A Moment of Grief and Remembrance

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington All Saint’s Day November 7, 2021 John 11:32-44 Year B Opening Prayer Welcome Opening Prayer Healing God, we come to you today acknowledging that this has been a painful year. A year in which so much was lost. A year of grief in which we, too, may have cried out the same words of Jesus and the psalmist of: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And yet, we also acknowledge, Almighty God, that in our crying out, we are still calling out for you: to save us, to heal us, to provide a balm for our broken and wounded hearts. Today we come to you for comfort and healing as we boldly proclaim together the promise of the resurrection in Jesus Christ our Lord. Comfort us in our grief and remind us that your communion table stretches from the church altar to the communion of saints. Open our hearts and our lips to speak once more of your hope that always exist, always perseveres, and always conquers darkness even on our hardest of days. Remind us of the gift of the body of Christ, as we mourn together corporately in this place and across the conference. Heal us Lord, so that we may be your healing hands to the world. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. - Written by Director of Clergy Excellence, Rev. Jessie Colwell Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (This would be a great Sunday to tell of the generosity of one of the “saints” no longer living but whose influence continues to be felt in the congregation. Consider asking one of your long-time members to tell the story of someone s/he remembers from years past who modeled generosity) or, tell this: Gretchen, a life-long member of the congregation, never had more money than what she needed for basics. After raising 10 children, experiencing the death of her beloved husband, and working in the high school cafeteria until she was 70, Gretchen yearned to have something big to give to her church. Quietly, Gretchen took on the weekly task of preparing communion. Each Saturday, she would let herself into the building and lovingly prepare 10 trays of cups and 10 plates of what she called “the crackers”. Then, after the hour-long process, she would go to the sanctuary for a time of prayer. Following that morning routine, Gretchen would return home to put her “first fruits” offering in an envelope, carefully set-aside from the money she earned by selling to anyone who came to purchase fresh eggs. This pattern continued for nearly fifteen years, until Gretchen was no longer able to drive, stand for an hour, or keep her chickens. Only a few months after that, Gretchen’s earthly life came to an end. At her funeral, the whole congregation took communion, remembering Gretchen’s faithful offering of her time, talent and treasure. What will this congregation remember of you and your faithful offering? Prayer of Thanksgiving We give you thanks, O God, for these gifts provided by living saints, and for gifts which have come from all the saints who ever worshiped you, from brush arbors or cathedrals, weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses. We give you thanks, O God, for hands lifted in praise: manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil, strong hands and those gnarled with age holy hands used as wave offerings across the land. We thank you, God, for hardworking saints; whether hard-hatted or steel-booted, head ragged or aproned, blue-collared or three-piece-suited. These gifts and all our lives are leaving their mark on the earth for you, for us, for our children yet to come. Thank you, God, for the sacrifices made by those who have gone before us, and for all who are sacrificing to offer you these gifts of finances, and gifts of time and talents. Bless these gifts, bless each giver, and bless our memories of your gone-before-us saints, AMEN Adapted from: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/a-prayer-meditation-for-all-saints-day Scripture John 11:32-44 Common English Bible 32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to cry. 36 The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb 38 Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” 40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” 41 So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Sermon A Moment of Grief and Remembrance The five stages of grief are denial, numbness and shock, then bargaining, then depression, then anger, and finally acceptance. Whenever there is the loss of deep love, we experience grief. All of us go through these stages of grief Howver, the pathway through that grief is different for each of us. Sometimes the experience we have with the loss of each loved one is different, and each stage of grief is different. Sometimes we go through the stages in order, sometimes the stages may happen all at once, sometimes we may spend a short time in one stage and forever in another, sometimes are all over the place, sometimes we experience them in our own order, sometimes you may think that you are over one stage, only to discover that it is back again. Grief if a part of all of our lives. However you experience these stages it is okay. Whereever you may be right now, it is okay, and wherever you are – you are right where you need to be. We want to honor those who have joined us today – in the pews and in spirit. But I think we can all say that this has been a long year for us all. We are grieving for those before us, but we are also grieving our life, our wellbeing, our sense of normalcy. Sometimes it is easy to point out these stages of grief in ourselves and others. But our scripture teaches us that Jesus grieved also. All of John 11 shows us that. Jesus is with his disciples taking the scenic route to Jerusalem – he wants to meet new people. Sometime on his journey – he just feels in his spirit that his friend Lazurus has died. Rather then rushing to comfort the family, Jesus just waits for two days. In some ways that could be the first stage of grief – denial. Then bargaining – he tells the disciples that he has to go to Bethany, even though he knows it may cost him his life. in the depression stage Mary cries out to him, Jesus gets angry at the world, and eventually he not only heals Lazurus, but continues his mission. Scripture tells us that Jesus got so angry that he wept. Perhaps he was angry at the whole concept of death and its affects on his friend and his family, perhaps he is mad because of his own hesitation to come to help his friends. Perhaps he is mad at the world for not understanding God, we don’t know that full extent of his anger – but we do know that Jesus is the only messiah who feels pain and cries about it. What is the point of a savior who cries? Remembering the Saints For those who are with us virtually, you are welcome to have a candle on hand to light in remembrance of all those named and that you hold in your heart. Intro to the Candle Lighting and Naming of the Saints God of the Saints (does not need to be printed) We give you thanks, O God, for every saint who ever worshiped you Whether in brush arbors or cathedrals, Weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses Where your name was lifted and adored, Where your scriptures were studied, your people served. We give you thanks, O God, for centuries of hands in service: hands groomed, hands stained with grease or soil, Young hands, hands marked with age Holy hands of every shade raised in praise, Serving hands that cooked, hammered, and held. We give you thanks, O God, for hardworking saints; Whether hard-hatted or steel-booted, Head ragged or aproned, Blue-collared or three-piece-suited They ministered on the earth for you, for us, for our children to come. We give your thanks, O God, for saints in a season of pandemic Family and friends whose love was taken from us too soon, Caregivers of every kind who put our safety before theirs, Employers and landlords who gave us steady wages and roofs over our heads, Cooks and drivers that kept us fed and stocked. Liturgy for All Saints Day 2021 In gratitude for the gifts of these saints, we take a moment to name them before you, and the body of Christ, claiming their lives as a gift to the church: List the names of the people we are lighting candles for Today we also light a candle for all the saints who have been lost in this community and in years past that are on our hearts today. Finally, we light one more candle acknowledging all the saints who lost their lives to COVID-19. We acknowledge that over 20,000 people in Illinois have died due to this virus and we pray for their families. Now let us take a moment of silence in remembrance of those we love who are no longer physically with us. • A show comment from last time round the cycle: “I can never hear this account of Jesus' raising Lazarus without thinking of an impromptu Bible study I had with a bereaved mother in her hospital room. During my Clinical Pastoral Education unit (required for priests in training in the Episcopal Church), my assigned areas were the NICU (neo-natal ICU) and high risk pregnancy unit. I spent several days visiting and praying with this woman whose baby died in her arms just hours after being born. The last time I saw her, she asked, "Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. Why