Victor Sheldon to come up here. Victor is a dear friend. He's been a part of our church for
several years. If you don't know him, that may be because he's also a chaplain with the Navy,
and so he has been on duty. He was posted in Djibouti for a year, and then he was back for a
little while, and then he received his next assignment, which was to go and serve in Louisiana
for this coming calendar year. It's our pleasure whenever we get Victor back in town to get time
with him, and it's our pleasure to welcome him to come up and preach God's Word to us.
So Victor, I'll invite you to come on up, and let's welcome Victor.
Thanks, Tommy. Thanks, brother. Well, it's a great joy to be with you and to be back here.
There were, as I've shared with Tommy and others, there were some very dark days in Djibouti,
some wonderful days, but also some great challenges, and the one thing that kept me sort of going from
day in and day out are the prayers of this church family and my own conviction that God would bring
me back safely home. So thank you. Thanks, Tommy. Thanks for having me. I've now realized,
well, you all up here at the front, these lights are incredibly bright, and so I am, yes, I can't see
you, but I trust you can see me. So, well, let's pray together, and we'll look at our scripture for
today and explore together. Let's pray. Lord Jesus Christ, thou Son of God and Son of Man,
Lord, as we have sung, we do. We wait for you. We long for you. For you alone are our hope.
Gracious God, I ask that by your Holy Spirit, you would grant us grace that what we say with our lips,
we may believe in our hearts, we may believe in our hearts, that we might show forth in our lives.
All this to your great honor and glory through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Well, a number of years ago, my father decided to take my mom, my brother, and I on the great
East Coast American history tour, and I've come to love history. My father does, I do, and I think
all of our family are enamored with history, but we made our way up the East Coast from the South,
and we stopped at every single battlefield or historic monument you could possibly imagine.
And so by the time we finally reached New York City, we were all a bit exhausted, but still enthralled in
all the newness and everything that we were seeing. And even as a young boy, I remember that first
arrival and trip into New York City. And this was back, goodness gracious, this was back in the late 60s or
early 70s. And my father, with I think the Alabama plates at that time, had Heart of Dixie on the bottom
of them. So my father, you know, a smart man that he is and never asking for directions, took the wrong
turn off the off ramp up there, and we ended up in Harlem. And I remember the anxiety, you could feel
the anxiety level in the car rising, because that was a dangerous time in the city and in Harlem at that
time. And I remember my mom rolling down the window and asking a very kind, elderly, African-American
black gentleman, please, sir, could you help us get out of here and find our way? And we did. But I
remember that first experience of going to New York City and just being so impressed with everything.
And I remember we went there to see a show called Three on a Match. It was one of these game shows
that was held at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center. And I remember that experience and seeing that.
But I remember most about the city was the busyness, the energy, and how smartly dressed all the people
were. It was very impressive. And of course, the most impressive thing to me as a young boy, being in
Manhattan for the first time, was the majesty, the grandeur, the awesomeness of the buildings. I mean, I remember
walking up as a young boy and just, you know, just looking up, and you keep looking up and up and up and up and up.
And just the height and expanse of the buildings. And I remember thinking to myself, how in the world
did people do this? How could people make these buildings and create this incredible space?
I was in awe, awestruck with the majesty and grandeur of the cityscape of New York City.
Now, Mark chapter 13, which we read the last section from this morning, opens with a scene of
Jesus and one of his followers as they are leaving the temple, the temple compound in Jerusalem.
In fact, let me read to you in verse 1 of Mark 13.
And as Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.
The temple was an incredible space. It was something to behold.
Perhaps you could relate to it if those of you who visited New York City, you may
recall your own first experience there and what impressed you with that.
Or if you've not been to New York City, perhaps you remember the first time you saw our
nation's capital, perhaps it was the National Cathedral, or if you've had the opportunity
to travel out west and driven from the east to the west and seen the Rocky Mountains as
they rise up behind the city of Denver.
It just takes your breath away.
It's just an incredible experience.
It's awe-inspiring.
That there is something here greater than ourselves.
And you get a sense, at least I did, of the transcendence of things in the world.
I was left with a sense of both excitement, but also it humbled me.
It reminded me of my humanness and also a sense of quiet confidence in the world around me.
In Mark chapter 13, verse 2, after that follower of Jesus, one of his disciples says to him and
explains about the temple and the buildings and the stones, Jesus replies to him,
Do you see these great buildings?
