A recurring theme has been turning up in my readings lately, and in my interactions with people, and in the things I’ve been hearing; Are we giving God everything we’ve got? Are we submitting ourselves wholly to God? Are we able to just drop everything and follow Jesus Christ?
As we read in Acts 4:32, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” So is this all about being “as one” with our fellow Christ followers and serving those in need?
Pastor Nate has said that God is loose in this world. That’s a big concept. It’s exciting. It gives me the idea that radical things are happening. Are we aware of this, or are we looking the other way? He’s also telling us that we should be giving things up in our lives so we can more open to where God is leading us. What is standing in our way? What are we clinging to?
Jesus himself tells us in the Gospel of Luke, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Ananias and Sapphira were willing to let go of most of their money, but because they couldn’t make a total commitment, they lost out. The rich young man thought he had it all figured out, but he just wouldn’t part with his stuff, and as a result, he lost out.
Erwin Raphael McManus in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moment, may have it right when he says, “When Jesus walked this earth, His disciples had to keep up with Him. If they were to stay close, they had to choose to leave the life they lived without Him and go wherever He would go.”
Putting this all together, if we’re going to be a part of Christ’s church, and keep up with Him, we can’t be weighed down with selfish desires. We must live as one, united in heart and sole and ready to be led. We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves and give Him everything. Maybe when we do we will find we are free, totally free to honor and follow Jesus Christ and where he leads us. Maybe that may mean stepping out of our comfort zones. Only then can we even possibly begin to keep up with the radical journey he has planned for us.
Pat Barnes
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, October 22, 2009
My God Is So Big
The following is Allison (Barnes) Potratz's sermon on 10/4/2009.
Intro:
-I want to start by re-reading a part of the readings for today. “What is man that you are mindful of him? The son of man you that you care for him?” Looking back on your life, I’m sure there has been a time in your life that you have asked “Why me? What purpose do I have here on earth? Why did God create me? Does God really love me?” I know I have. I often think about these questions when I hear the song by Casting Crowns that says “Who am I that the Lord of all the earth, would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt. Who am I, that the voice that calmed the seas would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me.” My hope today is that I can help you realize how much our God really loves and cares for us! I just finished asking the children what kind of things they consider to be “big.” And, yes it is really interesting what some of their answers are, but we can really learn a lot about our God and how much he loves us by looking at the gigantic and marvelous things that he has created for us as humankind! It’s through these creations that we can somewhat understand how big and majestic our God is and ultimately how important we are to him! I want to share with you some things that I think are “big.”
Mount Kilimanjaro-Located in North-Eastern Tanzania
-One of the highest mountains in the World, highest peak in Africa
-15,100 feet high from its base
-It is one of the largest stratovolcanoes in the world.
-Covers an area of 157,200 acres.
-Peaks on this mountain reach between 5,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level.
-Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach, SC-Total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres (41.1 million square miles).
-It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface.
-The average depths of the Atlantic, ranges anywhere from 10, 936 feet to 28,232 feet deep!
-Visited there about a month ago and saw the Ocean for the first time! It was unbelievable! I remember when were driving towards Myrtle Beach I kept saying “I’m nervous to see the Ocean!” Then, when we turned on the road where our hotel was (which was right along the Ocean) I looked on the GPS and saw that there was land, and then BLUE, lots of BLUE (which meant Ocean!) And I kept thinking to myself-we are on the coast, beyond this point there isn’t land for thousands of miles! My husband stood on the beach and pointed out to the middle of the Ocean and said “How weird is it that the next piece of land beyond this body of water is Africa??” IT’S CRAZY! When I stood on the beach I looked right and all I saw was ocean, I looked left and all I saw was ocean! I was in such shock that I was standing next to a body of water that literally goes for miles and miles, has billions of gallons of water, and is miles deep! I was so intimidated. However, our God created this huge body of water, as well as so many other deep bodies of water. Our God is bigger and even more powerful than this huge body of water!
-SOHO MissionThe SOHO (Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) project is a cooperative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. SOHO was designed to study the internal structure of the Sun, and its extensive outer atmosphere.-This image captures a sweeping prominence -- Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. Emission in this image shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees Kelvin.
-The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures.
-The mean distance of the Sun from the Earth is approximately 149.6 million kilometers (1 AU) (93 million miles), and its light travels this distance in 8 minutes and 19 seconds.
-Mean diameter of the sun is 109 × Earths diameter.
-The Whirlpool Galaxy-Approximately 20 million light years from Earth
-Radius of about ~38,000 light-years
-The Whirlpool Galaxy (looks so cool because it has a cross in the middle of it when you look at it from this angle.
-The cross in the middle is actually a black hole with dust rings surrounding the hole-but how cool is it, that something so beautiful and so far away, could bear the sign that brings so much hope to Christians. A sign that we believe demonstrates God’s ultimate love for us?
-6.786 Billion-Estimated World Population as of September 23, 2009
-Of course we can’t guarantee that this number is 100% correct, but all I can say is that God loves every single one of these people, including you! And can you imagine the billions of people who have lived since the beginning of the Earth? Generation after generation after generation, etc! Well, God loved them too! You see, Genesis tells the story of creation and talks about how God created the entire world (including magnificent things like Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ocean, the Sun, and beautiful galaxies so far from earth in outer space) and said that it was good, but when he created humankind, he said that it was very good! We are the crown of creation. God adores us and longs for us! Let’s read it!
-Genesis 1:27-31 “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth, and subdue it….(God tells humankind that earth was made for them to live)….{verse 31} God saw all that he had made, and it was very good!”
-We mean more to God than all these beautiful things that are part of creation. He created us to belong to him and made this world to live in! God was thinking of us long before we were even born! Let’s read it!
-Psalm 139: 13-16 “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full and well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
-God had a plan for every single one of us when he created the earth and knit us together. He is the ultimate creator (his works are wonderful (we saw some of them in the pictures today) )but most of all WE are the wonderful part of creation because we get to have a relationship with God! We get to experience God! We get to see him move on this earth and show his love for everyone! We witness miracles and experience connections with him when we read his Word and pray in his Name and worship him every day. We experience his love for us through all the gifts that he’s given us. But there’s one gift that makes our relationship with God even more meaningful-it’s the ultimate gift and sacrifice that he made for US to show his LOVE for US! It’s the gift of salvation that he offers through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ! Let’s read it!
