Light Breaks through the Darkness of A Dark World

Based on Isaiah 61 and John 1

Sermon for Mt. Olivet UMC and Cherokee UMC

I am going to begin this morning with our Old Testament passage in Isaiah 61. Isaiah is a prophet in the time that the children of Israel are walking through a very dark time. They have been exiled to Babylon. Their city has been destroyed, their temple is in ruins. They have lost their hope. The Israelites have a history of darkness. They were slaves in Egypt, the wandered in the desert for 40 years. They finally reach the Promised Land only to have it overtaken and them sent into exile. They are in a very dark time. Isaiah comes to them today and gives them a word of hope from the Lord. One lesson we learn from the history of Israel is that we are not promised an absence of dark times. As we anticipate Christmas this year we wait like expectant children, for the magic of the hallmark commercials to happen. Yet, for many Christmas time is one of the darkest times as it reminds us of the absence of magic in our lives. Suicide rates increase over Christmas as the reality of broken relationships, financial troubles, death, sickness breaks through and sinks in. A mother mourns over her daughter who is in a hospital for the 7th time, fighting a drug addiction with nowhere to go when she is released but back into the world of drugs that has become her familiar place. A father is reminded of the small stillborn child he held in his hands prior to handing him over to the funeral home director. A daughter is reminded of the absence of her mother, whom cancer robbed from her. Parents are reminded of the job that was lost this year as they try to figure out how they are going to provide Christmas for their children. Families in Africa are wondering how they are going to overcome the disease of Aids that is robbing them of their loved ones every minute. They wonder also if they will ever have safe drinking water to sustain them. A family awaits Christmas knowing that it is likely to be the last one they have with their loved one who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Children are being sold and trafficked across the world. People are robbing banks, killing others. Terror is always a threat on the horizon as loved ones pray for their soldiers who are across the ocean; pray that they will return safely to them. The list could go on and on and on. We live in a world that is full of darkness. It is in such a dark time that Isaiah comes in and proclaims that he has been sent to preach some good news in the midst of this darkness. Isaiah is sent to bring good news to the poor. He is sent to “bind up the broken hearted. To bind up? What does that mean? When I first here the word bind up I think of tying something up, something together. So, what are we going to tie up everyone with a broken heart? No. The Hebrew word translated here “to bind.” Means to wrap something tight, such as a turban on a head, or a bandage, it means to heal. So God has sent Isaiah with a message of healing to the broken hearted. He is sent to set the captive free. Presumably here those held captive in Babylon. He is sent to comfort those who mourn. He is sent to reveal God’s presence among them in the midst of their darkness. The children are going through a time of mourning and Isaiah proclaims that God is there to turn their time of mourning into a festive time. In those times there were several things that were a part of mourning. You knew mourners by the clothes that they wore, typically sackcloths. You knew mourners because they anointed themselves with ashes a symbol of death, you knew mourners because they abstained from using perfumed oils during their times of mourning. Isaiah says your time of mourning is up God is trading in your ashes for a crown of beauty. (Perhaps a garland of roses) a crown symbolized a festive time. Isaiah tells the children of Israel and he tells us here today that the darkness is not the end of the story. God can take the ashes of our lives and he can turn them into something beautiful. I read a story this week of a group of folks who went to look at Christmas ornament. They all were mesmerized by the beauty of this one ornament, a deep purple in color. They had never seen anything quite so beautiful. They inquired about where it came from, presumably wanting to find one for themselves. They found out the ornament had been made out of ashes. The artist had taken the ashes, had made just the right conditions out of heat and water to form a liquid substance which was poured into a mold and then heated. The result was a beautiful ornament. God can take what we believe impossible circumstances and turn them into something better. We’re told in the book of Romans that all things work together for Good for them who love the lord. I’ve come to believe that what this mean is God can take all things that happen in our lives good or bad and bring something good out of it, we just have to look for it. Isaiah calls for them to end their abstinence from oil and to pour it on in joy. Isaiah calls them to get rid of their sackcloths and put on the garment God’s salvation, on the garment of praise.
Isaiah proclaims that the children of Israel are Oaks of righteousness. Oak Trees are symbols of enduring strength. Their roots grow deep, they are strong. They have many uses. The children of Israel are rooted in the righteousness of God, in the grace of God, in the salvation of God. They have enduring strength as a result of their being rooted in God.
Skip down to verse 7. Followers of God are called to be Priests/Ministers. God says here through Isaiah that it is the job of all of God’s followers to minister to people. How are they to minister to people? The passage says the Lord Loves justice. It becomes their job to seek justice just as God has given them justice. We have a responsibility for seeking justice for the world, for bringing good news to the poor, for healing those who are broken hearted, for ministering to those in prison.

I once held the belief that matters of Justice were best dealt with outside of the church. I came to church to be fed, to worship, to be loved. I was a consumer. I believed the church getting involved in matters of justice was overstepping the bounds of separation of church and state it was uncomfortable to sit in the pew and listen to calls for justice, to calls for the church to get involved in the messiness of the injustices of our world. However the more I read the bible the more I understand that to be a follower of God, I must pursue Justice within this unjust world. The whole theme of the Bible, of being a God Follower is about acts of justice and mercy.
Our nation has been very focused in the last 10 years on the war on terror. Now hear me when I say that Terrorism most certainly should be a defense priority for our nation. However as Irene Khan puts it in the following statement:
“While governments have been obsessed with the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, they have allowed the real weapons of mass destruction—injustice and impunity, poverty, discrimination and racism, the uncontrolled trade in small arms, violence against women and abuse of children—to go unaddressed,” said Irene Khan.
We are called here to address these injustices and bring justice back to the world. The church absolutely MUST be involved in matters of justice. We here in the United States have enough food to feed the world yet there are people in third world countries dying of starvation. There are persons who can’t afford health care right here in the United States who are dying because of it. There are countries that do not have access to clean water. Children are being trafficked all across the world including right here in the United States. Law abiding, hardworking persons are being jailed and taken from their families, leaving children orphaned because they crossed a border in search for a better life for their family. Persons are being excluded from churches for reasons that are beyond their control. The list could go on. We have a world full of exiles but the good news is that God breaks into this world to bring good news, to heal the broken places of our world, of our country, of our churches and of our individual lives.
Okay, Isaiah comes to bring a message of hope to the exiles in Babylon, how does that apply to us today? Well that takes us to the New Testament. In John 1, John announces the light that breaks into this dark world. Just as Isaiah was sent to proclaim the Good News to the exiles, John was sent to prepare the way of Jesus into the world. Interestingly enough it is this very chapter of Isaiah that Jesus reads in the Synagogue in Luke 4:14 ff.

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[f]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus, the light of the world has broken into the darkness.
So where do you find yourself in today’s stories? Are you a Pharisee, questioning everything about Jesus and the authenticity of God followers? Are you feeling exiled and hopeless, are you John, announcing the light of the world to the oppressed and the outcast.
It’s time to turn your ashes in for a crown, your sackcloth into garments of praise, and to take the oil of festive times and bathe in it for Jesus is coming……He comes to you, to me , to the world with the announcement that Justice does prevail. It’s time to look for the injustices in our world and to work for justice. It’s time to feed the hungry, to visit the imprisoned, to welcome the stranger. It’s time………He is coming……..Emmanuel…….God with us……REJOICE for Joy comes in the morning…….

Step Into the Water--Joshua 3- October 30, 2011

This morning’s passage of scripture continues the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the entry to the promised land. I have had the privilege of being a guest speaker on 6 different occasions over the last 8 weeks or so and because of that have actually gotten to follow a sermon series so to speak. The problem is, I have always had a different congregation so those listening haven’t had the benefit of hearing the proceeding sermons. Let me catch you up a bit. Thus far we have Moses being spoken to by God through a burning bush, calling him to go back to Egypt where he was raised and deliver the Children of Israel out of their bondage and lead them to Canaan, the land that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. For 40 years we have this pattern of the Children of Israel wandering through the wilderness. There are many moments of them not trusting God. There are even more moments of God providing for them and showing that he is there with them in this dark time of their life. He provides Manna for food, he provides water from a rock, he provides the provides a cloud for them to follow, He gives them the 10 commandments so they have guardrails for life to keep them from falling. Over and over again the children of Israel languish in their faith, revert to idol worship, do things that are outside of the walk of a God follower and Over and Over again God forgives them, provides for them and loves them. Moses is faithful in his task. Moses is constantly in touch with God and following God’s commands but Moses dies prior to entering the land. The book of Deuteronomy ends with Moses laying hands on Joshua and commissioning him to be the next leader. Joshua was a main character in the Exodus story. He emerged as a leader when spies were sent into Cannan to check out the competition so to speak. Most of the spies were overwhelmed by what they saw but Joshua and Caleb, they saw the potential. While the other 10 spies brought back an exaggerated report of doom and impossibilities, Joshua and Caleb said the land is flowing with milk and honey. Everything is big. But they trusted God. God is bigger than the biggest of things. Sure there are obstacles but God can overcome them. While the others were calling to go back to slavery in Egypt Joshua and Caleb say God says we can do it. Let’s do it. They trusted In God to bring them to the promised land. They are described as wholeheartedly following God. Another time we see Joshua emerging as a leader is when the Israelites go into battle with the Amalekites. The story tells us that as long as Moses was holding up his arms that the Israelites were winning the battle. However if his arms dropped they stopped winning. Moses grew weary. Holding your hands above your head for a long period of time is a very difficult task. And after a period of time it biomes very painful. Joshua was the one who had the military strength and mind who led the Israelites into battle, Moses held up his staff which represented God’s power and Aaron and a man named Hur came to Moses aid when he became weary by holding his hands up for him. They all needed each other. So, Joshua had proven himself in the wilderness to be a strong leader and a follower of God. He is commissioned to lead the Israelite into the promised land. The Israelites are given some final directions by Moses and then Moses dies. The Israelites spend 30 days In mourning over their leader and then they turn to Joshua who will lead them the rest of the way into the promised land. The first two chapters of Joshua are about Joshua preparing himself and the nation for the day of invading the land of Cannan. He sends two spies into the land who come back and report that the people of Cannan are melting in fear of them. Joshua tells the nation to get ready and sends the high priests with the ark of the covenant ahead of them. The first obstacle to their possession is the River of Jordon. It is harvest time and at harvest time the Jordon river flows out of it’s banks. They must cross the Jordon and this is where today’s story picks up.

