Rev. Dr. Gina Hendrickson s Sermon from September 9, 2012

Transcription

1 Rev. Dr. Gina Hendrickson s Sermon from September 9, 2012 Dr. Seuss: Oh, the Places You ll Go! Matthew 28:16-20 Today s Homecoming Sunday, we re all getting back into our rhythm of life together! Kids are FINALLY back in school M-F can I get an Amen from moms and dads out there? Our SS is back in full swing with a BBQ today that everyone s invited to and our Choir is back in the house How about an Amen for that?! We as a church family are gearing up for another awesome year! And what better way to start the new school year than to have a fun preaching series inspired by none other than Dr. Seuss himself the man who wrote & illustrated 6 world-famous books for children & their lucky parents. His Beginner Books Series started in 1957 with The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham (next week s book) Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax and of course the incredible holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It was hard to pick just three books to build a preaching series on from the rich, creative body of work Dr. Seuss penned over his lifetime. Born in 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet and cartoonist whose imaginative characters, powerful verse rhyme and unique drawing style still delight young and old alike! I decided to begin with Dr. Seuss Oh, the Places You ll Go! on this Homecoming Sunday because Dr. Seuss enthusiasm and wisdom for outstarting upstarts of all ages is perfect for us today as we just heard Christ s Great Commission To GO and make disciples! (Mt 28:19) Oh, the Places You ll Go! written in 1990, just one year before his death, reveals Dr. Seuss at his best in his wonderfully wise and humorous verse and pictures addressing life itself with all the ups and downs it presents what he calls The Great Balancing Act while encouraging us to find the success that lies within. I discovered that Dr. Seuss wrote this as a graduation speech. Did you know that? His story ends with this powerful send-off:

2 And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed. (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray Or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O Shea, You re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way! I LOVE Dr. Seuss! And I love this book. Oh, the Places You ll Go! is the perfect send-off for children of all ages starting out in the maze of life by imparting a lifetime of wisdom in just 56 pages! And this Send-off, the excitement of Oh, the Places You ll Go! struck such a powerful chord with me in my own faith journey because I can hear Holy whispering Oh, the Places You ll Go Gina! every time I read the Great Commission from Jesus himself. Go therefore and make disciples of all baptizing them teaching them and remember I am with you ALWAYS, the end of the age. (Mt 28:19-20) GO! therefore! And I am with you! And oh the places you ll go! Isn t that exciting? And perhaps just a little bit scary? Jesus Great Commission His powerful sendoff to his followers is perfect for God s children of all ages starting out in the maze of life. That s where so many families are at right now, as their kids and grandkids are all getting back to school. Oh, the places you ll go!! In Kindergarten or High School, College or Grad School, on the field or in the classroom! Times to be challenged, stretched and pulled time to grow, learn and become. That s where we re at right now, as we celebrate our Homecoming & gear up for our fall programming of faith & service, education and worship as a church family. Oh, the places you ll go!! In Sunday School and youth group, on Mission trips and at circle meetings, here in the sanctuary and wherever you walk as disciples of Christ. Times to be challenged, stretched and pulled time to grow, learn and become

3 But isn t this true of everyday in our lives? EVERYDAY is a new adventure with Jesus send-off GO! And remember I am with you! Oh, church the places you ll go! It s exciting times for sure! But such times and such places can be unsettling as well Dr. Seuss says it best capturing this tension of Life s Balancing Act, he writes: OH! THE PLACES YOU LL GO! You ll be on your way up! You ll be seeing great sights! You ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights. You won t lag behind, because you ll have the speed. You ll pass the whole gang and you ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don t. Because, sometimes, you won t. I m sorry to say so but, sadly, it s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. Life is not without its ups and downs, and our life journey takes us to many places. Places that we may like and some that we won t. Places that create for us fear or courage. Places that can bring healing or brokenness. Places that feed our anxiety or our self-worth. We can find ourselves in places of peace or sadness. amidst valleys of despair or atop mountains of joy.

4 Oh, the places you ll go! as we walk through life but there s wisdom for the journey that we must not forget! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You re on your own. And you know what you know. and YOU are the one who ll decide where to go. You ll look up and down streets. Look em over with care. About some you will say, I don t choose to go there. With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you re too smart to go down any not-so-good street. Life s full of choices every day every hour every minute. Choices on what path to take Whether to Go where God is leading or not. Whether to Go teaching by example what is good and right or not. Whether to Go trusting in God even if you re not sure where it may lead or not. Whether to Go places only you can make a difference in or not. Life is full of choices everyday every hour every minute You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You know what you know and YOU are the one who ll decide where to go. Do you hear that Holy Whisper? Go! Make disciples! And I am with you always and forever! Oh, the places you ll go! Life is constant movement, forward stepping, side tracking, detouring, self-correcting, getting a little lost, and finding our way back with the help of friends. That s the Great Balancing Act. That s what Dr. Seuss so wonderfully captured in this book. My friends, our life s journey is our faith journey and it is a balancing act. Balancing life s tasks, challenges and callings is spiritual work. It is a matter of will effort prayer choice priority, change growth risk grace more grace and reliance upon God and good friends along the journey. Balancing all the stuff around us begins with balancing what s inside us first. In our interior life, our spiritual life, our life with God we map the course, get the priorities right, open ourselves to the promptings of the Spirit, and remember who

5 we are and whose we are. Balancing is hard, but my friends, it is worth the effort! It keeps us from falling. It keeps us from getting lost. It makes it possible to step forward to GO without so much tension and worry. Indeed all of Jesus teachings are full of action words and heavy-loaded with imperatives Meaning what we are called to do in our going Go teach, Go heal, Go baptize, Go love serve give tell forgive GO! I am with you! Go! And oh, the places you ll go! following God s will Oh, the places you ll go! following Jesus example Oh, the places you ll go! following the Spirit s prompting! So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life s a Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! With God in your life 100 percent guaranteed! Amen and Amen!