“Stool Theology”

LUKE 10: 38-42

 

I was sitting in a restaurant the other day and saw a guy come in and sit down at a table near me. He was alone. But he never stopped talking on his cell phone the entire time he was there. He apparently was a construction supervisor whose employees couldn’t do a thing without him. 

At one point he was actually engaged in conversations on two different phones (one in each hand) at the same time. When the waitress brought him his food he looked at her and shrugged, as if to say, “what can you do?” (I had a few suggestions but I do believe you should never say those things out loud!) 

A recent survey published in USA Today indicates that people are working too hard in the United States. Here’s what 1,220 workers said about themselves: 

•        need more fun: 78 percent

•        need a long vacation: 77 percent

•        often feel stressed: 86 percent

•        feel time is crunched: 80 percent

•        want less work, more play: 71 percent

•        feel pressured to succeed: 65 percent

•        feel overwhelmed: 60 percent 

Everybody needs to have some way to reduce stress on and off the job. We are fortunate to be near a cluster of churches and faith communities that are members of the Evangelical Association. This is due to the sheer numbers of ex-UCC churches that exist in Pennsylvania, New York, New England, and Ohio.  

Our area is the largest but closely followed by two clusters of churches in North Carolina where the majority of two UCC associations left the denomination and formed their own faith community. 

The pastors of these churches try to get together on a monthly basis.  

One of the most important aspects of our meetings is the time we stop talking, take a few moments for being quiet, and then pray for each other and our churches. 

Some pastors come to the meetings late, on edge, and begrudging the time they will spend there. Yet that changes as we leave, slowed down and more focused on our ministry and ourselves.

 

That’s why I drive three hours roundtrip for a 2 and a half hour meeting. Each of us needs a time to listen, to be supported, and have a change of scenery.

Let’s hear from the Gospel of Luke (10: 38-42) what Jesus had to say about people that are busy and stressed out: 

Now as they went on their way, they entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.  

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” 

When animal trainers go into a cage of lions, they carry whips and pistols. But they also carry a stool. According to William H. Hinson, the stool is the most important tool. 

The trainer holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. The animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal. It becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented. 

Likewise, the stress of having too much to do can distract and paralyze us from realizing the important things and making us focusing on things that don’t matter just right now. 

Many of us live in a “if only…” state of mind where we have said to ourselves,

“if only I had known he had a few days to live,” or “if only I had done this or that then such and such…” You know what I’m talking about. 

If only Martha had realized that Jesus would be in the house for a short time and stopped doing the laundry, the dishes, the sweeping, and went and listened to him instead. If only Martha had learned to prioritize her life she would have been setting there listening instead of complaining about her sister. 

Now don’t misunderstand – work still has to be done, the piper still has to be paid.

But I think Jesus is suggesting to Martha that she reconsider what is important and start putting her faith and trust in God first, and then letting things get done as they get done. 

Thomas ά Kempis said it best, “Let temporal things serve thy use, but the eternal be the object of thy desire.”  

If that’s not clear enough then hear what Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, “Live near to God, and so all things will appear to you little in comparison to eternal realities.” 

Friends if we can get a hold on the eternal truth of salvation in Christ many things that cause us pain, worry, fear, and stress would become easier to deal with or would disappear entirely. Jesus gives us the ability to do our best and to learn to accept that that’s all we can do. 

The problem: We learn to put stress in our lives from watching others.   

A photographer was taking pictures for a grade school yearbook. He was asking the youngsters questions to get them relaxed and more photogenic. He asked one six year old girl, “what are you going to be when you grow up?” The girl answered, “I’m going to be like my mother.” “What’s that?,” asked the cameraman. The little girl looked seriously at the camera and said, “Tired.” 

One day used to be a day of rest in our society. Very few stores, restaurants, or businesses used to be open on Sunday. No one washed clothes, mowed the lawn, or did any work other what was essential to safety or security for men or animals. 

We have lost our sense of Sabbath in the United States over the last 35 years or so as stores began to be open on Sundays and the day to get your house and yard work done. And the day for youth sports and flea markets. Church attendance declined. 

