What's Inside

March 22, 2020 1 Samuel 16:1-13 What’s Inside 4th Sunday of Lent Year A Children’s Sermon Object: Box of chocolates with mixed fillings and Card stock printed with 1 Samuel 16 (reference only) (Open the box of chocolate. Take one out, bite it, and announce its filling. Take out a second piece of chocolate, bite it, and announce its filling.) These pieces of chocolate are very good! From the outside, they very much alike, but when you bite into them, you find out that they are very different. Without the map that sometimes comes with the box, you have to break or bite the chocolate to know what’s inside. Sometimes we judge people by how they look on the outside, but a story in the Bible lets us know that God looks at us differently. (Hold up the card stock with 1 Samuel 16 printed on it.) In 1 Samuel, chapter 16, God told Samuel, his prophet, to anoint a new king for Israel. Anointing is an old practice that involved pouring oil onto the head of a person chosen for a special job. God sent Samuel to the town of Bethlehem, where he was to meet a man named Jesse. Jesse didn’t know it yet, but one of his eight sons was going to be chosen as the next king. So Samuel came to town, and Jesse called together his sons. First, Samuel met Eliab. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Eliab looked like, but Samuel was impressed. After seeing Eliab, Samuel thought that he must be the next king. But do you know what God said? In verse 7, God said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Samuel looked at Eliab on the outside and was sure that he would be the next king, but God told Samuel that he was looking at our hearts. Finally, Samuel met David. David was the youngest. Usually, the Bible doesn’t say much about the way a person looks, but in this case, it does give us some clues. The middle part of verse 12 says, “Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.” Do you know what ruddy means? It means “red.” We don’t know if verse 12 means that David had red hair or if he had a reddish complexion from being out in the sun while he was watching the sheep, but the Bible says that he was ruddy and handsome. The Bible doesn’t say this, but it’s possible that David was short. Remember that in verse 7, God told Samuel not to consider Eliab’s height. Saul, the first king of Israel, was tall, so Samuel and the other people might have expected another tall man to be the new king. When Samuel saw David, he probably thought, “He’s young, he’s short, and he smells like the sheep he watches all day. He couldn’t possibly be the next king.” But remember what else God said in verse 7. God looks at our hearts, not our faces or our heights or anything else on the outside. God knew that David loved him very much and that David was the best choice for the new king. So God told Samuel to anoint David. Stewardship Moment When Alaska experienced a terrible earthquake a couple decades ago, the governor’s wife said that she had received many letters and phone calls asking her to help people’s relatives and friends. She also received many offers of help. But she received one letter she won’t forget. It was from a ten-year-old boy from Bemidji, Minnesota, who sent her two nickels. He said he hoped it would help some of the suffering the quake had caused. In a postscript to his letter he had written these words: "P.S. If you need more, please let me know." scripture 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Common English Bible (CEB) Samuel anoints David 16 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to grieve over Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have found[a] my next king among his sons.” 2 “How can I do that?” Samuel asked. “When Saul hears of it he’ll kill me!” “Take a heifer with you,” the LORD replied, “and say, ‘I have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make clear to you what you should do. You will anoint for me the person I point out to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD instructed. When he came to Bethlehem, the city elders came to meet him. They were shaking with fear. “Do you come in peace?” they asked. 5 “Yes,” Samuel answered. “I’ve come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. Now make yourselves holy, then come with me to the sacrifice.” Samuel made Jesse and his sons holy and invited them to the sacrifice as well. 6 When they arrived, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, That must be the LORD’s anointed right in front. 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God[b] doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart.” 8 Next Jesse called for Abinadab, who presented himself to Samuel, but he said, “The LORD hasn’t chosen this one either.” 9 So Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen this one.” 10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD hasn’t picked any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all of your boys?” “There is still the youngest one,” Jesse answered, “but he’s out keeping the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel told Jesse, “because we can’t proceed until he gets here.”[c] 12 So Jesse sent and brought him in. He was reddish brown, had beautiful eyes, and was good-looking. The LORD said, “That’s the one. Go anoint him.