“Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking.”
Good Morning Friends,
At my mom’s assisted living facility was the former CEO of Timex Corporation. He moved around in a wheelchair always wearing a signature Timex watch on his wrist lifting it up to me when he saw me coming he would say, “Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking.”
Scripture: We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NRSV)
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:1-8 (NRSV)
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John 2:1-11 (NRSV)
Message: I guess the Timex CEO was speaking of himself as much as the watch. So when he got weaker and stopped saying the slogan, I would greet him with it. Nevertheless, eventually his body failed, as yours will fail and as mine will eventually fail. And there is the challenge, for bringing order out of chaos is one of the greatest miracles God performs. Here God helps us to face failure. You see we are made of material that does not last. Like clay jars we chip and break. Friends, in Christ we get prepared for the failure we must face and in the miracle of Christ’s defeat of death. You see the difference between living a life of victory and joy and living one filled with bitterness, hostility and anger has to do with how we handle failure… how we make order out of the chaos…how God brings light into darkness…how we are married to something pure and holy… how God uses us. Look at the life of Paul for a moment…that persecutor of Christians turned apostle. He had all sorts of problems. He was shipwrecked three times. He was beaten and put into prison multiple times. He had ministry issues and a thorn in the flesh. It does not matter how spiritually mature or immature you are you are going to have problems. The difference is how you are going to handle them. The old Timex slogan is the story of Jesus on the cross and us as well if we are with Him and He is in us. Hang in there…keep the faith….it is a process of perseverance. There is treasure in these earthen vessels.
Pray we learn from our failures. Pray we not focus on our failures. Pray the joy of the Lord is our strength. Pray we realize that failure is not final. Pray our failures press us on to greater goals. Pray in humility we embrace Christ. Pray we are raised to new life. Pray we are ready for the party to end all parties.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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