This Week's Light Service Sermon

Light Service Sermons for the Month
Homemade Bread for the Heart
The Persistent Friend
DATE: March 7, 1999
TEXT: Luke 11:5-10

Johnny, a little boy had his heart set on a pet so he went to Dad and said, "Dad, do you think that we can get a dog for a pet?" Dad wasn't very enthused about that prospect in light of the fact that they already had several other pets. But he was concerned about providing a good positive opportunity to teach Johnny how to persist. So he said, "Tell you what, Johnny. If you start to pray now and continue to pray for a couple of months, maybe God will bring you a baby brother."
Well, Johnny thought that was a pretty good idea. He started to pray and he prayed and he prayed and he prayed. After about a month, he got discouraged and he gave up because nothing happened. How surprised Johnny was a month later when his Dad brought him into his mom's bedroom? Dad pulled back the blanket to reveal not one baby brother but TWO baby brothers! Dad turned to Johnny and said, "Johnny, aren't you glad that you prayed?"
"I sure am," Johnny said with a smile. Then added, "And aren't you glad that I quit praying after one month?"
Have you ever felt like giving up? Have you ever felt like quitting before you reached your goal? I thought about that as I was watching the Cavaliers the other night. I was imaginingg all of the years of training and discipline that went into the lives of each player. I wonder if in the course of all of those years that once and awhile, they felt like giving up and quitting.
Today Ken shared a story Jesus told his disciples, which has to do with persistence. It is an interesting story. I think Jesus told this story with a twinkle in his eye. We need to think and ponder this story.
A man in the middle of the night was awakened by a friend who came through town and unexpectedly arrived at his doorstep. The man invited the traveler into his house. He was tired and hungry. The man soon discovered that he didn't have any food to offer him. So the man went next door to his neighbor and asked, "I have unexpected company; could you give me some bread?"
But his neighbor was already in bed. So all he heard from the neighbor was one excuse after another. He said, "The door is locked. All of us are in bed. The kids are in bed. The servants are asleep. Don't bother me! Come back tomorrow morning."
But the fellow persisted. He banged on the door. He knocked some more. He banged on the door again. Finally, the neighbor got annoyed and got up. He went to the door and said, "Okay, here's some bread. Take it with you and give it to your traveling friend."
That's persistence. The man didn't give up. On the surface, he could have said. "Well, maybe we can wait until tomorrow morning." But he persisted until he received what he needed.
In this story, Jesus is trying to share with us two very important points.
First, he wants to show us the nature of God. God is radically different than the neighbor. The neighbor was unwilling to help. He had to be pushed and prodded. He had to be persuaded to participate. God is not at all like that. God is kind, he is loving and he is ready to help right nor. We don't need to badger God. We don't need to push him. We don't have to force him into listening and answering our prayers. He is waiting for us even before we have started to pray!
Jesus is creating a huge contrast between the neighbor and of God so we can appreciate how great God is and how willing he is to help all of those who come to him.
Secondly, Jesus is trying to teach us to ask. God wants to meet our needs but he wants us to ask.
God also wants us to ask for the needs of others. The man in the story was not concerned about his own food, but of the food for his travelling companion. He was asking for the need of another person. God wants us to ask for the needs of other people. He wants us to be persistent in asking, especially for the needs of others.
How then do you and I today persist? And specifically, how can you and I persist in prayer?
Before we ponder these questions, let's join our hearts in prayer.
Dear Jesus. God bless you. You kept the faith and persisted to the end. During this Lenten time as we wait for your Easter resurrection, we pray never to forget the sacrifices you made for the sake of us sitting here this morning. You are truly a humbling savior. AMEN.
Ever since he was a boy, Michael Stone dreamed of flying. Michael's mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. Her stories were always ones that described the land from a bird's eye view. Her excitement and passion for details made Michael's dreams full of color and beauty.
Michael had this one recurring dream. He would be running down a country road. He could feel the rocks and chunks of dirt at his feet. As he raced down the golden-lined wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by. It was at the exact moment he took a deep breath that he began to lift off the ground. In his dream, he would begin soaring like an eagle.
Bert, Michael's dad, was a realist however. He knew that if you wanted something, you had to work for it! So from the age of 14, Michael did just that. He began a very careful and regimented weightlifting program. He worked out every other day with weights, with some kind of running work on alternate days. The program was carefully monitored by Michael's coach, trainer and father. Michael wanted to fly. For him that meant becoming a pole-vaulter.
And so it was that day at the National Junior Olympics that all of Michael's vaults seemed to be the reward for his hard work. But now the bar was being set at 17 feet, three inches higher than his personal all time best. If Michael Stone was surprised, thrilled or arrogant about clearing the bar at 17 feet, about two stories high, you couldn't tell. Still 20,000 people stood, applauded and roared their approval for his achievement.
