Recapturing Your Song

Pastor Joe Fuiten, September 18, 2005

There was a news story a while back, must have been on a slow news day, about a lady who had gotten a bird. The bird sang so often and so beautifully that she called in “Chirpie.” She really loved this singing bird but alas the cage needed to be cleaned out. She got out her vacuum cleaner and went to work on the bottom of the cage. Seeds and droppings rushed into the vacuum. All was going fine until the phone rang. As she reached for the phone, her other hand went up just a bit, just enough to suck poor Chirpie into the vacuum. She quickly shut off the vacuum and retrieved her bird. She came out covered with gray dust. She tried to blow it off but there was too much. She put him under the faucet and scrubbed until he was clean. She toweled his scraggly little body off and let him dry. The reporter who was writing the story, and don’t ask me how this became a news story, asked the lady, “how is Chirpie doing since he went through the vacuum?” She answered, “He is doing fine, but he doesn’t sing much anymore!”

There are probably quite a few of us who can identify with Chirpie. We don’t sing much anymore. We just kind of sit on our perch, seemingly permanently dazed, and we are fine except we don’t sing much anymore.

A couple of weeks ago when I was preaching with Linfield Crowder, he told the story of a teacher of his who mistreated him. His brother had been a big problem and when he came through the teacher treated him bad from the start. The experience was so painful and enduring that it changed him. It made him angry and he couldn’t get past it for some time. Even though he had been a Christian for some time, he lost his song.

We have a biblical example for this in Matt 26:74-75 where Peter denied the Lord. at the trial. The Scripture says, “Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.” We can appreciate the bitter tears that accompany failure on that scale. We don’t hear more from Peter until the resurrection on the third day. The angel is speaking in Mark 16:6-7 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

It seems odd to have the distinction between “his disciples and Peter.” Certainly just using the word “disciples” would cover Peter as well. Only Mark’s Gospel mentions Peter as distinct from the other disciples. The explanation is probably that Mark’s Gospel is believed to have relied heavily upon Peter. If anyone would have recalled that detail, Peter would have. From Peter’s perspective it was important because it signaled that Jesus still believed in him. Jesus still wanted him. Even though he had failed, there was still a future for him. The personalize statement was an important aspect of helping Peter get his song back.

There is tremendous power in affirming people. When I was a young person in about the 8^th grade, John Bueno, a missionary, visited our home. Along with any number of other topics, we had a conversation around the table about the circumstances in Latin America. At the end he said to me, “Joe, you know more about Latin America than almost any minister that I have met.” Forty years later I still remember those words. They gave me confidence to speak out. In the language of this message, those words gave me a song.

This is Education Sunday. On a day like today it is important to think about the impact that we can have on the lives of children by what we say and what we do. We have just had a wonderful summer with our Day Camps and children’s and youth programs. We have had over 110 children give their lives to Jesus this summer. We had things going all summer. First, there is no event more important that receiving Jesus at whatever age. It is important for every adult to receive Jesus, but when a child belongs to Jesus you not only save a soul, you save a lifetime.

We are off and running on our various schools. We have seven schools. There is Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell, Everett, Whidby Island, Mt. Vernon, and our Center for Ministry Preparation. If you count our little slice of Northwest it would be eight. In just our seven schools, there will be close to 1900 students. Whenever I interview a teacher I have only a couple of filters. I am looking for evidence of a dynamic faith that is contagious. Second, I ask myself how I would like to be locked in a room for seven hours a day with this person. I want them to be people who are interested in life and join in.

The fact is many children come to us who have already lost their song. They have experienced things that children should not have to experience. Families are broken and children suffer. They need someone who will help them get their song back.

Last night, I took in the first part of the football game between Cedar Park and Life Christian in Tacoma. Our team played well. When the announcer mentioned the names from Life Christian I recalled having so many of their parents in my youth group when I was youth pastor there. There is nothing quite like a fall evening when it starts to get chilly and a little bit of fog rolls in and it is time for football. I have a lot of great memories there and a few bad ones. Kids are blessed to have the experience. I just regret that we didn’t have football in time for my boys to play.

One of these days I hope to get in some fields on our north property and to develop the ballfields we already have into first-rate, all-weather surfaced fields. That will take a pile of money, but I personally think it is money well spent.

We are going to get a chance to do some of this work up in the Lake Stevens area. We were looking for land up there, and had found some which we pictured for you in the bulletin, when we were approached by Cedar Springs Camp about hooking up with them on their 153 acre campground just a mile down the road from where we wanted to buy. We have come to an agreement with them. Our board will become the official board of the camp. With that change, we will continue to strengthen the camping program while at the same time accommodating the development of day camps, youth sports, a school, our existing church and more.

I love the fact that in many ways we are helping kids to keep or to recover their song. We are blending ministries together in such a way that they comprise a whole life approach. I am looking to create a web of ministries that touch this community again and again before they even know they are connected to a church. We want a church where no matter what road you are on, you will eventually come to an intersection with Christ. He will be on your road at some point giving you the opportunity to receive him as your savior.

I understand the Psalmist who prayed in Psalm 132:7-9 "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool — 8 arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. 9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy."

If you want to recover your song, may I suggest a few simple steps. First, know that you are greatly loved. John said it well in 1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Paul took a similar tact in Rom 8:34-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Second, acknowledge that you yourself have not always acted in line with that love or up to his expectations. Jesus believes in you and your future.

Third, find someone else who has lost their song and do what you can to bring it back. You want others to do that for you. I promise you, the more you help others, the more you yourself will be blessed. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42 “…if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

The irony of the song-filled life is that it is not found in seeking to have the song but in seeking to be a blessing. The more you give it away the more you have to give. The person who is irritable and impatient loses the little that he had. It is a pleasant process as Peter learned when the Lord brought him back. 1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”