I.” He never mentions anyone else and he certainly never mentions God, or the poor, or even his family.    His whole life is wrapped up in selfishness.  What he leaves behind are monuments to his selfishness when he could be leaving behind a legacy of generosity.  If God is in your life, people are going to notice and those in need will benefit.  And this farmer missed the life-changing joy of helping other people.

One of the great lessons here is that greed…tends to eliminate compassion and our circle of life grows smaller and smaller.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE STUFF WE HAVE WHEN WE DIE?

After the farmer is gone from earth, someone else will have his stuff.   And at the end of our lives, others will have our stuff.  You can’t take it with you.  Part of the UM funeral service is about the wisdom…teach us to number our days.  I thought of the TV show called Storage Wars.  Auctioneers sell off belongings of people who have died or have moved and no longer are paying the rent.  A bidding war decides the fate of all this stuff.  It is an amazing part of American life because we have so much stuff.

THE TRUE SECURITY OF LIFE IS IN PEOPLE, NOT STUFF

A movie called Doctor featured William Hurt as a heart surgeon who was great at surgery but not so good at people.  This doctor becomes a cancer patient and learns how vulnerable people feel when they are sick and in the hospital.  One of the best parts of the movie is where a man needs a new heart.  The doctor warns him that he may not get a heart and he needed to get his life in order.  The patient, thinking of his family, said with a smile: ”I have it all in order” and he did.  And, in the process of radiation and surgery, the doctor gets his life in order.  During his difficult journey he makes friends with a woman who teaches him a great deal about letting people in to his life.  At the end of the movie he is given a letter from her written just before she died.  Let’s watch…

We all need a place to call home, friends, family, meaningful activities, and a church family.  Our greatest security is in faith in Jesus Christ.  And our faith should be visible to others in how we live our lives.   St. Jerome in the year 400 CE tells the story of a person who did not want to store all of her money in her purse because it was not spiritually safe.  She stored some of her money in the stomachs of those who were poor and hungry.  That way, it is heavenly safe.  Some of our wealth needs to go for a loving purpose in the kingdom of God.

Someone asked me about our building project.  Aren’t we just building a bigger barn?   No, because the purpose of a church is to make disciples of JC for the transformation of the world.  If that does not happen, then we have missed the point. Yet, the more it happens, the more we discover the healing power of the Church, gathered to honor God with all we are and all we have.  There is a power in this place that gets us right with God and right with ourselves and right with others and right with creation.  What we have here is exactly what the world needs.  It is a project full of loving purpose, in service to God and others.

I just read that Congress is considering giving farmers a tax incentive to give produce to food banks?  That is good…those barns need some help. 

I just found out.  There is a new donut shop opening up in the Blue Hills Shopping Mall.  Taylor Efurd, from our youth group is going to work there.   I can’t wait to try one.   As good as they might be…they will not be as good as what you receive in communion.   Come to this table as we feast on the Spirit of the Risen Christ.  It will taste good and you let the Spirit of the Risen Christ feed you with love.