I will never forget my admiration and surprise when on my first trip to Germany as a pastor was in finding out that Sunday’s were still family days and that only gas station/convenience stores were open. It was a joy to go and sit by the riverbank eating a good dessert with conversation, while the children played. 

I remember thinking that while German society was largely secular there was still time for family, rest, and Sabbath. Sunday’s had that different feeling to them. 

We’ve lost that feeling and the attitude that people should rest at least one day per week. We’ve lost that sense of ever being able to get away from the phone.

Instead it’s run, run, run, from sun-up to sun-down, constantly chasing the carrot on the stick dangling in front of your face, while talking on your phone with one hand and updating your Facebook status on your IPAD with the other, hoping you’ll have time to twitter your followers later. 

Jesus calls us to quiet contemplative study, interaction, and relationship time. He tells us we must marshal our strength and time in order to develop a balance. Jesus calls us to let go of our worldly concerns and find peace, solace, and rest in Him. 

That’s what the concept of Sabbath is all about. 

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants, is a successful businessman, but many know and respect him more for how faith guides his work. Cathy’s restaurants have been closed on Sundays since 1948. The CEO of the nearly one thousand Chick-fil-A restaurants doesn’t mind losing millions of dollars of business to honor the Lord’s Day. 

At his first restaurant in 1948, Cathy hired Eddie J. White, twelve, an African--American. This was an unpopular choice during a time of segregation. Cathy also mentored an orphan, Woody Faulk, from the time Woody was thirteen. Woody eventually became vice president of product development at Chick-fil-A. 

Cathy founded a successful foster home system called WinShape Homes. There are now eleven homes in the United States and one in Brazil. His daughter Trudy and son-in-law John were Southern Baptist missionaries at the Brazil home for ten years. His Camp WinShape and the WinShape Foundation provide scholarships for kids and college students.

 

 One of Cathy’s favorite sayings is “It’s easier to build boys and girls than to mend men and women.” So Chick-fil-A Kids Meals don’t come with promotional toys from the latest popular movie; instead, they offer VeggieTales books, audiocassettes of Focus on the Family’s “Adventures in Odyssey,” and other character-building materials.

Woody Faulk gives a good summary of Cathy’s character: “He’s the personification of James 1:22: ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ I sincerely owe my life to that man.” 

We need to stop, listen, and honor Jesus by doing, no matter how busy we are. We need to sit on the stool instead of shaking it at animals. Amen.

“Stupid Questions”
Luke 10: 25-37 (NRSV)

Is there such a thing as an unguided missile?

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Day light savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it?

Did Noah keep his bees in archives?

Do pilots take crash-courses?

How come wrong numbers are never busy?

How did a fool and his money get together in the first place?

How do you write zero in Roman numerals?

Why is it called a "drive through" if you have to stop?

Why is an electrical outlet called an outlet when you plug things into it? Shouldn't it be called an inlet?

How come you press harder on a remote control when the battery is weak?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why's it still #2? 

Have you ever asked a question that you knew was dumb immediately after asking it? For some reason the human brain frequently hiccups and we say and do “dumb things” that suggest we aren’t thinking all that well. 

I was recently at an ice cream shop and bought two quarts of soft serve ice cream and the girl behind the counter asked me if I was going to eat it there or take it out. 

I quickly said, “take out,” but followed up by asking, “Do people buy by the quart and eat it here?” A co-worker’s quick response, “Rarely, but we’re taught that the customer can have it anyway they want it.” 

In our everyday lives we go straight to autopilot and we don’t fully integrate our experiences. The low information culture with the low expectations we live in  encourages these types of dumb questions. But they are actually very valuable because they can be a great source of information for us. 

Alfred North Whitehead once said, “The ‘silly question’ is the first design of some totally new development.” Innovation does often come from inquiry. 

Listen to a question Jesus was asked one day as he taught (Luke 10: 25-37): 

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”  

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind: and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you shall live.” 

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an in, and took care of him.  

The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him: and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”He said, “The one who showed mercy.” 

 Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

The reason why “who is my neighbor” is a stupid question is that Judaism and the Rabbi’s had answered that question so well that most Jews already knew the answer before they really knew the question. You were taught it. 

