Where do your Loyalties Lie?

October 26, 2014 Where do your loyalties lie? Matthew 22:34-46 Year A Proper 24 The world series is going on now. I have paid attention to the world series in a while. But the church of the resurrection in Kansas City is excited that the Kansas City Royals are in the world series, and they talk about it on face book quite a bit. And then they made a big deal about the song Royal – San Francisco refuses to play the song as long as the world series is FIRST THINGS FIRST When Coach Bobby Bowden played baseball in college, he never hit a home run. His senior year at Howard College, he was the only player not to hit a home run. One day, he hit a line drive against Auburn. As he approached third, the coach was waving him on. As he made his turn, he heard his third base coach say, "But hurry!" When he touched home, the team was ecstatic, slapping his back and shaking his hand back in the day before "high fives." The first baseman yelled for the catcher to throw him the ball. The umpire yelled, "out." When he ran the bases, Bobby Bowden never touched first. Maybe that's why he became a football coach. Anyway, you can probably imagine he told his players, "If you don't take care of first base, it doesn't matter what you do." Our sermon for today is about first things first. All of the scholars of the time have been questioning Jesus, testing him. In today’s lesson, Jesus is being questioned by the pharisee’s. Jesus if you were to summarize the most important thing in the bible what would it be. Jesus says – First – you must love the lord you god with all of your heart, your mind and your soul. And then you must love your neighbor as you love yourself. The first thing about being a Christian is love. And if you don’t get that right, you can be the best person in the world, your can sing the most beautiful song, you can give the most wonderful gifts – but if it is not done in love, it means nothing. So the first question we may have is what does love mean? Why do we love? How do you love someone? ________________________ What Is the Will of God? "What, positively, is the will of God? The demand for love. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself!" as the second greatest commandment belongs together with the first: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mk. 12:28-34) There is no obedience to God which does not have to prove itself in the concrete situation of meeting one's neighbor, as in Luke (10:29-37), probably unhistorical but with the right of correct understanding of the subject matter, makes clear by combining the illustrative narrative of the Good Samaritan with Jesus' discussion of the greatest commandment. The demand for love surpasses every legal demand; it knows no boundary of limit; it holds even in regard to one's enemy (Mt. 5:43-48). Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, p. 18. Whatever the will of God is, that is also the will of Jesus. I think that it is interesting, that as the concept of love goes beyond our cultural understandings of love. I think that it interesting to note that the middle eastern culture of Jesus would have heard this commandment much different than we do. In the middle eastern culture – love means loyalty. It is not about how you feel inside, it is not even about your actions. When Jesus says love God – he is saying make sure that you are loyal to god in all that you do. To love someone, is to be loyal to them, and to hate them meant to be disloyal to them. To have no relationship with them, to not care about them, to not listen to them. But when you are loyal to someone, you take them into account in everything you think, do or say. So when Jesus asks Peter, do you love me – will you take my commandments into account in everything. Do you plan to be loyal to me. Jesus says if you do, them you will feed my sheep. Jesus made that challenge to Peter and Jesus makes that challenge to each of us. Do you love me? Where are your loyalties in life? What will you forsake, and what will you stick to no matter what. I think that it is important part of our faith to be clear about our loyalties. What is most important, and what do I need to let go of. When I come to church, when I am in service – why am I doing that and what does it mean. What does it really mean to love to the lord with all of my mind, my heart, my soul? And what does it mean to love my neighbor as I love myself? How do you love God with everything, when you are at church, at work, in your family, out in the world. What activities do you do because you love God? Do you sing in the choir? Or work with the kids? Or help to cook meals. Do you learn to forgive others? Do you depend on God for your strength? Do you feed Jesus Sheep? What does it mean to love God, and at the end of the day where are your loyalties – with God or with something else? In talking with Pastor Forbes, she pointed out that there was not just two commandments, but three. Love God, Love your neighbor, but to love yourself. You can only treat others the way you treat yourself. If you don’t love yourself, then you cant love somebody else, not even God. It has been said that a lot of suffer from poor I sight. Not eyesight with our eyes, but I sight with our heart. Text Illustration: POOR I-SIGHT We suffer from poor I-sight. Not eyesight, a matter of distorted vision that lenses can correct, but I-sight. Poor I-sight blurs your view, not of the world, but of yourself. Some see self too highly. Maybe it's the PhD or pedigree. A tattoo can do it; so can a new truck or the Nobel Peace Prize. Whatever the cause, the result is the same. "I have so many gifts. I can do anything." Brazenly self-assured and utterly self-sufficient, the I-focused have long strutted beyond the city limits of self-confidence and entered the state of cockiness. You wonder who puts the "air" in arrogance and the "vain" in vainglory? Those who say, "I can do anything." You've said those words. For a short time, at least. A lifetime, perhaps. We all plead guilty to some level of superiority. And don't we also know the other extreme: "I can't do anything"? Forget the thin air of pomposity; these folks breathe the thick, swampy air of self-defeat. Roaches have higher self-esteem. Earthworms stand taller. "I'm a bum. I am scum. The world would be better off without me." Divorce stirs such crud. So do diseases and job dismissals. Where the first group is arrogant, this group is diffident. Blame them for every mishap; they won't object. They'll just agree and say, "I can't do anything." Two extremes of poor I-sight. Self-loving and self-loathing. We swing from one side to the other. y bump us back and forth. One day too high on self, the next too hard on self. Neither is correct. Self-elevation and self-deprecation are equally inaccurate. Where is the truth? Smack-dab in the middle. Dead center between "I can do anything" and "I can't do anything" lies "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). Neither omnipotent nor impotent, neither God's MVP nor God's mistake. Not self-secure or insecure, but God-secure -- a self-worth based in our identity as children of God. The proper view of self is in the middle. [Lucado, M. (2012). Life to the full: 3-in-1 featuring. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.] What are the things that I do to love myself, those things help me to love God. The things that I do to love God help me to love others, in spite of their unlovability. But I have to put first things first. Love – myself, God and others. If my I sight is right –it all falls into place. People say that you cant make someone love you. And Yet Jesus commands us to love. How can he force us to o something that we may not want to do? How can he command us to love? 3218 Love Makes Obedience Love makes obedience a thing of joy! To do the will of one we like to please Is never hardship, though it tax our strength; Each privilege of service love will seize! Love makes us loyal, glad to do or go, And eager to defend a name or cause; Love takes the drudgery from common work, And asks no rich reward or great applause. Love gives us satisfaction in our task, And wealth in learning lessons of the heart; Love sheds a light of glory on our toil And makes us humbly glad to have a part. Love makes us choose to do the will of God, To run His errands and proclaim His truth; It gives our hearts an eager, lilting song; Our feet are shod with tireless wings of youth! —Hazel Hartwell Simon 3219 He Chooses To Be Seraphim It is said that the young son of Bishop Berkeley once asked him the question, “Papa, what do the words, “Cherubim and seraphim” mean?” The bishop took time to tell the little questioner that cherubim was a Hebrew word meaning knowledge, and the word seraphim stood for flame, explaining that it is commonly supposed the cherubim are angels that excel in knowledge and the seraphim are those who excel in love for God. “Then I hope,” the boy said, “that when I die I will be a seraphim. I’d a lot rather love God than to know everything.” —Evangelistic Illustration Finally, I have one more illustration. Perceptions of Church: There for the Right Reasons In her book, Memories of War, Promises of Peace, Sister Mary Jo Leddy writes about her parents' World War II experiences. Her father, Jack, was a surgeon in the Allied army. Jack, stationed in a French town, often went to a nearby church for rest, refuge, sanctuary and prayer. For him it was a special and holy place. Forty years later, he returned to the village with his wife and daughters, insisting that they all visit the precious chapel. When they reached the church, Leddy was delighted and wanted to go inside right away. But the family was horrified by the homeliness of the building. Ugly was the word. The walls were beige stones, stained and covered with fungus. On the roof was something that looked more like a chimney than a bell tower. In any case, there was no bell to ring. Not a single flower or blade of grass grew in the grim clay ground around. Mother and daughters criticized the church's appearance. They remarked that it was like a scene from a Gothic horror movie. Leddy's Dad looked at them rather blankly. In 1944, he had never really noticed what the church looked like. "It looked pretty good at the time," he said. "It was a place to go and pray." Leddy eventually came around to her father's viewpoint. Speaking of the church she writes: "This was where he was at home in the world, where he knew who he was with God." It is amazing how much better a church looks when you are there for the right reasons. Some people use putdowns, and criticism to keep from confronting their own spiritual poverty. When we are in the church for the right reason, and when know where our loyalties lie, when we put love before all other acts, then God promises that we will be happy and live a good life. God’s commandments are always for our own best interest and I sight. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com Jesus lesson on love is part of a much bigger story. As I said at the beginning of the sermon – the Pharisees were intentionally testing Jesus. They were asking questions in order for him to slip up. After he gave them the most important lesson on love – scripture says the they could not argue with him and they did ask him any more questions. The stopped talking to him and started plotting against him. Obviously they did not get the message. We can be grateful that we did. Let us pray…. The Greatest Commandment by Brett Blair Passage: Matthew 22:34-40 • Lectionary: Proper 25 Item 4 of 14 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: A working understanding of the Greatest Commandment. Props: None Lesson: I need your help this morning. I am trying to figure something out. Jesus said we need to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. First of all who can tell me about love? What do we do when we love someone? (response) If they answer by describing feelings ask the question again. You have just described feelings of love can you tell me what you DO when you love someone? (response) Now, can you tell what you do when you love God? (response) Maybe this will help: Can you tell me what it means to love God with all your strength? Hold your arms up like your making muscles. (response-if needed, help them with ideas) What does it mean to love God with all your brain? Point to your mind. (response) Alright, what does it mean to love God with all your heart? Hand over your heart. (response) Last one, what does it mean to love God with all your soul? Cross your arms over your chest.(response) Use your strength to help someone this week. Love God with your mind and memorize the Ten Commandments this week. Use your heart and care for someone by telling them you like them. And, love God with your soul this week and pray for someone that is sick or in trouble. These are all things we can DO to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let's Pray: Lord we love you and we want to love others. Show use how to use every part of body to do your will. Amen. Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe, 2000

