Living Bread

August 11, 2024 John 6:35, 41-51 12th Sunday of Pentecost Living Bread Year B Prelude Greetings Call to Worship L: We are hungering and thirsting for hope and peace. P: Come, Lord Jesus, come. L: Our hearts long for the nourishing presence of God. P: Come, Lord Jesus, come. L: Give to us the living bread of your peace that we may hunger no more. P: Open our hearts to joyfully receive your life-sustaining love. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer (John 6, Psalm 130) O Bread of heaven, come down. Come down and fill us with your Spirit— for your Spirit satisfies like no other. We hunger and thirst for you this morning and long to be nurtured in your love and forgiveness. So we come to this sacred time and place, where our hungers are finally and fully satisfied as only your bread can do. We will wait and listen for your leading in this hour. Amen. Song Help us Accept Each Other UMH 560 A Sermon for all Ages • Good morning! • [Show a picture of cookies] Can you tell me what these are? (Cookies!) • That's right -- well done! • This next question might be a little harder to answer: Can you tell me how to make cookies? • That's right, you take some ingredients -- ingredients are the things that go into the cookies, like flour, sugar, butter, milk, and chocolate chips -- so you take those ingredients and you mix them all up and then put that mix into the oven. • Making cookies is a little bit harder than what I just said, which is why there are instructions for us to follow that help us make the cookies the best way. • Do you know the fancy name we have for those instructions? • Yep! The fancy name is "recipe." • You've probably heard that word before, but say it with me -- "recipe." Nice! One more time, "recipe." • There are recipes for all sorts of foods, not just cookies! • The thing I find very interesting about recipes is how they take ingredients that aren't very tasty when they are by themselves and then combines those ingredients into something VERY tasty, like donuts, cookies, pancakes, and brownies. Mmmmmmmm TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway) • This word "recipe" comes to mind, today, because in today's scripture story, we hear Jesus say, "I am the living bread." • Jesus can be understood to be saying a number of different things, here, when he says he is the living bread. • For instance, just like bread helps feed people, Jesus might be saying that he helps feed people, too. • Another thing I think Jesus is saying when he says, "I am the living bread" is that just like bread is made with a recipe, the good life that God wants us to live is made with a recipe, too. • In the Jesus stories, we see Jesus live an amazing life that is full of God's love, forgiveness, and healing. • That life that we see Jesus living, that's the "living bread" and that bread, that life, has a recipe. • And guess what? Jesus is one of the very best people who can teach us what that recipe of “living bread” includes. • In fact, that recipe is exactly what Jesus taught his disciples • We see Jesus teach his disciples this recipe that includes prayer, the importance of knowing the faith stories, and worshiping God. SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination) • Now, on their own, prayer, worship, and Bible stories might seem as unexciting as flour, milk, butter, and some chocolate chips. • But when you mix them all together, you get something that looks and tastes so much better… • …you get cookies and you get God's good life! • Both things are great to have and they are also really great things to share. • So, next time you hear that line from Jesus about being the living bread, I hope you think of the recipe of worship, prayer, and learning the faith stories. • And, I hope you remember how God's good life of love, forgiveness, and healing – which is what Jesus means by living bread – is meant to be enjoyed by us and shared with others. • That's the good news for today. Let's pray. CLOSING Prayer • This is a repeat-after-me prayer. Dear God, Dear God, Thank you for Jesus... Thank you for Jesus... ...who teaches us... ...who teaches us... ...the recipe of living bread… ...the recipe of living bread… …using prayer, worship, and faith stories… …using prayer, worship, and faith stories… …that we can then enjoy and share with others. …that we can then enjoy and share with others. This material is the copyrighted property of rfour.org and Nathanael Vissia. It is also free. Please use, improve and share this material. But you may not sell it or require any personal information for it. Responsive Reading Psalm 130 UMH 848 Scripture John 6:35, 41-51 Sermon Living Bread Eating is fundamental to life- it is the one thing that all humans no matter what their culture have in common. One of the essential forms of food in every culture is bread. It might be corn bread, wheat bread, fry bread, pita, sourdough, a tortilla. Bread is fundamental to our lives. Perhaps that is why the people who created the readings for the year spent so much time on the reading of John 6 – where Jesus tells us over and over again that he is the bread of life. He is the essential part of our faith and our life that we cannot escape or do without. Just as we may eat some form of bread everyday, we need to intentionally include Jesus in our lives in some form every day. I don’t want to dwell too long on this lesson this morning, I just want to share with you three stories, about the three important points that Jesus gives to us in the verses of John chapter 6. If you are hungry, John 6 is all about food and Jesus’ teachings. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus is teaching the crowd, many people gather to hear. Jesus realizes that they are hungry and he instructs the disciples to feed them. They find enough bread and fish for 5000. Next Jesus reveals himself to the disciples by walking on water In the verses that we deal with today – Jesus reveals himself by teaching what it means to be the bread of life In the final part of John 6 – after the people have been fed mind body and spirit, the people start to doubt Jesus, even the disciples are full and just go on with their lives forgetting about jesus. Jesus lesson to us today – is not to do that. Once we have been nourished, not to go away satisfied, but to stay connected, remember that just as bread comes from heaven, so do our everyday blessings. The three lessons for us today: Jesus is the bread of life, being close to Jesus nourishes our soul, we are drawn to Jesus through the grace of God. It is God who seeks us, not the other way around, and finally we need Jesus every day, so keep Jesus near in your heart. So, first, Jesus