-2 Corinthians 5:14-21 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now one we regard no one from a worldly point view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”
-The first part of this section talks about how Christ’s love “compels” us because Christ died for us. Christ’s love “compels” us (drives us) to no longer live for ourselves but to live for HIM! It’s not about us…not at all! It’s all about Christ!
-Compare to the movie “Fireproof.” Both couples were so involved in their own lives and so selfishly looking for their own benefit that their relationship was failing. Both so deeply involved in their careers and own interests, they didn’t even know or understand each other. It wasn’t until Caleb started trying to win his wife’s heart back that he realized that he wasn’t able to love his wife because he wasn’t loving the Lord. There is a part in the middle of the movie when Caleb is talking to his father about how he is ready to end it with his wife and get a divorce and give up on trying to win her heart back. He says:
"In fact, when I come home, she makes me feel like I'm an enemy. I'm not even welcome in my own home, Dad. That is what really ticks me off! For the last three weeks I've bent over backwards for her. I've tried to demonstrate that I still care about this relationship. I bought her flowers, which she threw away. I have taken her insults and her sarcasm, but last night was it. I made dinner for her. I did everything I could to demonstrate that I care about her—to show value for her—and she spit in my face. She does not deserve this, Dad! I'm not doing it anymore! How am I supposed to show love to somebody—over and over and over—who constantly rejects me?"
-The thing is, we are like Caleb and Catherine. We are the ones who are constantly involved in our own lives that we spit in God’s face and reject him. We have to realize that we mean more to him than anything else on this Earth. We have to surrender to him and live according to his will. Let’s continue reading.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
-First of all, we are FORGIVEN! We are reconciled of our sins and God has wiped them clean. They are on the bottom of that ocean floor (which we learned is miles deep!) We are also called “ambassadors.” The word ambassador means to be a representative. In Hebrew, the word is interpreted as “one who goes on an errand,” ultimately making US messengers of God! We are to LIVE for him! Turn away from sin! Live according to God’s righteousness. Realize how much our God loves us and how much he desires us to submit our lives to Him and Him alone! Live according to the righteousness that is described in these verses. Be reconciled in Christ and become New Creations!
-Let’s look back at pieces of the readings from today:
-The cross in the middle is actually a black hole with dust rings surrounding the hole-but how cool is it, that something so beautiful and so far away, could bear the sign that brings so much hope to Christians. A sign that we believe demonstrates God’s ultimate love for us?
-6.786 Billion-Estimated World Population as of September 23, 2009
-Of course we can’t guarantee that this number is 100% correct, but all I can say is that God loves every single one of these people, including you! And can you imagine the billions of people who have lived since the beginning of the Earth? Generation after generation after generation, etc! Well, God loved them too! You see, Genesis tells the story of creation and talks about how God created the entire world (including magnificent things like Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ocean, the Sun, and beautiful galaxies so far from earth in outer space) and said that it was good, but when he created humankind, he said that it was very good! We are the crown of creation. God adores us and longs for us! Let’s read it!
-Genesis 1:27-31 “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth, and subdue it….(God tells humankind that earth was made for them to live)….{verse 31} God saw all that he had made, and it was very good!”
-We mean more to God than all these beautiful things that are part of creation. He created us to belong to him and made this world to live in! God was thinking of us long before we were even born! Let’s read it!
-Psalm 139: 13-16 “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full and well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
-God had a plan for every single one of us when he created the earth and knit us together. He is the ultimate creator (his works are wonderful (we saw some of them in the pictures today) )but most of all WE are the wonderful part of creation because we get to have a relationship with God! We get to experience God! We get to see him move on this earth and show his love for everyone! We witness miracles and experience connections with him when we read his Word and pray in his Name and worship him every day. We experience his love for us through all the gifts that he’s given us. But there’s one gift that makes our relationship with God even more meaningful-it’s the ultimate gift and sacrifice that he made for US to show his LOVE for US! It’s the gift of salvation that he offers through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ! Let’s read it!
-2 Corinthians 5:14-21 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now one we regard no one from a worldly point view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”
-The first part of this section talks about how Christ’s love “compels” us because Christ died for us. Christ’s love “compels” us (drives us) to no longer live for ourselves but to live for HIM! It’s not about us…not at all! It’s all about Christ!
-Compare to the movie “Fireproof.” Both couples were so involved in their own lives and so selfishly looking for their own benefit that their relationship was failing. Both so deeply involved in their careers and own interests, they didn’t even know or understand each other. It wasn’t until Caleb started trying to win his wife’s heart back that he realized that he wasn’t able to love his wife because he wasn’t loving the Lord. There is a part in the middle of the movie when Caleb is talking to his father about how he is ready to end it with his wife and get a divorce and give up on trying to win her heart back. He says:
"In fact, when I come home, she makes me feel like I'm an enemy. I'm not even welcome in my own home, Dad. That is what really ticks me off! For the last three weeks I've bent over backwards for her. I've tried to demonstrate that I still care about this relationship. I bought her flowers, which she threw away. I have taken her insults and her sarcasm, but last night was it. I made dinner for her. I did everything I could to demonstrate that I care about her—to show value for her—and she spit in my face. She does not deserve this, Dad! I'm not doing it anymore! How am I supposed to show love to somebody—over and over and over—who constantly rejects me?"
-The thing is, we are like Caleb and Catherine. We are the ones who are constantly involved in our own lives that we spit in God’s face and reject him. We have to realize that we mean more to him than anything else on this Earth. We have to surrender to him and live according to his will. Let’s continue reading.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
-First of all, we are FORGIVEN! We are reconciled of our sins and God has wiped them clean. They are on the bottom of that ocean floor (which we learned is miles deep!) We are also called “ambassadors.” The word ambassador means to be a representative. In Hebrew, the word is interpreted as “one who goes on an errand,” ultimately making US messengers of God! We are to LIVE for him! Turn away from sin! Live according to God’s righteousness. Realize how much our God loves us and how much he desires us to submit our lives to Him and Him alone! Live according to the righteousness that is described in these verses. Be reconciled in Christ and become New Creations!
-Let’s look back at pieces of the readings from today:
-The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word
Hebrews 1:3 "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet."
Hebrews 2:5-9 In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
- Like it says in Hebrews, he made him a little lower than the angels and sent him to save us. “Who is man that you are mindful of him??” Can’t you see HOW mindful our God is about us???
Let’s read John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.”
