I Am John – Frustrated Writer
(This is a first person sermon. The more participation from the congregation, the better. I did this in period costume and remained outside the sanctuary until it was time for the sermon. After the other minister read the scripture, I allowed for a long, uncomfortable pause before knocking and pounding on the door. When the music director opened it, I, as John, walked in and said..."
Behold, I was standing at the door and knocked...
(John enters from the side carrying an armload of books. He approaches the chancel and drops them on the floor.)
I love books! Do you love books? How many of you like to read? What books do you like to read?
(John picks up one of the books and holds it up to the congregation.)
The DaVinci Code. How many of you read this? Great book. Very interesting. I found it in the FICTION section of the library.
(John picks up one of the books and holds it up to the congregation.)
War and Peace. How many of you have read this? Thick book!
(John picks up one of the books and holds it up to the congregation.)
The Presbyterian Church Welcomes You, but Maynard Pitt…, Pitt…, Pittendragon? Whatever. That will never sell.
(John picks up one of the books and holds it up to the congregation.)
The Bible! How many of you have read this book? Wonderful.
(John picks up one of the books and holds it up to the congregation.)
My name is John. I am a writer – a very frustrated writer because I wrote a book and nobody is reading it. I even had copies to send to seven different churches and still nobody is reading this book.
(John holds up a copy of Revelation and holds it up to the congregation. This computer generated copy of Revelation can also become a hidden script for the sermon)
REVELATION! Any of you read this book?
I want to ask you a question – I ask this of those of you who have read my book, those of you who have read part of it, and those of you who have never read my book but have heard about it---
What did you think of my book?
What is your opinion of Revelation?
Scary?
Confusing?
Boring?
Violent?
Depressing?
Too many symbols?
Some of you say it is scary. Right! Like you in your time never go to horror movies like SAW and THE RING.
Well, I will admit my book is sometimes scary.
Revelation 20 verse 10 –
(John reads in a dramatic and scary tone of voice…)
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Some of you say my book REVELATION is boring.
(John reads in a monotoned voice…)
Rev 7:4-8
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin...
(NIV)
11,999 – no just kidding. It’s 12,000. OK, so parts of it are boring. Give me a break! I wrote this while I was in exile on an island – my whole day was boring.
Some of you say my book is violent.
(John reads in a dramatic and scary tone of voice…)
Rev 9:14-18
14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.
16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.
18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.
(NIV)
OK, maybe this is violent. But in your century, you have movies and television shows that makes my book on REVELATION look mild and tame.
(Some of you say my book is depressing.)
Rev 8:7
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth.
A third of the earth was burned up,
a third of the trees were burned up,
and all the green grass was burned up.
(NIV)
Yep, that is pretty depressing.
And some of you say there are too many symbols for you to understand.
Rev 9:7-10
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.
8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.
(NIV)
OK, so I like lots of symbols. But I am trying to be dramatic here! I’m trying to get my message across by doing something different.
But folks, let me tell you something.
And I say this as humbly as I can.
What I wrote is THE WORD OF GOD.
And sometimes the Word of God is boring, and violent and difficult to read and understand.
Get over it – Paul said in his second letter to Timothy: (2 Tim 3:16)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Are you going to sit there and tell me that Paul was wrong?
Are you going to suggest that Paul should have said MOST of Scripture is God inspired? That MOST of it is useful for teaching?
No wonder I’m so frustrated as a writer – nobody is reading my book! And it is God inspired!
Let me explain something about why I wrote this book. I really believe you have missed the whole point of what I have written.
I wrote REVELATION while I was in exile on the island of Patmos.
Things in my time were bad. Very bad. And I wrote the book as a word of encouragement!
When I asked you what you thought of the book of REVELATION none of you said you found it encouraging. You said you found it depressing. Boring. Violent. Confusing.
But it was meant to be encouraging!
Let me tell you about the times I live in. I don’t believe they are that much different from your own time.
There is a war on Christianity.
We cannot celebrate our holy days – or holidays – without problems from the culture of our day. Hey – I was in exile on an island when I wrote REVELATION.
We have wars going on all over the place – in Germany, in Samaria, and some of these wars are very unpopular. The longer they go on, the more people die, and the more people die, the more unpopular the wars become.
But we can’t criticize the government. Even in the Senate in Rome – if a Senator votes against the Emperor, he called unpatriotic and is a marked man. There has always been a worship of Caesar, but no one ever took that seriously until now. Our current emperor insists we worship him. There is a mixing of politics and religion such as I’ve never seen.
The nation is in a constant state of apprehension. It is costing so much to keep the wars going and the government working, the economy is in ruin.
And there is terror and crime all over the world. Just a few years ago, in Rome, the greatest city in the world, terrorists destroyed a brand new temple. True – it was a place of idol worship, but to see that great building collapse and burn tore at the soul of the nation.
I wrote this book to encourage you.
I know it is confusing, but so is the world!
I know it is violent, but so is reality.
Evil exists.
Evil prospers.
Evil endures.
I wrote this so that good people who live in evil times would have hope.
Don’t you need hope?
Isn’t your time like mine? Full of evil, and crime, and terrorists and war?
Don’t you need hope?
Read my book. Read Revelation.
If you have a copy of my book, turn to it now. Look up chapter 21, verse 1.
Listen!
Listen to the Word of God…
Rev 21:1-5
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
(NIV)
How can you read and hear these words, and not be encouraged?
(John departs in silence)
Copyright 2006, The Rev. Dr. Maynard Pittendreigh
All rights reserved.
Sermons are available online and can be found by visiting www.Pittendreigh.com
