The Bird Cage…TELL IT! A Sermon By Rev. Kevin Baker-Rooks

THE BIRD CAGE, TELL IT!

In the Nineties,…. the nineteen nineties  one of my favorite Television shows was Ally Beal,And one of my favorite characters was  John Gage.

John Gage was a Boston lawyer who when in the courtroom liked

To pace up and down in front of the Jury and have them LOUDLY  repeat

Key phrases in order to make his point.

 Now I don’t have a jury here this morning,….NO… BUT I DO HAVE WITNESS……

THAT WOULD BE ALL OF YOU…

I  HAVE WITNESS WHO CAN AND SAY IT WITH ME NOW…

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“TELL IT! “ WHO  CAN TELL THEIR STORIES OF  WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR THEM…

AND CAN  SAY IT WITH ME  AGAIN…

TELL IT!….  WHO CAN TELL THEIR STORIES OF WHAT THIS CHURCH MEANS TO THEM

AND  WHO CAN SAY IT ONE MORE TIME… “TELL IT! “

TELL THEIR STORIES   ABOUT WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR THEM….

ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORING A DISCIPLES OF CHRIST MINISTER BY THE NAME OF THOMAS KINCAID WALKED DOWN THE CENTER ASILE OF HIS CHURCH

CARRING AN OLD RUSTY BIRD CAGE.

WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR THE SERMON

REV. KINCAID WALKED UP TO THE PULPIT

AND HE BEGAN TO TELL IT

AND EXPLAINED WHY THE OLD RUSTY BIRDCAGE WAS NOW SITTING ON THE COMMUNION TABLE.

HE SAID, “I WAS WALIKING TO CHURCH FROM THE T STOP THIS MORNING

WHEN I NOTICED A YOUNG BOY ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD

CARRYING THIS OLD RUSTY BIRD CAGE .

AS WE GOT CLOSER TO EACH OTHER I COULD SEE THAT FIVE SMALL BROWN BIRDS COWERED IN ONE CORNER OF THE CAGE.

I ALSO NOTICED THAT THEY DIDN’T  SING… THEYDIN’T CHIRP….. THEY DIDN’T EVEN LOOK UP.

SO, I SAID SON WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THOSE BIRDS?

HE STOPPED DEAD IN HIS TRACKS, A SICKENING GRIN CAME ACROSS HIS FACE AND HE SAID,

OH I’M GONNA HAVE ME SOME REAL FUN!

I’M GONNA POKE UM WITH A STICK.

MAKE UM REAL MEAN

MAKE UM FIGHT EACH OTHER TO THE DEATH

AND WHEN THEY DIE I’LL FEED UM TO MY CAT!

YES SIR I’M GONNA HAVE ME SOME REAL FUN !

SO  I TOOK A TEN DOLLAR BILL OUT OF MY WALLET AND ASKED

WILL YOU SELL THEM TO ME?

 AT FIRST HE SHOOK HIS HEAD NO AND THEN SNATCHED THE $10.00

 AND THEN THRUST THE BIRD CAGE TOWARD ME.

I THEN TOOK THE CAGE OVER TO A GRASSY AREA, AND OPENED THE DOOR. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THEY HOPED OUT ONE BY ONE AND FLEW AWAY TO A NEAR BY TREE AND BEGAN TO SING!

REV. KINCAID THEN CONTINUED TO  TELL IT!

AS HE TOLD THE CONGREGATION HOW JESUS

FREED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT FELT HOPELESS AND TRAPPED IN A CAGE WITH HIS WORDS ….

WORDS LIKE …

BLESSED ARE THE POOR…

BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT ARE HUNGRY…..

BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT WEEP….

REV. KINCAID THEN REMINDED THE CONGREGATION

THAT WHEN JESUS HEALED PEOPLE

LIKE THE MAN WITH LEPORSY

AND THE BLIND MAN

 AND TOLD THEM NOT TO TELL IT!

BUT THEY TOLD IT ANYWAY AND

THE NEXT DAY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CAME SEEKING JESUS….

.AND LETS REMBER SISTERS AND BROTHERS THIS WAS BEFORE THE DAYS OF CELL PHONES,… TEXT MESSAGES,… OR FACEBOOK….

PEOPLE HAD TO TALK LIERALLY FACE TO FACE!

AND THEN REV. TOLD IT BY TELLIN THE CONGREGATION ABOUT HIS OWN ECOUNTERS WITH JESUS…

HE TOLD THEM THAT AT ONE POINT IN HIS LIFE HE ALMOST STOPPED BELEIVING IN GOD

AND WAS NEAR WHAT HE CALLS ‘SPIRITUAL DEATH’

UNTIL HE PRAYED AND WAS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO A GAY AFFIRMING CHURCH

WHERE HE HEARD A PASTOR SAY FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT GOD’S LOVE IS UNCONCONDITIONAL AND EXTENDED TO ALL PEOPLE

AND REALIZED THAT ALL…. REALLY MEANT ALL..

