Mothers: Shepherd of the sheep

May 11, 2014 Psalm 23 John 10:1-10 Mother’s Day Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A Mothers: Shepherd of the Sheep Have you seen that video going around last week, where young people are interviewing for a job, and told that they have to stand 24 hours a day, that they cannot have breaks, that they have to attend to the needs of the associates at all time. And that there is no pay for doing the job. Each of the applicants complains and says they don’t want this job. And the interviewer tells them that someone already has this job – it is your mother. Job Description: Mother I found this job description circulating on the Internet this past week. Anyone interested? [You may want/need to shorten this.] WANTED: Mom JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required. RESPONSIBILITIES: Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills, such as nose blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus. Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project. Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life. Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above-mentioned skills in conflict resolution. Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns. Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything." Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Also, must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name. Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions such as "What makes the wind move?" on the fly. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility. ADVANCEMENT/PROMOTION POSSIBILITIES: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis. WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more. BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right. Every mother here this morning knows that mothering brings more joy and love and fulfillment than seem possible. Adapted by Leonard Sweet The Value of the Job Being a mother is a demanding job. As a matter of fact, according to a recent report from Salary.com, a website dedicated to researching average salaries for various jobs and industries, reports stay-at-home moms would earn an average of $138,095 annually, including overtime, if they received a paycheck. Women who works a full-time 40 hour a week job could expect an additional $85,939 for the work done at home. Among the jobs the stay-at-home moms reported to Salary.com were day-care center teacher, van driver, housekeeper, cook, chief executive officer, computer operator, nurse and general maintenance worker. These are all jobs that are fairly easy to appoint a dollar value but like those MasterCard advertisements there are many “priceless” aspects to the job: the hug that comes at just the right time, the crust cut off the sandwich in just the right way, the reassuring laugh that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, and the countless other little things that we celebrate on Mother’s Day. Staff,www.eSermons.com. Statistics from Reuters.com ‘Stay-at-home Mothers Work Worth $138,095 a Year’ May 3, 2007. Our experience of mother are all very different, but we have all had someone who mothered us in some way. Someone who cared for us. Our mothers have loved each of us in a different way, but our mother has indeed loved us. In spite of all of the difficult times in our lives, they have loved us. A mother) can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe. ― N.K. Jemisin God is love, and God has created our mothers to be that agent of love. I think I told this story before, but Erma Bombeck tells the story of when God created mothers. One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands." "Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there." "She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word." "That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?" "No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower." Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do." "Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade." Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear." "What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there." Our scripture for today, the 4th Sunday of Easter are always about what it means to be a shepherd’s love for its sheep. Jesus is the shepherd. Jesus showed love by the sacrifice he made for us. But Jesus showed devotion by what he taught us. In Jerusalem, Jesus knew sheep in the same way a cowboy in the west would know cattle, or a mother would know her children. Jesus knew what made a sheep tick, he understand their fears, he knew what it took to get them to follow him, he had patience and understanding for them. In many ways mothers are shepherds, they are our caretakers. Timmy was a little five year old boy that his Mom loved very much and, being a worrier, she was concerned about him walking to school all by himself when he started kindergarten. She walked him to school the first few days, but one day he came home and asked if he could walk by himself. He wanted to be like the "big boys." Not wanting to disappoint him, she decided to allow him to walk without her, via plan B (which consisted of recruiting a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, to repetitiously follow him to school, at a distance far enough behind him that he would not likely notice he was being followed, but close enough to keep a watch on him). Mrs. Goodnest was agreeable, since she was up early with her own toddler anyway, and it would be a good way for them to get some exercise. So, the very next school day Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out to follow behind Timmy as he walked to school. Timmy was accompanied by another neighbor boy he knew. As the boys walked to school each day, chatting, and kicking stones and twigs, the little friend of Timmy began to notice that a lady seemed to be following them every day. "Have you noticed that lady following us all week? Do you know her?" he asked Timmy. "Yea, I know who she is," Timmy replied "Well who is she?" "That's just Shirley Goodnest," Timmy said. "Shirley Goodnest? Who the is she? Why is she following us?" "Well," Timmy explained, "Every night Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm in my prayers 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in it the Psalm says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life,' so I guess I'll just have to get used to it." Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us. when you think about the psalm – Psalm 22 Re-Interpeted The Lord is my Shepherd... That's Relationship! I shall not want... That's Supply! He maketh me to lie down in green pastures... That's Rest! He leadeth me beside the still waters... That's Refreshment! He restoreth my soul... That's Healing! He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness... That's Guidance! For His name sake... That's Purpose! Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death... That's Testing! I will fear no evil... That's Protection! For Thou art with me... That's Faithfulness! Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me... That's Discipline! Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies... That's Hope! Thou annointest my head with oil... That's Consecration! My cup runneth over... That's Abundance! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life... That's Blessing! And I will dwell in the house of the Lord... That's Security! Forever and ever... That's Eternity! What is most valuable, is not what we have in our lives, but WHO we have in our lives! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all of the days of our life no matter how old we get. How can we reply to the love that our mothers gave us. what is it that we can give them to say thank you. Studies say that no matter what we may give them that all they really want is for us to know that they love them. For us to be able to acknowledge all that they have done for us, and to realize that it is all about love. No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star. — Edwin Hubbell Chapin One pastor suggest that there are 7 ways to show our mothers that we love them. Love her verbally, physically, patiently, attentively, gratefully, generously, honorably I want to add one more to that list – to learn to love others. Am I Loved? I had a professor in Childhood Development who said, "All it would take to have a perfect world is just one generation of perfect parents." I believed that until mid-life, when I saw several nearly perfect parents who had terrible children. But the concept is generally true--we learn to love because we were loved first. We love, according to the Bible, because God loved us first. We all need to be loved. And we grow up testing whether we are indeed loved. One of the basic questions of our youth is, "Am I loved?" It is asked in the back seat of a car. It is asked at a party. It is asked with defiance at home. It is asked with incomplete homework at school. It is asked when drugs are offered around in friendship groups. It is asked when a gang leader suggests an initiation rite. "By this you know you are loved…." Everyone here today, mothers or not, needs to ask, "How am I demonstrating love?" Is it in a way that others can experience? Paul Sweet, This I Know Amen. Children’s Sermon….. Theme: Show your love by your actions (Mother's Day) Object: A Mother's Day card Scripture: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:9-11, 21 (NIV) I am sure that all of you know that it is Mother's Day. Did you give your mother a card or a present for Mother's Day? This Mother's Day card says, "Mom, I love you!" Do you think your mother likes to hear you tell her that you love her? Of course she does! But do you know what your mother would like even more? She would like for you to show her that you love her. What are some ways you can show your mother that you love her? Well, you might help out around the house. You could clean your room or empty the trash. You could show her that you love her by obeying her when she tells you to do something. You can show her you love her by getting along with your brothers and sisters. It is easy to tell your mom that you love her, but if you really love her, your actions will show it! Do you think that God likes to hear us tell Him that we love Him? I know He does. But He likes it even better when our actions show Him that we love Him. How do we do that? The Bible tells us that, "God showed his love for us by sending His one and only Son so that we might live through him." It goes on to say that, "since God loved us so much, we ought to love one another." One of the best ways to show our love for God is to love one another. Yes, God likes to hear us say, "I love you," but He would rather see us say, "I love you." As we celebrate Mother's Day, let's tell Mom that we love her, but more important, let's remember to show her that we love her. And as we worship today, let's tell God we love him, but more important, let's remember to show him we love him by loving one another. Dear Lord, we have come to your house today to say, "I love you." Help us to go out of here today and show you that we love you by our actions. Amen. Other illustrations…… A LITTLE GIRL’S PRAYER One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do she died, leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator) and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. "All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm." The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby’ll be dead, so please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?" As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home; anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys; eyes sparkled as I pulled them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas --- that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the ..... could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out --- yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle! I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?" That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child --- five months before --- in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year old to bring it "that afternoon." ~By Helen Roseveare~ Helen Roseveare is a medical missionary and author from England who served for years in the former Belgian Congo. THE BEST PREACHER IN THE FAMILY G. Campbell Morgan, a profound British preacher whose four sons all became pastors, influenced millions with his preaching, teaching and writing. One day, when his young son Howard finished preached, a reporter asked him, "Since you have five Pastors in your family who is the greatest preacher? Expecting the son to give the honor to his father, Howard surprised the reporter by saying, "My Mother!" Often people do not realize that a mother’s love, concern and teaching are often far more influential on people than anything else. Never underestimate the power of love. God treats you the way one mother treated her young son, Timmy. She didn’t like the idea of his walking to school alone. But he was too grown-up to be seen with his mother. She did her best to stay calm, quoting the 23rd Psalm to him every morning: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” One day she asked a neighbor who walked with her daughter to follow Timmy to school, but to stay at a distance. After several days Timmy’s little friend said, “Do you know that woman who follows us to school?” “Sure,” Timmy answered. “That’s Shirley Goodnest and her daughter, Marcy.” My mom reads about them every day in the 23rd Psalm She says they will follow me all the days of my life. So, I guess I better get used to them! You will too. God never sends you out alone! Taken from Fearless The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. -Psalm 23 A pastor was giving a lesson to a group of children on the 23rd Psalm. He noticed that one of the little boys seemed disquieted by the phrase “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…” “What’s wrong with that, Johnny? ” the pastor asked. “Well, ” answered Johnny, “I understand about having goodness and mercy, for God is good. But I’m not sure I’d like Shirley following me around all the time. ” A pastor was giving a lesson to a group of children on the 23rd Psalm. He noticed that one of the little boys seemed disquieted by the phrase “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…” “What’s wrong with that, Johnny? ” the pastor asked. “Well, ” answered Johnny, “I understand about having goodness and mercy, for God is good. But I’m not sure I’d like Shirley following me around all the time. ” source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/joke/Goodness_and_mercy#ixzz31My0VSbt Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away! A mother) can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe. ― N.K. Jemisin

