Everlasting Promise

March 23, 2025 Isaiah 55:1-9 3rd Sunday of Lent Everlasting Promise Year C “Curiosity” Lent Three Prelude Welcome and Announcements Over the Threshold. (Call to Worship and Opening Prayer) Leader: The 13th century Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart, said this: “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Sing Verse 1 of Open My Eyes That I May See UMH 454 As we continue our worship series this Lent and consider what it means to be a “purveyor of awe,” we focus on one of the most important elements for curating a life of spiritual depth: curiosity. The ancient poets of our faith and the mystics of old wrote prolifically about “seeking” as a spiritual attribute. Faith is not about certainties; instead, it is about taking the stance of humility that we cannot know everything and that the spiritual quest is what it means to be faithful: to be on a quest to discover more and to experience more of the holy in our lives. In a time when so much emphasis is on what we know, we remember in our Lent journey that it is what we don’t know that is most valuable, for discovery and staying curious is a condition for awe. Sing Verse 2 of Open My Eyes That I May See UMH 454 The element of curiosity is linked to wellbeing of all kinds–spiritually, mentally, creatively. Awe-filled experiences are curiosity-boosters. Play, imagination, experimentation, and even simply slowing down to “linger longer” as we engage with the sights and sounds and smells of our ordinary surroundings can add to the amount of awe in our lives. Curiosity resists easy labeling and classifying; rather, it invites us to deeper discovery about life, faith, and each other. Let us rise in body and/or spirit and pray: Awe-inspiring God, we come together this day because we need to be reminded to see through the lens of curiosity. Too often we focus on being right instead of being curious, and this closes the door to deeper relationship and understanding. Open us to perceive anew. Inspire us to receive our surroundings with awe. Forgive us when we allow fear to curb our quest for greater understanding. Be with us on this journey as we seek again to marvel at your works. Sing Verse 3 of Open My Eyes That I May See UMH 454 [fade into silence… after a time, the leader speaks softly into the silence] The path is ever unfolding before us. We are invited into the seeker’s journey at any moment. God forgives us. Jesus embraces us. The Spirit enlivens us. We are whole. With awe, we accept this belovedness. And all God’s people say, “Amen.” Opening Hymn/Song I’ll Fly Away TFWS 2282 In Awe of Children Eat What Is Good By Lois Parker Edstrom Suggestions: Display various foods as a part of the lesson and allow the children taste, if appropriate to your situation. What are your favorite foods? Pizza? Hamburgers? Ice cream? Chocolate pudding? Cookies? These foods are fun to eat and it’s okay to enjoy them once in a while, but our food choices should also include lots of fruits and vegetables, milk and yogurt, good cereals and breads. Have you ever tried a peanut butter and banana sandwich, sweet potato chips, or a crisp, juicy apple with a wedge of cheese? Delicious!! There are so many tasty foods to enjoy. The prophet, Isaiah in the Bible speaks about God’s message and it is this: “Listen diligently (carefully) to me, and eat… that which is good” (55:2). God is not speaking about food, but about his words of wisdom. As we read the Bible and spend quiet time praying and thinking about God, we learn God’s lessons. We learn about good choices, such as how to honor God, how to respect ourselves, how to treat others with kindness. We learn about things that help us have a good life. God’s ways are good ways. They help you become a loving, thoughtful, and healthy person. God says, “Listen diligently to me, and eat…that which is good…” Eat good food and fill your hearts with the goodness of God’s words. Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2012, Richard Niell Donovan Prayer of Confession God, you call us to step more deeply into ourselves as we amend and awaken to who you desire us to be. Let us acknowledge our transgressions in stillness and in silence So that may prepare our hearts for change. Moment of silence We confess that we have not always brought forth good fruit. In the midst of chaos and frenzy, we have often lost our way. Our feet have strayed from the place where we met you. Our egos have kept us from noticing our missteps; Yet, with you, we know there’s another chance for change. There is another opportunity to bear good fruit In a world full of spoiled and rotten produce and systems designed to kill, We are called to be the change that sustains generations. Let us lean with you into this chance for transformation. Words of Assurance God’s grace and mercy abounds. God is with us in the change. God’s everlasting arms embrace us. Each of us is beloved, affirmed, and set free. Amen. Adapted from Rev. Mia M. McClain on the Worship Ways site of the United Church of Christ, https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/lent-3c-march-20-2022/. The Peace The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. I invite you to share the peace of Christ with those around you, [remembering to greet those online with a wave to the camera]. Contemporary Reading Reader: Our first reading is a contemporary one–an excerpt from Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World: “We need to embrace what I call ‘deep curiosity.’ This is the kind of curiosity that invites us to use it as a force for meaningful connection and transformation. This is what strengthens our relationships to ourselves and each other.” Ancient Reading (Scripture) Isaiah 55:1-9 In Awe of Music ” In Awe of the Word (Sermon) Everlasting Promise My Lenten practice has been paying attention to the ways that the spirit is at work in my life. When you seek God, you can witness the mysterious ways in which God works in our lives. So Friday I had lunch with a former parishioner who has since become a local pastor. She has asked me to lunch for the last 4 years, I have been hesitant about driving down I 57 to meet her. This year, I decided that it was finally time. I must say that I was refreshed in our meeting, the lunch was not only physically nourishing, but my spirit was also nourished in our conversation. In returning from Hazel Crest, I decided to take 30 in order to get back home. While driving through New Lenox I remembered that I had not been AMC to see a movie in a while. There is a new movie about the Last Supper that just came out. Not knowing what time the move would start, I just stopped by. I parked in the parking lot at 3:04. I checked my phone and the movie started at 3:15. I took that as my cue that God has planned this trip and intended for me to stop and see the movie all along. That’s my justification and I am sticking to it. Turns out, the movie was just one step above really bad. You can’t go wrong in telling the story of salvation. I always get something from any movie about Jesus’ life. But most of them have canned dialogue where the actors are just reciting verses from the bible. And in this one, all of the actors wore wigs. And apparently, the director wanted to demonstrate that combs did not exist in the first century, because all of the wigs were messy and unkempt. Overall, I wouldn’t say that the movie was a waste of time. But my spiritual message came after the movie was over. They explained that this movie was an invitation for anyone and everyone to know Jesus. As they were explaining why they were extending an invitation, I felt that the spirit was extending an invitation to me as well. In this Lenten season, I was invited to go deeper in my understanding of God. The think about my calling, and to be open to next steps in my ministry. The Invitation Since the period of the Israelites, The Invitation has been offered down through the centuries to those seeking to find the way: from prophets to peasants — from Paul to Priscilla — from mothers to monks — from Augustine to Wesley — from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham. Many servant followers have been the mouthpiece of The Invitation. Some have accepted The Invitation; others have rejected it. But The Invitation always stands, for it is the greatest invitation ever given to humankind. Let me share with you for whom The Invitation is intended. The Invitation is for all who have been searching for meaning and fulfillment but have never found it. The Invitation is for those who have always desired so much more out of life. The Invitation is for those who feel empty, lost, and without hope. The Invitation is for those who continue to thirst and hunger for ultimate satisfaction. The Invitation is for those who have ever cried out, “What is the point of my life? Is there more to life than carpools, meetings, paying bills, and growing old?” For God’s invitation is to experience an abundant life — the kind of life which only God can provide. And The Invitation is officially extended to you today. So the question is: What will you do with The Invitation? Jesus wants to be your teacher. Come, sit at his feet, and learn. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Leonard Sweet Sermons, by Leonard Sweet The more we “know,” the more embarrassingly obvious it becomes how much we have to learn. The big island of Hawaii is actually getting bigger. Its two active volcanoes keep spewing out lava flows, both building up more elevation and landmass, and flowing out into the surrounding sea. The more “island” there is, the more shoreline is created. Learning is like that growing island. The more “knowledge” we amass, the more new, unexplored edges of understanding are revealed. Jesus didn’t choose a bunch of “know-it-alls,” super-smarty scholars, as his companions. Jesus was a teacher. Those he called were his “disciples.” Another word for “disciple” (mathetes) is “learner.” When Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples he didn’t tell them to go be “teachers.” He called them to claim their status as life-long learners and to pass that love for learning along to the world: “Go therefore and make ‘disciples’ of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Leonard Sweet Sermons, by Leonard Sweet Interestingly, in the movie, Jesus was not the main character. His disciple Peter was the main character. You got to watch Peter transform from a very confused disciple to a true fisher of men. The hook of the movie was that it ended in the book of Acts, when Peter was able to draw just as large of crowds as Jesus to show them how the spirit of God was working in their lives and in the world. Just as many people found salvation in Peter’s word as they found in Jesus’s words. The season of lent is our invitation to come, to listen, to hear, to live to love God, others and ourselves. During lent we are reminded of the promises of God and the covenant of God to be with us throughout life. A covenant is always a relationship of give and take. God reminds us of Gods promises, we are also encouraged to seek God. Our scripture in Isaiah is intended to be a very special invitation to experience life with all of its ups and downs with God by our side. Isaiah 55 is a series of promises and covenants. -13 - the promise of blessing • Just as rain and snow are given to bring life, growth, and wholeness, so too will God’s word bring life, growth and wholeness to the earth • God’s word will make you prosper - perhaps whether you want it to or not • All of creation will rejoice with Israel whose judgment (the exile) has come to an end. When you repent/turn back to God, the response - not only of God, but all creation - is joy! In return you have to seek God in all that you do. Isaiah tells us that the invitation for us is to come, hear, listen, and join. The first words of todays scripture Come I remember one time I was walking along Times Square in New York, and I passed a little bar that had a sign hanging outside which read: "Come on in. There is never any dull lull in here." Well, that was quite a claim. I thought I ought to investigate, so I went in. What did I see? A picture of human happiness? The customers were sitting along on the bar stools staring at themselves in the bar mirror with obvious distaste. The bartenders were looking back at them with the same expression. If that wasn’t a dull lull, then I don’t know what a dull lull is. I wonder sometimes with the millions of bar stools in the country whether anyone has ever found happiness on one of them. Our problem is to take life seriously, to be able to believe the primary fact that our lives have meaning and purpose, that there is a reason for living. As a matter of fact, when you think about it invitations are all around us – we are always being invited to join something, or to get involved in something, or to go somewhere, or to eat something. How many invitations do you receive in a day – not just from people, but from television commercials, from advertisements, from well meaning salesmen, from emails, from social media – from countless avenues. We are convinced that we cannot live without these invitations. In fact, some are so convinced that they pray each night before they go to bed: Now I lay me down to sleep I pray my Cuisinart to keep I pray my stocks are on the rise And that my analyst is wise That all the wine I sip is white And that my hot tub’s watertight That racquetball won’t get too tough That all my sushi’s fresh enough I pray my cell phone still works That my career won’t lose its perks My microwave won’t radiate My condo won’t depreciate I pray my health club doesn’t close And that my money market grows If I go broke before I wake I pray my Lexus they won’t take.