Spreading God's Word

July 7, 2019 Luke 10:1-20 We are Sent 4th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Children’s Sermon Object: A pair of shoes, salt and pepper, knife and fork. Have you ever noticed how certain things go together, boys and girls? For instance, what goes together with boys? Girls! Almost every Sunday morning I say, "Good morning, boys and girls." When I see boys and girls together on Sunday morning, I know that we are going to have a worship service. The other night I saw two bright lights coming down the road and I knew then what was coming. A car, that's right. Now, let's see what else I have here with me that you might know about. [Hold up knife and fork.] What do you call these two things? When you see a knife and fork what does that mean is going to happen? [Wait for answer.] You are going to eat! And [hold up salt and pepper] what about these? When you see these two friends together what do they mean to you? You put salt and pepper on potatoes, meat, green beans and tomatoes. When you see them you know what is coming, don't you? One more try. [Hold up basketball shoes.] What do you call this pair of shoes? Gym shoes, that's right, and when someone wears this kind of shoes you know that he is playing some kind of game. All these pairs, the knife and fork, the salt and pepper and the gym shoes, tell us something else besides what they are. They tell us what to expect. The reason for this story is that Jesus once had some pairs of people whom he used in a special way. He chose people to go out together in pairs and tell everyone in the towns that they visited that Jesus was coming. When the people saw the pair of messengers coming, they knew that Jesus was soon coming. Maybe you have a friend who would like to go with you to tell others about Jesus just as the pairs did a long time ago. When you see two things that belong together like salt and pepper, you will remember that once Jesus sent out two people together to tell others about God's love. Luke 10:1-20 Common English Bible (CEB) Seventy-two sent out 10 After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go.2 He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. 3 Go! Be warned, though, that I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no wallet, no bag, and no sandals. Don’t even greet anyone along the way. 5 Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house.’ 6 If anyone there shares God’s peace, then your peace will rest on that person. If not, your blessing will return to you. 7 Remain in this house, eating and drinking whatever they set before you, for workers deserve their pay. Don’t move from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a city and its people welcome you, eat what they set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come upon you.’10 Whenever you enter a city and the people don’t welcome you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘As a complaint against you, we brush off the dust of your city that has collected on our feet. But know this: God’s kingdom has come to you.’ 12 I assure you that Sodom will be better off on Judgment Day than that city. Judgment against cities that reject Jesus 13 “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin. How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida. If the miracles done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed their hearts and lives long ago. They would have sat around in funeral clothes and ashes. 14 But Tyre and Sidon will be better off at the judgment than you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be honored by being raised up to heaven? No, you will be cast down to the place of the dead. 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy-two return 17 The seventy-two returned joyously, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit themselves to us in your name.” 18 Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Recently, it seems that there has beena resurgence of super hero movies. Spiderman is in theaters this week. But it seems that we live in a world, where the issues have gotten so large, that once again we enjoy watching someone with superhuman strength doing wonderful deeds to make life easier for all of us. What Super Power Would You Choose? - Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 When you were a kid what superpower did you want to have? Flying like Superman? Scaling tall buildings like Spiderman? What superpower did you want to have and how did you want to use it? I thought about that recently when I saw a question which was posted on the website forum Reddit. The question was, “If you could have a uselesssuperpower, what would it be?” Did you catch that--a useless superpower? Here’s one response that came in to that question: “The ability to win at rock- paper-scissors every single time.” Well, I guess that certainly is a useless superpower. Here are some other responses: “Whenever I pick up a sock, the sock next to it would become the matching one.” O. K. One guy responded: “The power to be able to slam a revolving door.” Another said, “When I catch a cold, the ability to know exactly where and when I got it.” I guess that would be for the purpose of retribution. And finally, “Always knowing when to use a semicolon.” That must be for an English major. What about you? What useless superpower would you wish for? It’s a fun question to consider because we all want to believe that we have untapped powers within us, and that we would have the courage to use those untapped powers if a need ever arises. In our Bible passage today, Jesus sent out seventy-two of his followers as an advance team to prepare the people for his ministry. And he gave them power—super power, really—to heal diseases and cast out demons. He also gave them authority to preach about the kingdom of God. And when the disciples got back, they felt like superheroes! But their super powers were not useless. Far from it…. What power does the world need today that would make a difference in everyone’s life? I am still thinking about that one, but peace man – who can stop an argument and create peace in all situations? Or someone with the power of taking away pain instantly. My sermon will be short today – I have not preached on this text very often. Usually I would choose Galatians and the true definition of freedom. I have preached once on Elisha healing naaman. Or perhaps this was the first Sunday of an appointment, I did not use the lectionary at all. But today I thought this was an important message for us – as we begin our congregational conversations this week. What is our mission in this community? How is God using us to spread the good news to Wilmington and beyond? Who is God calling us to be as a church. This text is a hidden gem in the gospel. Luke is the only person who tells this story – of Jesus calling out 72 disciples and sending them out 2 by 2. We hear a lot of Jesus training of the 12. But we don’t always think about the fact that Jesus had a whole group of disciples that followed him. Just like Elijah who thought that he was the only one who cared about God – and God said but there are others. It can be easy to think that we are the last generation that cares about the church. No one is out there, no one cares, no one wants to take over our ministry when we are gone. This text gives us the message that there is always those who will do the work of God – but how do we find them. The number 70 is important for many reasons, there were probably more than that. But 70 is a good round number, the bible says that moses has 70 elders to help with his ministry. It also says that there are 70 nations that are open to the message of God. Interestingly enough – there are usually about 70 people gathered in this sanctuary to worship together. So my point is that the 70 that Jesus is teaching and appointing and sending out are the 70 present here today. Jesus is sending us out into the community. The scripture says that the work will not be easy. Not everyone will be accepting – but that we should still show love and compassion. The command that Jesus gives us is to get going, to travel light, to bring peace wherever we go, to stay rooted and not move around, to cure the sick, stay focused, return in joy and to know that God is with you. God list some towns who were not accepting of his servants. Some of the towns were Jewish towns, some were gentile. Some did some pretty bad things. But God says that they will ultimately be judged on their hospitality. How receiving were they of the good news of God’s love. Did they listen? Did they respond? Did they help you? Did they take care of you? When we think of hospitality, we usually think of giving. But Jesus says to put yourself in a position to receive. That we should speak about God, but we should also listen. We should give to others, take care of others, reach out. But also be open. For instance at the Sharefest, when we give food and clothes to others, we can also allow them to give what they have to be given out at another event. We should invite others into the church, but also meet them at their level to see what appeals to them. Sometimes it is hard for us to receive hospitality, to be in need. It is even harder for us to be vulnerable, and open and people to still be unkind and unwilling. That is why Jesus says that he sends us out as sheep among wolves. But Jesus also reminds us that each of us have been given superhuman strength to overcome the world. We have been given superpowers to heal, to cure to who love. When we are out in the community, it is the power of God that works through us. It is interesting that we can identify with spiderman and superman and batman easier than we can trust in the power of the holy spirit. It is easier for us to relate to the story of how superman saves Wilmington, than it is for us to get excited about God planting a United Methodist Church in Wilmington and empowering the people in the church to transform the community. One of those stories is real, and one is not. God is calling us to go out into this community and do miracles. But it all starts with trust and hospitality. Preach the gospel in all that you do, and if necessary use words. Salvation is one person telling another where the power is. The Kingdom of God Is Here The main message of these 72 workers is the simple declaration “The kingdom of God is near.” Dallas Willard once said that when he was a young boy, rural electrification was taking place throughout the United States. For the first time ever, tall poles popped up across the landscape of the countryside with huge electric wires strung from pole to pole to pole. But initially at least, not everyone trusted electricity and so not a few rural families opted (for a time) to not hook up. They heard the messages of the electric company of how much easier life would be with electric washing machines replacing hand-cranked wringers and electric vacuum cleaners bringing to an end the old practice of hauling heavy carpets outside to have the dirt beaten out of them. They heard these promises but did not trust or believe them. So in a sense, Willard wrote, you could have said to those folks, “My friends, electricity is at hand!” But if they opted to not tap into that power that was running right over their heads, then the nearness of the power would do them no good. Maybe the message of the kingdom’s nearness was like that. With Jesus in the world, the kingdom of God was near, at hand. All the goodness and glory and power of that kingdom was right there, but if they kept it at arm’s length, it would do them no good. Their lack of participation did not weaken the power of the kingdom. But it did land them in an unhappy (and unnecessary) spiritual situation of staying in the dark when the light of the world was right there. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations In the coming months, may all of us have an opportunity to be moved by God’s hospitality. Let us pray…. Additional illustrations…… Relationship Evangelism There is an old story told about a man by the name of Ali Facid. He had a small farm and a family. One day, the story goes, a Buddhist priest came by and said to Ali Facid: You know, there are valuable stones called diamonds, and if you get one of these you could be a wealthy man." Ali Facid went to bed that night, but the words of the old priest haunted him. He was so obsessed that he felt that he must find him one of these diamonds so that he could become a ruler. He sold his farm, put his family out to neighbors and went out to find his acres of diamonds. Months passed. He was broken in body and spirit. His funds were gone. And at the Bay of Barcelona, he threw himself into the water, never to walk this earth again. Meanwhile, the man who bought his farm bent over one day and picked up a little stone. He laid on the mantle that night not knowing what it was. A few days later the old Buddhist priest came by and saw it and exclaimed: Ali Facid must be back from his search. No, came the response. Then where did that diamond come from? The farmer replied: I was out plowing in the garden and found it there. And friends, did you know that from that very garden, for this is not a legend but a true story, came the jewels and diamonds that today adorn the crown heads of Europe and Russia. In Ali Facid's own back yard there were acres of diamonds and he knew it not. My friends, I know that the [your church's neighborhood] is not like [name two neighborhoods in your area that are experiencing growth] in terms of extensive growth. But, I also know that there are acres of diamonds right here in our own back yard. There are people right here in our area that do not have church families, who are not committed to Christ, and who are waiting to be asked. We don't have to look to other areas of the city. All we have to do is pick up the diamonds that are right beneath us. Staff, www.Sermons.com ________________________________________ A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the fore¬man. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward, and skillfully felled a great tree. Im¬pressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday." Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by — and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today." Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today." "But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!" The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, ‘"Have you been sharpening your ax?" The young man replied, "No, sir. I've been work¬ing too hard to take time for that!"5 When Disney World opened in 1971, Walt Disney was not present to witness the grand opening of his greatest dream come true — he had died five years earlier. Dur¬ing the spectacular opening ceremonies, the host of the festivities introduced Walt's widow, Lillian Disney, who would say a few words on stage for the occasion. "Mrs. Disney," the host beamed with reverence, "I wish Walt could have seen this." Lillian stood up, walked over to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and said, "He did." And then she sat down. That simple statement said it all.2 The young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty." So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel. Preaching, November-December 1985

