9-10-95	Encouragement	Jeremiah 18:1-11

Philemon 1-21

Luke 14:25-33

About a month ago my husband Paul and I went to see the movie Braveheart starring Mel Gibson. The film is based on an actual historical figure and actual events which took place – as the fighting of the Scottish people against the English people for their freedom. What stood out in my mind as I watched this epic was the encouragement that the character Braveheart gave to his followers. There were scenes of encouragement before, during, and after battles, at meetings held between chieftains, at meals around a fire, in the homes of some of the families that fought. Even at the end, when Braveheart was about to be executed, he gave encouragement to his followers, for the Scots, to continue to press forward for freedom from the English.

Within the past five years or so there have been films made with encouragement themes – Field of Dreams, Rob Roy, Far and Away, City Slickers. Even Mortal Kombat has had an element of encouragement in it. The message which comes through is for people, for individuals, to continue to press on for what is right, for what is the right way to live and be, for what is just and true and honest.

For decades now, since the beginning of the movie industry, the American cowboy has been idealized. John Wayne, Gene Autre, Roy Rogers are just a few of the movie stars who have made movies idealizing the lifestyle and the ways of the cowboy. The success of the movie "City Slickers," not too long ago, shows and reminds us that the dream to be a cowboy, or even more so, to be free to roam and be oneself still ranks high on "peoples' wish list." People are looking for the good life, something worthy and positive and just in their lives.

I remember as a kid how every Saturday my parents gave me 50¢ to go to the double feature at the movie theater. So, my friend Susie and I would head off at 1 p.m. for the show. It cost 25¢ to get in and 25¢ to eat on – popcorn 10¢ and candy for 5¢. Every Saturday there were two showings – one cowboy, one cop and robbers. The themes in these movies was to press on for the good, overcome evil, be encouraged not to give up in life.

In grade school we used to sing the cowboy song:

Home, home on the range,

Where the deer and the antelope play,

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,

And the skies are not cloudy all day.

What sticks out in this song for us today is "seldom is heard a discouraging word." It is hard for us to imagine such a place or span of time. For from the moment we turn on the TV or radio for the news in the morning or evening we hear about the backups in traffic, or the accidents, or how high the crime rate is, or how the stock market is down, or how our natural resources are dwindling, or about how the fight is worse in what used to be Yugoslavia, or how the air we are breathing in some cities is now the color of the lint that lays under your bed. Your boss blames you for not getting something done, or your co-worker resents you; your dog bit someone, your spouse is mad at you and your kids are whining or demanding money for something. Who among us wouldn't like to get away from it all?

Some of the most discouraging words sneak up on us when we are simply standing in the grocery check-out line. That is where we see the headlines on the trashy tabloid magazines – Liz Taylor and husband #8 have separated after four years of marriage. Ever notice how there isn't ever any good news gossip on those pages? What sells papers is bad news – hence the rumors and innuendos. Gossip is almost by definition negative and disheartening – divorces, deaths, diseases, job complaints, disasters, disappointments, infidelity.

In the face of all this gloom and doom, we need a claim of a ministry of Braveheart, Rob Roy, the Christian Cowboy, persons who never speak discouraging words.

We all need encouragers in our lives, and we must all serve as encouragers for others. Imagine what we might hear if we devoted ourselves to listening for and passing along only "good gossip!"

Contrary to the popular pessimism that no news is good news, good news is good news; and it needs to be shared; and if we don't share it, who will?

Paul's letter to Philemon about his slave Onesimus demonstrates how being an encouraging Christian is a reciprocal relationship. Paul especially thanks Philemon for being an encourager to him in his ministry through the gift of his Christian love. Now if Philemon had in anyway added comfort and joy to Paul's ministry, think how encouraging it must have been for Philemon to read those words from Paul's own hand! Certainly those encouraging words would bear fruit in Philemon as he encountered other brothers and sisters of Christ. And, no doubt, these words had some effect on Philemon in his dealing with the return of his runaway slave, Onesimus. When we are encouraged, we are then able to pass it along to others.

