Praise God with all of your Life

First Sunday of Christmas December 29, 2014 Year A Let your life be a praise for God Psalm 148 Matthew 2:13-23 Is Jesus Dead in this time after Christmas? On Christmas Eve, I talked about how the people in Japan celebrate Christmas just as much as we do here in America. There are Christmas trees, and decorations, and Santa, and elves. There is one big difference – most people in Japan are Buddhist. They understand the symbols of Christmas, but they don’t know the meaning of Christmas. In many cases, they don’t know who Jesus is, or why Christmas is significant. A reporter stopped a woman on the street in Japan and asked her if she knew why Christmas is important - she hesitated for a moment, and then asked, isn’t that the day Jesus died. The day Jesus died – that is not Christmas day – that is the Sunday after Christmas – right before New Years. Christmas is this magical time of year, where everyone is giving, every one is happy, every one is in a spirit of unity and caring for one another. As soon as Christmas is over, life goes back to normal. They say that even the crime rate goes down, all of the thieves are at home with their families on Christmas – and as soon as that day is over- people go back to normal. Just like Christmas never happened, and Jesus is indeed dead, even though supposedly he was just born. Even for me this year, I spent all month putting up Christmas decorations, and took half of them down the day after Christmas – it was as if I didn’t need them anymore. I refuse to take down the tree, or to turn off the lights – at least until after New Year’s. I think that there is something about holding onto Christmas for a little bit – letting it linger into the New Year for a little bit that is important. You know as far as the stores are concerned – Jesus is dead, and it is now time to move onto Valentine’s Day. But as far as God is concerned – Christmas has just begun. I have shared this poem by Howard Thurman before at the Christmas Eve service, but not everyone has heard it – but I think that it is important to our faith to think about… it is called the work of Christmas. The work of Christmas Dr. Thurman is an African American theologian who writes a lot about the African American experience – He says when the songs of the angels are stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and the princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins – to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers, to make music in our heart. Whatever else we may have gotten for Christmas this year – we have all received the presence of Christ. Whatever our circumstance, God is with us. that is the true meaning of Christmas – Emmanuel – God with us. A story of God with us Mrs. Maxwell had had a difficult year. Her husband had just passed away. Her social security was reduced because of his death. She had to work hard just to hold onto the house that she and her husband had shared through so many happy years. And even though she lived in a mild area of the country – it still got to be 30’s outside at night – and the temperature was just the same in her house. She got behind a couple of months on her heating bill and eventually the city turned off her heat. Sitting in the cold, she read the paper one day, she read an article about how their were many companies in the city who had not paid their gas bill. They owed the city thousands of dollars – and yet they still had heat. Upset at her own condition, she called the newspaper to ask why her heat had been turned off. Her letter caused such a stir in the city. One day she heard a knock at the door – it was the mayor of the city – he said that he had a message to deliver – the city would be turning her heat back on and putting her on a payment plan to pay her bill. She was excited at the news, but asked why the mayor had bothered to come to see her – why couldn’t he have sent a city worker or even a letter would have been suffice. The mayor smiled and hugged her – and said that he felt that it was important enough to deliver the message himself and he gave her a hug. God has done the same thing for all of us – God had a message to deliver to all of humanity – and he came in the form of a little baby- who grew up into a man – to tell us personally that in the midst of all that life gives us – he is with us. God loves us on December 24th, on December 25th, on December 26th, and December 29th just the same. He loves us in the good times and the bad, when we are up or done, before Christmas and after Christmas. God’s presence in our lives in all that we go through is our special gift. A Letter to God You know that when children (or adults) write letters to Santa addressed to the North Pole – the local post office holds onto those letters, so that people can do the work of santa, and answer those letters. But there are also quite a bit of letters that are written to God – but where do you send a letter for God. Well, many of them end up at the Jerusalem post office. They get an overwhelming amount of letter to God – and they don’t always know what to do with them. Well one day a postal worker – being a good jew – a servant of God opened one of the letters. It was a man who needed to have an operation, and he needed $1500 to pay for it. The worker went to his fellow workers and said – you know we are the hand and feet of God, it is our job to do the work of God. We have to answer this letter and help this man. People were hesitant to give, but he has able to raise $1000 in order for the man’s operation. He wrote a letter to the man from God and put a check for $1000 in the envelope and mailed it off. He was so honored and proud to do the work of God and to help someone else. That was until a month later when this man sent another letter to God. In the letter he thanked God for answering his prayer. He was able to get his operation and was healing very well. But he asked God next time not to use the post office when sending his gifts. He knew that God had sent $1500, but those crooks at the post office kept $500 for themselves – and only gave him $10 – to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers, Doing the work of God means giving to people who are sometimes ungrateful, sometimes unkind, who sometimes don’t understand. And yet God calls us to help them. We help them not necessarily in hopes of receiving from them, but in thankfulness for what God has done for us. if we know that God is with us – the least we can do is to be with others.- so that they know that God is with them. God is not dead – God is not a season. God is the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives for all times. So I would encourage you to go out and to do the work of Christmas. – to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers, The most important part is to make music in our heart. Remember our psalm for today – psalm 148 – praise the Lord. Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. Ring you bell – praise God with all of your life from this day forward. Let us pray…..

It is time to wake up!

December 1, 2013 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 “It is time to wake up!” First Sunday of Advent Year A So how did you sleep last night? Are you a morning person or a night person? How did you get up this morning. I am loving having service at 10:30. Having an extra hour and a half on Sunday’s mornings is like having an eternity. It can make up for so many evils in the morning. I am not a morning person. But I try to intentionally go to bed at night, because I know one thing. The way that we go to bed at night and sleep is the way that we are able to wake up in the morning. And the way you wake up, determines the flow of your whole day. There is nothing worse than having to go through the whole day, when you did not sleep well, and all that you want to do is go home and go to bed. And yet there are days that when you sleep well, you wake up rested and ready to face whatever happens in that day. Well the first words of Romans 13:11 is that now is the time for you to wake up from sleep. Salvation is nearer today than when we first believed. As you may know, advent is the time for us to wake up. Pay attention and prepare ourselves for God. And more importantly – what God has in store for us. This is the beginning of a new day – and the most beautiful part of a new day is hope and anticipation of what is to come. As a matter of fact, that is the difference between night and day. Between the darkness and the light. One is full of hope and anticipation. And one is not. There is no hope in the darkness. People who get used to living in the dark, never look for the light of hope. I was watching Jimmy Kimmel last week, and he had the comedian Tracy Morgan on. I was struck, as Tracy Morgan kept saying this is a dark world, living in some dark days. He used it as an introduction to say that we must truly live in dark days when the Pope actually gives the church a two week notice, that he is giving it all up, and becoming a regular priest, instead of the head of the church. But we can look at other things going on in the world and know – that we are living in some dark times. There are some crazy things going on in the world. But I want us to also remember Paul’s message for us. we may indeed be living in a dark world, in some dark times. But as Christians, it may still be dark outside, but the joy is that the dawning of a new day is just about to come. It is not 10 oclock at night dark, it is 5 in the morning dark – at a time when the sun is just about to come up. Things are about to get better – because Christ is about to come. Today, I am going to switch back and forth between the lesson of Romans and the lesson of Matthew. Usually even if I use both scriptures, I keep the lessons separate. But today I found that it was impossible to separate the lessons, because they were both chosen to help us to remember the themes of advent. Paul wants to shine a bright light on all our activities, all our words, all our behaviors, brining everything done by those who confess Christ into HD (high definition) focus. Although Paul uses the contrasts between light and dark to illustrate his discussion, ironically Paul’s point is that for Christians there IS no night vs. day, no dark vs. light. Since Christ’s arrival on earth, since Christ’s life among us for our sake and “our salvation” (v.11), we live in a different world than that of night and day, or dark and light. Christians live in a pre-dawn life, in the overlap of the ages, between the three stages of Advent. That’s right, you heard it correctly. In the Christian tradition there is not just one advent we celebrate, but three. 1. The First Advent is the coming of Christ to earth. 2. The Second Advent is the birth of Christ in each one of us on earth. 3. The Third Advent is the final return of Christ to earth. Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that "more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy...Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return--one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event...For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming." SOURCE: Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 40. Submitted by Guy Caley We are reminded that the whole point of us going back to remember the story of the baby Jesus coming in the world, is that he is coming back again a second time. We missed it the first time, but the second time is real to us and to our lives. When Paul tells us that it is time to wake up from our sleep, he is telling us that we need to morally prepare ourselves to meet our maker. In Romans, Paul tells us to wake up, but in Matthew – Jesus big message is that we don’t know when that moment will come. It may not be at midnight on Christmas morning. It could be anytime between then. One of the major themes of advent is that we don’t have much time. That the coming of Christ is imminent – it is coming any day now, so we have to be prepared THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL PROCRASTINATION There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and to ruin men. The first said, "I will tell them that there is no God." Satan said, "That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God." The second said, "I will tell men that there is no hell." Satan answered, "You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin." The third said, "I will tell men that there is no hurry." "Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin men by the thousands." The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time. (William Barclay: The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], p. 317. From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, The parable of the Faithful & Wise Servant, 7/17/2010 If you been around in life for any amount of time, you learn pretty quickly that in life – you don’t have time! Anything that you know that you need to do, you need to do now. Because you don’t know what tomorrow holds. You don’t know if the people you love will be there tomorrow, you don’t know that you will be there tomorrow. Or that you will have to means to do what you can do today. We are living in dark days, but we are also living in the days of the unknown. When Jesus says that the hour is unknown, he is not trying to scare us. But just remind us of the truth. In Matthew, Jesus gives us 4 things that we don’t know. We don’t know when the day of the Lord is coming, we don’t know when the flood will come and