Five Minutes Longer

SERMON “Five Minutes Longer”
Romans 5:1-5
July 15, 2010 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

(I have here a baseball. I couldn’t let a sermon go without
mentioning baseball. As a kid, I loved playing baseball. In baseball,
the game isn’t over until the last out. Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over
till it’s over.” Go Padres!)

Once at a mall, a little boy was standing and waiting
at the bottom of an elevator. The floor manager saw the
little boy and was curious. He walked over and asked, “May I help you?”
The little boy said, “I’m waiting for my gum to come back.”
Hello! Good morning! What are you waiting for?

When we lived in Santee, we had a 1977 Volkswagen camper
van. One day I decided to change the fuel filter. I was
under the van and as I loosened the filter, that’s when I
realized the filter is below the gas tank and gas was dripping
down my arm. Now, I’m in trouble. I thought, “What do I do?”
I called out, “Jeremy come here!” He was watching television,
mom was gone. He came and said, “What Dad?” I said
get on the phone and call Ed Buseck. Tell him to hurry!”
Ed came and he saw me under the van and he laughed.
He said, “Ha! you too, huh!” Ed is gone now, but Ed, I want
you to know, you saved my life!”

Remember, Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given you,
seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened
to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

I have entitled my sermon today, “Five Minutes Longer.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than
an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.”

I have here seven pennies. Some people just walk over pennies.
Our sons did. One son told me, “Dad, it’s just a penny.”
One time I found a $20.00 bill on the sidewalk. You know why?
Because I look for pennies. Look at what the penny has on it. It says,
“United States of America, one cent. And In God We Trust.” I am going to
pass out these pennies to seven people. Seven is the perfect number in
Greek. I want you seven to help me put our trust in God.
Without God, the world can really get messed up.
Do I hear an Amen?

In Romans 5, the passage that was read to you says,
suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.

John Wooden who died recently was the greatest basketball coach in
NCAA competition. He knew how to win. UCLA won 10
national championships in twelve years (1964-1975).
His goal was to build character. One day Bill Walton who
was over 7 foot tall came to practice with a beard. He
thought he was too good for Wooden to say anything.
Wooden said, “Bill, if you want to play for this team, that
beard has to come off.” Walton left. The next day, Walton
came to practice and that beard was off.

One year Wooden just had some above average players. They
were good, but they weren’t the best. Wooden worked the
players hard, he got them in condition. He told them, “We’re
going to beat those guys in the last three minutes. We’re
going to be in better condition and we’re going to outrun them.
They won another national championship.


When Jesus was on hanging on the cross, one of the thieves said
to him, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!
The other thief said, “We are getting what we deserve for
our deeds.” Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus
said, “Truly, I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.”
If you trust God five minutes longer—
your live can be changed forever. Do I hear a Hallelujah?

Some people win super bowls, some people hit jackpots,
some people earn a million dollars a year, some
people seem lucky, and some people … have to work for
every penny. How do you figure?

When September 11, 2010 happened, it was a bad time for
this country and thousands of people. But for
some, somehow, they took the right turn. Listen!


--One fellow survived, because it was his turn to bring donuts.
--One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off.
--One was late because he missed his bus.
--One person, the car wouldn’t start.
--One couldn’t get a taxi.
--One turned back to answer the phone.
--One man had on a new pair of shoes but got blisters so he had change his pair.
--One stopped at the drug store to buy a band aid.

Everyone of these persons survived 911.

We are all children of circumstance. But, we are all
children of God. Every day Jesus
knew that his life was in the hands of God.

Tass Saada was born in the Gaza Strip. He was a Palestinian.
He grew up in violence and hate. When he was 17 he left his family
and joined the Fatah, the organization of Yassar Arafat. He was
trained to be a sniper and his job was to kill Jews. They nicknamed him
Jazaar which means, “The Butcher.” For several years, he
worked for the Palestinian cause until his circumstances changed,
thanks to his sick mother. His father told him, I want you to get your
education and be an engineer.

Tass he decided to come to America. He found Americans to be
friendly, nobody was out to kill him and he wasn’t dodging bullets.
He was told by his friend, the best way to stay in America was
to marry an American citizen. He met a pretty Catholic
woman named Karen, and his life began to change.

