Give It a Try!

August 1, 2004

The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Pastor

Montgomery United Methodist Church

Matthew 7: 7-11

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning!  Our topic for today is “Give It a Try.” You know, my mother was one of the most encouraging people who ever walked the earth. She was a person who just loved to lift people up. I remember when she was in the hospital and some folks would come to visit her, she was anxious to turn the spotlight away from herself and shine it on the person she was talking to. 

I remember one conversation she had with someone who came to the hospital. They got to talking about music. She said to them, “Do you play the accordion?”

Her visitor said, “No.”

She said, “Have you ever tried?”

The visitor said, “Well, no.”

She said, “Then how do you know you can’t?”

There’s an encourager for you, and there’s the question of the morning. How do you know you can’t? Give it a try.

Oh, dear friends, let’s take a look at what the scripture has to say about this topic today. In the scripture, Jesus Christ said, “Ask, and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. Listen,” He said, “Let me draw a picture of God for you. To any of you who have children you love, if they ask for a loaf of bread, would you give them a stone? Or for a fish, would you give them a serpent? No! You are earthly parents, and you know how to give good gifts to your children.  How much better your Father in heaven is!”

Now what does this scripture say to us about giving things a try? Number one, it says clearly and plainly, from the lips of our Lord Jesus, you are a child of God. When Jesus draws a picture of Almighty God, He draws that picture in relation to you personally. You are God’s child. Can I have a Hallelujah? Hallelujah! Can I have an Amen? Amen! You are God’s beloved child. Think of it! It means you are an inheritor of the characteristics of the Almighty. You are a direct, connected descendent of the most powerful being in the universe, of the most creative being in the universe. You are a direct descendent of health, of wellness. That is your inheritance, because you are a child of God. You are a direct descendent of the most understanding and loving being in the universe. So the first thing I want us to remember is, “Remember who you are.” The scripture says so, clearly, plainly, and undisputedly.  You are a child of the Almighty. That is your divine birthright.

So, if you are a child of God, what does that mean for giving things a try? Had you thought of yourself in some way as a failure?  Had you thought of yourself in some way as an inheritor of bad health? Had you thought of yourself in some way as anything less than wonderful? You are wonderful, because you are God’s beloved child. Remember who you are. That’s the first step.

Second step: Remember your dreams. God has placed in each of our hearts grand and wonderful dreams. I like to call it holy curiosity. People look at the stars and wonder how far away they are. People look at problems on earth and say, “How can we solve that?” People look at problems and hurts in their own lives and say, “How can we make it better?” We look at our loved ones and say, “How can we make them happy?” That’s holy curiosity. And God has placed that in your heart. Remember your dreams.

Oh, friend, is there something you’ve given up on? Have you said, “I’m too this” or “I’m not enough that” to accomplish that dream? Don’t give up! Remember your dreams. Jesus said, “Ask. Knock.” It is natural for children to ask. It is natural for us to ask of God. God has placed wonderful goals in your heart. Don’t give up hope. Keep on hoping. Keep on the positive side. Keep on dreaming. Keep the dreams alive. Remember your dreams.

There was once a man named Thomas Alva Edison who had a dream in his heart that he was going to make an object that would glow in the dark. For a long time, he tried hundreds and hundreds of times to make this object. And you know what? He failed hundreds and hundreds of times. His friends would ask him, “Thomas, how do you keep on going after all these failures?” And he answered, “Well, at least I know what won’t work.”

And he built on those failures, and suddenly, the light went on. The world has changed forever, because he remembered his dreams. You, too! Remember the risks you took and the dreams you dreamed that came true? Remember the times when you thought, “Maybe if I give it a try, it will happen” and it did? Hold on to those, because God has more in store for you.

Remember who you are. Remember your holy dreams that God has placed in your heart to make your life better, to make the world better, to make the people around you happier. Don’t miss the chance.

Third, remember your encourager. When I was a little boy, I never believed that anybody could ride a two-wheeled bike and stay up. I did not understand that. Things on two wheels inevitably fell over to the left or to the right. I was going to hold on to my training wheels! But one day my dad said, “Come on. Give it a try.”  In his broken English he said, “Come on. I help you. Get on bike. I run beside you.” So he raised the training wheels enough that I would still feel secure, and he said, “Come on. I run. You ride.” He held the handlebars and I rode the bike. He was running. I was pedaling. I was going back and forth, not really believing that this was happening. Pretty soon, I caught my balance and off I went. It was possible because I gave it a try.

But I had an encourager, you see. I had somebody running beside me. And here’s the best news of all – you have somebody running beside you, too. It is Almighty God in the form of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. He is running beside you. He is saying, “No matter how many times you fail, I will pick you up.” He is saying, “No matter how many times you fail, child, I want you to give it another try, because I’m running beside you.” Jesus is running beside you, so you can catch your balance and live in a full and rich way.

Never forget your encourager. Oh, He said, “Go ahead and ask, because the one who asks gets answered. Go ahead and seek, because the one who seeks finds. Go ahead and knock and keep knocking, because the door will be opened.”

I have one wish for this sermon. If there is something in your life that you thought was a closed door, that you thought you couldn’t accomplish, that you felt you didn’t have enough in you to accomplish, I wish that you would just remember your encourager, who has enough and stands beside you all the time.

And so, in closing, dear friends, remember the successes of the past. Remember the times you gave it a try and things came through. Hold fast to that. Remember your encourager, and remember who you are, because God loves you. I do, too. Have a wonderful week, and give it a try. God bless you. Amen.