A Friend from Long Ago

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

Having moved back to the area where I grew up has been a delightful experience.   From time to time, I will drive and see places that once were familiar to me, and say prayers or have thoughts of the homes, years before, that I had spent time in.

I remember playing with Scott, who lived on Rock Road.  He moved away near the end of elementary school.   Years went by without thinking much about him, and through Facebook arose the chance to see his posts, including a delightful picture of him and his daughter.  A truly beautiful picture, one that makes you happy, knowing how happy it makes the people in it.

I had opportunity to sell my book at the Shad Festival last weekend.  Many thanks to the Lambertville Presbyterian Church for their kindness in letting me set up a table.

Well, sure enough, Scott walked up with his family.  He, and his love, their children, and grandma.  Yes, it took me a minute to put two and two together.  We took a few minutes to catch up on life's basics.  And they went on their way, enjoying a wonderful day at the Shad Festival.  Happiness came to me, and stayed throughout the day, by way of this wonderful moment.

The next day, I received a message from Scott.  Dana had read their book to the children that night.

What a special thing.  How deeply I feel gratitude.  I am grateful that this story went into a home of someone, who, when I was seven, was part of my childhood.  Thirty five years later, my daughter is seven.  And my love story to her is one that resonates with people throughout this land, including people like Scott.


Tonight, I finished an amazing book:  Marilynne Robinson's Home.  What an amazing book, and almost as good, in my mind, as Gilead.  Marilynne ends the book, with the main character acknowledging, "The Lord is wonderful".

I join in that truth as I think about life's friends:  the Lord is wonderful.

The Path of Discipleship: Study Hall

Study Hall                                      4/26/15

Psalm 78:1-8, Matthew 11:25-30

The Path of Discipleship:  Sermon 8 in series

One year while in high school, I chose to take a study hall as one of my electives.  I have three remembrances of that time in the South Hunterdon Cafeteria.

1.       Only the first half of the 45 minute period had to be quiet, during the second half you could move around and talk with your friends.

2.       They opened the cafeteria during the second half of the period, and usually freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were sold.  They were so good.

3.       I remember playing paper football during the period.

You may notice there is one key word missing in my recollections of my least productive elective in high school:  Study.

My hope is that we do not approach Sunday morning like a study hall:  a place where most people ignore the opportunity before them in order to goof off and waste time before you are “freed” to do what you want.  

We’ve been talking during Lent and Easter about Discipleship.  Christians, by their very name, are disciples:  we are followers of Jesus Christ.  The three congregations in our shared staffing agreement are talking about specific ways in which to better our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are looking at a guide that will move us from tourist to participant in the Christian faith.  At the end of Easter, I’ll be asking you to choose specific steps you want to take in 2015.  Today, we speak about Christian Education.

Stockton currently offers Christian Education opportunities.  They might not compare with the waning years of Christendom, but they are doing some good things.

Our Sunday School is led by good, salt of the earth teachers, who care for the five regular students, and are consistent in their teaching Christian faith to these regulars.  Our Palm Sunday play showed all of us that there is depth of spirit in our young people.  Would it be great to have 20 students each week?  Yes.  But perhaps the next step is to invite those who have received baptism in this place to learn about the One who has claimed them.

We do offer Christian Education to our community through Vacation Bible School.  Would it be good to have more of the participants from VBS attend here regularly?  Yes.  But by attending VBS, they receive 15 hours of instruction in Christ’s message.  For some, they receive more in one week than a person who comes to Sunday School only 2 or 3 times a year.  This year, Ellie Brehme will be directing VBS, and we will partner with Nueva Esperanza and Grace Church from Titusville. 

Christian Education is not only for children.  It should be complemented by opportunities for all ages.  We do offer Friday morning Bible Study, as well as our annual Delaware Valley Summer Institute with our sister churches.  What we do not do, and might be helpful, is offer a Sunday morning class for adults.  If there is someone who would like to convene a group, we invite your prayerful consideration.

In short, as a small congregation, we do some things, and I am grateful for all who give of their time and energy.  I appreciate the devotion rooted under the work.  This week, I had coffee with David Shearer, we had a delightful conversation, which included an analogy he has been thinking about.  I’ve asked him to share at this time.

(illustration of the energy needed to take care of landscape)

When I think of David’s words, and Christian Education, the phrase that comes to mind is “its worth the effort”.  The Biblical support we will use this morning comes from a prayer and teaching from Jesus Christ, and a prayer and song from Asaph, storied singer of the Ancient Hebrews.

