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)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Sermon 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 June 11, 2017 Trinity Sunday

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

I’ve been told more than once not to try to explain things I don’t understand. So, I promise you I will not bother letting you know how electric circuits work. I failed to figure it out. But, I do know when I flip the switch the lights come on. I do not fully understand the mechanism but I fully enjoy the benefits of light and I trust it’s ability and value.

Today is Trinity Sunday.

It is an important day in our church calendar. It is the day we remember that we worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whenever we say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we call that the Trinitarian formula.

It sounds like a magic potion. But, it’s not.

It is something the early church struggled with.

People lost their lives over the efforts made to bring understanding to this strange relationship that Jesus tells us about in his prayer in John 17:22 “The glory that you have given me, I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. 23 I in them, and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Unity is the key of this prayer Jesus prays to the Father.

And unity is what we discover in the benedictions offered by Paul to the recipients of his letters.

And perhaps that is all we need to know about the Trinity.

We are grateful to the early church parents for their hard work of discerning the faith doctrines for us.

Even if they leave all of us future generations scratching our heads and saying: 

      “Thanks a lot. I’m glad you figured it out.”

We are taught there is One God.

We are taught-The unity of this One God is an absolute.

We are taught-The Scripture describes this One God as three persons and their roles for our salvation. Each has a distinctive role with creation.

We are taught-The whole church affirms these roles.

And so, we leave it at that.

On this Sunday, I find the final words of Paul in this last letter to the Corinthians to be challenging as well as comforting as well as confirming/affirming.

I find this set of final verses to be filled with grace.

In this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul sets the record straight for these church people who have manipulated and maligned him. He has provided for them and offered all of himself to them and they have challenged every ounce of his being. This second letter to the Corinthians is a letter that is full of defense. Paul has had to prove who he was and to prove his position to them in order to get them to listen to him, let alone follow his leadership. It was a difficult time for these church people to learn to live as a church and to learn to be united in Christ as his body. They had been through the tough times and were not doing so well in the good times.

The most difficult time for folks, congregations, communities, and countries, is following a crisis. During the crisis, people pull together and work and make things happen. But, holding it together following the crisis is more challenging than ever.

We saw that in the town where we did tornado clean up. Once the major companies had done their work, the town was left to sort through the rubble and rebuild. It was here that confusion and discord prevailed. Even though the churches did their best to hold it together, it (like so many other places) struggled as the unity of Christ became more and more fractured.(1) The complaints became many and the demands were beyond measure. That community was not alone for there are other examples such as life after apartheid in South Africa, after WWII in Europe; and after the Civil War in the United States.

No matter what, God draws all people together through the power of grace. Whether we want to admit it or not, our lives are dependent on grace. Paul knew that as he opened and closed all his letters with words full of God’s grace.

 

Cluny

These few verses from Paul’s farewell to the Corinthians are a powerful benediction for all those who hear and read these words. He offers his words not as a conclusion that we here at the end of church as we think, ‘whew, it’s finally over.’ (2)

But, he offers them a charge-something they must take with them and seek to do as the body of Christ within the walls of their church and beyond the walls in their world.

1.     1.   Put things in order. 

       Presbyterians love this one. Order, decency, a framework of understanding, communicating, and commitment. And in the order of things there is always the grace of Jesus doling out forgiveness. Our faith life depends on our willingness to live in the order of grace-which as I tell those about to marry depend on the gift of God in Christ which is: commitment, communication, and forgiveness.(The three legged stool that cannot be stable without all three legs.)

                           The job of the church is to witness the grace of Christ to the world and it can only be                              done when her house is in order. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved,                              you and your household.” Acts 16:31

2.      2. Agree with one another. 

      This was a tall order from Paul to a group who he had just been down in the mud getting them to hear him and to sort out their differences. He had to make some extraordinary commands with them just to get through a simple worship service-(1 Corinthians offers us our first glimpse at worship in the early church-and some of it was not very pretty). Paul had to help them understand that Communion was for everyone and no one had more prestige than another…and now to ask them to agree with one another…goodness.