Come to the Party

October 12, 2014 Matthew 22:1-14 18th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Come to the Party Text Illustration: Five brothers were walking along a road when they saw a sign: “party tonight!” It announced. “Free food, drink, music, dance.” And best of all, at the bottom it said, “hosted in person by The King.” The first brother read the poster and said, “I’m not interested.” I’m going to stay home and eat leftovers and go to bed early. This is as close to the King as I ever want to be.” The other four were excited to go, and spent the rest of the day choosing their best clothes and getting cleaned up and talking about what it was going to be like. The appointed time came and they set out together. As they neared the hall they could already hear the music pouring out of the windows, and they could see the smiles on people’s faces as they walked in. It was a glorious sight, and they could feel the excitement. The second brother stopped and sat down on the curb. “This is close enough,” he said. “I can sort of hear the music and I can see the people going in. This is pretty good, I don’t want to go any further because I’m not sure what I’ll find. And maybe I’ll get a glimpse of the King going in.” The three remaining walked into the hall together, and the sight was amazing. The smells were incredible, the food unbelievable, the music was supreme. They sat and feasted and enjoyed the party, and could see the King at the head table feasting and laughing and radiating joy. As they finished the meal, the tables were cleared away to make room for the dance floor. The third brother got up and said, “I’ve had enough. My belly is full, I enjoyed the meal, I’m leaving before I have to really join in the party. I got to see the King, this is close enough for me.” As the last two sat there, they saw a beautiful woman walking across the dance floor straight towards them. As she got closer they recognized her as the daughter of the King, who had been seated beside Him at the head table throughout the meal. She approached the two and reached out her hands to them both and said, “Come and dance! My Father saw you and wants you to come and join He and I and the others in dancing for joy!!” One brother looked down at his feet. “No, thanks. This is close enough. Besides, I don’t know how to dance.” “Just let go, I’ll teach you!” said the Daughter of the King. “No,” he replied, I might get embarrassed. This is close enough.” And he got up and left. The last brother also bowed his head. “I’m not worthy. I’m not good enough to dance with the King, and besides, I don’t know how to dance either. I’m afraid He will send me away, or I’ll get it wrong and look silly.” He paused, and looked up into the eyes of the daughter of the King. She repeated the invitation, “Just let go, I’ll teach you!” She reached her hand a little closer, and though his was shaking, he reached up and took her hand. Her faced came alive with a smile, he saw joy in her face, he felt life and boldness and love and exuberance come flooding into him and with joy he followed her across the dance floor to the King, who embraced him like a long lost son and then took both of them by the hand. And then they all danced. That story describes a lot of how we go to church, and more importantly how we manage our relationship with God. God extends the invitation to all people to come to the party. We are all excited about the party, but we don’t all show up. Sometimes we think that just being invited us enough excitement, we don’t even bother to show up. And then there are those who think being near the party is enough for them. And them some of us come to the party, but are determined not to do anything. That is me – I don’t like to dance at parties I will come and sit around and talk about people, but not dance. Some are invited to dance and still say no. Only those who are willing to dance with God, come to know the true joy of God. when was the last time God invited your to dance? And how did you respond? How far were you willing to go? And when did you decide that it was time to sit down? Today I am going to do something a little different, because I want our sermon time to be interactive. I don’t want to be long because I want us to think about our invitiation to dance, and to respond to God’s invitiation. I want us to have time for our new member celebration, but I also want us to remember that the celebration is for all of us. As they take their vows, it is our chance to remember our vows, and to think about what God is calling us to do to get involved in the building of the kingdom of God When I went to the church of the resurrection, in one of our workshops I was struck by one instructor, who said there there is a difference between us saying that we want to grow as a church, and that we are growing. It is a decision, just like coming to the party. Either we are going to stand outside of the party – or we re going to decide to come in and have fun. But growth starts with our relationship with God, and how much fun we want to have to the party. I think that this celebration is a sign that God has invited us and all that we have to do is come. 1266 Record Banquets The largest recorded banquet was given by President Loubet of France to every one of the 22,000 mayors in France in 1900. Indoor banquets, however, is topped by the 10,158-guest, $15-a-plate extravaganza in support of Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago in 1971. Living with God in our lives is a big feast. When we become a part of God’s family, there are thousands of people who are able to come. Some who don’t know that they have been invited. We wont see all of them present here – it would be good if we could get a hundred, and them 200 to come and party with us Jesus liked to party – Jesus especially liked to go to weddings. Because there was always a lot of good food, good music and an opportunity to dance. One king, took pride in his musicans. So he asked to question of them, what instrument was the most beautiful sounding. And the orchestra started to brag about their insturments, of course the clarinet is the best, and the strings spoke up, and the organist talks about all of the beautiful instruments. The drums thought they had to most compelling sound. Even the cymbal player thought his instrument was the best. The king would not choose between them. But he said wait until the party, and I will tell you what the sweetest sound of the party is. The party came, and the instruments were so nervous about being the best, no body played. There was silence, no chatter, no dancing, nothing. Until it was time to eat – the cymbal player led the procession – and the plates started to come our. There was rattling of bowls and dishing, the swoosh of the water, the clanging of silverware. And then the king announces, when you re hungry, the sweetest sound is the sound of a feast being prepared. When you are hungry, it is not the band that you listen for it is the sound of food coming to the table that is the sweetest sound of all. When we are hungry in our soul – the sound of god preparing our feast of joy and fulfillment is the greatest sound of God – How hungry are you in your soul? I invite those who are joining the church to come…… Perhaps you have heard of the family that moved into the neighborhood and the little country church decided to reach out to the family. When they arrived at the doorstep the members of the church were surprised to find that the family had 12 kids and were for the most part poor. They invited the family to services and said goodbye. Later that week the church responded to their need. They delivered a package to the family and said, "We want you to know that you and your entire family are welcome at our church anytime. We have bought you these gifts and we want you to feel comfortable and at ease in our congregation. We hope you can use these," and they left. The family opened the package to find 14 suits of clothing, beautiful clothes for every member of the family. Sunday came and the congregation waited for the family, and they waited. The family never showed. Wondering what could have possibly happened, after lunch the members of the church returned to the home and found the family just getting back, all dressed in their new clothes. "We don't mean to be nosey but we would like to know what happened. We had hoped to see you this morning in church," the leader of the church inquired. The father spoke up. He said, "Well, we got up this morning intending to come. And we sure do appreciate your invitation. But after we showered, shaved, and dressed, why we looked so proper we went to the Episcopal Church." God doesn’t care what we wear on the outside, it is the inside our soul that God wants to see. Children’s Sermon…… Invited To A Feast by King Duncan Passage: Matthew 22:1-14 • Lectionary: Proper 23 Item 5 of 10 | Back to Results Object: envelope that is addressed, a postage stamp (don't put stamp on envelope yet) Good morning, boys and girls. I want you to pretend with me for a moment. Let's pretend I'm going to have a really big party, and I wanted to invite you. How would I send you the invitation? That's right, I'd mail you the letter. Okay, here's my envelope, and I've got your address on it, and I'm all ready to send it out, right? Can I send the invitation out like this? No, I can't. You know why not? It doesn't have a stamp on it. The post office won't deliver mail that doesn't have a stamp on it. (Affix your stamp to the envelope) That stamp shows that you've paid for the mail. After you put the stamp on, then the post office will deliver the invitation. Our Bible story today is about a very special invitation. God invites us all to be a part of His kingdom. He invites us all, every last one of us, to follow Him and live the life He's planned for us. And He put a very special postage stamp on that invitation: Jesus! I bet you never thought of Jesus as a postage stamp, did you? Well, Jesus came to earth to deliver God's invitation to us. He wanted to tell us that God loves us, and God wants us to be a part of His family. And just like a postage stamp shows us that the piece of mail has already been paid for, Jesus tells us that He's already paid for our sins, so there's nothing standing between us and God. So let's pray and tell God that we accept His invitation; we want to be a part of His family. Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20 Extra illustration Text Illustration: THE MICROSCOPE AND THE BIBLE Many years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma -- he would destroy the instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the microscope to pieces. "How foolish!" you say. But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They read it and would like to get rid of it because it reveals their evil nature. (From a sermon by Billy Bevan, Making Light of God’s Call, 5/26/2011)

