The Promise that Things get Better

January 8, 2026 Baptism of the Lord The Promise that things get Better Isaiah 42:1-9 Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Come to the waters, beloved— where Spirit moved over at creation, where Jesus was immersed in justice, where God leaned close to us. We splash in the river of God’s joy. Come to the waters, beloved— where God’s voice thunders, where God whispers kindness. We watch as Jesus steps into the muddy mess of our lives. Come to the waters, beloved— where the Spirit gifts us so we can stand side by side with the broken and forgotten. We come because we are indeed God’s beloved children. (LectionaryLiturgies, Thom Shuman) Opening Prayer Eternal God, at the baptism of Jesus, you revealed him to be your Son, and anointed him with the Holy Spirit, Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful to their calling as your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website, https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/home. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2014/01/collect-baptism-of-our-lord.html. Song O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing UMH 57 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon: “Remembering Our Yes” (Bring a small bowl of water. If possible, stand near the baptismal font.) Good morning, friends! Does anyone remember a time when you said “yes” to something important? Maybe yes to helping at home… yes to being kind… or yes to following a rule? Today is a special Sunday. It’s the day we remember when Jesus was baptized. When Jesus went into the water, God said, “You are my beloved.” When you were baptized, God said the same thing to you: “You are my beloved child.” Now, I have this bowl of water. (Show water.) This water helps us remember our baptism. Even if you were very little, something important happened that day. The grown-ups—parents, grandparents, the church—said “yes” for you. They said yes to: loving you, helping you grow in faith, and teaching you how to follow Jesus. Later today, the whole church is going to say “yes” again. That’s called renewing our baptismal vows. Renewing our vows means we remember: God loves us. God is with us. And we promise to help each other follow Jesus. The Bible story today says God’s servant is gentle. It says the servant doesn’t break people when they are hurting. That’s part of our baptism promise too. When we say “yes” today, we are saying: We will be kind. We will help others. We will take care of people when they feel sad or weak. And here’s something really important: We don’t say “yes” by ourselves. Look around. (Pause.) The whole church says “yes” together. We help each other keep our promises. So when the water is used later and the questions are asked, listen carefully. That’s the church remembering who we are: God’s beloved children, called to love and serve. Let’s practice saying “yes” together. When I say, “God loves you,” you say “Yes!” God loves you! (Children respond: “Yes!”) God is with you! (“Yes!”) God calls us to help others! (“Yes!”) Let’s pray. Prayer Loving God, Thank you for the water of baptism. Thank you for loving us first. Help us keep saying yes to you, and yes to loving others. Amen Affirmation of faith We trust in God the Holy Spirit everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church. (Presbyterian Outlook, A Brief Statement of Faith) Scripture Isaiah 42:1-9 Sermon The Promise that Things get Better The Messianic Age The Messianic Age. This is what every Jewish child of God was hoping, praying, and waiting for. It is easy to see why when we hear God's Old Testament promises about the Messianic Age: (Isa 2:2) In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (Isa 2:4) They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isa 35:5-7) Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. (6) Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (7) The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. (Isa 60:3,10-13) Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (13) "Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you ... (11) Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations-- their kings led in triumphal procession. (12) For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. (13) "The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the pine, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet. (Isa 65:20-21,25) "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. (21) They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit ... (25) The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD. What wonderful, beautiful promises. No wonder God's Jewish children could hardly wait for the Messianic Age. The Old Testament Scriptures clearly state that the beauty and wonder of the Messianic Age will become a reality; but this will be so only with the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah. It is He Who brings about the Messianic Age. Today, in the story of Jesus' baptism, Matthew tells his Jewish audience that the Messiah has come and that the Messianic Age is about to begin. And, in a departure from Jewish expectations about the Messiah, Matthew tells his Jewish audience that Messiah Jesus has come to take the sinner's place. Adrian Dieleman, Jesus: A Baptism of Repentance? ____________________ The book of Isaiah gives us such wonderful words of hope. It paints a picture of a wonderful world that works for everyone. A world of shalom – peace, justice, wholeness and wellbeing. A world where a supportive community provides all of those things for each individual. The book of Isaiah spans 500 years where the hope, that dream never fades. Our scripture for today – Isaiah 42:1-9 stands somewhere in the middle of that time period. This scripture introduces the concept of the suffering servant. A person who carries the spirit of God, who is called to lead, who cares for the community, but who would not hurt a fly. This person is able to make things happen, but in a calm, peaceful, gentle manner. We are grateful for this person, and we assume that this person is Jesus. And yet Isaiah speaks long before Jesus was born, and he speaks long after Jesus has Risen. The words of Isaiah are still relevant for today. Welcoming Mr. Forsythe Argile Smith Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43 Mr. Forsythe made his work as an elementary school principal look easy. He had a knack for managing his swarm of teachers, coaches, administrators, students, and parents so that teaching and learning could happen every school day. Even though he didn't try to rule with an iron hand, everyone seemed to have tremendous respect for him. He certainly didn't look like a top-shelf administrator. Not a tall man at all, he had a few strands of unruly gray hair on the top of his head with a little more hanging on for dear life around his hat line. A portly fellow, he cut a heavy-in-the-middle figure that would remind you of Santa Claus, and he always looked like he had been dressed by committee. Nothing he wore seemed to match really well or fit quite right. His signature accessory to his garbled wardrobe happened to be a pair of thick glasses that perched precariously on the end of his nose all the time. Mr. Forsythe had incredible power over the school. Teachers lived with the reality that he could fire and replace each one of them as he deemed necessary. Students knew that the stroke of his pen could have them imprisoned to detention, Saturday school, or worse. Parents learned that he had the clout to make things happen. Every member of the school board understood his depth of his influence in the community. But power didn't matter to him very much. The children in his school, however, meant the world to him. He cared deeply about them -- each one of them. For instance, he liked to drop by the third-grade classes and quiz the students on their multiplication tables. All third-graders should have a firm grip on everything from "two times one" to "nine times nine" as far as he was concerned. That's why he would arrange "surprise" visits to each of the third-grade classes. On a typical surprise visit, he would say to the teacher, "I dropped by to see if these students were as smart as the other third-grade classes." Then he would ask, "Would you mind if I asked a few questions?" That's when the fun would begin. He would walk down the aisles, point to a student at random, and throw out a question like, "Two times seven?" A correct answer got a hearty, "Great!" Answering incorrectly got an encouraging "you'll get it next time" reply. Up and down the aisle he would go, hurling multiplication table questions left and right. Then he would leave, thanking the teacher for allowing him to interrupt and adding so everyone could hear, "They're really smart, aren't they?" One day he made a surprise visit to a class in which Charlie sat quietly trying to deal with a toothache. Charlie came from a poor family that couldn't afford dental care. He didn't wear nice clothes either, and he knew it. In fact, Charlie spent much of his time at school trying to be invisible. To make matters worse, his tooth hurt on the very day Mr. Forsythe made one of his surprise visits his class. In usual fashion, Mr. Forsythe made his way up and down the aisle and quizzed one student after another, getting closer to Charlie with each step he took. Then he flashed the question at Charlie, "Six times nine?" Forgetting his pain for a split second, Charlie spoke up, "Fifty-four." Then Mr. Forsythe launched a follow-up query, "Nine times eight?" "Seventy-two!" Charlie shot back. "You're good." Mr. Forsythe said. Then he turned to the teacher and confirmed, "He's really good." After Mr. Forsythe left the classroom, Charlie thought about Mr. Forsythe's visit. The most powerful person in his third-grade world had just said in public that he mattered. For a while, his tooth stopped hurting, and his self-esteem healed a little too. As far as he was concerned, Mr. Forsythe could visit his classroom anytime. Jesus came, powerful yet gentle and caring. People who know Him that way always welcome Him into their lives. Mr. Forsythe was an ordinary man, who came to an ordinary student and give them a really profound calling. When Jesus was baptized, he knew it was time to step into his calling. God made that calling known to all of the world. His calling was to be the suffering servant of the day. In Isaiah – in the first half of the scripture – God is talking about the suffering servant, he talks in third person. He says he/him. But right after he names the characteristics of the suffering