Retired Bishop Emerson Colaw stands out as one of the great encouragers in modern United Methodism. He always takes time to quickly jot down short notes of encouragement to others whenever he can. No hint of good or positive news ever goes his way without his passing it along to encourage others. In fact this bishop is so faithful in passing on "good news" that one worries when one doesn't get one of his famous notes.

David Ogilvy, Founder of the giant advertizing agency Ogilvy and Mather, used to give each new manager a Russian doll. The doll contained five progressively smaller dolls. A message inside the smallest one read: "If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, Ogilvy and Mather will become a company of giants."

Most of us have grown up so careful about armoring ourselves against all the bad news that bombards us daily that our antennae are simply not tuned into receiving the good news that floats our way. Next time a good word about someone passes you by, why not latch onto it and pass it along to another person? What if we Christians here at Dundee United Methodist Church were known as people who surprise others with good news?

But only telling good news is just one form of sharing good news. Another form is to take it to prayer. A friend of mine calls every so often just to say, "I'm praying for you. Hang in there." Her only agenda in these calls is encouragement. Her conversations sometimes are very short but the lift they give lasts for days. Part of the encouragement Paul offers Philemon, even as he thanks him for the encouragement Philemon is giving him, comes in the form of prayer. Paul intentionally reveals to Philemon that he prays for him.

In this congregation we have a few prayer-encouragers and they are a blessing to have in the church. They build the church and the congregation up, rather than tear it down.

Several years ago, Lloyd John Ogilvie, the newly appointed U.S. Senate Chaplain, wrote these amazing words: "This past year has been the most difficult year of my life. My wife has been through five major surgeries, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. I am thankful that I now know she is going to make it. During the same year, I suffered the loss of several key staff teammates whose moves were very guided for them, but a source of pressure and uncertainty in my work. Problems which I could have tackled with gusto under normal circumstances seemed to loom in all directions. Discouragement lurked around every corner, trying to capture my feelings. Prayer was no longer a contemplative luxury, but the only way to survive. My own intercessions were multiplied by the prayers of others. Friendships were deepened as I was forced to allow people to assure me with words I had preached for years. No day went by without a conversation, letter or phone call giving me love and hope. The greatest discovery is that I can have joy when I don't feel like it – artesian joy.

Offering encouragement through prayer gives comfort and makes Christian love tangible in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

Ben Patterson, author of the book Serving God: The Grand Essentials of Work and Worship, wrote: "I was moved and deeply impressed by the sign and picture I saw on a cardboard box in the foyer of a Baptist church in Minneapolis. The sign read, 'Tim Lindbloom's Prayer Ministry.' The picture was of a young man in a wheelchair, wearing a helmet – apparently the victim of cerebral palsy. There was a slot in the top of the box for people to insert prayer requests. There was also a note that said, 'I only ask that you let me know what happens.'

"What work could this young man possibly do with his limitations? He could patiently endure, and he could pray – especially pray. The only hints he might have that he was getting something done was to hear what had happened from those for whom he prayed – a special fellowship, and a special reward."

Offering encouragement through prayer gets people "stirred up." It gets people moving on with their lives, to go on with their hopes and dreams. And getting people to move on with their lives is yet another grace that results from encouragement. Genuine, heartfelt encouragement is one of the greatest confidence builders known.

When Werner von Braun headed the Marshall Space Flight Center, he received letters from all over the world and had a number of secretaries to compose standard replies. Sometimes von Braun would scribble a few words in the margins of the "form letters." On one occasion, a college student wrote asking about the future of space flight; the secretaries wrote a cautious and formal replay, pointing out the risks, boredom and uncertainties of this new field, suggesting that the student consider all the alternatives. Von Braun scratched through the cautious reply and scribbled, "Come with us! We're going to the moon!"

So, this morning as we celebrate our Christian Education Department, as we begin Sunday School, today, as we look at the future of our church by the building of the sanctuary, who are the encouragers in our congregation? Who are the people who have given you the courage to dream, to go on, even to "go to the moon?" Today is a good day for us to celebrate and encourage those who through their good words have encouraged each one of us to go on.

Amen.