In Praise of Pillars

In Praise of Pillars!

Sermon Notes for Remembrance & Commitment Sunday

March 2, 2008

Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church

9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248

(480) 895-8766

II Thessalonians 2:13-17 NRSV

¹³But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

A. Introduction

1. Pillar of the Church

a. Earl had lived in the small southern town for more than twenty years. He was active in the town’s Community Church and had held most of the important offices in the congregation. Still he felt often the outsider and complained to his wife, Marge, “They just don’t respect me as one of the ‘pillars of the Church.’” Then one Sunday Earl and Marge’s grandson was visiting and came to Church with his grandparents. The boy got sleepy and lay down on the pew with his head resting on Earl’s ample lap. Soon the boy was happily snoring away through the parson’s sermon. People smiled and giggled.

b. As they were having coffee and cookies in the Fellowship Hall, Marge said this: “Well Earl, after today’s scene I guess everybody knows that you truly are a ‘pillar’ of the Church!” Now that’s not exactly what I had in mind when I entitled this sermon: “In Praise of Pillars.”

2. J.E.B. Stuart

a. In a stately antebellum mansion in the Shenandoah Valley there hangs a painting of the confederate General J.E.B. Stewart. The portrait was evidently given to a friend, for across one corner of the painting is a message written in Stuart’s own handwriting. The message says, “Yours to count on. J.E.B Stuart.”

b. Now I may not like the cause that Stuart supported, but I like the saying on his portrait: “Yours to count on!” All of us have known people that we could count on in our lives. People who lived what Jesus taught and who could truly be called the “pillars of the Church.” People to whom we like Paul would say, “We must always give thanks to God for you.” (II Thessalonians 2:13a) It is in praise of these “pillars of the faith” that I give this Sunday morning sermon.

B. “Pillars of the Faith” call us to stand firm in our faith.

1. Hedgpeth Clan

a. My great-grandfather and great-grandmother Lewis and Margaret Hedgpeth lived in California. My great-grandfather was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1875 he volunteered for “missionary” service and was appointed to the newly established Church in Phoenix in the Arizona Territory. This Church is known today as Central United Methodist Church. Great-grandfather, also, served the Prescott Church, Camp Verde, Tempe, and was a Presiding Elder which is the equivalent of a District Superintendent today. My great-grandparents faithfully served Churches in what was then the still rough and wild Arizona Territory. And unlike most of the other early Methodists, who came as missionaries to the territory and then left, the Hedgpeth clan stayed.

b. They had ten children. My grandfather John Hedgpeth was born in 1883 in Phoenix, Arizona. My grandfather was a man of faith. In college he played football and was known as the “fighting parson.” He joined the Arizona National Guard and helped secure the border against the incursions of Pancho Villa. Grandpa went active duty in the army during World War I and served as a sergeant in the medical corps. His assignment was stateside and he was stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor in Kentucky. There he met my grandmother Edna Beeler and they were married in 1919. He was 36 and she was 37. Grandmother’s mother died when grandma was only 2 years old and she had been raised by “maiden aunts” so this was quite a step of faith to marry an Arizona man and then travel from green Kentucky to the new desert state of Arizona. But by faith she came and he returned to his beloved home state. It was not easy. They eventually bought 20 acres of land and started a dairy farm. In 1924 they had their only child, my mother, Virginia. They survived the great depression, and they survived Arizona without air conditioning or even swamp coolers. They were a hearty lot. And they were people of faith. They continued to worship in the Methodist Churches that great-grandfather had helped organize, and they help start a Church in their part of the Valley of the Sun. And most importantly to me, they lived the Christian life. They were good honest people, who passed the faith to their children and grand-children. For this I thank them.

2. Scripture: II Thessalonians 2:15

a. Today’s Scripture lesson says, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.” (II Thessalonians 2:15 NRSV)

b. Today we honor faithful loved ones like my grandparents and great-grandparents, who have gone before. Some of them were famous, most were not. However, we remember their faithfulness to God, their Church, their families, and their country. We remember how these “Pillars” stood “firm in the faith.” Today, we honor our members and friends who have passed away in the last year and a half.

