It may be a little harder to go to Hell this year. You see, the bridge on the main road leading to Hell is badly in need of repair—a project that could close the road for three months. Jim Ley, president of the Hell Chamber of Commerce says, "It'll close the whole town." Oh, I detect some confusion. Of course, I am talking about Hell, Michigan!
How can we make a formal spoken defense of our faith? The first step is to say the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus doesn't just belong within the church walls. The second step in our witness involves telling what a difference Jesus has made in our lives. The third thing we can do to give an effective witness is to use "I statements."
Eighty-one times in the Gospels Jesus says, FOLLOW ME. If we take his call seriously, we will find that his road is anything but easy. It can cost us sleepless nights; it can cost us friends; it can even cost us our lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, himself martyred by the Nazis, says, "When Christ calls [us], he bids [us] come and die."
What Is a Christian? Some people answer, "A Christian is anyone who isn't a Muslim, Jew, Hindu or atheist." Others say, "A Christian has been christened and confirmed. Whether that person ever darkens the door of a church again doesn't matter; that person is a Christian. But there is more to it. Some say that we live in a Christian country and unless you state otherwise, you are a Christian.
Our Scripture today contains fluid imagery of stones. We are invited to come to Jesus, a living cornerstone. Then we are admonished to be like living stones ourselves and to be built into a spiritual house. Christ is the "living stone" which has become the cornerstone of the church. What does he mean by this phrase "a living stone"?
At our pastors' study, we discussed whether Christians are really different from other people. In the first days of Christianity, believers were very different. They helped widows and orphans, they did not kill their children; they were faithful to their spouses. The life of Christians was very attractive to people in the Roman Empire.
The living hope that Peter talked about never wears out. It will be there longer than any antique. A mummy who was discovered in South America. It was an Inca. The face of the mummy was distorted. It was probably a man, but you couldn't tell for sure. The hope of God is a hope that never dies or fades. It is infinite, permanent.
I long-ago become reconciled to the fact that I would have no inheritance. I managed without it. But Peter comes along, reassuring me that I am a child of God, and God has provided me with "an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn't fade away, reserved in Heaven for (me)."
Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker paraphrasing the "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" campaign. This one reads, "Friends Don't Let Friends Die Without Jesus." I would rather it read "Friends Don't Let Friends LIVE Without Jesus."
On any given Sunday this room contains people who are near to giving birth and those who are near to dying. On one side is a young mother who feels her life will never be right after her divorce. And on the other side is a woman, newly engaged, who anticipates that marriage will be the closest thing to heaven.