Changing the Rules

Genesis 25:19-34 Changing the Rules 7th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Your grace is a lamp for our hearts, O God. Light our way through the shadows of this world. When we struggle with questions and doubts, tell us your stories of hope and grace. When we are about to wander off into the wilderness, show us the paths to your peace and joy. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Invocation God who gathers us together, we delight to be in community with you and one another. Let your word be proclaimed in truth. Let us burst into songs that reflect the depths of our spirits. May our prayers be formed in your name and granted by your wisdom. May we know you, Divine Mystery, and ourselves better and deeper because we have entered your presence as a community of faithful, questioning, and hope-seeking participants in your kindom. Amen. (United Church of Christ, Cheryl Lindsay) Song Thy Word is a Lamp UMH 601 A Sermon for all Ages Children's Sermon: "God Has Enough Love for Everyone" Scripture: Genesis 25:19-34 Object Lesson: Two toy cars (or stuffed animals) and a small gift box Good morning, boys and girls! Today I brought two toys with me. (Hold up the two toys.) Let's pretend these are two brothers. Can anyone tell me if you have a brother or sister? (Allow a few responses.) Now, here's another question. Have you ever argued with your brother or sister? Maybe you argued about who gets the front seat in the car. Maybe who gets the biggest cookie. Maybe whose turn it is to play with a favorite toy. Brothers and sisters don't always get along, do they? In today's Bible story, we meet two brothers named Jacob and Esau. They were twins! But even before they were born, they were pushing and bumping each other. As they grew up, they became very different people. Esau loved hunting outside, and Jacob liked staying closer to home. One day Esau came home hungry, and Jacob had made some delicious stew. Instead of being kind to his brother, Jacob asked Esau to give him something very important in exchange for a bowl of soup. The brothers were thinking mostly about themselves instead of loving each other. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you forgot to be kind? We all do that sometimes. (Hold up the gift box.) This gift box reminds me of something important. Sometimes we think that if someone else gets something good, there won't be enough left for us. But God's love isn't like cookies in a cookie jar. God's love never runs out! There is enough love, enough grace, enough forgiveness, and enough blessings for everyone. Jacob didn't have to trick his brother because God already had a plan for his life. Esau didn't have to make a quick decision just because he was hungry. He could have trusted God to take care of him. Sometimes we get jealous when someone else gets attention, wins a prize, or gets to do something special. But God reminds us that He has a special plan for every one of us. When we trust God, we don't have to fight to be first. We don't have to be jealous. We don't have to compare ourselves with others. Instead, we can celebrate each other, help each other, and remember that every person is loved by God. The next time you argue with your brother, sister, or friend, stop and ask yourself: "Can I trust God instead of trying to get my own way?" When we trust God, He helps us choose kindness over fighting and love over jealousy. Let's pray. Prayer: Dear God, Thank You for loving each one of us. Help us not to be jealous or selfish. Teach us to be kind to our brothers, sisters, and friends. Help us trust that You have a wonderful plan for each of our lives. Thank You for loving us more than we can imagine. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. (ChatGPT) Responsive Reading Psalm 119:105-112 UMH 840 Passing of the Peace Prayer for illumination Holy Creator, the earth is yours, and all that is in it. We give you thanks for the beauty of the earth, for the creatures that fill it, and for your providence, which stands beneath and above and within it all. Now grant us hearts open to your grace, eyes open to your wonders and ears open to your Holy Word. Let your Holy Spirit dwell with us, that we may be renewed in our commitment to the way, the truth and the life of Jesus Christ. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Aaron Shepherd) Scripture Genesis 25:19-34 Sermon Changing the Rules Jesus tells us that the first be last and that the last shall be first. As disciples of Christ we are told to celebrate the great reversal of life. For many of us, it is the only way that we will get ahead, if God’s grace turns the tables. Even though Jesus teaches us this principle, it is older than him. As a matter of fact, his mother Mary says these exact words when she learns that she will become pregnant with Jesus. She celebrates that the first will be last and the last shall be first. She says that those who are rich will be pulled down, and those who are struggling will be lifted up. Life does not always go as expected. The people who get ahead in this world do not get ahead in God’s world. Life has a way of helping us out. The bible has always told us that God favors those on the bottom, the underdog, the one least expected to succeed. I think we can all relate to being the underdog. We can all celebrate grace in our lives. Unfortunately, we tend to associate grace with God and the old Testament with the law. Yet this important concept goes all the way back to our story today. The story of Isaac’s twins, Jacob and Esau. Esau the hairy one was still the oldest by just a few seconds. His brother Jacob was born grabbing his brother’s ankles – he spent the rest of his life grabbing a hold of his older brother’s life. Even in the womb these 2 brothers fought. They brought a conflict into the world that many say continues even today. This story is important – it is called the reversal of the primogeniture. Primogeniture is just a fancy way of saying that the first son inherits most of his father’s money, title and life. The biblical stories were all about establishing order and the Jewish law. This order, was just how things were done, you didn’t question it, you just knew your place in life. So far in Genesis, we have heard of the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Neither of them were oldest brothers, yet they were the ones who carried on the promises of God into modern times. This is the story of the promise, the order and the law. But it is also the story of how grace works in our lives, our family and in history. In life the only this that you can expect – is the unexpected. In the bible stories it is usually the underdog, the unexpected, that God’s grace works through. Jacob the grabber was the underdog of the story – but he was far from nice. He was a trickster who had to connive for everything that he achieved in life. Paul, the greatest missionary of the Christian era, once remarked that God doesn't always use the wisest, strongest and most moral people to bring his message. Instead God uses the foolish, the weak and the lowly -- just to prove a point (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). That truth certainly holds when it comes to those chosen by God as the patriarchs of ancient Israel. God works through us, in spite of us and even on our behalf. God works in spite of our drama. There is just as much drama in the bible as any soap opera on television. We each have flaws but we are a vital part of the story. Just as each person in this story was a part of the drama. Rebekah didn’t really want kids. She went through 20 years of marriage with children. When she finally got pregnant, it wasn’t one it was twins. She had a very difficult pregnancy. When the twins were born she favored on over the other. She manipulated their whole lives, so that her favorite would come out ahead. Isaac was blind, but he was also spiritually blind. He let his son’s live life with no supervision. Jacob had no right to belittle his brother over a meal intended for the whole family. Esau – gave up his birthright for a meal. He was so entrenched in survival mode that he totally lost sight of the future. Jacob was a trickster. He had not concept of trusting God. He thought he has to outthink everyone to get what he wanted. He lived his whole life looking over his shoulder – even as an adult – he did not trust his relatives. The interesting thing is – God has no part in this story. God is silent in the midst of all of this. In earlier stories, God speaks clearly to tell people what to do. In this story there is nothing. And yet when we read it today, we can see clearly that grace permeates the whole story. The first becomes last and the last becomes first. In spite of the drama, all a part of God’s plan. Jacob grabbed his brother’s birthright. I think at some point we have played a part of each of the characters. Who needs soap operas when you have life, family and church members. But the lesson for us is that in our relationships with one another, to remember our relationship with God. Other lessons – in times of barronness and the feeling that God has forgot us – be careful what you ask for. And be prepared for the drama that comes with it. It is ok to be hungry – just stay hungry for the right things. Hunger for righteousness, for God for grace. Don’t let our hunger rob us of our trust in God’s promises. A minister had a conversation with a fellow in his late 30s who expressed concern about his inability to earn enough money to support his family adequately. "I