| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 189.1 | By Invitation of Jesus (Cont.) | SAHQ::SINATRA | | Tue Jul 06 1993 17:44 | 262 |
| When they dismounted, they stood gazing at the house, its broad steps
and lamps
its thick-piled carpets.
They entered slowly, trying to take it all in.
They were met by the host, a little nervous, but smiling.
He was a quiet man, and they liked him - these guests of his whose
names he did not know.
He did not say much, only, "I am so glad you came."
By and by, they were seated at the table.
They had looked at the tapestries that hung on the walls.
They had seen the illuminated pictures in their massive frames,
and the giant crystal chandelier
the concert grand piano that stood across the hall,
the spotless linen, and the gleaming silver on the table.
They were silent now; even the cynic had nothing to say. It seemed as
if the banquet would be held in frozen silence.
The host rose in his place, and in a voice that trembled slightly said:
"My friends, let us ask the blessing."
"If this is pleasing to Thee, O Lord, bless us as we sit around this
table, and bless the food that we are about to receive.
"Bless these men. You know who they are, and what they need.
And help us to do what you want us to do.
Accept our thanks, in Jesus' name. Amen."
The blind man was smiling now.
He turned to the man seated next to him and asked him about the host.
"What does he look like?"
And so the ice was broken; conversation began to stir around the table,
and soon the first course was laid.
"My friends, I hope you will enjoy the dinner.
I would suggest that we waste no time, for I have no doubt that you are
hungry. Go right ahead."
It was a strange party, rather fantastic in a way, thought the host, as
he surveyed his guests.
There they were - men who otherwise might be still loitering on
the back streets of Washington
crouched in doorways
or huddled over some watchman's fire.
What an amazing thing that he didn't even know the name of a single
man!
His guests had no credentials
no social recommendations
no particular graces - so far as he could see.
But, my, they were hungry!
It was funny, as he sat there talking, how the stories in the Gospels
kept coming back to him, and he could almost imagine that the house was
one in Jerusalem.
It seemed to him that these men would be the very ones that Jesus would
have gathered around Him - the legion of the
world's wounded,
the fraternity of the friendless
pieces of broken human earthenware.
He remembered what the family had said...
How they had insisted on demanding, "Why? Why are you doing such a
thing?"
Well, why was it, anyway?
Wasn't it plain?
His reason was the same old glorious reason that Jesus had for every
miracle
for every gesture of love
for every touch of healing.
It was simply because he was sorry for these people, and because he
wanted to do this one thing on an impulse of love.
Yet there was not a trace of condescension in his attitude.
He was treating them as brothers, talking to them as though they had a
right to be sitting where they were.
It was a grand feeling - a great adventure.
Never before in his life had he felt this thrill.
These men could not pay him back!
What had they to give him?
He watched each plate and directed the servants with a nod or a glance.
He encouraged them to eat;
he laughed at their thinly disguised reluctance,
until they laughed too.
As he sat there, it suddenly occurred to him how different was the
conversation!
There were no off-color stories, no whisperings of scandal
no one saying, "Well, I have it on good authority."
They were talking about their friends in misfortune, wishing they were
here to...
wondering whether Charlie had managed to get a bed in the charity
ward
whether Dick had stuck it out when he wanted to end it all,
whether the little woman with the baby had got a job.
Wasn't the steak delicious!
And they marveled that they still remembered how different foods
tasted,
They wondered, most of all, who this man was, and why he had invited
them all here.
When the meal was over, there was music.
Someone came in and sat down at the piano.
He began to play softly, familiar melodies, old songs;
and then in a soft, but understanding voice, he began to sing.
They listened to "Love's Old Sweet Song"
"Silver Threads Among the Gold"
and then a march by Sousa
and then "Traumerei"
and then "The Sidewalks of New York."
Someone else joined in - a cracked, wheezing voice, but it started the
others.
Men who had not sung for months
men who had no reason to sing
there they were, joining in.
Now some old favorites: "Daisy"
"A Bicycle Built for Two"
"Swanee River."
