The Value of One

September 14, 2025 Luke 15:1-10 14th Sunday after Pentecost The Value of One Year C Prelude Greeting Call to worship (based on Luke 15:1-10) Have you come here to grumble? No! We are here to rejoice! Oh. Are you lost? No! We are found! Okay, I see. Do you seek a welcome at this table? Yes! We are here to let go of the past and begin fresh. We are here to celebrate the joy of heaven. We are here to feast with Christ, our Lord! Wonderful! You are in the righ place. You are welcome here. Let’s worship God together! (Presbyterian Outlook, Walter Canter) Invocation Maker of Heaven and Earth, we rejoice in your presence. In you, we find joy and strength, comfort and courage, truth and insight. Speak to us again. Reveal your power in and through us. Show us your glory and be glorified in our worship. May your glorious light shine through hidden spaces. May your blessed darkness make space for rest. Fortify us for this journey and make us instruments of your kingdom. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song Come Thou Font of Every Blessing UMH 400 A Sermon for all Ages "'Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?' " Theme: Separation from God; children of God. Visual Aid: A cardboard box containing lost and found items (perhaps a sweater or cap, a pencil, a comb, and so forth). "How many of you have ever heard of a lost and found box, at your school or daycare center?" Several children raise their hands. "Have any of you ever lost anything and then found it again?" Again, several children raise their hands. One of the more outspoken ones says, "I lost my blanket once; it took two days to find it!" I suspect there is an interesting story here, but rather than get into unknown territory I just tell him I'm glad he found it after it was lost. "It's difficult to lose something you really care about, isn't it -- especially if you don't ever find it again. When I was your age, the whole idea of a 'lost and found' box just didn't make any sense to me. Obviously if something was lost, it was lost; if something was found, it was found. How could something be both lost and found? "Finally it dawned on me one day that in order to be found and get taken to the 'lost and found' box, an item first had to be lost by someone else. And since the person who lost it didn't know it had been found, it was still lost. Then the combination of 'lost and found' at last began to make sense. "Have any of you ever gotten lost in a department store or a grocery store?" Once again, several hands go up. Acknowledging their responses with a nod, I continue. "It's a frightening experience, isn't it? I used to be afraid that I might get lost like that when I was your age. I knew if I did, someone would eventually take me to the store's office. Then the store manager would use a microphone to ask in a loud voice, throughout the store, 'Would Kathleen's parents please come to the office. We have your child.' I did NOT want that to happen, so I was careful not to let my parents get away from me whenever we went shopping. Besides, if I did get lost and taken to the manager's office, what guarantee did I have that my parents would even know how to find the office? And if they couldn't find it, I'd really be stuck! It was better not to get lost in the first place. "You know, sometimes people get lost from God, just like in the store. At first I thought, 'God doesn't have a lost and found box to look in. And God doesn't have a store manager either.' Can't you just hear the announcement? 'Would God please come to the office? We have your child.' "However, I was talking with a friend the other day about these ideas and she said, 'But God DOES have store managers, lots of them!' She pointed out that every time any one of us knows of a friend who is hurting and feeling alone and we ask God in our prayers to be with that person, we are, in effect, doing the same thing the store manager would have done. We are saying, 'God, my friend is feeling lost and needing you right now. Won't you please come be with my friend?' "Well, eventually I did get lost in a store -- but it was only a couple of years ago." The children greet this confession with looks of surprise. "That's right!" I assure them. "I was an adult! I had been shopping with my husband and we had gotten separated. I really didn't want to go to the manager and hear the announcement: 'Would Mr. Fannin please come to the office. We have your wife!' "While I was looking for my husband, it occurred to me that he was probably looking for me too. Therefore, it would make more sense if I just stopped where I was and waited for him to find me. I did; he did. "I think sometimes our relationship with God is like my experience in the store. Something catches our attention and we wander away; often we don't know how to find our way back. But we are all children of God, and we need to remember that God is searching for us just as we are searching for God. Sometimes all we have to do is stand still and stop looking long enough to be found." CSS Publishing Company, Inc, Cows In Church, by B. Kathleen Fannin Unison Prayer for Forgiveness Although we believe we are experts at faithfulness, Holy God, we must confess we are unskilled workers at doing good for others. Too often, we turn a deaf ear to the cries of people we have judged to be fools. We easily scoff at those we believe have nothing to teach us or share with us. How foolish, Searching God, how foolish we are! Forgive us, and restore us to your goodness. Then, send us forth to search for all who sit in the shadowed corners of our world, yearning for someone to come and find them, even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, came to find us. Amen. Silence is kept Assurance of Pardon Our actions sometimes show we do not know God. Our words and lives show we do not understand God's hopes for us. But with utmost patience, God sets aside our foolishness, and fills us with mercy. Mingled with faith and love, grace is poured into our sin-parched souls, giving us new life, restoring us as God's children. Thanks be to God. Amen. ( Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Scripture Luke 15:1 – 10 Sermon The Value of One Many years ago a friend of mine who was a high school teacher went to the nearby city for a Saturday shopping trip. She and her young son, who was about 4, were in Woolco and they became separated. By the time she discovered that he was not where he was supposed to be an announcement came over the loud speaker - it was his voice - he gave his name and where he was from (though not exactly as an adult would pronounce the names) My name is ............. and I’m from ............. (adult translation My name is ............ and I’m from .................) for privacy reasons the names have been removed from the internet version and then said, “My mother is lost”. Well, by the time she arrived at customer service to collect him, every colleague from her school was there waiting for her and laughing. Seems that everyone from ............... went to Woolco to shop on Saturdays (I shopped there too, except I went on Mondays!) “My mother is lost” - as far as the little boy was concerned, that was the truth. His mother had wandered off and left him all alone in the aisle with the cars and trucks. All of us are familiar with the feeling of losing something or someone in our lives. All of us are familiar with the feeling of finding something or someone in our lives. I think losing something is one of the hardest things for me to do. Whenever I lose something, there is this urge to replace it, I don’t want to feel the emptiness of doing with it. I am learning to deal with it, sometimes you cant replace every single thing that you lose. I really do hate to lose things. I have a system of making sure that whenever I get home, I check to make sure that I have the important things that I left with – my keys, my cell phone and my wallet. Lately that system has been failing me. Two weeks ago, I left my cell phone in the basket while putting my groceries in the car. Luckily, when I got home I was able to go online and use my find my phone app and see that it was still in the cart at Jewel. It was certainly a celebration when I found the phone. Interestingly when I found my phone, I discovered someone else had lost their wallet in the same way. Just last week, I discovered that I lost my credit card in the same way, and I have not had the same luck in tracking it down. Until I find it, nothing else in life matters, all of my attention goes to searching for my credit card. The good news for us – is that in God’s eyes, we are far more valuable than a cell phone or a credit card. When we are lost, God will do everything in God’s power to find us. God will not rest until we all are found – that is why God sent Jesus in the world to show us how important we are. Luke is actually the only person who reports these three stories of lost things. I think Mark or Matthew reports two of these stories. But Luke 15 is a story of a shepherd losing a sheep, a woman losing a coin, and a father losing a son. Apparently God hates to lose things also, because Jesus uses these stories to tell about God’s love for us. God always loves us, sometimes some of us, as a matter of fact, all of us get lost in the store by ourselves and we lose our way. Jesus wants us to know that is the whole purpose of Jesus mission here on earth. God feels a sense of emptiness when we are not close to him in relationship, and Jesus came to bring us closer to God. Life is a story of being lost and getting found. It is a story of grumbling in emptiness and celebrating when found, it is a story of feeling empty and then rejoicing. We all have a place in that story. But I think just like to little boy in the first story, sometimes, especially in the church we may be a little confused about where we fit in in the story. Are we the one who is lost, or are we the one who lost something. I wasn’t going to use this story, but it makes a wonderful point. What the World Expects of the Church On a cold, dreary December evening, several hundred people gathered at a large downtown church in Winston-Salem to celebrate the Christmas season. I had gone down a long hallway to help a small boy who was pushing against massive oak doors trying to get outside. The boy appeared to be about 2 years old. He was crying as if his heart would break. I picked him up, thinking he belonged to someone at one of the Christmas parties. Investigation, however, revealed nothing. I rushed outside and spotted an old-model car speeding away in the darkness. Gradually, it began to dawn on me that the child had been abandoned. I made a few calls, and soon the church was filled with people wanting to help in any way they could. Within moments, the local TV stations interrupted their usual programs to ask if anyone knew the identity of the little boy. The next morning, one of the city's newspapers had the child's picture on the front page. Under the picture there was an article describing the events of the evening before. The reporter began his story with this striking line: "Someone trusted the church last night, and the church came through!" It will be a long, long time before I can forget that newspaper headline. So much of the world's future depends on the faithfulness of the "People of God" to the "Great Commission." There is a deep hunger across our land as countless people grope for answers to the deepest questions of the human spirit. The message of Christ speaks to these questions, bringing hope and light to people who now stumble in the dark and live in despair. Our world will be changed as the hearts of people are changed. Evangelism is no longer an option for the church. It is essential to the survival of our world. The line in that Winston-Salem newspaper is a haunting reminder of what the world expects of the church. "Someone trusted the church last night, and the church came through!" May that always be true! Bishop Ernest Fitzgerald, "Someone Trusted the Church," Michigan ChristianAdvocate, May 5, 1997, p. 8. Unfortunately, sometimes in the church, we get convinced that we are the ones who find everyone, and that everyone else in the world that is lost. We know everything about Christ and it is our job to find everyone else. We become like the pharisees that Jesus would have been telling this story to. Even we in the church get lost sometimes. Jesus wants us to rethink what it means to be lost and found. Jesus is telling these parables of lost and found to the pharisees and religious authorities who were convinced that they were the ones found, and that everyone else was lost. Jesus wanted them to know – that all are valuable in the eyes of God. Which Color Would You Be? Ralph Milton tells of the teacher who, for reasons of her own, asked the kids one day, "If all the bad children were painted red and all the good children were painted green, which color would you be?" Think about it. What color would you be? Red or Green? It is a tough question isn't it when you pose only two options. One very wise child answered the teacher: "Striped" The reason I am going on about this point is simple. It seems to me that in the frame of the story - everyone but Jesus is striped. It is the same in the world today. We are a curious combination of the lost and the found. We are striped. We are, in some sense, not completely