The Greatest Role Was Father----Funeral service of Fred Holmes

Introduction to Serenity Prayer:

 

The family would like to honor Fred’s memory by sharing in a prayer that Fred prayed often and strived to live by:  Please join me and the family in praying the serenity prayer which is printed in the Bulletin:

 

God grant me
the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it:

trusting that you will make all things right
if I surrender to your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy
with you forever in the next. 

 

 

Old Testament Reading:

 

I share with you a reading from the Old Testament:

 

Lamentations 3:19-26 and 31-33

 

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.

 

And from the New Testament:  Mark 4:35-41

 

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

This is the Word of God for the People of God.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Let us Pray:

Spirit of the Living God, God who is the God of us all, we thank you for Christ’s grace through which we pray to you in this dark hour.  A life we love has been torn from us.  Expectation the years once held have vanished.  Our hope seems gone.  The mystery of death has stricken us hard.  Our hearts are heavy.  O God, you know the lives we live and the deaths we die- woven so strangely of purpose and of chance, of reason and of the irrational, of strength and of frailty, of happiness and of pain.  Into your hands we commend the soul of Frederick Walter Holmes Jr. known to us as Fred.  No mortal life you have made is without eternal meaning.  No earthly fate is beyond your redeeming.  Through your grace that can do far more than we can think or imagine, fulfill in Fred your purpose that reaches beyond time and death.  Lead Fred from strength to strength, and fit Fred for love and service in your kingdom.  Into your hands also we commit our lives.  You alone, God, make us to dwell in safety.  Whom, finally, have we on earth or in heaven but you?  Help us to know the measure of our days, and how frail we are.  Hold us in your keeping.  Forgive us our sins.  Save our minds from despair and our hearts from fear.  And guard and guide us with your peace.  Now we pray to you oh God the prayer that you taught us to pray and another prayer Fred often prayed: 

Our Father……….Amen

Words of Faith and Celebration:

Fred Holmes:  Jokester, Friend, avid Star Trek fan, master carpenter, great furniture maker, caring friend, outdoorsman, Cook, lover of animals……..

On Thursday November 1, 2012 we lost a father, a brother, a child, a friend.  Fred had already defeated death once in his lifetime having had a liver transplant on Good Friday in 2000.  He woke up Easter morning. The joy that comes for all of us in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus came in double portions for Fred when he woke up with new life that morning.  Just as Fred found new life on a Holiday then, He found new life again on a holiday this past Thursday on November 1^st.  November 1^st is All Saints Day; a day when we remember Saints.  The day lasts from sundown October 31^st until Sundown on November 1^st.  The day is commemorated many different ways.  The United Methodist church defines a saint as being all Christians, therefore, in the Methodist church we celebrate all the deceased members of our church from the previous year.  An hour before Fred was found, I was sitting in chapel at Emory University, celebrating all Saints day.  The Reverend Dr. Alice Rogers presented the message that day and she told the story of the Saint that came to her mind that day.  She told us of a man that had smoked every day and who had a drinking problem.  Many nights his wife would pile the 3 children up in the car to go look for him at the bars and bring him home.  She went on telling the story of this man, one who many might not consider a saint by the description thus far.  She then told of his dying and of his wife answering the door of their home to someone asking “is the man that helps people here?”  His wife didn’t understand. The story continues of person after person coming to the door seeking the man who helps people.  The family learned that day that the gentleman lead a secret life of giving and helping to innumerable persons.  The Saint, Dr. Rogers shared with us, was her pappy.  Dr. Rogers used this story to remind each of us that among the hurt and the broken-ness that we each experience in our lives there resides a Saint within each of us.  As I drove to the funeral home Saturday Evening thinking about Fred, I remembered this sermon and was struck by how it could be Fred’s story, it ours.  We all have hurts, habits and hangups that blind others to the Saint within us.  Nonetheless the Saint is there and as the writer of Lamentations points out, God does not cast us off forever.  God’s grace is there working in each of us, to bring forth the Saint within.  My experience with Fred Holmes and the experiences of those whom I have talked to about him over the last several days, is an experience with that Saint within.  Fred enjoyed humor and was “crazy.”  Heather says my Dad was crazy.  He was crazy in the fun sense of the word.  He loved to make jokes, to keep people guessing.  Remembering these stories will make you laugh and in this way Fred lives on putting smiles on the faces of those he loves.   

