The Call of God: Selected Sermons

Endorsements

This book of sermons provides inspiration in and of themselves. They are also homiletical models for the word-weary preacher. – Bishop William B. Oden, UMC, Retired, Santa Fe

"The Call of God: Selected Sermons is enjoyable and meaningful. The words – beautiful, vivid and sometime poignant – faithfully reflect the Word. I am grateful for these written words and also for the impact of his spoken ones to my Spiritual Formation students at Perkins. He inspires us to live our faith more deeply." – Marilyn Brown Oden, author

Circumstances took me away from Texas in mid-life, so only on occasional visits did I get to hear my big brother preach. Those were special, though limited looks at his theology, his homiletic style, and his speech skills. What a delight to receive the manuscript of his book of sermons—solid, down-to-earth theology, forceful intermingling of scripture, explication, illustration, spirituality, and good common sense. As a long-time teacher of public speaking, I recognized the many elements of oral style—contraction, personal pronouns and stories, fragment sentences—that contribute to the difference in a manuscript prepared to be spoken rather than read. I am grateful that his editors did not force him into a print mode. Our School-of-Expression teacher/mother would be as proud of him as I am." - Ethel Chappell Glenn, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Speech Communication, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Wally Chappell has been a gift to the Methodist and United Methodist Church for nine decades. As these sermons and meditations reveal, he has not been a clergyperson for all of that time, but his early days, his Union Carbide engineering days, all lead him to the church, as little as he knew the truth of it at the time. The collection you hold was produced and delivered over the past 15 years or so, in other words when he was 75-90 years old. I did not hear him preach earlier in his career, but I have no doubt that the preacher you hear in these pages has always been the preacher that thousands more heard in earlier days. The same passion, the same commitments, the same restless intellectual energy infuse and enlighten these gems as I am sure they did all of his preaching life. We cannot find abundance, fulfillment and bounty at Wal-Mart. We have no hope for this world short of a massive infusion of selfless, willing, joyous giving of our all for others! That is the heart of religion. That is the call of God. And those words, given as a eulogy for someone else in 2005, in Wally’s 85th year, well summarize his own life, too. It comes down to this for me; we need more preachers like Wally Chappell, and we need them now. Read these sermons to discover the heart of a real servant of God, real as in genuine, real as in honest, real as in transparently faithful. And go and do likewise. – John C. Holbert, Ph.D., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics

"Following a wide variety of appointments including local congregations and connectional responsibilities with Methodism, Wallace Chappell in the last decade of the Twentieth Century in a second retirement, became one of the pastors of First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas. Those who had known him quickly recognized that in this new role he found the climax of his entire ministry. Young people along with more mature members of First Methodist found that he was in constant demand for weddings, funerals, Sunday school classes and preaching in Sunday morning worship.

It was no surprise for those who knew something about his ancestry. His grandfather, E.B. Chappell, and a great uncle Clovis Chappell were among the most widely known leaders of the Southern Methodist Church in the first half of the Twentieth Century. As he grew up in a neighborhood adjacent to Southern Methodist University and Highland Park Methodist Church his early life was shaped by this stimulating atmosphere.

After entering the working world as an engineer he responded to a call to preach and entered into marriage with a partner who had also been captured by the dream of seeing God’s Kingdom become a reality right here right now.

With education and experience that claimed all that science and intellect could reveal, he also blended an appreciation of the mystical and the poetic paths to truth. Thus his words were always timely, stimulating and challenging.

What a gift it has been to share these almost two decades with Wally, and what a blessing it will be for future pilgrims to find these messages. Through these words there will be a continuing witness for an informed and authentic Christian search providing assurance and hope in the midst of the continuing revolutions that the Twenty First Century will bring." John Wesley Hardt, Bishop-in-Residence Emeritus, Perkins School of Theology, Dallas

"These sermons are vintage Wally Chappell. Grace abounds and at times confounds, costly but never cheap. Direct ‘no punches pulled’ authenticity about life informs Wally’s words of wisdom and truth. At the same time the loving embrace of an ever present God transforms these sermons into the bread of life for our disparate yet similar journeys. Your soul will be stronger and your service to others will be deeply nurtured for having spent time with The Call of God: Selected Sermons" – William K. McElvaney, Professor Emeritus of Preaching, Perkins School of Theology, SMU and brother in the Dirty Dozen

We have no hope for this world short of a massive infusion of selfless, willing, joyous giving of our all for others! That is the heart of religion. That is the call of God. –Wallace Chappell

Preface

Great preaching is communication: an alive moment in time, when an electric something leaps from preacher to congregation, and connection occurs.