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him right there in front of his brothers. The LORD’s spirit came over David from that point forward. Then Samuel left and went to Ramah. Footnotes: a. 1 Samuel 16:1 Or seen b. 1 Samuel 16:7 LXX; MT lacks God. c. 1 Samuel 16:11 MT; LXX we won’t sit down (that is, to eat) Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Speaking of Facebook, there was a facebook post that said, when I decided to give up something for lent, I wasn’t planning on giving up quite this much. Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, now there is a concept. It seems like so much has happen since the beginning of lent. This is the fourth Sunday of lent. There are some years, where I get to do lent, and then there are years like this where lent does me. Lent is definitely doing me this year. It seems like the whole world has changed, every day there is a new development in this coronavirus pandemic. In the next few moments, I am going to invite us to put all of that stuff aside, and get back to the lent at hand. Let us focus, and think – where do we find God in the midst of all of the things going on in the world. And how do we continue in our busy lives to develop a relationship with God. Our scripture for today is an invitation for us to look at David as an example of someone with an awesome relationship with God. Whatever David did in life, whereever he was – he always stayed in touch with God. He found God in every circumstance. The stories of David are some of the most lively in the bible. David was the king of Israel, but he was also a father, a husband, a sinner, a child of God – given a purpose in life. There are many stories of David, - David and Goliath, David and Bathesheba, David and Jonothan, David and Saul. The psalms are David’s writings about how we went through life and hound God in the good and the bad. Our scripture is the story of how David was chosen and anointed by God. – God must have know all along that God wanted David to be king. But it was not obvious to Samuel the prophet. He sets out on a journey to Bethlehem. He does not know who he is looking for. And since Saul was tall, and strong, he assumed that the new king would be also. When he went to the house of Jesse, the father of 7 sons, Saul assumed that the oldest would be God’s choice, or at least the second or even third choice. Michael Jordan was actually not the first choice of the bulls, ot even the second, but the third choice – but I am sure they picked him, even though he wasn’t the first choice. Our ways are not God’s ways – we look at outward appearance, God looks at the heart. Sometimes God does not look for A people, or even B people. God looks for C people – ordinary people who are committed, consecrated and compassionate. God chose David because he was humble, good hearted and filled with the Holy Spirit. When we look at people how do we judge them worthy? What do we look for? What God Sees In the midst of our Lenten journey, God doesn't see us as everyone else sees us. People around us may see us as cool, successful, unattractive, popular, old, whatever. It doesn't matter at all how others may see us. God sees our hearts, sees us as we really are. Perhaps we wish we had him fooled, like those we've led to believe that we're less frightened, more confident, happier than we really are. Or perhaps we're deeply grateful that God sees through all the shallow, negative judgments which so many people have placed on us. Probably it's both. Our Lord, to our joy and to our sorrow, looks into our hearts and sees us as we really are. In Lent, that's a call for introspection: to confess that we have not loved our Lord with our whole hearts, nor loved our neighbors as ourselves. In Lent, it's especially important that we confess our sinfulness as specifically as we're able. In what ways have we failed God and ourselves? Because we can't hide from God, we dare not use all our usual ways to avoid our sinfulness. We're used to denying our sins, minimizing them, excusing them, blaming them on others. This Lent, let's examine ourselves, asking God to search our hearts. We benefit from naming our sins, our needs, and losses, and failings. And we admit to God that only by his grace and guidance can we find healing and help. G. Edward Whetstone, Caught in the Acts, CSS Publishing When we look at people it is important that we look at them as God sees them, not as we see them. God sees the inner heart. That makes all of the difference in the world. Jim Eaton, looks back on his life and remembers being in high school in 1965. His family moved around a lot so as Freshman, he was a little insecure. Until they moved to small town in Michigan. His English teacher was Mrs. Sonnebonne. He remembers her as a short lady who always wore high heals, but she had a spunky personality. Everyone’s desk was arranged in a circle. And everyone, the boys and girls has long hair. It was important for Mrs. Sonnebonne to look you in the eye, if your hair was in your face, she would take a hair clip and pin it back so she could see you. It only took one time for the students to get the point. One of their assignments was to rewrite a fairy talk. This student took that task seriously, and