tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40764572651277409672024-03-13T08:59:33.901-07:00Surfing a Pastor's BrainwavesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-91575351224979743742018-05-29T07:45:00.001-07:002018-05-29T07:45:19.175-07:00Holy Hot Sauce<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Isaiah 6:1-8<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Often when we think of encountering God, it is a rather peaceful encounter.
God is the still, small voice. The one that brings us peace and calm. And yet,
the encounter with God can be a violent, loud, and humbling experience. That is
what Isaiah experiences here. He is overwhelmed by the power and majesty of
God. The angels shout so loudly that the doorframes shake. Like being caught in
the sound of a jet-plane taking off. And Isaiah’s reaction is: “I am a man of
unclean lips!” That seems an entirely reasonable reaction given the situation. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">To which God’s solution seems a bit harsh. Take a glowing coal from the
altar and touch it to Isaiah’s lips. That sounds more like a method of torture
than a means of conveying grace from a loving God. I mean, I like hot sauce, I
like food that burns my lips sometimes, but not quite that hot!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">One of the things this reminds us is that the same God who comforts us, who
holds little lambs, like Jesus does in the stained glass windows back there, is
the same God of power and might who shaped the mountains and the stars, and the
same God who calls nations and kings to bow before the throne. </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Sometimes God is silent and still, calm and peaceful, but sometimes, like
in the days of Isaiah, God must blare the message in order to be heard over the
noise of the time. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You see, in Isaiah’s day, the nation of Judah was under threat. Their
neighbor Assyria was looking very scary. They were building their army, they
were taking over Judah’s neighbors. So you can imagine what the people are
feeling. They have a powerful enemy, and are worried about invasion. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The king, whose name is Ahaz, then does something that sounds politically
wise, but is religiously very wrong. He starts to make an alliance with Egypt.
Remember the history of Egypt? This is the country that made slaves of the
Israelites, until Moses led them to freedom. So the king of God’s people is
making an alliance with one powerful former enemy in order to protect themselves
from another powerful current enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And into this political turmoil steps God, on a throne, shaking the
foundations of the earth, and reminding Isaiah, that they should be trusting
the one with real power – not politicians, not kings, not other nations, not
armies, but God and God alone. And God calls Isaiah to tell the people that. To
remind the people that there is a different way out of this situation, that
rather than living in fear, rather than consorting with one enemy to protect
themselves from another, they can trust in God’s awesome and incomparable
power. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is a reminder that as awesome as it is to know that God is tender and
loving, and that Jesus holds sweet little lambs. Sometimes what we need is the
purely breathtaking, awe-inspiring, forcing you to your knees, worship-inducing
strength of God. Because our world is also often a world of fearful situations,
where there noisy voices shouting for attention trying to convince us that we
are too weak or the situation too awful and we need something more than God to
help us. The voices forget, and sometimes they make us forget that God is way
more powerful than our problems. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I was looking for ways of talking about God’s power, I ran across this
wonderful children’s book, called Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is,
by Robert E. Wells. –[read the book]<span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://a.co/3KvToeM">http://a.co/3KvToeM</a></span></span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And we add to that our own ending – And we know – that God made all of
this. So why do we act like God is so small, and that we need to be afraid of
so many things in life?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So let’s step back for a moment and make this personal. In your life, what
situation is like the situation of Judah? </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Where are you overwhelmed or afraid? Where is the noise of life trying to
tell you to trust something other than God? And what does God shout to you?
What message must be blared loud to be heard over the others? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When Isaiah heard God’s message he immediately felt unworthy to heed this
calling of God, so God makes him worthy. So keep thinking abour your situation,
What is God calling you to that you do not feel worthy to pursue? And how does
God address that?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I was reading the story of Linda Down. Linda Down “had dealt with the
limitations of cerebral palsy all her life. One day, she got this crazy idea of
running the New York Marathon. But Linda walked with difficulty, so running
seemed out of the question? She used Canadian canes with arm clamps to steady
her arms. On top of this she was 25 pounds overweight and jobless.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“In a state of depression, she began reading in the scriptures about the
power of God at work in people's lives.”</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“She read Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me." While training, she listened for God. She thought as she
was running in the dark at night: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction about things not seen" (Heb. 11:1) <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">She thought about her limited dreams, her inability to see beyond the
obstacles of life. Faith, she said to herself, was running in spite of the
insurmountable obstacles.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“As the NY Marathon began that cold morning, . . .she wore gloves on her
hands to soften the impact of the crutches. It was windy on the bridge and
uphill. She had not expected the beginning to be so difficult. As she finished
the mile-long Verrazano Narrows bridge, there were no runners in sight ahead of
her. Spectators were gone for the most part. But one little girl ran out into
the street and cheered her on, "You can do it!" Others on the curb
later applauded and cheered and shouted. They brought tears to Linda's eyes and
helped her to keep going.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Ten hours later Linda was still running in the dark ... Some admiring
spectators walked with her for safety. Then an ABC-TV camera crew showed up and
followed the story of her courage. She continued to run. She wore a hole in one
sneaker from dragging it across the ground; her hands ached and throbbed; her
arms became black and blue and swollen; she couldn't speak to anyone because of
fatigue, but she continued to run because she prayed: "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me...I can do all things."<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Then two parks and recreation trucks in Central Park came by and stayed
with her to light the way. After 11 hours of struggle and over 27 miles, Linda
crossed the finish line. People were crying -- even the TV crew was crying
--and Linda was crying at the response and support that she had received from
God and these people. She thanked God for the power to do such a miraculous
thing. Later she was invited to the White House and was pictured on the front
page of the New York Times. Her story was not just a story of a noble effort,
it was the story of the power of God at work.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Trinity%20Sunday/Holy%20Hot%20Sauce.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God overcame her weakness, her inability, and gave her the strength. Just
as God overcame Isaiah’s weakness and inability and gave him the words to
speak.</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God is loving and awe-inspiring, like a nurturing parent and thunderstorm
over crashing surf. And God calls us in times of peace and in times of turmoil
to be faithful in serving and leading. When God calls us, God also prepares us
to be partners in that work, helping us to overcome our shortcomings, and
strengthening us to the task!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Do not forget that the one we worship is not just the one holding the lamb,
but it also the one that made the blue whale, Mt. Everest, the earth, the sun,
the galaxy, and the universe. God’s strength is beyond imagination, and there
for you to take hold of.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Trinity%20Sunday/Holy%20Hot%20Sauce.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Gary
Ritner at Hillcrest UMC on April 17, 1994, Adapted by Brett Blair,
ChristianGlobe, Inc.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-81144279890635712742018-05-22T07:23:00.000-07:002018-05-22T07:23:23.960-07:00Inept Uncle Peter<br />
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Acts 2:1-21</div>
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<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one
place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled
the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual
flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to
speak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living
in Jerusalem. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified
because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. They were
surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking
Galileans, every one of them? How then can each of us hear them speaking in our
native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both
Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the
mighty works of God in our own languages!” They were all surprised and
bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” Others jeered at
them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his
voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this!
Listen carefully to my words! These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after
all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! Rather, this is what was spoken
through the prophet Joel:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In the last
days, God says,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I will pour out
my Spirit on all people.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your sons and daughters will prophesy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your young will see visions.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your elders will dream dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even upon my servants, men and women,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will pour out my Spirit in those
days,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and they will prophesy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I will cause
wonders to occur in the heavens above<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and signs on the earth below,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The sun will be
changed into darkness,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the moon will be changed into blood,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>before the great and spectacular day of
the Lord comes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">And everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Two of our greatest church holidays have become as much secular holidays as
church holidays. Christmas and Easter. If you asked many children what
Christmas is, it would be the day Santa comes. If you asked many children what
Easter is, it would be the day that the Easter Bunny comes. So I wondered, if
somehow Pentecost became a secular holiday, and you asked children what
Pentecost was, who are what would they say comes? Obviously the religious
answer is the Holy Spirit, just like the religious answer for Christmas is
Jesus’ birth, and the religious answer for Easter is Jesus’ resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But if society were to claim this holiday, what sort of slant would it
take? My deepest fear is that it would become like St. Patrick’s day an excuse
for getting drunk. So our mascot for the day would be drunk uncle Peter with a
flaming red alcoholic drink in his hand. I actually have an uncle Peter, and I
must apologize deeply to him, because he certainly doesn’t fit this awful slur
in his name, but my thought was that people would misapply the appearance of
the Peter the disciple in this passage, and the idea that he was drunk on new
wine as he speaks. Even though he isn’t drunk at all, but rather filled with
the Holy Spirit. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I’m not entirely sure why I took that stupid jaunt down “how could we ruin
Pentecost lane.” Except that it can be helpful to force ourselves to look at
what a holiday is really about and not take it for granted. Every year, I
preach on this passage, just like every year I preach pretty much the same
passages for Christmas and Easter, and so we could get lost in the monotony. We
could lose track of what is important.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Today reminds us that the disciples are transformed from lost, scared, and
relatively clueless followers of Jesus – into preachers, teachers and leaders
of the church. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When we listen to his sermon it can be easy to forget that not that long
ago Peter was a fisherman. Not that long ago, Peter struggled to understand
Jesus’ teachings. Not that long ago, Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to
talk him out of dying on the cross. Not that long ago, Peter denied knowing
Jesus – three times. Yet, on this day, Peter is confident, he is well-spoken,
he is willing to talk about his faith in Christ, and he explains a confusing
and strange miracle, and even is able to quote scripture to help that
explanation. Peter is clearly transformed.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Pentecost reminds us, that we too can be transformed. Even if we start out being
a people who struggle to understand Jesus’ teachings, who are utterly dependent
upon Jesus, and still sometimes get it wrong; the Holy Spirit can transform us
common folk.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I remember the first time I went to a bible study in college. The other
people there all understood so much. They knew the stories of Jesus, they could
quote chapters and verses, and could talk about their faith in ways that made
sense. I couldn’t. I felt so unworthy in their presence. I felt like an idiot,
or an infant in their midst. And yet, God did not leave me there. God was able
to take that young man and put me in a pulpit, where every Sunday, I strive to
bring the messages of God to you. That was transformation. At least I hope –
maybe you still think I’m an idiot – but hopefully I am at least a more
faithful idiot than I used to be.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Today reminds us that, like Peter, we are transformed from inept people who
really don’t get faith, into a people who continue Jesus’ work. We are
entrusted with carrying the good news to the world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If God could use Peter, inept uncle Peter, to
preach the good news, to heal a crippled beggar, and in fact to raise a girl
from the dead. God can use us. I like the way one person said it: “God did all
of this through a recently converted fisherman who struggled with his faith.
The God who used Peter can do the same with every other believer. Like Peter,
God saved you and he is transforming you. God can accomplish great things
through you regardless of your background or personal struggles.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Pentecost/Inept%20Uncle%20Peter.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Yes, that’s Pentecost!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In a sense today is about growing up, and become mature people of God, who
join in the work. It is acknowledging that such a transformation is miraculous,
as we watch inept uncle Peter become the rock upon which Christ builds the
church. And that happens not just to the disciples but to the whole church. It
happens to pastors as we mature from green youngsters who don’t know better,
into elders who hopefully are wiser. It happens to church members as we grow
from being well-meaning but somewhat clumsy leaders to true saints who are
examples of faith to us all. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Think of it like this: One afternoon, a man, lying in a canoe close to
shore, saw many beetles in the muddy bottom of the lake. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“He felt sorry for these lowly creatures which would never know any other
world except gloom and mud and water. Then a big, black beetle came out of the
water.” It “crawled up on the gunwale and sat there blinking at him. Under the
heat of the sun the beetle died. Then a strange thing happened. His black shell
cracked down the back. Out of it came a shapeless mass whose hideousness was
transformed into a beautiful, brilliantly colored life. Out of that mass
gradually unfolded four iridescent wings from which the sunlight flashed a
thousand colors. The wings spread wide as if to worship the sun. The man
realized that he had witnessed the transformation of a hideous” dragonfly larva
that look so much like beetles “crawling in the mud” as it changed “to a
gorgeous dragonfly soaring above the waters. The body that was left behind still
clung to the gunwale of the canoe. While the dragonfly explored the wonders of
his wings and his new world, the other” larva “were still crawling in the mud.
He knew that he had seen a miracle of nature. Out of the mud had come a
beautiful new life. The thought occurred to him, if the Creator worked such
wonders with the lowliest of creatures, what must be in store for” humanity who
are created in God’s likeness!<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Pentecost/Inept%20Uncle%20Peter.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The good news is that God is always working on miraculous transformations
within us, but we must be open to receiving the tongues of fire, the breath of
the Spirit, the cracking of our shells. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It may not be quite as quick as that which happened on Pentecost, but God
can work within us, we can find new gifts for ministry, new roles in the church
that bring life to the world around us! So take hope from this day. If inept
Peter can become the rock, you and I just might have a future in faith too!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Pentecost/Inept%20Uncle%20Peter.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="http://godscareerguide.com/peters-transformation/">http://godscareerguide.com/peters-transformation/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Pentecost/Inept%20Uncle%20Peter.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> CSS
Publishing Company, Inc., In Sure and Certain Hope, by O. Garfield Beckstrand,
II<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-79138688800453050032018-05-15T07:54:00.002-07:002018-05-15T07:54:36.978-07:00Mother's Wisdom<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Mothers are often, but not always, sources of great wisdom about life. It
can be simple, it can be complex, it can be deep, it can be straight to the
point, it can be confounding. I found a few online: <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Treat others equally, be giving without expecting gratitude and stand up
for what you believe in.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Saving up is hard, finding something to spend it on isn’t. Save up now and
figure out what to spend it on later.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“If it’s not butter, don’t butter — what’s point in eating anything if it
doesn’t taste good?” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Whether it’s that carton of orange juice in the fridge or a relationship,
it’s always better to finish one thing before you start another.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%207/Mother's%20Wisdom.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That made me sit and think what the best piece of advice my mom had given
me was. It isn’t easy. Dad was more the advice giver in our family. Mom was the
common sense antidote when dad’s advice wasn’t so good. But as far as advice
goes, I would have to say that she always told us to get outside and do our
summer chores in the garden and yard before it got unbearably hot. Even when we
were complaining, she tried to remind us that it would just get worse if we put
it off. That encouraged me to get my work done as soon as possible and not to
put it off. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My sister’s first response was that my mom’s most common piece of advice
was wear sunscreen, which while not very deep, is after all pretty good advice
if you are as prone to sunburn as our family is. After she thought about it
more, though, my sister said that what she really learned from my mom was that
she always said some form of I love you every time she left the house or the
car or basically her. My sister has friends from childhood who told her that
they learned to do that in their life from our mom.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So then I decided to ask my family members what the best advice they
received from my grandmothers were.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My Grandma Lois had a tough life, and she wanted the rest of us to have it
better, so her advice was get an education. Advice that I heard repeated and
repeated in my house (especially since my mom was a schoolteacher). <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My Great-Grandma Nellie was a pretty no-nonsense lady, and her advice was “If
you are going to do something, do it right. Clean up after, clean your tools
and put them away. A place for everything and everything in its place.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My Grandma McPherson was a fountain of love, so it makes sense that her advice
was “Love your job or get a new one. Love your in-laws. Love your adopted
children and grandchildren as much as your own. Don’t discriminate against any
race.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Anyway. I decided that you could read Psalm 1 as mom advice. Think of this
as something your mom wrote for you. </span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The truly happy person<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>doesn’t follow wicked advice,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>doesn’t stand on the road of sinners,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of doing those
things,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>these persons love the Lord’s Instruction,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and they recite God’s Instruction day and
night!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are like a tree
replanted by streams of water,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which bears fruit at just the right time<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and whose leaves don’t fade.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever they do succeeds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s not true for the
wicked!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are like dust that the wind blows
away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s why the wicked
will have no standing in the court of <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
justice—neither will sinners<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the assembly of the righteous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lord is intimately
acquainted<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the way of the righteous,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but the way of the wicked is destroyed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This psalm is what in wisdom writings is called the two paths types of
advice. It is reminding us that in life we always have a choice. There are two
ways to go. One way is good, the other is not. If you want to be happy, you
must choose the good. In all things. So listen to good advice from good people.
Read scripture, use it to build up your life. Bear fruit. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">If we choose the second path, wickedness, we will not be happy. It may look
like we will be, but in the end the result of wickedness is temporary. It is
dust in the wind. It blows away. It doesn’t result in real justice, it doesn’t
earn long term respect. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This psalm compares the two paths to a tree being planted in two different
places. The first tree is planted by streams and water, where there are things
that give life. The second tree is planted in a dry desert. Unlike trees, we
can choose where we are planted, so the writer says be careful where you plant
yourself in life. Since you have a choice, choose well. You can plant yourself
in places that give life, near streams of water that keep you alive and give
life to others; or you can plant yourself in places that steal life and destroy
it. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It honestly is trying to boil our choices down to the simplest level, and
show how attractive choosing the good is, and how unattractive choosing the bad
is. In real life, it can be harder to tell the difference. There can be 32
choices instead of just two. And often there are things we don’t have control
of, some roads in life we end up on without any choice at all of our own.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But the psalm is reminding us, if you boil it down to its simplest form:
what we have control over, and what we have responsibility for: if you boil it
down to that, when we do come to a crossroads, where we have a choice, the
psalm says, choose the good. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Good choices lead to greater happiness than bad choices. Like the choice to
butter or not to butter. Or the choice to clean up your tools. Or the choice to
do your work now, or wait until later when it is 100 in the shade. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Do you see why I said the psalm is a lot like mother’s wisdom? Mom’s tend
to teach us about choices, and try to help us make good choices. The same is
true of God. God wants us to choose the good, not because God is an tough
taskmaster or an angry school-marm, but rather like a mother, God wants us to
have a happy life, a good life, a life that is like a tree planted by waters;
and God knows that the way to such a life is often a result of our choices. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This does not mean we will not suffer. It simply means that in the midst of
suffering we will be happier than one who chooses evil when they go through
suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not mean that we are
on a difficult road because we chose to be there; rather, that while on the
difficult road of life we can make our trip easier or harder. We can be like
trees planted by water or we can be like trees planted in the desert. We can
listen to mom, or we can ignore her. We can use the butter that tastes good, or
the non-butter that doesn’t. We have a choice, to choose that which is good!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">How do we do that? Amazingly the Psalm gives us some simple instructions.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Don’t listen to bad advice; instead, love God’s advice.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Don’t follow the example of others who make bad decisions; instead, follow
God’s instruction.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Look at the long term. What will last, and what will pass away? What is
temporary and what has eternal value?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Choose that which brings life like water in the desert, avoid choices which
bring drought, death and destruction.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Do what will gain you respect in a gathering of good people; don’t do what
will lose you their respect.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">At least those are the things that I pull out of the Psalm. And I hope that
they help you as you go about your day, your week, and your life.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%207/Mother's%20Wisdom.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> From
<a href="http://people.com/celebrity/best-mom-advice-reddit-users/%20">http://people.com/celebrity/best-mom-advice-reddit-users/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-49102353099331841882018-05-08T08:29:00.002-07:002018-05-08T08:29:28.111-07:00God As Our Friend<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">John 15:9-17<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">One of my foolish moments when I was a young pastor, probably 23 years ago,
was while teaching an adult Sunday School class. We were talking about
metaphors for God, of the names of God in the bible. Things like God is our
rock, our shepherd, our father, and so on. In the class I asked people to name
their favorite biblical name for God. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">One of the women said, “Friend.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I being very sure of myself, said, “That’s not in the bible.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There was an awkward moment and then she angrily replied, “Yes it is.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Well, it didn’t take very long for me to discover that it was in fact in
the bible, and I had to apologize for being wrong and assuming that I knew
everything about God and the bible. Hopefully the woman forgave me for my
arrogance. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Today’s passage is the one that most shows how wrong I was during that
Sunday School class. You can count how many times I was wrong if you like . . .
