Thin Places

Meditation Christmas Eve 2017

Thin Places

Tonight as we enter into the holy night of the birth of our Savior I am thinking about thin places. a thin place is a term used for millennia to describe a place in time where the space between heaven and earth grows thin and the Sacred and the secular seem to meet. 

That night so long ago was one of those thin places moments. 

We all come to the dim lights of Christmas Eve, the candle glow, and the softness of the sounds around us. 

We all come to hushed tones of the evening seeking, searching, hoping, for a glimpse into the holy. We come to encounter the thin place where God reaches down and touches us. We come with expectation of the birth, to witness the manger once again, to be lifted up into the glorious song of angels. 

We want to be with the shepherds as they grab their gear and run to Bethlehem. 

We want a sense of that hurried anticipation of the power of the presence of God in our life.

Yes, a thin place. 

A place in time where heaven and earth grow daringly thin so that God may enter in. 

And yet, it is on this night that we discover the mystery of God’s bursting forth into real time and real space. To claim us for his own. The Incarnation happened then and happens now-be born in us today, we sing.

No matter who we are or how we are God moves through this evening with the mystery that captured that first clash of heaven to earth.

We can learn to Trust it.

Be in love with it.

And we come to discover that this mystery, this miracle, is what carries us through all the Christmas Eves to come.

Allow God to show us the holy, the thin place and space that will warm our hearts and shape our lives.

And so I invite you to remember that Christmas Comes (Ann Weams)

Christmas comes every time we see God in other persons. 

The human and the holy meet in Bethlehem-or in Times Square,

For Christmas comes like a golden storm on its way to Jerusalem—

Determinedly, inevitably…

now it comes

In the face of hatred and warring----

No atrocity too terrible to stop it. 

No Herod strong enough, 

No hurt deep enough, 

No curse shocking enough, 

No disaster shattering enough-----

For someone on earth will see the star, 

someone will hear the angel voices, 

someone will run to Bethlehem, 

someone will know peace and goodwill: 

The Christ will be born! 

Christ is born this night. 

Christ is our light.

  Blessings to you this Christmas in whatever state God finds you. 

Know you are loved and love wraps around you. 

Amen.   

Light of Love

Sermon Luke 1:26-38 December 24, 2017 Advent 4

Light of Love

Last Sunday we spent our worship experience focused on the story of the birth of Jesus through the Christmas program. The children and the choir shared the news words and music. Our hope was renewed as we witnessed our children participating in the promise of God. It was truly a light of joy.

Today on the fourth Sunday of Advent we spend time reflecting on the words of Mary as she encounters the angel Gabriel. I find myself pondering on the moment of discovery for Mary.

What is it like for us in those moments of surprise?

When the unexpected comes to us?

When the derailment of our plans and our dreams occurs, what is our response?

When we are left vulnerable to our family’s opinions, cultural expectations, and the views of the world, how do we react?

Are we aware of the presence of holiness when it appears?

There is quite a lot for us to ponder on this fourth Sunday of Advent.

God does enter into ordinary lives in ordinary ways. The angel called Mary highly favored. There was nothing in Mary’s life that would have been considered as something to be highly favored. She was poor. She lived in a town that people said nothing good comes from Nazareth. She was engaged to be married to a carpenter not a statesman or a wealthy, famous person.

God does enter into a real place in time and space. 

God breaks from heaven and begins dwelling among us in the most vulnerable way. 

Life and death hang in the balance for many a mother and child. 

Pregnancy and child birth are still to this day challenging. To conceive for some is without a thought and for others a time of great disappointment, despair, and grief. 

There are so many women who have suffered in silence as one pregnancy after another is lost and the hoped for infant returns to heaven. 

Women in childbirth are still at risk even with the best doctors and equipment available. There were safer ways for God to come to us to be among us than through this risky means.

And yet, in a little town, in a little house, with a young girl, we witness something new, something that changes our lives forever.

Mary heard the words of the angel and knew that God had come to her. Holiness had invaded her space. Holiness had come.

She asked the angel Gabriel, “How can this be?” We don’t have the opportunity for tone or inflection so we have to guess. We wonder if she is afraid, or if she was incensed, or confused, or just pondering the logic of what the angel is telling her. 

She talks with the messenger of God! She is not a silent bystander. She gets involved with the work of God within her. She becomes a partner with God in this process of redemption.

 Her response to the angel is so amazing. “May it be as you say, here am I the servant of the Lord,” is not a passive resignation for God or anyone else to do what they want with us. But, it is a response of commitment and participation with the work of God in this world.

Imagine if we too heard the word of God through the angels who visit us. Imagine if we too took a stand with God and said, “May it be as you say, here am I”.

Mary as we read further in Scripture sang a song which we now call the Magnificat. 

It was a song of liberation, a song of reversals, a song of resistance and even rebellion. 

Mary took her role as the mother of God in strength and in resilience. 

She had the resolve to follow through with whatever was to come. She had the ability to stand with a task that was contrary to the current culture. She stood firm in her faith as she faced the possibility of death. She stood firm in her faith when her son grew and took the risk of death upon himself. She stood firm in her faith as she sat at the foot of the cross and watched her son die. She stood firm in her faith even as she was cared for by others in her old age.

It is so hard for us as people of faith to figure out what God is calling us to do. 

We agonize over the call God has placed on us. We wonder if we are really doing what God has asked us to do. We agonize wondering if God really loves us. Are we worthy?

 Are we doing the right thing?

And then once again the story of Mary reminds us that God has not abandoned us. 

God chose to enter the human race by means of the human race. 

God’s creation so destroyed and distorted by acts of violence upon the earth, the creatures and each other could have been destroyed in the same breath by which it was created. But, somehow God looked upon everything there and burst forth in love. 