dropped out of college to get this lousy job. If only I had finished school, my life would be so different. This job has no future." That fellow's lack of present discipline cost him dearly. He sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. That happens regularly in a multitude of ways. Without present discipline, future possibilities are sacrificed. Never sell yourself short. You have enormous potential. We can be grateful that we all inherited the birthright form Jacob, we are all children of God. Like many people, Esau mistook the difference between price and value. Price is what you pay for something. Value is what it's worth. A long time ago, Archbishop Taylor is reported to have said something to the effect, "Life is a display window in a store in which some mischievous person has gotten in overnight and changed all the price tags so that the cheap things are priced quite highly, while the truly valuable things are priced quite cheaply." Therein lies a wonderful lesson. Your birthright is the same. You are the loved child of God. You are worthwhile. Don't relinquish that gift. Circumstances may not be easy. You may have grown up in a dysfunctional home -- like Esau. You may not be a particularly gifted person -- like Esau. Others may take advantage of you -- as they did Esau. Your mother may not like you. Rebekah didn't like Esau. You may encounter one problem right after another -- as did Esau. But you are God's loved child. You are worthwhile. That is your birthright. You can rise above anything. Believe that and live as though you believe it. Finally, be grateful for grace. Many of those strict rules that serve a few and oppress many are still in effect today. Those rules don’t have the final word in life. In history, Jacob became the hero, but I think Esau was also a hero. The story says that he despised his inheritance. It is interesting that if the oldest inherited 50% of his fathers wealth, then Jacob would have gotten the other 50% anyway. But for Esau, inheritance meant nothing without his brother. Both twins went on to have big families. For centuries the Edomites and the Israelites lived side by side. Sometime peacefully, sometimes not. Eventually after the temple was destroyed, the Jews conquered the Edomites and forced them to convert to Judaism. Today they are an integrated part of Israel. Today it is Jacob’s story that remains. Jacob, who was renamed Israel later in life realized that in spite of all of his conniving, he still needed God. And so do we. Our only hope comes from the fact that he who calls us never said, "Be certain that your lives are pure and spotless and your motives beyond reproach, and then you can come and follow Me." If he had, there could be no followers. Most of us can identify with one or the other of these brothers; occasionally, we might even be able to identify with both. Our part, in the whole process of growing in grace, is to recognize our lives are tainted, we are saved by God's grace alone, and - like the sons of Isaac - though we might be dominated by different kinds of sins, none of us can boast of our superior moral character. In our better moments, that realization has a beneficial effect on us, because it helps us to recognize the power and the glory and the redemption of the world are not ours, never ours, but his, always his. Yet, as in the case of Jacob, he chooses to use such flawed instruments to work out his purposes. If we choose to follow him, even though we are weak, half-hearted, and of little faith, he will put us to work for him. And such is his love, his ingenuity, and his power, that even such feeble witnesses as we can be used to lead others to him. CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, There is a poem that says To live above with those we love, Well, that will be glory. To live below with those we know, Well, that’s another story. If we plan to live above with those we love Well, here’s the rest of the story. We must live below with those we know Empowered by God’s grace and glory. Thank God for grace and glory. Let us pray……… Song Hymn of Promise UMH 707 Pastoral Prayer Holy God, you are a mystery hidden beyond all sense and understanding, yet you are as near to us as our very breath. As we breathe this word of prayer together, allow your Holy Spirit to enter into the deepest ground of our being, and bind us as one body with you and all the communion of the faithful in every time and place. Lord, we live in a time of great struggle: of nation against nation, of faction and faction, party against party, neighbor against neighbor. So many struggle to put food on the table, or keep a roof over their head, or to provide care to those they love. Meet us in the struggle, and comfort us with your quiet courage to struggle on. Holy Jesus, you know us by name; hear us now as we name those who need your tender care. (Here, the worship leader may add prayer concerns and joys from the community, being sure to address them by name[first name only is suggested].) God, your thoughts are not our thoughts, and your ways are not our ways, yet we abide in your peace for you have given it freely to us. Loosen our anxiously tightened hearts; open our fearfully clenched hands; shake us out of our screen-induced reveries. Let us see the world with a new vision: through the eyes of faith, let us perceive your way of justice in places of injustice. Let us recognize the humanity in those who are treated inhumanely. Let us know that you are God alone, and that in serving you, we are made stronger. Bless these prayers, and those offered in the silence of our hearts, and receive them with grace. (Presbyterian Outlook, Aaron Shepherd) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Matthew 13, we hear Jesus’ telling of the parable of the sower and an explanation of the meaning behind the parable. Using everyday language which could be easily understood by those who planted and waited eagerly for the harvest, Jesus uses familiar images to inspire his disciples to be good soil which bears fruit. How do we see and understand these images today? Some of us may find we don’t actually hear or understand anything at all about God’s Realm…like seed scattered on a hard path. Some of us may feel excited as we experience worship, but as soon as we walk out the door, our minds and hearts are focused somewhere completely removed from what we’ve heard or experienced…like seed unable to root into the ground. Yet others find their energies completely absorbed by everyday cares and concerns…like seed in the thorns. However, some of us are like good soil, allowing Good News to take root and flower into lives of justice, love and compassion. When THAT happens, we’re energized to share our time, our talents and yes, even our treasure. Today, I invite you to make an offering. We’re eager to turn your gifts into ministry, so let your desires to work, to lead, to pray, to pay, let your gifts become part of nurturing not only your life but the life of this congregation! Joyfully, let’s share what we’ve been given as we receive our morning offering. Prayer of Thanksgiving Loving God, We freely offer these gifts, eager to be part of your beloved Realm on earth. Accept our finances and the time and talents we offer, eager to translate what’s here into a harvest which is 30, 60 or 100 times greater than what is before us today. In joyful anticipation, we give thanks! AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Sending Prayer for YouTube Go forth as God's people. We will sow seeds of love and joy in the world. Go forth as Christ's true friends. We will sow seeds of justice and hope in oppression-strewn paths. Go forth as the Spirit's love. We will sow seeds of peace and reconciliation in every corner of creation. (c) Thom M. Shuman Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction May the Spirit who dwells in you bless you with open minds to receive God’s wisdom, open hearts to follow God’s guidance, and open doors that we may together build God’s kingdom of life and peace on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, January 2026. Additional Illustrations But first let me say a word about the birthright itself. In the Hebrew tradition, a birthright was really the right of the first-born son. It included holding “a position of honor as head of the family and a double share of the inheritance.” In this particular case, one would assume it also meant inheriting the promise made to Abraham of a great nation and of a new land. So this was no small thing that Esau traded away in a matter of minutes -- and all for a bowl of lentils! Why did he do so? The easy answer is that he was just stupid. He did not understand the value of the birthright and so he was easily tricked out of it by a cunning younger brother. Jesus evidently was aware of the “birthright blues” syndrome. He even dedicated an entire parable to speak to it. You do remember the story about the talents, don’t you? The master called his servants together and to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one. When he returned to receive back the money he had entrusted to them, the ones with two and five talents had used them wisely and doubled their worth, but the one who had only one talent had buried it in the ground. If you ask me, he had a bad case of the “birthright blues.” He was ashamed of what had been given to him. He treated it as if it had little value at all. The master was very angry with this ungrateful servant! But I have to admit, it is very easy to slip into those “birthright blues.” It