All day yesterday at the UMYF day at Wofford College, Clint, Ross and Derek were all worried that I’d preach about ‘em today.

In fact, I used their worry to my advantage. Whenever they started to pick on me and Bennis, I would look at ‘em and say "I feel a sermon coming on!" And they would all stand straight as a weed for at least a few minutes.

But, fortunately for them and unfortunately for us, I won’t preach about their love lives this morning. Because, to be honest, a sermon about their love life would be shorter than the scripture reading!

So instead I’ll entertain you with my love life, or a snippet of my loves lost and lessons learned.

I had my first date in the fifth grade. I don’t think I’ll ever forget my first date, because, it was with Shelley’s twin sister Kelley.

Now, let me explain for a second. In the fifth grade, my best friend had his eye on Shelley and told me that my eye should be on Kelley. And I never like to argue much, so I said ok.

And it wasn’t long before we were an item. Now, I’m not really sure what that means in the fifth grade, to be an item. We couldn’t really date, after all, we were only 11 or so and couldn’t drive.

We only saw each other at school and we didn’t have any classes together, so we had to make do with what we had. Which was a 16 second smile and blush as our classes passed by going to a restroom break.

This was nice and romantic but I had to spice it up some more, so I started to walk past her in the lunch room and brush her elbow as I walked by and on occasion, I wrote her a note which contained beautiful poetry like:

Hey, how are you? I’m fine. See you by the bathroom. Love, Steve

And this worked! I thought I had figured women out! All you have to do is brush their elbow and write poetry! And I told this secret to all my friends and they began to write notes and brush their girlfriend’s elbows at lunch.

By now I had created a monster. I was no longer the most romantic 11 year old at East End Middle School. I had to raise the bar, I had to come up with something different and special and even more romantic than notes, and elbows.

I had to take Kelley on a date. A real date. A date she would remember for the rest of her life. A date that would secure my position as the East End Romeo.

And later that week my parents told me they bought tickets to see a play at the Opera House in Abbeville.

That’s it! That’s my ticket, take her to a play at the historic Opera House.

It was perfect! I’d give her flowers and wear a tie, she’ll love it!

And that Friday night, I picked up Shelley’s sister and we went to the Opera House, to see Frankenstein.

I knew this night would be special. I knew this night would be a turning point in our relationship. And it most definitely was.

Halfway through the second act, I became a man.

With my heart fluttering and my palms sweating, I reached over and grabbed Kelley’s hand!

11 years old and I was holding my first hand! You couldn’t pry that smile off my face!

I heard birds singing and Lawrence Welk music in the background as Kelley and I held hands. All was perfect!

Until my mom looked over. You see, I had made a tragic mistake. I had sat beside my mother, and when she looked down and saw Kelley and I holding hands, she didn’t share my enthusiasm and joy.

In fact she poked my in the arm and said, "release!".

Well, I looked straight ahead like I didn’t hear her.

And again, she spoke through clenched teeth, ‘release’.

This time I didn’t turn away, but I didn’t answer either, and I didn’t let go of Kelley’s hand.

And on the third try my mom said "release now or you’ll get it when you get home".

Now usually this works like a charm. The thought of getting a whipping when I got home always straightened me out, but for the first time in my life, I considered my options.

A whipping or Kelley’s hand. Kelley’s hand or a whipping. My mind was going back and forth like a ping pong ball – belt, or the sweet smell of perfume that would linger on my hands for days.

And with a confidence I didn’t know I had, I looked at my mom and said "I’ll get it when I get home", and I squeezed Kelley’s hand a little harder.

Sometimes in life, the goal, the end result is worth the sacrifice.

Hear these words and actions of Christ as recorded by Saint Mark (read scripture).

On one of the Olympic broadcasts last week, they showed a segment on Olympic parents. They highlighted three different athletes and their parents and told the story of sacrifice to see their children compete in the Olympics.

For many of the athlete’s parents, a cost to see them compete in the Olympic games would cost at least 10,000 dollars for both parents to go.

That’s 10,000 dollars and an unscheduled vacation that is very hard to come by for most people, especially for a good portion of the working middle class parents of Olympic athletes.