servant – he changes – he says you. I have called you for a good reason, I will hold you hand. When God says you – who is God talking about? There is some speculation that you is Jesus, or some other modern figure. But what if when God says I have called you for a reason, God is actually talking about – you – the people listening, the people who claim Jesus Christ as a savior, the people who follow Jesus, the ones who have been baptized? Jesus was baptized, and claimed – but so are we. Blessing brings responsibility When Jesus was baptized, he was given an identity, a mission and a purpose. When we are baptized we are given a mission to fulfill also. When the church forgets to stay united in its mission, when we get so caught up on ourselves, that we forget that all that we do is for the good of others, we are like a ship without a sail. Jesus mission to feed the hungry, to help the blind to see, to set the prisoners free is our mission. Our assignment throught baptism, our call to be obedient servants. God is trying to do a new thing in the world, he calls you, he accepts you, because he needs you. A young girl treasures the times with her granddad, because everyday he prays with her and for her and makes her feel important in the eyes of God. She misses her grandfather deeply when he passes away, because no one else prays for her. One day she asks her mom why she doesn’t bless her the way her grandfather did. Her mom tells her that she blesses her daughter everyday, she prays to God everyday on her behalf, but she doesn’t have to wisdom to make sure that she knows. How many of the people in our lives know that we pray for them, that we accept them, that they are important to us. Being baptized, blessed by God is not only a gift, it is a responsibility. Your responsibility is to be a blessing to other people. What if baptism was God’s way of starting a quiet revolution today – not a revolution of protest, force, or violence. But a revolution of humble love. Baptism is not just a ticket to heaven, it is an invitation to be the body of Christ for the world. We are called to care for others, to build community, to model God’s love for people who cant see it any other way. Through the words of Isaiah – baptism is connected to justice, but also to mission. The Connection between Baptism and Mission There is a vital connection between baptism and mission. Another way to put it is that there is a vital connection between going down and going out. We do not play our part in the world's redemption when we climb ladders so much as when we are pulled downward. It is out of our pain that we heal. It is out of our poverty that we make others rich. It is from our ignorance that we enlighten others. It is by our brokenness that others become whole. It is from our dying that others come to life. We must follow Jesus in his descent, we must accept his downward mobility and our own if we are to be his true disciples, if we are to allow resurrection in our lives. In this terrible demand that we go down with Jesus in downward mobility, that we go down with him in the murky waters of the river and the dark waters of death -- in this terrible demand there is good news for us. For we already know what it means to go down. Perhaps you went down at some time in the past -- an unhappy childhood, a broken marriage, a career failure, a horrible bereavement. Perhaps you find yourself down at the bottom right now -- estranged from a loved one, troubled by an aging body, upset at a world that's changed too fast. You already know what it means to go down. You feel confused, ashamed, and without any power. Your downward descent leaves you groggy. The good news is this: there is power in that downward descent. Not power to grab and keep yourself, but power to use in serving other people. Whatever it is that has taken you to the bottom has been a baptism – if you stand out of the way and let it work. The death you have experienced can be life for someone else. That baptism of yours, horrible and unwelcome though it was, can lead you to some unexpected mission where Christ will rise again in you and your neighbor. Charles Hoffacker, Downward Mobility _____________________________________ Through baptism we have been given the power not just to assess the world – but to change the world. We have the power to make a difference. Remember your baptism and be thankful. Let’s Pray…….. Song Breathe on me Breath of God UMH 420 Prayer Lord’s Prayer Baptismal Renewal (You do not have to mention to invitation at all) Invitation Leader: Beloved of God, today we remember that we are a people formed in water and Spirit. We remember that Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan, not because he needed to be cleansed, but to show us what it means to be fully human— to say yes to God, yes to belovedness, yes to the work of gentle justice. Today we step into that yes again. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Michael Anthony Howard) Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith UMH page 40 Thanksgiving over the Water UMH 41 Prayer of Dedication As a river carries life to land, take our gifts and carry them into the world, God of waters. There, may they set people free, open closed eyes and clenched fists, proclaim faith instead of fear, share peace instead of platitudes. This we pray in the name of the Beloved. Amen. Affirmation God is the creator of wind which stirs us to compassion and the mover of wind which carries God’s cries for justice into every corner of creation. Jesus is the Beloved who stepped out of Glory into the water of baptism, who muddied his feet walking the dusty road to death, who was raised to make us new. The Spirit still comes, resting upon us like a dove, transforming our ordinary lives into gifts of peace and reconciliation, sending us into a broken world to bring healing and hope. God in Community, Holy in One, you are our faith, our hope, our life, our love. This we believe. Amen. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman, 2026) A Moment for Stewardship Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all good gifts, thank you for the gift of baptism, which marks us for life here and life eternal. Please accept our offerings as signs of our love for you and our desire to share Good News with all who are eager to claim new life. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook The heavens have opened and we have heard God’s voice. Let us go to speak up for all whom the world ignores. We have stood in the waters of baptism gathered into the welcoming arms of Jesus. Let us go to embrace everyone who finds the doors of hope, justice, life slammed in their faces. We have felt the touch of the Spirit resting upon us like a gentle dove. Let us go to be light in the shadows cast by the privileged and powerful, and bring peace to the broken places. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman,2026) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Hear the voice of God that claimed you in baptism: you are precious and beloved in God’s sight. God has claimed our lives in baptism that we might die to sin and be raised to new life. God’s Spirit empowers us now to follow Jesus into our world, so as you go, lift up the broken hearted and stand with the oppressed. Love God with your whole lives and love neighbors as yourselves. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Roger Gench) Additional Illustrations Welcome To a Journey The story is told of a pastor's words to a baby shortly after he had baptized her. No doubt, the minister was speaking as much to the congregation as to the infant. "Little sister, by this act of baptism, we welcome you to a journey that will take your whole life. This isn't the end. It's the beginning of God's experiment with your life. What God will make of you, we know not. Where God will take you, surprise you, we cannot say. This we do know and this we say -- God is with you." And God will be with us as we live out our baptism. William B. Kincaid, III, And then Came the Angel, CSS Publishing Company Jesus' Consecration Some years ago, a Scottish minister told his congregation about dreaming he had died. When he came to the pearly gates, to his dismay, he would be denied entrance until he presented his credentials. Proudly the Pastor articulated the number of sermons preached and the prominent pulpits occupied. But Saint Peter said no one had heard them in heaven. The discouraged servant enumerated his community involvement. He was told they were not recorded. Sorrowfully, the pastor turned to leave, when Peter said, "Stay a moment, and tell me, are you the man who fed the sparrows?" "Yes," the Scotsman replied, "but what does that have to do with it?" "Come in," said Saint Peter, "the Master of the sparrows wants to thank you." Here is the pertinent, though often overlooked, point: great and prominent positions indicate skill and capacity, but small services suggest the depth of one's consecration. And so it is with Jesus' Baptism. He submits to John's baptism of repentance even though he himself was perfect and had no need to repent. Jesus identified with our sins by being baptized. He joined in the popular movement of his day. It was a grass roots movement started by a desert monk named John the Baptist. John was calling for the repentance of Israel. Jesus chose to be baptized because he wanted to participate with the people in their desires to be close to God. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, Nashville: Broadman, p. 241. _____________________ Meaning of Baptism Those who are baptized in Jesus do not need to strive after a new life. They have already attained new life through dying with Christ. But they do need to nurture that new life so it can grow and mature. That's what church is for. That's what Bible study is for. That's what prayer is for. It is like the Parable of the Sower. Many of those seeds sprouted up, but only a few grew into maturity. The rest withered and died. A wealthy businessman was horrified to see a fisherman sitting beside his boat, playing with a small child. "Why aren't you out fishing?" asked the businessman. "Because I caught enough fish for one day," replied the fisherman. "Why don't you catch some more?" "What would I do with them?" "You could earn more money," said the businessman. "Then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me." "Then what would I do?" asked the fisherman. "Then," said the businessman, "you could really enjoy life." The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, "What do you think I am doing now?" The baptism of Jesus is dying to our self-centered endeavors and being resurrected into a life marked by grace and love. When we live in the baptism of Jesus, we touch the hearts of others and help open them to the Holy Spirit and new life in Christ. Are you living and growing in the new life you have been given? Paul Peterson, The Waters of Death ___________________ We Draw the Circle Too Small Roy Lloyd, a Lutheran minister, once interviewed Mother Teresa. He said that one of his questions and one of her answers stands out in his mind as "a bright sun burning in my mind." He asked her, "What's the biggest problem in the world today?" And she answered, without hesitation, "The biggest problem in the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small. We need to draw it larger every day." With all that is evil and wrong in this world today it would be easy to answer that question with a hundred different events. That's what makes Mother Teresa's response so jilting. She is saying that the problem is not so much with the world as it is with us. We need to see more people as our neighbor than we are currently doing. I see Jesus doing this in his baptism. In his baptism he included us in his righteousness. He identified with humanity, with our need to be cleansed, and our need to be made pure. If you have been baptized you have been drawn, by Jesus' baptism, into the circle of God's family. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. ____________________ What Will You Do with Your Gift? There is a folk tale from India that summarizes our thoughts this morning. It seems that there was a good king who ruled wisely and who ruled well. One day the king called his three daughters together and told them he was leaving on a long journey. "I wish to learn about God, so I will need to go away and spend a long time in prayer. In my absence I will leave the three of you in charge. Before I leave I would like to leave each of you with a gift; a gift I pray will help you learn how to wisely use your power to rule." Then he placed in each of their hands a single grain of rice. The first daughter tied a long golden thread around her grain of rice and placed it in a beautiful crystal box. Every day she looked at it and reminded herself that she was powerful. The second daughter took one look at the common grain of rice, and threw it away, thus squandering her father's mysterious gift. The third daughter just looked at her grain of rice for a long, long time - until she finally understood what to do with it. She went outside and planted it in the ground. And it became a seed, giving life beyond itself, eventually turning into vast fields of hope and nourishment for others. When the father returned years later, he asked his three daughters what they had done with their grains of rice. Though he was polite to his first two daughters, he did not respond to their explanations with much enthusiasm. It was only after the king saw the fields of grain resulting from his third daughter's wisdom that he responded with delight. Taking the crown off his head, he placed it on hers, saying, "Beloved, you alone have learned the meaning of power." From that day forward, the youngest daughter ruled the kingdom. She ruled long, and she ruled wisely, and she ruled well. Brothers and sisters, this day as we remember the blessings and power of our baptism, as we set apart brothers and sisters for particular tasks of ministry, I pray that all of us will continue to be God's delight - powerful servants - pouring out our power for the hope and nourishment of the world. William R. White, Stories For The Journey (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1988), adapted by Susan R. Andrews, The Offense of Grace, CSS Publishing Company Messages from God A few years ago there were billboards scattered throughout the United States with messages from God. Some guy had purchased the space and conducted an advertising campaign for God. Actually, the person responsible for these "Messages from God" chose to remain anonymous. The Smith Agency in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, launched the advertising campaign in September 1998. Andrew Smith, the agency's president, said that an individual simply appeared in their office one day and hired them on the spot. He said that their agreement with this individual prohibited them from releasing his name but he did say that the person is quite well known. These 15 messages signed by God have appeared on billboards and buses: 1. Let's Meet at My House Sunday Before the Game.--God 2. C'mon Over and Bring the Kids.--God 3. What Part of "Thou Shalt Not ..." Didn't You Understand?--God 4. We Need to Talk.--God 5. Keep Using My Name in Vain And I'll Make Rush Hour Longer.--God (This add is placed in congested Urban areas). 6. Loved the Wedding, Invite Me to the Marriage.--God 7. That "Love Thy Neighbor" Thing, I Meant It.--God 8. I Love You ... I Love You ... I Love You.--God 9. Will The Road You're on Get You to My Place?--God 10. Follow Me.--God 11. My Way Is the Highway.--God 12. Need Directions?--God 13. You Think It's Hot Here?--God (During the Summer) 14. Tell the Kids I Love Them.--God 15. Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be a Test.--God It's a cute campaign and clever and it would be nice if God actually would spend a little more time advertising his thoughts. But this exposes the fault in us humans. We want a definitive answer. We want some rules to go by and we want to be told how to behave and what we should do. The Ten Commandments do this for us but we slowly found out --through centuries and centuries of countless sins and human atrocities--that we were not able to abide by them. So what is God to do? Take out an add campaign on our city buses and billboards? No, I don't think so. Instead he does something very different. He says, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." What a difference! Instead of rules written on tablets, buses, and billboards, he says, "I'd like to introduce you to someone special. Here, I want you to meet my son. I love him a great deal. I am so proud of him." What do you do about that? It's one thing to forget a commandment. It's quite another to slam the door in the face of a relative. Brett Blair, Sermons.com. ____________________ The Unbaptized Arm Ivan the Great became the great sovereign ruler of all of Russia during the Fifteenth Century. He brought together warring tribes and independent provinces. He has been called the gatherer of all of Russia. As a fighting man he was courageous. As a general he was brilliant. He drove out the Tartars and established peace across the nation. However, Ivan was so busy waging his campaigns that he did not have a family. His friends and advisers were quite concerned. They reminded him that there was no heir to the throne, and should anything happen to him the union would shatter into chaos. “You must take a wife who can bear you a son.” The busy soldier statesman said to them that he did not have the time to search for a bride, but if they would find a suitable one, he would marry her. The counselors and advisers searched the capitals of Europe to find an appropriate wife for the great tsar. And find her, they did. They reported to Ivan of the beautiful dark eyed daughter of the King of Greece. She was young, brilliant, and charming. He agreed to marry her sight unseen. The King of Greece was delighted. It would align Greece in a favorable way with the emerging giant of the north. But there had to be one condition, “He cannot marry my daughter unless he becomes a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.” Ivan’s response, “I will do it!” So, a priest was dispatched to Moscow to instruct Ivan in Orthodox doctrine. Ivan was a quick student and learned the catechism in record time. Arrangements were concluded, and the tsar made his way to Athens accompanied by 500 of his crack troops--his personal palace guard. He was to be baptized into the Orthodox church by immersion, as was the custom of the Eastern Church. His soldiers, ever loyal, asked to be baptized also. The Patriarch of the Church assigned 500 priests to give the soldiers a one-on-one catechism crash course. The soldiers, all 500 of them, were to be immersed in one mass baptism. Crowds gathered from all over Greece. What a sight that must have been, 500 priests and 500 soldiers, a thousand people, walking into the blue Mediterranean. The priests were dressed in black robes and tall black hats, the official dress of the Orthodox Church. The soldiers wore their battle uniforms with of all their regalia — ribbons of valor, medals of courage, and their weapons of battle. Suddenly, there was a problem. The Church prohibited professional soldiers from being members; they would have to give up their commitment to bloodshed. They could not be killers and church members too. After a hasty round of diplomacy, the problem was solved quite simply. As the words were spoken and the priests began to baptize them, each soldier reached to his side and withdrew his sword. Lifting it high overhead, every soldier was totally immersed-everything baptized except his fighting arm and sword. That is a true historical fact. The unbaptized arm. What a powerful picture of Christianity today. How many unbaptized arms are here this morning? How many unbaptized wills are here? How many unbaptized talents? Unbaptized check books? Unbaptized social activities? How many are there here this morning? Wayne Dehoney, Walnut Street Baptist Church. ______________________________ The Majesty of God Roy L. Smith tells about an aged and scholarly minister with a flair for astronomy who spent the night on a California mountaintop with a group of young men from his church. It so happened that a little after midnight two great stars came into conjunction, and the dear old man went from sleeping bag to sleeping bag, shaking them and shouting, “Get up! Get up! Don’t miss it! Don’t let God Almighty put on such a show as this for just this old mule and me!” Anyone who is sensitive to the beauty of nature sees God daily. When was it that you first realized the majesty of God? Perhaps it was at the birth of your first child. What greater miracle in all of creation is there than this--the birth of a new human being? As we watch that child learn to smile and to make sounds--then to talk and to walk and finally to grow into a mature person, we are led to the dramatic realization that there is more to life than mere physics and chemistry. Behind creation stands a Creator. When was it that you first realized the majesty of God? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