is very easy to feel sorry for oneself. It is very easy to find others who receive “more” or “better.” So when we stand next to someone with a better body, a better brain, a prettier face, why not succumb to a little “birthright blues?” And why not follow Esau’s example? Why not misuse what we have been given? Why not settle for the moment instead of waiting for a future payoff? Why not take something that God gave as special and treat it as though it were worth nothing? This human dilemma is why this Old Testament lesson is so important to us and so relevant. It asks us if we join Esau in hating our birthright. It asks us if we are willing to settle for the moment, if we treat cheaply what has great value, if we pity ourselves when we have been given much. Then, as Buechner would say, "However, if tragedy is inevitable, comedy is unforeseeable. Esau valued his birthright cheaply and paid a high price for a bowl of lentil soup. When you see someone driving a $40,000 car, but they tell you they don't have time to spend with their children or their spouse, you're talking to someone who has sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. When somebody tells you that they don't have the time or the desire to take care of their health--they're too busy to exercise or eat right--you're talking to someone who has sold her birthright for a bowl of stew. When somebody tells you they don't have time for the things of God--to read their Bible or to be in worship--you're talking to someone who has sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. Martha and Mary, Samson, David, Esau –these are all stories of distraction. It is not always by a conscious sin that we turn away from God, but more often from the simple things in everyday life that at the time feel more important than worship, more important than prayer. They make us anxious. They make us turn away. It is in the moment of turning away that we lose sight of God. The word “despised” (bazah) as in “Esau despised his birthright” means to dis-esteem, to scorn, to be reckless or careless with, to disdain.* The birthright of Esau is a sacred right to bear or carry the covenant forward. But Esau doesn’t not seem to care much about that. He easily gives away that honor with God in order to seek that “red stuff.” Whether red stew or vegetables of the field or earth, the word adom (red stuff), Edom (to boil, to act presumptuously) is related also to the word adama. Esau is concerned with the things of the world, the things he can sensorily know. He is therefore easily deceived. Esau came in from the “field” exhausted and was distracted by both his exhaustion and the smell of Jacob’s stew. He was reckless with his right to God’s covenantal line and therefore lost it.** The “deception” later carried out by mother and son Jacob was therefore not a deception but the carrying out of prophecy. The metaphor of “stew” is wonderful in its link to edom (boiling over) and the plot cooked up by Jacob’s mother. As the stew boils, so too does the plot, as prophecy is fulfilled. There are five more verbs that report that rest of Esau's behavior in this incident. They are ate, drank, rose, departed, and despised. The first four tell us that he did not savor his costly meal; he just shoveled it in and left. The last verb, "despised," is the narrator's comment on Esau's awful decision. In trading off his valuable birthright for a meal — and a pretty ordinary one at that — he, in effect, despised his birthright, treated it as though it wasn't worth much. There is a Yiddish folk expression that comes out of this biblical story. When someone is rude at the table or just "stuffs his face," it is said pejoratively that he "eats like Esau."2 In the eighth chapter of the letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul describes his own experience of coming into relationship with God, and also the relationship with God into which we can come. The chapter starts with the words, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Paul goes on to talk about discovering that we are beloved children of God and about living in a growing, life-shaping relationship with God. And he ends by saying that nothing in the whole creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. If we can find our way into that kind of a relationship with God, we will have a new confidence in our own personhood and that can change a lot of things in our lives. It can enable us to deal constructively with conflicts by claiming God's assurance for ourselves and by sharing it with others. That kind of affirmation of personhood can make a difference. We can imagine that it could have made a difference if both Isaac and Rebecca had made a conscious effort to affirm the unique personhood of both of their sons. Could it be that the first step in the resolution of our conflicts is to find our way into that wholeness that takes away our vulnerability? Could it be that the second step is to affirm the personhood of the other so that he or she can also gain the freedom that comes with identity and security? Of course, that will not solve all of our problems and make all of our conflicts go away. But it will set us free to do the hard work of resolving conflicts. The play, 1776, dramatizes the meetings of the Second Continental Congress that eventually produced the Declaration of Independence that made this country a separate nation. The play does a great job of laying bare all of the different kinds of conflict that existed between the people who were delegates to the conference. There were personality differences, differences in disposition, regional prejudices, conflicting economic interests, and differences in personal ambitions. At times, it seemed that the conflicts would prevent the congress from taking any decisive action. But eventually, through long and painful processes, the conflicts were worked through. The Declaration of Independence was signed, and a new nation was born. The story of Jacob and Esau eventually had a happy ending. Jacob lived away from his family for years and learned a lot through interactions with God and with life. The Bible tells us his story. It doesn't tell us much about what was going on in Esau's life at the time, but he must have been doing some learning, too. Finally, Jacob returned to his homeland bringing with him the family and servants and possessions that he had gained. As he approached the border of his homeland, he learned that Esau was coming to meet him leading a large company of men. At first, it seemed that the stage was set for a battle -- or a massacre. But when Jacob and Esau finally met, they fell into an embrace and established a relationship that enabled them to live together in peace. They had both learned a lot during their time of estrangement. We can learn it, too. ________________________________________ 1. Thomas A. Harris, I'm OK, You're OK (New York: Avon, 1967). CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Getting in Touch with God, by James L. Killen Esau lost sight of the long-term goals of life under the pressure of present pressing physical needs. He gave up the lasting values to satisfy the present posing need. He traded off a kind of family last will and testament promised to the older son - for a bowl of stew. We cannot walk away from our crossroads of life, but we can face them courageously through prayer, faith, compassion, impartial love of our fellow human beings, and personal esteem. Always walking in the strength of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob we find our way in his Son, Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, They, Isaac and Rebekah, were at one of their crossroads. There was no child; what should be done? First, it is notable that this family possessed some qualities which are just as valuable in today’s family: • A strong prayer life • Faith and trust in the Lord • Compassion for each family member • Impartiality toward each person • A sense of self-esteem and respect for each other • Assistance so that the child might have a meaningful vocation Isaac, as husband, showed commendable reactions. He was sensitive to his wife’s feelings; he was concerned for her because of her inability to become pregnant and therefore, multiply and help people the earth. Consider our scripture lesson for this morning which concerns the brothers Jacob and Esau, children of Isaac. Unfortunately, people still do that sort of thing. You are, after all, a loved child of God. That is your birthright and it comes with enormous possibility. Unfortunately, tomorrow's potential doesn't have much present market value. One of life's most demanding skills is learning to stay hungry today in order to realize tomorrow's possibilities. As much as we might like it otherwise, everything in this life doesn't happen when we want it to happen. Learn to stay hungry in the pursuit of the worthwhile. Accept that you are not going to fulfill every material and professional goal immediately. Understand that most things worth accomplishing take time -- many times they take decades. Learn to stay a little hungry. It can make such a difference in your life. For one thing, stay hungry for knowledge. In fact, develop a deep hunger for knowledge. Too many people want to quit learning when they reach a certain age. Don't do that. Keep on thinking. As the poet plans his life, Let me die thinking. Let me fare forth still with an open mind, Fresh secrets to unfold, new truths to find. My soul undimmed, alert, no questions blinking. Let me die thinking.1 Learn to stay