Why are You looking up?

June 2, 2019 Acts 1:1-11 Ascension Sunday Year C Why are you looking up? Scripture Focus: Luke 24:44-53 (note: this is the Gospel text for Thursday, May 17, Ascension of Our Lord. Many churches read the ascension texts on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. There will also be a Children’s Sermon posted using the texts appointed for Sunday, May 20.) Preparation: Make a “to-do” list with the items: 1) Receive power from God. 2) Go to the temple and pray. 3) Go tell what you have seen. Faith+Open: As the children gather ask them, “Have you ever been left with a list of things to do?” Maybe you get a list at home like, first you need to finish your dinner, then you need to clean up your room, then you can go play with your friends. Guess what, the disciples got a list like that, too! Faith+Share: Today we are celebrating the Ascension of Our Lord. That’s a big word, don’t you think? Does anyone know what it means? Wait for a few answers. You guys are pretty smart! Ascension means to go up. It can also describe when someone gets more power or more responsibility. Kings and queens ascend to the thrown when they become a kind or queen. In the story of Jesus’ ascension he really does go up – up into the sky to be with God, but before he goes he leaves a “To-Do” list. Right before he ascends, Jesus tells the disciples that they are the ones who know what happened in Jerusalem (what we know as the Easter story) and that they need to tell the story to other people. Get out your list. First, though, they have a few other things to do. Jesus tells them to wait in the city until they have been “clothed with power from on high.” That always makes me think of a super hero suit from God! Like the disciples become super storytellers for God! Storytellers who can baptize people, and heal the sick and injured, who can travel amazing distances and tell the story over and over. Pretty cool, huh? Then they go to the temple and bless God for the amazing gifts that God has given them. Then they head out into the world to share the good news! That story starts next week when we celebrate Pentecost. So, this is our last chance this year to say this, Happy Easter! Faith+Prayer: Powerful God, we thank you for the gifts you give us. Help us to use our gifts like the disciples did, by going out into the world and sharing the good news of Christ. Amen Faith+Blessing: Remember what Jesus says to his disciples: Do not be afraid and peace be with you. + ~GB Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply. Acts 1:1-11 Common English Bible (CEB) The risen Jesus with his disciples 1 Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, 2 right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom. 4 While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: 5 John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?” 7 Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. 11 They said, “Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Have you ever wondered why birds chirp like to sing the first thing in the morning? I just love to hear the birds in the morning, chirping away signaling that a new day is coming, and it is time to get up. When I was a small girl, there was a rooster the lived in the back of my grandmother’s apartment. His crowing in the morning was such an important way to wake up in the morning. It seems that the birds around the parsonage are not city birds – they are on a different time table. They start chirping at 3am in the morning. Usually, just as I am about the go to bed – the birds outside my window start to sing. I read somewhere recently that birds sing in the morning as a way to signal to their partners that they are still here. They have survived through the night- and they want to celebrate life and the beginning of a new day – of adventure and love. In many ways it is like us and our faith. We too come to church to signal to the community that we are here for another day. We have survived and are well enough to come together in church to sing, and to pray. It is also interesting that as you follow along the Easter story – it seems that every week we read a story – where the disciples are gathering to sing and to celebrate. They sing when they re happy, they sing when they are confused, they sing when they understand what is going on, they celebrate when they don’t. They are not celebrating their life, but the life of Jesus. It has been 40 days since Jesus was cruficied and they found an empty tomb. Actually it was 40 days last Thursday - that is ascension Sunday. The day that Jesus supposedly ascended into heaven. I say supposedly – because this story is only found in the book of Acts and in the book of Luke. The disciples are enjoying their second chance time with Jesus. Jesus has come back, so that must mean that He is going to stay – and like Lori Lightfoot – he is going to clean up the government and make this world a better place to live. Jesus is still teaching them, and then Luke reports that Jesus takes them to a beach, starts to pray and then just lifts up in the sky. And they are standing there looking at his feet. Did that really happen? No one is for sure. But it is always the most dramatic part of a passion play – in every passion play Jesus is hoisted up into the air and he flys away and the story ends. Being that the other gospels don’t say anything about how jesus left the earth, we really don’t know if this happen, or if Luke was being dramatic. The point of the story however – is that Jesus no longer walks amongst us. We can no longer just ask Jesus every time we have a faith struggle, we have to find the answer ourselves. Christianity is not the religion of Jesus, it is the religion of the disciples. And the moment they realized that Jesus has left them all alone stays etched in their mind as if they watched him float away. It is sort of like a story of a faithful dog. There is a monument to a faithful collie at the train station in Fort Benton, Montana. The collies’s master died in 1936. The collie was there at the train station when his coffin was shipped back east to be buried. The collie followed the train as it pulled off, but of course could not keep up. So he came back to the train station and waited. Every time a train pulled up to the station, the collie was there waiting for his master to return. He never left the station. One summer day in 1942, the dog ran in front of a train and was killed. The conductors buried him on a hill and marked his grace. The monument still stands to his faithfulness to his master. No doubt the dog was faithful and loyal and honorable. But he also wasted six year of his life doing nothing. He was never able to move past the moment of his masters death. If his master had ever stepped off one of those trains, would he be impressed that he was still waiting, or would he has wanted him to go on with his life, carrying the memory of their time together and yet still living.