destroy our everyday life, we don’t know when we will be with a companion and one will be taken and one left behind, and we don’t know when a thief will break into our house. We don’t know a lot of things about life. but what we do know, is that in those dark days, sometimes that when you can see God the clearest. In the midst of the uncertainty of life, we know that God is with us. God has sent the good news that a new day is about to break, a new way of thinking, a new life. And we should prepare ourselves for that new day – by getting closer to God. Advent is about getting closer to God in the darkness, so that when the light comes – you can walk with God. In a world of uncertainty and what you don’t know, you can get to know God and what he has done for you, and what he will do for you in the future. Don’t look to the past, look to the future Before we go back 2000 years ago to a time long ago- the biggest lesson of advent is that real faith in Christ is not about the past. It is not about when God did for you in the past. It is not about how you got over. It is not about what you know, and about what you understand, and about what made sense to you yesterday. The dawn of a new day is coming! Things are changing, and instead of looking back, Jesus wants us to look ahead. Stop worrying about what you know, and think about what you don’t know. Stop worrying about what worked for you in the past – what works for you now! We cant do anything about the past- but we can be a part of creating a new future. God is a God of second chances, and second comings. Get yourself ready for a new day and a new coming of Christ in the world. We don’t have time to doddle around, it is time to wake up, for salvation is nearer then you think. Finally, this year I have been thinking about advent in a new way. Advent is our chance to get close to God, but we need to get close to the people around us also, and this is a perfect time to do it. Christmas and Easter may be crazy times, but it is the only two times of the year where the world comes looking for the church. Usually the message of advent is that there is secular Christmas and then there is holy Christmas, and that advent is our chance to be a part of holy Christmas. The problem with that is that we leave out the rest of the world at a time when people are looking for Christmas in the church. This year, let us let there be just one Christmas, for one Christ. It’s Not Christmas Here! It was the first day of the first semester of my first year in college. Like every other new student, I was anxious and nervous and afraid, but it didn’t help at all that I was also ten minutes late for Freshman English 105. I opened the door and 30 faces watched me turn red. Then the professor stopped his lecture and said to me “Physiology 400?” Totally embarrassed, I turned around and walked out. A moment later the door opened and a student called down the hall “Hey kid, come back. It’s English 105.” Today, you probably feel the same way I did all those years ago. You came to church fully expecting Christmas in your face! But surprise! It’s not Christmas here. It’s Physiology 400. Instead of “Deck the Halls” its fear and foreboding over the last days, when the world, as we know it, will end. Where the heck is Christmas? That’s what you all are wondering. Steven Molin, Surprise! People come to the church looking for Christmas, and we tell them know it is not Christmas – it is advent. Well this year, I want us to be Christmas for the rest of the world. Let’s sing Christmas carols, and say Merry Christmas and tell people the good news – that it may be dark now, but dawn is about to come! HAS ANYONE EVER ASKED YOU? Opal Whetset is a Christian writer. One night she was on a Greyhound bus between Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a cold February night and the bus stopped in a small Indian community. A young American Indian teenager boarded the bus and sat down behind her. Maybe it was the warmth of the bus or the rocking motion but she could tell by his breathing he was soon asleep. Sometime later he woke and ran down the aisle to ask about a certain stop where he was supposed to get off. The driver snapped back and said, "We passed that stop a long time ago. Why didn't you get off then?" The young man went back to his seat. She could tell he was anxious and upset. He got back up, walked back to the driver, and said, "Will you stop the bus and let me get off and walk back to where I was supposed to get off?" The bus driver said, "No, it's too cold and it's too far. You'd freeze. You've got to ride the bus all the way into Albuquerque then catch another bus back to your stop." The young man sat down in his seat behind Opal. She could tell he was upset. She turned around to this young man she never met before, and said, "Are you afraid? Is there anything I can do to help?" He said, "I don't know what to do. I've never been to Albuquerque, and besides, I don't have any money. They're going to make me pay again. I don't know what to do." She said, "Well listen, don't worry, you just stick with me. When we get to Albuquerque, I'll make sure you get on the right bus. And if they want to charge you, which they shouldn't do, I'll buy your ticket." Then Opal went up and talked to the bus driver and explained the situation. She said, "Can you make sure the next bus he gets on, they don't charge him to take him back to where he needs to go?" The bus driver finally agreed. Opal went back and sat down and turned to the young man behind her and said, "It's all taken care of. Don't you worry. Everything's going to be okay." After riding for about ten minutes in total silence, Opal felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and the young man leaned forward, and asked her this question. He said, "Ma'am, are you a Christian?" Has anybody ever asked you, "Are you a Christian?" (From a sermon by Bob Joyce, This advent, I want someone to ask you are you a Christian? Paul says it is time to wake up and prepare for the day. By waking up, he is saying prepare your life, be aware of your actions, live your life in a way that is pleasing to God. And finally for real this time – I want to leave you with this advent edition of the 23rd Psalm I Shall Not Rush Here is a version of the 23rd Psalm that ought to be mandatory reading each day of Advent, and a unison reading each Advent Sunday. The lord is my pace setter . . . I shall not rush He makes me stop for quiet intervals He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility My cup of joyous energy overflows Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the Pace of my Lord and dwell in his house for ever. A version of Psalm 23 from Japan, as reprinted in Mother Teresa, Life in the Spirit: Reflections, Meditations, Prayers, ed. Kathryn Spink (San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1983), 76-77. Amen. William Sloan Coffin Metro Moments One of the great things about Washington, D.C. is the Metro system, a network of public transportation, much of it underground, that serves the District of Columbia and a growing area round it. One reaches a number of Metro stations by taking escalators deep down beneath the surface of the city. Some of these escalators, I am told, are among the tallest in the world. Once you reach the appropriate track, the train you seek will come within only a few minutes, unless it is there already. The train platform is a remarkable place. Why? Because it is governed by a single reality: the coming and going of trains. The people gathered there, whether many or few, have this common point of reference, and all of them are aware of it. There on the platform the coming and going of the trains is inescapable. The train has either left; or the train has stopped, however momentarily; or the train is expected to arrive. People on the Metro platform have an awareness which sets them utterly apart from Noah's distracted neighbors. Those neighbors were preoccupied by the ordinary business of life, enough to miss the train, or in their case, the ark. People on the Metro platform, however, are governed by the single reality of trains that have gone, trains that have stopped, and trains still to come. The Christian is someone who recognizes a single reality like that. Not trains, but the Christ who has come, is here, and is yet to come. As Christians, we must avoid the distraction that spelled disaster for Noah's neighbors. We need the sense of awareness, a shared awareness that characterizes the people on the Metro platform. We can have our Metro moments when we recognize that the common point of reference, the determining reality, is the Human Holy One, Jesus, who has come, will come, and is present now among us. Charles Hoffacker, Metro Moments I remember seeing a cartoon depicting a church that had been built in close proximity to an active volcano. In the picture are the church, its sign - "The Church Next to the Active Volcano" - and two men standing in front of the church, one of whom is wearing a clergy shirt and appears to be speaking to the other man. The caption reads, "Of course, there is a high degree of risk being located here, but it lends a great sense of urgency to my preaching!" Johnny Dean Wake Up! by Brett Blair Passage: Romans 13:8-14 • Lectionary: Advent 1 Item 10 of 17 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the urgency of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Props: An alarm clock Lesson: How many of you like to wake up in the morning? (response) How many of you like to lay in the bed and sleep, and find it hard to get up sometimes? (response) Me too. How many of you can get up easier if you know that you're going to do something really neat that day?(response) That's kind of like me, too. I remember two different times that it was time for me to wake up. One time I didn't. The other time I did. When I was little, my grandparents stayed with my family. The morning that they were to go home, my alarm clock went off (make the alarm sound for a moment, then shut it off) and I simply turned it off and went back to bed. When I woke up later, I remembered that my grandparents were supposed to leave that morning. I loved them very much, and I wanted to be sure and tell them goodbye. So I rushed into the kitchen, but only my mom was there. She told me that they had to leave earlier. They said to tell me goodbye, but they didn't want to wake me. I was sad. And I still remember that today, because I didn't wake up when I was supposed to. Another time, it was the 4th of July. And we had lots of people coming to our house. We were going to have a cookout, and play volleyball, and have corn on the cob. But we had a lot to do to get everything ready. My alarm went off, (again turn the alarm on and off) but this time, I got out of bed. I helped my Dad set up the volleyball net, and then I picked corn and shucked it so that everyone could have corn. We did a lot of work, but it was worth it because we all had a good time. And I was able to do a lot because I woke up. Did you like my two stories? Application: You know, the Bible says that it's time for Christians to wake up. How about that? St. Paul said that now is the time to wake up and walk in the light, because Jesus is not far away. Isn't that exciting news? One day soon we will all see Jesus, but we have a lot of work to do, and a lot of people to tell. So as Christians, there is not time to lay in bed. The Bible has sounded the alarm, and we don't want to go back to sleep. We have much more joy when we get up and do all the things there are to do, and share Jesus with everyone we can. Let us Pray: Thank you God for giving us the Bible to wake us up. Help us to spend our days preparing for Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen. Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe, 2000

Faith in Jesus Christ

