With In His Steps – Part I, I introduced you to a book written by Charles M. Sheldon. In the book Pastor Henry Maxwell asks his congregation to live each day and to make each decision according to a question, “What would Jesus do?”
Fifty people of his congregation accept this challenge while the majority of the congregation does not. The action of these folks cause more than some angst within the church and as time goes by the church threatens to split. The novel then follows several of the key people who take this pledge.
Throughout the book we learn of the issues that follow when people seek discipleship in Christ with real integrity.
One of the characters is Edward Norman, editor of the Raymond Daily News. It is one of the city’s leading papers and does quite well financially. Norman decides to convert the paper into a Christian newspaper. In doing so, he removes sensational news articles written for the sake of sensation. He limits crime articles to the facts but includes commentary on how the crimes might be prevented. The reporters have to sign their names at the bottom of the articles thereby taking ownership and accountability for their writing. He stops running the Sunday edition – their largest selling edition. And he discontinues advertising he felt is ‘questionable or suggestive’. All of these changes come at great cost as they lose advertisers and subscribers. Nevertheless he stays with his pledge to do everything connected with the paper after answering the question, “What would Jesus do?” as honestly as possible. In this faith he believes he can run the paper strictly on Christian principles and make it succeed.
Another of the story’s characters is that of the church soloist, a young singer named Rachel. She has a world-class voice and is offered a very nice, lucrative contract to travel with an entertainment group. She would have the opportunity to entertain around the world singing to elite audiences such as royalty, influentials, national and international leaders. Undoubtedly, Rachel would become famous and wealthy doing so. Yet, after asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” she declines that offer and instead uses her musical talents to sing at a new church outreach which is ministering in an area of town we might call the projects or slums. Her stage is a canvas tent; her audience is Raymond’s homeless, addicts, drunks, pimps, and prostitutes. More than one person came to know Christ as Savior through the gift of her voice.
While the book goes on to tell us of other characters who make significant changes in their lives it is interesting to note that Charles Sheldon, pastor and author of this book, lived his own life according this question.
One of his own pastoral projects in Topeka was to work for the betterment of a black settlement called Tennesseetown. He lived there for three weeks so he could grasp first hand the issues the people lived with. He went on to establish the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi.
Sheldon also served briefly as Topeka’s police commissioner. He called for a Christian police force with the police acting as missionaries. Truth be told, I’m not sure that would work well today for us. Nevertheless, as police commissioner Sheldon appointed Topeka’s first two police women to the task force. Remember, this was over one hundred years ago! On June 7, 1921 Margaret Kavanaugh became Janesville’s first female police officer, but her job was discontinued after a few months, leaving the department an all-male bastion until 1953 when Mrs. Arnold Schmidt became the Janesville Police Department's first female employee as records clerk, freeing a male officer for patrol work. I’m not sure when Milton appointed its first female police officer, but in general I have to believe that Sheldon was ahead of his time in this.
Throughout Sheldon’s life, and throughout the lives of the characters Sheldon introduces us to, and in our own experience we know that answering Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow him is not easy. Cross bearing refers to self-sacrifice. Making the confession that Jesus is the Christ is not enough. He calls us to bear a cross. It is this particular demand that separates the disciples from the admirers. Disciples do more than survey the wonderful cross, or love the old rugged cross as our beloved hymns would have it. The disciple of Jesus must become like him in obedience and live the cross.
Henry Maxwell said, the greatest question in all of human life is summed up when we ask, “What would Jesus do?” if, as we ask it, we also try to answer it from a growth in knowledge of Jesus himself. We must know Jesus before we can imitate him.”
I think perhaps that more than anything else is the difficult part. How would we know what Jesus would do in our given situation? To answer this question we need to study him. We need to look at what our Bible has to say about him. We need to pray to him. We need to ask for guidance and listen to him. And we need to trust him to guide our actions.
So, what would our cost be, if we were to live according to this question? How would our daily decisions about our work, our marriages, our friendships and relationships with one another change? What challenges would be faced or relationships lost because of our change in the way we do life? What would be gained in our lives if we lived according to the simple question, What Would Jesus Do? How would we be transformed in Christ?
