All Year Stewardship

June 28, 2015 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 All Year Stewardship 5th Sunday after Pentecost Year B There are a lot of hot button issues going on in the world today: we continue to grapple with the senseless murder of 9 African Americans while in bible study. We continue to see the pervasive affects of racism in our community, the state is approaching a deadline for approving a budget that could threaten critical programs in our community, and it seems that the debate over the supreme court decision to legalize gay marriage has just begun. All of these topics are worthy of a sermon, and I think in the near future it will be important for us to talk about all of these things. But today I want to talk about another sensitive issue in the the church - money. People in the church and outside get nervous when you start asking for money in church, or when you publicly admit that the church is short on funds for day to day expenses. People don’t want to hear a sermon on the need to give more money – but we welcome a sermon on how to put more money in our pockets. What we don’t realize, is that is the same conversation. For some reason, we don’t want to understand that the way we spend our money is not just a spiritual issue- it is the most important spiritual issue. If I can get a look at your checkbook, I know all about you. I know how you spend your time, I know what your priorities are, I know what you put first in your life. I can even tell your relationship with God. Where is God in our financial priorities? What promises have we made to God. I read an interesting article recently, and the author says that God knows that there is no other way to pull our strings and to get our attention than to mess with our money. Ron Blue is a Christian publisher, he says that God uses money in three ways – as a tool, as a test, and as a testimony. Money makes the world go round – money buys food, money pays bills, money can provide for the basic and not so basic needs of life. God needs money to build the kingdom. It takes bricks and mortar to build a house, it also takes money. Money is a tool to get God’s work here on earth done. Money is a test – our free will allows us to make choices, or faith helps us to make the right choices. We can use money in a way that helps us or in a way that hurts us. And finally, money is a testimony. When the money is flowing correctly, things are going well, when things are going well – we have a testimony to how Good God is. Everyone one in a while – money is comes as a blessing to us. As you look at your personal finances – as we look at our church finances – we hve to ask ourselves – is money a tool, a test, a testimony – or all three. I don’t believe that there are concidences in the world – so I believe that there is a reason why 2 Corinthians 8 was a part of the lectionary today. As you may know, Paul was not one of the original 12 disciples. So even though he had a powerful ministry amongst the gentiles, he was not accepted in Jerusalem. So when he did meet with the other disciples at the first church council – he pledged that he would get the gentile churches to commit to helping the widows in Jerusalem. A gentile is simply anyone who does not have jewish roots. It seemed like a good idea at the time for the Corinthians to go along with it. But when they got mad and fell out with Paul – they forgot about their commitment to give. So when they reconciled with Paul – they still didn’t go back to giving to the mission. So Paul had to write this gentle reminder to stick with their commitment and to give. So we have one of the clearest messages about stewardship in the bible. Apparently, the Corinthian church was very well off, when they committed to help. Paul brings up the Macedonion church, as an example for them. The Macedonians, had also made a pledge. And in the midst of financial hardship they still were able to give. I am reminded of a conversation that I had with a pastor of a large suburban church. Who was in a total panic because his church was not meeting his budget. He was going to not only cut the church budget, but also cut his own salary. In a total panic, he told me that I would not understand the financial problems that his church faced. I actually told him that I did not. My church faced financial crisis for years, but if I focused on the money issues, and no ministry the church would have been closed a long time ago. Many of the large churches are like the Corinthian church- they think that the sky is falling because of budget issues. Paul says that the difference between the Corinthian church and the macedonion church is that the macedonion church made a pledge to make a difference, and that pledge helped them to give the little money that they had, even if they had to give sacrificially. For them money was a spiritual commitment that they had to keep. When we ask people to fund a failing budget, you never get a positive response – when you ask people to fund God’s dream with the tools that they have – you get a response. Paul also gives us three rules for using money – First he reminds us to give out of what we have and not out of what we don’t have. If you have 100,000 in the bank, give 10,000 to God. if you have $100 then give $20 to the church. If you only have a dollar then only give 20 cent. It is not about what you don’t have, but what you have. It is in chapter 9 that Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver. But he starts that conversation here by saying that give only what makes you comfortable. If you are angry and upset, then don’t give. And finally he says that what we give is a more a matter of the heart. It is how we give and not what we give that makes a difference. Paul remind us that jesus who was rich, made himself poor so that those who are poor could have a chance to be rich. If Jesus made an investment in us,we can make an investment in others. Finally he makes it very clear that giving is a spiritual discipline. If we can excel in our faith, our speech our knowledge, our ability to show love, then we can excel in our ability to give. The question for a Christians is not are you saved, it is how much did you give? Because when we understand what it means to be a Christian, we understand what it means to give. And we understand that our giving is a part of our who we are. Even the jews on holidays, you were supposed to find someone poorer then you and give them a give – it didn’t have to be much, but it had to be from the heart. 