The Light of Love chose to push through all the depravity, sin, corruption, and discord to wash it all pure again beginning with waters of the womb. Our being drawn to the Light of Love is a rebirth in the same way.

God has sent angel messengers to us to announce that we too have received the power of God through his son born to us today. Let us say yes, let it be as you say, here am I your servant. Amen. 

Who Tells Us What to Do?

Sermon Matthew 21:23-32 October 1, 2017 World Communion

Who Tells Us What to Do?

“Who said you could do that?”

This question is an old one that many of us have heard or asked over the years.

Who said you could get that cookie?

Who told you that you could take the car?

Who said you could leave work early?

Who gave you permission to take money from the account?

Who tells you that you can act like that in public?

These are fair questions.

These are real questions to ask when there is a concern about authority. We live, and have always lived, in a time when authority is the question of the day.

This month we are turning our focus to the issues of the Reformation. Authority was one of the many concerns and questions that Martin Luther faced. His concern was specific to papal authority. He questioned the pope’s misuse of Scripture. He had been diligently studying Scripture and he discovered a disconnect with the teachings of the church. He read in Scripture about the forgiveness of God and the power of God’s righteousness to save. It was God who forgives and God who saves, not the priests or the pope.

Jesus’ encounter with the religious leaders brings home the question of authority and of faith. Jesus challenges the people in positions of authority not just as he faced the religious leaders, but everyone who reads these words today.

How do people get authority anyway?

Authority comes to those in positions of responsibility. Teachers, doctors, ministers, lawyers, policemen, firemen, elected officials, all have authority granted them by the position of their office-in other words-their job requires them to be responsible for others.

There is an expectation of how they are to act with their authority.

They are not to abuse it or hold it over others, or ridicule, or humiliate.

But, when someone questions authority, especially someone who is not in an accepted role of authority, that person is criticized, disregarded, punished, sent away, rejected. When someone stands up and points out a wrong, they are immediately shut down. That seems to be how it has worked for as long as we have history to document it. It happened in Scripture as we have heard. It happened in Luther’s day. It is happening today in this country and across the world.

When misuse of power is happening-the question of authority must be addressed.

The challenge for us as we listen to this Scripture is to figure out who are we in this context.

Are we the religious leaders upholding the current law,

criticizing those who are pushing and shoving their way to make a change and questioning their rights to challenge them?

Or are we with Jesus standing up to authority and questioning their misuse of power?

You see, we Americans are Americans because we stood up to taxation without representation.

We Protestants are Protestants because we stood up to misuse of the papal authority.

Can you think of other historical times when this was necessary?

For Martin Luther it was important to learn and understand the Bible at its very word. He felt tormented by the verses that proclaimed, ‘God forgives’. No one had the authority to forgive but God. He was compelled to stand up to those in the church who claimed otherwise.

Have we ever had a time in our own lives when we felt compelled to stand up to others who we believed were misusing their power, their authority?

Jesus questions the leaders about the baptism of John.

He makes it clear that John’s baptism was proclaimed by the authority of heaven.

God’s righteousness blessed John as the foreshadow of Jesus.

By the rejection of John’s ministry of repentance, the religious leaders are in essence rejecting the ministry of Jesus.

Their failure to see John as sent from heaven ultimately results in their failure to receive Jesus as the Messiah. FAITH is crucial, Jesus clarifies the religious leaders do not have the authority to claim who is and who is out!

And so,

Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. There is no mystery here. The parable is clear. One son refuses to do the father’s will but changes his made and goes out and does the job. The second says he will but never shows up.

What matters most is not saying but doing. Our walking in the way of believing is more important than our saying we believe.

Lewis Donelson, a theologian, says, This parable remains an attack on people in authority. It addresses leaders who do not recognize those who walk in the ways of righteousness and who do not walk that way themselves.

The words of Jesus in Scripture help us understand who tells us what to do. It is the God of heaven and earth that moves us and claims us and puts us on the path to do good.

Our words,

our actions,

our proclamations

all fall under scrutiny

when we judge who is in and who is out.

Sinners,

tax collectors,

drug addicts,

homeless,

prisoners,

illegals,

are the ones who turned

and followed Jesus

and there was room

for them at the table.

The authority of Jesus comes from heaven above

and he is the One to whom we offer ourselves.

He is the one who feeds us.

He is the one who gives the bread of life.

He is the one who turns our hearts inside out.

Let us believe in him.

Let us accept his authority.

Let us walk in his righteousness.

Let us find room at the table for all the sons and daughters

who need a place to sit and eat.

Amen.

Gone Sailing

We've gone sailing and are keeping are posting on that blog. You can follow us there for the next few weeks of you like. Peace and joy to you.  http://www.sailblogs.com/member/neverland/

Are You Hungry?

Sermon Matthew 14:13-21 August 6, 2017 Communion Ordinary Time

Are You Hungry?

All I could think about at the beginning of this week’s VBS as we were filled to the gills with young people, was, “is there enough?”

We are still unsure of how we went from 23 registered little ones for VBS to 38, then 42. Perhaps it was the radio advertisement, perhaps, it was friends of little ones that came before. In 20 minutes, the room was full of young people and parents and the buzzing sound of happiness. And the buzzing sound of leaders discovering their ability to adapt in a heartbeat.

This week has been a miracle,

a wonder,

at times incomprehensible,

and a reality of a blessing.

God was in the midst of us fulfilling promises

and offering us the reality of salvation!

The story of Jesus in the desert seeking quiet is a story about the One we call our Savior.

It’s a story that helps us live into the power of God present with us fulfilling promises and offering us the reality of salvation.

We have tried so often to turn the stories of the Bible into scientific stories.

