Archive for February, 2007

Meditations on “The Fruit that Will Last…”

Sunday, February 18th, 2007

John 15:12-17
Presented February 18th, 2007
Older Adult Sunday

Meditation by Roy Olwin

What do I know now that I wish I had known earlier in life? I think I’d rather turn the question around. What did I learn early on in life, that has carried me through the years? As one who graduated from high school in the midst of the depression years, what lessons did I learn from those days when material possessions were far scarcer than they are today?

The first thing I learned is to go with the flow, to take things as they come your way in life, one day at a time. Don’t waste your time and energy worrying. Learn to be satisfied with what you have in life.

My family moved from the Decatur, Indiana area—south of Fort Wayne—to Elgin in the late 1920s, as my father took a job at the Brethren Publishing House. During those early years in Elgin he also helped out with janitor work here at the church, and I remember helping him fire up the boiler on Saturdays, so the building would be warm for Sunday mornings. Following my graduation from Elgin High School in 1932, I spent the summer in southern Indiana, helping some of my relatives on their farms. One early job netted $25/month, plus room and board. I learned the value of hard work, of making do with what we had—using and re-using the resources at hand. And I learned the value of taking things in stride as they come.

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A Surprising Adventure

Sunday, February 4th, 2007

Luke 10:25–42
Presented February 4th, 2007, by J.D. Kline
The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Have you ever agreed to do something, only to have second thoughts gain the upper hand? As I began thinking, early on this week, about today’s sermon, it was a time for second thoughts. I had agreed to base a number of sermons in January and February on the weekly texts forming the basis of the study in the new Gather ’Round curriculum. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but this week, as I began to consider the two familiar stories from Luke 10, I found myself wondering what new insights I possibly had to offer. Hasn’t it all been said before?

Consider the two stories, first what is arguably the most well known of all Jesus’ parables, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Perhaps the story of the prodigal son offers stiff competition, but the very terminology, Good Samaritan, has become commonplace even in the secular world. All kinds of agencies and ministries have Good Samaritan funds, for in many people’s eyes the story is reduced to a lovely tale of responding to a person in need. Certainly that’s a key element in the story, but there’s much more to be grasped, as we dig more deeply.

The second story, the conflict between Mary and Martha, is sometimes held in contrast to the story of the Good Samaritan, for it seems to be suggesting that Mary’s position, sitting at the feet of Jesus, is somehow superior to that of Martha, who, like the Good Samaritan, takes the more active role. Yet, if the two stories do indeed carry competing messages, why would Luke, the Gospel writer, place them side-by-side? Is there instead a connecting theme, something that binds the two stories into a unit?

Both stories speak of hospitality, with the Samaritan in the first story going the extra mile in caring for the man beaten and left beside the road, and with Mary and Martha, each in their own ways, making space for Jesus in their home. Still, the two stories offer very different pictures of hospitality.

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