won't he do the same for my little girl? I'm pretty mad about that--am I going to hell? If I do, will I ever see my baby?" After I swallowed a river of tears and assured her that she was not hell-bound for being mad at God, I located the Bible in her room (thank you, Gideonites!) and started reading John 11. I even took time to explain about the Book of Signs and why Jesus raised Lazarus in the first place (can you say pedantic pastoral care?). When we got to the part where "Jesus wept", the woman stopped me. "Do you think Jesus is weeping for my baby?" "Yes, he's holding her now and weeping for her and for you." A savior who knows pain, grief and suffering is just what we need. We need to know that we are not alone in our grief. The God who cries is with us. This story of Lazurus rising from the tomb is not about resurrection. Eventually Lazarus dies again. But through his own suffering and death, Jesus eventually overcomes that blockage for all of us – death has no control over us any more. All Saints day has a profound lesson in the cycle of life. I didn’t realize that Halloween and All Saints day are about a quarter of the way between Labor Day and Christmas. It marks the shift between darker days, the harvest season, colder temperatures. As a matter of fact, the symbol of All Saint Day is a shaft of wheat. Nature goes through its own grief process as we mourn the loss of the precious light that helps our life. Yet it is a reminder that Jesus us the light in the midst of darkness. Sometimes it seems like our grief will last forever and for many of us grief takes years and years to get through. But Jesus reminds us that resurrection opens the doors to something else. Leith Anderson, a pastor, shared an experience: As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew the Dodgers would trounce the Yankees. Unfortunately, the Dodgers never got on base, and his excitement was shattered. Years later he was engrossed in a conversation with a man who was a walking sports almanac. Leith told him about the first major league game he attended and added, "It was such a disappointment. I was a Dodger fan' and the Dodgers never got on base." The man said, "You were There? You were at the game when Don Larsen pitched the first perfect game in all of World Series history'" Leith replied, ''Yeah, but uh, we lost." He then realized that he had been so caught up in his team's defeat that he missed out on the fact that he was a witness to a far greater page of history. (As told by Dean Register in the Minister's Manuel, 1995, 339) Let me ask you a question. What's going on down the street in our ball park? We may be so caught up in the beauty of our building, the eloquence of the sermon, and the friends who sit around us, that we miss out on a far greater page in the story of our Christianity. Look around you. What is it that is happening in our community? What is it that is happening down the street at your neighbor's house? What is happening down at the playground? What is your spouse trying to tell you? Is God pitching a perfect game in the world series of our neighborhood and we simply are missing out because we are so invested in our team? Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com The last thing that sticks out to me about this text is Mary’s response to Jesus when he returns to her house. She says Jesus has you been here my brother would not have died. How did she know her close friend was actually the messiah. How did she know that he had the answer to death? We will never know. She did not understand why her brother had to die – just as we may never understand why our loves ones die. But she believed – and that made all of the difference in the world. We honor our loved ones who also believed – and that made all of the difference in the world – they believed enough to follow Jesus to heaven and they now live forever. Jesus us the messiah who cries for us, but he cries also for the world, he cries for a better day, he cries for a cure, he cries for us to be faithful in our lives, and in our memories. It is days like this that remind us of love, lessons, hope, and peace that these people showed us. May we all be faithful saints of Jesus. Amen. Communion Song Come Ye Disconsolate UMH 510 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook L: Let us go to be God’s saints this week. P: Not because we are more pious or special, but because we are called to care for those whom the world has tossed aside. L: Let us go now to serve with Jesus this week. P: Not because we are better than those around us, but because we are called to humble ourselves in serving those whom society has forgotten. L: Let us go now to journey with the Spirit this week. P: Not because we have the inside track, but because we have all lost our way, but hand in hand will be led to God’s heart. (c) Thom M. Shuman Community Time Benediction The pathway is open before you this day. It is a path of peace and hope, brought to others by God’s mighty love and wondrous blessings. Go in peace, bringing hope to all that you meet. Go, blessed ones, to serve God all your days. Go into the world as the living body of Christ, bringing eternal life to all who seek God’s face. Amen Children’s Time Additional Illustrations……. • “Jesus wept.” What does it mean to follow a messiah who wept? What does it mean to have a Savior who cries? The story is told of Frederick William IV of Prussia who once visited a school and quizzed the students. He held up a stone and asked the children: to what kingdom does this belong? They responded: mineral. He then, pointed to a flower and asked: to what kingdom does this belong? They answered: plant. He then pointed to a bird flying by outside the window and asked: to what Kingdom does that belong? They replied: animal. Then he asked: now, to what kingdom do I belong. He had raised a profound theological question. To what kingdom do we belong? On a literal sense, we are, off course, part and parcel of the animal kingdom. I belong to the same kingdom as my dog Ruff. He has many human traits. He can pout, he can get excited, he has a temper (as some of you who have visited the parsonage have discovered). But yet, Ruff does not understand time. He cannot grasp that there is a point beyond which he will not live. Only humans can grasp time. Ruff cannot tell right From wrong. It is not within him to share. His limited mind cannot set goals. All of those are human traits. The magnificent thing for humans is that it is within us to rise above purely animal desires and become a part of another kingdom----the Kingdom of God. Staff,www.Sermons.com Today, we celebrate “All Saints Day” –a day in the life of Christian tradition that honor all those in our Christian communities past, present, and future. For we are part of a huge body of Christ, and one that carries on through the generations by the passing on of the faith from one to another. All Saints is also tied to the idea of the harvest. As we come into our fall season, we celebrate the final harvest of the season. In the Jewish tradition, the final harvest occurs in the spring, as in the east, seasons are opposite. When we celebrate spring, they celebrate fall. When we celebrate fall, they are beginning their spring. So, the season most closely paired to our Harvest Celebration in the Jewish tradition is the season that we still celebrate now within our church year –the season of Pentecost, but most specifically tied to our harvest celebration is the Feast of Weeks –Shuvuot (the last harvest or the wheat harvest). In fact, the symbol for All Saints Day is the sheaf of wheat, symbolizing God’s final harvest, Jesus’ final victory. Think of it this way, when the harvest is here [hold two fingers up symbolizing the sheaf], God’s victory is near! [spread fingers into a V for Victory]. Can we do that together? “When the harvest is here, God’s victory is near!” [do the hand motions] All of you know the famous song by Knowles Shaw, “Bringing in the Sheaves,” right? Who has heard that song? We’re going to sing it today together. Well, that song was written as a response to psalm 126 –the idea that we spend our lives working in God’s vineyard as His loyal and faithful servants, sowing the seeds of kindness, and many times, shedding tears of sorrow, pain, and empathy for a broken world. Some of those tears may be our own for the things we’ve endured in our own lives. Some may be for others. But many times, life isn’t easy, especially when you’re devoted to God amid a world enmeshed in conflict. But we carry on, knowing that someday, the harvest will come, and we will be filled with the joy and love of God. Or as the psalmist says in Psalm 30: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” For Christians, we know the joy of Jesus’ sacrifice and victory in our own lives, and in the lives of people around us. We know the joy of God in our hearts even in the midst of sorrow. We may go out into the world in tears, but we come in from the field with joy! For God is Lord of the Harvest. You know sometimes as people of the Church, we think we need to be responsible for the harvest. We spend a lot of time worrying about results, and fretting when things don’t turn out like we hoped they would. We plan events, and few come. We try ministries that sometimes don’t work. We