God is the root of everything

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington July 25, 2021 Ephesians 3:14-21 9th Sunday After Pentecost Year B God is the root of everything Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer Lord, we come into your presence this morning with the busy schedules of summer activities crowding our lives. Our souls need to be fed and yet we seem powerless to find nurture and feeding that will sustain us. Open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts this day to hear your words of hope and healing for us. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship An old song has the lyrics “such as I have, I give you, willingly”. That describes the gifts of the nameless boy in John’s Gospel who brought five barley loaves and two fish with him when he came to hear Jesus teach and watch him heal those who gathered. Willingly, he put what he had into Jesus’ hands. Look what happened! As we come to the time of receiving our morning offering, let’s imagine what could happen if each one of us would act on these words: “such as I have, I give you, willingly”. (use the specifics from your own situation, or use these ideas, below) What time would you give to share God’s love in our congregation? In our tutoring program? In our Vacation Bible School? What talents would you offer to spread the Good News beyond these walls? Your IT skills? Your musical talent? Your ability to build a ramp for someone unable to leave their home because the stairs are too steep? What treasure would you place in the offering plate, or text, or give on-line through our web-site, today? How will you offer the treasure of your time and talent? What will you offer to add to your will or leave as an inheritance for this congregation. Such as you have, will you give, willingly? Prayer of Thanksgiving God of abundance, We give you thanks for all you provide for us, day by day. Thank you for these gifts, now offered back to you from the lives of your gathered people. Please accept them, and help us find the best ways to utilize them, that our living faith will be marked by the same generosity as that young boy offered. Such as we have, we give you, willingly. AMEN Song Be Still My Soul UMH 534 Scripture Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians 14 This is why I kneel before the Father. 15 Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him. 16 I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit. 17 I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, 18 I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. 19 I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God. 20 Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; 21 glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen. Sermon God is the root of everything Sometimes bizarre stories make the newspapers. Like the one in New York involving Daisy Fernandez. It seems Daisy won $2.8 million in 1981. Subsequently she was sued by her son's teenage friend. Why did he sue her? It was because she had asked him to pray for her. The friend, Christopher Pando, prayed to his favorite saint. When his prayer was answered, Christopher claimed half of Fernandez's jackpot. The case went before a panel of five State Supreme Court judges, who ruled against the boy, declaring soberly that in a modern court, there was no way to prove the efficacy of prayer. (1) After comedian George Burns played God in the movie OH GOD! He received some interesting mail. He received one letter from Milwaukee. It was addressed "God ” Beverly Hills." It was from a six-year-old boy. It started out: "Dear Mr. God. I know you're very busy, but I have a big favor to ask. This Sunday is our championship baseball game, and I would be very happy if you would make it not rain. Don't forget, it's this Sunday." Burns said it evidently didn't rain, because he got another letter from that boy. It said, "Thanks, but we lost." (2) One of the grand things you can do for another human being is to pray for them. St. Paul prayed for people. In our lesson for today he prayed for the church at Ephesus. But, in a sense, he was also praying for you and me. Listen to his words: "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man . . ." (RSV) Prayer is the lifeblood of who we are and what we do. Prayer is our connection to God. When we care about someone, prayer is one way to show that care. In the Jewish tradition, you would pray standing up, with your hands lifted up. But Paul is so fervently in prayer that he kneels and prays for the church He prays that something would shift in our lives and in our faith and most importantly in our faith. As the writer falls on his knees, he says this is what I pray for 3 things 1 – he prays that each of us will strengthen our inner selves. NOTICE, FIRST OF ALL, THAT ST. PAUL PRAYED THAT WE MIGHT BE STRENGTHENED. Is there anyone in this room who would not like to be stronger? Young fellows have always rejoiced in flexing their biceps. Now that it is socially acceptable for young women to be in the weight rooms, they may be having people admire their muscles as well. We all want to be stronger. Is there anyone who wants to be weak? Of course not. Having said that, I hope you realize that the greatest strength is not a strong body. It is strength of the mind and spirit. ou have seen people with bulging biceps, but have you ever had the privilege of meeting anyone as strong as Kenneth? Here is a more important question: Do you have that kind of strength? You and I, for the most part, live such easy lives. Such living is rarely conducive to building spiritual and moral muscles. Many of us need to pray for strength. Strength for carrying heavy burdens, yes. But also strength for facing moral dilemmas. St. Paul's first prayer is that we will be strong. PAUL ALSO PRAYS THAT WE WILL KNOW THE LOVE OF GOD. He writes, " . . . that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge . . ." In 1972, a young man from India set out to bicycle around the world. On one leg of his journey, he was accosted by a mugger. The mugger held him at gunpoint and demanded some money. "Why do you want my money, brother?" the Indian asked. "What you do mean 'brother'?" the mugger asked, bewildered. "Well, we are all brothers," the Indian replied. "Who are you? What are you doing?" the mugger asked. "I am bicycling around the world on $23," said the Indian. "How are you going to make it around the world on $23?" the mugger asked. "With the help of kind people like you," the Indian replied. At this, the perplexed, would-be mugger pulled out his wallet and said, "Can I help you, brother?" (6) It is amazing when you approach people with love how they will respond with love. Not always. There are evil people in this world who have never known God's love and who have, therefore, no reservoir of love from which to draw. But that is the exception. Paul prays that we will be made strong. He also prays that we might be filled with the love of God. FINALLY, HE PRAYS THAT WE WILL BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD. Here is the good news you have come to this house of worship to hear. You and I can be filled with the fulness of God. The last prayer for us is the most powerful one of all. That prayer is that we will know the width, the length, the height and the depth of God. In other words, we will come to understand just how big God is. Whereas the First Commandment prohibits