wrote a play. Not only did he get an A – the teacher had students in the class perform the play. After class, she had the student stay after. She said to him, Jim I didn’t know who you were until today – not I know that you are truly a writer. Those words meant the world to a young insecure man looking for identity. That was who he became from that day forward – writer - he went on to write several more plays for Mrs. Sonnebonne’s class. He continued to write, he still writes for the church as an adult. He will always be grateful – that teacher gave him a very special gift – the gift of himself. The Lord sent Samuel into a small desert town – to anoint a king. I small, insecure you shepdherd boy became the king of Israel. When Samuel anointed David, he gave David the gift of himself – a man after God’s own heart – and he lived that role for the rest of his life. How does God see you? What gift of self has God given you, how are you using it? We cant’ love anyone else until we love ourselves as God loves us. We cant give to others that we have not given ourselves, we cant see the gift of light in others, unless we see the light within ourselves. In the mist of the chaos and confusion – get back to finding God in every person and every situation – especially within ourselves. That is God’s gift to each of us. Let us pray….. Amen. Take a moment to remember God’s grace as we listen. Not go forth. Additional illustrations Humor: It's The Blind Man Mrs. Smith was stark-naked and just about to step into the shower when the doorbell rang. She hollered, "Who is it?" He shouted back, "It's the blind man." She figured it was safe, so she opened the door. He looked at her in shock and asked, "Where do you want me to hang these blinds, lady?" Ann Landers, The Washington Post, October 13, 1998. Years ago, there was a story of a candidate for Congress who never missed an opportunity to go after a vote. Just before election time, he would tear all around his district getting acquainted and passing out campaign brochures. On one occasion, he walked into a backyard where a little girl happened to be milking a cow. As usual, he introduced himself and explained that he was running for Congress. Just then the mother stuck her head out the back door and called, "Mary, who is that fellow you're talking to?" Mary explained that the visitor was a man running for Congress. "You come right in the house," commanded the mother, with great concern in her voice. And then as an afterthought, she added, "And if that fellow is a politician, bring the cow in with you." Politics, politics - vote when the time comes, but do it as properly as you can. Not on the basis of simple partisan politics, not on the basis of pure self-interest, and not on the basis of image. Paul makes it clear that, whether we are voting or doing anything else, as Christians we should "do it as unto the Lord." Wilma, 20th of 22 children, suffered from polio as a very young child. By age six, Wilma had also survived double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and whooping cough. She was frail and weak, often needing assistance to accomplish even the smallest tasks at home or school. Based only on her outward appearance, Wilma was destined for a life of poverty, dependence, and frustration. However, Wilma had a fierce determination to overcome this crippling illness. Through grueling exercises and relentless discipline, Wilma not only began to walk, she started to run. Then Wilma not only ran, she ran fast, faster than anyone in her school. The little girl with frail legs and a fragile body had become a young woman with a powerful body and a courageous heart. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Wilma Rudolph didn’t just run, she sprinted her way to three Olympic gold medals: for the 100 and 200 meter dashes and as anchor in the 400 meter relay. “The Lord does not see what mortals see… the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Second, our scripture lesson reminds us that the Lord’s presence and power are deep inside our own hearts. Few, if any of us, will become great world leaders like David or Olympic champions like Wilma Rudolph. Nevertheless, it is the Lord’s power within us that prepares us to enter the new and challenging spaces that lie just before us. The world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, were on a camping trip. They were in their sleeping bags looking up at the sky. Holmes said, "Watson, look up. What do you see?" Watson answered, "Well, I see thousands of stars." "And what does that mean to you?" Holmes inquired. "Well," said Watson, "I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow." Watson paused for a moment and then asked, "What does it mean to you, Holmes?" "To me," said Holmes somberly, "it means someone has stolen our tent." This world is governed by "C" people - not "the best and the brightest" only, but the committed, the consecrated, and the compassionate. In scriptures you find over and over again that "C" people also prevail. Indeed, God chooses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary tasks. The things we say we'll never do - "It's not in me" - become the very things God's grace leads us into. God gives us the resources we need at the time we need them.

