This text forms a combined message going beyond the text of the sermon given. This sermon concerns the feelings of parents and of God in the face of deviant and sinful children.

ODE
INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD
William Wordsworth

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
Upon the growing Boy,
But He beholds the light, and whence it flows,
He sees it in his joy;
The Youth, who daily farther from the east
Must travel, still is Nature's Priest,
And by the vision splendid
Is on his way attended;
At length the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day.

Behold the Child among his new-born blisses,
A six years' Darling of a pigmy size!

See, at his feet, some little plan or chart,
Some fragment from his dream of human life,
Shaped by himself with newly-learned art;
A wedding or a festival,
A mourning or a funeral;
And this hath now his heart,
And unto this he frames his song:
Then will he fit his tongue
To dialogues of business, love, or strife;
But it will not be long
Ere this be thrown aside,
And with new joy and pride
The little Actor cons another part;
Filling from time to time his "humorous stage"
With all the Persons, down to palsied Age,
That Life brings with her in her equipage; ecwipij
As if his whole vocation
Were endless imitation.

August 1989 was an pivotal month in my life. It was in that month that I gave birth to Toni. That is how I feel. I have such strong feelings for my wife's daughters that I would fight anyone who argued the toss. The fact that someone else did some biological stuff is to me irrelevant. The fact that it was my wife who gave birth to them is, to me, irrelevant! The girls are truly mine and I love them with a passionate godly love that hurts at times so much I cry tears of pain for them. Today I want to share with you a message that has been given to me over this summer as I live the life of a parent in this troubled world.

Our first scripture sets the scene. Jesus is talking to the disciples at the Passover celebration. He suddenly comes out with this remark to Simon Peter:

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (NIV)

• Jesus' prayer for Simon Peter is that he will recover from a period of turning against God.

As a loving leader Jesus is showing great concern for Simon Peter.

He sees that the man is going to fail him badly. Simon Peter is going to turn his back on Jesus and cause him embarrassment and pain. Jesus does not try to stop the man. But neither does he cease to love him.

More vitally, he steps up a gear and prays that Simon will recover fully his allegiance and become re-orientated permanently to God - and furthermore, Jesus prays that Simon will be a great influence on his fellow believers.

This is a great lesson for us. The things I am talking about today are my experience not everyone's - I share it with you because it gives me an insight into the attitude of God.

When I was young, as is the case with most people, I had ideas about the way I would bring up my children. I had such dreams for the children I would have. I remember clearly that I wanted daughters - quite a few of them, please. I wanted a family with whom I could talk about things that were important to us, and with whom I could walk on weekends in the countryside.

I wanted a Godly wife with whom I could nurture my daughters from birth so that they would grow into wonderful Christian women.

If jealousy were not a sin, I would be jealous of Martin and Kathy!

Oh yes, I had such lovely ideas.

When my sister was in her early teens and my parents in their late 40s/early fifties she used to play with a friend who had a mother in her twenties. My sister said categorically that she would have children earlier in life because she appreciated how much more lively her friend's mother was! Well my sister is now 33 and is expecting her first child in ten days! Oh yes we have so many plans, don't we. Life gets in the way, no matter how honourable our plans are.

Godly parents are always there for their children but suddenly it seems the children change. Sometimes its so frustrating trying to help others.

Carol knows this. Sometimes she tries to be so caring and motherly when helping Sandi. But she tends to feel frustrated with Sandi when she doesn't follow advice or when she does not do something the way she has been told.

Parenting is interesting. Someone defined a baby as an angel whose wings grow shorter as their legs grow longer.₁

We are sometimes left with difficult situations; with hard choices where we are sometimes called to compromise our own moral standards.

Bringing up children is like moulding a pot. I have at home a pot in the shape of a man which I made in 1981 whilst in school. I had a clear conception of the pot in my mind before I made it and to start off things went Ok, but just look at it now! I seemed that I had just got control of it and then we get to the point in time when it all comes out nicely or it goes to pieces (all goes to hell). This seems similar to nurturing children.

I thought of another illustration. Imagine having hold of a snake.

