Don't get weary carrying the weight of others

November 17, 2019 2 Thessalonians 3 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 23rd Sunday After Pentecost Year C Object: A jar of dirt (and an earthworm, if available) Boys and girls: How many of you like to work? Do you do chores around the house? Do you help with the dishes? Work seems to be part of God's plan for life. Even the animals work. Beavers build their dam. Bees make honey and pollinate flowers. Squirrels hide away nuts for the winter. Birds feed their little ones. We are not the only ones in this world who work. Even a lowly earthworm works. Earthworms are kind of "yucky," aren't they? Some of you may have used worms for bait when you were fishing. Some of you may know that earthworms are necessary for more than for bait. They help make our soil richer. There may be as many as 50,000 earthworms in a acre of dirt like this. They are constantly aerating the soil. In fact if you have some fertile top soil that will grow beautiful flowers or vegetables, you can thank the lowly earthworm. Each of God's creatures seem to have a purpose. You and I have a purpose for being here. Part of the reason we come to Sunday School and worship is so that we can find out why God put us here so that we can live, as best as we are able, according to God's purpose for us. That means that someday we will work at a job. But we won't mind. Because we know that we are fulfilling God's plan. Just like the lowly earthworm. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan 2 Thessalonians 3 Common English Bible (CEB) Prayer request 3 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us so that the Lord’s message will spread quickly and be honored, just like it happened with you. 2 Pray too that we will be rescued from inappropriate and evil people since everyone that we meet won’t respond with faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one. 4 We are confident about you in the Lord—that you are doing and will keep doing what we tell you to do. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts to express God’s love and Christ’s endurance. Discipline for the undisciplined 6 Brothers and sisters, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from every brother or sister who lives an undisciplined life that is not in line with the traditions that you received from us. 7 You yourselves know how you need to imitate us because we were not undisciplined when we were with you. 8 We didn’t eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day with effort and hard work so that we would not impose on you. 9 We did this to give you an example to imitate, not because we didn’t have a right to insist on financial support. 10 Even when we were with you we were giving you this command: “If anyone doesn’t want to work, they shouldn’t eat.” 11 We hear that some of you are living an undisciplined life. They aren’t working, but they are meddling in other people’s business. 12 By the Lord Jesus Christ, we command and encourage such people to work quietly and put their own food on the table. 13 Brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged in doing what is right. 14 Take note of anyone who doesn’t obey what we have said in this letter. Don’t associate with them so they will be ashamed of themselves. 15 Don’t treat them like enemies, but warn them like you would do for a brother or sister. Final greeting 16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. This verifies that the letter is from me, as in every letter of mine. This is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Stewardship Moment I am so excited, because tonight channel 11 will be airing the sesame street 50th anniversary show. When I was little I loved watching sesame street. And then Mr Rogers would come on right after that. It was my routine to watch both shows, and right now Mr. Roger’s movie is out in the show. I heard yesterday that there are two types of people in the world. There are sesame street people, and there are mr rogers people. Sesame street was a bright show with lots of colors and controversial topics. There was always a lot of activity. Wheras Mr Rogers was calm, quiet peaceful. He was also finding the good in everything and teaching us to be calm and patient. Which type of person are you? Both are great positive messages, but God calls us to have a sesame street faith. An active, bright faith. A faith that prays – but also gives and works to make a difference in the world. Let us be sesame street givers – givers that give to support God in building the kingdom through the church. Sermon Every organization, club, group has some sort of organizational rules. Whenever we come together in community for a common cause, either consciously or unconsciously we decide what it is that holds us together. And we decide how we are going to relate to one another. We decide what it means to belong. We also decide who does not belong to the group. We decide who the insiders are and who the outsiders are. Who we want in the group and who will never be a part of our group. One we start to let people in, we also start to establish rules for how to get rid of people who don’t follow the rules. This happens in any community even the church. We have our rules for belonging. We have a ceremony for accepting members. We have our rules for shunning people who don’t follow the rules. When Paul speaks to the Thessalonians, he knows exactly what to say to the insiders. He establishes a clear rule for getting kicked out of the community. Whoever does not work does not eat. Wow! It is just that simple. Whoever does not work on behalf of the church should not benefit from the churches efforts. When we hear that with modern ears, it seems a little cliquish. Arent we suppose to welcome anyone? Arent we supposed to be accepting of all people. It seems strange to say that there is something that someone could do to be kicked out of the church. In reality – Paul was just expressing a feeling that has existed for thousands of years, and it present in countless other places in the bible. The old testament speaks very clearly of who belongs in community and who does not. And there are very clear rules for getting rid of people who are a danger to the community. Widows, the sick, the disabled, the foreigner, - none of those people belonged in community. And it seems that the new testament is Jesus story of how he went after each of those people to include them. And yet there is one rule of belonging to community that still sticks with us in modern times. Those who don’t contribute to the church. There are stories all throughout the old and new testament about how important it is to work hard. Hard