[2] 2. Poem by Laura Goethel. And have you noticed that each invitation also comes with a promise, that if you accept it it will be well worth your while. But have you noticed that most of these promises, turn out to be hollow. Once we accept an invitation, that just opens to doors to more invitations. Once we think we will be happy and satisfied after that invitation – we are hungry again and we want more. It is in our DNA – to be hungry, to want more, once we are full, it doesn’t last forever, and we want more and more. Eating and drinking are a never-ending necessity to live. A meal lasts for only a few hours. When firstborn, a baby cries for something to eat. We continue the practice of eating three times a day until our final day. From the cradle to the grave, we continue to take nourishment in order to live. There is nothing with being hungry, with wanting more, with needing to fill up when we feel empty. The key is for us to be mindful about our hunger, to keep our hungers in balance and to be aware when we have had enough. Most importantly, we have to keep God in mind in the midst of our nourishment. When we are seeking to be fulfilled, we have to remember that God is by our side. God promised to provide for us, and that all that we receive is a gift from God. Isaiah’s warning to us is to remember that our ways are not God ways. And that we should lean on God’s ways and not ours. Jason DeSilva, who is a pastor reminds us that it is in our nature to be seekers, to want more. But in our seeking, we should be aware of the spirit that beckons us to seek spiritual nourishment along with our physical nourishment. God is giving us an invitaion to eat spiritual food and drink spiritual water. In our text, the word, "come," is used several times. "Come" is God’s favorite word. It is an invitation and not a draft. With one having all power, God could force us to eat his bread, but God knows you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. God refuses to force us to come to him. He wants only willing children. His intention was expressed when his Son said, "Come to me all who labor What can fill us with good things, good thoughts, and good feelings? Our text says, "Hear that your soul may live." Hear the Word of God that tells us good things. You are loved. You are precious enough for God to die for you. You are a child of God destined for eternal life. Hear the good news and your mind and heart will be filled with the fullness of God. Do you ask, "Where can I hear the Word?" Go this Sunday to a church school and you will hear the Word taught. Attend worship services at your local church and you will hear the Word preached. Take some time daily to open the Bible and you will hear the Word by reading it. In prayer, God will speak his Word to your heart. WHY DO YOU SPEND ... YOUR LABOR FOR THAT WHICH DOES NOT SATISFY?" A woman in our parish referred a lady to me for consultation, and the parishioner said of her friend: "I don’t know what her problem is. She has a very successful husband. She is certainly a success at everything she tries herself. I really can’t understand what her difficulty is." But when the lady came in, she placed her finger precisely on her problem, as she said to me: "You know, it seems that nothing I do feels important." You see, she was identifying her problem. She said: "I try to do things, and I’m successful at them, but somehow, I always end up by asking myself, ‘What’s the use?’ " Her self-diagnosis was correct. She had identified not only her problem, but the pressing problem of our day. Success in life is not our chief concern. Actually, when you get down to cases, it’s not very difficult to be a success in our society today. With average intelligence and a bit of honest application, we can be a success in almost any reasonable type of enterprise. Her problem and ours is not success but significance The prophet Isaiah has proclaimed that God's Word never returns empty. The ripple effect from Allison's invitation is eternal in nature, singing on and on. Because of the power of God's Word, Allison's influence will never end. Take heart when you share your own faith stories of how God has touched your lives. They, as well, are timeless and eternal. Invite your friends to worship, to Bible studies, even to social events at church. You will never know all the lives you influence, the lives God has placed into your capable hands. May your voices also sing on, throughout eternity, or in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "It shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." You are an invaluable part of the very creation that proclaims the love and grace of God. You also proclaim God's message by the way you treat others, the kind and uplifting words you speak, your stewardship of possessions, and your actions, which speak loudest of all. Psychologist Murray Banks tells us that old age, if you want to talk about old age, physically, really sets in about the age twenty-eight, because that’s when the body begins to disintegrate and deteriorate. But creative love, and real life surge of productivity, is not fully developed until we are about forty. For instance, artists do their best work at the age of fifty or over. Surgeons do their best work at fifty-four. Attorneys are best equipped at fifty-seven to be the most productive and of the greatest service. And yet, at this age, many men are considering retirement. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., His Hands, by Jon L. Joyce The words of the old testament are not always good news, but today – These words of Isaiah are good news for us – they are a message that God is making the promise to all people in all situations. God’s promises are ever lasting and will never expire. This is one invitation that will not expire and will always apply. God’s words never returns void – it always beings hope and peace. It is an invitation to you will never regret taking. Isaiah issues a four-part injunction to the people of Judah to return to God, to renounce their iniquities, and to reaffirm the promises of the Davidic Covenant: come (55:1), listen (55:2), seek, and call on God while he is near and can be found (55:6). This plea is pertinent to Christians during this season of Lent, a season of exile and return, renewal and restoration, affliction and comfort, and death and resurrection. Father John Powell has said: "God does not create in order to acquire something, but in order to give something, to share Himself, in other words, to love. And God, whose very nature is love is, obviously, the model of our love." The crusty old sports announcer, Red Barber, once said: "When I boil down thirty years of experience in interviewing people on the radio and television and put it into one word, I would have to say that the Greeks have a word for it, ‘agape.’ " Agape means, broadly, "to have concern for." To use Michener’s phrase: "There is no real coming home to oneself until our goals and our motives are rooted in unselfish love in agape. This is our reason for being. This is our reason for doing. This is our reason for living." Take account of the number of invitations that you receive in the coming week. How many of those invitations are from God and how many are from the world? What hunger does is fulfilled in accepting that invitation? May we all have a hunger for seeking God, for listening, for accepting the love of God and passing it on. Let us pray to seek God in all that we do. Let us pray……. Song You Satisfy the Hungry Heart UMH 629 Approaching an Awesome God [Prayers] Holy and Living God, we approach this time of prayer with curiosity about your world. With all our senses, we open to you. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love others as you perceive and love us. We imagine in our mind’s eye now the people in our lives, the people of our communities, and the people of our world. Each of them is beloved by you, and this alone creates awe in us. We especially lift up those who need our prayers in this moment… [continue with prayers of thanksgiving and care for people]. For all these people and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love your creation as you perceive and love it. Each strange and new species, each surprising wild flower, each ant carrying a load ten times its weight reminds us that our curiosity is fed in so many ways. You are making all things new all around us. Help us to care for the nature around us. This week, we name… [continue with prayers about specific entities of nature in your area]. For all these places, creatures, and lifeforms, and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love life as you perceive and love the life you have given us. Open us to greet each new day as if there is something new to learn and experience so that we might stay curious and love discovery along this journey. Slow us down in this season of Lent so that we might savor anew the gift of life. We pause in this silence, setting intentions of awe for the week ahead. [pause in silence] For all these intentions, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us… Lord’s Prayer Responding with Awe (Stewardship Moment) Moment for Stewardship (Bring with you a nearly dead houseplant and a flourishing houseplant or use pictures on your screens.) Jesus tells parables throughout the Gospels. The parable of the fig tree, in Luke, gives us a picture for this stewardship moment. It’s as though the man who planted the fig tree realized it wasn’t doing well, and was not bearing fruit; a bit like this houseplant. (Show the nearly dead plant!) Imagine this plant – and the fig tree — as symbols of church members who occasionally come to worship, but never give financially, never share their talents, or never offer time to engage in outreach or do basic work around the building. Any wonder the owner is ready to toss out the tree? Any wonder some of us can imagine God, ready to toss out those who never give of themselves or their resources? As we come to our time of receiving all we are prepared to give, let’s hear the appeal of the gardener (which we might consider to be Jesus): “Let me work with it for a year, and then decide.” For those who have ears…and eyes…see the beauty of a robust and healthy plant. (Show the healthy plant!) With your gifts today, may your life shine like the cared-for plant! Offering/Offertory [as is your custom] Doxology [Tune: Old 100th] Praise God, Creator of us all, Praise Christ, by whom we hear our call, Praise Spirit, that which sets us free, Our awe is yours, the One-in-Three. Prayer of Thanksgiving For all that has been given this day, we give you thanks, Generous God. For the ways you are working with each of us through your Spirit, through this congregation, and through the parables of Jesus, thank you. Receive these gifts and the commitments we make to share not only our treasure, but our time and our talents, as offerings of our lives. In Jesus’ name, AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements We Go Forth with Awe (Closing Prayer for Facebook) Benedictions are blessings. And blessings are all around us. So for this season, instead of bowing your head as I offer a Benediction blessing, I invite you to open your palms in a position of receiving, and hold your head high, imagining a radiant stream of light from above shining upon you and everything else around you. And this week when you need to be reminded to be curious and open to discovery, take this stance again. Open your palms to receive, look around to perceive, and notice one small thing that can light up your heart for a moment. And now may you go forth remembering Meister Eckhart’s words: “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Be a purveyor of awe this week. Inspire others with your insatiable desire to know them beyond the surface. Know that the reward of awe is yours as you invite curiosity to live and breathe new life in you. Be a “purveyor of awe,” curating a life of spiritual depth that inspires others to join you on the journey. May the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of Awe, the Holy One-in-Three, be with you now and throughout these days, Amen. Community Time (Joys and Concerns) Benediction May God bless you with the hope to cling to God, knowing that in the highs and lows, the joys and the sorrows, the known and unknown of this life, God’s love never fails. Thanks be to God! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024. Postlude Worship Notes Contemporary reading excerpted from the following source: Shigeoka, S. (2023). Seek: How curiosity can transform your life and change the world. Hachette Book Group. Additional Illustrations Many people live in the illusion that they cannot live without more. And as long as there is money to be made from gullible consumers, our culture will continue to accommodate and perpetuate this illusion by inviting us to have more, purchase more, and obtain more. We have been convinced that the more we have, the happier we are. But you and I know this is one of the greatest delusions humankind has ever produced. For many people are making a good living but living poor lives. There are many people who have much but love little. There are many people who look slick, and appear to have everything they desire, but inside they are decaying and rotting because they have been sold a bill of goods that “more will make them happier.” But no matter the invitations we have received in the past, there is nothing big enough, powerful enough, thrilling enough, or pleasurable enough to satisfy our deepest thirst and hunger. Need examples? Consider Howard Hughes. All he ever wanted was more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. All he wanted was more fame, so he invaded the Hollywood scene and became a filmmaker and star. All he wanted was more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to try to satisfy his every sexual urge. All he wanted was more thrills, so he built and piloted the fastest aircraft ever known. All he wanted was more power, so, in secret, he dealt political favors so masterfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more and more and more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him complete satisfaction. Unfortunately, history proves otherwise. In his final years, he was emaciated, colorless, and had a sunken chest. His fingernails had grown into inches-long corkscrews. His teeth were rotting, and all over his body were innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. “Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards.”[3] 3. Bill Hybels in Leadership, Vol. X, no. 3 (Summer, 1989), p. 38. Some of us still won’t listen. So in desperation, God says, “What must I do to convince you that I love you and want what is best for you?” Then God put skin on and came to earth and loved us, taught us, was mocked for us, ridiculed for us, pierced for us, crucified for us, and then rose from the dead for us. Now, with scars on his hands, God reaches out to us and pleads, “Now will you listen to me?” Perhaps some of you reading this sermon feel like I am writing directly to you. Maybe you have accepted every invitation this world has to offer and it has been like salt water to your thirsty soul, making you thirstier than ever. Perhaps some of you have attended church your whole life yet never really have come to grips with the love of God. Oh, you have heard all about it before but never really allowed yourself to experience it. Perhaps some of you have accepted The Invitation before, but now your relationship with God is stale and you need to taste the fresh Bread of Life again. The good news is that God’s banquet of blessings has been prepared, and you are invited! There is a place at God’s table reserved for you. A special engraved invitation written by a pierced hand is yours. Isn’t it time for you to accept it? Come and receive God’s forgiving grace. Come quench your thirst for forgiveness and acceptance. Come and feast on God’s wisdom. Come and find nourishment for your soul, strength for your life, and purpose in living. Come! You’re invited never to be the same again. Join! That you might be spiritually fed, God’s Word in our text says, "Come to me" and "Hear me." In addition, God says, "Join me," for our text says, "I will make with you an everlasting covenant." Why don’t we realize the necessity of doing the same when it applies to spiritual sustenance? Often we eat spiritual food once a month or even only once a year. No wonder we are spiritual skeletons in obese bodies! Do we pray as often as we have a meal? Three times a day? Many don’t even make it once a day! Do we worship as often as we eat? How many hours a week do you spend eating meals, and do you spend at least one hour at worship? You and I daily read a newspaper to feed our minds, but how many of us feed our souls by reading the good news in the Bible? When was the last time you took Communion? Are you feeding your soul but once a year? Did you know that forty percent of the average Protestant congregation fails to take the Sacrament of the Altar once a year? No wonder our church rolls have dead wood, known as inactive members! With this kind of continuing spiritual diet, we should not be surprised that our souls are anemic and stunted. In our text, God offers a solution to this. He knows we need daily food through a continuing relationship with him, a relationship in which he feeds our souls. He says he will make with us an everlasting covenant. A covenant is an agreement or a contract between two parties. In his grace, God offers to enter into a continuing relationship with us. The believer and God are joined together as one, just as two people become one in the covenant of marriage. God in this covenant is to be your God and you are to be his child. For how long? God calls it an "everlasting covenant." It is made here on earth and continues through eternity. A covenant consists of promises made by both parties. In this everlasting covenant, God promises to love us, forgive us, care for us, and save us. In him is our eternal security, and never do we have to fear evil or death. Who could ever turn down an offer like that? How good of God! How wonderful he is! CSS Publishing Co., Inc., Old Truths For New Times, by John R. Brokhoff The prophet has a perfect formula for spiritual renewal and restoration. If we come, listen, seek, and call on him, he will answer our prayers and grant us the desires of our hearts and restore our faith and confidence as his people. We can defeat the spiritual famine which threatens the destruction of our very souls. He will quench our thirst and remove our hunger if we seek and call on him. All this can be offered without cost. Come, listen, seek, and call on the Lord while he may be found! Come to him, O sinner. Come to him, you who are weary. Come to him, you who are lost. Come to the Lord that he may renew your strength and give you joy for the living of these days! CSS Publishing Company, Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised, by Carlyle Fielding Stewart In his influential book When Corporations Rule the World, David C. Korten writes that "No sane person seeks a world divided between billions of excluded people living in absolute deprivation and a tiny elite guarding their wealth and luxury behind fortress walls. No one rejoices at the prospect of life in a world of collapsing social and ecological systems. Yet we continue to place human civilization and even the survival of our species at risk mainly to allow a million or so people to accumulate money beyond any conceivable need" [(1995), 261-262]. Isaiah's words caution the people of God not to spend their lives and livelihood on trying to attain the goods, the goodies, that Babylon has shown them. Babylon can't offer the people of God true bread. Babylon can't satisfy the hunger of an outcast people. The transitory, tempting excesses of Babylon an empire that didn't know Yahweh, that didn't know God's righteousness and strength, that didn't know God's steadfast, enduring love could never truly satisfy the longing spirit of the exiled people of Israel. To this hungering, thirsting outcast population Isaiah brings a stunning message: free food, free drink. To a spiritually starving people, the prophet doesn't suggest a clinging to God with the hope of some mere subsistence existence. On the contrary, God is offering rich food, wine and milk, a soul-satisfying feast of complete delight. In the midst of extended exile, in the face of national defeat and humiliation, Isaiah's text promises that God's covenant is yet alive. It's as it has always been, an everlasting covenant. God's presence remains in their midst, because God has never withdrawn God's steadfast, sure love for David (verse 3). Don't seek after the good life of Babylon. Seek after the GodLife, the abundant life of a covenant relationship with God. But there's a cost involved. God offers love freely. But a covenant relationship requires the people make some demands upon themselves. They must turn away from wickedness, and abandon unrighteous thoughts so that they're free to respond to God's gracious invitation to come and dine. ChristianGlobe Networks, Collected Sermons, by Leonard Sweet Dr. Leslie Weatherhead used to tell the story of a woman who was trying to find God. She had a certain dream which she dreamed more than once, namely that she was standing in front of a thick, plate-glass window. As she looked at it, she seemed to see God on the other side. She hammered on the window, trying to attract His attention, but without success. She grew more and more desperate, and soon found herself shrieking at him at the top of her voice. Finally, a quiet, calm voice at her side said: "Why are you making so much noise? There is nothing between us." Are there any more beautiful words in our language than these in Isaiah? Some years ago a novel came out named THE GREATEST DESIRE. In it a young writer was gathering material for his book by that same title. In his quest, he plied people with one question: "What do you want?" And he would not let anyone take refuge in proximate answers. If someone answered, "I want to be an engineer," the writer would follow with, "But why do you want to be an engineer? What do you really want?" Thus he tracked down the "great desire." Perhaps he should have consulted with Rudyard Kipling, for when Kipling stirred restlessly in a serious sickness and the nurse asked him if he wanted anything, he murmured, "I want God." (3) And that, I believe, is the greatest desire of anyone's heart. We come seeking God. The ironic thing is that, in searching for God, we always discover that God has been searching for us. That is the testimony of the New Testament. The shepherd is out on a hillside searching for the lost sheep. It is not we who stand at God's door and humbly knock. It is God who takes the initiative. It is He who knocks at our door. The main purpose of worship is not that we may find God, but that we might be quiet enough and still enough so that we can hear the soft knocking of God upon the doors of our heart. The story is told of an East Coast fishing village that was nearly destitute. The townspeople decided to hold a meeting in an attempt to resolve their complicated problems. A stranger showed up to the meeting, and he tried several times to speak. But there was a bit of community prejudice in that town, and the visitor was interrupted each time he opened his mouth. The locals didn't care for an outsider to become involved. A latecomer to the meeting showed up just as the visitor was leaving, and they passed each other in the entrance. The latecomer aske`d, "What was he doing here? Did he offer help? Is he going to aid us?" Not knowing what to make of this, the members of the assembly asked if he knew who the stranger was. The latecomer replied, "I saw his boat docked in the harbor. That was John D. Rockefeller, Sr!" (4) They ignored the one person who had the resources to help them. How often God comes to us, but we do not recognize him or receive him. But he still comes to those who are seeking, and those who are sensitive. Dr. George Hunter in his book, . . .AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS, tells about Bill Alexander; one of the prominent preachers of the 1930s, and also one of America's most celebrated after-dinner and convention speakers. One day Bill Alexander flew into Chicago to address a meeting of the annual convention of the American Academy of Mathematicians. He arrived as others were just beginning to assemble, went to the head table as was his custom, and noticed another man, slight and graying, already seated at the head table next to his own place. And Alexander, the consummate extrovert, blurted out, "Say fellow, you look familiar, what's your name?" And the man quietly replied, "My name is Albert Einstein." Well, that shook Alexander--not only because he had failed to identify the greatest mind of his age, but also because he suddenly sensed that those stock-in-trade stories that always went over so well at Kiwanis conventions just might not fit this audience's intellectual depth. He panicked, and in his panic Alexander heard a voice saying, "Tell them about me, Bill. Tell them about me!" So Alexander threw his lucrative reputation as an entertaining and synthetically inspiring after-dinner speaker to the winds, and proclaimed his understanding of the gospel. He declared that Jesus Christ and his mission are the legitimate, and only, hope for the human race. He sat down, wondering if he had blown it, when Einstein leaned over to him and said, "Say fellow, I hope your side wins. If you don't we're all doomed!" (7) Bill Alexander knew that we see God most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. . ." Of course most of the people we meet will never see God unless they see him in us. Most people we meet nowadays will never read the story of Jesus Christ. Most of them will so insulate their lives to the voice of God that, in their hour of need, God will not be able to penetrate the barrier they have erected. Only if they see God in us will they know that he is near. It's like the young man whose girlfriend lived in a distant city. He wanted to have an engagement ring on hand when he proposed to her, so he sought the help of a friend who was a jeweler. In due course, after designing the ring, he was shown the materials. The diamond looked like any other stone he might have seen in a garden or along a sidewalk. And the gold was a bright, garish color, not at all like the gold he had seen used in other jewelry. On questioning the jeweler about the gold, he was told that it had not yet been refined. Still in doubt about the eventual beauty of the engagement ring, he asked: "And how do you know when it is pure enough?" to which the jeweler replied, as he peered over the crucible, "When I can see my face in it." (8) That is the kind of life God longs for us to have--so pure that He can see His face in it. Even more importantly, so pure that others can see His face in us. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Toss a stone into a pond and long after that stone has settled into the silt on the bottom, you will continue to see the circles on the pond's surface ever-expanding, widening, disturbing, encompassing more and more of the once-placid surface. That's how it is with God's Word, once it has touched your life. Twelve-year-old Allison really enjoyed youth choir, participating in rhythmic speech ensembles, and singing the contemporary songs she loved. She already knew most of the words from listening to the radio. The words of scripture came alive to her when set to the music that pulsed through her veins. On Wednesday afternoons, she began inviting another girl, who was a good friend and neighbor, to accompany her. Allison's friend was a little skeptical about going to church at first, but Tom, the choir director, quickly won her over. It may have been his winsome personality, or the microwave popcorn and hot chocolate the group shared in the youth room after rehearsals. Whatever it was, she was having fun. Although her family did not belong to a church, this visitor began to attend Sunday morning worship once a month when the youth choir provided special music. She also accompanied Allison to youth group on Sunday evenings, and before long, Pastor Cindy had signed her up for Allison's confirmation class. She joined the church along with Allison's class and remained a faithful, active youth member of the congregation. Years later, Tom, who had been director of music at Allison's church, was teaching a seminary class in church music. Tom's class sang the hymns as they studied and learned hymnology. One afternoon they sang "What Wondrous Love Is This," the story of Christ's gracious life given for us. The final stanza ends with the words, And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on, And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on and joyful be, and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on, and through eternity I'll sing on.3 Tom then related the story of Allison's friend, and how we never know fully the impact on eternity of the seeds we plant. Allison's friend became an active member of her church, graduated from high school, and then went on to seminary. Tom astounded the class by saying, "That friend Allison brought to youth choir so many years ago is sitting in this very room with us today." Class members looked around at one another, wondering, "Who could it be?" After a lengthy pause, Tom revealed her identity. She was a professor of biblical studies at that very seminary, and sitting in on the class at Tom's request that afternoon, all because of seeds a young girl named Allison had planted nearly a quarter century earlier. There was hardly a dry eye in the classroom. Think of the lives this professor will touch as she prepares future pastors and lay professionals who, in turn, will equip others to plant seeds and spread God's Word. Through eternity, they will sing on because the voice of Allison has set the song into motion. Their influence will never end. Toss a stone into a pond and long after that stone has settled into the silt on the bottom, you will continue to see the circles on the pond's surface ever-expanding, widening, disturbing, encompassing more and more of the once-placid surface. That's how it is with God's Word, once it has touched your life. The prophet Isaiah has proclaimed that God's Word never returns empty. The ripple effect from Allison's invitation is eternal in nature, singing on and on. Because of the power of God's Word, Allison's influence will never end. Take heart when you share your own faith stories of how God has touched your lives. They, as well, are timeless and eternal. Invite your friends to worship, to Bible studies, even to social events at church. You will never know all the lives you influence, the lives God has placed into your capable hands. May your voices also sing on, throughout eternity, or in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "It shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." 1. Chief Seattle, "Wilderness Quotes," Outward Bound, available online at http://www.wilderdom.com/QuotesWilderness.htm [Accessed September 1, 2005]. 2. Oren Lyons, "The Faithkeeper," interview with Bill Moyers, Public Television, July 3, 1991, available online at http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/OL070391.html [Accessed September 1, 2005]. 3. American folk hymn. Both words and tune are in the public domain. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays in Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany: Shoots of Tomorrow, by Mary S. Lautensleger The nature of the Word is vividly portrayed by the prophet of old. As the rain and snow come down from heaven and water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so the Word accomplishes God’s life-giving purpose. When God speaks, things happen. Life springs into existence, as in the beginning when God created heaven and earth by his Word. The same dynamism characterizes other metaphors used by the prophet as he describes the God who speaks. "Thus says the Lord ... soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed" (Isaiah 56:1). "The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God" (Isaiah 52:10). God is portrayed as taking the initiative, entering into personal dealings with men, making his saving power felt. When God addresses man, it is no mere communication of ideas but a bringing of deliverance and new life. The wicked and the unrighteous receive mercy and pardon, they are lifted up into life in God. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., Good News For All Seasons, by T. A. KantonenJoy does not depend on the external events of life. Adversity may hit us with gale-like force, but the joy in our hearts will be determined by the will of our souls. Joy is a choice! In his book, Laugh Again, written in 1991, author Charles Swindoll relates that he was on the Dallas Theological Seminary's Board of Regents as they interviewed the first woman faculty mem¬ber. Her name was Lucy Mabery. Swindoll chronicles the incredible journey of Professor Mabery on her ride to being a faculty member at Dallas Seminary. He writes that Lucy was rearing a family, teaching Bible classes, and was engaged in a dozen other activities while married to Dr. Trevor Mabery. Dr. Mabery was a successful physician in the Dallas area. At the zenith of his career he was also working with Focus on the Family ministry as a volunteer. He attended a retreat in Montana where he and three other men from the Dallas area had met with Focus on the Family Director, Dr. James Dobson. They discussed plans for the future of the organization and prayed for God's lead¬ership and the direction Focus on the Family should take over the next year. As they were flying back from their retreat meeting, something went terribly wrong with the airplane. The plane lost altitude and power then crashed, killing all four men on board. Their deaths sent shock waves throughout the Dallas commu¬nity as all four men were highly respected public figures. Their widows and families were left to pick up the pieces and restart their own lives. Dr. Swindoll writes that Lucy Mabery chose to do it with joy. Without a moment's hesitation or warning, grief tore into the Mabery family like a tornado. But, determined not to be bound by the cords of per¬petual grief, Lucy remained positive, keen thinking, and joyful. How can a person in Lucy's situation recover, pick up the pieces, and go on? How does anyone press on beyond grief? How do you still laugh at life? How do you put your arms around your children as a new single parent and help them laugh (see joy) in the fu¬ture? It comes from deep within — because people like Lucy Mabery set their sails for joy regardless of how the wind blows.[1] This is how Isaiah must have felt. His beloved Israel had to fight the foes of hatred, prejudice, and misery from external cir¬cumstances, but Isaiah says to hang on. He writes, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and the trees of the field will clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12 NIV). How can we set sail for a life full of joy? 1. Charles Swindoll, Laugh Again (Dallas: Word Publishing,1991), p. 35. 2. Richard Taylor, editor, Beacon Dictionary of Theology (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1983), p. 70. 3. King Duncan, Lively Illustrations for Effective Preaching (Knoxville: Seven Worlds Publishing, 1987), p. 68. Used by permission. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons on the First Readings, by Derl G. Keefer A call to discipleship is a call to enroll more and more people in “Jesus School” — a school from which none of us will ever “graduate.” An old Hasidic custom has a child’s first Torah teacher drop honey on the first page of the new student’s book. The student then licks the honey off the page when he/she turns the page. The sweetness of this honey is forever linked to the act of learning. The sweetness of learning is to be a lifelong craving. Isaiah cautioned the Israelites not to think they had God all figured out. It is a caution that we today need to take seriously. Instead of a triumphant return to power, and an end to their physical and political exile, Isaiah offered the image of a Suffering Servant. Instead of judgment for the wicked, a come-uppance for those who had embraced the gods of their captors, Isaiah revealed a divine invitation to a new table, a table flowing with water and wine and free for the taking. Instead of judgment and punishment, Isaiah promised God’s mercy and pardon. How do we comprehend the rules and regulations of such a God? God created us, gave us life, gave us the world, gave us a Garden of Eden, and gave us one rule. We broke Rule One. Then came Truth or Consequences. The consequences of our choice? We were kicked out — out of paradise, out of a perfect relationship with God. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God does not expect god-like comprehension from us. Instead of big ideas and new knowledge, instead of cosmic insight and a heavenly perspective, God requires only one response from us: Love. Mother Teresa put it like this. She said, “It is a mistake to demand clarity of God. I have made understanding an idol. Loving God supercedes knowing God.” That’s why that old song, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him” is less true for the Christian than another song that has yet to be written: “To love, love, love him is to know, know, know him.” Disciples of Jesus don’t know, to love. Disciples of Jesus love, to know. There are approximately 335,000 Christian congregations in the US. Do you know how many seminaries there are? Officially, ATS (Association of Theological Schools) has accredited slightly over 200 seminaries. But the word “seminary” means “seed-bed” . . . or “seed-bed” for faith. That means there are really 335,000 seminaries in the US, for every church is a seminary where disciples of Jesus Christ take his words seriously: “Learn of me” (Matthew 11:29). " "WHY DO YOU SPEND ... YOUR LABOR FOR THAT WHICH DOES NOT SATISFY?" A woman in our parish referred a lady to me for consultation, and the parishioner said of her friend: "I don’t know what her problem is. She has a very successful husband. She is certainly a success at everything she tries herself. I really can’t understand what her difficulty is." But when the lady came in, she placed her finger precisely on her problem, as she said to me: "You know, it seems that nothing I do feels important." You see, she was identifying her problem. She said: "I try to do things, and I’m successful at them, but somehow, I always end up by asking myself, ‘What’s the use?’ " Her self-diagnosis was correct. She had identified not only her problem, but the pressing problem of our day. Success in life is not our chief concern. Actually, when you get down to cases, it’s not very difficult to be a success in our society today. With average intelligence and a bit of honest application, we can be a success in almost any reasonable type of enterprise. Her problem and ours is not success but significance The newspaper carried the story of a man who had bought himself a new Cadillac. He noticed as he was driving the Cadillac that every time he would hit a slight bump or something, there was an awful thumping in the car someplace. Several times he took it in to be examined and serviced, but they never could find the cause, but always there was this thumping. Finally, he narrowed it down to one door of the car, and they took that door apart. Inside they found a coke bottle, and in the bottle was a note which read: "So you finally found me, you wealthy bastard." You see, the worker wasn’t destroying the owner’s satisfaction like he thought he was. He was destroying his own, because he wasn’t performing his task in love for the man who would someday own the car that he was helping build.

Time to Celebrate?