6041 Pledge For Other Things He said he wouldn’t make a pledge Unto the church at all, That he would give just when he felt The urgency—the call. But still he bought a car and pledged To pay it off some day. And then a house in which to live And each month he would pay. He pledged to pay his telephone, Electric and his gas: He pledged to pay his water bill— He never let it pass. He pledged to pay his taxes, too, Upon his house and sod, But not one cent he’d ever pledge To the house of God. We make a pledge to give God what is left over, not what come first. I was excited when I read them passage, because it reminded me that we need to make stewardship a year long conversation. It is time for us to make a new budget, so it is time for us to start our pledge process. But it is important for us to talk about giving to God on a regular basis. Not only do I need to plan more sermons on giving, but we need to hear from givers in the congregation. We need to hear from those who tithe. Remember I said that the conversation to give more is also the conversation to receive more. There is what is called the tithing surprise 1845 Tithing Surprises The Christian who tithes will be surprised: (1) At the amount of money he has for the Lord’s work, (2) At the deepening of his spiritual life in paying the tithe, (3) At the ease in meeting his own obligation with the nine-tenths, (4) At the ease in going from one-tenth to a larger percentage, (5) At the preparation this gives to be a faithful and wise steward over the nine-tenths remaining, (6) At himself for not adopting the plan sooner! Tithing is not a requirement, Paul says give from what you have. Jesus says that if you have more than a tenth to give, then God will gladly take it. But it is a spiritual discipline. A pastor made a commitment that at least one third of his sermons for the year would be on money. The result was not a mass exodus from the church because of anger, but actually those who heard those sermons on a regular basis better understand money as a spiritual discipline. They understood why they were giving to God, and they saw the results in their lives to trusting God and not focusing in what they did not have. I plan to do the same within the next year. I am not sure that it will be every third sermon, but it will be more than what we have now. And we will hear from others and how and why they too give, not to fix our budget,but to further our mission. Paul encourages us to excel in everything that we do. And as you excel in everything spiritual, we should excel in generosity. Excel in our giving. Paul says that God has a way of evening out the score for everybody. When we give to others, God pays us back for our effort. Paul quotes exodus 16:18 when gathering manna from heaven, those who gathered much, did not have enough to store up, and those who did not gather much seemed to have enough. All had what they needed. When God asks us to give to help build the kingdom – we want us to create a world where all have enough. God blesses us, so that we can bless others. . A psychiatrist in Princeton, New Jersey, illustrated this poignantly. "A few years ago (he) received one of those "strike it rich" sweepstakes letters from LIFE magazine. It read, "You have been selected as the fortunate participant in a special offer which could make you the richest person in Princeton. Your name will soon be listed among the wealthy and prestigious people of Princeton. All you have to do is take a six-year subscription to LIFE and your name will be added to the drawing. You may win!" "The psychiatrist wrote a response to this offer which was a gem of rhetoric. "In your letter, you offer to make me the richest man in Princeton. I want you to know that I am the richest man in Princeton. In addition to this, I enjoy a quality of life so exciting, it makes LIFE magazine read like an Old Mother Goose story. For all these good reasons, I am asking you to remove my name from that silly contest -- a contest which cannot possibly do me any good because all it offers if money. Who needs it when (one) has life -- and I don't mean your magazine." (Lloyd John Ogilvie, Let God Love You. The way that we spend our money is indeed a spiritual discipline. Whether we are rich or poor has more to do with the condition o f our heart not our pocket book. Paul encourages us to be rich in all things – in order to do that we have to be rich in our giving to God. Let us pray….. Children’s Sermon…….. Two brothers – There were two brothers who shared a room with each other. In the early years they shared everything. Each of them had free reign of everything that was there. They played with each other’s toys and got along perfectly. Until the day one of them got a play station for Christmas. And the brother decided that he didn’t want to share – it was his for his benefit. This started each of them as defining their property. And putting stipulations on using their stuff. At one time they got along, but this caused them to distrust one another and to constantly bicker. One day, they agreed to put a line down the middle of the room. And each were instructed to stay on their side of the room. Soon these two brothers became enamies, who not only refused to share, who not only fought constantly, but who eventually stopped speaking, and lived separate lives, even though they lived in the same room. They each were forced to fend for themselves, and faced