For this week’s article, I thought that I’d remind you of something that happened to Rachel and me when we were in Bucharest, Romania one summer. While visiting a nearby pool with some kids from church, someone decided to steal our backpack. We found it in the men’s bathroom. They had taken a good deal of money, Rachel’s glasses, and our passports.

The most difficult and most essential items to replace were our passports. They served as identification wherever we went. They contained our visas. Without them, we had no proof that we were in the country legally. More importantly, we would be unable to leave without a replacement.

While our passports were easily replaced by a quick trip to the American embassy, our Romanian visas were another matter. Imagine a nightmare trip to the DMV where, every time you reach the front of the line, you’re told that you don’t have what you’re supposed to have and where every clerk is telling you that you need something different. Now throw in a language barrier.

Finally, add to all of that the lack of true lines. People didn’t queue up. Instead, they formed a swirling mob of humanity with a general sense of where the front was. It soon became clear that if we didn’t push our way to the front like everyone else, we’d sit at the back all day. So, rather than waiting patiently in a line, we spent a couple of hours jockeying for position and carefully guarding the ground we had gained.

When we finally arrived at the front, our clerk had trouble understanding our English over all of the noise, so she motioned us down two windows. Simple enough, right? Only, it wasn’t at all simple to the gentleman next to us, who thought we were trying to break in front of him. He grabbed me by the shoulders and began yelling at me in French. Just as I was thinking, “Hmm, this is not at all the way I expected to meet Jesus,” the “gentle”man saw the clerk waving for us and let me go.

I’ve never been in a room with so many desperate people. Pretty scary. There was never a moment where I felt like I could relax. And I think it was because everyone in the room (myself included) had a very acute sense of scarcity. There wasn’t enough space in the room. There wasn’t enough time for everyone. There weren’t enough employees. Scarcity makes people anxious.

Abundance is just the opposite. Abundance helps people remain calm. That’s why you and I can usually do OK standing in lines. We have this sense that, as long as we wait patiently, we’ll eventually get the attention we want. And we usually do.

Part of Jesus’ Good News in Luke 4 is to remind us that there is abundance. There’s plenty of God’s love and purpose. There’s enough for all of us. That’s why he’s preaching good news to the poor. How’s it work? We’ll talk about it this morning.

“A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.”
Thomas Carlyle

I recently read about a man who began all of his conversations with new acquaintances by asking this question: “What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of?” Not, “Where are you from?” Not, “What do you do for a living?” Not, “Are you married?” Instead, he would ask them about their top priorities.

Since most people were accustomed to more surface-y type “get-to-know-you” questions, this would often catch them off guard. They would find themselves having to really think about the things that matter most to them. It was especially disconcerting for those who were unsure of their answer to that question, those who were no longer able to see the larger meaning in the work they did.

But this was a rare occurrence. Most people found that, with some careful reflection, they could point to the things in their life that were significant. There was no need for those things to be grandiose. Most people found simple answers:

• “I am a parent to my children.”
• “I build furniture.”
• “I own a small business and I do a good job.”

And the man didn’t feel it necessary to judge the answers. He was more interested in engaging people with the question: What matters most to me? So what about you? What would you say if someone were to ask you that very question this morning? Take a moment and think about it. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering. It just needs to be something that you care about. “What are you doing that you believe in?” Try thinking about right now…

Any luck? I hope so. Not so that you can pass some test this morning, but because I want you to be driven by something that matters to you. Also, it might come in handy during today’s worship. That’s a bonus freebie for those of you who take time to read the bulletin article. You’ve got a head start on the others. This morning we’re going to hear what Jesus’ answer to that question would have been. In his Gospel, Luke tells of a trip to his hometown where Jesus, fresh off a vision quest journey into the wilderness, shares his mission with the folks at the synagogue. It’s a stirring one—one that I hope we can adopt in our own way here at Norfolk Church of Christ.
 

There once was a golfer who was experiencing a terrible slump. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to get his game back. He put in extra time at the driving range; he tried golf lessons. Nothing worked. Finally he heard about a psychiatrist in town who specialized in treating golfers and, thinking he had nothing else to lose, he made an appointment.

At his first visit, the psychiatrist made a radical suggestion. “I want you to go play a round of golf this weekend,” he said. “But this time I want you to use an imaginary ball. And I want you to see yourself returning to form. I want you to play one of the best games you’ve ever played, only do so in your mind.”

The golfer was desperate enough, so he determined to give it a try the next time he hit the links. It went splendidly. By the time he reached the 18th hole, he was 2 under par and headed for his best round ever. As luck would have it, the player in front of him was also playing without a ball. Turns out he had also gone to see the same psychiatrist. Since both of them were “playing” well, they agreed to play their final hole together and place a friendly wager on it.

The first golfer swung at his imaginary ball and announced that it had gone 280 yards right down the middle of the fairway. The second golfer matched his drive. The first fellow then took out his 5-iron and after swinging at his imaginary ball, he exclaimed, "Look at that shot! It went right over the pin and the reverse spin on it brought it right back into the hole! I win." "No you don't," said the second golfer. "You hit my ball."

What’s the moral of the story? It’s much easier to live by your own rules if you don’t have to face reality.

This morning we’re going hear the story of a man who’s convinced he has all the answers until he is confronted by reality. More precisely, he’s confronted by the real Jesus. And in a strange twist, this is the only instance we know of when a man is struck blind by Jesus. But then again, this all happens so that he can regain his sight later on. It all happens so that he can say the same thing as the man in our theme verse: “…One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

My prayer for you today is not that you be struck blind, but that you encounter a living and very real Jesus Christ.

