It is beautiful all around
us. The honeysuckles bushes are robed in luxuriant flowers, with their sweet
aroma and magnificent fragrance wafting through the air. I saw yesterday
morning two Canadian geese, a father and mother, walking their line of goslings
in a parade in the fields by the parsonage. The beautiful sight was a feast to
the eyes of the beholder. I noticed late in the afternoon that one of the
goslings was left behind. It was wounded and could not walk. Late in the
evening two Canadian geese flying over, calling out repeatedly, apparently
looking for their beloved and beautiful little gosling.
C. S. Lewis’ famous tales,
The Chronicles of Narnia center on the key story, The Lion, The
Witch and the Wardrobe and the main characters, children named Peter, Susan,
Edmund and Lucy. Lucy, the youngest of the children stumbles through their
uncle’s wardrobe into the frozen world of Narnia — a place where it is always
winter and never Christmas. The other children at first disbelieve her, but
eventually they follow her through the wardrobe and into Narnia. As they do,
the creatures there begin to gasp as they see them and treat them as though they
are someone special. At first they are surprised and think there has to be some
kind of mistake. Then they are not sure they want this kind of responsibility,
in spite of how flattering it is. Then they meet Aslan — a lion who is the
Christ-figure in the story. He calls them by new names: King Peter the
Magnificent, King Edmund the Just, Queen Lucy the Valiant, and Queen Susan the
Gentle. Father Christmas had already given them gifts to help them accomplish
their calling. They begin their wonderful journey of fulfilling their calling –
a calling that was planned for them before the world began, and as they do,
Narnia’s winter begins to break. The snow melts and summer’s warmth
begins.
I love the summer season. Praise the Lord for
summer. The summer season is not the season for slumbering. It is the season
for sowing seeds and it is also the season for gardening in His
Kingdom. Phillip Yancey, in his book "What
Good Is God?" tells of a group of American high school students went on a
mission trip to Afghanistan. They had great success and saw many people come to
Christ as a result of their ministry. Dr. J. Christy Wilson, ( whom I had the
great privilege to get together with Dr. Christy in Boston for a week
in 1982), their host who was born of missionary parents, took them to an unusual
tourist site, the only cemetery in Afghanistan where ‘infidels’ could be
buried. "He walked to the first, ancient gravestone, pitted with age. ‘This man
worked here thirty years and translated the Bible into the Afghan language,’ he
said. ‘Not a single convert. And in this grave next to him lies the man who
replaced him, along with his children who died here. He toiled for twenty-five
years, and baptized the first Afghan Christian.’ As they strolled among the
gravestones, he recounted the stories of early missionaries and their
fates.
At the end of the row he stopped, turned, and looked the teenagers straight in the eye. ‘For thirty years, one man moved rocks. That’s all he did, move rocks. Then came his replacement, who did nothing but dig furrows. There came another who planted seeds, and another who watered. And now you kids — you kids — are bringing in the harvest.’"
"The group leader said, ‘It was one of the great moments of my life. I watched their faces as it suddenly dawned on these exuberant American teenagers that the amazing spiritual awakening they had witnessed was but the last step in a long line of faithful service stretching back over many decades. I’ll never forget that scene.’”
Perhaps you feel like all you do is move rocks — but you do it for God and you do it faithfully. Some day someone will come along and build on what you have done – and there will be a harvest. The Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
The Bible also says, “Therefore, my brothers (and sisters), be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11
At the end of the row he stopped, turned, and looked the teenagers straight in the eye. ‘For thirty years, one man moved rocks. That’s all he did, move rocks. Then came his replacement, who did nothing but dig furrows. There came another who planted seeds, and another who watered. And now you kids — you kids — are bringing in the harvest.’"
"The group leader said, ‘It was one of the great moments of my life. I watched their faces as it suddenly dawned on these exuberant American teenagers that the amazing spiritual awakening they had witnessed was but the last step in a long line of faithful service stretching back over many decades. I’ll never forget that scene.’”
Perhaps you feel like all you do is move rocks — but you do it for God and you do it faithfully. Some day someone will come along and build on what you have done – and there will be a harvest. The Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
The Bible also says, “Therefore, my brothers (and sisters), be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11
In
Christ,
Saturday evening
worship service.
Location: First
United Methodist Church. Endicott
53 McKinley Avenue,
Endicott.
Sponsored by the
Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive,
Endicott
Saturday May 19,
2012
6 PM Gathering: Coffee
Fellowship
6:30 PM
Worship Service
Worship Music by
Laureen Naik, Emma Brunson
Speakers: Rev. Bill
Turner,
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