The Power of Prayer

July 28, 2013 Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11:1-13 The Power of Prayer 10th Sunday after Pentecost Year C ROOTED FOR LIFE There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home, one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root. After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress. Four more weeks came and gone. The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow. Many years later the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree. Many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now...rather than be rooted for life. (From a sermon by Ajai Prakash, Rooted in Jesus, 4/29/2011) That story reminds me of psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:3 In order for us to be firmly rooted in life, our faith has to be planted in Jesus Christ. We have to know that it is Christ who frees us from our sin, and who loves us, who guides us, and who teaches us how to prosper. Let our faith grow along with our lives When we are rooted in God, we stay connected to God. But we also are willing to grow in our knowledge and understanding of who God is. Our spiritual life only goes as far as we are able to grow. Many people leave the church, because they learn about God, but they don’t do anything to grow in faith. When trials and tribulations come upon them, they are still praying to the God they learned about in high school. When things don’t turn out the way they think they should, there is something wrong with God, when really, their faith has not grown to fit the situations of their life. It is so important to be rooted in God, and to continue to let the roots of our lives reach for the nurturing of God. This morning, our scriptures give us two important lessons on staying rooted in the ways of God. Colossians main lesson is to make sure that Christ is the center of our lives. Luke – talks about the importance of prayer. When we pray – we learn to depend on God for everything in our lives. VACANT HOMES, VACANT LIVES TIFTON, GA — The most interesting thing about Tifton is an abandoned Victorian house filled with thousands of bats. Tift County declared the once-elegant house in the town’s historic district off limits after a bat specialist said that maybe 20,000 bats had moved in, apparently for good. Now, teenagers call it the bat house. People talk about the smell, which is an unholy mix of animal urine and decaying wood. "In the summer, ooh, does that place reek," said Linda Turner, 69, a retired nurse and neighbor. "You ain’t smelled nothing until you come back here on a hot day." Brothers and Sisters, I’m not going to visit that bat house. WHAT A SIGHT AND WHAT A STINK IT MUST BE! Vacant houses get infiltrated with all kinds of creatures and probably not just bats. And many of these creatures make a mess, create a big stink, and eventually ruin that dwelling. But it doesn’t just happen with vacant houses, it also happens with vacant lives! If a person doesn’t fill their life with good stuff, the bad stuff and sometimes, the evil stuff will move in and take over. What’s going on in your house? That is, the house you live in, the fleshly body you live in? Who has moved in? Who has taken over your residence and controlling your life? God wants us to stay clean in this world and that will only happen when we let Him move in, that is, when we fill our lives with worship, prayer and service. Thy word have I hide in my heart that I might not sin against thee! Ps. 119:11. The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible! (From a sermon by Steve Shepherd, Our Walk in This World, 4/4/2011) In her book A Practical Guide to Prayer, Dorothy Haskins tells about a noted concert violinist who was asked the secret of her mastery of the instrument. The woman answered the question with two words: "Planned neglect." Then she explained. "There were many things that used to demand my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted, and did whatever seemed necessary. When I finished my work, I turned to my violin practice. That system prevented me from accomplishing what I should on the violin. So I reversed things. I deliberately planned to neglect everything else until my practice period was complete. And that program of planned neglect is the secret of my success." Colossians says don’t let anything or anyone disqualify you from growing in Christ. There are a lot of things going on in life. when Christ is in perspective however, the other things fall into place. In the last few years, used this week to talk about the meaning of the Lord’s prayer. Very important – teaches us what it means to put Christ first. What are we praying for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer "In a world too full of injustice, hunger, malice and evil, (this) prayer cries out for justice, bread, forgiveness, and deliverance." N. T. (Tom) Wright It is a prayer for material blessings of food to eat daily, but it is more so a prayer for spiritual blessings. The request not only for the ability to forgive, but for forgiveness in our lives. The strength to overcome temptation. These spiritual request are all things that support us in feeding our roots and growing in Christ. This prayer teaches us to pray in boldness and confidence for the things that we need. The life of a Christian, is a life of prayer. Luke speaks of prayer as a good gift from God. God provides for us our of God’s nature – which is always kind, merciful and generous. We think of this as the Lord’s prayer – but some have called it the disciple’s prayer. The prayer that we need in order to become disciples of Christ. For three years, the disciples learned by hearing Jesus preach and teach “as one who has authority.” They heard the sermon on the mount preached by the Son of God. They heard him condemn self-righteous Pharisees and encourage a woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” The disciples heard Jesus command the wind and waves (and witnessed their obedience). They heard him forgive sins. I suspect that they somehow knew the sins were forgiven. For three years, the disciples learned by watching Jesus do the impossible. They saw him heal the deaf, the blind, the lame, and the sick. They saw him feed 5,000 men plus women and children with a boy’s lunch. They saw him cast out demons. They saw him raise the dead. Incredibly, they did not ask Jesus to “teach us to teach and preach with authority.