He is Not Here-Promise fulfilled

 

Sermon Matthew 28:1-10 April 9, 2023 Easter Sunday 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 NMPC & FMPC Monica Gould

He is Not Here-Promise fulfilled

There is no greater joy in our faith and for our church than the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Today we celebrate the fulfillment of all the promises that we have been taught. Today we rejoice in the truth that Christ is risen indeed! Today is the day many sing the song Because He Lives-The words offer the hope we all experience on this day when we realize the power of God’s love for us. We know that because he lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because he lives, I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives.

As I shared with the children, we receive signs all around us of the promise of new life. In the egg is the new life of a chick (and candy), in the seed a flower, and in the cocoon, a butterfly. Today we are reminded to look around us for the signs of new life. 

What signs do we need to believe the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

In the gospel of Matthew, the women arrived at the tomb.  It took a great earthquake to stun the guards and witness the appearance of the angels. These angels rolled away the stone and then sat upon it. I find the angel sitting on the stone rolled away as God’s humor. All obstacles were in place to prevent human interference with the body of Jesus. Then the power of God was at work. Look, He is not here. The angel told the Marys. Jesus has been raised. He then invited them inside the tomb to see that Jesus was not there.  It is the miracle of God at work.

All generations are to know there is nothing on earth that can stop what God ordains.

It is the greatest of all miracles. God raised his only Son from the dead so that the world would have life. The angel told them to go ahead to Galilee and Jesus would meet them there. On the way Jesus walked alongside them and said ‘Greetings’ which literally means, “Hi”. The women realized it was really him and they grabbed his feet. They paid homage to the Lord who was physically alive. Touching his feet showed that he was in bodily form, not a ghost or a spirit. We have been taught to believe this.

On Easter every year we come face to face with this truth and have the opportunity to accept it all over again.

We offer ourselves to him in the realization that the promise of his love lives within us. In dying, God was making sure there was a rising. Jesus went down to the dead to make sure we also may rise to new life.

The caterpillar crawls into the tomb like form called the chrysalis. It is transformed to the beauty of new life as a butterfly. So, God grants us this sign to help us understand the transformation we receive when we turn our lives over to him.

Paul spoke to the Corinthian church regarding the power of the resurrection. He said, 15:1-5: Now I want you to understand, brothers and sisters, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,  through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. The power of the resurrection is alive in us to successfully live our lives to serve him in the world today.

I digress for a moment to talk about the other part of Easter that we all love.

The egg hunt.

The egg has been an important part of the Easter story and proclamation of the resurrection for centuries.

It is time we, as the church, take the egg hunt back from the secular world.

There is no greater sign than the miracle of the egg bringing new life.

There is no greater miracle than when the egg opened is full of surprises.

We hunt eggs because as followers of Jesus we know that finding them reminds us of the promise of God of new life through the resurrection.

This story of signs of promises is so important for the church to continue to provide for generations to come.

Let’s make sure our kids, no matter how old, will always have the opportunity to experience an egg hunt.

Matthew’s account of the resurrection is full of miracle signs. It is on purpose to make sure that we continue to look for the signs of God among us.

Perhaps this Easter, that is all we need.

We may struggle with the practical possibility of the resurrection, but today, this Easter, this year, we can take strength in the signs that lead us to the power of the miracle.

May faith find its way in you today.

A final note important to Matthew’s account is that Jesus went ahead to Galilee to let us know that faith does not stop at the discovery of the resurrection.

There is more to our faith in Jesus Christ than this. God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to Himself. Through Jesus we are able to be one with the Father. God who went before the Israelite people leading them out of the land of Egypt and into the Promised Land, continues to go before us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Our life is filled with the daily sanctification of his presence through the Holy Spirit.

There are times when we are distracted from our focus on Christ. I know that we have all been faced with emergencies that call us to deal quickly and make decisions. We have probably also all felt the pressure of too many things to do in too short a time. It is at these times that the knowledge of Jesus going ahead of us is so important.

If we can trust that the path before us has been prepared by him then when we are caused to think quickly we can be assured of his guidance. His path is straight and right and as the psalmist says he puts us on the right path.

He is there to give instruction, to give comfort, to alleviate our fears, and to fill us with joy.

Rejoice, the Lord is Risen.

The Lord goes before us.

Believe the signs.

Trust in him.

Enter into his arms of love now and forevermore.

Amen.

 

Resources: Carolyn C. Brown Sharing the Easter Faith with Children; NIB Matthew; Feasting on the Word year A; Working Preacher Greg Carey Professor of NT at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

 

All rights reserved. Copyright Reverend Monica Gould 2023.

I Am the Light of the World.

 Sermon John 8:12-20 March 12, 2022 Lent 2

I Am the Light of the World.

Jesus said, “I Am the Light of the World.” He said that in a time that electricity did not exist. He said that in a time when people relied on candles or oil lamps for illumination. If any of you lost your power in our wind, rain, snowstorm yesterday you may understand that candlelight or oil lamp light is not very illuminating.

Our lives are so filled with light that we can get up in the middle of the night and all the little LEDs or power lights of our appliances, TVs, hallway nightlights, brighten the space so much that we have no need to turn a light switch to find our way. We are flooded with light from the streetlamps, to the computer screens, iPads, cell phones, and bright overhead fluorescent lights.

