Imitating Christ

February 21, 2016 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Imitating Christ Second Sunday of Lent Year C In honor of black history month I want to start out our sermon time with a little time of testimony. I don’t want to take a long time, but a little time to ask who in your life do you model your life after? Who as a child did you say – I want to be just like him or her as a child. I have had a lot of mentors in my life, but the person I strive to be – is my grandmother. And the thing that I most admired about her was what I called her cool abiding. Now my mother, had a temper and would tell you what she thought of you at the drop of a hat. But my grandmother would just look at you. She never got mad, never corrected me, She would just get real quiet and not say anything. She would let me figure it out for myself. there are lessons that I am learning about today, that I look back and realize that my grandmother taught me in her silence. I can only imagine what she was thinking in her head – but she kept her cool and never said anything. The thing I want most in life is her patience to let others learn from their own lives and to correct themselves. What about you? Who in your life do you want to imitate? I could never be as bold as Paul in Philippians and tell you to imitate me. Some say that he is encouraging his congregation to compete with one another in imitating me. I would never try to be an example. Because I don’t know for sure what stands out the most – the human part of me or the divine part. They don’t teach cursive writing anymore, but remember when the teacher would write something on the board and tell you to write just like her. The first line was an imitation of what she wrote. The second line was an imitation of an imitation and the third line was an imitation of the second line. And by the end of the page you were imitating so many mistakes that you could not tell what the words were really were supposed to look like. I would not tell anyone to imitate me, because I would be afraid that you would be imitating my mistake, my humanness. But some have said that instead of encouraging people to compete in imitate him, to work together in imitating Christ. That is what it is all about – imitating Christ. All of us being able to say – when I am fully mature in spirit – I want to be just like Jesus. I want people to know who Jesus is – Just by looking at my life. February is black history month. But we are also going through another important time in the life of our country – electing a president. There is one very important duty that we have to fulfill as citizens of this country – and that is vote. Our ancestors that we admire so much also fought for our right to fulfill our duties as citizens – and that is to vote. Paul was a Roman citizen, so he took his civc duty very seriously. Even though he travelled all over the world – he never forgot his duties as a citizen. As a matter of fact, Paul believed that there were only 2 types of people in the world. And for Paul those two types were not democrat and republican. He believed that there were citizens of this world and there were citizens of heaven. Those who were imitators of Christ were citizens of this world. It is what separated the two that might surprise you. It was not so much those in the church and those outside of the church. And it was not those who believed in this world and those who looked forward to the next. Paul’s biggest message to citizens of heaven, is that we all have duel citizenship. We are a part of this world and we are a part of heaven. There are some who believe that you are to go to church and pray, but it is not necessary to vote. And there are some who believe that if you vote you don’t have to pray. But citizens of heaven have to do both – vote and pray. We are a part of both worlds. Paul says that there are two types of citizens. There are those who imitate Christ and there are enemies of the cross. Both types go to church. Both types claim to be Christians. It is just that one type of citizens is caught up in the world and the world circumstances. And one type can see beyond the world and can rise above and transcend circumstances. One has hope in what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton can do to save the world and the other has hope in what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton can do, and yet prays to Jesus to have to ultimate say in what will happen. What makes us imitators of Christ? Hope in the Resurrection. Hope in what Christ can do for the world. A willingness to participate in making the world a better place, but a recognition that when Christ comes he will make everything new. Those who are imitators of Christ know what it mean to wait upon the Lord. They trust that God will make any scene better. They are obedient to the Word of God. Paul says that enemies of the cross worship their bellies and their shame. They are slaves to their own thoughts and desires. Here is how St. Paul describes citizens of the world. FIRST OF ALL, HE SAYS THEIR DESTINY IS DESTRUCTION. Recent wire reports carried the story of a motorist who stole $9 worth of gasoline and died in a fiery wreck while making his getaway. The speeding car exploded when it hit a tree. Police said the unidentified motorist had filled up at a gas station without paying. Station manager Gary Adams, 35, drove after him, honking, waving his arms and yelling as the cars raced through a residential area. After the crash, the driver struggled to pull himself out a window of the burning car. The station manager tried to rescue him. "He tried to pull him out. It got too hot. He gave up," said Corporal John McLain. "He died a very painful death for $9 of gas," said Vince Sullivan, a witness who tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. How very, very sad. Rarely when we do wrong do we see what the end result can be. Life is different for those who are able to wait upon the Lord and do something different. Psalm 27 has a beautiful lesson for us – put all of our hope, trust, desire into the hands of God. The Hebrew word for waiting on the Lord is qavar. That is the difference between citizens of heaven and citizens of the world. Have you noticed that the world encourages us to have everything right now, no waiting. When we are hungry – we want to go to a restaurant and eat now. When young people are in a relationship they want everything to work out now. When we are in a bind, we want to answer right now. Paul says it, that enemies of the cross are slaves to their belly and their shame. And yet imitators of Christ are able to wait on the Lord because their hope is in the Lord. Psalm 27 says I have asked the Lord one thing, it is all that I seek. To live in the Lord’s house all of the days of my life. seeing the Lords beauty and constantly adoring his temple. In other words – I will be a citizen of heaven. The psalm ends by saying But I have faith that I will experience the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in the Lord! Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Hope in the Lord. It seems that when Paul was writing to the Philippians, he had this concept of qavar – waiting on the Lord in mind. Paul loved the Philippians congregation. And when they wrote to him, he wanted to do everything he could to encourage them. He encouraged them to live in Jesus Christ. His last words of this scripture is to stand firm in the Lord. As he continues to talk to the people that he calls his crown he gives them three great commands of life in the Lord – Stand firm in the Lord, agree in the Lord and to rejoice in the Lord always. There are two kinds of people in this world – those who will vote for Donald Trump and those who won’t. Just kidding, kind of. There are citizens of this world and citizens of heaven. There are those who imitate Christ and live in Jesus and there are enemies of the cross? Which one are you? Two kinds of people. Citizens of the world, citizens of heaven. You and I have a choice to make, don't we? D. L. Moody told a story about two men who, under the influence of liquor, found their way to the dock where their boat was tied. The two men wanted to return home, so they got in the boat and began to row. Though they rowed hard all night, they did not reach the other side of the bay. When the gray dawn of the morning broke, they were in exactly the same spot from which they started. They had neglected to loosen the mooring-line and raise the anchor! Mr. Moody used this story as an analogy of the way in which many people are thwarted in their striving for heaven because they are tied to this world. "Cut the cord! Cut the cord!" he would admonish. "Set yourself free from the clogging weight of earthly things, and you will be headed toward heaven." (5) Let us pray……. Children’s sermon…….. Props: A flower Lesson: Good morning. Before you show the flower you might ask if anyone knows what is means to worry. I have something today that is very pretty. Would you like to see it? What do you think it might be? (Responses) Well, let’s see. (Hold flower up for everyone to see) Do you like it? It’s pretty, isn’t it. This kind of flower is called (substitute name of flower). I want to talk a little bit about this flower. How do you suppose that it became a flower? What happened before this could be a flower? (A seed was planted) Yes, a seed was planted. Then what happened? Did the seed have to work real hard every day? Did the flower have to worry about getting enough to eat or drink? Did it become pretty because it took care of itself? (Responses) No! Of course not! Who took care of this flower and made it beautiful? (response) Yes, God did. Application: One time in the Bible Jesus reminded the people that God would take care of them even more than God takes care of the flowers. And so the Apostle Paul said this, “Do not worry about anything, but by prayer let your requests be known to God.” In other words, if God takes care of the flowers, and makes them beautiful without them really doing any work, then he will care for you even more. So there’s no need to worry about life, because God will hear us when we pray and will see to our needs. So the next time you see a flower, remember to say a prayer and know that God will take care of you. Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate God’s provision for those he loves. Let us Pray: Thank you God for taking care of us, and for letting us know that we do not need to worry about anything. In Jesus’ name. Amen. by Brett Blair Other illustrations……. How Can I Be Sure? In the Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov, a woman has come to talk with a holy man about her problems with faith. "What if I've been believing all my life, and when I come to die there is nothing but burdocks growing over my grave? . . . How can I prove it? How can I convince myself?" The holy man's answer is: "By the experience of active love. Insofar as you advance in active love, you will grow surer of the reality of God and of the immortality of the soul." Robert C. Shannon, editor, 1000 Windows: A Speaker’s Sourcebook of Illustrations, Standard Publishing Company, 1984. It is somewhat like the story of a very wealthy young man who had all that a person could want ” materially. However, he was born with a deformity which left him with a very ugly face. Because of this one flaw he would stay in his house and walk around in his garden, which was closed in by a high wall. However, in the evening he would leave his walled-in garden and walk down by the seashore. One night he heard beautiful music. He hid himself in the shadows, and there he saw a young girl playing a violin. Each night he would leave his house, walk down to the seashore and listen to the young lady play the beautiful music. However, because of his ugliness he would hide in the shadows, hoping not to be seen. Later, the young man told his servant, "Take this money and give it to the lady with the violin, in order that she may go to the best school of music in Europe and master the beautiful music." After years of study, she returned home and was taken to the house of the man who paid for her education. He was standing in his garden. The gate was opened for her and she came up behind him, threw her arms around his waist and cried, "I love you! I love you!" He said, "No, it's impossible for you to love me." All the more she cried, "I love you." The young man turned around and said, "How can you love me when you see much ugliness in my face?" She replied, "You see, sir, I'm blind." So it is with those of us who are citizens of heaven. We are not perfect people, but because of what Christ has done in our behalf, God, too, is blind to the ugliness of our sin. (4) Perhaps that is Christ's word to some of us this morning. Cut the cord! Get rid of any encumbrance that might slow your progress toward heaven.

