|
|
 |
|
 Sunday, October 4, 2009 Sermon: "He Called My Name" Scripture: Hebrews 1: 1-4, 2: 5-12 Reverend Larry Gerber Cows with names are happy and productive, while anonymous cattle tend to be stressed and unproductive. This is why Jesus isn't ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. If you call a cow by name, she'll give you more milk. Show a little kindness and a personal touch, and she'll be more productive. A new study out of England, reported in USA Today, reveals that affectionate treatment of cattle -- including the giving of names to cows -- can increase the amount of milk they give. The average cow produces about 2,000 gallons of milk a year, but if you know her by name, she'll give you an extra 68 gallons. The new study in 2009 reveals what my Dad told me in 1954. We named all of our cows and called them by name. They were more content, produced more milk, and answered to their name. Researcher Catherine Douglas of Newcastle University says farmers have always believed that naming cows has a positive effect. But until now, there has never been any scientific evidence. Her study shows that if a cow isn't given individual attention, then it's likely to be uncomfortable around humans and become stressed. A stressed cow releases a hormone called cortisol, which inhibits milk production. But cow-friendly farmers name their cows and make contact with them from an early age. "They chat to them in passing," Douglas observes. "They walk among the cows and speak with them." When I walked among our cows and called for Buttercup, my very first cow, she would come through the herd in search of me. She knew her name and answered when called. Others answered to their name, such as Blacky, Bessy, Dynamite, Rosie, Sunflower, Daisy, Ginger, etc. We named them one by one and they came? A cow that's happy and calm is going to produce more milk. Naming a cow, combined with really understanding the animals and their behavior, is going to increase milk production. So cows that are known by name will be happy, calm and productive. Anonymous cattle are going to be stressed and unproductive. Makes sense, doesn't it? And God knows that the same applies to us. As the words to the old hymn "In the Garden" go: And he walks with me And he talks with me And he tells me I am his own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known. The letter to the Hebrews says that "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (1:1-2). God sent Jesus to walk among us and speak to us, to show us God's will and God's way by being in relationship with us. Jesus "is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word" (v. 3). That sounds a great deal like the first chapter of the gospel of John. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (1:1, 14). God has spoken to us by a Son. He sustains all things by his powerful word. The Word became flesh and lived among us. - Not distant, but with us. - Not silent, but speaking to us. - Not harsh, but full of grace and truth. Hebrews goes on to say that "the one who sanctifies" -- Jesus -- "and those who are sanctified" -- each of us -- "all have one Father." For this reason, Jesus isn't ashamed to call us brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you" (2:12). Today is world wide Communion Sunday. Every Christian church around the world is to remember him in the breaking of the bread and the giving of the cup. Christians around the world are recognizing the one who sanctifies and makes us whole. Jesus the Dairy Farmer Jesus loved to use images from rural life when he was teaching the public about the nature of the God kingdom. Just picture this down-to-earth and highly human Jesus, out in a field with us. He's a dairy farmer, walking among his cows, calling us brother and sister, and praising God in the middle of the endless herd of humanity. He's addressing us by name, showing us a little kindness and a human touch, and taking the time to get to know us and our odd and unpredictable behavior. Like cows, we have a wide range of personalities, from those who want to be first in line to those who insist on being last. Some fuss and fidget, while others are always calm. Within any given herd there's going to be a well-defined hierarchy, with one cow usually acting as the leader. Jesus understands this about us and grasps our distinctive identities. We don't often take the time to paint this picture of Jesus. More often, we think of him as our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Or, as historian and theologian Jaroslav Pelikan points out in his book Jesus Through the Centuries, we see Jesus as the Rabbi, the Cosmic Christ, the Monk Who Rules the World, the Universal Man, the Mirror of the Eternal, the Teacher of Common Sense, the Poet of the Spirit, or the Liberator. Never the Dairy Farmer. But there's something to be said for an image of Jesus as a farmer in the pasture with us. It's close to the biblical image of the shepherd, the one who "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." He goes ahead of them, says Jesus, "and the sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:3-4). This is the Christ who "for a little while was made lower than the angels," says the letter to the Hebrews (2:9), and who walked among us, making us happy and calm. This is all for our benefit, says Hebrews, "For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham" (v. 16). Remember the SS song: Count your many blessings name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God had done?Jesus counts us one by one Jesus comes to help us, like a farmer who cares for us and calls us by name, to make us more productive. "My Father is glorified by this," says Jesus, using a slightly different agricultural metaphor, "that you bear much fruit and become my disciples" (John 15:8). The question is: Are we giving it to him? Hebrews 13: 1-5 says that what we are to give to God includes mutual love for one another, hospitality to strangers, concern for prisoners, faithful marriage and a life "free from the love of money" (13:1-5). Better to be blessed than stressed We're going to be most productive for God when we are happy and calm, instead of stressed and uncomfortable. Jesus knows this. He knows that we are... - not going to bear much fruit if we are stressed about our salvation. - not going to give good milk if we feel guilty about not volunteering enough. - not going to do good work if we are uncomfortable about our theological knowledge. - not going to be very productive if we feel badly about not being green enough...or holy enough...or prophetic enough...or spiritual enough. You get the point. It's better to be blessed than stressed. And Jesus came to bless us, not stress us. Or, as John puts it, Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17). People who believe in Jesus aren't condemned, and this assurance of salvation should be enough to help us become happy, calm and productive disciples of Christ. What a difference it makes to know that Jesus loves us and cares for us. He isn't ashamed to call us brothers and sisters, and to walk with us, talk with us and tell us we are his own. But this leaves us with a challenge: to grow in our relationship with Jesus by really working at it, day after day after day. Jesus loves us exactly as we are...that's the good news. But he loves us too much to let us stay that way, and he wants us to grow in our relationship with him and become more productive. Like any good friendship, marriage or long-term relationship, we have to give it priority in our lives and really work at it, if it's going to be healthy, life-giving and fruitful. Sociologist Tony Campolo observes that when the saints of the church become deeply spiritual, they feel "a driving need to respond to the needs of others." So growing closer to Jesus actually makes us more productive as Christians. We have been placed under the care of Jesus the Christ, who, according to the writer of Hebrews, in these "last days" is the expression of God. The cows are placed under the care of the farmer who is the expression of the best production of milk. We are placed under his management and care of Jesus Christ. Our job is to produce for him. As the Holy Communion comes to you today, pick it up and listen as Jesus calls your name. Let him say: "Larry, this bread is for you. Larry, this cup is for you." Allow Jesus to say your name as you receive the elements. Jesus is calling all Christians around the world today to eat and drink in his name. The body of Christ given to you Sarah. The cup of Christ poured out for you Roger?and so forth. Be ready to receive and be ready to respond. God is calling you by name in order to receive a better production from you? Sources: Der Bedrosian, Jeanette. "Naming cows isn't udder nonsense." USA Today, February 5, 2009, 6D. Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus Through the Centuries. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985. |