They will know we are Christians by our Love

April 28, 2013 Acts 11:1-18 John 13:31-35 Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C They will Know we Are Christians By our Love Updated version of 5/2/10 – Sharing our Differences The sandwich swap as a story of how food separates us Salma and Lily were best friends at school. They drew pictures together. They played on the swings together. They jumped rope together. And they ate their lunches together. But just what they ate was a little different. Lily ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch. Salma ate a hummus and pita sandwich every day for lunch. And although Lily never said it out loud, she thought Salma's sandwich looked weird and yucky. She felt terrible that her friend had to eat that icky chickpea paste every day. EW. Yuck. And although Salma never said it out loud, she thought Lily's sandwich looked strange and gross. She felt just awful that her friend had to eat that gooey peanut paste every day. EW. Gross. That is an excerpt from a childrens book coming out by the Queen of Jordan called the “sandwich Swap”. It is about her experiences as a child, where she at one type of food and her best friend ate another. Both felt uncomfortable with what the other was eating. But it was through food that they came to understand one another and developed a closer relationship in the process. It is a cute little story that talks about how food separates us, and keeps us apart. The realize that their feelings about food is deeper than that, our feelings about food oftentimes harbor our personal predjudices about certain people. In the end, as they come together as friends and agree to try each other’s food, they get the whole school involved in a sandwich swap, in order to learn to be more accepting of each other. This story is a perfect example of how what we eat is one of the greatest expressions of who we are. Food can divide us and tear us apart. And food can bring us together in a very special way. When God says that we will come together in heaven with him, he says that it will be around the table at a great feast, where we share each other’s food. Scripture says that God’s greatest expression of love and care for us is to feed us. This is a perfect story for our scriptures this morning. Peter prided himself on being a good jew and making sure that everything that he ate was kosher. He considered that to be a part of what God called him to do – that is until he heard from God – which told him something different. That in the name of trying to understand others, he was free to eat whatever god’s people ate. There was nothing wrong with it But not everyone of the disciples heard that same voice, and they criticized Peter, until he explained it for them. Once again this is a demonstration of how the holy spirit works in our lives It takes something that makes sense to us (in this case food- we all understand food) in order to explain something that doesn’t make sense to us. (in this case how to get along with other people) This fits in with the gospel lesson which talks about love- Jesus tells his disciples to strive to love one another as you have been loved. – we know that there are 10 commandments – many say that this is the 11th commandment from God – to love. Love is not a concept unique to Jesus – because there are many commandments to love – love the lord the god with all of your heart, mind body and soul. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, there is even a commandment for Esau and Jacob to love one another as brothers. Jesus is just trying to get them to follow the law of love in a brand new way. Not to love because you are supposed to, but to love because you have been loved. Not to guess what love means, but to know what love means. To realize that love is not about what you do – it is about the relationship that you have. In order to love somebody, you have to identify with that person, get into their lives and know what it going on, and be willing to eat with them. For instance Peter could very well have refused to eat with the gentiles and kept his kosher habits. But somewhere along the way he realized that his relationship was more important than his beliefs. And that it was the relationship that changed him and transformed the situation. The gentiles became a part of the family, the outsiders became insiders. All because the holy spirit took something that made sense and used it to teach something that they otherwise would not have understood. Commentators point out that the story of how Peter met Cornelius and baptized his whole family is one of the longest stories in the book of Acts. It shows just how close Christianity came to being just another faction of Jews. If Peter had not had the dream, if Peter had not listened to God to try something different, If Peter had stuck to his tradition – we would have no access to the good news of Jesus. This is an important story in my own faith life also. I have been intentional about following in Peter’s footsteps. One of my values has been not to set up any restrictions on things that I eat. As a minister of God, I want to make sure that wherever I am in the world, when I an invited to someone house, to make sure that I can eat whatever is put in front of me. One of the greatest expressions of someone’s love is to invite you to their house to eat. I want to make sure that I am always in a position to accept that love, and eat what is put in front of me. Doesn’t scripture say that it is not so much what we put in our mouths that pollute us, but what comes of our mouths that causes the trouble. Even though I do have to say that I am grateful that McDonalds shares my philosophy. It is great comfort to know that whatever I may have to eat, and wherever I may be in the world, if all else fails, I can find a Mcdonalds – and know that they have an American hamburger on the menu. Learning how to accept love and be loved is an important mark of what it means to be a Christian. If you read and listen to the book of Acts this Easter season, you will learn the marks of a true Christian as one who follows Jesus, who trust in the teachings of Jesus, one who looks for the presence of the holy Spirit in their lives and is willing to follow it, and one who puts Christ as the center of their lives, allowing the spirit of Christ to dwell and live in them. Love is the 11th commandment. Moses gave the 10 commandments to the children of Israel so that they could live together in a community of peace. Jesus gave the 11th commandment to his disciples. – love one another as I have loved you. Love can be painful – but it still makes a difference, it still transforms people – one relationship at a time. Love is a way of speaking, a way of doing, love is who you are in Christ. Love is the one mark of a true Christian. And yet it is hardest thing in the world to love one another. Have you noticed that as Christians, we are like the two girls in the sandwich swap story – we claim to like each other and yet we find things to continue to keep us apart. And what is Jesus doing with his disciples as he is teaching them love – he just fed them as the host of the Passover. Eating is such an important part of our faith. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER Dr. J. Vernon McGee told a story about a little community where there were three churches on the same corner, a Presbyterian church, Methodist church and Baptist church. One Sunday night, all the windows were open and they could hear each other singing. They didn't get along very well. The people in the Presbyterian Church were singing this song, "Will There be Any Stars in My Crown?" When they finished, the Methodist church sang, "No, Not One." Then the Baptists sang, "Oh That Will be Glory for Me." Dr. McGee said that all three of those churches ought to sit down together and sing the doxology of praise to God. That's what the world needs to see. They need to see us together. Jesus said, "When we come together, that's when the world knows that God has sent us." (From a sermon by Bob Joyce, Like Lucy, 8/4/2011) But seriously, we truly have to be careful about how we treat one another as Christians, especially within these walls. We forget that the world is watching us. they are watching how they treat one another, and coming to a decision about whether they want to be associated with us. Love is not about who we feel about one another. It is a commandment. It is an act of obedience. Jesus had some reason for pointing to the disciples and telling them that if you don’t learn anything else from me, you need to learn how to love one another. Love is not a feeling it is an action. You cant tell someone how to feel about a situation, but you can tell then what to do and how to act. Jesus commanded us to love one another – to pay attention to our actions toward one another. A woman got a divorce and lost her family. She sank into a deep depression, and was in desperate need. The people in her church only shook their heads and pointed their fingers at her failure, so she left and began frequenting a bar. One day the preacher came and asked why she had done this. She replied, “The people at the bar smile when they see me.” We have to do the same when we come to church. Finally I just want to say – that learning to love one another is not a new commandment. We are all taught from an early age to learn to love. As jews the disciples would have been taught the importance of love for others in your community. Even as Jesus was talking – he didn’t say that you needed to love the whole world – he just said love your fellow disciples. There is nothing new about love- it has been around from the beginning of love. What is new about the commandment to love is that Jesus says to love as I have loved you. Jesus gave everything he had, so that you would know how to love. You may not have to love everyone in the world, but The world is watching us, so that they can see that example. What is it that they see – Let them know we are Christians by our love. Let is pray…. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬____________________________________________________ WE REQUIRE LOVING A little girl was making but poor progress toward recovery, though the ailment had been checked and there seemed to be no reason why she should not rapidly improve. But it didn’t happen, and the doctor in charge was keenly interested to know why. She was a very sensitive child, easily scared, responding quickly to kindness. Perhaps she was afraid of Nurse or Sister or her unfamiliar surroundings. The doctor decided it was the lack of understanding which was retarding recovery, and so wrote a directive upon the temperature chart: "This child requires loving every four hours." God is even better than that: He says, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." (Winship Storey in his Methodist Recorder. From a sermon by Bill Butsko, God’s Infinite Love, 12/25/2010) ATHERINE LAWES: A STORY OF COMPASSION Max Lucado relates this story. When Catherine Lawes’ husband, Lewis, became the warden on Sing Sing prison in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody warned her never to step foot inside the walls. But she didn’t listen to them. When the first prison basketball game was held, in she went, three girls in tow, and took a seat in the bleachers with the inmates. When she heard that one convicted murderer was blind, she taught him Braille so he could read. Upon learning of inmates who were hearing impaired, she studied sign language so they could communicate. For sixteen years Catherine Lawes softened the hard hearts of the men of Sing Sing. The prisoners knew something was wrong when Lewis Lawes didn’t report to work. Quickly the word spread that Catherine had been killed in a car accident. The following day as the acting warden took his early morning walk, he noticed a large gathering at the main gate. Every prisoner pressed against the fence. Eyes awash with tears. Faces solemn. No one spoke or moved. The warden made a remarkable decision. "All right, men, you can go. Just be sure to check in tonight." These were America’s hardest criminals. But the warden unlocked the gate for them, and they walked without escort or guard to the home of Catherine Lawes to pay their last respects. And each one returned. Real love changes people. That’s genuine love. That’s true love.