is the bread of life A Reminder of Our True Home The influence that food can have on us appears in a Chinese story originally told by Linda Fang. She presented this story at the Smithsonian Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., March 19, 1988. At the foot of a great mountain in China lived a father and his three sons. They were a simple and loving family. The father noticed that travelers came from afar eager to climb the dangerous mountain. But not one of them ever returned! The three sons heard stories about the mountain, how it was made all of gold and silver at the top. Despite their father's warnings, they could not resist venturing up the mountain. Along the way, under a tree, sat a beggar, but the sons did not speak to him or give him anything. They ignored him. One by one, the sons disappeared up the mountain, the first to a house of rich food, the second to a house of fine wine, the third to a house of gambling. Each became a slave to his desire and forgot his home. Meanwhile, their father became heartsick. He missed them terribly. "Danger aside," he said, "I must find my sons." Once he scaled the mountain, the father found that indeed the rocks were gold, the streams silver. But he hardly noticed. He only wanted to reach his sons, to help them remember the life of love they once knew. On the way down, having failed to find them, the father noticed the beggar under the tree and asked for his advice. "The mountain will give your sons back," said the beggar, "only if you bring something from home to cause them to remember the love of their family." The father raced home, brought back a bowl full of rice, and gave the beggar some as a thank-you for his wisdom. He then found his sons, one at a time, and carefully placed a grain of rice on the tongue of each of them. At that moment, the sons recognized their foolhardiness. Their real life was now apparent to them. They returned home with their father, and as one loving family lived happily ever after. Today we gather in this church to receive a reminder of home, a taste of food that will help us remember who we are. I mean the bread of life, our Father's gift to us. This is the food of God's kingdom, and reminds us that this kingdom is our true home. Charles Hoffacker, Food from Home 2nd lesson – We are attracted here because of God’s grace Drawn Not by Wrath but by Love The author Ron Lee Dunn tells the story of two altar boys. One was born in 1892 in Eastern Europe. The other was born just three years later in a small town in Illinois. Though they lived very separate lives in very different parts of the world, these two altar boys had almost identical experiences. Each boy was given the opportunity to assist his parish priest in the service of communion. While handling the communion cup, they both accidentally spilled some of the wine on the carpet by the altar. There the similarity in their story ends. The priest in the Eastern European church, seeing the purple stain, slapped the altar boy across the face and shouted, "Clumsy oaf! Leave the altar." The little boy grew up to become an atheist and a communist. His name was Marshall Josip Tito - dictator of Yugoslavia for 37 years. The priest in the church in Illinois upon seeing the stain near the altar, knelt down beside the boy and looked him tenderly in the eyes and said, "It's alright son. You'll do better next time. You'll be a fine priest for God someday." That little boy grew up to become the much-loved Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. There is the gospel! We are drawn, not by wrath and condemnation, but by love. God is love. God draws us by love. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me.” David G. Mullen, The Barge, Not the Tugboat! Last lesson, never forget who it is that butters your bread. We are in need of God’s grace each and every day. God does promise us eternal life, he does say that he is the living bread. But we have to eat this bread more that once. Finding Jesus A mother was getting her five-year-old daughter, ready for church and the little girl asked, "Mom, why do we go to church?" Her grandmother, who happened to be in the same room, answered, "Baby, we go to Church to find Jesus!" Later in church Mom noticed her little girl looking all around. And after church the little girl said, "Mom, I looked all over that church for Jesus and I couldn't find him no where." That story reminds me a little of the crowds in our passage today. The crowds that had been following Jesus, being fed and healed, really had another purpose. They weren't just searching for Jesus. Their ultimate search was for the Messiah. That's why they came to listen. Always in the back of their minds was the question, "Is He the One? Is this the long hoped for and long awaited Messiah? Is this really Him?" And here in this conversation, Jesus all but says, "Hey guys, it's me." He does everything but put on a big red t-shirt with the word "Messiah" on it in big white letters. But the people's response is less than thrilling. Their reaction is, "Whoa, wait a minute. Isn't this Jesus? Isn't this the kid who grew up in Nazareth, whose father Joseph was a carpenter? Isn't this Jesus, Mary's son? We know him. How can HE be the Messiah? Where does HE get off telling us he's the "Bread from heaven." Billy D. Strayhorn, Beyond Skin Deep I know I said that I had three stories for three lessons. But that was a story of how easy it is to forget that Jesus is the bread of life, and to forget that Jesus is the source of our faith. I have one more story about remembering that Jesus is the source of our faith. We have to include him in everything that we do. Bread for the Journey My barber is a runner. He told me of a young man in a marathon race who kept falling farther and farther behind the other runners. Suddenly he looked as if he were talking to himself and his legs began to move with a steady stroke. He began to pick up speed. By the time he reached the finish line he had passed all the other runners and had won the race. Afterwards, when someone asked him why he was talking to himself, he replied, "Oh, I wasn't talking to myself. I was talking to God. I was saying, "Lord, you pick them up, and I'll put them down.'” Bread for the journey. Faith always moves forward. Life is a continuous series of journeys. Through all of them, ultimately, our aim is to nurture faith in ourselves, faith in each other, faith in God. All these journeys lead us to the grand finale journey into eternity. Good Lord, give us bread for the journey! Charles R. Leary, Mission Ready!, CSS Publishing Company Jesus is the bread of life, Jesus is the source of our faith, Jesus is the reason