The Day you Got all that you need

Peace With Justice Sunday 2 Corinthians 3:11-13 Trinity Sunday June 7, 2020 The day we got everything we need Children’s Sermon Object: A pair of boxing gloves Lesson: ... agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Good morning, boys and girls. Do you see what I have with me today? (Hold up the boxing gloves.) That's right. I have a pair of boxing gloves here. As you know, boxers use these when they fight. Do you think that these can hurt you if you get hit with one? (Let them answer.) People who wear these are usually out to hurt another person, so if you don't want to get hurt, it's best to stay away from people who are wearing boxing gloves. Did you know that there is something else that can hurt you even more than these boxing gloves? (Let them respond.) Well, there is. Let me tell you a little story and maybe you can guess what it is that can hurt more than boxing gloves. Once upon a time there lived a family -- a mom and dad and six children. From the time they got up in the morning until they went to bed again, these people were always arguing with each other. The father usually started it all by yelling at his wife to get breakfast ready. Then she would start throwing things in the kitchen because she was so angry at her husband. When the kids came down to breakfast, the dad would yell at them for being too noisy or too quiet, for not eating enough or for eating too much. They couldn't do anything to please him or their mother. So, when they left for school they started to argue with each other. Either they would steal one another's lunch, or call each other names, or do lots of nasty things that brothers and sisters sometimes do to each other. Do you think this sounds like a happy family, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) No, this family wasn't a very happy one. Well, one day there was a knock at their door -- and were they ever surprised when they opened it! There stood Jesus. He had come to visit them. In fact, he asked if he could join them for supper. What would you do if Jesus come to visit for supper? (Let them respond.) Yes, you would probably be very happy and do everything you could to make him feel at home. Well, this family tried very hard to do just that. When they were all seated at the table, Jesus looked at each one of them and said, "My friends, I have come to remind you of my special commandment. Love one another as I have loved you." Naturally, every person at that table felt very uncomfortable because everyone knew that this commandment had been totally forgotten. The members of this family were not hurting each other with boxing gloves. What were they using to hurt each other, boys and girls? (Let them guess.) Very good. They were using nasty words. Words can hurt people more than anything else, can't they? So this week I want all of you to remember this unhappy family and to try very hard to make your own family a happy one. God bless you all. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, WE ARE THE CHURCH, by Wesley T. Runk Welcome and opening prayer – stay tuned for announcements INVOCATION Sovereign God, We give thanks For the majestic creation that you called good. Open our hearts and minds to be creators of your peace with justice. Remind us of the responsibility with which you entrusted us to care for the work of your hands. Move us to repair what is broken in your world and to plant holy seeds so that your garden will flourish once again. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Stewardship Moment – Peace with Justice Sunday God created a world that was in balance. A world where we have enough if everyone lives fairly and with respect for what God created. How do we restore the dignity of those who experience injustice, acknowledging that each person is of sacred worth, made in the image of God? As bearers of God’s image, we know the magnificent power of the one who created us. We celebrate that God’s love was powerful enough to resurrect Jesus after the Roman government executed him. The good news is that God’s love is so powerful that, together, as people created by God, we can repair the damage being done to creation. In recognizing the image of God in our neighbor who is weighed down by injustice, we can begin the process of restoration. We can respond with healing in places where slavery, racism, environmental pillaging and political corruption have interrupted God’s vision of a flourishing garden. Today, we have an opportunity to do that as a congregation. The Peace with Justice Sunday special offering allows The United Methodist Church to repair the harm in communities that face systemic injustice. When we are part of building gardens of Peace with Justice, we honor the divine goodness in one another. God made each of you. And God said you are good. Please turn to the person next to you and say, “God made you. And you are good.” (God made you. And you are good.) Thanks be to God Scripture 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 New International Version (NIV) Final Greetings 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. OUR SOCIAL CREED We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends. We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind. We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family. We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons. Sermon The 3 Rs of a Holy Life – 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 by Leonard Sweet An old adage warns, “bad things always come in threes.” Have you found this true in your own experience? That bad things (and good things) like to happen in community, in bunches? You say: we invent this connection by suddenly realizing that we got a flat tire on the same day that a computer glitch devoured our hard drive, shortly after our last contact lens just slid down the drain. I say: there seems to be something significant about the power of three. Today the