Category: Sermons (Page 2 of 2)

A sermon given January 17, 2010 at the Alafia River Rendezvous

Several years ago, I spotted a lantern in a catalog. My wife had remembered me talking about it and behold one Christmas, a copper lantern appeared under our tree. This lantern I have right here. The lantern came from the Monticello Foundation, a group that has restored and maintains the home of Thomas Jefferson. The lantern was described as a copy of one found on Thomas Jefferson’s estate. It is large, 16 inches high, 8 inches wide and 5 inches deep, with a nice handle. To me, this lantern is more than a light, it is truly a thing of beauty. So out I went on my next Alafia experience and I was sure that I had the best lantern here. But I was quick to learn much more about lanterns and of course, much more about Thomas Jefferson and our God. So today, I bring you the message from Thomas Jefferson’s lantern.

Our modern world is changing all of the time. People can easily lose the subtle intent of history’s examples that were so evident long ago. Living as our ancestors did, Alafia offers each of us insight into history in a unique way. We understand life’s struggles not BY reading about them in a book but by living them. This problem of understanding grows even more difficult, the farther back into history we go and the more modern our lives become. Have you wondered why the Bible is sometimes hard to understand? Well, to the people living 6,000 years ago, life was very, very different. Let me use King David’s Psalm 119:105-106 as an example:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

On the surface, the psalmist, David, is saying that God’s Words, the Bible, is a guide just like a light. Specifically, he says it’s a lamp. In David’s day, it would have been very much like this lantern, a small single flame flickering in the breeze. David takes an oath and affirms his intent to uphold his oath and then follow the rules, God’s rules. We have come to know those rules as the Bible. But today, who walks with a lamp, a lantern? Well, you the people of Alafia do and that gives you the opportunity to go back in time and understand the mind of King David and that experience will help you to understand more about your God.

When you walk about the 323 acres here at night, lighting your way is done by simple candle light. When I saw this lantern in the Monticello catalog, it seemed perfect to blend in with my pre-1840 persona. Copper is also like a good bottle of wine. It mellows well with time and that is definitely a goal I have set for myself, get better with age. If you add to that the fact that I especially love the night time here, to wander and listen to the music, to look up at the heavens and stars, to hear the distant drumming of the Metis’. It is one reason why it is so easy to slip back in time. I found myself wondering whether our great leader Jefferson might have taken a late night walk, maybe to clear his thoughts when he was authoring that most famous document, “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America.” We know that Jefferson played the violin to help words flow from thought to paper. A nice evening walk with a copper lantern could have been just as effective as music. Having this lantern led me to want to learn more about Jefferson and, of course, take more evening walks at Alafia.

Isn’t that how a person’s knowledge grows? It starts from some innocent event like getting a Christmas gift, creates a curiosity and before you know it, this Lantern becomes the basis for a Sunday’s sermon. As I learned more about Thomas Jefferson, I found out that he had made an attempt to write his own Bible. After writing an early draft, Jefferson arranged selected verses from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in chronological order, mingling excerpts from one text to those of another in order to create a single narrative. Thus Jefferson begins with Luke chapter 2 and Luke chapter 3, and then follows with Mark chapter 1 and Matthew chapter 3. He provides a record of which verses he selected and of the order in which he arranged them. Here is Thomas Jefferson’s Bible and here is the Bible of the times, the 1611, the one the people of the 18th century were reading, including Thomas Jefferson. Quite a difference in size isn’t there.

What you may not know is that the title, “The Thomas Jefferson Bible” is something modern society added to his book. Jefferson’s original title was “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” Yes, the man who could envision what would become the greatest country in recorded history also envisioned that all of the Word of God could be distilled to the simple story about our Savior. Jefferson copied the Scriptures that documented who Jesus was, why Jesus came and how Jesus lived. Now I hold a copy of Jefferson’s lantern in one hand and Jefferson’s Bible in the other. Are you curious to see what history can teach us about what God meant way back when David, and our Apostles walked this earth? I sure was.

Have you ever walked at night with a lantern? Well, the first thing I learned about the Monticello Lantern is that it has a mirror in the back and the lantern is shaped in a triangle. Candle light reflects off the mirror through the glass and is projected forward. Notice also that the handle of the lantern was placed so that you could not hang it on a wall. It is 90 degrees in the wrong direction for hanging. So the Jefferson created his lantern to hold in his hand. As he walked, the mirror projected the light forward toward his destination. Yes, Jefferson’s lantern is an Early American flashlight.

From this design, we get a clue about our God. Jefferson’s lantern is such that you cannot see where you came from but only where you are about to go. The light from the candle is used to move you toward a destination and it is not diluted on reflecting back at where one may have come from. You know, the light is focused on the journey ahead.

This first point is also a basic element in the doctrine of the Christian faith. We have been forgiven for all we have done. As Christians, we do not have to earn our way into eternal life – is a free gift, given to those with Faith. The prophet Isaiah gives us a message directly from God to help us understand this better:
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43:25-26

Through the prophet Isaiah, God is reminding us that when we are truly repentant, when we “state our case to God,” God not only forgives, He FORGETS! God says He forgets for His sake, and that allows us to live in perfect fellowship with Him. It does not matter where any of us have been, it does not matter what any of us have done, it does not matter that any of us are imperfect and will fail again. What matters is that we ASK GOD FOR HIS FORGIVENSS and our God has promised to always grant it.

I want to read that part of God’s promise again because it is easy to miss. “I will not remember your sins.” This does not say I will “forgive” you, it does not say I will “try” to forget what you have done but if you screw up again, I will bring your past up again and really give it to you. It says, “I will not remember your sins.” This is such a hard concept for us as humans to understand because no matter how hard we try, we can’t do this. Trust me; any married person knows that there is no such thing as a spouse not remembering what you did wrong. But our good news is that God forgets so perfectly it is exactly as if we never did anything wrong, just like it never happened and it will never be held against us now or in the future. God wants us to be just like the mirror in that lantern, focusing ourselves forward toward Him and not looking back. How about a big Halleluiah!

Could Thomas Jefferson’s belief in God and his understanding of this lantern influence the formation of this country? I don’t know that answer. But when Thomas Jefferson penned our Declaration, he did so with a forward vision of creating a nation of free people, free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. You pursue Jefferson’s dream not by living in the past, but by looking to the future. Jefferson and the other 55 signers of our Declaration closed out their thoughts with this last sentence: And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. There is no more forward reaching pledge that a human can make than to rely on God and be willing to give their life, their wealth and their honor so their families and countrymen can look forward to being a free people.

There is more knowledge that comes from this lantern. The second thing you learn when you walk with a light, with only one candle in power, is that you can only see a few feet ahead. You never really see your destination until you arrive. A simple lantern only lights up enough of the darkness to guide your next few steps. This is enough, however, because you should always be looking immediately in front of you anyway. Now let’s consider why this is true – Alafia has probably over a 1,000 tents; most of these tents have stakes and ropes that stick out to hold them down in the wind. If I conservatively estimate maybe 25 to 50 stakes per tent, this adds up to tens of thousands of stakes and ropes everywhere you walk. And the truth of the matter is that one of those stakes always seems to want to jump out and snare your leg, especially in the dark. I think I have personally found at least half of your tent stakes myself.