Light for us is a given. Light, very bright light is expected. In your imagination when we hear Jesus say he is the Light of the world, what kind of light are you thinking he is?

Do we imagine him as bright as the sun on a hot summer day shining upon us to keep us comfortable and to warm our days with goodness? Do we imagine him as a light from our cell phone helping us look under the bed for our lost earring? Do we imagine his light for the world to be bigger than our own needs and a light to shine our way forward?

When God created the world light was the first words God spoke, “Let there be light.” And when the gospel of John begins, we hear the words, “What came into being was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” Clearly, light is an important announcement That Jesus was, is and will be the beginning and the end of the world and for the world. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

But if we know all this already about Jesus, why is he repeating it again here in chapter 8? Jesus was not sharing this message among the disciples in this chapter but among those who disputed his validity. There are many who need to hear God’s word revealed to them in places where it is rejected. Jesus began to speak out and speak up in places where he knew there was resistance to his claims. He spoke up about his claim in a place where he knew he would be rebuked. Jesus recognized that anyone could shine light among willing listeners. But to shine light in the dark halls of hate and injustice, that’s a different league. He demonstrates for the future generations of his church how important it is to shine clearly on areas of the world where there are people who harm others, to shine and expose systems that betray and take advantage of others.

Light has a way of shining on those whose lives have only known darkness. Evil only knows darkness and Jesus threatens to bring light there. And friends, when the threat of revelation coming to light occurs among the darkness of evil all the legions of evil let loose, and it can become very dangerous.

We are continuing to live in challenging times. There doesn’t seem to be one moment’s rest from either the problems in our homes, schools, workplaces, communities, then we turn around and witness all ‘hell’ breaking loose across the world.

I ask myself, ‘Where is this precious light of the world Jesus bringing the peace and harmony we so yearn for and desire?’

I then reread the words of Jesus as he defends himself before his critics.

I realize in his words we find our hope.

We have our hope from a God who descends from heaven to shine a light on our path for eternity.

In God’s entrance into the world through the incarnation at Christmas, God chose death at the birth of Jesus. Because God knows-all flesh dies.

God who created the world with the words, “Let there be Light”, became the Light of the world in Jesus. Long before the cross became the death of Jesus his entrance into our world to be our light sealed his fate in death.

As we walk this Lenten path, let us remember that.

God’s incredible desire for us is so strong that God chose to shine his light through his physical presence. It’s that kind of love that God is willing to give up to bring life to those who receive his light. Friends, that is some marvelous hope!

I cannot help but think of the little girl singing the song ‘Let it Go’ from Disney’s movie Frozen as she was sheltering in a bunker hiding from the bombs going off outside. Those signs of light that illuminate the darkness of our world restore us to want to do and to be more than who and what we are at the moment.

Jesus provides us with constant examples about how to live in his light and to carry on his light. Today I offer two take aways to consider. One is not to shy away from the need to speak the truth of his love even when it is dangerous. Another is to continuously bring the light to the dark places of our lives and of the world.

Jesus didn’t come into the world to win a popularity contest or to try to make everyone happy. He took his responsibility as the Son of God to show God’s love through his healing, his teaching, his message of grace. He also called people to repentance and rebuked those who were harming others. Showing grace and mercy is not about pleasing people so they feel good. It is about revealing the truth of God’s love so one’s life can be transformed and turned around.

We all need someone in our life to point out places where we can grow. Sometimes that is hard and difficult. I know that sometimes people go to see counselors and then quit going because the counselors challenged them to discover some depths of themselves that shed light on things that made them uncomfortable. It then made them angry and they quit. Sometimes the truth of Jesus shedding light on our lives can also be uncomfortable. He comes to bring us new life. And sometimes that means changing the way we are living.

Part of the reason we use candles in the church is to be reminded that the light of Christ is with us. And when we leave, we carry the light with us into the world. We have been restored to new light in worship and that grants us what we need for the next week to shine our candle of grace to those around us.

Today as we suffer through the effects of the time change for daylight savings time, we know the reward tonight will be lighter a little longer. Let us begin to be encouraged. We are moving to longer days and brighter lights.

Let’s ask Jesus to reveal to us how we can shine.

Let us ask Jesus to restore our souls so they ignite with joy.

Let us ask Jesus to recreate the spark of wonder in our hearts.

Let us go out in faith as we walk in the light together. Amen.

 

Benediction.

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”. Jesus also said, “You are the light of the World.” Go and be light.

 Resources: NIB Commentary John's gospel.

Words and quotes property of Monica Gould

Eye has not Seen

 

Meditation 1 Corinthians 2:1-13; Nehemiah 8:5-6 March 9, 2022, Wednesday Ecumenical Lenten service @ HT

“Eye has not Seen; ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love him. Spirit of God give us the mind of Jesus, teach us the wisdom of God”. anthem Teach us the Wisdom of God

Greetings to the beautiful people of Holy Trinity! It is a gift to return among you and it feels like coming home again. We have served together in the community in so many ways and today rings with the memory of such joy.