Soon they began to request this and that, and before they knew it, they
were singing hymns:
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
"The Church in the Wildwood"
"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."
The pianist stopped, and the guests grouped themselves in soft,
comfortable chairs around the log fire; some of them smoked.
The host moved among them, smiling...his eyes shining.
Then when he had settled himself again, and his guests were
comfortable, he said:
"I know you men are wondering what all this means.
I can tell you very simply.
But, first, let me read you something."
He read from the Gospels stories of One who moved among the sick
the outcasts
the despised and the friendless
how He healed this one
cured that one
spoke kindly words of infinite meaning to another,
how He visited the ostracized
and what He promised to all who believed in Him.
"Now I haven't done much tonight for you, but it has made me
very happy to have you here in my home.
I hope you have enjoyed it half as much as I have.
If I have given you one evening of happiness, I shall be forever glad
to remember it, and you are under no obligation to me.
This is not my party. It is His!
I have merely lent Him this house.
He was your Host. He is your Friend.
And He has given me the honor of speaking for Him.
"He wants you all to have a good time.
He is sad when you are.
He hurts when you do.
He weeps when you weep.
He wants to help you, if you will let Him.
"I'm going to give each of you His Book of Instructions.
I have marked certain passages in it that you will find helpful
when you are sick and in pain
when you are lonely and discouraged
when you are blue and bitter and hopeless
and when you lose a loved one.
He will speak a message of hope and courage and faith.
"Then I shall see each one of you tomorrow where I saw you today, and
we'll have a talk together to see just how I can help you most.
"I have made arrangements for each one of you to get back to your
homes, and those who have nowhere to go, I invite to spend the night
here."
They shuffled out into the night, a different group from what they had
been.
There was a new light in their eyes
a smile where there had not been even interest before.
The blind man was smiling still, and as he stood on the doorstep,
waiting, he turned to where his host stood.
"God bless you, my friend, whoever you are."
A little wizened fellow who had not spoken all night paused to say,
"I'm going to try again, mister; there's somethin' worth livin' for."
The cynic turned back, "Mister, you're the first man who ever gave me
anything. And you've given me hope."
"That is because I was doing it for Him," said the host and stood and
waved good night as the cars purred off into the darkness.
When they had gone, he sat again by the fire and looked at the dying
embers, until the feeling became overwhelming again that there was
Someone in the room.
He could never tell anyone how he knew this, but he knew that
He was smiling and that He approved.
And that night, on Massachusetts Avenue, a rich man smiled in his
sleep.
And one who stood in the shadows smiled too,
because some of the least of these had been treated like brothers for
His sake.
Of course, that never happened.
It is only a piece of imagination.
But why shouldn't it happen, on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington?
on Park Avenue in New York?
in Druid Hills in Atlanta?
on the Gold Coast in Chicago?
in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles?
I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels,
until we came to a place that told us to do something,
then went out to do it, and only after we had done it...began reading
again?
Why don't we do what Jesus says?
How exciting life would become were we to begin living according to His
way of life!
Friends would say we had lost our minds - perhaps.
Acquaintances would say we were "peculiar."
Those who dislike us would say we were crazy.
But Someone Else, who had these same things said about Him, would
smile, and the joy and peace in our own hearts would tell us who was
right.
There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to
understand.
But our problems are not centered around the things we don't
understand, but rather in the things we do understand,
the things we could not possibly misunderstand.
This, after all, is but an illustration of the fact that our problem is
not so much that we don't know what we should do.
We know perfectly well...but we don't want to do it.
Catherine Marshall, Mr. Jones Meet the Master, Sermons and Prayers by
Peter Marshall, (New Jersey, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1949).
|
| 189.2 | | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Wed Jul 07 1993 08:15 | 3 |
| Thanks Rebecca. I appreciated that.
Andrew
|
| 189.3 | Who is he? | JULIET::MORALES_NA | Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze | Wed Jul 07 1993 11:44 | 4 |
| Okay... not to be too embarassed to be in the um "not in the know
crowd", but isn't Peter Marshall a game show host?
