Can These Bones Live?

March 29, 2020 Fifth Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14 Do these old bones have life? Year A Children’s Sermon Object: A bone Boys and girls, have you ever sung the little song: "The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the shin bone...now hear the word of the Lord." That little spiritual comes from our lesson from the Bible for today. I brought a bone with me this morning (show bone). Did any of you bring a bone with you? Of course you did. You brought all kinds of bones just under your skin, didn't you? You brought your hand bones, and your ankle bones and your foot bones. You don't go anywhere without your bones, do you? I'm glad for my bones. We would be in trouble if we didn't have bones, wouldn't we? We wouldn't be able to sit up or walk and all kinds of things. I'm glad for my bones. But I'm also glad for my skin and muscles that cover my bones. But, you know what's even more amazing than skin or bones or muscle? It is the gift of life. My bones are part of my living body, and I am up here sitting with you and you are here and smiling and beautiful and it all happened because there is a loving God who gives us the gift of life. That's what the story about the dry bones is really all about. It's not about bones but about the God who gives life to bones and muscles. I'm glad God loves us enough to give us the gift of life and in return I'm going to make my life the best life of which I'm capable just to show Him how grateful I am. That's a good idea for all of us. Take these bones God has given us and use them to his glory. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Prelude Opening Prayer Scripture Ezekiel 37:1-14 Common English Bible (CEB) Valley of dry bones 37 The LORD’s power overcame me, and while I was in the LORD’s spirit, he led me out and set me down in the middle of a certain valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me through them all around, and I saw that there were a great many of them on the valley floor, and they were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Human one, can these bones live again?” I said, “LORD God, only you know.” 4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Dry bones, hear the LORD’s word! 5 The LORD God proclaims to these bones: I am about to put breath in you, and you will live again. 6 I will put sinews on you, place flesh on you, and cover you with skin. When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the LORD.” 7 I prophesied just as I was commanded. There was a great noise as I was prophesying, then a great quaking, and the bones came together, bone by bone. 8 When I looked, suddenly there were sinews on them. The flesh appeared, and then they were covered over with skin. But there was still no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The LORD God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live.” 10 I prophesied just as he commanded me. When the breath entered them, they came to life and stood on their feet, an extraordinarily large company. 11 He said to me, “Human one, these bones are the entire house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely finished.’ 12 So now, prophesy and say to them, The LORD God proclaims: I’m opening your graves! I will raise you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to Israel’s fertile land. 13 You will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my people. 14 I will put my breath[a] in you, and you will live. I will plant you on your fertile land, and you will know that I am the LORD. I’ve spoken, and I will do it. This is what the LORD says.” Footnotes: a. Ezekiel 37:14 Or spirit Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon I just watched the daily news conference of the governor, and every day he tells the number of corona virus cases in Illinois and the number of deaths. Today there were 17more deaths. There is a total of 3491 cases in Illinois and a total of 47 deaths. Will County has the 4th most deaths in the state with 110 cases and 4 deaths. The 110 cases have been reported from every area of the county. This lent has truly been a valley of the shadow of death season. Every day I listen to a meditation from a spiritual leader that I admire, and every day she says a prayer for the souls who for whatever reason are departing their earthly bodies. That is an astonishing thought to think about. Last week I didn’t to talk about the events of our world. But this week it is appropriate. This week, the fifth Sunday of lent is the week before holy week begins. I have no choice but to talk about death. The gospel lesson for today is about Jesus journey to his death in Jerusalem. He stops by a friend’s house only to discover that he has died. Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. This week however, I chose to focus on Ezekiel 37. This is one of the most dramatic messages in the bible. It also has a very timely message for us. I think that this is one of the most important lessons in all of history. Every generation in history seems to have had that moment of challenge. This is not the first time in history that church has been cancelled in order to keep people safe. In 1918, when there was the flu pandemic, church services were cancelled. In history there has been pandemics, wars, economic crashes that have challenged our whole society. I feel like I have seen all of those challenges just in my lifetime, and this may not be the last challenge to our way of life. The challenge in Ezekiel’s time was the exile of the Babylonians. His people had been defeated, they were forced to abandon their lives and to walk away and live for generations in a foreign land. The experience challenged them to the core. But have you ever noticed that sometimes it is the aftermath that is the biggest challenge? When you are going through a crisis, your adrenaline has a way of helping you to survive. You are not thinking of processing life, you are just doing what you have to do to survive. It is only after everything is over, that you look around and your realize that you are 100 miles away from where you want to be and that the only means of transportation is one step at a time. And you ask what do you do now to get back home. That is probably where Ezekiel was, when he dreamed that he was in the valley of the shadow of death, surrounded by human bones that had laid out in the sun for so long they were dry. I have listened with interest as survivors of corona virus speak of their condition. I was really touched as one man said that he got so sick that he just knew that he was going to die. He went to the hospital and waited to die, but the thing is, he didn’t die. He just had to live with the pain, he was still sick he was still here. Sometimes the road to recovery is harder than death. You are living, but your spirit is dead. The vision that Ezekiel has about the shadow of death – is more about the death of the spirit of his people. His people are alive but they have no hope. The community that they knew is dead. I have seen several pictures of Chicago this last week, of the structures, but no people. Frequently I come here to the church at night to pray over the seats in the sanctuary, over the hallways, over the rooms. I pray for the future of the ministry that will take place in each place. I said those same prayers last night, but this time it was different. As I looked at the empty seats, I got an eerie fear. What if the seats are never filled again? What if the church cannot recover from this shut down? What if there is no real future beyond all of this. The fear came from not having any answers. Ezekiel stood in the middle of a dream, and he too did not have the answers. His community had lost hope and felt they had no future. So, he asks God a question - can these old dead bones really live. He goes into a full conversation with God. God says you know the answer. Ezekiel knows that the answer is no. I want us to pause for a moment and put ourselves in that conversation with God for a moment. As we deal with the loss of life, with the loss of wellbeing, with the loss of income, with the loss of special moments that we will never recover. We can’t help but to ask God will these bones live? And we come to the stark reality that only God knows. We have no resources to solve our own problems. We can only look to God for the answers. This lent is our valley in the shadow of death moment. It is only is the valley of the shadow of death that we have the strength to be honest with God and to ask – Can these bones live? God gives Ezekiel an interesting answer. He tells Ezekiel to go back and to prophesy to the people. God says I am going to open up that grace, I am going to raise you up and take you home. Home can mean a lot of things – it can be a place, it can be a situation, it can be a feeling. Home is always restoration to wholeness and peace. Only God can move us from the valley of the shadow of death to wholeness and peace. He does that by giving us words of hope. Dr. Bernie Siegel in a wonderful book, “Love, Medicine and Miracle”, told of a man who was very ill with cancer. He was given a new medicine for which his doctors had high hopes. Sure enough, the man went into remission, returned home and spent the next month recovering. He did such things as fly an airplane. Then he read a report in the newspaper that the drug he’d been taken was ineffective. Immediately he had a relapse and returned to the hospital where he was soon terribly ill. The doctors despairing for the man, decided to tell him an untruth, but for worthy reasons: They told him the medicine he’d taken was defective, and they had received a new shipment which was good. They again administered the medicine, and before long the man seemed to recover. Again, he returned home and began to get