EVERY WEDNESDAY @ NOON ALL ARE INVITED TO COMMUNION, IN THE SANCTUARY.
Lenten Resources for March 12, 2023
God doesn’t want our material, begrudgingly-given sacrifices of money and things. Instead, He patiently and tenderly waits by our side for us to give him our allegiance and our obedience.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ waits with arms open wide, eyes filled with love and mercy and forgiveness, waiting ever-so-patiently for us to throw off our rebellion and our contentiousness and come to him! He wants nothing but for us to choose to spend some of our time with him. Can you spare time today to sit at his feet or lean on his shoulder? He is waiting.
He always patiently waits for his children.
Readings:
Exodus 17:1 – 7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1 – 11
John 4:5 – 42
In Exodus, Moses leads God’s people, Israel, as God instructed. But the people complained bitterly, so much so that Moses thought they would stone him. Moses then cried out to God, and again God directed him. God told Moses to take the staff he’d given him with which to strike the Nile and lead the Elders to the rock at Horeb. There at Horeb God provided water for them all.
Psalm 95 begins with a call for the people to praise the Lord because of His sovereignty above all other supposed gods. It continues with a call to worship God because He is our Creator and Shepherd and concludes with a warning to the present generation to avoid the unbelief of their forefathers.
Romans 5 reminds us that Jesus died for us even though we were still sinners! Paul tells us to see that God blesses us because of our faith in our resurrected Lord, not because of anything we’ve done. Our Jesus went through tribulations and so will we. Through these tribulations we will persevere, and our persevering will bring forth character; and with proven character, we will find hope and hope through Christ never fails!
Our Gospel reading finds Jesus thirsty, sitting beside a well in the country of Samaria. As our Savior sits there in the noonday heat, a woman of the town comes alone to draw water for herself. Jesus is able to tell her all about herself, and to witness to her about God’s great and eternal love. He then reveals to her that he, Jesus, is the long-awaited Messiah. She then goes from Jesus to witness about him to the men in her town.
Prayer for us:
May we be like the Samaritan woman: willing to examine our lives in Jesus’ presence.
The truth revealed her faults, and that same truth liberated her.
This Lent, may Your truth reveal us to ourselves and set us free in You.
May we share with others what it is like to meet with Jesus.
May we be true worshippers of our Heavenly Father, in spirit and in truth.
May we have, and then share with others, the living water that quenches the dryness of all souls.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen. (inspired by Brian McKinlay’s prayer)
3/12/2023
We all face worrisome situations. Should we leave our job for something new or not? Do we keep renting an apartment or do we buy a home? Do we enroll our child in Christian school or do we stick with public school? Where do we turn to find help with what to do next? What is the best way to prepare to make the decisions in our lives?
There is young person from the Old Testament that had big decisions to make, and we will take a look at some of her story today. That person was Esther. Her decision was so big and her triumph so overwhelming that she has a whole book in the Old Testament dedicated to telling her story.
Esther’s Hebrew name at birth was Hadassah. Early in her life she lost both her parents and her older cousin, Mordecai, took her in to raise her. Soon, Mordecai and his family, including Hadassah, were taken captive by the Persian King, Xerxes (also known as Ahasuerus), and in order to protect young, unmarried Hadassah from the Persians, Mordecai changed her name to Esther, to keep her Jewish nationality a secret.
During this time of captivity for the Jews, King Xerxes banished his queen, Vashti, from the kingdom, making it necessary for him to find himself a new queen. In order to find a new queen, all the possible candidates were taken from their homes (by force, in Esther’s case) and brought to the king’s harem to spend a year in preparation before being considered by the king. But before she was taken from her home, Mordecai was able to instruct Esther to tell no one that she was a Jew. Esther complied, and her ethnicity remained a secret all the while she lived in the harem. And as she lived in the harem, she remained respectful, obedient, demure, and kind. So much so that she gained the trust and friendship of Hegai, the eunuch that was in charge of the harem.
During all of her time away from her family, by the grace of God, Modecai and Esther had been blessed to be able to send messages back and forth to each other through another eunuch. Even as she was distanced from her family, she remained obedient to her upbringing and to Modecai’s direction.
When it came time for Esther to go before the king she was allowed to take with her as many things as she wanted from the harem, as was the case for all the other young women, as well. But, in keeping with her respectful, obedient nature, she chose to take nothing but what Hegai advised her to take. She went into the king’s presence relying on God alone.
And in this obedient, respectful nature of this young girl is where we find how we should act and prepare ourselves for our challenges and decisions every day. As she had been brought up in the Jewish customs, she knew and practiced respect for those older and wiser, for those who knew and understood God’s word. She had learned that she needed nothing more than God to go before and with her to be able to move according to his will.
Esther became queen and gained the love of King Xerxes, and more importantly, because she had obeyed and trusted in God, when it came time for her to stand up for her people, the Jews, she did so and ultimately saved the lives of all the Jews captive in Persia.
Friends, there is so much more in the book of Esther, but today we want to thank God for the example of Hadassah/Esther as she displayed absolute reliance on God to get her and her people through what was in front of them. Loved ones, we need to remember to be found in His presence – whether it is to simply sit and thank him for loving us, or to read His Word, or to say a prayer. What Our God desires most from us is our obedience and some of our time so that “His Word can do His Work through His Spirit” in us.
I pray that you may be obedient to Him and be found covered by His love today.
Amen.
3/5/23
We humans, as we try to communicate with each other need to do our very best to always communicate the WHOLE story. For example, if I were to only play 2 notes from a song, even if the notes were the first 2 notes of “Amazing Grace,” you’d still probably have a hard time guessing the song. We need the rest of the story….or song, in this case.
And this is where I must apologize. I come into church, week after week, saying, “read your bible.” While this is very important and necessary advice, I’ve not said anything about God’s plan as we approach his word. I feel like I’ve probably sounded like a hollow or “tinny” bell with the kind of noise that begins to annoy you instead of enlighten you….I’ve not given you the whole story…it’s not complete…there’s something missing.
Well, it finally got through to me what God has to say about us and his Word, and I believe that I now have scriptures that we must consider and that will help us all.
Let’s turn to our scriptures for guidance:
2 Corinthians 5:5 – “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Ephesians 5:18-20 - 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing Frand make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 1:13 - 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”
Ephesians 4:30 - 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
If you’ll notice, the portions of scriptures in bold above contain verbs that are either past tense – whatever was mentioned has already taken place – or present tense – happening now (and you know that “now” in the bible means today!). These scriptures make it clear that we don’t have to wait to receive the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit has been given to us already. Plus, the verbs are “passive,” which means we do not have to do anything – this giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit has already been accomplished in us and it’s just up to us to move ahead and accept and work with the Holy Spirit that has been made ours by our believing in Jesus Christ.
So, when we come to sit with the scriptures, the burden of “getting something out of the scriptures” is lifted off of us. As Alistair Begg puts it, “God’s word does God’s work by God’s spirit” – and all we have to do is make ourselves available to Him. All we need do is open our hearts with a prayer to our heavenly Father, or praise him by acknowledging the blessings around us, or worship him by remembering that we are nothing without Him. Friends, please understand that all he desires from us is that we come sit with him – that we show our love and obedience to him by giving him some of our time. Your obedience to him is what he desires most.
We don’t need to come to our bibles fretfully - wringing our hands, worried that if we don’t have an incredible revelation or get the “Holy Ghost chills” – worried that we’re missing something or doing it wrong. No! we come to God’s Word (scripture) willingly, openly, and ready to let HIM do what HE will in us to transform our hearts.
Through our coming to God in obedience, the scriptures then give us access to the Holy Spirit, God’s heart. Colossians 3:16 reads like this, “May the words of God dwell in you richly and the Spirit of God consistently and continually fill us.” This is available to us just because we choose to come and sit at his feet – available because of our obedience. It is by our obedience to reading God’s word, as He has instructed us, and, just coming in openness to the word, ready to use the good brains that he’s given us to consider the words in front of us. It is by this we come to spiritual fullness and our hearts and our lives become ever more transformed into something that looks like Christ.
Remember, when you approach God’s holy scriptures in obedience, faithfully waiting for Him to do His work in you, it will be “God’s word doing God’s work by God’s spirit.” We are the empty vessels, and because we choose to simply be obedient to him by spending time in His word , our hearts will be stirred and our wills will be subdued – not by any power of ours, but by God and He is the One who can transform our hearts and then fulfill His purpose in and through us.
Amen.
Lenten Resources for week of March 5, 2023
“Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. Our self-sacrifices serve no purpose unless, by laying aside this or that desire, we are able to focus on our heart’s deepest longing: unity with Christ. In him-- in his suffering and death, his resurrection and triumph, we find our truest joy.” (Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent & Easter)
Readings:
Genesis 12:1 – 4
Psalm 121
Romans 4:1 – 5, 13 – 17
Matthew 17:1 – 9
Our Genesis reading considers the call of Abram: a call that, to us today, seems impossible. God called Abram to leave behind all of his old life and everything he knew and go to another, unknown place. God would reveal the place to Abram, but not yet. God promised Abram that He would stay with him, and that Abram would be blessed and that many others would be blessed through Abram.
Psalm 121 promises that God will be with us day and night. Verse 7 tells us,” He will keep your life.”
In Romans, Paul tells us to see that God blesses us because of our faith in our resurrected Lord, not because of anything we have done.
Our Gospel reading is considered the “Transfiguration.” Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain where Jesus was “transfigured” and his “face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Moses and Elijah appeared there with Jesus, too. This stunned and frightened the 3, but Jesus did for them what he still does for us today – he said, “do not to be afraid.” Then the disciples and Jesus returned back down the mountain and Jesus asked them not to speak of what they had witnessed until later. (inspired by Sister Paula Goettelmann)
Lord, Here I Am by: Ciona Rouse
“Now Abraham was the first to go and must have been a brave man because you did not say where he was going,
And still he followed your command.
He shows us that when you ask us to move, we should say:
Lord, here I am.
There are many who are bold, and, in your name, take a stand.
When your people are hurting each other in ways we can’t comprehend.
Without a moment’s hesitation, they say to you:
Lord, here I am.
When we hear tales of injustice and oppression happening across your vast land
We believe you want us to respond—to be your feet, to be your hands.
And while I don’t know the work you need me to do:
Lord, here I am.
You are working through our lives to fulfill your mighty will and plan
And it requires a submission we sometimes cannot understand.
But as you promised to never forsake us, we each say:
Lord, here I am.
1/29/2023
What does it mean to be a church?
Let’s first read Ephesians 2 :
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
What is a church? Some people will answer that it is a building. Some may say it’s a denomination – Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc… Some may talk about the clergy or the laity that attends. Still other’s first response may be to speak of feelings they have based on their interactions with the church, good or bad. And then others may speak of hypocrisy they’ve witnessed related to the church. Currently, the church in the US has become marginalized and pushed to the edges of public thought, as the popular media gets to choose what they report as “news.”
I believe Jesus means something totally different from all of the answers above…..
I heard a story the other day about 2 friends travelling about in the English countryside. As it was Sunday morning, they stopped by a little church where decided to stay and attend the service. The one friend reports that the atmosphere in the church was very quaint and peaceful. And as she was sitting there during the service, she looked out the window, and her mind drifted off and she was taken away off through the field, down the lane, and off to somewhere else... She said that the church felt so gentle, so harmless, and so proper, with the quiet murmur of the preacher’s voice, the psalms and the hymns. She realized that it was quite gentle, quite harmless, quite proper, and benign.
Well friends, what would our Jesus think of that? I’m sure he doesn’t mind it if we nod off once and a while during church, if you’re really worn out, but our Jesus was never “benign!” He was a rebel for justice, love, mercy, service to others, and saving eternal lives. Loved ones, I surely do not want our church to turn into something benign and sedentary – useless to God and meaningless to the world. It had better not become an unrecognizable place where, instead of worshipping, we lay our blankets down and doze off…
Let's get this right. Here's the most centrally important, foundational truth about what the Church is : It is a divine institution, not a human invention. It was originated by God. It was never meant to be a society of people who want to sit together and think the same. God planned to have a distinct community called by God unto himself, so says Ephesians 2: 13. Christ called Jews and gentiles together to form one new humanity. Not by ethnic origin, as would be the Jews, but by God's grace through the blood of Jesus.
The Church becomes a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. Membership is by spiritual union - by spiritual attachment to our Lord – truly not because your name is written on a list in the church office.
Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were “dead in their sins, disobedient objects of wrath,” just like all of us. And nothing earthly could ever fix us! But Christ! who shed his blood for us - a divine intervention that put us into the Community of Christ.
In Peter's time, the church was amorphous, and it moved and breathed by the Holy Spirit. Then came Constantine the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity and through him, things began to change as he imposed hierarchy and governances onto Christianity. This human imposed structure has grown and persisted, warped, and convoluted down through the ages, and includes all of our human-made denominations, from the Roman Catholic church, all the way through all denominations, including United Methodism.
Might we be off the track with our rules and interpretations? Well, you have to make your own decision. But the Church as put forth in the bible was united by God as a result of hearing God's call. The Bible talks about the church being invisible. Imagine that! No offices, no buildings. It's really kind of hard to fathom…but it sure seems glorious…
We need to remember - we must keep our eyes on the prize, especially in the chaos of our world and in the chaos of our own denomination. We must keep our eyes looking heavenward. We can't allow the missions and ministries of our church to become mired under and stagnant. We are members of Christ’s Church, who love and attend our dear Wye Mills church, which is a gift that we’ve been entrusted with by our Heavenly Father.
We are the Church. Not because of anything humans have done at all. It’s all because of Christ’s calling and supplying and sustaining! It is by grace through faith and not of ourselves that we have been enfolded into the Church. Jesus Christ’s great Church! We need to memorize this and repeat it to ourselves daily, maybe even hourly, even put it on your refrigerator : “It is by grace, through faith, and not of ourselves that we have been saved and enfolded into the Church. Jesus Christ’s great Church!”
Amen
1/22/23
We have work to do!
The New Year started 21 days ago and, whether it feels like it was just yesterday or it feels like it was 3 months ago, time is marching on and God is calling for us.
He needs us to make plans or at least take a minute and daydream about what we might accomplish with him by our side. Yes, daydream – take time to listen for God. And, contrary to what your 3rd grade teacher told you, daydreaming with God is a very good thing to do.
As we’re thinking about what may lie ahead for us this year, let’s look back to see what has just happened…
From Isaiah 9:1-4:
“Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And [a]increased its joy; They rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.”
Our Isaiah passage reminds us that we have just come through the season when we celebrate receiving the best gift we could ever hope for, Jesus. Isaiah tells us that our Jesus, our savior came to “remove the yoke and the rod” from us. Jesus tells us to “cast our cares,” he tells us that he is our brother, he advises us, instructs us, and he cares for us.
Our Savior came for us and he has some things he needs us to do, and he needs them done to his specifications.
In Matthew 4, Paul says, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned…and from that time on Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. As Jesus walked on the seashore, he saw 2 brothers in a boat fishing and he said to them, ”Follow me”…and immediately they left their nets and followed him…then Jesus saw 2 other brothers and said to them, “Follow me” and immediately they left their father and their nets and followed him.”
“Follow me.” That’s what Jesus says to us. No haggling, no dilly-dallying. Follow me. Now. Get up and get going. If there has ever been a time when we absolutely MUST get up and get going for Christ, it is NOW. Our time to loudly proclaim the love of Christ and the beautiful message of his Gospel is NOW, my friends. And he wants His work done His way. Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 1, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and same purpose.”
These words speak down through the centuries. Christ is telling us to think like him and be like him, and to spread his Gospel. We are not to be claiming allegiances beyond Christ – don’t claim to belong to anyone but Christ. Paul admonished those listening to him not to claim to be followers of Apollos, or Cephas or even himself.
And, friends, we should hear that ring in our ears as we claim to belong to this or that church – Baptist or Episcopalian, United Methodist or Global Methodist…my goodness, how does it look to a watching, already skeptical world when we, who claim to be Jesus’ followers, argue and bicker vehemently in front of them? Where is the grace we should be showing to the world, as we are calling each other names? When we take the Words of the bible and twist them into our own, more popular, secular rhetoric?
Paul reminds us that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to US who are being saved it is the power of God. It is this saving, resurrection message that we must take with us today and share with the world. The Gospel message of repentance, love, grace, mercy, and resurrection that flow from the side of Christ on the cross – THIS is the message Christ tells us to take to our world. And we better get going!
1/15/2023
Our sermon title this week “What gifts do you have that haven’t come from Christ?” is really your homework for this next week. I want you to think about that question and if you find any good gifts that you’ve received that have NOT come from the Lord, you let me know and we’ll talk …
In the meantime…
I heard of a college class that preachers can take that is about the impassibility of God. Impassibility has to do with the question of whether or not God has emotions and feelings. As I had never even thought to ask that question about God, I listened to what the speaker had to say. He didn’t answer the question, but he did remind me that none of us have or can even remotely guess about the mind of God.
However, we do have scripture that we can turn to as we are seeking and questioning.
Let’s read Hosea 11:1-11 (NIV)
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.[a]
They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim(another name for Israel) to walk, taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
5 “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? 6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. 8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. 9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. 10 They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion.
When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.
Friends, from as far back as I can remember, I’ve been taught that “God is Love.” God’s essence is love. He is made of love. And I know you’ve heard that God will never leave us, but have you considered the fact that God doesn’t quit! He does not quit on us! He started us – He formed us in our mother’s womb – and he will never bring us halfway and then leave us on our own to muddle through.
And the most freeing, wonderful news is that his great love for us doesn’t depend on how much we love him or what we do for him. Instead, it is his love for us that is the bedrock of our relationship with him. Friends, that means that we can never lose his love. Of course, that old liar, satan, will whisper in our ear every chance he gets that it’s the other way around and that God couldn’t possibly love us lousy sinners! Friends don’t believe it! God’s love is the one true constant in our lives – He said that he’d never leave or forsake us and we can stand on that rock-solid promise.
But let’s make sure that we also understand that when we sin, there will always be a consequence, but the consequence of our sin will most assuredly not be God taking back his love from us. Just think about Moses – leader of the Jewish people. Moses committed murder and God still used him. And how about David - a “man after God’s own heart?” David committed murder and adultery and God still used him. How about the woman at the well? She committed adultery, and Jesus still used her to spread his Gospel message. And then there’s Peter – the one person in the bible who I am most like. Peter puffed out his chest and made a prideful claim that he ultimately couldn’t keep. He betrayed our Lord as the “cock crowed.” Yet, Christ built his church on Peter.
This unconditional love, God’s deep love for us is talked about in our Hosea passage above. Like a parent of a child who has misbehaved, God is at first angry, but then he relents. His great love causes him to give his children (Israel back then, and us now) another, then another, and then another chance. That’s God’s nature.