Nancy
|
| 189.4 | California Squares :-) | CHTP00::CHTP05::LOVIK | Mark Lovik | Wed Jul 07 1993 11:47 | 7 |
| Nancy,
Not THAT Peter Marshall! :-) THIS Peter Marshall was (I believe) the
chaplain to the Senate for many years, and a very godly man (as far as
I am aware).
Mark L.
|
| 189.5 | little more on Peter Marshall... | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Wed Jul 07 1993 11:51 | 4 |
| Peter Marshall - a Scot, who was married to Catherine Marshall (the
well-known Christian authoress), until he died young.
Andrew
|
| 189.6 | | JULIET::MORALES_NA | Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze | Wed Jul 07 1993 12:37 | 1 |
| Will the real Peter Marshall please stand up! :-)
|
| 189.7 | | CHTP00::CHTP05::LOVIK | Mark Lovik | Wed Jul 07 1993 12:39 | 3 |
| I'll just have to be sure to never agree with Nancy's answers. :-)
Mark
|
| 189.8 | Peter Who? | SAHQ::SINATRA | | Wed Jul 07 1993 15:23 | 30 |
| Peter Marshall was born in Scotland and emigrated to America at the age
of twenty-five. He attended the Columbia Theological Seminary in
Georgia, and pastored Westminster Presbyterian in Atlanta, Georgia. His
ability to make God real to people caused any church where he preached
to be filled to overflowing, with crowds even standing outside in
down-pouring rain to be able to hear him speak over a PA system. At
the age of thirty-four, just after marrying Catherine Marshall, he was
called to pastor the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in
Washington, D.C. He then served as United States Senate Chaplain from
1947-48, and died in 1949, at the age of forty-six. Catherine
Marshall's writing career began after his death; with God's guidance to
continue to set forth Peter Marshall's message, she wrote "A Man Called
Peter" a book about the life of Peter Marshall, which contains excerpts
from his sermons, and "Mr. Jones, Meet the Master" a book containing
twelve of Peter Marshall's sermons and prayers.
"When the clock strikes for me," he [Peter] had said, "I shall go, not one
minute early, and not one minute late. Until then, there is nothing to
fear. I know that the promises of God are true, for they have been
fulfilled in my life time and time again. Jesus still teaches and guides
and protects and heals and comforts, and still wins our complete trust and
our love."
"The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its
donation."
Rebecca
|
| 189.9 | Mr. Jones, Meet the Master | SAHQ::SINATRA | | Wed Jul 07 1993 16:45 | 201 |
| An Excerpt from the Sermon, "Mr. Jones, Meet the Master"
Now let us be honest - do we really want to find Him?
There is a glorious promise given in the days of old that has not yet
faded from the written record:
"If with all your hearts ye truly seek me,
ye shall ever surely find me."
Ah, there perhaps is our first clue - "If with all your heart"...
Ask yourself, am I after all seeking God with my whole heart? Or must I
say in all honesty, "I want God, and yet I don't want Him.
I want to find Him, and yet I don't, for I would be afraid to...
Or, I would not want Him to find me just yet...
Am I really seeking God with my whole heart?"
Then there is another side to the picture. I wonder if we are brave
enough to face it.
Perhaps there are times, when some of us "want God as we want a hot
water bottle at night" - to help us over some temporary discomfort.
Or we look for God to help us when we stand in the roadway looking for
a passing motorist to push us to the next gas station.
But we can't treat God that way!
We simply can't think of God as a kind of luncheon club president, or
as a telephone operator who will always answer whenever we lift the
receiver!
Nor must we think of Him as a department store shipping clerk, who
nightly arranges the orders and sends them sliding down the chutes
while we sleep, to greet us in the morning.
We are guilty of the most terrible presumptions!
In the old days, if you touched the Ark of the Covenant - you were a
dead man.
If you went near the mountain in which God dwelt while giving His
revelations it was to court instant death.
And when God was pleased to reveal Himself even partly to mortal men
they were blinded and bedazzled, stricken to the ground.
Always they covered their faces and cried out at the awful majesty of
God.
Yet here we are, glibly saying that we want to find Him and come into
His presence.