hungry, not only for information, but for God. Unlike other institutions, we never graduate from Sunday school because we never learn all we need to know about our faith. Never let your beliefs harden to concrete. Be open to grow in your faith. You never know when God is going to confront you with a new idea and a new set of circumstances. When that happens, your faith can be stretched to such new limits it can never shrink back to the same size it was before. Stay hungry for God. Staying hungry now leaves us open to future possibilities. Develop a deep hungering for life. Remember this truth: the best time in your life is wherever you are right now. After all, today is the only day of your life over which you have any say. Therefore, believe today the best and make the best of today. Life will, however, get even better wherever it takes you tomorrow, if you continue to believe that possible. God has created us in such a way that every age has its special problems and its special joys. God gives us the strength to deal with the problems as we encounter them. He also provides the grace to make the most of the joys. Don't wallow in guilt over yesterday. It is forgiven. Don't worry about the darkness of what is to come. There will be light enough to get through. Live in the fullness of today and stay hungry for tomorrow. What a difference that attitude can make. Having your life unfold day by day like a beautiful flower is your God-given birthright. Don't sell it for cabbage soup. Develop a deep hungering for life. Remember this truth: the best time in your life is wherever you are right now. After all, today is the only day of your life over which you have any say. Therefore, believe today the best and make the best of today. Life will, however, get even better wherever it takes you tomorrow, if you continue to believe that possible. God has created us in such a way that every age has its special problems and its special joys. God gives us the strength to deal with the problems as we encounter them. He also provides the grace to make the most of the joys. Don't wallow in guilt over yesterday. It is forgiven. Don't worry about the darkness of what is to come. There will be light enough to get through. Live in the fullness of today and stay hungry for tomorrow. What a difference that attitude can make. Having your life unfold day by day like a beautiful flower is your God-given birthright. Don't sell it for cabbage soup. Because Esau couldn't wait for dinner, the history of Israel is traced to Jacob. In many respects, it is a sad, sad story. Obviously, Esau was no rocket scientist. Jacob constantly took advantage of him. Physically he never made it as a male model. His entire body was covered with thick, red hair. I'm sure the kids in school constantly tormented him about that. His mother liked his brother best. This kid Esau had some serious problems. He had every reason to be a miserable failure in life. Surely any failure he experienced could be attributed to circumstances beyond his control. ________________________________________ 1. "Let Me Die Thinking," Anonymous. CSS Publishing, Tenders of the Sacred Fire, by R. Robert Cueni The story begins before our text, in the dim days of primal history, with a promise of God. Before there was Jacob, there was a promise. God told Abraham that a great family, more numerous than the stars of heaven, would arise out of his poor octogenarian loins. From Abraham and Sarah came Isaac and Isaac married Rebekah. But not yet a family. Rebekah could not have children. How then the promise to make a family? Rebekah's barrenness is not a problem of gynecology but of theology. How then the promise? How can God be faithful when there is no child, therefore no future? Will God keep the promise? Isaac prays to God for a child. And with that prayer (people, be careful when you pray!), the trouble begins. "Rebekah conceived," and even in her womb, there was trouble. There, in the mysterious uterine darkness, there is conflict, for there is not one but two fetuses in the womb and they are already in dark struggle. Rebekah feels the conflict even before the children are born. Feeling the rumblings within she exclaims, "If motherhood is this, why do I live?" (verse 22). She demands a refund from her Lamaze Classes. "I thought you said this was going to be painless!" Rebekah inquires of the Lord. The Lord explains, "At first I thought I'd just bless you with a child. Then I decided, while I was at it, to give you twins, just to make it interesting. Not just two boys, two whole nations in your womb, struggling. You thought this birth was a little something sweet to comfort you and the old man in your autumn years? No, I'm doing something cosmic here, big. That kick you just felt was me, kicking at the door of the future of the world!" And Rebekah says, "This is your idea of a blessing?" There is no such thing as "painless birth," particularly if that birth be a gift of God. Sermon point one (write this down): The promises of God, paradoxically, involve pain. So sermon point two: The promises of God subvert the older order. Point one: The promises of God involve pain. A major source of the pain is that God's promises invariably involve the subversion of the way things are in order to create the way things, by God, will be. No social convention was more dear to the people of Jacob and Esau's day than the right of primogeniture. The right of the firstborn ensured order, stability in the Near Eastern world. You knew your place from the day you were born. First born son gets it all. Second born gets leftovers. Neat. Clean. Orderly. It was a secure, stable "Ozzie and Harriet" world where father knows best, Mom is a bit mushy in the head but at least she's at home in the kitchen, and older brother David is thoughtful and stable while little brother Ricky is unpredictable but that's 0.1(. since David is going to inherit it all in the end anyway. Fixed at birth.·Fate determined in utero by the color of your skin, or your gender, or your parent's economic level, the order of birth. It's a story about getting mixed up in our conventions--and destabilizing us in the process. In Rebekah's womb, early, in the primal darkness, cosmic, international purposes are being worked out. In the clash of two all too typical brothers, God is dismantling conventional systems of power distribution. So we find ourselves in the story, surprised as Esau, when little brother Jacob clutches our heel. Is there anyone here who cannot identify with the once self-assured nation, planning to use the same power that our forebears enjoyed, shocked to wake up from our national stupor of instant material gratification to find little brother, once a nobody nation, with the economic birthright that we always thought was ours? Is there a divine upsetting of our arrangements in such a way that, as one has said, the "first shall be last and the last first" (Luke 13:30)? Is there some force behind the lives of ordinary people of the story, one who has chosen, "what is low and despised in the world to bring to nothing the things that are?" To be continued... Duke University, Duke Chapel Sermons, by Will Willimon

In the Spirit of the Lord

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington Romans 8:1-11 In the Spirit of the Lord 7th Sunday After Pentecost Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship One: The Word is a lamp and a light. The word illuminates our life. Many: We welcome The Word with praise and thanksgiving. One: The Word comes from the mouth of God and accomplishes its purpose. Many: We hear The Word that loves and embraces, challenges and convicts, renews and restores. One: The Word is life, offers a future with hope, and creates peace in the midst of the storm. Many: We receive The Word among us with rejoicing. We worship The Word in spirit and in truth! (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Invocation Creator, your presence among us illuminates our lives. Make us fertile soil, receptive to the seeds planted by your word. Nourish us with Living Water and grow us through the energy of your empowered and healing rays of sunshine. Let us encounter you afresh as we gather in community. May our worship show our love for you and each other. Make your presence known to us and through us for your glory. Amen (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Song Spirit of the Living God UMH 393 Children’s Sermon By Lois Parker Edstrom Person presenting the lesson may want to sit on a stool demonstrating a “time-out.” Have you ever done something you shouldn’t have done and been asked by your mom or dad to stand in a corner or sit on a stool and think about what you have done? It is not fun to have a time-out. While you are sitting on that stool you may think of all the other things you would rather be doing – playing with your friends, riding your bike, or reading a book. But, when we make bad choices we must learn about consequences (the cost of our bad choices). The Bible tells us that the Spirit of Christ Jesus sets us free from sin (bad choices) and this applies to adults as well as children. When we let the Spirit of Jesus live in us, it is like being released from a time-out. We are free to be grateful, worship God, and enjoy the life he has given us. As we go about our day thinking of behavior and activities that are pleasing to God, we make better choices. The Bible tells us that “the mind of the Spirit is life and peace” (8:6). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2008, Richard Niell Donovan Responsive Reading Psalm 119 #840 Baptism Scripture Romans 8:1-11 Prayer for illumination In the reading of you Word, may we be given light to see. May your word rest in our hearts and minds and in so doing, transform us into your faithful people. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Tara Bulger) Sermon In the Spirit of the Lord As the lights in the movie theater dimmed, a young man loaded down with popcorn, cokes and candy paced up and down the aisle, scanning the darkened rows. It was obvious he was looking for the person or persons with whom he had come. After three or four unsuccessful trips he finally stopped and asked loudly, "Does anybody here recognize me?" (1) It's horrible not to be recognized isn't it? It's horrible to feel alone and cut off. Being recognized means you're connected, part of the family and that someone cares, someone is watching out for you. And that matters because Family matters. Does anyone know who I am? We ask that question every Sunday. The challenges of life pull us out of ourselves. When we come into the presence of God – it puts things into perspective. When we come to church we are reminded of God’s love for us. Furthermore, when we participate in a baptism service – we get a special opportunity to put on Christ. When we let christ into our lives – that makes all of the difference in the world. You know, it is funny but there are times when things work out perfectly. Serendipity is Gods way of reminding us that God is here and watches every thing going on. Our scripture for this morning is perfect for a baptism, and a baptism is the perfect illustration to help us understand what Paul is saying to us. B. A United Methodist Minister in Vermont tells how the Sunday School Superintendent of his Church was registering the children in Sunday School and she asked two brothers their ages and birthday. The bolder of the two boys said, "We're both seven. My birthday is April 8, 1976, and my brother's is April 20, 1976." The Superintendent was a little confused and said, "But that's impossible!" The quiet brother answered, "No, it's not, one of us is adopted." Before she was even aware that she had asked, the words were out, "Which one?" The boys looked at each other and smiled. Then the bolder one said, "We asked Dad that awhile ago, but he just said he loved us, and he couldn't remember any more which one was adopted." (3) Through our faith in Christ we are made heirs with Christ. That means that we have equal access to God. We are seen as equal heirs with Christ. There is no longer any distinction between us and Christ. We are brothers and sisters with Christ Jesus. God just loves us and can't remember anymore which ones of us are adopted. Why? Because Family Matters to God. And God wants each of us in His Family. That's what faith in Christ does for us. It puts us in God's family. We can hold our head high because we belong. We belong to God's family. We know our value, we know our worth. Not by worldly standards but by God's standards. Vera and Roxi are cousins born two days apart, but they are forever connected together in baptism. Today they both take on the identity as a child of God. They are siblings with christ. They are both claimed by the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the fact that God has wonderful things in store for their life. It Is such an honor to be witnesses to their faith. I have always said that Romans 8 is the one chapter in the bible where our entire faith is summed up. I feel like I preach on Romans 8 every year – this scripture comes up a lot. But it is not every Sunday that we get to put this scripture into action in the life of our children, our families and our church. Paul’s message to us – there are 2 ways to live our lives. We can live in the flesh or the spirit. The flesh ad spirit are two different attitudes. We can order our lives according to what is happening in the moment, or we can look at the bigger picture. We can be selfish and just life for ourselves or we can live in community and do what it best for all. We can live self centered or God centered. In the scripture Paul refers to a selfish life. Author Patsy Clairmont tells of the time her husband surprised her with two lovely apricot-colored rosebuds. Over the next few days, one of the rosebuds opened up and began to bloom. It was beautiful. The other rosebud stayed tightly closed. By the end of the week, the first rose opened into a full, gorgeous flower, while the second rose remained a small bud. By the second week, both roses began to wilt and shed their petals. As Patsy contemplated her flowers, she felt sad that one rose had never opened up. It had never revealed its greatest beauty. It had died in the same form it had lived: closed. How similar to those roses are we humans? How many of us never grow to our full potential? How many of us never display the full glory of God? How many of us stay tightly closed against the world all our lives, and die never knowing what we could have achieved? (6) So it is with those who never open their lives to the Spirit of the living God. Instead of beginning a relationship with God, they take unacceptable risks. Without even being aware of it, they live in rebellion against all that God has for them. And thus they never fulfill their full God-give potential. Isn't it time you take off the old patch of sin and put on the new patch of the Spirit of God? All of us are children of God. When we put Christ into our lives we get a boost of power and potential. We have a chance to live life to its fullest. When we open the connection between God and us, then we open our lives. Jesus, considered himself so close to God that he called God Abba – or daddy. There were a lot of people who were upset, because they felt that he had no right to claim a relationship that close with the creator of all life. Jesus shows us what it mean to be adopted into the family of God. The challenge then, as presented to us by Paul, is to be sure that we permit the Spirit to dwell within us. It is Paul’s quest that we all live spiritual lives. It is Paul’s mandate that we accept the disciples required to maintain a spiritual life. It is Paul’s inquiry of what will be the orientation of our attitude — flesh or Spirit. And Paul is very forthright in declaring that if we allow Jesus to dwell within our souls, we will be spiritual individuals. As Paul writes, “since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” And it does take a proper attitude to be spiritual. It takes focus. It takes discipline. It takes desire. It means we engage in all the spiritual opportunities traditionally offered by the church. We engage in our own journey of personal prayer, Bible reading, and reading Christian literature When Carl Erskine, a former pitcher with the LA Dodgers, first came to the big leagues, he was asked a question by owner Branch Rickey. Rickey asked, "Do you go to church?" Carl said that he did. Rickey responded, "I ask that question of every young man that I sign. The reason that I ask it is that I've found if a person will discipline his life to sit in a place of worship and get his spiritual values in place, that person will develop a quiet confidence that he cannot get anywhere else." St. Paul writes, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship." (v. 15) When Ernest Hemingway was struggling to make it as an author, he had a stroke of bad luck. He lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts--manuscripts he had been working on for months and which he had been planning to publish in a book. He couldn't conceive of redoing his work. He shared his predicament with his friend, poet Ezra Pound. Pound called it a stroke of good fortune! Pound assured Hemingway that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts. The new version would be better than the old. He encouraged Hemingway to start over with a sense of optimism and confidence. Hemingway did rewrite the stories and eventually became one of the major figures in American literature. (2) All Hemingway needed was to hear someone say that he could do it. That is all we need sometimes in our lives. Our problems loom so large. But they are not insurmountable. All we need is the confidence to tackle them. All great people have faced times when their confidence waned. When Abraham Lincoln was tragically killed, several items were found in his pockets: an embroidered handkerchief, a watch, and some confederate money. But most interesting of all was a ragged copy of a newspaper article. The article had been written during a time of great controversy and turmoil in the country. In the text of the article, the writer extolled Lincoln's virtues, approving of the decisions he had made in office. (3) Lincoln was one of the great men of history. But he needed, as we all need, some assurance that he was on the right track. We all need a word of encouragement at times. We need to know our lives matter--that we are not hopeless. The Good News for the day is that we are daughters and sons of God. We can take confidence that we are children of the King--offspring of the Most High. When we are willing to live life in the spirit – we have that little voice encouraging us onto be the best that we can. Most of our children have probably seen the Disney Studio’s animated movie Toy Story. Two of the characters are Woody, a toy cowboy and Buzz Lightyear, a “space ranger” action figure. Early in the movie Woody confronts Buzz Lightyear with the fact that he is not really a space hero. Woody shouts, “You’re not a space ranger! You’re an action figure a child’s plaything.” After failing in an attempt to fly, Buzz realizes the truth of Woody’s statement. Grief-stricken and disillusioned, Buzz hangs his head in resignation, declaring, “I’m just a stupid, little, insignificant toy.” Later in the movie Woody tries to undo the damage he has done. He seeks to comfort his friend by underscoring the love of the boy who owns them both. He says to Buzz, “You must not be thinking clearly. Look, over in that house, there’s a kid who thinks you’re the greatest, and it’s not because you’re a space ranger; it’s because you’re his.” As Buzz lifts his foot, he sees a label affixed to the bottom of his little shoe. There in black permanent ink is the name of the little boy to whom he belongs. Seeing the image of his owner, Buzz breaks into a smile and takes on a new determination and confidence. He knows the little boy who owns him treasures him deeply. (6) As we leave this place today, I hope that we will do so with a new determination and confidence because of the One who has adopted us as His own children. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children . . .” Life in the Spirit of Christ gives us protection, confidence and strength to do what we need to. Every moment – we are faced with ways of dealing with life. We can choose the way the world sees things, or we can choose the ways of God. We always have two choices, but one one leads to life. This is my final story. Stuart Briscoe, pastor of ElmbrookChurch outside Milwaukee, illustrates the power of feeding and starving with an observation about cuckoo birds. Cuckoos aren't merely the obnoxious noisemakers heard at the top of the hour in certain clocks. They are certifiably real. Two species, in fact, nest in America. To be more accurate, cuckoos rarely make their own nests. When it's time for a female cuckoo to lay her eggs, she will scout the local territory until she finds the nest of another bird that already has eggs -- often the nest of a thrush -- and wait until that mother bird is absent. Then she will dart in to the nest and deposit at least one egg of her own. Thrushes are apparently not overly skilled in algebra, for when the mother returns, she doesn't notice that there is an addition to her nest. She continues to go about the work of hatching the eggs. What happens when the nestlings appear? There are four tiny thrushes and one lumbering cuckoo, two to three times larger than the other birds. What happens at mealtime? The big bird gets the worm. The cuckoo continues to grow while the thrushes fight for survival. Briscoe remarks, "When I was a kid, you could always find a baby cuckoo's nest. You walked along a hedgerow until you found dead little thrushes, which the cuckoo throws out one at a time." God's children have two sets of desire in one nest. Which one shall we feed? We must feed the new desires and starve the old ones. We must feed the ones that strengthen our walk with Christ and starve the ones that have always taken us down. The more we choose the new desires, the stronger the Holy Spirit grows our personal resolve to choose the new desires the next time as well. We won't always succeed. Trying to become a spiritual person in a fallen world -- trying specifically to think, feel and live as Christ's person -- will always to some degree be exasperating. But through God's gift of grace, Christ's victory over sin, and the indwelling presence of the Spirit, we can know that we truly have the power to change. CSS Publishing Company, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, by Glenn McDonald Do you know Who you are? And Whose you are? Amen. Song Hymn of Promise UMH 707 Prayer God who plants seeds of hope and justice within our lives, we are so grateful for this community of faith and for all, anywhere, who hunger and thirst for your healing, reconciling word. You know all the things that are on our hearts today and you bring us together in love and support. We ask your healing mercies with those who struggle with illness of every kind, with feeling lost and marginalized; for those who mourn and for whom the darkness of sorrow enshrouds them. We ask your growth-producing love for all those who celebrate and rejoice today. Be with each one of us and all those whom we have named in our hearts before you. Help us to reach out to each other in compassion and support, for we ask these things in Jesus’ name. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Summertime, and we can see the results of what happens when we “scatter sow” – that is, if we have a handful of seed and toss it out. Jesus shared the parable, and an explanation of it. Leaning into this parable, let’s think about what our giving says about the kind of “soil” we are. For some of us, the idea of giving financially to the church is absurd; we’re “hard”ly able to do what we want. Giving away any money at all seems crazy. For others, we’re willing to give a little when the appeal is great, but see no point in making weekly contributions; we’re easily distracted by the allure of other things to do with our money. Yet others agree giving regularly to the mission of the church is important, but we find there’s a big demand on our finances for basic bills, for treat times, and for participating in the “shop, see more, shop more” response to all the advertising present in our daily lives. And, for others, regular giving (and even sacrificial giving) gives us pleasure, counter-acts our “hoarding/stingy” genes, and builds up opportunities for caring for “the least, the lost, the lonely” of our sisters and brothers. Dolly Parton, world-renowned performer, grew up in poverty and in a strict Christian church. For years after becoming a wealthy woman, she has quietly shared financially, recognizing it’s one way of living her best spiritual self. She provides free books for young children (one a month for birth to age 5). She developed a program to encourage Tennessee youth to stay in school. She supported hundreds of folks for six months after they lost their homes in a wildfire. What kind of “soil” would you judge her to be? What about you? What kind of “soil” are you? Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, we thank you for the abundance in which we live. Speak to us through your word. Help us hear the challenge of Jesus’ parable, and respond as “good soil”. Receive what has been given today, Creator God, and work through this congregation and our giving to bring forth 30, 60 or 100 fold for the ministries to which you call us. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May we each go out to love and care, to find the Spirit’s leading and join in its work and to bless the world as we have been so richly blessed. In the name of our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Tara Bulger) Joys and Concerns Benediction As you have received the seeds of faith and hope; go now into God’s world to scatter the seeds of reconciliation and peace, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations

May The Lord Watch Between Me and Thee (a sermon on trust)

Harriette Cross Englewood-Rust United Methodist Church July 27, 2014 Genesis 29:15-28 Romans 8:26-39 7th Sunday after Pentecost Year A May the Lord Watch Between Me and Thee (A sermon on trust) The promises of God continue. God blesses the people of the world – because he was willing to bless the lives and families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We continue to struggle with what that means to be the children of God – how do we treat one another, does my blessing preclude your blessing. I heard that there are more than 47 different wars going on in the world today – these are all fights over land, culture, economics. I would say that there are 47 different wars going on in our families, and in our community. You know we listen to the word of God, but we refuse to think about what the promise requires of us. So the stories of the promise – the stories of the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continue to teach us something. I like this story of Jacob, there is a lot for us to learn about family dynamics. Jacob is looking for a wife – he finds what he is looking for and goes after it. Marriage is always a family story about family values. Jacob follows the rules and goes to his own family. He works to earn his wife only to discover that he was given the wrong wife. And he works 7 more years in the field to build his life. How long are we willing to work for what God has in store for us? In this instantaneous world – we forget how to be patient and to wait for what God has in store for us. We forget to trust God. There is a lot in this story. We know from his past that Jacob is a trickster. He gets away with what he wants. But one thing about people who like to get over on others – there is always someone better than you. When you need to get up on people- you always have to look over your shoulder. The fox learned that when he tried to get one up on the donkey. A donkey and a fox went into partnership and sallied out to forage for food together. They hadn’t gone far before they saw a lion coming their way, at which they were both dreadfully frightened. But the fox thought he saw a way of saving his own skin, and went boldly up to the lion and whispered in his ear, “I’ll manage that you shall get hold of the donkey without the trouble of stalking him, if you’ll promise to let me go free.” The lion agreed to this, and the fox then rejoined his companion and contrived before long to lead him by a hidden pit, which some