complete. It is hard language, this language of lost and found, especially for folks in the middle, as most of us are most of the time. It seems too absolute. Rarely are we completely lost. And rarely are we completely found. There is always a part of us that needs to be dragged and cajoled into the light, and there is always a part of us that is already there in the light. For some it is more and for some it is less, but always some part. The wonderful thing is - that God wants us to enter fully into the light. The wonderful thing is that God wants to bless us all richly to keep us safe, to make us strong, to help us be like a Shepherd who really cares for his sheep, or like a poor widow who really values all her coins. Richard Fairchild, Seeking the Lost I know that I have told this story before. As a matter of fact, I preached a similar sermon in 2019. Not everyone was here at that time. But I also think that sometimes it is a good idea for us to hear the same sermon again. Afterall, we can’t think about God’s grace in our lives too many times. When I went to visit the Vatican, I took a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Even though it is the center of the Catholic Church, there is also a worshipping congregation in the building. The sanctuary as you can imagine is huge and has a lot of history. I don’t remember all of the technical terms of the parts of the sanctuary. I think it is over the altar, there are these four huge post in a square with a dome over it. I want to say there is a fence the connects the post, and there is a opening in the front for one person to come and kneel and pray. As each of us kneeled in that open space, the tour guide encouraged us to look at the fence and to notice that there were 99 candles on the fence surrounding us. The 99 candles represented the sheep in this story who were found, and as we kneeled next to the candles, we were the hundredth sheep that the shepherd has found – welcome home. At some point in each of our lives – Jesus says to each of us – welcome home. I have been looking for you all of this time, I am so glad that you returned to the fold. We are all sinners, Jesus welcomes us all home. Create Him Not The love of God is indescribable but a old Jewish legend does a pretty good job. It describes what happened when God created man. The legend says God took into counsel the Angels that stood about his throne. The Angel of Justice said; 'Create him not … for if you do he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellow man; he will be hard and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous.' The Angel of Truth said, 'Create him not … for he will be false and deceitful to his brother and even to Thee.' The Angel of Holiness stood and said; 'Create him not … he will follow that which is impure in your sight, and dishonor you to your face.' Then stepped forward the Angel of Mercy, God's most beloved, angel, and said; 'Create him, our Heavenly Father, for when he sins and turns from the path of right and truth and holiness I will take him tenderly by the hand, and speak loving words to him, and then lead him back to you.' Brett Blair, Sermons.com There is just one more thing that I want to point out about this story of being lost and being found. First of all the first two stories, of the sheep and the coin, neither intentionally ran away, and neither of them did anything to get found. Jesus did all of the work. But the other thing in common in all of these stories is that these were not lone items. The shepherd had 99 other sheep, he could have done without the 100th one. The woman has 11 other coins, if she lost one she would not have been totally broke. Even the father has two sons, one who was very faithful. But they could not deal with the emptiness of losing something. The Paradox of Christian Life There's a strange paradox about the Christian life. Often, it's more about being lost than found. It's more about feeling incomplete than whole. It's more about feeling excluded than included, because many of us live in those places most of the time. • These stories are about sin and repentance, righteous and sinner, and grumbling and rejoicing. Who is the one that needs to be found? It seems as if the tax collectors and sinners have already found Jesus. They have done so, and are still considered on the outside. It seems as if it is the ‘righteous’ that actually need to be found. Is it possible to be righteous and still need to be found? David Lose asks: o Might the parents who want their children to succeed so much that they wrap their whole lives around hockey games and dance recitals be lost? o Might the career minded man or woman who has made moving up the ladder the one and only priority be lost? o Might the folks who work jobs they hate just to give their family things they never had be lost? o Might the senior who has a great pension plan but little sense of meaning since retirement be lost? o Might the teen who works so hard to be perfect and who is willing to do just about anything to fit in be lost? o Might the earnest Christian who is constantly asking whether people have accepted Jesus into their hearts be lost? But that's why we need redemption. That's why conversion is at the heart of who we are, because we all get lost in the desert, even when we're part of the fold. And we all need someone out there, willing to go looking for us. We're always in the process of trying to turn back, to find our way home again. And it's a struggle. But it's a joyful struggle, because repentance is a joyous activity. It's the endless way that we turn back toward the truth and wholeness. How great is that? And life becomes this process of shouldering one another, of walking each other home. And sometimes we're the carrier, and sometimes we're being carried. But all the time, it's a movement toward wholeness, toward being included again, toward being under one roof again. A sheep. A coin. Two sons. Us. And what joy at being found. Edward Beck, The Joy of Being Lost and Found Finding that one, made the situation whole and complete. That missing son coming home meant that they could be family again. We are found in the spirit of God – God is happy, but we are whole and complete. And that is ultimately all that God wants for us – is wholeness in mind, body and spirit and even in the community of the church. Jesus has given us a lesson of what it means to be lost and what it means to be found, a lesson of being sinful and finding repentance, of celebrating and of grumbling. After each instance of finding what was lost, there was a celebration. The owner called everyone they knew and had a big party. I am probably not going to call you all if I find my credit