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I love this story that I just told the children because there is a really cool dynamic going on between Paul and the jailer. You have a jailer who is at the end of his rope, he’s humiliated to the point where his life isn’t worth living, and he’s ready to commit suicide. Yet, through the loving, caring actions of Paul and Silas, the jailer’s life is spared. He realizes that there is more to life than just taking care of a jail, that God loves him, and that God can use him. In essence, Paul saves his life. So the jailer takes Paul back to his home and the part that I love the most is that this jailer, who is probably a big burly guy used to beating up prisoners, it is this jailer who takes time to wash their wounds. Following this washing Paul and Silas baptize him and his enter family. Kind of like a trade - a spiritual washing exchanged for a physical washing. A wash for a wash. One of the most popular rock bands for the last 25 years has been the Irish band, U2 and you’ve heard me talk about them before. Odds are that you’ve heard their music on the radio at some point in time or connected with a movie or tv show. When the band was formed, three of the four members of the band were committed Christians and they had a dream to show that you can create great rock-n-roll music without comprising your Christian beliefs. While you’ve probably never heard their music on a Christian radio station, their music is incredibly spiritual and consistently talks about the love of God and calling Christians to action. Their lead singer is a guy named Bono. He’s a baptized Christian, has been washed in those life-giving waters and has lived his life in response to God’s calling. In fact, he takes his faith so seriously that he’s willing to preach at his concerts, write about Jesus in his lyrics, pray for world leaders, and talk about his faith to the United Nations. For all that Bono has done, perhaps two of his greatest projects have come in the last few years. Bono is intimately connected to the One Campaign and the Product Red Campaign. As their website states: The ONE Campaign is an effort by Americans to rally Americans – one by one – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is students and ministers, punk rockers and NASCAR moms, Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life, united to help make poverty history.
The ONE Campaign derives its name from the belief that allocating an additional one percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries. We also call for debt cancellation, trade reform and anti–corruption measures in a comprehensive package to help Africa and the poorest nations beat AIDS and extreme poverty.
If you’ve seen people around wearing a white wristband, odds are that they’ve added their voice to the ONE campaign to put an end to world poverty. As their information states, they aren’t looking for your money, they are looking for your voice. In addition to being closely tied to the ONE campaign, Bono actually helped start the Product Red Campaign. This is an international effort to raise awareness and money for the United Nations Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce Product Red branded products. A percentage of each Product Red item sold is given the Global Fund, which helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. In other words, it is using capitalism, something all of us Americans love, to help the poorest people in the world. Product Red items include special iPods, iTunes giftcards, Gap brand t-shirts, Converse All-Star sneakers, and Motorola Red Razr phones Bono is just one man, who happens to have incredible gifts for music and an incredible heart for poor people. Long ago, he was washed in the waters of baptism and now he is washing the world with God’s love in some incredible ways. Bono is exchanging a wash for a wash. Paul Kruse lives in Lake St. Louis. He’s a handyman with a deep, gravelly voice, and probably in his late 50s, but far from retirement. His wife Lana is a nurse. Paul is also a baptized Christian and a member of Westplex community church. While working in a truckstop ministry out in Foristell in 2005, Paul began to realize that St. Charles county has a gap in social resources. There is no shelter for homeless single men. So Paul created a ministry called First Step Back Home where he could help homeless single men get back on their feet. He puts guys up in a motel for 3 nights, no questions asked. He takes them to the labor places that pay daily and he expects them to work. If they are good workers, he will do his best to continue supporting them. He started off with his own money, but also began to collect donations. For the most part, it is a one-man operation. Yet, since 2005, he has collected over $2 million in donations and provided shelter for over 700 people. He is always looking for help from people to donate, or more importantly to adopt-a-homeless person and walk with that person until they get back on their feet. Paul is just one man, has a job like many of you and has an incredible heart for homeless people. Long ago, he was washed in the waters of baptism now he is washing the world with God’s love in some incredible ways. Paul Kruse is exchanging a wash for a wash. A few weeks ago, Janet Runge and I attended a conference for a week here in St. Louis. At this conference we were placed in small groups of 8 people. Janet’s group decided to do a service project while they were there. One of her group members knew one of the campus pastors at Virginia Tech, so the group decided to pray for the campus pastors every morning. They also each chipped in $4 per person to buy several copies of a book called “Good Grief” which helps people through the grieving process. These books were shipped to the campus pastors at Virginia Tech and spread around to the students. Last week this small group received an email response from that campus pastor. Part of it read, The image of your small group praying provides a beautiful picture of the prayer network around the country that God has been using as part of His sustaining hand on us. Thank you so much for praying for us each morning and thanks for the “Good Grief” book as well. Someone had recommended the book to me earlier, so I was excited to receive a copy. I will be reading it as I travel this week. The parents of Brian Bluhm, the student involved with our ministry that was among the victims, have been an amazing encouragement even in the midst of their own grief. Recently they have closed their emails with the phrase "God is good." As they who have suddenly lost their youngest child proclaim this in the midst of their deep pain, we cling to this truth as well. Again, thank you and bless you…God is good, Darrell CookThis small group was just 8 people gathered together for a conference who gave up $4 and about 10 minutes a day in prayer, yet they changed the world. Long ago, each of them was washed in the waters of baptism and now they are washing the world with God’s love. They exchanged a wash for a wash. At the 10:45 service, we have 11 young people who will be affirming their baptisms and pledging a life-long commitment to their Lord. As their pastor, I am anxious to see how in the future that they will be washing the world with God’s love, responding the wash they received in those baptismal waters. My friends, each one of you has also been washed in the waters of baptism. Your sins have been forgiven, you have been claimed as daughters and sons of God, and like with the jailer, your lives have been saved. This morning I’ve talked a lot about how some ordinary people have chosen to respond to their baptisms and have done their part to wash the world with God’s love. Perhaps you could join them in their ministries by buying Product Red, by signing up for the ONE campaign, by adopting a homeless person, by praying for those who are grieving, or by doing any number of things that you come up with on your own to wash the world in God’s love. The jailer, Bono, Paul Kruse, the small group, and our confirmands have all wrestled with same question and now it is our turn. We have been washed. How can we exchange a wash for a wash?
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