Living in God's Grace

March 14, 2021 Ephesians 2:1-10 Living in the Grace of God Lent 4 Year B Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer Let’s Let all of the land ring out with our sounds of Praise to the Lord. Only those pure in heart and deed can come and join the choir. All of us have something wrong, but with Christ are all washed clean and called to worship God! Let’s get started! Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (John 3:19-21) (if you have someone who can sing “This Little Light of Mine”, use this!) Do you remember this children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine”? Every time we gather for worship, I can imagine each person as a “little light”: a candle, star-light, a lantern in the dark forest, a flashlight in the night, all moving toward the Light of Life (Jesus). John’s Gospel says it this way: “those who do what is true come to the light.” In our Lenten journey, we’re now half way between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day. How are you letting your light shine? Are you on the move, heading closer to Jesus and his way of life, as you travel? This time in our worship opens the door for you to let your light shine through your offering. What you share is a sign of the “little light” which you are. Especially in these 40 days, may you be challenged and inspired to dig deep and offer a sacrificial gift to support _________________ (whatever is your Lenten focus). When our lights all come together, what a GLORIOUS sight! Our deeds declare the love of God made known in Jesus, the Christ! Great and generous God, our lives are surrounded by things that steal our lives, inflict and destroy us. The tithes and offering we share with you this day are a way of keeping us focused not on the things that would take life away but will renew our lives: hope, love, compassion, empathy. As the Israelites looked to a serpent on a pole for healing, we look to a Savior on a cross to be brought back to life. In that holy name, Jesus the Messiah, we pray. Amen. (Numbers 21:4-9) Special Music Scripture Ephesians 2:1-10 Common English Bible Saved from sin to life 2 At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. 2 You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. 3 At one time you were like those persons. All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else. 4-5 However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! 6 And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. 7 God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. 8 You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith.[a] This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. 9 It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. 10 Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. Sermon Living in God’s Grace Have you been feeling a little discouraged lately? A little unappreciated? In need of a little pick me up? Well there is a website that is just perfect for you. Emergency compliment.com You can go that website, and there is a compliment there waiting just for you. Under the compliment are two boxes, one asks if that compliment hit the spot, or if it didn’t impress you. If you are not impressed, it will keep generating new compliments. My last compliment – The principal will call you to the office just to look cool. Okay – I will take it. The book of Ephesians was written to be a pick me up book. I don’t preach from the book of Ephesians very often, but I can say that every time I do, it is always a happy sermon that leaves me with a good feeling. Now one thing I will say about this book, it is very wordy. And it talks about a lot of theological concepts that I have to read over and over again to get the point. But when I take the time to savor the words – there is a message about who God is, What Jesus can do, and the difference it all makes in my life. Grace, salvation, gratitude. I visited Ephesus on my trip to Greece following in the footsteps of Paul. I remember Ephesus to be a city that I would not mind living in – the floors of the houses were heated, the streets were paved in marble. And along the main street in town were statues of important historical figures in town. There was a stadium on one end of town and the public baths where people hung out on the other side. Ephesus was not a particulary Christian town. But you could tell by walking the streets 2000 years later that it was a tight knot community. So it is no surprise that this letter would be written to everyone in the community, not just the Christians. Most epistles were written to address some problem in the church. This epistle is not a letter at all. And as I said, scholars are pretty sure that it was not written by Paul. It is a collection of teachings, words of encouragement, songs and prayers. Ephesians was written to a community at the end of its rope. They were discouraged, overwhelmed, burdened. Other evangelist has come to town to tell them that Jesus was returning any moment. They became believers, but Jesus never came. What was the point of being faithful? So the writer of Ephesians wants to give them some hope and encouragement. They can stop waiting for a Christ that is never coming. Christ has always come and God is already in our midst. We don’t have to get saved, We are already saved. There is nothing that we need to do to prepare for God- Grace is a free gift. The two most important sentences - You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. 