John 14:1-12 5-7-2023 (As built, Amite #542)
- Worry… Anxiety…
- February twenty-fifth… nineteen forty-five… he knows the date… look let’s just be honest Joe is having a bad day… if we were to ask Joe he would say okay it’s just not good… it’s ugly… the truth of the matter is Joe Rosenthal is having a horrific day his anxiety meter… pegged… it’s in the red… he’s got so much anxiety he said if he could jump out of his skin he would do just that… he said it’s the worst day of his life… he remembers the date… he remembers the time… he remembers the circumstance… he said man worry doesn’t even begin to explain what was going on… he tells the story… he said you know I’m a marine… now granted I’m five foot nothing… and I’m blind in one eye… and I’m the photographer… it kind of fits in a way doesn’t it… he said so I get told that the CO wants to see you at 0500 you are to get on the dock and you are to bring your bags… he said it was the beginning of the end… he said we’re in the middle of a war… the CO is telling me I’ve got to have my bags packed which means I’m getting shipped out… he said I don’t know where I’m going… I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing… I’m a photographer I can barely see out of one eye… I don’t even understand what is going on… he said so man at five o’clock I’m on the deck… he said I’m literally shaking… he says man he gets in the boat they take him to see the CO… he gets there and the commanding officer tells him Joe this is what I’ve got planned… he walks over to a map on the wall… he said see that island… you’re going to be there and is ant you to take some pictures and I need you to bring them back…he said he walks over there you know he’s got to get close to the map to see it… he says sir… we don’t own that island… he said that’s right Joe that’s why we’re sending you… to take pictures so we know who does own the island and were everybody sits he said no I don’t think you understand… he said I’m a photographer I don’t even carry a gun… he said well then I suggest you get one Joe… he puts him in a boat he said this is how it’s going to work… you’re going to take the boat… you’re going to go In the PT boat… you’re going to get about 100 yards front he island… another PT boat will come by and pick you up… the reason is it gets so shallow we don’t want to stand you out there… you jump in that boat and that boat’s going ashore… they’re going to drop you off… you start taking pictures… you do what you’ve got to do you make it happen… I need those pictures… man Joe says he’s got his equipment he’s got his tripod he’s got his cameras… he’s throwing it in the boat he gets in the boat and takes off… he can see it… bombs are going off… planes are in the air… shots being fired… people screaming… and he said he sees that other skiff coming he comes right next to his boat… he said man they’re throwing his stuff in Joe says man I take a step this boat takes off… this one thinks I’m already in… he said man I’m in the drink… he said if it ain’t bad enough he said man I’m trying to hold the one camera I’ve got up… he said the other boat’s taking off the other one’s screaming at me to get in the boat because shots are being fired… he said my whole world was jus nothing but anxiety and worry… they get me in the boat they run me up on shore… literally throwing my stuff up… get on there and man they give me the camera… he said man I just start taking pictures… he said I don’t know what I’m doing… he says he sees a couple of Marines putting up a flag… he runs up and says man I’m supposed to take a picture of something… he said well we already put our flag up go take somebody else’s picture… he said man were heading for cover he said literally he takes his camera… he sees about six or seven guys putting up a flag… gives it one of these and runs back to the shore… he said I’ve had the worst day of my life so I my life so i thought… you see my brothers and sisters in Christ if you and I were to interview Joe later he would have told you not hat proverbial February day I had so much anxiety because I just didn’t know what to expect… and then I’m going into fire and I didn’t know what to do I had no weapon… he said all I had was my camera… and today that greatest picture of all… the picture of Iwo Jima when those soldiers are bringing up the flag is the one that he took… he said you know the truth be told… if I don’t get there and I don’t fall into the drink… I would have never known I would have taken the wrong picture… he said if I don’t get there late I would’ve thought to take the first picture I would have never looked to take the second one or the one that I really took… if it wasn’t for me getting there late and holding that one camera… he said it’s almost as if the good Lord purposely had to punch the breaks so that I would stop worrying and get the picture that he wanted… freeing another Island…