Faith, Hope and Love

February 3, 2013 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Luke 4:21-30 4th Sunday of Epiphany Year C Is it too early to preach about valentines day? It is February 3rd – probably a little too early to talk about Valentine’s Day, chocolates, and romance, and all that goes with it. But the good news is that it is never too early to talk about the true love of God. Valentines day is the day after Ash Wednesday – That should be an interesting challenge – the day after you promise to be good and do everything right, comes the day of indulgence. What are you going to do with all of the chocolate candy that you get for Valentines day? People are obsesses with love It seems that we are obsessed with love. You turn on the radio – and that it all that you hear about – Do you love me? If you search on amazon for book – you can find about 2500 titles on the subject of heaven, 10,000 titles on money, 16000 titles about sex. But 30,000 titles with the word love in them. WHAT'S GOD GOT TO DO WITH IT? If you “Google” the word love, and you have to be very careful doing this, you will find all sorts of websites,120,000,000 to be exact. Here are some examples that you will find: I love Dogs.com I love Cats.com (Although this one is a plea to spay or neuter) I love Cheese. Com I love Lucy.com We love the Iraqi Information Minister.com True Romance Dating Service.com Love Test.com Matchmaker.com The Love Calculator.com On this site you type in your name and your mates name and it gives you the odds of your relationship lasting. Alana and I got 41%) The interesting aspect is that on all these sites, love is seen as almost an entirely human endeavor. Love is a very important part of what it means to be a human being. Everywhere we are go – we are looking for love. And yet, if we think of love as solely something between two people- then we are looking for love in the wrong place. Pauls definition of love We have been studying the words of Paul for the last few weeks. He has talked about spiritual gifts, he has talked about the unity of the body of Christ. Today he talks about the importance of love. Chapter 13 – is the love chapter. If you go to ten weddings this year – you will hear this verse read at 91/2 of them. The virtues of love. Applying these verses to the relationship of two people – is actually a total misinterpretation of Paul’s point. The last thing that paul says in chapter 12 is - and yet I will show you the most excellent way. Love between two people is certainly something important to be celebrated. But the love that paul speaks of is bigger than that. Paul is not the pastor marrying two individuals. Paul has come to a troubles congregation to help them to get along in a better way. The more excellent way – is to live in the love of god in everything that you do – including going to church. Remember Paul is talking about spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts in a community is a sign that the holy spirit is working in that community. If we are a part of that community, then the holy spirit has given us a gift to use for the glory of god. We can celebrate that, we can use that gift. But don’t just stop there. We know the words – but do we live the life? There is a story about a man who was walking down the street. He passed a used-book store, and in the window he saw a book with the title How to Hug. He was taken by the title and, being of a somewhat romantic nature, went in to buy the book. To his chagrin, he discovered that it was the seventh volume of an encyclopedia and covered the subjects “how” to “hug.” Everyone knows that the church is a place where love ought to be manifested, and many people have come to church hoping to find a demonstration of love—only to discover an encyclopedia on theology. 1. What kind of church is Somerset? 2. Is it a place where folks can find a demonstration of love? 3. Or is it only an encyclopedia on theology? 4. Or is it people who only care about themselves? 5. Can people see and experience demonstrations of God’s love? 6. Folks need to see our love! All any of us really want is someone to love us. all any of us is looking for in life is love. In a world where domestic violence, unfaithfulness, and broken relationships are the headlines of the day – we are all looking for stories of love. Remember at the carnival there was always this machine called the love tester – you would pay your money, put you and on the lever, and it would tell you whether the relationship you were in was true love. Yet paul gives the true test of love here in Corinthians 13 Love Tester Is it patient? Is it kind? It’s certainly not envious, nor boastful, nor arrogant, nor rude Does it insist on its own way? Is it irritable or resentful? That love always seeks the truth It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things Love never ends Man plays Jesus – but does not live Jesus words The story’s told of an actor who was playing the part of Jesus in a passion play. As he was carrying his cross up the hill a heckler in the crowd made fun of him and said terrible things to him. The actor threw down the cross, walked over… and decked the guy. The director took him aside and told him “I know he was a pest, but I can’t condone what you did. Besides, you’re playing the part of Jesus, & Jesus never retaliated. So don’t do anything like that again." Well, the man promised he wouldn’t. But the next day the heckler was back worse than before, & finally the actor exploded and punched him out again. This time the director said "That’s it. I have to fire you. We just can’t have you behaving this way while playing the part of Jesus." The actor begged, "Please give me one more chance. I really need this job, and I can handle it if it happens again." So the director decided to give him another chance. The next day he was carrying his cross up the street. Sure enough, the heckler was there again. You could tell that the actor was really trying to control himself, but it was about to get the best of him. He was clinching his fists and grinding his teeth. Finally, he looked at the heckler and said, (pause) "I’ll meet you after the resurrection!" We have to work in the way we love one another Paul’s message to us – love the person, change the circumstance. Be patient with the person in all things, fix the circumstance. It is not only how we treat one another that shows love, it how we choose to live together that show true love to the world. How we forgive, how we cooperate, how we work together - demonstrates who we are as the church of Jesus Christ. When we know that God loves us – and that the love in our lives comes from God: we can love our enemies, we can love those who don’t deserve it, we can mature in the faith that God has for us, we can move away from self centeredness, and we can think about what is in the best interest of everybody. Love is always the more excellent way. How we feel in here, demonstrates how we love out there. But more importantly how we love in here demonstrated how we love out there. How we meet the needs of all of those out there who look for love, not just on Valentines day – but every day. Missionary cannot preach until he shows what love is There is a story about Doug Nichols I want to share with you because I think it illustrates what I have been trying to say this morning. Doug Nichols went to India to be a missionary there, but while he was just starting to study the language he became infected with tuberculosis & had to be put in a sanitarium. It was not a very good place to be. It was not very clean & conditions were difficult because there were so many sick people there. But Doug decided to do the best he could in that situation. So he took a bunch of Christian books & tracts & tried to witness to the other patients in the sanitarium. But when he tried to pass out tracts, they were rejected. No one wanted them. He tried to hand out books, but no one would take them. He tried to witness, but he was handicapped because of his inability to communicate in their language, & he felt so discouraged. Here he was. Because of his