As great as his love is for us, our God is also a just God. That is his nature, also. He must do what is right. Sin must be paid for, and that is when we humans receive our greatest gift from God. It is our heavenly Father God rectifying our sin and our necessary punishment with his love, grace, and mercy. It is when the son of God came to earth as a son of man, Jesus, so that all of our sins could be placed on his shoulders, allowing the justice of God to be satisfied - once, for all. For believers, a one-time occurrence taking away the sins of the faithful for all time. And so that God’s great love could come to us and remain with us always! Love and justice came together on the cross at Calvary, giving us John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life!”
God meant this gift for us. This bible verse is yours and it is mine. Claim it, trust it, and rejoice over our gift of Jesus Christ!
Amen!
1/8/2023
Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Thanks to Derek Weber from GBOD.ORG for his inspiration.
Baptism means cleansing. 1 of our 2 Methodist sacraments (Communion being the other). Baptism didn’t begin with the New Testament and isn’t solely a Christian sacrament
Types of baptisms – immersion, sprinkling; for infant and believer.
Always performed in community (the church family). We need supporters on this journey. We need help raising our children and staying accountable to God.
The Baptism of the Lord Sunday is a time to remind ourselves of our commitment to outwardly living a life of grace and hope.
Baptism renewal is a powerful way to launch a new year for the faithful followers of Jesus Christ our Lord.
John stood in the waters of the Jordan River and shouted out, “Come on in; the water’s fine.” Some joined him and others stayed on the shore, but our Jesus jumped right in!
When Jesus shocked John by getting into the water with him, how did John know it was the Messiah? Did the Holy Spirit whisper in John’s ear? Or maybe it was whatever shone from Jesus’ face that made fishermen leave their nets, desperate people reach out, and powerful people tremble. And it made this wild man, known as “John,” who was all dressed in camel’s hair, want to ask for a blessing from Jesus instead of being the one to bless Jesus.
We don’t know what happened to cause John to say what he said to Jesus, maybe it was John’s sense of what was right, which was that Jesus should be the one blessing and baptizing. Yet Jesus says, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (3:15).
Maybe John’s hesitation had to do with his understanding of baptism as having to do with repentance and forgiveness of sins, and John knew that Jesus had no need for either of those things.
Maybe Jesus wanted to take part in baptism because his view of the purpose of baptism and repentance was larger.
Most of us think of repentance as turning away. When we repent, we are sorry for our sins and we turn away from them. We understand repentance as being sorry for what we’ve done, then pledging not to participate in those behaviors again. But what if Jesus understood repentance as a turning toward a new and better way to be? What if the gesture that Jesus was making was one of inclusion or acceptance or entrance?
This was a big moment for Jesus’ ministry. It was a sign that something new was about to begin, and this new thing was nothing less than the kingdom of God. Nothing less than a new way of living in community.
Baptism in the United Methodist Church now requires community. It needs the community of the church, biological family and church family. It takes all hands-on-deck to adopt the child or new believer into the family of God, and to surround them with the love of Christ, through the church, Once you’ve been baptized, it’s impossible to be alone. There’s always a family around you. You’ve joined something larger than yourself, you will forever be a child in the family of God, so come on in; the water’s fine!
The congregation of Wye Mills UMC renewed their Baptismal Covenant. Following below is a segment of the Baptismal vows from our UMC Hymnal that we spoke together :
“Brothers and sisters in Christ: Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are initiated into Christ holy church. We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God's gift, offered to us without price. Through the reaffirmation of our faith, we renew the covenant declared at our baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for us, and affirm our commitment to Christ’s holy church. Remember your baptism and be thankful. The Holy Spirit work within you, that having been born through water and the Spirit, you may live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, amen. Let us rejoice in the faithfulness of our covenant God. We give thanks for all that God has already given us. As members of the body of Christ and in this congregation of the United Methodist Church, we will faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ established and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you may live in grace and peace. In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen!”
DECEMBER 11, 2022
A baby! A small, helpless baby! That’s what’s going to save us? That’s what all those promises point to? A baby? How could that be?
Do you think that’s what the prophet Isaiah envisioned as he proclaimed in Isaiah 35, “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of God… He will come and save you,”? Our scripture from Isaiah tells us that Isaiah saw new growth and new life - he saw bad, hard things becoming new and good again. Do you think he imagined that all these calls for rejoicing and blossoming would culminate in the birth of a baby boy? Do you think that he could have imagined all this was going to come to fruition because of a helpless newborn?
When Isaiah spoke the words in chapter 35, the people that were meant to hear them had experienced every trouble and every hardship known to man. They were in the wilderness. Sent into exile, families lost, friends lost, homeland lost, animals and possessions lost, livelihoods lost - the Israelites had everything they had known and loved taken away from them. These words of hope from Isaiah must have been a bit hard for the Israelites to swallow, but because of their faith in God, these words may have provided the only hope they had. And in all the years that intervened, these strong words from the prophet Isaiah were kept in front of them and were meant to help those that believed in God stay strong and remain faithful.
Isaiah 35 was meant for those in the wilderness. Even today, we understand the term “wilderness.” It's a place with which we all may be far too familiar. It's a foreboding place where things are painfully uncertain. The wilderness can be very dark. Dangerous creatures lurk there. Daily sustenance is difficult to find. We can easily lose sight of those who are traveling with us. Plans are hard to make in the wilderness and the future can be uncertain in the wilderness. It is uncharted territory.
The wilderness as a physical place can be foreboding and scary, and the idea of a spiritual wilderness seems to me to be even more foreboding and scary, too – so much so that I'm not sure which one is worse...
In a spiritual wilderness our Lord can seem very far away and his love nonexistent. Promises and everything that we've always counted on (and probably taken for granted) seem to vanish, or at the very least, become uncertain, making us oh so susceptible to evil thoughts and evil ways.
In the wilderness of which Isaiah speaks, not only does he talk about things of the earth, but he goes on to mention things about us as people. Isaiah talks about our weak hands and our feeble knees. Whether it be in the physical or our spiritual wilderness, might our hands become weak because of idleness – from not caring for others and holding on too tightly to our blessings? Refusing to share our blessings with those whom Christ puts in our path? And do our knees become feeble because we stay seated in our chairs, complaining, as we watch the world go by outside our window, refusing to get up and take a stand on the issues calling out to us?
Yes, if we sit in our chairs and wring our hands too long, this “disease” can begin to infect other body parts. Isaiah also speaks of fearful hearts, blind eyes, deaf ears, and tongues that can no longer sing for joy. Our eyes will no longer be able to see past the blurred silhouettes of people. We will not be able to see the Jesus within them, only seeing the self-centered mirror image of ourselves. Then our ears – the sensory organs that have been given the capability to hear past the audible noises of this world - become only convenient holders for our eyeglasses and a place from which to hang pretty baubles.
And our hearts are not immune to the effects of this “disease.” Left to our own devices, our hearts can become fearful, as Isaiah puts it. We were not created with a spirit of fear, but if we allow our hearts to become hard as we walk the wilderness of our world without our Lord, then Christ’s light isn’t able to break through, and what is left is simply a reservoir for fear and self-serving.
What a strange, tormented “body” we become when we deny God and all that he desires to do in and through us as we walk in the wilderness. When we look at the references in the bible about God’s people in the wilderness, we begin to see that it is in the wilderness that God has worked some of his greatest miracles. In Exodus, we read of the pillar of cloud and fire that guided the Israelites, and Moses receiving the 10 Commandments, and manna falling from heaven to sustain the Israelites as they wandered. The wilderness can be a place where people who acknowledge God learn to trust him more. In the wilderness God will carry his people (Deut.1:31). He may hide them from their enemies there (Deut. 32). In the wilderness, God always sustains his people (Ex. 16&17). God has promised “never to leave or forsake” his people – even in our wildernesses.
Isaiah prophesied that God’s people who go through the wilderness with their hearts and prayers fixed on God, that he is with them, and they should not fear. Our God delivered his people then and will continue to deliver his people now. If we but believe in Christ and his resurrection and salvation, our wilderness will be a place of good food and abundant water and there will be no fear of being overtaken by the enemy. He will take our tormented, fearful spirits and bodies and make them “leap like deer.” Our mouths will be able to sing God’s praises and our hands will gratefully do God’s work. Our eyes that couldn’t see clearly before, will then see with Christ’s vision and our deaf ears will be unstopped and will be able to hear the cries of those in need.
So, are we really able to say that a baby changed everything? Isaiah was speaking to the people of his time, as well as to us here and now. Friends, we have the gift of hindsight. We know what happened over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, and as we study Isaiah, we get to overlay the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And yes indeed, we get to shout to the world that a baby changed everything! Hallelujah! How awesome of God to alter the course of human history with what appears to the world to be powerless and mere folly. Isn’t that just like God to use the meek and weak of this world to confound those that believe themselves to be wise and powerful? God tells us to come to him as little children – so the world should’ve seen this one coming!
What child is this who, laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?
Why lies he in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary.
November 20, 2022
On this Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday, we present our king the one who is crucified. This is the foolishness Paul writes about in First Corinthians:18-31, which says….
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c]
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Here, at the cross, the worst of us rises up. In the face of this suffering, redemption, and sacrifice, our humanness is represented in the characters who were near His cross..
But let’s start with Jesus and the amazing words that come from our King on that cross -- his first words are to us; they are words on our behalf to God. He chooses to use these first words to intercede for us, as always - "Father, Forgive them, they (meaning US) don't know what they are doing."
These aren’t comfortable words for us to hear, because we pride ourselves on our knowledge. We strive after knowledge. We confer degrees of knowledge upon one another and we pride ourselves on our intelligence quotient…that good ol’ IQ.
Yet when push comes to shove, when life slams up against death, when salvation is offered to us, when love reaches to embrace us, we need to be forgiven because we don't know what we’re doing.
In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus tells us that the immature, selfish behavior of the prodigal son, the loose living, the slap against parental authority, the self-centered, self-seeking sinfulness is not really who we are. It’s like a madness.
And the phrase that turns the whole story around is this, "When he came to himself." If he would’ve known what he was doing, if he would’ve only known only known who he really was; if he knew his own soul and his own mind, then his life would have been different. If only he had known…..
“Father, forgive them, they don't know…”
Jesus came to show us God. And by showing us God, he shed a bright light, and made it clear who we are – we can see ourselves as we truly are. Jesus came so we would see and know what we were doing. And -- as he was dying -- he prayed to God to forgive us because we didn't get it. We didn't understand….
He could have washed his hands of us. You know, that’s what the scoffers at the crucifixion wanted him to do - to walk away from us; showing his power by taking care of his own skin. Now THAT’s what we understand - that selfishness - because we live it every day. It was His sacrifice that we don't know. It is his CHOICE to die that we don't understand.
Give up on us and then we’d know that you were telling us the truth, that you do have the power, that you are who you say you are. But then it would have been too late….and we would’ve been lost because you would’ve been gone…
Jesus didn't give up on us. He began his dying by trying to help us live. “Father, forgive them.” From the cross, Jesus was trying to get us back or keep us in right relationship with God. Forgive them. Heal them. Hold them. Gather them up. Put them back together, Father!
Even though our actions seem to say that we don't want to be put right with God. Even though our words imply that we want nothing to do with God or with salvation or with hope. The thing is, we don't know what we were doing….
Our Jesus died as he lived -- trying to connect us back to God. Even as he was unraveling, even as the world was unraveling on that dark day on Calvary, his purpose and his desire was to put us back together with God. To stretch his own broken body across that chasm between us and God. To stop the “hemorrhaging” by pouring his own blood into the wounds we inflict on ourselves.
Father, forgive them, they don't know what they are doing.
There were others with Jesus that day besides the scoffers on the ground -- the criminals on the crosses on either side of Jesus. One cursed Jesus, but the other spoke different words from his cross.
This criminal understood that Jesus, the man dying on that cross, was the Messiah because he was dying, even though he was innocent. His death was sacrificial, where the thief's death was selfish - dying for his deeds. Then having realized this and making the proclamation to his fellow criminal (if to no one else) he then asked for something from the one he identified as his Lord.
What is amazing, though, is what he didn't ask for. He didn't ask for rescue. “Get me down, get us down!” - kinda what you’d expect, and it’s what the other criminal taunted Jesus about. But this one asked to be remembered. “Remember me. When you get where you are going, remember me.” “Remember me. Don't let my life be summed up by this horrible death. Remember me as the one who recognized you. Remember me as someone who was more than the sum of my sins.” - Don’t we all pray for that? - “Remember me.” That's what he asked for.
What he got was a whole lot more when Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Most times, we focus on the word “paradise”— the promise of joy unending, of completion, of wholeness. It’s a wonderful vision and certainly one worth holding onto.
But then there's that word "today." It carries the sense of right now, this very moment, not just within a twenty-four-hour time span. But how can that be?
What Jesus offers is a relationship. “Follow me,” he said. “Today you shall be with me in paradise,” he said. “Where two or three are gathered, I will be there.” “And lo, I will be with you until the end of the age.” “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden.”
“Today. you will be with me in paradise.” And that “today” spoken so long ago, speaks to us TODAY, as THIS day. Remember, our Lord’s words are living words.
Friends, eternity isn’t about a place; it’s about a person. And about a relationship. And when Jesus spoke those words to that terrorist dying on a cross, he meant right then, and he means RIGHT NOW. Paradise for that man was not meadow of flowers or a beautiful sunrise; it was a cross that was taking away his life, but the cross was where he found life, his eternal life.
Paradise begins when we enter into a relationship with Jesus. Eternity starts now, not after you’re dead, but right now when we reach out for that nail-scarred hand and realize that we are not alone. We have declared obedience to the king, the one dying on a cross and risen from the grave. That one is the one who is with us today and is waiting for us in eternity!
God Bless You All!
November 13, 2022
History of Veterans Day
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice (truce) between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect.
On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day should be “filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory”.
In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested that the president should “issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”
On May 13, 1938, November 11 became a legal holiday, known as Armistice Day. This day was originally intended to honor veterans of World War I. A few years later, World War II required the largest mobilization of service men in the history of the United States and the American forces fought in Korea.
In 1954, the veterans service organization urged Congress to change the word “Armistice” to “Veterans.” Congress approved this change and on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor all American veterans, wherever and whenever they had served.
We all value Freedom highly, and we believe we have the right to our freedom – we EXPECT to be free to do what we want, when we want.
Doing whatever you want without restraint or guidelines is false freedom and leads to bondage. For a man is a slave to whatever controls him. (2 peter 2:19). Phillip Brookes, in 19th century stated,"No one in this world attains freedom from any slavery except by entrance into some higher servitude."
Shouldn’t we be slaves to Christ?
34 Jesus replied, “You are slaves of sin, every one of you. 35 And slaves don’t have rights, but the Son has every right there is! 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free— (Jn 8:36)
True freedom is freedom "in order to" love and serve God.
God Bless You All!
November 6, 2022
When we come to the altar to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, we come at Christ’s beckoning, and we meet him at his Table. Christ’s presence there is as much a reality as are the tangible elements of bread and wine present on the altar. At the same time, Christ’s presence at Holy Communion remains a beautiful mystery. As sung in the Charles Wesley hymn, O Depth of Love Divine, “Sure and real is the Grace; the manner be unknown. Let us taste the heavenly powers, Lord, we ask for nothing more. Thine to bless, ‘tis only ours to wonder and adore.”
We come with the assurance that Christ will meet us at Table because he promised to “be with us always,” as he told us in Matthew 28:20. Christ’s presence at, and his promises to us through Holy Communion are as real as his human presence was at the last meal with his disciples, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." For us, the elements of bread and wine become spiritual food, as we receive them by faith.
Christ is also present at Holy Communion in and through the community of believers who gather to receive communion. Jesus tells us, “For where 2 or 3 gather in my name, there I am with them.” What an incredibly wonderful promise! Again, something that cannot be fully explained, but can be understood and accepted in the heart. When believers come to the altar in faith - whatever faith they possess, whether it be little or much - Jesus gladly accepts it and, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, uses whatever is available to bring the believer closer to him, to quicken the heart and spirit, and to mold them a little more into his likeness each time communion is received.
The Words from the bible which are spoken during the communion service are another way we experience the presence of Jesus at communion. As we hear words such as “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” from Isaiah 6:3, being proclaimed in our liturgy, our ears receive this song of the angels from the Old Testament and know that this Word is also our bread. The words of our Lord from the bible are meant to sustain us, and we are meant to listen intently to them, taking them into both our hearts and our brains. We as Christ’s followers are to use the Words that we hear at communion to change our hearts, to become more like Christ, and then share our hearts and these Words, this Food, with the rest of the world.
God Bless You All!
10/30/2022
Our scripture today is Luke 19:1-10 - the story of Zacchaeus. You remember him, the wee little man that we all sang about in Sunday school. The song went something like this…”Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Lord came walking by, he looked up in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, for I'm going to your house today!’”
I think most of us know that song and it tells a story that we've heard since our childhood, and that might make it too familiar in some ways. Bible stories that we take for granted, like this one, tend to lose some of their ability to shake us and wake us to their deeper meaning. So, let's take a look at the story - let's see what Jesus might have for us here.
In this story, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and in this place called Jericho, he had an encounter with Zacchaeus. I’m sure that what looks to us to be a chance encounter with Zacchaeus was well planned out by Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and a rich one at that. Our scripture wanted us to know that he was a rich man because this means that he was probably even more disliked and more dishonest than other tax collectors (but still Jesus chose HIM!).
Zacchaeus was of the Jewish faith and taxes were paid to the Roman government, and this meant that Zacchaeus had struck a deal with the Romans to be given the job of collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Working with and making deals with the Romans was never a good or upstanding thing to do and was never looked upon kindly.
So somehow this short-statured tax collector named Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is coming to town and because he really wanted to see Jesus, he found a tree and climbed up into it to see over the crowds. The Bible tells us it was a Sycamore tree. The original Greek translation of Sycamore actually reads as “fake fig tree,” so as Zacchaeus was probably fake and deceptive on many points in his daily life, so was the tree he decided to climb up into!
The story goes on to tell us that it was not Zacchaeus that first called out to the Lord, but it was actually the Lord who called up into the tree to Zacchaeus. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He knows where we’re hiding, and he comes to where we are. He calls out to us! Jesus knows where we are no matter how well we think we’re hidden or how well we think we’ve covered ourselves. Our Jesus knows where we are all the time. And he is ready to come and call our name. It's our names that were on his heart when he died on that cross at Calvary!
Zacchaeus thought he was hiding up in that tree, but he wasn't. Especially not after Jesus called out his name in front of everyone. When Zacchaeus came down out of that tree, that meant he came down in front of everyone there - all the people that didn't like him. And then the Lord announced to Zacchaeus and all those within earshot that he would be going to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. What an amazing thing for all those people to hear - all those people that didn't like Zacchaeus. To think that Jesus would choose him! To think that Jesus would want to go to the home of a man like that! They all must’ve been shocked and very angry. Jesus choosing to eat with a tax collecting sinner….what is the world coming to…
Don’t you wonder how Zacchaeus came to hear about Jesus? I know I wondered just that until I was reminded that earlier on in Luke, there’s another story about another tax collector and another meal.
