Those not against Jesus are for us

September 26, 2021 Mark 9:38-50 18th Sunday After Pentecost Proper 21 Year B Whoever isn’t against us is for us Opening Song Welcome - Theme of Worship – God is always on our side Call to Worship Jesus is on our side! Come and rejoice. Are you suffering? Come and find peace. Are you joyful? Come and sing. Do you need healing? Come and pray. Jesus is on our side! Come and rejoice. Stewardship Moment Invitation to Give In keeping with our theme – God is always on our side. Anthony DeStefano wrote an interesting book entitled – 10 prayers that God will always says yes to. – no matter who you are or what your situation is. Some of those prayers – God show me that you are present, God use me an your instrument, forgive me, help me through suffering, give me courage, give me peace, lead me to my destiny – I took a special interest to #3 on the list – God outdo me in generosity. No matter how much we give, God always gives more. That is one of the amazing lessons about stewardship. DeStefano says that when we deal with money – we are always led into holiness., we are always led to God in our lives and more importantly the promises of God in the bible. God always provides, God provides for us so that we can provide for others, When we do our small part – we can see the amazing things that God can do. God is the provider of all that we have. That is why stewardship is so important to our faith. It is us making a habit of giving our small part – and praying that prayer that God will outdo us in generosity. When we come into the presence of God, we always have an opportunity to give to God. One way of us being able to see that God is always on your side – is to see how God blesses the church and our lives. DeStefano says that God refuses to be upstaged when it comes to blessings. Whether you are joining us online or in person there are many ways for us to give – put it in the offering plate behind the baptismal font, give online, mail it in. Any way is a blessing and God will bless our efforts. Thank you to those who give in support of the ministries of the church. Let us pray this prayer together Today, we have the opportunity to make a gift “in the name of the Lord”. What we bring to share is not just payment to keep the lights on, or pay the minister. What we bring is an offering because we’ve gathered in the presence (name) of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. In gratitude, we now offer our gifts, our financial support, demonstrating our desire to live and stay in God’s presence. Prayer of Thanksgiving God, we offer these gifts that they may be used to declare your presence in all the earth. Receive them, and receive us as your beloved sons and daughters, eager to work alongside you in building your Realm on earth. We pray “in the name of the Lord”, AMEN Passing the Peace of Christ (Esther 7 & 9, Psalm 124, Mark 9) When we are rescued from danger and trouble, we know the peace of Jesus Christ. When we are welcomed into the reign of God, we know the peace of Jesus Christ. As those who are rescued and welcomed, let us greet one another with signs of the peace of Christ. Scripture Mark 9:38-50 Common English Bible Recognize your allies 38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” 39 Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him. No one who does powerful acts in my name can quickly turn around and curse me. 40 Whoever isn’t against us is for us. 41 I assure you that whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded. 42 “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and to be thrown into the lake. 43 If your hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter into life crippled than to go away with two hands into the fire of hell, which can’t be put out.[a] 45 If your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet.[b] 47 If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. 48 That’s a place where worms don’t die and the fire never goes out.[c] 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? Maintain salt among yourselves and keep peace with each other.” Sermon Whoever is not against us is for us and our friend I have to admit that I have been dreading this Sunday all week – How am I going to get through this sermon? Why did I even choose this scripture in the first place? Some Sunday’s are fun and easy – communion Sunday, baptism Sunday, Sunday’s when the scripture is something that everyone has heard of. And then there are Sunday’s like this, when Jesus says something that makes no sense, and I have to stand up in front of you all and defend Jesus, even though I don’t agree or understand him myself. This is almost as bad as the scripture was about John the Baptist and my colleague gave a children’s sermon on cutting people’s heads off. Today is gouge your eye out Sunday. In the gospel lesson Jesus tells us to cut off our hands and feet and to gouge out our eyes. He also talks about casting our demons. Jesus is serious, he means it. Jesus is serious about the moral consequences of sin. Jesus is serious about our discipleship. This is Jesus’ call to self discipline and an encouragement for us to take arms against the temptations in our life. I did intentionally choose this scripture because if we put his words into context, his message is a saving grace for us. Mark is just chock full of important lessons. This is the end of Chapter as Jesus is telling us that the way in which we treat children will be the way God judges us in heaven. The three points that I want to make today – as the church we must always leave the door open for new people, we have to live as examples for all who seek Jesus in our doors, and that in order to be live free in God, we have to be willing to let go of all of the things that is holding us down. The disciples have been following Jesus and hanging on his every word. Jesus sends them out to heal people and to tell the good news. They have special training, and are disciples of the best rabbi of all. And they run into some people who do that same thing, but did not have the same training. They are not disciples – when they tell Jesus he says one of the most important lines in the whole new testament – whoever is not against u sis for us – it is okay for them to do the Lord’s work. Coming together as the church is important. We need our community in order to be better Christians. We all need that group of people to pray together, to sing together, to celebrate together, to cry together. The church is a wonderful place. But lets all admit it, the church can also be a horrible place – we can get a little clickish, we can develop a club mentality, and we are prone to become exclusive. Exclusive: The Ugliest Word A journalist once asked Carl Sandburg, "What is the ugliest word in the English language?" After a few minutes Sandburg replied, "Exclusive." The ugliness of exclusive depends upon whether we are among the included or the excluded. We pride ourselves on being members of exclusive clubs, living in exclusive neighborhoods, dining at exclusive restaurants, vacationing at exclusive resorts, belonging to exclusive churches. Being an insider carries with it a sense of pride and security. Most of us, however, have been excluded often enough to agree that exclusive is an ugly word. When we are among the marginalized, the rejected, the pushed-aside or the left-out, it hurts! The conflict in the early church centered on the question of who is in and who is out. Are gentiles to be included? Peter and Paul debated that one until Peter had a dream and concluded that "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34). The Book of Acts is the story of God's grace through the Holy Spirit, pushing the early church out to the margins and breaking down the barriers among the people. Judging people by whether or not they are "one of us" thwarts God's reign of justice, generosity and joy. The disciples missed the power and victory of God's liberating presence