June 7, 2009

2009 06 07

My Story

Acts 3:1-11

Today is the first Sunday in our journey here at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church.  The family and I are so excited to be here finally.  It seems as if we have been packing for months, and it might be months before everything is put away just the way we like it.  But we are very glad to be here. 

I would really like to take time this morning to share with you a little of who I am, and who we are as a family.  One thing you will learn about me, if you have not already...is that I like to talk.  I have inherited the gift of gab from my father, and when you meet him, you will understand.  I like to talk, and every day, I am working to become a better listener.  Talk to me.  Share with me your experiences, your lives, your joys and your pains.  And realize that I will never be the pastor, shepherd, leader or friend you need me to be, unless you talk to me.  That doesn't mean I want everybody telling me everything about themselves at the potluck later, But over the years that we spend here, I hope to get to know you all as well as you get to know me.

Another thing about me is that I love the Lord.  They say that 90% of people come to faith in Jesus Christ before the age of 19.  I am what you would call a statistical anomaly.  I came to faith in Jesus at age 26, a little more than 13 years ago.  My grandfather and great grandfather were both Free Methodist pastors.  As a child, I went to church.  I knew of Jesus, but I did not know him personally. 

One night, when I was probably about 12, maybe 13, our youth group was having games, and we were spilt up into groups.  Each group needed a boy to volunteer.  As you can imagine, I was "volunteered".  Each of these volunteers would me made up in make up essentially to see who was the prettiest.  I was a preteen with little confidence in myself.  I was horrified.  After youth group that night, I told my mom that I was never coming back to youth group...to church...any of it.  And that was what happened.  I might have made it to an occasional Christmas Eve service, but that was pretty much it. 

For the next dozen or so years, I wandered.  As am overweight and under tall teenager, I had to do something to draw attention to myself in my small group of friends.  I started swearing.  When that group of friends started drinking in high school, I did too.  I spent those years trying to get drunk and chase after women.  In the end, I was a mess.  There had been a hole in my heart that I had been trying to fill with the things of this world, but they just left me feeling dead and empty. 

Then, one day, my pickup truck broke down.  This is the part of my story that sounds a lot like a country song, but it really did happen this way.  I needed a new transmission, and could not afford one.  My brother and his wife, both devoted Christians, offered to pay for it.  They did so with no strings attached.  That was a good thing too, because if they had told me to go to church or quit drinking, or get my life together...my pride would have kicked in.  That pride is a dangerous thing.  I would have told them what they could have done with their help. 

But their love for me was unconditional.  I saw this as a miracle.  Maybe I remembered some of those Bible stories from long, long ago, but I connected miracles with God, and God with the church.  So for the first time in a great many years, I went back to church.  People there remembered me and loved me.  And as the pastor preached that day, the Holy Spirit convicted me terribly.  There was an altar call, but I literally held on to the chairs in front of me to keep from going forward.  The second Sunday was the same thing.  The third Sunday, I went forward to pray.  There was an altar counselor, to pray with me.  His name was Mark Yacovazzi.  He asked me two questions:  Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?  I said no.  He asked me...would you like to?  I said yes, and we prayed together for my sins to be forgiven and my life would be given to him.  I was healed that day.  I was healed from a lot of sadness and emptiness.  That hole in my life was starting to fill up...and fill up fast. 

About 6 months later, I felt the Lord's call to ministry at my aunt's...funeral.  Much had been given to me a short period of time.  My brother and his wife showed me the grace and unconditional love of God.  Mark Yacovazzi showed me his mercy and forgiveness.  With God's call on my heart, I would need to give these things to others. 

In Acts 3, Peter and John were going up to the temple for prayer.  They came across a crippled man begging for money.  ⁶ Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter and John could easily have walked by this man.  They could have ignored him and gone about their prayers that morning.  But instead they stopped.  They gave this man the only thing they had.  They offered him Christ.  Because they did so, this man was healed and blessed a walking testimony to the love and power of Jesus.  When the people saw, they too joined in the praise of God.

My brother and his wife did not have to help me when I needed it.  They could have said that it serves me right and gone about their business.  Mark Yacovazzi could have left me at the altar alone, he'll figure out what he needs to pray for.  But because Peter and John got involved, this man was healed.  Because these people got involved in my life, I too was healed.  John Wesley-offer them Christ.  Bring about the healing in the lives of others that they so desperately want and need. 

It is very easy for us to look back at our lives and life stories and see where we have fallen short, missed the mark, or failed miserably.  It is so easy for us to live our lives out of a deficit.  However, as Christians and as a congregation, we cannot focus on who we are not or what we do not have.  Instead, let us focus on what we do have.  Jesus Christ.  Let us offer Christ to the world

Each day I am working at loving him a little better and a little more.  And that will be a big part of our journey offering Christ to a broken world...together.