In Kansas City, Missouri, He found a job at a French restaurant,
La Mediterranee, as a dish washer. He was such a good worker,
he worked up to be a chef. Now Saada wanted to buy the
restaurant. A businessman named Charles Sharp told him, “I can help you.
I have connections.” Tass Saada wanted to know what this connection was.

They met one Sunday afternoon and Charles Sharpe opened up the
Bible and told him about the prophet Jesus, the one who is
the Messiah. Charles told him, “If you want peace, you have to
love a Jew.” Love a Jew, no way! Tass started to read, “In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God….” and he began to cry. Then he
began to shake and he fell on his knees. He saw a light and he
heard the voice, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father but through me” He felt the rush of peace and a joy
in his heart. His heart was changed. His sins were forgiven.
After that experience, he read through the whole Bible in 45 days.
He is now a Christian and with his wife, started a kindergarten in
the Gaza Strip to teach children to love, not hate. He travels all over
the Middle East, holding conferences and teaching that Jesus is the
true prophet and the Messiah who came to change this world. In
Christ, he believes that the Jews and Palestinians can learn to live
in peace in the Holy Land.

As Paul said, “It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.”

Let me ask you, are you happy where you are? Are you angry? Is life too difficult
for you? As a pastor, I learned in these years that one of the hardest thing
is to love difficult people. I met a bunch of them in the churches.
When I went to Reseda, the superintendent said, “Just love them.”
Jesus said, “And the greatest of these is love.” (Corinthians 13)

Elizabeth Kubler Ross who worked with death and dying was in Brawley
several years ago. There were 400 of there, doctors, nurses, pastors,
and teachers. She had worked with people who had near death
experiences (NDE) and everyone one of them, their lives had been changed.
She learned, before you cross over, there are two questions that are asked:
How much have you loved?
How much have you served?

Once there was a girl who was having a hard time in life. She wanted
to give up. Her father who was a chef took her into the kitchen
and filled three pots with water on the stove. He got the pots
to a boil and in one pot, he placed some carrots. In the other
he placed some eggs, and in the third, he dropped some
coffee beans. The daughter waited wondering what this was
all about. In 20 minutes, he took out the carrots and eggs and
put them in a bowl. Then with a ladel he put the coffee in a bowl.

He asked his daughter to feel the carrots. They were soft. He asked
her to shell an egg. It w as hard. Finally, he said to his daughter,
“Taste the coffee.” The coffee had a beautiful aroma and she
smiled as she tasted it. The daughter asked,
“Dad, what does this mean?”

He said to her, each of these faced adversity and each responded
differently. The carrots were hard and now they were soft.
The egg was fragile, now it was hard. The coffee beans were
different. After they were put in the boiling water, they
changed the water.

He looked at his daughter and said, “Which are you?’
When life is difficult, are you going
to give up and fade away? When life is difficult, are you going
turn bitter, angry, and stiffen your spirit?” Or when life is difficult,
when things get really hot, are you going to make things
better around you? Which are you?
A carrot? An egg? A coffee bean?

You and I are here to build our character.
Jesus said, “Forgive them for they
know not what they do.”
Paul said, “Without love we are nothing.” (I Cor. 13)

In Hawaii, what I learned is there is a beautiful spirit of Aloha.
Thank you for having me here with you. It is so
neat for me to come back after 22 years. I want you
to know that I know that Jesus is real. He came to
me in a dream with Moses and Elijah and that’s another
story. So I want to leave with you the spirit of Aloha.

CD – “Aloha Oe”

In the Beginning

IN THE BEGINNING
John 1:19 Dr. Dennis Ginoza
July 4, 2010

In the beginning when God created the heavens
and earth, the earth was a formless void and
darkness covered the face of the deep. …Then
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Everything we have, everything that is good, is from God.
If you can remember that, say: “Yes!”

That was Genesis; now the gospel of John. In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with God. Then John
says, not one thing was made without him.

And who is He? He is Jesus.
And this is the second lesson—Jesus is the
Light that enlightens every one of us. Christ is
our hope and our salvation.