Jesus essentially tells his disciples that they shouldn’t always look for the flashy, the most deserving, the obvious.  God’s ways are mysterious and holy.  I think there is something delightful that 5 children in a small campus are hearing about Jesus and learning.  It goes against the grain of conventional wisdom.  Why was this so?  “Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure” (11:26)

God’s good pleasure is the phrase that can provide us fascination.  The Scripture provides some clues as to what gives God pleasure.

• In the book of Haggai, where the people were being commanded to rebuild the temple of God, the reconstruction was to be done so that God would have pleasure in what was created.
• In Ephesians, Paul writes that people who believe in Jesus have been predestined to be adopted as God’s children in Christ:  This was God’s pleasure.
• Also in Ephesians, Paul writes that it is God’s pleasure to make know his will to us.

We also learn about what does not give God pleasure, according to Scripture:

• God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked
• God does not take pleasure in anyone’s death
• God does not take pleasure in wickedness and ungodliness.
• God does not take pleasure in the blood of bulls and the sacrificial offerings
• God does not take pleasure in evil.

But God does take pleasure in the ways that his truth is made known to those who will believe.  John Calvin, commenting on why God’s wisdom is sometimes hidden from the wise and learned writes:    (New Testament Commentaries:  A Harmony of the Gospels, Vol II)

As the flesh is too greedy in self-praise, if the clever and learned were put first, the idea would soon hold sway that men acquired faith by their own skill or industry or learning. (21)

and

The reason why human wisdom is cast down is that it may not obscure the praise of the divine grace  (22)

If we accept the kingdom of God like a child, we may enter it, Jesus says elsewhere.  Here, he prays a prayer of thanks, that the children have received a gift.  And the grace that we find in this exchange brings pleasure to God.

God sent Jesus Christ into the world so that people might believe in him and be saved.  The end goal that Jesus invites us is to come to him, to learn from him (11:28).  When we come to Jesus, we find rest for our souls.  We find Christ’s yoke easy and his burden light.  Yokes unite two animals like ox, to work together.  A properly fitting yoke allows less of a burden on the animal.   Ancient farming practices often linked an experienced ox with a young beginner.  We find ourselves yoked with Jesus Christ when we come to him. 

Douglas Hare writes “Jesus may be saying: “Become my yoke mate, and learn how to pull the load by working beside me and watching how I do it.  The heavy labor will seem lighter when you allow me to help you with it.”

In other news, Hank Aaron and I have combined to hit 756 home runs in our careers. 

When we think of Christian Education, we should be asking, are people learning about Jesus Christ, his teaching and his call to follow. 

Asaph, the song writer from Israel, cements our work in its proper foundation.  Asaph set up a school of music during the time of David and Solomon, and has 12 of the psalms attributed to him.  Asaph uses history in Psalm 78 to teach us what our job is in preserving the faith, and why it is important.

When we think about Christian Education, teaching people about Jesus, what is our job?  Psalm 78 proclaims it is to open our mouth and tell the next generation.

When we open our mouth, we should declare hidden things and things from of old.  We should declare what we have heard and known.   We should tell what our parents told us.  What valuable advice!  The content of our teaching should include instruction that might not always be highlighted in the world.  We should lift up those practices that have steadied God’s people throughout the generations.  We should teach the next generation what we have experienced:  those things we have remembered hearing and the things we have come to know are true.  And yes, sometimes our mothers and fathers proved to be wise, and what they instilled within us is worth telling again, even if it takes a few years for those seeds to grow.  It is funny how my father was so wrong about everything when I was 18, and so right about so many things when I turned 40.

We tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and his wonders.  That is the most honored content that we should deliver.

Asaph tells us our job, and he tells us why we should do our job.  Why should we open our mouths?

·         Because God has decreed laws for his people, and therefore, they are important to hear and know. 

• Because God has commanded that his ways be taught.
• we tell so that the next generation might know
• we tell so that unborn generations might know  (have we thought about the gospel message for your grandchildren’s grandchildren?
• So that people might put their trust in God, not forget his deeds, and keep his commands.
• Asaph also mentions so that stubbornness and unfaithfulness will not prevail and people will not forget the Lord.  Humanity without God would be a bunch of demons.

One man in Scripture who became like a demon, like an animal, was King Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.  And yet, when he repented and believed, God rescued him:  He was then able to pronounce to the nations his pleasure:

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation (Daniel 4:2-3)

When we invest in the story that has come to us, open our mouths and tell it to people, including those newer and younger than us, we invest in what pleases God!  God’s pleasure becomes our pleasure, and God’s pleasure fills us with life.

I Hope They Are Well

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

One of the special sales I made was to a family with a young daughter with special medical needs.  It was one of those situations where the more you talked, the more you found out you had in common.