we come to church, Jesus is the one who gets us through every challenge and every day. In good times and bad, let us always remember where our help comes from. Let us pray! Song God be with you Till We Meet Again UMH 672 Prayers of the People (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) do not print the prayer Is the tree as it rises delighted with its many/ branches,/ each one like a poem? (“Do stones feel?” by Mary Oliver) God of glory, may we delight over our growth, our branches reaching to the sky, our children dancing beneath the summer sun, blades of grass between their bare toes. May we delight over the growth of our summer gardens, the food we can produce by seed and soil, the hunger we can feed with the abundance you so freely share. Let us not be so shrouded with concern, so overwhelmed by worry, that we miss the ways you grace us with delight. Only if there are angels in your head will you/ ever, possibly, see one. (“The World I Live In” by Mary Oliver) God of grace, help us to see your angels at work among us, lighting upon the unhoused in the street, delivering cups of coffee, Ziplocs full of fresh toiletries and deli sandwiches. Help us honor your angels with our praise and gratitude —the patient teacher, the loving parent, the determined wildfire fighter, the volunteer rescue worker, the visitor of the elderly, the sick, the imprisoned. Give us eyes to see, O God, your angels at work and help us be among their ranks. The last roses have opened their factories of sweetness/ and are giving it back to the world. (“Roses, Late Summer” by Mary Oliver) Loving God, like the roses, what sweetness can we give back this week at work, at church, within our homes and our communities? A smile? A supportive gesture? A longed-for embrace? Guide us to share what we have to give: a kind, encouraging email; an unexpected compliment; a reassuring word of grace; our presence in the midst of pain; a prayer of petition on behalf of the poor and downtrodden; an offering of time or treasure. Generous God, guide us in our giving this week. Make us bearers of your abundant grace. In these final weeks of summer, we lift these prayers to you, Great God, deserving of all our honor and praise. Now, as the Body of Christ, hear us as we pray the prayer Christ taught us saying, “Our Father …”. Lord’s Prayer Response to the Word (2 Samuel, John 6, Ephesians 4) Glorious things of thee are spoken. We marvel at the wisdom of your word, O God of heaven. May these words we have heard become nourishment for our souls and guidance for the living of our daily lives. Write these words on our hearts, O Lord, that we may be reflections of your truth and mercy. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, John Brewer) Stewardship Moment Invitation to Generosity Ephesians 4:25 reminds us that we are members of one another. That is true of the church, humanity, and all creation. The gifts we receive to sustain us have been given for our common good. When one member lacks, we all lack. When one flourishes, we all share in the abundance. Let us give generously to ensure all needs are met, the Generous One is glorified. Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication Holy God, thank you for the gift of generosity. Make us bold stewards of the resources you provide. Increase our offerings, expand our territory, and let our ministry testify to your goodness, nurture, and care for all. Amen. (United Church of Christ, Cheryl Lindsey) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go forth and live as Christ in the world. Speak and live with integrity as you journey through this new week, knowing that God will satisfy your every need and lead you to a victorious life. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, John Brewer) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Beloved, may God’s grace open your hearts to recognize the needs of your neighbors; may God’s mercy fill your prayers, and may God’s peace empower you to share the goodness and blessing you receive from God with all. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2024. Additional Illustrations This scene from Jesus' life (John 6:41-52) demonstrates these four possibilities. Jesus is either... 1. A Liar 2. A Lunatic 3. A Legend 4. Or a Lord Seeing with Eyes Closed - John 6:35, 41-51 I want you to think for a moment about all of the things you can’t see: • Microwaves • X-Rays • Ultraviolet Rays • Oxygen • Carbon Monoxide • Wind • Viruses • Bacteria • Sound Waves Can you think of any others? How do you know they exist? In most cases, you see the after-effects of their presence. Or you can feel them. Or maybe it’s because we believe that they exist. Others have told us so. Maybe it’s a combination of all of these. But the fact is, quite often, we are absolutely sure that certain things exist, even when we cannot see them at the time. Why then is it so hard for us at times to believe in the presence of the Holy Spirit? We tell ghost stories. We are fascinated by things we can’t explain. Many of us are sure that strange things happen that we cannot fathom or see, and we are sure that these things exist, even if we haven’t experienced the phenomena on our own. And yet, when it comes to the Holy Spirit, we accuse folks of, so to speak, drinking the Koolaid! And you know what? So did Jesus’ contemporaries. Faith in Jesus wasn’t any easier when he was alive then than it is now. We can see that today in our scriptures… Clothed in Human Flesh Next to the Bible, my favorite book is Harper Lee's award-winning novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." I love both the book and the movie. The main character, the one who tells the story, is a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, who goes by the name of Scout. Her father, Atticus Finch, is the town's lawyer and a man of deep principles and integrity. I always wanted to grow up and be like Atticus Finch. One day, Scout came home from school and told her father about some problems she was having with the teacher and several other students. In an effort to help her get along better with others, Atticus gave her this advice: "First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." That's exactly what Jesus did. Clothed in human flesh, Jesus felt pain as we feel pain. He suffered as we suffer. He even experienced death. Jesus climbed into our skin and walked around in it. Billy D. Strayhorn, Beyond Skin Deep Eating is fundamental to life. It’s something all people in every age have taken seriously. And I believe that one reason Jesus used the image of bread to describe Who He was is because Jesus wants us to take Him as seriously as we do the other