the worship of other gods, the second warns against reducing God to manageable size. It commands that we not try to limit or tame or restrict God. God Almighty must not be reduced to some kind of handy helper or good- luck charm. omeone taught me this very meaningful prayer: "0 Lord, I don't ask you to bless what I am doing. Instead, help me discover what you are doing and get with it." After comedian George Burns played God in the movie OH GOD! He received some interesting mail. He received one letter from Milwaukee. It was addressed "God ” Beverly Hills." It was from a six-year-old boy. It started out: "Dear Mr. God. I know you're very busy, but I have a big favor to ask. This Sunday is our championship baseball game, and I would be very happy if you would make it not rain. Don't forget, it's this Sunday." Burns said it evidently didn't rain, because he got another letter from that boy. It said, "Thanks, but we lost." God can be so much bigger than our expectations and desires. That is a good thing. Because there are so many things in the world beyond our control. Corrie Ten Boom was a Christians imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding jews. After the war,during a service at which she spoke about forgiveness, a man she recognized as a cruel prison guard came to shake her hand. She did not want to touch him and felt no forgiveness for him, even though she knew that she should. She willed her hand to meet his, but it would not move until she felt a power from beyond her travel from her shoulder down her arm toward the man. With that power, she was able to not just shake his hand, but to really forgive him. She knew that power was Christ’s love. We worship a God that is so much bigger than anything that we will ever know. But somehow that God shows love for us. So it looks like we will be looking at lessons from the book of Ephesians throughout the next two months. These are always hard lessons because there are no bible stories, but bible lessons. Lessons on who Christ calls the church to be in the world. The change agent always on the cutting edge of live, living in outside of our comfort zone, going against common sense, and always seeking God’s sense. Jonathan Edwards put it this way, "The Christian way of life is more than what we do. It is who we are by the power of the Spirit." We can change. We were made to change. One of the bicentennial books was Liberty Tavern.2 It is an interesting story of the Revolution. A little girl from the Colonies was nursing a wounded British soldier back to life. In his hopelessness and defeat he didn’t want to live. He said to her: "Some people can’t change their natures." She responded, "That is what I refuse to admit. People do change. I am a living proof. A country can change. If America can have a revolution, why not a person? History is nothing but a story of changes." There is hope for anybody - that is the business of Christianity! • Accepting the love of God is not an intellectual venture but will require us to surrender the mystery of God’s love. This doesn’t mean checking our brains at the door, but rather realizing, humbly, that there are things we can and will never understand. God love and grace are beyond our comprehension. We can choose to accept God’s love as it is freely given to us and to others or to reject it. We can hope to know that love, but we can never understand it. The message of our scripture today – For this cause I pray – that you will be strengthened inside, that you will know the love of God and that you will know just how big our God is. When we come to know those things about God, we know them about ourselves and others. Vacation Prayer - To Reassess My Spiritual Walk Forgive me Lord, for the many times that I seem to forget or ignore You in the midst of my busy working life, when I am rushing from one important issue to another or find myself consumed with getting the job done, rather than resting my anxious thoughts on You. Lord, I know the importance of quietness, of resting in You and being still in Your presence, and I pray that You would use this vacation to help me reassess my relationship with You, so that in the future I am able to look to You and depend on You, rather than on myself. Teach me Lord, how to rest in You rather than wearing myself out with my own self-effort. Thank You for Your loving patience with me. Thank You for having waited for me to come to this important decision and for prompting me to do so, for I know that my priority in life is to get right with You and to keep You at the center of all that I do. Teach me Lord, to be quiet before You. To be still in Your presence and to cast all my burdens upon You, even those that I have while at work. Search my heart I pray, during this quality time I have with You over this vacation period, and may I emerge from it more ready and able to cast all my burdens upon You, knowing that you are interested in every area of my life, including my working life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Song In the Garden UMH 314 Announcements Benediction Let us go now, foolish enough to believe in God. We will see God in everyone we meet. Let us go now, foolish enough to follow Jesus. We will share grace with those who need it the most. Let us go now, foolish enough to be filled with the Holy Spirit, We will serve with the Spirit in calming the fears of the world. Children’s Sermon Object: Some plant roots from some different kinds of plants. Good morning, boys and girls. Has anyone ever told you to get to the root of a problem? Do you know what they mean when they talk about the "root" of the problem? [Let them answer.] Those are some pretty good answers. When people talk about the "root" of anything they are talking about starting at the beginning. The root is a very important part of anything that grows in the ground. Let me show you. [Take out some of the roots you have brought and pass them around.] What are some of the things that you know about roots? [Let them answer.] When you look at a root what does it make you think about? [Let them answer.] All of us have seen roots before, but it is hard for us to see them work because a root lives in the ground and is generally covered up with dirt and rocks. But while you can't see it, the root is hard at work. The root searches out food for the plant and takes it in so that the plant can live and grow strong. The root buries itself deep in the ground so that the plant remains firm and can grow in one place. A root is a most important part of the plant, and even though you cannot see it work, we know that the plant could not live without a good root. The reason that I showed you the roots and talked about them is because St. Paul spoke of Christians and their roots. He said that we should live in love like a root lives in the ground. Living in love means that we must be surrounded by love like a root is surrounded by the earth. How are you surrounded by love? [Let them answer.] That's right, by loving everyone and everything around you. Loving your friends, loving your family, loving your neighbors, loving your teachers, loving your enemies, and most of all, loving your God. That is how a Christian grows, becomes firm in his faith and helps others to grow. He does all of this by being like a root. Now you may not always be able to see your love or the love of others, but a good root is there beneath the surface growing. I hope that all of