Anointing

Anointing Exodus 30:22-31 1 Peter 2:4-5 1 John 2:24-27 (Prepared for Student Pastor Jacqueline Forbes) October 5, 2014 God Preparing his people Exodus is the story of God preparing to live in the promisedland. God said that he wanted to bring his people out of slavery and to bring them out into the wilderness, so that they would be free to worship their God. Worship is not just what we do, or what we say – true worship of God is who we are. God wants to have all of our being, and God knew that as long as they were in slavery, they could not give their whole selves to God. We have been looking at Exodus as a part of our lectionary readings. But I am going to take us a little beyond the lectionary today. Once the Isrealites were free of Egypt, Moses needed to teach them how to prepare a tabernacle in order to worship God. Once the tabernacle was completed, God said that everything and everyone that was used for worship must be set apart and made holy in order to be of service to God. Ingredients for anointing In Exodus 30 God gives Moses instructions on how to make special oil to anoint people and things for worship. He gives Moses 5 ingrediants: myrhh, cinnamon, calamus,cassia and olive oil. As I was doing research for this sermon, there are many meanings of these particular ingrediants. Myrhh was used in anointing people for death. In order to serve God, we have to be dead to our own wishes and desires. In looking for these ingrediants, I was reminded to be careful with this oil because cinnamon is hot. We have to be hot with the spirit of God. Calamus is a root the gives off a sweet aroma – Christ calls us to live a life of sweetness. Cassus is the bark of the cinnamon tree- it is very fragrant – out faith should stick out and make others aware of our presence, and finally there is olive oil. In the mediterannean world – olive oil is the essence of life. There is nothing without it. I think it is interesting that none of these ingrediants would have been readily available in the wilderness, but they would have been very familiar with them in Egypt. Also, there was nothing special about each of these ingredient alone. But together they were holy. God tells Moses that this oil was so holy, that no one should try to make it. And that it should be used for only special purposes. In the Isrealite tradition, anointing was reserved for priest, prophets and kings. And eventually, only kings were to be anointed. Eventually they began to speak of the anointed one who would come and save his people. The anointed one was the messiah. Jesus the anointed one The messiah was definitely not Jesus. Jesus was a layperson, not a priest, not a prophet, and he was a carpenter,not a king. Jesus was never anointed with God’s special oil. As a matter of fact, when Jesus begins his ministry, he does not use oil – he says that it is the spirit that anoints him to heal the sick, feed the hungry, free the captives, and to preach the good news of salvation. We call our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is his name, Christ is his title. Now we have always been told that the Jewish word messiah and the greek word Christ mean the same thing – the anointed one. Well I did a little research and discovered that is not true. Messiah is a special person, give a special task anointed with a special oil. Oil that was literally poured over the persons head. Christos does not mean anointed one- it means smeared with ointment. Jesus the common messiah Last week when we went to the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas – Leonard Sweet was the keynote speaker. And he gave an inspiring sermon on the anointing of Jesus. Now according to him – I couldn’t find this anywhere else – but he says that Christos was the name of a common grease that you would keep around the house. It was cheap and easy to come by. In modern times we have become afraid of any type of grease or oil. Never mind the fact that our bodies need to have oil in order to function. Our brain needs it, our hearts need it, our joints need it – but health experts are constantly telling us that greasy stuff is bad for you. It all depends on what kind of grease you use. Christ who can take the heat About 14 years about – I went on this health kick and decided that I would only use healthy ingrediants in my kitchen. I got rid of all of my butter, Crisco, corn oil. I decided that I would only use olive oil in the kitchen. A few years ago I decided being healthy was nice, but being practical made more sense. You see, you cant heat olive oil. Heat makes olive oil break down and disintegrate. So recently I had to make the decision that if I couldn’t use olive oil to fry chicken, then there was really no need to have it in my kitchen. I don’t saute a lot of vegetables. Now mind you, I only fry a about two or three times a year, but my point is that when I do fry, I need something that can take the heat. So common everyday cooking oil came back into my kitchen, along with my butter and other greasy things. Now if olive oil is the high grade oil of today – what is the common everyday oil that used to be in every household kitchen in America – Crisco. They took transfat out of Crisco in 2004 – but I still don’t use it, so if someone wants it they can have it after service, if not I will put it in the food pantry. But I wanted us to think about Crisco – because there is a lesson in this can for us today. Jesus is the Christ of the common person. He is the practical messiah that can be used by the common person. He intentionally didnt want to be anointed with the good stuff – olive oil – he wanted to be anointed with every day Crisco. Paul was the first to call Jesus Christo. Christo was a joke at the time. The jews would have been scratching their head when they heard Jesus Christ. They would be thinking –if he is not a priest, a prophet or a king. Of he has not been ordained – then how is he the anointed one – themessiah. The greeks would have been scratching their heads - Christos means the smeared one. They would be wondering why would you smear a man with Crisco? Why would you smear a man with Crisco? Because we the common people live in a world full of troubles and concerns. I need a Lord and Savior who can take the heat. An olive oil messiah wont do me no good. A messiah smeared in Crisco, prepared to deal with the realities of life is what we need. Christos. Jesus Christ. Why we are Christians And now to take it even further. We are to follow Christ into his anointing. That is why they started calling his followers Christians. We are Christians, not resurectionists, or Easter people, or Jesusonians. Christ means the anointed one – Christians are those who take on his anointing in their own life. 1 Peter says that we are the priesthood of all believers. 1 John 27 says that the anointing that you have received of him lives in you. Christ intentionally chose to be the messiah of the common person. He choose to remain a layperson. And he chose to give us his power, his anointing so we can continue his work in our everyday lives. Honor student pastor On this day we want to honor the ministry of our sister, Jacqueline Forbes. At his point in her life, Jacqueline is a layperson. She has not been ordained. Yet she is in seminary, which means that she has started her journey to some type of service to God. While she is here, she is Pastor Forbes, or Pastor Jacqueline. The terms pastor and Reverend are not synomous. Pastor is a role, a job description. Reverend is a title for someone who has been ordained by some denominational church. Pastor Forbes has chosen to wear a robe for worship, which is well within her right. She is not however entitled to wear a stole. A stole is a symbol of ordination. A lot of new clergy like to brag that they have been appointed as Senior Pastor of a church. In the United Methodist Church, Senior Pastor is term for a pastor who has an appointed associate pastor serving under them. My official role in this congregation is pastor. (unless you all want to pay me more money to be senior pastor). But a pastor is simply the shepherd of the flock. I am going through this all pretty quickly. When we use the words anointing, consecration, ordination, these are all terms that have varied meanings according to the situation, the denomination, and who you ask. Today – consecration simply means our acknowledgment of the beginning of Jaqueline’s walk toward specialized ministry. And acknowledgement of her work with us in the coming year. She may share her journey and indeed why this is a time of being set apart. Jacqueline I want to share this story 820 Take All The Keys, Lord Dr. F. B. Meyer came to a crucial, transitional time in his ministry. He sat dejectedly in his study. “My ministry is unfruitful, and I lack spiritual power,” he said to himself. Suddenly Christ seemed to stand beside him. “Let me have the keys to your life,” Christ said. The experience was so realistic that he reached into his pocket and took out a bunch of keys! “Are all the keys here?” “Yes, Lord, all except the key to one small room in my life.” Christ said: “If you cannot trust me in all rooms of your life, I cannot accept any of the keys.” Dr. Meyer was so overwhelmed with the feeling that Christ was moving out of his life because he was excluding Him from one interest in his life that he cried out, “Come back, Lord, and take the keys to all the rooms of my life!” —Walter B. Knight Let this be a moment to be reminded that we are Christians – we share in Christ anointing to heal the sick, feed the hungry, free the captives, and to spread the good news. Amen. Children's Sermon: A New King by Patricia Hatfield Can anyone tell me what a king is? (Listen to the children's answers.) Yes, a king is a leader or someone who is in charge of a country. Do you know what a king does? (Makes laws; leads the army; speaks for the people.) So what do you think a king looks like? (Old or young; tall and strong; wears a purple robe and crown.) Someone who looks like that we expect would surely be a strong and powerful king, able to lead the people in war and in peace. In our Bible story today, we hear how God chooses a new king for the Hebrew people. God tells the priest, Samuel, to go to Jesse, a father with eight sons. The Lord would tell Samuel which one of the eight boys would be the new king. When Samuel arrived at Jesse's house, he saw the oldest son, Eliab. Eliab was very tall and handsome. Samuel was sure this was the son who would be the new king. But God said to Samuel, "Don't pay attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have not chosen this son because I do not judge by how a man looks on the outside. I look at the heart." One by one, Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, but each time Samuel said, "No, the Lord hasn't chosen him. Do you have any more sons?" Jesse answered, "There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep." "Tell him to come here," Samuel said. So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The Lord said to Samuel, "This is the one!" And right in front of the older brothers, Samuel marked David with special olive oil to show that he would be the new king. Did you expect God to choose the youngest son to be king? It doesn't matter to God how old we are, or how tall we are, or what we look like. We can still be a king for God if we have a good heart. Do you think there are any kings here today in our congregation? (Children will probably think this is funny. Mention some of the church leaders such as Sunday school teachers, the board moderator, or the elders.) All these people were called by God to be leaders in our church, to make rules for our church, and to speak for the people of the church. Do any of you think that you will be called by God to be a leader in our church? Probably David didn't expect to be chosen. Perhaps some of our leaders didn't expect to be chosen either. But they are serving God through their good hearts and by what they are willing to do. Let's pray:

Unexpected Gifts

Exodus 16:2-15 Year A September 21,2014 Unexpected Gifts Isreal – the people who complain What is the favorite pastime of God’s people. They love to complain. Now before you start thinking that pastor is about to start talking about somebody in the congregation. I am not about to go there – not yet at least. I am not talking about you – I am sticking with scripture – so I am just unpacking the scripture. We are talking about the people of Israel. That is what Israel means – one who wrestles with God. One who has a God given right to complain to God and to expect an answer. God says in this scripture passage, as he has said many time before. I have heard the complaints of my people and I am compelled to give them an answer. I may not be the answer that they are looking for – but it is an answer. So there is nothing wrong with complaining. It is a part of our condition –it is who we are and it is what we do. The man unsatisfied with his service John Yates, the Rector of the Falls Church in Virginia, tells the story of a young man writing at a post office desk who was approached by an older fellow with a post card in his hand. The old man said, “Young man, could you please address this post card for me?” The young man gladly did so, then agreed to write a short message when asked and to sign the card for the man. Finally the younger man asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” The old man looked at the post card, thought about it for a moment, and said, “Yes, at the end put, ‘P.S. Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.’” Complaining takes no special skill. Anybody can do it. But maintaining our joy come what may takes grace, strength, and humility. It is going to require a spiritual DNA change. Let us make the decision today to seek those virtues and be people of holy expectation and contagious delight. Cheese with your whine There is nothing wrong with complaining – but as the people of God – we have been told that we can do better. The next time someone complains to you – you should ask them what kind of cheese they want with their whine. Some people will get that, and others it may take awhile. People on the way I thought it was a good idea for us to take some time to think about the exodus story. Because it is a story of God’s people who are on the move. And what is one of the surest signs that God is about to do a new thing – people start to complain. In order for us to get from Egypt to the promiseland – God has to take us into the wilderness. In order for us to get from where we were – to where we are supposed to be – we have to go through transition. None of us take transition very well – so what do we do – we complain. The good news for those who complain- is that time and time again God has a way of saying I have heard your cry. And I will make things better. Manna – what is it? The bible says that God gave the Isrealites Quail and manna. Our traditional interpretation of manna is bread. But the Hebrew word for bread means doesn’t just mean baked bread, it means anything that is edible. Manna could have been anything. As a matter of fact, that is what manna means what is this? What is this that comes down from heaven each and every day? What is this that we are only to take as much as we need and leave the rest for others? What is this to comes in a double portion when we are supposed to take a rest day? What is this that spoils when misused? Not your every day bread, but bread from heaven – The grace, peace and love of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our manna and he provides for all of our needs. Bread from heaven In my first appointment – the lay leader and I would visit the sick and shut in and serve communion once a month. One of the ladies that we would visit – was not only blind, but she was also hard of hearing. And she had not been to church in about five years. Since I was not her old pastor – Julius Trimble – it took her a couple of months to realize that I was her pastor. After the second time we came to visit – everytime we would come – she would start singing bread of heaven - . I had never heard the song before – but to hear her sing it gave the song such meaning. Bread of heaven – feed me til I want no more. Jesus Christ is the only thing that can feed all of our wants and needs. Jesus us the only thing that can satisfy us to the point that we don’t need to complain in order to be fed. We can be grateful for who Christ is and What Christ has done to save our lives. God’s gave the people quail and manna – they had both a protein and a carbohydrate – that should have been enough to keep them full – but they continued to complain. Don’t store up manna All God was trying to do was to get them to trust him. To understand that the Lord provides. He told them not to store up any extra for tomorrow – but to collect the bread from heaven anew and afresh day by day. And thousands of years later we still don’t get it- we still like to hoard and save things that we cant keep until tomorrow. We especially like to hoard money, property, youth, possessions, health, relationships. All things that we have to be reminded that do not belong to us in order to keep and hold onto. The harder you hold onto those things – the more devastated you are when you lose them. Some things you have to ask for every day And yet we are reminded that there are certain things in life that cannot be stored, for that matter you have to gather those things day by day – moment by Moment. Some of those things are: your blessings, your strength, your faith, your gratitude, your joy. All things that you cant store up for tomorrow. Each and every morning, you have to gather those things from heaven. And God gives you just enough to make it through the day. Tomorrow you have to ask for more. But Christ wants us to understand that when you have enough of those things in your life- then you start to see that there is no need to complain. God sees your need, whatever your attitude and your mindset. You can complain, or you can pray – either way- every day there is bread from heaven to feed you until you want no more. A season of new beginnings We are going to hang out in Exodus for a few Sundays – because I think that the Isrealites – those who wrestle with God have some important lessons for us for the future. As we celebrate a season of new beginnings – I think that it is important for us to realize that God is taking us to a new place in our individual lives, and in our communal lives. I think that there are several important lessons for today – first that in order for us to make it to a better day – we have to go through the wilderness. If it wasn’t an uncomfortable place to be – it would be called to wilderness. But even in our discomfort, God is with us. God is listening to our cries, God is providing for our needs. God is going to give us unexpected gifts from heaven – and that gift is going to be so strange, do different, that the only thing we will know how to say is what is this? But the only way we will truly understand what it is if we trust God, learn to be patient, count our blessings, and most importantly be willing to become a new person, in a new place, doing a new thing. When you are traveling with God – every day is a new beginning. Our call to discipleship is for everyone today – I am going to invite everyone to be a part of our celebration of new beginnings. Extra illustrations Add Air or Put on the Spare! (08.24.05--Under Pressure!--Exodus 16:2) When we are under pressure, we can either seek to manage the pressure or let the pressure manage us. Easier said than done? Yes, but like most things in life, there is a way if we really have our eyes and hearts open to finding it. The other day I had a flat tire on the Corvair. It was one of those slow flats that you look at every day as you get into the car in the morning and say, “I think that it is a little low. I’ve got to put some air in that tire soon.” After weeks of looking and not doing, I pulled out of the garage one morning and, after a few miles on the road, I began to feel the car handling poorly. There was a sway and unsteadiness about it. I knew that it could only be one thing--the tire that was going flat, not having convinced me of its plight in the garage, it was now speaking to me on the highway. It was time to either add air or put on the spare. I could have avoided the inconvenience of changing a tire if I had simply reached for the air compressor days ago and filled that tire to pressure. Not having done so, I was left with the lesser of the two choices, changing a dirty tire on a busy highway. Instead of handling the pressure, it had handled me. “There are two ways of handling pressure.” According to Jay Kesler. “One is illustrated by a bathysphere. Bathyspheres compensate (for pressure) with plate steel several inches thick, which keeps the water out but also makes them heavy and hard to maneuver. (When) you look through the tiny, thick plate-glass windows, however, what do you see? Fish! These fish cope with extreme pressure in an entirely different way. They don’t build thick skins; they remain supple and free. They compensate for the outside pressure through equal and opposite pressure inside themselves. “Christians, likewise, don’t have to be hard and thick-skinned--as long as they appropriate God’s power within to equal the pressure without.” (Jay Kesler.) Add air or put on the spare. The Bible tells us to manage our pressure by not giving into the temptation to let things go until they are unmanageable. When we fill ourselves up with God’s Word every day, pray and give thanks to our Creator God who is above all stress and pressure in this life, we manage the pressures of the day by equalizing them on the inside with His Holy Spirit. There is no need to wait for our lives to deflate under the pressures of the day as long as we keep filling ourselves up with the equalizing pressure of God’s love. Add air or put on the spare. The choice is up to us. AMEN. What kind of cheese do you want with your whine?