fundamental necessities of life. David E. Hall, The Bread of Life Born of God Recall the paragraph in the story of The Ugly Duckling when the ugly duck realizes who he really is. "He saw below him his own image, but he was no longer a clumsy dark gray bird, ugly and ungainly, he was himself a swan! It does not matter in the least having been born in a duck yard, if only you come out of a swan's egg!" Jesus was explaining to the gathered people that it was the same with them. It does not matter in the least having been from Nazareth and born in Bethlehem, if only you are born of God. So Jesus proclaims that "Everyone will be taught by God." Because we are born of God we can claim our inheritance. We can claim the bread that comes down from heaven. The bread of such a kind that whoever eats it will not die. The bread that if anyone eats it, he or she will live forever. The bread is Jesus himself, which he gives so that the world may live. Thus Jesus invites us to consume him, to put him on, to wear him so that we will receive life. Robert L. Salzgeber, Assayings: Theological Faith Testings, CSS Publishing Company. Adapted. A Piece of Him At the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the famous British Admiral Horatio Nelson was due to be buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. His sailors lifted his casket over their shoulders and majestically carried his body into the cathedral. Draping his coffin was a magnificent Union Jack. After the service, the sailors once more carried his body high in the air, this time to the graveside. With reverence and with efficiency they lowered the body of the world’s greatest admiral into its tomb. Then, as though answering to a sharp order from the quarterdeck, they all seized the Union Jack with which the coffin had been covered and viciously tore it to shreds, each taking his souvenir of the illustrious dead. A swath of colored clothe as a memento. It would forever remind them of the admiral they had loved. “I’ve got a piece of him,” one sailor remarked, “and I’ll never forget him.” In like manner you now can have a piece of Christ - living bread - physically, spiritually, personally. Reaching out to receive him in faith is all that’s required. Staff, www.Sermons.com

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.

Letter to the Angel of the Church

May 6, 2018 Revelation 1:12-20,2:1 A Letter to the Angel of the Church Acsension Sunday Non-lectionary Children’s Sermon: What do angels do? Some are spiritiual, some are real, all are messengers of God. Revelation 1:12-20 Common English Bible (CEB) 12 I turned to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned, I saw seven oil lamps burning on top of seven gold stands. 13 In the middle of the lampstands I saw someone who looked like the Human One.[a] He wore a robe that stretched down to his feet, and he had a gold sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white as white wool—like snow—and his eyes were like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine brass that has been purified in a furnace, and his voice sounded like rushing water. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His appearance was like the sun shining with all its power. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he put his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I’m alive forever and always. I have the keys of Death and the Grave. 19 So write down what you have seen, both the scene now before you and the things that are about to unfold after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands, here is what they mean: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Footnotes: a. Revelation 1:13 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible The apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation while on the Greek Island of Patmos. He had a dream that he saw heaven, and while there Jesus gave him a vision. Jesus told him to give the vision to the new churches in Asia. It was a message of hope in times of a big struggle. Chapters 1-3 in Revelation are a series of messages that John gives to the 7 churches in Asia. He has a letter for each church. But what is interesting, John does not address the letter to the people of the church – he addresses it to the angel of the church. HMM what does that mean? Who is the angel of the church. Many people don’t like the book of Revelation, because it is written in symbolism. And a lot of that symbolism has very undefined meanings. Some believe that the angel is considered the pastor of the church, but early churches were not run by pastors, but by church councils. So some say that John is talking about the general leadership of the church. But John uses the word angel or messenger 60 times in the book of revelation, and he is always talking about a heavenly being. So the common understanding is that every congregation has a guardian angel, whose job is to watch over the congregation and the work it does for the Lord. Jesus told John to write a level to all seven angels, each angel being a separate being, with a separate personality, and each church dealing with different issues. The book of Daniel in the old testament actually speaks of this concept of every area having an angel that overseas the work of God. A pastor gave a sermon speaking about the angel of the church, and he asked the congregation if they believed that they had an angel. Someone shouted out no, we don’t have an angel, but we do have a lot of demons in the church. Actually as a United Methodist Elder, who takes a vow to ititerate, and to spread the gospel in different communities, we learn that is not true. Every church has an angel that watches over it, that protects it , that guides it , and that maintains the personality of the church. Being the new person in town, you get to know the angel of the church pretty quickly. Most of the time by accident, when you suggest something new to the congregation and you get a response. If you make a suggestion and people resist a little and say – we have never done it that way before –then you know that is just a deeply ingrained habit. If you do something different and someone bites your head off and tells you not to ever do that again, you know that you have stepped on the angels toes. I have had my head bitten off quite a few times in the last 10 months. The angel of Wilmington is alive and well, and doing her job. Angels are mentioned all throughout the bible. the greek word means messenger. Wherever there is holy work to be done, an angel always oversees that work. In the bible, God sends angels to take care of God’s children in times of trouble, to oversee the work that the church