Suppose God were to reveal Himself to us - here - now!
We say we want to find God - well - suppose we did!
We say we long to be assured that the Lord is with us -
Well, suppose suddenly you reached out your hand and felt Him!
Suppose suddenly you lifted up your eyes and saw Him looking down at
you.
What would you do?
Do we really want to find Him?
Are there not some things we love better than Him - the neat
compromises we have made, whereby our religion will not interfere with
our business...
the secret sins which we indulge and have managed to keep hidden -
do we love them more than we love Him?
There are a lot of us who have known moments of a terrible conflict.
We want Him, and we don't want Him.
We want His way, and we want our way.
We pray, "Thy will be done," but we mean our will.
We want to be clean inside, and still do the things that make us
unclean.
We want to see the Kingdom come, but meanwhile we vote against the
Kingdom.
We want to be Christians, but we don't want our friends to think we are
odd.
We are against strong drink, but we must be sociable.
We long for purity, but we covet popularity.
Most of us are too familiar with this conflict.
We want to play on both sides.
We want to be friends with everybody.
But He said long ago "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Yet many of us have settled down to a compromise.
We are willing to serve in His church, but we compromise on the number
of services we shall attend, for we must also serve the world.
We will support the church financially, but not as much as we might,
for we must also support things that are not of the church.
We will argue for the intellectual and doctrinal positions of the
church, and then, with a shrug of our shoulders, express the right to
live as we please.
Then we wonder why we cannot have a real
thrilling
satisfying communion with God.
It is still true - for you and me today:
"If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever surely find
me."
God is not hiding - but we are!
God is not pretending - look at the Cross!
But we are pretending. Look into your own heart and see.
It is possible for you and for me to live in this world as sure that
the Lord is with us as we can be sure of anything -
to have no fear at all
to be able to anticipate tomorrow with a thrill of delight
to have no fear of anything - neither of sickness
nor unemployment
nor loneliness
nor death
nor anything at all.
It is possible for us to be as sure as Paul was.
But there is a price to be paid. We must be ready to give up some
things, and that is always hard to do
It may requre some spiritual surgery, and that's not pleasant.
And your heart might ask: "Is it worth all that?"
Yes, it is worth any price.
Indeed, it is the Pearl of Great Price.
I read a story of a woman who was trying to find God.
She had a certain dream which she dreamed more than once, namely, that
she was standing in front of a thick, plate glass window.
As she looked at it, she seemed to see God on the other side.
She hammered on the window, trying to attract His attention, but
without success.
She grew more and more desperate, and began to call to Him and found
herself shrieking at the top of her voice.
And then a quiet, calm voice at her side said:
"Why are you making so much noise?
There is nothing between us."
Perhaps that illustrates our difficulty, does it not?
We have been thinking all along that God was somewhere far away,
unapproachable...
some place that was difficult of access...
and we have been groping around for a long time, and all the while He
is standing beside us.
I know that He is here at this moment -
interested in each one of us.
Mr. Jones can meet the Master, and you can too.
And I know that no matter where you go, you will not leave Him behind,
for He will go with you.
He will be near as you push through the crowds downtown.
He will be at your side.
As you sit in your room alone He will be there.
Won't you think now of His presence and test it by an act of faith, so
that you too will know that He is near?
You have time!
Won't you close your eyes now, and with all the faith you have, even
though it be very little, tell Him that you believe?
Tell Him that you want Him to guide your life and to keep it.
For if you let Him take control of your life completely,
if you are willing to bow to His will for you,
then you will enter into that transforming fellowship
which brings with it that glorious exhilaration, that indescribable
peace, and escape from all bondage promised in the New Testament.
Then you will never doubt again that fellowship with this living Lord
is possible, but you will discover that it is the most glorious fact in
our whole world.
Prayer
Our Father, we are beginning to understand at last that the things that
are wrong with our world are the sum total of all the things that are
wrong with us as individuals. Thou has made us after Thine image, and
our hearts can find no rest until they rest in Thee.