church celebrates the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—on this “Trinity Sunday.” We recognize God as power (the Father), God as person (the Son), and God as presence (the Holy Spirit). Paul’s final benediction to the Corinthians switches this order a bit to better express each person’s unique experience of the divine. For Paul, Jesus Christ comes first, for it is through the grace of his life, death and resurrection that humans may be reconciled to God. Only grace enables us to experience “the love of God.” As we stand renewed and redeemed before this loving God, yet another gift is made available, “the communion of the Holy Spirit.” The person, the power, and the presence of God come to us in a threefold design-package. Those forces that work AGAINST the divine have also traditionally been divided into the “big three.” How many of you remember preachers warning their flock to be on guard against the three evils—“the world, the flesh, and the Devil.” If we really do experience bad things in clusters of three, it is the result of these Big Three: The World, The Flesh, The Devil. The Trinity of Evils The World: This is not the world that the God of Genesis brought forth at creation. This is the “world” that turned deadly force against tens of thousands in Myanmar (Burma) this past week. This “world” is the broken world where tsunamis and cyclones and tornadoes and hurricanes pulverize the landscape. This “world” is the barren world where food disappears and famine grips every living thing. This “world” is the bleak worlds where pestilence hunts its prey. The Flesh: This is not the Adam-flesh created in the Garden of Eden by the God of Genesis. This is the “flesh” that now knows disease and death and decay. This “flesh” is fragile, subject to infection, physical fodder for plagues and pandemics. This “flesh” breaks down, breaks apart, and breaks our hearts and spirits with its decay. The Devil: There is no Devil, no antithesis to God’s creative power in the first creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:4a). This Devil doesn’t make an appearance until the second creation story, the tale of the serpent and the forbidden fruit and the draw-down of desire. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit so that they might become “like God,” knowing good from evil. Willful disobedience, a passion for power, seeking to de-throne God, this was the origin of the Devil. Our own irrationalities, hatreds, fears, and despairs bring the “devil” to life. These three evils—the world, the flesh, and the devil---look like an unbeatable team, dooming humans to a mere scratch-and-claw existence. It was subservience to this spirit, to this “tooth and claw” combativeness, that kept the Corinthian community from experiencing the full embrace of Christ. The apostle Paul was so troubled these caustic Corinthians that he penned at least two (some say three) lengthy letters to this community, offering advice, admonitions and out-and-out orders. The world, the flesh, and the Devil were doing a booming business in Corinth. In his final letter, in his final words, in his final benediction, to this contentious community, Paul offered a positive, powerful, alternative Trinity to this struggling church. Paul’s closing command lays out a new kind of three-fold pattern, a pattern that will lead to wholeness and holy living. I call them the 3-Rs of holiness, or the 3-Rs of godly living. Here are the 3 essentials of holiness: Respect, Responsibility, and Relationship. If you want to live a holy life, a life of godliness and truth, you must learn the elementary but elemental 3-Rs of life: Respect, Responsibility and Relationship… If bad things can come in three’s, we can also think of good things that come in 3’s. We naturally think of things in triangles, to three’s. If you look at the celtic knot – it is a trinity knot with three strands of rope that are intrically connected together. So it is natural that we think of the trinity – the father, the son the holy spirit. Mentioned only twice in the bible. Jesus did not specifically mention the trinity. But is it a concept mentioned 12 times in both the old and new testament. This is the only festival day in honor of a church concept. It is interesting that there are twelve places in the New Testament where the three names are grouped together. They are arranged in six different ways, and each of the three names occupies each of the three places twice. There is nothing sacred about the order. We must not think of any person in the Godhead as being inferior to the other one, or in any way less than fully God. We all know that the Lord is God. 1 Kings 8:60 says, "all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other." But Phil. 2:11 says that "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." In 2 Cor. 3:17 it says "the Lord is the Spirit." Well, is the Lord God? is the Lord Jesus? or is the Lord the Holy Spirit? The answer is yes. Paul mentions that concept in our scripture for today. This is a very short bible verse, but it is a powerful message for today. Paul founded churches all over Europe. But it seems that the Corinthians church was his problem church, he was always having to write letters to them in order to correct come problem. Paul says that he had to write three specific letters to them. Today, we can only find two of those letters, 1st and 2nd Corinthians. This was a very contentious congregation, they were always fighting with each other, and Paul had to remind them of the peace that Christ gave them and all of us as a gift. The primary message of second Corinthians are: 1. Put things in order This is Paul's attempt to get the Corinthians to prioritize. When we put our lives in proper order, "last things" (the things that "last") will go "first." That which is important will separate out from the extraneous "junk" we find cluttering up our lives. We can't "sleep loose" if our beds are hidden under piles of this junk. 2. Listen to my appeal The most important word here is listen. We can't hear if we won't be quiet and tune in. Listening saves us from the risk of going off half-cocked, misinformed and misdirected. To "sleep loose," we must listen for the message of God's love which comes to us through the sounds of the Holy Spirit. 