We have spent a lot of time trying to rationalize the miracle out of the stories we read. Jesus walked on stones beneath the surface, not on the water-people shared their food rather than the miracle of multiplication.

We debunk the miracle and only claim the humanity and compassion of Jesus. I think over the decades of historical criticism we have minimalized the God we serve and the God we worship.

Jesus has just been told of the death of John the Baptist.

He is in deep grief.

Grief struck so suddenly is paralyzing.

It creates a numbness,

an inability to focus and a

need to get away and

regroup the brain to know how to go forward.

Jesus needed to get away in his grief.

It was not about the crowds and their needs

it was his need to process this devastating news.

So, he sought to go to a place alone.

But, when he arrived he was greeted by the crowds.

Instead of being angry or frustrated, or indignant of the crowd’s lack of understanding of his needs, he turns to them with compassion.

Every time I read that about Jesus, it blows me away.

I’m a horrible introvert and I need my alone time to regroup and get my act together to be able to meet folks with a cheery smile. And I blow it all the time.

We discover the person of Jesus as he reaches out in compassion to those who follow him. His grief is processed through his outpouring of his love for those who need healing, and those who need love, and those who need to be touched by the kindness of another, and those who need to be acknowledges as human.

The crowd was hungry.

And Jesus knew it.

And he provided them filled them til they were full.

In his compassion, he healed them. Jesus stayed with them and the day turned to evening and Jesus was still with them.

The disciples were hungry by then.

I can hear their tummies rumbling as they tell Jesus to send the crowd home to get their own supper. Jesus is now more than just a teacher to follow and be amazed at all he can do.

Jesus, looks at his disciples and tells them to feed the crowd.

They look at him through limited lenses.

They only have five loaves and two fish.

And as far as they are concerned they are ready to get to town because that’s nowhere near enough for all of them let alone share with a crowd of lesser people.

Jesus offers them the miracle.

He offers them the chance to distribute fulfillment to a hungry crowd.

But they fail to see the possibility of a miracle.

They fail to see the power of God present with them.

They fail to see the reality of salvation being fulfilled.

They fail to see the Messiah in their midst who fulfills God’s promises.

They dismiss the opportunity.

We are no different from the disciples.

We are constantly excluding the power of God to work salvation in history.

We lack the imagination that things contrary to nature can happen.

Perhaps we are not hungry enough.

Perhaps we are too filled up on our own selves to be hungry for God.

Perhaps, we are stuffed with our own self-righteousness that we fail to see God still working contrary to nature for the sake of our salvation.

 God can’t do anything with us without our desire, our hunger, our need for the presence of God with us.

If we can be hungry.

If we can chase after Jesus and meet him and desire him.

If we can be hungry enough to let him feed us.

We can have enough imagination to believe the miracle of how he feeds us til we are stuffed to the gills.

Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples and they gave them to the crowds and ALL ate and were filled.

Are you hungry?

May we be hungry. May we be Blessed. May we be Broken. May we be Offered. May we be Filled.

Amen.

 Resources: Feasting on the Word, NIB, Word Biblical Commentary

New Life

While the women in the congregation have stated-we've heard so much about Ruth in all our women's Bible studies, the men have shared they know very little about the story of Ruth. It seems women's studies have done overkill on Ruth-poor Ruth. Conclusion-there is an imbalance in our men and women Bible studies. What do you think? Here is the last in this year's sermon series on Ruth. Enjoy.

Sermon Ruth 4:7-17 July 23, 2017 4 of 4 in Ruth series.

New Life

I’m ridiculously happy (I love this story) about sharing the final chapter of the story of Ruth with you today. It is a story that represents the abundance of joy that comes through salvation. It’s a story that describes salvation-or I should probably say redemption, because that is the word used throughout this tale-as an occurrence not just for an individual but for an entire people.

The gospel of John, in the New Testament, begins with the fullness of God’s love for us. We are told that nothing came into being without God in Jesus Christ. In him was life and the life was the light of all people. ..and..16-from his fullness we have received grace upon grace.

It is in the light of my New Testament lenses that I look back to this fourth chapter of Ruth. New life through the fullness of grace upon grace represents the abundance of love.

In this final chapter of Ruth all this abundance of grace, of love, of new life and restoration, renewal, redemption, salvation become a reality. In this story we discover the nature of God’s love in the relationship of Ruth to Naomi. No matter how far Naomi pushed Ruth away, Ruth was unrelenting in her love and faithfulness to Naomi. No matter how often in our lives that we reject God-we can be sure that God is ever faithful to stick with us no matter how we treat him. We will continue to receive God’s unmerited love for us no matter what. We will continue to be surrounded by others who reach out to us on God’s behalf-whether they know it or not-to extend a hand of grace.

We have this funny idea that our salvation, our redemption, is some kind of reward for those people who are faithful to God. Ruth was faithful to Naomi and committed to obey and follow her advice. So, we assume in response to ‘how good’ Ruth was, God rewarded her and restored her life. We could read that into the story with that kind of a lens. But, I’d like to suggest that the authors of this story clearly did not have this interpretation in mind.

Let’s look at what has happened-briefly.

Boaz gathers at the gate with elders-which is a way of saying he convened court. The ‘other’ relative to whom he engages is not named. He is ‘so-and-so’ because as it turns out in the story he is unwilling to completely fulfil his legal obligation. The purpose of the court is to put a contract on the property-buy the property-restore the clan/family.

Side bar-women could inherit, own, sell and buy property. But, since Naomi left during the famine it probably fell into the hands of so-and-so and she has to reclaim it. Boaz tells so-and-so that he has to buck up and do his legal duty. He shames him by telling him he can’t have the land without the lady. Worse he tells so-and-so that even if he doesn’t do his duty, he-Boaz, will step in, marry Ruth, present an heir to Elimelech and take the land back anyway. If that happens so-and-so will be out land and lose the money he used to buy it.

