What Does the Lord Require

February 1, 2026 Micah 6:1-8 What does the Lord Require 4th Sunday after Epiphany Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 15) One: Giving thanks to God, we’re eager to act out our faith. Many: We want to do what is right, and speak what is true. One: Today we choose to walk blamelessly and do what is right. Many: This day we will do no evil to our friends; One: this day we will not slander any person. Many: This day we join in all who want to abide in God. ALL: We stand by our confession of faith, even when that’s hard to do. Opening Prayer Oh God, Our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer- How do we thank you? How do we show our gratitude? Do you want signs and sacrifices? Do you want gold and cattle? Can we turn over our children to you? Would that repay our debt, make everything right? Tell us, what do you require in return for all your goodness? Oh God, Our teacher, example, companion— You have shown us what is good, and call us to remember that what you require is not repayment of debt or settling the score, but obedience. Show us, God, When to do justice, how to love kindness, and where to walk, humbly, with you. Amen. Written by Dana Cassell, a former BVS volunteer. Posted on the Church of the Brethren website, https://www.brethren.org/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2014/01/prayer-micah-6-6-8.html. Song What does the Lord Require UMH 441 Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon: “What Does God Want From Us?” (Bring a small backpack and a few stones or heavy objects.) Good morning, friends! I have something with me today. Do you know what this is? (Hold up backpack.) Yes—a backpack! What kinds of things do you put in a backpack? (Let kids answer: books, snacks, toys, water.) Backpacks are meant to carry things that help us, right? Now, imagine if every time you walked somewhere, you put a rock in your backpack. (Put one stone in.) And then another rock. (Add another.) And another. Now, imagine if every time you walked somewhere, you put a rock in your backpack. (Put one stone in.) And then another rock. (Add another.) And another. (Add another.) How would that feel after a while? Heavy? Hard to carry? Sometimes people think following God is like carrying a backpack full of heavy rocks—like we have to do so manythings to make God happy. In our Bible story today, the people were wondering, “What does God want us to do?” They thought God wanted big things—lots of gifts, lots of rules, lots of hard work. But God said something very simple. God said, “I don’t want heavy backpacks.” God wants three things. Let’s count them together—hold up three fingers. 1️⃣ Do what is fair That means being fair and standing up for others. 2️⃣ Be kind Not just once—but loving kindness every day. 3️⃣ Walk with God Like walking with a friend, talking and listening to God. That’s it. No heavy rocks. No giant backpack. Just fairness, kindness, and walking with God. So here’s the question for you this week: • How can you be kind at school? • How can you be fair with your friends? • How can you remember that God walks with you everywhere you go? Let’s say this together: “God doesn’t want heavy backpacks—God wants kind hearts.” Let’s pray. (Prayer) Dear God, Thank you for loving us. Help us to be fair, help us to be kind, and help us to walk with you every day. Amen. (ChaptGPT 5.2) Responsive Reading Psalm 15 UMH 747 New Member Ceremony It was in the latter part of the eighth century BC that Micah prophesied. He was a young contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea and Amos. He and Isaiah brought God's message to the people of Judah in the South while Hosea and Amos took it north to Israel. It was a period of turmoil and change. Assyria was fast becoming a world power to challenge the hegemony of Egypt. There was one battle after another with the little nations used only as pawns in the wider struggle. Israel and Judah were constantly threatened by one power or another. It was a difficult time. Like Amos, Micah was a product of the countryside...a farmer...and like farmers throughout the centuries, he had a certain mistrust of city slickers. In his case, he had good reason: it was the city slickers who were fleecing the folks of the countryside that Micah knew as friends and neighbors; it was city slicker judges who took bribes to render unfair judgments; city slicker priests who were immoral and corrupt; city slicker prophets who would prophesy anything you might want in exchange for a few shekels. No wonder Micah thought of the cities as cesspools of sin. To be sure, he had plenty to complain about concerning the nation's religious habits. It was bad enough that the prophets and priests were not living up to expectations, but the reason they were not was that the people did not want them to. The only preaching they wanted to hear was "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." Micah even joked about it: "If a liar and deceiver comes and says `I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' he would be just the preacher for this people."(1) They did not want to be embarrassed by anyone who would have called them to account for their behavior. It was time for them to hear a word from the Lord. So Micah came to them with a message that was not only valid for his own age, but for every age to come. Scripture Micah 6:1-8 Sermon What does the Lord Require Every since there has been television shows, I think we have been fascinated with court scenes. We want to watch the evidence presented, we want to be a part of the drama, we want to judge for ourselves if the person is innocent or not. As a child, I would watch television with my grandma. She looked forward to watching Perry Mason every time it came on. And more recently there was Judge Judy, who’s motto is Justice with an attitude. I think my favorite court show most recently was the Steve Harvey show – where family and friends could present a case against one another and Steve would determine how to resolve the issue. I enjoyed this show, because Steve Harvey would get involved in the issue, and it was a matter of money – a lot of times he would donate his own money to make things right. Not only was there justice, but there was mercy. Well actually, our fascination with court scenes goes all the way back to the bible. The bible is full of court drama. We love the drama until we are the person who is accused.’ Micah 6 is the story of when God sues us all for forgetting about our relationship. We think that life is all about us and what we have done for ourselves. We have forgotten about how God cares for us every day. God asks the jury the question – What have I done that people have forgotten all about me. Then he calls the mountains, the trees and all of nature as witnesses – they are consistent, they praise God every day, they have never strayed and then they point to us – who are inconsistent, if faithful at all. We realize that we cant fight the charges. And even though we have a lawyer always on call – Jesus. There is no need to call- we know that we are guilty as charged. This time is it not God who asks the question – it is us – what must we do to make things right. What do you want from us. God calmly comes to the front of the courtroom again – Do Justice, give kindness, and walk humbly with God. Be just, and not just fair. Not to worry about giving people what they deserve – which is fairness – but to make sure that conditions are fair, so that everyperson has the same chance. When we see that people don’t have a fair chance at life – change the conditions. Be kind, not just nice. Nice is when we are polite, nice is when we follow social protocal. Nice is how we treat people on the surface. Kindness is making sure that people are heard, and going out of our way to take care of them. Someone said that kindness always cost us something. Our society is no different. We think of ourselves as kind people: we are gentle with animals; we do not permit the mistreatment of prisoners of war; we give billions to charity...but the same indictments could be laid at our doorstep as those for ancient Israel. We think of our judicial system as fair, but we know it is much more "fair" with those who have money and power. There are laws on the books to protect people from the shady business practices that can bankrupt good families, but thousands lose millions every year because there are so many loopholes in the laws. Yes, we give money for the relief of suffering, but we give out of our abundance - what we do not really need - with the result that what is given is not nearly enough. In short, we are a kind nation...whenever it is convenient. Safe to say, Micah would object. A student told about a famous lecturer who came to the college he attended who spoke about feeding the people of India. He listed several good reasons for doing so - more people would be employed, friendlier relations with other countries would be established. In addition, we would continue to be in the good graces of the Indian people and of the government. During the informal discussion which followed, the oldest and most revered professor at the college asked, "But, Doctor, don't you think maybe we ought to feed them just because they're hungry?" That is the question that joins justice and kindness.(6) Justice and loving-kindness...critical to the living of lives that are pleasing to God. But one can be just without being religious. One can be kind without any religious inclination. That is why Micah says REAL religion requires one thing more: a humble walk with God. And finally we are told to walk humbly with God. “In his book, Faith That Endures, Ronald Boyd-MacMillan tells the story of a number of conversations he has had with Wang Mingdao, one of China's most famous church pastors of the last century. The first time he met this famous—and persecuted—Chinese pastor, they had the following interchange: ‘Young man, how do you walk with God?’ I listed off a set of disciplines such as Bible study and prayer, to which he mischievously retorted, ‘Wrong answer. To walk with God, you must go at walking pace.’ The words of Wang Mingdao touched me to the core. How can I talk about the Christian life as walking with God when I so often live it at a sprint? Of course, we ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us,’ but we may fail to run with ‘our eyes [fixed] on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Heb 12:1-2). Jesus is inviting me to walk with him. Too often, I find myself running for him. There's a difference! On another visit, Boyd-MacMillan asked Wang Mingdao about his twenty-year imprisonment for proclaiming Jesus in China. That cell became a place of unchosen unhurried time for Mingdao. There was nothing to do but to be in God's presence, which he discovered was actually everything. Boyd-MacMillan summarizes what he learned from Wang Mingdao: One of the keys to the faith of the suffering church: God does things slowly. He works with the heart. We are too quick. We have so much to do—so much in fact we never really commune with God as he intended when he created Eden, the perfect fellowship garden. For Wang Mingdao, persecution, or the cell in which he found himself, was the place where he returned to ‘walking pace,’ slowing down, stilling himself enough to commune properly with God.” Source: Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, Faith That Endures (Revell, 2006), p. 307; Allan Fadling, An Unhurried Life (IVP, 2013), pp. 13-14. Don’t get so caught up in life that you cant hear the voice of God speaking, that you cant take the time to speak to God before you speak to others, to make some time in each day to listen to God. So often, people think that "walking humbly" with God means doing a lot of things that appear to be religious, like preaching or becoming a missionary or teaching a Sunday school class. There is nothing wrong with any of these activities. However, "walking humbly with God" simply means living our lives so others can see something of God in us. "Walking humbly with God" simply means living in quiet fellowship with God. "Walking humbly with God" simply means that you seize those opportunities to do the things that God would be doing. There’s a story told about a man who went on a long hike. Before he started, he packed his backpack carefully—food, water, a jacket. But as he walked, every time he reached a crossroads, he picked up a stone and added it to his bag—just in case. One stone for safety. One stone for control. One stone for fear of making the wrong choice. At first, the stones didn’t feel heavy. But mile after mile, the pack grew heavier. Finally, exhausted, he sat down and said, “Why is this so hard?” A fellow hiker stopped and said, “You’re carrying more than you need.” The man replied, “But what if I need these later?” The other hiker said, “You can’t walk far if you insist on carrying everything.” So he began taking the stones out—one by one. And suddenly, the walk became possible again. That’s what the people are doing in Micah. They are piling stones into their spiritual backpacks: • More sacrifice. • More performance. • More religious weight. Not because God asked for it— but because they think faith must be heavy to be faithful. God doesn’t meet us in the courtroom with justice, he meets us with mercy and with grace. I am not suing you to punish you, but to give you an opportunity to think to repent. Everything that we do in life is a response to God’s grace. What would Jesus have us to do in this day- Do justice, act Kind and to walk humbly with our God. Let us pray…… Song Be Thou My Vision UMH 451 Prayer (Do not Print) Let us pray. Holy God, what a world you have made! Everywhere we look, we see evidence of your grace, we give thanks for friends and family, hearth and home, talents and treasures. What blessings you bestow upon us. Yet, amid the blessings, we see the hurt and pain of our world. We can’t turn away, for so many are hurting, so we turn to you. God of blessings, hear our prayer. We pray for the church, for this church, the pastor(s), leaders, and congregation, and the church universal, all those who hear and believe in a great diversity of voices the whole world round. Open our hearts and whisper words of your truth within us. Open our ears so we can hear even those truths that bewilder and challenge us. Strengthen our spirits to hear your call to stand up for justice and break open visions of the kindom among us here and now. God of blessings, hear our prayer. We pray for those who are suffering. Comfort those who mourn, who have lost the ones they love, who have been forced to give up on the future they hoped would be, who grieve frayed relationships. Clothe them with your love and fill them with your hope. Set your healing hand upon those whose bodies ache, whose minds cannot find peace, who are awaiting hard diagnoses. Wrap them in your strong arms and fill them with your shalom. God of blessings, hear our prayer. We pray for those who are hungry, in body and spirit. For those whose tables are bare, whose stomachs growl, and whose bodies hunger for warmth, give shelter. Lead them to places of plenty. Teach those who have much to share without fear until all are fed and nourished. For those who hunger for justice, send your spirit. Give us a holy imagination to dream about what could be and the courage to make this world more like you want it to be for us. God of blessings, hear our prayer. We pray for peace, in our homes, in our communities, in our country, and in our world. Wrest the weapons of war out of our hands and silence the words that cut and destroy. Fill our leaders with wisdom and mercy. Give them eyes to see each person in their care as you see them, beloved children of God. Make us peacemakers and community builders in every place we go. Fill us with grace and wonder that we might see the beauty of diversity and seek unity instead of uniformity. God of blessings, hear our prayer. Holy God, you are the giver of blessings. Give us eyes to see you at work among us. Move our hands and feet to be a blessing in our community. Open our hearts and mouths to hear your word and speak your truth so all can know of your love. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray boldly, saying, “Our Father…” (Presbyterian Outlook, Rae Watson) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (Just print the prayer of Thanksgiving) When someone asks, “How are you?” many of us respond with a simple, “I’m doing well,” or “Good.” But others respond with, “I’m blessed.” Have you heard that? Or said it? In Matthew’s Gospel, the first part of Matthew 5 is known as “the Beatitudes.” Jesus is teaching his followers about what comes from the blessings enumerated in verses 3-12. When someone claims, “I’m blessed,” it’s a declaration and a confirmation of the ways God provides, even for those who are poor, in mourning, or hungering and thirsting for righteousness. When someone says, “I’m blessed,” the recognition holds that even amid persecution or ridicule for following Jesus, there is reason for JOY. Here’s the truth: When we recognize we’re blessed by God, our natural response is to pass along a blessing to others. One way to do that is to share from our financial resources, eagerly supporting the work of this congregation and our outreach ministries. Remember! (Highlight one of your ministries that benefits from strong giving by the congregation.) Each time you give to support this __________, we pass along a blessing for others to receive. Let’s share our gifts, demonstrating our gratitude! Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, thank you for the ways you pour out your blessings on each of us, and on your whole creation. Thank you for this opportunity for us to pour out a portion of what we’ve received. Help us find ways to multiply these gifts, that together we might demonstrate your love made visible. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Communion Invitation to Communion The earliest followers of Jesus experienced this master teacher in a variety of settings: on a hillside, in a boat, walking the dusty roads of Galilee. No wonder they continued to follow him! We, however, do not have the blessing of walking side by side with Jesus. We don’t see him coming in after a night of prayer, or sitting down for a meal with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. What we DO have is this table – and the remembrance of Jesus sharing a last supper with his followers. We can bring to mind what it is to see Jesus take bread, and pour out a cup of wine before offering these simple elements to all who were at that table. HERE, now, at this table, we do remember. Here, NOW, at this table, we claim Jesus as Savior, and share these symbols of his love with all who will come join the feast. Here, now, at THIS table, we learn once more how Jesus continues to teach in tiny chapels and huge cathedrals. We recognize how Jesus continues to remind us in this sanctuary of the blessings we receive even in the midst of persecution, even when being a peacemaker calls us into danger. So come to this table, all who are weary and heavy-laden, for here you will find strength, here you will find a blessing to carry with you. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for YouTube Friends, we cannot stay here. There is work to be done out there. Go, be the church in the world. Love boldly. Speak bravely. Build the kindom here and now. May the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit uplift and uphold you now and forever. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Rae Watson) Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction The Good, as we depart this place but not Your Presence, help us to remember that your goodness is running after us. As it gains on us, may we run on and share it with others up ahead. Amen. (United Church of Christ, Tena T Nock) Additional Illustrations Do justice. Love kindness. A humble walk with God. Sounds very much like the answer to WWJD - What would Jesus do? In fact, it is in Jesus that we see what justice and loving-kindness look like in a walk with God. WWJD. Jesus is still looking for followers. Not admirers, followers. So the correct question for you and me is WWJHMD? What would Jesus have ME do? How is this for a summary? Enter Micah: "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." No, Micah's nation was not what it should have been in regard to chesed. How could one say that offenders were treated kindly when the judges had been bribed to render unfair verdicts? What kindness was displayed when shady deals deprived people of their houses and land? What kindness was evident when the people who were suffering the most - the poor - were systematically ignored?