This other tax collector became one of Jesus’ disciples. Do you know who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he immediately dropped everything and ran to Jesus. Levi the tax collector, became Matthew the disciple when Jesus spoke his name.
And then after being called by Jesus, Matthew had a dinner party. He invited lots of people to this dinner party, and I have to wonder if maybe Matthew invited Zacchaeus, too? Is that how Zacchaeus learned of Jesus? Was it through the invitation of a friend that Zacchaeus started to learn of Jesus and then want to know more about him?
There are so many parts in this story with which we can identify, but, friends, the one that strikes me the most for us today is Matthew. Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned follower of the Savior. Dear friends, I believe that we all need to become “Matthew” in this world. We all need to show Jesus to those around us. We all need to invite and entice other people by our actions and our words to want to know from where our hope and love originates. The people God puts in our path need to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as Thanksgiving is coming up, it puts me in mind that now is the time to be “feeding” others in every way that we can. We can invite others to a break bread with us, being thankful for what we have and wanting to share it with them.
And shouldn’t we be the most grateful for our relationship with Jesus? So, among all the jobs that we have this time of year- and all year long - the most important is to show Jesus to others, and to be light and salt to others so that they want to get to know Jesus Christ.Can we be Matthew to those that we meet this week? Can we be the salt and light that leads the world to our Lord and savior Jesus? I know that we can.
God Bless You All!
OCTOBER 23, 2022
Friends, none of us knows it all - even though we might believe that we do!
I think that God likes to keep us on our toes, challenging what we think we know and making us take a second look. I believe it's one way he reminds us that he's always with us and that he's always thinking of us.
So many times in a week, I am faced with information that's contrary to what I already think I know about something. Take for instance when my wonderful friend Jeri wanted to teach me how to make pie crust. She's truly a chef and knows the science behind the food – me, I just want to eat the food - but she knows why things happen when you add heat or stir stuff up or don't stir them up, as is the case in this example. She taught me that instead of making the dough for pie crust smooth and even (like I thought it had to be), you have to leave the bits of butter in chunks so that when the butter melts as it's cooking, the steam and all the other things that are released in the heating process create the spaces in the dough that then create the layers in the crust, making it nice and flaky. Who knew?? Or how about the painted box “tortoise” with the dented shell and missing foot that we found this summer. Come to find out that what I thought was a creature that strictly lived on land actually lives both in and out of the water! He doesn’t just drink water, but his nature requires him to live in water part of the time. Here again, I thought I knew everything that I needed to know about this really cute creature, but life proved me wrong! Again!
So it was when I came to our lectionary scriptures for this week. There were quite a few scriptures - actually eight - from which to choose. And when I took a look at them, I found a scripture referenced there that I wasn't totally familiar with. I had an idea where it was from, but the book is one that I had never read before. The book’s name is “Sirach.” It is a book that is found in the apocrypha.
Have you heard of the apocrypha or the apocryphal books? I knew of them, but I am surely no expert!
You won’t find them in our pew Bibles and you’d probably have to dig real hard at home to find a Bible that contains the books of the apocrypha. These books existed in the original 1611 King James Bible and they were written during and after Christ’s time here on earth. They span approximately the years between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and that’s where you would have found them located in the 1611 Kings James Bible – sandwiched between the 2 Testaments. Some of the book names are 1st and 2nd Esdra, Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach, from which we will read today), Susannah, Bel and the Dragon, and 1st and 2nd Maccabees. Some of these writings are even in the Catholic Bible. I have to do more research on exactly why the books are no longer in our current bibles, but we’ll save that for another day…
I think it's wonderful and exciting that God manages to camouflage things from us and then surprises us with them, all in his own perfect timing! He’s hidden things from me until times when I’ve needed to be challenged, or when a belief I’m holding needs to be turned upside down, or I need to be moved in a different direction. Our God is a God of mystery, and wonder, and growth, and creativity, and each time he surprises me, He proves all of this to me again. Our heavenly Father uses these times to remind us that he's always with us and that he's always thinking of us.
So when I came upon a whole new book listed as part of our lectionary, I thanked God for the wonderful surprise! And when I began to search for the book and found it in the bible that is recommended as a reference for me as a Pastor, that provided me with the level of confidence in these readings that I needed.
The verses in the book called Sirach read like a “how to” manual - and who among us doesn't need more instructions on how to be a Christian and how to live out Christ in this world?? These verses say: “Give to the most high as he has given to you, and as generously as you can afford, for the Lord is the one who repays and he will repay you sevenfold. Do not offer him a bribe for he will not accept it, and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice for the Lord is the judge and with him there is no partiality. He will not show partiality to the poor, but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged. He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan or the widow when she pours out her complaint.”
These extra instructions, these wonderful words of encouragement follow right along with our Timothy reading today. 2nd Timothy 4 tells of how the Lord stood by Paul - the Lord stood by him and gave him strength so that through Paul, the message might be fully proclaimed, and the gentiles and all non-Jews might hear. Paul reminds us that the Lord will rescue us from every evil attack and save us for his heavenly Kingdom. Our God is always with us and he is always thinking of us!
Our wonderfully caring and creative Father God has us always on his mind. He will never leave us or forsake us. So be on the lookout – God might just bring you a book of Sirach this week!
Dear heavenly Father, please help us keep our hearts, our minds, our eyes, and our ears open for all the new and different and challenging things you'll bring to us this week. Let us be hoping and looking for them!
God bless you all
OCTOBER 16, 2022
Friends, in the 31st chapter of the book of Jeremiah, our Lord was speaking through the prophet to a people who had lost all hope. They had lost their families, their communities, their homes, their goods, their land - everything they’d had in this world. The Israelites were a people without hope, but through Jeremiah the Lord spoke these words to them, saying:
“The days are surely coming says the Lord when I will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals and just as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down, to overthrow and destroy, and bring evil so, I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say the parents have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge, but all shall die for their own sins. The teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. The days are surely coming says the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt - a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other “know the Lord” for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more.”
The Lord is speaking to us in these passages here, also. In a time when it seems we are so divided - in a time when it seems we can't gather together and communicate and move forward together, the Lord asks us to remember that he has promised to place his word in our hearts. Friends, he has placed his word in your hearts so much so that you really don't even need me. Our almighty God has placed his Word in your hearts! Yes, it's good to come together in church and be together and praise the Lord and worship the Lord, but we must always remember that he has already done for us what we couldn't do for ourselves - he’s placed his word in our heart and it's up to us to access that word - to study that word and then to live it out in this world.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about remembering, recalling, and reminding ourselves of the foundations and ancestors of our faith. And if we look at our scripture - our epistle - for this week from second Timothy, we hear the words of the Lord and in them, a very important 2-letter word is found in verse 16. 2nd Timothy 3 says:
“But as for you continue in what you have learned and firmly believed knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient and equipped for every good work.”
That small word – those 2 letters, “i” and “s.” Lately, I've heard it said that “the words of the Bible aren't relevant for today…the words of the bible aren’t meant for us…it may have been important back then, but it's not important now…it applied to them back then, but not to us now.” Friends, that kind of talk is so very wrong! That little word “is” is present tense and it means right now - His word works for us right now! The words in the Bible are meant for us today. They are living, and they move, and they are still breathing!
The words of the Lord in the Bible are inspired by God. Yes, it took human hands to write them down, but the inspiration came from God. We can open up our bibles today, right now, and find words that apply to us. We can find words that give us direction, that give us discipline, that give us hope - right here and right now. God's word is forever true. It is forever constant and it's the one thing in this world that we all can always rely upon.
In our Timothy reading, it tells us that God's word is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in righteousness. That means we're not to use the word and make it fit what we want, but we're to pray to the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and ask the Lord what he wants from his word through us, with us, and by us! The words of the scripture are our tools. They are vessels for hope in a very physical and literal way. We can access them at any time, especially the ones that we have stored in our hearts. Words that we can pull out and repeat when we need to – such as, “I'm the head and not the tail”…”I'm above and not beneath”… and one of my favorites, “Get thee behind me Satan!” In the midst of turmoil, indecision, and questioning, if we step back and take a second and depend on words from our heavenly Father that we’ve tucked away in our hearts, we will always find new light and space for whatever situation we're in. His words always bring space to let God work.
And friends, we read Psalm 121 together as our psalter today. I suggest you read that one over and over again. It states, “I lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” It tells us that he will not let our foot be moved. It reminds us that the Lord is our keeper, and that he will keep us from evil, and that he will keep our life from this time forever. Brothers and sisters in Christ, that's where our hope comes from, and we have our hope in our hands when we hold the Bible. We have our hope in our hearts when we remember what the Bible tells us. It is how we're to wake up in the morning. It is how we are to schedule and sculpt our day. It's how we're to go out the door, and it's how we're to enter into any room - wearing his shoes of peace and consistency in this scripture. It’s how we are to face any adversary or any situation, and it's how we're to praise and thank him for the day. It is how we're to attack the times when we're feeling undone or under stress.
Friends, the Lord has given us His words to live by. We would do well to dig into them, gleaning hope, instruction, and discipline from them. Loved ones, I urge you to read your Bible, whether it's for 1 minute or 30 minutes or 3 hours this week and then to remember those words in your heart and be exceedingly glad that we have his word to always always always rely upon!
God bless you.
May 15, 2022
New Testament Lesson Acts 11:1-18
1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I replied, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.' 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.' 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life."
This is the Word of God for the people of God! Thanks be to God!
Call To Worship
L: Jesus has given us a new commandment:
P: We are commanded to love one another.
L: Just as Christ has loved us,
P: So we ought to have love for one another.
L: By this, everyone will know we are Christ’s disciples:
P: By our love for one another.
L: Come, let us join our hearts in worship:
P: Worship God by loving one another, in the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen!
(inspired by John 13:34-35, by Rev. Mindi)
Message
Our word today comes from Chapter 11 in Acts. We are still with Peter in this reading.
The “news that traveled fast” that we are speaking of here is news of the healing of Cornelius by Peter detailed one chapter earlier in Chapter 10. The news was especially important because Cornelius was not a Jew. Cornelius was a Gentile living in Caesarea and, in those days, it was against Jewish law for a Jew to go into the home of anyone not of their religion.
By the time Peter got back to Jerusalem, Jewish religious individuals were waiting for him so that they could accost him right away with their questions that had everything to do with the Jewish “law” and nothing whatsoever to do with the soul (Cornelius) that had gotten saved!
But their questions did not bother Peter – he just began telling them, step-by-step, what had happened. He used no-nonsense, understandable words and in the midst of all his explaining he placed all the responsibility for what transpired squarely on God’s shoulders! Now, who can argue with that?
Peter went on to explain how he’d had a vision from God and that God had told him to eat “all manner of meat,” even though Jewish custom did not allow it. And that even though he protested against what God was telling him, God assured Peter that what God called clean is clean.
It appeared that God was referring to something more than just food and eating with the vision he had given to Peter. God was telling Peter that this interpretation of “cleanliness” applied to people, too. God wanted Peter to understand that God was calling all people “clean” and with that, Peter was called to go to the home of a Gentile named Cornelius.
Cornelius had already been found by the Lord to be a good man, but Cornelius needed to hear the resurrection story and the good news of the Gospel to be truly saved. The job of sharing this Good news fell to Peter and Peter gladly accepted this assignment from the Lord.
Cornelius needed someone to share this Good news with him. Someone who was already well-versed in the story of God’s love through his son, Jesus Christ. Cornelius couldn’t have done this on his own.
And neither could we. And neither can our neighbors who has never encountered the Gospel. None of us come to the full recognition of the Gospel on our own – we need God’s grace to go before us and then we need God’s message to come to us from His children.
And friends, that is what we are called to do today. We, as God’s children, are called to take and share the Good News of the Gospel – the message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – with all those we meet in our world.
That may sound like a daunting task, but we must always remember and be thankful for our God that takes his grace and goes before us. He makes his way for us, his people! Hallelujah, amen.
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Communion: each Wednesday @ 12:00 noon
*Youth Group Meetings:
May 29 at Lynda Wiggins’ home @ 3-4:30 pm:
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for 5/22/2022:
Psalm 67; Acts 16:9-15; Revelation 21:10,22-22:5; John 14:23-29
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
May 8, 2021
New Testament Lesson Acts 9:36-43
This is the Word of God for the people of God! Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: When Jesus walked this earth, many people refused to believe what he said, and they wouldn’t believe in the things he did.
P: Jesus explained that those who didn’t believe in him were not from his flock – they weren’t his sheep.
L: Friends, how would we describe ourselves today? Are we the sheep of his flock?
ALL: Yes, we are his sheep! We hear his voice and we follow him. He has promised that we will not be snatched from his hand and that, through his name, we have been given eternal life! Glory to God! Amen.
(inspired by John 10:25-30)
Prayer
We praise you, O God, for your gift of motherly love, both gentle and fierce, both strong and humble, both kind and true. Where we have been so blessed, we are grateful, for you’ve provided loving hands that have worked so hard in raising us, cared enough to correct us, blessed us in ways we may never fully understand.
We give you thanks for the mothers among us and ask that you strengthen them in their daily tasks. Grant them wisdom in the lessons they teach, patience in the discipline they foster, and persistence in their promotion of decency and compassion, both by word and example. May we honor them and give them our thanks.
Heavenly Father, draw your tender spirit near to those who are not able to have children as they desire, and remind them that they share a special place in your heart. Please bring to them a steady restoration of their broken hearts. May they remember that in your power and through your church, they will leave a lasting legacy beyond themselves.
God, we thank you for all motherly figures: grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, stepmothers, foster mothers, guardians, babysitters, teachers, health care providers, neighbors, friends, loved ones, and many others, who practice self-sacrifice and embody compassion for all who are privileged to be in their influence. We see your face in any woman who has been to us a mother, in her face we have seen your light and your love and we give thanks -- for where they have loved, they have kept your word and blessed us.
Dear heavenly Father, we lift to you, our mothers. We ask you to bless and keep them. And we ask you to help each one of us to be your blessings of love to the waiting world. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Message
Today, our scripture is taken from the book of Acts, chapter 9, verses 36-43. Let’s take a look at that scripture once again to see what it might have to say to us.
These verses describe events that took place in Joppa with Simon Peter after he had earlier healed a paralytic in Lydda, a town 10 miles from Joppa.
Joppa is a town on the Mediterranean coast – it’s where Jonah departed from on his way to Tarshish, and the town through which the cedars of Lebanon had to come on their way to build King Solomon’s temple. The town of Joppa is about 40 miles from Jerusalem, so we can see how the Gospel is already beginning to move out of Jerusalem and spread.
Our passages tell of a woman named Dorcas (Tabitha in Aramaic), who is a disciple of Jesus. It is one of the only places in the bible where a woman is called a disciple of Jesus.
Dorcas had dedicated her life to Jesus by serving and making clothing for widows in her village. But Dorcas had died, and the widows and the saints that she served while she was alive were in mourning for her. They had washed her body and laid her in an upper room and then sent 2 of their group of disciples to go fetch Peter from Lydda.
Scripture tells us that they had washed her body, but they had not continued with the other accepted rituals of preparing a body for burial. Do you think they were holding out hope?
They washed the body but didn’t prepare it for burial. They didn’t anoint it, didn’t wrap it. Maybe they had hope. Maybe they hoped for Peter to do something like he’d done in Lydda for the paralyzed man. Maybe they really weren’t sure of what they were hoping for…
Peter came along with the 2 disciples to the house where Dorcas’ body lay. When he walked into the room, the widows and other recipients of Dorcas’ gifts began to tell Peter of all the wonderful things Dorcas had done for them. They pointed to the clothes that they were wearing that she had made for them. They pointed out the craftmanship of each garment. They wanted to connect Peter to their dear Dorcas. They wanted to draw him to her. They wanted to connect Peter to Dorcas by every thread that they could.
Then what was Peter to do? Peter had seen Jesus raise a little girl from the dead. So Peter determined to follow Jesus’ example and do what Jesus had taught him. Peter remembered that Jesus reached out his hand to the dead little girl and said, “talitha coum – little girl rise.” So, Peter reached out his hand and said, “Tabitha rise.” And her eyes opened, and he gave her is hand and helped her up. Peter then opened the door to the room so that all of Dorcas’ friends could see this miracle.
Friends, use the threads with which God has sewn you to intertwine all those out in the lost and lonely world. Use the threads that Jesus has used to tie you to him – use these threads to guide others along the path with you, all the while pointing them and leading them towards Jesus.
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Communion: each Wednesday @ 12:00 noon
*Neighborhood Table: May 21 @ 5pm
*Youth Group Meetings:
May 15 & May 29 at Lynda Wiggins’ home @ 3-4:30 pm:
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for 5/15/2022:
Psalm 148; Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
May 1, 2022
New Testament Lesson Acts 9:1-20
This is the Word of God for the people of God! Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Friends, did you hear the wonderful news? God’s anger lasts only for a moment and his favor lasts for a lifetime!
P: Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!
L: And there’s more! Through Jesus, our risen savior, God forgives our shortcomings and delivers us from sin and death!
P: As the Lord forgave Saul then used him mightily, the Lord forgives us and wants to use us to spread his Gospel to our family, friends, neighbors, and to the whole world! Here we are, Lord – use us! In the name of our risen Lord we pray, amen. (based on Psalm 30 & Acts 9)
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, your grace and your mercy and your love are overwhelming! You wake us up to this world that you’ve created and then you offer us Yourself. You are never pushy and you never bully us into choosing you. Instead, you stand by us no matter what may come, and you patiently and lovingly teach us and guide us along the path that leads to you. Thank you for loving us so very much.
God, thank you for calling us into your service. God, you believe in us, don’t you? How marvelous it is to have the Creator of the Universe on our side, making plans for us, clearing a path for us! Oh, lover of our souls, transform us like you transformed Paul as he traveled along that ancient road. Shape us into children who rejoice in knowing and proclaiming you to the world. God who loves us, help us to use the gifts you give us
for the people who need us. Help us to see their need and, inspired by your Son, Jesus Christ, reach beyond ourselves, beyond our comfortable walls, to the very margins and bring all to you, the center. May all we do be working toward serving you more fully, seeking you in the world that we are invited to create with you. Send your Spirit to keep us aglow with the desire for your will to be done in our world and for your peace to reign.
Always-present God, help us to be present to everyone who need us. Help us to be present
to those we know too well to actually see, and to those who are unseen strangers.