The Prophecy of the Summer Fruit

July 20, 2025

Amos 8:1-12

The Prophecy of the Summer Fruit

Year C

 

Prelude

 

Greetings

 

Call to Worship

God calls us here to worship. We carry many worries and are distracted

by many things, but here, in this time and place, we are invited to set

them aside, to be fully present. Let’s pause and take a deep breath.

We remember who we are:

We are the body of Christ.

We remember whose we are:

We are God’s beloved children.

We remember our chief purpose:

To glorify and enjoy God forever.

Let us worship God!  (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge)

 

Invocation

Abiding God, we invite you to inhabit our space. We long to renew our minds, restore our souls, and rest our presence before you. Still, we bring the burdens we carry into this gathering. We hold our responsibilities, cares, and concerns. Let us bind ourselves in your love and strength and the community of faithful and curious. We affirm that this time with you and one another equips and fortifies us for the journey and helps us discern the better way. Be glorified in our worship. Be honored by our praise. Be known by your people, O Creator, Teacher, and Friend. In your many names, we pray. Amen.  (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay)

 

 

 

 

Song

 

A Sermon for All Ages

 

Responsive Reading    Psalm 52 (Common English Bible)

Hey, powerful person!
    Why do you brag about evil?
    God’s faithful love lasts all day long.
² Your tongue devises destruction:
    it’s like a sharpened razor, causing deception.
³ You love evil more than good;
    you love lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
⁴ You love all destructive words;
    you love the deceiving tongue.

