New Day, New Heart, New Way

April 3, 2022 Isaiah 43:16-21 5th Sunday of Lent Year C New Day, New Heart, New Way Opening Song Welcome Sign Attendance Pads Call to Worship #2 L: Spring is about to break forth! P: In all the land, new life is happening! L: Feel the wonder and power of God’s creative energy P: Feel the awe and joy of God’s love for us. L: Let us worship God with a full sense of joy and expectation. P: Let us open our hearts, our spirits, our souls, to God’s lavish love. AMEN. (Nancy Townley) Responsive Reading Psalm 126 UMH 847 Song When I Survey the Wondrous Cross UMH 298 Prayer for Transformation and Restoration Righteous God, you made us in your divine image and yet we often turn to the gazes of others to see ourselves. We yield to the temptation of comparison and measure ourselves according to standards not made for us. You declared us good, and we question your judgment. We turn from your truth and receive the lies of the enemy of our souls that devalue and condemn even though your grace is sufficient for us. Mend the brokenness within us. Fortify us with your love, hope, and vision. Shield us from stagnation and despair. Amen. ( Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Assurance of Grace The God of grace sees us fully, knows us fully, and loves us fully. May our eyes be ever open to see ourselves as God sees us and restore our souls. (Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Passing of the Peace As we resolve to follow the path that Jesus walked, let us offer one another the sustaining power of Christ’s peace. The peace of Christ be with you, always. And also with you. (Kate Cudlipp) Scripture Isaiah 43:16-21 Common English Bible 16 The LORD says—who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, 17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and battalion; they will lie down together and will not rise; they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick. 18 Don’t remember the prior things; don’t ponder ancient history. 19 Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths[a] in the wilderness. 20 The beasts of the field, the jackals and ostriches, will honor me, because I have put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness to give water to my people, my chosen ones, 21 this people whom I formed for myself, who will recount my praise. Sermon New Day, New Heart, New Way As we watch the Ukrainian crisis unfold everyday, I watch the post of a United Methodist women living in a bomb shelter in the capitol of Kyiv. Every day, actually twice daily she sends a post about the events in her family, her neighborhood and her church. Every Sunday she sends a post about the church service. Today she says…… As we keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers, let us also be aware of the fact that depending on who you ask are 27 active conflicts going on in the world. But war is not the only thing to force people to flee their homeland. There are other countries who are experiencing famine, drought, unsafe conditions. There are major crisis occurring in every part of the world. One of the things that go hand and hand with crisis is people who are fleeing that crisis. Within the last month of the Ukranian crisis, there have been 2.5 million to 3 million people who have fled to neighboring countries. According to the International Organization on Migration – there are over 6 million people displaced in Ukraine but are still living in the country. According to the United Nations Refugee agency there are about 84 million people in the world who have fled their countries. About half of that number is under the age of 18. Many of those people who flee the conditions in their homeland never return. They become a part of the diaspora – which is so many people in the world that no one keeps records. A diaspora are a group of people living together in one place, yet the homeland that they identify with is somewhere else. Crisis, refugees, diaspora – I start out with these words – because these are the words that are a part of our scripture for today. We know that words very well – because these words are all a part of the story of the Hebrew people. They are the theme of the Hebrew bible, you can’t tell their story without these words. But you most definitely can’t read the book of Isaiah without understanding these words. The book actually covers several crisis, their ensuing exile, and the return of some of the people to rebuild their homeland – most of the people chose to stay in diaspora – away from home. Our scripture this morning comes from the beginning of second Isaiah. We don’t know who this prophet is, and we don’t even know what crisis of many that he is even talking about. Yet we do know that his message is to the refugees. Basically he is telling them that as they are in crisis not to despair. God has been with them in the past. It is important to recount the past, remember the past, but don’t hold onto the past. God was present in the past, but God is also present in the present. God is with us on the journey – wherever we are today, wherever we are on the future. Isaiah