Healthy Community

Job 1:1;2:1-10 October 6, 2024 World Communion Sunday Healthy Community 20th Sunday after Pentecost Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship One: We gather today as the people of God, as a community of Christ’s followers. Many: We gather to share Word and sacrament, to discern the ways of faithful service. One: Where in the world shall we serve our God? Many: At home and school and business place – in this community and throughout every land. One: How in the world shall we serve our God? Many: By working toward justice where there is oppression, by offering comfort where there is pain, by sharing love where there is hatred. One: Why in the world shall we serve our God? Many: Because the Spirit beckons us, because Jesus calls us to enact our faith. Let us now worship the one who calls us! (Ana and Tod Gobledale, United Church of Christ Global Ministries Associates serving in the United Kingdom) Opening Prayer Almighty God, even as the drums of warfare beat on through the night, even as the cries of injustice linger in the morning, even as the hustle of busyness rumbles through the day, quiet our hearts. Still our thoughts. Join us in our worship. Remember us in your mercy as we try to remember you, through the proclamation of your good news, in story and in song, and through the hospitality of your gracious table. Welcome us again, one Lord, Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Song Bread of the World UMH 624 A Sermon for all Ages Good morning! Today is a special day! Does anyone know what we’re celebrating today? (If in person, wait for responses. If virtual, just take a moment, imagining that kids might be answering at home.) Those are some good guesses! Today is actually World Communion Sunday. On this day, most churches in the world have communion. Some churches have communion every Sunday, some churches have communion once a month, and some churches have communion four times a year. This is a Sunday when almost all churches, all over the world, from many different cultures, will have communion. That’s pretty cool, right? It’s cool to think that while we take communion today, people in churches all over the world are having communion, too! It’s a reminder to us that we are all members of the Christian family. If in person: I wonder, are there any countries or places you’d like to pray for today? (Give kids time to share – no answer is silly! Any place they mention is great.) If virtual: Today, I thought it might be good to pray for people in _________. (If your congregation, Region, or Conference has connections with particular countries, this is a great opportunity to lift those up. Otherwise, choose a few places from a few different continents.) Praying for each other is a great way to care for one another. Let’s pray together. God, thank you so much for World Communion Sunday. Today, we pray especially for our friends in ___________ (list the places the children mentioned or you mentioned). Help us to remember that we are all your children and are loved by you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. (United Church of Christ Global Ministries) Affirmation of Faith (adapted from the Belhar Confession) We believe in one holy, universal Christian church, the unity of the communion of saints of the entire human family. And we believe that that this unity of the people of God must be manifest and active, in that we love one another; that we give ourselves willingly and joyfully to one another, that we are share one baptism together, that we eat of one bread and drink of one cup together, that we confess one name, one Lord, for one cause, with one hope, which is the height and the breadth and the depth and the love of Christ, forever and ever. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Scripture Job 1:1;2:1-10 Sermon Healthy Community A former parishioner used to always say that at any given moment, for all of us, either you are going the something at the moment, or you are getting over something or you are about to go through something. That being the case, we can all relate to the biblical story of Job and his wife. Job is the star of the story, but we have to remember that his wife, who doesn’t even get a name suffered the same fate as him. When he lost his fortune, she lost her livelihood also. When he lost his children – she lost her children. When he got sick, she had to be there everyday to take care of him. They suffered together- but had two different reactions to the same circumstances. God brags about the faith and integrity Job. We don’t even know his wife’s name. Job becomes an example of how we should handle adversity, his wifes response to curse God and die is much closer to reality. Job isn’t even a real story. We know this because the story starts out like a fairy tale. Once upon a time in the land of Uz. Uz is not a real place, it sort of like saying once upon a time in a land far away comes a tale that we can all relate to- all of us have had challenges in life. Hasatan, or Satan means challenges of life. We have all experienced loss, at some point we have all asked ourselves – why is this happening to me. The story of Job is told to answer the question of why bad things happen to faithful people. (notice I did not say good people) this is not a story about being good or bad. It is about being faithful or normal. There is no easy answer to the question. This story brings up a lot of unanswerable questions – why me, why is this happening, where is God in my suffering, why does God allow suffering, if I am suffering does God even care about me. There are no easy answers in this story, as a matter of fact, there are no answers at all – a lot of interesting comments, that really don’t help any. The story raises an even more important question – how is Job able to endure all of this trouble and still remain faithful, when he wife gives up on God? The real question for us – in spite of all of all that we have been through why are we still here? Why do we still come to church every week? Why do we still practice our faith, when so many around us have given up and walked away? When I think of all that I have been through in the last 30 years of being in the United Methodist Church – I should have walked away from this mess a long time ago. But I am still here – why. I can give you a lot of explanations, I can tell you a lot of stories, but I cant really answer that question. And if I am being honest, I would have to say that being faithful has been a journey from blaming God, and acting out in anger, from thinking about walking way – to being faithful in spite of the thought of walking away. In Psalm 71 as the writer talks about all of his problems and his faith journey. He says I am an enigma to others – I am a puzzle – people do not understand why I am still here being faithful to God. There was a heartbreaking story from Kansas back in the fall of 2003. During flooding there, a wall of water washed across the Kansas turnpike, overwhelming a family of six in a minivan. In an attempt to save his family, the father, Robert Rogers, kicked out a window, but was immediately sucked out into the torrent. In the end, he was the only member of his family to survive. His wife and their four children, ages one, three, five, and eight, all drowned, the three youngest still strapped into their car seats. The oldest child along with her mother, were also swept out of the car but drowned in the raging waters. Regrettably, stories of families perishing in floods, house fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters are not that unusual, but in this particular case, the surviving father made some remarkable faith statements to the press and those who gathered to support him following the crushing loss. By all reports, this was a solid, loving, faith-filled family. According to a neighbor who talked to Mr. Rogers, as the water rose in the car, the parents tried to keep the children calm by praying and singing hymns. She described the Rogers as "an amazing family."1 When Rogers spoke to the press, he stated his deep grief, but along with that he said: "God is God, and I am not," and "I am here by the grace of God." I understand those remarks to be Rogers' way of saying that our lives are in God's hands, and that for people of faith, when some horrible loss like this occurs, we do not have the option of second-guessing God or saying that we no longer trust him. Now you may or may not agree with that, and most of us facing that kind of loss would probably not be able so soon afterward to affirm our faith, but I found myself impressed by what this man said. His words also reminded me of the story behind the writing of the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." The words were written by another grieving father, H. G. Spafford, in 1873, a few days after his four daughters had drowned in the collision of two ships in the Atlantic Ocean. The hymn includes these lines: When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. That's another surprising testimony of faith, under the circumstances. Both of these fathers remind me of that biblical father who suffered great losses, including the deaths of all his children, Job. You perhaps recall the story. Job was a faithful servant of God's. He was also prosperous and had a large family. According to the biblical account, Satan came to God and asserted that Job only trusted God because things were going well for him. Satan argued that if all his goods were withdrawn and his family taken away, Job would curse God. Most of the time in life, we may not understand, we can only explain. Faith is an enigma, a puzzle. Even Jesus says that faith is a gift from God. My question to you this morning – why are you still here? What is your story? Today is World Communion Sunday – it is a Sunday to remind us that communion is the one thing that unites Christians all over the world. It reminds us that we are all in the same boat – we are all struggling, we are all working on our faith. We are the Job people – the ones who have received the gift of faith. As we come to the table together it is really not our suffering that brings us here. It is our response to suffering that connects us. It is our ability to say that Jesus is the Lord of our Life, our circumstances, and Jesus is the source of our healing. If Job is the story about the faithful response to suffering, communion is the ultimate story about how Jesus brings us together to rise above suffering. The bread tells the story of how in spite of his suffering and even death – he gave us a part of himself. The cup tells us that in spite of his sacrifice – he still cared enough to being salvation. World communion Sunday encourages us to remember our story and to share it with others – so that in their suffering they too can receive the gift of faith. Let us pray……. It is through acts of faith like being present, like praying, like coming together in community that I have learned to respond to life instead of reacting to circumstances. Song I Come with Joy UMH 617 Pastoral Prayer Generous God, it is easy for us to comfortably imagine so many other Christians praying today and receiving the elements of Holy Communion. We like to think of this as a nice event; yet you remind us that when we have received these gifts we are also called to use the strength that they provide to witness to others through acts of reconciling love. This Communion is not a “nice” service, meant for our comfort. It is a challenge for us to truly accept the love of Jesus Christ, who gave to us his body and his blood, that we might be redeemed to do God’s loving will. As we have gathered here this day, bringing our prayer concerns to you, O Lord, help us to remember that you hold each one of us gently and lovingly, offering your healing mercies. Give us courage to be your witnesses, seeking peace in this war-torn world. For we ask this in the name of Jesus the Christ. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Call for Offering (just print the title) We approach the table today but we don’t approach it alone. We approach it on this World Communion Sunday with Christians around the world, in congregations large and small, speaking every language and one language. And so part of our approach this morning is to remember in our offering our connection to the work of the church in every corner of God’s creation. The United Methodist Church is a global church, with ministries touching every area of our world. We are a church that is in mission in both near and far places. We have already given in mission to help locally with Kuzma Cottage. You also have in insert which lists ways to help with the clean up of Hurricane Helene. Truly, God has blessed us with the rich, varied, and abundant gifts of creation. From God’s abundance, let us also give abundantly. (Adapted from Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Prayer of Thanksgiving Gracious God, you create more than we could ever hope to return. You share more than we could ever hope to deserve. And yet, we pray, accept these humble gifts. May they honor and glorify you in all creation, and may they empower us for the work of witness and service, for the sake of justice, and for the sake of peace, now and forever. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Communion (You don’t need to print any of this) Eucharist Invitation This table is for all of us, near and far, high and low, east and west and north and south. This table is for all of us, but it is not our table. It’s not a Methodist table. It’s not an American table. It’s God’s table, for all of us, and it’s a table of grace. So come and take your place at the table. You are welcome, you are invited, you are called: come, let us share this meal together. Great Prayer of Thanksgiving One: The Lord be with you. Many: And also with you. One: Lift up your hearts. Many: We lift them to the Lord. One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. Many: It is right to give our thanks and praise. One: It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, O Lord our God, creator and ruler of the universe. Even when we were dust, when our story begins in dust, you were there, your word was there, your breath into the lifeless void. And upon your word all creation sprang into life. When we were in the wilderness, terrified, timid, you were there, your word was there, with manna just enough for today, with water even from the driest rock, with the abundant grace upon which our story always rests. And when we fell short, slaves to power and greed, you were there, your word was there, on the lips of prophets, and in the hearts of servants, in stories of revolution and revelation and liberation, calling us even now to acts of courage and witness and peace. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name: Many: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, 
 heaven and earth are full of your glory. 
 Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
 Hosanna in the highest One: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Indeed blessed are you, O Christ, our Lord, for risking yourself among us, vulnerable and rejected; for teaching among us, teaching the radical hope of God; teaching grace to a world bent on vengeance, teaching love to a world bent on destruction, teaching peace to a world bent on tearing itself apart. You were there, your word was there, even to the point of death itself. Even faced with terror and hatred and the brokenness of the world, you rose again, to new life, to new creation, to resurrection, that we might know something other than the dust, that we might expect something other than the end, that we might work for something other than ourselves. And so you speak to us us again, with these abundant gifts of bread and wine, with which we joyfully celebrate your dying and rising, as we await the table of the Kingdom yet to come, and as we dedicate ourselves again to you, thankful, and transformed, as living and holy sacrifices, that our lives may proclaim the one crucified and risen. Great is the mystery of faith : Many: Christ has died,
 Christ is risen,
 Christ will come again. One: Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break together, and the cup we share together, may retell our common stories together and reshape our common bonds together, and remember our common grace together, in the communion of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ, the one in whose life and death you have torn down our divisions. And so may we be one with all who share this feast, on this day, of all days, with all your children at every corner of your table. May we share this abundant cup with all those who thirst for your justice. May we share this abundant bread with all those who hunger for your righteousness, May we be united with every corner of your story, united in hope, united in vision, united in purpose, united in ministry in every place. As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us from this table to be the body of Christ in all the world. Send us with a spirit of courage, a spirit of power and love, that we may be witnesses in all creation to the unending story of your word breathing life into the dust. Keep us faithful, and fruitful, and hopeful, and peaceful, until we come at last to the one table of your Kingdom, to feast with all your saints in the joy of your eternal realm, with you and with your Word, through Christ and in Christ, the one who came for us, died for us, and rose for us, the one who prays even for us Prayer after Communion Gracious God, we offer our thanks, for the whole communion of saint’s witness to this feast, and for the ministry of churches around the world who gather with us today. By this broken bread may we each be restored for the work yet to come. By this shared cup may we each be claimed for the proclamation of your Kingdom. At this shared table may we be united as children of your promise, children of your word, dying and made new again, sent boldly together into the world as servants of your peace. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May God prosper you. May your days be long and your nights serene. May your friendships honor you, and your family love you. May you eat at your table, and may you be gathered into to God’s embrace with a smile. (Elena Huegel serves as a Mission Co-worker with the Intercultural Research and Studies Institute (INESIN), Chiapas, Mexico.) Community Time Joys and Concerns Charge and Benediction You were called to this table. You were fed at this table. You were united at this table. Now, you are sent from this table into all the world. Go therefore into the world, with courage. Set a place for all who hunger. Fill the cup of all who thirst. And as you go, May the Spirit of power and love attend you, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ uphold you, and may the great faithfulness of our God sustain you, now and forever. Amen. (Presbyterian Mission, Mark Gaventa) Additional Illustrations Job is a kind of visit to the frame shop. Like the reframing that happened for many when space ships pictured earth suspended, all of it, before our very eyes, we are in need of a reframing, that is Copernican in size and Hubble-ian in method. The Hubble telescope is so much like God's message to Job that it is not funny. When Job complains of his suffering to God, God responds Hubble-esque. The Hubble is widely known to have shown us a universe of such size that we cannot begin to comprehend it. We are not the only world. There are constellations and galaxies beyond us that we are only beginning to understand. One scientist described the change in our point of view made by the Hubble (now an old tool) like this. We used to think of the universe as about as big as the sand on Jones Beach. Now we see the universe as comprising the sand on all the beaches up and down the coast of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Precisely this sea change (forgive the metaphor) is needed as we look at the climate crisis that our generation faces. We need to reframe the issue. So is Job right? I think so. He was innocent and still and nonetheless he suffered. Why did he suffer? Who knows? Why him? Who knows? May we care anyway? Yes indeed. We may care. But we care about the cosmos more than about our little place in it. That is the turn McKibben wants us to make toward the environment. He reads Job's saga in the whirlwind as advising two things — great humility, and even greater joy. The challenge before us is to figure out how to link these two callings, these two imperatives from the voice in the whirlwind — the call to humility and the call to joy.

The Priestly Functions of Jesus

October 10, 2021 Proper 23 Hebrews 4:12-16 The Priestly duties of Jesus 20th Sunday after Pentecost Year B Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer God of Grace, Thank you for the gift of this new day. Thank you for gathering with us and providing the free gift of your grace to bless us in this particular time and place. As we worship you, strengthen us to face the challenges of our lives, knowing you’ve provided the One who goes before us without sin. Help us believe and live into your presence, even as we pray in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN Stewardship Moment (from Mark 10) Matthew and Luke also include the story of the rich man seeking eternal life which we hear in Mark 10. A triple threat! Remember how the man comes to kneel before Jesus with his question: “what more must I do to inherit eternal life?” How challenging it is to hear Jesus answer his question: “Go, sell what you own and give to the poor.” Challenging, because on the world scale, all of us are like this man. Wealthy! We have MANY possessions. Does putting yourself in his position change how you hear this story? Here’s the truth. Following Jesus is not always easy! For most of us, it’s tough to imagine giving away our wealth. After all, how will we live if we give like that? Gratefully, Jesus teaches his disciples that salvation is possible, even for the rich. Today, before you place your cash or check in the offering tray, take a moment to give thanks that your offering isn’t measured by what you COULD give. It isn’t the means by which you receive eternal life. Instead, make your offering in gratitude that God makes all things possible – even we who are wealthy and not yet able to give away all we have, receiving eternal life. Prayer of Thanksgiving We give you what is already yours, God, for you are Creator of all. But we pray you will receive our gifts, and use them to respond to the needs of the poor. Help us find ways to truly see the reality which is right before us: of our amazing wealth in a world filled with many who struggle for daily sustenance. Then, once we have seen, embolden us to share ever more, that your Realm may be made known on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN Scripture Hebrews 4:12-16 Common English Bible 12 because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer. 14 Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; 15 because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. 16 Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help. Sermon The Priestly Duties of Jesus A few weeks ago Debbie Ritchie and I attended the Billy Graham Route 66 tour. It was truly an uplifting experience. I can’t say that it was fun, because church is not supposed to be fun. But I can say that I enjoyed it. I wasn’t really impressed with Franklin Graham or his message. He has a vastly different style than his father. But I thought that the music was awesome. The Christian group the Newsboys provided the music. I gained a new respect for their lead singer, Michael Tait – I loved the way he was able to express his faith onstage. He too was a pk – a preacher’s kid, but he had a wonderful charisma. Michael Tait is African American. They also invited a Hispanic singer to sing in Spanish with them. I was so impressed with Michael Tait, that I went home and googled anything that I could find about him. Just two days ago I read an article where he talks about sometimes feeling like an honorary black person in a very white contemporary music world. But the article got my attention as he talked about what he called the deconstruction of the church. I know that we can all agree that the pandemic has changed us. None of us are the same person we were 18 months ago. And many of those changes are permanent – we are not going to just pick up where we left off. As we start to meet in person, as we struggle to return to normal – it is becoming painfully obvious that we are not the same church. We can’t just pick up where we left off – you all in the pews have fundamentally changed- your needs are different, your relationship with God has changed. People are not participating in church the way they did 18 months ago, and yes – giving is way down. How do you come up with a plan for the church to go forward in these new circumstances? That is what Michael Tait means by the deconstruction of the church. If an international church singer can recognize and name it, it is not just our church, not just our community, not just the United Methodist Church. But in reality, the church has been deconstructing for the last 2000 years. What does that mean about God? Is God just an illusion that our ancestors created? Is God an out of date fantasy that is no longer relevant. One of the Newsboys biggest hits – God is not Dead. But I think the more important question- is not about God but us. What does this mean for our relationship with God? How has the pandemic changed our relationship? Have we gotten busy with many more pressing issues, so God is on the back burner? Have the practices of faith become so tedious that they are a waste of time? Have they too become irrelevant? And all of us are 2 years older than we were when this started – we just don’t have the energy and attention that we had 18 months ago. What has changed? I think that is a different answer for each of us. The church is the people, and of the people have changed the church has changed. God stays the same. But times show us that the church can easily become outdated and irrelevant. God is a force working within and outside of our building. The Holy Spirit is always out there doing something. People are always asking questions of that only the spirit of God can answer. We in here may not see what God is doing in the world clearly. That is why it is so important to keep the faith, keep praying, study the bible. If you read the bible yesterday, that really might not be what it says to you today- the word changes with our experience. A little boy was talking to his daddy one time and he said, "Daddy, is the devil bigger than me?" He said, "Yes, son, the devil is bigger than you." He said, "Well, Daddy, is the