Laws governed every relationship you had with every possible scenario you could encounter. You just acted the part.  

Jewish Lawyers were experts in the law and this guy was using sarcasm to  suggest to Jesus he was being too simplistic in giving answers everybody already knew. 

Jesus’ reply contrasted the “right answer” with a new and improved version that would apply to everyone. Just as Jesus sent His 70 disciples out to everyone, including gentiles, the new definitions and behavioral instructions apply to all. 

The road to Jericho is not an easy one – Jerusalem is about 3500 feet above sea level while Jericho is 1500 feet below. It is twenty miles of rough dangerous road. Even as late as the 1930’s it was known as the robber’s road. No one travelled it alone and having a neighbor would be necessary to stay safe on the road. 

It’s a parable about the dangerous world Jesus and we live in.  

Mercy and grace will be the new normal. The “law” will no longer be a set of automatic customs and traditions, but a living breathing, “spirit,” that will inspire compassionate acts of love to occur. Receiving grace creates living in grace. 

Out of the abundant life we are given as followers of Jesus and inheritors of His kingdom our gratitude will lead us to both planned and random acts of kindness. 

For the serious Christian and theologian I have always felt the story of the “Good Samaritan” has a legitimate claim on how why America became who it is today.  

Historically, Christians have long debated what’s called the “Just” (as in Justice) War question – Is there a time when a Christian nation is justified in military aggression? I think the answer is found in how you view the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Few quibble over defensive reactions and/or the need to act to help your neighbor recover from a devastating attack or illness. But what if the Good Samaritan had come upon the man as he was being attacked, slightly before hand, or watched the robbers hide prior to the attack? What would Jesus have had us do then? 

How you answer these questions says more about your faith (and foreign policy outlook) than you may have ever realized. Jesus knows we will be forever torn between the ethics of law and the ethics of love.  

Jesus “changes” the question from “who is my neighbor” to “whom can I be a neighbor too,” and the answer He gives to this stupid question is a world changing shocker to the Jews and the Gentiles.  

Jesus answer is that “anyone who needs my help claims a piece of my love.” It is not neighborhood that defines our actions but neighborliness.  

Wow, have you ever heard that before? 

If you want to know why America did what it did around the world over the last 200 years – look no further than the story of the Good Samaritan.  

This story has colored the history of America and it explains why we are both loved and hated around the world.  

Some countries know us for our open pockets, open arms, and loving assistance. 

Others see us as meddling, egotistical maniacs who would promote our own self-centered and toxic culture on others, because they don’t understand Jesus’ teachings. We give help and assistance but so others may have it. 

The reason why America became great was because of the abundant blessings of God which have been used to live our neighborliness to the world. 

And upholding that ideal and living that dream was inspiring and beautiful. 

Those who would say America was NOT built on Christian principles don’t understand how the Good Samaritan doctrine is our linchpin to the American identity and our link to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

It is this rejection of a national ideal, and the idea that church and state can be separated, that has brought us to where we are today. The ethics of the Good Samaritan are effective if it permeates a culture like ours. Even if you don’t know the story and don’t live it the culture reflects it. 

Rising debt, unenforceable laws, rampant violence, and the culture of the “me is entitled” mentality have arisen out of a culture that has forgotten or rejected even the need for God or an acknowledgement that society must have rules or else chaos reigns.  

Our government is in ruins because we too are in ruins. It was first our schools, then our churches, then our government, then our families, and now it is our very individual lives. And we are letting it happen. 

It explains the issues behind the politics of the Travon Martin – George Zimmerman trial. One sees the clash between the “Good Samaritan” and those who influence the “thug” world mentality of the urban culture. Both of these persons are victims of the stereotype because we’ve lost sight of our neighborliness and love. 

There’s a reason that Christians are being attacked because they supposedly don’t want gay marriage and abortion on demand – it invalidates the Good Samaritan concept. Evil has used these two issues to create chaos and dissension in our society.

Is there an answer? Read, study, and learn both our national history and your Bibles. American is and has been the only country ever in the history of humanity to live out the story of “the Good Samaritan.” 