actually tells the refugees not to hold onto to things past. Because the God of the future is greater than anything that we have ever seen. Nothing that we have seen in the past, will prepare us for the future God. As a matter of fact, God’s name – Yahweh, does not mean I was at one time. It really does not mean I am in the present. Yahweh means I will be who I will be. God is on the past, God is in the present – but the glory of God is always in the future. Every year I try to attend the Do it Yourself Messiah in Chicago. Ironically, our conductor/director is Jewish. They fly him in from Israel every year. After rehearsal he reminded us – that once the train leaves the station it is headed in one direction, and one direction only- that is forward. It doesnt backtrack to past stations – it just keeps going to its destination. That is how God is. And it is also how life goes. Which is why many people live in the diaspora and never go back home. I'm telling you it's just not possible that he is the Messiah. If anything he's an imposter. No one should be saying and doing the kinds of things he says and does. It's blasphemy. The man should be killed." Those were Eliezer's heartfelt convictions. Eliezer and his friend, Amos, were teachers of the law in the days that Jesus walked this earth. They were terribly puzzled by the appearance of this Jesus. Eliezer would have none of Jesus' ministry or of his teaching. He was convinced that whatever else Jesus was, the verdict was in and he most certainly was not the promised Messiah. Amos, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. He didn't know just what to think of this carpenter's son from Nazareth. "Oh, come on, Amos," Eliezer said to him one day. "You were there when we caught him going through the grainfields on the sabbath to feed himself and his disciples. Do you actually believe that the Messiah would break our religious laws? Be serious. He's an imposter I tell you." "And that's not all." Eliezer was warming to his topic now. His voice raised. "He also healed that man with the withered hand on the sabbath day," he bellowed at Amos. "That's work on the sabbath day. That's also against our laws. I don't know what we're going to do with this man but we've got to put a stop to him pretty quickly or he is going to mislead our people. The man has got to be stopped. He violates traditions that have been passed on to us for generations. He is not true to our past. Such a one simply cannot be the Messiah." Amos didn't respond to Eliezer's charge. He honestly didn't know just what to say. It was surely true that Jesus was shattering old religious traditions. But what did that mean? 53 Eliezer never let up in seeking to persuade his friend Amos of the danger of this man who brought so much novelty to their land. "Did you hear what he did at Joab's house?" he demanded of Amos one day. "A prostitute got into the house somehow and washed his feet with her tears and anointed them with ointment. As Joab said, 'If Jesus was really the Messiah he would have known what kind of woman this was and cast her out of the house.' Whoever heard of a Messiah who lets himself be cleansed by sinners? The very idea violates everything we hold dear." Amos kept quiet. He knew Eliezer's words were true. Jesus certainly was upsetting their religious fruitbasket. Still, Amos couldn't simply condemn Jesus. Eliezer kept the pressure on. "Look at who he associates with," Eliezer screamed at him one day. "He receives sinners and eats with them. Table fellowship is sacred, Amos. You only eat with those with whom you have the deepest ties of friendship. I say, 'If he eats with sinners, he is a sinner.' I challenge you to find one word in scripture that suggests that our long-awaited Messiah is to be in fellowship with sinners. The truth is that the Messiah comes for the faithful, comes for the law abiding, comes for those who have held fast the traditions of the past." And Amos finally spoke. He said one word, "Isaiah." "What do you mean, Isaiah?" Eliezer shot back. "Maybe it's as Isaiah wrote," Amos said. " 'Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing ...' " " CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Lectionary Tales For The, by Richard A. Jensen I wonder what new thing God has in store for us this year? Not so much on a global level, but on a personal level. In our lives that we can see. As we move forward , will we still look for God along the way? Where will we seek God? In what lies ahead? Is the future beyond our expectations? This lent as we pray for the conditions of the world – let us pray for ourselves and our spirit. Let us pray…… Prayer Holy God, in this season of Lent, ready us for Easter, for the hope of restoration and new life in Christ. Called to pray for the needs of the church, the whole human family and all the world, hear us as we lift these prayers to you. That those in our community know health and safety and meaningful work, that neighbors support neighbors no matter the fences we build. That the oppressed and marginalized be empowered and encouraged, that the powerful and privileged understand