Repairing the Holes
Trey Little | 28-Mar-10
"Repairing the Holes"
What an exciting day in the life of our church! The little children walking in waving Palm branches to the sounds of Hosanna, Loud Hosanna. Also, to see ten students Confirmed--3 of which were baptized--and all of which publicly professed a faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is so exciting. What a wonderful celebration on this Palm Sunday.
This morning I want to invite you to journey back to another day of celebration--that first Palm Sunday when Jesus the Messiah made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The crowds were gathered; the excitement was in the air; and the cheers could be heard across the countyside--but would they last or would there be HOLES?
Turn with me to Luke 19: 28-40.
As many of you know, I am not one who enjoys conflict. As the saying goes, "I am a lover not a fighter." So with that disclaimer I am going to now say something that has been a bit of a controversy here in Albany. There are HOLES in our roads! There, I said it--I look forward to receiving your letters!
In all seriousness, the HOLES in the roads have been a topic of discussion for quite some time. There have been newspaper articles written about them. There have been people voicing their opinions at City Council meetings. And certainly they have been discussed around various water coolers. But here is the reality: we can all talk about them--but none of us are repairing them.
We feel them when we drive. We see them with our eyes. We talk about how they need to be fixed--but at the end of the day--we are not the ones who can fix them. Therefore, we find ourselves in an interesting dillema--we know the HOLES are there and yet we expect someone else to fix them.
I can't help but wonder if a similar approach is being taken with the HOLES in our Gospel. If you recall, Richard Stearns said: "The idea behind The Hole in Our Gospel is quite simple. It's basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world. If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith--and mine--has a hole in it" (p. 2).
You see--we all have HOLES. Wherever we are on our faith journey--there are holes. We know they are there--but we desperately need someone else to fix them. Perhaps that is one reason why there is such cheering and rejoicing this morning. Perhaps that is why this morning we join thousands of Christians across the world in celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ. The day which began His journey toward REPAIRING OUR HOLES!
For a moment, let's venture back to the town of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. It is a beautiful Sunday morning and everyone is lining the streets for the big parade. The town is packed full of people who have come from many different areas in order to celebrate the Passover...it is festival time in Jerusalem. Thousands of pilgrims are flocking into town. Expectations are high; anticipation is breathtaking; and victory seems inevitable. The king who would provide freedom from the Romans is on his way.
Up and down the dusty streets of Jerusalem you find yourself getting caught up in the fanfare. You find yourself looking around all the other people--just hoping to see Him first. Your eyes are fixed on what appears to be the beginning of the parade route. And then you see Him--humbly riding in on the back of a donkey. You get your palm branch ready--you want to make sure that He notices YOU among the MANY in the crowd--you want to look Him in the eyes when you wave your branch and then lay it down before Him. And then you begin to join in the worship--you begin to cheer alongside the whole crowd of disciples as you "begin to joyfully praise God in a loud voice by saying: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest!"
Wow! What a scene that must have been. It is energizing to be a part of the cheering. Excitement and enthusiasm can be so contagious. But you know--HOLES can become consuming as well. In the midst of the cheering some of the Pharisees attempted to steal the joy of the day. They wanted the cheering to stop. They didn't mind the holes! They said: "Teacher, rebuke your disciples?"
You see, the Pharisees didn't get it! They didn't grasp that Jesus was no ordinary king. They couldn't fathom that Jesus was the King of kings. As far as they were concerned there was no need for cheering and praising. In fact, rather than waiving their palms and shouting Hosanna--what they longed for was for Jesus to tell His disciples to stay quiet! They wanted to make HOLES in the GOSPEL.
Listen, the GOSPEL that we embrace--the JESUS we choose to follow--it is dangerous. It is dangerous because He can change us! And when He changes us we can't possibly keep quiet. We must cheer--we must shout with honor and praise and glory to the Messiah--the King. But, if we are resistant to the KING'S transforming power in our lives then we too MAKE HOLES.
John Stott once said, "Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.
Palm Sunday served as the celebration before the crucifixion. It was the jubilee before the jabbing. It was the parade prior to the passion. It was the cheering before the jeering. In a sense it was THE HOLE before it was REPAIRED. And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday--He knew it was the road to the Cross yet He still took that road. Let us never forget that on the Cross, Jesus REPAIRED OUR HOLES.
