WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?

Joshua 3:17-4:7

Baraca 75^{<=
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"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Times'>th}Anniversary Observance=

First Baptist, Anderson, Wors= hip Service

April 19, 2009

Lawrence Webb

INTRO= DUCTION

&nb= sp; In big letters, the message r= ead: Justin Loves Megan, Forever.

&nb= sp; This marker called attention = to something of great importance for two young people.

&nb= sp; I saw this message at Myrtle Beach. Written in the sand at low tide.

&nb= sp; When the tide came back in, t= he sign of Justin’s eternal love for Megan was washed away. Then, = too, the forever love may have washed away by the end of the week.

&nb= sp; We establish markers for even= ts which endure: birthdays, graduations, wedding anniversaries.

&nb= sp; Others, like Justin’s monument to his undying love for Megan, fade with high tide.

&nb= sp; Still other markers are remembered for thousands of years.

TRANS= ITION

&nb= sp; Our Bible text which was read= a while ago is the story of setting up a marker to celebrate a memorable even= t in the lives of the Israelites.

&nb= sp; An earlier generation had wal= ked with Moses on dry land through the Red Sea. Now, a new generation und= er Joshua crosses the dry bed of the Jordan River as God miraculously rolls ba= ck the waters.

&nb= sp; To celebrate this event, Josh= ua orders a representative from each of the twelve tribes to carry a big rock = to the river’s edge and pile those rocks up. As an enduring monume= nt, reminding succeeding generations how the Lord had worked in the lives of th= eir forbears.

&nb= sp; When later generations saw the rocks, they likely would ask, “What do these stones mean?” Educators call this “a teachable moment.”

&nb= sp; Joshua’s message for succeeding generations was two-fold:

&nb= sp; 1) God did something marvelous that is worth remembering.

&nb= sp; 2) Great opportunity lies ahe= ad.

&nb= sp; We’ve piled rocks here = at the front to mark the 75^thanniv= ersary of the broadcast of a radio program from our church. Perhaps this wil= l be a teachable moment with a similar two-fold message regarding the Baraca Rad= io Class.

&nb= sp; Fred Richardson was a longtime member of this church and of the Baraca Class. At Fred’s funeral two weeks ago, our pastor Jim asked me what approach I was planning to take with this message today. When I told him, Jim said, “Well, you could also do ‘Ebenezer.’”

&nb= sp; If you can get past Ebenezer Scrooge or the song, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” you m= ay recall how Samuel the prophet-priest sets up a memorial stone to celeb= rate how God led the Israelites through a time of war into a period of peace.&nb= sp; In 1^st Samuel, chapter 7, the stone is called ‘Ebenezer,’ Hebrew words that mean, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” The unspoken prayer is, “And please, Lord, go on helping us!”

&nb= sp; In Genesis, Abraham, Isaac, a= nd Jacob set up lots of memorial stones along the way, testifying to God’s help. And so should we. Our First Baptist Church in= our 188 years of life has often set up markers to remind ourselves of how God has preserved us and continues to lead us.

&nb= sp; So these Baraca stones are pa= rt of a long tradition.

&nb= sp; Before this morning, some of = you probably had never heard of the Baraca Radio Sunday School Class. So = let me try to answer the question, “What do these stones mean?”= ;

WHAT = DOES BARACA MEAN?

&nb= sp; One stone can tell you what t= he word Baraca means. The Jewish Bible, which Christians call the= Old Testament, was written in Hebrew. And Baraca is from the Hebrew word for blessed or blessing. The Baraca Radio C= lass seeks to be a blessing to homebound people and others who aren’t= in church.

WHO PLACED THE FIRST BARACA STONE?

&nb= sp; Another stone can tell about = the very first Baraca class.

&nb= sp; Until about 1890, Sunday school was mostly just for kids. Then a man up in Syracuse, New York, felt = the need to reach men in Bible study. He had neglected his family and his church in his drive to make money, and he wanted to help other men avoid his mistakes. He talked with his pastor, and they started a men’s class t= hey called Baraca. In a year’s time, that first Baraca class g= rew from 16 members to 150. That idea spread quickly to other churches, along w= ith women’s classes which were called Philathea classes.