The hours of preparation can pull together text, exegesis, proposition, development, illustrations, and conclusion; whether in manuscript form, memorized or delivered extempore. Individual gifts and graces shape the spoken moment. But unless a plus leaps from heart to heart, unless that electric moment comes – a serendipitous happening – it is just another discourse.

I’ve heard preachers deliver (or read) pleasant, innocuous, but lifeless dissertations as if to say, If you peons have any sense at all, you’ll realize what a masterpiece I’m delivering. Others I’ve heard bring good content, unemotionally, leaving us wondering, So what?

Early in my training I heard a preacher speak with such passion that his very presentation implied, "Beloved, this is the word of life, and I implore you to hear it. I have sought to be that latter kind of preacher, though I’m the first to point out that I did not always find the good electricity leaping across the space between us. But sometimes I felt it, and here are a few manuscripts of times we experienced connection": sermons, Sunday school lessons of a preaching nature, retreat vespers, communion meditations, a eulogy, and a devotional.

I bring these sermons to print at the urging of friends whom I trust, discriminating worshipers who support their pastors, and who yearn for that electric connection. I hope these will elicit your sense of that live encounter. If you know me personally, that will be easier: imagine the worship setting, the congregation, the liturgy, the choir, the preaching moment, and listen for the electric connection.

I am under no illusion that these are immortal masterpieces. But they are me, trying to freight the good news.

My 60 years in ministry included two, six-year interruptions for administrative hitches in Methodism: the Youth Department Staff of the General National Board of Education, and Executive of the Texas Methodist Student Movement.

I first retired at 69 to spend five and a half years in community relation work with Lomas Mortgage Company, Dallas. Then at 75 I came to the staff at First United Methodist, Dallas, part-time, in pastoral work. That hitch lasted 12 ½ years, and was a real love affair between an old preacher and a wonderful, lively congregation. The senior minister looked after building, budget, program and personnel and the regular preaching. My job was to love the people, visit the hospitals, share worship roles, and preached occasionally. These messages are mostly from these years; They flow out of 12 ½ utterly blessed years at First United Methodist Church, Dallas.

My style was usually exegetical, based on the Lectionary, a habit I adopted back in my forties and found to be liberating, as well as corralling a preacher’s tendency to ride hobby horses (i.e., the same old stuff, week after week, in the channels of his habituated thoughts.) The Lectionary holds your attention to basic Gospel themes, the heart of the Christian message. But some of these messages are more story-telling, and some are occasionally focused elsewhere. My writing is for public speech more that scholarly reflection. I have used several different translations of The Bible.

I express my love for the dear friends who are First United Methodist, Dallas, especially the members of the Aldersgate Class. And though she succumbed to lung cancer last year, I also express my deep gratitude to my remarkable companion of 63 ½ years, Mary Frances Stell Chappell, who loved, accepted, tolerated and supported me and my efforts, told me the truth about them and was always gracious, charming, joyful and honest – a radiant, loyal Christian. I would like to express deep gratitude to my pastor of 12 years, John Frederick Fiedler for great friendship and sturdy support. And I must express my deep thanks to Dr. Emory Burton for his skilled assistance with the selection and revision of the sermons. Thanks to those friends who pushed me to publish, especially to Jess T. Hay. I owe a deep debt to Rachel Cabal, who put the book on a C.D. Many thanks to Lawrean Davis Isaacks for careful proofreading and to Dr. John Holbert who advised sequencing and also for his generous endorsement. The same thanks to the Odens, Bishop Hardt, Bill McElvaney, and my sister, Dr. Ethel Glenn. Thanks to Isabel de la Rosa and Rob Patterson for editing, design, and transmission.

Last, I express my boundless gratitude for That Kind Providence Who has led my pilgrimage for 90 years, and Who is my continuing companion, comforter, guide, redeemer, coach and savior, whom I meet daily in Jesus of Nazareth.

Dallas, Texas

January 1, 2010

Wallace Chappell

Contents

Endorsements

Preface

Psalm 29

June 26, 1995

TO BEND HISTORY

April 26, 1998

3rd Sunday after Easter

Whatever Happened To Good Old Sin?

February 17, 1999

Ash Wednesday

To Care Enough to Make a Difference

August 1, 1999

Communion Sunday

DID GOD HAVE A CHOICE?

October 17, 1999

21st Sunday after Pentecost

Get Real

March 8, 2000

Ash Wednesday

When Hope Was a Baby

December 24, 2000

Praise the Lord

April 22, 2001

First Sunday in Eastertide

Morning Worship

8:30 a.m.