touch lives, and we fret, because those people aren’t in our pews. And sometimes, we start to feel down, because we feel that our efforts don’t matter. But we are not in charge of the Harvest crops. We are in charge of the sowing and the scattering of seed, and we are in charge of nurturing those seeds into fruition, and we are in charge of till and keeping the covenant of God and bearing the fruit of the gospel to everyone we can. We seek to work God’s mission fields, and to harvest (bring home to God) those of God’s faithful who respond to our good news. But we are not responsible for the turning of hearts and the growth of the crops. That’s God’s job. We are not the owners of the field; we are the workers in the field. And when we spread love, we never know how things might turn out. But spread we must. And sometimes, we gather people together, and we glean from the margins, and the edges, those who have been left behind, and we bring them to the Lord. Last week, we saw a film about John Wesley. Wesley wasn’t interested so much in just reaping the harvest he could easily see in the pews and churches of England. Wesley was interested in gleaning from the “leftovers” in the fields –those who weren’t welcome in the pews of the wealthy and well-brought up. He was interested in gathering from the margins among the downhearted, the poor, the disenchanted, and the depressed –those with addictions, and those with little money, those thrown into debtors prison, and those battling domestic issues, sickness, and pain. Wesley gleaned from the hopeless, and showed them the hope and the abundant mercy of God. And Jesus calls us to do the same. Today, we have heard the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman, born into another place and another faith, but whose heart found God. She followed her mother in law to Bethlehem, the land of fertile fields of barley and wheat –God’s House of Bread. Although destitute and hungry, Ruth found grace and hope in the fields of Boaz, where she was allowed to glean and gather from the corners of the field, left deliberately for the poor. Like David who would come after her, she is a servant before she is blessed with abundance. And through her humility and service, she is found to be worthy of becoming one of the “mothers” in the line of the Messiah Jesus. [You may wish to tell more of the story again here.] Ruth’s entry into God’s covenant is fixed when she meets and unites with Boaz on the threshing floor. Symbolizing the very wheat she has gleaned, Ruth is laid upon the threshing floor (the symbol of God’s place of judgment) and found by God to be pure of heart and sound of soul. In the uniting with Boaz, she is married to God’ covenant, and she reaps God’s abundant blessings. Ruth is rewarded for her love and loyalty by becoming Boaz’s wife. As a member of God’s faithful in Israel, Ruth will go on to become the great grandmother of King David. Jesus calls each and every one of us to be “gleaners” for God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 9: “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; therefore pay earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Today, as we celebrate the community of all saints, we celebrate those who have worked the fields of God’s vineyards, who have walked with God through both wheat and weeds, and have passed on the faith to you, and to those like you. To whom will you pass on the stories of Jesus? Who will one day say that YOU were their inspiration, their saving grace, the one they’ve looked to when they learned to follow Jesus? You are the workers of God’s harvest. “The harvest is plentiful; the workers are few.” As you prepare for Holy Communion today, I asked that when you receive the Eucharist, you answer the question, “Will you go into the fields for Jesus?” And will your answer be? …. “Lord, send me.” Today, as we celebrate the Holy Communion with Jesus, as we take the bread, and the cup, we recognize God’s final victory, and look forward to that Final Victory when we enter into God’s kingdom and sit at His heavenly table, partaking of the abundant blessings of our Lord and Savior with all of the saints who have come before us. But who will come after you? Who will sit here a hundred years from now to celebrate our Lord? “The harvest is plentiful; the workers are few.” Shed your tears for the poor and disenchanted. Tell your stories to those who haven’t heard of Jesus. God out into your communities, into your fields, into your coffee shops and firehouses. And tell the stories of Jesus to those in the margins and on the edges of the world today. Gather us in, Lord, gather us in. ________________________________________ Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text The Story of Ruth: A Story of Faith from the Heart Minor Text The Story of Tamar: Loyalty is Not As It May Appear (Genesis 38) A Raining Down of Manna (Exodus 16 and Numbers 11) Elijah’s Healing/Raising of a Phoenician Woman’s Son and a Gift of Bread (1 Kings 17) The Story of Jezebel (of Phoenicia, Daughter of King of Tyre), Ahab, and Elijah (1 Kings 9: 16-21) Elisha’s Healing/Raising of a Shunammanite Woman’s Son (2 Kings 4) Psalm 19: The Lord’s Salvation Jesus Heals a Canaanite Woman’s Daughter in Tyre (Matthew 15:21-28) Jesus Heals a Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter in Tyre (Mark 7:24-30) The Parable of the Great Dinner (Luke 14:15-24) Salvation is for All Who Believe with the Heart Reminds Paul (Letter to the Romans, Chapter 10) Optional OPTION TWO Lectionary The Raising Up of a New Prophet Like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-22) Psalm 2: The Son of God Psalm 22: Song of Deliverance from Persecution and God’s Victory Psalm 110: The Priest of Melchizedek God Knows the Name of the Son (Proverbs 30:3-6) The Prophecy of Amos (8) Zechariah’s Oracle for Jerusalem (12) Jeremiah’s Prophecy of a New Covenant (31) Isaiah’s Suffering Servant (53) The Book of Hosea The Son of God Who Will Suffer (Hebrews 1 and 2) Jesus’ Prophecies of His Death and Resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:1-5; Mark 8:31-33; 9:3-32; 10:32-24; Luke 9:18-22; 9:44-45; 12:49-50; 18:31-34; John 7:12-24; 12:20-36; 13:31-14:7; 16:16) Jesus the Son of God (Acts of the Apostles 13) Christ’s Suffering (1 Peter 2) The Resurrection of the Son and the Promise of Resurrection for All (1 Corinthians 15) The Son of Man (Revelation 1) Image Exegesis: The Omer The “omer” or sheaf is an important metaphor in the life of the Jewish people. Most people were either shepherds or farmers, so agricultural symbols dominate the Hebrew scriptures. The story of Ruth is the story of one such agricultural community –at Beth Lehem (the House of Bread) –fertile hillsides from which the community was fed with rich harvests of wheat and barley and other grains, as well as grapes and wine. There are so many references to the idea of “workers in God’s fields or vineyards” both in the Hebrew scriptures and in the gospels, that they are more than one can mention easily. Jesus uses the metaphor copiously in his stories. From sowing seeds, to planting, to watering, to harvesting, and to talk of wheat and chaff, or wheat and weeds, we know that for Jesus too, God is the grand harvester, and the “owner” or “master” of the fields. The end of the harvest (or the last harvest) for the Jewish people is Shavuot (the wheat harvest). At Shavuot, the Book of Ruth is read, as a symbol of God’s great blessings upon not just the poor, but those whose hearts turn to God. God (and Jesus emphasizes this emphatically) does not care about genetics. God cares about the state of one’s heart, and where that heart is loyal. When one is loving and loyal to God, God bestows upon that person abundant blessings. Jesus spent his ministry turning the tables on the expectations in society. The poor and marginal would be first at the table (and we see that in Jesus’ table parable). The outsiders will be blessed (as we see in his address to the Syro-Phoenician woman). The last will be first! No better do we see this as in the story of Ruth –one of the “mothers” of the Messiah (as seen in Matthew’s genealogy). Looking at the symbol of grain in the spirit of Shavuot, Ruth is both gleaner and wheat. She symbolizes the servant of the field, but she also symbolizes the wheat laid upon the threshing floor, and chosen/redeemed by God. Her redemption comes in form of her wedding to Boaz, in which she becomes part of Israel’s royal heritage. Likewise, the symbols of crown (victory/kingship) and sheaf of wheat (love/salvation/bread/abundant blessing/victory of the final harvest) are the symbols of All Saints Day in the Christian tradition. For we also celebrate God’s harvest –especially harvest from the margins and the edges of our societies and our world. The story today then is a missional one. The metaphors are missional, as well as ministerial. We are called to participate in God’s mission field –we sow seed, but we also help in the harvest, to gather together those who are weary and heavy laden, so that Jesus may give them rest –and a place at His heavenly and abundant table. When we come to the great threshing floor of God –who will be gathered in? Will you be one of those who served well? ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., , by Lori Wagner