Meanwhile, the astroturf he sat on while waiting for his next vault was as hot as the competition he faced. For each round, the bar was set higher. When Michael cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and then at 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. Constant preparation and determination were his vision. When, as he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan, he knew the other vaulter had missed his final jump. And now it was time for his final jump. Since the other vaulter had fewer misses, Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would get him second place. Nothing to be ashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place.
When it came his turn for his final vault, Michael began shaking the tension from his body. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The bar was now set at 18 inches higher than he had ever gone before. He began to shake and sweat. He couldn't get a grip on himself. He said a little prayer. Then out of nowhere, from the deepest depths of his soul, he envisioned his mother and the stories she told. He knew it was his time to fly.
As he began the sprint down the runway, something felt wonderfully different. The surface below him felt like the country road he used to dream about. The rocks and chunks of dirt, the visions of the golden wheat fields seem to fill his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. His take-off was effortless. He began to fly. Michael Stone was flying.
Whether it was the sudden thump into the overly inflated pad or the roar of the crowd he didn't know. On his back with the hot son in his face, he saw his mother's face, smiling. His dad hugging his wife and crying. Michael stone had cleared 17 feet 6 1/2 inches: a National and International Junior Olympics record.
Michael's life was never the same after that. It wasn't just because he won the National Junior Olympics and set a new, world record. And it wasn't because he had persisted until he had increased his personal best by 19 1/2 inches. It was simply because Michael Stone is blind.
How can we persist as we go about doing the tasks God has placed before us? Particularly, how can we persist in prayer?
Three simple steps:
1) We can persist by following our coaches advice.
Whenever Linda and I go hiking the Metropark trails, we follow the trail markers. Each trail has its own symbol. If you get lost, you find then follow the marker. When you do you can't get lost. Jesus Christ is our trail marker. He will show you his way. If today you are not following his markers, I want to encourage you to invite Jesus Christ into you life so he may show you God's way.
God has also placed into our hearts and lives other markers to follow. For example he has give us his Word. His Word is a lamp and a light for us that we may follow. God has given us parents, teachers, ministry leaders and others who will encourage and point us in the right direction.
2) Remember to pray.
Prayer is such a precious gift from God. The unique and very special part of prayer is that it brings POWER into our lives. God enters our lives so that we need not rely on our own power; we need not rely on our own strength but on the strength of God. When we pray God comes into our lives and empowers us to do the things he calls us to do. Prayer brings POWER into life and ministry and helps us to persist.
I would encourage you to remember three dimensions of prayer. First, YOU pray. You yourself spending time alone with the Lord developing a personal and intimate channel of communication, strengthening your relationship with the Lord.
Secondly, spend some time praying with others that they may pray for you and you can pray for them. You re strengthened by other's prayers. One of the values of the prayer chain and remember others in prayer on Sunday morning, is the power that comes through group prayer.
Third, remember to ask others to pray for you. That increases the power even more! Many of the prayers on the Prayer Ministry come as a result of petitions made by you for you.
Pray alone, pray with others, and ask others to pray for you. God will give your life a new dimension of power and strength so that you can persist in all things God has placed before you--including prayer.
3) Pursue your dreams.
Dreams, inspired by God, have a tremendous encouraging quality. They are empowering. They are motivating. They are energizing. And they help us to persist in what God wants you to do. God has placed dreams into our hearts so that we might pursue them with his help.
Michael had a dream. He prepared by learning about pole vaulting. He trained and practiced his technique. He entered meets and competed with the rest. Even though he often failed, still he continued to pursue his dream. And the dream was fulfilled.
Today I am encouraging you to do the same. What dreams do you have in your heart? Unfulfilled dreams, perhaps? God may want you to pursue them.
If you don't have a dream in your heart today, ask God to give you a dream! He is the greatest of all gift givers and he would be delighted to put a new dream in your heart.
Maybe you already have a dream but between you and the dream stands a huge mountain. The mountain makes it difficult to realize the dream. Today with the power of God, I would encourage you to scale the mountain. Move forward in the power of God and realize your dream.
How can we persist?
1) Follow the coaches advice
2) Pray to receive power and direction
3) Pursue your dreams.
Let's ask God to do exactly that now….

AMEN