A Reason to Wear a Crown

November 24, 2019 Colossians 1:1-20 Christ the King Sunday Year C A Good Excuse to put on a Crown Children’s Sermon Object: A dusty, smeared mirror and some window cleaner. Good morning, boys and girls, How many of you feel that you have changed since you were born? Are you the same as you were when you were two years old? You are not the same today as you were last week, or even yesterday, are you? We are growing up, and when we grow up we change our looks. We know more, and we have different friends. Everything changes. Look at what I brought this morning and tell me how I can change this dusty, smeared mirror. [Let them answer.] That’s right, I can clean it. But what should I clean it with? Can I use a dust rag, a broom or a hose? [Let them answer.] None of those things would work very well. But there is something that I could use that would be just right. We call it glass cleaner, or window cleaner. If I use the right kind of cleaner I can change that dusty, smeared mirror into a bright and shiny mirror. We can change our lives in the same way if we use the right thing. God teaches us that reading and listening to his ways and his teachings will change us and make us better pecple. St. Paul called those teachings the good news and he was sure that wherever the good news was preached and taught, people had their lives changed and made better. It happens all the time. Here in the church you hear the good news and if you listen carefully, your lives are changed and made better. The good news is about Jesus, and what he did for us. But if is not just happening to you. It is happening everywhere. People are listening to the good news in Egypt, Russia, Switzerland, Brazil, and everywhere you can think of. The wonderful part about it is that it is not just another story, but instead it is changing you and making you better. The next time you see your mother cleaning glass you can think about the way that you are changed and made better by the good news about Jesus, just as the window is changed by the window cleaner. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., God's In The Huddle, by Wesley T. Runk Scripture Colossians 1:1-20 Common English Bible (CEB) Greeting 1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother. 2 To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father. Thanksgiving and prayer for the Colossians 3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. 4 We’ve done this since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all God’s people. 5 You have this faith and love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You previously heard about this hope through the true message, the good news, 6 which has come to you. This message has been bearing fruit and growing among you since the day you heard and truly understood God’s grace, in the same way that it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, who is the fellow slave we love and Christ’s faithful minister for your sake. 8 He informed us of your love in the Spirit. 9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we haven’t stopped praying for you and asking for you to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 10 We’re praying this so that you can live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way: by producing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; 11 by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience; 12 and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. 13 He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 He set us free through the Son and forgave our sins. Hymn about Christ’s work 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation,[a] 16 Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. 17 He existed before all things, and all things are held together in him. 18 He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the one who is firstborn from among the dead[b] so that he might occupy the first place in everything. 19 Because all the fullness of God was pleased to live in him, 20 and he reconciled all things to himself through him— whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross. Footnotes: a. Colossians 1:15 Or firstborn of all creation b. Colossians 1:18 Or first over the dead Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Stewardship Moment Giving Tuesday We have a big week coming up. We all know that as soon as Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas season starts. Within one week we have to switch out those fall decorations for Christmas. Many stores don’t even let thanksgiving end anymore. Stores are open on Thanksgiving, then there is black Friday, small business Saturday, cyber Monday. And Tuesday December 3rd is giving Tuesday. Tuesday is the day that many nonprofits encourage people to make donations. Studies have shown that many nonprofits meet 50% of their budget on giving Tuesday. As we spend and as we give, let us remember the church – our mission as a church is also dependent on your giving. I would hope that as we make decisions about how to spend and how to give – let us remember to put God first in all that we do. Sermon I look forward to this Sunday every year, I have a collection of about 10 different crowns in my bedroom, and this is the one day that I don’t have to feel bad about wearing one. I get to show my true aspirations in life – to be a princess. A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me to babysit her daughter. I had to pick her up from preschool and bring her home. It was career day, where the kids had to choose what they wanted to be when they grew up. The little girl chose to be a princess. I was so jealous, because no one gave me that choice growing up. If I had known in preschool that being a princess was a career choice, you wouldn’t know me today – because I would have given Meghan Markle a run for her money. Nevertheless, I get to wear my crown today because today is Christ the King Sunday – and if Christ is a King, then I can surely be a princess. But Christ the King or some people call it the reign of Christ Sunday is not about being royalty. It is about being a loved child of God. It is a day to reflect on really who Christ is for us, for the church for the world. The question for the day is why is Christ the King? And not the president. We didn’t elect Christ, Christ elected us. I chose Colossians this Sunday as opposed to the gospel because I think that Colossians gives an excellent explanation of why Christ is the King of our lives. I read the entire first for us to get a better understanding of the context that Paul was speaking in. he wanted to encourage the new church to be faithful to Christ. They were going through some tough times, so he wanted to encourage them. What better way to encourage them but to pray for them. This morning, I am going to go through the scripture backward. Start with the end and go backward. The end of the chapter is a hymn that the original hearers of the word would have been familiar with. The tune and purpose of this hymn was lost a very long time ago. But we still have the words that explain why Christ is King. – he is the image of God, he created all things, he existed before time, he is head of the church, and he does the work of God here on earth – forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. Every Sunday we light two candles – both of them represent the light of Christ amongst us. There are two candles to represent the two natures of Christ. Christ lived fully human as a man here on earth, and Christ lives in a heavenly being who is in heaven with God. I often think of life as one long potluck supper; you never know who is coming or what they are bringing. The feast survives in this very uncertainty. When we try to get to the "dim sum of all things" or to understand why things happen the way they do, we are always better bringing our best dish to the feast, in the hope that our surplus will secure the generations. When mercy is mobilized, personal responsibility — a truly wonderful thing — engages a community. When both social and personal responsibility is in full-tilt conversation with fate, truly great nations and people emerge. When we follow Jesus as king, we maximize our personal responsibility for the world by mobilizing mercy and compassion. We also maximize the strength of communities so that we are not alone. There are two other important points to get out of this lesson. I saw an advertising for a lawyer that stuck with me, it said where there is a will I want to be in it. Being a part of someone’s will is not a bad thing. Usually when we are a part of a will, it tells us what we will be inheriting very soon. We don’t have to wait – it is something that we receive now. Colossians says Jesus made us all a part of God’s will. He made it so that we can take part in his inheritance. The distinguishing characteristic of Christian religion, which separates it from all other religions of the world, is that God is looking for us. In every other world religion, people are searching for God, trying somehow to feel after Him and hoping to find Him so the hunger of their souls will be satisfied. Christian religion is different. It is different in that God comes searching for us. Indeed, He searches for us in a loving way, by giving none other than His own Son, Jesus Christ. In Christ, God is patiently, persistently, longing for relationship with His own. I ask you today, how long are you going to leave Him at the door knocking without having the courtesy to at least stand up, open the door and let Him come in? Christ is the answer to the question, “Who is God?" Prayer puts us in God’s will by doing two things. First when we pray – we are asking what God’s will is for us and for our lives. But we also ask for the power to live within that will and to accept the life that God has created for us. Perhaps that is why When Paul tells us who Christ is – he starts out with a prayer for us. Paul’s prayer is that all of us have strength to endure when things take a long time – that we will have inside strength that will help us to trust God in all circumstances. Prayer that as followers of Christ that we will be victorious over every circumstance, patient with every person and have a joy which no circumstance or person can take from us. Paul prays that is making Christ King that we will have Endurance or fortitude, Patience, and joy. Endurance helps us to deal with any situation that happens in life. Patience helps us to deal with people who get on our nerves and try us , and joy that can’t be taken away from us given our circumstances. I heard it said that joy that is not rooted in suffering is shallow. It is our struggles that help us to recognize the true joy in our life. Christ and all that Christ has done for us. Christians are risk takers — self-starters — and they live George Bernard Shaw's words, "and dream things that never were." In the pursuit of Christ the king, excellent Christians are not afraid of being uncomfortable. They ask the tough questions about themselves. (Who are we? What sort of image are we presenting to the world? What would Jesus do in this situation? Are we doing enough?) They are not afraid to walk into city hall, or over to the next desk in their office, or to reach across the back fence if they know that is where they need to be. In essence, they have denied themselves a comfort zone for now so that they see themselves as a new (while certainly imperfect) creation; those old taboos are gone, polite convention no longer rules. While they are not belligerent or righteous, they have a new power to go places they would never have dreamed of going, to let words come from their mouths they might once have kept secret in their hearts. Christ is king in them. People who crown Christ with mercy, security, and risk-taking are often thought to be a little weird. They are often being tested to see if they are the real things. They have the strength to be the church for the world. Most importantly they can wear the crown of life well. This is the end of the year for us. Next week is the first Sunday of advent – a brand new day. This is a time for us to reflect on what Christ has done for us in the past, but most importantly to look forward to the future – a future where Christ continues to come to make life