their own need for liberation, Merciful God, as a potter fashions a vessel from humble clay, you form us into a new creation. Shape us, day by day, through this spiritual season of Lent and Christ’s companionship, until all our acts are loving and just. Hear us now as we pray. Amen (Terri McDowell Ott) Lord’s Prayer Hymn of Dedication America the Beautiful UMH 696 Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (adapted from https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/called_to_be_the_church_five_sundays_of_lent.pdf, pp. 52-53) The Way of Lent is a path that we travel each year, as a time for us to remember Jesus’ journey. On that journey he met many people. On that journey, he meets us: in our times of prayer, in our times of blessing, in our times of worship, in our times of sharing. So, come, siblings in Christ! Come, share all that we have, all that we are, for the love of our neighbours, for the healing of creation, for the hope of the world. (From the Center for Faith and Giving) Prayer of Thanksgiving (From the United Church of Christ Canada) What we have, we freely share, loving God. Blessed by your love, may we be a blessing in your world. May what we offer always be used in service of your grace, your peace, and your love. Amen! Communion Invitation to Communion (inspired by John 12:1-8) In all 4 Gospels we read of times Jesus gathered with friends to share a meal. Today we’ve heard how Jesus came to Bethany to enjoy dinner at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It was Mary who extravagantly welcomed Jesus by anointing his feet with costly perfume, a gift received with gratitude by Jesus, even as he rebuked Judas Iscariot. At this table, it’s Jesus who offers a costly gift to each of us. We’re each invited to this meal – Marys, Marthas, all who have been raised up, all who have been rebuked. All are invited to share in this meal of remembrance and anticipation, with Jesus offering bread and cup, emblems of his very body and blood. Come! You are welcome here. (if you have someone who can play and sing, consider “All Are Welcome” from Chalice Praise, #159 (words & music: Hans Peterson and Larry Olson) (chorus) All are welcome, friend and stranger, at the banquet of the Savior. All are welcome. All are welcome here. (verses) From the woman who comes crying, leaving tears at Jesus’ feet, to the man who knows the right way but cannot see. From the ones who feel forgotten, those who sense their place is gone, to the ones who live in hunger, here you belong. Go into the streets and cities, to the farms and families, tell about the splendid table, God’s mercy. Communion – UMH page 13 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook We leave this gathering, knowing that Christ Jesus has made us his own. Take the fruits of our worship into the world, bringing joy to those who weep, welcome to the outcast, and comfort to those who grieve. God is doing a new thing. Thanks be to God. ( Kate Cudlipp) Community Time Benediction As you go into the world, may the aroma of your faith fill the air around you. May your hope perfume your encounters. May your touch mend broken walls. And may the God of hope and peace, guide you, envelope you, and sustain you on the journey and in the work. (Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Children’s Sermon Dollar Store sermon on something new Additional Illustrations I know a minister who went through a difficult time last year. His w.ife had an extended stay at a hospital that was thirty miles away from their home. It was difficult for him to take care of his three young children, drive to the hospital to be with his wife each day, and also carry out his responsibilities as a pastor. He sat alone in a rocking chair late one night. He was beginning to feel as if his difficulties were becoming insurmountable. About that time his little girl awakened. She was only two years old at the time. She wandered out to where he was sitting. She wanted to be rocked. He held her and they rocked together. In no time at all she was fast asleep. He continued to hold her that night for some time and, as he did so, healing took place. Why? Because he was reminded that he was not alone. He became acutely aware that in spite of the difficulties he faced, he was still surrounded by love and warmth. In so many ways, that can be the experience of the Church, if we will trust in God and God's providential care of us. Whatever pain we carry, whatever disappointment we have experienced, God can do a new thing in our lives. God alone can provide the healing and the renewal that will sustain our spirits. The well-known Snoopy, from Peanuts, was perched atop his dog house in the dark of the night. His thoughts and fears almost did him in: "Everything seems so hopeless at night. What am I doing here? What’s the purpose of it all? ... What if I get sick? I don’t want to get sick ... What if I get hit by a car someday and end up in a body cast? Or maybe they’d just shoot me like an old farm horse!" By daybreak Snoopy falls asleep. In the later morning sunlight, Lucy and Linus walk by and Lucy comments on the apparently sleeping dog: "It must be nice to be a dog. They don’t ever have any worries." And Snoopy the hound thinks happily, "Not as long as the sun is up." Reminded that God once shone a brilliant light into the night sky and then turned a Friday’s darkness into Easter’s sunlight, we can have the feeling of confidence that God will turn the darkness of our exile to sunlight once again. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., His Hands, by Jon L. Joyce Somewhere I read about the origin of the word "firemen." Today's firemen, or firefighters as we now call them, put out fires. Originally, though, firemen were men who started fires. The original firemen worked in coal mines, and it was their hazardous job to be the first to enter a mine each morning. They would wrap themselves in wet rags to make themselves as `fireproof' as possible and then, grabbing a long, flaming stick, they would go in and ignite any explosive methane gas that had seeped into the mine overnight. Burning off the dangerous gas thus made the workplace safe for others. (3) Perhaps if the writer of Hebrews had known about this tradition, he would have called Jesus `our fireman. n a Peanuts cartoon strip Lucy is livid at her mother. "You promised me a birthday party," she wails, "and now you say I can't have one. It's not fair!" Linus tries to intervene. "You're not using the right strategy," he counsels. "Why not go up to Mom and say to her, `I'm sorry, Dear Mother...I admit I've been bad, and you were right to cancel my party, but from now on I shall try to be good!'" Lucy has a grimace on her face as she thinks this through. Finally, in the last panel, she cries out, "I'd rather die!" Unfortunately, that is the response of many of us. God has done a new thing. He has done a new thing for the world. He has done a new thing for each of us. What is our response? Shall we continue in our same self-destructive ways? Shall we continue to hurt those who love us mo

A look into your future

February 1, 2015 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Year B Fourth Sunday of Epiphany We seem to have an obsession to be able to predict the future we need to know the outcome of everything. I noticed that there have been more predictions about who is going to win the superbowl than I have ever seen. I have seen all kinds of stories about how dogs, tigers, and crocodiles have been given a choice between the patriots and the seahawks. And that the animal made some choice. What Amazes me about these stories, is not so much that they were able to make a choice, but people start to brag about the record of these arbitrary events. This particular tiger has predicted the winner of the superbowl for the last 4 years…really? A tiger being able to predict the future? Tomorrow is ground hog day, where we watch to see if the ground hog will see his shadow. This arbitrary ground hog has the power to tell us what the next six weeks will be like? Really? Desperate and lonely for female company, a frog telephoned a psychic telephone service to find out what his future held. The person on the other end of the line said, "You will meet a beautiful young woman who will find you very interesting and want to know all about you." Excited and amazed, the frog asked excitedly, "That's wonderful! Where will I meet her? At work? At a party?" "No," said the psychic. "In a biology class." We are not frogs, we are children of God. So why would we leave something so sacred as our future up to tigers, and ground hogs, and arbitrary guesses of other people. Personally, I can appreciate John Wesley’s belief on the future. What we will become, or what happens to us has not been determined yet. We learned last week, that God knows our future, God knows what will become of us. But even God can change God’s mind. Prayer, faithfulness, and repentance can change things. Who I will be, and what will become with me, is not stored up for me in a book. My ultimate future is contained in my relationship with God. The bible says that eternity starts today. It starts with my ability to have a relationship with God. Our obsession with trying to predict the future stands in the way of us understanding what a prophet is and what a prophet does. When we think of prophecy, we think of it as a word about our future. It is about what is going to happen to us in the future. Deuteronomy 18 says that one way to test whether a prophet is true, is to see if what they have to say comes true or not. But Deuteronomy is not talking about the future, it is talking about today. In Hebrew belief, all there is is the here and now. Life is not so much about what it going to happen tomorrow, it is about today. All that we have any control of is what we are doing today. That is why it is called the present. We cant do anything about what happen yesterday, we cant do anything about what will happen tomorrow. All that we have is the present. A prophet is not someone who can predict the future, a prophet is someone who speaks for God about the conditions of today. In Deutoronomy, God says that he will send someone who can speak God’s word in the