The point if waiting
Jesus has been constantly telling us to be patient, to wait for the holy spirit – but he is not asking us for a passive waiting, but an active waiting. A waiting where we go on with our normal lives, filled with the knowledge that life gets better. We are called to move forward, even in times when we don’t understand, knowing that it will eventually make sense. Even in times when times are hard, with the knowledge that in time things will get better. Even in times when we believe that jesus is coming back – but have no idea of what that even means Unfortunately, the dog did not have the guidance of the two angels, the same two angels that sat at the grave – to tell the disciples to stop staring at the sky – and to move on with life. they don’t have to look for Jesus – Jesus will look for them. Losing a mentor can be devastating and disorienting. I can imagine how broken the disciples must have been. They had put so much faith in this man, and now he was gone. What did that mean for his trust? What did that mean for them, for the world and all that they had hoped for? They must have been so discouraged, when Jesus told them to wait for the presence of the comforter – the holy spirit. The spirit would come and give them strength and power. We get that next week when we celebrate Pentecost. I recently read an article about spiritual awakenings. It caught my attention, because it reminded me that spiritual awakenings can be tricky and confusing. Sort of like the birds starting to sing at 3 in the morning. Truthfully, I sometimes have a hard time falling asleep at night. Hearing the birds at 3 in the morning is my spiritual trigger, that the night is over and it is the dawn of a new day – so my mind can relax enough to fall asleep in peace. Spiritual awakening have a way of taking who we are and who we should be and shaking them up together. They take our bad side and our good side and make use of both of them. Spiritual awakening are never simple, or straightforward, or easy to go through. They are like driving through a storm. We are not in control and things are not pretty. But the good news for us is that when we come through them, we are stronger, and more confident and able to face things that would have bought fear before. The disciples faced the death and resurrection with fear. Today, they were still alone, but they understood what Jesus was trying to tell them. They did not have to wonder what Jesus would do, because it was written in their hearts, they would face an uncertain future and not be afraid. >Story of the chief’s successor
A tribal chief lay dying. He summoned three of his most loyal subjects and told them that it was time for him to choose a successor. He told them to climb the holy mountain and to return with the most precious gift you can find. The first brought back a huge gold nugget, the second brought back a priceless gem. The third returned empty handed, saying “when I reached the mountaintop, I was on the other side a beautiful land, where people could go for a better life. The chief said, you shall succeed me. You have brought back the most precious gift of all: a vision of a better tomorrow. That is why Ascension is so important to us. it was the day that the story was no longer about Jesus life, but about the faith of his followers. Recently purchased a lifesized cut out of Jesus and he is in my office now. It is interesting how many people on facebook commenting on the color of Jesus complexion. Many of my African American friends complained that he was much too light. I purchased him because it looks like a middle eastern man. But the point of the ascencion is that it does not matter what color Jesus is – or what ethinic group he came from. If he ascended into heaven, to get beyond race, culture and human definitions. Jesus of Nazareth is now Jesus the Christ. Jesus of Nazareth lived a life in Isreal – Jesus Christ belongs to the world to whole world. Jesus is Christ of all people, no matter what. He came to earth to save all people, no just some. His disciples went from men who had never went more than 30 miles from home, to men who were not afraid to travel the world – to spread to the good news a universal good news. It is interesting, that we can read how the book of acts begins – but we don’t know how it ends. We can follow Jesus life on earth, but if we stare at the sky waiting for him to come down. We will be waisting our time. We don’t know how the book of acts ends, because we don’t know what is going to happen in our lives tomorrow. The book starts with Jesus – but it ends with us, with our faith. I know I have told this story before – but it tells such an important point. I have told this story before, but it works here too… NO OTHER PLAN An old legend imagines Jesus arriving in heaven right after the Ascension, welcomed by all the angels. Then the angel Gabriel asks Jesus, "You suffered much, dying for the sins of mankind. Does everyone down on earth know it?" "Oh, no," replied the Savior, "just a handful of folks in Jerusalem and Galilee know about it." "Well, Master," continued Gabriel, "what is your plan for everyone to know of your great love?" The Master replies, "I asked all my apostles to carry the message into all the world. I told them to tell others, who will in turn tell others until the last person in the farthest corner has heard the story." Gabriel’s face clouds, for he spots a flaw in the plan. "What if after awhile Peter forgets, and goes back to his fishing on Galilee, also James and John and Andrew? Suppose Matthew returns to his tax booth in Capernaum, and all the others lose their zeal and just don’t tell others. What then?" After a pause comes the calm voice of the Lord Jesus, "Gabriel, I have no other plan." You are not just a part of the plan – you are the plan. The next chapter is waiting to be written by how we live our faith. Let us pray…..