I tell you the truth.
There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.
Everything will be destroyed.
Well, you can imagine what the reaction of that first follower, that early disciple of Jesus,
how he must have responded when he heard that.
Because the temple, I don't know if you know much about the temple.
I know a little bit and I want to learn more.
But scholars tell us that the temple, the outside compound or wall of the temple, the western wall particularly,
was probably about four to five football fields in length.
And if you travel to Jerusalem as a spiritual pilgrim during the feast, the festivals, and the holidays,
as you're moving towards Jerusalem, Jerusalem is up.
You go up and into Jerusalem.
And it would be incredible.
You could have seen the temple compound and the temple itself, the exterior of the Holy of Holies.
You could have seen it from a distance.
And as a follower of Yahweh, it would have encouraged your heart.
It would have lifted your spirits to see the magnificence, the beauty, the awe, the wonder of that temple,
which is the seat of your faith and the God whom you worship.
So it must have been quite a shock to that early disciple, that follower of Jesus,
to hear the Lord say,
Do you see these buildings?
Not one stone will be left upon another.
Well, it begs the question, I think, for us is,
where do you and I, where do we find a sense of peace and security?
Where do you find your confidence and your trust?
Many people find it in the created order,
in the sense of the creation without,
outside of us,
like the Rocky Mountains.
Others may find their peace and security,
their confidence and trust in their family,
in the relationships,
which are anchors for them.
Some would look to government,
look to government and the civil realm
for security and peace and confidence.
Others look to religion
as a source of strength.
Still others might look to their possessions,
you know,
the one with the most toys at the end wins.
Some look to what they have for their security.
Others may look to their retirement account,
their 401k or their investments.
In times of stress and uncertainty,
we tend to cling to what we know
and what we trust,
because that's where we find our security.
What if someday all that you knew and trusted
and believed was secure
was taken away?
I remember I was a young clergyman,
a young minister,
a curate,
an assistant
at a downtown,
a beautiful downtown church,
and our young adults
were going on a walk
for muscular dystrophy.
And I told my dad,
because I had a big wedding that night,
that evening I was officiating,
and I said,
Dad, you go ahead
and go on the walk with them
and I'll meet you back at the house
and then we'll go from there.
And so I remember Dad
coming back from the walk
for muscular dystrophy
and feeling so,
just not sweating
and not feeling himself.
And so I called a friend
from the church,
from the parish
who was a physician,
and Andy came over
and he checked my dad out
and he said to my dad,
his name is Joe,
and he said to me,
Victor,
I think we need to get your dad
to the emergency room
right away.
So Dad followed me
in his car
down to the emergency room
of the hospital
and then I went on
to take care of the wedding.
I came back thinking
his car would not be there
in the ER parking lot
any longer
and so I rolled back in,
I saw his car,
I was surprised,
and I walked into the ER
and dressed like this,
you know,
with collar and everything on
and one of the nurses
pulled me aside,
she grabbed me
and she said,
I've got to tell you something.
I need to tell you
that your dad
has had a serious heart attack.
What?
And she took me up
into the ICU.
Thankfully,
my dad made it
through that experience
and that sort of
dark night of the soul,
but that was the first time
that I realized
my father
would not live forever.
I never knew,
really knew and experienced
that one day
my dad would pass away.
that never was made real
to me
until that experience.
So what would you do?
How would you react
if everything,
all that you trusted
and put your confidence in,
someday is taken away?
This at least in part
is the point
of Mark chapter 13.
It's often called
Mark's little apocalypse.
Mark chapter 13.
It's a distillation,
if you will,
a condensed version
of the main points
of the book of Revelation.
And that's why
it's often called
Mark's little apocalypse.
Now,
I've sort of drawn
the title for this sermon
as awake,
alert,
and unafraid.
But it could also
be titled
unexpected,
unplanned,
and unwelcome.
I remember
holding a dinner party
many years ago.
I love dinner parties,
but I don't like
to host them.
And guys and gals,
I don't know
how you all do it.
I stand amazed
at you,
those of you
who can cook
and greet
and entertain
and be back.
I can't do it.
I've tried.
And it stresses me out
to the max.
And I remember
having people over
for a dinner party
and I wanted,
you know,
wanted everything
to be right.
And I was busy
and I was behind
as is typical for me,
late for everything.