Listen, this is John 15:9-17</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“As the Father loved me, I too have
loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in
my love, just as I kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have
said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be
complete. This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. No
one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. You are my
friends if you do what I command you. I don’t call you servants any longer,
because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you
friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you.
You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go
and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you
ask the Father in my name, he will give you. I give you these commandments so
that you can love each other.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Clearly here, Jesus uses the word friend several times. I counted three. He
explains that he is moving from treating us as servants who relate to a master,
and that he now views us as friends. If he calls us friends, it only seems
natural that we can turn it around, call him a friend.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So, as I was reading this passage, I began to reflect upon the word friend
and further what does it mean to be a friend of Jesus, or a friend of God? Is
it just someone we like? Or is there more to it?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Looking at the scripture, part of what Jesus seems to suggest is that the
expectations for us as friends are different than those as servants. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">George Hermanson says that, “The phrase "no longer servants"
changes the dynamic of personal relationships. It is a concept of equality. In
John's time, one was connected through kinship networks or institutional
relationships like master/slave. Friendship as we know it - having the freedom to
be friends across gender, class and ethnic barriers - did not exist. But the
aim of God to love, the call to us to love one another, moves us into new ways
of relating. It is a call to organize our world where we care for all, even
those who are outside our familiar networks. It is to be friends in Christ.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So friends operate on a more equal basis, but that still begs the question,
do you have higher or lower expectations of a friend than you do for a servant?
Since they are equal with you, do you expect more of them or less? In other
words, if Jesus sees us as equal with himself, does he expect more of us or
less?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.5pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themeshade: 191; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In some ways to be a friend requires more than you would expect of a
servant, and in other ways it is less. I found this wonderful list of healthy and
unhealthy expectations of friendship at LiveAbout.com.</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Reasonable expectations in a friendship:<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your friend treats you with respect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your friend tries not to hurt your feelings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You and a new friend get to know each other at a
pace that is comfortable to you both.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You like friends who make you laugh or lift your
spirits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You appreciate friends who value you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Unreasonable expectations in a friendship:<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You meet someone and instantly think you have a
bond that makes this person a best friend.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When you like people, you share your deepest
darkest secrets and insecurities within a short time of meeting them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When you click with someone, you expect to see
them right away again so you can start hanging out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When you need to vent, you expect your friend to
listen no matter what.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When you're lonely, you expect your friends to
be there for you no matter what's going on in their lives.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The second list almost expects the person to be a servant who is always
there for them, on their beck and call, and expects them to do a job without a
sense of developing a relationship, without a sense of equality and mutuality.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I started think about this list in relationship to God. At first that
was hard. Why would it be wrong to see God as our instant best friend, our
confidant for our deepest darkest secrets, the one who wants to spend every
hour of every day with us, the one who lets us vent, and the one who is with us
no matter what. Is it wrong to think of God that way?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I thought about it, I looked at this scripture again. Does what Jesus
says about his friendship with us suggest these are not the way to view God? </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Yes and no. What Jesus says about friendship with him is that as friends we
are expected to live in love, we are expected to keep the commandments. Love
clearly wants to hear what another person has to say, love clearly is a safe
place of sharing our hearts, and finding deep connection. Love wants to be with
the other person. The relationship is much more complex than simply having
Jesus at our beck and call at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Also, love with obedience to the commandments has boundaries. If we use God
just to vent our anger with others, we are not being loving toward those
others. If God becomes our only friend with whom we spend all of our time at
the exclusion of others, then we are not living fully the love we are called
to. If we think God is always going to agree with everything we do, if we think
God will not judge us or call us to accountability, then we have the wrong idea
of God’s friendship. Sometimes friends are willing to challenge us.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Johnny Dean tells about the time when “Several years ago, a good friend and
colleague in ministry came to visit me at the church I was serving in Memphis.
After we exchanged greetings, he put his arm around my shoulders and said,
"Johnny, you know I love you. That's why I have to tell you this."
And he proceeded to gently, lovingly scold me for the way I had been handling a
particular situation in the church. And he was absolutely right. I knew that
the way I had been dealing with that situation was not the right way to handle
it. My motivation was good, but my actions were wrong. And after he left, I
knew that here was a friend who would stand beside me in tough times, because
he loved me enough to risk damaging our friendship by confronting me with my
mistake.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So as friends of Christ, he does have some higher expectations of us. He
expects to be able to correct us and stay in relationship. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And so he actually expects a different type of obedience from us than he would
from a servant. Rather than just doing what we are told, we are to be striving
to please Christ because we love him, or we listen to him because we respect
him and value his opinions. Our motivation for doing what we do as his friends
is different than our motivation if we were just servants or followers.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Okay, so that was all interesting, but what are we supposed to do with it
when we leave here. I think there are two things we can do with this knowledge
that Christ is our friend. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">First, it can change how we interact with God. It can change our
motivations for obedience, for learning from God, and our expectations of God.
God isn’t our servant subject to our whims, nor are we simply God’s servants,
subject to the whims of God. We are beloved friends, who are valued by God and
who value God, and our relationship with the divine starts there.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Secondly, our loving friendship with God has the potential to teach us to
love as friends those who are our neighbors, our enemies, and all in between.
As we discover the difference between treating God as a servant or receiving
God as a friend; as we discover the difference between God treating us as a
servant or receiving us as a friend, we begin to understand what it means to
treat others as our friends – even those we might not immediately think of that
way. We begin to remember that we are bound together by the bonds of friendship
through Christ who is friends with both of ourselves and those others.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It really comes back to what George Hermanson said, “The phrase "no
longer servants" changes the dynamic of personal relationships. It is a
concept of equality.” That God would apply it to us is humbling and amazing.
That we must likewise apply to others is the challenge of our lifetime and
perhaps its greatest reward!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Friendship by George Hermanson<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> https://www.liveabout.com/what-are-your-friendship-expectations-1385629<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%206/God%20As%20Our%20Friend.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> ChristianGlobe
Networks, Inc., ChristianGlobe Illustrations, by Johnny Dean<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-12589992408192456852018-05-02T07:47:00.001-07:002018-05-02T07:47:48.583-07:00Sermon: Justice Was Taken Away From Him<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Acts 8:26-40<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch reminds us that in Christ there is no
room for racism, there is no room for oppression, there is no room for
exclusion of people from the religious fellowship of our Lord and Savior. This
African man is reading the book of Isaiah. Clearly he wants to know God, but he
could not. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You see, the bible says a few different things about eunuchs. And I realize
the topic makes us uncomfortable in many ways, but we need to get through it to
understand the deeper message. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So, on the one hand the bible says in Isaiah 56:4-5, “For thus says the
Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please
me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a
monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an
everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” Unfortunately in another place it
says in Deuteronomy 23:1 it also says: “No one whose testicles are crushed or
whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.” In Jesus’
day, the book of Deuteronomy held more sway and more importance than Isaiah and
so that was the predominant view, eunuchs were forbidden from participating in
religious life. So there is the first strike against this man who wants to know
more about God.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Further, let’s be honest. There was a fear of foreigners in those days too.
We didn’t start the foolishness of treating people differently because they came
from a different place. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That has been around for a long time. Although evidence does suggest that
the people of that time did not care much about a person’s skin color, they did
care about their national origin. There are whole sections of scripture about
not marrying foreign women, foreign people being forbidden from joining in the
Passover and so on. But the whole idea of opening up religion to the gentiles,
the non-Jews was on the cusp of emerging with the Apostle Paul. Unfortunately,
it hadn’t happened yet. This passage is setting up the revolutionary ideas that
Paul will bring over the next few pages of the book of Acts. So at this time,
the Ethiopian would have been an outsider, a non-Jew. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So here he is: judged for being a eunuch and a gentile, and he is reading a
passage in Isaiah, about a man who is humiliated, and who has justice taken
away from him. My guess is that the man relates to him, and wants to know more
about him. Who is this person who has an experience like mine? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Most of us, can on some level, understand what the Ethiopian eunuch is
thinking and feeling. Most of us understand what it means to be the outsider,
the one who is not welcomed, the one who is bullied or shunned, the one who is
judged for things that are beyond our control. We have been there, we know what
it is like.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Watch this video. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvQ9JLobA0">[play Judged]</a></span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Most of us, can on some level understand what it means to be judged and
excluded. Sometimes it is even at the hands of religious folk, people who are
supposed to live their lives around the principles of love, that we receive the
worst treatment. The video shows that well. But it is not how it should be.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In our biblical story what happens next for the man in the story is amazing.
He is reading the passage aloud, and Philip overhears him. Philip immediately
reaches out to him – this is new! A religious person who is crossing the
barriers, who isn’t judging him. Philip then explains that the one that we as
Christians follow, the Christ, was the one spoken of in the passage. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Sadly, we don’t get the exact explanation that Philip uses, but we can
guess that he talks about how Jesus was unfairly tried, and yet how he gave
himself up, like a sheep led to the slaughter, and then how God raised him from
the dead. He probably explained further that in Jesus’ resurrection all of us
who had no hope, all of us who did not find justice, all of us who were
humiliated in this life are offered God’s love and acceptance. After all that
is the good news. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So here is this man who has felt like he has never been treated justly by
religious people, hearing for the first time that forgiveness is poured out,
shame is erased, and new life is given to us. He can be welcomed in the
assembly of the Lord. The words of the other passage in Isaiah are finally
going to be heard for him – there is a place and an everlasting name for him. Hearing
this from Philip, the Ethiopian man immediately wants to be baptized. And I
don’t blame him. After being mistreated and cast out, here he is being offered
a chance to belong and be a part of God’s people – of course he wants to join!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Like I said at the beginning of the sermon. This passage reminds us that
the good news of Jesus Christ is that there is more than one way of reading the
bible and it’s laws. It can be read through the lens of separation from God, of
holy purity only available for a select few, like the Pharisees that Jesus
often argued with. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or it can be read through the lens of Jesus’ grace which welcomes the
sinners and the outcast. This passage suggests that as Christians we are to
read it that scripture the second way – that we are to open the doors of the
assembly to all people who want to learn God’s ways, who want to grow in their
relationship with God, who want to be in covenant with God. That there is no
excuse for racism or exclusion of people based upon their nationality, nor are we
to judge those who love God.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For those of us who have been humiliated at any time, for those of us who
have been unloved, unaccepted, unwelcomed; this is what we refer to as amazing
grace! Through Christ, who also experienced suffering, injustice and
humiliation, there is a place for us in Christ’s church. This is the good news,
and it should so inspire us that we immediately respond, “What is stopping me
from being baptized?” What is stopping me from being part of the assembly of
the Lord? To which Christ answers – “nothing”, not even Deuteronomy. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And that is a pretty radical statement. It is no wonder that the Pharisees
did not like the Christians – they were challenging scripture itself by
suggesting that we interpret it through a new lens. A lens of Jesus’ death and
resurrection. A lens of grace rather a lens of law. It becomes the great
foundation for Paul’s life work, for his writing, and quite honestly is still
one of our greatest struggles in the church. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Yet, the death and resurrection should have the final word. When love and
injustice collide, love should be our choice. When grace and law collide, grace
wins. When we are caught being judgment and acceptance, Christ still accepts
us. We are here only by love and grace, we must allow others the same. To
celebrate that – we are going to sing about the one who sets us free, the chain
breaker that Philip explained to the Ethiopian that day. The one who welcomes
us into the Assembly of the Lord, our savior Jesus Christ.</span><o:p></o:p></h2>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-61100552684084074982018-04-25T07:52:00.000-07:002018-04-25T07:52:22.380-07:00Sermon: Through The Valley<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Psalm 23<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">One of the most powerful phrases in the well-known 23rd Psalm is “Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.” Let’s
talk about that valley of the shadow of death.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Kristin Cooper King tells a powerful story about how her husband was killed
by a distracted driver.</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“In December 2009, my husband, Chris Cooper, and I were in a car accident
that took his life. Through the grace of God, I survived the accident, but am
having to learn to live my life without Chris. This blog is about my journey -
as a young widow, a single mother to a beautiful 2 year old girl, and a true
believer that God's hand is directing my days.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In her blog posts she reflects on that first year and its struggles. She
talks about the heartbreak and struggle of that time and how hard it is to put
into words, how at times it is hard to believe that he is no longer with them.
What she feels at one week from his death, one month, one year. At one month she
also talks about God’s presence in that valley time. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Let me warn you, I cried as I read it the first time, so no promises here
as I share this with you: “On Sunday, my parents took Colleen to run errands
and left me here to rest. I ended up not sleeping, but here in the office - his
room. I took that time to do something that I had been putting off. I spent
almost 2 hours reading all of the Facebook messages that people have sent me
over the last month. I went to Chris’ fan page, read all of the entries, and
re-watched the video from the memorial service for the first time. I logged
into his old hotmail account, and read a folder of emails that he had saved
from when we were first dating – over 6 years ago. And I let myself weep. I
wept for myself, for Colleen, for our families. I wept for his friends, who
loved him like a brother. I wept for the life that we could have had.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“As I wept, I was listening to a song that someone had reminded me of right
after the accident. It’s a song that I have heard before, but have never really
had the context to understand. The song is a prayer, and as I listened I prayed
her words. I prayed that God would lead me through this valley, this fire, to
the life that he has promised. I prayed and asked for strength, the strength to
not to have to understand, but just to know that God’s heart is full of love,
and that he will never leave me. As I write this now, I can’t help but cry –
but I don’t feel alone.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I’m not done yet, because where I first heard about Kristin was through her
Poem “Through the Valley”. It is deeply powerful, and expresses just how hard
it is to walk through that valley of the shadow of death, and yet just how much
hope God’s light brings us in those darkest times.</span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve walked through the
valley. I’ve seen the shadow<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve had my life ripped apart
at the seams. Stolen from<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
me in an instant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve lived through the days
when I could only take<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
one step at a time. One foot
in front of the other. One<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
minute. One second. Without
being able to think farther<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ahead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve walked through the
valley. It’s an ugly place. It’s<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dark and cold. The mountains
are high on each side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tall and forbidding. Too high
to climb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The path is windy ahead. It
curves where I can’t see.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each day I make it a little
farther. I sleep alone. I’m<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
scared.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there’s a tiny flame
inside my heart. A first it is the<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
tiniest flicker. From the
first moment I can feel it. As<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cold and scared and dark as
it is I can feel the burn in<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flame brings peace.
Comfort. Light.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flame leads me. Shows me the
way to the green<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
pastures of my home and the
still waters of my family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flame anoints me with the
warmth of love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cling to the flame. I seek
it. Tend it. And it grows.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It can’t carry me out of the
valley. That job is mine. But<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
it lights my path. Guides my
feet. Stays with me. Protects<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
me from my fears. And day by
day, step by step,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
it leads me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Outside of the valley there
is a life waiting for me. A<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
life overflowing with
goodness. A life full of mercy and<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
love. It’s my job to take the
steps. But I’ll never be alone.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Kristin learned: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death I will fear no evil. For you are with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But let’s keep looking “Through the Valley” is also the title of a memoir
by William Reeder Jr. He was a senior captain on his second tour of Vietnam,
flying OV-1 Mohawks on secret missions. While providing support to forces, his
chopper went down and he was captured and held as a POW. What he faced was
unimaginable. His accounts are not for the squeamish. And yet, if you look at
the title of his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Through the
Valley, </i>it is meant to be a reference to the valley of death in the 23rd
Psalm. You see, at one point he finds himself mentally reciting what he can
remember from the psalm, and it is primarily this one line that comes to him.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
It helps him so that through it all he never lost hope, his faith would not die.
It reminded him that the darkest valleys still have light. His book is not
primarily a book about faith, and yet he talks about this moment of faith inspires
him, and that inspires his title. It is what reminds him that the shadows do
not win.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When we walk through the valley’s, when our hearts are broken, God is there
to walk with us and light the way. They valleys need not defeat us, the
troubles of life need not overcome us. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">No! Rather, as the psalmist says, “I will fear no evil”. It echoes what
Paul says to us in Romans, nothing can separate us from the love of God: not
death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation.
(Romans 8:38-39) <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Yes, the valleys are real, they are dark. There is very real evil in them,
and very real danger. Our lives have these valleys, they are often unavoidable.
<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But they need not defeat us, for God’s love is stronger than the valley’s. God
is not just God when things are going well, not just when we are on the
mountaintop and we have joy and peace, but God is also God in the valleys, and
God’s presence is just as real in the low points of life. And just in case we
do not believe it, all we have to do is look at Christ. Even though he walks
through the valley of death, not the shadow of death, but actually through
death itself; God walks with him. God loves him, and that love is so strong
that Christ’s death is not the end. There will be resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Likewise when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, whether
because someone near to us has died, or because we are near death, or even when
it feels like all of our dreams have died and hope is gone, or we feel like we
are walking alone through a dark time in life – remember this psalm which
begins by saying “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” At the very least
remember this one line, like William Reeder Jr. did -- “Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. For you are with
me.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God is indeed with you. Always. Even through the valleys.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> http://kristinwcooper.blogspot.com/<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> http://kristinwcooper.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-will-go-through-valley-12610.html<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> By
Kristin, Cooper King, Seasons of the Spirit, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Easter%205/Through%20the%20Valley.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> p.
66 chapter 7.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-47739780090861580062018-04-11T10:38:00.000-07:002018-04-11T10:38:30.643-07:00Sermon: Grace Is A Quiver Full of Arrows<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Mark 9:2-9<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The title of the sermon is from a phrase I read in the Seasons of the
Spirit commentary. One of the things that the authors of that commentary remind
us is that the Greek word for sin is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hamartia</i>.