3 words are the most important are, by, because of. Are saved, by God’s grace, because of your faith. Those are a lot of words, but when you think about it, they are beautiful words. Words intended to give us life. The writer continues a tradition that is not only common in Paul, but it is common in the Hebrew bible as well. Particularly the psalms. The key to understanding any of those writings is to understand that they compare the life of someone who just lives in life as reality, and someone who has decided to live in the presence of God. He (maybe a she) says that those who focus on our earthly life, choose sin and they stay trapped in life. those who choose to follow Jesus, not only find life, but they find out what it truly means to be a child of God. Not only do they find life, but they find eternal life. For the writer of Ephesians – sin and forgiveness are not just equal sides of the same coin. The writer says that the choice have already been made for all people, not just Christians. Now all we have to do is to live in God’s grace. It is already there for us, and God has already opened the door for us. God opened the door because of God’s great love for us. What better pick me up is there for us – but to think about God’s grace. We didn’t have to do anything to get it, it was just given for us to take and to use. Robert E. Reccord and Randy Singer in their book, Made to Count, Discovering What To Do with Your Life, tell a story about a man who understood his purpose in life. A new home was being built. Nothing was going right on the construction site. The boss was frustrated, and the men were grouchy. The weather was hot and humid. To add to the misery, the construction site’s port a john reeked with odors that made the crew gag. The company that was charged with keeping it serviced hadn’t been heard from for days. Suddenly a truck rolled down the street toward the site. Its radio was blaring wildly. The attention of everyone on the worksite shifted to the vehicle as it slid to a stop in front of the partially completed house. They noticed that it wasn’t the regular maintenance man for the port-a-john who got out of the truck. Instead, it was a big, burly guy, covered with tattoos. He was singing at the top of his lungs. He greeted the entire crew with a contagious grin, grabbed his materials and headed-enthusiastically-into the odiferous disaster of the port a john. Just before stepping in, the burley tattooed man yelled across the yard that the former man had quit, and he would be taking over. Then he disappeared into the four by six foot cubicle. Rumblings began inside the port a john and grew louder and louder, as though he were attacking every inch of the relief station. It almost sounded like he was wrestling with a tiger in there. The construction crew suspended work temporarily, their gazes drawn to the spectacle of the port a john. The guy seemed to stay inside forever. Every man on the site wondered how he could stand it and thought of how quickly they would have raced in and out just to escape the stink. After a while the crew noticed something radically different. An inviting smell drifted across the yard. Then the good natured tattooed man finally emerged with his smile still intact. “Hey,” he said, “the guy taking care of this for you wasn’t doing a very good job. From here on out, I guarantee this will be the best it can possibly be, because I’m here to serve you.” With that, he hopped in his truck, grinned, waved, turned on the blaring music once again and began to back out of the driveway. Dumbfounded, one man yelled to the driver, “How can you do that? More important, why did you do that?” “Oh, it’s simple,” replied Mr. Good natured. “You see, I work for the Lord. And I do every task as though I were doing it for Him. See you next week!” And with a smile, and singing at the top of his voice, he drove away leaving the awestruck crew with their mouths on the ground. (8) What these amazed construction workers didn’t realize was that they were in the presence of God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Here was a man so in touch with the amazing grace of Jesus Christ that he did his good works not out of a sense of blind duty, but as a joyful opportunity to live out the faith that had enveloped his life. His life had become one of nature’s great wonders. A man doing a job no one else wanted, but doing it joyfully to the glory of God. Could you do that? Could I? We complain about the good jobs we do have. Who are we? “We are God’s workmanship.” Why are we here? We “were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” By the grace of Jesus Christ, may it be so. Most of us don’t clean toilets for a living, but we do get overwhelmed. Imagine having an attitude that can help us to endure cleaning the toilets of life and still be able to smile. Ephesians is such good news for us. the words are so beautiful to our souls. The scripture says that we are Gods greatest achievement. We are