– Henry Van Dyke
A couple of Sundays ago I added a little "show-and-tell" to my sermon....complete with "props". I'm sure my congregation was at least a little curious as to why I had a 3-foot-long oak tree branch resting on the pulpit on that particular morning. I actually used it to make an illustration about rebirth, regeneration and the Spring season.
Of course....to make the illustration properly, I had to do a little botanical research on the budding process for trees. What I found out was even more amazing than I first thought. The small, emerging buds that we see on trees in early spring - like the ones on my oak limb sample - actually develop at the end of the previous summer. The tree forms these buds when the days are still long and there's plenty of sun. It then covers the buds with "scales" (looks sortof like bark) and insulates the buds throughout fall and winter.....until the days start to lengthen again and there is ample sunlight. As the sun grows warmer and the days longer (in Spring) the bud gets restless and the scales begin to drop off. Perhaps we don't notice all of the true miracles that happen around us....all the time.
I thought about a story I once heard. A wise king was wrestling with his Christian faith and belief. "If I could just witness a miracle", he said to himself, then I could finally belief that God exists and moves within humanity. Troubled....almost obsessed.....by these thoughts, he finally consulted his wisest counsel. To the king's delight, his wise sage informed him that God had given the old wise man the ability to grant the king a miracle. Eager to finally witness this long-awaited miracle, the king hung on every word of his trusted counsel. The wise gentleman instructed the king to plant four acorns in separate locations around the perimeter of a small, crystal clear pool. After planting the acorns the king was instructed to gaze into the crystal clear pool, for only a second, and then look up. When the king did, he was gazing up at four magnificent, mature oak trees. "Wow!" he shouted. "That is truly a miracle!" In just seconds, four acorns turned into four beautiful oak trees. Amazing". The wise man, with a slightly troubled look on his face, explained to the king that the "split second" was actually 80 years....a little trick necessary so that the king could see the miracle unfold. Sure enough, the king gazed back down into the crystal-clear pond and his reflection revealed a wrinkled face and stringy gray/white hair. Although the king's condition was temporary....he had learned a valuable lesson. Just because it took over 80 years for an acorn to become a mature oak tree....the process in no less a miracle.
At some point in your lives, I think we've all been like that king. When things are falling apart around us....we find ourselves almost shouting...."where is God in all of this?" "Does God even care about this little drama called 'my life'"? And then....God shows up. If it's still a little hard to believe, just spend some time outside during the next two months. God...is....here.
Springtime is all about rebirth, regeneration....resurrection. It reminds all Christians that regeneration is the way God begins His work in us, and it explains why each Christian is a new creation in Christ.
The New Testament is full of imagery of rebirth. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nichodemus that unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Then in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul reminds us (as he does several times) that in Christ, we are new creations. And then in 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter shares with readers a "new birth into a living hope". Even though Peter wrote this letter during a time of intense Christian persecution - at the hands of Nero - his words brought hope, promise and optimism to his fledgling Christian readers. We get a sense that Peter knew the persecution would spread and continue....and so his letters encouraged Christians to remain strong.
Peter's letter is clear that it is the Holy Spirit who grants us a new birth (1 Peter 1:3) and that the miracle of rebirth is nothing we can do for ourselves. Peter also explains that, as Christians, our "living hope" and outpouring of brotherly love is a directly result from the "seed of God" planted within our hearts as part of the regeneration process.
While preparing for this sermon on rebirth and regeneration, I ran into an article, written by columnist Beverly Beckham, that originally ran in the April 24, 2011 edition of the Boston Globe. Beverly's article is a powerful and moving reminder of the miracle of rebirth. A link to the article is below. Enjoy!
Article: "With spring, a rebirth of hope"
Audio Sermon: The Miracle of Regeneration
Sermon Notes: The Miracle of Regeneration
No comments:
Post a Comment