-Yet, the charge to agree was (and is) very important for the church. The church had to learn to wrestle with the challenges they faced. To discuss. To disagree. To debate. To do all that was necessary to come to agreement in the Lord.

Any discussion that the church had or has starts with the agreement of who we worship and in whom we believe. Once agreement is made in that department then the unity of the Spirit finds a way to bring accord among the people.

3.     3.  Live in Peace. 

      Paul hopes to find the church seeking to live in the peace that is given to them through the love and peace of God who promises to be present with them. It is clear the presence of God with the church is the most important part of faith. When we are able to acknowledge the power of God present with us then it becomes more convincing to our minds that we are capable of the impossible-to like each other and love each other in the way of God’s love and grace.

4. 4.   Greet each other with a holy kiss. 

       This is not a comfortable exhortation for Americans. But, a holy kiss-a peck on the cheek is less invasive than a hug. It is the social manner of making sure everyone acknowledges the other. We are to be sincere in our manner of greeting.

Paul’s blessing offered is one you hear often. And it is the sending for this church as a reminder again of the unity of the God who loves us, sustains us and offers himself for us.

As Christ’s church, we are offered his grace and love at every turn.

May we receive his love.

May we commit ourselves to him.

May we say yes to grace.

May we be ever mindful wherever we go to live as witnesses of a loving God.

May we do all this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen. 

Resources: NIB Volume XI J. Paul Samply (1), (2). 

Fan the Flame

Sermon Acts 2:1-21 June 4, 2017 Pentecost Year A

Fan the Flame

It is Pentecost Sunday!

Fifty days since Easter-the day of Resurrection-remember that day?

It seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?

Imagine being the disciples!

They’ve been walking around in shock, in a daze. Their emotions on a roller coaster ride.

First their hope in Jesus, their Savior, died.

Then, their love for Jesus was restored when he rose from the dead.

They saw him several times during the forty days he was on earth in his resurrected state. (Which is also very confusing, because we aren’t really sure what he looked like, since several people didn’t recognize him.)

Then, their faith was confused again, when he ascended into heaven and told them to stay put. He said don’t go anywhere, just stay where you are and the Spirit will come.

I believe this is one of the single most important features of the faith of the early church: 

*The disciples were willing to follow,

obey,

wait,

and respond,

to a future to which they had no clue.

All because they trusted the One who led them.*

It is amazing the risks and uncertainties that we are willing to take when we trust.

I can think of a few examples. I trust mom.

When I was a little girl, she told me

I needed a vaccination.

She told me it would hurt,

but it would protect me from disease.

I trusted her.

I didn’t like the idea of a painful injection.

But, I trusted my mother’s words and

I was willing to be protected even if it caused a moments pain.

Jesus promised the disciples that they would receive power.

They would receive the Holy Spirit and they would never be alone.

Everything these disciples lost from a world they understood, did not disillusion them from continuing to trust in the One who brought them all together and loved them. Jesus’ love and promises rang true to these men and women. And so, they waited.

They waited together.

They were willing to be comfortable with uncertainty.

They prayed constantly together.

They knew that Jesus had told them they would be

his witnesses throughout the ends of the earth.

And they trusted him.

In their togetherness, the Spirit came.

The Spirit came with a mighty rushing wind and descended on each of them with tongues of fire.

Look around at each other and imagine a flame dancing on your brother or sister’s head. It’s pretty hard to imagine. And as AJ said, “That’s silly!”

And then,

everyone you see who came today from different parts of the country and the world, are speaking to you in a way you can understand.

Someone from Tangier is able to understand someone from New Jersey. And folks from California can understand people from Louisiana. Witnessing those speaking Greek when they were not Greek, or Persian, or Latin, your eyes and your ears would not believe you.

Yet, this is how we are told it happened.

I can give you all the theological reasons why we read it this way. Such as, this became the reverse to the tower of Babel and so humanity was no longer purposely divided and dispersed but was now drawn together in unity and understanding.

There is quite a bit more that we can sit down and study.

