The Hope of Abraham

Romans 4:13-25 Second Sunday of Lent The Promises of Abraham Year B Opening song Welcome Opening prayer Lord of presence and power, be with us on this second step of our Lenten journey to the Cross. Help us to make a commitment of our lives, our spirits, our hearts to ministry in your name. AMEN. Stewardship Moment (just print the prayer of thanksgiving) The story of God finally responding positively to Abram and Sarai challenges many of us. After seeking to follow God for nearly their whole lives, they are finally given that for which they’ve yearned: the promise of the birth of their child! At 99 years old, was Abram really still waiting to receive what God promised to give? YES! Fast forward to Jesus, who offered to give the crowd and the disciples a new identity as “followers”. Were they waiting to receive what Jesus offered, even if it meant “deny yourselves and take up your cross”? YES! This season of Lent provides opportunity for us to receive what Jesus offered. Can you imagine Jesus, waiting to see how we deny ourselves and offer back to the Holy what we might have grasped for ourselves? In this season, our congregation is __________________________ (name what your special offering is, and up-date where you are in underwriting this). An additional way for us to deny ourselves is to step up and participate with generosity and enthusiasm in the Week of Compassion offering, “Let Love Flow”. (video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zDMgubCd1U, or at weekofcompassion.org). Our congregation’s goal is $__________ (or if you don’t have a goal, provide a giving challenge which will stretch folks’ “giving muscle”. Do you have an outreach team who will match what the congregation gives?) With true desire to live our lives as followers of Jesus, let us receive the gifts of the people of God. Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy Giver of Life, You’ve provided for us all that we have. So receive these gifts, offered because this is one way to act out our desire to be followers of Jesus. Help us grow in our ability to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and truly walk in the Way of the Christ, in whose name we pray, AMEN Scripture Romans 4:13-25 Common English Bible 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.[a] 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. 18 When it was beyond hope, he had faith in the hope that he would become the father of many nations, in keeping with the promise God spoke to him: That’s how many descendants you will have.[b] 19 Without losing faith, Abraham, who was nearly 100 years old, took into account his own body, which was as good as dead, and Sarah’s womb, which was dead. 20 He didn’t hesitate with a lack of faith in God’s promise, but he grew strong in faith and gave glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. 22 Therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness. 23 But the scripture that says it was credited to him[c] wasn’t written only for Abraham’s sake. 24 It was written also for our sake, because it is going to be credited to us too. It will be credited to those of us who have faith in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over because of our mistakes, and he was raised to meet the requirements of righteousness for us. Sermon The Promises of Abraham The season is upon us once again. Around this time every year we can expect the annual cycle to bring us to this special season when we are intentional about carving out extra time in our lives for that which is most important to us. It's not like other times of the year. Instead, during this season, for many of us, our thoughts and our conversations take a distinctively different focus. Of course, most of you probably realize what season I'm talking about. We are now in the midst of the latest season of American Idol on television. One of the most entertaining parts of American Idol comes at the beginning where thousands of people audition to become contestants on the show. The ones we end up seeing are the very best and very worst. I have a feeling that there are some contestants who are intentionally weird and awful so that they will be televised and can have their brief moment of fame. They seem to have no sense of embarrassment, even though I find myself being embarrassed for them. I have watched American Idol since the first show in 2002. It stays relevant, because it has launched the careers of many people. I think the show has endured for 19 years because it gives us a sense of hope, that with a lot of hard work, and a little luck the every day person can become a star. There have been some real talent on the show. There have been some real tears of people who thought they had talent, but they were told the truth. And then there are some people, like to model who sung in his speedo’s where it is obvious that person has not talent, but is just looking for 5 minutes of fame. But all of these people have one thing in common – hope. Hope for a better future. I don’t think that it was an accident that American Idol started this season on the first Sunday of Lent. Lent also is a season of hope – Hope in things that we cannot forsee. Hope in a God who always keeps God’s promises. All of us here are people who, in spite of great odds – have chosen to take that God at God’s word. We live in trust of God. In Romans, Paul uses Abraham as an example of faith, of a model of one who trusted God in all things. The message for us today is that when we are able to have faith in God, we become children of Abraham. I love Paul’s explanation of Abraham’s faith. At 90, he knew that he was much closer to death than he was life. But God promised him life. One night he invited Abraham to count the stars in heaven, when Abraham realized that he could not count all of the stars that he saw, God promised that he would be the father of that many children. Today we are those children, not biologically, but by faith – that is a good thing. The Book of Romans was written to people who were loosely Christians. They did not belong to organized churches, they were part of family churches that met in houses. They were clearly gentiles – converts. They became Christian on profession of faith. This was a time where there was a debate of whether you could truly be a Christian if you were not circumcised. The Jewish Christians would have been circumcised as babies. These new converts would have had to go through that ceremony as adults if it were not for Paul’s words. It was not the ceremony that made us children of Abraham – it was faith. We are Christian because were like Abraham were willing to take God at God’s word – even when it did not make sense. But back to Abraham and his fit of laughter. Abraham's wife, Sarah, wasn't any more dignified when she heard the news. Author Dave Meurer claims that Sarah laughed because she was secretly thinking, "Surely the Lord would not make me go through menopause TWICE?!?" (4) Christian humorist Martha Bolton, in her book A Funny Thing Happened on My Way Through the Bible, envisions what a baby shower invitation might look like for ninety-year-old Sarah. In one column are the gifts for the baby: pureed foods, a bib, gum ointment, a walker. In the other column are the gifts for the mother-to-be, Sarah: pureed foods, a bib, gum ointment, a walker. (5) Do you imagine that Abraham began carving a baby rattle for his intended boy? Did he clear some extra space in a corner of the house for a crib? Did Sarah begin letting out the seams of her clothes in anticipation of her expanding belly? The Bible doesn't fill in these little details, only the most important detail: they believed God's promise, in spite of its impossibility. 