Those ropes and stakes are not unlike the hazards that befall our human plight. We are here on earth, being tempted by things that seem to jump out and grab us, ensnare us. Before we know it, we are face down in the dirt. Remember the story of David and Bathsheba? One afternoon King David was just gazing out his palace window and before he knew it, one of those “tent ropes” was bathing in his view. King David tripped hard: adultery, murder, deceit to name a few.
However, a night time walk with just one good candle in your lantern will give off adequate light for any journey and each step can be taken in safety. Look out too far into the darkness and the rope right next to your foot will entrap you. That is what our walk of faith is all about – a thousand careful small steps guiding each of us safely to our eternal destination. But even as hard as King David fell, his repentance and love for God was sufficient to receive God’s forgiveness and God’s forgetfulness. David went on to be a good king for his people and it is from David’s lineage that God chose to send us our Savior.

And like all of my Sunday messages here at Alafia, I have a third and final point. But I need to ask you this question first: What is the source of light in life? What kind of candle do you have in your lantern? Is it a good beeswax candle that burns long and does not drip or is it a cheap substitute, smoky, quick to drip and consumed before your walk is over? The perfect candle, the perfect source of light must be our Savior, Jesus Christ. The light of mankind today can found in John 1:4-5:

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

Have you ever wondered how a little candle, just one tiny flame can overcome the darkness that befalls over 300 acres? Yes, that little flickering light cannot be overcome by the darkness. The lantern light always wins. And that is the greatest lesson of them all. You see, the Apostle John was trying to tell us that Christ is the light of men and he meant our candle light for our journey. Christ cannot be overcome by the darkness of the world. Not only does the lantern always win, Christ always wins. And this my brothers and sisters is why we place our faith and hope in our Savior. This is why Thomas Jefferson thought Chris’s life was so important. Jesus will always be the light that shines in the darkness, lighting up for each of us the next step we need to take so that the “tent stakes” of the world do not entrap us.

I would hope that you never look at a lantern the same again after today. My hope for each of you is to see the “Light of men” in every flickering candle.

A Sermon Given January 18, 2009 at the Alafia River Rendezvous

My message today is about music but it will also be a winding journey through the Bible. I chose music this year, in part, to honor our Bushways, Susan and Charlie Chapman. As you roam about Alafia this week, going from tent to tent and activity to activity, the air will be filled with beautiful music. Because of the Susan’s and Charlie’s love for music, music will be our joy at Alafia. I also thought that it would be interesting to see how music honor’s our God and how it can help each of you make a connection to God this week.

So what exactly is music and where did it come from? The Bible references music 1,150 times. The first musician recorded in the Bible, Jubal, is mentioned in Genesis 4:21 as “the father of all who play the harp and flute”. Now it is important to pause here and to understand the significance of this. Adam and Eve were just thrown out of Paradise in chapter 3. And here we are just a few dozen verses later, celebrating the creation of music. We all get kicked out of the Garden of Eden, we loose our life of ease and pleasure, and we just got cursed with having to live with pain and we have to work hard. A few short verses later, God gives us music! That’s important to remember. What our God does in response to the “fall of mankind”, to sin, is something that can tell us a lot about our God. I am going to come back to this later.

In Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament, Moses, our very first Bushway, can be found leading the Israelites to the Promised Land and we learn about Miriam who played a tambourine and danced. While I am sure the sounds of music were really appreciated while they wondered aimlessly, camping each night for forty years. Personally, I would have preferred that God gave out a compass so I could get the trip over much sooner. But it appears that Moses was happy; as he wandered, he listened to music.

Perhaps the Biblical figure who most of us remember for his musical abilities is David. David charmed others with his harp, playing songs that he wrote himself. You remember David’s story:

God withdraws His favor from King Saul and sends the prophet Samuel to David’s father, Jesse. The message from God is “I have provided for myself a king among your sons.” This is important to note that even in Biblical times, there was unemployment. King Saul is to lose his job and now a junior upstart, David, Jesse’s youngest son, is to become king. And what are David’s qualifications? He is off guarding his father’s sheep. David is just a simple shepherd. And oh yes, he is very good with the harp.

David’s story moves quickly to the time when the Israelites are facing the army of the Philistines. David hears the giant Goliath challenge the Israelites to send their own champion to decide the outcome in single combat and insists that he, little David, can defeat Goliath. David is indeed victorious, felling Goliath with a stone from his sling, at which the Philistines flee in terror and the Israelites win a great victory.

The part of story many of you may not remember is that throughout David’s early association with Saul, Saul is tormented by an evil spirit. Saul’s servants suggest he send for David, who is skillful in playing the harp. A harp player that is a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD is with him. Whenever this evil spirit was upon Saul, David took the harp and played it and Saul was so refreshed, he became well.

Of course, Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to kill him. David flees and becomes an original mountain man, living off the land for years. David’s adventures go on to include numerous escapes from death, war, victory, adultery, murder and, of course, he eventually becomes king and writes a lot of music we have come to know as the Psalms. In fact, it is from David where we gain many of our insights as to our connection between music and God. Nowhere is it more evident that music was used for worship than in David’s Psalm 150:

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with crashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!”

Many other times in the Old Testament, music is mentioned. Sometimes the musicians went before the Army of Israel in battles, like the battle at Jericho. King Solomon, credited as being the history’s wisest man, wrote more than 1,000 songs.

Today, we are surrounded by music, yet most people don’t realize the vast impact it has on our everyday mental, physical, and spiritual health. Researchers delving into why and how music affects our minds and bodies have come up with some startling facts. For instance, music creates changes in metabolism, circulation, blood volume, pulse, blood pressure, and our moods. Claims are made that nearly every organ in the body responds to music. Music can compel us to laugh, to cry, to worship God. It can calm us or whip us into an emotional foot-stomping frenzy. Playing “our song” can trigger memories and nostalgic moods.

While listening to good music can have a positive impact on us, participating in a musical activity (e.g., singing or playing an instrument) has its own unique benefits as well. Active participation in music, can provide an escape from everyday problems, help develop concentration, quicken our senses, and relieve stress. It satisfies the creative urge and gives us a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Music’s interconnection with society is seen throughout history. Every known culture on the earth has music. Music seems to be one of the basic actions of humans. Music helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. When he could not figure out the right wording for a certain part, he would play his violin to help him. The music helped him get the words from his brain onto the paper.

But why did God create us to be so responsive to music? First of all, we must always remember that we have a God of Order. That is, every part of His creation, you, me, the stars, the earth, the water and the sky are all part of a perfect order for a perfect purpose, His purpose. Part of the order of our world is that we respond to its rhythm. The day, the night, the moon, the tides, those things that set our internal clocks. This order includes repetition and changes, certain patterns of rhythm, and pitch and contrasting moods. All of these are key ingredients of music.

We also have a God who wants to be connected to us. So I want to go back to the Book of Genesis for a minute and read you the part where our lives took that very different turn, the “fall of mankind,” you know, that first sin. In Genesis 3:8-10 reads – “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” “Adam answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” – This was the moment you and I became separated from God.

Adam and Eve just recognized that they are naked and were hiding from God behind some bushes and their first sin separated us from our God. So what does our God do? Let’s move just 11 short verses to Genesis 3:21 to see. God knows any separation from Him is not good for mankind, so God gives us the first sacrifice, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” God took the skins of animals, God’s very own creations, to cloth Adam and Eve so that they would not hide from God. That by the way is a sorry message for those who do not believe in hunting and any kind of fur trade. Our God was the first to kill animals and to use their skins for clothing. Remember, we have a God who loves order and He has a plan and purposeful sacrifice is part of His plan.

