Fireworks get our attention.
Everyone loves fireworks! On Friday night Lara and I had all three of our schnauzers out on Lake Springfield to enjoy the fireworks at "Rock the Dock." Rock E hid cowered in under the blanket, Maddie slinked down into her seat, and Rudy stood confidently on the edge of the boat.
The purpose of fireworks is to get our attention! They cause us to sit up and pay attention to something important. Back in college when Lara and I were dating, we were sitting in a chapel service listening to Walt Zorn preach. You know how it is when someone is preaching— you’re awake, your eyes are open,but you kind of slip into a comatose, dream-like state.
But a few minutes into the sermon, there was a commotion high above the stage in the rafters. There were sparks and smoke, and just as quickly we heard, "PAP PAP PAP! PAP PAP PAP PAP PAP! Ididn’t know that Walt Zorn knew how to dance— but boy did he! Some kids engineered it that the fireworks would go off during Walt's sermon. And it was very evident who they were. They were the only guys in the whole room laughing. The rest of us thought someone was shooting a gun.
When we were younger, our family would go to Bonfield Sportsman's Club every year to watch the fireworks. Hundreds of families would bring their blankets and coolers and set them out on the grass at the edge of an old quarry.
One year my older brothers got a little restless whilewaiting for the fireworks to begin. So they decided to put on a show of their own. They started lighting off bottle rockets. They would hold them in their hands, aim them into the water, and they’d go off under the water. Pretty cool! Mom didn’t like it, but so what!
About that time, one of the bottle rockets slipped out of my brother Mike’s hand, veered up into the crowd, and shot right up under some lady's leg. You've never seen someone move so quickly as shedid!And just as fast, her boyfriend raced up to my brother and began cussing him. Now that was funny!
On Independance Day, we celebrate our freedom.
Fireworks have a way of getting our attention. The flashes of light stimulate our eyes. The thunderous explosions excite our ears. The smoke quickens our senses. Let’s not forget the message of Independence Day.All of the fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, and concerts remind us that we are free! Free from government tyranny. Free from religious tyranny. Free to speak. Free to bear arms and protect ourselves. Free to pursue happiness and long life.
John Adams, one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, wrote that this day, "...ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."
By the way, for you trivia buffs, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence to later serve as President of the United States, died on the same day. They died on July 4, 1826, which was thefiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
So let me ask— why all the fanfare on Independence Day? Why all the pomp and circumstance, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, laser shows, and fireworks? It's all necessary because of our tendency to drift off into a comatose state of existence. While comatose, we're no longer listening and paying attention and responding. We need something that crashes through our deafened senses and reminds us of what is important. We need someone to fire a bottle rocket under our seat. Otherwise,we just sort of drift off to sleep.
Jesus encounters a man who was deaf and mute.
This morning we come to Mark 7:31-37. Here we encounter a man with a physical handicap. Mark 7:31-32 (NIV) says, "Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man."
Imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t hear. Someone walks up behind you, but you don’t hear him. The fire alarm is going off.Someone is standing next to you, screaming in terror.A baby is crying in the next room. The doorbell, your alarm clock, and the telephone are all ringing. People around you are laughing, crying, and reacting, but you have no idea why.
Just as bad, imagine not being able to talk! You grunt. You sign. You point. You gesture. You have an emergency. You feel strongly about something, but people turn away in frustration. You can’t hear others, nor can you respond. You're deaf and mute.
Now imagine what it would be like to be deaf and mute spiritually! You are not able to hear God’s voice. You are not able to respond. You are badly needing a miracle so Godcan break through to you, and you to him!
Mark 7:32-37 (NIV) continues the story."There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, 'Ephphatha!' (which means, 'Be opened!'). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.' "
A few months back someone posted a video on Facebook of an eight month old boy hearing his mother's voice for the first time, after receiving a cochlear ear transplant. Look at it athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzTt1VnHRM
Pretty cool, eh?
Can you hear me now?
We've all laughed at the cell phone commercials that feature a man walking around testing the receptivity of his cell phone. "Can you hear me now?" You might say that this man has a digital hearing problem.
In Mark 7:31-37 we've just seen Jesus encounter a man with a physical hearing problem. The man was also unable to speak. He was mute. In dramatic fashion, Jesus opened his ears and loosened his tongue, allowing him to hear and speak freely! Imagine the joy he must have felt, hearing sounds for the first time!
But what about you? You may not have a digital hearing problem. You may not have a physical hearing problem. But perhaps you have a spiritual hearing problem.Perhaps you are like that man in the commercial,only it's God who you cannot hear. And it's God you cannot talk to. Perhaps you feel like your prayers are falling on deaf ears.
"God,can you hear me now?"
ThisIndependance Day,Christ opens our ears to hear God’s voice from above. But he also loosens our tongues to proclaim our freedoms in Christ.
God created us! Our heavenly Father loves us! He sent his one and only Son, not to condemn us, but to seek and save us from our sins! God cares for you! He is ready to forgive you and wash all your sins away in the waters of baptism-- past, present and future. God is ready to give you his Holy Spirit— not just to set you free from your sins right now, but to ensure that you remain free from your sins for eternity!
So what does God have to do to get your attention! Launch fireworks? Throw a parade? Have a barbeque? He sent his one and only Son so that the deaf would hear, and the mute would tell of his glories. Praise God for our independence from the tyranny of government. May we never fall under the tyranny of government again. Praise God for our independence from religious tyranny. May we remain free to worship our God. Praise God for setting us free from the tyranny of darkness,from the tyranny of our sins. May we hear God’s voice today saying that we are free!