November 24, 2013 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 Christ the King Sunday Year C Our Happy Ending One of my favorite things to do on Sunday night, after my afternoon nap, is to just lay on the couch and watch television. It used to be Grey’s anatomy. And then it seems that ABC got even more daring with there shows with titles like Revenge, and Betrayal. But honestly the once show recently that has caught my attention – Once Upon a Time. I love a good story and I am a sucker for any fairy tale. And in once upon a time – several fairy tale characters come alive and come to a modern day town. In this town, they spend their lives trying to get back to neverland and their fairy tale lives. But you know what really drew me into this story – it is a story of people in search of their happy ending. And after all, isn’t that what we are all in search of – our happy ending. We are all seeking the perfect life, the perfect spouse, the perfect family, the perfect house, the perfect situation where we can truly live happily ever after. As a matter of fact, I hear the actors take their life, the character who plays prince charming and the character who plays Cinderella, are expecting a baby. But they are just like all of us – looking for our happy ending, and for some reason life always gets in the way. We get sick, relationships end, things never quite turn out the way we dreamed of in our fairly tales. The world is full of sin, we are full of sin. And eventually, sin will get in the way of our happy ending. Christ the King Sunday Today is a special day- a special time of the year. It is the Sunday before thanksgiving. There are going to be a lot of changes that happen this week. The decorations are going to change from fall to winter overnight. This is the last Sunday of the Christian year, next Sunday is a whole new year, the first Sunday of advent. The last Sunday of the year is Christ the King Sunday. A day when we look at all of the lessons of the year – and think about the greatest lesson of all. We have been studying the book of Luke all year. I am going to miss Luke because luke has a special message for us…. Possible Sermon Intro – The Year of Luke Throughout the "Year of Luke" in our lectionary series we have heard Luke's favorite theme. The ready and generous grace of God is shown repeatedly. In recent Sundays we studied the story of the healing of 10 lepers, an act of God's love and grace. We have watched as Jesus, like the promised shepherd of Ezekiel, came searching for the lost and hiding Zacchaeus. We have overheard the prayers of the Pharisee and the Publican as they prayed in Jesus' parable, all the while being reminded of our need to trust God's grace. None of us can forget Jesus' words just before the beginning of today's lesson: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The ever-present grace of God is one of Luke's gospel themes. From the parables of the waiting father and the "good" Samaritan, and now from the story of the penitent thief on the cross, all of these reported only by Luke, we have heard forthrightly the good news of Jesus Christ. Gentile and Jew, sinner and saint, young and old, it makes no difference. The full blessings of forgiveness here and hereafter are available to all who repent. The love of God reaches out for all, even to those who would arrange the crucifixion and taunt its victim. "Father, forgive them...." Theodore F. Schneider, Until the King Comes, CSS Publishing Company Christ the King This is Christ the King Sunday. We have heard the whole story; we have all the information. So now—how do we recognize Jesus as King? We “independent, stand on our two feet, nobody tells us what to do, rugged individualist” Americans, how do we recognize Jesus as King? In Luke’s story of the crucifixion nobody there seems to recognize Jesus as King. Luke has painted us into his story as well. He describes the people who do nothing except to stand there and watch. “And the people stood by, watching.” That’s us, isn’t it? Grinding poverty is slowly destroying our urban youth and we just stand by and watch, preferably from a distance, preferably from inside a gated community. Watching the world turn secular, we know that there is a spiritual side to life but it just can’t crack our tightly wound schedules. We think about a Bible study but just can’t tolerate the idea of one more thing to attend. We won’t even pull off the road to watch a sunset for fear that we will be late to the next appointment. In trying to do everything, we are doing nothing of lasting value for our souls. When a king passes by in your life, you don’t just stand and watch. You respond. Bill McDonald, How Do You Recognize a King? Starting next week will be looking at the gospel of Matthew. But this week – what it the last lesson in luke – the cruxificion. The last words and actions of Christ as he dies on the Cross. A sign is put above his head – this is the king of the jews. He is given not a crown of jewels, but a crown of thorns. He is not exalted – but humiliated and crucified. What does this story have to do with Christ being the king. It reminds us that we are a people of happy endings. The king we are looking for is a hero, Accepting a Human Messiah In contrast to the theology of the cross and our suffering/dying king. Robert Capon in Hunting the Divine Fox presents a wonderful picture of our typical American Messiah -- and it doesn't look much like Jesus on the cross. . . . almost nobody resists the temptation to jazz up the humanity of Christ. The true paradigm of the ordinary American view of Jesus is Superman: "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. It's Superman! Strange visitor from another planet, who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way." If that isn't popular christology, I'll eat my hat. Jesus -- gentle, meek and mild, but with secret, souped-up, more-than-human insides -- bumbles around for thirty-three years, nearly gets himself done in for good by the Kryptonite Kross, but at the last minute, struggles into the phone booth of the Empty Tomb, changes into his Easter suit and, with a single bound, leaps back up to the planet Heaven. It's got it all -- including, just so you shouldn't miss the lesson, kiddies: He never once touches Lois Lane. You think that's funny? Don't laugh. The human race is, was and probably always will be deeply unwilling to accept a human messiah. We don't want to be saved in our humanity; we want to be fished out of it. We crucified Jesus, not because he was God, but because he blasphemed: He claimed to be God and then failed to come up to our standards for assessing the claim. It's not that we weren't looking for the Messiah; it's just that he wasn't what we were looking for. Our kind of Messiah would come down from a cross. He would carry a folding phone booth in his back pocket. He wouldn't do a stupid thing like rising from the dead. He would do a smart thing like never dying." [pp. 90-91; this book has been reprinted, along with two others under the title The Romance of the Word One Man's Love Affair with Theology] Robert Capon, quoted by Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes Colossians says that Jesus is indeed King of all. Christ is the visible image of all that God is. He goes on to say that Christ is our savior, our creater, our Lord and a peacemaker. He is indeed our King! A king is someone who has power over our lives. But the point is how that power is used. Is it used to help us or to hurt us. The true power of a King is in the power to forgive. And those who serve him- appreciate forgiveness. This last scripture of the year also talk tell the story of Jesus, and the two thieves who were crucified next to him. One taunts him- If you are truly a king, then why don’t you save yourself. What would have happen of you, if Christ has truly saved himself and not you. The second asks for forgiveness and makes a special request. FATHER, FORGIVE THEM... Many years ago, long before any of us were born, and long before our great grandparents were born, a young man walked into town. His clothes were old and well worn. His shoes had holes, and he carried all of his possessions in a small, dirty bag. When he first arrived in town he slept under an apple tree, and the residents of the town quickly got to know him because he was always asking if he could do jobs for people. "I can do anything that needs to be done; and I promise I will never ask for payment," said the scruffy young man. Some were suspicious of him, and some told him to get lost, but slowly and surely more and more people trusted him, and the quality of his work was superb. He could paint, do the garden, fix broken furniture, run errands and entertain children. He was a great shoe shiner, a blacksmith, and a builder. Some people paid him by giving him a meal. Some gave him water to drink. Some gave him money, but there were many people who took advantage of him. They asked him to do enormous jobs that lasted all day and then gave him nothing; but the young man never complained. He had said he would work for nothing, and so at the end of a hard day’s work, he would leave with a cheerful smile on his face – even more cheerful than the smile that greeted the people of the town every morning. As time went by, stories of the man passed from house to house and to other towns; and more and more people realised that they didn’t have to give the young man anything for his efforts, so he began to receive less food, and less water. But still he worked hard, smiled with an infectious smile, and slept under the apple tree. One day there was no work. The man was hungry and thirsty. There was no work because it was the King’s birthday! It was a national holiday. Everyone was dressed up in their finest clothes, because the king was coming to town. Music was playing. Laughter filled the air. Children couldn’t wait to get their first glimpse of the king. The young man’s smile was broader than ever, but the people of the town told him to keep his distance because his clothes looked out of place for such a grand occasion. In fact, they tied him to his apple tree so that he would not spoil the day. When the King’s carriage pulled into town there was a fanfare to greet him, and applause as he waved to the crowd, but they were surprised to hear that he knew about the scruffy man who had been working hard in the town recently. "Where is the hard working young man? Where is the man who works for nothing?" Very embarrassed, they took the King to the apple tree where they found the young man, exhausted, tired, hungry and thirsty. "What have you done to him?" demanded the King. "I sent him to come and work amongst you, and you have done this to him!" There was silence amongst the people of the town. The young man smiled lovingly, and looking into the eyes of the King he said, "Father. Forgive them. They don’t realise I am your son." The shocked crowd fell to their knees in sorrow, as they realised what they had done. (Story by Warner Pidgeon – March 2009) Luke leaves us with a story of three crosses –the cross of rebellion, the cross of repentance, and the cross of redemption. We are all sinners, the question is are we sinners of rebellion or sinners in search of repentance. Do we acknowledge that Christ is our only redemption? Christ makes a promise to the thief who asks for forgiveness – on this day you will be with me in paradise. The word Paradise is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. When a Persian king wished to do one of his subjects a very special honour he made him a companion of the garden which meant he was chosen to walk in the garden with the king. It was more than immortality that Jesus promised the penitent thief. He promised him the honoured place of a companion of the garden in the courts of heaven. We will have a chance to walk with God, and live with God. Forgiven from our sin – we can return to the garden of eden and live in the faith of Jesus Christ. You see, in the end – the quest of the soul is not so much to find freedom, it is to find a master. Who is in control of your life? You or Jesus? Who knows what it best - you or Jesus? Who are you willing to obey – your voice or the voice of God? When Christ is the master of our lives, everything falls into place. Christ has promised that we will live happily ever after – if we are willing to obey him. In giving our life to Christ – we really do get our happy ending. There was once a farmer who had two mules. One was named Willing and the other was named Able. However, Willing was willing but was not able. Able was able but was not willing. The farmer did not get much done. Christ needs people who are willing and able. And the ironic thing is that when we subordinate our desires to His desire, when we enlist as privates in His army, when we serve as priests in His temple, which is the world, when we give ourselves in His service, it is then that we are lifted up. In losing ourselves we find ourselves. That is the nature of His kingdom. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com When we are willing and able – Christ is indeed our King! Amen. If You Are The King Of The Jews . . . by King Duncan Passage: Luke 23:26-43 • Lectionary: Christ the King Item 2 of 9 | Back to Results Object: Bottle of A-1 Steak Sauce Good morning, boys and girls. Why is something great referred to as "�A-1?" According to Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things both the phrase and the steak sauce date back to the 1820s in England. At that time, Lloyd's of London began classifying ships numerically for insurance purposes. "�A Number 1" was the highest rating, and quickly caught on in English society as a way to signify any person, place or thing that was of superior quality. The phrase was sustained by its use as a brand name for steak sauce originally developed for Kind George the IV. The King's personal chef developed the condiment, and popular legend has the King exclaiming "�This sauce is A-1!" after his first taste. The chef manufactured the sauce privately after the King's death, ultimately making a deal with a Connecticut-based producer who ensured that A-1 became a staple of American language and barbecues for decades to come. Today we celebrate Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is A #1 in our world. There has never been anyone like him and there never will be anyone like him. But you know, he wants us to be A-1 too. He wants us to live excellent lives. He wants us to be healthy and happy. He wants us to learn and grow and to love one another. He wants us to be the very best people we can be. That way everyone will know that we are his followers, because we are A-1 too. Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20 There was once a farmer who had two mules. One was named Willing and the other was named Able. However, Willing was willing but was not able. Able was able but was not willing. The farmer did not get much done. Christ needs people who are willing and able. And the ironic thing is that when we subordinate our desires to His desire, when we enlist as privates in His army, when we serve as priests in His temple, which is the world, when we give ourselves in His service, it is then that we are lifted up. In losing ourselves we find ourselves. That is the nature of His kingdom. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com Working for Christ’s Kingdom The application to those of us who love Jesus Christ is clear. What He loved and desired, we should love and desire and work to complete. His work is to see lost men saved and built up. His work is to see this world redeemed. His work is to see this unfinished world be brought to completion. We who love Him are called to complete the task. Hellen Keller once said, "The world is moved along not only by the mighty shove of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." That's who we are and that's what we are called to do. Sermon Opener – The Prayer of a Thief Not everybody who takes up a life of crime is all that smart. Sometimes movies or television glorify criminals. They make them appear sophisticated, even cool. Most criminals do not fall in that category. Like the guy who walked into a little corner store in England with a shotgun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, “I don’t believe you are over 21.” The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn’t believe him. At this point the robber took his driver’s license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over, and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later. Not the brightest tool in the box. Charles Cortez, a sheriff’s deputy from Los Angeles tells about investigating a late-night break-in at a local factory. Someone had broken a window in the factory, stolen a large industrial sewing machine, and gone out the front door with it. But in their haste, the burglars must not have noticed that one end of the industrial thread had caught on a splintered area of floor. Officer Cortez began following the string as it wound out of the factory, down the street, and into a nearby neighborhood. Eventually, the length of string led him straight to the front door of the band of thieves. The three men were arrested without incident, and the sewing machine was returned to its rightful owner. I believe those burglars need to find another profession. Michael E. Hodgin tells of pair of robbers who entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, “Nobody move!” When his partner moved, the first bandit was startled and shot him. Of course, some criminals are smarter than others. Jesus hung on a cross between two thieves, according to Matthew and Mark. Luke doesn’t specify their crimes. He simply calls them criminals. According to Luke one of the thieves joined in the mob that was mocking Jesus. He hurled insults at the Master. One of those insults particularly stung: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other thief had a better grasp of what was happening there. He rebuked his colleague in crime. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he turned to the Master and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” What a remarkable statement of faith. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

Even God has work to do

November 17, 2013 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Isaiah 65:17-25 “Even God has work to Do” 26th Sunday After Pentecost Year C What does the word impossible mean to you? When someone says that things are impossible, what does that mean? The dictionary says something that is not possible, something that cannot be done, or unable to occur. Something where you can see a brick wall between what is possible, and what cannot be done. I was encouraged by one definition, which said that impossible is something that is difficult to occur. Something difficult, but can be done. This is one story, where a mom explains to her son that what is difficult takes time, what is impossible just takes a little longer. The Impossible Takes a Little Longer At the age of 20, Art Berg was a very happy man. Everything was going right. He was a gifted athlete and had started his own tennis court construction company. And he was engaged to a beautiful woman. Leaving California one Christmas eve, he was headed to Utah with a friend. He was going to meet his fiancée and complete their wedding plans. During the long drive, he fell asleep while at the wheel. His car hit an abutment and rolled down a hill. He was ejected from the car and found himself laying on the desert with a broken neck. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He completely lost the use of his legs and arms. The doctors told him he would never work again. They concluded that he could never play sports again and would be dependent on others the rest of his life. One even suggested he forget getting married. Art Berg was really afraid. It was the darkest moment in his life. The "end times" were upon him. In the midst of his peril his mother came and whispered a few words in his ear. "Art, while the difficult takes time, the impossible takes a little longer." In other words, "don’t panic!" Suddenly, Art’s darkness was filled with a light of hope. That was years ago. Today Art Berg is president of his own company, a professional speaker and author. He has gained back some of the use of his arms and legs and can now drive. He travels across the country sharing his message, "that the impossible just takes a little longer." Art married his fiancée and they have two children. He has even returned to the world of sports, swimming and scuba diving. In l993 Art was the first quadriplegic to race 32 miles in a marathon, all because he didn’t panic. Don’t panic, is the message of the day. Keith Wagner, Are You Having an Anxiety Attack? Muhammad Ali defines impossible this way…. “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ Muhammad Ali What is it that makes the impossible, possible? What is it that brings things that were not so into reality? Faith, hope, love. We have to remember that all things in life are possible through God. What does not make sense to us, makes perfect sense to God. What we cant do, God can do. How do we makes things that are impossible possible? We have to practice our faith in God. New Heavens and a New Earth 17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. Explanation of Isaiah 65 These words were written by third Isaiah. The book of Isaiah is a series of impossible visions of the future, designed to give hope to a people who were convinced that change was impossible. That things would be in a state of devastation forever. Each vision in Isaiah builds upon making what was impossible possible, and as the doorway is opened, the vision becomes clearer and clearer. But each vision is designed to remind us all – that things that make sense – in the presence of God. The day is coming, when there will be nothing that separates us from God. And with God – we will live in total peace, and wellbeing. How many things in your life are behind the wall of impossibility right now? Are they impossible, or will God make a way someday for what you cant see, to come to reality? The message of Isaiah 65 – is to have hope, that if we have faith in God – it will all turn out, and we will all live together in harmony in life. the key is to have hope. There is a fundamental difference between hoping for something and wishing for it. It is essential to distinguish between hoping and wishing. They are not the same thing. Wishing is something that all of us do. It proects what we want or think we need into the future. Just because we wish for something good or holy, we think it qualifies as hope. It does not. Wishing extends our egos into the future; hope grows out of our faith. Hope is oriented toward what God is doing; wishing is oriented toward what we are doing. Wishing has to do with what I want in things, or people or God; hope as to do with what God wants in me and the world of things and people beyond me. Wishing is our will projected into the future, and hope is God’s will coming out of the future. Picture it in your mind: wishing is a line that comes out of me, with an arrow pointing into the future. Hoping is a line that comes out of God and points toward me. Hope means being surprised, because we don’t know what is best for us or how our lives are going to be completed. To cultivate hope is to suppress wishing – to refuse to fantasize about what we want, but live in anticipation of what God is going to do next. – Eugene Peterson Wishing is dependent on us – hoping is depending on God. Wishing is about what happens on earth, hoping is about what happens in heaven. More importantly – wishing does not require anything on our part. Hoping requires all of our life. Hoping for something means that we not only pray for it, we not only wait for it, but we live for it. We live as if we trust God to make it so. This morning, I also wanted us to think some more about the message of 2 Thessalonians. Last week we talked about the thessalonian error – the world was coming to an end- so people thought they did not have to do anything. Paul had to remind them that they still needed to work. Well Paul continue that conversation in chapter 3. He goes as far as to say that those who do not work – should not eat. I am not going to go that far this morning. But I did think that it was important for us to continue this conversation. To be reminded that God indeed had a vision for heaven, but he also has a vision for earth. God had a vision for the future, but he is here working in the present. God has a plan for all things in life. And God knows that in order for that plan to work – the we all need to work. Working is not what we do with our hands, but it is also what we do with our heart and our mind. As a matter of fact, what we do with our hearts and minds, determines what we do with our hands. The word idle Paul says – Now we command you, beloved in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness. There is a lot of debate about that word idleness. What does it mean to be idle, and what harm does it do to be idle. Paul uses the greek word – ataptkos – which means truant. It means that in he body of God, some people are just absent. You see them in body, but they are not contributing anything. We all know those people, they are the people who.. An unknown author said he met the strangest man on his way to church. Here is how he described this man: “He said he believed in the Bible, but he never reads it. “He said he thought well of the church of which he is a member, but he never attends or invites others to share in its ministry. “He said a person should be honest with God in money matters, but he never tithes. “He said the younger generation needs the Lord, but he isn’t leading them in that direction. “He said the church needs dedicated Christian members, but he isn’t one. “He offered some ‘constructive’ criticism of some of the workers but he never works. “He said the church should do more n ministering to people, but he doesn’t help. “He is critical of the way the church is ‘run,’ but he never participates. “He says he believes in the Second Coming, but he lives as though the Lord will never return. “He says prayer will change things, but he never prays. “He was,” says this author, “a strange man, indeed!” (3) Not so strange. Their number in the church is legion. Paul is saying that the harm done by those people are to their fellow brothers and sisters. It is to the community that is working for Christ. Those who work, have to bear the burden of those who don’t. People judge us by the work that we do. When people do not work – that is a reflection on us all. The truth is – we all get tired, we all want to give up, we all want to take a break sometime. What is it that keeps us going, when we are tired? Our love for God and our faith that God will give us strength , and that our hope will get us through. God Renews Our Strength In times of need, Jesus promises his disciples, you will receive strength from beyond. Rabbi Harold Kushner reflects on this strength. "I have seen weak people become strong," he writes, "timid people become brave, selfish people become generous. I have seen people care for their elderly parents, for bra iin damaged children, for wives in wheelchairs, for years, even decades, and I have asked myself, where do people get the strength to keep doing that for so long? Where do they get the resources of love and loyalty to keep going? The only answer I come up with is when we are weary and out of strength, we turn to God and God renews our strength, so we can run and not grow weary, so that we can walk and not feel faint." Rabbi Harold Kuschner, quoted by King Duncan,www.Sermons.com Dr. Tom Long tells about a friend of his who was telling him about taking a church youth group on a mission trip to Jamaica. “On their trip they visited one of the local elementary schools, and they spent some time observing in a classroom seriously overcrowded with children, most of them very poor, all of them needy and wiggly and noisy and unruly. It was a difficult, sometimes even chaotic, learning environment; but the youth group marveled to see that the teacher carried herself with great calm and patience, treating all of the children with love and respect, despite the poverty and the chaos. They decided that the only way she could do this was that she must really love being a teacher. But they were surprised to hear her say, ‘Oh, I don’t come here every day mainly because I love teaching. I come here every day because I love Jesus, and I see Jesus in every one of these children.’” (5) In those times when we are tempted to stop working, let our faith in God’s vision sustain us. When you hear Paul’s words – he reminds us that everyone has to work. Paul uses himself as an example of someone who worked hard to do what it right. The back story to Paul’s words is that in the jewish tradition – hard and honest work was important. Even as a rabbi – you were not supposed to accept money for your work. You needed to have another way to support yourself. Paul wants to make sure that everyone knew that he had a job like anyone else. There is a wonderful legend concerning the quiet years of Jesus, the years prior to his visible ministry. The legend claims that Jesus the carpenter was one of the master yoke-makers in the Nazareth area. People came from miles around for a yoke, hand carved and crafted by Jesus son of Joseph. When customers arrived with their team of oxen Jesus would spend considerable time measuring the team, their height, the width, the space between them, and the size of their shoulders. Within a week, the team would be brought back and he would carefully place the newly made yoke over the shoulders, watching for rough places, smoothing out the edges and fitting them perfectly to this particular team of oxen. That's the yoke Jesus invites us to take. Do not be misled by the word "easy," for its root word in Greek speaks directly of the tailor-made yokes: they were "well-fitting." The yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls, is one that is made exactly to our lives and hearts. The yoke he invites us to wear fits us well, does not rub us nor cause us to develop sore spirits and is designed for two. His yokes were always designed for two. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself. The work of Christ may not be easy – but it is well-fitting for us and makes us comfortable. Whatever God calls us to work to do, God always equips is to do it. But most importantly he gives us the strength to see it through. So let us always remember to serve God, love Christ, work towards God’s vision, in order to make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow with God. Amen! Do What Is Right by Brett Blair, Tim Carpenter Passage: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 • Lectionary: Proper 28 Item 10 of 12 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate that we should not be weary in doing what is right. Props: Three stuffed animals that you will use as puppets (two alike and one a dog, e.g., two toy birds and a toy dog), a wallet, and a piece of candy. Lesson: [Introduce the two puppets as John and Joe. All through the story have them talk and walk as needed.] I want to tell you a story about John and Joe. They were brothers who wanted to go for a walk. Their mother told them that if they were good, they could have a piece of candy when they returned home. So they went on their walk. After a short time, they came across a puppy dog. Have the toy dog lying on the floor or on a table where everyone can see it. The puppy dog was lost. John said, "I think we should help that puppy dog find its way home." Joe said, "Nah, I don't feel like it. Let's just go on." But John looked at its tag, and found that the address on the tag was just around the corner. So he took the dog home. Then they went a little further. They found a wallet lying in the road. Just as the stuffed animal was laid out previously, have the wallet out in the open before you begin. John said, "We need to find out who owns the wallet and get it back to them." Joe said, "Nah, I don't feel like it. I'm getting tired. Let them find it themselves." But John picked up the wallet and found that it belonged to a man who lived just up the street. So he took the wallet to the man. When they got home, their mother asked if they were good. What do you think? (response) Both boys said that they were good. So the mother asked what they did. John told the mother how they had found the dog and the wallet, and took them to their owners. Joe said, "I told him to come on, but he went ahead anyway." The mother said, "Why did you tell him to come on when he saw the dog and wanted to help it?" Joe said, "Because I just didn't feel like it." So the mother said, "Well then, only John gets a piece of candy, because only John was good." Have John pick up a piece of candy that is sitting out. Joe said, "But I didn't hurt anyone or anything. I wasn't bad!" The mother replied, "No, but when there is something you can do to help and you don't do it, then you have not been good and you should not be rewarded." Application: Why didn't Joe get any candy? (response) That's right. Joe didn't have a good excuse for not helping the dog or for not helping with the wallet, did he? Neither do we have good excuses when we choose not to help someone who is in need. The Apostle Paul said that we should never ever get tired of doing good things. And he said that people shouldn't get rewarded if they don't want to help do good things. You see, Jesus gave everything because he loves us. Jesus was so good to us, and he never got tired of being good. We should always try to do the right thing and be like Jesus! Let's Pray: Help us, dear Lord, never to get tired of doing good things. In Jesus' name. Amen. Children's Sermons A to Z, Brett Blair, Tim Carpenter, CSS Publishing Company, 2000, 0-7880-1780-2

Are you Ready for the Resurrection?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 Get Ready for the Resurrection 25th Sunday After Pentecost Year C The Questions we ask A Theological Curveball A certain minister has made it a policy for many years to refer "six-year-old theology questions" to his wife. Since she has taught very young children for many years, he says, she has a much better grasp than he does of how to address the questions which little kids ask. The other day, a first-grader brought a drawing of a skeleton into class where she teaches English as a second language. The titled across the top of the drawing read "Inside of Me." It was designed to teach children that everyone has a skeleton inside of them. He unfolded it proudly and showed it to the class. One little girl from India was astounded at the thought that she and others had this scary-looking skeleton inside them, and so she pressed the issue a bit farther. "Even you got one of these inside you, Mrs. K?" The teacher replied, "Yes, I have one, too." The next question was the theological one. "Even God got one inside him?" Now in a class made up of children from many different countries, cultures, and religious backgrounds (most of them not Christians), you can imagine that this question had the potential for major theological debate. I doubt if I'd have had the presence of mind to give the answer the teacher did; but, as usual, her expertise in six-year-old theology saved the day. "If God needs a skeleton, I'm sure he has one," she replied. "God has everything he needs." This apparently satisfied the theological curiosity of the class, and they got on with the lesson. Asking questions is an essential part of learning. If we don't know something, we look for someone who does and we ask. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. We learn by asking questions about what we don't know. Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company Sadducees – not stupid question, but stupid people We have all heard that saying that there are no stupid questions. The only dumb question is one that you don’t ask. I think that Jesus would agree with me – that there is no stupid questions, but sometimes there are stupid people who ask questions. I know that is a pretty strong statement, but it is an explanation of the story in Luke 20. This story is included in both Matthew and Mark. But for Luke he puts this story on the Tuesday before Jesus is crucified. The priest have been looking for any excuse at all to attack Jesus. Each time they ask a stupid question – a question that will prove that Jesus is a fraud – Jesus understands the trap well enough to avoid it. And this question is no different. The Sadducees where rich priest, who were in charge of the temples. They were very conservative – anything that was not expressely written in the first five books of the bible – did not exist as far as they were concerned. The words of Job - I know that my redeemer[a] lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[b] 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet[c] in[d] my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Means nothing to them. The did not believe in the resurrection – even though the words are in the old testament. The sadduccees were sad u see – because they did not believe in anything that they could not see. In their world there was nothing to hope for, nothing more than words on paper to believe in. There was no eternal life. That is why in this case there were stupid people asking a stupid question. If there was a resurrection – which they didn’t believe in anyway, and a woman married seven different men, who would be her husband in heaven. Jesus had to explain that not only do you not understand resurrection, not only do you not understand heaven, before you try and talk about life after death, you should have an understanding of life. I love it when Jesus tells us that god is not a god of the dead, but the living. Nothing in life disappears Dr. Wernher von Braun, well-known for his part in the U. S. space program, says he has “essentially scientific” reasons for believing in life after death. He explained: “Science has found that nothing can disappear without a trace. Nature does not know extinction. All it knows is transformation. If God applies the fundamental principle to the most minute and insignificant parts of the universe, doesn’t it make sense to assume that He applies it to the masterpiece of His creation—the human soul? I think it does.” What is life? what is death? Jesus says that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he says that they are indeed alive. But if we cannot see them, if we know that they have passed on, if we know where their graves are – then how are they among the living? What is the relationship between life and death? Thessalonians was written in a different time, it answers different questions, but at the heart of the scripture is the meaning of eternal life. Paul comes to Thessalonica in order to address the Thessalonian error. We all as Christians are susceptible to that error. Because we all live in the anticipation of Jesus coming soon – and we get confused about what that means. When Paul told the Thessalonians that Christ was coming soon – they forgot that God is the God of the living. They thought they could stop living for themselves, because Christ was coming soon, so nothing mattered anymore. My Thessalonian error There was a time in my life when life was so crazy for me, that I thought for sure that Christ was coming soon. I was so desparate for God to come and fix my life, that I made myself sick and ended up in the hospital. One day the nurse bought my clothes to my room, telling me that he washed them so that I could wear them again. I looked at the nurse and said I didn’t need them anymore. I looked out the window – waiting for Jesus to come out of the sky. The nurse left them on the counter – saying trust me, I think you will need these again. I thought he was just an unbeliever, who did not see the signs. Paul tried to help us understand that waiting for Christ to come, does not mean that it is time to give up living. It does not mean that our life is over. Life goes on, the work continues. We cant give up In the challenges of life – the Jews had stopped believing in the power of God. There was no God, There were no miracles, there was nothing to hope for beyond what they could see and understand. And the Christians believed that if there was a God, then there was no need for them to keep living. They could stop working and just let God handle it. They could just give up on everything and wait for the miracle. Paul tried to help us understand that one is just as bad as the other. God is the God of those who live. And those who live, are constantly growing and moving forward. As a matter of fact Thessalonians spells it out in verses 13-16. God called you to be the first fruits of salvation. Along with being called and chosen comes a task – a job, work for you to do. If you are called, and have work to do – then God will send others to help you in your task, If we are here, then we are set apart and saved for something better. If we consider ourselves to be Christians, then we are alive, anything that is alive, grows and moves forward. We don’t get to give up. A Girl learns to skate A father bought a little girl a pair of ice skates. In learning how to skate, she fell down time after time. Wanting to spare her the pain of failure – he asked her if she was ready to give up. She got up, and said I didn’t ask for these skates in order to fail- but to be a skater, and she got up and kept trying. What about you? What are you here for? Why do you call yourself a Christian? Are you a sad u see? Only believing in what you can see? Or are you waiting for something more? Are you one of the dead? or the living? Tradition Must Leave Room for Revelation The apostle Paul, in his letter of encouragement to the struggling young church at Thessalonica, wrote, "Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions we taught you, either by word of mouth or by our letters" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Tradition is important. But tradition has to leave room for revelation, because the Spirit blows where it wills, right? That has always