&nb= sp; Our church started a men̵= 7;s class about 1900. Then, in 1908, as the Baraca plan moved South, that class took the Baraca name. We recently heard from a Baraca class in a United Methodist church in Cambridg= e, Maryland. They started in 1909 and recently celebrated their centenni= al.

WHO PLACED THE FIRST BARACA BROADCAST STONE?

&nb= sp; Bob Hill placed a stone a whi= le ago, describing how his daddy and two other men got the broadcast started in 1934.=

WHAT LEADERS ARE HONORED BY STONES?

&nb= sp; We could place many stones honoring dedicated Baraca leaders. But over the sweep of 75 years, two prime movers stand out: Ralph King and Dan Marett, Senior.

&nb= sp; Judge King was one of the men= who got the program on the air in the first place. He became the teacher in 1941 and taught 43 years, until 1984.

&nb= sp; Music has always been a drivi= ng force for Baraca. And Dan Marett was a driving force with the music f= or 63 years. He joined the class quartet in 1937 and later was music director until his death in 2000.

&nb= sp; Dan’s sons -- Dan, Juni= or, and now Phil -- have followed their father in leading our music.

&nb= sp; Like the waters of the Jordan River where Joshua had those stones piled up, the waters of the Baraca Radio Class flow on. And this celebration isn’t only about the past. These stones have meaning for the community and for our church.=

WHAT = DO THESE STONES MEAN IN THE COMMUNITY?

&nb= sp; If you get up early and look = in the Baraca Classroom as we record the program, you see only a double handfu= l of people. But we are the Baraca Radio Sunday School Class. = Radio is the operative word. Even when that auditorium was filled in the old days, there were always more people in what we call “the radio class” than in the room here at the church.

&nb= sp; We hear every week from people who rely on Baraca for part of their spiritual nurture.

&nb= sp; If you have doubts about the Baraca broadcast, that’s OK. To tell the truth, I had my doubts. But after Bill Ducworth got me to teach one Sunday, several people in the community told me they heard me on the radio. One of my colleagues at Anderson University said she was with her homebound moth= er who was a devoted listener. Those reports removed my doubts.

&nb= sp; When Judge King stopped teach= ing, the class had a rotation of teachers for about 18 years. I was in that rotation several years. Then, in 2002, I was asked to teach every week.&nbs= p; And we continue to hear from new people who listen in.

&nb= sp; I did a funeral for a homebou= nd lady who had no active church connection, but her family knew she was a dev= oted Baraca listener. Anyone in the house when the program w= as on had to sit down with her and listen. And= she wouldn't let anyone answer the phone the Baraca Class was on.

&nb= sp; A few years ago, I attended a memorial service at a rural church. After the service, I was in the vestibule talking with a friend. As we talked, I saw in my peripheral vision that two women were standing nearby.

&nb= sp; Then one of the women came ov= er and asked, “Are you Lawrence Webb?”

&nb= sp; I said, “Yes ma’a= m, I am.” I looked closely at the woman but didn’t recognize her. I thought she might have heard me preach in another church somet= ime.

&nb= sp; She said, “I thought yo= u were Mr. Webb. I recognized your voice from the Baraca broadcast. We listen to you regularly.”

&nb= sp; We talked a while, then went our separate ways. I confess, I don= 217;t remember her name. But I hope the dear lady still listens to the broadcast.=

&nb= sp; Leroy Hayes, who was in the rotation of teachers for many years, tells of a man who wrote in to say he trusted Christ and was converted because of one of Leroy’s lessons.&n= bsp; The man was baptized and joined our church through the radio ministry.

&nb= sp; The broadcast isn’t just for a few shut-ins here in Anderson. It also reaches well beyond our community. In traveling, Pansy and I have heard the program in Mars H= ill, North Carolina, and in Tennessee.