God tells Joshua it’s time. That today the Nation will see that God’s power is with Joshua in the same way that it was with Moses. God gives the instructions to Joshua and Joshua gives the Instructions to the people of Israel. The instructions were this. The priests were to step into the Jordon with the Ark of the Covenant and stand still while the nation crosses the Jordon. When the sole of the priests shoes touched the water the water stopped. Again waters were parted and dry ground was there for the nation of Israel to cross over into the promised land. This is a great story. What does it have for us today though. First we must determine what is our promised land. One of my guilty pleasures each week is Thursday night TV. I watch Greys Anatomy and Private Practice faithfully. This week on Greys Anatomy there was a scene in the OR between Dr. Calliope Torres and Dr. April Kepner. They are in the OR repairing a mans hand. Torres is the head surgeon and Kepner is assisting. Kepner is doing her usual whining about people not understanding the importance of the paperwork and scheduling she is doing. Torres stops and asks her “Do you want to be an administrative assistant? Is that what makes you heart sing.” Confused April looks at her and says no, of course not. To which Torres replies “then stop hiding behind paperwork and get in the OR and just do it, don’t eat, don’t sleep, just do this and she hands her the surgical tool needed to do the next portion of the surgery.” April, shocked takes the tool and says what you want me to place the K string. Torres says “Is it what makes your heart sing.” April says yes and Torres says then “do it.” For April Kepner and Calliope Torres healing people through surgery is what makes their heart sing, it is their promised land. See, I think as individuals our promised land is that for which God has gifted us with a passion that makes our hearts sing, that energizes us, that puts a smile on our face. For me, this right here is my promised land. Studying God’s word and taking it the step to apply it to our lives today and sharing it with people. I get energized by that and it makes my heart sing for days just to have the opportunity to do it. It makes my heart sing to talk about the passivity of Kingdom come right here on earth as it is in heaven. It makes my heart sing to share with someone that God’s love does not discriminate and everyone is a candidate for God’s grace. What makes your heart sing, what do you dream of doing, what is your passion. What is that thing that you are thinking about right this minute, I wish I would have……..That my friend Is your promised land. Some of you may already be in your promised land but for those of you who are not. Why are you not there. What keeps you from moving forward to realizing the dream. What are the obstacles before you. What is your Jordon River. I was called into ministry 30 years ago and I am here to tell you that I have had a Red Sea, a Wilderness and a Jordon River all to go through. There have been periods of time that I, Like the children of Israel have just wanted to go back to Egypt. There have been times that I have turned around and started back toward Egypt. The latest Obstacle for me was figuring out how in the world I could go back to school, take care of my special needs son, and pay my mortgage. At this stage stepping into the promised land means stepping out of a job I have been doing for 17 years. It means giving up a salary that comfortably paid my mortgage and my bills. That was a very hard thing to give up. Sometimes God forces us to give it up. That is what it finally took for me. I lost my job 6 weeks ago and immediately God began showing me the path to the promised land Before I could see that path though I had to step out of the comfort of my present job and display faith that God would provide. The Priests carrying the ark had to display faith by taking that step into the water. It was only then that the river parted and there was dry land to cross through.

There is another story in the new testament that demonstrates this as well. Look with Me at Matthew 14:17-22:

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

There the disciples are, in the comfort of the boat and Jesus comes walking up to them on the water. Peter says Lord, if it’s you tell me to come to you on the water and Jesus said come. Peter did as Jesus said and started walking toward Jesus on the water, but then he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. He hollered out Lord save me! Jesus reached down his hand and pulled him up and the two got into the boat.

This is yet another illustration that we have to take steps of faith away from what is comfortable in order to reach the promised land. John Ortberg writes a book solely focused on this passage of scripture. It is titled If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. There is a study guide that goes along with it and it’s a small group study I would encourage you to do one day. In the preface of the study guide he says “Peter’s walk stands as an invitation to everyone who, like him, wants to step out in faith and experience more of the power and presence of God. Water-walking is a picture of doing with God’s help what we could never do on our own”

This story of Joshua today is full of lessons for us. We could spend a few weeks bringing out each one but for Today this is the lesson I want to leave with you. Name your promised Land, then step into the water, get out of the boat, fix your eyes on Jesus and let God do the impossible in your life, let God bring you to the place that makes your heart sing!

A Time to Leave

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I couldn’t wait to get here this morning to see the beautiful mountain view from your over look. That spot out there has become one of my favorite places to be. I love seeing the colors of fall, smelling the brisk air, hearing the crunch of leaves under my boots, pulling on a big sweatshirt or sweater. For some people Fall is a depressing time of year. For some people the colors of the trees signal impending death of the leaves. For some people fall signals shorter days, longer nights, cold. It is a time of year they would rather not experience. The colors are brilliant but just when you start to enjoy them they are gone. Ecclesiastes says There is a time for everything, a season for everything under the sun. Today we are going to focus on a time for leaving. We all experience leaving and we all experience being left. A loved one leaves, as Ms. Bernice did, to go to their “next” assignment. A loved one moves away, our health gets to the point that we have to leave our homes, friends and loved ones die. We all know what it feels like to lose something/or someone.

Today our passage of scripture records the end of Moses life. Moses knew his life was coming to an end. It doesn’t seem fair to those of us who are reading the account. To remind you Moses had had quite the life in his 120 years. He was born at a time when the death of all Hebrew boys under the age of two was called for. His mother sacrificed being able to raise him, in order to save him. She put him in a basket and put him in the river. The Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and takes him home and Moses is raised as an Egyptian. He was raised with the best of everything and became a strong leader and warrior under Pharaoh’s direction and instruction. As an adult Moses fled Egypt and went to Midian where he married and began tending the flock of his father. It was during this time that God appeared to Moses and told him that the was to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses did not feel capable for the task but God told him different. God gave him his brother Aaron to help him with his speech as Moses had a problem with Stuttering. Moses went back to Egypt as God ordered. He led the people out of Egypt toward the land of Canaan; the promised land. As the story unfolds we experience the Israelites to be on a roller coaster ride of trust and faith in God, anger and questioning of God. They are at times very faithful to God and at other times so far from faithfulness that the slip back into practices of Idol worship. God never fails them. God always forgives them. During the time of wandering in the wilderness God provided manna for food and water from a rock. He sent clouds for them to follow. He provided the 10 commandments during this time as Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on a mountain communicating with God and receiving instruction. Moses faithfully followed God’s directions and faithfully lead the children of Israel to the promised land. However, we learn in today’s passage that Moses dies before he gets to enter the promised land. In fact just a few chapters previous to this one God reveals to Moses that because of his sin he would not enter the promised land. What was Moses’ sin. I mean we’ve listed all that he has accomplished. Well back when the Israelites were grumbling about not having water, which was right after they had grumbled about not having food and God provided them with food, rather than trusting God, Moses questioned if God was going to provide for the Children of Israel. When God gave him direction Moses didn’t follow the directions precisely. He altered what God told him to do and did it his own way. This way brought the water. God still supplied but he was not pleased with Moses. For me this is a little bit scary here. Moses made one mistake and he doesn’t get to go in is that really fair? Let’s think about this for a moment. We are in the old testament. The Israelites are just getting to know God. Their view of God now is clearer then it was in the beginning of time. For them, sin brings death. There is no one sin greater than another. Sin is sin and Romans 8:28 tells us that the wages of sin is death. The early church got this view from the study of the Torah, the books from which we read the stories of Moses. Let’s look at that verse in Romans thought. The wages of sin is death BUT…..the GIFT of God is Eternal life through Jesus. What we have today is Jesus who paid that wage for us. We all have sinned. So, while it doesn’t seem quite fair, doesn’t seem like the mistake outweighed all the good Moses did. Moses doesn’t get to enter the promise land. He does get to see it. He climbs the mountain, He sees the land and he dies. If we read the previous chapters though we know that before he dies he reminds the children of Israel where they have come from. He reminds them of the history of God being wit them. Moses is 20 years old and in perfect health. No one but him is expecting this. Isn’t that how it is with us sometimes. How many times have we heard after someone dies, ” I just saw him yesterday, he was fine.” It just doesn’t seem fair. It certainly doesn’t seem fair that God would take someone’s life for one small mistake. Let’s think about that a minute. I want you to think about someone you know very well. Think about the first time you met them. What did you know about them? What did you think you knew about them. I’m thinking about my friend Allison. I first met her when she became my office mate at work. She came into our relaxed office with a business suit. She was rather quiet. I knew her name was Allison. What I thought was that she was stuffy and stuck up and that I was in trouble if she was going to be my office mate. Well, today I know much more about her. I know that she is funny, adventuresome, loyal. I know that when my son is in the ER she will come and sit with me. I know that when I am having to sit at a mental health facility with my son all night, waiting for him to be assessed and transported to a treatment facility that she will come and sit right beside me all night long. I know that she sees good in the people that most people have given up on. I know that she is one of my best friends. What does this have to do with our story today. Well, this. Think about the children of Israel. Think about Moses. They are of the first to begin to know who God is. They are wrapping their brains around how God responds to things and where God is in world happenings. As you read through the Bible you’re going to find that the view of God and the world changes the more that persons get to know who God is. In Deuteronomy we’re told that The sins of the father will be visited upon the son. In other words not only will the father die for his sins but his son will also.. That was Moses understanding of sin and God and consequences. Then we turn to Ezekiel 18 and we’re told to erase that, not to go by that. We’re told that each person is responsible for their own sin. We’re told that if the father is sinful, he will die but that if his son sees the error of his father and lives a righteous life that he will live. That is Ezekiel’s understanding. Then we go on into the new Testament and Paul reveals that God is full of grace and forgiveness. He understands that God loves unconditionally and that his gift is eternal life. When we look back on the history of the Israelites we know this has always been the case. Adam and Eve lived after they blatantly disobeyed God. Cain lived after he killed Able. Noah was in a drunken state and lived. Sarah laughed and mocked God when she was told she was going to have a baby, yet she still gave birth to Isaac and she lived. Jacob lived after tricking his father and his brother. Not only did he live but he became the father of the nation that God called his very own. Joseph’s brother sold him into slavery, they lived. The children of Israel doubted God, worshipped idols, over and over they failed God and over and over God forgave them and provided for them. They had all the evidence there that God is a loving and gracious God but it took years upon years for them to get it and understand it. Why even today don’t we find ourselves asking what we have done to deserve the bad that happens in our lives. We still sometimes hold onto the belief that when something bad happens we must be at fault. God must be punishing us. The truth is this Moses died. He was healthy, there was no sign that he was ill but yet he died. We don’t know how he died. Perhaps he had a heart attack, perhaps he had an aneurism. These are things that rob us of people too soon, unexpectedly.. I think of John Thomas a young pastor in Asheville who had a great vision. He walked among the homeless on the streets of Asheville. He had a heart for sharing God’s love with the least, the last, and the lost. He had started a new church. HE was in the prime of his life at 40 y/o. He was healthy. He had a beautiful wife and two sons who depended on him. He was close to realizing his dreams and his vision yet one day his wife went to the church to find him face down on the floor, dead. These things happen. So, our first lesson in today’s lesson is that perhaps Moses death was not a punishment at all. Perhaps God gave Moses a gift by letting him know that he was not going to make it to the promised land. Perhaps it was a gift that knowing Moses’ time on earth was through that he was able to climb that Mountain and see all that God had promised, to know that his work had not been futile but that he would die knowing that God kept his promise of bringing the children of Israel to the promised land. The second lesson is that we need to get to know God. How do you get to know God. You get to know him the same way you get to know anyone, by spending time with him, reading about him, asking questions.