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to feed a multitude with a little.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to overcome disease, demons, and death.” Jesus was God incarnate. His divine power was beyond human comprehension. But the disciples noticed something he did that they could learn. Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us... to pray.” Jesus is the center of our lives as Christians, to be a christian, prayer must be the center of you life. Pray in boldness and confidence, for the right things in the right way, Christ will always answer. Active Prayer God is not passive, and neither are we. In fact, Jesus calls us to an active life. We tend to think of prayer as a passive affair, which in many ways it is. After all, prayer is listening before it is speaking. However, it is active listening. You know the difference between passive and active listening? Passive listening is the husband who has one ear to the television when his wife speaks. Passive listening is the wife who has her "to do" list between her and her spouse. Passive listening is the young person who hears everything through ears that are "bored" with anything and everything that isn’t more exciting than what is possible. Active listening, on the other hand, is giving 100% attention, and facing toward the One who speaks, putting aside remote-controls, "to do" lists, and boredom. Active listening is anything but passive. It’s really hard work, when you think about it. It’s not "zoning out." Far from it. Prayer is, in part, active listening. How do you receive daily bread from God, if you’re not faced in his direction, attentively reaching out? How does forgiveness become a reality if we don’t step into it - and how are we to step into it if we’re not walking in the direction of, toward the One from whom forgiveness flows? The Lord’s prayer, whether it be the version Matthew remembers, or the one Luke recalls, encourages active movement toward God on our part. As a rule, if I have used an story once in a church, I try not to repeat it again. At least not intentionally. Today I am going to break that rule. As I was looking at my old sermons, I have gone through the lectionary twice since being a solo pastor. And I used this story here in this church in 2010. But I think that it is an important lesson in active prayer as we look forward to a new worship service and a new way of being present in the community. Actively pray for people A church was having a friends and family day, and each person was asked to invite a guest. But before they were to invite them they were to pray for them for one week. One lady wanted to invite her neighbor Kate. She and Kate had sons that were on the basketball team together. She prayed for Kate, but it seemed the the opportunity to talk about church never came up. So she was convinced the prayer didn’t work and that Kate would never come to church. On the Friday before the friends and family she got a call from another parent, who told her that she and her son wanted to come to church with her. And o by the way, Kate was coming too. God works in mysterious ways. God hears our prayers. Let us make sure that this new beginning is firmly rooted in prayer. There may be a lot of things that need to be done as we move toward that day – but the most important thing always is to pray. The bring everything to God in prayer. If Christ is truly in the center of our lives, we can pray in boldness and confidence and know that God know better than we do. But he wants us to be rooted, and watered in prayer. He wants us to have an active prayer life, and to be willing to be challenged so that we can grow in our relationship. Lord, teach us to be faithful, to be knowledgable, to be grateful, but most of all Lord teach us to pray – in boldness, confidence and in faith. BURIED IN THE DEEPEST SEA Several years ago Rick Stacy baptized a man in Lake Superior. It was late October and about 9:00 PM. Rick had been talking with Myron and his wife about accepting the Lord as their personal savior and sealing that decision with baptism into Jesus. Myron was hesitant for a long time and then finally said, “Yes, I want to accept Jesus – and I want to be baptized tonight – right now in Lake Superior. In case you don’t know Lake Superior is cold. The average temperature (year round) is about 38 degrees. This was late October and the gales of November (remember the Edmund Fitzgerald) had come early. The waves were running 3 feet high. The water was very cold. They were going to walk out waist deep into the water, but only made it about knee deep. Rick laid Myron down and the waves washed over him as he was baptized in the name of Jesus. When they went back to Myron’s home for some hot cocoa and a hot soak for their cold feet, Rick asked him why it was so important that he do this that night in Lake Superior. His answer: “I was in the army, an officer in the infantry during Viet Nam. I saw and did things that no man should see or do. I wanted my sins buried in the deepest and coldest place…” Peter L. Haynes, Asking...Seeking...Knocking Keeping God Alive in Our Hearts Jesus prayed: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. In the novel "The Great Hunger," a newcomer comes to a farm community. He refuses all friendship with his neighbors and puts out the no trespassing sign. One