We are too Christian really to enjoy sinning and too fond of sinning
really to enjoy Christianity. Most of us know perfectly well what we
ought to do; our trouble is that we do not want to do it. Thy help is
our only hope. Make us want to do what is right, and give us the
ability to do it.
In the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Catherine Marshall, Mr. Jones, Meet the Master, Sermons and Prayers by
Peter Marshall, (New Jersey, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1949).
|
| 189.10 | My brother is Peter Marshall | DREUL1::rob | depending on His love | Mon Jul 12 1993 10:26 | 12 |
| Well....
I tried to resist, but I can't...
Peter Marshall is my brother :-) But, he's not *the* Peter Marshall that
Rebecca is quoting.
I have occasionally wondered, though, if *the* Peter Marshall is a relative
of mine, since my family comes from Scotland. Some day I'll find out, at the
latest in heaven.
Rob Marshall
|
| 189.11 | yet another peter marshall | JULIET::CLABAUGH_JI | | Wed Jul 14 1993 03:41 | 29 |
|
rob, i don't know if he is related to you, but peter marshall, the
elder, is related to peter marshall, the younger, son of catherine
and peter marshall.
i mention this because if anyone is interested in american history
and the influence of Christianity upon it, i recommend two books,
co-authored by peter marshall (the son) with david manuel. they
cover over 3 centuries of history beginning with columbus.
"the light and the glory" runs from columbus to end of the
american revolution.
"from sea to shining sea" from 1787-1837
i found information from peter marshall quite helpful in
contradicting - should say disproving - the information my
3rd grader was given by her teacher on the 500th anniversary
of columbus's discovery of america, or the bahamas, or ...
her teacher had explained that columbus was up to no good,
murdering natives, taking them slave back to europe and
stealing their gold, etc. peter marshall's historical
credibility appeared better founded than the teacher's.
jim.
p.s. thank you, rebecca, for your sharing. i really enjoyed reading
that, even though it kept me up past my bedtime. good nite, all.
|
| 189.12 | The Touch of Faith | SAHQ::SINATRA | | Thu Jul 15 1993 15:12 | 172 |
| An Excerpt from the Sermon "The Touch of Faith"
She touched Him in faith - in desperate believing faith and He stopped!
The touch of one anonymous woman in a crowd halted the Lord of glory.
That is the glorious truth of this incident. She touched Him. So can
we.
Let us take it into our apathetic hearts
let its glorious significance thrill our jaded souls.
The human touch has the power to arrest God.
Yes, to stop Him
to halt Him
to make Him aware of your problems
your pain
your petition.
Oh, you say, "that's impossible. God is not interested in me.
What does He care what happens to me - one tiny individual in all this
creation?
Who am I - or what am I that God should take special notice of me?"
Well, there is the record.
There you have it in black and white
that, stopped by the touch of a sick woman, He turned about -
He who conquered death
He who defeated Satan
He whom all the legions of hell cannot stop
He who is King of kings.
He stopped just because a sick and nameless woman touched the hem of
His garment.
We need to touch Him - O how much we need to touch Him!
Most of us are thronging Him - just like the crowd...It is easy to
throng the Lord and never touch Him.
A great many people in the churches, and perhaps a great many outside
the churches, are thronging Jesus
seeking Him
coming close to Him
but never actually touching Him.
In this matter of eternal importance, coming close is not enough.
It is like missing a train...
You may miss it by one minute - and that's pretty close -
but you have lost the train...
It is gone, and you are left behind.
Thronging saves nobody.
Coming near to Jesus will not bring healing.
We have to touch Him for ourselves.
One can feel close in the crowd without touching the Lord. And that is
exactly the trouble with most of us. We are following the crowd
thronging the Lord
but not many of us are actually in touch with the Master.
And because we are not in touch, there is no vitality in our spiritual
life.
There is no thrill in our prayers
no tingle of contact with the infinite resources
no flush of reality about our religion.
Because we are out of touch with the Lord,
we are lost in the crowd
have become separated from the Master.
We preach the Immanence of God.
Our creeds set forth our belief that the Lord is with us
near us
in this very place.
The Old Book records for us some amazing promises
some startling assurances if we would
only believe them.