present situation. A prophet is someone who is able to listen to God. To have a relationship with God. And who is able to speak God’s word to the people. Deutoronomy says that the mark of a prophet is someone who God chooses, they don’t choose themselves. Someone who is a mediater between God and thepeople, and who speaks god’s words and not what comes to his own mind. Moses was the ultimate model of what a prophet should be and what a prophet should do. If we look at Numbers 12- Moses says that God speaks clearly to him face to face, and not in riddles. Moses was one of the few people who had a relationship with God, as if he was talking to a person. Moses has a relationship with god that was so intimate, that he was able to talk to God in a conversation, and to get answers, not just for his life, but for the lives of all of his people. As a matter of fact, in the story of numbers, Moses brother and sister criticize him for being so close to God. God gets mad at Miriam, and punishes her. Moses prays to God to be merciful to Miriam and she recovers. But it is her own encounter with God that changes her. She repents of her ways, and is allowed to be restored, so that she can begin a new relationship with God, with a new understanding, and a new respect. How many of us have had those encounters with God, that have challenged you, and caused you to have a new respect for the power of God in your life. I have those encounters each and everyday. The meaning of prophecy changes with each revelation of God. Moses is known as the founder of the jewish religion. Moses was known as the redeemer of his people. He was known as the one who had such a close relationship with God that he was able to bring the law of God to the people. But since then, we have a clearer example of one who has a relationship with God. We have someone who God chose, who god mediates with us, and who says and lives the words that God gave him. That person is Jesus Christ. And today, we cannot have a relationship with God without having a relationship with Christ, and a relationship with God’s word. Just as Moses sat on the mountain and had a lively conversation with God. We have to sit with our bible everyday and have a lively conversation with God’s word. How do we know what will become of our future, how well do we know that bible? How well do we do the will of Christ? How well do we live in the situations of today- according to the life of Christ? When we went to Malaysia in 2002, my son and I bought an electric shaver each. One of the good things about the shaver is that it has a rechargeable battery, meaning you can use it unplugged. But when you do, it gives off a low buzz. But if I plug it in it immediately steps up the revs and emits a high buzz. Unplugged it does a passable job. But plugged in it does a very good job - it works the way it was meant to. If you don't know Jesus, you can get along in everyday life without ever acknowledging Him. You can be an atheist, and get along fairly well. Before I knew Jesus Christ, I thought I was fine - but that's because I didn't know any better. I was like the unplugged shaver. I could never really do what I had been designed to do, fulfil my full potential, the plan of God for my life. There are lots of people who are getting by, but they don't realise they're not plugged into the power source. To plug into the power source, you have to be connected to God Himself through Jesus Christ. To be connected to Jesus, you have to be connected to the word of God, for today. Your today determines your tomorrow. Amen. Children’s Sermon: The Glue of God's Love by Thomas A. Pilgrim Passage: Mark 1:21-28 • Lectionary: Epiphany 4 Item 7 of 15 | Back to Results Object: A bottle of glue Lesson: Good morning boys and girls. I am glad you are here. Today in the Scripture lesson we will be reading about Jesus going to a town called Capernaum. Today I want you to look at this bottle of glue. They call this "School Glue." This is the same kind you use in school. As you already know this is really good glue because you can stick anything together with this glue. You can glue paper, plastic, wood, cloth, and just about anything else you can think of and it will stay together. Another good thing about it is that you cannot glue yourself to the floor. I was using some really strong glue one time and I actually glued myself to the floor. But you will not do that with this glue. Also, this glue will wash off your hands and clothes. So it will not make a mess you cannot clean up. Your mother does not have to worry when you use this glue. Now, let me ask you this question. Have you ever heard the expression, "I'm stuck on you?" Do you know what that means? It means, "I love you." It is something one of you boys might someday say to one of these girls. There is a glue in life that joins us together in the church. It helps us stick with our friends and our family members. Who knows what that is? It is God's love. God's love is like glue. It will hold you together when nothing else will. Jesus said to his disciples one time, "Children, love one another." He loved each one of them. And