God's Economy - Adundance, scarcity, frugality

July 27, 2018 Year B John 6:1-21 Abundance, Scarcity, Frugality: The Economy of God Children’s Time Object: a bucket, a small pile of rocks, a small pile of candy Good morning, boys and girls. I need your help this morning. I brought this nice, new bucket with me, and I need to fill it up with something. That's what a bucket is for, to be filled with stuff. Now, I have to choose what I want to put into the bucket. For instance, I've got this pile of rocks here. I could put them into the bucket. They would fit in there just fine. They're big and dirty and not too pretty, but I could put them in the bucket. Or I could put some of this candy in the bucket. Do you like candy? I do too. This candy would fill up the bucket nicely. Which would you rather have a bucket full of rocks, or a bucket full of candy? I'd say a bucket full of candy. Did you know that our minds can be like an empty bucket? That's right, we can choose what to put into our minds. Some people fill their minds with fear and worry and anger. They are scared or unhappy all the time because they've filled their mind with scared and unhappy thoughts. But we don't have to do that. We can choose to fill our minds with good thoughts, like love, and joy, and peace, and having faith in God. Just as we can choose to fill our bucket with rocks or with candy, we can choose whether to fill our minds with bad thoughts or good thoughts. Let's ask Jesus to fill up our minds with love and faith in Him. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan John 6:1-21 Common English Bible (CEB) Feeding of the five thousand 6 After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea).2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. 4 It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival. 5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary[a] worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain. Jesus walks on water 16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 18 The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. 20 He said to them, “I Am.[b] Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading. Footnotes: a. John 6:7 Or two hundred denaria b. John 6:20 Or It is I. Sermon Opener - Partners in the Impossible - John 6:1-21 "Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?" (v. 5b) A minister was making a home visit to one of the younger families in his parish. A five-year-old boy answered the front door and told the minister his mother would be there shortly. To make some conversation, the minister asked the little guy what he would like to be when he grows up. The boy immediately answered, "I’d like to be possible." "What do you mean by that?" the puzzled minister asked. "Well, you see," the boy replied, "just about every day my mom tells me I’m impossible!" That is my message for today – to dwell in possibility. And to remember that all things are possible with Jesus Christ. We have all heard of the feeding of the 5000 story. This is one of the most popular stories in the bible. This is Jesus’ biggest miracle. This is the only miracle that is talked about in all 4 gospels in the bible. In every miracle story – Jesus is able to accomplish something that the people thought was impossible. Jesus is a prophet that was able to do things no on ever did before him. He is able to meet a need of the people in a way that cannot be explained. As a matter of fact, many people say that John is the gospel that crosses a line in talking about Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and Mark all talk about the miracles of Jesus. But John is the only one who will try and convince you that Jesus, the Christ , is the spirit of God in the flesh. The book of John is a series of Six I Am statements. When people ask Jesus who he is – he responds with six statements of who He is – all of these statements are attributes of God. The I am statement for John 6 is – I am the bread of life. That is a deep statement. As a matter of fact John chapter 6 is the complete story of who God is. There is so much to preach about here. But today – we are going to talk about what is possible when God is present. The lectionary will deal with John 6 for the next five weeks. I won’t be dealing with John 6 all of the time. I will be going back and forth between the lessons of John – and the bread of life and Ephesians – which will be talking about what it means to be the community that believes in God. In this week’s reading, Jesus does not even get to explaining the statements I am the bread of life. As a matter of fact, Jesus just says I am - He wants to prove what is possible when we trust in God. Jesus provides for the needs of the people, but he takes them further into understanding who God and is and what God is capable of . This scripture has three miracles of Jesus – the feeding of the 5000, Jesus walking on water, and Peter believing that Jesus is the messiah. I am only going to talk about the first miracle – the feeding of the 5000. This is the perfect example of God will provide and God’s abundance. Jesus takes 5 loaves of bread and five fish and he feeds 5000 people. It shows that in God’s economy there is always enough. It shows what Jesus means when he says I am the bread of life. All of these people have come to hear about God from Jesus. Jesus knows that they are hungry and in need. So as the bread of life, he literally gives them bread. But each time Jesus provides for a immediate need of people, he takes people even further. Jesus says that man cannot live on bread alone – but on the word of God. He feeds them, but he also speaks more about the bread of life. We know Jesus part in this story very well, but the most important lesson for us actually comes from the disciples response to Jesus. When Jesus wants to feed the people, he instructs the disciples to go and get food. Jesus first goes to Philip and asks how are we going to pay for all of this food to feed all of these people. Philip is a realist, and he knows that they could never buy enough food to feed all of these people. Philip represents most of us when we are doing the work of the church – we would love to help everyone – but we just don’t have the money. But another disciple gives another response. Instead of saying no- Andrew is from the neighborhood, he knows the people, instead of doing nothing, he looks for a solution – and he find a little boy who has something. One of these disciples believes in what is impossible, and another believes in what is possible. There is a saying that a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. And a optimist is one who sees opportunity in difficulty. Which one are you? How many times have the church wanted to do something, and there is always that person like Philip – who says we don’t have the money to do that. Now I am not saying that there is something wrong with those people who say that we cant afford to do everything. Those who say that the church does not have enough money. We don’t . That is not the point of this story. As I was preparing the this sermon – someone said that there are plenty of times in life when a Christian was desparately in need, and there was no miracle, no abundance, and that person died of starvation. That is not the point of this story. Jesus does not promise us that we will be rescued from every tough spot, or that miracles will save us. But what Jesus is trying to teach us, as he taught the disciples – that as people of faith – we should dwell in possibility. When we are faced with the impossible – to look for the possible. To use what we have, and depend on God for the increase. Instead of being stopped by the impossible, Andrew went and looked for what he had. The abundance of God always starts with what we have no matter how small it is. Small Saves – John 6:1-21 by Leonard Sweet A box came in the mail the other day. It was a surprise free gift from the local power company. Or I should say two free gifts. The power company sent every one of their customers a new “low flow” showerhead, designed to cut down on water usage, but still feel like a real shower. The second free gift was four of those new curly-q fluorescent light bulbs, the kind that last longer and use less electricity while putting out the same amount of light. This small act cost the power company a few thousand dollars. But according to their figuring, in the long run if everyone replaced their showerhead and a few light bulbs, the savings would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. It was a small act, but it was a start to a big savings. Small is big. From architectural trends like “The Not So Big House,” to backyard food sources (“Fresh Food from Small Spaces”), to down-size is the new up-grade. In fact, down-sizing has become a big business. Not too long ago only a few hippie-holdout co-op markets offered a small selection of scruffy-looking “organic” fare for the few “fresh-niks” among us. Now just about every big super-market offers about as much space to certified “organic” produce as they do for the other options. Did you know you can buy all sorts of other “organic” products — ketchup, frozen pizza, macaroni and cheese mixes? What started out looking like a small and stunted sideline has become a major