in the man casting out demons. Their assumption that only those "following us" could cast out demons blinded them to God's presence in another. Rather than being grateful that demons were cast out, they were upset that the healing was done through someone outside their group. Bishop Kenneth Carder, “Unexclusive Gospel,” article in The Christian Century, 1997. It is good to point out that Jesus said anyone not against us is for us, he didn’t says that anyone not for us is against us. the lesson for us is to treasure our sense of community as a church focused on our mission, but to be tolerant of what is new, different and outside. The Fellowship of the Bearers of Cold Water An old man named Calvin had lived a good life as a farmer for years. One day an evangelist came to the community, and, in the course of his stay, visited Calvin and asked him what denomination he was. Calvin answered the question like this: "When my grain gets ready for selling, after I've harvested it and packaged it, I can take it to town by any one of three roads ” the river road, the dirt road, or the highway. But when I get my grain to town and go to the buyer to sell him what I have, he never looks at me and asks, ˜Calvin, which road did you take to get your grain to town?' What he does do is ask me if my grain is any good." Friend, is your grain good - the grain of your discipleship? That's all that really matters. When we get to Heaven we will probably find some (Roman Catholics) and some (Baptists) and some (Presbyterians). And they'll be just as surprised to see us as we will to see them. But we will all belong to just one fellowship. Let's call it the Fellowship of the Bearers of Cold Water. We will all be people who have lived out our discipleship through acts of kindness to others. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com The second lesson, be an example for the world outside of our community. There are people who won’t set foot in a church, but they are watching us as an example of what it means to be the people of God. they look at our behavior and not only judge us, but they also judge God. Jesus lesson to the disciples is how important it is to be an example at all times. Speaking of highways. Changing the Signs William Barclay, a British theologian, tells the following story in his commentary on this Biblical text. He told a story about someone changing signs. That is, at an intersection of the road, one sign would point to the city of Seattle and another sign would point to the city of Tacoma. And the boy wondered to himself: How many people could I send down the wrong road if I changed the signs? Your very life is a sign post with a sign on it. Are you sending people down the wrong road or the right road? Edward F. Markquart, Millstones Are there ways that you lead people to sin? Jesus tells us not to do that. He is so serious because he wants us to see that our moral behavior matters. Our discipleship matters. We all have to be examples, not just the pastor, but all of us. What are the ways that we are able to transform darkness into light? The third lesson – this is the crazy one – cut off your hands and feet and gouge out your eye if you call it so sin. It seems a little harsh until you are reminded of the story of Captain Ahab. – we all remember the story of Moby Dick. Captain Ahab is the person who makes it his life mission to hunt and kill the great white whale. On a whaling trip the white wail destroyed the ship and caused the captain to lose his leg. After the loss of his limb, he was so filled with revenge and hatred, he couldn’t think of anything else. He was difficult to be around because he was do evil. He carried that negativity around with him wherever he went. It was that revenge that eventually killed him. The whale once again destroyed his ship, killed him and all of the crew except one person. Had he not been so filled with hatred and grief, he may have survived. Jesus lesson, let all of that revenge and hatred go. If it causes you to sin and do stupid things – it is better to just let it go. We don’t have to gouge our eye out, just let it go. Learning to let go of our negative feelings allows us to see heaven more clearly. Let go of our exclusivity, lack of discipline and grief. They Are Not Suggestions! I used to wish that Ted Koppel would run for president. Sometimes he seemed to make more sense than all of the politicians put together. You knew him as the popular moderator of ABC’s “Nightline” program. In a speech at Duke University when his daughter was graduating, he said this: “We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. Shoot up if you must, but use a clean needle. Enjoy sex whenever and with whomever you wish, but wear a condom. No! The answer is no. Not because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might end up in jail or dying in an AIDS ward, but because it’s wrong, because we have spent 5,000 years as a race of rational human beings, trying to drag ourselves out of the primeval slime by searching for truth and moral absolutes. In its purest form, truth is not a polite tap on the shoulder. It is a howling reproach. What Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions.” Right on! Jesus, in our Scripture of the morning, is not giving us a tiny tap on the shoulder. He is giving us a howling reproach. Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com little Deeds John Killinger, in a sermon entitled, The Great Importance of Little Deeds, concluded by saying, "It's an exciting thought that when we die and come into the presence of God and all its fullness, it will not be our major achievements that speak for us, 'He was president of a bank. She was the first woman senator from her state. He was the author of 22 books,' but the small apparently inconsequential things that we long ago forgot. 'He mowed my lawn when I was sick. She cared for my child when I went to the market. He sent me flowers when I needed them most. She washed and mended my socks.' These are the little things that hold the world together. They are the small stones that comprise the great cathedrals where God is worshipped. They shall be remembered," says Killinger, "like stars in the crown of the saints." The world desperately needs to see our love in action. Of what value is our faith if our love isn't stronger: our love for one another and our love for the world? Our love needs to be big enough to take in the whole world. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Let us pray…… Prayer Lord, you want us to be “salt”, to add savor to your world. We cannot be bland witnesses to your love, only working when it’s convenient for us or doing work that is incomplete. If we lose our “saltiness”, it cannot be regained. Give us courage and joy in our service to you. Help us to be people who clear the pathways to service rather than those who place roadblocks and “potholes” in which people can stumble. Many are called to serve You, O Lord. Help us to be people who work willingly with others, not demanding that our way is the only way, but rejoicing in a new approach to ministry. Give us confidence and joy in all that we do, for we offer our lives Song They Will Know we are Christians by our Love TFWS 2223 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook God has created all things. God has rescued us from sin and suffering. Let us go forth, seeking to be on God’s side. Jesus Christ finds us when we wander far from God. Let us go forth, seeking to be on God’s side. The Holy Spirit empowers us to welcome all into the reign of God’s love. Let us go forth, seeking to be on God’s side, bringing the love of Christ everywhere we go. Community Time Benediction Go in peace to serve the Lord. Remember the healing love that has taken place in your life.. Be open to all the wonders and opportunities that God puts before you. Go in peace. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Object: a saltshaker with salt in it. Boys and girls, what's your favorite flavor? (Be prepared for a variety of responses.) One of God's good gifts to us is the gift of taste. We can tell the difference between sweet and sour, bland and sharp, chocolate and vanilla, and all the other good flavors that come to us in our food. Have you ever eaten food that didn't seem to have any flavor? I have. The food may be perfectly good, but we don't like to eat it because it doesn't taste like anything. Even though it may be good for our bodies, if we can't get any taste out of it, we may just stop eating it altogether. Then we lose the good part. One of the flavors we can add to food that seems to need some is salt. I have some here with me today. We know that you can use too much salt on something if you are not careful. If you use too much salt, it makes your food taste terrible. It could even make you sick. But just the right amount of salt can make things taste better. God wants our lives to be something like salt. Salt can make a difference and improve the flavor of your food. When we do God's work and help other people to know about God's love, we are like salt. We are helping to make somebody else's life different, and to give it some flavor. We don't want to become so noisy about God that people get tired of hearing about him. That would be like putting on too much salt. Then a good thing could begin to taste like a bad thing. But we can do just the right thing when we get a chance. We can share God's love just when people need it. That's like putting salt on your food. Here is a shaker of salt. If you will hold out your hand, the palm side up, I will shake a little salt on everybody's hand. Then you can taste it. It will remind you of how good salt can be as a flavor in our lives. And it can remind us what we can be like for other people. CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, , by CSS Additional Illustrations Gouge-Your-Eye-Out Sunday – Mark 9:38-50 There are a couple of Sundays I'd just as soon not preach. One is Trinity Sunday, the Sunday immediately following Pentecost. I've heard more than one priest say that the reason most of us want an assistant or a deacon is so that we can assign them the task of trying to explain how it is we believe in one God, in three persons, and so on. Clergy dislike of preaching on Trinity Sunday is pretty widespread. So-called, Stewardship Sunday is another. It feels to me like I'm singing for my supper. After all, besides the mortgage what costs a church the most? Clergy salaries. Plus, I can guarantee you that regardless of how many guests a church has had in the weeks leading up to Stewardship Sunday, there will be several that day and it will be the greeter's job to assure them that we don't talk about money every Sunday. So I tread carefully on those Sundays. By the way, that Sunday is coming up in a couple of weeks. Beware! There are others but let me get right to the point. The most dreaded Sunday, for me is today, the day that one of our parishioners so pointedly calls: Gouge-Your-Eye-Out Sunday. The other day we were discussing which Sunday would be best for a kind of invite-a-friend-to-church Sunday, and she said, any Sunday except Gouge-Your-Eye-Out Sunday. She understood why I'd prefer not to preach today. But, as I've said many times before when difficult readings come up, I don't pick them. Some bunches of people many years ago arranged the series of Sunday readings we call the lectionary and this just happens to be the day they picked for cut-your-hand-off, cut-your-foot-off, gouge-your-eye-out Sunday. So, these are the cards we've been dealt, let's see where they take us this morning. I think it's safe to say that Jesus is serious about sin. To put it mildly, he stressed that sin was a bad idea. To put it bluntly, he thought that it would be better for us to go through life without one or more appendages than to sin, and especially, to cause someone who believes in him to sin. That, I believe, is a given. Jesus hated sin. I also think it's safe to say that most and maybe all those who have read and studied this passage understand that Jesus was not expecting anyone to take it literally.... Escaping the Rat Traps A fellow by the name of Ed Peterman tells a story from his childhood, when he grew up on a farm in Preble County Ohio. His family discovered they had some rats in the barn, so his parents got some traps. One night they baited them with cheese, and set them out around the barn. The next morning young Ed went out to see if they had caught anything. The first traps he examined were empty. When he came to the last trap, he saw something strange. The trap had been sprung, and while there was no rat in it, he noticed that it did hold the severed leg of a rat. He ran to tell his parents about this unexpected finding. They followed him back to the barn. When they got to the trap with the rat's leg in it, his parents just nodded and smiled knowingly. "What happened?" Ed asked them. "Tell me what happened!" So they told him. The trap had caught the rat by the leg. The rat knew that its life was at risk, so it chewed off its own leg to escape. "That's the way rats are," his father said. "Better to go on living with only three legs, than to die with all four." Ed just stood there for a while, marveling at the courage it took for the rat to choose to survive by chewing its leg off and leaving it behind. It makes one wonder whether we would have the courage to do what the rat did. If you were caught in a life-threatening situation one day, would you be able to cut part of yourself off and leave it behind in order to go on living? That's one of those things we never truly know, unless and until we actually faced that situation. Would I be able to surrender a hand or a leg, a memory or a grudge, an obsession or a long-held opinion, if my life were at stake? Or would I cling desperately to the futile memory of how things have always been before, and so bring about my own death? Jan Campbell All Good Things Are Sacred “The genius of the gospel is its seed of self-criticism or self-reformation. Each generation of Christians, like the Pharisees, is tempted to make sacred its programs and freeze its routines. Jesus showed us that humanly created structures aren't sacred. There are no sacred places, organizations, times, objects, doctrines or social positions, except in the sense that all good things are finally sacred.” Donald B. Kraybill, The Upside-Down Kingdom olerance on the Bridge Here is good one about tolerance: A man who was walking across a bridge and came upon another man standing right on the edge, about to plunge to his death. The first man shouted "Stop! Are you a Christian?" "Yes, as a matter of fact I am." "Well so am I. Are you Catholic or Protestant?" "I'm Protestant," "Well so am I. Are you Episcopal or Baptist?" "I'm Baptist." "Wow... I am too. Are you Southern Baptist or American Baptist? "I'm Southern Baptist," "Me too, that's amazing! Are you original Southern Baptist or Southern Baptist reformed?" "I'm Southern Baptist reformed." "I can't believe it, so am I." But tell me are you Reformed Southern Baptist of the reformation of 1879, or reformed Southern Baptist of the Reformation of 1915?" He answered, "Reformed Baptist, reformation of 1915.” To which the first man said, "Die you heretic," and he pushed him off the bridge. Traditional Humor: Concrete Demonstrations There is a time honored story about a pastor who was supposedly a great lover of children. One day he looked at the sidewalk leading up to his house that had been freshly poured. Some youngsters were playing in it and leaving footprints in the fresh cement. He rushed out and yelled at the children. Someone said to him; "Well pastor, we thought you liked children." He said, "Yes, I love them in the abstract but not in the concrete." The world is looking for concrete demonstrations of Christian love in action. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

Why Can't we All Just Get Along?

