Here and Now. Vs. Bye and Bye

February 16, 2025 Luke 6:17-26 Year C Here and Now Vs. Bye and Bye Fill My Future with Vision Prelude Greeting A Call to Plenty Leader: Being “blessed” is something we too often associate with good luck or privilege or prestige. But in the economy of Jesus, blessedness is quite the opposite. It relies only on active participation in a kin-dom of God in which all are blessed and lifted up to a level playing field, especially those whose identity is demeaned by the powers-that-be. Jesus proclaims a vision of the future in which the jars of plenty never run dry and those who need to dip from plenty the most go to the front of the line. “Abundance” (sing refrain only) See music assets in your downloads God’s abundance is for all, no one is left outside, kin-dom come, all people one in trust and love abide. In this world of striving, we feel the yearn to earn. The world measures our worth in those earnings. But Jesus had different ideas. When they believed the scarcity narratives perpetuated by those in power, he imagined a narrative of selflessness that prized humility over hubris. When we feel our own resources are lacking, we can view our lives and practices again from the economy of Jesus. Let us pray: God of Surprising Paradoxes, we come to you today, lifting to you our feelings of powerlessness against empire and the rage we feel when bad things happen to good people. In the midst of our confounded search for answers, remind us of your justice that restores dignity to those who have been laid low and promises an inheritance of goodness and grace for all people. Amen. Hymn Come We that Love the Lord UMH 732 A Sermon for all Ages Leader: Welcome, children! We are so glad you are here [and for those joining us through the screen, welcome to you, too]. It is week five of talking about the generosity of Jesus and how these BIG jars represent how BIG the heart of Jesus is for each one of us. He wanted everyone to have plenty of everything they need and now it is up to us to keep helping him do that. Let’s remember all the fun we’ve had with our first four piggy banks. First, we did something that GAVE others an affirmation boost, letting them know how important they are to us. And because Jesus fills our own banks with love every day, we have enough to do that any time we want to! Second, we found something from our own toy and clothes that we could share. Especially when we have enough to play with and wear, we can pass along the good vibes! Third, we had fun giving something yummy to people who help others when they need help. I’ll bet this piggy is filled with the memory of their smiles now! And last week, we asked people to help us buy something meaningful with their coins and dollars. And we continued to collect this week [empty out the coins/dollars from the piggy]. We have MORE than enough to buy a flock of chicks! And now, what we have left in the piggy is a warm feeling that we were able to offer something really amazing. So… this week we are talking about how Jesus gave people a “vision” of what a fair world would look like. Let’s see what this little piggy has in store for us! But first, here is a note! “Dear children. You are really getting the idea that we don’t keep things locked up all the time just filling our banks with more and more and more. We look at what we already have, and the fun is in figuring out how to give it away! Affirmations, toys, clothes, snacks, and chickens – thank you for giving all that away! This week, I need your help blessing and filling those who are hungry. So take out what’s inside of my piggy bank and let’s see what we can do together. Always yours, Jesus.” OK… let’s see what is in here [take out a note]. This is what it says, “Take the leftover dollars you have collected after paying for the chickens and go with this little piggy ‘to the market’ and buy some canned goods for the food bank.” Hmmm…. to the market… oh, look! I see some shelves with canned goods and a cash register [create a little “store” out of a bookshelf and have a person with a box that looks like a cash register]. Ok… we need $20 for the chickens and this is what we have leftover [make sure you have at least a dollar bill “left over” for every child]. When we have plenty, Jesus encourages us to use what we have to bring about his vision for the future–a world where everyone has enough to eat. We have a food bank here in town [adapt this language for your context] where people can get food if they don’t have enough money to pay for food. So let’s go to the market and buy cans of food with the leftover money we collected so we can take this food to the food bank! Here we go with this little piggy to the market! [go and do the transactions and put the cans of food into a bag to be delivered] Thank you so much for using that money to give away more goodness! You are the vision of the future for all of us! Let’s pray a repeat-after-me prayer, and then we’ll go [instructions per usual for your church]. Dear Jesus… [children repeat, etc.] thank you for showing us… how to to share… thank you for showing us… how to to care… help us to know… that there is no doubt… the gifts that you give us… can never run out… there’s so much in store… that we’ll give it away… making sure there’s enough… for ALL every day… Amen… Responsive Reading Psalm 1 UMH 738 The Peace Leader: Just as our worth as humans is not dependent on the bottom line of our bank accounts, our relationships are not dependent upon the earning of favors and the limitations of “quid pro quo.” The peace of Christ has no limits, and we get more just by giving it. So may jar-fulls of peace be with you today. People: And also with you. Leader: You are invited to pass the “plethora of peace” among you, remembering to pass it to those joining us remotely. Scripture Luke 6:17-26 Sermon The Here and Now Vs. The Bye and Bye So yesterday I had a pretty full day. It started at 7 in the morning with getting up for the sharefest meeting, and it was after 10 when I sat down to prepare my sermon. By then of course I am tired, so I am tempted to just cheat. I know that I have preached on this scripture before. As a matter of fact, I know that I have preached on this sermon here before. In 2019 – we covered this story. As a read through the old sermon – it became clear that it was not going to work – It was based on the wrong question. In 2019 I talked about being happy, the question was are you happy. Today, I have a whole different question, for a whole different reason. Today the question is – are you rich? That is a trick question. When we think of being rich, we think about how much money we have. But in reality, being rich has nothing to do with money. Being rich is a mindset. There are millionaires who still struggle to pay the bills, and there are poor families who struggle to put food on the table, who always have enough to share with others. Being rich has nothing to do with money, and yet for Jesus, especially in the book of Luke being rich has everything to do with money. In Luke 6 when Jesus says blessed are the poor – all of us here today are convinced that Jesus is talking about us. The bible in general, makes a distinction between the haves and the have nots. And it would be fair to say that throughtout the bible, God in on the side of the poor. All throughout biblical history the bible has prophets who speak out about some people getting rich on the backs of others. The prophets warn that those people have an obligation to improve the life of the rest of the people. So when Jesus says blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who suffer – he is not saying anything new and different and strange. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was a baby, it was his mother Mary who used to sing to him a lullaby – that God was turning everything upside down. Every body who were rich, going to lose what they had. Those who were in power would be pulled down, the haves, were going to become the have nots. Even as a woman with no power to change anything – it was his mother Mary who stood up and declared that the spirit was with her, and that she would do her part in turning the world around. When she became pregnant with Jesus – she vowed that this baby would be a part of the revolution – he would be a part in turning everything around. – and he did just that. He lived his life, he taught others, he went to the cross of the system in order to change the system. He makes it his mission to speak out about the system. Not only does he speak out – but he sets out to improve the lives of those who are in need. He doesn’t just talk about it, he feeds, he teaches, he speaks out, he provides, he even heals. We are all familiar with the sermon on the mount – where Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who are hungry for justice, blessed are those who mourn for lost loved ones. He speaks about what it means to be happy. What it takes for us to live a happy life, and he tells us that happiness is achievable no matter what our situation is. The problem for us today – is that the sermon on the mount is in the book of Matthew. And we are reading the book of Luke. Luke has a whole different understanding of life. For Luke he doesn’t give a sermon on the mount – Jesus gives a sermon on the plain. Instead of rising above people, he comes down to their level. Matthew speaks just of blessings. Luke speaks about blessings and woes. There are people who are blessed, and there are people who are not. There are people who will be happy