We’re here today in this blessed season of Lent. We are here to worship our Lord who brought us into a life of faith and wonder; a life of joy and adventure. We are here to raise our voices and our praise to the One who is watching us and who is receiving our worship. May we honor the name of Jesus our Lord today in our words and our deeds.

Paul is our witness this morning to the testimony of Jesus Christ as he speaks to us through his letter to the church in Corinth. Paul arrived in the bustling metropolis of Corinth around 50 AD. Here he miraculously unified the most diverse people into a one unified church of Jesus Christ. From the beginning, the church was in constant need of the reminder of who brought them together into a unified faith. From the beginning the people of the church of Corinth were in constant dispute among themselves. It was the largest blended family experience and experiment in the Christian faith.

And yet, somehow this eclectic group of people became a powerful witness to the world as a united body through the power of the body of Jesus Christ.

Last week the Reverend Willie Justus reminded us to remember. It’s true! If we can’t remember where we came from as people of faith, we don’t have the shoulders of those precious saints who came before us to stand on. We need them. They pray with us every time we pray. There is a legion of angels and saints waiting for us to pick up the prayer train and pray and witness and testify to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Friends, we are standing on the threshold of the future church. It is up to us to do something. It is up to us to stop being afraid of the open door and cross over into the next phase of the church of Jesus Christ.

You see we have to ask ourselves the question-are we ready? Are we willing? Are we able? To do what God has ready for those who love him?

Because he promises what ‘eye has not seen, what ear has not heard God is ready’ to launch the Spirit within us to unimaginable sights and heights.

I believe as people of faith we need a reset. We need to take our remembering from last week and reset our minds  and our hearts this week so that God can fill us with his wisdom and restore us and send us out over that threshold with boldness and with courage and without fear. If the church is unified and strong-the world can be too.

The assault on the church has been great. It has been so great that it is suffering today more than it has in decades. People have stopped coming to church and we have no understanding of how to get them back in the pews. We are suffering because we can’t remember our witness story. We can’t remember our testimony to preach. People have so many choices in their lives and they’re not choosing church. They’re choosing online church of a variety of styles but they’re not choosing in person church. They’re choosing chat rooms and other faith experiences but not church. We have no idea how to bring them back into the pews. We feel lost. We are confused. We have no idea how to navigate this chaos of order around us. Minister colleagues and lay leadership are baffled and struggling to find the way.

So here we have Paul in Corinth, who brings amazing hope to this crazy band of gentiles, Jews, and Roman pagans and tells that that they are powerful force of witness to the world around them. He lets them know that the gospel is its own power of testimony, and they can be renewed in that wisdom. Who doesn’t need some wisdom today?

Perhaps, that’s part of our Lenten journey-to hear the voice of wisdom, to see the way of God. We pause in this season to restock, reset and to restore.

When Mike and I are on our passages with our sailboat we have to stop and pause too. When we come into port we assess our situation. We go around the boat and look for places of chafe and damage. We repair what needs repairing. We reprovision our fuel, our water, and our food. We make sure the boat is fully restocked to complete the next phase of our passage making. And then we reset-we rest. We make sure we are fit for travel again. We reset and recalibrate our instruments. We sleep. We get our land legs again. We interact with the world around us. And through that process we are restored for another season of passage making. That’s what Lent does for us.

In another age before Paul there was a need for a restoration of faith and courage and testimony. In Nehemiah 8:5-6 Nehemiah calls on Ezra to bring out the Law-the then known Word of God and read it to the people. As Ezra stands before the sea of people, he picks up the book of the Law. As he begins to read it the people STAND! They stand, they get up. They respond automatically. Their bodies literally raise themselves up in awe of God’s Word. It is one of the most incredible testimonies to the power of God’s word. It is the power of wisdom, the power of the Spirit at work within the people to restore their faith. To renew their hearts. To fill their souls with the goodness of God’s love. Not only did the people stand when they heard God’s word they then bowed down and wept, they wept because the words of God’s grace were fresh and new on their ears. Sometimes that’s all we need is to hear the words of love and grace read to us one more time and we too weep as we are restored to the bosom of God’s embrace.

So, friends, in this age of uncertainty, where are we standing? 

Looking back? Yes-to remember the saints and to stand on their shoulders. 

Looking forward? Yes-to look with hope and anticipation, not fear, of the future church that God is calling us to envision and provision. 

Looking to the present? Absolutely-for it is in the present that we live. In the present we build, we sustain, we encourage, we act, we live with joy and we do not hesitate. 

You see, in the present we trust the Spirit to grant us wisdom as we believe the testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ to be true and to be our story to tell.

Be of good faith. We have the Spirit of God within us. Be restored. Live a holy Lent. Amen.

Resources: NIB J. Paul Samply- Corinthians commentary.

Words and quotes-Property of Monica Gould.

The Call of Jesus-Love Your Enemies

 Sermon  Luke 6:27-38 February 20, 2022

The Call of Jesus-Love Your Enemies         

Today is the last Sunday of the series of Scriptures from Luke. We won’t return to Luke until after Easter.