What else does this story of Moses death have for us this morning? Following Moses Death he was buried by God but know one knew where his grave was. Why was this? How was this? Some persons believed that God used Angels to bury him, some believe that Moses went into a cave to die, thus burying himself. Some believe that he went straight to heave with God just as Elijah had. This would make sense because in Matthew Jesus appears to the disciples with Moses and Elijah. The How is not as important as the Why. It seems that all scholars agree that the reason Moses’ burial place was unknown was because of God’s knowledge of the Israelites propensity toward idol worship. There was a fear that the Israelites would idolize Moses through his burial place. The message here is that while it is important to hold onto the lessons we are taught by our mentors and those who teach us and lead us to the promised land. We are never to idolize them. Moses knew he was dying. He knew his time with the Israelites was almost over. What we see in the previous chapters is him gathering the tribes around him and giving each tribe a departing message of hope. It’s important that we share those lessons we have learned over the years with those around us and within our circle of influence. It’s equally important that we point them away from us and toward the only being worthy of worship……God.

Next, this passage of scripture illustrate to us that there is a time to mourn. The Israelite upon learning of Moses’ death mourned until the time of mourning was up. Joseph mourned for his father for 7 days. The Israelites mourned for Aaron for 30 days. Popular belief was that the time of mourning for Moses was 30 days. In Jewish tradition 30 days was the normal time of mourning. There is a very strict formula for what is to be done during this period of mourning with the first 7 days after burial being a private time of mourning just for family. The family sits in the home of the deceased during those seven days finding comfort in each other and comfort in their memories. Following the 7 days, the family continues to mourn but friends and acquaintances are welcome to join with them. They begin doing more day to day activities but it is not until after 30 days that they resume their normal day to day activities such as work. Grieving is an important time of healing and this is recognized by the Israelites. They take time out to remember all that Moses had been to them. They celebrate his life, they mourn his loss.

Then comes the next lesson. Vs. 9 “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.”

A new leader takes over. God, through Moses had been preparing Joshua to be the next leader of the Israelites. If we look back at the story we know that Joshua was one of the friends who held Moses’ hands up during the battle against the Amelikites when Moses was getting too tired to hold them on his own. We know that of the spies that were sent into Canaan to assess the situation that only Joshua and Caleb saw the good, the potential and had the confidence that they would be able to invade the Promised Land. All others became fearful and distrustful and wanted to give up. It was Joshua who God chose to lead the children across the Jordon to possess the Promised Land. God had earlier instructed Moses to lay hands on him, commission him and give him authority which he did.

I’m reminded here of the recent loss of a 21st century icon, Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs knew he was dying and 1 month prior to his death he resigned as CEO of Apple. “Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team.

Steve Jobs knew for Apple to continue to be successful after he was gone it would be important to attract the most creative and world class executives he could. He brought them in and he taught them all he knew. When his death was near he commissioned the next CEO of Apple.

There are a couple of lessons to learn from this. First, know that when someone leaves God has gifted another to continue the vision and mission. Secondly, know that it’s important for you to share your expertise, knowledge and wisdom with others. I have always said that when someone loses a loved one that as long as they continue to share the memories and the lessons they learned from that person, a piece of that person will always live on.

Lastly in this passage we are told that there is never another prophet such as Moses who has seen God face to face. This is an end of the error. This is the end of the Torah. NO longer is the Torah enough to bring us to the promised land. We are pointed forward, beyond the land of Canaan, to a promised land of God’s Kingdom. From this point forward that is what we as God Followers strive for. We strive for the establishment of God’s kingdom right here on earth.

So friends, as you think on this passage of scripture today remember the following:

The Israelites do not yet fully know God. It is important that we get to know God fully through spending time with him, asking questions, reading about Him.
Do not idolize people but recognize them for the unique contribution they had on your journey.
There is a time to mourn, take that time during periods of life.
There is a time to move forward and God will be with you and prepare a way for you to move forward.
While you are here on this earth make sure you share your stories, experiences, wisdom and expertise with others so that your contributions to the journey will live on.
Pass on wisdom you learn from those who are in your life.
Do your part in establishing Kingdom here on earth.

Finally friends, it is fall, a time of leaving. Don’t miss out on the colors for fear of what comes after. What comes after is going to come whether you take time to enjoy the colors or not. And never forget that the God of love, grace, forgiveness and mercy is with you every step of the way.

What do the 5 Best Pizzarias in Atlanta have in common with the Children of Israel?

This week’s passage of scripture transports us back into the Wilderness where the Israelites have escaped bondage in Egypt and are headed to their destined Promised Land. When we left the wilderness two weeks ago God had just made provisions of food for the Israelites. To catch you up on what has happened since then: They camped in a place where there was no water. The children of Israel again complained that God was not with them. God, again shows up and provides them with water. Following that there is battle with the Amalekites, giants, and God is with them through Moses and through two friends of Moses as Moses holds up his hands becoming a symbol of force bringing the Israelites victory over the Amalekites. Moses was then visited by his father-in-law wife and children. His father-in-law recognizes that Moses is up from dawn until dark surrounded by the children of Israel who are bringing their disputes and questions to him and he passes judgments and makes decisions. His father in law wisely tells him he can’t do it all and gives him some advice for being a delegator of responsibilities. That leads us to today as Moses stands at the foot of Mount Sinai, leaving the people to climb the mountain and be in the presence of God in a way that no man had ever been before. Look at the description. This is in Chapter 19: Listen with all your senses, imagine what this scene would look like in a movie:

16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain[b] trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.[c]

These are the only words that could describe that moment of being in the presence of our awesome God. Then we get the famous Ten Commandments. When I saw that the passage this morning was the Ten Commandments, I was stumped. What do I do with the Ten Commandments? A sermon could be written on each one alone. Whole books have been written around the ten commandments. The Ten Commandments have been the subject of much controversy. There are people who do not wanting them displayed in court houses and people who think it blasphemy not to display them. . What do I do with the Ten Commandments? A Whole Movie is made of the Ten Commandments. I put my usual posting on face book in search of reactions. The First reaction: “Thou shalt not break any of the ten.” Well now that is short, sweet and easy. We could leave now and beat the entire church crowd to the lunch tables this morning. Then there was this from my brother: “Thou shall put no other brother before me, though shall make my brother dinner once a week, thou shall clean my brothers house, thou shall bring your brother breakfast every morning....for starters” He came from the angle of creating his own ten commandments, ones that would be advantageous to him. Do we do that sometimes? A mention to my Uncle about the subject of the Ten commandments brought about a discussion of law vs. grace. Many people believe that being a Christian is all about living by a code of thou shalt nots. There are lots of judgments against people who break the thou shalt nots. The thing that I’ve realized over the years however are that many of the thou shalt nots are about things that have nothing to do with the ten commandments. They were human made commands or understandings of commands. This was my face book prompt for this week. What are some of the “commands” you associate with Christianity and others views of Christianity. This is kind of how those go:

Thou shalt not drink alcohol.
Thou shalt not dance.
Thou shalt not wear make-up.
Thou shalt not curse.
Thou shalt not have tattoos.
thou shalt not cut your hair.
thou shalt not wear your hair long,
Thou shalt not wear makeup.
,Thou shalt not pierce your ears,
Thou shalt not wear jewelry.
Thou shalt not marry someone of another race, denomination, gender, faith etc.
Thou shalt not listen to secular music.
Thou shalt not eat meat on Friday.
Thou shalt not do anything fun or pleasurable from sun down on Friday until Sundown on Saturday.
Or maybe thou shalt not do anything for pleasure at all.
Thou shalt not do anything resembling work on Sunday, ,especially mow the yard.
Thou Shalt not seek truth about God or the afterlife outside of the Bible or you will be cast into hell.
Thou shalt not ever play any kind of card game.
Women shalt not wear pants ever.