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. When we are able to trust in God- it has a huge effect on how we live our lives and how we use our faith. Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word. Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word. Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word. get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word Paul says that there are two types of hope – a fool’s hope and a child of Abraham faith. There are two ways to live – we can live by the law which requires circumcision, and there is life by faith where we trust the promises of God. Some of us have a yearbook faith – we keep it safe in a book so that we can look back on it when we need it. It gives us wonderful memories, but not a whole lot of power. Some of us have a ticket booth faith - By contrast, consider the ticket window. You go up to the box office, make a purchase, and then you are allowed in. We can think of God in Christ as the official ticket agent who lets us into the stadium, and that is true enough. The problem with a ticket window, however, is that you must have some earning power to get your ticket. You need to work hard and long to accumulate enough money, and then you will be allowed through the gate and shown to your seat. The problem, however, is that the ticket costs too much for anybody to buy. Nobody else can afford it, either. The only available tickets are the tickets that somebody gives you. So how do we make our way through the world? Not by remembering memorable achievements in the yearbook. Not by buying our own admission. We make our way through the world by responding to the free gift of God. Imagine, says Robert Capon, a sign over a stadium that announces, "Open to all for free." You draw near and discover somebody has already stuck a free ticket in your pocket, given you a fine seat, and brought you a hot dog and a drink. You did not ask for any of it. It is given to you, and you have to decide if you can accept it. There is nothing else to remember or forget. There is nothing you need to do to earn your way inside. You are already there, as a gift - unless, of course, you refuse the offer which has been offered to everybody. Capon says the work of Jesus on our behalf is like this. It says not only that we don't need to have the wherewithal (good works) for a ticket, but that even to think we could buy a ticket is to misunderstand the whole setup ... The only appropriate thing to do about such a fantastic arrangement is just shut up, believe it, and enjoy it - because we've already got it.1 In the church, the ten-cent word which we use for all this is "justification." It's the idea that God-in-Christ justifies us; that Christ makes us right in God's sight; that in our unacceptable state, God accepts us, because Jesus has done all the necessary work on our behalf. That is all it ever takes. All that faith requires is to trust that the one ticket you could never earn has already been slipped into your pocket. The good news is that the ticket booth faith is a faith that is offered to all – not just Christians, but all people who believe like Abraham. It is also a faith where all things are possible. One summer in the village of Crete, the drought of the past winter threatened the crops. The priest in the local church told his congregation: "The only thing that will save us is for us to offer a special litany of rain. Therefore, I ask that you go back to your homes, fast during the week, and believe that the rains will come. Then return next Sunday for the litany of rain." The villagers listened to him and fasted during the week as he had told them. On Sunday morning, they returned to the church. But as soon as the priest saw the people filing into the church, he was furious. "Go away," he shouted to them. "I will not do the litany. You do not believe." "But, Father," they protested, "we fasted just like you told us and we came back today believing as you asked us. Why are you being so harsh to us?" "Believe, you say?" the priest questioned. "And where are your umbrellas?" Where is your faith? Where is your faith in our church? How are you willing to stand on the faith of God? Listen to a young black girl from Botswana, writing a moving novel, When Rain Clouds Gather: I really liked this country from the very day I came here. I have always been lonely and to me it was just like a fish finding a pond at last. A country like this forces you to find your underground spring in order to survive.1 When one knows in his experience the love of God, then he has found the "underground spring." Faith is, for all, that underground spring, without which we do not really survive. In London, a few years ago, I chanced to have dinner with an official of the London Oil Company, which was then drilling in Libya. He told me that in drilling for oil they had discovered an immense lake of fresh water (something like the Great Lakes) underneath the desert. He said this could mean more to Libya than the oil. It could mean new life to Libya, irrigation for fertile soil, farms, green life. And then he added, "You know, when they bring this water to the surface, it might even start raining in Libya again." If we stand on our faith perhaps it will start raining in Wilmington again this spring. "Wait! Listen a minute! We cannot overlook the fact that the Christian movement has been the most creative and healing movement in the last 2,000 years of history. What is it? What is the source of its effectiveness? Only to our own hurt do we close our eyes to this fact. We owe it to ourselves to discover its secret." Comedienne Kathy Buckley says, "I have learned that faith is having the patience to wait, knowing that all things will be done in God's time. I only wished I owned one of [God's] watches." (3) What would happen if we were able to take God at God’s word? This is the season of lent, the seasons of dreams, trust and faith. This is the season where the contestants of American Idol are stepping out on faith in using their hope. There are two types of hope – a fools hope and the hope of Abraham. This is the season for us to choose hope in God. Amen. Prayer (just print the prayer of confession and the words of assurance) Prayer of Confession: Guiding Lord, even though we hesitated on our Lenten journey; we vowed to come with you through all the trials and fears toward the Cross. Today we face the challenge which true commitment brings. Are we willing to offer our whole selves to you in service? We would like to think that we can do that, but we are aware of how many times we have turned away from service and instead focused on our own desires. Remind us again of the commitment you would have us give if we are to become disciples. Forgive our stubbornness and fears. Lead us forward, gracious Lord, up these steps toward the Cross. AMEN. Words of Assurance: The journey of discipleship is never easy; but you can be assured that you will not be on this journey alone. Place your trust in Jesus. AMEN. Pastoral Prayer: You stop us in our tracks, O Lord, with your reminder that discipleship is not a “sometime” thing. We are called to place our whole lives in your care; to follow you; to serve you by caring for others, not just once in a while, but always. We admit that we’re not always ready to do this. The demand is great; the need is great; our energies are limited. Help us to place our trust and our lives in your care. You will give us the strength and courage that we will need for this step on the journey. Be with us. Help us to remember that your love is poured out for all your people; you are never far away. It is in Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection Faith of Our Fathers UMH 710 Announcements Benediction The step of discipleship requires commitment and faith. Go now in peace, bringing the good news of Jesus’ love to all people. Do not be afraid. God is with you. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Can We Really Trust God? Romans 4:1-25 Object: A branch from a tree Good morning, boys and girls. Our lesson for today is about trusting God. It may surprise you to know that adults have questions about life just as you do. We have questions about the future, about what life will be like after we die, all kinds of questions. We don't know the answers. But God knows. All we can do is trust God. I have this branch from a tree with me to remind me of a wonderful little story. It is about a snail that climbed a cherry tree in the middle of winter. Someone asked the snail, "Why are you climbing a tree with no blossoms at the top?" The snail answered, "It will have blossoms by the time I reach the top." The slow-moving snail knew that blossoms would appear with the coming of spring. We're kind of like that snail creeping up the cherry tree. We don't have all the answers to life's questions, but we trust by the time we get to points in our lives when we need answers, God will provide them. The most peaceful person in the world is the person who has learned to trust God. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Additional Illustrations "We owe it to ourselves to discover its secret." God in Christ forgiving my sins. God in Christ making me a loving person. God in Christ redeeming the world by love - "the love activity of God" - "the underground spring of the universe" by which we survive - the "mercies of God" which we receive by faith! But so many of us are unaware, blind; we stumble on "unloved and unloving." We won’t admit God’s love for us; so we go on slapping back, getting even, retaliating, hating. We think that God has hurt us (when we have only hurt ourselves), so we go on hurting others. Wake up! Come to! Realize that you are loved, so that you can truly love others. Back to our Scripture: "(Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith." And the world became a different place. Am I ready for this? Am I? What would you do in Pham's place? What happens when our fears collide with our faith? This morning we are continuing the sermon theme for the Lenten season, Choosing Christ at the Crossroads. It's an old joke, but an insightful one: A man slipped off the edge of a cliff, and just before he fell the hundreds of feet to the valley floor below, he grabbed a protruding branch. There he was, dangling precariously from that little branch, afraid that any second it would pull out from the side of the cliff. "Help!" he began to cry. "Help! Is anyone up there?!" Finally, after no answer, he began to pray desperately, after which he heard a big booming voice. "I am the Lord. I am here to save you!" The man was beyond relieved. "Oh, thank you. Thank you, Lord! But please hurry. Do something!" The Lord returned, "I will, my son. All you have to do is follow my every direction without doubting or fear." "Fine. Fine," hollered back the man. "Anything! But please hurry! What do you want me to do first?" The booming voice came back, "Let go." The man was silent for a moment. Finally he hollered out, "Is anyone else up there?" Imagine, if you will, a tightrope stretched across the street between two tall buildings (you might insert the names of two well-known buildings in your town or city, or you might name some high spot with which your people are familiar). That's a pretty good drop. A man stands at one end of the wire and announces his intent to walk across the wire from one side to the other. A crowd gathers to watch because what he intends to do is dangerous, not to mention, a bit strange. The tightrope walker asks the crowd if they believe he can make it across. They respond that they believe he can do it in order to encourage him to take the risk. Carefully, very slowly, he teeters his way across, almost falling, but not quite; then dances on the wire proving that the crowd was right to believe him. Reaching the other side, he holds up a wheelbarrow and again asks the crowd if they believe he can push it across the wire ahead of him. Some nod their agreement that they believe; others shrug their shoulders in a "not too sure" response. The tightrope walker then singles out a man who had nodded and points to him. "Sir," he asks, "do you believe I can make it?" The man responds, "I sure do." The tightrope walker says to the man, "Then prove your faith by riding in the wheelbarrow." Perhaps it is something like this. You are at one of those wonderful inland lakes in Indiana on a beautiful summer day. You are standing on a pier watching a family in their small boat taking in the beautiful day a hundred feet or so off shore. Suddenly the boat capsizes. The children are screaming for help. You want to be able to help them. All you can see is the deep water, that it is cold, that a strong wind is blowing, that there are tall waves ... and you can't swim! That is the bad news. But the good news is that standing there next to you is a lifeguard. He has a life jacket for you to put on. He invites you to join him in performing the rescue of your life. He invites you to believe, "hoping against hope," in spite of evidence to the contrary, that together with his help you can do it. Jesus is standing at our side. He has given us his promise. We cannot fail. There is nothing in this universe that can separate us from his love and his commitment to us. Given that reality, now is the time to jump in the water! Amen. CSS Publishing, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): The Good News, The Bad News, and The Only News That Matters, by Steven E. Albertin Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word. Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word Paul saw things in terms of black and white. He saw two mutually exclusive ways of trying to get into a right relationship with God. On the one hand there was dependence on human effort; on the other, dependence on divine grace. On the one hand there was the constant losing battle to obey an impossible law; on the other, there was the faith which simply takes God at his word It is told that once Saint Theresa set out to build a convent with a sum the equivalent of twelve pence as her complete resources. Someone said to her, “Not even Saint Theresa can accomplish much with twelve pence.” “True,” she answered, “but Saint Theresa and twelve pence and God can do anything.” A man may well hesitate to attempt a great task by himself; there is nothing which he need hesitate to attempt with God. Ann Hunter Small, the great missionary teacher, tells how her father, himself a missionary, used to say: “Oh! the wickedness as well as the stupidity of the croakers!” And she herself had a favourite saying:” A church which is alive dares to do anything.” That daring only becomes possible to a man and to a church who take God at his word.