God’s handiwork, we are God’s poem to the world. In David Redding’s book, Before You Call, I Will Answer, we get a vivid description of the power and destruction of war. We follow the Confederate and Union armies as they lock horns during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The Confederate army gained a stronghold atop a hill called Marye’s Heights and slaughtered the Union army below with relative ease. However, one young Confederate soldier, Sergeant Richard Kirkland wrestled with his conscience. He simply could not bear the carnage before him. Finally, he approached his superior officer and asked if he could he go out on the field and carry water to the suffering men, most of whom were members of the Union Army. The officer, though mystified by his sergeant’s request, granted his permission. And thus Confederate soldier Richard Kirkland bravely stepped forward to assist the legions of dying men he saw on the battlefield. He knew the great risk he was taking as he entered the field of conflict, but his act of courage had a sobering effect on both armies. Upon entering the battlefield, the intense gunfire suddenly ceased. The shock of an enemy offering aid to the opposition struck both armies with amazement. Back-and-forth Kirkland went from battlefield to water station, aiding every soldier along his path. Each time he stepped back on the field of battle, fighting ceased. “Sergeant Kirkland earned a nickname that day,” says Redding, “‘The Angel of Marye’s Heights.’ Later, he would be killed in the war. Those who witnessed his death said that he died a hero, thinking of the men under his command up until the very end.” (1) Do you understand that this was why Christ came into the world? It was to create a world of Sergeant Richard Kirklands . . . people who know how to love . . . people who know how to put compassion before personal security . . . people who do not divide others into friends and enemies . . . but who see all people as children of God. That is what the Gospel is about. That is what the kingdom of God is about. “For we are God’s handiwork,” writes St. Paul, “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 3 words( well in the common English version 4 words – are, by, because of. You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. What poem is your faith giving the world? How does God’s grace play out in your life? Let us pause and ponder God’s grace. In psalm 107 it tells the story of pilgrims who set out to worship God. Some are at the end of their rope and they never make it. Others who live in the grace of God make it through. When you are at the end of your rope – tie a knot. I close with this. An expedition of naturalists was once seeking specimens. They discovered one on the sheer face of a precipice. There was no way to get down to it and no way to get up to it. Calling to a boy who was helping his father in a nearby field, they asked him to let them put a rope around him and lower him over the edge so that he could get the plant for them. He was not very enthusiastic; under their urging, however, he agreed to go on one condition: "I will do it if my father holds the rope." When you reach wit’s end - the end of your rope - remember that it is our Father who holds the rope. Tie a knot and hang on! Let us pray…. Prayer Prayer of Confession: O God, so often we try to seek your through our good works and not your grace. Most of the time we believe that our works are wonderful, and forget that we live totally in your grace. Forgive us in Christ we pray. Assurance of Forgiveness Pastoral Prayer Lord, we thank you for your goodness; your steadfast love endures forever! You have saved us from so much. By grace we have been saved. Send us out with the power of your holy spirit that all may boast of your great power and love. From the earliest days of your covenant, your will for the healing of the world has been made manifest. This day there are some who are sick through their sinful ways; others are near the gate of death. Lord, send forth your word and heal them; deliver them from destruction that they and we may says thank you. Hear and answer us, not because of our works, but in the name of Jesus the Lord. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection - Rock of Ages Cleft for Me UMH 361 Announcements Benediction As God has shared the best with you, now you are challenged to go forth to share your blessings with others. May the peace and love of God go with you always. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Can A Christian Brag? Ephesians 2:8 Object: a miniature basketball and basketball goal (like the kind some people hang over small garbage cans) Good morning, boys and girls. Do any of you like to play basketball? It's a fun game. Can you tell me how to play it? That's right, every time you throw the ball through the basket, you get two points. (Demonstrate your amazing hook shot here) If you stand really far away and throw the ball through the basket, then you get three points. (Demonstrate, if your ego can stand the challenge) Whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. If you practiced really hard and really improved your aim, then you could score lots and lots of points. That's the only way that you can win a game of basketball. You know, some people think that obeying God is like a game of basketball. They think that every time they do a good deed, they get a point. Every time they clean their room, or share their toys, or give some of their allowance to the church, they get a point with God. And the more points they get, the more God loves them. But that's not how God works. We can't earn points with God. God says, "I love you no matter what. You don't have to earn My love. I'll give you My love as a free gift. All you have to do is accept it." That's called grace. When you hear me talk about God's grace, I'm talking about God's free gift of love to all of us. Let's pray and thank God for giving us the gift of grace. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Additional Illustrations Luckily for us, lent is the time for us to look for the universal symbol of healing – of Jesus on the cross. (since I am not catholic – I don’t have any symbols of Jesus being lifted up high on the cross) But I do have many symbols of the cross – our source of healing for not only physical illnesses, but spiritual ones as well. This year we have been focusing in the promises of God. Both Ephesians and John capture that promise very well. Ephesians 4 and 5 say But God, who is rich in mercy, out of great love , even when we were dead in our trespasses, were made alive with Christ Jesus. John contains the most well known verse in the bible – for God do loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whomever would believe in him would have eternal life and have it abundantly. God’s promise to us is that even when we are sinners, we are still loved. God has prepared a place for us in heaven, even before ever realized that there was a heaven to aspire to. The book of Ephesians is thought to be a book of prayers and instructions for a disheartened community. People who had given their life to the Christian way – but had lost sight of why they had put their faith in Christ. They had been told that Jesus was coming soon, and that all would be better, but they begin to see that was not the case. The comfort of Ephesians is not so much in the words, but in the tone of the words. For a people who are tired of waiting, the author is reminding us that The work of God has already been done. We have already been saved, we have already been given eternal life, we have already been forgiven. So we don’t need to wait for something to happen – it has already happened. God’s healing for us is a gift freely given. It is a gift that has already been given to us, - while we are still stuck in our bad habits. Eckhardt Tolle – who is not a Christian writer, but is a spiritual writer- has a book called the power of now. He says that we have become comfortable with waiting for things to happen. Waiting for change. Change is something that is going to happen in the future. Our happiness is out there somewhere, things will get better out there at some point. We will live the life we dream about when we are ready for it, it will happen eventually. We will have a better relationship with God and be able to really think about what we are called to do, when life slows down and we have time for it. We have become so busy thinking about change. That we forget that change is here with us – in our relationship with God, with ourselves with others and with the world. We really don’t have to wait for God to come to be with us – because God is already here. God has been with us before we came into being, and God is with us every step of the way. The message of Ephesians is to get in touch with the now-ness of God. You don’t have to wait for things to change – because the change has already happen. For instance for me in my own struggle – I don’t have to wait for life to get better to stop living a stressed out life. The healthy vegetables, the 64 ounces of water, even the gym is already present in my life – all I have to do is acknowledge them. You can take the time to think about your own situation, your own habits, your own relationship with God. You can apply the things that you are waiting for in your life. The Ephesians were waiting for Jesus to return before things would change – what are you waiting for? Ephesians message is that what you are waiting for – it already happen a long time ago. When God made a decision to love you no matter what. And that love started to unfold in history. So stop living as if you are waiting for it to happen, and start living as if it has already been given to you. By grace – you have been saved. And raised up in him and seated us with him in heavenly places. Jesus Christ just came to deliver the message – that the work had already been done. Jesus too preaches the importance of living in the now-ness of life. We don’t have a moment to lose in waiting – that we have to spread God’s message of love to a world which needs it now. Speaking of snakes, there is the story of old man John and his two sons, Jake and Joe, who lived out on a ranch out west. They never had much use for the church – until one day when the son Jake was bitten by a rattlesnake. They called the doctor first, but the doctor said that Jake was surely going to die. So they called for the priest