The list could go on and on. I imagine if I opened the question up to the congregation this morning we could make a list of 30 more. Let me make it clear that I am not endorsing nor negating any of these as being right or wrong. The point is many times ones perception of Christianity encompasses the above rules that are outside the Ten Commandments. The focus becomes so much on law and rule following that we completely miss out on what it really means to be a follower of God. What happens to the God of I John 4:7-8? “Beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who Loves is born of God and Knows God. He that Loves not knows not God for God is Love.” What happens to the God of Grace and Mercy. The God that is the focus of Micah 6:8 “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Is there a place for rules and commandments and law in the midst of this mercy and grace? I like what my friend, Russ Conner had to say about this. He says As he read all of the responses above he replied: “Wow...we really have no idea who our God really is. Looks like everyone else grew up with the same bad theology that I did. Very sad that we were not taught that he gave us gaurd rails to protect us from pain, but instead we were taught He is this big, mean, angry God with all of these impossible rules. So glad I finally learned the truth...it changes everything. To clarify further he states: “These "rules" came from my family and church, not from God. God gives us gaurd rails because he knows if we go off the path we are going to experience pain. What I have recently learned is that the actual commandments were given in love to spare us pain. Much of what I was taught was not biblical, but "religion", and in my humble opinion religion is what pushes people away from Christ.

The other thing I really like about sermon writing is making sure that I find out what Jesus has to say about a particular topic. What does Jesus have to say about the Law? Look at Matthew 22:36-40. 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If you look at these two commands and then look at the 10 commandments you will find the truth in this. The commandments can be divided into two sections. The first section defines how we love God and the 2nd sections defines our relationships with others. There is a third component to this however. Love your neighbor as yourself. I remember my 4th grade Sunday School teacher, Marietta Crayton, doing a Sunday school lesson around this verse. She had three boxes we looked in to see what we were to love based on these two commands. Why three boxes? The first box had a picture of God. The second box had a picture of other people symbolizing our neighbor. But what would be in the third box. As we veered into the third box there was a mirror, we were viewing ourself. She explained, to love your neighbor as yourself first implies that we love our selves for who God created us to be. What a powerful lesson to learn at 8 or 9 years old.

So the question? Is there a place for Rules and Laws in the midst of an atmosphere and love and Grace. This weekend at cousins weekend we had a pizza contest. My Uncle and cousin and her husband have been in search of the best pizza in Atlanta for the last 6 months or so. They narrowed it down to their 5 favorite Pizzerias.. Last night they brought in a pizza from each of the 5 pizzerias and we voted on which we felt was the best pizza. As I sat at the table writing this sermon, they sat around the table picking the pizzas they were going to order, deciding how they were going to keep all the pizza’s warm while picking them up and bringing them to the house, and deciding on how the vote was going to go. They decided that they would need a vote monitor who would serve to make sure that none of the tasters voted twice or cheated in any way. Well I got to thinking if we needed rules and monitors for a pizza contest, how much more do we need rules for life. I go back to what my friend, Russ Conner, said. God gave us guardrails to keep us from experiencing pain. That IS the God of Love and Mercy. What kind of parent would I be if I allowed my son to just do what he felt like doing when he felt like doing it. What kind of parent would I be if I didn’t set up those guardrails to keep him from experiencing pain, or worse death.

Barbara Brown Taylor has written a sermon on the text in chapter 19 of Exodus that sets the scene for today's passage, when Moses went up high on the mountain at Sinai, and an extraordinary (and very long) conversation began. She entitles her sermon, "Peculiar Treasures," because that's what the people were to the God who had brought them out of bondage, out into the wilderness on their way to a new life. One is reminded of treasures in the way she describes the story of this people: "God's covenant with their grandfather Abraham had three shining jewels in it: descendants as plentiful as the stars in the sky, a special relationship to God, and a land of milk and honey all their own." But "something was still missing," she writes, "something Moses went up the mountain to get" (Gospel Medicine).

When you are searching to reach your promised land, make sure you have the right guardrails to guide you along the way. And remember God’s presence with you along the way.

We remember God’s presence this morning as we come to the table together this morning not just as one community of faith but with the world community of faith. We are reminded that at God’s table there is no male or female, Greek or Jew, black or white, there is no nationality, no denomination. God’s table is for all. Let us prepare to come to God’s table.

Wilderness Grumbling

Wilderness Grumblings:
http://www.zshare.net/download/946931767576ae0c/ To Listen

I so love the book of Exodus. Reading it so closely parallels my Christian walk and I imagine the walk of many Christians. The nation of Israel is rescued by God, get comfortable, began straying from God, need rescuing again, call on God and then are again rescued by God. Isn’t that a common story? How easy it is to forget God’s presence with us when things are going well, when things get comfortable. How quickly we remember who is in charge of it all when things become uncomfortable and hard. Such is this story today. If you have been following the Exodus story you know that God used Moses to deliver the nation of Israel, who were serving as slaves in Egypt, out of Egypt. It is in this story that persons get an up close and personal look at the intervention of God in our world. It begins with the deliverance from the Egyptian Army as the red sea is parted for Israel to go through and then returns to cover and drown the Egyptian army who is in pursuit of Israel. It continues at Horeb when there is no water in the wilderness and God provides water. It continues on into our story today. The Israelite have been wandering through the desert for about 47 days now. There provisions have run out. They are worried that they will die here in the desert. They begin grumbling and complaining to and about Moses and Aaron. “We were better off enslaved in Egypt at least there we had plenty to eat.” Their growling stomachs overtake the memory of oppression in Egypt. They forget the promise of Cannan. They question whether they should be following Moses. Moses seeks God’s help. God provides. He provides enough for each day and on the 6th day he provides enough for two days so that the Sabbath can be observed.

