TO EMBRACE OR NOT TO EMBRACE? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

TO EMBRACE OR NOT TO EMBRACE?  THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Scripture                                     Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5b

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to embrace and a time to refrain.  We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth  —Virginia Satir, family therapist

Do you know when to embrace someone, and when to refrain from embracing them?

A time to embrace. Embrace to show support. Embrace to show love. Embrace a child to help healing from a scraped knee. Embrace romantically. Embrace Change.

What does it mean to embrace?

To clasp in the arms, to hug

To surround or enclose

To receive eagerly

To welcome

To adopt an idea…a faith.

Remember when you were a small child, and you and your parents visited your grandparents on the farm. Each summer they had that big "family reunion". Grandma would grab hold of you and squeeze you so hard. Her embrace was firm and her arms surrounded you. Then she'd pinch your tummy and say you had to put some meat on those bones!

And then there was Aunt Martha. She wasn't the embracing kind. Instead, she'd reach out and pinch both of your cheeks. Uncle Bob had his own brand of embracing. Actually it was much more of a headlock.

The day you left home, for college, for the military, or to strike out on your own - was it a memorable day? With hugs? And warm embraces? Or a day less memorable? Alone. With quiet? Or anger? Or just another day, without embracing?

Are moments of embracing pleasant, happy, memories? Does a smile come to your lips, or your heart, when you think back on them? Or look forward to them?

If there is a time to embrace, what about a time to refrain from embracing?

The image is one of contrast: being together with other people, and being alone. Sometimes refraining from an embrace could be a situation where it isn't appropriate or practical. Sitting in a classroom, or the office, would usually result in people staring at you it you hugged someone. Embracing while driving a car is just a bad idea, it's impractical.

What about "to refrain from embracing" does it mean to be alone? Is it ever good to be alone?

Yes. Solitude can be a time to reflect. To regroup. To work through processes in your mind. To meditate on the awesome power and love of God. To pray. Solitude can add necessary balance to the rest of your life.

Jesus understood this need for a time, to refrain from embracing. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."   ~ Mark 1:35

It is good to seek out and find times to embrace, and times to refrain from embracing.

COMMUNION

Participating in the commemoration of the last Supper is a perfect example of having a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.  It is not a stretch to think that the disciples embraced one another when they gathered for that Passover meal.  Remember, they didn’t know it was “the last supper.”  Then Jesus fully embraces who he is and who he wants his disciples to become.  Figuratively and literally he embraces them by getting a towel and a basin of water and washes their feet.

 Peter does not want to embrace what Jesus is doing, and then he wants to embrace it too much.

John 13:6-10        Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"  Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."   "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."  Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."   "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"   Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.

          A large part of Jesus’ teaching at the last supper comes in John 15 “I am vine and you are the branches.”  John 15:4  Embrace me, and I will embrace you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must embrace the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you embrace me.                       Story of Welch’s Grape Juice

          Like the young man who was accepted for the African missionary field and reported to New York for “passage,” but found on further examination that his wife could not stand the climate. He was heartbroken, but he prayerfully returned to his home and determined to make all the money he could to be used in spreading the Kingdom of God over the world. His father, a dentist, had started to make, on the side, an unfermented wine for the communion service. The young man took the business over and developed it until is assumed vast proportions – his name was “Welch,” whose family still manufactures “grape-juice.” He has given literally millions of dollars to the work of missions.  Though he had to refrain from the mission field because of his wife’s condition, he also embraced God’s call in another way that probably did more good than his original plan.

          In the Garden of Gethsemane the disciples refrained when they should have embraced – they slept instead of prayed.  Jesus was fully embracing what was about to happen.

          The final embrace on the night of the last supper: Matt 26:48-50   Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."  Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.  Even Jesus embraced Judas.

What does this mean as we come to the table?  It means that we should refrain from sin and embrace the fruit of the spirit.

Gal 5:19-23

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

          As you come to the table today, what one thing do you want to refrain from embracing?  What one thing do you want to embrace?  Don’t try embracing or refraining with the whole enchilada.  One thing to refrain and one thing to embrace!

The Lonely Hill

The cross stood on a lonely hill, And Jesus was lonely, too,

The day they nailed Him to the cross,        To die for me and you.