when the system is turned on its head, and there are people who need to beware. For Luke, how much money does matter. And how much money you have does make a difference. And unfortunately, all of us here are far above the income level to the people that Jesus was talking to. All of us, have a way to meet our basic needs. Our lifestyle is above the subsistence level. In Jesus eyes, all of us would be considered rich. We all fall into the have category. So when we hear these blessings and woes – we are supposed to become uncomfortable and squirm in our seats – Jesus is talking to us. We need to take this scripture seriously. Jesus is reminding us, that no matter how poor we think we are – there is someone else who is worse off then you. And he encourages us to reach out and to be willing to help that person along. Africa 1994 Around the time of the 1994 elections in South Africa, a friend was doing some academic research in that country. As you may remember, it was a difficult time in that nation. The country of South Africa was struggling to create a free society for people of different races. One Sunday night, my friend drove into Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. He describes it as an impressive city of steel and glass, with imposing government centers and modern universities. As he drove into the downtown area, he was stunned to see a small congregation of black Christians worshiping inside the green circle of an expressway ramp. He said: The contrast could not have been more stark. Here against the skyline of the great governmental city of Pretoria, strong symbol for many of the bitter years of apartheid, was a tiny group of those who had been denied standing in the society. Here, in the shadow of the capital of a nation built on gold and diamonds and ivory, was a poor band of Christians with no building, no pews, no paid clergy, no musical instruments save tambourines ... Pretoria stood majestically, the embodiment of the present power. The little flock danced and sang and praised the God of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. William G. Carter, Praying for a Whole New World, CSS Publishing Company, ___________________________ A lot of times when we do reach out to help – we hold onto that boundary of having, and identify with when as doing them a favor. We still stay a step above, and forget to treat them as a fellow sister or brother. When Jesus fed the hungry – he had no place to lay his head. He was homeless, but he made it it mission to help others. Perhaps that is why it is the sermon on the plain – he came top earth to be on the level of the people he was trying to help. Sermon Opener - Christian Liberty - Luke 6:17-26 Jesus died penniless. Roman soldiers cast lots to divide among themselves Jesus' only possessions--the clothes on his back. And he looked at his disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor. Jesus died hungry. There is no record that Jesus had anything to eat the day of his death. What we call The Last Supper on Thursday evening may very well have been Jesus' last meal. He died on the cross Friday at sunset with an empty stomach. Looking at his disciples he said, blessed are you who hunger now. Jesus died weeping. After his last supper Jesus headed for the Garden and there in that Olive Grove we call Gethsemane he prayed and he wept. He told his disciples you are blessed when you weep. Jesus died hated. Caiaphas, the greatest religious authority in Israel called him a blasphemer. The crowds wanted a murderer freed before they would see Jesus pardoned. And his disciples deserted him. Looking at his disciples he said blessed are you when men hate you on account of me. The beatitudes are a wonderful description of what disciples are suppose to be like. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are you who are poor. They sound so ideal, so spiritual. They probably come in fourth in the “framed scripture hanging on a wall category.” Just behind The Ten Commandments, Psalm 23, and the Lord’s Prayer. But truth be told few of us ever come close to truly living them out. Why? Here’s the reason: It’s because they are a call to sacrificial living. When I think of making sacrifices I think of E. Stanley Jones, perhaps United Methodism’s most famous foreign missionary. He authored over a dozen books and converted hundreds of Hindus in India to Christianity. He is the only person of which I am aware who was voted in abstentia to become a bishop. When he received the news, he turned it down. One day E. Stanley Jones came to Emory University and spoke to a Systematic Theology class. One of the students asked him why he turned down the episcopacy. He laughingly replied that if he became a bishop he would have to retire at age 70. "I am now 82," he said, "and I am still going strong." Then someone asked him: what do you think of the Beatitudes? Several students picked up their pens expecting something profound and they got it. Here's what he said: "At first sight, you felt they turned everything upside down. At second sight, you understand that they turn everything right side up. The first time you read them they are impossible. The second time you read them, nothing else is possible. The beatitudes are not a chart for Christian duty. They are a charter for Christian liberty.” The sermon on the plain teaches us how to live, what to do with our money. It teaches us what it truly means to be rich. Are you rich? Being rich is still about where our spirit us, not how much money we have in the bank account. What Will It Take to Make You Happy? - Luke 6:17-26 “Who do you think is happier?” asks Marc Reklau in his book Destination Happiness, “people who [have] won the lottery or people who [have become] paralyzed after an accident?” You may be surprised at the answer. “Yes, the lottery winners were very happy, but not for very long,” Reklau continues. “After six months they went back to their previous levels of happiness.” On the other hand, “the accident victims were sad, but surprisingly after six months, they [also] went back to their previous levels of happiness.” Think about that for a moment. Six months later both groups--those who had won the lottery and those who had an accident and were paralyzed--had returned to their previous state of happiness. I don’t know what that says to you, but it says to me that happiness is an inside job. Our circumstances don’t determine how satisfied we are with our lives. Something else--on the inside--makes the difference. The same studies on happiness were conducted with a group of college professors. They were asked how happy they would be if they got tenure. For a college professor tenure means that they are given a permanent post from which they can be removed only under extraordinary circumstances. These professors answered that, if they got tenure, they would be very happy . . . for the rest of their lives. Another group of professors was asked how unhappy they would be if they did not get tenure. They answered, “Very unhappy for a very long time.” And again, when researchers went back to them six months later, every one of these professors had gone back to their previous level of well-being whether they received tenure or not. “If they were happy before, they were happy six months later . . . if they were unhappy before, they were unhappy six months later.” (1) Interesting. You and I count as part of our heritage the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what is happiness? Is happiness something that can be obtained by pursuing it? Is it a product of circumstance or surroundings? Is it to be equated with money in the bank, a diploma on the wall, the respect of one’s friends and neighbors? Or does it depend on something else, something entirely different? Think for a moment: What would it take to make you happy--really happy? Jesus talked about happiness, but not in the same way you or I would talk about it…. Which of these words describe your spirit right now – Poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, reviled, defamed. Or rich, full, laughing, well thought of. In God’s eyes, all of us our considered rich. In Jesus eyes, anyone who didn’t have to beg for food everyday was pretty well off. But what does that mean for us? It means that we have a choice about what to do with our richness. Everyday – do we choose to get closer to God, or farther away. Do we choose to be a part of Jesus mission or ignore it? Do we live with the beatitudes in mind or not? Are we happy with the way the world is, or do we hunger for a better world? It is a blessing to know we are spiritual beggars – we pray for more. It is a blessing to hunger for more spiritual knowledge, it is a blessing to weep when we see that things are not going right, it is a blessing to suffer persecution on behalf of Jesus. May God fill our clay jar – with a vision for a future where all may live in God’s abundance. Lets pray….. Song Jesus Calls Us UMH 308 Prayers of the People Leader: In the economy of Jesus, up is down and down is up. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last. We live out Jesus’ example by putting others before ourselves. Together, we work to dismantle the structures of inequality that create injustice in our world Leader: Each week of this series we will be focusing on naming gifts of abundance we have received in the week, instances where we have seen the abundance of Christ at work in the world, and we will ask for the wisdom and strength to change so that abundance is more available to all. In this pause, O God, we ponder the many gifts you have given us. Our gratitude seems never enough for the plenty you provide. We call to mind the gifts of creation, of relationships, of sustenance. [pause] In this pause, Christ Jesus, we ponder the ways your love is still at work in the world. Our awe and wonder at the goodness of others is profound. We call to mind acts of kindness, generosity, and selflessness. [pause] In this pause, Holy Spirit, we come asking you for strength. The temptation to live by the economics of not-enough is so strong in us. We ask for revelation in our thinking and doing, so that we might live with clear vision in the house. [pause] Loving God, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit, we are yours. We bring to you now the concerns of our day, of our communities, knowing that already you are present, already you are working to bring about comfort and healing. Today we pray for…. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Long ago, people of faith were invited to share their “first fruits” as an offering of praise and thanksgiving to God. Growing up, did you live in a home where the first portion of each paycheck was designated as your family’s offering? Did you have an allowance, out of which you took a portion to share in Sunday School? Whether that’s part of your background or not, some of us continue to make our regular gift to the church as the first of all that is paid. It may be as a bank draft, responding to the QR code, or giving on-line. A few of us still give with a check, or actually bring cash to put in the offering tray. When we make a conscious decision to share some of our finances, in whatever form, we’re creating a habit of giving. Together we provide our gifts. When we give proportionately and regularly, our giving becomes a significant way to identify ourselves as people of faith. How we spend our income shows what’s vital to us. Is your offering — and is mine — as thoughtful as the money we spend for the cars we drive, the homes in which we live, the phones we carry, the beer we drink or the restaurants where we’re known by name? Paul’s question might be: what are your first fruits? And where do you offer them? With joy, let us bring our offerings, clearly indicating the priority we give to Jesus and his church. Prayer of Thanksgiving With gratitude, God, we offer these gifts. You pour out blessing upon blessing for us. Now we return a portion of what you’ve first given us. Accept this offering, and help us use these funds to further build up your Realm on earth. AMEN Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook The jars are full in the Kin-dom of God. A future with Christ is full of the vision we need and the vision we are called to proclaim. We are transformed in the economy of Jesus, bearing the witness of dividends of grace. We have heard the call to invest our interest in the transformation of our communities. And so we go, doing likewise in the world, with the help of God, the guidance of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Now and forever. Amen. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Beloved, go today in the blessing of Christ, who calls you, equips you, and accompanies you as you live out God’s justice and joy wherever you go! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, August 2024. Postlude What Will It Take to Make You Happy? - Luke 6:17-26 “Who do you think is happier?” asks Marc Reklau in his book Destination Happiness, “people who [have] won the lottery or people who [have become] paralyzed after an accident?” You may be surprised at the answer. “Yes, the lottery winners were very happy, but not for very long,” Reklau continues. “After six months they went back to their previous levels of happiness.” On the other hand, “the accident victims were sad, but surprisingly after six months, they [also] went back to their previous levels of happiness.” Think about that for a moment. Six months later both groups--those who had won the lottery and those who had an accident and were paralyzed--had returned to their previous state of happiness. I don’t know what that says to you, but it says to me that happiness is an inside job. Our circumstances don’t determine how satisfied we are with our lives. Something else--on the inside--makes the difference. The same studies on happiness were conducted with a group of college professors. They were asked how happy they would be if they got tenure. For a college professor tenure means that they are given a permanent post from which they can be removed only under extraordinary circumstances. These professors answered that, if they got tenure, they would be very happy . . . for the rest of their lives. Another group of professors was asked how unhappy they would be if they did not get tenure. They answered, “Very unhappy for a very long time.” And again, when researchers went back to them six months later, every one of these professors had gone back to their previous level of well-being whether they received tenure or not. “If they were happy before, they were happy six months later . . . if they were unhappy before, they were unhappy six months later.” (1) Interesting. You and I count as part of our heritage the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what is happiness? Is happiness something that can be obtained by pursuing it? Is it a product of circumstance or surroundings? Is it to be equated with money in the bank, a diploma on the wall, the respect of one’s friends and neighbors? Or does it depend on something else, something entirely different? Think for a moment: What would it take to make you happy--really happy? Jesus talked about happiness, but not in the same way you or I would talk about it…. Sermon Opener - Christian Liberty - Luke 6:17-26 Jesus died penniless. Roman soldiers cast lots to divide among themselves Jesus' only possessions--the clothes on his back. And he looked at his disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor. Jesus died hungry. There is no record that Jesus had anything to eat the day of his death. What we call The Last Supper on Thursday evening may very well have been Jesus' last meal. He died on the cross Friday at sunset with an empty stomach. Looking at his disciples he said, blessed are you who hunger now. Jesus died weeping. After his last supper Jesus headed for the Garden and there in that Olive Grove we call Gethsemane he prayed and he wept. He told his disciples you are blessed when you weep. Jesus died hated. Caiaphas, the greatest religious authority in Israel called him a blasphemer. The crowds wanted a murderer freed before they would see Jesus pardoned. And his disciples deserted him. Looking at his disciples he said blessed are you when men hate you on account of me. The beatitudes are a wonderful description of what disciples are suppose to be like. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are you who are poor. They sound so ideal, so spiritual. They probably come in fourth in the “framed scripture hanging on a wall category.” Just behind The Ten Commandments, Psalm 23, and the Lord’s Prayer. But truth be told few of us ever come close to truly living them out. Why? Here’s the reason: It’s because they are a call to sacrificial living. When I think of making sacrifices I think of E. Stanley Jones, perhaps United Methodism’s most famous foreign missionary. He authored over a dozen books and converted hundreds of Hindus in India to Christianity. He is the only person of which I am aware who was voted in abstentia to become a bishop. When he received the news, he turned it down. One day E. Stanley Jones came to Emory University and spoke to a Systematic Theology class. One of the students asked him why he turned down the episcopacy. He laughingly replied that if he became a bishop he would have to retire at age 70. "I am now 82," he said, "and I am still going strong." Then someone asked him: what do you think of the Beatitudes? Several students picked up their pens expecting something profound and they got it. Here's what he said: "At first sight, you felt they turned everything upside down. At second sight, you understand that they turn everything right side up. The first time you read them they are impossible. The second time you read them, nothing else is possible. The beatitudes are not a chart for Christian duty. They are a charter for Christian liberty.” The Beatitudes: They are admonitions to sacrificial living and sacrificial living is the door to Christian Freedom. Now what does that mean? Let’s take a look. 1. A Good Word for Poverty 2. Caution against Riches 3. Sacrificial Freedom Is Greater than Financial Freedom _________________________________ Peoples attitudes Toward God's Messengers (Prophets) C. H. Spurgeon used to preach only once each year "for his orphans." At that great meeting many would come to hear the famous preacher, and an offering would be received for his orphanage. After one of these meetings he is reputed to have been leaving the building where the service had taken place when one of those "super spiritual," narrow-minded, nitpicking individuals accosted him with the charge, "Why, Mr. Spurgeon, I thought you preached for souls and not for money!" The story relates that Spurgeon gravely replied, Why, Mr. So-and-So. Normally I do preach for souls and not for money. But my orphans can't eat souls and if they did, my brother, it would take at least four the size of yours to give one of them a square meal!" Craig Skinner in The Minister's Manuel, 1995 p. 346.

