The Apostles' Testimony

April 27, 2025 Second Sunday of Easter Holy Humor Sunday Acts 5:27-32 The Apostles Testimony Year C Prelude Greeting Knock, knock. Who's there? Ya. Ya who? I'm happy to see you too. Call to Worship (inspired by Colossians 1: 19-22) In the face of a culture of death a world of killing fields a world of the walking dead Christ is at the head of the resurrection parade transforming our tears of betrayal into tears of joy giving us dancing shoes for the resurrection party And this glittering joker who has danced in the dragon’s jaws of death now dances with a dance that is full of nothing less than the fullness of God this is the dance of the new creation this is the dance of life out of death and in this dance all that was broken all that was estranged all that was alienated all that was dislocated and disconnected is reconciled comes home is healed and is made whole ~ excerpted from targum 2: subversive poetry in a postmodern world col 1:15-20, published in Colossians Remixed: Subverting The Empire by Sylvia C. Keesmaat and Brian J. Walsh Song Lord of the Dance UMH Affirmation of Faith We believe in a God who enjoys a good laugh, who made platypuses and penguins just for the fun of it. We believe in a Savior who knew how to surprise people— with healing, with hope, with resurrection. We believe in the Spirit, who gives us the gift of holy giggles and grace. We believe that joy is a form of resistance, and laughter is a taste of the kingdom to come. Amen. (Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies) A Sermon for all Ages Twin seven year old boys were always getting into trouble. Their parents knew if any mischief was reported in town, the twins were probably involved. Their mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. The mother sent one boy in the morning, with the other boy to see the preacher in the afternoon. The preacher, a huge man with a deep booming voice, sat the boy down and asked him sternly, “Do you know where God is, son?” The boy made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open. So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, “Where is God?!” Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy’s face and bellowed, “WHERE IS GOD?!” The boy screamed, ran directly home and hid in his closet. When his twin brother found him in the closet, he asked, “What happened?” His brother replied, “We are in BIG trouble this time! GOD is missing, and they think WE did it!” Baptism Responsive Reading Psalm 150 UMH 862 Scripture Acts 5:27-32 Sermon The Apostles’ Testimony Our bible is full of stories about the relationship between God and the devil, and their constant battle for the hearts of people. Both of them are known for their tricks, they seem to love to go back and forth, somehow with the destiny of creation caught in the middle of the game. Now just because they play games with one another, that does not mean that they are equals. The devil in not omnipotent, or omni present. The devil is not able to create anything but chaos out of thin air. But he is always trying to get one over on God. He needs to feel in control. He makes himself feel superior, by demeaning others. The games start at the beginning of the biblical story in the book of Genesis. God creates the world, and realizes that he needs a steward to take care of creation. He creates Adam, then Eve. God entrusts them with all of the knowledge to take care of the world and everything in it. Everything seems to be going well, until the day the devil shows up to question Eve. She starts to think that may God didn’t tell her everything , perhaps God is keeping secrets from her. She plays into the devil’s games and gives in to temptation. Life becomes a struggle for her and for her family. In the beginning she always felt connected to God, but eventually she was not even sure if God was even there anymore. For God, this was a major setback. He was not mad at Eve or Adam, or humankind, he was just disappointed. But he would not give up on creation not his stewards, he would continue to work in spite for their free will. But for humankind, trusting the devil turned out to be catastrophic. It changed our quality of life even until this day. We are still struggling to find our connection to God. The devil is full of himself, he has just as much power of creation, and some people are so easy to influence. If he can control the hearts of men, then he can take over all of creation, even if that means running it into the ground. In the meantime, God loves us, God is determined to make things right. Even if it means working with one person at a time. God is always working in silence. God remains a gentleman – even to the devil. The devil is busy too, but there are still people who choose to follow God. The bible mentions the wager between the devil and God again in the book of Job. Job is a righteous man who has caught the attention of the devil. The devil barters for the heart of Job, God says do what you will, just don’t kill him. It appears that Satan wins once again by gaining control of the situation. But he never captures the heart of Job. Job chooses to stay faithful to a God that he sometimes does not understand. God is still in control – but the war is not over. The devil won’t quit until he has complete dominion. Even if that means destroying all that God created. Satan would have known something about the birth of the messiah, he could read the bible just like anyone else, He would have read in Micah 5:2 that the messiah would be coming to Bethlehem. Perhaps that is why he sent so many demons there. The New testament is full stories of demons thrawting the lives of humans. But God is always at work in the background turning things around in spite of peoples lack of jugdement. God chooses a family Nazareth to slip into Bethlehem quietly. Satan has his eye on the king in charge, making sure that he is jealous, territorial and prone to corruption. God sends the presence in to form of an unassuming child. Satan knew that God’s son was accustomed to the finest of luxury while living in heaven. He would never have thought that the messiah would come into the world to ordinary people in a stable. When the devil catches on to the fact that the messiah had been born into the world. God sends the family away to live in secrecy for 30 years. Unbeknown to us, God does Gods best work in secret and silence. God prepares his only Son for the work of redeeming creation. One day Jesus steps into the waters to be baptized into the work of his cousin, and the secret is revealed. God proclaims his son, and the devil knows he has to do something to stop him. He meets Jesus in the wilderness to tempt