card, but we all should celebrate when a new person finds salvation. Whenever someone seeks God, or wants to get closer to God – we should rejoice. These stories encourage us to see others as God sees them, join in the search for new people, and to celebrate grace every time that we can. Conclusion Luke 15 reminds us: God doesn’t settle for ninety-nine. God doesn’t shrug at one missing coin. God’s love is personal, persistent, and joyful. And here’s the good news: you are that sheep. You are that coin. And so is your neighbor. So is the person you’re tempted to give up on. Heaven rejoices when the lost are found. May we rejoice, too. Amen. Song Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling 348 Prayers of the People (Don’t Print) Holy One who creates, liberates and loves, we are your creation. You have set us free, and you have sought us out with love. Trusting in your character, hoping in your memory, and believing in the movement of your Spirit, we ask that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Open your ears to your creation, to your people, to your children, who you have called, who you have rescued, who you love and who now bow p2before you and open the contents of our hearts to you in prayer. (Depending on the culture of the congregation, either hold an extend- ed period for silent prayer or offer a time for the congregation to share prayers aloud.) God, who seeks us, who offers us grace, and who celebrates our pres- ence, hear us as we join together in prayer using the words Jesus taught his disciples, “Our Father…”. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Luke’s gospel, we hear Jesus tell two parables of finding what’s lost: the lost sheep and the lost coin. In both, people rejoice when the lost is found. A found sheep and a recovered/found coin call for sharing JOY! About 14 years ago, an 11-year-old Southern California girl, Jessie Rees, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Instead of focusing on her own struggles, Jessie began to share toys with other children with cancer. Jessie’s middle name, Joy, gave her the idea of naming this effort “JOY JARS,” which she personally packed and delivered while she was able. Since that time, her family has created a foundation which continues to pack and share JOY Jars to honor Jessie’s life and her vigorous desire to care for other children by challenging them to “Never Ever Give Up (NEGU).” Jessie discovered her own short life took on greater meaning when she was able to help others by sharing her joy. Her family now has continued that with over 500,000 jars sent around the world. Sounds like that shepherd with 100 sheep! Sounds like that woman with 10 coins! Sounds like what Jesus continues to teach us. How will you share your joy today as we offer our morning gifts? (Is there someone in your congregation who can share their own “lost & found” story of joy? Invite them to offer that in a 2 minute form!) Prayer of Thanksgiving Giver of all good gifts, we offer these symbols of our daily living to the glory of your name: gifts of our hands, our hearts, our hope! Use them. Use us as true disciples of Christ, Christians who are known by our love. AMEN. (Disciple of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Sending for Prayer Sending Prayer foe Face We have been found by our God, so now we will go to search for those forgotten by the world. We have been welcomed by Jesus, so now we will go to embrace the ones people look down their noses at. We have been gathered as a community by the Spirit, so now we will go to be a family to the people who long to draw near to hope. (c) Thom M. Shuman Community Time Benediction May God bless you with the clarity to recognize the world as it is, the hope to dream God’s dream together, and the power to make God’s dream a reality here and now. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, April 2025. Additional Illustrations

The Work of Us all

September 11, 2022 14th Sunday After Pentecost 1 Timothy 1:12-17 The Work of us All Year C Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship Leader: We gather on a day of remembrance of 9/11. People: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Leader: We remember innocent lives lost and thoughts of revenge. People: And Jesus said: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Leader: We remember acts of courage and compassion by so many. People: No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Leader: We gather to remember but we also gather in hope, for as Jesus said: People: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. All: Together we will sing God’s praise! (Rev. Dr. Ronald M Patterson, United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Prayer O God of all the nations, we gather on this day of remembrance confessing that as your children, the events of twenty one years ago have not made us much wiser or enhanced our willingness to love one another without condition. Walls still divide, fear still separates, and strangers seem stranger than ever. Patient and loving God, look with mercy on your children gathered here today. Nudge us along the narrow way of Jesus, that we might be healed and become healers and helpers and leaven on this good earth you have given us to steward. Amen. (Rev. Dr. Ronald M Patterson, United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Song Just as I am Without One Plea UMH 357 Children’s Sermon 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. (Sermons4kids.com) In Remembrance of September 11th Leader: Let us light a candle and remember. God of mercy, even in our worst moments your loving kindness surrounds us. In those tragic days a decade ago, our confident faith that you were with us enabled us to go on. We give you thanks for the ways in which you comforted us in those grim days through a deepened sense of community. We trace the movement of your grace through those among us who risked their lives to save others. We are comforted by those who offered kindness and succor and shelter to persons in distress, and by those who would not let hatred overcome love. For those whose witness to a deeper wisdom and faith comforted us, we give you thanks. All: For public officials, neighbors, friends and strangers who brought to our troubled lives solace and clarity of purpose, we give thanks. For the calm and reassuring voices of the wise who gave us comfort and strength, we give thanks. Leader: Let us light a candle in tribute to those persons and also those places which gave us comfort and for the words and deeds that restored to us peace Leader: O God, you have taught us that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We live by hope in the future