The Church in our Hearts - repreach of New Heaven, New Earth 5/26/19

May 25, 2025 Revelation 21:1-10, 22:1-5 The Church in our Hearts 6th Sunday of Easter Year C Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Call to Worship In the beginning, the voice that whispered us into being still whispers, saying… Let there be light! In the wilderness, the voice that fed us from the heavens still feeds us. saying… Let there be light! In the story we share with this God of mystery and amazing love, the voice calls to us each and every morning, saying… Let there be light! Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Opening Prayer (keep it bold) God of the stars and galaxies, God of the seed and Earth, we thank you that you continue to come to us, to amaze us, to laugh with us, to cry with us, to comfort us, and to show us that your love shines through us and your creation, bringing light to a darkened world. May this beauty and peace be reflected in this sacred circle. In the name of the Christ-presence, we pray. Amen. Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Song Battle Hymn of the Republic UMH 717 A Sermon for all Ages Hello, children of God! You know what I’ve noticed? Life can be tough. It is full of challenges and difficulties. And there are a lot of things that we need in order to face the hardships that come our way. (As you describe, hold up items one by one.) For instance, tissues! Sometimes we feel sad, and need a tissue to dry our tears. Or you might get a cold and need that tissue to blow your nose. You might also feel sick and need medicine to help you get better. Or sometimes you get hurt, and you need a band-aid to patch things up. Or how about this? Flashlights! There are times when things get dark, or perhaps the power goes out. It’s important to have a flashlight ready to guide your way. Oh, and don’t forget about sustenance! We need snacks and plenty of water to keep us going. Phew, this sure is a lot of gear to lug around! Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t need all of this? In fact, wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t face sickness, or sadness, or darkness at all? Well, guess what? I have some great news for you. Someday we won’t need tissues or band-aids or medicine, or even water! We have some beautiful promises from God about how things will be in Heaven. God tells us that He is going to make all things new. When we finish this life on Earth, a new home awaits us, better than anything that we can imagine now. God says that He will wipe away every tear. We won’t need tissues! There will be no more sorrow or sickness. There won’t be pain. We won’t even need the light of flashlights or the sun, because the light of Jesus will shine brightly. We won’t need water, because God will give us living water. All of these things that trouble us now will be gone. No burdens, no hardships at all! Of course, we don’t know all of the details. We don’t know when we will go to Heaven, and we don’t know exactly what it will be like. But we have the hope that it will be wonderful. It’s sort of like when you have a rough week at school, but you know there’s something special or fun waiting for you when you get to the weekend. You can think about that special thing and feel a little better when times get rough. It is the same way in our lives. Yes, we have joyous moments, and we want to make the most of every day. But sometimes things get hard. When those times come, we know that this world is not our home, and difficulties won’t last forever. God promises us eternal life with Him, free from all trials and pain. We can rest assured that something spectacular is waiting for us! So when we feel sad or Copyright © Ministry-To-Children – Permission granted for any non-profit use. Please copy, share, upload this PDF elsewhere. I.E., upload to your church website, Facebook, Pinterest, or anywhere to bless others! Written by Kristin Schmidt . Scripture from ESV®encounter challenges, we remember that there is hope in Heaven. God will make all things new, including our lives! Let’s say a prayer to thank God for the hope of Heaven and a future with Him. Children’s Prayer Moment: (Have kids repeat each line, if desired) Dear God, Thank you for the hope of Heaven We know you will comfort us with your peace And wipe away our tears. Help us to remember that when things are hard. Thank you for loving us We love you, God! Thank you for Jesus (Ministry4children, Kristin Schmidt) Affirmation of Faith UMH 880 Scripture Revelation 21:1-10; 22:1-5 Sermon The Church in our Hearts Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today... Aha-ah... Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too Imagine all the people Living life in peace... You... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world... You... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one I am sure that many of us are familiar with this popular song by John Lennon. I have always been touched by the words – imagine a world with no war, no country, no walls – all of the things that divide us are nonexistent. I can go along with the song well until it says imagine a world with no religion. No religion – what does that mean? Interestingly enough – John Lennon is speaking of the same world that is spoken of in revelation 21 and 22. A new heaven always light. A place where everyone is happy, a place where the gates are open 24 hours a day. A place flowing with peace. But the most noticeable thing about this place - there is no temple, no church, no mosque, no place for people to gather to be in the presence of God – because God is present everywhere. People don’t have to look for God – or go anywhere to seek God – God is present in every moment, every situation every life. John Lennon says that you may say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one. The author of Revelation – John says that he was taken to this place in a dream. Many people have seen this place in a dream, this perfect paradise. We see it in images of the wizard of Oz – and the emerald city. In Disney land, that place where we can go where all of our dreams can come true. We speak of this place even in faith – heaven – the place where God lives. The place where there is no sun, no moon – but ever present light. Light is a universal representation of God. That is why we light so many candles in church – to show God’s presence. And where there is light, where there is God’s presence – people are naturally attracted. There is a story of a farmer, whose wife was about to give birth. It was storming outside and they had to summon the doctor to their house. As the doctor arrived, the power went out, but the baby was about to come. So the doctor asked the husband to get a candle and to hold it up, so that he could see to deliver the baby. The husband held the light, as the doctor did his work – and soon after his wife gave birth to a baby boy. They were overjoyed, but the doctor soon said wait a minute – another one is coming – and there was a little girl. And minutes later the doctor said wait – another one is coming. After the third baby was born, the husband stepped away with the candle. The doctor said o wait come back, I can’t see without the light. The husband said no – no more light, the babies are attracted to the light, it’s the light that is making them come out. I gotta stop them from coming. It is the light that attracts us all. When God created the earth, what was the first thing that God did – God said let there be light– where the light is we know that there is healing, there is peace, there is community, there is the ability to live. Heaven is the place where God is always present – a place that needs no sun, no moon, no outside life force – because God is totally present. There are many other great attributes to this city – a river, trees, a city that never sleeps, the gates are always open, there is no need for protection – because it is a place of perfect peace. When we hear of this place – it makes no sense in our world. Many of us shy away from the book of revelation, because it seems to make no sense to us. And it seems like a fantasy land in comparison to the world that we live in. This world makes no sense to us, but to those who John was talking to it made perfect sense. And it wasn’t a fantasy land, it was the promise of God coming in the future. It was a sign of hope that no matter how bad life got – there was something to look forward to. John explaining what heaven looks like was a challenge for the people – to face the present day with fear or with hope. It was a challenge for each of us to choose hope. The hope of Christ in our lives. There is one more interesting feature of heaven. It has a river running through it, but there was no sea surrounding it. The Jews are afraid of water, and think that every evil thing in the world comes out of the sea – the sea was the place of chaos, or evil, even of sin. Heaven has no sea – meaning it has no evil or ill will. Only the healing presence of God. It says that the cowardly, the vile, the murderers, will be thrown into the sea – and there is no sea in heaven. The light of heaven is God, the light of earth is those who hold God in their heart So there is that. But the best part of heaven, is the ability to see God face to face. God will dwell in heaven. Dwell literally means pitch a tent amongst us. When the scriptures speak of Christ coming into the world to be with us – it speaks of Christ being God dwelling amongst us. Not in heaven, but in earth. The scripture speaks of 4 things that will be news: a new heaven a new earth, a new Jerusalem, and new life. This story is intended to give a glimpse of heaven, but a glimpse of heaven on earth. In the challenges of life, we can face life with fear, or with hope of something better. Pastor James Moore of Houston, Texas, tells a story about a young man whose wife had died, leaving him with a small son. Back home from the cemetery, they went to bed early because there was nothing else he could bear to do. As he lay there in the darkness, grief-stricken and heartbroken, the little boy broke the stillness from his little bed with a disturbing question, “Daddy, where is mommy?” The father got up and brought the little boy to bed with him, but the child was still disturbed and restless, occasionally asking questions such as, “Why isn’t she here?” and, “When is she coming back?” Finally the little boy said, “Daddy, if your face is toward me, I think I can go to sleep now.” In a little while, he was quiet. The father lay there in the darkness, and then in childlike faith, prayed this prayer: “O God, I don’t see how I can survive this. The future looks so miserable, but if Your face is toward me, somehow I think I can make it.” That’s what the Messiah came to teach us: that God’s face is always toward us As it is in heaven, so may it be on earth. The vision of heaven in revelation 21 and 22 has been the inspiration for many modern poems, songs and movies. In the 90’s there was a movie that came out, I think it was based on a book. I know the movie was called a River Runs through it. It was an autobiographical story about the family of John McLean in Montana. He had two boys, both who loved to fish. One of the boys went on to become a professor at the University of Chicago. The other was killed in a fight. The movie ends years later with the other son, his family and his mother listening to one of their dad’s sermons. Talking about how all that we have to give to our loved ones and others is unconditional love. The river in the movie represents home, the place of true love, the place of flowing to a new future, a place the reminds us of the river ever flowing through heaven. Today we are sitting here in a temple with open doors, near a river, and trees. The lights are on, and the presence of God is here with us. – All of the symbols of heaven are right here, reminding us that heaven begins right here on earth. Heaven begins right here, with us – the light of God is inside of us. We have the power of Christ. How can we be a beacon of hope for the world today? How do we become the temples of God in the world? How do we bring the peace, hope and light to others who