is doing, to provide when resources are lacking, to protect from danger, to reveal God’s intentions. It is interesting that when John writes to the angels of the seven churches, first he chastises the angel and tells them what they must do differently, then he gives a message of encouragement. The biblical writers learned a long time ago, that it does no good to speak directly to people and to tell them what to do, the people are not listening. Rather than giving direct orders, Jesus told parables. Stories, in hopes that as people listened to the story- they would see themselves in the story, and realize the truth for themselves. What you might hear in a story is not the same as what I hear, because we have different experiences, we are asking God different questions, and God has different intentions for us. So when God speaks, the story has to be big enough for the whole congregation to reflect and think about. That is why the book of revelation is intentionally written in symbols, and you have to spend time thinking about what those symbols mean to us. John was writing for a specific crises, but his words are timeless to apply to any situation 2000 years later. So that we could all hear the message, and to look for the angel. And to know that when we are doing God’s work, angels are with us. "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14 As told by Pastor Glenn Gunderson of First Baptist Church of Pomona, California: A missionary who was serving in a remote area of Africa made a monthly journey to a city two days bike ride away to pick up supplies and medicine. On one of his many journeys he came across two men who were fighting, one of whom was severely injured. The missionary stopped to help the injured man. After treating him, he continued on his way. Sometime later in the village a man came to him and said, "You probably don't remember me but I was one of the men who was fighting when you stopped to help." The missionary said he remembered the incident and the man told him. "We were going to rob you on one of your trips. We knew you always carried cash and medicine and were unarmed. When we came to rob you, I had three friends with me. We saw where you camped and put your bike down, but you had 26 armed guard all around you so we weren't able to rob you." The missionary said, "That's impossible. I always travel alone and have no armed guards of any kind." The man said, "Oh yes, my friends and I each counted 26 men, heavily armed standing around you while you slept." When the missionary visited his home church back in Michigan, he related this story to the church family. A man in the congregation stood up and asked, "What time and what day did this happen?" The missionary told him the date and that it was a Saturday night. The man said, "It was night there but it was Saturday morning here. I was loading my golf clubs in my car. I was on my way to the golf course and the Holy Spirit impressed on me so heavily that I needed to pray for you that I took my clubs out of my car and called men from church and we came together and earnestly prayed for you. He then said, "I would like to ask each one of these men who prayed with me that Saturday morning to stand up. As they stood, each one in the church counted 26 men standing! Dick Innes To the angel of Wilmington, God is at work , God is leading us forward and God has plans for us – it says so in scripture. Let us pray….

Inspiration

May 24, 2015 Romans 8:22-27 Inspiration Pentecost Year B Today is a special holiday for the church, but we don’t have to share this day with the world like our other days. No one knows what Pentecost is, I am sure that not all Christians even know what Pentecost is. And how much does a Penta Cost anyway. I got you – a Penta is a flower, and home depot likes to put them on sale at this time of year. But seriously, Pentecost is simply the birthday celebration of the church. The day the church was born. Jesus had promised that he would send his spirit to guide and comfort us. And on Pentecost, the spirit arrived. Pentecost is the festival of the wheat harvest. Jews from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem. But this Pentecost they came to understand one another, even though they spoke different languages. There was a spirit of unity and communication. In the old testament when they gathered to build Babel, God sent them a spirit of confusion, lest they get too arrogant. But on Pentecost, God reversed that spirit. Even today, we don’t speak the same language. And even in the church, we don’t always agree with one another. Pentecost is not about uniformity, but harmony. In the midst of our differences, we can still put Christ first in our lives. Our unity comes from the power of God amongst us. There is no one of us that possesses the power of God alone. Clergy need laity and laity need clergy. The musicians work with the sermon, and the pastor works with the choir. We have to understand that our unity is a gift from God, equally bestowed. The purpose of the church is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to save souls. It is the Pentecost experience that gives us the power to do that. It is the churches birthday, because it is the day when we receive some very important gifts. But the gifts are not for us- they are through us- to be given to the world. Acts 2 quotes verses from the old testament book of Joel, where God says the I will pour out my spirit on all people. For Jesus, all people meant that there were no restrictions, no qualifications. All people meant all people. Whether it was the durg addict or the church mother, the young child or the middle ages woman, the sick or the healthy, the rich or the poor. God has a heart for all people, and God is doing whatever he can to save all people. The gifts of Pentecost are there for those who say that they are followers of Christ to have the power to bring salvation to any life and to any situation. Russ Blowers is a minister who is active in his local Indianapolis Rotary club. At club meetings each week a member gives a brief statement about his job. When it was his turn, Russ said: "I'm with a global enterprise. We have branches in every country in the world. We have our representatives in nearly every parliament and boardroom on earth. We're into motivation and behavior alteration. We run hospitals, feeding stations, crisis pregnancy centers, universities, publishing houses, and nursing homes. We care for our clients from birth to death. We are into life insurance and fire insurance. We perform spiritual heart transplants. Our original Organizer owns all the real estate on earth plus an assortment of galaxies and constellations. He