23 Apr 05
This morning we are celebrating all the lay people who work so diligently around this Church. When I was thinking about this topic my mind immediately thought about all the times that I have seen our Lord in the lives and actions of other people.
I want to tell you about one such experience this morning - an experience that occurred when I was still in college (A LONG TIME AGO) and one that had a major impact on my faith and my life.
I want to testify this morning.
Testifying is a tradition of the Church that's been largely lost to mainline protestant churches but we still do it occasionally. Our high school seniors did some outstanding testifying on Youth Sunday. I thought that was an amazing service! The bible is full of testifying - think how many times Paul told the story of his conversion on the road to Damascus.
Why do I like testifying?
SO - I want to testify this morning to make a point about volunteers in the Church. And don't worry, I will get to a point. A point about being God's Friend.
Here's my testimony! I was raised in a Disciples Church but my family drifted away from Peachtree Christian Church when I was in elementary school. Our family tried several churches over the following years (including 1st Atlanta when it was on Briarcliff) but we never stuck anywhere. We became Easter and Christmas Christians. And I never really had to think about my faith much.
When I was old enough I joined Boy Scouts at Peachtree Christian (Where Scott Ray, who is a member here now, was my Scout Master), and I stayed on after I turned 18 to be Assistant Scout Master. Because of my Scout work I was hired as Youth Director at Peachtree Christian when I entered College.
And that job offer forced me to examine my beliefs. And I discovered that I wasn't sure what I believed. It wasn't about Jesus or the church. I wasn't really sure that I believed there was a God.
Although I wasn't sure what I believed - I did keep seeking. But I kept trying to find logical, scientific proofs for God. See - even back then I was a geek! And in case you're ever trying to help someone find their faith -- Logical/scientific doesn't work.
And then I had an experience that helped me understand the true nature of God. And this experience involved Friendship.
What is your definition of a friend? Stop and think about that for a minute. We each have our own definitions. How do you use the word 'friend'? We all have "acquaintances", "business associates", "co-workers." And we will frequently introduce those people as friends. We throw the word friend around pretty casually. "This is my friend Joe - who I just met this morning."
A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. The winning definition was a quote by Henry Durbanville which read: "A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has gone out."
Think about your definition of Friendship while I tell you a story.
Philmont is a National Boy Scout Camp in North East New Mexico high in the Rocky Mountains. In 1970 I was the leader of group of 8 young men who were just barely younger than my 20 years. In fact we had all grown up together in scouting. One of these young men was Bob Felts, who is now a Baptist Minister in North Carolina, and still a good friend. Back then we spent many long hours talking about God.
Our second day hiking, before my body had become used to the altitude and been whipped into shape, we had the opportunity to take a half day side hike up the Tooth of Time. This impressive mountain is just over 9,000 feet. It stands prominently over the range like a molar -- hence the name. It is so prominent that the settlers on the Santa Fe Trail used it as a beacon as they came across the prairie towards the mountains. Wagon ruts from the Trail can still be seen in the prairie at the base of the mountain near Kit Carson's home.
It's every visitor to Philmonts dream to climb this mountain. My crew had been talking of little else the whole trip.
It was a tough climb, and as we made the ridge on which the Tooth was situated I was in bad shape. There isn't as much oxygen at 9,000 feet. My lips were blue, I was nauseous, slightly dizzy and totally out of energy. Even though we had made the ridge, we were still a good half-mile from the Tooth across a very rocky exposed ridge above the tree line. I knew I wasn't going to make it.
I made a poor decision then as the "adult" leader in the group. I just couldn't deny those guys the chance to climb that mountain. And they were all responsible 16 and 17 year olds and experienced outdoorsmen. I sent them on ahead with Bob, who was 17 at the time, as their leader. I sat down on the ridge to rest and told them to pick me up on the way back.
They set off all excited and with lots more energy than I had left. About a half an hour later I could see them, tiny figures on the top of the mountain, waiving and jumping up and down.
I could also see the storm. They come up quick out west. Summer thunder storms rise up over the mountains many afternoons in a short but violent fury and then are gone in an hour or so.
Have you ever been to the top of Stone Mountain? There are little depressions there where lightning has struck the top of the mountain and melted a little depression into the solid granite. The rocks on this ridge were scarred with A LOT of those depressions.
By this time, after half an hours rest I was feeling much better. I also knew enough about the outdoors to get off the top of that ridge. I hiked down off the side a few hundred yards to a spot in a ditch. I prayed that the guys would have the sense to do the same. The guys saw the approaching storm too - for they started back immediately. Bob later told me the whole story.
