Follow Jesus!
John 13:1-17
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Harry G. Winsheimer - Last Sermon with Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
June 14, 2009

I pondered what my last sermon text and theme might be.  Finally I decided to adapt the last sermon before retirement that I preached to the National Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC.  It summarizes the theology that is essential for me, and that I believe is vital to a congregation. 

I started preaching every Sunday in 1959 as a first year seminarian.  Charlotte and I were newly married.  We had no money, but God provided a rescuing angel in the person of Art Kaufman.  Art Kaufman was the minister of my presbytery who chaired the Committee on Ministry---the Committee that helps churches find pastors.  He added me to presbytery’s preaching list.  In that first year I preached every Sunday, intinerating among twenty-one different small churches, which provided us with a miniscule income.  Then Rev. Kaufman arranged with two of those small churches for me to be their student pastor.  At age 22, I started doing all pastoral duties except for the two functions that require ordination, celebrating the sacraments and presiding at weddings.   I even moderated the session and the appointed moderator came a few times a year to make things official.  A 94-year-old referred to me as the “boy preacher.”

In May of 1963, I was ordained and installed as pastor.  I continued as a pastor until I retired on July 1, 2006.  I preached on close to nineteen hundred Sundays, and the total number of sermons would be hundreds more.  

But, for me to use this sermon to talk about me would pervert the sermon.  Sermons are not about me, not about us primarily.  A few of you have planned a funeral service with me.  If so, you may remember a distinction that I make.  I insisted that there be a distinction between the eulogy and the sermon:  the eulogy is about the deceased, and the sermon is about God and God’s relationship with us.  I want to keep in mind that this sermon is about God.

Who is the The V.I.P. here?  It is not I.  Is it you, the choir?  You are good, but not that good.  Is it you?  If you think so, you are delusional.  Who is the most important person here?  God!  God personified in Jesus Christ and present to us as Spirit. 

With that truth in your belief system, Always keep your eye on Jesus!  If God in Jesus is ultimately more important than anyone, would we not pay a lot of attention to Jesus? 

One passage of Holy Scripture became very important to me as the years passed, because it articulates this truth.  My college degree was in geology and chemistry.  I came at this story asking how it could have been done.  I learned eventually that I missed the lesson by thinking scientifically about it.  I also was interested in history.  I asked if the event actually happened, and again I missed the lesson.  I discovered the profound value of the story when I asked, “God, what do you want me to learn from this passage?”  It is the story of Jesus walking on water; that is how we identify the story.  I think it should have a subtitle: “The Time Peter Lost His Focus.”   We can’t identify with Jesus walking on water---in fact, we make a joke of it.  We sure can identify with Peter losing his focus and sinking.

Peter and the disciples were in a fishing boat.  The waves bounced it about.  They were far from shore.  They saw Jesus walking toward them on the water.  Scared them!  Jesus spoke to them, “Keep up your spirit, it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  I hear him saying, “I am here, so buck up!  We can handle this.”  Peter---love his impetuous spirit---hopped out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.  He could do it!  Then comes one of the saddest verses in Scripture---it could be written about you, and it certainly, certainly is written about me:  “when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and [began] to sink”.                            Matthew 14:22-33

Like Peter, too often my focus shifted to the storms, both inner and social, and I sank.  I was healthiest emotionally and had the most energy for work when my eye was on Jesus.  This is how God wants it.  Focusing on Jesus creates perspective.  Focusing shrinks many destructive emotions and experiences in which we invest great energy and time.  Focusing puts some things into the back corner of the mind to gather dust.  Focusing makes us shrug our shoulders over things that otherwise we would be all hyped up about.  The way God wants it is the quality way to live.

We must keep our eye on Jesus!  It is imperative!  We cannot live as Christians without our eye on Jesus, every day, every week, every month, every year!

Further, as we focus upon God in Jesus, Jesus sends us to the written Word, and the Word points us to Jesus. 

It is enlightening that the Written Word sends us to Jesus, and Jesus points us to the Word.  It all works together in harmony, one complementing the other.

The Word is so vital that Jesus instructs us to build our lives on the Written Word of God, the message of God, the Bible.

 Jesus said, And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall! Matthew 7:26-27 

The curious who heard Jesus tell that parable would have understood.  Dr. Kelso was one of my seminary professors.  He taught a one-credit, elective course on the geography of the Holy Land.  It was looked upon as a light-weight class.  I took it.  But, that mini-course opened much of the Bible for me.  Dr. Kelso was an archeologist in the time of World War I to World War II.  I remember his description of some soil in what he called the Holy Land.  It does not rain from May through October.  I have been in Jordan in April and in October, and there is a great difference in the soil.  Some soil dries into sand and dust.  Other soil bakes rock-hard, so hard Dr. Kelso said, that you can hit it with a pick and the pick will just dent it.  Charlotte and I had the same in Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, where we served for nine years.  Charlotte has a green thumb, and I was her slave.  She constantly came up with ideas of what I could do in our yard.  Well, the soil was loam.  When it dried, it became hard and cracked.  I could put my little finger into the cracks.  Only weeds thrived in it.  However, when it rained, the soil loosened and you could sink in it like it was wet chewing gum. 