Begin to stand up and be counted as an individual who will no longer go along with the dangerous culture. Be different. Care, love, and increase your neighborliness. 

Hear this: Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Amen.

“ADVANCE  MEN”
LUKE 10: 1-20 (NRSV)

Even though it happened about 50 years ago I can still see them clearly. They were walking down the street of my childhood home as big and as bold as you can be. It probably was a Friday night and lots of people were out strolling around. Times and distances were different then, and “going downtown” was still in. 

As they walked along every eye that could see was trained on them. You could hear people stop talking when they saw these four young men come closer. Older women gasped, young girls jumped up and down, and most men got angry. 

They were followed by two people who were passing out flyers announcing the upcoming concert by the green-haired “Beatles mania” band touring the country. Believe me, you either liked the Beatles or hated them. 

This incident is a perfect example of what used to be done in a pre-TV, low tech world. In order to garner publicity and attention, circuses, travelling shows, evangelistic revivals, and even musicians sent advance men ahead of their itinerary to stir up interest and encourage ticket sales.  

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Sometimes it depended on the humor, or lack thereof, of the local police department. Sometimes the people received it well and other times it bombed.  

I would label the green hair stunt a success as I still remember it so many years later. You may have similar memories or experiences as well.

Listen to our Gospel Lesson for today where Jesus sends out his advance men: 

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.  

He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.

Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking, whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.  

Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this; the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.” 

“Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

God may not require you to dye your hair green to be his “advance man” but he might require you to sacrifice your time and talent in order to witness to His glory. 

Jesus’ teachings are, for the most part, hard teachings. The kumbaya crowd can't or won't hear them - Jesus' doesn't endorse verse 3 of "They'll know we are Christians" as human pride and dignity are abominations in the Lord's eyes.

 

 There are winners and losers; the judged and those who will be saints. If you can’t realize this and see the sheep and the goats, then being a Jesus disciple, a Christian, will be hard for you.  

You will be like people with green hair walking among blondes and brunettes, causing a stir, being source of jokes, stirring hatred, and brewing controversy.

The average Christian in today’s America is under pressure to cave in and submit to gay marriage and abortion on demand regardless of what the biblical standards are. What will it be like next week, next year, in 5 years? 

Jesus warns us that His disciples will be like sheep among wolves.  We already are if you consider the gay lobby who would declare us haters and discriminators with an almost frenzied passion.  

Jesus tells us that some people, some towns, and some countries will recognize him while others do not. 

The number listed here, which is not mentioned anywhere other than here in Luke’s Gospel, has been thought to be symbolic of the number of known countries (Gentile) in the world during Jesus’ lifetime, thus emphasizing Jesus’ mission to not just the Jews, but to the whole world.  

This seems to be confirmed when Jesus mixes Jewish and Gentile cities as sites of future woe as they have rightfully earned judgment that will fall upon them. 

In the final analysis this passage has had a great impact on our concept of mission work and the ministry. Jesus has promised that to them who He has called both success and failure, both rewards and sufferings. He has also shown that His enemy, Satan, is present here on earth as an enemy to His disciples. 

Jesus told His disciples that while they would have power over the enemy they must not brag or flaunt it because the true prize is their home in Heaven. As Christians and disciples the people will accept or reject us. We need to deal with it. 

Mandisa Hundley, a gospel singer, was one of the twelve finalists on American Idol. When she met with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson to find out if she had made it through to the next round, she instead got a stinging comment from Simon. Eyeing Mandisa, who was a large person, Simon asked, “Do we have a bigger stage this year?” 

When she entered the room to learn the judges’ verdict, Mandisa looked right at Simon and said, “Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you. But this is what I want to say: Yes, you hurt me, and I cried, and it was painful.  

But I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you, and that you don’t need someone to apologize first to forgive somebody. And I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you. I wanted you to know that.”

Simon apologized and hugged the singer, and Mandisa discovered she was going on to the next round.  

Today Mandisa is the most requested Gospel singer on the Christian Conference tour. 

We are Disciples of Christ, examples for Christ, and representatives of His Kingdom, let us learn to live with that commission from Christ. Amen.

