Sermon Central
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Christ: An All-Access Pass
Contributed by Hal Seed on Aug 21, 2008 (message contributor)
CHRIST: AN ALL-ACCESS PASS
Mark and Susie Alderson have been attending New Song since what we call our "portable days." In the early days of the church, we would pack a trailer full of equipment, unload it at a local school, hold church there, and then pack up and put the trailer away.
Mark is the coordinator for San Diego’s annual Holiday Bowl. Every year he recruits volunteers to help the city host its biggest bowl game, and for many years now, he’s asked Lori and I to be part of that volunteer team.
The first year Mark asked us, he said, "Show up about 3 o’clock at the security office outside the main gate."
So Lori and I showed up at 3 o’clock and found a line about a half-block long of people waiting outside the main gate. I remember walking up thinking, "There is no way we are going to get in." But we walked up to the front of the line, said, "We’re Hal and Lori Seed, friends of Mark Alderson." And the guard said, "Come on in."
I remember the look in the eyes of all the football fans. They had expensive tickets, all the right gear, and they had to wait another hour and a half before they could get in.
Once inside the security office, we were told to take a certain elevator up to the press level, where Mark was waiting for us. We found the elevator, pushed the button, and when the elevator opened, a lady on a stool asked us what floor we wanted. "Press level," we said. There was a couple behind us who tried to get on, but they weren’t going to the Press Level, so she said, "I’m sorry, this is a special elevator, it’s restricted to those going to the Press Level." So we got in and they didn’t.
Mark gave us special passes to put around our necks that read, "All-Access Pass." He said, "You can go anywhere in the stadium with these." So, after the game, we rode that same special elevator down to the field level. There was a guard standing outside the elevator. He looked at our passes and let us by without a word. To the other people in the elevator he said, "I’m sorry, this is restricted access," and sent them back up to the main level.
All day, Lori and I got into places that nobodies like us never get into, because of our connection to Mark. All the somebodies got turned away. The last got in first.
A lot of people I know worry that they’ll never cut it with God, because they’re nobodies. Maybe you’ve felt that way. – Why would He care about you, why would He pay attention to you, why would He do anything for you, when there are so many more important people to tend to in this world? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt small in God’s eyes? This is a story for you.
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