Is Christ the King?

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington Christ the King Sunday November 21, 2021 Year B Opening Song Welcome – Christ the King Sunday Invocation/Opening Prayer We come this day, rejoicing, in the presence of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. At his birth the angels proclaimed his name to be Emmanuel, God with us. Today in this place, in this time of worship, may we truly feel the power and presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. May our hearts and spirits be warmed and challenged to proclaim with our lives, "Christ is Lord!". AMEN. Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (adapted from John 18) Living in the United States, many eagerly proclaim our independence. We are not officially designated into higher and lower class (or caste). We drink in the stories of those who started with little or nothing, used their ingenuity, luck, and being in the “right place at the right time”, to make it to the top: Army recruit who became a General, ragamuffin who now owns the profitable company, Hollywood waitstaff now in top demand as an actor. Yet today, we’re hearing about Jesus as Ruler. This one? Is this the same one born to parents not yet married, beginning life in a cave (or stable), turned refugee and then growing up to wander the countryside as a preacher/teacher/healer, with a curious band of disciples. A RULER? Perhaps it’s just this identity which calls us to Jesus. This Jesus is the one we want to rule in our hearts, link us to the Creator, and challenge us to take our place as followers. Jesus is the one who teaches his followers to be stewards of God’s many gifts; care-takers of what doesn’t actually belong to us. We’re faced with Jesus’ challenges to “love your neighbor”, “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison”. Today, we have opportunity to bear witness to our own identity not as independent operators, but as followers of Jesus. One way to do that is to share abundantly with others. You may offer your gifts to support this congregation, to strengthen our connection to ____________, to provide care for _____________. It’s your move. What will you do with this one opportunity to claim Jesus as Lord in your life? Prayer of Thanksgiving Bountiful God, As we move toward Thanksgiving, many of us eagerly anticipating time with family and friends, we take this moment to offer our thanks to you for all you have provided. Please receive our gifts today, knowing they come in return, as signs and symbols of our daily lives. Help us use these gifts to share Good News with those who struggle. AMEN Scripture 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Common English Bible David’s last words 23 These are David’s last words: This is the declaration of Jesse’s son David, the declaration of a man raised high, a man anointed by the God of Jacob, a man favored by the strong one of Israel.[a] 2 The LORD’s spirit speaks through me; his word is on my tongue. 3 Israel’s God has spoken, Israel’s rock said to me: “Whoever rules rightly over people, whoever rules in the fear of God, 4 is like the light of sunrise on a morning with no clouds, like the bright gleam after the rain that brings grass from the ground.” 5 Yes, my house is this way with God![b] He has made an eternal covenant with me, laid out and secure in every detail. Yes, he provides every one of my victories and brings my every desire to pass. 6 But despicable people are like thorns, all of them good for nothing, because they can’t be carried by hand. 7 No one can touch them, except with iron bar or the shaft of a spear. They must be burned up with fire right on the spot! Sermon – Is Christ the King? I want to start out today by sharing some famous last words of people. The world has always delighted in recording the last words of famous people. O’Henry died saying, "Turn up the lights, I don’t want to go home in the dark." Ballerina Anna Pavlova died crying out, "Get my swan costume ready." Legend has it that an expiring Oscar Wilde complained, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." Rock musician Terry Kath, playing Russian roulette with a loaded pistol, remarked, "Don’t worry, it isn’t loaded." My grandmother told me that, in her day, when folks usually died at home, the family often gathered around the deathbed to hear a loved one’s final words. Today you may remember the last words spoken to you by someone you loved. In this chapter we hear the last words of one of our great fathers of faith. David’s strong booming voice rings down the ages as he rang down the curtain on one of the greatest lives ever lived. Joseph Heller in his satirical new novel about David, begins his fiction with David saying, "I have the best story in the Bible." • After Steve’s death, The New York Times published a eulogy delivered by Mona Simpson, Steve’s sister. In her eulogy, Mona described Steve Jobs’ last words on his deathbed as, “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.” Four years later, in 2015, an essay that purported to be Steve Jobs’ last speech began circulating. Jesus last words were recorded to be Make Disciples of all nations, I will be with you until the end of the age. Our sermon today are known as the last words of David. In reality, David lived a lot longer that these words. There is one more chapter in the book of Samuel. And David’s actual last words are recorded much later, when he crowns his son Solomon as king and tells him to make sure that he kills all of the rest of his brothers in order to stay on the throne. But these words in 2 Samuel 23 have a much more important message for us today. Our narrative today, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, is often called "the last words of David." Whether he or some later writer composed these words doesn’t really matter. They sum up some of what he brought to the world and they point the way forward. They give a glimpse for the people of Israel of what leadership and the kingdom can achieve. This legacy suggests the perpetuity of the house (dynasty) of David. They are words of assurance that God will dwell with his people. These are truly "famous last words." In them there are at least three themes: (1) David’s words were good words because the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him (2 Samuel 23:2); (2) a glimpse of perfect leadership (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and (3) an everlasting relationship/covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). 2 Samuel 23:3 says whoever rules rightly over people, whoever rules in the fear of God, is like the light of sunshine on a morning without clouds, like the bright gleam after the rain. When we live a life of righteousness we are the light of sunshine for a cloudy world. When we follow the model of leadership of David we are the bright gleam. David words are wonderful, he was known for us poetry, for his leadership, for the promise that God made to him that he would always have a descendent on the throne for his kingdom. Unfortunately the biblical history shows that not to be true. David’s grandson only two generations later was the king to lose half of the kingdom when Judah and Israel split. And 500 years later the whole kingdom disappeared all together. And yet the book of Matthew is determined to prove that Jesus comes from David’s lineage. So David’s promise can continue and be taught to a whole new generation. A grandmother wanted her granddaughter to attend Sunday school. So she arranged to pick her up and take her. She took her to her class and introduced her to her teacher. Following the class the grandmother picked her up and drove her home. The grandmother was anxious to hear about her granddaughter's experience. She noticed that her granddaughter was in a rather pensive mood as she silently stared out of the car window. Finally, the grandmother could not stand the suspense any longer and asked her granddaughter, "Well, what did you think of Sunday school?" Thoughtfully, she replied, "Grandma, what's so great about Jesus?" The Wizard of Id comic strip characterizes a feisty little fellow as the despotic ruler of the Land of Id. In one strip, the king opens his mail and reads aloud, "This is to notify you that you have been chosen to be presiding king at the kings' conference this year." The king begins to jump up and down, excitedly proclaiming, "Hallelujah! I'm the king of kings! I'm the king of kings!" In the next frame a fiery bolt of lightning descends from on high. In the final frame, a charred and frizzled little king hears a mighty voice booming from the dark cloud above, "In your dreams, buster!"1 It is Jesus who has the title of King of Kings What Kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? What kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? No castle nor palace has he. No congress nor parliament sitting, deciding what laws there will be. Perhaps he has need of but two laws: Love God and your neighbor as well. To obey them is all that is needed, as all of the saintly can tell. He has neither army nor navy, no air force to guard the frontiers to keep out the strangers unwanted and maintain the enemy’s fears. Immigration he seems to encourage, of some quite disreputable, like fishermen, publicans, sinners. To such he is hospitable. It seems there’s no revenue service or taxes we must calculate. He surely cannot run a kingdom on what we put into the plate! No 1040 form comes in April to fill out before the fifteenth, with penalties charged