him, and yet Jesus remains faithful to his mission for God. For three years, God’s secret weapon is reaching the hearts of men. People are listening, lives are changing. It all comes to a head – on a hill in Jerusalem. The devil is prepared for this all or nothing game with God. The devil is convinced that this will be his final victory. If he can get rid of this messiah, then he will have control of all of creation. Even if it means destroying all that God worked so hard to create and build. God full of grace and always a gentlemen – takes on the devil’s challenge. May the best man win, but the cross, a tool of torment is just a part of God’s plan. The passion story has a lot in common with the George Forman/ Muhammed Ali boxing fight for the world championship fight in 1976. I actually remember the fight very well. Muhammed Ali was the underdog. It was a pretty ugly fight. George Forman soon knew that he had the best of Ali. He pummeled Ali. He was winning so ugly, that he thought that he had gone too far. In the midst of it, Ali just remained silent. In his silence, and his pain, Ali whispers in Foreman’s ear – is that all that you got. Forman realizes in that moment, that he had been fooled and that he was about to lose. He had indeed used all of his signature moves, he was tired and Ali was just beginning. On the cross, the devil has used all his signature moves – control, torture, meanness, shame, guilt, pain, death. He had used all that he had, and God was still at work. The messiah was just getting started. By being willing to lose, Jesus became the ultimate winner. By being strong enough to take the punches, Ali became boxing champion of the world. By standing faithful through the devil’s greatest tricks Jesus became the world’s champion. He didn’t just win for himself, he won for all of us. Through are darkest moments he gave us the strength to remain faithful. The devil is still busy, But God is working too – behind the scenes. Through Christ, he opened to doors of eternal life for us. He finally beat the devil at his own game. Finally in our scripture – the apostles are challenged by the religious authorities to stop proclaiming the power of the resurrection. In their eyes, Jesus had not overcome anything. Yet they knew that the messiah had finally won. HE won for all of us. God is still at work for those who are faithful. In the days to come let us be witnesses to that faith to endure the fight and to proclaim the victory. Amen. Song I Love to tell the story UMH 156 Prayer O Lord, giver of joy and laughter, we thank you for giving us these gifts. For the moments of laughter and unbridled joy you give to us: for opportunities to laugh at ourselves, for the belly laughs of children, for friends and family who love us because of our quirks, and not just in spite of them, for artists who give us the opportunity to see the world through the surreal, for the courage to smile even when difficulties arise, for those who have hope even when others think there is no hope, for saints in the Lord who overflow with laughter and spread your joy to all of us. For the words of Jesus that defy our logical minds; for teaching us that we can be born again, for the woman who finds a lost coin and calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate, for the absurdity of a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle, for the father of the Prodigal Son who is willing to look like a fool as he runs to greet his son, for the generosity of the landowner who will pay workers a whole day’s wage when they only worked one hour, for tiny bits of faith that can move entire mountains, for the reality that nothing can live unless it first dies. For the great reversal of the Gospel: that the last shall be made first, that the rejected stone became the cornerstone, that those who wish to become great must serve, that the lost will be found, that the small will become great, that though you are Wisdom, you choose to forget our sins, that when we are weak, your strength shines through us. O Lord, giver of joy and laughter, we thank you for giving us these gifts. Thank you for the gift you give us that allows us to enjoy these things to the full. We can laugh because of the most amazing thing of all – that you conquered death, that the tomb is empty, that light shone so bright that it overcame the darkness. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Amen. (April Fiet) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (Do not Print out text) Scripture reminds us to be stewards, caring for all God has entrusted to us. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10 A young child recognized we’re not often able to live up to what God does. He told his Sunday school teacher: “When you die, God takes care of you like your parents did when you were alive — only God doesn’t yell at you all the time.” — via Rev. Dennis R. Fakes Lodi, CA Tithe if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk! And remember, our church is open to all denominations – but it prefers 20s and 50s. The Lord loves a cheerful giver…..but God also accepts from the grouch. How is your giving a faithful response to the abundance God has provided? God doesn’t yell…but cares for each of God’s beloved ones. Let’s let our gifts be full-hearted! (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Prayer of Dedication Generous God, you’ve filled our lives with laughter, our hearts with hope, and our pockets with more than enough loose change and holy possibility. We bring these gifts not out of guilt, but out of gratitude— because you keep surprising us with love, grace, and the kind of joy that makes us snort when we laugh. Use what we offer— our coins and our kindness, our time and our talents, our dollars and our dancing— to tickle the world with resurrection joy and to spread your love like laughter in a quiet room. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go now— we will go with pockets full of laughter, with eyes squinting from the brightness of grace, with hearts wide open to holy surprises. Be bold in your joy. Be generous with your giggles. We will tell the good news with a grin, and live like resurrection is the punchline that changes everything. May your steps be light, your burdens be lifted, and your spirit be as free as a kid on a swing in the sunshine. The world needs our joy. Let us go to share it. (Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies) Community Time Sharing of Joys and Concerns Benediction May the God of Isaac, that is "laughter," the Christ, who for the joy set before him endured the cross and the Spirit of Joy be with you both now and forever. Amen. — from the God is Still Laughing website.