Love is the Key

January 31, 2016 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Year C Love is the Key When I pastor in Aurora, there was this older couple who always sat in the first row, they had a fairly young daughter when I started, she was about 7th grade. I was there long enough for this young girl to graduate high school and go off to college. I remember her coming to me when I was about to leave, and she told me that I had come along way in my preaching. She said that I laughed at you so hard when you first came. It was July and you were preaching about being thankful. I could not understand why you would be preaching about being thankful, when it was not even thanksgiving. She meant that to make fun of me, but I thought the she just did not understand what it really meant to be a Christian. Because if you are a Christian, then everday is thanksgiving, even a day in July. Because there is not a day to goes by that we should not be thankful. Well, unfortunately I find myself in that predicament again. The scripture for today is the love chapter in 1 Corinthians, but Valentine’s Day is still two weeks away. Well the good news is that God’s love is so wide, and so deep that I could preach a sermon on love every Sunday, and still not say enough. Someone said – love is not God, but God is always love. That is a good starting point for my sermon this morning. What is God’s love, or what is the difference between our love and God’s love. Whenever I am doing premarital counseling, I always tell couples, do not pick this bible verse to be read at your wedding. Because 80 percent of the weddings that you will attend in your lifetime, this 1 Corinthians chapter 13 will be read. You will hear more wedding sermons preached on this chapter then you ever want to hear. And the funny thing is, that is not really Paul’s intention in writing this chapter. We have heard that there are three types of love – eros, philio, and agape. There is personal love, brotherly love and love for all of humankind. But Paul is actually talking about a 4th type of love – God’s love. And Paul is not writing these words to two people in a relationship, who are happy together. Paul is writing these words to a congregation in turmoil. He is telling people that don’t want to be bothered with one another, to remember God’s love. Human Love Falls Short I was preaching in the Midwest one day, when a woman came to me with a little girl at her side. This woman showed by the cast on her arm and some scars on the side of her face that she had been in the hospital. She said, "I was in the hospital because of a very serious fire. There were burns over two-thirds of my body. My husband walked into the hospital room, took one look at me, and said, 'You're not the woman I married.' " He left her to marry someone younger and more beautiful. Human love says, "As long as you stimulate me, as long as I can be proud of you, as long as you're beautiful, I can love you. If you change, my love for you changes." Erwin Lutzer, "Learning to Love," Preaching Today, Tape No. 99. The point is that human love always has its limitations, and God’s love is eternal, all encompassing, and able to withstand all situations. And sometimes in a congregation, we can reach our limits, we can get tired of people’s stuff. But we have to be reminded not of our feelings for one another, but our mission and determination. I would be willing to bet that if you look at the person that you are sitting next to right now. You have some type of relationship with them, some type of affinity. You sit next to that person every Sunday. So by now you have learned to like that person. It doesn’t take a lot of encouragement to get along with that person. But what about the person across the room? Or in the next pew? Paul is encouraging us to learn to love those who we don’t have a relationship with, those who we don’t understand, those we don’t want to be bothered with. But who are still members of your church. You love them because God loves them and not because you don’t. The Dalai Lama challenged us in a class – to think about our mother and all of the wonderful things that she has done for us. There is no other person in the world who has loved us more than our mother. Now hold onto all of the good feelings that you have about your mother. If you have a picture of your mother in your minds eye, all of that love automatically comes into focus. – but instead of thinking of your mother, think of someone that your are upset with, someone that you don’t like to be around. Someone that gives you the creeps every time that they open their mouth. – for me that person would be Donald Trump. But the Dalai Lama’s challenge was that instead of feeling to anger and resentment that you normally feel around that person, to intentionally replace it with the love that you have for your mother. To learn to give that person the same love that you would give to your mother. That is not an easy thing for us humans to do. And it certainly does not come natural. Paul’s point is that when we learn to do that effectively that we are expressing that 4th kind of love. It is not romantic, it is not brotherly, it is not even agape. It is God’s love. You should love everybody in the same way that you love your mother. Not because they deserve it. But because you love God and God loves them. Love is not God, but God is always love. In Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Rosalee Futch (Kate Bosworth) is a small-town, West Virginia girl who enters a contest and wins a date with movie star Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel). After their date in Hollywood, Rosalee flies back home to resume her life. Her date with Tad, however, causes him to reflect upon who he has become. He decides he needs to change who he is and flies to West Virginia, hoping Rosalee's small-town values will rub off on him. Meanwhile, Rosalee is unaware that her best friend and boss at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store, Pete, is secretly in love with her. As the romance between