Love Makes the World Go Round

February 3, 2019 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Fourth Sunday of Epiphany Year C Children’s Sermon: Materials Needed: Football Heart-shaped candy box or piece of construction paper Card stock printed with scripture reference and verses Heart-shaped candy (optional) Telling The Story: What’s this? (Show the football and let the children answer.) It’s a football, and it’s used to play a game called football. What’s this? (Show the heart.) It’s a heart. The heart beating inside your body isn’t really shaped like this, but we call this a heart shape, and it’s often used to remind us of love. Every winter, usually late in January or very early in February there’s a very famous football game played on television. This year it was on (date). Does anyone know what it’s called? (Let the children answer.) It’s called the Super Bowl, and the Super Bowl is all about football. Coming up is a holiday that’s all about love. It’s on February 14. Can anyone tell me what that day is? (Let the children answer.) That’s right! It’s Valentine’s Day, and Valentine’s Day is all about love. The Super Bowl is about football, and Valentine’s Day is about love. Football ... and love. Can football teach us anything about how God wants us to love each other? What if we talk about how football and love are different? When you play football, there are two teams. If you look at the scoreboard, the team names might be listed, or maybe the scoreboard says, “Home” and “Visitor.” Either way, there are two teams and each team is divided into two squads: The offense and the defense. The offense tries to score points and the defense tries to stop the offense of the other team. In love, we work together. Whether we’re talking about the love you feel for a friend, the love you feel for someone in your family, or a boyfriend and girlfriend kind of love, there is only one team. When you love someone you work for each other, not against each other. God wants us to work together. When people play football, they’re always trying to knock other people down. Two players run into each other, and knock or pull each other to the ground. It’s called tackling, and it is part of the game. But when you love someone, you try to build that person up. How do you build other people up? You help them. You do nice things for them and encourage them. So football and love are opposites in that sense. In football, you knock people down. In love, you build them up. God wants us to build each other up. There’s something else different about football and love. In football, there are a lot of rules! There are rules about how long you can hold the ball, who you can throw it to, when you can move and when you can’t, who you can tackle and who you can’t, what you can do if you do have the ball, and what you can do if you don’t. It’s very complicated. The rulebook is thick, too! Love, on the other hand, doesn’t have big set of rules. God asks us to love him first and then to love the people around us the way we love ourselves. That’s a lot easier to remember, and we don’t need a referee to help us because we’ve got God. There are many complicated rules in football, but only two, simple things God want us to remember about love: Love God first and love our neighbors as ourselves. There’s something else. Football is played with a timer, and you know what? The referee is always stopping the timer. In fact, it seems like a football game is only played for five or ten seconds at a time, and then someone breaks one of those complicated rules we just talked about, and the referee stops the game and the timer. Love isn’t like that. There’s no time limit, and you don’t stop and start love again and again. When you love someone, you love that person all the time, the way God loves us. Even if the person makes a mistake, you love that person anyway, because God wants us to love all the time. The differences between love and football aren’t just sentiments made up by greeting card companies. They’re found in the Bible! Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, wrote about love in a very famous set of verses that you’ve probably heard read at a wedding. (Show the card stock with the printed scripture reference and verses.) In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, Paul wrote: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” Do you know what these verses mean? They’re talking about the biggest difference between football and love. In football, the object of the game is to get the most points. To win the game, your team needs the biggest score. But in love, no one is trying to win. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, love doesn’t keep score. God doesn’t want us to keep score with the people that we love, and most importantly, God doesn’t keep score with us. If you love God and you are trying to do what he wants you to do, he’ll forgive and forget your sins and love you with all his heart. That’s what God wants us to do with the people we love, too. Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for this beautiful day, and thank you for loving us so much and for giving us the Bible to help us learn what you want us to do. Please help us to be patient and kind with the people around us, and help us to remember not to “keep score.” In Jesus’ name. Amen. Optional: Give children heart-shaped pieces of candy. 31 Use your ambition to try to get the greater gifts. And I’m going to show you an even better way. Love: the universal spiritual gift 13 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. 9 We know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. 12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. 13 Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love. Footnotes: a. 1 Corinthians 12:10 Or ecstatic speech or languages could be used for tongues or tonguethroughout chaps 12–14. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I am still unpacking. This week I have been unpacking the what nots of my grandmother, my mother and my own. I was excited to find this one that I got in Greece. They are a popular figurine of the three sisters – Faith, Hope and Love. These are such important virtues, that always come together. So in Greek culture they call them the three sisters. There are actually two versions of the three sisters. This is the common picture – but the sisters don’t have any clothes on. So there is also a Christian version of the sisters, where they are all wearing dresses. Paul speaks of these three sisters in his verses in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul has been speaking to the Corinthians about what it means to be a Christian congregation. He has been talking about the importance of unity and mission. He has been explaining that in order to fulfill the mission of Christ, that each congregation is given a series of spiritual gifts. Gifts are given to the group, not to individuals. He ends his discussion by saying that using our gifts are important, but that there are three gifts that we can’t live without – faith, hope and love. And the greatest of the spiritual gifts is love. As we enter into the month of February, this is a perfect lesson for us. February is the month of looking at our hearts and thinking about the true meaning of love. 1 Corinthians 13 is actually one of the most popular bible lessons in the world. Whenever, I do wedding counseling and the couple is choosing a bible verse, I tell them not to choose this one. Because this is the most popular lesson of weddings. As we approach Valentine’s Day – I thought it was an important verse to preach about. To keep in minds however, that Paul is not talking about the love between two people in this verse. Paul is talking about a deeper love – the love that creates all other types of love that we know – God’s love. God’s love is the most powerful force in the world. As a matter of fact, Paul is not talking about the way that we treat people that we like. Paul is reminding us of what keeps us together with people that we may not even know. If you look around the room, all of us have our place in the sanctuary. More than likely, we have chose our place to sit based on how we feel about the people around us. Who is the person next to you? And why are you sitting next to that person? Even if you are not related to that person, you still have a relationship with them. You sit with them because by now you have some affinity with them. But what about the person across the room? Or 2 rows ahead of you? – Paul reminds us that we are all the body of Christ. Paul reminds us that we may not all like one another, we may not even know everyone. But that the love of Christ extends to us all. – love is patient, kind, forgiving, understanding, beyond how we feel about one another. When we don’t want to be understanding, we still love one another. Not because we like one another, but because God loves us all. Human love fails, but God’s love prevails. If it wasn’t for God’s love, we could not exist as a congregation of people. Faith, hope and love is what holds us together – the greatest of those virtues is love. Faith is our loyalty to the mission of God. Hope is our trust in the word of God and love is our ability to stick together. There are times when we disagree, when we head in a different direction. But it is love that brings it all together, and keeps us going in spite of our differences. I have had a lot of chances to preach on this verse. It is a wonderful poem of having a faith, hope and love that stands the test of time. But this year, I realized another important message on the more excellent way of love. Paul says that today – things are not clear and nothing makes sense. I did not know that Corinth was famous for its mirrors. But they were not the mirrors that we have today. A mirror did not show a clear image until the 13th century. In those days a mirror was well polished metal. You couldn’t see anything clearly. It was a very dim image. A lot like life is – confusing and unclear. There are a lot of times when we don’t know how things will turn out – or what will happen. When we have faith, hope and love – faith hope and love lead to God. And whatever happens, God wins. That is the greatest gift of all – the love of God that sustains us through all things and all relationships. One pastor noted that he was with a lot of people in their last moments in life. In the end, as they reflected on their life, their conversations were not about what they had accomplished, or how much money they had, or what they owned. The last conversation was always about how much they were loved and how much love they had received from others. Faith, hope and the greatest gift of all is love. A more excellent way of living. I want to end with a version of 1 Corinthians 13 – just for what it means to be the people of Love.. 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) Let that be our prayer for the day - Amen.