day a little child from the town climbs underneath his fence to pet his dog. The vicious animal leaps on her and kills her. Hostility spreads throughout the community. When the newcomer comes to town no one will speak to him. Clerks refuse to wait on him. Spring comes and the merchants refuse to sell him seed. Finally, the father of the girl who was killed comes over and sows his field. This act of kindness is too much for the insufferable newcomer. “Why—you of all people?” he asks. The father responds: To keep God alive in my heart. The experience of forgiveness is basic to our spiritual health. It is the way that we keep God alive in our hearts. But there is more. The petition says: Forgive us as we forgive others. In other words, we are asking God to forgive in proportion to our forgiving. We become our own judge and jury. How do we forgive the unforgivable? By remembering that God forgives us for our sins against him. Staff, www.Sermons.com. For three years, the disciples learned by hearing Jesus preach and teach “as one who has authority.” They heard the sermon on the mount preached by the Son of God. They heard him condemn self-righteous Pharisees and encourage a woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” The disciples heard Jesus command the wind and waves (and witnessed their obedience). They heard him forgive sins. I suspect that they somehow knew the sins were forgiven. For three years, the disciples learned by watching Jesus do the impossible. They saw him heal the deaf, the blind, the lame, and the sick. They saw him feed 5,000 men plus women and children with a boy’s lunch. They saw him cast out demons. They saw him raise the dead. Incredibly, they did not ask Jesus to “teach us to teach and preach with authority.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to feed a multitude with a little.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to overcome disease, demons, and death.” Jesus was God incarnate. His divine power was beyond human comprehension. But the disciples noticed something he did that they could learn. Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us... to pray.”

It's Your Choice

July 21, 2013 It’s Your Choice Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11: 1-13 10th Sunday after Pentecost Year C Create your own Adventure books While preparing for this sermon, I discovered these really cool story books – they are called choose your own adventure books. You read the story to a child, and in the middle of it, you start to ask questions of what the child wants to happen next. Depending on how they respond, you read a different section of the book. Even though you read the same book, you never really read the same story to the child. They get to choose how the story ends. I am always looking for Christian education resources – and I like this one, because it is important to help our children to make healthy choices. This book is entitled Always picked last, it is about a fairy who tries to do something so he wont be picked last in games. It is a little long, so I wont read it to you. Gospel a story of choices But actually it doesn’t matter because our gospel lesson is a lesson about making choices. Background information to the story Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem, and along the way he stops by his friends, Mary and Martha to have a good meal, and to have a place to do the teaching he is desparately trying to do before he gets to Jerusalem. Even though we hear about Mary and Martha all of the time, This story only appears in Luke. As tradition would have it, the oldest girl always inherited her mother’s house. Martha is believed to be the oldest, because she had the obligation of keeping the house and offering hospitality to those in need. In greek, the name Martha means mistress of the house. And it is Martha who asks jesus to do something about her sister. Martha is doing all of the work, and Mary has decided to sit down and study with Jesus. When you think of this story – how many of us think of ourselves as Martha? How many think of ourselves as a Mary of the church? I think that we do a disservice to ourselves and to the church when we follow the traditional interpretations of this story. When I was at the Methodist church in Jamaica, I found it interesting that there was a whole body of service to the church called women’s work. In others words the women were supposed to do the cooking, and the cleaning, and childcare in the church. While studying, administration, and worship were thought of as the work of men. So in this story we go into this whole debate about what a women’s role is in the church. But the disservice goes further than than – because we start to debate which is better, faith or works; is it better to be active or comtemplative; do we choose between giving steadfast love or studying the word of God. But none of those are fair choices, and you really cant choose one without the other. But I also think the ways that we interpret this story is a disservice to Jesus. First of all in all of the stories that I know about Jesus. Jesus is not one to turn down hospitality. If someone is cooking for him, he is not going to tell them to stop. He wants to eat. For some reason in this story, we tend to belittle Martha and uplift Mary. When Jesus never says that Martha is wrong and that Mary is right. He never says that what Mary is doing is more important than what Martha is doing. But for some reasons we want to be judgemental. Jesus doesn’t say that Mary was better than Martha. Jesus says that Mary had a choice, and that she was right for making a choice. Verse 42 says Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her. Jesus does not judge between them. As a matter of fact, in my life, some days I am Martha and some days I am Mary. And it takes both action and comptemplation, faith and works, cooking cleaning and bible study