to come pray for Jake. The priest’s prayer was Dear Lord, thank you for sending this snake to bite Jake – because it sent him to seek you out and to ask for your grace in his life. I pray for a bigger snake to come and to bite his father John and his brother Joe – so that they too can have an opportunity to seek your salvation. Depending on where Jake was in his faith journey, that may have not been a comforting prayer for him, seeing that he was destined to die anyway. But I am sure that it scared the heck out of John and Joe. Snakes have been a source of fear for humans for ages. We have been afraid of their poison for years, rightfully so. I want you to think about where the source of poison is in your life? The symbol of the snake on a stick has been the symbol of healing for ages. The sign of the cross is our sign of healing. If the symbol of Jesus be lifted up – then all who believe will have eternal life. What are you doing on your life to lift jesus up – so that others can see that there is a universal sign of healing in the world. It is a sign not of what is to come – but of what is already been done. God’s love for us is s done deal – and there is nothing you can do about it – but go in peace and love. Amen. What Did We Do To Deserve This? In an old Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis and his little friend Joey are leaving Mrs. Wilson's house, their hands full of cookies. Joey says, "I wonder what we did to deserve this." Dennis answers, "Look, Joey. Mrs. Wilson gives us cookies not because we're nice, but because she's nice." Billy D. Strayhorn, Cross Road: For God So Loved chaplain was addressing the soldiers in his company one day. He said to them, "There are two possibilities following death. Heaven and hell. If you would like to know your destination I will be happy to give you a little testthe results of which will be your answer." They answered in unison, "Okay. Give us the test." They found some pencils and paper and the chaplain told them to number off ten spaces. Each question would count ten points. Question number one was, "Have you always loved God above all else and not put anything else before Him?" Each soldier was to grade himself on a scale from number one to ten. "Have you ever misused God's name or made light of Him?" There were other questions about family, God and conduct as the chaplain went through the Ten Commandments. When the test was completed, he asked the men to tally up their scores. One thought that he had scored quite well and had given himself a 75. He recalled in school that was considered passing. Eventually, one of the men asked, "Say Padre, what's a passing score for this test, anyway?" The chaplain answered, "100 points." The men shook their heads. "What's the use of trying? No one could be that perfect. Certainly they were all doomed." The chaplain smiled and said, "I've got good news. There was a man who walked this earth and took this test and scored a 100 points. His name is Jesus. And he says that the purpose of the test is not to score a 100 points but to indicate our need for help. There is mercy and forgiveness for all who will receive it. Even though we may not score a 100 points we can substitute his test score for our own. Because of what he has done, we are accepted. " We don't attain heaven the old fashion way. We don't earn it. It is a gift. That is of course the meaning of the word "grace." The theme of God's unmerited and unrestrained love for sinners was so important to St. Paul that the word grace occurs 101 times in writings attributed to him. It only appears 28 times in the rest of the New Testament. Why was it important to St. Paul? Because he had tried his best to earn his way to heaven. He was the most passionate Pharisee of all. He had even persecuted the early Church in his zeal. And yet he met Jesus on the Damascus road. There Jesus turned his life around. He, who was in his words, the chief of sinners, came into the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ not because of works but because of grace. So St. Paul wanted the whole world to know that salvation is something we cannot earn. Salvation is a gift freely given. Fifty-five percent of all Americans in a nationwide survey said, that a good person can earn his way to heaven. But that's not all. 58% of Episcopalians, 59% of Methodists, 76% of Mormons, and 82% of Catholics agreed. Incidentally, 38% of Baptists also said that a good person can earn his way to heaven.1 I read a story about a poor woman over in England whose daughter was deathly ill. The doctor said that she needed the minerals and vitamins that only fresh fruit could give, but there was very little fruit to be found in the city. When this woman went out searching, she had to walk by the king's vineyards, and there she saw cluster after cluster of luscious beautiful grapes. The gate happened to be opened and she walked through and began to pick some. About that time the king's gardener saw her and came over to her and said, "You cannot touch these grapes. These grapes belong to the king." She said, "Well, I'll pay what little I have." He said, "Lady, you cannot have them for any price. You must leave and leave now." Well she began to cry, weep, and