On Sunday, October 23rd, Independence UMC celebrated Laity Sunday. The sermon consisted of 3 testimonies given by faithful lay members of our congregation. Unfortunately, Pastor Jared was on vacation so we couldn't get these posted until now. I hope you find them as inspiring as our congregation did.
When it comes to my spiritual life I’m always going around looking for trouble.
I believe I’m going to heaven but there are always those nagging questions, like, “Am, I good enough? Do I do enough?”
And that nagging gets worse if you think about Genesis 1:26. It reads, “And God says, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.”
Notice that it says “Let US make humankind in our image, according to OUR likeness.” That use of the plural is an obvious reference to the existence of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
But that’s for our pastor to take up at another time.
Let’s go back to “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.” I’m not one to decide what the Bible means but here’s what I think it means. I think it means that we are made in the image of God. Remember the old phrases, he takes after his father or she takes after her mother. If you put that in the context of a comparison between us and God that’s pretty strong stuff. Now I really wonder if I measure up.
If we’re made in the image of God would anybody recognize God in me or you?
Genesis 1:26 doesn’t stop with talking about the image of God. The verse reads, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion. Now as you know the Bible says dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds and cattle and so on. But as usual I’m going to borrow a thought from my spiritual hero, Dr. Normal Vincent Peale, perhaps the greatest preacher of the 20th century. He suggests that God also has given us dominion over ourselves, to have dominion over the circumstances of our lives. To not let any person, any disease, any problem rule our lives. That’s a tall order too. But if we are made in His image, and He has control over all things then we can have control too.
I’m certainly not going to stand here and make it sound easy. There isn’t a person in this sanctuary, regardless of age, who hasn’t had one or several problems to deal with...health, financial, circumstances that just wear us down day after day. But look around at the very people you know. And if you’re new to this church you can look at people you personally know. We have watched others deal with their problems and not given up.
There are two kinds of people...those who have dominion over their problems and those who give in or give up. There are many people sitting here right now who I am in awe of, because they have drawn on the strength of the Lord to stand up to problems. They refuse to give up.
Some people say, what choice do I have?
In truth there is a choice, to ask God for help and strength or to give up. Sure there are days like it feels that HIS help and strength aren’t coming but it’s still there.
As I said we know of examples of great burdens right here in this congregation but rather than make an example of someone you know I’ll tell you about an Air Force nurse named Kris. This is a sad story and her story is still being written. My purpose in telling you her story is not to dwell on the tragedy but rather how Kris, and in particular her mother are dealing with it. It demonstrates a choice we make when faced with our problems.
About a year and a half ago Kris was on her way home from work at an Air Force base hospital in Texas when she was involved in a horrific car accident. To this day she cannot walk or talk. She is the daughter of one of my buddies from high school and his wife, Carol. Carol, and Kris herself, have refused to give up in the effort to restore Kris to health. But here’s the important part. Carol sees every step of the way as being guided by the Lord. In spite of all that has happened she gives God credit for every little victory that takes place. No matter how tough the going gets we must always believe, we must always know, that the Lord is right by our side.
Now let’s go back to being created in God’s image and the question, if we’re made in the image of God would anybody recognize God in us. I think if we had a show of hands we’d all say we believe in angels. But who are angels? Where do they come from?
They’re us. God uses us to help his people on earth. But He can’t use us unless we let Him.
Think about this...and some of you have already heard this story about what Bert and I experienced on our vacation to Europe last month. We were traveling with two friends of ours, Stuart and Becky. We were walking on the streets of Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia in northern Africa. Tunisia is right next door to Libya.
We’re still not sure exactly what happened but Stuart experienced a freak accident which left a major wound to his leg. He was down on the ground in the street bleeding badly. Bert and I were some distance ahead. The street was teaming with people and bumper to bumper traffic and people had already gathered around him by the time we got back. Someone had already wrapped the wound with a scarf and stopped the bleeding.
One angel.
We had to get him back to the ship to be attended to by the ship’s doctor but the traffic was at a standstill. In what seemed like just a moment two men put Stuart and me in the back of their SUV and then began a ride that made me feel like a movie chase scene.
Somehow the man driving managed to get through all the traffic and get us back to the boat. And remember, they didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Arabic!
Two more angels.
The doctor on the boat said that Stuart had to have surgery on his leg in Tunisia because if he waited until the boat’s next stop in Sicily major infection could set in. And on top of all that the boat was ready to leave Tunisia. It seemed like just a few minutes later that the four of us were on the dock watching the boat leave and there we were in Africa!
Enter two more angels, Emira and Elyes.
They work for a company that cruise ships hire to take care of any problems in that particular port. Out of nowhere an ambulance shows up. Emira and Elyes tell us we’re on the way to a wonderful, clean hospital. Don’t worry, they said, this is where the rich Libyans come for plastic surgery. That night Stuart had surgery on his leg and was released the next day. But the doctor says Stuart can’t travel for at least a day. Elyes and Emira take us to a beautiful hotel, tend to all our needs, pick us up a day and half later, take us to the airport and get us on a plane to Rome.
Stuart is fine and the injury is slowly recovering.
Great story, but what’s the point?
Simply to be ready, and willing, when God needs you to be an angel. The two men on the street who put us in their car could have said, let the police take care of it, beside it’s obvious they’re Americans. Although Elyes and Emira were doing their jobs they could have said, hey, it’s 5 o’clock and that’s when we stop working. We’ll check in with you tomorrow. No, on a moment’s notice they literally turned their lives over to us.
There is no way that I’m going to stand up here and tell you to be like them or I’d be one big hypocrite.
All I can say is...let’s all of us be ready to be an angel and be made in His image.
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