Word for Today: "Barbecued Sermon?"
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Sowing Seeds of Faith... wrote:
>Sowing Seeds of Faith…
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>“Barbecued Sermon?” Larry Davies
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>In 1971, a roadside food-stand opened near Williamsburg, Virginia called Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Cue. This so-called restaurant was nothing more than a shack with an order window. Only one meal was served: barbecue on a bun, with coleslaw or without, plus French fries and a drink. No one complained because Pierce’s Pitt simply served the best barbecue in the world. Their meat was slow-cooked in a special pit behind the store and mixed in a tomato sauce that can only be described as… heavenly. Truckers from Florida to New York spread the word on their CB radios and the rest is history.
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>Several years later the two-lane highway became four and a wire fence was erected cutting off Pierce’s Pit Bar-B-Cue but by now, it made no difference. Cars and trucks by the dozen simply stopped along the side of the road while people scaled the fence to walk over and place their order. Later an exit ramp was built nearby partly because of the traffic jams caused by this little food-stand.
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>Over the last thirty years, the roadside stand became a full service restaurant and the surrounding area is now full of outlet stores, hotels, full service restaurants, Christmas shops and many other attractions in addition to nearby Colonial Williamsburg. Was the success of Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Cue the only reason why all the change occurred? Of course not… but it is an interesting part of the story.
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>Why am I telling you this? Because I discovered Pierce’s Pitt in 1971 while traveling from home to college. I was one of those nuts who parked a car on the side of the road to climb the fence and place an order. At least once a year, I still visit the Williamsburg area and you can bet that I will find an excuse to eat one of those delicious barbecue sandwiches. Are you getting hungry yet?
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>Also in 1971, I preached my very first sermon in church. Now don’t get any ideas. I was not yet a minister. You may wonder if I was even born in 1971 because I look so young. (Please don’t answer. Let me enjoy the fantasy.) Actually, I was in my first year of college and not doing well. I was lonely, homesick and scared. Grades were terrible and I was worried about telling mom and dad. One night, there was a call from the pastor of our church asking me to preach in December for youth Sunday.
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>His invitation changed my whole outlook. Never once, had I seriously imagined myself standing in a pulpit. Preachers were people to admire but me actually preaching? Never! Suddenly my life had meaning again. The library rather than the local tavern became my next stop that night in order to research a topic. Within days there were seven pages of notes in my folder. I was ready.
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>On the big day, I wore my finest (and only) suit. The service seemed to last forever before finally coming to my part. When the big moment came, I confidently strode to the pulpit area, laid out my notes and began to speak. There was so much to say… my hopes and dreams. What a real church should and could be. Was it me or did time fly? I finished, sat down, looked at my watch and gasped. It was only 11:30. My entire sermon lasted six minutes… six minutes. It was probably the shortest worship service ever. People still remember how early they got out of church one day, because of me.
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>Many years would go by before I would again stand in the pulpit. I never had any intention of becoming a preacher. Looking back, however, I’ve discovered that every experience along the way was crafted by God to shape and mold me toward ministry. The encouragement of a church and pastor who believed in me was an invaluable aid toward shaping my future. I will always be grateful.
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>In 1971, I had a lot in common with a little roadside stand, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Cue. We were both just beginning and our future success depended upon so many factors. Looking back, I realize the reason we are both still around is because of the support we received along the way. Maybe this is why I encourage youth to become a visible part of our worship so they too can play a role in someone’s life.
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>“Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) Do you see the promise that God is in control? Our part as followers of Christ is to be a source of encouragement along the way whether the road leads to the pulpit or to a barbecue pit.
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Dear friends,
I can add my own testimony that God works in our lives like a tapestry,
winding and weaving through the events of our lives, good and bad alike.
God has used my poor choices to teach me - both about making better
choices and also about the extent of His love and forgiveness.
God has used my good choices (which are made only by and through His
Spirit) to advance His Kingdom and to allow me to share in His work.
Apart from Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us, our deeds are like filthy
rags, ugly, smelly, and not of much worth at all - and those are our
best deeds.
Yet the opposite extreme is that through God, all things are possible.
Repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the phases
"all things are possible with God" and nothing is impossible with God"
are found.
John 15 asserts that Jesus Christ is the vine and we are His branches.
When we remain in Him we bear much fruit. Our branches are often pruned
and cut off, not to mistreat us, but to cause the vine to be fruitful.
Good farmers know when to prune their produce. So it is with us. God
knows how to refine us, after all, He made us.
Therefore, if you want to enjoy a barbecue pit instead of your life
being "the pits", deliberately and consciously surrender your own
agenda, your entire will, to the will of God. At times, that may be
uncomfortable, and for those to whom this is a new thing, it might be
scary, too.
But God is a good God. Even if He takes us through tough stuff, He makes
it all worth it in the end. Read the last few chapters of the book of
Revelation if you doubt me.
Know how it SEEMS that bad people seem to get ahead at times? Well, what
little reward they have, they get now. Revelation 16-20 describe payback
time. The concluding chapters (21 and 22) describe "a new Jerusalem",
which is the land that God will create to replace the earth as we know
it. That place will be the place of glory, where there is no more pain,
no more sorrow, no more tears. It is a place of triumph, final victory,
which Jesus Christ will share in glory with His bride, the church.
Who are the church? The church are those who genuinely realize that they
are sinners without excuse, who realize that they need help, they need a
Savior. Further, they are those who realize, and trust that Jesus IS
that Savior. They are those who trust their entire existence to Him, and
desire to live for Him.
To these are the inheritance spoken in Revelation 21 and 22. Do you want
to be a part of that, or are you going to ignore that, and instead face
a scary Great White Throne judgment and eternal separation from God -
plus that lake of fire that people are afraid to talk about?
I want to share in glory with Christ, and I want you to as well. Do you
know for certain that you have a home reserved for you in heaven? Do you
realize that you cannot get to heaven by anything you DO? Heaven is a
gift, freely offered because of the loving and willing sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. It is not complicated to have it, for gifts are not
complicated. It takes accepting that simplicity - that I am a sinner
without excuse, and that I am made whole, not by anything that I can
ever do, but by the purifying sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on my
behalf - and yours - if you will accept it.
Read Ephesians 2:8-10, and you will see that we ought to live lives,
doing good for others - but NOT as an entry way into heaven, rather as
evidence of what we believe and as acts of gratitude to our Savior,
Jesus Christ. For in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28.
Yours in Christ,
--
Brian Masinick
masinick at yahoo dot com