On Monday, On Tuesday Matthew 18:1-9 9-30-01

Sermon 9-30-01 Mt:18:1-9

Illustration: On Monday, On Tuesday

If things go back to the way they were,
Will we go back to the way we were

How committed are we and for how long?
Q for 6 months from now, Q for now

Will We really change?
Jesus said unless you change you will not enter the kingdom
Humble Self: lose prideful, complacent arrogant lifestyle
Put first things first

A friend of mine is golfing today
Wouldn’t have on Sept 16
Does today with reservations…..prescheduled, charity event
Don’t think my world isn’t changed
Fear is up, Values risen to top
Cavalier decisions of the past will not be made in the future

Character of a Christian – this is what Jesus is talking about
Humble themselves
The man in the burger king line
People driving just like they used to
Home depot checker, people treat me the same
Remove things from life that hinder
Measure your values, act upon them
Leave that which holds you back,
grab that which pulls you forward

Commitment to do Gods work, teach children; go to Russia
Easiest stewardship campaign we have ever held
There are going to be Christian martyrs
The K of God should lack for nothing
Hear the call, act in the name of Jesus Christ

Conclusion
Max Lucado Illustration: Do we want to go back to normal?

Song: are ye able said the master
On Monday there were people fighting against praying in schools On Tuesday you would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying
>
> On Monday there were people were trying to separate each other by race, sex, color and creed
On Tuesday they were all holding hands
>
On Monday we thought that we were secure
On Tuesday we learned better
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> On Monday we were talking about heroes as being athletes
> On Tuesday we relearned what the word hero meant
>
> On Monday people went to work at the world trade centers as usual On Tuesday they died
>
> On Monday people argued with their kids about picking up their room On Tuesday the same people could not get home fast enough to hug their kids
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> On Monday people picked up McDonalds for dinner
> On Tuesday they stayed home
>
> On Monday people were upset that their dry cleaning was not ready on time On Tuesday they were lining up to give blood for the dying
>
> On Monday politicians argued about budget surpluses
> On Tuesday grief stricken they sang 'God Bless America'
>
> On Monday some children had solid families
> On Tuesday they were orphans
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> On Monday the president was going to Florida to read to children On Tuesday he returned to Washington to protect our children
>
> On Monday we emailed jokes
> On Tuesday we did not
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It is sadly ironic how it takes horrific events to place things into perspective, but it has. The lessons learned on Sept 11, the things we have taken for granted, the things that have been forgotten or overlooked, hopefully will never be forgotten again.





"Do we want to go back to normal?" by Max Lucado

Four thousand gathered for mid-day prayer in a downtown cathedral. A New York City church filled and emptied six times last Tuesday. People stood in lines to
give blood, in hospitals to treat the sick, in sanctuaries to pray for the wounded.

America is different these past few weeks. We wept for people we did not know. We sent money to families we've never seen. Talk-show hosts read Scriptures, journalists printed prayers. Our focus shifted from fashion hemlines and box scores to orphans and widows and the future of the world.

We are different these past few weeks. Republicans stood next to Democrats. Catholics prayed with Jews. Skin color was covered by the ash of burning towers. This is a different country than it was a few weeks ago.

We're not as self-centered as we were. We're not as self-reliant as we were. Hands are out. Knees are bent. This is not normal. And I have to ask the question, "Do we want to go back to normal?"

Are we being given a glimpse of a new way of life? Are we, as a nation, being reminded that the enemy is not each other and the power is not in ourselves and the future is not in our bank accounts?

Could this unselfish prayerfulness be the way God intended for us to live all along? Maybe this, in his eyes, is the way we are called to live. And perhaps the best response to this tragedy is to refuse to go back to normal.

Perhaps the best response is to follow the example of a passenger of flight 93. Minutes before the plane crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania he reached his wife by cell phone. "We're all going to die," he told her, "but there are some of us who are going to do something about it."

We can do something about it as well. We can resolve to care more. We can resolve to pray more. And we can resolve that, God being our helper, we'll never go back to normal again.