beg, but the gardener would not listen to her. About that time, the king himself came walking up and asked what the problem was. When he was told, he said to the lady, "You may have all the grapes you want." She said, "Thank you so much. Here's what little money I have saved up and I'll be glad to pay you." The king looked at her and said, "Lady, these are not ordinary grapes. These are the king's grapes, and they are not for sale. You may have them as a gift or you may not have them at all." In a recent book author Max Lucado tells a wonderful story about a ship that is blown off course. It quickly comes across a group of uncharted islands. The ship’s captain orders the boat’s anchor dropped at the first island and sets foot on it. What he discovers is a scene of total despair. Poverty and discord abound on this island. The people are dispirited and demoralized. The Captain and his crew move on to other nearby islands and they, too, reveal villages in the midst of blight, suffering from conflict, lack of food and illness. Finally, the Captain enters the largest island of the chain and discovers a totally different world than he had encountered on the other islands. This island has plush irrigation systems, strong able bodied citizens and a bright outlook. When the Captain asks a local why this island is so far ahead of its neighbors, he is told that a Father Benjamin has educated the people of the island in everything from agriculture to health. The Father also assisted the town in building schools, roads, hospitals and irrigation systems. Seeing such an amazing community led by one man, the captain asks to meet Father Benjamin in person. “Show me where he lives,” he says. At first, the Captain is guided to various buildings that the Father was responsible for building. But the Father is not there. Then the locals bring him to a fishpond that Father Benjamin had constructed that helps to feed the community. Again, however, there is no sign of Father Benjamin. The Captain is finally led up a mountain. “Aha,” he thought, “Finally I will meet the amazing Father Benjamin.” Once again, there is no sign of this good Father and the Captain grows frustrated. He asks the townsfolk why they have led him to many places which Father Benjamin made possible, but not to the gentleman himself. Finally, the Captain is told that Father Benjamin has died. The Captain asks why they did not tell him up front that the priest was dead. “You didn’t ask about his death,” the chief explains. “You asked to see where he lives.” (5) Wow! You want to know where Christ lives? He lives within each person who is willing to open himself or herself to become the handiwork of God. He lives wherever a hospital has been built in Christ’s name, or a homeless shelter, or a soup kitchen. Christ lives wherever anyone has given sacrificially to minister to any of “the least of these.” Is there anyone here who doesn’t appreciate a nice compliment from time to time? A compliment truly is oxygen for the soul. Let me tell you about a service on the web that is designed to lift you up when you are down. It is called “Emergency compliment.com.” You can go there and see brief messages to feed your ego and boost your mood. Who wouldn’t like to be told things like “Your prom date still thinks about you all the time”? Or “You are someone’s ‘the one that got away.’” (1) You’ll find it there: “Emergency compliment.com.” It was in 1985 that singer/songwriter Bob Geldof organized the Live Aid benefit concert to feed the hungry. Geldof, lead singer of a rock group with the marvelous name of "Boomtown Rats," recruited the cream of British pop talent to record a song he co-wrote called "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Then he helped organize the dual continent Live Aid extravaganza which raised several million dollars. The theme song of that was "We Are the World." When receiving a reward for this, Geldof's comment was, "What these efforts have done is to make compassion hip again." Predictably, this compassion for the hungry is, to continue the food metaphor, on the back burner. Feeding the hungry was high fashion for a brief season. Now it is on to other politically correct causes. This blessing does not come to those who are content that they have done enough, who then move on to another cause, any more than we can believe that today's lunch is all the food we will ever need. It is the divine discontent with an unrighteous world which leads us forever toward the promise of this blessing. "Happy are those who want God's approval as desperately as a dying man, stumbling toward a desert mirage, wants a drink, or as a starving man longs for a crust of bread. They shall receive that which they seek." (The Pulpit 12/54) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." (KJV) "O the bliss of the man who longs for total righteousness as a starving man longs for food, and a man perishing of thirst longs for water, for that man will be truly satisfied." (Barclay) "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for it, for they shall find that it meets their deepest needs." (Jordon) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (RSV) When you reach wit’s end, tie a knot of religious devotion and hang on!