September 19, 2021 James 3:13-4:3,7-8 17th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 20 Year B Why can’t we all just get along? Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer Are you longing for more wisdom in your life? Do you face conflicts that need answers, tough situations that require special insight? Do you need more peace in your life? Do you long to bear good fruit in your life? Draw near to God, the giver of wisdom, and God will draw near to you. Stewardship Moment Are you wise and understanding? That is the question of the day. If we consider ourselves to be wise, then we should show it in our lives. Our lives are not focused on what we want, but on what God wants. Invitation to the Offering (Proverbs 31:20, Mark 9, James 3) The writer of Proverbs teaches that God’s Wisdom is present and active in our lives in this way: “She opens her hand to the poor, / and reaches out her hands to the needy.” Jesus lived this wisdom in his life, and called his disciples to this same generosity. Let us give out of this same generous wisdom—a wisdom that seeks a presence and purpose in our lives on behalf of all. Offering Prayer (James 3) You are the generous one, full of mercy and goodness for your creation. Send your wisdom with these gifts, that they may reach those who need your love and welcome. Bring about a harvest of goodness through these gifts sown in peace. Amen. Scripture We have been thinking about wisdom for this entire season. It is rare that all of our lectionary readings fit the same theme. But today Proverbs, James, Mark and even psalm 1 all have the same theme – Wisdom and Christian living go hand and hand. Wisdom is not our decisions in life, it is what goes behind our decisions. Wisdom comes only from God, and learning God’s ways is the only way to get it. James 3:13-4:3 Common English Bible Wisdom from above 13 Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom. 14 However, if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, then stop bragging and living in ways that deny the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is from the earth, natural and demonic. 16 Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and everything that is evil. 17 What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. 18 Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts. Conflict with people and God 4 What is the source of conflict among you? What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that are at war in your own lives? 2 You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. You don’t have because you don’t ask. 3 You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil intentions, to waste it on your own cravings. 7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Sermon – Why can’t we all just get along? September would be my favorite month, even if it was not my birthday month. I think that there is something sacred about September. September is the end of summer, and the beginning of fall at the same time. As I was walking around yesterday, I could feel the change in the air. It is getting colder, windier, the humidity is not as stifling, and you can look at the trees and see subtle signs of change. I learned that one of my favorite music artist Michael Franks wrote a song “I wish I could convince September to stay.” I think a lot of us feel that way. I didn’t realize until yesterday that there are over 60 songs with September in the title. Everyone gets a little nostaligic and prepared for change in September. There is one rule that I have in my life about September – no mention of pumpkin spice until October 1st. There is another ritual of September, I think it usually starts in late August, but it is on full swing in September – that is football games. Like many I sat in the stands on Friday watching the game between Wilmington and Peotone. During the varsity game the score was 0 to 0 until the second half, until Wilmington pulled ahead and one 10 – 0. Part of the fun of the football game is watching the score – and we continue to root for our team until the very end. Usually when the team is not doing well – we start to hope for a miracle. We hope that one of the team members will perform a hail Mary move – that one move that will overcome all of the bad plays in the game and win at the last second. That is okay for football games, but the problem is that is how a lot of us play our faith life as well. We go to church, we assume that we are good people and that God is on our side. Whatever we do is justified. We don’t need to pray on a regular basis – then something goes wrong, and we have nothing else but to pray a hail mary prayer. God I am at the end of my rope. I need a miracle, come and save me. And when God does not answer that prayer – we are angry, bitter, and hopeless. We asks ourselves that if I go to church every Sunday, why is it that God does not hear my prayer? I have prayed my fair share of hail mary prayers. And I still ask why God does not answer my prayers. We all ask that question – why does God not answer my prayers. This scripture in James is for us – it answers that question. Unlike Paul who was writing to fall semester freshmen churches, James was writing to Christians who were no longer freshmen in the faith. His letter was a general or "catholic" epistle for us all. Eugene Peterson has written a book for us that James would enjoy. It is called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. The book speaks honestly about the Christian journey. Millions of people all over the world begin it. But as soon as discipleship gets arduous or prayers are not answered the way we wish for them to be, people start to drop out. The attrition rate is dreadful. Few of us have enthusiasm for what Peterson calls "the patient acquisition of Christian virtue."4 The Christian journey, which starts like a sprint, winds up as a lonely, silent marathon. What starts out so beautifully is never finished. So it is with wisdom. We can start beautifully but often it's the middle of the race that breaks us. We transfer from heavenly wisdom to earthly wisdom. We often die with our greatest wisdom, that which comes from above, still within us, unused, unspent, unrecognized. Yet the world looks at us and calls us "wise in the ways of the world," "a great preacher," "a shrewd businesswoman," or "a beloved philanthropist." James wants us to avoid such endings. He wants us to be declared the winner in the Battle of the Wisdoms, by the only judge whose decision ultimately matters. James is written for us who have been at this church thing for quite awhile. We still have things to learn about God and more importantly about ourselves. We still might be doing it all wrong. t. It reminds me of a certain born-again believer who was suffering from constant headaches. He visited his doctor. "Doctor, I don''t know why I keep on getting these awful headaches," he said. "I don''t drink like so many others do. I don''t smoke like so many others do. I don''t run around at night like so many others do. I don''t overeat like so many others do. I don''t . . . " The doctor interrupted at this point. "Tell me," he said, "this pain in the head you complain of, is it a sharp, shooting kind of pain?" "Yes," the patient replied, "that describes it perfectly. A sharp, shooting kind of pain!" The doctor then made his diagnosis: "Simple," he said, "your problem is that you have your halo on too tight. All you need to do is loosen it a bit." There is a difference between knowing about God and being a Christian. There is a difference between going to church and having