We are in this thing together

Matthew 18:15-20 We are in this thing together 13th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Disharmony in Worship There was a church where the pastor and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service. The first week the pastor preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director led the song, "I Shall Not Be Moved." The second week the pastor preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director led the song, "Jesus Paid it All." The third week the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, "I Love to Tell the Story." With all this going on, the pastor became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, "Oh Why Not Tonight?" As it came to pass, the pastor did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus who was taking him away. The music leader led the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Of course I can be grateful that I have a wonderful relationship with both of our music directors. And they always try to match the songs with the message of the sermon. But I think that every now and then, that it is important for us to think about who we are in life. To take account of who we are as a community. And to check our thoughts and actions up against the bible. A church is a community of people. What makes us different from others, is that we order ourselves, not according to what people think. But what Jesus thinks. Yes we have the book of discipline, that tells us what it means to be a united Methodist church. But we don’t gather every Sunday to read and review what the book of discipline says, we gather to see what the bible says. Today I want us to look at the gospel of matthew, and what Jesus says about what it means to be the church. Some people question chapter 18, because they wonder, how can Jesus talk about the church, when the church was not fully formed. And we have to remember that the church was formed according to Jesus word, not the other way around. We are the church because Jesus calls us the church. In his words he gave us special powers as the church to do the work of God on earth. And that special power is the power to forgive and to reconcile. Every community has things some type of conflict going on. We would not be a community if we didn’t. I am sure that there are some rumblings going on now, as quiet as it is kept. But the problem is that those rumblings can be a result of unresolved issues. And those unresolved issues start to fester into wounds. And what do we tend to do when we are wounded. We blame, we point fingers. Instead of dealing with people, we avoid them. Nothing get done, because we have decided that we don’t want to work with that person. I guess I have been on roll in using C.S. Lewis as an example. He was an interesting person. He didn’t not become a committed Christian until his wife died. And in dealing with that grief, he also struggled with God, and what it means to live a godly life. He came out with a good inner understanding of what it meant to be human and Christian at the same time. Are You Willing to Live in Hell? In his book The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist, draws a stark picture of hell. Hell is like a great, vast city, Lewis says, a city inhabited only at its outer edges, with rows and rows of empty houses in the middle. These houses in the middle are empty because everyone who once lived there has quarreled with the neighbors and moved. Then, they quarreled with the new neighbors and moved again, leaving the streets and the houses of their old neighborhoods empty and barren. That, Lewis says, is how hell has gotten so large. It is empty at its center and inhabited only at the outer edges, because everyone chose distance instead of honest confrontation when it came to dealing with their relationships. “Look, she’s the one who said that about me. Let her come and apologize!” “We may go to the same church, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got to share a pew with that so-and-so!” “It’ll be a cold day in July before I accept his apology.” That’s all well and good, I suppose... if you don’t mind living in hell. Are we really so willing to give up our relationships with others – relationships that have come about and been forged by our desire to follow Jesus? Nowhere, and I do mean nowhere, in the New Testament gospels will you find Jesus saying that the first order of things is always to be right. But he does have a great deal to say about forgiveness, about relationship, about reconciliation, about service and humility and vulnerability. He makes it sounds like family, doesn’t he? Randy L. Hyde, Two or Three That is the problem with this model of reconciliation in the church. Jesus says that if we have a problem with someone, that first we should go directly to them, not to our friends and supporters, but to them and to correct the issue. If that does not work, then bring two or three other church members with us and discuss the issue. If that does not work, then band them from the community. We never get to the third step, because people would rather walk away, then experience forgiveness. They would rather stand in the periphery than reconcile. We lose our power as a special community, because we lose our people. The blessing of God are in our ability to forgive one another. In order to have a relationship with anyone, you have to be able to forgive. We have to be able to reconcile with one another and to move forward. The secret to being a church, a special community is that we are a forgiven people who have worked to forgive others. Any relationship requires a time of understanding and forgiveness. We have to pray for those who have walked away, and work with those who are still with us. A congregation is not to be like the secular world. Instead of suing or chastising, the faithful are to give the offender a chance. Yes, they are to be confronted, but not humiliated in public. Rather than be judged or prosecuted they are to be given a chance to repent. The church is to avoid embarrassment and help people feel less ashamed. This requires great sensitivity. The way of the church is through reconciliation. For to be redeemed means to help a person return to wholeness and to be at peace with one’s self and one’s neighbors. Therefore, the church is to make every effort to give those who stray an opportunity to right their wrongs. Yes, we have standards. Yes, there are things that people do to one another that are harmful. Yes, even some behavior can damage the life of the church. Nevertheless, the church is being faithful when its people make every effort to offer love, forgiveness and support. In Matthew, Jesus describes a process that is different from the tradition of the times. Instead of casting stones, rushing the accused off to a local authority and making a person’s shameful act front page news, the faith community makes an intentional effort to give the offender a chance to turn their life around. Keith Wagner, Living Without Shame When Bill Clinton met Nelson Mandela for the first time, he had a question on his mind: "When you were released from prison, Mr. Mandela," the former President said, "I woke my daughter at three o'clock in the morning. I wanted her to see this historic event." Then President Clinton zeroed in on his question: "As you marched from the cellblock across the yard to the gate of the prison, the camera focused in on your face. I have never seen such anger, and even hatred, in any man as was expressed on your face at that time. That's not the Nelson Mandela I know today," said Clinton. "What was that about?" Mandela answered, "I'm surprised that you saw that, and I regret that the cameras caught my anger. As I walked across the courtyard that day I thought to myself, ‘They've taken everything from you that matters. Your cause is dead. Your family is gone. Your friends have been killed. Now they're releasing you, but there's nothing left for you out there.' And I hated them for what they had taken from me. Then, I sensed an inner voice saying to me, ‘Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don't allow them to make you into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner!'" You can never be free to be a whole person if you are unable to forgive. Our prayer for those who are not here, for those who are on the sidelines, those who are not ready for reconciliation, for those who are blaming others, for those who cannot accept forgiveness, is that they will be free to become whole and complete persons. And we cant be whole unless we are forgiven and reconciled. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Salvation is dependent upon our relationships, with ourselves, one another and God. The relationships that we form on earth, will last in heaven. What we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what we free on earth will be free on heaven. Is it worth taking any burden with us when we go to heaven. We Must Be Saved by Hope Reinhold Niebuhr, in The Irony of American History, writes, "Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime: therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone, therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness." Jerry L. Schmalenberger, When Christians Quarrel, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Whenever we come together, even if it is only two of us, Jesus comes with us. When we agree in integrity as a community, God agrees with us. Let us remember to be the church at all times, to love one another, God is present in our love. Let us pray…. Children’s Sermon…… On Picking Your Battles by King Duncan Passage: Matthew 18:15-20 • Lectionary: Proper 18 Item 2 of 22 | Back to Results Object: a smoke detector with battery (might want to test it beforehand) Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have seen one of these around your house? Can you tell me what it is? That's right, it's a smoke detector. A smoke detector can sense if there is smoke in the air. Usually, if there is smoke in the air then that means there is a fire nearby. And a fire can be a very dangerous thing. So we keep smoke detectors around the house to let us know if there is a fire starting somewhere. If smoke gets around a smoke detector, it makes a loud noise. You might want to cover your ears for this, okay? (Wait until the children and congregation have covered their ears, then push the little test button on the front of the detector to set off the alarm) Wow, that's loud! That noise lets us know that there is smoke in the air, so we need to check and make sure nothing is on fire. The smoke detector is there to protect us, to let us know about a fire early enough that we can stop it. Don't you wish we had something like a trouble detector in church? Just like a smoke detector warns us that there might be a fire starting, a trouble detector would let us know if problems were about to start in church. Sometimes, people in church hurt one another's feelings, or say bad things about each other. Sometimes, people in church argue with one another or get mad at each other. That's how trouble starts in the church. And God doesn't want that kind of trouble in the church. God wants us to love each other, to treat each other with kindness. God wants us to listen to one another and to work together. The best way to keep trouble from starting in the church is for us to love one another, and to talk about our problems with each other. Then we won't need a trouble detector in our church, because we'll be doing what God wants us to do. Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20 Extra sermon illustration…….. Corporate Effects of Sin A man is on a boat. He is not alone, but acts as if he were. One night, without warning, he suddenly begins to cut a hole under his seat. The other people on the boat shout and shriek at him: "What on earth are you doing? Have you gone mad? Do you want to sink us all? Are you trying to destroy us?" Calmly, the man answers: "I don't understand what you want. What I'm doing is none of your business. I paid my way. I'm not cutting under your seat. Leave me alone!" What the fanatic (and the egotist) will not accept, but what you and I cannot forget, is that all of us are in the same boat. Elie Wiesel, Parade Magazine.