better. Finally, though the doctors had to tell the man the truth. He immediately returned to the hospital and the next day he died. Hearing some words of hope makes all of the difference in our outlook on our situations. The moral of the story is that news of today is relevant – it tells us the truth; it gives us the facts. But it is not the source of our hope and our peace. The word of God is that for us. I love the vision of this story in Ezekiel – because he looks are a group of dry human bones, but then he starts to preach to them about the hope of God. and right before his eyes, he sees flesh and bone start to appear on the bones. They start to appear as normal people. But he appeals to the four winds and the breath of God comes in the bodies and they are restored to life. They are restored alive and well. The original meaning of resurrection is the restoration of community life. The day when the community has enough hope to restore itself and come back to life. The day the community had enough strength to do what it needed to do to go forward. That is what these valley moments do for us. they help us to find the strength to move forward. When I look at the pandemic of 1918, I see similarities to this moment in time. But even then, church may have been canceled, but Easter was not. This corona virus pandemic seems to take away even Easter, the ultimate celebration of resurrection. But this just reminds us that Easter is not about egg hunts, or bunnies or new clothes There is a strict formula to the date of Easter, Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon after Passover. But Easter is not a date on the calendar. Easter is resurrection. One man, Christ experienced death so that the community could be restored to full health. This Easter, when it comes, we will understand and experience the true meaning of resurrection and restoration. We are alive for such a time as this – the day when community hope will be restores. The hand of YHWH, the Breath of Life, was on me, And in a rushing-breath YHWH brought me forth and set me in the center of a valley - Full of bones! - And led me all around them, all around. Here! - Very many on the face of the valley, and here! - utterly dry. And said to me; "Child of Adam, earthling, can these bones live?" my people. And I will put my breath within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own earth, and you shall know-deep-in-your-heart that I the Breath of Life have spoken, and made it happen - proclaims the Breath of Life."'" (Translation by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, 9/8/01) Amen. Stewardship Moment It has been said that this is the lentiest lent every – it has truly been a road through the shadow of death. But it reminds of that we get through one step at a time. And each step that we take is a step with God. Intentionally thinking about what it means to be a disciple of God. Let us preach the hope of God with our mouths but also with our offering. Your offering allows our church to continue to give hope in these dark times. Please remember to give your offering – you can give online, through the mail, dropping it off. Music Benediction Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - Rise Up - Ezekiel 37:1-14 November 2019, the virus we know as the “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19” appeared in Wuhan, China. Today, nearly five months later, that same virus is affecting people around the world. At nearly 400,000 cases worldwide, COVID-19 is on a trajectory that will continue to infect people in 150 countries for months to come –their health, their finances, and their weary spirits. This event, next to Sept 11, 2001, may be the most devastating world event of the 21st century and is already being compared to two monumental events of the 20th century: the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that infected 500 million people around the globe, killing about 50 million, and the October 1929 US stock market crash and the following great depression that reverberated around the world through the 1930s. The Spanish flu was a three-year epidemic. The great depression lasted a good 10 years through the 1930s.The changes and devastation of COVID-19 is still in its infancy. But these kinds of devastating events don’t just impact our wallets and our health. They severely impact our emotional, mental, and spiritual health. 1918 ended the bloodiest war (WWI) in history with huge losses of life but was followed by more loss with the Spanish Flu. Both devastated the young, killing primarily those from 18-40. In 1929, the suicide rate jumped to 18.9% after stocks plummeted 13% on Black Monday (October 28) and another 12% on Black Tuesday (October 29). The economy would take years to recover. And yet the human spirit, aided by the Holy Spirit, continues to strive, to hope, and to love. Every time we face death, destruction, despair, and devastation, we call upon the Holy Spirit to renew us, refresh us, and set us on our feet again. Just as faith surged in the past after global changes and difficulties such as the industrial revolution, the revolutionary, civil, and world wars, the Spanish flu, and the great depression, we live in a time when faith is needed now more than ever. Joy Unbounded, Glory Fulfilled Pastor/Bishop Kenneth Ulmer (Inglewood, California) envisions the animating, life-fulfilling power of the Holy Spirit as like the transformation that comes over the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon figures as they're inflated. Without any air these huge balloons lay flat on the floor, limp, and featureless figures. But when the wind starts whipping up inside those balloons, they begin to rise, stand up, and stand tall. They become individuals, people and creatures that we recognize and love. Once on the parade route, these balloons take on even more life, for they are animated not just by the air within them, but by the winds that buffet and bolster them down the street. Humor: "Look, He's Moving" Three friends were discussing death and one of them asked: "What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?" The first of the friends said: I would like them to say, he was a great humanitarian, who cared about his community. The second said: He was a great husband and father, who was an example for many to follow," said another. The third friend said, I would like them to say, "Look, he’s moving!!" Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Daylight Lasts Longer There is a couple in Arkansas who have given their six-year-old son strict instructions to come home from playing every afternoon no later than 5 p.m. He is allowed to play with his friends, but his parents are quite serious about his curfew. If he is not home by 5 p.m., they begin to worry and call around the neighborhood to find out where he is. The boy knows this, though, and is careful to arrive every day on time. One April Monday, however, the day after Daylight Saving Time went into effect, the boy was late coming home. When he finally arrived, a few minutes before 6 p.m., his mother scolded him for being late. "You know you are to be home by five," she said, "and here it is nearly six." Puzzled, the little boy pointed out the window. "But the light," he protested, "the light; it's the light that tells me when to come home." Realizing what had happened, his mother smiled and gently explained that the day before the time had been changed, that everyone had reset their clocks and, now, the daylight lasted longer. The boy's eyes narrowed. "Does God know about this?" he asked suspiciously. In a childlike way, this little boy shared John's theological vision. Martha Jesus wants you to know that with God daylight last longer than death. Adapted from Thomas G. Long, "When Jesus Arrives Late," Whispering the Lyrics, CSS Publishing Company Mr. Hooper Is Dead In the summer of 1981, Will Lee, the actor who played an adult character named Mr. Hooper on the children's television show SESAME STREET, died. This posed a difficult set of issues for The Children's Television Workshop, producers of the show. Should they deal at all with the subject of death? If so, how would they explain it to their 10 million viewers, most of whom are under the age of six? A staff writer describes it this way: “We asked ourselves: What do we want the kids to know? What can they absorb? What might open up things we can't answer? We try to create boundaries around what we can safely teach without doing any damage.” Child-development experts who specialize in loss and separation provided some specific don'ts for dealing with death on the show: Don't say Mr. Hooper got sick and died, because you don't always die when you get sick. Don't say he was old, because children think their parents are old. Don't say he went to the hospital and died, because people go to the hospital all the time. The staff also decided to avoid religious issues, such as saying that Mr. Hooper had gone to heaven. What about the do's? Early on they decided they were going to say a few basic things. He's gone--acknowledge the reality. He won't be back. He'll be missed. They also wanted the cast to express how they felt about Will. And they wanted the kids to know that death stimulates a full range of emotions. You're sad, you're angry, you're frustrated--all at the same time. The show that resulted aired on Thanksgiving so that parents could watch with their children. In one segment, Big Bird walks on camera and says to the cast: “I just drew pictures of all my grown-up friends on Sesame Street and I'm going to give them to you.” He passes out sketches and the cast members ooh and ahh over the likenesses. He's left with Mr. Hooper's picture. “I can't wait till he sees it,” says Big Bird. “Say, where is he? I want to give it to him.” One cast member explains: “Big Bird, don't you remember? We told you . . . Mr. Hooper died. He's dead.” Big Bird says, “Oh yeah, I remember. Well . . . I'll give it to him when he comes back.” Another cast member gets up from her chair and touches Big Bird saying, “Big Bird, Mr. Hooper's not coming back.” “Why not?” Big Bird asks innocently. “Big Bird,” explains the cast member, “when people die, they don't come back.” No, they don’t. That is the sad reality Big Bird that you and I learn as we grow older. But hidden under the dirt of the grave is a story, told in the death of Mary and Martha’s brother, told in the death of Jesus their friend, told in the death of every one of you brothers and sisters of Jesus. Resurrection! It is the greatest unfinished story of our times. Its author is penning the finish even as we speak. It is His story. He knows the conclusion. The curtain will soon fall. And then shall begin the end that shall not end. Resurrection! It’s almost Easter, Big Bird…and Easter tells me they do come back. Amen. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from Robert H. Waterman, Jr., The Renewal Factor, New York: Bantam Books, 1987, pp. 100-101. Take Off the Grave Clothes Her name was Carol. She was the organist at her church. She was an outstanding musician, but she did something no organist should ever do. She overslept on Easter morning and missed the sunrise service. She was so embarrassed. Of course, the minister and the church forgave her. They teased her about it a little, but it was done lovingly and in good fun. However, the next Easter, her phone rang at 5:00 in the morning. Jolted awake by the loud ringing, she scrambled to answer it. It was the minister, and he said, “Carol, its Easter morning The Lord is risen! . . .And I suggest you do the same!” The message is clear: We too can be resurrected. Christ shares his resurrection with us. He rises, and so can we. We too can have new life. We too can make a new start. We too can rise out of those tombs that try to imprison us! James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not to Be True, Dimensions, p. 74 Dry Bones Come to Life Through God’s Breath I said - "Pillar of the World, Breath of Life - You know-it-in-your-heart, and only you." Then God said to me, "Prophesy upon these bones! Say to them, 'Dry bones, Hear the word of the One Who breathes all life! Thus speaks the Pillar of the World, the Breath of Life, to these bones: "Here! - I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will weave muscles on you, and raise flesh upon you, and form skin on you, I will give you breath, And you shall live! And so you will deeply know that I am YHWH, the Breath of Life."'" So I prophesied as I was commanded. And while I was prophesying, there came a voice, and - here! a commotion! - and the bones came together, bone to bone. And I saw - here! - upon them muscles; Flesh arose, skin covered them; But there was no breath in them. Then God said, "Prophesy to the rushing-breath-of-wind - Prophesy, you child of earth! - and say to the breathing-wind - Thus says the Pillar of the World, the Breath of Life - From the four breathing-winds come, O breath, And puff upon these slain, that they shall live." So I prophesied as God commanded me, and the breath blew into them. They lived, and stood upon their feet, An overwhelming, overwhelming vast array of strength. Then God said to me, "Child of earth, These bones are the whole house of Israel. Here! - they say, 'Dried up - our bones, Shattered - our hopes, Cut off - our roots.' So prophesy and say to them, 'Thus speaks the Pillar of the World, the Breath of Life: "Here! - I will open your graves, and rouse you from your graves, my people! And I will bring you to the earth of Israel. And you shall know-deep-in-your-heart that I am YHWH, the Breath of Life, when I have opened your graves, and roused you from your graves,

What's Inside

March 22, 2020 1 Samuel 16:1-13 What’s Inside 4th Sunday of Lent Year A Children’s Sermon Object: Box of chocolates with mixed fillings and Card stock printed with 1 Samuel 16 (reference only) (Open the box of chocolate. Take one out, bite it, and announce its filling. Take out a second piece of chocolate, bite it, and announce its filling.) These pieces of chocolate are very good! From the outside, they very much alike, but when you bite into them, you find out that they are very different. Without the map that sometimes comes with the box, you have to break or bite the chocolate to know what’s inside. Sometimes we judge people by how they look on the outside, but a story in the Bible lets us know that God looks at us differently. (Hold up the card stock with 1 Samuel 16 printed on it.) In 1 Samuel, chapter 16, God told Samuel, his prophet, to anoint a new king for Israel. Anointing is an old practice that involved pouring oil onto the head of a person chosen for a special job. God sent Samuel to the town of Bethlehem, where he was to meet a man named Jesse. Jesse didn’t know it yet, but one of his eight sons was going to be chosen as the next king. So Samuel came to town, and Jesse called together his sons. First, Samuel met Eliab. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Eliab looked like, but Samuel was impressed. After seeing Eliab, Samuel thought that he must be the next king. But do you know what God said? In verse 7, God said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Samuel looked at Eliab on the outside and was sure that he would be the next king, but God told Samuel that he was looking at our hearts. Finally, Samuel met David. David was the youngest. Usually, the Bible doesn’t say much about the way a person looks, but in this case, it does give us some clues. The middle part of verse 12 says, “Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.” Do you know what ruddy means? It means “red.” We don’t know if verse 12 means that David had red hair or if he had a reddish complexion from being out in the sun while he was watching the sheep, but the Bible says that he was ruddy and handsome. The Bible doesn’t say this, but it’s possible that David was short. Remember that in verse 7, God told Samuel not to consider Eliab’s height. Saul, the first king of Israel, was tall, so Samuel and the other people might have expected another tall man to be the new king. When Samuel saw David, he probably thought, “He’s young, he’s short, and he smells like the sheep he watches all day. He couldn’t possibly be the next king.” But remember what else God said in verse 7. God looks at our hearts, not our faces or our heights or anything else on the outside. God knew that David loved him very much and that David was the best choice for the new king. So God told Samuel to anoint David. Stewardship Moment When Alaska experienced a terrible earthquake a couple decades ago, the governor’s wife said that she had received many letters and phone calls asking her to help people’s relatives and friends. She also received many offers of help. But she received one letter she won’t forget. It was from a ten-year-old boy from Bemidji, Minnesota, who sent her two nickels. He said he hoped it would help some of the suffering the quake had caused. In a postscript to his letter he had written these words: "P.S. If you need more, please let me know." scripture 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Common English Bible (CEB) Samuel anoints David 16 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to grieve over Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have found[a] my next king among his sons.” 2 “How can I do that?” Samuel asked. “When Saul hears of it he’ll kill me!” “Take a heifer with you,” the LORD replied, “and say, ‘I have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make clear to you what you should do. You will anoint for me the person I point out to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD instructed. When he came to Bethlehem, the city elders came to meet him. They were shaking with fear. “Do you come in peace?” they asked. 5 “Yes,” Samuel answered. “I’ve come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. Now make yourselves holy, then come with me to the sacrifice.” Samuel made Jesse and his sons holy and invited them to the sacrifice as well. 6 When they arrived, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, That must be the LORD’s anointed right in front. 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God[b] doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart.” 8 Next Jesse called for Abinadab, who presented himself to Samuel, but he said, “The LORD hasn’t chosen this one either.” 9 So Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen this one.” 10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD hasn’t picked any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all of your boys?” “There is still the youngest one,” Jesse answered, “but he’s out keeping the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel told Jesse, “because we can’t proceed until he gets here.”[c] 12 So Jesse sent and brought him in. He was reddish brown, had beautiful eyes, and was good-looking. The LORD said, “That’s the one. Go anoint him.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him right there in front of his brothers. The LORD’s spirit came over David from that point forward. Then Samuel left and went to Ramah. Footnotes: a. 1 Samuel 16:1 Or seen b. 1 Samuel 16:7 LXX; MT lacks God. c. 1 Samuel 16:11 MT; LXX we won’t sit down (that is, to eat) Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Speaking of Facebook, there was a facebook post that said, when I decided to give up something for lent, I wasn’t planning on giving up quite this much. Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, now there is a concept. It seems like so much has happen since the beginning of lent. This is the fourth Sunday of lent. There are some years, where I get to do lent, and then there are years like this where lent does me. Lent is definitely doing me this year. It seems like the whole world has changed, every day there is a new development in this coronavirus pandemic. In the next few moments, I am going to invite us to put all of that stuff aside, and get back to the lent at hand. Let us focus, and think – where do we find God in the midst of all of the things going on in the world. And how do we continue in our busy lives to develop a relationship with God. Our scripture for today is an invitation for us to look at David as an example of someone with an awesome relationship with God. Whatever David did in life, whereever he was – he always stayed in touch with God. He found God in every circumstance. The stories of David are some of the most lively in the bible. David was the king of Israel, but he was also a father, a husband, a sinner, a child of God – given a purpose in life. There are many stories of David, - David and Goliath, David and Bathesheba, David and Jonothan, David and Saul. The psalms are David’s writings about how we went through life and hound God in the good and the bad. Our scripture is the story of how David was chosen and anointed by God. – God must have know all along that God wanted David to be king. But it was not obvious to Samuel the prophet. He sets out on a journey to Bethlehem. He does not know who he is looking for. And since Saul was tall, and strong, he assumed that the new king would be also. When he went to the house of Jesse, the father of 7 sons, Saul assumed that the oldest would be God’s choice, or at least the second or even third choice. Michael Jordan was actually not the first choice of the bulls, ot even the second, but the third choice – but I am sure they picked him, even though he wasn’t the first choice. Our ways are not God’s ways – we look at outward appearance, God looks at the heart. Sometimes God does not look for A people, or even B people. God looks for C people – ordinary people who are committed, consecrated and compassionate. God chose David because he was humble, good hearted and filled with the Holy Spirit. When we look at people how do we judge them worthy? What do we look for? What God Sees In the midst of our Lenten journey, God doesn't see us as everyone else sees us. People around us may see us as cool, successful, unattractive, popular, old, whatever. It doesn't matter at all how others may see us. God sees our hearts, sees us as we really are. Perhaps we wish we had him fooled, like those we've led to believe that we're less frightened, more confident, happier than we really are. Or perhaps we're deeply grateful that God sees through all the shallow, negative judgments which so many people have placed on us. Probably it's both. Our Lord, to our joy and to our sorrow, looks into our hearts and sees us as we really are. In Lent, that's a call for introspection: to confess that we have not loved our Lord with our whole hearts, nor loved our neighbors as ourselves. In Lent, it's especially important that we confess our sinfulness as specifically as we're able. In what ways have we failed God and ourselves? Because we can't hide from God, we dare not use all our usual ways to avoid our sinfulness. We're used to denying our sins, minimizing them, excusing them, blaming them on others. This Lent, let's examine ourselves, asking God to search our hearts. We benefit from naming our sins, our needs, and losses, and failings. And we admit to God that only by his grace and guidance can we find healing and help. G. Edward Whetstone, Caught in the Acts, CSS Publishing When we look at people it is important that we look at them as God sees them, not as we see them. God sees the inner heart. That makes all of the difference in the world. Jim Eaton, looks back on his life and remembers being in high school in 1965. His family moved around a lot so as Freshman, he was a little insecure. Until they moved to small town in Michigan. His English teacher was Mrs. Sonnebonne. He remembers her as a short lady who always wore high heals, but she had a spunky personality. Everyone’s desk was arranged in a circle. And everyone, the boys and girls has long hair. It was important for Mrs. Sonnebonne to look you in the eye, if your hair was in your face, she would take a hair clip and pin it back so she could see you. It only took one time for the students to get the point. One of their assignments was to rewrite a fairy talk. This student took that task seriously, and wrote a play. Not only did he get an A – the teacher had students in the class perform the play. After class, she had the student stay after. She said to him, Jim I didn’t know who you were until today – not I know that you are truly a writer. Those words meant the world to a young insecure man looking for identity. That was who he became from that day forward – writer - he went on to write several more plays for Mrs. Sonnebonne’s class. He continued to write, he still writes for the church as an adult. He will always be grateful – that teacher gave him a very special gift – the gift of himself. The Lord sent Samuel into a small desert town – to anoint a king. I small, insecure you shepdherd boy became the king of Israel. When Samuel anointed David, he gave David the gift of himself – a man after God’s own heart – and he lived that role for the rest of his life. How does God see you? What gift of self has God given you, how are you using it? We cant’ love anyone else until we love ourselves as God loves us. We cant give to others that we have not given ourselves, we cant see the gift of light in others, unless we see the light within ourselves. In the mist of the chaos and confusion – get back to finding God in every person and every situation – especially within ourselves. That is God’s gift to each of us. Let us pray….. Amen. Take a moment to remember God’s grace as we listen. Not go forth. Additional illustrations Humor: It's The Blind Man Mrs. Smith was stark-naked and just about to step into the shower when the doorbell rang. She hollered, "Who is it?" He shouted back, "It's the blind man." She figured it was safe, so she opened the door. He looked at her in shock and asked, "Where do you want me to hang these blinds, lady?" Ann Landers, The Washington Post, October 13, 1998. Years ago, there was a story of a candidate for Congress who never missed an opportunity to go after a vote. Just before election time, he would tear all around his district getting acquainted and passing out campaign brochures. On one occasion, he walked into a backyard where a little girl happened to be milking a cow. As usual, he introduced himself and explained that he was running for Congress. Just then the mother stuck her head out the back door and called, "Mary, who is that fellow you're talking to?" Mary explained that the visitor was a man running for Congress. "You come right in the house," commanded the mother, with great concern in her voice. And then as an afterthought, she added, "And if that fellow is a politician, bring the cow in with you." Politics, politics - vote when the time comes, but do it as properly as you can. Not on the basis of simple partisan politics, not on the basis of pure self-interest, and not on the basis of image. Paul makes it clear that, whether we are voting or doing anything else, as Christians we should "do it as unto the Lord." Wilma, 20th of 22 children, suffered from polio as a very young child. By age six, Wilma had also survived double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and whooping cough. She was frail and weak, often needing assistance to accomplish even the smallest tasks at home or school. Based only on her outward appearance, Wilma was destined for a life of poverty, dependence, and frustration. However, Wilma had a fierce determination to overcome this crippling illness. Through grueling exercises and relentless discipline, Wilma not only began to walk, she started to run. Then Wilma not only ran, she ran fast, faster than anyone in her school. The little girl with frail legs and a fragile body had become a young woman with a powerful body and a courageous heart. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Wilma Rudolph didn’t just run, she sprinted her way to three Olympic gold medals: for the 100 and 200 meter dashes and as anchor in the 400 meter relay. “The Lord does not see what mortals see… the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Second, our scripture lesson reminds us that the Lord’s presence and power are deep inside our own hearts. Few, if any of us, will become great world leaders like David or Olympic champions like Wilma Rudolph. Nevertheless, it is the Lord’s power within us that prepares us to enter the new and challenging spaces that lie just before us. The world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, were on a camping trip. They were in their sleeping bags looking up at the sky. Holmes said, "Watson, look up. What do you see?" Watson answered, "Well, I see thousands of stars." "And what does that mean to you?" Holmes inquired. "Well," said Watson, "I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow." Watson paused for a moment and then asked, "What does it mean to you, Holmes?" "To me," said Holmes somberly, "it means someone has stolen our tent." This world is governed by "C" people - not "the best and the brightest" only, but the committed, the consecrated, and the compassionate. In scriptures you find over and over again that "C" people also prevail. Indeed, God chooses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary tasks. The things we say we'll never do - "It's not in me" - become the very things God's grace leads us into. God gives us the resources we need at the time we need them.