you hold for us and the whole world. Grant us, we pray, hope for our children and our children’s children that they may not know or inflict the horror and terror we recall this day. Bolster our hope when it flags and teach us to strive in all that we do to realize the hope that is in your Word and witness. All: Eternal God, in you our hope is boundless. You renew hope in us through the promise of a future in which none shall be afraid or lift up sword against a neighbor. We pray in hope for the peace of the world among peoples and nations, religions and cultures, until we become a beloved community reconciled to one another under your sovereignty. Leader: Let us light a candle and give voice to our hopes for our lives in obedience to God. May these candles represent for us the light of our shared memories, the light of comfort and strength, and the light of our hope. In memory, comfort and hope God abides now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission Agency, Jerry Van Mater) Passing the Peace of Christ (1 Timothy 1) Like a waterfall that descends down the mountain, open your hearts to receive God’s faith and love, as they flow into our lives through Jesus the Christ. Turn and share this abundance with one another! (Karin Ellis, United Methodist Ministry Matters) Scripture 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Sermon The Work of us All Did you know…. The next time you drink Welch's grape juice, just remember that a Christian by the name of Welch, was looking for a way to develop a non-alcoholic drink made with grapes so that people could take the Lord's Supper, and so he invented Welch's grapejuice.3 Many of us eat pretzels. Has it ever occurred to you why the pretzel is twisted into that well-known shape? The pretzel was developed by a godly Christian monk in AD 610 to reward students who would say their prayers to Jesus. He shaped the snack in such a way as to reflect the crossing of the arms for prayers to the One who died on a cross.4 Today from Europe to Latin America, from Asia to Africa, from Australia to North America, restaurant is the universal word for an eating establishment. Did you know that the origin of the word restaurant goes back to a Bible verse taken out of context? The "rest" in restaurant comes from the promise of Jesus in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Prior to 1766, public places to eat were associated with inns or hotels. But in 1766 in Paris, an entrepreneur and chef named Boulanger opened an establishment to the public dedicated solely to eating food. He placed in bold letters outside of that first restaurant a paraphrase of this verse: "Come unto me all ye that are hungry, and I shall restore you."5 Robert Ripley writes, "From that word ‘restore' (in French restauri) the establishment became known as a ‘restaurant' and this name has since been applied to eateries all over the world."6 Now just think about it. Whether you go into a restaurant, eat a pretzel or drink grape juice, you cannot get away from Jesus. But did you know— Now Jesus came to save sinners. Did you know that we are all sinners, and that Jesus came to save us all? For the next 6 weeks, the lectionary includes 1 and 2 Timothy. I was surprised that as I chose the scriptures that I chose Timothy for at least 3 of the next 6 weeks. The books of Timothy and Titus are called the pastoral letters. These letters specifically spell out what it means to be a pastor. When I went to my fathers ordination service – the preacher used 1 Timothy as the text. The Pastoral letters are also the basis of the United Methodist book of Discipline and other books on church administration. But I thought it was important for us all to look at these letters this year – because the church is the the priesthood of all believers – so these lessons on church leadership are important to all of us. I don’t know if you have ever heard of the screwtape letters. This is a fictional account of the devil giving advice to a lesser demon on how to distract people away from their faith. Well the pastoral letters are the exact opposite – In Timothy. Paul gives advice to a young man, Timothy who wants to be a pastor. The book of Timothy is not quite fiction, but by the time these words were written Paul was dead, and Timothy had retired from being a bishop of the church. The intention of the book is to get us to think about our own lives and our own call to be faithful to Christ. It is a message about what it means to be a leader in the church – the message is for both clergy and lay people. Paul uses his own life to teach us two lessons – first everyone is a sinner, and in need of salvation, second Christ came into the world to save everyone, no matter who they are. I really think I told this story in this congregation, but I think that it fits here. There was a lady who had been invited to church. She came a few times before the lady who invited her asked her what she thought of the church. Her response was that she didn’t want to continue coming because she felt that all of the people in the church were hypocrites. She noticed that they seemed nice, but in the world they were all different. The lady was not sure she wanted to go to church with hypocrites. The lady who invited her, said I don’t see why not – it looks like you will fit right in with everyone else. In Timothy, Paul goes as far as to call himself a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man of violence. He probably wasn’t that bad – but it doesn’t matter, a big sin and a little sin is still a sin. Paul tells the congregation that if he can change, then anyone can change. Or more accurately, if God can change him, then God can change anyone. A colleague recently asked two questions – first is there anyone who is so bad that God cannot change them. And the question that is more appropriate to us here – are any of us so good that we don’t need God’s grace. God’s grace sustains us. In a Family Circus cartoon, Dolly is attending worship with her family. They are sitting on the front row and the congregation is standing and singing, as we did, America’s favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace”. Dolly looks up to her mother and asks, “Exactly what did Grace do that made her so amazing?” Every once in a while we ought to stop and remember what this unmerited, unearned, unconditional love of God has done for the likes of you and me. Grace hears our cry. Grace forgives our sins. Grace relieves our fears. Grace sets us free. Grace leads us home. It is God’s grace that qualifies us as a leader in the church. Leadership is not so much about serving on a committee( and yet this is a text on church structure and what we need to do to