⁵ But God will take you down permanently;
    he will snatch you up,
    tear you out of your tent,
    and uproot you from the land of the living! Selah
⁶ The righteous will see and be in awe;
    they will laugh at those people:
⁷ “Look at them! They didn’t make God their refuge.
    Instead, they trusted in their own great wealth.
        They sought refuge in it—to their own destruction!”

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in God’s house;
    I trust in God’s faithful love forever and always.
⁹ I will give thanks to you, God, forever,
    because you have acted..
In the presence of your faithful people,
    I will hope in your name because it’s so good.

 

 

Scripture     Amos 8:1-12

 

Sermon the Prophecy of the Summer Fruit

 

I am so excited!  It is summer time and things are starting to grow.  And I get to enjoy all of the wonderful fruits and vegetables that are available fresh this time of year.  Corn, zucchini, blueberries, cantelope.  I picked my first tomatoe of the year, and more are starting to grow.

 

When you think about it, a bowl of summer fruit tells us everything that we need to know about God.  The bible is full of life lessons about fruit.

Strawberries are my favorite fruit. I even love strawberry plants, for once they preached a powerful sermon to me which I've never forgotten. I was on my hands and knees in my garden pulling weeds, when suddenly I noticed something I had seen hundreds of times before but never caught the lesson. It was the "runners" on the berry plants. From the main vine a number of slender shoots extend like arms in all directions. They are thin, green stems creeping along the ground, being pushed out by that mysterious power in the mother plant. After reaching out about 6 inches, the end penetrates the ground and developes roots. Then the leaves of the new baby plant shoot upward. All the while, before the infant plant is able to sustain itself, it receives nourishment from the parent through the "runner."  When the new growth is fixed in the ground, the "runner" resumes its journey and reaches out another 6 inches, still nourished by the original clump of berries. Then the process is repeated. And while one plant is multiplying, there are several others doing the same thing in different directions. I forgot all about the weeds and saw only that mother plant sending out its runners. This caused me to cry out, "O God, make me like those strawberries, reaching out in a effort to multiply and bring forth fruit."

Source: Unknown

Fruit represents our faith, we are called to be faithful by being fruitful.

 

For instance, summer is the perfect time to talk about stewardship.  We are called to take care of the things that God cares about.  Also the assurance that God will provides for us.  We can plant the seeds, we can care for the plants, but only God provides the fruit.  This summer we are having a mini stewardship session to encourage us to think about the needs of the ministry.  During the days of the Bible, people were encouraged to bring their first fruits of harvest to the temple.  Today our first fruits can be  our money, our time, our talents and skills.  It can be other things like paper products, cleaning supplies, office supplies or helping with a ministry of the church.  First fruits are proof of God’s love for us, it is also an obvious sign of our faith and what is inside of our hearts.

 

Two Fruit Trees - Different Fruit

      A farmer one planted two fruit trees on opposite sides of his property.  The one he planted to provide a hedge hide the unsightly view of an old landfill; the other to provide shade to rest under near a cool mountain stream which ran down beside his fields.  As the two trees grew, both produced began to flower and bear fruit.  One day the farmer decided to gather the fruit from the tree nearest his house " the one used to provide a hedge from the landfill.  As he brought the fruit inside the house, he noticed that it was a little deformed " the symmetry of the fruit was not very good, but still the fruit looked edible. Later that evening, while sitting on his porch the farmer took one of the pieces of fruit for a snack.  Biting into the fruit, he found it to be extremely bitter, and completely inedible.  Casting the fruit aside he looked across the field to the other tree over by the mountain stream.  After walking across the field, the farmer took a piece of the fruit from the other tree and bit into it.  Find the fruit to be sweet and delicious he gathered several more pieces of fruit and took them to the house.

      The fruit was greatly affected by the nutrition of the root.  Just as the tree grew by the landfill to be bitter, and the tree by the stream produced sweet fruit, so the Christian has a choice.  He can either put down his roots into the soil of the landfill of fleshly pursuits, or into the cool refreshing stream of the person of Jesus Christ.  We must understand that the root bears the fruit.  The fruit of the Christian is the outward evidence of the inward motivation. 

 

      Psa 1:1-6, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

 

A fellow I was reading enjoys telling something that he and his brothers did as children (my notes did not record his name; sorry).

When they misbehaved and were sent to their room, they were secretly pleased. Just outside their window stood an old fruit tree. The boys would softly raise the window, climb down the tree, and play in the field behind the house. After a bit, they would climb the tree, slip inside and close the window. Then, they’d call downstairs to mom and dad, asking if they hadn’t suffered enough.

One day they heard Dad tell Mom he planned to cut the tree down. “It hasn’t borne any fruit in years.” The boys panicked and went into action.

Pooling their money, they ran to the village market and bought a sack of apples and a spool of black thread. That evening, they slipped out the window and tied the apples onto the tree.

Next morning, they waited eagerly for Dad’s reaction.

Soon they were pleased to hear him call out, “Mary! Come see! It’s a miracle! That tree is covered with apples.”

The boys were congratulating themselves. Then they heard Dad say, “It really is a miracle…because that’s a pear tree!”

(The parents had the wisdom and good humor to allow the tree to survive.)

Just as a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and vice versa, pear trees do not bear apples. We reap what we sow.

 

It is Jesus who says that we are known by the fruit that we produce.  Another fruit lessons in the bible is in the book of Galatians.  Paul says that the fruits of the spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”

When those things are present in our lives and our actions then God is near.  The new testament just builds upon the aspects of God listed in the Hebrew bible.  The main aspect of God are love, mercy, holiness and justice.  When we talk about giving first fruits, we are talking about love and mercy.  When we talk about the fruits of the spirit we are talking about holiness.

Our scripture in Amos teaches us about the important aspect of justice.  God has a soft spot for the poor, the vulnerable, those who are suffering because of unjust systems.  In Amos 8 – Amos sees a vision of summer fruit.  There are a lot of positive lessons to learn from a bowl of fruit – it is nutritious, good to eat, and a sign of summer growth and abundance.  But fruit does not last very long.  If one fruit goes bad, it affects all of the other fruit around it.  Once it goes bad, it smells and is inedible.

