The Beatles’ decade of holding the top spot in pop music started at a pub in Liverpool, went to a bar in Berlin, and ended on a rooftop in London. In between were a lot of hits and good times. Also in between was the death of their manager, artistic friction, and battles over money and individuality.
Life is like a “Long and Winding Road.” We pass through a path of graduations, marriages, and births. But we also hit the valleys of job loss, divorce, and death. We long for something constant. On a winding mountain road, someone had been there before. The road is paved. Guardrails were installed. Someone keeps going through and maintains the road.
Is there someone like that in life? Are we traveling this road alone???
The following recording is from the 9:30 service. Click on the play button, then scroll down to follow along…
Our scripture reading was from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (no “turn, turn turns” in the Bible!) and Matthew 7:13-14.. Open the below drop down box to follow along. The New King James Version is shown below…
Scripture Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Long and Winding Beatles Career
One of my all time favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs was written Paul McCartney and recorded by The Beatles. The song is, “The Long and Winding Road.” It was the final #1 hit for the “Fab-Four.”
McCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, inspired by the growing tension between the Beatles at the time.
McCartney said later:
“I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration.”
The song was original offered to Tom Jones in 1968 who turned it down and later regretted his decision.
Lyrically, the song is a somewhat ambiguous evocation of an as-yet unrequited, though apparently inevitable, love. The “long and winding road” of the song is sometimes claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133km) drive from Lochgilphead.
In a 1994 interview, McCartney describes the lyrics:
“It was written about the journey the Beatles had been on together and now the roads which were going to be taking them their separate ways.
It’s rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it’s a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It’s a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist … It’s a sad song because it’s all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach. This is the road that you never get to the end of.”
If, like Pastor Jim (wink, wink) you were born before this song was released in 1970, or if you need a refresher, click this drop down box to read the lyrics…
Long and Winding Road
[Verse 2 ] The wild and windy night / That the rain washed away / Has left a pool of tears Crying for the day / Why leave me standing here / Let me know the way
[Bridge] Many times I’ve been alone, many times I’ve cried Anyway you’ll never know, the many ways I’ve tried But still they lead me back to the…
[Verse 3 ] Long, winding road / You left me standing here / A long, long time ago Don’t leave me waiting here / Lead me to you door
[Verse 4 ] Yeah yeah yeah yeah / Still they lead me back / To the long winding road You left me standing here / A long, long time ago / Don’t leave me waiting here Lead me to your door / Yeah yeah yeah
Roads We Travel…
In these summer days of vacation and traveling, many of us do a great deal of traveling. Some of us by nature of our jobs, do much traveling.
And each of us is on a journey with our lives. Many times in both the Old and New Testament, the biblical writers referred to our daily lives and our whole lives as a “journey.” When Jesus spoke of journey He often used the Greek word hodos which literally means, “a progress, mode or means, route, distance.” A journey implies that progress is being made, that there is a particular “path” or “roadway” being used, and there is a destination in mind.
Roads are an important part of our lives. They lead us to ___ ….
- The best church in our Conference, Pitman UMC
- Our homes.
- Our neighborhood and to our places of work.
- Philadelphia to watch the Phillies in this rebuilding year and to hopefully a Super Bowl parade for the Eagles (these roads are definitely “long and winding”…)
- The L & M Bakery in Delran and to Zumba classes here in Pitman.
- The Jersey Shore, or to …
- Memphis to celebrate a cultural icon and the best bar-be-cue in the country,or to…
- Washington, D.C., to celebrate our nation.
- Still other roads lead to sunny destinations lined with palm trees like Orlando, Florida, and others to the snow covered mountains Denver, Colorado.
In many ways our life can be described as a “long and winding road.” Clearly the writer of Ecclesiastes 3 describes in many ways what we can expect as we journey on our long and winding road of life. In Matthew Jesus speaking of our lives, compares them both practically and spiritually to a journey upon a road:
“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.”
-Matthew 7:13-14 (CEV)
There are all kinds of roads…
Journeys in the Bible…
Recently as I was looking through my Bible the topic of roads and journeys captured my attention. Click these tabs to take a tour of some of the journeys that God’s people have taken over the ages…
There is a common theme that strings all these passages together. DID YOU PICK UP ON THAT THEME? It is what brings us comfort, hope, and empowerment to face the future unafraid, and that’s this:
God’s people never travel alone AND we always and ultimately end up with God at God’s door!
God himself not only accompanies His people but also guides us and prepares the way for us.
God is With Us!
No matter how bumpy or winding the road may be, God sticks with us! We’re not alone as we make our way along in our journey. Look at the Bible.
God was with __…
Where are you today in your journey? You may not know where you’re headed, you may not know what lies ahead, you may be feeling lost. God’s promise is that we never travel alone! That truth alone is cause for rejoicing! God is present with us no matter where we are headed.
Need to Make a U-Turn???
But we need to be careful where we’re walking. There will come times during our journey where WE take detours. We venture onto paths that don’t lead us to God… paths that are dead ends. 
But God (best words in the Bible!) will yank us back and give us chances to make U-Turns. God will put us back on the right path, but if we waste time going in the wrong direction, we’ll miss out on great opportunities; opportunities of joy where we grow closer to our Lord.