Something to United About

Second Sunday of Easter April 8, 2018 Year B Acts 4:32-5:5 Something to United about Acts 4:32-35 One Heart and Soul By Lois Parker Edstrom Objects suggested: Various vegetables and, if situation permits, a finished pot of vegetable soup. If you like to cook with your mom or dad, soup is a fun thing to make. First you will need a big pot. Next you choose the ingredients you would like in your soup. Vegetable soup is a favorite because you can just look in the refrigerator, see what you have – almost anything works. How about starting with carrots? Peel them, cut them into small pieces, and throw them into the pot. (You always need to work with an adult when you are near a stove and chopping things.) Then you may want to wash some potatoes and add them to the pot. Onions give good flavor. If you’ve worked with them before, you may know they cause tears. How about celery, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, squash, beans, turnips, peas? Can you think of other things you may want in your soup? Yes, you will need some water, broth or tomato juice. You will also want some seasonings like salt, pepper, and perhaps some herbs. The wonderful thing about soup is that it begins as several individual things, but as it cooks the flavors blend and it becomes one thing – soup! Delicious and so healthy! In the Bible, where we learn about the early Christians, we find this verse: “The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul” (4:32). The idea of how soup is made will help us understand today’s lesson and it applies to Christians today as well. We are all individuals and we are each as different from one another as a carrot is from a cabbage, yet when we work together, doing God’s work, we blend and become of “one heart and soul.” We become Christians. Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2009, Richard Niell Donovan • • • • Acts 4:32-5:5 Common English Bible (CEB) Sharing among the believers 32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need. 36 Joseph, whom the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (that is, “one who encourages”), was a Levite from Cyprus. 37 He owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Pretenders of sharing 5 However, a man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s knowledge, he withheld some of the proceeds from the sale. He brought the rest and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles. 3 Peter asked, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has influenced you to lie to the Holy Spirit by withholding some of the proceeds from the sale of your land? 4 Wasn’t that property yours to keep? After you sold it, wasn’t the money yours to do with whatever you wanted? What made you think of such a thing? You haven’t lied to other people but to God!” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard this conversation was terrified. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible There are several different themes for the second Sunday of Easter. Some people call this low Sunday – after the high of Easter things return back to normal. Attendance and offerings are low. Some call this holy humor Sunday, where you bring jokes to church and we laugh, because resurrection is the biggest joke that God played in the devil. For those who were here for the Ash Wednesday service, we watched a movie about lent. At the end of the movie, the church held a big carnival for the whole community. In many European villages, Easter Monday is a holiday, where people gather in the church yard for a huge carnival. For us, we do have something special planned for most of the Sundays of Easter. The point is that after the resurrection, once spring has arrived the whole word has shifted, things have changed, we start to witness things coming back to life – the church becomes a witness to the power of resurrection over all of life. As we begin our Easter transformation in this church, I thought that it would be a good idea for us to look at the book of Acts. The book of Acts is the story of how the church was born and how it grew to a worldwide movement. The book of acts was written by Luke as a companion book to his gospel. The Christian movement was not started by Christ, but by his 12 disciples. Remember we have been reading the book of Mark this year, and in Mark whenever Jesus performs a miracle he tells the disciples to tell no one about it. At the time, that made no sense to them. But after witnessing his death and resurrection, it all clicked. They understood the good news, and they understood how important it was to spread that message to the world. All 12 of them were so inspired, that they each took a section of the world to spread the news to. And they each were publically executed for their efforts – John is the only one of the disciples who died as a young man. When the romans hung Peter on a cross, he insisted that they hang him upside down, so that he would not be crucified in the same way Jesus was. What message could have been so important that you dedicate your whole life to spreading it to the world, and then you are even willing to die for that message. The good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. More impressive than the fact that they were so dedicated to it is the fact that today. 2018 years later, Christianity is the most popular religion on the planet. 1/3 of all people in the world consider themselves to be Christian. There is no other movement, that has gone that viral. Acts is the story that documents the beginnings of that movement. Acts demonstrates that the disciples made the effort, but the holy spirit expanded those efforts and made a difference. Recently in a finance committee meeting, I was telling them that it is a well known fact, that money and people follow energy, and that energy follows vision. Luke documents how that energy expanded the church to start from a small teaching group of 12 to become a worldwide movement. Jesus’ mission was to take care of the widows and orphans of Jerusalem. They had no other means of being taken care of. When Paul went throughout Europe – he was collecting money for this cause. As the disciples went throughout the world, they too were collecting money for this cause. When they first started out, the roman authorities fought them and stopped them from talking to the public. They just went to their own friends and started to preach the good news and collect for mission. This is where our scripture starts out – as a response to being censored, the communities came together and decided that they would do everything that they could to help others. As they worked together, they were able to fulfill their mission. Barnabas is listed as a person, who sold his property and gave it to the church and was blessed. Ananias and Sapphira are listed as persons who kept money aside from the church and died as a result. The lectionary ends the story in the middle abruptly, but both examples are important. The lesson that I want to point out from this lesson is that community is a gift from God. Christianity started out as a religion that would only make sense to a Hebrew culture. As the disciples spread the message, they, or rather the Holy spirit through them had to find ways to speak to people with different languages and different values. As they heard the good news, the disciples quickly encouraged them to put differences aside and to be united in Christ mission to help others. An invitation to join the work of the church was an invitation to come together in spite of differences. It was an invitation to work alongside someone who you may not normally talk to or even