&nb= sp; I mentioned Fred and Ruby Richardson a while ago; they have a mountain home in Highlands, North Carolina, and have listened to the program up there.

&nb= sp; We may not have many regular listeners at those remote points, but the message of Christ through song and Bible lessons are beamed to lots of people whom we will never know.<= span style=3D'mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>

&nb= sp; We can’t count our list= eners the way we count folks who come to Sunday school or worship service. = But these ongoing testimonials convince me that on a given Sunday morning, there are more people listening to the Baraca broadcast than there are in the wor= ship service or Sunday school classes here at the church.

&nb= sp; So, what do these stones mean= out in the community? Only the Lord knows the full impact of the Baraca broadcast.=

WHAT = DO THESE STONES MEAN IN OUR CHURCH?

&nb= sp; Within our church fellowship,= the broadcast’s primary impact is on those of us who come in at 8 o’clock to record the program. We started recording when the ch= urch voted to change the time of the worship service because we didn’t want to conflict with worship time.

&nb= sp; Since we’ve been record= ing, several members of the adult choir have joined the Baraca Chorus. They give a new sound, especially as several women sing with us.

&nb= sp; We also have guests from adult and youth departments to sing and play for us. These have included an adult quartet: Sonny and Susan Reed, Jamie, and Cara. There’s a= lso a youth ensemble: Taylor Thompson, Jamie Torbert, and M. K. Thomason. Thomas Allen sang for us before he got busy at Furman. I assure you: If you are musical, Phil would be overjoyed to talk with you

&nb= sp; The radio broadcast is not a financial burden to the church. We are not in the church budget. But we are identified week by week as part of First Baptist. Members = of the class contribute to the radio ministry in addition to our regular givin= g to the church.

&nb= sp; Many First Baptist members who are homebound or who live in retirement centers listen to the broadcast wee= k by week. When Tecie Bryant was at Garden House, she would gather other F= irst Baptist members so they could listen as a group. Tecie’s late husband= Jim was a long-time Baraca member.

&nb= sp; Peggy White, who is a member = of the Baraca Chorus, was in rehab at NHC last year following surgery. In therapy at NHC, she found a friend in Rufus Dorn, who had knee replacement. Rufus is an African-American friend of mine whom I see regularly at the Y. Peggy invited him one Sunday to join her= so they could listen to the Baraca broadcast together. At first, he told= her that he had a radio in his own room and planned to listen there. = But Peggy insisted, so Rufus joined her week by week while they both were at NH= C, and a friendship developed.

WHAT COULD THESE STONES MEAN TO YOU?

&nb= sp; A lesson or sermon usually ne= eds a “So What?” So let’s co= me to that point. So What could the Baraca Class= mean to you as an individual? As a couple? As a Sunday school class? As a men’s ministry?&n= bsp; As WMU leaders?

Pray = for this ministry

&nb= sp; We need your prayers. A= nd, who knows! If you pray for this ministry of our church, the Lord might lead you to join us.

Visit= us

&nb= sp; You look up here and see a bu= nch of old fuddy-duddies. Well, we’re old but we’re not fuddy-duddies.

&nb= sp; We’re like your aunts a= nd uncles and grandparents.

&nb= sp; We’re not senile. Well, most of us anyway.

Share your talents:

&nb= sp; Half the broadcast is music, = so we could use your singing and instrumental talents as soloists or in an ensemble.<= o:p>

&nb= sp; If you would like to tell peo= ple how God is working in your life, we would find a slot for you to do that.

Become part of the class

&nb= sp; Share your musical talents regularly<= o:p>

&nb= sp; Lead prayers

&nb= sp; Catch the spirit

&nb= sp; Simply be there to be an encourager.

&nb= sp; Simply share the fellowship w= ith some church members beyond your regular group of friends.

Make a Sacrifice &nb= sp; It would require extra effort--getting to church an hour earlier than usual.

&nb= sp; It would require leaving your comfort zone--exposing yourself to new people. But find a partner to = go with you for support in a new venture= .