Give us the ability to model your attentive, loving gaze when we view the world, our family
and our friends, who are seen and loved by you first. Dear Lord, please make our availability be marked by a desire to be like your Son: open to being sent, open to being loved, open to becoming love in the world.
Let us go forth into the world as people of the resurrection, people who can look evil in the eye and see beyond it to the sure and certain day when God shall turn all of our mourning into dancing. Let us go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and practice resurrection. Let God’s people say, “AMEN!”
Message
Mrs. Stefanie Johnson, Community Outreach Coordinator at His Hope Ministries of Denton, MD, spoke to our congregation about the programs that are available to our community from His Hope Ministries.
Here is an overview of the information that Mrs. Johnson provided for us:
His Hope Ministries helps families, individuals, youth, and elderly fight homelessness, hunger, and potential homelessness. We work towards a place where all people have access to quality housing, nutritious food, and opportunities to thrive. We are committed to working with compassion, integrity, accountability, creativity and an anti-oppression approach treating others with honor, dignity and respect to end homelessness and hunger. His Hope Ministries reduces homelessness and enables families to live in safe, secure, and healthy stable housing environments by connecting everyone entering any of our programs with a Housing and Family Support Specialist. The Specialist helps identify and acquire the right mix of resources to assist in aligning goals and promoting a robust pathway to move beyond the client's crisis situation into self-sufficiency and family success.
His Hope Ministries also provides essential human resources such as shelter, food, hygiene products, clothing, soft and life skills training to families experiencing a housing crisis. We have two locations in Denton Maryland and have been in operation since 2011. We are a humanitarian 501(c)(3) nonprofit and operate all of our programs relying on tax-deductible donations. The programs we offer helps us show God's grace, love and compassion when folks need it the most while giving families hope and an opportunity to regain their strength and stability.
In a typical year, His Hope Ministries provides : 170 People with Emergency Crisis Shelter; 6,000 Shelter Bed Nights; 16,000 Nutritious Meals; 40 People with Homeless Prevention and 115 People with Rapid Rehousing; 160 People with Outreach(connecting folks to needed resources); 525 Rides to appointments, such as medical, housing opportunities, resource center, and/or shelter.
His Hope Ministries’ website can be located at : https:hishopeministries.org. Ways to partner with His Hope Ministries may be found on their website.
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Communion: each Wednesday @ 12:00 noon
*Neighborhood Table: May 21 @ 5pm
*Youth Group Meetings:
May 15 & May 29 at Lynda Wiggins’ home @ 3-4:30 pm:
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for 5/8/2022:
Psalm 23; Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
April 3, 2022
Gospel Lesson John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet
and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. [b]” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,[c] but you will not always have me.”
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: How about that Mary? She poured her perfume – the most valuable thing she had – all over Jesus’ feet, as the disciples scoffed at her.
P: She knew what she needed to do for her Jesus, and she did it, even as his short-sighted disciples made fun of her.
L: Jesus saw Mary’s heart, as she lovingly poured out her gift. It was her heart and love that mattered most to him, as he watched her wiping his feet with her hair.
ALL: Dear Jesus, let the hearts that you see in us be as big and as pure as Mary’s. Let our ears and our eyes look only to you, and not to the mocking, arrogant world around us, as we follow you along the path that you’ve set before us. In the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray, amen!
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, from the beginning, you knew the final outcome. You watched as the jigsaw pieces were slotted into place and you saw the significance of every moment.
As your body was anointed with oil at the table of Simon the Leper, the picture was becoming clearer, not only in your eyes but to a faithful woman, and to one who was supposed to be one of your closest friends. Judas sensed that this was his moment – sacrificing the trust that you had so freely given to him for thirty tarnished pieces of silver and for his fifteen minutes of fame.
But the woman recognized the moment, and in the beauty of her faithfulness to you, she gave generously, unselfishly, a costly gift, freely offered. A fragrant sacrifice of perfume and love, remembered forever in your heart.
And as Judas slipped away unnoticed, your other disciples saw none of this. They failed to see the significance of the moment. Two sacrifices, one of trust and one of love.
But you noticed, Lord, as you notice each day, our sacrificial offerings – and our betrayals. Please Lord, forgive us and help us.
Jesus, when we walk in darkness, you walk beside us. When our knees bend in weakness, you kneel with us. When we feel unworthy and worthless, it is your mighty arm that reaches around our shoulders. When we desperately need your forgiveness, you generously anoint our heads with your mercy, and when we search for your grace, you gently remind us that we already have it.
Dear Lord, our meager words seem so inadequate, but you tell us that our words spoken in sincerity with a heart that is trying its best to be true, is all you need. Oh, thank goodness and hallelujah! We give thanks to you, Lord, for you are faithful and you do marvelous things for us!
All-merciful, all-powerful God and Lord, Jesus Christ, full of pity: through Your great love You came down and became like us in order to save EVERY ONE of us – ONCE, for ALL. In perfect humility and obedience, you allowed the rough nails of our sin to be hammered into your flesh for the sake of our salvation. You saved us by way of your grace, not by way of our works. You are compassionate and full of mercy towards ALL of us, ALWAYS.
You said, "Whoever believes in Me shall live and never die." If then, faith in You saves the lost, then save us, O God and Creator, for we your children, believe.
Let faith, and not our unworthy works, be counted for us, for none of our works are righteous enough for your glory.
O Lord, from now on let us love You as intensely as we have loved our past sin, and let us work for You as hard as we once worked for the evil one. Dear Father, we promise that we will work to do Your will - our Lord and our God - all the days of our lives and forever more. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen! (Parts taken from Prayer of St. John Chrysostom)
Message
Friends, last week we discovered an unexpected gift at the cross, and we are invited to take yet another look at Christ’s crucifixion and find another unexpected gift. The gift discovered today is the set of nails used on Christ’s cross.
Yes, the nails in Jesus’ hand and feet – the devices that affixed our Lord to the cross. They are unexpected and difficult to look at, just like the thorns, but we will miss out on the extravagance of our Lord’s gifts to us if we look away. If we look away from the thorns and the nails, then all that he did for us will be in vain….
As we look at Jesus’ cross, we are reminded that there was also another nail there – it was the nail that affixed the sign that Pilate had placed above Jesus’ head. Piate’s sign read, “INRI,” which stood for the words that Pilate had dictated, “Jesus. King of the Jews.” Other Jewish officials around Pilate at the time told him to change the sign to read, “He says he is king of the Jews,” but proud, stubborn Pilate refused to alter the sign that he’d had created. Little did Pilate know that his sign would be used in the conversion of one of the thieves on one of the other crosses there beside Jesus. What a wonderful example of how God can, and does, use ANYONE to accomplish his holy purposes! And all thanks to Pilate’s stubbornness! What irony there is here….
Nails. It was the 3 nails that affixed Jesus to the cross, but do you really believe that it was those 3 nails that kept him on the cross? No, it wasn’t. Jesus could have removed himself from the cross, or he could’ve called legions of angels (like mentioned in Matthew 26:53) to help him get down off of that cross, or he could have chosen to never let it happen in the first place.
But our Christ stayed put on that cross. What kept him there was his obedience to his heavenly father. God had asked Jesus to be the propitiation for our sin – Jesus took all our sins and received the punishment that should have been ours.
Jesus stayed on the cross because of his unfathomable love for us. As Jesus said in Philippians 2:7-8, “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his brother.” Our savior Jesus Christ loves us with an “everlasting love” and that was proved on Calvary.
And Jesus stayed on the cross because he could see, and he believed in Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy of completing the task that God had set before him and while doing it, knowing that his place on the right-hand side of God’s throne was waiting for him in heaven.
If it wasn’t the nails that kept him on the cross, if the nails didn’t cause his suffering, what was the cause of Jesus’ suffering? Isaiah 53:5-6 puts it this way, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” It was our sins that sent him to the cross, but it was his obedience and his great love for us that kept him there.
Our sins were nailed to the cross- Jesus took them there for us and his body and his blood covered all our sins up there on that cross.
Max Lucado tells a story of how one may think of Christianity when first becoming a Christian. The picture we see for ourselves as we are first believers might be likened to a quaint, cozy cottage, covered by flower vines and surrounded by a nice picket fence – a place just big enough for us. But then, the next thing you know, you hear lots of hammering and sawing and tearing apart and building going on, and you soon realize that it’s God. It’s God working on expanding your quaint cottage – expanding it so that it has many rooms and lots of space for others to join you.
It's God saying, “Don’t waste the nails! Don’t waste those nails that pierced Jesus’ feet and hands. Use those nails to help the world see what Jesus has done for you and what he wants to do for them!”
So friends, please hurry, don’t waste time or those precious nails. The world needs you and me NOW! They need to see Jesus when they look at us, and we need to make sure we have a place for them to call home! Don’t waste the nails!
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
As your body was anointed with oil at the table of Simon the Leper, the picture was becoming clearer, not only in your eyes but to a faithful woman, and to one who was supposed to be one of your closest friends. Judas sensed that this was his moment – sacrificing the trust that you had so freely given to him for thirty tarnished pieces of silver and for his fifteen minutes of fame.
But the woman recognized the moment, and in the beauty of her faithfulness to you, she gave generously, unselfishly, a costly gift, freely offered. A fragrant sacrifice of perfume and love, remembered forever in your heart.
And as Judas slipped away unnoticed, your other disciples saw none of this. They failed to see the significance of the moment. Two sacrifices, one of trust and one of love.
But you noticed, Lord, as you notice each day, our sacrificial offerings – and our betrayals. Please Lord, forgive us and help us.
Jesus, when we walk in darkness, you walk beside us. When our knees bend in weakness, you kneel with us. When we feel unworthy and worthless, it is your mighty arm that reaches around our shoulders. When we desperately need your forgiveness, you generously anoint our heads with your mercy, and when we search for your grace, you gently remind us that we already have it.
Dear Lord, our meager words seem so inadequate, but you tell us that our words spoken in sincerity with a heart that is trying its best to be true, is all you need. Oh, thank goodness and hallelujah! We give thanks to you, Lord, for you are faithful and you do marvelous things for us!
All-merciful, all-powerful God and Lord, Jesus Christ, full of pity: through Your great love You came down and became like us in order to save EVERY ONE of us – ONCE, for ALL. In perfect humility and obedience, you allowed the rough nails of our sin to be hammered into your flesh for the sake of our salvation. You saved us by way of your grace, not by way of our works. You are compassionate and full of mercy towards ALL of us, ALWAYS.
You said, "Whoever believes in Me shall live and never die." If then, faith in You saves the lost, then save us, O God and Creator, for we your children, believe.
Let faith, and not our unworthy works, be counted for us, for none of our works are righteous enough for your glory.
O Lord, from now on let us love You as intensely as we have loved our past sin, and let us work for You as hard as we once worked for the evil one. Dear Father, we promise that we will work to do Your will - our Lord and our God - all the days of our lives and forever more. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen! (Parts taken from Prayer of St. John Chrysostom)
Message
Friends, last week we discovered an unexpected gift at the cross, and we are invited to take yet another look at Christ’s crucifixion and find another unexpected gift. The gift discovered today is the set of nails used on Christ’s cross.
Yes, the nails in Jesus’ hand and feet – the devices that affixed our Lord to the cross. They are unexpected and difficult to look at, just like the thorns, but we will miss out on the extravagance of our Lord’s gifts to us if we look away. If we look away from the thorns and the nails, then all that he did for us will be in vain….
As we look at Jesus’ cross, we are reminded that there was also another nail there – it was the nail that affixed the sign that Pilate had placed above Jesus’ head. Piate’s sign read, “INRI,” which stood for the words that Pilate had dictated, “Jesus. King of the Jews.” Other Jewish officials around Pilate at the time told him to change the sign to read, “He says he is king of the Jews,” but proud, stubborn Pilate refused to alter the sign that he’d had created. Little did Pilate know that his sign would be used in the conversion of one of the thieves on one of the other crosses there beside Jesus. What a wonderful example of how God can, and does, use ANYONE to accomplish his holy purposes! And all thanks to Pilate’s stubbornness! What irony there is here….
Nails. It was the 3 nails that affixed Jesus to the cross, but do you really believe that it was those 3 nails that kept him on the cross? No, it wasn’t. Jesus could have removed himself from the cross, or he could’ve called legions of angels (like mentioned in Matthew 26:53) to help him get down off of that cross, or he could have chosen to never let it happen in the first place.
But our Christ stayed put on that cross. What kept him there was his obedience to his heavenly father. God had asked Jesus to be the propitiation for our sin – Jesus took all our sins and received the punishment that should have been ours.
Jesus stayed on the cross because of his unfathomable love for us. As Jesus said in Philippians 2:7-8, “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his brother.” Our savior Jesus Christ loves us with an “everlasting love” and that was proved on Calvary.
And Jesus stayed on the cross because he could see, and he believed in Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy of completing the task that God had set before him and while doing it, knowing that his place on the right-hand side of God’s throne was waiting for him in heaven.
If it wasn’t the nails that kept him on the cross, if the nails didn’t cause his suffering, what was the cause of Jesus’ suffering? Isaiah 53:5-6 puts it this way, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” It was our sins that sent him to the cross, but it was his obedience and his great love for us that kept him there.
Our sins were nailed to the cross- Jesus took them there for us and his body and his blood covered all our sins up there on that cross.
Max Lucado tells a story of how one may think of Christianity when first becoming a Christian. The picture we see for ourselves as we are first believers might be likened to a quaint, cozy cottage, covered by flower vines and surrounded by a nice picket fence – a place just big enough for us. But then, the next thing you know, you hear lots of hammering and sawing and tearing apart and building going on, and you soon realize that it’s God. It’s God working on expanding your quaint cottage – expanding it so that it has many rooms and lots of space for others to join you.
It's God saying, “Don’t waste the nails! Don’t waste those nails that pierced Jesus’ feet and hands. Use those nails to help the world see what Jesus has done for you and what he wants to do for them!”
So friends, please hurry, don’t waste time or those precious nails. The world needs you and me NOW! They need to see Jesus when they look at us, and we need to make sure we have a place for them to call home! Don’t waste the nails!
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Lenten Study: Wye Mills - Weds. April 13, 12:30 pm AND 7:00 pm
*Maundy Thursday – Hillsboro-Queen Anne, 7:00pm
*Good Friday – Wye Mills, 12:30pm
*Easter Sunrise – Wye Mills, 7:00am, On the Lawn (weather permitting)
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for Sunday, 4/10/2022:
Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 118; Psalm 31; Philippians 2:5-14; Luke 19:28-40; Luke 22:14-23:56
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
March 27, 2022
Gospel Lesson 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21
16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We
looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look
at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the
Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it!
All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us
to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah,
giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone
what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their
differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ
himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. 21 How? you ask. In Christ. God
put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Let this be the welcoming place - the place of return, and let it be built by a love that embraces all those who return here.
P: Let it be like a candle waiting in the window - ever lighting the way back and never willing to let go of the hope that every child will return home.
L: Let it be the place where the only appropriate response when someone lost returns home is to run down the aisle to greet them!
ALL: Then to prepare a feast and to celebrate! To send up balloons and have a party because that which was lost has come home! Thank you, Jesus. It is in your gracious, holy name we pray, amen. (adapted from Roddy Hamilton)
PRAYER
God our Father, in your unfailing love and goodness, hear us as we bring to you our prayers for the world and for all people. In this time of Lent we come to you aware of our unreadiness for grasping the depth of the Easter message that Christ suffered and died for us and then was raised in victory.
We give you thanks for your beautiful world, for all its richness and complexity, We give you thanks for our senses that make it so we can enjoy the splendor of your world around us, the sight and scent of flowers, the songs of birds, the warmth from the sun and the healing rain.
We pray for the future, certain in the knowledge that you will guide us and guard us through all things. Support us through times of ill health and doubt and trouble, and please Lord, fulfill your promise to be with us to the end of the age. Heavenly Father, we remember the troubled nations of the world, and we pray for an end to warfare and for peace throughout the world and especially in Ukraine.
Gracious and Compassionate God, we journey through our time of Lent- thru
deserts and low places, on the mountain tops and high places. Lord, help us to continue to seek you. We need you more than ever in our busyness and our loneliness, in our sadness and in our anger. We need you, too, in our happiness and our joy and our excitement.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give us your presence, your compassion, and your grace. We ask for your comfort and renewal - your healing, your peace, your joy and your love and salvation.
Lord, we are reminded that all this is embodied in your son Jesus- in his life, death and his resurrection. And that all this was freely given so that we could have abundant, eternal life. Life that is full and free, thru your love and grace.
Come Lord pour your mercy, grace, love and salvation over us, and for these gifts from you we are grateful. Almighty God, give us wisdom to perceive you and intellect to understand you. Lord, please give us diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you and life to proclaim you, through the power of the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Message
Dear friends, the following excerpt is taken from Max Lucado’s book, He Chose the Nails, which is our Lenten study this year:
“An unnamed soldier took branches – mature enough to bear thorns, nimble enough to bend – and wove them into a crown of mockery, a crown of thorns.
Throughout history, thorns symbolize, not sin, but the consequence of sin. Remember Eden? After Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the land: “So I will put a curse on the ground…The ground will produce thorns and weeds for you, and you will eat the plants of the field” (Gen. #:17-18). Brambles on the earth are the product of sin in the heart.
This truth is echoed in God’s words to Moses. He urged the Israelites to purge the land of godless people. Disobedience would result in difficulties. “But if you don’t force those people out of the land, they will bring you trouble. They will be like sharp hooks in your eyes and thorns in your sides” (Num 33:55).
Rebellion results in thorns. “Evil people’s lives are lie paths covered with thorns and traps” (Prov, 22:5). Jesus even compared the lives of evil people to a thornbush. In speaking of false prophets, he said, “You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds” (Matt. 7:16).
The fruit of sin is thorns - spiny, prickly, cutting thorns. Have you ever considered that, if the fruit of sin is thorns, isn’t the thorny crown on Christ’s brow a picture of the fruit of our sin that pierced his heart?
Our hearts have surely felt the fruit of our sin: Shame. Fear. Disgrace. Discouragement. Anxiety.
But the heart of Jesus, however had not. He had never been cut by the thorns of sin. What you and I face daily, he never knew. Anxiety? He never worried! Guilt? He was never guilty! Fear? He never left the presence of God! Jesus never knew the fruits of sin…until he became sin for us.
And when he did, all the emotions of sin tumbled in on him like shadows in a forest. He felt anxious, guilty, and alone. Can’t you hear the emotion in his payer? “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matt. 27:46. These are not the words of a saint. This is the cry of a sinner.
And this prayer is one of the most remarkable parts of his coming. But I can think of something even greater. Want to know what it is? Want to know the coolest thing about the coming?
Not that the One who played marbles with the stars gave it up to play marbles with marbles. Or that the One who hung the galaxies gave it up to hang doorjambs for a cranky client who wanted everything yesterday but couldn’t pay for anything until tomorrow.
