Reflections on "Rewrites" John 8: 1-3; Exodus 2: 5-15

As I mentioned in the blog leading into the sermon, it was Senior recognition Sunday when we recognize our Seniors graduating from high school.  We had a Senior at the chapel service and the rest at the sanctuary service, so the living illustrations were in worship with us!

I liked this sermon, at least on paper.  It fell kind of flat in the chapel service, but had more life in the sanctuary service.  I sort of stumbled through the first part of the Moses section on the chapel.  I didn't have it sorted out in my head well enough.  By the sanctuary service, that section went better. One of the chapel members had a comment about being forced to make a rewrite due to economic conditions, which I included in the sanctuary service.  I had thought about it when writing the sermon because it seemed like an obvious fit, but then thought that I had made that comment in different ways quite a bit lately.  When someone asked about it, though, I figured it probably still needed to be said.

At the youth gathering last night, some of the adults made comments about the sermon.  they were making jokes about what they would "rewrite" in their lives, but apparently they had actually listened to the sermon.  I think the "rewrite" theme strikes a chord with many of us because we want to do better than we are doing.

As you can tell by the illustrations in the sermon, I was trying especially hard to make the sermon accessible to the students who were gathered there with us.  

Final thought -- should my daughter's English teacher give her extra credit for getting mentioned in a sermon?

“Rewrites” May 20, 2012; FPC, Troy, John 8: 1-3; Exodus Sr. recognition

Introduction: One of the English teachers at Troy High School includes as part of the final portfolio, rewrites of some of the papers or poems that the students have written through the year.

As the editor-in-chief of English papers at my house, I find this an interesting process.

The students can pick which projects they want to rewrite.

They can makes some corrections and changes based on the teacher's comments from the first time the paper or poem was graded.

Or they can basically start over on the paper

Rewrites.

As we continue reflecting on telling our faith stories – God's story and our stories – we are reminded that we can have rewrites.

If we do not like how our story is playing out, we have opportunities to change the story. Not just telling the story differently, but living the story different.

The rewrite does not replace the original story – that's already happened – but it gives us a change to correct or significantly change how our story goes..

Move 1: Moses

a. The Old Testament passage from Exodus 2: 5-15 references Moses at a pivotal time in his life.

1. Think about his rewrites:
2. born a Hebrew boy to Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
3. Rewrite – raised in Pharaoh's court;
4. He sees an Egyptian beating on a Hebrew slave – rewrite. He kills the Egyptian and then has to flee the country.
5. He moves to a strange land and begins life as a foreigner there – rewrite.
6. He encounters a burning bush with the voice of God calling him into leadership. Serious rewrite there as he becomes the reluctant leader of God's people.
7. When his story finishes, after all those rewrites, Moses' story is about one of the great patriarch of the Israelites, God's people.

b. Notice that Moses did not always get to pick and choose when to start a rewrite.

1. Sometimes the transition happened to him; he did not choose to have Pharaoh issues threats to Hebrew baby boys; he had no control over his being put in a basket in the bulrushes, only to be found by Pharaoh's daughter.

2. sometimes he chose the rewrite – when he saw the Egyptian beating up the Hebrew slave, he decided to act. He may not have fully understand the consequences of his actions, but he put the change into motion.

3. the hand of God was in all of it.

Move 2: In life, there are some obvious times of transition when we can do a rewrite.

a. This morning we recognize our Srs. In high school who are finishing one phase in life and moving on to the next phase. An obvious opportunity for a rewrite.

b. Friend in college.

1. Began as a pre-med student and very interested in the parties.
2. By the end of his freshman year, he had perhaps spent more time at parties than at study hall, so he was put on academic probation and kicked off campus.
3. Began to take pre-med classes a bit more seriously.
4. Still could not make the grades.
5. Takes an accounting class and finds his niche.
6. By the time he graduated, he was honored as the accounting student of the year based on his 4.0 GPA in his accounting classes.
7. Instead of a doctor, he became an accountant.
8. His personal rewrite.

b. Seniors

1. you have a wonderful opportunity in your life to do a rewrite.
2. You are going to be in new settings where many people to not know you or what to expect from you.
3. You have a chance to shape your life in any direction you want.
4. Your life is an empty page waiting for your story to be written and perhaps rewritten.
   c. Although our Seniors find themselves in a natural place to do a rewrite, all of us have that opportunity.
   1. can you think of a time when you have intentionally made a change in your life?
   2. Or a time when you were forced to make a change. Maybe your job disappeared.
   2. Better yet, If you made a change now, what would it be?
   3. We all have a chance for a rewrite.

Move 3: I suspect one of the most attractive things about Jesus for people was the opportunity he offered for them to rewrite their lives.

a. Disciples.

1. some of them gave up their fishing nets.
2. All of them gave up whatever they were doing in that moment to follow Christ.
   b. The women mentioned in Luke.

1. 1. They had known difficult times.

2. Filled with demons.
3. Christ freed from their past stories and invited to rewrite their stories as followers of Christ.
4. What a gift.

100. We have that opportunity as well.
     1. Christ calls us to a new way of life.
     2. Christ frees us to rewrite our story. To seize the new life waiting for us.
     3. If you do not like where your story is headed – rewrite!
        Conclusion: it may be easier to rewrite an English paper, than to rewrite our lives (sometimes it does not sound like that my house!), but think about the opportunities that wait for us as we rewrite our lives as followers of Christ.