life all alone. Both lost sight of what it meant to give and to help others. Other illustrations You see a person's wealth does not consist in what he has in terms of material possessions and security, but in who we know ourselves to be, and the inner resources we have cultivated by our relationship to Christ Do you know what the doctor is talking about? Our wealth does not consist in what we have in the way of material possessions and security, but in who we know ourselves to be and the inner resources we have developed by our relationship to Jesus Christ. Narrowing that focus, let me put it this way: A person's wealth, you see, consists not alone in what he has, but in the love he shows. We're rich or poor according to the depth of our compassion. Paul makes this clear when he compares the grace of God working in the Macedonians with the grace of Jesus Christ. See it there in verse 9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor, so that by his poverty, you might become rich." Alan Paton once said the key question for a Christian is not "Am I saved?", but "Am I giving?". I'm not sure I would put it just that way, but there's no question about it -- if you want to test your salvation, test your giving. If you are not growing in your giving -- not just of your money -- but of your time and talent, of your whole self; then you might well question your Christian experience. "Out of the period of the Civil War, there comes a tale that sums this up. A shack just off the highway had housed a hermit for more than a generation following the War. The hermit's origin had become a legend. Essentially it told the story of his past. During the War, the man's father, who could not bear sending his son off to war, had paid another man to serve for that son. The War ground to its close, and most of the others from the town returned. The substitute who had gone to serve never returned. Brooding over what happened to the man who had taken his place, the son withdrew from society and lived the remainder of his life a babbling, bungling shell of his former self. In one of his more lucid moments, he spoke the words which constituted his biography: "I died the day I received my exemption papers." (Donald Shelby, "Be Responsible") It's a parable. None of us are exempt from life, from giving and serving. When we think we are, we die. We may even die eternally. 6026 Meaning Of Stewardship A man doesn’t decide to become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he begins to make good money. He is a steward—good or bad—when he becomes a Christian. Stewardship in the Christian life demands that a man take good care of his financial affairs because he has been commissioned by Christ to manage those affairs for the Lord. Leftovers are such humble things, We would not serve them to a guest, And yet we serve them to our Lord Who deserves the very best. We give to Him leftover time, Stray minutes here and there, Leftover cash we give to Him, Such few coins as we can spare. We give our youth unto the world, To hatred, lust and strife; Then in declining years we give To Him the remnant of our life. —Author Unknown —Selected

It is All Good!

Church in Chiang Mai Church January 2015 First I would like to share a story with you from Africa…. The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this." "No," his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you." I just told that story to my congregation last week. It is a story that fits our situation – but I think that the story has a universal truth that applies to all of our lives. We are all asking God why – Why are these things happening to me. In life there are things that happen – we say – I am a good person – but where is the good in my life? How is the the suffering that I am going through a good thing? Well the good new of Romans 8:28 is that when we are Christians- that all things work for the good of those who are Christians and put their life inside of Christ. Even bad things will turn out for good. The book of Romans is one of my favorite books of the bible. If someone wants to learn what it means to be a Christian and why christ is important – I would tell them to read the book of Romans – specifically Romans 8 It tells you all that you need to know about faith and Christ. Romans 8 contains 8 key promises for our lives. The first word of Romans 8 is Life through the spirit – there is no condemnation for those who live in christ. 1. For is – If God has forgiven you then no one else has a right to condemn you. 2. God’s Spirit – the spirit of Christ is always inside of you - helping you go through every situation 3. If God’s spirit is in you – then you are a son or daughter of Christ. 4. When we suffer, it is God’s glory that will give you hope 5. The spirit comes to us in our weakness, when we do not have the words to express our pain or pray – we can trust the spirit to speak to God on our behalf. The last three are the good one Verse 30 says - God thought about you before you were born. God called you to be a Christian. If God called you - then he justified you – he sanctified you – he cleaned your spirit and made you holy. If you have been chosen by God – you are a rightueous person so god can be glorified. 7, We are not just put on this earth to muddle through life. We are more than conqueres. The spirit of God inside of us is stronger than any circumstance in our lives. God created you to be a winner! The last promise is the best. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Read the rest of Romans God is not going to walk away from you – you don’t even have to walk away from God. In some of the toughest times in the lives of people in my congregation. I remind them of the promises of romans 8. When my sister died 2 years ago – I read Romans 8 to my family. There was a professor who gave his students a test on romans 8:28 – we know God works all things together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called together according to his purpose. He told them to remember that verse for the test. Well the test was supposed to be the next day – but the professor got into an accident. His wife was killed and he was badly injured. A month later – when the professor got out of the hospital – the students wanted to know whether Romans 8 was still true for him. Did the professor still believe it was the most important verse. Yes it is – says the professor- God is still with me. When Christ lives in our hearts – he gives us hope, Hope that everthing is gonna be okay. A young boy was suffering from an illness that would killhim. The doctor told him we was going to die. The young man burst out in tears. The doctor took away my hope. The woman listening said, if someone takes your hope – then you need to find a new one. Christ is our hope for everything. What do you do in a hopeless situation – find christ. If you are a Christian – then he is inside of you. My last story, I gotfrom one of my church members yesterday. She posted it on her facebook page. Her husband is very sick with a disease where his muscles are shutting down. An aging master grew tired of his apprentice’s complaints. One morning, he sent him to get some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it. “How does it taste?” the master asked. “Bitter,” said the apprentice. The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.” As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?” “Fresh,” remarked the apprentice. “Do you taste the salt?” asked the master. “No,” said the young man. At this the master sat beside this serious young man, and explained softly, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.” Bitterness when our pain is held in the world. But we should hold our pain in Christ. Christ is the lake where hope is in abundant supply! Put your hope in christ – doesn’t take our suffering away – It just makes it so much easier to deal with. Amen

Marching in the Light of God

McGilvary Seminary Chiang Mai Thailand January 2015 Teach the song – We are marching in the light of God Alexander the Great threatened people in submission, not by fighting but by marching. He would tell people to surrender, and then tell his soldiers to march. They would march near a cliff, but he would not tell them to stop – the soldiers would just keep marching over the cliff. With an army that dedicated, people would surrender without having to fight. People have been marching for a cause ever since. The song that we sung is from south Africa where during apartheid and beyond, people marched to be recognized. I participated in marches as a child, African americans in the 60’s and 70s asked for their civil rights. And recently I have been watching the news are the marches continue. America – in my community marching is important for civil rights. It appears that young men are not given a chance. There are marches every where all over the nation. As I arrived in Thailand there seems that news from France has dominated the airways. People are carrying signs saying we are Charlie –it is a unity march. Just as marching is not new, the reasons that we march are not new – injustice, freedom, to let your voice be heard, to correct a wrong, to show solidarity. Injustice and oppression go back a long time. The book of Isaiah show injustice for the Hebrew people. Injustice has taken over – slavery and injustice. I preached this text for Christmas. This Christmas season has been filled with marches, fighting for justice. Advent starts in Isaiah – the place where God speaks clearly. This is one of the few places in the bible where God speaks himself. God says I have heard the cry of my people. God will comfort my people – god will correct the injustice of te world. God will create a better life for those who are marching. As I watched the marches on tv, I ask what will it take to make a better world? How long will we have to march before the world is a wonderful place for all of those who are crying out. As we identify the pain of the world. Who has the authority to make it better, who will bring justice? Listen to prophecy – God says that he will intervene. But will intervene by sending a strong leader – a man of God who speaks with authority. he will speak and do the world of the lord. I cannot help but to ask – where is that leader today – who is speaking for God in all of these marches – how do you see God in these marches? Is the prophecy about Christ? Christ is the suffering servant who will die to save the people. He endures pain so that all can have a better life. I was very young during the marches for civil rights of African Americans – former slaves – who are free, but still not respected. The church was a very important part of the history of marching. Many pastors were leaders of the movement – they trained people to protest and march and still be obedient to God. Unfortunately many leaders were killed for their leadership. As a child, my mother was very active in the movement – she worked for the community action agency. I was a part of the day care – I learned to march with her. When I was 3 years old – Robert Kennedy an important leader was killed. I went to school that day – the adults in my life were sad and devastated. Everyone was quiet – no wanted to talk to us kids to help us understand what was going on. Finally the lady in the cafeteria explained that the adults were sad and disappointed, every time that thought justice was on the way – the door slammed. Someone doing the work of the lord was killed. She explained that we were the generation to make a difference – it was up to us to bring about justice Where there were hatred bring peace, in violence peace. As the world has lost leaders – we were to ones to step up. I will never forget that day and the lunch ladies words. On that day – at 3 I pondered what it meant to be a leader. How to stand up and do the work of God. Samuel in our scripture was a young man. The story says that he heard a voice calling his