God of our Past, God of our Future

March 8, 2020 Romans 4:1-17 2nd Sunday of Lent Year A Children’s Sermon Object: a "get out of jail free" card from a Monopoly game. Good morning, boys and girls. Have any of you ever played Monopoly? It can be a lot of fun building a lot of houses and hotels on your property and collecting a lot of money, can't it! But something terrible can happen to you while you're playing Monopoly. Can anybody think of what it is? (Let them tell you.) Right. You can end up going to jail. And if you are in jail, you can't buy and sell any more property or houses or hotels. You can't move around the board and collect money at the "Go" square. And you can't have any fun just sitting there, watching everybody else keep moving around the board. How do you get out of jail? (Let them tell you.) Exactly right. You can use one of these. (Hold up the "get out of jail free" card.) How do you get a card like this? Right. You can pick it up if you are lucky. Or you can buy it from somebody else, if you have enough money. If you get a "get out of jail free" card and you don't need it right away, you can always save it. Or you can sell it to somebody else. Sometimes it feels as though you and I need a "get out of jail free" card when we live our lives. We get into lots of trouble doing the wrong things. We know God is not happy with us. We wonder if God will punish us. We even worry sometimes that God might stop loving us if we are bad. But God has good news for us. God has given us a "get out of jail free" card. When Jesus came to live in our world he promised us that God would love us even when we were so bad that we should go to jail. He promised that God would rescue us from all the trouble we get into, if we will let him do it. Jesus showed us how much love God has for us by dying on the cross. That was a very powerful thing for Jesus to do. Jesus is stronger than all the evil that we do. So when he died he took all the power out of our sins and gave us a chance to "get out of jail free." Whenever we look at a picture of the cross, or when we see a cross in church, we can thing of how God loves us and frees us from our sins. CSS Publishing Co., , by CSS Stewardship Moment At a recent pastor’s meeting we talked about the difference between a transactional faith and a transformational faith. In a transactional faith, we come to church expecting a service, expecting an answer, expecting something to happen and we get what we want, we give our money, and we go on about our lives, nothing really changes. We give and we get in return. A transformational faith is a faith where we actually have a relationship with God, we give not because of what we are expecting, we give because we love God. But we are changed by what we give, our relationship changes, and we witness the miracles of life all around us. Our giving is not a transaction, it is a response to love. We are changed, but we also have to power to change our church, our community and our world – by giving in love. Scripture Romans 4:1-17 Common English Bible (CEB) Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness 4 So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? 2 Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. 3 What does the scripture say? Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.[a] 4 Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. 5 But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. 6 In the same way, David also pronounces a blessing on the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from actions: 7 Happy are those whose actions outside the Law are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Happy are those whose sin isn’t counted against them by the Lord.[b] 9 Is this state of happiness only for the circumcised or is it also for those who aren’t circumcised? We say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 So how was it credited? When he was circumcised, or when he wasn’t circumcised? In fact, it was credited while he still wasn’t circumcised, not after he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that comes from the faith he had while he still wasn’t circumcised. It happened this way so that Abraham could be the ancestor of all those people who aren’t circumcised, who have faith in God, and so are counted as righteous. 12 He could also be the ancestor of those circumcised people, who aren’t only circumcised but who also walk in the path of faith, like our ancestor Abraham did while he wasn’t circumcised. Abraham’s promise is received through faith 13 The promise to Abraham and to his descendants, that he would inherit the world, didn’t come through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith. 14 If they inherit because of the Law, then faith has no effect and the promise has been canceled. 15 The Law brings about wrath. But when there isn’t any law, there isn’t any violation of the law. 16 That’s why the inheritance comes through faith, so that it will be on the basis of God’s grace. In that way, the promise is secure for all of Abraham’s descendants, not just for those who are related by Law but also for those who are related by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us. 17 As it is written: I have appointed you to be the father of many nations.[c] So Abraham is our father in the eyes of God in whom he had faith, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence. Footnotes: a. Romans 4:3 Gen 15:6 b. Romans 4:8 Ps 32:1-2 c. Romans 4:17 Gen 17:5 Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon So what is the difference between a Christian and any other random good person? We struggled with that question this week at the Lenten study – the walk. Everyone was given a key chain – on the back it gives us the five key practices that differentiate the Christians and just any good person – worship, study, giving, serving and ……. Last week we talked about worship – both public and personal – we come together to say thank you, but we also pray personally to develop out working relationship with God. What is the difference between a Christian and any random good person. Martin Luther says that there are three things that tell the difference. Hearing God’s call, listening, and trusting. According to Dr. Martin Luther there are three steps to saving faith. They are like the three rungs of a child’s ladder. The first two will not save, but the third will. However, you cannot take the third step until you have taken the first two. I. Hear: The first step he designates by the simple word "hear." "Faith comes by hearing ..." "How shall they believe except they hear?" (Romans 10) A knowledge of God’s salvation is necessary before it is possible to believe. That is why we send missionaries to Africa and Asia. Non-Christians must first hear before they can believe. But I am sure that I need not dwell on this first step now. I am quite certain that everyone present has again and again heard the message of God’s salvation in church and Sunday school. Therefore, you have already taken the first step. You have heard. II. Believe: I designate the second step by using the simple word "Believe." Now what is the meaning of "believe"? The dictionary says, "to consent with the mind." When you, therefore, have given "intellectual assent to the