But, for today I think,

the power of God at work through these few trusting people

is a witness to those few of us still choosing to trust today.

Or even if we don’t trust and yet we show up with skepticism and with curiosity and with doubt and with wonder, this is where the power of the Spirit surprises us and enters in.

Choosing to be together and choosing to trust each other is in itself power. There is a world out there that has not changed a whole lot. It is a world where there is little trust and a lot of discord. But, here, in this place, the Spirit comes with a mighty wind and rushes through us to stir us, to pour out upon us, and to fill us with the fire of God’s love.

Here in this place God sees a gathered people praying together and God swoops down with the Spirit’s flame and fills each of us. God witnesses a group of faithful and fans the flame of his Spirit to push through the centuries and to keep on keeping on.

You see Pentecost was not a onetime event.

Pentecost (which is Shavuot-fifty days from Passover-fifty days from Easter for Christians) is still happening.

The power of the Spirit continues to rush through the church and her people as they gather. God’s people find times when they are amazed at their ability to understand one another and their ability to work together.

The strength of unity in diversity is the power of the church.

It is what happened on this day more than 2000 years ago. And it will keep happening as we take the steps.

Opening our hearts to trust is step one.

Opening our lives to power is step two.

Opening our minds to unity is step three.

The Holy Spirit will descend upon us with the rush of a mighty wind

and tongues of fire will appear

and we will be amazed at what is happening

and we will not understand it

but we will accept it.

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline 2 Tim 1:7

We just need to ask God to fan the flame to keep us going forward now and forever. Amen.

Resource: Karoline Lewis Working Preacher

Prayers are Windows

Sermon John 17:1-11 May 28, 2017 7^th Sunday of Easter/Ascension-Memorial Day Weekend

Prayers are Windows

God of power and mercy,
you destroy war and put down earthly pride.
Banish violence from our midst and wipe away our tears,
that we may all deserve to be called your sons
      and daughters.
Keep in your mercy those men and women
who have died in the cause of freedom
and bring them safely
into your kingdom of justice and peace.
We ask this though Jesus Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen

When I was a little girl I loved the Disney animated movie of Cinderella. I dreamed of having a fairy godmother that could take all my troubles away. I dreamed of a fairy godmother that could make all my dreams come true and give me more than I ever could have imagined. Beautiful fancy dresses and dancing, and a prince charming all swirled in my head as the wonders to be had.

So, when my life entered into a life of prayer as a teenager, the image of the Cinderella fairy godmother first came to mind. I wanted God to take all my troubles away and I wanted God to grant me a life where all my dreams would come true.

But, as I grew-from teenager to adult-I learned a lot more about prayer-and a lot more about God.

There are so many things that we learn from our eavesdropping on the prayer of Jesus. We learn about eternal life, we learn about relationship, we learn about unity, and we learn about love.

Jesus offers us a window, an inside look, at how he prays. As we listen to his words we get to see what kind of person he is.

The words we hear from Jesus as he prays in John 17 are windows into who Jesus is, who we are, and how we are all one and called to life of unity.

Prayers are windows to God

John Calvin writes a lot about prayer he says, “Words fail to explain how necessary prayer is, and in how many ways the exercise of prayer is profitable. It is therefore by the benefit of prayer that we reach those riches which are laid up for us with the heavenly Father.”

Prayers according to Calvin bring us into the riches of the Heavenly Father. We experience that as we enter into the words Jesus uses in this prayer for his disciples. Jesus appears to be fully present with God. As he prays, it is as if God is sitting in the chair next to him having a cup of tea while they talk.

Jesus, puts God first in his prayer and seeks for God to accomplish God’s glory not only in him but by him for his disciples. In this prayer, we learn about how God and Jesus are one with each other. We learn that God has given Jesus authority over humanity. We learn that Jesus has given eternal life to those who he claims are his.

As we pray to God what assumptions about God do we bring to the table of our prayer? Is God a fairy godmother who answers our requests and whisks away our troubles?

Or is God perhaps the one in whom we witness glory and wonder?