- My brothers and sisters in Christ that is exactly the Gospel… it’s about worry… for no reason… That is exactly that Gospel… my brothers and sisters in Christ the good Lord is speaking to him and tells Phillip… Phillip listen to me… I’m going to go ahead of you and prepare a place for you so that where I am you may also be… where I am going you know the way… master we don’t know where you’re going… we do not know the way… man Phillip… Thomas… I am the way the truth and the life… no one comes to the Father except through me… you’re worrying for no reason… I control all things… now stop let’s make sure you understand what is going on… you are a first century Jew and you are living in the day of Christ… you are a follower of Christ… or at least you’re trying to… they are at the Last Supper… he has just now got finished washing their feet… you do know there’s a problem with Judas… you just head Peter say man I will never deny you Lord… only to find out later that eventually he will… not to mention cut a man's ear off… as a matter of fact my brothers and sisters in Christ what you’re starting to realize is that that the good Lord is telling them this is how it’s going to be… you know what he tells them…he tells them this great caveat… you’re going to do greater miracles than me… I mean you walked on water… the blind see… the lame walked… Lazarus was dead for four days… when he says you’ll do greater miracles than me… he meant it both physically and also the supernatural way… let me explain… he could have told the decibels let me explain what I mean by greater miracles… you’re going to take bread today and then that’s what you’ll have after you bake it… from this day forward you’re going to take bread… and then you’re going to turn into the body blood soul and divinity of our savior Jesus Christ… that is a greater miracle… people are going to come to you with their aches and pains…things that will not affect their eternal life but the sin on their soul will and you’ll be able to forgive them so they have eternal life… truly supernatural… he’s trying to tell then look there are gifts I’m giving you for the sacraments… that so much help you in this world they do help you in the world to come… that’s the greatest miracles… and let’s make sure you understand… every once in a while he gives them a miracle that he quote did not do… Peter speaks in one language and everybody hears in another… nowhere in scripture does Christ do that… my brothers and sisters in Christ he’s trying to tell them man what I have planned for you… you can’t even fathom… the problem is you’re getting caught up from worry…
- Now look… listen to me all of our best players are people who get caught up in worry… the question isn’t if you get caught up in worry… listen to me it does not matter whether you get caught up in worry the question is does it paralyze you from moving forward… that’s the issue… my brothers and sisters in Christ you don’t think Mary Magdalene woke up on Easter Sunday thinking what’s the point… I mean where are the apostles… they’re not going to the tomb… do you think she worried that there were soldiers in the way… that they probably had their way with her before… or that there’s a rock that she can’t move… sealed by Pilate himself… my brothers and sisters in Christ she’d rather be next to a dead savior than live people… but yet she gets up and she perseveres… regardless of the worry and regardless of the anxiety… and because she does it she is the first to see the Risen Christ… my brothers and sisters in Christ you don’t think Veronica had anxiety about stopping the whole crucifixion just to wipe his face… you don’t think she was worried about her life… what may come of it… would they steal the veil that she’s using to wipe his face… my brothers and sisters in Christ the problem is everybody is consumed with worry because we forget that he is the great I Am…
- Look at ourselves today two thousand years later… how much of your day be honest… how much of your day is spent in worry… how much of your day is spent in yesterday… last week… last month… last year… ten years ago… twenty years ago… in other words the things that happened to you last week… last month… ten years ago… twenty years ago… is still haunting you… my brothers and sisters in Christ don’t you understand… how much of your day was spent in yesterday… do you believe in give us this day our daily bread do you believe in the Our Father… so why is it that the good Lord wants you to walk through life this way seeing what’s coming… instead you and I decide to walk through life backwards… because we’re still worried about what we did a week ago… a year ago or ten years ago… or what somebody did to you and I… My brothers and sisters in Christ the devil wants to keep you either in yesterday the day of regrets or tomorrow the day of worry… he’s got to get you out of the day… let me ask you for the people that have hurt you… for the people that despised you… for the people that did something to you… do you really want to be in their shoes on judgment day… how is it they can still rob your peace twenty… thirty and forty years later… my brothers and sisters in Christ listen to what I’m telling you… it’s between them and the good Lord… Mother Teresa was right… people are unreasonable illogical and self-centered… you’ve got to forgive them anyway… because if you don’t it’s still going to ruin your day… still going to ruin your lunch … I’m telling you that you can be on the most beautiful island island in the world… five o’clock somewhere… you’ve got that big umbrella… big glass of Holy water… yeah the fact that you know that really bothers me to my core… and man all of a sudden somebody mentions one name from your past… you could wrap that umbrella around their neck and throw them in the gulf