for nonpayment, beginning upon the sixteenth. No currency’s here with his picture, no coinage engraved with his name. And where are the posters and slogans proclaiming his power and fame? And I see no trappings of kingship, no robes made of velvet and fur, no crown made of gold set with diamonds, to befit our supreme arbiter. Jesus said that his kingdom was really not what Pilate had thought it had been. It was not of this world. And its glory was not of the kind to be seen. For those of us here in his kingdom, there is one other thing we have known: of the kingdoms around in his lifetime, it’s the only one left with a throne. Andrew Daughters, The Kingdom of Jesus, CSS Publishing. Today Jesus kingdom lies in the heart of the church and those who choose to follow him. His kingdom is not about approval ratings but it is in what we do in the world. It is about power and control. The way that we use power and control in our lives. Is it for our personal gain, or for the wellbeing of all people. When we follow Jesus we are all called to be leaders and to live according to the qualities of the king. David’s promise applies to us all. There is a story of a little boy who was in a hospital in England in the days of King George V. George V was king of Great Britain from 1910 until his death in 1936. This was when marriage was used as a political tool among the royal houses of Europe. So George was a grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the first cousin of both Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. And yet George was far less pretentious than many of history’s monarchs. The patients in this particular hospital where the little boy in our story was being treated were told that the king was going to pay them a visit that day. So everybody put on their best clothes as they were lying in their bed, waiting for the king to come. This little boy was eager to see the king. All day long there were a number of visitors, because it was visitor’s day. And along about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a man came in with a number of other men with him. He spoke to some of the boys and girls. He even spoke to this young boy who was waiting so eagerly to see the king. He patted him on the head. He spoke very nicely to the boy and left. That night, as he was being made ready for bed, the little boy spoke to the nurse. “Nurse,” he complained, “the king didn’t come!” And she said, “Oh, the king did come. Don’t you remember that nice elderly man that came over to you and patted you on the head? And spoke so sweetly to you?” David W. Miller, Reign of Truth And he said, “Yes, I do.” She said, “Well, that was the king.” The boy protested, “But nurse, he didn’t have on his crown!” This is what most disappointed the people who came to see Jesus. He wore no crown… What makes people great? By the standards of our society, greatness appears to be based on four possible foundations: wealth, honors, fame, or power. The power may be physical, as in the agility and stamina of an athlete. The power may also be financial or political. In contrast to these sources of greatness, the author of the Second Book of Samuel traces greatness to God. In speaking about King David, the author wrote: "David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great, whom the God of Jacob chose to be king, and who was the composer of beautiful songs for Israel" (2 Samuel 23:1-2, TEV). The same God who inspired greatness in his servant David is the God who inspires greatness in you. "I am sure," wrote Saint Paul, "that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns" (Philippians 1:6, LB). There are four qualities to this divinely inspired greatness: humility, helpfulness, hopefulness, heroism. First, a person is made great by being humble, Secondly, a person is made great by being helpfulThirdly, a person is made great by being hopeful, Fourthly, a person is made great by being heroic, David’s heroism inspired heroism in his soldiers. They seem to fulfill the statement of Thomas Carlyle, "We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man without gaining something from him." The scriptures say, "These are the names of David’s heroes" (2 Samuel 23:8, NEB). and then lists more than thirty heroic soldiers. Heroes affect us in four ways. First, a hero captures our attention. One of those heroes was a man named Benaiah "who went down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day" (2 Samuel 23:20, NEB). Because we face problems that stalk us like lions, we admire Benaiah, whose action captures our attention. Secondly, a hero crystallizes our intention. The lion that Benaiah faced strayed up from the area near the Jordan River and was stranded in a snowstorm. The presence of that lion was not under Benaiah’s control. However, what Benaiah could control and what we can control is our reaction to the problems we face. That type of self-control is a personal goal worth developing. Benaiah’s example helps us to crystallize just such an intention. Thirdly, a hero cultivates our retention. Although it was a snowy day and the lion was in a pit, Benaiah did not run away; he held his ground before the lion. Benaiah’s courage in the face of unfavorable circumstances encourages our retention, our holding on when the going gets tough. As a Norwegian proverb says, "A hero is one who knows how to hold on one minute longer." Fourthly, a hero catalyzes our extension. Just as a certain substance can spark a chemical reaction, so a heroic figure causes us to enlarge our outlook and to expand our efforts toward our goals. The Last Word Have you ever been in a heated argument with someone and couldn't let the matter drop? You just had to continue making your point. Why? Because you had to have the last word. If you have ever been in a classroom discussion, you have discovered the importance of that class reaching some sort of resolution and conclusion to the discussion. Students will often look to the teacher to settle the matter. The teacher has the last word. If you ever watched Ted Koppel on the late night television show Nightline, you saw him struggle with trying to be fair in dealing with two or more opposing points of view. It is also obvious how important it is to have the last word on that show. The last one to speak always seems to have the most lasting impact. To have the last word is to be the final authority. To have the last word is to have the most power. To have the last word means that you are in control, that you are the boss. Ask any coach, teacher, manager, CEO, or parent and they will tell you that having the last word is what they are all about. However we might think that a king is an old-fashioned and irrelevant image for an authority figure for the late twentieth century (and that is probably accurate!), nevertheless, before we throw this day out of our liturgical calendar, we ought to get behind the historical cobwebs of a king and look instead at what the tradition of the church is really trying to communicate with this day of Christ the King. Perhaps "King" isn't a helpful way to talk about Jesus in this day and age, but if we think of a king as someone who has the last word, who is the final authority and power in life, then celebrating Christ as King might begin to make more sense. Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain -- Words for a Politically Incorrect Church, CSS Publishing, Lima Christ the king Sunday is the last word of the Christian year. It is intended for us to remember that the last word in our faith is Jesus Christ is Lord and King of our lives. We leave one Christian year and enter into another. We are ending year b – next week we begin year C – we follow the book of Luke. We prepare our hearts for Christ to come into our hearts in a whole new way. Thanksgiving ends and we start the first Sunday of advent. We did not look at psalm 132 – but it is a praise written by King David. In it, As God settles down and chooses to live among his people in a temple – the words of the psalm welcome God home to a heart fit for a king. As we prepare our hearts this year for the coming of the king – may we too live in the promises of God – may we remember that christ is indeed King of our hearts and everything that we do. Amen. Litany P: I am an independent person. I need no one. I am my own person. No one owns me! L: Come , bow down before your Lord, your King. P: Excuse me! I have no king. I don't need a king. L: The Lord Jesus Christ, he is the King of Kings. P: Where is his kingdom? L: In your heart and spirit. P: You've got to be kidding!? L: No, the Lord seeks to reign in your heart, to establish his kingdom in your life. P: Nobody's setting up shop in my head! L: It's difficult to understand. The Lord Jesus Christ is seeking you out, as friend, and witness. P: Witness to what? L: To God's absolute love for you and for all creation. P: All I see is war and violence; viciousness and hatred. L: Open your eyes. There is more to see than that. You yourself have been a blessing to someone recently. P: Me? I don't think so. What do you mean? L: You recently offered your help to a person in need, didn't you? P: Well, yes. But..... L: You supported people who were in ministries of caring and compassion. P: Well, of course. That's what you should do. L: Why? P: Because they needed help and even though I couldn't provide it directly, I could help cover the expenses of those who could be right at hand. L: Why did you do it? P: Because it was needed. Someone has to help, right? L: It's nice that you are part of that "someone". Christ's love is reigning in you. P: I never thought of it that way. L: Whenever you have reached out to others in love and compassion, you have reached out to Christ. You have become part of the Kingdom team. P: But I don't feel controlled, ruled over. L: You're not. Christ is working with you to bring about God's kingdom. P: So, I'm actually doing what God wants? How about that! L: Keep on working. There is much to be done, and God is with you through it all. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song All Hail the Power of Jesus Name UMH 155 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Savior, you pour out your power for the powerless and your salvation for the lost. Remember us in your new creation, so that we may live in peace with you in the presence of the Holy One, to whom be all honor and glory, through you, in the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Luke 23:33-43 / Year C Community Time Benediction (Revelation 1, John 18) God calls us into the world to embody a realm that is not of this world. Go forth now in the name of the one who is, and was, and is to come. May God’s grace and peace be with you. Amen. Children’s Sermon One of the things I enjoyed most in school was a special day called "Hat Day." All of the students and teachers wore a hat to school on that day. You would see all kinds of hats -- big hats, small hats, cloth hats, and straw hats. Some were very funny. You know, you can tell a lot about a person by the kind of hat he wears. Sometimes, you can even tell what a person does for a living by the kind of hat he or she wears. I have a bag full of hats to show you. As I take a hat out of my bag, raise your hand if you think you know who would wear that kind of hat. Who knows who would wear a hat like this? (Fire Fighter's Hat) Right! A fire fighter. That was easy, wasn't it? How about this one? (Hard Hat) Oh, you are right again. Someone who works in construction would wear a hat like this. It is sometimes called a hard hat. People who build buildings, highways, bridges, and things like that. Have you ever seen anyone wearing a hat like this? (Cowboy Hat) Who would wear a hat like this? Yahoo! You got that right, it is worn by a cowboy or cowgirl. Now, this next one is a little different. Let's see if you can get this one. (Crown) I wonder who would wear something like this? Can you guess? I can't fool you, a crown is worn by a king or queen, isn't it? Today's lesson is about a King who was born many years ago. This king was different from most. What made this king different? Well, for one thing, he didn't live in a palace. He didn't wear a beautiful robe or a jeweled crown. He had no servants to wait on him -- and and no soldiers to fight his battles. He didn't even have a country over which to rule and there were no coins engraved with his face or his name. I imagine that most of you have probably guessed who this king is. The King is Jesus. He is not just any king, he is the King of Kings. His kingdom is not on earth, his kingdom is in heaven. That is why many people never chose to make him their king. When Jesus was on earth, the people were looking for a king who would set up a kingdom on earth. A kingdom where they would share the wealth and power. Jesus did finally wear a crown, but it wasn't a crown of gold with jewels, it was a crown of thorns. A cross became his throne and above his head was a sign that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Roman soldiers stood beneath his cross and mocked him. "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" they cried. Crucified 0n each side of Jesus were two criminals. One of them mocked him saying, "If you are the Messiah, prove it. Save yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!" But the other criminal said, "We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus replied, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Some people still refuse to recognize Jesus as King. But all around the world today the Word is spoken, "Jesus Christ is still the King of Kings." Jesus, today we crown you King and make you Lord of our life. Amen. Additional Illustrations History of Christ the King Sunday This is actually a pretty new festival in the church year. Its roots go back only to the late 1800's, when the world's great empires--British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese--were all at war or about to go to war somewhere. The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God. After World War I, another pope designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Eventually, Catholics moved Christ the King Sunday to the last Sunday of the church year, when they were already accustomed to reflecting on Christ's return at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout Revelation, the last book of the Bible. David W. Miller, Reign of Truth History of Christ the King Sunday This is actually a pretty new festival in the church year. Its roots go back only to the late 1800's, when the world's great empires--British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese--were all at war or about to go to war somewhere. The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God. After World War I, another pope designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Eventually, Catholics moved Christ the King Sunday to the last Sunday of the church year, when they were already accustomed to reflecting on Christ's return at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Are you the king of the Jews? We are familiar with that question, which is asked of Jesus in the passion story. Everyone in those days knew what a king was! We are not talking here about best sport, or Miss Congeniality — we are talking kings! When Alexander the Great was the greatest king of the then-known world, he decided to conquer all of Asia Minor. Darius, the King of Persia, the only other ruler that could claim super-power status, sued for peace, saying to Alexander: "Let's you and me just divide up Asia together." To which Alexander replied, "Just as the earth can stand only one sun, so the world can have only one ruler!" Alexander promptly crushed Darius. If the church is to make a difference in the world, every one of its members must begin to act and think like leaders. Leadership is not for the few and the special, the exception rather than the expected. Whether this mysterious thing called "leadership" comes naturally or is an acquired talent, every Christian must come to terms with it. A biblical style of leadership and language of leadership must become endemic in the church Our narrative today, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, is often called "the last words of David." Whether he or some later writer composed these words doesn’t really matter. They sum up some of what he brought to the world and they point the way forward. They give a glimpse for the people of Israel of what leadership and the kingdom can achieve. This legacy suggests the perpetuity of the house (dynasty) of David. They are words of assurance that God will dwell with his people. These are truly "famous last words." In them there are at least three themes: (1) David’s words were good words because the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him (2 Samuel 23:2); (2) a glimpse of perfect leadership (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and (3) an everlasting relationship/covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). 1. Good words Language specialists claim that the five sweetest phrases in the English language are: "I love you." "Dinner is served." "All is forgiven." "Sleep ‘til noon." "Keep the change." And there are those who choose to add: "You’ve lost weight!" In a book titled Irrepressible Churchill, Kay Halle told the story of a little boy who lived near Chartwell, England. It was at Chartwell Manor that Winston Churchill lived after his retirement as prime minister in 1955. This little boy was taken to Chartwell by the woman who cared for him each day. She told the little boy that he was going to see "the greatest man in the whole, wide world." When this woman and the boy in her charge arrived at Chartwell Manor, they learned that Sir Winston had retired for his afternoon nap. While the woman was having tea, the little boy slipped away from the adults, climbed the stairs, and started to explore the house. He pushed open the door to one of the bedrooms and saw Winston Churchill curled up in bed, ready for one of his famous naps. The little boy crept to the bed and asked, "Are you the greatest man in the whole wide world?" Sir Winston fixed his eye on him for a moment, then replied, "Of course, I’m the greatest man in the whole wide world. Now buzz off." once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." A grandmother wanted her granddaughter to attend Sunday school. So she arranged to pick her up and take her. She took her to her class and introduced her to her teacher. Following the class the grandmother picked her up and drove her home. The grandmother was anxious to hear about her granddaughter's experience. She noticed that her granddaughter was in a rather pensive mood as she silently stared out of the car window. Finally, the grandmother could not stand the suspense any longer and asked her granddaughter, "Well, what did you think of Sunday school?" Thoughtfully, she replied, "Grandma, what's so great about Jesus?" once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."