The sins of every one of us lay heavy on His heart,

Yet He was not afraid to die for He had done His part.

Around Him all was loneliness, For few would stand Him by.

Ah, let it not be all in vain He suffered so to die.

If you will listen when He comes And knocks upon your door,

Then let Him in, so that He won’t Be lonely any more.

The cross is right before you now Not far from your side,

Memento of that blessed day When He was crucified.

Come to the lonely hill again, close enough to see his face

All loneliness will disappear when the two of you embrace.

Jesus Wept...and Laughed

JESUS WEPT…AND LAUGHED

Scripture                                       Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Weeping is an act of mourning; a mechanism to get the pain out.

Dancing is another way to laugh; engaging the whole body.

ABRAHAM WEPT

Genesis 23:1-2     Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.  (Think of a loved one who passed away for whom you wept over their absence in your life)

Matthew 5:4                  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

John 11:35           Jesus wept.  (the story of Lazarus)

TRANSITION FROM WEEPING TO LAUGHING

Luke 6:21             Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Psalm 30:11                   READ FROM BIBLE You turned my wailing into dancing.

DAVID DANCED

2 Sam 6:12-16      Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

LAUGHTER

Nervous laughter not so good

Genesis 18:10-15 Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"  Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."  Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh."  But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

Joyful laughter good

Genesis 21:2, 5-9 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham when he was 100 years old, at the very time God had promised him. Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."  The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast.

B.C. Stands for Baptist Church

Mrs. Clifton Hord of Baird, Texas relates a rather strange reply to a request for a campground reservation. Mrs. Hord says that it actually happened to one of her friends, but we’ll let you be the judge. Here’s her story:

“My friend is a rather old-fashioned lady, always quite delicate and elegant, especially in her language. She and her husband were planning a week’s vacation in Florida, so she wrote to a particular campground and asked for a reservation.

“She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped, but didn’t quite know how to ask about the toilet facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word

 “toilet” in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old-fashion term “bathroom commode”. But when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being to forward. So she started all over again, rewrote the entire letter, and referred to the bathroom commode merely as B.C. “Does the campground have its own B.C?” is what she actually wrote.

“Well the campground owner wasn’t old-fashion at all, and when he got the letter, he just couldn’t figure out what the woman was talking about.

After worrying about it for a while, he showed the letter to several campers, but they couldn’t imagine what the lady meant. So the campground owner, finally coming to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church, sat down and wrote the following reply:

 “Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a B.C. is located nine miles north of the campground, and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late.

“The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded that we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now

there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. They’re going to hold it in the basement of the B.C.

“I would like to say it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in the cold weather.

“If you do decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit with you and introduce you to all the other folks. Remember, this is a friendly community.”

Hillbilly Mother to Hillbilly Son

Dear Son:

          I’m writing this slow cause I know you can’t read fast. We don’t live where we did when you left. Your Dad read in the paper where most accidents happen within twenty miles of home so we moved. I won’t be able to send you the new address as the last family that lived here took the numbers with them for their next house so they wouldn’t have to change their address.

          This place has a washing machine. The first day I put in four shirts. Pulled the chain and haven’t seen ‘em since.

          It only rained twice this week – three days the first time and four days the second time.

          The coat you wanted me to send you, your Aunt Sue said it would be a little heavy to send in the mail with them heavy buttons on, so we cut ‘em off and put them in the pockets.

          We got a bill from the funeral home, said if we didn’t make the last payment on Grandma’s funeral, up she comes.

          About you Father . . . he has a lovely new job. He has over 500 men under him. He’s cuttin’ grass at the cemetery. About you sister – she had a baby this morning. I haven’t found out whether it’s a boy or a girl, so I don’t know if you are an aunt or an uncle.

          Your Uncle John fell in the whisky vat. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off playfully. We had him cremated. He burned for three days. Three of your

friends went off the bridge in a pickup. One was driving, the other two were in the back. The driver got out, he rolled down the window and swam to safety, but the other two drowned – they couldn’t get the tailgate down.

          Noting much new has happened.

                                                Love Mom

P.S. I was going to send you some money, but the envelope was already sealed.

John 16:19-22      Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.