We are still on that winding road to understand music so hang in there with me. Now let’s jump forward a few thousand years to the prophet Amos, around 790 BC. The Book of Amos 7:7-8 “This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” he replied. Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”

God is still on track to bring us back to Him. Do you remember the purpose of that first sacrifice, to bring Adam and Eve back into fellowship with God? Well, Amos the prophet is telling us that God is going to give us something else to help bring us back into fellowship with God, but this time, forever. Better than animal skins, it’s a “plumb line.”

I need to stop here for just a moment and to show you a plumb line. It is the only tool that when placed into any hand, operates perfectly every time. It hangs perfectly straight. In fact, you cannot make it hang in any other way than perfect. So what is God going to do, give us a tool? No, the plumb line is an example of what is to come. God is going to provide something perfect. God is going to provide the ultimate sacrifice; God is going to give us Christ. Christ will be the plumb line to measure all we do by, someone perfect, and someone to bring us back into fellowship with God, but this time, forever.

Now in the New Testament (the Bible written after Christ came), hymns were always a source of comfort and strength as early Christians faced their challenges. In Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas used hymns to comfort them when there were in prison.–“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” The Bible further talks about the role of music in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” In Revelations 14:2-3, the Bible talks about music during the end times. “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.

While this is a Sunday message about music, it is also important to understand, it is also about our connection to God. So we need to end our time here today looking at our perfect example, our “plumb line”, our Savior, Jesus Christ and look at His connection to God through music. Jesus sang hymns with his disciples. One of the most mentioned is right after the Last Supper. “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Mark 14:26.) Jesus takes the lead here, He sets the tone, He is at His “Last Supper” on earth and He is singing hymns.

The timing of Jesus’ singing in the Bible is most remarkable. We read at the end of the verse that after they had sung, they went out to the Mount of Olives. You are sufficiently familiar with your Bibles stories to know that when Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives His suffering began and the cross was less than one day away. Remember Adam and Eve? Christ was about to suffer on account of our ancestry, and because we, the descendents of Adam and Eve, just can’t get our own act together either. We keep separating ourselves from our God. What we need is that perfect plumb line to build our lives by and that perfect sacrifice so each of us can be brought back into permanent fellowship with our God.

Jesus’ singing happened directly after the celebration of the Passover. Because this was Passover, we can also speculate on what He sang. The typical Passover celebration included the singing of six Psalms (113 and 114 before the meal and Psalm 115, 116, 117 and 118 directly after the meal). So, when Mark wrote this down—“when they had sung a hymn, they went out”— the Apostle Mark’s readers knew exactly what was sung. So what kind of songs are these? Don’t forget, Jesus was on His way to suffering and death. As a matter of fact, all six of these psalms sing the praises of God. They tell of the greatness of God. They express great contentment in the way God leads things. That is what Jesus sings. Jesus chooses to open His heart to God, to connect with His Father, our Creator and He chooses to do so through music.

But there is more. In all of history, God has tried to prepare each of us for a journey that ends with salvation, with joy and fellowship with Him. It is no easy task to contemplate and understand the meaning of life and its inevitable passing. We relate to the here and now, the temporal things of this world and when someone asks us what is “forever,” we smile and just shake our heads. But our God knows us well. We need more to build our hope upon.

So let me try to close with where we have just been. We are, because of our nature, separated from God and that is not good. God has provided us both music to connect with God and a Savior to bring us back into fellowship so God can guide our hearts to Him. As we close our worship service here today and as each of you begins what I hope is a very blessed Alafia week, please take with you the knowledge that music is a gift to us from God, given to bring us joy and to wet our appetites on what lies ahead. Music and the joy it brings will let you see just a glimpse now of what God’s love has in store for each of you. And whether you sing, dance or just listen this week, do so with joy, do so with praise for your God and do so with thanks, do so with Christ.

A Sermon given January 20, 2008 at the Alafia River Rendezvous

3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. 4At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6he said, “Listen to my words: “When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. 7But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.”
~Numbers 12:3-8

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
~John 14:6

The Israelites probably set the record for the longest Rendezvous in history. Theirs lasted 40 years in the wilderness, living in tents and cooking out. You remember some of the more important goings on: Tablets of stone with 10 commandments given to Moses, who, by the way, was history’s first recorded Bushway; and then there was manna from God to feed everyone – it must be where the idea of a rendezvous potluck came from; Let’s not forget the burning bush – with all of the trouble we have had getting wood this year, what we need is fire starting God’s way – the burning bush was never consumed by the fire; and last but not least, the golden calf – I think I saw one in a traders tent yesterday.

I don’t know if you struggle as much as I do but I sure wish I could hear God like Moses heard Him, direct, clear and to the point. As Scripture tells us, perfect humility brings perfect communication with God. Moses was the most humble human in the world so God was the clearest with him – What can be clearer than written instructions in stone? And God was with the Israelites as they camped and wandered in that rendezvous to end all rendezvous. My only comfort is in knowing that in spite of all the direct communication with God, Moses still made mistakes and God did keep them wondering in the wilderness, and Moses never actually entered the “Promised Land.” So if hearing everything direct from God didn’t work for Moses, what hope do the rest of us have? Well, there is one thing we have that Moses didn’t have, and that is Jesus.

Now I know Jesus is quoted in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” So I would like to start with this subtle point that first we must gather in His name at Alafia and that will make all the difference this week. To start us off on this thought process, I need to tell you that this year’s message is heavily influenced by a set of very unusual circumstances that go back to last January at Alafia. So for a moment, I would like to recap a few of those.

Rocky Radcliff an old time club member must have known this was going to be his last rendezvous. In spite of his health, he came to camp, to be with friends he loved. Rocky passed away here at Alafia just before the rendezvous officially began. All of Rocky’s friends also looked forward to camping. Yet when Rocky’s memorial service came during the rendezvous, those who new and loved him responded without a second though and left Alafia to support his family. Black arm bands when on and his spirit was remembered with love.

And then there was the morning I found Big Bear, helping a man in his 90’s. He had walked down to the cypress blocks to practice with his hawk but his dementia was too advanced and he couldn’t find his way back to his family’s camp. I joined Big Bear and we carefully extracted several hawks from his grip and each grabbed one arm. This man was struggling just to walk. Our hawk thrower remembered that he was camped near a tree. Now, one thing about our club grounds is that you take a lot of acres right out of the search pattern when you include a tree. After checking out each of our trees, we found a family camped under a tree that laid claim to our wandering frontiersman. I was just taken back by someone who could hardly walk, struggling with dementia and yet, his love of the rendezvous sent him out on an exhausting journey. I would hope that I have the perseverance to do the same when I am 90 years old. What brought this man here? To throw the hawk or to know he was going to enjoy the fellowship of his family and the Frontiersmen?

And then there was the man who I do not know by name. We recognized each other every year, ask about how each other faired since the last rendezvous. How many of us have people we meet like this every year. It was with shock that he told me that his doctor had given up on treating his cancer. So he too, decided that Alafia was the place he wanted to be. Chemotherapy was not working so our fellow camper stopped treatment and came to us. It was at that moment that I really appreciated the responsibility we all share at this annual event. Nothing would please me more than to see him again this year.