In fact, a lot of the parents watched their children compete the same way that we have over the past two weeks, on television.

No matter how bad they wanted to be there in the stands, waving an American flag and cheering their son or daughter to Olympic victory, they simply couldn’t afford to make the trip across the world and leave their work and home for two whole weeks.

For too many parents, the obstacle of money and time was too great a hurdle to jump over, and it stood in the way of being with their child in Sydney.

But there was one mother who held the thought of being with her daughter as she competed as being worth any sacrifice that she might have to endure.

Even though her daughter may not win a thing, there was not going to be anything to stand in the way of her being with her daughter as she played softball in the Olympics.

But she didn’t have the thousands of dollars it would take to send her to Australia, so she did the unthinkable, she did something that we all would be a little hesitant to do…she sold her house.

She sold her house that sat on her yard with the flowers and bushes she planted. Gone was her porch were she sipped coffee and watched the humming birds. She sold her house, just to see her daughter play softball.

There was nothing more important than being with her child. There was not anything that was going to stand in her way and keep her from supporting her child. Nothing.

For her, the goal, the end result was worth way more than the sacrifice she would have to give up.

The goal was worth more than the sacrifice.

You know, it’s hard for us to understand something like eternity. For all of us, in everything we do, we see a beginning, a middle, and an end. So to trying to imagine something that has none of those, is a little difficult.

And even harder than that is trying to imagine an eternity is a place that is full of wonder, void of pain, overflowing with beauty and peace, exempt from suffering, empty of death. A paradise.

A place where everyone lives in harmony and basks in the love and joy of the one who creates, gives, and sustains all life, all creation!

Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand eternal life with God!

But Jesus desperately wanted us to understand how different that place will be from the one we know now. He desperately wanted us to fix our eyes and hearts on the never-ending light that shines from the source of all love.

And he wants nothing to stand in the way between us and eternal life, between us and our salvation.

In fact, he even goes so far to say that if anything gets in our way, if anything starts to separate us from our goal, us from God, then get rid of it!

He tells us that nothing is more important than our life everlasting with God. Not even our own bodies.

If our hands, feet, or eyes get in our way, get rid of them. If our elbows, bellybuttons, or fingernails or anything for that matter, starts to separate us from God, we need to get rid of them.

Because Jesus tells us that nothing, not anything in this life is more important that our eternal life with God.

That nothing should stand in our way of loving God, serving God, of bringing others to experience the peace and love that comes from God, because that is our goal, and it is worth any sacrifice.

He tells us that if anything causes us to sin, that is to separate us from God, then we should cut it off. We should get rid of it.

If our feet cause us to walk into sin, we can do without feet. If our hands cause to reach our and grab a sinful nature, we should remove them.

If our eyes cause us to look at sin, then we should do away with out eyes, because nothing is more important than our life with God.

So how come we don’t do this? How come we don’t do what Christ tells us? Is it because we are without sin? Is it because our eyes, hands, or feet are sinless?

Would any of us have anything left if we really and truly did what Christ tells us? Would any of us have any legs to walk on to come into his place?

Would any of us have any hands to hold our hymnals and mouths to sing praises to God?

Would any of us have eyes to see the beauty of this church and of all of God’s creation?

I doubt it. I know I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or see. So why don’t we do what Christ says? Why don’t we remove those parts of us that cause us to do the things we shouldn’t?

Because we don’t have to.

We don’t have to remove our hands because someone has given up theirs.

We don’t have to remove our eyes and sight, because someone has sacrificed theirs.

We don’t have to give up our feet or tongue, because someone has offered up their whole body for us.

Someone has offered up their whole body so that we may keep ours. Someone has offered up their body so that we may never be separated from God.

Someone has offered their life so that we may gain life. Someone has offered their suffering so that we may not suffer.

Someone has given, so that we may receive.

Christ has offered his body and blood so that we may eat the bread of life and drink from the cup of salvation!

And today when we come down to the table for Communion, we celebrate that person, and we celebrate that offering.

We celebrate the sacrifice that was made so that we may be joined with God, through the one that gave all for us, Christ.

Christ knew the goal, the end result, was worth more than the sacrifice, that’s why he made it, for you and for me.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.