Business transaction were sealed with a sandal. Taking off the shoe meant you were giving up your rights to redeem and the obligation passed on to the next of kin in line.

Here is where I find the intertwining of the power of God’s grace in the actions of people remarkable.

It’s not that what we do earns us anything.

But, it is what we do that God uses to shape a people for good.

Boaz didn’t have to do anything.

He didn’t have to offer kindness,

or even go to the extent of being an instrument of redemption.

But, God used him and his actions are glorified in print.

In the power of the willingness of a person to act,

the power of God’s grace breaks through.

Boaz follows through on his promise to name the child to Naomi’s husband. By doing this Naomi is now legally, figuratively, and faithfully restored.

His actions make possible the new life for the family.

New life is restored to Naomi not through the literal resurrection of her husband, but through the resurrection of his inheritance in the newborn child. Our lives are probably better reflected in the life of Naomi than the one of Ruth.

Naomi was a woman who had it all and then lost it all. She became bitter in her grief and bitter toward God. As events unfold and choices are made, gracious circumstances occur in ‘happenstance’ sort of ways. In these moments, we witness the beginning of healing in the faith of Naomi. As she heals, she hopes, as she hopes, she blesses, and as she blesses, she recognizes her life turning around-she witnesses the face of a new direction.

Now Ruth is not to be diminished for her role in all of this. Yes, her life was one of faith and commitment. We do want to try to be faithful to God and people.

But, let us also be reminded of God’s action of salvation through the people we least expect.

-if our eyes are to be opened to newness

-if our eyes are to be opened to restoration

-is our eyes are to be opened to fulfillment, sustenance, and nourishment-and all of what God has to offer;

Then we have to be willing to let those ‘others’ into our lives and into our churches, and into our villages with a full embrace and an extension of true love.

Because we never know when God will use a Moabite, or a Ninevite, or a stranger, or a foreigner, or a ‘not like us’, or an ‘other’ to be the vessel of our salvation.

The women of the village are the undergirding of the impact of God’s wonderful, abundant grace. If it wasn’t for the words of these villagers, this story would just be about a nice guy who goes to court and makes good things happen for a family.

But these women announce the absolute joy that has transpired for Naomi.

She has completely turned around.

They bless her fullness of spirit-her soul has been restored.

Redemption isn’t about stuff.

Redemption is the fulfillment of one’s being. It’s about new life!

A village embraces a woman who has lost everything.

A village comes out to greet a lost and bitter soul.

A village embraces and loves and realizes the power of God at work.

It is the village who blesses in the abundance of God’s grace.

 It is the village who rejoices in the salvation of one lost soul restored to new life.

Let the church be the village that does the same.

Amen.

Resources NIB Vol. II

Precarious Solution

I was told by several members that I preached a G rated version of the R rated tale of Ruth and Boaz-It is summer and children are present in the congregation-I'll let you be the judge. enjoy!

Sermon Ruth 3:1-18 July 16, 2017 Ordinary Time

Precarious Solution

I looked up the word precarious in the Merrium-Webster online dictionary because I wanted to be sure of its meaning before I used it in the title of today’s sermon. I wanted to be absolutely sure I didn’t misrepresent the word as it relates to Ruth and Naomi in this situation of their lives. And the  Definition of precarious. 1 : depending on the will or pleasure of another. 2 : dependent on uncertain premises : dubious precarious generalizations. 3a : dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developmentsb : characterized by a lack of security or stability that threatens with danger.

After listening to the text this morning, I would definitely have to agree that Naomi took a huge risk with her daughter-in-law Ruth that night.

Naomi was concerned for her future and the future of Ruth. Already the

two had taken enormous chances coming back to Bethlehem to find their way after the tragic loss of their husbands and their livelihoods.

Clearly, these two are dependent on the will or the pleasure of another.

They seek out a way to have food and Ruth gleans in a field. Which ‘just so happens’ to be the field of a ‘kinsman’, a relative.

The sovereignty of God is all over this story.

As Ruth falls under the protection of Boaz who owns the fields, she is able to glean more than is needed for herself and for Naomi.

God is clearly present, working the behind the scenes, ever present, ever watching.

The plan set forth by Naomi for Ruth to enter into the presence of Boaz on the threshing floor is a risky situation, to say the least.

It’s one thing to fall into one’s favor to receive the choice leftovers from the field; but an entirely different story to think a forward proposal for marriage will be accepted.

But, for Naomi, she determines this risk is their only hope for the future.

These women are already vulnerable in a patriarchal society.

Yet, they throw themselves into chance circumstances,

unknown conditions,

in a place where Ruth’s actions

could threaten her safety and

place her in utmost danger.

And Naomi endorses and encourages it!

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tangled in this mess is the story of love.

Mixed in the innuendos is the message of acceptance.

Woven through the action on the threshing floor is redemption.

When we look around us-

and I don’t mean just here among us-

but out there among people we know,

or people we hear about-

there are some of the oddest matches of people.

People who are friends

or couples,

or business partners,

are people you would never have dreamed of belonged together.

And yet, somehow, in some strange way, as you learn about them-it is clear they-in their uniqueness-they are a perfect match-God ordained-one might say.

We have this crazy assumption about how the traditional family is supposed to look.

And we get our assumptions, we say, from Scripture!!!

We assume the make-up of families is like the Leave it to Beaver show of the 60’s.

And yet, we have our own Lord and Savior Jesus born to a woman in the most unusual, and scandalous, circumstances. Her fiancé was ready to ditch her until he was stunned by the power of God through the words of an angel.

The story of God’s people is filled with a mismatch of personalities and of nationalities and of a whole lot more.