This word is also an archery term for letting the arrow fly and “missing the
mark.” This was not new to me, but it was worth reflecting upon again.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">How often do we miss the mark in life? I do it far too often. I strive for
perfection to hit that bullseye, and sometimes when I am as lucky as this kid,
I do.</span></h3>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLucMpsApWQBqBvpwnzTwl-lLcdxe4P8_3cEtgafmbk2j8ve5wJGqEJ4ipHew5lH24cMTLC7tsV19Xs4zbmWm9xP4lFFUnenRnphXw_ItOB-ujpxT32cjnK-oqgk4TRBr5umtbiGwJouQ/s1600/lucky+kid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="365" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLucMpsApWQBqBvpwnzTwl-lLcdxe4P8_3cEtgafmbk2j8ve5wJGqEJ4ipHew5lH24cMTLC7tsV19Xs4zbmWm9xP4lFFUnenRnphXw_ItOB-ujpxT32cjnK-oqgk4TRBr5umtbiGwJouQ/s320/lucky+kid.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Other times, I am not quite so amazing, and in the archery metaphor, I hit
the next ring out, close but not quite a bullseye. But then, oh, then there are
those shots in life that I let loose, and everyone should be running for the
hills, because I didn’t even hit the bales of hay that support the target. I
have let go an errant shot, an oopsy-daisy, a total and completely bungled
attempt. Remember we are not really talking about archery here, we are talking
about sin – about messing up in life.</span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">How many of you remember the story of Roy Riegels from the University of California
Berkley football team? It was the 1929 Rose Bowl and well, here is the video.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEVR7fCxJ_U">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEVR7fCxJ_U</a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Interestingly, ESPN doesn’t tell the best part of the story. And it is what
happened at half-time. In the locker room at halftime Roy Riegels sat in the
corner with his face buried in his hands. Riegels was so distraught that he had
to be talked into returning to the game for the second half. Roy said
"Coach, I can't do it. I've ruined you, I've ruined myself, I've ruined
the University of California. I couldn't face that crowd to save my life."
Nibs Price the coach said, "Roy, get up and go back out there — the game
is only half over."<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And after the game, Coach Price defended Riegels, saying "It was an
accident that might have happened to anyone."<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So back to the very beginning of my sermon: the title. Grace, according to
the commentary I mentioned that talks about about sin as missing the mark,
grace is not just that God forgives us for the bad shot, but that God gives us
a quiver full of arrows and says try again. I had never heard it expressed like
that before. It was like it was saying: Get back out there, the game is only
half over. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Grace is God saying take another shot, and another, until you get it right.
Grace is a quiver full of arrows, a quiver full of chances.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I thought that that was a powerful image. I may fail today, I may fail
tomorrow, but with God’s help, one day I am going to get it right! And not just
because I was lucky, but because God has been patient enough to lead me toward
perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That is how Jesus treats Thomas on this day. Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus
appeared to the disciples and he simply refuses to believe that Jesus could be
alive. His belief arrow flew sideways and was nowhere near the target. Not that
I blame him. I probably would be the same way. It is rather hard to believe a
group of guys isn’t pulling your leg when they say they saw someone risen from
the dead while you were out. I mean, come on. But despite the fact that Thomas’
disbelief made complete sense, he was wrong. Jesus was alive, and Thomas
couldn’t see it. It was like he was running the wrong way down the field,
heading away from the truth. The resurrection had happened, and Thomas’
reaction was off the mark.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But Christ gives him another chance and appears again, this time while Thomas
is present. He even invites Thomas to put his hands on his hands and feel the
wounds. Christ is giving him every opportunity to correct his mistaken belief,
and of course, Thomas gets it right. He believes. He realizes that he was
wrong, he admits it, and he acknowledges Christ as his Lord and his God.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So if I think about my life, if I think of myself as the Thomas of this
bible passage: I am sure that there are a thousand arrows that I have fired
that have missed the target. Everything from the way I have treated people, to
the things I have said, to the beliefs that I hold. What this passage tells me,
is that despite the fact that I have been wrong, despite the fact that I am
running the wrong way down the field, despite the fact that I have missed the
mark: God isn’t finished with me yet. (Can I get an Amen?) <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">By grace God has given me a quiver full of arrows to try again. Thank you,
Lord!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Although some of you may be so thankful, because here’s the thing, when I
sin, I know that some of you get hit by my errant shots and hurt. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I do apologize for that, I really never mean to harm anyone, it’s just
I’m still not very good at this archery of life. I’m still working toward
perfection, I’m not there yet. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And while Jesus grants us the grace to try again, and it can be hard for us
to give people that same grace, especially if they have harmed us with one of
their failed shots. I mean who gives another arrow to the person that just shot
them? So it is really interesting, in this passage, that Jesus actually
specifically addresses how we forgive others. He says, that what we forgive on
earth, those sins are forgiven; but then he goes a step further, and says the
sins we don’t forgive on earth, they aren’t forgiven. So you all have a lot of
power. I am depending upon your forgiveness for my peace. Oh, I am not alone,
this applies to us all.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Perhaps Jesus is reminding us that we are all still learners, still working
on getting it right in God’s eyes, and that we all need a little patience and a
lot of forgiveness until we get it right. Then he uses Thomas as an example for
how we should deal with others – with patient correction and careful
instruction. With a willingness to walk alongside them as they try to get it
right. Without judgment or anger. Without taking personal offense at what they
have done, but leading them to the truth. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In summary: This teaching from Jesus is wonderfully good news for us when
we get it wrong, when we miss the mark. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He is offering us another chance, to get back in the game and to try again.
But the teaching is also a challenge to us to offer the same forgiveness to
others that Christ offers to us. To forgive 70 times seven times, to forgive
the quiver of failures that others let loose, and to strive to help them get
closer to the mark. To forgive as we have been forgiven, and love as we have
been loved.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-37805924344064800502018-04-03T08:27:00.006-07:002018-04-03T08:27:50.666-07:00Sermon: Peter's Easter Sermon<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Acts 10:34-43<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I have been a pastor for 24 years now. Which means I have been through 24
Easters. One of the challenges of that is trying to continue to tell the story
of Christ’s resurrection in a way that is meaningful and fresh. Not that this
amazing and incredible event needs to be freshened up, or changed, because it
is a powerful story from the very first. But the reality is, to keep myself
spiritually growing (and probably for you to keep spiritually growing) we need
to keep listening for what God is telling us anew even in the old stories. And
that can be quite hard.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So this year, rather than focus on Mary meeting Jesus in the garden, which
is an amazing story, as we saw in the video, I want to focus on the passage
that was just read where Peter is speaking in the book of Acts.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Here Peter tells us how he interprets the events of Easter. He was one of
the first witnesses to the resurrection, and we have been given the gift of
hearing what he thinks it means. What does he feel is important, what does he want
us to learn from this event?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He starts with a brief retelling of Jesus’ life. How first there was John
who prepared the way by preaching about baptism, and then Jesus came doing good
and healing. Then they killed him, but God raised him up, and we saw him. Not
everyone saw him, but there were those of us who ate and drank with him after
he had been raised from the dead.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, what I notice in this retelling is that Peter is a very matter of
fact, short and sweet, and not a lot of emotion, kind of guy. His story is
plain and to the point. He doesn’t get into how he felt when Jesus died, he
doesn’t tell you that Mary was all teary-eyed at the tomb. Jesus simply died
and was alive again. That’s all there is to it. Partly that is his personality,
but I think it is also because Peter doesn’t think that Easter is about the
emotional reunion with Jesus. He doesn’t think that Easter is even about the suffering
of Jesus. The miracle itself isn’t even all that important, other than it
happened.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Instead, Peter tells us that the resurrection of Christ is an event that
teaches us that through Christ’s death and resurrection he has been appointed
as judge of the living and the dead, and that anyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In many ways, it isn’t how we normally approach Easter. Normally we think
of Easter as the victory over death, the surprising reality that the power of
God can bring life from beyond the grave. But Peter isn’t really surprised by
that. I think as a devout Jew he already believed in life after death – that
wasn’t what shocked him – he already expected to meet God after he died. What
Peter emphasizes is that in that meeting, through Jesus we have a judge who
bases his decisions on forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What has changed is not that there is life beyond this one, he has always
believed that. But what has changed is how he sees God. God is no longer a
harsh judge, or a judge who favors one group of people over another. No longer
is God the one who is eager to sentence us. Rather, God has shown us something
quite different through Jesus. Sinners could be forgiven. The unloved could be
loved.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“A large prosperous downtown church had three mission churches under its
care that it had started. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches
came to the city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission
churches, which were located in the slums of the city, were some outstanding
cases of conversions thieves, burglars, and so on but all knelt side-by-side at
the Communion rail.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“On one such occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a
judge of the Supreme Court of England it was the judge who had sent him to jail
where he had served seven years. After his release this burglar had been
converted and became a Christian worker. Yet, as they knelt there, the judge
and the former convict neither one seemed to be aware of the other.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“After the service, the judge was walking home with the pastor and said to
the pastor, "Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion
rail this morning?"<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“The pastor replied, "Yes, but I didn't know that you noticed."
The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge
said, "What a miracle of grace." <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The pastor nodded in agreement. "Yes, what marvelous miracle of
grace." <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Then the judge said "But to whom do you refer?" And the pastor
said, "Why, to the conversion of that convict." The judge said,
"But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself." The
pastor, surprised, replied: "You were thinking of yourself? I don't
understand." <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Yes," the judge replied, "it did not cost that burglar much
to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of
crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was
salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help.
But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that
my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take
Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the
bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could
have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on level with that burglar. It took
much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self deception, to get me to
admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict that I sent to
prison."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Easter/Peter's%20Easter%20Sermon.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What Peter learns through this the death and resurrection of Christ is that
Jesus forgave him even when he turned his back on him. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This coming from a man who just prior to Jesus’ death denies him three times
before the rooster crowed. When he denied knowing Jesus, Jesus loved him
anyway. He has learned that God, rather than wanting to condemn us, wants to
forgive us. That is what God would prefer. And God doesn’t show partiality to
one group of people over another in offering that. God has set up Jesus as our
judge and he has shown that he is willing to welcome all people, even those who
would turn their backs on their best friends in times of trial. That’s what
Peter has learned.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As people who claim and follow the resurrected Christ we far too often want
to put limitations of the reaches of God’s forgiveness, we far too often want
to suggest that God does play favorites, we far too often act like God judges
different types of people using different criteria. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Peter at one time fell into that error himself. He thought God favored the
Jews. He thought that forgiveness was limited to those of his own religion. But
through life experience, dreams, and the Holy Spirit he realizes that that is
not what Easter teaches. Easter is about God’s love for all who believe. No
matter what color their skin, no matter what nation they come from, whether
they are immigrants or native peoples. No matter their gender, their criminal
record, the size of their feet, or what they had for breakfast this morning.
Not even their favorite sin matters, or the struggles they have in life. Christ
died and rose to forgive you and you and you and them and them and them.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Easter is more than just a story about a man who was dead who suddenly wasn’t
dead. It is about the power of God to bring life in all things, especially to
things that seem to have no chance at life. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In his nearly incredible report out of South Africa, No Future without
Forgiveness (New York: Image Doubleday, 1999), Archbishop Desmond Tutu's seems
to see Jesus in a very similar way to Peter – although he is a man of much more
flowery language, he says much the same thing. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Listen: "There is a movement, not easily discernible, at the heart of
things to reverse the awful centrifugal force of alienation, brokenness,
division, hostility, and disharmony. God has set in motion a centripetal
process, a moving toward the center, toward unity, harmony, goodness, peace and
justice, a process that removes barriers. Jesus says, 'And when I am lifted up
from the earth I shall draw everyone to myself' as he hangs from His cross with
outflung arms, thrown out to clasp all, everyone, and everything, in a cosmic
embrace, so that all, everyone, everything, belongs" (p. 265).<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Easter/Peter's%20Easter%20Sermon.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For Peter that is the miracle. No longer are we subject to sin, to death,
to shame, or to evil. Because we are drawn into the embrace of God through
Christ. Now we can live, fully and completely in Christ’s name. And all of this
is Christ’s gift offered to us without price.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Easter/Peter's%20Easter%20Sermon.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Tyndale,
Illustrations Unlimited, by James Hewett<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Easter/Peter's%20Easter%20Sermon.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> ChristianGlobe
Networks, Inc., ChristianGlobe Illustrations, by John Gibbs<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-87224474384824335842018-03-27T08:21:00.002-07:002018-03-27T08:21:13.372-07:00Sermon: Two Parades<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Mark 11:1-11<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Theologian and author Marcus Borg suggests that on Palm Sunday there were
two parades of very different types. The first parade we know about, it is
Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. And the people were so excited that
they cut branches from the fields, took off their cloaks and coats and spread
all of this stuff on the road. The idea is kind of like rolling out the red
carpet, they were giving Jesus something special to ride into town on. They
were making the road beautiful, welcoming him. And as he rode by they shouted,
“Hosanna (or save us) Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!”
<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">They were welcoming him as the one who would save them, who would make
everything good and right, who would be king – like David – and restore their
country and themselves in the eyes of God. Of course, your heard all of that
earlier in the story. So we have heard about that parade already.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But although we know about Jesus’ parade, there was very likely a second
parade on that same day that was better known by the people of Jesus’ time. You
see, the Passover was coming. The largest religious observance during the year.
Tens of thousands of Jewish pilgrims filled the city. And because of this it
was a time of the year when the Romans were afraid. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Remember, Rome ruled over Israel. The people were ruled by outsiders. And
during this festival, when there were lots of people together, it made those
rulers nervous. </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">If there was going to be any violence or revolutionary moment, if there was
going to be a riot or any attack on the Roman government buildings, this would
be the time. So right about a week before the Passover, the extra security
details from Rome would arrive. Imperial troops and cavalry to reinforce the
Roman garrison, and to keep the peace. That is usually the way outsiders try to
keep the peace, by using a show of force, military power and police presence. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So this parade would not have been popular with the people of the city. It
was a reminder that they did not rule themselves. It was a reminder that they
were subject to another’s power, and that if they tried to change that there
would be bloodshed. So you can imagine that the welcome the troops received was
not positive. There were probably shouts of, “Go Away!” and insults about the
emperor.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So Marcus Borg is saying that Jesus chose that day to ride into Jerusalem
to make a statement. His parade, his leadership was very different from the
Romans. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He did not lead with armies, warhorses, and weapons. Just a few rag-tag
disciples; he isn’t on a warhorse, just a donkey. “According to the prophet
Zechariah, the king entering Jerusalem on a donkey was to banish the weapons of
war from the land and speak peace to the nations. The kingdom of Rome on the
other hand was based on violence and the threat of violence.” The so called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pax Romana </i>or Peace of Rome, was a peace
brought by the sword.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So there is quite a contrast between these two parades. Imagine the
atmosphere at each, the emotions on the streets. The Roman one would have been
stern, frightening, and angry. Its tone would be ominous. The marching of feet,
the sounds of the horses, the rattling of weapons. Children were probably kept
off the streets, just so they wouldn’t be harmed. In my mind it is like a
parade of Imperial Stormtroopers walking through the city. But perhaps that is
a bit too silly and cinematic and geeky.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In reality it would be more like living in a place where there was a military
dictatorship, and the soldiers walked down your street to keep you under
control. Where the message was submit or die.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Compare that with Jesus, whose message is peace to the nations. Real peace
brought by a very different method – by changing hearts, by bringing people to
God, by loving neighbors, by restoring relationships. These are the things he
had been teaching. Peace through God’s kingdom. So the people did not cower in
fear from him, or shout insults. Rather they came out in joy and welcomed one who
would save them. This parade’s atmosphere was celebration. There was no fear of
what might happen to their children and so whole families gathered. People were
rolling out the red carpet, they threw their coats on the street, they shouted
religious greetings. Like the Memorial Day parade here in town, where everyone
is smiling.If you had to choose, which parade would you attend? [pause] I’d go
to the happy one, personally.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now in my imagination, as a worst case scenario, I wonder what if those two
parades collided downtown in Jerusalem? </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What if the two routes crossed and suddenly you had the Roman army facing
down Jesus and his disciples? You had the fear of oppression clash with the joy
of freedom. What would happen? Frightening thought isn’t it? It might end in a
massacre, as people shouted for Jesus as the new king, and the power of Rome
moved to crush it. Actually we don’t have to imagine too hard. Because it
actually happened in 70CE, less than 50 years after Jesus. [pause] It started
with riots in 66CE, and erupted into a 4 year war which ended when the Roman
army surrounded the city just a few days before Passover, then marching into
the crowded celebration, and eventually destroying the Jerusalem temple. See it
really happened.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But it also happens with Jesus, this collision of parades. Not literally.
Not on Palm Sunday. But eventually the things they represent clash. The
military parade and the Messiah of the people are destined to cross paths. And
in the end, the violence of Rome is so threatened by the Messiah who speaks
peace, that Rome cannot bear it and tries using all of the weapons in its
arsenal to silence it. They put him on trial. The soldiers strip him, whip him,
and call him names. They execute him publically, trying to humble him and silence
his message. It looks like a massacre. And yet what happens? Well, if it had
worked we would not remember this parade that welcomed Jesus, the violent one
would have won out. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But it did not, God would not allow Christ’s life to be silenced, the dream
of peace cannot be quieted by the noise of oppression. Eventually, the love,
the power, and the forgiveness of God win. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We know that, that’s why we celebrate today. The end of the story tells us,
love wins, peace wins. The man on the donkey defeats the army on horseback. The
man on the cross defeats those who try to put him to death: the governors, the
executioners, they cannot stop his power to change the world.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Still today there is this conflict between forces of oppression and those
of freedom. There are those who would use fear, violence, and oppression to
gain power. There are countries that abuse their own people. There are places
where police are not protectors but enforcers. There are places where the
military does not represent freedom, but it is meant as a threat.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And in those times and places, Jesus still rides into town on a donkey
suggesting that there is a different way. That there is a way of ruling
humanity that is built on very different principles. Where peace does not come
through death, but through God. Where life is meant for celebrating and
experiencing the joy of knowing that you are loved. His resurrection is a
reminder that this second way, is stronger than the forces of oppression. That
even executions and death cannot stop God from freeing God’s people.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For those who live under the thumb of military and police violence, it is
no wonder that Palm Sunday is such a huge celebration. It is no wonder that
they want to march the streets carrying palm branches to celebrate this Messiah
still today. There is hope, that he will ride into their town, through their
streets. That he will confront the hatred and brutality they face each day, and
overcome it. That is why we still shout the words, Hosanna, save us! Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord. Because we call for his reign in our
midst, and a new day for all of God’s people. </span><o:p></o:p></h2>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-66760670151125998612018-03-22T08:04:00.004-07:002018-03-22T08:04:36.517-07:00Sermon: Giving Up Our Lives<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 11:1-45<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As you know, our theme this year is about giving things up, and my subject
that I was given to talk about is giving up our lives. How many of you have
heard the old story of the boy who misunderstood what would happen when he gave
blood to save his sister’s life? [look around] It isn’t new, so I expect you
will recognize it when I tell you. And yet it is powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The pediatrician told a little boy that he could save his little sister's
life by giving her some blood. His six-year old sister was near death, a victim
of a disease from which the boy had made a miraculous recovery two years
earlier. The little girl's only chance for restoration was a blood transfusion
from someone who had previously conquered the illness. Since the children both
had the same rare blood type, the boy was an ideal donor.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Johnny, would you like to give your blood for Mary?" the doctor
asked. The boy hesitated. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, I'll give my
blood for my sister." Soon both children were wheeled into an operating
room. Mary was thin and pale. Johnny was robust and full of life. Neither of
them spoke.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As Johnny's blood siphoned into Mary's veins, one could almost see new life
come into her tired little body. The ordeal was nearly over when Johnny's brave
voice broke the silence, "Say, Doc, when do I die?"<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It was only then that the doctor realized what the moment of hesitation had
meant earlier. Johnny actually believed in that giving his blood to sister
meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he had made his great decision.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Obviously, in Johnny's mind his act of love toward his sister had no
personal reward. In fact, he believed that in helping her, he would not even be
around to enjoy whatever relationship he might share with his sister. He was
willing to give up his life for his sister.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is an old story but it still brings a tear to the eye. He had deep love
for his sister. The story led me to a thought experiment. Thought experiments
are things that physicists, like the amazingly brilliant Stephen Hawking who
died this week, that these physicists use to explore the depths of our
universe. Einstein used them to work out his theory of relativity. The idea is
that you think about a situation, and work out from what you know about the
world what the possible outcomes are. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My thought experiment today started out from that story – who would you die
for? Who do you love so much that you would die so that they could live? Just
shout out some people that come to mind – who would you give up your life for?