When I read this scripture yesterday I was immediately struck by it’s immediate application to my own journey right now. 9 years ago I awoke in the middle of the night with a message from God. Revelation 3:2-3 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. For me the message was clear. Since a little girl, baptizing my brothers and my sister in the bath-tub, I knew that God had a call on my life. Funny that my sister sent me this face-book message this morning: Happy preachin'! Funny that the gal who used to baptize me in the bathtub, wheelbarrow, toilet, or whatever water she could find is preaching at the Methodist churches! Could have saved me alot of trauma if you woulda just sprinkled!
On that night 8 years into my Social work career God said “Kelly, renew that; remember it, it’s time to do what I asked you to do.” I’ve spent the last 9 years continuing in that career and trying to find an easy and comfortable route to answer that call. I’ve never denied that my promised land was right here, behind a pulpit or in a hospital room, or in the funeral home. However, I kept looking for the easy way out. I kept trying to find a route that wouldn’t take me through the wilderness. Would it really be the financially responsible thing to do to leave a good paying job where I do serve people and go blindly toward this promised land not knowing how I would pay my bills? In December I took a 2 month mental health sabbatical from my job. During those two months I said to a friend “I’m done with Social Work and I know why. I go in these peoples houses everyday trying to help them find solutions for getting out of these hard places they find themselves in. The one answer that I have for them I can’t give them because I work for the government. Jesus is the answer, I can’t give them Jesus. I had this revelation yet I returned to the bondage of Social Work and I continued on. Over the past few weeks our church has been doing a church wide challenge of reading the Bible in 90 days. The first couple of weeks were purely focused on God’s call not always being the easy thing, on God’s call sometimes meaning to choose what is hard rather than what is easy. Too many times we want to stay where it is comfortable. Moses didn’t want to answer God’s call. He was plenty comfortable where he was. Sometimes God has to push us. I got pushed very hard on Friday of this week when my Social Work career of 17 years in child welfare ended. I had known for a couple of weeks this was a real possibility. The demands of keeping up with a caseload and meeting the mandates of the State had finally taken a toll on me. I couldn’t keep up. I’ve told others I felt like I was riding a stationary bicycle. I would work and work and work and at the end of the day, my caseload would look the same. As I faced the possibility of being dismissed from my job I prayed that God would lead the decision. I put my trust in that decision, knowing that God had a plan. During that couple of weeks songs of encouragement continually flowed into my space. God sent messengers along the way to affirm me. God sent scriptures to encourage me. I grieved a lot. I fought to stay in Midian, or in Egypt. I fought not to be kicked out into the wilderness. The wilderness: where I wouldn’t be assured of making my house payments, paying my light bill, putting food on the table. The wilderness: where I would have to be fully and totally dependent on God. As I sat in my car the morning I was to make my final plea. I received a call from the pastor of a church in Arden that I sometimes fill in for, asking me to preach for him in October. Later that same day, I received a facebook message from your pastor asking me to preach at Longs for him on Oct 2. Yesterday I received the call from your pastor asking me to preach today. In 48 hours God sent me 5 preaching assignments and in essence said “follow me, I will provide.” So, here I am, in the wilderness, looking toward the Promised Land and trusting in God for my daily provisions. That is exactly where the Hebrews stood. Let’s take a closer look.
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Isn’t it our nature that when things go wrong. When bad things start to happen, we always have to find someone to blame. Much of the time we blame our leaders. It’s much easier to do that than to look within and see what we could do differently. Complaining is contagious and thus we have the whole nation complaining about Moses and Aaron. There is chaos. Rather than putting their corporate minds together to come up with a solution to the problem, they put they corporate minds together to fuel anger against Moses and Aaron. We have the makings here of a coup, of an uprising from the people against their leaders. I remember sitting in the stands at my brother’s high school basketball game one time. The coach’s mother was behind me and the boys were not playing well that night. She would holler come on boys and she would turn to the person next to her and say don’t they understand his job is at stake. I found that absurd but learned that it was true. If the team doesn’t do well it is the coach’s fault. It doesn’t matter what talent he has or doesn’t have in the group he’s been given. When things go bad in the corporate world, the blame ultimately lies on the CEO and when things go wrong with our nation, it is ultimately the fault of the President. And here in the desert, the fact that they are out of food becomes the fault of Moses and Aaron.
They have forgotten that it was Moses who heard their cries and pleas in Egypt. It was Moses that interceded with God on their behalf. They forget the horrid conditions of their slavery in Egypt. They exaggerate the “good” in Egypt. They long to go back. They would have rather died by the plagues and had a full belly. They also forget all that God has already brought them through. They forget the parting of the sea. They forget the provisions of water. Name your bondage. What keeps you captive? What keeps you from making that first step of faith toward your promised land? Is it fear? Have you forgotten the number of times that God has made provisions for you? Who are you grumbling against? Who are you blaming? Is it your pastor, Your Boss, Your county commissioners, your senators?
Moving on: in the next few verses we see that God hears the grumbling and as is the Nature of God, God graciously hears the grumblings and responds, assuring Moses that provisions will be made for the people. At the same time he wants to make sure they understand where these provisions are coming from. He wants them to understand who is really in charge. Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” God spells out to Moses how the provisions are to be handled. Each person is to gather 3 pounds of Manna when it appears for each person that is with them. They are to gather no more that that. Why is that do you think? Well reading on we see this. So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.
11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”
Moses tells the people, you know what, your deliverance from Egypt was not my plan, it was God’s plan. When you grumble against us, you are grumbling against God. God is going to reveal himself to the people, once again. They have taken for Granted the presence of God in the cloud that is leading them every day. They have forgotten that God is with them. They have quit trusting. They have lost faith. And as Aaron tells them of the provisions God is going to make for them God appears to them by making the cloud brighter or altering it in some magnificent way to remind them of God’s presence with them. What has God placed in your life to assure you of his presence. Have you forgotten it? Have you taken it for granted? Have you forgotten who is in control of your life? Have you forgotten who is leading you? God has a promise for you. He will provide. You have to trust in his presence. You have to trust that he is intimately aware of your circumstances and he is leading you to the Promised Land.
The provisions are not the only lesson to be learned in the desert that day though. Let’s look at the rest of the story: The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
The other lesson in here is one of disobedience, of greed, and again of lack of trust. God had told them. I will provide for you daily. Only gather enough for one day. Some of them have to put them to the test. What id the fine. They couldn’t do this by their on means, on their own. The extra food turned into maggot infested food. God is sending a message. Quit depending on your selves for your provisions. You need to recognize that you can’t do this on your own. You must trust in me.
Friends what has you in bondage this morning? Is it an addiction? Is it a grudge against someone? Is it a job? Is it an unhealthy relationship? Is it material things? Is it the way you’ve always done things. Change, even good change is difficult for us. We get comfortable in the familiar, even when the familiar is not good for us. Letting go is not easy. Sometimes we hold on to our bondage so tight that it threatens our very lives. We have to make that first step. We have to put our toe in the red sea, heading toward the desert and many times we have to go through the desert to get to the Promised Land. What this story tells us today is that God is with us in that desert, we have to trust though. We are so tempted to try to figure it out on ourselves, to be self-reliant. But our own plans, our own efforts; like the manna, spoils. Remember the story of Peter walking on water. Jesus calls to Peter to get out of the comfort of the boat and to step out into the sea. Peter does. He fixes his eyes on Jesus and steps out of the boat and begins walking on water toward Jesus. But the moment he takes his eyes off Jesus he begins to sink. Jesus rescues him. “Oh ye of little faith.” Is God calling you to step out of the comfort of the boat this morning? Well fix your eyes on him, he will sustain you. He will provide you with your daily bread.
This morning you are called out of bondage. You are called into the desert of the unknown. You are called into the presence of God. You are called to Trust and Obey. Step out. Take that step of faith God has been urging you to take. Depend on Him. He will not fail you and He will bring you to the Promised Land.

Let the Master Teach You How to Multiply

Matthew 14:13-23

I am preaching this sermon on July 31, 2011, the day that the descendents of Charles and Annie Mae Wilson Dotson converge upon Asheville for an afternoon of sharing memories, breaking bread together, playing music together and just plain enjoying each other. That’s right; this is the weekend of the annual Dotson family reunion. Anyone who knows my family knows that there are two weekends that are sacred. Our companions and friends know not to ask us to do anything other than be with the cousins the weekend of Thanksgiving and the last weekend in July. Our first cousins Damien and Jessica are extensions of our sibling group and we don’t dare miss a second of our available time with them. The weekend is generally spent up on our family mountain just being together. We eat, we sit on the deck, we talk, we laugh, and sometimes we might even cry. We play games, we play music. On Saturday we play golf and on Sunday morning we enjoy a church service together and a meal with the whole extended family. So, the people of Cruso UMC and Longs UMC must know how dearly they are loved and have been missed for when their pastor called and told me he needed me on July 31st, I didn’t hesitate one moment to say yes. Fitting that today’s story has to do with Jesus’ love for his first cousin and with eating. Let’s delve in…..

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing unto you Oh God. Empty me of all of me, fill me with all of you as I share your word for these great people this morning.

Sermon:

As the scripture was read to you today, it was a familiar one, Jesus using a lad’s lunch to feed 5000 people. I put the word out on facebook to get people’s reaction to the story, looking for where people connect with the story. Many went with the obvious: Jesus can do the impossible. Some connected with the crowd in the story, some connected with the boy, some connected with disciples, some even connected with the boys mother imagining her reaction when her son comes home and tells her his lunch provided food for 5,000 people. It was so much fun to have this discussion with my uncle, a distant cousin, an old high school class mate, an old church friend/mentor, and a current church member. It was fun to watch the conversation between persons who didn’t know each other and to see them learn from each other as they wrestled with this scripture. My friend Kay Free summed it up well when she said “Isn't it awesome how God's word is relevant for each person and touches each one in a different way depending where they are in life? Some relate to the crowd, some the feedings, some the disciples or the child. It is truly the Living Word!” As we go through this familiar story may you see some things with fresh eyes today. May the living word touch you in the place where it is needed today.

The story today begins with the news to Jesus from the disciples that John the Baptist has been murdered. Jesus’s response was to get away. He got in a boat and begin leaving the shore. However, the crowd followed on foot having heard of and experienced the previous miracles/healings Jesus had performed they were all bringing their sick and ailing loved ones to him. This is the first stop on our journey through the story today. John the Baptist was Jesus’s first cousin. He was the one who leaped in the womb when Mary came to tell his mother she was with child. He was the one who prepared the way for Jesus to come. He was the one who was there for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry by baptizing him. Jesus is certainly grieved at the news of his murder. Matthew records this story as Jesus getting in the boat and going to a solitary place. John records Jesus taking the disciples with him. Nonetheless, as Jesus does many times throughout the stories of scripture-----he retreats. He needs time to commune with the Father and with his closest friends. Jesus rows through the waters probably discussing his grief with his friends, anxious to get to a solitary place, only to find that it is not so solitary at all because the crowd has followed. He looks up and there on the shore are thousands of people expecting something from him. I’m trying to imagine that. I remember last year when my nephew was born only to die the first call I made was to my boss telling her I would not be at work. Work was the last place I wanted to be. I wanted to soak up my family, stay close to them and receive the love of my friends and I wanted to sleep. Then again, I think of a preaching engagement I had on April 9th and 10th at a retirement village in Arden. On April 8th my grandfather went into a coma. The person responsible for scheduling the preachers for those services texted me and called me several times letting me know that I could cancel, they would understand. I couldn’t though, God had given me a word and I needed to do it. I knew my grandfather would want me to and I did. In a way it was healing to me.

Jesus looked out at that crowd in the midst of his grief and compassion came over him. Compassion: Accoriding to wikkipedia it means to suffer together with. It is also listed as more than empathy, it is an active desire to alleviate ones suffering. So, Jesus while even in his on suffering had an active desire to alleviate the suffering of that multitude of people. That is who Jesus is. Are you suffering in any part of your life right now. Suffering with grief, sickness, worry, pain, addiction…….Jesus enters into your suffering with you and desires greatly to alleviate it. Do you, like Jesus in this story, have your own grief and suffering that consumes you…..perhaps compassion for others is just the healing you need right now.

