Eric's Sunday Sermon; Look For The Love Within

I hope this sermon finds you well. And let me say a bit about that to start. By golly you are lucky to have you with you. I have never met someone that I could not find something to like about. Call me crazy and admittedly to my knowledge I have never met a hardened killer psychopath. But I suppose it has caused me grief and problems but I have always been able to find the good in people and they have generally responded in kind. So I do not say this lightly with over a half century of experience. You are cool and in fact if you dig down a little, no matter the circumstance, I do in fact find you well. In my world it is just the way it is. It just is my world that people are all cool. And so with no flippant perspective I tell you that I love all of you. You can do what you want. I woke up this morning with a choice. I made that choice and I love you. So go crawl away into a damp dark place but I will follow you down there and love you just the same. I could brag for hours about how great my life is. I shall not. But I can tell you that loving everyone works very well for me. There is a Bible verse here, let me see if I can find it in my cobweb mind. Aha, there it is 1 john 4 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Shoot I do not even have to defend my love of you for it is written and written well so even I can understand.

And does not that bring us to you. You pesky little “self doubter”. You with negative thoughts about yourself. I do not even know you but I can love you – how much more so can you knowing all the wonderful things about you that there are. Me, I am crazy but you know you and so should love you.

Now hold on there is a message here. Don’t ask me what it is ;-) Just a quick word out to my children. I will email this to them so they at least pretend to read it. Parents love your children. They do not act according to your script for them. Thank God! They follow their own path and if we release our need for them to act a certain way we are blessed. If we look at the flower in our garden and demand that it’s petals shoot a certain way and that the color be just so we are disappointed in our garden. If we charge into that garden with the mind of a 6 year old and look for the glory and splendor we find it. Let us old be young and let the young be welcomed in what ever shape they take on. In my rose garden I stopped just the other day while I was trimming. And I noticed a leaf that was somewhat rust and yellow colored and ready to be trimmed. Oh my the colors were outstanding and the dying leaf now sits on my desk as a reminder that beauty is found even in the troubled leafs of our lives. So parents love the bloom that is your child even though that bloom is not what your envisioned.

A word about La La land. We sit hear battling cancer. I say “we” because it is a “we” disease. There is no pretty picture to paint when the Lymphoma grows in your gut. But we can do the same as when I look and envision you. We can see the love and the love tells us to love. So these words I speak to you do not come from a victorious fighter who has won the kingdom. I comes from the beleaguered who is one of you. We do not get to pick easy street and expect peace and abundance. We pick life and that has it’s own deal and it is glorious if we choose to make it so. We so often think that “free will” is the thought of a choice between good and evil. Well it is. But that choice is in the day to day to pick love and not the negative. Join me in choosing our life of abundance in love.

They are yours. Others can not own them. Life has battles and I in no way can handle your burdens, only you know them. God bless you. But I can do a funny thing. I can assure you that you are not alone. I have walked that road with pebbles stabbing at my feet with no shoes. It hurts. I have seen others suffer all kinds of suffering. You my friend are not alone. Two ways. What you are feeling is not unique, others have walked that way and secondly you are loved by others. No way is any man or woman alone. Your troubles are shared.

Now you have a problem. Yes we all do. So just for a second lay them right here. It is kind of a strange idea but just put your problem right here and right now. Kind of like an alter. Just lay your problems down for a second, I promise you can come back and get them later. Although together we might just ease them or at least put them into perspective. That cancer deal that we face. I can’t fix it but I can put it down on the alter from time to time and get some reprieve and some vitality. I get it, your problem is bigger and tougher than mine, but give it a shot and lay it down next to mine and let us dance a dance of freedom from our distress. And together we will feel the love baby, just feel it and feel better. Oh yes there is a cool one for this also. Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Cool isn’t it. It is just a nice thought that we are not alone ever, and besides you got me, write a comment of your troubles so we can share and relieve.

Now lest you think I could write and give a sermon that is all about love. Let me give you some cognitive therapy the Eric Dierker way.

You make me so angry. You sit there or stand there and have negative thoughts about yourself. I will not stand for it. You are special and you have got to get these negative thoughts about yourself out of your head. Those little bastard thoughts just creep in and slow our growth and happiness. “I am not good enough”, “I can’t” – darn it I hate that word “can’t”. How about this one; “she will never like what I do” or “why can’t I do this right” – I am so ugly. Just get that stuff out of your head. You are awesome.

Did you know that 2,000 years ago there walked a man that taught about love. For sure dude he did not have a house. He did not even own a donkey, he had to borrow one for a big party in his honor. I think he wore sandals and he did not get to wash up everyday. And this dude was facing a horrible death but took the time to wash his buddie’s feet and tell them how much he loved them. By golly jingles do not sell yourself short. How about you and I get out of ourselves and just be thankful for what we got.

Do I hear an amen or is that just a backfire on the freeway?