3. Agree with one another We are not just to tolerate each other's company (some of the Corinthians apparently could not even do that). We are called to celebrate one another. Since God's love extends to each of us, there is reason to celebrate every individual. Instead of criticizing shortcomings and highlighting the negatives of each other, try emphasizing the positives. Just because we have differences doesn't mean we can't agree to disagree in love. 4. Live in peace When differences are celebrated instead of castigated, we can experience harmony instead of discord, shalom instead of shouting. "Sleeping loose" takes place in such peace and quiet. 5. Receive the gift of love Susan Stiles' 4- and 6-year-old daughters are probably better at receiving love than we are. Children receive love graciously and unselfconsciously. For adults, it is more difficult to relax and "sleep loose" in the offer of God's love after we have spent the day keeping our vulnerabilities tightly locked away from view. We can accept that God is love, but it is far more difficult to accept that God is love for us. The joy and bliss of the Holy Spirit is ours. 6. Join the cloud of witnesses Paul invoked the presence of "all the saints" in his farewell to the Corinthians. Likewise, we must feel a part of all the saints, the entire community of faith. It is in feeling the strength of all that support that we can relax and "sleep loose." We too are living in perilous times, and we too are looking for answers. We started out with a killer virus, and the whole nations closed down, and then there were the killer hornets, earthquakes, the riots , the marches, a very exciting presidential election and if I am not mistaken there is supposed to be an asteroid that comes dangerously close to earth this year. But seriously, we are all looking for answers and understanding as we watch the whole word marching to speak out about racism that has plagued our nation for years. The anger and pain the we see freely expressed today has always been a part of our community life, it is always just beneath the surface, waiting for a reason to come out, and it is coming our now in full force. This is an opportunity for our church, our community, our nation to have some honest dialogue about our relationships. The things that separate us, the things that we have in common the solutions, the answers that we all need to move forward. In a Peanuts cartoon, Peppermint Patty steps up to the store counter. "Yes, sir, I need some school supplies: some pencils, some paper, a loose-leaf binder and some answers. I need lots of answers." Perhaps we feel a little like Peppermint Patty on Trinity Sunday. We need answers! Lots of answers! Or, do we? A Chinese proverb says, "The bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song." We may not have all the answers we need but we do have a song. We are all asking ourselves where is God in the midst of this situation. When a small business owner looks at the shop that they worked all of their life to build falling apart in shambles, they can easily ask where is the God in this situation. When we look at our lives, we all are looking for the presence of God. And as we look through the eyes of faith, we realize that God comes to us in many ways. We find God in our relationships, we can find God in church, we can find God in nature, we can also find God in the tough times in our life. We can find God in people and cultures that we do not understand. The is the point of the trinity – God is present in the world in three persons in three different ways – the father, the son the holy spirit, - the creator, the sustainer, the redeemer. All of them represent love that comes to us in different ways. All of them represent the mystery of God. In preparation for ordination, I had to explain the concept of the trinity, I said it is like having three different snickers. They are in three different packages, but at the factory it was just one batch of snicker mix. Basically, God is such a big concept, that we have to use three different ways to explain the presence of God. Augustine was walking along a beach one day puzzling over the Trinity, when he observed a young boy with a bucket running back and forth pouring water into a little hole. He said, "What are you doing?" The boy said, "I'm trying to put the ocean into this hole." Augustine said at that moment he realized he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite mind. My friend, you cannot do that. The infinite will not fit into the finite. You really can never understand the Trinity, but as one person has wisely said: "Define the Trinity, you will lose your mind, but deny the Trinity, you will lose your soul." As we look at the events of the day unfold, it is not a problem to unfold, but a mystery to behold. It’s a Mystery, and Always Will Be Garrison Keillor, modern American prophet from the radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” said of love, “We should not think that we have figured this out, because it is not a problem, it’s a mystery and always will be.” “It is not a problem, it’s a mystery, and always will be.” Doesn’t that offend you just a little — the suggestion that there are those things in life we have not, and furthermore, will not ever, figure out? Now that we’ve become so advanced that we can put fax machines in cars and can send ourselves messages back from Venus, we are not really open to the suggestion that there are those things that always have been and always will be mysteries to us. We assume that our only limitations are time and energy, and, given enough of the two, there is really