[open it up]<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, although giving up our lives is a big deal, as Christians we have
scriptures like the story of the dry bones, we have stories like Jesus raising
Lazarus from the dead, that tell us that death is not the end. So giving up our
lives isn’t quite a hopeless trade off. The expectation is that God will raise
us from the dead, that we will enter into the heavenly realm, and that we will
dwell in the house of God forever. So giving up our lives is a sacrifice, but
not it is not without its reward. Unlike the little boy, we have an expectation
of life after death.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I took my thought experiment a little further, and some of you might
find this a bit sacrilegious, but hang with me for a bit. Who would I be
willing to give up eternal life for, so that they could have eternal life? I
don’t mean like selling your soul to the devil, and going to hell – I mean, who
do you love so much, that if you could guarantee them a place in heaven, you
would be willing to give up your place in heaven? Who do you love enough to let
your final breath be the actual end of your life, and let the grave truly be
your final resting place? Is there anyone that you would risk that for?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And that is trickier in some ways, because now there really is no reward
for our act of love. There really is no promise of resurrection. And yet the
gift that we are giving is so much bigger than even the gift of life on earth.
We are giving the gift of heavenly peace and joy for eternity. Would you be
willing just to die and be done with life so that someone else, anyone else
might have life in heaven?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Like I said, it is a thought experiment, because I don’t think that God
works like that. I don’t think we can go and barter with God and say, let my
sister into heaven in my place. Rather, the idea is to get us to really think
about what we are willing to sacrifice for those we love. Would we give
everything?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As Jesus sat with his disciples at that last meal with his disciples almost
2000 years ago, as he looked around at their faces, it was much more than a
thought experiment. He had given up his place in heaven to live among us on
earth. He had lived with these men and women, journeyed with them, taught them.
Did he love them enough to risk death, death forever, that they might have
life?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As he walked out into the garden of Gethsemane to pray, as these people
could not stay awake for even one hour. Did he love them enough? Enough to
overcome the betrayal? Enough to overcome the denial? Oh, he knew the plan. The
plan was that God would raise him from the dead. But what if it didn’t work? Yet
even in the midst of the questions and the heartache, his love remained strong,
and he went forward. Walking toward the cross so that others might have eternal
life. That’s love.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Who do you love enough to give up your place in heaven so that they might
have eternal life? I can come up with a list in my mind. People that mean that
much to me. But I am not sure I would include in that list people who have
betrayed me, people who turn their backs on me, or people who I have never met.
I am not sure that I would include on that list murderers, or thieves, or
sinners of the worst sort. And yet Jesus did.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I am called to love people like he did. So I have to go back to my
heart and try to tell it to grow big enough to understand that others are worth
the risk. You see, the power of resurrection is not in the magic of conquering
the grave. The power of resurrection is in loving others enough to go to the
grave in the first place. That’s what makes resurrection happen. It is love
that overcomes death. It is love that knits together dry bones, it is love that
calls Lazarus from the tomb and bids him rise. Love at that depth has the power
to overcome anything. The betrayals of this world. The fears of this world. The
uninspired, tired and brokenness of this world. Love can overcome all of that.
And in their place, offer heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So who do you love enough to do what Jesus did for them? Do you love the
person in the pew next to you that much? With God’s help, may it be so! Do you
love the people in your home that much? With God’s help, may it be so! Do you
love the people you work with that much? With God’s help, may it be so! Do you
love the person who cut you off in traffic that much? With God’s help, may it
be so! Do you love the broken, the hurting, the wounded, the lost, the hopeless
that much? With God’s help, may it be so! Do you love the sinner, the accuser,
the abuser, the betrayer, the oppressor, and the fool that much? Only with God’s
help, but may it be so!</span><o:p></o:p></h2>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-66292220758531548342018-03-22T08:03:00.005-07:002018-03-22T08:03:40.647-07:00Sermon: On Our Hearts Until It's In Our Hearts<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Jeremiah 31:31-34<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I talked to you earlier about the new covenant that God promises to the
people of Israel while they are in Exile. Jeremiah shares an interesting image
– rather than engraving the law on stone tablets God will now engrave the law
on our hearts. We won’t have to try to learn it, or teach it, it will just be
there – guiding us.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Jeremiah’s vision is an amazing word of hope in times of evil and
injustice. The days are surely coming, when people will no longer be confused
about good and evil. It is certain, it will happen, people will be guided by
what is right and just. God will make a new covenant with us, and this one will
be written on our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I was researching this sermon, I found this reflection from Anne Lamott.
“There’s a lovely Hassidic story of a rabbi who always told his people that if
they studied the Torah, it would put scripture on their hearts. One of them
asked, ‘Why ON our hearts, and not IN them?’ The rabbi answered, ‘Only God can
put Scripture inside. But reading sacred text can put it on your hearts, and
then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.’”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%205/On%20Our%20Hearts%20Until%20It's%20In%20Our%20Hearts.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When I first read that story, it was clear that the rabbi was talking about
this scripture passage from Jeremiah. But I was not sure where to go with it. I
knew that it would take further thought. I mean, what is the difference between
having the covenant on our hearts instead of in our hearts. Why did the student
ask the rabbi that? Why did it matter to him?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is such a small difference, that difference between on and in. It is one
of the most difficult things to learn when you are learning a different
language. </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For example, I was an exchange student in Germany, so I learned rather
quickly that in German you don’t stand in a field. People think that is funny,
because it means you are buried up to your neck in the field. Rather, you stand
on a field, on the top of it.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But we don’t think of it that way. We think of being in the field, like we
are standing within its borders, while if I told you a farmer were standing on
his field, you would understand me, but you think it sounded strange. Why would
I need to tell you he was on top of it? I mean, if he weren’t on top of it, if
he were under it, that would imply something very different in English! Poor
Farmer Fred is six feet under his field.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The difference between in and on in this example is quite slight, and yet
somehow to each of our languages it is important. Likewise for this student of
the rabbi, the difference was probably slight but significant.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I thought more deeply about it. If I say that you and your family have
been <u>on</u> my heart, what does that mean? </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I think it means I am thinking about you. I have been feeling drawn to you,
as if I should reach out to you. It is a yearning, a desire, a need for
connection. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But if I say that you and your family are <u>in</u> my heart, it sounds
like the connection is more continual: like I am always carrying you with me,
that our emotional link is always there.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And perhaps that is what the student was getting at: he or she didn’t just
want to yearn for scripture or just have a desire for connection with it; but
the student wanted scripture to be carried around within their heart at all
times, to be always linked.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I think that explains the student’s question, but then there is the
rabbi’s answer, which explains that while studying the scripture can put it on
our heart, only God can put it in our hearts. And then he talks about how we
read scripture until our hearts break, and then the holy words fall inside. And
again, I was sure that rabbi was thinking about this passage in Jeremiah, so I
looked at it again as well. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And the word that most helped me, was the word that God uses for how these
words will be put upon our hearts. The phrase used is “I will engrave them on
their hearts.” Engrave. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What do you engrave words on? [expect answer of stone] Engraving is
something you do to write on that which is hard, that which is resistant to
change.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When we read scripture, it is engraved upon our hearts. And the process of permanent
change begins, but it is not completed, because our hearts are still hard, they
are still stone. But God can cause a change, and I think the rabbi is referring
to Ezekiel 36:26, where God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit in you. I will remove your stony heart from your body and replace it
with a living one, and I will give you my spirit so that you may walk according
to my regulations and carefully observe my case laws.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In a sense, I think that is what the rabbi meant by our heart breaking. When
he says our hearts break, I don’t think he meant it like we think of some lover
with broken heart, I think he may have meant when our stony hearts break, when
we allow them to become softened with love, when they become alive and shed the
stony exterior, then the words get inside, and then we can carry them with us
all the time. Then our connection with them is constant and complete. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After struggling for a while with the passage, that made sense, imagine the
stone heart, where God writes a new covenant on the outside, and these words slowly
cause the stone to erode and crumble until our hearts are flesh. But just
reading the scripture, even though it is amazing can’t do that. The change of
heart is so drastic, that to really soften us, to break away the stone, requires
God’s help. Then the new covenant can be lived. I think that is what the rabbi
is trying to tell the students.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The interesting thing is, I don’t think we are born with stone hearts. I
think we build them up over time. People hurt us, friends disappoint us, and
slowly layer after layer our hearts become stone. Kind of like the process of
an oyster creating a pearl. Only our stone heart isn’t very pretty. It starts
with an irritant and we try to protect ourselves. We don’t like to get hurt. So
we try to shelter our emotions, and we prevent ourselves from loving others
like God does.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Glynnis Whitwer writes in a devotion on Proverbs31.org, “My daughter
Cathrine held out her hands, palms up, for her brother to see. "Look, I
have bumps on my hands ... what are they from?"</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Robbie ran his fingers over her palms and answered with the authority of an
older brother, "These are calluses, you got them from lifting weights at
school. Look at mine."<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He turned his hands over, and she ran her fingers over his palms and
grinned.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My children's hands are a resume of their work in the gym. Calluses formed
to protect their tender skin from harm as they lift weights.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I sat at the table, watching the interaction, and then looked at my hands.
Smooth palms and short nails revealed my hardest workouts came at the keyboard,
not the gym. But a thought skirted in and around my mind: Where else might
calluses have formed?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Turning back to my computer, my eyes stared out the window and my fingers
stilled on the keys as an image came to mind. My heart ... covered in calluses.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I closed my eyes and sighed. That explained a lot. My heart is harder than
it used to be. And sadly, much harder than I'd like it to be.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It's easy to see how I've gotten here. Each time I've been hurt, my
approach to dealing with pain has been stoic. The warrior-like determination
inside me to protect myself had affected the softness of my heart. With each
offense, each lie, each rejection, I made a silent declaration to not be hurt
like that again.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">… My empathy was diminished, which is a very dangerous heart-position for
someone whom God has called to love others.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I'm convinced these calluses aren't supposed to stay there. A callused
heart may protect me from great pain, but it also keeps me from great love. To
love deeply, to love like Jesus, requires risk.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%205/On%20Our%20Hearts%20Until%20It's%20In%20Our%20Hearts.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Boy Oh Boy, do I get what Glynnis has written here. My heart has callouses!
Yet, this passage is talking about the cure for those callouses, that opens us
up to loving God and others like we are supposed to. As though one day we are
insensitive and incapable of loving like God does. Our hearts are
self-centered, they keep everyone except family and a few closer friends at a
distance. We can hear about loving our neighbor, but it just doesn’t soak into
us. The stone prevents us from changing. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But as time passes we learn to see all people like God does, and we realize
that they are connected to us. And the stone is broken away. We allow others
into our lives, we carry them with us. And slowly this circle of people grows,
until we love everyone as our neighbor.</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God promises that this will happen to us. It starts with reading scripture,
until the words will be written on our hearts. But then comes the miracle as
God softens our hearts and the words will fall into their depths. On that day
God’s promise will be fulfilled in us, “The days are surely coming when we will
no longer need to teach each other, because they will all know me, from the least
to the greatest, and I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember
their sins.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%205/On%20Our%20Hearts%20Until%20It's%20In%20Our%20Hearts.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Anne
Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%205/On%20Our%20Hearts%20Until%20It's%20In%20Our%20Hearts.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2014/09/25/my-callused-heart-needs-softening<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-35201726655256755522018-03-14T07:29:00.006-07:002018-03-14T07:29:54.051-07:00Sermon: Snake Bites<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There are several types of sermons that a pastor can preach: encouragement,
education, challenge to action, condemnation of sin, and so on. But all of my
sermons do have one thing in common, they start from a scripture passage or
two, and I let them set the tone. So in other words, sometimes the bible
passage seems encouraging and lends itself to a sermon that is encouraging. Sometimes
the scripture passage challenges us and it leads to a sermon that is
challenging. When I read the first of today’s scripture passages though, I was
not initially encouraged or challenged. In fact, if anything, I was left with
lots of questions. This may not be a passage you are familiar with. The setting
is that the Israelites have followed Moses out of Egypt. They have crossed the
Red Sea, they have been fed with Manna, they have made a golden calf and had
God get angry with them about it, they have been given the 10 commandments, and
through it all they have bellyached and griped, groused and whined.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Today’s passage is no different. Listen to Numbers 21:4-9</span></h3>
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<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">They marched from Mount Hor on the
Reed Sea road around the land of Edom. The people became impatient on the road.
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to
kill us in the desert, where there is no food or water. And we detest this
miserable bread!” So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people and they bit
the people. Many of the Israelites died.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The people went to Moses and said,
“We’ve sinned, for we spoke against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that
he will send the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The Lord said to Moses, “Make a
poisonous snake and place it on a pole. Whoever is bitten can look at it and
live.” Moses made a bronze snake and placed it on a pole. If a snake bit
someone, that person could look at the bronze snake and live.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I said, my first reaction to the passage was not encouragement nor
challenge, but questions. Perhaps as you listened, you may have had some
questions too. If not, I will share mine with you! You see, we have this
passage where the people of God have escaped slavery and are now marching
through the wilderness complaining with great gusto. So God sends poisonous
snakes to bite them. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, as a human being I get that. Complaints are annoying. Although I can’t
say that there has ever been a time when I was frustrated enough with someone
that I wished for a poisonous snake to bite them, I might wish for a
non-poisonous snake to bite them. But this is God. God is supposed to be above
that kind of petty emotional response. And yet God sends poisonous snakes. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I was watching a show on Dangerous Animals on TV this week, and it was
talking about the bite of the Fer-de-lance in Central America. Its bite is
seldom fatal anymore because of anti-venom, but people who are bit still
experience severe pain, oozing wounds, swelling, internal bleeding, gangrene,
amputation, and usually post traumatic stress. When fatal it is due to internal
bleeding and kidney failure. This is no fun way to die. So what kind of God
does this? This does not sound much like the loving Father that Christ talks
about.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And then, the very same God who ordered them not to build idols, who in
fact nearly killed all of the Israelites for making a golden calf, now orders
them to make a bronze serpent on a pole so that everyone who looks at it will
be cured from the poison. So bull idols are wrong, but snake idols are okay? Doesn’t
this all strike you as a bit odd? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So as I read the passage, I had many questions. What do we do with passages
like this? What do they tell us about faith in our time, faith in our life?
Should we be worried that God is going to send a poisonous snake to bite us if
we complain too much? Should we build a golden snake idol in each church for
people to look at and be healed? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Probably not. In the end this passage reminds us that there is a
complicated relationship between sin and suffering, between blame and shame,
and between God’s love and redemption.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%204/Snake%20Bites.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We live in a world were love is real and pain is real, where cancer is
real, and healing is real, where war and abuse and brutality are real, and
where compassion and friendship and peace are real. And God is working within
that complicated web to bring about our healing, wholeness and redemption. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So sometimes it is hard to tell whether God is punishing us or the world
around us is just unfair; sometimes it is hard to tell when God is rewarding
us, or we are just lucky. And the biblical writers struggle with that too. They
try to interpret events of their lives from God’s perspective. So when a rash
of snakebites happens, they wonder if their complaining caused it. Just like
you might wonder when you are diagnosed with heart failure if a sin in your
life led to God’s punishment. That is part of being human trying to make
connections between what is happening in our life and our faith. We ask, is it
my fault? And if so, what did I do?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Most of the time though, when bad things happen to us, although we might
have a little responsibility (like we forgot to check for poisonous snakes
before we reached into that woodpile), it is probably not true that God is
punishing us. For example, the flooding recently in Buchanan and Niles. God
wasn’t punishing us. There was no particular sin that the people who had houses
closer to the river had done that others had not. Rather, bad things happen,
that is part of what it means to live in an imperfect world, a world that is
still in need of God’s redemption. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So in general, while the answer to the question of “does God cause us to
get snakebites because we have done something bad” forces us to think seriously
about our responsibility – that isn’t the answer to the problem. The real
answer always comes later, when God reaches out with ultimate healing and
restoration. God does not leave the people in the predicament of suffering but
offers them a way out. You see, while we may question what we have done to find
ourselves suffering, God is busy saying to us, “Stop worrying about that, and
come to me for healing and protection.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So in this passage, although people are being bit by snakes, God gives them
a way out. God wants them to know that God is the answer to their problems. In
other words, when we worry about what we have done to deserve this, when we
wonder if we are being punished we are caught up asking questions when we
should instead be looking to the answer – God. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, I admit, this is a weird passage, but Jesus actually talks about this
passage at one point in his ministry. In fact, he talks about it right before
he utters one of his most famous of teachings. This is from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John 3:14-17</span></h3>
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<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Just as Moses lifted up the snake in
the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up so that everyone who
believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have
eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but
that the world might be saved through him. <o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What do you think of that? So Jesus says, that he is like the snake idol,
being lifted up before the world so that they can find healing and restoration
when the snakes of the world bite them. If they feel like they are being
punished, or they are suffering, rather than looking at the cause, rather than
trying to figure out what they did or didn’t do to deserve this – they should
look to him and they will find eternal life. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, not to punish
the world, not to send them all to hell, but that the world might be saved
through him. He is there to offer a way of healing for our hearts, minds and
souls.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The one who suffered is ultimately the answer to our suffering. The one who
died is ultimately the answer to our death. He shows us that innocent people do
suffer, innocent people do die, and yet there is also a way to overcome that.