Fred, loved the outdoors.  He had once aspired to be a Forest Ranger.  He loved his dogs and in the place he had just rented he had taken the lawn mower and mowed down paths through the fields for a track to explore the new environment with his beloved dog Buster.  His Landlord describes him and Buster running, walking and playing throughout those fields and woods.  Fred loved his dogs as if they too were his children and in fact his former dog Barron will be buried with him.  Fred has spent much time outdoors walking, hiking, fishing, playing golf or just sitting on the porch enjoying the fresh air.  From this spot he played the role of overseer to his elderly neighbor.  Her son expressed that she felt so good about Fred being there.  He would help out and he watched over her from that porch atop a little hill.  Fred was charming and had a way of arguing his case in a way that you just couldn’t say no.  His Landlord found this out when he agreed to rent to Fred, having had no desire to be a landlord.  It’s a decision he doesn’t regret for Fred provided them with peace of mind and great friendship. 

A great friend Fred was to many.  He had a huge heart, doing anything for anybody.    His friends were an extension of family to him.  He loved to cook for them and bake pies for them.  He fixed a holiday meal for them one time and had a blast doing it.    He did not consider it a chore but a gift not only to those he was giving to but as a gift to himself for being able to do it.  He was a great cook and Heather says with a  huge smile that her dad made the best meatloaf ever!  He cooked with love and what he cooked was a creation to be enjoyed.  Fred didn’t just cook for his friends, he was there for them to listen to them, to be a shoulder to lean on and to give assistance where he could.  He shared a special friendship  with his best friend Joy.  He was there for her in good times and in rough times as she was to him.  His friendship with you Joy, and with the rest of you who were a part of his created family has reshaped you and changed you in positive ways.  When you think of Fred and remember Fred, hold onto those positive ways in which he reshaped you and in doing so a part of him will stay alive with you. 

Fred has been a loving son, brother, uncle, husband and friend in his lifetime,  but by far the greatest role Fred ever played was the role of father.  Fred took great joy in being a father who was present with his daughter; helping with homework,  going to movies, and going to eat together.  Fred enjoyed surprises and Heather remembers fondly him surprising her with a trip to the circus when she was younger.  I remember well the pride I saw in his eyes as he had the honor of walking Heather down the Isle at her wedding and the confidence he had in Brad to provide a safe and comfortable home for his little girl. 

The description you’ve heard above my friends is a description of a man to be remembered as a saint. 

We heard a story earlier of a storm that had Jesus’ closest followers scared for their lives.  In the midst of that storm, however, Jesus slept.  The Disciples cried out: “Jesus do you not care that we are about to die?”  Today many of us may be feeling like those disciples felt that day.  A huge storm entering your life on Thursday afternoon.  We cry out God, Do you not care, where are you?  Jesus answered by calling out to the winds and said Quiet!  Be Still!  In the days of the disciples in Palestine storms at sea were symbolic of all the uncontrollable dark forces that can suddenly take hold of our life, disturb it, damage it or even destroy it.  Today those dark forces  comes in the form of having to face the mystery of death in circumstances that we may never understand.  We know that death comes to us all. We might have success in avoiding it or postponing it, but ultimately we must succumb to its dark and mysterious power. And this was true, even of Jesus, who died a most terrible death, nailed to a cross. And for a few long hours it seemed that death had won, that there were dark powers that Jesus could not overcome. But then, on the third day, the resurrection was revealed. It became clear that Jesus had passed through death and was alive once more, no longer subject to death and decay.  Sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning, Fred’s body succumbed to death but he awoke in the presence of God.    We can find comfort in knowing that our own storms do not last forever.  We can find comfort that Joy comes in the morning just like it did for Fred on Easter morning, 2000 when he awoke to new life, Just like it happened for Fred on Thursday morning when he awoke in the presence of God.  We cry out.  Jesus says Peace, be Still. 

Family and friends find that peace and that stillness in each other in the days to come.  Know that I am here for you, this church is here for you, and you have each other.  Continue to tell the stories and smile. In those stories you will find peace and comfort. 

Serenity Prayer:  Fred had a prayer taped to his mirror that he saw every time he looked in the mirror.  Fitting that it is the prayer of a Saint; Saint Francis of Assisi:  Would you please stand and recite this prayer with me:

*Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace - that where there is hatred, I may bring love - that where is wrong, i may bring the spirit of forgiveness - that where there is discord, i may bring harmony - that where there is error, i may bring truth - that where there is doubt, i may bring faith - that where there is despair, i may bring hope - that where there are shadows, i may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that i may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted - to understand, than to be understood - to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen."

 

Transfer of Membership:  Dr. Chuck Wilson transferred Fred's membership from Longs Chapel United Methodist Church to the Church Triumphant. 

 

Sending Forth: 

 

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of God’s son Jesus Christ our Lord.  And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you Always.  Amen. 

 

 

 

Facing Challenges God's Way: I Kings 3:1-15

We are in a season of new beginnings. The New School Year is just underway. There are new teachers, new friends, new things to learn, new schools for some. We have a new pastor, a new style to learn, new ideas to hear, new ways of leading, and new ways of doing ministry. We will have a New District Superintendent here in the newly called Smokey Mountain District come September 1st. We are entering an election season and there are sure to be some new city, county, state and national leaders rise from that. Personally I am beginning a new journey this week as I begin traveling to Atlanta every week to attend seminary. My family faces new routine, new eating habits, new places to stay, new people to get used to. What other new things might you encounter? A new relationship? A new health diagnosis? A new job? Change; be it good or bad is never easy. How to deal with change or new things in our lives is the subject of much research and writing. A Google search of the question “how to deal with change” yields 1,530,000,000 results.
When I first read the passages of scripture and began thinking on them I told Rennie to title the sermon Changing of the Guard. The first part of the I Kings passages tells us that David has died and his son Solomon has been chosen to be his successor. We know David’s life was not one of purity and perfection but we also know that David was a man “after God’s own heart” and that he had been a successful and popular King. Surely they was anxiety among the people over the looming change. About 6 years ago as I sat in the pew at Longs Chapel listening intently to the beloved Rob Fuquay who happened to be preaching about the subject of change, my heart sank and my anxieties loomed when he began “and today I find myself in a place of change.” Before he said it I knew. He had been with us for much longer than most Methodist preachers are allowed to stay in one place. We had become very comfortable and familiar with his presence and leadership. He was dynamic. Every sermon was delivered in such a way that the hearer felt as if though it was tailor made just for them. I knew with those words that the familiarity, the acceptance, the love was getting ready to be taken from us and someone new would be taking the realm. We were asked to come to the altar and pray for him. I doubt that many of us did that. I know that I for one approached the altar of God with weeping and gnashing of teeth and questions of why. Perhaps the Israelite would feel this way over losing their beloved king, David. The day came though that he departed and Dr. Chuck Wilson would take his place. The first Sunday Chuck was with us; he approached the stage and sat down. He held up a shoe and said “do you know what this is? It is a shoe? It’s not just any shoe. It is Rob Fuquay’s shoe. He then took a shoe off his foot and put Rob’s shoe on his foot and remarked “no, it doesn’t fit.” I cannot fill Rob Fuquay’s shoes, I can only fill mine.” Turns out that he his footprints have made their mark on Longs Chapel. Solomon too would make his mark on Israel.
When I looked closer at the story though I realized that the focus of this story was not on how the mass of people would deal with the changing of the guard but how Solomon would face this new challenge of becoming King. How do people face new challenges or change? This was one of two questions I posed to my Facebook friends in preparation for this sermon. Some people “face it head on.” Some people spend hours worrying about it and then give it to God to bring them through. Some people “don’t accept new challenges they just take each day as it comes, measure it and use the best judgment God has given.” When a challenge seems too big some people “stand still and wait for the storm to pass.” Still others when faced with a challenge “by asking for God’s direction.” Some people ask for God’s will to be done and for the strength to face the new challenge.” One friend said they would Play judo with challenges. Take the force directed at you and change its direction. It doesn't matter what happens to you, it's what you think about what happens that causes your reaction to It”. There is a business fable about change called “Who moved the Cheese” by Spencer Johnson. In this fable there are two mice and two miniature humans in a maze. They have found cheese in cheese station c of the maze. The humans have developed routines and processes by which they go and eat the cheese each day. The mice just eat it and eventually it is gone. The mice come and see the cheese is gone and head off to find more cheese somewhere else, which they do in Cheese Station N. However, the humans have to discuss it and ponder over it. One of the humans proposes that they go look for more, but the other is satisfied with his routine and keeps coming back to station C just to find no cheese. Eventually the one human goes off in search of the cheese and hopes that eventually his buddy will realize that it’s best to move on then to stay stuck and die of hunger. The lessons to be learned from this story were:
Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese
Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move
Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old
Adapt To Change Quickly
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese
Change
Move With The Cheese
Enjoy Change!
Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!
Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again
They Keep Moving The Cheese. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F)