devil bigger than Mommy?" He said, "Yes, the devil is bigger than Mommy." He said, "Well, Daddy, is the devil bigger than you?" That little boy really looked up to his daddy and his daddy said, "Yes, son, the devil is bigger than me." The little boy had only one thing left to say. He said, "Is the devil bigger than Jesus?" The daddy said, "No, son, the devil is not bigger than Jesus." The little boy said, "Well, Daddy, there's no need for me to be afraid of the devil." All of that is true because of Jesus. Michael Tait said that in the midst of COVID he felt that God was receding in his life. r e c e d i n g. But then he realized that God was actually reseeding. R e s e e d i n g. I think that God is reseeding all of us – encouraging us to start the process all over again from scratch. Every week I look back at my old sermons to see what I said about a particular scripture. Usually I still end up writing a new sermon, because the circumstances have changed. I couldn’t even find anything on this particular scripture. The book of Hebrews is unique because it reminds us of who Jesus is for us. Jesus is the high priest In Latin, priest means Pontifex. The pope is the pontif. A Pontifex is a go between, a bridge, a mediator, an intecessor. The high priest would be the bridge between heaven and earth, the mediator between God and the people. The priest speaks to God on our behalf, and interprets God to us. A priest is also someone who performs certain rituals to facilitate the relationship between the sacred and the normal life. The catholic church and the episcopal church have priest – who perform ritual duties on behalf of the people. The Methodist church has pastors – who perform priestly functions, who have the job of leading people to Jesus. But James says that the people are the priesthood of all believers. God hears your prayers just as well as God hears mine. I can’t pray on your behalf, and my prayers don’t matter any more than yours. There are no special words to say – you don’t even have to have words – Jesus listens to us all – thanks to Jesus. Hebrews 4:12-16 has two important lessons – well really 3 but I will talks about he third one last. First lesson – God’s word is always living and active. God’s word is always relevant. This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.1 There is only one book in all of the world that fits that description. It is the book that I hold in my hand, known all over the world as the Bible. The word of God intends to instruct us, but it also holds us accountable. If you cut it, it will bleed with the blood of Jesus. If you listen to it, it will tell you supernatural truth beyond all of the sages of all of the ages. If you believe it, it will fill your soul with joy, your spirit with life, your mind with truth, and your heart with wisdom. That brings us back to Jesus – who the book of John calls the living word of God. God’s word come to earth. He was God’s son but lived his life as a poor carpenter. He knows what it means to be human. He bled, hurt, crucified. When we pray – he knows what we are talking about. Each chapter of Hebrews explains a different reason to think of Jesus as the high priest. In chapter 4 Jesus is humble to hear our prayers from our perspective. Jesus is someone who we can talk to who has mercy because he understands where we are coming from. Daniel Benedict tells about a group of college students who were having a discussion about the nature of God. Some of the students did not believe in God . . . but most had a belief of some kind. The discussion was lively. One young woman said, “God is like a great big Teddy Bear who gives me a hug when I need it.” To this, a young man replied, “No Teddy Bear God for me! God is the Chief Justice of some kind of universal Supreme Court who’s going to nail me to the wall when I show up for judgment!” The discussion raged on for some time and finally someone offered up this idea, “God is whatever we think God is. One person’s idea is as good as another person’s idea. We shouldn’t be judging other people’s religious ideas.” This opinion seemed to gain traction with the group. Benedict, who had been mostly silent to this point, then asked a question. “What about Son of Sam’s idea of God? He said God told him to kill some people. Is his idea of God okay?” The group decided to modify their opinion just a bit. “People can have any idea they want of God as long as they don’t hurt other people,” they decided. “That really sounded like the most reasonable way to many of the students. Nobody gets hurt and everybody gets their own god . . . .” (2) These young people were genuinely searching for a way to understand God. Most of us, however, would be uncomfortable with the idea that God is whatever people think that God is. We believe that God has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. God is neither a Teddy Bear nor is God a Supreme Court justice who is going to nail us when we show up for judgment. God, we believe, is like Jesus. The second important point of this scripture – our relationship to God is an important key to our faith. Jesus is the mediator of that relationship. The language of that relationship – prayer. Our scripture in Hebrews says that we can go to the throne room praying boldly, because God heard the prayer. We don’t have to have special skills, we don’t even have to have words. Jesus is in the throne room and Jesus has our back. Prayer is talking to God – it is as fundamental as reading the bible. Since the pandemic – praying boldly has been my struggle. I try to pray as much as I can – but sometimes I am afraid to ask God directly – what happens if I get what I ask for. I find that usually that is when the challenge starts – when God hears my prayer – I am still complaining and asking for more. But praying boldly means that God will answer – in some way – usually not in the way we are expecting. But answered prayer always leads to action on our part. Sort of like Michael Tait’s concept of reseeding. When we pray we don’t see what it happening. We are earnestly looking for good news after this pandemic, but don’t see it. We are asking where if God in all of this? Remember to come to the throne room with confidence. God will answer. That leads us to point three – the most important – Jesus Christ is our intecessor, our mediator, our bridge to heaven. The church seems to be shrinking here in America, but in others places the church is growing by leaps and bounds. The church is growing in Africa, in the Phillipines. But the fastest place the church is growing is in Korea. Another example. The Christian faith is growing today in Korea faster than anywhere else in the world except, perhaps, for parts of Africa. Many people have speculated as to why Christianity is growing so fast in that unlikely Asian land. One reason may be that the Buddhist and Confucian religions, which once were dominant in Korea, both put their emphasis upon religion as mystical, speculative, and remote. The Christian faith came into Korea with a message of involvement, a message of love, a message of compassion. The Christians started right from the beginning feeding the starving, sheltering the homeless, and teaching the illiterate. The Korean people were receptive to that kind of selfgiving religion. So the Christian community is growing by leaps and bounds in Korea today. The Korean church, of course, is simply being the selfgiving body of Christ. (1) God is alive and well. Each of us here today is responsible for our relationship with God. The reseeding process is our job. The seeds are in our own hearts – and we are the only people with access in our own hearts. We are charged with watering those seeds and being patient enough to let them grow. The good news, we are not alone. We have the bible, we have worship, stewardship, mission. We have a Jesus who cares about us enough to listen understand and work. Most importantly – we have each other working together as the church. Let us pray…… Prayer God of infinite patience and wisdom, we come to you with so many things that claim our time, our energy, our resources, our very lives. We are easily drawn away from serving you by the enticements of the world for wealth, ease, and comfort. Just like the young man in the scriptures, we are owned by our possessions, held captive by our treasures. You continue to offer to us healing and hope. You seek to transform our lives from captivity to freedom in witness and service. We look at the world in which there is so very much warfare and strife, anger and hatred, and we easily become overwhelmed by the needs and the stresses. Help us to place our lives and our trust in you, knowing that with your help, many wonderful things can be accomplished which will provide hope and peace for others and ourselves. Give us courage and strength to truly be your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Song God of Grace and God of Glory UMH 577 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Even in this time of pandemic, we are a blessed people. We will go to be a blessing in the world. Even when there are so many angry people around us, we are the face of Jesus. We will go to be love and compassion to all. Even when we are isolated, quarantined, living in lockdowns, we are the family of God. We will go to serve our sisters and brothers wherever we may find them. Community Time Benediction With God all things are possible. May you carry that confidence into your daily life and work, as you walk in Christ’s footsteps, guided by God’s hand. Children’s Time Object: a sports pennant Good morning, boys and girls. I have a small flag for you to see and talk about today. It's not the flag of our country, is it? (Let them respond.) No, it doesn't have stars and stripes. Does anyone know where it's from? (Let them respond.) This is called a pennant. It's a tiny flag that some people wave on a stick at a football or basketball game. (If there is time, you might want to tell about the school or team it is from.) How many of you have ever been to a basketball game? (Wait for show of hands.) It's exciting to watch all the players. Sometimes they run really fast, stop quick and all of a sudden they are at the other end. It would be exciting to be one of the players and have all the fans shouting and cheering for you. Basketball looks pretty easy. But if you ask players, I think they would tell you it is hard work. The players practice, sometimes three or four hours a day. They have to do exercises and keep their muscles just right. They have to eat the right kind of food and get the right amount of sleep. It's called being in training. Most of them had to learn where to go on the basketball court. Sometimes it looks to some of us like they're just running back and forth; a big group up and then the same big group back down the court. But to a real basketball player, that's not at all what happens. The players all have a different special place to go on the court. Everyone has their own spot. Who tells them where to go? (Let them respond.) The coach does. The coach teaches them all the different special places to go when they run back and forth. If they didn't do what the coach tells them, would their team win very often? (Let them respond.) No, they probably wouldn't win. Sometimes they win anyway even though they didn't do what the coach told them. Most coaches aren't happy just to win. They want their team to do what they learn in their practices. Our lesson today is about Jesus learning to do what God told him to. God was a little like a coach. Jesus had to learn many things before he could teach other people. Our verse for today says one of the things Jesus learned was to be obedient. That means he learned to do what he was told. You would think that Jesus could do whatever he wanted to. But our verse says that he did what God told him to. Sometimes it's not fun to do what we're told by our parents. But that's one of the