By looking to God through Jesus Christ, by opening ourselves to the healing of
God, we are saved. Snakes may bite, their poison may actually kill us; but they
cannot destroy our soul. And we know that through our trust in our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, it is well with our souls. He has made sure of that for
us. We need not worry!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So today’s passage started out as one that was full of questions, and yes,
it is even a little disturbing, because it deals with people striving to make
sense of suffering (when life is a little disturbing).</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What we learn through Jesus’ teaching, is that God cares about our
suffering, and in fact, God cares so much that God does something about it. In
Moses’ day, it was a golden snake, but then later, it was the gift of God’s son
who came to show the depths of God’s love, who is willing to reach into our
world and bring us help and hope. In other words, the passage ends up being one
of encouragement! Who would have guessed that from where we started! I surely
didn’t. But God did!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%204/Snake%20Bites.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Seasons of the Spirit, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-55537676943436921202018-03-08T08:42:00.003-08:002018-03-08T08:42:42.109-08:00Sermon: Beautiful Laws<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Psalm 19<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I know that for many of you, when you are outdoors, walking in the woods, or
hunting ducks, or out on a lake, fishing for bluegill, you find yourself close
to God. And most days, I would agree. There is not much better than standing in
an old growth forest, or looking down from a mountain top, or kayaking down a
river with a heron on the shoreline ahead of me for connecting me with God. I
love sitting out at night and looking at the stars and the moon. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And so does the writer of our Psalm – “The heavens declare the glory of
God, the sky is God’s handiwork.” Or the lines about how the Sun is like a
warrior, that thrills at running its course through the sky. Clearly the writer
enjoys nature.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But the psalm also has this sharp turn in the middle of it. It switches
suddenly from talking about creation and nature, and then speaks about God’s
instructions, laws and regulations. “The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,
reviving one’s very being. The Lord’s laws are faithful making naïve people
wise.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Some scholars have said this shows that they were originally two different
psalms, and that somewhere along the line they got stuck together. </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Actually, that isn’t as crazy as it sounds. We stick songs together all the
time, we call them medleys. Not quite like a vegetable medley like on the
screen, but a song medley. You know how they work, you start out singing Beyonce’s
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hold My Beer</i>, and then in the middle
switch to Brittney Spear’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oops I Did It
Again</i>. And somehow the two make sense together. So some scholars think that
in the psalms along the way, these two very different songs – one about
creation and one about the law got stuck together.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But other scholars suggest that these two seemingly very different things
aren’t a medley at all, and that they actually started out together for a
reason. This second set of scholars say that the ancient Israelites understood
that what God taught us through nature is very much the same thing that God
teaches us in the law. They come from the same source, and they are both
beautiful and enlightening.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%203/Beautiful%20Laws.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In fact, according to the Jewish Virtual Library </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“in rabbinic literature, it was taught that the Torah” (or law) “was one of
the six or seven things created prior to the creation of the world. According
to Eliezer ben Yose the Galilean, for 974 generations before the creation of
the world the Torah lay in God's bosom and joined the ministering angels in
song . . . Rav” (a famous Babylonian rabbi) “said that God created the world by
looking into the Torah as an architect builds a palace by looking into
blueprints.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%203/Beautiful%20Laws.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That is such a totally different view of the connection between the natural
world and God’s law. The beauty of a sunset and the human need for rest are
related to each other. The fact that predators kill prey and the command that
humans shall not murder are intended to stand as contrasts. The strong bond
between a newborn and the mother is supposed to naturally imply the command to
honor our parents. And so when the writer of the psalms moves from talking
about the beauty of nature to the beauty of God’s law – it isn’t like switching
songs – it is just the next verse of a song about how beautiful the works of
God are. As we admire the palace, first we sing about the builder and then we
sing about the architect. As we praise God, first we sing about the world, and
then we sing about the laws that made it what it is.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So for just a moment think about it. How often have you thought of the instructions
of God as beautiful? How often have you sat and read through the book of
Leviticus which is generally agreed upon as one of the most boring things you
could read, with its list of law after law, and thought – that is so beautiful?
How often has it given you goosebumps? Probably never. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But let’s try, Here is Leviticus 6:1-7</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The Lord said to Moses, If you sin:
by acting unfaithfully against the Lord; by deceiving a fellow citizen
concerning a deposit or pledged property; by cheating a fellow citizen through
robbery; or, though you’ve found lost property, you lie about it; or by
swearing falsely about anything that someone might do and so sin, at that
point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the
property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you
for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found, or whatever it was that
you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add
one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty.
You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the Lord a flawless ram
from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering. The priest
will make reconciliation for you before the Lord, and you will be forgiven for
anything you may have done that made you guilty.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I could see your eyes glazing over. You were not thinking, “This is
beautiful, I am getting goosebumps.” You were thinking, “Lord, please make it
stop!” And yet really it is beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This is about justice and making wrongs right. Rather than allowing the
ugliness of fraud and cheating, robbery and lost property to go on unchecked,
this law talks about restoration. Not just punishing the person who committed
the evil. It is about making amends, not only with the person that was harmed,
but also with God. And quite honestly that is beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So if we look over the whole scope of the law. Think about how beautiful
the world would be if we actually heeded the law of God. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Add that to the natural beauty of the outside world. If we imagine a world
that truly loved their neighbors as themselves, if we imagine a world that
loves doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God; if we imagine a
world where swords are beaten into plowshares; if we imagine a world where the
teachings of Christ are lived out in our daily lives; it is beyond beautiful.
Just like a sunset with a thousand colors, or a night sky with a billion stars,
it is beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Out of curiosity, as you think about it, with this new frame of mind.
Considering the beauty of the law – what is the most beautiful law of God to
you? Would you be willing to share? [open it up for discussion]<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The law of God describes an ideal for what should be. It describes a way of
treating others and relating to them. It is the kind of world I want to live
in.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">[repeat some of those that were brought up in discussion]<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That kind of world is one which brings peace to my heart, mind and soul,
just like standing at the beach watching the waves roll in does. It is pure and
good. This is how it should be!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So maybe you don’t get goosebumps when you read God’s instructions, but
maybe you should. Maybe you don’t sigh and feel the deepest peace when you open
this book of God’s laws, but maybe you should. Because there is beauty here,
more pure than gold, and sweeter than honey.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As we meditate upon these things, our hearts and our lives are shaped into
those which are pleasing to God. God becomes the creator of the heavens, and
the savior of salvation of human hearts. Or in the final words of the Psalmist
God becomes our rock and our redeemer.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I don’t know if this psalm was originally a medley or not. But clearly
as it stands today, it reminds us that what God does is beautiful, and we
should admire it. All of it. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%203/Beautiful%20Laws.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Seasons of the Spirit, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%203/Beautiful%20Laws.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-written-law-torah<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-10864473476112087082018-02-28T11:50:00.003-08:002018-02-28T11:50:31.019-08:00Sermon: Generational Covenant<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There are not a lot of places where as many generations of people interact
as happens at church. Here we have children, youth, parents, grandparents,
great-grandparents, and sometimes even great-great grandparents. It is a
wonderful gift! Church is a place where each kid has lots of grandparents, and
each older adult, lots of grandchildren. It is a place where the knowledge and
love of God are taught by those with lots of life experience to those who are
still wide-eyed and excited by ants crawling on the sidewalk and the shape of
snowflakes. It is a place where the joy of life is taught to us by children who
remind us of all the goodness that God has created and how often we take the
wonders of the world for granted. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And all of this is quite intentional.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The passage in Genesis is a powerful moment in God’s relationship with
humanity. Here we have the creation of a covenant, “Walk with me. I will bless
you and you will be the ancestors of many nations.” Right away, the blessing is
not just for them as individuals, but it is meant to be a multigenerational
blessing. It is a blessing for Abrahm and Sarai, but also for their kids, their
grandkids, their great-grandkids, down through the generations to us. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is a reminder that our work has never just been about me or even my
generation. It has always included the future and those who will come after us.
That God has in mind our spiritual heirs, even as God had us in mind in the
days of Abrahm. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This type of generational blessing and covenant will be repeated at other
times in the Bible. In Deuteronomy 29:29</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses tells the people, “The secret
things belong to the Lord our God. The revealed things belong <u>to us and to
our children forever</u>: to keep all the words of this covenant.” David will
hear God tell him that one of his descendants will reign in Israel forever.
These types of promises from God remind us that God remains faithful throughout
time, not just yesterday, and not just today, but that God will also remain
faithful in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In today’s passage, as signs of that blessing God changes Abrahm’s and
Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah. Remember, these are not young people
receiving a new name, but older adults. Imagine at 99 taking a new name,
realizing that God is doing something so new in your life even in your old age,
that you feel like a new person, a different person. I must admit, that it hard
for me to imagine. I can’t think of what it would take for me in my life to
change my name. I wouldn’t be Rob anymore but Robraham or something like that. As
though part of me, the essential me is still the same, and yet there is also
something in my identity that is wholly new and changed because of the promises
yet to come. Again, God seems to be saying this isn’t about who you have been
or even who you are right now, but more it is about what is yet to be. That the
days ahead are going to be different than the days that are behind.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So how do we deal with that sense of the future practically? How do we
react to God’s promises about future generations while we are living in the
here and now? Are we all supposed to change our names?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I think we do it by being that intergenerational church. One of the
favorite phrases in the bible is the command to take care of the widows and the
orphans. In many ways that command reminds us to look for the suffering across
the generations and be a blessing. We could say, that we are responsible in
passing down the faith to the next generation, and we must also responsible for
honoring the generations before us. The vulnerable in each generation should be
the objects of our blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But often in our world, that doesn’t happen, because as George Orwell says:
“Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went
before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.” True? We think that
way. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is a video by AARP which challenges us to rethink that.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYdNjrUs4NM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYdNjrUs4NM</a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The advantage of the church is that we are a place with multiple
generations and if we do our work right young adults will learn from older
adults; older adults will learn from younger adults. Rather than being a
conflict between generations or a generation gap, church can be the place where
God is working on blessing us across all generations. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So for example, Christine Ross points out the following ways that
intergenerational life in the church is beneficial. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Children need interaction with adults who can be trusted role models as
well as with adults who will both teach children about the faith and live out
their faith among children. As teenagers disengage from parents in preparation
for adulthood, they need non-familial role models to show them the variety of
ways that Christian adults live out their faith. Young adults need older
mentors, older Christian friends who will walk with them as they move into
adulthood and whose enthusiasm for life can be shared as they begin mentoring
younger persons. Middle adults need to teach, and older adults need to share
life experiences with younger generations.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%202/Generational%20Covenant.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Intergenerational Ministry helps bridge the “generation gap.”
Bronfenbrenner asserted that a society in which the generations do not relate
to one another will experience social discord and eventually its demise. He
also wrote that parents need to be supported in raising children, and that
children and youth need opportunities to serve the community.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%202/Generational%20Covenant.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I think Christine Ross is pretty wise. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So here is the challenge for each of us as individuals today. What are you
doing to fulfill the intergenerational promises of God? </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Are you teaching the children (maybe not in Sunday School) but are you
being a role model for them and talking with the after worship? Are you caring
for the frail and shut in? Maybe not by being nurses or caregivers, but are you
calling them, encouraging them, asking if they are okay? Are you praying for
the children of today, not that they would be more like your generation was,
but that they would be more like citizens of the Kingdom of heaven? Are you
praying for the great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers that they would not
be left behind by uncaring families?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In other words: Our God is the God of our ancestors, and of those of whom
we will be the ancestors (whether literally or spiritually), so what is our
role in honoring those who have come before us (like Abraham and Sarah), and
also in preparing a world which blesses those who come after us? What are you
doing to be a part of it?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%202/Generational%20Covenant.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Being An Intergenerational Congregation, Christine Ross, <a href="http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/Issues/fall2007/5article3.pdf">http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/Issues/fall2007/5article3.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%202/Generational%20Covenant.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Being
An Intergenerational Congregation, Christine Ross, <a href="http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/Issues/fall2007/5article3.pdf">http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/Issues/fall2007/5article3.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-40102649335067156092018-02-20T07:45:00.000-08:002018-02-20T07:45:08.821-08:00Sermon: Rising Waters and a Rainbow<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Genesis 9:8-17<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I read recently that the Arctic ice is melting at the highest rate in at
least 1500 years. ͞Not wanting to accept one group’s assessment of the issue, I
looked at the Nation Snow and Ice Data Center, who state that arctic sea ice in
2017 has been declining 3.7% per decade since 1978 when satellite imaging
began. NASA’s estimate is considerably higher, suggesting that arctic sea ice
is decreasing at 13.2% per decade. The Pentagon has argued that we need to
update our defense strategy to deal with the diminishing ice levels.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As our global climate changes, rising seas, superstorms, and devastating
floods are a very real and ever-present threat.͟ I am not trying to be
political here; rather, what I want to observe is that we live, like Noah, on
the edge of a world with dangerous waters. Noah received a warning that a flood
was coming, and he was the one who listened, while others mocked him. While we
may not be worried over a worldwide flood, we do know that the changes in our
world have resulted in more frequent flooding, with water and storm damage
devastating people’s lives.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I personally have never experienced the true horror of a flood. I have been
caught in storm runoff that stalled our car when the water became over a foot
deep, and we have experienced the flooding of our church basement here. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But I have never experienced what Mike and Michaelann Hammods experienced. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“As darkness descended one May evening in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, rain fell
in sheets on the ranch-style house where the Hammonds family lived. Around 10
p.m., Mike and Michaelann Hammonds went downstairs to check the basement and
found water seeping under a window along the basement’s south wall. The couple
began to push boxes of clothes, toys, and household items toward the center of
the room.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Minutes later, without warning, the basement’s west wall gave way, and a
flood of cold, muddy water rushed in, engulfing the room and the couple and
covering the stairs. By the time the surge ended a few seconds later, Mike and
Michaelann were caught in eight feet of water, pinned in place by debris on
opposite sides of the room. They had to hold their faces just above water. The
smell of natural gas permeated the room.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Go get Don!” Mike yelled to their kids, Emma, 14, and Matthew, 13, who
were standing at the top of the basement stairs. Don Molesky, 49, a long-haul
trucker, and his mother, Helen, 75, lived across the street.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Don was mopping up water in his own basement when he heard the kids
yelling for help at his back door. He waded with the kids across the street,
where they led him to the basement stairs. When Don saw what was happening, he
called to Matthew to dial 911, then ran back across the street to get a saw.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“John Underwood, 29, vice president of a development and
property-management firm, had stopped his truck behind a disabled car at the
flooded intersection just outside the Hammondses’ home. When he got out to
check on the driver, he heard a girl scream, “My parents are trapped!”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“John, a retired Marine, ran toward the house. Once inside, he realized
that he’d have to cut a hole in the floor to reach the couple. He sent Matthew
to grab an ax from the garage.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Where are you?” John yelled through the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Here!” Michaelann responded from an area under the front door.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“John pulled up carpet and yelled out a warning to Michaelann, then swung
the ax and hacked a line across the living room floor. Don returned with his
circular saw, and the two men cut out a rectangular panel. John pulled back the
wood and heating ducts and thrust his hand into the water. Michaelann grasped
it, and John and Don pulled her out. Then Don wrapped Michaelann in a coat, and
a neighbor ushered her out of the house.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“The men were dizzy from breathing the gas, but they went back for Mike,
who’d been in the freezing water for about 45 minutes.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“John called down to Mike, who was found in a space under the hallway
between the living room and kitchen. As John and Don began to cut, three
firefighters arrived; together, the five men broke through and pulled Mike to
safety. “I couldn’t stop saying thank you, ” says Mike.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Three days later, city authorities condemned the Hammondses’ house. The
couple didn’t have flood insurance, but county officials agreed to buy the
house for the amount the family owed on their mortgage. They’ve relocated to a
furnished rental house close to their old neighborhood for the time being.’<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“John and Don didn’t consider for a moment that their lives were in
danger,” Mike attests.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“As for the heroes, they were simply happy to help their neighbors. Says
John, “Now we’re all connected.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%201/Rainbows%20and%20Rising%20Waters.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And here perhaps is the greatest similarity with this story and the story
of Noah. You see, Noah experienced the flood and then the rainbow. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It wasn’t until after the storm, after the flood that he knew that God
deeply and truly was committed to creation and saving it. Like Mike and
Michaelann, Noah first had to face the horror and devastation of the flood
itself. And he must have been worried in the midst of it. It isn’t until after
going through the deep waters that he is shown the promise of the rainbow and
God’s promises for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And how symbolic is that of our lives regarding how troubles in our life
occur? Most of the time we face the deep waters, the problems, the heartaches
of school shootings before we ever experience any of God’s promises that it
will be okay. The pain and the trauma come first, and then the hope.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And yet, one of the things that we often forget is that we live in a world
where the rainbow promise has already been made. We already can trust that God
is going to protect us, even in the midst of the storm. We shouldn’t be worried.
As one commentary says, we know that ͞”The rainbow reminds us God is the saviour,
not the one from whom we must be saved. Always. Because – more than anything
else – God is love. Full stop. And that love is mightier than a raging river
and deeper than a roiling chasm. It pierces the night like a bolt of lightning
illuminating the cloud filled skies. It rumbles over the face of the earth
shaking the ground with its message – a message not of fear, but of love; a
message not of judgment but of grace; a baptismal message, a covenant promise.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%201/Rainbows%20and%20Rising%20Waters.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
͞<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Noah did not have the luxury of the covenant until after the flood. As the
waters rose and the torrents rushed about, as the waves tossed the ark, would
he have known that he could trust God? Probably not. God hadn’t made any
promises to anyone else at that time. There was no Abraham who God told he
would have descendants as numerous as the stars, there was no David whose Son
would reign forever over Israel, there was no Christ with his promise of
eternal life – no rainbow in the sky – just a warning from God that a flood was
coming and he should get ready. Could he trust this God? We know he could, but
he didn’t. In the same way Mike and Michaelann had to trust that their kids
would find help, that these neighbors that they had never had to rely on in an
emergency would be the kind they could trust. And fortunately, they could. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I could end my sermon there with the basic message that we live in a
time when we know we can trust God and we can hold on to that. However, that
isn’t really enough. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is also a challenge to us from that passage. We must be people who
also claim responsibility for that promise that God made to creation. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God said the earth would not flood again, and we have a role in being the flood
preventers, flood responders, and rainbow rememberers. Alongside God, we are
meant to be ones who are protectors of the promise. As followers of God, we
have always been co-workers in God’s history of salvation, we are the Noah’s
who build arks, his children who collect and preserve animals, and in the
process sharers of God’s love. We should be the Johns and the Dons who cut
through floors to save our neighbors, we should be the people who respond to
cries for help, we should be people who help those who are in the horror of the
floods of life, and are searching for rescue. Like I said, we are the flood
preventers, the flood responders and the rainbow rememberers.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The rainbow reminds us that God’s intention is not to destroy through
flood, it reminds us that God is the savior not the one from whom we must be
saved, but it also reminds us that we have a role in that – just as Noah did --
a calling to hard work to bring salvation not just to other people, but to all
of creation.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is a call to action in this story. A call to action based upon the
hope that God gives us, that God is a God who saves. God is a God who can be
trusted, and often we are the eyes, hearts and hands of God in the world who
make God’s salvation real. So when the storms hit, and they will; when the
floods come, and they will; be people of the rainbow. Bring healing, bring
hope. Be agents of God’s goodness even in the face of rising waters.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
<div>
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%201/Rainbows%20and%20Rising%20Waters.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <a href="https://www.rd.com/true-stories/survival/flood-rescue/">https://www.rd.com/true-stories/survival/flood-rescue/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Lent%201/Rainbows%20and%20Rising%20Waters.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Seasons of the Spirit, 2018.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-15624924668389890022018-02-20T07:43:00.002-08:002018-02-20T07:43:27.420-08:00Sermon: Who Am I Following<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Mark 9:2-9<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Imagine for a moment that you are Peter, James or John. You were fishermen,
and you gave up your lives fishing to follow this man, Jesus. You gave up
everything: not just your jobs, but your family, your friends, your homes, and
everything you knew in life to do it. And day by day as you followed him you
saw amazing things. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">If you glance at the book of Mark, since joining Jesus, they have seen him
heal people with unclean spirits, cure those with paralysis, withered hands, make
the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and even bring back a to life a dead girl;
they have witnessed miracles as he stilled a storm while they were sailing in
it, fed huge crowds of people twice, and walked on water; they have heard him
teach with many parables, explain spiritual life and predict that he would die
and rise again. They have witnessed a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But if you are anything like me, always in the back of your mind there would
be little nagging thoughts like, “These are not normal things that he is doing.
