Dr. Robert V. Ozment served for many years as the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In one of his books, Love Is The Answer, he told about a lady he went to see in the hospital. She was very complimentary in the things she said about him. She said, "You are the best preacher I have ever heard. I've read some of your books, and you are a great author. You are the sweetest, kindest person in the world. You are a very handsome man." Just then her nurse came in and he started to leave. She walked over to the door and said, "Dr. Ozment, I don't know what she might have told you, but she is losing her mind, so don't believe any~ thing she said." And, Bob Ozment replied, "She carried on a perfectly grand conversation, and I believe every word she said."1

I do not know of anyone who has more kind things said about them than preachers. We receive far more compliments than we deserve. Most people just naturally love their preacher and will bend over backward to say something nice.

I know there have been many times during my ministry when I have not done a very good job on Sunday morning. But I do not ever remember any person ever coming out the door and saying to me, "Well, preacher today you were lousy." I have gone home feeling that way at times, but no one has ever said that to me.

I did have one member who used to say, "Preacher, that was a warm sermon you preached today." I would always thank him for that. It made me feel good. But, one day he told me, "A warm sermon is one that is not so hot!"

When Jesus left Nazareth where he had not been well received, he went on the road for a three-year tour of preaching, teaching, healing, helping, judging, forgiving, enabling, challenging, calling and lifting. He was well received in most places for a while. "The common people heard him gladly."

Mark tells us that in those early days of his ministry he was in the area of the Sea of Galilee. There he called Andrew, Simon, James and John to be disciples. Then they went into town there on the northern shore of the lake. The name of the town was Capernaum.

While there in Capernaum Jesus taught in the synagogue and astonished all who heard him with the things he said and did. That evening they went to the home of Simon where Jesus stayed while in Capernaum. As we look at the events which took place in that little town we get a glimpse of how Jesus carried out his entire ministry. I think we see there also the impact he makes upon our lives. Think about these things.

I

Jesus taught people from a higher level of authority. No one had ever heard words like those Jesus spoke. When Jesus and his new disciples went into Capernaum they went to the synagogue where he taught. Those who heard him were astonished at his teaching, for "he taught as one who had authority and not as the scribes."

No one had taught like this before. It was a new teaching above the Law and the prophets. It was the fulfillment of them both. The people had been hearing the Scripture read in the synagogue for a long time. They had heard all the commentaries. They knew the Scriptures backward and forward, from cover to cover. But Jesus brought them a new message for he personified what he said. He was the fulfillment of all that had gone before. He was the incarnation of God's Word. In him the word was made flesh.

That is always in every age one of the great needs of the church. We must find a way to personify what we believe. We must let the written word live in us. For you see, it does no good to know the word unless you let the word live. You can know the Bible backward and forward, but unless you live it unless you allow it to become incarnational - it does no good.

Henry David Thoreau said of the New Testament, "Most people favor it outwardly, defend it with bigotry and hardly ever read it." Even if we read it, that is not enough. We have to live it.

I have a Bible collection which contains many different translations, versions and languages, 55 in all. I have 55 Bibles. But the most important thing is to live by just one of them.

I once rode past a little church with a big sign out front advertising a singing on Saturday night. But the wind had blown off one of the letters and the sign read, "Gospel Sin ing Saturday Night." I bet they drew a crowd. There is a lot of gospel sinning that goes on people talking about the gospel, but never getting around to living it.

Years ago I said two things in a sermon one Sunday which one person really took seriously. One thing I said was, "Live - don't just exist." The other thing was, "Lift - don't lean." One of the young women in our church was struck by that. She wrote down those two ideas on her tennis shoes, one on the right and one on the left. She took those two thoughts home with her and she wore them to school the next week.

What might happen in your life and in the life of the church if we allowed the word to be written upon our hearts, if we allowed it to be incarnational? Then think about something else.

II

Jesus touched people with a higher level of compassion. No one had ever seen the things Jesus did. While teaching in the synagogue that day Jesus healed a man who had an unclean spirit. The people were amazed at what they saw. They said, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey them." It was a new teaching which produced compassionate action.

No one had ever shown this kind of compassion. He healed the sick, all who were brought to him. He did it not to attract attention, or to gain a reputation, or to make money or to have his own television show. He did it for one reason. He was moved with compassion.