things about being a player instead of a coach. Players are only a team when they do what the coach tells them. Next time you don't want to do what you're told, remember that Jesus had to do what he was told, too. CSS Publishing Co., , by CSS Additional Illustrations Prayer is the bridge that Jesus builds in order to talk with his Heavenly Father. The Latin word for "priest" is pontifex, which means "bridge builder." Jesus is described in the Letter to the Hebrews as "a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." As a priest, Jesus builds a bridge of prayer between heaven and earth. He crosses that bridge not once, not twice, but three times in that short span of time in the Garden of Gethsemane, as the future stared him straight in the face and straight through his heart. It is not unusual for persons visualizing Christ to see him as being like themselves. The extreme of this is probably Van Gogh's painting which he called PIETA. It is a painting of Jesus and his mother. The unique characteristic of the picture is that Jesus has red hair. Obviously it is highly doubtful that Jesus had red hair. Very few people living in that part of the world do, but Van Gogh had red hair and that is how he saw Jesus. There is that natural tendency to paint Christ in our own image. Yet for most of us that is not enough. After World War II, the people of Genoa, Italy commissioned an eight ton statue of Christ. Once it was finished, it was not put on a hilltop, as other statues of Christ have been. It was lowered into the depths of the bay in Genoa where a great naval battle had been fought during the Second World War and where many ships were sunk. It was a site where many sailors gave their lives. The symbolism of Christ being lowered into the deep where the bodies of those brave men rest is powerful and profound. The statue is called CHRIST OF THE DEEP. It represents what Christ has done in our behalf. He emptied himself and became as we are. I heard about a pastor who was being honored by his congregation for his humility. They presented him with a medal. Unfortunately after a while they had to take it back because he PUT IT ON and thereby revealed that he wasn't as humble as he appeared. We live in a tainted world. None of us escapes. Steven Leacock wrote a brilliant, humorous piece about a young pastor named Melpomenus Jones. This young pastor was honest; honest in a timid sort of way. He couldn't even bring himself to tell the little white lies that are part of our normal etiquette as a society. For example, on his first pastoral call, he got along fine at first. He drank some tea, leafed through a family photograph album, and chatted pleasantly. Then after about an hour, he stood to leave and he said, "Well, I really must be going now." The hostess, trying to be polite, said "Oh, must you go so soon?" Well, being totally honest, he had to admit that he really didn't have to go at that particular moment. So he sat back down. As the afternoon progressed, they went through this little ritual several times. He would say he had to go and she would say, "Really must you?" and he would respond, "Well no. I really don't have to." After all, he began his vacation the next day. There was nothing really pressing. Finally the husband came home. It was now late into the evening, and the husband with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice said to the pastor, "Well couldn't you just stay all night?" The young pastor said there really wasn't any reason why he couldn't and so he did. He stayed the next day and several days afterward. He had leafed through that photograph album til his fingers were sore. Even worse he was bloated from drinking so much tea. Finally he was so filled with tea and with boredom he became physically ill and his condition deteriorated. With a sigh he said to the host, "Now I really must be going," and he died. Well, he was honest, but this is a world that isn't ready for that kind of honesty. (2) Karl Barth was once asked what he would say if he met Adolph Hitler. This great theologian responded, "I would say to him Jesus Christ died for your sins." This is not to make light of sin or our responsibility for sin. It is to say we have one who sympathizes with us in our sin, who understands our weaknesses, and who is able to forgive us for all our transgressions. There is a story about two little boys who were fighting, as little boys are often prone to do. One of them yelled at the other, "I'll never speak to you again." They went to their respective houses, but the next day they were back out playing as if nothing had happened. One of the little boys' mother asked him why they were speaking to each other now. He responded, "Me and Johnny are good forgetters." (4) There is not a heart so hard that the sword of the Spirit cannot pierce that heart and penetrate that heart, and bring that heart to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. George Whitfield, the great Eighteenth-Century evangelist, was hounded by a group of detractors who called themselves the "Hellfire Club." They mocked him, they laughed at him, they derided his work, they made fun of his preaching. On one occasion, one of their ring leaders, a young man named Thorpe, was mimicking Whitfield, making fun of him. He was actually delivering one of his sermons with brilliant accuracy, perfectly imitating his tone and his facial expressions. They were laughing, having a wonderful time. Then all of a sudden, a strange thing happened. As this young man, Thorpe, was preaching Whitfield's sermon, his lips began to quiver, his eyes began to water, the color drained right out of his face; his friends didn't know what was going on. They thought he was getting ill. But in reality he was getting well. Because all of a sudden he sat down on the ground and cried out to God and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. This man, Thorpe, went on to become a prominent Christian leader in the city of Bristol.7 This sword of the Lord is indeed sharp, living, and powerful. It can cut the cancer of sin out of your heart. It can cut for you the bread of life. But it is a two-edged sword. It can cut you and kill you, or it can cut you and heal you. The choice is up to you. Several years ago, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks did a comedy skit called the “2013 Year Old Man.” In the skit, Reiner interviews Brooks, who is the old gentleman. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?” Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Phil, and for a time we worshiped him.” Reiner was surprised: “You worshiped a guy named Phil? Why?” Brooks replied: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!” Reiner asked: “Did you have prayers?” Brooks answered: “Yes, would you like to hear one? O Phil, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.” Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?” Brooks: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Phil. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s something bigger than Phil!’” (1) Well, yes, there is something bigger than Phil. There is Someone bigger than the totality of our universe. Henri Barbusse once wrote a novel with the French title, Le Fleu, or The Flower. In this novel there are two soldiers. One of the soldiers is a man of sterling character. His friend, however, whose name is Dominique has made many mistakes in his life. In one passage the solder with the unblemished record has been wounded and is dying. He turns to Dominique and says: “It can’t be long now. Listen, Dominique. You’ve lived a bad life. There are many convictions against your name. But there are no convictions against me. There’s nothing on my name. Take my name. Take it I give it to you. Straight off, you’ve no more convictions. Take my name, and give me yours so that I can carry [all your past mistakes] away with me.” (4) One night for devotions, a youth leader took a group of kids and their counselors down to the edge of that lake and had them stand behind the cross, so that the light was shining toward them and the lake stretched out before them. Finally, the leader asked them to look up at the cross and tell the group what they saw. Wanting to sound scholarly and devout, the young people blurted out responses like, “forgiveness,” and “salvation,” and “sacrifice.” This counselor wanted them to see more. “What you should see when you look up at the cross,” he said, “is God, on the other side, looking back down at you. Whenever God looks at us, he looks at us through the cross of his Son, Jesus. His victory over our sin, his victory over our chaos is what God sees.” (5) That’s how God looks at us—through the prism of the cross of Christ. And because of that cross God sees us as if we were without blemish. The writer of Hebrews shows us God’s character and God’s relationship to us, God’s children: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest . . . Jesus the Son of God . . . Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Last summer the [Catholic] MadonnaRehabilitationHospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, had reached an agreement with pornographer Don Parisi, who wanted to donate his Internet domain name madonna.com to the hospital. But the agreement was voided because the singer Madonna filed and won a complaint to claim the domain name. Her publicist boldly asserted that she "happens to be the most famous Madonna in the world." Something must have happened, though, because the address madonna.com does take you to the MadonnaRehabilitationHospital. Of course the actress Madonna is better known than the Mother of Jesus in many pockets of culture, but the combination of presumption and lack of awareness of a broader reality on the part of Madonna's publicist is remarkable. And sad. Anyone facing criminal prosecution or a costly civil suit wants a lawyer not only with the highest skill level, but also with a passion to fight ferociously for the client. Likewise, when we need a heart transplant to survive, a well-meaning friend with a penknife and no medical training won't do us much good; and neither will a cardiac surgeon who chooses to vacation in Maui in our hour of need. What we most need is a physician with skill and a deep commitment to the patient. Those of us with sin-sick souls require that similar combination of sensitivity and compassion, balanced by the power to effectively heal and forgive. We need to know, in the words of the children's table grace, "God is great and God is good. "Goodness without power is ineffective, and power without goodness is demonic. That is the secret to understanding this story. Jesus looked into the young man's heart. The writer of Hebrews tells us that "all are open and laid bare" to the eyes of God. Certainly this is a gift that Christ shared with his Father. Jesus knew the young man's heart. He knew what this young man needed. The prescription that Jesus gave this young man is not a prescription Jesus would give to everyone. It was designed to meet this particular young man's need. Mark tells us that Jesus looked on the young man and loved him. Jesus saw his sincerity, his humility, his obvious potential. But he also saw a gaping hole in his life. And Jesus took direct aim at that hole. "You lack one thing," Jesus said. "Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." John Foster in one of his books tells how he came into his home in this country one day in the thirties to find his daughter in tears before the radio set. He asked her why and found that the news bulletin had contained the sentence—“Japanese tanks entered Canton today.” Most people would hear that with at the most a faint feeling of regret. Statesmen may have heard it with grim foreboding; but to most people it did not make so very much difference. Why then was John Foster’s daughter in tears? Because she had been born in Canton. To her Canton meant a home, a nurse, a school, friends.

