Printer FriendlyThe following lecture was presented by Margaret B. Brown on December 9th, 2002, at a series entitled: “If This Were The Last Lecture I Would Give, What Would I Say?” organized by the Multi-faith Council of the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
"The Last Lecture"
I. If this is my last lecture, I wonder how it will go, as it's also the first lecture I ever gave!
A. I've spoken about the campus ministry at churches, and taught Bible studies and been the speaker at women's retreats, so this is a little different.
B. I have respect for those with other beliefs, and I am so thankful that we have "free speech" in our country, as well as "freedom of religion".
II. Therefore, I want to state that I, and probably millions of other people, view the religion of Christianity on a different wave length, so that we prefer another term rather than religion. I will work up to that term.
A. I'm not saying that I have all the answers. That is freeing for me, as I do believe there is only one Person Who has all the answers. This is my God, Who is infinite, with infinite knowledge, and I am finite, with only finite knowledge.
III. To work up to the term other than religion, I have three points. I begin with the writings on which my faith is based.
A. It is the Bible, which I believe is the one and only book, containing the one and only truth.
B. To the international students who choose to study the Bible with me, I tell them it's a fascinating book, that I myself am always learning more from it!
C. The Bible is not a science book, although it doesn't contradict science.
1. Of course it tells about miracles, yet miracles, even today, are difficult to disprove.
D. The Bible is not, I believe, a book of myths. Although my finite mind cannot grasp how some of its stories could have happened, I believe that the stories in the historical sections of the Bible are all true.
E. I believe the Bible is God's way of speaking to humans, as a personal letter.
1. Therefore, I can read one verse like so–"For God so loved... ('Margaret'), that He gave His one and only Son, that if ... ('Margaret') believes in Him, (she) shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
F. I tell the students that the Bible tells how the earth was created, predicts in symbols how it will end, and is so stuffed (!) with wisdom on how to get through life.
G. I tell them that there aren't any archaeological discoveries that have disproved the Bible.
H. Also, the Bible has been trasnslated into more languages than any other book, and, it is not only cross-cultural in its presentation, but "cross-generational", as not only can a small child get something from it, but so can a grey-haired person with many degrees!
IV. My second point is about the person of a Man Whom I love dearly, although I've never met Him face to face. This Man is Jesus Christ.
A. It says in the Bible that God's Word became flesh and lived among us. (I often tell students that Jesus is God's Word, with skin on!)
B. So, because Jesus is God in the human flesh, He knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, lonely, tempted, etc.
C. Yet, as God's Word is perfect, Jesus is perfect.
D. One of the most interesting questions in the Bible is when Pilate, the Roman govenor, asked Jesus, before Jesus was crucified, "What is truth?" . That is a difficult question to answer, except for those who see the Bible, and Jesus Himself, as truth.
E. Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:7)
V. My final point is how these beliefs have molded me into the Christian I am today. I have chosen to accept Jesus' sacrifice of His life for me, as well as for all who accept His gift of life. I have chosen to follow Him as best I can, throughout all my life.
A. The Bible doesn't say that, if one is born into a Christian family, that makes one a Christian. Yes, they can be greatly influenced toward Christianity, but the choice to become a Christian is up to each individual.
B. I have two sons, now 24 and 28. They both chose, not under pressure I gave them, to become Christians at an early age. I welcomed them to look into other religions as they got older, but they still choose to follow Jesus.
C. They both had come along to church since their infant years, and, in addition to that, I read them Bible stories every night at bedtime. Both were almost five, when they each made the decision, which they spoke to God through their childlike prayers, to accept Jesus as their Savior and follow Him.
D. I want to go back even further now–47 years ago, when I was six years old. (If you can subtract, you'll know my age!)
1 . I grew up in church also, and one summer evening, when my sister Barbara, then twelve, and I were home alone(!). I'll never forget how we were seated on our Grammie's old wooden cedar chest. Barbara asked me if I understood how, as we often heard in Sunday School and church, every person is born with a dirty heart. As I still wasn't grasping this, she looked down at my hands, really grimy from playing outdoors, and suggested I go wash them. When I returned, she explained how that, in believing that the perfect, wonderful Man Jesus died for all the bad things I'd done, and would do, all I had to do was to pray to thank Him, and ask for Him to clean my heart. And, I did, and I chose to follow Him.
2. (My sister Barbara is now a great pastor's wife.)
E. No, I still could never be a perfectly sweet, good woman! I needed to learn to continually rely on God for molding me until the day I die, when I'll then get a whole new body beyond all the corruption on earth.