Perhaps, God is the One who sits at table with us and brings us comfort and confidence as we lift up our words in prayer.

Prayers are windows into knowing God.

The more we enter into words of prayer the more we have the experience of the presence of God.

Prayers are windows to life

St Augustine said: ‘'O Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.'

Jesus is not restless with God as he prays for his disciples. He is openly talking about the relationship he has with God. They are together-one with another. Jesus’ desire is for the disciples to be one with God.

And in this oneness, is eternal life. Perhaps the rest Augustine talks about is this oneness-this unity with God.

He offers this window to eternal life. 

Jesus assumes God is with him in love and unity.

He believes God will, through the power of presence, bring the fullness of life.

Eternal life is not a future context but a here and now experience of the glory of God within us and around us.

And if we believe this about life, then we can believe we are not alone in anything we do. If we believe we have the riches of God with us now, then we have the courage to go about being God’s disciples for the glory of God and for the power of the Kingdom. That means we go out and heal the sick, bind the wounds of the broken hearted, lift up those who have fallen prey to predators, we do all the things we witnessed Jesus doing. We pray like he did and we do what he did and we believe in this eternal life that he speaks of in his prayer.

Prayers are windows to ourselves

When we pray with the confidence that Jesus models for us, we see the window into ourselves. We begin to discover who we are through what we pray and how we pray. We discover the burdens that weigh us down, we can see the worries we carry for others, we notice the love we have for neighbors.

The more me offer ourselves to God in prayer our soul’s window opens more and more. We pay attention to our prayers, and we become transformed by them. The presence of God cannot be denied as we enter more and more into the way of prayer.

We will never give up saying all those complaints to God. Because, as I said, we get to see who we are when we pray.

“Why are we still fighting, and when is the hate going to stop?”

If we listen to ourselves we find out what our priorities are. God comfort the lady at the drugstore who just told me her husband left her. God find me a job so I can pay my electric bill. God fix my sister, she’s driving me crazy. Ok, God get with the program and bring us world peace.  

Prayer changes us.

Our words double back on us and they motivate us into action.

Prayer shows us exactly who we are.

It lifts us up out of our despair and carries us into discovering new ways.

We discover a power within ourselves that we did not know we had. It is the power of confidence, assurance, and courage.

In this continued discipline of prayer, not to air, but to the person of God through Christ, the nature of God’s presence becomes stronger. In prayer, we discover a relationship that builds stronger with each prayer we make.

Prayers are a window into the World.

Jesus prays for his disciples who are to remain there on earth after he has returned to God the Father and Christ is concerned for them. ‘Keep them safe’ he implores, for they have an ongoing task to do – they are to bear witness to his life, to his death, to his resurrection – to the message that God in Christ brings love, forgiveness, healing, peace and hope to all humanity. (Church of Scotland-Sc011353)

And this is when prayer becomes even more real than ever. Because we are swung or slung full force out there to show what we believe without any hesitation or recoil. According to Jesus in his prayer humanity will continue to suffer and the disciples will need every ounce of strength and hope, and full presence of God to bring in the Kingdom of peace.

We have a job to do and it starts with prayer. Amen.

Resources: Working Preacher Karoline Lewis; (Church of Scotland-Sc011353)

On the Rock I stand

Sermon Acts 17:22-31 May 21, 2017 6^th Sunday of Easter

On the Rock I stand

Last year Mike and I had the opportunity to visit Athens. It was important to me to find the areas of the city where we assume the Apostle Paul walked and preached and shared the good news of God’s grace.

We made it to Mars hill. It is also known as the Areopagus. It is the place where Socrates stood before the council to argue his philosophies. It didn’t end well for him.

This hill was the place where the court or council could summon anyone to appear. No charges or reasons had to be given for them to be called before the leaders. This was not an invitation but a command.

It is amazing to stand on that rock with the acropolis in the back drop and the view of the sprawling city below. It is an incredible rock as it juts up above all its surroundings as if it is a pedestal for speakers through the ages. For more than 500 years this rock was the place for many speeches, arguments, debates, and defenses.

