February 2008
Texts: Mark 10:46-52
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Preached on 2/17/08
David Endriss
ANSWERING GOD’S CALL
Blind Bartimaeus
Introduction
We have all done it. Perhaps you are sitting in a crowded
restaurant or in a movie theater. You have reserved a seat
for a friend or family member who will be arriving after
you. You keep an eye out for them. When they finally show
up, you try and get their attention by discreetly waving
your hand or calling out - but not too loud. After all, you
are in public and some sense of decorum is required. You
hope that they see you before you have to make too much of a
spectacle of yourself. If I was the late arrival, it might
be tempting to purposely pretend not to see them, just to
see how far they might go to try and get my attention!
In our story today we have a similar incident, but
Bartimaeus breaks all sense of decorum in his attempt to get
Jesus’ attention.
The Call for Help
Jericho was a commercial and trade city so it had many
visitors constantly coming and going. Because of this, it
was not uncommon to have beggars by the city gates looking
for assistance. Bartimaeus was once such beggar. One day, it
was Jesus and a large crowd following him that passed near
this blind man. Hearing that it was Jesus, Bartimaeus cries
out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Within just a few hundred years of this story, that
particular prayer had become a regular part of the early
church liturgy and it is still used even today. You may
recognize it in its Latin form, “kyrie eleison” - Lord, have
mercy.
But Bartimaeus’ outcry had offended those who were following
Jesus. Shhhh! Be quiet! Shut-up! You have stepped over the
line of proper decorum. Besides the master has better things
to do than to deal with a poor beggar. Accept your lot in
life. Go away. You and the master have nothing in common.
Nor are you anything like us! Just be quiet and invisible!
Here is a sad truth. Sometimes the greatest hindrance for
those wanting to come to Jesus is those who claim they are
following Jesus. Just like this crowd. This is a real
warning to the church today. It’s not bad enough that we are
not bringing people to Jesus, there are some who are
interfering with those who do want to meet him. In many
ways, the crowd was even blinder than Bartimaeus. This calls
to mind a poem by the controversial poet of the last
century, Harry Kemp:
The Spring blew trumpets of color;
Her Green sang in my brain—
I heard a blind man groping
“Tap—tap” with his cane;
I pitied him in his blindness;
But can I boast, “I see”?
Perhaps there walks a spirit
Close by, who pities me,—
A spirit who hears me tapping
The five-sensed cane of mind
Amid such unguessed glories—
That I am worse than blind.
The good news is that Bartimaeus was not deterred from the
crowd’s attempt to quiet him. Instead he became all the more
vocal, shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on
me!” He was determined that Jesus was not to pass him by
unnoticed.
We are all very familiar with this popular advertising
campaign from Verizon. “Can you hear me now?” Its popularity
rests in a question that we have probably all asked in the
process of using our cell phones. We move to different rooms
in our home or even outdoors. We move to the top of a hill,
we speak louder or we look for some other bizarre position
to improve reception. “Can you hear me now?”
The good news is that being heard by God has more to do with
discipleship than it has to do with decibels. It has more to
do with longing than location. It has more to do with
veracity than it has to do with volume.
Jesus Answers
True faith will always stop Jesus in his tracks. Jesus has a
very sensitive ear, eye and heart. He hears his Bartimaeus’
cry and stops. Here too is good news. Contrary to the
opinion of the crowds Jesus saw human need as his business.
God stops to take notice of our cries. “Call him here,” says
Jesus to the crowds.
“The art of stopping is a high art.” And it is an art that
many of us have lost in this age of hurrying from one thing
to the next. But stopping is a necessary part of ministering
to others. Like Jesus, we too need to see human need as a
part of our business. Remember the words of the ghost of
Marley in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol: "Business! Mankind was
my business. The common welfare was my business; charity,
mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.
The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the
comprehensive ocean of my business!" The church, in the name
of Christ is to stop and listen to the cries of the world,
because its needs are our business.
In this story we have two sons calling to each other.
Bartimaeus, that is the son of Timaeus is calling out to
Jesus, the Son of David. And now Jesus is calling to
Bartimaeus, come here. God has always called out. In our Old
Testament passage God calls the people from places of exile
and despair to a place of hope and prosperity. And like our
gospel text, God calls to the blind and to the lame
Bartimaeus Responds
Now here is a twist in the story. These same people, who
moments before were trying to quiet Bartimaeus, change their
tune, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” Literally,
they are telling Bartimaeus, have courage, be bold and have
confidence, you are being called before the Master. It seems
to me that Bartimaeus already was being unusually bold in
trying to make his presence known to Jesus. I don’t think he
needed much encouraging!