Get it While you Can - Repreach of 09/30/07

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington Repreach of 9/30/07 Luke 16:19-31 1 Timothy 6:6-19 16th Sunday after Pentecost Year C September 29, 2019 Children’s Time Warning! Luke 16:19-31 "And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' " Object: A warning device, like a siren or buzzer. (Begin with your warning device.) What was that, boys and girls? How many of you have heard something like that before? (Let them answer.) Do you know why we use a siren? (Let them answer.) That's right, we want to warn people to get out of the way, to tell them someone is coming who needs to get somewhere in a hurry, and that they want everyone else to get out of the way until they get there. Ambulances use them, fire departments use them, and sometimes the police use them. A siren is a very important thing, and it keeps us from having big wrecks and hurting other people. Of course, you must listen to the warning and pull over if you are driving. A warning is not any good if you don't pay attention to it. Some children do not pay attention to the warnings that their fathers and mothers give them, and they get hurt. I know a child who was warned not to play with matches, and he did. Do you know what happened? (Let them fill in the answer.) That's right, he was burned. Jesus tells us about the warnings that we have gotten in the Bible from God about the way that we should behave, and what will happen to us if we do not listen to the teachings. He said that the reason these things were written was not to scare us, but to warn us so that something terrible would not happen to us. I think that this is a very loving thing for God to do. He warns us about the bad things so that they will not hurt us and cause us great harm. Jesus told stories like this to the disciples and to everyone else who wanted to listen. Some people listened and did what he told them not to do anyway. Those people did not listen to the warning. They suffered what they thought was an awful accident. But it was not an accident, because they had been warned. If you hear a siren and still try to drive down the middle of the street where the fire engine or ambulance is coming, you will have a terrible accident and cause other people to get hurt as well. The same thing is true about not listening to God's warnings that he gives us in the Bible. If we hear the warnings and still cause the trouble, then it is not an accident. We will be hurt, and others will be hurt also because we did not listen. When you read the Ten Commandments, and they warn you about how to live, then you should pay attention to them the same way that you do to a siren. They are God's warning to teach us how to live safely. C.S.S. Publishing Co., CALL IN THE CLOWNS!, by Wesley T. Runk Stewardship Time There are two types of people in the world – those who are rich and those who are poor. This is another stewardship text. We are stewards of our lives and what God has given us. Story of two men, one well off, one suffering. Rich person never took care of the poor. Their fates reversed in afterlife. Rich is not about money – about how we treat others and what we do for them. Are you rich or poor in life, in death, in eternity. What does God call us to do? Luke 16:19-31 Common English Bible (CEB) 19 “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. 20 At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 “The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. 26 Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’ 27 “The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ 30 The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ 31 Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible There was a man, who spent his whole life dreaming of spending time in heaven, there were so many questions that he had of God, all he wanted in life was to sit at God’s feet and to listen to God’s word everyday all day. Well eventually his dream came true, he died and went to heaven. It was all that he had imagined it to be. He was so happy to see his Lord face to face and to be able to talk with him. There was just one concern that he had in the back of his mind. He noticed that on the first day, when it came time for dinner he was served a bologna sandwich and potato chips. And when he looked down on the people in hell, he could have swore that they were having lobster. The next day he was served a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the people in hell had steak. And on the third day, while eating his hot dog- he noticed that the people in hell had a full blown buffet - with every good food that he could imagine. Finally, after dinner on this day he thought he would question God – God it seems that the people in hell seemed to have these fabulous meals. I am so happy in heaven, this has been a wonderful time – but I don’t quite understand why the meals are so bland – when the people in hell have a feast every night. God replied – well you know – it is just so hard to cook for two people. I told that story once at a meeting, and a really strict Christian woman looked at me in horror – how dare I talk that way about heaven. But that joke has special meaning for me- because I find that it really is difficult to cook for two people. At least when my son was home – I never really shopped for what I wanted because I knew that he would eat it before I got a chance. But at least when we had leftover – I could force him to eat them until they were gone. Now that it is just me, I get all of these cravings for all of the food that I really want. But after one day – it sits in the refrigerator forever, because I don’t want it anymore, I am not going to force myself to eat old food and it goes to waste. It is just so hard to cook for one or two people. But I guess that really religious woman at the meeting was right – the real point is about heaven. How do we live our lives in order to get there, what happens when we get there, and doesn’t going to heaven give us certain rights and priviledges over the people going to hell? (by the grace of God I am expecting to go to heaven, and I am expecting each of you to be given that same grace – but really, does that mean that we have more rights and priviledges over the people who are going to hell? I think that is a question that could be debated over and over again. Both 1 Timothy and Luke talk about the rights and priviledges of those who are going to heaven. In Timothy, Paul is giving advice to his mentee Timothy. He is addressing those preachers in Ephesus who loved to stir up controversy and to keep the people confused. We have all heard Paul’s advice whether we know anything about the bible or not. Most of us have heard to advice as money is the root of all evil. And yet that is not what Paul says – Paul was not talking about money at all. He actually says the love of money is the root of all evil. Your attitude toward money and all of your wordly possessions is what leads you to heaven or hell. Jesus would agree with that point. It is that craving inside to have more, to be better, to create bigger that drives us to steal more than our fair share of resources intended for all. It is our need to maintain the lifestyle that we think we are entitled to the leads us to forget about the needs of other people. We have to fill up our gas tanks on a regular basis. I have heard stories that in less than fifty years the world will have used up most of the natural oil supply. But when you depend on your car every day to get to work and there is no direct route of public transportation – using up all of the oil in the world is a very distant reality. What we need to get through our everyday lives – is just one example of how our needs and our desires and our cravings control our life. There is just no room for us to think of the big picture of how we affect others and our own future. The media thrives on creating needs in our lives – we are