been a problem in the church, from day one to this day. We don’t seem to want to leave any room for revelation when we’re talking about tradition. A well-known theologian has commented, "Any church that is alive lives on the edge of heresy," meaning that its members won’t refuse new ideas or new programs or new challenges simply because there are those in the church who say, "WE NEVER DID IT THAT WAY BEFORE!" and want these to be the final words on the subject matter. These have been called "the seven last words of the church," and in many cases they have been. Johnny Dean Heaven and Earth There are a lot question the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. But I think one reason is illustrated by the story of a boy sitting down to a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when his eyes are on that cake. And if the lord had explained everything to us about what's ours to come, I think we'd have a rough time with our spinach down here. Michael Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Baker, 1993, p.184. What would life be like if we ate chocolate cake, and avoided the spinache? Somewhere along the way – we would have lost sight of the true meaning of life. and we wouldn’t have the nutrients we need to grow, to move and to live. I leave you with the benediction in the last part of chapter 2 of Thessalonians – Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father, who loves us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Amen. Big Changes by Brett Blair, Tim Carpenter Passage: Luke 20:27-40 • Lectionary: Proper 27 Item 1 of 3 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: As we grow in life and as we grow with God, we will always have to deal with changes. Sometimes it means letting go of the old and accepting the new. Heaven will bring about the biggest of these changes. Props: A diaper, wipes, a baby bottle (or a jar of baby food and a baby spoon), and a pacifier. Lesson: I have something this morning I think you need. Hold up the diaper. Okay, who needs his diaper changed? (response) All right, don't be shy. Who needs his diaper changed? Anyone have wet britches? (response) I even brought the wipes. What? (response) What do you mean you don't wear diapers? (response) Ignore their statements about being grown-up. Well, then, here's something you need ... a bottle. Okay, who is hungry? Who needs his bottle? (response)What? (response) But you use a bottle all the time. (response) All right, no bottle. Here's something you can use. (response) You mean you don't even use pacifiers anymore? (response)Why not ... you used to use them all the time? (response) You're grown up? (response) How old are you now? (response) Tell me what growing up has to do with no longer wearing diapers and no longer eating baby food. How come you no longer need these things? (response) Keep the pacifier in your hands as you speak with the children. Application: My, how you've grown! It's sad sometimes to let go of diapers, bottles, and pacifiers, but it means we are doing some new things. Tell me some things you can do now that you are big boys and big girls? (response) What else can you do now that you are big? (response)Let me ask you a question: Do you miss the diapers? (response) Why don't you miss them?(response) I understand. Pause. Are you sure none of you would like to wear the diaper? (no!) If there is a wise guy who takes you up on it, motion him to come over. He'll back down. Jesus said as we get older, things happen to us: we grow up, and we change. We have to make decisions to let go of some things like diapers, bottles, and pacifiers. Hold up the pacifier. He even said when we go through the biggest change of all ... when we go to heaven ... some very big changes are going to occur. We will never have to brush our teeth again. And, we will never have to take a nap, and we will never have to eat all our broccoli again. Did Jesus say that? (no)You're right, he didn't say it exactly in those words, but he did say when we get to heaven some very big changes are going to take place. (Optional: He said we won't have to get married ... I know some of you are very happy about that ... and no one will ever die again.) You will no longer have just one or two brothers and sisters; you'll have millions of brothers and sisters. We will all be one big family. We will all have one Father and we shall all be God's children. That will be the biggest change of all! Let's Pray: Father, we look forward to growing up and the changes to come, but more than all that we look forward to the biggest change to come: being in heaven with you. Amen. Children's Sermons A to Z, Brett Blair, Tim Carpenter, CSS Publishing Company, 2000, 0-7880-1780-2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------THE THESSALONIAN ERROR The Thessalonian error was misunderstanding the purpose of end-time prophecy. The purpose is not to identify the anti-Christ or to inform us of events. Others have misunderstood the purpose of second-coming prophecy. Many people have been identified as the anti-Christ. Early Christians suspected some of the Roman emperors who persecuted them. Victims of the inquisition suspected some leaders of the Catholic Church. Some of you may have heard sermons comparing Hitler, Mussolini, or Hirohito to the anti-Christ. In my lifetime, I have heard or read speculation about Henry Kissinger, Prince Charles, and, more recently, Barack Obama. Do any of you remember a booklet, "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988"? Matthew 24:36 says no one knows the day or hour. The writer ignored that by pointing to a 3 day period, the feast of trumpets, in October, 1988. He said we can’t know the day, but we can know the 3 day period. He was wrong. The most famous group for setting second coming dates may be the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Charles Russell believed Jesus would return in 1874. In 1877, he taught Jesus returned invisibly, contrary to scripture that says “every eye shall see him.” Jehovah’s Witnesses later predicted that in 1914 Armageddon would end. It had not even begun. They said 1925 was a date firmly established in scripture, that they had more reason to believe the kingdom would be established in 1925 than Noah had to believe there would be a flood. Jesus did not return in 1925. Jehovah’s Witnesses again expected Jesus to return in 1929. Before his return, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be resurrected to announce his coming. A house called Beth-Sarim was built for them to live in when they came. Judge Rutherford, then President of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, graciously offered to live in the mansion and supervise its maintenance until they arrived. They did not rise and Jesus did not return in 1929. I have heard testimonies of ex-JWs who believed the prophecies of Jesus returning in 1975. They talked about going door to door in affluent areas, picking the houses they wanted to live in when Jesus came again. Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught only 144,000 will make it to heaven. Other faithful Witnesses will be resurrected to live forever in paradise on earth. Many thought nice houses left behind by people who were not Witnesses would be free for the taking. Sometimes, men of great learning be great fools, and sometimes they suffer for it. Listen to this. "In view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous... Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarships or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them down & put spiritual interests first," (Kingdom Ministry, July 1969, p 3). Some Jehovah’s Witnesses, graduating high school, turned down scholarships. Some graduating college turned down promising jobs. Why? Because their leaders told them Jesus was coming in 1975. When their leaders were proven wrong, again, those scholarships and jobs had been given to others. "Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.” (Kingdom Ministry, May 1974, p 3). Some Witnesses sold their homes and quit their jobs. They lived off the money from selling their homes while going door to door teaching a false gospel. In 1976, when their leaders were proven wrong, again, they had nothing left. Many people and groups have committed the Thessalonian error. They misunderstood the purpose of end-time prophecies. Sometimes, they suffered for it. (From a sermon by Mark Stepherson, The Purpose of Second Coming Prophecy, 5/29/2012) Unfriendly Fire It’s a fact: Sometimes the commercials are better than the programs. A few years ago, the all-sports network ESPN had a series of commercials set in a mythical University of Football. In one of them, an earnest-looking student admits to Tom Jackson, an ESPN analyst who was himself once a professional football player, that he’s probably asking a stupid question. Maybe at this point you expect Jackson to repeat the common saying “The only stupid question is the one that never gets asked.” But what Jackson actually says is “There’s no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people asking questions.” Jesus answered a good many questions during his ministry, but this one about the bride who marries seven brothers comes pretty close to being a stupid question. It is not being asked by a stupid person, however. There’s a high-stakes game being played here — nothing less than life or death — but the only life on the line belongs to Jesus. Keep in mind that the scriptures do not condemn asking God serious questions, even angry questions. Consider Job’s vocal complaints, the laments of the psalms, Habakkuk’s extended complaining and Martha taking Jesus to task after the death of her brother Lazarus. God actually seems to welcome serious questions. A living faith is a questioning faith. How else will we get answers? God’s word invites us into an honest dialog. These questions show that we take God seriously, as someone who, though greater than we can imagine, invites us into a real, not a sanitized, relationship. But a little common sense wouldn’t hurt, either. Over the triple doorways of the Catheral of Milan there are three insciptions spanning the splendid arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath is the legend. “All that which pleases is but for a moment.” Over the other is sculptured a cross, and the words, “All that which troubles us is but for a moment.” But underneath the great central entrance to the main aisle is the inscription, “That only is important which is eternal.” —Current Anecdotes

Remembering the Future

November 3, 2013 All Saints Day Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Ephesians 1:11-23 Year C A world-class woman runner was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions -- or so she thought -- given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race scheduled just up the road and directed her there. When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she'd anticipated; an easier race than she'd been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials' excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she'd hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place. Only after the race--when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money-- did she confirm that the event she'd run was not the race to which she'd been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town. She'd gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize. As we gather on this Sunday morning, we have a special task this morning to honor those in the body of Christ who have run the right race, and have won the prize of eternal life in Jesus Christ. God’s promise for all of those who have led a faithful life, who have remembered to love God even in the midst of their struggling, is triumph over all troubles, by living in God’s lights forever. Last year, Pope Benedict said that as we remember the lives of those who have departed, we have an opportunity to deepen our relationship with the promise of eternity. This day reminds of our destiny, where we will dwell with the truth of the universe and realize the fulfillment of our purpose. This life with all of its darkness, sickness, evil, pain and death is not all that there is. God has promised that if we are faithful, then we too will prevail and overcome. On this day, as we get a chance to look up in heaven, it is important for us to realize that in Christ we are connected. Our loved ones are a part of the communion of saints, and so are we. In this life we cant touch them, or hear their voice. But in Christ, we are united. The book of Ephesians talks about the gifts that we have received from Christ. If we die in Christ, then we will rise again in Christ. Paul reminds us that life does not begin, until we are united in Christ. Once the holy spirit seals us with baptism – we have been given our inheritance The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply. “What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was. “When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me. “’Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ “I felt the old weight come down on me. It was like a big, black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. “But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said, ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God.’ “With that he slapped me across the rump and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’” The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, “That was the most important single sentence ever said to me.” With that he smiled, shook the hand of Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends. Suddenly, Fred Craddock remembered. On two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate to be their governor. His name was Ben Hooper. (from Power for Living, by Jamie Buckingham, 1983) The good news of Ephesians, is a reminder that we are all children of God. God claims us all. God cares about us all. God loves us all. And that we have all inherited the gifts of God. Paul is praying for the wellbeing of all that are under the seal of the holy spirit. He wants us to know that we have inherited 3 things from God. Paul says that the first thing that we can see and experience is the hope to which he has called you, the second is the realization of the preciousness of the saints in our lives, and the third is the power of immeasurable greatness. The December 11, 2002, online issue of Forbes magazine carried the story of a family feud in one of the richest families in America. The Pritzker family of Chicago owns the Hyatt hotel chain. They also own many other businesses, including cruise lines, railroads, and banks. In 2002, 18-year-old Liesel Pritzker sued her father and other family members, claiming that they drained her trust fund of more than $1 billion. Because of their mismanagement, Liesel claims, her inheritance has been greatly reduced. She is suing for $5 billion dollars in punitive damages. (1) One billion dollars! Poor Liesel! Some of us would like to have her problems. She didn't have to lift a finger to earn this money. It's just there, what's left of it, earning interest, and waiting for her to collect it. Don't you just weep for her? Perhaps we should. No amount of money is worth being alienated from your family. It is sad to think that Ms. Pritzker didn't trust her own father to protect her inheritance for her. What would you do if you knew you had an enormous inheritance waiting for you? Would it make a difference in how you live while you wait to receive it? Reflect on that as I tell you another story I heard recently about a man who came into some money unexpectedly. But when we understand our inheritance of God, we realize that we have things that cannot never be taken away from us. Things that money cannot buy. Anne Graham Lotz sat down and made an alphabetical list of the eternal blessings that cannot be taken away from us. Listen to the items on her list and notice her clever use of the letters of the alphabet. She wrote: I am: Accepted by God / Beloved by God / Chosen by God / Delivered by God / Enlightened by God / Forgiven by God I have: Grace of God / Hope for the future / Inheritance in heaven / Justification / Knowledge of God / Love / Mercy of God / Nearness to God / Oneness with God / Peace / Quickening of the Spirit I am: Redeemed / Sealed with the Holy Spirit / Treasured by God / United with other believers / Validated as an authentic child of God I have: His Wisdom And one day I will be: Exalted with Him! (4) A lady, when her husband was absent, lost both her children to cholera. She laid them out with a mother’s tenderness, spread a sheet over them, and waited at the door for her husband’s return. “A person lent me some jewels,” she told her husband on his return, “and he now wants to have them back. What shall I do?” “Return them, by all means,” said the husband. Then she led the way, and silently uncovered the forms of their children. On this day we remember the jewels in our life that have been returned to God. We miss them dearly, as we acknowledge that they are now present in the bosom of God. They are resting in the bosom of Christ. They have realized the fulfillment of the inheritance that is for us all. Their life with us was a glimpse of heaven. A glimpse of eternity. A chance for us to look into heaven and to see that God will not break his promise. God is with us in life and in afterlife. That which is born of the flesh shall die, but that which is born of the spirit shall have eternal life. We are connected here on earth to heaven in our spirit. In our ability to life a life of holiness. And hope. The greatest gift of our inheritance is our ability to have hope. To know that no matter how much we suffer, that pain is never god’s final word. God promises that life will be better, we will feel better, those who we remember are in a better life and are living in God’s peace. All Saint’s day is a time for us to look up, and to have a better relationship with eternity. For us to realize that our hope in life is in Christ. In Christ, we are all connected. We are united. When we look up to heaven and see eternity, let us also look around and see those on this earth with us. Those who Christ has sent us to journey with. A holy life, is a life connected to brothers and sisters. Showing the love of God to all of God’s children – living with us and living in eternity. "Holiness is the very principle of eternal life, the very beginning of eternal life in the heart, and that which will certainly grow up to eternal life." ~Jeremiah Burroughs Mrs. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was ninety-three years old on July 22, 1983, applauded and admired by millions, was quoted by many before and during her celebration. Knowing the sorrow she has gracefully borne, I was challenged by words that appeared in Parade magazine addressed to and about her grandchildren: I hope they will have the strength to bear the inevitable difficulties and disappointments and griefs of life. Bear them with dignity and without self-pity. Knowing that tragedies befall everyone, and that, although one may seem singled out for special sorrows, worse things have happened many times to others in the world, and it is not tears, but determination that makes pain bearable. May we inherit the determination, the hope, the power, the spirit of those who now with Christ. And may we life a holy life, that shows others the way to their inheritance in Christ. Amen. Hope For A New Year by King Duncan Passage: Ephesians 1:1-14 • Lectionary: All Saints Item 12 of 19 | Back to Results Object: A letter An Upbeat Word for a Downbeat World, #1 Boys and Girls: Suppose a member of your family--your grandparents or an aunt and uncle--lived hundreds of miles away. Suppose it was not possible for your family to visit them or for them to visit you. And suppose they had never seen you. Your parents are very proud of you. Now imagine that they want to tell your family members all about you. How could they do it? They could send a letter like this one, couldn't they? They could describe the color of your hair and your eyes and how tall you are. What would be a better way? They could send a picture of you. Or if you have a video camera, they could even send a video. But what would he better? Maybe they could send you to spend a few days with them. That would be the best way. Then your family living far off would know exactly what you are like. God wanted people to know what He was like. He tried speaking through great leaders of the Bible like Moses and Elijah and others. But somehow people still couldn't accept God's great love for His children. So He sent a living letter. That living letter was Jesus. John called Jesus the Word of God. We don't know exactly what he meant. But we think it was something like this. That rather than sending a letter like this one. Or a photograph. God came in person in the life of his Son. That way we could know exactly what God is like. belong to the Kingdom of God The story is told of Frederick William IV of Prussia who once visited a school and quizzed the students. He held up a stone and asked the children: to what kingdom does this belong? They responded: mineral. He then, pointed to a flower and asked: to what kingdom does this belong? They answered: plant. He then pointed to a bird flying by outside the window and asked: to what Kingdom does that belong? They replied: animal. Then he asked: now, to what kingdom do I belong. He had raised a profound theological question. To what kingdom do we belong? On a literal sense, we are, off course, part and parcel of the animal kingdom. I belong to the same kingdom as my dog Ruff. He has many human traits. He can pout, he can get excited, he has a temper (as some of you who have visited the parsonage have discovered). But yet, Ruff does not understand time. He cannot grasp that there is a point beyond which he will not live. Only humans can grasp time. Ruff cannot tell right From wrong. It is not within him to share. His limited mind cannot set goals. All of those are human traits. The magnificent thing for humans is that it is within us to rise above purely animal desires and become a part of another kingdom----the Kingdom of God. Staff,www.Sermons.com If a man is filled with anger, than anger controls his life. If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life. If a man is filled with lust, then lust governs his life. If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does. And if a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is controlled by the Spirit - it is, if you will, "control by consent." Realizing that he would soon be gone from this world one day, Moody said to a friend, “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. “At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher, that is all—out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die; that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.” POSTED BY JOSHUA HEARNE AT 7:00 AM Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20

Thankfulness as a path of Faith

October 14, 2007 October 13, 2013 – retooled and repreached Thankfulness as a path of faith 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:8-19 Year C Makeover’s have become really popular these days – their lives. Extreme makeover is not just a show about houses that have rebuilt – but about people who have been rebuilt. We hear the stories of their past- we hear their dreams for being fixed – we watch their progress as they go through countless surgeries or other things will totally erase their past. We celebrate with them as their share with the community the new them – after they have lost weight, or whatever they needed to do. There are a lot of shows that use this as a concept – but I would imagine that an even more exciting show – would be extreme makeover follow up – what happens to these people after the show- how do they deal with the changes after all of the excitement is over with. Do they become the person they were before the makeover? Or do their lives really change. And are they really emotionally prepared for these changes. Afterall, the changes that are made are always cosmetic changes – things are fixed on the outside – but who these people are on the inside is never addressed. What inner habits may have created the outer reality is never addressed. What scars have been permantly formed from being the person they are, is never even talked about. But I think that for ages, we have all bought into the concept of living happily ever after – but we don’t want to hear the real story of what that means. Imagine being a young man, in the prime of your life, just married the woman of your dreams, and one day she notices some white spots on your neck – and your life as you know it is over – because she has to report to the community and the priest that you have leprosy – and have to immediately move away from the community. Or imagine that your first child has been born two months ago – a son to carry on your name – and you too are diagnosed with leprosy- Or after a long period of trying to find your life work – you realize that you want to go into farming with your father – and as you celebrate your new found life – you lose it to leprosy. The laws in the book of Levitcus are very clear – if anyone notices a swelling in his skin or a scab or boil or pimple with transparent skin they are to be brought to the priest for examination. If the spot turns white – or if it looks more than skin deep, then the priest must declare him a leper. It could happen to anyone at any time in life. If they were a leper- the most important thing was protecting the rest of the community from they – so they were to live outside the gates of the city. They were to keep their distance from everyone and to declare to all that they were one of the untouchables. Life as they knew it was over – no family, no job, no meaning in life. Just gathering together with other lepers – totally dependent on the goodness of others to live. I could imagine that anyone in this condition would think of themselves as likely candidates for an extreme makeover. Even back in that day – they had heard of an extreme makeover – they listened to that man Jesus as he talked about makeovers. They listened to his sermons as he talked about being restored to community. How even though the whole world treated them as outsiders, that there was a God who loved them and would treat them like anyone else. No one really knows why Jesus would have been in this no man’s land on his way to Jerusalem. He was somewhere between Galilee and Samaria. Galilee was the home of the Jews, the people he was trying to reach with his message. Samaria was the home of their cousins – those who were no longer considered Jews. Yet Jesus noticed that these were the people most likely to listen to his message and to apply it to their lives. So as he was traveling to Jerusalem, this was the perfect place to stop and to preach. As he passes by the lepers – they cry out – Lord have mercy on us. To ask