Not that he, in an instant, went from needing nothing to needing air, food, a tub of hot water for his tired feet, and, more than anything, needing somebody - anybody – who was more concerned about where he would spend eternity than where he would spend Friday’s paycheck.
Not that he kept his cool while the dozen best friends he ever had felt the heat and got out of the kitchen. Or that he gave no command to the angels who begged, “Just give the nod, Lord. One word and these demons will become deviled eggs.”
Not that he refused to defend himself when blamed for every sin of every sailor and slut since Adam. Or that he stood silent as a million guilty verdicts echoed in the tribunal of heaven and the giver of light was left in the chill of a sinner’s night.
Not even that after three days in a dark hole he stepped into the Easter sunrise with a smile and a swagger and a question for lowly Lucifer – “Is that your best punch?”
That was cool, incredibly cool. But want to know the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?
He did it for you. Just you.”
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Lenten Study:
Wye Mills- Weds. Mar. 30, 12:30pm
Weds. April 6, 12:30pm
Weds. April 13, 12:30 pm AND 7:00 pm
Hillsboro-QA- Thurs. Mar. 31, 7:00pm
Thurs. April 7, 7:00pm
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for Sunday, 4/3/2022:
Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
March 20, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 13:1-9
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Jesus called disciples long ago and today he still calls disciples who will…
P: follow in the ways of Jesus.
L: He gave food and water to those who needed it, and when people needed love, he loved them. He calls us to do the same as we…
P: follow in the ways of Jesus.
L: He made his way to the cross when we couldn’t save ourselves so that through his grace, we would be able to…
P: follow in the ways of Jesus.
L: For the 40 days leading to Easter, we remember Christ’s sacrifice, pray for forgiveness for our unfaithfulness, worship the God who loves us enough to send us his Son, and we think deeply on how we can…
P: follow in the ways of Jesus. We are here, Holy Spirit, ready for your leading. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
PRAYER
God of wilderness and water, your Son Jesus Christ was baptized and tempted as we are.
Guide us through this season, not so much so that we can avoid struggle, but so that we open ourselves to your blessing, through our repentance. Help us as we take up your invitation to prayer and simplicity, so that in the discipline of these forty days, our hunger for the feast of your friendship grows and becomes more focused, and so that our thirst for your living water grows.
God of the covenant, in the glory of the cross your Son embraced the power of death
and broke its hold over us, your people. In this time of repentance, draw all of us to yourself,
so that we who confess Jesus as Lord may put aside the deeds of death and accept the life of your kingdom.
God of the living, through baptism we pass from the shadow of death to the light of your resurrection. Stay with us and give us hope that, rejoicing in the gift of the Spirit who gives life to our mortal flesh, we may be clothed with the garment of resurrection,
Shape us and transform us by your grace, so that we can grow in wisdom and in confidence,
never faltering until we have done all that you desire to bring your shalom to fulfillment.
God of infinite goodness, throughout the ages you have persevered in claiming and reclaiming us, your people. Renew for us your call to repentance, surround us with witnesses to aid us in our journey, and grant us the time to fashion our lives anew, through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Loving Father, we’ve turned away from you, but then, as always, you welcome us back. Your mercy and love give us confidence. Thank you for the invitation to share, fast and pray so that our hearts can be formed anew within us. Your powerful compassion that you show towards all of our weaknesses leads us to ask for mercy and await with great hope the Easter joy you share with us! In the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.
Message
I must admit that there are times when I read scripture and either its meaning isn’t obvious, or it is confusing, or the verses don’t seem to fit together as I’d like them to. When I first read today’s verses from Luke, I felt this was one of those readings.
We read about Pilate killing Galileans, a tower falling and killing 18 people, and then we read of a non-productive fig tree in a vineyard in danger of being cut down. At first blush, you may shake your head and move on, but God wants us to linger here to find the message.
Let’s address Pilate. We all know of Pilate from our Easter story. He is an unjust and cruel man who does not care whose blood he spills. The Galileans in this scripture were in their temple making sacrifices to their gods and Pilate had them ambushed. That is why our scripture says that the Galileans’ blood was, “mingle with their sacrifices.” Regarding the tower of Siloam, we don’t have any other information than what is mentioned here in this scripture. The tower fell and killed 18 people. One group died in an ambush and the other died in an accident.
Then, as we read on in our passage, we see the word “repent” mentioned a second time. We’re being told that the size of our sin doesn’t matter, that we all must repent or perish.
So, one group of people died in an ambush and the other group died in an accident… Can you see here that we are being reminded that we do not know the day or the hour when our life will end, but that we need to repent of our sins so as to be ready to be called home by our Father God?
Our Lord goes next on to tell the parable of the fig tree. In those days, it was customary to plant fig trees in a vineyard alongside the grape vines. In this parable, the fig tree planted in the vineyard had not produced any fruit since it has been planted 3 years earlier. A typical fig tree matures and produces fruit by its 3rd year, so the master in this story has every right to want this nonproductive fig tree cut down because it’s taking up valuable space in his vineyard. But the patient gardener asks the master to leave the tree for one more year. The gardener promises to give this tree special care, allowing it to have another year’s chance to produce good fruit.
In this parable, we can see Jesus as the gardener and aren’t we all that fig tree so many times in our lives? There we are, given a spot in God’s Kingdom, but letting the world and our flesh have its way with us. The seeds of life, love and peace never fully developing or never being fully used by us.
Then there’s our Jesus, our blessed Gardener, pleading our case for us, tending us with compassionate care, interceding for us more times than we could ever know. He’s pleaded for us to have just one more chance – maybe many times over! One more chance to repent and then lead the life God has planned for us
Our Lord is a Lord of love and forgiveness, and in this world as we struggle, we must remember that he will “never leave or forsake” us. We fig trees have been given the ultimate Master Gardener and it is in him we trust and it is in him that our hope of resurrection is found! Repent, believe and spread the Gospel, my brothers and sisters!
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Lenten Study : Weds. Mar. 23, 12:30pm Wye Mills
Thurs. Mar. 24, 7:00pm Hillsboro-QA
*Mar. 26, 2-4pm – Chicken & Dumpling Carry-Out Dinner at
Hillsboro-Queen Anne UMC. Tickets on sale now!
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for Sunday, 3/27/2022:
Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Prayers for Peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4
Loving God, your son Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. Our hearts break with the hearts of all those who are separated from loved ones, family, and friends – children, spouses, siblings, parents.
Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine whose homes and lives have been shattered. We pray for all those cowering in basements and bomb shelters and we pray for those witnessing destruction and death in their neighborhoods. Please hold them in your mighty arms and place your hedge of protection around them.
O God, when peace is betrayed and the ground shakes as tanks and troops push forward; when the future becomes fragile and security is measured in minutes; when political games are played with the lives of those without a say, and when the least of these are used and abused and deemed of no worth, God, do not allow us to turn away. Let our prayers be multiplied. Let our prayers be fervent and let our hearts kneel before you, praying for peace and ready to act at the Holy Spirit’s moving.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give your strength, your wisdom, and your courage to the people and nations that fight against this evil. Let us stand together and pursue peace. Father, please send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of the aggressors to remove all hatred and thoughts of war.
O Lord of us all, may we walk in your ways so that peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. In the precious name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine by David Thomas, Ireland’s Church and Community Manager
Lord of all people and all nations, we lift before you the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia, each boy and girl, each woman and man living in fear of what tomorrow might bring. We long for a time you spoke of through your prophet Isaiah, when weapons of war would be beaten into ploughshares, when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation.
We cry out to you for peace. Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression. Fill earthly leaders with great wisdom to find paths to peace.
Please Lord, come and have your way in your world. May your will be done here, on earth as it is in heaven. May your peace reign now and always. We lift this prayer to you, our God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our savior, amen.
Psalm 7:6-17 (a Psalm calling for God’s judgement)
“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”
March 6, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty
days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was
hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b]” The devil led him up to a high place and
showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their
authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me,
it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c]”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d]”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e]” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Those who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in God’s shadow for life, say to the Lord, “My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!”
P: We’ve come to worship the Lord! We gather to be lifted up, to know we are not alone, to see the salvation of our God!
L: Let’s tune our ears and sharpen our eyes, for God will be with us in troubled times. Let’s prepare our hearts to meet the Holy One, the Most High God.
ALL: “I will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of my hand,” says the Lord! Thanks be to God, amen!
PRAYER
Jesus, forty days alone, a wilderness of tempting and inviting thoughts that could so easily have distracted you from your task, your mission, your vision. But you emerged, stronger and more attuned to all that had to be done.
Lord, we live in stressful times. Demands are made of our time that leave so little for the important things of life. We are easily distracted in the wilderness of our lives, by every call to go this way or that, to turn stone to bread, to leap from mountains, and do everything that would keep us from the truth. We listen to the voices of this world and ignore the one who endured all this and so much more, and yet emerged triumphant.
Forgive us, Father, when we get distracted from our task. Forgive us those times when we try to be all things to all people and fail to be anything to anyone!
Mighty God, as we remember the strength of Jesus facing the temptations offered by the devil, we remember too clearly how temptations like food, authority, and power overcome us. We’ve been tricked to believe our wants are needs, and that more is always better. May we offer our lives and our gifts to you this day with generosity and gratitude; strengthen us to resist the temptation that represents security or power in anyone but you.
Lord, for each step that we take, be our guide, for each load that we bear, be our strength, for each mountain we face, be our power, for each river that we need to cross, be our safety, for each place where we might rest, be our peace, and for each sunrise and sunset, be our joy, O Lord of life.
Circle us, Lord. Circle us with the light of your presence within this dark world.
Enable us to be overcomers of fear and temptation. Enable us to be victors over sin and despair. Enable us to become that which YOU desire.
In the mighty name of our risen Savior Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
Message
Our scripture today is from Luke 4. Let’s set the stage for this.
Jesus has just been baptized by John in the Jordan river and remember that, just as he came up out of the water, God said from heaven, “This is my son in whom I am well pleased!”
Jesus had just heard his Father’s beautiful words and he was then immediately led into the wilderness. Here is
the account of what happened during those 40 days from Luke’s gospel
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty
days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was
hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b]” The devil led him up to a high place and
showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their
authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me,
it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c]”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d]”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e]” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”
Friends, do you see what happened here in our scripture above?? We just heard the story of the biggest, most important war in the history of the universe! And our Jesus won!
How did he do it? In this scripture, did he leave us details on how we can win our battles with satan, too? Yes, Jesus did. Jesus won his battle with the devil in the wilderness by opening his mouth and speaking Holy Scripture in response to each of temptations that the devil presented to him. Jesus didn’t have flowery monologues or long, wordy arguments. No, our Jesus presented the devil with scripture – and the Holy Scripture that Jesus spoke acted as the final word each time! Does this show us exactly how we must respond when the devil tempts us? Yes, friends, it most certainly does.
This wilderness experience for Jesus came before he began his earthly ministry. This was God’s test for Jesus before sending him out. There are other stories in the bible of tests from God. How about Abraham and his son, Isaac? God told Abraham to take his dear son up that mountain to be sacrificed and we read that Abraham followed God’s command. But then God provided a substitute sacrifice after Abraham had followed God’s command and reached the top of the mountain with his son, Isaac. And how about Job? Job’s story is one of great trials and testing, but Job prevailed against the devil that attacked him in every way, even through his wife and good friends. Job did not turn away from God – he told God how he felt – but he never denied God. At the end of his trial, God rewarded Job with much more than Job had lost.
What are our tests? Do we choose to participate in gossiping around the water cooler or not? Do we speak up or not when presented with a prejudiced statement? Do we fight back when we are affronted? Are we tempted to hold that grudge?
No matter what our tests, small or large, Jesus has given us the map of our way out – and at every turn on that map, it directs us to use the Word of God. There is so much power in God’s word! By way of our bibles, we have full access to the most powerful tool ever known – God’s holy Word! The wonderful words we can tuck into our hearts to pull out and use at any time at all. Words such as, “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world,” and “Get thee behind me satan!” Even the blessedly simple phrase, “God bless you,” can be infused into any situation to create a palpable change.
God has been so very gracious as to give us his Word – and it’s even in a form that we can carry with us as we go. Our Heavenly Father has a plan, and we are part of that plan - he has given us instructions and guidance and advice on how to engage with his plan in the form of the Holy Scriptures. We must read and consider all that the bible has to tell us because God put us ALL here for a such a time as this, and we need to keep ourselves ready for whatever God calls us to next.
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Mar. 19, 5:00pm – Neighborhood Table
*Lenten Study : Weds. Mar. 23, 12:30pm Wye Mills
Thurs. Mar. 24, 7:00pm Hillsboro-QA
*Mar. 26, 2-4pm – Chicken & Dumpling Carry-Out Dinner at
Hillsboro-Queen Anne UMC. Tickets on sale now!
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month
Scriptures for Sunday, 3/13/2022:
Genesis 15:1-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35March 6, 2022
Feb 27, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 9:28-36
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: The season of Lent can be a barren and lonely time for us,
P: but God goes with us through every wilderness that we face.
L: God is always ready to help us in seasons of transition and transformation.
P: Lent is a time to think about how God loves and cares for us, and how he never leaves us alone.
L: Together, we seek the fruitfulness that he’s promised to us;
P: yes, the barrenness of Lent will give way to the fruitfulness of Easter!
L: In this season of penitence and pondering, let us gather together before God.
ALL: We come as a family to wait for the Lord with strength and courage. We’ve come to worship you, our Lord!
(adapted from Stephen Fearing)
PRAYER
Holy and loving God - whose nature and ways are far beyond our understanding, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus - who lets us see your face in his, who shows us your love in his actions, and your grace in his manner of being. In him too, we see ourselves as you would have us be and as your power is able to make us. Make us more like him now.
Lord, you know how we are - we become weary, tired out by a load of care, a heap of responsibility and concern that seems to be never-ending. We hunger and thirst, but we either forget or refuse to stop at your table - the table you’ve prepared for us – for nourishment.
Then Lord- gracious Father that you are - You call us to come to the mountain top with you and we follow, not quite sure of what is going to happen, but we like mountain tops, we like the view from up there with you, we like mountain top experiences. And sometimes we need mountain top experiences with you when our days are dark and dreary, when our hearts are heavy, when the valleys seem more depressing than ever.
Lord, just as Moses and your disciples were changed by their experience on the mountaintop, we want to be changed and transformed by your mercy into the image of Christ by your. Please give us unveiled faces that reflect your love, your hope, and your light. And Lord, as we are here in your house today, we ask if you would please grant us a glimpse of your glory and fill us with your spirit and refresh us and make us new here on this transfiguration Sunday.
Loving God, we pray that your glory fills your church and that you give to us and your people everywhere the energy to shine wherever there is darkness, disunity, persecution, or despair.
Lord, may this mountain top experience fill our hearts with your light, may we be filled with your love, may we be filled with your hope. Help us come down off the mountaintop – transfigured from being with you. Then, help us be strong in the valleys because it’s in the valleys where we spend most of our time, BUT the valleys are where the waters are and where the soil is the richest….
Heavenly Father, as your Spirit enabled all those who have gone before us to see your glory and be transformed, so may the Holy Spirit fill us here. Empower us to come down from the mountaintop to complete the work you have given us to do.
In the mighty name of Jesus – Lord of the mountains AND the valleys – we pray, amen.
Message
Maybe you’ll remember, but we started out our journey from Epiphany in the gospel of Luke and that’s where we’re coming back to today, to Luke’s telling of the event that we call the Transfiguration.
In our readings from Luke over the last few weeks, through it all, a consistent theme was that people matter, each one matters, and each individual is a part of the whole. And we even took a glimpse into eternity and discovered that grace, that essence that matters most continues on past our limited horizons. You know, it’s that stuff, like the twinkly stars that rose up from the snow as the Who’s began to sing on that Christmas morning after the Grinch stole all their Christmas presents…. Somethings you can’t steal, somethings are just “there” – like God’s grace…
Well, in our Luke lesson today on Transfiguration Sunday, instead of expounding on God’s grace, we’re going to take a look at the change represented in this story. And change is the essence of Transfiguration. And we are familiar with change, aren’t we?
Change is the nature of our lives. Change, for good or for bad. Not a single one of us can escape change. I mean, we live on the Eastern Shore for heaven’s sake – just wait a minute and the weather will CHANGE! We can say we hate change, but what good does that do us? As long as the world keeps revolving, our world will keep changing. Change happens to all of us – constantly. We can surely talk about this spiritually but it happens to us physically, too. I mean, not so many years ago, I didn’t have any gray hairs, but I sure do now – and I’m pretty sure my hair’s gonna keep on “changing” til it’s ALL gray!
Luke’s lesson is about change this week. But not what you’d normally expect – like a call to “change for the better”; it’s not about repenting or turning your life around. This change if different. This change is more.
Luke puts it this way, “The appearance of His face changed” (verse 29). His appearance. He didn’t look like he did before. His appearance was different from what they were used to seeing. He looked different. He looked . . . more. Transfigured is the word that we’re used to reading here. That sounds more holy somehow, more theological than to say simply that he changed. But the Greek word here is metemorfw,qh (meta-mor-fō-they), from which we get metamorphosis – or change.
So, what happened on that mountain just six days after Jesus had had a conversation with them about suffering and death – back in Luke 9:21 where Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”? Something happened. It’s hard to say what, except by repeating the words that we read there. The appearance of Jesus’ face changed. What they were used to seeing, they no longer saw, and something they hadn’t seen before suddenly became evident to their frightened eyes. And what did they see? It seems it was something pretty much indescribable. But there were things there to help them describe what it was that had happened in front of them.
First of all, there were the other men that were there. Luke says it was Moses and Elijah…As an aside, Have you ever thought about how James and John, and then Luke knew it was those 2 fellas? Do you think the stories about them were vivid and descriptive enough so that they’d know them without ever having seen them before? Or do you think they “just knew” it was them? Maybe Moses was holding his staff – you know, the one he used to part the sea with, and then used it to get water from a rock. And how about Elijah? Was he wearing his camel hair shirt and leather belt, with a wild look in his eyes??
Or Maybe Jesus called them by name. We don’t know, because not a lot of attention is paid to the two of them. They were there as props; they were just extras, hanging out with the lead actor; they were there just to support Jesus that day. It wasn’t about them. They represented the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), the story of the people of God, the heights of the Chosen People. But they were there to draw attention to the one who was the Word of God, who was the Presence of God, Emmanuel, God-with-us.
Luke is the only one who spoke of the conversation among the glowing figures on the mountaintop. They appeared in glory, too. It wasn’t just Jesus that glowed; they glowed too. But it was the conversation that had Luke’s attention. They were there to talk about Jesus’ departure – you know, making sure he had all he needed - checking his ticket, carry on luggage, reminding him of the security details, no liquids, place your laptop and cell phone in the bin, take off your shoes… No, maybe it was something else. Something more. Departure in Greek here is “exodus”. Moses knew about an exodus, too. Moses knew what it was to change everything he knew and everything he was, even for an uncertain future. He knew how to embrace that change even through fear.