Friends, on this Palm Sunday as we celebrate and cheer and shout Hosanna--I want to encourage us to remember that it is OK to get excited about the GOSPEL. It is perfectly acceptable--in fact it is NEEDED in our society! But also, as we walk with Jesus over the course of this upcoming Holy Week--remember the truth that GOD, from the very beginning, knew we would need HOLES REPAIRED and so He sent His Son--not just to live on the earth among those in need; not just to ride into town for a big celebration; but also to hang on a cross--a sacrifice designed to fill our HOLES in order that we might be a POSITIVE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF THE GOSPEL.
Let me close with this: If you have read The Hole in Our Gospel then you probably remember a story told of Bob Pierce--the founder of World Vision. It happened back in 1948 when Bob was finishing up a long evangelistic tour in Asia. He had preached a message to some children at a missionary school in China--and, as was his practice--he exhorted them to give their lives to Christ.
One little girl, named White Jade, went home that night and told her parents that she had become a Christian, not understanding that her parents' reaction would be severe. They were angry, and she was beaten by her father, disowned, and cast out of her home.
When Bob arrived at the school the next day, he saw a co-worker approaching him with a bloodied and crying little girl in her arms. He asked what had happened. She said: "This little girl did what you told her to do, and now she has lost everything!"
Bob was shocked. He asked, "How will she live? Will you take her in and feed her and care for her?"
The co-worker answered, "I am already sharing my rice bowl with six other children who have no homes, and I cannot take in even one more. The question isn't what I am going to do. The question is: what are you going to do? You created this problem, Mr. Pierce. Now, what are you going to do about it?"
What are you going to do about it? That was the question that confronted Bob Pierce that day in 1948, when he was met head-on with the desperate plight of one child. And in one moment he learned something groundbreaking about the gospel that he so freely preached: the WHOLE GOSPEL involves more than preaching; it also means caring about the WHOLE PERSON and finding ways to meet that individual's needs (p.248).
Friends, what are you going to do about it?
You see, LIFE is not going to stop in order that we can have TIME to be a Christian. Every single moment of every single day we are met head-on with the desperate plight of the world. So, are we going to keep cheering for the King of kings or are we going to keep quiet? Will the world hear us or will they hear the STONES CRYING OUT?
What are you going to do about it? Only you can answer that question. But before you can--might I suggest you allow Jesus to repair the Holes in your Gospel? AMEN.
What an exciting day in the life of our church! The little children walking in waving Palm branches to the sounds of Hosanna, Loud Hosanna. Also, to see ten students Confirmed--3 of which were baptized--and all of which publicly professed a faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is so exciting. What a wonderful celebration on this Palm Sunday.
This morning I want to invite you to journey back to another day of celebration--that first Palm Sunday when Jesus the Messiah made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The crowds were gathered; the excitement was in the air; and the cheers could be heard across the countyside--but would they last or would there be HOLES?
Turn with me to Luke 19: 28-40.
As many of you know, I am not one who enjoys conflict. As the saying goes, "I am a lover not a fighter." So with that disclaimer I am going to now say something that has been a bit of a controversy here in Albany. There are HOLES in our roads! There, I said it--I look forward to receiving your letters!
In all seriousness, the HOLES in the roads have been a topic of discussion for quite some time. There have been newspaper articles written about them. There have been people voicing their opinions at City Council meetings. And certainly they have been discussed around various water coolers. But here is the reality: we can all talk about them--but none of us are repairing them.
We feel them when we drive. We see them with our eyes. We talk about how they need to be fixed--but at the end of the day--we are not the ones who can fix them. Therefore, we find ourselves in an interesting dillema--we know the HOLES are there and yet we expect someone else to fix them.
I can't help but wonder if a similar approach is being taken with the HOLES in our Gospel. If you recall, Richard Stearns said: "The idea behind The Hole in Our Gospel is quite simple. It's basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world. If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith--and mine--has a hole in it" (p. 2).
You see--we all have HOLES. Wherever we are on our faith journey--there are holes. We know they are there--but we desperately need someone else to fix them. Perhaps that is one reason why there is such cheering and rejoicing this morning. Perhaps that is why this morning we join thousands of Christians across the world in celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ. The day which began His journey toward REPAIRING OUR HOLES!
For a moment, let's venture back to the town of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. It is a beautiful Sunday morning and everyone is lining the streets for the big parade. The town is packed full of people who have come from many different areas in order to celebrate the Passover...it is festival time in Jerusalem. Thousands of pilgrims are flocking into town. Expectations are high; anticipation is breathtaking; and victory seems inevitable. The king who would provide freedom from the Romans is on his way.