cannot see? By not just imagining, but living in that world today. Let’s Pray. Song Shall We Gather at the Water UMH 723 Pastoral Prayer Empowering Spirit, God of our mothers and fathers, Creator and Redeemer of all life, We pray to you for your love-grounded peace. We ask you to open our minds, free our hearts, bless our bodies, and grace all our relationships. We ask this of you because you have promised to help us, just as you illumine in Revelation's prophetic vision. You come to make a good world, a new creation-place where we can enjoy health, decency, safety, and even joy. We pray to you, O God, to inspire us into this daringly just world. We pray for new creation where love is greater than jewels and more luminous than the sun or moon. Let that love be shared around the tree of life. Bless us again in your image and free our frightened souls. So, shall we gather at the river? Shall we soak in the river of many healings? Shall we make every place where nature communes with humanity a temple for your creation? Yes, O God, we shall gather at your river and your tree of life. We shall bless the tree and the river and all living things. We pray in the name of Jesus, in the way of love-grounded peace. Amen Written by Rev. Cooper Wiggin, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment God has shown us the meaning of generosity in the beautiful diversity of creation, in the overflowing love of Jesus Christ, and in the never-ending gift of the Holy Spirit. God has blessed us abundantly. Now God calls us to be a community that blesses others. Today, through the sharing of our love, our talents and our material possessions, let us rejoice in what we’ve been given and in what is ours to give as we receive our morning offering. Prayer of Thanksgiving We offer our gifts to you, Holy God. Today we offer not only our finances, but our growing community to any who are lonely, our hearts to any who are grieving, our hope to any who have lost their way, our lives to any who are tossed aside by the world. We make our offering because we have first been led, lured, lifted and loved in your Spirit. With gratitude we share our gifts and our lives, Amen (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Let us go forth knowing that our spiritual and religious journey as Christians begins with one word, one name, one person: Jesus. Now let us be an example of what that means so others can witness our compassion and solidarity to the weeping, to the joyful, and to those we don’t share common ideologies so that all might be refreshed in body and in spirit (United Church of Christ, Ellie Hutchinson) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Peace…peace I leave with you. Peace…peace I offer you. Peace…as we walk into the world to be the presence of the Holy to all we meet. Peace…peace…peace…peace. Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

She has to be fed first

Mark 7:24-37 16th Sunday after Pentecost Year B She has to be fed first Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Leader: Welcome, Beloved! Why have you gathered today? All: We have come to worship God, who is the maker of us all! Leader: What do you seek from God, our Creator? All: We seek God’s wisdom to guide us and show us how to live. Leader: Are you ready to follow when God’s wisdom leads down unexpected paths? All: We will trust, and we will follow wherever God’s wisdom leads us. Leader: Well then, Beloved of God, what are you waiting for? All: Come! Let us worship and seek God’s uncommon wisdom together! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Opening Prayer From the depths of our hearts we reach out to you, God. We offer you our worship, for you are worthy of praise! Thank you for each one present, for each one tuning in, for all who seek to connect with you in this hour. Open the eyes of our hearts, God, that we might see you more clearly, and love you more dearly, day by day. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing UMH 57 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Time Baptism Waters Props: Place a clear pitcher of water near the baptismal font. Today we are going to talk about how God uses water to show us how we are cared for, protected and loved. When the pastor baptizes someone, they take a pitcher of ordinary water and pour it into the baptismal font (that’s a fancy word for the bowl) and they say a prayer of blessing. They remember many times in the bible that God uses water as a sign. Sometimes it is a sign of God’s power, as in the beginning God created the water, the water in the sky we call rain and the water below we call oceans and rivers. Sometimes the water is a way God show the people that he is with them, like the time there the people were being chased by some bad people and God made a path through river so the people could get away. Sometimes water is a sign of God’s love – when Jesus was baptized he stood in a river and when he went down under the water and when he came up there was a voice that came from heaven saying that Jesus was God’s son and that he loved him very much. Today we are going to pour this water into the baptismal font, I am going to ask you to help me. Then we are going to say a prayer of thanks for the water that God created. Water that keeps us healthy, water that we use to grow food, water that we enjoy. We will thank God the protector who keeps us safe. We will thank God for all the love God shows us because we are all children of God. Come with me and lets pray together. Baptism of UMH 39 Scripture Mark 7:24-37 Sermon She has to be Fed First We have been looking at the seventh chapter of Mark. For the rest of the year, we will get a lot of the story and lessons of Jesus. This week is a continuation of last week. In chapter 7 – there is sort of a gospel challenge to see who can get the best of the other. It is not disrespectful. In the bible, it is common for people to kinda bargain with God, it’s a form of prayer. If something bad happens to you, you bargain with God, in hopes of changing God’s mind. If it is bedtime, then you banter with you parents in hopes that you can change your bed time. Last week, at the beginning of the chapter the pharisees challenge Jesus – why don’t your disciples wash your hands. Jesus is able to get the best of them, by challenging their faith. We learn a lot about our faith through Jesus comebacks and parables. Jesus is usually the winner in the gospel challenge. But in the second half of chapter 7, Jesus gets into a different challenge – where he doesn’t win. As a matter of fact Jesus’ response gets a little insulting. He intentionally travels in a territory of people who are different, one of them recognizes as a healer and asks for help and he calls her a dog. A lot of preachers make excuses for Jesus, but there is no excuse for calling a foreign woman out of her name. She moves beyond Jesus’ insult. As a matter of fact, she seems to know the rules of the gospel challenge very well. Jesus insults her, she responds with a comeback – it is through her comeback that she gets to best of Jesus. She wins. Jesus loses. Jesus says it is her faith that heals her, her courage to come back at him. It is not so much that she wins, but her love wins. She asks for healing for her daughter, she loves her daughter so much, that she has the courage to stand up in the gospel challenge. She tells Jesus that even the dogs have to eat crumbs intended for the children. A Model of Faith It may come as a shock to most Christians today, but we would do better to use this woman as a model of faith even more than the disciples. After all, we are neither Jewish nor Galilean; we have no familial claim or geographical claim to Jesus. While the woman learns that the power of faith lies internally, the disciples learn that faith can’t be measured by proximity to Jesus. They are right next to the Lord and yet they see the woman as a bother. They don’t lead her to Jesus or attempt to heal her daughter, her faith does that. They are too blinded by their social and religious prejudice to offer miracles to anyone. Jesus words are obviously not meant to cut down the woman (her compassion runs too deep to care if she is insulted). The words of Christ are meant to reprimand the disciples—and us—when our politics and religious agenda blind us to compassion. Which faith most resembles mine? Am I like the cocksure disciples steeped in religious and cultural prejudice, deeply self-assured of my proximity to Jesus? Or, am I like the outcast woman of Lebanon, indentured by compassion and uncaring of insults if I can just save one soul? Jerry Goebel, Even the Dogs Staring Up at the Sky When I re-read this story a few days ago, I couldn't help but think of Anne Lamott, the writer, who tells the story of taking her father on errands one day. His brain cancer had progressed to the point where he was reverting to some behaviors of a three-year old. Just before Anne trotted into the local bank one day, she gave Dad a candy bar and strapped him into the passenger seat of her car. There was a huge line at the teller's window where Anne was standing. So, every so often, she would run over to peek out the bank's front window to make sure that Dad was still there … as if someone was going to kidnap him or something. She writes: "The last time I looked, he wasn't there. The car was empty. I felt like adrenaline had been injected into my heart. I stared … out the window and saw this crazy old man pass by the window. His face was smeared with chocolate. He was just walking on by, holding his candy bar, staring up at the sky as if maybe his next operating instructions were up there." Jesus mysteriously stared up at the sky while massaging the tongue and the ears of a distressed man. We don't know why he was looking up and surveying the clouds. Perhaps it was as if his next operating instructions were up there. Maybe he was looking for power from God, power he did not have apart from God. Maybe God actually spoke to him at that moment and concurred with him that this particular man's bondage - his mental torture - must definitely end. Maybe Jesus was looking for help to shake the crowd he could not shake. Or maybe (and this is my best guess), maybe God was reminding Jesus that he should be ready for bystanders there to get a whole lot more excited about the physical miracle than the spiritual miracle of healing. In other words, "Get ready, Jesus, for the people to be much more infatuated by the spit and the ear poke than by the change that will be wrought in this man's spirit and attitude." Peter Marty, It's Time We Open Up! _________________________________ She knew where to go to get her help and healing. She knew that God was present in that moment, and so did Jesus. She didn’t win, love won. Through faith she was able to open up the doors of heaven. Today our lesson is about two stories of healing. They are two different stories, in two different situations. But each of them speak to us today about the power of love and faith. In the next story, Jesus is in Greek speaking part of town. And the friends of a man who is deaf bring him to Jesus. And he does something else a little disgusting, he spits and rubs it on his ears and his mouth and the man is healed. That reminds me of those time when I was little, and my mother would notice that my face was dirty and she would wet her finger with her tongue and wipe off the dirt. There was a time in my life when I was too young to notice what she was doing, and a time when I would walk away and not let her touch me. In this story, Jesus looks up to heaven for his help from God. But he also says Ephaphata – the arimaic word for open up. Jesus encourages those of us who can hear – to open up our ears and to listen. Listen to God’s voice speaking in our lives. Listen to the voice of faith telling us God is here with us. Listen to the presence of love in our lives. It is the power of love that opens up doors that are closed. Setting Lofty Goals Richard Wilkie wrote a book on the Lord's Prayer. In it, he described how Dr. Albert Schweitzer loved to play Bach on the organ. In fact, even while he was serving as a surgeon in the steamy jungles of Africa, he was still known throughout the world for his musicianship. He loved music, but he loved people more. One evening, as one of the nurses was preparing to leave, he stood at the gang plank preparing to bid her goodbye. As he took her hand he said, "Before you go, I want to recall an incident that happened several months ago. One night, you took a sick baby into your own bedroom so that you could care for it even as you slept. All through the night I heard cries coming from your room. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, the tone in the baby's cry changed. Immediately I knew that the fever had broken and that the child would get better. I'm supposed to be something of a musician but I want you to know that was the most beautiful music I've ever heard." Schweitzer sought for excellence as a musician but he also sought for excellence in loving human beings. That would be a lofty goal, wouldn't it - to be the most loving human being in our community? To be the most trustworthy? To be the most generous? The call to follow Christ is the call to set lofty goals. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Love is the real winner in both of these stories, it was love that called God into the healing of a sick daughter, and it was Jesus love that helped the man and those around him to hear. That is what our faith is all about – opening up doors and letting love come in. Today we open to doors of our hearts and of heaven for a little one as she is baptized. Originally, when Martin Luther designed his baptismal liturgy – the priest was supposed to out spit on the babies ears and mouth and says ephaphtha – open up. There was this whole ritual of blowing on the babies face to scare away the devil, then putting spit on the face to open the baby to the spirit, lighting a candle. As a matter of fact, it was Martin Luther who said that if you didn’t have water, then you could use milk or even beer to baptize the baby in an emergency. Luckily, a lot of that symbolism was taken out – today the power of the baptism is in the water and the holy spirit. And yet the lessons of love and faith remain. As the holy spirit opens her life to the presence of grace, may our hearts to be open to the love of God. May we experience God anew. o My church’s prayer of illumination every Sunday: “Holy Spirit, open our hearts to the story of your love, open our minds to new ways of knowing you, open our doors to all whom you would welcome. Amen. Let all of us remember this prayer Ephphatha! Be opened. “Let your ears be open to Christ’s word of forgiveness for your sin. Ephaphatha! Be opened. “Let your eyes be open to see the opportunities God is making available in your world. Ephaphatha! Be opened. Let your mind be open to new ways of thinking that will expand your understanding of God’s will for you and yours. Ephaphatha! Be opened. Let your mouth be opened to share with your friends what God is doing in your life. Ephaphatha! Be opened. Let your life be opened to the movement of the Spirit, open to release from whatever is scaring you stopping you, holding you back, from becoming the person you want to be, the person God wants you to be. Amen. Song He touched Me UMH 367 Response to the Word It is easy to be overwhelmed by the pain of the world. We want to turn off the evening news and tune out the stories of human suffering, but God calls us to pay attention to those around us, to do more than simply give to worthy causes, to do more than pray the situation into God’s hands. Our faith is to be lived out in righteous actions, that we might resist wickedness and avoid condemnation for our lack of compassion. We are challenged to meet the needs of others, to reach out with hand and heart, to provide for the real human needs of others. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, June Boutwell) Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In the scripture reading from Mark 7 we heard reports of the healing Jesus accomplished in Tyre and the Decapolis. Both in the recovery of the child, and the healing of the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment we hear of Jesus giving new and different lives to the girl and to the man. His healing gift surely affected those directly healed, but also their families and communities as they were freed to engage more fully. As followers of Jesus, we, too, have opportunity to share our gifts with those around us. In this congregation we have some who ___________________ (name one or two ways people engage in your tutoring, food pantry, meals for unhoused…). In this congregation, we have others who _________________________ (name your outreach to the nursing home, your care group leaders, your program planners) What are the gifts you bring today? How can you offer support and engagement? Your financial gifts are one important way to provide life-enhancing and life-changing moments as we help expand the Body of Christ in (your town). With joyful hearts, standing with Jesus, let us offer our gifts in this time of offering. Prayer of Thanksgiving Giver of all good gifts, Thank you for the ways you’ve equipped each one of us with gifts we can share. Open our hearts, our wallets, and our calendars, so we might freely offer our individual and congregational gifts to a world yearning for release from “unclean spirits”, physical challenges and scarcity. Renew in us our desire to be generous followers of Jesus, the Christ. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go into the world as agents of healing Appreciating the wonder of creation In all forms, expressions, and ways Boldly embracing the fullness of humanity Welcoming the stranger And considering the other as friend. Go in peace. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction Beloved, may God bless you today and all days with wisdom that guides you to notice the needs all around you and to share in the work of nurturing abundant life for all of God’s creation. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Additional Illustrations In ancient Greece it was customary for peddlers who walked the streets with their wares to cry out, "What do you lack?" The idea was to let people know they were in the vicinity, and also rouse the curiosity of the people. Coming out of their houses they would want to know what the peddler was selling. It might be something they lacked and needed, or simply something they desired. What do you lack? We may have sight and hearing, but what do we lack? Take an honest inventory of yourself. Have you found contentment? Are you close enough to God to receive his guidance and strength? Have you secured peace of heart and peace of mind, invaluable assets in life? Deciding what we lack is the first step in securing it. Christ can fulfill our needs -- needs that are to some extent physical, but, more so, the deepest needs of heart, mind, and soul. The man in Mark 7 lacked the physical ability to hear. But many of us lack the spiritual ability to hear. We suffer a kind of a spiritual deafness. The affliction of not listening to people, or, to put it another way, the affliction of physically listening to people, yet failing to comprehend, to understand, and come to grips with what they are saying, is a plague upon the Church. For, you see, it is possible to listen to a person, yet fail to really hear them… The Buzzard, the Bat, and the Bumblebee If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself. In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up. Source Unknown _________________ The Kingdom of Heaven Breaks Open Jesus' referring to Gentiles as dogs - clearly this is one of those difficult gospel moments with which Christians must wrestle. Who is this Jesus who is scornful of other nationalities and religions? What kind of savior doesn't want to heal a young girl simply because of who her family is? What are we to do with such an indifferent and despising Christ? Because this passage is so troubling, Christians through the centuries have tried to sweeten or domesticate it, for example pointing out that the Greek word translated here as "dogs" literally means "small dogs," that is, puppies or house dogs. I don't think that mitigates the insult much. I will admit, however, to getting a chuckle out of the images -- such as Sebastiano Ricci's Christ and the Canaanite Woman -- in which a smiling Jesus seems to change his mind because that puppy is just so darn cute! But I think a more productive approach in this case is not to domesticate this scriptural quandary but to embrace it as a moment in which the Kingdom of Heaven breaks opens and becomes more inclusive, a moment in which we are reminded that no one is outside the embrace of God. Karen A. Keely, The Crumbs Under the Table: Bread Enough for All Be Opened When Martin Luther put together a baptismal liturgy in 1523, the actual rite required the pastor to take some of his own saliva and touch the ears and lips of every child getting baptized. At the same instant, the pastor was to repeat the words of Jesus to the deaf man, that one with the speech impediment. The baptizing pastor was to say: Ephphatha - That is, be opened. We don't do this anymore in the Lutheran Church. And I'm not sure I'd be serving my congregation very long if I started using this saliva ritual. But the idea isn't bad. From the very get-go in life, with a lot of help from parents and pastors and adult mentors, we need to find better ways to not be so bound-up with our lives and so tongue-tied with our faith. Have courage. Grab hold to what is good. Loosen up and love a bit more freely. Support the weak. Strengthen the faint-hearted. Honor all people. And for Jesus' sake, keep looking for those ways to open your life to the power of the Holy Spirit … relying on that great prayer of the Psalmist if it helps: O Lord, open thou my lips, and let my tongue declare your praise. Peter Marty, It's Time We Open Up! Success Is Sometimes Measured in Inches Success is sometimes measured in inches. After winning the Pontiac 400 in Richmond, Virginia, several years ago, stock car driver Mark Martin discovered that the spacer between the carburetor and the intake manifold was one-half-inch too long according to NASCAR rules. He was fined $40,000 and penalized 46 points in the season standings. Something that small seemed very significant for Mark. In his book The Range of Human Capacities, Dr. David Wechsler says that if Cleopatra's nose had been just a fraction of an inch longer, the face of Europe might have been changed because Caesar might have shown less interest in the lady. This is another example of how the size of the difference can be small, but the size of the consequences can be huge. A tragic illustration of the crucial importance of little things was furnished a few years ago when a jet crashed shortly after takeoff. All 95 people on board were killed. An exhaustive study of the wreckage determined that it could have been caused by the rudder-control system's losing a bolt that was less than one inch long. For want of a bolt, so many lives were lost. Success can sometimes be measured in inches. Take for example, the distance between the lips and the heart. Jesus was chastising the religious leaders of his day and he quotes the words of Isaiah: "These people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." God on the lips, but not in the heart. A fatal distance of less than 12 inches. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com _________________________________ She Thinks That I Am Real A story is told of a family that went into a restaurant. The waitress walked up and, looking at the young boy, said: What will it be? The boy eagerly shouted back: “I'll take a hamburger, French fries, and a chocolate shake.” The mother immediately interrupted: Oh, that's not what he wants. “He'll take the roast beef, a baked potato, and a glass of milk.” Much to the surprise of both the mother and the boy, the waitress completely ignored her and again asked the boy: “And what do you want on that hamburger?” The boy shouted back, “ketchup, lots of ketchup.” “And what kind of shake?” “Make it chocolate.” The boy then turned to his parents with a big smile on his face and said: “Say, ain't she something. She thinks that I'm real!” Well, let me give you fair warning. If you once, just once, start really hearing people they are suddenly going to become real to you. Staff, www.eSermons.com The Miracle Bridge Perhaps you have heard the story of the Miracle Bridge. (Chicken Soup for the Soul, No. 3) In l883 a creative engineer, John Roebling was inspired to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Experts told him to forget it. He convinced his son Washington, an up and coming engineer to build the bridge. They hired a crew and began to build their dream bridge. The project was only a few months old when there was a tragic accident. John Roebling was killed and his son was severely brain damaged. He was unable to move or talk, but his mind was sharp as ever. He was able to move one finger and touched the arm of his wife. From that point on they learned how to communicate. For the next l3 years he tapped out instructions to the bridge builders who then completed the spectacular bridge. Our ability to communicate is our greatest asset. The best way to be disciples is to be people who are understood and at the same time be folks who are willing to listen. Keith Wagner, Is Anyone Listening? Seeing the Face of God There is a scene in the Hollywood motion picture, Ben-Hur. Ben-Hur is by a well, and he is filthy, stooped in the dirt, and overcome with a fierce thirst. The camera focuses on Ben-Hur's face. His countenance is twisted in misery. Then the shadow of a man crosses his visage. We do not see the man. The camera remains fixed on Ben-Hur's face. The man offers Ben-Hur water. As Ben-Hur lifts his wretched face to behold the merciful stranger, we see a sudden radiance transform his face. We know instantly, by the radical change of his countenance, that when he lifts his head he looks directly into the face of Christ. What a difference it makes when someone is in the presence of Jesus. When someone is in the presence of Jesus he may not regain his physical hearing, but still he hears things he's never heard before--words of assurance and love and hope. He may not regain his physical vision, but he sees things he's never seen before--inwardly he sees the face of God. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Little Annie As a young girl, "Little Annie" was diagnosed as being hopelessly insane, and was locked up in a mental institution. An elderly nurse believed there was hope for the child, and day after day she would visit with her, even though she was often rebuffed. Over a long period of time, Little Annie gradually improved, and was finally released from the institution. Filled with compassion for others because of what she herself had gone through, Anne Sullivan, whose own life had been miraculously opened, was able to open the life of Helen Keller. Kenneth C. Landall, Being Open • The infirmity harkens back to Isaiah 35:6, “Then the lame will leap like the deer, and the tongue of the speechless will sing. Waters will spring up in the desert,and streams in the wilderness” - eschatological implications. o This is the passage of Isaiah that is talking about the one who will prepare the way and make the paths straight. o This is a part of the work of Jesus, which continues with the highway which is the Holy Way. • “Open Up” - United Methodist slogan of “Open hearts, open minds, open doors.” o Many progressive UM’s question the validity of this statement because we continue to be closed to the LGBTQ community. o I read the “opens” as verbs, not adjectives. Instead of the slogan being a description, I see it as a prescription. It is what we are called as a church to do - to go out and open hearts, open minds, and open doors. polis is on the opposite side of Galilee from Tyre. Tyre is far northwest, on the Mediterranean Sea. Decapolis is on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. There has to be a significant amount of time passing between these stories, yet they are tied together. There were other aspects of this service that are not commonly done today. Near the beginning, salt was placed in the mouth of the child with the words, “(Name) receive the salt of wisdom. May it aid thee to eternal life.”[9] Following the reading of Mark 10:13-16, the priest put spit on his finger and touched the child’s nose and ears, saying, “Ephphatha, that is, Be thou opened. But thou, devil, flee; for God’s judgment cometh speedily.”[10] There were also anointings both before and after the baptism. Overall, Luther’s main concern was that the parents and sponsors hear God’s Word and pray for the one being baptized. He mentions that some of the other “external things” were less important.[11] And so when the 1526 revision was published, many of these rites were gone. Gone was the blowing under the eyelids, the salt, the spit, the anointing and even the baptismal candle. Several prayers were omitted. In general, the whole service was shortened. Previously Luther had left many of these ceremonies in because of “weak consciences,” but three years later he was comfortable removing them.[12] In our day, some of these practices have come back (e.g. the baptismal candle). Other new ones have been added (e.g. the welcome by the congregation). In Luther’s day it was necessary to pare back the ceremonies a bit, as they were distracting from the baptism itself. Luther found it necessary to emphasize that the water and the Word of God were the main thing in the baptismal rite by reducing the number of ceremonies. In some places the additional ceremonies have been found to be helpful to teach and emphasize what is happening in baptism. “Each generation trims a little, adds a little (extolling is never finished); but always the actual Baptism itself remains the same: ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph 4:5).”[13]

The Special Leper

October 9, 2022 Luke 17:11-19 Year C The Special Leper 18th Sunday After Pentecost Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship One: The Psalmist commands: “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!” Many: We’re gathered to sing God’s praise. One: Come and see what God is doing; Many: God brought us out from fire and water. One: God brings people out to a spacious place, Many: and we give God our gratitude! (Disciple’s of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer O Lord, our Creator and Sustainer, you give us seasons to plant, to grow, to harvest, and to rest, and we are grateful. As the leaves turn and fall from the trees, help us embrace the changes we see as a natural part of life. We come today with our ups and down, doubts and fears, trials and triumphs. We’re grateful you have created each one of us and molded us into your own image. As we worship you, help us stand strong and sure when the winds blow. Remind us: through it all you are with us, every moment, every step, every time, every situation. And hear our praise for you in every moment of our day. Amen. adapted from Cynthia Bond Hopson, The Africana Worship Book for Year C, Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua, eds., (Discipleship Resources, 2008), 137. Song Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee UMH 89 Children’s Time Does anyone know what I have here? (Hold up the thank-you card.) That’s right, I have a thank-you card. Can anyone share about a time when you have sent or received a thank-you card? (Allow kids to respond.) We have lots to be thankful for everyday, but sometimes we forget to say those two little words in response to someone doing something kind for us. In fact, that’s what happened in our Bible passage today. The story is about ten lepers. Do you know what a leper is? (Pause for kids to respond.) A leper is a person who has a disease called leprosy. This disease causes sores all over the body. Leprosy was very common in Jesus' day, and people who had this disease were thought to be dirty and unclean. They were required to stay away from other people because of the fear that they might infect them with their disease. One day, Jesus was walking through a small village when He saw a group of ten lepers. They stood far away from Jesus and called to Him, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us." Obviously, they knew who Jesus was and that He had the power to heal them. When Jesus heard them, He called back to the lepers and said, "Go, show yourself to the priest." As the lepers went on their way to see the priest, they looked at their skin and the sores were gone. Jesus had healed their disease. They were so happy that they ran up and down the streets singing and dancing. Suddenly, one of them stopped and went back. Praising God with a loud voice, he threw himself at Jesus' feet and said, "Thank You." Jesus said to him, "Weren't there ten who were healed? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:11-19) Only one out of ten remembered to say, "Thank You." God does so much for us! Every day He provides everything we need: food, clothing, and a place to live. Do we ever forget to say, "Thank You?" Let's stop right now and say, "Thank You," and ask God to help us remember to thank Him every day. Dear Lord, You give us everything we need, but we often forget to say, "Thank You." We thank You now, and ask You to help us to remember to give thanks every day for all that You do for us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. (Sermons4kids.com) Prayer for Transformation and New Life Loving God, form in me a space for healing and enter in anew. For too long I have clutched the past in ways that have prevented the possibility of moving forward. Boundaries of my own making have kept me resistant to your healing mercy. Definitions of the world’s making have created divisions preventing the possibility of a new day, a new season, a new life. By Your mercy form me for a life of mercy and thanks. Lift every burden and release me from every long-rehearsed story holding me hostage to any narrative of hopelessness, hurt and fear. Grant instead a lightness of spirit forgiving me and freeing me to leap into a dance of delight beyond my wildest imagination. Words of Grace Hear the good news! Into our little openings of trust, God is pouring a large love born of mercy. No burden of your past is stronger than this power of Love to forgive, heal, and bless. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Now may (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins) Scripture Luke 17:11-19 Sermon The Special Leper Greg Anderson, in Living Life on Purpose, tells a story about a man whose wife had left him. He was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, in God--he found no joy in living. One rainy morning this man went to a small neighborhood restaurant for breakfast. Although several people were at the diner, no one was speaking to anyone else. Our miserable friend hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon. In one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the sad silence by almost shouting, "Momma, why don't we say our prayers here?" The waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around and said, "Sure, honey, we pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?" And she turned and looked at the rest of the people in the restaurant and said, "Bow your heads." Surprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, "God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Amen." That prayer changed the entire atmosphere. People began to talk with one another. The waitress said, "We should do that every morning." "All of a sudden," said our friend, "my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl's example, I started to thank God for all that I did have and stop majoring in all that I didn't have. I started to be grateful." We all understand and appreciate the importance of gratitude. How it can radically change relationships. In fact, one of the first things we were taught and that we teach our children is to express their gratitude. Someone gives them some candy and we say: “Now what do you say?” And the child learns from an early age the answer “Thank you.” And certainly we all know as adults that we appreciate being thanked. Yet, when it comes to giving thanks to our heavenly father, we so often