truth," you have believed. You have taken the second step. But you are not saved. In this sense you can believe all you want to believe about Jesus Christ, and still not be saved. You can believe everything about the Bible, and yet perish eternally. This is the fate of demons. James 2:19 states: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble." Satan and his hosts were among the first to acclaim Jesus as the Son of God, but they did not submit to him. They believe as much or more than you do about Christ. They do not for a moment doubt his deity, but their faith is purely intellectual. It does not change their lives, and their doom is certain; therefore, they tremble. The second step will save no one, and yet that is where multitudes stop. They take the second step, but not the third. Hence they are not yet saved. III. Trust: The third step and the only step that saves, Luther designated by the simple word "trust." The correct and most explicit translation of Acts 16:31 - the response to the Philippian jailer who asks, "What must I do to be saved?" - is in the New English Bible: "Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Again and again, instead of the King James Version "believe," it is more accurately stated in the newer translation, "Put your faith in." "Put your trust in the Lord Jesus." Now what is the meaning of the word "trust"? All of us hear, all of us believe, but when we hear, believe and trust that makes all of the difference. In Romans 4, Paul retells the story of Abraham – or Abram who was just that random good person who was walking down the street one day minding his business. There was nothing that would have stood out about him. He was happy with his life, he was happy with his family, like most of us – he didn’t have everything that he wanted in life, but he also couldn’t find a good reason to complain. So why would God choose him? Why would he hear God say walk away from your good life and just follow me, don’t ask where we are going, or why, just come on. Okay and he does that, he goes into the desert with his wife and family, but God keeps meddling. He has lived a good life, no complaints, but God tells his that he is going to have a baby – after 100 years. And he does, with his servant, but God keeps meddling and says he will have a baby with his 90 year old wife, and once the baby is born – God says you will be father to many nations. If he wanted to be a father, he would have worried about that way before 100. And yet with God all things are possible. I can see why this story would captivate Paul – Abraham was not only the father of his ancestors, but Paul says he is the father of faith. – he was just a random good person walking down the street – but he heard God, he believed God, he trusted God. Now he is the father of many nations, and as Christians we are children of Abraham. Not by birth but by grace. What is the difference between a Christian and a random good person? In Gods eyes – nothing – they are both worthy of God’s grace. God loves them the same, God treats them the same, God even blesses them the same. If that were not true, then we would have no relation to Abraham. Abraham is our father through the grace of God. So what is the difference between the Christian and the random good person? The difference is not in God grace, the difference is in how we respond. As people of faith, we not only hear God, and believe God, and even learn to trust God, we obey God. We choose to live the life that God speaks for us. Every time I read scripture something new occurs to me. This time as I was reading this scripture the last part spoke to me. God speaks life to the dead and calls into existence that which does not exist. Hmm what does that mean. In the Abraham story – God took a man who had lived a full and complete life without being a father, and just told him that he would be a father – and he became a father many times over , just because God spoke it into existence. What is the difference between a Christian and a random good person? – God spoke and the random good person listened and obeyed – and became a Christian – one who follows God many times over. Each of us have a Christian story – on some levels I was born into a Christian family and inherited the faith, but along my faith journey – God’s grace has changed my life and my soul. I was that random good person, until God said things would be different. My life went from being transactional – a give and a take, to transformational – living into the life God spoke for me. What is the difference between a Christian and a random good person – the random good person expects to get what they deserve – the Christian – gets so much more – a life they never dreamed of – and life eternal. This season – let us all hear God’s voice, believe God’s word, trust God’s leading – and respond to God’s grace. Let us pray…. Additional Illustrations It's like old Abraham. Remember him? According to the book of Genesis, he was an amazing man. When Abraham was 75 years old, God said, "Go!" Abraham didn't ask where; he just went. You might think that God loved him because he was obedient to God. The truth is, for some reason, God said, "Abraham, I'm going to make you somebody special," before Abraham could even respond. When Abraham was 99 years old, God sneaked up on him and said, "Abraham, I'm going to make you the father of a huge multitude. I'm going to change your name to mean 'Grand Exalted Father of an Exceedingly Large Family,' or in short, I'm going to call you 'Big Daddy.' " And Abraham laughed, and said, "O God, get serious." And God said, "I am serious; in fact, I'm so serious, I want you to get circumcised at the age of 99, after which you're going to become a father." Abraham did as he was told, even though it felt like his body was as good as dead. Maybe you might think God loved him because he did what God wanted him to do. The truth is, God had already said, "I'm going to make you the father of a huge multitude." Then came that day, that very dark day, when God sneaked up on him one more time, "Abraham! Take your son, your only son Isaac, the son whom you love, and offer him on the mountain as a burnt offering." Abraham didn't say a word. He saddled the donkey, stacked the wood, and took his son up the mountain. He built the altar, put Isaac upon it, and raised the stone knife. There was a great silence, and God said, "Stop! Now I know that you fear me." You might think, "What a test that was!" Abraham passed the test, and therefore that's why God loved him. But all these events came long after the moment when God had already reckoned him righteous. That happened late one night, many years before. God said, "Abraham! Go out and count the stars. That's how many children you're going to have." I picture the old man squinting toward the sky, and beginning to count: "One, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, one hundred, two hundred, ten thousand and one, ten thousand and two...." As he counted, for some miraculous, inexplicable reason, he believed the promise of the Lord. That is all it took. Abraham believed that God was going to keep the promise. For the first time in all the Bible, God said, "Here is a child who is made right with me." Abraham believed, and said, "Yes," to God. That's all it took.