to make a well rounded servant. It is really not how we serve, it is the attitude in which we serve that makes a difference. Martha was serving out of obligation, and Mary had found freedom. I read someone that Mary means a free spirit. That is what the gospel is all about – finding the freedom to chose a life of salvation. The pastor God cannot do without A pastor of a large church tells how he had gotten caught up in serving out of obligation. As the pastor everyone depended on his presence. One day he felt that he was getting sick, but he felt that there was no way that he could stay at home, because the church was expecting him to be present. He felt that God needed him, and that he could not afford to be sick. He showed up to church that day, but he felt awful. That night he prayed to god that he would got better, because he could not afford to be sick. When he fell asleep, he had a dream that God was worried about God could do without him. And that if he died tomorrow, then the work of God on earth would just continue without him. He realized that serving God was a choice, not an obligation. As a matter of fact, it was not his choice to serve God that mattered, but it was God’s choice to use him that made all of the difference in the world. I might need to say that again – serving God is a choice. A choice that we have the freedom to make. But it is not our choice that really matters, it is God’s choice that makes all of the difference in the world. The glorious, omnipotent all knowing all powerful God chooses us to spread love throughout our lives and throughtout the world! That is amazing. That is the lesson for us this morning in Colossians. Just think about it, if you had to choose a group of people to best represent the church at a very important meeting who would you choose? Would you choose a child who never sits still in church? Would you choose a teenager who walks around all the time with his pants hanging down? Would you chose a baby who cries all of the time, would you choose a young girl who is more concerned about her texts on her cell phone then she is in talking to those around her? Would you choose an adult, who is too busy at work to bother to come to church? Why or why wouldn’t you choose these people to best represent the church. Especially when in reality Jesus has chosen them all? If God chooses them, who are we not to accept their gifts? God chose them and God chose us. to be faithful, to be willing grow to Christian maturity, to be in service to God. As a matter of fact, any choice that we make in the name of Jesus Christ, Christ has the power to reconcile, redeem and use for the building if his kingdom. Colossians 1:28 says – it is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. If Christ chooses the likes of us – then we can make sure that Christ is in all of our choices. Amen. ____________________________________________________ There Is Always a Load Limit Dr. John Anderson tells about a cartoon that appeared in the NEW YORKER magazine. Approaching a small bridge plainly marked, "Load Limit 8 tons" was a truck, also marked on its side, "8 tons." When the 8 ton truck was about in the middle of the bridge with the 8 ton limit, a bluebird lighted on the top girder. At that point the bridge gave way and crashed with the truck into the river below, to the obvious surprise of the bluebird. The bridge was built as indicated for 8 tons; the truck weighed exactly that. The bridge could hold up under its load limit, but not under 8 tons and one bluebird. Of course, this story is wonderfully ridiculous. Most bridges could stand up under their load limit and several thousand bluebirds extra. But, to be sure, all bridges have a breaking point somewhere "that point at which the bluebird would be just much too much. But, friends, it really isn't the bluebird that breaks it down. It is the fact that 8 tons are already present. We all have bluebird troubles, don't we? We are all burdened by the facts of our lives which load us to the point of "load limit." We let little things get the best of us, little bluebirds of nothingness, tiny bluebirds of no importance, but just the thing to bring us down. Every person has a limit and we would do well to watch for the warning signs of one bluebird too many. There is always a load limit. Arthur E. Dean Windhorn, Sermons.com Worry has been defined as "a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." Unknown __________________ Humor: When Anxieties Finally Come True For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you." William Marshall, Eternity Shut in a Span __________________

Who is My Neighbor

July 14, 2013 Luke 10:25-37 8th Sunday after Pentecost Year C Who is my Neighbor? Who is my neighbor – that is the question for today. But in reality, the question goes much farther than that. Who is my neighbor. That was the theme of annual conference this year- as a matter of fact, the bishop said that would be the theme of all of our work for the next 4 years – working to serve our neighbors. Who is my neighbor? According to the book of law – a neighbor is someone who is related to you. Your kin folk – those around you. Those people who are safe to relate to and to be a part of. Jesus story in Luke – reminds us that being a neighbor is anything but safe. It requires us going out of our comfort zone. When I was a child, one of my favorite shows was Mr. Roger’s neighborhood. I think I liked it because it made me feel safe. At conference, we even sung the theme song – it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood. It was Mr. Rogers, who made one of my favorite quotes to remember in times of trouble. He said that his mother told him that in times of disaster, or trouble to look for the helpers. In my times of crisis, and deep trouble – sure enough there is always someone who was willing to help, to bring comfort and peace. It has been through