be a church) But church leadership is about being an example for others who are just learning about God to follow. Church leadership is about being able to face our own sins, church leadership is willing to be a disciple, it is about coming to Jesus for salvation. There was a beautiful lady years ago, who was playing the piano at a gathering of wealthy noble people at a lovely home. She sang like a mocking bird. She was the talk of the party. After the party was over, everybody went up to her to tell her how talented, beautiful and lovely she was. But a preacher by the name of Caesar Milan went up to this young lady and said, "Young lady, I don't mean to offend you, but I want to tell you that in the middle of all of this praise and adulation that you are receiving tonight, unless you are saved and born again, you are as lost as the most wicked harlot in London." What that preacher said went like a dart into the heart of that young woman. She went home that night not being able to get out of her mind what Caesar Milan had said to her. At three o'clock in the morning she got out of her bed, knelt down, and gave her life to Jesus Christ. That young lady's name was Charlotte Elliott, and she wrote that night these words: Just as I am, without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidd'st me come to thee, Lamb of God, I come. The challenge for us is to take Paul and Timothy out of this story and to put ourselves in it. What is your story? Where is grace in that story? What does the church of today need? What does it need from us? How have we been saved by grace? How do you respond to God’s grace? Jesus came into this world to save us, so that we could save others. Do you understand that the only reason Jesus came was to save you and take you to heaven. He did not come to build an empire. He did not come to be a part of the rich and famous. He did not come to raise money. He did not come to write books. More books have been written about him than any other figure in human history, yet he never even wrote one sentence. But the reason he came was to save sinners. If our problem had been knowledge, God would have sent a teacher; if our problem had been technology, God would have sent a scientist; if our problem had been money, God would have sent a philanthropist; if our problem had been peace, God would have sent a diplomat; if our problem had been health, God would have sent a doctor. But our problem was sin, and God sent us a Savior. People don’t need our judgement, they need our grace. Everyday that we are alive, we face three challengers: the world, the flesh and the devil. And yet every day the grace of God is with us. Mr. Wesley’s last words on earth were these, “Best of all, God is with us.” I want to commend that statement to you. Wherever you are in the journey of life you can have the blessed assurance that you belong to God. You can know where you are going. You can live in the sure and certain confidence that God will see you through. “There is no fear in love,” says the New Testament, “for perfect love casts out fear.” You do not have to live in guilt, you do not have to live in fear. You can live in faith as a child of God. That is our belief. It is that presence of grace that makes us come here to celebrate and praise God. Amen. A Prayer for the Anniversary of September 11, 2001 God of Memory, it has been twenty-one years since that tragic, awful day, when so many lives were lost. We grieve with those who grieve. We lament with those who lament. We know that anger and frustration still comes from the aftermath of this day. Call us into repentance for the ways our responses, collectively or individually, may have led to hate of others, especially our Muslim neighbors. May our memories of this day challenge us to love our neighbor even more, to build up communities of hope and peace rather than hate and war. Call us into Your peacemaking ways, to pursue justice, to practice loving-kindness, and to live humbly as Your people, for You are our God. As memories fade, help us to pass on the lessons we have learned in twenty-one years so we may not repeat the mistakes of the past, but build a future of love, compassion, and peace. Amen. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Prayer of Thanksgiving For the stories of a joy-filled shepherd, a rejoicing woman, and a “focused on others” young girl, we give you thanks, God. For this opportunity to dig deep and find joy in our giving, we give you thanks. Now receive these gifts, and help us transform them to spread your JOY in a world so often over-run by all that is lost. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go forth, strengthened to do the work of Christ, sharing peace with justice, offering forgiveness building community; and inviting others to embark the journey into abundant life for all. Know that + the God who created you, the Christ who redeems you and the Spirit who empowers you will be with you this day and ever more. Amen. (Rev. Dr. Bob Cross, United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Community Time Benediction In God’s providence you were created and preserved unto to this day for purposes unafraid. Let memory now reside in you at peace. Let comfort companion you in all your days. Let hope spring forth in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. May you serve God in all that you do and say, witnessing to the reign and realm of God to come. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission Agency, Jerry Van Mater) Additional Illustrations Paul reminds Timothy that he is in a war, and we are in that same war today. That war will never be over until our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and wins the final battle. So every day we face three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now if you want to fight the faithful fight and wage a winning war, you must have a good conscience. Otherwise, like some Paul spoke of in verse 19, you will shipwreck on the shores of sin. Did you know that if you are going to be saved, you must come to Jesus? Did you know that if you come to Jesus you'll have to come as a sinner? Did you know that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners like you and me? Wesley had an interesting question that he used to ask. “Are you not happy?” he would say. “Then you are not holy.” I find the wedding of happiness and holiness to be an interesting thing in twenty-first century America. Seldom do we think the two belong together. Happiness and holiness. In my background, some of the most unhappy people I have known have been people of holiness. But Wesley put the two together. “Are you not happy? It’s because you’re not holy,” he said.