Perhaps that’s where the story of love comes in.

There is an unexplainable attraction that brings the two together.

From an outsider looking in there is nothing good about their relationship.

There is an age difference,

they are from opposite ends of the country,

one is a city dweller, the other from the holler,

one with a degree and the other a laborer.

God’s love for us draws the strangest folks together as a people called the ‘people of God.’

God chose Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, all of which had personalities that would make us all worry about our future. God chose Tamar, Rahab; women who many would have shunned.

God pours out hesed-grace-unmerited love on all these unions, whether marriage, or partners, or neighbors, or townspeople, or congregations.

As people fall in love with each other in the most precarious circumstances, God’s hesed-grace-unmerited love is pouring down and sealing their bond.

Ruth has been identified more than once in this story as a Moabite woman.

She is a descendent of the daughters of Lot-as told in Genesis.

She worshiped other gods,

she looks different-

she comes from another country-

she speaks a different language-

and yet,

God doesn’t hesitate to let her

into the story of salvation.

It’s remarkable how these stories in the Bible to which we trace our heritage are filled with people who shouldn’t belong.

What we learn is Boaz, who is placed in an embarrassing moment with Ruth, has it in his power to ruin her life.

She has placed herself in a threatening situation

and Boaz chooses to accept her

and protect her as an equal!

Wow!

The question for us is: ‘have we ever been in such dire circumstances that we would risk our safety, our reputation, our life to get what we need to survive not knowing the outcome and being completely dependent on someone else’s hoped for kindness?’

And if we can’t relate to that question,

then have we ever been approached by someone

who put us in an awkward situation

and instead of exposing them,

we accepted them and protected them?

We can preach acceptance all we want but when we are tested in the most precarious circumstances such as in this story-it causes us pause.

In 1974, my pastor-the one who officiated my marriage to Mike-had a predicament before him. Mike’s sister was in love and they wanted to be married. However, theirs was an unconventional relationship. She was a blonde white girl and he was a dark, black man-with African American and Native American heritage. As a pastor he was filled with the dilemma of whether or not to accept them as a couple and officiate their wedding. He prayed, he searched the Scriptures, he wrestled with God. He announced to them, to the congregation, and to the family-he saw nothing in scripture to prevent their marriage but everything to accept their love as in the Lord. And so, an example was set, just as God has loved us, so we are to love one another.

We have these stories in Scripture to continuously remind us to place ourselves within each character. As we experience the story through the different lenses we offer ourselves to God to allow us to experience God’s presence in the life of each. These stories are for the formation of God’s people from one generation to another. They are to remind us that God’s grace and God’s acceptance of all kinds of mismatches has been around since the beginning.

Finally, we discover the power of redemption-the will to save. Boaz, known in other translations as the kinsman redeemer, not only offers love and acceptance to Ruth, but he paves the way to save her and Naomi.

If redemption means to restore, to reconcile, to renew, to recover that which was lost, then Boaz is acting in a manner that will do just that for Ruth and Naomi.

We trust God to be the one who provides for our redemption through the grace of Jesus Christ.

We trust God to be the One to save people.

Yet, in this Old Testament story,

we are reminded that God moves through his people.

We are not inactive participants in the work of God’s salvation in the world.

We have a job to do.

Let us remember to live with the power of God’s love, acceptance, and salvation with every breath we take.

Amen. 

A Follower of Jesus, Not Your Politics

A Follower of Jesus, period. 

I'm reading a lot of articles lately about religion, Christianity and faith. While the words of politicians are not used, it is clear it is all about politics.
I hear and read people saying, 'I will not live with hate.'
Or, 'I will not be that kind of Christian.'

I find that no matter what I am reading there seems to be an enormous amount of judgment going on. And, I am afraid, that this is pushing us into a place where churches, ministers, and maybe even denominations are going to just go down party lines.

I am concerned that people who voted differently are beginning to feel uncomfortable and not welcome in their home church.

This, dear friends out there, is so WRONG!
This is not how we live as Christians in this world.

I really, really, really don't care who you voted for.
And I am not going to judge your faith in Christ or the truth of your religion by your vote.

I am frankly getting pretty tired of the self righteous religious ideal that only one kind of personal thinking is right.
I am worried about those who are putting themselves on a pedestal of true faith because they did not vote for Trump.

Well, I am sorry to all my dear friends who feel they are the true Christian as they smugly write their blogs about what a 'real Christian' looks like.

Just your action of writing blogs shows your judgment against the 'other'. And I am doing the same as I call you out! You see I'm a judger too, whether I want to be or not. But it has to STOP! ALL of US!

We are NOT better than those who think and vote different from us.
We are being cruel in our judgment.
We are acting bitter in our disdain.
We are trying to make ourselves feel better because we are 'not like them'.
Scripture teaches us to 'Remove the log from our own eye before we remove the speck from the other.'

SO, how do we get back to loving each other in the pews?

How do we stop writing articles that supports pointing fingers at who is the better Christian?

How do we get back into the pew and the pulpit and start listening to the words of Jesus?

Jesus has called us to love one another, and if Jesus had heard the phrase he would have used it-'warts and all!'

Come on folks on both sides-just cut it out! 

Not one of us is a better Jesus follower than the other.
So stop making Jesus a political icon for our own gain.

I am frankly exhausted with the rhetoric on both sides. I want to get back to the things that matter most.
I want all of us to get over ourselves.
Seriously, we have all acted foolishly, and I mean all of us.

I want to be showing grace to each member of my congregation and not even know or care where they stand in politics,

I want to care about their need for love, mercy, grace, and community;
their need for Jesus, their need for the church.
I want to show I am a follower of Jesus by making sure everyone,
and I mean EVERYONE, feels welcome at church.