Living the Faith We have Inherited

October 2, 2022 World Communion Sunday 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Living the Faith we have Inherited 17th Sunday after Pentecost Opening Song Welcome The promises of the world turn to ashes and dust, but the promises of God last forever. The Holy One calls to us: “Come!” We come to rekindle the gift of God ablaze within us. Opening Prayer (Lamentations 1, 2 Timothy 1) Source of grace and peace, you call us into being; you keep us in safety; you hold us in life. Far too often, we turn from you, placing our trust in the frail promises of other human beings and the insecure security of wealth. Be with us now. Bring us into your presence. Comfort our pain. Challenge our pride. Enter into our prayer and our praise, that our worship may be pleasing to you. We pray these things in the name of the one who loved us first, Jesus Christ. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Mpho Tutu) Song Standing on the Promises UMH 374 Children’s Sermon Preparation Bring a globe or a world map. Choose some places where you have lived or visited or where you know someone. Prepare to locate and talk about these places. If you have a souvenir from another country, it may be fun to bring that to show to the children as well. Message Greet the children as you typically do. Say: I have brought something special for us to look at today. Does anyone know what this is? Take time for them to answer. Say: A map or a globe shows where all the countries are in the world are. Show the children where they are on the map. Ask: Has anyone here traveled to another country? Take time to find where the children have been. If the children have not been outside of the United States, ask about countries they might want to visit and why. You can also talk about one or two places you have visited and show them souvenirs. Say: Today is World Communion Sunday. Today we remember that God’s church isn’t just here inside our sanctuary. It is full of people from all around the United States and all around our world. We all do God’s work together! Each of us has something we can do to show God’s love to the world. Ask: What are some things that you can do? Take some answers. Say: No matter how big or small we are, we can all show God’s love. Just think about all the people around the world showing God’s love! Closing Prayer Loving God, thank you for big church full of your people from all over the world! Give us courage to show your love to everyone we meet. Amen. (ResourceUMC.org) Passing the Peace of Christ (2 Timothy 1) Hear the words of Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” The peace of Christ is ours, through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Scripture 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Sermon Living the Faith we have Inherited Is there anything God can't do? It's a question that has been asked for as long as humanity has been searching for the meaning of life. God is omnipotent, we say, and omniscient ” all powerful and all knowing. There is nothing beyond God's power. There is nothing God cannot do. And yet, St. Paul tells us that there IS one thing God can't do. Listen closely to these words that he wrote to Timothy: "If we are faithless, He remains true, for He cannot deny Himself." Did you catch that? "He cannot deny Himself." There it is ” the one thing God cannot do. If you are ever on a television quiz show and the announcer says, "Now, for $1 million, is there anything God cannot do?" you will know the answer. "I've got it! I've got it!" you can scream while you hug your partner and dance across the stage. "What is the answer?" the announcer will ask. And you can look straight into the camera and reply, "God cannot deny Himself." Our task in life, is to be more like God. Our faith is the story of our striving to be connected to God. C.S. Lewis was an English professor, a prolific writer, and a lay leader in the Anglican church. We are familiar with many of his writings. Many which are secular, but with an intentional deep Christian message. The Screwtape Letters was one if his books. Like the books of Timothy – it is a series of letters written by the chief devil, Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. Who as a young man, has just started his career as a devil. If there is a hierarchy of angels going up, there is a lowarchy of devils going down. Wormwood is troubled, because he finds that it is particularly hard to evangelize Christians to the dark side. There is one that his is working on, which he calls the patient. In one of his letters, Screwtape reminds Wormwood that his job is not to get the patient to commit some horrible sin, but to just distract him from his faith. Help him to forget to pray, to go to church, to put God first in his life. MY DEAR WORMWOOD, I note with grave displeasure that your patient has become a Christian. Do not indulge the hope that you will escape the usual penalties; indeed, in your better moments, I trust you would hardly even wish to do so. In the meantime we must make the best of the situation. There is no need to despair; hundreds of these adult converts have been reclaimed after a I brief sojourn in the Enemy's camp and are now with us. All the habits of the patient, both mental and bodily, are still in our favour. One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. (From the Screwtape Letters) This is written from the perspective of the devil, the enemy is God. In the preface of the book, C S Lewis says that the devil is always a liar and that nothing that he says is right. It is the exact opposite of what Paul says to Timothy in our scripture. Paul is encouraging Timothy to live in the faith. The letter is passed on to encourage pastors. 