My last story takes me to two of our members Doc and Eva Long. It was just after Alafia that Eva had gone on to join our great God when Doc came to a club meeting to shoot. He told me that he could not stand the emptiness in his home and wanted to come to be with those he loved and who loved him. I need to share a secret with you: Doc, in a moment of reflection and with a tear, told me what he most missed after loosing Eva was the just her friendly embrace. For all you, your assignment this year is that if Doc camps or comes to visit us, you need to give him the warmest hug you can muster.

And there are more stories like this I could share. But what’s my point here? There is something that draws one’s soul to this place and to Alafia. We probably could agree that it is in our inner being, invisible, hard to explain but a very, very real force. What is that force? Let’s try to figure this out together.

God has created a world filled with beauty and, unfortunately, with distractions. So God spends a lot of our time, trying to get our attention. The Apostle Paul was kind enough to sum it up for us when he said in Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Some of the evidence I see at Alafia that God is alive and well is:

1. When I look up at the stars. (Adlib story when I was 13 camping with Jimmy Rizer, looking up at the stars and suddenly realized my own insignificance).
2. Our children, especially when the pa tree is filled with children laughing and enjoying themselves. Only God could turn a tree crushed by a storm into a place of joy and laughter.
3. How about one of those Alafia Sunsets? Try to describe that as simply light passing through dust particles. I know that God’s paintbrush will be at work this week.
4. There are probably many others but the one that stands out in my mind as the big one is the love for one another that fills Alafia every year. As Christ Himself said when asked which commandment from God was the greatest, the greatest of these is love. We see it all week long.

Let’s look at this evidence a different way. William Paley (1743–1805) was an English theologian, ordained in 1767 and lectured on moral philosophy. He is most known for his “parable of Paley.” Let me share this parable.

“In crossing a heath (that’s a field a lot like Alafia for those who may wonder), suppose I stepped on a stone, and then was asked how did the stone get there? I might answer, that as far as I know, the stone might have laid there for ever — logical conclusion, correct? But suppose I also found a watch, and was then asked how the watch happen to be here? Is my argument for the rock good enough to use for the watch? Probably not – It’s hard to argue that the watch was always there so why is the same answer not good for both the watch and the stone?

Stay with me here. Our reasoning is based on our inspection of the watch. We see in it things we cannot see in the stone. There are multiple parts, put together for a purpose, to produce motion, and that motion is so regulated as to point out the hour of the day. Our conclusion is inevitable, that the watch must have had a maker: that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, a watchmaker who formed it for the purpose which we find it functioning, to tell us the time and this brings us its value. So we ponder who thought of its construction, and designed it? So goes William Paley’s parable.

You might also conclude that the watchmaker cares about his watch and is tolerant of its minor imperfections. He is no doubt forgiving of its inability to keep perfect time. Most important, that watchmaker loves his watch and is probably trying to find it.

The first point of my message this morning is that we will all be given a choice this week, to choose from one of two beliefs:
• To see the evidence of God’s Creation, to see God among the distractions of our world. It is a choice we make to believe God cares about us, that God is tolerant of our flaws and forgiving of our mistakes, that God is active in His creation (that’s us), His Creation has a purpose and, most important, that God loves His Creation. We could choose to believe that somewhere, there is, like the watch maker, a WORLDMAKER.
• You could also choose to believe that through the chance mingling of cosmic dust, a world was created. It is similar to the choice you might have in believing that the watch in the grass just happened because the random nature of the winds aligned the grains of sand to look like and function like a watch.

So how does Jesus fit into this? Is He the WORLDMAKER we look for? Is Jesus among us already, waiting for us to acknowledge that He is God’s evidence of God’s very existence? Like the watch, just waiting for us to notice Him standing out in this world filled with distractions, to spot Him in the grass? Repeating, what our Apostle Paul said, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” These are very powerful words.

• Let’s take a moment and compare Jesus with a few other great deities. To do this, I will use another story. According to an ancient legend, a man became lost in his travels and wondered into quicksand.
• Confucius saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay out of places like this.”
• Next Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let the man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.”
• Then Mohammed came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas, it is the will of God.”
• Finally, Jesus appeared on the scene and said, “Take my hand, brother and I will save you — For I am the way, the truth and the life.”

So my second point this morning is that Jesus IS the evidence that our World maker has given us. Jesus is also the World Maker too, not only from God but God Himself. Like the watch in the grass, we need to be on the lookout for Jesus at Alafia.

Which brings me to my concluding point this morning: In a world filled with growing distractions, constant interruptions and a desire for high speed everything, Alafia represents life in the slow lane where we are given time to spot those opportunities to reach out and really care for our neighbors. Not only to see the evidence of God Himself but to become examples of His evidence to those who camp with us this week.

In the simplicity of our camp fires, of tent living, of depending upon each other, we start to understand our MAKER’S WORLD. We start to see the caring and loving for each other that we are called to do; we begin to believe again that we are not the reactive deposit of cosmic dust but the creative design and careful craftsmanship of a master builder, a WORLDMAKER. You see, like the watch, we too were created with a purpose.

Do you want to make this Alafia the best rendezvous you have ever attended? Here is my secret formula for this week. First, trust that Jesus is camped among us. Next, do as Jesus would do, extend your hand and your heart to everyone. Look for Him in all you see and act on His behalf in all you do.

Yes, each of you has a choice to make at Alafia Rendezvous this year, whether you will take the time to seek out God and His evidence among all of the wonderful examples we will have at Alafia. Yes, He is here, in person. There will probably be no other time with fewer distractions to find Christ than this week at Alafia.

Benediction
You stand at the gate of Alafia and wonder, “Where is the light that will guide you safely through the unknown”

A Sermon Given January 21, 2007 at the Alafia River Rendezvous

Intro: I consider it an honor to be here today, to be trusted enough that can stand before you and talk about our God. Thank you.

1611 Bible: In thinking about a message for today, I found myself reflecting back on what it must have been like in the late 1700’s, sitting in church and listening to the Word of God, hearing the messages that moved our ancestor’s hearts. So I thought I would begin my message today by reading out of the same Scripture that was used during those times. America had no large printing presses back then so we imported our Bibles from England. The official Bible of the time was known as the 1611 King James Bible. I have a reproduction of that same Bible in my hand. Hear our Scripture for today read as our ancestors heard it 300 years ago:

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
~Isaiah 11:1-2

⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
~Luke 6:44-45

Recap: Last year I spoke about how it was the very nature of history that defined who we were, that history points us to the future and even empowers each of us for our journey.
Noah Story: Today, I plan to take you down a different path and speak to you about fruits of the vine, “GRAPES.” Yes, grapes. They are first mentioned in Genesis 9:20 when Noah escaped the flood and planted his first vineyard. Unfortunately it only took until the next verse, Genesis 9:21, which recorded man’s first hangover when Noah celebrated in excess. I guess this says something about mankind and why we always need God. There is also the Gospel of John who gives us words directly from Christ, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” We all can remember the glory of Christ’s first miracle at Cana, creating wine from water. Yes, all through the Bible the vine and its fruits have been used as a metaphor for Christ, our connection to Him and our faith in Him that directs the good works of fruit-filled lives. So what does this mean to us today here at Alafia?

Choices: First, we must recognize that God Himself did not create us to be obedient creatures and who are we to argue with God? God created us to make free choices, good ones and bad ones. Each of us will have a lot of choices to make this week. I am particularly interested in those choices that involve your love of history and how you will share that love this week. Each of you made a choice this morning to come to this service and proclaim your faith to all those around us at Alafia. That was a great choice. Thomas Jefferson once said about himself, “For it is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must judge me.” In other words, it is in what we do and not what we say that others will notice at Alafia. With that said, let me start with a true story about my own life.