you are good roots. I hope that you are expanding and reaching out with new ways to grow. Make sure that you are being surrounded by love and your Christian growth is assured. CSS Publishing Company, PATCHED PEOPLE, by Wesley T. Runk Additional Illustrations If Oliver Wendell Holmes had seen the real thing, it might have turned out differently. May others rediscover the abundant life for themselves by really seeing it in some of us. I saw a cartoon somewhere picturing two Army trainees standing in front of a military chapel. On the chapel bulletin board was the sermon topic for that Sunday. It read: "The Second Commandment--Thou Shalt Not Make Any Graven Images.” One soldier said to his buddy, "Now there's a commandment I haven't broken yet." Maybe you're thinking similar thoughts this morning. Surely we haven't worshipped any graven images lately. But let's take a closer look at what the Second Commandment means before deciding whether or not we obey it. (2) One of the grand things you can do for another human being is to pray for them. St. Paul prayed for people. In our lesson for today he prayed for the church at Ephesus. But, in a sense, he was also praying for you and me. Listen to his words: "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man . . ." (RSV) FINALLY, HE PRAYS THAT WE WILL BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD. Here is the good news you have come to this house of worship to hear. You and I can be filled with the fulness of God. And that is my prayer for you ” just as it was St. Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus. That you will become a stronger person within. That you will be able to see others through the rose-colored eyes of God's love. And that you will be filled with the fulness of God ” through prayer, through working to live within God's will, through worship, and reading the Bible, and hanging out with God's people and going to the Lord's table. Isn't that what you really want? Isn't that why you are here? May it be done to you according to your need. According to those whose job it is to know such things, it only takes three weeks to become blind to the presence of stationary objects in our everyday worlds. Hang a new picture on the wall, and one is likely to notice it for about 21 days. After that it has become part of the scenery. It simply doesn't leap into the foreground any more. At the 1996 Promise Keepers gathering of 42,000 pastors in Atlanta, an assembly that represented myriad different church groups and denominational affiliations, author and pastor Max Lucado stood at the speaker's podium and made a simple request. "On the count of three," he said, "would you please shout out loud the name of the group or tradition or church body of which you are currently a member? One, two, three ..." Those present voiced their affiliations. Some were fortunate. All they had to shout was "Methodist" or "Presbyterian." One fellow rattled off "The Church of God of Prophecy Incorporated." What everyone heard echoing through the Georgia Dome was an undifferentiated blob of sound. Lucado followed with a second request. "On the count of three," he said, "would you please shout the name to whom you have trusted your heart, your soul, your ministry, and your entire spiritual future? One, two, three ..." And there rose, in unison, the sound of just two syllables that filled the entire dome: "Jesus!" In the memorable moment that followed there was absolute silence -- as if the leaders of God's people were suddenly struck dumb by the realization that perhaps they have more in common than first assumed. Perhaps the walls can fall down after all. For around that name, the name of the One who dares to share his grace with those on both sides of our most unyielding barriers, we have more in common right now than we have often allowed ourselves to dream. In Christ alone, by his immeasurable grace, there is power to turn dividing walls into dust. CSS Publishing Company, Sermons for Sunday after Pentecost, by Harold Warlick Now the way we are to attain fullness of being, or would you prefer a more modern term, wholeness, the way we are to attain wholeness is clear. Christ dwelling in our hearts in love. So we continue to talk about the shaping power of the indwelling Christ. Let’s do it today by focusing on the most fundamental of all our needs. The indwelling Christ is an affirming presence. The indwelling Christ is an affirming presence. One story that reflects this love is about little Willie, the smallest child of a sharecropping family in the 1940s. They had just enough money to survive. One time through the mother's careful saving, they had an extra dollar. She sent it into the Sears Roebuck catalog for their first luxury, a small mirror. When it arrived, each family member looked at it. When it got to Willie he gasped in horror. His face was full of scars. As an infant he had been bitten by a dog. As a toddler he had been kicked in the head by a horse. He looked at his mother: "Mama, did you know I looked like this all along?" "Yes, Willie, I knew." "And you still loved me?" "Yes, of course I loved you, Willie, and I do love you, and I will always love you, because you are mine. You are mine!" There are times when I look at the scars of my sinfulness and I have to ask the Lord: "Can you love me the way I am? Even though I neglect you and come to you only at my convenience?" And then in the solitude of my prayers I hear him whisper, "Yes, I love you. I love you because you are mine." As one preacher put it: "There is nothing you can do to make God love you. There is nothing you can do to make God stop loving you." For this reason I kneel before the Father ... and I pray that he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Amen. • Is Christ a visitor in our life? Do we put on show of hospitality and good manners; temporarily pushing our “junk” into the closets of our lives? OR do we invite Christ to live with us? To be challenged by Christ’s constant presence in time that are good and times that are bad? Will we allow ourselves to be transformed by Christ? o “Conversations change. Relationships realign. Household tasks increase and responsibilities shift. So it is when Christ moves in to the hearts of Christians. This isn't merely tweaking old patterns; everything changes.” Karen Chakoian, Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season After Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16). A man opens a bar, right across the street from a church. The church is very unhappy about this. As they meet for administrative council meetings, for bible study, even Sunday service, every time they pray as a church, they pray that some how this bar will be shut down. One night during a storm, lighting strikes the bar, it catches fire and is destroyed. The bar owner takes the church to court, saying that they were responsible for the damage to his property They asked God to destroy the property and God answered their prayer. The churches defense was that they had no control over acts of God. The lightening had nothing to do with them. Listening to the case, the judge felt that he had to be very careful in how he proceeded and how he answered this case. While weighing the evidence of the case, he says – now let me get this straight – in this case we have a bartender, who believes in the power of prayer and this side, and other the other side we have a church who doesn’t. hmmmm.

