Time to Celebrate?

Zephaniah 3:14-20 December 15, 2024 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Time to Celebrate ? Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: No matter what troubles overwhelm us today, Isaiah reminds us that in all of our preparation and passionate pursuit of God’s coming kin-dom, we must not forget that God’s salvation has come and is coming. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). With joy you will remember that God’s salvation is already present among us. Congregation: Faced with the troubles and the suffering of the world, we choose to live in joyful presence to God and one another. We will not turn away from the pain and the hurt in our world, and we will not stop rejoicing in God, whose salvation fills us to overflowing that God’s love might flow through us and flood our troubled world with hope, peace, and joy. Reader Two: We light this candle of joy as a sign of our commitment to be present to ourselves, our friends, our families, and our neighbors that in sharing our vulnerable lives we might share in the glorious joy of God’s salvation together. Light the third (pink/rose) candle of the Advent wreath. Call to Worship L: Good friends, Rejoice. God is with you. P: Even though we are imperfect and too often have turned our backs on God, still God is with us. L: God's love is forever. You are beloved. P: Even when we behave in ways which are contrary to what God would have us do. L: God forgives and loves you and seeks your well-being. P: Praise be to God for such wondrous love. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Mighty God, in the face of challenges and difficulties, we turn to you. In the midst of great joy and deep appreciation, we turn to you. In this season of anticipation, we eagerly watch and actively wait for the gift of Jesus. Renew in us the ability to focus on you in these days which get so hectic. For some, we’re finishing the semester, for many, we’re wrapping up the calendar year, and for others, we anticipate a time of vacation. In the midst of it all, help us breathe deeply, slow our pace, and hear your still, small voice. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Hail to the Lord’s Anointed UMH 203 A Sermon for all Ages Title: "God's Special Clean-Up Day". (AI generated) Story: • Introduction: Imagine your room is really messy with toys all over the floor, dirty clothes, and maybe even some old food crumbs. It's a big mess! But what happens when your mom says it's "clean-up day"? You pick up the mess and put things away, right? • Zephaniah's Message: Today we're going to learn about a special "clean-up day" that God wants to do in our hearts. A long time ago, there was a prophet named Zephaniah who told people that God was going to come and clean up all the bad things in their lives, like being mean to others, not listening to their parents, or forgetting to say thank you. • "The Day of the Lord": This special clean-up day is called "The Day of the Lord". It's like when you clean your room, you throw away the trash and keep the good things. God wants to throw away all the bad things in our hearts and keep the good things like kindness, love, and sharing. • Repentance: But before God can clean up our hearts, we need to do something important called "repenting." That means saying sorry for the things we've done wrong and asking God to help us be better. • God's Love: Even though God is going to clean up the bad things, he still loves us very much. Just like when you clean your room, your mom still loves you, right? God wants to make our hearts clean so that he can be really happy with us. Activities: • "Clean-Up" Game: Have the kids pretend to clean up a messy room, picking up "bad things" like anger, selfishness, and putting them in a pretend trash can. • "Clean Heart" Drawing: Give the kids paper and crayons to draw a picture of a heart and decorate it with happy things that show a clean heart. • Prayer Time: Ask the kids to pray and ask God to help them clean up the bad things in their hearts and let him fill them with love. Prayer of confession Great God, as we prepare to behold the birth of Jesus again, we are mindful of how we have failed to receive the fullness of that gift. The story points us to your glory, yet we struggle to join in the song of praise and thanksgiving. We are distracted and confused, so fo- cused on things of little significance we overlook the good news of great joy that you have prepared. Tell us again that the Savior is born. Tell us again that we are for- given. Tell us again that our lives can be abundant in faith, hope and love because of what you have given us in Jesus Christ. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Assurance of pardon The angel tells Joseph that the child forming in Mary’s womb is to be named Jesus. “Call him Jesus,” the angel says, “For he will save the peo- ple from their sins.” From his birth through his resurrection, from age to age, Jesus is about salvation. This is good news! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Passing of the Peace Scripture Zephaniah 3:14-20 Prayer for illumination Gracious God, illumine these words by your Spirit that we might hear what you would have us hear and be who you would us be, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Sermon Time to Celebrate? So last night was the Merry Mary Christmas at the Mar Theater in town. It was a packed house – many people from town and even many from church that gathered for an amazing Christmas concert. Diane Oswald’s son was a part of the band, and he has an amazing voice as he song the Grinch song. There were several artist who sang the songs of the season. Some of the songs were classics, some modern, popular songs that we are all familiar with, some new, there was even an original song – but they were all about the joy of Christmas. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, it is just not Christmas until we start the singing. Music has a way of touching the spirit, of setting the mood, of getting us out of our seats. Neitchze – was a philosopher with a very pessimistic view on life – he said Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music life would be a mistake.” He’s right! The joy of Christmas is all in the music. Today is the third Sunday of the advent candle – pink Sunday. The Sunday where we celebrate even though we still live in the darkness of winter. Listening to music reminds us that our savior is coming and things will be okay. In the meantime keep a song in our hearts. One Mom says that when her children first received a video of Walt Disney’s Cinderella, they watched it almost nonstop for three days. Since it was warm outside, the family kept their windows open. Their neighbors were having their roof re-shingled by three burly men. As the Mom went out to get the mail one afternoon, she heard a roofer singing, “. . . put it together and what do you get?” From the other side of the house came a chorus of two more husky voices: “Bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi, bobbidi boo!” Personally, I can attest to the importance of keeping a song in our hearts. Long ago, annual conference was always at Northern Illinois University – and the first this we would do when we gather was have a worship service. The bishop would start out with a message. I didn’t want to be there at annual conference, I was in a terrible mood. All throughout the bishop’s sermon I sat frowning with my hands folded – I wanted him to know that I was unhappy. And he noticed that I was upset. After his sermon – we song one of the great hymns of the church, I don’t even remember what it was. I just know that I got