What is so special about Rainbows

February 21, 2021 First Sunday of Lent Genesis 9:8-17 What’s so special about rainbows? Year B Opening Song Call to Worship (Psalm 25) We trust in you, O God, for you are faithful. Show us your ways and teach us your paths. We wait for you. Lead us in your paths of truth. Do not remember our failures. Out of your merciful grace, forgive us. You are faithful, O God. Your love is steadfast. We lift up our souls to you, and praise you always. Welcome Opening Prayer The season of Lent is here again and, as with so many times before, we find that we are not really ready for this journey of discipleship. So many things claim our lives and prevent us from being ready to take the steps in faith. As we look at our barrier of readiness, help us to remember that Christ is with us, every step of the way. We are not alone. Christ will help lift our hearts and spirits and direct our paths. Enable us, loving Savior, to take this journey of faith to new life with you. AMEN. Stewardship Moment As we begin this Lenten season, we have a golden opportunity to use these weeks to re-order our priorities. As a congregation, we’re enthusiastic about ________________________ (name your particular focus). If you don’t have something already in place, consider making copies of the Simple Living/Alternatives calendar (from above) available, with encouragement for each person to creatively use a few minutes every day to focus on this daily stewardship. Prayer of Thanksgiving We are called to share the gifts God has given to us with the people of God. So in this Lenten season, let us offer what we have for our neighbors (both near and far), and for building up the Realm of God on earth. God of mercy and grace, thank you for this time of sharing our gifts and resources while we mark this season’s beginning. May your Realm continue to come near even as we daily seek to repent and believe in the good news which Jesus proclaimed. AMEN Offertory Prayer Righteous God, we mark these early days in the Lenten journey with reminders of your covenant with your people. In your judgement, you sent upon creation the great flood – yet you saved a faithful remnant. You followed with a covenant not to use the flood again. As we prepare to offer our gifts to you, we are reminded that we have been spared from judgment by the one, your son, our Savior, who took on our guilt and bore our judgement. May gratitude for his sacrifice move us to offer not only money, but our whole being. In Christ, we pray. Amen. (Genesis 9:8-17) Special Music Scripture Genesis 9:8-17 Common English Bible 8 God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “I am now setting up my covenant with you, with your descendants, 10 and with every living being with you—with the birds, with the large animals, and with all the animals of the earth, leaving the ark with you.[a] 11 I will set up my covenant with you so that never again will all life be cut off by floodwaters. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I am drawing up between me and you and every living thing with you, on behalf of every future generation. 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures. Floodwaters will never again destroy all creatures. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and upon seeing it I will remember the enduring covenant between God and every living being of all the earth’s creatures.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I have set up between me and all creatures on earth.” Sermon – What’s So Special about Rainbows? My favorite song about rainbows is the Muppet movie – where Kermit sings, why are there so many songs about rainbows. The rainbow connection is a wonderful song about love, beauty, and a belief that one day we will all live in harmony. I think that is what rainbows mean for many of us – harmony and living together. And Kermit was singing a question that people have asked since the beginning of time. What is it that fascinate about us about rainbows. Almost every culture in the world has created songs and myths of why rainbows are in the sky. The aboriginal people in Australia believe that in dream time – the time of the creation of the world- that the rainbow serpent created everything. The native Americans believe that the great father used a rainbow to create the world. The canannites believed that the rainbow was a sign of war. The rainbow was God’s bow that he laid in the sky to signify that he was prepared to fight and that there would be war and fighting somewhere in the world. Actually this is the story that Noah and his generation would have grown up with. Their God Yahweh was a war God, and he protected them by winning battles. Last week we heard of the Chariot of Fire – a sign of destruction used in war. This week we hear of the bow. The bow was a sign of his strength and his ability to defeat others. In every generation, there is an indestructible weapon used to show God’s favor for those on his side. Thor had his hammer, Zeus had a thunder bolt, Poseidon had his trident, King Arthur had a sword, even cupid had his bow and arrow Now we have crosses and rainbows to fight our battles. Rainbows did not give you a warm fuzzy feeling of harmony – but it scared you, worried you . In those days,you took it as a sign that things were about to get serious. And you needed to be prepared. Perhaps it was this feeling of something bad to come that made Noah start building the ark. We know the story from here – of Noah building the ark and gathering his family and all of the animals and sailing the world – as God destroyed everything in a great flood. We tell that story on the first Sunday of lent because our theme for the next six weeks will be the promises of God. God made some very important promises to the fathers of faith in the Hebrew bible. His first promise to us was in the form of a rainbow. I think it is interesting that the Noah story is in the book of Genesis. In the scheme of things, this is a part of the original creation story. As soon as the world was created and man came to understand their place in creation, man started to ruin creation with sin. Within a few years, man was out of control, doing what we wanted, destroying what we wanted, totally oblivious to ourselves and to the world and to the one who created us in God’s image. Not knowing what else to do, but to kill us and start all over again. We get the story of Noah and the flood. There is a wonderful midrash about Noah having to leave his friends behind, and crying as he had to watch them die in the flood, while he and his family was safe in the ark. Obviously, after the flood was over, - Noah must have shared his grief with God. He must have defended his friends, even though they did not care about their relationship with God- they were still people, they still has a life, they still were wonderful friends, and they did not deserve to die – without a chance to know why they were being destroyed, and particularly without a chance to change. God agreed – and put a rainbow in the sky – explaining that what was once an ominous sign – is now a sign of hope. God’s promise was not only to Noah, not only to people, it was a promise to all of creation. Scripture says “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and all your descendents after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals. Speaking of rainbows, we have all heard that leprechauns had access the pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow. No one has ever made it to the end of the rainbow. And if they did, the leprechaun’s job is to trick you into giving it up and forgetting you ever found it. But anyway – the big point of our scripture is that this promise is not just to us – to all flesh. God does not care about us, but about all of flesh. Lent is about us learning to love the things