"Yes, We Are Nobody Until…” Sermon Delivered By Reverend Richard E. Stetler
– April 28, 2013 Centenary United
Exodus 3:9-17; Luke 7:1-10 There is nothing
more fascinating to study than how human life has evolved. All of us
begin as winners. Little microscopic
tadpole-like creatures
struggle to penetrate an egg.
Only the strongest wins.
Eventually that fertilized egg evolves into a highly complex
life-form. Babies become like
sponges that soak up everything in their environment.
Their desire for exploration is immediate.
They look at everything, feel it and have to even taste it.
When something captures their attention, their eyes focus on the
object as it whirls around or makes noises.
If someone teases a baby by rubbing its tummy with a teddy bear,
the child often bursts into uncontrollable, contagious laughter.
Where do these
responses come from? Each baby
is one-of-a-kind. The
mystery of life has not been unraveled even though we find ourselves in
the 21st century. There are numerous
authorities that believe they
know how the process works, but their knowledge is incomplete. The most mysterious
and fascinating aspect about newborns is their spirit.
The location of this invisible
commander that governs
attitudes, motivation, moods, and emotional control has not been found.
Like a fingerprint, our spirits are different.
This morning we are going
to explore what causes a person that represents human potential to
become eventually somebody of value. Once a woman placed
her three-month old son into a basket made of reeds and placed it in the
shallow margins of the Upon discovering
the child, the princess called him Moses and adopted him.
His older sister, Miriam, asked the princess if she desired a
Hebrew woman to nurse the baby.
The princess agreed and Moses was carried back to his own mother
to be nursed. Moses would grow
up in Pharaoh’s court and at the same time be taught the traditions of
his native Hebrew culture. While Moses was
enjoying the privileges of being part of the royal family, who was he?
As he became increasingly aware of the plight of his native
people, Moses grew increasingly uneasy about their treatment by the
Egyptians. Eventually, he
witnessed an Egyptian killing a Hebrew and Moses reacted violently and
killed that Egyptian. Who
was Moses after he murdered this man? After realizing
that other Hebrews had witnessed the killing, Moses fled to Median.
This was the place where Moses encountered God at
the burning bush.
After listening to what God had in mind for Moses, we learn that
Moses lacked confidence in himself. He said to God, “I am nobody!
How can I approach Pharaoh and demand that he free the
Israelites?” We know the story
that this nobody eventually
became a household name for billions of people through thirty-six
centuries. Jewish
traditions assert that Moses wrote the first five books of the Hebrew
Bible -- the most sacred texts of the Jews.
The Torah contains the
Ten Commandments as well as the 613 mitzvot (additional commandments).
Did Moses ever realize that he would become a well-known
personality among people all over the world? Our other lesson for today describes an episode where a highly loved and respected servant of a Roman Centurion was on his deathbed. News came that Jesus was in the area and the Roman officer sent several Jewish friends to see if he might attend to his servant’s need for healing. When they found
Jesus they said, “This Centurion is a good man.
He used his own financial resources to build a synagogue for us.
Please come and heal his servant.”
Jesus went with them.
As the Master drew near to the compound of the Centurion, the
officer sent word that he was not worthy to have Jesus come to his home.
Further he said, “I do not feel worthy enough to even be in your
presence. Please, do not
trouble yourself. Simply
give the word and your desire will be done.”
(Luke 7:7) Jesus was so
surprised by the response of this Roman officer that he commented to a
group of listeners, “I have never come across this kind of trust and
understanding anywhere in What causes a
person to become important to other people?
Like the three Wise Men from the
East, the woman who put three copper coins in the treasury and thus gave
everything she had and now the Roman Centurion – what caused these
people to be remembered? Today, we hear that numerous leaders in our world become increasingly interested in their legacy. Can anyone really set out to establish their legacy as one worthy enough to be remembered? A person remains nobody until others decide that one life has value to them. People have little or no control over their destiny. Listen to this list of names and see if you can remember what the eight
of them have in common:
Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred E. Smith, Andrew
Carnegie, Claude Monet, Charles Dickens and John Philip Sousa.