illness he would be there a long time. But it seemed like the work that he had been sent to do would not be done because no one would listen to him. Because of his tuberculosis, every night at about 2 o’clock he would wake up with chronic coughing that wouldn’t quit. Then one night when he awoke he noticed across the aisle an old man trying to get out of bed. He said the man would roll himself up into a little ball & teeter back & forth trying to get up the momentum to get up & stand on his feet. But he just couldn’t do it. He was too weak. Finally, after several attempts the old man laid back & wept. The next morning Doug understood why the man was weeping. He was trying to get up to go to the bathroom & didn’t have enough strength to do that. So his bed was a mess & there was a smell in the air. The other patients made fun of the old man. The nurses came to clean up his bed & they weren’t kind to him, either. In fact, one of them even slapped him in the face. Doug said that the old man just laid there & cried. Doug said, "That next night about 2 o’clock I started coughing again. I looked across the way & there was the old man trying to get out of bed once more. I really didn’t want to do it, but somehow I managed to get up & I walked across the aisle & I helped the old man stand up." But he was too weak to walk, so Doug said, "I took him in my arms & carried him like a baby. He was so light that it wasn’t a difficult task. I took him into the bathroom, which was nothing more than a dirty hole in the floor, & I stood behind him & cradled him in my arms as he took care of himself." "Then I carried him back to his bed & laid him down. As I turned to leave he reached up & grabbed my face & pulled me close & kissed me on the cheek & said what I think was `Thank you.’" Doug said, "The next morning there were patients waiting when I awoke & they askedif they could read some of the books & tracts that I had brought. Others had questions about the God I worshiped & His only begotten Son who came into the world to die for their sins." Doug Nichols says that in the next few weeks he gave out all the literature that he had brought, & many of the doctors & nurses & patients in that sanitarium came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior, too. He said, "Now what did I do? I didn’t preach a sermon. I couldn’t even communicate in their language. I didn’t have a great lesson to teach them. I didn’t have wonderful things to offer. All I did was take an old man to the bathroom & anyone can do that." SUM. Someone has said, "They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care." There is a more excellent way, & that is the way of Jesus Christ. This morning if you are here & outside of Jesus Christ & you don’t know Him as your Lord & Savior, we extend His invitation to you. We pray that you will respond as we stand & as we sing. Faith, Hope, Love Finally, faith, hope and love are the most important parts of our faith. Faith in what we can’t see, and hope in the promises of God. One day – our faith will be replaced with sight, and things hopes for will be replaced with reality. But in the meantime – love remains the same. Faith, hope and love – all of these are important parts of our live – but the most important is love – Because when we recognize the love of God that is present in your life – there is no limit to the things that you can accomplish or the gifts that God will give you to use! Short paraphrase of chapter 13 If I talk like an angel but I don’t have love I am nothing. If I talk like a prophet, If I give away my money, but I don’t have love, I am nothing. Love is good, Love is kind. And love will never end. Prophets will stop talking, teachers will stop teaching, but love will never end. When I was a baby, I spoke like a baby, I thought like a baby. But not I am growing. I am not a baby anymore and I know how to love. So God gives us faith, and god gives us hope, and god gives us love. But the best thing of all, is love. Let us pray….. The story is told of a Franciscan monk in Australia assigned to be the guide and "gofer" to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet. Finally, her tour was over, and she was due to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the Franciscan friar spoke to Mother Teresa: If I pay my own fare to New Guinea, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk to you and learn from you? Mother Teresa looked at him. “You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?” she asked. Yes, he replied eagerly. “Then give that money to the poor,” she said. “You'll learn more from that than anything I can tell you.” Mother Teresa understood that Jesus’ ministry was to the poor and she made it hers as well. She knew that they more than anyone else needed good news. On a Saturday morning, in Nazareth, the town gathered in the synagogue to listen to Jesus read and teach. It was no big surprise. He was well known in the area; it was his hometown. He was raised there. They wanted to learn from him. So when he read from the Isaiah scroll, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor” everyone understood these words to be the words of Isaiah. It is how that prophet from long ago defined his ministry. When Jesus finished that reading he handed the scroll to the attendant and sat down. In that day you sat in the Moses Seat to teach to the people. Today preachers stand in a pulpit. So all eyes were on Jesus, waiting for him to begin his teaching… Hope Do you remember the story of Pandora's Box in Greek Mythology? The lovely Pandora was sent by Zeus to be the bride of Epimetheus. One of Pandora's more endearing charms was her curiosity, but that quality also proved to nearly be her undoing. One day Mercury, the messenger, sent a box to the young couple. It was meant for them to enjoy, but under no circumstances were they to open it. Well, of course, it is the old story of the forbidden fruit. Told that she could not do it, it became the thing that she desired to do the most. So one day she pried it open and peeked inside. Suddenly out flew swarms of insects that began attacking them. Both lovers were stung with the poison of suspicion, hatred, fear and malice. Now the once happy couple began to argue. Epimetheus became bitter and Pandora wept with a broken heart. But in the midst of the quarreling, they heard a tiny voice cry out: Let me ou t, to sooth your pain. Fearfully they opened the box again, and this time a beautiful butterfly flew out. It touched the couple and miraculously their pain was healed and they were happy again. The butterfly we are told was hope. It is hope that sustains us; it is hope that sooths our pain.

A Good Deed

Englewood and Rust United Methodist Churches
July 11, 2010
Amos 7:1-7
Luke 10:25-37
A Good Deed
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Year C



Examples of the Great Commandment

I know that the gospel lesson is from Luke this morning, but I want to take us to some other scriptures.

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to Love the Lord you god with all of your heart, your soul, and with all of your mind. That is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it – Love your neighbor as yourself. All of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.
Every Israelite would have known these commandments and would have followed them. Jesus is quoting the greatest commandment and prayer, the golden rule.
Jews were and still are commanded to pray at all times, and to remember the great commandment – Deuteronomy 6:4 – hear o Israel: the lord our God, the lord is one. Most important. And then Deuteronomy6: 5 – love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength.
Jesus says love the lord with all of your mind, and the law says love the lord with all of your strength. The New Testament is written in Greek, and the Hebrew Scriptures are written in Hebrew – so it is difficult to tell why there is a difference in wording. Actually the Hebrew word that is interpreted as strength is meod – which actually means your muchness. Which means your being, your will, your abundance.