Moving forward, Jesus spends all day healing the sick and speaking with the multitude. The disciples, likely hungry themselves, come to him and tell him that he needs to wind it up, the people need time to get back to the villages and eat. When Jesus was ministering there was no clock on the back wall, or outside the sound booth to signal him that time was up. There was no wife or husband pointing to a watch or giving a cut signal. So, the disciples play timekeeper and approach. Jesus’s response, nonsense, we will feed them. Not only does Jesus care about the crowds’ spiritual needs, their needs of healing. He cares about there basic need of food. He supplies that too. Everytime I hear this story I’m reminded of one of my favorite childhood memories. It was participating in a children’s musical written by Dottie Rambo: Down by the Creek Bank. The sanctuary of Gashes Creek Baptist church was transformed into a creek bank with fishing poles, lunch buckets. One of my favorite lines in the whole musical, I got to say. “When Jesus fed those 5000 people it must have been with Tuna fish cause Tuna goes a loooooooong way.” Then the song that went along with it. “Little barefoot boy walking through the land, what you got in that basket in your hand. There’s 5,000 people waiting to be fed, what you gonna do with that fish and bread. You’ve got to give it away, pass it around, turn your baskets upside down. I can tell by the smile and the twinkle in your eye, the master has taught you how to multiply, Let the master teach you how to multiply.

That is exactly what happened. The disciples doubt. Really Jesus, all we have is 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. We can’t feed all those people with that. Let me make it just a little more amazing. We’re not talking about some great big Whale fish or 5 big loaves of bread like we think of today. It was small enough that a boy was carrying it for lunch. The loaves are thought to be barley loaves and were more like little cakes. It is thought the fish were probably like sardines. Really Jesus? How often do we do just what the disciples did. You want me to do what Jesus? But…….I can’t, what about, I don’t have. Take the I out of it folks. With Jesus all things are possible. Jesus told the disciples. Tell the crowd to sit down in the grass, you will serve them. Then Jesus took all the boy had and he held it up, he blessed it and the disciples began to distribute it. There is a lot packed into those few words. #1. Jesus used a little boy to provide a meal to the crowd. Again God is using the unsuspected to accomplish a great thing. #2. The little boy gave all that he had without question. Oh that we all had the faith of a child. While the disciples question Jesus the little boy hands all he has over to God and lets it be used to further God’s kingdom. Reminds you somewhat of the story of the widows mite doesn’t it? Do we trust God with all that we’ve got. Do we have the faith of this little boy? I was interested in finding out what kind of difference kids are making in our own world. I found Oprah’s Angel Network where there were several stories of young children having compassion and acting on it with what they have. Here is just one of those stories:

"My name is Zach and I started walking to help homeless youth two years ago. November 2007 was the first ever National Homeless Youth Awareness month and I wanted to do something huge that would bring a lot of awareness to the 1.3 million homeless kids living in this country. I decided to walk from my hometown in Florida 280 miles to the capitol of Florida (Tallahassee). It was a huge success and I raised $25,000 in cash and supplies that I was able to use to help the Katrina victims.
In November 2008 I decided to continue my journey and walk from state capitol to state capitol, until I made it to Washington, D.C. So, I walked from Tallahassee to Atlanta. I raised around $17,000. Of that, $7,000 stays in Florida to help homeless kids and $10,000 will go to Habitat for Humanity in Macon, Ga., to help a family get their own house.
In May 2009 I plan on going all the way, 680 miles, from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., stopping in two more state capitols along the way. I hope that I can get 1,000 people to walk my last mile in Washington, D.C., from the White House to the steps of the capitol. I hope I can continue to talk to school groups, clubs and churches along the way to raise awareness. I hope to be a positive role model to kids who are interested in doing community service. I hope kids see me and see that they can do anything they put their mind to." Borrowed from Oprah Angel Network website

Is that not amazing?

I wonder what you have in your pocket right now. I am not going to really do this exercise but I did ponder it. Imagine it in your head. What if I got the offering plate and sent it around with the instruction of taking whatever money you have in your wallet right now and putting it in the offering plate. I wonder how many people God could feed with that. Then I wonder if we added that to what the folks at Longs would have. How many people could we feed. I passed xx churches or signs to churches from my house to this church this morning . I wonder how many people we could feed if everyone in all of those churches did that? Then I pondered more: forget everything you have in your wallet. What if everyone sitting in a pew in Haywood County today gave everything in their wallet/pocket up to 1.00. How many people would that feed. The Open Door in Waynesville serves 20,000 meals a year to hungry persons. They operate on a budget of 100,000. We have the community kitchen in Canton as well. 38.00 a month will provide for 1 child through compassion international. What if when spiral hams go on sale instead of just buying one, you buy two and take one to one of these kitchens. Folks we don’t have to be Millionaires to make a difference. We can be the holder of 2 little sardines. We can be the holder of just one mite. If we give what we have to God he will multiply it. Let the Master teach you how to multiply! In fact God takes the little we give him and he multiplies it in excess. There were 12 basketfuls leftover.

After this was done Jesus dismissed the disciples and told them to go on ahead. He dismissed the crowd and then he went on the mountainside to pray. This is the final lesson of todays story. Jesus earlier prayer time, retreat time, time of solitude was interrupted by the needs of the crowd. Jesus does not forget his need for communication with God, alone time, a time of retreat. Immediately afterwards he does just that. How often do we sit down and commune with god in a solitary place. For Jesus it’s almost always a mountainside where he finds retreat. Where do you find retreat? Is it in a garden outside your house, is it in a sacred space, it is reclining on your couch, is it in your car on your commute to work. The place is irrelevant. What iw relavant though is the need to find time to self and create consistent time with God. It will make a difference, I promise.

In closing Out of this story we are called to:

Come out of ourselves and have Compassion for those who crowd us, to have a deep desire to alleviate the suffering of those around us.

Speak our doubts and frustrations to God but to still obey with the faith of a child.

To give what we have to God and let God multiply it.

Have solitary, meditative time with God to heal our own broken spirits.

What action do you need to take this week to live out the lessons of this story. Do you know this God of compassion who enters into your suffering world? As we sing this final hymn think about how you are to respond to this word today. You may want to use the prayer rail to meditate on this for a while. I open it up to you.

Growing Together in Fields of Grace

Matthew 13:24-43


Our passage of scripture this morning places us right in the thick of Jesus’s Ministry. He has been going about teaching his disciples, speaking in the synagogues, addressing the Pharisees questions, walking through grain fields, teaching when questions arise. As I prepared for this sermon one thing that struck me as new was how Jesus was ever ready for “teachable moments.” This reminded me of my Uncle Stan, on of the more patient persons I know. Stan spent 12 years as the Dean of the Lifeworks partnership at Mars Hill College. One part of his job was working with students in the Bonner scholarship program, a scholarship that required community service projects. My brother was an upperclassman at Mars Hill and the recipient of one of the scholarships. As am upperclassman he was in a leadership role and the driver of one of the vans. The freshman class of Bonner scholars had arrived on campus and they were having their orientation retreat. They had completed a service project in the morning, had broken for lunch and were to meet back at a designated time and place for their afternoon community service project. My brother took his group of anxious freshmen back to campus to see their dorms and such and they ended up sitting around, talking, cutting up and getting to the after lunch meeting destination VERY late. Stan stood their waiting. He was driving another van but gave the keys to another person able to drive and got in the passengers seat of the van Kris was driving where he quietly as they drove to the next destination explained to my brother the responsibilities of a leader, of making sure that his group remained together, of making sure that they were on time. He pointed out that there were people depending on them to get a job done today at a certain time and the tardiness could really affect them. My brother, ashamed that he had disappointed his uncle, began apologizing profusely. My Uncles response, “no, no, no, let’s just consider this a teachable moment. Thus was the first of many teachable moments. I wonder if Stan didn’t learn this teachable moment technique from his studies of the life of Jesus; for in reading through Matthew we find Jesus walking through grain fields, being asked questions, using the moment and the setting to teach a new lesson about “the Way”---about the Kingdom. Right at the end of chapter 12 he gets word that his mother and brothers want to speak to him. He says: “who are my mother and brother?” He then says, as he points to his disciples, “For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus uses this moment to teach the crowd something else about “The Way.” People who are followers of Christ treat each other as family. They take care of each other; they take this journey called life together. Imagine what that might mean to the person whose family has rejected them, or to the orphan, or to the widow. Don’t worry my friends, you follow God’s way that I am showing you, you accept all of this love that’s being offered to you and you have inherited yourself a family. Does that mean Jesus has rejected his biological family? Does that mean those of us who are part of a strong family are supposed to reject our families in order to follow Jesus? No! Jesus is very clear to us about the responsibility we have for our parents, the responsibility parents have for their children. Jesus shows us on the cross that he has not rejected his family when he looks down from the cross at his mother and his beloved friend John and says: John, your mother, Mama, your son. As he is dying he makes sure he gives instruction for his mother and his friend to be taken care of. Why a whole sermon could be written just on that little nugget right there. But…..we have only just begun.