that God loves, and getting in touch with all of life, to not be so concerned about our needs, but the needs of all of the things that are important to God. I think that is the importance of this story of destruction being so close to the story of creation. The sin that God was concerned about eliminating was us developing our lives outside of nature. We have developed and eat foods which are made in a laboratory and not in the ground, we drive cars, and live in houses which are destroying the environment. We use everyday products with no regard for how others are affected by those products. I learned this year that there is a garbage heap the size of Texas swirling around in the Altantic Ocean – this heap is filled with water bottles and other debris that people just carelessly through away with no regard for where they end up. How does God get our attention, and help us realize that our actions are wrong, hurtful and need to be changed? God’s first promise to all flesh was that we would never be destroyed for our wrongdoing. Lent is a chance for us to think about our actions and how they affect others. A chance for us to put our relationship with God first again, and to remember to care about the things that God cares about. To think about how we are connected to all flesh, and all nature. And even in our modern day living - to take that relationship seriously. God made a promise to us – what promises have we made to God in return. Lent is about self denial – but it is also about relationship, about promises, about grace, and about our response to grace. Lent is a promise that darkness will turn into light, that death will turn into life, that winter will turn into spring, that tough times will turn into happy times. It is God’s ways of getting our attention, of reminding us that our lives have been spared, a request that when things finally do change, that you change too. It is God’s request that you not return to the old habits, the hurtful ways, the insensitivity to how you actions were affecting others. That when good times return – that you will be a better person because of it. I don’t know what you have planned for the lent season- whatever you do – all God asks is that you learn something. Something about yourself, something about the world, something about God, Something about God’s plan for you. My favorite rainbow story is the Norse belief that a rainbow is the bridge between heaven and earth. The only ones who can cross the bridge are the righteous. I also bet you didn’t know that no one can see the same rainbow. A rainbow – a reflection is only visible in the eye of the beholder – it is not something that you can reach out and touch in reality. So the rainbow that I see if not the rainbow that you see – or you see. It is God’s gift to each of us, and God speaks to each of us in many different ways. During this Lenten season – look for your rainbows, and know that God’s words for you are not far behind. We are about to enter a season where we will see a lot of water, so there will be a lot of rainbows. Rainbows are our chance to remember the promises of God: I will be with you, I will make you a people, I will give you salvation, I will hear your prayers, I will give you strength, and the list goes on. My cousin says that God’s promise to her was that there will never be a mouse in her house. A 7 year old was kidnapped, but the boy kept singing gospel music so the kidnapper released the boy. The mother was overjoyed, she said God promised to never forsake her. What promises has God made in your life? Lent is a time to reflect on the promises of God that sustain us. But we also have to remember that the covenant of God goes both ways. What promises have we made to God? The power of a promise. Some of you know about the power of a promise kept. You saw it in your parents’ marriage. You’ve seen it in your own spouse. You’ve seen it in the faithfulness of good friends. Some of you have experienced it in those dark hours when you most needed God’s power and you discovered God was there. God is a promise keeper. Willie’s mother was right when Willie was returned to her unharmed. God keeps His promises. And He doesn’t need a rainbow to remind Him of His promise: “I will never forget you nor forsake you. I am Abba, Daddy, and I love you more than any earthly parent ever could.” That is what the cross is all about. The rainbow may be a reminder to God, but the cross is the reminder to us that God so loved the world that He gave His son for us. Prolific author Lewis Smedes once wrote something that ought to be engraved on every Christian’s heart. It goes like this: “Somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. “What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. When you make a promise, you take a hand in creating your own future.” (4) What are the promises you have made in your life? Have you kept them? If you haven’t God’s grace is sufficient for you. That is His promise and that promise will never fail. But I hope you are working on being a promise-keeper, just as God is a promise-keeper. I guarantee you that if you will, the world will be better for it. Prayer of Confession We have lists of things to do, for all the areas of our lives. Our lives are so time bound and duty bound that we feel imprisoned in them. Now we are challenged by Christ to take a journey of discipleship. We don't feel ready for this journey. We need more time. And we complain and cry about how much we have to do. Forgive us, Lord, when we place so many "duties" in the path to serving you. Reset our priorities so that we will be ready to commit our lives in your service. Lord, help us to be ready when you call us. Help us to courageously answer the summons you bring. Let us place our trust in you in all things. AMEN. Assurance of Pardon Loving, Creating God, you are in covenant with your people. You have pledged to be our God and ask us to be your people, trusting in you in all our ways. But we find many excuses to prevent us from really trusting you. We erect barriers before our faith journey even begins. Our time, obligations, energy, all become part of the bricks and mortar which fashion this barrier. We can give lip service to the journey; we can daydream about what it would be like to truly place our hands in yours and follow you. But when it comes to actually making the journey, our time constraints and weak commitments loom largely before us. Help us to tear down this barrier. Make us ready for the journey by replacing the fear in our hearts with a sense of joy and challenge of self-discovery and discipleship. Remind us that in service to you, helping others, we will also find our selves made more fully whole. As we have spoken the names of our friends, and family members, and others situations in which healing and comfort are needed, let us remember that we, too, stand in need of prayer and healing. Make us ready to receive your good news and then to be witnesses to your love to all your people. AMEN. Song of Reflection Blessed Assurance UMH 369 Announcements Benediction The first step on the journey, that of readiness, is one of the hardest. We keep thinking that we have forgotten something. God has called you by name, to this journey. You will have all that you need. Go in peace, and know that God is going with you. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Object: Ribbons tied into bows. Lesson: Covenant; God's care. This morning I need all of you to help me understand a verse of scripture. It's from the ninth chapter of Genesis, verse 13. It says, I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When God said to Noah, "I have set my bow in the clouds," what kind of 'bow' did God mean? Was it the kind of bow you shoot arrows with? The eight girls and one small boy seated on the chancel steps grin at my silliness and shake their heads to indicate no. Was it the kind of bow some folks wear in their hair, like these? I point to the pink ribbons I've tied to the ends of my braids for this discussion. Again the heads shake no, while some of the children say, "No!" with a giggle attached. Was it the kind of bow Stephanie has tied in her shoelaces? The children now eye Stephanie's feet, then assure me it wasn't that kind of bow either. No? You all keep saying, 'No!' Well, then, what kind of bow was it? A rainbow!" says one little girl triumphantly. Why did God set a rainbow in the clouds? I'll give you a hint -- it was after forty days and nights of rain. To let Noah know the rain had stopped?" one of the children states with a question in her voice. "Yes, and to let Noah know that never again would God destroy everything on the earth with a flood. The rainbow was the sign of an agreement between God and all of creation, a sign that said, 'I will remember my agreement with you whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, because I love you.' It rained on Friday. Did anyone see a rainbow that day? No? Why not? Did the sun ever come out on Friday?" Several children shake their heads indicating a negative response. "The sun never came out on Friday. The sky was cloudy all day, from before the sun came up until after the sun went down. Does that give you a hint about why there were no rainbows?" "Because there was no sun?" comes a tentative, questioning response. Right, because there was no sun! We have to have sunlight in order to have rainbows. Do any of you know what clouds are made of? I ask with an abrupt change of direction. "Rain!" says one of the children emphatically. Yes, I agree, clouds are made up of little drops of water. And when the sunlight shines though them what do we get? "A rainbow!" several of the children declare. That's right. Now, who made the sun, and the clouds, and the rain, and all of creation? "God did," they answer. So, if we have to have sunlight and droplets of water to make rainbows and God made the sun and the rain, I guess it must be God who makes rainbows, just as we read in the verse from Genesis. Now, once again, what is the rainbow a sign of? "God's agreement with Noah?" Yes, but not just with Noah. It's a sign of God's agreement or covenant with every living creature on the earth. It's a sign God made to remind all of us that never again would God destroy everything with a flood. And it is one of the many ways God has of saying, 'I made you and I love you.' CSS Publishing Company, Inc, Cows In Church, by B. Kathleen Fannin Additional Illustrations

A New Vision for a new generation

2 Kings 2:1-12 Transfiguration Sunday Year B February 14, 2021 Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer The darkness of winter has been our companion, Lord. Now the days are lengthening. Bring your light to us, that we might see your glory and may work for you, offering hope and peace to this world. We ask this, in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Stewardship Moment All around us we know of people who seek out mentors, models, and those who mark the way. Medical students apply for residencies. Law students want to clerk with top justices. Student teachers hope for placement with excellent educators. In Mark’s Gospel, we’re continuing the story of Simon (Peter), Andrew, James and John. All four, called by Jesus, see him healing those who were sick, casting out demons, praying and preparing to proclaim the message of God’s Realm. What about for us, today? How are we setting aside our weariness in order to model our lives on the life of Jesus? If we are his disciples, what will we offer back today? How will you express your gratitude for the place you’ve landed, with Jesus as your mentor, model, and marker on the Way? Especially in these days, facing challenges brought to us by the COVID pandemic, what will you offer? (make clear the many ways offerings may be shared; web-site? Phone? Mailed? Placed in an offering tray?) Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, you continue to provide us with so much. Today we give you thanks for the gift of Jesus, who showed his disciples the Way of Love. As 21st century followers of Jesus, we offer these symbols of our lives, that the Good News might continue to be proclaimed. Inspire us to use these gifts, and all our lives, as we gladly claim and express our identity as disciples (Disciples) of Christ. AMEN Special Music Scripture Elijah goes to heaven 2 Now the LORD was going to take Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, and Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The group of prophets from Bethel came out to Elisha. These prophets said to Elisha, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?” Elisha said, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it!” 4 Elijah said, “Elisha, stay here, because the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The group of prophets from Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it!” 6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So both of them went on together. 7 Fifty members from the group of prophets also went along, but they stood at a distance. Both Elijah and Elisha stood beside the Jordan River. 8 Elijah then took his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. Then the water was divided in two! Both of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Let me have twice your spirit.” 10 Elijah said, “You’ve made a difficult request. If you can see me when I’m taken from you, then it will be yours. If you don’t see me, it won’t happen.” 11 They were walking along, talking, when suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm. 12 Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!” When he could no longer see him, Elisha took hold of his clothes and ripped them in two. Sermon The Spirit of God for Our Generation There is a legend that St. Valentinus was in prison waiting to be put to death. The jailer asked him to be his daughter’s teacher. The jailer’s daughter was named Julia and she had been born blind. Valentinus said yes, and he taught her history, science, and math. He had to read to her because she couldn’t see. He also taught her about God and the Christian faith. Julia asked Valentinus if God could hear people’s prayers, and he told her yes. Julius told Valentinus that every night she prayed that she could see. The teacher and student then knelt in prayer together and while they were on their knees, a blinding light flashed. Julia cried, Valentinus, I can see. Praise God was his answer. The legend goes on to say that the night before he was executed, Valentinus wrote a not to Julia. On that note he told her to stay close to God and he signed it from your Valentine. The next day, February 14 in the year 270 AD Valentinus was put to death. Today, centuries later we send messages of love or valentines to the ones that we care about. If you listen to the story, this was also the story of answered prayer and a glimpse of the glory of God. Today is also transfiguration Sunday. The last Sunday of epiphany and the Sunday before lent begins. This is the Sunday where we witness the enlightening transformation of Jesus before he goes into the most important phase of his ministry, his entrance into Jerusalem and his death. This is the Sunday where we start to see transformation. I know that it is really cold outside, it feels like we are in the dead of winter. But I can assure you that things are changing. Life is getting easier. A friend of mine pointed out that at 5:30 in the evening it is still light out, just one month ago it was still getting dark at 4:30 – 5 pm. Spring is only 35 days away. A month ago we were worrying about getting tested for Covid, today there is a vaccine, and the days when it is readily available are coming. Life is constantly