told everyday that it is time for us to buy a new car, - have you seen the Honda commercial where the man actually knocks on the tv and tells you that if you are seeing this commercial that its that time of year again – time to new car. We are also told that we need to update our wardrobe, and that if you really want to be cool – you need to drink Miller beer. These companies spend so much money creating needs for us because they depend on our attititude toward money to survive. They need us to need more, bigger, better, improved. The love of money is not the root of all evil, it is the feeling that what I have is not enough- so I need to get more that is the root of all evil. It is the root of our jealousy, our anger, our disappointment, our need to put our needs before the needs of other people. Because our needs are not only immediate, they are also important. It is 1 Timothy that reminds us that there is great gain in learning to be content with what you have. You came into this world with nothing and you will leave with nothing and God will supply what you all that you really need in the meantime. Paul says that there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment. There are many of us grace filled Christians, who think that God fulfilling our basic needs is a special blessing. When we are given extra money, when we are given more than what we need to survive, when we get that house that we have been praying for – we look at that as a sign that God really loves us, that God has given us special favor. Forgetting that on the day that we were given more, that there are countless others who don’t have enough money, who don’t have enough food, who were not cured of that illness that God loves just as much as God loves us. It is not what we possess that is evil, it is our attitude toward it that is. There is great gain in godliness – not in what we have- but in learning to be content with what we have. God had provided for us as a gift not at a special priviledge over others. Ephesus, where Timothy lived was a very wealthy town. I have walked down the streets of Ephesus myself – the sidewalks are made of marble, and each house actually had heated floors so that you could keep your feet warm in the winter. Paul reminds that people of Ephesus to take the blessings that they had been given to be rich not in possessions, but in good works generosity and the willingess to share. It is okay to have things, as long as you also have the right attitude. Paul would later point out that God blesses us, not because we are special – but so that we can cheerfully share with others. I read a quote from a bishop who put the concept of sharing in a very powerful way. To the hungry belongs the bread you keep, to the naked belongs the clothing in your closet, to the barefoot the shoes you leave to rot, to the needy, the silver you buried. I thought that was a harsh way to encourage us to share – yet definitely something to think about. Actually I learned that in greek the word for community and the word for generosity are the same root – koinania. Being the people of God means to live in both community and generosity. To be willing to not only see our needs, but also see the needs of others around us. There were two men who were in a second story apartment. One of the men encouraged the other to look out the window and to report what he saw. Well I see a woman playing in the park with her children. I see a couple taking a walk – I see, a man sitting on a bench. They walked away from the window – and there was a mirror directly opposite the window and he asked the man to look in the mirror and to once again report what he saw. The man reported – I see a reflection of myself. The other man responded – isn’t that interesting a window and a mirror – both are made on glass. It is just that one has a little silver behind it, and in the presence of that silver all that you see is yourself – when the reflection of all of the people that you saw in the mirror is still there- but you were not looking for them, so you didn’t see them. It is not the love of silver that is the root of all evil – it is our attitude toward silver that is the root of all evil. And I know that most of us here consider ourselves to be grace filled Christians – we think that we don’t have a problem with our giving – we give what we can – but let me ask you, How many of us look in the mirror everday – looking only for ourselves – being totally blinded by what we see. How many of us look in our lives everyday – looking at only our concerns, our needs for the day – never thinking to look for the presence of others. Jesus drives the point home by telling the story of Lazarus and the rich man. This is actually a very old story told in a new way. The Egyptian god of the underworld – Osirus was the one who would give the cup of life to the favored dead – so that they could indeed be renewed and refreshed with new life. Jesus takes this old concept and instead of Osirus giving the cup of life – it is Abraham the father of all of the faithful who gives the cup of new life to Lazarus who had a very tough life, but now that he is in heaven finds rest and comfort, while the rich man who had it all in life finds discomfort and painful realizations. The switching of fate that we expect in heaven. Now in life- the man was not mean, he didn’t do harm to Lazarus, he was not responsible for Lazurus suffering. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even see Lazurus – he didn’t even know that people like Lazurus existed. It wasn’t wrong – but when he got to heaven it was enough to make him feel connected to God. Hell is longing for something that you realize that you can never have. He missed an opportunity of grace that will never be offered to him again. In getting caught up in fulfilling his daily needs – he never even thought to listen to the call of God to be in generous community.- to share what he had with those who asked. Last week a man came into the church to ask for money to get back to Gary Indiana. He had been stuck in Oak Park for 48 hours and no one would give him the money to get home. I gave him $10 to get home and asked that when he got it that he be sure to give $10 to someone else. The day care director chastised me for giving the money – saying that he could have used it for drugs. I explained that I did not give him the money because I thought that he needed it. After 48 hours he could have walked to Gary Indiana, if he was that interested in getting home. But I gave him the money – because I am trying to change the way I see people in the world. How do I respond to people in need. When people are on the street asking for a donation – I make a point not to have anything to give. If I give it all to them – then there won’t be enough to take care of my own needs. Is it God who supplies for my needs or my money. Money is not the root of all evil – our attitude toward it is. How do we determine who much we spend on others and how much we spend on ourselves. How do we determine to trust God in our lives to bless us, not because we are special, but so that we can bless others. The rich man realized that in caring for his daily needs, he had forgot to care for his relationship with God. And now there was no fixing that gap in his life. The man realizes what he cannot redo, but he asks that Lazarus go to warn his brothers who are living the same way. Jesus responds with one of the most ironic lines in the bible – if they are not willing to listen to Moses and the prophets, then neither will they be convinced by someone who rises from the dead. It is Ironic because Jesus is that person for us, who has risen from the dead to give us a message of generous community. It is never too late for us to realize how we have been blinded in life by the things that we look for – and if we look for him, Lazarus is sent to us each and everday to give us a message of God’s love for us. Who is that Lazarus in your life?

