Twice as Much as what you Got

2 Kings 2:1-14 Luke 9:51-62 June 30, 2013 6th Sunday after Pentecost Twice as Much as you Got Year C Introduction Step on a Crack Do you remember the saying when you were little, Or maybe I should say that I remember when I was little, we would play this game - Step on a crack, you break your mother’s back. And we would walk down the sidewalk, trying to avoid all of the cracks in the sidewalk. We lived in a brand new subdivision, with brand new sidewalks. So it was pretty easy to walk without stepping on a crack. The only cracks that really existed were those neat creases that sectioned off the sidewalk. But as time went on and the sidewalk became a little more worn more cracks started to pop up in the sidewalk. And as I got a little bit older and I in a bit more of a hurry to get where I was going, I stopped taking the time to watch out for the cracks in the sidewalk as I walked down the street. I probably missed a lot about life, when I stopped paying attention to the cracks in the sidewalk. Because the cracks in the sidewalk can tell a lot about life, about the path that sidewalk is leading to and the journey of the people who walk that pathway. Cracks in the sidewalk are a lot like the times of transition and change in our lives. On one side of the crack is the place that you have just come from, and on the other side of the crack is where you need to be to continue on your journey. Some cracks are expected and manufactured like the creases that mark the squares in a sidewalk. But most cracks, just sort of appear out the wear and tear of life, creating their own pathway. Some crack are so small that there is not way that you can avoid stepping on them, and others are so big that it takes some effort to jump over them. Some are filled with dirt and debris. And there are others that you can look in and get a glimpse of God’s progress growing in the most unexpected place. It could be a blade of grass growing in the crack, a weed, or even a pretty flower making it’s way in the world – setting its roots, and creating it’s home in a place where you wouldn’t expect, but God has made full use of. Yes, a crack in the sidewalk is a lot like the transitions and changes in our lives. This is a time of transition Transitions are the times in our lives where we take account of where we have been, and we strive to go forward to where we need to go. It is also a time to witness the unexpected growth and beauty in our lives. Some transitions we know and expect, birthdays, graduations, most weddings. And then there are those that develop with the wear and tear of life. You can’t prepare for. All transitions bring with them a mix of emotions – fear, grief, hope, celebration, sadness, joy. And all transitions in our lives are a special time for us to get a glimpse of the unexpected beauty of God. They are time for us to witness the kingdom of God growing right before our eyes in a way that we may have been too busy to notice on our journey through life. Beginning of scriptural lesson The end for Elijah, the beginning for Elisha We are going through a transitional time in the life of our church. A time to look at our life, and to separate what happened in the past with what will happen in the future. It is a good time for us to hear the story of Elijah and Elisha. This week Elijah is facing a – the end of his ministry- the time when he must really say goodbye and pass on his work to allow those he anointed to continue into the future. I love Elijah, he is one of my biblical heroes. And I love this story of how he passes his ministry onto his protégé Elisha. I can relate to Elisha’s passion to learn, as he tells Elijah that he wants twice as much power to serve God. Elisha probably doesn’t realize it, but Elijah is testing him all of the time to see if he is worthy. To see if he is able to handle the power that he is asking for. Is he asking for this power for himself or to be able to serve God? Elijah tells Elisha that if he is aware and present when God comes to take Elijah away, then he will indeed inherit his double portion. Elisha does indeed get to witness the heavenly horses and chariot arrive out of the sky and take Elijah away. In the midst of the transition of power from the old to the new- Elisha gets the chance to see an amazing glimpse of the heavenly power of God. It is a picture that he probably holds in his mind forever. It is not everyday that we get to see the glory of God in our lives at work. Elijah remembers to leave the mantle which protects and empowers a prophet for Elisha to use in the future. Elisha goes on to continue to work of God and to help the people of his time. Having witnessed god at work for himself, he know that Elijah is not dead, and what he did has not disappeared- it is the inspiration behind all future work. Transitions are chances for us to take account of our lives. They are times for us to witness for ourselves the wonder of God’s presence in our lives. They are times to look for the mantle – the new responsibility that we have been given to carry on the work of others. Transitions are times for us to realize that the past is never dead and gone, but it has gone to a place to inspire us to move forward. When we are able to be present and aware for transitions, we are changed by the event. We are given the power that we need to bring the future into being. Is this story just about passing on the mantle When we hear the story, we think that the obvious lesson for us is the importance of passing on the mantle of responsibility. Our church is much like many churches, we have an older congregation. We have many who have been faithful to the church for years. Many who want to pass on the mantle- but find that there are not many behind them to pass the mantle to. Sometimes like Elijah, they feel all alone in their mission. Elijah always struggled with feeling isolated and alone in ministry. He had to search for God’s presence in his work. We have to be in constant prayer for our mission and for God to raise up a new generation. Elisha’s double portion But today I don’t want to focus on Elijah – but on Elisha. Elisha asked for twice as much power as Elijah had. 1 kings is the story of Elijah, 2 Kings is the story of Elisha. If you read the two, you will find that Elisha really did twice as many miracles as Elijah. He got his double portion. Elijah struggled always with being alone, even to the very end, he wanted to be alone when God came to get him. Elisha was a people person. He lived in the city, he had not just one protégé, but many, he was connected to a seminary and everything that he did – he did in community. Today I want to talk to the Elisha’s of the church. We have to remember that sometimes life is not so much about wanting to be a good leader, but it is about wanting to be a good follower. Elisha was the type of person that Jesus calls all of us to be. The people who strive to live and do what it best not for ourselves, but what is best for all of the children of God. We are called to live as a community of faithful followers of Jesus. Hide and Seek Do you remember playing "Hide & Seek" when you were a child? You would close your eyes and count to a hundred if you were "it" while all the other kids would run and hide. And then when you reached a hundred, you would yell, "Ready or not, here I come!" Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem whether they were ready or not. For thousands of years, the Jewish people had been counting the passing days thinking they were ready for his coming, and then when he came they ran to hide and never really came out to welcome him. Rosemary Brown, Hide and Seek Jesus enters into a new ministry – that as we look at luke for the rest of the year we have to remember. Jesus realizes that it is time for him to follow his destiny. Scripture says that he sets his face upon Jerusalem. As he prepares to follow God to the cross, he also prepares his disciples – things are not going to be easy. There will be sacrifice and pain in following. But that you have to have the passion of Elisha in order to serve. Sometimes I struggle with having to put Christ first in everything in life. Deithrich Bonhoffer said that salvation is free, but discipleship – choosing to follow jesus with all of your life can be costly. We are called to follow Jesus in all that we do – there is no such thing as living a Christian life, without Christian service. We have to place God’s kingdom first. My final story – is a different kind of Elijah story. It is a story about his inspiration. The inheritance story Hyrkanus was a happy man. Every morning, he awoke with joy in his heart and he said his prayers every day. He has everything, a wonderful house, lots of land, plenty of food. The greatest gift that God could give a man he had. He had lots of sons. And he was thankful that all of his sons were on the farm with him working with him. Well after they had all grown and had families of their own, they all worked on the farm with them. He was happy because they were farmers just like their dad. Hyrkanus would keep watch over is sons. One day he noticed that his youngest son Eliazer was not working. When he talked with his son, Eliezer confessed that he did not enjoy working on the land. Hyrkanus asked his son what he would do if he could do anything else, the son confessed that he wanted to study the bible and get to know more about God. He wanted to devote his whole life to studying God. The father dismissed the young man’s dream and reminded him that is place was with his family and with the land. But Eliezer could not dismiss his dream. He could not eat, drink, and he certainly couldn’t be productive tilling the land. One day Elijah came to him in a dream and asked what he desired. He told Elijah his dream. He told Eliezer that if he really wanted that more than anything that he should go to Jerusalem without delay. Eliezer left the very next day without even saying goodbye to is family. He studied under the best teacher. When the father found out that the son deserted his family, he vowed to take away his inheritance and to disown him. But in order to do that – he had to go to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he was invited to the house of the greatest rabbi. He sat next to his son, who was a student, but he did not even recognize him. The son was invited to teach from the torah. All were amazed at is teaching, even the father. It was not until the rabbi point out that he recognized his son. He needed to confess that he came to Jerusalem to disinherit him, but instead he would disinherit his other sons for encouraging him. Eliezer said no, that the work that each did was of value. If had had desired to be a great farmer and he prayed, god would have granted him that. If he had desired riches, he could have prayed and god would have granted him that, instead he prayed to serve god with all of his heart – god granted him that – and he was indeed blessed. And we too are indeed blessed that god listens to the prayers of the faithful. This is a true story – not a fable of someone who desired to be a great follower of a great leader. When we follow – Jesus leads us- blesses us and hears the prayers of our hearts. Amen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Discipleship Occurs Only In Community Very few people are expert in anything all by themselves. They need a supporting community. Do you know a good musician who was not trained, nurtured and sustained by the music community? Show me an athlete who achieves excellence all alone, apart from the athletic community. Very few wise men become so without the accumulated wisdom of the centuries as expressed in colleges and universities and libraries. Medical people are more like ensembles and symphonies than soloists. What business tycoon does it all on his own without dedicated experts in finance, engineering, personnel, and marketing? Excellence requires participation in, and support of, a community of like-minded people. Likewise in the church -- a forerunner of the new kingdom. Very few achieve Christian maturity all by themselves. Seldom is the Bible studied diligently without the aid of scholars and teachers. Rarely are people led to generosity by their own impulses. Maurice A. Fetty, The Divine Advocacy, CSS Publishing Company Don’t Look Back Frankly, none of us are going to make the cut to follow Jesus. Our desires for soft pillows and comfortable beds, for fulfilling family and social obligations, will frequently have higher priorities than following Jesus -- especially following Jesus all the way to the cross. We might be willing to give up some evils in our lives to follow Jesus, but to give up all these good things -- to put them as a lower priority than Jesus? That is radical discipleship, but Paul writes about doing this in Phil 3:4-11. He considers all his past, good, religious deeds as "rubbish". Perhaps the image of putting one's hand to the plow and not looking back (or driving forward in a car while not looking out the back window) refers to looking back both at all the very good things in our lives (and in a congregation's life), like family and friends, comforts and satisfactions, "successful" programs; but also all the sins in our lives, which have been forgiven by Christ. We can neither wallow in our past sins nor boast of our past successes if we are to be fit for the kingdom of God. Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes __________________________

A Quiver of Arrows