 

Monica on Mars Hill August 2016

Paul wandered through the streets of Athens and saw the most astounding sculptures and art and temples to not just one god, but many gods. As he walked he discovered a statue dedicated to the ‘unknown god.’ It was at this moment that he knew how he would share the good news with the people of Athens.

I believe that is our struggle today.

How do we share the news of our faith in Jesus the Christ with others?

How do we offer the opportunity to engage in church to those who have never been?

How do we encourage a life in community when there are so many communities to choose from?

If we think we are the only people in the 21^st century facing the challenge of church over other things we may have forgotten our history. There has always, since its beginning, been a challenge to the church to grow.

(Paul’s story in Athens only magnifies how hard it was to find the nugget of common ground to invite people to engage and become followers of Jesus.)

The Barna Group Inc. study on the State of the Church in April 2016 showed that 73% of Americans identify as Christians and 20% as no faith at all. Of those 73% Christians 34% practice their faith by going to church. Of those who go to church only 8% go to mega churches of more than 1000 members. 46% of church goers go to churches of less than 100 members. It tells me that the small church is the place to be for those who are choosing to practice their Christian faith.

I have said it for fifteen years now, (after studying the churches for three years in the 90’s) the future of the church is not in a big movement, or a program, or an epiphany of a ‘new’ way of worship, music, or education; but the way of the future for the church is rooted in the power of the small church to sustain, nourish, and flourish among its people and community for the sake of the grace of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Like Paul, we have a story to tell!

There is flood of competition out there and most of it is good.

So, how do we choose one good over another good?

Paul walked around and took note of all the opportunities open to the people of Athens, they had universities ( the finest ever known), they had stores, and markets, temples, and books.

We too, here in America have much that shows who we are as we walk through the cities. We have statues, and stores, markets and paintings, and books that show we are a diverse people and we are a religious people.

It is in this common grounding we can begin to share the good news of who we are in Christ with one another.

Paul’s desire was to open the flood gates of God’s love and grace so that all may know God through Christ who loved even him.

Paul addressed the people of Athens and acknowledged their spiritual diversity.

He spoke to them not as a knowledgeable Jew talking about Jewish Law but he invoked Greek philosophical insights to express Christian theological truths.

He didn’t deny the diversity or

the variety of displays of faith,

but pointed out two aspects

that are the strong foundation of all of them;

God is Creator of all things and

humanity is united in one another.

Paul entered the community to speak to all the people,

not just those who were exactly like him.

He took a risk to reach out diversely to everyone-to the leaders,

the shop keepers,

the merchants,

the educated professors,

the philosophers,

the street people,

the poor,

the rich-

he spoke to them all.

Paul was called a babbler by the elite. He did not have the same skills of debate as they had. They actually thought he was nuts. And yet, there was an intrigue about him and his message. And so, he ended up before the court, the council standing there on the hill dedicated to Mars, also known as the Areopagus.

I’m not sure if he realized he was on trial.

I’m not sure if he realized this was the place

where many before here were sentenced to death.

But, there he stood and there he won the hearts of a few. We would like to think that everyone who heard the good news of love and grace would jump to the invitation.

But, the truth is the church grew by a few followers here and there.

Occasionally there was a moment where thousands followed,

but mostly it was a steady growth of believers

from one town to the next.

Paul stood on that rock and spoke to the reality of the people gathered.

He spoke to what they knew and understood.

He spoke to their world.

He spoke to their faith.

He respected them.

He acknowledged their intellect and their ways.

There was the altar to the ‘unknown god’ probably set up as the catch all in case there was a god that was forgotten. Or perhaps it was set up as a god of universal nature, to respect the one or ones whose names they did not yet know.

Paul uses this universality to share about the God of heaven and earth; God the Creator.

He touched on the basic philosophical beliefs of Pythagoras and Zeno, when he stated that God created the world and does not live in temples. This is common ground for the people of Athens. He continued to share about the nature of humanity.