force in the food industry. God has an MO: Modus Operandi. God’s MO is to start small. God loves starting small, and then from small beginnings grow something amazing. From cosmic dust to a Big Bang? The next time you consider taking a sip from a fresh, cold mountain stream, remember how much the divine delights in single-celled organisms. There are millions of them floating in one glass of water. Consider how there are more insects than any other class of critters and more beetles than any other kind of insect, each fitting neatly into its particular ecological niche. Jesus carried on the family tradition. Jesus had a fascination with all things small and humble. Mustard seeds. Sparrows. Grains of wheat. Yeast. Pennies. Sprouting seeds. Hebrews. Children. And in today’s text from John, the remnants of a little boy’s lunch box… Was enough to feed 5000 people. What seems to be impossible in your life these days, my friend? Some task you are facing in your personal life? Or maybe as you look out on our weary world and society today, you are prompted to ask, "Who is going to accomplish all the things that seem so impossible in our world today?" In such times Jesus Christ is asking you and me to join with him in being partners in the impossible. To his friend and follower, Philip, Jesus says, "Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?" An impossible task, indeed! But as we look at this question of Jesus in the Bible this morning, let’s try and take hold of the encouraging truth that emerges, and it is this: Christ never asks us to do the impossible unless he himself provides the power and resources to get the job done. So today let us confidently answer his call, for he is our divine partner in doing the impossible. Closer to home, in our everyday lives the lesson for us to remember is that the only cure for hopelessness is to have hope. The only way to deal with the impossible, is to look for what is possible. The only way to overcome the scarcity of life, is to intentionally look for the abundance of God. And to have faith in the fact that God always provides. If God gives us a mission, God will provide the resources for us to complete that mission. God wants us to have enough. People come from miles around to come to church, to see if this story is really true. Can Jesus really provide. And if so, them how did he do it? What was the miracle in this story. Did he use some magical powers to multiply the five loaves into 5000? Or was this a precurser to the communion meal, where everyone got a small bite, but were filled spiritually, or was the miracle that once every saw that a little boy was willing to share his meal with others, they followed suit and gave until there was enough food to feed everyone. What is the real miracle of God’s abundance? The real miracle is our faith and how we live it out. What Are We To Do About This? The telephone rings, you answer, it’s someone from the church. After a bit of polite chit-chat, the caller gets to the point: "The reason I’m calling," she confesses, "is that we would really like it if you would consider teaching Sunday School next year, or serving as a Presbyterian Women’s Ministry leader, singing in the choir, chairing a particular committee, whatever." And you think: "Dear God, they must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel," or "I already have so much to do," and all of the good, logical reasons for not saying "yes" come immediately to mind. Someone asks you to lunch. You know each other, but then again, you really don’t. He says, "I’ll be honest with you. I’m about as lonely as I have ever been in my life. I need a friend, someone to talk with, and I was hoping you would be that person for me." And you think, "Oh, Lord, I’m not up to this." A friend gives every evidence of addiction; a neighbor’s child bears the marks of abuse. . . It would be easier, and probably smarter for you personally, just to stay out of it all, to mind your own business. You may feel sorry for the person trying to recruit volunteers in the life of the church; sorry for the person who needs a friend; sorry for the friend with the addiction, for the child with the bruises and burns, but when you add it all up all you have to offer are five little loaves of bread and two scrawny fish. There is nothing that you can do. The task is simply beyond the scope of your ability, the limits of your time and energy, and so what you do is nothing. Jesus, though, keeps asking "what are we do to about this?" Why can’t he leave well enough alone? Are you Philip or Andrew? Do you rely on what is impossible, or what is possible? Do you respond from a place of scarcity or abundance? There is so much wonderful stuff in this story – because after the 5000 were fed, the story says that there were 12 baskets of leftovers collected. In God’s economy, nothing goes to waste. Each disciples was given a basket of food to take home and feed his family. God is truly amazing! Let us pray….. Additional illustrations…. Be careful when you touch bread. Let it not be uncared for, unwanted. So often bread is taken for granted. There is so much beauty in bread; beauty of the sun and soil, beauty of patient toil. Winds and rrain have caressed it. Chrit often blessed it. Be gentle when you touch bread. Need Happens 24/7 A few years ago in the city of Chicago, a crowd of community residents did something unusual. They picketed the churches in their community to do something other than have church. They picketed them to be church. They seemed to say the Christ you claim and proclaim each Sunday seems more than enough in the sanctuary, but never seems to get out in our neighbor-hoods. Why are you open only on Sunday? Need happens 24/7. There are six other days in the week, but you're closed. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr., More Than Enough Countering the Myth of Limited Resources A few years ago I served as pastor of Lavington Church in Nairobi. One day three young men came to my office. Although they were cheerful, they looked tired and wore out. Their tennis shoes were dusty and their clothes needed a wash. The first thing they asked when they came into my office was whether they could sing a verse of "Amazing Grace" in their language. They sang acapella in parts. It was so beautiful. Sounded like angel music, the kind of singing that tugs at the soul and brings tears to your eyes out of the blue. And then they told me their story. They were university students from Rwanda, 23-year olds. Two of them had been medical students. When war broke out in their country, they had escaped with only the clothes on their back and the song in their heart. They had walked for weeks without a change of clothes with no place to sleep. They had often gone hungry, they said, and they had no clue where any of their family members and friends were. They said they had learned to be grateful for their life each day and they had begun singing "Amazing Grace" as a prayer as they walked. They had seen so much violence and death and cruelty that they could not find words to pray so instead they sang "Amazing Grace" as they walked and they said, "God knew and that was enough." On that afternoon in my office, these three young men had come to church asking for assistance. They said they had found a room to rent for eight U.S. dollars a month. They said they did not need beds; they would gladly sleep on the floor. They were asking our congregation to help them with a month's rent. Eight dollars and some money for food, a total of $12 a month. I asked the three students to come back in a few days so I could meet with the church leaders, and when I met my church leaders, they all agreed it was a great ministry. But someone talked about the budget. Someone said $8 was not a lot, but if you multiplied by 12 months, the next thing you know, it would be impossible. And someone else suggested a very Andrew-like idea. "Let's have a special project," they said. "Let's have a special offering. Let's tell the congregation about the situation, have these young men sing one Sunday morning, and whoever in the congregation is willing to help, could donate outside the usual tithing and offertory." The church leaders talked late into the night. Some were even concerned that so many refugees were in the city that the word would spread our church was involved in paying rent and buying groceries and we would be swamped with needs. Some wanted to keep church and revivals only a spiritual level. No picnics, no food, no dinner. As I listened to my church leaders, I learned so much about the myth of limited resources. We often think there's just enough for some of us. Some have to go without. We're worried we'll run out, but guess what? God's world has enough for all of us. Someone has put it well, saying, "There is enough for all our needs, but there is not enough for all our greed." Grace Imathiu, A Picnic on the Mountainside Stone Soup I love the story of a Christian missionary hiking the high Andean trails to a remote village in Peru. He found a rock along the road, a curious geode, and put it in his backpack as a souvenir. That evening he strode into the village to a very unfriendly welcome. No one offered him a bed. No one asked him to sit by their fire. He learned that a famine