WHO CAN STAND?
A sermon by George R. Pasley
Prepare the way.
Prepare the way!
Pre-pare the way!
PRE-PARE THE WAY!
Maybe you heard those words as warning.
Good for you.
If you’re out there living life
Any old way you please,
Taking candy from babies,
Cutting in line at the grocery store,
Partying long and hard on Saturday night
And sleeping all morning Sunday,
Well, watch out!
For he will be like a refiner's fire,
Jesus will come as a launderer's soap,
And the scrubbing you get
Will not be pleasant.
PRE-PARE THE WAY!
Maybe you heard those words
As a call to duty,
As a reminder that there is work to be done
And somebody is looking for you
To start doing it!
Good for you.
After all,
There IS work to be done.
There are hungry people to feed,
And lonely people to visit.
After all,
There are all sorts of people
In all sorts of trouble
And there you are,
With time on your hands
And life experiences to share.
The mountains need to be leveled
And the valleys need to be filled
And the crooked places need
Some serious adjustment
So get busy!
Good for you,
If you’ve been scared into repentance.
Good for you,
If you’ve discovered an urgency
To get good things done.
But stop,
Listen,
And be enchanted:
All mankind will see God’s salvation…
Every one of us will SEE
The love of God on broad display,
And it will be beautiful.
So there is a warning-
My goodness,
You certainly wouldn’t want to miss it,
And this is a reminder
Because you CERTAINLY
Wouldn’t want to be there UNPREPARED
To celebrate.
But more significantly,
This is an answer,
This is a promise,
And this is an INVITATION
To the celebration!
What does it answer?
It answers the longing
Of every man,
Every woman,
Every girl and boy
Who has somehow discovered
That life is not fair
And that sometimes the unfairness of life
Is tragic.
The answer says,
Those rough places in life-
Those places where the road is closed for construction
And has been closed for a long, long time-
They’ll be reopened,
When Jesus comes.
And there is a promise with that answer:
Until such time as they are opened,
Jesus will ride shotgun with you
And help you through the detours.
So this is invitation to be joyful
In spite of the circumstances,
And this is the reason:
Your life matters to God-
It is of incomparable value.
In fact, your life- and what you do with it-
Is a key component
In God’s wonderful plan.
Who does it answer?
It answers the critics,
Who say God doesn’t care.
It answers the cynics,
Who say nothing will matter.
It answers the scoffers,
Who just don’t care.
It answers the mourners,
Who have shed too many tears.
It answers the desperate,
Who’ve tried for so long.
It answers the tired,
Who can hardly do more.
It answers us all,
But how does it answer?
It answers this way:
God is involved.
There was an emperor in Rome,
Tiberius by name.
There was a governor in Jerusalem,
Pontius Pilate by name.
There were Herod, and Phillip, and Lysanius,
In charge of their regions.
There were priests in the Temple,
All things were in order.
But the word that came
Came not to them.
It came independent,
Without a leash or a harness,
Without a line or an anchor,
It came without reservation,
Without appointment,
Without stipulation.
It came in answer to prayer by the faithful,
It came in response to the need of the poor,
It came in reply to all suffering,
It came in challenge to death.
Where did it come,
And who received it?
It came to John,
Who was himself
A child of promise.
It came in the wilderness,
A place of hardship and privation,
A place that strengthens faith and builds character.
It came,
And they heard,
And things happened.
What happened?
Love happened.
People repented.
They forgave.
They shared what they had
With those who had none.
They opened their hearts to possibilities
Of God’s Kingdom, come.
They burned with excitement,
They spread the good news,
They prepared a smooth way
In the wilderness of their hearts.
But something MORE happened,
Something MORE than human endeavor happened
When the Word was received
And people believed.
Love happened again.
Sins were forgiven,
Suffering was cancelled,
Hope was restored,
And none other than GOD
Made them all happen.
Who can stand?
Not me, and not you,
Not if God is our judge.
But listen, and ponder:
God is also our rock and redeemer,
Our sword and our shield,
Our advocate and friend.
Consider there stories,
Three persons,
And how God helped them stand!
A sinner, a woman,
Caught in adultery,
Brought before Jesus,
And thrown to the ground.
But he dismantled the judgment
That should have been hers,
Forgave her and loved her
And helped her to stand.
Another, a man,
Was brought on a mat by four friends
Through the roof of the church
And to prove powers of forgiveness
Jesus told him to stand!
One more- nay, two!
One girl and one man,
One young and one older,
One stranger, one friend,
Were dead in their beds,
Unable to walk,
Laid flat, eyes closed,
With nothing to dream.
But a word from the Lord
Was given to them-
Not warning, but promise.
Not instruction, but invitation:
Get up!
Walk out!
Rise from the dead!
And they did!
Prepare the way,
There is life to be lived
And it will be BEST lived
Joyous and hopeful,
Loving and faithful,
Every thought, every deed
And offering to God.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