knows everything and lives everywhere. Our product is free for the asking. (There's not enough money to buy it.) Our CEO was born in a hick town, worked as a carpenter, didn't own a home, was misunderstood by his family, hated by enemies, walked on water, was condemned to death without a trial, and arose from the dead--I talk with him everyday." The church is the most amazing organization in the world! Russ Blowers The gifts of Pentecost are unity, understanding, power, purpose and inspiration. But we have to remember that the source of each gift is God. There is a pertinent dialogue in the sixteenth chapter of Judges. Delilah says to Samson: “Please tell me wherein your great strength lies” (v. 6). After three unsuccessful attempts to discover the source of Samson’s strength, Delilah renews her efforts. Finally Samson succumbs and declares his power is in his hair. You remember the rest of the story. He not only lost his hair, but he lost his strength. When we consider Christian ministry of all believers, irrespective of station or training, we must inevitably ask, where does the strength come from? First and foremost, it comes from God! “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7). And it up to each one of us to remember – that the power in our life to truly be effective in ministry comes from our relationship with God. I asked us to wear red, orange or pink, today –because I wanted each of us to realize that the flame of Christ is personal. It is about us, our life, our faith journey. Each of us is a unique flame for Christ. We should be on fire for Christ, each in our own way. We get power through the ways we life out our faith. The representations of the holy spirit is a flame, but it is also a breath. Each and every one of us has a unique breath inside of us. Recently, I ordered this device called a spire. It measures my breathing all day long. Then it sends messages to my phone to tell me whether I am calm or tense. When it senses that I am tense, it sends a message that perhaps I should calm down and take a deep breath. Spire means to breathe. To inspire is to take a deep breath in. To conspire is to work closely with, to aspire is to hope for something better, even spirit comes from the root word spire – which is the power within each of us to live and love with God. The breath is God’s mark upon us that God has a plan for us. Even scripture says to let everything that has breath praise God. Breath, wind is an important symbol of the holy Spirit and of Pentecost. And I want to encourage each of us to use this Pentecost to look at our relationship with God and to be inspired to new life, a new mission, a renewed spirit. This Pentecost, be inspired to conspire with God and aspire to a renewed sense of mission. Let the power of God’s spirit flow through you, and have a use your gifts in order to bring salvation to God’s people. More than any other holiday in the church calendar – Pentecost is about the here and now. It is not about remembering a time in the past, it is not about what happened 2000 years ago, it is about what is happening now. Each and every year, we have to rekindle the Pentecost spirit inside of us. We have to look at what is going on inside of us and what it going on In the world. What is God calling each of us to do about it. Every Pentecost is different. Pentecost is not about what God has done for us, it is about what God is doing through us. The spirit has to be born anew, we have to be inspired anew. God says to each of us – I have given you my gifts, now I want to see what you are going to do with them. A young artist, who was studying under a great master, came one day to the studio to beg for permission to use his master's brush. The request was granted, and with a singing heart the young man went away to his own painting, thinking that now his work would be much better. A short while later he returned with the brush, complaining that he could do no better with it than he could with his own brush. An assistant in the studio, hearing the young man's complaint, said to him: "Friend, it is not the master's brush you need, but the master's devotion, the master's spirit."—Sunshine Magazine It is God’s spirit, but it is our life that makes the difference. God is saying that the future is so much better than the past. But I am depending on you to usher in the hope of the future. I am depending on you to do greater things than what is now in existence. One of the most theologically sophisticated screenplay’s ever written is the one written by Steve Koren, Mark O’Keefe, and Steve Oedekerk for the 2003 film “Bruce Almighty.” When things happen in Bruce’s life, Bruce blames God and finally declares defiantly that if there is a God, God is a bad God. God is bad at being God. In fact, Bruce says he could do God better than God does God. So God surprises Bruce and says, “Okay, go ahead. You show me how I can do God better. So now it’s “Bruce Almighty.” Here’s the conversation: God: “You have all my powers. Use them any way you like. There are just two things you can’t do: you can’t tell anyone you’re God. Believe me, you don’t want that kind of attention.” Bruce: “And the other?” God: “You can’t mess with free will.” Bruce: “Can I ask why” God: “Yes you can! That’s the beauty of it.” The film ends with God saying to a frustrated and defeated Bruce: “The problem is that people keep looking up, when they should look inside . . . You want to see a miracle—-then be a miracle.” The gift of Pentecost enables each one of us to be a miracle . . . an ongoing incarnation of the presence of Jesus on Earth. You want to see Jesus? Then be Jesus. We have not had testimony time in a long time. I think next Sunday will be a good time for us to continue this conversation. I am telling you this week, so that people can think about what they will say. But I want us to testify about the presence of the holy Spirit in your life? How is God at work in your life, What is God calling you to do in the future, What are you up to in your life, that only the spirit can help you to succeed? I would encourage everyone to think about those answers this week, so that some will be able to share with us next week. That is the greatest gift of the presence of the holy Spirit, is the ability to witness to the presence of God in our lives. Finally, Waiting to Exhale A character in John Updike’s novel, A Month of Sundays, reflecting on his youthful experience of the church, says, "Churches bore for me the relation to God that billboards did to Coca-Cola; they promoted thirst but did nothing to quench it." The Holy Spirit empowers the church to be the agent of change in the world, a counter-cultural entity. The