And I remember
the first group
of folks came
to the door
and knocked
on the door.
I opened the door
in horror
to see that it was
them,
some of my guests.
And I told them,
I said,
look,
I'm not ready
for you yet.
Go away.
Come back
in 30 minutes.
And I literally,
I did that.
I said,
just drive around
the block,
visit the neighborhood.
Well,
it's this kind
of experience
that Jesus
wants to prevent
in one sense.
That he is coming
again.
He will return
in power
and great glory.
And when the
Son of Man returns,
will he find faith?
On the earth.
Will we be ready?
Will we welcome him?
Will his agenda
and his timing
and his coming,
is that more important?
Or is my dinner party,
my career,
my relational pursuits,
my acquiring possessions,
my investments,
or my striving for whatever,
is that more important
than his second coming?
Well,
I want to look briefly
at the context
this morning
of this section
of Mark chapter 13,
verses 27 and following.
And I want to explore
with you
these main points
or these sort of
life lessons,
I think,
that Jesus
teaches us
and leaves us with
about being awake,
alert,
but also unafraid.
For like the temple
that is going to be
torn apart,
stone upon stone
taken down,
it seems to me
that Jesus is telling us
in this section
of Mark chapter 13
that the building blocks,
the bedrock
of both society,
culture,
nature,
and even our personal lives,
everything is going
to be shaken.
Everything
is going to be shaken.
And ultimately,
everything is going
to be swept away.
This is why we call it
the end times.
The end times.
I love the,
I saw a bumper sticker,
or heard about
a bumper sticker
which I think
is absolutely perfect.
I mean,
I love Washington,
D.C.
and I've worked here
in the Pentagon
and had two tours
of duty here.
I'm coming back
after this next year.
I'm on a one-year
assignment to New Orleans,
but I'm coming back
and planting myself here,
God willing.
So I love,
I love D.C.
There's wonderful things
about D.C.
But I think
this sort of bumper sticker
really sort of
capsulates my own experience
of D.C.
Jesus is coming back soon.
Everybody,
look busy.
I thought that was good.
You don't agree.
It's not my fault.
Jesus says that
everything is going
to be shaken.
Everything is going
to be swept away.
And a time will come,
he says earlier
in Mark chapter 13,
that there will rise up
false religious leaders,
messiahs of a type,
who will lead people astray.
That the world
will experience war
and strife and conflict
as it's never known.
That there will be
natural disasters
and humanitarian crises.
That for us,
his followers,
yes,
there will be
persecution
and intense suffering.
And finally,
Jesus says
in Mark 13
that there will be
betrayal.
Even within families.
It would make
the French Revolution
look like something
minor in comparison.
Brother will betray brother.
Mother will betray daughter.
Children will betray
their parents.
So all of society,
everything,
just completely
comes unglued.
Every stone
is taken down.
And yet,
what remains?
Does anything remain?
Jesus tells us,
yes.
this is what remains.
Let's see.
Well,
I'm looking for the exact...
Well,
anyway,
in Mark chapter 13,
he tells us
what does remain.
He says,
heaven and earth
will pass away.
But my words,
he says,
will not pass away.
The stone
which the builders
rejected
has become
the chief cornerstone.
And this is marvelous
in our eyes.
Brothers and sisters,
when all is shaken
and swept away,
the only thing
that remains,
the only thing
that will remain,
is Jesus Christ.
Christ,
and his body,
the church.
And yet,
beloved,
the only,
the only way
you will
come to know
and experience
and learn
that Jesus Christ
is all you need
is until you're
put in a position,
in a situation,
in which Jesus Christ
really is all you have.
He's all you have.
Christ and his church
are all you have.
And then you'll discover
that his words are true.
He really is
all you need.
Well,
all of this begs
the question,
I think,
of,
as Dan was praying
and alluding to,
what are we to do
with this?
Okay,
what,
how are we to respond?
Can we prepare?
I mean,
what,
how do we think
and get our minds
around this?
You know,
for many Christians,
for many believers,
well-meaning believers,
the second coming
seems like
light years away.
Now,
most of you all
here this morning,
you're,
you're in the,
maybe not the first
quarter of your lives,
but you're in the early part,
perhaps,
hopefully,
God willing,
you're in the early
second quarter
of your lives.