To be a Good Christians

Ephesians 4:1-16 To be a good Christian 19th Sunday Year B August 2, 2015 Our lesson for today is from the book of Ephesians. I want to share with you an easy way to find Ephesians in the bible – eat peaches and cream – that stands for ephesians, phillipians and colossians. In the bible, the gospels always come first, then romans because it is the longest letter in the bible, 2 chapters of Corinthians, Galatians and then Eat peaches and cream. Whenever I preach from Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians, it is the same message. So I feel like I preach this same sermon that I am going to preach today, about 5 times a year.but that is okay – because it is an important message. That message that in Christianity, it is not about what you do, it is about how you do it. Going to church is not about how well you sing, or howmany hours you spend at the church, or even how much money you give. Being a Christians is about who you are as a person. How you treat people, how you make decisions, and how you handle difficult people and difficult situations. Last week I felt that I had a conversation with one of the biggest jerks in the world. A person who came to me and told me later, I knew that I was lying to you – but I felt that it was okay. And the thing that bothered me, was not so much that this person was a jerk, but that this person was a jerk who goes to church every Sunday. Sits in church, gets their praise on, listens to the sermon, gives their money, and ll thinks that it we is okay to lie and cheat to get what they want in life. Or the person who just started going to church last month, who is challenging me and making me realize that they are so mucha better person then I am because their pastor is better than me. And I am thinking competing against one anotherisnot the point of church. But Paul’s message to us is that does not a matter what gets us in the door of a church, but once we get there it does matter what we do once we get there. We all have one task – and that is to grow and to mature in our Christianity. Maturing in Christ is called discipleship. Jesus does expect us to change our behavior once we get here. We should all be striving to be better persons, once we get here. I want to share this passage from Ephesians from the Message bible. Most black people use the king james version of the bible. We read the new revised standard version from the pulpit. The message is a version written by Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterians pastor, who paraphrases the bible in everyday language. So what he is saying is much easier for us to understand. Ephesians 4:1-16The Message (MSG) To Be Mature 4 1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. 4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. 7-13 But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is, He climbed the high mountain, He captured the enemy and seized the booty, He handed it all out in gifts to the people. Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. 14-16 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. The Message (MSG) We are called to live according to the life we are called to. We are to walk, if possible run to the life that God has in store for us. Christianity calls us to be better than 99% of the people that we meet in the world. The gospel story tells us of Jesus intentional journey to save us. He intentionally and prayerfully went to the cross. He was so spiritually prepared, that in times of the most painful experience of his life, he was able to respond from the God place inside of himself. He did not do or say what was natural, he said the right things, the God things to say. Being a Christians means that we are intentional about how we deal with people and with life. That we don’t say what is natural – that we say what God asks us to say. That everything that we do be measured upon these five virtues – humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace. Galatians calls them the fruits of the spirit. Ephesians says that everything that you do or say, in every situation, good or bad, should exemplify those five virtues. 2305 Sweetest Music From Smallest Birds Have you ever thought of it, that only the smaller birds sing? You never heard a note from the eagle in all your life, nor from the turkey, nor from the ostrich. But you have heard from the canary, the wren, and the lark. The sweetest music comes from those Christians who are small in their own estimation and before the Lord. —Watchman-Examiner It is our quiet strength that makes a difference A seminary professor of another generation retired early because of his health, and died at the age of 58. The last ten years of his life were spent in and out of hospitals. Toward the end of his life this teacher traced the steps and stages of his ministry. He said: “When I began I thought of myself as standing upon the bank of the stream of life, shouting instructions to the swimmers who were down below. I was the expert. The second stage of my ministry, I thought of myself as the rescuer. If I saw someone going down for the third time, I would plunge into the water, rescue them, get them started in the right direction again, then I would return to the bank. But the last ten years of my life, I was in the water, and we were fellow-strugglers with arms around each other, trying to help one another make it to the shore.” I submit to you that that’s what Christ is calling for – from you and me, from this church, to put our arms around each other in the waters of life and swim together to make the Kingdom of the world the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are all different, we all have different ideas of what it means to be a Christian. And sometimes we cant judge what others do. Because we are all sinners. We are all different but we only serve one god. ephesians says that we should are different, but we are called to serve in unity. There are 7 places where our unity should shine - body of christ, in community, in the spirit, in faith, in baptism, in the lord, in confidence. Ephesians says – (repeat the ones). We talk so much about what the church needs, and what we need to do to fix the church, when if we are not able to get Jesus right, then the church does not matter. When we learn and practice the lessons that Jesus taught us- then the church will fall into place. We have to grow and mature in the ways of Christ – that is the whole point of us coming to church. a man that walked into a doctor's office with a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear, and a banana in his right ear. He said, "Doc, what's wrong with me?" The doctor said, "Simple, you're not eating right." Well, if you will feed on the word of God, you won't be like a leaf on a tree blown by the wind, or a cork in the ocean tossed by the waves; you'll be like a rock in the ground that cannot be moved. If you do not have humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace in your life, then you are not going to church right. 2312 Simpson’s Most Valuable Discovery In the year 1847, a doctor from Edinburgh, Sir James Simpson, discovered that chloroform could be used as an anaesthetic to render people insensible to the pain of surgery. From his early experiments, Dr. Simpson made it possible for people to go through the most dangerous operations without fear of pain and suffering. Some people even claim that his was one of the most significant discoveries of modern medicine. Some years later, while lecturing at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Simpson was asked by one of his students, “What do you consider to be the most valuable discovery of your lifetime?” To the surprise of his students, who had expected him to refer to chloroform, Dr. Simpson replied, “My most valuable discovery was when I discovered myself a sinner and that Jesus Christ was my Saviour.” That has been my lesson for this week. Norman Cousins said that life is a journey in forgiveness. There are always going to be people who need to be forgiven. There are always going to be jerks in the church, There are always going to be people who have a different perspective of what Christianity means. But there is only one Lord,one faith,one baptism, onebody. I cant change other people, and I have to remember that is not my job. They have to change themselves, and I have to do the same. I have to grow, to mature, to claim Christ for myself. Sometimes that is why God sends those jerks on my path – so that I can practice what I preach. And learn to practice humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace for myself and my own maturity. When the Treasury Department is training its agents on how to spot counterfeit money, they do not show them the techniques of counterfeiters; they don't show them samples of phony money. What they do is drill into their minds what a real dollar bill looks like. They want them to know the real thing so thoroughly that it is second nature to spot the phony. Jesus is the real thing, the bible is the real story. The name Carl Lewis is synonymous with gold. In the 1984 Olympics he won four gold medals in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and the 4X times X 100 meter relay. The only other person ever to do that in history was Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1988 Lewis won two more Olympic gold medals; in 1992 he won another two gold medals; in 1996 he won another gold medal, for a grand total of nine. In 1991 he set a new world record in the 100 meter dash, covering it in 9.86 seconds. Now, to put that in perspective, that would be like running the 100 yard dash in 9.02 seconds. For you football fans, that would be covering the 40 yard dash in 3.61 seconds. But the interesting thing about Carl Lewis is that even though at one time he was the fastest man in the world, he was also the slowest starter in the field. If you go back and look at his races, he always started out behind because he was a notoriously slow starter. The reason why he was winning at the end is because he was the best finisher. Carl Lewis is walking living proof that it is not how you start, but it is how you finish that counts. Now part of our Mission Statement is "to make disciples of all people…equipping the saints for the work of ministry." Now making disciples leads to maturity, and equipping the saints leads to ministry. Our job is to bring people to the Master. But when we bring people to the Master, our job is not finished, it is just beginning. Because then we are to bring them to maturity and also to ministry. It is not how you walk in the door of the church that matters, it is what you take with you when you walkout. The longer you sit in the pew, the more you should grow as a person. Every time you come, you should take with you more humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace. Let us pray....... Children’s sermon… Props: A piece of cardboard about six feet tall, a felt-tip marker, and a ruler. We all grow differently, when we’re children. Some grow faster than others. That doesn’t mean that fast growers are better or that slow growers are better. It just means that children grow differently. To show you that children grow differently, I’ve brought this tall piece of cardboard. Can you guess what I’m going to do with this cardboard? I’m going to measure you on it. I have a felt-tip pen to make a line on the cardboard to show how tall you are. Next to the line that shows how tall you are, I’m going to print your name. If you’ll please stand here next to me, I’ll start by making a line right where the top of your head comes. I’ll lay this ruler on top of your head to show where to make the line. Then, you walk away from the cardboard and I’ll print your name next to the line that shows how tall you are. Then, when I’m through making all the lines, we’ll see that we have children who are different sizes in our church. (Measure the children.) Now we can see that we have shorter children and taller children in our church. Does God love the shorter children? Does God love the taller children? Does God love all the children? God loves all sizes, doesn’t he! More illustrations…. “I do not seek a kindness equal to that given to Paul. Nor do I ask the grace granted to Peter. But that forgiveness which Thou didst grant to the robber—that, earnestly I crave!” —Glad Tidings Life is an adventure in forgiveness – Norman CousinsA seminary professor of another generation retired early because of his health, and died at the age of 58. The last ten years of his life were spent in and out of hospitals. Toward the end of his life this teacher traced the steps and stages of his ministry. He said: “When I began I thought of myself as standing upon the bank of the stream of life, shouting instructions to the swimmers who were down below. I was the expert. The second stage of my ministry, I thought of myself as the rescuer. If I saw someone going down for the third time, I would plunge into the water, rescue them, get them started in the right direction again, then I would return to the bank. But the last ten years of my life, I was in the water, and we were fellow-strugglers with arms around each other, trying to help one another make it to the shore.” I submit to you that that’s what Christ is calling for – from you and me, from this church, to put our arms around each other in the waters of life and swim together to make the Kingdom of the world the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ But to grow in spirit, in mind, in heart, in attitude, in understanding, in wisdom – this demands decision. It doesn’t just happen; we milk. 1 Cor. 3:2 tells us that God's word is solid food. Ps. 119:103 tells us that God's word is honey. What a menu from which to grow. I think I know why most Christians are not growing. They are Children grow at different rates, but no matter what their size, God loves them.