What does God want from you?

March 11, 2018 UMCOR Sunday 4th Sunday of Lent Micah 6:6-8 UMCOR Sunday Children’s Sermon Preparation: Bring four differently colored crayons. Good morning! How are you today? Allow children to answer. Did you know that today is a special day in the church? Does anyone know what day it is? If the pastor or liturgist has already mentioned UMCOR Sunday, ask the children if they remember what (name) said today is called. If no one knows, ask adults. That’s right. Today is called UMCOR Sunday. What does it mean to share? Allow children to answer. Do you like sharing? Is sharing a good thing? Allow children to answer. When you share something, does that mean you have more or less than you did before? Allow children to answer. If they do not understand, move on to the example to help illustrate. Give a child (at least 5 years old) four crayons. Ask the child: Can you share your crayons with (name of another child)? If the first child does not give two crayons to the other child, have an older child help. OK. Now, (name of first child), do you have more or fewer crayons than you did before? Child should say “fewer.” Allow child to elaborate if he or she wishes. You are right. You have fewer crayons. But now you and (second child’s name) can color together! Isn’t it more fun to color with a friend than to color alone? Allow children to answer. If you need that (insert color) crayon that you gave away, do you think your friend would share with you so you could use it? If your friend needed your (insert color) crayon, would he/she share with you? Allow children to answer. I think all of you would share your crayons so everyone could use any color they need. By sharing, it might look as if you have fewer crayons, but you’ve gained a friend to color with and still can use all the crayons. This is a hard lesson to learn for everyone, kids and grownups. Sometimes we forget that sharing helps everyone. Sometimes we don’t want to share because we think we would lose something and we forget we would gain something even better. Direct to adults in congregation: How many of the grownups here still have trouble remembering this sometimes? Here at church, we have people who can help remind us how important it is to share when we forget. You can help us remember too, OK? Today is a special day for sharing. Can you think of things we can share with others? Allow children to answer. Children will probably say crayons, toys, etc. Affirm their answers. That’s right. We can share many different things. Today we will take a special offering for people to share money. All the money we collect here at our church and that other churches collect in many other places helps people who need food, shelter, school supplies or other things they need to live and grow. When we share what we have with others, we help to share God’s love. Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for sharing your love with us. Help us to share what we have with others. In Jesus name we pray. Micah 6:6-8 Common English Bible (CEB) What does the LORD require? 6 With what should I approach the LORD and bow down before God on high? Should I come before him with entirely burned offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with many torrents of oil? Should I give my oldest child for my crime; the fruit of my body for the sin of my spirit? 8 He has told you, human one, what is good and what the LORD requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible If you go back and look at the Hebrew bible – you will see that a large percentage of it takes place in the context of a court case. Either the people are suing God for justice, or God is accusing them of not keeping their relationship. The word satan does not mean devil, it means accuser. The one who is reminding God of what we have done wrong. It is our faith that defends us in the eyes of God. It is not that we are innocent of wrongdoing – we are all sinners. But God is always merciful- God loves us no matter what. We may falter, but God is always God. As long as we promise to have a relationship with God, we are can leave the court and Go on with our lives. The book of Micah is one of those famous court cases. The people are standing before the throne of God, asking why there are in exile. What must I do to get back into the good graces of God. All of the evidence has been presented. The people are guilty, but they ask what God wants. God says that all that God wants is for the people to do justice, have mercy, and to walk humbly with God. Ben Powers is the name of a man that may not be familiar to you today. But, several years ago, he made headlines around the world. For the last fourteen years, Ben Powers has worked for NASA. He has been working on the solid rocket motor design and is considered an expert in his field. In 1987 the ill-fated Challenger blasted off for outer space. This was a special mission which included six astronauts and one school teacher, Christa McAuliffe. The astronaunts were to carry out scientific experiments and Christa was to teach some special science classes from the Challenger