name. He couldn’t figure out who was calling him. Finally his master explained that it was God, and that the next time who heard the voice to say - speak Lord your servant is listening. Hear God, Listen to God, obey God’s calling. I think it is an important lesson for us to hear – listen to God’s voice. We are leaders of the church. We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world today. God appoints each of us to be at the forefront of the march for justice, for peace, for unity. As I watch the news, every march, every protest, Where is the voice of God. but the response comes in the form of a leader. A suffering servant who will sacrifice so that his people can have what they need. It is important to remember that as leaders of the church – you and I are those leaders. We cannot be afraid to stand up and speak what we know about God, justice, love and peace, A pastor tells a story of her son, who asks what does God’s voice sound like? When you hear it you will know. You may hear God’s voice as a young child is being bullied and no one does anything – you go home and hear god’s voice speaking telling you to speak up and to make a difference. The son kew God’s voice and heard what it said. He finally spoke up and said I am gonna listen to God’s voice no matter what Today, God speaks to us in so many ways – scripture, teaching, television, world events, friends, suggestions. It is important to recognize God’s voice. Know what he is saying, know what to do. It is so important as a leader to know God’s voice. Pray, read scripture, stay close to god you cant go wrong. As we watch the marches on tv, what will happen? When will justice finally arrive? Most importantly who will speak for God. who will bring about the kingdom of God where all will be treated well, all respected, all just. God still speaks You are the leaders of the church. God’s people need strong leaders. Speak so others know, Act so others see. Have you heard God’s call? Is God calling your name? Will you go forward for God? Christ is the suffering servant – the messiah. But he asks you to follow, to understand the prophecy in scripture. People will continue to march. The need new leadership to connect their lives to God. May you be the leadership as we march to a brighter future! Let us sing! Amen

Never Give Up

June 7, 2015 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Year B A cowboy out west was in a heap of trouble. A wild bull was after him. Head down and nostrils snorting, the bull charged toward him. The cowboy dove into a convenient recess in the ground. As soon as the bull passed over the hole, the cowboy leaped out. The bull came back, madder than ever. Right before the bull reached him, the cowboy ducked back into the hole. Then, when the bull passed, he popped back out again. He did this several times. A passing stranger watching this scenario shouted, "Hey, cowboy, why don't you just stay in the hole?" Leaping out again, the cowboy yelled, "There's a bear in that hole!" That's how it is some days. We get caught between a bull and a bear. Have you ever had one of those days, when you are caught between a bull and a bear? When you are already having a bad day and then things get worse? One fellow tells about being on an airliner making its way from New York to San Francisco. One of the engines caught fire. The captain came on the speaker system, calmly reassuring his passengers that the fire would soon be out. Besides, the plane could fly as well with three engines as with four. Unfortunately, a second engine burst into flames. Once again the captain assured the passengers that two engines were sufficient. Then a third engine was suddenly ablaze. The captain said no more. There was only silence from the front of the plane. Soon the captain appeared in the cabin with a parachute on his back. As he opened the exit door, he said calmly to the passengers, "Don't anyone panic, I'm going for help." And out he jumped. That didn't really happen, of course. Still, when the pilot leaves to go get help, you're in trouble! That will absolutely ruin your day. St. Paul knew what it was to have a bad day. He had many of them--shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment. But he knew his Pilot would never bail out. That is why he could write: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be also manifested...." (RSV) My next question is when you have those days, how do you handle it? Does it ruin you mood and you are not able to function or do you take it all in stride, and are you able to move on? When you come face to face with some huge obstacle, some daunting problem, something frightening in which the odds are stacked against you, what is your first step? Do you go around it? We learned that as a kid walking home, didn't we? If there were a big, mean dog on the route, we would walk blocks around it to get home safely. How about now? Do you still walk around those big, mean dogs? Some people go over them. That is, you know the problem is there but you just scratch the surface, gloss over the problem, brush up against it but don't really address it. It's just always there and you minimize the danger. "It's no big deal. I'm fine." Some people decide to go under it. They bury their heads into the ground and don't even acknowledge it, don't even name it. "If I don't talk about it, maybe it will just go away." But pretty soon the problem suffocates you with its weight. People with eyes of faith go through it. They can see what others cannot see. They name the problem, identify the problem, stare that problem right in the eye, and decide that the only way to conquer this problem and to get to the other side is to go through it. That is the lesson for today on 2 Corinthians – Paul tells us that as Christians we have to the power to go through anything. Christ gives us the power to handle it. There is a difference between those who give up and those who who keep going, and that difference is faith. Not just any