Seek Christ in all Things

August 4, 2013 Colossians 3:1-11 Luke 12:13-21 Year C 11th Sunday After Pentecost “Seek Christ in all Things” What does it mean to be rich? No I am really asking that question? As the bill continue to come in the mail, I am really asking myself what would it be like to be able to pay everything and to still be comfortable. I have really always challenged that notion that money can’t buy happiness. I challenged God to give me that opportunity and to let me be the judge. Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy enough comfort that it doesn’t matter. Or does it? I guess that depends on your answer to the question, what does it mean to be happy? What is happiness truly? Jesus answers that question in today’s lesson. The rich young ruler had a happy life. As a matter of fact, things were going so well, that he needed to expand his storage barns. He needed more space to hold all of his abundance. It is God himself that reminds the man that happiness wrapped up in the things of the world is only temporary. We are temporary – we all go back into the box The problem is not so much the things – the things don’t go away, they stick around. The problem is in us – we are only temporary. We are here for awhile and then we are gone. God reminds the man that you cant every well enjoy your things- when you are not here. Things will sitck around for awhile, but your life is not guaranteed. So where should you be looking for happiness? Here on earth or in heaven? One of my favorite pastors, John Ortberg compares life to a monopoly game. You can spend hours playing the game and moving the men, but when the game is over all of the parts go back in the box. You cant take anything with you, not even yourself. C.S. Lewis wrote, "It is he who thinks most of the next world that does the most in this world." Where there is no faith in the future, there is no work in the present. (From a sermon by Donald McCulley, Got Hope? 12/21/2010) Advice from Colossians The scripture in Colossians reminds us that when we are baptized in Christ, then all of our life is in Christ. If we die with Christ then we rise with Christ. Paul encourages us to make sure that we stay focused on things above, not here on earth. Our happiness is focused on the things of Christ – not on earth. Happiness is a Perspective Do you sing because you are happy; or are you happy because you sing? You’ve met the person. They always seem to have a positive attitude about nearly everything. They’re the people you see on the freeway in the midst of rush hour, bumper to bumper with frustration and impatience, singing sweetly inside their car as they slowly inch their way through traffic. You glance over at them and watch their lips moving and their head swaying back and forth as they watch the road, hit the brake and tap the accelerator. Your first thought might be, are they all there? How can they be singing when everyone else around you is pounding the dashboard and muttering under their breath? What makes some people better at coping with tension; coping with the multitude of everyday stressors that afflict us all? Are they possessed with a special gift that few people have or have they unearthed the secret to being calm when others are frantic that took them a correspondence course and several sets of behavioral modification tapes to discover? Over the years I have discovered a dusty old truth here and there. One that I perceive to be a real keeper is this. People who are happy are people who have made the decision that this is the way that they want to live their lives. Indeed they have discovered a great secret, but one that is not difficult to find. It is our choice to be happy or to be glum. People who can sing in traffic, however, have taken another step beyond just acknowledging that happiness is a choice. They have also discovered one additional maxim, the catalyst for singing when others are cursing. And this is the truth is not always what it seems. On the surface a traffic jam is an obstacle. In reality it may really be an opportunity. It is a matter of perception. Dr. John Maxwell writes: “When we become conditioned to perceived truth and closed to new possibilities, the following happens: We wee what we expect to see, not what we can see. We hear what we expect to hear, not what we can hear. We think what we expect to think not what we can think. (Take) the case (of) Henry J. Kaiser’s construction crew. While building a levee along a river bank, a violent rainstorm flooded the earth-moving machinery and destroyed the work that had been done. As Kaiser approached the work site to assess the damages, he found his crew bemoaning the mud and the buried earthmoving equipment. As his workers surrounded him, Kaiser asked, ‘Why are you so glum?’ ‘Can’t you see the disaster?’ they asked. ‘Our equipment is covered with mud.’ Smiling, Kaiser asked, ‘What mud?’ ‘You must be kidding. Look around you. We are surrounded by a sea of mud. How can you say you don’t see any?’ ‘Well,’ said Henry Kaiser, ‘what I see is clear blue sky filled with bright sunshine. I’ve never known mud to sustain itself against the powerful sun. Soon it will be dried up and then we will be able to move our equipment and start over. Furthermore, our attitude will not only affect how we see reality but will also affect the reality itself. Sun or mud, the choice is yours.’ The difference between sun or mud is a matter of perspective. Again, what we expect to see we see. This delightful story involving Henry J. Kaiser reinforces our choice to look at any situation from more than one point of view.”(Speaker’s Sourcebook II, page 50) People who sing in cars while others are cursing are not happy because they are singing, they are singing so that they might become happy. Where others perceive obstacles, they discover possibilities and opportunities. Singing takes them there and carries them beyond the perceived into the possible. These people are driving from their hearts and their heads, a pretty good combination. Where others see only mud, they see blue skies. Now they possess an attitude that is hard to put down. It feels too good. When the man in the crowd shouted out to Jesus to “make his brother share the inheritance” this is an example of mud-looking, not sky-gazing. He saw only the material implications of the situation, not the relationship possibilities that our Savior had on His mind. It was a matter of attitude. The man could choose to see greed and stinginess or he could, by overcoming the perception of these things, discover the possibilities that fixing the relationship with his brother was more important and far more satisfying. It simply was a matter of opening his heart to other opportunities. Values to put aside Colossians encourages us to put aside earthly values – which Paul names as fornification, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the last one he names if greed. In Luke, Jesus also talks about greed. A specific ugly kind of Greed. In greek the word used is pleonexia - pleon means more, echeion means to have – to get in the habit of having more and more. It is not just the sin of having more then you need, it is the sin of the more you get, the more you have to have. You start to seek more things to make you happy. The problem with that is that the things will last, you wont. Jesus advises us to be rich in the things toward God. What does it mean to be rich? To heavily invest in God’s will for your life and for the world. Happiness is a perspective – it all depends whether we are looking up or down. A Man focused in the things of the earth An article in a San Francisco newspaper reported that a young man who once found a $5 bill on the street resolved that from that time on he would never lift his eyes while walking. The paper went on to say that over the years he accumulated, among other things, 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins, 12 cents a bent back, and a miserly disposition. But he also lost something—the glory of sunlight, the radiance of the stars, the smiles of friends, and the freshness of blue skies. I’m afraid that some Christians are like that man. While they may not walk around staring at the sidewalk, they are so engrossed with the things of this life that they give little attention to spiritual and eternal values. Perhaps they’ve gotten a taste of some fleeting pleasure offered by the world and they’ve been spending all their time pursuing it. But that is dangerous. When God’s children, who are “seated with Christ in the heavenlies,” give their affection and attention to a world that is A family rich in the things of God I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us baby sat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1. We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the Pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering. The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before. That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich. When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us girls put in a $20. As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor. That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed that I didn't want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could Quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they need money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me ,and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering. When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "you must have some rich people in this church." Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100." We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? This is a family that is truly rich in the things of God? What is your story? Let us pray…… There have been times when we have gone to a high school football/basketball game and the kids asked for some money to buy candy. I gave them $5 and they returned with some candy. I ask for a piece and their answer is “no.” Here is what they don’t realize. First – I could take the candy away and eat it all my self. Because I am bigger and stronger I could do that. Second – I gave them the money in the first place, I paid for the candy so really it is mine. Third – I could have bought so much candy that they couldn’t have possibly eaten all of it. Now look at this from God’s view when He blesses us with His power and everything else for that matter. 1st – He has the power to take it all away if/when He wants. 2nd – He gives us everything. 3rd – He can supply endlessly. This goes for our finances, health, and His power. He supplies power to the believer endlessly if we seek Him. "Self adaption from an Ed Young Illustration" By Susan Sauer I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them. I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back. I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it. I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts. I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you'd better know something. I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do. I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it. I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life. I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides. I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think. I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them. I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't. I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you. I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice. I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it. I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score. I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time. I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down may be the ones to help you get back up. I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel. I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love. I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated. I've learned that you should never tell a child her dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if she believed it. I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you too. --from my wise Uncle Bill Morgan & Aunt Carroll, about to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. John Tillotson said, "He who provides for this life, but takes no care for eternity, is wise for a moment, but a fool forever." “Mud-Gazing?” Luke 12:13-15 Key verse(s) 13:“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground. This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, “What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don’t you let it go?” The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last it was acting like an eagle again. Perhaps you have let yourself be comfortable in the barnyard of the world—refusing to claim your lofty position as God’s child. He wants you to live in a higher realm. Confess your sins, and “seek those things which are above.” You will soon be longing to rise above the mundane things of this world. Like the eagle, it’s not too late to soar to greater heights again. – P R Van Gorder Look … • Look around and be distressed. • Look inside and be depressed. • Look at Jesus and be at rest. --Corrie Ten Boom OLOSSIANS 3:2 "VULTURE" APPETITES While driving along a highway, I have often seen vultures soaring high overhead, swooping down, and then rising up again with the air currents. Every so often, a small group of them can be seen sitting right on the roadway, tearing apart and gobbling up the carcass of some unfortunate creature. I get the impression that these ugly birds are on the lookout continually for what is loathsome and repulsive! Some people are like that. Nothing seems to satisfy them more than feasting on what is sinful, corrupt, and immoral. The books and magazines they read, the TV programs they watch, the conversations they engage in, and the activities they pursue reveal a vulture-like appetite. How much better is the spiritual diet the Bible suggests: "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things" (Phil 4:8-note). What kind of "food" do you prefer? Don't be like the vulture. Rather, "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1Pe 2:2-note).-- Richard W. De Haan passing away, they lose the upward look. Their perspective becomes distorted, and they fail to bask in heaven’s sunlight. Taken up with the baubles of this world, they become defeated, delinquent Christians. Buttons, pins, and pennies, but no treasures laid up in heaven. The apostle Paul said, “If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above” (Col. 3:1-note). To live for the things of this world is to miss life’s best. Let’s set our sights on the heights! P. R. Van Gorder