How to Be Happy

February 2, 2020 Matthew 5:1-12 How to be Happy 4th Sunday of Epiphany Year A Repreach of 2/214 Children’s Sermon Happiness Matthew 5:1-12 Exegetical Aim: Happiness comes from a life emptied and humble before God and not from a life full and easy. Props: Several dollar bills or a hand full of coins, a toy that laughs, some kind of food, and a toy sword like a light saber or any object to represent conflict. Also a box or big glass jar. Optional humorous prop: A football or some sports object that is presently in season. If there is a crucial local game then focus on that. Try to hide the sports object. Lesson: I have a question for you this morning: What makes you happy? (responses) With the items hidden behind your back and the jar out in front: Well, I have some things I want to show you. After each item is presented put it in the jar. What is this? (money) Would you be happy if you had this money? (response) Why would that make you happy? What would you do with it? (response) What is this? (laughing object) Listen to this. Make the object laugh. What is it doing? (laughing) Would you be happy if you laughed all the time? (response) Why would that make you happy? (response) What is this? (apple) Would you be happy if you had some food? (response) Why would you be happy? (response) What is this? (boxing gloves) Would you be happy if you had a gun (response) Why would you be happy? (response) This morning I brought something that makes me very happy. Do you want to see it? (response) Do you really want to see it? (response) All right, this makes me so happy! Bring out the football hold it up or toss it air. When Tennessee wins today I am going to be happy! Application: Each of us has something in our life that makes us happy. What makes you happy? (response) It could be chocolate chip cookies or a special toy or a pet. Happiness is pretty important. Jesus even talked about happiness. He said the truly happy people in the world are those who...take out the money...are those who don't have a lot of money. Fold the money and put it away. Then he said, the happiest people in the world are those who take out the laughing object and make it laugh again have some sadness in their life. He also said, the happiest people are those who take out the food are sometimes hungry and have nothing to eat. And he said, the happiest people are those who take out the sword...try to have peace in their life. Finally he said take out the football well, he really didn't say anything about football. But he did say that we could be happy if we remember that true happiness comes when we have a life that is empty. Show that the jar or box is empty. A life that is empty is a life that is ready to be filled with all the good things God wants to put there: His Kingdom, his peace, love, forgiveness, and comfort. Let’s Pray: Lord help us to empty our lives so we can be filled with your goodness. Amen. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair Stewardship Moment A Quote from the Dalai Lama Giving material goods is one form of generosity, but we can extend an attitude of generosity into all our behaviour. Being kind, attentive, and honest in dealings with others, offering praise where it is due, giving comfort and advice where they are needed, and simply sharing our time with someone—-all these are forms of generosity, and they do not require any particular level of material wealth. Scripture Matthew 5:1-12 Common English Bible (CEB) 5 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. 2 He taught them, saying: Happy people 3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad. 5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth. 6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full. 7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy. 8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God. 9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children. 10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Fill in the blanks When I'm teaching a class, and want to get a discussion going, I often begin with something that's called a sentence stem. I start a sentence and let the participants complete it. This morning, if I were to ask you to complete this sentence, what would you say? "Happy are those who...." What would you use to complete the thought? Happy are those who have lots of money and can go anywhere, do anything, have anything they want? Happy are those who are successful and well acclaimed in their businesses or professions? Happy are those who are healthy, or those who have good marriages, or who have perfect children? What is happiness? The reality is that is happiness in the world’s eyes. Today we are going to talk about happiness in the eyes of God. We are going to look at the text of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Jesus has gathered his disciples, and in Matthew he takes this opportunity to teach them. A rabbi teaches while sitting down. Scripture says that Jesus went up on the mountain and taught. We cant tell whether he was talking to just the twelve, or if he was talking before a large crowd. But we do know that he was teaching the secrets to a happy life. Jesus came preaching that he might defeat all ignorance, he came teaching that he might defeat all misunderstandings. He came healing that he might defeat all pain. We, too, must proclaim our certainties; we, too, must be ready to explain our faith; we, too, must turn the ideal into action and into deeds. The Sermon on the Mount Now scholars don’t believe actually this was one sermon. It is much too dense. Scholars believe that this was Matthew’s way of summarizing all of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus Christ also once set down eight principles for the measure of a person. His standards stand in stark contrast to the aforementioned. There would appear to be a wide gulf between the popular image of the successful person and what God sees as the successful person. Jesus encourages us to be humble, to hunger for righteousness, to be merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, to endure suffering, to be encouraged when we are down and to give ourselves permission to mourn our losses. If we were to look at each of the beautitudes, each deserve a sermon within themselves. But today I want to talk about happiness. Funny things about that word happiness. The first syllable - hap means to achieve something by luck or by chance. We are happy according to our lot in life, we hang tend to hang our happiness on things that are external, and most of the time are beyond our control. We get attached to them by chance, and it is by chance that we keep them, and it is by chance that they make us happy – and yet we continue to seek this thing called happiness. If you are not happy without it, you wont be happy with it In the movie, Cool Runnings, John Candy played a former American gold medallist who became coach to the Jamaican bobsled team. As the story evolves, the coach's dark history comes out. After his gold medal performance, his competitors discover that he broke the rules by weighting the U.S. sled. By doing so, he brought ppiidisgrace to himself and to his team. One of the Jamaican bobsledders didn't understand why someone who'd already won a medal would cheat, so he asked Candy to explain. The coach said, "I had to win, but I learned something. If you are not happy without a gold medal, you won't be happy with it."2 Markarios Interestingly – Matthew does not use the word happy – he used that word blessed. Personally, I think that the word blessed, is just as misunderstood – but that is a sermon within itself. The word that is used in Matthew is actually – markarios – which literally means the happiness of the Gods. And the point is that the happiness of the world is not the happiness of God. Happiness of the world is based on external things which we have no control over. So the happiness of the Gods must be the joy that we have inside – right? Well actually that is wrong. The happiness of the Gods is not about what you have in your heart. It is about how your heart reacts to God. Jesus is trying to help us to understand that the only true way to be happy is to have a relationship with God. We all go through life, we all have feelings, the things that happen in life affect us all. But do we respond to those things according to how we feel, or according to the word of God? It is not what we want in life, it is what God wants. You can only be happy in your relationship with God The whole point of the sermon on the mount is Jesus is teaching us what it means to believe in the promises of God. What makes you a Christian is how you use these principles – hunger, mercy, peace, humility – in your life. Life is not easy for any of us. We all feel anger, hurt, pain, suffering and struggles. But when we experience those things how do you respond? Do you respond to pain with revenge or mercy? With hatred or peace? With righteousness or with what others deserve? When you respond to life with revenge, anger, and hatred – do you really find happiness – or more pain? Jesus wants us to know that blessed are those who follow the ways of God – even in a difficult situation. Last week I went to see the movie Just Mercy, about men on deathrow, one in particular who was wrongfully convicted, and a young lawyer from Harvard worked to get his aquitted. I thought that it was an important movie. But the one line that struck out at me was the lawyer said: Poverty is not the opposite of being rich, poverty is the opposite of justice. As Jesus was talking on the mountain, he would have been addressing a crowd that lived in poverty. They would have had no hope of life ever changing. Because of the circumstances of life. Just last night I heard someone say that poverty is not about how much we lack materially, but how much we lack in spirit. When life is hopeless, people are mourning the loss of something. He knew that no matter how good life is, there are always those amongst us who are mourning. Poverty is living a life in constant mourning. That is why in this lesson he addresses, poverty, and those who hunger for change. The good news for us, happy are those who realize that they need God in their lives. We are closest to God in our suffering, our mourning. We are Godlike in our happiness – blessed when we mourn, God hears us, God will bring us comfort and peace. Upside down glasses In the 1800’s there was a scientist who invented upside down glasses. When he put them on, everything in the world was upside down. For awhile, whenever he put them on, he was disoriented. But after 5 days, he adjusted and the world made perfect sense upside down. The mind has a way of doing that for us. Of making us comfortable in upside down situations. No one has ever been able to recreate his experiment. The good news is that there was another man who was able to turn our perspective of the world upside down. Jesus reversed the values of the world – he said blessed are those who the world considers unblessed – the poor, the vulnerable, the powerless. It all boils down to the power of mercy. Look at your life, where would you be without the God’s mercy in your life? God’s mercy covers all sins. The message for us is that in an upside down, topsy turvy world we all have a choice. We can seek our happiness in the world or in God. Said the wealthy woman to the disabled young man at the door, sure I will buy your magazine to help you through college. Possibly by education you’ll overcome your condition, although I’m sure it colors everything that you do. Yes maam it does, but I get to choose the color. (Gary Carver). No matter what it is that colors your life – God lets you choose the color. You can chooses to blessed. Let us pray….. Additional illustrations

The Small Still Voice

