Turning Points

6, February 2005

Dakota Community Church

Turning Points

Introduction:

Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad?

Who came to a sign at the fork of the road

He looked one way and the other way too

The Zoad had to make up his mind what to do - Well, the Zoad scratched his head,

And his chin, and his pants. - And he said to himself, "I’ll be taking a chance.

If I go to Place One, that place may be hot

So how will I know if I like it or not.

On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool

If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool

In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue.

So Place One may be best and not Place Two.

Play safe," cried the Zoad,

"I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce.

I’ll simply start off to both places at once.

And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance

Went no place at all with a split in his pants.

Those words of wisdom from Dr. Suess really do describe many people.

Ester 4: 11-16

"All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

John 12: 12-19

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

There must have been a level of character already established in the heart of Ester in order for her to be able to make the choice she made at this turning point in her life.

What must have been in the hearts of these Pharisees that would allow them to choose to want to respond to the turning point Jesus presented them with in the fashion that they did.

Basically they said, "Hey this guy raised a dead guy and now all kinds of people are folowing him instead of us, how can we kill him?"

Over the course of our lives we can all look back and reflect on the turning points that made a huge difference in the path our lives have taken.

We can easily look back and recognize the forks in the road; they are not always easy to see at the time!

Illustration:

In Louis Carroll’s book Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to a fork in the road and doesn’t know which way to turn. She sees the grinning Cheshire cat and asks which direction she should take. The cat replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

How can we be certain that we are ready to make the right decision when we unexpectedly find ourselves at a fork in the road?