nothing we can’t ultimately know. So when we come to a doctrinal matter like the Trinity, the temptation is to want one neat analogy that will make it all clear, one concise statement on the Trinity that will settle it for us and allow us to move on to the next problem. Well, I hate to disappoint you so early in my sermon today, but if that is what you are expecting I suggest that you join those of your friends who are already daydreaming this time away. You see, it’s just not all that easy. It’s not so simple to describe the Trinity in any meaningful way. The Trinity just isn’t one of things we can settle in short order. Maybe if we can’t figure out the Trinity in these few brief minutes (and, given that the church in two thousand years hasn’t been able to get it straight, it’s a fairly safe bet we won’t have the last word on it today,) if we can’t settle the issue today, maybe we can at least try to point to what the doctrine of the trinity is attempting to say about God and how we experience God. James C. Leach, Naming God, Pulpit Digest, January / February 1991, p. 55. THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In this last chapter of the severe letter Paul finishes with four things. (i) He finishes with a warning. He is coming again to Corinth and this time there will be no more loose talk and reckless statements. Whatever is said will be witnessed and proved once and for all. To put it in our modern idiom, Paul insists that there must be a show down. The ill situation must drag on no longer. He knew that there comes a time when trouble must be faced. (ii) He finishes with a wish. It is his wish that they should do the fine thing. If they do, he will never need to exert his authority, and that will be no disappointment to him but a deep and real joy. Paul never wanted to show his authority for the sake of showing it. Everything he did was to build up and not to destroy. Discipline must always be aimed to lift a man up and not to knock him down. (iii) He finishes with a hope. He has three hopes for the Corinthians. (a) He hopes that they will go onwards to perfection. There can be no standing still in the Christian life. The man who is not advancing is slipping back. The Christian is a man who is ever on the way to God, and therefore each day, by the grace of Christ, he must be a little more fit to stand God’s scrutiny. (b) He hopes that they will listen to the exhortation he has given them. It takes a big man to listen to hard advice. We would often be a great deal better off if we would stop talking about what we want and begin listening to the voices of the wise, and especially to the voice of Jesus Christ. (c) He hopes that they will live in agreement and in peace. No congregation can worship the God of peace in the spirit of bitterness. Men must love each other before their love for God has any reality. (iv) Finally, he finishes with a blessing. After the severity, the struggle and the debate, there comes the serenity of the benediction. One of the best ways of making peace with our enemies is to pray for them, for no one can hate a man and pray for him at the same time. And so we leave the troubled story of Paul and the Church of Corinth with the benediction ringing in our ears. The way has been hard, but the last word is peace. Imagine if this was your last sermon that you ever heard. What if you this was the last word that you heard. This is actually the final words of Paul’s letter, just before this Pauls tells the Corinthians that he will not be with them much longer, he must leave them – he says finally brethren….may the grace of God, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. I call trinity Sunday to the Sunday that God gave you everything that you need for faith. God tells us to go on with our lives, go forward in the confusion, the questions, the pain. We have everything that we need in order to face whatever comes next in life – which at this point no one knows. But we can know that the we the father, the son, the holy spirit. The creator, the sustainer, the redeemer = all forms of the love that will bring us through. Let us pray……. Prayer Today is the day God embraces all hues of humanity, delights in diversity and difference, favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends. And so shall we. Today is the day God cries with the masses of starving people, despises growing disparity between rich and poor, demands justice for workers in the marketplace. And so shall we. Today is the day God deplores violence in our homes and streets, rebukes the world’s warring madness, humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly. And so shall we. Today is the day God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace, celebrates where justice and mercy embrace, exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb. And so shall we. Today is the day God brings good news to the poor, proclaims release to the captives, gives sight to the blind, and sets the oppressed free. And so shall we. From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church — 2016. Copyright 2016 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission. Time of meditation Announcements Church council meeting on Thursday at 7pm. We will talk about what it means to reopen the church. Probably will still be a few weeks before open. At moment, only 10 people in the building. Want input from everyone. Will have to social distance. If want the zoom link to the meeting, call the office and you will be sent one. Also survey about what it takes to make you feel safe, encourage everyone to fill out and return to the church. Normally communion Sunday – will have communion on some way in July. Scripture for next Sunday will be Pray for peace and justice Benediction BENEDICTION Friends, go from here filled with the breath of our creator, plant a garden of justice and peace and infuse the earth with the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Truly Free