An Easter Sighting of the Risen Christ

April 15, 2018 Luke 24: 36-48 An Easter sighting of The Risen Christ Year B 3rd Sunday After Easter Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the need in our lives to have God's power at all times in our life. Prop: A heavy winter coat you can wear. Lesson: [If you can wear the coat over your robe put it on and act as though it's cold.] Burr, I'm glad I have this coat. (response) Its so cold I think its going to snow! (response) What? (response) What are you laughing about? (response) It's hot? (response) It is? (response) You mean I don't need this coat? (response) Take the coat off hold and hold it in your hands. Your right it's not really cold outside. What time of year do I need a coat like this? (winter) That's right. I don't need it in the summer because it's not the right time of year. We have winter clothes and we have summer clothes don't we? (response) There are some clothes that we wear all year round. Can you name some? (response) If the kids don't name "socks" then you name it (For the women who are not wearing socks use your shoes). Application: I guess I need to put away this coat until fall when it starts to get cold again. Showing the kids your socks Should I put away my socks too? (response) Well, the Holy Spirit is kind of like these socks. When it's summer and hot outside we don't put away our socks until next winter do we? (response) No, we need our socks all year round. And, we need the Holy Spirit all year round. Jesus told his disciples they were going to be "clothed with power from on high." They were going to be clothed with the power of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is kind of like a heavy coat. When we need strength and power in our lives we can put it around us and God will give us comfort. But the Holy Spirit is also like my socks. We always need the Holy Spirit. We always need the power God gives us to live. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair Luke 24:36-48 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus appears to the disciples 36 While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 37 They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.”40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 Taking it, he ate it in front of them. 44 Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible When I travelled to Israel in seminary in 1992, I learned a lot from my first trip out of the country. I learned a lot about myself, and about my faith. There are two earthshattering experiences that stand out for me that really challenged me. The first was on the first evening that we had arrived and we had orientation on our work. I remember staring at the instructor in disbelief, I consider myself to be a pretty intelligent person, but it never occurred to me that an archeological dig was something that you had to do in the ground, with dirt. I was mortified, because unless there was a miracle, I was not going to have anything to do with dirt. And sure enough, everyone else got up at 5am to get dressed, and trek a mile up a hill to work on the site. Luckily for me, I was sick everyday for two weeks, so that I could stay in bed. We, or they worked undigging the sight during the week. And on weekends were visited various sites around the country. On our first weekend, we went to Jerusalem. Within the larger city is the old city of Jerusalem, where Jesus would have walked. The old city is strictly a tourist sight. And most of the storekeepers are Palestinian Christians. At that time, the 4th of every month was intifada where that Palestinians were supposed to close their businesses in protest. But it turned out that they were so desparate for our tourist dollars, they were secretly opened for us. As you walk down the streets that Jesus was supposed to have travelled to the cross, you are bombarded by vendor after vendor wanting you to buy in their store. The journey through the stations of the cross is not a historical experience of what happened to Jesus, it is a recreation of the stations created by the catholic church. The church of the holy sepulcher, which has the sites of the cross and burial cave are inside. The best way to describe the experience is it is like being in Christian Disneyland. You stand in lines in order to see these holy sights. And then you get to touch the place that might have been calvary, then stand next to a picture of Mary to take a picture. In the highlight of the experience, you stand in line for over 30 minutes. They give you a candle, and you are allowed into the cave where Jesus may have been buried 10 at a time. A priest lights your candle, tells the story of the resurrection and says a prayer. It was the end of a very distressing day. As I sat in the cave, looking at the place where Jesus may have been laid, I remember thinking this is the biggest crock of mess that I have ever seen in my life. There is no way that a man laid in this place and died and just magically arose and came back to life. There is no way anyone who died came come back to life. Luckilly I did not have a lot of time to dwell on that thought, because after the prayer, they kick you out and lead you out of the church, so that the next ten people can have their chance to pray. Belief in the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith as Christians. But being faced with a real place where that could have happened- made it even harder to understand. Luckily, that was just the end of a strange experience. But it didn’t make me question my faith, it drew me to ask more questions and to learn more about the story. Years later, I have more questions about resurrection than answers. There are things that I still can’t explain about what happened to Jesus. But today, after 22 years of being in ministry, I have learned that they are many strange things happening in the relationship between life and death. It is a normal part of my job to deal with that relationship and to guide families through that journey. The more that I experience in life, the less I question the resurrection. I am comfortable with it being a mystery. All four gospels accounts mention sightings of Jesus Christ after the resurrection. In each account, the man that they see after resurrection is not quite the same man that died on the cross. In each resurrection sighting, the person who know Jesus does not recognize him. But in each account Jesus comes to those who know him and speak to them. When people die, accounts of them reappearing is well documented. It is a spiritual phenomenom. As a matter of fact, it is not strange for parishioners to visit me as they are making their transitions. For years I have talked to families who told me the time that someone died, and I can remember back and remember thinking of that person at that very moment. I still vividly remember the dream that I had of the ancestors coming to get my sister, only to learn that she had died that night in her sleep. So as I experience more about life, I no longer question whether it is possible for a man to die and to come back to life. The relationship between life and death is a very real mystery. But in our story in Luke, Jesus goes through lengths to show people that he is not a spirit, that he is real. He shows them his hands and his feet. This story takes place after the walk to Emmaus. When he appears, not only does he challenge his friends to touch his hands and feet, he also asks for something to eat. Spirits don’t have flesh and bones, and they don’t eat fish. Scripture says that he enjoyed a whole meal with them and taught them many things over the meal. So it is official – church potlucks are holy meals that have been ordained by Christ. But being that Luke was a doctor, he teaches us another important lesson. That believing in the resurrection is not a spiritual experience, it is a real, physical experience. It is not about what goes on in our heads, it is about how we live and treat real people. Sermon Opener – See My Hands and Feet - Luke 24:36b-48 Tolstoy once told a story of a Czar and Czarina who wished to honor the members of their court with a banquet. They sent out invitations and requested that the guests come with the invitations in their hands. When they arrived at the banquet the guests were surprised to discover that the guards did not look at their invitations at all. Instead they examined their hands. The guests wondered about this, but they were also curious to see who the Czar and Czarina would choose as the guest of honor to sit between them at the banquet. They were flabbergasted to see that it was the old scrub woman who had worked to keep the palace clean for years. The guards, having examined her hands, declared, "You have the proper credentials to be the guest of honor. We can see your love and loyalty in your hands." A similar story is told of the great missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson. Judson went to the King of Burma to ask him if he might have permission to go to a certain city to preach. The King, a pagan, but quite an intelligent man responded, "I'm willing for a dozen preachers to go but not you, not with those hands. My people are not such fools as to take notice of your preaching but they will note those calloused, work scarred hands." After his crucifixion, the disciples of Jesus were trying to sort out the meaning of the reports they had been receiving about appearances of the risen Christ. It was most confusing to them. Was it a hoax? They were not completely immune to superstition. Perhaps it was some kind of ghost. Suddenly it happened. Jesus himself stood among them. The disciples were startled and frightened. Then Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself..." The response of the disciples is a sermon in itself. Luke tells us that they "disbelieved for joy..." It was simply too wonderful to be true. He was alive and he was with them right there. No wonder they had difficulty believing. Some persons still have that problem today. Many desperately want to believe but something holds them back. "See my hands and my feet..." 1. It Is Difficult to Believe God Cares That Much. 2. It Is Difficult to Believe Life Goes on Beyond the Tomb. 3. We Have Trouble Processing the Implications of These Two Truths. We are the hands and feet of Christ. Scripture says that what we will be is not known, but when it becomes obvious we will be just like Christ. But further in Luke he also says that when we do for others in the world, that it is not us, but the spirit in us. Jesus told his disciples to wait for his power, then to go out and change the world. When we embrace the resurrection, and we can feel the presence of God in our lives, we have the power to make a difference. Luke teaches us not to look for Christ in the spiritual world, but to look for him in the people around us. Spirits don’t ask for something to eat, but people do. We really do need to break bread with those around us, work the transform the lives of those around us. God with Us Wheaton Webb tells about a time when a stranger approached him and asked, "You couldn't let a man have a dollar for a meal?" A group of people was about to eat a potluck supper, so the pastor invited the man, who had the look of one who hadn't had a good meal for some time, to join them; they sat down at the end of one of the tables by themselves. "How long have you been on the road?" asked Webb. "A long time, a very long time," came the answer. "And it never occurred to you to settle down and take some steady work?" "No," the man replied, "I used to be a carpenter. But I'm one of those who has to be on his way. I'd never be happysettled in just one place." Webb comments: "It was odd the way he said it - like the wayfarer who visited Emmaus and who made as if he would have gone further until Cleopas and his companion (in the earlier episode) invited him to stay for supper." Webb asked him his name and he answered, "Mr. Immanuel." As we know, Immanuel means "God-with-us." Wheaton Webb concludes the story this way: "Presently he said his thanks and was off on his lonely journey that has no ending. And I thought: He still goes on his way, the hungry man, Mr. God-with-us, in his shabby coat, and always a look in his eyes as if he would go further. But when he had gone, my heart began to burn within me, and I had no doubt that Cleopas and his companion, in that silence that suddenly fell over their table, would have understood."41 So would the eleven on the occasion when Jesus asked for something to eat, and so do we when the Lord occasionally appears in others who come to our tables hungry and lonely. Instead of getting stuck on whether the resurrections makes sense to us, if we want to see the resurrected Christ, we have to be present to those around us. When we are able to be present, we can be a witness to Christ in spite of our questions, doubts and fears. The spirit works through our actions to change the world. Walking the Walk A Civil War chaplain approached a wounded soldier on the battlefield and asked if he'd like to hear a few verses from the Bible. The wounded man said, "No, I'm so thirsty, I'd rather have some water." The chaplain gave him a drink, and then repeated his question. "No sir, not now – but could you put something under my head?" The chaplain did so, and again repeated his question. "No," said the soldier, "I'm cold. Could you cover me