Alice in Wonderland as an example of muchness
Did anyone see the new Alice and Wonderland? Anything with Johnny Depp in it is a good movie to me. This movie is not a remake of the old – but a sequel. Alice has been to wonderland before, and they are now in crisis and need Alice to come back to save them. Once they get her to return – the characters get into a debate – which they have to wrong Alice. They called her back because they knew that Alice was the only one with enough nerve to do the right thing and to do what needs to be done to save them.
It’s the wrong Alice – no she insists I am the right Alice – what’s wrong with you then? What do you mean she asks – you have lost your muchness - you are not you anymore. For some reason, your nerve, your commandment, your guiding principle seems to be missing.
For us, we know that the guiding principle of our lives, the great commandment – to love to Lord our God is our muchness.
Repeat after me: Love the lord with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it – repeat after me Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus is challenged

Jesus taught that message to us in many ways. He had been teaching is disciples to go out into the world and to give that message, when a law scholar overheard him as he told them to have joy that their names were written in the annuls of heaven.
Feeling this was a good chance to challenge Jesus and stop the mad talk – he asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life – to live with god forever.
Jesus was not only smart – but he was wise enough to beat the scholar at his own game – you know the law – what does it say? Why are you asking me? We all know the greatest commandment.
The lawyer not wanting to be beat just yet continues his question – who is my neighbor –


Story of the Good Samaritan
A Jesus answer is one of the most well known stories in the bible – the story of the Good Samaritan. Society has co-opted this lesson so much that we don’t even realize that nowhere in the scripture does it say that the Samaritan is good. Or that he even did the right thing.
According to the law – the two men who passed by the man in the ditch were doing to right thing. They were in service for the lord – they were the good ones.
What we also may not realize is that this is not a story about how we treat strangers – it is about how we treat family members.

Samaritans are family members
Samaritans and Jews were part of the same family. Samaritans were confused Jews. As a matter of fact, they were Jews who refused to pray the Shema – they did not believe that the Lord was one. The worshipped other god in addition to Yahweh. They did not want to travel all the way to Jerusalem just to worship the one god, so they built their own altars. For a real Jew – to disrespect the shema – was the ultimate disrespect – it didn’t matter who you – that you were family.
When Jesus would have told this story and asked who was a true neighbor – he was counting on his audience to shutter. To get this sick feeling in their stomachs when they would have had to open their mouth and say Samaritan.
But Jesus to realize that charity starts at home. Sometimes the way we treat our own brothers and sisters is worse that how we treat enemies and strangers. We like to think about how good we are – and we totally ignore the sins we commit at home. A misunderstanding ensues – we don’t understand why our sisters and brothers act the way they do, we think that they can do better, do different, we wonder why they are so lost that they don’t even bother to speak anymore. We get comfortable in our self righteous hole – and we don’t speak to one another or even bother to work out our differences.
Jesus was a Jew – trying to bring his family back together again. In the process – he probably experiences the rejection like that of the Samaritans many times. I remember when I was in Israel – our tour guide told us – it is not that we don’t like Jesus – we don’t understand him –why would he disrespect our tradition so much and change it so much.
Because he realized that the love of the tradition and heritage has started to stand in the way of learning how to love one another. Tradition and beliefs had started to take precedence over unconditional love. Jesus knew the sick feeling any Jew would have gotten in having to admit that an alienated brother – the Samaritan was a true neighbor in this story. Maybe it was time to forget about the law and the prophets and to remember the great commandment - which is? And the second…. Perhaps love should be our guiding principle.

Story of boy wanting to be a brother
8-
I recall a story I read about a man
who had just received a new car from his brother. He went to visit a client in a poor neighborhood and as he returned to his car he noticed a boy with leg braces sitting on the doorstep of a nearby apartment building, admiring his car.
“That sure is a nice car mister! You sure must have a lot of money to afford a car like that!”
He replied, “No, not so much! My car was a piece of junk and my brother gave me

-9-
this one!”
“You’re kidding, he GAVE it to you. Like for FREE! You didn’t have to pay nothin’ at all for it?”
The man smiled, “Yes it was for free. I didn’t have to pay anything at all! ”
What the boy said next blew the man right out of the water, “Wow, I wish -
I wish I could be a brother like that.”
(Pause)
The man quizzing Jesus, according to Luke, was seeking to justify himself.


Most of us would have said I wish I had a brother like that. Jesus is trying to tell us that it is not about the brother you have – it is about the brother you are.

So what would life be like if we could love the lord with all of our abundance – our muchness.



We are the neighbors
Neighbors are not the people out there – neighbors are the people in here. We are the neighbors. In how we treat others in our own family. If can’t love one another in here – what is it that those out there really see in us? The reality is that we treat others the same way that we treat our family. We have to love one another – in spite of our differences. We love those whom god places in our lives – we don’t get to pick our family.
I am not going to touch on Amos too much this morning – other than to say that it echoes the lesson of the gospel. Amos takes a plumb line amongst the people to see if they are really following the great commandment of loving the lord and loving your neighbor. And Amos too needed to point out that the religious establishment had gotten so caught up in doing the right thing – they had forgotten the simple rule of love. It is not so much that the rule for us is love – love is the rule of how we respond to others.
That plumb line – that rule in our lives – is to remind us that love controls every aspect of who we are and what we do.
Love is our muchness – our abundance, our nerve, our strength, our heart, our soul and our mind.
The greatest commandment is…… the second……
We all know that – we have to just remember to live that.
Let us pray…..

Sharing Our Differences

May 2, 2010
Acts 11:1-18
John 13:31-35
Year C
Fifth Sunday of Easter

Salma and Lily were best friends at school.
They drew pictures together.
They played on the swings together.
They jumped rope together.
And they ate their lunches together.
But just what they ate was a little different.
Lily ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch.
Salma ate a hummus and pita sandwich every day for lunch.
And although Lily never said it out loud, she thought Salma's sandwich looked weird and yucky. She felt terrible that her friend had to eat that icky chickpea paste every day. EW. Yuck.
And although Salma never said it out loud, she thought Lily's sandwich looked strange and gross. She felt just awful that her friend had to eat that gooey peanut paste every day. EW. Gross.

You will have to wait a couple of months in order to hear the rest of the story. That is an excerpt from a childrens book coming out by the Queen of Jordan called the “sandwich Swap”. It is about her experiences as a child, where she at one type of food and her best friend ate another. Both felt uncomfortable with what the other was eating. But it was through food that they came to understand one another and developed a closer relationship in the process.
A perfect story for our scriptures this morning. Peter prided himself on being a good jew and making sure that everything that he ate was kosher. He considered that to be a part of what God called him to do – that is until he heard from God – which told him something different. That in the name of trying to understand others, he was free to eat whatever god’s people ate. There was nothing wrong with it
But not everyone of the disciples heard that same voice, and they criticized Peter, until he explained it for them. Once again this is a demonstration of how the holy spirit works in our lives It takes something that makes sense to us (in this case food- we all understand food) in order to explain something that doesn’t make sense to us. (in this case how to get along with other people)
This fits in with the gospel lesson which talks about love- Jesus tells his disciples to strive to love one another as you have been loved. – we know that there are 10 commandments – many say that this is the 11th commandment from God – to love. Love is not a concept unique to Jesus – because there are many commandments to love – love the lord the god with all of your heart, mind body and soul. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, there is even a commandment for Esau and Jacob to love one another as brothers.
Jesus is just trying to get them to follow the law of love in a brand new way. Not to love because you are supposed to, but to love because you have been loved. Not to guess what love means, but to know what love means. To realize that love is not about what you do – it is about the relationship that you have. In order to love somebody, you have to identify with that person, get into their lives and know what it going on, and be willing to eat with them. For instance Peter could very well have refused to eat with the gentiles and kept his kosher habits. But somewhere along the way he realized that his relationship was more important than his beliefs. And that it was the relationship that changed him and transformed the situation. The gentiles became a part of the family, the outsiders became insiders. All because the holy spirit took something that made sense and used it to teach something that they otherwise would not have understood.
Finally – I while teaching a class on Methodist studies for the district a few months ago – and one of the things I came across is a list of the signs of a United Methodist – you might be a United Methodist if….
The ones that I found a few months ago are much more positive, but here are some that I found last night…

You might be United Methodist if you raise your hand and promise your pastor that you have read the 17th chapter of Mark as part of the introduction to a sermon on truth telling. (Note: Mark only has 16 chapters. You might be United Methodist if you did not know that
You might be United Methodist if you think "Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego" is the name of a rap group from Detroit.
You might be United Methodist if you are a Siamese twin - well connected.
You might be United Methodist if you think you have to have a potluck dish to get into heaven
You might be United Methodist if you clapped in church last Sunday and felt guilty about it all week.
You might be United Methodist if you think the epistles are probably the wives of the apostles.
You might be United Methodist if you think the Holy Land is Nashville.