better. Let us pray…… Additional Illustrations Where there is a will – I want to be in it. Wills are for the here and now. Some people make a lot of noise about Christ-centeredness and are not the real thing. I like what I heard the Benedictine theologian, Joan Chittister, say, on the subject of "spirituality": "If it's the real thing (and sometimes it is), it does not turn the mind off; it turns it on." The question that always has to be asked about experiential religion is: What does it lead to in terms of both thinking and acting? What "spirit," precisely, is being invoked here? The world is full of spirits, and as the first epistle of Saint John reminds us, "Not every spirit is of God." Probably the most "spiritualistic" events of our epoch — if we discount Woodstock and the rock concerts for a moment — were the Pleased to Reconcile - Luke 23:33-43 Did you ever secretly wish that we had kings and queens here in America? I think that must be a secret wish of many of us, if the tabloid newspapers and magazines which are always on sale at the supermarket checkout counters are any indication. Between the romantic antics of Hollywood and the goings-on of the British royal family, the tabloids do a rushing business. (I won't embarrass any of us by asking how many secretly enjoy reading those tabloids as we're standing in line.) There's hardly a week goes by that there isn't some story about the latest marital couplings among the British royals. From all appearances, poor Queen Elizabeth, like her illustrious and straitlaced grandmother, Queen Victoria, is definitely not amused. Personally, I think the British royal family is worth every penny they're paid for the service they perform in keeping the media, and therefore the public attention, focused on them, leaving the government free to get on with its business. Although it's unlikely we'll get a royal family for ourselves, we do seem to be in love with the idea of royalty. Today is the last Sunday in the Christian year, the Sunday we call Christ the King. It's fitting to conclude the liturgical year with an acclamation of the royalty of Christ, though we do this much more frequently than once a year. The sovereignty of Christ is well-affirmed in our hymns and in the language we use to speak about Jesus in our worship. In a few weeks, we'll be singing "Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn king," and "Hark! the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king," as we celebrate Christmas. But as often as we use the language of royalty in our praise of Christ, I wonder if we really have a good understanding of what we mean when we hail Jesus as a king, and what, if anything, the kingship of Jesus has to do with our lives. Those two questions, it seems to me, are ones we have to consider seriously: What does it mean to confess Jesus as King, and what personal significance does that confession have for us?…. Accepting a Human Messiah In contrast to the theology of the cross and our suffering/dying king. Robert Capon in Hunting the Divine Fox presents a wonderful picture of our typical American Messiah -- and it doesn't look much like Jesus on the cross. . . . almost nobody resists the temptation to jazz up the humanity of Christ. The true paradigm of the ordinary American view of Jesus is Superman: "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. It's Superman! Strange visitor from another planet, who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way." If that isn't popular christology, I'll eat my hat. Jesus -- gentle, meek and mild, but with secret, souped-up, more-than-human insides -- bumbles around for thirty-three years, nearly gets himself done in for good by the Kryptonite Kross, but at the last minute, struggles into the phone booth of the Empty Tomb, changes into his Easter suit and, with a single bound, leaps back up to the planet Heaven. It's got it all -- including, just so you shouldn't miss the lesson, kiddies: He never once touches Lois Lane. You think that's funny? Don't laugh. The human race is, was and probably always will be deeply unwilling to accept a human messiah. We don't want to be saved in our humanity; we want to be fished out of it. We crucified Jesus, not because he was God, but because he blasphemed: He claimed to be God and then failed to come up to our standards for assessing the claim. It's not that we weren't looking for the Messiah; it's just that he wasn't what we were looking for. Our kind of Messiah would come down from a cross. He would carry a folding phone booth in his back pocket. He wouldn't do a stupid thing like rising from the dead. He would do a smart thing like never dying." [pp. 90-91; this book has been reprinted, along with two others under the title The Romance of the Word: One Man's Love Affair with Theology] Robert Capon, quoted by Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes Where Do We Get Our Brilliance? What do we Christians do to counter this violence-filled world? We are to be more visible witnesses to Jesus’ reign. In order to do this, we must be willing to be human in an environment of vulnerability; that is, to understand that when we are in relationships with others our humanity is bound up in the other’s humanity. Desmond Tutu illustrates this by describing a light bulb that shone brightly and proudly. "[It] began to strut about arrogantly, quite unmindful of how . . . it could shine so brilliantly, thinking that it was all due to its own merit and skill." One day the light bulb is taken out of the socket and placed on a table. "Try as hard as it could, the light bulb could bring forth no light and brilliance. . . . It had never known that its light came from the power station and that it had been connected to the dynamo by little wires and flexes that lay hidden and unseen and totally unsung.” Michael Battle, The Other Kingdom Christ the King This is Christ the King Sunday. We have heard the whole story; we have all the information. So now—how do we recognize Jesus as King? We “independent, stand on our two feet, nobody tells us what to do, rugged individualist” Americans, how do we recognize Jesus as King? In Luke’s story of the crucifixion nobody there seems to recognize Jesus as King. Luke has painted us into his story as well. He describes the people who do nothing except to stand there and watch. “And the people stood by, watching.” That’s us, isn’t it? Grinding poverty is slowly destroying our urban youth and we just stand by and watch, preferably from a distance, preferably from inside a gated community. Watching the world turn secular, we know that there is a spiritual side to life but it just can’t crack our tightly wound schedules. We think about a Bible study but just can’t tolerate the idea of one more thing to attend. We won’t even pull off the road to watch a sunset for fear that we will be late to the next appointment. In trying to do everything, we are doing nothing of lasting value for our souls. When a king passes by in your life, you don’t just stand and watch. You respond. Bill McDonald, How Do You Recognize a King? Kingship in Our Lives The letters to the editor in the Lexington-Herald are full these days of people defining what is required to be a true American patriot. If you don’t think inside their box, then you are a traitor and ought to be cast out of the country. This narrow-minded neo-orthodoxy that we now see promoted even by some Congressional and local leaders reminds me of exactly what we are fighting against in Afghanistan. If freedom doesn’t mean the ability to disagree, to be different, then what does it mean? If I am required to think like you, then who is free? Likewise when we set narrow limits for belief in Christ, we are trying to squeeze him into our mindsets. And that is no way to treat a King. We are supposed to broaden our minds and stretch our hearts to his limits. That’s how we recognize his kingship over our lives. Or else we are merely scoffers, daring Christ to prove us wrong. Bill McDonald, How Do You Recognize a King? I. WHO IS GOD? Have you ever asked that question? A little girl was drawing a picture when her mother asked, “What are you doing?" “I'm drawing a picture of God," said the little girl. An enlightened mother asked, “How could you draw a picture of God? No one has ever seen God to know what God looks like." The child said, “They'll know what God looks like when I finish my picture." Paul said of Jesus Christ, “Christ is the image of the invisible God." Eugene Peterson, in translating this theological treatise of Paul says, “Everything of God gets expressed in Christ." You do not need a telescope, microscope, or horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ and the emptiness of the universe without Him. When you come to Christ, the fullness comes together for you. Does God care? Look at Christ. Can God forgive? Look at Christ. Why do people suffer? Look at Christ. Who holds the future? Look at Christ. As Jesus describes the way to Heaven to His disciples, Philip comes and says to Him, “Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus says in response to him, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." In the heavens we see God's handiwork. In our hearts we sense our hunger for God. In the Church, God is glorified. In Christ, God comes to us as a living person. God is personified in Jesus Christ. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock," says the Lord of lords and the King of kings, “if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." First of all, he says, HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT. Somewhere I heard about an English instructor at a certain university who introduced his class to what he called one of the finest, most elegant lines in the English language. The line was, "Walk with light." He said the words in a whisper to his class, "Walk with light." Looking around, he said, "Isn't that a wonderful thing to say to someone?" The class agreed. They wanted to know the author. "It's anonymous," said the instructor. "It's written on a sign at the intersection of Main and Broadway. `Walk with light.'" St. Paul tells us Christ "has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son...." (RSV) What does that mean? One final thing Paul says to us. CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. That's important. Not you or me, but Christ. Church is a funny place sometimes. A lady, Judy Burress, wrote in to READER'S DIGEST recently to tell about a friend of hers, a professional organist, who was asked to play for a wedding. Unfamiliar with the church's organ, her friend went to the sanctuary to practice. Curious about a small keyboard that slid out from under the two regular keyboards, she tapped out a couple of bars of a children's song but heard nothing. Then she played a few more notes, but still no organ music. Just then a man came running into the church, shouting, "Who's playing `Three Blind Mice' on the church-steeple bells?" She had been playing this children's tune on the carillon for all the community to hear. I sometimes wonder if all our community hears from this church is `Three Blind Mice'? I don't mean to sound negative, but I wonder if they really perceive that this is a Christ-controlled church? I wonder if they sense love and concern flowing out of the doors of this place of worship? We have such potential. A Broadway legend tells of a playwright holding a giant-sized New York City telephone directory. He felt its great weight and looked curiously at its hundreds of pages of Joneses, Smiths, and Johnsons. Thinking in theater terms, the man exclaimed, "There's not much of a plot here but man, what a cast." I look at the people in this church and I say to myself, what a cast! If somehow we could just get motivated, energized, organized, what an impact we could have on this community. Do we realize that Christ is the head of this church? What would happen, I wonder, if we really did? Doris Forman remembers the time when she and her husband moved into a new house. Shortly after they moved in her husband asked her, "What about having a picture of Christ in our living room?" Part of her thought it was a good idea and another part of her was unsure, but she agreed anyway. "Of course," she said, "we were Christians and, of course we loved God ” but a large picture of Christ hanging in the living room and in a spot where everyone who stepped into the room would see it ” wasn't that being a bit fanatical?" When the decorator came out to check on lamps and pictures one day, he couldn't help but notice the 16 x 20 inch print of "The Savior" by Coleman hanging over the piano in the most prominent place in the living room. The decorator suggested that another picture, perhaps a landscape, would look better in that spot. "We like it and that's where it stays," her husband replied firmly. What would their friends think when they saw the large picture of Christ hanging in their living room? "Most of our friends were professed Christians, but they lived largely in a world of club affairs, cocktail parties and bridge luncheons," Doris wondered. During the next two years, many interesting things happened to this family that they believe was a direct result of that picture. Total strangers, like the man who delivered their newspaper, began telling them their troubles. There were others who commented on the picture hanging in their living room. "Consciously, or maybe unconsciously, they felt that we must know Christ," Doris said. She concluded, "Our life today has more purpose, more meaning and more beauty" due to this decision to proclaim Christ as the Lord of their lives. (5) When we are able to make that kind of commitment, we're not playing `Three Blind Mice,' are we? We are being what he means for us to be. What do we discover when we see the authentic face of Jesus? We see one who has delivered us from darkness into light. We see one who is the image of the invisible God. We see one who is head of the church and Lord of our lives. Conclusion The state advertising slogan for the Louisiana tourist industry is or was, "Come as you are. Leave Different!" Maybe that should be the slogan of every church. (4) Why? Because we've been RESCUED, RECONCILED AND REDEEMED. Maybe you've never felt your heart stirred before. Maybe it's not movies or books or anything else that you've experienced. But today, I hope you've opened yourself to the church's heart Specialist, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He willingly and knowingly gave His life on cross for you. Today we're reminded that through Christ the King we are RESCUED, RECONCILED AND REDEEMED. The will has already been read. All we have to do is claim our Inheritance by opening our hearts and inviting the one in whom "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell," Jesus, into our lives as our Savior and King. I saw a bumper sticker on a truck once that read, "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?" This is a very good question. How do we know that our core is attached to Christ? By how much mercy is in motion around us. By how many enemies are loved. By how many risks we are taking. That's how. People who have Christ as their king mobilize mercy. We take risks, we have a magnificent security, and we also have a joyful vibrancy. Nothing can really shake us up. We live on the creative and holy edge on which Jesus lived. Being a Christian is not a leisure-time activity but a high-adventure pursuit. Christians have accepted the challenge. Each day is brimming with possibilities, and these people want to seize those possibilities. They are excited about more opportunities to put more mercy into more motion. They revel in the challenge. Yet, along with this excitement is a quiet peace, a trust that God walks with them. That is the security. famous Nuremberg rallies of Adolf Hitler and company. "Test the spirits!" (1 John). Christ-centered, Christ-cored people are more than willing to be tested. Paul Tillich used an interesting phrase to speak of people who were centered in God and Spirit. Here we are using the word Christ, aware that the Trinity is also being invoked. Tillich said that people filled with the Spirit are people who have been grasped by God. When people are grasped by God in such a way as to say that they are centered in Christ, they point to that which transcended themselves: They pointed to the Christ, whom the Spirit made present to them in a new and deeply meaningful way. If a person is pointing to himself or herself, they are probably a phony. Christ-centered people must pass Jesus' test as expressed so fully and frequently by Saint Paul. By their fruits you shall know them. Christ-centered people, Christ-kinged people, are secure enough for risks and full enough to spend big on mercy. They are also ready to engage the deepest, and therefore the most vulnerable, kind of involvement in the realities of our world in depths of participation that most of us, likely, had not bargained for. Christians are free because Christ is their king. We are free for the wise foolishness, the foolish wisdom, of the crucified God, and are blest by it. It is a freedom that can be enjoyed only by people who are ready to admit their own utter incapacity to achieve it on their own. We have to stop being our own king and our own ruler. It is not the freedom of the rich who "have" everything. It is instead the freedom, according to Douglas John Hall, "of those who are conscious enough of their emptiness and lack to realize that they must ‘ever ask anew' for intimations of a truth that, in its fullness, forever eludes and transcends them; a truth, however, that is willing and more than willing to impart itself in its sufficiency for the here and now, and to those who ask for it humbly and in solidarity with all who hunger and thirst." The king Christ starts out humbly enough for us to grasp. He starts out as a child. This strange royalty has to be acknowledged. A boy who grew up in Los Angeles as a Mexican immigrant speaks this way of Jesus: As a young child I always wondered why Santa didn't deliver gifts to us the way he did the well to do Anglo kids ... Maybe he was afraid to come into the Barrio ... Maybe he just didn't like Mexicans or poor people. Larry Gilliland, a poor white friend, didn't ever seem to get much more than us ... so maybe Santa just forgot us poor folks. At least we had the homemade tortillas and tamales which Larry liked and we shared with him. When you went back to grade school after the holidays, the class would have to participate in a show and tell, where students would talk about their Christmas ... and show off some of their toys ... one year it came to be my turn and I had nothing to offer ... It had been a difficult year and my parents were not able to buy us much that Christmas ... and so I told them that I had Christ, pure and simple, for Christmas. And they all didn't believe me.As a young child I always wondered why Santa didn't deliver gifts to us the way he did the well to do Anglo kids ... Maybe he was afraid to come into the Barrio ... Maybe he just didn't like Mexicans or poor people. Larry Gilliland, a poor white friend, didn't ever seem to get much more than us ... so maybe Santa just forgot us poor folks. At least we had the homemade tortillas and tamales which Larry liked and we shared with him. When you went back to grade school after the holidays, the class would have to participate in a show and tell, where students would talk about their Christmas ... and show off some of their toys ... one year it came to be my turn and I had nothing to offer ... It had been a difficult year and my parents were not able to buy us much that Christmas ... and so I told them that I had Christ, pure and simple, for Christmas. And they all didn't believe me. Christ, pure and simple, is not always the poignant absence of material goods that a child experiences. Christ is also a presence and a present. There really is a lot at stake in Christ as king, isn't there? It is not just some night long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away when Wise Men spotted one star that was acting funny and traveled afar. No, it is about whether in the midst of these "dark streets shining with everlasting light" there is an energy that puts the ever-ready bunny to shame. So let us go over to Bethlehem, soon, and see this thing which has come to pass. Christians go back to Christmas to understand the humility and humanity of their king. We then go forward to mobilize mercy and to take risks because we are so deeply grasped and secured. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Last Third): Whose Inheritance Is It?, by Donna Schaper Today we celebrate our love for Jesus. This is Christ the King Sunday. The writer of Colossians has set the mood for our celebration with this description of Christ: "He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross." Today we talk about what Christ means in our lives. Notice the first words of our lesson. "He has rescued us from the power of darkness . . ." Some of you understand those words, don't you? You were headed down the wrong road . . . with your marriage . . . with your personal habits . . . with your attitudes, and Christ said, "About face!" And your world was transformed. "He has rescued us from the power of darkness . . ." This is a world of darkness in many ways, isn't it? There is a story in Mary Hollingsworth's book, Fireside Stories, about a man whom the author calls Rick. This is not his real name, but the story is true. Rick lives in the southern U.S. where Mary Hollingsworth and her pastor-husband were serving in the 1970s. Rick was a big, burly kind of guy who drove a cross-country truck, chewed tobacco, and hit home runs on the softball team. However, he rarely made it to church services or participated in the more spiritual aspects of church life. But some friends told Rick they needed his help putting on a play at church for Vacation Bible School. When they first asked him to get involved in the drama, Rick declined saying, "That's just not my bag." However, after some arm twisting, he reluctantly agreed. Interestingly, Rick was to play Jesus. Rick had a only a nodding acquaintance with Christ at the time. The first time Mary Hollingsworth, who had written the play, saw Rick in his Jesus costume, she almost laughed in his face because it seemed so out of character for him. Still, at that point, he appeared to be taking his job quite seriously; so she contained herself and congratulated him on his unusual interpretation of the role. When Vacation Bible School week finally arrived, Rick played his role to the hilt, yelling in his Southern accent at the money-changers to "Git outta here! . . .You cain't turn my Father's house inta a den a'thieves, ya hear? So, jist git out, and don't chew come back . . . evah!" Then he proceeded to destroy the temple by throwing over the tables of the moneychangers (he actually enjoyed this part) and tossing the crooks out into the street. It was more like a TV cop show than a Bible story . . . but the kids got the point. "As planned, twice every night for four nights Rick donned his Jesus suit and cleansed the temple of insincere people. And the children loved it! They voted this story to be one of the best of the whole week. "The best part of the story, though, came after Vacation Bible School. Somehow, acting like Jesus for several weeks had a lasting effect on Rick. He began coming to the church services a little more often. He even started coming to the midweek Bible study and staying for fellowship events. But the most powerful impact on him came from the young children at the church who, for weeks and months after VBS, would point at Rick and whisper, "Look! There's Jesus!" "Before long, the big, burly truck driver no longer chewed tobacco, drank beer, or played hooky from church. He and his wife began team teaching Sunday School classes, hosting youth activities, and leading teens on mission trips. He organized a youth softball team at the church and served as coach. And, after a few years, was chosen as a deacon to serve in the youth ministry. In short," says Mary Hollingsworth, "he stopped ACTING like Jesus and began LIVING like Jesus." (6) That can happen in a person's life. Jesus reveals God to us. He also reveals how a godly person is to live. All of this is part of why Christ came into the world. "He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God . . ." Are you still walking in darkness? Christ says to you, "About face!" Come out into the light. Come into Christ's kingdom through the forgiveness of your sin. Begin living like Jesus.