It is at that point that we enter into chapter 13, where our text is found today. Jesus has left the house where he is staying with his disciples. As soon as he walks out the door a crowd begins to gather, anxious to hear more about this Kingdom way of living. There are so many that Jesus has to get on a boat so everyone can see and hear. From the boat he begins to tell stories. What! Don’t you mean he preaches? No, he begins to tell stories. What! He doesn’t start reading from the scriptures? He doesn’t start telling them all about God and salvation? He doesn’t hand them tracts pointing them to the Roman Road? He doesn’t paint a gruesome picture of hell? What he talks about planting and farmers, and helpers, and seeds and harvesting, and cooking? Well, if you are wondering this, you are not alone for the disciples wondered this as well…..and they ask him. See, here is another lesson, a teachable moment for the disciples. Jesus explains to them that while they have been with him all along and witnessed all these miraculous things, the people out there, they haven’t. Would they even begin to understand if he spoke to them in the language of The Way, in Religionese. I’m reminded of the first time I had the opportunity to preach as a lay speaker. I was so excited and invited one of my best friends and her 8 year old daughter to come. My friend is not a Christian but I knew that she cared enough about me that she would come support me in this new endeavor. She was excited for me. After the service she was there waiting with a huge hug telling me how proud of me she was. Later, as we talked more about the experience she shared with me that as we told the congregation that we were singing hymn # whatever, her daughter said “What’s a hymn book.” When I said “turn in your bibles to…..her daughter said mama what’s a bible?” I grew up going to church so it had never occurred to me in my 40 years there would be anyone who didn’t know what a bible was or what a hymn book is. Those of us who grow up “in the know.” Don’t think about that very much and what seems to us to be perfectly clear is very muddy and confusing to those who aren’t Christians. Basically Jesus says “if I start talking to them the way I talk to you, their ears are going to shut, their hearts are going to shut. I have to connect with them through what they understand. This crowd understands agriculture, this crowd understands cooking. Tell the stories. The stories are the vehicle through which we connect others to this saving message of the extravagant love of Jesus. Wow yet another sermon in and of itself. Yet, we are only part way there.

After Jesus explains this to the disciples he goes back to the crowd and begins telling more stories. This series of stories is about what the kingdom of heaven really is. It is in this series of stories that our focal passage is placed. Hear it again……The kingdom of heaven in like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads,, the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? An enemy did this he replied. The servants asked him do you want us to go and pull them up. No, he answered because while you are pulling the weeds, you man root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned: then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. Skipping down a little ways after Jesus finished speaking to the crowd, he went back into the house where his disciples came to him and said “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.
Do you see that. This reminds me of Sunday afternoons at my grandparents’ house. We returned from church to a home cooked meal my grandmother had prepared and put in the oven before church, with timer set and food ready when we got home. We would sit around the table and the kids would get to listen to the grownups rehash the Sunday school lesson and the sermon from the morning. They would share with each other what they got out of it, what they heard, what they understood, what they didn’t understand. The discussion would move to the living room or the front porch after the meal was done. It is a great memory. Here the disciples are doing the same thing. They were eager to understand completely, not afraid to ask. Jesus goes on to explain it to them: The one who sowed the good seed is the son of Man. The field is the world and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The son of Man will send out his angels and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. There is much to glean from this story.

Let me first explain about the weed. The word here in Greek is a word for a specific weed that looks just like wheat. It is almost impossible in the early stages of growth to tell the difference between the two. When the farmhand notices there are weeds he questions what kind of seed the farmer planted and if he planted pure seed why are there weeds? Isn’t that the never ending question? Why is there bad here? The answer someone snuck in and put it there. Well let me get rid of it. No, you might ruin the whole crop. Have you ever sent a child to weed a flower garden? What happens…..the whole garden, flowers and all disappear. Let them coexist. Let me be the judge of what is good and what is bad at harvest time…..the end.

It is tempting to want everyone to think and believe the same. After all our way is the right way. Isn’t it. I am reminded of the cafeteria line at Campbell University. On one side of the cafeteria are those who are in the Baptist Student Union. The other side are those who are not, the heathens. If a member of the Baptist Student Union went through the other line, their faith was called into question. I kid you not. The belief was that if we mixed with those who were not Christians (not in the BSU) then we would become corrupt ourselves. We stayed to ourselves. We ate together, went to church together, did activities together and roomed together. Let me tell you what opportunities were missed living in such a segregated way. We missed opportunities to share our stories. We missed opportunities to learn from others. We missed out on relationships. I have since become facebook friends with some of those “heathens” and oh how I wish I had taken time to get to know them in person back then. I know now what I missed out on. How do we show people the love of Christ when we won’t even eat with them? That isn’t love. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. There are tons of debates going on in the world about who is going to make it to heaven. Will the Buddhist be there, will the Methodists be there, will the Muslim be there, and will the Baptist be there. Who am I to make that decision? Who am I to be the judge. To me, Jesus is saying here you need to live together in this great field of grace I have created for you. In the end good gains victory over evil, let me be the judge. Do we really limit the power of God by thinking that we have to remain with “like kind” to remain pure. How do you suppose others learn about the love of God? By going to church? By having someone knock on their door? By listening to Christian radio? No, others learn about the love of God because someone who has experienced the love of God has chosen to remain in the field with them and to share the stories of their lives with them, and has shown them. The going to church, the listening to Christian radio, the going to Bible studies, that is what follows.

My uncle shared something on facebook that I read right before coming in to deliver this word to you today. I found it very relevant. Isaiah 58:9-10 reads.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.


So my challenge to you this week is to:

1. Look for those teachable moments.
2. Resist the temptation to do finger pointing
3. Tell your story
4. Enter relationship with someone outside your comfortable circle, someone different then you.

Jesus didn’t go door to door. Jesus lived his life and the crowds came to him because they saw something different in him that they wanted to learn about. Live a life that draws people’s interest in what is different about you, and then Share your stories.

Dancing with My Father in Fields of Grace

I got the honor of being a guest blogger on my Uncle's website inourelements.com. Below is my submission:

Today’s promise passage transports me to the late 70s early 80s to the children’s department of Gashes Creek Baptist church. I was always an awkward young girl, never fitting exactly within any group. Not academic enough to be in with the brainiacs, not athletic enough to fit in with the athletes, not quite social enough to fit in with the popular crowd. At Gashes Creek, however, among the tweens, I found acceptance and love from a group of kids that didn’t mind this awkward, slow, tomboyish girl. It was during that time that I first read the book of Ruth. My best Friend Donna and I used to love to write stories. We mostly wrote stories of adventure and romance. I wanted to use these skills to write a play though. I just loved plays. I suppose Ruth got chosen for its brevity. I typed it out, the whole book of Ruth, line by line; stage directions and all. I had not a clue of its meaning but it was a nice story that was easy to put to script. Years later I would hear it quoted again in one of my favorite movies of all time, Fried Green Tomatoes. The character Ruth would send Iggie a letter signaling her that she was ready to leave the abusive relationship she was in with her husband. The message in the letter was cryptic, using the book of Ruth. “Ruth said to Naomi, entreat me not to leave you, wherever you go, I will go. Your people will be my people; My God will be your God.” Iggie came to the rescue and saved Ruth from her destitute circumstances. Years later I found my Iggie or Boaz in a little church of about 30 people, Sweet Fellowship Baptist Church. I was a young adult with broken dreams, I was depressed, I was searching for who I was, I was divorced and at one of the lowest points in my life. I had felt rejected by the church. Again I found myself this awkward young lady with no where to really fit. One morning I stepped into the doors of that little church in Clyde where Rev. Nancy Sehested was the pastor and I immediately was showered with love. In that little place I found refuge, I was given the nourishment I needed to go forward, to heal, and to live.

Such is what Ruth and Naomi found in the field of Boaz. Naomi had previously fled Israel with her family due to lack of food and resources. settled in the Moabite nation where her sons married two Moabite Women, one being Ruth. While there Naomi’s husband and sons all died and she found herself destitute. She remembered the promise of God that widows were to be cared for by their kinsman and she set out on the journey back to Israel. One daughter in law went back to her people, Ruth stayed with Naomi giving those famous words, your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Ruth goes to the fields of Boaz who happened to be her father in law’s kinsman and gleans in the field. This practice of gleaning was to go behind the harvesters picking up what they had picked over or thrown out. Boaz tells the harvesters to keep her safe, He tells them to leave her some good stuff to glean and he tells Ruth that she is welcome in his field and needs not go to any other field. He honors God’s direction to care for the widows. Out of this relationship was born the ancestral line that would bring another kind of kinsman-redeemer---Jesus. In Jesus we find redemption once and for all. In Jesus we find acceptance, radical Love and radical Grace. We are all welcome in God’s field……we need not go anywhere else.