had plagued the Indians for over a month. And the people were starving. Each was simply afraid to share amidst so much deprivation. Praying to Jesus how to help them, he got an idea. Calling the Indians around a campfire he preached God's loving care in Christ. Then he said, "I'm going to feed you by making some stone soup. Yummm! It's tasty! I grew up on it! And you'll like it just fine!" Then he opened his backpack and produced the rock he'd found that morning. The Indians scoffed, "Stone soup! Why that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" "Trust me," the missionary assured them. "See! I've brought the stone. But I'm going to need a pot to put it in." An Indian woman quickly volunteered her pot. "And I'll need about two large buckets of water to boil the stone in." A man, shaking his head, brought the water. So, in went the stone, in went the water, and over the fire the pot was suspended. Curious now, the villagers began to gather around the pot, peering into its contents. The missionary began to stir the pot and drool. "You know, stone soup sure is good with carrots!" To which an Indian said, "I've got six carrots!" He quickly fetched them and they were cut up into the pot. Then the missionary smelled deeply of the bubbly broth and sighed, "Some potatoes sure would add to the flavor." From pockets and other hiding places came dozens of spuds. They were quickly added to the soup. Soon people were bringing onions, celery, and bits of meat to top off the pot of stone soup. And within the hour a community was formed around that stew pot. All ate. And all were filled and they heard the story of Jesus Christ. Believe John 6:1-14 as a miracle of Jesus in multiplying the bread and fish, if you will, or believe Jesus' miracle in the selfish human heart causing the multitudes to share. But above all, remember this: The next time you see a need or feel inadequate, don't look at the hillside, look in the basket. Don't count the difficulties presented. Look at the resources possessed. Don't measure your problems. Measure God's power! Stephen M. Crotts, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company ____________________________ We Can't Afford It William Easum is a church leader who's dedicated his life work to helping churches thrive and engage in real mission. He thinks we ought to deal with things that get in the way of fullness of God and mission, he wrote a book called "Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers". The title says a lot! He begins the book's first chapter with this statement, "Established churches worship at the feet of the sacred cow of CONTROL." Personally, one of the most often used controlling statements I've heard over the years in any church I've served is, "We can't afford it." That is merely the echo of Philip the disciple, who told Jesus there simply wasn't enough money to buy food for all those people. We don't have enough money. Or, there isn't leadership potential. Or, we just ordinary folks. Or, we can't do it. Or, we like things just the way they are. Leave us alone! I think that's what we really mean whenever we say, "We can't afford it". David G. Mullen, There is a Boy Here... A Story Told Over and Over Rollie and I are best of friends from seminary years. One night while at the seminary, he and his wife were over for dinner. As usual, Mart and I were locked in intensive conversation, this time about the fate of the Jews in Romans 9-11. As the words were flying heatedly across the table, the leg that held up one half of the Duncan Fife table was accidentally kicked out and all the food fell to the floor. Meat, potatoes, peas, salad. It all hit the floor. But the conversation about Romans 9-11 didn’t stop. Not a breath was taken;not a pause was made; not for a fraction of a moment did the conversation stop. There was no acknowledgment of the food on the floor as it was being picked up, and the dinner continued as if nothing happened. And we laughed and laughed. And that old favorite story gets told over and over again because it captures the essence of the personalities of the people involved. Well, the gospel story for today is an old favorite story about Jesus and his disciples that was told over and over again. There are some old favorite stories which are told only one time in the gospels.... such as the story of the Good Samaritan, told only once; the story of the Prodigal Son, told only once; the story of the Sheep and the Goats, told only once. These are favorite, great stories but they are told only once in our Gospel. But the story for today, about the five loaves and two fish, is not told merely once, not twice, not three times, but four times, with only slight variations. It is the only Gospel miracle which is told in its fullness in all four Gospels. Now, why is this story told over and over again? I believe it is because this story captures the truth, the essence of all the people involved; the essential truth about Jesus and the essential truth about the disciples and the essential truth about God. Edward F. Markquart, Five Loaves and Two Fish to Feed 5,000 ________________________________ John Stepped Over the Line Back when I was a seminarian at Yale Divinity School, I had a discussion with a rabbi who was studying for his Ph.D. in New Testament, an unusual combination! He mused that if Christians had just stuck with the gospel of Mark, Jews (who are willing to recognize Jesus as a great teacher) and Muslims (who recognize Jesus as a great prophet, perhaps second only to Mohammed) could probably get along with us Christians a lot better. My rabbi friend suggested that while Matthew and Luke pushed the line, John stepped across the line with impunity by equating Jesus with God. Stephen Butler Murray, A Ministry of Surprises The Meaning of All Religion What do we see in the image the gospel writer presents? We are told "they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat". Certainly there is the man, Jesus, exercising a power no human has; there is the storm that presents such peril to those in the boat; there is the location distant from shore. But what is behind what is told? What truth is present in the relation of the events? Karl Barth expresses well what it is in "Der Romerbrief." We all "are encountered" by God. "That we have found the Christ in Jesus of Nazareth is confirmed because all the manifestations of God's faithfulness are indications or prophecies of what has encountered us in Jesus. The hidden power of the law and the prophets is the Christ who encounters us in Jesus. The meaning of all religion is the redemption, the turn of the age, the resurrection, the invisibility of God that constrains us to silence in Jesus. The substance of all human happenings is the forgiveness under which they stand as it is proclaimed and embodied precisely in Jesus. No one need object that this power, this meaning, this substance is to be found not only in Jesus but elsewhere. For we ourselves affirm this very thing; indeed, precisely we can affirm it. What is known and found in Jesus is that God is found everywhere, that before and after Jesus mankind has been found by God; in him we have the criterion by which all finding and being found by God may be known as such and by which we can conceive this finding and being found as a truth of the eternal order. Many walk in the light of redemption, forgiveness, Resurrection; but that we see them walk, that we have eyes for them, we owe to one. In his light we see light. And that it is the Christ we have found in Jesus is confirmed because Jesus is the final word, which clarifies all the others and brings them to sharpest expression, of the faithfulness of God to which the law and the prophets bear witness." Brent Porterfield, Sermons.com Someone once calculated that the words “fear not” appear in the Bible 365 times, and that means that there is one “Fear not” for every day of the year! That makes a good story, but I tried to find the exact words in the electronic Bible on my computer, and could not find them even once! But I found similar ones, and I am sure that the meaning is there. And I need no “proof text” for every day of the year. All I need to hear is the words of Jesus which keep coming back to me again and again, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” That is enough. But that is everything! In the words of Charles Wesley, Jesus! the Name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease; Tis music in the sinner’s ears, Tis life, and health, and peace. Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com Dudley Weaver, Facing the Impossible Something in Jesus recognized that he could not meet the needs of so many people who were clamoring after him without at the same time denying who was called by God to be. In the wilderness, Satan tried to transform Jesus into a wonder-worker. Jesus refused. Now, Jesus has given bread and when the grateful crowds attempt to crown him king, Jesus withdraws (John 6:15). When the crowds find him the next day, Jesus rebukes them for caring only about their bellies (6:26). They ask for a sign from Jesus, perhaps hoping for another free meal. But Jesus refuses, and launches instead into his famous "Bread of Life Discourse," where he identifies himself with what they truly need. Many of his disciples say, "This is a hard saying," and many of them no longer follow Jesus after he stops giving them bread but now says that he is their "bread from heaven" (6:60, 66). Jesus refused to do for the crowds what they wanted, as if to do so would be a forsaking of his vocation. Jesus, What will you do for us? must be subsequent to the prior question, Jesus, Who are you and what is your mission? The great theologian, Karl Barth, said people come to church asking, "Is it true?" Tom Long feels that today, most people in the pew are simply asking themselves, "Will it work for me?" That's why I think this story is told to us. When will we ever learn? Christianity, following Jesus, is not merely another helpful means of helping us get what we want. Rather, following Jesus is the means whereby God gets what God wants. Jesus cannot be enlisted as another helpful therapeutic device to enable us to get what we want before we met Jesus. The Gospel implies that we do not know what we want, what we need before we meet Jesus. William Willimon, What Are You Looking For? Modern Day Miracles A 19-year-old girl by the name of Khun Paot, escaped the Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia after an arduous journey with 100 others through miles of jungle, canals, mountains, and rivers. Standing between them and freedom were communist soldiers, the elements, and a stretch of jungle ground covered with thorns. Most of the escapees were barefoot or wore flimsy thongs. A midnight-like darkness hampered the struggling group as it crossed a valley between two high mountain ranges. "We could see absolutely nothing," Paot later told a missionary, Maxine Stewart. "We didn't even know where to step." Suddenly hundreds of fireflies swarmed into view. Their glow made enough light for the people to see the path. The refugees reached the next mountain by "firefly light," said Mrs. Stewart. After Paot was transferred to Kham Put refugee camp, she was invited to a Christian meeting. "I know that old man," she exclaimed at a picture on the wall of the chapel. "He is the one who led us and showed us the way to Thailand and freedom." She was pointing to a picture of Jesus. The Recorder, September 1979, p. 25. Sermon Opener - John 6:1-21 One Saturday Ken Erickson’s wife cleaned out leftovers from the refrigerator. She gave the one remaining portion of tortellini to their 6-year-old son, Jeremy. Their 8-year-old son, Matthew, also wanted some, so bickering ensued. After several unsuccessful attempts to mediate the dispute, Ken decided on a theological approach. Hoping to convince Jeremy to share his portion with Matthew, he said, “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?” Jeremy immediately responded, “Oh, Dad, He would just make more!” Yes, that is exactly what Jesus would do. Jesus would just make more! Would you agree with me that the biggest problem facing the church today is lack of faith? It’s not lack of resources. We think it is, but it’s not. The first question someone will ask when a necessary expense is brought up here at the church, “Where’s the money coming from?” But that’s the wrong question. The only question we should ask is: Is this God’s will for our church? We may not realize it, but we are rich in terms of both financial strength and talent. We only scratch the surface in our giving of either. What we lack is faith. We could feed the world’s hungry. Not by ourselves, of course, but with the help of other caring people. Remember, there are two billion Christians on this earth. We could heal conflicts between the nations of the world. We could give comfort to the lonely, freedom to the captive, hope to the desperate. We have the resources. All we lack is faith. What is it that Christ said? “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20-21) The problem, dear friends, is not our lack of resources, but our lack of faith. In today’s lesson from the Gospel, Jesus is on a mountainside with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast is near. He looks up and sees a great crowd coming up the mountain. A small army really. Five thousand men, and an untold number of women and children. That’s kind of scary. Suppose we were having a church supper and ten thousand people showed up? We would be scurrying around, probably in a panic. Jesus didn’t panic. He turns to his disciple Philip and asks, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” The writer of John says that he asked this only to test Philip, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” As far as the disciples were concerned, the problem was resources. They didn’t have enough. Jesus knew better. What they had was not a resource problem, but a faith problem. 1. It Is Not a Resource Problem. 2. Living by Faith, Not by Fear. There is a tale of an old German schoolmaster who, when he entered his class of boys in the morning, used to remove his cap and bow ceremoniously to them. One asked him why he did this. His answer was: “You never know what one of these boys may some day become.” He was right—because one of them was Martin Luther. Andrew did not know what he was doing when he brought that lad to Jesus that day, but he was providing material for a miracle. We never know what possibilities we are releasing when we bring someone to Jesus. Jesus needs what we can bring him. It may not be much but he needs it. It may well be that the world is denied miracle after miracle and triumph after triumph because we will not bring to Jesus what we have and what we are. If we would lay ourselves on the altar of his service, there is no saying what he could do with us and through us. We may be sorry and embarrassed that we have not more to bring—and rightly so; but that is no reason for failing to bring what we have. Little is always much in the hands of Christ.

House of God - repreach

July 22, 2018 Year B Reproach of 7/19/09 2 Samuel 7:1-14 Ephesians 2:11-22 You Gentiles are ... now ... members of the family of God. (v. 19, TEV) Object: a globe. Lesson: Boys and girls, I brought a globe to church today. I wonder if you can find our state on this globe. (Let them help you find it.) How about our city. Is it big enough to be on here or can't we find it? Can we see how big our country is on the globe? It's pretty big, isn't it. Now let's find a little tiny country. We want to find Palestine, where Jesus lived when he was in our world. (Let them help you find it.) It certainly isn't very big, is it! And just think what big and important things God did in that tiny little country. Why it isn't much bigger than New Hampshire! Now, just suppose God decided that he would only be friends with the people in Palestine, where Jesus lived. What would you think of that? (Talk about it.) We wouldn't like that very much, would we. Of course not. We would say, "Wait a minute. What about us? Our country is much bigger than Palestine. Aren't we good enough for God's love too?" Well, the answer is that nobody is really "good enough" for God's love. But God is good enough to share it with the whole world anyway. He started with the little tiny country of Palestine. Then he shared it with the people over here (show them Asia Minor) and then here (move to Greece) and then here (Italy) and later on to all of here (show them Europe) and finally places like our country (show them where it is again) and Africa and Asia and South America. Aren't we lucky that God was not selfish with his love? God didn't just share his love with a few people. He wants the whole world to be in his family. If God can love all those people, we can try to love them too. CSS Publishing Co., Ephesians 2:11-22 Common English Bible (CEB) The reconciliation of God’s people 11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. 17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord.22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Walls – why we need them Walls are an important part of our life. What would we do without them, especially in our climate. They protect us, they help us define ourselves, it separates us from people and things that are not in our best interest. And there are certain walls, in certain buildings with have great meaning for us. They tell our story of who we are and what is important to us. Houses – beautiful homes Walls are an important part of our dwellings. They create beautiful homes and buildings. Beautiful houses of God Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world are the ones that we build for God. Churches are beautiful buildings dedicated to God. We just got someone asking to get married in our sanctuary, because it was such a beautiful place. Creating a beautiful place to worship God is a part of our worship experience. So when David decided that he was going to build a beautiful house for God – he was just trying to make sure that his God, had the same respect that all of the others gods of the people around him had. When a national leader came into power, it was expected that you would build a momument for God. What better monument to God could there be besides a house to come and to worship, and say thank you and to acknowledge God as the king of our lives. David’s intention -If he was going to be king – God had to be king David’s intention were very pure. He