I am a follower of Jesus because its my job to listen to the concerns of all God's people
 and believe me no matter what your politics are,
you each have many of the same worries.

I want to show I am a follower of Jesus; 

because I can hold the hand of the sick or the dying.

I can read and tell stories to the children.

I can sup with the widow or the lonely.

It's time to stop using Jesus as the political puppet to make each person feel justified in their political choices.
It's time to just stop, pray, hear the whisper of mercy, and receive the gift of grace.

So, let's do ourselves a favor.
Let's get on with simply living and simply loving in Christ, for Christ, and with Christ.

Love & Loyalty

Sermon Ruth 1:1-19 June 25, 2017 Ordinary Time

Love & Loyalty

Love, commitment, joy, sweetness, are all the wonders we hear when people get married. June & July are the months that seem to be alive with weddings and anniversary celebrations. In our own two congregations, we have each had the pleasure of celebrating a nuptial in our sanctuaries.

I think we are still fascinated with weddings.

We witness all the froo froo and just enjoy watching two people make a commitment to each other and then seal it with their vows.

I often ask couples who have been together for years,

why they even want to get married when they’ve proven their commitment through the way have lived their lives together.

Their response is most often the desire to make their commitment public-to ‘seal the deal’, so to speak. Living together through commitment is one things but, making vows to each other are clearly another thing altogether.

Whether people believe in God or not,

God is present wherever vows are made.

Marriage vows, whether in a church, a courthouse,

a field somewhere, are made before God.

Vows are binding.

Vows are not to be made lightly.

They are for a lifetime-unless one partner breaks the vow-and that’s a whole other story-they are what seals us, and sticks us like a magnet to the other.

In this story, Ruth makes a vow to Naomi-it is one we’ve often heard at weddings. The story behind those words is worth your time learning about. And that is what we will do beginning today.

The story of Ruth is really the story about Naomi.

 It is a story about turning.

It is a story about God’s impact and influence in the lives of others.

It is about grace and mercy. It is about a woman who suffers so much, without the possibility of rising above the miserable circumstances which have befallen her.

Naomi had nothing to do with the tragedy that came upon her.

We are often so quick to judge and this story puts calamity in perspective.

Sometimes horrible things happen to ordinary, regular people. ‘It is what it is.’

Naomi, with her husband, moved from her homeland to a foreign country to find food. During difficult times, people seek to find the way to turn their circumstances around. Sometimes it’s through a move, a change of jobs, or a change of environment. To turn in a new direction and to leave behind everything is a challenge in itself. Naomi and her husband Elimelech did just that.

They lived as foreigners in the land of Moab. While there her sons married. They were there for more than ten years. Then within a short period of time all the men died.

Tangent: While Ruth is part of the lineage to King David and therefore also the lineage to Jesus, the story seems to also be a significant parable. Because in the telling of the story the names of the characters signify their fate-Mahlon means sickness, and Chillion means failure. However, Elimelech means, God is my King.

Naomi was left a widow and a childless mother.

Her daughter in laws were also childless. So, here in this foreign place to which Naomi had turned and moved to with the intent to build a new life, has now left her utterly alone with no future. So, she struggles with what to do. In a culture that is not your own, it is really difficult to navigate problems and solutions. Naomi has heard that things had improved in her homeland and so she turns and faces the place from which she came. She decides to go back to Bethlehem and the customs she understand for widows. She still has a relative left alive so she chooses to go to his house and rely on the Jewish custom of caring for the family.

All of us here have moved at one time or another.

We know what it’s like to pick up and all of our belongings and plunk down in a new place.

It’s hard.

Even if the move was to something exciting and wonderful, it is still hard.

Even if the move was just down the street from the old house, it is still like starting over because the neighbors are different and new relationships have to be built.

Naomi’s decision to move in the first place was for survival because of famine.

Now her decision to move is again based on survival.

This time because of culture.

As a woman, she could not be independent and was required to be under the protection of a male.

As she is thrown into another survival situation her heart turns bitter.

She is bitter to her circumstances,

she is bitter to her surroundings,

she is bitter toward her God.

She cannot see any good in her life.

And this is where the grace of God enters into the life of Naomi through the words of a woman who worships other gods.

Here in this beautiful story is the beginning of how one woman’s emptiness is turned to hope, and then to fullness.

As you go home today and read this short Old Testament story you discover the power of God at work in the people that surround Naomi. Four short chapters.

God is in the business of constantly surprising us through the grace and mercy offered in unimaginable ways.

Naomi had her way set and turned toward Bethlehem.

In her bitterness, she cuts off the very people who love her. Her daughter in laws adore her and only want to stay with her. But, she sends them away hoping for them they can begin a new life with another husband. Orpah obeys her and leaves. But, Ruth, as stubborn as she is, disobeys.

In our lives we do the same, we get so caught up in our grief, or our bitterness, or our hurt, that we cut off and cut out the very people who love us most.

I’ve heard it asked by some special folks over the years,

‘Why do people stop coming to church when they experience hardship?

Isn’t church the very place where people love and support you through the hard times?’

In our emotional turmoil of things, we tend to behave in some crazy ways.

It’s in times like those that we need a Ruth in our life.

We need a Ruth to ignore our ever so rational and logical statements and tell us like it is.

We need a Ruth to hold on tighter to us when we try to shake her off and get her out of our life.

We need a Ruth to grab us around the waist and hold on to us saying she will never let us go.

We need a Ruth to say she loves us forever, she loves us no matter what we say to her, she loves us even if we try to leave her.

We need a Ruth in our lives who makes a vow to bind herself to us.

Friends, I hope more than anything, that we the church, can be the Ruth for those who need a Ruth in their lives.