Rosalee and Tad blossoms, Pete suffers in silence. Angelica, the local bartender, eventually convinces him to talk about what is bothering him. Angelica says, "You know, as a bartender, you do learn to kind of recognize those customers who need to talk." "Angelica, I'm fine, but, uh, could I have like six more of these?" Pete says, indicating his drink. "No, Pete, you really need to talk." Pete replies, "Okay. Um, I think that our friend Rosie might be falling in love with Tad Hamilton." "Yeah…didn't have to be a bartender to see that one coming." Pete says, "Right, but the problem with that is that I'm in love with Rosie." "You know, I always thought that maybe you were. So how much do you love her? Is it love, is it big love, or is it great love?" "Like, what do you mean?" Angelica answers, "Well, love, you get over in two months. Big love…two years. Great love…great love changes your life." Elapsed time: The scene begins at 01:09:39 and lasts 1 minute and 30 seconds. Content: Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some drug references, and language. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton (DreamWorks SKG, 2004), written by Victor Levin, directed by Robert Luketic; submitted by Rod Reed, Fresno, California Whenever we are talking about human love, there is always some doubt in our mind as to whether what we feel is really love. We are always wondering if it love, big love or great love. One of the reasons that this scripture is preached at so many weddings is to remind us that we have to put God in the center of all of our relationships in order to have a great love. But Paul breaks it down for us even more. He tells us what love is and what love is not. He tells us what loves does and what it does not. Paul gives 15 different characteristics of love. Love is patient. And the word here means to be patient with the person, even when you are not patient with the circumstances. No matter how bad the situation is, still be patient and understanding with the persons involved. Love is kind – which means be sweet to all people, not just the ones you are sitting next to. Love knows no envy. There are two kinds of jealousy – one is where you want what others have, and the other is when you don’t want that person to have anything, and you will fight to take everything that person has away from them. Love overcomes both of these. Love never brags, it never speaks of its own importance, love is always graceful, love does not insist on its rights,it does not fly into a tamtrum, it does not remember the wrongs of others, it finds no pleasure in wrongdoing, it rejoices in the truth, it trust it endures, it always hopes. The only thing in life that will live up to all 15 of those things all of the time is God. And it is only the love of God that helps us to love our fellow church members, our fellow family members, our fellow people of the world all of the time in all circumstances. These are my friends that I got in Greece, faith, hope, charity. These are the greek girls, you can also get them in the Christian version where they are fully clothed. These figures are popular in Greece, because Paul was not the first person to put these three qualities together. Plato uses them to say that all of humanity is dependent on these three virtues to keep us together. Paul just takes the concept a few steps further. You can’t separate the three sisters, faith, hope and love. One theologian says that faith is the door that we have to walk through in order to understand God’s love. Hope is the reward of faith. Hope expects what hope believes and faith believes what hope expects. You cant have one without the other. In the middle of the two is always love. If you don’t know how to love, then it is a forgone conclusion that you wont have faith in anything or hope in things changing. Love is the key to life. In the end that is all that we really want – is to experience love. To know that we are accepted completely for who we are. To have God’s love in our lives. Love is not God, but God is always love. Faith, hope and love travel together, but the greatest of them is love. Paul is reminding us that is it good to have love in all areas of your life. You should love the person that you are married to, you should love the people in your household, you should love the people that you work with, that you should love the person that you are sitting next to. But if you can show love in all of those places, you should also love the people that you see at church, love the people that you sing in the choir with, love the people at church council, love the person that always disagrees with you, love the person who is struggling and asking questions, love the people who travel this spiritual journey with you. Sometimes the only thing that is holding us together as a church is God’s love. We are united by faith, by hope, but the greatest of these is love. God’s love, not ours. Love is not God, But God is love. Amen. The film 127 Hours tells the true story of then 27-year-old Aron Ralston. In 2003, while hiking in Blue John Canyon in Utah, Ralston was trapped by a chockstone that pinned his right arm to one wall of a crevice. After surviving for five days on 500 ml of water and exhausting all other options, he fashioned a homemade tourniquet and with a blunt pocket tool cut off his arm and stumbled out of the canyon to find help. At one level, this film sounds like just another gory action movie, but more deeply, this film explores what it means to love. At the beginning of the film, Aron barrels into the canyon, music blaring in his headphones. He arrives there after ignoring phone calls from his mom and sister and brushing aside his boss' queries about where he was headed. Ralston acts like a completely self-centered loner, incessantly snapping pictures of himself and flirting with girls he meets on the trail. Clearly, Ralston doesn't need or want anyone else in his life. But by the end of the film, he's motivated to fight for his life by a memory of his ex-girlfriend looking at him with a mixture of pain and pity