First Home Story: A first home is an exciting thing. I can remember when finally saving enough for a down payment and found that first home, some time around ‘68. It is hard to believe that for the last decade, the carriages I have owned cost more than that first house. It was small house at 750 square feet with three bedrooms, a single bath (indoors, quite an advancement for its time), a kitchen and living room. The original owner had built the house from recycled lumber that came from an old barn. He had hand carried stone for the fireplace from the local river and a natural waterfall in the town center called Chagrin Falls. Its name is believed to have been derived from an Indian word “shagrin” meaning “clear water”. Chagrin Falls and the surrounding area was unique, first settled in 1755. This home was filled with charm and it was ours (and of course, the bank’s). It was located on Pine Street.

Lehman: It was here that my love for black powder turned serious. Growing up, my idols were Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. There stories filled my imagination and my love for the 18th century took hold. As I sat in my new home, that field stone fireplace just looked empty. Something was missing. I enjoyed taking walks at lunch and that took me past a gun shop near where I work. One day I stopped in and there it was. It called to me and said “hang me over your fireplace.” That is how I came to purchase an original Henry Lehman trade gun. It still hangs over our present fireplace today. And while there are many stories I could talk about those early years of home ownership, the one that seems to have impacted me the most happened in the back yard.

Love of Owning Land: Land is an amazing thing. To own land is a privilege that few in the world ever get to enjoy. It was one of the principle reasons that our forefathers so generously fought for our freedom. The promise of land that went with each enlistment during the American Revolution was no different than my own dream. I can imagine how a young soldier would have felt in the 18th century when he received land for his service.

The Arbor: My yard was small with an old apple tree, a pear tree and a field stone fire pit. Next to the house was a grape arbor. The arbor had been there probably as long as the house itself. Yes, our first house and its fruits were the American dream.

DYI: After the initial bloom faded upon the rose, the reality of owning this older home began to set in. My time was filled with repairs, remodeling and constant upkeep. Don’t take my wrong. There was no time in those early years that I would have had it any other way. The constant projects bonded neighbors into work crews, established life long friendships that still continue today and provided me with the training ground for many of my skills. Simplicity and necessity are wonderful things in life. Too bad we all work so hard to leave them for bigger and better things.

The Arbor: In the back yard was a grape arbor. It must have been the labor of someone’s love once upon a time. The arbor was built to gracefully hold and guide the branches of two very large vines. They had flourished over the years, intertwining and forming a canopy over the arbor. It was so peaceful to walk out our side door into the back yard and stroll under the arbor. A wooden table sat next to the arbor under the apple tree. The apple tree was a great place for my children as they learned to climb their first tree. So many hours were spent sitting at that table in the yard.

Fall Harvest: In fall, my family was ready to enjoy our harvests: Apples, more than we could use; pears, sour but great for jam; and grapes. Wait a minute, “Where were the grapes?” Fall came and then winter and there were no grapes. We had a healthy vine, loaded with branches but there was no fruit. As I examined the arbor, it became clear that over the years, the vines were never tended. Easy, I thought, to just prune back the vines. However, this turned out to be much more of a task than I was prepared for. The wood used to build the arbor had decayed and as I tried to prune the branches, the arbor collapsed. It was with great reluctance that I found myself forced to tear down the arbor and cut down the vines.

Bare Roots: After finishing the demolition and cleaning up, I was left with two very short and fat vine roots about two feet long and several inches thick. As you can see, I did not prune the vines; I cut them up, ready to discard them. I can’t tell you why I hesitated that day but for some unknown reason, I decided to give them one more chance. Sort of something that God does with each of us everyday. Both vines, or should I say what was left of them, were planted against a fence along our property line. Winter came and I never gave the vines a second thought. Winter in Ohio usually takes up most of your time trying figure out how to keep warm.

Spring Surprise: The following spring came and I noticed that those stubs of a vine that I planted were sprouting buds. As the season progressed, branches were formed, buds flowered and, yes, grapes were on the vine. Through the summer and into fall, our family waited in anticipation. We were not disappointed. The fall harvest came and we enjoyed concord grapes from our own little vineyard. It was a great first home and for many years, my family finally enjoyed all of those “fruits” of our labors.

Vine and Us Today: When thinking about my message today, I could not help but to reflect back to that grape arbor and my experience with it. To let the vine grow without attention was no different than leading an unexamined and self-focused life. My arbor had not been touched in years. The vine had grown large but the branches did not bear fruit. The infrastructure that held the vines from the ground, the arbor, had become rotten and weak. This old memory brought me to my first point for today, that the measure of our success should not be the complexity of our life or the size of a Rendezvous (the size of the vine or arbor). Alafia and all of us must be measured by our fruit, our grapes. The Apostle Paul gives us a clear picture of what a fruitful harvest should look like. In Galatians 5:22-23, he lists the Christian fruit to be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.

Sharing Fruit: Now that we know what Christian fruit should look like what should be the next important concern? It could be to answer this question, “What good is the fruit if it is never shared?” Our love of history, our knowledge about crafts and our wilderness skills hang on the vine. Thousands will walk through our vineyard this week. What will our generosity be like?

Who is the Vineyard: The vineyard represents the faithful believers of the universal Christian Church. In my Old Testament reading Isaiah 11:1-2, we find one of the places our Bible foretells the coming of our Savior. The root of our vine, therefore, must be in Christ, the branches representing you and me. If we don’t bring forth fruit, if we don’t share our bountiful harvest with those around us, the grapes do nothing more than drop to the ground. Sharing them with those who will pass by us this week is exactly what the Apostle Luke was speaking about when he said “For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” A shorter way of putting this is that one’s generosity and actions are a window to one’s heart.

Sharing at Alafia: Each of us will come into contact with old friends, acquaintances, make new friends and meet thousands of visitors. How many will walk away with the fruits of your spirit? There will be children in our school that have not yet formed their love for history. Those children could benefit from knowing how you established your own values and why you love this place so much. I listen each month as we express concerns that the next generation will have the desire to carry on in our footsteps. Will you find time to share your “fruit,” your love of Alafia with a child this week? Will shared stories with friends and guests awake an interest that blossoms into someone’s new love of the Lord? It was Christ who first bent down to us to share His fruits for us to eat and be filled. He was the first Vine and the first Grapes. It was Christ who was crushed and became the first Wine in the chalice for us to drink. He asks us to represent Him this week.

Ice Wine: So maybe this sounds like a good thing for someone else filled with special skills and knowledge, just not for you. Life has been hard and your stories don’t seem interesting. Or maybe you’re just a little shy. Well let me bring my third point out here and tell you about ice wine.

Wine in itself is a true wonder. No organism harmful to humans can live in wine and it has been used medically for as long as it has been made. Outside of water, it is no doubt the first beverage to touch the lips of our ancestors.

How it is made: Wine is also one of those rare things that actually get better with age. I wish I could say the same for my shooting skills. Now to make ice wine, grapes are left on the vine well into the winter months. Canada is the leading producer for ice wine. The resulting freezing and thawing of the grapes dehydrates the fruit, and concentrates the sugars, acids, thereby intensifying the flavors. The juice from ice wine grapes is about one-fifth the amount you would normally get if you pressed unfrozen grapes. To put it another way, a vine will normally produce sufficient grapes to make a bottle of wine; but frozen grapes would produce only one glass of ice wine.