We have a job to do.

Let us be faithful for those who struggle to be faithful.

Let us be faithful to those whose lives need a binding.

Let us be faithful even when we are pushed aside.

Let us be the lineage that holds firm to a future we don’t even know.

Let us learn how to be Ruth for the world. Amen. 

Grace in Which We Stand

Sermon Romans 5:1-8 June 18, 2017 Ordinary Time/Father’s Day/Church Re-dedication NMPC

Grace in Which We Stand

It is June and today here we stand in our sanctuary. We are amazed at the beauty that surrounds us. Both congregations have suffered structural damage and both are now fully functional. It has been a long hard road to get to where we are, but here we are no longer fearful of a leaky roof, swollen pew benches (FMPC), smoke and soot odor (NMPC), damaged furniture, ruined Bibles and hymnals, or of destroyed worship space (F&NMPC).

We have been surrounded by grace through all of this.

We have been humbled about how the people around us notice us and care for us. When they became aware of our needs they reached out as we reached to them.

We have been blessed through the kind offerings of many different people and groups to restore us to where we are able to stand today.

And it is with Paul, as he spoke to the Romans, that I can say we have peace!

We have peace, friends, because we have been given the grace in which we stand today. The power of God has been at work in all of us.

God has moved and pushed our minds to think and hear in creative and constructive ways. We have been renewed and refreshed by the need to work together to arrive at this day.

Perhaps our building woes has brought us into a new relationship in our faith as well as with one another. Paul says to boast in our sorrows.

I must say we were not in any shape to be boasting in our difficulties,

but we were certainly, energetic in not letting our situation get the best of us;

even if it tried to for a minute or two.

Friday night we had a spaghetti dinner to raise funds for both churches to help cover the costs of our expenses for repairs. It was not only the highest amount of funds received from a dinner; it was also the most dinners ever cooked!!! 

We had a kitchen and a dining room over flowing with help.

We had dozens of take-out orders and people sending folks from their work places and their neighborhood.

Perhaps, this is what Paul meant when he said to boast in our sufferings.

Because our external, physical challenges, we came together and worked hard-even enjoying ourselves.

That is something to boast about. We can boast or rejoice, for the endurance we achieved as we put buckets everywhere each week to collect rain, or the set-up and take down of our temporary worship quarters built some muscles too.

It is in moments such as these that we recognize how character is built up. As we face challenges that seem to always be set before us, we discover the character within us. There are so many ways to respond to challenging times. Whether it is a church building or just a rough week or work, or receiving a life changing diagnosis, the character within us comes forth as we seek to work through these times.

Paul, says that the power of God within us through Jesus Christ is what gives us peace. Through Christ we have received all we need for this life.

The faith of God is within us because of Jesus.

We are reconciled, renewed, refreshed.

This is the grace in which we stand!

We have discovered our own character with

one another through these times.

And friends, we’ve discovered how

we are a people full of hope!!

And hope does not disappoint!

Look around.

Hope does not disappoint!!

Here in our little churches we’ve been hoping to grow our relationships with each other. We’ve had the desire to know one another better as we worship together.

It’s been a blessing.

Our hope to grow together as a church family

has shown us that hope does not disappoint.

Our desire to continue grows out of the

love of God poured into our hearts.

May we be willing to be recipients of that love

as we seek to serve in the world beyond these walls.

This grace in which we stand is all we need.

Let the glory of God be shared no and forevermore. Amen. 

Liturgy for Church Re-Dedication

Here is the liturgy used for the re-dedication of the church after the smoke damage it had received had been restored. There is plenty here that can be adapted for other church dedications/re-dedications. The yellow highlighted areas are what is included in a bulletin insert. Hope this helps

Re-Dedication of Sanctuary, furnishings, and building. Dedication of Cada R. Grove room. Naomi Makemie Presbyterian Church June 18, 2017

Re-Dedication of Sanctuary, furnishings, and building

Proclamation: (Said from the rear of the sanctuary prior to entrance, at the chiming of the hour-preferably all of the congregants are outside the church building and they all process in together-if that's not possible the choir processes after they make they proclamation)
Choir: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 
This house has been built for the glory of God and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the unity of the church, in accordance with the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia, we enter into worship and the re-dedication of this sanctuary and this building. Let us worship God!

Presentation

Jody Humphreys-Clerk:

We present this sanctuary and this building to be rededicated for the worship of God and the service of all people!

Pastor: By what name shall we know this house?

Jack Humphreys-Chair, Building & Grounds

Naomi Makemie Presbyterian Church

The dedication begins at the Font. The water is visibly poured. And the prayer is said over the water.

Thanksgiving over the Water

We give you thanks Eternal God, for you nourish and sustain all living things by the gift of water. In the beginning of time, you moved over the watery chaos, calling forth order and life. In the time of Noah, you destroyed evil by the waters of the flood, giving righteousness a new beginning. You led Israel out of slavery, through the waters of the sea, into the freedom of the land of promise. In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus was baptized by John and anointed with your Spirit.

Send your Spirit to move over this water that it may be a fountain of deliverance and rebirth. Pour out your Holy Spirit on these your people, that they may have the power to do your will. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon this place present here now and throughout the age to come. To you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, be all praise, honor, and glory, now and forever. Amen.

L: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul logs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord.

P: My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

L: Happy are those who live in your house ever singing your praise.

P: Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

L: They go from strength to strength;

P: the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

L: For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

P: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than live in the tents of wickedness.

All: O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you!

