You are invited to the Party of Faith

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington October 15, 2023 Matthew 22:1-14 You are invited to the party of faith 20th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship L: You have been invited to a special feast. P: We need more details, for our schedules are very busy. L: This is celebration of commitment between God and God’s people. P: Maybe next time, we have other plans. What is God going to do if we don’t come? L: Your response is noted. There are many others who would be delighted to come, even on a last minute notice. God looks forward to greeting them and celebrating with them. P: Will we get a second chance? God forgive us for placing our schedules and other plans before coming to your celebration L: Patient and persistent God, we are grateful that even when we get sidetracked, you are with us. Be in our hearts and spirits today as we learn of your love through creation. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Lord of diversity and union, we call upon you this day to open our hearts to your love, our ears to your words, our eyes to see the needs of those both near and far, and our spirits to do your will. Be with us and give us courage and inspiration for the future of your world, O Lord. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song Lord Listen to your Children Praying TFWS 2193 Children’s Sermon Greet children, with plenty of fun “party props” such as hats, streamers, balloons, gift wrap, noisemakers, etc. Hello, children of God! Look at all of this fun stuff! I’m ready to go to a party…have you ever been invited to a party before? I love birthday parties, and I also enjoy Christmas parties, or welcome home parties or going away parties, or…well, any kind of celebration, really! What do you like about going to parties? (Allow for quick responses.) I like getting cake, or playing games, or having a good time with people…and you know what I really love? I love getting goody bags! Isn’t it fun to take home free treats after a party? Well, it just so happens I have a goody bag here. There are some great little items inside… (Remove several small toys or treats from the bag. Lastly, take out a cross) Well, this is interesting. I don’t usually see these in birthday party treat bags, do you? Hmm… Well, in our Gospel story today, there was a party of sorts going on. Jesus told a parable about a man who was having a big party for his son. The man throwing the party was the king, and his son was getting married and having a feast. The king sent out a whole bunch of invitations to people, but a lot of them said no. They refused his invitation and rejected going to the special feast, with silly excuses. Nobody wants to go to a party with no people, right? So instead, the king went out into the streets and invited anyone and everyone to his feast. All they had to do was put on a special piece of clothing to be presentable. A lot of people got to go to the party! But some people refused to wear the special clothing. Because of that, they couldn’t stay at the feast. What does this mean for us? The parable was an explanation of how God invites us to be part of His Heavenly family. God wants everyone to be at the “party” of Heaven. And we don’t have to do anything special to do that! All it takes is accepting the free gift of salvation. Our “wedding garment” is the blood of Jesus. As long as we recognize His sacrificial death and what it means for us, our lives can be changed and made new. That’s much better than a goody bag! Because of Jesus, we are all invited to share in God’s grace. Anyone can believe and receive new life. We can also share that news and invite other people to be part of God’s family. The Gospel is a powerful and wonderful gift for all! Why don’t we thank God for that right now? Let’s pray: Children’s Prayer Moment (Have kids repeat each line) Dear God, Thank you for inviting us into your family Help us to reach out and invite others Thank you for clothing us with Christ Thank you for your love We love you, God! In Jesus name, Amen! (Ministry to Children – Kristin Schmidt) A LITANY PRAYER FOR PEACE (adapted from the United Methodist Book of Worship, #520) Jesus, Prince of Peace, hear our prayers for all the peoples of the world. Deliver us from every evil that opposes your will for peace. From the curse of war and all that creates it, O Lord, deliver us. From willful ignorance and selfish isolation, O Lord, deliver us. From fear and distrust of those not like us, O Lord, deliver us. From false pride and self-justifications, O Lord, deliver us. From the lust for riches, power and status, O Lord, deliver us. From a poverty of compassion and lives of shallow love, O Lord, deliver us. From putting our trust in the weapons of war and from want of faith in the power of justice and good will. O Lord, deliver us From every thought, word, and deed which that the human family and separates us from the perfect realization of your love Forgive us and heal us, O Lord, that we may live daily in your image. Amen Passing of the Peace Scripture Matthew 22:1-14 Sermon You are invited to the party of faith My son’s first field trip was in kindergarten, they went to the Kenosha County zoo. At the time, my son was staying with my mother, I had just moved back into town. We were both in contact with his school, and when this field trip came up, I thought it was a perfect way to bond with him. The teacher asked for parent chaperones. I was so excited when the teacher sent home chaperone instructions, and it said that we needed to have a bagged lunch just like the kids. I had memories of going on field trips as a child and my mom would pack all of my favorite snacks in the bag, so that I would have fun things to eat all day. So, on the day before the trip, I had so much fun going to the store buying things for my lunch. I was young, so I had to be economincal as well. I remember buying Wonder bread, and mayonnaise and stuff to put on the sandwich, picking out the cookies, and they had a sale on pop. You did not get pop every day for lunch, but remember, on field trip days you would get one. And in order to keep it cold all day, your mom would wrap it in foil. I even had to buy the baggies and paper bags to put the lunch in. I was so excited, I went home and fixed my lunch and put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. On the day of the trip. You had to put your name on the bag so that you could get it back for lunch. When lunch time time came, each chaperone got a group of kids that they had to eat with and there was a list of questions that we had to ask to help the kids process the trip. I remember I had a group of all boys, and as I am trying to connect with them and talk, I open my bag and realized that there was not one thing there that I was actually going to eat. I don’t eat white bread, don’t eat cold food, don’t eat store bought cookies, and I was not going to drink the 15cent generic pop that had no flavor. I closed the bag and told the boys that I would not be eating today – and I had to go hungry. The funny thing is, I realized – that I knew I wasn’t going to eat anyof that stuff when I went to the store and bought it. I knew I didn’t want it when I prepared it. And yet for some reason, I really believed in my head, that by putting all of that stuff in a brown paper bag and taking it to the zoo – that somehow things were going to change. I was going to eat – things that I know I don’t even like. I tell that story as an allegory – a story with a truth and a lesson about life. I think that is how a lot of us go to church. After it is over, we go home hungry and unfulfilled. We say – I didn’t really get anything out of church, church doesn’t move me, church is boring, church doesn’t mean anything to me. And we are convinced that it is all about the church, and not about the attiude that we bought with us when we walked in the door. We don’t think about what it is that we put in our brown paper bag to feed of when we came. If we bought preconceinved notions, expectations of people, disappointments, and frustrations with us – that is what we are going to experience while we are here. If we come with questions then we are going to leave with questions, if we dome dobtful, then we are going to leave doubtful, if we come suspicious, then we are going to leave suspicious. If we remember to pack joy, peace, and an open mind, and a willingness to meet God in a fresh new way – we don’t have to be surprised when we find it. In today’s lesson – that is what Jesus does – he tells us an allegory about real life – he tells us the story about the king’s son’s wedding. Everyone is invited – but no one want to come. This is the party of the the year, of a lifetime – where only the elite of the elite would come to be seen. And no one comes. At least in Luke’s version of the story – people give excuses why they cant come – they have family obligations, they have to work, they are sick. In Matthew’s version – they just don’t show up. Matthew gives us a glimpse of what life is like in his world. We all know that Jesus tends to be peaceful and tells us to stay away from violence. And yet Matthew takes the liberty to add his commentary to the story. This story takes place with very violent undertones – first, the people who give the invitation are killed by the people, and then the king goes out and kills them and destroys their city. This is a very important detail in light of current events. Matthew is telling this story in the midst of a revolution – so he wants us to understand the conditions. In spite of all of the violence going on – the wedding continues. Things are a little different, but the wedding still goes on. The guest list is different – not just the elite, but anybody and every body The story teaches us, or at this point reminds us that God extends an invitation to everyone to come into God’s presence. We can come as we are. And yet Matthew makes it very clear that the invitation is not just to come and show up. God Enjoys AND Enjoins Us- Matthew 22:1-14 by Leonard Sweet Director/actor Woody Allen is known for a lot of quotes. But maybe his most famous quote is this one. Anyone want to guess what it is? “Ninety percent of life is just showing up.” But Woody Allen is famously wrong. Ninety percent of life is what we do AFTER we show up. Why do we want to believe Allen’s computations so badly? We eagerly embrace Woody’s calculus because it