Holy Ground, Holy Purpose

August 31, 2014 Exodus 3:1-15 Holy Ground, Holy Purpose 12th Sunday After Pentecost Year A What are some of the problems of the world? We are living in some interesting times. There are so many different things going on in the world today. What are some situations going on in the world that you think need God’s attention…… The good news is that if you see it as a problem, God also sees. Sometimes when we hear the stories of the bible, we can start to believe that these stories are outdated, and say nothing about the world today. Nothing can be further from the truth. The God that we worship is a very hip and up to date God. He knows what is going on in the world – and he has a plan to fix this world up and to make everything right. What exodus says about what God can do 3. A Wonderful Experience. (v.7-10) (God replied with the following responses) A) "I have seen" (v.7a) B) "I have heard" (v.7b) C) "I know" (v.7c) D) "I have come down to deliver you" (v.8a) E) "I have seen the oppression" (v.9) We have all heard this story of Moses and the burning bush. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking that this is an old story, and that there is nothing new that we can learn from this story. But today, I want to encourage you to think about this story in a whole new way. I want to focus on things that we have not thought about. God is the center of this story not Moses. Story starts with God’s awareness of the world, not Moses answering God’s call. The message for today- God still appears to the faithful, God still has a plan. God still wants you and me to be apart of that plan to change the world. The importance of vision In the story, Moses had a vision to see beyond the ordinary, and to recognize God in the situation. Do we have that same vision? When we look at the world – what do we see? Do we see the situation, or do we see God’s future unfolding before our eyes. In order to see God, to have that special vision, you have to see with your eyes, but also see with your faith. The bush was burning, but was not consumed. Moses was able to see what was there, but to look beyond it and to recognize the presence of God. Is the world coming apart, or is the world coming together. It all depends on our vision. 5475 Mrs. Tan’s Vision Of Cross The New Grace Christian Church in the Philippines has a distinctively massive Cross outside its sanctuary. One mid-morning in 1976, Mrs. Julia L. Tan was returning home from a God-honoring project in Manila when she saw a beautiful, shining Cross over the church’s existing cross structure. Disbelieving her own eyes, she thought it must be a case of “double vision.” The shining Cross disappeared. But in another minute, the Cross again appeared over the roof of the church. This precious experience proved a great comfort and assurance to her in the ministry. Mrs. Tan co-founded the 5,000-student Grace Christian High School and Grace Bible Church, and started the Grace Gospel Church and Grace Christian Church. She still actively serves the Lord having completed over 50 years of educational service in the Far East by 1980. Count Zinzendorf owed much of his spiritual fervor to the casual sight of a picture of the crucifixion, with this simple inscription at the bottom: “All this for thee: how much for me?” In 1845, in the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention was organized. As a tribute to the faith of the founding fathers, the church placed this inscription in the building: “Men who see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable!” The best way to see how God is at work in the world today, is to make sure that we see Jesus clearly. If we see Jesus in the world, we also see God’s plan. We come to know Jesus by reading the revelation in the bible. By practicing prayer, and most importantly by living our lives the way Jesus calls us to. If we do that – we will be blessed with a special vision – to see God in all things. And to know God is there, in places where others cant see him. The significance of taking off shoes the story – God tells Moses how to indeed stay close to God. He tells Moses to take off his shoes. In Middle Eastern culture, you always take off your shoes before entering a house. In a mosque, before you enter in you have to take off your shoes. It is disrespectful to bring the dust of your shoes into someone’s space. The dust from the ground represents a sinful world. You remove you sin as a sign of respect. But there are other stories in the bible of people removing there shoes. In Ruth when her husband dies, a relative must present his shoes to the judge in order to vouch for Ruth in court. But God has another reason for asking Moses to remove his shoes on holy ground. It is not so much a sign of respect. Shoes are a part of our persona- our presence to the outside world. You may walk around the house in your stocking feet, but when you go outside in the world – one of the things that you have to do is put your shoes on. That is a part of making yourself presentable to the rest of the world is putting your shoes on. God tells Moses to take your shoes off – take of the mask that the rest of the world sees. Become vulnerable, be yourself. Present nothing to God –but your innerself. One of the most dramatic and world-renowned shifts from "I" to God is the conversion of C. S. Lewis. This little man, who held the chair of medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge, sat in his study without typewriter or secretary and penned the great masterpieces, which made him perhaps the most broadly read Christian writer of our century. C. S. Lewis was an agnostic, but was Surprised by Joy--the title of a book in which he tells about "The Shape of My Early Life" as Christ replaced the "I" in his life. C. S. Lewis describes the exchange between self-will and God's will in Beyond Personality (and his words are a challenge to you and to me): "Christ says, 'Give me all. I don't want so much of your money and so much of your work--I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self instead. In fact I will give you myself, my own will shall become yours. Donald Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations, Resource, 1992, p. 162 Yahweh and abba It is interesting that in this story- we learn God’s name I am who I am – or Yahweh. A name so sacred, that we are not supposed to even pronounce it. And yet Jesus calls God Abba- daddy. You can’t get any closer than a father to a son. Jesus takes all the pretense away in his relationship with God. There are no secrets, no walls, no shoes. He has given his whole self to God, and he came to help us understand that we too can do the same. As a matter of fact, if we are to be what God calls us to be – we have to be present with God. 3. A Wonderful Experience. (v.7-10) (God replied with the following responses) A) "I have seen" (v.7a) B) "I have heard" (v.7b) C) "I know" (v.7c) D) "I have come down to deliver you" (v.8a) E) "I have seen the oppression" (v.9) G) "I will send you" (v.10) (God is fully aware of what we experience in life. He is able to handle anything that we might face.) The God who gets things done In his conversation with God, Moses first ask who am I that you would ask me to carry out this important task. God replies, I will be with you. You are important enough for God to want a relationship with you, you are important enough that God wants to know all about you, you are important enough that God has entrusted you with the most important thing in his heart – to save his people. God wants to know if you are up to the task? Are you ready for the relationship? Are you able to be close to God? God’s name is I am who I am – or more importantly I will be who I will be. The world that God created will be so. You may not know that Yahweh also means the one who causes things to be. Our God is the one who knows how to get things done. And we live in a world that needs him desparately. We were able to identify so many things that are going on in the world today. Yahweh knows how to make a difference and make the world a better place for all of us. He is choosing you to help him out – do you chose him?Let us pray. Amen. Children’s Sermon….. Yahweh by B. Kathleen Fannin Passage: Exodus 3:1-22 • Lectionary: Proper 17 Item 1 of 1 | Back to Results "But Moses said to God, 'If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name?" what shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' He said further, 'Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you." ' " Theme: Self-esteem. Visual Aid: White posterboard with "YHWH" written in capital letters. As the children come up to the front of the sanctuary, I place the posterboard face down in front of me. Following my usual practice, I begin with a question. "Does everyone here have a name?" This brings laughs and giggles as the children nod. Of course everyone has a name! At this point, with a small group, I will ask each child to tell me her/his name. "Have you ever forgotten someone's name?" Several children indicate they have. "How did that make you feel?" I ask. "Dumb!" Nancy responds. "Embarrassed!" offers Matt. "Once I forgot my OWN name," says George, causing more giggles. "Has anyone else ever forgotten your name?" I ask him. He nods affirmatively. "How about the rest of you? Has anyone ever forgotten your name?" Several more children acknowledge this experience. "How did that make you feel?" I question. "Like I wasn't very important ..." "Like they didn't recognize me ..." "Like they didn't care about me ..." "And how do you feel when someone remembers your name?" I continue. "Good!" "Yes, it feels good to have someone remember our name, doesn't it? Our names give us identity. Our names tell us we are somebody; we exist. "Did you know that God knows the name of every one of you?" This brings everything from assured nods to looks of surprise. "And we know lots of names for God, too, don't we? What are some of those names?" "Father!" "Lord!" "Creator!" "God!" "Jesus!" "Love!" Out of the mouths of children ... And then one little girl of about ten really gives me a surprise. "Yahweh," she says quietly. I know immediately that this child has been paying attention in church or Sunday School or both. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I find myself responding to each reply. "Yahweh!" I repeat in startled wonder when it is pronounced by the girl. I reach down in front of me to pick up the posterboard. As the children look at what I have written, they look puzzled. "This looks funny, doesn't it?" I ask. They nod. "Why?" I question. After a moment's thought, one of the older children says, "There aren't any vowels." "That's right," I tell her. "The Hebrews didn't use vowels in their writing very often. This is an English translation of the Hebrew letters they used to write 'Yahweh,' the name of God." "After a while, the name of God became so sacred that the Hebrews wouldn't even pronounce it when they were reading scripture. They would substitute the name 'Adonai' instead. 'Adonai' means 'Lord.' "Well, what have we learned together this morning?" This is always a risky question with any group, but perhaps particularly with children because they tend to be so honest. "We've learned the name of God," Jerry responds. "And what is that name?" I ask the group, holding up the posterboard for all of them to see. "Yahweh!" a number of them reply. "So, we've learned the Hebrews' name for God was 'Yahweh.' What else have we learned?" An uncomfortable silence follows. "What if I call you the wrong name or can't remember your name?" I ask. "Oh, yeah!" Marian says, "I like for you to know my name and not mess it up when you say it." "And if I did mess it up, what would you do?" "Tell you how to say it right!" she assures me. And I have no doubt she would. "Are you telling me your name, your correct name, is important to you?" She nods vigorously. "In fact, each of your names is important to each of you, right?" I ask the entire group. Numerous little heads bob up-and-down affirmatively. "Sometimes we get down on ourselves. Sometimes we don't think we're worth much. If that ever happens to you, I hope you'll remember that you are important to God. In fact, you are so important, and God loves you so much, that God knows you by your very own name." Cows In Church, B. Kathleen Fannin, CSS Publishing Company, Inc, 1999, 0-7880-1346-7 Extra Illustrations…… NAME OF GOD...? If you’re in Lake City, Fla., one of these days and happen to run into a 50-something fellow with a sandy moustache, a receeding hairline, and aviator glasses, you may be in the presence of I Am Who I Am. Really. But that’s because Columbia County Court turned down his first request for a new name: God. The former Charles Haffey says he wanted a new identity because of lingering feelings of anxiety over his military service in Vietnam. (Source: 10/15/02 News Headlines from The Christian Science Monitor) Text Illustration: Life Examples: Moses: God’s Pattern for Success (Ex. 3:1-4) One of the greatest differences between the world’s message about success and God’s is this: The world seeks a single formula to produce one set of results for all people, while God’s plan is far more creative, far more individualized, and far more personal. Moses did not have a vision for success early in his life, although as an adopted son of Pharaoh he enjoyed a certain degree of privilege. After murdering an Egyptian, however, he ran for his life and then spent forty years tending sheep. But one day the Lord revealed Himself to Moses and gave him a specific life mission. Many of us go through difficult and even devastating experiences, and then one day come face-to-face with the reality of God. Is this the pattern that god seems to be implementing in your life? If so, stick with His plan, regardless of how unorthodox it may seem-The Promised Land lies in that direction! -The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible A Living Sacrifice There is, I think it is true to say, something a little bit depressing about Labor Day weekend. For Labor Day weekend signals the psychological end, at least, to summer with its periods of refreshment, and the start again, for many of us, of the more hectic rhythm of life and work at school, in college, at office or, in home. So let me ask you: How is your work? Are you giving of your self at work? Is work a place where you sacrifice for a cause? I find it helpful to remember the story of the little girl who, in the process of growing up, discovered that more than anything else she wanted to be able to mow the lawn. But each season she was told that she was too young. The great day came, however, when her parents decided that, at last, she was old enough to do the task. She did it with surprising skill and great delight, and having finished admiring her work, she began to cast long, envious glances across the fence at the neighbor's lawn, which also needed cutting. The neighbor, seeing her interest, said, "Sally, would you like to cut my lawn?" And the little girl enthusiastically said 'yes.' "Well, let's see...how about $3.00?" said the neighbor. The little girl's face fell, and she turned away, shaking her head. "What's the matter?" asked the neighbor. "I only have $2.00," said the little girl. Brett Blair, wwweSermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Rev. C. Wayne Hilliker: "Living A Life That Matters" Back to Results | Item 1 of 1 Text Illustration: IT DEPENDS WHOSE HANDS IT’S IN A basketball in my hands is worth about $19 A basketball in Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $33 million It depends whose hands it’s in A baseball in my hands is worth about $6 A baseball in Mark McGuire’s hands is worth $19 million It depends whose hands it’s in A tennis racket is useless in my hands A tennis racket in Pete Sampras’ hands is a Wimbledon Championship It depends whose hands it’s in A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea It depends whose hands it’s in A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon. It depends whose hands it’s in Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God’s hands will feed thousands It depends whose hands it’s in Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will produce salvation for the entire world. It depends whose hands it’s in As you see now it depends whose hands it’s in. So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God’s hands because It depends whose hands it’s in.(Author Unknown)