miss the mark. And when it comes to giving our thanks to God, I don’t suppose there is any story in the Bible that is so endearing to us, so timelessly appropriate, as the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. We have all heard the story many times, but like so many Bible stories, we never tire of it…. How can we put a sense of gratitude for God’s blessings in each and every day? That is a fitting message for our stewardship campaign. That is what our faith is all about, not only being able to say thank you, but to live thank you. The story of the ten lepers, is not so much a popular story, it is only found in Luke. But it is a familiar story. Jesus heals the ten lepers, all leave and return to their life, but only one of them returns to say thank you. And for us, the moral of the story is for us to be just like the leper and always remember to say thank you. Have You Forgotten Something? I can recall three rhetorical questions that accompanied me throughout my childhood. The first was, "Were you born in a barn?" That usually came when I left a door open, or didn't clean up my room. The second was, "When will you ever grow up?" which was a question my sisters asked me as a carefully planned, relentless program of persecution. The third one was, "Have you forgotten something?" That was the parental admonition, usually for not saying thank you after receiving some gift. This last question is what I thought of when I read the New Testament lesson for this morning from Luke's gospel, the seventeenth chapter, the story of Jesus healing ten lepers. Only one comes back to give thanks. Ten were healed, but only the Samaritan came back. If my mother had been there, she would have said to the nine, "Have you forgotten something?" Mark Trotter, How about Something Different? I am sure that each of us has a story about growing up and being taught the importance of saying thank you. For me, it was my stepfather who stressed to me how important it was to say thank you whether someone did something big or small for you. I always wondered why that lesson was never stressed to my younger siblings or nieces or nephews. But nevertheless it was a big lesson for me. In Sunday School, we were taught that the point of this story was to always follow the example of the tenth leper and be the one to come back and say thank you. As a matter of fact, many would think that this scripture is the perfect lesson about how faith, obedience and gratitude work together. If you look at the background of this story – that could not be further from the truth. The first words of the story say “On the way to Jerusalem”, somewhere between Galilee and Samaria. Jesus has already been to Samaria, so no one knows why he is in no man’s land between the Samaritans and the Jews. Jesus loved his people, but he was also about reconciliation between the two people. Perhaps Jesus was intentionally looking for people like the lepers who did not fit in on either side. The lepers were in quarantine from any social group. Their illness kept them together as a group, but it also alienated them from their support system. Healing was not just curing the disease, but returning them to that system. The story is not specific about what exactly Jesus does – but he does tell the lepers to return back to their support system. He also tells them to go back to church, so that they can get back to life as normal. All of them do that. But one of them is not a Jew, he is a Samaritan. He does not have a church to go to. He knows that if he returns to church, whether he is healed or not, he is not going to be accepted. Jesus is his church, and he returns to Jesus to show his gratitude. Who are the Samaritans of today? Who are the ones who know that they just don’t fit in here? Jesus point in telling us this story – sometimes outsiders are closer to god and have a deeper faith than those inside of the church. Outsiders find salvation, and insiders remain blind and oblivious to true faith. Why was Jesus in no man’s land on that day- looking for outsiders, outcast and others and showing them to salvation of God. The first lesson for us – blur the lines between the outsiders and the insiders of the church. Keep our eyes open for those unexpected moments of God’s grace in our lives. The second lesson – expand your definition of healing. Our scripture never says what Jesus did to these ten men. Did he pray, lay hands on them, preach a sermon. No mention of it as all. But Jesus does tell them that they are healed and to go show themselves to the priest. They may not have even had time to feel better or to know that they were really healed. But they took Jesus at his word – believed things were better. Jesus told them the healing was in the journey. How many of us take Jesus as his word? How many of us will do what Jesus says and just trust it to be so. The healing is in the daily journey, not in Jesus touching us. Jesus says that the Samaritans faith made him whole. God In the Ordinary Once upon a time, there was a far-away land that was ruled by a vicious king. His iron hand reached into every corner of his subjects' lives. Every corner - except one. Try as he might, he couldn't destroy their belief in God. In his frustration, he finally summoned his advisors and asked them: "Where can I hide God so the people will end up forgetting about him?" One suggested hiding God on the dark side of the moon. This idea was debated, but was voted down because the advisors feared that their scientists would one day discover a way to travel into space travel and God would be discovered again. Another suggested burying God in the deepest part of the ocean. But there was the same problem with this idea, so it was voted down. One idea after another was suggested and debated and rejected. Until finally the oldest and wisest advisor had a flash of insight. "I know," he said, "why don't we hide God where no one will ever even think to look?" And he explained, "If we hide God in the ordinary events of people's everyday lives, they'll never find him!" And so it was done. And they say people in that land are still looking for God - even today. ChrstianGlobe Illustrations We have to recognize the grace of God in every moment in life. • Rob Myalis (http://lectionarygreek.blogspot.com/2010/10/luke-1711-19.html) “When Jesus says that the man's faith saved him, we see very clearly that Luke is not suggesting "your belief in a set of propositional truths gave you keys to heaven." What Jesus seems to be saying is more on long the lines: "your trust in my word and power motivated action from you that transformed your life in a way that have experienced the salvation of God." For all good theologians, faith leads to action!” The key word is transformation. The Samaritan leper is not a hero because he was a stranger, not because he was obedient and faithful. He was a hero because he chose to be transformed because of his encounter with Jesus. When was the last time you were truly transformed by saying thank you to Christ? Let’s try to do it everyday. I found this poem last night – the author is Ullie Kaye, but it channels the words of that special leper. How did you heal? I didn’t Then how is it that you can still face the sun every morning like that? Because I am healing. How do you know? Because I am finally okay with not being healed in the way that I wanted But choosing to know that I am being healed in the way that I needed. I am trusting the process. The Process is Jesus Christ. Amen. Song God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale UMH 122 Prayer Lord, we thank you for the wondrous ways in which you have healed and restored us. There have been countless times when we wondered if the trials and struggles of our lives would overcome us and swallow us up; yet you have reached out to redeem us. Just as in the scriptures when Jesus healed the ten people afflicted with leprosy, one, when he saw that he had been healed, returned to Jesus, praising God for the healing that had taken place. Make our faith as strong as the one of that man. Give us the wisdom to know the source of healing is not in our pleading, but in our acknowledging your love and power. As we bring before you the names and situations in our hearts that are filled with strife and trouble, we ask for their healing as well. We know that you hear the cries of our hearts and respond always in love. Help us to place our complete trust in your never-ending compassion. For it is in Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Meister Eckhart said, “If the only prayer you said was ‘thank you’, that would be enough.” If we begin there, with a simple “thank you” to God, the rest will follow. Thanks first. Thanks always. Thanks in everything. One of the greatest gifts we can give to each other in Christian community is that of helping one another cultivate a spirit of gratitude. If we do this, glad hearts and generous spirits will follow. Our spirits will be filled, along with our coffers, providing financial support for our congregation’s ministry. After all, gratitude begets more gratitude, and the more gratitude you have the more abundance you see. With thank-filled hearts, let us share our morning offerings, tithes and gifts. Adapted from https://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2013/10/first-and-always-give-thanks/ Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy Creator, Like the healed leper, we come to give you our thanks! You provide for us, abundant stores of more-than-we-need. Now, receive the gifts we’ve brought today. Help us transform them, modeling on the ways Jesus reached out. Encourage us to freely share what’s been given, so we might bless those we seek to serve: the hungry, the lost, the fear-filled neighbors who yearn for signs of help and hope. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go, my friends, because the mercy of God has freed you from your past. Go, because the mercy of God calls you forward into the world. Go, because the blessing of mercy you offer to others will lighten the burden they are carrying. Go, because by this mercy of God, we are all healed again and again. Thanks be to God! Amen and Amen! (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins) Community Time Benediction Benediction (Luke 17) Jesus said to the leper, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” Let us all claim Jesus’ healing and liberation in our lives. Get up and go on your way! In Jesus’ name, your faith has made you whole And all God’s people say: Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Rebecca Gaudino) Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - Giving Thanks before Thanksgiving - Luke 17:11-19 _________________________________ Healing - Luke 17:11-19 When I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was helping my dad in the kitchen. I had been taught how to use a knife properly, but I wasn’t always perfect at it. I slipped and knicked my finger. It was just a small cut but it was on the knuckle, so if the cut was going to heal, we had to find a way to splint my finger. I remember being very proud that my dad simply took a piece of kindling from the pile for our wood stove, cut off two small pieces, bandaged my finger and taped it with adhesive tape. Voila! Within a matter of minutes I was on the road to healing. My finger healed quickly and you can’t even see a scar. It is as if it never happened. I think we often wish more of life was like that. When we are sick or injured, we hope and pray for healing. We want a transformation. We want our health completely restored. We want it to be as though we were never sick or hurt in the first place. We want transformation as we see in our scriptures today. In 2 Kings we hear the story of Naaman, the army commander, who was healed from leprosy when he finally followed the instructions of the prophet Elisha and went to bathe in the River Jordan seven times. Amusingly, Naaman was initially resistant to this source of healing as he expected a great fanfare or an endurance trial or challenge in order to be healed rather than merely just bathing in the Jordan. Yet that was not what was required of him. When he finally followed Elisha’s instructions, at the urging of the servants, Naaman was made clean. And this was some cleansing. It was not just that Naaman was healed of his leprosy, his flesh was completely restored to what it was before he ever had it. He had the skin of a young boy after he bathed. Naaman got exactly what we wish for — complete healing and transformation. Then in Luke’s gospel we get another story of a miraculous healing of lepers. The ten lepers asked Jesus to have mercy on them. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, and Jesus granted their wish, and “poof,” just like that they were healed. The leprosy was gone. Again, just what we wish for when we are the ones who are afflicted. I have to admit, I actually have a hard time with these miraculous healing stories in the Bible. I find them rather frustrating. Because while the small cuts and bruises of life do heal over…. The Seeds of Discouragement An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a forest in the dark. He was seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm. He entered the barn and his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. To his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. They were the seeds that were sown in the hearts of humans. The man became curious and lit a match. He began exploring the piles of bins of seeds round him. He couldn’t help but notice that the greatest majority of them said, “Seeds of Discouragement.” About that time one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a load of seeds. The man asked him, “Why the abundance of discouragement seeds?” The helper laughed and replied, “Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly.” “Do they grow everywhere?” the man asked. At that moment the devil’s helper became very sullen. He glared at the man and in disgust he said, “No. They never seem to grow in the heart of a grateful person.” Keith Wagner, But Are We Grateful? Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known. Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon

Demons in the Church

January 31, 2021 Mark 1:21-28 Demons in the Church 4th Sunday of Epiphany Year B Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer Open our hearts and spirits this day to hear the great good news of your power and presence with all your people. Fill our hearts with rejoicing as the words are proclaimed in song and story. Enliven us and remind us that you are with us, through the pillar of fire, through the magnificent words of the prophets, through the ministry and love of Jesus Christ. AMEN Stewardship Moment Offertory Prayer God of power and wisdom, we give you our eternal thanks for the gift of your Son, who came not only to save but to teach us about your kingdom and how we might live, readying ourselves for that kingdom. He taught with authority, and if we listen, we will live a life of generosity, mercy, and compassion. Bless what we give this day and help us be faithful in the use of all our resources, that we might live like those anticipating your kingdom. In Christ, we pray. Amen. (Mark 1:21-28) Scripture Mark 1:21-28 21 Jesus and his followers went into Capernaum. Immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and started teaching. 22 The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts. 23 Suddenly, there in the synagogue, a person with an evil spirit screamed, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God.” 25 “Silence!” Jesus said, speaking harshly to the demon. “Come out of him!” 26 The unclean spirit shook him and screamed, then it came out. 27 Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, “What’s this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands unclean spirits and they obey him!” 28 Right away the news about him spread throughout the entire region of Galilee. Sermon : Demons in the church A friend of mine took on the task of organizing her father’s album collection yesterday. She would post her best find on Facebook. One of the albums that she posted was of the 70’s comedian Flip Wilson. Flip Wilson had a famous routine where he would always say the devil made him do it. Of course we would laugh at the routine because we don’t believe in demons controlling our behavior anymore. But in Jesus’ day it was common to blame your bad behavior on demons. It was believed that they were everywhere, and they affected all aspects of life. There was even a book called the Testament of Solomon, which outlined the behavior of demons, named them and told you how to get rid of them. I always enjoy preaching on the book of Mark. Mark is the only gospel writer who is not afraid to openly talk about demons. It seems the New Testament was unique in the way it talked about demons. Most literature of the day talked of a demon attacking a person. Whereas in the gospels, when Jesus speaks of demons- he speaks of them possessing the person. In the scripture story for today – Jesus calmly recognizes the demon. He does not attack of get mad – he just quietly asks for the demon to come out. When it comes out, the man seems to go back to normal. As I say, life has changed, now we don’t believe in demons possessing people. We have a little more control over life now. But have you noticed that in spite of our unbelief, evil still persist in the world? Demons in Our Modern World I was just as naive as I was sincere when I wrote a letter to a missionary in Papua, New Guinea. I was a 19-year-old college student trying to make sense out of the Bible. I was reading the gospels with an ardent desire to believe what I was reading but I kept getting hung up on these stories about demon exorcisms. If the gospels were true then there were real demons in the world and yet I didn’t see anyone but quacks and nut cases doing demon exorcisms on TV. Someone in my college campus ministry suggested to me that we no longer saw demons in the civilized world but that missionaries in remote parts of the world did. I knew the name of a missionary in the terribly primitive region of Papua, New Guinea so I wrote to him. I wanted him to validate the Biblical stories about demons by telling me that he had heard them speak, that he had witnesses an exorcism. I hope he could tell me some really hair-raising stories. It took him several weeks to answer my letter and it took me a few years to understand his response. He avoided my request for a description of face-to-face encounters with the demonic. He didn’t say anything about hearing them speak or of exorcisms. He did, however, say that there were demons in Papua, New Guinea and that he was shocked that I had not seen anywhere I lived in Memphis, Tennessee. "Do you not see the demons at work in pornography, prostitution, in racial hatred and in poverty?" he asked me. At first it seemed to me that he just didn’t understand my question...later it became obvious to me that I had not understood his answer. Racism, poverty and the whole abuse of women in the sex industry were certainly obviously present in the city where I lived and I accepted that these things were evil but they were everyday things.... things that were always there and always would be there. I wanted to hear about something more biblical...about a demon speaking to a missionary or some vision of demon possession.... he just wanted to write to me about everyday stuff. Roger Ray, Mr. Demon in His Pew I am reminded of a quote that I read in morning devotions this week – Evil does not have the power to do bad on its own, it needs the hands and feet of people to do damage. Evil needs to posses our feelings, our thoughts, our actions to do its work. Demons inside of us Kathleen Norris – a spiritual writer says “when I think of demons that I need to exorcise, I have to look inward to my heart and soul. The demon inside of her was her anger. Her husband pointed out that she could be very mean at times. She realized that her anger was destroying her marriage. First she needed to recognize it, then acknowledge the damage it was doing and make a commitment to change. Another friend – a pastor. Talked about getting a divorce, and experiencing all sorts of negative emotions – anger, shame, jealousy, and pain. He didn’t have to strength to preach, but he needed to be in the church. He needed to be in the presence of God, in the presence of the Word, the worship, in the presence of Jesus. Most of us think of ourselves as good Christian people, and yet all of us have those sources of anxiety, anger, fear, and other negative emotions. Daniel Amen, an expert on brain health encourages us to get to know and name the dragons inside of us that affect our behavior. I am absolutely fascinated by this story in Mark. This the beginning of Jesus ministry. What better place to get encouragement for your calling but the synagogue. As soon as Jesus gets up to teach, a demon possessed man starts to speak. The synogue, like the church is a sacred place. What a strange place for a demon to appear. That is why we ring the church bells before church, not only to call the people to come into the church for worship, but also to call the evil spirits out and to tell them to stay away. (evil spirits don’t like loud noises). It was thought that evil spirits like to hang out in dark lonely places – so why would one be bold enough to come to church? Well when we bring our hopes, praise, and joy to church, we also bring our fears, our anger, our biases, our unresolved feelings with us. The church is the place of open doors, open minds, open hearts. The church is the place we come looking for acceptance and love. Jesus wants the demons to come to church – that is the place were they can encounter the healing word from God. At it’s best, the local church functions as an arena in which conflict and hurts among participants who choose to stay can open up possibilities for spiritual progress. Where else will people still accept me after I stand up in a church meeting and harshly criticize something? Ah that’s just Dave, they say. They know me, I learn about the Christian virtues of acceptance and graciousness even as I am not accepting and gracious. By not taking my toys and playing elsewhere – this is finding a church that connects with my spiritual journey – I move forward in my spiritual journey. I give up control. I forfeit my options, in an environment of choices. Dadiv Goetz, Suburban Spirituality, Christianity Today, July 2003, pp34-35. When we come to church we experience God in spite of ourselves. A pastor speaks of entering a program to become a spiritual director. He got overwhelmed and had to drop out of the program, but he got insight into his own demons and was able to experience true transformation. Mark is not afraid to speak of demons because he was anxious to help us to understand the healing power of Jesus’ teaching. As Mark tells of the transforming power of Jesus, each time he calls Jesus the teacher. The teacher heals, the teacher calms to storm, the teacher provides. It is interesting, in this story the leaders in church on that day, don’t seem to be impressed with the demon in church and Jesus calling the demon out. They are flabbergasted at Jesus’ teachings. Who gave the authority to speak like that they ask. You speak as if you know what you are talking about – who gave you authority to do that? This is a new teaching – even the demons listen to you and obey. All Jesus did was show the man love and compassion. He teaches with love and compassion. It was his love and compassion that had the power to transform the situation. There are several stories in the gospels about Jesus removing demons from people. In each story there is always more than one. The collective word for demons is mazzikin, which means one Mazzikin means one that does harm. In this story the demons ask – have you come here to destroy us. Yes. What things in your life that harm us? What things in community harm us? What things in the church that are harming us and keeping us from moving forward? Because it looks like after the demon left the church, everything returned back to normal and they just went on with their service. The Church Dare Not Have an Influence In his penetrating book The First Circle, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the