Last week I shared that Jesus was talking to the people on the plain and all became a level playing field for the listeners and for hearers then and today. I mentioned that Jesus didn’t tell anyone what to do but he helped people to discover their identity.

Today as we go further in the text, we hear Jesus begin to tell the hearers and the listeners to do something!!

 We know that Jesus has given the commandments to love one another. But Luke makes this love command almost impossible.

He tells us to love our enemies.

He tells us to turn the other cheek.

He commands us to give someone the shirt off our back.

He tells us to give to people whatever they ask. And

he tells us to not ask for the things back that have been taken from us!

 

You and I both know we can’t make a living like that. This instruction from Jesus is way too dangerous for us to consider for a minute. This way of life leads to vulnerability and leads to possibilities for abuse. We have to be careful of the call of Jesus when he tells us to love our enemies. We could end up dead or worse. How do we navigate these commands and hold onto life? The power of the words from Jesus comes from his insistence on mercy.

There is a tension between the giving up of everything of our own and the giving over, running over, pouring out of all God’s mercy to others.

If we have to do any of this on our own it would fail.

We are incapable as human beings of accomplishing even an iota of what Jesus is telling us to get out there to do.

Here’s our chance to come to this moment of his words and to say to him-“but Jesus, I’m broken. I’m tired. I’m in a place that I’ve had enough of what is going on in this world. Everything out there feels like an enemy. Wherever we turn there are things, events, people, emotions, heartaches, pain, suffering tearing up our lives and you want us to turn around and embrace these enemies as if they are our friends? Lord, we are not capable. I am not capable.”

When we are faced with these conditions of hardships, we want to claim justice and seek retaliation. We just want to get back at those enemies to make it right. But Jesus is claiming there is another way to do something.

To love the enemy, we will have to know who or what the enemy is. We will have to understand what it means to do good to those who hate you. In our polarized society it might do us some good to examine ourselves in those relationships. Who are we calling our enemy?

Other enemies, I would offer, are of our own making. Other enemies are within our own heart-enemies of anxiety, fear, hatred, sin, vanity, selfishness, and anger.

Jesus in his command to do something, offers us the freedom to start over. (Rev. Dr. Sara Dingman)

Jesus offers us the ability to look to him for the example of loving, giving, and doing. We do not need to be afraid to give of ourselves to share or to risk when we are covered by his grace. Fear as the people of Trinidad are experiencing can stall a whole nation.

Currently the people of Trinidad are highly afraid. It has become an enemy. It has become something the people need to learn to embrace and face and choose to do something.

Children in Trinidad have not been to school for since March of 2020. A beautiful article in the local paper the Guardian was written by Annalisa Alcazar, M.A. Mental Health Therapist Child Specialist describes how fear has gripped her people.

She writes, “Anxiety can become the driver of all things. We must ensure we do not let it steer the wheel. Often, fear and anxiety are not logical. Fear is always a component within these disorders, as well as in our everyday lives. Once triggered, the brain experiences a heightened fear response, and this often leads to a pattern of avoidance. However, what most do not understand, is once you avoid something you are afraid of, the fear is then maintained or amplified.

Worrying, many do not know, is also an active form of avoidance, which increases fear and anxiety. It is used to avoid problem-solving and decision-making. Instead, you ruminate over and over, without solving anything and you remain stuck. Those of us who worry excessively feel like we cannot turn off our minds, and it can be debilitating.

Anxiety takes a piece of the truth and twists it; then catastrophizes it and tells us the bad thing will most definitely happen. So, for something that is highly unlikely to happen, now our anxiety tells us it will definitely happen. And of course, it will happen to us. Therefore, we become highly afraid and avoid the circumstance.”

 

We do not need to avoid the call of Jesus to practice love. I believe we are in a place where these strong words of Jesus to do something are meant for us in this day and time.

Fear is our enemy.

We are our own enemies.

We do not like ourselves.

Jesus tells us to love those who hate you. If that is ourselves it is time to go to the mirror.

We need to look in the mirror and tell ourselves that Jesus loves us.

If we are frozen with anxiety, unable to make decisions to move forward and follow the call of Jesus to show his love, he pours out his mercy on us.

His mercy is great.

Notice that these words from him to do the impossible

come with the guarantee of his mercy to take us there so we can.

 

Jesus is telling us that there is plenty of room for mistakes and his love is generous enough for me and you and everyone else. So, no matter what or who our enemies are, Jesus can give us what we need to do and show the love he commands. We can share our coat and offer a shirt. We do not need to be afraid to do what Jesus asks.

Yesterday, thanks to the digital space in which are able to worship, I was able to attend the funeral of a colleague of mine from Indiana. The Rev Kevin Scott Fleming from First Presbyterian Church Evansville Indiana where he served as their pastor for 25 years.

It’s hard for me to believe that this scripture was chosen to be preached at the funeral. But Rev. Dr Sara Dingman, Synod executive of the Synod of Lincoln Trails preached from this text and our hearts were moved. She said, Rev Kevin Scott Fleming would have preached this had he been in the pulpit. It was only appropriate that she followed his ways. She then said the words that hurt and rang harsh in our ears. “Rev Fleming will never preach from this pulpit again.” She said it twice and it hurt so much to hear it that we, the listeners, wanted to shut out the noise of those words. But she went on to share that we feel broken, pressed down, shaken together over the shock of his sudden death. She comforted us with the knowledge that God’s mercy is the key to these commands from Jesus.