1 Timothy is a book about the order of the church. As we begin 2 Timothy – the emphasis is on personal faith – the way we live out the faith in our own lives. It is not just for pastors, but for us all. If we have the faith in our hearts, we are carriers of the faith and we are leaders. There is one thing that Paul and Screwtape agree on – that our faith connected to God is our power. The power that raised Christ from the dead is inside of each of us – if we hold onto the faith. Paul is writing Timothy from prison. But he reminds Timothy that his words are free – the gospel travels wherever it must go and it changes lives and it makes it point no matter what the circumstance. Paul reminds Timothy that he inherited his faith from his mother and grandmother. We don’t know about the circumstance, but Eunice raises her son Timothy alone. Eunice stays with her mother, and they make sure that Timothy grows up in the church. No matter what our story, each of us inherited our faith from someone, even if we didn’t grow up in the church. There was someone in our lives, who even if we never heard a bible story, we knew what it meant to be a Christian from their actions. We could see the spirit of Christ in them. For me, that person is my Aunt Maggie. When my mother and I moved from Arkansas to Illinois, we stayed with Uncle Chester and Aunt Maggie. My grandmother came with us for a while. As a two year old, Aunt Maggie explained that there were a lot of adults in the house, but that she was my person. I listened only to her, I went where she went. We were a team. Every Sunday we went to church. Not everyone in the household went to church every Sunday, but we were there. My uncle was a deacon, so he would be in the pulpit every Sunday. My mother and I moved out a year later, and my mother was not a church goer, but that experience still sticks with me. I had the strength to be in the pulpit every Sunday, because that’s where I saw my uncle. Now that I am grown looking back at that experience, I think it was my grandma’s design for me to inherit Aunt Maggie’s faith. Just a few days ago, Aunt Maggie sent me an encouraging message on Facebook. We are of different deniminations, but she still is my faith mentor. The faith that we inherit is longstanding, but it is still powerful, unchained and useful today. The scewtape letters are a classic today – because the devil still works to distract us from our faith. Pauls message in timothy is classic as well. There is power in our faith. And when we put that power to use in the world, we are making a difference. Bruce Larson tells an unusual story about a woman in their congregation who had been feeling for some time that God had given her a special ministry to those who are hospitalized. She loved calling on patients and trying to impart something of God's love through scripture messages, through prayer, through friendship and concern. She began to sense God wanted her to do this on a continuing basis in one of their local hospitals. This is a woman, mind you, with no special training in counseling or pastoral calling. Nevertheless, she presented herself to the administrator of a local hospital one morning and declared that she would very much like to come on staff as their chaplain--unpaid, of course. To her amazement, he responded positively. "That's just what we've needed here," he said. "I've been hoping we could find our way to make a chaplain available in an unofficial kind of role. You're on." That all happened over ten years ago. This woman now spends several days a week doing what she loves most, ministering to the sick. This untrained layperson is the hospital chaplain, the only one they've got, and an unofficial but integral part of all staff meetings. (3) You may not be able to make the kind of time commitment that this woman made, but God has called every believer to a ministry. It may be a ministry of caring, of music, of teaching or a host of other ways of serving God and serving God's children. But an integral part of living a fulfilling life is hearing God's voice in your life and of giving your life to something high and worthwhile. Paul reminds Timothy of his heritage and he reminds him of his high calling. I visited my dentist this week. Of all the rooms available he always puts me in this bright Tennessee orange room with a plaque on the wall that reads like this: I’d rather a see sermon than hear one any day. I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way. The eye is a better pupil, more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, but example is always clear. And the best of all the preachers are the ones who live their creeds, For to see a good put into action is what everybody needs. God calls all us to have a rekindled spirit, to be an example, to trust in the power of our faith. I want to leave you with the words of our scripture – in a very simple form From Paul, and older preacher to timothy, whom I love very much and whom God loved:I thank God for you every day. I remember everything we did together and look forward to being with you again. I remember how much you love God, just as your mother and grandmother loved God. Because I remember all this, I also remind you that you have a job to do. God has given you the gifts to be a fine leader, and the church has elected you to be its leader. So do not give up. God does not want you to be too cautious about using your gifts. Instead, God fills you with power and love and self control. So use those gifts. Do not be ashamed to stand up for God’s ways. If people tease you, call you rnames, or even push you around, you can take it. Look at me – I am in prison for doing God’s work, but I do not mind. I know God will take care of me even in prison. And I know that God will take care of you. So remember everything you have learned about God’s love and plan for the world. Follow my brave example. And most of all, remember that God’s Holy Spirit lives in you and gives power to do amazing work for God. Amen. Song One Bread, One Body UMH 620 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 We can teach people that. We can teach people how to be generous. A child by the name of William placed a dollar in the offering plate some months ago with this note attached: “Dear God, I love you much. When I get to heaven I want to love you even more. I want to give you something today and bow down to you forever. Signed, William.” He probably was no more than six years old. With this sense of generosity can you imagine what this fellow may accomplish as an adult; what kind of help he will be for the world when he grows up Moment for Stewardship Invite several folks to bring forward coins or bills from a variety of countries (or use visuals on the screen, or very descriptive language to help identify different currency), as you identify how congregations around the world are receiving an offering this morning. Whether we share kwatcha, francs, pesos or dollars, we are invited to bring an offering today, to support this congregation and our world-wide ministries. (Describe one or two specific outreach ministries which are underwritten by your offering) From the smallest coin to the largest check, every gift is valued, appreciated and will be used to sustain the work of Christ in the world. With generous hearts and open hands, let us share our offering. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all good gifts, we’ve gathered to grow in faith, to share our voices and to offer our gifts. We’ve offered these gifts, grateful for all we’ve received from your hand. Receive this offering. Fill us once more with your Spirit, and help us spread the Table love known here to all we encounter in the coming days. AMEN Invitation to Communion God creates and sustains our world, connecting us more surely than any world wide web, binding us together more closely than any cable. On this World Communion Sunday, we gather around one extended table to give thanks for the beauty of God’s people, “church,” with all its varied denominations, with people of every color, nation, and culture. Gracias a Dios! We thank God for beautiful music, in various languages. Grazie Dio [Grat-zia Dee-O] (Italian) We offer thanks for worship in many forms. Sin isiyeo gamsahabnida (Korean) (Shin Ni Ye O Gamshab nit ha) We thank God for Jesus, whose compassion fills us, so we might share whenever we see brothers and sisters in need, whether next door or on the other side of the globe. All are welcome at this Table. It extends from this sanctuary all around the globe, and there is bread and juice for all who will feast with Christ. Come! The feast is prepared, and you have a place. Communion Page 13 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook As God has poured God’s love on you, go now in peace to bring God’s love to all people. Rest in the confidence of God’s abiding presence with you and be joyful in your service to God. Go in peace and love. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Community Time Benediction As we go back into the ordinariness of the world out there, may God infuse our whole selves with the specialness that we’ve created here together. Let it shape everything we say and do as bearers of God’s image. May it be so! (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Phiwa Langini) Additional Illustrations Max Lucado relates a touching, true story about a mother named Maria and her daughter, Christina. Maria and Christina lived in a poor village in Brazil. Maria's husband died when Christina was an infant. Maria got a job as a maid in order to support herself and Christina. There were no luxuries, but they got by. For fifteen years things went rather well. But now Christina became a teenager and teenagers often have minds of their own. Christina was not interested in marrying young and raising a family like most of the other girls that she grew up with. Not that she couldn't have had her pick of husbands. Her olive skin and brown eyes, as well as her infectious personality, kept a steady stream of prospects at her door. But she kept them all at arm's length. Christina wanted to go to the city. She dreamed of trading her dusty neighborhood for exciting avenues and city life. Just the thought of this horrified Maria. "People don't know you there," she said with desperation in her voice. "Jobs are scarce and the life is cruel. And besides, if you went there, what would you do for a living?" This is what horrified Maria most. Maria knew exactly what Christina would have to do for a living. That's why her heart broke when she awoke one morning to find her daughter's bed empty. Christina had gone and Maria knew where. Maria set out immediately to bring her back. Maria threw some clothes in a bag, gathered up all her money, and ran out of the house. But not before she had an inspired idea. On her way to the bus stop she paused at a drugstore. She entered a photograph booth there and spent all the money she could afford on pictures of herself. With a purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the bus to Rio de Janeiro. And there Maria began her search. Knowing what a girl would have to do to support herself in this cruel city Maria began with the bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with a reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place she left her picture ” taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note. It wasn't too long before both the money and the pictures ran out, and Maria had to go home. She wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village. A few weeks later young Christina descended a flight of hotel stairs. "Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth but spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare. A thousand times over she had longed to trade these countless beds for her secure pallet. Yet the little village was, in too many ways, too far away. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina's eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation. Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home.' She did." (4) And so can you and I. We really can. And God cannot refuse us entrance back into His family. Perhaps it would help if, in our imagination, every time we see a cross, we could see it as a snapshot of God and on the back of every cross we could see these words, "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home." Human parents may turn their back on their children. God cannot. Human beings may forget their promises and go back on their word. God cannot. Human beings may reject people because of past sins. God cannot. If anyone here this day would turn your heart over to God ” no matter what you've done, no matter what you have become ” God will receive you. God can do no other. For you see, God's nature and God's name is Love. There is one thing God simply cannot do. He cannot deny Himself. 4. Max Lucado, NO WONDER THEY CALL HIM THE SAVIOR (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah Press, 1986). pp. 157-59. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan A juggler with a circus was pulled over for speeding. The officer was suspicious when he looked in the back seat and saw several large knives. "What are you doing with those?" he asked. "I'm a juggler with the circus," said the man. "To make it more exciting I juggle those large knives." "Well, show me," said the officer. So the juggler started juggling six of these large knives all at once. Knives were flying everywhere, though amazingly all of them were expertly under his control. While he was performing, another car passed by. The driver of this car did a double take when he saw the juggler throwing six knives up in the air at one time and catching them. He turned to his wife and said, "That's it. I'm through drinking. Why, if I ever got stopped, I could never pass one of those new sobriety tests!" There's a ridiculous story about a young man who was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady following him around. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her and continued on. Finally he went to the checkout line, but this older woman got in front of him. "Pardon me," she said, "I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look like my son, who just died recently." "I'm very sorry," replied the young man, "is there anything I can do for you?" "Yes," she said, "As I'm leaving, would you say "˜Good bye, Mother!'? It would make me feel so much better." "Sure," answered the young man. As the old woman was leaving, he called out, "Goodbye, Mother!" She waved back at him and disappeared through the supermarket door. As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50. "How can that be?" he asked, "I only purchased a few things!" The clerk looked over the top of his reading glasses and said drily, "Your mother said that you would pay for her." (1) In a sense we all pay for the strengths and weaknesses of our parents. Usually people of faith, love and integrity produce children of faith, love and integrity. As people use to say, "the fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree." Penelope J. Stokes in her book Simple Words of Wisdom gives us a beautiful picture of faith in its purest sense. She tells about a scene in the action-packed movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy's quest is to find the Holy Grail, the original chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper. But in order to prove himself pure in heart, Indy must face life-threatening challenges that test his humility, his obedience, and his trust. In the final challenge, Indy finds himself teetering on the brink of a deep, vast chasm. The way across, according to the legends, lies right before him. But he cannot see it. He must step out in faith, with no tangible assurance of support. He must trust what his eyes cannot see. Fearful but determined, Indy steps out . . . and discovers himself standing on a bridge of rock, solid and firm beneath his feet but invisible to the eye. (4) I've stood on that rock, haven't you? Anyone who's ever turned a loved one over to God, anyone who's ever staked his life and his reputation on seeking God's will for his life, anyone who's ever sat in a doctor's room and said, "œLord, I'm scared. But I'm turning this over to you. I know whatever comes I will always be under your watchful care," knows what it is to step out on that unseen bridge. It comes to us all sooner or later and it is there where we discover whether we just believe in God or whether we have faith in God. St. Paul had faith in God. That is why he could write, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Young Timothy proved to have that kind of faith as well. Maybe it was because he saw that kind of faith in his mother and grandmother. In times of crisis the greatest gift we can give our children is the example of a peaceful, trusting spirit. Maybe it came from Timothy's sense of calling. When you believe you are seeking to do God's will in the world, you begin to sense God's presence in the world. And it gives you confidence that God is indeed in control. Whatever the source, Timothy was a special follower of our Lord. May we each be special followers as well. ________________________________________ 3. Bruce Larson, The Presence (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988), p. 30. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan An army officer, his wife, and two children were living in a hotel while he was on a temporary military assignment. One day, a guest in the hotel saw one of the little girls playing house in the lobby. She was saddened for the little girl and said, I’m so sorry that you don’t have a home. The little girl responded quickly, oh we have a home, we don’t have a house to put it in. This is Mother’s Day and the festival of the Christian home and I want to talk about that word of the little girl. But I want to add to it and talk about the fact that families are to provide for us a house for our home and a home for our faith Not only do we know who we are, we need to know that we belong. Hoover Rupert tells a beautiful story about some friends of his who were foster parents of a little girl. One afternoon she asked her mother if she could go play in the park, and the mother told her she could if she would return home by 6:00 for dinner. Well, she came in at a quarter of 6, and the mother reminded her that she still had 15 more minutes to play. And the little girl responded, I know, but I wanted to come back early. And then the little girl explained that her natural parents never required her to come home at any particular time, she could home whenever she pleased. When she was playing with other children, she said, one of them would be called, would hear her mother call and know that she had to be home by 7:00. Another would hear a whistle and know that it was his dad reminding him to come home. And still others would be called and they would leave the park and she would be left there alone in the dark, waiting for her call, but that call would never come. She said, it makes me feel so good that someone wants me to come in, that I came in early. Now that’s what families are for. To let us know that we are wanted, that we are important, that somebody cares about us. Something that really only the family can give us in the kind of power that we need it to be given, and that is that we really belong, that we are in a relationship with others that are important.