those people that I have come to know God. It is in those times that I came to know the meaning of God’s grace. Jesus us telling us in Luke – that we are supposed to be those people, those helpers, the ones that represent God’s grace when everything else in life fails. And everything else in life does indeed fail. In order to realize what jesus is really saying, you have to realize the story behind the story. First of all, scripture says that the lawyer comes to test Jesus. When the lawyer asks who is my neighbor, he knows the answer before he even says anything. He just wants to see what Jesus had to say, more importantly, what would he do. But there is another story line that we may not be aware of. We know that the Samaritans and the Jews do not get along. We know that Jesus is trying to make a point when he uses a Samaritan as the hero of this story. But we may have forgotten that in chapter nine – right before this story – Jesus sets his sights on Jerusalem. He sends his disciples out to tell the good news to others. When they get to samaria – the samaraians totally reject Jesus and his message of God’s love for all. We assume that we are supposed to show love to our enemies, and if we make the effort then everything will be alright. But what do we do with the people that we try to love, who make it very clear that they don’t love us. They have no intention of working with us, or being understanding. The lawyers test to all of us – what do you do then? Do you take matters into your own hands or do you trust god? Jesus knew that test very well, and he wanted to make sure that the lawyer knew that he would trust God in all situations. The hatred of others would not stop him from following the ways of God in all circumstance. He would still believe in God’s grace – and he knew that God’s grace was even in the Samaritan. He wanted to lawyer to understand that there are some circumstances where the law cannot help us. We are learning that even today – the law is not always on our side, and does not protect our young men from being attacked. Many are in a state of despair today – we heard the verdict in the George Zimmerman trail. We are asking where is the justice in the law. What is our reaction to injustice? Do we take the law into our own hands? Or do we remember the good Samaritan story? This is not a story about being nice – it is a story about being faithful in the midst of injustice. In the facae of injustice, who are you going to be? – a follower of the law or a follower of grace? Which is easier? Which is logical? Which is right? Which is what God calls us to do? Jesus understood the test very well – he even tells the lawyer that you know better than I do what the answer is. You know what you are supposed to do – Jesus tells him to make sure that he does it. A neighbor is one who is willing to take action and do, when others want to sit around and debate. Jesus turns the question around, the question is not who is our neighbor, it is what does it take for us to be a neighbor. What is it that we need to be doing to help others. Being a neighbor is not about proximity – usually the closer we are to the problem, the less we think about being a part of the solution. A neighbor is not just a relative, it is anyone in need, that we can help. A neighbor is anyone is need of God’s grace. CARRY THEIR BURDEN A pastor gathered a group of people from his church to train them to witness. After some minimal training, he sent the group out into the neighborhood. When they returned to share their experiences, one young man said he had tried to tell an older gentleman about the love of Jesus. The old gentleman replied, “I feel none of the love of God. I feel nothing of God caring for my burdens. I am old and must take care of myself, shop for myself, and carry my groceries home from the store, by myself.” One of the other participants remarked, “Perhaps if you had offered to carry his load for him, he would have believed your words because he would have experienced them firsthand in you.” (From a sermon by Gaither Bailey, Is Your Name Written In Heaven? 7/1/2010) ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬________________________________________________________________________ LIKE LIMBAUGH AND CLINTON In the story of the “The Good Samaritan,” these men weren’t physical neighbor. The Jews & the Samaritans hated each other. Generations earlier, when the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans had taken over the land … and mixed their religion with the Jewish religion. This would be like a Cuban refugee finding Castro beside the road. Like an Indian finding a cowboy beside the road. Like Rush Limbaugh finding Bill Clinton beside the road. Like a Florida Gator finding an FSU Seminole beside the road. But according to this passage, these men were neighbors. What does it take to be a neighbor? SOURCE: Ray Scott in "The Good Samaritan" on www.sermoncentral.com. DEFINING A NEIGHBOR It’s been said, "One cannot define one’s neighbor; one can only be a neighbor." Haddon Robinson said, "Your neighbor is anyone whose need you see, whose need you are able to meet." A neighbor is someone who says, "What is mine is God’s and what is God’s belongs to my neighbor because my neighbor belongs to Him." (Larson) SOURCE: Victor Yap in "Hero" on www.sermoncentral.com FAMOUS NEIGHBORS Can you name some famous neighbors? *Mr. Rogers Neighborhood in his sweater and sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” *Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” *Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz. *Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson. Have you ever had trouble with a neighbor? The story of the Good Samaritan is about neighbors, and it has all the elements of a movie: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? SOURCE: Ray Scott in “The Good Samaritan” on SermonCentral.