All things possible with God

Mark 10:17-31 “All Things Possible with God” October 14, 2012 20th Sunday After Pentecost Year B It is Halloween in the stores already The front of local markets have been crammed full of candy for the past two weeks. Halloween “Trick or Treat” might not be until the end of this month. But candy creators want us to stock-up and stock-pile. As a kid it was such a rush to come home after “making the rounds” of the trick-or-treat neighborhood and ceremoniously dump out all that candy crammed into our paper bag. Every piece would be inspected. Perhaps some cautious trades made with siblings. Then each of us got our own bowl to keep our “cavity central” separate from everyone else. Halloween candy is consumed according to two very different philosophies. There are the “hogs” and there are the “hoarders.” The “hogs” dive right into the bowl, scarf down all their favorites the first night, eat until queasy, and then finish it up during lunchtime at school the next day. The “hoarders” not only stretch out the life-span of their goodies until Thanksgiving. They also allow themselves only one or two “favorites” per day, mixing in the less desired goodies to fill out the daily ration. There are obvious problems with both of these strategies. The “hogs” either get horrible stomach aches, or suffer an out-of-control sugar rush that leads them to harass little sister, drive the dog crazy, and get grounded by a frustrated parent. The ”hoarder” lords their “I still have candy” status over others for a month. But eventually they end up with stale, rock-hard, break-your-teeth “goodies” that really are not good (although they would never admit it). For both kids and adults it is hard to know how to deal with “wealth,” with “stuff” we have that others may not… But thinking about something as simple as how we deal with Halloween candy – is a good introduction to our text for today. Mark 10:17-31. This is a favorite story, we also see it in Matthew. It is the story of the rich young ruler. He is a good person, he obeys the commandments, he has been following Jesus while he is in town, and is considering even following Jesus. Not speaking definitely about any plans, don’t take this conversation too serious, but just in case I wanted to be a disciple and follow you all of the way – what would I have to do. I have done everything already, and since I am rich is it obvious that I have God’s favor. Knowing that if he is attached to his life, then he wouldn’t be able to follow where Jesus us going. He helps him out a bit, sell it all – then come follow me. Jesus price is too high – he cant sell his soul for his possessions. He returns to his life. and Jesus reminds us that it is hard for the rich to get into heaven. But the good news is that all things are possible with God. What we cannot do alone, we can always do with God. The disciples are looking on at all of this. They have always been told that if you have lots of stuff, if you live a happy life, that is a sure sign that God loves you. If this man cannot be saved, then who can? He had everything that we want. Jesus reminds us as disciples that having a lot of stuff does not put you closer to God. If you are willing to sacrifice on behalf of God, then you will receive the ultimate reward. Not a story about money We have all heard this story before have we not. Or have we really. Jesus is not saying that there is nothing wrong with being rich or with having money. Not within itself at least. But the problem is that just those who like to hold onto the Halloween candy – we like to hold onto our stuff. It starts to possess us – to take over our life, our dreams, our commitments. Once we get it we have to have more and more and more. Mr. Coleman’s diamond A diamond expert was taking a trip on a plane – he couldn’t help but to look at the finger of the lady next to him, and see that she had an exquisite diamond on her finger. He commented – that is a nice diamond. She commented that it was the famous Coleman diamond. It was the largest diamond of its kind in the world. And that for all of its beauty – it carried a curse along with it. The diamond expert couldn’t resist asking about the curse. Oh the woman replied – the diamond comes along with Mr. Coleman. Lack of commitment The problem with rich is not so much the stuff that we have – it is our attachment to the stuff. Our unwillingness to give it up. Along with our unwillingness to give up on our stuff – is that we tend to start to put our stuff before our commitment to God. The rich young ruler wanted to follow Jesus – but he couldn’t give up his stuff. How many other things do we put before serving God? This is not a story about being rich. It is a story about the choices we make. It is a story about the commitments that we make in life, it is a story about what keeps us from serving God. And if we are serving God, what keeps us from fully serving God. Why is God’s will taking second place in our lives? And the reality is that a lot of times, it is being able to give up the that we already have. Hawerhaus’s ethics Stanley Hauerhas is a professor of ethics at Duke university. He might be retired by now. But I remember being able to meet him in college. He was a friend of our religion professor, and he gave a wonderful lesson on ethics. He believes that when someone joins church they should be asked if they love Jesus, if they will commit their lives to living for Jesus, but the next question should be – how much money do you make, and how much will you be willing to give to God. Mr. hauerhas is United Methodist, but obviously he is not a practicing pastor. Because any pastor knows, that there is nothing more sacred, holy and untouchable then how much money someone makes. There are just somethings in life that you do not touch – and people’s income is one of those things. There have been times when the pastor has been asked to see the giving records of a church – and been told absolutely not – that is sacred information between the person and the financial secretary. And yet many stewardship experts tell us that giving records are not about money. It is about the care of the soul. A change in what you give to the church can tell a lot about the condition of a person’a soul. It can track wellbeing of the family, financial priorities, even ones happiness about the church. The devil was on the prowl one day out to get the Christian. When he saw the Christian he shot one of his fiery darts and it struck the Christian in the chest. The Christian had on the breastplate of righteousness so he wasn't harmed. The devil shot at the Christian's head but that was protected by the helmet of salvation. The devil figured everyone has an Achilles' heel, so he shot at the Christian's feet that were shod with the gospel of peace so no harm was done. The Christian smirked and turned around to walk away. The devil fired an arrow into the Christian's wallet and killed him. Beth Quick, Mission: Impossible You can tell all about someone and what they value – just by looking at their checkbook and their key ring. What they give money to and what they have keys to, demonstrate what it important to them. The curse of any kind of valuable possession is its capacity to steal our hearts and souls. The heavier the purse, the tighter the strings. Is it fair to call most of us rich? According to our Methodist founder John Wesley, it is. He said that the word "rich" in the Bible means to have the necessities of life (food, shelter, and clothing) and then something left over. Don’t be greedy The problem with the rich young ruler wasn’t really that he was rich, His problem was that he was greedy. He had more than he really needed to survive and he wasn’t willing to get rid of the excess. And his greediness was standing in the way of him making a full commitment to God. He wanted to keep more for himself, than he was willing to give to God. And yes on the surface we are supposed to criticize the rich young ruler. We can see where he had too much. We can see what stood in the way of his full service to God. But on the sly – Jesus wants us to realize that the rich young ruler is a part of all of us. In what ways do you also say no to God? What areas of your life have you told God that is out of his realm. What areas are you holding out on God? It could be a attitude, a feeling, a hobby, an anger, or even your possessions. Henry Thoreau said, "Be not merely good; be good for something." That was Jesus' challenge to the man who wanted to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. He had been good at making money, in being morally upright and keeping the commandments; but that is not the ultimate good: he must also give of himself and what he has in behalf of others. He needed to also realize that, "The gift without the giver is bare." John Wesley proposed an excellent guide to goodness. He said, and he practiced what he preached: Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, At all the times you can, As long as ever you can. Someone else has expressed the ideal of goodness in a wonderful way, saying, "I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore, that I can do, or any goodness that I can show to my fellow creatures, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." I like when Jesus says however, why do you call me good. No one is good but God alone. Because only God can give us life. all that we have in life is a gift from God. Praise be to God! God would never hold back on you, so make sure that you don’t hold back on God. If you want to be rich, be rich in the things of God: gratefulness, love, a willing spirit and most importantly a full commitment in all areas of your life. Mark 10:37 Jesus says truly I tell you there is no one who has left house, brother, sister, or mother, or father, or children, or fields, for my sake who will not receive a hundred fold now in this age and in the age to come. Let us pray…..

Where is your Treasure?

August 1, 2010
Where is your treasure?
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21
Year C
10th Sunday after Pentecost

Introduction
Comments on Chelsea Clinton’s wedding…..

Well, the big day has finally come and gone. Chelsea Clinton has finally gotten married, and everything seemed to go off with a hitch. If there was a problem, it would have been all over the news this morning, and so far I have heard nothing more than good reports. They say that the average wedding costs about $25,000 – Chelsea’s reportedly could be anywhere from 3 to 6 millions dollars when the final figures comes in. I have had to ask everyone that I know this weekend – why would they need to spend so much. It seems a little over extravagant and unnessessary to me, but then again I am not the one paying for it.
Comparisons of weddings
I heard of another wedding recently where the family announced to the guest after the wedding that they were taking all that they would have spent on a nice wedding, with flowers, and food and decorations, and gifts, and they were going to the local orphanage to give it to children in need, they invited the guest to join them and give whatever they were going to give to the new couple to the children.
It raises the question for me of how much is too much? When do we know that we are spending our money wisely, and when we have crossed the line and become just out right greedy? When are we being ambituous, and when are we getting carried away. What if I don’t even have 3-6 million dollars to spend – can I ever be accused of greed?

Greed
Greed is not about how much money you have, it is a condition of the spirit. When we are afraid of not having enough- then we start to hoard and hold onto things for our own security. Greed becomes a thief that robs us of our life, and our connection to God. We forget to rely on God. Greed has the power to destroy our bodies and souls, it causes us to place things over people, it compromises our principles, and it can get so bad that it makes us fools. Someone who has lost track of whats real and what is just in our imagination. Greed is a soul condition. Jesus addresses greed in his teaching for today – he saw it in the request for him to judge how much one brother should give to another in an inheritance dispute.

There is even a rumor that since Jesus lived so long ago and since he was such a nice person, that he always talked about our souls, but he would never address our stuff. Jesus was concerned about our behavior, but he would never address money issues. That is not true. If Jesus did not talk about money then neither should the preacher, – but the truth is – that Jesus talked about money all of the time. He was a little obsessed with it actually. Almost 2/3 of his parables had to do with money or possessions. The story in Luke 12:13-21 is one of those times when Jesus talks about money.

Commentary on the text
A man, probably a younger brother steps out of the crowd to ask Jesus to settle a dispute between his brother over his inheritance. In those days, it was the older brother who received the inheritance from his father. It was his decision to share it with his other brothers. Jesus tells him that he has not come here to settle disputes between brothers. Jesus says that he does not want to make a decision between greedy and greedy. Instead he tells the brother and all listening the story of a farmer who stored up grain for himself. He was so blessed that he had too much grain, and decided to tear down his old storehouses and to build bigger ones. God gets a little concerned about the man’s priorities, and demands his soul that very night. We are supposed to strive to be rich in God, not in stuff. Because you can’t take stuff with you when you die.