Don't get weary carrying the weight of others

November 17, 2019 2 Thessalonians 3 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 23rd Sunday After Pentecost Year C Object: A jar of dirt (and an earthworm, if available) Boys and girls: How many of you like to work? Do you do chores around the house? Do you help with the dishes? Work seems to be part of God's plan for life. Even the animals work. Beavers build their dam. Bees make honey and pollinate flowers. Squirrels hide away nuts for the winter. Birds feed their little ones. We are not the only ones in this world who work. Even a lowly earthworm works. Earthworms are kind of "yucky," aren't they? Some of you may have used worms for bait when you were fishing. Some of you may know that earthworms are necessary for more than for bait. They help make our soil richer. There may be as many as 50,000 earthworms in a acre of dirt like this. They are constantly aerating the soil. In fact if you have some fertile top soil that will grow beautiful flowers or vegetables, you can thank the lowly earthworm. Each of God's creatures seem to have a purpose. You and I have a purpose for being here. Part of the reason we come to Sunday School and worship is so that we can find out why God put us here so that we can live, as best as we are able, according to God's purpose for us. That means that someday we will work at a job. But we won't mind. Because we know that we are fulfilling God's plan. Just like the lowly earthworm. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan 2 Thessalonians 3 Common English Bible (CEB) Prayer request 3 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us so that the Lord’s message will spread quickly and be honored, just like it happened with you. 2 Pray too that we will be rescued from inappropriate and evil people since everyone that we meet won’t respond with faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one. 4 We are confident about you in the Lord—that you are doing and will keep doing what we tell you to do. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts to express God’s love and Christ’s endurance. Discipline for the undisciplined 6 Brothers and sisters, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from every brother or sister who lives an undisciplined life that is not in line with the traditions that you received from us. 7 You yourselves know how you need to imitate us because we were not undisciplined when we were with you. 8 We didn’t eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day with effort and hard work so that we would not impose on you. 9 We did this to give you an example to imitate, not because we didn’t have a right to insist on financial support. 10 Even when we were with you we were giving you this command: “If anyone doesn’t want to work, they shouldn’t eat.” 11 We hear that some of you are living an undisciplined life. They aren’t working, but they are meddling in other people’s business. 12 By the Lord Jesus Christ, we command and encourage such people to work quietly and put their own food on the table. 13 Brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged in doing what is right. 14 Take note of anyone who doesn’t obey what we have said in this letter. Don’t associate with them so they will be ashamed of themselves. 15 Don’t treat them like enemies, but warn them like you would do for a brother or sister. Final greeting 16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. This verifies that the letter is from me, as in every letter of mine. This is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Stewardship Moment I am so excited, because tonight channel 11 will be airing the sesame street 50th anniversary show. When I was little I loved watching sesame street. And then Mr Rogers would come on right after that. It was my routine to watch both shows, and right now Mr. Roger’s movie is out in the show. I heard yesterday that there are two types of people in the world. There are sesame street people, and there are mr rogers people. Sesame street was a bright show with lots of colors and controversial topics. There was always a lot of activity. Wheras Mr Rogers was calm, quiet peaceful. He was also finding the good in everything and teaching us to be calm and patient. Which type of person are you? Both are great positive messages, but God calls us to have a sesame street faith. An active, bright faith. A faith that prays – but also gives and works to make a difference in the world. Let us be sesame street givers – givers that give to support God in building the kingdom through the church. Sermon Every organization, club, group has some sort of organizational rules. Whenever we come together in community for a common cause, either consciously or unconsciously we decide what it is that holds us together. And we decide how we are going to relate to one another. We decide what it means to belong. We also decide who does not belong to the group. We decide who the insiders are and who the outsiders are. Who we want in the group and who will never be a part of our group. One we start to let people in, we also start to establish rules for how to get rid of people who don’t follow the rules. This happens in any community even the church. We have our rules for belonging. We have a ceremony for accepting members. We have our rules for shunning people who don’t follow the rules. When Paul speaks to the Thessalonians, he knows exactly what to say to the insiders. He establishes a clear rule for getting kicked out of the community. Whoever does not work does not eat. Wow! It is just that simple. Whoever does not work on behalf of the church should not benefit from the churches efforts. When we hear that with modern ears, it seems a little cliquish. Arent we suppose to welcome anyone? Arent we supposed to be accepting of all people. It seems strange to say that there is something that someone could do to be kicked out of the church. In reality – Paul was just expressing a feeling that has existed for thousands of years, and it present in countless other places in the bible. The old testament speaks very clearly of who belongs in community and who does not. And there are very clear rules for getting rid of people who are a danger to the community. Widows, the sick, the disabled, the foreigner, - none of those people belonged in community. And it seems that the new testament is Jesus story of how he went after each of those people to include them. And yet there is one rule of belonging to community that still sticks with us in modern times. Those who don’t contribute to the church. There are stories all throughout the old and new testament about how important it is to work hard. Hard work is expected in all areas of our community. It is important because the community is only as strong as the weakest link. Who we are as a community is determined by how much our members work to make a difference. The End Was So Near One of my friends this week reported on a TV preacher recently talking for an hour about his new book that supposedly explained everything we needed to know about the coming of Jesus and the end of time. "You must have this book," he said over and over again, a telephone number (not even toll-free) constantly flashing at the bottom of the screen. Seems that he was the only one who had prophetic insight into world events, and for a mere $14.95 we could have the benefit of his wisdom. We would not survive the coming terrors unless we had this book. A pastor called the number and suggested to the poor operator that if this preacher really thought this was so vital to the survival of the planet, and that the end was so near, he would be giving the book away! I mean, he won't need the money, right? It's all coming to an end anyway. Who needs a bank account? True, it costs money to print, but he will not have to pay for it if it goes as he says. The woman on the other end of the line was not amused. "Sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't know much about theology," to which the pastor responded, "Neither does the writer of the book you're selling." David E. Leininger, When Your Church Provokes You In Thessalonians, Paul was addressing a special issue. There were many people who has joined the church and we excited about Jesus message. But for them, they believed that the coming was right around the corner. The end of time was near. So they were all getting ready. They were ready to give up their lives, in order to leave this earth with Christ. If Christ was coming, then there was no need to work or prepare for anything. They stopped working, they stopped contributing, that stopped volunteering, because there was not need to even try. So Paul had to remind them that being a Christian was not about giving up and doing nothing, it was about doing everything. A bishop and professor of the church was asked what he was going to do if he knew Jesus was coming tomorrow. He said that he would do the same thing that he did yesterday. If he had to do work the day before, then he would just continue to work. Because when Jesus did came he wanted to be found faithful. The key is that remaining faithful through it all is the most important part of our faith. An "if" believer follows God if he receives blessings and rewards in return. He waits to see what God will do first, then decides whether or not to respond in obedience. Jacob is a good example of an "if" believer. A "because" believer follows God because God blesses and rewards him. He has seen the connection between his obedience and God's blessing, and he wants to keep it going. King David is a good example of a "because" believer. But there's a third kind of believer, said this pastor. This is the "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God no matter whether he/she ever receives any blessings or rewards in return. Job, the man whose very name is synonymous with suffering, was a "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God in spite of the circumstances, in spite of their hardships. On the day he heard that sermon, Mr. Hall devoted himself to being a "regardless" believer for the rest of his life. (2) Pastor Ron Hutchcraft suggests to us that Jesus wants us to “go M.A.D.” That’s an interesting way of putting it. Of course mad is spelled capital M period, capital A period, capital D period M.A.D. Don’t look for that in the original Greek, by the way. M.A.D. is an acrostic. When Hutchcraft says that Jesus wants us to “Go M.A.D.,” he’s saying that Jesus wants us to “go make a difference.” If you make a constructive difference in people’s lives, you won’t have time to be a busybody. In Thessalonians 3 – Paul seems to get mad in another way. By first saying that if we don’t work, we don’t get to go the church potluck. But he goes even further, his words are pretty harsh to us He goes on the say that we should ignore those people who are not carrying their fairshare of the load. He says that there are some people in the community who rather then being busy, have become busybodies. Not only are they not working, but they make a point to get into everyone else’s business and make it difficult for those who really are working. Every community is based on some type of rules and understanding. The word that Paul uses for busybody in greek is the word for the undisciplined. Those who don’t uphold the good of the order. Those who work against the church, instead of for it. An unknown author said he met the strangest man on his way to church. Here is how he described this man: “He said he believed in the Bible, but he never reads it. “He said he thought well of the church of which he is a member, but he never attends or invites others to share in its ministry. “He said a person should be honest with God in money matters, but he never tithes. “He said the younger generation needs the Lord, but he isn’t leading them in that direction. “He said the church needs dedicated Christian members, but he isn’t one. “He offered some ‘constructive’ criticism of some of the workers but he never works. “He said the church should do more in ministering to people, but he doesn’t help. “He is critical of the way the church is ‘run,’ but he never participates. “He says he believes in the Second Coming, but he lives as though the Lord will never return. “He says prayer will change things, but he never prays. “He was,” says this author, “a strange man, indeed!” (3) Not so strange. Their number in the church is legion. St. Paul called such people busybodies. They are busy, but not with constructive behavior. What we tend to overlook is this: the mind is always active; it is never still. It is either thinking positive thoughts or negative thoughts. A person may have an idle body, but not an idle mind. An idle brain is the devil’s playground, as the old expression goes. This is the reason why so many idle persons regardless of their age get into trouble. The trouble can range all the way from becoming a busybody to murder. It is dangerous business to be idle. I give this sermon, not because it applies to anyone in this room, but because it reminds each of a lesson in our Christian journey. The Christian journey is always an active journey. There is always something for us to do. And Jesus calls us to be active in whatever we do. We can pray and hope and dream. But we also can work and use our hands to make a difference. A visitor in a coal mine stopped to talk to one of the miners. He told the miner