June 3, 2012 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Truly Free Trinity Sunday Year B The Queen’s Jubilee In case you have not heard, 60 years ago yesterday – the queen of England took the throne. She assumed the duties of queen when her father died in February. But she was officially anointed as queen on June 2nd. Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Is the second longest monarch of England. Her grandmother, Queen Victoria being the longest and oldest. Trinity Sunday Since it seems the June is the month to celebrate things. We may as well celebrate something also. This is Trinity Sunday. Normally, it is just another Sunday. As a matter of fact, for the last few years, as pastor I never even preached on this Sunday because it was always the beginning of annual conference. But the Sunday after Pentecost is the Sunday that we are to remember the fullness of the trinity. With Pentecost the promise of the coming of the holy spirit has come. We have a chance to look at God in all of his glory. And all of his fullness. We understand God – as the father, the son and the holy spirit. And we realize that the more we understand about God, the less we know. Explaining God is a mystery St. Augustine, one of the most astute thinkers the Christian Church has ever produced, was walking along the seashore one day while pondering the doctrine of the Trinity - Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. He seemed to hear a voice saying, "Pick up one of the large sea shells there by the shore." So he picked it up. Then the voice said, "Now pour the ocean into the shell." And he said, "Lord, I can't do that." And the voice answered, "Of course not. In the same way, how can your small, finite mind ever hold and understand the mystery of the eternal, infinite, triune God?" Many Christian churches will be celebrating today the doctrine of the Trinity. It is one of the most prized truths of the Christian faith. "God in three persons, blessed Trinity...." Some explanations of the trinity Some explain the trinity as like a tree – the root, the trunk and the branches – three parts of the same whole. Or some say that the trinity is like a egg – the shell, the egg white, and the yolk. Some say that the trinity is like time – the past, the present and the future. Some say that the trinity is the creator, the sustainer, and the redeemer. There are a lot of other fancy names for the trinity – but the most important to remember is that God is at work in the world and in our lives in many forms and in many ways. There is a God that is so holy that he resides in heaven. There is a God so much a part of us – the he came into the world to speak our language so that we could understand love. Our God is so big, so powerful, so wonderful that we cannot use one set of words to explain what he is doing in the world – we have to use three. Some people believe that The trinity is just one person, others believe they are three separate persons. Whatever we believe about our God – if we have an experience of God – Romans 8 tells us that we should have an assurance of God’s love. Father as example • I read about a small boy who was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and said nothing. • At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father’s full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed. • The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy’s plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew to be a man, he said, “All my life I’ve known what God is like by what my father did that night.” We know what God is like by what he did for us, in the bible, but most importantly by what he did for us in our lives. Romans 8: 14 -15 says for all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. Anyone can be a child of God by birth, but it is only when we experience the presence of God’s holy spirit in our lives for ourselves that we are truly adopted into the family of God. Paul says that when we take on this spirit inside of our lives – then we become equal to the son of God – Jesus. We can truly call God our brother, because through adoption we have become just like him. Worthy of the same inheritance that he has. Patria Potesta – The Father has complete control Roman adoption was always rendered more serious and more difficult by the Roman patria potestas. The patria potestas was the father’s power over his family; that power was absolute; it was actually the power of absolute disposal and control, and in the early days it was actually the power of life and death. In regard to his father a Roman son never came of age. No matter how old he was, he was still under the patria potestas, in the absolute possession, and under the absolute control, of his father. Obviously this made adoption into another family very difficult and a very serious step. In adoption a person had to pass from one patria potestas to another. He