up?" The chaplain took off his inside coat and wrapped the soldier. Afraid to ask, he did not repeat his question. He made to go away, but the soldier called him back. "Look, Chaplain, if there's anything in that book of yours that makes a person do for another what you've done for me, then I want to hear it." Carlos Wilton, via PresbyNet, "Sermonshop 04 17 1994," #5, 4/12/94 In the coming days, as others can see Christ in us, let us be able to see Christ in them. Christ the lord has risen today – really. Let us pray… With Your Eyes Open to the Grace of God There is a neighborhood grocery store in our fairly affluent town that is visited each morning by the same clearly non-affluent person. We will call her "Ruth," and she is a street person. She enters the grocery about 11 a.m. every day and makes her way through the aisles. There is no polite way to describe what she does: Ruth steals food. Each morning she gathers enough for her lunch, poking pieces of fruit, loaves of bread, wedges of cheese, or a can of meat under her torn and stained coat. She then glides out the door. But she is not very subtle about it. Everyone at the store can see what she does. The stockroom crew know she is taking food; the butcher sees her activity; the checkout clerks are aware of her pilfering; the manager knows what she is about. Not long ago, this grocery moved several blocks away to a larger building. The week they moved to the new location, the store manager telephoned a downtown pastor. "I don't want to embarrass Ruth," he began, "so would you please find her and tell her where we've moved. I want to be sure she can find us." There in the city is a parable of mercy. An urban grocery store owner wants to be sure a homeless woman, a woman very much unlike the owner, can nonetheless find food, and for disciples with discerning eyes, there is much to learn here about the power of God in the world. "Stay in the city with your eyes open to the grace of God," the disciples are told, "and you will receive power." Thomas G. Long, Whispering The Lyrics, CSS Publishing Touch Sanctifies Memory Touch sanctifies memory. I have a favorite cup for my morning coffee. It was my mother’s long before it was mine. For years it had its place on the kitchen window sill in my boyhood home. The chip is still on the rim, reminding me of the horseplay my sister and I enjoyed in a time when kids actually washed and dried dishes. My mother’s hands have long since relinquished that flowered coffee cup, but because she was all that she was to me, I can hold it and remember. We do well to gather our memories around things we can touch, especially baptismal water and the bread and wine of the Easter meal. These sustain us as we journey, hand in hand, with the whole company of the faithful, toward the eternal Easter yet to come. F. Dean Leuking, "Touch and See," article in The Christian Century April 2, 1997 p. 337 The Forgiveness Business I have frequently quoted Robert Capon's comments that the church is not in the morals business. The world does a pretty good job of that. What the world can't get right is the forgiveness business which is the church's proper job. From a slightly different angle, he writes in Between Noon and Three: Morality, by its very nature, must be concerned with norms, with standards; whereas grace, by definition, is concerned with persons: it is a refusal to allow the standards to become the basis of their reconciliation or condemnation. Thus the conflict: morality tells you the standard you need to meet in order to be properly alive; grace tells you that all you ultimately need is to be dead – which is either the world's lowest standard or no standard at all. Grace and morality, therefore, are two different kettles of fish. Morality deals with virtue and vice, with what is strengthening or weakening for human nature considered as an operational possibility. Grace, however, deals with sin, with a condition in which human nature has ceased to be an operational possibility and has ended up a lost cause. Grace is, to say it once again, about raising the dead. In the Bible the opposite of sin is not virtue; it is faith – faith in God who raises the dead. All this talk about morality, therefore, is misleading. When we get far enough into it we begin to convince ourselves that the preaching of the moral law will, if done energetically enough, lead people to lead good lives and so make them more like what they ought to be. But that's not biblical. St. Paul says that the purpose of the law was not to do that at all, but to bring us to the awareness of sin. We sit here talking as if proper moral instruction to fifteen-year-olds will somehow keep them clear of sin. But St. Paul says that Scripture has concluded – locked up – all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. [pp. 157-8] The goal of our preaching is not more moral behaviors, but forgiveness. I have often said that the primary purpose of sermons is absolution. While there may be instructions, and illustrations, and jokes, etc., if the forgiveness of sins through Jesus is not proclaimed in some way, I think that the sermon (and the church) has failed in its God-given purpose. Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes The Urgency of the Task Luiqi Tarisio was found dead one morning with hardly any creature comforts in his home, except the presence of 246 exquisite violins. He had been collecting them all his life. They were all stored in the attic, the best in the bottom drawer of an old rickety bureau. In his very devotion to the violin, he had robbed the world of all that music. Much of that collection was owned by others before him who had done the same. So that when the greatest of his collection, a Stradivarius, was first played it had had 147 speechless years. How many of Christ's people are like old Tarisio? In our very love of the church we fail to give the glad tidings to the world; in our zeal for the truth we forget to publish it. When shall we all learn that the Good News needs not just to be cherished, but needs to be told? Don't bury God's Good News of Easter at the bottom of a rickety old bureau. Let the people hear the great sound of the music: He is Risen! Adapted from James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, Wheaton: Tyndale, 1988, p. 492. George M. Bass, The Tree, The Tomb, And The Trumpet, CSS Publishing Co., Inc.

What does God want from you?

March 11, 2018 UMCOR Sunday 4th Sunday of Lent Micah 6:6-8 UMCOR Sunday Children’s Sermon Preparation: Bring four differently colored crayons. Good morning! How are you today? Allow children to answer. Did you know that today is a special day in the church? Does anyone know what day it is? If the pastor or liturgist has already mentioned UMCOR Sunday, ask the children if they remember what (name) said today is called. If no one knows, ask adults. That’s right. Today is called UMCOR Sunday. What does it mean to share? Allow children to answer. Do you like sharing? Is sharing a good thing? Allow children to answer. When you share something, does that mean you have more or less than you did before? Allow children to answer. If they do not understand, move on to the example to help illustrate. Give a child (at least 5 years old) four crayons. Ask the child: Can you share your crayons with (name of another child)? If the first child does not give two crayons to the other child, have an older child help. OK. Now, (name of first child), do you have more or fewer crayons than you did before? Child should say “fewer.” Allow child to elaborate if he or she wishes. You are right. You have fewer crayons. But now you and (second child’s name) can color together! Isn’t it more fun to color with a friend than to color alone? Allow children to answer. If you need that (insert color) crayon that you gave away, do you think your friend would share with you so you could use it? If your friend needed your (insert color) crayon, would he/she share with you? Allow children to answer. I think all of you would share your crayons so everyone could use any color they need. By sharing, it might look as if you have fewer crayons, but you’ve gained a friend to color with and still can use all the crayons. This is a hard lesson to learn for everyone, kids and grownups. Sometimes we forget that sharing helps everyone. Sometimes we don’t want to share because we think we would lose something and we forget we would gain something even better. Direct to adults in congregation: How many of the grownups here still have trouble remembering this sometimes? Here at church, we have people who can help remind us how important it is to share when we forget. You can help us remember too, OK? Today is a special day for sharing. Can you think of things we can share with others? Allow children to answer. Children will probably say crayons, toys, etc. Affirm their answers. That’s right. We can share many different things. Today we will take a special offering for people to share money. All the money we collect here at our church and that other churches collect in many other places helps people who need food, shelter, school supplies or other things they need to live and grow. When we share what we have with others, we help to share God’s love. Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for sharing your love with us. Help us to share what we have with others. In Jesus name we pray. Micah 6:6-8 Common English Bible (CEB) What does the LORD require? 6 With what should I approach the LORD and bow down before God on high? Should I come before him with entirely burned offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with many torrents of oil? Should I give my oldest child for my crime; the fruit of my body for the sin of my spirit? 8 He has told you, human one, what is good and what the LORD requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible If you go back and look at the Hebrew bible – you will see that a large percentage of it takes place in the context of a court case. Either the people are suing God for justice, or God is accusing them of not keeping their relationship. The word satan does not mean devil, it means accuser. The one who is reminding God of what we have done wrong. It is our faith that defends us in the eyes of God. It is not that we are innocent of wrongdoing – we are all sinners. But God is always merciful- God loves us no matter what. We may falter, but God is always God. As long as we promise to have a relationship with God, we are can leave the court and Go on with our lives. The book of Micah is one of those famous court cases. The people are standing before the throne of God, asking why there are in exile. What must I do to get back into the good graces of God. All of the evidence has been presented. The people are guilty, but they ask what God wants. God says that all that God wants is for the people to do justice, have mercy, and to walk humbly with God. Ben Powers is the name of a man that may not be familiar to you today. But, several years ago, he made headlines around the world. For the last fourteen years, Ben Powers has worked for NASA. He has been working on the solid rocket motor design and is considered an expert in his field. In 1987 the ill-fated Challenger blasted off for outer space. This was a special mission which included six astronauts and one school teacher, Christa McAuliffe. The astronaunts were to carry out scientific experiments and Christa was to teach some special science classes from the Challenger once they were in orbit. As you know, 73 seconds into launch, an O-Ring failed. A startled world watched in shock as the Challenger exploded and seven astronauts died, including the young school teacher. Ben Powers risked the wrath of his supervisors and the scientific community at NASA when he gave his testimony before the Presidential Commission investigating the disaster. Ben Powers was the only NASA engineer who had opposed the launch. He was the only NASA engineer who had expressed concern about a launch in cold weather. He was the only NASA engineer to appear before the Presidential Commission and say that the order to launch had been a bad decision. Because of his testimony, several key supervisors have been replaced at NASA and Ben Powers is treated like a "leper" by those with whom he works. He broke the code of silence, and former friends and colleagues now keep their distance. In an interview, Ben Powers was asked by a reporter if he thought he and his family had paid too high a price for his testimony. Ben Powers was silent for a moment and then he said, "My commitment to Jesus Christ is the most important factor in my life. I did what God expected me to do." Have you ever asked yourself, "What does God expect of me? How much does God demand of me? How will I know when I am doing what is expected of me?" There are very few verses in the Bible that are better known than Micah 6:8. It is a verse that attempts to answer the question, "What does God expect of You?" Micah asks: ... and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? This particular passage is a profound statement of faith. It is known as one of the four mountainpeaks of spiritual faith in the Old Testament. It presents religion in an easy and understandable style. Micah points out that the only demands which God places on us are to do justice in our daily relationships, to show kindness to other people, and to walk humbly with