The Joy of Worshiping with Christ

August 25, 2013 Hebrews 12:18-29 The Joy of Worshiping with Christ 14th Sunday of Pentecost Year C The City has a sound Shhh, listen. Have you ever noticed that if you are quiet enough, you start to realize that there is a distinct sound to the streets of Chicago. If you listen close enough, you will see that every big city have a voice. People say that Chicago has a bass voice, whereas London has a baritone voice, and New York with all of its horn blowing and yelling has a tenor voice. Every church and community has a personality We have been studying the book of Revelation in bible study, and in the first chapters we were told that the book was written to the angel of the church. John’s point is that every organization, every community, every church has its own personality. It’s set way of understanding life. And it is impossible to lead in that community, or get anything done in that community, or even live comfortably in that community unless you understand and honor the personality. And you come to realize that personality is a living being determined to get its way; that is why John calls the personality of the church an angel. John was not the only writer in the new testament who understood the church as a living organism. That is why the books of the new testament are written to different communities. If you read the epistles the letters to the churches, you will see that each of them have a very similar message, that Christ is the center of our faith. But they each use different words- to help us understand the same message. It is said that Romans, Ephesians, and Hebrews are all based on one verse from the old testament. Habbakuk 2:4 says “the Just shall live by his faith. Romans tells when it means to be a just or righteous person, Ephesians tells how a righteous person should live, and Hebrews tells what it means to have faith. All three books in every chapter of the book talk about Christ being the center of our righteousness, our lives and our faith. Christ is the author and finisher or our faith. Christ is the source of all that we are – whether we confess Christ or not. Another commonality of Romans and Hebrews is that they are not written to a specific church. They are written to a whole community of people. Every city has a personality, a way of dealing with things. Both Romans and Hebrews were written specifically to Christians in the city, reminding them to hold on the faith in Christ, in spite of what is going on around them that may distract them and pull them away from Christ. The text of hebrews Hebrews has been our text for three weeks now, and we still have one more week of the book of Hebrews. God told me that it was a good time to focus on the message of Hebrews for us to day. The message of Hebrews is basically keep the faith. That message was not written to a church but to a community. We don’t know who wrote Hebrews, or what city he was even talking about. It was a unique community because Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians were worshipping together in the same church. They had achieved what is impossible for most churches today. When I started out in ministry I asked if I could be placed in a multicultural church, where different races worshipped together. And was immediately told that there was no such thing in the whole conference. There were white churches that accepted ethnic people, but were still white in character, and there were ethnic churches that accepted white people, but were still ethnic. But there was no church that had a personality of acceptance of all people regardless of race. Churches have always been segregated into like minded people. But somehow, this church was able to overcome all of that and learn to live together. They had achieved the goal that Jesus had set for them to learn to put Christ first and their differences second. They had come up and were now heading down They had reached the heights of what a community of Christ was supposed to be – but leaders realized that instead of them climbing up to bigger and better things, that they started to go backward. They started to revert to their old understandings of life. The older jewish members started to believe that the newer gentile members had to become jewish before they became Christian. They needed to be reminded that we are saved by grace alone. Christ freed us from the law and set us free to be saved. Our salvation is in Christ, not the rules and not the past. I know I seem to say that I love all of the books of the bible, but I really do appreciate Hebrews. Paul was an amazing writer, but we know that this was not written by Paul, because the author of Hebrews has an amazing understanding of the jewish faith. This is the only history book that we have in the new testament. In each chapter of the book the author goes back into the old testament and reminds us of an element of faith. He talks about the angels, the prophets, the saints, the priest, and in each chapter he reminds us that what we had in the past was truly awesome, but what we have in a future with Christ is so much more awesome. The theme of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as revealer and as mediator of God's grace. The prologue (1:1-4) presents Christ as God's full and final revelation, far surpassing the revelation given in the OT. The prophecies and promises of the OT are fulfilled in the "new covenant" (or "new testament"), of which Christ is the mediator. From the OT itself, Christ is shown to be superior to the ancient prophets, to angels, to Moses (the mediator of the former covenant) and to Aaron and the priestly succession descended from him. Hebrews could be called "the book of better things" since the two Greek words for "better" and "superior" occur 15 times in the letter. A striking feature of this presentation of the gospel is the unique manner in which the author employs expositions of eight specific passages of the OT Scriptures:Communications, Inc. The Book of Hebrews is one of the most profound sections of the Word of God. In it we get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ as the God man more clearly than we do in any other portion of the Scriptures. Moreover, we understand by a study of this epistle that He is God's Apostle to the human family and our great High Priest. Because He is what He is and has done what He has accomplished for us, we have a covenant better than that of Israel; a sanctuary better than that of the Hebrews; a better sacrifice than the blood that flowed on Jewish altars; a better ministry than that conducted by the Aaronic priesthood; and better promises than those made to the Jews. In every way we have things better than those enjoyed by the Israelites. Comparison of Mt Sinai and Mt Zion On today’s lesson the teacher says that in the old days we used to talk about Mount Sinai, and moses and how moses had awe and wonder for God because he was told that he was on holy ground. But in the olden days people could not have a direct relationship with god. In the old days people were afraid of God, and they had these rules and rituals that they had to follow. Today we don’t need to go back to mount Sinai and its ways of doing things. Because today we have a new mountain, mount zion, a new way of understanding God and a new way of doing things. You don’t need to go looking for God because God knows where to find you. When god finds you there is not fear and judgment, there is joy and celebration. 