If fruit represents faith – Amos’ message to us is that good faith can turn to bad faith pretty easily.  Amos is concerned that people have stopped caring for others, people have gotten greedy, they chose to take care of themselves at the expense of others.  People even come to church to look good on Sunday and are very cruel people during the week.

God is not pleased.  Fruit can look good on the outside and be rotten on the inside.  Amos warning is that when summer is over, and fruit goes bad it is thrown out and destroyed.  Amose gives us another warning – our stomaches may be full, our bank accounts may be full, our calendars may be full, but in reality our life will be empty – unless we put God first.

In the scripture, God speaks to Amos and asks him what does he see.  God says  Hear this, you who trample on the needy and destroy
        the poor of the land, Surely I will never forget what they have done.

Back in 2002, Rick Gillespie-Mobley gave a sermon on stewardship that I thought was pretty good.¹ It was more of a devotional. But he gave an illustration that I thought was outstanding. At the beginning of that sermon he shared a story that I think beautifully illustrates a major problem in Evangelical Christianity.

He told about a father who wanted to do something special for his five year old son, Jimmy. He asked his son to get ready, and said that they were going to go out for treat. The son was very happy, but when his dad said that this time he could pick anything he wanted, Jimmy was very, very excited. Jumping up and down he said he wanted McDonald's French Fries. Now, keep in mind that he's a five year old, so those of you who are jaded by McDonalds can hold your horses and not spoil the story.

Anyway, they went to the local McDonalds. And Jimmy was expecting a small sized French Fries, but his eyes lit up as his dad told the cashier that he was ordering a super-sized French Fries and a coke. After dad had paid for the snack, Jimmy was almost dancing with anticipation. Even during prayer he could hardly wait to start digging into those fries. As soon as prayer was done, Jimmy started eating the French Fries with obvious delight. And of course, it delighted the father that his son was enjoying such a simple treat. How easy was that be? It didn't cost much to bring delight to his son's heart. And enjoying the moment, dad reached over the take a couple of fries. And to his surprise, the son pulled the fries close to his body, quickly put his arms around the fries, building a kind of fort, and sad, "No, these are mine."

And dad was a bit shocked. But he pulled back his hand and kind of stared at his son for a bit. And during those moments he had an epiphany of how God must feel when God asks for a couple fries from the container of our life. He was thinking to himself, what is this little rascal thinking? I just wanted a couple of the fries. And after all, I am the source of these fries. I was the one who offered to take him out, I super-sized the order so that I could share it with him, I paid for it, and gave it to him. And he doesn't want to share anything. And apparently my little pip-squeak of a son has forgotten that I am stronger than him, so building a fort with his arms seems rather silly. I'm not going to force him, but it seems kind of silly.

And then he thought, “Why did I even want a couple of fries? It's not like I was hungry. And if I was, I could have bought my own. For that matter, I could buy ten containers of fries. It's not that I need the fries. I just wanted to share in his moment of joy and I wanted him to include me in his moment of joy.” One or two fries would not have made much difference to him as an adult. He just wanted Jimmy to invite him into this wonderful little world that he had made possible for his son, rather than excluding him.

And I think that is such a wonderful metaphor of what often goes wrong with our stewardship. God has given all of us a metaphorical bag of French Fries. Some of us have small bags, and others have big bags, and some even have super-sized bags. Some of your bags might have curly fries, and others might have jalapeño flavored fries. But God has given every one of you some things.

And like that dad, God desires to sit down at the table with us for some fellowship and connection time. When He reaches over to use some of the blessings he has freely given to us, far too often we say, "No God, these are mine. Go get your own fries." And it hurts God's feelings (speaking anthropomorphically, of course). It's not as if God needs our French Fries. He doesn't need anything. He has made all things. He made us, and gives us strength, and enables us to find employment, and prospers us in so many different ways. And God doesn't ask us to give because He is hurting. He could just utter the word and there would be billions of French Fries. So why does He ask us for any? He asks us to give because he wants us to find the delight of what it means to become more like Him.

David and the men in this chapter had it right. God had prospered them with super-sized French Fries, and it was their absolute joy to share those French Fries with God and to offer God more. And rather than looking at every word of this chapter, I thought I would give a rapid overview of 20 verses that show 15 right ways of engaging in stewardship that are better than Jimmy's hoarding.

 

 

What gifts has God given to us, What did God ask for us in return? When were we not willing to share with God? How can we share our fries with God?  What greed is rampant in the world today? What does God want us to do about it in faith?

A bowl of fruit teaches us all that we need to know about our faith.  Let’s enjoy our fruit while it is summer!  Let’s Pray!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song

 

Prayer of Intercession

O Christ, your cross speaks both to us and to our world.

In your dying for us,
You accepted the pain and hurt of the whole of creation.

The arms of your cross stretch out
Across the broken world in reconciliation.

You have made peace with us.
Helps us to make peace with you
By sharing in your reconciling work.

May we recognize your spirit
Disturbing and challenging us to care for creation
And for the poor who most feel the effects of its abuse.

O Christ, the whole of creation groans.
Set us free and make us whole. Amen.

From the Iona Community’s Iona Abbey Worship Book (Wild Goose Publications, Iona Community, 2001). Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/10/prayer-of-intercession-colossians-1-15.html.

 

 

Lord’s Prayer

 

Stewardship Moment

Life is all about choices and how we allow God to be present in our choices.  Banana here – represents something that you received recently – present, money earned, something weren’t expecting.   Lesson for today, is first fruits and putting God first in everything that we do.

Peel banana – peel off a tenth and put it aside.

Most of the banana left.   Life starts to happen.  Friend stops by and invites your out for ice cream – spend a dollar. Still have 8 dollars left.

Next day, your family goes to Catfish days – want to eat out – spend 3 dollars.  How much left?

Go to the store and you want a candy bar – 1.50. how much left

End of the week spent it all – but we set aside a tenth – still have money to put in church

Many people do it the opposite – so excited to get their gift – that that can’t wait to dive in – and in the next week. Nothing is left for God.    That stewardship calls us to put god first in everything that we do – not just money – but time talents, gifts.  Give our first fruits to God – have left to be blessed.  Everything else falls into place.

Have that opportunity to give first fruits to God.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Loving God, you have given us life and called us to new life as disciples of Jesus Christ.  In gratitude and thanksgiving, we offer back to you our lives, symbolized in these gifts of coin and check.  Help us continue to offer “the better part” not only today but each day of our lives.  AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving)

 

 

 

Announcements

 

Closing Prayer for Facebook

Many tasks await us and distractions abound. Having been fed by the

Word of God and refreshed and inspired by the Holy Spirit, we go from

this place, renewed by our call to witness to and share God’s love in a

world that so desperately needs it.