famous Russian author who defected to America, makes an interesting observation about how the Russian authorities handle the church. He writes: "No one stops them from ringing their bells; they can break communion bread anyway they please. They can have their processions with the cross. But they will in no way allow them to have any connection with social or civic affairs." The church was allowed to go through the motions; it could have a presence, but it dare not have an influence. What bothered the scribes was not that Jesus prayed and preached. It was the fact that his prayers and his sermons were moving the people to action. I wonder if the church still has that concept of authority. So often our problem is not that we do not have authority, it is that we do not use the authority that we have. It is time that we quit defining the problems of the world and start applying the power of the church to the problems. We have been given authority by God, through Jesus Christ, to heal, to proclaim, to change, to bring redemption, and to expel. We are under an imperative from God and we need not fear either principalities or death for Christ has been given all authority over heaven and earth. Now we need to start applying that authority. Now the ball is in our courts. For if the claims of Jesus' authority are true, then that will require a response from you and me. In Shakespeare play King Lear, the Earl of Kent offers his services to the King. He wants, he says, to "serve him truly that will put me in trust, to love him that is honest; to converse with him who is wise, to fear judgment." Let us pray….. Prayer What have we done, Lord? We want to praise you, so we splash your words on screens on a wall, with brightly colored and powerful images. We shout your praises, with hands held on high. We teach and preach your word. But we don’t listen carefully for you. We are so busy trying to shout above the noise of the day, that we don’t take time to really listen and know you. The voices of the prophets spoke to people long ago who were too busy and anxious to hear. Their words streamed in the winds of time and have come to us. We need to pay attention to your message offered through them. You are our God, the God of all creation, the God of power and love, whose mercy is offered to us. In Jesus’ time, he proclaimed the good news through words and actions, reaching out to those who were troubled, alienated, cast aside. He offered healing and hope to those others turned away. Help us to learn that you alone can heal us and fix those areas in our lives that are wounded and twisted. Help us to understand that you alone can offer to us a new way of life through Jesus Christ. Remind us again that as we have spoken the names of people and situations that concern us, praying for your healing touch, that the same touch is offered to us in Jesus’ name. Lord, we need to let go of our control issues and place our trust wholly in you. Now and forever. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection: Help us Accept Each Other UMH 560 Announcements Benediction Jesus comes to us, offering healing and hope, speaking and acting with authority. Listen to him. Go into this world, confident in God’s love and healing power. Go in peace and may God’s love and peace always be with you. AMEN. Children’s Time Object: a rolled up newspaper (Have someone in the congregation throw a rolled up newspaper to you as you begin to talk.) Good morning, boys and girls. Let's see what's in the news today. (Pretend to read the front page. Read in the style of a newscaster.) Here's what the headline says: Jesus Quiets Person In Church! Jesus and his friends were in the city of Capernaum and they went to church. While Jesus was teaching a class at the church a sick person came up to him and screamed in pain. Jesus calmly told the person to be quiet. The person instantly was quiet and the people watching were amazed at what they saw. (Show them the front of the newspaper.) Now would we really find this kind of news in our paper? (Let them respond.) No, of course we wouldn't. But our lesson today tells us that "the news of Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the province of Galilee." Galilee was one of the names of the places where Jesus was. How do you think the news spread about Jesus? (Let them respond.) They didn't have radio and television or magazines like we do. It probably spread fast just by people talking to each other. They went to the market place every day and they talked about Jesus there. They talked about Jesus when they gathered to eat. They walked with different people and talked to them when they went from place to place. But it's still pretty amazing at how fast the news spread. If Jesus had lived today, how would the people have spread the news? (Let them respond.) People would send reporters to interview the person who became quiet when Jesus spoke. The reporters would have interviewed everyone who was around what happened. They probably would have interviewed Jesus or at least one of Jesus' close friends. Then all those reports would be in the newspapers, on the radio and the television news programs. With all the computers it would be around the world in minutes. But even though our news spreads much faster than it did in Jesus' day, we still need to tell others about Jesus with our mouths just like the people did in Jesus' day. That is still a good way to tell people about Jesus - one person to another person. CSS Publishing Co., , by CSS Additional Illustrations Unsanctified - Mark 1:21-28 Ever have one of those days when you just feel miserable, awful, ornery, grouchy? Maybe something has happened to make you feel like you have the grumpies. Or maybe nothing in particular happened at all. We call that “getting up on the wrong side of the bed.” Some days, our spirits sag, and some days, our spirits soar. Even the steadiest, most stable and secure people have days when they just feel “off.” But there is a difference between feeling down in the dumps or even grouchy and feeling nasty, vicious, hateful, or revengeful. Unfortunately, some people have an ongoing case of the “nasties,” and nothing and no-one seems to make them happy. These are people who seem to harbor no empathy, feel no compassion, act upon compulsion, and house a frighteningly aggressive and sometimes even murderous spirit. Often, these are people, who have turned away from God. Cause let’s face it. When you are feeling close to God, you just don’t have the nasties! God is the ultimate “anti-nasty” pill. Someone with a “nasty” spirit may just be someone, whose spirit has been somehow corrupted, overtaken by anger, or destroyed by abuse. Or in cases we know exist, it may be somehow who appears to be downright soul-empty. Whatever the reason, whether we call that person disturbed, angry, or evil, we know those people exist. They exist in our culture. And they can even exist in our churches.... The Authority of Jesus The church in the world is a lot like the story that E. Stanley Jones tells of the missionary in the jungle. He got lost with nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places. He finally found a small village and asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native said he could. "All right," the missionary said, "Show me the way." They walked for hours through dense brush hacking their way through unmarked jungle. The missionary began to worry and said, "Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is the path?" The native said. "Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path." Our path out of the jungle of this world is God in Christ. We may have some Rabbis, Masters, Father's, Teachers, and Reverends but we are all like the missionary. We rely not upon men but Christ who is our path. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com Help in Facing Our Fears Leslie Weatherhead once told a parable of a little boy who fled from a witch who had turned herself into a cat. As the boy ran, he kept glancing fearfully over his shoulder. The first time he looked back, the cat was the size of a calf. The next time he looked, it had grown to the dimensions of an elephant. Then the boy fell, and was unable to go farther. Resolutely he got up and faced the pursuing horror. It stopped. So he took a step toward it. It backed away. As he continued to advance toward it, it began to shrink in size as it retreated from him. Finally it changed into a mouse and ran under the door of the witch's cottage to be seen no more. The moral is clear: it pays to face up to your fears. But sometimes that is hard to do. That is when we need to turn to Christ. He can help us stand up to our fears and conquer them. He can cast out demons. Adapted from Leslie Weatherhead. A New Kind of Authority In Mark's gospel Jesus himself is the content of the teaching. The authority is not in particular speeches, but in this particular life. Jesus lived as one who had authority, an authority radically different from that of tradition. Different from what had been expected. To understand this authority we must not only listen, we must also look. Barbara Lundblad, Lutheran Speaker: The Protestant Hour A Rabbi Talks with Jesus Jacob Neusner is one of the world’s preeminent scholars on first-century Judaism. He has written more than 500 books on the subject. And one of them is a little book entitled, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. Jacob Neusner calls this book “an inter-millennial interfaith exchange.” In it he engages the Jesus he finds in the Gospels in a conversation about matters of Jewish faith and practice. And while there is much about Jesus that he says that he respects and admires, he says that the point of his personal separation from Jesus would come at the point of Jesus’ separation from tradition. He understands that Jesus spoke “on his own say-so, and not out of the teachings of the Torah.” He understands that Jesus saw himself “as Moses, or as more than Moses”. He understands that Jesus taught as one having authority, and not as one deriving His authority from another. And for Jacob Neusner that crosses a critical line. It’s blasphemous. When Jesus speaks on His own authority He is putting Himself on the level with God. Unknown Jesus Christ Marked Down 50% Chuck Swindoll tells about a commercial product put out by one of the largest department stores in our nation. It proved to be disastrously unsuccessful. It was a doll in the form of the baby Jesus. It was advertised as being unbreakable, washable and cuddly. It was packaged in straw with a satin ribbon and plastic surroundings, and appropriate biblical texts added here and there to make the scene complete. It did not sell. The manager of one of the stores in the department chain panicked. He carried out a last ditch promotion to get rid of those dolls. He brandished a huge sign outside his store that read: “JESUS CHRIST – MARKED DOWN 50% - GET HIM WHILE YOU CAN.” And that is the constant danger – that we will remake Christ into a meek, harmless figure – discounted 50% to attract the masses. Brent Porterfield, www.Sermons.com How are we to understand this? Apparently, the Gospels and New Testament are unique in Jewish literature in the way they talk about spirits not as attacking people from time to time, causing odd or evil things, but as possessing people – coming to dwell within them, to reside in the heart, and over time, to give a certain shape and direction to a person’s life, become part and parcel of who they are, how they act, and how they are known by others in the world. Become their persona – their image or reputation, you might say. Does it make sense to say that in our lives we all accumulate a particular cluster of personal habits, practices, defences, priorities, values, assumptions and expectations of life and of others and even of God, that become our persona, our spirit? A spirit that at best is aligned with the way God desires we live. But that almost always, at some point also gets in the way and starts restricting, limiting, opposing and undermining our freedom to live in the way God intends, and in the way that God’s kingdom, if we are to be part of its coming, calls us to live.