hunter had dug as a trap for wild animals, and into which he fell. When the Lion saw that the donkey was safely caught and couldn’t get away, it was to the fox that he first turned his attention, and he soon finished him off, and then at his leisure proceeded to feast upon the donkey. Laban got one up on the trickster Jacob. He married off his daughter Leah and made Jacob work just as hard for what he really wanted. The second lesson of the story – Just because we are children of the promise- just because we are blessed – that we are not exempt from the consequences of our actions. You reap what you sow. Sometimes we reap the results of the actions of others. Bad things happen to blessed people. The promise does not preclude us from life. The Third lesson is the most important. Learning to trust in God is our most important task. But in order for the promise to be ours – we have to experience life and heartache. And decide to trust God in spite of what happens in life. There is a lot not to like about Jacob. This story was intended to get our attention. He married two sisters – and they spent the rest of their lives competing against one another for his affections. But in spite of his bad qualities, he openly shares his faith journey. He helps us to see how he came to know God. In his life, he started as a spoiled child – his parents taught him about religion, but it obviously didn’t mean anything to him. He ran away from home and in the midst of a crisis, he comes to know who God is for himself. But that did not change his personality. He was still a trickster at heart. It wasn’t until he was beat at his own game that he learned that when you cant trust people – you have to trust in God. There are a lot of us on the journey. We learn to see God’s presence in our lives, but we have to work to trust God. If you read this story – you don’t see God anywhere. The story is all about family, but not about God. God does not speak, God’s name is not called. The people who say they live in God’s promise, don’t even consider God in their actions. They know what they should do, but they don’t do it. A lot of time in our lives, in our families – we have to ask ourselves – where is God in this story. What does any of this have to do with God My biggest job as a preacher is to help us to see God in a life where it is not obvious that God is with us. This is the last time that we will hear about Jacob and Laban – so let me tell you the rest of the story. Jacob get his two wifes, he becomes very rich. And he decides that it is time for him to walk away. Rachel steals her father’s idols, and Laban comes after him. Jacob and Laban have to agree to disagree. They will never be friends- they are both tricksters – but they worship the same God. May this God watch between them while they are absent one from another. They both call on God to do the work of keeping them honest and true. Jacob finally learns to trust in God and to live in peace. He is a better person for it. Years ago am minister named Harry Morehouse was walking in a poorer section of a large city, and he watched as a boy of five or six came out of a store carrying a pitcher of milk. The little boy made his way carefully along the street; he slipped and fell; the pitcher broke, and the milk ran all over the sidewalk. The boy let out a wail, and Morehouse rushed to see if he was hurt. There was no physical damage, but the youngster would not be consoled; he kept crying over and over, “My mama’ll whip me! My mama’ll whip me!” Mr. Morehouse said to him, “Maybe the pitcher is not broken in too many pieces; let us see if we can put it together again.” The boy stopped crying at once; he watched Mr. Morehouse place the base of the pitcher on the sidewalk and start building up the pieces. There were one or two failures and each time the boy started crying again but was silenced by the big preacher. Finally the whole pitcher was complete except for the handle. Mr. Morehouse handed the piece to the little boy; he poked it toward the place it belonged, and knocked the whole thing apart once more. This time there was no stopping his tears, so Mr. Morehouse gathered the boy in his arms and walked down the street to a nearby crockery store. He bought a new pitcher; then he and the boy returned to the milk store and had the pitcher washed and filled with milk. He carried the boy on one arm andbalanced the pitcher of milk in the other hand until they arrived at the boy’s home. Very gently he deposited the lad on his front steps, put the pitcher carefully into his hands and asked, “Now will your mama whip you?” A smile broke on the streaked face. “Aw, no sir! ‘cause it’s a lot better pitcher ‘an we had before.” The lessons of this sermon: You reap what you sow; just because you are a child of promise that does not stop life from happening; and finally learning to trust in God is a process. The ups and downs of life prepare us to trust God. I haven’t been dealingwith Romans, but Romans 8 says nothing separates us from the love of God, not even our own actions. Not even our refusal to trust God. God comes through for us. God still loves us- God will still work it out. Remember learning to ride a bike – first you had training wheels, then someone rode behind you, and then one day you discovered that you could ride all alone. I don’t know about you – but for me that was a say of wonderful joy. I could do it all by myself! That must have been how Jacob felt when he realized in his life that he could trust in God. I hope that you find that Love in your life! Amen. Other illustrations…. Sermon Opener - Super-Size Your Faith - Romans 8:26-39 “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…in a most delightful way” How many of you can hear Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) singing that? How many of you have no idea who Mary Poppins is? There’s the generational divide right in front of us…although Broadway has just introduced a new “Mary Poppins” musical to catch those of you who only know the more postmodern Nannie McPhee version of the story. Nanny Mary Poppins sang this song in the 1964 movie to get her employers’ closed-mouth children to open up and swallow down their daily dose of nasty-tasting stuff. Could any nanny get away with that today? Given the skyrocketing rate of childhood obesity, I suspect that any child-care worker caught shoveling spoonfuls of sugar down their charge’s throats would be instantly sacked. Still, we “sugarcoat” everything. “It smells like money” is how we sugarcoat the sickening stench of a slaughterhouse or the cloud of sulphur dioxide that spews out of paper-mill smoke stacks. Ironically, in the case of pulp mills, we are sugar-coating the release of sugars (and sulphur) in the wood. “Sugar-coating” is our attempt to disguise that which is truly awful with an artificial top-coat of sticky sweetness. We do this with everything from chocolate-dipped grasshoppers to 5 mpg SUV’s that run on Big Diesel. We love to take our sourest lemons and turn them into lemonade. But this attempt to “sugar-coat” the negative is not a part of biblical faith. A faith that is founded on the crucifixion of its founder as a blasphemous criminal cannot be good at cutesy coverups. Jesus never sugarcoated. He spoke openly to his admittedly uncomprehending, sugar-jonesing disciples about his impending arrest, conviction, and execution. Jesus baldly declared that “the poor will always be with you” and advised the rich, young man that the cost of discipleship was to “sell everything” if he wished to follow Jesus. Discipleship was never advertised as anything but a big-ticket item by Jesus, a commitment that, as its reward, demanded that followers “take up their cross,” embrace the real probability of suffering and death. Paul had first-hand, hard-core, hard-time experiences of the “hardship” that discipleship could bring to one’s life… __________________ Both Glad and Sorry There is an ancient legend about some men who were on a long journey. They came across a great desert, and rode into a wilderness area. At sundown they came to a river. They got off their horses and knelt down by the river to drink water. Suddenly a voice spoke to them. The voice said, "Fill your pockets up with pebbles from along the river. And tomorrow you will be both glad and sorry." So they did what the voice commanded. They got on their horses and rode away. On through the night they rode. Finally the sun began to peek over the horizon. They stopped and reached into their pockets and there they found diamonds and rubies. They held a treasure in their hands, and they were both glad and sorry. They were glad they had it, but they were sorry because they had not taken more. The good news for us is we can have all we want of the treasure of His kingdom, all we are willing to take. If you will take that treasure you will learn it is the discovery of a lifetime. Thomas A. Pilgrim, The Man From Galilee, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Falling in Love Again The treasure of the kingdom is as new as hearing today the stories of God and God's love for us and falling in love with God again. It is as new as God's power living in our lives this very minute. It is as new as Jesus coming to us in bread and wine. Using slightly different terms, Jaroslav Pelikan makes a necessary distinction: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living." (The Christian Tradition, Vol. 