On Behalf of Others - revise of They will know we are christians by our love 4/28/13 - update of Sharing our Differences 5/2/10

May 18, 2025 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 11:1-18 On behalf of Others Year C Revised - They will Know we Are Christians By our Love 4/28/13 Updated version of 5/2/10 – Sharing our Differences Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Leader: More than kind or charitable, or even humane this Love that calls us takes on flesh and bone and vulnerability Assembly: we gather here to practice Love’s solidarity, rising up in the valleys and shadows of death. Leader: More than nice, or agreeable, or even polite this Love that forms us risks siding with the last and the least Assembly: we come together to become Love’s liberation building collective power to resist injustice. Leader: More than tolerant or accepting, or even affirming this Love that guides us opens to new stories of harm and new visions of flourishing Assembly: we join together to embody Love’s accountability laying down our defenses to grow beyond the edges of our knowing. Leader: More than peaceful or unifying, or even friendly this Love that compels us dares to imagine beyond empire Assembly: we worship to remember Love’s future praying, praising, and protesting until Love’s kindom comes. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Sharon Fennema) Invocation Inhale: Open our hearts. Exhale: Love, dwell among us. Song They Will Know we are Christians by our Love TFWS 2223 A Sermon for all Ages Good morning! Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “when pigs fly”? It sounds sort of silly, but is basically an expression that means something is impossible. Pigs don’t fly, since they don’t have wings and they’re too bulky to get off the ground. But do you know what? The awesome thing about the Bible is that a lot of times, we see the impossible happen… So watch out for flying pigs! (Gently toss the stuffed animals into the air or towards—not at—the kids, playfully. If it is not too distracting, you can allow them to hold one during the chat. Or if you have small give-away items, they can keep them). Well, the lesson for today sort of involved flying animals…it was about Peter. Remember him? The disciple who denied Jesus, but was forgiven, and worked hard for the church. Well, some people were criticizing him because he was hanging out with what they thought was the wrong sort of crowd. You see, back in those days there were a lot of rules. They had rules for what to wear, who to talk to, things they could or could not eat, places to go…rules for everything. Some leaders approached Peter because they thought he was disobeying by talking with people who were not following the Jewish rules. So Peter told them about something that happened to him. He had been praying on the roof, and saw a vision. In it, a whole bunch of animals was coming down, and a voice told him to go ahead and eat them! Well, these were the animals that Peter knew Jews weren’t supposed to have, so he thought it was a little strange and confusing. But as he kept praying, it happened again! Was he just hungry? A third time he had this vision and heard the voice (three seems to sort of be Peter’s special number…). And then he received a visit from someone who wanted to know more about Jesus, but was not one of the rule-following Jews. Peter realized that God wanted to let him know the good news of the Gospel is for everyone! It wasn’t just for those who followed the rules or did what the Jewish people did. Peter was explaining that the message of God’s love and grace needed to be shared with everyone. He knew it wasn’t about your background, but about life now. In John 13:31-35, Jesus said the same thing. If you heard the Gospel lesson, He was reminding his disciples that they needed to love one another. He told them that they would not be recognized by words they said but by actions they did. The “new” commandment wasn’t so new at all, but is something we must always remember is important We need to demonstrate true care about people. This does not mean we have to accept and embrace things they do, or join in if they are acting negatively. But we can still show God’s love because He has made everyone and called us to value them. Let’s practice love for one another, and thank God for the good news we have. Prayer: Offer thanks that we have the good news, and ask for help in sharing it: (Have kids repeat each line, if desired) Dear God, Thank you for the amazing stories of the Bible Thank you for helping us share your good news with others Help us understand and do that Help us love one another Thank you for Jesus! In His name, amen Affirmation of Faith UMH 883 Passing of the Peace Scripture Acts 11:1-18 Sermon On Behalf of Others The sandwich swap as a story of how food separates us Salma and Lily were best friends at school. They drew pictures together. They played on the swings together. They jumped rope together. And they ate their lunches together. But just what they ate was a little different. Lily ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch. Salma ate a hummus and pita sandwich every day for lunch. And although Lily never said it out loud, she thought Salma's sandwich looked weird and yucky. She felt terrible that her friend had to eat that icky chickpea paste every day. EW. Yuck. And although Salma never said it out loud, she thought Lily's sandwich looked strange and gross. She felt just awful that her friend had to eat that gooey peanut paste every day. EW. Gross. That is an excerpt from a childrens book coming out by the Queen of Jordan called the “sandwich Swap”. It is about her experiences as a child, where she at one type of food and her best friend ate another. Both felt uncomfortable with what the other was eating. But it was through food that they came to understand one another and developed a closer relationship in the process. It is a cute little story that talks about how food separates us, and keeps us apart. The realize that their feelings about food is deeper than that, our feelings about food oftentimes harbor our personal predjudices about certain people. In the end, as they come together as friends and agree to try each other’s food, they get the whole school involved in a sandwich swap, in order to learn to be more accepting of each other. This story is a perfect example of how what we eat is one of the greatest expressions of who we are. Food can divide us and tear us apart. And food can bring us together in a very special way. When God says that we will come together in heaven with him, he says that it