F. Later, in marriage, there were many very difficult financial times. At one point, it threw me into a deep depression.
1. I felt embarrassed living in the only house we could afford, a real dumpy one, in a bad section of a city.
2. 1 was sometimes scared, also–our oldest son was robbed and mugged on his paper route, our youngest was hit twice by cars(!), next door a car was torched, all my jeans were stolen off the clothesline–and I could go on and on! BUT, I clung to God, my Provider.
G. Later on, we were offered a fantastic deal, through some Christian friends, for another house. Life went on, with some rough spots. Then, in 1998, I awoke from a nap with a horrible headache!
1. I called my husband at work, and from Saints Memorial I was rushed to Mass General in Boston. I had a brain aneurysm.
2. Yet, all the way in the ambulance, my husband told me later that I said to the E. M.T. things like, "Do you know Jesus? I do! If I die, I'm going to heaven, I know that!" The aneurysm burst, and I could have died. I was in Mass General two weeks, nine of those in ICU, then went to a rehab hospital for four weeks. And I clung to God, my Protector.
3. 1 recovered quite well, except my hearing got worse, and my surgeon said he didn't think the artery healed as he'd wished, so I need to watch my blood pressure to not have a recurrence.
H. Then, in September 2001, my husband of 30 years left me, and then filed for divorcing me. I cannot say more about that, yet I have learned that happiness comes from happenings, but joy comes from Jesus. And although l've been hurt emotionally more than I ever dreamed I could have, I've found that my God gives me a deep joy, a good peace, and a firm hope for the future. And I cling to God, my Comforter.
VI. To conclude, therefore, rather than thinking of Christianity as a religion, many people as I do, consider Christianity a relationship.
A. In this relationship, we believe that God is our Father, and we are just His children.
B. So, those who believe as I do become my sisters and brothers in Him.
C. I could go on for a long time, telling how people in the churches I've become part of have been so loving, kind and generous to me, especially in difficult times.
D.Sunday is usually my favorite day of the week, when I sing with others, not about our God, but TO Him! Then, we hear a good message from our pastor, or another speaker, using the Bible, so that it can, as is often expressed, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable!
E. For me and other believers, we can even be deeply moved in our spirits by other believers who lived years ago, or whom we may never meet. Much of this can come from the kinds of artwork that go beyond just entertainment.
1. I think of the beautiful artwork by those such as Michelangelo and Rembrandt.
2. I think of wonderful dramas such as the musical one "Les Miserables" (how many of you have seen that?).
3. I think of the books, beside the Bible, that are great reading. Of course, like any form of art, I realize it is a matter of taste. But I do usually prefer having my spirit moved, as I've mentioned, above being merely entertained.
4. Here, "Show and Tell" (!)–[show and tell some about "Joni", "The Flying Scotsman" (part of which one of my favorite movies, "Chariots of Fire", is based on), "Life Sentence", "Mere Christianity"] Here, what a great philosopher C.S. Lewis was! He was also good friends with Tolkien, author of "The Hobbit", "Lord of the Rings", etc.–both my sons' favorite books, and we all loved "The Hobbit" movie also! My very favorite children's books were Lewis' book "The Lion..." and the six following books. Have some of you read any of Lewis' books? I have to say here that one of my favorite sayings of C.S. Lewis is that Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or Who He said He was, the Lord God. It is our choice to decide.
5. I have one more "show and tell"–it's this book, "Let's Roll", by Lisa Beamer, about her husband who got other men to join him in overcoming the terrorists on the last flight on 9/11 that crashed. It moved me so much, that although I bought this book originally as a gift for my hairdresser, I want it as gift to someone who thinks they would appreciate it. (I'll just buy another for my hairdresser!)
F. Lastly, I cannot tell you how moved I am by much Christian music–many of the old hymns, the Christmas carols (so lovely!), and the upbeat songs we mostly sing in my church now. (I sometimes have sat by Gideon, a young fellow from Ghana, Africa, and it's even more special to move and clap with his rhythm!)
G. I mostly become so moved by what I feel is the most beautiful music– from the chorale, "The Messiah", in which is the piece, "The Hallelujah Chorus"! All the words from each piece in this chorale are from the Bible.
H. It is great to me to have such a wonderful God, that I can personally thank for so much, no matter what happens to me. My purpose in life is to bring glory to my God, so it is an honor for me to praise Him, as in the words of "The Hallelujah Chorus", "...and He shall reign forever and ever...King of Kings, and Lords of Lords... Hallelujah!!"
Thank you for the opportunity to speak. What thoughts and opinions do you have?
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Margaret B. Brown is a campus minister with International Students Incorporated, UMass Lowell.