Dr. Kelso said that you could build a house on that hard soil in October.  No problem.  Firm as rock.  But, when the January rains soaked it!  Have we not had the same happen to levees in New Orleans? 

Temptations entice us to take our eyes off Jesus and the Word of God and build our lives on other persons, on ideas and on things.  Of course, we need or want many other persons, ideas and things.  It is a matter of relative importance, what and who serves whom.  I want and even need my wife.  I want and even need my country.  I need money.  I need an education.  I need medical care.    

Jesus says, keep your eye on me, and build your daily lives on God’s teachings in Scripture.  That is solid!  If you build your lives on anything else, you are foolish.  You will lose your life!  How could Jesus say it more strongly?

The Very Important Person is God in Jesus Christ.

The Very Important Book is the Word of God!

Both Christ and the Bible urge us to serve!

Another evocative teaching of Jesus was presented via drama.  It was the night when he would be betrayed by Judas and arrested.  He had gathered his disciples in the upstairs room to celebrate his last supper with them.  During supper, Jesus rose, took off his robe, and tied a towel around his waist.  Then he washed the disciples’ feet!  (To us that would be strange, but to them it was common.  They walked.  Their feet got dirty.  Some of us have the practice of removing our shoes when we enter our houses---their etiquette was similar.)  Normally foot-washing was done by a servant.  But, Jesus did it!  The head man did it!  It would be like the president washing the feet of the cabinet.  After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am.  So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.  John 13: 1-17

When I focus upon Jesus, I see a person who gave his life in love and service.  He enjoyed the wedding at Cana.  He was a great dinner guest—people loved to have him.  But, those were corollaries of his mission.  When I look at Jesus, I see the cross!  I cannot look at Jesus without seeing him on the cross.  I see sacrifice!  I see devotion to us.  And I hear him say, No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  Jesus did!  

A lesson about serving each other that I learned along these forty-seven years of pastoral ministry, and have tried to practice, is to accent the good in people and encourage them.  On average, little is accomplished by cutting up people, and the pain created is long remembered.  (Realistically, slicing and dicing people often has more to do with our internal dynamics than with the person being chopped.) Criticizing demoralizes, puts people on the defensive, and then people erect a wall of caution. (I saw it too often over the years, and had to cope too often with the demoralization that the judgmental and critical spirit created.) What builds up and energizes members, staff and churches is affirmation of saintly qualities and expression of appreciation for good work.  Consciously and unconsciously most people respond with energy and reciprocated love to affirmation and appreciation.  They reproduce it.  Practicing these positive gifts makes everyone want to be with each other, worshiping and studying and serving and fellowshipping together.  Being loving and encouraging elevates everyone’s spirit. It is one way we “wash one another’s feet” and dry them with our towel.
 
You treated me with respect and appreciation.   That encouraged me to work.  You served me well.  You washed my feet and dried them with a towel.  You supported me over the past 14 ½ months.  You gave me affirmation.  Thank you!

When Ron Hankey, chairperson of the Pastor Nominating Committee, phoned to tell me that a candidate had been chosen, I was surprised by my emotions.  I had been wishing that I could be free.  We had missed several family activities because I was working.  That has been the story of our entire lives: when family was not working, I was.  One of the nicest things about retirement was being free to do weekend family events.  And, I was hoping to be free to do some things this summer.  Well, when Ron gave me the news, I was surprised to feel sad.  I expected to be elated.  A part of me still is sad.  And, now I know why I felt as I did. You have been so wonderful to work with that I will miss being one of your pastors.  I will miss the staff; they were welcoming, helpful, supportive, upbeat, and fun every day.  And, I will miss having the meaningful purpose.   

You served me. You washed my feet!  Thank you!

Now I change status.  The pastors of this church will be David Wright, Lou Nyiri, and Candace Veon-Nyiri.  My pastors will be David Wright, Lou Nyiri and Candace Veon-Nyiri.  The pastoral office, like all offices of the church, is a working office.  It is a function to which people are set aside by calling.  I will continue to be a minister, which is a generic term, but not a pastor.  I will not be available to do pastoral work, including weddings and funerals.  I will not engage in any evaluations of staff.  My role will be to worship and serve with you.  I will be here to appreciate and encourage, to wash the feet of those who serve us.

The spirit of this church is splendid.  The dedication of your servant-leaders and staff is exceptional!  I thank you and the Lord for the privilege of living and working with so many mature disciples of Jesus.  You are, we are, a fine church!  Celebrate the blessings!  Enjoy each other!  Serve each other!  Enjoy the Lord! Serve the Lord!

I leave you with this triple image:

Keep your eye on Jesus.  Keep your open Bible in one hand.  Keep your towel in your other.  Follow Jesus Christ! 

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