work is expected in all areas of our community. It is important because the community is only as strong as the weakest link. Who we are as a community is determined by how much our members work to make a difference. The End Was So Near One of my friends this week reported on a TV preacher recently talking for an hour about his new book that supposedly explained everything we needed to know about the coming of Jesus and the end of time. "You must have this book," he said over and over again, a telephone number (not even toll-free) constantly flashing at the bottom of the screen. Seems that he was the only one who had prophetic insight into world events, and for a mere $14.95 we could have the benefit of his wisdom. We would not survive the coming terrors unless we had this book. A pastor called the number and suggested to the poor operator that if this preacher really thought this was so vital to the survival of the planet, and that the end was so near, he would be giving the book away! I mean, he won't need the money, right? It's all coming to an end anyway. Who needs a bank account? True, it costs money to print, but he will not have to pay for it if it goes as he says. The woman on the other end of the line was not amused. "Sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't know much about theology," to which the pastor responded, "Neither does the writer of the book you're selling." David E. Leininger, When Your Church Provokes You In Thessalonians, Paul was addressing a special issue. There were many people who has joined the church and we excited about Jesus message. But for them, they believed that the coming was right around the corner. The end of time was near. So they were all getting ready. They were ready to give up their lives, in order to leave this earth with Christ. If Christ was coming, then there was no need to work or prepare for anything. They stopped working, they stopped contributing, that stopped volunteering, because there was not need to even try. So Paul had to remind them that being a Christian was not about giving up and doing nothing, it was about doing everything. A bishop and professor of the church was asked what he was going to do if he knew Jesus was coming tomorrow. He said that he would do the same thing that he did yesterday. If he had to do work the day before, then he would just continue to work. Because when Jesus did came he wanted to be found faithful. The key is that remaining faithful through it all is the most important part of our faith. An "if" believer follows God if he receives blessings and rewards in return. He waits to see what God will do first, then decides whether or not to respond in obedience. Jacob is a good example of an "if" believer. A "because" believer follows God because God blesses and rewards him. He has seen the connection between his obedience and God's blessing, and he wants to keep it going. King David is a good example of a "because" believer. But there's a third kind of believer, said this pastor. This is the "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God no matter whether he/she ever receives any blessings or rewards in return. Job, the man whose very name is synonymous with suffering, was a "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God in spite of the circumstances, in spite of their hardships. On the day he heard that sermon, Mr. Hall devoted himself to being a "regardless" believer for the rest of his life. (2) Pastor Ron Hutchcraft suggests to us that Jesus wants us to “go M.A.D.” That’s an interesting way of putting it. Of course mad is spelled capital M period, capital A period, capital D period M.A.D. Don’t look for that in the original Greek, by the way. M.A.D. is an acrostic. When Hutchcraft says that Jesus wants us to “Go M.A.D.,” he’s saying that Jesus wants us to “go make a difference.” If you make a constructive difference in people’s lives, you won’t have time to be a busybody. In Thessalonians 3 – Paul seems to get mad in another way. By first saying that if we don’t work, we don’t get to go the church potluck. But he goes even further, his words are pretty harsh to us He goes on the say that we should ignore those people who are not carrying their fairshare of the load. He says that there are some people in the community who rather then being busy, have become busybodies. Not only are they not working, but they make a point to get into everyone else’s business and make it difficult for those who really are working. Every community is based on some type of rules and understanding. The word that Paul uses for busybody in greek is the word for the undisciplined. Those who don’t uphold the good of the order. Those who work against the church, instead of for it. An unknown author said he met the strangest man on his way to church. Here is how he described this man: “He said he believed in the Bible, but he never reads it. “He said he thought well of the church of which he is a member, but he never attends or invites others to share in its ministry. “He said a person should be honest with God in money matters, but he never tithes. “He said the younger generation needs the Lord, but he isn’t leading them in that direction. “He said the church needs dedicated Christian members, but he isn’t one. “He offered some ‘constructive’ criticism of some of the workers but he never works. “He said the church should do more in ministering to people, but he doesn’t help. “He is critical of the way the church is ‘run,’ but he never participates. “He says he believes in the Second Coming, but he lives as though the Lord will never return. “He says prayer will change things, but he never prays. “He was,” says this author, “a strange man, indeed!” (3) Not so strange. Their number in the church is legion. St. Paul called such people busybodies. They are busy, but not with constructive behavior. What we tend to overlook is this: the mind is always active; it is never still. It is either thinking positive thoughts or negative thoughts. A person may have an idle body, but not an idle mind. An idle brain is the devil’s playground, as the old expression goes. This is the reason why so many idle persons regardless of their age get into trouble. The trouble can range all the way from becoming a busybody to murder. It is dangerous business to be idle. I give this sermon, not because it applies to anyone in this room, but because it reminds each of a lesson in our Christian journey. The Christian journey is always an active journey. There is always something for us to do. And Jesus calls us to be active in whatever we do. We can pray and hope and dream. But we also can work and use our hands to make a difference. A visitor in a coal mine