Jesus touched people with a higher level of compassion. And in that he demonstrated the love of God. That is another thing he calls us to do. He calls us to cultivate in our lives this higher level of compassion - to demonstrate the love of God.

It does no good for us to talk about the love of God unless that love is a living reality in our lives. Sometimes the things we do demonstrate not the love of God, but the love of self - the love of status - the love of race - the love of class - the love of kith and kin and group. But Jesus always called people away from that to a deeper kind of love - to a higher level of compassion. He gave sight to the blind, food to the hungry, hope to the hopeless, forgiveness to the sinner and encouragement to the downtrodden. He entrusted that kind of ministry to his disciples and told them to do the same things.

That is our calling today - not to be people who talk about religion - who parade a false kind of goodness - but who demonstrate the love of God by reaching out to all God's children with a higher level of compassion.

I remember reading about a girl who lived in an orphanage. One day the lady in charge of her cabin saw her walk out to a fence by the road and place a piece of paper in a knothole in a tree. When the girl went back into her cabin the lady went out to the tree to find out what was on the paper. She took it out of the knothole and read these words, "To whoever finds this, I love you."

God sent his Son with those words written across his life. The Son sent his disciples with those words written across their lives. If you are a disciple then you must have those words written across your life. Then think about this.

III

Jesus took people to a higher level of service. No one had ever been challenged to a level of service like this before. When they left the synagogue that day Jesus and his disciples went to the home of Simon where they would stay. When they arrived they found Simon's wife's mother was sick. Jesus went into her, lifted her up, "and the fever left her; and she served them." No one had ever lifted people to that level of service. When this sick woman was made well she apparently served them a meal. But there is a greater implication here - a little hidden message. Surely Mark knew what he was doing when he wrote it this way. All the people touched by Jesus were lifted to a new level of service, a higher level.

When our lives are touched by Jesus he takes us to a new level of service. Faith always produces good works. The proof is always in the pudding.

A preacher friend of mine went to see a family who had recently visited his church. This couple said, "What does your church have to offer us?" He thought a minute and said, "I would like to know what you have to offer our church." That is always the question isn't it?

It is not what can I get out of church, but what can I put into it. It is not what does the church have to offer me, but what do I have to offer the church. It is not how can the church meet my needs, but what goal does my church need me to meet. It is not how high can you jump, but how straight can you walk. It is not the height of your enthusiasm, but the depth of your commitment.

I remember visiting a family years ago. They had been worshiping in our church for some time, but continued to keep the church at a safe distance. The young wife said, "We have thought about joining the church, but we are waiting for God to give us that good feeling you are supposed to have." I do not know why I did, but I said, "You have a long wait. God is not going to tell you when to join and you will never have that good feeling until you do. The good feeling comes as a result of commitment to Jesus Christ and dedication to his church. Then, and only then." They did make that commitment and joined the church. And a couple of Sundays later as they came out of church she said to me, "We have that good feeling now." Their lives had been lifted to a new level of service.

Jesus Christ will lift your life to a new level of service if you will dare let go of whatever it is that holds you back and reach out and take hold of his hand.

1. Ozment, Robert V., Love Is The Answer, Fleming H. Revel Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1967, P. 43.

Pastoral Prayer

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who has sent thy Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Word of life for us, so touch our hearts that we would be filled with thy love, and know the reality of the Living Word.

In this season, Father, as we think of the journey of our Lord, enable us to travel with him, watch with him, pray with him, that we would know the reality of his presence in the world and in our lives today.

Accept our worship, O God, for we have come to offer thee our adoration, our devotion and our lives. We recognize thee as the source of life, the creator of the universe who has created in us thine own image. We know thou hast called us to be thy people, thy children, brothers and sisters in the family of God. And so we join in worship, service and fellowship together. Bless us as we seek to be thy church.

We offer thee our thanksgiving, O God, for all thy bountiful blessings upon us. For thy goodness we thank thee. For all the gifts of home and church, friends and community, work and play, we thank thee O God.

Continue to bless us, Father, with the vision of what thou would have us do as a church. And give us the leadership of thy spirit.

Bless those of our church family and community who are sick and need the strength which comes from thee. Touch them with thy healing touch.

Bless suffering people the world over and use what we are and have to bless those in need.

We ask all of this in Christ's name. Amen.