4th Sunday in Lent March 18, 2007 “Series C”
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, as we study your Word, we realize that we do not fully embrace the life you created us to live, not only personally, but also corporately as your church. We are enslaved to old habits, past dispositions, accustomed patterns. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, inspire us through your Word to deeper faith, that we cling to your redeeming grace and serve our crucified and risen Lord as his disciples. This we ask in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
This past week, Josie received a rather interesting story via the e-mail that I would like to paraphrase for you this morning. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the author. However, I do know that it was written by one of the students who witnessed this experiential sermon in a small Christian college, somewhere in the western United States. It happened during an introductory course in Christian theology. The professor who taught this course was named Dr. Christianson.
Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of their major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the Gospel to his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take the course, and subsequently, Christianity seriously.
There was, however, one special student in his class. Steve had entered college with the intent of later going on to seminary to study for the ordained ministry, and so he took this course seriously. Steve was also popular among the student body. He was not only well liked, he was an imposing physical specimen. Even as a freshman, he was the starting center on the school football team.
One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to remain after class in order to talk with him. Dr. Christianson then asked Steve, “How many push-ups can you do?”
Steve responded, “I do about 200 every night.”
“Well, that pretty good, Steve,” Dr. Christianson responded. Then he asked “Do you think you could do 300?”
“I don’t know,” Steve answered. “I’ve never done 300 at a time.”
“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it,” the professor asked.
Steve said, “Well… I think I can… Yeah, I can do it.” Dr. Christianson said, “Good. I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.”
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started the professor pulled out a huge box of donuts. Now, these weren’t the normal kind of donuts. They were the extra fancy, BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting. Everyone in the class became excited. It was Friday, the last class of the day, and it looked as though they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson’s class.
Dr. Christianson then went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?” “Yes,” she replied.
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”
“Sure,” Steve said, as he jumped down to the floor in front of his desk and did a quick ten. Then he returned to his seat. Dr. Christianson then put a donut on Cynthia’s desk, and went to the next person in the row and asked, “Joe, would you like a donut?”
Joe said “Yes.” And again, Dr. Christianson asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Joe can have a donut?” And again, Steve hit the
floor and did a quick ten. And so it went, down the first row of students. Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.
Then Dr. Christianson started down the second row, and came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and an athlete in his own right. When Scott was asked if he wanted a donut, he responded by saying, “Well, can I do my own push-ups?” Dr. Christianson responded, “No. Steve has to do them.” Scott then said, “Then I don’t want one.”
Dr. Christianson shrugged his shoulders, turned to Steve, and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut that he doesn’t want?” And in obedience, Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott then said, “Hey, I said I didn’t want one.”
Dr. Christianson retorted, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.
By this time, Steve had begun to slow down. He just stayed on the floor between sets, because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see perspiration coming out around his brow. And as Dr. Christianson started down the third row, the students were beginning to get angry. “Jenny, do you want a donut?” he asked. And as sternly as she could, she said “No.” But again, Steve did ten for the donut that Jenny didn’t want.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were all beginning to say “No,” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get his push-ups done for each donut. A small pool of sweat formed on the floor from beneath his face. The class could clearly see that his arms and brow were red from the physical effort involved.
Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some other students from other classes had wandered in and sat on the steps along the side wall of the classroom. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count, and realized that there were now 35 students in the room. He began to worry if Steve would be able to make it, because it was taking him much longer to complete each set.
When he came to the end of the last row, he asked Steve, “Do you think we should give a donut to these five, who are not members of our class? You realize that if we do, you will need to do ten push-ups for each one.
Steve picked up his head, his arms now visibly shaking from exhaustion, and said, “Give them a donut. But do I have to touch my nose to the floor on each push-up?” Dr. Christianson thought for a moment and said, “Well, they’re your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way you want.”
As Dr. Christianson went to those last few students, the tone in the voices had changed from defiance, and anger, to sadness and compassion – the next to last student very sadly uttering, “No, thank you.” Again, Dr. Christianson quietly asked “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten, very slow push-ups for Linda.
Then he stood before the last student, and asked, “Susan, do you want a donut?” With tears flowing down her face, she asked, “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him? Dr. Christianson responded, with tears of his own, “No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him the task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut, whether they want it or not.
When I decided to have this party, I looked at my grade book. Steve is the only one with a perfect grade. Everyone else has either failed a class, skipped a class, or offered me inferior work. Steve shared with me that in football practice, when a player messes up, he has to do push-ups. I then told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the consequences for you, by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.
Then he added, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?” As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, his arms buckled beneath him, and he fell to the floor. Two students helped an exhausted Steve to a seat.
Dr. Christianson then turned to his class and said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, who gave himself up for us all. Whether or not we choose to accept his gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn’t it be foolish and ungrateful, to leave it lying on your desk?” End quote.
The author of our second lesson for this morning puts it this way… “God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So let us grasp the donut. Let us take the grace of God into our selves, so that we might grow in faith and serve our crucified and risen Lord as his disciples, witnesses, and ambassadors to the world. For the price has already been paid.
Amen.