how sorry he was for him, spending his time monotonously picking coal down there in those dark tunnels. The miner picked up a piece of coal and said, “I don’t think you understand. This is not just a lump of coal. This is light and heat and power. Perhaps it will light a city, or it may warm a home or run a train. I’m not just a miner for the company. I’m helping people I don’t even know have a better way of life.” Because of the drive for clean energy today, many miners are losing their jobs. The principle has not changed, however. If you feel like your work is making a difference in the world, it can bring you real satisfaction. If you can see a purpose higher than a pay check, it can improve your attitude toward your work. You are helping produce a product that will improve the quality of people’s lives. You are helping to keep a city running. You are educating young people for the future. I know that it can sometimes seem that we are just a cog in a great machine, but what if your job was not done? Would society be the worse off for it? Most of us can find a purpose for what we do if we try. If we cannot, we may be in the wrong place. Work allows us, first of all, to be partners with God in the provision of the world’s needs. The bottom line is that Jesus called us to stick together and to work together. Jesus changed the rules. Jesus opened to door so that the outsiders, could become insiders. And Jesus calls each of us to keep working until the door is open to everyone and everyone is a part of the church. I like Paul’s final word to us – never get tired of doing the right thing. Never get tired of making a difference, and doing the work of Christ. there is a saying that when the knight came to king Arthur’s court they were reminded that they did not come to retire but to serve. Each of us here is called to serve also. There is a Lutheran church in Philadelphia who got a donation from a former member. The daughter of the member gave them old anniversary bulletin for 75 years ago. As the pastor read the bulletin and saw all of the churches that had been attendance. On the list of 30 churches, 20 of them were now closed. This was a wake up call to the pastor, of how important it was for his church to be a survivor. Word on the street was that you went to the Lutheran church when you needed groceries, but if you wanted to experience the holy spirit you went to the Baptist church. The pastor realized how important it was for his church to realize their mission. No longer could the church run itself like a social club. No longer could they follow the rules of any other club in town, it was time for them to live into what it means to be the body of Christ. A body that no only works, but also prays, loves, and most importantly lives a disciplined life. a life of a committed follower of Christ, not a busybody. We too are called to be the body of Christ here in Wilmington – what work is there for us to do together as community. Let us pray…. Additional illustration… There's an old Chinese proverb often attributed to Confucius. It goes like this: If you would be happy for one hour, take a nap. If you would be happy for one day, go fishing. If you would be happy for one week, kill your pig and eat it. If you would be happy for one month, get married. If you would be happy for one year, inherit a fortune. If you would be happy for life, love your work.

Death is a part of Life

November 3, 2019 Ephesians 1:11-23 Death is a Part of Life All Saint’s Sunday Year C Children’s Sermon Children’s Sermon Good morning. Today is a special day in our church. Of course, every day is special when we can be together. But some days are more special than others. Today’s special day is called All Saints Day. Can you say that with me? All Saints Day. Did you know that you are a saint? A saint, in the Bible, is what people in the church called each other. “I am a saint, you are a saint, we are all saints together.” Saints in the Bible are those who seek to follow Jesus. So, you see, I think you must be a saint because I know you try to follow Jesus: loving God, neighbor, and even your enemies. But sometimes you will hear somebody called “Saint So and So.” Or maybe you have friends who go to St. Matthew’s Church. It is named after one of Jesus’ disciples named Matthew. Sometimes famous people who did wonderful things get called saints. And sometimes at church, you might hear someone talk about someone who died. They might say, “He was a real saint.” This is a way of remembering someone that we really liked who followed Jesus. Today we are remembering some saints in our church. We are remembering people who died in the last year. Did you ever know anyone who has died? When someone dies we usually feel sad. And we might cry because we loved them. Because they were saints, because they tried to follow Jesus and helped us to follow Jesus, we do things to honor them. And today, we will remember them by reading their names in worship. I give thanks every week for the ways you show me how to follow Jesus. You are Jesus’ saints. Yes, children are Jesus’ saints, and Jesus knew you would be and he told adults, “become like children to enter God’s kingdom.” Saint Children, Stewardship Moment This morning we are reminded of the sacredness of life. God is all around us. Everything about life is special because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can see God’s presence in so many ways. In our family and friends, in the life that we live, in our priorities. Being a child of God is a wonderful privilege given to us, but it also gives us great power. The power to make a difference, the power to make the world a better place, the power to give and let God’s presence be known to others. This morning, during our time of giving let us feel the presence of the holy Spirit and all that the Spirit does to spread love. We have the power to be a part of that in giving what we have in love. Scritpure Ephesians 1:11-23 Common English Bible (CEB) 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. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians 15 Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that 16 I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, 19 and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength. 20 God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, 21 far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. 22 God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, 23 which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Jack defeats death One day Jack was about to go to work, before leaving he looked in on his mom. She did not look so well. Her color was off, she had not gotten out of the bed yet, and she was not very responsive when Jack talked with her. Even so, so encouraged Jack to go on with her day. She would be fine, just go on she encouraged. Reluctantly, Jack walked out of the door, down the sidewalk and out onto the street. But he noticed that there was a man, dressed in black from head to toe, with a black cape covering his face so you couldn’t see his face. And a sickle in his hand. Jack turned around to look at this strangely dressed man. He noticed that the man was heading up the driveway of his house. So Jack yelled at the man, can I help you. The man responded no thank you, I just have some business to take care of. You have some business headed that way? Jack asked. Yep said the man. No, I don’t think you have any business in this house, so you need to go on about your business. I am sorry but I cant do that said the man, I have my instructions and I have to follow them. Realizing now who this man was, Jack jumped in front of him and said I am sorry but I cant let you go into that house. As a matter of fact, Jack reached out and bopped death in the nose. Death was a little taken off guard and did not fight Jack back. Jack just kept hitting death and bopping him. Every time Jack hit, death got a little smaller and smaller. Once death was smaller even then a peanut, Jack looked around the ground and found a acorn with a hole it in. He smashed death into to acorn and ran to the beach and threw the acorn into the ocean. At last, he had victory over death, he had won the fight, and put death far away. Jack decided that he would go check on his mom to see if she was okay. And sure enough, she was up , she looked better than she had in years, her hair was done and she even had on one of the best dresses the she owned. She said that she had the energy that she had as a teenager. Her color was in her cheeks, she was really happy. She told Jack that she wanted to cook him a good lunch since he was home. She went into the kitchen to cut up some carrots, but she noticed that everytime she cut the carrot, she could cut it, it would just bounce off of the cutting board. Never mind, she would cut up some potatoes - the same thing happened. She couldn’t cut into it. By this time Jack comes into the kitchen to make sure everything is okay. Mom responds, I am having a little trouble with the vegetables, but that is okay because we need some meat. She asked Jack to go to the butcher to get some pork chops. Jack goes into town, but he notices that everyone is walking around aimlessly. He goes to the butcher shop and asks for some pork chops. But butcher tells him that he cant give him any pork chops, he could kill the pig this morning. Jack says that okay, them give me beef, the butcher shakes his head, I cant do it. What about chicken, the butcher shakes his head again. As Jack walks home he notices everyone is just walking along, everyone seems to be upset, no one can prepare anything to eat. They cant kill nothing and wont nothing die. Jack wonders what he is going to tell his mom about the meat. When he gets home he tells his mom what happens at the butcher shop, and how everyone in town is in a total panic. He also tells her- I think I know what is going on. You see, this morning I got into a fight with death. I beat death and through him into the sea. You beat death – why would you pick a fight with death – because he was at your doorstep – and you didn’t look so good this morning, so I needed to get rid of him, so that you would be okay. His mom puts her hand on her head, o my God Jack, what have you done. You cant get rid of death, death is a part of life. In order for things to live, some things have to die – that is just the will of God. how are we supposed to eat lunch if we cant get kill anything. Leave it up to my son to not only ruin lunch, but to upset the whole order of life. She looks at Jack and tells him that he has to go and make this right. How I am supposed to make this right. Death is in an acorn at the bottom of the ocean, I will never find him. Jack, I don’t know what you are going to do, but you better get out of this house right now – and do something. Jack walks out of the house, and walks to the beach and just staring at the ocean, totally at a loss of what to do. All of a sudden the tide blows in, and an acorn washes up on shore. Jack cracks the acorn open, in sure enough there is death, still smaller then a penny. Jack has to take death and stretch him out. He pulls him left and right until he is back the size of a man. He gives death back his black robe and his sickle. Death thanks Jack for restoring him, and he looks at his watch as says that he still have a busy schedule. But he turns to Jack and says, since you now seem to understand the concept of death, I wont be going to your house today. But you need to understand that when the time comes I will be back for her, and the next time she has to go with me. Jack said that he understood. When he got home, lunch was ready for him. He treasured each moment that he had with his mom. Until many years later his mom passed away. Jack is a popular character in English folktales. Jack represents the ordinary guy – he is not the smartest person in life, but he not the dumbest. He is not a good person, but he is not necessarily the worst person. He doesn’t go to church, so sometimes he has to learn his lessons the hard way. In the earlier centuries, people used to carve out turnips, and put a candle in it in order so that when Jack got lost, he would see the light and have a safe place to sleep at night. He would sleep in the turnip – today in America – people carve out pumpkins and call them Jack o Lanterns. Jack never did really come to terms with death – that is why he is roaming the earth still looking for a safe place to sleep at night – but that is a story for another time and another place. Not a story for today In many ways – we all struggle with death. And all of us would do all that we can to save our loved ones from death. And when it affects those that we care about, it is harder for us to accept death as a part of life. but Ephesians gives us a word of hope in the midst of our grief. Because it reminds us that in the presence of the holy Spirit, death is not the final word. Redemption and resurrection is the final word, since Christ came into our world. We share in the inheritance of Christ of eternal life with God. The presence of the holy spirit in this life is sort of a down payment in the joy to come. Joy of truly being in the presence of God, where there is no sorrow, no death. Only love, light and hope. As we stand today – we stand in the presence of all who came before us, all that is to come. The doors of heaven are open – just to give a glimpse of better days. Let us pray…..