understand. Being able to be community was the first gift of the resurrection. Luke says that the community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them said this is mine. They were able to put their differences aside and work together. Not only did they work together, but they were able to put all of their money together into one pot, and it was distributed uniformly from the same place, in order to fulfill the mission of the community. Hmmmm. Imagine that……all the money in one pot, distributed together for mission. Why would they do that. Acts 4 says that in this way the needs of everyone were met, they were able to help everyone. But the point was that community, a community that can work together for a common mission is the foundation of the Christian movement. You cant be a Christian in isolation. The Rev. Brian Bill tells about a friend of his named Ray who is originally from the South, but is now living in Chicago. Being a southerner, Ray says that one of the most challenging things about living in the Windy City is that it’s difficult to find a restaurant that serves grits. Rev. Bill asked Ray once what a “grit” is? Ray informed Rev. Bill that there’s no such thing as a “grit.” They don’t come by themselves. ¬They come in a community of other grits. You can’t just order one grit. Rev. Bill says, “You know, we’re a lot like grits.¬ Some of us are ‘grittier’ than others,” he continues. “We’re not here on our own.¬ We’ve been created to be in community with others.” (1) He’s right particularly as followers of Jesus. I could go as far as to say that there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. There is no such thing as a Christian who separates himself or herself from the community of faith. (4) Sharing with one another was how these early Christians testified to the resurrection of the Lord. What is interesting, that this living together with all possessions in one pot did not last long, today we call it communism. But it is an ideal of what it means to be the church and to work together in mission. This is still an important mission. And in 2018, as people talk about the church dying, I think that is is critical for us to go back to the basics in the beginning and look at when it means to be the church. What lessons can we learn for the church today? The greatest lesson was that the first gift of the resurrection is community, unity, common mission. But the greatest gift of the resurrection is that we are united by love. My favorite resurrection story is a story of a Christian community that had been imprisoned together. In prison, they has no money, and no freedom, but they still chose to worship together. When they were having church the other prisoners would make noise so that the guards would not get suspicious. One first Sunday, they had communion, but no bread or wine. It was called the communion of the empty hands. The pastor would say the words and they would hold hands while giving communion, which was just the love of God. When the service was over, one of the nonchristian prisoners came up to the pastor and said, that was so moving, you people have something so special, now I see what it means to have faith. That something special is a community that is united around the mission of Jesus Christ. I love that story, because I think that it shows that being the church is not about possessions, or finances, or how money is distributed, or even who is in charge of the mission committee. But underneath all of that, it is how we love one another. How we love Christ, how we are committed to the mission of Christ to help others, and the love we have for the church. It is that love underneath that determines how we handle our finances, our mission and our respect for other people. The book of acts is so important, because it shows that community was the first witness to the power of resurrection. How will we experience the power of the resurrection in the coming days? More importantly how do we put the love of God in action in our lives? Let us pray….. The community life which the apostles and other disciples of Jesus led was marked by four basic elements. First, Luke tells us that the members were in unity of mind and heart. This element was most basic; it was the ideal from which all the others flowed. Next, the community members shared all their possessions. This does not mean that people did not have personal property, but rather that members of the new way shared the things they had with others. Third, the fledgling community was marked by its powerful witness of the gospel. This was the group's common ministry; it was the way people demonstrated their belief and proclaimed the message of Christ to the world. Lastly, the community was special in that the grace of God rested upon its members. God was with this group of men and women in a special way. It was to this group that the Holy Spirit was originally sent. The community life of these first followers of Jesus was not imposed upon them, but rather, was voluntarily accepted. This was the way these men and women chose to live their lives of discipleship. Mask?" In my bedroom drawer, neatly tucked away What mask to church, will I wear today? There are four from which I have to choose But today, I'll wear the one that hides the "Blues." The "Smiley" mask, I've nearly worn out It hides so well, my fears and doubts. The "Spiritual" mask, works like a jewel It hides me when I've been mean and cruel. The mask I call my "Ace in the Hole" Hides me when my heart is cold. Sometimes, I wish others could see Right past the mask and into me. And help me find my way back home To God's dear arms, from whence I've roamed. But others seem to do so well My failures I wouldn't dare to tell. The question to myself I ask I wonder if they too, wear a "mask?" (4) The community model embedded in Acts 4 stood on the two pillars of proclamation and loving one another. There is a small congregation in eastern Arizona in a mining town that saw its glory days pass about a half-century ago. The parish has about 125 members and there are usually at least 125 people at Sunday services. When the pastor announces that the choir will sing, about half of the congregation stands up and approaches the altar. When the offering looks a little meager, the president of the congregation stands up and tells the ushers to pass the plate again. Closing prayers are long and detailed and cover those facing surgery to those who are worried about the kids to those who are about to go on a trip. The "refreshments" after the service include cakes, sandwiches, hot dishes, meatballs, gelatin dishes, and several kinds of beverages. In other words, it's a Sunday lunch and it's time to visit with one another and catch up on the latest happenings within the community. If someone should mention that they resemble the community described in Acts 4, they would be embarrassed. What if a stranger would confront the people? "What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other? Or do you dwell together to make money from each other?" The people in that community would say, "There's not much money to make from each other. We just enjoy each other's company. We share our mutual woes and joys. And by the way ... we meet up there on the ridge at 5 a.m. to greet the Son on Easter morning." What makes unity possible? The grace of Jesus Christ! “And much grace was upon them all" (Verse 33). Where grace abounds, it's no longer about me. Where grace abounds, nobody has to be perfect. Where grace abounds, position is eliminated. Where grace abounds, differences are accepted. Where grace abounds, God is glorified. Where grace abounds, unity is possible.