realized that if he was going to be King, that God had to also be King. God ad brought him from a very long way. God had brought him through some pretty tough times. God had bought his people through some times which questioned the very foundation of who they were and who they were supposed to be. But God had bought David to a good place now, he had bought the country to a stable place. And it was time to make sure that God was in that same place, and taken care of just as well. David had to learn an important lesson that day. Just because the world changes, just because our understanding of God changes – God remains the same. Nathan said no David was told that he was not the build God’s house. That God was not ready to join him in the mist of his success God is still king. God lives with the people.God doesn’t live inside of walls. David could not build a house for God – but God would build a house for David. God promised David that there would always be a member of his family on the throne. That his son would build the temple That his sons would be blessed, and that his son would have to power to be raised up so that David’s name would be remembered forever. People are the true house of God. God doesn’t live within walls, and never will. The true house of God is the hearts of his people. That is where God has always lived and where God will always live. God is free to live with the people. The real problem are walls of our hearts. Walls are important to us, they protect us. They define us, they tell our story. But walls can also hold us in, they can keep us trapped in beliefs that no longer serve out best interest, they can keep other people out, they can keep us from really witnesses what god is doing in the world. They do not contain the spirit of God. The real problem is not the walls that we build around us, the real problem is the walls that we build inside of us. Soldier story In World War I, there was a soldier who was killed in France. His friends wanted to make sure that he was buried before they had to move on. They went to the nearest cemetery to ask if they could bury their friend. The priest asked if he had been baptized catholic – and he had not. So the priest said that he could not be buried. Distraught they buried their friend right outside of the walls of the cemetery. The next day – the priest feeling guilty for not allowing the soldier to be buried within the walls –went outside and moved the fence, so that the soldiers grave would be inside. There are barriers that still need to be torn down People still need to bring them down. Ephesians talks about the walls of our hearts. The ways that we define ourselves in order to exclude those who are not like us. There were still ways that the congregation was dividing itself. Jews felt that they could not associate with gentiles. Greeks felt they could not talk to barbarians. - Anyone who is not like me is an outsider was the mindset. Ephesians message was that through Christ we are a new people. We are one people. Like to priest of the cemetery. He doesn’t change the rules, he just expands them to include everyone else. He changes definitions. The jews separated themselves as a way to get close to God – Through Christ, we are all bought near to God. Ephesians – we go from strangers to family All people, no matter who we are go from strangers and aliens to citizens, saints, members of the household of God. We go from divided, suspicious, self destructive to unified, loving and most importantly hopeful. Kindergarten story There is a television documentary about a kindergarten teacher who noticed that the thing she heard most on the playground was “No you cant play with us”. So she made a rule that from now on, all children had to play with whomever asked to play. Even in kindergarten, the children protested. How could we play with anyone who asked. We have a right to define who we want to play with. Other kids in the school could not understand this rule either. Why would you play with just anyone? The kindergarten agreed that they would try to go along with the rule for a week. When they say it worked – they agreed to do it all of the time. It helped them to meet new friends. A few years later, the teacher saw one of her former students in the store. Lisa was twelve now. She asked her old teacher if she still used the play with anyone rule. Yes replied the teacher. Lisa told her teacher that she too stuck to the rule – if including anyone who wanted to play with her in her world. It was very difficult. She got a lot of flack from her friends. A lot of people did not understand her, even more criticized her. But it was important for her to carry on with the rule to learn to play with anyone. How do we play with others? Walls are beautiful things. They are an important part of our life. But they also keep us locked in, they trap us, they stop us from seeing what God is doing in the world, and they stop us from participating in the real work of God. God inside of our walls, but God is also in the world. God dwells in the homes created for God, but God also lives in the hearts of his people. Those inside and outside. Who are the outsiders today? Who are the ones asking to play with us, and what are the ways that we tell them no? Today we live in a world that is so global, that we are neighborhood is bigger them we can comprehend. Jesus is calling us to think beyond being a good neighbor – to become a family of brothers and sisters. In spite of our differences, inspite of our different understandings – there is only one God. One god who has been with the people and always will. Where are we?

For the Love of God

8th Sunday after Pentecost July 15, 2018 Ephesians 1:3-14 Year B For the Love of God Children’s Time Object: a man's dress jacket with buttons on the cuffs Good morning, boys and girls. Check out this nice jacket I brought with me. Do you think you could wear this jacket? Might be a little big right now, wouldn't it. This is a man's jacket, and I want to point out something interesting about it. See these buttons on the sleeve? Why do you think they are there? Did you know that there is NO purpose for these buttons? So how did they get there? Hundreds of years ago, there was a military general named Frederick the Great. Now Frederick the Great was in charge of a lot of soldiers. And Frederick noticed that the sleeves on his soldiers' uniforms were getting very dirty. He discovered that the soldiers were using their sleeves to wipe the sweat off their faces. That's why their sleeves were so dirty. Well, Frederick the Great didn't like that, so he ordered the men to sew buttons onto their jacket sleeves. Now, if they used the sleeve to wipe their faces, the buttons would scratch them. Soon, the men stopped wiping their faces on their sleeves because they were tired of getting scratched. Now these days, men don't wipe their faces on their sleeves, so we don't need these little buttons. They don't have any purpose. But we still sew them onto men's sleeves for no reason. Unlike these little buttons that don't have any purpose, the Bible says that you and I were created for a very special purpose. We were created to bring glory to God, to praise and worship God and tell everybody about Him. That's why God created us. That's our whole purpose. That's a pretty exciting reason, isn't it? You and I aren't useless. We are very special and important in God's eyes. He made us for a very special reason to worship Him. That's why it feels so good to pray and sing songs and to learn about God. Because that's what we were made for. Let's thank God for making us for this special job. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Ephesians 1:3-14 Common English Bible (CEB) The believers’ blessings 3 Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven. 4 God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. 5 God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan 6 and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves. 7 We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, 8 which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding. 9 God revealed his hidden design[a] to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. 10 This is what God planned for the climax of all times:[b] to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth. 11 We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. 12 We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ. 