Children often have a little different view of situations than we adults, thoughts that can come out in often interesting ways and that can certainly cause us to evaluate the learning situations we are creating, whether chosen or not…

For instance, there’s the small boy who was just sobbing all the way home in the back seat of the family car, after his baby brother had just been baptized. His father asked him three times what was wrong, when the child finally replied, “The preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home… and I wanted to stay with you guys!”

Then there was the mother who asked her children, on their way to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” Her little girl all too quickly replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

And… a little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.” It’s all a matter of understanding, isn’t it?

But how are we as adults? Are we really any better in our judgments, our perhaps limited viewpoints, and maybe sometimes limited perspectives—especially when it comes to people?

Some of you have seen what I’m about to show you, probably most of you. In fact, I’m sure that some of you believe you have seen way too much of it, with all the follow-up that’s been done on this story, on everyone’s blogs, on twitter, even facebook and other comment sites… Others of you may not be quite as familiar with it. It was on YouTube that I got it—the Susan Boyle story…

(watch Susan Boyle DVD)

Britain’s Got Talent, a reality TV show, is now linked with the Susan Boyle Story and “I Dreamed a Dream,” that gut-wrenching song from Les Miserables. I must confess that I don’t usually watch reality TV; it’s probably more a time thing than anything… but I was fascinated with what was going on with Susan Boyle.

There’s more to Susan’s story now. She advanced to the final level of the show’s competition, the finals, sang again—and, although she gave another outstanding performance, amazingly she did not get first place. There simply was a superbly talented dance team that came out ahead, and Susan was second. But you know, coming in second was almost irrelevant for Susan. She did win, even if there wasn’t a place for two winners. Susan was offered a recording contract and will go on to sing in all kinds of places. She’s now known throughout the world. Her life will never be the same!

I like to use quilts as a metaphor, so let’s look closely at the gorgeous quilt that is displayed here, made by our own Fran Chadwick. Fran calls the quilt “Light and Life,” and this is how she describes it:

“Within most quilt guilds there are smaller subsets called Friendship Circles. I belong to a group of five very talented women who like to challenge each other with special projects. The 2007 project culminated with this quilt. I made the center star and passed it on to the next quilter who put on a border and then she passed it on and so forth until it came back to me with four borders attached. I imagined the center star as what the moment of creation might have looked like—full of color and energy and movement—when light and life began.”

It’s a spectacular quilt that could represent Susan Boyle’s life, or the lives of any of us. As you look at this quilt, you can see bright spots, varied patterns, interesting squares and designs, dark areas contrasted by lighter areas, both simple and complex, the very large star—strategically placed, and yet it’s all linked together to make the whole. Each piece is very different, yet contributing to the overall design that is totally unique—one of a kind! All of the varied pieces work together to make a beautiful quilt! I know it was a labor of love. But then, so was Susan Boyle’s life.

As I followed up with Susan Boyle’s story, its drama continued to unfold… Susan had an outburst of anger as the dress she was promised would be delivered before her final show, did not arrive. She developed a severe case of nervous exhaustion and was hospitalized at a mental health facility in London. The anxiety and pressure of instant fame was simply too much. Susan was heavily criticized in her frailties, heavily judged by so many spectators around her. People and the media began to point out all her weaknesses, all her imperfections. She still looked “frumpy,” they said. Her hair was frizzy and her makeup wasn’t right, while her shape and clothing were simply not flattering. She had been expected to, somehow, become totally perfect in her transformation—and failed… while people could be so judgmental, so cruel…

Friends, what’s wrong with this picture? And can we look to our scriptures to determine how we can respond? Can we not see the beauty in the person as we do the beauty in the quilt?

Our scripture in 1^st Peter that we shared has just outlined the will of God for all people, which certainly includes the Susan Boyles of the world… It tells us how we can all rise above our own human temptations and weaknesses to, above all, maintain constant love for one another… Like Susan Boyle is doing in sharing her wonderful gift of voice with the world, we, too, all have gifts that we can share with the world—gifts that would certainly include sharing in good and helpful ways with Susan Boyle, if our lives were in any way to touch hers—gifts that praise God and all that God has given us all, for the way they can lift another up and bring joy and caring, as we pass on God’s love…

For we are all the Susan Boyles of the world, aren’t we? We all—yes, everyone here—you and I, and all of the choir, and the ushers in the back, all the children in Sunday School and their teachers, and all the people beyond our doors, including all the Open Door friends, all our Granite Creek friends, the schoolteachers and children who will attend Lincoln School, our Sidewalk Sunday School kids, our neighbors at Prescott Manor, each person served by Stephen Ministry, every individual on our Care List and our prayer list, whether they ever come in to church or not, all of us who have been created and loved by our God and who Jesus has redeemed from our sins… “Love covers a multitude of sins” our scripture says. In every area of service, we serve with gifts we have received, and we pass on the love that we have first been given. As Jesus does, we are to do likewise, imperfect as we are.