That seems to be what this moment on top of the mountain was all about – embracing the change, trusting in the one who brings us through, and more than that, who calls us to change, to become more. To become like Jesus. At least that’s what it seemed like the voice was saying. The voice that spoke because Peter, feeling uncomfortable in the silence, thinking that he had to say something in that awe-inspiring moment, Peter wanted to stand against change. He said, “Let’s set up camp here,” Peter said. “Let’s just sit; let’s just be; let’s dig in our heels and hold on to this moment because who knows what the next one will bring. Let us make a declaration that our understanding should never change. We’ve come this far, aren’t we there yet?” And the voice sternly answers, “No. You’ve got a way to go yet. You are still becoming.” “Becoming what,” we ask? Becoming him. This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to Him. Pay attention to the change. To the metamorphosis.
Hmm.. In what context do we usually use the word metamorphosis? I remember science class, and we were talking about butterflies – the process of changing from a not so glorious, wormlike caterpillar into the fragile, breathtakingly beautiful butterfly is metamorphosis, or change. Or maybe it was in earth science, and we are talking about metamorphic rock. Melted by the heat of the earth’s core, the rock flows from one form into another. But here’s the question: “Which is the true form of the creature or the rock? Before the change or after the change? Or are the before and the after both a part of the whole?? Maybe it’s a matter of perspective and timing?” Where you are and when you are allows you to see one truth as opposed to another.
What happened to Jesus up on that mountain was not so much a change into something different, but a revealing of the essence of the one who was changed. Jesus became who he was on that mountain, even though he was who he was as he climbed up and then down again. He is always who he is. He is always present in the fullness of his being. We can see only a part of him, the part we need at any given moment. We experience only a piece, a dimension of the reality that is the Christ. And we get used to that; it becomes familiar to us.
But every now and then, we catch a glimpse of something bigger, don’t we? Something deeper and more profound. Every now and then, we hear a word that reverberates in our soul for weeks, if not a lifetime. Every now and then, a tear comes to our eye as we stand on the edge of something deep and moving and glorious. Every now and then, a lump comes to our throat as we encounter the depths of love and sacrifice.
Every now and then, we climb a mountain and see what it is that we’re following, and sometimes that’s in the darkness of this life. Every now and then, we move a little closer, grow a little taller, and listen a little better. Every now and then, we catch a glimpse of the appearance of his face….And all we see is love – love so deep he would die for the object of that love – us, you and me; love so powerful everything is changed by that love; love that goes on and on, even through our own inconsistencies, our wavering and uncertain acceptance of this love and our uneven and unsure application of that glorious love.
But, In him, we see a love that never ends.
Adapted from Discipleship Ministries Rev. Dr. Derek Weber
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Feb. 27, after church – Acolyte Training.
*Feb. 28 – last day for Kentucky Mission donations to Fox Trucking
*Mar. 6, 3:00pm – Youth Group Meeting.
*March 19, 5:00pm – Neighborhood Table.
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month.
Scriptures for Sunday, 3/6/2022:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13
Information on the season of Lent leading up to Easter:
“Lent” comes from the Old English lencten, meaning spring, springtime;
length 46 days from Ash Wednesday (March 2) to Holy Saturday (April 16)
(40 days plus 6 Sundays) Easter – 4/17
Paraments - dark purple – to signify our repentance
Period of time for Christians to remember Christ’s suffering, and try to deepen our understanding and appreciation of it (and the suffering of others, too)
During this time of reflection, we are all called to be more vigilant and purposeful with our prayer time. People may also choose to give up something - a food or a luxury. Some may choose to fast on certain days. Another wonderful way to draw closer to Jesus during this time is to begin or increase our “giving” to others in need or to those who are suffering. This can take the shape of many things, such as giving finances and volunteering our time.
Scripture for reflection:
Psalm 139:23-24
Joel 2: 12-14
1 Peter 5:6
Feb 20, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 6:27-38
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Your enemies? Love them. Your oppressors? Walk the mile with them. Those who insult you? Turn your other cheek to them.
P: Hold on, this seems like “doormat faith.” This is too much to bear in a world where the bullies seem to always win!
L: Throw enemies off-balance with love! Shame oppressors with their own law that oppresses! Bless those who insult you!
P: This is heaven’s kind of rebellion where bullies are loved back to justice, and God is calling us to be a part of it!
Come let us worship love’s rebel, Jesus Christ! It’s in his name we pray, amen!
(adapted fromhttp://www.nkchurch.org.uk/ws)
PRAYER
A prayer by Oscar Romirez, canonized a Saint 10/2018 after being assassinated during a mass in 3/1980. From San Salvador
Dear Father in Heaven,
It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
It is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
Which is another way of saying that
The Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that should be said.
No prayer fully expressed our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
Knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produced effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
And there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
A step along the way,
An opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
But that is the difference
Between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
Ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.
God, keep us planting. And bless our planting. God, keep us watering. And bless our watering.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Message
There are 17 things in our reading today from Luke that we’ve been charged with doing. All things that we are supposed to do as Christians in the world today. I know that might sound a bit overwhelming, but the really good news is that all these behaviors are motivated by the Giver, by our Lord, so we just have to be his hands and feet as he prompts us and makes way for all of this. Here are our 17 things (beginning with verse 27 and ending with verse 38) :
Love your enemies
Do good to those who hate you
Bless those who curse you
Pray for those who abuse you
If anyone strikes you on the cheek, off the other also (in Jesus’ day when this was written, “striking on the cheek”
was most likely referring to “being insulted)
From anyone who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your shirt
Give to everyone who begs from you
If anyone takes your goods, do not ask for them again
Do unto others as you would have them do to you
But love your enemies (a second time for emphasis!)
Do good
Lend expecting nothing in return
Be merciful
Do not judge, and you will not be judged (but do not deny know right from wrong)
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned
Forgive, and you will be forgiven
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down (like brown sugar in a measuring cup!), shaken
together (like a bag full of rice poured into a box and shaken down), and running over (like pouring a
quart of honey into a pint jar!)
Friends, you know as well as I do that we could spend weeks on each separate item above – and, yes, each of them warrants their own discussion, but today our focus is on the “why” we should do these things. The answer to “why” is that we should do these things out of gratitude and obedience to Jesus Christ. He took our sins to the cross so that our sins would be wiped away with his death and resurrection. And his resurrection has assured our resurrection! His death and resurrection has secured our eternal life in heaven! And our scripture from 1 Corinthians 15 points the way for our thoughts about the resurrection.
“Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this ‘resurrection body’ look like?” If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.
This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that’s planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!
We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual—a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. In the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins, let’s embrace our heavenly ends.
Our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?
But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:
Death swallowed by triumphant Life!
Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and the guilt produced by the law-code that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” (The Message)
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Feb. 22, 6:30pm – New Member Class.
*Feb. 27, after church – Acolyte Training.
*Feb. 28 – last day for Kentucky Mission donations to Fox Trucking
*Mar. 6, 3:00pm – Youth Group Meeting.
*March 19, 5:00pm – Neighborhood Table.
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month.
Scriptures for Sunday, 2/27/2022:
Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36
Feb 13, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 6:17-26
He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great
number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and
Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits
were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them
all. Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will
laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name
as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in
heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. But woe to you who are rich for you have
already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who
laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you for that is how
their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Blessed are those whose trust is in God.
P: We are those people! We come in trust, to be grounded in God's love.
L: Blessed are those whose hope is in God!
P: We are those people! We come in hope, trusting in the One who gives us life.
L: Blessed are those whose delight is in God's Word.
P: We are those people and we’ve come to hear God speak, hoping for healing and joy, trusting in His sovereign grace! In Jesus Christ’s wonderful name we pray, amen!
(adapted from lectionaryliturgies)
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love and the multitude of blessings over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end but lasts for our entire lifetime. Always remind us of who you are and what you can do. You are bigger than all of our problems and our worries. You provided the perfect example of strength in the midst of extreme adversity in your son, Jesus Christ.
Right now, we give you our worries and concerns and we ask for your guidance. You see it all, the outer circumstances, the inner turmoil. We know that you understand our lives, that sometimes our hearts weigh heavy with trouble. Right now, we lay all these things before you. Help us breathe in - safe in the knowledge that we are held by your grace. We breathe out, knowing that we are held secure in your arms.
Forgive us when we forget that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and that you cover us with your wing. We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your blessings and goodness today and every day. We ask that your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved one’s lives, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment everything that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that, out of your goodness and love, you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm. Give us hearts of wisdom to hear your voice and make us strong by your favor and grace.
For you are all truth, you are overflowing love, you are a beacon of hope and a fortress of faith. Lord, we choose to be attentive to your voice. May we be alert to your Spirit’s guiding as we journey onwards with you.
In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Message
How goes it so far? That’s the question that came to mind as I was preparing for this Sunday’s message when I realized that we are already 6 weeks into this new year! Needless to say, my jaw almost hit the floor as I double-checked the date, and that old phrase, “Where has the time gone already??” came to mind.
Realizing that another 6 weeks will rush by, and then another 6 weeks will rush by… ad infinitum… unless we do something about it, I decided I’d better point this out to everyone and ask what we have or have not accomplished so far. Of course, this question is meant as more of a mental exercise and wake-up call, but it is such an important question that we need to make sure we ask ourselves on a regular basis.
Let’s turn to a verse from our scripture lesson. Luke 6:18 says, “They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well.”
This verse tells us that all the people that made the trip to see Jesus did so with a reason in mind. Luke tells us that they came to hear his teaching, to be healed of sickness, and to have Jesus rid them of evil spirits. They all had heard of this Jesus. They had all considered what they knew of him, and they all came to him, seeking something from him.
Can we say the same of ourselves here today? Have we given thought to why we came here today? Have we come here with a reason or goal in mind? The truth is that we all have many things to do and to take care of and I’m certain you did NOT come here today to waste an hour. So why did you come?
Did you consider what you would find when you walked in through the door this morning? I know we are all happy to see our church family and it is a good thing to hear all the chattering and to hug each other, but had you given any thought to how you might interact with what was said or sung? Had you gone ahead and read the scriptures for today? Our bulletin has them printed on the back for next week. Reading the scriptures before coming to church – actually, reading any of the bible on a regular basis – tills the beautiful soil of your heart and makes it ready for whatever the Holy Spirit might have in mind. Maybe a little tilling of heart-soil will unearth a treasure, maybe a little tilling will help that “seed” that the pastor’s trying to spread get planted…..
Had you set your mind on coming away from this service with anything, maybe even something new? Did you come looking for an answer to a question? Or maybe to a prayer? Did you make your way through the parking lot so that you could be part of the prayer warriors or to sing a song that you’ve been waiting to sing? How will you know that you’ve found it if you don’t have a plan to look for it in the first place?
Did you come into this place looking for hope? Did you come to pray for something or someone? Our scriptures tell us to, “Hope in the Lord!” and to, “Pray without ceasing.” The Lord’s kind of hope is one that does not disappoint, and prayers lifted to our God are always heard. God would never leave us or turn his back on us. And He is here in our sanctuary waiting to join us in worship and prayer today, offering his kind of hope to everyone who seeks it.
Remember family, if we’re thinking of trying to make sure that the next 6 weeks don’t fly by without notice, how about we aim for preparing and praying and tilling our soil before we come into God’s house? So that in 6 weeks, we will be able to look back and see our progress – wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others?
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month; items taken to Food Bank
last Sunday of each month.
*Kentucky Mission – donations to Fox Trucking in Easton til the
truck is full.
*Neighborhood Table Meal – 3/19 in our Fellowship Hall
Scriptures for Sunday, 2/20/2022:
Gen 45:3-11; Psalm 37:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 Luke 6:27-38
Feb 6, 2022
Gospel Lesson Luke 5:1-11 Jesus Calls His First Disciples
1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre and trumpets and melody!
P: Wait, are you telling me that God doesn’t mind if I sing off-key??
L: Make a joyful noise before the King, I tell you!
P: Yeah, I get that, but how about making this “noise” in front of my neighbors in my pew?
L: The Lord tells the seas to roar because it’s the sound he gave them to make, and he even tells the hills to “sing for joy.” So, I’m certain He will be pleased with whatever “noise” you make, especially because you’ll be worshipping him!
P: Alright, let me take a deep breath…let me focus my heart and my head on Him (instead of on what my neighbor might think!)…and give my best in praise to the Lord!
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen!
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your abundant, abounding grace. Thank you that we don't have to earn a drop of the mighty river of grace that flows freely from you to us today. Thank you for all the unexpected, unmerited favor you shower on our lives. Help us to put ourselves and keep ourselves in the path of your love and grace.
Thank You, that our whole Christian life is flooded with Your grace, for not only have You saved us from eternal death and the consequences of our sins, but you broke the power of sin for each one of us, your children, and that means we don’t have to be slaves to our sin nature anymore. Instead, we are free to walk in a new life, through the power of your Holy Spirit. How we praise Your holy name!
How we bless and thank You Father, for the great grace and love that You constantly pour out on all of us. You sent your Son to die on the cross instead of us, so that by believing in Him we would be forgiven of our sins and receive Your gift of eternal life. How we praise You, our God and Savior.
Sweet Lord, what great hope we have in our eternal future, our heavenly home, our eternal life with you. All of this is because of Your amazing and wonderful grace, for which we rejoice and praise You. Hosanna to Your wonderful name, for all Your goodness and loving kindness towards us.
We come into your presence with praise on our lips and love in our hearts for you, O Lord our God! Please accept our songs of praise and worship as sweet offerings to you for your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Hear our songs and purify our hearts. Help us to hear your call in our lives - and even as we hear - to respond with faith and commitment. Guide us to love you more deeply. Lead us to love one another more. Help us to love others with the kind of love you have shown toward us. We praise you and give you our love.
We lift our hearts in humble thanks for the glories of Your grace, for which we will praise You through time and into eternity. Jesus, bless what you have given, feed our souls with bread from heaven; guide and lead us in all that we say and do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
God bless you.
COMMUNITY NEWS
*Clothing/bibles for our Ugandan Orphanage accepted all month.
*Non-perishable Food Drive all month; items taken to Food Bank last Sunday of each month.
*Kentucky Mission – donations to Fox Trucking in Easton until the truck is full.
*Neighborhood Table Meal – 3/19 in our Fellowship Hall
Scriptures for Sunday, 2/13/2022:
Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26
Jan. 30, 2022
Scripture:
Gospel Lesson Luke 4:21-30
4:21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" 23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" 24 And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP (inspired by 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13)
Your love is patient;
we give you thanks for all those who have been patient with us and have taught and cared for us; and we pray for the patience to love others as you have loved us.
Your love is kind;
give us the courage to be kind to others and to serve those with patience who are so often unkind, rude, difficult to love, or our enemies. They are your children and our sisters and brothers and they were made in your image.
Your love is not pompous;
give us insight to speak the truth in love and for the sake of your kingdom and not out of a need to appear clever or right and in all our relationships give us the wisdom to listen far more than we speak.
Your love does not seek its own interests;
we thank you and pray for those who serve the poor and those in need, who give tirelessly of themselves and who have much to do and little time for themselves.
Your love is not quick-tempered;
we pray for those who are angry and for the violent and their victims; for children who fear, elders who are abused, and people trapped in relationships that injure and harm.
Your love bears all things;
we remember before you those with heavy burdens, many cares, much stress, and too little comfort and help.
Open our eyes to those around us and their needs
and give us the wisdom to offer help
without any prying or sense of superiority.
Your love never fails;
even death does not trespass on the breadth and depth of your love.
We thank you for those we have loved in this life
and who now dwell in the peace and joy of your presence
and let your comfort settle on those who are bereaved
or who are lonely this day.
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen (Posted on The Presbyterian Church in Canada website)
PRAYER
How we love You, Heavenly Father. Even though we’re in different locations, we lift up our hearts and our voices today to thank you for all that You are to us and for how you care for us each day.
You graciously watch over us every day of our lives - every moment of each day. From the time we were conceived, Your hand of blessing has been on each of us- just like it says in Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." You protected us in our mother’s womb. You were there when we took our first breath, and You are with us every step of the way. You go before us and yet You are there behind us; above us and below us; you hold us up by Your righteous right hand! Hallelujah! We thank You that You chose each one of us before the foundation of the world - to be Your children.
We are blessed today to meet as the body of Christ, even though we’re not under the same roof, Father we thank you for giving us the singular mind of Christ that calls us together to worship as your family, as we pray for each other and our world and as we worship you and listen for your direction in our lives.
Lord, please give us the discernment and wisdom that we so desperately need to make the best choices. If there is anyone that You bring into our path today, we ask that You give us the words and wisdom to say what needs to be said as well as the sense to know when to be silent. Lord, into Your hands we place our days. Go before us, stay with us each minute of the day and keep us safe under the shadow of Your wings.
Lord, make us quick to praise and encourage others and crazy slow when it comes to criticizing and complaining. Please don’t let us get discouraged, and may we have hearts that are quick to forgive, instead of criticize or condemn. God, I pray that we may be generous in our giving and not selfish with the things that you’ve given us. Make us to be a real encouragement to everyone we meet, and keep our tongue from any foolish words which might hurt or discourage.
Dear heavenly Father, Thank You for the life that You have given us. we pray that we bring honor to Your name today and every day.
May You be glorified in our lives today so that when people look at us they see no one but Jesus looking back. It is in the wonderful name of our savior Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
MESSAGE
Friends, last Sunday as we talked about the word, “Word,” remember that we agreed that sometimes things are just too close to us for us to be able to see more clearly, and that we need to step back, to push back a ways, so that we can get a better or different perspective on what we’re looking at? Well, we need to take a deep breath and go at this week’s discussion in much the same way. The question we have today is, “Why do we as humans need the saving work of Jesus Christ?” But let’s pray before we jump into this question. God please open hearts and close hearts as you see fit. Please protect all those within the sound of my voice. Please filter out all that I may say that isn’t of you. Please, Holy Spirit, come be here among us and bless our time together. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
So, here we go.
Does our question, “Why do we as humans need the saving work of Jesus Christ?” make you want to answer with a big, smart-alecky, “Duh!” as you roll your eyes and say, “Pastor, why do we need to say anything besides, “just because we do!”?” Thus, the reason we need to step back and think for just a moment….
Let’s begin our “stepping back” by first asking how we are to access this Jesus that is supposed to be able to save us? To that question, there is a very available answer. We find our answer in the most popular book ever printed - The Bible. The words in the bible, whether they’re read to us, or we read them for ourselves, that’s where we encounter Jesus Christ - the WORD made flesh. The Holy Spirit empowers us and the printed words as we read the Old and New Testament scriptures. This transforming encounter is mysterious in its working, but it isn’t a mystery where we can find these powerful, life-giving words. Thanks be to God
As we move to address our question, the first and most obvious reason as to why we need Jesus to save us is that we humans cannot save ourselves. When I asked my husband why he thought we need Jesus to save us, he simply said, “It’s a really big job.” And oh, how right he is.