Prayer

Eternal God, high and holy, no building can contain your glory. May this space be used as a gathering place for people of goodwill. When we worship, let us worship gladly; when we study, let us learn your truth. May this sanctuary and this building stand as a sign of your Spirit at work in the world, and as a witness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Prayers of Re-Dedication

The Baptismal Font

Leader: By your grace, O God, you have brought us into your covenant through the waters of baptism, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are made members of the body of Christ, the church. At this font may lives be claimed by Jesus Christ for the work and witness of your people in this world

People: We did not choose you, O Lord, but you chose us.

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this font in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit

All: Amen

The Sprinkling of water

The Pulpit

L: You have spoken your Word, O God, through prophets and apostles, and in your Son, Jesus Christ. From this place may your Word be faithfully proclaimed. Let all who hear your Word, be renewed and strengthened, comforted, and challenged as they are sent in service as bold disciples in the world.

P: Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this pulpit in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit

All: Amen.

The Sprinkling of water

The Table

L: God of mercy, we rejoice that our Savior invites all to come to the Table to share the feast when it is spread. Whether through seeking, or as sinners, or as saints, we all come because Jesus wants us all at the Table with him. We trust you O, God, as you promise us, that all will be nourished in faith, hope, and love.

P: Always be present to us in the breaking of the bread.

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this Table in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit

All: Amen.

The Sprinkling of water

The Organ

L: Eternal God, our praises join with the songs of choirs and the music of the universe. May this organ encourage our praise and lift our singing to your throne as faithful prayers in times of joy and in times of sorrow

P: We praise you, O God, with trumpet sound; we praise you with strings and pipes!

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this Organ in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit

All: Amen.

The Sprinkling of water

The Sanctuary

L: Almighty God, we re-dedicate this place to your worship, that in prayer and praise, in Word and Sacrament, we may respond to you in our lives. Bless us and sanctify what we do here, that this place may be holy for us and a house of prayer for all people.

P: Save us from failure of vision, which would confine our worship within these walls, but send us out into the world as your servants sharing your blessings of Christ.

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate this sanctuary in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

The Sprinkling of water

The Educational Facility and Other Rooms

L: God of wisdom and truth, we re-dedicate the rest of the rooms in this building. The Makemie Room, the upstairs rooms-the Belote Room, the Ann and Elizabeth Makemie Rooms, the Nursery, the halls-all we offer to you as places for nurturing families, equipping saints for the work of ministry and building up the body of Christ.

P: Teach us to love you, O God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.

L: Trusting in Jesus Christ, we dedicate the rest of this building in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

The Sprinkling of water

All: As we re-dedicate this place, O God, we re-dedicate our lives to the service of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Anthem Open Hearts, Open Doors

Dedication of Cada Grove room.

Jody Humphreys-Clerk: We present this room for the service of God and for the service of all people.

Pastor: By What name shall this room be known?

Jack Humphreys-Chair, Building & Grounds: The Cada Grove Room

Pastor: This room has suffered the challenge of not having a name affixed to it. It is a room used for meetings, for gathering and casual conversation. It is a room used as an overflow when the sanctuary is full. It is a room used as a space for sharing and for refuge. This room is also a sacred space for reflection and contemplation and prayer. This room will be well served with the name of Cada Grove.

Cada loved God. Cada loved being a servant of God. Cada loved Susan. He really loved Susan. Cada loved excellence and seeking to bring a high bar of life to all people. He was passionate, sometimes to a fault, but always for the best intentions of seeking to offer a good life to those less fortunate.

My own words fail to express the life of Cada as much as these words of others have done so:

"He for many years taught children's Sunday School and Vacation Bible School where he was revered by several generations."

"Cassie and I (We) were a part of Mr. Grove's first Sunday school class at Naomi Makemie.  I don't know if Mr. Grove knew what he was signing up for when he agreed to be our teacher.  But he would spend the next several years teaching a very small group of very energetic kids.  We met every lesson with countless questions and abstract theories, and we usually found ourselves wildly off topic.  Mr. Grove stuck with us.

He led us through Jesus's life, taught us His miracles, and helped us to share Jesus's love with our community.  He responded to every question with a well thought out answer, he encouraged our creativity, and he only let out a big sigh on occasion."

“I was working in my yard and around my boat in the spring, I had a couple of concerns, I know I’ll call Cada, he’ll know what to do. I’m sure several of us had him on our speed dial. It wasn’t just about tools, he was super organized, he was so willing to share, he showed up to help, to participate, to go to lunch. I know that often we stop as we work around the church or around our houses, we stop and think, “What would Cada do?”

"I met Cada 17-18 years ago and he said 'we can do this.'

We need to replace the steeple after it was struck by lightning and he said 'we can do this.'

We need to modify the church sanctuary and he said 'we can do this.'

We want to build a cross and Cada said 'we can do this.'

We miss you, Cada and will carry on the efforts you initiated because you taught us that ... we can do this."

With the recent damage to our building from the smoke-Cada would have met each of us with the same response-‘we can do this’ And our building and grounds folks have done exactly that!

They have done this-they have worked hard and furiously and brought us to this day of re-dedication.

Today is the appropriate time to dedicate this room. You see because to name a room through which we all pass, and reflect, or just use as a hallway, is perfect because, as Cada sought to adapt to so many things to make them a positive setting; so, this room will be a setting where we can always remember the phrase, “We can do this.”

Psalm 121:5-8 It is the Lord who watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, so that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; the Lord shall keep you safe. The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth forevermore.”

L: The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul

P: the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;

L: the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

P: the commandments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

L: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold.

P: sweeter also than honey, and the drippings of the honeycomb.

All: By them is your servant awakened, and in keeping them there is great reward.

Let us pray: Gracious God, keep watch over all who enter here. Fill this room with your love, that all who share it may be strengthened to serve you and one another, the Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Sprinkling of water

*The Gloria Patri

Resources: Book of Occasional Services (PCUSA); CK-Consecration of Church Building (UMC)