Into the Wilderness in Search of God - repreach of 3/9/14

March 1, 2020 Matthew 4:1-11 First Sunday of Lent Into the Wilderness to Meet God Year B repreach of 3/9/14 Children’s Sermon Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. Objects: Some crayons and/or scissors. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about a word that I am sure all of you have heard many times but you may not be sure what it means. The word is "tempted" or "temptation." How many of you have heard that word used before? (Let them answer.) How many of you know what it means? (Let them answer.) Those are very close answers. Let me see if I can help explain it a little better. I brought with me some crayons and some scissors. How many of you have crayons at home? Almost all of you. What do you do with crayons? (Let them answer.) That's right, you color pictures. Sometimes we use them in coloring books and sometimes we use them just on a piece of paper. That is the right place to use them. No problem and no temptation. But have you ever used them anywhere else, or thought about using them somewhere else? Have you ever colored a wall in your house, or thought about coloring the wall, or maybe a table or your bed? If you thought about it, and you wanted to do it, then you were tempted. You could almost hear a little voice that said, "Go ahead and color the table, or go ahead and color the wall. It's all right, no one will ever know." That is temptation. Of course, if you color it, then the temptation is over. You have done something wrong. But if you just think about it and you want to do it, and you think it might be all right, then you are being tempted. Jesus was tempted. Did you know that Jesus was tempted? He was. The Bible tells us how the Devil tried to get him to follow him rather than the Father in heaven. Jesus knew it was wrong but he listened to the Devil tell him how he would make him wonderful, and how he would give him land and all the food he could eat. Jesus listened to the Devil and he was tempted. How many of you knew that Jesus listened to the Devil, or as the Bible calls him Satan? (Let them answer.) That's a true story. Jesus was high in a mountain and the Devil came and tried to get Jesus to follow him just like that little voice tries to get you to color the table. But Jesus did not give up. He was tempted, but he told the Devil to get away for he was not going to do anything that was a sin against God. After three times of the Devil offering Jesus everything he had, the Devil left Jesus and went away. We must often do the same thing. There are things that we know are wrong, but they sound wonderful. That is temptation and we must be strong and put it away. Temptation is strong, but God is even stronger. If you listen to both voices, you will do it God's way. THE ONE-HANDED CLOCK, Wesley T. Runk, C.S.S. Publishing Company, 1989, 1-55673-141-8 Stewardship Moment This is the first Sunday of lent. Lent focuses on almsgiving, prayer, service and fasting. Not always about giving up, but putting in. At the Ash Wednesday service, given a sheet to write out Lenten practices. First is to give to a great cause – the mission of the church Scripture Matthew 4:1-11 Common English Bible (CEB) Temptation of Jesus 4 Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. 2 After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.”[a] 5 After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, 6 “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”[b] 7 Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.”[c] 8 Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written,You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”[d] 11 The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him. Footnotes: a. Matthew 4:4 Deut 8:3 b. Matthew 4:6 Ps 91:11-12 c. Matthew 4:7 Deut 6:16 d. Matthew 4:10 Deut 6:13 Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon How do we interpret temptation? Now we tend to interpret temptation as an invitation to sin. But the bible says that it is more than that. Let us go back to the story of Abraham. The bible says that God tempted Abraham to kill his son. Would God really encourage Abraham to kill his son? Or would God test the character of Abraham by putting him in a situation where he had to make a choice. I think that God puts us all in situations, where we discover who we really are and what we are really made of. I don’t think that any of us start out really good. But when we are put in situations where we make the right choices, we find that we can really trust ourselves, we understand what we will do and what we will not do. When given the choice to kill or not kill his son. Abraham chose not to kill his son, but to trust God. And he went on the become the father of our faith, because of his journey with God. As a matter of fact, this is probably the example that Jesus was thinking of when he went into the wilderness to journey with God. Matthew 4 is meant to be an example for us in dealing with temptation. Temptation is a life test, it is not our choice to be a good person or a bad person. Scripture says that the holy spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days. And after the fast he was famished, he was hungry. He needed something to eat, but how did he fulfill that hunger? We tend to think that the best way to avoid temptation is to avoid being hungry. But Jesus was hungry. The bible does not say whether he was hungry for food or for something else. He may have been hungry for a deeper relationship with God. My point is that is is okay to be hungry. As a matter of fact in Genesis 2, when God created adam scripture says that God blew breath into him and made him a nephesh chayah. A nephesh is a clay man made human by having breath. And chayah means desiring. Adam became a desiring being – a man with needs. In other words he became fully alive. Hunger is not just about a physical hunger, but is it spiritual and emotional. Jesus was hungry, and it is human nature to be hungry for all sorts of things. The lesson is in how you fill that hunger. You have a choice to fill it with something good or something bad. Usually when you fill it with the rights things you are satisfied, when you fill it with the wrong things you continue to be hungry. Now the story tells of 3 temptations or test that Jesus faced. This year I am not going to focus on them individually. I think that the biggest temptation that faces us all is the need to be in control. To be the boss of our lives. To fulfill our will and not God’s will. There is an ancient story about the time God was confronted by a man who argued, “It’s easy for you God. You tell us we must do this and we can’t do that. What do you know of the struggles of people like me? You are God. It is easy for you.” But God argues, insisting that being God was no picnic either. “You only have to look after your own little self,” said God. “But I have to look after the entire world and that is not easy. In fact, just to show you, Ill change places with you for 24 hours. You’ll see then. So God gave the man one day to see what a hard job is was to rule the world. Twenty four house later, God returned and said, “You see? It wasn’t as easy as you thought”. Then God prepared to be God once more. But the man wouldn’t give God back his power. He found that he liked playing God. Since that time, man has played God. That is why the world is as it is today, so the legend goes. Jesus is an example, because in each test that he faced, he had an opportunity to not just do the right thing, but to be the person God called him to be. He was the son of God. He had integrity to live out his calling. Not only did he know who he was – but we also got to witness his character for ourselves. His temptation was a test. A chance for him to fulfill his true hunger. Jesus does not have to serve 2 masters. He trusted God, so God can trust him. He remained faithful to who we was called to be in the midst of a test. God didn’t ambush him, God examined his character. The key to Jesus being faithful, is that he knew his scripture. Every response that he gave the devil is a verse in the bible. Psalm 32:10-11 says that the bridge between temptation and obedience is hope and trust. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: Jesus was able to overcome the temptations of the devil just by being the person, God had called him to be in the first place. Sermon Closer Harry Emerson Fosdick was one of the greatest American preachers of this century. He described his preaching as counseling on a large scale. Few people knew that as a young seminary student he reached the breaking point after working one summer in a New York Bowery mission. He went home and was overcome by deep depression. One day he stood in the bathroom with a straight razor to his throat. He thought about taking his own life. And then -- and then he heard his father in the other room calling his name, "Harry! Harry!" It called him back. He never forgot it. It was like the voice of God calling him. So I want to remind you today that in those times when you are in the wilderness, trying to find your way through, and when temptation comes and offers you the wrong answer, the wrong choice -- the wrong use of power, the way to popularity, the wrong kind of partnership -- then you remember that God has called your name: "This is my beloved son, my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased." And, you remember that because God has called your name He will see you through. Thomas A. Pilgrim, The Man From Galilee, CSS Publishing Company. God's Testing As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, "Are you trying to break this bridge?" "No," the builder replied, "I'm trying to prove that the bridge won't break." In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren't designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He couldn't. Today in the Word The word tempt in English means an enticement to do the wrong thing. But the word in this story peirazein means a test, to prove worthiness for something positive. This lent, may we be tested by God so that our faith can grow. Amen Let us pray……. Additional Illustrations How Are We Tempted Today? William Willimon, in his book What's Right with the Church (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1985), tells about leading a Sunday School class that was studying the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. After careful study and explanation of each of the three temptations, Dr. Willimon asked, "How are we tempted today?" A young salesman was the first to speak. "Temptation is when your boss calls you in, as mine did yesterday, and says, `I'm going to give you a real opportunity. I'm going to give you a bigger sales territory. We believe that you are going places, young man.' "But I don't want a bigger sales territory," the