And, there are 1 billion, 529 million more answers to the question of how to deal with a new challenge or change. However, our lesson today comes from looking at how Solomon deals with His new Challenge. Sometimes we may deal with new challenges in a way that is not very effective. Such was the case with Solomon. Look at Chapter 3 vs. 1: Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. It was strictly forbidden for Israelites to intermarry with those idol worshippers from Egypt yet Solomon did this in order to make friends with a potential favorable enemy. Compromise such as this is one way one can face a new challenge and is the way that Solomon initially faced his new challenge of being King. If we read the rest of the story we find out that this decision to mix with idolaters ends up becoming the ruin of King Solomon. Sometimes we make wrong decisions. What we do know about Solomon from the next couple of verses as that he really desires and tries to be true to God. Verses 2 and 3 read “The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places” (NIV) These verses tell us a couple of things. They tell us the condition that the people he is leading are in. They are deep into idolatry worship. That is what it meant here to say they went to the high places to sacrifice. The second thing we find out is that Solomon loved the Lord and showed his love for the Lord by walking according the instructions of his father David and then there is that word Except…..Except he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. Meaning, he too participated in idolatry practice. His spirit was divided. Do we ever find ourselves in that condition? Lord I want to follow you except that whole love your enemy thing? I am not so sure about that. Lord, I want to follow you except that tithing thing is really hard for me. Lord, I want to follow you but it’s really hard for me to give up control. Lord, I want to follow you, but really forgive? This thing is unforgivable. the list could go on of the things we don’t want to give up, or don’t feel comfortable doing, or don’t believe we can do.
It is during one of such times that God appears to Solomon. Vs. 4-5 read “The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (NIV). The thing that is most amazing about this is that God comes to Solomon where he is, in the midst of him sacrificing in a high place, the most important high place. Does he fuss at him? Does he strike him down with a lightning bolt? Does he go post on Facebook what he saw Solomon doing? Does he make Solomon write a paper about the error of his ways and a strategy for not doing it again? The answer is no to all of those questions. Instead God chooses that place, that bed of sin, to be the place where he approaches Solomon. In a dream God says to Solomon “Ask for whatever you wish for and I will give it to you?” Really God? You’re just going to grant him wishes. What would you wish for? Writers of other sermons on this passage spoke of asking for wealth, riches, and mostly material things. I posed this question on Facebook and got some really great responses. Here they are:

• If God were to appear to me, I would want to know the answers to all the mysteries of the universe. So, in order to fit that into one thing, I suppose I would ask for omniscience.
• To take away the burden, make it lighter; heal my brother’s mental illness.
• I would ask for me daughter back Hannah died at 3 years of age but that would be selfish. There are so many things, all orphans families, everyone who’s homeless a home, no one hungry and world peace
• for all families to be united with love for each other...
• forgiveness.
• pure love, peace for the world.
• Heaven on earth just for one day... NO war...hate...violence...abuse...illness...politics...religion...addictions...just that we would all be in His presence...dancing in His fields of grace. Loving God as we understand Him. Not someone else. Accepting and loving each other. Just one day.
• to have my mother-in-law still alive and my family back together.
• to see my Grandmother Ulrich and Granddaddy Hammond again. Really miss them! I would want my children to meet them and know them.
• Ask Him to save all my lost family members and fee them of their addictions.
• I would ask for all the hatred to be gone for at least one day to see what that looks like.
• I guess I first would be surprised god came to see me, but then would ask to stop hunger in the world
These are all wonderful things to ask for and I am quite proud of my Facebook friends for being mostly selfless in their answers. Let’s see how Solomon answers God’s question. Verses 6-9 read: Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (NIV)
Solomon doesn’t immediately nor directly answer God’s question. First he acknowledges that he is God’s servant. His role as King is a part of God’s plan. His talent/gift must be used in service to God. Secondly he acknowledges that he has experienced God’s power through watching his father David. Next he acknowledges his weaknesses and insecurities. “God I don’t know what I am doing here. I am young; I don’t know how to be a King. The task before me seems way to big. The mountain ahead seems unclimbable. And with that understanding he then asks God for what he believes he needs the most. He asks God for Wisdom. The NIV translates the same word to be a “discerning heart.” The Message reads this way: “Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people? A God listening heart…..How do we hear God. How do we gain this wisdom of knowing good from evil, knowing just from unjust and putting that knowledge in right practice for that is what wisdom is?
Proverbs 1:7 states “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” James 1:5 states but if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 3:17 states But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. I Corinthians 1:30 states But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. These are just a few of the verses that address wisdom. In the NIV translation the word wisdom is mentioned 219 times. The word discernment is mentioned 6 times. The word wise is used 189 times. Thus the idea of wisdom is mentioned at least 414 times. It is important. According to the verses just mentioned to receive wisdom one must “Fear the Lord.” Fear of God does not mean to be afraid. I am not afraid of my dad but I certainly fear him, meaning that I respect him. I respect his opinion of me. The 5 words I most hated hearing from my father when I was growing up was I am disappointed in you. I would have rather gotten a beating. How did I keep from disappointing my Dad? I had to know what he expected from me and then act accordingly. Wisdom requires knowing what God expects and then acting accordingly. How do we know what God wants? We know what God wants of us by daily being in his Word, by writing the words of God on our hearts. I guarantee you that if you start each day out, even just 5 or 10 minutes, reading God’s word and spending time in reflection that you will feel better about the decisions you make during the day. Secondly, spend time each day in prayer asking God to give you wisdom to make right choices as you go throughout your day. Lastly, God gave us another source of wisdom in his son Jesus. Study the actions of Jesus and make them your own.
What new challenges are you facing today? What will your response be to those challenges? Go to God, Listen for God, What he gives is pure, generous, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits. Eat of the fruit of wisdom today my friends.
Thanks be to God.

Rest for the Weary, Healing for the Soul Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