once they were in orbit. As you know, 73 seconds into launch, an O-Ring failed. A startled world watched in shock as the Challenger exploded and seven astronauts died, including the young school teacher. Ben Powers risked the wrath of his supervisors and the scientific community at NASA when he gave his testimony before the Presidential Commission investigating the disaster. Ben Powers was the only NASA engineer who had opposed the launch. He was the only NASA engineer who had expressed concern about a launch in cold weather. He was the only NASA engineer to appear before the Presidential Commission and say that the order to launch had been a bad decision. Because of his testimony, several key supervisors have been replaced at NASA and Ben Powers is treated like a "leper" by those with whom he works. He broke the code of silence, and former friends and colleagues now keep their distance. In an interview, Ben Powers was asked by a reporter if he thought he and his family had paid too high a price for his testimony. Ben Powers was silent for a moment and then he said, "My commitment to Jesus Christ is the most important factor in my life. I did what God expected me to do." Have you ever asked yourself, "What does God expect of me? How much does God demand of me? How will I know when I am doing what is expected of me?" There are very few verses in the Bible that are better known than Micah 6:8. It is a verse that attempts to answer the question, "What does God expect of You?" Micah asks: ... and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? This particular passage is a profound statement of faith. It is known as one of the four mountainpeaks of spiritual faith in the Old Testament. It presents religion in an easy and understandable style. Micah points out that the only demands which God places on us are to do justice in our daily relationships, to show kindness to other people, and to walk humbly with God. This may sound like a very easy and simple way to live. But, it is a very costly lifestyle, because its demands are moral and spiritual. It is worth noting that in this statement of faith, two of the parts deal with our relationship to people and one part deals with our relationship to God. This is because it is rather futile to talk about God unless we come to respect the men and women that God created in his image. In 1 John 4:20, the writer says we are not likely to love God whom we have not seen unless we come first to love our fellow humans whom we can see. As we look at what God expects of us, we are going to be using the three biblical demands which Micah lifted up. The question of the day for us is what does God want from you? What does God want you to do in your situation? If you had to stand before the throne of God and face God, what would God ask you? How would you answer. Micah reminds us that God wants three things of us, no matter who we are, no matter what our situation. Do Justice, give mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. In Hebrew that is mishpat, Chesed, and Hasnea. These are the three pillars of what it means to be faithful, but these are also the three most important attributes of God. First and foremost God is the judge of all things. God’s first task is justice. God may not always be fair, but God is always just. I have to let that sink in for a minute. God is not fair – fairness is our perspective of a situation. God may see some things that are hidden from us. Fairness is how we feel about the situation. Justice goes beyond our feelings. The word in Hebrew for "justice" is "mishpot." It means, "Who is my judge?" "Who is my Lord?" "Who exercises sovereignty over me?" To "do justice" means to act, quarrel, walk, and pray in such a way that I constantly affirm that God is my judge, my Lord, and the sovereign in my life. Only that One exercises Lordship over me. I serve no other Master. The good news is that a God that is concerned with justice first, is concerned about mercy second. Hesed means loving kindness. When God judges us he judges in the spirit of love. Years ago, there was a wise and just ruler who established a series of laws for his people to follow. They were good laws, though sometimes difficult to follow. One day his own mother broke one of the laws and was brought to the ruler after being caught. The penalty for breaking this particular law was twenty lashes. It put him into a quandary. How could the ruler remain just and be the ruler of the Kingdom and still fulfill the demands of his love for his mother? He thought and he prayed about it and then on the day of his mother's punishment, this ruler took the lashes on his own back. And in so doing, justice was satisfied and his deep love for his mother was both honored and revealed in full measure. (10) That's what God did for us through Jesus. God doesn't want to contend with us as He does with Israel in this passage. He wants us to remember how much God loves us. Remember Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Justice is getting what we do deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote these meaningful words: "The