C. “Pillars of the Faith” encourage us to hold fast

in spite of personal difficulties.

1. Fanny J. Crosby

a. “Pillars of Faith” are not only faithful, they are faithful even when circumstances and life are difficult. Most of us enjoy the songs of Fanny J. Crosby. She was the writer of some of our most loved songs in the Hymnal. Most people know that she was blind when she wrote all those positive and faith filled hymns. What you may not know is that she was not born blind. She was blinded for life by the blunder of a medical doctor.

b. Many would become bitter or lose their faith. Not Fanny Crosby. Remember the words of her songs. I share a selected sample here: “Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my guide? Gives me grace for every trial, Feeds me with the living bread. For I know whatever befalls me, Jesus doeth all things well.” (From: All the Way My Savior Leads Me) “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. I in my Savior am happy and blest. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.” (From: Blessed Assurance)

2. Scripture: I Peter 4:12-13

a. Today, we honor folks who were faithful, even when it was not easy because of circumstances, illness, or whatever negative life brought them. They trusted in God.

b. They lived and believed what Peter said, “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” (I Peter 4:12-13 TMB) We are to do the same.

D. “Pillars of the Faith” remind us to do

as Jesus did and said, and love others.

1. The Doctor and the Hippie (From a Sermon by Chuck Swindoll)

a. Chuck Swindoll tells a story about an incident that happened back in the 1970’s. A young man stumbled into the Church Rev. Swindoll was serving one Sunday morning. His hair was long and uncombed. He had not shaved nor bathed for several days and he stunk. The fellow had been living on potato chips, beer and drugs. With a dazed look in his eyes, he slowly walked down the center isle of the packed Sanctuary. No one wanted to move, or give him a seat, and several people were rude. Then one of the “pillars of the Church” a medical doctor stepped out of his pew and invited the young man to sit next to him. The young adult did so. After awhile he looked around and said, “What kind of a place is this?” The doctor replied, “This is a Church.” The young man said, “This is a scary place, isn’t it?” What do people do in here anyway?” Thoughtfully the doctor answered, “Well people come here who are hurting, to get their lives back together.” The fellow pointed to the pulpit and asked, “What do the do on that box?” The doctor shared, “The minister stands there and talks to us.” The young man asked, “What does he say?” the doctor said, “Wait a minute and you will hear him.”

b. The young man did stay and listen. Because of the love and care of that doctor and others the young man became a part of that worshiping congregation. They helped him get into a 12 step program, he made a profession of faith to the real higher power, Jesus Christ, was baptized, and became a member of the Church. Later this young man went to college and then seminary. Today, he is a pastor. And at the time Chuck Swindoll told the story he could say, “Now, that young man is the pastor to my son and his family. That is so wonderful that I can hardly believe it! It has come full circle! The young man who walked into our Church that Sunday morning is now the pastor to my grandchildren!”

2. Scripture: II Thessalonians 2:16-17 & John 15:12

a. Today, we rejoice in the “Pillars of the Faith” who not only talked about faith, but lived it. They understood today’s Scripture, II Thessalonians 2:16-17 where we are reminded of God’s love for us, all the blessings that God gives us, and are called to respond by speaking kindly and doing good for others. This day, we remember faithful Christians who showed each of us love, and by their example demonstrated the love of Jesus to the world.

b. “Faithful “Pillars” remind us that we are to do what Jesus said: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NRSV) This is not an option. These words of Jesus are more than a happy saying to make us feel good. They are a call to action and words to actually live by. May we head Jesus’ call and follow the example of the faithful “Pillars” in our lives by truly loving others.

E. Conclusion: Recap

1. “Pillars of the Faith” call us to stand firm in our faith.

2. “Pillars of the Faith” encourage us to hold fast in spite of personal difficulties.

3. “Pillars of the Faith” remind us to do as Jesus did and said, and love others.

II Thessalonians 2:13-17 NRSV

In Praise of Pillars!

1. “Pillars of the Faith” call us to stand firm in our faith.

2. “Pillars of the Faith” encourage us

to hold fast in spite of personal difficulties.

3. “Pillars of the Faith” remind us

to do as Jesus did and said, and love others.