The frozen grapes are pressed in the extreme cold. The water in the juice remains frozen as ice crystals, and only a few drops of sweet concentrated juice is obtained. This juice is then fermented very slowly for several months, stopping naturally. The finished ice wine is intensely sweet and flavorful. Because of the lower yield of grapes and the difficulty of processing, ice wines are more expensive than regular table wines. In fact, because they are so sweet, they are often served for desert.

Analogy: I use the example of ice wine because I believe that for those of you who have endured the discomforts of a frost-filled life, may have the most valued fruit to share. When struggles and faith are intermixed, people are often blessed with an understanding of our God that the rest of us just search for. Patrick Henry – a great American statesman said “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience; I know of no way judging the future but by the past.” And it is the sweetness of your history that should be shared.

Recap: So what have I said today?
1. First, we must be branches on a vine that is rooted in Christ that produces fruit;
2. Second, we must share that fruit with those who will wander through the Alafia vineyard this week; and
3. Third, every one especially those who have struggled and won the battle of becoming a believer have the sweetest fruit to share.
So how will you personally measure the success of this year’s Alafia River Rendezvous?

Go back in time: Well, if we could transport ourselves back 300 years ago to a Sunday, any Sunday during the 18th century when our forefathers were giving birth to our country, it might have been John Wesley who was giving you the message. And if there ever was a man who knew the hearts of our pioneers and patriots, it was John Wesley (1703-1791). He is remembered today as the founder of the Methodist movement. John Wesley became a Christian at the age of 35. Before his conversion, he had done missionary work among the American Indians as an Anglican minister. He was forced to leave the Anglican Church (the Church of England) and spent the rest of his life preaching in the fields and on the streets and wherever he was able to. He was up each morning before 5:00 for prayer and Bible study, and often rode on horseback 15 to 20 miles a day, preaching four or five times daily. During his lifetime, Wesley traveled 250,000 miles, preaching a total of 42,000 sermons. He died at the age of 88 and preached up to the very month in which he died. I close us this morning with his words of advice to all of us: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

May God place is generous blessings upon this Alafia River Rendezvous for now and evermore. Amen

Sermon Given at the Alafia River Rendezvous on January 22, 2006

We are all gathered here because we share a common love, the love of history. Now to most of the world that are not camped with us this Sunday, we are those strange people who are willing to forgo the comforts of civilization, skip our daily showers, and do without modern comforts. Yet, if you have experienced the quiet of a nighttime campfire, the fellowship of the frontier, you know that it is the world around us that has forgone the experience of a rendezvous. The question here is whether there is any real value in what we do? When viewed from the heavens, does our God smile or laugh? My message this morning is to look at three gifts that the world is given through history. Three gifts that each of usu can embrace and share with those around us.

The first gift from history is that we are defined by it. Yes, I would claim that each of you is who you are because you received information from the past. It came as stories of your ancestors. Where they came from, how they lived, how they suffered and even how they died.

Genealogy begins in God’s Word. There we can see that our Bible is passing on to us those events that foretold of the Messiah, His life, His death and our ultimate salvation. It was David’s genealogy that would cascade through history until the birth of Christ. It would be Solomon’s experiences that would be written into the Book of Proverbs. The experiences of history’s wisest man, passed on to each of us. Maybe it is the letters of the Apostle Paul that define the very essence of Christian beliefs. But this is a message about pre-1840 American history so let’s go back to 1776.

On the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, August 2nd, General Washington had only 10,000 men under his command. Off the coast of New England, more than 130 British ships sat at anchor. The Signers of our great Declaration had already received word that those ships contained 42,000 sailors and soldiers who were awaiting an order to join the British forces already ashore. The British forces represented the most powerful nation on Earth, and their task was to crush the Colonial rebellion and arrest each of the signers as traitors. Every man who put his pen to the Declaration that day knew that he faced the wrath of all Britain and would be considered traitors to the Crown.

Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War. That is one out of two or 52% to be exact. Would you have signed that day? Yet, this would be become the history that defined a nation, our nation, the greatest nation on earth.

I remember my family stories as if they were told to me yesterday. Four weeks after I was born, my father went off to war. I was three years old the day he returned. We met and shook hands for the first time that day. My father’s gift to me was a knife that his brother had made for him and my dad carried those three years while he was in the service. It was a simple enough gift that would help define my interests for a life time. Family stories, I have a 1,000 of them. What about your own heritage? Each one of us has a journey that is unique. God calls us to share it.

Now history’s second gift is that it points you. Whether or not we recognize it, we are all on a journey. Each of us is a traveler in time, with fate defining our circumstances and destiny defining our journey’s end. But it is history that provides each of us our road map. As George [sant-I-la] Santayala, a famous Spanish philosopher once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

I would propose that life’s journey is always a road with choices. Those proverbial “Y’s” in the road that force us to chose one direction or another. I would also propose that you are never offered more than two choices at a time. Should you go to the left or to the right? No maybes or buts allowed. Should you choose to believe in Christ or should you not? There is no middle ground offered here. No cross roads, just the occasional fork in the road of life. Our Creator has not made this journey complex but He has given us many choices. We are asked to pick one path and journey on, making our choices again and again. Here is where history is so important. The Apostle Paul has said that “Romans 1:19-20 “…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” But Isaiah 30:21 has said that “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” In other words, we are called to make our choices (choose one of those forks in the road) and then place our faith in our God that He will guide us through this journey. Good choices and some not so good.

We don’t have to work very hard to find examples of bad choices. In our history, there are many. I can think of maybe some of the worst choices ever made. In our country’s history there were battles fought for freedom but there were those fought for greed. We should never forget these. 12 million of our American Indian brothers and sisters perished during the birth of our country. And what have we learned from our past? Just walk over to our Metis ceremonial area and listen. We have learned that we share the same Creator, the same world and the same desire for an eternal life. We have learned that we were created from the same dust and will return to the same dust. It is our obligation to pass this history on too so it is never, never repeated.

I have been told that in every good sermon, there must be at least three points and I am a true and tried Presbyterian from the Church of Scotland. So my third point is that history empowers us. Yes, I mean to say that through the gift of history, we can be given the power to make a difference, to actually help write the next chapter in our world’s history book. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s go back to the Declaration of Independence and I would like to tell you about one of its signers, Caesar Rodney. Caesar was born in Delaware in 1730. He was 46 at the time of the American Revolution. As one of the provincial leaders, Rodney knew the importance of unity. On July 1st, 1776 Rodney road 80 miles through the night, through a thunderstorm, so that he could be there to cast the deciding vote for his delegation. Not just an ordinary vote but the vote that allowed this Declaration to be re-titled, the “Unanimous Declaration of Independence.” That additional word would serve to hold our country’s spirits and troops together for eight long years of war and hundreds of years afterwards. It inspired over 200,000 colonialists to sacrifice and seek the freedom that we all enjoy every day. What many do not know is that Caesar Rodney had skin cancer and elected to forgo treatment so that he could support his country. He was active during the entire revolution, never taking time to see his doctors in Philadelphia. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty in Paris on September 3rd, 1783. Caesar Rodney joined the Lord less than a year later, in June of 1784, knowing America was now free. Is his legacy that he is the only person to be named on a U.S. Quarter or is it the word “Unanimous” on our Declaration of Independence? Is his legacy that others like me will share his story of sacrifice to all that will listen?

