Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
"Why We are Celebrating Today"
June 1, 2008 Joshua 4:1-3
The book of Joshua opens with the death of Moses and the beginning of a new chapter in the life
of the people of Israel. Joshua is chosen as the new leader and after forty years of wandering in
the dessert, the people finally get to cross over the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.
What a momentous day that must have been! Those days are far and few between. It was the
feeling I imagine our forefathers felt when in July 1800 Jonathan Sterry, Elijah Herrick, Isaac
Bromley and the other members of the First Baptist Church heard the declaration that they were
officially being recognized as a church.
New ground had been broken, a new chapter was being written and a grand adventure was ahead
of them. But you know a funny thing happens to those special days. As we move ahead, we tend
to forget them. God realized that so on that day when the people crossed over, he instructed them
to do a strange thing.
God told them to go and get twelve stones from the river and to make a memorial in the place
where they were going to camp that night. In doing this, God told them, they would always
remember that God was true to his promises and that he had and would always provide for them.
I like that story and it provides the background for today’s celebration. Today we pause to
remember God’s faithfulness. We lift up his presence in our marriages by celebrating with those
who have provided us an example of his grace, in our Christian walk as we recognize those who
have been a part of our ministry for over fifty years and in our lives a we have some fun with
those who are writing new chapters in the book of life.
So enjoy and remember and think about the ways that God has blessed you.
Recognizing our 50 year married
I heard a cute story the other day and I want to share with you today. Lightning was flashing,
thunder war roaring, black clouds looked angry; and the train was traveling fast!
The tension and fear among the passengers was evident; however, one little boy, who was sitting
by himself, seemed completely unaware of the raging storm.
One of the passengers couldn’t understand it so she spoke to him and said, “Aren’t you afraid to
travel alone on this train on such a stormy night?”
The little boy looked up and answered with a smile, “No ma’am, I’m not afraid! My daddy is the
engineer!”
It’s funny how a sense of peace and calmness can come to even the most challenging times when
we know who is in control of our ride. I think this is true of life in general and definitely so in a
relationship as special as the one we have in a marriage.
You don’t get to be married for fifty years by accident. It involves a lot of grace, forgiveness,
understanding and trust. Even if you started off in life as lovers or friends, the storms that arise
can threaten to capsize your dreamboat and send you swimming for your life.
Rembrandt, the famous painter, put to the canvas the biblical story of the storm on the Sea of
Galilee. In this painting you can see it all. The little ship occupied by Jesus and the Disciples is
being hit by a huge wave. You can feel the fear running through each disciple. The storm is all
around.
The rigging on the boat is loose and blowing in the wind. It’s marvelous to realize that even though
all the disciples are panic-stricken, they had to wake Jesus up to tell Him about the storm. Jesus
rebukes the wind and the sea becomes calm and he tells them to have faith and trust God. That is
the secret to life. This morning we want to recognize some people who have walked with God’s
help through fifty years of marriage. In doing so I think each of them could tell you that it was
only with God’s grace that they have come thus far. For God is good.
Children’s Talk
As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black dot
in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them
what they saw. One person quickly replied, “I see a black mark.” “Right,” the preacher replied.
“What else do you see?” Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the dot?”
he asked. A chorus of noes came from the audience. “I’m really surprised,” the speaker
commented. “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all—the sheet of
paper.” Then he made the application. He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like
disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we
receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more
important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.
Recognition of long term members
Maybe you have heard this story about a father’s love and faithfulness. Even if you have, it is
worth hearing again.
In the country of Armenia, in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to
school. Samuel squatted before his son and looked him in the eye. “Have a good day at school, and
remember, no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.” They hugged and the boy ran off to
school.
Hours later, a powerful earthquake rocked the area. In the midst of the pandemonium, Samuel and
Danielle tried to discover what happened to their son but they couldn’t get any information. The
radio announced that there were thousands of casualties.
Samuel then grabbed his coat and headed for the schoolyard. When he reached the area, what he
saw brought tears to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris. Other parents were standing
around crying.
Samuel found the place where Armand’s classroom used to be and began pulling a broken beam
off the pile of rubble. He then grabbed a rock and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one.
One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?” “Digging for my son,” Samuel
answered. The man then said, “You’re just going to make things worse! The building is unstable,”
and tried to pull Samuel away from his work.