an encounter with God. There is a difference between praying for results and having a relationship with God. I heard recently of a very wealthy, knowledgeable businessman whose hobby was hunting for pheasant and quail. One day before leaving for the countryside, he remembered that this was his wife''s birthday. In a flash of uncharacteristic guilt, he breezed by an expensive pet shop and purchased a parrot which could speak eleven languages. The cost was enormous--$300 for each language. The shop delivered the sophisticated bird to his wife while he continued his hunting expedition. The wife, accustomed to her special day being forgotten, saw nothing unusual about this bird brought by the UPS. So she promptly wrung its neck, dressed it and shoved it into the oven. That night the husband arrived late, dirty and tired. The first thing he asked was, "Did the bird arrive by UPS?" She replied, "Yes, she''s in the oven and almost done." "In the oven," he shouted in a state of shock. "Good heavens, woman! That bird could speak eleven languages!" The wife indignantly replied, "Well, why didn''t it say something?" The man had knowledge--but little wisdom. If he had spoken the words, "I love you," and stayed at home where he belonged on her birthday--he would have been happier and $3300 richer. His knowledge did not help him act as a wise man. Knowledge and wisdom is what James is all about. Our scripture for today says that there are two kinds of wisdom. James is talking to Christians who have been in the church for quite a while. He is pointing out that at that point we know enough to be teachers for other people. James points out that there are 2 kinds of teachers – those who know it all, and those who are willing to tell others what they know, at the same time that they are still learning for themselves. James is a continuation of the wisdom conversation that we had last week in the book of proverbs. We know that the two wisdoms that James is talking about is the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. Wisdom is an important part of our faith. Two types of wisdom, two types of teachers – which one are you? One type of wisdom is We may find in this passage four characteristics of the wrong kind of teaching. (i) It is fanatical. The truth it holds is held with unbalanced violence rather than with reasoned conviction. (ii) It is bitter. It regards its opponents as enemies to be annihilated rather than as friends to be persuaded. (iii) It is selfishly ambitious. It is, in the end, more eager to display itself than to display the truth, and it is interested more in the victory of its own opinions than in the victory of the truth. (iv) It is arrogant. Its attitude is pride in its knowledge rather than humility in its ignorance. The real scholar will be far more aware of what he does not kno The other type – is pure, peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair and genuine. Which one is God’s wisdom. James points out another truth about who we are as Christians – in our lives we all use a little bit of both types of wisdom in our lives. James calls that being double minded. He encourages us to work on getting closer to God. Someone asked the great evangelist George Whitfield what he would do if he were sure that Christ would come again within three days. He reached into his pocket, took out his date book, his schedule book, and opened it up. He said, "I would do that which I have scheduled to do." He said that because he''d sought God''s will for every decision, every activity in the days that lay ahead, and he felt he had the backing of God there. We should rely less on hail mary prayers and more on our daily spiritual practices. The point James is making here is that when we are not right with God -- when our friendship with Him is blurred because of our friendship with the world--we either don't ask Him for what we need, or we ask Him for good things but with a wrong purpose and motive. We pray for good things with the intention of using them for our own gain and selfish pleasure. here is an old saying that the best things in life are free. Well, I have also learned that the sweetest things in life are simple. A good indication that we are using the wrong kind of wisdom – When we feel that prayers don’t make a difference, when we feel that God does not care, we are using the wrong wisdom. When we are skeptical that nothing will ever change – we are using the wrong wisdom. Just like the leaves of late summer, God changes every day – we just have to pay attention. When we are at odds with other people and think they are the problem – we may be using the wrong wisdom. The key to our suffering is our own thoughts. When we are convinced that God is not answering our prayers – and no is sometimes an answer. James says that we may be making a selfish request. We may be asking God to be on our team instead of realizing that we are on God’s team – along with everyone else. A popular prayer of Christians… I am like James and John, Lord. Lord, I size up other people in terms of what they can do for ME, how they can further MY program, feed MY ego, satisfy MY needs, give ME strategic advantage. I exploit people, ostensibly for your sake, but really for MY own sake. Lord, I turn to YOU to get the inside track and obtain special favors, YOUR direction for my schemes, YOUR power for my projects, YOUR sanction for my ambitions, YOUR blank check for whatever I want. I am like James and John. Change me, Lord. Make me a man who asks of you and of others, What can I do for you? (1) Our reading skips around in chapter 3 an 4 of James. It left our much of the harsh words of James. Next week is chapter 5 if you want to read it. We wont look at it in church. The whole message of James is that faith without works is dead, knowledge without wisdom is useless, prayer is not what you say, it is what you do and how you live. James is not preparing us to walk into the church, but to walk out of the church and into the world as Christians. I think that the ending of our scripture today is key. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will run away from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. God is always there, we just have to realize that. An older couple was driving down the road on Sunday afternoon. She was leaning against the door on her side -- some would say polishing the chrome -- and he was driving. They were eager to get where they were going, but were slowed down dramatically by a young couple, who were cuddling in the car before them -- the young woman was almost sitting in his lap, rubbing his face, and now and then kissing him on the cheek, and ever now and then -- though it was dangerous -- he would turn around and kiss her. They were in no hurry at all -- that is, in no hurry as far as moving the car along. Finding it impossible to pass, the older couple finally began to strike up a conversation. The woman looked across at her husband, then looked ahead to the young couple, and she asked her husband, "why don't we sit together like that anymore?" Quick as a flash he responded, "I haven't moved". Only when a man realizes his own ignorance will he ask God’s guidance. Only when a man realizes his own poverty in the things that matter will he pray for the riches of God’s grace. Only when a man realizes his weakness in necessary things will he come to draw upon God’s strength. Only when a man realizes his own sin will he realize his need of a Saviour and of God’s forgiveness. In life there is one sin which can be said to be the basis of all others; and that is forgetting that we are