Here are some of the warnings God gave about walking other roads…
These warnings are given, not so that God’s people will live in fear of retribution or punishment, BUT so we can avoid making the same mistakes that were made by those who went before us.
Our Constant Companion
God is our constant companion: The LORD “Is” not was, not will be, not “I hope God is”, and not “is sometimes”, but simply IS. God IS with us every moment of every day. He is like a Shepherd who constantly watches over us, ready to protect us when we wander off the right road.
Check out what He says in Ezekiel 34:11-31…
(Open the drop down box, and note that this passage might show up in the quiz!)
Ezekiel
11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.
16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”
17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.
18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture — and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?
19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”
20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.
21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,
22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them — My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.
29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.
30 Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.'”
31 “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.
We Don’t Travel Alone…
While the world and our lives and circumstances change from one moment to the next, the one constant we can be sure of in life is God’s promise that THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY the creator of the universe, the GOD who created us IS with us.
Presbyterian pastor Scot Brown once said:
“Nothing happens to us until it first passes through His nail scared hands.”
How true that is!!! We are not alone, we do not face life’s difficulties and challenges alone and that is something to be thankful today. He doesn’t lead from afar. The Good Shepherd (John 10) is right beside us; sometimes behind us pushing and carrying us along, sometimes offering a helping hand, other times he offers a pat on the head, a touch of affection, a caring embrace. The Good Shepherd leads and guides from close proximity – we don’t travel alone.
Read more about the Good Shepherd by opening the following drop down box…
John 10:1-18
2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 
8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” NIV
We Can’t Get Away from Him- Even if We Try!
Not only does Jesus promise to be our Good Shepherd and to guide us through “the shadow of death,” He also promises that He won’t leave us. Even when we wander off the path, He’ll stick with us to bring us back.
The Bible says this over and over…
God is In Control, All Along the Road…
Whether its traveling through dark valleys – times when we face scary circumstances when all hope seems to be lost – or times when our enemies seem to be prospering at our expense – God guarantees his presence and His protection. God IS ultimately in control.
Turns out that this neighbor owned a Pit Bull that was chained outside.
But as threatening and scary as that dog was, the chain held him back. He could not reach me. He could not hurt me.
In the same way, Jesus is the “chain” that’s holding back Satan. It can get dark and scary, but Jesus holds back Satan and guards my way as I walk through life. If we stay on the narrow road, we will always arrive safely. God always “leads us to His Door.”
Everyday we go down different roads which could be terrifying, intimidating, leaving us frozen in fear. But as a child of God we must always remember that life, death, even Satan himself is leashed. DIFFERENT roads can scare us, but they cannot ultimately harm us. It won’t help to act like a crazed dog yourself. You don’t have to bark at those who scare you, or get tough and mean and foam at the mouth. You can act like a disciple of Jesus Christ. AND this is possible when we claim the promise that God is beside you.
In life we can cave in because of difficult circumstances and allow ourselves to become victims of our problems and challenges. OR, following the example of Jesus, we can look at the same situations and grow and mature as a result of them. I’m not saying that it will be easy – who ever said that life was going to be easy? but we can decide how we will respond to life. Our perspective greatly influences how life’s challenges will impact us.
When ever I begin to feel sorry for myself and start thinking I have no control I remember a friend of mine from seminary who has died. Dave was confined to a wheel chair. He was an amazing Christian. Deformed since birth, Dave allowed his faith and the companionship of God to empower him to reach for the stars. In a conversation I remember having with Dave he said that he realized that he one of two options – be miserable and bitter for the rest of his life or with God’s strength he could choose to face his challenges with a positive attitude. Dave was such a positive influence, a person who gave you hope when you talked with him. Although he spent his entire life in a wheelchair, yet his spirit and attitude soared higher than many who have no physical challenges.
God promises to see you through your tough times – He did for Dave Delew, He’s done it for me, and He’ll do it for you too!
When I was growing up a Christian woman once told me, “Don’t grieve that your roses have thorns. Rejoice instead that your thorns have roses!”
Ultimately one of the goals of every church is to help you get to your true home with God. The thing that makes heaven, our ultimate home, so wonderful is that God is there. But you can know his presence today while you are still on the journey. So we can more accurately say that the goal of the church’s ministry is to help you be at home with God while you are still on the way. That is what we will spend the year trying to understand.
Lead Me to Your Door…
The last line of the song says, “Don’t leave me waiting here, Lead me to your door.”
Because of God’s companionship with us, He will always lead us to His door, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
EVEN IN DEATH, God is our companion….
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39, NIV
Even in death, the prophet Enoch (who didn’t actually “die”), never left God’s side…
Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 5:22-24, NIV
Enjoy God’s Company Along the Trip…
The truth we’ve discovered today is that God is our companion, our guide and provider, our protector and our blessing. God directs, and redirects our steps. He accomplishes this through detours, dead ends, roadblocks, and on occasion He opens a miraculous path – all this is part of His plan for getting us Home. Our arrival in his Eternal Home is His top priority and nothing will keep Him from us.
- BOTTOM line is this… the Beatles are correct when they sing, life is a “long and winding road.”
- BUT IF WE WALK WITH GOD, the end of our road will lead us to the door of our God and Savior.
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment)…
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