for mercy is to ask for what it due to you – what you deserve but for some reason it has been denied you- They wanted their lives back – they wanted the right to return back to their lives, their wives, their children, their jobs, their community – all the things that made life worth living. They had heard enough to know that Jesus had the power to give them just what they asked for. With no special potions, no special words – Jesus tells them that they will be healed. All they need to do is to show themselves to the priest, so that they can be restored into community. They don’t even question Jesus – they immediately go back to their lives. Only 1 returns to thank Jesus for what he has done. Jesus gives him an additional blessing and tells him that his faith has made him whole. The others are healed on the outside – and yet Jesus knows that this one has been made whole on the inside too. Jesus was in between Galilee and Samaria – his audience was mixed – we really have no idea how many of the lepers were Jewish and how many were Samarian. We never hear what happens in their lives after they return. What we do know that the one who thought to return to thank Jesus was a Samarian. Maybe he did not have a priest to return to. Maybe he did not have a family or life to return to. Maybe his mom had always taught him to say thank you – we don’t know what it was that made this one leper out of ten return to Jesus. What we do know is that this one was different – when all ten asked for mercy – nine were looking for cosmetic changes. Leprosy back then was understood as any type of skin condition. One was looking for changes in mind, body and spirit. Nine lepers were looking to get on with their lives – one wanted to live. Nine were looking for the acceptance of society – one was looking for the acceptance of God. One was looking for their past to be restored – one was looking toward the future. Nine were looking for changes – one was looking to be transformed. He was changed from the inside out. He was not the same person that he had been. He knew that from this moment on, once he had been touched by Jesus – things would never be the same. His life would be so much more than those dreams of the life that had been taken away from him. God had shown him a love that he could never imagine in a million years. When you look at your life, which one are you – one of the nine or the one who stood out? Bear in mind that in those days- to say thank you was the last thing that you said to someone when the knew the relationship was over. If you knew you would never see the person again – you said thank you. The nine others had their lives restored – they were a part of the community again – they probably were not quite ready to saw good bye to Jesus Nine Reasons They Did Not Return Why did only one man cleansed from leprosy return to thank Jesus? Someone has made a list of nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return: One waited to see if the cure was real. One waited to see if it would last. One said he would see Jesus later. One decided that he had never had leprosy in the first place. One said he would have gotten well anyway. One gave the glory to the priests. One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything." One said, "Any rabbi could have done it." One said, "I was already much improved." That's not surprising, is it? I doubt that more than ten percent of us are ever truly grateful to God. In fact, it often seems that the more we have, the less gratitude we feel. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com – whereas the one – realized that no matter how hard he tried – things would never be the same for him- he could never go back to the man he used to be. That gesture of thanks seemed to really make a difference to Jesus. But this is not a sermon on gratitude – but on faith. 4 men were standing on the el platform, when one fell in the path of an oncoming train. The other three immediately went into action and grabbed the man and put him back on the platform. The three became instant celebrities. They were interviews by all of the news shows, they received a letter from the mayor, people on the street would walk up to them and say thank you for what they had done. One day they were interviewed by a talk show host who asked if they had ever heard from the man rescued. As a matter of fact they hadn’t. the man never even bothered to say thank you. I am sure he was thankful, he was grateful, he was glad to have his life. But he never bothered to say thank you. But this is not a sermon about being thankful, it is a sermon about being faithful. It is our faith that makes us well. Now Thank We All Our God You can even be thankful during the most difficult of circumstances in life. It's true! We see an especially inspiring example of a brave and thankful heart in the story behind one of the church's most popular hymns, "Now Thank We All Our God." This particularly hymn was written during the Thirty Years War in Germany, in the early 1600s. Its author was Martin Rinkart, a Lutheran pastor in the town of Eilenburg in Saxony. Now, Eilenburg was a walled city, so it became a haven for refugees seeking safety from the fighting. But soon, the city became too crowded and food was in short supply. Then, a famine hit and a terrible plague and Eilenburg became a giant morgue. In one year alone, Pastor Rinkart conducted funerals for 4,500 people, including his own wife. The war dragged on; the suffering continued. Yet through it all, he never lost courage or faith and even during the darkest days of Eilenburg's agony, he was able to write this hymn: Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices, Who wondrous things hath done, In whom the world rejoices ...[So] keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills, in this world and the next. Even when he was waist deep in destruction, Pastor Rinkart was able to lift his sights to a higher plane. He kept his mind on God's love when the world was filled with hate. He kept his mind on God's promises of heaven when the earth was a living hell. Can we not do the same - we whose lives are almost trouble-free, compared with the man who wrote that hymn? Whom can you say "thank you" to? Erskine White, Together in Christ, CSS Publishing Company I am sure that we can all identify with these stories. Some probably were healed – some did go on with their lives – some were genuinely grateful for being saved on that night, some probably even remembered that courageous seminary student who saved them. They just never got the chance to say thank you in person to him. Having no idea of what difference it would have made in the life story of the one who gave his legs, his hopes, his calling to save them. We are all grateful for the saviors that God has sent into our lives – who have given us life in so many ways. We really are grateful in our hearts – even though we don’t think to say it with our lips. Today is a perfect day to write a note, to make a phone call, to take someone out to lunch – to say thank you for all of the in our life. But this is not a sermon about being thankful – this is a story about being faithful. This is not a sermon about the nine lepers who went on with their lives – it is a sermon about that one who had been transformed and given new life by Jesus Christ. Jesus told the Samaritan- that his faith had made him well – not his thank you. It is our faith that makes us well- not our thank you’s. The more faith is focused on Christ – the easier it is for us to remember to say thank you for each and every gift that we have been given. Faith is about what we do with our whole lives, not just how concerned we are about our present condition. Someone pointed out that in Matthew – Jesus says that we should be made perfect. By perfect who means whole and complete. We are thankful when one thing in our lives has gotten better, when we get what we ask for or what we need. Being faithful means that we are healed and complete in mind, body and soul. We are grateful for everything, not just the things in our lives that we have. We give all of who we are to Christ, not just our thanks. This is not a sermon about being thankful, but about being faithful, being whole, thanking God with all that we are. Greg Anderson, in Living Life on Purpose, tells a story about a man whose wife had left him. He was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, in God--he found no joy in living. One rainy morning this man went to a small neighborhood restaurant for breakfast. Although several people were at the diner, no one was speaking to anyone else. Our miserable friend hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon. In one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the sad silence by almost shouting, "Momma, why don't we say our prayers here?" The waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around and said, "Sure, honey, we pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?" And she turned and looked at the rest of the people in the restaurant and said, "Bow your heads." Surprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, "God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Amen." That prayer changed the entire atmosphere. People began to talk with one another. The waitress said, "We should do that every morning." "All of a sudden," said our friend, "my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl's example, I started to thank God for all that I did have and stop majoring in all that I didn't have. I started to be grateful." We all understand and appreciate the importance of gratitude. How it can radically change relationships. In fact, one of the first things we were taught and that we teach our children is to express their gratitude. Someone gives them some candy and we say: “Now what do you say?” And the child learns from an early age the answer “Thank you.” And certainly we all know as adults that we appreciate being thanked. Yet, when it comes to giving thanks to our heavenly father, we so often miss the mark. And when it comes to giving our thanks to God, I don’t suppose there is any story in the Bible that is so endearing to us, so timelessly appropriate, as the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. We have all heard the story many times, but like so many Bible stories, we never tire of it… Christ is always faithful, Christ always hears our cries of mercy. Christ always gives us love and life, but it is our response to Christ that gives us transformation and new life. It is our desire to say thank you that indeed makes the world a wonderful place to live for all people. What do you have to be thankful for today? How will you choose to live a thankful life today? Ten Broken Pencils by WESLEY T. RUNK Passage: Luke 17:11-19 • Lectionary: Proper 23 Item 3 of 20 | Back to Results Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Objects: Ten pencils with broken points and one pencil sharpener. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to write with pencils? (Let them answer.) Good pencils are very hard to find. Whenever I am looking for a pencil, I either cannot find one, or when I find the pencil, it has a broken point, or has never been sharpened. Do you have that problem? (Let them answer.) I have a little story to tell you about ten pencils that I found around my house, and every one of them was either broken or had never been sharpened. This is their story. I found these pencils in different places. One of them was on my dresser, several of them were in a kitchen drawer where they had been for several years. I even found one of them on the kitchen floor beneath the refrigerator. It seemed like everywhere I went I found a pencil, but all of them were broken in one way or another. On a shelf in a beautiful tea cup, I found some paper clips, rubber bands, and another pencil. Of course it was broken also. There were others in different places, like on top of the washer, since someone had forgotten to empty his pockets before sending his slacks to the laundry. There was another on my workbench, one in the garage, and a couple behind the cushions of the couch. Every one of them was broken, and they looked sad in their terrible condition. A pencil is meant to have a sharp point and to write; to leave them in this kind of condition was awful. So I decided to do what I thought should be done. I got out my special pencil sharpener and went right to work. Soon each pencil I sharpened looked happy and relieved to be back at work again. I could hardly work fast enough, I felt so good. But as I finished sharpening one and putting it down, it would disappear before I could pick up another. All ten pencils were sharpened like they had never been sharpened before, and not one of them who left even said thank you. Excuse me, that isn't true. There was one that said thank you. The one that I found on the floor under the refrigerator. It came back to tell me how grateful it was for what I had done for it. You know the story of my pencils is not original. Jesus told a similar story about something even more important. He told about healing ten men, only one of whom thanked God for what happened. I hope that you remember the story, but I hope even more that you remember to thank God every day for the wonderful things that he does for you. That is one of the most important parts of our life - to be grateful to God, and to praise him for all of the glorious things that he does to help us. CALL IN THE CLOWNS!, WESLEY T. RUNK, C.S.S. Publishing Co., 1988, 1-55673-071-3