You have a firm grip on it when, suddenly, it sheds its skin to get rid of you! Now please, I know that some of you here have had snakes as pets. Please don't go telling me my illustration is not factual - that snakes don't shed their skin just like that! Please don't let facts get in the way of a good illustration! You are left holding an image of the past whilst the real things has moved away elsewhere. Is it not sometimes so with children.

You think you have a handle on them. You think you understand them. You think you are guiding and nurturing them into maturity and adulthood when suddenly…. You find a slightly different animal has been growing underneath and they have gone all to hell!

As I have mentioned before, we are somewhat helpless and in fact have little choice but to allow one another to (illustrate this) fall through our hands and miss the opportunity of living in heaven. Another person's goals in life - their spiritual aims - are their own at the end of the day, whatever our wonderful plans for them are - and whatever help we can give them - if only they would ask and accept.

And it's like that with God.

God's arms are ready and strong to save but so often they are empty. Because we have free will God is somewhat helpless and in fact has little choice but to allow we sinners to fall through his hands into the gates of Hell. Our salvation - our life - is our own at the end of the day, whatever God's wonderful plans for us are and whatever help he can give us if only we would ask or accept.

And at this point I believe if you could see God's face it would not wear an expression of anger but one of crying, of grieving.

Only those God approaches see the Truth of both natures; their's and God's! That's why all those so approached by God said something like, "here am I". After all, what would you say if you encountered God in Person? But does He really cry? Really? +++

Jesus wept!: At/over Jerusalem, and at Lazarus' grave. We also have strong indication of other times of "loud cries and tears" (He 5:7-RV) "in the days of His flesh"!

But does God cry because He's Hurt? Jesus said He never did anything without first seeing the Father do it! Indeed, loving, walking, talking with God teaches us just how much we can please or hurt Him.

I've seen God crying. I've seen Him so hurt over something I've done....., but I've also seen Him "Beam" with Joy over me too! Man, that's really something!

One thing - when I've hurt Him, and I see Him crying - there's always this kindness in His eyes toward me; forgiving, loving. It breaks my heart - and only makes me love Him more! ₂

I recently overhead one of my girls using foul language in conversation with her friend.

I found it difficult to put my reaction into words, but I believe it would be summed up like this, "Urgh! - Soiled goods!"

The girl appeared to me like something I had longed for and had received as a gift only to find it was broken. It was not as good as I expected to find.

I must admit that I wanted to be rid of the girl forever in that moment. I had trouble thinking of her as a daughter.

Make no mistake I love my daughters greatly.

But the depth a repugnance I felt when I heard this girl swear caused my to feel ashamed of her. I did not want to cuddle her ever again. I wanted to put distance between myself and her.

Not because of her. I love her greatly. Because of her sin.

My image of her has been altered forever. It will never be the same.

It is tarnished, spoiled, stained. I love all my daughters greatly.

"Let kids fall through our hands into the gates of Hell."

God's arms ready - strong to save but empty

When my Nana was alive I used to visit her often. I have previously talked about these visits. We would sit and eat dinner together. Now my Nana had lived alone for fifteen years and in that time had become more and more worried about the dark and about "men" breaking in. In the end she began imagining people climbing in her window while I was sitting there.

One day while she seemed to have forgotten I was there. Suddenly she shouted at these men- and she swore at them.

My reaction - I could have been pushed over by the proverbial feather! It remains with me as an incredible experience in my life that someone who I had looked up to and respected so much could suddenly drop so low! This feeling was repeated the other day. Suddenly, someone whom I knew, who I thought nice, mature and lovely was exposed. It felt a stab in the heart! What disappointment. What trauma! The snakeskin had been left behind. (To summarise a later sermon, swearing and such sudden changes of character as noted here are a sign of mental instability, which is a result of the fall).

How does God feel about people? At the time of creation God was with humanity.

Directly with them, we are told! And yet he isn't among us as such today. Why the change? People became sinful. God could not bear to be in the presence of sin.

I have come to the firm conclusion that God's reaction to our sin is,

"Ugh! Soiled creation!" He still loves us.

But we are told God cannot be in the presence of sin.