Samuel set his jaw and kept working. As time wore on, one by one, the other parents left. Then a
firefighter tried to pull Samuel away from the rubble. Samuel looked at him and said, “Won’t you
help me?” The firefighter left and Samuel kept digging.
All through the night and into the next day, Samuel continued digging. Parents placed flowers and
pictures of their children on the ruins. But, Samuel just kept working. He picked up a beam and
pushed it out of the way when he heard a faint cry. “Help! Help!” Samuel listened but didn’t hear
anything again. Then he heard a muffled voice, “Papa?”
Samuel began to dig furiously. Finally he could see his son. “Come on out, son!” he said with
relief. “No,” Armand said. “Let the other kids come out first because I know you’ll get me.” Child
after child emerged until, finally, little Armand appeared. Samuel took him in his arms and Armand
said, “I told the other kids not to worry because you told me that you’d always be there for me!”
Fourteen children were saved that day because one father was faithful.
That’s faith, the kind of faith that can sustain us through life. Whether trapped by fallen debris or
ensnared by life’s hardships and struggles, we are never cut off from God’s faithfulness. He is
true to His character. He is reliable and trustworthy and can be counted on always.
When you belong to a congregation for fifty years, your membership becomes an inspiration and a
testimony to God’s goodness in your life. It says to the world that you believe and that God has a
plan and purpose for your life. It says that everything you do, your work, your family, your play is
centered in your faith and your love of God.
When I think of Edith Robinson or Lois Lopez or any of the others who we are recognizing today,
I think of pillars that hold up the faith of a community. Your faithfulness over time has opened the
door for us and our children to know Jesus here. And so we thank you for being the Samuel in our
life and reminding us that god is good.
Sermon "God is so Good"
A few years ago Thomas Hobbs of the Univ. of Wash. published research on Human Stress. He
listed many of the common experiences of life, evaluated their impact on our mental & emotional
well-being, & rated them according to the stress they produced in our lives. This stress rating was
expressed in what they called "Life-Change Units, or LCUs." The worse the stress rating, the
higher the LCUs.
For instance, getting a divorce is 73 LCUs. Being pregnant is 40 LCUs. Remodeling a home is 25
LCUs. On & on went their list of life’s stresses, each one rated in LCUs. When we learn of a
friend, maybe our own age, who is dying of cancer; or when we go to a doctor & he tells us there
is something questionable in our X ray; or when our children grow up & move away; or we sell
our home & move someplace else; or we change jobs, or we retire. These are all LCUs!
We are constantly being bombarded by LCUs, & Hobbs conclusion was that, if within a years
time, we experience a cumulative total of more that 300 Life Change Units, most people will not be
able to handle it. They concluded that if we experience that many LCUs in one year’s time that
most of us will have either a physical or mental or emotional breakdown because, humanly
speaking, we just can’t cope with that much change. Well the good news is that turning fifty years
old is only 273 LCU’s, That means we have room to grow.. and so I’m adding to that total today
by making you all come up front here in a few minutes.
Does anyone remember what was happening in 1958?
A 14-year-old Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship. Ted Williams signs with
Red Sox for $135,000, making him highest paid player in baseball history. The Comic strip "BC"
appears on the scene as do these funny looking little blue people who kids would soon fall in love
with and call, the Smurfs! The U.S. Army inducts Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock
& Roll into U.S. private #53310761. Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union and
Arnold Palmer wins his 1st major golf tournament, the Masters. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the
President and he declared Alaska a U. S. State. The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was
born when it opened a restaurant in Toluca Lake, Calif. NASA was born and The Yankees won
the World Series over Kank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves! The Jim Henson company was
formed and a man named Sadaam Hussein and the army overthrew the government in Iraq. The
average Cost of new house $12,750.00 The average Yearly Wages $4.600.00 and the cost of a
gallon of Gas 25 cents.
Celebrities born in 1958 included Madonna, Tim Burton, Wade Boggs, Pete Adams, Debbie Bray
and Mark Damien.
Michael Jackson was born in 1958 and so were Kevin Bacon, Sharon Stone and Ray Deptulski,
Sue Ferguson, Fred Green and Elizabeth Isenburg.
Ellen Degeneres, Michelle Pfiefer, Hal Sutton, Stephanie Mattos, and George Rezendes were all
born in 1958.