13 You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory. Footnotes: a. Ephesians 1:9 Or mystery b. Ephesians 1:10 Or the fullness of times Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I remember the experience like it was yesterday. In grade school, during recess, and the class would decide that we were going to play kickball. The strongest kickball players would be designated at captains, and the rest of the class would all line up waiting for the captains to choose you for the team. Those of us who were not particularly good athletes, would just hope that we were not the last one standing in line waiting to be chosen. Our self esteem was dependent on how soon we were chosen. The good news is when we came off the heavenly assembly line ready to come down on earth, God personally chose each of us to be a part of the heavenly team. How can you be sure? Do you have a belly button? That is where as you were coming off of the assembly line, God touched you and said, I want this one, and this one, and this one. We all have a belly button because we were all chosen personally by God. That is the message of Ephesians for today. The book of Ephesians is the epistle lesson for the next 7 weeks. Usually when I read Ephesians, it is a bunch of words to me, nice words with a message that makes no sense to me. But this time when I looked at it makes sense, and I think that it is an important message for all of us. The message is that God chose all of us to be a part of God’s team. Each is us is important. And those who follow Jesus Christ have been picked and specially prepared to do a job. This is the beginning of the book of Ephesians. It is intended to be a prayer of thanksgiving, when we become aware of all that God has done for us. It was sung in worship, it was sung after a baptism service to remind people to bless God, because God has blessed us. The message of Epeshians one – we are beloved, adopted children, we have been redeemed, we have been forgiven, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. In other words we have nothing to worry about. Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz is both an author and an evangelist. Her house was broken into a few years ago. The robbers took almost everything of value. The night after the break-in, Ms. Lotz lay awake while fear filled her heart and mind. Not only had all of her valuable possessions been stolen away and so had her sense of security. , She began worrying about all the other precious things in her life that she could lose. Through illness or accident, she could lose her children or her husband. She could lose her health. She could lose her job, or her finances, or even her reputation. Just as anxiety was about to take over completely, she recalled the words from I Peter 1:4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you . . ." Did you catch that? We have an inheritance that cannot be taken away from us. Anne Graham Lotz sat down and made an alphabetical list of the eternal blessings that cannot be taken away from us. Listen to the items on her list and notice her clever use of the letters of the alphabet. She wrote: I am: Accepted by God / Beloved by God / Chosen by God / Delivered by God / Enlightened by God / Forgiven by God I have: Grace of God / Hope for the future / Inheritance in heaven / Justification / Knowledge of God / Love / Mercy of God / Nearness to God / Oneness with God / Peace / Quickening of the Spirit I am: Redeemed / Sealed with the Holy Spirit / Treasured by God / United with other believers / Validated as an authentic child of God I have: His Wisdom And one day I will be: / Exalted with Him! (1) What a beautiful way of saying that we are BLESSED with an ongoing inheritance from God. Remember, we are blessed. It is easy for us to want to be a part of the crowd and to think like everyone else. We all want to be picked on the kickball field. Even when we go to church, and learn to say we are a Christian, when we are in life with or friends, we want them to think of us as just another person. When by definition, we are different. Being Holy means being different. It means standing out. It means letting God make our choices, whether then using our own reasoning. The world tends toward division and strife. We as people tend to choose sides, we exclude people, we get selfish, we even sometimes put on blinders and forget what may be going on in others lives if it does not apply to us. When we deal with others, people give what they deserve, not what they need. And God says that I chose you to be on my team, to make things different. It is that difference that brings us all together in love. In his book Dangerous Wonder, Mike Yaconelli recounts a time he hired a man to lay tile in his kitchen. Yaconelli knew this man to be the alcoholic father of a teenager whom he had come to know through a youth ministry. The father had been emotionally and physically abusive to everyone in his family. Yaconelli determined not to be cheated or pushed around by this fellow. He demanded (and received) a written estimate in advance -- $350 for three days' work. When the work was finished the tiler said, "I need to talk to you about the money." Yaconelli braced himself for a battle royal. He writes: I was ready for him and glanced at my wife with the look of testosterone on my face. He started to hand me the bill, but then paused for a moment and said, "A couple of years ago I was drinking too much. I am an alcoholic and was at a very low point in my life. I almost lost my family because of my drinking. I mistreated my wife and my children, especially my oldest son. "But you and your wife spent a lot of time with him at a critical moment in his life when he could have gone either way. Shortly after that I went to AA, and I've been sober ever since. Because of you and your wife, I still have a relationship with my son. I've never been able to thank you, but I'm thanking you now." He handed me his bill for $350. "Paid in full" was written across the page. This abusing, untrustworthy man ... had just shown this arrogant snob the meaning of grace. God chose us in heaven, because God made a plan in heaven. God gave each of us free choice, and in free choice, we tend to forget about God and do what we want to do. That creates divisions and misunderstandings. In order to clear up those misunderstandings, God sent Jesus into he world, he took us out of the world and showed us what real love is. And when we spread that real love, we fulfill God’s plan of trying to unite the world together as one. God gave the world away, and God is trying to bring the world back under God’s rule. God is depending on us to carry out that plan. Ephesians 10 says that God’s purpose in creating the world is to gather all things in earth and heaven together united through Christ. When the Church Rises When the church rises up to be the church, the world rises up to be the world. What is the meaning of grace? It's that none of us deserves the love of God. None of us deserves another chance. That's the heavy part. But the lightness of grace is that God, magically, considers us worthy of being in a relationship with the Creator of the universe. The incredible news is that God has written across the debt-sheets of our personal lives, "Paid in full." CSS Publishing Company, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, by Glenn McDonald If we can’t remember anything else from this sermon, remember the fact that God gave us two wonderful words to live by – grace and peace. As long as we have grace and peace in our lives, we have all that we need. Alister MacLean tells of a lady in the West Highlands who lived a hard life, yet one of perpetual serenity. When asked the secret of it, she answered: “My secret is to sail the seas, and always to keep my heart in port.” Wherever the Christian is, he is still in Christ. According to Henry Alford Porter, The Greeks had a beautiful word for humanity--'anthropos,' meaning the being with the upturned face. "Men are queer things," Porter goes on to comment, "Man is so made that he cannot be content with forever looking down. He may look down a long time, so long that he almost forgets there's anything else, anything above, forgets that he was made for God ” until something happens, some crisis comes. And then he remembers and looks up.(5) I started with a memory from my childhood. And I want to end with another memory. I never watched this television show, but I do remember the show Ateam – it starred Mr. T. I do remember the Ateam was a team of people who would have assignments to catch the bad guys. I never really watched the show, but I would watch the opening and closing of the show. I do remember them driving around in a black van, that did not always follow traffic rules. At the end of each show, they would drive off in the black van…… Every great accomplishment begins with a vision, a dream, then a plan. Some of you may remember one of the more absurd shows that ever graced our television screens, the infamous "A Team." The black van careening around the corner on two wheels. B.A. is at the steering wheel. Face and Murdock sit back and relax as "The A Team" streaks away from the bad guys once again. In the copilot's seat, Hannibal reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulls out a cigar, leans comfortably against the door of the van and with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, says, "I love it when a plan comes together!" (5) Our text for the day comes from that immortal television series, The A-Team. At the conclusion of each show the leader would light up his cigar and say, "I love it when a plan comes together." He's right! It is great when a plan comes together. What case can there be for the worth of an individual human being? Only this, that according to the Sacred Word, we are at the center of God's plan for creation. When we forget that central fact, then life does become meaningless and burdensome God’s plan starting with choosing you in heaven, showing you love and making you apart of the family, and a part of the plan, to unite all things in