creatures and that God is creator. When a man realizes his essential creatureliness, he realizes his essential helplessness and goes to the source from which that helplessness can alone be supplied. Looking for God? Draw near to God and God will Draw near to you. Let us pray……… Prayer God, how amazed we are at the solutions Jesus offers to his disciples when they question their importance to him and his kingdom. They want to know if they will receive the great rewards, if they will be recognized and praised for their accomplishments or at least their efforts. We are still so much like those early disciples. We want you to know how hard we work. We want to be praised and recognized for our efforts and successes. And we want you to pass over our failures as though they were inconsequential. When Jesus was confronted with their fears and concerns, he responded that they should be ready for service rather than adulation, And then he placed a small child in their midst; a child with no guile, no pretense. “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but the One who sent me.” Help us to reach out to others, not with thought of importance or gain, but in love and compassion; truly caring for each one we meet. When we have done this, we will have truly give our hearts and our service to our Lord. AMEN. Song I surrender all - UMH 354 Announcements Debbie is the liturgist, she is also our lay representative to annual conference – give a brief report on what happened July. Closing Prayer for Facebook We are planted by the streams of God’s wisdom. We meditate on the desires of God, taking delight in the laws of God. Sink your roots deep into the soil, and draw on God’s wisdom. For God will nourish us every day with insight. Go forth, knowing that God watches over you. Community Time Benediction Go in confidence and peace, joyfully serving the Lord who walks with you. Bring hope to the hopeless, joy to those who sorrow, peace to the afflicted. Be true witnesses to the love of God through Jesus Christ. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Object: Bricks and raisins. Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't this beautiful weather we are having at this time of the year? How many of you like fall? (Let them answer.) What do you like most about this time of year? (Let them answer.) I think I like the warm days and the cool nights and the changing colors in the trees. Even though it is the same thing every year I never grow tired of the beautiful fall days. Lots of things don't change. I brought along with me some things that I found to help me tell you something that I learned from the Bible. The first thing I have with me is a brick. How many of you know what a brick is used for? (Let them answer.) That's right, it is used to build houses. When you build a house with bricks, do you have a wood house? (Let them answer.) Of course not. You build a house of bricks, and you have a brick house. Bricks don't change to wood shingles or boards. A house built with brick is a brick house. I also brought some raisins. I like raisin bread. If the baker uses raisins in his dough and bakes it, then what kind of bread will the baker have when it is finished? (Let them answer.) Right, raisin bread. He won't have rye bread or whole wheat bread or just plain white bread when he finishes; he will have raisin bread. That means that whatever he puts into the bread is thekind of bread that he will have when it is baked. The Bible tells us that the goodness of our lives and the world we live in is a little bit like the brick layer making a house and the baker making bread. Your life will be just as good as the good things you put in it, or just as bad as the bad things that you put in it. Our world will be as good or as bad as the people are that live in it. If you want peace in the world, then you must have peace in your heart. If you want happy and joyful people in the world, then you must be happy and joyful. If you want people who are filled with love and like to share, then you must have love and be ready to share the things that are yours. Our world is made up of people like you and me, and the kind of world we get is the same as what we put into it. You can't have raisin bread unless you put the raisins in the dough. You can't have a brick house unless you make it with bricks. You can have a good life if you are good. God made his world this way, and it is the best kind of world that I can think of. You make our world a better world by loving, sharing, forgiving and being joyful. You will also help other people in the world be good and joyful, too. Amen. C.S.S. Publishing Company, ON THE MOVE WITH JESUS, by Wesley T. Runk Additional Illustrations I recently read of an old Arabian ruler who had three rather ungrateful but brilliant sons. As the old man lay dying, he called the sons into his bedroom to discuss their inheritance. "You will inherit my herd of camels," he said. The oldest son was to receive half (-) of the herd, the middle son one third (1/3), and the youngest son, one ninth (1/9). When the old man died, the sons met and divided up the herd. But, alas, there were 17 camels. There was no way to divide up a herd of 17 camels one half, one third and one ninth. The sons began quarreling with one another. The quarreling got worse. Gradually it infected the entire household, then the town, and then the Sheik''s entire region. It was like a church that had lost its focus and perspective. They were ready to hire Johnny Cochran and Al Shapiro to settle the argument. Finally, one day an older and wiser woman walked into town holding a rope attached to a single camel. "Here," she said quietly, "if it will stop the quarreling, I will give you my camel. I will now divide your inheritance for you." You should have seen her in action. Well, of course, the problem was solved. The oldest son received nine camels; the middle son, six camels; the youngest 2 camels. Everyone seemed pleased and content. Then they thought: 9 + 6 + 2 = 17. With just the hint of a smile on her face, the wise old woman picked up the rope from her camel and headed for home. She had wisdom that stopped a war --and was winsome. This is the trademark of truth. When our actions and words agree the message is always loud and clear. James would agree. This is why we must tame the tongue. After a period of question and answer exchange between the Dean and the student, the parent finally asked a question. "What is the largest major in this university?" With perfect candor, the Dean replied, "In the fall we have the highest number of majors -- engineering. In the spring, business undecided has the highest number of majors." He explained that new, eager, and bright students enter the School of Engineering in the fall with commitment, excitement, and promise. Their initial academic work goes well. Then, in the spring term, they are required to take a certain physics course. It is a back-breaker. Only the strong survive. Attrition begins to occur as more and more start to transfer away from engineering. The rubber hits the road, so to speak, and by the end of that term, when freshmen are no longer freshmen, the engineering major is no longer the largest on campus. There was a little boy on an airplane and he was talking to his mommy, and he said, "Mommy, do you see that light blinking on the end of that wing?" She said, "Yes." He said, "Do you see the other light blinking on the other side of that wing?" She said, "Yes." He said, "Did you know that as long as that pilot stays between those two lights, he will always be headed in the right direction?"