so caught up in singing the song, that I forgot to be angry. In singing that song my whole mood changed, my experience of life changed, and I was able to fully be a part of annual conference and to be happy that I was there. Throughout this advent season, we have been looking at the promises of the lesser prophets. Many of these lessons we don’t get any other time of the year. The prophet of the day is Zephaniah. He was a nephew of King Hezekiah. His prophecy was during the reign of his cousin, Josiah. Josiah was one of the good kings he encouraged everyone to return to the ways of God. Things had declined in the nation so much, things were out of hand and there seemed to be no rules of conduct. People were looking for change, but all they saw was darkness. Zephaniah’s message was similar to what we heard last week from Micah. Be careful what you ask for – God’s presence means judgement for all of us. In order for things to get better there has to be judgement. But the good news is that God’s presence also brings mercy, grace, peace, love. Things will get better, but that is God’s doing not ours. Zephaniah’s advice to us – if you want things to get better then sing, rejoice, Praise God. He tells us to start singing, even in the darkness. Rev. Roy T. Lloyd tells a story that takes place in the midst of the Great Depression when a family of three Mom, Dad, and little six year old Peter had absolutely no money for store bought presents. Nevertheless, they were very inventive in celebrating Christmas. They decided to make pictures of the presents they would like to give one another if money were no object. So they drew pictures or cut out pictures from catalogs and magazines. They put the pictures into boxes, stuck some old bows on them, and put them under a scraggly Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the tree was heaped with riches. The gifts were only pictures, to be sure, but they were symbols of Christmas giving. There was a shiny new car for Dad and a red motor boat, some golf clubs, a new suit, some sweaters, and an all weather coat. Mom found her dream house and a diamond necklace, dresses, coats, and a vacation cruise. Most of the make believe presents were for little Pete. There were pictures of a camping tent, a new bicycle, a pedal car, and all kinds of toys and games. Now, of course, Mom and Dad didn’t expect anything from little Pete. But Pete, with a squeal of delight, crawled under the tree and pulled out a gift he had prepared all by himself. He handed his present to his parents with a smile and they opened it. They found a picture-gift more precious than all the others. It was drawn with first grade crayons. It was a picture of three people standing together with big smiles on their faces. They had their arms around each other. And under the picture, little Pete had printed a single word “us.” The light dawned and tears of joy filled the eyes of the parents because they realized that, in years to come, they may be able to give some of those Christmas presents they had only imagined, but they could never give a present more precious than the one they had received that year the gift of love they had for each other. (4) That is a story that must be told at Christmas. If that doesn’t make you heart sing, nothing will. Our lives are filled with love. God sings over us. And we sing of the wonders of Christmas. It begins with love. So do we sing because we are happy, or are we happy because we sing? Have you noticed that we all don’t sing the same songs? Every generation seems to have it own style of music. Driving home from church one Sunday, a father turned the radio to a country station. “How can you stand that stuff?” complained his 16-year-old son. “It’s all sad stuff about dogs and pickup trucks and bar rooms and broken hearts.” Knowing his son preferred rather loud rock music, the dad asked, “Well, what’s your music about?” “That’s the beauty of it,” the son said. “You just don’t know!” That is how many people feel about contemporary music – the lyrics are much simpler and less inventive. Last night I sat next to Sandy Hobbs, who gave wonderful commentary on the songs that were sung at the Christmas concert. Most of the songs she thought were wonderfully done. There were a few songs that she had never heard of, and one song – she commented that she could have done without – it made no sense to her. With every age and generation, words change, the tempo changes, even our response to the song changes. But when we sing sacred music – the topic that we sing about does not change. – We sing about God with us, we sing about our savior coming, we sing about the joy of God’s love. David Devine told a revealing story in the Washington Post sometime back. It was about a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved tee shirt and a baseball cap who emerged from a subway station in Washington one Friday evening. He positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. From a small case, the young man removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money. Then he swiveled his case to face the people who passed by, and began to play. “In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed 6 great classical pieces, 1097 people passed by. Almost all of them on their way to work in mid-level Government jobs. No one knew that the violinist was one of the world’s leading classical musicians, Joshua Bell. Bell is an acclaimed virtuoso, who fills concert halls. One composer said of him: ‘He plays like a god.’” On this Friday morning Bell played on one of the most valuable violins ever made a Stradivari valued at $3.5 million. The train station provided good acoustics for Bell’s performance. His beautiful music filled the morning air. “A reporter stood observing and recording the event. In the first 3 minutes, 63 people walked past without seeming to notice the virtuoso. Then a man stopped, looked and quickly walked on. Across the 45 minutes Joshua Bell played, 7 people stopped to listen for at least a minute. 27 people gave money. Usually, in concert, Bell gets paid $1000 per minute. This day, in total, he received $32.17. At the end of each piece, there was no applause just silent indifference. The master musician was ignored. People walked past musical glory without giving it a second glance. “Except for two people. A postal worker named John described as a ‘smallish man with a baldish head.’ John had learned the violin as a youth. He recognized the quality of Joshua Bell’s performance and stood enjoying it from the distance. And then there was a demographer named Stacy. Stacy had seen Bell in concert 3 weeks before. She recognized him. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to miss it. Stacy positioned herself 3 meters away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: ‘It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?’” (5) One of the world’s great musicians playing on the street for coins. Only a few recognized him. It sounds somewhat familiar. Only a few recognized Christ in the stable of Bethlehem. Some star-struck shepherds, some magi from the East and a humble carpenter and his bride-to-be. But not many. And yet that event turned the world upside down. It was enough to start the whole world singing. And why shouldn’t it? Why shouldn’t all creation sing? And why shouldn’t we sing? After all, the God of all creation the God of the moon and the stars and the wind and the waves sings over us. Can you hear it? Listen closely. It is the song of everlasting love, hope peace and joy. It is the song of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, we still live in some dark times. And now it is about the get even colder. Let us follow Zephaniah’s advice and sing of Christ presence coming into the world. Gavin Ellis says that growing up he had a piano teacher who belonged to a musical society. This society did something quite interesting. They would make a point of listening for the song of angels on Christmas Eve. They believed that the angels rejoiced and celebrated each Christmas in honor of Christ . . . and so they would listen very closely at night on Christmas Eve. They would listen to the dogs bark. They would listen to the wind through the trees. They would listen to the things going on around them in the world . . . in creation to see if they could hear angel song. What would this angel song sound like? It would sound perfect. They listened for harmony and perfect pitch in the sounds of nature. It’s a strange thing to do; it’s kind of an odd way to spend Christmas Eve. But that’s what this piano teacher and his friends did. “There’s a romantic notion to what they did,” says Gavin Ellis, but he wondered to himself how many of them actually believed that angels were singing and how many of them were a part of the group because they just thought it would be neat if angels really did sing. How many of them believed, Gavin Ellis wondered, and how many of them just hoped? (2) Some people believe; others merely hope. Still, this is the testimony of Zephaniah: God sings over us. There is a carol that comes to mind when I think of God singing. This carol was written in 1962, only forty-seven years ago. It is the little carol, “Do You See What I see?” It begins like this: “Do see what I see, said the night wind to the little lamb?” The story of the song is very simple. It begins with the night wind, and the night wind sees what Christmas is all about. So the night wind tells the little lamb, and then the little lamb sees what Christmas is all about, and goes to the shepherd boy. The little shepherd boy sees the meaning of Christmas, and he goes to the mighty king and he says to the mighty king, “Do you know what I know?” Then the mighty king says to everyone, everywhere, in a deep, gruff voice, “Listen to what I say.” Then the king makes this announcement to his kingdom: “A child, a child, will bring you goodness and light.” (3) Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? If we listen closely maybe we will hear the voice of God singing over us. Now you may wonder why we sing at Christmas time. And you may wonder why in the world would God sing over us? Let us pray….. Song Come Thou Long Expected Jesus UMH 196 Prayers of the People (Just print the title) Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your presence; bring your peace; bring your light. Comfort the sick, soothe the sorrowful, bind up the wounded. Calm our spirits. Ease our burdens. Mend our hearts. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your justice; bring your righteousness; bring your goodness. Reorder our priorities. Direct our efforts. Strengthen our resolve. Break down walls. Dismantle oppression. Overthrow tyrants. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your love; bring your compassion; bring your mercy. Heal our divisions. Seek out the lost. Restore the guilt-ridden. Widen our embrace. Teach us generosity. Show us how to forgive. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your passions; bring your fire; bring your stead- fastness. Inspire our witness. Motivate our mission. Energize your church. Open our minds. Extend our hands. Overcome our lethargy. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your hope; your tenderness; your promise. Build up our common life. Hold us in our frustrations. Brighten our dark- ness. Release us. Renew us. Redeem us. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus, hear our cries; hear our whispers; hear our prayers. Now, with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught, saying, “Our Father …”. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment John the Baptist (as we know him) had not gotten the message about this being “Rejoice” Sunday. In Luke 3, John’s pointed preaching pushed hard against those who believed their connection to Abraham would provide a safe route around the mayhem which was coming. Those who were in the crowd wanted John to answer their question: “What should we do?” John’s instructions are clear! Share from your abundance! Give your second coat to someone without a coat. Feed the hungry. Two thousand years later, we still ask: “What should we do?” And the answer continues to ring out. Share from your abundance! Do you have more than one coat? Do you have more food than you can possibly eat? Friends, when we DO THIS, then it’s time to rejoice! Let us share our financial support, AND let us share from our abundance to encourage those who are without. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all good gifts, thank you for this opportunity to respond to the teaching of John. Thank you for these gifts, filling the offering trays today. May we now be eager to respond to the needs of those around us. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Those on Facebook Advent invites each of us into a new way of living in a world to which the kin-dom of God has come and is yet coming. Go, now, blessed with the gift of togetherness, for it is only in being truly present with God and one another that we live as followers of the coming Messiah. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Let us go trusting in Jesus Christ, the one who is surely coming. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the com- panionship of the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you today and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Additional Illustrations The songs encouraged by the prophet are quite different from the songs of our age. So much of the contemporary literature composed for the symphony orchestras is dissonant, discordant, and harsh sounding. Composers have always been wary of imitating models from other periods lest they be regarded as being uncreative and lacking in originality. In the search for new expressions, the composers reflect the times in which we live. They portray for us the confusion and incongruities of our age by creating music that grates both on our ears and our emotions. It is no small secret that the conductors of great symphony orchestras of our land have considerable difficulty with their boards of directors when they include too many of the contemporary works in their scheduled concerts. The same observations can be made about the popular music of the day. The complaints about the loud harsh music that is electrically amplified are not simply from an older generation that is out of sync with the younger. The questions are raised about music that it is totally unwholesome for the ears and may impair the hearing of young people at an early date. However, the more serious complaints are about music that also reflects a lack of morality and expresses only the more primitive passions of people. Besides complaining about loudness, the repetition, and the lack of artistry, one critic asked, “Why don’t the songs have an ending?” The answer is that bad music has no soul to reflect a genuine and positive hope. A Special Song One certainly cannot characterize all contemporary music, popular or classical, as decadent or lacking in soul. There is much contemporary composition that is commendable. However, it is important to note that the prophet who called for a song from God’s people did not look for them to express their sense of depression and lack of hope. He encouraged a song that would express divine hope in the midst of human confusion and