As we do so, may the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you, now and always.

Amen.  (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge)

 

 

Community Time Joys and Concerns

 

Benediction

As you go,
Boast in the goodness of God
Live in the abundance of God’s love.
Remember that you are more than enough.
Find rest and joy in the day.
Know hope and safety in the night.
Go, in peace to love and to serve.  (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay)

 

 

 

Additional Illustrations

Many Christians spend six days a week sowing wild oats and then come to church and pray for crop failure.

Source: Unknown

False Advertising

“Recently I saw a bag of potato chips with a bold declaration splashed across the front: ‘Zero grams of trans fat.’ I was glad to know that I wouldn’t be consuming any trans fat, which research has shown is detrimental to my health. But then I flipped the bag over and read the ingredients list, which included things like ‘yellow #6’ and other artificial colors, and partially hydrogenated oil (which is trans fat, just a small enough amount that they can legally call it ‘0 grams’). I thought it was incredibly ironic that these chips were being advertised in a way that makes me think they are not harmful, yet were really full of empty calories, weird chemicals, and, ironically, trans fat. It struck me that many Christians flash around their ‘no trans fat’ label, trying to convince everyone they are healthy and good. Yet they have no substantive or healthful elements to their faith” (Francis Chan, Crazy Love [Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2008], excerpted in Charisma Leader, November 4, 2008, https://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/features/17801-serving-leftovers-to-a-holy-god).