BUT WAIT THIS ISN’T REV. KINCIAD’S STORY ITS MINE!

AND THEN REV. KINCAID TOLD THEM THAT WHEN HIS NEPHEW WAS 14

HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BRIAN TUMOR.

EVENTUALLY HIS NEPHEWS PRAYER CHAIN REACHED AS FAR ASBRAZIL.

WITH EACH CT SCAN THE TUMOR WAS SMALLER

AND ON THE DAY OF THE PLANNED SURGERY THE CT SCAN REAVELED THAT THE TUMOR HAD COMPLETELY HEALED….

BUT WAIT THAT’S NOT THE STORY OF REV. KNICIAD’S NEPHEW

THAT’S THE STORY OF MY NEPHEW.

AND THEN REV. KINCAID TOLD THEM ABOUT THE TIME THAT HE WAS DEATHLYILL

COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOE IN A TERRIEBLE RASH WITH SWOLLEN FEET AND SWOLLEN KNEES

DOCOTR AFTER DOCTOR CAME IN HIS ROOM TOOK ONE LOOK SHOOK THEIR HEADS AND SAID” I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS IS” AND THEN WALKED OUT.

THIS WENT ON UNTIL HE PRAYED FOR JESUS’ HELP

FIVE MINUTES LATER  ANOTHER DOCTOR WALEKED IN

TOOK ONE LOOK AND SAID “I KNOW WHAT THIS IS”

AND THEN PRESCRIBED AN OVER THE COUNTER DRUG…

YES AN OVER THE COUNTER DRUG

WHICH WORKED…

AND IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T GUESSED THIS WAS NOT REV. KINCAID’S STORY IT IS MY STORY….

REV KINCAID ENDED HIS SERMON BY HOLDING UP THE BIRD CAGE AND SAYING

WHEN WE SHARE THE STORIES OF JESUS’ WORDS AND HIS ECOUNTERS WITH PEOPLE IN HIS DAY

AND OF OUR OWN JESUS ENCOUTNERS

 WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF SETTING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY  FREE FROM THEIR CAGES OF DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS

AND AS HE SLOWY OPENDED THE BIRDCAGE DOOR

HE ASKED, SO CHURCH….. WHO WILL YOU SET FREE?………

IN ISAIAH 56 THE PROPHET GIVES US SOME VERY IMPORTANT WORDS….

NOW IN THE DAYS OF THE PROPHETS THEIR WORDS WERE OFTEN IGNORED WHICH ALMOST ALWAYS LED TO DISASTER FOR THE PEOPLE…

SO MY ADVICE TO YOU IS TO ALWAYS PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WORDS OF PROPHETS…

AND THE WORDS OF ISAIAH THAT WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THIS MORNING ARE: THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD….I WILL GATHER OTHERS TO THEM BESIDES THOSE THAT HAVE ALL READY GATHERED.

SOUNDS GREAT, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT THIS MEANS THAT WE CAN RELAX AND PUT OUR FEET UP WHILE GOD DOES ALL THE WORK….

I BELIEVE THAT WE ALL HAVE BEEN CALLED INTO ACTION…

BECAUSE JUST BEFORE THE ISRAELITES WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE PROMISED LAND  MOSES  GAVE THIS FANTASTIC SERMON,…

 I REMEMBER IT JUST LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY …..

MOSES TOLD  THE PEOPLE THAT THEYMUSTPASSDOWN THE BLESSINGS OF GOD’S WORD

 AND ESSENTIALLY THE STORIES OF ALL THAT GOD HAS DONE FOR THEM TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS….

IN OTHER WORDS HE TOLD  THEM TO “TELL IT!”….

I THINK THAT IT IS BECAUSE MOSES KNEW THAT THESE WORDS AND STORIES WILL BE SPIRITUALLY FREEING TO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS…..

AND IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO CONVINCE YOU THAT WE ALL HAVE A ROLL IN GOD’S PLANS…

 THEN  SISTERS AND BROTHERS LET   US ALL REMEMBER THAT IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW JESUS COMMANDS  HIS DISCIPLES

TO GO OUT INTO ALL NATIONS AND TEACH THEM ALL THAT I HAVE COMMANED YOU…

IN OTHER WORDS WHAT JESUS IS SAYING TO HIS DISCIPLES IS “TELL IT!”

SO CHURCH JUST ONE QUESTION…. WHEN YOU “TELL IT” WHO WILL YOU SET FREE?