in transition, there are always better days ahead. That is the theme of our scriptures today – the experience of transitions. One thing that you can look forward to in times of transition are the visions. There are short glimpses of the holy and of the better yet to come. In the transfiguration story – Jesus has been praying to be used by God, and things are about to get a little sticky. But before he goes into the intense part of his ministry, he takes his disciples up on a mountain and he begins to pray. As he is praying his two greatest mentors, Elijah and Moses join him and he starts to glow for just a minute, then it is all over. Life is back to normal. They come down off of the mountain, and go on about their ministry. It was the vision itself that tells them that life is about to change. Fog-Clearing Moments Most of us have had fog-clearing moments. A recent Gallop Poll reported that eighty-five percent of the people interviewed said that they had had a “mystical” experience with God. This is a high percentage! But, when you think about it, there have been those moments in life when we experienced God’s presence and purpose in ways that are deep, profound, and real. So great is that certainty that we would stake our lives upon its reality. Perhaps we cannot explain it, but it is real beyond the shadow of a doubt. Joe Pennel Jr., From Anticipation to Transfiguration, CSS Publishing Company This morning we are going to focus on the mentor and not the mentee. Our scripture for this morning is not the gospel lesson, but the Hebrew bible lesson. The story of Elijah and Elisha. This is s story of Elisha’s bravery and boldness. Elisha asks for a double portion of his mentor’s spirit. More importantly he asks to be an heir of Elijah. We do we call catholic priest – father – because that is what Elisha called Elijah. That is who Abraham is to us all – the father of our faith. Elijah promises that Elisha will get his wish if he is with him at the time of his departure. And sure enough a chariot of fire comes to get Elijah. His students search for days afterwards and never find a body. What I did not realize was that the chariot of fire was representative of an image of God prevalent in the middle eastern cultures. God was known as the divine warrior. God was at war with negativity and all of the bad things that happen to people. A chariot is only used on the battle field. It is this chariot that comes down to earth and takes up Elijah. What is the greatest enemy of humankind? What is the greatest threat to our wellbeing as people? Our greatest threat is death. In the scripture, everyone knew that Elijah was close to death. The other seminary students constantly reminded Elisha that he was going to loose his mentor every shortly. Elisha stuck to his mentor like glue, and refused to listen to the inevitable. The chariot of fire comes to get Elijah and he is delivered from the greatest enemy of all time – death. Elijah is one of three people in the bible who are taken up directly into heaven. Moses was taken up to heaven, but he is not one of the 3 people – he died before he was taken. As Elisha watched all of this unfolding – that was his transitional glimpse of God. A Night to Slow Down and See On one of his many travels across the United States Charles Kuralt unexpectedly spent a night on Mount McKinley. He had planned just a day visit, but the plane that carried him to the glacier was unable to bring him back. Since it was getting late Charles and Izzy, a photographer who worked with him, would have to spend the night. Charles admits a feeling of fear swept over him in that strange deserted place. There was a cabin on the mountain not too far from where they were, their pilot told them. They would be able to spend the night there. The men hiked for nearly an hour before they found the simple cabin. The cabin was small, six-sided and half buried in snow. Inside there were sleeping shelves along the walls. What seemed strange to Charles when he first arrived was the large windows. After eating stew the men were ready for bed. But then they looked out those same windows. They were taken by surprise by what they saw. For one night only they had the best seats on the planet for nature's most spectacular show. They stayed up watching in delight and wonder. The scene faded away only with the rising of the sun. Both of them were left awed and exhausted. That morning Charles began to wonder if maybe the pilot left him on the mountain on purpose. Maybe the pilot sized them up as a couple of guys who thought they were in a bigger hurry than they really were and would benefit from a night to slow down and look around and think about this place where they were. It would be a night Charles Kuralt would never forget. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com A Visionary Moment One of my favorite stories about the United Nations is the story about Dag Hammarskjold, who was Secretary General of the UN many years ago in about 1961. Many of us like his book entitled, MARKINGS. MARKINGS is Hammarskjold’s notes of his life as Secretary General of the United Nations but it is also a spiritual diary of his spiritual journey. Hammarskjold was a mystic, believing in the mystery of life and the mysteriousness of God. In his diary, he wrote the following words: “Summoned to carry it; alone to assay it; chosen to suffer it; free to deny it. I saw for one moment the sail in the sun storm, far off on a wave crest, bearing from land. For one moment, I saw….” I love those words, “From that moment, I saw the sail in the sun storm, I saw.” And he continued, “From that moment, when I said Yes to Someone, I knew for sure that my life, in self surrender, had meaning and had a goal.” Hammarskjold could not necessarily name that moment. That may be true for you as well. Where you had a visionary moment in your life, and you cannot pinpoint the exactness of the time of that moment, but you knew that your life, in self surrender, had a meaning and a goal. You knew that God had called you for a purpose, for a destiny in this world, and that you surrendered yourself to a purpose larger than yourself. Edward F. Markquart, Visions on a Mountaintop Whether we realize it or not, we all have those transitional moments. We are living in a transitional time, when things are about to change for the better. What is our present encounter with death? What is our present encounter with the chariot of fire? How are we being rescued as we speak? In 2 Kings the hope came the day Elisha graduated from his training to be a prophet. He had all of the knowledge that he needed. Now he just needed to go into practice. He needed to inspiration to do what he needed. Now he received the mantle to continue on the work that his mentor started. I think we all have that mentor that cared enough about us to teach us all that we knew. I just learned recently that a mentor of mine just passed away. I am grateful for the time that we spent together. God Breaks into Our Lives William Boggs' grandfather played a very important role in his life. Grandpa Boggs had been blind for nearly twenty years. Grandpa would tell you quickly that the way the world was going he didn't much care to see it anyway. He did have one regret however. He had never seen his grandson. Sensing death closing in on him, William's grandfather began praying more intensely for the Lord to give him sight, just long enough to see his grandson before he died. The doctors had told him that it was an impossibility because his eyes had long since turned a milky blue from a disease. One day Grandpa was playing with his grandson when suddenly he could see. The whole family ran out into the yard to see what all the fuss was and quickly grew quiet as it become apparent that his vision had returned. Grandpa picked up his grandson, whom he had never seen, and stared at him with an intensity that frightened the child. William remembers holding his face between his small hands while both of them cried. Then in the most frightening moment of all, Grandpa saw something in William. It was an unbelievable, once in a lifetime experience. Grandpa looked his grandson in the eyes and softly said, "a preacher." That was all he said. Just those two words so quietly uttered with a tone of surprise. Thirty years later William wonders which was the greater miracle "that he could see or that he could see something so deeply hidden in William and William's distant future. William believes that his grandfather's voice that day was the voice of God. God breaks into our lives suddenly and distinctly. At such times our perspectives are changed. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We can always remember the mentor who cared for us, but it is important also that we remember the person that God puts in our lives to pass the mantle onto. The journey of a Christian requires us to both give and to receive our talents. Who is the mentee who you are tilling to give a double portion of your spirit to? The greatest mentor for us all is Jesus Christ. Jesus not only gives us a double portion, but he gave us all of his life. so that we could pass it on to others. Elijah has Elisha, Jesus has 3 million and counting that make up the body of Christ. Elijah has the chariot of fire, Jesus has to cross. In each case the chariot of fire – delivered them from the enemy of death. They both showed us that we too can be victorious over the thing that threatens our way of living today – death. It was the fact that Elisha was able to see this vision, that gave him a clear path of how to go on and to live and to do the work of God. True Miracles Once upon a time a group of disciples asked an elder, "Does your God work miracles?" The elder said, "Well, it all depends on what you mean by a miracle. Some people say it's a miracle that God does the will of the people. We say, it's a miracle when people do the will of God." Joan Chittister, The Role of Religion in Today's Society As we look at the vision today – we see There's nothing false about La Transfiguration - ecstasy, joy, awe and terror are all there: what you hear is what you get. All of that is present in the struggle in life. But when we are able to see that glimpse of the presence of God – we have to the strength to be present, for the next vision, the next transition the next victory over death. Happy Valentine’s day and keep the faith! Amen. Prayer Lord of infinite mercy, we would make a Broadway production of this Transfiguration event because we would not take the time to understand its significance for our lives. We are in such a hurry to memorialize everything that the power and meaning of the event become pale or altered in our memories. Help us look at Jesus with new eyes, those eyes that see him in light of the witness of the ages; that see Jesus as the One who comes to set people free, to heal, to bring hope and peace. Make us ready to become faithful disciples, rather than remaining dazzled by the mountaintop experience. Give us strength and courage this day to witness to Jesus’ love by the many deeds of mercy and justice we can offer in his name. For we offer ourselves, imperfect, but willing, to serve. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection Shine Jesus Shine FWS 2173 Announcements Benediction Cry out! God’s word has been spoken. Cry out! Our hearts are filled with praise. Cry out! Our lives proclaim God’s glory. Cry out the bounty of God’s love. Children’s Sermon Children’s Sermon idea for Valentines Day / Sunday: Show the children how to say “I love you” in sign language. (One handed (see above) or Point to yourself (I), Cross your arms across your chest (Love) and then point to the other person (You). Show them a cut out paper heart with the words “I love you” written inside. Explain how we could also give a Valentines heart to people as a way of telling them we love them. Remind them how God showed his love by sending us his son Jesus. Remind them that it is important to tell people closed to us that we love them. -- (You might also want to tell them about Saint Valentine who demonstrated his love by helping people who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus.) Or....try this Valentines Day kids sermon - Object lesson items: A red paper valentines heart (with the words “I love you.”) Full Valentines Day message: Good morning children! What special day does this heart remind you of? That’s right- Valentines Day. Saint Valentine was a real person who showed his wonderful love by helping people in need. Valentines Day is a great day to tell people how much we care about them and love them. This morning I want to show you a very interesting way of saying, “I love you.” I’ll show you how to say “I love you” in sign language. (Get the children to copy the hand motions for “I love you.” You could also show them the one handed method (Hand outstretched with 2 middle finger folded down.) What are some other ways we can tell people we love them? (Discuss the importance of demonstrating love and telling people with love them.) Those are all very good ideas. (Hold up a red paper heart) When I was young we would sometimes hand out red Valentines Day hearts to people. It was a simple way of telling people how much we cared about them. Do you see these words here? This says, “I love you.” There are many ways of showing people our love. Valentines Day is a good day to tell people and show people we love them. God showed his love to us by sending his son Jesus. It’s important that we pass on that love to others too. Children’s Prayer: Thank you for St. Valentine who showed his love by helping people in need. Help us to show love to others by our words and by our actions. In Jesus’ name – Amen! Additional Illustrations Mountain Top Experiences A man once testified in one of D.L. Moody's meetings that he had lived "on the Mount of Transfiguration" for five years. "How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?" Moody bluntly asked him. "Well," the man hesitated, "I don't know." "Have you saved any?" Moody persisted. "I don't know that I have," the man admitted. "Well," said Moody, "we don't want that kind of mountaintop experience. When a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong." W. Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 202 The Love Cloud - Mark 9:2-9 Today marks the celebration of Valentinus of Rome, St. Valentine we call him.St. Valentine was a physician and a member of the clergy during the time of the Roman Empire. We know him as the patron saint of love and marriage. He was best known for his ministry to persecuted Christians allowing them to marry in secret after Emperor Claudius banned marriages during wartime to encourage men to battle. But Valentine was also known as a healer and comforter to the sick, those ill from plague, fainting, epilepsy, and other disorders. He was killed, martyred, on February 14 in the year 270 at the age of 44. One interesting story about Valentinus had to do with the healing of an aristocrat’s daughter while he was in his custody after his arrest. Father Valentinus told his jailor Asterius “how Christ leads pagans out of the shadow of darkness and into the light of truth and salvation. So Asterius told him, if he could heal his foster daughter from blindness, he would convert. Father Valentinus covered the girl’s eyes with his hands and said, “Lord Jesus Christ, en-lighten your handmaid, because you are God, the True Light.” At that, the child regained her sight. Asterius and his family were baptized according to their agreement, but when the Emperor heard the news, he ordered them all to be executed. Love has always been a two-edged sword, especially Christian love....