What Starbucks, Harry and You All Have in Common (Heb. 2:2-3)

All golfers know about The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Years ago, Frank Chirkinian, the head of CBS Sports, discovered that The Masters and Easter Sunday happened on the same day. Upset at this conflict, he demanded of his colleagues, "Who sets the date of Easter? Didn't they realize that they scheduled it on The Masters weekend? Let's get to that person and have him change it."

Now, I love golf, and I've played my share of it in my lifetime. I've been privileged to play Augusta National some five times, but frankly, ultimately, I find it boring. When I retire, the one thing I don't want to do is play golf every day.

When I hand the baton on to the person who will be my successor, I plan to continue on in ministry of some sort. I want always to be engaged in mission. I want a job bigger than me and my entertainment.

Here at St. Andrew's, we have a mission statement, which reads: "St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is endeavoring to be the family of God together in joyful, Christ-centered worship and is committed t Leading men, women, and children to a personal saving faith in Jesus Christ;

building ourselves in the faith; and serving others here and throughout the world."

What is your mission in life?

I have been fascinated and challenged by men and women of history who could have luxuriated in self-centered temporal success—however you would define that—who had a vision beyond themselves to be servants of the crucified and risen Christ, carrying out His mission.

One of these is William Wilberforce, born in 1759 and died in 1833, a British politician, philanthropist and abolitionist, who led the parliamentary campaign against the slave trade. Perhaps you've seen the movie about his life titled Amazing Grace.

Wilberforce came from a prosperous merchant family, which saw little in the way of slave trading. He enjoyed the privilege of his class, pursuing a somewhat hedonistic lifestyle as a student at St. John's College, Cambridge. Having little interest in the family business, he entered public life, elected to Parliament at the young age of 21. He was a close friend of the future Prime Minister, William Pitt. Noted for his eloquence and charm, attributes no doubt enhanced by his considerable wealth, he did not involve himself at first with any great cause.

Then, in his mid-20, he had a conversion experience, coming to a personal faith in Jesus Christ. This transformed his life. From then on, he approached politics from a position of biblical Christian morality, not hesitant to speak to the social issues of his day. Influenced by some colleagues in the faith, referred to as the Clapham sect, he became aware of the diabolical slave trade, which was quite invisible to most Britishers. It was a triangle form of shipping. You see, the merchant ships would carry products such as textiles, guns and munitions from England to the West Coast of Africa. They would barter them for human lives, filling the holds of the ships with slaves, then they sailed under deplorable conditions to the West Indies in the Caribbean. The slaves would be sold and bartered for tobacco, sugar, rum and other commodities that would be carried back to England in the same ships.