Hope in the Midst of Darkness

October 27, 2019 Joel 2:23-32 Hope in the midst of Darkness 20th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Children’s sermon: Who knows what they want to be when they grow up. Have hopes for the future. Everything starts in life with a dream, a hope. Living with that hope helps us inspires us. Dreams- do all we can to make dreams come true – your future is our future. What does the future look like and what do today to make it happen…. Stewardship moment: If you could make the world a better place to live, what would you do? If you could make this town a better place what would you do? If you could make this community the perfect place to be- where everyone would be happy with life what would you do? Our theme for today is visions and dreams. Visions of a better time. God has a dream to fulfiil, but so do we. We come together to dream of a better world, to have hope that it is not just a dream – if we work together to make it a reality. Dream of an open community all feel welcome all touched, all healed, all return to be a part. Chances in prayer, praise in fellowship in working toward that. Also have a chance to give of our hearts, to know that God shares our concerns shares our dreams. WOrk together and give together – live in that vision, power to spread in our giving. Joel 2:23-32 Common English Bible (CEB) 23 Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the LORD your God, because he will give you the early rain as a sign of righteousness; he will pour down abundant rain for you, the early and the late rain, as before.[a] 24 The threshing floors will be full of grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. 25 I will repay you for the years that the cutting locust, the swarming locust, the hopping locust, and the devouring locust have eaten— my great army, which I sent against you. 26 You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has done wonders for you; and my people will never again be put to shame. 27 You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God—no other exists; never again will my people be put to shame. 28 After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days, I will also pour out my spirit on the male and female slaves. 30 I will give signs in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 32 But everyone who calls on the LORD’s name will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be security, as the LORD has promised; and in Jerusalem, the LORD will summon those who survive. Footnotes: a. Joel 2:23 Or at the first Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible If you were to ask me, I am always going to say that summer is my favorite time of year. I love the hot weather, the bright sunshine, the long hours of the day. Life is always better for me in the summertime. I am a late summer baby, so that is when life is good. But I gotta say that there is something magical about the fall. Every year, my spirit looks forward to the cooler weather, the changing of the leaves, the wind blowing and signaling that things are about to change. Yesterday, was an absolutely glorious day, as I watched the wind blow and the autumn rain fall. It is days like that that tell my spirit that it is time to get ready for a change. Officially it is the time of year, that when I come home from work or errands, I can just relax and put on my pajamas. Because I am in for the day- I am not coming back out. It is the time of year where you switch from outdoor activities to inside. Where you stop eating the light salads and get ready for soup. Where you switch from summer clothes to socks and shoes and sweaters. Autumn is just a magical season. I can see why the prophet Joel would speak of the presence of God as Autumn rain. Traditionally, the wind and the rain are sure signs of God’s presence. We don’t know much about who Joel was. It was thought that he must have been a priest in the temple. We do know that he was speaking to an agricultural people, who thought of all of life according to the planting season. That paid attention to the messages of the wind and the rain. Being that this is a warm climate, they had two planting seasons. One in the spring, with a big harvest in the fall. Also one in the fall. They always welcomed the autumn rain, because it helped the crops grow. They were very aware that each season was different. That each season bought challenges, and that some challenges were harder than others. This last season had been particularly difficult. As a matter of fact, difficult only scratched the surface of what this season was for them. The locust came out of the middle of nowhere and just ate everything. They ate all of the crops in the field before they could even grow. They came into the houses and the businesses, they were in the streets, they were relentless and took everything. Not only was this a personal loss for the farmers and their families, it was a loss for the whole community. As a people they had lost everything. Many had stopped going to the temple to pray a long time ago. But after this, that is all that they could do, was gather, pray, reach out to others, and to look together as a community about what to do next. How to make meaning of this, and to move forward. There is a saying, that what does not kill you – will make you stronger. It is supposed to be a positive statement of growth. Unless you are actually in a situation, where you have lost everything and you are not so sure that you are going to survive the devastation. Locust can come to us in many ways in family issues, in health issues, in financial issues, in relationship issues, in the lives of our children. And the locust can take everything. When Frank and Karen got home from their Bible study at church, there were two messages waiting for them on their telephone answering machine. Both messages were bad news. One call was from Ted, one of Frank's friends at work. Ted had received tragic news about a death. The other call was from Paula, one of Karen's friends from her aerobics class. Paula had received tragic news from her doctor. Neither Ted nor Paula were actively involved in a church. In the past, Frank had invited Ted to church and Bible study, and Karen had invited Paula, but both Ted and Paula had declined the invitations. Neither of them thought about God very much -- at least, not until tonight. Now, God was suddenly very much on both Ted's and Paula's minds. Neither of them knew of a pastor to call, so Ted had called Frank and Paula had called Karen. Both phone calls were desperate pleas for help. Ted's message was first. "Frank, this is Ted from the office. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but my wife and I got a phone call this evening." Ted's voice began to break up. "Our son, who lives in Germany, was killed in a car wreck." There was a long pause before he could continue. "I just don't know what to do. I don't know what to think." There was another pause and the sound of muffled sobs. Ted continued, "Frank, I know you are always reading the Bible and all that. I thought maybe I could talk to you. I hope it's okay for me to be calling you like this, Frank, I just don't know what's happening. Why would God let something like this happen? What is God doing?" There was another pause while Ted tried to collect himself. "I guess I've changed my mind about reading the Bible with you. If you could come over for a little bit, I'd sure appreciate it. We couldn't get a flight until tomorrow morning, so I'll be at home all night. If you can, please bring your Bible and come over." There was a beep and Paula's message followed on the tape. She was sobbing. "Karen, this is Paula. Oh God, I wish you were there. I hate talking to these machines. Karen, I really need to talk to you. I didn't tell you yesterday at class, but my doctor was running some tests on me because she suspected a problem." Paula began to sob harder. "Karen, I just found out that I've got bone cancer. It's bad." There was a pause while Paula tried to collect herself. "I didn't know who else to call. I'm so scared. I need some help here, Karen. I know we don't really know each other that well, but you're the only person I know who even talks about God. Karen, I don't know what's going on. Why is this happening to me? What is God doing?" Paula took a deep breath. "I really hate these machines. God, I wish you were there. Please call me when you get in. Better yet, come over if you can. Please." Both Frank and Karen picked up their Bibles again and headed back out the door. It was a bad time for each of their friends. With Bibles in hand, Frank and Karen set out in different directions to try to answer the same question. In the midst of their respective suffering and confusion, both Ted and Paula had asked the same question: "What is God doing?" When Frank reached Ted's house, Ted was alone. His wife had gone over to her sister's house. The two men sat at the kitchen table to talk. After they had talked for a while, Ted looked down at Frank's Bible lying on the table. Ted knew that Frank had been to his Bible study that evening. He asked Frank, "What did you study about tonight?" Then, he added with a hopeful tone, "Was it anything that applies to me?" Frank said, "Our church group has been studying the Old Testament prophets. This evening we looked at the book of Joel." Frank gazed down at the Bible in front of him and thought for a moment. Then, looking up at Ted, he said, "Joel is probably a good book for you right now. It talks about why bad things happen and what God wants people to do." Ted listened as Frank described the events recorded by the prophet Joel. Frank explained that there was a terrible plague of locusts that swept across