Fasting & Feasting for Lent,
Part 4
Sermon Notes
Saturday, March 21, 2009 & Sunday, March
22, 2009
Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor
(480)
895-8766
James 2:14-17 NRSV
14What good is it, my
brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked
and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace;
keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs,
what is the good of that? 17So
faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
1 John 3:17-18 NRSV
17How does God’s love abide
in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and
yet refuses help? 18Little children,
let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
A.
Introduction
1.
Father O’Malley and the Mugger
a. Father O’Malley was taking some
medicine to a sick woman who lived in a poor part of town. As the good cleric walked he puffed on a
cigar. Enjoying a good cigar was Father
O’Malley’s only vice. Out of the shadows
stepped a man with a gun. He gruffly
said, “Give me your money.” Father
O’Malley opened up his long winter coat to get his wallet. At that point the mugger noticed O’Malley’s
clergy collar and said, “Keep your money, I don’t
steal from no priest.”
b. The kindly father replied, “Lad, put
your gun away.” The priest then pulled
out a second cigar and said to the man, “Let’s sit down here on the bench,
enjoy a cigar, and talk.” The man shook
his head and replied, “No thanks. I’ve
given up smokes for Lent.” Father
O’Malley then said, “Son, I think you’re missing something here.”
2.
Fasting and Feasting for Lent
a. Often times at Lent I think we miss seeing
some things. We typically focus on what
we should give up or not do. We don’t
think of Lent as a season for doing positive things and being more loving to
other people. Further, what we want to
give up is too often a trivial thing. We
avoid the deeper issues of our attitudes, behaviors, and our treatment of our
fellow human beings. To Jesus loving God
and others is the most important thing. (See:
Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31 & Luke 10:25-37)
b.
For these reasons, I’ve come to consider Lent a time of both fasting and feasting.
And most especially a time to fast from negative hurtful things and a
time to feast on sharing Jesus’ love with others. So this year I encourage all of us to do both
fasting and feasting for Lent! Today, I
lift up another negative conduct to “fast from” and a positive behavior to “feast
on.”
C.
Fast from Idle Talk and Feast on Positive Action!
1. Peanuts Comic Strip
a.
In the Peanuts Comic Strip, Snoopy the little beagle is outside
shivering in the snow. Charlie Brown and
Linus are, also, outside, but they are all bundled up
in warm winter clothing. They see
Snoopy. Charlie Brown says, “Snoopy
looks kind of cold, doesn’t he?” Linus replies, “I’ll say he does. Maybe we’d better go over and comfort
him.” They go over to where Snoopy
is. Charlie Brown says, “Be of good
cheer, Snoopy.” “Yes,” Linus says, “be of good cheer.” And then they leave the still shivering dog
in the snow.
b.
Charles Schulz knew the LETTER FROM JAMES, for this is almost a
paraphrase of today's Scripture. Too
often we talk a good line at Church, but what are we actually doing to help
others in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ?
Is your faith dead or alive?
2. Almost
a.
The Reverend Mortimer gave this report at Pastor’s School: “How’s your Church? At
b.
Were your toes stepped on in this story? How do you rate as a disciple of Jesus? Have you moved from idle talk to positive
action? The needs are huge. We can give up soft drinks and that might be
good. But would it not please Jesus more
if we shared His love with others?
3. World Table of Ten
Children (from book: “Bread for the
World” by Arthur Simon)
a.
If the world were a table of 10 children, what would it look
like? Three of the children would be the
healthiest and they would have the largest portions of foods. They would have most of the red meat, fish,
milk and eggs. They would have all the
food they want and more. They would have
lots of leftovers. At least one of these
kids would be overweight. Two of the
children would have enough food to meet their basic daily requirements. The next three children would have to
scramble to find enough food to eat.
Mostly they get rice, broth and bread.
Malnutrition would make them sickly, nervous, and apathetic. The last two kids get only crumbs. Both of them will die. Perhaps they will die directly from hunger, but
more likely they will die of dysentery or pneumonia.
b.
I share this not simply to give us a guilt trip. I share it not to join the radical extreme,
which blames
4. Child Missionary
a.
The Guideposts Magazine carried a story about someone who
believes in positive action. Lisa-Anne Furgal wanted to do something for Kimberly House an unwed
mothers’ home in
b.
You too can do something to make the world a better place. Dear friends,
“let us
love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 John 3:18
NRSV) This Lent, may you and I stop the pious
talk about God’s love and actually do some affirming and kind deeds in the name
of Jesus for our fellow human beings.
D.
Conclusion: This Lent…
Fast from Idle Talk and Feast on Positive Action!
Fasting
and Feasting for Lent,
Part 4
Fast
from Idle Talk
and Feast on Positive Action!
James 2:14-17 NRSV
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say
you have faith but do not have works?
Can faith save you? 15If
a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you
says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not
supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no
works, is dead.
1 John 3:17-18 NRSV
17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the
world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18Little children, let us love,
not in word or speech, but in truth and action.