Sermons

Consider the domestic camel.  When used as a beast of burden, there is only one way to load it up.  It has to get down onto its knees so that its master can place its burden upon it.   A camel has to get down onto its knees before it can begin its work for the day.  Then, when the day is done, it has to get down onto its knees to have the load taken off of it.  A camel has to kneel when its work day begins and when its work day ends; That is the only posture a camel can handle.  It can't roll onto its side.  It can't just stay standing to receive its load.  It has to kneel.  That is part of being a camel.

Consider the average Christian.   The average Christian begins each day like everyone else, receiving the load of burdens that has to be carried through the day.  The Christian lives through the day much like everyone else, living with the problems, the responsibilities and the cares that each of us have to face.  Yet, the Christian is different from everybody else.  The Christian is offered a wonderful privilege by God.  The Christian is offered the privilege of praying in Jesus' name.  The Christian can get down onto his or her knees as the day begins to get ready for the burdens of the day.  The Christian can get down onto those knees again as the day ends to have those burdens lifted again.  The Christian prays.   Prayer is a part of being a child of God.  Our Gospel lesson this morning tells us that we should pray, and we should pray boldly.  As children of God, Jesus helps us to pray boldly!

In some ways, one of the easiest things in the world to do is to love.  It can be easy to love the person who flatters you, or at least to love that person’s flattery.  It can be easy to love the person who is nice to you and good to you and watches out for you.  It can be easy to love the person who showers you with gifts and makes you feel worthwhile just because of the attention you are getting.  It doesn't matter:  If you stand to gain a whole lot of personal points out of a relationship, love is not a hard thing at all.  But that is not love.  That is selfishness.  Real Christian love is something altogether different.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, a certain expert on the Law heard what it means to have the right kind of love.  He learned about a real and a meaningful kind of love in answer to his question,  "What must I do to inherit eternal life?".  Real love is only something that shows itself when you share it unselfishly with others.  That is what Jesus tells us in our parable this morning: Real love shows itself in service.  Real love shows itself when we serve God!