Mercy gives room for error.

Mercy allows for forgiveness.

Mercy leads to generosity which leads to life.

And to know that is to also know that mercy is good for the church.

Friends, we are not perfect people. We are not as saintly as we would hope we could be. We are not the church without problems or challenges or struggles. There is no church like that except through the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to follow him.

He calls us to be his disciples.

He calls us to obey his commands.

He calls us to listen.

He calls us to know whose we are.

He calls us to do something.

Friends let us give and love and live. Let us do something! Through his mercy now and forever.

Amen.

 Monica Gould copyright February 20, 2022

Resources: Funeral sermon Rev Kevin Scoot Fleming given by Rev. Dr. Sara Dingman Synod Exec Synod of Lincoln Trails; Podcast Working Preacher, Rev Matt Skinner, Rev, Rolf Jacobson, Rev Karoline Lewis; NIB Luke, Rev R. Alan Culpepper; Article the Guardian Trinidad, Annalisa Alcazar, M.A. Mental Health Therapist Child Specialist 

Hats Off to you Pastors!! May Jesus Christ be Praised!

 

Hats Off to you Pastors!! May Jesus Christ be Praised!

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation Isaiah 33:6

I want to write an article that encourages pastors who are out there doing the hard work of the church. All we have to read about are the articles that warn about burnout. The articles that let pastors know they have all been living in a war zone are so depressing. They perpetuate discouragement saying there are so few of them left. My question is-Has anyone acknowledged the courage of those who have chosen to be in it for the long haul? Has anyone written about old fashioned commitment because that is what we do when we make our oath at ordination? Has anyone written about the call to duty and the strength of living with honor?

Even the current cultural climate has taken away the importance of living a sacrificial life. We have forgotten the ethics of Jesus. (But, that’s a soapbox for another time.)

These two years of ministry have been hell on earth. There’s no denying that. Pastors have had the closest confidents turn on them because of the difficult decisions of when to shut down and when to open the church for in person worship.

Choirs and music have suffered at the hand of these decisions too. Perhaps large congregations with multiple staff and as many more opinions have suffered more than the smaller and more rural congregations. Small congregations are used to conflict and struggle. Just staying open and viable is a concern every year. Small congregations who have withstood the test of times are the ones who have lived out adaptive leadership.

Hats off to you pastors who are still in your post. Hats off to you pastors who have planted your feet firm with your congregations. Hats off to you pastors who have not been swayed by the loudest voices but discovered what has been best for your little group in your unique place. Hats off to you pastors who have worked hand in hand with both the contrary and the compliance members of your leadership. Hats off to you pastors who have sought to find a way to make worship feasible and safe and fulfilling for all your people. May Jesus Christ be praised!

In 22 months more congregations have launched unimaginable forms of ministry. Creativity soared beyond anything any pastor or church leader could have planned for in advance. Hats off to the quick thinkers that kept church alive in the most unusual ways. Take your under-pressure leadership skills and dust off the rejections and pat the affirmations and move forward into this new year with gusto. You now have a skill set that’s sellable. You now have knowledge that’s shareable. You now have faith that’s unshakeable. You have done remarkable work for the sake of Jesus Christ. It’s not about you or me or even the members. It’s about the church of Jesus Christ and you have been faithful to keeping her going against all odds.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,… the things that God has for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Many of you, perhaps without knowing it, put disaster management and Heifetz leadership into effect immediately. The three core responsibilities of leadership are to provide-direction, protection, and vision. During the discomfort and fear of the upheaval of this crisis it was your responsibility to help people find a way to tolerate and live through the storm. It was important to recognize the context of the values and belief systems of the people you were guiding and leading. You were helping your people move from status quo and being stuck to moving safely into the risk of new ways of maneuvering while maintaining connections of faith and community. The greatest risk was doing something new, and something not done before. The hardest things you did with them was to determine the things that were essential, and the things that were allowed to be left behind or undone. You were able to break through the ‘right or wrong’ of things and help people to see a vision of what ‘will or should be’. You were amazing! You also did the challenging thing of making a few executive decisions of no and yes.

When your feelings got hurt, you withstood that. You went back to scripture and listened to the story of Jesus being chased toward the cliff. You turned around and realized it wasn’t really the people sending you there it was their fears, their anxieties, their inability to adjust to the unknowns and uncertainties of the world. You brought them hope Sunday after Sunday and day after day. You kept the vision of a brighter day before them

And when you really got low and discouraged; when you really thought you could throw in the towel you were reminded that this call to ministry is not about power or control, or about feeling good and getting affirmation; this call isn’t even about being popular and liked. Those were the dark days. They were days that challenged. They were days that screamed-“Give up!” But, you didn’t!

You remembered your vows were to Jesus to uphold his church and you stood the test knowing how much he loves you. You have a toolbelt filled with tested equipment for the storms that will come again. Trust yourself and your dedication to the work of the Lord. It has not gone unnoticed.