So Bartimaeus gets up, gently takes off his outer cloak,
slowly and methodically folds it and hands it to someone
standing nearby asking, “would you please watch this for me
until I get back?” He does nothing like that! So throwing
off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Whereupon Jesus asks him a question. “What do you want me to
do for you?” It may seem like an unnecessary question in
light of Bartimaeus’ obvious need. But Jesus wanted to hear
the man say it himself. Bartimaeus could have asked only for
a handout, a little bit of money or a piece of bread.
Anything less than his real need would have shown a lack of
faith.
How would we have responded if Jesus had asked us that
question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Would we ask
for world peace? For a particular presidential candidate?
For success at home, school or work?
Bartimaeus answers Jesus, “I want to see!” Whereupon Jesus
says, “Go, your faith has made you well.” The closing words
of this text I found interesting. It says that immediately
he regained his sight and followed him on the way. On the
surface it suggests that Bartimaeus joined the crowd that
was following Jesus on the way to Jerusalem. But there is
something else. In the first century disciples of Christ
were referred to somewhat cryptically as followers of the
Way. This last verse could simply be translated that
Bartimaeus followed Jesus in the Way.
Conclusion
During this season of Lent we have been discussing the call
of God. Last week we looked at the early life of Samuel and
how he learned to discern God’s call on his life. Today we
have heard the story of Blind Bartimaeus and how he answered
the call of Christ.
Answering the call of God begins with recognizing your need.
“Son of David, have mercy on me!” That simple prayer, stated
from the heart, will stop Jesus every time, right in his
tracks. And he will call you. Will you answer with the same
enthusiasm that Bartimaeus did? If you do, it will change
your life forever.
Texts: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Preached on 2/10/08
David Endriss
DISCERNING GOD’S CALL
Background
Before we read today’s text, you are going to need some
background. Eli is the current high priest. He is now an old
man. He has two sons, but they have been an embarrassment to
Eli and an affront to God. Already a prophet had warned Eli
that because of their disobedience they and Eli would be
punished. In the meantime, God has placed within the temple,
the young boy Samuel to assist Eli and to learn the ways of
God. This is where we pick up the story today.
Read 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Introduction
This morning I am beginning a series of sermons that will
bring us up to Easter. The theme is about God’s call upon
our lives. We will look at different Biblical characters and
discover something about the nature of God’s call and how we
should respond. Today we will look at the early life of
Samuel.
But what is God’s call? I believe that every Christian has a
call from God. The Benedictine monk, Hubert van Zeller
wrote, “No human being is meant to be a carbon copy, a
double, an understudy, a shadow. Each must be their own
person. This is not egocentricity or independence from
others. It is a response to the particular summons of God.”
John Calvin said that each individual has their own kind of
living assigned to them by the Lord as a sort of sentry
post.
Now for some of us that means pastoral ministry. For others
it might be some foreign mission field. But for most of you
it probably means something else. God’s call is to serve, in
a unique way, but in a way that will make a difference. The
challenge is to find that call and to answer it. Oliver
Wendall Holmes once said, Every calling is great when
greatly pursued.
For every call, whether it took place thousands of years ago
or today, it begins with trying to answer two questions:
“How can I know what God’s call is? A related follow up
question asks, “How can I be sure of the authenticity of
this call? Certainly, these were questions that plagued
Samuel as a young man.
Requirement #1 - Willingness
The first requirement for discerning God’s call is willing
obedience. Three times Samuel jumped up in the middle of the
night thinking that Eli was calling him. No doubt he was
confused why this old man would call for him and then either
forget or deny it. It might be tempting to think that Samuel
was being either dense or naïve. “Duhh, Samuel, after three
times maybe you should be looking somewhere else besides Eli
for the source of that voice - like maybe....God?” That
would be unfair to Samuel. He was after all, young and
spiritually immature. He was still learning how to recognize
God’s voice. But to his credit, Samuel did not give up.
Whoever was calling, Samuel was intent on answering.
You cannot discover God’s call for your life if you have no
desire to do so. You must be willing to discover what God’s
specific purpose is for you.
But for some the greatest hindrance to hearing God’s call is
not lack of desire, but the many distractions that focus our
attentions elsewhere. How can I learn what God’s call is for
my life? A key to discerning God’s call is learning how to
listen. There are many ways in which we can learn how to
listen for God’s voice. Certainly worshipping together as
the family of God is one. Study, prayer, meditation,
Christian mentoring are just a few others.