Paul let them know that God created humanity to live together,

to seek after God,

and to reach out

and find God.

“God is not far from each of us. God is near us. God is with us.”

The quote from Epimenides,

“for in him we live and move and have our being;” touched those who heard Paul.

This quote is in our confessions today.

The words of the greats were and are used to affirm our faith not deny it.

The words of the greats demonstrate our commonality

and our grounding as people of God.

The sum of all human existence is in relationship to God and one another.

Paul continued with the established common ground to introduce Jesus, faith in Jesus, the power of the resurrection, and God’s grace through him.

Paul stood boldly on the rock before the council and offered the hospitality of God that invites all people from the diversity of the world to discover Christ Jesus.

Paul offered grace.

He opened the doors of the sanctuary of God

and invited them to realize how they, as all of humanity,

belong to God and one another.

This is what we all hope for.

We hope for the chance to open the doors of our sanctuary

as an invitation for all to enter.

We hope to share the grace of God in how we include and invite

everyone as diverse as we can find in our community.

We hope that we can find common ground

as we speak to those we engage with each day.

We hope that we can open our doors to those

who seek to find God.

We hope that we can open our doors

to those who need a place of refuge, of quiet, of rest.

We hope we can offer a place of acceptance.

Let us be committed to the power of God

at work within us to learn, to worship,

to pray, to love, to share, to invite.

Amen.

Resources: BarnaGroup.com 

Open Gates

Sermon John 10:1-10 May 7, 2017 4^th Sunday of Easter year A (Portions of this sermon first preached in 2011)

Open Gates

Fences, walls, dams, sandbags, barricades, all do well at keeping things we don’t want out.

These keep bunnies from eating our vegetables, they keep out the cold drafts, they hold back water, and they prevent people from going too close to an obstacle. But they also protect the things inside the barrier.

The Bible uses walls and barriers as illustrations all the time.

God is the One who holds fast to the children God calls by name. God keeps them within the walls of security, the walls of God’s covenant love.

I remember when we had our French scouts and later our French youth group come to America; one of the first things that visually stuck out to them, was the lack of fenced yards.

They kept saying, “All these houses next to each other and no fence, no wall?”

I realized that in the towns and cities we had lived in overseas, all the yards were marked clearly with a perimeter of some sort-wall, fence, or bushes-there was no doubt where one person’s property began and the other’s stopped.

Unlike the US- in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and other ancient places- cities, towns and villages were protected by walls to keep out invaders and those who would do harm.

Here in John 10, we notice (as we do throughout Scripture) that fences, sheep, gates, and shepherds were all a part of daily life.

In the Old Testament, we first see God introduced as a shepherd to Moses. In Genesis 48:15 Moses calls God the Shepherd who has been with him all his life. In Numbers 27:17 Moses appoints Joshua to succeed him because the people will not be like sheep without a shepherd. Moses declares that Joshua is to go out and come in before them. He is to be one who will lead them out and bring them in.

Psalm 121 God is the One who guards our coming in and our going out.

It is in this context that Jesus speaks.

The people of God belonged to God and no one or no ‘thing’ was going to separate them from the power of God’s love.

In Scripture we learn, there are always those who would try to steal away God’s people. Throughout Old Testament stories God’s people were wooed away by golden images, ephods, Asherah poles, wild ways, and doubts of God’s love.

As consistent as the people were in departing from God, so even more consistent was God’s seeking them out to return them to the fold.

Even, though most of us are not familiar with this business of sheep and shepherds we’ve seen pictures, stain glassed windows, and coloring pages, all showing the gentle Jesus as a gentle shepherd. We see him holding a lamb in his arms and carrying a staff. These images conveyed a kind and caring Jesus who loved all of creation and dared to love even the smallest and most helpless of all.

So, when we get to this part about Jesus claiming to be the gate, it throws us into a tailspin.

Jesus is supposed to be the one who brings everyone into a life of freedom.

He is the one who brings the story of Exodus forward into the lives of the Gentiles and all humanity.

These words from Jesus did not set well with me.

So, once again we meet the exclusive Jesus?