task of the church is to breathe in the Spirit and be inspired by the Spirit to act on behalf of God. But the church has been waiting to exhale far too long. As the Spirit of God flows into us, it also ought to flow from us in the way we treat one another, the way we speak to one another, in the way we treat others in our community, in the way we live out the new life we receive when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Staff, www.eSermons.com Let us pray this prayer Jesus, though you were of one age, you spoke to the ages. Jesus, though you lived long ago, you spoke words that continue to move, motivate, mature, and transfigured us. Jesus, though you were of Palestinian color and culture, you spoke to all cultures and colors. We thank you for your timeliness and timelessness. May the church that bears your name continue to reach out with love and compassion toward other members of the human family, no matter what age, culture, color, or context. –Leonard Sweet Children’s Sermon Human Rain Storm Activity This Activity is meant for Cub Scouts. Notes: This works great in a larger gathering. Instructions: The leader explains that a rain storm is coming but not to worry because it won't last long. If we listen, we can hear it come and go. Direct the scouts on the right side of the room to sit facing forward, but watch the scouts immediately to their left and do exactly what they do. Don't watch the leader or other scouts. Just watch that scout and listen to the sounds. Repeat the instructions across the room, having everyone watch the scouts immediately to their left, but keep sitting forward so the scouts on their right can see what they do. Then, the leader should stand at the left side of the room and tell those scouts on the far left to watch him. When the leader does an action, he should try to do it so scouts across the room can not see it. The leader does each of the following actions, and continues doing it until it has propagated across the room: • Rub hands together • Snap fingers • Clap hands • Slap thighs • Stomp feet • Slap thighs • Clap hands • Snap fingers • Rub hands • Hands on lap Extra illustrations…… A Harnessed Power Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Honda in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power. Unknown The Cape of Good Hope Do you know that the southernmost point of Africa has for centuries experienced tremendous storms. For many years no one even knew what lay beyond that cape, for no ship attempting to round that point had ever returned to tell the tale. Among the ancients it was known as the "Cape of Storms," and for good reason. But then a Portuguese explorer in the sixteenth century, Vasco De Gama, successfully sailed around that very point and found beyond the wild raging storms, a great calm sea, and beyond that, the shores of India. The name of that cape was changed from the Cape of Storms to the Cape of Good Hope. Until Jesus Christ rose from the dead, death had been the cape of storms on which all hopes of life beyond had been wrecked. No one knew what lay beyond that point until, on Easter morning Christ showed us. His disciples trembled in fear, even after seeing evidence of His resurrection. Eventually, Christ turns their Cape of Storms into a Cape of Good Hope with His appearance and the peace He brings. Pastor Buchs, Peace and Forgiveness The poet William Blake wrote a poem about Pentecost. Part of the poem says: Unless the eye catch fire, God will not be seen. Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard. Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named. Unless the Heart catch fire, God will not be loved. Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known. William Blake An Amazing Organization Acts 2:1-11, vs. 6: And at the sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Object: A hand bell. [Begin with the ringing of the bell.] Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! How do you like that for starting a children's sermon? Did that get your attention? What does it mean to ring a bell like I just did? [Let them answer.] What do I want to happen when I ring the bell as I just did? [Let them answer.] That's right, I want all who are present to come together so that I can make an announcement, or tell everyone something that I think they should know. Do you think that would be a good way to do it? A long time ago people did it this way. A man might stand in the middle of the town, if it wasn't too big, and ring his bell, and when all of the people came together he would tell them something that he thought they should know. That isn't exactly what happened a long, long time ago, but it was pretty close. I want to tell you about something that happened in the world just after Jesus went back to live with his heavenly Father. I suppose you remember how disappointed the disciples were when Jesus left and returned to the Father. They were disappointed and afraid. Now, Jesus told them not to worry or be afraid, because very soon after he left, God was going to send someone called the Holy Spirit to them, and they would see more marvelous things happen than even the ones that Jesus did. Well, the disciples wanted to believe that, but they just couldn't. They were so afraid. Then one day, a large wind came to Jerusalem and it made an awful noise. The people were so afraid that they ran out of their houses and into the street. Even the disciples came out of their house where they were hiding and they stood outside with the people of Jerusalem and a lot of other people from a lot of strange countries that the disciples had never visited. This strange wind with the weird noise was kind of like my bell, because it brought the people together. But then even something stranger happened. People began to talk, and you can imagine what it must have sounded like. Everyone was speaking in their own language and they filled the streets with noise. Ordinarily, no one would have been able to understand anyone else, but on that day everyone understood what the others were saying. I told you that Jesus promised when the Holy Spirit came there would even be more marvelous things happen than had ever happened before. Well, this was just one of them. The Holy Spirit started the church that day, and he did it by letting everyone listen to Peter speak, and all of the people understood him. Three thousand people listened and joined the church on that first day, and the disciples believed that Jesus had kept his promise. God is still doing wonderful things like that, but the next time you hear anyone ring a bell, you think of the odd wind that brought people together on the birthday of the church.