Requirement #2 - The Call Confirmed
If learning to listen is the key to discovering God’s call,
how then can I be sure that what I hear from God is
authentic and not a confusing voice within my own head?
God’s call on our lives can and should be confirmed and
encouraged by the larger church. If your call to minister
and serve is seriously challenged by a faithful group of
believers, then there is a major problem. Perhaps you may
have misunderstood God’s call.
For Samuel, that confirmation came through Eli. It took
three times, but Eli finally realized that this boy was
hearing God’s call, even if Samuel didn’t realize it.
Perhaps it will take someone else who sees and recognizes
God’s call on your life before you do! There are lots of
Elis in this church who might know your strengths and gifts
even better than you! They may see your giftedness and
remark, “Joe, your compassion for the needy is a gift from
God. Use it! Debbie, your insight into Scripture has helped
me see things I had never seen before! What a call!” If you
are a Samuel, listen to those Elis in your life. And if you
are Eli, learn to recognize and encourage the call of God in
those around you.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to hear many of my
minister colleagues talk about how they got into the
ministry. For some of them they had heard the call for many
years, but tried to ignore it. Instead they studied and
worked in a different profession, oftentimes for years. They
argued with themselves (and God) that God couldn’t possibly
want them as a minister! Fortunately, as we saw in the case
of Samuel, God is patient and persistent and eventually they
were obedient and answered the call.
When I first began to consider pastoral ministry, I went to
one of my pastors and asked his advice. Under his counsel
and through the support of my home church and my local
Presbytery, I found confirmation of that call.
Why is this so important? It is important because it can be
so easy for us to delude ourselves. I could end up imagining
a call that does not fit the gifts God has granted me nor
the timetable that God has ordained. For example, this last
Wednesday morning, staring at a foot of snow in my driveway,
I was convinced that God was calling me to take a church in
Hawaii! Or to look at it a different way, check out this
cartoon that I came across this week.
This morning I am going to make a blatant plug for you to
consider pastoral ministry as a viable option for your
future or for that of a young person that you know. Every
church should be looking to nurture and send those gifted by
God into vocational ministry. And while the church in every
generation is responsible for bringing up a new crop of
pastoral leaders, it is just as important for you to find
your Christian call - wherever and whatever that might be.
How can I be sure that I truly have heard God’s call in my
life? Authenticate it by talking with your church family.
Listen to them. God has so arranged the church and its gifts
that they will be able to confirm and encourage you or
re-direct you into other areas.
Conclusion
After Eli realized that the voice that Samuel was hearing
was God, he instructed the boy to answer saying, “Speak,
LORD, for your servant is listening.” Now there is some
great advice for a prayer that we should all
offer...frequently. Oswald Chambers wrote, Get into the
habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a
romance.
Trust me, God has got your number. The question is not is
God calling, but will you answer?
Texts: Exodus 24:12-18
2 Peter 1:16-21
Preached on 2/3/08
David Endriss
COME UP THE MOUNTAIN
Introduction
(Place chair in middle of chancel) Then with arms searching,
as if blind, look for chair, find it and take a seat. Begin
waiting)
Well God, here I am. Blind as a bat in this cloud. You told
me to come up this mountain and wait. Well, I am waiting....
(twiddle thumbs. Look for sun. Impatiently...) “I can’t even
see the sun! What time is it?! God, I am a busy man! You put
me in charge of those Israelites down there! I’ve got dozens
of things to do on my schedule for today. We’ve got hunting
crews to organize, packing teams, there is an argument that
needs mediating, Joshua has some question about something
and I’ve got to check the map to see where we are suppose to
go next! I can’t afford to wait!
(take a deep breath) Listen to me complain about my
problems! I’m sure mine are nothing compared to yours! And
it was you who told me to wait here on the mountain. So I
will wait. (take another breath) I have to admit, it is
refreshing and renewing to get away from all of that for a
short time. Come to think of it, I may want to stay here for
awhile...say forty days or so!
As many of you know, I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area
where fog was common. On occasion it would get so thick you
could hardly see your hand in front of your face. But there
is something about a thick fog that encourages deep
reflection. As your perceivable world shrinks down to a very
small area, you also begin to look inward.
The Spiritual Practice of Meditation
There are many places in Scripture where we find people who
retreat to quiet places in order to reflect and commune with
God. Elijah went off into the wilderness. Jesus frequently
went to mountains in order to pray. After his conversion,
the apostle Paul spent a considerable time out in the
desert. And here in our story today, we see Moses,
instructed by God, to take some time off.