stopped to talk to one of the miners. He told the miner how sorry he was for him, spending his time monotonously picking coal down there in those dark tunnels. The miner picked up a piece of coal and said, “I don’t think you understand. This is not just a lump of coal. This is light and heat and power. Perhaps it will light a city, or it may warm a home or run a train. I’m not just a miner for the company. I’m helping people I don’t even know have a better way of life.” Because of the drive for clean energy today, many miners are losing their jobs. The principle has not changed, however. If you feel like your work is making a difference in the world, it can bring you real satisfaction. If you can see a purpose higher than a pay check, it can improve your attitude toward your work. You are helping produce a product that will improve the quality of people’s lives. You are helping to keep a city running. You are educating young people for the future. I know that it can sometimes seem that we are just a cog in a great machine, but what if your job was not done? Would society be the worse off for it? Most of us can find a purpose for what we do if we try. If we cannot, we may be in the wrong place. Work allows us, first of all, to be partners with God in the provision of the world’s needs. The bottom line is that Jesus called us to stick together and to work together. Jesus changed the rules. Jesus opened to door so that the outsiders, could become insiders. And Jesus calls each of us to keep working until the door is open to everyone and everyone is a part of the church. I like Paul’s final word to us – never get tired of doing the right thing. Never get tired of making a difference, and doing the work of Christ. there is a saying that when the knight came to king Arthur’s court they were reminded that they did not come to retire but to serve. Each of us here is called to serve also. There is a Lutheran church in Philadelphia who got a donation from a former member. The daughter of the member gave them old anniversary bulletin for 75 years ago. As the pastor read the bulletin and saw all of the churches that had been attendance. On the list of 30 churches, 20 of them were now closed. This was a wake up call to the pastor, of how important it was for his church to be a survivor. Word on the street was that you went to the Lutheran church when you needed groceries, but if you wanted to experience the holy spirit you went to the Baptist church. The pastor realized how important it was for his church to realize their mission. No longer could the church run itself like a social club. No longer could they follow the rules of any other club in town, it was time for them to live into what it means to be the body of Christ. A body that no only works, but also prays, loves, and most importantly lives a disciplined life. a life of a committed follower of Christ, not a busybody. We too are called to be the body of Christ here in Wilmington – what work is there for us to do together as community. Let us pray…. Additional illustration… There's an old Chinese proverb often attributed to Confucius. It goes like this: If you would be happy for one hour, take a nap. If you would be happy for one day, go fishing. If you would be happy for one week, kill your pig and eat it. If you would be happy for one month, get married. If you would be happy for one year, inherit a fortune. If you would be happy for life, love your work.

Left Behind

November 19, 2017 Year A Left Behind 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Exegetical Aim: To remind the children of Christ’s second coming. Props: A wall clock Lesson: Does anyone know what time it is? Right now, do you know what time it is? (Responses) How can you tell what time it is? What do we look at to see what time it is? (response) Good, a clock, or a watch. Look what I’ve brought today. A clock. Maybe all of you do not know yet how to tell time. So I’ll quickly explain. Briefly describe the hands and the numbers on the face of the clock. What time do we usually get up from bed in the morning? (response) What time do we eat lunch? (response) A joke about the length of the sermon would be appropriate to evoke laughter from the congregation. Let’s see, what time do we eat supper? (response) Well, what time do we go to bed? (response) Now here’s the big question. Jesus told His disciples that one day He would come again and bring His kingdom to earth. The question is . . . what time will Jesus come again? (Let the children think for a moment and let them respond) Application: The Bible reminds us that Jesus will one day come again. But it also reminds us that no one knows what time He will come. So we shouldn’t spend a lot of time wondering about that, even though some people do. What the Apostle Paul wanted the people to know was that Christians should be ready for Jesus to come any time. Now when Jesus comes again, how do you suppose He will want to find us acting? Hatefully or lovingly? (response) Hurting others or helping others? (response) Speaking badly about someone or encouraging them? (response) That’s right. It doesn’t matter what time it is for us to act in a Christian way. And because we do not know what time Jesus will return, we always want to be ready when He does come. So the next time you see a clock, remember that we don’t know what time Jesus will come, but that there is always time to act like a Christian. Let us Pray: Gracious God, thank you for letting Jesus come back to us someday. Until He comes again, help us always to act like Christians should. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Common English Bible (CEB) The Lord’s coming 5 We don’t need to write to you about the timing and dates, brothers and sisters. 2 You know very well that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, “There is peace and security,” at that time sudden destruction will attack them, like labor pains start with a pregnant woman, and they definitely won’t escape.4 But you aren’t in darkness, brothers and sisters, so the day won’t catch you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to night or darkness. 6 So then, let’s not sleep like the others, but let’s stay awake and stay sober. 7 People who sleep sleep at night, and people who get drunk get drunk at night.8 Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober, wearing faithfulness and love as a piece of armor that protects our body[a] and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 God didn’t intend for us to suffer his wrath but rather to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. 11 So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already. Footnotes: a. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Or breastplate Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Author Doug Mendenhall shares a brief parable that should cause all of us to pause and reflect: Jesus called the other day to say he was passing through and [wondered if] he could spend a day or two with us. I said, "Sure. Love to see you. When will you hit town?" I mean, it's Jesus, you know, and it's not every day you get the chance to visit with him. It's not like it's your in-laws and you have to stop and decide whether the advantages outweigh your having to move to the sleeper sofa. That's when Jesus told me he was actually at a convenience store out by the interstate. I must have gotten that Bambi-in-headlights look, because my wife hissed, "What is it? What's wrong? Who is that?" So I covered the receiver and told her Jesus was going to arrive in eight minutes, and she ran out of the room and started giving guidance to the kids—in that effective way that Marine drill instructors give guidance to recruits. … My mind was already racing with what needed to be done in the next eight—no seven—minutes so Jesus wouldn't think we were reprobate loser slobs. I turned off the TV in the den, which was blaring some weird scary movie I'd been half watching. But I could still hear screams from our bedroom, so I turned off the reality show it was tuned to. Plus, I turned off the kids' set out on the sun porch, because I didn't want to have to explain Jon & Kate Plus Eight to Jesus, either, six minutes from now. My wife had already thinned out the magazines that had been accumulating on the coffee table. She put Christianity Today on top for a good first impression. Five minutes to go. I looked out the front window, but the yard actually looked great thanks to my long, hard work, so I let it go. What could I improve in four minutes anyway? I did notice the mail had come, so I ran out to grab it. Mostly it was Netflix envelopes and a bunch of catalogs tied into recent purchases, so I stuffed it back in the box. Jesus doesn't need to get the wrong idea—three minutes from now—about how much on-line shopping we do. I ran back in and picked up a bunch of shoes left by the door. Tried to stuff them in the front closet, but it was overflowing with heavy coats and work coats and snow coats and pretty coats and raincoats and extra coats. We live in the South; why'd we buy so many coats? I squeezed the shoes in with two minutes to go. I plumped up sofa pillows, my wife tossed dishes into the sink, I scolded the kids, and she shooed the dog. With one minute left I realized something important: Getting ready for a visit from Jesus is not an eight-minute job. Then the doorbell rang. Used with permission from author. Doug Mendenhall, "Getting Prepared for the Arrival of Jesus," www.reporternews.com (9-24-09); submitted by Kevin Miller, executive vice president, Christianity Today International If you knew for sure that Jesus was on his way to see you how would you prepare? What would you do? How long would it take to occur to you that it is too late to go to the store to pick up anything, too late to clean the house, too late to get all of your vices out of the house. Our lesson for today is when Jesus comes – don’t be surprised, don’t be afraid, and do not despair. Those who are facebook friends know that I make a point to decorate my kitchen table every month. You might not realize that there are two focal pieces that stay the same. There is a sign that says in everything give thanks, and there is a full table setting always on the table. The setting is not for me, the setting is for Jesus. If he ever needs a place to crash while he is on earth, he has a dedicated place at my table. It reminds me to be prepared for Jesus to come. To live my life prepared, and not expect to get ready on the spur of the moment. Being prepared for Jesus can take a lifetime. Today we look at the second half of Paul’s message to the Thessalonians about the apocalypse. There has always been a lot of talk about what will happen at the end of the world. And there are always kind prophets who have secret information about when and how it will happen. Paul reminds us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will be like nothing you have ever experienced before. In Matthew 24 Jesus himself says that God is the only one who knows for sure when the Day will come. Jesus says that not even he consciously knows when it will happen. When you see the signs, you know that it is time to be prepared. Robby Robins was an Air Force pilot during the first Iraq war. After his 300th mission, he was surprised to be given permission to immediately pull his crew together and fly his plane home. They flew across the ocean to Massachusetts and then had a long drive to western Pennsylvania. They drove all night, and when his buddies dropped him off at his driveway just after sun-up, there was a big banner across the garage—"Welcome Home Dad!" How did they know? No one had called, and the crew themselves hadn't expected to leave so quickly. Robins relates, "When I walked into the house, the kids, about half dressed for school, screamed, 'Daddy!' Susan came running down the hall—she looked terrific—hair fixed, make-up on, and a crisp yellow dress. 'How did you know?' I asked. 'I didn't,' she answered through tears of joy. 'Once we knew the war was over, we knew you'd be home one of these days. We knew you'd try to surprise us, so we were ready every day.'" Lee Eclov, in the sermon "Heaven," PreachingToday.com I am not being cynical in preaching on the end of time. If I didn’t preach on Thessalonians, the scripture in Matthew 25 is also about being prepared for the second coming. As a matter of fact, that will be the theme of scripture for the next three weeks. Next Sunday is the last day of the lectionary calendar. And the first Sunday of advent is the first week of December. Advent always starts with the second coming and goes backward to the first coming. The whole point of advent is being prepared for the coming of Christ. So for the next two weeks we have to be prepared to be prepared. We have to remember, not to be surprised, not to be afraid, and not to despair, whatever life may bring. Have you noticed that as life goes on, there is more things that we fear about the future. As we listen to the news, it is easy for us to wonder if we will even have a future. And we stress out on how we will face the future. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. Paul is trying to convince us that we have to trust God, He says God didn’t intend for is to suffer wrath, but to possess salvation. Paul calls us children of the light. For Paul there are two kinds of people, whose who live in darkness and those who live in light. He says that we are the children of the light, we have to work while it is light, we have to live in the light, and we have to do the things that thrive in the day. During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait. Harry Heintz. That is why I feel that it is so important to be left behind. There was a series of books and movies that talked about being left behind. Those left behind are those who are forsaken by God, and have no hope. There are a lot of people out there who live in darkness because they truly believe that they are forsaken. It takes the faithful to spread the message that God loves everyone. That God will be with us no matter what, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In the 1500’s after the protestant reformation, a group of church members put together the Heidelberg catechism. 129 questions and answers that help us to understand what it means to have faith in Christ. The very first question ask – what is your only comfort in life and in death. The answer – Jesus is our only comfort in life and in death. If Jesus is our comfort, we have no reason to be surprised, no reason to be afraid and no reason to despair. Paul final message, which we will hear again in advent is to stay awake and to always be ready. Are You Ready? The matter of being ready is of such supreme importance that our Lord has not left us without kindly admonition, and as willingness to serve naturally leads to preparedness for service, how vitally important it is that we consider what He has to say on being ready. Ready to give the gospel (Rom. 1:15). Ready for every good work (Titus 3:1). Ready to distribute (I Tim. 6:18). Ready to give an answer (I Pet. 3:15). Ready to go where the Lord leads (Luke 22:33). Ready to feed the flock (I Pet. 5:2). Ready to die for the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). Ready to be offered (II Tim. 4:6). Ready for His coming (Matt, 24: 44; 25:10). Ready also in receiving the Word and searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (Acts 17: 11).—J. T. Bougher. Amen. Additional illustrations…… Kerry Gandy of Maumelle, Arkansas tells of the time when his wife and he decided it was time for them to get their bodies into shape. They knew there were all types of programs, clubs, books, etc. that promised to get them to their goal. There was one thing, however, that really looked like their cup of tea, that being aerobics. They decided they would start an aerobics exercise program using their VCR. As the alarm rang the next morning, Kerry Gandy anticipated the thought of starting a new program to help him attain a body like “RAMBO.” As soon as they got the kids off to school they plugged in their aerobic tape. As the lady started going through the different motions with Kerry and his wife, Janet, following her every move something hit Kerry like a ton of bricks. He realized that to achieve this goal of having a body like “RAMBO,” it was going to take some time, in fact it was going to take a lot of time. After about five minutes into the program, he was panting--he couldn’t catch his breath; he was perspiring profusely, his heart was throbbing in his throat and pounding in his ears. He thought he was about to die. At this time he turned to his wife and said emphatically, “This is hard stuff.” This had no more cleared his lips, when he heard the aerobic instructor say, “Now that we are warmed up . . . let’s begin our exercise.” This particular program had a split screen--one for the regular workout, and a smaller one for women who were pregnant--he says he followed the smaller screen. This led him to two thoughts: First of all he says, it is amazing what people are willing to put themselves through for a healthier life. Would that we would see the importance of doing the same with our spiritual life. Two, when we follow Christ, we need to understand that at times we may feel it’s time to throw up our hands and quit. That’s when we need to realize that we have just warmed up and it’s time to become a true soldier of the cross. People of the day. Biblically there are only two kinds of people--those who seek to be soldiers of Christ and those who give no thought each day to who they are and to whom they belong. To which camp do you belong? Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it. Rubem Alves, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 4. A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest) A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest)

Standing at Skyfall

December 2, 2012 Luke 21:25-36 Standing at Skyfall First Sunday of Advent Year C Theme of skyfall for advent God’s words of wisdom come to us in many unexpected ways and in unexpected places. My theme for advent came to me in late September, driving in my car, when I first heard to theme song to the new James Bond movie – Skyfall. This is the end Hold your breath and count to ten Feel the earth move and then Hear my heart burst again For this is the end I've drowned and dreamt this moment So overdue I owe them Swept away, I'm stolen Let the skyfall When it crumbles We will stand tall Face it all together At skyfall, what does that mean? Where is skyfall? Is that a planned event? Chicken Little gave us sky fall – when a rock fell on her head, and she went to tell all of her friends that the sky was falling, she saw it with her own eyes, she felt it , and the king must know that the sky is falling. We all know the moral of the story – the sky is not falling, chicken little is driven more by her fears, than what is really going on, and she is able to convey her fear to everyone else and they all run for their lives, just based on what chicken little said. Skyfall is real The title of my sermon this morning is standing at skyfall. In the story – we all know the sky did not really fall. But I think that in our lives there are times, when the sky does fall, when our world comes to an end. I think that there really are days that we can stand and look at the broken pieces of our lives, and know for sure that the world had ended around us. As a matter of fact, I can guarantee you, there is a skyfall in every life. Have you watched the news lately? The politicians are talking about the financial cliff – the point at the end of the year when all that we have worked so hard to achieve will fall apart unless the politicians come to some sort of agreement. And then there was the announcement last month that all of the united methodist cokesbury stores would be closing, just as borders and many other bookstores have done in recent years, people just are not going to the store to buy books anymore, since amazon will send you any