Prince, Drew Carey, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Holly Hunter, Mark Rogers and Susie Rothholz were
all bron in 58 so its no wonder that the Hoola Hoop was also invented that year.
Also born in 1958 were Alan Jackson, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Foxworthy, Audrey Traylor, Marc
Vaillancourt and Cal Lord. I am happy to say that none of them were deeply influenced by Elvis
Presley’s big hit that year, “Jailhouse Rock”
Most Watched Television Shows of 1958
10. The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
9. I’ve Got A Secret
8. The Real McCoys
7. Tales of Wells Fargo
6. Maverick
5. The Danny Thomas Show
4. The Rifleman
3. Have Gun Will Travel
2. Wagon Train
1. Gunsmoke
Invite them up!
Sing Great is thy faithfulness! One verse
LCU’s We can’t avoid them. It is a part of life and it’s nothing new. But here is the good news.
God is so Good. I want to read a bit of Psalm 46 for you today. It begins with the words, “God is
our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in our trouble.” If there is one thing that I have
learned in my 50 years, it is the truth of this statement. I don’t know how old David was when he
wrote this but he understood the nature of life. It has always been filled with challenges and trials.
The Hebrew word "trouble" that David uses means "pressed in." Do you remember the old saying,
"Between a rock & a hard place?" That is the kind of pressure the Psalmist is talking about.
When Martin Luther was surrounded by enemies he read this Psalm & then wrote the great hymn,
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." He saw the tremendous power of God as "a bulwark never
failing." Regardless of what happens in the world there is still the strength & power & might of
God.
Bob Hope, who lived to be 100 years old, once said, “If life is a bowl of cherries, how come I
always get the pits!” The truth is that if we live any time at all, we will discover that we can’t do it
alone. We have the help of a good spouse. We may have the assistance of a good church family.
But in the end, the greatest source of our strength is found in God.
David says God is our strong salvation. He is like a mighty river and his power flows from him to
us. David knew that whatever his future held, he was going to be alright because god was with
him.
Today as we recognize those celebrating fifty years of marriage, 50 years of faithfulness and 50
years of life itself, It is good to stop and say together God is so good!
June 1, 2008 Joshua 4:1-3
The book of Joshua opens with the death of Moses and the beginning of a new chapter in the life
of the people of Israel. Joshua is chosen as the new leader and after forty years of wandering in
the dessert, the people finally get to cross over the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.
What a momentous day that must have been! Those days are far and few between. It was the
feeling I imagine our forefathers felt when in July 1800 Jonathan Sterry, Elijah Herrick, Isaac
Bromley and the other members of the First Baptist Church heard the declaration that they were
officially being recognized as a church.
New ground had been broken, a new chapter was being written and a grand adventure was ahead
of them. But you know a funny thing happens to those special days. As we move ahead, we tend
to forget them. God realized that so on that day when the people crossed over, he instructed them
to do a strange thing.
God told them to go and get twelve stones from the river and to make a memorial in the place
where they were going to camp that night. In doing this, God told them, they would always
remember that God was true to his promises and that he had and would always provide for them.
I like that story and it provides the background for today’s celebration. Today we pause to
remember God’s faithfulness. We lift up his presence in our marriages by celebrating with those
who have provided us an example of his grace, in our Christian walk as we recognize those who
have been a part of our ministry for over fifty years and in our lives a we have some fun with
those who are writing new chapters in the book of life.
So enjoy and remember and think about the ways that God has blessed you.
Recognizing our 50 year married
I heard a cute story the other day and I want to share with you today. Lightning was flashing,
thunder war roaring, black clouds looked angry; and the train was traveling fast!
The tension and fear among the passengers was evident; however, one little boy, who was sitting
by himself, seemed completely unaware of the raging storm.
One of the passengers couldn’t understand it so she spoke to him and said, “Aren’t you afraid to
travel alone on this train on such a stormy night?”
The little boy looked up and answered with a smile, “No ma’am, I’m not afraid! My daddy is the
engineer!”
It’s funny how a sense of peace and calmness can come to even the most challenging times when
we know who is in control of our ride. I think this is true of life in general and definitely so in a
relationship as special as the one we have in a marriage.