June 22, 2019 A Small Still Voice 2nd Sunday After Pentecost Year C Object: A dish with water in it Boys and girls: How strong is water? Some of you probably think water is not very strong. It's gentle and soothing to swim in this time of year, isn't it? And it's true that if I stick my hand in this dish and scoop up some water and let it seep through my hand, the drops of water don't seem very strong. But suppose I let one tiny drop after another keep falling on one spot, how strong is it? Did you know that it could wear a hole in a mighty rock, drop by drop, over a number of years? How about the water that goes over Niagara Falls or over a dam? Enough water going in the same direction can turn mighty motors that can produce electricity to light great cities. Our lesson from the Bible is about a man named Elijah who forgot two important lessons: You can win great victories if like the drop of water falling on a rock you hang in there and keep trying. Don't give up. The other lesson he forgot is that you can also be victorious if you find other people to help you. Of course Elijah's greatest help came from God. That's where our greatest help comes from, too. We can even be more powerful than Niagara, because God is with us. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan 1 Kings 19:1-15 Common English Bible (CEB) Elijah runs to Mount Horeb 19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had killed all Baal’s prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this message: “May the gods do whatever they want to me if by this time tomorrow I haven’t made your life like the life of one of them.” 3 Elijah was terrified. He got up and ran for his life. He arrived at Beer-sheba in Judah and left his assistant there. 4 He himself went farther on into the desert a day’s journey. He finally sat down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death: “It’s more than enough, LORD! Take my life because I’m no better than my ancestors.” 5 He lay down and slept under the solitary broom bush. Then suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, “Get up! Eat something!” 6 Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep. 7 The LORD’s messenger returned a second time and tapped him. “Get up!” the messenger said. “Eat something, because you have a difficult road ahead of you.” 8 Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for forty days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. The LORD’s word came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I’ve been very passionate for the LORD God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too!” 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the LORD. The LORD is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the LORD. But the LORD wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the LORD wasn’t in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the LORD wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave’s entrance. A voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I’ve been very passionate for the LORD God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too.” 15 The LORD said to him, “Go back through the desert to Damascus and anoint Hazael as king of Aram. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible So it is official, in May of this year, CNN reported that burnout is officially classified as a bonifide disease. The term burnout, breakdown has been around what seems like forever. Actually a phsychiatrist coined the phrase in an article in 1974, and it seems to have caught on like wildfire. Now the World Health Association says that burnout is not the same as depression or anxiety. Burnout is expressly defined as a work related issue. Burnout is a feeling of exhaustion,a callousness or carelessness of work. There are 5 stages of burnout – the honeymoon phase, when you are gungho about everything , and excited to work. But as reality sets in you get stressed out about problems, then you start to obsess about the stress all of the time, and then stress becomes a way of life, and then you get to the point where you can’t deal with anything. . A study back in 1993 (1) showed that people who work in the care industries, such as nurses and social workers and others who have frequent intense or emotionally charged interactions with others are especially susceptible to burnout. But burnout can affect workers in any field. Take prophets, for example. Since many prophets were commissioned with the idea that most of those to whom they prophesied were going to reject their message, burnout was practically part of the job description for being a prophet. (Stan Purdam) Our scripture for today is the story of the prophet Elijah and his bout with burnout. This biblical story happened thousands of years ago, Elijah experiences the classic symptoms of burnout. When I talk about a lot of scriptures, I say they are my favorite. But I love this one for so many reasons. But there are few stories in the bible as important as this one, with such a wonderful message of faith as this story. First of all Elijah is a really big deal to the Jewish faith. There are a handful of stories in the bible about him, but there are many other stories and legends about this man. Elijah – means I believe in God in Jah. The more I think about it, Elijah was an important prophet because Elijah was an important example of an ordinary man, who did extraordinary things for God. Today, we use Jesus as our example and say what would Jesus Do. But Jesus used Elijah as an example, as Jesus began his ministry – he would ask himself what would Elijah do. In this story Elijah runs out into the wilderness to find god, In the new testament, Jesus runs out into the wilderness to find God. Elijah is a prophet, Jesus is a prophet. They kill Jesus for being a prophet and telling the truth, they threaten Elijah’s life. That is part of a prophet’s job – to tell people what they really don’t want to hear –hence the chronic stress. But a prophet also helps people, is an example to people, listens to God, and does God’s work in the world. We are all called to do God’s work in the world. We are all called to have a relationship with the creator. I really think Elijah is so important, because there is a part of Elijah inside of each of us. you know that World Health Organization says that burnout is only work related, but I think that burnout is also very common amongst God’s people. Burnout is faith related as well, that is why this story is so important. ! Kings 18 and 19 are two parallel lessons, which may or may not have happened chronologically. Elijah is this strong determined figure who comes out of the middle of nowhere, with no back story. But he comes on the scene determined to show the love of God both to those in need and even to those in power. In chapter 18 he challenges the kings wife – Jezebl to a dual that his God is stronger than her God. Elijah wins the battle, by killing 400 prophets of another God. but now Elijah is afraid for his life and he runs. He runs and hides in a cave. That pattern of starting out gungho and determined, and then starting to realize the stress of what you are doing starts to set in. Elijah retreats – he is so discouraged that he just wants to die. The angels come to feed him and nourish him. I love this story – because the story tells itself. One preacher says that the cause of burnout are unrealized expectations, traumatic events, worry, poor decisions, lonliness, negative self talk – negative prayers – It is all here in this story. God ask Elijah – what are you doing here – and all Elijah can do is complain and think negative. He doesn’t even answer God’s question – but whines- I have been zelous for the Lord, I have been doing all I can, no one listens, they are out to get me, I am a failure, I cant do this , I am all alone……unrealized expectations, tramatic events, worry, poor decisions, lonliness, negative self talk – negative prayers. Elijah has it all. God never responds one way or another, he gives Elijah no advice, no sympathy. He simply ask Elijah one more time – what are you doing here. It is Elijah who goes off on this quest to find the real God – the god of the fire – like the one who appeared to Moses. The god of loud noises and big things. shipwrecked man prays to God to save him. A boat approaches, but the man tells it to go away because God will save him. The boat leaves. A second boat arrives, and the man sends it away, saying God will save him. The man dies of exposure. When he gets to heaven, he complains to God for not saving him when he prayed. God tells the man he sent two boats to save him but the man sent them away." Elijah looked in all of the places he heard God would be – and found nothing. Until he was able to calm down and find God in the still small voice. The Greek says a thin whisper, or a light murmuring sound.- I like to call it a God whisper. It is that moment in life, not so much when God speaks, but when your spirit is quiet enough to listen. In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. "I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking." Elijah is still stuck in his burnout – his complaining, unrealized expectations, tramatic events, worry, poor decisions, lonliness, negative self talk – negative prayers God speaks to Elijah one more time. First of all he tells Elijah that he is not alone – there are 7000 other prophets just like him. But I love it, in the end he tells Elijah to go back to the desert and get back to work. In other words get over it and move on. He doesn’t stop elijah’s complaining, but he doesn’t acknowledge it either. But after it is all over Elijah is able to renew his own spirit. He is able to continue in his calling, rather than giving in to his burnout. But this time as he goes out and continues his ministry – he is not only restored, with a new purpose. But he has the confidence and skills to change the world, instead of allowing the world to change him, and his meaning and purpose. Faithful living can be hard, draining, thankless work. It can burn even the most determined person out. I am convinced that in life, we all have a Jezebel to face – that one challenge that will take every ounce of strength that we have. Burnout is okay – sometimes it forces us to take the much needed break to regroup. Pastor Jim Erwin gives this 7 fold prescription to renewed faith based in Elijah’s experience – sleep and nourishment, accept help from the angels, feel free to vent your frustations, listen to God’s small still voice, renew your purpose, be reassured that what you are doing is right, and finally find some friends – those 7000 others who just like you are zealous for the Lord – they are out there. Burnout is real – we don’t need to don’t need the world health organization to tell us that – all we need to do is come to church a couple of Sundays and be with God’s people. But the good news for us is that the demons of despair don’t have the final word. God’s still small voice still speaks. I have just one more story to share – in 1952 composer John Cage wrote a song called 4 minutes 33 seconds. – it is a song written in three parts. But in each part instead of playing, the musician is forced to sit and listen – for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Where in your life can you go to find God – a place in your life where you can be fed by the angels and hear God’s voice speaking to you. So many times in our life we seek God in the miracles, in the extraordinary , in far away places. When God is present right here in our ordinary lives. Let us pray…. Amen. Additional illustrations… Have you heard about the cell phone ringtone that junior high and high school kids are using to keep teachers from discovering that they are using their cell phones in school? The pitch of this ringtone, called the "mosquito tone," is too high for people over 25 to hear. So the kids can still send and receive text messages during class without the teacher knowing. The mosquito tone was first developed in Great Britain to irritate teenagers who were loitering around convenience stores and keeping customers away by their loud and obnoxious behavior…Some kid simply figured out how to use that sound as his cell phone's ringtone and—voilà—kids are downloading it by the millions.

The God of Second Chances

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington March 24, 2019 Luke 13:1-9 Year C The Third Sunday of Lent The God of Second Chances Children’s time "And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." Object: Some fertilizer. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever tried to grow a plant or a tree? (Let them answer.) Did it live? (Let them answer.) How did you take care of your plant? (Let them answer.) There is a story Jesus tells in the Bible about a man who had a fig tree planted on his farm. He asked another man who worked for him to take care of the tree. After a while, he came back to pick some of the fruit that had grown on the tree, but he was surprised to find that the tree had no figs. The owner was disappointed, and he told his worker to cut it down. But the worker asked him to give the tree one more chance. So the owner told him to give the tree some fertilizer, and that if it did not grow in one year, then he should cut it down. Fertilizer helps plants to grow strong so that they will produce fruit, flowers, or whatever they are supposed to produce. If you want a strong plant, one that grows and grows, you must fertilize it. Fertilizer is very important for plants and trees. Jesus told this story so that we would learn something very important about ourselves, too. Sin makes us weak. We all sin. Every one of us is a sinner. Sin makes us very weak and keeps us from living the way that God wants us to live. When we are weak, we cannot even do the good things that we want to do. There is only one way to make things better so that we can get over our weakness. We must tell God how sorry we are for our sin. This is called repentance, and it is as good for us as fertilizer is for a plant. Tell God that you are sorry, and ask him to forgive you, and you will get rid of your sin. When you do not have the sin, then you can grow strong and be the way that God wanted you to be. The next time you see someone feeding a plant some fertilizer to help it grow strong, I hope you will remember how telling God you are sorry for your sin will also help you to grow strong. Will you do that? Good. God bless you very much. C.S.S. Publishing Company, CALL in the CLOWNS, by Wesley T. Runk Luke 13:1-9 Common English Bible (CEB) Demand for genuine change 13 Some who were present on that occasion told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices. 2 He replied, “Do you think the suffering of these Galileans proves that they were more sinful than all the other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did. 4 What about those eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more guilty of wrongdoing than everyone else who lives in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did.” 6 Jesus told this parable: “A man owned a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 He said to his gardener, ‘Look, I’ve come looking for fruit on this fig tree for the past three years, and I’ve never found any. Cut it down! Why should it continue depleting the soil’s nutrients?’ 