Looking deeper at the life of Susan Boyle, we learn much more about the life she has led and the person she is—we could do that with any of us, couldn’t we? In fact, we are doing it on Wednesday nights right now. Come to “Have You Heard My Story?” and listen to the people of this church share their stories. Consider it an opportunity to love each other, as God would have us.

Susan Boyle is a single lady—“never been kissed,” she says—who lives with her cat in the poorest area near Edinburgh, Scotland. We learn she was starved of oxygen at birth, is a veteran of abuse, and has learning difficulties as a result. She was verbally abused by her classmates in school and told one newspaper that her classmates’ jibes scarred her in ways that don’t heal. Her father died about 10 years ago and she lived with and cared for her mother until she died a couple years ago. Susan volunteered and sang in the church choir.

Yes, like Susan, each of us has a beautiful quilt of our lives, full of dark spots and light spots, totally unique… but beautiful, nonetheless… In addition to Fran’s large quilt up here, you can see a smaller, but wide variety of quilts made by our church’s Prayer Quilters—each one distinctive—yet each one beautiful, each one easily representative of each person in this room.

As the prayer quilters and Fran, and as Susan Boyle, each of us has gifts to share, even if we don’t have Susan’s remarkable talent--some yet to be discovered, but all to be used for God’s glory. Love is that greatest gift that we all have to give; it might be tough love at times, if that is what is needed to help make a situation better, but it remains love—that greatest gift of God to all of us, love.

Our scripture in Ephesians clarifies, emphasizes, and outlines that wonderful love that Christ has for us and the spiritual blessings it endows. We are reminded we were all chosen by Christ, we were destined for adoption as his children, we have redemption through his blood, we are forgiven, and we have an inheritance through him. God is the initiator and we receive the blessings. We have purpose in this life—all of us! In Ephesians, there is an overwhelming list of all that God has done for us. It is up to us to know God better and to experience God’s power; the needed information is all in these scriptures. It is here we are to get a feeling for, and an understanding of, God’s grace and the wonderful way it fills our lives. If you receive nothing else from this service today, I pray you will take that good news into your heart. The scriptures are crammed with all God has done for us. We are sealed with the mark of the Holy Spirit, in Christ. We have gone to the cross with Jesus and now we are reaping the benefits. What could be better? To God be the glory.

Do you now feel like a treasured guest? Do you now believe you are a treasured guest? Do you now believe that Susan Boyle is a treasured guest? Do you believe she should be treated like one? I hope so..

In our room at a lodge in West Virginia, while we were recently on vacation, we found the small card that has been inserted in your Order of Worship. It’s a message of hospitality, on how we can treat other people—as treasured guests! Would that all motels and hotels—and our homes and places of worship--carried a similar message. Would that our hearts did. The Bible does.

Our final scripture is in I Corinthians—and it’s brief! It’s that familiar phrase, that we only see in a mirror dimly right now, but in the future that will change. We are limited in our current understanding. We mustn’t be too hard on ourselves, for that reason. We can expect to see clearly in the future, if not right now… We will see face to face and then we will know fully. Such is the nature of our life on this earth.

There’s a quilt story I’d like to share with you, that a man has shared. It’s a story of the man facing his Maker at the last judgment. He shares how he knelt down before the Lord along with all the other souls. “Before each of us, he said, laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An angel sat before each of us, sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to me, it became my life, my hardships, and my struggles.

Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let me shine through, until there was more of me than there was of you.”

Friends, Jesus is Our Treasured Guest—Jesus Christ around whom we live and move and have our being. Jesus, who loves each of us as treasured guests, and who wants us to love each other as treasured guests.

Take your card and keep it in your home and take the message to keep in your heart. Maybe you can even write a better card to pass on…

Next week, we are starting a Disney series for worship, with George and Nancy. I hope you’ll be here. Plan to look for the treasured guest in each message presented, and to take the message of God’s love through Christ with you. Amen.

Benediction:

As we leave here, Lord, we pray that the relationships within our community may be strengthened. May we welcome each treasured guest who comes through our doors. Help us to reinforce all those elements of our church life that characterize the people of God and to always remember to live and give the great love that you have for us, through Christ. Go forth now to bless and be blessed!

Sermon delived by Rev. Carol Mumford on July 12, 2009.