-God loves and cares so deeply for us! We know that and see that through the gift of his Son. So now, when we find ourselves asking “Why me?” We won’t even question our purpose here on earth! We are truly loved and God created us and has a plan for us. Remember that as you look around this earth and find yourself in awe of magnificent and marvelous things! Remember that our God created it, but he also created us and loves us!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
“Who do you see?”
Mark 6:1-13
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Today’s reading seems to be two different stories presented together, and while they seem very different, I believe they go together well. They’re all about faith, truly knowing and trusting Jesus Christ then and heeding his call to tell the world about him. Who do you see in this man Jesus? How well do you know him? I’d like to take a look first at last weeks Gospel. I think it’s important because it’s a story of people with great and genuine faith. Here is Jesus doing what he does best. First he heals a woman who had been sick for many years and shunned by society and the church. She was as good as dead. This is a very powerful story. She merely touched his robe and Jesus felt her faith. It must have been very strong and genuine. I’ve noticed so much lately that many of those people who are the worst off in society show a very great faith. They’re very open and aware of Jesus Christ. Maybe they have reason to see him just a little bit differently. I believe this is because they have nothing to stand in their way. He’s their only hope. They recognize Him for what he truly is. It’s as if they’re saying, “He’s my savior, I put all my faith and trust in him. Not in my money, because I have none, not in all my stuff, because I have none, I’ve made such a mess of my life but he loves me no matter what!”
Then went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Today’s reading seems to be two different stories presented together, and while they seem very different, I believe they go together well. They’re all about faith, truly knowing and trusting Jesus Christ then and heeding his call to tell the world about him. Who do you see in this man Jesus? How well do you know him? I’d like to take a look first at last weeks Gospel. I think it’s important because it’s a story of people with great and genuine faith. Here is Jesus doing what he does best. First he heals a woman who had been sick for many years and shunned by society and the church. She was as good as dead. This is a very powerful story. She merely touched his robe and Jesus felt her faith. It must have been very strong and genuine. I’ve noticed so much lately that many of those people who are the worst off in society show a very great faith. They’re very open and aware of Jesus Christ. Maybe they have reason to see him just a little bit differently. I believe this is because they have nothing to stand in their way. He’s their only hope. They recognize Him for what he truly is. It’s as if they’re saying, “He’s my savior, I put all my faith and trust in him. Not in my money, because I have none, not in all my stuff, because I have none, I’ve made such a mess of my life but he loves me no matter what!”
As the gospel continues he brings life to a dead girl. Here we’ve gone from a woman who was as good as dead to a young girl who was dead. Once again, where is our hope found? Where do we place our faith? Two weeks ago we heard about Jesus calming a violent storm out on the water. How comforting it is to know that when the storms of life come, Jesus will be there for us. I heard on the radio the other day something which caught my attention, and I can’t remember who said it, “the toughest man to ever walk the face of the earth is seated at the right hand of the Father.” What’s this all about? I believe it’s all about faith, and knowing Jesus Christ, and knowing him in your heart. Who do you see in this man Jesus? How well do you know him? Here’s two great acts of faith, let’s see what happens in this weeks lesson.
In today’s gospel he goes back home to Nazareth, his hometown, and begins to teach. These were his family and his people. I can’t help but think these were the ones he cared for most, the one’s closest to his heart. These were the ones he’d grown up with. They hear his powerful, authoritative words, and wonder where this lowly carpenter, Mary’s son, who they watched run the streets with his brothers and sisters, and probably had gotten into a little mischief, has gotten this kind of knowledge. They’ve only known him one way, and it’s blocked their ability to have any faith in him. It’s blinded them from seeing him as being any more than that. If they were looking for a Messiah, it sure wouldn’t be Jesus. In fact, the gospel says, he found so little faith there, that he was unable to perform many miracles or healings. This just doesn’t seem right. In my research I found that even a few scholars were a little confused with this one. Was it Jesus lack of ability, or were the people of Nazareth blinded as to who Jesus really was? Was their lack of faith in him keeping them from receiving his blessings? This had to have really hurt. He had to have been so disappointed. These were his people, the people he knew and loved, the people he was closest to, and they were rejecting him. And so he left them and moved on.
I want to take a few minutes to tell you about my home town, the place of my childhood, the place I grew up, the place that I loved, the place that I think about often. I grew up in a very small rural town of around 35 people called Slifer. It’s about 20 miles southwest of Fort Dodge. It’s just a little farming community with around ten houses, a grain elevator, and a few closed down businesses on the crossroad of two county highways. But to me it was the perfect place to grow up. It was a world of tree houses, out houses, and hen houses. Within a quarter mile of my home there was a creek, two groves of trees, and a set of railroad tracks. Our house backed up to a cornfield, come to think of it everyone’s house backed up to a cornfield. We had a little acreage with chickens, a Shetland pony, a couple cows, and a huge garden. I spent my days exploring, fishing, camping out, and getting into mischief. I had the local paper route. Once I got the papers folded it took me about ten minutes to deliver them. I earned most of my money walking beans, mowing lawns, and baling hay. Of course everyone in town knew each other. At least once every summer we would all gather in someone’s yard and have a town picnic. There would be plenty to eat and drink. We would get a big game of softball going, kids and adults, and have a great time. I remember watching Neil Armstrong first walk on the moon as the whole town gathered at someone’s home. As I grew older, I bought my first car. I’d be over visiting Teresa, then I’d come speeding on into town on my way home. Sure enough one of the neighbors would call my dad, Harold, Pat was speeding through town again, and then I’d be in trouble. Even the bad things are good memories. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. I loved my hometown. Every now and then my Mom will call and tell me of someone from Slifer who’s died, and it will bring some sadness, and a whole lot of memories. Why am I talking about my hometown? Because this is how these people knew me, this is how they will remember me. If I came back as anything else they would probably have a hard time accepting me. I can’t help but think of how broken hearted Jesus must have felt being rejected by his own hometown and his own people. It’s not that they disliked him, but that they couldn’t see who he really was. He’s who they needed most, but they rejected him. How well do you know him? Who do you see when you think of Jesus?
The second part of today’s reading is a call to discipleship. It’s a call to evangelism.
Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs, travelling light with a simple yet powerful message. It’s like Jesus is saying, “Know me as I truly am, believe in me, have faith in me, I’ll show you the way! Don’t clutter your life with things you don’t need. I’ll provide everything you need! It’s okay if they don’t like what you’re telling them, just walk away and move on. Now go, and do my work. ”
As Paul tells the Romans, “How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
How can people know of Him without those of us who really know Jesus? He has a beautiful message and he’s chosen us to deliver it. “But how can I, I’m not an evangelist? I don’t know what to say! I don’t know what to do! I don’t know where to go! I don’t want to go anyway. What will people think of me?” Remember, there’s a hurting world out there. People are searching. People are reaching out for help.
How well do you know Jesus Christ? How much faith do you put in him? How much do you love him? Maybe you’re the one in need. Maybe you’re the one with the outstretched hand. As we heard Jeff Hanna speak a couple weeks ago, we’re all in the same boat. We all need Jesus. We all have storms in our life. Maybe the storms are raging harder for you than for others right now.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In his book, “Blue Like Jazz”, Donald Miller talks about how he has come to love Jesus. “I think the most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus.
Sometimes when I go forward at church to take communion, to take the bread and dip it in the wine, the thought of Jesus comes to me, the red of his blood or the smell of his humanity, and I eat the bread and I wonder at the mystery of what I am doing, that somehow I am one with Christ, that I get my very life from him, my spiritual life comes from his working inside me, being inside me.
I know our culture will sometimes understand a love for Jesus as weakness. There is this lie floating around that says I am supposed to be able to do life alone, without any help, without any stopping to worship something bigger than myself. But I actually believe there is something bigger than me, and I need for there to be something bigger than me. I need someone to put awe inside me; I need to come second to someone who has everything figured out.”
Donald Miller has found Jesus as we should know him. He has looked beyond himself and discovered a life giving and loving Jesus. As we gather for Holy Communion today, as we eat the bread and drink the wine, let us think about Jesus and who he is, and what he has done for you. And allow him to put an awe inside of you. You may experience him in a very different way.
Evangelism isn’t necessarily about going out and knocking on doors. From what I’ve read the most effective form of evangelism is all about relationships, your relationship with Jesus Christ showing in your actions, in your eyes and your speech. Jesus Christ finds his way into people’s hearts through their relationship to you. We have several opportunities in the next couple months for you to reach out to others and bring them to know Jesus Christ. On July 19th, Justin and Amanda Fletcher will be showing the movie, Facing Your Giants for our New Life Family Theater. It’s a great sports movie with a Christian theme. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors, family and coworkers. On August 2nd we will have our annual Vacation Bible School. Did you know that half of the children attending are from the community and not members of New Life. Parents drop off and pick up their kids and see an excitement in them. What a great way to introduce an unchurched child and their parents to Jesus Christ. The very next week on August 9th we will have a friendship Sunday. We are encouraging you to invite your neighbors, coworkers, or unchurched friends to worship with us that week. We will have a wonderful worship experience, a late morning brunch, and some time for outdoor fun and games. In September, we will be bringing back the Alpha program. Alpha will answer many of the questions you may have about the Christian faith. Many of you have been through Alpha already. This is a great evangelism tool. You can just sit and listen, and you won’t have to say a word. If you’ve already taken Alpha, invite a friend and take it again with them.
These are easy evangelism tools for you to take advantage of. As Jesus sends you out into your day, remember him, know him, trust him, love him, and think about who you could invite to meet him. He’s waiting for them. I’ve met many people whose lives have been changed by meeting Jesus.
We are Jesus people who’ve been molded, saved, loved, filled, fed, watered, washed, educated, protected, directed, and commissioned.
Let us close in prayer,
Father God,
Open our hearts and minds as we worship you this morning that we may fully know you and experience you. As we receive your body and blood, may we remember you and all that you have done for us. Fill us with an awe that we will want to share with the people in our lives. Help us Lord to be inviting Christians. Send us Lord into the world that we may reach out to those in need with your word and your healing and your love.
(Pat Barnes' sermon on July 5th)
Let us close in prayer,
Father God,
Open our hearts and minds as we worship you this morning that we may fully know you and experience you. As we receive your body and blood, may we remember you and all that you have done for us. Fill us with an awe that we will want to share with the people in our lives. Help us Lord to be inviting Christians. Send us Lord into the world that we may reach out to those in need with your word and your healing and your love.
(Pat Barnes' sermon on July 5th)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
"With God's Help"
"With God's help, I shall not fear change.
Some changes will cause great pain; others will bring joy.
Some will pass by barely noticed; others will alter the deepest parts of my being.
I will bring about many changes myself;
but changes I experience will also be brought about by others around me,
and I will be the tool God uses to change others' lives.
With God's help, I shall accept that change will happen every day, for I am not alone.
God shares the changes with me.
God rejoices with me and comforts me through the difficult days.
As the quiet, solid center that gives me something to cling to,
God is the constant in my quicksilver existence.
With Gods' help, I shall embrace it all. Therefore, I shall not fear change.
I shall trust that I can face all the changes, welcome them all,
and be stronger after they have done their work on me.
I can do all this, with God's help."
- Ms.Ethel Crawford
Some changes will cause great pain; others will bring joy.
Some will pass by barely noticed; others will alter the deepest parts of my being.
I will bring about many changes myself;
but changes I experience will also be brought about by others around me,
and I will be the tool God uses to change others' lives.
With God's help, I shall accept that change will happen every day, for I am not alone.
God shares the changes with me.
God rejoices with me and comforts me through the difficult days.
As the quiet, solid center that gives me something to cling to,
God is the constant in my quicksilver existence.
With Gods' help, I shall embrace it all. Therefore, I shall not fear change.
I shall trust that I can face all the changes, welcome them all,
and be stronger after they have done their work on me.
I can do all this, with God's help."
- Ms.Ethel Crawford
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A Lesson from the Mud
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40: 2-3
I love my woods. Actually I need to clarify something right from the start – they aren’t my woods at all – they belong to the person that owns the farm ground surrounding my home and he quite graciously allows me free access to them for my enjoyment. I also need to clarify the term ‘woods’ this area is really what most folks in Iowa would refer to as ‘scrub timber’ with lots of fallen trees, weeds, brush and in need of pruning (or burning). But be that as it may, I’ve grown to love this little piece of ground that borders a small creek and river along the adjoining fields. I walk the well worn path every day with my dogs and ride through it often on horseback.