faith, but faith in Christ. Faith that Christ was raised from the dead. Not Everybody likes Paul, many says that he is too patriarchal to women, But I really like Paul, because after studying him, I think that his advice on faith is very solid. He teaches life on Christ. That we should live inside of the promises of Christ. The cool thing about Paul’s lessons, is that his actions teach us Just as much as his words. When Paul gave his life to Christ, he did not have a happy, easy life. He was shipwrecked, he was put in prison, he was often run out of town, and he was put on trial and eventually killed, all for his faith in Christ. And yet he never stopped preaching and teaching. I would imagine one of his biggest pains, was pouring his life in establishing Christian communities, and trying to tell them the right way to life, and instead of them saying thank you, they turned against him. Today we just have 1 and 2nd Corinthians. But there is a belief that there was also a 3 and 4th Corinthians. When Paul visited, the Corinthians at first they listened. But eventually they turned against him. They felt that there was other evangelist who were more charismatic then he was. They started to follow these other people and to reject Paul. So Paul wrote other letters to the people of Corinthians. But it is believed that those letters never survived, because Pauls words were a little too harsh. What we know as 2 Corinthians is the the final letter, as Paul tried to repair his relationship with this congregation. Paul’s lesson to them and to us is to have faith. Have complete faith in Christ and to give our complete life to Christ. The power that raised Christ, will be present for us.If we do, we can stand in any situation. He says that there may be times in life when we are falling apart on the outside, but we are coming together in the inside. Jesus talked about his death many times, but whenever he talked about death, he talked about resurrection. They say that triumph is just a try, with a little umph behind it. As Christians we are triumphant over the challenges of life. When we are using our faith. Just like we have to exercise our bodies in order for our muscles to get stronger, we have to exercise our soul in order for our soul to get stronger. We exercise our spirit by having a relationship with Christ, by not just reading the bible, but also living according to it., by being in service and putting our faith in action. We have to learn to forgive and move on, and there are just some times when we have to give whatever it is to God and trust that God will take care of it. In order to do that we have to learn to believe in things that we cannot see with out eyes. When we are at our wits end in life, we are not at hopes end. If our hope is in Christ. Archibald Rutledge tells of seeing a bird build its nest. Patiently and hard it worked all day. That night a storm came and the next morning the little bird's home lay on the ground in pathetic ruin. The bird was there, too, however. It was not mourning over the destruction. It was busily rebuilding. The first words of M. Scott Peck's helpful book, THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED are, "Life is hard." And it is. The people who have made the most significant contributions have been people who have confronted that truth head on. They not only coped, but they conquered. Are you familiar with Wedgewood pottery? It is some of the world's finest. Did you know that Josiah Wedgewood was forced to leave school when he was only nine years of age? At thirteen he was stricken with smallpox, which crippled him for the remainder of his life. Nothing came easy for Josiah. Nothing could defeat him either. Today his pottery is known world-wide for its consistent beauty. Do you love the music of Beethoven? When Beethoven's famous "Ode to Joy" was first performed it was instantly acclaimed. Beethoven could hear it only in his imagination, though. When he was first diagnosed as facing deafness, Beethoven reacted with angry outbursts. He wrote to a friend, "Your Beethoven is most unhappy and at strife with nature and the Creator." At first he withdrew from others and refused to tell them of his problem. He knew, though, he could never be happy if he did not compose music. And compose he did, even if he could not enjoy the sound of his own work. That is the story of the cross. A symbol of shame transformed into a means of salvation. It can be the story of your life and mine as well. We will face opposition in life. By God's grace, however, opposition can be turned to opportunity. If nothing else, we will be drawn closer to Him who is our Life. Paul says that our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond comparison. There is salvation in our suffering. That does not mean that we should suffer intentionally. But anybody who keeps on living, will soon realize that life is hard. No matter what we do – life is hard. But with Christ – bad news is never the final answer Paul’s advice to us is to look toward eternity in all situations. Things will turn out okay for those who love God. The final victory belongs to Christ, in the meantime we are to keep up the fight. My final story is about Winston Churchhill. If it wasn’t for his will to fight, we would all be speaking german and not English. Later in his life,he was asked to speak at a graduation ceremony. The students waited in anticipation at what he would have to say. They were on the edge of their seats. He walks up to the podium. There is complete silence. He says nothing. Then he speaks and says never give up. And then there is more silence. He speaks again, never give up. And he walks off the stage, the crowd bursts out in applause. Paul says I have been hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, I have been perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed, Have faith in christ, and never Give up. Let us pray…. Children’s sermon… Let light shine out of darkness. (v. 6a) Object: a regular light bulb Good morning, boys and girls. I want to talk about the light bulb this morning. What can you tell me about this bulb? (Listen and repeat answers. Your conversation may have some of the following items.) It is used in a lamp or an overhead light. It shines. It sometimes burns out and needs to have a new one put in. It hurts your eyes if you stare at it. It gets hot. Is this the only kind of light bulb you have ever seen? (Let them respond.) No, there are lots of sizes. Can you name some for me? (Let them respond.) Some of them might be: lighthouse, strobe light at airport, flashlight, sewing machine light, light in refrigerator, light on vacuum cleaner, night light, desk lamp, Christmas tree lights or gas light in yard. What do you think makes these lights shine? (Let them respond.) That's right, they either have to be turned on or hooked to a battery or plugged into the electrical box in the wall. They have to have what we call a power source. Their power to shine comes from electricity or a battery. Our lesson today from Corinthians talks about a light shining in the darkness. Paul said that people are like lights. Do I look like I'm shining like a light? (Let them respond.) No, but if you could see inside me you would see a special kind of light. My heart shines! Not like this light bulb does when we connect it to electricity. But it shines with the love of God. I know God loves me, so I can share that love with others just like we share a flashlight in the dark. God is my power source just like a light needs electricity. Can I use this lightbulb in a flashlight? (Let them respond.) No, a flashlight uses a tiny light. Can I use a strobe light from the airport in my refrigerator? (Let them respond.) No, each bulb fits in a special spot. Each light has a special job to do. That's just how people are! We each have our own kind of job to do and we shine in a certain way. We come to church each week so God can give us the power to shine. Then we can be a light too to show God's love to others. Other illustrations….. Don’t Give Up Now! – 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Have you noticed that some people can’t seem to win, no matter what they do? It’s like one lady I heard about. True story. In 1957 Richie Ashburn, center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, swung and hit a foul ball that went into the stands and hit a spectator named Alice Roth. As she was being taken away on a stretcher, Ashburn slammed another foul ball . . . and hit her again. (1) Poor Alice. I guess it just wasn’t her day. I’ve had days like that, haven’t you? I would guess we all have. Pastor Alan Carr tells about an advertisement that once appeared in the newspapers in New York City. The ad was sponsored by the Hayden planetarium. It was an invitation for anyone who would like to make the first journey to another planet to submit an application. Within a matter of days, over 18,000 people applied. These applications were then given to a panel of psychologists, who upon reviewing them concluded that the vast majority of those who had applied wanted to start a new life on another planet because they were so discouraged by life on this one. (2) I wonder if anyone here today can relate to that? Are you so discouraged with life that you would like to go somewhere--even another planet--and make a new start? The loveable loser Charlie Brown in the Peanuts cartoons often felt that way. Once he told Linus, “Sometimes I feel like I want to run away from everything.” Overhearing the conversation, Snoopy reflects, “I remember having that feeling once when I was at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. I climbed over the fence . . . but I was still in the world!” That’s the problem with running away from your problems, isn’t it? You are still in the world. And your problems seem to always follow you. And, of course, the real problem is that you are still you. St. Paul had as many problems as anyone--and more than most people. He never had the comforts of family life. He spent years traveling under the most primitive conditions. He was persecuted, shipwrecked, beaten, thrown in prison and probably martyred. He made enormous sacrifices for the cause of Christ and yet he was constantly criticized by people both inside as well as outside of the early church. And yet he never seemed to get discouraged.. Training to Hear the Voice of God There is a positive message to be learned from these words of Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God is working in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesus were religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to be acting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in their midst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us in causes that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feel threatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world may come from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercise diligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happens to be spoken by unfamiliar lips. I once sat in on a class my wife was taking in music appreciation. The instructor was asking the class members to listen for the recurring theme as it was passed from one instrument to another and was modified. I quickly lost it, but others in the class, who had benefited from their training, were able to keep track of the theme and even state which instrument was playing it. It is a law of life that we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. What we must do is to train ourselves to listen for the voice of God in areas where we have not expected to hear it. We hear that voice only by attentive listening: by asking ourselves whether there is a valid message in those things which make us uncomfortable. Jesus spoke of an unforgivable sin, not because any act is unforgivable, but to warn us that our own hardness of heart can close the channels through which God's forgiveness flows and, as a consequence, leave us feeling alienated. Let us, therefore, affirm the good that is in others, so that our own hearts become generous and accepting of others, even as God is generous and accepting of us. David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company “A Winning Streak of One!” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Key verse(s) 16“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” It’s important to make sure that every day of our lives we practice gladness and condition ourselves to finding even the smallest bit of “glad” amongst the bad. That calls for a conditioning, a practice and a routine that assume a regimen of daily, consistent focus on keeping a happy heart. We spend so much time these days keeping our bodies fit; yet we often spend little or no time making sure that our hearts, although physically in tip-top shape, are kept in good spiritual shape. The Bible tells us to “not lose heart” when everything around us seems to “wasting away.” That’s not easy to do when you’re down to you last dollar or last medical hope. Keeping a stiff upper lip and persevering even when there just doesn’t seem to be any good reason to be happy is a great prescription to buy into but often a bitter pill to swallow. We rely so much on everything going right in order to keep us in a cheerful mood that it is a tall order to expect anyone to be happy, not lose heart, when most everything is going wrong. Keeping a winning attitude even when you are losing is a tall order, to be sure. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what God expects of each one of us. In the personal things of this life, God wants to remind us daily that we should always be prepared to Keeping a winning attitude even when you are losing is a tall order, to be sure. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what God expects of each one of us. In the personal things of this life, God wants to remind us daily that we should always be prepared to come face to face with defeat, loss and disappointment. We need to condition our hearts to persevere, to endure when our happiness is invaded from time to time by sorrows; to treat defeat as nothing more than a stepping stone to an eventual victory. Life’s happiness “winning streaks” are real highs but we need to remember that no one, not even the most devout Christian, always turns out to be the winner. There comes a time in every Christian’s life when there just is no getting around it; a time of defeat is at hand and we just have to be able to deal with it as best we can. That dealing happens best when we consider first our ability to endure in Christ, learn from the moment, and then be willing to step up the effort to get our lives back on track again. I remember reading about a girl’s volleyball team in a small, obscure midwest town that had assembled an unbelievable winning streak of 65 games. What was so incredible about the feat was this––the school had only 18 girls total and 16 of them were on the volleyball squad and a 17th was the scorekeeper. Although it was one of the smallest Class B high schools in the state, it won the Class B volleyball championship for three years running. Then, after 65 victories, they were eventually defeated. The local paper reported the defeat with a large headline one night. Then, two days later, another headline appeared in the small paper “Team Rebounds With a Winning Streak of One.” The key to not “losing heart” is making sure that we understand and believe that even in defeat we are renewed in Christ. Defeats come and go in this life and that will never change. Yet, for the Christian, defeat is one of those things that we strive to manage in the sweet expectation that even in defeat we are victorious in Christ. Christians are always on the rebound. When one foot is mired in defeat, the other is already moving on; looking for that “winning streak of one!” Archibald Rutledge tells of seeing a bird build its nest. Patiently and hard it worked all day. That night a storm came and the next morning the little bird's home lay on the ground in pathetic ruin. The bird was there, too, however. It was not mourning over the destruction. It was busily rebuilding. The first words of M. Scott Peck's helpful book, THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED are, "Life is hard." And it is. The people who have made the most significant contributions have been people who have confronted that truth head on. They not only coped, but they conquered. Are you familiar with Wedgewood pottery? It is some of the world's finest. Did you know that Josiah Wedgewood was forced to leave school when he was only nine years of age? At thirteen he was stricken with smallpox, which crippled him for the remainder of his life. Nothing came easy for Josiah. Nothing could defeat him either. Today his pottery is known world-wide for its consistent beauty. Do you love the music of Beethoven? When Beethoven's famous "Ode to Joy" was first performed it was instantly acclaimed. Beethoven could hear it only in his imagination, though. When he was first diagnosed as facing deafness, Beethoven reacted with angry outbursts. He wrote to a friend, "Your Beethoven is most unhappy and at strife with nature and the Creator." At first he withdrew from others and refused to tell them of his problem. He knew, though, he could never be happy if he did not compose music. And compose he did, even if he could not enjoy the sound of his own work. We are told that the greatest door-to-door Bible salesman of all time stuttered. He made up his mind that he was going to turn his disadvantage into advantage. After making the presentation with a lot of stuttering, he would close with these words: "Do you want to b-b-b-buy the Bible now or do you w-w-want me to r-r-read it to you?" (3) That young man turned what could have been a stumbling block into a stepping stone. . Final story – Winston Churchill. Never give up. Amen.