You have given your people a great gift. You have shown them a path that can be followed even during the most turbulent times. You have given them vision and hope, sustenance, and sustainability. You have enriched their faith and strengthened their resolve to stick with Jesus always. You have shown them and yourself to set your course by the promises of God. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Hold fast friends! Amen!!

 Monica Gould copyright January 18, 2022

Resources: The Practice of Adaptive Leadership Heifetz, Grashow, Linsky. NRSV Bible

A Story to Tell-the Road Home

Sermon Luke 2:15-20; Mathew 2:1-2, 9-12; Acts 26:13-23 January 2, 2022 

An Epiphany Moment 

 A Story to Tell-the Road Home 

 We celebrate Epiphany today. It happens officially on the sixth of January. 

But we are here at the crossroads of time once again; 

the end of Christmas of 2021

 and the beginning of Epiphany of 2022. 

At these crossroads we are faced with the moments of experience and anticipation. All through Advent we anticipated the birth of Jesus to come. On Christmas Eve he came and on Christmas Day we rejoiced at his presence with us. Throughout all of it we were witnesses to the light. The light of hope, of joy, of peace, and of love. We were witnesses to the light of the angels, the light of the star, the light of God shining from heaven through Jesus his son. 

There has been brightness all around us. 

 Our scripture readings today reveal the presence of light in the life of people. 

The shepherds encountered the light of God through the angels. 

They went straight to Bethlehem to meet the Savior. They were so changed by the experience that when they returned home they had a story to tell. The road home led them back to their lives of shepherding sheep but it was through the lens of a new and changed life. 

They went home but on new terms. 

They went home with renewed hope. 

They went home but with eyes wide open to the joy that brought them back to where they could tell the story of wonder, the story of miracle, the story of promise! 

photo credit Megan Ames

 The magi saw the great light in the sky and followed it until it shone upon where the baby lay. They came and bowed down before the tiny king and paid him homage. 

They were changed forever by the light of the star. 

They went home and down the road with a story to tell. 

Their ability to risk everything to chase after a light brought them into the presence of the Promise. 

The did not stay at the manger or linger hoping for more. 

The encounter with the baby Lord filled them with the abundance of new life. 

It gave them hope and strength, resilience to get back on the road with this newfound love to share and tell those from which they came. 

 It’s the most wonderful news to know that we encounter Jesus at Bethlehem every year and he smiles upon us and refreshes us and sends us on the road home with another story to tell. 

 

The loss of Desmond Tutu and the loss of Betty White broke my heart this past week. 

These were two remarkable world changing people. 

In very different ways of course. 

But, all I could think about was these two people were so important to the world because of who they were. 

And we expected, hoped, prayed that they would never leave us. 

Imagine having so much of an impact on others that dying at 90 or 99 is too soon. 

Who are the people we expect to never leave us, to always stay with us, to be an icon around us, because if they dared to leave at anytime it would be too soon? 

We’ve ended 2021 with much the same way we ended 2020. 

We lost people too soon. 

We were challenged at times beyond our capacities. 

We were in situations of turmoil, grief, and struggle that God never intended us to be in. 

And yet, there we were. 

And this year couldn’t end soon enough for us. 

 The question for us as we enter into this year of 2022, ‘has the encounter with Jesus in Bethlehem of 2021 impacted us in a way that we don’t want Jesus to ever leave us?’ 

Somewhere along the way we experience Emmanuel. 

We meet the incarnation of God through his Son Jesus on our road of life. 

We experience the epiphany, the aha moment of Jesus alive within us, at Christmas or through the story of the wisemen, or the shepherds as they witnessed the promise of God come alive. 

Perhaps, our epiphany, our awakening to God happened at our confirmation, 

or at church camp, 

or through choral singing, 

or at a retreat, 

or in quietness of our own room. 

**We all meet Jesus face to face in our life in a moment so necessary to our life that it alters our life forever.**

It’s at those moments we recognize the God who promised to always be with us has been holding us in the palm of his hand through all the times we thought were too much for us to handle. 

 The amazing story of encounters with the light of Jesus continues beyond his birth and after his resurrection. 

Paul was blinded by the light of Jesus so boldly it took three days for his vision to return. 

Jesus turned Paul’s life upside down. 

Jesus came face to face with Paul and in that moment he was changed forever. 

 We are changed by face to face encounters. 

Paul had a story to tell and took the road home and faced all the people he had persecuted before and all the people who had taught him and he told them about Jesus no matter the cost it had on his reputation.

Because Jesus had given him a new identity and a new call in life. 

That’s what he does, 

he radically changes us to want to live only for him. 

He changes us so that all that matters 

is to bring hope, joy, peace, and love to the world through him. 

 As humans we are social creatures with a social culture. 

We need encounters. 

We need face to face experiences to learn, to grow, to be nourished, to be alive. 

Whales are also social creatures requiring a social pod to experience and live life. 

As we watch them in nature we discover that they value families and sharing most. 

They serve each other and work together for food. 

They adore their children and protect each other’s children. 

They experience joy, they mourn, the play. 

An Orca whale lost her young and swam around for days with the body of her child and made weeping noises. The other Orcas of the pod swam with her to provide comfort and support. 