These people were towering
giants in their respective fields.
They were creators who became well-known to people.
Not one of them set out to become a celebrity or to establish a legacy.
In fact, most of them would have remained content to be nobody.
Their value to others is what caused them to be remembered.
What did these men have in common?
Not one of them went any further in their education than
elementary school. Think about the pivotal moments in history where significant woman
became the springboard for
influencing world history but their deeds remained hidden simply because
they were women. For
example, we know that Mary Magdalene and other women were instrumental
in keeping the faith alive.
What we do not have are their stories.
The name of Anna Carroll would mean nothing to the average American. She
appears only as a footnote in a few history books.
She was responsible for the North winning the Civil War.
Anna supplied General Grant with vital intelligence about the
plans of the Confederate army.
Of course, General Grant took the credit for winning the war, but
it was Anna’s desire to preserve the union of the Most people do not know the name Aspasia who was born in 470 BC, but all
of us would readily recognize the names of two of her pupils. She
established a school of philosophy and rhetoric in Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “Rather than seeking to become well-known,
it is far better that a person cultivate the character qualities that
would make them worthy of being known.”
Striving to be remembered is a pointless and useless pursuit.
Making a contribution is
what matters.
Practicing our creativity is
what provides value to our lives.
There is an
interesting story about an auto mechanic that came to work every day
with one goal in mind. His single driving desire was to be the finest
mechanic in the world for God.
Consistently, however, he was passed over for raises.
He was ridiculed by the other mechanics in the shop for not being
a team-player after work hours.
He did not socialize with the others at the local pub before
going home. His faith took
him in other directions. Eventually the
other mechanics learned of his value and privately came to him with
mechanical problems they could not diagnose.
Always, he willingly took the time not only to help them but he
also watched them as they followed through.
Again, often they took the credit for making those complicated
repairs. After years of
being part of what had become a highly successful business operation, he
was summoned to the owner’s office that was in another building.
The owner said, Eric, I have wanted
to talk to you for some time.
Our company has never had to advertise our services because of
you. When cars leave our shop,
they are fixed. Our
call backs are almost
non-existent. Word of mouth is always the best advertisement any company
can have. You come to work
early and you leave late. I
have visited your work area.
It is kept neat and organized.
I also noticed that you surround yourself with the best auto
repair references as well as books on public relations.
You know about Best
Practices. I am planning to retire soon and I would like you to
become the new owner of my company. Eric sat there
shocked by this unexpected news. “Thank you, sir,” he said.
“I appreciate the confidence that you have in me, but I have very
little money. I would not
be able to buy your business.” The
owner said, “I am not interested in selling our business to you.
I’ve made a lot of money, Eric.
I want to give you the company.
I wanted to give it to someone who will care about it and care
about the people who work here as well as our customers.” If we change a
number of the symbols in this story, we see the same formula at work as
we find in the Joseph story in the Book of Genesis.
Joseph always brought his best
to every task because he felt that God had a purpose for everything he
experienced, even when he was falsely accused and put into prison.
Eventually, he became the second in command of There are a lot of
nobodies
in the world.
However, people become
somebodies when they become of value to everyone else.
Moses’ leadership skills evolved in a fairly short period of
time. The Centurion had
already communicated his value by befriending the Jews.
He expressed his compassion for them by building them a synagogue
with his own money. Jesus
found his faith and understanding second to none in When we realize
that we are equipped with the same spiritual qualities as God, all of us
are able to communicate value simply by polishing our attitudes and
giving ourselves to what we enjoy creating.
Those that drop the ball
and struggle to find validation, recognition and approval are those that
pay too much attention to the reflections of the world.
I will conclude
with a poem that summarizes in a few verses what has taken me twenty
minutes to say: I
would rather see a sermon
than hear one any day. I
would rather one walk with me than merely tell me the way.
The eye is a better student and more willing than the ear; fine
counsel can be confusing, but example is always clear.
I can soon learn how to do it, if I only see it done; I can watch
your life in action, while you’re serious or having fun.
The greatest of all my friends are the ones who live their
creeds; for to see the good in action, is what everybody needs. |