Up and down the dusty streets of Jerusalem you find yourself getting caught up in the fanfare. You find yourself looking around all the other people--just hoping to see Him first. Your eyes are fixed on what appears to be the beginning of the parade route. And then you see Him--humbly riding in on the back of a donkey. You get your palm branch ready--you want to make sure that He notices YOU among the MANY in the crowd--you want to look Him in the eyes when you wave your branch and then lay it down before Him. And then you begin to join in the worship--you begin to cheer alongside the whole crowd of disciples as you "begin to joyfully praise God in a loud voice by saying: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest!"
Wow! What a scene that must have been. It is energizing to be a part of the cheering. Excitement and enthusiasm can be so contagious. But you know--HOLES can become consuming as well. In the midst of the cheering some of the Pharisees attempted to steal the joy of the day. They wanted the cheering to stop. They didn't mind the holes! They said: "Teacher, rebuke your disciples?"
You see, the Pharisees didn't get it! They didn't grasp that Jesus was no ordinary king. They couldn't fathom that Jesus was the King of kings. As far as they were concerned there was no need for cheering and praising. In fact, rather than waiving their palms and shouting Hosanna--what they longed for was for Jesus to tell His disciples to stay quiet! They wanted to make HOLES in the GOSPEL.
Listen, the GOSPEL that we embrace--the JESUS we choose to follow--it is dangerous. It is dangerous because He can change us! And when He changes us we can't possibly keep quiet. We must cheer--we must shout with honor and praise and glory to the Messiah--the King. But, if we are resistant to the KING'S transforming power in our lives then we too MAKE HOLES.
John Stott once said, "Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.
Palm Sunday served as the celebration before the crucifixion. It was the jubilee before the jabbing. It was the parade prior to the passion. It was the cheering before the jeering. In a sense it was THE HOLE before it was REPAIRED. And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday--He knew it was the road to the Cross yet He still took that road. Let us never forget that on the Cross, Jesus REPAIRED OUR HOLES.
Friends, on this Palm Sunday as we celebrate and cheer and shout Hosanna--I want to encourage us to remember that it is OK to get excited about the GOSPEL. It is perfectly acceptable--in fact it is NEEDED in our society! But also, as we walk with Jesus over the course of this upcoming Holy Week--remember the truth that GOD, from the very beginning, knew we would need HOLES REPAIRED and so He sent His Son--not just to live on the earth among those in need; not just to ride into town for a big celebration; but also to hang on a cross--a sacrifice designed to fill our HOLES in order that we might be a POSITIVE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF THE GOSPEL.
Let me close with this: If you have read The Hole in Our Gospel then you probably remember a story told of Bob Pierce--the founder of World Vision. It happened back in 1948 when Bob was finishing up a long evangelistic tour in Asia. He had preached a message to some children at a missionary school in China--and, as was his practice--he exhorted them to give their lives to Christ.
One little girl, named White Jade, went home that night and told her parents that she had become a Christian, not understanding that her parents' reaction would be severe. They were angry, and she was beaten by her father, disowned, and cast out of her home.
When Bob arrived at the school the next day, he saw a co-worker approaching him with a bloodied and crying little girl in her arms. He asked what had happened. She said: "This little girl did what you told her to do, and now she has lost everything!"
Bob was shocked. He asked, "How will she live? Will you take her in and feed her and care for her?"
The co-worker answered, "I am already sharing my rice bowl with six other children who have no homes, and I cannot take in even one more. The question isn't what I am going to do. The question is: what are you going to do? You created this problem, Mr. Pierce. Now, what are you going to do about it?"
What are you going to do about it? That was the question that confronted Bob Pierce that day in 1948, when he was met head-on with the desperate plight of one child. And in one moment he learned something groundbreaking about the gospel that he so freely preached: the WHOLE GOSPEL involves more than preaching; it also means caring about the WHOLE PERSON and finding ways to meet that individual's needs (p.248).
Friends, what are you going to do about it?
You see, LIFE is not going to stop in order that we can have TIME to be a Christian. Every single moment of every single day we are met head-on with the desperate plight of the world. So, are we going to keep cheering for the King of kings or are we going to keep quiet? Will the world hear us or will they hear the STONES CRYING OUT?
What are you going to do about it? Only you can answer that question. But before you can--might I suggest you allow Jesus to repair the Holes in your Gospel? AMEN.