 As humans we must have these physical social cultural interactions. 

They are necessary for our survival. 

They are necessary for our faith. 

They are necessary for our encounters with Jesus in worship. 

As we pack up our journey to Bethlehem and get on the road home, 

remember we have a story to tell. 

Let’s not forget to go home with changed hearts 

and refreshed souls to sing 

and dance and share. 

 And we pray the prayer of Howard Thurman 

 A Prayer For The New Year 

 God, Grant that I may pass through the coming year with a faithful heart. 

There will be much to test me and make weak my strength before the year ends.

 In my confusion I shall often say the word that is not true 

and do the thing of which I am ashamed. 

There will be errors in the mind 

and great inaccuracies of judgment. 

In seeking the light, 

I shall again and again find myself walking in the darkness. 

I shall mistake my light for Your light 

and I shall drink from the responsibility of the choice I make... 

Though my days be marked with failures, 

stumblings, fallings, 

let my spirit be free so that You may take it 

and redeem my moments 

in all the ways my needs reveal. 

 Give me the quiet assurance 

of Your Love and Presence. 

Grant that I may pass through the coming year 

with a faithful heart. 

Amen 

Meditations Of The Heart

Resources: NIB Acts. Online news source-ABC

Original quotes and sayings of Monica Gould

Light 2021 Christmas Eve meditation

 Sermon Luke 2:8-16 December 24, 2021 Christmas Eve meditation Monica Gould @ NMPC & FMPC

Light

It is in the gospels of Luke and Matthew that we encounter the heavenly raid on earth through the rendering of God with us. The austere thrusting of flesh through flesh to be fully Emmanuel, wonderful counselor, prince of peace is how God chose to bring us the Light of life.

The power of God come to us through images of humanity makes us mesmerized and in awe of God so willing to be entrapped in his own creation of bone upon bone and sinew, and muscle and flesh.

No one saw it coming even though it had been foretold for 700 hundred years. It is still so unbelievable that we encounter the birth of the God who birthed us at the dawn of creation each Christmas as a miracle of love born fresh in our hearts.

The light of life comes to the shepherds in the gospel of Luke. In the gospel of Matthew it is the magi who witness and follow the star.

We ask ourselves how will we get to Bethlehem this night?

Will the angels come to us and announce the Savior’s birth?

Perhaps, like me, you have wanted a disturbance in the night by a grand company of angels making it abundantly clear that Jesus is here.

Each year I seek to draw closer and closer to the light, so I don’t miss out on anything. FOMO, I think is what they call it. Fear of missing out.

The shepherds would have completely missed out of the experience of the presence of Jesus if it had not been for the announcement of the angels. The angels thrust a spotlight from heaven upon the men and women in the field. It was unmistakable that something very heavenly and very God appearing was happening.

If only God could do that for us every year. To send out a spotlight from heaven and cast it down on our house, or in our car, or at our job-and scare the bejeebers out of us so that we’ll see the light and pay attention this time.

photo credit Megan Ames

Every night there is light in the sky to show us the handiwork of God. Every day there is light in the sky to remind us of the warmth of love. We have the sounds of the birds, the creatures, the sea, the storms, the wind, the soft breeze. We are surrounded by the power of God, by the love of God in every breath we take.

This is the good news told to us today.

It is the good news told to us tonight.

It is the good news we are given throughout all of life.

You see the darkness is always showered with light. We only have to have the patience to wait for the moon to rise or the sun to come forth.

So here we are again as God’s people witnessing the great light shatter the darkness announcing the good news. Jesus is here. God’ grace is upon us. There is joy and celebration as the light of life has come to live within us. Let us make haste to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place!! 

Be at peace. Amen.

Photo credit Megan Ames

Resources: NIB Luke. Original works and quotes of Monica Gould 2021. 

Balaam and the Talking Donkey

 Sermon Numbers 22:22-36 October 10, 2021

Balaam and the Talking Donkey

The story of Balaam’s donkey sounds more like folklore than a story from the bible. It seems like something we would watch on Veggie Tales. Or perhaps, it’s a bit more like Dr Doolittle. Talk to the animals. We wish we could.

if I could talk to the animals, just imagine it
Chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee
Imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah
What a neat achievement that would be.

If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages
Maybe take an animal degree.
I'd study elephant and eagle, buffalo and beagle,
Alligator, guinea pig, and flea.

I would converse in polar bear and python,
And I Would curse in fluent kangaroo.
If people asked me, can you speak rhinoceros,
I'd say, "Of courserous, can't you?"

If I conferred with our furry friends, man to animal
think of the amazing repartee
If I could walk with the animals, talk with the animals,
Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,
and they could talk to me.

What a world it would be if we could understand all that we are going through throughout creation not just among humanity. God would be ever so thrilled to recognize his creation is seeking beyond its own understanding to be engaged with all its surroundings.

The story of Balaam and the donkey that finally yells out to him to warn him for the sake of his life is a remarkable story about how unaware we are of the world beyond our sight.