the land of Israel. The locusts came in wave after wave after wave. All the crops were destroyed and the people had nothing to eat. They were devastated. It was a very bad time for them. The prophet told the people that the terrible thing that had happened was not just a coincidence. The locusts were God's army and they were sent because the people were not worshipping properly. They had turned away from God. The prophet told the elders and all the inhabitants of the land that they must fast and cry out to God. The prophet said, "Return to the Lord, your God." The people listened to what the prophet was telling them and they prayed to God. God then answered their prayer and blessed them. Frank looked at Ted and said, "Think of your son's death like the locust plague. Even though it is devastating, you can see that, in a way, it is a good thing. God is using it as a way to get your attention -- a way of letting you know that you have not been worshipping properly. Just like in the book of Joel, God is giving you a message. It's the same message: 'Return to the Lord, your God.' You wanted to know what God is doing. That is what God is doing." Frank was just about to ask Ted if he wanted to pray, but he saw that Ted was standing up. As Frank looked, he saw that Ted was trembling. Frank could not tell if he was trembling with anger or illness. Actually, it was a combination. Ted spoke slowly in a very restrained voice, "Frank, I know I asked you to come over here, but now I am going to have to ask you to leave. I cannot listen to any more of this. You're telling me that the Bible says God intentionally took my son's life in order to punish me? If I were to believe that what you are saying is true, I would die myself from despair. But before I did, I would use my last breath to curse a God who would do such a thing! Please go now. Please leave and take your Bible and your God with you!" When Frank had gone, Ted sat at the table with his head in his hands. He cried long into the night. He felt so alone in his pain. There was an aching emptiness deep within him. He had hoped that somewhere there was a God who could fill that emptiness. Ted knew now that that would never happen. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Karen arrived at Paula's house. Paula was also alone. She was divorced and had no children. At first, Karen just held her friend and let her cry. Eventually Paula stopped crying and the two women went into the kitchen and made some coffee. As they sat at the kitchen table, Paula looked at Karen and said, "Please tell me. What is God doing?" Karen had, of course, attended the same Bible study that evening as her husband. Like Frank, Karen's mind jumped immediately to the book of Joel. After thinking for a moment, Karen, just as her husband Frank had done with Ted, decided that the message from the prophet Joel was a good way to explain to her devastated friend what God was doing. Karen opened her Bible. She told Paula that the prophet begins by describing a great plague of locusts. Karen said that the reason for beginning with the devastation of the locusts and famine was to show that no matter how great a problem is, God is greater still. Karen and Paula began to read together at the verse in Joel that begins today's Old Testament lesson. In the midst of the devastation that has passed through the land, God tells the people to "be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God" (2:23). Karen said there was reason to rejoice because of the promises that God made to the people. First, God promised that there would be plenty of rain so that "the threshing floors would be full of grain," and the vats for the wine and oil would "overflow" (2:24). Before, the locusts had been eating everything. Now the focus is on the people eating from the abundance of what God will provide. God promises to meet the people's needs in the midst of their devastation. Karen read the next verse. God says, "I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (2:25). Karen remembered what she had learned in the Bible study earlier that night. Karen explained to Paula how, in Hebrew, the word for "repay" used here also has the meaning of "healing" or "making whole." God is sensitive to the total loss that the people have experienced. God knows that the ordeal has left psychological scars far deeper than only the direct effects of the famine. There is a God who thoroughly understands people's pain. The two women continued reading. God says, "I will pour my spirit on all flesh" (2:28). Karen explained that before this time God's spirit had only come to a select few -- special leaders and some prophets. Moses had said that he wished "that all the Lord's people were prophets, and the Lord would put his spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29). Now it was happening, everyone received the spirit -- old and young, the men and the women, the slaves and the free. Karen looked up at Paula and said, "Actually, God was talking only about the Hebrew people. It was their sons and their daughters referred to here. But later on, on the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes these very verses as the spirit of Christ was poured out on all people indiscriminately." Karen smiled at her friend, "You and I are included in this." Karen said, "The same God who made all these promises to a people who were in the middle of a very bad time, is the same God who is with you now in your pain and suffering. God is in the midst of those who suffer. God promises not to leave you alone." After they had talked a bit more, Karen gave Paula another hug and went home. Even after Karen had gone, Paula found herself crying softly to herself. Her tears were different than the tears that Ted was crying across town. Paula's tears were tears of joy. She was still afraid, but she no longer felt so alone. Deep within her an empty space had been filled by a gracious, loving and understanding God. It was a God she had met in the book of Joel. Obviously Karen's visit had a happier ending than Frank's, but who was right? Both Ted and Paula had a devastating thing happen to them. They each asked what God was doing. Were they, as Frank had suggested, receiving God's punishment for what they had done? Or were they, as Karen had suggested, receiving God's presence for what they were going through? Both Frank and Karen were basing their statements on scripture. In fact, they were quoting from the same book. Who was right? The lesson for us, is that no matter how dark things get in our life, and things can get pretty dark. God cares about us. God has no intention for death to be the final word in our life. Lessons like this in the Hebrew bible, have an important message for us as Christians. Life is hard, dark days come. Devastation comes. Sometimes the problems are beyond our control, sometimes they are the consequences of our own actions. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. But hope is only for those who intend to survive until tomorrow. The last words of this scripture say – The Lord will call on those who survive. Jeremiah is even more explicit- that not everyone will understand or get through the tribulation. Only a remnmant will remaing faithful, and that God will move the nation through that remnant. God’s word of hope is for those who stand strong and survive to see the rain, take away the devastation. For those who stand strong – the spirit will come and truly make a difference. The rain will pour out on all flesh – the young, old, male female. Through visions, dreams and prophecy will see hope turn into reality. The visions are about a collective hope. For us who gather and look to God – God has only one word – redemption. Things get better when we work together on fulfilling God’s dream. From Old testament times to now, as history unfolds – we can see God bringing us back to a relationship with him. The old testament always speaks of a future where they will be no more tribulations – if we are faithful we will see that day, but hope starts today in our present situation. The story continues with Jesus coming into the world and teaching us more. But it comes today. With the coming of the autumn rain – bringing our attention to God’s presence in our lives and in our situations. It continues in our dreams. Business executive Robert E. Greenleaf in his provocative book, Servant Leadership, has a lot to say about goal-setting. He is convinced that the church cannot grow and flourish unless it is caught up in an all-consuming purpose. A growing-edge church constantly looks ahead to the future. In his own words: “Someone in the church must paint the dream. For anything to happen there must be a dream. And for anything great to happen there must be a great dream.”4 Who is going to paint the dream in your church? A pastor known for his pulpit prayers always found something to thank God for, even in troubled times. On one dark stormy day when he had experienced some personal tragedy in his own life, his members said: "Surely the Pastor will have nothing to thank God for on a morning like this." But as the preacher began his prayer, he said: "Lord, we know that this is a dreary morning. But, Lord, let us learn from our troubles and be reminded that it has not always been like this. You have given us days of sunshine. And we have enough faith to thank you ahead of time that it will not always be like this in the future. By your grace we believe that there is a bright side somewhere and the sun will shine again. We believe that new life is possible and you have the future in your hand. We believe your grace has brought us safe thus far, and we believe your grace will lead us home." Our prayer is our dream…let us pray… Amen.