will be around the table at a great feast, where we share each other’s food. Scripture says that God’s greatest expression of love and care for us is to feed us. This is a perfect story for our scriptures this morning. Peter prided himself on being a good jew and making sure that everything that he ate was kosher. He considered that to be a part of what God called him to do – that is until he heard from God – which told him something different. That in the name of trying to understand others, he was free to eat whatever god’s people ate. There was nothing wrong with it But not everyone of the disciples heard that same voice, and they criticized Peter, until he explained it for them. Once again this is a demonstration of how the holy spirit works in our lives It takes something that makes sense to us (in this case food- we all understand food) in order to explain something that doesn’t make sense to us. (in this case how to get along with other people) This fits in with the gospel lesson which talks about love- Jesus tells his disciples to strive to love one another as you have been loved. – we know that there are 10 commandments – many say that this is the 11th commandment from God – to love. Love is not a concept unique to Jesus – because there are many commandments to love – love the lord the god with all of your heart, mind body and soul. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, there is even a commandment for Esau and Jacob to love one another as brothers. Jesus is just trying to get them to follow the law of love in a brand new way. Not to love because you are supposed to, but to love because you have been loved. Not to guess what love means, but to know what love means. To realize that love is not about what you do – it is about the relationship that you have. In order to love somebody, you have to identify with that person, get into their lives and know what it going on, and be willing to eat with them. For instance Peter could very well have refused to eat with the gentiles and kept his kosher habits. But somewhere along the way he realized that his relationship was more important than his beliefs. And that it was the relationship that changed him and transformed the situation. The gentiles became a part of the family, the outsiders became insiders. All because the holy spirit took something that made sense and used it to teach something that they otherwise would not have understood. Commentators point out that the story of how Peter met Cornelius and baptized his whole family is one of the longest stories in the book of Acts. It shows just how close Christianity came to being just another faction of Jews. If Peter had not had the dream, if Peter had not listened to God to try something different, If Peter had stuck to his tradition – we would have no access to the good news of Jesus. Learning how to accept love and be loved is an important mark of what it means to be a Christian. If you read and listen to the book of Acts this Easter season, you will learn the marks of a true Christian as one who follows Jesus, who trust in the teachings of Jesus, one who looks for the presence of the holy Spirit in their lives and is willing to follow it, and one who puts Christ as the center of their lives, allowing the spirit of Christ to dwell and live in them. Love is the 11th commandment. Moses gave the 10 commandments to the children of Israel so that they could live together in a community of peace. Jesus gave the 11th commandment to his disciples. – love one another as I have loved you. Love can be painful – but it still makes a difference, it still transforms people – one relationship at a time. Love is a way of speaking, a way of doing, love is who you are in Christ. Love is the one mark of a true Christian. And yet it is hardest thing in the world to love one another. Have you noticed that as Christians, we are like the two girls in the sandwich swap story – we claim to like each other and yet we find things to continue to keep us apart. And what is Jesus doing with his disciples as he is teaching them love – he just fed them as the host of the Passover. Eating is such an important part of our faith. In Acts, Peter not only encourages us to love one another, but he also encourages us to go beyond our boundaries and understanding in order to understand and accept one another. In ElkhartCounty, in the state of Indiana, there is a famous corner, the meeting of the rural two-lane highways known as County Roads 11 and 38. On three of the four corners there is a Mennonite church, but each one is different. All three share the same history of religious persecution that led them to seek America as a place of religious freedom. Each one believes in and practices simple living, peace, and service to all humanity in the name of Jesus. But one of them, the Beachy Amish congregation, refuses to use electricity in the homes. The members come in horse and buggies, and there is an outhouse and shelters for horses next to the simple, white meeting house. The people dress in the plain garb — and are pretty proud of it! The folks across the street are popularly known as the Black Car Mennonites. Each one drives an American car, and each car is black. Their building is also plain and white, and the people dress in garb that is plainer than their neighbors, although they do not conform with the fashions of the church across the street. The third church is very large, and accepts believers who dress in many different fashions. There are cars of all makes and models, and the congregation is very active in ministry to all ages, and to people around the world. Some of the women wear head coverings. This church probably has the fewest number of hoops for believers to jump through. Their influence is far greater in the community and in the world. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a place where the old ways matter. The Amish still ride their buggies up and down the green hills. Most churches have spires, and they frame the landscape with the proclaimed piety of their people. Change comes slowly. Sometimes that's good, especially when we're talking about the basics of the faith. Sometimes that's bad. Like when people refuse to change the little things. A lot of the churches, especially the Plain People like the Amish, Brethren, and Mennonite, practice a three-part communion service that includes the feet washing, a full meal called the love feast, along with the bread and cup. The story is told how a new pastor tried to lead an old, established church in the feet washing. The men were seated around one set of tables and the women around other tables. The pastor gave the instruction for the person at the front left corner to wash the feet of the person to the left, and then to continue in a counter-clockwise fashion. No one moved. There was absolute silence. The pastor wondered what he had done wrong. The silence stretched longer and longer and the situation got more and more uncomfortable. It turned out that in that particular congregation the feet washing took place in a clockwise, not a counter-clockwise fashion. For the people in the church this was close to heresy. Even next to impossible. Finally one of the elders rescued the situation by standing up, clearing his throat, and saying, "All right. I guess we can do it this way just once." And the evening was saved. Some churches resist change. And some do more than just resist it — they fight it, clawing, kicking, and screaming the whole way. Usually we're not talking about the Virgin Birth, the Divinity of Christ, and the Resurrection. It's about practices in the kitchen, where people sit, who controls the purse strings, who's allowed in women's fellowship, and things of that nature. How open are we to accepting others? How closed are our churches, whether we admit it or not? Lots of churches say, "We're a friendly church," but what they mean is that they are friendly to each other. If a newcomer arrives, that person may not be greeted and welcomed, nor invited to return. It is possible to go to some churches and never shake a single hand or share a single word with another believer. And, it's not just because they are unfriendly at heart. Some people say, "I don't want to greet someone because I might have already met them and I don't want to make a mistake." Which is worse — to admit a mistake and laugh over it, giving time to get know a person better, or taking the chance on ignoring someone who is sincerely seeking Jesus, and who discovers that the church is every bit as unfriendly as they were told? Once people are in the church, the question is whether we have the grace to allow them to become new creatures in Chris But seriously, we truly have to be careful about how we treat one another as Christians, especially within these walls. We forget that the world is watching us. they are watching how they treat one another, and coming to a decision about whether they want to be associated with us. Love is not about who we feel about one another. It is a commandment. It is an act of obedience. Jesus had some reason for pointing to the disciples and telling them that if you don’t learn anything else from me, you need to learn how to love one another. Love is not a feeling it is an action. You cant tell someone how to feel about a situation, but you can tell then what to do and how to act. Jesus commanded us to love one another – to pay attention to our actions toward one another. A woman got a divorce and lost her family. She sank into a deep depression, and was in desperate need. The people in her church only shook their heads and pointed their fingers at her failure, so she left and began frequenting a bar. One day the preacher came and asked why she had done this. She replied, “The people at the bar smile when they see me.” We have to do the same when we come to church. Finally I just want to say – that learning to love one another is not a new commandment. We are all taught from an early age to learn to love. As jews the disciples would have been taught the importance of love for others in your community. Even as Jesus was talking – he didn’t say that you needed to love the whole world – he just said love your fellow disciples. There is nothing new about love- it has been around from the beginning of love. What is new about the commandment to love is that Jesus says to love as I have loved you. Jesus gave everything he had, so that you would know how to love. You may not have to love everyone in the world, but The world is watching us, so that they can see that example. What is it that they see – Let them know we are Christians by our love. Peter’s message to us – love one another, let the church be known by the love it shows to others, and finally let love be the bridge to reach those who we may consider different then us. If I were to start a sentence with the words, “There are two types of people in the world . . .,” how would you finish that sentence? “There are two types of people in the world . . .,” Somebody once said, “There are two types of people in the world—those who divide the world into two types of people and those who do not.” What say you? I think if I were to divide people into two types, I would say, there are rule keepers and rule breakers. Some people just have an internal compulsion to follow the rules, even if those rules are questionable. There are others who seem only to enjoy life when they are breaking the rules. There’s an old joke about a little boy named Johnny whose mother had just returned from the grocery story. Johnny pulled a box of animal crackers out of her grocery bag and spread those animal crackers all over the table. “What are you doing?” the mother asked. “I’m looking for the seal,” Johnny explained. “It says not to eat them if the seal is broken.” Little Johnny is definitely a rule-keeper. I can respect that. People like him keep society from descending into chaos. But sometimes we keep rules that no longer serve any purpose. Sometimes our rules only serve to put up walls between ourselves and others. For instance, how many Christians—consciously or unconsciously—make up rules to decide who is or is not acceptable to God? Here’s a powerful question: Are there times when you and I could be standing in God’s way? Are our beliefs, attitudes, prejudices or actions interfering with the work of God in our community? Are we withholding the love and truth of Jesus Christ from certain people or certain groups because we think they are unacceptable to God? Are we standing in God’s way or standing in God’s will? Dr. James Forbes, a pastor in New York City, came from a family of 10 children. He grew up in South Carolina, and he tells the story of how his mother would call the Forbes children to the dinner table each night. Each evening, Mrs. Forbes would stand on the front porch and yell, “Are all the children in? Are all the children in?” The meal couldn’t be blessed or eaten until all ten of the Forbes children had taken their place at the table. As Dr. Forbes says, “That is how God calls to each and every one of us in the church. ‘Are all the children in? Are all the children in?’” (3) That’s the whole reason Jesus came into this world, shared the message of God, and died on the cross—it was to gather all God’s “children” into the kingdom of God. And now that’s our job too. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus, that’s your calling, that’s your mission, that’s your life’s greatest goal and priority now: to bring as many people to the love and truth of Jesus Christ as possible. In order to do that, we have to ask ourselves the question, “How big is my spiritual family?” Actually, in God’s eyes, there’s only one type of person: greatly loved and worth dying for. In the book of Galatians 3:28, the apostle Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” We are not God’s bouncers; we are God’s ambassadors. It’s not our job to put limits on God’s love. It’s our job to share the love and the salvation of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet, so that all God’s children can someday be gathered into His kingdom. Let us pray…. Song Help us Accept Each Other UMH 560 Pastoral Prayer Community Graduates All of our children, youth, young adults, family, others Sick and struggling Seeking God and not finding it, show love All those affected by tornadoes and the strange weather we have had St. Louis and southern illinois During mental health – pray for those affected by trauma, grief, and medical conditions Peace wherever there is violence Pray for Gaza, Ukraine, inda and Pakistan, sudan places where there is active conflict Pray for those within our hearts, pray for prayer spoken and unspoken Help us to show love, listen to places and people your are calling us to love Church – the mission of Jesus Christ which continues today Pray for the pope on first day of installation Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Peter is one of my favorite Bible figures! Why? Peter followed Jesus from early on, giving up his identity as a fisherman. Peter gave up his resistance when Jesus offered to wash his feet, blurting out, “Not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” Following a dream which showed him “unclean” animals he could eat, it’s Peter who gives up his life-long discipline of eating only “clean” animals, as a way of opening faith life to those not called to follow Jewish food laws. Peter responded to Jesus’ call to become a follower, and then grew to recognize Jesus’ call for him to build relationships with Gentiles as well as Jews. Today, we’re invited to follow in Peter’s footsteps, not necessarily by leaving our work, nor changing our diets, but with our financial resources. Today it’s a marvelous time for each of us to reach deep into our wallets, tap our savings, share our set-aside resources, giving financial symbols of our whole lives as we receive our morning offering. When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, as Peter was, we’ll find ways to respond to this 21st century call, and come to see what God-inspired ministries can emerge from our shared resources. Prayer of Thanksgiving (Inspired by Acts 11:1-18 & adapted from UMC Discipleship) Generous and Ever-giving God, we offer these gifts today in gratitude, knowing you have given us so much more. You gave your Son, Jesus, to us. You offer the wonder of creation to meet our needs for food and shelter. You provide your love to all. You allow us to claim “the repentance that leads to life!” Although our giving pales by comparison, we pray you will use these gifts and use each of us to build up your Realm on earth. Amen. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook People of Love, as you go from this place, let love be what blesses you, love that is not nice or polite, but knows how to sing in the midst of despair how to rise up in the midst of death how to hold fast in the midst of chaos Let love be the blessing you share, love that is not tolerant or charitable but knows how to care when all seems hopeless how to listen when others are silenced how to come alongside when no one else will. People of Love, let love be your blessing, this day and every day until glory comes. (United Church of Christ, Sharon Fennema) Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction Here is the commandment…love one another! Here is the commandment…love the planet that sustains us. Let this love flow through the ordinary and the miraculous as we help bring into being the kin-dom of God, renewing the world. So be it. Amen. Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Additional Illustrations There is the fable of the church who placed a “for members only” sign on their front lawn. No one was ever invited to attend the church. If strangers showed up for service they were harshly turned away and discouraged from ever coming again. As the congregation aged, members began to die until finally the last three members posted a notice in the obituary column which read: Dead. Forty-five-year-old, middle-class church that once had 200 members. Address: 1888 Temple Street. Cause of death: unfriendliness towards strangers, for-members-only attitude, disdain for all people who weren’t our kind of people. God forgive us for t Peter and the apostles refused to stay in the box. Paul refused to stay in his box. Even if Jack refuses to stay in his box, why do Christians want to stay in their boxes? Christ was crucified and resurrected so that we could come out of the box. Jesus refused to allow hatred, prejudice, class, race, age, ethnicity, money, power, influence, sickness, affliction, trouble, sorrow, pain, or death to keep him in a box. Jesus came and died and rose so that we would come out of the box. The box of narrow-mindedness and provincial thinking, the box of limited vision and opportunity and the box of the seven last words, “We never did it that way before,” all kill the forward movement of the spirit’s power and presence. Jesus calls us to come out of the box. The empty box is the empty tomb. Jesus is out of the box and we as disciples of Christ should come out of the box too! When Peter saw how the Holy Ghost had come, his mission to the Gentiles was confirmed. Peter knew he had the presence and power of the Holy Ghost which emboldened him to come out of the box others tried to force him into. This is our commission, to go into the world to preach, teach, and reach others for Christ; to come out of the our little boxes to spread the Good News of Christ. We can do it when the Holy Ghost comes upon us. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, we can come out of the box. We no longer have to allow things to box us in and keep us from taking a message of hope to all people. Come out of your box and give him the glory! CSS Publishing Company, Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised, by Carlyle Fielding Stewart I want you to think of possible times in our history when Christians actually stood in God’s way. Are there times in the church when we have behaved like Wile E. Coyote? Perhaps, for example, when we persecuted Galileo for his scientific discoveries? Or perhaps when many Christians opposed the Civil Rights movement? I’ll leave it to you to fill in the blanks of all the places we as an institution or as individuals might have been standing in God’s way. I don’t know why some religious people have such an affinity for the status quo why do we have such fear of change? Not all, of course. The church has been at the forefront of many of the positive changes that have occurred in society. However, to be fair, I don’t know of any significant progress that has taken place in human society that some religious group or another hasn’t been against it. Over two hundred years ago, in Gloucester, England, a man named Robert Raikes started a movement which was to have a far-reaching impact on the moral and religious life of the Western world. He began the Sunday School movement. He selected four women who gathered a group of children together on Sundays to instruct them in reading and in the church catechism. Believe it or not, the Sunday School movement was strongly resisted by the established church. The ruling classes, who had much influence in the church of that day, feared that such a program would lead to popular education which in turn would lead to revolution. And then there was a legalistic wing of the church that believed strongly that the Sabbath day was for worship and rest only, not for recreation or for school. One Scottish preacher feared that such Sunday Schools would “destroy all family religion.” (1) Imagine that. Sending children to Sunday School would destroy family religion. Every progressive step that has ever been made in human society has first of all been opposed by somebody in the name of Christ. Dr. R. Steven Hudder tells about a legislator in Georgia, Donald Ponder, who decided he wanted to be on God’s side. A representative to the state legislature he stood on the House floor of this conservative Southern state and implored his colleagues to pass a bill that would impose extra penalties for hate crimes committed against ethnic and racial minorities, as well as against gay and lesbian people. He confessed to the state Legislature that all his ancestors in the nineteenth century owned slaves and that his great grandfather had fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy. He told his fellow legislators of how his college fraternity had ostracized six members because they were gay. He told of his nanny, an African American woman who had raised him from birth, who had taught him more than anyone else the difference between right and wrong. He told of how one day when he was a boy about to leave for school, she had leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, and how he had averted his head because he had been taught all his life that black people were not supposed to kiss white people. He spoke of the shame that he had carried since that day. Then Representative Donald Ponder spoke these unforgettable words: “The day came not long ago when we buried the magnificent woman who had raised me. I pledged to myself that day that never again would I look in the mirror and know that I had kept silent and let hate, prejudice, and indifference negatively impact another person’s life. I finally have figured it out. The only way we are ever going to make progress in this world is when somebody gets up and takes a stand. And so I stand before you today, my distinguished colleagues, and I urge the House of Representatives of the State of Georgia to pass this hate crimes bill.” And you know what? They did. (3) God is at work in this world anytime someone is willing to be used of God. If we will be used of God, we can see miracles occur. The way will open in front of us and we will see God’s victory. t reminds me of a story that a preacher tells. He was driving his car one time traveling north, trying to get to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Suddenly his lights went out while he was driving in North Carolina. His alternator had quit working. There he was, hundreds of miles from his destination on a dark night with no way to see where he was going. He prayed, “I don’t have an alternator, Lord, but I want to get back.” After that, he says, a Greyhound bus came by just flying. He thought to himself, “There’s my ticket to Fredericksburg.” He got right behind that big bus and laid right on the bumper of that bus and it carried him all the way to Virginia. About that experience, he says, “I just believe God. You say, weren’t you afraid of the highway patrol? No. Because the highway patrol should have been concerned about the bus as fast as it was going. They didn’t need to be concerned about me.” He concludes by saying, “Have faith in God! And believe that God is able.” (4) God is able. And God will do what he has promised. When it comes to justice and righteousness, we are either on God’s side or in God’s way. I heard somebody ask a humorous question. The question was based on archaic language in our legal system. The question was, “Can a church be insured against acts of God?” Maybe it’s not so humorous after all. A church that stands in God’s way will be flattened like Wile E. Coyote. No insurance policy in the world can protect a church or a nation that chooses to ignore the oncoming locomotive of God’s Kingdom. 1. Warren Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching (Moody Press, 1984), p. 185. 2. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010). 3. http://www.christ congregational church.org/Sermons/Life%20Light%20and%20Love.htm. 4. When Black Preachers Preach: Leading Black Preachers Give Direction & Encouragement to a Nation That Has Lost Its Way, Vol. 2 (Kindle Edition). ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Dynamic Preaching Second Quarter 2013, by King Duncan III. One Step At A Time The Third Step is to remember to take it: ONE STEP AT A TIME. A baby learns to scoot before it can crawl. It learns to crawl before it can walk. And it learns to walk before it can run. Why should the Christian life and parenting be any different. One of the things we learn from creation, is that God took it one step at a time. It was a Step By Step process of creating and growing a world. We have to do the same thing in raising our children. Over the long haul, what we hope our children learn from us is: A sense of destiny: We want them to know they are unique, special, so they can have confidence for daily living; We want them to have a sense of purpose; a sense of mission in life; We want them to have a sense of love and we want to leave them a legacy of love; We want them to have a sense of security. We want them to know they are safe; that their family is their refuge; no matter what. We want them to be filled with a sense of hope and a hope filled sense of the future which will allow and challenge them to take risks. And most of all, we want them to have a desire for godliness. We want them to have a deep passion for God and the gospel. But they learn these things Step By Step, not by our lecturing, not by our dropping them off at church and Sunday School, not by our teaching but by OUR EXAMPLE, AND THE STEPS WE TAKE. You see, what we do, proves what we think is important. IV. Sow Love And finally one of the most important steps is that we SOW LOVE. Someone has written A Mother's Version of 1 Corinthians 13. "I can read bedtime stories till the cow jumps over the moon and sing "Ten Little Monkeys" until I want to call the doctor - but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone. I can chase a naked toddler through the house while cooking dinner and listening to voice mail. I can fix the best cookies and Kool-Aid in the neighborhood, and I can tell a sick child's temperature with one touch of my finger, but if I don't have love, I am nothing. Love is patient while watching and praying by the front window when it's 30 minutes past curfew. Love is kind when my teen says, "I hate you!" It doesn't envy the neighbors' swimming pool or their brand-new minivan, but trusts the Lord to provide every need. Love doesn't brag when other parents share their disappointments and insecurities, and love rejoices when other families succeed. It doesn't boast, even when I've multitasked all day long and my husband can't do more than one thing at a time. Love is not rude when my spouse innocently asks, "What have you done today?" It doesn't immediately seek after glory when we see talent in our children, but encourages them to get training and make wise choices. It's not easily angered, even when my 15-year-old acts like the world revolves around him. It doesn't delight in evil (is not self-righteous) when I remind my 17-year-old that he's going 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth. Love doesn't give up hope. It always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit, even while doling out discipline. It always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot. It always perseveres, through blue nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleep-overs. Love never fails. But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor(s), they will fade away. Where there is talking back, it will (eventually) cease. (Please, Lord?) Where there's a teenager who thinks he knows everything, there will one day be an adult who knows you did your best. For we know we fail our children, and we pray they don't end up in therapy, but when we get to heaven, our imperfect parenting will disappear. (Thank you, God!) When we were children, we needed a parent to love and protect us. Now that we're parents ourselves, we have a heavenly Father who adores, shelters us, and holds us when we need to cry. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (2) A mother's job is to SOW LOVE. Most mothers do that quite well, some do not. In a perfect world all mothers would SOW LOVE. But for those that do not, we're called lift them to God. And we're called to offer forgiveness. And being forgiven ourselves, we're called to follow Jesus STEP BY STEP into wholeness and to SOW LOVE. St. Francis of Assisi understood that, His whole life was dedicated to spreading the joyous love of God through Jesus Christ and he wrote this prayer. Follow Jesus Step By Step both as a parent and as a Disciple and SOW LOVE. Conclusion Parenting isn't easy. Being a mother is hard work. And we owe so much to our mother's. Peter really did know the secret to being both a good parent and a good disciple. And that's taking it STEP BY STEP and remembering: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME, AND SOW LOVE. 1.Adapted; www.preachingplus.com, Dave Stone Motherhood: "It's Not a Job, It's an Adventure" 5/12/2002 2. Reproduced in Joyful Noiseletter, May 2004. 1 Corinthians 13 for Moms was first printed as The Story of Encouragement, an e-newsletter CSS Publishing Company, Inc., From the Pulpit, by Billy D. Strayhorn At a family gathering, a grandmother was coaxed into doing something she had never done before. After much friendly badgering, she climbed slowly up on an exercise bike. She took her time getting in just the right position. She waited a few moments. Then, nervously, she said, "All right, you can turn it on now." If only work in the church could be handled like that. If we could magically flip a switch, and then watch as the work is done for us. But work in the church requires a delicate blend of divine inspiration and human perspiration. I know a young minister who was called to a church in a small town. The church had been in decline for several years. The search committee had expressed that the church was eager to experience growth in its membership and its programs. It was also expressed that the church had a special need to reach young families and children. The church had not been effective in its ministry to young families for a number of years. The young minister brought in new energy and new ideas. Within six months worship attendance had grown forty percent! People began joining the church. A new Sunday School class was started for young couples. A new choir was started for young adults which had the added benefit of offering more contemporary music for worship. People were excited about the growth and especially all of the young families that were attending. But then a concern was raised. What could the concern be? One of the elders of the church, in all seriousness, said, "I'm concerned. All of a sudden, we have so many young people joining the church. Actually, I think we have too many young people joining the church." Is it any wonder why churches can struggle to reflect vitality? In so many ways we seek to guard the status quo. That limits the work of the Holy Spirit and it impairs our ability to be effective witnesses within the community. A young woman was eight months pregnant; she had a two-year-old son. Her son locked himself in the bathroom. This frightened his mother. The woman got a screwdriver and tried to take the door knob off. She got most of it off, but she still