heaven and earth together in God’s love. It is a blessing to us in life, because it gives us grace and peace. And as long as we have grace and peace, we have all that we need. Praise God. Let us pray…. Amen. Other illustrations…. You Spell God Three women die and all three reach Heaven at the same time. There they meet St. Peter. He tells them he has some other important business to transact and asks them to wait outside. Finally he returns and calls the first woman into his office. He apologizes for making her wait so long. "Oh, I don't mind at all," the woman says. "I'm so thrilled just to be here in Heaven." St. Peter is delighted by her attitude. "Well, then, if you can just answer one question for me, we can finish processing your papers. Now tell me, how do you spell `God'?" The woman spells it for him, then she goes on into the celestial realm. St. Peter calls in the next woman and also apologizes to her for making her wait. "It will be worth it, I'm sure," she answers. "I am willing to wait one thousand years if necessary in order to see God face to face." St. Peter is very pleased. He insists, though, on asking her one more question for the Records. "Tell me, dear lady, how do you spell `God'?" The woman spells it perfectly, then enters the Pearly Gates. Finally, St. Peter calls in the third woman. He also apologizes to her, but she refuses to accept his apology. "It was quite rude," she says angrily. "All my life on earth I had to wait in lines. Wait at the checkout counter, wait at the bus stop, wait for the kids to get home from school, wait for my coffee break. And now you expect me to wait to get into Heaven? Well, I just won't stand for it!" St. Peter said, "I'm so sorry. If you'll just answer one more question for our records, then you can go on in. Tell me, how do you spell 'Czechoslovakia'?" Traditional Humor Unknown Can you recall a significant event that changed many things about you: maybe a natural disaster like a flood that swept away your house, maybe you had a car accident that left you with a limp, or a happier change when you got married? Either way, on the next day you are different and now you must start living life differently. That's how Paul begins our text. "Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light." Dr. Sandy Winter, pastor of the University Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, AL, tells a wonderful story about a conversation a daughter had with her mother when the mother was 88 years old and was dying. The daughter knew that as a tiny child during the worst part of the depression her family lived with her grandparents out in a rural area. There were the grandparents, this young family of 4, and nine more brothers and sisters and family members living in one place, all trying to eke out a living raising enough food. Of course, there was no means of transportation, other than walking. But this daughter also knew that later as she was growing up her family lived in town not out in the country. She wondered how this came about. So she asked her mother how she managed to get the family moved in to town in the midst of the depression at a time when people were using every resource they had just to put food on the table. The mother was weak and couldn’t say much, but her mind was clear. Her answer was, “I had to.” The daughter said, “What do you mean, you had to?” The mother replied, “We had to go to church!” Think about that. “We had to go to church!” “Her family being able to go to church,” says Dr. Winter, “was a matter of life and death for the mother, a matter so important that it empowered her to move mountains.” (4) Praise is our witness to the world that God reigns in our lives. We gather each week in this place to say to the world, “God lives! God matters!” What does it mean to be a chosen people? It means we live lives of integrity; it means we love one another as Christ loves us; it means that weekly we gather and lift our hearts in praise to God. We are chosen, not for privilege, but for purpose for serving God. A minister in Vermont tells about a Bible Class teacher who was registering the children in Sunday school, and she asked two brothers their ages and birthday. One of the two boys said, “We’re both seven. My birthday is April 8, 1976, and my brother’s is April 20, 1976.” The teacher was a little confused and said, “But that’s impossible!” The other brother said, “No, it’s not, one of us is adopted.” Before she was even aware that she had asked, the words came out, “Which one?” The boys looked at each other and smiled. Then one of them said, “We asked Dad that a while ago, but he just said he loved us, and he couldn’t remember any more which one was adopted.” (5) A piece of humor has been circulating on the Internet for some time about a young polar bear cub that approached his mother one day and asked, “Mom, am I a polar bear?” “Of course you are,” she replied with a smile. “OK,” said the cub, and padded off. Later, he found his dad out by the iceberg. “Dad, am I a polar bear?” he asked. “Sure you are, son!” said his dad, wondering why his son would ask such a silly thing. The next day, the cub asked the question again and again. “Are you and mom polar bears?” he asked his dad. “You are? Well, then, does that make me a polar bear? Pure, 100% polar bear?” Finally, his parents couldn’t stand it any longer. “Son, you’re driving us crazy with this question! You are a polar bear! Why do you keep asking?” The cub looked up and confessed, “Cause I’m FREEZING!”

What does it mean to believe?

July 8, 2018 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Children’s Sermon My grace is all you need, for my power is strongest when you are weak." (v. 9, TEV) Object: a He-man doll or a shirt picturing He-man. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you recognize this person I have here? (Show them the doll or the shirt.) How do you know so much about He-man? (They will tell you all about it.) Yes, that's right. He's on television. And we see him in the toy stores and in comic books. How strong is He-man, really? (Let them fill you in.) How did He-man get to be so strong? Where did he get all those muscles? Do you know anybody in real life that is like that? Do you know anybody who has so many muscles he can just about knock anybody flat he wants to? (They may know somebody like that. Let them offer some replies.) Do you think Jesus had a lot of big muscles like He-man? (Talk about it.) The Bible doesn't tell us, but it doesn't sound like it. Or, if Jesus did have any, it doesn't sound like he used them to act big and tough. Instead, Jesus acted gentle and kind and loving to people. Do you think that was a strong or a weak thing to do? (Talk about it.) Some people don't believe it, but when you love somebody, that's a strong thing to do. You don't have to be He-man to do that. Some people think loving people is a weak thing to do. But Jesus showed us that's not true. When Jesus died on the cross a lot of people thought he was the weakest man in town. But on Easter morning he turned out to be the strongest person in the universe. He died on the cross to love us, and that looked weak, but it was stronger than He-man for him to do it. Some things that look weak are really strong. Love is one of them. CSS Publishing Co., 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Common English Bible (CEB) Paul’s visions and revelations from the Lord 12 It is necessary to brag, not that it does any good. I’ll move on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don’t know whether it was in the body or out of the body. God knows. 3-4 I know that this man was caught up into paradise and that he heard unspeakable words that were things no one is allowed to repeat. I don’t know whether it was in the body or apart from the body. God knows. 5 I’ll brag about this man, but I won’t brag about myself, except to brag about my weaknesses. 6 If I did want to brag, I wouldn’t make a fool of myself because I’d tell the truth. I’m holding back from bragging so that no one will give me any more credit than what anyone sees or hears about me. 7 I was given a thorn in my body because of the outstanding revelations I’ve received so that I wouldn’t be conceited. It’s a messenger from Satan sent to torment me so that I wouldn’t be conceited. 8 I pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me alone. 9 He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. 