And where was this unselfish attitude learned, to sacrifice all for others? How would our collection of thirteen colonies become unanimous in their pursuit of freedom? What was the great gift of history that they received?

In 1776, we were a nation, a nation under God, a nation taught and governed by Godly principles and a nation given the understanding of how Christ sacrificed for each of us. We were a nation of believers, raising our children as believers, standing and worshiping our God with reverence and respect. We placed our Bible in a place of honor in our households and we placed God’s Words in a place of honor in our hearts. Your forefathers chose to give each of you the gifts of history: to let it define you, to let it to point you, to let it empower you. Do this for others in the name of our great Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 An Interview Sermon given at Wekiva Presbyterian Church in Longwood, FL on Sunday July 4, 2004 and at First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, FL on July 3, 2005. It is a first person message where one of the signer’s of the Declaration of Independence, Caesar Rodney, is interviewed by the church pastor.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:33; Daniel 4:17; and at the end of the sermon, Ephesians 6:13-17

Interviewer: Today, out of the pages of history, we are going to hear a true story, of courage and sacrifice. We have one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, a representative of the state of Delaware, with us today. I am speaking of course, of the world famous and much beloved Caesar Rodney. So now if you will, please give a warm welcome to Caesar Rodney of Delaware…

(Caesar Rodney enters, wearing authentic Revolutionary Era garb.)

Rodney: Thank you for that gracious welcome.

Interviewer: We are so glad you are with us today, Mr. Rodney.

Rodney: Yes, I always seem to be traveling quite a distance, especially on occasions like Independence Day.

Interviewer: We are glad that you have. If I may, let me begin by asking you a bit about that famous summer of 1776…

Rodney: Yes, the story begins then. The Second Continental Congress was sitting in the State House in Philadelphia. (I think you call it “Independence Hall” now). On June 7th, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia rose and put a remarkable proposition before the house which was seconded by John Adams of Massachusetts:

Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

Interviewer: Did that start the American Revolution?

Rodney: By no means. At the time, the war was already a year old! The “shot heard round the world” had been fired in Lexington at North Bridge on April 19th of the preceding year. The colonials, under George Washington, had raised an army and were waging war, but it was not a war for independence. We were waging a loyal struggle for our rights as Englishmen.

Interviewer: I see. Tell me, Mr. Rodney, how did the delegates react to Mr. Lee’s now-famous resolution?

Rodney: Well, it did not meet with unanimous enthusiasm, let me tell you. My fellow delegates from Pennsylvania, New York, and South Carolina were especially skeptical. As was I. We were the “sensible part of the house”. So at first we opposed Lee’s resolution. And after four days of heated debate we convinced the house that the question should be delayed until July 1st.

Interviewer: What happened next?

Rodney: The work of drafting this resolution fell to Thomas Jefferson, then only 33 years old. I remember Thomas as having a great God-given gift, the ability to craft into words, the most complex thoughts; yet have them leap from a page with clarity. In the weeks to follow, Thomas would create our draft of the Declaration of Independence. Probably the most notable of his contributions would be his concept of self-evident truths and inalienable rights. I remember his words as if they were written yesterday:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness — That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…

Interviewer: We still hold these truths to be self-evident, today…

Rodney: And well you should! On July 1st, Congress returned to finish the debate over Lee’s resolution.

Interviewer: What happened next?

Rodney: On the following day, July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress agreed to sever America’s ties with the British Crown. The vote was unanimous among the States voting. Two Pennsylvania delegates had stayed away so that Pennsylvania’s new majority could vote for independence.

Interviewer: And what about you, sir?

Rodney: I, Caesar Rodney, rode 80 miles by day and night through a thunderstorm to break a tie in our own Delaware delegation.

Interviewer: A famous ride, indeed.

Rodney: Yes, I suspect only Paul Revere’s ride is more famous, from that long ago time.

Interviewer: What were your thoughts, about that vote?

Rodney: I must admit that I was somewhat reluctant, at the outset. Throughout our discussions, I preferred to find a more peaceful way to deal with the British King.

Interviewer: But you decided to vote for independence?

Rodney: Yes indeed.

Interviewer: Which made Independence Day what it is today…

Rodney: Yes, but here is something most people don’t remember. After the vote, John Adams thought that future generations would celebrate the Second of July. But Congress did not actually get around to approving the Declaration of Independence for two more days, July 4th, 1776. So because of a bureaucratic delay, you are celebrating tomorrow instead of yesterday.

Interviewer: Did all of you, back then, have any idea that we would make the day such a special day of celebration?

Rodney: My friend John Adams did. He said, “It 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 Shews , Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations, from one End of the Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

Interviewer: Today, you are helping us do exactly that.

Rodney: Yes, today I have returned to you so that I might enjoin this solemn act of devotion to God Almighty and establish that the occasion of this day is no ordinary day.

Interviewer: I understand that after the Second Continental Congress finally approved the Declaration, they laid it aside temporarily?

Rodney: Exactly, it was not until July 19th, after the Congress had received notice of New York’s approval, that Congress ordered the Declaration to be endorsed. It could now be titled, “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America.”

Interviewer: Unanimous?

Rodney: Yes. Every member of Congress understood the importance of unity. Our great Declaration would be nothing more than hollow words if it were not for our commitment to each other and our country. It would be our unity that later proved to be our greatest strength.

Interviewer: When did the delegates put their signatures on the Declaration?

Rodney: Most signed the Declaration on August 2nd, 1776. Eventually, 56 of my fellow patriots signed. John Hancock’s signature is large, the last and probably the most celebrated.

Interviewer: Yes, I have often wondered about that.

Rodney: He said he wanted it to be big and bold enough for King George to read it without his glasses! We were out to prove our point. We were choosing freedom over servitude. You see, as a colony under Great Britain’s king, we would remain as servants, providing Great Britain the benefits of our labors and resources.

Interviewer: What was the situation like, on the day of the signing?

Rodney: On the day of the signing, August 2nd, General Washington had only 10,000 men under his command. Off the coast of New England, more than 130 British ships sat at anchor. The Signers of our great Declaration had already received word that those ships contained 42,000 sailors and soldiers who were awaiting an order to join the British forces already ashore. The British forces represented the most powerful nation on Earth, and their task was to crush our rebellion and arrest each of us as traitors. Every man who put his pen to the Declaration that day knew that he faced the wrath of all Britain and would be considered traitors to the Crown.

Interviewer: And as traitors, you were liable to be hanged.

Rodney: Exactly, which brings me to my first point for you today. (1) There will be times in your life that you must decide what side to take. And when it comes to freedom, there are only two sides to choose from.
But first let me tell you a few things about myself.

Interviewer: Please do.

Rodney: I was born in 1730 in Dover, Delaware. At the time of the American Revolution, I was 46 years old. My family was of notable heritage with ancestry going back to the 13th century in England. A distant relative, Sir Richard De Rodeney, fell in the Holy Land, fighting in the Crusades. Wealth, power and honor were part of my inheritance. It was my father’s wealth and influence that established my political career. In 1765, I was appointed to represent the provincial assembly of Delaware. During the years to follow, the Stamp Act and other repressive measures, led to the constant agitation of the Colonies. The Stamp Act placed a duty on every contract, deed or petition written for any purpose. The duty was to reimburse Great Britain for their protection of the plantations in America. It was repressive! It was unfair! And it was the straw that would eventually crush the camel.