terror. Martin Rinkart was such a hymn writer. Born in the latter part of the sixteenth century in Eilenburg, Germany, he received theological training and held several positions before returning to his home town as archdeacon. He served in that city for some thirty years, most of that time being during the Thirty Years War. Because Eilenburg was a walled city, people from miles around sought refuge there. The overcrowding resulted in famine and pestilence. One pastor left and two died, leaving Rinkart to minister alone. He read burial services for as many as forty and fifty persons in one day. His wife succumbed to the pestilence, and he survived an illness. Rinkart received little support from the town authorities, and eventually was even harassed by them. Totally exhausted he went to his grave, December 8, 1649. What he bequeathed to us was not only his untiring example of unselfishness but his great hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” In the midst of great tragedy and suffering he could offer the song of promise encouraged by the prophet. A New Song In the Advent Season it is customary for the Christian Church to sing the “Magnificat,” the Song of Mary. The Evangelist Luke placed this song on the lips of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, when she visited her relative, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The song celebrates how God turns everything upside down and makes everything right. Johann Sebastian Bach interpreted this great hymn in the beautiful cantata “The Magnificat.” The one who gave real meaning to Mary’s song was our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of mercy which God had spoken to the patriarchs, to Abraham and his posterity. By his humble and impoverished birth Jesus gave hope to the world. The life, death, and resurrection of the One born in the ignoble conditions of Bethlehem assured the world that God is always present working to give us hope and make our hearts glad. The world will be singing Christmas carols lustily again this year. The carols have been ringing out in McDonald’s and Burger King since the first of December. The Christmas music expands and grows yearly to be the largest repertoire devoted to one subject in all the world. People want their songs to bring them joy in the season meant to create joy. Yet many of those songs are ditties with no message of hope or promise. The song of promise the prophet teaches us is one we can sing when there is nothing to be joyful about. The song of promise does not fall flat when a season ends. The song of promise does not fade when the Christmas trees are taken down and the holly and tinsel are removed. This is a song of real promise. The song of which the prophet wrote is the song the Holy Spirit impresses on our hearts to celebrate the goodness of God. The song holds out hope and gladness for us as we realize, in the prophet’s word, that God daily “renews” God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. CSS Publishing Company, The Presence in the Promise, by Harry N. Huxhold A little boy was sitting at the table in the kitchen looking gloomy and sour: he had just been punished. Suddenly, he asked his mother, "God can do anything He wants, can't He?" To which the mother replied, "Of course." Then the boy asked rhetorically "God doesn't have any parents, does He?" Have you ever felt that way? Probably. At some time or another, we have all felt terribly hemmed in and beaten down by our supposedly loving parents. To Zephaniah, it was clear that what a person or a nation believes about God will largely determine their conduct. If God is seen as a kindly old grandfather in the sky who will simply wink at things done wrong, then there is no reason for anyone to make any change. If God is seen as impotent in the face of the all the other gods that can be worshiped, there is no reason to make any change. If God is seen as not being there at all, there is certainly no reason for anyone to make any change. But Zephaniah knew that none of these pictures was accurate, and so he was called to preach what he knew to be the truth. There will come a day. This last question may be the most relevant of all. A lot of people today seem to look upon the God question as a dead issue. They may still give casual assent to the concept as an interesting mental artifact brought over from the past, but see little utility in it for their own living. The stance of such persons is, at best, much like that of the little girl who wanted to know where God was. When told that God was everywhere she wanted to know if he was in the house, in her bedroom, behind the dresser, even under the bed on which she was being put to sleep. After having been assured that God was in all those places, she was later overheard saying an interesting and very candid prayer. "God," she was saying, "I know you are everywhere. I know you are in the house. I know you are in this room. I know you are behind that dresser and under this bed. But, God, if you move you’ll scare me to death." Several studies have shown, for instance, that persons who identify themselves as Christians and church members are more harshly judgmental and punitive in their attitudes toward social offenders than are persons who make no claims to such identity. The parallel to Jesus’ description of the self-righteous Pharisee is so close as to be truly shocking. We should be grateful to Harvard’s Professor Gordon Allport, however, for having done a study that shows that the Christians and church members who have seriously internalized the faith are more inclined to be compassionate and non-punitive in their attitudes than are persons who do not claim to be Christians or church members. A few years ago a group of junior high school students was given a test of musical terms. Here were some of their answers: 1. Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel,” one young man wrote. Then he added, “I know what a sextet is but I had rather not say. 2. A xylophone is an instrument used mainly to illustrate the letter X, answered someone else. 3. Dirges are music written to be played at sad, sad occa¬sions . . . such as funerals, weddings, and the like. [Did they play a dirge at your wedding?] 4. Here’s one I like: What’s a refrain? Refrain means "don’t do it!" A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. 5. A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. 6. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music . . . Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this. 7. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was rather large!” Regardless of our age or our vocation, most of us have a kind of music we can relate to. right! 1. Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies (Pantheon, 1998), pp. 47 50. Cited by W. Gregory Pope, http://www.crescenthillbaptistchurch.org/oldsite/sermon 9 25 05.htm. 2. (http://www.day1.net/index.php5?view=transcripts&tid=90). 3. Cited by Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/christmas_do_you_see.htm. 4. http://pastorgavinellis.blogspot.com/2005/11/luke 28 15 from silence came music.html. 5. John Mark Ministries. http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/20684.htm. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Dynamic Preaching Sermons Fourth Quarter 2009, by King Duncan "Hum," went the phone. She had put me on hold for what seemed like the hundredth time. I had a cold which made me even more irritated. I was at the end of my rope - angry, disgusted, and stressed to what I thought was the limit. I was beginning to forget the reason I had phoned. Suddenly out of the background from the "hold" position of the telephone system of this mammoth mortgage corporation came some music. This was the ultimate insult. They were trying to calm an irate customer with "elevator music." Only it wasn't "elevator music." It was a Christmas carol. I listened as a secular mortgage company telephone system played: "Silent night, Holy night. All is calm; all is bright." I was laughing by the time the supervisor came to the phone. Music centered in God can do that. It can be a reminder of who you are. My sin of impatience became a laughing matter in the light of the coming Messiah. By the way, the supervisor could not answer my questions, but she told me that I could call her back. Music can soothe the savage beast in all of us. God-centered music can keep us close to God when we reach the breaking point. A gospel musician was away from home singing and inspiring people with his music. The phone rang. It was for him. The news was bad. His wife who was pregnant had lost the baby. "The baby is dead," he was told. That's staggering news. He started for home. A few days later his wife died. He had sung the gospel of comfort to many, but he could not find comfort anywhere. Friends and relatives tried in vain to help him with his grief, but it was all to no avail. He went to God in prayer ... and expressed his need in music. From his sorrow, Thomas A. Dorsey wrote the spiritual: Precious Lord, take my handLead me on, let me stand;I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.Through the storm, through the night,Lead me on to the light.Take my hand, precious Lord,Lead me home. Music centered in God can calm the violent darkness in all of us. Such music is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Through the storm, through the light, Lead me on to the light ..." John the Baptist along with Zephaniah and all the prophets were voices crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." John and Zephaniah are vivid reminders of the remnant seeking the glory of God in everything. Our hopes and expectations can rise above the maddening crowd: "Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand." Sing aloud, O Daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem. C.S.S. Publishing Company, PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS, by Ron Lavin Christmas cards, which once were sent to wish others peace on earth, goodwill, and blessings of the season, are now serving more commercial purposes. I love the story about an apartment building in New York City. It was early in December when all the residents awoke to find a greeting card taped to the outside of their apartment doors. The cards read, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff." "Well, isn't that nice," one of the new residents thought to herself. "What a lovely, caring staff we have at our service." Then she promptly forgot all about the card. A week later, she came home from work to find another card taped to her door. This one said, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff. Second notice." The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally "Rejoicing Sunday," as we remember and give thanks for God's great gifts to us. Imagine Zechariah and the people of God celebrating, and God is there in their very midst. All are singing and dancing in the streets, and God is singing louder than anyone else. There is rejoicing because the people have been forgiven. They were imprisoned in sin, but all is forgiven and their sentence is commuted. God is their salvation. God has come into their midst to save them. Zephaniah speaks in past, present, and future tenses. His words are fulfilled in the coming of Christ. He also points us to Christ's coming again. Christ is in our midst now, of that we can be assured. There will be a time still to come, when we will have our final homecoming with God. That will be the greatest celebration of all. Fear. One day in hot July, a farmer sat on the porch of his shack, smoking his corncob pipe. Along came a stranger from the city who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none,” he replied. “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well, how’s your corn?” “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid o’ drought.” “How about your potato garden?” “Ain’t got none. Scairt o’ tater bugs.” The city stranger finally asked, “Well, what did you plant?” The farmer answered, “Nothin’, I just played it safe."1 Some of us are fearful of action because there may be some¬thing out there in life that we are not prepared to meet, so we play it safe and do nothing. Paralysis grips us. Sing! Shout! Rejoice! Exult! Why? because your Lord is King. The picture is that of the enthronement of a mighty king. It is a king who is triumphant, who "has turned away your enemies" (v. 15a). This king is enthroned in the midst of the people. He has a mighty presence among them; therefore, they do not need to fear disaster any more (v. 15b). On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory ... He has the power to remove disaster (v. 18) and to deal with all oppressors (v. 19a). During the spring of their senior year, seminary students begin the parish interview process in preparation for their first call as pastor. At one seminary, seniors are asked by a professor to respond to two specific questions. The first question is: What expectations do lay persons have for their next pastor? Seniors are overwhelmed by their own responses, which include the following: visionary leader, dynamic preacher (interpreted as entertaining and brief), excellent administrator, caring counselor, frequent visitor, fabulous fund-raiser, great with youth and children and elderly, super evangelist (interpreted as recruit new members to help meet the budget), young but experienced, twenty-four-hour crisis availability, and willing to accept less than the recommended minimum compensation package. Seniors are stunned. After class, one told her professor, "They anticipate that I will be a Messiah." Great anticipation, but neither realistic or achievable. The second question for these seminary students is: What do you expect from parishioners in your first congregation? Their answers are theologically articulate and conceptually sound. They focus on the theme of living out one's baptism as a member of the priesthood of believers. Now that's a theological mouthful! Students often expect their future parishioners to assume eagerly and willingly the actions of early Christians as evangelists, stewards, visitors of the sick and troubled, administrators, and teachers. Bible and prayer groups would abound. In their ideal congregation, parishioners would want their pastor to be a theologian-in-residence. They would hear the Word of God with joy and share the sacrament with zeal and excitement. They would be active in both member care and community outreach. They would bring an inclusive, open, and global perspective to ministry. Wow! If parishioners are anticipating the Messiah, seminarians are anticipating doing ministry in the Messianic Kingdom of Glory. his promise is for us today. It is just as real today as it was for Zephaniah 2,600 years ago. The Lord speaks to us, saying, "I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise" (v. 19). So, then, do not let your hands grow weak. Learn from the collective experience of God's people. The Lord your God is in your midst and has promised to deliver you. That's a fact. That's reason to rejoice. Here is Zephaniah's "anticipation proclamation." Here is the good news of Advent. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again." CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Where Is God In All This, by Tony Everett