June 16, 2013 Father’s Day Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Psalm 127:3-5 “Quivers of Arrows” Year C For me, Psalm 127 serves a very important message, it is especially for fathers. Unless the lord build the house, the builders labor in vain. Fathers are the foundation of our household. It goes on to say that children are a heritage from the lord. They are a gift from God. The last verses say blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. It was believed that not only were your children, a gift from God, but in many ways the children were an important blessing from God. Your children were the ones who took care of you when you could no longer take care of yourself. Your children were the ones who carried on the family name, and who represented your legacy once your were gone. That is why the psalmist says –“Blessed is the man whose quiver was full of them. The more children that you had, the better off your inheritance.” Without the children there would be no fathers. Today we honor the fathers in our life, for how they treat their children. For that they are to their children. What are the qualities that make a good father? Faith, adversity, teaching, helper, encouragement and reputation. How do we spell father? F-A-T-H-E-R. Faith, adversity, teaching, helping, encouragement and reputation. I want to go through each letter that spells out for us what a father should be to his family and his church. The first letter F stand for faith, the foundation of any good father. Studies show that families where the father has a faith, are 80% more likely to go to church and to demonstrate the faith of the father. The letter A stands for adversity. It is in the fires of adversity that our characters are shaped. When we learn to overcome obstacles we become a stronger person. Story of the farmer…. Many years ago, a farmer and his family, after a hard year of typical farm work, were rewarded with an unusually fine crop of grain. There were happy days ahead. Just a few days before harvest, there came a terrible wind and hailstorm. The entire crop was destroyed! After the storm was over, the farmer, with his wife and little boy at his side, went out to the back porch to view the field and the damage. The little boy looked at what was formerly a beautiful field of wheat, and tearfully looked up at his dad expecting to hear words of despair. All at once his father started to sing softly, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee...." Years later, the little boy now grown said, "That was the greatest sermon I have ever heard." The farmer had lost a grain crop, but because of his faith, manifested in great trial, he had gained forever for the Lord the soul of his son. The son saw the faith of a godly man in practice! The letter t stands for teacher – the scripture for today says to study the bible and to learn the commandments. But it goes on to say that what you learn and understand about God you should teach to your children. “Talk about the commandments when you sit at home and when you talk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” The father is a child’s greatest teacher. Their learning begins at home. They can only go far in school if they are nurtured at home. H stands for helper 1. A father helps with the homework, he helps with school projects, he attends the little league and soccer games, he takes time to be involved--he's always there with an arm to lean on. ILLUS: Ken Canfield, in his book, The Seven Secrets of Effective Fathers, said, "Effective Fathers are: Committed to their children. Know their children. Are consistent in their attitudes and behavior. Protect and Provide for their children. Love their children's mother. Are active listeners to their children. Spiritually equip their children. E stands for encouragement. We have to encourage our children in everything that they do. In order to encourage them, we have to be present to them. MY DADDY IS HERE! David Elkind, a psychologist, tells the story of visiting his middle son's nursery school class, at the request of his teacher. She wanted him to observe a "problem child" in the class. While he was there, he caught a conversation between his son and some other boys. There conversation went like this. Child A: "My daddy is a doctor and he makes lots of money and we have a swimming pool." Child B: "My daddy is a lawyer and he flies to Washington and talks to the president." Child C: "My daddy owns a company and we have our own airplane." Then David Elkind's boy said, "My daddy is here!" And he proudly looked in his father's direction. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p.197) Dads, your presence means more than anything else to your children - more than your money, more than your position at work, more than the toys you buy them. Your time means more to them than anything else, because it says, "I care." (From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Loving Leadership, 6/17/2010) The final ingredient to being a father is reputation. Proverbs 22:1 says a good name is rather to be chosen then great riches and loving favor rather than silver and gold. Our good name comes from who we are in the eyes of God. Who is it more important to impress? Other people or God. How do you spell father? Faith, adversity, teacher, helper, encouragement and reputation. A father is a father in the way in which they treat their children. And in the way they are able to honor the ways of God in their lives. One of the ten commandments tells us that we should honor our mother and father. We honor them for giving us life. Some can see these characteristics very clearly in the men in their life, some are striving to – but have work to do. Some men attempt to be father’s without the guidance of God. But we honor them today – because they are the father God gave us. Just as children are a blessing to a father’s soul, they are a gift from god. The fathers we were given by God are also a blessing. We honor them because we love them. But we also honor because God reminds us that honoring our fathers is the beginning of our faith journey. September 2007 in Hampshire Rosemary Edwards left home without leaving any word or taking her things and has been missing all week. It was as a result of a her losing her job and her dads word which came to her explaining she would no longer be able to continue horse riding as a result the girl has run away from home – the Father since that day as been seeking his daughter on national radio and TV with an emotional appeal for the safe return of his daughter. We can be like Rosemary with God – God may say something, do something, expect something and we don’t like it we want things how they are (comfort zones) and so we run. But like the love of the father who is pursuing his daughter. God will pursue you, as he pursued Jonah because when it comes to the will of God in our lives we can run and spend our whole lives running but we cannot hide from God. By Aubrey Vaughan Jonah chapter1:Hide and seek. sermon c

A Sign of the Lord

