Breakfast at "Simply Bertie's" (in an Ebola World)!

Text:  Philippians 4:1-9

Theme:  “Breakfast at ‘Simply Bertie’s’ (in an Ebola World)!”

18^th Sunday after Pentecost

October 12, 2014

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I’m going to single out one verse from the passage I just shared.  It’s Philipians 4:8, and it’s worth a reread:  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Sometimes, when faced with the outlandish things said and deeds done on any given day, we say:  “Whatever.”  Why not think about “whatever” is:  true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy?  Think about things that fit these descriptions, says the Word of God.  Wow, if we deliberately took time to concentrate on finding things that fit the list, we’ll say “whatever” a lot less; also, we may have one remedy for anxiety that doesn’t require a prescription. 

When I “think about such things”, I think about the fact that the Denton Police Department has retained the services of Shane Kizer.  Besides his usual duties, Kizer is the Public Information Officer.  For two years in a row, he’s taken time out of his schedule to offer a Saturday morning to leaders of local churches to share his expertise. He, along with other colleagues, provides a wealth of information on keeping churches secure—secure in all kinds of ways.

He was at it again this past week with an email he sent to those on his list, myself included.  He writes:

Hi everyone,

With the pending Ebola scare, lots of questions and concerns have surfaced in our area.  Attached are some facts I received from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and I thought I would pass them on to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Shane

Attached were two .pdf files from the CDC, and here they are.  I’ve taken the liberty of posting them to our bulletin board out in the hallway outside the narthex. 

Unless you’ve been hiding out in a shack in Montana, you know that the news cycle on Ebola has been nothing short of 24/7.  Even this morning, the first notification on my cell phone was that a Dallas hospital worker  -- who had had contact with the now deceased patient, Mr. Duncan -- has tested positive for the virus. 

You know, you take this whole Ebola thing; couple it with what’s going on in the middle east – to wit, with ISIS; hear that there’s unrest again in Ferguson, Missouri; you add bits and pieces of other nasty news stories, and you really want to go off the grid.  I mean, I’ve taken solace, lately, by going to dance class, attending a social event or two, reading books, taking out my frustrations in the weight room, and watching college football on Saturdays.  I’ve enjoyed it all.  I DO have an electronic subscription to the Dallas Morning News, but I hardly read it. 

Nevertheless, this increasing lack of attention to current affairs worries me. You see, I think I’m only half as effective as I think I should be.  Why?  It’s because I don’t want to pay attention to what is going on around me.  It has been my belief, for a long time, that a good minister should have the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  This is a balancing act. 

For example, you are basically a captive audience on Sunday mornings and attention spans are not nearly as long as they once were in this age of thirty-second sound bites.   If I spend all my pulpit time with you in the Bible only, I pay no attention to the “real life” concerns and issues that are going on around you and within you.  That’s not good.  On the other hand, if I spend all my time in the newspaper and providing some sort of religious analysis and commentary then I’m not “delivering the goods” or proclaiming the gospel.  That’s even worse.  Effective proclamation, I would argue, makes the connections between the Scriptural world and the world we live in.

In short, it helps people like you and me to search for, discover, and think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  Is it easy to do that?  No.  Is it worth it?  Yes, most definitely.

This past Monday morning, I found myself in the lovely little community of Lindale, Texas.  The exit is right off I20, east of Dallas.  The specific location was a ramshackle restaurant called “Simply Bertie’s.”  The building looked older, but I noted that there were some improvements that had been made.  And I figured that an individual named Bertie was likely the proprietor.  I was right on both counts.

I was there with my friends from a golf league I’m in.  We were about to play the second round of our annual tournament.  But before we tee off, we always enjoy the champion’s breakfast where the previous year’s winner picks up the tab.  I don’t know about you, but I like free breakfast!

Walking in, I started thinking about my brother-in-law, David Pryor, who couldn’t be with us.  Over the last year and a half, you and I together have prayed for and supported Dave and his family as he battles brain cancer.  It was the second year in a row for me where the tournament just wasn’t the same because Dave couldn’t play.  Those are the things I was thinking about as I took my seat around a long table with the other guys. 

Looking around, I noticed that the seating area – with an assortment of tables – actually looked like narthexes I have seen in some Presbyterian churches.  The walls were covered with a variety of crosses in various shapes and styles.  They were big, little, simple, and ornate.  They were all different but yet the same.  After I had enjoyed one of the classic breakfast dishes there (a sausage pancake!), we all were introduced to Bertie.  She welcomed us with simple hospitality.  Of course, one of the golfers piped up that I was a “preacher”, and, boy, did that get her started!  She shared her testimony.  She had not had an easy life, but she knew how to cook.  She believed in God, and she was convinced that God wanted her to have the building we just had breakfast in.  Through a series of happenings, it looked as though she wasn’t going to get to be in the building, but she couldn’t shake the belief – which she said God gave her – that this place would be for her restaurant.  Through gifts from anonymous donors, she was able to get into it and get going.  She praised God and thanked us for being there. 

That night, while preparing for bed, I came across our text:  “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure… ,” etc.  “…Think about such things.”  Bertie came to mind.  My wife and family came to mind.  David Pryor and his family came to mind.  My golfing buddies did.  My church and denomination did. I had a great sleep and a great next day. 

Sometimes we all say “whatever”.  Sometimes we all think that God is far away.  I’m here to tell you that God is as near as a sausage pancake in a ramshackle, refurbished old restaurant called “Simply Berties”.  I can’t prove this to you, and even if I could I don’t think I’d try.  Some things just have to be experienced.  And they can be – and they are! -- when you “think about such things”!

No wonder that Paul could write to the Philippians:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is the Christ Jesus whose rugged cross was pictured, simply, all over Bertie’s restaurant walls. 

May that cross and empty tomb of Christ Jesus decorate our hearts, and may our minds get the message so that we, too, can think about such things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Toward that end, God bless us – one and all!

Amen.