They started hiking VERY fast back towards where they had left me. All they were thinking about was that I was sick, almost too weak and tired to move, resting up against a rock on the top of an open ridge in a lightning storm. As the storm approached they started moving even faster. They approached the cross just as the lightning started to hit. The cross is a simple wooden memorial to two boy scouts who had been killed at that spot by lightning many years earlier.
Did that knock some sense into them so they got off the side of the ridge? No -- Bob said he told the rest of the group to seek shelter but he started running.
At 9,000 feet just walking makes you as winded as running at this altitude. And Bob was running at 9,000 feet. And after a few minutes he looked back, the rest of the crew was right behind him.
The storm passed over and moved out across the plains within minutes. Feeling better, I climbed back up to the ridge trail to await the crew. Hoping they were safe.
It was just minutes later when the most exhausted group of young men I've ever seen came dragging themselves across the ridge. They could barely speak but the joy in their finding me safe and well was obvious. All they could think about as they were running across that ridge, with lightning flashing around them, was that I was sitting helpless on that ridge in the midst of that lightning. It was a humbling experience.
I know I'm not the only person who's ever had an experience like this - some of you may have. Men in Combat frequently experience this kind of sacrifice from their comrades.
But this experience changed my life.
I developed a new definition of a "Friend" that day on the Tooth of Time Ridge. I learned that true friendship is defined, not by words, not by promises, but by action. And not any act but by unconditional, self-sacrificing, unreciprocated action. Action directed towards others without thought of what you will get out of it. The bible frequently calls this kind of friendship "Agape."
Agape is one of 5 words that describe love in Greek. Bible Dictionaries say that during the first few centuries after Jesus, this Greek word was used to represent Divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, thoughtful love. Wow that's a mouthful. The key points are divine, unconditional and self-sacrificing.
Jesus said it best in John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Jesus went on to say in John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
What did I learn that day on the mountain? I learned that those guys were really my friends. Their concern for my safety overrode their fear, their physical weakness and even their good sense.
In the following days, as we hiked through the Rocky Mountains we talked about God. And Bob and the rest of my friends helped me to understand that God was my friend. That Jesus proved his and his fathers friendship for me on the cross.
But I came to understand that statement as more than just words in the bible or words from a pulpit. God's friendship was real because I had felt that kind of friendship, that kind of Agape love from others.
But then I had to ask myself the really tough question. Anybody know what that question was?
Was I God's friend?
The word "Friend" occurs very frequently in the bible, for example James 2:23 says: "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."
A Chinese Pastor: Rev. Min J. Chung has this to say about this passage:
So I have a tough question for you this morning. Are you God's friend? Let's face it, being a true friend to anyone isn't easy, much less being a friend to God. We humans can be selfish by nature. People typically look at what's best for them, not others. Our consumer culture caters to the notion that "It's all about me." The London Sunday Express had a good quote: Most people wish to serve God -- but in an advisory capacity only.
And sometimes, like my scouting friends on the mountain, we feel Fear or Fatigue or Weakness and those are hard to overcome. Fear to try something new. Afraid to get involved. Afraid of emotions. Or we may feel fatigue. Are we just tired. Worn down with life. Or we may be weak. Unable to set our priorities properly with just too much else going on in life to worry about God's work.
So if we truly believe that God proved his friendship for us through Jesus Christ, how do we work at being God's Friend? Consider John chapter 15:12-14" "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."
There is that word "Friend" again.
But perhaps Mark 12:28-31 lays it out best: One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
You've heard this scripture many times before - The Jews call it the Shema. We Christians call it "The Greatest Commandment."
But maybe the best way to learn about being God's friend is to learn from those around us, as I learned from my friends on Tooth of Time ridge. Let me tell you about some people who are God's Friends. They are the people who run across the rocky ridge line of life every day. They don't let fear or fatigue or weakness overcome them. These people:
These are God's Friends because:
I called Arnold Nelson earlier this week regarding some church business. Rev. Nelson is the president of the Disciples Home Mission Board. This is a position where he understands the need for God's Friends every day. Arnold said something very simple while we were discussing caring for others. He said: "God is not into talk." Which is just another way of saying that Being God's friend is about doing stuff!
Are you God's Friend? God is not into talk.
I give thanks every day -- but especially today -- for all the volunteers in this Church who not only talk the talk -- but walk right beside Jesus.
Amen!
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