Whatsoever is True

Whatsoever is True October 15, 2017 Philippians 4:1-9 19th Sunday of Pentecost Year A Children’s Sermon…… Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the nearness of God. Props: None needed. Lesson: Good morning. Today I want you to help me with a game. The game is called "Near and Far." Would you like me to show you how it works? (response) Okay. Here goes. I will call out the name of something that is in this church, and I want you to tell me if it is near or far. Call out three things in the sanctuary that are far away and three things that are near enough to be reached by your hand. Have the children call out "far" or "near" depending on each thing. How did you know what was near to me? (response) Did you notice that I can reach out and touch with my hand everything that was near? [Demonstrate by quickly reaching out and touching the things that were called out as near.] These things are near because they are close to my hand. We have a phrase that means "near." The phrase is, "At hand," because things that are near are at our hands. Application: The Apostle Paul wanted us to remember that about Jesus Christ. He said that we should always be living for Christ because the Lord is at hand. So we don't have to worry when things look bad, because even when things go wrong, who is at hand? (Jesus) Yes. The Lord is at hand. So the next time you look at your hand, remember to say thank you to God for letting Jesus Christ be so near to us. Remember the Bible verse. Say it with me: The Lord is at hand. Let's Pray: Thank you, God, for Jesus Christ. Thank you that the Lord is at hand, that he is always near. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Children's Sermons A to Z, by Brett Blair Philippians 4:1-9Common English Bible (CEB) Stand firm in the Lord 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and miss, who are my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord. Loved ones, 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to an agreement in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I’m also asking you, loyal friend, to help these women who have struggled together with me in the ministry of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the scroll of life. 4 Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! 5 Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. 8 From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9 Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Northwestern won their game yesterday! Yeah! And Wilmington won their game also! So today we get to have another sermon about Northwestern. Today I want to talk about the Northwestern seal – which is a book written in Greek surrounded by rays of light. The greek in the bible, is written in latin right above the book. The book on the seal is the bible, and latin phrase – quaecumque sunt vera- meaning whatsoever things are true. The greek is more complete – in saying whatsoever things are true – think on these things. It is a sentence that comes from our text for today in Philippians 4:1-9. If you come to my house I have a hug picture in the living room with that verse on it, and if you get am email from me, you will see that it is my email signature. Northwestern is not the only university that uses that phrase as a motto – which is appropriate for a university to encourage people to think and carefully consider truth, and to see the value of thinking about things that are excellent, admirable, true, holy, just, pure and worthy of praise. I have actually been to Phillipi in Greece, it is on the ignation way – the main roman road going through Greece. If you keep driving 6 hours north on that highway you will get to Macedonia. Philippi is this little hole in the wall town off of the highway. It is no longer a living city, just ruins. There is not even a parking lot, we had to get off of the tour bus on the highway, even the souvenir shop was just a stop on the highway. A tour guide met our group and showed us all of the significant places in towns. The town could not have been no larger that a mile wide and long, but there were about 5 different churches in town. We saw the jail where Paul and Silas sang. And I remember the tour guide showed us church A. when they were formed as a congregation, they had decided that they were only going to build a building on biblical principle. If it was not in the bible, they were not going to use it to build the church – sounds like something a Baptist church would do. Well anyway- they built the church and within months it fell totally to the ground. And another church that you cant build a church just on biblical principles. You have to use some geometry and architecture skills which are not listed in the bible, but they are still from God. God is truth, beauty, excellent, thus God must be in the math. There are some things that are not found in the bible, and they are still true, thus they are still from God – Hence the phrase – whatsoever things are true think on these things. That is the story that the tour guide gave us and I am sticking to it. But this verse says so much more that reminding us that we are what we think. Paul would have been in jail in Rome when writing this letter. And he was addressing divisions in the church. Apparently Euodia and Syntyche were fighting over something, and Paul addresses them as colleagues in the field. He does not tell us what they were fighting over – and it does not matter. All fights are the same. One church decided that they were going to split over mashed potatoes. One group of ladies decided that the only way to serve mashed potatoes at the annual dinner was to make them from scratch, and another group of ladies insisted on making instant potatoes. Well I know which side I would be on in that fight, but the point was they could not agree and wanted to split. Paul says that instead of getting caught up in the details of the fight – that we should rejoice – rejoice in the lord and be glad. Like I said before – we are what we think. Thus it is important for us to think happy thoughts. According to Dr. Elinore Kinarthy, the average person has more than two hundred negative thoughts a day: worries, jealousies, insecurities, cravings for forbidden things, etc. Depressed people have as many as six hundred. We can’t eliminate all the troublesome things that go through our minds, but we can reduce the number of negative thoughts by changing our focus. (3) When Paul tells Euodia and Syntyche to not worry but be happy – he is not being facetious. And a lot of times the modern world tends to frown upon people who are happy all of the time, and not being grounded in reality. But you have to understand that Paul understood that this was an anxious congregation in an anxious town in an anxious situation. They were on the outskirts of Greece, I think it was a 2 or 3 hour drive from our hotel in Thessolonica. It was a town of retired roman soldiers, who were worried about how they were going to survive. And as the anxiety rose, so did the tension. And as the tension rose – the more people cared about how the mash potatoes were cooked and they started to attack one another. Paul gives two words of asvice – first of all take all of that conflict and turn it into compassion and gratitude. Be thankful for what God has done for you and celebrate it. Many years ago, Dr. Arthur Caliandro was asked to visit a woman who was hospitalized after a devastating plane crash. She was angry, bitter, and depressed. Dr. Caliandro tried to comfort her, but the woman rejected every positive thing he said. According to Caliandro, her philosophy seemed to be, "œThis is the day the devil has made, let us complain and be miserable in it." Even after the woman recovered fully, her negative attitude remained. On the other hand, Dr. Caliandro tells of another woman named Helen Baker. Helen has spent her life in pain from a rare nerve disorder. But she thanks God every day for the chance to witness to others through her illness. She even thanks God for the strength she has gained from her troubles. (4) He tells us to stand tall in your faith. And let your faith shine through no matter what. One colleague called that state – nonanxious prayerfulness. Instead of praying and constantly asking for something, asking for God to fix it. Just turn it over to God and leave it there. There is an old legend about three men and their sacks. Each man had two sacks, one tied in front of his neck and the other tied on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, "In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done. That