He promised that we should have power
power - to do amazing things
grace - to do unnatural things, such as
to harbor no grudges and to forgive those who hurt us
to love even those who treat us unjustly or unkindly
to pray for those who give us pain and grieve us
to confess our own private and secret sins
to try to make right situations that have been
wrong, even if it means humbling ourselves, swallowing our pride, and
risking a snub or a slight.
We can have grace to do these things, and we know perfectly well that
it takes a lot of grace to do them!
He Who made these promises is here with us now.
But you may ask: "How can I touch Christ?"
It was one thing for that woman long ago, for she saw Him with her
eyes, and could touch Him with her fingers.
She heard His voice,
saw the sunlight dance on His hair.
He was in the flesh then, and she could touch Him.
How can I, today, touch Him with the same results?
Some of you may seek healing of body or mind or of soul.
Some of you may seek guidance on some problem.
Some of you need faith to stand up under the tensions and suspenses of
life.
Some of you seek forgiveness and a new beginning.
All of us need to touch Christ for some reason or other.
As the Church offers this wonderful new life - this peace of mind and
heart - this healing of mind and soul and body in Christ's name -
perhaps she ought more and more to give instructions with her soul
medicine.
You are justified in looking for directions on the lid
or some instructions for taking
a manual of operation.
Perhaps I can make some suggestions which will be helpful.
First, give God a chance. Take your problem, whatever it may be, to Him
in prayer. Tell Him all about it - just as if He didn't know a thing.
In the telling be absolutely honest and sincere. Hold nothing back.
Our minds are sometimes shocked when we permit our hearts to spill
over, but it is good for our souls when we do.
If we would only have the courage to take a good look at our motives
for doing certain things we might discover something about ourselves
that would melt away our pride and soften our hearts so that God could
do something with us and for us.
Then the second step is to believe that God will hear you. Remember
that He heard the poor woman who only touched the hem of His garment.
Believe with all your faith that He cares what happens to you. You must
believe that. You can't doubt it when you look at the cross.
Next, you must be willing to wait patiently for the Lord. He does not
answer every prayer on Sunday afternoon. You may have to wait until
Friday. But wait. God is never in a hurry.
Then when He speaks to you - as He will - do what He tells you. He may
not tell you audibly. You may not hear your voices - as did Joan of
Arc. You may not see any writing in the sky and have any unusual
experience. God could, if He wanted, send you messages in that way, but
that is not His usual method.
It generally comes through your own conscience - a sort of growing
conviction that such and such course of action is the one He wants you
to take. Or it may be given you in the advice of friends of sound
judgment - those who love you most.
God speaks sometimes through our circumstances and guides us, closing
doors as well as opening them.
He will let you know what you must do, and what you must be.
He is waiting for you to touch Him.
The hand of faith is enough. Your trembling fingers can reach Him as He
passes.
Reach out your faith - touch Him.
He will not ask, "who touched me?"
He will know.
Catherine Marshall, Mr. Jones, Meet the Master, Sermons and Prayers by
Peter Marshall, (New Jersey, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1949).
|
| 189.13 | | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Jul 15 1993 15:51 | 3 |
| .12
Yes!
|
| 189.14 | 2nd recommendation for "Light and Glory" | MIMS::GULICK_L | When the impossible is eliminated... | Fri Jul 16 1993 03:14 | 8 |
|
Just wanted to put in a another plug for the younger Peter's
books. They are extremely informative and well written.
We were first introduced to them after hearing him speak at
our church in Carson City. That was also very inspiring.
Lew
|
| 189.15 | Catherine Marshall (Books) | WR1FOR::POLICRITI_GR | | Fri Jul 16 1993 15:40 | 11 |
| I have read about three of Catherine Marshall's books. She married (of
course, after the death of Peter!), the previous editor of Guide Posts,
a magazine I have been receiving for a long time. She was an
extremely spiritual woman herself. The very first book I read was
fiction and called "Christy," but the others were true and based on her
life. The first one was based on her life with Peter Marhsall and told
about his death and the effect it had on her.
Grace
|