These seemed to concentrate on the negative things about United Methodist – making fun of where we may be lacking in faith. I thought it interested the author of the website said these were all statements submitted by United Methodist clergy.
But the list go worse when I looked for signs of a Christian. The only place where I could find the marks of a Christian were written by an atheist. Here are some examples.
1. You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

2. You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
3. You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history, but still call yourself a Christian.


But seriously, if you read and listen to the book of Acts this Easter season, you will learn the marks of a true Christian as one who follows Jesus, who trust in the teachings of Jesus, one who looks for the presence of the holy Spirit in their lives and is willing to follow it, and one who puts Christ as the center of their lives, allowing the spirit of Christ to dwell and live in them.
In an interview with John Travolta in 1995 he speaks about the love of Christ. He said “I love people and I have compassion and empathy for them, I am alive to the degree that I am able to do that. I have lost a lot of people that I love, but I guess that I have learned that when it comes to living people, you really don’t have a choice. Jesus knew the risk that he was taking in living the world.. he know it would come to disappointment. Love, the particular kind of love that God demonstrates in Jesus remains the most difficult thing we are called to do, but it’s the only thing that makes existence meaningful.
Love is the 11th commandment – love one another as I have loved you. Love can be painful – but it still makes a difference, it still transforms people – one relationship at a time. Love is a way of speaking, a way of doing, love is who you are in Christ. Love is the one mark of a true Christian. They know we are Christians by our love. Let us pray.

Faith, Hope, Love

Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-11
Year C
January 31, 2010
Faith, Hope and Love

The Gift

When he first gave it to me
I wrapped it up
and put it under my mattress,
preferring to pretend I didn’t have it.
I couldn’t give it back –
his gifts are always irrevocable,
non-transferable.

For years it stayed hidden,
disturbing my rest
as I assured myself it wasn’t there.
It brought me dreams,
such that I woke in anger
crying “Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”

Then one day I took it out
and unwrapped it.
“Why not?” I asked lovingly,
“Why not?”
Perhaps I’ll never use it –
perhaps he gave it to me for others’ sake.

So now I hold it high,
polished and bright –
displayed for all who will to see.

It still disturbs my rest.
“Why?” I ask.
“Why not?”
“Why me?”
“Why not?”
and I am filled with awe.

That is how Ruth Dudley explains her call to become a ministry. The time in her life, when she asks God why me – and God’s response to her was why not you? This was her point of no return – the point when she realized that uninvited – God had stepped into her life and called her into God’s service. Anyone who has ever encountered the holy spirit will come to that moment. Romans 12:6 says that the grace of God comes to all of us – and gives us all a gift. We just have to decide how to use it.
Some of us spend a lifetime running away from what God has called us to do – knowing it, but trying to explain it away. Others know what their passion is from birth, even before that, and just live into it. It is not the call that we struggle with, but the response and the assurance that God has already equipped us to do what needs to be done.
Jeremiah realized his call to speak for God. But not just to his nation – but to the whole world. To tell them about God and what God had in store for us.
Each of us has been given a call, a gift, a story. But it is not what we do as invidduals that matter but who we are as a community.
We have been listening to Pauls words to the Corinthians. That we all have a part of the puzzle – but it is when we put those pieces together that the world starts to truly understand who Jesus is, and what Jesus did for us. We come to understand the power of love.

It is sort of like this hair dryer, and this cd player – wonderful inventions. Useful to us all and make a difference in our lives. But without electricity don’t do much good. We have gifts, we are important tools of God – but unless we are connected to Jesus – we don’t do much good. Our connection is always Love.

Love is patient, kind, rejoicing in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, never ends.

Love is not envious or boastful, arrogant, insisting on own way, rejoicing in wrongdoing. Means that we love our enemies, stop counting what we deserve, it matures us, not self seeking, and we think of others. Gifts are for such a time as this, our love last forever.

During the Christmas season, a couple worried about money to buy gifts for one another. The wife wanted to get a chain for her husband’s watch – a watch that had been passed down in his family. But she was still $5 short. She gave up her most prized possession to get the gift. Her hair was down to her knees – she was very proud of her hair – but she sold it in order to get the gift. Which is why her husband was so surprised, he handed her the package – which turned out to be the hair combs that she has wanted for her hair. He laughed even harder when he opened his gift. A chain for the watch that he had sold to buy the hair combs.
Neither received a gift that they could use that Christmas – but what they did get was love. They realized that they had a love that was willing to sacrifice in order to make the other person happy. A love that expected nothing in return for its sacrifice. A love that would get past that moment.
Because that is what love is – love is always an action and not a feeling. Love is always about the person and not the circumstance. We are to always be patient with one another, but we don’t have to patient about the circumstance – jesus reminds us that the time for change is always now we don’t have to stay stuck in our circumstance. Just as love is about people, so is jealousy and envy. Some people are jealous of the things that we have – the gifts that we have been given. Others are jealous of the fact that we have gifts. One can be overcome – the other is a very dangerous feeling that never goes away. One is directed at the person, and the other is at the circumstance.
Jesus message to us all – love the person, change the circumstance. Be patient with the person in all things. Fix the circumstance.
It is not only how we treat one another that shows love, it how we choose to live together that shows true love to the world. How we forgive, how we copperate, how we work together.
This paraphrase of Pauls word – demonstrates who we are to be as the church.


Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13

What if I could stand up here and say the most wonderful things, and sound impressive and answer everyone's questions, but I didn't love anyone - what would be the point?

What if we were the most incredible church where every pew was filled the preaching was always inspirational - we had a choir that always sang perfectly and served the best coffee in town, but no one felt love - what would be the point?

And if as a community we teach our children lots of information and knowledge and they can recite the books of the Bible and know all the right answers but they don't know how to love, we've failed them.

If we focus on some and say 'he/she was a saint' and welcome newcomers, and collect money for the Mission and Service Fund, and we pray every week for the poor of the world and yet we don't feed the hungry and reach out to the poor of our communities around us, and don't care for the sick and the lost in our community, where is the honesty in that?

If we don't love what's the point?

Love is kindness in action, offered simply and humbly. Love is not meant to make me look good, score brownie points with God, or draw attention to ourselves.

Love is co-operative; there are all kinds of ways of doing good and God is happy to use every way there is. Love only cares that what's needed is done. Love has the best interests of the other in mind.

Sometimes we grow weary and give up - we can't think of what else can be done. But God never gives up - God's love continues, and new possibilities are always appearing. What we know now is never the whole picture. What we do now is never the whole story.

In some ways we're like children: we do what we can and what we know to this point. But there's still more for us to learn, to grow into, to accept.

Some day we'll look back on where we are now, and wonder how we could ever have wondered and doubted and refused to accept what was happening.