And,
and I,
I'm in,
I'm in the start
of my fourth quarter,
right?
Probably.
So,
all of this
is closer to me.
It's much closer
to me.
But nevertheless,
it impacts us both
the same.
But some Christians
fall into the danger
or the temptation
to thinking that,
well,
the second coming,
since it's been
so delayed,
I mean,
it could be
months,
it could be years,
it could be decades,
it could be centuries.
So,
if the second coming
is that far away,
how and why
should it
have any impact
on me?
What difference
does it make?
Well,
Mark's gospel
and this section
in chapter 13
really sort of,
sort of drops a bomb,
if you will,
into the middle
of all that.
And Mark's point
is that since
the time is unknown,
and it is,
neither the son,
the son does not
know the hour,
only the father.
But since the time
is unknown,
it could be today,
it could be this evening,
it could be at midnight,
or at sunrise.
And Jesus warns us
not to slip
into complacency,
into that,
that sort of mindset,
if you will,
of one of my great heroes,
Scarlett O'Hara
from Gone with the Wind.
Her phrase,
if you haven't read the book,
it's a great read,
I love the book.
The movie is fantastic,
but the book is,
is great.
And Scarlett,
throughout the book,
her mantra is,
I'm not going to think
about that today.
I'll think about that tomorrow.
For tomorrow
is another day.
So she refuses
to put off,
and she continues
to put off,
that which is
most pressing for her.
But Mark encourages us,
the Lord encourages us
through the gospel of Mark,
to be awake,
to be alert,
and to be unafraid.
Well, let's look
at those things.
What does it mean
to be awake?
To be awake.
C.S. Lewis wrote
that we live in a world
that is spiritually deaf,
almost as if the world
is asleep.
The Bible tells us
that in many times
and in many places,
there really is
no fear of God.
There is no fear of God.
And what I told
dear friends
and colleagues,
and I visited
some of the most
remotest parts of Africa.
I mean,
the middle of the jungle,
in the Congo,
the Central African Republic,
South Sudan,
places where,
you know,
no one would normally
ever go.
And they asked me
about our life
in the West
and particularly
in America.
And I shared with them
what I love about
you all
and just being with you
is that you know,
you know you feel
daily
your need for God.
We in the West,
we really have
no need of Him.
And so many,
so many today
just dismiss,
oh,
they give lip service
and credence to it,
but they dismiss
the existence
and the power of God.
So much of our culture
today
and our world
is essentially asleep.
And to be asleep
means that you're
unaware
of what's happening
around you.
Friday afternoon,
I was so tired
and I was checking
into a hotel
near the Pentagon
and the room
wasn't ready,
so I sat down
on the comfortable
couch in the lobby
and I promptly
fell asleep.
I mean,
I fell asleep.
And I woke up
to the sound of laughter.
I could hear a couple
of,
there were old people
like me too,
and there were
a couple of people
laughing at me
and kind of
looking at me.
Well,
to fall asleep
is to lose sight
of your surroundings
and the world
around you.
It's to fall
into your own
dream state
and your own
created world.
It's asleep
to me,
it means asleep
means to be
unable or unwilling
to respond.
When you're asleep,
you're in your own
world.
And Jesus tells us,
don't fall asleep.
Don't become
complacent.
stay awake.
Stay aware
of the world
around you.
To be awake
is to see.
Of course,
the metaphor
for sight
is so powerful
and popular
in the scriptures
and particularly
in the gospels.
To be awake
is to see
the world around you
as it is,
but also to see it
through the eyes
of your faith,
to see it as God
sees it.
To be awake
is to be able
to respond
to what you see.
And to be awake
is to be on guard.
On guard.
And I've got to tell you
as one who has
cared for
and been the chaplain
or pastor
for a lot of
young men and women
who stand guard duty
around the world,
I can tell you
that being on guard
is often
somewhat
can be
kind of boring.
You know,
it's not flashy.
It's not sexy.
You know,
it's your
standing guard duty
for four hours.
And yet,
is being on guard,
is it essential?
Absolutely.
Is it important?
You better believe it.
And if someone
falls asleep
on guard duty,
that's a punishable
offense.
Because you've put us
all in jeopardy
and at risk.
And so to be on guard
means to be aware
and alert
to the situation
around you.
And then Jesus
tells us,
as he's saying,
to stay awake.
He's also reminding us
to stay alert
as we are awake.