Threatened with Resurrection

April 26, 2009
Preached for the Third Sunday of Easter
Threatened with Resurrection
Reproached and rewritten from May 3, 1998 (there are other versions)
Revelation 7:9-17
Luke 24:36-48
For year B




It’s been what – 4 years now and I am still a Grey’s anatomy fan. It is my dream to one day write my sermons that way Shondra Rhymes writes her episodes. She always starts out with a theme in every day life, something that all of the characters are dealing with. They start their days off dealing with this issue, and then on to the hospital to see if come full blast. And at the end of the episode – there is always some resolution to the situation, but the issue still there. There is some comment about the issue and the introduction of some cool song – that everyone will go out and buy to think more about how that issue plays out in our lives.
The first episode this Thursday was a rerun – on how Izzy, one of the original medical students was recovering from an operation to remove a brain tumor - the whole cast – most of whom were her classmates stood around the operating room to see if she would be alright. The theme for the night was trauma – Trauma in our lives always leaves a scar no matter how much we heal – it follows us around in our lives. But the good thing is that it moves us forward. It edges us to go on, to move forward to something deeper in our lives.
That is the theme of my sermon this morning – trauma- and how it affects us and gets us going. That is the theme of Easter – the Sunday’s after Easter – dealing with the trauma of death, and betrayal, and misunderstanding. And yet still witnessing the beauty of God’s presence - and creating a beautiful life in the midst of it.
I am always amazed at how the writer of Grey’s anatomy is able to put all of life’s issues into one concise word – and then she says one or two sentences about that issue – and she has said all that needs to be said. How does she do that?
I am not there yet – I still have to preach a whole sermon to get my point across. But believe me I am working on it. But I also don’t have the luxury of thousands of actors to tell my story for me.
But anyway – back to the theme of trauma – and Easter. In the Luke passage for today – The disciples are devastated at the death of Jesus. They don’t know what they are going to do – until he appears to them and brings them peace and then sends them out into the world to witness to what they know about God. After the resurrection, there are several stories of Jesus appearance. They are so caught up in grief, they don’t recognize Jesus. But he doesn’t come to continue life as it has been, but to shake them up to realize this things have changed. Resurrection is the beauty of life, after the scars of trauma. Resurrection is the message that it is time to move forward.
The power of God came to earth- through the life of Jesus, but it was after the resurrection that power was let out into the world – to make an appearance at any time in any situation.
The Buddhist have reincarnation – which says that it it doesn’t matter if you die – because you will come back again to correct all of the mistakes that you made in this life. The Hindu’s have rebirth – which says that when you die, you will come back in another form based on the way that you lived your life. The Jews have stories of rescitation – there are even plenty of stories of people who have died, whom Jesus himself bought back to life – Resurrection the concept of experiencing death and decay – and then completely coming back to life as the person you always were - is a concept that is unique to Christianity . It is a special concept – because it stresses that we are all special and unique people to God. That life is precious and intended for a purpose. We only get one chance at life, and it is important for us to make the most of that one chance.
There is a human part of us and there is a divine part of us. There is a part of us that disappears when we die, and there is a part of us that lives on.
Resurrection acknowledges the trauma of life – and the push forward for us to heal and move on.
One of my most powerful examples of the definition of resurrection, and the power that it has for our lives – comes from a book that we had to read in seminary called - Threatened with Resurrection.
That seems like a strange title - threatened with resurrection. Threatened – resurrection is a promise not a threat. It is what Jesus promises us if we are good and we behave nicely. At the end of the world – we too will be resurrected like him.
Actually resurrection is not a promise of the future - but it is a promise of now. Of dealing with the trauma that we experience in our lives.
Threatened with Resurrection is a poem written by Julia Esquivel from Guatamala. In the 1950’s Guatamala was a country which was very oppressive and apparently very paranoid. They killed hundreds of thousands of their own people – because they thought they were conspiring against them. Soldiers would go through whole neighborhoods and ill everybody – even 3 month old babies. For many years – people were afraid of speaking out of this injustice.
Why do I tell you that story for Easter – because these people have one of the most powerful Easter faiths that have ever heard of. They realized that the soldiers and this dire situation had just threatened them with resurrection. They realized that no matter how many of them were killed that the soldiers could not kill the spirit of the community. They realized that no matter how much devastation that they had to face, that they would not become resentful. They would continue to love peace, to love God, and to love their enemies. They truly came to represent what it means to be resurrected. It means that you cannot destroy their soul – which was never a part of this world. What the world did not give them, the world could not take away. They came to realize that they were children of God – who would always prevail.

I tell you that story because there are still many communities which are being devastated in much that same way – every day. And we never hear about it, it we hear romantic stories about it. We hear the stories of pirates in Somalia – because it is romantic for Americans to hear that our Navy are protecting people from the bad guys – but we never hear that their country Somalia has been lawless and without proper government for years. We never hear about all of the people in Darfur who are still being persecuted, or that the Congo and Liberia have been in a civil war for years.

Even the missionary Janet Lehr Lewis talks of the Palestinians who are depending on their faith in an oppressive situation. There are many times when she will send an email to tell us the real story behind what we hear about in the news. There are many times when she will say in her email – that it is not safe for her to tell the truth about what she is going through - because she is not safe yet.

I tell you that story – because I am grateful to groups like the United Methodist Women – who are willing to uncover the truth about the world that we live in. Every year, they provide studies for us to look at a country or situation in a new and different way. The School of Christian Mission has been a profound part of my faith development. This year they are doing a study on Darfur – to tell people what it really going on. They tell us what we can do to help and to pray even when we are far removed from the situation. I had someone from another denomination, say that the United Methodist Women are the best kept secret of the denomination. If people were aware of what they were doing, they would definitely listen.

I tell you that story - because if they can be threatened with resurrection in such dire circumstance – that surely we too can become awakened to realize the role that resurrection plays in our lives.

A man went to a psychologist to complain about his brother in law who thought he was a chicken. The psychologist said it should be no problem to cure the brother in law of his delusion. The man refused, said no I don’t think I will be bringing him in – we really need the eggs.

There is a story that the disciple Peter was able to heal a man of his blindness. After being healed, the man gouged his eyes out-he had been making a lot of money as a blind man, and he wanted to continue to play his game.

In life, Jesus realized that many of us are just like that. The resurrection shows us that there is a better way of doing things, a healthier way to live. And want to go back to the old way of doing things. It makes sense to us. And in a lot of ways – we were so glad to have the eggs- they pay off – that we were no willing to think differently. Resurrection is truly a threat to us.

Things can change – things will change- things are intended to change. We have to accept it- but we also have to have faith that God will give us the strength to adapt to new ways. In spite of our resistance. We can give up bad habits, we can think about the future.

It is usually our fear of death that keeps us locked in our lives before resurrection. It is the fear of death that forces others to be oppressive and to kill others, it is fear of death that keeps us thinking about scarcity instead of abundance.

Jesus made a point to come to us to show us that death does indeed happen, but so does resurrection. Always. So there is nothing that we have to be afraid of.

The poem threatened with resurrection is a very long poem – not suitable for reading the whole thing in worship. But I wanted to read some lines of it.

There is something here within us, which doesn’t let us sleep, which doesn’t let us rest, which doesn’t stop pounding deep inside, it is the silent, warm weeping Indian woman without her husband, it is the sad gaze of the children, fixed there beyond memory, in the very pupil of our eyes which during sleep, though closed, keep watch, with each contraction of the heart in every wakening, what keeps us from sleeping is they have threatened us with resurrection. Because at each nightfall, though exhausted from the endless inventory of killings since 1954, yet we continue to love life, and do not accept death. Because in this marathon of hope, there is always others to relieve us, in bearing the courage necessary to arrive at the goal which lies beyond death.. Accompany us then on this vigil and you will know what it is to dream. You will then know how marvelous it is to live threatened with resurrection, to dream awake, to keep watch asleep, to live while dying, and to already know oneself resurrected. (reread the last paragraph)

None of us probably will ever know the feeling of living as persecuted people. That is not the point. That all of us should know the significance of living as resurrected people. People with the power to go on and move forward. People with the power to heal and to be healed. People with the power to know that life will always go on in any circumstance.

Trauma – trauma always leaves a scar on us- But it is that scar that can either hold us down – or move us forward. Depending on what we believe about the resurrection. God’s power to overcome it all.

Finally the quatamalan have a national bird – the quetzal – it looks like a small parrot. When caged – it dies. But when allowed to be free it lives for a very long time. But he is special, because even in the toughest of circumstances – it rises above and recreated itself and flies away to a new life.

What will the power of resurrection do for us?