Zephaniah 3:14-20 December 15, 2024 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Time to Celebrate ? Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: No matter what troubles overwhelm us today, Isaiah reminds us that in all of our preparation and passionate pursuit of God’s coming kin-dom, we must not forget that God’s salvation has come and is coming. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). With joy you will remember that God’s salvation is already present among us. Congregation: Faced with the troubles and the suffering of the world, we choose to live in joyful presence to God and one another. We will not turn away from the pain and the hurt in our world, and we will not stop rejoicing in God, whose salvation fills us to overflowing that God’s love might flow through us and flood our troubled world with hope, peace, and joy. Reader Two: We light this candle of joy as a sign of our commitment to be present to ourselves, our friends, our families, and our neighbors that in sharing our vulnerable lives we might share in the glorious joy of God’s salvation together. Light the third (pink/rose) candle of the Advent wreath. Call to Worship L: Good friends, Rejoice. God is with you. P: Even though we are imperfect and too often have turned our backs on God, still God is with us. L: God's love is forever. You are beloved. P: Even when we behave in ways which are contrary to what God would have us do. L: God forgives and loves you and seeks your well-being. P: Praise be to God for such wondrous love. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Mighty God, in the face of challenges and difficulties, we turn to you. In the midst of great joy and deep appreciation, we turn to you. In this season of anticipation, we eagerly watch and actively wait for the gift of Jesus. Renew in us the ability to focus on you in these days which get so hectic. For some, we’re finishing the semester, for many, we’re wrapping up the calendar year, and for others, we anticipate a time of vacation. In the midst of it all, help us breathe deeply, slow our pace, and hear your still, small voice. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Hail to the Lord’s Anointed UMH 203 A Sermon for all Ages Title: "God's Special Clean-Up Day". (AI generated) Story: • Introduction: Imagine your room is really messy with toys all over the floor, dirty clothes, and maybe even some old food crumbs. It's a big mess! But what happens when your mom says it's "clean-up day"? You pick up the mess and put things away, right? • Zephaniah's Message: Today we're going to learn about a special "clean-up day" that God wants to do in our hearts. A long time ago, there was a prophet named Zephaniah who told people that God was going to come and clean up all the bad things in their lives, like being mean to others, not listening to their parents, or forgetting to say thank you. • "The Day of the Lord": This special clean-up day is called "The Day of the Lord". It's like when you clean your room, you throw away the trash and keep the good things. God wants to throw away all the bad things in our hearts and keep the good things like kindness, love, and sharing. • Repentance: But before God can clean up our hearts, we need to do something important called "repenting." That means saying sorry for the things we've done wrong and asking God to help us be better. • God's Love: Even though God is going to clean up the bad things, he still loves us very much. Just like when you clean your room, your mom still loves you, right? God wants to make our hearts clean so that he can be really happy with us. Activities: • "Clean-Up" Game: Have the kids pretend to clean up a messy room, picking up "bad things" like anger, selfishness, and putting them in a pretend trash can. • "Clean Heart" Drawing: Give the kids paper and crayons to draw a picture of a heart and decorate it with happy things that show a clean heart. • Prayer Time: Ask the kids to pray and ask God to help them clean up the bad things in their hearts and let him fill them with love. Prayer of confession Great God, as we prepare to behold the birth of Jesus again, we are mindful of how we have failed to receive the fullness of that gift. The story points us to your glory, yet we struggle to join in the song of praise and thanksgiving. We are distracted and confused, so fo- cused on things of little significance we overlook the good news of great joy that you have prepared. Tell us again that the Savior is born. Tell us again that we are for- given. Tell us again that our lives can be abundant in faith, hope and love because of what you have given us in Jesus Christ. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Assurance of pardon The angel tells Joseph that the child forming in Mary’s womb is to be named Jesus. “Call him Jesus,” the angel says, “For he will save the peo- ple from their sins.” From his birth through his resurrection, from age to age, Jesus is about salvation. This is good news! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Passing of the Peace Scripture Zephaniah 3:14-20 Prayer for illumination Gracious God, illumine these words by your Spirit that we might hear what you would have us hear and be who you would us be, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Sermon Time to Celebrate? So last night was the Merry Mary Christmas at the Mar Theater in town. It was a packed house – many people from town and even many from church that gathered for an amazing Christmas concert. Diane Oswald’s son was a part of the band, and he has an amazing voice as he song the Grinch song. There were several artist who sang the songs of the season. Some of the songs were classics, some modern, popular songs that we are all familiar with, some new, there was even an original song – but they were all about the joy of Christmas. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, it is just not Christmas until we start the singing. Music has a way of touching the spirit, of setting the mood, of getting us out of our seats. Neitchze – was a philosopher with a very pessimistic view on life – he said Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music life would be a mistake.” He’s right! The joy of Christmas is all in the music. Today is the third Sunday of the advent candle – pink Sunday. The Sunday where we celebrate even though we still live in the darkness of winter. Listening to music reminds us that our savior is coming and things will be okay. In the meantime keep a song in our hearts. One Mom says that when her children first received a video of Walt Disney’s Cinderella, they watched it almost nonstop for three days. Since it was warm outside, the family kept their windows open. Their neighbors were having their roof re-shingled by three burly men. As the Mom went out to get the mail one afternoon, she heard a roofer singing, “. . . put it together and what do you get?” From the other side of the house came a chorus of two more husky voices: “Bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi, bobbidi boo!” Personally, I can attest to the importance of keeping a song in our hearts. Long ago, annual conference was always at Northern Illinois University – and the first this we would do when we gather was have a worship service. The bishop would start out with a message. I didn’t want to be there at annual conference, I was in a terrible mood. All throughout the bishop’s sermon I sat frowning with my hands folded – I wanted him to know that I was unhappy. And he noticed that I was upset. After his sermon – we song one of the great hymns of the church, I don’t even remember what it was. I just know that I got so caught up in singing the song, that I forgot to be angry. In singing that song my whole mood changed, my experience of life changed, and I was able to fully be a part of annual conference and to be happy that I was there. Throughout this advent season, we have been looking at the promises of the lesser prophets. Many of these lessons we don’t get any other time of the year. The prophet of the day is Zephaniah. He was a nephew of King Hezekiah. His prophecy was during the reign of his cousin, Josiah. Josiah was one of the good kings he encouraged everyone to return to the ways of God. Things had declined in the nation so much, things were out of hand and there seemed to be no rules of conduct. People were looking for change, but all they saw was darkness. Zephaniah’s message was similar to what we heard last week from Micah. Be careful what you ask for – God’s presence means judgement for all of us. In order for things to get better there has to be judgement. But the good news is that God’s presence also brings mercy, grace, peace, love. Things will get better, but that is God’s doing not ours. Zephaniah’s advice to us – if you want things to get better then sing, rejoice, Praise God. He tells us to start singing, even in the darkness. Rev. Roy T. Lloyd tells a story that takes place in the midst of the Great Depression when a family of three Mom, Dad, and little six year old Peter had absolutely no money for store bought presents. Nevertheless, they were very inventive in celebrating Christmas. They decided to make pictures of the presents they would like to give one another if money were no object. So they drew pictures or cut out pictures from catalogs and magazines. They put the pictures into boxes, stuck some old bows on them, and put them under a scraggly Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the tree was heaped with riches. The gifts were only pictures, to be sure, but they were symbols of Christmas giving. There was a shiny new car for Dad and a red motor boat, some golf clubs, a new suit, some sweaters, and an all weather coat. Mom found her dream house and a diamond necklace, dresses, coats, and a vacation cruise. Most of the make believe presents were for little Pete. There were pictures of a camping tent, a new bicycle, a pedal car, and all kinds of toys and games. Now, of course, Mom and Dad didn’t expect anything from little Pete. But Pete, with a squeal of delight, crawled under the tree and pulled out a gift he had prepared all by himself. He handed his present to his parents with a smile and they opened it. They found a picture-gift more precious than all the others. It was drawn with first grade crayons. It was a picture of three people standing together with big smiles on their faces. They had their arms around each other. And under the picture, little Pete had printed a single word “us.” The light dawned and tears of joy filled the eyes of the parents because they realized that, in years to come, they may be able to give some of those Christmas presents they had only imagined, but they could never give a present more precious than the one they had received that year the gift of love they had for each other. (4) That is a story that must be told at Christmas. If that doesn’t make you heart sing, nothing will. Our lives are filled with love. God sings over us. And we sing of the wonders of Christmas. It begins with love. So do we sing because we are happy, or are we happy because we sing? Have you noticed that we all don’t sing the same songs? Every generation seems to have it own style of music. Driving home from church one Sunday, a father turned the radio to a country station. “How can you stand that stuff?” complained his 16-year-old son. “It’s all sad stuff about dogs and pickup trucks and bar rooms and broken hearts.” Knowing his son preferred rather loud rock music, the dad asked, “Well, what’s your music about?” “That’s the beauty of it,” the son said. “You just don’t know!” That is how many people feel about contemporary music – the lyrics are much simpler and less inventive. Last night I sat next to Sandy Hobbs, who gave wonderful commentary on the songs that were sung at the Christmas concert. Most of the songs she thought were wonderfully done. There were a few songs that she had never heard of, and one song – she commented that she could have done without – it made no sense to her. With every age and generation, words change, the tempo changes, even our response to the song changes. But when we sing sacred music – the topic that we sing about does not change. – We sing about God with us, we sing about our savior coming, we sing about the joy of God’s love. David Devine told a revealing story in the Washington Post sometime back. It was about a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved tee shirt and a baseball cap who emerged from a subway station in Washington one Friday evening. He positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. From a small case, the young man removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money. Then he swiveled his case to face the people who passed by, and began to play. “In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed 6 great classical pieces, 1097 people passed by. Almost all of them on their way to work in mid-level Government jobs. No one knew that the violinist was one of the world’s leading classical musicians, Joshua Bell. Bell is an acclaimed virtuoso, who fills concert halls. One composer said of him: ‘He plays like a god.’” On this Friday morning Bell played on one of the most valuable violins ever made a Stradivari valued at $3.5 million. The train station provided good acoustics for Bell’s performance. His beautiful music filled the morning air. “A reporter stood observing and recording the event. In the first 3 minutes, 63 people walked past without seeming to notice the virtuoso. Then a man stopped, looked and quickly walked on. Across the 45 minutes Joshua Bell played, 7 people stopped to listen for at least a minute. 27 people gave money. Usually, in concert, Bell gets paid $1000 per minute. This day, in total, he received $32.17. At the end of each piece, there was no applause just silent indifference. The master musician was ignored. People walked past musical glory without giving it a second glance. “Except for two people. A postal worker named John described as a ‘smallish man with a baldish head.’ John had learned the violin as a youth. He recognized the quality of Joshua Bell’s performance and stood enjoying it from the distance. And then there was a demographer named Stacy. Stacy had seen Bell in concert 3 weeks before. She recognized him. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to miss it. Stacy positioned herself 3 meters away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: ‘It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?’” (5) One of the world’s great musicians playing on the street for coins. Only a few recognized him. It sounds somewhat familiar. Only a few recognized Christ in the stable of Bethlehem. Some star-struck shepherds, some magi from the East and a humble carpenter and his bride-to-be. But not many. And yet that event turned the world upside down. It was enough to start the whole world singing. And why shouldn’t it? Why shouldn’t all creation sing? And why shouldn’t we sing? After all, the God of all creation the God of the moon and the stars and the wind and the waves sings over us. Can you hear it? Listen closely. It is the song of everlasting love, hope peace and joy. It is the song of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, we still live in some dark times. And now it is about the get even colder. Let us follow Zephaniah’s advice and sing of Christ presence coming into the world. Gavin Ellis says that growing up he had a piano teacher who belonged to a musical society. This society did something quite interesting. They would make a point of listening for the song of angels on Christmas Eve. They believed that the angels rejoiced and celebrated each Christmas in honor of Christ . . . and so they would listen very closely at night on Christmas Eve. They would listen to the dogs bark. They would listen to the wind through the trees. They would listen to the things going on around them in the world . . . in creation to see if they could hear angel song. What would this angel song sound like? It would sound perfect. They listened for harmony and perfect pitch in the sounds of nature. It’s a strange thing to do; it’s kind of an odd way to spend Christmas Eve. But that’s what this piano teacher and his friends did. “There’s a romantic notion to what they did,” says Gavin Ellis, but he wondered to himself how many of them actually believed that angels were singing and how many of them were a part of the group because they just thought it would be neat if angels really did sing. How many of them believed, Gavin Ellis wondered, and how many of them just hoped? (2) Some people believe; others merely hope. Still, this is the testimony of Zephaniah: God sings over us. There is a carol that comes to mind when I think of God singing. This carol was written in 1962, only forty-seven years ago. It is the little carol, “Do You See What I see?” It begins like this: “Do see what I see, said the night wind to the little lamb?” The story of the song is very simple. It begins with the night wind, and the night wind sees what Christmas is all about. So the night wind tells the little lamb, and then the little lamb sees what Christmas is all about, and goes to the shepherd boy. The little shepherd boy sees the meaning of Christmas, and he goes to the mighty king and he says to the mighty king, “Do you know what I know?” Then the mighty king says to everyone, everywhere, in a deep, gruff voice, “Listen to what I say.” Then the king makes this announcement to his kingdom: “A child, a child, will bring you goodness and light.” (3) Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? If we listen closely maybe we will hear the voice of God singing over us. Now you may wonder why we sing at Christmas time. And you may wonder why in the world would God sing over us? Let us pray….. Song Come Thou Long Expected Jesus UMH 196 Prayers of the People (Just print the title) Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your presence; bring your peace; bring your light. Comfort the sick, soothe the sorrowful, bind up the wounded. Calm our spirits. Ease our burdens. Mend our hearts. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your justice; bring your righteousness; bring your goodness. Reorder our priorities. Direct our efforts. Strengthen our resolve. Break down walls. Dismantle oppression. Overthrow tyrants. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your love; bring your compassion; bring your mercy. Heal our divisions. Seek out the lost. Restore the guilt-ridden. Widen our embrace. Teach us generosity. Show us how to forgive. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your passions; bring your fire; bring your stead- fastness. Inspire our witness. Motivate our mission. Energize your church. Open our minds. Extend our hands. Overcome our lethargy. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your hope; your tenderness; your promise. Build up our common life. Hold us in our frustrations. Brighten our dark- ness. Release us. Renew us. Redeem us. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus, hear our cries; hear our whispers; hear our prayers. Now, with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught, saying, “Our Father …”. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment John the Baptist (as we know him) had not gotten the message about this being “Rejoice” Sunday. In Luke 3, John’s pointed preaching pushed hard against those who believed their connection to Abraham would provide a safe route around the mayhem which was coming. Those who were in the crowd wanted John to answer their question: “What should we do?” John’s instructions are clear! Share from your abundance! Give your second coat to someone without a coat. Feed the hungry. Two thousand years later, we still ask: “What should we do?” And the answer continues to ring out. Share from your abundance! Do you have more than one coat? Do you have more food than you can possibly eat? Friends, when we DO THIS, then it’s time to rejoice! Let us share our financial support, AND let us share from our abundance to encourage those who are without. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all good gifts, thank you for this opportunity to respond to the teaching of John. Thank you for these gifts, filling the offering trays today. May we now be eager to respond to the needs of those around us. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Those on Facebook Advent invites each of us into a new way of living in a world to which the kin-dom of God has come and is yet coming. Go, now, blessed with the gift of togetherness, for it is only in being truly present with God and one another that we live as followers of the coming Messiah. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Let us go trusting in Jesus Christ, the one who is surely coming. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the com- panionship of the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you today and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Additional Illustrations The songs encouraged by the prophet are quite different from the songs of our age. So much of the contemporary literature composed for the symphony orchestras is dissonant, discordant, and harsh sounding. Composers have always been wary of imitating models from other periods lest they be regarded as being uncreative and lacking in originality. In the search for new expressions, the composers reflect the times in which we live. They portray for us the confusion and incongruities of our age by creating music that grates both on our ears and our emotions. It is no small secret that the conductors of great symphony orchestras of our land have considerable difficulty with their boards of directors when they include too many of the contemporary works in their scheduled concerts. The same observations can be made about the popular music of the day. The complaints about the loud harsh music that is electrically amplified are not simply from an older generation that is out of sync with the younger. The questions are raised about music that it is totally unwholesome for the ears and may impair the hearing of young people at an early date. However, the more serious complaints are about music that also reflects a lack of morality and expresses only the more primitive passions of people. Besides complaining about loudness, the repetition, and the lack of artistry, one critic asked, “Why don’t the songs have an ending?” The answer is that bad music has no soul to reflect a genuine and positive hope. A Special Song One certainly cannot characterize all contemporary music, popular or classical, as decadent or lacking in soul. There is much contemporary composition that is commendable. However, it is important to note that the prophet who called for a song from God’s people did not look for them to express their sense of depression and lack of hope. He encouraged a song that would express divine hope in the midst of human confusion and terror. Martin Rinkart was such a hymn writer. Born in the latter part of the sixteenth century in Eilenburg, Germany, he received theological training and held several positions before returning to his home town as archdeacon. He served in that city for some thirty years, most of that time being during the Thirty Years War. Because Eilenburg was a walled city, people from miles around sought refuge there. The overcrowding resulted in famine and pestilence. One pastor left and two died, leaving Rinkart to minister alone. He read burial services for as many as forty and fifty persons in one day. His wife succumbed to the pestilence, and he survived an illness. Rinkart received little support from the town authorities, and eventually was even harassed by them. Totally exhausted he went to his grave, December 8, 1649. What he bequeathed to us was not only his untiring example of unselfishness but his great hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” In the midst of great tragedy and suffering he could offer the song of promise encouraged by the prophet. A New Song In the Advent Season it is customary for the Christian Church to sing the “Magnificat,” the Song of Mary. The Evangelist Luke placed this song on the lips of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, when she visited her relative, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The song celebrates how God turns everything upside down and makes everything right. Johann Sebastian Bach interpreted this great hymn in the beautiful cantata “The Magnificat.” The one who gave real meaning to Mary’s song was our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of mercy which God had spoken to the patriarchs, to Abraham and his posterity. By his humble and impoverished birth Jesus gave hope to the world. The life, death, and resurrection of the One born in the ignoble conditions of Bethlehem assured the world that God is always present working to give us hope and make our hearts glad. The world will be singing Christmas carols lustily again this year. The carols have been ringing out in McDonald’s and Burger King since the first of December. The Christmas music expands and grows yearly to be the largest repertoire devoted to one subject in all the world. People want their songs to bring them joy in the season meant to create joy. Yet many of those songs are ditties with no message of hope or promise. The song of promise the prophet teaches us is one we can sing when there is nothing to be joyful about. The song of promise does not fall flat when a season ends. The song of promise does not fade when the Christmas trees are taken down and the holly and tinsel are removed. This is a song of real promise. The song of which the prophet wrote is the song the Holy Spirit impresses on our hearts to celebrate the goodness of God. The song holds out hope and gladness for us as we realize, in the prophet’s word, that God daily “renews” God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. CSS Publishing Company, The Presence in the Promise, by Harry N. Huxhold A little boy was sitting at the table in the kitchen looking gloomy and sour: he had just been punished. Suddenly, he asked his mother, "God can do anything He wants, can't He?" To which the mother replied, "Of course." Then the boy asked rhetorically "God doesn't have any parents, does He?" Have you ever felt that way? Probably. At some time or another, we have all felt terribly hemmed in and beaten down by our supposedly loving parents. To Zephaniah, it was clear that what a person or a nation believes about God will largely determine their conduct. If God is seen as a kindly old grandfather in the sky who will simply wink at things done wrong, then there is no reason for anyone to make any change. If God is seen as impotent in the face of the all the other gods that can be worshiped, there is no reason to make any change. If God is seen as not being there at all, there is certainly no reason for anyone to make any change. But Zephaniah knew that none of these pictures was accurate, and so he was called to preach what he knew to be the truth. There will come a day. This last question may be the most relevant of all. A lot of people today seem to look upon the God question as a dead issue. They may still give casual assent to the concept as an interesting mental artifact brought over from the past, but see little utility in it for their own living. The stance of such persons is, at best, much like that of the little girl who wanted to know where God was. When told that God was everywhere she wanted to know if he was in the house, in her bedroom, behind the dresser, even under the bed on which she was being put to sleep. After having been assured that God was in all those places, she was later overheard saying an interesting and very candid prayer. "God," she was saying, "I know you are everywhere. I know you are in the house. I know you are in this room. I know you are behind that dresser and under this bed. But, God, if you move you’ll scare me to death." Several studies have shown, for instance, that persons who identify themselves as Christians and church members are more harshly judgmental and punitive in their attitudes toward social offenders than are persons who make no claims to such identity. The parallel to Jesus’ description of the self-righteous Pharisee is so close as to be truly shocking. We should be grateful to Harvard’s Professor Gordon Allport, however, for having done a study that shows that the Christians and church members who have seriously internalized the faith are more inclined to be compassionate and non-punitive in their attitudes than are persons who do not claim to be Christians or church members. A few years ago a group of junior high school students was given a test of musical terms. Here were some of their answers: 1. Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel,” one young man wrote. Then he added, “I know what a sextet is but I had rather not say. 2. A xylophone is an instrument used mainly to illustrate the letter X, answered someone else. 3. Dirges are music written to be played at sad, sad occa¬sions . . . such as funerals, weddings, and the like. [Did they play a dirge at your wedding?] 4. Here’s one I like: What’s a refrain? Refrain means "don’t do it!" A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. 5. A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. 6. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music . . . Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this. 7. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was rather large!” Regardless of our age or our vocation, most of us have a kind of music we can relate to. right! 1. Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies (Pantheon, 1998), pp. 47 50. Cited by W. Gregory Pope, http://www.crescenthillbaptistchurch.org/oldsite/sermon 9 25 05.htm. 2. (http://www.day1.net/index.php5?view=transcripts&tid=90). 3. Cited by Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/christmas_do_you_see.htm. 4. http://pastorgavinellis.blogspot.com/2005/11/luke 28 15 from silence came music.html. 5. John Mark Ministries. http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/20684.htm. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Dynamic Preaching Sermons Fourth Quarter 2009, by King Duncan "Hum," went the phone. She had put me on hold for what seemed like the hundredth time. I had a cold which made me even more irritated. I was at the end of my rope - angry, disgusted, and stressed to what I thought was the limit. I was beginning to forget the reason I had phoned. Suddenly out of the background from the "hold" position of the telephone system of this mammoth mortgage corporation came some music. This was the ultimate insult. They were trying to calm an irate customer with "elevator music." Only it wasn't "elevator music." It was a Christmas carol. I listened as a secular mortgage company telephone system played: "Silent night, Holy night. All is calm; all is bright." I was laughing by the time the supervisor came to the phone. Music centered in God can do that. It can be a reminder of who you are. My sin of impatience became a laughing matter in the light of the coming Messiah. By the way, the supervisor could not answer my questions, but she told me that I could call her back. Music can soothe the savage beast in all of us. God-centered music can keep us close to God when we reach the breaking point. A gospel musician was away from home singing and inspiring people with his music. The phone rang. It was for him. The news was bad. His wife who was pregnant had lost the baby. "The baby is dead," he was told. That's staggering news. He started for home. A few days later his wife died. He had sung the gospel of comfort to many, but he could not find comfort anywhere. Friends and relatives tried in vain to help him with his grief, but it was all to no avail. He went to God in prayer ... and expressed his need in music. From his sorrow, Thomas A. Dorsey wrote the spiritual: Precious Lord, take my handLead me on, let me stand;I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.Through the storm, through the night,Lead me on to the light.Take my hand, precious Lord,Lead me home. Music centered in God can calm the violent darkness in all of us. Such music is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Through the storm, through the light, Lead me on to the light ..." John the Baptist along with Zephaniah and all the prophets were voices crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." John and Zephaniah are vivid reminders of the remnant seeking the glory of God in everything. Our hopes and expectations can rise above the maddening crowd: "Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand." Sing aloud, O Daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem. C.S.S. Publishing Company, PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS, by Ron Lavin Christmas cards, which once were sent to wish others peace on earth, goodwill, and blessings of the season, are now serving more commercial purposes. I love the story about an apartment building in New York City. It was early in December when all the residents awoke to find a greeting card taped to the outside of their apartment doors. The cards read, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff." "Well, isn't that nice," one of the new residents thought to herself. "What a lovely, caring staff we have at our service." Then she promptly forgot all about the card. A week later, she came home from work to find another card taped to her door. This one said, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff. Second notice." The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally "Rejoicing Sunday," as we remember and give thanks for God's great gifts to us. Imagine Zechariah and the people of God celebrating, and God is there in their very midst. All are singing and dancing in the streets, and God is singing louder than anyone else. There is rejoicing because the people have been forgiven. They were imprisoned in sin, but all is forgiven and their sentence is commuted. God is their salvation. God has come into their midst to save them. Zephaniah speaks in past, present, and future tenses. His words are fulfilled in the coming of Christ. He also points us to Christ's coming again. Christ is in our midst now, of that we can be assured. There will be a time still to come, when we will have our final homecoming with God. That will be the greatest celebration of all. Fear. One day in hot July, a farmer sat on the porch of his shack, smoking his corncob pipe. Along came a stranger from the city who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none,” he replied. “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well, how’s your corn?” “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid o’ drought.” “How about your potato garden?” “Ain’t got none. Scairt o’ tater bugs.” The city stranger finally asked, “Well, what did you plant?” The farmer answered, “Nothin’, I just played it safe."1 Some of us are fearful of action because there may be some¬thing out there in life that we are not prepared to meet, so we play it safe and do nothing. Paralysis grips us. Sing! Shout! Rejoice! Exult! Why? because your Lord is King. The picture is that of the enthronement of a mighty king. It is a king who is triumphant, who "has turned away your enemies" (v. 15a). This king is enthroned in the midst of the people. He has a mighty presence among them; therefore, they do not need to fear disaster any more (v. 15b). On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory ... He has the power to remove disaster (v. 18) and to deal with all oppressors (v. 19a). During the spring of their senior year, seminary students begin the parish interview process in preparation for their first call as pastor. At one seminary, seniors are asked by a professor to respond to two specific questions. The first question is: What expectations do lay persons have for their next pastor? Seniors are overwhelmed by their own responses, which include the following: visionary leader, dynamic preacher (interpreted as entertaining and brief), excellent administrator, caring counselor, frequent visitor, fabulous fund-raiser, great with youth and children and elderly, super evangelist (interpreted as recruit new members to help meet the budget), young but experienced, twenty-four-hour crisis availability, and willing to accept less than the recommended minimum compensation package. Seniors are stunned. After class, one told her professor, "They anticipate that I will be a Messiah." Great anticipation, but neither realistic or achievable. The second question for these seminary students is: What do you expect from parishioners in your first congregation? Their answers are theologically articulate and conceptually sound. They focus on the theme of living out one's baptism as a member of the priesthood of believers. Now that's a theological mouthful! Students often expect their future parishioners to assume eagerly and willingly the actions of early Christians as evangelists, stewards, visitors of the sick and troubled, administrators, and teachers. Bible and prayer groups would abound. In their ideal congregation, parishioners would want their pastor to be a theologian-in-residence. They would hear the Word of God with joy and share the sacrament with zeal and excitement. They would be active in both member care and community outreach. They would bring an inclusive, open, and global perspective to ministry. Wow! If parishioners are anticipating the Messiah, seminarians are anticipating doing ministry in the Messianic Kingdom of Glory. his promise is for us today. It is just as real today as it was for Zephaniah 2,600 years ago. The Lord speaks to us, saying, "I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise" (v. 19). So, then, do not let your hands grow weak. Learn from the collective experience of God's people. The Lord your God is in your midst and has promised to deliver you. That's a fact. That's reason to rejoice. Here is Zephaniah's "anticipation proclamation." Here is the good news of Advent. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again." CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Where Is God In All This, by Tony Everett

What is so special about Rainbows

February 21, 2021 First Sunday of Lent Genesis 9:8-17 What’s so special about rainbows? Year B Opening Song Call to Worship (Psalm 25) We trust in you, O God, for you are faithful. Show us your ways and teach us your paths. We wait for you. Lead us in your paths of truth. Do not remember our failures. Out of your merciful grace, forgive us. You are faithful, O God. Your love is steadfast. We lift up our souls to you, and praise you always. Welcome Opening Prayer The season of Lent is here again and, as with so many times before, we find that we are not really ready for this journey of discipleship. So many things claim our lives and prevent us from being ready to take the steps in faith. As we look at our barrier of readiness, help us to remember that Christ is with us, every step of the way. We are not alone. Christ will help lift our hearts and spirits and direct our paths. Enable us, loving Savior, to take this journey of faith to new life with you. AMEN. Stewardship Moment As we begin this Lenten season, we have a golden opportunity to use these weeks to re-order our priorities. As a congregation, we’re enthusiastic about ________________________ (name your particular focus). If you don’t have something already in place, consider making copies of the Simple Living/Alternatives calendar (from above) available, with encouragement for each person to creatively use a few minutes every day to focus on this daily stewardship. Prayer of Thanksgiving We are called to share the gifts God has given to us with the people of God. So in this Lenten season, let us offer what we have for our neighbors (both near and far), and for building up the Realm of God on earth. God of mercy and grace, thank you for this time of sharing our gifts and resources while we mark this season’s beginning. May your Realm continue to come near even as we daily seek to repent and believe in the good news which Jesus proclaimed. AMEN Offertory Prayer Righteous God, we mark these early days in the Lenten journey with reminders of your covenant with your people. In your judgement, you sent upon creation the great flood – yet you saved a faithful remnant. You followed with a covenant not to use the flood again. As we prepare to offer our gifts to you, we are reminded that we have been spared from judgment by the one, your son, our Savior, who took on our guilt and bore our judgement. May gratitude for his sacrifice move us to offer not only money, but our whole being. In Christ, we pray. Amen. (Genesis 9:8-17) Special Music Scripture Genesis 9:8-17 Common English Bible 8 God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “I am now setting up my covenant with you, with your descendants, 10 and with every living being with you—with the birds, with the large animals, and with all the animals of the earth, leaving the ark with you.[a] 11 I will set up my covenant with you so that never again will all life be cut off by floodwaters. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I am drawing up between me and you and every living thing with you, on behalf of every future generation. 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures. Floodwaters will never again destroy all creatures. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and upon seeing it I will remember the enduring covenant between God and every living being of all the earth’s creatures.