You Tube Theology

A service of worship in Duke University Chapel. The Reverend Dr. Samuel Wells delivers a sermon entitled "People Get Ready." Opening excerpt from the sermon: (35:19) "The essayist G.K. Chesterton was a large man, 6'4" tall and rather portly. During the First World War, at the height of the fighting, he was approached by a woman who wondered why he hadn't been called up to go to the trenches. She said, "Mr. Chesteron, I see you're not out at the Front." Chesterton patted his stomach and replied, "Oh, I assure you, madam, if you walk round to my side you will see that I am." I don't know about you but I'm feeling a bit out of shape. And the statistics suggest that most of us are. I wonder if you know what's the greatest public health crisis facing the United States of America right now. It's not cancer. It's not heart disease. It's not mental illness. It's not AIDS. These are all serious, especially for those facing them today. But if you're in public health there's one issue that's looming on the nation's horizon like a gathering storm. And that's obesity. We all know that obesity is about excessive eating and reduced exercise, and that there can also be genetic factors like an underactive thyroid and social factors like quitting smoking or not having time to cook healthy meals. But obesity is the tip of the iceberg. There's no point in getting judgmental or moralistic about the way some of us look or how some of us live. The point is, all of us who are out of shape are on a continuum, and that dimension of our shared culture is symbolic of something important" Closing excerpt from the sermon: (51:49) "Paul is saying laws like "Don't steal" and "Don't kill" are very helpful and we should keep them, but if you really want a constructive way to order your existence, you need to have an overarching goal that every part of your life can dovetail towards. Jesus gives us that overarching goal. Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God. Make yourself ready to meet me, and bring as much of the world with you as you can." But Jesus does something else. Jesus shows us that God's whole life is shaped to be ready to meet with us. God's in training. God's getting ready. God's shaping up. Jesus is God meeting us face-to-face. It costs God everything to come face-to-face with us. We should expect it to cost us everything to come face-to-face with God. What kind of shape are you in? Are you ready to come face-to-face with God today? Or do you look at your life and see you've become spiritually obese? If you're not in training for the kingdom of God, what exactly are you in training for? Paul says, "I punish my body and enslave it." In other words, "My whole life is about bringing myself and others face-to-face with God." You look at Paul's life, and it's pretty easy to know what he wants. He's in shape because he wants Jesus. He wants Jesus really badly. You look at God's life, and it's pretty easy to know what God wants. God wants you. The cross is the shape God gets into because God wants you really badly. Look at your life. Is it easy to see what you want? What do you want?" Bulletin: http://bit.ly/zfQhHp Sermon: http://bit.ly/AAetzw 1 Corinthians 9:24-27