he wanted them to love each other. Everywhere Jesus went he called people to come follow him. And in doing that he was teaching them to have the same love and concern for other people that he had. Still today he wants us to be people who love him, love God, love each other and love other people, who more than anything, just need someone to love them. I am glad you came here today. May we pray: O God, help us to love each other and to love you. Help us to share your love with others. Amen. Extra Illustrations…….. There's a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father. On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, p. 13. Asking for Help The early church asked for the Spirit. They acknowledged His power and His way. Sensitive souls have always turned to the Spirit for help. The Spirit does not add qualities of life we do not possess. Those qualities are not something poured into us from the outside. They are inside humans and respond to the Spirit, developing every potential to its fullest. John Milton asked the Spirit to aid him as he began his epic poem, Paradise Lost. But it would have been of little help had he not possessed the genius of a poet. John Wesley declared that the success of his work was due to the Spirit, but we must remember that Wesley was a born leader. The Spirit used him. There was something in Wesley that responded to the Spirit. A legend is told of how Moses once heard a shepherd praying, “O God, show me where you are that I may become your servant. I will clean your shoes, and comb your hair, and sew your clothes, and bring you food.” Moses rebuked him with the words: “God is Spirit and needs not such ministrations.” Thereupon the shepherd rent his clothes in dismay and fled to the desert. Then Moses was rebuked by God, saying: “You have driven away my servant … I regard not the words that are spoken but the heart that offers them.” —Eugene A. Hessel Dealing With Difficult People Earl Nightingale told how on one National Secretaries Day he gave his secretary some flowers. She remarked how beautiful they were, but wondered why they didn't have any scent. He informed her that the flowers came from a hothouse and explained that because these flowers were raised in an isolated environment, they didn't attract insects (bugs) to pollinate them. As a result, they lost their scent. In the same way, fruit raised in a hothouse, because it doesn't need to attract insects to scatter its seeds, doesn't taste as good as fruit grown in its natural environment. (Weekend Encounter, Oct. 28, 2010). When we withdraw and isolate ourselves from people who "bug" us, it might make us feel safe from harm, but it affects us in other ways. We lose a part of what God created us to be, like a rose loses its fragrance and fruit loses its taste. God uses those people who bug us to bring out the best in us. Rather than running away from those people, let Jesus live His life through you, and the fragrance will come out. (Kent Crockett, www.kentcrockett.com)

Footprints in the Sands of Time

Joshua 1:3-7 October 14, 2012 70th Anniversary Celebration Footprints in the sands of Time Story of 3 sisters who didn’t know if they were coming of going 3 sisters lived together. One was 96, one 95, and one 94. The oldest sister ran some bath water, began to step in the tub but she got confused, she couldn’t remember if she was getting in the tub, or out of the tub. Her middle sister decided to come up the steps to help her. But she had to stop halfway up the stairway. She couldn’t remember if she was going up the steps table eating breakfast. All she could do was shaker her head and knock on wood. Thank God her memory was not as bad as her sisters. I will be there to help you two figure out what is going on, just as soon as I see who it is that is knocking at the door. The importance of church anniversary Are we coming, or are we going? Is it time for us to remember the past or to walk toward the future? Are we old School or new school? Today we acknowledge the 70th anniversary of Rust Church. It is important in the black church to celebrate church anniversaries. It is a celebration in the church, that no one can quite remember how it got started. And yet it matters – the church has always been an important part of our culture. The church has given birth to opportunities for people, for our call to justice in the world, to education, to dignity. The church has given us a lot of gifts. Rust Church has given a lot of gifts to the community and the kingdom of God. In its history it has produced and prepared many lay and clergy for ministry, it has given to gift of song and fellowship through its choir, it has reached out and mentored and trained many young people for service. Today is a time to acknowledge what God has done through this church. It is a time for us to remember the gifts of those before us, it is a time to accept the challenges ahead. But it is also a time to mark the present – to marvel at the grace of God. Not everything is going as expected, may not be as far as we would like, but praise God we are here for yet another year- to serve in