God. This may sound like a very easy and simple way to live. But, it is a very costly lifestyle, because its demands are moral and spiritual. It is worth noting that in this statement of faith, two of the parts deal with our relationship to people and one part deals with our relationship to God. This is because it is rather futile to talk about God unless we come to respect the men and women that God created in his image. In 1 John 4:20, the writer says we are not likely to love God whom we have not seen unless we come first to love our fellow humans whom we can see. As we look at what God expects of us, we are going to be using the three biblical demands which Micah lifted up. The question of the day for us is what does God want from you? What does God want you to do in your situation? If you had to stand before the throne of God and face God, what would God ask you? How would you answer. Micah reminds us that God wants three things of us, no matter who we are, no matter what our situation. Do Justice, give mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. In Hebrew that is mishpat, Chesed, and Hasnea. These are the three pillars of what it means to be faithful, but these are also the three most important attributes of God. First and foremost God is the judge of all things. God’s first task is justice. God may not always be fair, but God is always just. I have to let that sink in for a minute. God is not fair – fairness is our perspective of a situation. God may see some things that are hidden from us. Fairness is how we feel about the situation. Justice goes beyond our feelings. The word in Hebrew for "justice" is "mishpot." It means, "Who is my judge?" "Who is my Lord?" "Who exercises sovereignty over me?" To "do justice" means to act, quarrel, walk, and pray in such a way that I constantly affirm that God is my judge, my Lord, and the sovereign in my life. Only that One exercises Lordship over me. I serve no other Master. The good news is that a God that is concerned with justice first, is concerned about mercy second. Hesed means loving kindness. When God judges us he judges in the spirit of love. Years ago, there was a wise and just ruler who established a series of laws for his people to follow. They were good laws, though sometimes difficult to follow. One day his own mother broke one of the laws and was brought to the ruler after being caught. The penalty for breaking this particular law was twenty lashes. It put him into a quandary. How could the ruler remain just and be the ruler of the Kingdom and still fulfill the demands of his love for his mother? He thought and he prayed about it and then on the day of his mother's punishment, this ruler took the lashes on his own back. And in so doing, justice was satisfied and his deep love for his mother was both honored and revealed in full measure. (10) That's what God did for us through Jesus. God doesn't want to contend with us as He does with Israel in this passage. He wants us to remember how much God loves us. Remember Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Justice is getting what we do deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote these meaningful words: "The greatness of God lies in the fact that God is both tough-minded and tenderhearted. God has qualities both of austerity and of gentleness Justice, mercy and walking with God. It is interesting that these are the three most important attributes of God, but these are also the three things that God requires of us. God requires this of us as individuals, but also a church. What does God want from us? God wants our actions to mimic God’s actions. God holds us to the same standard that we Hold God. God can always hold us accountable to our stuff, but God will always give us the tools to do better. That is why whenever there is a confession, there is always a pardon. Lent is our time to think about the third quality – what does it mean to walk humbly with God? To be in relationship with God, knowing that we will never live up to God’s standard, but we have to live our lives in a way that we are always striving to that goal. To forgive others, to understand others and to be there in their time of need. That is why UMCOR Sunday is always the 4th Sunday of lent. It used to be called one great hour of sharing. But it is a chance to be reminded of how we can be what God calls us to be. Being in mission is the core of who we are as United Methodist. We care about the things that God cares about. God is so in love with the world, that not only does God care about what happens to people and what they need. But God is continually finding ways to make sure that people have the tools they need in life to be faithful.If we are the people who walk humbly with God, then we are the people to help with that process. In our Wesleyan tradition we acknowledge the grace of God placed in our hearts and at work in the world before any action on our part. In response we accept and proclaim grace that sets us upon the right path of obedience to the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. This grace calls us to repentance, and to active faith and good works in Christ. Active faith participates in the perfecting and fulfilling grace of God, which claims and implements the promises of God to deliver exploited persons and oppressed peoples, to restore the sanctity and integrity of God’s creation, and to reconcile division in the households of faith and among the peoples and nations of the earth as all of creation groans for redemption. In other words, we have been charged to make a difference in the world, and to bring God’s salvation to all of creation, until all people mirror the face of God in justice, mercy and faith. As we give to help UMCOR go all over the world, we are participating in mission. Mission is the core of who we are as United Methodist. We have a faith in our heart, but our faith is an active faith , that does something, that gives something and that loves something. What is it that God is asking of you? What are we requiring of God? What is God saying? Please test me, God begs of us, as if to say, I dare you! Go ahead. Give generously to the causes I care about and see if I will not come through for you. Give generously to my church and see if you can handle all the blessings I pour out on you. He challenges us again in Psalm 81:10. “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” The Psalmist challenges us. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8a) What will you do with God’s dare? How will you respond to God’s challenge to give generously and put God’s goodness to the test? How will we as a church respond? Will we dare to give and trust, or will we cling to God’s gifts and refuse God the opportunity to show love for us? Together, we do more when we give generously. When we put God to the test, we put ourselves in position to enjoy the abundant blessings God has so generously promised. Amen. Other illustrations……. I hope you will join us on March 11, 2018, when we celebrate UMCOR Sunday. When you and your congregation give on this day, you support the local, national and global relief efforts of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. In addition to disaster assistance, UMCOR provides support to refugees and migrants around the world through its partnership organizations. Today, more than 65 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict, persecution or natural disasters. Over 21 million of those are refugees, more than half of whom are under age 18, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Syria has been hit particularly hard with more than 6 million civilians displaced by the country’s ongoing civil war. A $90,000 grant from UMCOR recently provided hygiene and bedding kits for vulnerable people in Aleppo, Syria, forced to leave their homes because of the seven-year conflict. These kits offer a little help and hope amid the human suffering. Your generosity helps the United Methodist Committee on Relief make a difference around the world. Gifts on UMCOR Sunday help cover the agency’s administrative costs so UMCOR can continue to guarantee that 100 percent of all other donations go toward specific relief projects. Visit our resource section for UMCOR Sunday. There you'll find more information and an opportunity to download free material to help you promote and celebrate this very Special Sunday! Please share this good news. God bless you, Thomas Kemper General Secretary General Board of Global Ministries UMCgiving.org/UMCOR Use the following Scriptures and reflections to jumpstart sermons related to each special offering. Share the goodness of life with those who hurt. “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” – Luke 3:11b, CEB It’s easy to give food to our church’s pantry or to share a spare coat with someone who has none. But how can we go an extra mile – to make a genuine sacrifice to help a neighbor in need – beyond today’s special offering? That’s what keeps our faith alive! When you contribute to the UMCOR Sunday offering this Sunday, you enable the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to keep the promise that 100 percent of your designated gift goes entirely to specific causes. On behalf of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR provides humanitarian aid in the United States and around the world. By responding whenever and wherever catastrophes strike, helping refugees reintegrate into their communities, feeding schoolchildren, establishing medical clinics and much more, UMCOR provides hope for millions. Please give generously. Thank you! Just do three things, Israel: mishpat, hesed, and hasnea (Micah 6:8). Will you say these words after me? We're going to learn a little Hebrew this morning: (Make this as interactive as you can.) Mishpat: Do justice. Hesed: love kindness. Hasnea: walk humbly with your God. Only that! I'm not asking much, Israel. Only this! Only make every facet of your lives, every institution in your communities, every encounter you have with others, be defined by mishpat, (justice), hesed (covenant love), and hasnea (walking humbly with God). Suddenly it becomes clear just how far Israel, and how far we, have fallen from the will of God. Suddenly it's clear how miserably the human side of the covenant equation has behaved. Suddenly it's clear how much easier it would be to produce those thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil, than it is to transform our lives into genuine expressions of . . . what are those three words . . . mishpat, hesed, and hasnea. Micah's three words in today's text are God's expectations for all who claim to walk in a covenant relationship with the divine. God doesn't declare that mishpat, hesed, and hasnea are characteristics found in the general world. No. Mishpat, hesed and hasnea are the qualities God expects of God's own people. God has a higher standard for us. Just as Micah spoke to the covenant community of Israel then, Micah speaks just as directly to the covenant community called the church today. The church claims to live in a covenant relationship with God through the gift of Jesus the Christ. Through Jesus, the only one who could wholly fulfill the qualities of mishpat, hesed, and hasnea in a human life, the door to a right relationship with God has once again been opened to us. But to stay in that covenant bond the requirements remain the same. We're still called by God to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. We're still called by God to live these three words while our whole beings: remind me of these three words again: mishpat, hesed, hasnea. God expects you to show kindness to others. Here is the most basic requirement that God expects of us - that we treat other people as we would like to be treated. All good religion begins at this point. But kindness is much more than being harmless. Kindness in the Bible has backbone - it has guts - it is more than simply being tolerant of others. One person said, "Kindness isn’t really kindness until it costs you something." I don’t know if there is a price tag attached to kindness, but I believe that when we go out of our way in being kind to another, we usually bring out the best that is in them. It is the daily walk with God that energizes the commitment to do justice and go even beyond to treat people (even the undeserving) with loving-kindness; the ritual of the temple that was so important to Israel could give expression to the vitality of that walk, but it could never be a substitute for the daily companionship that is part and parcel of a life of faith. "Walking humbly with God is a call to do more than to come to God with offerings thinking to buy God's favor, but to spend the time walking, living life, with God in ways that would work out in every aspect of life. It implies a sensitivity to the things of God, a concern...to allow our heart to be broken by the things that break the heart of God. It is a deep desire to see the world through the eyes of God, to act in the world as God would act."(7) When this final requirement is placed cheek by jowl with the first two, walking with God becomes synonymous with having a heart for justice and compassion. The three cannot be separated, for walking humbly with God, living all of life in relationship to God, will result in both. An old proverb embraces that kind of giving, "The only true gift is a portion of yourself .