could not get the door open. She could see in the bathroom, though, and it scared her. Her son was trying to turn on the water in the bathtub. So, she talked him into coming away from the bathtub. Then he started climbing up on the sink, trying to get in the medicine cabinet. Finally, she was able to get him to sit still on the stool while she went to call her husband. Her husband frantically raced home from his office. He rushed in the front door to find his wife laying on the couch exhausted and his son sitting in the rocking chair, rocking away as nonchalantly as you please. He turned to his wife and said, "What happened? I thought he was locked in the bathroom." His wife said, "Well, when I hung up the phone, I had a good idea. I got an Oreo cookie, I held it up for him to see through the hole, and he opened the door just like that!" The boy had the ability to open the door all along. All he needed was the proper motivation. The same is true of the Church. We have the ability to fulfill Peter's vision of a Church that draws all people together in unity but we must be properly motivated. It will require that we set aside our personal agendas and seek God's agenda for the Church. If we can work together to determine God's vision for the Church, there is no limit to what we can accomplish for the good of God's kingdom. Who are we to stand in the way of God and God's desires for the church? So often our biases prevent us from opening our lives to the renewing presence of God. We are fearful of changes that might be required so we close our hearts. Out of fear of the unknown or a stubborn refusal to grow in new directions, we refuse to risk the vulnerability that is required if we are to be truly open to God. A woman went to her minister for counseling. She had personal problems that had been going on for several years. After the minister had met with her several times, he suspected that she was not as eager to genuinely work through her problems as she was wanting someone to listen to her. Even more than that, he sensed that she had problems beyond that with which he could help her. So he advised her to seek professional counseling. He even suggested a couple of counselors she might consider. The woman went away angry that day. The minister told her things she did not want to hear. For several years their relationship was cool at best. Then, one day, about three years later, the woman came into church and gave him a big, heartfelt hug. She said, "I want you to know that I was really angry with you when you suggested that I seek professional counseling. But in the last few months, I have been seeing a counselor and it is helping. I also want you to know that my counselor has told me that I ought to thank you because you did the absolute best thing you could do for me. I will always appreciate you for standing up and saying what I needed to hear, even though I didn't want to hear it." With that, she gave him another hug. I wonder how many blessings we miss out on because we stubbornly refuse to hear the messages God sends our way. Instead of seeking to determine God's will for our lives, we seek God's approval for what we want to do. We limit God's purpose for us with our lack of vision and our lack of expectancy about what God can do in and through us. Do you remember what Peter said? He asked, "Who am I to hinder God?" We could ask the same question of ourselves. Who are we to stand in God's way? A couple of years ago a group went on a mission trip to Honduras. They traveled to a remote village in the hills. They took medical teams to provide medical care for people who normally were not able to receive any. They also worked to put in a clean-water system that would provide good water for several villages. Clean water was the thing they identified as having the most dramatic impact on the people's health. They dug ditches and laid PVC pipe to carry water from a running stream to the local villages. The work was difficult but it was very gratifying. And the people were extremely grateful. On the last day, all the people of the village gathered together to honor the group in a special ceremony. People rode horses and walked for miles to be in attendance. The leaders of the village got up one by one to express their appreciation. Even with interpreters, they didn't understand all that was said. Finally an elderly gentleman stood up to speak. He was not an elected official. He was not a dignitary scheduled to appear in the program. He was simply a man who had lived all of his eighty years in that village. But when he spoke, everyone listened. The respect of the people was readily apparent. He began by expressing appreciation to the group of Americans for coming to his village to help. He talked about how the government had talked about developing programs to help. The president had talked about helping his people. But that's all it ever was -- talk. Then he expressed how special it was that this group of Americans had not talked about helping his people. They simply had come and done their very best for them. He concluded by saying, "You have come in the name of Christ. You have acted in love. And you have given to us what we could never earn. Because of that, we have seen in you the grace and the very spirit of Christ. Because of that, you are the most important people to ever visit our village." The entire group was moved by those words. It is so rare to be able to reflect the spirit of Christ's grace to another. As one of the doctors would later say, "That is one of those rare nights that I went to bed feeling within my soul, 'I know the Lord is pleased with me on this day.' " We must expect the unexpected with God. We too will receive unexpected blessings if we can develop God's vision for the church, if we will respond to God's leadership, and if we will have a high level of expectation regarding what God can do in and through us. With these objectives, our experience in the church will be meaningful and fulfilling. And we can work together to build a Church that fulfills Peter's vision of unifying all people in the body of Christ. What if the ones we would exclude from the fellowship of the Church are the very ones with whom God intended to bless us? Let these words of Paul be our guide: "There is one body and one Spirit ... one hope ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Returning To God, by Douglas J. Deuel . People, especially in small towns, have long memories. In the Acts of the Apostles there is a reference to the "Synagogue of the Freedmen" (6:9). Freedmen were former slaves, and probably the descendents of former slaves