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I have set up between me and all creatures on earth.” Sermon – What’s So Special about Rainbows? My favorite song about rainbows is the Muppet movie – where Kermit sings, why are there so many songs about rainbows. The rainbow connection is a wonderful song about love, beauty, and a belief that one day we will all live in harmony. I think that is what rainbows mean for many of us – harmony and living together. And Kermit was singing a question that people have asked since the beginning of time. What is it that fascinate about us about rainbows. Almost every culture in the world has created songs and myths of why rainbows are in the sky. The aboriginal people in Australia believe that in dream time – the time of the creation of the world- that the rainbow serpent created everything. The native Americans believe that the great father used a rainbow to create the world. The canannites believed that the rainbow was a sign of war. The rainbow was God’s bow that he laid in the sky to signify that he was prepared to fight and that there would be war and fighting somewhere in the world. Actually this is the story that Noah and his generation would have grown up with. Their God Yahweh was a war God, and he protected them by winning battles. Last week we heard of the Chariot of Fire – a sign of destruction used in war. This week we hear of the bow. The bow was a sign of his strength and his ability to defeat others. In every generation, there is an indestructible weapon used to show God’s favor for those on his side. Thor had his hammer, Zeus had a thunder bolt, Poseidon had his trident, King Arthur had a sword, even cupid had his bow and arrow Now we have crosses and rainbows to fight our battles. Rainbows did not give you a warm fuzzy feeling of harmony – but it scared you, worried you . In those days,you took it as a sign that things were about to get serious. And you needed to be prepared. Perhaps it was this feeling of something bad to come that made Noah start building the ark. We know the story from here – of Noah building the ark and gathering his family and all of the animals and sailing the world – as God destroyed everything in a great flood. We tell that story on the first Sunday of lent because our theme for the next six weeks will be the promises of God. God made some very important promises to the fathers of faith in the Hebrew bible. His first promise to us was in the form of a rainbow. I think it is interesting that the Noah story is in the book of Genesis. In the scheme of things, this is a part of the original creation story. As soon as the world was created and man came to understand their place in creation, man started to ruin creation with sin. Within a few years, man was out of control, doing what we wanted, destroying what we wanted, totally oblivious to ourselves and to the world and to the one who created us in God’s image. Not knowing what else to do, but to kill us and start all over again. We get the story of Noah and the flood. There is a wonderful midrash about Noah having to leave his friends behind, and crying as he had to watch them die in the flood, while he and his family was safe in the ark. Obviously, after the flood was over, - Noah must have shared his grief with God. He must have defended his friends, even though they did not care about their relationship with God- they were still people, they still has a life, they still were wonderful friends, and they did not deserve to die – without a chance to know why they were being destroyed, and particularly without a chance to change. God agreed – and put a rainbow in the sky – explaining that what was once an ominous sign – is now a sign of hope. God’s promise was not only to Noah, not only to people, it was a promise to all of creation. Scripture says “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and all your descendents after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals. Speaking of rainbows, we have all heard that leprechauns had access the pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow. No one has ever made it to the end of the rainbow. And if they did, the leprechaun’s job is to trick you into giving it up and forgetting you ever found it. But anyway – the big point of our scripture is that this promise is not just to us – to all flesh. God does not care about us, but about all of flesh. Lent is about us learning to love the things that God loves, and getting in touch with all of life, to not be so concerned about our needs, but the needs of all of the things that are important to God. I think that is the importance of this story of destruction being so close to the story of creation. The sin that God was concerned about eliminating was us developing our lives outside of nature. We have developed and eat foods which are made in a laboratory and not in the ground, we drive cars, and live in houses which are destroying the environment. We use everyday products with no regard for how others are affected by those products. I learned this year that there is a garbage heap the size of Texas swirling around in the Altantic Ocean – this heap is filled with water bottles and other debris that people just carelessly through away with no regard for where they end up. How does God get our attention, and help us realize that our actions are wrong, hurtful and need to be changed? God’s first promise to all flesh was that we would never be destroyed for our wrongdoing. Lent is a chance for us to think about our actions and how they affect others. A chance for us to put our relationship with God first again, and to remember to care about the things that God cares about. To think about how we are connected to all flesh, and all nature. And even in our modern day living - to take that relationship seriously. God made a promise to us – what promises have we made to God in return. Lent is about self denial – but it is also about relationship, about promises, about grace, and about our response to grace. Lent is a promise that darkness will turn into light, that death will turn into life, that winter will turn into spring, that tough times will turn into happy times. It is God’s ways of getting our attention, of reminding us that our lives have been spared, a request that when things finally do change, that you change too. It is God’s request that you not return to the old habits, the hurtful ways, the insensitivity to how you actions were affecting others. That when good times return – that you will be a better person because of it. I don’t know what you have planned for the lent season- whatever you do – all God asks is that you learn something. Something about yourself, something about the world, something about God, Something about God’s plan for you. My favorite rainbow story is the Norse belief that a rainbow is the bridge between heaven and earth. The only ones who can cross the bridge are the righteous. I also bet you didn’t know that no one can see the same rainbow. A rainbow – a reflection is only visible in the eye of the beholder – it is not something that you can reach out and touch in reality. So the rainbow that I see if not the rainbow that you see – or you see. It is God’s gift to each of us, and God speaks to each of us in many different ways. During this Lenten season – look for your rainbows, and know that God’s words for you are not far behind. We are about to enter a season where we will see a lot of water, so there will be a lot of rainbows. Rainbows are our chance to remember the promises of God: I will be with you, I will make you a people, I will give you salvation, I will hear your prayers, I will give you strength, and the list goes on. My cousin says that God’s promise to her was that there will never be a mouse in her house. A 7 year old was kidnapped, but the boy kept singing gospel music so the kidnapper released the boy. The mother was overjoyed, she said God promised to never forsake her. What promises has God made in your life? Lent is a time to reflect on the promises of God that sustain us. But we also have to remember that the covenant of God goes both ways. What promises have we made to God? The power of a promise. Some of you know about the power of a promise kept. You saw it in your parents’ marriage. You’ve seen it in your own spouse. You’ve seen it in the faithfulness of good friends. Some of you have experienced it in those dark hours when you most needed God’s power and you discovered God was there. God is a promise keeper. Willie’s mother was right when Willie was returned to her unharmed. God keeps His promises. And He doesn’t need a rainbow to remind Him of His promise: “I will never forget you nor forsake you. I am Abba, Daddy, and I love you more than any earthly parent ever could.” That is what the cross is all about. The rainbow may be a reminder to God, but the cross is the reminder to us that God so loved the world that He gave His son for us. Prolific author Lewis Smedes once wrote something that ought to be engraved on every Christian’s heart. It goes like this: “Somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. “What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. When you make a promise, you take a hand in creating your own future.” (4) What are the promises you have made in your life? Have you kept them? If you haven’t God’s grace is sufficient for you. That is His promise and that promise will never fail. But I hope you are working on being a promise-keeper, just as God is a promise-keeper. I guarantee you that if you will, the world will be better for it. Prayer of Confession We have lists of things to do, for all the areas of our lives. Our lives are so time bound and duty bound that we feel imprisoned in them. Now we are challenged by Christ to take a journey of discipleship. We don't feel ready for this journey. We need more time. And we complain and cry about how much we have to do. Forgive us, Lord, when we place so many "duties" in the path to serving you. Reset our priorities so that we will be ready to commit our lives in your service. Lord, help us to be ready when you call us. Help us to courageously answer the summons you bring. Let us place our trust in you in all things. AMEN. Assurance of Pardon Loving, Creating God, you are in covenant with your people. You have pledged to be our God and ask us to be your people, trusting in you in all our ways. But we find many excuses to prevent us from really trusting you. We erect barriers before our faith journey even begins. Our time, obligations, energy, all become part of the bricks and mortar which fashion this barrier. We can give lip service to the journey; we can daydream about what it would be like to truly place our hands in yours and follow you. But when it comes to actually making the journey, our time constraints and weak commitments loom largely before us. Help us to tear down this barrier. Make us ready for the journey by replacing the fear in our hearts with a sense of joy and challenge of self-discovery and discipleship. Remind us that in service to you, helping others, we will also find our selves made more fully whole. As we have spoken the names of our friends, and family members, and others situations in which healing and comfort are needed, let us remember that we, too, stand in need of prayer and healing. Make us ready to receive your good news and then to be witnesses to your love to all your people. AMEN. Song of Reflection Blessed Assurance UMH 369 Announcements Benediction The first step on the journey, that of readiness, is one of the hardest. We keep thinking that we have forgotten something. God has called you by name, to this journey. You will have all that you need. Go in peace, and know that God is going with you. AMEN. Children’s Sermon Object: Ribbons tied into bows. Lesson: Covenant; God's care. This morning I need all of you to help me understand a verse of scripture. It's from the ninth chapter of Genesis, verse 13. It says, I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When God said to Noah, "I have set my bow in the clouds," what kind of 'bow' did God mean? Was it the kind of bow you shoot arrows with? The eight girls and one small boy seated on the chancel steps grin at my silliness and shake their heads to indicate no. Was it the kind of bow some folks wear in their hair, like these? I point to the pink ribbons I've tied to the ends of my braids for this discussion. Again the heads shake no, while some of the children say, "No!" with a giggle attached. Was it the kind of bow Stephanie has tied in her shoelaces? The children now eye Stephanie's feet, then assure me it wasn't that kind of bow either. No? You all keep saying, 'No!' Well, then, what kind of bow was it? A rainbow!" says one little girl triumphantly. Why did God set a rainbow in the clouds? I'll give you a hint -- it was after forty days and nights of rain. To let Noah know the rain had stopped?" one of the children states with a question in her voice. "Yes, and to let Noah know that never again would God destroy everything on the earth with a flood. The rainbow was the sign of an agreement between God and all of creation, a sign that said, 'I will remember my agreement with you whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, because I love you.' It rained on Friday. Did anyone see a rainbow that day? No? Why not? Did the sun ever come out on Friday?" Several children shake their heads indicating a negative response. "The sun never came out on Friday. The sky was cloudy all day, from before the sun came up until after the sun went down. Does that give you a hint about why there were no rainbows?" "Because there was no sun?" comes a tentative, questioning response. Right, because there was no sun! We have to have sunlight in order to have rainbows. Do any of you know what clouds are made of? I ask with an abrupt change of direction. "Rain!" says one of the children emphatically. Yes, I agree, clouds are made up of little drops of water. And when the sunlight shines though them what do we get? "A rainbow!" several of the children declare. That's right. Now, who made the sun, and the clouds, and the rain, and all of creation? "God did," they answer. So, if we have to have sunlight and droplets of water to make rainbows and God made the sun and the rain, I guess it must be God who makes rainbows, just as we read in the verse from Genesis. Now, once again, what is the rainbow a sign of? "God's agreement with Noah?" Yes, but not just with Noah. It's a sign of God's agreement or covenant with every living creature on the earth. It's a sign God made to remind all of us that never again would God destroy everything with a flood. And it is one of the many ways God has of saying, 'I made you and I love you.' CSS Publishing Company, Inc, Cows In Church, by B. Kathleen Fannin Additional Illustrations