book you want right to your front door. And the one that I had to laugh at this month, the closing of the hostess plant. People all over the world are in a panic because they wont be able to buy twinkies anymore – it is the end of an era. What is so funny to me is that everyone is so upset about not being able to buy twinkies anymore - whereas if twinkies were something that people actually bought on a regular basis – the company wouldn’t be going out of business. The world has changed since we were kids, we now know that twinkies are not healthy for us, not only do they make us fat, but that crème in the middle – that stuff doesn’t go away – it last longer than most of us will be alive. That cant be a good thing to put in our bodies – it is okay for them to go away. The whole premise of the movie skyfall is that the world that we live in is falling apart before our very eyes. The enemies that we used to be afraid of – don’t exist anymore. The way we used to do business is gone, they understandings that we had in life have evaporated, and all of us in many ways are still stuck in a world that doesn’t exist anymore. Our world is literally falling apart around us – we are standing at skyfall. But you know that one that gets me the most – is the death of the church. People arent coming to church anymore, not to worship at least. They will come for what we offer them for free – but don’t want to hear anything about Jesus. We are not attracting our your people, and our young families. In today’s world Sunday is not the day that you come to worship, Sunday is your free day to stay at home and do what you want. Even in giving, I have received all kinds of letters from all kinds of good organizations that ask for our money – money that used to go just for the church. It as if the world doesn’t need church anymore – things are not getting better, things are getting worse. We are not attracting new members, and those who are the most faithful are dying off. How much longer before the church falls in the same category as the twinkie, and the bookstore, and the concept of james bond – not much longer if we look at the signs of the times. Christians are literally standing at skyfall. As a matter of fact, we always start advent at skyfall – at the despair of the world, at the hopelessness of the situation, at the end of the world. Jesus always reminds us that the world is coming to an end. That the endtimes will be a time of distress and confusion. That we will go through many tribulations. The bible says that no man knows the time or the hour, but we as Christians have been predicting the end of the world since the last time jesus walked the earth. And just like the stuff in the middle of the twinkie, we are still here. Still standing on the edge. I wanted to show you a clip from the movie skyfall, but even the trailer advertisement was so full of sin and bad language, that it was not a good idea for church. But long story short- James Bond is fighting a villian on the top of a train, one of is fellow agents shoots at them both and hits james bond. He falls into the water and the spy agency assumes that he is dead. It takes him awhile to come back to work. When he returns – his boss ask him where the (expletive) has he been? He says he was enjoying death. One of his colleagues ask why didn’t he just stay dead. It had to be much easier then facing reality. You know I think that there are a lot of us in church – we are a lot like James Bond. When the world as we know it is falling apart- it is easier for us to choose to die with it, rather than stand in the miracle of resurrection. I knew that I had to go see the movie skyfall, when the villian tells James Bond that everyone has to have a hobby – and he asks what is your hobby – James Bond responds resurrection. Wow – coming back to life, after you have died – resurrection. For Jesus resurrection wasn’t just a hobby – it was a way of life. and following Jesus means that resurrection is a way of life for me too. Advent reminds us that Jesus was not just born once, but that Jesus was born twice. "Jesus Christ was born twice. The birth at Bethlehem was a birth into a life of weakness. The second time he was born from the grave – the first born from the dead – into the glory of heaven and the throne of God." It is that second birth that makes all of the difference in the world. And it is that second coming that we await in advent. In the meantime – we wait, we survive what life brings at us, we move forward in faith, we await our resurrection. We don’t have any more control over our death, then we do our life. if taxes go up at the beginning of the year. We will just have to find a way to pay them. When the world falls apart – we find a way to face it. The end of the world as we know it is no big deal. Advent reminds of that it is time for us to give up the comfort of our world, and be prepared to start all over again. For the faithful the world ends every year at the beginning of advent, and we are asked to stand and wait for a new year. Every beginning starts with the end. Sometimes my world does not end every year, sometimes it is one day at a time. Where everything that I worked for falls apart and I have to start all over again from scratch. I like the ways Adele puts it Skyfall is where we start A thousand miles and poles apart Where worlds collide and days are dark You may have my number, you can take my name But you'll never have my heart Let the skyfall (let the sky fall) When it crumbles (when it crumbles) We will stand tall (we will stand tall) Face it all together In Luke 21 – Jesus is predicting the end of the world. He says that we should be able to look at the signs of the times and see it coming, and to know that this generation will not pass away until it all happens. Jesus reminds us that the end of the world is a scary thing for those who don’t know Jesus. But for those who know god it is a time for us to sit and to wait. To prepare and to have hope. Hope in hope is useless. Hope in Jesus, in the power of resurrection is what matters. Resurrection is the work of God, not us. The church may very well go the way of the bookstore and the twinkie if we are not careful. But God’s word is like the crème in the middle – it never goes away. Scripture says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. The message for advent is for us to be alert at all times, praying that you have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the son of man. We are the lights of the world During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait. Resurrection is the work of god. The work of the people of God is to watch, wait, and promise to live in the light. Is the church