and saying, "You're going to be so lonely, Aron." At the time, he wanted the loneliness, savoring freedom from entanglements. But remembering her love and thinking about the possibility of starting a family provides the motivation to pull out his pocket knife. He realizes he's made a terrible mistake by isolating himself, and he wants another chance to live differently. So he cuts off his arm and escapes to freedom. Near the end of the film, when Aron has made it out of the canyon and is on the trail with his severed arm, he sees some other hikers a little way ahead. Barely audible at first he says, "Help me." Then, bellowing hoarsely, he cries out, "Please Help Me!" The hikers hear him, and turn around puzzled. Then, seeing what's happened, they come running. It's when Aron asks for help that the film reaches its climax. "Please help me" is itself a form of "I love you." The two cries belong together. Ralston's vulnerability, his plea for rescue, is what leads him back into the arms of his family, back into relationships with people, back to love. Adapted from Wesley Hill, "Love Is a Cry for Help," C

Into the Wilderness

February 14, 2016 1st Sunday of Lent Luke 4:1-13 Into the Wilderness A preacher tells a story of the time the devil came to him and invited him to take a walk to the store. They walked past the church and into the convenience store. The devil took him up to the counter and bought him a lottery ticket. He encouraged him to hold on to it. Just in case, if he won, he would never have to work a day in his life. Not wanting to offend the devil, the preacher took the ticket and put it in his pocket, fully planning to tear it up once the devil left him. Then the devil took him to all of the great pulpits of Chicago, he took him to Salem, with all of those people in the congregation depending on the pastor, he took him to Trinity UCC, he took him to St Sabina, he even took him to Chicago Temple to look on Rev Myron McCoy – and the devil whispered in his ear- all this can be yours – if you just follow me. Now notice I said this preacher was a man – so I am not talking about myself being put in this position. The devil continued chiding him, telling him that his church could be even bigger than this, that he could do even more than this – the preacher looked at all that those churches were doing, and still he said no – I will stay put where I am in my little church in the hood. But them the devil took him to Sears Tower- Willis Tower. They took the elevator to the top floor – even higher that the observation booth – and he let him look through a telescope. There was a crowd of people on the sidewalk below. And then he looked around and saw that all of the television crews were there, channel 7, channel 5, channel 2. The devil whispered in his ear again, go ahead and jump – You can make it. It has never been done before, but God will protect you. And just think when you succeed – you will make it into the Guiness book of world records – you will be a hero. Just then he heard the crowd below encourage him to go ahead and jump. That’s when the preacher fainted – he was afraid of heights. When he came to – the devil was gone – but he had a funny feeling that this was not the last time that he would see the devil, as a matter of fact, he checked his pocket – and he still had that lottery ticket. This is a modern day telling of our gospel passage. We can find this story in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So if the preacher is following the lectionary, then we hear this story every first Sunday of lent. And you all might get tired of hearing this story – but I have to say that I never get tired of telling it. Even as I was preparing for this sermon this week – because this story is so rich – and there is just so much in this story for us to think about as we enter into the wilderness of the Lenten season. And the exciting thing this year is that nobody can tell this story like Luke Our understanding about who Jesus is, and why we need a messiah come from Luke’s telling of Jesus story. And this is why this story is so important for us to hear. We know Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we know that Jesus is the son of God, who came to life in human form to show us how to truly live, we know what a messiah is and what a messaiah does, we all know that we are sinners who need to be saved. All of that comes from Luke’s telling of this story. This story is important because Jesus realized that his people had been sinning for thousands of years. God had led them for thousands of years, and they were still sinners. In need of a messiah. Jesus realized that something had to change. There had to be a new way to salvation, a new hope for people. And if he was the son of God and if he was the messiah then he had to be the one to change things and to make a difference. That was more than enough to drive him into the wilderness to think. I think I have told this story before, but I love Asian movies, because there is always a lesson in them. I remember watching a movie about an old budisht monk – who became a great master. As he began his journey – he went into the wilderness to meditate. And his task was to be a spiritual leader for lay people who needed a retreat from life. And they would come in streams to learn their lesson, and then go on with their lives. Well one layperson went came to the wilderness thinking he wanted to give up his life and become a monk- but in his time away realized that he loved his wife and kids, and his job and his life and decided to go back to the city, but a changed man. When his wife came to pick him up and take him home, the man lashed out at the monk and asked him why he had chosen to be a monk. Who does this, why would you give up your life and live in the woods? And the monk calmy replied – because I know that there are always fools like you who need to get away and your run to the wilderness in order to get a perspective on life. And when you come out here in the middle of nowhere – there has to be somebody here to guide you so that you