This family were foster parents to a medically fragile child. They foster in Pennsylvania, but we are in a similar program in New Jersey.  It was obvious the love they had for their daughter. 

We also shared a connection in that we both were graduates of Philadelphia College of Bible.  I was a few classes ahead of him, but he was pursuing pastoral ministry.

It is always delightful to find people that you share so much in common.  Our paths crossed on this day, and perhaps will not cross again in this world.  But it was delightful to share stories, to laugh together because of our firsthand knowledge of balancing church and children.  I wish peace upon the family.

My TIme at Stockton Elementary

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

One of the most special days that I've had in selling my book was an afternoon that I traveled across the street to the local elementary school, Stockton Elementary.  While our children are home schooled, I have a great care and delight in our school community.   I've was on the School board for 4 years, and president for 6 months.  I know many of the families, and enjoy the sound of children playing during recess and after school.

Principal Suzanne Ivans had invited me to come and read my book to the students.  We broke the event into two times.  The first group was the 4-6th grade students, followed by the younger students.  (It should be noted that Stockton is one of New Jersey's oldest, and smallest public schools, with under 60 students, kindergarten through 6th grade.  The attention the students receive is comparable to a private school. 

I had a great time with the students.  After reading my story, I answered at least 30 questions that the students had.  And the questions were really thought-provoking.  I was so impressed with these students.  I've been in Stockton long enough that the 6th grade class started at the school the same year I arrived in our town, so I've watched them grow up.   And if they tackle everything in life with that same spirit, there were many in that room that will do well!

The younger students were so cute.  This one girl couldn't understand that I didn't draw the pictures myself.  She must have asked me 5 times if I liked drawing the pictures.  It's ok, she has time :)   Maybe by my second or third book, she'll be a smart leader among the upper elementary students.  Until then, I'm glad she thinks I have artistic talent!

All in all, a delightful day among a great school community.

I Know This Grandma is Good on Her Word

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

Before Christmas, a grandmother purchased my book.  During our conversation, she revealed that she loves collecting Children's Books.  She has them in her home for when her grandchildren come to visit.  I easily imagined a warm and welcoming home, where this woman would welcome her children's children with open arms, and a safe space to be themselves and cuddle near with a good book.

I signed the book for her and all the generations that would gather in her home.   Just then, the woman's daughter yelled out, "Oh, hello Mr. Good".

"Mrs. Nelson!".

Well, my daughter's tutor's mother just bought my book.  Here I was offering words of blessing on this women's grandchildren, and it turns out I know them.  What a special moment that was! 

My First Sale

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

What was my first sale at Peddler's Village?  Sam.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the open invitation from Canterbury Tales Forever owner Wayne for me to set up table outside his shop and promote my book. It was quite exciting when I went over one Friday night three weeks before Christmas.  I would go over for an hour or two, since it was quite cold and the sun had set.  It would get my feet wet for the next morning.

A man inquired about my book, and came out with a purchase.  His name was Sam, and he asked that I sign it to him.  I thought about writing on the front page "to my first customer", but I wanted to seem more confident than that :)

The next day, I was not the only author selling my book.  I looked up, and there was Sam!  He also had a children's book, Monty: a Christmas Story.  The story surrounds a basset hound who overcomes his differences to find his home. 

I've spend several days together with Sam at Peddler's Village.  This past week, our first since the cold Christmas season, we delighted in the warmth of the spring sun.  He is a really great guy, and every time I go, I hope he is there.  He is a great salesmen, and I've learned so much from him.   Plus, during the slow moments, we catch up on life, joke around, and talk about all sorts of things. 

Sam's book is self-published.  The illustrator he hired did very nice work, and the story is sweet.  He is not on Amazon, so if you are a basset hound fan in need of a great children's story, let me know and I'll get you his contact information.

Amanda

Some of the stories special to me as I sell my book

Amanda was a sweet little child, happy and young.  Her face was painted by my friend LaNelle during the Spring Fling Festival at Peddler's Village.  She struck me as someone who would really get along with my children.  She was shopping with her mother.

After the mother purchased the book, I was signing it and in passing I mentioned her father.  The mother paused and looked at me and shared that Amanda's father was 'in heaven'.  You could tell that time, and the Lord, had brought some healing to them.  They spoke truthfully, and were able to continue conversation without change in their countenance.  All the while, I was praying that this book would be helpful for this family.

I wrote a message in Amanda's book, that she know the love of her family, those both near and far.  I hope that Amanda will stay close to the Lord all the days of her life, and will enjoy that day of God's resurrection, when she is reunited with her father.