It's better to receive

Sermon given at Grace UMC 12/27/15

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Scripture Reading:

^NRS  John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

A young man growing up in the wrong part of Houston became a bully. He would get in fights in school, in the neighborhood, and began mugging people to get spending money. He even beat up people just for the sake of doing it. He learned to box, and became pretty good at it. He began to make a lot of money and could have almost anything he wanted. One day, during his training session for an upcoming bout, he heard his mom talking to his sister on the telephone about his favorite nephew. The young boy had had a seizure and now lay in a coma in the hospital. Doctors said he would probably die, but that if he came out of the coma he wouldn’t be able to move his limbs, or speak, or do any of the human functions we consider part of living. He ran into the room where his mom was on the phone and shouted, “Momma, call the hospital and tell those doctors to give him the best of everything. Tell them I’ll take care of all the bills, to fly in the best doctors from wherever they have to. Tell them who I am, and that I’ll take care of everything — whatever it costs.”

His mom spoke to the doctors, and then told him, “Son, you’re just going to have to pray.” He realized then how grave the situation was. When someone tells you the only thing you can do is pray, things are looking pretty bad. Then it hit him. All of his money, his fame, his influence, his friends — none of that could solve this problem. It was out of his hands, out of the doctor’s hands, out of everyone’s hands. For the first time, he was totally powerless.  And for the first time, George Foreman dropped to his knees and prayed.

He wasn’t sure God existed, but he knew that when all else failed, people prayed. He asked God, if he really existed, to help his nephew. Then he got back in bed. A few seconds later, he got back on his knees and offered to give up all his wealth if God would heal his nephew. Then he got back in bed again. A few seconds later he got back on his knees a third time and got angry at God for letting this happen to his nephew, a child who hadn’t experienced life yet. George told God to take his life instead. Let the boy live and take George’s life instead.

The next morning George’s sister called from the hospital. His nephew had woken up and could move his eyes, but the doctors said he wouldn’t ever walk again. She called later that day, and the boy had begun moving his toes. The next day the boy was talking, and a week later he was on his way home, “walking, talking, and back to normal.” The doctors had no logical explanation. But George Foreman knew God had just given him a miracle.

Three months later in March 1977, George Foreman died in his locker room after fighting Jimmy Young. He collapsed in a heap, and entered what he describes as “a deep, dark void, like a bottomless pit.” In his book, God in My Corner — A Spiritual Memoir, George wrote “I knew I was dead, and that this wasn’t heaven. I was terrified, knowing I had no way out. Sorrow beyond description engulfed my soul, more than anyone could ever imagine. If you multiplied every disturbing and frightening thought that you’ve ever had during your entire life, that wouldn’t come close to the panic I felt. …“ I screamed with every ounce of strength in me, ‘I don’t care if this is death. I still believe in God.’ “Instantly, what seemed to be like a giant hand reached down and snatched me out of the terrifying place. Immediately, I was back inside my body in the dressing room.”

George accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and devoted himself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He realized his human power, his money, and his prestige, were worthless in the next life, and meant to be used as tools to lead others to Jesus during this one. 

Today is the first Sunday of Christmas; a unique Sunday that does always stands between Christmas Day and Epiphany, the day when the Magi arrived to share gifts with Jesus. In the Orthodox world of Eastern Europe and Germany, many still give their gifts to one another on the 6^th of January, the day of Epiphany. Normally I preach an Epiphany message on the Sunday that falls closest to the 6^th and next week we will share a message of the Magi. But this week I wanted to talk with you about receiving. We spend most of the year focused on giving so I thought it fair to focus on the receiving end of Christmas for a Sunday. What does it mean to receive those gifts we were given. Some of them were thoughtful gifts given with love and care. Some of them were even homemade and the person who made them spent time preparing the gift so that we would enjoy it. The gifts that the Magi bring to Jesus are Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Gold is always welcome, worldwide. Frankincense and Myrrh are healing balms that people still use in many parts of the world to heal. We use here as an anointing oil from time to time.

Have you ever given thought to how you feel when you receive a gift? So much of the world has become expectant or even feels entitled that they are owed those things that they receive as gifts. When I was younger life was very different. Christmas meant usually one or two things of value, a stocking full of candy and apples and oranges. We were probably considered middle class in those days and felt pretty lucky to get what we did, when many of our classmates received much less. It made Christmas special in a way that cannot be explained to those who feel this sense of entitlement to receiving gifts at Christmas, whatever they ask for they expect to receive. But my story today reminds us that no matter where you fall on the spectrum of wealth, illness and even death care very little for that status. And so the young man who happens to be George Foreman, Heavy-weight champion of the world of his day, found out that even wealth could not buy what only God can give. Only prayer and belief can do that. So he did what needed to be done, not with any of his money because at those two moments in the story, the money was no good to anyone. He prayed and asked God into his heart.

I want to share with you a statistic that many would prefer not to hear. Since I arrived in June of 2011, I have officiated at 39 funerals, 30 of them members of this church. Now many of you will see that statistic as mournful and sad, some of you may even know many of the names in that number. I on the other hand see that as a gift that has been received by each and every one of them. The gift that George faced the night he was knocked into a different realm and discovered what eternity without God looked and felt like. That gift was given to us by the birth of the child whose birthday we celebrated on Christmas Day. God so loved the world that God gave us God, in the form of Jesus, that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. I have the pleasure of officiating at 25 professions of faith where people have publicly proclaimed their love of God, 25 persons whose future is a future of promise, joy and celebration. When we reflect on this season of Christmas and hear the story once again of the Magi visit next week, let us also reflect on the promise of eternal life given to us by this child, who grew into a man and gave His life on the cross for you and me. That is what this season is really all about you know. I love the song, Mary did you know, which shares the story of birth and gift. “Did you know, That your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered, Will soon deliver you.”

I have often been told and also have experienced it myself, that when we do something for someone else it makes us feel good. We receive when we give. But let us also appreciate what we receive when we receive it. God has given us a great gift. Let us rejoice in it.