In some ways, it's like looking in an imperfect mirror. There's a reflection there, but it's not quite right, not totally true. We are the body of Christ, the image of God - but not perfectly, not completely, not totally truly ... not yet. The day will come when we will see. The day will come when we will know. Until then, we live in faith, trusting God's love. Until then, we live in hope, hoping for God's love. Until then, we live in love, showing God's love as best we can. because love is the point of it all.

(adapted from a Loaves and Fishes resource sheet, Wood Lake Books, 1998 by Rev. Brian Donst, United Church, Winona, ONT)


The gifts that we have are great – but there is a more excellent way – and that way is the love of God. We each have a gift – n some way we each have an encounter with the holy – that is wonderful.
But what is better is who we grow as a community, growing is not getting smarter, but becoming more loving, more understanding, more tolerant of one another. As we grow to love one another we also grow to love God.
Faith is the loyalty we have with to God and to God’s cause on earth. Hope is the trust that we have that God’s word for us is true, but love is the glue that hold the faithful and all of their gifts together in order to show love to the world. Faith, hope, love – the greatest of these is?
Let us pray…

The Fruit doesn't fall far from the Tree

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2009
Mother’s Day
Year B
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
Fruit doesn’t fall far from the Tree


The relationship between a mother and child is the most basic, primary relationship of human kind. It is the relationship that forms who we are, the relationship that teaches us to love ourselves and others, it the relationship which tells who we should be in the world. There is no other relationship that is considered to as important as sacred as the relationship of mother and child.
Which is why I was surprised when the view decided to feature a woman who wrote a book on how she hated her mother for Mother’s Day. Friday – they featured the book Who do you think are by Alysa Meyers. In the book and in life, Myers relates that she always felt that her mother never loved her, and that she frankly never really cared for her mother. It was not necessarily an abusive relationship, but it was a relationship absent of love and care. After the book was published the author says that she has received lots of hate mail – people who could not accept the concept of someone admitting that they hated their mother. But in reading the reviews of the book, there were many others who praised her for her honesty.
You see the book was an attempt to get beyond her image of her mother and to get to know her mother as a human being. As she was able to uncover the details of her mothers life, she came to understand her mother and she came to understand their relationship. She discovered many things that she wished she had known when her mother was alive.
In her book she had the courage to do what many of us find that we have to do with all of our human relationships, especially if we want to be able to heal – to step aside and get to know the real person behind our perceptions and our feelings.
In her book, Alyssa Meyers talks about a box that she knew was in the back of her mothers closet. A box that she always felt held the clues to her mother and to their relationship. Of course in reading the reviews, they never tell what is in the box. But it helped her understand her mother.

Whatever our relationship, whatever our circumstance, whatever stage we are in our lives, there is someone in our lives – who is our mother, our primary relationship in the world.

And even for those of us who speak fondly of our mother, and who will say that we have or had a good relationship- if we think about it there were those rough times. Those times when we did not always see eye to eye.
Some elementary school students answered these questions about mothers. Why did God make mothers – she is the only one who knows where the scotch tape is, to help us out when we are being born. How did God make mothers - by magic plus superpowers and a whole lot of stirring. And why did God give you your mother and not some other mom – God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me. I think that answer has the deepest sense of wisdom in it. Somehow we are special, more special than anyone else to the one we call mother.
The deeper truth in that statement is the fact that God knew that was the person for us. We came into that person’s life for a reason. They are the person who would show us the definition of love.
The lesson of 1 John is that God is the ultimate source of all love. There is no way in life that we could ever know love, if it wasn’t for God. God and love are one and the same thing. God is the source of love, but God is also the essence of what love is all about. To know that we are loved is to know that there is a God in the world.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of the book why bad things happen to good people says that in Hebrew God is referred to as a He, but that is just a function of language. Not a function of who God is. Kushner explains that he would never call God an it – so he uses the language to personalize and honor god by saying he. But The essence of God is thought of as both a mother and father. In Hebrew the male words for God refer to a God out there in heaven. The God which is present here with us on earth, the God we experience, know and understand, is referred to in female terms – as a caring and mothering God.
Isnt that the whole point of Jesus Christ coming into the world – so that we can know that God is here with us – in many forms and in many ways.
The bible says that the primary way that we know that God loves us, is that God sent God’s only son into the world. Jesus is the spirit of God with flesh – so that we could have that person to teach us the ways of God.
The presence of the holy spirit in our lives is even further proof that God loves us and cares for us. The presence of God is our assurance that no matter where we are and what we go through the unconditional love of God is always present. The gospel promises that if you abide in God, that God will abide in you. God is always with you no matter what.
Unfortunately in life, we just don’t know it. Things are so intense that we are sure God is not there. I talked with a woman this week, who in tears confessed that there is no way God could love her. Every day there was a different thing going wrong. And she was sure that god was punishing her, because she didn’t like to go to church. I had to assure her that God might want her to go to church, but god would never punish her for not going. No matter who we are – we are children of God – a God who cares. Just like this woman – we get so caught up in the details of our life that we lose sight of God’s abiding presence. We are so caught up in our pain, our unwillingness to understand that we forget to see the obvious. That God is there all of the time. It is like we are standing on a big x – we are looking all around for something that looks like God, and miss that fact that God is with us all of the time. X marks the spot. The place where we are standing or sitting is holy ground. The life that we are living is a holy expression of god‘s love for us and for the world. God is present in the air that we breathe, the thoughts that we think, the actions that we take. God is everywhere around us. God is leading every action that happens to us in life. After Jacob went through is struggle with God – it was only after it was over that he realized that surely God was in this place – and we didn’t even see it.
Jesus says I am the vine and your are the branches. We are always connected. If you abide in me, and I in you, ask for whatever you wish and it shall be granted. God is always there and God always care.
Sometimes we need someone to point out the presence of God for us. Where ever the presence is – there is the love of God. For many of us – that person was like a mother to us. The one who cared for us, the one who pointed out the x of life and showed us the way forward. We can be grateful for that person whomever they were.
Because what strikes me, is how many people there are in the world who don’t believe that God loves them. They don’t believe that they are children of God, and they don’t see God’s presence in their situation. God is ever blessing them – and all they see are the bad things. Sort of like the author and her mother. She saw the bad things about her mother- but she never saw the obvious that her mother loved her the best way that she could – with what she had to give. Sort of like the women I talked to who saw all of the bad things in her life, but never stopped to see her blessings in the midst of it. Do you know how many people there are in the world who are asking if God really loves them? Who don’t know that they are loved children of God?
In order to witness God’s presence, you have to know God. The only way to know God - is to know that you are loved. The only way to know love is to be loved. To have someone who mothered you , cared for you and pointed out the presence for you.
Today is mothers day – the day we point out the love in our lives. The day we acknowledge that we have been loved in some way. And we honor the presence of love in our lives. In that sense every day is mothers day. But every day we are also called to perfect our love. Perfect not in being without blame. But in being complete. Where there is woundedness to bring forgiveness, where there is lack of understanding to bring clarity, where there is hatred to bring love. Where there is someone who asks the question does someone love me, to pull them aside and show them the x – which proves that we all stand in holy ground and that the love of God abides in us all.
I leave you with this poem…
in the secret places, where fears and doubts litter the floor of my heart, you come along sweeping them into your broom and dustpan, exposing the bright foundation of faith; you sit me on your lap, placing your hand over mine, stretching out my finger, so, together, we trace the words in the stories of grace and hope told (and lived out) in each generation; you could roam all the ends of creation, but choose to hang out with me (!) grabbing me by the hand when i am about to dart out into the traffic on Sin Street; lifting me into the air to reach the highest branch so i can swing back-and-forth on the Arm of your love. Mother . . . . . .may i always lose my heart to you.

Today, may you not only know that- but also be that.
Amen.

A Command, A Promise, or a Way of Life - March 15, 2009

Exodus 20:1-17
John 2:13-22
March 15, 2009
Year B
Third Sunday of Lent
A Command, a Promise or a Way of Life?