Is he safe? Who is this man? Because if I can’t answer that question, why am I
following him?” You see, I am really good at second guessing my decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Like the decision to ask to move this year. I know that for the church and
its finances it is a good idea, and yet, I am terrified by the thought – I
haven’t had to adjust to a new place or a new group of people in almost 12
years. I know you, and I love you anyways! So there is a part of me that says,
you shouldn’t have requested a move, even though I know deep down that it will
be for the best.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I know myself well enough to know that if I were one of the disciples,
there would be moments when I would be missing my family, or missing the days
going out and fishing, when I would ask, “Did I make the right decision to
follow him? Should I go back to my family and the life of safety and security I
knew? Or should I continue following? Fishing made sense, but this, this new
life often doesn’t.” I know there would be a part of me, if I were Peter, James
or John that would wonder if I had made the right decision. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And then comes this day, this day where we are on a mountaintop and
suddenly Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, and the a cloud of the presence of
God settled on the mountaintop and proclaimed, “This is my Son, whom I dearly
love. Listen to him!” </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Well, now what would I feel? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This moment would certainly help answer my questions about who Jesus is,
and whether I had made the right decision in following him. If you are going to
follow someone, the Son of God seems like a good choice among all the options
out there. I mean, follow a politician or a teacher or a pastor or the Son of
God. Hmm, seems pretty easy. So I would be more confident that I had made the
right choice in following Jesus. But this experience on the mountain which we
call the transfiguration still leaves me with questions – what does it mean for
Jesus to be the Son of God? And what is expected of his followers?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">These are not easy questions. When a person applies to be ordained in the United
Methodist Church, one of the questions we have to answer at great length is,
“What does the Lordship of Christ mean?” </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In other words, what does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God, and what
is expected of his followers. Sound familiar? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For me, I summarized Christ as the love and wisdom of God in human flesh.
Christ is God’s love put on earth, in motion, and at work in the world. He is
also God’s wisdom and word, that teaches us and instructs us what we are to do
and be as the people of God. For me that is what it means when I say that
Christ is the Son of God, but clearly that is only how one person answers that
question. Each of us perceives it slightly differently, explains it with
different emphasis, and struggles with the question in our own way. If we all
understood it the same way, we wouldn’t have to ask the question. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale University wrote a remarkable study of the
significance of the person and work of Jesus Christ titled Jesus Through the
Centuries. Dr. Pelikan demonstrates how Jesus has been the dominant figure in
the history of Western culture. Each age has made Jesus relevant to its own
needs. Jesus has furnished each new age with answers to fundamental questions
as every generation has had to address new social problems that tested the more
fundamental questions of human existence. The world had to take note of Jesus
as a rabbi, as the Cosmic Christ, the Ruler of the World, the King of Kings,
the Prince of Peace, the Son of Man, the True Image of Man, the Great
Liberator. In many other ways Jesus furnished the answers and the images that
affected society in positive ways.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Dr. Pelikan's thesis is that Jesus did not and does not belong to the
churches and the theologians alone, but that he belongs to the world. None of
this is to say that we can make Jesus what we want Jesus to be. Quite the
opposite. It is to say that the Christ is adequate for all our needs and that
Jesus transcends culture in such a way that he is able to belong to each age
and to address the issues of all time.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Transfiguration%20Sunday/Who%20Am%20I%20Following.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Whew, that’s pretty heavy stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It reminds me that even after reading great theologians, and personally writing
a many page paper on the Lordship of Christ, I still must confess that like
Peter I am still somewhat ignorant. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is still mystery and confusion about the nature of Christ, and that
leaves me a little out of sorts so that I don’t quite know what to do. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Thus Peter wonders aloud, should we build things to honor God? A question
we still ask. Is it important to have shrines where holy encounters take place?
Or is there other work that is more important? See, Peter doesn’t look quite so
foolish when you realize we struggle with the same questions.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I like what one commentary says about this, “As we stand with the disciples,
we share with them their ignorance for fully comprehending these events. Yet we
are not left purely baffled. The voice of God gives us definite insight and
directions: Jesus Christ is God’s beloved son, and we are to heed his words.
Under the authority of Christ and in obedience to his teaching, we are called
to live our lives.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Transfiguration%20Sunday/Who%20Am%20I%20Following.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or in my own words, when we walk with the disciples we realize that we also
are confused by what we have seen. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But we also hear the voice of God telling us that our primary job as a
follower is to listen to Christ, to experience his resurrection from the dead
and then to be witnesses to what we have seen.</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Listening to him is not just hearing his words. When someone commands us to
listen to them, they aren’t asking us simply to hear them, but they usually
want us to actually heed their words. It is more than using our ears, but also
our hearts, minds and hands. We must absorb his words into ourselves so that
they are our very way of life. Listening to Christ means living out his
teachings.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Experiencing his resurrection is not just arguing about the historical
accuracy of the biblical account, but it is seeing how Christ continues to
bring life to the world around us today. It is understanding that he is able to
overcome hatred and death with the power of God’s eternal love – not just for
himself, but that he leads us all to that victorious place. It isn’t just
reading about it, but it is seeing it as it happens, in our lives and in the
lives of others.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Witnessing to what we have seen is not simply seeing it and recording it in
our memories, but it means being willing to tell others about our experiences.
A court witness who had seen the crime but could not testify about it would be
no use. To be witnesses to Christ means striving to tell the truth about our
experiences of him in our lives. It means sharing what we have learned: the
good, the bad and the ugly. It means passing on what we have heard and what we
have experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That’s really a summary of our job as followers. Listen, experience and
witness. Or in words that are closer to our church vision statement: See, love,
serve. Use your eyes, your hearts and your hands.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So as we follow Christ, we realize that what is possible with God is
miraculous, and mind-stretching. It can leave us feeling ignorant and foolish.
Despite that, God’s expectation of those of us who witness such miracles is
relatively simple. Sit at the feet of Christ, learn from him, discover the
death-challenging power of resurrection, and then show and tell others the good
news.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Transfiguration%20Sunday/Who%20Am%20I%20Following.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> CSS
Publishing Company, Which Way to Jesus?, by Harry N. Huxhold<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Transfiguration%20Sunday/Who%20Am%20I%20Following.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary by Soards, Dozeman and McCabe<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-8210621967349722202018-02-07T07:53:00.005-08:002018-02-07T07:53:35.936-08:00Sermon: Even Eagle Scouts Grow Weary<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Isaiah 40:21-31, Mark 1:29-39<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In a combination of the scripture and scout Sunday – my title is in some
ways a play on words. But it is also a reminder of the truth. No matter how
awesome we are, all of us as human beings grow tired. Even a scout is tired
after backpacking 15 miles in one day with a heavy pack through the Smokey
Mountains – I know from experience!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or watch a marathon runner. They get to the finish line and their legs
start to give out, they wobble, they fall down, they collapse in physical
exhaustion. 2012 Olympic marathon runner Desiree Davilla says that it takes her
a full two weeks off from exercise to start to recover. Then she takes two more
weeks very lightly. That’s one month.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Epiphany%205/Even%20Eagle%20Scouts%20Grow%20Weary.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
As great a condition as these peak athletes are in, they hit the wall following
this event, and their body has to recover.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The same is true even if we aren’t marathon runners or backpackers. In
life, there will be times when we stumble, when we are tired, when we feel
burnt-out. When we simply can’t go another step and we have to stop and rest.
It doesn’t matter how amazing we are, it can happen. Nobody can go 100% all the
time. Eventually we will collapse. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And we haven’t even talked about the other thing that Isaiah talks about,
getting old. That happens to us all if we live long enough too. It is part of
life. And as we age, our bodies eventually wear out. Our knees need to be
replaced, our elbows hurt, our energy is less than it used to be, and we take
more naps. Isaiah is reminding us, that no matter who we are: youths will grow
weary and tired, young men will stumble. Given enough time – it will happen.
That is part of being human. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Isaiah then contrasts us with God. You see, God’s strength is not like ours.
God’s strength is everlasting. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God has been around from the beginning crafting and shaping the universe. Isaiah
reminds us that every day the sun rises and sets without fail. That seeds are
planted, root and grow because the breath of the Lord blows upon them. God’s
strength is unending.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Isaiah then goes on to say that when we are confronted with this dichotomy:
our weakness and God’s strength it is tempting to say “My way is hidden from
the Lord, my God ignores my predicament.” In other words, we may think we
shouldn’t grow tired if God is with us, and so if we do grow tired, God must be
ignoring us. That is what the Israelites are saying in their troubled times
when this was written. But it isn’t true –even if we feel abandoned and worn
out, we are not ignored and unimportant. It is simply part of being human that
we need rest. God doesn’t work by taking away our human limitations; rather,
God works by restoring us through rest, through healing and through wholeness.
God reminds us of our humanness, reminds us that we are not like God, and helps
us to be at our best again.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So God’s strength is not one that takes away the struggles and the
difficulties of life. God doesn’t make it so we can run a marathon without
getting tired; instead God uses that strength to bring us healing and
wholeness. God uses that month of rest to do miracles within our body, healing
the bones, the cells, and restoring our strength. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The hardest part of this for us as humans is that oftentimes this healing
and recovery do not happen until after we have already hit bottom. God’s timing
is often not our timing. And yet the message of Isaiah to a people who have
given up hope is of God’s ability to renew and restore, to bring about
refreshment even after they have collapsed. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.5pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themeshade: 191; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Just to help us understand that, let’s look at another passage. This is
from the gospel of Mark, and it is about Jesus and his healings.</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">After leaving the synagogue, Jesus,
James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in
bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He went to her,
took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served
them.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That evening, at sunset, people
brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. The whole town gathered
near the door. He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he
threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they
recognized him.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Early in the morning, well before
sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in
prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they
told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He replied, “Let’s head in the other
direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. That’s why
I’ve come.” He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
throwing out demons.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Listen to this quote from Bruce and Katherine Epperly, “Jesus was a pulsing
center of divine power and energy. Like an electrical transformer, the energy of
love flowed from Jesus toward persons in need of physical, relational,
emotional, and spiritual healing. The power that emanated from his touch and
presence was akin to the power of the big birth and the first light of
creation, the primal energy that penetrates the darkness and brings forth life
from God’s womb of creativity. Grounded in his unity with God, Jesus was the
connective “vine” through whom God’s life-giving energy flowed abundantly to
everyone he touched.” (SOS)<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But he still needed to get away. His human body could only take so much.
Even Jesus had to rest, he could only heal so many people, only put in so many
hours of work, before he would collapse. Then what restored him was that
connection with God, his time of prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We also should be seeking that connection with that renewing and restoring
power of God, especially when we are exhausted. Because that connection with
that energizing touch of Christ is still available to us – </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When we grow weary, tired; when we are in need of healing physically,
emotionally or spiritually, we can reach out and be connected through the vine
to our very creator -- the one who made the grasshoppers, the redwoods, and the
stars in the heavens.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I can certainly give personal examples. There have been many times in life
when I have been exhausted. There are days when I need to go home early. Days
when visitations at the hospital, or when funerals and grieving families start
to weigh heavy on my soul. There are days when I personally am struggling with
depression. There was one stretch, one summer here when I did 10 funerals in 8
weeks. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I needed rest. But God didn’t
leave me there. Over time with prayer, and with reconnection to the love of
Christ, and allowing his love to refill me, and flow through me again, I was
restored. It probably took days and weeks, perhaps even months to completely
feel restored, but eventually it came. Vacations help! (That’s why I went away
last week, I was feeling exhausted). That is part of being human. We run and we
do fall down. We do grow tired. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But God does not abandon us. We can find ourselves renewed in strength, so
that we can fly like the eagles, run and walk with growing weary (at least for
a while). </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">God gives power to the tired, and revives the exhausted, brings healing to
the sick, and hope to the downtrodden. When we hit bottom, when we collapse,
that help and power is available to us. And we need to take advantage of it. We
can connect to that life-giving energy, that primal power of the divine, and
while it will not make us gods, it will revive us and give us renewed strength.
Yes, it can take days, weeks, even months.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So when you are tired, it is okay. God hasn’t abandoned you. Rather, it is
part of being human. Even Eagle Scouts Grow Weary. But know that God can
restore you. And when the day comes when your body ultimately gives in to age
and needs its final rest, God will restore you then too. Giving strength to
your soul, healing to your spirit, and allowing you to mount up with wings like
angels into the heavenly realm.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
<div>
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Epiphany%205/Even%20Eagle%20Scouts%20Grow%20Weary.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> https://runnersconnect.net/coach-corner/how-much-time-do-you-need-to-take-off-after-a-marathon/<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-32549553971611288442018-01-31T07:02:00.001-08:002018-01-31T07:02:02.794-08:00Sermon: Some Assembly Required<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Mark 1:14-20<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Jesus begins his ministry with the words, “Now is the time. Here comes
God’s kingdom!” As though he is saying today is the day. Too often we talk
about the kingdom of God as something that is not yet here, that is still to
come in the future. And I confess I have done that too. But that isn’t how
Jesus starts his ministry – he starts it saying, “Now is the time.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I remember one of my professors asking the very provocative question, “When
does eternal life begin?” He was trying to get us to think about whether we had
to die before it started. Is it a future reality or are we even in this life
beginning that time of eternity? Jesus’ statement is much the same, “Now is the
time.” The kingdom is here, eternal life has begun, you are already stepping
into the new.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Of course, we also still have a foot in the old. This world is not yet
perfect. There are still tears and death and grief. There is still evil and violence,
hatred and rejection. We ourselves still have bodies that grow weak, and
spirits that are capable of sin. But even so we are also stepping into the new.
It is here, just not finished. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is like at Christmas when you were a kid, and you unwrapped the present
that was just what you wanted. You were so excited, there it was, it was really
yours. But when you opened the box, there were those words you hated to see –
some assembly required. And so you had to wait while dad or mom got out the
screwdriver, the wrench, the hammer, the arc-welder, whatever was required and
put it together. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Funny story. Have you heard about the man who ordered a tree house over the
internet? </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When the box arrived, it had printed on the top the words that have become
every parent's nightmare: "Some assembly required." I didn’t know
Ikea made treehouses.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The man began to assemble the tree house (but would you believe it?) as he
laid out all the parts on the floor and began reading the instructions, he
realized (to his dismay) that the instructions were indeed for a tree house,
but the parts were for a sail boat!!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The next day, he sent an angry e-mail message to the company complaining
about the mix-up. Back came the reply:<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"We are truly sorry for the error and the mix-up and the
inconvenience. However, it might make you feel better to consider the
fascinating possibility that somewhere today there is a man out on a lake
trying to sail your tree house."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Epiphany%203/Some%20Assembly%20Required.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Fortunately, with the kingdom of God, we know that we have the right plans,
and the right parts, but what we need are the workers. I think that is what
Jesus was saying that day, “Now is the time. Here comes God’s kingdom. Some
assembly required. And I am recruiting assemblers.” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now I know that Jesus uses a very different metaphor in the scripture
passage. He talks about recruiting fishermen and women. But the idea is the
same. Jesus is recruiting people to do the work of the Kingdom. In my example,
rather than fishers, Jesus is looking for assemblers who can put together the
gift that God has planned for us. And that’s what the disciples were, people
who started putting the kingdom together. And you and I are the next generation
that has been hired for the job, to keep the work going.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You see, some buildings take longer than others to complete. Construction
on St. Peter's Basilica began in 1506 and was not completed until 120 years
later in 1626.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That means that it is very unlikely that the workers that started on it
were the same ones that were there on its completion. Unless you had some kid
who started at six helping carry tools who was still there in at 126 putting
finishing touches on the decorations. In fact, during this time of construction
there were 17 popes. So the vision for the project and the person in charge of
the fundraising changed frequently. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We also know that the original architect was Donato Bramante, but when he
died just 6 years into the project he was replaced by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino,
who was also a famous painter. Raphael died in 1520. Worked stalled for a bit,
until Antonio da Sangallo the Younger became the chief architect and proposed
several changes, including strengthening the supports which had already begun
to crack. In 1547 Michelangelo became the superintendent of the building
program at St. Peters. He eventually handed the work off to Giacomo della Porta
and Domenico Fontana. And I am going to quit there because I quit trying to
pronounce all those Italian names!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As you can see, popes changed, architects changed, building supervisors
changed. I would also suspect there were many changes in the construction
supervisors, the work team leaders not to mention the building crews. The fact
is, such a large and complex work required handing off the responsibilities to
the next generation in order to complete the work. How did they do that? Well,
they left a few drawings, explanations and details, but the most helpful method
of keeping the final goal in mind was a large wooden model of the finished
product. It was understood from the beginning that the project was going to
take longer than one person could bring to completion. And they knew they
needed to pass on the information. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">With the kingdom of God, That is what you and I are called to do and be as
well. We are the ones who have been handed the work, job by job and role by
role from the very hands of the disciples. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We are the current assembly crew, and we are also the one’s training the
next crew that will replace us in the task. It is a little humbling to realize
that each of us will be replaced, that our plans may not be the final ones, and
that our names will probably be forgotten. (I mean who remembers who cut the
stone that is the 5<sup>th</sup> from the left and 6 up in St. Peter’s
basilica?) But we still do the work to the best of our ability, to the best of
our knowledge of what will work best. At the same time we teach the next
generation how to use the tools of the trade.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And we have a model, in the form of the teachings of Christ, and we have
the work that has been done in the twenty centuries since Christ, so we aren’t
building from nothing. Yet we also know the project is far from completion. And
sometimes there are cracks in what has been done before us, and we have to
patch and fix it along the way. But still Jesus says, “The kingdom is here.” He
didn’t say it is coming, but it is here. The gift is sitting on your floor like
the Christmas gift you’ve opened.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And like those before us, we must pull the pieces out of the box, and
strive to put it together. Thankfully the master has given us instructions on
how -- but he still expects us to use
our hands for the work. As he says, the time is now!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So just for a moment consider, what is your role in the assembly of God’s
kingdom? What is your contribution? Are you a designer with an eye for beauty?