You don’t get to be married for fifty years by accident. It involves a lot of grace, forgiveness,
understanding and trust. Even if you started off in life as lovers or friends, the storms that arise
can threaten to capsize your dreamboat and send you swimming for your life.
Rembrandt, the famous painter, put to the canvas the biblical story of the storm on the Sea of
Galilee. In this painting you can see it all. The little ship occupied by Jesus and the Disciples is
being hit by a huge wave. You can feel the fear running through each disciple. The storm is all
around.
The rigging on the boat is loose and blowing in the wind. It’s marvelous to realize that even though
all the disciples are panic-stricken, they had to wake Jesus up to tell Him about the storm. Jesus
rebukes the wind and the sea becomes calm and he tells them to have faith and trust God. That is
the secret to life. This morning we want to recognize some people who have walked with God’s
help through fifty years of marriage. In doing so I think each of them could tell you that it was
only with God’s grace that they have come thus far. For God is good.
Children’s Talk
As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black dot
in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them
what they saw. One person quickly replied, “I see a black mark.” “Right,” the preacher replied.
“What else do you see?” Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the dot?”
he asked. A chorus of noes came from the audience. “I’m really surprised,” the speaker
commented. “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all—the sheet of
paper.” Then he made the application. He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like
disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we
receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more
important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.
Recognition of long term members
Maybe you have heard this story about a father’s love and faithfulness. Even if you have, it is
worth hearing again.
In the country of Armenia, in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to
school. Samuel squatted before his son and looked him in the eye. “Have a good day at school, and
remember, no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.” They hugged and the boy ran off to
school.
Hours later, a powerful earthquake rocked the area. In the midst of the pandemonium, Samuel and
Danielle tried to discover what happened to their son but they couldn’t get any information. The
radio announced that there were thousands of casualties.
Samuel then grabbed his coat and headed for the schoolyard. When he reached the area, what he
saw brought tears to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris. Other parents were standing
around crying.
Samuel found the place where Armand’s classroom used to be and began pulling a broken beam
off the pile of rubble. He then grabbed a rock and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one.
One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?” “Digging for my son,” Samuel
answered. The man then said, “You’re just going to make things worse! The building is unstable,”
and tried to pull Samuel away from his work.
Samuel set his jaw and kept working. As time wore on, one by one, the other parents left. Then a
firefighter tried to pull Samuel away from the rubble. Samuel looked at him and said, “Won’t you
help me?” The firefighter left and Samuel kept digging.
All through the night and into the next day, Samuel continued digging. Parents placed flowers and
pictures of their children on the ruins. But, Samuel just kept working. He picked up a beam and
pushed it out of the way when he heard a faint cry. “Help! Help!” Samuel listened but didn’t hear
anything again. Then he heard a muffled voice, “Papa?”
Samuel began to dig furiously. Finally he could see his son. “Come on out, son!” he said with
relief. “No,” Armand said. “Let the other kids come out first because I know you’ll get me.” Child
after child emerged until, finally, little Armand appeared. Samuel took him in his arms and Armand
said, “I told the other kids not to worry because you told me that you’d always be there for me!”
Fourteen children were saved that day because one father was faithful.
That’s faith, the kind of faith that can sustain us through life. Whether trapped by fallen debris or
ensnared by life’s hardships and struggles, we are never cut off from God’s faithfulness. He is
true to His character. He is reliable and trustworthy and can be counted on always.
When you belong to a congregation for fifty years, your membership becomes an inspiration and a
testimony to God’s goodness in your life. It says to the world that you believe and that God has a
plan and purpose for your life. It says that everything you do, your work, your family, your play is
centered in your faith and your love of God.
When I think of Edith Robinson or Lois Lopez or any of the others who we are recognizing today,
I think of pillars that hold up the faith of a community. Your faithfulness over time has opened the
door for us and our children to know Jesus here. And so we thank you for being the Samuel in our
life and reminding us that god is good.
Sermon "God is so Good"
A few years ago Thomas Hobbs of the Univ. of Wash. published research on Human Stress. He
listed many of the common experiences of life, evaluated their impact on our mental & emotional
well-being, & rated them according to the stress they produced in our lives. This stress rating was
expressed in what they called "Life-Change Units, or LCUs." The worse the stress rating, the
higher the LCUs.
