Terry Paul Choyce
Nov. 18, 2007, Brunswick Street United Church
Chris MacLean emailed me a touching story I'd like to share with you:
"A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people?' After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn Down that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, God, I will.'
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. 'Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?' The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.' His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?' The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers."
Some people think that God stopped talking to people once the Book of Revelations was finished. This makes no sense to me. If God spoke to people for thousands of years, as recorded in the Bible, why wouldn't we continue to be able to communicate with God? And I don't just mean praying to God. I believe God uses us to create miracles if we are open to following our intuition, or our "gut" feelings. Sometimes God tells us to do things that seem unusual, or even illogical. But if we listen, lives are changed.
I like to think that one of the ways God connects with us is through coincidences. Did you ever meet just the right person when you needed them? Did money, or a job, or a place to live pop up just in the nick of time? Or on a smaller scale, do little coincidences happen to you that make you smile? I call these "God clicks."
One happened to me this week. On Monday I decided to write on this topic. On Tuesday I was at Bedford United Church, and I came across the book, God Calling, edited by AJ Russell. It was written by two women in England in 1933. According to these women, who remain anonymous, Jesus wrote through them. I will read you a few excerpts from the book:
P. 191 "I am beside you. A very human Jesus, who understands all your weaknesses, and sees too your struggles and conquests. Remember I was the Companion of the Weak, ready to supply their hunger. Teaching my followers their responsibility towards all, not only those near and dear to them, but to the multitude....I taught that Divine sympathy includes responsibility. I taught that pity, without a remedy for the evil, or the need, is worthless."
P. 20 "Life with me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties....
Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of my will, when it seems not joyous....Be calm, no matter what may befall you. Rest in me. Be patient. Never think things are overwhelming."
P.18 " You must pray. The way will open. God cares and his plans unfold. Just love and wait. Love is the key. No door is too difficult for it to open.
What cause have you to fear? Has He not cared for and protected you? Hope on. Hope gladly. Hope with certainty. Be calm, calm on my power."
P. 16 "You are to help save others. Never let one day pass when you have not reached out an arm of love to someone outside your home - a note, a letter, a visit, help in some way.
Be full of joy. Joy saves. Joy in me. In every ray of sunlight, every smile, every act of kindness, or love, every trifling service - joy."
This is a very beautiful and profound book. It came to these two women between the World Wars and during the Depression, which was a very difficult time for humanity. I have no doubt that Jesus would reach out with words of love, hope and joy at that time.
More recently we have a book called A Course in Miracles. Helen Schucman was a professor of medical psychology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. In 1965 she began to write words which she said came from Jesus. Her friend William Thetford, who was a professor at Columbia university, typed what Helen wrote. From this came a very large book, which is formatted and has much of the same sort of language as the Bible.
The Course in Miracles in now an extremely popular and studied book. I cannot do it justice in a short sermon, but the main premise is that Love is the goal in life and the key to inner peace. It teaches that forgiveness is the one practice that will lead to spiritual awakening. If you'd like to know more go to http://www.themiracletimes.com
Our two Bible readings today were about men who heard God talk to them. God told Jeremiah (1:4-10) that he had been chosen before he was born to be a prophet. Jeremiah said he was too young to do this, but God told him he would be protected and that he would be given the words to speak. And in Galatians
1:11-24, Paul writes that Jesus came to him. Paul said "God in his grace chose me before I was born, and called me to serve him. And he decided to reveal his son to me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the Gentiles."
Notice that both men say they were chosen before they were born to speak for God. We will go into that more in another service.
I personally know two women who say Jesus has directly communicated to them. I believe this is true. My God is a living, loving, ever present force in the world.
There can be no debate that humanity still needs Divine guidance. So why wouldn't Jesus talk to people now? Why wouldn't God do his work through us, to make this world a more loving, joyful, peaceful place? And why can't each of us hear God's message, and act in ways that bring happiness and healing to people and the Earth. I believe each of us are capable of direct communication with God, and to spread the word of Love.
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