The House where God lives

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington July 18, 2021 Ephesians 2:11-22 8th Sunday after Pentecost Year B Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship (from Ephesians 2) One: We gather, eager to worship the God who brings us together. Many: We once were strangers to God’s covenant. One: Remember: once we had no hope. Many: Yet now, in Christ, we’re brought together. One: Here, there’s no room for rancor or hostility. Many: Here, we join with the whole household of God! All: Let us worship the Lord, our God! Song It is Well with my soul UMH 377 Stewardship Moment In countless surveys, we are asked “how many people live in your household?” For most of us, that’s a pretty easy question to answer. We’d find it difficult, however, to come up with a number if someone asked “how many members are in the household of God?” Yet that’s the way we’re described by the author of Ephesians. Since Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, all believers are no longer “strangers and aliens”, but are members of God’s household. And, as such, we have certain privileges and certain responsibilities. (use this, or tell your own: While I wouldn’t want this to happen, I’m confident if I were driving out of state and my car broke down, I could call on a minister or elder in that place to ask for a recommendation of a mechanic or repair shop.) Just as each of us contribute for our home, so we recognize the expectation we will contribute here. Our morning offering is one place where ALL can participate. Whether you brought a check, will give on-line, or will dip into your wallet, you live into your identity as part of God’s household when you offer back a portion of your finances. If your giving were posted on the screen (or in the bulletin) week by week, how would those numbers indicate your identity as a member of God’s household? Let us receive our morning tithes, gifts and offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, with cords that cannot be broken, for you have brought us all near in Jesus Christ. Now, receive these gifts as our offering of resources, talents and treasure, to build up your household. Use them, and use us, to continue breaking down dividing walls of hostility. In the Spirit, we pray, AMEN Scripture Ephesians 2:11-22 Ephesians 2:11-22 Common English Bible The reconciliation of God’s people 11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. 17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Sermon The House where God lives You know I was particularly encouraged by annual conference yesterday. As I told Debbie, the lay leader to annual conference, a virtual conferencing event only mimics the real thing of the whole conference getting together under one roof to worship and to make decisions. But I left yesterday much more hopeful than usual. The Bishop from the Indiana annual conference, Julius Trimble gave the Bible study. Bishop Trimble and I served a common appointment. My first Church in North Chicago. The church invited him to come back for a homecoming to be the preacher, so we have been friends since. He gave a message on what seemed to be the theme of the conference – Jesus is a waymaker. The conference site is down, so I couldn’t review his message. But basically he talked about how Jesus throughout the life of the church, opens doors that we weren’t expecting. Makes difficult situations more doable. Basically, Jesus is the source of all of our faith, and the bible demonstrates that fact time and again. That is the theme of our scripture today. Jesus is the source of our faith Jesus is the reason of our faith. That is actually the theme of our scripture today. The book of Ephesians explains to communities that Jesus is the source of everything in our faith. Jesus is a waymaker and so much more. I actually was also encouraged by the sermon of our current bishop, Bishop John Hopkins. The theme of his message was unity, power and mission. Once again all things that Jesus us for us. He talked about how the conference has some challenges ahead. But I was impressed, because I was left feeling hopeful. That all churches have some work to do ahead. He talked about the financial difficulties of the church not being able to pay our apportionment to the national church. Most conference pay at least 85% of their apportionment, the northern Illinois conference only paid 69% - and that we have to have a plan to pay more. He talked about how across the conference morale is low between churches an clergy, which results in decreased giving. His message – to remember our unity, power and mission lie in Jesus Christ. The writer of Ephesians gives that same message. Who we are as a church lies in Jesus Christ. In chapter two he says that not only is jesus a way maker – Jesus is also a wall breaker. Have you heard about the young man who was an All-American football player in college? He went on to play professional football for a few years and then came back to his alma mater as an assistant coach. One of his main responsibilities in his new job would be to go out and scout and recruit players for his college team. Before he made his first recruiting trip, he went in to visit with the head coach, the same coach for whom he had played when he was there in college some years before. The head coach was a crusty old veteran. He had held that position as head coach for many years, was widely known and highly respected all across the country. The new young coach said to him, “Coach, I’m about to head out on my first recruiting trip, but before I go I want to be sure that we are on the same page. Tell me, Coach, what kind of player do you want me to recruit?” The crusty old head coach leaned back in his chair. He looked the young coach straight in the eyes and said: “Son, I’ve been at this job a long time and over the years I have noticed that there are several different kinds of players. For example,” he said, “you will find some players who get knocked down and they stay down. That’s not the kind we want!” And he said, “You will find some players who get knocked down and they will get right back up and get knocked down again and then they stay down. That’s not the kind we want!” And then the old coach said, “But you will also find some other players who get knocked down and knocked down and knocked down, and every time they get knocked down, they get right back up!” At this point, the young coach got excited and he said, “Now, that’s the kind of player we want, isn’t it, Coach?” “No!” said the old head coach. “We want the one doing all that knocking down!!” That’s what we need on our church team: Players who will do some knocking down Players who will knock down not other people, but walls! Players who will knock down walls of hostility! Players who will knock down walls that divide and estrange… walls that separate or alienate. We in the church are called to knock down walls of hate and hostility and to build bridges of love and reconciliation. That is what this powerful passage in Ephesians 2 is all about. It is one of the greatest statements in all of the Bible. Listen to this: “For (Christ Jesus) he is our peace, who has made us both one, and had broken down the dividing walls of hostility.” [[The following may be added for a longer sermon—or skip down to the two brackets below to shorten: There is a gospel song that has these words: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus There is something about that name.” Indeed there is. The name “Jesus” of course means “Savior” or “The Lord’s helper,” but also notice (don’t miss this now)… that the name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Joshua.” And we remember, of course, who Joshua was… he was the one who caused “the walls to come tumbling down!” Remember how the spiritual sings it: “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho… And the walls come a-tumblin’ down.” So Jesus is well named, because He also is a wall-breaker. He breaks down the dividing walls of hostility. This passage in Ephesians 2 can be better understood