First comes the test, then the Testimony

February 17, 2013 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Luke 4:1-13 First Sunday of Lent “First a Test, then a Testimony” Year C Read Psalm 91 In honor of the season of lent I want us to start out our time by reading psalm 91 responsively, it is in the hymnal #810. I wanted to start out with this hymn because it sums up our lesson for today in a perfect way. With just the right words - look at verse 2 – it says my refuge and my fortress; my God in whom I trust. We can feel safe, not just because God is God, but because we trust in God. One of the lessons for today is to learn to trust and have faith in God. Verse 9 says because you have made the lord your refuge, no evil shall befall you, no scourge shall come near your tent. No danger comes to you, not because you are special, danger comes all of the time – but when you trust in God the dangers of life don’t affect you. Verse 11 -12 says – for God will give his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up on their hands lest you dash your foot against a stone. These are probably the verses that Jesus was thinking of when he was in the desert being tempted by the devil. In the third and final temptation the devil challenges Jesus to jump from a high place- for if he is truly the son of God, he will command his angels concerning you, to protect you. And on their hands they will bear you up so that you will not dash your foot against the stone. Luke – Jesus Son of God Today, I will use some other scriptures – but I want to focus on the intent of Luke. And why Luke is important to us during this season of Lent. Interesting enough, Luke’ s Jesus is tempted in proving that he is the son of God. that is one of Luke’s biggest points – that this man, is the Son of God. We need to take his story, his actions, his love for us and for the world seriously – he is no ordinary man – and his actions are no ordinary actions – in him we see the acts of God. Spiritual grounding of Luke On the first Sunday of lent – we are reminded of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness. Jesus was baptized, the sky opens and said this is my beloved son. Luke 4 opens by saying Jesus full of the holy spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit in the wilderness, where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. Now I want us to look at that verse for ourselves, because it says that holy spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. And you will notice in Luke wherever, Jesus is – the holy spirit has led him there. Luke likes to focus on the spiritual life of Jesus. In every lesson from Luke we see that Jesus prays, he talks regularly with God. Why is Jesus talking to the devil? And yet interestingly enough in this verse he is not talking to God. who is he talking to? He is talking with the devil. If Jesus is the son of God, and he prays, and he follows the spirit- then why would he be talking with the devil? He talks to the devil – because he knows that the devil talks to us – daily. God sends his son to earth to live our life, to have our concerns, to even die our death. Because between God and the devil is the life we live every day. Every day we face sin, evil, the devil and death. Jesus engaged each of those threats to our faith, so that we would have the strength to overcome them each and every time that they come along. Jesus first day of work The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right." Then the sheriff asked, "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today & tomorrow." Replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of himself. "Now, listen carefully, who killed Abraham Lincoln?", asked the sheriff. The job seeker seemed a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know." The sheriff replied, "Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?" The applicant left and wandered over to his pals who were waiting to hear the results of the interview. He greeted them with a cheery smile, "The job is mine! The interview went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!" In our Gospel reading this morning in Luke 4 it is Jesus' first day on the job. Immediately he is confronted with three major temptations. And he is confronted with this basic question: Would he take the crown without the cross? These are the most basic temptations in life and they form the foundation for all other temptations… The problems of temptations We always start our lent conversation with the subject of temptations. Because temptations are the biggest threat to our trust, faith and loyalty to God. First, recognize that we are most vulnerable when, like Jesus, we are stretched to our limits. Exhausted, hungry, weak, beaten down by deadlines, stressed out by the demands that pull us in every direction -- if we cannot keep our lives in order, if we do not put Christ on the throne in the center of our lives, if we neglect the rest that God has given us in the sabbath, we are asking for trouble. Even the King of kings and Lord of lords had to face temptation when he was famished and exhausted Temptations of being a self proclaimed leader The three temptations that Jesus encountered in Luke 4 was first to turn stone into bread, to force all of the world to worship him and live a dangerous life and let God save him from his own mistakes. I thought that it was interesting that one commentator noted that Luke was attacking the leaders of the day. The emperor of Rome would have been tempted to have others bow to him and to serve him and to go as far as worship him – and Jesus tell the devil in each instance that one who is loyal, trusting and faithful to God does not need to give in to those temptations. Temptations are things that stand in the way of serving God I would say that is what temptations are – things in our lives that stand in the way of us giving God the ultimate praise and glory in our lives. They are just obstacles for us to overcome. They remind us that we are all vulnerable, and if we are not aware of what makes us vulnerable – them we give in to sin. And yet the son of God, the one who prays to god, who talks to God about everything in his life – talks to the devil – so that we can rise above our temptations and move on the life under the cross. Devil does not go away Another interesting that about this scripture - - verse 13 says that when the devil had finished every test he departed from him until an opportune time. In other words the devil