way they're hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me. Every now and then I stop, open the front sack, take the things out, examine them, and think about them." Because he stopped so much to concentrate on all the bad stuff, he really didn't make much progress in life. The second man was asked about his sacks. He replied, "In the front sack are all the good things I've done. I like to see them, so quite often I take them out to show them off to people. The sack in the back? I keep all my mistakes in there and carry them all the time. Sure they're heavy. They slow me down, but you know, for some reason I can't put them down." When the third man was asked about his sacks, he answered, "The sack in front is great. There I keep all the positive thoughts I have about people, all the blessings I've experienced, all the great things other people have done for me. The weight isn't a problem. The sack is like sails of a ship. It keeps me going forward. "The sack on my back is empty. There's nothing in it. I cut a big hole in its bottom. In there I put all the bad things that I can think about myself or hear about others. They go in one end and out the other, so I'm not carrying around any extra weight at all." What are you carrying in your sacks? H. Norman Wright, The Perfect Catch (Bethany House, 2000), pp.28-29; submitted by Bonne Steffen, editor, Wheaton, Illinois In this week’s epistle reading, Paul offers to the congregation at Philippi a road map to a new kind of existence—-an existence free from anxiety, a life free from worry and gnawing doubt, a life filled and fulfilled by what the apostle called “the peace of God which passes all understanding.” It only takes six words—-three couplets give precise directions to this place of peace. Are you ready? Here they are. Here is my translation of this part of today’s text: Be . . . . . Anxious in Nothing Prayerful in Everything Thankful in Anything Can you say that with me? Be . . . . Anxious in Nothing Prayerful in Everything Thankful in Anything. Or here is how I say it in mantra form: Anxious: Nothing Prayerful: Everything Thankful: Anything . . . Can you say that with me? Anxious Nothing Prayerful Everything Thankful Anything. You want to experience the peace? You want the peace of God, “the peace that passes all understanding?” Then follow those directions and, Paul promises, you will find the “peace of God,” your own personal “garth” among the landscape. Once again, let’s say the six words together. Anxious: Nothing Prayerful: Everything Thankful: Anything. We are what we think. If we think negativity, we will live negativity and we will see it in others. But the God that we serve is a God of truth, excellence, holiness, worthiness, beauty. From now on, brothers and sister, if anything is excellent, and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things. All that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all the is love , all that is worthy of praise. Think on these things. And the God of peace will be with you! Let us pray…. Extra sermon illustrations…. You’ve heard the saying, "You are what you eat." I believe it is also true that you are what you "think." To understand, we "stand under" another. Behavior is what we do. Attitude is why we do it. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Pastor Paul urges the Philippians and us to embrace the mind of Christ. And, to think noble thoughts: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable" (Philippians 4:8). We Christians can disagree over some of the smallest, most ordinary things. Group therapy is now available for congregations who want to learn skills for getting along peaceably within the body of Christ. A congregational therapist tells the story of a church that almost split over the issue of mashed potatoes. I know it sounds a little trivial, but to the people involved, it was a most significant matter. The problem at hand was a proposed change at church fellowship dinners — whether to continue making mashed potatoes the old-fashioned way or to begin using instant potatoes. One faction declared that the only real mashed potatoes were the ones you lugged back from the supermarket in huge mesh bags, scrubbed, peeled, cut up, boiled, drained, and then mashed while you were adding milk, butter, salt, and pepper. The other group declared freedom, that a new day had dawned, and there was no longer time for so much preparation. The twenty-first century is a time to rejoice and give thanks for tasks made easier. Just boil water in the microwave, measure and pour potato flakes, stir, and, voila, mashed potatoes in minutes. And they most certainly are real. It says so right there on the box, "Real Mashed Potatoes." So, what is all the fuss about? The Visitor One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place." - Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.-- 2 Corinthians 12:9 Remember the story about the little boy who went to the church one Sunday morning with his grandmother. Grandmother’s approach to religion was stern and puritanical. The little boy saw a friend and smiled at him. The grandmother slapped his hand and said in a stage whisper: “Quit that grinning! Don’t you smile like that in church!!” Mora Naba, a Mossi emperor in Burkina Faso, had conquered a powerful ethnic group in the south called the Kaesena. He extracted tribute from them once each year. One year, at tribute collecting time, the emperor made the mistake of sending his son, Nabiiga, a prince and his heir apparent. When the Kaesena saw Nabiiga with only a very small entourage of guardians, they overpowered the group and took the prince hostage. His kingly robes were stripped from him, and he was forced to walk around in only a loincloth. The prisoner received only one meal per day and was forced out into the fields each morning to work. Normally, manual labor would be beneath the dignity of royalty, so the Kaesena made great sport of him. The women would pass by and belittle him. While he was working in the fields, the children would throw pebbles and stones at him. But, to the great surprise of all those watching from day to day, the Mossi prince would work and sing. He sang cheerfully with a loud voice as he worked from sun up to sun down. At first his soft hands blistered and then bled as he was unaccustomed to using farm equipment. He lost significant weight, but he continued to be cheerful and to sing. The elders of the Kaesena were much troubled by his singing and buoyant attitude. “How can he possibly sing,” they would continually ask, “since we make him sleep on the ground and make sport of him each day? We give him very little food, and he is forced to labor from sun up to sun down. Our women and our children mock him, but he continues to sing!” After a month of watching, they finally called him before a council. He stood in his loincloth straight and proud in their midst. The elder spokesperson for the Kaesena people asked the Mossi prince about his behavior: “Why do you sing?” Nabiiga answered, “It is true. You’ve taken away my fine clothes. You have made me work, you give me very little food to eat, and you make me sleep on the ground in a common hut. You have tried to take away all my pride and all my earthly possessions. You have brought great shame upon me. Now you ask me why, in spite of all this, I can sing. I can sing because you cannot take away my title and who I am. I am Moro Naba’s first son. I am proud of that and will never react to your shameful behavior!” The Kaesena people learned that they could not bring shame upon the Mossi prince because he was at peace and, therefore, could continue to sing. The peace that the prince felt inside was an active virtue manifest in his behavior; peace was not simply the absence of violence and war in his life. To become peacemakers, as the story suggests, we must proactively act and speak. As we light the third candle on the Advent wreath and know by the calendar, as well as Saint Paul’s words, that Jesus is near, we must consider our response to the challenge to rejoice and, thereby, bring peace. "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Do you understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Paul writes in Philippians 4: "œThink about all you can praise God for and be glad about." That's what today is for. It's not just about family, feasting and football. It is about stopping for a few moments and counting our blessings and, if need be, adjusting our attitudes. Most of us, if we really started counting our blessings would have a need to say, "œThank you" to somebody.