and guess what… man your life is good… my brothers in Christ don’t you understand the devil wants to use your thoughts… remember three people can put thoughts into your head… he can… you and I can and so can he… he uses your past to derail you… to get you to turn your back walking through life and then if he can’t get you about your past he’s going to get you about your future… well it’s the doctors visit… we don’t know what’s coming we haven’t got the test back… well you know that C words out there… man my brothers and sisters in Christ it’s the job it’s the contract … it’s the relationship it’s the phone call… it’s the conversation… he’s trying to get you to jump ahead so that you’re never in the day… he is either God or he is not… you either believe him to be the Messiah or you do not… you can’t have it both ways… why would you come here if you did not believe in him…the mere fact that you are here is proved positive… that even though you may have worries I’ve got to get you to leave it here… you got to leave it at the alter you’ve got to leave it at the communion rail… this is why the good Lord said to you over and over again… give me your burdens do not take them back because I am… so therefore I know what’s coming… I am omniscient all knowing… I am omnipotent… all-powerful I am everywhere at all times and all things… not a hair on your head gets touched till I ordain it… if I ordain it then you are to walk though it and if I walk you through it I will bring you through it you’ve got to give it to me… bring it to the alter… receive him then leave it here and do not take it back to that pew… and for the love of God… if you walk out those doors with the same worry you brought in this church you have forgotten that he is God and we are not… thank God… you’ve forgotten this is his house and more importantly you took it back… be a man and woman of your word… give us this day our daily bread… do you not understand… look C.S Lewis was right… he writes a story called screw tape letters… and he makes the argument Lucifer is talking to his son and he says son we’ve got a whole bunch of people down there in Amite.. he said how do you want to go about getting them… he said I’ve got it dad we’ll get this group with anger… this group in the middle with pride… we’ll get the group in the back with gluttony… we’ll get this other group with lust… the group in the middle we’ll get with Avarice … he said Son stop… he said no dad I’ve got this just listen to me… he said how do you know Pride will get the front group how do you know it’s not sloth… how do you know that gluttony will get this group but the lust will get the other group… he said if you want to get them… get them to worry… you’ll get them all… my brothers and sisters in Christ please listen to what I’m telling you… the devil hates you… the mere mention of your name causes him to spit because you’ve been made in the image and likeness of Christ… his whole job is to cause torment in your life… the most expensive real estate in the world is right here and you and I give it away freely… think about it… come this afternoon come tonight… how many of us are going to jump into Monday… already it’s Sunday afternoon… quiet and peaceful and we’re worried about Monday… is Monday not it’s own problem… I mean let’s be honest how many people would give Monday thirty-six hours instead of twenty four… well that’s what your doing… if anything we only want to give it ten hours but you and I jump in and out of the day… I need you to stay in the day… you know what’s amazing… if I were to ask you… I’ll tell you what I’m going to ask you… for a hundred thousand dollars… I have no money so it doesn’t matter… and a free car… you can take anybody’s car in the parking lot that you want… if I were to ask you… what is the one prayer we pray every hour in every country of every language… that’s why masses are prayed twenty four hours a day seven days a week three hundred and sixty five… Manna has to fall every hour of every day of every minute… my brothers and sisters in Christ what is the one emotion that you and I pray for… not love… not forgiveness… it’s not direction it’s not peace… what is the one thing we pray for… that’s exactly right… deliver us Lord from ever evil…grant us peace in our day… in your mercy keep us free from sin… protect us from all anxiety… as we wait in joyful hope of the coming of our savior Jesus Christ…my brothers and sisters in Christ i’m begging you do not walk out those doors with the same worry you came in here with… I need you to come to the alter rail and leave it with him and when the devil puts it into your head when you sit down or you go outside or this afternoon and you got to give it back to the good Lord… you’ve got to call on her you’ve got to call on our savior… call them by name… that way that the devil knows that every time he worries you you’re going to call on them… pretty soon he’s going to stop worrying you because he’s tired of hearing their names… my brothers in Christ listen to me… ask yourself if you want to test your memory… go back one year from today… and tell me what you were worrying about… that is the measure that you need to understand that all things come through him and not one thing comes to your door… and if he brings you to it he will bring you through it… stop I’m begging you… no worries…