when we see it against the backdrop of the physical make-up of the Temple in the time of Jesus. The Temple was a parable in stone, exposing the prejudices… the walls that existed in society during Bible times; walls that included a few privileged people, but excluded and shut out most. As you moved through the Temple toward the High Altar (the Holy of Holies), there was a series of walls designed to hold people back from God. The first wall held back foreigners…people of other races and nations. They could go inside the Temple but only to this first wall. The point of Ephesians is that sometimes the walls that need to be knocked down are in our own understanding of life. All of us naturally build walls of exclusion for other people – not because we are mean, but because we are human – we want to be safe, we want to be comfortable, we want to make sure that we understand what it going on, so we tend to limit ourselves and our environment. But the point of the church is to be a place were we come together not just in what we agree and understand, but also in what we don’t. It is the place where all people have a seat at the table, where all people are welcome. Jesus is a wall breaker because he makes sure that we are open. In order to do that, Jesus breaks down walls, but Jesus is also the glue to hold us together. One of the major themes of the book of ephesians is the household of God. The church is the house that God built. Not just the walls around us, but also the people in the church. Each of us come from a family -and every family has some organizing principle. Usually there is someone who kind of calls us together, and even though we may not like each other, or we may not agree with one another- when that person calls us together we come and participate. For the church that person is Jesus Christ. Christ is the meeting place for a divided family of all people. And it is our unity that gets rid of the walls of hostility that sometimes keep us apart otherwise. One of my favorite stories of what the church should be comes from a television documentary about a kindergarten teacher, she was concerned because on the playground groups of kids would get together and if someone new came along and want to play – the would say no you cant play with us. So she made a rule that no group could shut out anyone. If someone came and wanted to play with your group, you automatically let them in. at first the kindergarteners were stunned by the new rule. They were upset, but it started to catch on. Eventually the kindergarteners in her class passed it on to all of the other classes as they grew older. But that first year it was hard. The did not want to change. But all of them remembered a time when they were excluded from a game and decided to try it. And it worked. Many years later- the kids still played that game wherever they went in life. and they practiced it whereever they went. That is what jesus calls us to do in the church. We learn about us and them very early in life, but we are called to unlearn everything we knew and to be different. Different in the name of Christ. Years ago, beloved actor Dick Van Dyke wrote a little book titled Faith, Hope, and Hilarity. In it he told about a Sunday School teacher who asked her class, “What do you think about when you see the church doors open to everyone who wants to worship God here?” An African-American student answered, “It’s like walking into the heart of God.” (6) Both sad and happy experiences have been shared with my brothers and sisters of Christ Church. Welcome to the family." As we remember who Jesus is and who Jesus calls us to be in the ritual of baptism Baby …..As you come to this holy table, I bid you welcome to this family reunion! THIRD AND FINALLY, THERE IS VENGEANCE. Vengeance… the angry, bitter spirit that will not forgive, that nurses its wrath to keep it warm, that broods and festers and looks for a chance to get ‘em back… what a dividing wall of hostility that is! There was a sign in a business window that read like this: “To err is human. To forgive is not our policy.” Some people live by that policy and it is so sad. Vengeance is a dividing wall and a spiritual poison. Think about it like this. If you put a plastic covering over a plant, the rain and sun can’t get to it and the plant will wither and wilt and ultimately die. Vengeance is like that plastic covering. We can’t be spiritually healthy until that plastic covering is removed. Let me ask you something: Has someone hurt you? Do you feel estranged or alienated or crossways with anybody? Do you have bitterness in your heart toward any other person? If so, go fix that! Don’t wait around any more. Don’t put it off any longer. For your sake, for their sake, for God’s sake – go fix it! Ask God to go with you… and with his help… go set it right, go break down that dividing wall of hostility! Harry Emerson Fosdick once said, “Christianity is like beautiful music. It doesn’t require defense or explanation. It requires rendition.” If we want to serve Christ, if we want to do his work, if we want to live in his spirit, then our calling is to join forces with him in knocking sown the dividing walls of pride and prejudice and vengeance, and in building bridges of love and forgiveness. Writer Frederick Buechner was driving in Manhattan. He saw a building covered with graffiti. Scratched in the middle of that graffiti was the familiar phrase, “Jesus Saves!” Buechner was embarrassed. It offended him. It made him angry. But the more he thought of it, Buechner said, the more he realized what bothered him the most was the whole point of the gospel: having to admit he needed saving, and that some guy named “Jesus” was the only one who could do it . . . (6) It does make us uncomfortable talking about our need for Christ. This is more the language of the tent evangelist hitting the sawdust trail calling people to give their hearts to Jesus. But without the tent and without the sawdust, I need to say to you, we do need Jesus. We will never be reconciled to one another until first we are reconciled to God. In an article in the Yale Alumni magazine, Professor Robert Sternberg points out that IQs are rising worldwide, as much as three points per decade on average. “We’re getting smarter,” he says in the article, “but that doesn’t mean we’re becoming better people.” Unfortunately a rise in IQs is not linked to a rise in our capacity to love one another. In the 20th century alone, between 100 million and 160 million civilians lost their lives in massacres of some kind. That’s an average of more than 3,000 innocent deaths per day, and the pace has not slackened in the 21st century. Statistically speaking, the fact is the world is full of hate. Sternberg argues, “No problem facing us today is of more importance.” (7) With the advent of global terrorism hanging over us, no problem is of greater importance. But how shall we be reconciled to one another without first being reconciled to God? And how are we reconciled with God? St. Paul says it is by the cross of Jesus Christ. [I understand] there is an amazing video clip on You Tube by an evangelist named Louie Giglio. Some of our young people might want to look it up online. Go to Google and simply type in laminin l-a-m-i-n-i-n. What is laminin? Here is the scientific explanation: “Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.” Did you get that? In plain language, laminins are what hold us together . . . literally. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what hold one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. For the peacemakers there is one reward and one title. God calls the peacemakers his own children. And that is their reward. Peacemakers seldom have statues and tributes and parades in their honor. The reward is being called God's child. To be called a child of God means we bear God's very nature. The nature of God, as we know that through Jesus, is love, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is our God who is the creator of this peace. When the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth visited the United Nations, he said, "The international organization could be an earthly parable of the heavenly kingdom, but real peace will not be made here although it might seem as an approach. Peace will be made by God himself." To go out making peace we go out bearing the nature of God and living as members of God's kingdom. While war may seem to be the most terrible reality, for the children of God, the kingdom of God is the ultimate reality. Ebbie Smith tells the story about his two sons, one born into their family and the other adopted. They were about the same age, and in the same grade in school. They were introducing themselves in the first grade. One said, "He and I are brothers. One of us is adopted, but I can't remember which one." In order to fully appreciate how connected we are, we need two things: a class or other small group and a ministry task. If you don't have either of these, I give you permission to use one of the offering envelopes as a note. Write your name and phone number on it, and this message: I need a small group, or I need a ministry task. Then as you leave today, give it to an usher or a pastor. We can help you feel more connected, more a part of the Body of Christ. My immediate invitation to you today is to savor the joy of being connected to Christ and all these other wonderfully diverse children of God. Feel the unity! Rejoice in the fact that you have a family that will stand with you in good times and bad. When we were preparing to move to Memphis, we received many gracious letters of welcome from you. I can never adequately thank you for giving us the benefit of the doubt, for reaching out and welcoming people you knew so little about. One of those letters came from a lady I have grown to love. With her permission I read it to you: "Dear Bill, as you probably already know, Christ Church is a praying, loving, and caring church. It stands as a beacon of spiritual growth not only for us, its members, but for the entire city as well. During the six years since I became a member, I lost my beloved husband of fifty-four years and a precious grandson, age 25, in a tragic automobile accident. The love and concern shown me during this tragic period was completely overwhelming. We are still in the season of Pentecost, and this is a story of Pentecost. At Babel, everyone stood divided by their single focused arrogance, their selfishness, their desire to be independent from God, to be incommunicado from God, to be out of relationship with God, to be “as” God. But at Pentecost….. people of all races, tongues, cultures spoke with one another and understood one another. The lines of communication –and relationship—were opened and enabled, and new relationships were forged that day –with Jesus …and with each other! Now listen, the scripture doesn’t say, they all became alike! It doesn’t say, they all melded into a Stepford Disciple, who talks the same, walks the same, thinks the same, worships the same, or even likes the same music! Gasp! It doesn’t even say, they liked each other! But they understood each other, they communicated with each other, and they found a common Creator in the breath of the Holy Spirit! Prayer of the Day God of aliens and strangers: make the doors of this church wide enough so that all find a welcome, a home, a haven, a heart. Christ of the near and those who are far off: make our hearts wide enough so that all might find a place in this household of faith. Welcoming Spirit of saints and sinners: open our arms wide enough so that all - the guest, the neighbor, the child, the widow, the politician, the homeless, the brother, the sister - may be embraced by your love and grace. God in Community, Holy in One, open your arms wide enough to enfold us in your heart, as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying, (The Lord's Prayer) Song Just a Closer Walk with Thee TFWS 2158 Announcements Benediction Now go, to greet stranger and dear friend equally. We will share God’s steadfast love as we seek to live in faithfulness. Now go, to share Christ’s compassion with everyone. We will tear down dividing walls and build bridges of hope. Now go, to live as one as the Spirit gathers you with others. We will build communities that welcome all, especially the outsiders. Children’s Sermon Additional Illustrations

Have You Seen Joan?

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington July 11, 2021 7th Sunday after Pentecost Have You Seen Joan? John 6: 26-28, 35, 51-58 Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship Call to Worship #4 L: Open wide the doorways of our sanctuary! P: May the king of glory come into our midst. L: Who is this king of glory? P: This king of glory is our Savior Jesus Christ. L: Open the doors of our hearts to receive Jesus Christ. P: May our spirits and our hearts receive his blessing now and forever. AMEN. Stewardship Moment Mission Focus: The Ministry of Our Caring Closet Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all life, We pray you will accept these gifts: inherited from you and returned to help accomplish your will in the world. Receive not only this treasure, but also our time and our talents. Bless all who have given. Use this offering and use us, to build up your Realm here on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen Scripture John 6:26-28, 35, 51-58 Bread of life 26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One[a] will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” 28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 Then the Jews debated among themselves, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Human One[a] and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me lives because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. It isn’t like the bread your ancestors ate, and then they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Sermon Have you seen Joan? The good news according to John is that Jesus us the anointed one Jesus was sent to our lives by God to help us to understand who God is and why God loves us. Words cannot always express completely who God is, the words have to be demonstrated to you. John gives a series of statements of who the messiah is. The first, Jesus is the bread of life. In John 6 Jesus says that I am the bread of life. Later on he will tell his disciples to feed the 5000 with real bread. But now Jesus says that the bread of life not only feeds the spirit, but also the soul. Once we experience the grace of God’s love in our lives we come to understand what it means to have eternal life in Jesus. We experience a different kind of bread. Today I want to share with you my story of receiving the bread of life. I was not born United Methodist. And even though I attended church off and on all of my life, I was not particularly religious. But I learned the definition of grace through the United Methodist Church, I first learned the definition of the bread of life that leads to eternal life. And I have been here every since. It was about 32 years ago, I had one more quarter of school left. I was exhausted from studying and trying to figure out how to pay for school, worrying about where I was going to live if I was not in school. So when I had to move out of the room that I was renting for the summer, instead of registering for school. I put my things in storage, and went to check into the homeless shelter. All of the churches in Evanston has gotten together to make sure that there was a safety net for anyone who had fallen on hard times. Each church provided a meal so that lunch and dinner was provided 7 days a week. First Baptist church hosted the shelter- we called it Hilda’s place because Hilda was the director. You could stay in the shelter for 3 months as long as you obeyed the rules – you had to check in every night at 10pm, no fighting or stealing, and you had to be ready to leave at 7am. This shelter was just for adults, so they had 30 spaces – 25 men and 5 women. Rarely were there five women- women with children would have gone to another shelter. A few weeks after I moved in, Joan