dying? Is the work of God’s people finish? If we have breath, and the world still has sin, I think not. Let us pray, and this advent let us prepare – for the world to begin anew – with the coming of Christ into the world….. A. J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field." "What are you going to do with them?" "I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home." When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, "Mister, you don't want them, they're just little old wild birds and can't sing very well." Gordon replied, "I'll give you $2 for the cage and the birds." "Okay, it's a deal, but you're making a bad bargain." The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon wa lked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ's coming to seek and to save the lost -- paying for them with His own precious blood. "That boy told me the birds were not songsters," said Gordon, "but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, 'Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!'" This is Advent. And the message of these times is the song of those wild birds… TELL THEM OUT LOUD Scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer once said "The best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person." The theological word for all of that is incarnation, meaning "in the flesh." Jesus was the incarnation of God. Jesus was the way that God sent His "idea" to humanity; there was and is no better way! Like the little girl who said, "Some people couldn't hear God's inside whisper and so He sent Jesus to tell them out loud." From Stephen Sheane's Sermon "God With Us" How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts! O! ’tis easier to keep holidays than commandments. — Benjamin Franklin A. Years ago an interesting sign was seen hanging in a store window during the Christmas season. The original message stated, “Let’s make this the best Christmas ever.” Underneath, some perceptive person had scribbled a legitimate question: “How will we top the first one?” God has promised an event that will easily overshadow the events that surrounded the first coming. B. Anyone who knows the history of the Adventist church knows that our founders started out believing they knew when Jesus would return. As they studied the prophecies of the Word of God, they became convinced that His return was imminent. When it didn’t happen as expected – that day we mark as the Great Disappointment on October 22, 1844 – many began to doubt and fall into discouragement. It was a few weeks after the Great Disappointment that William Miller wrote these words to the discouraged Advent believers: “Although surrounded with enemies and scoffers, yet my mind is perfectly calm, and my hope in the coming of Christ is as sure as ever…. I have fixed my mind upon another time, and here I mean to stand until God gives me more light. – And that is To-day, TO-DAY, and TO-DAY, until He comes, and I see Him for whom my soul yearns.” I can remember one late winter’s day when I was about 7, my grandmother had taken a cousin and me to the grocery store. When the shopping was done and the brown paper sacks were in the car, we headed home. On the way, grandma had to stop off at another store for a few minutes, so my cousin and I stayed in the car. Well Grandma took more time than she thought, so what was about to happen was all her fault. Back then, they put prizes in laundry detergent boxes as an incentive for people to buy. Well, we had two giant boxes of soap because Grandma bought everything in bulk. Well I had discovered that you could pop the ashtrays out of the doors in the back seat and when you looked down into them you could see a big black hole. So, we popped both ashtrays out, opened both boxes of soap and began to pour in the soap. Before we knew it, the boxes were empty and we had a nice little coffee cup and a nice little salad dish. It was then that we realized what we had done. I know that we have not been together long, but trust me on this: There is no way to make a soap box look and feel like it ‘s never been opened once you’ve poured all the soap down an ashtray hole in a car! It was all Grandma’s fault anyway! You can get into a whole lot of trouble while you wait! Especially if there is no purpose in your waiting. Quote: Andrew Murray: The official, dictionary definition for epiphany is “to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." However, we better understand the word as suddenly “getting” something. We jokingly call “aha” moments an “epiphany.” When my son realized that he really did have to take out the garbage everyday or lose privileges... that was an “epiphany.” When high-level executives were indicted in the last few years for “cooking the books” and when they realized they were not above the law—that was an epiphany.

Prayers answered

“Prayers Answered”
November 15, 2009
Twenty-fifth Sunday of Pentecost
Year B
1 Samuel
Mark 13:38-44

It seems that every few years now there is a different prediction that the end is coming near. Remember all of the hoopla that was made about Y2K. None of the computers were programmed to read the year 2000 – and everything was going to shut down – and life as we know it would end. I am sure that I am missing another one since then.
Well now, it has been decided that the world will come to an end in 2012. The 5000 year old Mayan calendar will end in the year 2012 – And this end is not predicted by Christians waiting for Christ to return – this end is much older and deeper than that, so it must be true. People have been talking about it and preparing for it for years now – and now it is only 2 years away.
The new movie 2012 debuted this Friday – Friday the 13th mind you. That is not my genre of movie, so I didn’t watch it – but I saw the previews. They reviews say that this is the movie of all movies. The director took scenes from every destructive movie ever made and made this one even more destructive. You see all types of icons – the Vatican, Rio De Janero’s statue of Jesus, even the city of Los angeles – totally fall apart in this movie. Signifiying that this is indeed the end of the world as we know it. This is indeed a time of cataclysmic change. This is indeed the end of the world. The end of the world as we know it. That is just it. People have been predicting the end of the world for centuries. People – Christian and non Christian have been asking the same question of Jesus as asked in Mark 13 – when will we know – tell us when will this be, and what will be the signs that all of these things are about to be accomplished? When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, earthquakes and famine – this is but the beginning.