greatness of God lies in the fact that God is both tough-minded and tenderhearted. God has qualities both of austerity and of gentleness Justice, mercy and walking with God. It is interesting that these are the three most important attributes of God, but these are also the three things that God requires of us. God requires this of us as individuals, but also a church. What does God want from us? God wants our actions to mimic God’s actions. God holds us to the same standard that we Hold God. God can always hold us accountable to our stuff, but God will always give us the tools to do better. That is why whenever there is a confession, there is always a pardon. Lent is our time to think about the third quality – what does it mean to walk humbly with God? To be in relationship with God, knowing that we will never live up to God’s standard, but we have to live our lives in a way that we are always striving to that goal. To forgive others, to understand others and to be there in their time of need. That is why UMCOR Sunday is always the 4th Sunday of lent. It used to be called one great hour of sharing. But it is a chance to be reminded of how we can be what God calls us to be. Being in mission is the core of who we are as United Methodist. We care about the things that God cares about. God is so in love with the world, that not only does God care about what happens to people and what they need. But God is continually finding ways to make sure that people have the tools they need in life to be faithful.If we are the people who walk humbly with God, then we are the people to help with that process. In our Wesleyan tradition we acknowledge the grace of God placed in our hearts and at work in the world before any action on our part. In response we accept and proclaim grace that sets us upon the right path of obedience to the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. This grace calls us to repentance, and to active faith and good works in Christ. Active faith participates in the perfecting and fulfilling grace of God, which claims and implements the promises of God to deliver exploited persons and oppressed peoples, to restore the sanctity and integrity of God’s creation, and to reconcile division in the households of faith and among the peoples and nations of the earth as all of creation groans for redemption. In other words, we have been charged to make a difference in the world, and to bring God’s salvation to all of creation, until all people mirror the face of God in justice, mercy and faith. As we give to help UMCOR go all over the world, we are participating in mission. Mission is the core of who we are as United Methodist. We have a faith in our heart, but our faith is an active faith , that does something, that gives something and that loves something. What is it that God is asking of you? What are we requiring of God? What is God saying? Please test me, God begs of us, as if to say, I dare you! Go ahead. Give generously to the causes I care about and see if I will not come through for you. Give generously to my church and see if you can handle all the blessings I pour out on you. He challenges us again in Psalm 81:10. “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” The Psalmist challenges us. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8a) What will you do with God’s dare? How will you respond to God’s challenge to give generously and put God’s goodness to the test? How will we as a church respond? Will we dare to give and trust, or will we cling to God’s gifts and refuse God the opportunity to show love for us? Together, we do more when we give generously. When we put God to the test, we put ourselves in position to enjoy the abundant blessings God has so generously promised. Amen. Other illustrations……. I hope you will join us on March 11, 2018, when we celebrate UMCOR Sunday. When you and your congregation give on this day, you support the local, national and global relief efforts of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. In addition to disaster assistance, UMCOR provides support to refugees and migrants around the world through its partnership organizations. Today, more than 65 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict, persecution or natural disasters. Over 21 million of those are refugees, more than half of whom are under age 18, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Syria has been hit particularly hard with more than 6 million civilians displaced by the country’s ongoing civil war. A $90,000 grant from UMCOR recently provided hygiene and bedding kits for vulnerable people in Aleppo, Syria, forced to leave their homes because of the seven-year conflict. These kits offer a little help and hope amid the human suffering. Your generosity helps the United Methodist Committee on Relief make a difference around the world. Gifts on UMCOR Sunday help cover the agency’s administrative costs so UMCOR can continue to guarantee that 100 percent of all other donations go toward specific relief projects. Visit our resource section for UMCOR Sunday. There you'll find more information and an