takes us off the hook for all but ten percent of our lifetime of screw-ups, fall-flats, and melt-downs. It is easy to just “be there.” It is much harder to be there for the long haul, the hard times, the big tests, the final curtain. Just “showing up” at your wedding might get you married, but it doesn’t build a living, loving, fighting, mortgage paying, in-law juggling, overdrawn, children challenged, lifetime relationship. Just “showing up” at the birth of your child might make you a “parent,” but it does not make you a changing diapers, up-all-night, learning dinosaur names, cheering at rain-soaked side-lines, doing Algebra homework, enforcing curfews, saving for college, Mom or Dad. Just “showing up” at church every Sunday morning might make you a member-in-good-standing, but it does not automatically put feet on your faith. G. K. Chesterton used to say that “Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.” To be a Christian takes action; it takes a day-to-day commitment to follow Jesus wherever he leads… Put on Your Party Hat In her novel A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley shows readers a highly dysfunctional family which nevertheless attended churcheach Sunday. Yet this is how the novel's narrator sums up this religious practice: "We came to church to pay our respects, not to give thanks." When faith becomes a compartment of life instead of life's vibrant center, when you're just stopping off to put in your time or pay your respects, squeezing God in between everything else that you clearly value much more highly, then you reveal yourself as an ill-clad impostor. You haven't put on a festive wedding garment, you're still refusing to wear that funny party hat because you fail to realize that the kingdom of God is a high, holy, hilarious feast thrown by a king who has prepared the best of everything. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations In Jesus’ allegory – there is more violence in the wedding. A guy shows up without party clothes and not only is he put out he is tied up and thrown into hell. Apparently hell is right outside of the doors of the party. In light of present event, I would wonder if it was obvious in the way that he was dressed that he was a spy or something. But I also know that in other stories, that the proper attire at a wedding was important. If you read through the new testament – you will see that proper attire is important to our faith. Maybe that is where the tradition of wearing your Sunday best comes from. But the clothes that the bible talks about is usually in our hearts. Clothing and Spiritual Change Clothing is a common New Testament metaphor for spiritual change. Paul wrote in Romans, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Rom 13:14). And in First Corinthians, "The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53). In Colossians, we read, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12). Finally, in First Peter we are admonished, "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'" (1 Peter 5:5). Being clothed anew is a consistent New Testament expression for holiness and righteousness. The old clothes have to come off and new ones put on. This text confronts us with the paradox of God's free invitation to the banquet with no strings attached and God's requirement of "putting on" something appropriate to that calling. The theological point is that we are warned of the dire consequences of accepting the invitation and doing nothing except showing up. Mickey Anders, When Showing Up Isn't Enough I have a new respect for Matthew – I have always felt that the book of Matthew could be a little harsh in it’s lessons. But perhaps that was just the world that Matthew lived in, and he was just trying to give us a glimpse of the difficulties that he was facing. The last line of our scripture says – Many are invited, but few are chosen. That does not sound very hospitable – what does that mean? It means that God extends grace to all of us – but we have to be careful – because grace is not cheap. – nor is it to be taken for granted. If We Miss a Deadline A tough, old cowhand sauntered into a saloon and began drinking whiskey by the bottle. The more he drank, the more unruly he became, shooting holes in the ceiling and floor. Everybody was afraid to take on the old cowhand. Finally, a short, mild-mannered storekeeper walked up to the unruly cowhand and said, "I'll give you five minutes to get out of town." The old cowhand holstered his gun, pushed the whiskey bottle away, briskly walked out, got on his horse, and rode out of town. When he left, someone asked the storekeeper what he would have done if the unruly cowhand had refused to go. "I'd have extended the deadline," he said. Many Christians have that concept of God: if we miss a deadline, God will simply extend it. They do not take the judgment of God seriously. "I sin, God forgives," is their attitude. They wallow in what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls "cheap grace." Grace is not cheap. Grace can be understood only as it stands in relief of God's judgment. God examines us and finds us unfit, unprepared for the wedding feast. But by faith in Jesus Christ - Christ, who gave himself for the expiation of our sins - we are made recipients of God's unconditional acceptance of us as worthy, fully dressed. But that grace has been dearly purchased. Our sins are serious business. It is only because of God's great love for us that God forgives us of our sins and dresses us in new, more appropriate clothes. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com We are all invited to God’s party. It is not just about lunch in a brown paper bag – it is a feast, a feast of a lifetime. We will not be disappopinted. But when we show up, we have to be active participants – not just looking for love and peace, but finding it in our hearts. Rhoda Boggs, The Strawberry Lady, touring with a theater company in Leningrad several years ago, was quoted as giving this report of a visit to a Christian Church in that Russian City. This was while communisim still reigned over that nation. I’m tore to pieces. I’ve been going to church since I could walk, but I’ve never known Jesus like I knew him today. Oh child, he was there – he was out in the open. He was written on every face. He was singin with us, and you’ve never heard such singin. It was old people mostly, and old people can’t sing like that unless Jesus us helping them along. And then the pastor asked that we, the black members of the cast our sing a spiritual. And they listened so quiet, all those rows and rows of faces lookin at us like were were telling them that nobody’s alone, that Jesus is everywhere on this earth – which is a fact they know already, but it seems to me they were glad to hear about it. Anybody doubts the existence of our savior, he should have been there. Well it came time to go and you know what happened? They stood up. The whole congregation stood us and they took out white handerkercheifs and they waved them in the air and they sand God be with you till we meet again. The tears just pouring down their faces, theirs and ours. Oh child it really churned me up. May the Jesus we have in our heart, show up in our worship in our faces and in our lives. Amen. Song I want Jesus to Walk with me UMH 521 Prayers of the People (Just print the title, I will read) Gracious God, we thank you for all that you provide and the blessings we receive daily from you. We know that, at times, we feel hopeless amid so much uncertainty in our world, but we trust you, O God, to bring us peace. And to give us comfort when we are overwhelmed with anxiety. Please help us be calm in the chaos around us and give us the strength to overcome. Gracious God, we bring all our concerns, doubts, and insecurities with the confidence that you are walking with us and guiding us with your Holy Spirit. Mold us into the vessels you want us to be, full of hope and joy. Gracious God, we lift prayers for the homeless, the hungry, the lonely, the rejected, those left behind, and all suffering injustice in our community and the world. Hear their cries for healing, wholeness, and acceptance, O loving God. Gracious God, we ask that your Holy Spirit accompany and protect our brothers and sisters in communities dealing with violence and hatred. We pray for continued strength and courage for all being persecuted by society. Let us not be afraid to stand boldly to speak against all hate and violence. God, you call us beloved, even when we stand in the face of violence and fear. Please help us to continue to be agents for transformation and equity. Gracious God, help us live according to your word’s mandates that call us to love one another as you love us. Help to show mercy and offer compassion and forgiveness to all in our care. Help us acknowledge when we have not been good stewards or loving to our neighbor or the stranger. Gracious God, we pray that our hearts will be open to the change that needs to happen here on earth so your Sovereignty will be a reality and all your creation will sing your praises. Please help us to see each other as gifts from you. Let us enthusiastically embrace your love to share the good news with those who need to hear and receive your amazing grace. Amen. ( United Church of Christ, Worship Ways, Rev. Persida Rivera-Mendez) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (use your own experience to share in this moment, or utilize this more generic statement) Many people participating in church life began learning about stewardship as children. Part of learning about money and sharing our money came from parents (and others), teaching about tithing, or about regularly setting aside “first fruits” to contribute to the weekly offering. Paul, writing to the believers in Phillipi, urged them to “keep on doing the things you have learned and received and heard and seen…” We might encourage the same for each one here, today. You may have learned as a child, or it may have been when you began your life in the church. When, and from whom, did you learn about sharing financially? Who urged you to keep on doing the things you learned? Paul reminds the early Christians when they keep on doing what they’ve learned, “the God of peace will be with you.” And I’ll second that! When I regularly do what I have learned about giving generously to the life of this congregation, I delight in my awareness of the God of peace giving me a sense of inner peace. Let me encourage you to try it! Here’s your opportunity, as we receive our morning gifts, tithes and offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving Gift-giving God, thank you for the abundance you share with your beloved sons and daughters! We ask you now to receive what has been offered here – a portion of what you have first given us. Accept our gifts. Help us put them to their best use. And encourage us to grow in our capacity to be more like you, so each of us might regularly offer the best we have to help build up your Realm here and now. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Let us go from this place trusting that God is with us and for us in every place. May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you this day and forever- more. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Build a fire under us and within us, O Lord. Enable us to joyfully go into your world to serve your people and in doing so serve you also. Go in peace, dear friends. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - The King’s Reception (What Are you Wearing to the Wedding?) Perhaps you have heard of the family that moved into the neighborhood and the little country church decided to reach out to the family. When they arrived at the doorstep the members of the church were surprised to find that the family had 12 kids and were for the most part poor. They invited the family to services and said goodbye. Later that week the church responded to their need. They delivered a package to the family and said, "We want you to know that you and your entire family are welcome at our church anytime. We have bought you these gifts and we want you to feel comfortable and at ease in our congregation. We hope you can use these," and they left. The family opened the package to find 14 suits of clothing, beautiful clothes for every member of the family. Sunday came and the congregation waited for the family, and they waited. The family never showed. Wondering what could have possibly happened, after lunch the members of the church returned to the home and found the family just getting back, all dressed in their new clothes. ”We don’t mean to be nosey but we would like to know what happened. We had hoped to see you this morning in church,” the leader of the church inquired. The father spoke up. He said, “Well, we got up this morning intending to come. And we sure do appreciate your invitation. But after we showered, shaved, and dressed, why we looked so proper we went to the Episcopal Church.” That's a funny way of talking about a serious problem. Invitations are sent to many to come to church but so few people respond. It's frustrating. Many of you have reached out to neighbors or friends and asked them to come to church and you know all too well the disappointment, how few respond. Maybe that is why we find this morning’s parable so familiar… All Night Long . . . Some years ago, a friend of mine from church pulled me out into the parking lot to listen to a tape in her car. Darlene Malmo wanted me to hear her favorite Lionel Ritchie song. There was this song about life being like a party, “all night long.” She said, “I am going to party all night long with God.” That is what being a Christian is. Some Christian say that it is not right to have such a mood of happiness and joy. Especially when there is so much starvation. When there is so much hunger. When there is so much suffering in the world, it is not right to be happy. But that is not true. I think of the hymn, “This Is My Father’s World” and the great words to that hymn. “This is my father’s world, o let me ne’ver forget. That though the wrong be oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my father’s world, o let my heart by glad, for the Lord is king, let the heavens ring. God reigns, let the earth be glad.” Yes, in this world there is so much suffering and so much starvation, but it is also a banquet. Joy, in the middle of suffering, is at the core of being a Christian. Edward F. Markquart, Excuses to Avoid a Wedding Humor: No, I’m Just Seasick The writer Bill Henderson recalls meeting a man aboard a cruise ship who claimed to be an expert in guessing professions. "See that man over there," he said. "He is a physician." Bill checked and sure enough that was right. "How could you tell?" he asked the man. "Well," he said, "I saw the caring lines on his forehead and could tell he was a person of great compassion." Bill Henderson pointed to someone else and said, "What about him? What does he do?" "That's a lawyer," the expert said. Bill checked and sure enough, he was. The expert explained that the man had a scholarly look and was somewhat formal, indicating an attorney. Then Bill pointed to another man. The expert studied him and said, "That's a preacher." Bill approached the man and asked, "Are you a preacher?" "No," said the man. "I'm just seasick; that's the reason I look so sad." How strange that many Christians have a long-faced reputation. Jesus could not have been that way; if he had been, children would not have clung to him so readily. Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com Our Hope, Our Terror Several summers ago I spent three days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles were laying their eggs. One night while the tide was out, I watched a huge female heave herself up on the beach to dig her nest and empty her eggs into it. Afraid of disturbing her, I left before she had finished. The next morning I returned to see if I could find the spot where her eggs lay hidden in the sand. What I found were her tracks leading in the wrong direction. Instead of heading back out to sea, she had wandered into the dunes, which were already as hot as asphalt in the morning sun. A little ways inland I found her: Exhausted, all but baked, her head and flippers caked with dried sand. After pouring water on her and covering her with sea oats, I fetched a park ranger who returned with a jeep to rescue her. He flipped her on her back, wrapped tire chains around her front legs, and hooked the chains to a trailer hitch on his jeep. Then I watched horrified as he took off, yanking her body forward so that her mouth filled with sand and her neck bent so far back I thought it would break. The ranger hauled her over the dunes and down onto the beach. At the ocean's edge, he unhooked her and turned her right side up. She lay motionless in the surf as the water lapped at her body, washing the sand from her eyes and making her skin shine again. A wave broke over her; she lifted her head slightly, moving her back legs. Other waves brought her further back to life until one of them made her light enough to find a foothold and push off, back into the ocean. Watching her swim slowly away and remembering her nightmare ride through the dunes, I reflected that it is sometimes hard to tell whether you are being killed or saved by the hands that turn your life upside down. Our hope, through all our own terrors, is that we are being saved. But this does not mean we lie down before the terrors. For as long as we have strength to fight, it is both our nature and our privilege to do so. Sometimes God's blessing does not come until daybreak, after a full night of emptying ourselves and wandering in the wrong direction. Our job is to struggle with the terrors, neither surrendering nor stealing away until they have yielded their blessings. Barbara Brown Taylor, The Other Side – Tales of Terror, Times of Wonder There was a doctor who received a call late at night to come to the hospital. Someone was near death and needed a physician's attention or death was certain. The hospital was 30 miles away in another town. The doctor dressed and took off in his car. At a stoplight a man jumped into his car, pulled a gun, and told the doctor to get out. "I need your car. Get out," was all he said. The doctor got out and had to find another way to get to the hospital. When he finally arrived the nurse met him and told him the woman just died. "You are too late, Doctor. But would you go and say a word to the husband. He is weeping uncontrollably in the family lounge." When the doctor entered the lounge he found the husband in a corner. To his great surprise he discovered that the husband was the very man who pulled the gun on him because he needed his car. Sometimes we push out of our lives the very thing that can help us. It might be the church, it might be the Bible, Christian friends, a nudge to make a clear commitment. It might be taking the step of accepting the invitation to the marriage feast. George S. Johnson, Critical Decisions in Following Jesus, CSS Publishing Company _______________________________ Everyone Is Invited The writer Drew Duke recalled from her childhood her second grade Valentine's Day party. Several days earlier a big decorated box had been placed at the front of the room by the teacher. It had a slit in the top. Each student had been invited to bring valentines addressed to friends and to drop them into the box. Then on Valentine's Day, one student was designated by the teacher as the postman to distribute the cards. Earlier that week Drew's mother had bought a package of 35 valentine cards. Drew asked her, "Why did you buy so many?" She replied, "So you can give one to each person in your class." "No ma'am," Drew said, "We don't do it that way. We only give cards to our special friends. I only need four cards. I don't even like some of the people in my class." Her mother said nothing else. Drew signed four cards and put the names on the front. Everybody was excited when the Valentine's Party began. The girl designated as postman began calling the names and handing out the cards. Some very popular children got bunches of cards. Drew heard her name called quite often and was having a wonderful time. But then she became aware that the little girl sitting in front of her had received no cards. Her head was drooping lower and lower. Then suddenly the postman called this little girl's name and delivered to her one valentine. Her face lit up like morning sunshine. She tore open that valentine, hurrying to see who had cared enough to send it. Drew looked over her shoulder and saw that it was signed "Your secret admirer." The little girl smiled and glanced around the room, wondering who it could be. "But", said Drew, "I knew who it was but I didn't tell. I recognized my mother's handwriting." Her mother had obtained a class roster and had sent a card to every child in the class. Drew learned from her mother what her mother learned from God: that God's love reaches even the unlovely, and everybody is invited to God's party! Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com Time for God’s Banquet Our first priority is God. If you are too busy to heed God's voice then you are too busy. If you are too busy to perform some service in His kingdom, then you are too busy. We must not forget that there will come a time when our relationship with Him will be the only priority that will matter. In the famous French story, The Little Prince, the dearest friend the main character makes on the fictitious planet to which he has been banished is a fox. When the fox must leave the little prince forever, he offers to tell him the most wonderful secret in the world if the prince meets certain conditions. When the little prince has met all the conditions, he asks to be told the greatest secret. The fox replies, "Only that which is invisible is essential." Think about that for a moment. It is true. "Only that which is invisible is essential." In A Journey with the Saints, Thomas S. Kepler has written: "The secret of the revolution in the lives of the saints lies in the fact that their lives are centered in God. They never seem hurried, they have a large leisure, they trouble little about their influence; they refer the smallest things to God. They live in God." That is the great secret to successful living the realization that when one reserves time to come to God's banquet, all of the rest of life will fall in place. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com _______________________________ What Do We Want to Tell the Children? The parable of the Wedding Banquet teaches us that we must be prepared and that character (both these symbolized by the proper clothes or lack thereof) is important in the Kingdom of God. But that does not mean that the party, the wedding banquet) is not meant to be a party. The kingdom of God is a great and exciting event. But what do we teach our children about this Kingdom? Do we teach them that the party will be bore. In a poetic parody of "serious" instructions to children, Ann Weems writes, "What do we want to tell the children? Jesus Christ says, comb your hair. And what do we tell the children? Jesus Christ says, sit on your chair. And what do we tell the children? Jesus Christ says, be polite. And what do we tell the children? Jesus Christ says, do everything right! Jesus says, please sit down Jesus says, do not frown. Jesus says, don’t cry if you’re hurt. Jesus says, don’t play in the dirt. Jesus says, don’t have any fun! And what do we want to tell the children? We want to tell them shhhhh!" From Ann Weems’ Reaching for Rainbows Thankful for God’s Gifts Jenny Lind always spent a few minutes alone in her dressing room before a concert. Her maid, who locked the door and stood guard, has told what happened in those last moments of preparation. Miss Lind would stand in the middle of the floor, her shoulders back, and her head up, draw a deep breath, strike a clear, vibrant note, and hold it as long as her breath lasted. When the overtones had all died away, she would look up and say: "Master, who has given me this undeserved gift, let me ring true tonight." When we realize what a gift this invitation to God's kingdom is to us, we too will try our best to ring true. We have been invited to a grand feast of worship today, and as we come, our lives ought to be changed. If we come prepared to worship, ready for prayer, conscious of our sins, then worship will be worship indeed. Jerry L. Schmalenberger, When Christians Quarrel, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

Lord Have Mercy on Me a Sinner

October 23, 2022 20th Sunday After Pentecost Luke 18:9-14 Lord Have Mercy on me a Sinner Year C Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship Leader: Rejoice! We’re here to sing our joy in the God of our salvation. People: This God – the hope of all the earth! Leader: We offer our praise, for God gives us land, air and water. People: We’re awed by all God provides! Leader: All who are drawn close to God, be happy! People: We rejoice, for God is our deliverer. (Disciple’s of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer God of our salvation, Thank you for drawing us to you in this time of worship, (some of us in person, and some by the gift of technology). Thank you the variety of ways you answer our prayers. Hear us now as we offer you our praise. Receive our heart-felt joy as we raise our songs of thanksgiving for all the beauty of the earth. AMEN (Center for Faith and Giving) Song There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy UMH Children’s Sermon • Good morning! • I’d like to tell you a brief story and then ask you a few questions about it. • There once were two girls and neither of them could play soccer. They were both awful at it. • But Girl #1 THOUGHT she could play soccer and that she could play it well. • She’d walk around talking about how she was the best soccer player in the world and how she was better than everyone else and no one knew soccer better than she did. She would say that she was so good that she didn’t even need to practice. She was so good she didn’t even need teammates. • Girl #2 on the other hand, knew she didn’t know how to play soccer. • But she wanted to learn. • So she asked other people how to play. She went to practice. She listened to the coach and ran drills. • That’s it - that’s the story I wanted to tell you. • So, my question to you: Who do you think became the better soccer player? Girl #1 who thinks she already knows how to play soccer or Girl #2 who wants to learn how to play soccer? (Girl #2!) • And why do you think Girl #2 is going to become the better soccer player? (because she wants to learn instead of thinking she already knows it all) TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway) • So in today’s scripture story, Jesus tells a story just like the one I told you. • But instead of the story being about girls who don’t know how to play soccer, Jesus tells a story about two men who don’t know how to live God’s better way of life. • In the story, one man tells God how great of a person he is. • And because that man thinks he knows how to live God’s way, he keeps telling God while he is praying that he’s super-great at life and is so much better at life than everyone else • That sounds a lot like the first girl who thought she knew all there was to know about soccer, doesn’t it? • The other man in the story, though, tells God, “I need help. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life – help me to live it your better way” – which sounds a lot like the second girl who was always trying to learn more about soccer. • So…of the two men, who do you think will be able to learn from God how to live God’s better way? (the 2nd man) • Why do you think that? (because he wants to learn instead of thinking he already knows it all) SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination) • That’s right! And, just as importantly, you just said one of the main things that Jesus wants us to understand about ourselves from this story. • When we stop thinking that we know it all and instead ask God and others for help, then we will be able to learn and improve. • And, the things we then learn and receive will also be the things that we can also share with the people around us. • That is the good news for today – let’s pray. CLOSING Prayer • This is a repeat-after-me prayer. Dear God, Dear God, Please help us to remember… Please help us to remember… ...that we don’t know it all... ...that we don’t know it all... …and to ask for and listen... …and to ask for and listen... …for help from you and others. …for help from you and others. Thank you and Amen Originally posted October 5, 2013 Updated on September 22, 2022 By Nathaniel Vissia Passing of the Peace Prayer for illumination God of Wisdom and Grace, you speak through your Word read and proclaimed. Prepare us now to listen well. Open our ears to your truth. Humble us in your presence so nothing will stand in the way of what you say to us today. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Teri McDowell Ott) Scripture Luke 18:9-14 Sermon Lord Have Mercy on Me a Sinner Jesus Is Mine As people drive to church each Sunday morning, they pass by the houses of neighbors who, although they may get to sleep in on Sundays, also live hopeless lives with no real certainty that there is a God anywhere who cares. They pass by nursing homes and hospitals that house debilitated people unable to go to church (or anywhere else for that matter). A few en route to church may even see the homeless huddled in doorways and under overpasses. Compared to all that, surely there are times when people drive to church and quietly think, "I thank God I am not like other people. I am thank God I have faith, that I have a church to go to and the desire to attend. I thank God I have honest work to do and health in my body to do it. I am grateful not to be addicted to drugs or booze and that my children and I have a roof over our heads. I pray to God and know that God loves me. I give my offerings here at church and volunteer my time in various programs, too. I am so thankful I am not like other people who are lost, lonely, dishonest, and without the hope I have in my heart. I'm so glad to be a Christian." All in all, such prayers sure sound a lot like a certain character in Luke 18. For that matter, it all sounds a little like some of the songs we sing in church: "I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves ME!" "How vast the benefits divine which WE in Christ possess!" "Blessed assurance, Jesus is MINE!" Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations When we are thinking about others and wishing they would come to church with us – we are grateful for our faith and worried that others are missing out. But we also don’t realize that we are putting ourselves in the story. In the parable, the pharisee is glad that God loves him, the tax collector realizes that he is a sinner and in need of God’s grace. The last thing that we want to do is to be like the pharisee, Jesus is not impressed with the faith of the pharisees. I think that this is one of those awkward stories that Jesus tells – there are always verses in the gospel that when I deal with them I don’t know what to do with them. Luke is the gospel that challenges us to pray and uses Jesus as an example of how to pray. Jesus is know to go off an to pray to God. He asked God for direction, he expected God to be a part if his life, and most important he was always humble and respectful in his request. The pharisee was a little overconfident in his prayer – he didn’t need to ask God for anything, because it appears that his faith was all about his righteousness – not God’s grace. So the first lesson for us is to be humble in our prayer. Our faith is not about our own righteousness. Humor: Worth a Thousand Points Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who came to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. Peter asks the man if he can give a brief history of his life with an emphasis on the good deeds he had done in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. "You will need 1000 points to be admitted," Peter tells the man. "This will be a cinch," the man thinks to himself, "I've been involved in church from the days of my youth." Then he begins to list his activities for Peter. He was an officer in his youth group, served in every possible position he could as a youngster. Was on the Church Council and every committee the church had to offer. His list was extensive. "Very impressive," Peter smiles at the man. An angel standing with them also smiled and nodded as he tallied the points and then whispered in Peter's ear. Peter tells the man, "This is quite striking -- we seldom see men of your very good works. You will be pleased to know that you have 327 points! Is there anything else you can think of?" The poor soul breaks into a cold sweat and begins to reach deep for every single act of kindness he could think of. He listed them as the angel scratched furiously on his angelic clip board and nodded his head in admiration. Peter looks at the clip board and says, "This is quite exceptional! You now have a total of 402 points. Can you think of anything else?" The distressed guy strives to recall good deeds -- like the time he helped a little old lady across the street. He finally arrives at a grand total of 431 points and cries out... "I am sunk! There is no hope for me! What more could I have done? O Lord, all I can do is beg for your mercy!" "THAT," exclaims Peter, "Is a thousand points!" So also, the tax collector in Jesus' parable finds his hope in the grace and mercy of God. John Jewell, Qualities of Faith So perhaps on our drive to church, before we focus on all of the people who are sleeping in, we should first focus on why we are headed to church. We are in need of prayer ourselves. Our spiritual journey begins with ourselves. Looking at ourselves. Heavenly Humility One time I was in a department store attempting to purchase a new suit. When I tried on a suit I stood in front of a 3-way mirror. The mirror enabled me to see myself from three different perspectives. As I looked at my image in the mirror I said to myself, “Is that really me?” It was very uncomfortable since I normally see myself in a singular mirror. As I continued to check out the suit I realized that in reality people actually see me in reverse. For example, my hair is parted the other way. What I perceive as my good side is really my bad side. When the Pharisee prayed to God he saw his good side. He was filled with righteousness, proud of his perfect record, especially his fasting and tithing record. On the other hand, the tax collector saw his bad side. He realized his unworthiness and said, “God me merciful to me a sinner.” How do see yourself? Are you like the Pharisee who only saw how good he was, or are you like the tax collector who only saw himself in need of God’s forgiveness? Keith Wagner, Heavenly Humility We come to church because we may all look okay on the outside, but we all have something to work on. We are like the college student. They Only Ironed The Parts That Showed Mike Cope, in his article "Righteousness Inside Out," tells of inviting a college student and his girlfriend back to his home after church, to have lunch with him and his wife. "When we got to the house, I took off my suit coat and invited him to do the same. The boy hemmed and hawed for a long time until he could pull me aside, and what he whispered to me then reminded me of the way I used to live when I was in college." It seemed he had only ironed the cuffs and collar of his shirt. If he took off his jacket, his girl would see the rest of his shirt and know what a slob he was. He had only ironed the parts that showed. That was one of the major, ongoing complaints Jesus brought against the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. That they were phony. That they were not what they seemed to be. That they were hypocrites. That they only ironed the parts that showed. William R. Boyer, Sorry, Thank You, Please When we are humble and honest with ourselves and with God, we realize just how much we need God. Whenever Jesus tells a parable, there is always a twist. There is an obvious lesson, but there is also a hidden meaning. The obvious lesson is that we should be humble like the tax collector. But what we don’t realize, is that Jesus uses the pharisees in this story, because he was not wrong in his prayer. It was his job to be righteous and good. He went to church, because he knew that others didn’t. that is why he prays that he is glad that he is not like the others. When we criticize the pharisee, we put ourselves in his place. We start to pray that we are glad that we are not like him. When we point one finger at others, then there are 4 that are pointed at ourselves. The pharisee’s prayer may have been misguided, but it was still a prayer. He is still a child of God. What Kind of Sinners Can Be Members Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended. During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven. One of the first persons to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute. She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly at what she was doing. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church. For a few moments, the silence was deafening. Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, "I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. We'd better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn't understand that she's not the type we want him to rescue. We'd better spell it out for him just which sinners we had in mind." Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation. God accepts us as we are. There's not a sin too black, not a deed too awful, not a thought too horrible for him to forgive. Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. The lesson is not just about humility, but also about who we are as a community. We are all sinners, and no matter who we are God gives us grace. So we should not be glad that we are not like others, we should be glad that God loves us all. We are all connected. We should see God in all people and all situations. We thank God that we are all together. My final story You're Not Home Yet How revealing is that story of the old missionary couple who had been working in Africa for years in the days when Teddy Roosevelt was President of the United States. They were returning from Africa to New York City to retire. They had no pension for they belonged to no missionary board. Their health was broken, they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. When they went down to the wharf to board the ship they discovered to their amazement that they were booked on the same ship with Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big game hunting expeditions. They went aboard the ship and no one paid any attention to them. They watched all the tremendous fanfare that accompanied the President's arrival, how the band played as he came aboard, and everyone was agog over the thought of traveling on the same ship with the President of the United States. Passengers were stationing themselves at vantage points throughout the ship to see if they might catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean this couple became more and more discouraged, especially the man. He said to his wife, "Dear, something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and no one cares a thing about us. Here is a man who has been on a big-game hunting expedition and when he comes back everybody makes over him but nobody gives two hoots about us." His wife said, "Dear, you shouldn't feel that way. Try not to be bitter about it." But he said, "I can't help it, I just can't help it, it doesn't look right. After all, if God is running this world, why does he permit such injustice?" As the boat neared the American shore, his spirit became more and more depressed. He said to his wife, "I'll wager that when we get to New York there will be another band there and more fanfare over his arrival, but there will be no one to meet us." Sure enough, when they got in, the ship docked and a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor of New York City was there and other leaders of the nation, and the papers were full of the President's arrival, but no one said a word to this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city. But that first night the man's spirit just broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this, it's not fair, God is not treating us fairly. Why should we give ourselves like this and have no one to meet us, no one to help us, no one to care. We don't even know where to go. If God is a faithful God, why doesn't he meet our need and send someone along?" And his wife said, "Dear, you mustn't feel this way, you simply must not, it isn't right. Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell the Lord the whole thing?" So he went in, and about a half hour later he came out again and his face was different, his wife could see it. She said, "Dear, what happened? Everything is different I can see. You feel better, don't you?" "Yes," he said, "the Lord settled it with me." "Well," she said, "what did he say?" He said, "I went in and knelt beside the bed and I poured out the whole thing to him. I said, 'Lord, it's not fair. We have given our lives, we've given our blood and sweat and tears in Africa, our health is broken, we have no place to go.' And I told him all -- how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous welcome over nothing! Especially I felt bitter about the homecoming he received when no one met us when we returned home." He said, "You know, when I finished it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But you're not home yet!'" Ray Stedman, The Nature of Prayer _______________________ None of us are at home yet, but may we find our home in being in service to God. Amen. Song I am Thine O Lord UMH 419 Affirmation of faith (From Philippians 2:6-11) Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess to the glory of God: Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Teri McDowell Ott) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of two men, praying in the temple. One we would, today, call a braggart or an egotistical show-off. The other we might call a reserved man, or one who did not think of himself more highly than he ought. If you could imagine these two on a spectrum of financial givers, where woould you place yourself on that spectrum? Are you closer to the one who stood up in public, declaring aloud how great he is because of what he does (including giving 10% to the temple)? Or are you closer to the one who takes a back seat, knowing he could be doing much more, and praying for God’s mercy? The truth is, we can never out-give God! And most of us will never be able, if we’re honest, to brag how we give 10% of our worth to the church. But we ALL are able to step away from the temptation to be brassy, bragging, and belittling others. All of us might be inspired by this parable as we seek to embody a humble spirit and stretch ourselves toward significant financial support of the church and the ministries of this congregation. As we receive our morning offering, may each of us find courage to be BOLD in our giving, and humble in our heart. God whom we exalt, Your generosity continues in every moment. Thank you for all you provide for us and for this amazing planet on which we live. Please accept these gifts as one way for us to signal our desire to be part of your abundant provision for life. Help us use this cash, these checks, and our on-line contributions to extend your care to the lost, the lonely, and the least among us. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May we leave this house of worship today, quick to listen, slow to speak, open to hearing and responding to God’s truth. May God bless you and keep you, be kind and gracious to you, may God look upon you with favor and bring you Peace, Amen (Presbyterian Outlook, Teri McDowell Ott) Community Time Benediction May you be blessed by the least expected people, recognize plenty after empty, and feel an incognito inner urge to be the Spirit’s lungs and tongues. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Maren Tirabassi) Additional Illustrations re You Really Listening? In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. I closed the door,'' the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.'' Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear. Yes, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father always listens to us, but do we really listen to God? Do we follow the instructions of Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God"? Eric S. Ritz, The Ritz Collection,www.Sermons.com The Best Treatment for Loneliness Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous American psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health & was answering questions from the audience. One man asked, "What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Everyone there expected him to answer, "Consult a psychiatrist." To their astonishment he replied: Leave your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone who is in need, and do something to help that person. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Bent to the Ground A city boy visited his cousin who lived on a farm in the country for the first time. The city boy had never seen wheat growing in a field. It was an impressive sight for him, the wheat golden brown and ready for harvesting. He noticed that some of the wheat stood tall in the field, whereas some of it was bent low, touching the ground. The city boy said to his cousin, "I bet the ones standing tall are the best ones, aren't they?" His cousin smiled knowingly and reached over and plucked the head of one of the tall-standing wheat stalks and one that was bent to the ground. He rubbed each of them and the city boy saw that the tall one was almost empty of seeds. But the one bent to the ground was full of the promise of a rich harvest. R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. _________________________ Learn To Empty Yourself A martial arts student was meeting with his master and teacher at a table, having tea. The student said to his master, "I've learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one thing more now. Please teach me about the ways of God." The master took the teakettle and starting pouring the student's cup full of tea. Soon the cup was full and began to spill over onto the saucer. But the master continued to pour the tea until it spilled over the saucer and then onto the floor. The student finally said, "Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can't take any more." The master then looked at the student and said, "You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself." R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. The Beginnings of a Spiritual Journey One of my sources of my spiritual grounding is the blues. Van Morrison's Hymns to the Silence has become the sound track of my soul. It floats around me and catches me in moments of solitude. It speaks to me of my journey, the things that have made me, the yearning for depth in prayer. It reflects a nostalgia for the innocence of youth, time that is gone, and a longing for a safe place to be ... the thirst for God. There is a spirit of rejuvenation and rebirth in Morrison's blues - there is no us and them. He sings.' No matter where I roam/ I will find my way back home/ I will return to the Lord." The point of the story is the old one - "know yourself." The beginning of deep spiritual examination begins here. This is not a beating oneself up, but a prayer of have mercy on me. It is a modest understanding of oneself - that I need others to be more fully myself. I don't have to go it alone. George Hermanson, A Modest Faith - A Subtle Shift In Grammar Worshipping Who She Used To Be Girolamo Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the fifteenth century. He preached in the great cathedral of Florence, Italy, which contained a magnificent marble statue of the blessed virgin Mary. When Savonarola started preaching at this great cathedral, he noticed one day an elderly woman praying before this statue of Mary. He then began to notice that it was her habit to come every day and pray before the statue. Savonarola remarked one day to an elderly priest who had been serving in the cathedral for many years, "Look how devoted and earnest this woman is. Every day she comes and offers prayers to the blessed Mother of Jesus. What a marvelous act of faith." But the elderly priest replied, "Do not be deceived by what you see. Many years ago when the sculptor needed a model to pose for this statue of the blessed Mother, he hired a beautiful young woman to sit for him. This devout worshiper you see here everyday is that young woman. She is worshiping who she used to be." The first and perhaps the deadliest of the seven deadly sins is pride. R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. We Watched His Eyes It was late New Year's Day when the showdown finally came. The number one and two college bowl teams in the nation were set to fight it out in the Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Arizona, deciding who would lay claim to being the "Beast of the East" and the best in the nation. Among those who predict such things, there was agreement that the nation's number one team would remain number one that night. Their passing attack had been unstoppable all season long, and it would remain so. A high-scoring game was predicted. Both predictions were wrong. A defensive struggle prevailed, and the number one team was upset, beaten. Interviews and national news stories alike toyed with the obvious question: "How did you stop their passing attack?" Several strategies had been employed, such as mixing up defensive formations, intimidating receivers by hard tackling, and of special significance, watching the mannerisms of the quarterback. Careful study of earlier films had discovered that he "telegraphed" the direction of a pass. "How did you stop him?" "We watched his eyes!" These words may hold the key to our discovery of the "central luminous truth" of the parable about two men who went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The key to this parable has to do with the direction of each man's eyes. Theodore F. Schneider, Until the King Comes, CSS Publishing Company. The Transformation of a Hideous Beetle One afternoon, a man, lying in a canoe close to shore, saw many beetles in the muddy bottom of the lake. He felt sorry for these lowly creatures which would never know any other world except gloom and mud and water. Then a big, black beetle came out of the water. He crawled up on the gunwale and sat there blinking at him. Under the heat of the sun the beetle died. Then a strange thing happened. His black shell cracked down the back. Out of it came a shapeless mass whose hideousness was transformed into a beautiful, brilliantly colored life. Out of that mass gradually unfolded four iridescent wings from which the sunlight flashed a thousand colors. The wings spread wide as if to worship the sun. The man realized that he had witnessed the transformation of a hideous beetle crawling in the mud to a gorgeous dragonfly soaring above the waters. The body that was left behind still clung to the gunwale of the canoe. While the dragonfly explored the wonders of his wings and his new world, the other beetles were still crawling in the mud. He knew that he had seen a miracle of nature. Out of the mud had come a beautiful new life. The thought occurred to him, if the Creator worked such wonders with the lowliest of creatures, what must be in store for his children created in his likeness! That is our hope and our victory on this day. That is our comfort and our peace. O. Garfield Beckstrand II, In Sure and Certain Hope, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Our Own Vices Dwight L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon were great preachers of the nineteenth century. Moody admired Spurgeon from a distance and looked forward to the opportunity of meeting him in London. On that historic day, Spurgeon answered the door with a cigar in his mouth. Moody was aghast. "How could you, a man of God, smoke that?" Spurgeon took the cigar from his mouth, put his finger on Moody's rather inflated stomach, smiled and said, "The same way you, a man of God, could be that fat." Because we are usually blind to our own vices, we are hardly qualified to judge others. Eric S. Ritz, The Ritz Collection,www.Sermons.com