had to pass out of the possession and control of one father into the equally absolute control and possession of another. There were two steps. The first was known as mancipatio, and it was carried out by a symbolic sale, in which copper and scales were symbolically used. Three times the symbolism of sale was carried out. Twice the father symbolically sold his son, and twice he bought him back; and the third time he did not buy him back and thus the patria potestas was held to be broken. After the sale there followed a ceremony called vindicatio. The adopting father went to the praetor, one of the Roman magistrates, and presented a legal case for the transference of the person to be adopted into his patria potestas. When all this was completed the adoption was complete. Clearly this was a serious and impressive step. But it is the consequences of adoption which are most significant for the picture that is in Paul’s mind. There were four main consequences. (1) The adopted person lost all rights to his old family, and gained all the rights of a fully legitimate son in his new family. In the most literal sense, and in the most legally binding way, he got a new father. (2) It followed that he became heir to his new father’s estate. Even if other sons were afterwards born, who were real blood relations, it did not affect his rights. He was inalienably co-heir with them. (3) In law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out. For instance, legally all debts were cancelled; they were wiped out as though they had never been. The adopted person was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do. (4) In the eyes of the law the adopted person was literally and absolutely the son of the new father. Adoption into the family of God is a big deal, not to be taken lightly. As a matter of fact Pauls says that when we are adopted we not only take on the joy – but we also take on the suffering. If we suffer with Christ, then we will share in his glory and resurrection. My wife and I waited 15 years for a child that never came by the natural way. However we were approached one day with a lead of a newborn not yet born. I remember standing in front of the judge on our day of adoption. He pointed his finger and asked of me, “Is anyone coercing you to adopt this little boy?” After we had assured him that we were doing so out of love for our sin, he made this statement. “From today on, he is your son. He may disappoint you, even grieve you but he is your son. Everything you own one day will be his and he will bear your name.” Then he looked to the clerk and gave this command. “So order a change in this child’s birth certificate The process through which a person who does not belong to a given family is formally brought into it and made a full, legal family member with the rights and responsibilities of that position. The practice of adoption was not common among the Jews, but was more widespread in the Greek and Roman world. The apostle Paul used the term to illustrate the truth that believers have been given the status of “sonship” in the heavenly family; they can call God “Father” (Rom. 3:15; Gal. 4:6). Adoption makes it clear that our sonship is conferred on us, in distinction from Christ’s, which is inherent.It was then that I realized that my Heavenly Father loved me so much that, without coercion, He loved me and gave His all to me. On that day, He changed my name and I gladly bear His name and His image. A princess of the King I took this opportunity to wear my tiara today. I had to go an buy a new one, when I realized that I had given my old one away. I take being a princess pretty serious. I have this card in my living room, which says Barbie is a Princess, and you are a princess too. In my garage, I have a sign which days Princess parking only – all others will be toad. And my favorite sign – yes I am a princess – my father is king of kings. Theologically that in incorrect – the title of King of Kings goes to my brother Jesus, not to the father. But the important thing to remember, especially about the trinity – is that if you have seen one, you have seen the other. And it is only with the help of the holy spirit that we see and experience them at all. We all have royal titles and royal responsibilities You are supposed to refer to the queen as her majesty, her children and heirs to the throne are his/her royal highness. Other people of noble birth as my lord. If jesus is the king of kings, your lord and savior – then you are just a royal and special as the queen or anyone else., and you get all of the royal priviledges. We have a right to call on God as the father. And know that he will provide for all of our needs. God’s love for us is bigger than we will ever know or understand. God’s deeds are much more than we can ever talk about. God’s being will always be a big mystery. You are a child of the King – wear your crown of faith well. Let us pray…