To be aware.
He uses the analogy
of the fig tree.
You know,
when you go out
in the spring,
early spring,
you begin to see
the leaves bud
and the trees.
I drove down
the GW Parkway,
which I love yesterday.
And, you know,
I forgot,
I've forgotten the song,
All the Leaves Are Brown.
Who sang that?
I forget.
Who was that?
Yeah,
the mom's about,
right.
I just,
I love that song.
All the leaves are brown.
And I found myself
singing that again.
And I love the,
you know,
I love the brownness,
if you will.
But also,
look forward to the time
when spring will come again.
And those beautiful leaves
and trees will bud.
And George,
George Washington Parkway
is absolutely gorgeous
to drive down.
Jesus tells the story
of the fig tree
because he wants us
to be aware
of what's going on
in the world around us.
You know,
the Bible,
I know you all know this,
I know Tommy and Dan
have preached about this
and spoken to it,
that the Bible,
the New Testament,
uses two words
for time,
right?
We have,
we have Kairos,
Kairos time.
Sorry,
we have Kronos,
I'm sorry.
We have Kronos time.
And then we have
Kairos time,
which is
God's time.
And Kairos time
is a moment in time,
a special moment
in time.
And you know,
if you missed,
if you missed
your Kronos,
if you missed your flight,
as I've done before,
wait,
open the door,
please open the door.
If you missed
your Kronos time,
you can probably
book another flight.
But if you miss
Kairos time,
which I almost did
this summer,
that was on a cruise
when the ship set sail.
And when the ship
is gone,
brothers and sisters,
it isn't coming back.
So Kairos time
is that time
that is
a moment
that you don't
want to miss.
Jesus tells us
to be aware
of the times
in which we live.
You know,
I've done a bit
of reflecting
over this
past few weeks
and as we see
just so much turmoil
going on
and just trying
to step back
from the news feed
and all that's happening
and seeing,
you know,
so much happening
and just asking
the question,
Lord,
what's going on here?
What's happening here?
Lord,
what's your take
on all this?
What's your perspective?
How am I
to understand this?
And I think
as we look
and reflect
on this passage
and the world
around us today,
we see that there
is division
going on.
There's division
between the races.
There's a division
between men
and women,
between the sexes.
and the relationships.
Clearly,
in our experience,
there's a great division
between nations
and we find division
even at the heart
of families
and the relationships
that we value
the most.
it's a critical time
and to know
the times
in which we live
is the first
portion
of being aware.
Being aware
also means
simply doing
our duty.
Simply doing
our duty.
A friend of mine
used to say
that the main thing
is to keep
the main thing
the main thing.
The main thing
is to keep
the main thing
the main thing.
To be about
the great commission
and the great commandment.
Right?
Loving God
and loving people.
And how that
works itself out
in each of our
unique circumstances
and situations.
And looking
for opportunities
to share
our faith.
To communicate
the hope
that we have
within us.
And yet always
always doing it
with gentleness
reverence
respect.
But we
have an opportunity
to tell people
about Jesus
who he is
and why he means
so much to us
and what he's done
for us.
And that they
can have the same.
I heard so many times
I hear from
sailors
and soldiers
and Marines
and even
some of our
general officers
some of our
leading military
figures
that you know
and I don't claim
to have a great faith
but they would say
oh chaplain
I wish
I had your faith.
And my response
to them
is always
you can.
you can
you can have
the same
faith
the same trust
the same experience
simply doing our duty
being faithful
in the little
being on guard
it's not exciting
it's often boring
but it's essential.
and third
to be
to be aware
is to stay connected
to stay connected
to Christ
and his body.
You know
the great enemy
of our soul
one of the things
that he wants to do
without a doubt
is to not only divide
divide people
and everything
but he wants
to isolate us
he wants to isolate us
from
the body
of believers
from the church.
and so
be very aware
of the temptation
to
and especially
if you're more
of an introvert
or you're
dealing with
difficult circumstances
in your own life
that there's always
a temptation
to become isolated
and to move away
from Christ
and his church.
But Jesus
reminds us
to stay connected
to stay alert
to stay aware.
Well
in this
Advent season
it's a season
of preparation
as Dan mentioned
as we are singing
about and will continue
over the next
four Sundays.
It's a season
of preparation
and yet
we're told
that ultimately
everything will be
swept away
that in the second
coming
Christ will return.