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.

Jesus' Mission Statement

Jesus’ Mission Statement January 27, 2013 I Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Year C The Opening Moments of Jesus’ Ministry Every four years the new president of the United States gives his inaugural address. In it, he articulates his program or his plan of action for his term of office. See if you recognize the President who made the following remarks: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." - Abraham Lincoln, 1865. "This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." - John F Kennedy, 1960. Today's Scripture is Luke's version of the opening moments of Jesus' public ministry. We might call this his inaugural sermon. Mickey Anders, Jesus' Mission and Ours When the president tell what his intent is, what his mission is, and he tells us what he expects of us who are listening. Here are a few paragraphs of President Obama’s recent inauguration speech….. Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time. We are expected to live out the tenents of the constitution- that all men are free as it applies to the current age. When Jesus gets a chance to speak to his fellow Galileans – he says much the same thing. Galilains are known to be a strong people, people who can stand on their faith. They are from the north country – and have always been challenged by the presence of other faiths. Galilee means circle – it is a city that is circled all around by other nations, yet they have held onto their Isrealite heritage. So when a favorite son returns to them and reminds them of the verses of their heritage – they cheer him on. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he had anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he had sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favor. They are excited, because he is quoting from Isaiah 58 and 61. But what they don’t realize that he is doing so much more for them. There was a certain old recluse who lived deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, distant relatives came from the city to collect his valuables. Upon arriving, all they saw was an old shack with an outhouse beside it. Inside the shack, next to the rock fireplace, was an old cooking pot and his mining equipment. A cracked table with a three-legged chair stood guard by a tiny window, and a kerosene lamp served as the centerpiece for the table. In a dark corner of the little room was a dilapidated cot with a threadbare bedroll on it. They picked up some of the old relics and started to leave. As they were driving away, an old friend of the recluse, on his mule, flagged them down. “Do you mind if I help myself to what’s left in my friend’s cabin?” he asked. “Go right ahead,” they replied. After all, they thought, what inside that shack could be worth anything? The old friend entered the shack and walked directly over the table. He reached under it and lifted one of the floor boards. He then proceeded to take out all the gold his friend had discovered over the past 53 years – enough to have built a palace. The recluse died with only his friend knowing his true worth. As the friend looked out of the little window and watched the cloud of dust behind the relative’s car disappear, he said, “They should have got to know him better. Jesus words are gold for us – if we understand that they are more than just words. They are the gift of life for us. Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kep his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after laboring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell. Sometimes, our thoughts and understandings of life can be like a prison. They keep us stuck where we are. The chains that we imagine to be on our lives, is all in our head and out thinking. We don’t know that we are free. Sometimes the past can be like a prison, and the freedom of Christ is at our doorstep. In the story of Jesus ministry – he does everything that he says – he heals those who are blind, he heals those who have illnesses that have held them back, he preaches the good news, and he encourages us to give to the poor. But his most important healing still comes in our lives. As he frees us, heals us, and helps us to understand the gift of life as we listen to his word. There is one thing that President Obama said that stuck out to me a important, when he talked about change, and the need of us to adapt to change. He said….. But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people. In order to stay alive, anything that is alive has to adapt to its current circumstances. Jesus was trying to help his own people understand that concept when he told them that today this scripture has been fulfilled in your presence. They had been listening to these same words all of their lives, but to them they were just words. They were waiting for a messiah to to all of these things – but never expected it to really happen in their lifetime. Jesus wanted his people to know that it was time to stop waiting and to start living. To put belief into action. Love Is an Action Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. "I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me." Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan "Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn't return, Crane called. "Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?" "Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him." Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds. J. Allan Petersen Scripture is fulfilled in what we do today. Finally we have to remember – that we too have a job to do in our lives. We are saved by the words of Jesus..but we have to save others also. In warfare, there is always an objective. In many wars, the objective is land. For example, in the Middle East, Israel and the Palestinians are fighting because they both want to have the same land. In Afghanistan we’re fighting because we want to destroy the power base of terrorism. Hitler fought because he wanted to create a “superior” race. The Southern states fought the Civil War because they wanted to be free from the oppression of the Northern States. The Gulf War was fought because the U.S. wanted to end the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, so they could have access to oil. I mention all of these wars, not because I want to say who was right or wrong, but to show that in every war, there is an objective. There is a reason we are fighting the war. And the same is true with spiritual warfare. If we are going to wage war on Satan’s kingdom, we have to know what our objective is. Our objective, our mission is to rescue people from Satan’s grip. To free them from his control. Just as Jesus said at the start of his ministry. We too have a purpose, and it is to fulfill the words of Jesus for the world today. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he had anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he had sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favor. The church proclaims the good news, ministers to the needs of all people, and sets the captives free. The same spirit that was in Jesus, is in us today. How is this scripture being fulfilled in your life today? How is the Holy Spirit alive and well in life of our church today? Let us pray……

A Story Much bigger than us

Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Sunday Year C January 6, 2013 For Mission Sunday A Story much bigger than us By now, Christmas is over and we are all taking down our christmas decorations. Isnt the rule that they should be down by the second week of January. After that things get kind of old. The stores have already moved on the January. Christmas is not just a day, Christmas is a season – there are twelve days of Christmas. Many of the kids in my neighborhood will be getting presents today – epiphany. The day that the wise men arrived to give their gifts to Jesus. We don’t sing the song 12 days of Christmas in church very often – it is not thought of as a hymn of the church. But I am told that there is a hidden meaning behind the song – that all points to our relationship with God.. Partridge in a pear tree Jesus Christ, symbolized as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from helpless nestlings. Two turtle doves Old & New Testaments Three French Hens Faith, hope, charity Four Calling birds The Four Gospels Five Golden Rings The Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy) Six geese a laying Six days of creation Seven Swans a swimming 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit Eight maids a-milking 8 Beatitudes Nine Ladies Dancing Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit Ten Lords a-leaping 10 Commandments Eleven pipers piping The 11 faithful disciples 12 drummers drumming 12 articles of the Apostles Creed And my one true love, who have me all of this – is God the almighty. The song is to remind us that everything that we have is a gift from God. Even his son Jesus Christ. One woman said that every Christmas as she is putting away her Christmas decorations, she always leaves one out – to remind her of the story of Christmas. And that Christmas is much more than a season, it is a way of life. and the story is much more that something we live through once a year, but that we live in all of our lives. Usually, we cant end the story of Christmas, until we hear about the wise men, who came from afar and bought gifts to the baby as we they were led from afar. Every year we read this same story on January 6th – it is an important reminder for us – that as we sit together for Christmas – that the true meaning of Christmas is not just for us. that jesus is for everyone. We are not the only ones seeking wisdom from the lord. And that what we seek and speak goes far beyond us today. Matthew starts our his story – telling about wise men who come from afar to see the baby jesus and bring him gifts. It ends with that baby sending people out in the world telling us to go out and make disciples of all nations. Matthew is not so concerned about what happened, as much he is about what will happen. He is not talking about history, but about the future. And he is not talking to those who are listening, but to those who are to come. He as each of us, where do we fit into the story of god’s salvation. What is our destiny, if God has already come. "The Church is the body of Christ, which consists of called out people building God's kingdom on earth. As beleivers in Christ, we are empowered by the holy spirit to provide a plce of refuge and to reach out to touch the lives of others by loving, caring, sharing, giving of one's service and talents. As we grow spiritually through grace, we allow our lives to illustrate the glory of knowing Christ. It is therefore our mission to life up the name of Jesus to our congregation, our community, and people of the world through evangelism, worship, stewardship, teaching and fellowship." Our mission statement reminds us that we are those people are who responsible for spreading the name of Jesus to the world. a baby in a manger. He is not a character in a children’s story. He is far more. The first time he came, he came veiled in the form of a child. The next time He comes, and we believe it will be soon, He will come unveiled, and it will be abundantly and immediately clear to all the world just who He really is. The first time He came, a star marked his arrival. The next time He comes, the whole heavens will roll up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall out of the sky, and He himself will light it. The first time He came, wise men and shepherds brought Him gifts. The next time He comes, He will bring gifts, rewards for His own. The first time He came, there was no room for Him. The next time he comes, the whole world will not be able to contain His glory. The first time He came, only a few attended His arrival – some shepherds and some wise men. The Next time He comes, every eye shall see Him. The first time He came as a baby. Soon He will come as sovereign King and Lord. (Autoillustrator.com, CHRISTMAS) The story of God is a mystery that we will never understand, and yet we are called to be a part if it. the Wise men--seek Him the Wiser men--find Him the Wisest men--follow Him May use the wisdom that God has given us- to tell the story of salvation to future generations. Amen.