Does God take a Vacation

Does God Take a Vacation September 6, 2015 Mark 7:24-37 Year B It’s Labor Day weekend. The last holiday of the summer, time to get back to the routine. Labor day is one of our most misunderstood holidays of the year. No one knows really why we celebrate it, we just take it off, But know nothing about it. I am talking about it, but still don’t know why it is a holiday. My point is that it is a vacation. We all know that we love our holidays. As humans, we love our vacation days. We actually need them in order to keep functioning. But let me ask you this question – does God ever take a vacation? Does God ever just get tired of all of the prayer request and just stop answering us. In our greatest time of need, especially on the weekends or on a holiday – does God ever respond and say I am out of the office right now, I will return your call during normal business hours. Our response to that would be of course God does not take vacations. God is available always to answer our calls. But I would say that perhaps you have not really read the gospel for today – Mark 7. The scripture clearly says that Jesus got tired of healing and helping people and he needed a retreat. He needed a vacation so bad, that he was headed south to Jerusalem – cause that was where all of the action was, on his journey, and he decided to head North, far away from the action, far away from jews, far away from anyone that might want anything from him. He is on vacation, and a woman comes up to him asking for healing. When she asks him to heal her daughter, he very politely tries to explain to her that he is on vacation and not in the healing business today – and yet she persist. He came up north to get away from jews, and this lady is not even a jew. But did Jesus just call this lady a dog? Most modern day versions of the bible try to clean the story up and say the Jesus endearingly called her a puppy. But a puppy is still a dog. As a matter of fact, as the story goes on, she acknowledged being a dog – but even the dogs are able to eat the crumbs from the children’s table. Jesus grants her wish, and calls her persistence to ask faith. And it is her faith that makes her whole? Does God ever get tired of our prayers, apparently sometimes he does. But what I find interesting about the story of Jesus, is that the gospel is full of stories of Jesus getting tired and needing a break. Jesus getting worn out from helping people and needing a break. I can attest to that, because Sunday after church is always the lowest time of the week. Being in this position and bringing the word, and leading worship drains all of my human energy. Most Sundays I spend the rest of the day staring at the tv, or letting the tv stare at me, until Monday morning comes and I am in charge of my spirit again. But what I have noticed is that in each of these stories, where Jesus is tired and ready to rest – that seems to be the time when someone needs him the most. We gloss right over the parts of the story that say that Jesus is tired and taking a retreat, because in each instance – it leads to a story of how he helped someone in their greatest hour of need. In each story he tells the person that he is tired, but he gives them what they need anyway. In this story not only does he heal the woman’s daughter, but a deaf man is bought to him and he heals that man also. He makes him hear, but he also makes sure that he speaks. Being able to hear, and being able to speak is not just important for his physical health, but also for his spiritual health. If you read Isaiah chapter 6 it tells us all about why it is so important to hear and to speak. In Isaiah chapter 6 God touches the lips of Isaiah so that he can speak the word of God. In verse 9 God says be ever hearing, but never understanding, be ever seeing, but never perceiving, make the heart of this people calloused, make their ears dull, and close their eyes, otherwise, they might see with their eyes hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Let me ask you a second question. If we know that God never takes a vacation from us, do we take a vacation from God? Now we have heard the story of Jesus getting tired of being Jesus and needing to take a break. Do you ever get tired of being a Christian – and wake up and say I am going to go out in the world and be around people and deal with situations – and decided that you are going to let your Christianity sleep in? You are going to take a vacation from being a Christian and just be a normal person for the day? The reality is a lot of us do – we have to be in a really good mood to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. The Buzzard, the Bat, and the Bumblebee If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself. In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up. Source Unknown There are times in our lives when our souls are closed for business – for various reasons. If you read today’s scripture – Jesus has one word for us -Ephphatha. They did not even bother to translate the word into English – it is a direct quote from Jesus. Ephphatha is a aramic word which means open up. When Jesus sees that the man ears and mouth are closed up – he speaks directly to the ears and the mouth and tells them to open up. And it is time for our spirits to open up- and to be present in life. Have you ever noticed that using your Christianity is not about you, it is a reaction to the people around you. Sometimes you may truly wake up and not feel like being a Christian. But it is the people around you that force the Christianity out of you. People will try you and you have to be intentional that your response to them is a Christian response. Just like Jesus was ready for a retreat and the syrophenecian woman came up to him demanding healing. Do the next time someone gets on your nerves, you can respond to them – it is your faith that has made you whole. Because I am a Christian, I am going to respond to you in the right way – and not in the way that I really feel. But remember Jesus’ words to you – open up- open up your spirit to the spirit of God in that situation. Our minds and our bodies get to take a vacation. But our soul doesn’t. It is when we are the most tired that the world needs us the most. And when we give them our Christianity, we are giving them God not ourselves. I love the ending of this scripture. It says that people were overcome with wonder. Saying he does everything well. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak. Some years ago Winston Lloyd, who later became one of our top foreign policy experts, was an aide to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. One day he brought to Kissinger a longawaited report on conflicts in South America. Without even glancing at the report, Kissinger asked, "Is this the very best you can do?" Lloyd stammered for a few moments and said, "There were a few informational gaps." "Take it back," Kissinger said and dismissed him. Two weeks later, after working night and day, Lloyd again entered Kissinger's office and held out the report. "Is this the very best you can do?" Kissinger asked, without looking at the document. Lloyd hesitated and admitted that there were some parts of the report that were incomplete. Kissinger told him to take it back. Three weeks later Lloyd asked for another meeting. For the third time Kissinger asked, "Is this the very best you can do?" Lloyd replied, "Mr. Secretary, this is my very best effort." Kissinger smiled and said, "That's all I ever ask. I'll be happy to read your report." You and I are not saved by works, I want to make that clear. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Still I wonder if we will not someday stand before the throne of God and be asked that most terrifying of all questions, "Did you do your best?" I realize that we are only human. We are not Jesus. None of us are going to do "all things well." Having said that, though, I believe that it behooves us not to live as Tacitus once described Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Tacitus said about Tiberius, "He feared the best, was ashamed of the worst, and chose the innocuous middle." Do you live in the innocuous middle? The angel said to the church at Laodicea, "Would that you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm because you have chosen the innocuous middleI will spew you out of my mouth." That is all that Jesus asks of us to give our best. Even when we are tired and ready to take a vacation – we can still give our best to God. God does not take a break from you – so when you need to take a break from everything else – don’t take a break from God. Amen…. Children’s Sermon PREPARATION: None OR be prepared with the song and actions, "Deep and Wide." LESSON: Have you ever played the game, "I love you more?" I know some children who would say "I love you more" when their parents told them they loved them. Or sometimes they would say, "I love you double!" And the battle would be on as to who loved the other the most! It's hard to say how much we love, isn't it? One of the things that impresses me is how much Jesus loved people who had a disability-the blind people, the people who could not hear or who were sick. Jesus healed them every one. Jesus loves everybody, doesn't he? His love is wide (motion with your hands for each descriptive word), long, high and deep. We can experience God's love but we can never really understand it because God's love is so awesome. (Option: Sing the song Extra illustrations Setting Lofty Goals Richard Wilkie wrote a book on the Lord's Prayer. In it, he described how Dr. Albert Schweitzer loved to play Bach on the organ. In fact, even while he was serving as a surgeon in the steamy jungles of Africa, he was still known throughout the world for his musicianship. He loved music, but he loved people more. One evening, as one of the nurses was preparing to leave, he stood at the gang plank preparing to bid her goodbye. As he took her hand he said, "Before you go, I want to recall an incident that happened several months ago. One night, you took a sick baby into your own bedroom so that you could care for it even as you slept. All through the night I heard cries coming from your room. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, the tone in the baby's cry changed. Immediately I knew that the fever had broken and that the child would get better. I'm supposed to be something of a musician but I want you to know that was the most beautiful music I've ever heard." Schweitzer sought for excellence as a musician but he also sought for excellence in loving human beings. That would be a lofty goal, wouldn't it - to be the most loving human being in our community? To be the most trustworthy? To be the most generous? The call to follow Christ is the call to set lofty goals. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com She Could Not Speak Because She Could Not Hear There is a beautiful hearing-impaired actress named Marlee Matlin who won an Oscar for the poignant movie Children of a Lesser God. In the movie she consistently communicated via sign language, though her leading man knew she could speak. In a riveting scene near the film's conclusion, she finally verbalized in his presence. Her words were intelligible but not articulate, slowly formed just well enough to be understood, but not clearly. The character could not speak well because she could not hear. Apparently such was the case for the man in Mark's story. Before Jesus unlocked his tongue, first he had to open his ears. Only when he had heard a message did he have anything to say. So it is for most of us. We cannot share with others what we have not found ourselves. We cannot teach what we have not heard. We cannot articulate a truth to others that we have not appropriated in our own lives. Michael B. Brown, Be All That You Can Be, CSS Publishing. "Deep and Wide" and do the actions.) PRAYER: Thank you that you love us wide, high, long and deep. AMEN