Advent
is for us
in the church
it is a unique
spiritual tool
from God's toolbox.
you know
one of the
songs we read
we sang
rather
the words
came from
St. Ambrose
and from Martin Luther
and Martin Luther
described the human
condition
he said
the heart
is like an
idol factory
I-D-O-L
idol factory
and Advent
is God's
righteous
hammer
to smash
the idols
of our hearts
the idols
of my own
heart
when my agenda
my pursuits
become so much
more important
than Christ
and his
work in the world
and in my life.
Advent
is a
is a reminder
it's a call
it's a wake up call
to all of us
as believers.
Now Advent
finally can
can leave us
in these scripture
readings today
they may leave you
feeling anxious
or perhaps
a bit
fearful.
Maybe you discover
that as I've done
in the past
that Lord
I
forgive me
I
often want
what I want
more than
what you want
and Lord
I don't know
how to
I don't know
how to
I don't know
how to let go
of some of
these things
I don't
I don't know
how to want
more of what
what you want
but I
I think I want
that
I do want
that
Jesus
beloved
wants us
to be
not only
awake
and alert
but he also
wants us
to be
unafraid
now I am
I am
no hero
far from
it
I was
walking
in the
pentagon
yesterday
a Friday
afternoon
and there
was someone
there who
I do not
want to see
I just
I don't
want to see
him
and that
tells me
that I
probably need
to see
him
I probably
need to be
reconciled
with him
if there's
anything
between us
but I
didn't want
to see
him
and I
was going
to walk
down a
passageway
that I
might have
seen him
and I
heard this
scripture
again
this Mark
chapter 13
be awake
be alert
but don't
be afraid
don't be
afraid
so I
said
Lord
I'm not
going to
be afraid
you're in
charge
you're in
control
if I run
into him
so be it
and we'll
deal with it
then with
your help
but if not
there'll be
another time
Jesus
wants us
to be
unafraid
and that's
why he
tells us
ahead of
time
of what's
going to
take place
he describes
it as a
man going
on a
journey
a man
going on
a journey
who puts
his servants
in charge
of many
things
and leaves
the watchman
on guard
in Mark
chapter 13
Jesus tells
us what
is going
to occur
and he
wants us
to be
unafraid
in fact
I love
every year
I saw
at Djibouti
which was
just such
a blessing
I'm such
a dope
but I
love
it's a
wonderful
life
I love
that
in the
middle
of the
darkness
in Djibouti
in some
really
difficult
times
they
decided
to put
that
movie
up
on a
big
screen
not a
big
screen
a
massive
they
portrayed
it
on
some
kind
of
wall
or
something
so
all
of
us
could
watch
that
movie
it's
a
wonderful
life
and
Joseph
who's
the
angel
in
that
movie
he
says
the
very
same
things
that
we
find
in
scripture
whenever
God's
people
are
afraid
whenever
we
have
an
encounter
with
the
divine
whenever
we
have
a
transcendent
experience
whenever
an
angel
descends
and
speaks
to
human
being
what's
the
first
response
fear
and
you
know
what
the
word
out
of
every
angel
that
appears
every
angel
says
do
not
be
afraid
do
not
be
afraid
for
behold
I
bring
you
great
tidings
great
tidings
do
not
be
afraid
often
I've
served
half
my
career
the
marines
and
the
marines
before
they go
on a
patrol
or
particularly
if
they're
in a
hostile
environment
and
potentially
will
run
into a
firefight
insurgents
and
combat
marines
and
soldiers
they will
always
almost
without
fail
if
their
chaplain
their unit
chaplain
is there
they'll
have
that
chaplain
come
kind of
huddle
with
them
and
they'll
want
to
have
a
prayer
together
and
I
found
that
the
marines
will
often
ask
me
they
said
they
call
chaplains
chaps
and
they
say
chaps
can
you
can
you
give
us
a
devotional
thought
can
you
give
us
a
word
something
we
can
just
take
with
us
and
I
remember
one
of
the
marines
as
I
recall
asking
you
know
hey
chaps
could
you
could
you
just
distill
the
whole
bible
down
for
us
and
just
you
know
a
couple
of
big
key
points
power
points
bullet
points
and
I
said
okay
guys
here
here's
where
we're
at