I ask you to consider this challenge. Would you for one week, one month, or perhaps one year, ask yourself each day, for each action you do, for each situation in which you find yourself – What would Jesus do?
Almighty God, we ask that you will be at work in our lives drawing us more closely to you in relationship and more closely to one another. Help us to set aside our own agenda and take up our cross for you. This we pray in your precious name. Amen.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
In His Steps - Part I
Every now and then we come across a book that leaves an impression upon us. Perhaps it is one of those books designated as “the next great American novel”. The book might resonate with our lives, speak to our heart, call us to something better or simply touch us in a very special way and remind us to reflect on our lives. Certainly the Bible falls into that category, but at the moment I’m thinking more specifically of a book that was written much later.
Several years ago this special book landed in my lap and after reading it I was struck by the simplicity and depth of its message. I recently plucked this novel off my bookshelf and after re-reading it was, once again, moved by its words.
The book itself was written by a pastor initially as a series of sermons and then published in 1896. It is a novel that is still widely read throughout our world today. It is entitled, In His Steps. There is a constant theme throughout the book in which the characters ask themselves, ‘how would Jesus respond to this given situation?’ Within the last decade or two this book has prompted an acronym that many of us have seen on bracelets, necklaces and even on letterhead: WWJD.
Do you remember those letters and what they mean? What Would Jesus Do?
The preacher/author of this book was Charles M. Sheldon. The whole premise of this book is the transforming power of Christ in our lives. It seems appropriate, with Easter on its way, to talk about this very subject. Therefore, I would like to share a little bit of this book with you. Perhaps you will be prompted to pick up a copy of this book. I can promise you, you will not be disappointed if you do!
As I mentioned earlier, Sheldon’s novel was actually written as a series of sermons. Sheldon was the pastor of a church in Topeka, Kansas and was leading a Sunday evening service. To help build up attendance at that service he began writing novels which he would read as his sermon. He had mastered the art of writing in such a way that he would leave the congregation in suspense at the end of each sermon or chapter. In order to know what happened next, the people had to return the next Sunday.
In His Steps is a simple story, but one with a strong message. It begins with a homeless, out-of-work young man stopping at the home of the Reverend Henry Maxwell one Friday evening seeking help. The pastor is kind, but hurried with the young man.
In fact as the young man is asking for help – looking for work, Maxwell responds:
“It would be of no use. You will have to excuse me. I am very busy this morning. I hope you will find something. Sorry I can’t give you something to do here. But I keep
only a horse and a cow and do the work myself.”
The Reverend Henry Maxwell closed the door and heard the man walk down the steps.
That Sunday morning the service at Maxwell’s church focused on a theme much like the scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark 8:34-38 in which Jesus, anticipating his arrest, gives to his disciples, and those who seek to be followers of Christ, a challenge. Jesus tells them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
With all of our talk of Christianity it comes down to this: will we follow Jesus Christ; will we take up the cross at his call.
This is the mood of the church service that morning at the mythical First Church of Raymond. The church soloist has sung, Where He Leads Me. The sermon is strong and polished. When the message is done, the young man who came to Maxwell’s door only days before comes to the front of the sanctuary.
He begins by saying, “I’m not drunk and I’m not crazy, and I am perfectly harmless”. He says to the congregation, “I’m not an ordinary tramp, though I don’t know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another.” He goes on to tell that he was a printer who had lost his job about ten months ago. Since his wife’s death, he had been tramping the country side looking for work, without success.
He has tramped this city for three days trying to find a job, and in all that time has not had a kind word of sympathy or comfort except from the minister who said he was sorry for him and hoped he would find a job somewhere. He went on to say, “It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand. But what would Jesus do?” Then the young man slumps over and dies only a few days later in the home of Rev. Henry Maxwell. This is the setting that moves Maxwell to deal with the man’s question, “What would Jesus do?”