God of the Living

November 9, 2019 God of the Living Luke 20:27-38 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Year C Children’s Time Show pictures of heaven, which is you view of heaven. Heaven is somewhere beyond what we can understand. But it is also the place where God lives and we see God clearly. God is with us right here, but we don’t always realize it. Luke 20:27-38 Common English Bible (CEB) Question about the resurrection 27 Some Sadducees, who deny that there’s a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.[a] 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first man married a woman and then died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third brother married her. Eventually all seven married her, and they all died without leaving any children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her.” 34 Jesus said to them, “People who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy to participate in that age, that is, in the age of the resurrection from the dead, won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. 36 They can no longer die, because they are like angels and are God’s children since they share in the resurrection. 37 Even Moses demonstrated that the dead are raised—in the passage about the burning bush, when he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.[b] 38 He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. To him they are all alive.” Footnotes: a. Luke 20:28 Deut 25:5; Gen 38:8 b. Luke 20:37 Exod 3:6, 15-16 Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Offertory Prayers Note: The prayers relate to lectionary texts selected for use in Discipleship Ministries’ worship resources. All November 2019 prayers connect with the “Abiding in the Reign” Series. November 3, 2019 – Twenty First Sunday After Pentecost God of redemption and reconciliation, we come to you this morning, hoping for a peek at the Divine in our lives. We are reminded that, like Zacchaeus, Jesus calls to us across the divide of our failures and offenses, beckoning us back into the family. While there is no price set on this reconnection, when we accept that reality, we cannot contain an outburst of generosity. May our gifts be used to right wrongs and to draw others to the life-transforming love of Jesus. In his holy name, we pray. Amen. Luke 19:1-10 November 10, 2019 – Twenty Second Sunday After Pentecost God of all time and space, we bring our gifts to your altar, knowing your presence with us transcends our time on earth. You are the God of the living, right here and in your heavenly kingdom. As we give, we pray that our gifts will be used for compassion, justice, and reconciliation. We pray that we might see a glimpse of your heavenly kingdom right here in our earthly days. We pray this in the name of Christ, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. Luke 20:27-38 If you could ask Jesus any question what would it be. I am sure that we all have a lot of questions. One of the major questions that we all seem to have are about the afterlife. Is there really life after death? What is heaven like? Is there a chance that any of us will ever get there. No matter how long we have been in the church, we all have these questions. It seems that Jesus spent most of his ministry trying to explain heaven to us. We still don’t really know what heaven will be. The best Jesus could explain to us is what heaven will be like. And is still does not make sense to us. I think that what we do know is that heaven is a good place, a happy place where God is. Heaven and Earth There are a lot question the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. But I think one reason is illustrated by the story of a boy sitting down to a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when his eyes are on that cake. And if the lord had explained everything to us about what's ours to come, I think we'd have a rough time with our spinach down here. Michael Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Baker, 1993, p.184. I don’t want to keep us long, so I am going to try to keep this short and not tell a lot of stories. This is one time where the story that Jesus tells it all. Jesus has started to ruffle some feathers, and those in charge are not only taking notice. They are getting irritated. The Sadducees were a group of priest who believed strictly in the written scriptures. They did not believe in the resurrection – because Moses never spoke of the resurrection. They did not believe in life after death. And Jesus did. So they challenged him with a question of what happens if a woman marries seven times, when she sees all seven husbands in heaven, who will be connect with? Seems like a logical question, But it was not a question at all, it was a trap to get a reason to attack Jesus. The good news is that during this time of confrontation, Jesus always won the argument, he understood enough to get out of trouble – and they killed him anyway. The saducees were sad you see – because they only believed in what was in what made sense to them. They only wanted to hear what made sense to them. When they asked Jesus a question, they already had an answer in mind. Jesus crime - trying to take them beyond their present understanding. Heaven is a place that is somewhere beyond what is already here. Somewhere just beyond our reach, beyond our comprehension, beyond what we can see right now. Personally, the concept of heaven has always been a little boring to me. When I think of heaven I think of being stuck in church all day and all night. With people who never do anything wrong and who sing church songs all day. Not my idea of a good time. I didn’t have very imaginative Sunday school teachers growing up. But Jesus explains heaven as the place where the presence of God is with us all of the time, and all of the things that we struggled with in life will melt away, all of the questions we wanted to ask will be answered. Heaven is the place where God lives. What about you- what does heaven look like to you? Is that a place that you want to go someday? How much are you willing to change in order to get there? Most of us are just as sad as the saducees – we are not willing to change, we want things to stay the same. When we ask questions of Jesus – we too have already made up our mind of what the answer is. The lesson that Jesus is teaching us God is the God of the living and not the dead. When we are not open to what is beyond our understanding, then we are dead in spirit, even if we are living in the body. What Can We Do to Be Partners with God in Mission? At a church-growth workshop the leader, Bill Easum, who himself grew a church from 29 members to over 2,400 members, said that too often the questions churches ask themselves are questions that are motivated by a desire to maintain whatever is comfortable. That's why some wag has said that the seven last words of the church are "We've never done it that way before." Bill Easum spoke of the three greatest sins of the church, and one of them was, "We're more in love with our traditions than we are with our missions." If we are intent on preserving the patterns of church life we've grown comfortable with, we'll soon discover that God has moved on and left us behind. God is always out there ahead of us, leading us into the future, and if we want to be working hand in hand with God, we have to be willing to ask the right questions. Not, "What can we do to preserve what we find comfortable?" but "What can we do to be partners with God in mission?" The first question leads to a church that is dead and declining; the second to a church that is alive and dynamic. Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company This morning we have honored those who have sacrificed so that we can have life, and we also have welcomed new members in our midst. We have a chance to welcome the living God in our midst, we can have hope that God is still speaking and we are still listening – to something beyond or understanding. The Road Stops Here Pastor Edward Markquart of Seattle tells about a poem titled, “The Midnight of March 31st.” It’s a story about a drunken truck driver. Markquart imagines this driver trucking across Eastern Washington. Finally he comes . . . in his mind . . . to the end of the highway . . . [The highway] seems to stop at the top of a hill that he can’t see over . . . it is impossible for him to imagine that the road goes on. And so he pulls off the highway and into a tavern and shouts to everyone: “People, the road stops here. The road stops here. It doesn’t go any farther. That’s impossible.” And everybody in the tavern laughs. They tell him that road goes all across Washington and even across the United States. But the drunken truck driver is convinced the road goes no farther than the hill he can’t see over. Then Markquart adds these wise words, “By analogy, many people drive out of our church and they drive up highway #99 after the funeral, and they drive into Washington Memorial Cemetery, and the road pulls right up to a grave which is carved out of the ground on the top of a hill. And many people think: the road stops here; the road stops here; there is no more; it is impossible for the road to go any farther.” But, of course, the road does go farther. Death is not the end of the journey. There is more beyond. A healthy approach to death is to deal with it as a time of transition. Death is but a journey from this world to the next. May we all have to strength to follow that road – the road that leads us to heaven. Amen. Additional illustrations…….. A Theological Curveball A certain minister has made it a policy for many years to refer "six-year-old theology questions" to his wife. Since she has taught very young children for many years, he says, she has a much better grasp than he does of how to address the questions which little kids ask. The other day, a first-grader brought a drawing of a skeleton into class where she teaches English as a second language. The titled across the top of the drawing read "Inside of Me." It was designed to teach children that everyone has a skeleton inside of them. He unfolded it proudly and showed it to the class. One little girl from India was astounded at the thought that she and others had this scary-looking skeleton inside them, and so she pressed the issue a bit farther. "Even you got one of these inside you, Mrs. K?" The teacher replied, "Yes, I have one, too." The next question was the theological one. "Even God got one inside him?" Now in a class made up of children from many different countries, cultures, and religious backgrounds (most of them not Christians), you can imagine that this question had the potential for major theological debate. I doubt if I'd have had the presence of mind to give the answer the teacher did; but, as usual, her expertise in six-year-old theology saved the day. "If God needs a skeleton, I'm sure he has one," she replied. "God has everything he needs." This apparently satisfied the theological curiosity of the class, and they got on with the lesson. Asking questions is an essential part of learning. If we don't know something, we look for someone who does and we ask. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. We learn by asking questions about what we don't know. Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company Heaven Dr. W. A. Criswell, the beloved pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, was once asked, "Will we know each other when we get to heaven?" His answer, "We won't really know each other UNTIL we get to heaven." Michael Green, Illustrations For Biblical Preaching, Baker, 1993, p.184. Philosophers and Pessimists When it comes to talking about the hereafter, I like the words of St Paul: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him." Resurrection is not some natural right that we are given. It is a remarkable gift from the grace of God. Gratis! Some Greek philosophers believed that we are, by nature, immortal spirits. The human body and life on earth are but crude prisons that we endure like caged eagles. For them immortality is our right, which is restored at death as we escape to our true element. Pessimists on the other hand said we die like any animal and that is it. Look at Ecclesiastes and you will find this emphatic despair. But Christianity said two things: To the pessimists Christianity answers: "No! You are wrong. There is a gift of life after death." Death does not snuff out the candle of our soul. To the Greeks: "No you are wrong. The body is not a cage; it is a good gift to be used in this life. Death is real to be sure but it is not an escape, a loophole by which we escape the sentence of living on earth. God gives us the gift of life: Earthly life and Resurrection life: Both are Gift! Both are Grace!" Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Australian Pastor Bruce Prewer. Love the Questions Remember Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet? An aspiring poet from America wrote the famous poet Rilke in Germany with questions about his art. In one of his replies, Rilke writes, “Love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language….Live the questions now. Perhaps then someday far in the future, you will gradually...live your way into the answer.” Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, translated M. D. Hurter Norton, W. Norton and Company, Revised 1954, 1962 King Duncan, adapting Josephine Young Case’s At Midnight on the 31st of March, an out-of-print title published in 1990 by Syracuse University Press (originally published by Houghton Mifflin, 1938)