8 The gardener responded, ‘Lord, give it one more year, and I will dig around it and give it fertilizer.9 Maybe it will produce fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.’” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible It is pretty easy to hear the stories of Jesus and to think of these as stories for another time. None of the them apply directly to the situations of today. But every once in a while, Jesus hits the nail on the head for us, and he addresses a situation that we have just heard about in the headlines. I chose this verse in Luke for just that reason. In this verse Jesus is meddling, and talking about our time. In chapter 12 Jesus is talking to the crowd about what it takes to be a Christian. And they have decided that this whole Christian thing is a lot more trouble than it is worth. And takes a lot more time and energy than they are willing to give. Now Jesus is talking about repentance, and give your life to Jesus. And the wages of sin is death. For centuries, they have all heard this same message. If you are sick, unlucky, or die, then that is a punishment for unfaithfulness. If you are suffering, then obviously it is something that you have done. It is your own fault. Everyone seems to have the same two events in mind to prove a point. First is a group of Galileans who went to temple to protest Pilates, rules. Pilate came and crushed the rebellion and killed all of those involved. But they had no business revolting, so may be they got what they deserved. And then there were those salvodoreans who got killed when the roof collapsed. But they chose to cross the picket lines and were killed in the process. Interestingly enough – neither of these cases is recorded anywhere in history. There is no proof that either happened, or if it did, it was not worth even recording. But today – mass killings have become way too common on the news. There was just the instance of 50 muslims killed also while in worship. Did they deserve it for being muslim? How to protect ourselves in worship is not a big concern. But nothing seems to stop people being killed while going to worship, while going to the movies, while going to work. even for just waking up and going to school – they have been killed. We have been conditioned just like the people in Jesus time, to wonder who is to blame for all of this violence. If something bad happens, obviously you did something to deserve it. Jesus makes a point that this is not true. No one deserves to die just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It reminds me of an even more recent headline of a young girl who committeed suicide – because her classmates died in the parkland shooting and she survived. In a world where we have been conditioned for generations to equate sin with suffering. We live in a world – like she did of blame, guilt shame, accusations. We are meaning making machines – we have to make everything mean something. We have to find the root cause of bad sitiuations. But sometimes it does not matter – and there are things happening in our world that we just cannot make sense of. In my younger days I used to attend a self development program – landmark education. One of the first lines that we were taught to remember was life is empty and meaningless and it doesn’t mean anything that it doesn’t mean anything. The point was not to buy into the world of blame and guilt. That generational curse can be broken because we don’t have to buy into them. Jesus spent a lot of his ministry trying to prove that point. Blaming a situation on someone or something does not make the situation any better. But Jesus does not take the meaning out of the situation, he puts the meaning into it. Jesus uses this whole situation as a teachable moment. Jesus does not say that those killed in mass killings were innocent – he says that we are just as guilty as they are. Tragedy is just around the corner for all of us. But do we let sin and suffering define who we are? Jesus says no. He uses the example of the fig tree to make a point. What you have to realize is that it took a lot of time and energy to plant a fig tree. It required the best soil and demanded a lot of water and care to grow. And once it started to grow, it would be three years before you say any fruit. You weren’t supposed to pick any fruit from the tree for seven years. That was a lot of work. A vineyard keeper had been growing and taking care of this tree for 9 years, and still nothing. At what point do you give up. Nurture or Wither We used to have a swamp maple tree in our front yard. It shaded our porch and added to the landscaping in front of our house. We took it for granted and we never pruned it or fertilized it. About three years ago it began to lose its leaves and some branches withered and died. I pruned it back to give it some life. One fall we hammered fertilizer spikes into the ground in a circle around it. The following spring it sprouted new branches and you could see new foliage. For the first time in two seasons it appeared that it might make it. But, we had an unusually dry summer and the tree continued to lose branches. Finally it was invaded by carpenter ants and the tree was doomed. We should have given the tree attention sooner but instead we procrastinated. Our efforts to save it were only temporary. Eventually the time came when we had to cut it down. In a matter of minutes the tree came tumbling down. All that was left was the stump, about 10 inches in diameter. The front yard looked bare and our front porch no longer had shade. My wife wanted to replace the tree with something new. So we went to a nursery and purchased a Bradford Pear. We selected the best tree we could find. It took several days to remove the stump. I chopped and I sawed and I dug. Finally I succeeded in removing it. We then fertilized the ground and planted our new tree. We followed the directions that were given to us by the nursery worker to detail. He had told us that the Swamp Maple was really a poor choice for our soil and area. As long as we took good care of our new Bradford Pear Tree, we could expect good results. Our lives are much the same. Without nurture they wither and rot. We can’t always control the forces against us, like weather and even people who do mean things to us. We can, however make every effort to change our ways. Keith Wagner, Does Mercy Have Limits? When we hear the story of the fig tree, we usually say that the vine grower is God and that each of us is the tree. The tree which took way to much time and energy to take care of. But what if the vinegrower was each of us. The one’s who judged that the fig tree was not worth the effort. God says give them another chance, and we say no it is not worth the effort. God says let it grow, and we demand that it is time to take it out. God says don’t judge a book by its cover, and we insist that if it it what it is. God says I gave you a chance, give others a chance, and we still insist that people get what they deserve. We stay in the world of blame, guilt and suffering. In the Methodist church, the LGBTI community says that the African church is holding is down and they need to be help accountable, and the African church says that the sin of the Americans has allowed sin in the LGBT community and they need to be held accountable. But what does God say – I don’t know I am not God. A colleague from Australia points out that as we comment on recent headlines, we all can say that the Islamic community did not deserve what happened to them. But what about the one person who pulled the trigger – is he not also a child of God. Is he not also the fig tree – that God invested a lot of time and energy to developing. Do we blame him. Perhaps Jesus would say that the one who is free of guilt can cast the first stone. Jesus does say that we are just as much a sinner as those who were killed. And that we need to first turn from our sins and repent. Turn back to the God who has nurtured us so tenderly all of these years. We don’t have to live in a world of blame, sin and guilt. Jesus and 11 blokes are sitting around on lounges and comfortable chairs. Peter the Apostle is lying on the floor with his head on a cushion, and they're all waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Lunch is sitting on the table, but they wait. It's the year 2587. The Apostle John is writing the 15th version of his gospel on his iPad! And there's a tentative little knock at the door. A bloke nervously sticks his head around the corner, and Jesus springs to his feet and rushes over and says, "Judas! What kept you? Thank goodness you've arrived. We can get on with lunch! "And, of course, lunch is the Eucharist. God will wait for all time, even for the worst sinner. Jesus felt so strongly that he wanted us to be free, that he even went to the cross to pay for our sins. So that we could have the freedom to repent and have a relationship with God. God wants what is best for us, wants us to be our best self. God doesn’t do things to hurt people – Always there trying to help and make us feel better. If I die tomorrow – can I stand before God? What is it that I need to do differently? What is it that I may need to prune in my life, in order to be more connected to God? All of this is a part of our task – as we watch Jesus go to the cross to pay for our sins. We can listen to Jesus message to us to repent while we can – before it is too late. Let us pray…… Additional illustrations….. The Evening News Imagine for a moment that Jesus is watching television with his twelve disciples. They're on furlough from teaching and healing, taking it easy in the living room of Peter's mother-in-law, doing a little mindless channel surfing. Maybe they catch a little of an NCAA Tournament game, March Madness. These are guys, you know, just relaxing from a demanding schedule. But eventually the evening news comes on. They put down the popcorn and listen intently to the day's tragedies. One disciple says, "Hey, Jesus, that horrible bombing over on the West Bank where that guy drove a bus into a crowd of people. Do you think that because these Palestinians suffered in this way they were worse sinners than the rest?" It was a popular question in Jesus' day. Still is. If something bad happened, it must have been for a reason. Jesus scratches his beard for a moment. "No, they didn't die because of anything they did. It was a purely random thing. But let me tell you something. Unless you guys clean up your acts, you'll die just as tragically." There is a low murmur in the room. The disciples look at each other like Jesus has missed his morning medication. As two begin to leave to find a bathroom, the newscaster reports another catastrophe, this one halfway across the world. Jesus pipes up this time. "Hey, guys," he says, "those people over in El Salvador. What about them? The earthquake that hit there killed hundreds of people. Does that mean that these Salvadorans were worse sinners than their neighbors in Guatemala?" Jesus waits for his question to sink in. "No, the tragedy had nothing to do with their morals. Those people just got in the way." The disciples breathe a sigh of relief, gladdened to know that God doesn't work that way. But then Jesus looks at them all. "Let me tell you something, though. Unless you people start going in the right direction, you will share a similar fate as those Salvadorans and it will seem like a building falling on your head to crush the life out of you." I believe somebody got up and changed the channel after that. Frank G. Honeycutt, Sermons on the Gospel Reading, Cycle C, CSS Publishing Company _______________________________________ Things that we spend our time and energy on, are they bearing good fruit? Repent – focus on the things that are life giving. Our Chaotic Life This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: "We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next." Unknown Becoming What We Are Somerset Maugham said it best in his autobiography, Summing Up, "I knew that I had no lyrical quality, a small vocabulary, little gift of metaphor. The original and striking simile never occurred to me. Poetic flights...were beyond my powers. On the other hand, I had an acute power of observation, and it seemed to me that I could see a great many things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw...I knew that I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought, with pains, that I could arrive at writing as well as my natural defects allowed." Somerset Maugham discovered the secret of genius. The point is that life does not ask us to become what we are not. The fig tree was only required to produce figs. No more. You and I are asked only to accomplish what our natural gifts allow, but we are asked to accomplish just that. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Using Up the Ground Soil was at a premium in Israel. It was not unusual for a vineyard owner to give a little bit of his soil up for a fruit tree but the tree took up the best soil, the deepest soil, and required the most water. A fig tree doesn’t grow fruit until three years after planting. The owner in this story, had given the tree “due season” to bear fruit and yet the tree bore no fruit. It took up valuable space and resources. The owner questioned why the tree was allowed to “even use up ground.” God had given the Israelites the choicest ground. Their land possessed everything necessary to make themselves a great nation, indeed, a light to all nations. They were strategically positioned to send the fruit of God north and south, east and west; but instead, in-fighting continued to make them a worthless fruit tree. Everyone one of us and all of our churches will have to answer (from God’s perspective) this same question; “Why does it even use up the ground?” Jerry Goebel, Why Does HE Even Use up the Ground? Suffering and Repentance Trevor Beeson stood at the high altar of Westminster Abbey to celebrate the marriage of his daughter, Catharine, to Anthony, aged twenty-three. Nine months later he stood before the same altar for Anthony's funeral, who was killed when his car ran into a wall in East London. Four months later, Trevor returned to the altar beside the coffin of his friend and hero Earl Mountbatten, who died when his fishing boat was blown to pieces by Irish terrorist. Reflecting on the experience, he said he could not blame God for these senseless tragedies. He wrote: I should find it impossible to believe in, and worship, a God who arranged for the great servants of the community to be blown up on their holidays and who deliberately turned a young man's car into a brick wall…This is not the God of love whose ways are revealed in the Bible and supremely in the life of Jesus Christ. Beeson found two insights that helped him to cope with his tragedy and to look beyond it: "The first is that, although God is not responsible for causing tragedy, he is not a detached observer of our suffering. On the contrary, he is immersed in it with us, sharing to the full our particular grief and pain. This is the fundamental significance of the cross." Second, although we naturally ask, "Why did it happen?" Beeson discovered that the more important question is "What are we going to make of it?"; "Every tragedy contains within it the seeds of resurrection." This is, after all, the whole point of our pilgrimage through Lent, to Good Friday, and Easter morning. Are those who experience innocent suffering worse than anyone else? Of course not. It can happen to any of us. But is there a connection between innocent suffering and human action? Of course there is, and unless we change our way of living, we may all experience the same suffering. What does Jesus offer us when we experience this kind of suffering? The power of God to hold us firm, to give us strength, and to see us through. John K. Bergland editor, Abingdon Preachers Annual 1992, Nashville: Abingdon, 1991, p. 108. Not Nearly as Big a Man It seems that the University of Tennessee coach bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured him, examined the bolt of cloth, did some computations on a piece of paper, and said, "I'm sorry, coach, there just isn't enough material in this bolt to make a suit for you." The coach was disappointed, but he threw the bolt of cloth in the trunk of his car, wondering what he was going to do with it. A couple of weeks later he was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the home of the Crimson Tide -- arch enemies of the Vols. He was on his way to the coast for a vacation. Driving down the main street in Tuscaloosa, he noticed a tailor shop, which reminded him that he had that bolt of cloth in the trunk. He stopped, thinking he would give it a try. He told the tailor he had bought this bolt of cloth and wondered if he could do anything with it. The tailor measured him, measured the bolt of cloth, did some computations. Finally he said, "Coach, I can make you a suit out of this bolt. What's more, I can make you an extra pair of pants. And if you really want it, I can give you a vest out of this, too." The coach was dumbfounded. "I don't understand," he said. "My tailor in Knoxville told me he couldn't even make one suit out of this bolt of cloth." The tailor said, "Coach, here in Tuscaloosa, you are not nearly as big a man as you are in Knoxville." I tell the story to make the point that things are not always what they seem. Our Scripture lesson -- the parable of the fig tree -- is clearly a parable of judgment. But at the very heart of it is a marvelous word of grace. Maxie Dunnam, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Not Nearly as Big a Man It seems that the University of Tennessee coach bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured him, examined the bolt of cloth, did some computations on a piece of paper, and said, "I'm sorry, coach, there just isn't enough material in this bolt to make a suit for you." The coach was disappointed, but he threw the bolt of cloth in the trunk of his car, wondering what he was going to do with it. A couple of weeks later he was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the home of the Crimson Tide -- arch enemies of the Vols. He was on his way to the coast for a vacation. Driving down the main street in Tuscaloosa, he noticed a tailor shop, which reminded him that he had that bolt of cloth in the trunk. He stopped, thinking he would give it a try. He told the tailor he had bought this bolt of cloth and wondered if he could do anything with it. The tailor measured him, measured the bolt of cloth, did some computations. Finally he said, "Coach, I can make you a suit out of this bolt. What's more, I can make you an extra pair of pants. And if you really want it, I can give you a vest out of this, too." The coach was dumbfounded. "I don't understand," he said. "My tailor in Knoxville told me he couldn't even make one suit out of this bolt of cloth." The tailor said, "Coach, here in Tuscaloosa, you are not nearly as big a man as you are in Knoxville." I tell the story to make the point that things are not always what they seem. Our Scripture lesson -- the parable of the fig tree -- is clearly a parable of judgment. But at the very heart of it is a marvelous word of grace. Maxie Dunnam, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Look to God Bryan Zuckor was the quintessential 14-year-old boy-next-door — adventurous, athletic and popular at the Southern California Presbyterian Church where he worshipped and vigorously participated in youth activities. Zuckor’s wholesome life ended when he was shot and killed by a fellow student at Santana High School in Santee, CA. I suspect his grieving parents have asked themselves, ‘What did we do to deserve this?’ We moderns understand, of course, that this is not a rational question. We know that the question itself comes from a far more primitive time, a time when people thought God was a vengeful, eye-for-eye kind of God. We moderns know better. And yet, the question lingers. By all accounts, 15-year old Andy Williams was none of the things that Bryan Zuckor was. Andy was not athletic or popular or a member of a church youth group, or even a school club. But he had access to a gun, and now the whole nation knows just how frustrated and angry Andy was. He was apparently the shooter who killed Bryan Zuckor and fellow student Randy Gordon. Surely Andy’s parents, his friends, and teachers are asking, "What could we have done differently to have adverted this tragedy?" With that question we show how different we are from our ancestors. We moderns do like to believe that we have the power, we have the strength and wisdom to alter the course of human events, if only we make right and timely choices. Today, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus speaks to us all. To those who would see themselves as the ones to blame. . . . To those who assume their suffering is some form of divine punishment . . . . To mortals who see themselves as immortal, as able to exercise control over people and events . . . . Jesus speaks to us all, saying, "Humans need to look to God, not to themselves and their life experiences for the security for living." For the confidence to live life to the fullest, humans need to look to God. Sid Burgess, When Bad Things Happen _________________________________________ The Evening News Imagine for a moment that Jesus is watching television with his twelve disciples. They're on furlough from teaching and healing, taking it easy in the living room of Peter's mother-in-law, doing a little mindless channel surfing. Maybe they catch a little of an NCAA Tournament game, March Madness. These are guys, you know, just relaxing from a demanding schedule. But eventually the evening news comes on. They put down the popcorn and listen intently to the day's tragedies. One disciple says, "Hey, Jesus, that horrible bombing over on the West Bank where that guy drove a bus into a crowd of people. Do you think that because these Palestinians suffered in this way they were worse sinners than the rest?" It was a popular question in Jesus' day. Still is. If something bad happened, it must have been for a reason. Jesus scratches his beard for a moment. "No, they didn't die because of anything they did. It was a purely random thing. But let me tell you something. Unless you guys clean up your acts, you'll die just as tragically." There is a low murmur in the room. The disciples look at each other like Jesus has missed his morning medication. As two begin to leave to find a bathroom, the newscaster reports another catastrophe, this one halfway across the world. Jesus pipes up this time. "Hey, guys," he says, "those people over in El Salvador. What about them? The earthquake that hit there killed hundreds of people. Does that mean that these Salvadorans were worse sinners than their neighbors in Guatemala?" Jesus waits for his question to sink in. "No, the tragedy had nothing to do with their morals. Those people just got in the way." The disciples breathe a sigh of relief, gladdened to know that God doesn't work that way. But then Jesus looks at them all. "Let me tell you something, though. Unless you people start going in the right direction, you will share a similar fate as those Salvadorans and it will seem like a building falling on your head to crush the life out of you." I believe somebody got up and changed the channel after that. Frank G. Honeycutt, Sermons on the Gospel Reading, Cycle C, CSS Publishing Company _______________________________________ The

Giving our Treasure Back to God

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington October 28, 2018 Matthew 6:1-6 Giving your Treasure back to God Stewardship sermon based on the Treasure stewardship program At the Core By Lois Parker Edstrom OBJECTS SUGGESTED: Object suggested: An apple. An apple for each child if appropriate to your situation. Don’t you just love to hold an apple in your hand? This one has smooth skin and a nice round shape. It is a beautiful red color. If you were to crunch into it would taste sweet and juicy. Did you know there is a secret hidden inside an apple? Let’s cut the apple through the center this way. (Cut the apple horizontally rather than from the stem to the blossom end.) Now look at this beautiful design. See the five-pointed star hidden inside this apple?We call this part of the apple the core. Would it surprise you to know that you also have a beautiful,secret core? It is called your spiritual core and it is the place where you connect with God. Jesus says, “…when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.” That doesn’t mean you can’t also pray with your family around the dinner table or at church. Jesus teaches us that you pray to make aconnection with God the Father. When you pray there may be other people around, but your thoughts and words are private, between you and God. As you eat an apple and hold it in your hand think about itsbeautiful inner design. God has also created us with a beautiful inner design, a spiritual core that links us to God the Father. Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2009, Richard Niell Donovan Sermon #3 “Giving Your Treasure Back to God” OUTLINE Matthew 6:1-6 “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.” Outline We are headed toward the end of our fall stewardship initiative. We have had three lessons on thinking about where our treasure is. We have looked at where our treasure is, in the things of this world, or the things of God. We have been encouraged to put God first in all that we do. And our lesson for today is giving or treasure back to God. how do we do that , why do we do that. There are three things for us to remember about why we give our treasure to God. I. Something Bigger Sometimes you’ll get the chance to be part of something bigger than yourself. Your name may not be mentioned, and you may not hoist the trophy on the stage; but as the confetti falls, you will know that you played a role. It won’t matter that you’re not getting the glory; the glory is knowing that you were a part of it. I felt that way recently at my church. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised for a clean water project in a Nicaraguan village. My contribution was significant to me and my family, but it wasn’t very big when compared with the total money raised. In spite of that, we were a part of it, and that felt good. It’s a powerful thing to know that my life can play a role in something bigger than me. Jesus’ Way to Give A. This Is Not a Performance Jesus warns that when you are trying to do good, be sure that you don’t make a performance of it. Your actions might be a good show, but God won’t be cheering. When you do things for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. Jesus begins his warning with the phrase “be careful.” Most of the time, we use that phrase because we think there’s a good chance that someone could get hurt. If I tell my kids to be careful, it’s usually because it appears the thing I’m warning against will happen soon. Jesus gives this warning because he cares about our hearts. He knows that if we seek credit for the good we do—if our actions become a performance—then our hearts will suffer. If we start thinking it’s all about us, then we miss out on God’s amazing benefits of being and doing good. Yes, we will get our credit, but it pales in comparison with what we receive when we give humbly before God. We will miss out on being a part of something bigger than ourselves, which is much better than anything we can achieve on our own. B. Spend Time with God Jesus links giving to the poor and spending time with God. If we truly want to be generous givers and experience life more fully, we have to be people of prayer. We will never give in extravagant and sacrificial ways if we are not abiding with God. We need secret places where God can speak to our hearts. No one gives in amazing ways just because there is a great need; extravagant, sacrificial givers do so because their hearts have been changed by spending time with God. C. Respond by Giving Extravagantly and Sacrificially If we want to experience life more fully, we must respond to all that God has done for us by seeking to participate in what God is doing in the world. We have considered how we are investing our lives. Our goal should be to invest our time, money, and energy in the things of God, things that are so much bigger than what one or two of us can do on our own. We get to be a part of things that only God can do. We stand in the confetti, finding joy and meaning in the knowledge that we played a part. God is calling us to sacrificial giving. D. Our Final Week Since next week we will celebrate all saints day, this will be our final week of talking about stewardship. Stewardship is an ongoing conversation, because we have to keep the lights on every Sunday. So I try to give a short stewardship message every Sunday. But this is the time of our intentional stewardship drive. Everyone should have received a pledge card in the mail. I wanted to make sure that you had it while we were having this conversation. So you could listen to these messages. Many people have returned their card in the mail. If you have not, then you can bring it back next week. When we collect them all, the finance committee can look at them to make plans for how we fulfill our mission of being the church in this community. Maintenance of the building, supporting those who work in the church, giving and being in mission to others, programs that help us to grow as a Christian are all a part of our church budget. Many people wonder why we ask ahead of time to pledge for the year. Our ability to be in mission is based on your relationship with God. I wanted you to have the pledge card ahead of time, so that you can spend that time alone with God, praying and listening to what God is calling you to do. That is the final part of our stewardship initiave. For you to have a chance to talk with God. To pray in private, and to respond with God. Our money is a thing that we treasure. It is also a resource that provides for ministry. When we become a part of the church, we promise to support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness. When we come to church, we are not just seats in the pew – we are disciples – those who do the work of God. What is God calling you do do? For additional commentary and articles on this theme, please go to MinistryMatters.com/Treasure.

Where is Your Treasure?

October 7, 2018 Matthew 6:19-21 Where is your Treasure? Stewardship Drive #1 Year B (taken from the stewardship drive - Treasure Children’s Time…… “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Setting Up the Treasures in Heaven Object Lesson Prepare for teaching this lesson by gathering these supplies: piggy bank, coins, posterboard cut out of a piggy bank, pushpins, paper coins, marker and tape. Place the piggy bank and coins on a table near your learning area. Next, hang the cutout of the piggy bank on the wall with pushpins. On the paper coins write phrases like, “Feed the Hungry” or “Comfort the Sad.” Put these near the cutout on a table with the tape. Say: “Let’s read this parable together. Everyone stand up on one foot! Let’s read it in our normal voice the first time and then we will stand on the other foot and read it super slow.” (Read the verse twice.) “Some people use a piggy bank to hide their coins. When Mom or Dad gives you extra change, a piggy bank is a good place to keep until you are ready to spend. You can shake it and hear the change in there. That’s fun to do! What are some reasons why you might get some change?” (Lost a tooth, did a chore, had a birthday etc.) “It’s a good idea to save your treasure so you don’t lose it but sometimes things happen. People can find the secret opening and unplug and steal your money. A thief might even be able to break the bank in half and destroy it. That’s bad news!” “Jesus says that when we put our money in heaven’s bank, we never have to worry about losing it. What does that mean? How do we put money in heaven’s bank? We do the things God asked to us to do, kind things, like caring for the sick, turning the other cheek, giving to the Lord. God sees all these things and every time we do one, He drops another coin in our heavenly piggy bank.” (Tape paper coins to the bank.) I encourage you to store up some treasures in heaven. Not only will you have some treasures when you get there but doing so will keep your heart loving God. Sermon #1 “Where Is Your Treasure?” OUTLINE Matthew 6:19-21 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Outline Introduction One Saturday, my wife and I packed up everything we owned except for some clothes and a few pieces of luggage and put them in a storage facility. We were in a time of transition between one home and another and would be living with family for a few months. After packing, we found that the contents of our home fit into a 10’ x 20’ storage unit. I closed the door, put a lock on it, and left all my stuff in that unit, next to hundreds of others. All that I had ever saved for, deliberated over, and purchased was stacked in that room. At first I would go by every week or so just to check in on it. Eventually I didn’t do that anymore, and for three months I didn’t need one single thing from the unit. I. What Do I Really Treasure? A. Our Treasure Is Not Found in Our Stuff Turns out the only thing Americans may love more than Big Macs is hoarding. There are more self-storage facilities in America than there are McDonald's restaurants, according to a recent report from the commercial real estate publication REJournals. There were 48,500 self-storage facilities in America at the end of 2014, Curbed points out, compared to a mere 14,350 McDonald's restaurants. (For the record, there were just 11,962 Starbucks coffee shops in 2014, making the number of self-storage spots larger than McDonald's and Starbucks locations combined.) It's no surprise, if you think about it. Americans are documented on television for their hoarding tendencies, and sleek new self-storage startups are only making it easier to squirrel away our belongings. But what's astonishing is the sheer amount of space devoted to self storage: There's an average of 21 feet of self-storage space available for every American household, the Self Storage Association reports. You've got to wonder if all that stuff could just fit in the garage. In fact, 65 percent of Americans who rent a storage unit have a garage, but they rent one anyway. There is 2.3 billion square feet of rentable self-storage space in the United States. We have so much stuff that our homes can’t hold it. But our treasure is not found in stuff. The Treasure series is not an indictment on stuff. In fact, when my wife and I moved into our new home after three months with family, we used almost everything we had packed away. The couches, the refrigerator, the beds all went to good use. What I learned, though, was that those things are not my treasure. B. What We Value in the End Pastors have the opportunity and privilege to be with people in their last days. Rarely in those last moments do people talk about the things they have acquired on earth—the kind of treasure that moth and rust can destroy, the kind that thieves can break in and steal. People in their last moments talk about their family, friends, moments with God, children they have taught, mission trips they have taken. They talk about vacations and laughter, and they share stories that are amusing and meaningful. They talk less about salaries and more about promises shared with God and with people. At the end of the our life, when we sit down and think about it what is it that we really treasure? What is it that is really most important to us? is it our stuff, or is it our family, friends, experiences, and our relationships with one another. Who do we love and who loves us? We have to remember that our primary relationship with God determines the quality of all of the other relationships. II. Heart Follows Treasure A. Jesus Talks about Money This series is about where you are investing your life, but there’s no denying that it’s also about money. That’s because Jesus talked about money. In fact, Jesus talked more about money than about heaven and hell combined. Jesus talked more about money than anything except the Kingdom of God. Eleven of Jesus’ thirty-nine parables are about money. One of every seven verses in the Gospel of Luke talks about money. Why did Jesus talk so much about money? This is the time of year when we talk about money. It is a time that most people dread. Why do we have to talk about money in church. That is what faith is all about. In the bible, there are 500 verses that talk about faith and 2000 that talk about money. 15% of all of the verses that Jesus talks, are specifically about money. Just like all of Jesus lessons, Jesus adds to what is in the old testament. The old testament talks about giving a 10th of what you have to God, In the new testament, Jesus talks about giving to a cause – to help those in need. And he says that if it takes more than a 10th to do that – then that is okay. B. Jesus Cares about Our Hearts In the Sermon on the Mount we see that Jesus is looking at the heart. He cares about the hearts of God’s people. Jesus talks about money and treasure because he knows that they affect our hearts. He knows money stresses our relationships. Money causes division in and among people. Money and its pursuit can be all-consuming and burdensome. Those who have lost jobs or find money hard to find will tell you that it is not just a financial issue but an emotional and spiritual one. Jesus talks about money because he cares about our hearts. C. Our Treasure Shows Us Our Heart We usually think that where our heart is, our treasure will follow. Jesus says that it is the opposite. Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. This is not just a change in semantics. Jesus knows that the place where we spend our money will become our treasure, whether we want it to or not. Financial commitments require time and energy. They pull our heart in a direction that perhaps neither we nor God ever intended. If you buy a house that requires a large percentage of your income, you have no choice but to spend time and energy and money in paying for it. When you put your treasure into anything, your heart will follow. III. Heart Investment Billy Graham was asked late in his life, “If you could, would you go back and do anything differently?” His answer may surprise you. “Yes, of course. I’d spend more time at home with my family, and I’d study more and preach less. I wouldn’t have taken so many speaking engagements. . . . Whenever I counsel someone who feels called to be an evangelist, I always urge them to guard their time and not feel like they have to do everything.” A. What Do You Want to be Investing In? If you didn’t have your debt or commitments, and if you could choose where to store up treasure, where would it be? B. What Are You Investing In? As you consider where you would store up treasure, take a moment to assess realistically where your treasure currently is? Do you feel your heart divided? C. Treasure in Heaven Jesus tells us we have the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven. When we are investing our lives in the things of God, we find that our hearts no longer feel disconnected from God but rather are in unity with God. Faith is realizing that that things that we store up here on earth is not our treasure, but what we give to God and what we give to others- our stewardship, or caring for the things that God cares about is our true treasure in heaven. What beginning steps can you take to lay up treasure in heaven? For additional commentary and articles on this theme, please go to MinistryMatters.com/Treasure.  

