“Love lifted me

Love Lifted me,

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me.”

These words from the hymn by James Rowe will be forever etched into my psyche after a recent experience.

I was parked at my second supply preaching assignment on a Sunday. It had been an interesting drive, to say the least, as I drove through quite the down pour.

Given the weather, and that I had already preached at one church earlier, my mind thought it would have a funny with me.

As I was stuck in the car waiting for the heavy rain to lessen, I looked at the yellow SUV parked in front of me. First, given the large amount of water coming down on my windscreen, it looked like the car was wobbling. Then came the kicker, I seemed to feel the car rise. I even found myself with the foot on the brake as it seemed the car was becoming airborne, purely an optical illusion.

Needless to say, I was a little surprised. Afterward the tune of the hymn came into my skull, and has been visiting me each day.

“Love lifted me” was inspired by the story in the 14th chapter St. Matthew, where Jesus is seen walking upon the water during a violent storm at sea.

It focuses, metaphorically, on the salvation of St. Peter who asks Jesus if he could come out to him, himself walking on the waves. Upon seeing the wind and waves, Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and “Blub, Blub, Blub.” The hand comes down and Jesus restores him. “Ye of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I’m always, humbled by our Lord’s actions in this chapter, not only does Jesus save Peter’s life, but he has just fed five thousand.

This is further punctuated by the fact that he has just learned of the beheading of his cousin, John the Baptist. I can imagine that both the grief of the loss and the method of John’s execution weighed down on him.

I imagine that Jesus might also be concerned about his own welfare, seeing how prophets could be treated in Israel, let alone him being Messiah. I’ve read that the emotional and physical pain centers in our brains live close together. Jesus is doing the miraculous after three emotional punches in the gut. (I know where I speak, my dad flattened me with one in a boxing lesson as kid). Further miracles of a healing nature will follow,

I sadly scratched off one of my bucket list recently. I buried a friend and colleague, whom I’ve known since 1986. Joe Wenrich was not only a Methodist pastor, but also a licensed pilot, musician and could probably tear a car apart blind folded and put it back together. I’ll never forget the time we were having lunch together, he mentioned how he would love to get his hands on an air compressor. “I’ve got a car I’d like to paint,” he said.

Lo and behold, guess what I’d find on a shut-in’s curb shortly afterward?

I asked if I could have the junked compressor. The next time we got together, I waited until we were in the parking lot, and showed him what I had in the trunk. His eyes got big like head lamps. I explained the situation. Miraculously, a $5 part from Sears got it running.

The experience taught me a few lessons. One, “One’s trash is another’s treasure” and you don’t have to be a billionaire to be a blessing. Two, blessings are as close as your curb. Look around you. Three, all that it takes is the right thing in the right hands of the right person, and miracles can happen. He had that former piece of junk for another five years before it finally gave up the ghost.

Perhaps the biggest lesson, goes something like this,” If Joe could give life to a piece of trash, what can the hands of Jesus do?”

Look what Jesus does with little words of scripture, and the elements of the blessed sacraments: water, bread and wine. What has Jesus done in the lives of billions over twenty centuries?

I’m always looking for great sermon materials. One I came across recently had to do with two brothers. Both were come owners of a farm. One had a family and other was a bachelor. The one with the family told them, “I am so blessed knowing that you will be able to take care of me when I am old. My poor brother has no one.” Every night he would slip over to his brother’s granary and place a bag of wheat into it. Lo and behold, the other brother thought. “Here I am with no wife or kids to support and making half the profit of the farm.”

So, each night he would go over to his brother’s granary and slip in a bag of wheat. After a year, they both noticed that their granaries were not being reduced. Finally, one night, near midnight, they both found each other carrying a bag of grain. They laughed and embraced each other in true sibling love.

How may you be embracing others as members of the human family? What person, project or program can you touch with uplifting hands? So many times, we think that if we are not moving mountains we are ineffectual as believers. A phone call, a hug, a birthday wish may be just what one needs.

Remember that $5 part from Sears that transformed a piece of junk. Think of the few loaves and fishes our Lord used to feed the five thousand.

One of my sermon favorites is the example of a simple little church bulletin. How many are left after the service? It has the address, times and activities of your congregation. Think of a person who has just moved into your neighborhood, a family member, a workmate. Take that bulletin, bake a cake, (and if you don’t bake that’s why God created Entenmann’s) and invite that person to worship with you.

Think also of a car seat. It’s a small thing, how many go vacant each Sunday in which that friend or neighbor could be seated?

Consider the words that you use. Small things. Doctor Norman Vincent Peale encouraged us, upon arising each morning, to pray three times those words from Psalm 118, “This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

I have found that by adding “Amen” to the line it counts exactly 20 beats. I use it as part of my exercise regimen.

Incorporating scripture, into your life can be most uplifting.

Look for ways that you may be uplifted this week, and consider how you may lift up others. Amid the storms you may be in, there may be lessons to vertically boost others. You may give altitude to others’ attitudes.

Be that person that uplifts this week. Be the umbrella in rain. Bring the warm amid the storm.