This small piece of ground provides a living mural of the changing seasons and a constant reminder of the wonders of creation and our Creator. It’s easy to talk and listen to God in this environment. His presence is everywhere. There is no way to escape the absolute awesomeness of His Creation. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience this wonder on a daily basis. I often wonder how different life would be without this daily dose of humility – what it would be like to wake in a high rise apartment in a congested city and maybe go for months or years without experiencing anything that wasn’t man made. Thankfully, this is not the life He chose for me so it has become easy for me to ‘Grow where God plants you’. But I digress……..
I’ve been given another great blessing of 5 grandchildren (I think this one is to offset some of the other ‘blessing’ of growing older!) Through the years, we’ve all spent a lot of time walking in the ‘woods’ together (long walks on short legs result in long naps) and they’ve come to love it as much as I do. A couple of years ago, around late April, two of the grandkids, Parker (4) and Allison (3), came out to spend the weekend and were really looking forward to our walk in the woods – we had just come through a couple of days of spring rains and the path was really muddy so it didn’t seem like a very good idea. However, as most grandparents know – “No” is a word very rarely used in conversations with grandkids, I finally relented to their pleas but under the condition that they had to follow exactly in my footsteps – thinking I would keep them on the grass and out of the mud. (silly old grandma!) Things went pretty well at first – kind of a short lived game of Follow the Leader – then a bunch of wildflowers caught Allie’s attention and within the blink of an eye she shot off across the thick, soggy timber soil to pick ‘just one’ (didn’t matter if she picked one or a dozen – fact is she was in the mud). And by the second blink, Parker was in hot pursuit (after all big brothers are supposed to be watch out for their little sisters), leaving me, the ‘Leader’, with the only clean shoes still firmly planted in the clean green grass next to the muddy path.
Within just a few steps, my little nature enthusiasts learned a new lesson…..not all mud is created equal. Wet timber soil is not only dirty, slick and messy; it’s sticky – real sticky – almost like gum. It sort of grabs hold of you and sticks you in place – or at least your shoes. You guessed it – they were stuck in the mud. So much for my clean shoes and “I told you so” – there was only one course of action……get into the mud myself and pull them out – no way of doing that without getting myself at least as dirty as they were, probably worse. I’m happy to report that the rescue was successful, even the handful of wildflowers was saved – in fact they were the only ones that came out without one bit of ‘Yuk’ stuck to them.
We headed back to the house, got hosed off in the spare tank and finished off in the shower. While the shoes and clothes were in the washer, we sat down with a snack (the wildflowers in a glass of cold water providing a beautiful centerpiece) and discussed how much easier it would have been to simply follow the rules (we also had some good giggles about how silly they looked stuck in the mud).
Reflecting back on this afternoon, it came to mind that this brief episode is really what happens to all of us on a daily basis…….God says “follow me and I will take care of you” and we start out so enthusiastically, following exactly in His footsteps but within a very short time, we take off on our own, trusting our own judgment, changing the rules to suit our self-interest, looking for shortcuts, chasing after the first thing that catches our fancy and the results are always the same. We get stuck in the mud of life. The harder we try to get out on our own, the dirtier we get. The only way out is for our ‘Leader’ to save us and the only way he can do that is to get right into the mud with us – and that’s exactly what He does isn’t it? Jesus comes right into our messy world to pick us up, take us home and make us clean again. And just like silly old grandma, He loves us just as much when we’re dirty and muddy as when we’re all clean and shiny but we sure feel better after He’s cleaned us up again.
-Submitted by Sandy Anderson
I love my woods. Actually I need to clarify something right from the start – they aren’t my woods at all – they belong to the person that owns the farm ground surrounding my home and he quite graciously allows me free access to them for my enjoyment. I also need to clarify the term ‘woods’ this area is really what most folks in Iowa would refer to as ‘scrub timber’ with lots of fallen trees, weeds, brush and in need of pruning (or burning). But be that as it may, I’ve grown to love this little piece of ground that borders a small creek and river along the adjoining fields. I walk the well worn path every day with my dogs and ride through it often on horseback.
This small piece of ground provides a living mural of the changing seasons and a constant reminder of the wonders of creation and our Creator. It’s easy to talk and listen to God in this environment. His presence is everywhere. There is no way to escape the absolute awesomeness of His Creation. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience this wonder on a daily basis. I often wonder how different life would be without this daily dose of humility – what it would be like to wake in a high rise apartment in a congested city and maybe go for months or years without experiencing anything that wasn’t man made. Thankfully, this is not the life He chose for me so it has become easy for me to ‘Grow where God plants you’. But I digress……..
I’ve been given another great blessing of 5 grandchildren (I think this one is to offset some of the other ‘blessing’ of growing older!) Through the years, we’ve all spent a lot of time walking in the ‘woods’ together (long walks on short legs result in long naps) and they’ve come to love it as much as I do. A couple of years ago, around late April, two of the grandkids, Parker (4) and Allison (3), came out to spend the weekend and were really looking forward to our walk in the woods – we had just come through a couple of days of spring rains and the path was really muddy so it didn’t seem like a very good idea. However, as most grandparents know – “No” is a word very rarely used in conversations with grandkids, I finally relented to their pleas but under the condition that they had to follow exactly in my footsteps – thinking I would keep them on the grass and out of the mud. (silly old grandma!) Things went pretty well at first – kind of a short lived game of Follow the Leader – then a bunch of wildflowers caught Allie’s attention and within the blink of an eye she shot off across the thick, soggy timber soil to pick ‘just one’ (didn’t matter if she picked one or a dozen – fact is she was in the mud). And by the second blink, Parker was in hot pursuit (after all big brothers are supposed to be watch out for their little sisters), leaving me, the ‘Leader’, with the only clean shoes still firmly planted in the clean green grass next to the muddy path.
Within just a few steps, my little nature enthusiasts learned a new lesson…..not all mud is created equal. Wet timber soil is not only dirty, slick and messy; it’s sticky – real sticky – almost like gum. It sort of grabs hold of you and sticks you in place – or at least your shoes. You guessed it – they were stuck in the mud. So much for my clean shoes and “I told you so” – there was only one course of action……get into the mud myself and pull them out – no way of doing that without getting myself at least as dirty as they were, probably worse. I’m happy to report that the rescue was successful, even the handful of wildflowers was saved – in fact they were the only ones that came out without one bit of ‘Yuk’ stuck to them.
We headed back to the house, got hosed off in the spare tank and finished off in the shower. While the shoes and clothes were in the washer, we sat down with a snack (the wildflowers in a glass of cold water providing a beautiful centerpiece) and discussed how much easier it would have been to simply follow the rules (we also had some good giggles about how silly they looked stuck in the mud).