Memorizing the 10 commandments is a rite of passage or all Sunday school students. Who can remember them by heart?
(I can’t)

Teach you a short trick to remember them….
Start with your hands together in prayer. This reminds us that God heard the
prayers of the Hebrew people when they were in slavery in Egypt and freed them
(Exodus 3:7, 20:2). The commandments are a way for us to show our gratitude for
God's love in our lives and to further just and peaceful relationships in God's
world.

1. "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me." Hold up one
index finger for the number one. We worship one God.

2. "You shall not worship idols." Idols, false gods, are not only things like
statues, but anything in which we place our ultimate trust and allegiance-- for
example, money, possessions or weapons. Hold up two fingers. Should we worship
more than one God? No, two is too many! One of them must be an idol, and we
should not worship it!

3. "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain." Use three fingers to form the
letter "W' which stands for "words." Watch your words! God wants us to use his
name in loving, caring ways, as we pray and as we talk about him, not in
swearing or in anger.

4. "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." Hold up four fingers, and fold
your thumb under to let it rest. The thumb has the right idea. It's the Sabbath,
and the thumb is following the commandment to take a day of rest. God does not
want anyone to overwork or be stressed, so we need a day to rest, to be at
peace, and to worship with others. God also gave us the Sabbath so that working
people would not be taken advantage of by their employers (Deut. 5:14)

5. "Honor your father and your mother." Hold up all five fingers on one hand as
if you are taking a pledge, to honor your parents. God wants there to be peace
and love in all our family relationships.

6. "You shall not kill." Pretend the index finger on your second hand is a gun,
shooting at the first five fingers. God's sixth commandment teaches us not to do
anything that would hurt another person unfairly.

7. "You shall not commit adultery." Hold one hand out flat. The five fingers and
hand become the floor of the church. Two fingers on the other hand are the man
and woman to be married, standing in the church, making
promises to each other. This seventh commandment calls for couples to keep the
marriage promises they make.

8. "You shall not steal." Hold up four fingers on each hand, for the eighth
commandment. If you stretch out your fingers slightly, these become the prison
bars, which hold someone who was been arrested for stealing. Our Study Catechism
says "God forbids all theft and robbery, including schemes, tricks or systems
that unjustly take what belongs to someone else."

9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Hold up all five
fingers on one hand and four on the other. Fold your second thumb under and turn
your hand around, so the thumb is hiding. It is secretly going around telling
the other four fingers on that hand lies and rumors about the five fingers on
the other hand. It is "bearing false witness," as it talks behind people=s
backs, spreading gossip, criticizing others without talking directly to the
people involved. Again, our Study Catechism teaches us "Negative stereotyping is
a form of falsehood that invites actions of humiliation, abuse, and violence as
forbidden by the commandment against murder."

10. "Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor." Hold out your hands, palms
up, and wiggle all ten fingers to show that they've got the "gimmes." Your
fingers are saying, "Gimme what belongs to my neighbor. I want all those things
my neighbor has." This is not the way God wants us to live.


I bet you didn’t know that catholics, Lutherans, other protestants, and jews have different ten commandements. There are actually 15 commandments that have been grouped in different ways.





A preacher was depressed that he lost his bike…..In a small town there were two preachers, one Methodist and one Baptist.They both liked to ride bicycles around town, and they would greet eachother when they met on their way somewhere. Well, so one day when they met, the Baptist preacher was on foot. Methodistpreacher asked him, "What happened to your bicycle?" Baptist preacher said, "I don't know. I put it somewhere, and can'tremember where. I hope somebody didn't steal it." So the Methodist preacher said, "I know what we can do to get your bicycleback. This Sunday we'll both preach on the Ten Commandments. When we getto 'Thou shalt not steal,' we'll dwell on it long and hard. I'll betthat'll get your bicycle returned." So they proceeded to do this, and one day the next week they met up again,and the Baptist preacher had his bicycle back. "Hello, friend," said the Methodist preacher. "I see one of our sermons didsome good." The Baptist fellow hung his head and said, "Yeah, but not how you'd think.I preached on the Ten Commandments, just like we said, and when I got to'Covet not thy neighbor's wife,' I remembered where I'd left my bicycle!"


That is how we usually use the ten commandments – as a set of rules that we are supposed to obey, with a realization that we will be punished if we disobey. And there are times when it is justified that we are punished. These are social boundaries where there should be consequences if we violate them. These are the basic rules of how we should live in community.

These are the first known rules of community. The story goes that the people did not want to talk with Moses on their own, so they ask Moses to go on the mountain and to bring back those rules to live by.

Today, even with all of the controversy of separation of church and state, they are the basis of our legal system. And play an important in our modern societal boundaries.

I told you that during lent we would be dealing with the 6 promises of God. At first thought, this hardly seems like a promise. It seems more like a list of rules to follow or else.

That is because no matter how well we may remember all of the commandments, we are not told of the first words o Exodus 20:2 – Where God says, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

I brought you out of the house of slavery – the promise for us is not a demand a demand of obedience, but a request of obedience. The first promise for us is that we would not be destroyed. In spite of out bent toward sinning. The second promise is that the world would be blessed if we live out of our faith. The promise for today – is that even though we are sinners, even though there are always consequences for our sin, - we have been set free. We are free to be in relationship with God and with one another. Without freedom, there is no relationship – because you are not giving out of your heart.

Without God, where would be be? Without God’s love for us where would we be? Without God opening doors and providing a pathway for us – where would we be? So why would we put other gods before God?
The first 4 commandments teach us how to have a relationship with God, the next six teach us how to have a relationship with one another.
Jesus reminds us that we should love the lord our God with all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our souls. And to love one another as God loves us. To treat one another, as God treats us.

Perhaps that is why Jesus got so upset in our gospel. Because people seemed to get so caught up in following the rules, that they forgot to be in relationship with one another, and with God.

This is another story which is told in all of the gospels. In John’s story – this is the beginning of Jesus ministry – when he comes to the temple – and finds money changers in the temple. He is not so much upset that they are selling worship materials – it is okay for us to have bake sales, and fundraisers in the church. That is not the problem. He is upset because of their attitude in selling products. They don’t care about the people that they are serving – many who can’t afford the prices that they are being charged. Also, they have set up shop in the gentile section of the temple, which means that there are people who are not allowed to come to worship while all of this is going on.

They have turned worship of God into a mockery of all that God stands for. A relationship of love.

Jesus ties some rope together and starts to destroy what they are doing by upturning everything. I love the response of the religious leaders in this story – who gave you the authority to do this?

When I was in Israel, one of the leaders said, it is not that Jews don’t like Jesus, they just don’t understand. It was like he made a mockery of the whole point of Jewish tradition. like he is doing in this scene.

Jesus is reminding us that we are free – we are not bound by tradition, or by circumstances, or by rules. The Lord our God has set us free. And all that God asks of us in return – is to obey – to never forget our relationship with God and to live out that relationship with one another.

The temple in which we worship is not a building (as important as it is), the temple is our relationships with one another and with those in the world. Without a relationship with who we are, what we are doing, and how we affect others – we don’t have anything.

I want to leave you with these words from Meister Eckhart
“as long we look for some kind of pay for what we do, as long as we want something from God in some kind of exchange, we are like merchants. Do all that you can in good works, solely for the praise of God. Live as you do not exist. Expect nothing in return. Then the merchant inside of you shall be driven out of the temple. Let God alone dwell in the temple. This is how the temple is cleared: when a person thinks only of God and honors him alone. Only such a person is free and genuine.

Worship no God but God
Don’t use the lords name in vain
Remember the Sabbath
Honor your parents
Don’t murder
Don’t commit adultery
Don’t steal
Don’t lie
Don’t wish for anything that belongs to another.

No matter what you do – always remember that you are loved, so you are free.

Amen.