To begin, let’s remember that Jesus was with God at Creation. This is evident in Genesis 26 where it reads, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Jesus was with God as Creation was taking place. So, if for no other reason, we should find our faith bolstered by the reality that Jesus has been here all along and he is aware of every detail of Creation. He is omniscient – he knows it all! Who better to have on our side? And he knows us. John 1:11 tells us that he came to “His own,” and that means you and me. We are his sheep, and he is our shepherd. The Old Testament scripture Ezekiel 34:31 tells us that, “As for you my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, you are men, and I am your God.” And this “knowing” carries all the way through the bible, as in Matthew 18:12-14, we reads “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” To know that the one that was present at the dawn of Creation calls us his sheep should make us comfortable about him being in charge of our salvation.
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, as Romans 8:23 tells us. We are all, as humans, slaves to sin. Sin not only refers to specific actions, but it also refers to our ongoing human condition from which we humans cannot free ourselves. We must have God’s salvation. God is holy and just and we will all come to his judgement. Those who haven’t claimed faith in Jesus will not be able to withstand God’s judgement. The non-believer will receive God’s wrath and will not be welcomed into eternity with God but will perish. But those who believe and have claimed faith in Jesus Christ will have Christ as their mediator and they will not perish. John 3:16 helps us to understand that God gave us Jesus so that if we believed in Jesus, we would have everlasting life. This is borne out for us as Jesus intervenes and pleads for us as we finally stand before God.
Jesus is the only one who can save us because he is the only one to have come from God and became human so that not only could he understand us and be compassionate towards us, but so that he could rectify what we as humans have done. And don’t forget, God is omnipotent – all-powerful – and his love for us is large enough (because, let’s face it, he’s God!) so that he can surely handle it. He takes all of our sins unto himself thru Christ. He steps in, like a loving parent, to give us the ultimate second chance, brought to us through Jesus Christ, his son. We need Jesus Christ to break the curse of sin. This required God, by Jesus Christ, to come into our human condition to become the curse so as to redeem us from this curse. Galatians 3:13 tells us, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” God took on human flesh in the form of Jesus Christ so that he could redeem us and bring us back to himself.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The Old Testament Law stood firm. Before the penalty of the law could be revoked, all the requirements had to be fulfilled, and all the penalties had to be accounted for. It required payment in full for each and every sin. Jesus Christ stated this clearly and he acknowledged that fulfillment of the law was what he was called to do. Without Jesus taking on this responsibility, we would not have access to salvation and to eternity with our Heavenly Father.
There’s an aspect of the Old Testament Law that required a blood sacrifice. Jesus was fully aware of this aspect of the Law and he came to fulfill the entirety of the law. If not for this alone, Jesus had to come to earth as human so as to shed his blood for us sinners. It took the shedding of the Lamb’s perfect blood to secure our access to our salvation and reconciliation with our Father God.
I believe that, of course, our salvation is meant for after we die and go on to be with our heavenly father, but it took Jesus - fully God and fully man, the WORD become flesh, God descended to heaven and become human - to show us that our salvation can begin while we are still living. Salvation, as Jesus showed us while he was with us on earth, can be active, and it will show itself through the choices we make. We need Jesus to show us how to treat others. It began with God loving us immensely and unrelentingly seeking an eternal relationship with us, enough so that he chose to become human like us and die on the cross to prove just how great his love is for us. This is the example we are to look at and follow as we interact with each other and make choices about our behavior. As Jesus did, we are to always have an eye towards how our actions and words will impact the people around us, as well as the physical world around us.
Jesus showed us how to be kind, fair, patient, just, selfless, and honest. He never took advantage of anyone, and he always took time to care, to listen and to reach out his hand to anyone that came to him. All of which are fine goals that could go a long way in helping our relationships and our world these days.
Through and because of our salvation, we can show and live out our gratitude, visible in each choice we make. Choosing peace instead of strife, choosing compassion for others instead of turning a blind eye, acting with kindness toward others in all situations, listening to the hearts and joining in prayer with those around us, feeding, clothing, and housing the poor and the downcast – all things that our savior Jesus Christ did while he was living here with us on earth. As John 13:15 says, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Our living in gratitude for this salvation bought for us by the blood of Christ is evidence of Jesus Christ in our lives on this side of heaven. What better example could we have and who better to be in charge of saving us?
God bless you.
Jan. 23, 2022
Scripture:
Gospel Lesson Luke 4:14-21
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: There are many members, but only one body of Christ.
P: We are all one body in Christ.
L: Just as God arranged the human body, God has arranged the church to be members of the body of Christ.
P: We are all one body in Christ.
L: We need each other to survive!
P: We are all one body in Christ.
L: No one is greater than another. We must care for each other because together, we are one in Jesus Christ.
All: God has placed gifted people among us to equip the saints and to build God’s kingdom. We rejoice that we are one body in Christ! Amen.
PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, how we love you; and how you love us. A new day begins and we find ourselves in your house with our family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you, Father, for preparing this place and meeting us here.
As we turn our eyes to the beauty of you and open our hearts to your will, let our spirits lift up and find your peace. Please pour out Your spirit on us here today so we can worship you completely and, maybe even in new ways. We humbly ask for a deeper relationship with you, so we can have a heightened awareness of your presence in and around us.
Dear God, everywhere we walk, let it be on your path. Everything we see, let it be through your eyes. Everything we do, let it be according to your will. When we encounter hardships, let us place them squarely in your hands. Everything we are seeking for, let us find it in your love.
God, help us let go of all that lies behind us. We want to let go of the sins that have entangled us—the bad habits we can’t break—and the fears and anxieties that keep chasing us. We want a fresh start and we ask you to help us believe that you are making all things new, and that you have prepared for us glory beyond anything we can imagine. Help us to live into that glory even now. Help us to live in the light of your Son, Jesus
Spirit of the living God, we praise and adore you for empowering us to claim membership of the body of Christ, a gift received through the fullness of your grace. Empower us anew, we pray, with tongues of fire and hearts of love to proclaim the reconciling word among people. Remind us that we are all members of the one body and if one member suffers, we all suffer. May we, as the body of Christ in this place, be the best evidence of your love by declaring and witnessing to this as the year of the Lord’s favour for all people. We give thanks that all of us are Christ’s body, and we rejoice in each one being a part of it. Accept our adoration and praise for these great gifts. We pray all of these things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
MESSAGE
Our message today “There’s Power in the Word” is meant to remind us of our words and the power that works through them.
With a word, God created our world and we have been given dominion over the very substance that he used to perform this creating – he gave us words. Words can build people up and tear them down. Words can make people smile and make them cry. Words can make you feel loved or make you feel rejected.
Words can be nice and pleasant to say and to hear. Words like “mom,” “dad,” “thank you”, “dinner’s ready.” Words can be bad and hurtful to say and hear. Words such as “stupid,” “shut up,” “dumb,” retarded.”
Our scriptures give us the basis for understanding where the power of our words come from. John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning.”
Reading just these 2 verses should be enough to cause us to stop and consider the awesome power that’s been made available to us. The “Word” used here refers to Jesus. That means that Jesus can be in our words! And this Word, our Jesus, came to earth for us.
Jesus, the Word, took on human form and came to earth so he could show us the character of the Father. The God known from the Old Testament was seen as one who would wield his strength, strike down his enemies, send plagues onto nations, and he was seen as distant and unapproachable. Then Jesus came so that we could understand and appreciate that God was not only almighty, all powerful and holy, but loving and compassionate. We can see through Jesus that our God is our Father and that he wants to have a relationship with us, his beloved children.
Matthew 5:17 reads, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus came to our world in such power that his shed blood fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament law. Jesus fulfilled every requirement of the Law and every sin was paid for. He paid our debt in full! Hallelujah! Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to save us – he was the only sacrifice that would suffice. And to become the sacrifice for us, Jesus, The Word, had to come in the flesh to our world. God had to come into our human condition.
The way Jesus was able to pay for all of our sins is that he became the curse for us, as Galatians 3:13 reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Jesus, God incarnate, stepped into our broken, bitter world because he wanted to win us back. He wanted to make sure we could all spend eternity in heaven together.
God created us. God wants to have a constant relationship with us. He sent his son Jesus, who was, is, and always will be the Word, to shoulder our sins and pay for them ALL! We have access to that power of love and compassion and healing and fellowship in Jesus, the Word, and in our words that we use every day. It is our choice!
God bless you.
Scriptures for next Sunday, 1/30/2022:
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
Jan. 16, 2022
Scripture:
Gospel Lesson John 2:1-11
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: The Spirit of our Living God gives gifts to all of us, to be used for the benefit of all of us!
P: The Spirit gives many gifts, talents, and abilities,
L: but there is only one Spirit.
P: There are many ways we can use these gifts to serve the Lord,
L: but there is only one Lord that we serve.
P: We can serve our Lord and Savior in so many ways,
L: and each act of service is activated by God.
P: By using our gifts, we shine God's light into our world. Each
gift has an important role to play, and to say that one gift is more valued than another is foolish. God gives to each as God chooses. Thanks be to God, amen!
PRAYER
Gracious and loving God, source of all the things we need - forgiveness, mercy and grace, wholeness in our ourselves and unity with our brothers and sisters, God of all good gifts - we want to make it clear as we join here today that we thank you and we praise you! Bless you, Lord, for having Your Spirit touch our lives, bringing us wisdom, ability, strength, courage, and compassion.
Father, as we join together, we ask you to forgive our sins and help us to repent and mean it – help us to see our wrongs and we boldly ask for you to give us the wisdom, the strength and the backbone to choose to do the right thing next time!
Father in heaven, look on our struggles right now – our struggles with anger, anxiety, doubt, frustration, guilt, hopelessness, loss, memories, lack of patience, pain, regret, sadness, selfishness, temptation, and weakness. Your Holy Word tells us, “All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” And that means that you make all these things work for your good purpose in our lives, even when we don’t understand. Remind us of your invitation to, “Cast all your cares upon me,” and of your assurance that goes along with it, “because I care for you.”
Lord, we need your miracles. Like Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, we need Your miracles. Lord, there are so many hurts in this world. We are discouraged in the face of injustice, war, poverty, and indifference. Show us your glory, so that because of you, we may be spurred on to acts of kindness, love, justice, and mercy…..Lord, maybe it’s US that need to become ready to let you work your miracles THROUGH us today. Yes, maybe we need to pray about becoming your light-bringing, hope-filled miracle workers in this world. Help us hear you saying, "I am your hope"- over all the other voices in our ears. Your word says that you are the hope for the hopeless so we’re running to you with both hands stretched out, ready to grab ahold of you. Fill us up with hope and remind us constantly that hope is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline to you, O God. Heavenly Father, you know all the things in our hearts that we barely dare to hope for and, today, help us give them to you, because we know that you can do more than we could ever guess, imagine or request in our wildest dreams!
God, you are our hope and it is in you that we trust. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
MESSAGE
As the year moves forward and many things appear to be trying to conspire against us – the pandemic, the weather, the lack of items at the grocery store – we might be tempted to feel hopeless. Even as I was talking with a friend the other day, we began bemoaning that it seems as if no great hymns would come from this generation, that all the great hymns had come from the 19th century. This made us both feel hopeless!
It didn’t take long for God to very boldly remind me that He is still in control and still at work even though I might not see it or even be aware of it. God reminded me, and I want to remind all of us, that we still have hope because our hope does not rely on this world but comes from our Savior Jesus Christ!
The first thing that God did to remind me of his sovereignty was to let me hear a poem written by Fernando Ortega, who is a contemporary singer-songwriter, entitled, I Will Praise Him Still. The poem goes:
“When the morning falls on the farthest hill, I will sing his name, I will praise him still. When dark trials come, and my heart is filled with the weight of doubt I will praise him still. For the Lord our God, he is strong to same from the arms of death, from the deepest grave. And he gave us life in his perfect will and by his good grace, I will praise him still….”
What a beautiful poem! Evidence that God is still busy bestowing gifts and is still working in this world, and that he hasn’t left us without hope!
Soon after the poem by Mr. Ortega, God showed me yet another ray of hope by way of a song called “Jerusalema.” The video for this song came up on my screen and it was full of children dancing to a recently written and released song from an African artist. The words of the song translated into English are asking God to “join me,” “save me,” “do not leave me here.” The song says, “my place is not here.” What a wonderful reminder that not only is God working and moving in our own country, but in very faraway places!
Then God called me to look up a song that I had heard a year ago called, “Have a Little Faith.” It is a collaboration by none other than Dolly Parton, and a popular music group called, “Galantis.” This video contains young people, most between the ages of 18-25, celebrating, as Dolly reminds them to, “Have a little faith!”
These 3 musical examples helped shake me from the depths of my pity party and remind me that God is working and moving all over the world in places I may have never even heard of, in ways that I can’t even imagine! His word tells us Christians, “But those whose hope is in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (Is. 40:31). And Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
And as a beautiful reminder of how strong is the hope that comes from the Lord, Romans 5:5 reads, “And hope does not put to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Yes, our Father God is STILL at work, whether we see it or not. We must remember that he never sleeps and that he is in charge of the plan for our lives and our world. Blessedly, he still works in mysterious ways, in places we may least expect. We must stay faithful and keep our eyes open and waiting to see his miracles in the world around us!
God bless you.
Scriptures for next Sunday, 1/23/2022:
Nehemiah 8:1-10; Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Luke 4:14-21
Message January 9, 2022
Let us Pray
In the happy moments, let us Praise God
In the difficult moments, let us Seek God
In the quiet moments, let us Worship God
In every moment, let us Thank God Amen
The Dash
On this Sunday for the past few years I spoke on the manifestation of the Epiphany. While this is a very important event I will be setting it aside this year and instead, talk about “The Dash”.
You might wonder how and why I arrived at this topic and what does it mean. Even I was perplexed at first. I was wearing out the TV remote one day and thinking to myself about all the channels and nothing to watch. Then I happened upon a program that was talking about “The Dash”. It peaked my interest but I still wasn’t sure what they were talking about.
The Dash is not the 100 yard dash you ran in school. It is not the seasoning you put on your food, and it is not part of the Morse code. The program then showed a grave marker. We have all been to cemeteries and see grave markers with the name, date of birth and date of death. Between the date of birth and date of death exists the “Dash”. Up to this point I had not given the dash any thought nor did I think there was any significance other than separating the two dates.
The Dash between the birth and death is the “Life Lived”. How that dash is lived is really who the person is. How that dash is fulfilled is the most important information. The program I was watching was based on the poem by Linda Ellis, titled The Dash (www.TheDashPoem.com). It is important that we invest the short time that we have on earth doing things that are productive and bring meaning to our life. Not matter how long we may think life will last, it will all pass too quickly. It will either leave us feeling fulfilled and content or regretful and wishing our life could have been different. The good news is if we are feeling the latter, we have a chance to make it better and reach for the goals that were once more evident in our minds and hearts. Never think about giving up on life because it is never too late to start again. Believe in yourself as God believes in you. Realize that you are on earth for a purpose that is meant to accomplish your God given dreams. Let us reflect on Jeremiah 29:11-14
“For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
The dash symbolizes our entire lives, the time we have to create meaning for our families, our communities, our countries, the world and ourselves. We are the ones responsible for what we do with our lives. We are the ones who will one day look back and determine whether the life we lived was happy and if it was one we were proud to live. We do not know when our lives may end so we need to ask the question now. What is my purpose here on earth? When you think about your dash, what do you want it to say about you? Ask yourself what is most important instead of what is most urgent. What gives you joy and a sense of satisfaction?
We often do not realize how time can pass so quickly and how we sometimes squander the precious moments given to us in useless pursuits. The Psalmists were aware of and knew it was important to value the life given to us. Psalm 39:5 “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life”. The poem points out that we do not want to come to the end of the dash with regrets and unhealed relationships. Our aim is not how much we have accumulated in wealth, but how much love we have given to others and to help others in their dash.
When Moses was speaking to the children of Israel, he pointed out that if they wanted to live life to the fullest, they had the choice of ignoring God or holding fast to him. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before your life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life; and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”
Now we as followers of Jesus have the choice to live our lives totally absorbed in pleasing ourselves, ignoring the love and guidance of our Heavenly Father, or we can give value to our lives by listening to the words of wisdom in his Work and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Our dash can become an example to our family and to others of how life can be lived abundantly. Jesus has promised us this good life that no one can steal from us if we choose to hand our life over to him.
The Dash is all that time between our birth and death; a poem about slowing down and appreciating all that is true and real; a poem to remind us that life is short and time is valuable, reminding us that loving the people in our life is our priority; a poem calling us to be honest and sincere with our words and to not fear what others think. How rich and full our life could be if we just let go and let God; If we just surrender and live the way he designed us to live.
In the end, the only thing that a human being desires is Peace. We may not realize it, but every single thing we do, pursue or let go of, we do in the deep subconscious hope of finding Peace. What better Peace, than living God’s Word. Amen
Jan. 2, 2022
Scripture:
Gospel Lesson John 1:1-18
L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: The light of God has come into our world to proclaim God’s justice and love;
P: it has overcome the darkness and brought new life!
L: Christ our companion has redeemed our world!
P: He draws us into His loving family from every tribe and family and culture.
L: The Spirit has surely equipped us for His service,
ALL: so that we can love our neighbors as we do ourselves and so that we can bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth! In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen! (adapted from Christine Sine on Godspace)
PRAYER
In the beginning was the Promise and the Promise was with God, and the Promise was God. God, you hovered over creation and brought new things to life. You spoke, and new worlds sprang into being. Eternal and magnificent God, we are humbled that you – daily -choose to reveal yourself to us and lovingly ask us to come closer to you. You welcome and nurture us and you open your mercies to us each day. Ever-gracious God, we give thanks that you have gathered us into your church and graced us with your faithful presence.
We thank you for the ways in which we have known and understood you. We thank you for all the ways you have opened our eyes to more of who you are. We thank you for the language that has brought You - the transcendent, timeless, mysterious God - within our grasp!
Gracious and wonderful Father, we ponder our history, and we wonder about our future. We marvel at how we mesh together with the many expressions of your church in the world.
Holy God, we are hungry for more of you and we ask you to reveal more of yourself to us, to take us beyond the confines of what is familiar to us; to free us from our preconceived notions and pre-judgements, to expand our understanding of you so that we can love you whole-heartedly and so that we can communicate you faithfully and we can reflect your full image to a world that needs you.
Jesus! We have just celebrated your birth!