God and daddies

Is God Like Daddy?
Think of a four-year-old coming home one Sunday after a lesson that taught about God as our Heavenly Father. Sound theology would quickly note that God is neither male nor female, but youngsters do not concern themselves with theological niceties. A four-year-old hears "Father;" the only father he knows anything about is the one that lives with him and says, "Pass the biscuits, please;" so he asks..."Is God like Daddy?" Wow! What a heavy load! But a good load to consider on Fathers' Day...and a good one to consider when we realize that what Daddy is can become a role model for our children's concept of God.
On this fathers day, that is the question that we are faced with, is God like daddy? Or is daddy like God?

Today scripture was the story of creation, and the great commandment – to go make disciples of all nations.

We read of the magnificence of God in all of God’s glory. The father, the son and the holy spirit.

We read of what was present before creation. God did not create out of nothing, God created out of chaos and confusion. He created order first. Scripture says that the spirit brooded over chaos and pondered on what to do about it. You may not realize that there are actually two creation stories in genesis, and this is the second. In the first God created adam first and then eve out of adam’s rib. In this one God created male and female together at the same time, and intended them to be equal. He created them with the other animals, and yet humans are the only creature that was blessed. Blessed to do more, blessed to take care of all of the rest of creation. He created them in our image, in the image of heaven.
Is Daddy like God? yes he is. He is created in the image of God.

Science spends a lot of time explain what creation is, the bible helps us understand why creation is. Why did God create the world in that way – because he wanted to. Creation is God’s vision for the future. Creation is the beginning of order. Creation is also the beginning of a promise of hope. Creation is the revelation of God’s nature – it shows us all that God is predictable, dependable, promise filled, progressive, and bigger, stronger, more powerful than anything in our lives.

At the end of each of the six days of active creation, the bible says In the beginning, God created… and it was good. Everything in God’s creation was good, even daddys and mommies. God created the world to fulfill his plan for redemption of our times today.

The life of Jesus Christ adds an even greater dimension to the magnificence of God. the trinity. Jesus tells his disciples to go and baptize all nations of the world in the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost. God the creator, the son the redeemer, and the spirit the sustainer.

In the despair of what to do after Jesus death, Jesus appears to his disciples. He tells them to go home, back to gallilee. Back where their ministry began. He tells them to go to the top of the mountain, for mountain tops are the place in our lives where we experience the presence of God. He tells them to go out into the world and to baptize and to tell everyone the good news of the father the son and the holy ghost. The creator, the redeemer and the sustainer.

The good news is that creation is still going on today – and God wants us all to be a part of it. If we are a part of creation and it is good, then we all need to be good for something. We all have a job to in the name of the father the son and the holy ghost – the full magnificence of God. Is daddy like God? daddies are a part of creation, daddys have a job to do. And a role to play in the world.

But how important Christian fathers are! A study of church attendance sometime back showed that if both Mom and Dad attended church regularly 72 percent of their children remain faithful to the church. If only Mom attended regularly, only 15 percent remained faithful.
According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father's involvement with a child increases the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn, and the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an "inner excitement."


Is daddy like God? A pastor had to hold 2-3 jobs in order to take care of his family. On Sundays of course, he was always very clean. But during the week, when he would return home from work he would be dirty. He never thought anything of it until he saw his two young sons cleaning the car, and his one son started to put gravel and dirt on his pants. The son replied that he wanted to be dirty like his dad. Children pick up who we are and what we do like sponges – what are we passing on the them, what model do we present to them to follow.

In the jewish home it is the father’s job to provide religious teachings for their children. Jesus would have gotten his image of what a father does from his earthly father – Joseph. What kind of model must Joseph have been for Jesus to experience God as a father. TO describe the entire magnificence of God – as God the father? Jesus teaches the entire world to pray – Our father – not just our father, but our abba – our daddy.
Is God like Daddy? Jesus seems to think so.

A father had always taught his 3 year old to live life with his all. To try as hard as he could to do anything. So he watched with fascination out the window as his son tried to lift this very heavy rock out of his sandbox. The boy struggled, but he just couldn’t lift the rock. The little boy sat on the edge of the box with his head in his hands frustrated. That father came and sat next to him. Youre having a hard time with the rock I see, said the dad. The boy didn’t really answer. Did you do everything that you could the boy asked? Yeah the boy responded? Are you sure the dad asked? The boy looked puzzled. Did you come to ask me to help?

Is God like daddy?

Our magnificent God saw fit to bless us amongst all creation. Our magnificent God saw fit to send his son to us to teach us what it means to be a part of the family of God. Our magnificent God saw fit to make us a part of creation by becoming disciples and preaching the good news to all nations, Our magnificent God cares about every hair on our head, and our magnificent God in involved in our lives enough to answer our prayers – if we just ask.
Is God like daddy?

I think that we spend so much time in the black community talking about the dads that are absent, are not around, are not helping. When there are many dads who are doing their job, and helping with our faith.

I would invite anyone who would like to share a story about their dad.

Let us pray this prayer…..