1 Kings 17:8-24 Luke 7:11-17 A Sign of the Lord 3rd Sunday After Pentecost June 9, 2013 Year C Modern Day funeral Procession The time that I most conscious of the presence of death is not during a funeral, it is in the procession to the cemetery. It is the pastor’s job to accompany the person in their final earthly journey, and to see the soul off to heaven and the body into the ground. At the beginning of my ministry, in the suburbs funeral directors would insist that I ride in the hearse with the casket. But lately, funeral directors have told me that their insurance doesn’t cover my presence in the hearse. So I have to drive my own car, behind the hearse. One of the scariest things in the world for me is driving through the streets of Chicago, ignoring street signs. I consider it a real miracle when we finally make it to the cemetery. My survival strategy is to do whatever the hearse does, and to make sure that there is no room for anybody or anything to have room to get in between us. If Jesus and a band of angels appeared and wanted to get in – I would have to explain that now is just not a good time and place, because I am not letting anyone in front of me until I get to the cemetery. Jesus and funeral procession Funeral processions then and funeral processions now are very different. In Jesus day, the procession was on foot. There were no hearses, no caskets, no busy traffic to have to strive through. As Jesus was coming down the road in Nain – as he heard to grieving, it was pretty easy for him to join the procession, and to learn more about the person being buried. A widow was burying her only son. She may have well have been burying herself, because without him to take care of her, she had no means to live. Scripture says that Jesus has compassion on her situation. He knew what was in store for her – and he gives her life back. It is not the son that is bought back to life, it is her. Why does Luke like this story so much? This is the only place in the gospels that we hear that story. Only Luke tells this story. Luke wants us to be clear that this man Jesus, this son of God, this prophet of the people, is the messiah. He is the sign of God’s presence in our lives. If Jesus has the power to give this grieving widow what she needs to live – he has the power to help us to – to restore our lives – to give us what we need in order to be saved. Luke uses these miracle stories in order for us to be clear of who the messiah is. This story is a set up for Ejsus encounter with John the Baptist. In the next story, John’s disciples send word – are you the messiah, or should we be waiting for another. Jesus says the dead have been restored – what more proof do you need. Luke is also a fan of the prophet Elijah. He knows his Elijah stories well. He knows that in order for the prophet to return – that Elijah has to come first. So he records this story that reminds us of Elijah. Luke even mentions this story in chapter 4:26. God loves all people God tells Elijah to visit the widow in Zarepath. Zarapath is the hometown of Jezebel, is arch enemy. God wants to make sure that Elijah understands that the effects of the drought affects everyone. Suffering affects us all – no matter who we are. Our family ties, our money, our status, not even our relationship with God can protect us from suffering. And yet God calls both Jesus and Elijah to visit the most vulnerable of our people- and to realize that they are the ones most affected by life. Elijah asks a widow for food. She too assumes that she must prepare herself for death. When her son dies, her future has disappeared. Elijah prays for god to restore her son. Nephesh Also, what Elijah prays for and receives is that the nephesh (the life, the animating principle of life) return to the young man. What is said to have left and then to have returned here is the same word (nephesh) used in Psalm 30. A person who has lost one's nephesh shows no signs of life. A person is still a person without one's nephesh, but without one's nephesh a person can do nothing. Differences of Elijah and Jesus There are differences, of course, between the stories about the power of Elijah and the power of Jesus perceived as the Christ. Within the stories about Jesus as the Christ there is no necessity for Jesus to pray to God for the power to restore life. Jesus as the Christ is represented as inherently having the power and authority of God to be able to restore life. Jesus as the Christ in the Newer Testament is presented as similar to Elijah and to Elisha, but vastly superior to them. For us as Christians, God acts in a unique way in and through Jesus perceived as the Christ. We should note that the power to renew life in the young man in this text comes from the Lord (Adonai). The power is not inherent in Elijah. The primary purpose of 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) apparently is to demonstrate that the power of Adonai was active in Elijah. Elijah was obviously a man of God, divinely inspired and empowered. Similararities of stories The point of both of these stories is to remind us of the power of the word of God. When we call on God to be presence and to intercede on God in a bad situation, it is God’s love that makes a difference, not us. God can work in the world through our faith. the miracle stories show us that God is more than willing to demonstrate his power in the midst of our story. God uses faithful people to bring his power on earth. But finally, God wants us to know that if he cares for the least in society. God cares about you and me. God freely gives out nepesh – the life force in order for us to live a better life. Whatever works for us to restore our life, our life force God will provide. Some will asks, if god as the power to restore life, why doesn’t he do it for all of us in every situation. Don’t know – that is a mystery of god. But what we do know, is that God constantly gives us what we need to be able to praise God and to realize that God is good. We Are in the Middle of It Years ago a man was traveling by ship with his young daughter across the ocean. Earlier that particular Sunday he had preached a sermon about God’s love. It had been a very difficult service to preach, because he was newly widowed. He was standing against the rail of the ship, looking out at the vast and magnificent ocean, when his daughter asked him if God loved them as much as they had loved her late mother. “Of course He does,” answered her father. “There is absolutely nothing bigger or more powerful and all-consuming than God’s love for us. It’s the biggest thing there is!” The little girl pressed on for more information, wanting to know exactly how big God’s love was. Finally her father with great tenderness said, “Well, look across the sea as far as you can. Look up and down and all around. God’s love stretches around to cover all of that; above the blue sky and deeper than the deepest part of the ocean underneath us.” The little girl pondered for a minute and replied, “And to think Daddy, we’re right in the middle of it.” And we are. We’re right in the middle of God’s love. We don’t need a miracle to tell us that. Most of us have known God’s love all our lives. Of course, that is not to say that miracles do not occur. They do--to the eyes of faith. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com I think it is important for us to remember that God’s love works for us – but we also have to remember that God’s love works through us. God needs us in order to show love to others. Jesus Christ is our messiah – he is our life force. And he gives us the power to raise people from the dead. In both of these stories, someone who was literally dead was raised. But the dead person was not the focus of the story. The life force the nephesh runs through all of us. there are many ways for us to be dead. We can be dead inside of our minds, our souls, our relationships, our dreams, our hopes, our needs. Jesus came into the world in order to restore us all to true life. but Jesus needs us to give that love to others. We have to same power of God, of Jesus, we can find Elijah present in our lives too. Elijah introduces the Messiah A Rabbi met his teacher and friend Elijah standing near the entrance of a cave, of another rabbi. All three men greeted each other. And one asked Elijah if the messiah would really come. Elijah replies – “why not go and ask him yourself”. And where can I find him asked one of the rabbi’s. he is sitting near the entrance of the town. So the rabbi asks how will he recognize the messiah. Elijah said, the messiah sits among the poor people and the beggers who are suffering from various diseases and illnesses. Most people treats these people by taking off all of the bandages and putting them all back on at the same time. The messiah on the other hand, treats each person one at a time and bandages their wounds one at a time. I do this as fast as I can, so that when people call on me, I am ready to help. The rabbi saw the man, wrapping bandages of the poor, and he asked him when he was coming. The messiah replied I come today. The rabbi returned to Elijah, and said that he has met the messiah, but that he lied. He said he was coming today. Elijah noted that if he talked to the messiah, in greeting him he had given him a blessing, wished him peace, and promised that he would be with him in the new life. The rabbi said he appreciated the blessing and the promise, but what about the lie – why did he say he would come today. Elijah responded – he did not lie- he said that he would come today – but the he would come today when you called upon his name. He is still waiting on you to call. There is power in our prayer. The power only comes into the world when we call on Jesus. When we invoke Jesus in the midst of our situations. God works for us, but most importantly he works through us. He is waiting for us to call – so that the power of the lord can be seen by all who need it. Amen. "There is an old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. Once a month he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, though, a woman from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another man needed to lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all. Toward the end of the month, he noticed his supply of oil was dangerously low. Soon it was gone, and one night on the light on the lighthouse went out. As a result, that evening several ships were wrecked and countless lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very apologetic. He told them he was just trying to be helpful with the oil. Their reply to his excuses, however, was simple and to the point: "You were given oil for one purpose, and one purpose only - to keep that light burning!" A church faces a similar commission. There is no end to the demands placed on a church’s time and resources. As a result, the foundational purposes of a church must remain supreme." James Emory White, Rethinking the Church (Baker Books, 1997), 27-28. This account is another excellent example of how the inspired Lukan writer used the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible to move beyond Mark's account. In this instance, the event is Jesus' raising the daughter of Jairus who had just died and returning her alive to her grateful parents.

Pour out your Spirit

May 26, 2013 Act 2:1-21 Romans 8: “Pour out your spirit” Celebration of Pentecost Year C Aldersgate and Pentecost We know that John Wesley is the founder of the United Methodist Church. But especially in the black church we don’t know a whole lot about his life. ….. And many of us have never heard of Aldersgate. Aldersgate date was this past Thursday. WESLEY’S CONVERSION John Wesley become a priest in the Church of England before he had become a Christian. His conversion story is very interesting: Not long after the first Moravian missionaries came from Germany, Wesley had left for the West Indies, Wesley found himself on board a ship with a group of Moravian Christians on 25th January 1736. That day the weather was rough. Three storms had already battered the boat, and a fourth was brewing. Wesley scribbled in his journal, "Storm greater: afraid!" But the Moravians trusted God so simply and so completely that they showed no signs of fear. They even held a service at the height of the storm. In the middle of their singing, a gigantic wave rose over the side of the vessel, splitting the main-sail and covered the ship. Water poured between the decks like water pouring over the Niagara Falls - "as if the great deep had already swallowed us up," Wesley wrote. The English passengers shrieked as the ship lurched and pitched between towering waves. A terrified Wesley clung on for dear life. But the German missionaries didn’t miss a beat. Wesley, awestruck by their composure, later went to the leader and asked, "Weren’t you afraid?" "I thank God, no." "Weren’t your women and children afraid?" "No," replied the man. "Our women and children are not afraid." Wesley was so struck by their faith that he spoke to one of their main leaders, Peter Boehler, when they arrived in London. Wesley wrote in his journal, "Peter Boehler, whom God prepared for me as soon as I came to London, affirmed of true faith in Christ...that it always has two fruits with it: dominion over sin, and constant peace, from a sense of forgiveness. I was quite amazed, and looked upon it as a new Gospel." Peter Boehler went on to share a passage with John Wesley, "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." (Romans 8:16) He then persuaded Wesley into attending a meeting with Boehler’s Moravian Church one evening. Wesley continued on in his journal: "In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a Society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ; Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." Wesley as we know was the founder of the Methodist Church and became a famous evangelist and social reformer. But he himself was won to Christ by a small group who knew that they were children of God because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. (My thanks to Michael O. Silva Beyond Repentance July 23, 2006 for the story) We don’t get to talk about aldersgate and Pentecost, even though they were similar events. I want to use the aldersgate story as an example of the importance of Pentecost. Pentecost is the fulfillment of God’s promise of the spirit. Isaiah said that the day would come when God poured out his spirit on his people. Joel predicted that the day would come when the visions of God would be available to any one. Peter was a witness that the day came – when te spirit was available to everyone. And the spirit of God spoke in any language- so that all would have the chance to be saved. To understand the voice of God for themselves. With all that we are up to, I didn’t want us to pass up this chance to stop and take in the lessons of Pentecost. The spirit of the Lord comes upon us as the spirit came upon those on that day which was the birth of the church. Pentecost is not just the culmination of a promise, Pentecost is the mark of the new beginnings. In order for us to truly serve God, we have to make sure that we have the spirit with us. and that we rely on the power of the spirit in all that we do. The poet William Blake wrote a poem about Pentecost. Part of the poem says: Unless the eye catch fire, God will not be seen. Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard. Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named. Unless the Heart catch fire, God will not be loved. Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known. Staff, www.eSermons.com This year as we think about Pentecost, I want us to think about the power of God in us. The outward signs of the spirit are important. Being able to witness to who God is, and to celebrate God in our lives. But before we can have an outward celebration, we have to have an inner realization. Our churches today need to be a spiritual house. Many times our churches have become a social house where as one old preacher said: We traded our upper room into the board room, the fire of the Holy Spirit for a warm heater, our prayer meetings for chicken dinners, and we have become as weak as our tea, cold as our soup, and dead as the chicken we eat. John Wesley had been a Christian his whole life, he never thought of being anything else but a minister, and yet in order for him to continue his work – he needed to have an experience of renewal. John Wesley - Heart Strangely Warmed In May of 1738, John Wesley wrote in his journal: "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate.Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." John Wesley went to a bible study where the Moravians were studying the book of Romans. The same verse that we study today. Chapter 8 reminds us that there is a difference between letting the flesh rule our lives and our decisions, and letting te spirit rule our decisions. Pentecost is the day that the spirit comes into our lives. And take control. Romans 8 says that we have been adopted into the family of God. When we recognize the spirit within us – we become children of God. Where we would make our own decisions, we learn to let God make our decisions, where we rely on or own strength we learn to rely on the power of God. Things start to change, not because we want, because a new spirit of god lives inside of us. QUIET STRENGTH There is a story about a sunken ship that illustrates the quietness of the spirit, but at the same time His Power in our lives. "Several years ago engineers building a new bridge over the East River in New York, discovered that the wrecked hull of a ship, sunk many years before, lay right where the center piers were to be built. Powerful machinery was brought in to remove the ship, but it would not budge. Then one of the engineers had an unusual idea-why not have the tide raise the ship!! Some strong cables were attached to the hull when the tide was low. The other ends were fastened to the barge above. As the tide came in, the barge gradually lifted the sunken ship. It was then towed out into the ocean and sunk at a spot that would not cause future problems." God’s Holy Spirit is like the tide, it comes quietly, it comes in slowly, but it comes to us with enough power so that we might do the job God has called and led each of us to do. SOURCE: Tim Zingale in Pentecost Sunday on www.sermoncentral.com. There is a quiet strength and confidence that makes a difference in the world. When we learn to live as children of God. John Wesley said… “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” ― John Wesley Conviction Conviction is when the Holy Spirit shines His flashlight on a dark area in my heart. --Kent Crockett (Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com ) Therefore, if Christ abides in you, then there is no condemnation, past, present or within. Which leads us to ask the question, how does this affect the way I live today? IV. Well, Wesley gave some practical suggestions… First, we do not live as people with “little faith.” Just as the disciples woke Jesus because of the storm which they faced, we too may face life without fear of condemnation. As the Scripture tells us, “Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God alone who justifies. Who is able to condemn?” All the sins that we have committed from our birth to this very hour have been swallowed up by God’s grace. Through our confession, our transgressions gone, they are absent, they are remembered no more. Wesley said, “Away with your fears! God does not call you to fear; God has give you ‘a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.’ Under- stand your calling! Rejoice in God your savior, and give thanks to God your Father through Christ!” “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do let them be afraid.” We can live as a people with great faith. Wesley ended his sermon by saying, “We have nothing to fear. ‘Fear that has to do with punishment’ we have no need of it. When we love the One who loves us, it is enough. More love produces more strength. And it’s when we love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength will be “mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” When we realize that we are children of God, we realize that We have the power of God within us. We can do anything that god calls us to do. Pentecost is the day when our spirits learn to accept the presence of God. What spirit of god do you possess today? a spirit of optimism, of caring, of anxiety, of fear. Romans says that with the spirit of god inside of us, there is nothing to fear. God has taken over, God forgives, God cleanses, God lead our souls from deep within. Finally, when we hear the story of the Pentecost, we focus on the fact that the gospel was spoken in many different languages. – but the point of the story is that God was able to speak in ways that we were able to understand. God spoke to each person in the crowd in an outward way – but the message was intended to be personal – the miracle of Pentecost was not in the speaking it was in the listening. Listening to the message intended just for you. In a language that you understand. They say that as death approaches – those who may have spoke in another language, can only communicate in their native tongue. In all of the new testament, the words of Jesus are recorded in greek, and yet his last words are distinctly Aramaic – the language of his homeland. In death, in prayer, in times of solitude, in times of deep need – the spirit of God comes to us. the spirit speaks to us in ways that only we understand. The spirit calls us home, to ourselves- to who we are and who God intends for us to be. The day our hearts are strangely warmed – is the day we decided to listen. Let that day be today, as God pours out his spirit upon us and our mission. Let us pray…. I went to a conference this past fall. The pastor leading the conference challenged us all on the first day. He convicted us all by asking us three questions. I was sitting in the back near the side so I could see everyone’s body language. The pastor asked, “Those of you who have kids or grandkids, do you love them?” You could see everyone’s heads nodding. Then he asked, “those of you who have kids or grandkids, would you die for them?” There was a slight hesitation but then their