have sense enough to get back home. And that somebody is me. For me, that was one of the altime greatest story lines. And I tell that story now- because whenever we are are all alone and can quiet all of the noise in our lives – there is still a voice that speaks. I remember someone came to me once and said that she thought that she was called to be a minister – because a voice spoke to her. But she told me that she was not for sure if the voice was the devil or God. and that she could not tell the difference between the two. So she asked how could she tell the difference. I told her it depends on who she is used to listening to. If she is used to listening to God- then she will know its God speaking to her right away. And if she is used to listening to the devil- then the devil will continue to talk to her. In Luke’s story – it is God’s voice saying this is my beloved son that drives Jesus into the wilderness in the first place. But when he gets there it is the devil who speaks to him. In verse 3 the devil sows seeds of doubt, in verse6 and 7 he outright lies, and in verse 23 he even uses scripture by reminding Jesus of psalm 91 that God will protect him. The devil uses that same tactic on Eve in the book of Genesis. When he takes what she already knows and puts a spin on it causes her to doubt causes her to question what she already knows to be right. The devil’s tactics do not change – he does the same thing all of the time. The bible says that God speaks to us through the prophets, and that if we want to hear God’s voice and know God’s will – then we have to know what is in the bible. God’s word will never change. The meaning of God’s word will never change. When God speaks to you – you can find it somewhere in the bible. When the devil speaks to you, he is going to take the word of God and twist it and cast doubt upon it. That is what is going on in this story. The devil is tempting Jesus with scripture, and each time Jesus responds with another scripture. That is why we hear psalm 91 and dueteronomy this morning. The devil misuses psalm 91 and says that God will protect you no matter what. And Jesus responds with the words of deauteronomy and says but the word of God says…. I think it is interesting however that in our culture we are taught that temptation is wrong, and that the devil is wrong for leading us into temptation. We are taught that the devil is bad, and wrong and even evil. And that is not really what the bible says. We get a little of that in the new testament, but that is not in the old testament. Satan is that one who asks – those really strange questions. The problem is not in the question, the problem is in how you answer the question. We think that temptation is really bad. When in reality, we all know right from wrong. And most of us don’t wake up in the morning to do wrong. People don’t carry guns for the sake of killing people, people don’t sell drugs because they want them to be destroyed. We have complete control over the wrong in our lives. It is that little bit of right that we don’t have control over that leads us into sin. It is that justification for protecting ourselves that leads someone to pull the trigger, it is the desperation in feeding our family that leads someone to give someone else drugs. For eve, it was that what if God is hiding something that led her to sin. And for Jesus – if he is the son of God and if God had just outwardly claimed him – then just maybe God would also deliver him if he jumped from a high tower. But in this story Jesus teaches us that it is not the devil, and it is not even the temptation that leads us to sin – it is our response. Each time the devil comes at him with a twisted version of the truth – Jesus responds with the word of God. and the determination to stick with the word of God. the good news in this story is that when jesus was in the wilderness – the devil spoke to him. But the scripture says that the holy Spirit never left him. Luke says that the spirit led him into the wilderness. But there is not mention that that spirit ever left. Now Mathew and Mark both say that the angels had to come and minister to Jesus after this temptation. But if you read the book of Luke – he stresses that that spirit is always upon Jesus. The spirit was there when he was born, the spirit was there when he was baptized, the spirit was there in the wilderness, the spirit was there during his trial, the spirit was there at the cross. It was that spirit that led him to resist temptation. The good news for us is that there is nothing wrong with the devil speaking to us. It is nothing wrong with the devil telling us the wrong thing. If we are a child of God and we have claimed Jesus Christ – then the spirit is with us at all times. We can claim the promises of Psalm 91 – that God will protect you in all circumstances. Even in the presence of the devil. Even in the presence of temptation. And if I know the bible, and I know that I am a child of God – then I have the power to resist doing the wrong thing. I love this story – because it is so rich I could preach on it forever. The scripture says that the devil left him until an opportune time. What are that opportune times? It is a common understanding in healing circles that we should never let ourselves get to the point of halt. Never get to hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Because those are the times when we are most likely to pay attention to the devil’s foolishness. But the lesson that jesus was trying to teach us – and everything jesus does is a lesson for us. The lesson is that salvation is not a means to an end, it is a commitment to God. the biggest temptation that the church and all of face is the temptation to survive. To make it by any means necessary. Jesus could have turned stones into bread and ate them, jesus could have become ruler of the world – if jesus was in charge how would that be a bad thing. Jesus could have jumped and God would have caught him. But what would that have taught you about salvation? And how would that help you in your life today? God did not