Wisdom Speaks

September 12, 2021 Proverbs 1:20-33 Wisdom Speaks 16th Sunday After Pentecost Year B Opening Song Welcome This is a day of celebrations – literally this whole service will be a time of celebration. Communion Sunday – those on facebook are welcome to join us – may want to have something to eat and something to drink on hand at that time. New member Sunday a week early Biggest celebration – church 30 minutes later – back to regular time 9:30 pm. Since the delta variant of COVID is spreading there is a mask mandate – governor asked to wear masks inside. Health team are honoring that mandate – ask to wear mask, social distance, do as little congregational participation as possible. Safe space for all of us, especially those who are not vaccinated. Opening Prayer Loving and caring God, we come this morning seeking wisdom and guidance for our lives. Open us to your words of life and love and truth. May we proclaim with our tongues what we know in our hearts. In this time of worship, help us more fully understand what it means to truly be a disciple, a follower of the way of Jesus, a follower of the path of wisdom. May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Stewardship Moment Today is September 12th – yesterday was the 20th anniversary of September 11th incident in new York. Yesterday many commemorations of what that still means for our world. We will always remember. It is important for to remember that on September 12th – we pulled together in unity as Americans – happened to all of us. We also were reminded of what it means to be people of faith. People who look to God for our strength and guidance. 20 years later, let us hold onto the faith. Let us be the people of God who seek God’s wisdom. Who are working to build God’s kingdom. A part of being a faithful person,is giving our offering to the ministry of the church. Offering is at the back . need an offering plate. Invitation to the Offering (Proverbs 1, Mark 8) We are called to listen to the words of wisdom and to re-spond with our whole lives. Let us give thanks to God with all that we are and all that we have — in word, thought, and action. Offering Prayer God, we hear and we respond to your words of wisdom, your words of call and life. May these gifts, not only of our money, but of our very selves— our words, our thoughts, our actions— be acceptable to you, and help spread your words of life and love. Amen. Welcoming of New Members (Baptismal Covenant I – page 33) Scripture Proverbs 1:20-33 Common English Bible Listen to “Woman Wisdom” 20 Wisdom shouts in the street; in the public square she raises her voice. 21 Above the noisy crowd, she calls out. At the entrances of the city gates, she has her say: 22 “How long will you clueless people love your naïveté, mockers hold their mocking dear, and fools hate knowledge? 23 You should respond when I correct you. Look, I’ll pour out my spirit on you. I’ll reveal my words to you. 24 I invited you, but you rejected me; I stretched out my hand to you, but you paid no attention. 25 You ignored all my advice, and you didn’t want me to correct you. 26 So I’ll laugh at your disaster; I’ll make fun of you when dread comes over you, 27 when terror hits you like a hurricane, and your disaster comes in like a tornado, when distress and oppression overcome you. 28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me, but won’t find me 29 because they hated knowledge and didn’t choose the fear of the LORD. 30 They didn’t want my advice; they rejected all my corrections. 31 They will eat from the fruit of their way, and they’ll be full of their own schemes. 32 The immature will die because they turn away; smugness will destroy fools. 33 Those who obey me will dwell securely, untroubled by the dread of harm. Sermon Wisdom Speaks Have you ever thought about what God looks like? If you were to see God walking down the street, would you be able to know who you were looking at? I was in Kankakee yesterday and I noticed this man with a distinctive long white beard – but it wasn’t God, not really. Really there is a little spark of God in each of us. God is in everyone of us, God is in every thing , God is in every moment, God is in every situation. God is a spirit, an inspiration. Jesus Christ is the spirit of God that came to earth to give us wisdom. The gospel of John says that Jesus is the logos – the word of God and has been with God since the beginning of creation. John’s creation story also says that wisdom was alongside of God in the creation of all things, even the word of God. The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia. The Hebrew word is chakem. When you think of wisdom, what does wisdom look like? For me, wisdom personified is my grandmother. My grandmother had a word of advice for everything, and she had no problem giving advice morning noon and night. I remember on day in the 8th grade – I don’t even remember what my grandmother was talking about. But I do remember bursting out – Grandma please just shut up. What ever it is, just let me make a mistake, if I am wrong let me figure it out for myself. Well today I am hear to testify that it was only because of my grandmothers infinite that I am alive and well to even tell you that story. She chose to bite her tongue rather than respond. Now If I had been bold enough to tell my mother to shut up, history would have been much different. A grandmother giving her wise advice is also the biblical image of the bible. The book of proverbs is one of the five books of wisdom in the old testament along with Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The book of James is considered the new testament book of wisdom. The book of proverbs is a book of advice that a mother is giving her son – who will one day be king. The son is a young adult – just starting to experience life for himself. She wants him to know how important it is to make wise decisions – about friends, activities, even choosing a wife. She tells him that wisdom is the birthright of the people of God. There are 2 types of people in the world – the wise and the silly. There are 2 women out in the streets of life trying to get out attention. There is lady wisdom – Sophia and there is the woman of foolishness. How do we know which one we are listening to in life? Very good question. Sophia has been at the side of God since before creation. Not only does God place a high value on wisdom, God goes out of the way to speak to us – through Jesus Christ, the bible, church, through living right, through prayer. And most people are like me in the 8th grade – telling God to shut up and let us figure it our for ourselves. Yet God is determined to speak every day, all of the time if we are just willing to listen. Our scripture says that Sophia is so determined to speak that she goes out in the middle of the crossroad and shouts at the top of her lungs. Telling us to listen for the voice of God. when we stop to listen, we start to recognize the voice of God. Sophia says that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. A man says that he used to play a game with his kids, where he would be a monster. The game would start out as fun. But as he roared with his deep voice and started to make faces at the kids, they would become afraid. The daddy that the loved and adored would become something that might hurt them. They would always start crying before the game ended. One of the first hebrew words in the bible for fear or the lord is indeed paschad. Paschad means terror. When we are sinners and not honoring the willof God – we indeed should be terrified of his wrath. Isaiah 2:10 says go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty. Fear of the Lord is not a bad feeling – it is awe, wonder, reverence, obedience, and a right relationship with God, Jesus and those around us. when we learn to hear God – God will give us wisdom. We don’t have to search for wisdom, we just have to be careful not to run away. Wisdom comes to find us out in the crossroads of life and tells us the way. Many of us forget that every decision that we make has a consequence. That is why it is so important for us to seek wisdom as fervently as God seeks us. Let us pray…. Prayer We come together with persons all over the world to remember the day our world changed. We come together in faith, in hope, in God’s infinite love. Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy and grace all who died in the September eleventh attacks and all who have died in the past twenty years while laboring to end terrorism. In New York City: 2,342 persons In Arlington, Virginia: 184 persons In Shanksville, Pennsylvania: 40 persons 411 New York City rescue workers that day plus so many more from the aftereffects Thousands of military personnel and civilians in the following years of war Over 70 countries lost loved ones that day: family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, heroes. In the face of all this loss we claim your grace, your faithfulness, and your power to bring good out of evil. Compassionate One, it’s been twenty years, yet the pain is fresh and the need is great. Comfort all who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones. Come with assurance and peace for all who remain traumatized, anxious, or fearful for the future. Come with protection and freedom for all who continue to live in the midst of hostility and oppression. Bring wholeness and hope to every broken place- to broken bodies, broken hearts, and broken spirits. To broken relationships, broken systems, and broken faith. Draw together leaders of every nation. Give them ears to hear your wisdom and the courage to respond. Inspire them to work together for peace, justice, and freedom. Inspire us, too. Strengthen all who risk their lives to protect others. Guard and favor all who work to make your world a place of peace. Guard and guide us, too. God of the Nations, hear our prayer for our enemies and for ourselves. Help us love and pray for those who hate us. We claim your abiding, your humility, and your strength as we strive to fulfill this call. Save us from revenge, false teaching, and blind suspicion. Help us recognize our contributions to conflict. Help us understand the hurt that feeds the hate. Change the hearts of all who seek their way by evil and violent means, by coercion and corruption and privilege, including our own. Create in us clean hearts that beat with your unconditional compassion. Leave no one in the shadows of evil and death, O God. Fill us all with your light and make us all instruments of your peace. Our world remains a dangerous place, O God, but with you there is shalom and hope. With you there is persevering and purpose. You are our Rock, our Shield, our Defender forever. Amen. ______________ 9/11 Anniversary Prayer © 2011, Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia and Nicole Sallee Updated 2021 God of mercy and of hope, be with us this day. We have gathered here to learn of your will for us. Sometimes it is not easy for us to realize that if we are to follow Jesus we will have to make a total commitment to his ways. We will have to actually put into practice the good news of compassionate love, and healing mercies. Our hearts are filled with situations concerning family and friends, concerning neighborhood and world. We seek your healing mercies for these situations. Help us to remember that the same healing mercy is offered to each one of us.. Give us strength and courage to really follow Jesus. For it is in His Name, we pray. AMEN. Song for Reflection Lord of the Dance UMH 261 Communion (Page 13) Prayer of Dedication/Offering (no need to print) All around us, we are reminded that we are not on our own, but our lives intersect with the poor, the hungry, the hopeless, our sisters and brothers. As we seek to follow you, may we share from the abundance you have poured out upon us, so all might experience your grace and life. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Announcements Health team meeting after church,all welcome to attend or to express thoughts on being church in the near future until things get better. We present this refrigerator to be consecrated to the glory of God and for service in this church. We accept this refrigerator as a sacred trust and will guard and use it reverently in the name of Jesus we consecrate this to the glory of God. This refrigerator has faithfully served in ministry for many years. We are grateful for the use that we got out of it, we now release you from service of any honorable use. Blessings upon your future use. Prayer list out in the narthex. At the bottom of the page is a prayer for the church. Invite everyone to pray at some time in the day – for the month of September and beyond. So that God hears our prayers. Debbie and I have prayer time in the sanctuary at noon – everyone invited to join us. or even to pray at the same time at home. Regular prayer changes our hearts. . Closing Prayer for Facebook Go forth with the words of wisdom crying in your ears. Go forth with songs of hope singing in your heart. Know that you are called to be faithful followers of the One who will always be near you, will always guide and encourage you to walk the path of life. Amen. Community Time Benediction Go in peace and know that God walks with you on this journey. Bring the good news of Christ’s healing love to all whom you meet. AMEN. Children’s time – I am sure that most of you have seen one of these ribbons. Many people are wearing these red, white and blue ribbons right now as a way to help them to remember what happened on September 11, 2001. These ribbons help us to remember the people who died in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania during terrorist attacks against our nation and it reminds us to pray for their friends and families. It also reminds us to pray for those who are still working to clean up the sites of these terrible tragedies and recover the bodies of those who died there. The ribbon also reminds us to pray for our nation and for our President as he leads us. This ribbon is a very special way to help us to remember what happened on September 11th. Jesus has also given us a very special way to help us remember him and what he has done for us by his death on the cross. On the night before Jesus was betrayed, he met together with his disciples for a final meal. As he sat at the table with his disciples, Jesus took a piece of bread and broke it. He said, "This is my body which is broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me." Then he took a glass of wine and said, "This is my blood which is shed for you. Drink it in remembrance of me." We still use the bread and wine as a way to remember what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross. The Bible also tells us that when we do this, we are telling others about Jesus' death. Just as wearing a ribbon is a good way to tell others that we remember what happened on September 11th, the bread and wine are a good way to tell others about Jesus. Dear Jesus, we pause today to remember the tragic events of September 11th and to pray for the families of those who died. We also pause to remember your death on the cross which gives us life.