young salesman told his boss. "I'm already away from home four nights a week. It wouldn't be fair to my wife and daughter." "Look," his boss replied, "we're asking you to do this for your wife and daughter. Don't you want to be a good father? It takes money to support a family these days. Sure, your little girl doesn't take much money now, but think of the future. Think of her future. I'm only asking you to do this for them," the boss said. The young man told the class, "Now, that's temptation." Jesus overcame his first temptation by putting his complete trust in God. That's a good example for us. We're so concerned about "having it all." The wise person trusts that God will provide all that he or she needs. William Willimon, adapted by King Duncan, www.sermons.com We’re Kind of Stupid That Way In the very first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin's dad is working on the car, when Calvin walks up in a safari hat and says, "So long, Pop! I'm off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I'm sure to have a tiger by now!" His dad replies, "They like tuna fish, huh?" As Calvin walks off, he says, "Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!" The final frame shows Hobbes, hanging by his foot from a tree, munching on a tuna fish sandwich. He says to no one in particular, "We're kind of stupid that way." Every day we are tempted to be less than we can be. Without giving it much thought, we choose what's easiest. We seldom consider how much more is possible. We take tuna fish when we could do better. We're kind of stupid that way. Brett Younger, Disabling Temptations The Really Big Sale He had finally got his chance to make the Really Big Sale. He was going into the final interview on the biggest contract he had ever written. As he was ushered into the office of the executive buyer, an assistant brought her coffee and left. The atmosphere was cordial, and he knew he was giving his best presentation ever. Then the assistant tapped on the door, re-entered the office and spoke briefly with the executive. She stood and said, "I apologize, but I have to tend to a matter. I'll just be a minute or two." And she followed her assistant out of the room. The sales representative looked around the beautifully appointed office. He saw her family pictures on her desk. Then he noticed a contract on her desk. She had evidently been studying a bid from a competitor. Leaning forward, he could see the column of figures, but it was obscured by a diet soda can. He was tempted to move the can and see the bottom line of his competitor's bid. What harm possibly could there be in reading her private information? After all, she had left it out in plain sight, almost. After wrestling with himself a while, he finally decided to take a peek. As he lifted the soda can, he discovered that the can wasn't filled with soda at all. Instead it was a bottomless can filled with 1,000 BBs which gushed out, and ran all over the desk and cascaded onto the carpet. His attempt to short cut the competition was exposed. Not every temptation is so obvious. Not every failure is so embarrassing. But every temptation is a challenge. Not even Jesus was spared the choosing. Mickey Anders, Six Flags over Jesus “Not Responsible for…” Have you ever gone to a restaurant, hung up your coat, and noticed a sign warning that the management is not responsible if it gets lost or stolen? Ever read the small print on your airplane ticket? The airline takes no responsibility for any delays or missed connections, and if your baggage is lost, they only have to pay an amount agreed upon at a convention they held in Warsaw in 1955. Park your car in some high-priced garage or lot, and a sign will tell you that management is not responsible for any items lost or stolen from your vehicle. Do those "Not responsible for..." disclaimers bother you? They do me. It seems no one takes responsibility for anything anymore. I read about a man who was suing a hospital. A doctor had performed staple surgery on his stomach to help him lose weight. A couple of days after his operation, he raided the hospital refrigerator and stuffed himself with everything he could find. This tore open the staples and forced another surgery. He was suing the hospital for having a refrigerator near his room. He claimed the temptation was too great. Thus, his complications were not his own fault but the hospital's fault! A little girl was sent to her room for misbehaving. Sometime later her mother happened to pass by her door and heard her praying. "God, I am stuck up here because of YOU, you know. Last night I prayed for you to help me be a good girl. Well, you didn't, so it's your fault!" David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc. Temptation: Just Don’t Look A pastor once told his congregation, "I learned a great lesson from a dog." He said, "His master used to put a bit of meat or a biscuit or some kind of food on the ground, and he'd say to the dog, 'Don't eat that,' and the dog would run over and eat it, so he'd hit the dog. And he put another piece of meat on the ground. He'd say, 'Don't eat that.' The dog would go over and eat it, and he hit him again. Well, after awhile, the dog got the message: eat meat, get hit. So the dog decided he wouldn't eat the meat." But the man telling the story related how that the dog never looked at the meat. The dog evidently felt that if he looked at the meat, the temptation to disobey would be too great, and so he looked steadfastly into his master's face and never took his eyes off him, and thus the temptation never caused a problem. John Macarthur, How to Overcome Temptation No Easy Buttons Staple's, the huge office supply chain store, has a new commercial out that illustrates the power of the devil's various temptations. In their ad whenever an individual confronts a difficult situation, all they have to do is reach over and push a red, over-sized, glowing button that reads, "easy." Got to pick up three kids, make dinner, finish that report at work, and be supportive to your spouse? No problem, just push the big easy button. Need to do a risky surgery never performed before? Hey, just push the big easy button. Faced with the need to balance economic growth and stability with environmental safety and the welfare of worldwide ecosystems? No problem, just push the big easy button. Big problem: there are no easy buttons. There's no easy button to free us from the trials and tests of diabolos. Jesus taught us to pray, not "save us from temptation," but "lead us not into temptation." Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We Help Each Other When Edmund Hillary, who passed away just a few weeks ago, was at the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, he had a partner in his success. He had climbed the mountain all the way to the top, the first man ever to do that. The thing that impressed me about the whole story was not that Edmund Hillary climbed the mountain, but that he had a companion who climbed the mountain with him. Nobody ever hears his name. His name was Tenzing Norgay. Tenzing, however, climbed the mountain with him and on the way back down the mountain, Hillary fell and was almost lost. He would have been lost without Tenzing Norgay. Tenzing Norgay literally pulled him back up the cable and saved his life and Edmund Hillary lived to tell a great story because of this help from an unknown man. When someone asked Norgay why he didn't make more of it, why he didn't brag about it, he said, "We mountain climbers help each other." What a great model this would be for our church. We Christians have no need to be on television or make millions of dollars putting out a show. It is time we reversed the process and touched people and say very simply, "We Christians help each other. That's who we are." Calvin Miller, Moving From Entertainment to Servanthood Life Will Not Be Easy Back in the 80's there was a movie titled Saving Graces. In the film, Tom Conti played the leading role of the Pope. As leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he finds that he has little time for the real issues of the world, the issues which he was able to deal with as a parish priest. Even worse was the distance between him and his "flock." One day in the movie the Pope finds himself, by accident, locked out of the Vatican. He is wearing street clothes and to his surprise he discovers that nobody recognizes him without his ecclesiastical garb. The pope decides to use this newfound freedom to go to a village without a priest and to spend some time getting in touch with the people. In a plot similar to a western, the pope rides into town and saves the town from the bad guys. The pope returns to the Vatican in time for his annual Good Friday address in St. Peter's square. For the first time in years he is able to speak with power and conviction. The power with which he speaks does not come from his office, nor does it come from his garments. The power of the pope as played by Tom Conti came from strength he found as he withstood temptations and fought evil in that village. To his surprise, he found life in the Vatican to be easy for he was protected from the real difficulties in people's lives. Friends, we need not be misled into thinking that because we have been called by Christ into his church, life will be easy. It will not be easy. Even Jesus was tempted when he tried to follow God's will... Jeff Garrison After the Mountaintop Have you ever noticed that almost every mountaintop experience in life is followed by a valley experience? You graduate from school with the great expectation of making your mark in the world, but you find out that the world doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. You get married with the full expectation that your new spouse will relieve your loneliness and solve your problems, but you find out you are still you. Life's high moments are often followed by low times -- depression and bewilderment. If we knew our Bible a little better, these experiences would not surprise us because this happened to Jesus, too. He had gone to John the Baptist who immersed him in the Jordan River and baptized him into a way of life which was to change the world. The heavens opened and Jesus saw the form of a dove descend upon him and heard the voice of God say, You are my son; I am well pleased in you. What a grand and high moment! But looked what happened next: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. Don M. Aycock, God's Most Unmistakable, CSS Publishing Company Power: The Easy Substitute What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, Do you love me? We ask, Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in your Kingdom? (Mt. 20:21). ... We have been tempted to replace love with power. Henri Nouwen in Mornings with Henri J.M. Nouwen, quoted in Christianity Today, February 8, 1999, 72.