put you here to survive. God did not intend for you to just get by. There is more for you! God intended you to live your life to the fullest. To be a child of God. Jesus came out of the wilderness a better man, with a clearer understanding of what it meant to be the Son of God. If the devil had not tempted him, he would never had the opportunity to realize what it meant to be saved. He would never have been able to claim salvation in his own heart. We read this story every time it is time for us to go into the wilderness. So that we will have the strength to stand with Jesus on the other side. Let us pray…. Children’s Sermon: Exegetical Aim: The body is more than food. Props: A loaf of bread (Wonder Bread if your region of the country sells it). Lesson: [Hold the loaf of bread before them.] What do I have in my hands? (response) Can you tell me some of the things we make with bread? (response) That's right. What's your favorite thing you make with bread? (response) Peanut butter and jelly sandwich? That's my favorite too. What do we need in order to live? (bread) That's right, and why is bread important? (response)Bread is food, and we need food for energy. What else do we need in order to live? (response)Possible answers are water, clothes, etc. Try to draw these ideas out of them, and talk to them about why these are important. If one of the children guesses early where you are headed, then use that thought for the following discussion. As important as food and water and clothes and houses are, we need more than this to live. Can someone tell me what else we need besides food, water, clothes, and a home? (response) It will be great if you get something spiritually related but, if not, then suggest something. Do we need our parent's love in order to live? (response) What about the lessons they teach us? (response) What kind of lessons do they teach you? (response) Do your parents teach you what an A and a B and a C look like? (response) What else do they teach you? (response) Do they tell you not to hit and not to tell any fibs? (response) You know we need to be taught how to behave. Application: So, you see, we don't live by bread alone hold up the bread or by water alone. We also need to be taught how to live. We need to be taught to be kind and to tell the truth. Your moms and dads know this because God told them not to live by bread alone. They need to listen to God in order to live. It is God who tells us not to lie and to be kind to one another. You see, it takes a lot more than just bread to live. We need to listen to our parents, and we need to listen to God. Let's Pray: Lord, give us your Word. We know that we cannot live simply by eating bread and food. We must have your Word to live. Amen.

Dream in Gold

February 7, 2016 Transfiguration Sunday Luke 9:28-46 Has anyone ever said to you- you look like someone that I know? I am sure that they have lots of times. But has anyone ever said that you remind me of someone that I know. And then said that that person is Jesus? That you look a lot like Jesus to them? Well if not, then it is time for us to do something about that. Lent is here. And that is what lent is all about – looking a lot like Jesus. Well you say – no one knows what Jesus looks like, so how can I style my hair, and put on my make up to look like Jesus. It is winter time so we cant wear tunics and sandals to church. Looking like Jesus is not about our physical appearance, it is about the condition of our heart. It is about how we feel. So it is not about combing our hair as much as it is about checking our attitude and our ability to live. Jesus constantly tells us that when you have seen him, then you have seen the face of God. If God is a spirit, then how can he have a physical appearance. Looking like God is more about your actions, your words. Lent is our time to check our actions and our words. This year since our stewardship time is during lent, we are going to highlight three themes – Prayer, service, fasting and penitence. And our first theme is prayer. Transfiguration Sunday is all about prayer. Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray. It is in his prayer that he comes in contact with God and magical things happen. He starts to glow, the spirits of those who were before him appear, and God even speaks. He brings his disciples up with him, so that they can know what God looks like. And yet they are at a loss at what is going on and even what to do about it. And yet Jesus prayer is changing things and making a difference. Today, we don’t have an image of what Jesus really looks like. We see all different faces of Jesus. But we do know what Jesus is doing at this moment. Revelations says that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. And what is he doing?.......He is interceding. He is praying for you and me. So the best way for us to look like Jesus is to pray. Pray for ourselves, but to also intercede on behalf of others. If God comes to us in prayer, then that is when we are changed and transformed is when we pray. Our Bible story today is about the power of God. Jesus and a few of His disciples went up on a mountaintop to pray. The disciples fell asleep, but Jesus just kept on praying. And while Jesus was praying, God sent His power down on Jesus. A light filled Jesus, and His clothes turned pure white. The disciples woke up to see Jesus all lit up and filled with the power of God. And then they heard God's voice saying, "This is my son, who I love very much. Listen to Him." It was only when Jesus was praying that God filled Him with all that power. Just as a match has to come into contact with the matchbox in order to catch fire, Jesus had to come into contact with God, His Father, in order to be filled with more power. Prayer is powerful. We have on Gold and white to show the world that the power of the spirit is upon us. and where God is – things are destined for change. To focus on our scripture for today – Luke continually focuses on the power of prayer all throughout his book. And in his understanding of life, when you need to talk to