The New Physics of Prayer

July 29, 2001

Morning Worship

A Night on Hagerman Peak

Aldersgate Class Retreat

Being There

June 3, 2001

Aldersgate Class Retreat

Lord’s Supper Sermon

Living with Gentleness and Reverence

A Lord’s Supper Meditation

June 2, 2002

The Tussle That Transforms

August 4, 2002

Morning Worship

Omega Man

December 29, 2002

God of the Mountains

March 2, 2003

Last Sunday after Epiphany

A Lord’s Supper Meditation

Both Ends of the Stroke

April 17, 2003

Maundy Thursday

ON WAITING

May 31, 2003

Aldersgate Class Retreat

Does God Live Here?

August 24, 2003

A sermon at FUMC Dallas

Two Bible Boys Grew Up

December 28, 2003

First Sunday after Christmas

Reflection on Dirty Feet

April 8, 2004

Maundy Thursday

Don’t Just Do Something: Stand There

August 8, 2004

FUMC Dallas

Morning Worship

People of the Promise

An Advent Lesson

November 28, 2004

Let Peace Begin with Me

November 28, 2004

Morning Worship

Faith, Hope and Love

Condensed – a Devotional

Eulogy

Betty Jo Peacock Hay

1931-2005

February 21, 2005

When you are In over Your Head

August 7, 2005

Bread for the Journey, Food for Transformation

April 13, 2006

Maundy Thursday

Psalm 29

June 26, 1995

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, Glory! 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29

Have any of you ever been in an electric storm in the High Rockies, above timber line? It happened to me in 1948, when I was with troop of Boy Scouts attempting to climb Long’s Peak. As we were crossing a field of auto sized boulders, near 14,000 feet elevation, storms clouds formed to the west and blew our way. We could hear the distant rolling thunder. As the storm drew near, we could feel our hair standing on our necks. I was wearing tweed trousers, and as I walked, sparks would arc from one pant leg to the other. To the west a quarter mile one bolt of lightning struck the rocky expanse and fanned out flashing white fire over a 4 to 5 acre area. An awesome display, which told us, Get outta here! Even in our scientific age when we somewhat understand meteorology, it was awesome, scary, indelible.

How much more, in Bible times, it would have been mysterious, when they saw the earth as God’s creation, and in God’s control. That would have been the Psalmist’s view, which he deals with in Psalm 29. Remember in the Hebrew’s view their earth was flat, four cornered, with a gigantic turtle under each corner, all created by God, with the heavens above like seven nested translucent mixing bowls, upside down, and God dwelling in the highest heaven, with all his angelic beings inhabiting the levels in between, and God directing from the top.

Psalm 29 begins by recruiting these heavenly beings to join in the praise chorus, verses one-two. In verse three he switches out over the Mediterranean where the thunderstorms arose. Now we know the mechanism: the sun sucks up moisture over the sea, which condenses into clouds; they become electrically charged; prevailing winds bring them west to east; and there are rains, storms, lightning and thunder. In Palestine the rainy season began ‘round the first of November; the summer drought was broken, crops watered, cisterns filled, and streams replenished. There was then no scientific explanation. It was just how God works. Psalm 29 celebrates the beginning of the rainy season, and with it, life in the land.

In verses 3-9, seven times God speaks: thunder is the voice of the Lord; verse three: over the mighty waters (Mediterranean); verse four is powerful, full of majesty; verse five: breaks the great cedars of Lebanon (trees in the mountains); verse 6 makes Lebanon skip like a calf (lightning bolts shake the earth); and Sirion (Mt. Hermon) like a young wild ox; verse seven: the voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire; verse eight: and shakes the wilderness of Kadesh (area south of Damascus); verse nine: causes the oaks to whirl, strips the forest bare; causes the doe to begin labor (RSV).

If you’ve experience such a storm, this description of its fury is so vivid it recalls our day on Long’s Peak. In 9b the scene shifts to the temple, where the people are gathered for worship, and in his temple all say ‘Glory. Today, our kids say awesome. Verse 11 the Lord sits enthroned over the flood…as king forever; and then this supplication: May the Lord give strength to his people; May the Lord bless his people with peace. This is, shalom; fulfillment.

A beautiful, powerful poem; beginning out over the Mediterranean, hitting the shoreline, banging into the mountains, on eastward into Syria. A nature Psalm: the thunder of God’s voice, an aspect of creation. All the more dramatic when you consider how compact is that geography: 25 miles from the seacoast to Galilee, and 25 more to Mt. Hermon. Trees stripped; deer go into labor; thunder rumbling off into the distant desert to the East. There are other nature Psalms: 8, 19:1-6, and perhaps the greatest, 104.

It is not easy for us to see as the ancients did. Then, it was a peasant society, pre-scientific, agricultural; nature was not out there; nature was where they lived; and