Transformed Relationships

August 24, 2014 Romans 12:1-8 Year A 11th Sunday After Pentecost “Transformed Relationships” Romans first sinful, now what it means to live in Christ Today I thought that we needed to hang out in Romans for one more Sunday. We have been dealing with chapters 9-11 as Paul talks about what it means be sinful. No matter how good we may think our relationship with God is, we are still sinful. As a matter of fact believing that you are a child of God, but that nothing is required of you, is a sin. Paul says that God brought sin upon all humans. We are all sinners,we are all in need of God’s grace in our lives. No matter who we are, we all are capable of being saved. We all need to accept Christ, we all need to live inside of Christ. We should be dead to our sinful nature and alive in Christ. The first words of chapter 12 – I appeal to you brothers and sisters, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Being born dead I went to see Get on Up, the James Brown movie. It really was a powerful movie. One scene that stood out to me, James Brown was a little boy, sick in bed very discouraged. His aunt tells him that he was born dead. Literally when he was born he would not take a breath. The midwife spanked and spanked him but he would not take a breath. He started to turn blue and they started to give up on him. And then suddenly he let out a scream that could be heard in the next county. The aunt said that she knew then that he would be special. Being born dead is an oxymoran – you cant be alive and dead at the same time. Presenting yourself as a living sacrifice is also an oxymoron. Remember, a sacrifice is something that you kill as a gift to God. A sacrifice was put on an altar to God, they are born to die. If you sinned, you gave God a sacrifice, if you are thankful you give God the sacrifice. Your life should be a sacrifice to God. God is no longer interested in cows, goats or chickens, God wants you – your life. Being a living sacrifice means that you are dead to sin and alive to Christ. You are dead to what got you in trouble, but alive to salvation of Christ. Transform your mind Paul says to transform your mind. The head is the head of the body. The body does not think for itself, it does what the head tells it. If you transform your thoughts, then the body follows. Forgiveness requires repentance, repentance requires transformation. Then Paul tells us to learn to discern the will of God. Then Live according to God’s will. In order to live God’s will, you have to know it and then live it. Verses 9-21 is God’s will for us. It says…. Marks of the True Christian 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.[a] 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;[b] do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;[c] for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Living God’s will We have to remember that God’s will for our lives is a commandement not a suggestions. God knows what is best for us better than we do. If you know God’s will you have to live God’s will. We can only know what God reveals to us. God is incomprehensible. There is no way that we can know everything about God’s will. But God did reveal the important stuff to us in the life of Jesus Christ. In order to know what we need about God, we have to read the word to see what Jesus reveals about God and God’s will for us. The rest of Romans teaches us how to live in God’s will. How to live inside of Christ. What to do and how to think. In Christ there are sinners and there are saints. A saint is a sinner who gave their life to Christ. We are all sinnners. As a matter of fact, it is the ones who brag about being a saint who are the biggest sinners. Paul says that we should never think of ourselves higher then we really are. Our biggest sin is our pride. Screwtape letters That reminds me of a book that I read in seminary – the Screwtape letters. C.S. Lewis wrote this book in the 40’s. It is a series of letters written by a senior devil to a junior devil. Screwtape is a devil who is in the hierarchy of hell. He writes letters to his nephew on earth, who is a young devil trying to tempt his first Christian. The patient has just become a Christian, and wormwood has the task of tempting him to become a sinner. Sin is an slow slope Screwtape’s most important advice is not to spend time on the big temptations, but to concentrate on the little things. He says not to lead the patient into evil places, but to stand along side of him in ordinary life. Our descent into sin is not an obvious turn, but a slow, gradual desent into sin. Screwtape says the best way to get a Christian is not so much to put evil thoughts into his head - but to keep him away from the things that keep him grounded. Give him excuses not to come to church, not to read the bible, not to do the right thing. And eventually you will find that person as a perfect vessel for the devil. “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters Romans says that faith that is not lived in your life is not faith. In order to live it, you have to believe it, in order to believe it you have to hear it. Romans very clearly spells out what it means to live in God’s will. If you make a point to live it you will be okay. Muddy the truth Screwtape tells wormwood not to spend so much time telling a Christian lies. The truth is very clear. And if we know that truth we are good at following the truth. Screwtape says not to lie, just muddy the waters. Tell the Christian that there are alternative truths. There is more than one way to getto heaven. Just because we read it in scripture, there are other waysto understand God. The devil does not have to confuse us, because we are Christians can confuse ourselves, Romans says that God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect. If we live and Christ and we read the word- then we have all that we need to live in God’s will. Distract from prayer and church The Screwtape letters are considered to be fiction, but they give truths about human nature. For instance in letter 4 Wormwood asks his uncle how to stop a Christians from praying – Screwtape tells him that if keeping a Christian from praying does not work, then lure them into thinking that they are an expert on prayer, so God always gives them what they want, just because they prayed- they wont know what to do when God challenges them. In the second letter wormwood asks about how to keep them from attending church, screwtape encourages him to get the Christian to see everyone and everything through there eyes and not God’s eyes. They will get so caught up in judging people, that they forget how to forgive and trust in others. War a spiritual matter on love can win Eventually the patient falls in love, he joins the army and he is killed in war. At the end of his life, he never gave up faith. Wormwood has failed at his task. Screwtape reminds him war is not about the body, it is about the spirit. The war is about who holds the heart of man. God always wins the war. Perhaps that is why Paul says to present your body as a living sacrifice to God. The body is the temple of God. If you are dead to sin, and alive to Christ, you can overcome the temptations of the devil. What you do in bodily form, directly affects what you do in the spirit. Wormwood learns the hard way- that love is the key to the heart of man. And temptation is not match for true love. As long as love is present in the heart ofman, in the heart of God in the heart ofChrist,all that the devil can do is stand with you and watch. Love one another, forgive one another, do not repay evil for God. Shame the devil, and serve God in all places, in all times for all people. Let us pray… Amen. Children’s Sermon SUCH A WASTE! Passage: Romans 12:1-8 • Lectionary: Proper 16 Item 1 of 8 | Back to Results Object: a drinking glass, a pitcher of water, and a pan to set it into. Good morning, boys and girls, and how are you this morning? It is certainly a pleasant day in God's House. How I love to come to the church on Sunday morning and know that I am going to greet you in the name of Jesus. It must be fun to get up and think about being with your friends on the Lord's Day. On the other hand, it is good to get up any morning and think about friends. When we think about each other, we don't think so much about ourselves, and that is good. Did you know that St. Paul wrote to the people in Rome and told them not to think too much about themselves and especially not to think too highly about themselves. It's easy to think about yourself. If we don't watch out, the first thing that we know we are saying to ourselves, "I sure am pretty," or "I sure am smarter than anybody else." That is what Paul means about thinking too highly about ourselves. There is another way, of course, to show you what I mean. Suppose, for instance, that my good friend Glenda Glass came to my house and asked for a glass of water. Now, I know that you may not know my friend Glenda, but she is one of those people who think a lot of themselves. Oh, my, when you start talking to Glenda, the only thing that she really ever seems to think about is herself. Let me tell you what I mean. Glenda came over to my house and she asked for a drink of water. Well, there isn't anything wrong with that, so I went into the kitchen to get her filled up, but she said to me, "Get a big pitcher full of water." I started to pour a little bit into her. "Pour it all in," she said. Glenda thought so much of herself that she believed she could take the whole big pitcher of water into herself. I tried to talk her out of it, but it just wouldn't work. She wanted it all. [Take the pitcher and pour it all out into the glass.] Well, as you might have guessed, the pitcher of water was just too much for Glenda. Now that is what I mean about somebody thinking too much of herself. It is such a waste. God doesn't want us to think too much about ourselves because, if we do, then we not only cause a lot of waste, but there is so little time left over for others. From now on I don't want anybody spending his time thinking about himself when he could be helping others. Just remember Glenda and you know what I mean. She was just another glass, she was never a big pitther. You are one of God's people, but you are not all of God's people. Don't think too highly There is another way, of course, to show you what I mean. Suppose, for instance, that my good friend Glenda Glass came to my house and asked for a glass of water. Now, I know that you may not know my friend Glenda, but she is one of those people who think a lot of themselves. Oh, my, when you start talking to Glenda, the only thing that she really ever seems to think about is herself. Let me tell you what I mean. Glenda came over to my house and she asked for a drink of water. Well, there isn't anything wrong with that, so I went into the kitchen to get her filled up, but she said to me, "Get a big pitcher full of water." I started to pour a little bit into her. "Pour it all in," she said. Glenda thought so much of herself that she believed she could take the whole big pitcher of water into herself. I tried to talk her out of it, but it just wouldn't work. She wanted it all. [Take the pitcher and pour it all out into the glass.] Well, as you might have guessed, the pitcher of water was just too much for Glenda. Now that is what I mean about somebody thinking too much of herself. It is such a waste. God doesn't want us to think too much about ourselves because, if we do, then we not only cause a lot of waste, but there is so little time left over for others. From now on I don't want anybody spending his time thinking about himself when he could be helping others. Just remember Glenda and you know what I mean. She was just another glass, she was never a big pitther. You are one of God's people, but you are not all of God's people. Don't think too highly of yourself and God will be pleased with you. 0-89536-053-5 Back to Results | Item 1 of 8