moved in. I slept on the bottom bunk and she slept on the top bunk. I never really learned Joan’s story – but we talked a lot. Joan was about 12 years older than me, she was from Milwaukee and she worked as a journalist to support her two children. Since she was a journalist, she asked the Chicago Tribune if she could write a feature story on homelessness. She spent about a week interviewing people and getting them to tell their stories. One the night before she had to turn the story in, we talked about our experience. Two things come to mind about that conversation. First we both agreed, that if they were to call all of into a meeting one day and say that the shelter was closing and that we all needed to just make up with our families and go home – not one of us would be at a loss of where to go. We all just had a reason for not being there. And second we both agreed that being homeless was not really a search for physical food, or physical shelter, or physical clothes – it was a search for spiritual food, spiritual belonging and spiritual covering. We were looking for something deeper that you could only get from receiving those physical things. When I checked into the shelter, it soon became quite a close community. The first day that I went to the hospitality center after checking out of the shelter – a group said to me – everyone here has their sad story – what is your sad story. I told them of walking away from an abusive relationship, and not really being able to take care of my son or go home. Their response – Wow – that is really sad – you want to play cards. One thing that I noticed about people sad stories – they were not stories or houses burning down and losing everything, or losing a long time job. Most of the stories were of dealing with the grief of losing a significant relationship in their life – a divorce, or the death of a parent or a spouse. Being homeless was a way of dealing with that loss. They told me that telling you sad story was a major part of being on the tramp trail. – you went from church to church telling your sad story – and they gave you money. Most people spent their day going from hospitality center to hospitality center all day until it was time to check back into the shelter. I went to work every day, and I spent my free time on Northwesterns campus which is what I would have done anyway. Even though I was living a normal life, I started to feel like I was living in the twilight zone and I was living in a different plane from the people I was around everyday. Conversations that used to make sense – got really weird. Like the time I was in the Northwestern library and came across a younger student in the same program that I was in. she was putting together some display. I asked her what she was doing – she said she was collecting can foods for the homeless people. She talked about how this was an important mission project for her church. Can foods for homeless people I said to her – that has got to be one of the most Christian things I have ever heard in my life. thank you for the thought. All the time I am wondering in my head, what person do you know, homeless or otherwise walking down the street with a can opener. Of course the next day I passed by the ACORN hospitality center. Joan is stooped in the middle of the sidewalk. She had found a hotplate and plugged it in to the side of the building. She was cooking a pot of pork and beans. But Joan was a little weird, not your average homeless person. Or the time that I went to our toastmasters meeting and the assignment was to give a compassionate speech convincing people to do something. And one guy gave this compassionate speech about seeing this homeless woman in the park and feeling guilty that he did not stop to help her and get her into a shelter. During the evaluation time I said to him – I am listening to this overly dramatic speech about how you could have made a difference in this woman’s life. Perhaps I missed it, but I didn’t hear where you actually spoke to the woman. He said that he never said anything to her. So I said so you just made up a drama about some random woman in the park. If you didn’t speak to her, you don’t know whether she was homeless or not. And if you are talking about who I think you are talking about – she lives on the park bench because that is the only place in the world where she feels safe. It takes a very high tolerance for humanity to live in the shelter, not everyone wants to put up with that. My suggestion to his speech was that his just taking to time to acknowledge whomever the lady was and speak to her and say hi – would have done more for her spirit than that overly dramatic speech that he had just given. My Assistant Pastor actually interned in one of the hospitality centers. His job was to interact with us and to pray with us if needed. I spent weeks trying to get the confidence to talk to him about where I thought God was leading me. One day I finally got the confidence to talk with him about my call. I felt that there was a reason that I was going through this experience and I wanted to work out with my pastor what this meant. His response was not to worry about my call, or what God was saying to me. I had fallen through the cracks of society and I needed to focus on getting my life together. I stood looking at the table trying to find the crack that I must have fallen into for me to ask this man a direct question and he totally refused to answer or engage me. You could only stay in the shelter for 3 months. Toward our end point, Joan went to ACORN and asked them to let her be a part of a program where they provided an apartment for 6 months. During that time you had to work and turn all of your money over to ACORN so that you had enough money to your own apartment. They told her that the only way they would give her the apartment was if her roommate came too. So we moved in. I went to work everyday – Joan did whatever Joan did. It was a pretty eventful 6 months. At one point I realized that we had 7 other men living in the apartment with us. Joan was always a sucker for someone’s sad story. Joan was not only addicted to cocaine and alcohol, she also had a mental illness. At the end of the six months Joan’s parents and children came from Milwaukee to pick her up. I moved back on campus to finish my last quarter of school. As Joan was leaving the last thing I said to her was that I was happy for her that her family had come to take care of her, and I hoped that it was the happy ending she was hoping for. But I told her that if I ever saw her again in life it would be way too soon. She was visibly hurt. I told her that she had been trying to kill me every since the first night that I moved in, and did she really think that I liked her. It was in those nights when I slept with the dresser pulled up to the door that I bargained with God. If there was ever day when I could put this experience behind me, I would be something in service to homeless people. I was so grateful for all of the people who helped me when I could not help myself – food, clothing, medical care, counseling, it was all available. I decided that instead of being an advocate, or a social worker, that the area of greatest need was the church. I needed to try to tell my story and try and save all of those nice church people. Of all of my experiences I remember the people of First Presbyterian church. They were the nicest church people that I had ever met. They fed us a meal and really made us feel like guest. But they didn’t say one word about Jesus. I was in tears, when I went to their dinner, it was the worst day of my life, if they had said some of that Jesus stuff I would have listened. I felt that God had put me through all of that to try to go and save the nice church people. And to tell them that in the midst of all of your giving – it is important to give people Jesus. I can get a bowl of soup at home. Giving people Jesus is not about a bible verse, or a prayer, or a sermon. It is about understanding what your faith means to you. People are looking for the same thing on