Surviving the Storm

This morning on my way to work, Greg Laurie with New Beginning was preaching a sermon titled “Following Jesus through the Storm” using Matthew 8:23-27, which is the story of Jesus commanding the storm to stop. During his sermon he pointed out that not all storms stop using Joni Erikson Tada as an example. Joni is a paraplegic from a diving accident she had years ago. Recently she has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Her storm has never stopped but she has had a thriving ministry through it all, speaking and encouraging others. As I listened to him I was reminded of the scripture I read this morning: Acts 27:13-16, The Storm that didn’t stop. It reads as follows:

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[a] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
I then began thinking about my own ongoing storm. I knew going into adopting my son that it was going to be hard. He had more diagnoses at 2 than I will have in a lifetime. I didn’t know however that everyday would there would be storm waters to bear and that life would be lived moment to moment in anticipation of the next blow up or the next set back. I sit here reflecting 13 years later about the most recent set back and about what my life has been for the last 13 years and wonder, just how am I still standing. How have I not drowned. How can I get phone call after phone call and still keep my composure and go on with my day. How am I not in the hospital? This storm does not quit.
In this passage of scripture, despite Paul’s warnings, the sailors acted on their feelings (“obtained what they wanted.”, acted impulsively, “began throwing everything overboard.” And then they gave up, resolved they would die. After days of them going without food Paul intervened again encouraging the sailors and letting them know that they were not going to perish that only the ship would perish. Things can be replaced, life can not. God’s priority is people, not things. (See Proverbs 15:16.) God’s presence was there with the people on that boat, in that storm. He assures Paul that he still has a purpose in mind for him. God gives us promises and He honors those promises. God showed Paul that they would run aground on an island and they would be spared. The storm didn’t end but their lives continued on through the storm.
Back to Greg Laurie’s sermon: He shared that Joni Erikson’s response to her cancer was” God has something big in store, I can’t wait to see what it is.” In her storm she began the same as she had when she found herself paralyzed, finding where she could give God glory in the storm. She began encouraging others who were taking chemo treatments beside her. She took every opportunity she could to present God’s love to whoever she came in contact with.
As I reflect I realize that to survive my storm I must:
1. Not act impulsively on the feeling of the moment.
2. I must resolve not to give up.
3. I must keep God ever in my presence
4. I must use this gift God gave me named David, to encourage and lift up others in similar situations and to point them to Jesus.
5. I must give constant thanksgiving for those who have chosen not to bail off the side of the ship but to travel this journey with me wherever it takes me.

Thanks be to God for the whispers and prodding of this day.

Just What Is This Worth Dying For: Sermon Preached at Oakley UMC 5-22-2011

Acts 7 Monologue

Hey, did you hear what has happened outside of Jerusalem today. Gather in closely, I’m kind of old and my vocal chords don’t let me speak too loudly. What’s that, oh who am I? My name is Lysandra. I’m really not all that important. I am Just a widow. But I’ve got to tell you what happened to that dear boy Stephen today? Who is he? Well he was my deacon. He brought my food distribution every week, like clockwork. Those preachers, Peter and John and all of them, they got too busy to keep up with the food distribution so they had this idea to set apart 7 other men for this task. I got lucky. I got Stephen. He was such a nice, sweet boy. You could just see God radiate in his face. He did more than just give out food. Why my cousin was visiting one day and he laid hands on him and prayed for him in Jesus’ name and he got to feeling better real quick like. I just can’t believe this has happened to him. I just don’t understand those people over there at the Freemason synagogue, spreading all those rumors about him. Well, don’t they know that they are Greek just like Stephen was? They weren’t born Jews and they want to get all high and mighty about their laws and traditions. I just don’t get it. Stephen had some wonderful stories about Jesus, how he rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the father in heaven now. He is so excited about all he has learned being a follower of Jesus. He says this is the new way, the way to salvation, the way to live life. Why he even says if we follow the way of Jesus we could have heaven right here on earth. I always enjoyed hearing these stories and learning more about this man who healed the sick, made the lame to walk again, why he even turned water into wine at a wedding banquet one time so the reception wouldn’t run out before it was over. It seems no worry was too small or too trivial for him. He wasn’t too much for the laws and traditions though, Jesus wasn’t. Why he would heal on the Sabbath, he would eat with sinners; he was good friends with a prostitute. But Stephen says that is what he came to do, he came to teach us to Love everyone. He says there are no Jew and No Greek, no male and no female. Why Stephen said before he died Jesus told Peter and John and all those boys to go into the world and share this good news of his resurrection of his kingdom. He isn’t like any king those Jews were expecting. What? Oh, you want me to get on with the story. Well, you know Peter and John have already had to go before the Sanhedrin about teaching in Jesus name. They were not too happy about it but ended up not being able to find them guilty of anything and had to let them go. They told them not to be teaching in this name again but Peter and John were straight up with them and told them that they had to share the news, they couldn’t keep it bottled up. Well, those people down there at the temple of the freemasons. You know all those Roman Slaves that were set free and those Greek Jews from Asia Minor and from Africa. Those guys didn’t like what Steven was doing either so they made up some stuff about Stephen opposing the temple and opposing Moses’ law. They went to the Sanhedrin with these charges and the Sanhedrin brought Stephen in to be tried for these charges. Do you know what he did when they asked him if the charges were true? Why he wouldn’t say yes or no, guilty or not guilty he had to go and preach a sermon. He covered everything from Adam and Eve to Abraham, to Moses to David. He didn’t leave anything out. He reminded those Jews that their forefathers have been opposing God from the very beginning and persecuting God’s messengers. When things would get tough they went with their old ways. And then Steven basically said obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He told them they were so busy worried about the law that they don’t even obey it themselves. Oh, that made the crowd mad, the next thing you know a riot broke out. People were screaming and yelling and gnashing their teeth and growling. Steven just said, “look I see the heavens open and there sitting at the right hand of God is Jesus.” Wow what a vision. Oh and did that just incite the crowd that much more. They charged at Stephen, found him guilty right on the spot and drug him out to the rock quarry and stoned him to death. Those people laid their coats at Saul’s feet. You know what that means don’t you. They were assigning responsibility for this stoning to Saul. Why Saul even congratulated them on the kill. Can you imagine that? Poor Stephen. I am going to miss him so. But here is the crazy part. You want to hear this……He prayed right during his stoning. He asked God to receive him and you know what else he did. He asked God to forgive those people that were executing him. Unbelievable. Oh, I am going to miss him so.

END OF MONALOGUE

Focal Passage: Acts 7:54-60
And that is the background and story that we enter into today. Just what is this that is worth dying for? I have a confession to make, what I am about to tell you is not something I am proud of but it goes to prove a point. I was fortunate to be born into a family that values family highly. Both of my grandfathers set a grand example of family loyalty and unconditional love. With those kinds of roots it is of no surprise that my brothers, my sister and my parents I consider my best friends. About 15 years ago my best friend was playing in a co-ed ball tournament and asked my baby brother to play with her. He was catching and there was a play at the plate. The runner was a big man; he was 250-300 pounds of solid muscle. As the ball came into the plate and he ran into beat it, rather than sliding he just ran right through my brother, knocking him down and knocking him out. Without a single thought I ran onto the field to check on my brother only to hear the man defend his action saying, well if I would have slid, I would have gotten hurt. Once again with out thought I charged this 300 pound man of solid muscle, shouted some things that aren’t appropriate and began punching him. Thank goodness he just stood there. The only thing that snapped me out of this rage was my brother’s voice. He had woken to see this action and was calling me off so to speak. I am generally a very peace filled person but that day on that ball field when this person that I love so deeply was hurt, with no thought for my own safety, I took action. I am not endorsing violence here but what I am saying is that we have people and passions that we would die for and one of mine is family. We have thousands of men and women deployed in the Middle East right now who are risking lives for their country. We have police officers and firefighters that risk their lives daily to protect the citizens of their communities. In today’s story we have one who is willing and does die for his passion for the Way of Jesus Christ. Just what is this Way that he has died for?

1. Jesus is the way to the Father. (John 14)
2. Jesus calls us to submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, a spirit that we can not see, we can not touch, and we can not feel.
3. Jesus is the cornerstone of our life, if we don’t allow ourselves to be tripped up worrying about the things of Jesus that go against the popular belief. (I Peter 2)
4. The Way of Jesus can be summed up in a word……Love. (I John 4:7-8)
5. The Way of Jesus is a call to discipleship, a call to go to Samaria, to Judea and to the ends of the earth to share this love.
6. The Way of Jesus is a call to “feed his sheep” In one interaction with Peter Jesus says Peter do you love me? Yes, Lord, of course I love you. Then feed my sheep. He repeats this 3 times.
7. The Way of Jesus is a call to interact with “the least of these” To feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to visit those in prison.
8. The Way of Jesus is to open the doors to all with no regards to male or female, Black or white, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, the list can go on; you fill in the blanks.
9. The Way of Jesus is to reach out to those who have felt rejected or oppressed by the very institution that claims to be the followers of Christ. Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, Jesus please save me……..from your followers. How did that come to be?


What is the return for following this WAY? It is a promise from Jesus to never leave us nor forsake us. It is being taken care of, protected, comforted, healed, accepted, pushed to grow beyond what we could do ourselves. Those things, my friends, are what Stephen died for, what he yearned to share with whoever he met.

Stephen gives us another attribute of Jesus. Jesus is present with us even unto death. Maybe, especially in death. Steven knows he is facing death and what does he say? He says I see the heavens opened up and God with Jesus on his right side. My first job as a social worker was with Hospice. I learned a lot about death and dying during that time. I am pretty in tune with when a person is facing their final days. Recently the time came for us to bid farewell to my grandfather. The last week of his life I am certain we were standing on Holy Ground whenever in his presence. It radiated on his face. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Bad things happen in this world. Bad things happen to good people. We don’t know why. We don’t have those answers but the one thing we can be sure of is that through it all God is there with us, crying with us, carrying us, and working to bring out the good in bad situations.

So how do we follow Jesus, how do we make him the cornerstone of our lives? Stephen gives us another clue with his final words before Death. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Where have we heard similar words? As Jesus hangs, dying on the cross, his words are “forgive them father for they know not what they do.” Stephen emulates Jesus. He knows that living the kingdom way, is to live as Jesus taught. Not only through his words but through his very life. Spend time in this word, get to know Jesus and his Way then practice it, and walk in the Way that Jesus walked.

Thanks be to God for this word today. Thanks to you for allowing me to share it with you!