• Let all the study of our heart be from now on to have our meditation fixed wholly on the life of Christ…
• How great a vanity it also is to desire a long life and to care little for a good life…
• Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

                 --Thomas à Kempis,

The Imitation of Christ

Some time, in the late 1300’s a young German named Thomas Haemerken, the son of a blacksmith, joined a religious group devoted to a simple proposition. They were “simply determined as nearly as possible to live their lives in imitation of the lives of the early Christians.” This group called themselves the “Brothers of the Common Life.” They did not ask for alms. Instead, they sought occupations in order to feed themselves. They were critical of the lavish lifestyle of the clergy of their day. They were dedicated to learning and teaching others about the way of Christ.

All of this happened during a time of great turbulence. Europe was steeped in various conflicts between church and state. Rulers of different countries across the continent vied with the popes of the 12th and 13th centuries for power. In the midst of this, the Brothers of the Common Life called for a return to a simple life of learning and devotion. They sought to abandon quests for power and riches in exchange for a simple Christian life.

On of the byproducts of that quest is The Imitation of Christ one of the most widely read pieces of devotional literature ever written. It has been published numerous times and in countless languages. It features the statements quoted above.

My question for this morning is this: What would happen if we were to follow in à Kempis’ footsteps? What would happen if we were to renew our devotion to following and imitating Christ, even if just for 2008? What would we discover about ourselves? What would we change about ourselves in an effort to be more like Him? How would our priorities change? What would we be passionate about? What things would this congregation start doing? What things might we decide to stop?

I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. But if we are going to Change Lives Through Jesus, I can’t think of a better way to start the year than by renewing our commitments as followers of Jesus. This morning begins that renewal. For the next few months we are going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We will watch and learn. Who knows how we will be changed. It is our job only to be his followers.

How about a little word trivia to get your day started?  (Cause I’m sure you woke up this morning worrying that you might not be getting your Recommended Daily Allowance.)

Have you ever heard someone say that they are going to “throw down the gauntlet?�  It’s an expression meaning “to issue a challenge.�  Do you know where it comes from?  According to my friends at Wikipedia, gauntlets are gloves that extend past the wrist and cover some or all of the forearm.  These days they are decorational rather functional.  But they were created to protect a person’s hand and arms during hand to hand combat.  They were constructed of various materials—leather, chain mail, or even armor.

A knight who wished to challenge someone to a duel would take one of his gauntlets and throw it to the ground before his opponent.  If his rival wished to accept the challenge, he would pick it up.

This is not to be confused with “running the gantlet/gauntlet.�  (The spellings are so prominently interchangeable, either is now acceptable.)  Running the gantlet refers to a form of execution practiced by various cultures throughout history, including the Roman legions and Iroquois Indians.  People armed with sticks and clubs form two lines facing each other.  The convicted person is then forced to walk the “alley� between the lines, receiving blows from those on either side.

Finally, there’s the expression “kid gloves.� Here it is in a sentence: “Due to his fragile state, we’re treating him with kid gloves.�  Kid gloves are ultra soft gloves made from lamb skin or the skin of a baby goat, or kid.  To treat someone with kid gloves is to go out of your way to be gentle with them.

So what does all of this have to do with today’s activities?  Today is Challenge Sunday, the day where we introduce our theme for the year in some detail.  One of our elders, Mike Roman, and I will be sharing our hopes for this year as it pertains to our theme: “Changing Lives Through Jesus.�

So here’s my promise to you: Today, Mike and I are going to throw down the gauntlet.  We are going to be challenging you in 2008 to allow your lives to be changed for the better by Jesus Christ.  This challenge is not to be taking lightly.  We will not be treating you with kid gloves.  At the same time, we have confidence in you.  What we’re asking is not impossible.  We are not asking you to run the gauntlet.  I hope you are as excited as I am about being transformed more into the type of person God is calling you to be.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a nap.  All of those verbal gymnastics wore me out.

Welcome to 2008! I’ve pointed this out before, and I’ll surely point it out again. The vast majority of scripture is what you and I would call narrative, or “story.� There’s Genesis, with its story about the lives of the patriarchs and there’s Exodus’ story of the escape from Egypt and journey to the promised land. Then there are the stories of the Judges. (As a child, I discovered that they were good to have around whenever the sermon was boring.) There are also the stories of the Kingdom of Israel. There are the stories of the exile and return in books like Nehemiah. There are the first four books of the New Testament, the Gospels. They are the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection. Finally, there are the Acts of the early church. So what should we make of this fact? How shall we interpret the fact that God has chosen “story� to communicate so much to us? My guess is that he knows how compelling a good story can be. Stories keep our attention in a way that essays rarely do. We find ourselves being concerned by what’s happening to the people. We are made nervous by the conflict. We experience fear or sadness. We are relieved when there is some sort of resolution. I get emotionally involved in a story. All this year, you will be hearing about our theme, “Changing Lives Through Jesus.� I plan on having a lot to say about that. After all, it’s not just our theme for the year, it’s also the professed mission of this church. There is a great deal of scripture describing how one’s life may be changed by Jesus. But one of the things I plan frequently to do is tell stories. Mainly because there are so many great stories in which someone meets Jesus and comes away changed. In scripture, people who meet Jesus are not the same when they walk away. Here’s another thing I want. I want to be hearing your stories. How has Jesus changed your life? As we’ll see from the story we’re going to hear this morning, the proof for Jesus is in the proverbial pudding. We can sit around and debate Christian evidences all day long—trying to prove God through philosophy. But, for proof of God’s power, the best place to look is not in a philosophy book but in the stories of those whom he has changed. This will be important for us. Before we can expect to change any one else’s life, we have to recognize how our own life has been changed by Jesus. That’s a crucial step. I hope that you’ll begin to work through your own story—a story that is unfolding even as you sit there. Today you will here from one man who was changed by Jesus. A man who, when asked about Jesus’ identity replied this way: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.