heads again were nodding. Then he convicted us. He asked, “Those of you with kids or grandkids, if it would help them to know Jesus more intimately, it it would be beneficial for their faith, would you change the music that you play in church?” You could see everyone’s shoulders slump and see their heads bow. We realized that we have been selfish. We have not always looked out for the interests of others. We haven’t done all that we could to make the church a place for our children and the unchurched people in our community. Pentecost was originally an Old Testament festival, the only festival for which no specific date is given in the Bible, it is called the festival of weeks. Leviticus 23:15 however instructs the people to count 7 weeks from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering.” "The history of missions is the history of answered prayer. From Pentecost to the Haystack meeting in New England and from the days when Robert Morrison landed in China to the martyrdom of John and Betty Stam, prayer has been the source of power and the secret of spiritual triumph." M., Zwemer, Sameul A children’s catechism class was learning the Apostles Creed. Each child had been assigned a sentence to repeat. The first one said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The second child said, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son…” When he had completed his sentence, there was an embarrassing silence. Finally, one child piped up, “Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here.” Gordon Brownville's Symbols of the Holy Spirit tells about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top of the world, he opened the bird's cage and set it free. Imagine the delight of Amundsen's wife, back in Norway, when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above. No doubt she exclaimed, "He's alive! My husband is still alive!" So it was when Jesus ascended. He was gone, but the disciples clung to his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. What joy, then, when the dovelike Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. The disciples had with them the continual reminder that Jesus was alive and victorious at the right of the Father. This continues to be the Spirit's message. A young artist was trying to copy Raphael's "Madonna and Child," one of the most beautiful pictures in all the world. He went to Florence and gazed on it, then got his easel. Sitting down in front of it he began to copy it. As he looked at it his picture became a thing of beauty, too. But suppose that, instead of only copying, the spirit of Raphael could have come upon that young man: what a difference it would have made! When we come to the Lord Jesus He gives us His Holy Spirit to help us live as He would have us live, and the more the Holy Spirit controls our lives, the more like Him we grow. Do come to Him now, if you have never come, and ask Him to give you His Holy Spirit.—Intermediate Young People. Holy Spirit ________________________________________ The Word and the Spirit "If you have the Word without the Spirit, you'll dry up. If you have the Spirit without the Word, you'll blow up. If you have both the Word and the Spirit, you'll grow up." --Derek Prince ________________________________________ Filled with the Holy Spirit You have probably been in a restaurant where the waitress has asked, "Can I warm up your coffee for you?" The cup may be half-full and cold after sitting on the table for a while. When she pours the new coffee in, she refills and warms up the cup. Maybe you are spiritually cold and empty. It doesn't have to stay that way. Quit trying to live in your own power and strength. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit right now. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 93) ________________________________________ Those annoying people The thing that aggravates you may be the Holy Spirit convicting you of an attitude that needs to be changed. (Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com

At the Foot of the Master

At the foot of the master 1 Kings 18:20-39 Galatians 1:1-12 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Year C June 2, 2013 Elijah loves to party, whenever, there is a party, Elijah is there. The more wine the better. Jesus is a party person also. Afterall, Jesus said where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there. Elijah and the wedding One day Elijah was walking down the street and he heard a lot of noises coming from a backyard. That could mean nothing but a party. Elijah takes his cane and poof, changes into some drab grey robes, and knocks on the gate to the household. The father of the bride opens the gate. “May I help you” – I can hear your party from out here. Can I come in and join you? The father takes one look at him and says no – this is a private party just for my family and friends, and he slams the gate in Elijah’s face. Hmmph – says Elijah, his feelings are a little hurt from the rejection. Poof- this time he takes his cane and changes clothes again. This time he is in the finest white suit that you ever did see. White jacket, a white top hat, he even turns his cane white with a gold header on it. He takes the cane and he knocks on the door again. The father answers the door again. Elijah says “ I can hear that you are having a party, it sounds like you all are having a lot of fun. Can I join your party. The father takes one look at Elijah and says sure come on in. Elijah comes in and starts to mingle with the guest. When it is time to eat – there is a feast – all kinds of food everywhere. The guest start to line up at various tables to get their meal. Elijah gets in line at the meat table – and when it is his turn – he takes some roast beef and stuffs it in his pocket. The woman behind him sees him, but she doesn’t want to say anything. Elijah then gets in the dessert line – and he takes several pies – the first he smashes all over the front of his suit, and the chocolate cream pie, he takes and smears it on the back of him. Now this time everyone sees him – but no one wants to say anything, the don’t want to disrupt the party. So Elijah goes to the drink table, he picks up the whole punch bowl and he pours it all over himself, even on the top hat. No one can ignore this – and it disrupts the whole party. Finally the father feels that he has to do something. He walks up to Elijah and starts to yell. What is going on – I invited you to my party, I let you in my house, I let you celebrate with my family. And this is how you treat me. Elijah responds – I come to your front door dressed like a bum and ask if I can come in, and you slam the door in my face. So I come again, dressed to the nines and you immediately let me in. So the best I can tell, you didn’t invite me to the party at all. You invited my clothes, not me. So I am feeding them. I want them to have a good time at the party. Of course by this time – everyone at the party has stopped to hear Elijah Speak. They realize that it is Elijah himself who has come to their party. “ I Elijah have spoken” he says and poof – he disappears leaving only his white cane on the ground. Elijah