Are you a nuts and bolts person who understands the practical parts? Are you
the organizer who helps bring people together to get the work done? Are you the
financier who helps pay for it? Are you a little of all of these things? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I was driving this week, I was listening to a book on church leadership,
and I heard to story of Hal and Gus. These two men attend church together every
week. Hal is in a wheelchair, and Gus is blind. Gus pushes Hal, and Hal tells
Gus which way to go, where to turn, etc. Together they are a great example of
the church. We each have limitations, but we also have abilities that we can
share with others. Alone we might not get where we are going, but together we
can. So your skills are important, each of us is needed to assemble the
Kingdom. Designers, construction crew, organizers, and financers.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Because Jesus is calling all of those kinds of people to keep doing the
work. And he needs you. He can even train you to be the next link in the
important chain that brings the kingdom of God to completion.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
<div>
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Epiphany%203/Some%20Assembly%20Required.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> ChristianGlobe
Networks, Inc., ChristianGlobe Illustrations, by James W. Moore<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-70600112219615848602018-01-17T07:13:00.002-08:002018-01-17T07:13:19.686-08:00Sermon: The Best Call Story is Yours<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">1 Samuel 3:1-20<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Twice a year I and a great team of others from around the state lead a two
day seminar for people who are considering going into professional ministry. It
is the first step of a journey toward becoming a pastor. One of the important
parts of that seminar is sharing stories of call – kind of like Samuel’s. We
bring in pastors from around the state who share how they felt God’s call.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When we use the phrase God’s call, what we mean by that is how they
struggled to know what God wanted them to do with their lives. How did they
know that God was leading them into pastoral ministry? What had God done to
draw them or to push them that direction? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The story of Samuel is a perfect example of a call from God. But most
people’s stories are more complex than this one. Usually they don’t hear a
voice in the night, but there is clearly a leading from God and the involvement
of other important people. So I invite pastors from around the state to share
their call stories with these people who are considering ministry. The idea is
that by hearing how other people knew and understood God’s leading, it might
help these new folks who are trying to figure out God’s call in their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.5pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themeshade: 191; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So for example, during these presentations I might tell how I ended up in
pastoral ministry. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My grandmother was one of the most amazing women that I have ever known.
She had 8 kids, and she prepared every one of them to be very successful. One
of her dreams was that one of her children would be a pastor, but that dream
did not come true. My dad thought about it, he met with the supervising
committee to talk with them about it, took a some classes in preparation, but
the meeting didn’t go well, and he didn’t do very well in the classes, so he
went into engineering. My dad had told me all of this as I was growing up – so
perhaps God was planting a seed early on. My grandmother died my freshman year
of college.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That was a very difficult time for me, I had a lot of suicidal thoughts.
But across the hall from me lived a wonderful friend, and he invited me to
become involved in a Christian group on campus. It was a great place of
friendship and fellowship, and it taught me just how deeply God loved me, even
if I didn’t deserve it. Through that group during the summer between my
sophomore and junior year I went to a three week leadership camp, where I
learned an incredible amount, but I also had a moment during one of our meetings
where I knew that God wanted me to be a pastor, so I said to God, “Yes, I will
do that.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">About an hour later I changed my mind, I remember praying, “God, I don’t
think I need to be a pastor, I can serve you just as well as a teacher or a
professor.” You see, I planned to get a doctorate in English Literature and
work at a university. So I followed my plan. In my senior year in college I
sent out applications to all sorts of graduate schools to pursue my doctorate
in English Literature. I even got a full ride offer.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Before going to graduate school I decided to take a year off and earn some
money to pay for this further schooling. And that is where the weird started to
happen. The school that had offered me a full-ride lost my application, and the
opportunity vanished. I sent out other applications and was not accepted at any
of the other schools. I began to wonder what was happening while I remembered
in the back of my mind that commitment at camp.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So again I prayed, “God just to humor you, I will send out one seminary
application. Just one. And we’ll see what happens.” What happened was that as
soon as they received it, they personally called me, and asked me to come and
visit. I did, and before I knew what was really happening I was enrolled and
attending United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">During my second year of seminary, I started working at a church for the
first time, and I knew that this was what God wanted me to do, and it was what
I needed to do. And my grandmother’s dream was fulfilled, and from heaven I
know she was proud of me. That’s my call story.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So during this seminar that I lead, we have the attenders gather in small
groups and share how they got to this point. What is it in their lives that has
made them think God is calling them to a professional ministry? </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">They share, like I shared. It is a deeply personal and powerful time of
reflection. There is laughter and tears. What I’ve learned from this is that
although Samuel’s call story is pretty amazing – the best call story is yours. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I mean, it is pretty cool that God calls Samuel in the night four times,
that Samuel actually hears the voice of God, that Samuel mistakes the voice of
God for that of his master. And it is a little creepy and frightening that his
first job is to tell his master, Eli, that God is angry with his family and
will punish him, so that their family will no longer be priests in the temple.
From that moment Samuel is a prophet of God, bringing messages of hope and
messages of condemnation. That is a cool call story. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But yours is still better. Because your call story is the one that God has
for your life. Sharing that story is more powerful than sharing Samuel’s
because it is real to you – you have lived it.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, I know that not everyone is called to professional ministry. But
everyone is called. That calling may be to be the best Christian business
executive you can be, it might be to be the teacher that demonstrates God’s
love to the kids, it might be to help serve at every potluck the church has, it
might be to volunteer at RAM, it might be speak a prophetic word to leadership;
but we are all called by God, every day. Sometimes it is easy to hear that call
(like a voice calling to Samuel) – and other times it can be very hard to tell
if God is speaking to us or not (like mistaking that voice for the voice of the
master). Sometimes we accept that call (like saying “God, I will do that”),
sometimes we refuse it (like saying “God, I don’t think I need to be a pastor”).
But you are called whether you hear it easily or not, whether you accept it or
not. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Think about that for a moment, how did you get to where you are? Where has
God led you? When have you felt God nudging you?</span></h3>
</div>
<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Perhaps you had not thought of this before. Perhaps God is calling you
someplace new today – and you are fighting it like I did. But you are called.
And it may be time for you to answer, “Here I am, Lord, Speak for your servant
is listening.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or perhaps your call has developed over your life, and the path has taken
you many places you never would have guessed, through valleys, over
mountaintops, and God still has plans for you. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or perhaps you have a clear moment in your past like Samuel’s, or like mine
where you knew what God was leading your toward, and you can say, this is the
day it happened. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Whatever the case, I recommend that you spend some time thinking about your
call story, about where God has led you, and how God has been involved in your
life, because it is in sharing this story that you will touch other people’s
lives. I mean, you can share Samuel’s story, but it is just a story in a book.
But if you share your story, with your passion, with your heart, with your
flesh and blood presence in front of another person – that has power. It is a
witness to God’s activity in your life. And it will bring laughter and tears. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So as much as I love Samuel’s story, the one I hope that you leave church
today with, is yours. Think about putting it into words. Who in your past
helped you to know what God wants you to do with your life? How did God your
attention? What roadblocks and opportunities have cropped up along the way?
Where has God spoken to you, and how have you responded? When did you realize
(or maybe you haven’t yet) that you were on the right path? <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Oh, and remember that your story is not done yet. God is still calling you.
There may be something new tomorrow that God calls you to. Never put “The End”
on your call story, until God brings you into the eternal home in heaven,
because until that day, God still may have more surprises in store for you!</span><o:p></o:p></h2>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-48239850757817899752018-01-09T07:36:00.004-08:002018-01-09T07:36:33.912-08:00Sermon: Watermarks<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Baptism is so simple. Find one of
the most common things on earth, water.
Then get wet. But it is so much
more than that. Bishop Judith Craig had
an excellent visual example several years ago at Annual Conference. She took a piece of paper, held it up to the
light, and said yes there it is. A
watermark.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You can see them on stamps, checks, extra fine letterhead or typing
paper. All sorts of things have
watermarks. Usually the marks tell us
who made it, and what grade of paper it is.
These marks are there to assure us of the document’s authenticity, they
are also there to assure us of their quality. According to Wikipedia,
watermarks were first introduced in 1282, in Italy!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The term is also used for those marks on online photos so you don’t use
copyrighted materials. In a sense, these say, “These images belong to me and
are not for use without permission.” Like watermarks on paper they are there to
prove the authenticity of the final product. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Bishop Craig said that, those of us who are baptized have watermarks. If you hold us up to the light of God you can
see them. [grab eraser] And once we are
baptized no one else can erase it, though we ourselves might ignore it. It is an indelible claim that God has made on
our lives, which says you are special.
An authentic handmade creation of God’s, you are the highest
quality. God doesn’t want us to forget
it. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">A story is told of Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran church, who
sparked the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It is said that he would from time to time find himself in great anxiety,
doubt, depression, and felt like he was being tempted and taunted by the devil.
In those moments he would repeat to himself, “Baptizatus Sum” and no that is
not some Harry Potter incantation. It means “I am baptized!” In those moments
of despair he was remembering that he was watermarked by God, and that nothing
could remove that. He was God’s and that gave him strength to go on. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Bishop Craig’s sermon stands as the best explanation of baptism I have ever
heard. It takes what might seem like a weird ancient practice, and gives it
meaning. If you have ever had a hard time expressing what baptism means to you,
if you have ever been puzzled about how to explain why you would want a child
baptized, here is a visual example! There is upon you a watermark a of God’s
grace. Not something that we earn, not
something that we put there ourselves.
But a mark on our spirit left there by the touch of God’s finger, which
expresses that we belong to God and it conveys God’s grace and love. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This is an act commanded by Christ, which bears years of tradition and
speaks beyond what words can express. “Over
the centuries Christians have debated what baptism accomplishes, to whom it
should be administered, and how much water should be used.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Baptism%20of%20the%20Lord/Watermarks%20(a%20new%20version).docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But let’s be honest that is like arguing about the best way to make a
watermark. Should you use the Dandy roll process which uses a wet stamp or
rollers to press an image into the paper making a thinner spot in the paper
where the light comes through, or should you use the cylinder mold process
which is much more complicated, requires rerolling the paper multiple times so
that the thickness of the paper is the same throughout, but the paper is less
dense in the area of the watermark and that lets the light through? This makes
a clearer image and is what is usually used on money, passports, and so on.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What really matters is not the method, but what is happening in the
process. As we are baptized we are immersed in the grace of God anew, and now
we can shout, as Luther did, “I am baptized!” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Baptism, as the rite of initiation in Christ’s holy church, reminds us that
we are forever ‘watermarked’ with God’s love.
So, even though baptism is a once in a lifetime event, we can remember
our baptism as often as we like. To
remind ourselves that the mark is still there, it can’t be washed away. Whether a person received this gift as an
infant or an adult, God’s grace entered into that person’s life more fully. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Can those sitting around you see yours?
Can you see them on the people around you? Can they see that you are an
authentic creation of God’s of the highest quality? Perhaps when the situation
is just right, yes. But perhaps at other times the mark is invisible. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Phyllis Faaborg Wolk tells this story that helps explain that: Mrs.
Detweiler worked at Murray Elementary as the special education teacher. It
didn't take her students long to see her watermark which made them feel special
and loved. Even though she was a special education teacher, the students of
Murray Elementary considered it a privilege to be invited to Mrs. Detweiler's
room. The walls of her small classroom were covered with stars made out of
bright yellow construction paper. Neatly written in black permanent marker on
the star at the top of each row was the name of one of her students. As soon as
a student finished reading a book, the title of that book was placed on another
star that soon appeared directly beneath the star bearing the student's name.
The more books a person read, the more stars accumulated under the name.
Whenever her students finished a book, Mrs. Detweiler made them feel like
stars, themselves. Her ability to make her students feel special and important
was the light of God shining through her.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But even as one created in the image of God, Mrs. Detweiler would be the
first to say that she had her faults. There were times when she let her
students down; times when she lost her patience; times when her mood affected
her ability to respond to her students enthusiastically. Mrs. Detweiler wasn't
perfect, there were times when the light did not shine through the watermark so
clearly, and yet still she was claimed as God's child through her baptism and
renewed each day with the gift of forgiveness. As she gave God what belonged to
God by giving of herself to her students, Jesus worked through her. Through
Mrs. Detweiler, God's love, acceptance and encouragement was shown to many
students as they grew and matured into the people God had created them to be.
As she gave God what belonged to God, God continued to give himself to her,
revealing his love again and again through the sparkle in her students' eyes.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Baptism%20of%20the%20Lord/Watermarks%20(a%20new%20version).docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So sometimes the watermark is easily visible, on our good days; and other
times it is hard to see, on our bad days, but it is always there, whether
people see it or not.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Baptism is so simple. Find
water. Then get wet. But it is so much more than that. Because God willingly touches ordinary water
and then willingly touches ordinary persons, watermarking them for life. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In baptism, we are touching God and God is touching us. God says you are mine, special to me, and I
will never let my love for you be washed off.
When trouble comes, shout, “I am baptized!” In your daily lives, let my
light shine through you, show that you are my authentic child. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Baptism%20of%20the%20Lord/Watermarks%20(a%20new%20version).docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 158.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Baptism%20of%20the%20Lord/Watermarks%20(a%20new%20version).docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> INVITATIONS
TO THE LIGHT, by Phyllis Faaborg Wolk<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-71445883724560900172018-01-02T07:26:00.000-08:002018-01-02T07:26:22.294-08:00Sermon: Hold the Baby<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Luke 2:22-40<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Every once in a while we have a new baby in the church. And it never fails
that when I go to see the parent or grandparent who is holding the child that
they will say to me, “Would you like to hold the baby?” And of course the
answer is always, “Yes.” Holding a newborn is such a special experience. They
are so tiny, so fragile, and hold so much hope for the future. What wonders
will this child do? What will they be? How will they bless the world? Each
child, every child brings that hope. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So imagine Simeon, imagine Anna, in our scripture today. People who had been
waiting for the Messiah for so long. People who had been told that they would
see the salvation of God come into the world. And then comes the moment when
they get to take Jesus into their arms. Not only is this like holding every
other newborn, not only are the questions of what wonders and blessings will
come from his hands. But this child is so much more, and they know it. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Simeon prays as he takes the child into his arms, “Now, master, let your servant
go in peace according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation.
You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples. It’s a light for
revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel.” </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Then he tells Mary, “This boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling
and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition so that
the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your
innermost being too.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So Simeon knows that the child in his arms is the source of salvation, that
he will reach out to the whole world, that his very existence will cause us to
examine our hearts and innermost thoughts, and that tragedy will break Mary’s
heart. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxIPkEhmKhCOFsUxkRpatcYq158tKiuLreTLSXxZiXMbFMUIDRaXlBMCaNrklmqid9vTmeoa5LAqPXvVBi0XwilQmmzdf7YbmC5-Xu9OoPVlL_KcKfX48qNvinX24kM3qD1nH_FksGxo/s1600/presentation+at+the+temple_giotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxIPkEhmKhCOFsUxkRpatcYq158tKiuLreTLSXxZiXMbFMUIDRaXlBMCaNrklmqid9vTmeoa5LAqPXvVBi0XwilQmmzdf7YbmC5-Xu9OoPVlL_KcKfX48qNvinX24kM3qD1nH_FksGxo/s320/presentation+at+the+temple_giotto.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“The great renaissance artist Giotto captures the essence of this scene in
his "Presentation at the Temple." Simeon holds the baby Jesus, his
lips moving beneath his hoary beard, carefully reciting the lines of his nunc
dimittis: "now may your servant depart in peace." Giotto knows his
Simeon, and he knows his babies too. The infant Jesus, far from resting
contentedly in his arms through this holy aria, is responding as all babies do
when held by weird strangers. His eyes are narrowed and fixed in frozen alarm
on Simeon. He reaches desperately for his mother, every muscle arched away from
the old man toward Mary. But looking carefully at the background, we see the
artist's true genius. The child seems suspended above the temple altar, that
place of sacrifice. As art historian John W. Dixon puts it, "This very
human baby is known, from the very beginning, to be the eternal sacrifice for
the redemption of the mankind."”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Christmas%201/Hold%20the%20Baby.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
That’s Simeon holding the child.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And then there is Anna. Anna’s exact words aren’t recorded (leave that to a
bunch of male disciples) instead her speech is summarized as “She approached at
that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone
who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Like Simeon, Anna also knew that the child would bring about the redemption
of the people and she praised God for Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Imagine what she must have been thinking as she held this child in her
hands! Imagine what Simeon was feeling with the future of God’s kingdom held in
his arms!<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And I am a bit jealous, aren’t you? Can’t you imagine Joseph and Mary
coming up to you and saying, “Would you like to hold the baby?” What a joy that
would be! Once in a while I have led meditations where we imagine ourselves
approaching the manger in the night after Jesus has been born, and Mary asks us
if we would like to hold the child. It is a way of placing ourselves in that
intimate moment where God’s grace is still so new, so helpless, and the hope of
what he will do is just beginning to be revealed.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Cara Callbeck tells the story of the first time she tried this type of
spiritual exercise. </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Sadly lacking in imagination, I found myself struggling greatly with
contemplation, and I was dragging our poor director along with me to the point
that I thought he was going to “excuse”<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span>me from the Exercises altogether. Nearing
Christmas, he had me discard all previous attempts and follow this one simple
instruction instead: “Just spend some time holding baby Jesus.” That was
supposed to be easier? I expected the experience to be as fruitless and
frustrating as my prior attempts at contemplation to that point. But I trudged
on, and I am so glad I did.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“By the grace of God, I did manage to hold baby Jesus in my next attempt at
contemplation. In holding that sweet, sleeping babe in my arms that night, I
started to appreciate the humanity of Jesus. Babies have a way of making us
feel peaceful, protective, and completely in love. There Jesus lay in my arms
fully divine, but fully human, too. Just like any other baby, I could smell
that lovely baby smell, marvel at his tiny hands, and count his tiny baby toes.
This baby in my arms was completely dependent; he got hungry, tired, or just
needed to be held. Dependent, needing, tiny—those are not qualities I had ever
really associated with the divine and thus never appreciated in Jesus.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">She closes her reflection by saying, “I encourage you to do as my director
instructed and spend some time just holding baby Jesus. You can’t help but fall
completely in love when you hold him in your arms.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Christmas%201/Hold%20the%20Baby.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
[pause] I would add, try it for a week. See what you notice. What does God
reveal to you as you hold Christ in your arms every day? Is it something deep
and prophetic like Simeon expressed? Is it a simple joy that Cara experienced?
