Compass, Unitard, Well Worn Boots

Compass, Unitard, Well Worn Boots

“Compass, Unitard, Well Worn Boots” (say these three seemingly unrelated things out loud, in the tradition of Johnny Carson’s character, alluded to below, but then proceed to talk about the following material first, before giving the “question” that those three words are the answer too)

Carnack (maybe start with a few Great Carnack examples, the Johnny Carson Character)

We often have a tendency for reducing Complexity and Relationship down to statements and formulas

Grace—“undeserved gift?” Sure. Does that move me? Does that help me?

Yancey: What’s so amazing about grace? STORY of grace. (sorry sermon central, I don’t remember the story, but get Philip Yancey’s book of that title. Basically it was a story that illustrated in “full color” what grace is. How it affects lives. How it is given. You could supply your own here. Maybe consult Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality, or Donald Miller, “searching for God Knows what” etc)

Mission Statements are another example of reducing down all the church (or business) is to a few words.

we often miss out on the richness and reward of relationship.

A disciple of Jesus is all about being in relationship with Jesus.

“Ohh—what is the question to the 3 items: compass, unitard, well-worn boots?”

(Answer) What are three things a Disciple of Jesus can’t do without?

. . . What on earth do we need these three things for? . . .

Do you recall how Jesus seemed rarely direct, rarely “to the point?”

• When someone asked him “who is my neighbor?” he replies with “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho . . .”

He seems rarely the “Shell Answer Man” . . . if anything, he is the “Shell Question Man”:

Do you recall how Jesus often answered a question with a question?

(recall some . . . show some)

• Luke 12:41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable just for us or for everyone?”42 The Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful and careful manager whom his master will put in charge of giving all his other servants their share of food at the right time?”

• Lk 10:25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26 Jesus answered him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

• Luke 18:18 Then an official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except for one—God.

• Finally, after never being able to stump Jesus, trap him, or make him look like a fool, we read in Luke 20:40: “And no one dared to ask him any more questions . . . !”

. . . . . . .What on earth do we need these three things for?

Well, let me ask you a question!

hmmmm:

My friend and mentor, Doug Kostowski, was recalling how Elton Trueblood, the late prolific Christian writer, described how a disciple of Jesus is able to navigate the confusing voices of our time, pulling us this way and that way. How are we to stay true, to know what to do when so many signs, voices, opportunities, temptations, religions, philosophies, ways of life are swirling all around us? Mr. Trueblood said (paraphrasing) “the disciple has a compass for a heart, and that compass is always pointed toward Jesus?”

1. When is the last time your compass pointed toward . . . Jesus?

That phrase may not be found literally in the bible, but it appears as though the concept is:

Luke 12: 54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

Describing all the wannabe meteorologists who don’t have a clue that the man standing in front of him is none other than the long awaited Messiah foretold of throught their scriptures.

Luke 21: 34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Warning people who hearts may be in danger of going beserk/haywire (needle spinning all around) instead of focused and ready for the return of Jesus in the last days.