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Bud Grossmann’s
Words of the Week
Week of April 24, 2005
Children’s Sermon delivered in 1985 at
Church of the Crossroads, Honolulu,
and then published in From Small Beginnings
© 1985 by Bud Grossmann. All Rights Reserved.
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David & Rainbow, 1989
© 1989 by Bud Grossmann
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SECOND CHANCES
I’d like to speak with you about second chances... getting a second chance to do something. Can you think of some time when you thought to yourself, “Oh, boy, I really messed up! I wish I had a second chance to do that!” Or did you ever ask somebody, “Come on, please give me a chance; I want to try that again!”
Well, I have a story for you, from the Book of Mark in the Bible. In this story Jesus gave some of his disciples a second chance. The story takes place a couple of days before Jesus was crucified (before he died on the cross). Jesus and all twelve of his disciples had just eaten The Last Supper together. Then Jesus went away with three of his friends to a place called Gethsemane.
Now, as I picture Gethsemane, it’s kind of a park or a garden. A quiet place where there aren’t any houses around, a place where people can be alone and can pray without anyone disturbing them. Here’s what the Bible says in Mark, Chapter 14, beginning at verse 32:
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John. And Jesus became terrifically sad, completely depressed, and he said to the disciples, “My heart is about to break. You wait here and watch while I pray.” Jesus went into the garden a little way away from the disciples, and he threw himself down on the ground, and he prayed, real hard. He prayed that, if it were possible, he wouldn’t have to be crucified, he wouldn’t have to die.
When Jesus prayed, he didn’t call God just “Father,” the way we pray. Jesus was truly the son of God, so he called God another name, too—“Abba,” which means “Daddy.” He said, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take away this cup from me! Please, I don’t want to be crucified; I don’t want to die. But...,” Jesus said, “...but not my will, but thy will be done...never mind what I want, Father: do what you have to do.”
And then Jesus came back to his friends, and he found them sleeping, and he said, “Peter! Are you sleeping?! Couldn’t you watch with me just one hour? Come on, watch and pray!” Then Jesus went away again, and he prayed, and he said the same prayer to God, and he came back. But he found the disciples asleep again. They were really tired. And this time, when he woke them up, they didn’t know what to say to him, because Jesus had already given them a second chance.
Then he went away a third time and prayed. And he came back a third time, and he found his disciples asleep yet again! But this time Jesus said, “Well, go ahead and sleep. Never mind, it’s too late now. The people who are going to take me away and crucify me are going to be here in just a minute.” And that’s exactly what happened.
One of my friends always likes to have a second chance. This friend, Roland Dacoscos, has two of practically everything. Some of you might know Roland, might have seen him, anyway. Have you ever been to a concert of the Royal Hawaiian Band, maybe at your school or at Iolani Palace? Well, Roland Dacoscos plays saxophone for the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Roland has two saxophones. He plays just one at a time, but he figures that if something goes wrong with his first saxophone, he’ll still have a second chance—he can play the second one.
And it’s not just musical instruments that Roland has two of. Roland also has two bicycles, he has two cameras, he has two sets of running shoes. But he had two heart attacks, so Roland doesn’t jog anymore. For exercise now he went down to the Kapalama GEM store and got one of those little trampolines, the small kind that you can put in your living room and bounce up and down on it. He brought his trampoline home, tried it out, and he got to thinking, “Hey, what if one of the springs on this thing breaks, what if something goes wrong?” Roland went right back to the store and bought a second one.
Roland is married to Edna Lee Dacoscos, and—you probably guessed it—Edna is Roland’s second wife. Edna and Roland made how many kids together? Yes, you are right: precisely two, a son and a daughter.
BUT...now, listen to this...Roland has exactly one God. He worships the same God that you and I do because Roland knows that God gives second chances. He knows that God forgives us when we mess up. When we hurt somebody, God forgives us and lets us try to do better.
Sometimes, when we really mess up, and we can’t do things over or we ask for something we can’t have—like when Jesus asked that God wouldn’t let him die—at those times, God at least gives us the courage and the strength to do what we have to do, just as he gave Jesus the courage and the strength to face the people who were going to kill him.
I’d like to ask you to do a favor for me, if you will. The next time you see the Royal Hawaiian Band, after the concert is over, will you go up to the people who play saxophone and find out which musician is Roland Dacoscos. And would you please tell Roland that Bud Grossmann says “Hi”?
When you’ve done that, do just one more thing. Please tell Roland that Bud says “Hi” again.
♦
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