Or is it something else?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You see, part of the joy in that meditation and in the scripture today is
that, we can hold the baby. We can take Christ into our arms. Not only in our
imagination, but also in other profound and mysterious ways. Christ asks to
dwell in our hearts, he asks to be part of our lives, he wants us to hold him
within us each and every day. All we have to do is say, “Yes. I want to hold
the baby. I want to have the Salvation of God, the child of hope, the prince of
peace, the light of the Gentiles, the glory of Israel, the redemption of Jerusalem,
the Son of God in my arms.” You can have that. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Paul says it in Ephesians 3:16-19 as he prays for us: </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><i>“I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of
his glory through the Spirit. I ask that Christ will live in your hearts
through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, I ask that you’ll
have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together
with all believers. I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond
knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Paul suggests that through faith we can have Christ in our hearts, that his
love can fill us with the fullness of God. It is as though we are holding the
very Christ-child not only in our arms, but allowing him to touch our hearts.
Now I know, this sounds kind of sappy. Clearly there is more to religion that
just holding a baby. But at the same time I can think of no greater delight
than holding that child. That hope. That very real representation of the love
of God, in my arms today. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There is something miraculously transforming in the knowledge that God’s
son is not a distant memory, not a historical event, but a continuing
revelation born anew into our world in every age. Born anew into our lives, our
hearts. So we can set the past behind us, and move into a new year with new
blessings and new life. So we can re-experience the power and wonder of all
that God is doing today.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So I ask you today – would you like to hold the baby? In your arms, in your
heart?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Christmas%201/Hold%20the%20Baby.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Christian Glove Networks, Inc. Illustrations by King Duncan<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/Year%20B/Christmas%201/Hold%20the%20Baby.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Cara Callbeck, Reflections on Ignatian Spirituality, https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/18329/holding-baby-jesus<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-83908958903555064482017-12-28T07:52:00.006-08:002017-12-28T07:52:57.388-08:00Sermon: Each Light A Prayer<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Isaiah 9:2-7<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I was reading a sermon by Timothy Cargal, (yes, pastors listen to and read
other pastor’s sermons, how else would we be spiritually fed?) and in it he
talks rather humorously about how, “One of the great cultural traditions of
modern American Christmas observances is the use of lights. Everything that
doesn’t move is decorated with lights. Christmas trees are recognizable by
their lights, and indeed as more and more types of trees are used as Christmas
trees, the more it is the presence of the lights that identifies them as such.
Lights are put around lampposts. We hang lights from the eaves and awnings of
our homes, and around windows and doorframes. Lighted fixtures and images are
arrayed in front yards, and those that are not self-lighted are bathed in
spotlights. Without a moment’s embarrassment at the brazen self-interest,
electrical power companies promote contests for the best and most elaborate
seasonal displays.” He then goes on to talk about the psychological reasons
that we do this during the darkest time of year, when the days are short and
the nights are long.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I remember a powerful story told by Roger Robbenolt about his father who
feared the darkness in the years before electric lights. It was a symptom of
his manic-depression. </span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">During the gloom of December, as long as the kerosene lamps were ablaze he
could endure the long nights. But if there was no kerosene his father would become
violent and angry from his fear. The year when Roger was nine particularly
stands out in his memory. 37 inches of snow had fallen in three weeks, and more
was coming. They hadn’t been able to get into town to buy oil or candles and on
Christmas Eve – both ran out. Roger’s mother called a mile distant neighbor on
the phone, pleading for any extra kerosene they might have. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">On those blizzard shrouded days there was little to do. One pastime was
rubbernecking (some of you will know what that is, it is when there are 18
families on a party telephone line, each with its own distinguishable ring.
Well, even if the call wasn’t for you, you could very carefully lift the phone,
cover the mouthpiece and listen in on your neighbor’s conversation.) The
neighbor said she didn’t have any extra oil, and the phone call ended.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">What happened a while later was a miracle due to people being nosy. As
Roger stood by the window, he saw lights like fireflies in the distance,
lanterns, seventeen lanterns growing larger as the bearers came nearer. Roger’s
father saw the light and cried out, “The lights – look at the lights.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Roger says, “They came on that Christmas Eve, the light bearers. But they
bore more than light. Though jobs were scarce and gardens had dried up and the
snow was too deep to care for trap lines, everybody brought something to share.
Tilllie Mauldin had come up with the makings of mincemeat pie. Bill Cooley had
some ground venison. Gyp Matthews brought corn to pop. Thirty people or more
crowded into the tiny living room and kitchen . . . ” <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“We sang and laughed and shared far into the night. Ted rolled in our
kerosene barrel, and everyone poured half a lantern-full into it. We would not
be without light.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Christmas%20Eve%20or%20Day/Each%20Light%20a%20Prayer.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">You see there is more to Christmas and lights than just psychology. It is
about hope, deepest hope, that reaches beyond our mind into the depths of our
souls. Light is spiritual. Isaiah captures it in his writing. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It isn’t until after he has told us about light that he says:<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">A child is born to us, a son is given
to us.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">He will be named Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></i></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">In the darkest night, Isaiah says, there will be light, spiritual hope, and
that hope comes in the form of a child, the Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">It isn’t just Isaiah, that realizes that light and Christ are connected. You
also hear it in our Christmas carols, this connection between light and the
newborn child and the hope he brings into a dark world.</span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Hark the Herald Angels Sing says, “Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with
healing in His wings.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Do you hear what I hear says, “Pray for peace, people everywhere! listen to
what I say The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night: He will bring us
goodness and light, He will bring us goodness and light.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“O Little Town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and
dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The
everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee
tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As humans, we crave hope. We want to see dark times vanish, we want the
shadows of evil lifted, we want the lonely midnight hours of the soul to be
lightened by the company of angels. We
want to be standing out in the fields by night and see the glory of the Lord
shining upon us. We crave hope. And the lights that cover our houses, the lights
that cover our trees, the lights that drape our sanctuary represent prayers
from the depths of our spirit, prayers to God to bring light, hope-filled
light, into our world. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Imagine as you drive home that each light on the houses and trees you pass is
a prayer, and some of us really like to pray. But still it is a voice crying
out. The owners of the homes, the people putting out the lights may not realize
it, they may not be aware that they are praying. But deep in their spirits it
is there. The desire for the light to overcome the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As we light the candles tonight, we are joining those perhaps unknown and
unwitting prayers. But we are doing so consciously. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We are aware of the spiritual quest of humanity. We speak quite openly
about our hope that comes from this child of God born many years ago. We
believe that what the angels sang is possible, that there can be peace on
earth, and goodwill among all people, and that this child is part of making
that happen. And we lift our lights to heaven praying that it would be so.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Each candle is a prayer. We are bearers of the lanterns of hope, messengers
of the everlasting light, who come to bear homage to the child in the manger,
who is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Pastor%20Rob/Dropbox/Worship/sermons/Lectionary/All%20Years/Christmas%20Eve%20or%20Day/Each%20Light%20a%20Prayer.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Tales of Gletha the Goatlady, Roger Robbenolt (Ave Maria Press, 1993)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-23613479499237182552017-12-28T07:51:00.005-08:002017-12-28T07:51:54.456-08:00Sermon: 12 Hour Pregnancy<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Luke 1:26-38<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I remember my seminary professor of worship commenting that one of the
strangest things about Christmas, is that we don’t read the scripture about the
angel appearing to Mary until the last Sunday before Christmas. This year, that
timing is particularly strange because -- with today being Christmas Eve, this
morning we read about Mary being told by an angel that she is pregnant, and
then tonight we will read about her giving birth to Jesus. So in less than 12
hours we will go from Mary hearing about God’s plan, to her being in the very
fulfilment of it. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So the timing of the scriptures this year is relatively entertaining. She
barely has time to buy maternity clothes before giving birth! Amazingly it is
estimated that 1 in 2500 women doesn’t know she’s pregnant until she goes into
labor! There are some wild stories out there. So much so that TLC has a
television show called I didn’t know I was pregnant.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Of course, we know Mary’s pregnancy didn’t really happen like that. And
that is what my seminary professor was trying to remind us. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We really ought to read the passage of the angelic visit 9 months before
Christmas – so that we can be part of the slow build up to the birth. Then we
can experience the agonizing decision of Joseph as he planned to disband his
engagement to Mary, and then changed his mind with the help of a dream. We can
enjoy the days, perhaps weeks and months that Mary spent living with her aunt
Elizabeth who was also pregnant. We can wonder with all of them, and ponder
with them what God’s intentions are for this child who is developing and
growing in Mary.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Then as the day nears, and we are in the last month, we can experience the
frustration they must have felt in knowing that they would have to travel for a
census. Yes, it would take longer than our time between services for Mary and Joseph to travel by foot or by slow
footed donkey (if you believe tradition) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s a
trip that takes 2 hours and 10 minutes by car according to Google maps, but for
a pregnant woman walking or riding would take 4 to 7 days. And all of that not
knowing if the baby would be born along the way, or wait until they had reached
Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My professor was trying to remind us, that this was no easy one day
pregnancy. It was an emotional roller coaster, with ups and downs, struggles
and difficulties. And we don’t take enough time to consider all that went into the
preparations for the birth of Christ. We make it sudden, as if it only took a
few days. Imagine if we started reading the angel’s announcement in March, if we
agonized with Joseph in April and May, if we visited with Elizabeth and read
about the joy of their meeting in June. If we heard about the upcoming census
in August, and made travel plans in September and October. And then last week,
we had left with them by foot. For some of us, this would be too much
Christmas! But the power of it would be a reminder that God’s ways are often
slow and deliberate. And that what we read in a few sentences in the bible is
God’s work over months, and sometimes years.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Reading this passage so close to Christmas can give us the illusion that
God’s answers to the world’s problems are quick, like an order on Amazon.com
with delivery by Fed-Ex, absolutely guaranteed to be there the overnight. But
God often takes the slow, grow a messiah in a mother’s womb, let him be a
helpless babe, grow into a child, mature through being a teenager, wait until
he is 30 years old before he goes public, path to salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But, as I was preparing for today, and knowing that we would go from the
announcement to the birth in the space of 8 hours, I thought, perhaps there is
something for us to learn from hearing the two stories in such a short time,
also. </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Perhaps there is power in thinking of the birth of Jesus into our world as
a sudden and surprising event that we didn’t really have time to prepare for. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Because honestly, that is how it was for most of the world. Mary had time
to prepare, but the shepherds in the fields didn’t. Suddenly there were angels
singing in a heavenly host around them. And they had to decide right then and
there if they were going to go to Bethlehem and see this child who had been
born.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Joseph had time to change his mind, but the innkeeper didn’t. He had to
decide when the couple came to his door, right then and there if he had space
for them. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And sometimes the same thing is very true for each of us. Although we have
time to get our decorations out and ready for Christmas, and although we have
time to consider and reconsider what gifts we are going to give each of our
family members, when it comes to God erupting into our lives it is often a
sudden and unexpected thing that we are not ready for. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">For example, this has literally happened to me. I have been driving past
someone’s house, and I have been nagged by God to stop and go in and see them.
As though God is shouting at me, “Now, right now.” Twice I have had that happen
and the person has been on their death-bed with family around. They hadn’t
called me to tell me. But God had. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or an accident occurs and you are the car right behind it. So you are the
witness, and the first on the scene to try to provide help. You don’t have time
to prepare for that. And yet God is calling you to serve in that moment and to
use your gifts and talents at that moment to help in any way you can. To be an
agent of calm, to summon help, to pray for those involved, to give first aid.
Whatever it is, God is calling you to be present.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Or perhaps you are in prayer, and suddenly God is saying to you, “Hey I
have a job for you to do. A project for you to give birth to that will bless
the word.” God has never put that idea into your mind before, you had never
considered it. A change of profession, a move to a new area, starting of an
outreach to homeless, or opening a pre-school in the church. But there it is –
a calling from God. Suddenly later that day a door opens in your life and the
very opportunity that God shared with you in prayer is available, and you
simply are not ready. It is too sudden! But you know that you have to decide
now, whether you are ready or not.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">That’s where Mary becomes a role model for us. She stands there in shock
and surprise with an angel standing before her and she says, “I am the Lord’s
servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” </span></h3>
</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">She is a role model of listening to God’s surprising news, listening to
God’s sudden and unexpected announcement and saying, “Yes.” So for all those
moments when God throws us into ministry, into service, when God calls us
without warning – she reminds us as unready as we are, we can enter into the
whirlwind of God’s call upon our lives. Oh, yes we will wonder what is going to
happen next. But before we know it, time whirls by and the next thing we know
God’s promises are coming true for us. It is the sudden and surprising that
leads to the long range and the life changing. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Yes, there is something for us to learn from this amazing 12 hour
pregnancy, it is that when God bursts into your world, say, “Yes” and be
prepared for the blessings that follow. What unfolds may take weeks, months or
years to come to fruition, but it is the suddenness of God’s call that begins
the process. So this morning we celebrate the surprising nature of God’s call –
which can come out of nowhere like an angel appearing to us – and we
contemplate what it means for us to say, “Yes.”</span><o:p></o:p></h2>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-54812817268625023642017-12-19T07:27:00.000-08:002017-12-19T07:27:08.729-08:00Another Year Is Dawning<div class="MsoNormal">
Frances Ridley Havergal was an English poet and hymn writer
– her best known hymns from our hymn book are <i>Take My Life and Let It Be </i>and <i>Lord,
Speak to Me That I May Speak. </i>She showed signs of being very intelligent
very young, began writing verse at age seven, but was discouraged from rigorous
study by delicate health. Yet she still took a year to study music in Germany,
was able to speak several modern languages along with biblical Greek and
Hebrew, and published many books of hymns. She died too young at 42. (Thanks to
the wholesomewords.org for links to a number of biographies on her!) <o:p></o:p></div>
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In one of her letters to a friend she said this about
writing hymns: 'Writing is praying with me, for I never seem to write even a
verse by myself, and I feel like a little child writing. You know, a child
would look up after every sentence and say, "What am I to say next?"
That is just what I do. I ask that at every line He would give me not merely
thought and power, but also every word even the very rhyme. Very often I have a
most distinct and happy consciousness of direct answers.' (<i>Popular Hymns and Their Writers </i>by Normal Mable, 1951).<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of that is background for what follows – one of her
verses written specifically for New Year’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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ANOTHER YEAR IS DAWNING<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year is dawning,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Master, let it be,<o:p></o:p></div>
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In working, or in waiting,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year with Thee.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of mercies,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of faithfulness and grace;<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of gladness<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the shining of Thy face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of progress,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of praise,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of proving<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thy presence all the days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of service,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of witness of Thy love,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year of training<o:p></o:p></div>
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For holier work above.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year is dawning,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Master, let it be<o:p></o:p></div>
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On earth, or else in heaven<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year for Thee.<o:p></o:p></div>
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--Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is much that I like about that hymn, and I pray that
you will reflect upon it, and use it in prayer and preparation at the beginning
of this new year! By the way she also has a wonderful reflection called “Twelve
reasons for attending church on a wet Sunday”, which is worth looking into and
reading, but I will save that for next month!<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076457265127740967.post-80539536757074361492017-12-19T07:25:00.001-08:002017-12-19T07:25:21.580-08:00Sermon: Sowing Tears<div style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><i>Psalm 126</i><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I have been listening to Christmas Carols on the radio while driving. I
joked with Kristi that every time I get in the car I hear at least one of these
three songs: White Christmas, Silver Bells, and Blue Christmas they are so overplayed.
So then we took a 10 minute drive to Arby’s for lunch together and what
happened – they played White Christmas, and Blue Christmas – but no Silver
Bells.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Well, if I were going to play one of those three songs today as part of my
sermon, it would be Blue Christmas. You see, one of the realities of Christmas
is that it comes with tears. Every Christmas as we gather in the church for
Christmas Eve it is a different gathering. There are those who are no longer
part of our lives, those that we are separated from by changes in relationship,
by moves, or by death – and we deeply miss them. But there are also those that
are new in our midst that remind us that there are new joys, new lives, and new
relationships and these bring hope and gifts for tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This interplay of joy and sorrow is captured well by Psalm 126.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Psalm
126<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>When
the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> it was like we had been dreaming.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Our
mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>It
was even said, at that time, among the nations,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> “The Lord has done great things for them!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Yes,
the Lord has done great things for us,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> and we are overjoyed.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Lord,
change our circumstances for the better,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> like dry streams in the desert waste!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Let
those who plant with tears<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> reap the harvest with joyful shouts.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Let
those who go out,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> crying and carrying their seed,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> come home with joyful shouts,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i> carrying bales of grain!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I read the psalm I was captured by one of its lines. “Lord, let those
who plant with tears, reap the harvest of joyful shouts.” And I began to
reflect on the image that that created in my mind. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I imagined a person going out to their garden and weeping, with the tears
running down their cheeks. And then that person takes those tears and carefully
plants them in the ground. Over time the tears sprout into plants and they
grow. What they grow into, I am not sure. I guess it is just a time of growing
and waiting for the expected vegetables to grow. The plants flower, they are
pollenated, and then begins to grow what the gardener wanted. Weeks or perhaps
months later the vegetable is ready to pick. In this case, the vegetable is
joy. Such joy that you want to shout. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As I reflected on that image I began to wonder how our sadness and tears
can grow into joy. How are the two emotions related to one another? When have
you seen one transform into the other?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now I know that the writer of the Psalm may not have meant it to be a
picture like the one I created in my mind. I realize that they simply may have
watched people planting with tears in their eyes because the times were tough –
they were being oppressed and under the power of others. And then later when
the harvest was happening the situation was changed and the threat to their
lifestyles was gone. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But even when you see the image that way, the emotions are connected.
People rejoice because what once was heavy upon them is gone. The sorrow and
the joy are still bound together, they are related, and one transforms into the
other. And so I decided to ask you – for your wisdom as a group. Because you
have been through tough times, I know you have shed tears, and I also know that
God has sometimes turned those tears to joy. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The sermon today is not just me sharing my words. You see, I knew that you
have sat here and listened to the kids, and heard the Christmas story from them
with its message of hope and peace, and you might be ready to do something more
interactive. So I am changing my approach today, and asking all of us to contribute
our life experience as we talk about three questions. Just three, so don’t be
afraid to speak up! I won’t keep us going forever with a thousand questions. We
can take our time and answer a little more deeply and get several viewpoints in
answer to each. Ready?<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Question 1. How are sorrow and joy related?</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Question 2. How do you see God involved in transforming one into the other?</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Question 3. What advice do you give to someone who is right now planting
tearful seeds?</span></h3>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Thank you all for sharing your wisdom. For those of us who are feeling blue
this Christmas, there was some great insight and advice there. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I think the greatest joy of this passage is the promise that our tears can
be turned into joyful shouts. It can happen. As Isaiah 61:11 says, “As the
earth puts out its growth, and as a garden grows its seeds, so the Lord God
will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations.” There is water for
the desert, and life in Christ. Thanks be to God.</span><o:p></o:p></h2>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01326282400284879393noreply@blogger.com0