Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
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Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2007

Grace Church of Burlington March 25, 2007 "To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one's own, is ever the beginning of one's real ethical development."  Felix Adler                                                             When Joe arrived at the Pearly Gates there was hardly any line and he didn't have to wait more than a minute before his interview. Naturally, he was a little nervous about getting through the gates and into the heavenly city. Very quickly he found himself standing before an impressive Angelic Being with a clipboard, who started getting his entry data down. After name, address, and a few other particulars, the Angelic Being said, "Joe, it would help the process if you could share with me some experience from your life on earth when you did a purely unselfish, kindly deed." Well, Joe thought about it for a minute and then said, "Oh, yes. I think I have something you might be interested in. One day I was walking along and I came upon a little old lady who was being mercilessly beaten up by a big motor cycle gang type of fellow. He was smacking her back and forth. Well, I just stepped right up and first I pushed over his motorcycle – just to distract his attention. And then I kicked him real hard in the shins and told the old lady to run for help. And then I hauled off and gave the guy a great shot right to the gut with my fist."             The angel looked at Joe with a great deal of interest and said, "Wow, that's quite a story. I'm very impressed." Then taking his clipboard in hand he said, "Could you tell me just when this happened?" Joe looked at his watch and said, "Oh, about three minutes ago."             Intervening and sticking up for others does not always require such self-sacrificial action, but it does take some sacrifice to stand up for someone else. While most of us will intervene or at the very least, call the police, if someone is being physically brutalized, we somehow do not consider it as serious when someone is being verbally brutalized. When a coworker, neighbor or fellow-believer is being gossiped about and verbally trashed, you risk having the tables turned and the backbiter starting in on you, if you take a stand. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a full verbal assault that you have countered. Many do their greatest damage to someone else by little digs and negative comments.  And if we question the negative verbage, we often risk the punishment of not "fitting in" ourselves by saying something when another person is being condemned. I'm glad Joe was willing to take the side of that elderly woman, even at great personal risk. I am sure you would have been willing  to stick  up for  her as well.  But what about the times when another is being slashed from behind, belittled, demeaned or verbally assaulted by a venomous tongue. There really is not near as much at risk...but would you still be so brave?             If anyone should make a stand for righteousness, it should be Christians. If anyone should be willing to take a risk, it should be Christians. Unfortunately, we do not take sins of the tongue seriously. And worse, when someone makes a verbal charge or trashes someone else’s reputation, we are inclined to believe the worst. Not only do we believe what has been said, frequently we repeat it without having it substantiated. As Christians, we need to think the best and give people the benefit of doubt...just like we would want them to do for us. We need to ask questions like: How do you know that is true? Have you spoken to that person? Do you have their side of the story? I love how one wise Kindergarten teacher handled rumors. This discerning teacher sent a note home at the beginning of the year that said, “I won’t believe all that your children say happens at home if you won’t believe all that your children say happens at school.”             Most of us have been the victim of a gossip who told half-truths about us. Remember how much it hurt next time you hear someone gossiping and choose not to be part of the trashing of another image-bearer of God. May we take seriously Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”