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), page 9) Brian Stoffregen The Moment If you have learned to ride a bicycle, you had to face that moment when the person holding you up let go. The moment. Maybe you crashed and had to begin again. Eventually, however, there came the time when you could shout, "Hey, Mom, look at me!" and you zoomed around the block with the breeze in your face. In that moment, a joy filled you so full that your heart pounded and you were truly alive. The cost was worth it. The Christian discovers that such moments are little parables for the way God upholds us and gives us an amazing and exhilarating joy when we assume the costs and travel by faith. Glenn L. Borreson, A Taste of God’s Tomorrow, CSS Publishing Company ____________________________ This morning, I offer you the promises of God. Not the promises of a pastor, or the promises of a church, or a denomination, but the promises of God. When all around you crumbles and falls, I give you the promises of God. When you’ve been tricked, and deceived, I offer you the promises of God. When the deal goes bad, or the joke is on you, I present to you the promises of God. You may not be able to stand on the promises of people, but you can plant your feet firmly on the promises of God. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -- Jeremiah 29:11. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -- Isaiah 40:31 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. -- Psalm 37:4 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -- Matthew 28:20 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” -- John 3:16-17 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved....for, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -- Romans 10:9,10, 13 This morning, I offer you the promises of God. Not the promises of a pastor, or the promises of a church, or a denomination, but the promises of God. When all around you crumbles and falls, I give you the promises of God. When you’ve been tricked, and deceived, I offer you the promises of God. When the deal goes bad, or the joke is on you, I present to you the promises of God. You may not be able to stand on the promises of people, but you can plant your feet firmly on the promises of God. Yet, we in our Christian Western thought have to be so cold and scientific that we see only the meaning that the Lord will keep a watch over us and totally neglect the rest of the meaning that He will keep watch over those of us He has bonded with like two lovers keep a watch over their hearts while they are separated. When that soldier went off to war his wife would pray for him, think of him, keep a special place in their home ready for him, and send him letters, packages of cookies and anything else to be a watchtower over his heart. In turn that husband would remain faithful to his wife while separated, send letters, money, words of encouragement, anything that will keep him as a watchtower over her heart. When I leave a worship service where God and I have shared an intimate time together, we say: “Mizpah” to each other. In that emotional word God is committed to protecting me, watching over me, providing for me, keeping a special place ready for me for the next time we come together in worship. He is promising to be a watchtower over my heart. In return when I say: “Mizpah to Him I am promising to be faithful to Him as my only God, to support his desires and do what He desires and never to be unfaithful to Him. I am promising to be a watchtower over His heart. - See more at: http://www.chaimbentorah.com/2013/01/word-study-mizpah/#sthash.YBEWoaem.dpuf MIZPAH goes back thousands of years, symbolizing a sanctuary and place of hopeful anticipation, a place where seemingly impossible may happen as of divine intervention or an inspiration. MIZPAH is mentioned for the first time in the Bible ( Genesis 31, around 1800 BC) as a powerful watchword, when Jacob and Laban agree at Gilead to a godsent peace. They built a memento of stone and named it like their wise covenant MIZPAH, saying: The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another". Mizpah of Gilead became the "blueprint" for more places called MIZPAH in the Scriptures. Building MIZPAH monuments was an ancient tradition in the promised land. MIZPAH signified a striking humane, tolerant and solution orientated approach to human issues, (a thought and act more than becoming to certain corners of the globe today). Before MIZPAH, and sadly until today too everything was about material possessions, hatred, power - the holy scriptures alone are full of it, let alone history. MIZPAH introduced the clearly defined moral qualities of GOODNESS, KINDNESS and the courage to UNDERSTANDING to a time so very tough that we can hardly imagine it now. Yet everything, any obstacle can be overcome with good will and determination. That was, is and always will be the heart of the true meaning of MIZPAH. As a reward for his long service, Jacob gets to exercise some stock options - literally. He gets some of Laban's sheep and goats. And then, by some amazing talent Jacob had at animal husbandry, Jacob's flock grows big and strong while Laban's flock becomes small and weak. Laban sees that HE has been tricked now, and sets out to kill Jacob. So Jacob rents a U-Haul truck into which he puts his wives, children, goats and sheep, and hot tails it out of town. But finally, Laban catches up to Jacob at a rolling roadblock near all the construction on I-40. And the two men have it out. "You cheated me over Leah and Rachel and all the years I had to work for you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, and would kill you if I could!" says Jacob. "Yeah? Well, you cheated ME out of the choice goats and lambs, and now I've got to hire Arthur Anderson to restate my earnings! I'd love to kill you, too!" says Laban. "You cheated me first!" "No, you cheated ME first!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" Did too!" "You're the biggest jerk in the world!" "I know you are, but what am I?" Well, this is obviously a family in distress. Sort of like some of our families! Jacob and Laban cannot agree on anything. They've both done things that make it impossible to trust the other. And they'd love to kill each other. But they choose to take another course instead. Do you know what they do? There in the desert, they agree to disagree. They acknowledge that they'll probably never get along. And so they build a big pile of stones, almost as high as a watchtower. And as they walk away from each other to go their separate ways, this is what they say, "May the Lord WATCH between me and thee, while we are absent, one from the other." Genesis tells us that this watchtower they built - this Mizpah representing the presence of God - was erected as a buffer between these two extremely conflicted and estranged people. And this is how they described the meaning of the Mizpah in Genesis 31:52: "I will not go past this watchtower to your side to harm you, and you will not go past this watchtower to my side to harm me." This is what it means when you say, "May the Lord watch between me and thee…" Children’s Sermon…. Better Than A Shadow by Wesley T. Runk Passage: Romans 8:28-39 • Lectionary: Proper 12 Item 21 of 22 | Back to Results Lesson: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life. nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Object: A life-size cut-out of a person Good morning, boys and girls. I'll bet you can't guess who this is! (Hold up cut-out of person. Let them guess.) Those are good guesses but they are wrong. I'll just have to tell you. This is my shadow! Isn't he a nice fellow? (Let them answer.) What kind of a person is a shadow, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) Right. A shadow belongs only to you. It goes wherever you go, regardless of where that might be. If I go home, my shadow is right there with me. If I have to go to the hospital, my shadow will go along, too. If I am in danger, so is my shadow, and if nice things happen to me, my shadow is there to be happy right along with me. What if I wanted to get rid of my shadow, boys and girls? Would I be able to? (Let them answer.) Not really. My shadow is always with me and if I get tired of having it around, that's just too bad for me. My shadow and I are never going to be separated. Today, in our scripture reading, Paul tells us that the love of God in Jesus is very much like my shadow here. It is always with us. If we are having a bad day, the love of God is right there having a bad day with us. If we don't feel well, or have to go to the doctor, the love of God goes right along with us. If we are happy because it is our birthday, God's love is happy with us, and if we are sad, God is there to help us feel better. The love of God is just like my shadow here. It will never leave us. I could probably tell God to go away if I decided I didn't want him around anymore, but God's love would remain. I could become a really nasty person and do all sorts of bad things -- like rob banks, cheat people, tell lies -- but God would not leave me. God wouldn't be very happy with me, though, would he, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) No -- God would rather have us live lives that are filled with good things -- good words and good deeds. God's love is with us all the time to help us live those kinds of lives. Boys and girls, the next time you see your shadow following you around (Hold up cut-out of shadow.) remember that there is someone else who is also always with you -- the love of God in Jesus our Lord. God bless you all. Amen. WE ARE THE CHURCH, Wesley T. Runk, CSS Publishing Company, 1994, 0-7880-0101-9