1Peter2 2325 2006
12/2/2006
Text: 1 Peter 2:23-25; Isa 53:5
Isaiah 53:5- But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
1 Peter 2:23-25- 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
In twenty two days we will celebrate Christmas. All the presents will be opened. All the hard work of finding the right gift, and carefully wrapping it will be undone in just a few minutes. Some gifts will be good others will be so-so. Then families will settle down to relax, while they wait for Christmas dinner or the arrival of other family members. Yep, in another 22 days Christmas will be over.
I hope for most of us Christmas will be more than just this. I hope Christmas will also be a time of reflecting on the message of God in Christ. Every year at this time thousands of Baptist churches begin the season of Advent and Christmas with their annual missions offering. In fact, for many Baptist’s Advent and Christmas would not be Advent and Christmas unless there was a mission’s offering. It is a time of giving extra so that others may have the opportunity to go and share the love of Christ with those who have not yet heard. It is a time of giving extra so that those in need can at least get the basics in order to be able to live for another day. Because of the sacrifice and generosity of so many people, men and women around the world are able to take the message of Christ to those in need.
This year’s theme for the missions offering is Famished lands… The Great Physician. The theme recognizes that there is a famine in our world. Not just a famine related to food but also a growing famine related to God. People are in desperate need of knowing that there is a God who loves them. A God who is reaching out to bring hope and healing to broken spirits and souls. So many people in our world are in need of being fed, not only physically but also spiritually. They will not be fed unless the people of God are willing to give extra to help send men and women to those in need.
In many parts of the world life in rural villages is not that much different from life in Jesus’ day. In Africa, grain is still hand-shifted from the chaff. People in villages and towns of India draw water in jars. In rural China today, roads are primarily footpaths.
Jesus traveled the dusty roads of his world. As he went, he served in rural and urban areas, offering the Good News for the spiritually famished, and healing the palsied, the blind, the deaf, the mentally sick, and society’s outcasts. In every respect, he was the Great Physician.
Two thousand years later, people in every part of our world still need his healing touch. Meeting these crying needs remains our mission. We are not exempt from following in the steps of Jesus and doing what he did- meeting people’s needs and showing them that God really loves them and desires to bring healing and wholeness to them.
Brenda Lisenby saw the need for Christ’s intervention in the upturned face of Hua Zai (pronounced Wah Zai), age 5. At Angel House, a rehabilitation and education center in China’s Nanning City, this lively little boy is one of 20 children with cerebral palsy. Last, year, when his beleaguered parents left him at Angel House, he could not sit up without their help. Today, Hua Zai sits unassisted, stands and walks. The Great Physician is there. Because God’s people give Chinese children and their families are experiencing the care and the undeniable power of God’s love.
The plight of outcasts weighed heavily on Jesus’ heart the day he healed ten lepers. His touch became their entry back into society. With joy, Eddie and Macarena Aldape reach out to the Banjara people in their area and to tsunami survivors in the South Indian state Tamil Nadu. Through the generous support of people the Cuddalore Medical Clinic allows the Aldape’s to bring friendship, hope and medical attention to people still affected by the tsunami disaster two years later. At the same time, they are ministering to the Banjara people. “Are the Banjara being neglected?” Eddie asks rhetorically. “They are not even noticed.” With the help of the Aldape’s the Banjara are being reached in the name of Jesus.
Jesus told his disciple’s to offer a cup of water in his name. Clean water is something we take for granted. For many clean water is a dream. Clean water pouring from the spigot of a newly drilled borehole is a source of hope and celebration for bush villagers in southern Africa. Through the generous giving of God’s people, the work of Fran and Lonnie Turner help provide the Water of Life, village by village. A reliable source of uncontaminated water can help vanquish the famine that faces millions in Africa today. Not only this but it also will bring potential healing from those otherwise plagued by guinea worm, cholera, typhoid, and a host of deadly, water related illnesses.
Caroline Smith works with volunteers in Johannesburg, South Africa. She remembers a day that she brought a cake and a bagful of books to a training session for NOAH volunteers. NOAH stands for Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity. It is an organization that meets the needs of more than 13,000 children in two provinces in South Africa. 5.5 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and 1,000 people die from the disease each day. Caroline and Josh Smith train volunteers and caregivers who are helping to fight his pandemic.
On the day Caroline showed up with a cake and bagful of books, a volunteer with a new grandson said it was a sign from God. Because Caroline had come with gifts, the grandmother insisted that Caroline name the new baby.
“This is a very poor family, but they still bring food to their neighbors and speak out against ignoring the poor, the widowed and the orphaned,” Caroline said. “I knew a child growing up in this family would learn to stand up against injustice, so I named the baby Amos, after the prophet.”
For the Smith’s, life in South Africa is about naming the good they see in the volunteers they work with each day. The Smiths serve as Global Service Corps and they are supported through the global missions offering.
These are just a few stories of the kind of work that is supported through the Global Missions Offering . As followers of Christ, those who serve in China, India and Africa carry out God’s work. They are being the presence of Christ to those they serve. They are only able to be there because people like us are willing to give up a few gifts for ourselves so that we may send others to go where we cannot go.
Our goal is just $1,000. It is not a large amount. It is more than doable if we take seriously the belief that we are called to give so that others may have the chance to go and serve. Each family in this church needs to decide how much they will give, above their regular giving, so that we can meet or exceed this goal.
Some familes can decide to give ten percent of the goal, which is just $100. Ten families alone would help us meet this goal.
Some familes could decide to take ten percent of what they will spend on all of their Christmas gifts and give that to the missions offering. This alone would more than likely help us to exceed our goal.
Some may not be in a position to give much due to reduced income but can give something, 25 or 50 dollars to help us meet the goal.
There is no reason that we cannot meet our regular budget needs plus to be able to give extra towards this important effort.
Tomorrow night at the Church at Missions meeting we will watch three video segments on other areas that will be supported by the Global Missions Offering. Surely many of us could give up a one hour to come, fellowship and watch these three segments so that we can hear and see where else God is working.