A New Way of Thinking - repreach 2/28/99

May 27, 2018 Year B John 3:1-21 Repreach of 2/28/1999 Trinity Sunday – Sunday After Pentecost A New Way of Thinking Children’s Sermon Exegetical Aim: The meaning of the church’s doctrine of the Trinity. Props: Flip cards with math problems and a marker to mark the answers. Two of the flip cards should have the following: 1+1+1= and Father+Son+HolySpirit= Lesson: Good Morning! (response) We are going to do a little math this morning. I am going to show you a math problem and you tell me the answer. Are you ready? Here is the first problem. Show them the first flip card. What is 2+2? (response) Ok, now let’s look at another problem. What is 5+3? (response) That one was a little tougher and now we are going to do a hard one? Are you ready for a hard one? (response) What is 13+12? (response) Let’s take a look at one more and now we are going to add one more number to the problem. This will be the hardest one of them all. Here it is. What is 1+1+1? (response) This one is hard isn’t it? (response) Are you sure? Look at it again. Are you sure you have the right answer? (response) What if told you that the answer is not 3. What if I told you that 1+1+1=1? (response) You don’t believe me? (response) Ok, let me show you another math problem and this one is a little different. This is a church math problem. You might call it holy mathematics. Here is the problem. What does Father+Son+HolySpirit equal? (response) Give them time to assimilate this question. Repeat the question to reinforce the lesson.Does it equal 1 God or 3 Gods? (response) The answer is One God. Use your fingers to count out the Godhead as you explain or use the flash card:You see we as Christians worship God the Father, who is in heaven, and we worship God the Son, who came down to us as Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit, who has come to us and is near us and fills us even now. We worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s hold up three fingers three persons right? (response) Here’s the tricky part. Even though God is three persons, he is One: 1+1+1=1 when we speak about God. What do you think about that? (response) Application: This morning we are going to read a story about Nicodemus and how he got a little confused. Jesus told him that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were going to help him be born again. God, all three of them, were going to help Nicodemus start his life all over. He was going to be given the chance to see life in a new way. How can a person start all over again? Just as if he was a little baby starting all over? How can that be? (response) I think it has something to do with this holy mathematics. Hold up the 1+1+1=1 card. If 1+1+1=1 in the church then other things must be afoot here that we don’t understand. Like grown up men and women being born again, and the Holy Spirit filling our hearts with God’s goodness, and the kingdom of God right here all around us making us all one body of Christ. As you continue to grow up remember this holy place and remember that in the church show the card again it is God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--all One of them, who are at work. Strange things happen here that are too wonderful to describe and too mysterious to understand. Let’s Pray: Lord the wind blows where it wills and so does your Spirit. Blow upon us and give us birth again. Amen. ChristianGlobe Network, Inc, , by Brett Blair John 3:1-21 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus and Nicodemus 3 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew,[a] it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.” 4 Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?” 5 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 God’s Spirit[b]blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?” 10 “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? 11 I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony.12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One.[c]14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One[d] be lifted up 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 16 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.17 God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son. 19 “This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil.20 All who do wicked things hate the light and don’t come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. 21 Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God.” Footnotes: a. John 3:3 Or from above b. John 3:8 Or wind c. John 3:13 Or Son of Man d. John 3:14 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible There are two brothers, the mother gave birth to one at two oclock, and she had to other an hour later, yet they are not twins, how can that be? Today in honor of Trinity Sunday, we are going to deal with riddles, the riddles of life, the riddles of what it means to be a Christian. Those are the riddles that a wealthy, prominent citizen names Nicodemus struggled with. They were so difficult for him that he couldn’t sleep and had to come to Jesus in the middle of the night. The answers that Jesus gave confused him even more. Jesus gave a birth riddle, much like the one that I gave. Jesus told him that in order to have eternal life, you must be born again. But how can someone be born again? Do they have to go back into their mother’s womb a second time? How can two brothers be born at the same time and not be twins? There is an answer to both, but to come up with it – you have to think in a new way. Let us first try and think through Jesus riddle. As you read through the gospel of John, you will notice that Jesus loves to play this trick all of the time. Someone with a question, like Nicodemus will come to Jesus with a question, Jesus will answer with a a saying this is hard to understand. The person will get even more confused and go off on a tangent, and Jesus will answer them again, this time with an even harder saying and the will leave Jesus, more confused than they came – but forced to think in a new way. I don’t know about you but that happens to me a lot, I go through life confused, but trying to stay focused. You see the problem here is that Nicodemus is a left brain thinker. Our left brain loves to process information. Left brain thinkers like clearcut memorized rules. Nicodemus was a pharisee, and a pharisee’s job was to make up thousands of rules for the Jewish people. They determined what the law meant. A pharisee judged their goodness and self worth based on how they were able to go throughout a normal day without breaking one of these laws. The good news for us Christians is that the gospel is a right brain activity. The gospel is more about images, not words. The gospel intentionally breaks all of the rules, and you do not have to follow any prescribed daily ritual in order to be called a Christian. We are saved by grace. So I have another riddle for you- If you can answer this one, then you are truly a Christian. How many animals did Adam and Eve put in the ark. Well if you are awake and paying attention and actively thinking – you will know that it was Adam who filled the Ark, Adam and Eve came much earlier in the story. That is the good thing about our faith, we don’t have to explain it or understand it in terms of laid out rules. Our faith is sort of like to wind blowing, you don’t have to know where it came from in order to feel its presence. All of those left brain activities like using the computer, balancing a check book, or maintaining your care are not thing that will get you into heaven. Thank God, I would not have a chance. But when you think in terms of going to your favorite concert, or taking a walk in the sun, or what you did to enjoy the coming of summer, then you are on the road to understanding the faith of Jesus. If you live life in your right brain, the part that remember feelings and doesnot need concrete answers, then you will understand what Jesus was trying to teach Nicodemus. Here is another riddle, How many birthdays does the average person in America have in a lifetime? Well I guess the answer could be negotiable. If you are only born once, then you can only have one birth day. But Christ says that we must be born again-that means that Christians have two birth days right? Well that depends on what it means to be born again. That debate could go on forever. Jesus says that the first birth is a physical birth, and the second is a spiritual birth. It is sort of like the moment when you have been trying to figure out the answer to a riddle that you have been struggling with for a very long time. It is when all of the solutins that you have been trying to come up with are exhausted, and you get an answer that you know you would not have come up with on your own in a million years. Along with the answer comes a whole new way of seeing the world. In John’s gospel, Jesu loved to speak in riddles. In figuring out those riddles, we come up with the answers to our questions ourself. We think in a new way. To be born again is to undergo such a radical change of thinking that it is like a new birth. To be born again is to have something happen to the soul that makes us a whole new person. It is a point in your conscious existence when you allow the spirit to move within you and you say Yes to God. Our passage contains one of the most familiar bible passages in the world. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that we may have life and have it abundantly. When we are open to a new way of thinking, where the spirit is flowing, then we can understand the love of God. God’s love is unlimited, unconditional, and redemptive. For God so loved the world. Even John is tempted to say that God only loves those who do the will of Jesus. But God’s love is unconditional. God loves the good and the bad. God loves all of creation. God loves political and corrupt powers, God loves corporate structures that pollute and corrupt the world. God loves all people, those we agree with and those we don’t. If God loves all people, even those we don’t agree with, then how should we respond to those people? God’s love is unconditional. For God so loved the world is a statement within itself, but it is easy for us to be tempted to finish the sentence with conditions. God will love you if you are righteous, God will love you if you study, If you don’t do what people expect of your. The good news is the God loves you in this time in history, in this world. In other words, God loves you just the way you are. God is concerned with this world and bringing all of the world in the fullness of creation. We are all a part of creation. God is not through with us yet, we are all still a work in progress. God still loves this world, and is still creating and working to make us complete. Finally the term for God so loved the world is redemptive. God loves us the way that we are, because God is working to redeem us. If we accept Christ into our lives, then our lives are open to saving grace. God so loved the world, that he acted in Christ. Those of us who follow Christ are motivated to the same compassion, hope and love are all of the world, even those things that we do not agree with. As we are a part of the body of Christ, we begin to share his love for creation and bring into the service of that love all of our gifts and talent and desires. I have another riddle for you. Frank is a night watchmen who works seven nights a week at a manufacturing plant. His boss is supposed to fly overseas on a business deal and this really bothers Frank. Frank warns his boss that the previous night he had a dream that his boss would die in a plane crash. The boss ignored Frank’s warning and left for his trip. The boss returned a few days later and was so mad that he fired Frank. The business deal turned out great, so it was not the premonition that made his mad. The key to this riddle is what you think about dreams. A dreamer is someone who is not bond by rules and laws. A dreamer is free to think of life in a new way. When we understand the love of God and how that love works in our lives, then that makes us all dreamers. Have you ever noticed that there is a time, just before you wake up, when you are bound by reality, yet you are still in a dream world, where you are free. This is the time that Nicodemus came to Jesus, in the middle of the night. You can tell from his questions of Jesus that he yearned to be free. He wanted to be free to see the world in a whole new way. He wanted to be free from his own confinement of the rules and laws that controlled his life. Jesus riddles gave him permission to be a dreamer. There is nothing wrong with dreams, unless you are a night watchman, and you are having dreams in the night. That might be grounds for being fired. Okay, I have one last one that I could not resist since today is the 28th of February. Some months have 31 days, some have 30 days. How many months have 28 days? Being that I did not ask how many months have exactly 28 days, one is not right. All months have 28 days in them. 28 days to feel the love of Christ and to spread that love to all of the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Jesus came into the world to give us love, a love unlimited, a love conditional, a love redeemed. How to do intend to respond to this love. Oh before I forget, let me tell you the answer to the riddle at the beginning of the sermon. If two brothers are born an hour apart, they are not twins, because they are triplets. God’s love also gives us the opportunity to see life in ways that we would have never thought of before. That is what it means to be born again. Amen. Making the Mystery Work for You - John 3:1-17 It’s Trinity Sunday: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Enough said? Don’t leave me. I promise you, I won’t deliver a lecture expounding on what belongs only in the classroom for theologues. I do want to tell you a brief story. A man in a certain parish was only seen in church one Sunday a year. No, it was not Easter. It was Trinity. One leading lay person had restrained his curiosity year after year. He could not contain it any more. He approached the man and said, “I have noticed that you have selected this particular time for your only visit to church.” “Oh, that’s easy to explain,” the man said. “I like to come on this day so I can hear the preacher get all tangled up trying to explain the Trinity!” St. Augustine came to a similar conclusion in the Fourth Century, after writing 800 pages on the Trinity. He declared that he did not understand it. This is St. Augustine’s story. As he walked along the seashore one day, he saw a small boy playing with a seashell. The boy scooped a hole in the sand, filled his shell with water and poured it into the hole. The great theologian asked the boy, “What are you doing, my son?” The youngster replied, “I am going to pour the sea into that hole.” Then Augustine said to himself, “That is what I have been trying to do. Standing at the ocean of infinity, I have attempted to grasp it with my finite mind.” Mystery! Mystery is at the heart of the universe. Why am I here? Why are you here. Why have I spent over thirty years in the Christian ministry? Why am I a husband, parent, grandfather of eight? Why are you who you are? Why have you spent your life, or why are you planning to spend, your life pursuing a certain career? There are times when it seems so natural to ask, why? in an effort to explore the deeper resources of our inner selves. When I watch the Memorial Day parades, celebrating those who gave their lives for our freedom, I can’t help asking, why? Why can’t we find a solution for war? On those occasions when I feel down or feel distressed by the turmoils of the world, I ask, Why? Why? Why? The late Cardinal Cushing tells of an occasion when he was administering last rites to a man who had collapsed in a general store. Following his usual custom, he knelt by the man and asked, “Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?” The Cardinal said the man roused a little bit, opened an eye, looked at him and said, “Here I am, dying, and you ask me a riddle.” Call them riddles. Call them mysteries. There are things about life and faith we do not understand…. Why Isn't the Holy Spirit Included? A woman wrote to Reader's Digest. She wanted to tell about an experience that she had when she took a young girl from India to church with her. It was the eleven-year-old girl's first exposure to a Christian worship service. The young lady's parents were traveling on business and left her in the care of their American friends. The little Hindu girl decided on her own to go with the family to church one Sunday. After the service was over, they went out to lunch. The little girl had some questions. She wondered, "I don't understand why the West Coast isn't included, too?" Her Christian friends were puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?" She responded, "You know. I kept hearing the people say, ‘In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the whole East Coast.'" Traditional Illustration, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc Life Is Unpredictable Life is unpredictable. Full of surprises. Often enjoyable. Usually endurable. Most all of them accidental. But here and there, providential. That's because God, too, is full of surprises. Ellsworth Kalas (one of the geniuses behind the Disciple Bible Study movement), writes: "I have lived in the world of religion since before I was born, and in this long period of observation (seventy years and counting), I have learned two things for sure. First, you can't box God in. And second, we are always trying to do so." William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Making the Mystery Work for You - John 3:1-17 It’s Trinity Sunday: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Enough said? Don’t leave me. I promise you, I won’t deliver a lecture expounding on what belongs only in the classroom for theologues. I do want to tell you a brief story. A man in a certain parish was only seen in church one Sunday a year. No, it was not Easter. It was Trinity. One leading lay person had restrained his curiosity year after year. He could not contain it any more. He approached the man and said, “I have noticed that you have selected this particular time for your only visit to church.” “Oh, that’s easy to explain,” the man said. “I like to come on this day so I can hear the preacher get all tangled up trying to explain the Trinity!” St. Augustine came to a similar conclusion in the Fourth Century, after writing 800 pages on the Trinity. He declared that he did not understand it. This is St. Augustine’s story. As he walked along the seashore one day, he saw a small boy playing with a seashell. The boy scooped a hole in the sand, filled his shell with water and poured it into the hole. The great theologian asked the boy, “What are you doing, my son?” The youngster replied, “I am going to pour the sea into that hole.” Then Augustine said to himself, “That is what I have been trying to do. Standing at the ocean of infinity, I have attempted to grasp it with my finite mind.” Mystery! Mystery is at the heart of the universe. Why am I here? Why are you here. Why have I spent over thirty years in the Christian ministry? Why am I a husband, parent, grandfather of eight? Why are you who you are? Why have you spent your life, or why are you planning to spend, your life pursuing a certain career? There are times when it seems so natural to ask, why? in an effort to explore the deeper resources of our inner selves. When I watch the Memorial Day parades, celebrating those who gave their lives for our freedom, I can’t help asking, why? Why can’t we find a solution for war? On those occasions when I feel down or feel distressed by the turmoils of the world, I ask, Why? Why? Why? The late Cardinal Cushing tells of an occasion when he was administering last rites to a man who had collapsed in a general store. Following his usual custom, he knelt by the man and asked, “Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?” The Cardinal said the man roused a little bit, opened an eye, looked at him and said, “Here I am, dying, and you ask me a riddle.” Call them riddles. Call them mysteries. There are things about life and faith we do not understand….