Is that who he is saying he is?

Is this there where Christians go around pointing fingers at people saying, “I’m in and you’re not-nanananana!”

Is this where churchgoers, say to others, “I’m special and you’re not.”

It all seems so country club like.

I’ve got a membership that you don’t have and so I’m better than you.

I’ll have to say, this is the stuff that kept me far away from this believing in Jesus.

It seemed like a rather cruel set of folks.

I certainly knew I wasn’t good enough for a group that acted like they had it all together. I knew that I was far from having it together.

Yes, gates, to me, were very negative.

The images of gates that came to mind were those TSA booths in the airports in those early days when they were afraid of anyone and we were afraid of them.

Or, those border patrol crossings through newly organized countries, where no matter who you were, you were labeled suspicious.

I saw the giant gates to the castles in Europe, huge doors that hide secret courtyards.

I saw cattle gates and garden gates.

I viewed all of these as a bunch of rules and mean people whose only interest was to make life difficult for everyone who dared to approach their gates.

But then I taught a class, using the book called Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend. This study talked about the boundaries that God placed as a positive wonderful gift.

The authors refer to a fence around us as God’s way of claiming us and declaring that we are unique and we are God’s special creation, not more special than my neighbor, but just as special.

A fence is a way we can protect ourselves from those who would try to harm us.

This fence is the ability to set limits with others, to declare what is rightfully ours, and the ability to say no.

The fence is the boundary of love out of which we operate in order to show love to others.

This boundary of love is the corral where we are surrounded by the safety of Jesus.

A special space that we get to choose the size of it.

A space that helps us hold it together

without the threat of somebody coming in

to steal our integrity of humanity.

Jesus is the shepherd who claims us as his own.

His protective fence, his corral for the sheep, wraps us tight, or loose, depending on those who would come in the night trying to steal from us.

It protects us from harmful words,

or abuse,

or all those hurtful things from the world out there.

He is standing at the gate calling out to all and will not stop calling their names until all have heard him. He will not stop until all turn to follow him.

This gives me hope and joy to know that I belong to a God that has not and will not leave anyone out.

That is why we have the 23^rd psalm as our reading today.

The Hebrew word in the verse that God follows us all the days of our lives

actually means to pursue us.

It means that God will never give up on us

no matter how much we run.

We might be afraid for those of our loved ones

who seem to have gone a different way.

Remember the pursuit of God.

Know that God will remain with us

coming after us

with love

all the days of our lives.

Cloud and Townsend continue in their teaching to say that a fence needs a gate.

The gate is the way to freedom.

By the gate, we learn to open our hearts to others.

We learn to open up to God.

We learn to risk saying yes without losing our character or our sense of self.

The gate provides for freedom to explore and venture out; to try new ways, and discover new opportunities with others.

Jesus is the gate to freedom.

Jesus is the gate that opens up the community and grants access to God.

Through the gate of Christ,

God’s people discover immeasurable grace

and unconditional love.

Jesus is the gate so we don’t have to be.

This text follows the healing of the blind man who was barred from entrance into the Temple because of his ‘sin’ of disability.

Jesus makes it clear that disability is not a sin.

Jesus makes it clear that there are no barriers to entering into the sanctuary of God. Jesus makes it clear that all those with infirmities are welcome in the house of God.

Yes, Jesus is the gate that makes it possible for all to enter in.

By his grace, by his love and by his continuous calling

he has made room for everyone,

short or tall,

blue or green,

one eyed or peg legged.

We don’t have to be the gate that decides who can come in and worship here because Jesus has declared that is his job.

The Gate brings us to freedom.

In this freedom, Christ guides us to green pastures and brings us into safe community. Amen.

 Note: Following this sermon, communion was served. AT the invitation to the Table, it was announced that our denomination (PCUSA) has declared as part of our new discipline, our new order of worship, there is nothing that can be a barrier to the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those baptized or not may come to the Table-this opening of the gate of freedom for pastors to serve, allows the Spirit to transform those who receive the bread and cup  of Christ.