Reflecting back on this afternoon, it came to mind that this brief episode is really what happens to all of us on a daily basis…….God says “follow me and I will take care of you” and we start out so enthusiastically, following exactly in His footsteps but within a very short time, we take off on our own, trusting our own judgment, changing the rules to suit our self-interest, looking for shortcuts, chasing after the first thing that catches our fancy and the results are always the same. We get stuck in the mud of life. The harder we try to get out on our own, the dirtier we get. The only way out is for our ‘Leader’ to save us and the only way he can do that is to get right into the mud with us – and that’s exactly what He does isn’t it? Jesus comes right into our messy world to pick us up, take us home and make us clean again. And just like silly old grandma, He loves us just as much when we’re dirty and muddy as when we’re all clean and shiny but we sure feel better after He’s cleaned us up again.
-Submitted by Sandy Anderson
Monday, February 9, 2009
Slow Down, Listen!
The following is Pat Barnes' sermon from February 8, 2009.
Mark 1:29-39
“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother in law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, where he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let’s go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
(Psalm 147) “Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting! Great is our Lord, and abundant in power, his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.”
I love the Psalms and these words from today’s Psalm is so fitting for this season of Epiphany, this season where we recognize and celebrate the light of our Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate his presence in the world. We celebrate the Lord who brings light and hope to a world full of darkness. His light would forever change the world. The Magi followed that light, and discovered the Savior. In the light of his baptism he was filled with the Holy Spirit. On the Mount of Transfiguration his glory was revealed. In the light of his resurrection we can know his promise is real. His glory is revealed in so many ways. It’s a glory that we want to be connected with, a glory that we never want to lose sight of. It’s a glory that we want to tell the world about. It’s his glory that has given us life, and faith, it’s what makes us Christian.
If we look back into the earlier verses of this first chapter of Mark, we hear the story of Jesus’ baptism. Verse 10 says that as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. A God says from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” And immediately Jesus goes into the wilderness, he’s living among the wild animals, and being tended to by angels. And don’t you suppose that he was in constant contact with the Father? Then he is tempted by Satan, and then he begins his ministry. Here is God taking care of his own. Here is God’s glory being revealed.
Don’t you feel like that some time? This is how I see our lives as Christians, we are baptized and we are made God’s own, and his glory is revealed in us, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and we begin our life of faith. Then we’re thrown into the wilderness of life where we’re tempted by Satan, living among the wild beasts which threaten our well being. We have demands being laid on us. From one day to the next we never know how our life might change. But there is always something we can count on, Jesus is always with us, to guide us, to nurture us, to strengthen us, to help us grow as Christians, and help us grow as disciples. How hard would life be without Jesus Christ to help us through it?
You’re going to hear this over and over in this sermon, Jesus Christ is present and active in our lives.
In our Gospel lesson for today, the mere touch of Jesus hand brings healing to a sick woman. With his word, the mere sound of his voice, he brings demons down to their knees. I’d love to see that. And in the middle of all this, he goes to a quiet place, and drops down to his knees and prays to God. He took time to slow down and connect with God before continuing on with his work.
Isaiah 40 tells us, "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary: his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
This is a great song to sing during Holy Communion. Jesus is present and active in the bread and wine. In this way he strengthens us and renews us. We connect with him and celebrate him. He lifts us up with wings like eagles…..Focus on this song as you receive communion today. What a beautiful experience.
Soon after the 9-11 tragedy, stories started appearing in the various media. Stories from the rescuers, the policemen, the firemen, and the citizens who were involved in the rescue efforts. These were stories of sadness and horror, stories of amazement, stories that brought people together. The twin towers were brought down and what remained was a mass of carnage and death. Columnist Anne Coulter wrote an article that was published about one of these stories:
The rescue workers found a cross standing in the rubble of Ground Zero. It was discovered just a few days after the attack. While performing the soul-numbing work of pulling human bodies and body parts from the smoking wreckage, construction worker Frank Silecchia happened upon a perfectly symmetrical cross in the midst of the wreckage. It was standing straight, 20 feet high, surrounded by many smaller crosses. Silecchia stopped in his tracks and stood crying for 20 minutes. "When I first saw it, it took my heart," Silecchia said. "It helped me heal the burden of my despair, and gave me closure on the whole catastrophe." Hard-hat Silecchia brought his fellow rescue workers to the site of the cross, and they have been making regular pilgrimages to the cross ever since. Many of the men call it a miracle. The daily horror of pulling human remains from the rubble has the rescue workers at the breaking point. Someone etched "God Bless Our Fallen Brothers" on the cross. The cross at Ground Zero was not simply the cross beams remaining from an existing building. It was formed out of beams from Building One plunging, splitting and crashing into Building Six. "There's no symmetry to anything down there," the FBI chaplain said, "except those crosses."
. Do I believe God placed those crosses there in the midst of the carnage? I don’t know, but what I do believe is that in the midst of tragedy and despair, in the midst of heartache and sadness, in the midst of the crisis in our lives, we can be reminded of the presence of Jesus Christ. He is active in our lives. In this case those crosses were right in the middle of the worst tragedy most of those people will ever face, and they stood as a reminder that God was with them, comforting, warming, uniting them together, and letting them know that he is there with them. He’s there in the good times as well as the bad. These seem like dark days with the economy going bad, people losing jobs and their homes, and sickness seems to be everywhere. The wild beasts are all around us. In the midst of our busy lives, in the coming and going, our jobs, our home life, and school activities, we should to take time to slow down and feel God’s presence. Jesus did that in our Gospel reading for today. Amid all the healing and demon bashing, he stopped and went to a quiet place to pray. He wanted to communicate with the Father. He wanted to get away and talk to God, and feel his presence. It gave him the strength to continue his work. As Lutherans, we focus on the Word. God strengthens us through the Word. Sometimes the Word can come to us in the silence. I’ve prayed alone and have been in group prayer many times, and some of the most powerful prayer experiences have been experienced in the silence.
I’ve recently read an article titled, “Make a joyful silence” by Ruth Haley Barton. The theme of this article is about how we, as Christians, should take time periodically, to just stop and have a little quiet time. Time to stop and listen for God’s voice and feel his presence. She used the example of a jar of river water, “Sometimes you are like a jar of river water all shaken up. What you need is to sit still long enough so that the sediment can settle and the water can become clear.” Our lives sometimes seem to be like a whirlwind, and finding a quiet time is almost impossible. But the stillness and the silence can be very rewarding for us as we connect with God.