Boast in the Lord

1 Cornthians 1:18-31 Micah 6:1-8 Year A 4th Sunday of Epiphany January 30, 2011 Today I want to start exactly where we left off last week. If you look in Corinthians – our scripture does the same thing. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Christianity is the only religion that celebrates the death of its leader. The jews would be appalled for the messiah to die on the cross. Muslim scripture denies the death of Christ, Hindus explain death away, and say that it did not really happen. 3/4th of the scripture of the new testament go into detail about Christ dying on the cross and what it means to those who are faithful to that event. For the world – the story of the cross s foolishness, but for those of us who are being saved – it is the story of our salvation. The cross is one of the simplest symbols in the world. A vertical line and a horizontal line. It is easier for a child to draw a cross then it is to draw a circle. Some say that the cross is a symbol of life, of the intersection between the holy and the world. It has been a symbol of God for times even before Christianity. But what does it really mean? Paul would say that it depends on who you are talking to. For the romans the cross was a symbol of shame. A form of death reserved for only the vialiest and most resented criminals. Intended to be a form of torture on a symbol of shame. For us, hopefully it is the exact opposite. It is the place where Christ lost his life, so that we could have ours. It is the place where Christ went to suffer on our behalf, so that we could be free tolive and enjoy salvation. It is the place where Christ conquered shame and hatred, and death so that we could have life. A writer tells of the time he was traveling – and went to a mcdonalds. He noticed that the server had on a beautiful cross. He complimented her – she said thank you- but told him that it was not the cross that was important. It was the man who died on it for her. The man who rose from the grave to wash away her sins and give her life. For this man, and all who saw her cross, she became a living testimony of what God can do in all of our lives. The cross was her wisdom. Paul’s lesson for us today is the difference between foolishness and wisdom. As a community called out and blessed by God, what do we consider wisdom and what do we consider foolishness. The congregation at Corinth was a young congregation, finding it identity, its mission and purpose. Fully dependent on the gifts that God had given them to work with. This was also a congregation of learned people. People who valued education, who kept up with current events, who knew and understood all of the latest philosophies of the day. And who unfortunately did not have a problem letting other people know how much they valued the world of ideas. Paul had to remind them that education and high ideals were great. And yet that was not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not concerned about how smart we are- whether it be street knowledge or book knowledge. Jesus cares about the condition of our hearts. That may be foolishness to the rest of the world, but for us it is the power of our salvation. A man worked as a case manager in a very poor neighborhood. He did not make a lot of money, but enough to take care of himself. He drove a pretty modest car, but at least it was paid for. It was a little old and in need of repair. Some costly repairs as a matter of fact. Repairs that he could not afford. Since he could not drive his car to work – his brother gave him a brand new Jaguar, complete with gold rims. In actuality, probably not the kind of car that you would drive to work everyday if you worked in Englewood. One day, he had to make a home visit. When he parked his car, he noticed a young boy on crutches on the stoop next door. On the man’s way out, the little boy struck a conversation with him. That’s a really nice car. Thank you said the man. Did you buy it? No it was a gift from my brother. Your brother just gave you that car? Yes, I am really blessed, my brother gave me this car. Wow – said the little boy – I wish I could be a brother like that. We would expect this boy to say that he wished that he had a brother like that, I know I wish I had a brother like that, even though I don’t know if I would want the car – insurance on the car that I have doubled the closer moved to Chicago. At one point my insurance payment was half as much as my car payment. But anyway…. The point being – our ways are not God’s ways. The values of common sense are just the opposite of God;s values. When we want to care about the kindness that others give to us, God ask us to care about the kindness that we can give to others. Paul says that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. He does that so that if we chose to brag, then we need to brag on the things of God, not on ourselves and our own knowledge. Things that stand in the way of us living out our mission and purpose in Christ……forgetting that the source of all of our blessings is the grace of God, not our own work. And that God blesses us to be a blessing to others. If you are going to brag about anything that you have, including knowledge brag in the Lord, not in yourself. We can be grateful that we are called out – and in the community of the righteous. And God shows time and time again that God is always on the side of the righteous. God calls us always to be the righteous in the world. Micah is God’s lawsuit against his people. Scripture never really says what they did wrong. But you can imagine. They forgot who they were. They forgot they were the righteous of God. They got caught up in their own understanding. They forgot to boast in the lord. God gives the people a summons to court – and I love it- he tells them to plead their case to the mountains and the hills. Nature has never done wrong by God, it serves as a fair judge of our behavior, right or wrong. Another powerful message of the text that god doesn’t need your sacrifices, your offerings, or even your first born child. If you give all of that and you forgive to give you heart- it really doesn’t matter. John was tall for his age. Even in grade school, he towered over his classmates by three or four inches. He was also clever and excelled in his school work. John loved to read, and numbers fitted themselves together in his head without him really thinking about them, so he was good at both Maths and English. Everybody adored John. His teachers were delighted to have someone so talented at school, who would boost the school's SATS results. His classmates loved him too. He was fun to be with, and when they were all stuck for an answer during lessons, John could be relied upon to save the day. And John's Mum and Dad were very proud of John. He was clever enough to go into any job he wanted when he grew up and he would be certain to make lots of money. Jane struggled. She was a little on the plump side and she hated sports, which always made her puff and pant. She was dyslexic, so she struggled in class, too. The words on her page refused to stand still when she looked at them and when they danced all over the page, she couldn't understand what they said. Reading was a huge effort, but Jane persevered and struggled on. Mostly Jane kept herself in the background. She was content with her own company but very willing to listen to other people if they wanted to talk. Sometimes she'd spot children who were unhappy, and wander over just to talk to them and gradually people would drift in her direction if they needed someone to listen to their woes. Jane wasn't a very exciting person. Her parents loved her dearly, but they feared for her future. What sort of a job would she get when her reading was so poor and all she could do was to help other people? She would never make any money. When John grew up he became the owner of a string of shops. He became a famous businessman who was always invited to exotic parties and he lived in a huge house with its own gym and swimming pool which he used to keep himself fit. He moored his boat in the channel at the bottom of his garden and often used his boat to spend time away from all the stress of his life. When Jane grew up she became a Carer. She used to go into other people's homes when they were so old or so sick that they couldn't manage by themselves. Jane would help them to get out of bed or to dress or she would cook a meal for them. It wasn't a very well paid job and Jane never earned enough to buy a house of her own, but she was happy in her work. She liked being with other people and she enjoyed caring for them. And she had a nice little flat which the Council provided at a rent she could just about afford. When both Jane and John saw news of terrible flooding in one of the very poor countries of the world, neither of them hesitated. John immediately fished out his cheque book and wrote a cheque for £50,000 for the relief fund. Jane went along to the relief fund's headquarters and offered her services. She was put to work sorting through old clothes which people had given. It was a boring and backbreaking job, but Jane worked with a will, because she knew that her efforts would help that poor country. Later, John received a medal for his efforts and became Sir John. Jane received nothing for her efforts but she was happy, for she knew she was especially blessed by God. Which Had God’s favor- they both did. Which was a righteous person? They both were. The real Question is how is our relationship with God. God asks the people - what have I done to you that you have walked away from me? That you forget what you are supposed to do and how you are supposed to live. What does the lord require of you? Sacrifice, or a righteous heart. The Lord requires of us to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with God. Mishput, hesed, and halak. The qualities of God- that God asks for us to live out in our lives. Justice, kindness and humble faithfulness are not just things that we do, it is not just who we are, not just how we live. But church it is also the environment that we create around us, in the sanctuary and without it. It is what we demand of ourselves and of everyone around us. It is what we defend and what we we give. It is our way to the cross, and beyond….. Let us pray…..