The light of God came into our world! The light of God, here to proclaim God’s justice and love; to overcome the darkness and bring new life! Christ, our companion, redeemed our world! The Spirit has equipped us for service, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. To bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. Grant us the vision to be part of Your living church that will bring ever more joy and justice to the world.
Dear Father, continue to gather us, all of us, into Jesus’ vision and dream – make us - your faithful people - one in you.
Christ came into this world for us. He is the light we live by. The Bethlehem star shone its light, and Christ’s light will be the light we shine out into this world. We declare that we are committed to live by this light of Christ, and it’s in Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen!
MESSAGE
Here we are - believe it or not – at the 1st Sunday of a new year, the 2nd Sunday after Christmas, in the year 2022. If you’re like me, you’re asking yourself, “How did we get here so fast??” But here’s a better question we should be asking ourselves and that is, “What can I do with the 365 days, and the 52 Sundays in this new year?!”
But before we take off running, God has reminders and directions for us. And His word for us today comes from Jeremiah 31:7-14.
As we turn to read our Jeremiah passages, let me first say that when I come to the book of Jeremiah, I tend to do so with a bit of trepidation because in most of the chapters of Jeremiah, the words we read tend to be harsh and scolding. But, this time, we are given Jeremiah 31, which happens to be one of the 4 chapters in Jeremiah that are considered to be the “Little Book of Consolation,” and you will see why once we begin taking a look at what it has to say to us here at the start of our new year...
We are using the New Revised Standard Version today and verse 7 says, “For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.” From the very start, we are told to sing with gladness, to proclaim and give praise and we are reminded that we are the remnant of Israel- we are His people!
Then, verse 8 reads, “See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.” Here, God acts as our great shepherd as he reminds us that he will gather us to himself, no matter what our condition may be! Hallelujah!
In verse 9 we read, “With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
Did you see it? Please don’t miss it. Jeremiah tells us that God will lead us – you and me - by “brooks of water.” Brooks of water! How wonderful! Because of God’s care for us, and by his leading, we will be taken by water so that we will not thirst. And Jeremiah tells us that God will lead us in a “straight path” so that we “shall not stumble.” God, who loves us greater than we can ever hope or imagine, states plainly that He will care for us. He makes it clear that He has our welfare on His mind. We need to wake up each morning with these beautiful words on our mind and thank him for them!
Verses 10 and 11 give us great hope and assurance that God will gather ALL his children back together, “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.” We are reminded that he has redeemed us – because he is our kin, our Father - he has saved us from the hands of the evil one, who God know is too strong for us, “For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.”
Then, the beautiful words from verse 12 that tell us, “They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.”
Jeremiah tells us that the Lord promises to make our lives “like watered gardens.” What a picture that creates in my mind and what great peace and joy that gives to my heart. To hear that the creator of the universe wants to make me and you like a beautiful garden – cared for and tended – not a weed patch – neglected and reviled. To know that this is his plan for us, removes our need to worry and it has the ability to free us for “joyful obedience,” as our communion liturgy states.
In verse 13, we find the wonderful promise that God will turn our mourning into joy,
“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” This verse reminds us of Isaiah 61:3 where God promises to “bestow a crown of beauty for ashes.” Yes, our Lord is in the business of taking our ashes, our tears and our scars and reworking them into beauty for his name’s sake, for those who follow and believe in him.
Finally, verse 14 promises that the Lord, “will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty.” Oh, to be satisfied. To no longer be chasing after things and dreams that we “think” we need for satisfaction. Think of the weight taken off our hearts! Think of all the good we could do in this world if we weren’t chasing after hollow promises and the “next best thing” that the world tells us that we need. Please, heavenly Father, satisfy us so that then YOU can use us, for you have surely placed us here for such a time as this!
After hearing such wonderful scripture, here on the 1st Sunday of the new year, let’s all join together in professing our covenant to the Lord:
A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition (pg. 607 UMH)
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou will, rank me with whom thou will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee.
exalted for thee or brought low by thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
God bless you all.
Here are our lectionary scriptures for next Sunday, 1/9/2022:
Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Act 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-22
Our scripture today is Luke 19:1-10 - the story of Zacchaeus. You remember him, the wee little man that we all sang about in Sunday school. The song went something like this…”Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Lord came walking by, he looked up in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, for I'm going to your house today!’”
I think most of us know that song and it tells a story that we've heard since our childhood, and that might make it too familiar in some ways. Bible stories that we take for granted, like this one, tend to lose some of their ability to shake us and wake us to their deeper meaning. So, let's take a look at the story - let's see what Jesus might have for us here.
In this story, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and in this place called Jericho, he had an encounter with Zacchaeus. I’m sure that what looks to us to be a chance encounter with Zacchaeus was well planned out by Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and a rich one at that. Our scripture wanted us to know that he was a rich man because this means that he was probably even more disliked and more dishonest than other tax collectors (but still Jesus chose HIM!).
Zacchaeus was of the Jewish faith and taxes were paid to the Roman government, and this meant that Zacchaeus had struck a deal with the Romans to be given the job of collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Working with and making deals with the Romans was never a good or upstanding thing to do and was never looked upon kindly.
So somehow this short-statured tax collector named Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is coming to town and because he really wanted to see Jesus, he found a tree and climbed up into it to see over the crowds. The Bible tells us it was a Sycamore tree. The original Greek translation of Sycamore actually reads as “fake fig tree,” so as Zacchaeus was probably fake and deceptive on many points in his daily life, so was the tree he decided to climb up into!
The story goes on to tell us that it was not Zacchaeus that first called out to the Lord, but it was actually the Lord who called up into the tree to Zacchaeus. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He knows where we’re hiding, and he comes to where we are. He calls out to us! Jesus knows where we are no matter how well we think we’re hidden or how well we think we’ve covered ourselves. Our Jesus knows where we are all the time. And he is ready to come and call our name. It's our names that were on his heart when he died on that cross at Calvary!
Zacchaeus thought he was hiding up in that tree, but he wasn't. Especially not after Jesus called out his name in front of everyone. When Zacchaeus came down out of that tree, that meant he came down in front of everyone there - all the people that didn't like him. And then the Lord announced to Zacchaeus and all those within earshot that he would be going to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. What an amazing thing for all those people to hear - all those people that didn't like Zacchaeus. To think that Jesus would choose him! To think that Jesus would want to go to the home of a man like that! They all must’ve been shocked and very angry. Jesus choosing to eat with a tax collecting sinner….what is the world coming to…
Don’t you wonder how Zacchaeus came to hear about Jesus? I know I wondered just that until I was reminded that earlier on in Luke, there’s another story about another tax collector and another meal.
This other tax collector became one of Jesus’ disciples. Do you know who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he immediately dropped everything and ran to Jesus. Levi the tax collector, became Matthew the disciple when Jesus spoke his name.
And then after being called by Jesus, Matthew had a dinner party. He invited lots of people to this dinner party, and I have to wonder if maybe Matthew invited Zacchaeus, too? Is that how Zacchaeus learned of Jesus? Was it through the invitation of a friend that Zacchaeus started to learn of Jesus and then want to know more about him?
There are so many parts in this story with which we can identify, but, friends, the one that strikes me the most for us today is Matthew. Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned follower of the Savior. Dear friends, I believe that we all need to become “Matthew” in this world. We all need to show Jesus to those around us. We all need to invite and entice other people by our actions and our words to want to know from where our hope and love originates. The people God puts in our path need to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as Thanksgiving is coming up, it puts me in mind that now is the time to be “feeding” others in every way that we can. We can invite others to a break bread with us, being thankful for what we have and wanting to share it with them.
And shouldn’t we be the most grateful for our relationship with Jesus? So, among all the jobs that we have this time of year- and all year long - the most important is to show Jesus to others, and to be light and salt to others so that they want to get to know Jesus Christ.
Our scripture today is Luke 19:1-10 - the story of Zacchaeus. You remember him, the wee little man that we all sang about in Sunday school. The song went something like this…”Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Lord came walking by, he looked up in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, for I'm going to your house today!’”
I think most of us know that song and it tells a story that we've heard since our childhood, and that might make it too familiar in some ways. Bible stories that we take for granted, like this one, tend to lose some of their ability to shake us and wake us to their deeper meaning. So, let's take a look at the story - let's see what Jesus might have for us here.
In this story, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and in this place called Jericho, he had an encounter with Zacchaeus. I’m sure that what looks to us to be a chance encounter with Zacchaeus was well planned out by Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and a rich one at that. Our scripture wanted us to know that he was a rich man because this means that he was probably even more disliked and more dishonest than other tax collectors (but still Jesus chose HIM!).
Zacchaeus was of the Jewish faith and taxes were paid to the Roman government, and this meant that Zacchaeus had struck a deal with the Romans to be given the job of collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Working with and making deals with the Romans was never a good or upstanding thing to do and was never looked upon kindly.
So somehow this short-statured tax collector named Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is coming to town and because he really wanted to see Jesus, he found a tree and climbed up into it to see over the crowds. The Bible tells us it was a Sycamore tree. The original Greek translation of Sycamore actually reads as “fake fig tree,” so as Zacchaeus was probably fake and deceptive on many points in his daily life, so was the tree he decided to climb up into!
The story goes on to tell us that it was not Zacchaeus that first called out to the Lord, but it was actually the Lord who called up into the tree to Zacchaeus. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He knows where we’re hiding, and he comes to where we are. He calls out to us! Jesus knows where we are no matter how well we think we’re hidden or how well we think we’ve covered ourselves. Our Jesus knows where we are all the time. And he is ready to come and call our name. It's our names that were on his heart when he died on that cross at Calvary!
Zacchaeus thought he was hiding up in that tree, but he wasn't. Especially not after Jesus called out his name in front of everyone. When Zacchaeus came down out of that tree, that meant he came down in front of everyone there - all the people that didn't like him. And then the Lord announced to Zacchaeus and all those within earshot that he would be going to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. What an amazing thing for all those people to hear - all those people that didn't like Zacchaeus. To think that Jesus would choose him! To think that Jesus would want to go to the home of a man like that! They all must’ve been shocked and very angry. Jesus choosing to eat with a tax collecting sinner….what is the world coming to…
Don’t you wonder how Zacchaeus came to hear about Jesus? I know I wondered just that until I was reminded that earlier on in Luke, there’s another story about another tax collector and another meal.
This other tax collector became one of Jesus’ disciples. Do you know who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he immediately dropped everything and ran to Jesus. Levi the tax collector, became Matthew the disciple when Jesus spoke his name.
And then after being called by Jesus, Matthew had a dinner party. He invited lots of people to this dinner party, and I have to wonder if maybe Matthew invited Zacchaeus, too? Is that how Zacchaeus learned of Jesus? Was it through the invitation of a friend that Zacchaeus started to learn of Jesus and then want to know more about him?
There are so many parts in this story with which we can identify, but, friends, the one that strikes me the most for us today is Matthew. Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned follower of the Savior. Dear friends, I believe that we all need to become “Matthew” in this world. We all need to show Jesus to those around us. We all need to invite and entice other people by our actions and our words to want to know from where our hope and love originates. The people God puts in our path need to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as Thanksgiving is coming up, it puts me in mind that now is the time to be “feeding” others in every way that we can. We can invite others to a break bread with us, being thankful for what we have and wanting to share it with them.
And shouldn’t we be the most grateful for our relationship with Jesus? So, among all the jobs that we have this time of year- and all year long - the most important is to show Jesus to others, and to be light and salt to others so that they want to get to know Jesus Christ.
Our scripture today is Luke 19:1-10 - the story of Zacchaeus. You remember him, the wee little man that we all sang about in Sunday school. The song went something like this…”Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Lord came walking by, he looked up in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, for I'm going to your house today!’”
I think most of us know that song and it tells a story that we've heard since our childhood, and that might make it too familiar in some ways. Bible stories that we take for granted, like this one, tend to lose some of their ability to shake us and wake us to their deeper meaning. So, let's take a look at the story - let's see what Jesus might have for us here.
In this story, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and in this place called Jericho, he had an encounter with Zacchaeus. I’m sure that what looks to us to be a chance encounter with Zacchaeus was well planned out by Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and a rich one at that. Our scripture wanted us to know that he was a rich man because this means that he was probably even more disliked and more dishonest than other tax collectors (but still Jesus chose HIM!).
Zacchaeus was of the Jewish faith and taxes were paid to the Roman government, and this meant that Zacchaeus had struck a deal with the Romans to be given the job of collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Working with and making deals with the Romans was never a good or upstanding thing to do and was never looked upon kindly.
So somehow this short-statured tax collector named Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is coming to town and because he really wanted to see Jesus, he found a tree and climbed up into it to see over the crowds. The Bible tells us it was a Sycamore tree. The original Greek translation of Sycamore actually reads as “fake fig tree,” so as Zacchaeus was probably fake and deceptive on many points in his daily life, so was the tree he decided to climb up into!
The story goes on to tell us that it was not Zacchaeus that first called out to the Lord, but it was actually the Lord who called up into the tree to Zacchaeus. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He knows where we’re hiding, and he comes to where we are. He calls out to us! Jesus knows where we are no matter how well we think we’re hidden or how well we think we’ve covered ourselves. Our Jesus knows where we are all the time. And he is ready to come and call our name. It's our names that were on his heart when he died on that cross at Calvary!
Zacchaeus thought he was hiding up in that tree, but he wasn't. Especially not after Jesus called out his name in front of everyone. When Zacchaeus came down out of that tree, that meant he came down in front of everyone there - all the people that didn't like him. And then the Lord announced to Zacchaeus and all those within earshot that he would be going to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. What an amazing thing for all those people to hear - all those people that didn't like Zacchaeus. To think that Jesus would choose him! To think that Jesus would want to go to the home of a man like that! They all must’ve been shocked and very angry. Jesus choosing to eat with a tax collecting sinner….what is the world coming to…
Don’t you wonder how Zacchaeus came to hear about Jesus? I know I wondered just that until I was reminded that earlier on in Luke, there’s another story about another tax collector and another meal.
This other tax collector became one of Jesus’ disciples. Do you know who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he immediately dropped everything and ran to Jesus. Levi the tax collector, became Matthew the disciple when Jesus spoke his name.
And then after being called by Jesus, Matthew had a dinner party. He invited lots of people to this dinner party, and I have to wonder if maybe Matthew invited Zacchaeus, too? Is that how Zacchaeus learned of Jesus? Was it through the invitation of a friend that Zacchaeus started to learn of Jesus and then want to know more about him?
There are so many parts in this story with which we can identify, but, friends, the one that strikes me the most for us today is Matthew. Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned follower of the Savior. Dear friends, I believe that we all need to become “Matthew” in this world. We all need to show Jesus to those around us. We all need to invite and entice other people by our actions and our words to want to know from where our hope and love originates. The people God puts in our path need to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as Thanksgiving is coming up, it puts me in mind that now is the time to be “feeding” others in every way that we can. We can invite others to a break bread with us, being thankful for what we have and wanting to share it with them.
And shouldn’t we be the most grateful for our relationship with Jesus? So, among all the jobs that we have this time of year- and all year long - the most important is to show Jesus to others, and to be light and salt to others so that they want to get to know Jesus Christ.
Our scripture today is Luke 19:1-10 - the story of Zacchaeus. You remember him, the wee little man that we all sang about in Sunday school. The song went something like this…”Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Lord came walking by, he looked up in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, for I'm going to your house today!’”
I think most of us know that song and it tells a story that we've heard since our childhood, and that might make it too familiar in some ways. Bible stories that we take for granted, like this one, tend to lose some of their ability to shake us and wake us to their deeper meaning. So, let's take a look at the story - let's see what Jesus might have for us here.
In this story, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and in this place called Jericho, he had an encounter with Zacchaeus. I’m sure that what looks to us to be a chance encounter with Zacchaeus was well planned out by Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and a rich one at that. Our scripture wanted us to know that he was a rich man because this means that he was probably even more disliked and more dishonest than other tax collectors (but still Jesus chose HIM!).
Zacchaeus was of the Jewish faith and taxes were paid to the Roman government, and this meant that Zacchaeus had struck a deal with the Romans to be given the job of collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Working with and making deals with the Romans was never a good or upstanding thing to do and was never looked upon kindly.
So somehow this short-statured tax collector named Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is coming to town and because he really wanted to see Jesus, he found a tree and climbed up into it to see over the crowds. The Bible tells us it was a Sycamore tree. The original Greek translation of Sycamore actually reads as “fake fig tree,” so as Zacchaeus was probably fake and deceptive on many points in his daily life, so was the tree he decided to climb up into!
The story goes on to tell us that it was not Zacchaeus that first called out to the Lord, but it was actually the Lord who called up into the tree to Zacchaeus. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He knows where we’re hiding, and he comes to where we are. He calls out to us! Jesus knows where we are no matter how well we think we’re hidden or how well we think we’ve covered ourselves. Our Jesus knows where we are all the time. And he is ready to come and call our name. It's our names that were on his heart when he died on that cross at Calvary!
Zacchaeus thought he was hiding up in that tree, but he wasn't. Especially not after Jesus called out his name in front of everyone. When Zacchaeus came down out of that tree, that meant he came down in front of everyone there - all the people that didn't like him. And then the Lord announced to Zacchaeus and all those within earshot that he would be going to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. What an amazing thing for all those people to hear - all those people that didn't like Zacchaeus. To think that Jesus would choose him! To think that Jesus would want to go to the home of a man like that! They all must’ve been shocked and very angry. Jesus choosing to eat with a tax collecting sinner….what is the world coming to…
Don’t you wonder how Zacchaeus came to hear about Jesus? I know I wondered just that until I was reminded that earlier on in Luke, there’s another story about another tax collector and another meal.
This other tax collector became one of Jesus’ disciples. Do you know who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he immediately dropped everything and ran to Jesus. Levi the tax collector, became Matthew the disciple when Jesus spoke his name.
And then after being called by Jesus, Matthew had a dinner party. He invited lots of people to this dinner party, and I have to wonder if maybe Matthew invited Zacchaeus, too? Is that how Zacchaeus learned of Jesus? Was it through the invitation of a friend that Zacchaeus started to learn of Jesus and then want to know more about him?
There are so many parts in this story with which we can identify, but, friends, the one that strikes me the most for us today is Matthew. Matthew, the one-time tax collector turned follower of the Savior. Dear friends, I believe that we all need to become “Matthew” in this world. We all need to show Jesus to those around us. We all need to invite and entice other people by our actions and our words to want to know from where our hope and love originates. The people God puts in our path need to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as Thanksgiving is coming up, it puts me in mind that now is the time to be “feeding” others in every way that we can. We can invite others to a break bread with us, being thankful for what we have and wanting to share it with them.
And shouldn’t we be the most grateful for our relationship with Jesus? So, among all the jobs that we have this time of year- and all year long - the most important is to show Jesus to others, and to be light and salt to others so that they want to get to know Jesus Christ.