7-28-24 “Thermometer vs. Thermostat”
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“Thermometer vs. Thermostat”
I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: There was an elderly lady who accidentally locked herself out of the car when she went to the store. She tried to use a coat hanger to get it open, but it didn’t work. She prayed, asking God to help her. About this time, a real rough-looking guy drove up on a motorcycle, wearing leathers, tattoos, and a skull cap. Within fifteen seconds, he had opened her car. She hugged him and said, “Lord, thank you for sending me this nice man.” He said, “Ma’am, I’m not a nice man. I just got out of prison after serving time for grand theft auto.” She gave him a bigger hug and said, “Lord, thank you. You even sent me a professional.”
I love this lady’s perspective. She didn’t have any bias based on his appearance, or his past actions. That’s God’s perspective. If God looked at us through the lens of our actions, no one could come to God. But God loves us, whoever we are and whatever we have done. God loves everyone!
I believe that different ways of thinking can create a better world. Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” I hope you all have positive and hopeful ideas and thoughts to lead us to a better world.
Today, I want to talk about two kinds of people in the world: those who are like thermometers and those who are like thermostats. As you know, a thermometer always shows the temperature, whether it is cold or hot, while a thermostat changes the temperature — hot to cool or cold to warm. A thermometer is like a weather forecast, while a thermostat is like the controller of the weather.
When I came to Wisconsin in 2019, I felt so cold in the winter. I used to keep the parsonage very warm. I felt so grateful for the furnace. When I turned the switch on in the room, the furnace in the basement would work to warm the whole house to the temperature I wanted. It’s amazing. Then, during the summer, when I felt hot in the house, I would turn the switch on, and the air conditioner would work to cool the whole house. That switch is the thermostat, which controls the furnace and the air conditioner. In other words, the switch is the controller of the temperature in the house, which makes me feel so good and comfortable.
Two years ago, in the middle of winter, the thermostat stopped working, which meant the furnace was broken. The entire parsonage froze. After the furnace was fixed, Russ Hammer, who is the Trustee at Grantsburg-Central church, bought me a thermometer and said, “Put this thermometer in the parsonage, and I can check if the furnace is working while you are gone during the winter.” So, I put a thermometer at home. It shows me the house’s temperature, but it can’t change the temperature, whether it’s hot or freezing.
This situation is similar to people’s characters. Some people are like thermometers, informing us whether things are bad or good, while others are like thermostats, working to change bad situations into better ones. What kind of person you are. Are you like a thermometer or a thermostat?
Here is an example: If someone says, “It is an awful world because many people die from wars, poverty, disease, and abuses every day,” they are stating a truth that most people already know. A person who is like a thermometer may simply share this news with a sense of despair. However, those who are like thermostats may respond by sending donations to help, or by committing to mission work to make the world a better place. So, what kind of person are you?
Today’s scripture tells us two famous stories, which we skipped last Sunday; the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish and the story of Jesus walking on water. I want to share about two kinds of people through these stories: those who are like thermometers and those who are like thermostats.
Can you guess who is like a thermometer and who is like a thermostat in the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand? In the story, we have Jesus, two disciples—Philip and Andrew (Peter’s brother)—a boy who brought his meal (five small barley loaves and two small fish), and many people who followed Jesus.
Wherever Jesus went, large crowds followed him because they saw his miraculous signs. Jesus was full of compassion for them, healing them and teaching them all day long. When supper time came, Jesus asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” In ancient times, where could they buy food for five thousand people at once? Even in today’s world it would be difficult. It might be impossible. It was a challenging question, and Jesus knew it would be challenging for Philip. That’s why it says, “he asked this only to test him.”
As we might expect, Philip answered, “Even if we have enough money, where can we buy food for all these people?” Then Andrew said, “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” I think you’ve caught on to who is like a thermometer, right? Yes, Philip and Andrew pointed out the impossibility, even if it looked like a fact. They are like thermometers. Let’s pay more attention to the disciples. They not only informed Jesus of the facts, but also conveyed a sense of impossibility. That is the function of a person who is like a thermometer. It influences others, leading them to believe that something is impossible.
What about the boy? His role may not be clear, but he opened the way forward. He might have known his meal was not enough for about five thousand people. However, he brought it forward to see if there were any possibilities. As soon as Jesus heard that the boy had brought his meal for others, he made the people sit down and counted them−five thousand people were there. Really? You might wonder how they could count five thousand people. Don’t think about it that way. That’s the thermometer mindset. The number is not important. What is important is that Jesus changed the situation. He made the impossible possible.
The thermometer showed us it was impossible: we couldn’t buy bread for five thousand people; we couldn’t feed five thousand people with five small loaves and two fish. But Jesus, who is like a thermostat, changed the situation. He fed five thousand people and had twelve baskets left over.
Today, Jesus challenges us as he tested his disciple, Philip. Can you commit to changing the world? Can you fill the church with the people of God? Can you carry joy, hope, peace, and love to the people? Open your minds and hearts to God, and listen to how He guides you. The boy brought his small barley bread, but it was not small. The word “small” embraces “smoothly all.” He gave “all” his meal without any hesitation to see if it was possible to feed everyone. He gave everything to Jesus, and then Jesus used the boy’s contribution as a switch (thermostat) to change the world from hunger to fullness.
Do you believe in God? Who is God for you? King David confessed, “I love you, O Lord, my strength” (Psalm 18:1). David was among the first to confess his love for God. Do you love God with all your hearts and with all your soul and with all your mind? If you do, you can be a thermostat, transforming your home, church, community, and country− turning hunger into fullness, oppression into freedom, sickness into healing, and discord into peace and in harmony. God bless you! Amen!