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Prophecy

Malachi 3:1-4 The Last Prophecy 2nd Sunday of Advent Year C Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: The prophet Malachi calls us to watch for the messenger God will send us, a messenger who burns with a passion for God’s coming salvation. “For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness” (Malachi 3:2b-3). Congregation: In a world driven by a passion to maintain the status quo, we choose to live with a passion for God’s peace, to listen to those who call us to righteousness, and to submit ourselves to God’s grace, that we might be refined and purified until we reflect God’s love throughout the earth. Reader Two: We light this candle of peace as a sign of our commitment to passionately pursue the work of making peace in our hearts, our families, our communities, and throughout the earth until God’s kin-dom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Light the second candle of the Advent wreath. (United Methodist Board of Discipleship) Call to Worship Children of God, prepare the way! The Word of God is coming! We come to listen and receive God’s Word among us. Children of God, the prophets call to us now and from generations past, urging us to prepare and refine our hearts for the coming of the Word of God. Are you listening? We come to listen and prepare to receive God’s Word among us. Children of God, this is the mark of our preparation: that passion for God’s Word would burn within us, cleansing us and renewing us to reflect God’s love throughout the world. May God ignite our passion for God’s Word that has come among us as we listen, prepare, and receive all that God has for us today. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Opening Prayer Compassionate God, greet us with your grace this day, for we need you. We cannot save ourselves. Though we may be frantic with activity, our efforts do not yield peace, peace as you can give. Today we would be quiet enough to hear your voice. Today we would be still enough to feel your touch. Help us to find that place where we can receive as well as give, wait as well as act, and listen as well as speak. Our whole world needs your peace. Let us come before you and learn your ways, laying down our weapons and feeding the hungry. Come to us now, through Jesus the Christ. Amen. Written by Ruth C. Duck in Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, Updated(Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2012), 5. For use in worship, using the following attribution: Reprinted by permission of the publisher from Touch Holiness, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi. Copyright © 1990 by The Pilgrim Press. Song Angels from the Realms of Glory UMH 220 A Sermon for all ages Each of us is holding a copy of the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word to us. The Bible is true. The Bible teaches us about God’s promises and plans for all men, women, boys and girls. Everything that God says He is going to do is going to happen. As we have studied God’s Word together we have had opportunities to see how God made promises to His people and how He has kept His promises. We have seen how God promised His people that if they would repent and turn away from their sin and turn back to Him, He would forgive them (Joel 2:13). God loves His people and will never stop loving them. Because He loves them He has to punish their sin. The Jewish people ignored the prophets God sent to warn them to turn away from their sin. God kept His word and punished them by sending them to Babylon for 70 years to be prisoners (Jeremiah 25:11). After 70 years God kept His promise to let His people return to Jerusalem. God sent prophets to encourage the Jewish people who returned to their city that was destroyed. He sent prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to remind His people that the Messiah would come and they would finally live peacefully with God’s blessings. God used Ezra and Nehemiah to help rebuild the temple and the walls. Today we are going to be studying Malachi the last minor prophet in the Old Testament. Let’s open our Bibles and find the Book of Malachi. The name Malachi means “my messenger”. God had a message for His people. Malachi reminded the people that God loved them. 1. What does Malachi’s name mean? (My messenger) 2. What did Malachi remind God’s people? (He loved them) 3. Why was God disappointed with His people? (They weren’t bringing the best offerings, the priests were not teaching the people to live according to God’s truth, they were robbing God and they said it was useless to serve God) 4. What kind of offering did God require the people to bring for a sacrifice? (An animal that wasn’t sick or injured, one without blemish) 5. What is the Day of the Lord? (The day God will punish all the wickedness on the earth) 6. How long was God silent after Malachi gave His message? (400 years) 7. What change do you need to make in your life to give God your very best? (Ministry to Children, Kelly Henderson) PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of Grace, you blow the breath of life into our lungs, you have formed us in your image. And yet we acknowledge that sometimes we are not who you would have us be. You challenge us to embrace the refining fire of your love, to meet you on the threshing floor of life, to be washed as with fuller's soap. But in our heart of hearts we would rather keep those things that would be removed in such an encounter. Through your Grace, life-giving God, accept us as we are, Unrefined, unwashed, the chaff mixed in with the grain. And help us to move into a new way of being ...time of silence... Listen! For this is Good News! God's Grace is wider than our wildest imaginings. God's Grace embraces us as we are and where we are and draws us out to be the people we were created to be. Thanks be to God! Amen. Written by Rev. Gord Waldie on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/08/prayer-for-grace-malachi-3-1-4.html. Scripture Malachi 3:1-4 Sermon The Last Prophecy The major themes of the advent season are prophecy and promise. In the 4 weeks before Christmas we look at the ancient promises that God made to the people of the world. And we follow along with how those promises and prophecies have played themselves out in modern times. Malachi is the last prophecy of the Hebrew Bible. It is believed that Malachi was the prophet Ezra – he convinced the Hebrews to purify themselves and to rebuild the temple so that they would have a place to come and worship God. The Hebrew bible never really says why – but it seems that after the words of Malachi – God slowed down in sending God’s words through prophets. There are 400 years between the end of the book of Malachi and the beginning of the book of Matthew- the New Testament begins in prophecy. In the new testament, we hear confirmation that all that the prophets said was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. There are several places where the new testament says that God will not send any more prophets to the world. To be fair, the muslims do consider Jesus to be a prophet, but they say that Muhammad was the last prophet that God sent to the world. Either way, it is significant for us that as the age of prophecy ends, the age of fulfillment begins. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in a brand new way, the spirit works in the hearts of the righteous, in the life of Jesus Christ and in the words of scripture. It is interesting, that the last big question of the last Hebrew prophecy is still a question for today. Where is the God of justice? For some reason it seems like evil prevails. Crooked people seem to get aways with anything now. It seems like we live in a world where there are no rules, no respect, no need to do the right thing. Malachi is a series of conversations between God, God’s messenger, and God’s people. In our scripture, the message to us is two fold or may even three fold – first, don’t worry, justice is coming. God sees what is going on in the world. God does not have a police force to enforce righteousness, but God knows what is going on and who is doing it. The presence of God came to us in the life of Jesus Christ. - Second we need to prepare ourselves for the coming of justice in the world. It is easy for us to expect justice for other people. But God’s justice is for us all. Instead of focusing on what others are doing wrong, we need to focus on our own lives. When justice comes into the world permantly, how will that affect our own actions. - Third we have to be careful what we ask for. In order for the world to heal, it will be painful. God’s justice will be painful, but it will be in our own best interest. Sort of like old school medical cures. Today, medicine is sugar coated. They do everything to make medical cures comfortable. That was not so in the olden days. I used to hate to come down with a cold, because my mother would make me drink nasty cod liver oil. And as a child, it was never a good day when my mother would pull out the mercurochrome to put on a scape or sore. That stuff would burn and hurt so much more than the original wound. And yet supposedly, it bought about healing. The day they took that stuff off of the market was a good day. And yet that is a good image of what God’s justice is like. Malachi says that it is like a refiners fire – it will burn, but it will make you a better person. Justice leads to repentance, and repentance leads to forgiveness, grace and peace. Justice is coming, but it will affect us all. With God’s judgement better days are coming. If you thought that 400 years was a long time to wait for the biblical story to continue with the birth of Jesus, imagine to 2024 years since Jesus’ birth that we are waiting for Jesus to return. When we look at the news it is easy to believe that the spirit of God is not around. It seems that things have gotten out of hand. Even I ask God, if God is all powerful and has control of all of life, why does God allow the things in the world to go on? When will Jesus return and end all of this craziness? When will justice prevail? When will the prophecy be fulfilled? Experiment of couples juggling too much There was as advent experiment – where couples were asked to stand on stage and to literally juggle some important symbols of life – 10 couples were given a wedding ring, a soccer ball, a tablet computer, a crystal vase, a cup and a saucer, and a cross. As you can imagine, as the couples lined up and started juggling, you could hear broken glass, and bouncing balls everywhere. Every couple dropped these symbols as they tried to juggle them all at one time. That is the sound of the beginning of advent – the sound of chaos and broken glass. The sound of God shaken up our symbols, our priorities, our beliefs, our hopes and our dreams. But there was one couple that did not drop the things that they were juggling. They realized that they couldn’t keep everything in the air – so they took some time to prioritize what was most important to them – their faith – the cross, their children – the doll, and the wedding ring. Everything else had to be put aside. Most of the things that come to us that shake us – is God’s way of telling us that we cant have everything, we cant do everything, we cant be everywhere – so we have to be forced to pick what is really important to us – and focus just on those things, and let everything else fall to the ground and breaking. Being shaken up is a sign of God’s love. It is a sign that God plan for salvation is working full speed ahead. On the second Sunday of Advent – that is what the world sounds like – chaos, confusion, and wanting of a sense of justice. If 400 years is a long time, 2024 is so much longer. Advent starts with us wating for Jesus to return. When will that be? The New Testament prophecy sais that there is no way of us every to know. Remember the words of Malachi – the day is coming – so now we wait, we prepare, we open our hearts. God’s justice will affect all of the world. God’s peace will benefit us all as well. The coming of Christ is a moment for everyone to rejoice. Did you know that some of the most popular Christmas songs were actually written by Jewish people? These songs include: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Let is Snow, The Christmas song, It is the most wonderful time of the year, Santa Baby, Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland. There are many others. Perhaps it is just a matter of making money for them, perhaps they understand what it means to wait for the messiah, Perhaps God’s vision of a world where justice prevails and we all chose to live as righteous people is the fulfillment of a promise made to all of humankind, regardless of our religion or creed. This advent, remember that even in the midst of silence God still speaks. We can find peace, in a world where the unjust prevail. Let us pray…….. Song All the Earth is Waiting UMH 210 Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Advent and during the Christmas season stories are often told of people eager to offer something to the baby Jesus. The story of the poinsettia comes from Mexico, focusing on two young children, so poor they picked weeds on the side of the path they walked to church. When they arrived to offer their weedy gift, they found the weeds blossomed into brilliant red when they laid them at the manger bed. The classic story of “The Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke details the travels of Artaban, who wanted to join the wise men following the star. He had several gifts when he began his journey. Side-tracked when he used a gift to help a dying man, Artaban finally got to Bethlehem, only to discover Jesus and his family had left for Egypt. Artaban traveled for 33 years, searching for Jesus until he finally comes to Jerusalem, where his last gift is used to redeem a woman who was up for sale as a slave. What story might be told because of the gifts you bring to offer to the Redeemer today? Let us share our gifts with joy. Prayer of Thanksgiving With grateful hearts, O God, we bring our gifts and ourselves to offer our lives back to you. Thank you for redeeming us. Thank you for claiming us as your own beloved children. Accept this offering. Help us put it and ourselves to use this week, that we might share the Good News of your peace with the world. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the Spirit of Light, The Christ of Love, And the God of Joy Infuse our souls with peace and a song of thanksgiving As we seek the presence of God in our world. Community Time Joys and Concerns (United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Benediction Go, now, blessed with a passion that refines, molds, and shapes each of our hearts to reflect God’s glorious love that transforms despair into hope, violence into peace, and distress into flourishing. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Postlude