the tramp trail that you find in church – peace, community, meaning, a sense of belonging, a reason to give. John 6 says that I am the bread of life. He says this to his disciples just before he tells them to find food for 5000 people. Which is why he says that the bread that he gives, not only gives physical food, but also feeds the spirit and leads to eternal life. One day when Jack bought his campus ministry group to worship with us at the shelter. I have always been a sucker for a good church service, so I participated. After the service Jack and I started to talk. And he said you look like a happy person. Happy is not a word that I would ever use to describe myself, but something clicked in me and I didn’t need to be in the shelter anymore. Since I was going back to campus, Jack invited me to participate in his campus ministry group. I kept going, he took me to every campus ministry activity that he sponsored, eventually I even became the substitute secretary for the summer. I finished my degree in religion and Jack was the only person to turn in my recommendation for seminary. My pastor at Second Baptist didn’t bother to turn his in. University Christian Ministry was a joint ministry between the Presbyterian and Methodist church. Jack (who has since passed) was a United Methodist minister. I decided that I needed to be whatever faith Jack was. If Jack sung those corny songs in that hymnal, I was going to sing those corny songs too. Whatever faith that Jack had that made him reach out and treat me like a person of value – I needed to have that faith too. That is the beginning of the story of why I am United Methodist – it was the church that helped me to understand Jesus as the bread of life. 31 years now and I am still in the United Methodist church, still homeless and still dependent on those nice church people. I have told this story many times now. And I get many responses from those who have heard my story. For instance, when I first told this story as my compelling toastmaster speech, one women said that it made her more likely to give to those panhandlers who asked for money – Jesus said to help those in need, he didn’t say to judge their story. Many people have come to me and told me that maybe it is time for me to forgive Joan. I have thought about it, forever is not quite here yet. I really don’t care where Joan is. When I got back in school I would go downtown Evanston and run into all of my 5 former roommates and for that matter many of the people that I was in the shelter with. We would always talk and our conversation would always end with – So Have you seen Joan? None of us every saw Joan again. I am not sure if Joan or any of those people are still alive. But the need for people to show them Jesus is still there. People are still in the streets looking for community, meaning and peace. There are still people who need to know that Jesus cares. So I will ask you – Have you seen Joan? PRAYER OF CONFESSION In the midst of our "summer" lives, O Lord, so many things have claimed our attention. We worked hard this year to earn a little rest and recreation, to break away from the stresses of our everyday living. But in the midst of all this change, we have too often pushed our worship of you aside. We have focused so much on our needs for physical change and peace that we have neglected our spiritual hungers and thirst. Forgive us when we are tempted to stray from our worship of you and focus entirely on ourselves and our own needs. As we celebrate this day, help us to remember all the wondrous things you continue to do for us. Let us look at the world as a place of delight. And when we encounter situations in which sorrow and hurt abound, help us to be ready to bring hope and peace. Be with us in this warm days of summer, preparing us for ministry and mission, in your holy name. AMEN. WORDS OF ASSURANCE God is merciful and pours God’s love on us abundantly. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Hallelujah! AMEN. Prayer of the Day Every moment, we have the chance to breathe in your goodness and grace; every hour, we have opportunities to share your love and hope; every day, we have occasions to rest in the comfort of your heart. In you, we discover the fullness of time, Delight of the Ages. In every challenge we face, we can find the strength to persevere; in every person we meet, we can find the blessing you have sent; in every need we encounter, we can find the help you would have us offer. In you, we discover the fullness of life, Companion of our days. In every conflict of our lives, there is your healing we can offer; in every brokenness we experience, there is that reconciliation we can receive; in every difficulty which makes us stumble, there is that dance of hope you would teach us. In you, we discover the fullness of faith, Promised Spirit. God in Community, Holy in One, in you we discover the fullness we long for, even as we pray as we are taught, saying, (The Lord’s Prayer) Song Blessed Assurance - UMH 369 Announcements BENEDICTION, BLESSING God’s love for you is real and alive in your hearts today. Go in peace, knowing that the Lord of Love and Life is with you. Bring God’s peace to all you meet, this day and all your days. AMEN. Children’s Sermon I see them every day as I drive to and from work. Dirty people in ragged clothes standing on a busy street corner holding up a sign like this one that says, "Will Work for Food." You've seen them, haven't you? What do you think when you see them? I must be honest and admit that some of the things that come to my mind are, "I wonder if they would really be willing to work, or are they just looking for a handout?" Or I might think to myself, "If I gave them money, would they buy food, or would they just spend it on drugs and alcohol?" What do you think Jesus might want us to do when we see these people? Perhaps he might want us to pull into the McDonald's across the street and buy them a Big Mac® and a Coke.® Jesus was always concerned about the physical needs of people. That is why he spent so much of his time healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and feeding the hungry. Don't you think he wants us to do the same? Jesus wasn't just concerned about empty stomachs -- he was even more concerned about empty hearts. One day, after filling the empty stomachs of over 5,000 people, Jesus said to them, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." Jesus was telling them that he came to give his life so that they could have everlasting life -- if they would believe and trust in him. Jesus wants us to be concerned about empty stomachs, but he also wants us to be concerned about empty hearts. As we share our bread with the hungry, let us also share the story of Jesus, the Bread of Life, so that they may eat and never die. Dear Father, we thank you for sending Jesus, the Bread of Life, so that we may eat and never die. Help us to share the story of Jesus with others. Amen. Additional points not included in sermon: Tramp trail – standing in line at the Episcopal church to talk with the priest in order to get a CTA token – having to tell sad story. You also spread the word to others about what it is that you need. Before moving into our apartment Hilda told us to go into the pantry of things that nice people give that she really couldn’t use. She told us to take what we wanted, because otherwise it was just going to sit there. We had a lot of canned food to eat. We had 7 men staying with us at one time. 5 regulars. Everyone waited until I got home from work one night to there were 2 men from Michigan who had been kicked out of Hilda’s place. Joan’s boyfriend was from Michigan, so he wanted to help them. I said that they had gotten kicked out, wasn’t that the definition of being homeless, you got kicked out of your house and you didn’t have anyplace to go. How was that my problem. We got the apartment, it was initially a program for men. The men who participated in the program were in jail busted for selling drugs in the apartment. Joan went to ACORN and asked them to give women a chance.