as well. Roman society was class conscious, and the fact that one had been a slave, or that one's ancestors were slaves, was never forgotten. These believers had been marginalized into their own little ghetto, and could not escape the taint of their past. The passage says that they argued with Stephen over the good news of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the fact that they had been categorized as Freedmen, recognized for their station in life instead of who they were, that made them resentful of others doing well, and of the life-giving message Stephen had brought. The eloquent preacher Tom Long tells the story of a small church-related college that held an annual event called Christian Emphasis Week. It was the task of the Christian club on campus to invite a speaker who would come and lead a college revival. This particular year they invited a preacher who had come highly recommended. They were told of his dynamism and his unique way of communicating the gospel. The first night of the revival the chapel was filled with the faithful. There were no “animal house” type fraternity characters in attendance, just the faithful. The speaker began the service the way most preachers would: he read a passage of scripture. But when he finished reading, he did something which shocked the audience. He closed the Bible, threw it across the stage and out an open window and said, “There goes your God.” Then he proceeded to preach a sermon on the difference between worshiping the Bible and worshiping the God of the Bible.[1] Imagine the surprise those students had when the preacher turned their bibliolatrous religion upside down The membership of the Christian Church is all God's doing. Have you noticed that in our readings in Acts? It was God who sent his Holy Spirit on the Gentiles and converted them to the faith. It was God who changed a Saul into Paul, and who converted a Roman centurion named Cornelius, just as he changed that Ethiopian eunuch to whom Philip preached, and that multitude on the day of Pentecost. God is at work through his Holy Spirit, multiplying his faithful throughout the world. And that action of God of which we read in Acts is still going on today. God is on the move, advancing toward his kingdom, and in all of our difficulties and sufferings, we need to keep that in mind. There’s a grand old story that many of you are familiar with of a missionary physician working in the interior regions of mainland China. One day, he performed cataract surgery on a blind man. For the first time in years, the man could see clearly, and he was overjoyed. A few weeks later, the previously blind man returned to the missionary compound. But unlike the first time he had arrived, this time he was not alone. He came dragging a long rope and holding on to this long rope were more than 50 men, women, and children—all of them blind. Some had come from as far as 250 miles away, journeying through the wilderness, holding on to the rope for their guidance. The healed man wasn’t just grateful for his own healing; he was determined to lead as many people out of the darkness as he could. And that’s exactly what Peter and the apostles were called to do when they shared the message of God with the Gentiles. When we really understand the greatness of God’s grace, we realize that we can’t leave anybody out. Do you want to be in God’s way or in God’s will? The best way to ensure you are in God’s will is to ask yourself the questions, “How big is my spiritual family?” and “How great is God’s grace?” 1. "How legalism betrays Christ, violates the Gospel and destroys people" by Joe McKeever, https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/joe-mckeever/how-legalism-betrays-christ-violates-the-gospel-and-destroys-people.html. 2. Cal and Rose Samra, Holy Humor, p. 140. 3. St. Paul’s Letters to the Philippians by The Reverend Eric S. Ritz. 4. “Leonard Knight, artist at Salvation Mountain, dies at age 82” by Tony Perry, February 10, 2014, Los Angeles Times,https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-leonard-mountain-20140210-story.html. 5. “Salvation Mountain,” Atlas Obscura, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salvation-mountain ChristianGlobe Network, Inc., Dynamic Preaching Second Issue Sermons, by King Duncan ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬____________________________________________________ WE REQUIRE LOVING A little girl was making but poor progress toward recovery, though the ailment had been checked and there seemed to be no reason why she should not rapidly improve. But it didn’t happen, and the doctor in charge was keenly interested to know why. She was a very sensitive child, easily scared, responding quickly to kindness. Perhaps she was afraid of Nurse or Sister or her unfamiliar surroundings. The doctor decided it was the lack of understanding which was retarding recovery, and so wrote a directive upon the temperature chart: "This child requires loving every four hours." God is even better than that: He says, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." (Winship Storey in his Methodist Recorder. From a sermon by Bill Butsko, God’s Infinite Love, 12/25/2010) CATHERINE LAWES: A STORY OF COMPASSION Max Lucado relates this story. When Catherine Lawes’ husband, Lewis, became the warden on Sing Sing prison in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody warned her never to step foot inside the walls. But she didn’t listen to them. When the first prison basketball game was held, in she went, three girls in tow, and took a seat in the bleachers with the inmates. When she heard that one convicted murderer was blind, she taught him Braille so he could read. Upon learning of inmates who were hearing impaired, she studied sign language so they could communicate. For sixteen years Catherine Lawes softened the hard hearts of the men of Sing Sing. The prisoners knew something was wrong when Lewis Lawes didn’t report to work. Quickly the word spread that Catherine had been killed in a car accident. The following day as the acting warden took his early morning walk, he noticed a large gathering at the main gate. Every prisoner pressed against the fence. Eyes awash with tears. Faces solemn. No one spoke or moved. The warden made a remarkable decision. "All right, men, you can go. Just be sure to check in tonight." These were America’s hardest criminals. But the warden unlocked the gate for them, and they walked without escort or guard to the home of Catherine Lawes to pay their last respects. And each one returned. Real love changes people. That’s genuine love. That’s true love.