We constantly think the Old Testament is irrelevant to our life today. Yet, the Book of Numbers is a book that reminds us of our own wanderings in the wilderness of life. It consists of stories, laws, travel itineraries, instructions, worship, altercations, complaining, lots of complaining, lots of turmoil, and frustrations. The stories in Numbers provide a paradigm for communities of faith as they face situations that bring turmoil and especially challenging transitions-Harper Collins. Even the Apostle Paul points out in his writings that these things were written down for our instruction.

So, what is happening in this story that we can draw from to help us in our wanderings of faith?

Let’s start with Balaam. He is a professional prophet who makes money going around cursing groups of people at the king’s command. His actual existence and the existence of his profession can be found among different archaeological records. He has a weapon of words that he uses to hurl insults and warnings and threats to groups of people that the king feels is a threat to his kingdom. We might say today that this is ridiculous! How can words and curses have any effect on people? Apparently back then the prophet would curse a group by calling down fire upon them or sending a plague of boils or crying to the skies to close up the clouds and create a drought.

This brings me to consider the plague that is causing so much turmoil among our current world’s people through the war of words and curses across social media platforms. We’ve never been in a time when the words of others could cut so deep and could affect the life of another. Suicide has been directly linked to the cruelty of language across cyberspace. Perhaps there are still professional prophets out there today who choose to make money off the innocent unsuspecting participants.

Balaam’s job was to bring havoc among unsuspecting people. The Israelites are camped along the plains of Moab. They are traveling across the plains on their way to Canaan, to the Land of Promise. They have no idea that the king of Moab is afraid of them. They have no idea that their life is in danger. They have no idea that anything other than their daily travels as a group of wanderers is going on.

What’s even more remarkable is that they also have absolutely no idea of God’s intervention on their behalf. They are clueless to the lengths God goes to block the curse of Balaam. They don’t even know Balaam exists. God is putting roadblocks all along the path of Balaam to prevent any harm to come to his people. No matter what Balaam tries to utter, the only words that roll from his tongue are blessings.

It begs the question for all of us.

How much is happening around us beyond our sight to keep us safe. To keep us healthy. To keep us surrounded by all that is good. To keep us sheltered and warm. We are made aware of hurricanes days ahead of time and people are working overtime doing things we have no clue what they are to prevent any harm to come to us. We have no idea how many wars have been averted by our military interventions at the ground level that we will never learn about.

Our children sleep softly and warmly at night unaware of the all-night vigils their parents have held to streamline finances and budgets to keep the lights on. Our students have amazing classroom instruction clueless to the all-nighter their teacher pulled to make sure the experiments worked and the lecture made sense.

The miracle is that God is at work in realms beyond our sight and our understanding intervening against the evil that would seek to harm us.

God stands in the path with a flaming sword to keep us from harms way. Yet, even with warnings and signs, there are times we do not know, we do not see, we do not heed what is good for us.

Balaam’s error was his blindness to his mission. God had granted him permission to go to the king of Moab. But, when he went, God was angered that he would still follow through on a mission meant to hurt others. To save him, God put an angel, an adversary, in the middle of the road to block his travel to the king.

The donkey, the trusted animal of Balaam, saw what was before him.

Now the donkey had been Balaam’s animal of transport since he was a child. The writers put this tiny detail in the text to let us know that they knew each other very well. Donkeys live a long time. They are intelligent creatures. I’ve been told, they are kept in fields of cattle and sheep because they can sense danger earlier than other animals can. They can scare off foxes, coyotes, and wolves. They are worthy creatures. They are truly worth a song of thanksgiving. So, it is surprising that Balaam didn’t respond positively to his donkey when he halted in the road.

We are given people, critters, and other trusted beings in our life for a purpose. Yet, often the task before us blinds us from the wisdom offered to us by these wise ones. Perhaps, now is an opportunity for us to no longer take for granted that which we have been given.

Balaam was so blind to his task, he completely disregarded the one very trusted gift that was carrying him. Three times this dear donkey tried to save him. And three times he was beaten and yelled at all the more.

If we have people or dogs or cats or whatever that we love and trust, who are doing everything to get our attention, pay attention, it could save our life. Our task that we are so determined to be on could be the very thing that needs preventing. If we are so convinced that we need to push through the advice and the wisdom to the point of hurting the ones seeking to help; it might be the very sign we need to know that it is God seeking to save us.

Our prayer as we go through this week can be sung, Open m eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Open my ears that I may hear voices of truth thou sendest clear. Open my mouth and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere.

God sent us Jesus as the visible truth for us to see and to hear as our living truthful companion on our path of life.

Our friends and our creation that surrounds us is not by coincidence. We are all guided on a path. We are given direction. We are all on a journey called by God to be partners in life and in love. This story has so many layers from which we may pull the lesson of God’s unwavering presence in times of challenge. We may learn that Dr Doolittle was right to learn to talk to the animals. We may learn not to take anything for granted. We may just enjoy a good story with a good ending. Let’ rejoice in the love we have together in Jesus, now and forever.

Amen.  

Resources: NIB Volume 1 Numbers; Harper Collins Bible Commentary; Henrietta Mears “What the Bible is All About”; Harper Collins Bible Dictionary

 Monica Gould. Sharing is permitted. Please send requests to reprint with permission to mongould@gmail.com