There are many aspects of our lives we can apply this question. In fact, there are probably no aspects of our life we could not apply it to. I wonder how many of us today can relate to the young man of the story who is looking for work? Have you been there? Are you there now?
Join with me over the next weeks as I continue to explore this book and what it means to us today. Join with me as we ask ourselves the questions, what Jesus would do if he were in this time of economic hardship? What Jesus would do with religion today? What would Jesus do with business, with community life, or with wealth?
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
Several years ago this special book landed in my lap and after reading it I was struck by the simplicity and depth of its message. I recently plucked this novel off my bookshelf and after re-reading it was, once again, moved by its words.
The book itself was written by a pastor initially as a series of sermons and then published in 1896. It is a novel that is still widely read throughout our world today. It is entitled, In His Steps. There is a constant theme throughout the book in which the characters ask themselves, ‘how would Jesus respond to this given situation?’ Within the last decade or two this book has prompted an acronym that many of us have seen on bracelets, necklaces and even on letterhead: WWJD.
Do you remember those letters and what they mean? What Would Jesus Do?
The preacher/author of this book was Charles M. Sheldon. The whole premise of this book is the transforming power of Christ in our lives. It seems appropriate, with Easter on its way, to talk about this very subject. Therefore, I would like to share a little bit of this book with you. Perhaps you will be prompted to pick up a copy of this book. I can promise you, you will not be disappointed if you do!
As I mentioned earlier, Sheldon’s novel was actually written as a series of sermons. Sheldon was the pastor of a church in Topeka, Kansas and was leading a Sunday evening service. To help build up attendance at that service he began writing novels which he would read as his sermon. He had mastered the art of writing in such a way that he would leave the congregation in suspense at the end of each sermon or chapter. In order to know what happened next, the people had to return the next Sunday.
In His Steps is a simple story, but one with a strong message. It begins with a homeless, out-of-work young man stopping at the home of the Reverend Henry Maxwell one Friday evening seeking help. The pastor is kind, but hurried with the young man.
In fact as the young man is asking for help – looking for work, Maxwell responds:
“It would be of no use. You will have to excuse me. I am very busy this morning. I hope you will find something. Sorry I can’t give you something to do here. But I keep
only a horse and a cow and do the work myself.”
The Reverend Henry Maxwell closed the door and heard the man walk down the steps.
That Sunday morning the service at Maxwell’s church focused on a theme much like the scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark 8:34-38 in which Jesus, anticipating his arrest, gives to his disciples, and those who seek to be followers of Christ, a challenge. Jesus tells them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
With all of our talk of Christianity it comes down to this: will we follow Jesus Christ; will we take up the cross at his call.
This is the mood of the church service that morning at the mythical First Church of Raymond. The church soloist has sung, Where He Leads Me. The sermon is strong and polished. When the message is done, the young man who came to Maxwell’s door only days before comes to the front of the sanctuary.
He begins by saying, “I’m not drunk and I’m not crazy, and I am perfectly harmless”. He says to the congregation, “I’m not an ordinary tramp, though I don’t know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another.” He goes on to tell that he was a printer who had lost his job about ten months ago. Since his wife’s death, he had been tramping the country side looking for work, without success.
He has tramped this city for three days trying to find a job, and in all that time has not had a kind word of sympathy or comfort except from the minister who said he was sorry for him and hoped he would find a job somewhere. He went on to say, “It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand. But what would Jesus do?” Then the young man slumps over and dies only a few days later in the home of Rev. Henry Maxwell. This is the setting that moves Maxwell to deal with the man’s question, “What would Jesus do?”
There are many aspects of our lives we can apply this question. In fact, there are probably no aspects of our life we could not apply it to. I wonder how many of us today can relate to the young man of the story who is looking for work? Have you been there? Are you there now?
Join with me over the next weeks as I continue to explore this book and what it means to us today. Join with me as we ask ourselves the questions, what Jesus would do if he were in this time of economic hardship? What Jesus would do with religion today? What would Jesus do with business, with community life, or with wealth?
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
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