Aspiring to Serve God

September 20, 2015 Proverbs 31:10-31 Mark 9: 30-37 Aspiring to serve God Year B I have to admit that I cringe whenever I hear this scripture from proverbs. I don’t know what to do with it, and I ask what does it mean? I have heard some really good sermons on proverbs, and I have heard some really bad ones. As I was preparing this week, I thought at best I could use this text for a women’s day sermon to talk about what it means to be a godly woman. When I choose a scripture to preach on, I always ask, is it empowering. Is it going to give people hope and inspiration to be a better person? On the surface I just don’t see anything empowering about telling women to get up at 3am to start fixing breakfast for their family. And from there spend the rest of your day working and keeping everybody else happy, and doing nothing for yourself. The role of women is changing, we are discovering that we cant do it all. This poem reminds me of the time the trustees did an inspection of my parsonage, and gave me a list of things that needed to be clean – like the grout between the tile in the bathroom. I had to explain to this male trustee, that I was a single woman, with an apathetic teenage son. Who would rather die than help me – which meant everything was on me. I to the trustee, you pay my salary – you can either pay me to stay at home to clean the house, or to leave the mess and come to work and be your pastor. It is your choice, personally I don’t have a preference in how I spend my time – but I cant do both at the same time. And yet on the other hand, if you read this scripture of a woman’s work – it perfectly describes the work of our mothers and grandmothers. They did all of these things everyday – got them done and never complained. I would never preach on this scripture, and yet God works in mysterious ways. God has a way of turning our assumptions on their head. As I started my sermon prep, I learned to have a real appreciation for this scripture. And to rethink its meaning and message. First, let me give you a little background on proverbs. This is a mother’s advice to her teenage or young adult son. Lemuel is a young prince, who will one day become king. His mother wants him to be a good king, so she gives him advice on women, friends, and choosing the right path, instead of getting caught up on what it going on in the streets. Most of the advice that she gives him is about women. In this text she is telling him how to choose the right wife. She wants him to choose a good godly woman, and tells him the qualities of a good woman. Proverbs is the one place in the bible, where wisdom is described as a woman who stands out on the crossroads of life crying out to those nearby. Not everyone listens to her message. Lady wisdom, Sophia has been with God since the beginning of time. She stood by God’s side when he bought creation into being, she was a playmate with Jesus. She knows what she is talking about, but not everyone listens. Proverbs is important to us because as we look at the book of James, the words of Paul, and the rest of the new testament, it is all based on the wisdom books of the Hebrew bible. Unfortunately, in the church we misinterpret the message of being good with the message of being wise. Everything for us comes down to being a good person or a bad person. People outside of the church don’t want their actions to be judged as good or bad, so they think that church and the bible are irrelevant. In reality, there are a lot of good people, who are not wise. Or should I say there are people who look good, who talk good, who dress good, even act good – but in their hearts they are no good. I WANT TO BE PRETTY "I want to be pretty." This is the title of a popular tv program that was airing when we lived in Poland. It was a reality tv show in which in every episode you follow the changes of two women who are the heroes of the program. Each of these women work with a team of specialists for six weeks. During that time they are cut off from contact with their friends and relatives as they undergo major changes in their physical appearance and also their self-image. Finally friends and family are invited to the studio where they meet them face to face with great drama. An example was Gosia who said: "I was good looking all my life but I'm not able to accept how I look now....It's not about being older. But it's simply that I look different. Now I feel like an old used-up slipper. I'm ashamed of myself in front of my husband. This has gone on for nearly a year. How long can he stand it?" Does our life and happiness depend on our appearance? I'm sure Gosia was happier after her transformation but is she a better person? Is she a better wife and mother? Does the change of appearance change our character and make us better people? Right here in this country, I used to love to watch extreme makeover, but always wondered how much those cosmetic changes made in a persons life, when there was no change of heart on the inside. In the Christian bibles – the first words of this scripture say –who can find a good wife? He that does so finds a good thing. Interestingly enough, that is not what the Hebrew bible says. In the jewish religion there is no concept of being good or bad. The jewish religion is about being close to god, not about being good. In the Hebrew bible, the first words of this text actually say who can find a woman of valor. An eschet chayil. Eschet means woman, chayil means valor. A woman of valor is a big deal for them and there are many celebrations for the woman of valor in the jewish calendar. But what does valor mean – valor is one of those living words, which means more than it says. Logos means word, but it is a word that is always put into action. Shalom means peace, but you cant have peace without justice, wholeness and wellbeing. Valor means worth but you cant have value without having honor, dedication, kindness, and self worth. As a matter of fact, the word valor means strong and mighty in battle. Chayil – valor is used 250 times in the Hebrew bible (the old testament), and each time that it is used, it means something different. Most famously it is used in the story of the soldier Gideon. An Angel comes to him and calls him a man of valor. A man who fights on behalf of God and not himself. The angel is telling Gideon to see himself as God sees him – and to live into that vision. The problem is that we see ourselves and others through the lense of man. We strive for perfection based on our thoughts and not God’s thoughts. God did not create us to be perfect and to always do the right things. A lot of Christian men use this text as a checklist for choosing a good wife. There are 26 different qualities that the woman has to have if you are counting. The problem with trying to fit a real woman into this passage is like using the Barbie doll as a measure of beauty. Barbie is not a real person. Her measurements are ideal in man’s eyes – not what God intended. This scripture is an ideal personified, not an ideal person. As a matter of fact, a man is supposed to read those poem to his wife during Shabbat meal and to thank her for whatever she has done for him. The bible messages for both mean and women. And this poem applies to us all. In one way we can think of this poem as the human soul. God is the groom, and the people of God are his bride. Jesus is the groom and the church is the bride. A woman of valor is anyone who strives to have a relationship with God. One who bases their actions on their relationship with God and loves God in all things. A woman of valor is a woman who loves God, not a good wife. This poem is not so much about who I am, it is about who I strive to be in all things. It is an ideal that moves me forward in my relationship with God. not about being good. There are some good people, who don’t have a relationship with God. When you read James, Galations, Ephesians, and the rest of the new testament. The message is not to be a good person. Good and bad are just two different sides of the same coin. The message that we have to give to our young people today that the bible is trying to tell us is that wisdom is its own reward. When you choose wisdom, you choose wealth, health, honor, long life and family. Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave him all those things to go with it. Proverbs is a mother asking her son to choose wisdom – so that he could have the riches of life. When you do the right thing – God will reward you. SLEEPING WHEN THE WIND BLOWS A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The young man slept soundly. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well. The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm. Seek to serve God in all things – that is true wisdom. Amen. TRUST IN GOD "Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment Trust in money and you may have it taken from you; But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity." --D.L. Moody (From a sermon by Jeff Strite, Trusting in Ravens, 8/8/2011)