Wind, Fire and Words

May 31, 2009
Wind, Fire and Words
Acts 2
Romans 8
Year B
Pentecost


what images do they think of when an insight suddenly strikes You? Some will say a light bulb coming on. Or an electric shock.
Perhaps a billboard, a text message, a whack on the head...
But none of us would think of tongues of fire, or gusts of wind.
These are the images for the story of Pentecost.
The Pentecost story is clearly metaphorical an image. The biblical text
itself says, _like_ a mighty wind; tongues _as of_ fire...
Metaphor is like the sacraments – defined by Augustine of Hippo as
"a visible sign of an invisible reality." Tragically, our society has lost its
sense of the metaphoric. We distrust metaphors and analogies. We expect facts.
Yet we still speak of getting fired up. Burning with passion.
Suffering burnout. We refer to spirited horses, team spirit, blowing out the
cobwebs, feeling a fresh wind, a storm of change...
Those are all metaphors – a way of expressing something that would
otherwise be inexpressible. Because the Holy Spirit was not a thing, to be
measured and dissected. It was a feeling, an attitude.

For the early church, it was a realization that what they had been waiting for all along had finally come to them.

Research says that in the year of the Pentecost, this was the first year that many of the jews who had been in exile were first able to come to Jerusalem for the celebration of the gift of the word of God. They came from Meds, Pamphlyia, Cappodicia – places all over the middle east. They came speaking their own languages, and abiding by their own customs. But some how they all got along, they all understood one another, they all witness the same heavenly event, the presence of the holy spirit.
That is the gift of the holy spirit – unity where there is no unity. It was the beginning of the work of the church.
Like all gifts of the church, this story means different things to different people and traditions. For instance, for some the gift was speaking in tongues, for others it was the gift of speaking in different languages and being able to be heard. But the main point was that they knew that God was with them in a very special way. They did not have the words to describe it, but they had the hearts to feel it.
As a matter of fact, sometimes I think it is our words that get us in trouble. We can speak the same language, and sometimes not be understood. Because even though we use the same words- they don’t mean the same thing.
Sometimes it is words that makes thing worse. One Christian remembers the time she was looking for a parking space, she waited patiently for this couple to leave, and it seemed that a van pulled up in front of her out of nowhere, and took the space. She had a few words for the driver of the van and none of them nice. The van driver was so sorry that he pulled out and gave her the space. At first proud, she had to go home to pray to God. Her words totally betrayed whom she was as a Christian.
That is the point of the babel story – that a group got together for a common cause. They went into the project speaking the same language. They finished speaking different languages and accomplishing nothing.
Imagine how much chaos is present in the world because people misunderstand one another. Sometimes the best way to create an argument is to use words. The more you talk , the more you realize that there is disagreement.
Karl Barth says always preach the gospel sometimes even use words – but more importantly use who are you in Christ.
Romans states that the whole world is in birth pains. I feel that there seems to be chaos on every level of life. Everyone is hurting, and everyone is lashing out. And no one seems to understand what is really going on. Yet we are to hope – hope for things that we cannot see. And not worry if we have the right words to say- to just make sure that we trust in the spirit – who will interpret everything we say. The bible has been interpreted in ever language in the world. In one African village, they were looking for a word for the holy spirit – until the noticed that whenever a group had to carry a heavy load – there was always one man who went with them, but carried nothing himself. They explained that when someone gave out from exhaustion, this was the man who always took his place, so that the journey could continue.
They had their word for the holy spirit - the one who carries our burdens to God for us, when we are too weak to travel. The one who prays on our behalf.

In our obsession with the concrete, we’ve even made the Holy Spirit
a noun. We capitalize it, like a proper name. But in truth, it was more like a
verb – just as “faith” in Hebrew, mn, was a verb, best translated as “to

trust.”
Likewise, God does not describe godself as a noun, as a static thing, but as a verb, to moses God said not I am who I am, But I will be, who I will be. The spirit of God is always on the move in the world, making a difference.
Our greatest witness to the presence of God is to move in a static world. To be who we are and not to get caught up in definitions of who we were just yesterday.
The greatest image of the holy spirit for the world today in chaos in pain, are the be the people who trust in God. No words needed, just our hearts.