Another similar article recently appeared in the February issue of The Lutheran Online written by Joann Nesser entitled, Solitude and Silence. She is quoted as saying, “Often we must get away from our surroundings to really begin to experience the presence of God even when our circumstances are very ordinary. This is even truer when we are surrounded by constant noise and busyness or when we are going through difficult times of depression, loneliness, or fear. In the place of solitude and silence we can begin to hear God and experience God’s intimate, loving presence in our lives.”
God reveals himself in His written word, in prayer, in music and singing, in our friendships, and especially in his real presence within the sacraments. Many times I’ve felt God speaking to me in these ways. But we may also find his presence when we stop and quietly listen. I feel that when we do, he’ll help us deal with all the things that drive us crazy, all the stuff that drags us down, that makes us sad. He’ll help us celebrate our triumphs and our good times, and our faith will grow stronger. He’ll help us strengthen our relationships, in our homes as well as our friendships among our Christian brothers and sisters. We can lean on each other and support each other. That’s where God’s presence may be found.
Mr. Silecchia found Christ’s presence in those crosses in the wreckage of the twin towers. It was a powerful presence that brought him and others a sense of peace and hope in the midst of tragedy and despair. Again as we understand from our Gospel lesson, Jesus Christ is present and active in our lives. I love this verse from Revelation 3:20: “Listen! (Do you hear what he’s telling us, how can we hear him if we don’t listen?) Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” That’s what he wants for us! He wants us to slow down and quietly listen, and hear his voice.
Paul told the Ephesians, "Pray at all times and on every occasion",
he told the Romans, "Always be prayerful",
and he told the Thessalonians, “Pray without ceasing".
Prayer is so essential.
What was Moses and the Israelites doing after the walls of the Red Sea closed in behind them? They were praying to God. What was Jonah doing when he found himself in undesirable surroundings? He was praying to God. What was the disciples doing as they huddled in the upper room after Jesus crucifixion? They were praying to God. Think of prayer less as an activity for God and more as an awareness of God. Seek to live in uninterrupted awareness. Acknowledge His presence everywhere you go. As you stand in line at the grocery store think, Thank you, Lord, for being here. As you go about your day at work, pray to God for being there, as you sit in the classroom at school, pray to God for being there, and as you’re driving down the road turn the radio off, and quietly pray and listen for God’s voice.
As you go about your busy lives , slow down and find a quiet place and feel his presence and hear his voice and experience his light, then we will be able to truly say, “Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God!” Amen
Mark 1:29-39
“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother in law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, where he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let’s go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
(Psalm 147) “Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting! Great is our Lord, and abundant in power, his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.”
I love the Psalms and these words from today’s Psalm is so fitting for this season of Epiphany, this season where we recognize and celebrate the light of our Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate his presence in the world. We celebrate the Lord who brings light and hope to a world full of darkness. His light would forever change the world. The Magi followed that light, and discovered the Savior. In the light of his baptism he was filled with the Holy Spirit. On the Mount of Transfiguration his glory was revealed. In the light of his resurrection we can know his promise is real. His glory is revealed in so many ways. It’s a glory that we want to be connected with, a glory that we never want to lose sight of. It’s a glory that we want to tell the world about. It’s his glory that has given us life, and faith, it’s what makes us Christian.
If we look back into the earlier verses of this first chapter of Mark, we hear the story of Jesus’ baptism. Verse 10 says that as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. A God says from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” And immediately Jesus goes into the wilderness, he’s living among the wild animals, and being tended to by angels. And don’t you suppose that he was in constant contact with the Father? Then he is tempted by Satan, and then he begins his ministry. Here is God taking care of his own. Here is God’s glory being revealed.
Don’t you feel like that some time? This is how I see our lives as Christians, we are baptized and we are made God’s own, and his glory is revealed in us, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and we begin our life of faith. Then we’re thrown into the wilderness of life where we’re tempted by Satan, living among the wild beasts which threaten our well being. We have demands being laid on us. From one day to the next we never know how our life might change. But there is always something we can count on, Jesus is always with us, to guide us, to nurture us, to strengthen us, to help us grow as Christians, and help us grow as disciples. How hard would life be without Jesus Christ to help us through it?
You’re going to hear this over and over in this sermon, Jesus Christ is present and active in our lives.
In our Gospel lesson for today, the mere touch of Jesus hand brings healing to a sick woman. With his word, the mere sound of his voice, he brings demons down to their knees. I’d love to see that. And in the middle of all this, he goes to a quiet place, and drops down to his knees and prays to God. He took time to slow down and connect with God before continuing on with his work.
Isaiah 40 tells us, "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary: his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
This is a great song to sing during Holy Communion. Jesus is present and active in the bread and wine. In this way he strengthens us and renews us. We connect with him and celebrate him. He lifts us up with wings like eagles…..Focus on this song as you receive communion today. What a beautiful experience.
Soon after the 9-11 tragedy, stories started appearing in the various media. Stories from the rescuers, the policemen, the firemen, and the citizens who were involved in the rescue efforts. These were stories of sadness and horror, stories of amazement, stories that brought people together. The twin towers were brought down and what remained was a mass of carnage and death. Columnist Anne Coulter wrote an article that was published about one of these stories:
The rescue workers found a cross standing in the rubble of Ground Zero. It was discovered just a few days after the attack. While performing the soul-numbing work of pulling human bodies and body parts from the smoking wreckage, construction worker Frank Silecchia happened upon a perfectly symmetrical cross in the midst of the wreckage. It was standing straight, 20 feet high, surrounded by many smaller crosses. Silecchia stopped in his tracks and stood crying for 20 minutes. "When I first saw it, it took my heart," Silecchia said. "It helped me heal the burden of my despair, and gave me closure on the whole catastrophe." Hard-hat Silecchia brought his fellow rescue workers to the site of the cross, and they have been making regular pilgrimages to the cross ever since. Many of the men call it a miracle. The daily horror of pulling human remains from the rubble has the rescue workers at the breaking point. Someone etched "God Bless Our Fallen Brothers" on the cross. The cross at Ground Zero was not simply the cross beams remaining from an existing building. It was formed out of beams from Building One plunging, splitting and crashing into Building Six. "There's no symmetry to anything down there," the FBI chaplain said, "except those crosses."