The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable

August 24, 2014 Romans 11:1-2,29-32 Year A 10th Sunday After Pentecost “For the gifts and calling of God are Irrevocable” Spiritual Jealousy Jealousy can be a very powerful motivator, even for the most spiritual of people. That becomes more and more obvious to me as I stay on facebook. Facebook has become a great way to communicate with church people. They seem to be the most active participants. Pastor’s, including myself love to put our church activities on facebook. But lately, it seems that it turns into a competition as to who is doing the most. For some it is all about bragging about their church and getting attention. But even Paul in Romans 11 says that spiritual jealousy can be a powerful motivator. 2669 The Devil And The Hermit There is a fable wherein the Devil once was crossing the Libyan desert and met a group of friends tempting a holy hermit. They tried seductions of the flesh, used doubts and fears, etc. But to no avail. The holy man was unmoved. The Devil then stepped forward: “Your methods are too crude. Permit me one moment.” Going to the hermit, he said, “Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made the Bishop of Alexandria.” According to the fable, a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man. The good news is that everything that we do for God is relevant. God does not judge between the actions of the faithful, not at this point. And if God called you to perform a task, then it everything each of us does – is for the glory of God and God’s kingdom. And yet Paul’s message in Romans 11 is if you cant get people’s attention any other way, then use spiritual jealousy to bring them into action. Romans 9-11 is Paul’s discussion of the jews. Can the jew be saved, if they do not accept the good news of Christ. The short answer is no, but the long answer is that with God all things are possible. The themes for chapters 9, 10 and 11 is election, rejection, and reconciliation. In chapter 9 – Paul talks about the elect. And Paul’s definition of the elect is a little different than John’s definition in Revelation. In revelation, John is speaking of Christians who God has preordained as automatically going to heaven. In romans 9 Paul is talking about the jews, who have a preordained relationship with God. They are God’s chosen people. And Paul explains that that cannot be taken away from them. God will always love them, but Paul says that they have not always loved God. But unlike we as humans, God never stops being God. If God makes a promise, that promise will always be so. If they are the elect, then there is nothing that they can do about it. But I think that when Paul speaks of the elect in romans he is referring to the jews, but he means all of us. All who God calls, God will stand by their side. The elect are not everyone, but they are the ones who have a relationship with God. If God has chosen you as a child, then you can run all you want, But God’s will will always catch up with you. And those whom God calls, God gives them gifts to follow through with that call. Romans says that God’s call and God’s gifts are irrevocable, you cannot take them away. And yet you can be disobedient and refuse to use them. 3071 To Celebrate Eve’s Disobedience “Eve’s eating of the apple in the garden of Eden was the first free act of the human race. We ought to recognize that act. We ought to celebrate Eve. She began the process of freedom.” So stated the Reverend Patricia Budd Kepler, director of ministerial studies at Harvard Divinity School. Speaking to the Western New York Presbytery, Reverend Kepler said that the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise into reality was God’s way of giving birth to people. The minister went on to say that this made sin possible “because sin comes with freedom and choice.” —Pastor’s Manual God is always God, and God is always going to give you a choice – to do right or to do wrong. To follow the call or to ignore it. To use the gifts you have for God’s purposes or your own. That is your free will. Romans chapter 10 is all about disobedience to God. Paul says the chosen people disobeyed God – but that God made good use of their disobedience. He used it as an opportunity to reach out to the gentiles, and to give us the grace of God also. It is told that once a child stood at the window on a night when the gale was terrifying in its savage velocity. “God,” she said, “must have lost grip of his winds tonight.” To Paul, that was precisely what never happened. Nothing was ever out of God’s control; everything was serving his purpose. The good news for us is that God is always in control. Times of chaos are being used to create more order. Our times of disobedience are a part of the plan. It is used to draw more people in, and to help us to better understand God’s plan for us and for the world. If we are a part of the elect, then disobedience is only temporary – God’s will will prevail. Paul says in Romans 11 that God created us all special, but he also created us all as sinners. We are all in need of God’s mercy. Jesus is not just the savior for Christians, he is the savior for all people. Even the jews that rejected him have a savior in Jesus Christ. Sin is universal, because we all make use of our freedom and choice. Jesus is the savior of all. God’s word does not fail for anyone. Chapter 11 is about reconciliation. First there is election, then disobedience and then reconciliation. God’s grace will make a way for all of us to be saved, even the chosen people. That is where the spiritual jealousy comes in. the old testament makes it very clear that our God is a jealous God. He does not like us putting other gods before him. That is why Paul suggest that we can get jealous as people also. When the jews see that you have a better relationship with God then you do, then they will be jealous, and try to outdo you. And that is okay – because what we do for God is all about building God’s kingdom for all. There was a soldier who was wounded in battle. The padre crept out and did what he could for him. He stayed with him when the remainder of the troops retreated. In the heat of the day he gave him water from his own waterbottle, while he himself remained parched with thirst. In the night, when the chill frost came down, he covered the wounded man with his own coat, and finally wrapped him up in even more of his clothes to save him from the cold. In the end the wounded man looked up at the padre. “Padre,” he said, “you’re a Christian?” “I try to be,” said the padre. “Then,” said the wounded man, “if Christianity makes a man do for another man what you have done for me, tell me about it, because I want it.” Christianity in action moved him to envy a faith which could produce a life like that. It was Paul’s hope and prayer and ambition that some day the Jews would see what Christianity had done for the Gentiles and be moved to desire it. To Paul it would be paradise if the Jews came in. If the rejection of the Jews had done so much, if, through it, the Gentile world had been reconciled to God, what superlative glory must come when the Jews came in. If the tragedy of rejection has had results so wonderful, what will the happy ending be like, when the tragedy of rejection has changed to the glory of reception? Paul can only say that it will be like life from the dead. ll food, before it was eaten, had to be offered to God. So the law laid it down (Numbers 15:19, 20) that, if dough was being prepared, the first part of it must be offered to God; when that was done, the whole lump of dough became sacred. It was not necessary, as it were, to offer every separate mouthful to God. The offering of the first part sanctified the whole. It was a common thing to plant sacred trees in places sacred to the gods. When the sapling was planted, it was dedicated to God; and thereafter every branch that came from it was sacred to God. when others see how blessed you are for being faithful, they will want to be faithful too. When they see the benefits of your relationship with God, the will want the same thing you have. And you can tell them that they can. If they acknowledge their sin, accept Christ as their savior, and live within God’s calling. Election, disobedience, and reconciliation – that is God’s plan for the world. (Talk about the remnant in call to discipleship). Amen. Children’s Sermon Can't Take It Back by Brett Blair and Tim Carpenter Passage: Romans 11:1-10 • Lectionary: Proper 15 Item 7 of 7 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: Words and promises, especially God’s promises, cannot be taken away. Props: A tube of toothpaste, a large spoon or ladle, and a towel for cleanup. Initially place the towel under the activity to cover mishaps. Lesson: Has anyone ever made a promise to you? (response) What was the promise? (response)Did they keep their promise? (response) We usually remember the promises people make to us especially if it’s a good promise like dad promising you that you’ll get an ice-cream cone after school. I want you to help me today with an experiment. I need two volunteers. Choose two children. I need one of you to hold this tube of toothpaste, and one of you to hold the spoon. I want you squeeze the toothpaste into the spoon. Make sure that you hold the spoon and toothpaste over the towel in case any spills. Have the child fill the spoon. Now, I want you to put the toothpaste back in the tube. (response) Allow a time for thought here. You can't do it, can you? Why? (response) Application: God’s promise to us is like that toothpaste. Once it’s out in can’t be put back in. God makes all kinds of promises to us. Let’s name some of his promises. What does he promise? (response) He has promised to watch over us, and to love us, to never leave us, and to save us through his Son Jesus Christ. I want you to know that God will remember those promises. He’s not going to put them back in the tube. Let’s Pray: Thank you God that your promises will never be taken back. Thank you for loving us, caring for us, and saving us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Children, Brett Blair and Tim Carpenter, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., 0-0000-0000-1 Extra illustrations Have Faith Anyway The place was a suburb of Detroit. The speaker, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. The subject: "After Auschwitz, Can We Still Believe!" Jews and Gentiles alike filled the great synagogue to listen to the recollections of one who survived the furnaces of Dachau. Thin and fragile, Wiesel stood at the podium for nearly an hour telling one story after another of the horror and despair of those bleak days in the '30s. His stories were of people confused with their imprisonment and sometimes destroyed with their release. Painfully, silently, the audience relived the events of Wiesel's young life when he was the only surviving member of his family. Finally the stories ceased. His eyes dropped to the floor. There was no sound at all in that mammoth room for what seemed an agonizing eternity. Then he repeated the question, "After Auschwitz, can we still believe?" He shook his head slowly, sadly, "No, no,..." before concluding powerfully, "but we must!" Concerning whether or not to have faith, there is no choice. There was none for that Canaanite mom, none for Elie Wiesel, there is none for you and me. The message of this wonderful mother is "Chose to believe anyway!" You may not feel you are allowed to have faith, have it anyway. You may not feel God loves you, believe it anyway. You may come to understand that you are not included, include yourself anyway. Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master's table. David E. Leininger, Hang In There! _____________________________ Savior of All People Jesus is not a generic savior, an anonymous Superman from a distant planet somewhere in space. Jesus is a Jew; indeed, he is the Jew who stands as the culmination of all of Israel’s history . . . Jesus can be the savior of all people only by remaining faithful to God’s chosen people Israel, even in the face of their rejection of him. Thomas G. Long, Matthew: The Westminster Bible Companion Divisions in the Church As a seminary intern in St. Louis, Missouri, I was part of a Jewish-Christian Dialogue group. We were seeking to understand one another's traditions, work together for the good of our neighborhoods, and promote tolerance and respect in society. I had been invited into the group by a member of the church at which I was serving. She grew up Jewish, and in recent years had, in her words, "completed my faith" by gaining an understanding that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the prophets of Israel. One of the dimensions of religious life that we all found we had in common across faith traditions and denominational lines was the incessant divisiveness that split our seemingly monolithic communities into dozens of similar yet tenaciously varied subgroups. A Jewish professor of psychology said of his tradition, "If there are ten Jewish males in a city, we create a synagogue. If there are eleven Jewish males, we start thinking about creating a competing synagogue." A Baptist police officer had a similar tale. He said, "One Baptist family in a neighborhood witnesses until they bring another family to Christ. Then they form a church, and start witnessing to the rest of the community. When another family joins, they have a schism and form a rival church." According to a Presbyterian homemaker, her communion was a little like vegetable soup. "We have," she said, "the OPs, RPs, BPs, and Split Peas!" And a Methodist businessman complemented these tales with an apocryphal tale of a man from his faith community who had been shipwrecked for years on a small island. When found by a passing ship, rescuers asked him why he had constructed three huts, since he was there by himself. "Well," he replied, "that one is my home, that one is my church, and that one is my former church." Wayne Brouwer, Political Religion, CSS Publishing Company