opportunity to download free material to help you promote and celebrate this very Special Sunday! Please share this good news. God bless you, Thomas Kemper General Secretary General Board of Global Ministries UMCgiving.org/UMCOR Use the following Scriptures and reflections to jumpstart sermons related to each special offering. Share the goodness of life with those who hurt. “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” – Luke 3:11b, CEB It’s easy to give food to our church’s pantry or to share a spare coat with someone who has none. But how can we go an extra mile – to make a genuine sacrifice to help a neighbor in need – beyond today’s special offering? That’s what keeps our faith alive! When you contribute to the UMCOR Sunday offering this Sunday, you enable the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to keep the promise that 100 percent of your designated gift goes entirely to specific causes. On behalf of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR provides humanitarian aid in the United States and around the world. By responding whenever and wherever catastrophes strike, helping refugees reintegrate into their communities, feeding schoolchildren, establishing medical clinics and much more, UMCOR provides hope for millions. Please give generously. Thank you! Just do three things, Israel: mishpat, hesed, and hasnea (Micah 6:8). Will you say these words after me? We're going to learn a little Hebrew this morning: (Make this as interactive as you can.) Mishpat: Do justice. Hesed: love kindness. Hasnea: walk humbly with your God. Only that! I'm not asking much, Israel. Only this! Only make every facet of your lives, every institution in your communities, every encounter you have with others, be defined by mishpat, (justice), hesed (covenant love), and hasnea (walking humbly with God). Suddenly it becomes clear just how far Israel, and how far we, have fallen from the will of God. Suddenly it's clear how miserably the human side of the covenant equation has behaved. Suddenly it's clear how much easier it would be to produce those thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil, than it is to transform our lives into genuine expressions of . . . what are those three words . . . mishpat, hesed, and hasnea. Micah's three words in today's text are God's expectations for all who claim to walk in a covenant relationship with the divine. God doesn't declare that mishpat, hesed, and hasnea are characteristics found in the general world. No. Mishpat, hesed and hasnea are the qualities God expects of God's own people. God has a higher standard for us. Just as Micah spoke to the covenant community of Israel then, Micah speaks just as directly to the covenant community called the church today. The church claims to live in a covenant relationship with God through the gift of Jesus the Christ. Through Jesus, the only one who could wholly fulfill the qualities of mishpat, hesed, and hasnea in a human life, the door to a right relationship with God has once again been opened to us. But to stay in that covenant bond the requirements remain the same. We're still called by God to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. We're still called by God to live these three words while our whole beings: remind me of these three words again: mishpat, hesed, hasnea. God expects you to show kindness to others. Here is the most basic requirement that God expects of us - that we treat other people as we would like to be treated. All good religion begins at this point. But kindness is much more than being harmless. Kindness in the Bible has backbone - it has guts - it is more than simply being tolerant of others. One person said, "Kindness isn’t really kindness until it costs you something." I don’t know if there is a price tag attached to kindness, but I believe that when we go out of our way in being kind to another, we usually bring out the best that is in them. It is the daily walk with God that energizes the commitment to do justice and go even beyond to treat people (even the undeserving) with loving-kindness; the ritual of the temple that was so important to Israel could give expression to the vitality of that walk, but it could never be a substitute for the daily companionship that is part and parcel of a life of faith. "Walking humbly with God is a call to do more than to come to God with offerings thinking to buy God's favor, but to spend the time walking, living life, with God in ways that would work out in every aspect of life. It implies a sensitivity to the things of God, a concern...to allow our heart to be broken by the things that break the heart of God. It is a deep desire to see the world through the eyes of God, to act in the world as God would act."(7) When this final requirement is placed cheek by jowl with the first two, walking with God becomes synonymous with having a heart for justice and compassion. The three cannot be separated, for walking humbly with God, living all of life in relationship to God, will result in both. An old proverb embraces that kind of giving, "The only true gift is a portion of yourself .