. Do I believe God placed those crosses there in the midst of the carnage? I don’t know, but what I do believe is that in the midst of tragedy and despair, in the midst of heartache and sadness, in the midst of the crisis in our lives, we can be reminded of the presence of Jesus Christ. He is active in our lives. In this case those crosses were right in the middle of the worst tragedy most of those people will ever face, and they stood as a reminder that God was with them, comforting, warming, uniting them together, and letting them know that he is there with them. He’s there in the good times as well as the bad. These seem like dark days with the economy going bad, people losing jobs and their homes, and sickness seems to be everywhere. The wild beasts are all around us. In the midst of our busy lives, in the coming and going, our jobs, our home life, and school activities, we should to take time to slow down and feel God’s presence. Jesus did that in our Gospel reading for today. Amid all the healing and demon bashing, he stopped and went to a quiet place to pray. He wanted to communicate with the Father. He wanted to get away and talk to God, and feel his presence. It gave him the strength to continue his work. As Lutherans, we focus on the Word. God strengthens us through the Word. Sometimes the Word can come to us in the silence. I’ve prayed alone and have been in group prayer many times, and some of the most powerful prayer experiences have been experienced in the silence.
I’ve recently read an article titled, “Make a joyful silence” by Ruth Haley Barton. The theme of this article is about how we, as Christians, should take time periodically, to just stop and have a little quiet time. Time to stop and listen for God’s voice and feel his presence. She used the example of a jar of river water, “Sometimes you are like a jar of river water all shaken up. What you need is to sit still long enough so that the sediment can settle and the water can become clear.” Our lives sometimes seem to be like a whirlwind, and finding a quiet time is almost impossible. But the stillness and the silence can be very rewarding for us as we connect with God.
Another similar article recently appeared in the February issue of The Lutheran Online written by Joann Nesser entitled, Solitude and Silence. She is quoted as saying, “Often we must get away from our surroundings to really begin to experience the presence of God even when our circumstances are very ordinary. This is even truer when we are surrounded by constant noise and busyness or when we are going through difficult times of depression, loneliness, or fear. In the place of solitude and silence we can begin to hear God and experience God’s intimate, loving presence in our lives.”
God reveals himself in His written word, in prayer, in music and singing, in our friendships, and especially in his real presence within the sacraments. Many times I’ve felt God speaking to me in these ways. But we may also find his presence when we stop and quietly listen. I feel that when we do, he’ll help us deal with all the things that drive us crazy, all the stuff that drags us down, that makes us sad. He’ll help us celebrate our triumphs and our good times, and our faith will grow stronger. He’ll help us strengthen our relationships, in our homes as well as our friendships among our Christian brothers and sisters. We can lean on each other and support each other. That’s where God’s presence may be found.
Mr. Silecchia found Christ’s presence in those crosses in the wreckage of the twin towers. It was a powerful presence that brought him and others a sense of peace and hope in the midst of tragedy and despair. Again as we understand from our Gospel lesson, Jesus Christ is present and active in our lives. I love this verse from Revelation 3:20: “Listen! (Do you hear what he’s telling us, how can we hear him if we don’t listen?) Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” That’s what he wants for us! He wants us to slow down and quietly listen, and hear his voice.
Paul told the Ephesians, "Pray at all times and on every occasion",
he told the Romans, "Always be prayerful",
and he told the Thessalonians, “Pray without ceasing".
Prayer is so essential.
What was Moses and the Israelites doing after the walls of the Red Sea closed in behind them? They were praying to God. What was Jonah doing when he found himself in undesirable surroundings? He was praying to God. What was the disciples doing as they huddled in the upper room after Jesus crucifixion? They were praying to God. Think of prayer less as an activity for God and more as an awareness of God. Seek to live in uninterrupted awareness. Acknowledge His presence everywhere you go. As you stand in line at the grocery store think, Thank you, Lord, for being here. As you go about your day at work, pray to God for being there, as you sit in the classroom at school, pray to God for being there, and as you’re driving down the road turn the radio off, and quietly pray and listen for God’s voice.
As you go about your busy lives , slow down and find a quiet place and feel his presence and hear his voice and experience his light, then we will be able to truly say, “Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God!” Amen
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Child of Mine
Isaiah 43:1 … "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
What’s your name? How many times in our life are we asked that question? I for one have had to spell for first name for everyone and my maiden name and now my married name. When we name our children we want them to be unique, but then come to find out that there are 5 other children with that same name in their kindergarten class. Did you have your child’s name picked out before they were born or did you wait to see what they looked like?
In the 60’s it seemed like the thing to do was to give your kids names that all stated with the same letter. 3 out of 4 of my siblings all start with “S”. The kids in my husband’s family all start with “J”. Now if it wasn’t enough that people would get kids mixed up anyway – now they have the added benefit of names sounding alike.
The Lord knew our name before we were born. We may have one name on our birth certificate, but we probably answer to many other names.
We also have many names for God: Father, Lord, Emmanuel.
But when you boil it all down aren’t we really all the same? Aren’t we all sisters and brothers in Christ? Isn’t it what really matters is that we know that whose children we really are? And I’m sure when we truly see the Lord face to face, we will know our name. He will have his arms stretched wide and will say “Welcome Home, Child of Mine”.
(Inspired by Shawn who passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 37 leaving a loving wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 8)
What’s your name? How many times in our life are we asked that question? I for one have had to spell for first name for everyone and my maiden name and now my married name. When we name our children we want them to be unique, but then come to find out that there are 5 other children with that same name in their kindergarten class. Did you have your child’s name picked out before they were born or did you wait to see what they looked like?
In the 60’s it seemed like the thing to do was to give your kids names that all stated with the same letter. 3 out of 4 of my siblings all start with “S”. The kids in my husband’s family all start with “J”. Now if it wasn’t enough that people would get kids mixed up anyway – now they have the added benefit of names sounding alike.
The Lord knew our name before we were born. We may have one name on our birth certificate, but we probably answer to many other names.
We also have many names for God: Father, Lord, Emmanuel.
But when you boil it all down aren’t we really all the same? Aren’t we all sisters and brothers in Christ? Isn’t it what really matters is that we know that whose children we really are? And I’m sure when we truly see the Lord face to face, we will know our name. He will have his arms stretched wide and will say “Welcome Home, Child of Mine”.
(Inspired by Shawn who passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 37 leaving a loving wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 8)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