today Elijah loves to party. Rumor as it, Since Elijah didn’t die, and he was taken up directly into heaven, he also has the power to return. Rumor has it that before the messiah returns, Elijah will return. In Jewish tradition whenever you have a gathering, you always set a place for Elijah, because you never know when he will stop by. Elijah loves to party – the more wine the better. Elijah will be our guest for communion today. Elijah is a big folk hero in the jewish tradition – there are many tales about the appearances of Elijah in the everyday lives of the faithful. For the next six weeks, we will look at the stories of Elijah in the books of 1 and 2 Kings. I love this time of the church year, because I love Elijah. I love stories about him, those in the bible and those that are not. And this one, in 1 Kings is a perfect example of the larger than life character of Elijah. This is a story between Ahab the king of Israel and the prophet who comes to him and holds him accountable for misleading his country. He marries Jezabel, no only does he take on her religion, but he encourages people to worship God and Baal. Elijah comes to him and tells him that until he changes his ways- it will not rain. And the rain stops for 3 ½ years. After 3 ½ years the king decides to solve the problem, not by repenting of his sin, but by killing Elijah. This is the story where Elijah challenges the priest of Baal to a game of my God is stronger than your God. Whichever God that shows up and consumes the offering on the altar is the real God. Elijah is pretty mean in is taunting of the priest of Baal. Elijah asks where is your God? When scripture says that perhaps he has gone away – that is just a euphemism – he is really saying Your God is not present because he went to the bathroom. Elijah challenges bystanders to douse the altar with water 4 times. In the natural world, water quenches fire. there is no way you can start a fire in the presence of water. But fire comes and consumes the altar. The fire wasn’t started by human hands it was started by God. God showed up, Baal didn’t – maybe Baal had to use the bathroom. But this is not a story about the presence of God- it is a story about the faith of Elijah. The rest of Israel were going with the flow of the day. Elijah chose to stay faithful to God. He was strong enough to stand up for what he believed in. Because he knew that he worshipped the one true God. And have you ever noticed that what is true always has to compete with a lie. A lie always spreads with speed, but the truth always endure. What is 2+2 A few years ago, a major Multinational company was looking for a new Marketing Director. After much advertising and many application, three candidates entered the final selection process. A mathematician, a statistician and a solicitor. The first to be invited in for the final interview was the mathematician and the Managing Director asked him a simple question: What is 2+2. The mathematician was surprised, thought about it for a bit, wondered if it might be a trick question and then simply answered 4. The Managing Director looked at the Board, shook his head and thanked him for coming, but he wasn’t the candidate they were looking for. The statistician was the next in and and the Managing Director asked him too the simple question: What is 2+2. He paused, thought about it for a bit and then replied that statistically it was a number between 3 and 5. The Managing Director smiled and Board were quite impressed. The candidate was thanked and ushered out. The last candidate, the solicitor was then invited in to the interview and the Managing Director asked him too the simple question: What is 2+2. Without batting an eyelid he replied: “What do you want it to be”. And was promptly hired on the spot. You might call it creative accounting – sometimes things don’t always add up. Story of battle between the same faith The thing that strikes me the most about this story- was that this is not a story about us and them. Ahab and Elijah were both jews. They both worshipped the same God. The difference was that Ahab worshipped God and Baal. Elijah stayed loyal to the one God. This was not a show for Ahab, Elijah was after the hearts of those who were listening. Before the show – Elijah addresses the people and asks how long will you continue to limp between two opinions. In other words, how long will you continue to walk on two crutches? I think that this is an important question in our faith, to the followers of Christ – us. We all believe in God, but we let other things creep into our faith. Lectionary As we hear the stories if Elijah for 6 weeks, the epistle lesson will come from Galatians. There are more holidays to prepare for, no more important events in the life of Christ. The summer is the time for us to develop our discipleship. Our ability to serve Christ. – Christ only. Paul – different gospels? Paul is also caught in the middle of the battle between the human gospel and the divine gospel. And he too is concerned about Christians making up their own rules. Creating their own gospels. There is the gospel of good works, the gospel of hard work, the gospel of being right, the gospel of what I think, there is the gospel of prosperity, the gospel of popularity. We tend to make up our own gospels according to what works in our lives. We have to be reminded that there is only one God, one savior, one gospel. The one that we find in the bible. Sometimes I think that we are the churches worst enemy. There are times when we get in God’s way when He is trying to tend to the business of His kingdom here on earth. "A man was struggling with a large box at the back edge of his truck. A passing neighbor saw his plight and came over to help him. He put his shoulder to the box. After a few tiring moments the neighbor exclaimed, "What’s in that box anyway? I don’t think we will ever get it on the truck." "Get on!" the exasperated man shouted, "I’m trying to get it off!" … Well-meaning Christians can be God’s worst enemies. When we judge and condemn others, when we set up our own standards of what it means to be saved, when we claim absolute knowledge of God’s will and of his Scriptures, we take over God’s role and attempt to run his business" (Hoefler, p. 47). That is the very reason that we sometimes fail to see that we are trying to put the box on the truck when God wants the box off the truck. The fight between Elijah and Ahab was not a fight between the Good and Evil or right and wrong. It was a fight between worshipping God and worshipping God correctly. It was a fight between the many ways to worship and the one God, with one path. It is a fight for our faith. To make sure that we serve Go with all of our hearts, minds and souls. What type of faith does the lord require? An unselfish faith, a Christ centered faith, a humble faith, a faith which trusts completely in God’s word. A faith that thinks of others, not self, looks to Christ as God, depends on God’s grace. What faith do you have? Which gospel to you live? The battle of Elijah was a battle for the hearts and souls of God’s faithful people. Who fights that battle today? Let us pray….