And we take Jesus at his word – and we believe that the end of the world must be total chaos and destruction. We have to feel and witness something big, and painful and worldwide in order for the world to change. In order for the world of Jesus to come into the earth – the earth must be totally destroyed. – right? Wrong? In order for the end of the world to come – we have to be destroyed. Right? Wrong. We got it all wrong.
This verse is called the little apopcalyse – the big apopcalyse is the book of revelation. And yet Jesus is not talking about endings – he says that this is the beginning of birth pangs. The world will not be destroyed – but recreated. Life as we know it does not come to an end- it simply transforms. The mayan prediction of 2012 – has been intentionally distorted by our culture – who seems to love sensationalism and exaggeration. The prediction is not that the world will end after 5000 years – but that after 5000 years a new era of understanding will be ushered in. A time when people are able to let go of old things – and look at life from a brand new perspective.
A time of cataclysmic change and transformation. But the transformation is not about what is going on out there somewhere – the change is about what is going on in here. Jesus constantly reminds us that God is not concerned about outward appearances – God is concerned about the condition of our hearts.
In a world that is in deep pain and groaning. In a culture that is asking itself some serious questions, in a time when life is seriously evaluating itself and its values – we are being asked to have a change of heart. A change in who we are and how we relate to the world.
We have no idea of what events will lead us to our final destiny – we have no idea of what the world will go through within the next two years, we have no control over even what the future holds for us – but what we do know is that the time has come for us to transform.
The thing is – we come to this point in our faith every year. As the old Christian year winds down- and the new year is about to begin – we are taken in scripture to the questions and the tumult of the apopcalypse. We are reminded of the end of the times. But we are never challenged to die – we are always challenged to begin again. To realize that in every ending – there is always a new beginning. It is time for us to start looking for those new beginnings, those unexpected births, those moments of faith.
Every year we relive the circle of life. Every year we relive the birth, life , death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior to be reminded that transformation is a normal occurance. The lesson for us is to be prepared for a catalcymic transformation in every moment of our lives.
If every moment is special, then every person is special. The entrance of every person into the world is a story to tell the began in the hopes and dreams of our ancestors long ago.
There is another theme for our scriptures for this time of year. A reminder that every great man who came into the world to bring about hope and change – was raised and nurtured by a faithful mother. That is an interesting pattern in the bible. In the story of Jesus, we learn about his mother Mary. In the story of David, we learn about his great grandmother Ruth, on the story of John we learn about his mother Elizabeth, and in the story of Samuel – we learn about his mother Hannah.
Samuel was a man who bought great change to the Hebrew culture. He was not a king, he was a kingmaker. HE ushered his people into a new understanding of leadership. He was the last of the judges over the people, and he made Saul and them David a king. He spent his life as a priest in the temple – he realized that even that system was not working – because priest had become corrupt.
Our scripture read is a celebration of his mother’s answered prayer. Where she acknowledges that it is time for a change, and that in God’s answered prayer the world would be shaken up and turned upside down, so that the people on the bottom would now be on the top.
Hannah was a second wife with no children, and she got tired of being mistreated by the other wife, who had plenty of children for her husband. Hannah prayed that if God would just give her a son – she would give that son back to God and raise him as a priest. Well – she got pregnant and after three years she did indeed give her son Samuel to be raised in the temple. It was her faith that gave the world a transformational leader. It was also her willingness to trust God to answer her prayer. How well do we trust God with our prayers?
A man was really sick and needed a very serious surgery. He prayed to God that things would go well for him. But just to sweeten the deal he promised the surgeon that he would donate enough money to build a new wing for the hospital if things turned out. Well the surgery turned out – and the surgeon came to the man a few months later – reminding him of he bargain that he had made with the hospital before the surgery. The man had forgotten about that bargain. He said o gee, I really must have been sick to have made a promise like that. I am better now, - I don’t need to pray anymore.
What would have happen had Hannah had the same attitude – and not kept her promise to God? What bargains do we make with God in our times of need – how are we in maintaining our faithfulness?
We would all agree that we live in some really tough times, and that we all have some really tough challenges ahead. We may not all agree on what it takes to change the circumstances, but we all agree that the circumstances need to be changed. We are all looking for that cataclysmic transformation for things to be different. For the peace that God promised us all to begin and to spread throughout the world.
Some need to see the sensationalism of 2012 in order to realize that things can truly be different. All of us – especially the faithful of God need to realize that every moment and every life is a part of the great change. God uses our lives, our moments, our faith to bring about the greatest change. The toughest jobs in life are given to the faithful who are willing to trust in God and willing to be used by the creative movement of the holy spirit – present and every changing our lives one prayer at a time. Amen.