As God, who is the supreme parent, perceives his child to be turning toward worldly influences more and more, so he feels alienated from them and a process of mutual distance sets in. Eventually God will reluctantly reject those people who reject him - who do not turn to him; who do not return to him.

He will do this but not, ultimately, yet. God is love.

Therefore unrepentant sinners will be separated from love forever.

However at the same time the parent's love is strong and unchanging for that child. The parent would still be willing to die for the child.

To love the person and hate their sin; to separate the two; is very demanding to experience.

God created us. He had such wonderful plans for you and me.

He wanted to spend time with us. To talk with us and walk with us here on Earth. God wanted to live with the people made in his own image - thinking loving caring moral self-willed and self-controlled individuals.

Oh yes, God had such wonderful plans for us!

In the account of the prodigal son we find an example of God's love for us

The story of the prodigal son. The dictionary defines prodigal as "recklessly wasteful".

A waste of life and resources. Of God's love. Of our parent's love.

I would like to draw your attention to what goes on in the mind of the father. He knows that letting the son do what he wants will result in misery. He sees ahead far better than the son. We imagine he tells the son this too! Nevertheless he allows the son to go ahead with his desire to seek excitement and pleasure.

What is the attitude of the father as the son leaves? There is no doubt that the father loves the son. But the son has decided to go. The father lets him go. - Illustrate with the actions I use for "falling through our hands into the gates of hell"

He does so with a heavy heart and with tears. The son doesn't understand the father at all - he thinks he's old-fashioned and boring!

In the story of the prodigal son, the father did not go off looking for the son or sort the son's life out when he got into trouble. He waited in the hope that the son would return.

The father is God. The son is us. The Father stands in tears over us as we fulfil our own wishes, falling off the pedestal that God has placed us on, into the world's ways.

He wishes that we would not go on our prodigal's journey, or at best, that we would return to him.

I have here a plate of crackers similar to the ones we sometimes use in the Lord's Supper.

This is not the Lord's Supper. I would like to use these crackers as a thought provoking exercise for us all. Please pass them out so that every single person here gets one, but do not eat them until I say.

The story of the prodigal son has a happy ending. The son realises where his sanctuary is - where love can be found. Where food can be found! He offers himself to the one who loves him, and is received with celebration. He finds there a loving welcome.

Sadly the real story of humanity so often lacks a happy ending.

God stands waiting.

His door is there. Whoever knocks, he will open the door to them.

God is always willing to offer us an eternal home.

His offer is open for us now. Despite the fact we are all sinners, God loves us. God is willing to accept Jesus' perfection in place of our own. That is an act of Grace! We are each sinners saved by grace. In a moment I am going to share with you that gospel message in song.

I would like you to focus on these crackers and imagine that they represent to you God's offer of eternal life, whether you have accepted it or not.

That they represent his offer of sanctuary from our prodigal ways.

What is my reaction to this offer in our hands?

Now you can eat!

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Credits

Here is a song which I feel is relevant to the ending text. I found it on a CD by the Gaither Vocal Band.

If you could see what I once was. If you could go with me back to where I started from I know you would see a miracle of love that took me in its sweet embrace and made me what I am today - just an old sinner saved by Grace.

CHORUS: I'm just a sinner saved by Grace. When I stood condemned to death he took my place. Now I live and breathe in freedom with each breath of life I take - loved and forgiven - back with the living - I'm just a sinner saved by Grace!

How could I boast of anything I've ever seen or done? How could I dare to claim as mine the vict'ries God has won? Where would I be had God not brought me gently to this place? I'm here to say I'm nothing but a sinner saved by Grace

CHORUS: I'm just a sinner saved by Grace. When I stood condemned to death he took my place. Now I live and breathe in freedom with each breath of life I take - I'm loved and forgiven - back with the living - I'm just a sinner saved by Grace!

Now I grow and breathe in freedom with each breath of life I take - loved and forgiven - back with the living - I'm just a sinner saved by Grace!

Saved by Grace!

Gloria Gaither, William J. Gaither, Mitch Humphries Copyright 1986 Gaither Music Company, Writer's Group Inc/ASCAP,BMI

CCL 302202