His presence. Amen. Church anniversary is time to hear a message of hope, to hear good singing, to see old friends, and to be in fellowship over good food. I don’t want to keep us from the food – this is a time of celebration – celebration of what God has done. The context of Joshua chapter 1 The message for this morning comes from the book of Joshua – chapter 1. Three times in this chapter God says to Joshua - be strong and courageous. And that is the message for us this morning – be strong and very courageous – for God is with us! In the beginning chapters of Joshua- the people are in a sad and confusing time because they discover that Moses has died. He was the one they looked up to for leadership for years, and now he is gone. No one could possibly take over his authority. Moses spoke of the promises of God, they followed him experiencing miracles, and walking toward the promiseland. With him gone, who would lead them now. Shavet – in intimate minister The bible uses an interesting word when talking about Joshua – they call him a shavet – a minister. One who not only serves, but serves in an intimate way. Joshua serves Moses as a minister – carrying our his every command. But now Joshua is a shavet to God. God has a plan for his people – and he needs Joshua to carry out that plan. But the only way Joshua can do that is be a minister of God. To serve God with all of his being. A minister is not necessarily a pastor. A minister is a lay person, with a heart for God and for God’s word. In this chapter, Moses was important, but Moses was a part of the past. The promise he gave was about yesterday. Joshua was a man of action – a man of the present. Moses yesterday, Joshua today In the time of Moses, the children of God were a people. They were preparing themselves to come into the promisland. It was under Joshua – that they finally laid eyes on the land – when the land came in sight – they united into a nation. When the future becomes real for us – we will step into destiny. We don’t have to stand on the promises, because we live in the reality. As long as we have God on our side, all things are possible. AS LONG AS GOD IS AWAKE A mother and her little four-year-old daughter were preparing to retire for the night. The child was afraid of the night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, alone with the child, felt fearful also. When the light was out, the child caught a glimpse of the moon outside the window, "Mother," she asked, "is the moon God’s light?" "Yes," said the mother, "God’s lights are always shining." The next question was, "Will God blow out His light and go to sleep?" "No, my child, God never goes to sleep." Then, out of the simplicity of a child’s faith, the little one said that which gave reassurance to the fearful mother, "Well, as long as God is awake, I am not afraid." (Source: Sunday School Times. From a sermon by Bill Butsko, "Bread from Heaven" 7/28/2009) It is time… Take the Life that you have ~ and give it your best... Think positive be happy ~ let God do the rest... Take the challenges that life ~ has laid at your feet... Take pride and be thankful ~ for each one you meet... To yourself give forgiveness ~ if you stumble and fall... Take each day that is dealt you and give it your all... Take the love that you’re given and return it with care... Have faith that when needed it will always be there... Take time to find the beauty in the things that you see...Take life’s simple pleasures let them set your heart free... The idea here is simply to even the score As you are met and faced with Life. The man and the lion tale Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. Asked why he hadn't cut off the lion's head, the man replied: "Someone had already done that." God has cutoff the head of our deepest fears, and asks us to claim the victory. Take the tail with pride it is yours. Take on what God has challenged you to do. Live life in fear Lately live a life of fear, not sure if I am up to the challenge of today. Spend all night working over one sermon. Realized I didn’t have any old sermons – spent all night working on two different sermons in two different directions. Every day is like that. Everyday – have to rely on God for strength. The good news is that he has not let me down yet. Joshua took on daunting task of leading after Moses. Took on daunting task of leading people don’t want to go, and have no idea of where they are going. Joshua like Martin Luther King – I have seen the promiseland – time for us to go. Each of us asked to take on the Joshua spirit in our lives. Become the Joshua generation. Be willing to be a minister, not of the church but of God. Not enough to know the word, not enough to feel the presence of God in our lives – act on what God has called us to do. Generation to make promise a reality. Everything you step on will be claimed for God. Everyplace you step will be claimed for God Rest on your feet all over the church and repeat after me, “Every place the sole of your foot shall tread God has already given it to you!” Now lift your left foot and put it down. ‘A’: “Ask and it shall be given. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door will be opened!” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Now lift your right foot and put it down. ‘B’: “Be thou faithful unto death and I shall give thee a crown of life!” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Lift your left foot and put it down. ‘C:, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Lift your right foot and put it down. ‘D’: “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Lift your left foot and put it down. ‘E’: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,…” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Lift your right foot and put it down. ‘F’: “Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity for they shall soon be cut down!” (Every place the sole of your foot treads!) Lift your left foot and put it down, ‘G’: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!” I tell you, EVERY place the sole of your foot shall trod God has already blessed for YOU! God tells each of us to be strong and courageous. One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child's arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray's free hand felt something--possibly a rock-- protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can't swim. God wants you to be strong and courageous, because God is about to do a new thing in you, in us, In Rust Church. God says be strong and courageous because I will be with you wherever you go. God is the source of our strength. God was with us in the past, God is with us now, and God will lead his people, his ministers into a new and challenging future. Let us stand strong and see what God will do. What new gifts God will bring to the world through the people of Rust Memorial Church. Let us pray this prayer together…. This is material not used…… IV. Moves/Points Move/Point One – God blesses our courageous, faithful obedience to God’s commandments. a. Our Church was built on biblical principles; b. We must trust those teachings that have sustained our congregation; and c. Faithfulness to Godly teachings will grant to us success. Move/Point Two – God promises to be with us today as God was when we began our journey. a. God guided and blessed Moses; b. God has guided the Church and blessed her labors; and c. God will guide and bless you! Move/Point Three – No formidable foe will deter God’s people. a. God has not promised that there would not be challenges on our journey; b. God has promised that no challenge will prevail against us while we remain in God’s will; and c. The promises of God are for a lifetime. V. Celebration Listen to God’s voice as God speaks to us even now, “Every place the sole of your foot shall tread, I have given unto you!” God’s promise to Israel is still God’s promise to us today. We are the New Israel, the Ransomed and Redeemed Community of Faith. We are God’s twice-born children. We are the Ekklesia, the called out, sanctified servants, and therefore, blessed of God to be called “the Church.” God’s promise belongs to us as well! It was delivered on the Cross of Calvary. It was written with the blood of our Savior. It was sealed in the power of his resurrection. It is available to us even now! As a child growing up, my mother taught me that the Bible is a book filled with God’s promises, “but you cannot claim even one of them,” she cautioned, “if you do not know them.” VI. Illustration(s) Rerouting, Rerouting Now, you don’t have to go to a gas station to ask what is the quickest way to get from point A to point B. All you need to do is pull out your handy Global Positioning System (GPS). Plug in the address and simply follow the directions. One day as I was driving with a friend, we decided to use my GPS to get where we were going. The GPS said turn right and we turned right. The GPS said enter I-85 and we entered I-85. However, when the GPS said make a right, I was running my mouth so I did not hear the GPS correctly. Instead of making a right, I told my friend to make a left. Because we were listening to my voice and not the voice of the GPS, when we turned left, the GPS said “You are now off track.” But I’m so glad the GPS did not stop there. A second later, it said, “Rerouting, rerouting.” Isn’t that like the GPS? I’m not referring to the Global Positioning System. I’m talking about God’s Positioning System. When we get off track God starts rerouting. “Celebration stands at the very center of our lives. Sociologists as well as Christians say that it is essential to the ongoing of our lives. It not only keeps life from being hum-drum, boring, needlessly repetitive, but it enables us to discover again and again who we are, from whence we came, and what we need to be about in our daily lives. In remembering and doing the essential works of the Faith bound up in the sacraments and in the Sunday morning liturgy, we recapture the faith.” Dow, Norman. “A Number of Ways to Celebrate an Anniversary.” Centennial Celebration Committee, First Presbyterian Church. Cisco, TX. Online location: http://synodresourcecenter.org/evang/committee/anniversary/0001/celebrate.html accessed 2 January 2011