&nb= sp; You wouldn’t have to st= op going to your regular SS class. Some folks go to both.

&nb= sp; These stones mark our 75^th anniversary on the air, shar= ing Christ’s message with the community. But unless some of you join us, there won’t be a centennial celebration.

&nb= sp; Very few of us in the class w= ill be around to celebrate a hundred years in 2034.

&nb= sp; We range in age from 32 to 92. <= o:p>

&nb= sp; I’m not going to tell y= ou how old I am, but I was born four months after the program went on the air.<= /o:p>

HERE = IS A STONE FROM LONG AGO

&nb= sp; Let me place a stone from long ago to show the importance of radio ministry.

&nb= sp; A family I knew out in West T= exas years ago moved often as their daddy went from farm job to farm job. He wasn’t a sharecropper. He wasn’t that high up the food chain. He was just a farm hand. They didn’t have a car, so they didn’t always get to church. One Sunday night, when they l= ived in an area where they didn’t go to church regularly, the parents and = the two younger kids were over at a neighbor’s house. The adults we= re playing dominoes, a hugely popular game in West Texas.

&nb= sp; The mother usually saw to it = that the radio was tuned to a church service Sunday morning and Sunday night.&nb= sp; So the older sister, who was a professing Christian, tuned in to a church service that night while their folks were away playing dominoes.

&nb= sp; When the church service was e= nding, the preacher gave the invitation for people in the church and those listening on the radio to trust in Christ to save them. As that = was happening, the sister urged her brothers to take that step of faith. =

&nb= sp; Neither brother responded that night, but seeds were planted. The family moved again that summer, and they got back into church in the new community.

&nb= sp; The older son made his profes= sion of faith while he was visiting his aunt and uncle in another community.&nbs= p; All the while, the younger son was struggling with this need for Christ in = his life. Later that summer, he made a public decision. He later we= nt to college and seminary and became a minister.

&nb= sp; There are three significant points to this story:

&nb= sp; 1) First, awareness of the ne= ed for Christ came while these boys listened to that radio broadcast.

&nb= sp; 2) A second point: that ten-year-old younger son is the man telling you this story this morning.

&nb= sp; 3) Another thing: That church never knew the influence its broadcast had in leading my brother and= me to Christ.=

&nb= sp; On that last point, religious broadcasts are always like that. Most of the time, we don’t know the effects of what we do from week to week. We trust and pray that we’re touching lives.

&nb= sp; Carl Sagan years ago said scientists routinely send radio signals to outer space, consisting of patte= rns of sharp knocks -- one -- one-two -- one-two-three -- in hope that intellig= ent beings might be listening and would recognize this pattern and return them = to us. It’s about that hit-or-miss for us to determine who is listening to the Baraca broadcast.

&nb= sp; I’ve mentioned, we get feedback, but many other people never get in touch to tell how they have be= en blessed.

CONCL= USION

&nb= sp; Those stones Joshua placed by= the Jordan reminded people how God had worked in the past.

&nb= sp; The stones also pointed to opportunity for the future.

&nb= sp; We’re going to sing a s= ong of dedication in a moment, a song I wrote about stones of commemoration. It's called "We Raise These Stones," and it's printed = in the order of worship. The words are new, but you'll recognize the tune as Ramona plays. &nb= sp; This may be the day you set u= p a stone marking a significant point on your spiritual journey:

&nb= sp; Marki= ng your commitment to work with us in the Baraca ministry.

&nb= sp; Marking this as the day you l= et Christ into your life as I did years ago through the initial prompting of t= hat radio broadcast.

&nb= sp; Marking this as the day you joined this wonderful church by transfer of membership.

&nb= sp; Marking this as the day you renewed your vows as a Christian and church member.

&nb= sp; Marking this as the day you committed your life to a full-time church career.

&nb= sp; Our pastor is here at the fro= nt to greet you and pray with you as God leads you to public decision.<= span style=3D'mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>