10 Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible It must have been in 1998 when I was able to take a two week teaching with the Dalai Lama. The Kalachackra is a teaching on world peace, it is held in a different place in the world every two or three years. And people come from all over the world, to be a part of this teaching. The Dalai Lama’s brother, who has since passed was a professor at Indiana University, so they hosted a teaching. Even though Bloomington, Indiana is a 5 hour drive, it was an exotic trip. I slept in a tent for the teaching, with a group of buddhist. Since I had a car, I was asked to host a family from Tibet that needed a ride everyday from the camp ground to the tent sight. They set up a grounds area to look like Tibet on the university. I remember there were many Christians who stood outside the grounds protesting and declaring that the Dalai Lama was going to hell because he did not believe in God. But I must say, that I learned a lot from that experience about what it means to be holy. About the experience of the sacred. We had to gather as a group. We had to pray for 8 hours a day, for 5 days before in order to prepare our hearts before we could even start to listen to the teaching on world peace. I remember one day, someone shouted to the Dalai Lama what did any of this have to do with world peace – and he responded back – that there was no such thing in the world as world peace. He said that as soon as we learned to find peace within our own hearts, then we don’t get so hooked on the problems of others. When we find peace within ourselves, then we will be at peace with the world. That is the only world peace that there is. I don’t totally agree with all of that – but there is some truth in that. I could share lots of stories about that experience, but today I wanted to share an experience that happened toward the end of the teaching. One of the last days after lunch, he wanted to teach us to go up through the 7 levels of heaven to reach the throne room of God. I remember he told us to eat a very light lunch and not to drink a lot of liquids, because as we travelled spiritually to the different levels of heaven, that as we were purified in spirit, whatever was inside of us was going to come out. At the first ten minute break in our prayer time, the bathroom line was filled with those of us who did not believe him. Christianity and Buddhism have a lot of differences, but they also have lot of similarities. There is a book written in the 1400’s which also outlines how to travel through the 7 levels of heaven to the throne room – it is called the interior Castle. It is a certain time of prayer that helps you to travel to each level of the castle to get to God. Having that experience with the Dalai Lama helped me to understand what Paul is talking about when he speaks of a man who was caught up into the third level of heaven. In the Jewish understanding of heaven, heaven had three levels, and the third level was the highest you could go and to reach the throne room to see God. He says, he is not sure of how the man actually got there, he doesn’t know if it was a dream, a prayer, or an out of body experience, he just knows that the man made it to heaven and lived to tell about it. The mystic always has aimed at that moment of wonder when “the seer and the Seen are one.” In their traditions the Jews said that four rabbis had had this vision of God. Ben Azai had seen the glory and had died. Ben Soma beheld it and went mad. Acher saw it and “cut up the young plants,” that is, in spite of the vision he became a heretic and ruined the garden of truth. Akiba alone ascended in peace and in peace came back. We cannot even guess what happened to Paul. We need not form theories about the number of heavens because of the fact that he speaks of the third heaven. He simply means that his spirit rose to an unsurpassable ecstasy in its nearness to God. Scholars agree that when Paul says that he knows a man – that he is talking about himself. Many other preachers were starting to criticize Paul and say that he was too down to earth, and that he did not speak of visions, so he was not a true man of God. So Paul says the he does not want to brag about spiritual experiences, but he has seen God and lived to tell about it. In church we often speak of that place – heaven. The place beyond pain and suffering and darkness, the eternal place where God lives. Heaven is once again one of those concepts that crosses the boundaries of many religions and cultures. Some call it Paradise, or nirvana, or enlightenment, or Shangra- la – and we all tend to wonder what it looks like and exactly how do you get there. Is it really a place? Are our loved ones there? And do you have to die in order to get there? Video of someone who claims to have been to heaven. The new testament speaks of heaven, speaks of paradise – the Persian version of the concept. Paradise was a wooded garden. When the king of Persia liked you, invited you to walk his gardens. Paul speaks of seeing the face of God. Walking and talking with God. For us who have never been to heaven, much more likely to find God in the plain, boring everyday task of life. God not in the throne room, but with us in life. Most likely to find God in the midst of our pain and suffering. Go to heaven to find God, God comes to life to find us. Paul talks of meeting God – says that God gave him a thorn in his side. Speculation for years about what this thorn is – physical condition, epiplespy, stuttering, mental condition. We don’t know, doesn’t matter. Messenger sent from heaven to torment me – caused a lot of pain and suffering. Whatever it was it kept him humble and calling on God for a sense of relief. The greatest lesson of the scripture – as he prayed, hoped for change, heard that still voice – My grace is sufficient for you. Whatever the pain, whatever the burden – Gives us grace to get through it. Where would you be if it were not for God’s grace in your life? "He giveth more grace when burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added affliction, He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance; When our strength has failed ere the day is half done; When we reach the end of our hoarded resources; Our Father's full giving is only begun. His love has no limit, His grace knows no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth and giveth and giveth again."—Selected. How do we come face to face with God? By we don’t have to go into the throne room, usually we can face our pain – and find God there with us in the midst of it – giving us to strength to deal with it and to go on with our lives. God grace is sufficient for all that we go through. Like Paul, is in our weakness that we discover the strength of God. Let us pray….. Our Burdens St. Paul writes in II Corinthians 12:9, "And God said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee . . .'" What a hard thing that is for us to accept. We are like the old man riding down the road on a donkey while he carried a 200 pound sack of wheat on his shoulder. Someone asked him why he didn't take the weight off of his shoulders and strap it to the donkey. "Oh, no!" he protested. "I couldn't ask the donkey to carry all that weight." Many of us are carrying burdens today that we do not have to carry. Only our lack of faith, trust, and confidence that God really is alive and able to relieve us of our burdens keeps us in bondage. How frustrated Christ must be with our lack of faith. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Sometimes We Need the Thorn Someone once asked Abraham Lincoln why he wouldn't replace a cabinet member who constantly opposed him. Lincoln told the story about the farmer who was trying to plow with a very old and decrepit horse. Lincoln noticed on the flank of the animal a big thistle caught in the animal's hair. Lincoln started to pull it off and the farmer said, "Don't remove that thistle, Abe! If it wasn't for the sticker, this old horse wouldn't move an inch!" That means, treat your problems as challenges. People who are difficult to work with, problems that seem insurmountable - notice how they keep you digging inside yourself for greater strength. In the end, you accomplish great feats, not in spite of, but because of your problems. Charles R. Leary, Mission Ready!, www.Sermons.com One lovely thing we may note, for it will help a little. The word Paradise comes from a Persian word which means a walled-garden. When a Persian king wished to confer a very special honour on someone specially dear to him, he made him a companion of the garden and gave him the right to walk in the royal gardens with him in intimate companionship. In this experience, as never before and never again, Paul had been the companion of God. "My Grace is Sufficient for Thee" (II Corinthians 12:9) Booth-Tucker preached in Chicago one day, and out from the throng a burdened toiler came and said to him, before all the audience, "You can talk like that about how Christ is dear to you, and helps you; but if your wife was dead, as my wife is, and you had some babies crying for their mother who would never come back, you could not say what you are saying." A little later Booth-Tucker lost his noble wife in a railway wreck, and the body was brought to Chicago and carried to the Salvation Army barracks for the funeral service. After others had conducted the funeral service he stood there by the casket, looked down into the face of the silent wife and mother, and said, "The other day when I was here, a man said, I could not say Christ was sufficient, if my wife were dead, and my children were crying for their mother. If that man is here, tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is all broken, my heart is all crushed, my heart is all bleeding, but there is a song in my heart and Christ put it there; and if that man is here, I tell him that, though my wife is gone and my children are motherless, Christ comforts me today." That man was there, and down the aisle he came, and fell down beside the casket, and said, "Verily, if Christ can help us like that, I will surrender to Him,"