Life focused just on self
The bible calls this man a silly fool. But we are all a lot like him. He was not a bad man; he did not have evil intentions. The story did not say that he cheated anyone, that he lied, he probably was a very shrewd businessman. But he was convinced that his life was in his hands. As he spoke of his dilemma of having too much stuff and needing more storage space, his whole conversation was about himself. What he had, what he could do, how it would affect him. His whole conversation was about me and mine. You can look back and note how many times in his conversation that he said I. Jesus’ conversation is always about we and us. We are not in this world alone- there are many others in need. When we hold onto our money and possession, there are always others who do without. Jesus didn’t have any possession. He didn’t have a house, or a donkey or even a moneybag. What he did have were people – lots of people who depended upon his word for life.


A Life focused on what’s in front of you
The man lived in a world where what he could see right before him was all that there was. He didn’t feel he needed to prepare himself for eternal life – so he needed to work as hard as he could to win before the game was over. Colossians says that when we take on Christ that we take on a new perspective in life. We are focused on our lives in heaven, and not on the things of the earth. When you try to fix your life from the bottom up. Starting down here and moving up there, it is easy for you to get stuck in the details. It is sort of like cleaning out your basement – once you open one box, you open another and you cant complete your task, because you are so busy looking at what you have. But when you start up here, and work down – then you see life from a different perspective. You can see everything at once – and your start to prioritize what is important and what it is that you are never going to look at. You can throw away those boxes, without even bothering to look in them. You start to see yourselves and your potential the way God sees your potential and you make a difference.
Jesus reminds us that we are all just like the older brother who has been given an inheritance. We shouldn’t have to be told to share the gift that we have been given with our brothers and sisters.

Story of the young woman
There was a young woman – one could say that she was very rich in her gifts from god. Very rich indeed. Her gifts were great. From the very moment of her birth her intelligence, and tenacity were quite evident. As she grew she became in succession, ruler of her nursery school, monarch of day care, student council chairperson, and valedictorian of bother her high school and college classes. Then not being content with her Harvard bachelor’s degree in business administration, she graduated at the top of the best MBA program in the country. No one was surprised when half the companies in the fortune 100 actively courted her. a major manufacturer finally won the competition for her skills. The company’s president proudly told the Wall Street journal about how she would transform the firm. It wasn’t too long before he realized that complete accuracy of his statements. But unfortunately his business savvy didn’t foretell the way she deflated his golden parachute as she almost literally shoved him out the executive suite door. In doing so, she became the youngest CEO in the history of the firm. The firm she took over was no ordinary firm, of course. You could see that from its balance sheet. But you could see it even more in the faces of its employees. For while the firm was immensely profitable, it had the reputation of being even more immensely honorable.
Over its hundred year plus history, its officers had always treated their employees and customers, as they wished to be treated themselves. Even more impressively, in this day and age, they’d always refused to do business with any company that treated their customers or employees with anything but the same level of honor.
After she’d installed herself in the corner office, the firms new CEO carefully examined this well crafted tradition of honor. At least she examined it before she tossed it our. Then her drive to success led her to a search for a new tradition. To keep on top, she thought profit must rule over anything else.
It wasn’t long before the firm’s workers were hit with massive layoffs, and plant closures. In their place came factories in countries that were less picky about labor and environmental issues. The average age of those employees was about 12. and it suddenly didn’t seem too important when the firm’s child laborers developed many cancers never before seen in their country. Soon the firms share price climbed through the roof. With all of her stock options the new CEO seemed set for life. After all, with more money, she had more possessions. More power then she could ever possibly use or spend. Her life seemed perfect.
But her perfect world began to unravel after her visit to the firm’s new factory in Thailand. She’d gone there to assure herself that everything was being done to maximize its profitability. She was quite pleased by what she saw at the plant. Her young workers there were laboring at a feverish speed. And no funds were being spent to provide them any unnecessary frills; frills like safety equipment.
Then just as she was leaving the plant, she heard a hissing noise. Before she could even turn to locate the source, she found herself enveloped in a cloud of foul smelling fumes. Quickly she ran from the plant and stood grasping for breath beside the main door. When at last she could speak she questioned the plant manager about the fumes source. Don’t worry, he told her. The holding tank for our processing chemicals springs a leak now and then. The workers are used to it by now.
Satisfies by the explanation, she returned to the firms New York headquarters. There she threw herself into her latest effort; a hostile takeover of a major competitor. But after a few months, she began to feel strange. She tired easily, became nauseated frequently. And began to loose weight. At first she thought that it was just a virus. But why didn’t the symptoms go away? Then she notices a lump on her neck.
For the first time, she was scared. She made an appointment with the best doctor in the city.
After being poked and prodded, and tested the doctor looked at her in silence. His eyes seemed to pierce her soul. I am so sorry he said, her death would come very quick, within a month. She was confined to her home, as hospice took very good care of her.
Dying is a very lonely affair. None of her employees ever came to visit. She heard that they celebrated when they heard the news,
She had not friends, and she had alienated her family. Weeks went by with no one, until one day an unexpected visitor why knocked at the door.

A friend who was rich in God
It was her former boss; the one she had fired. He sat with her that day, and came back every day to visit. He often bought flowers or other gifts to cheer her up. She began to look forward to these visits and to wonder why he was so nice to her.
One day she asked him. Why are you visiting me – took everything away from you. After I fired you , you were so poor.
Her former boss smiled at her for a moment and then leaned forward and took her hand. You could never make me poor. As long as I can do something for someone else I can never be poor.
You see, the secret of being rich, isn’t gaining possessions, it isn’t winning the rat race. For I found out early in life that no matter who well I did in the rat race, I was still a rat.
The secret of being rich is using your gifts and whatever you gain from those gifts to help others. We have a choice in life he said – you can be rich in ourselves, and build up money and things, but in the end no amount of money or things will matter
But if we use what we have to enrich God’s people, we’ll have created things that matter. Only in that way can we be rich toward God.
Her life ended painfully, but the pain was lessoned by a sense of awe. For at least she’d met someone who was rich. Very rich indeed. To God alone be the glory.

Conclusion
How much is too much? When do we reach the point in our lives when we are using our resources, and when we are being greedy. Jesus never gives a straight answer. But he does warn us all to be on constant guard against greed. Our lives are not defined by what we have or don’t have, it is defined by the relationships we have. The most important relationship being the one we have with Christ.

Clothing ourselves in Christ
An anonymous author expressed what it means to come to Christ and discover the wonderful experience of salvation.

He asked:

Let a person go to a psychiatrist and what does he become? An adjusted sinner.
Let a person go to a physician and what does he become? A healthy sinner.
Let a person achieve wealth and what does he become? A wealthy sinner.
Let a person join a church, sign a card, and turn over a new leaf in life and what does he become? A religious sinner.

But what happens when a person goes to Jesus? If he/she comes to Christ in sincere repentance, confessing their sin and receiving Christ by faith through the cross of Calvary, that person becomes a new creature in Christ, forgiven, reconciled, and adopted into the family of God, with a new vision, mission, meaning, and purpose to life. That person will also find achievement, fulfillment, and direction in God's will and call in life! We become God’s children.

Stewardship
With life in Christ stewardship is caring for the things that God cares about. Guarding ourselves against greed, being rich in the things of Christ, Keeping our heads on the things of God, Clothing ourselves in Christ all leads to a conversation on stewardship. Stewardship – taking care of god’s things is not just a time once a year when we are deciding what we are going to give to God. Stewardship is a process that starts with how much money we give to the church, it ends with how much money we give to the church after we become aware of how much god has given us. Stewardship is the time when we must constantly assess what it is that I need to take off. So that I can put on the new self that Christ has given you. Let us pray.

Amen.