For instance, getting a divorce is 73 LCUs. Being pregnant is 40 LCUs. Remodeling a home is 25
LCUs. On & on went their list of life’s stresses, each one rated in LCUs. When we learn of a
friend, maybe our own age, who is dying of cancer; or when we go to a doctor & he tells us there
is something questionable in our X ray; or when our children grow up & move away; or we sell
our home & move someplace else; or we change jobs, or we retire. These are all LCUs!
We are constantly being bombarded by LCUs, & Hobbs conclusion was that, if within a years
time, we experience a cumulative total of more that 300 Life Change Units, most people will not be
able to handle it. They concluded that if we experience that many LCUs in one year’s time that
most of us will have either a physical or mental or emotional breakdown because, humanly
speaking, we just can’t cope with that much change. Well the good news is that turning fifty years
old is only 273 LCU’s, That means we have room to grow.. and so I’m adding to that total today
by making you all come up front here in a few minutes.
Does anyone remember what was happening in 1958?
A 14-year-old Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship. Ted Williams signs with
Red Sox for $135,000, making him highest paid player in baseball history. The Comic strip "BC"
appears on the scene as do these funny looking little blue people who kids would soon fall in love
with and call, the Smurfs! The U.S. Army inducts Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock
& Roll into U.S. private #53310761. Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union and
Arnold Palmer wins his 1st major golf tournament, the Masters. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the
President and he declared Alaska a U. S. State. The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was
born when it opened a restaurant in Toluca Lake, Calif. NASA was born and The Yankees won
the World Series over Kank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves! The Jim Henson company was
formed and a man named Sadaam Hussein and the army overthrew the government in Iraq. The
average Cost of new house $12,750.00 The average Yearly Wages $4.600.00 and the cost of a
gallon of Gas 25 cents.
Celebrities born in 1958 included Madonna, Tim Burton, Wade Boggs, Pete Adams, Debbie Bray
and Mark Damien.
Michael Jackson was born in 1958 and so were Kevin Bacon, Sharon Stone and Ray Deptulski,
Sue Ferguson, Fred Green and Elizabeth Isenburg.
Ellen Degeneres, Michelle Pfiefer, Hal Sutton, Stephanie Mattos, and George Rezendes were all
born in 1958.
Prince, Drew Carey, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Holly Hunter, Mark Rogers and Susie Rothholz were
all bron in 58 so its no wonder that the Hoola Hoop was also invented that year.
Also born in 1958 were Alan Jackson, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Foxworthy, Audrey Traylor, Marc
Vaillancourt and Cal Lord. I am happy to say that none of them were deeply influenced by Elvis
Presley’s big hit that year, “Jailhouse Rock”
Most Watched Television Shows of 1958
10. The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
9. I’ve Got A Secret
8. The Real McCoys
7. Tales of Wells Fargo
6. Maverick
5. The Danny Thomas Show
4. The Rifleman
3. Have Gun Will Travel
2. Wagon Train
1. Gunsmoke
Invite them up!
Sing Great is thy faithfulness! One verse
LCU’s We can’t avoid them. It is a part of life and it’s nothing new. But here is the good news.
God is so Good. I want to read a bit of Psalm 46 for you today. It begins with the words, “God is
our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in our trouble.” If there is one thing that I have
learned in my 50 years, it is the truth of this statement. I don’t know how old David was when he
wrote this but he understood the nature of life. It has always been filled with challenges and trials.
The Hebrew word "trouble" that David uses means "pressed in." Do you remember the old saying,
"Between a rock & a hard place?" That is the kind of pressure the Psalmist is talking about.
When Martin Luther was surrounded by enemies he read this Psalm & then wrote the great hymn,
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." He saw the tremendous power of God as "a bulwark never
failing." Regardless of what happens in the world there is still the strength & power & might of
God.
Bob Hope, who lived to be 100 years old, once said, “If life is a bowl of cherries, how come I
always get the pits!” The truth is that if we live any time at all, we will discover that we can’t do it
alone. We have the help of a good spouse. We may have the assistance of a good church family.
But in the end, the greatest source of our strength is found in God.
David says God is our strong salvation. He is like a mighty river and his power flows from him to
us. David knew that whatever his future held, he was going to be alright because god was with
him.
Today as we recognize those celebrating fifty years of marriage, 50 years of faithfulness and 50
years of life itself, It is good to stop and say together God is so good!
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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