How Sister Spiritual “TELLS IT”

How Sister Spiritual “TELLS IT!”

Rev. Kevin Baker-Rooks

 This week I attended the General Assembly of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ ) which was held in fabulously, beautiful, downtown, Nashville Tennessee. The theme of this conference was “TELL IT!” Which is taken from Deuteronomy 6: 1-2, Moses’ sermon to the Hebrew, people as they are about to enter the Promised Land. At General Assembly I had the pleasure of hearing our version of Rev Billy Graham, Rev. Dr. Fred Craddock preach a sermon titled “Jesus Saves”. In his often humorous and rousing sermon in a standing room only crowd of at least 1,000 people, Rev. Craddock stated that the theme of our General Assembly was “TELL IT!” . but that this theme presented a problem for the church. As Dr. Craddock explained, “In the present economy there are shortages and it seems that one of them is that there seems to be a scarcity of words.” Rev. Craddock went on to say that because of the of the “scarcity of words” Christians today are finding the need to “open the vault of words” in order to find enough words to “Tell IT!” and talk about their faith, to tell their stories of their encounters with God and Jesus Christ. Rev. Craddock stated that one church opened up the vault and took out the word “charismatic” and the whole denomination became scared. His statement commanded a great deal of laughter and applause from myself and my fellow disciples that had gathered in the sanctuary, balcony, stairwell, and everywhere we could to hear this great and yes charismatic man speak eloquently about his faith. As he spoke about how the church today seems to have so much fear of words like “saved” as in “Jesus Saves”, I realized how true it is that most of us really don’t seem to have enough words, and in some cases not any at all to talk about our faith. And as I thought about that, I remembered a conference of The Metropolitan Community Church that I attended a few years ago. At this conference I repeatedly encountered someone that I can only describe as a “Flower Child from the sixties” that grew up and became someone’s grandma. This wonderful woman first appeared during the opening business meeting and at the close of the meeting stood up and began to play the most beautiful and spiritual music on her flute. As time went on “Sister Spiritual” as I began to call her, seemed to be everywhere at once playing her music. In her own special and unique way Sister Spiritual “TOLD IT.” Through her music and peacefull expression on her face, one clearly received the message that Sister Spiritual was speaking her own truth, that she knew who she was and whose she was, that she was one of God’s beloved children, that God’s love is unconditional, that Jesus saves! And that Jesus came to save the world. So my sisters and brothers when you think about how you could possibly find the right words, or for that matter any words to talk about your faith. I hope that you will remember Sister Spiritual and how she “TELLS IT”. I hope that you will know that you don’t need to be “charismatic” or eloquent. Just speak your truth in anyway that you know how. Amen

Poinsettias and Daffodils-By Rev. Kevin Baker-Rooks

Job 39:24 “With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;

               it  cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.”

                       What do Poinsettias and Daffodils have to do with each other? Until a few weeks ago I didn’t know either.  If you had asked me, I would have just said, “Well they are both flowers”, but today I have a much different answer.

             As the massive amount of snow that fell in the Boston metropolitan area s-l-o-w-l-y melted dead Christmas Trees left along curbsides; Daffodils and various other flowers began to appear. It seemed as if Christmas and Easter had run smack into each other, and that these two major Christian seasons had just bumped both the seasons of Epiphany and Lent right out of the way forming one really long, new, ‘super’ season called Christmas-Easter. A few days later Hope, the pastor of the church where I work placed several bouquets of Daffodils in the same room where several Poinsettias still thrived from Christmas. At this point it seemed as if Christmas-Easter had manifested itself in the church, which ironically is named Christ Church.

      This left me asking myself, “Is Jesus trying to tell me something?” So it seems that I now have two questions to answer. The first is,  “ What do Poinsettias and Daffodils have to do with each other?” And the second is “ What is Jesus trying to tell me?”

As I have reflected on these two questions over what I am calling this new “super” season of Christmas-Easter, I think, I have found the answer to these questions.  And that is Poinsettias are a flower that represent Christmas the celebration of Christ’s birth.  Daffodils are often associated with Easter; the reflection of Christ’s death and resurrection, or new life. When you bring the two together we are reminded of the true cycle of life: birth, death, and then new life. So what about the second question? As I think about what “new life” means to me now, I hope that when one experiences new life they will discover a new purpose for that life. In my case the new purpose that I have discovered is that I need to be an advocate for those that have Pancreatic cancer, to help educate others about this disease and to help raise funds for research for a cure. So my sisters and brothers, I have heard the trumpet sound and I cannot stand still… I need your help; will you hold my hand while I run this race? And will you visit www.pancreaticalliance.org , and/or www.cancer.org  and then do whatever you feel God calling you to do?