Persistence

“Persistence”

Luke 9: 51-62 (NRSV) 

Here on what some would call the start of July 4^th I can think of no better term than that of persistence when thinking of the traits that lead to this great country’s birth. 

A journalist was assigned to the Jerusalem bureau of his newspaper. He gets an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. After several weeks he realizes that whenever he looks at the wall he sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously.

The journalist wondered whether there was a publishable story here. He goes down to the wall, introduces himself and says: "You come every day to the wall. What are you praying for?"

The old man replies: "What am I praying for? In the morning I pray for world peace, then I pray for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a glass of tea, and I come back to the wall to pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is taken by the old man's sincerity and persistence. "You mean you have been coming to the wall to pray every day for these things?" The old man nods. "How long have you been coming to the wall to pray for these things?"

The old man becomes reflective and then replies: "How long? Maybe twenty, twenty-five years." The amazed journalist finally asks: "How does it feel to come and pray every day for over 20 years for these things?"

"How does it feel?" the old man replies. "It feels like I'm talking to a wall." 

Walls and rocks can be washed away by a steady drip or stream of water over a long time. It requires persistence to accomplish. 

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 

When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village 

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

Last week we talked about perspective: this week we’ll talk about persistence. 

Persistence means “lasting or enduring during a painful, tedious action, or long term activity.” Persistence is a combination of the fruits of the spirits of patience, faithfulness, and self-control. It is an act of commitment to/for a course of action. 

In “setting his face toward Jerusalem” Jesus is committing himself and His Heavenly Father to a course of action that will both condemn and redeem Jerusalem at the same time. 

This passage is written using similar language and in the style of the words describing both Ezekiel and Elijah, possibly the two greatest prophets of Israel. Jesus is linking his ministry and life to the history of Israel. 

By mentioning Samaritans and Jerusalem, Jesus is further saying that He is allowing the Jews and their close relatives to choose their fate by how they respond to Him. Their divided loyalty and lack of common focus has doomed them. 

The phrase “let the dead bury their own dead,” illustrates the fact that Jesus is asking for a complete commitment, a total persistence, of faith and trust in Him as the Son of God. Anything else will fall short. 

 

Your priority must be on heaven and not on just helping that aging parent or family member, or that job. Jesus and God must come first and then the rest.

There is a bit of irony here in that God has always uplifted family and personal commitment as a virtue, yet here He is suggesting another priority.

Edward Eggleston said, “Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.” Jesus is saying that the law of Moses and the Jews is ending in failure. 

If you look closely at the language used here you see that failure to follow through in following Jesus happens when something else, like needing recognition, a place to live/possessions, family obligations, or lack of commitment in doing the work of the Kingdom of God sometimes interferes. 

Jesus is saying that a disciple must be ready to sacrifice security, duty and affection in responding to the call of His Kingdom. Jesus says that because of the urgency of the call all other human loyalties must yield to the kingdom. 

In a nutshell Jesus is saying that while we might consider the greatest choice we make to be between good and evil it’s actually between the good and the best.  

We can serve God in our homes, families, and communities but we also need to be prepared to go further if needed – to hazard our security to advance His kingdom, to go out of out comfort zone to persist in sharing His message. 

A few years ago a young man asked me how he could live a life committed to Christ every day even though he worked in a sterile high-pressure technology environment.  

My advice to him was to realize that each day must become an opportunity to show others the priorities of his life, to God, family, and work. But I also suggested that he read the Gospel of Luke, chapters 9-11, as well. And I pointed out that Jesus always kept His eyes on Heaven as He walked with us here.  

Having a place in heaven prepared for us should give us a freedom to not worry about how the world perceives us. He was inspired and began to look for subtle ways to proclaim God anonymously in the workplace, which resulted in him and several of his co-workers organizing lunch-time Bible studies.

If he hadn’t been willing to go out of his comfort zone nothing would have happened other than his sense of growing guilt. Listen to Jesus and take a risk! 

If our founding fathers had not hazarded the risk we would have no country. They persisted in bad conditions, poor morale, poor support, poor finances, and tremendous odds to win a war many felt unwinnable. Yet they won.

 

And the country they founded has changed the world.

 

Jesus is asking us for the same commitment and dedication. Amen.