If you can remember that, say, “Yes!”

When I came to Santee in 1979, where I am standing was just dirt. There
was nothing here. Actually there was a flower garden and
worship was in the fellowship hall. Our son Jeremy was
two years old and Aaron was not born yet. This was the
first home Jeremy remembers and this was the first
home for Aaron. This was a great home for us, for nine years
and over 30 years later, I can tell you, You were good to us…
so Thank you! Mahalo! Merci! You gave us a luau when we left.

When we came to Santee, by the third week,we had nine shovels
painted gold and we were breaking ground. Let me ask you,
how many of you were in 1979? This building was completed
in February, 1981. How many of you came after 1981?
I want you to know: This church was built on hard work, sweat,
generosity, and lots of goodwill. …Most important of all—
faith in God.

The apostle Paul reminds us, the
the cornerstone of the Church is Christ who we
know as Jesus of Nazareth.

Kennon Callalhan says, when people come to a church, they
are looking for two things: home and hope.

For me, this place is full of memories.
One day I was serving bread to the little children and when
I got to a boy named Richard. He shook his head and said,
“I already had breakfast.”
…When you receive the bread and the cup today—remember that
the sacrament of Holy Communion is a spiritual meal… receive
if even if you had breakfast.

Many of you probably heard of Gelene Harritt. Gelene used to live in a
red house down on Park Street. She had a guard dog named
Gilbert. One day she and I were talking about
a couple that stopped coming to church so I asked her, “What happened?”
She said that when the church had a potluck, the woman brought a
dish, but nobody touched it. She was hurt and she never came back.
From then on, at every potluck, we made sure that every dish was
eaten from. I went to visit the couple several times and they
eventually came back.

The apostle Paul teaches us that the Church is a body of Christ. When one
part of the body hurts, whole body hurts. For the church to be
healthy, it needs understanding. It also needs the spirit of
forgiveness. When Peter asked Jesus, “How many times must I forgive,
seven?” Jesus said, “Seventy times seven.”

In the beginning, Genesis teaches us, everything was good.
Then the world got messed up.

For thousands of years, the world was ruled by kings and emperors,
and dictators. In 1776, a group of men decided that they needed a
new kind of government. They wrote the Declaration of Independence
which said, “Alll men are created equal” (All people) and we all
share the same goal in life, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness.”
As a nation this is our beginning and as Lincoln said, It is a government
of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Tom Brokaw, in his book talks about the Greatest Generation. The Greatest
Generation is made up of those who lived through the Great Depression
and those who helped us through World War II. They were leaderswho led with
courage and sacrifice. Some of those members include: John Kennedy,
Walter Cronkite, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Daniel Inouye, Charles Schultz, and
Billy Graham. Each one of them brought to us a value in living.

The trouble with most of us in this world is that,
we think we are self-sufficient and we can solve
all the problems ourselves. …Not so.
When we were growing up, in school, every day we
recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Then the phrase
“One nation under God” was added. Today there are
people who still believe we can live in this world
without God. If we continue the way we are going—
this is what I believe—there will a Great Collapse.

I have here a handful of marbles. I grew up playing with marbles. They
say, when you grow old, you’re going to lose some of your
marbles. I am going to scatter these marbles on the floor
and I want your help. We can’t solve our problems by
ourselves. In the Fourth Gospel, chapter 4, the woman
at the well was confused about life. Jesus said to her, “I am
the living water. “ Drink of it and you will never thirst again.
Then he said to her: “Worship God in spirit and in truth.”

Jesus taught us that the highest office we can
hold is to Serve Others. And when Jesus was breaking bread with
his twelve disciples, he said to them “A new commandment I give
to you, just I have loved you, you should love one another. “
(John 13:34)

I have in my hand, one, two, three, …..twelve marbles. I am going to
scatter these marbles on the floor and I need twelve people
to retrieve these marbles and bring them up to me.

Jesus began his ministry with only twelve disciples.
And here we are!
When you receive the bread and the cup this morning,
Jesus reminds us again and again:
Do this in remembrance of me.

Amen!