3816 The Holy City Thirty men, red-eyed and disheveled lined up before a judge of the San Francisco police court. It was the regular morning company of “Drunks and disorderlies.” Some were old and hardened, others hung their heads in shame. Just as the momentary disorder attending the bringing-in of the prisoners quieted down, a strange thing happened. A strong, clear voice from below began singing: “Last night I lay a sleeping There came a dream so fair.” Last night! It had been for them all a nightmare or a drunken stupor. The song was such a contrast to the horrible fact that no one could fail of a sudden shock at the thought the song suggested. “I stood in old Jerusalem, Beside the Temple there,” The song went on. The judge had paused. He made a quiet inquiry. A former member of a famous opera company known all over the country, was awaiting trial for forgery. It was he who was singing in his cell. Meantime the song went on, and every man in the line showed emotion. One or two dropped on their knees; one boy at the end of the line, after a desperate effort at self-control, leaned against the wall, buried his face against his folded arms, and sobbed, “Oh mother, mother!” The sobs, cutting to the very heart of the men who heard, and the song, still welling its way through the courtroom, blended in the hush. At length one man protested, “Judge,” said he, “have we got to submit to this? We’re here to take our punishment, but this—” He, too began to sob. It was impossible to proceed with the business of the court, yet the judge gave no order to stop the song. The police sergeant, after an effort to keep the men in line, stepped back and waited with the rest. The song moved on to its climax: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Sing for the night is o’er! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna for evermore! In an ecstasy of melody the last words rang out, and then there was silence. The judge looked into the faces of the men before him. There was not one who was not touched by the song; not one in whom some better impulse was not stirred. He did not call the cases singly- -a kind word of advice, and he dismissed them all. No man was fined or sentenced to the workhouse that morning. The song had done more good than punishment could possibly have accomplished. —Author Unknown Stumbling upon God Verse 18 begins by saying you have not come to something that can be touched. Come means you have approached, you have walked into. The old God was unapproachable, but Christ is fully approachable, he understands us because he came into the world as one of us. Our task in not just to look for God in the places and people we recognize, but to see God in all things and in all people. In Christ we worship a better God, so we need to be a better people. We need to continue to go forward, not backward, to go up and we have no reason to go down. The biggest message of our verses today is to trust the voice of God in all things. Do you listen to the sounds of the city or the voice of God. Hebrews tells us to listen to the voice of God. the city sometimes can mislead you, but God never does. The voices of the city can lead us away, but the voice of God is always the voice of faith. God shaking things up Hebrews also talks about God shaking our lives, and shaking anything that is not of the new kingdom out of our hands. We are given five important warnings as people of faith. We are warned of the danger of neglecting our faith, of allowing unbelief to take over, of falling back into spiritual immaturity, of failing to endure, but the message for today is don’t ever refuse God. it is not just our faith, but our life depends on it. Verse 25 says see that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven. Keep the faith in all situations and God will not lead you astray. HOPE AND A GRATEFUL HEART There is an old legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. On finding the seeds of discouragement more numerous than others, he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When questioned, Satan reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. "And where is that?" asked the man. He replied sadly, "In the heart of a grateful person." (From a sermon by Stephen Sheane, "Remembering the Blessings" 1/19/2009) We have been a superior faith – let us it We have been given a superior faith, when we put Christ as the center of our lives. We have been given a superior faith than those who came before us, because we have all that we need in the arms of Christ. Christ is our sanctuary, our salvation, our peace. There is a lot of stuff on Hebrews, it covers everything when it comes to faith. But the important thing to remember – that faith in Christ, and in Christ alone is the source of our salvation. Amen. ________________________________________ 7120 Seeing Other Mountains Talking with John Dewey several months before his ninetieth birthday, a young doctor blurted out his low opinion of philosophy. “What’s the good of such claptrap?” he asked. “Where does it lead you?” The great philosopher answered quietly, “The good of it is that you climb mountains.” “Climb mountains!” retorted the youth, unimpressed. “And what’s the use of doing that?” “You see other mountains to climb,” was the reply. “You come down, climb the next mountain, and see still others to climb.” Then, putting his hand gently on the young man’s knee, Dewey said, “When you are no longer interested in climbing mountains to see other mountains to climb, life is over.” —Maxwell Droke 7122 They Saw The Goal Napoleon saw Italy, but not the Alps. He had an objective and knew where he was going. Washington saw the Hessians at Trenton. A man of smaller stature would have seen the Delaware choked with ice. The majority see the obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the successes of the former while oblivion is the reward of the latter. —Healthways 4457 Every City Has A Voice High above a city, the medley of street noises is blended into one overall note, sound, or murmur. For instance, we are told that the overall note of Chicago is bass; of London it is baritone; and that of New York is tenor. The Book of Hebrews addresses three separate groups: believers in Christ, unbelievers who had knowledge of and an intellectual acceptance of the facts of Christ, and unbelievers who were attracted to Christ, but who rejected Him ultimately. It’s important to understand which group is being addressed in which passage. To fail to do so can cause us to draw conclusions inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Hebrews.html#ixzz2cvybhecM There is an old story of a man who had just become a Christian. He was experiencing some of the difficulties that new Christians often have of uncertainty in his faith; he was wondering if he really was a Christian, and was feeling frustrated with his own lack of growth. He felt he had come to the place where he just could not stand any longer; he could not live as a Christian any more. He came into a church service where a pastor was speaking on the verses in Ephesians that tell of Christ being seated at the right hand of the Father, and that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. He talked about Christ as the head of the body, and said that we are the body, and that Christ as the head is seated at the right hand of the Father. As the truth of this gripped this man's heart, and he realized that although he was struggling to swim against the current down here below, his head was seated in victory and triumph already at the right hand of God, he jumped out of his seat, and shouted, "Hallelujah! Who ever heard of anyone drowning with his head high above water!" That is what Hebrews does to us: it helps us to focus on the One who is already in the place of victory. We are fighting a battle already won, and that is what encourages us. When we walk in the flesh, we are fighting a battle already lost; there is no chance, no hope of victory; but when we walk in the Spirit, the battle is already won. The Book of Hebrews addresses three separate groups: believers in Christ, unbelievers who had knowledge of and an intellectual acceptance of the facts of Christ, and unbelievers who were attracted to Christ, but who rejected Him ultimately. It’s important to understand which group is being addressed in which passage. To fail to do so can cause us to draw conclusions inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Hebrews.html#ixzz2cw36oneQ