Dead Man's Curve
Originally scheduled for January 24
Driving in
the Mojave Desert bears little resemblance to driving in the wooded
areas of eastern America. You can almost always see for several
miles ahead. Speed limit signs are few and far between, and often
ignored. Desert highways are often straight lines and the temptation
to speed is ever present. One particular highway, State Highway 58,
offers a very unpleasant surprise in that respect. It parallels a
railroad line for many miles. For some reason, it suddenly crosses
the railroad and runs parallel to it again on the other side. The
crossing is well marked with flashing lights. But if you’re racing a
railroad train these things tend to be ignored. When you get to the
crossing, very bad things can happen. The authorities frown upon it,
but occasionally you will see a wooden white cross next to the
crossing, with a name on it, and flowers beside it.
Oh, there are
warning signs. A few hundred yards before the curve there is a large
sign with flashing yellow lights that go on when a train is
approaching. That’s like the warning signs we see throughout most of
our lives; they come in three different types. There are the large
ones, of course. But most of the warning signs we encounter are
small — but constantly with us. How many times have you heard that
bear proclaim, “only you can prevent forest fires”? The authorities
attempt to warn us of the consequences of our behavior by
repetition.
But there’s a
third type of warning. It’s like those crosses alongside the
roadway. These warnings are not big and impersonal, nor are they
repeated very often. But they have a tremendous impact on those who
know them. These are the personal warning signs in life. They are
the things that tell you that you shouldn’t do something. Some of
those personal warnings happen only once or twice; some of them are
small things that happen over and over again. The real question is,
do we listen?
Communion is
that personal type of warning. You are to examine your self at
communion. You’re not here to examine somebody else in the
congregation, bemoaning their sins. Nor is the other person in the
congregation here to examine your sins. It’s personal.
What are you supposed to do after you take warning? May I suggest
that you might begin by promising the Lord your repentance, and then
following up with action. This should be accompanied by asking for
his forgiveness. That forgiveness is granted to you on the basis of
Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. You are reminded — and
warned — by the simple elements, the bread and the cup, that he paid
a tremendous price for you to be able to seek forgiveness. There is
no suggestion you can do so without repentance. But as you listen to
his warning, remember what it cost him to provide you with his
forgiveness. That cross in the desert is a small pair of sticks,
bleached white. But even the smallest of things can carry a large
warning.