God, and be close to God. What do you do? You go to the mountain top. When Moses needed to give a word to his people – he went to the mountain top. In Martin Luther King’s most powerful speech to the world – he says – I have been to the mountain top. In our lives, we don’t have to climb a mountain to get to god, but sometimes we do have to get away, a mountain is a metaphor. we have to look at life in a new perspective, we have to separate ourselves from the life that we live so that we can come back with a new perspective. I just got back from Nashville in a day trip. But it reminded me how important it was just to leave, if only for a day. Lent, we get 40 days to step away from live as usual – and to leave room for God to speak to us. Jesus takes his disciples up to the mountain. But my favorite part of the story is when they come down. Luke tells us what they talk about when they descend. Jesus tells them to tell no one what they saw. But as they were coming into the valley. The valley is where we live most of our lives. There are times when you get away, but you got to come back. And as you notice, that when we come back, there is always something waiting for us when we come. Something that we have to do. Someproblem to take care of. There is a young boy – who needs to be healed. Jesus does heal him- but no thanks to the disciples. Jesus tells them not to tell the event, but he does not tell them to forget the event. But that is what they do. How many times in our life have we went to a worskshop or training and been inspired to make a difference. But when we get back into our lives, we can do nothing. We get back into our normal routine with no change. The lesson for us to day – is to remember that when we pray – we are asking for change in our lives. That when are touched and inspired by God – that needs to translate into action! Spiritual inspiration should always lead to spiritual power. Power to make a difference. Begin this lent in prayer What parts of your life do you need to bring to God? Where do you need to see a miracle? Where do you need to see a change? When you pray – feel the closeness to God? Know that the spirit is listening. But after prayer – look for evidence of God’s presence. Have you seen the commercial for the Oscars – which says that sometimes we dream in gold. We yearn for the impossible and make it possible with God. We ask for a change – and we become empowered to be the change we are asking for. Jesus prayed, and it changed and transfigured him, but all of history and all of the world. Lent is our mountain top – the rest of the year is the valley. That valley is the place that needs to be changed. It is the place to remember our power – God. And we have the power to unleash God to the rest of the world. Studies show that when you tell someone that they are beautiful their whole demeanor changes. Their shoulders square, their posture changes, they face lights up and they smile. They are eaiser to deal with and to talk to. If no one has ever told you that you look like Jesus, maybe you should start to tell others. Find the good in the and tell them about it. Tell them that they have the face, the arms, the feet of Jesus, and that they are spreading love all over the world. See what difference it makes. I will leave you with the blessing from numbers. May God bless you and keep you; May God’s face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; May God’s face radiate with joy because of you. And give you peace. Amen. Children’s sermon Object: a box of matches Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever seen your mommy or daddy light a match? Now, matches can be dangerous; they are not something to play with. But, it is pretty neat to see someone light a match. Did you know that matches were invented by accident? There was a man named John Walker who was trying make a chemical that could be used in guns. He wanted something that would explode and make a loud bang. Well, John Walker was stirring a great big vat of chemicals with a wooden stick, then he scraped the stick on the ground to get the chemicals off. When he scraped the stick on the floor, the stick caught fire! And this is how John Walker got the idea to invent matches. Pretty neat, huh? Today, matches are made so that they will only light up if they are scraped across a surface, like the side of this box. The match can't catch fire by itself. Only when it is scraped against the rough side of the box will it light up and catch fire. All the chemicals, all the power is in the match, but it can't be seen until the match comes in contact with the box. Then, its power is seen. Other illustrations: As Jesus once prayed for Peter, now he prays for us… In fact, the New Testament's only glimpse of what Jesus is doing right now depicts him at the right hand of God 'interceding for us.' In three years of active ministry, Jesus changed the moral landscape of the planet. For nearly two thousand years since, he has been using another tactic: prayer. Let's say I have a neighbor, and I want to "preach Christ" to him using my deeds. I greet him over the garden fence. I invite him and his wife round for dinner, where I show them the best hospitality of which I am capable; I explain that I am a Christian, but make no attempt to shove the gospel down his throat. Noticing that his garden could use a bit of work, I offer him my lawnmower, which he accepts, and eventually, through repeated usage, breaks. I do not complain, or ask him to replace it; I replace it myself, and continue to allow him to use it whenever he sees fit. I help whenever I can. In all things, I seek to display unconditional kindness towards him, and to love him as I love myself. Eventually, he dies. Now what have my actions preached to him? They have preached that Christians are people who do good things for their neighbor. They have preached that niceness, and kindness, and morally upright behavior are what make you a Christian. In short, they have preached justification by works. Your works have indeed "preached" something. But it isn't the gospel