United Church of Monmouth
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From Begging to Praise
Ever since time began,
there have been people so desperate for help, that they have gone begging from door to door.
Sometimes they get the help that they are seeking,and at other times they do not.
One day in the year 878 AD,
a middle aged man, weary with traveling, and weak from lack of food,
stopped at a hut in a wood, and begged for food and shelter.
The couple, who were very poor, took him in and shared with him, their meager provisions.
A few days went by, and the beggar helped clean the house, looked after the pigs, and did
whatever else he could to help.
One day the woman of the house asked him to watch some cakes on the griddle, whilst she
attended to other chores outside the house.
The beggar, busy with his thoughts, forgot all about the cakes, and they burned!
When the housewife realized what had happened, her temper exploded and she told the
beggar that he was a lazy good for nothing oaf.
The following day, some soldiers stopped by the cottage, and as they entered they recognized
the beggar, and knelt before him.
He was Alfred the Great, King of England, and he had been hiding from his enemies.
After this, he dressed himself as a Bard, took up a harp (which he could play with great skill),
and began to sing psalms of praise to God, psalms which he himself had recently
translated into English.
And so this royal beggar, lifted up his heart and voice in praise to the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords!
Now there are a number of Beggars mentioned in the Bible.
The first is Gehazi,
and he is definitely a fraud, for he begs, not out of need, but out of greed.
Naaman has been cured of Leprosy, and offers a gift to Elisha, which Elisha refuses.
So Gehazi, a servant of Elisha, decides to get something for himself.
He runs after Naaman and begs for money, saying that he needs it to help others.
The money is given, but Gehazi’s deception is discovered, and as punishment for his greed,
he himself becomes a leper.
Centuries later,
Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem,
when he is approached by ten lepers begging for help.
They get more than they expected!
Not just help, but healing!
They make their way to the Temple, to show themselves to the Priests,
and to get their certificates of health.
One of them, and only one, turns back, thanks Jesus, and begins to praise God…
The rest, having got what they want, go on their own thankless way.
On another occasion,
when passing through Jericho, a blind man approaches Jesus begging to be healed.
His sight is restored, and he follows Jesus, thanking and praising God…
And of course we cannot forget the dying thief,
who begged his way into heaven as he cried out,
“Lord, remember me, when you come into your Kingdom.”
Some months later,
after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John were going into the Temple.
A man lame from birth, begs for alms.
Peter and John do not have any money but speaking in the name of Jesus,
they give to him new life.
Strength comes into his wizened legs, he rises up and begins to walk.
But!
It is not only his physical posture that changes, but his spiritual one as well.
He is no longer begging!
He is praising!
Where are we in our spiritual life?
Are we begging?
Or are we praising ?
There is a sense of course, in which we are all beggars.
We all stand in need of the mercy of God.
Like the tax collector who would not lift his eyes to heaven, but prayed, “God be merciful to
me a sinner.”
And like the dying thief, we also beg for mercy, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God.
But when our religion consists solely of begging, when it is a continual quest for favours;
born out of a desire to satisfy our selfish appetites;
then it is nothing more than selfish greed, and not fit to be called Christian.
An essential component to meaningful faith, is the inclination to praise.
It is this attitude, that makes all the difference, between a weak or vital faith.
Over the centuries there have been many religious awakenings,
and all have been accompanied by the note of praise.
When Martin Luther was journeying to Worms,
where he was to make his stand for truth and righteousness, he suddenly caught sight
of the bell towers of the city in the distance.
Like one inspired, he began to sing the song whose words and music he had composed
only two days before.
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
Nowadays, few read Luther’s writings, but we all sing his hymn.
When the Methodist movement begn,
John Wesley preached and published many sermons, and many religious tracts.
But today few read his sermons, but we all sing the hymns of his brother Charles,glorious inspirational hymns such as:
O for a thousand tongues to sing,
My great Redeemers Praise.
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.
What a difference the note of praise can make to our lives!
No matter what happens to us, God is with us.
No matter where we are, God is there.
No matter what the circumstances, God’s grace is sufficient.
And with such a God, what can we do but praise?
St. Francis of Assisi,
was once suffering intense pain.
He asked a brother Friar, to get him a guitar.
The friar was shocked.
A guitar was hardly the instrument for a saint.
But God took pity on St. Francis.
The following night, God sent an Angel, to give him a concert, unlike any heard on earth
before.
And as Francis lifted up his voice in praise, the pain was gone.
Another man who was very much aware of the power of praise, was the poet Robert
Browning.
His poem “Pippa Passes,”
is about a little girl, who labors from morn till night in a silk mill, and only has a single holiday
during the whole year.
On that day she gets up with the sun, in order to enjoy it to the fullest.
She walks through the town, past the houses of those whom she believes to be happy, and
sings her joyful song.
But in actuality,
they are not happy people, they are all struggling with great problems, and as Pippa passes
they hear her song:
The year’s at the spring,
And the day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven—
All’s right with the world!
Sebold,
who has murdered a woman’s husband, in order that he might marry her himself, is
conscience stricken and wishes he could put things right.
Jules,
is worried about those who are plotting against him,
Luigi,
is struggling with the problem of his duty to his country.
In another house, a Bishop was being tempted to forget his vows as a churchman,
and to do wrong for the sake of gain.
But Pippa’s happy song,
helped them all to do what was right, and when the day was over and evening came,
she knew not that her song of praise had blessed the lives of others.
This is one of the wonderful things about praise.
It blesses not only ourselves,
but all with whom we come into contact.
For praise that is offered to God, is also therapeutic for the souls of men and women.
It increases joy, and alleviates sorrow.
It is a remedy for depression, and lifts up our spirits.
For praise brings with it, its own healing balm.
Praise is essential
to the purity of religion.
We may be zealous for the faith, even fanatical in our devotion, but without praise, there is no
radiance or joy.
As he lay dying,
John Wesley roused himself up,
and with a weak but confident voice burst into song, and sang a hymn of Isaac Watts.
I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath;
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Therefore,
let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord!
For as another hymn reminds us:
Hell’s foundations quiver
At the shout of praise;
Friends lift up your voices,
loud your anthems raise.
(UMH 575:2b)
Therefore!
Let us lift up our hearts in song to the God of our salvation, and praise with joy the God of
Grace.
Praise Him for His grace and favor
To all people in distress;
Praise God, still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious now God’s faithfulness.
Amen
778 Main Street (Route 132)
Monmouth, ME 04259
Reverend Desmond Parker, Pastor
(207) 933-2931