does not flee and go away. He just sits down to be quiet. If you continue to read about Jesus journey to save us – evil is lurking around somewhere in the scene. – just waiting for another chance to stand up and create a problem. And evil and temptation never leaves our life either. One of the greatest temptations of life is thinking that we have overcome our sins. They can always reappear in our lives, sometimes even as good intentions. Jesus talks to the devil not so that he can defeat the devil, but so that he can show us the way to overcome the effects of the devil. You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him. Temptation are those things which stand in the way of our faithfulness to God. our faithfulness to God is the only way for us to overcome temptation. A friend of mine writes this poem about temptation OUR WILDERNESS Somewhere, sometime each one of us takes an unchosen path through the wilderness. Not the rocky, broken land, nor the frigid night winds, nor the terrible beasts, nor the parching thirst will frighten us most. But it is the loneliness, the utter fear that we are forgotten and that nothing makes sense-- this is the barrenness where we finally cry out, pray for love to find us. And then He comes. Deuteronomy says that the Lord bought us out of the wilderness into the promiseland. I like this scripture because it addresses another important lesson about lent – when you get to the promisland – never lose sight that it was the Lord that bought you through. Another lesson for lent – for all of our lives – is to remember to give our best to God – because God always gives us his best. STORY: Did you know that a person with six kids is more satisfied than a person with six million dollars? What do you think? The reason for this is that the man with six million dollars wants more. At this Lenten season, what do you like about your present giving patterns? What do you dislike? What would you like to change? Deuteronomy reminds us about the first fruits – to give the first of what we have. We don’t live on farms and grow fruits and vegetables. We go to work and earn money. Which is why the conversation is about tithing today and not first fruits. But the challenge is to look at all of our lives, all of what God has given and all of what we can give back to God. Lent is a time to look at what part of our lives are we giving to God. how are we intentionally being faithful, truthful and loyal. 2. To Deny Ourselves: Why don’t we give God what’s left of our paycheck, or of our time, of our efforts? Many people will say, “if I don’t have anything else to do Sunday, I’ll be at church. If I don’t have too many bills to pay, I’ll give a little bit.” If you operate on that principle, you will never give of your time or money. You’ll always be too busy or too broke to do anything. STORY: A Japanese artist painted a picture on a fairly large canvas. Down in one corner was a tree, and on the limbs of the tree were some birds, but all the rest of the canvas was bare. When he was asked if he was not going to paint something more to fill the rest of the canvas, he said, “Oh, no, I have to leave room for the birds to fly.” We often fill our lives so full of obligations that there is not room for the birds to fly and there is no room for God besides. This recitation helped them to remember what God had done for them. They told their story. During the Lenten Season what is the history of your relationship with God? What is your story? We need to share our story with someone this week. “Give God YOUR BEST; expect HIS BEST.” If we give God just the bare minimum, that doesn’t take much faith. Give to God your very best even if it stretches your faith. If you were giving your best to God, what would it be? What would you consider to be your very best? What would your best look like? CONCLUSION: Has God fulfilled His part of the bargain when you gave him your very best? God promised to be with you. Did He? to deliver you from whatever bound you. Did He? to teach you how to live abundantly. Did He? Are your vows a testimony to God’s blessings to you? Are they meaningful vows that connect with your whole life and vows that give God the best of your lives? What stands in the way of you giving all honor and glory to God in your lives? What temptations do you need to overcome. How do you give back to God? Have you made space in your life to give honor and glory to God? If not, lent is a good time to stop and think about how to overcome temptation, and to live in faith, loyalty and trust in God. No matter how we pray, how we go to church, how we trust God – temptation will not go away – evil will not go away. But good always defeats evil. Trust in the lord, in Jesus Christ gives us the strength to over look evil. Verse 14 of psalm 91 says o Because they cleave to me in love, I will deliver them, I will protect them, because they know my name. I will satisfy them with a long life and show them my salvation. Let that be our prayer this day Amen. We Haven’t Been Up To Bat Yet Temptation tries to blind us to other possibilities. A business man driving home from work one day, saw a little league baseball game in progress. He decided to stop and watch. He sat down in the bleachers and asked a kid what the score was. "We’re behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile. "Really," he responded. "I have to say you don’t look very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t been up to bat yet." Brett Blair, The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?" Lent: Spring Training For Christians When I was a boy, I was told, "Baptists don't do Lent." No one knew why. I suspect that it was an anti-Catholic thing which I pray we are over. It was the old argument, "whatever they do, we don't!" - a curiously convoluted, twisted and unhealthy way to decide on religious practices. Whatever the reason for "not doing Lent," I think it is a great loss for any Christian not to prepare for Good Friday and Easter. Every spring the baseball players prepare for the season with spring training; every spring ordinary people prepare for summer by doing "spring cleaning." So why shouldn't Christians prepare for the most important events in Jesus' ministry - what he did for us on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, what he did for us on Golgotha's cross and at the empty tomb? If it helps you, think of Lent as a kind of Christian spring training and spring cleaning. John Ewing Roberts, Remembering and Forgetting