Do you remember, as either a parent or as a child, either
giving or being on the receiving end of “a time out”? When
my boys were younger and getting a bit too rowdy, or
misbehaving or just simply loosing control, Nicki or I would
call “time out!”. But instead of a mountain top, it usually,
but not always, involved some time in their bedroom. A place
where they could once again gain perspective.
God has built into each of us a need for “time out”. One
form of “time out” God built right into the 10 Commandments.
“Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you
shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work”
These are times to rest, renew and to revitalize ourselves.
Traditional Protestants have often avoided this
contemplative aspect of our faith. We worry that too much
emphasis on the wonder and awe of God might lead to some
kind of spooky sort of mysticism that is more heart than
head. More emotion that intellect. While there is a danger
in that kind of spirituality, there is just as much danger
in a faith that has no heart, no emotion. And if anything,
most of us are guilty of that aspect of our faith.
The Japanese Christian and social reformer, Toyohiko Kagawa
became blind in his later years. But he discovered something
about the value of mediation. “Those who draw water from the
wellspring of meditation know that God dwells close to their
hearts. For those who wish to discover the quietude of old
amid the hustle and bustle of today’s machine civilization,
there is no way save to rediscover this ancient realm of
meditation. Since the loss of my eyesight I have been as
delighted as if I had found a new wellspring by having
arrived at this sacred precinct.”
Moses in the Cloud
God instructed Moses to go up to the mountain and to wait
there. There was no apparent instruction as to why he was to
wait or for whom he was to wait. What was he to wait for?
Did God have a previous appointment so Moses had to wait in
the “outer-office” until God was ready? I don’t think so.
This waiting was not for God’s sake, but for Moses. God was
preparing him; heart, mind, body and soul.
In our text there is this wonderful verse that says that
Moses entered the cloud. For him that was a transformational
moment. On this Transfiguration Sunday we remember the
gospel story of Jesus going up to a mountain top and there
in a cloud he meets with both Moses and Elijah. The
disciples Peter, James and John were witnesses to this
event. Sometime later this very story is remembered in 2
Peter chapter 1. For he (Jesus) received honor and glory
from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by
the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice
come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy
mountain.
In the Hebrew, this particular narrative from Exodus is
rather stilted and, as one commentator mentioned,
stammering. But then again, how do you put into words an
experience of God? The 20th century theologian Karl Barth,
made this observation about ministers in general, but it
really applies to all of us. “As ministers we are to speak
of God. We are human however, and so cannot speak of God.”
Our experience of God should always leave us with a deep
sense of wonder and awe.
A regular time of reflection can have a profound impact, not
only on your life, but on how you will treat others. In Bill
Moyers’s book A World of Ideas II, the philosopher Jacob
Needleman interviewed. Needleman remembers, “I was an
observer at the launch of Apollo 17 in 1975. It was a night
launch, and there were hundreds of cynical reporters all
over the lawn, drinking beer, wisecracking, and waiting for
this 35-story-high rocket.
“The countdown came, and then the launch. The first thing
you see is this extraordinary orange light, which is just at
the limit of what you can bear to look at. Everything is
illuminated with this light. Then comes this thing slowly
rising up in total silence, because it takes a few seconds
for the sound to come across. You hear a ‘WHOOOOOSH!
HHHHMMMM!’ It enters right into you.
“You can practically hear jaws dropping. The sense of wonder
fills everyone in the whole place, as this thing goes up and
up. As the first stage ignites you see this beautiful blue
flame. It becomes like a star, but you realize there are
humans on it. And then there’s total silence.
“People just get up quietly, helping each other up. They’re
kind. They open doors. They look at one another, speaking
quietly and interestedly. These were suddenly moral people
because the sense of wonder, the experience of wonder, had
made them moral.”
But even more than witnessing the technological wonder of a
rocket launch, when we have a sense of wonder toward God,
then our lives and the lives of those around us will be
forever changed.
Conclusion
(make way back to chair - take another deep breath). Yes,
Lord, I did need this time. To sit and bask in the wonder
and awe of your presence. You have called me to lead those
people, but there is no way that I can do that without a
conscious awareness of your presence. In the past I have
been so busy that I haven’t taken the time to both
acknowledge and celebrate your presence. While this is
important for leaders, Lord, I know that it is also
important for all those who want to follow you. Help me to
share this with those that you have charged me to lead.