Run the Race that You are in

October 23, 2016 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Luke 18:9-14 There is a story about a world-class woman runner who was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions--or so she thought--given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race scheduled just up the road and directed her there. When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she'd anticipated; an easier race than she'd been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials' excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she'd hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place. Only after the race--when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money--did she confirm that the event she'd run was not the race to which she'd been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town. She'd gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize. (7) I wonder if that's not the story of many people. They are chasing after prizes that are piddling or illusionary. Meanwhile they are missing out on the most important race of all. I wonder if that is not the story of many people that we know, who are winning the wrong race in life. They are running the life in the world, and forgetting to get right with God. All of us are running a race. But how many of us are getting aprize. The Englewood 5K is today, and people from all over Chicago will be there. Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of interest in church people attending. Most races start at 8am, so that I can race, and get back to church just as it is getting started. This race is in my neighborhood, but it does not start until 10 am, which means that there is no guarantee that I will be done and back in church even by the time my sermon is supposed to start. But Paul’s scripture in Timothy is about running another race. The race of life. The kool thing about Paul’s race is that it is only for the righteous – for church folk. And we can run it, even if we have not trained for the Englewood 5K. Paul is talking to his student Timothy. He says that he is about to finish this race. He has been working hard to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Presently he is in jail, and he realizes that the end of the race is coming to an end. He realizes that he will die soon. Those who are trying to stop him, are gonna win, and they are going to kill him. So he tells Timothy to keep running the race, but to run in order to get the crown. The Greek word for “crown”--stephanos--refers to a wreath that was usually woven like a garland and placed on the winner’s head at the end of the race. But, in St. Paul’s case this is not just any crown. It is the crown of righteousness. We need to talk about this for a moment. Paul was not receiving the crown because he had been righteous, that is, because he kept all the rules and didn’t offend anyone. Some of us hear the word righteousness and we are turned off by it. In the New Testament, a righteous person is one who lives in a right relationship with God and his or her neighbor. It does not mean we are perfect. As long as we are clothed in flesh we will be imperfect. But we know that Christ died for us. We know that God is the Lord of our lives and that all God’s children are our brothers and sisters. And we know that at the end of our lives all imperfection will be removed from us and we will live forever in perfect harmony with God and with all God’s creatures. This we call heaven. This is what happens when we receive the crown of righteousness. It is not something we merit. It is the culmination of everything God has done in Jesus Christ to make us His own. We are all encouraged to finish the race. To win the game. What is involved in this admonition to "finish the race?" What does it mean for a Christian or a congregation to take this text seriously and train for a race where one runs for the duration? What does it take to complete the course? During broadcasts of various world series, super bowls and playoffs, four words, representing important sports concepts keep cropping up: Groove, Ambition, Momentum and Enthusiasm. They are easy to remember, for they shamelessly form the acronym GAME. You will notice that Paul did not say that we have to win the race, but we all have to run the race. Winning the race is up to God. Our job is tobefaithful, do whatweare supposed to do andto wait forGodto give theincrease, and to make the difference. The gospel lesson talks about us coming before God in prayer. One person was able to admit his faults and came before God as a sinner and asked for God’s help. A Pharisee came before God and bragged about who he was and thanked God for being better than the others. It is sort like a famous author who went to a restaurant and had to wait awhile for service. His companion told him to tell the waiter who he was so that he could get better service. The author said, if I have to tell him who I really am, I must not be that important. That is how it is with our relationship with God. If God does not already know that you are good, and you have to tell God who you are, you might not be that person. No matter how much we do here on earth- we are still sinners in God’s eyes. We give God the glory because all that we have and all that we are isa gift from God. The good news is that we don’t have to be great- we just have to be faithful. Some of those who have accomplished the least, have done the most in God’s eyes. Some clever person has written a fictitious letter from a pastor to a church search committee. The letter reads as follows: "I understand your church is looking for a pastor. I should like to submit my application. I am generally considered to be a good preacher. I have been a leader in most of the places I have served. I have also found time to do some writing on the side. I am over fifty years of age (no children), and while my health is not the best, I still manage to get enough work done to please my congregation. As for a reference, I am somewhat handicapped. I have never served in any place more than three years, and the churches where I have preached have generally been pretty small, even though they were located in rather large cities. Some places I had to leave because my ministry caused riots and disturbances. When I stayed, I did not get along too well with other religious leaders in town, which may influence the kind of references these places will send you. I have also been threatened several times and been physically attacked. I have gone to jail three or four times for expressing my thoughts. You will need to know that there are some men who follow me around undermining my work. Still, I feel sure I can bring vitality to your church. If you can use me, I should be pleased to be considered." The committee was dismayed that anyone would think that their church could use such a man. A trouble making, absent-minded, ex-jailbird could not possible be an effective pastor let alone be accepted by the community. "What was his name?" they asked. The chairman of the committee said, I do not know. The letter is simply signed, 'Paul'. Most leadership of the early church wouldn’t make it through the church interview process today. Theirs was a rough and dangerous world, turmoil on every side, both in the Jewish nation and the Roman. Think of the pictures we have seen from Afghanistan these past few weeks and you get an idea of the kind of hardships the Apostle Paul faced as he traveled for 20 years and thousands of miles all over the Roman world. There is power in purpose. In one of his novels, George Moore tells of Irish peasants at the period of the Great Depression. In order to meet the starvation crisis, the government put them to work building roads. For a time, the men worked well, sang their Irish songs, happy to be at work; but little by little they discovered that the roads they were building went nowhere. There was no real destination. They ran out into the dreary bogs and stopped. As the truth gradually dawned on them, that they had been put to work by the government simply as an excuse for feeding them, the men grew listless and stopped singing. And the author made this perceptive comment, the roads to nowhere are difficult to build. For a man to work well and sing, there must be an end in view. We know that, don’t we? Life hangs heavy on our hands. Our days drag drearily on if some purpose doesn’t pervade our lives. We have to be reminded that the crown is given to those who are righteous. Who live their lives according to what they know about the bible. Who order our steps according to doing what Jesus would want us to do in every situation. We want God to acknowledge our actions not man. In man’s race, there are always winners and losers. If you win, somebody else has got to lose. If you get the prize, there is not enough for others to get the same prize. When we are committed to righteousness, we understand that our winning does not preclude others from winning also. In God’s economy there is enough for everyone to get a prize, and God is not going to close the shop once so many people win. As a matter of fact, God is prolonging the race, he does not want just the first ten to get in to win, he wants everyone to win. And He will wait at the finish line until all of his children come home and achieve righteousness. That is just how Good God is. The Race We Are In Several years ago, I told you a story about one of my all-time favorite people. Not that I know her, or have even met her. But I admire her. Because one day, at age 42, in beautiful downtown Cleveland, she ran a marathon by accident (all 26 miles, 385 yards of it). Her name was Georgene Johnson. Still is. As you will recall, she lined up with the wrong group at the starting line. Not the 10K group, where she belonged. But the 26 mile group, where she didn't. It wasn't until the four mile mark that she realized her mistake. So she just kept going, finishing the race in four hours and four minutes. But it's what she said later (by way of explanation) that has stayed with me since. Said Georgene: "This isn't the race I trained for. This isn't the race I entered. But, for better or worse, this is the race I'm in." Which is true more often than you might think. Relatively few of us are exactly where we figured we'd be....doing exactly what we figured we'd be doing. But we are where we are, and (for better or worse) we're keeping our feet moving. William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com I want to share with you one more story, It is not so much about running the race, but it is about Paul’s reason for writing the story. Paul knew that it was time to encourage others to step up to the plate and let others run the race of faith. How Is John Quincy Adams? On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?" The former president replied graciously, "Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well." In other words, John Quincy Adams was telling others, that his body was not doing so well, he was struggling with a lot of physical ailments that slowed him down. But in the midst of it all, his spirit was well. It was well with his soul. That is the attitude we need to cultivate so that when the call home comes we may say with Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith Unknown Amen. Additional illustrations…… The famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the maitre d' who you are?" Gregory Peck responded with great wisdom. "No," he said, "if you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't." Watching Life Pass By A little boy was asked what his father did by an older man. The boy answered, "He watches." "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh no", the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?" "I don't know if I can tell you everything, but I can name a few things." "Well, tell me," the curious man replied. "He watches TV, he watches Mom do the housework, he watches for the mail man, he watches the weather, he watches the computer, and I think he watches girls, too" he said with an impish grin on his face. "He watches the stock market, football games. He watches Mom spank us, and he watches us do our homework. He watches us leave to go to Church and PTA and shopping. He watches Mom write letters and me play with my dog. He watches Mom pay the bills. But mainly, he just watches." There are many who idly sit and watch life pass them by. They live lives for which there is no meaning, no significance. If this is characteristic of your life, the Apostle Paul offers a challenge to fight the good fight, to finish the race, to keep the faith. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from Williams, H. Page: Do Yourself a Favor: Love Your Wife. Children’s Sermon…… Lesson: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Object: A crown, a vase of flowers, a gold cup, a pile of money, candy, and a small prize for each child (lollypop, balloon, tootsie roll, etc.) Good morning, boys and girls. Look at all of these good things I have with me today. A crown, money, flowers, candy -- what do you suppose all of these things are for? (Let them answer.) Well, these are all prizes. What is a prize? Can anyone tell me? (Let them answer.) Yes. A prize is something you win. Can you think of anyone who would ever win a crown for a prize? (Let them answer.) That's right. The young lady who wins the title of "Miss America" receives a crown for her head. That means that she was the best person of all the women who tried out. She could sing or dance better, talk better, and she probably looked very pretty, too. Who would win all this money? (Let them guess.) A person who had the fastest horse or car in a race would probably get a lot of money like this. I wonder what kind of a person would get flowers for a prize? (Let them guess.) Sometimes a person -- especially a woman -- who sings very well in a big concert or stage show will get flowers when she comes out to take her bow. A gold cup is given to the best tennis player, and if you won a spelling contest at school, you might get this candy. Did any of you ever win a prize? (Let them answer.) That's very good! How many people usually win a prize in a race? (Let them answer.) That's right. Usually only one person wins the prize in a contest or a race. But you know what, boys and girls? Paul tells us today that when it comes to being a Christian, everyone wins the prize! There isn't just one person who gets the flowers or money or gold cup; all of us who have believed in Jesus will win the prize. Do you all know what the prize is, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) Right. The prize is heaven. We will all share it with one another. Isn't that a better prize than money or flowers or crowns, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) It sure is! Today I want to give you this small prize to help you remember the big prize of heaven. (Pass out small prizes.) Amen.