there
are
two
great
themes
to
the
bible
the
first
is
that
God
loves
you
absolutely
he
loves
you
and
because
he
loves
you
can
choose
to
trust
him
if
you
want
to
but
the
second
great
theme
of
the
bible
is
equally
true
and
just
as
poignant
and
that
is
this
I'm
God
and
you're
not
you
see
beloved
I
believe
this
whole
life
this
whole
life's
journey
is
part
of
its
design
to
help
us
come
to
grips
of
the
fact
that
there
is
a
God
who
does
love
us
and
is
in
control
and
that
no
matter
what
happens
you're
ultimately
safe
with
him
but
you know
what I've
also
discovered
you'll
only trust
a person
to the
extent
that you
know
them
the
extent
and
all
of
life
all
of
life
is
designed
by
a
heavenly
father
who
loves
you
dearly
wants
the
best
for
you
but
he's
designed
life
so
that
you
and
I
will
have
opportunities
to
get
to
know
him
as
I
said
Jesus
Christ
is
all
you
need
well
you'll
never
come
to
know
experience
or
perhaps
even
believe
that
until
Jesus
Christ
is
all
that
you
have
your
past
is
forgiven
your
future
is
now
secure
in
Christ
and
so
you
can
experience
his
peace
in
the
present
moment
your
past
forgiven
your
future
secure
you
can
experience
his
peace
in
the
present
moment
finally
I
still
love
I must
tell you
I still
love to
visit
New York
City
it is
an
amazing
town
and
some
of
my
dearest
friends
live
there
and
it's
quite
a
place
and
I
still
am
awestruck
by the
buildings
and
the
wonder
of
it
all
and
every
time
I'm
flying
in
and
landing
particularly
at
Newark
if
I've
got
a
window
seat
on
the
left
side
of
the
plane
and
it's
a
landing
from
the
northwest
I know
the flight
pattern
now
I can
look out
the window
and it's
a clear
day
I can
see
Manhattan
and
I'm
a
Chrysler
building
nut
I love
the Chrysler
building
and so
at all
my heart
just skips
a beat
when I
come into
New York
City
and I
can look
over
and just
get a
glimpse
of the
Chrysler
building
that Art
Deco
tower
and maybe
the sun
is shining
on it
and has
lit it up
but I
now
I've
come to
know
not as
young
boy
but now
as an
older
man
that
someday
all of
that will
be swept
away
that as
beautiful
as it
is
as
wonderful
as it
is
as secure
as it
seems
it's not
going to
last
and it's
not the
place for
me to put
my hope
in
Mark's
gospel
twice
the word
schizo
is used
I suppose
it's where
we get
schizophrenic
from
but the
schizo
in the
scriptures
in the
New
Testament
Greek
means
a tearing
apart
or a
rendering
separating
a rendering
so an
opening
can be
made
that word
schizo
is only
used
two times
in Mark's
gospel
at the
very beginning
at the
baptism
of Jesus
we're told
that the
heavens
are schizoid
or schizo
they're opened
the heavens
are opened
and the
Holy Spirit
descends on
Jesus
like a
dove
the other
time
we're told
that schizo
is used
is at the
very end
on the
cross
at the
death
of Jesus
Mark
tells us
and he
records
that the
curtain
in the
temple
which
separated
everyone
from the
Holy of
Holies
that the
curtain
in the
temple
is torn
from top
to bottom
that the
way of
God
is no
longer
to be
found
in a
temple
even a
beautiful
temple
a beautiful
structure
made
my man
no longer
will we
find God
in the
temple
we find
God
in a
manger
we find
God
on a
cross
we find
God
not here
but in
an empty
tomb
and together
as Christians
we say
Christ has
died
Christ
is risen
and Christ
will come
again
amen
let's pray
together
shall we
well Father
in heaven
Lord I
know that
I've
covered a
lot of
ground
and
God I
know that
you've
certainly
touched my
own life
with this
challenge
at the
beginning
of Advent
well the
challenge
Lord
to turn
my life
over to
you
more and
more as
best I
can
with your
help
but also
a comfort
to know
Lord Jesus
that not
only do
you love
me
but my
life is
really secure
in your
hands
and so we
do say
come Lord
Jesus
help us
during the
season of
Advent
to make
a place
hearts
prepared
for you
and to
welcome
and receive
you again
we praise
and bless
you now
and pray
these things
in your
holy name
amen