Praise is what we do

Exodus 32:1-14
Philippians 4:1-9
17th Sunday After Pentecost
Year A
“Praise is what we do”


The Christian Boxer

Two men were driving the streets of Chicago. One cuts off the other one – as happens every day, lots of times here in the city. The man who was cut off he gets upset, he drives in front of the other man, stops , gets out of the car, and feels he is going to give the man a piece of his mind. He starts yelling and telling the man not to cut him off. The other man very politely apologizes, confesses that he was in a hurry and was not paying attention to what he was doing. Satisfied that he has gave the man a piece of his mind and that justice had been served, he gets back in his car and drives off with a little swagger.
His passenger is silent for a while, as he had been the whole time that this scenario had played out - after the man has driven off. The passenger asks if he knew who that was who he had just argued with. The driver, still high on his success, says, I really don’t care who that man was – he had no right to cut me off like that, and I needed to let him know that.
The passenger continues – that was the golden gloves featherweight boxing champion of the world. His hands are a legal deathly weapon. If he had chosen to get into a fight with you –you wouldn’t be sitting here now, you would not have had a chance. By the grace of God – he chose to be nice to you – even though he didn’t have to.


What does it mean to be a Christian in an Unchristian world?
That is the dilemma that we face each and every day as Christians – what does it mean to be Christian in an unchristian world. Philippians 4:4 says rejoice in the lord always – again I say rejoice. How am I supposed to maintain my joy – when every one around me is complaining. How am I supposed to preach the good news – when every you go there is bad news.


My favorite chapter
I am just full of this chapter –because it tells everything we need to know about what it means to be a Christian. The secrets to a Christian life. The secrets are rejoice, be gentle, pray, think. In the greek, Paul actually says dwell – think, meditate, contemplate long and hard, take the time to pray, before you respond.

Finally beloved, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is honorable, whatsoever is just, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is pleasing, whatsoever is commendable, if there is any arête - any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think or as Paul says dwell about these things.

Important words for me, because not only are they Paul’s advice to us – but this verse is the mission statement of my alma mater – northwestern. Quacumque Sunt Vera – latin for whatsoever things are true.


My visit to Philippi
I visited Philippians. It is on ignatia way – the main highway going through Greece – six hours north on that highway and you get to Macedonia. Our tour bus had to just pull of on the side of the road. We were literally on the side if the road buying souvenirs. The middle school boys in front of us highly recommended a book that we just had to have on greek history. Sex in greek times. I never every read the book until few years ago. Now I know why you should never trust the interest of middle school boys- the book was a lot more about sex than it was about history.
The remains of philippi were very small –we saw the jail where Paul and Silas were locked up, and freed by the jailer. We saw the courthouse, the marketplace, and there we several churches in the town. The congregation of church A had decided that they were going to build a church, but they were only going to use building techniques in the bible. They built the church building and the church fell down. They built the church again, and it fell down again. They built the church a third time, and a third time it fell down.

Church A at Philippi
The story goes Paul came in and preached to the congregation these verses. Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing commendable and excellent – think on these things, use them apply them to your life. In order to build a solid building you have to use geometry. Geometry may be from the egytians, it may not be in the bible, it might be considered pagan knowledge – but it is still from God. it is true, it works, and you need it in order to build a solid building. If it has truth it is, it can only come from God.


God in the pagan virtue list
But the question remains, then how am I supposed to remain Christian in an unchristian world? Am I really supposed to value what the world values? Am I supposed to follow the ways of the world? One thing that we modern readers may not realize is that Paul intentionally list the virtues important to the Roman pagans – truth, honor, justice, purity, beauty, excellence. These are all of the things that the world holds dear. Virtues that any roman citizen should strive to meet.
Paul’s question to us is how is this list any different then what God requires of us. These are the same places that we find God – in truth, honor, justice, purity, when we admire the beauty of a rainbow – we are in awe because we know that is a sign that God is present. Many pictures of the leaves turning for the fall on facebook – with the caption of how we should admire the beauty of God.
But the more important lesson for us – is to remember that the true temple of God is not this building, the true temple of God is in inside of us. It is truly not what we do in here that makes us a Christian, it is what we do our there.
We think that we have to work at getting people to come in here with us. When paul is reminding us that we may have to go out there with them. There is a campaign within the united Methodist church – rethink church.

Rethink church
That story of the church in philippi – I thought it was interesting that I had never heard that story in the bible before. Was it true, or just a part of the folklore of the tourist industry of Greece. But it still tells an interesting truth about our behavior as Christians. It may not be true – but is a truth. Just as they felt that the only knowledge that they could use to build a church building had to be in the bible. We tend to think that the only knowledge of how to build a church has to be in our own understanding of what it means to be a Christian. If people don’t act the way we act, if people don’t worship the way we worship, if people are not interested in what we are interested in, then they must not be Christian. In the Philippians shortsighted, the building fell down. In our shortsidedness, our churches are dying. People are not coming in the door to be the church with us.
There is nothing wrong with our idea of being Christian – its is biblical – actually it is our interpretation of what is biblical. There is nothing wrong with that – Paul tells us to think and pray on these things. But we also have to expand our ideas of what it means to be Christian.



St Luke Choir
We were at St Luke UMC in Cambridge, MD. I was very impressed with the choir – they sang with a lot more rhythm than I have ever seen in a united Methodist choir. There was one little girl in front. It is okay to dance in the black church, and to sway a little bit. but as I was watching this one little girl – I couldn’t help but to think that she was shaking her hips a little too much and twisting a little too far. I couldn’t help but to think I am not so sure that she got that in church. That dancing she was doing wasn’t in the bible. But the point was – she was there – in church, singing the songs praising God.
The church was in the heart of an all black community. And we wondered, how many of those people in the community have any relationship with the church. Besides it being the place where they come to get food and other supplies. We are in the world, but not of the world – and we wonder why are churches are dying.
We tend to think that in order to be a part of our church – to one of us – you have to come to worship every Sunday – and then we will find something for you to do. And we wonder why our churches are dying. I heard on tv of a church right here in Englewood. A church of young adults – one was saying that he loved his church- because it was there hang out place. They spent all of their time during the week at church, so it was the logical place for them to go on Sunday. The church has to be more than a place to get services, the church has to be a place where people are safe to hang out and have fun in their everyday lives.
Paul message to us is that we have to rethink our definition of church. The church has to be a part of the world. The worlds values are God’s values. God created the world, God wants to save the world. God wants every person to actually live up to those values that have been instilled into the human heart.

We have to be the temple of God for the world
It is not enough for us to just sit here and pray that people come in. it is not enough for us to go outside and knock on doors and ask people to come in an join us. We are going to have to go and take the temple of God out into our lives. In who we are and how we treat people. And how we respond to to bad news of life.
Put your life to the test - if it is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, and excellent – then it is from God and worth our time and energy. We can incorporate it into our lives.

We are the presence of God for the world
How do we remain Christian in an unchristian world – take life one step further. Don’t just think – but pray. Don’t react – be gentle. And rejoice in the lord at all times for the lord is near.

A woman went to visit her friend in a retirement center – and she was impressed as she heard the choir giving a concert. Her friend responded you know that God is in this place. Her friend asked how did she know – because old people cant sing that good unless they have god is with them. The lesson for all of us – is to rejoice – rejoice in the lord always. Let us pray…..