I must say that during these years, I was constantly seeking a close relationship with the king and reconciliation with Great Britain. Through much effort and negotiations, the Stamp Act was finally repealed but the trust between our colonies and Great Britain was damaged beyond repair. It was during this difficult time that I fell to ill health, and elected to relinquish my public duties. A cancerous affliction appeared on my nose and started to spread. Today, you would call this a melanoma or skin cancer. As a wealthy person, I did not need to be so actively involved with the troubles between our Colonies and Britain. It seemed innocent enough to just enjoy my position and take care of my health. With the aid of the physicians in Philadelphia, I was able to reclaim considerable relief.

Interviewer: What happened next?

Rodney: With improving health, there became a constant gnawing at my soul to help our colonies. So in 1769, I decided to re-enter the political life. I was elected speaker of the House of Representatives. In this position, I frequently corresponded with the other Colonies. It was through communicating with my other colleagues that began to open my mind to independence and to the true meaning of freedom for our nation. I knew it would be an act of treason to vote against the Crown but the merits of a unanimous vote became so obvious. I could not hide in the comforts of my own wealth. One day, I was reminded that my choice would be no different than the choice I made to trust in Christ. The worldly life of wealth, influence and power is a very nice place to remain. But it was the thought of freedom from the guilt of sin and the freedom from death through eternal life that brought me to place my faith in God. You see, for those hard decisions, we are not given a third choice to select from. In this life as in an eternal life, we must choose from only two roads.

Interviewer: Yes, we must choose between freedom or servitude.

Rodney: My second point this day is that (2) there was a price to pay for my choice and for the choices of those who signed their name to that Declaration. In the years to follow our signing, we would be at war, sacrifice everything, suffer and die for our beliefs. For me personally, I would be busy organizing our Colonial militia. The constant recruitment of men and the acquisition of supplies would keep me from visiting my physicians in Philadelphia. I was a leading patriot in my colony, a military leader in the colonial militia, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from its formation until 1777. The following year I would be elected President of the State of Delaware for a three-year term, a duty that I assumed even as I served as Major General of the Delaware Militia.

Interviewer: So your signing the Declaration led to real effort and real risk.

Rodney: Certainly! In service to my country, I would play a crucial part not only in the defense of my own colony but in support of Washington’s Continental Army; for Delaware had a record of meeting or exceeding its quotas for troops and provisions throughout the revolutionary conflict, something that I am most proud of. In 1782 I was again elected to the national Congress, but was forced to decline the office due to failing health. I nonetheless continued to serve as Speaker to the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly. Our great war ended with the signing of the Treaty in Paris on September 3rd, 1783. I joined my Lord less than a year later, in June of 1784, knowing America was now free.

Interviewer: You literally paid the price of freedom…

Rodney: You could say that. Yet my sacrifice was small in comparison to many others. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War. Yes, with each choice in life there is a price: one choice had worldly costs with eternal rewards and the other may have offered worldly rewards but it would have come with eternal costs.
(Here, Rodney pauses. Then he looks out across the congregation. Then he says this)… I wonder today, if I handed you the quill to sign your name with me, would you pay my price for freedom?

Interviewer: Would we pay the price of freedom? It sounds as if you are asking us all to follow not only in YOUR footsteps, but in Jesus’ footsteps, as well.

Rodney: Yes, he is the Great Exemplar of sacrifice for freedom. (Pauses)
It is of old tradition that when speaking before a Presbyterian congregation, to always have a third point. And, of course, I have one for you. This would be that (3) you are free today because someone else paid the price for you.

Interviewer: Indeed, many paid the price, didn’t they?

Rodney: Yes. There were many battles with thousands sacrificing their lives for the dream of an independent country. None, however, establishes the cost of freedom more than the sacrifices at Valley Forge. George Washington would arrive in December of 1777 and stay until June of 1778. Without a shot being fired, 2,500 would die of hunger, frostbite and disease. There were boys as young as 12 and many in their 50’s and 60’s. There was little food; no warm clothing and their shelters were inadequate for the winter. Many boiled and ate old shoes to fill their stomachs. While many talked of mutiny, their loyalty to Washington and the patriotic cause held our army together.
There would be over 25 major battles in the American Revolution as a result of our Declaration of Independence. What price was paid for your freedom you enjoy today? About 200,000 soldiers and sailors would be enlisted during the war. Battle casualties would be 4,435 dead and 6,188 wounded. An estimated 20,000 Americans would die of non-combat causes.

Interviewer: And where was this learned, to sacrifice for others? How would this collection of thirteen colonies become unanimous in their unselfishness?

Rodney: We were a nation, under God, taught and governed by Godly principles and given the understanding of how Christ paid for each of us. We were believers, raising our children as believers, standing and worshiping our God with reverence and respect. We placed our Bible in a place of honor in our households and we placed God’s Words in a place of honor in our hearts. Your forefathers chose to give each of you the freedom to choose and they chose to be a free nation under God.

Interviewer: And we are all forever in your debt.

Interviewer to read as Caesar Rodney dresses with accoutrements for war.

Now Caesar Rodney must return to the pages of history. He has a war to fight. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet, fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition, to all this, take up the shield of faith, with you can extinguish al the flaming arrows to the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Rodney finishes with accoutrements and walks over, signs the Declaration of Independence and walks out the back of the Sanctuary making one last statement as he walks out.

Rodney: I have made my choice for history but for all of you, I have one last question. What will you do with your choices this day?

The love of history extends to combining the message of hope from our Savior to historical events.  These include celebrations of historical importance in our churches to duplicating the faith of our frontier families as they moved west and camped together.  Here, the messages include a component of history to link our faith and our country’s dependence upon God.

Sunday morning in a tent church

Given at local Central Florida churches

Pine Castle Pioneer Days on February 24, 2019

Short Sermon given at the Sunday worship service in Cypress Grove Park, Orlando, FL

Wekiva Presbyterian Church in Longwood, FL on July 1, 2018

Why Did It Happen? A look at why our forefathers chose to separate from Britain and form a new country.

Pine Castle Pioneer Days on February 25, 2018

Short Sermon given at the Sunday worship service in Cypress Grove Park, Orlando, FL

Wekiva Presbyterian Church in Longwood, FL on July 9, 2017

It is given as a first person message as Rev. Mather Byles, Jr., the Rector of the Old North Church at the start of the American Revolution.  Both sermon text and video are available.

Setting the Record Straight on July 9, 2017

Westview Baptist Church, Sanford, FL on July 1, 2012

The Lantern Revisited on July 1, 2012

Wekiva Presbyterian Church in Longwood, FL on July 4, 2004 and First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, FL on July 3, 2005.

It is given as a first person message where one of the signer’s of the Declaration of Independence, Caesar Rodney, is interviewed by the church pastor.

Freedom is Never Free – July 4, 2004

 Alafia River Rendezvous Sermons

Bridging the Gap – January 18, 2016

Why Was It First? – January 18, 2015

Common Sense is Not So Common – January 19, 2014

It’s all About Love – January 20, 2013

What is a Patriot? – January 15, 2012

The Horn – January 16, 2011

The Lantern – January 17, 2010

A Song from our Savior – January 18, 2009

Did Jesus Camp with us This Year? – January 20, 2008

Fruits of the Vine – January 21, 2007

Gifts of History – January 22, 2006