When you were in your 30s I bet you dreamed of retirement. You thought I can’t wait to retire, be the boss of my own time, travel the world, play, and do what I want to all the time. If A person said to you when you were 30 that they were retired you would probably reply “oh how lucky you are that you are retired and can slow down. While true that as retirees you no longer punch a time clock, I bet there have been plenty of other things that have replaced your “work” busyness. My father and my room-mates father have both recently retired. I think sometimes our mother’s wish that they hadn’t. I know that my father has found plenty of stuff to replace his “work” time and he has found plenty to keep him busy. If he doesn’t find it for himself, other people find it for him. Many retired folks become surrogate parents for their grandchildren, picking them up from school, taking them to doctors’ appointments, having sleepovers. Many retired folks re-enter the work force changing careers to something they enjoy doing more, yet that still requires their time. This was true of my father. He is a businessman turned barbecue caterer. If he is not barbecuing you will find him working the garden, picking up a child from school, or volunteering at church or cooking breakfast at the Vets Shelter. Sometimes I think he is busier now than he was before he retired. I have been here at Heather Glenn and Ardenwood several times now. I’ve walked the halls and looked at activity calendars at both places, I’ve talked to some of you and I have perused the website. There is plenty to keep you busy. In fact an advertisement for Heather Glenn Assisted living boasts of “walking through the door to a bustle of activity” You have field trips, activities, medication taking, family visits, walks, meals, bible studies, game time. You hear noises that can be tiresome and the list continues. . We are a busy society whether you are a baby or a retiree, our society has something beckoning to keep you busy. This makes the message from the first section of our readings today universally applicable to all. Let’s hear it again: 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Let’s stop and explore there for a few minutes. If we look back earlier in this chapter we know that Jesus, frustrated by lack of respect for him in his hometown, decided it was time to move forward in getting his mission out to the gentiles. He sent his disciples out to bring the Good News of God’s kingdom and to heal people and cast out demons. This is the first time in the book of Mark that the disciples are sent out on their own to do ministry. They have been following Jesus and assisting him and now he decides it’s time to send them out. That story picks up here when the apostles have returned to report back to their teacher all that they have done. Jesus recognized a need in the disciples. People just kept coming so much so that they had not even had a chance to eat. Jesus recognized that the disciples needed to rest, they needed to rejuvenate their bodies and their souls. Jesus knows that God has designed our body systems to need food and rest. Food and rest are essentials to life. They are the fuel for our energy. What happens to a car when it runs out of gas? It stops; it will go no further until the owner refuels it. Think about batteries. When things operate on batteries and the battery runs out of juice, what happens? The things die. Hearing aids don’t enable you to hear anymore, power wheelchairs will not take you where you need to be, The Wii game system doesn’t work anymore, and you are no longer able to talk on your cell phone. The other thing you will notice about batteries is that you get a signal that they are getting ready to crash. A hearing aid starts whistling, the smoke detector chirps every so often, the battery meter flashes read, your gas needle sits on empty. So it is with our bodies when they are not given the necessary fuel of food and rest to re-energize and re-build. Our bodies give us signals such as sleepiness, foggy brains, growling to nauseous stomachs, dark eyes, dizziness, grumpiness, aches, pains, a weak immune system, and the list goes on. These are all things that signal us that it is time to rest, it is time to refuel. Jesus knew that the disciples were going to crash and be out of commission if not allowed time to rejuvenate. Jesus knows the same of us. So the first lesson today is very simply; Take time out to rest and to eat, to nourish your bodies, to refuel. Secondly Jesus teaches us with who and where to gain rest. He says Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. Get away with Jesus and sometimes with other companions that you have a common journey with. There are four groups of people that I seek Solace and comfort from when I am weary and in need of rest. My family, My Sunday School Class, A new spiritual group that I am a part of, and a group of ladies I once played softball with. What all these folks have in common is that I’ve shared a journey with them and have connected with them. They know me the good the bad and the ugly and they continue to love me. I find rest and energy from them. I find the things necessary to refuel. Sometimes it is also important to just be alone. Jesus exemplifies this practice many times in his ministry when important things are about to happen. He goes off by himself and he prays. We can find rest and peace and rejuvenation in our contact with God. Let’s read on: 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. The disciples were in the boat on their way to a solitary place but people recognized them leaving and chased after them and were waiting for them. The solitary place was no longer solitary. Jesus has compassion on them because they were like a sheep without a shepherd so Jesus begins ministering to them. I’m reminded here of a lady whose brother was at the hospital awaiting the delivery of his first son with the knowledge that the son would be born without life and that at the same time he welcomed his son into the world he would also have to say goodbye. The sister stayed by her brother’s side at the hospital for more than 24 hours, catching a 5 minute nap here and there. She was tired and weary, and heartbroken. She left the hospital and drove to her mother’s house about 5 minutes away and as she drove in the driveway with plans to go into her mother’s house and go to sleep her brother called. The funeral home was meeting with them and he wanted her to be there with him. She went inside her mother’s house and just cried thinking that she didn’t have any more left. But, she got a clean shirt from her mother and a new toothbrush and changed shirts and brushed her teeth and went back out the door and headed to the funeral home. She spent the rest of the day planning the funeral, going from store to store to get the materials needed for the funeral and just simply being with her brother. God gave her the energy she needed for that task. When our rest gets interrupted God is there with us giving us what we need to make it through until there is time to get away and refuel. Why does Jesus allow the rest to be interrupted? “Because the crowd was like sheep without a shepherd.” What is a shepherd’s job? My former pastor, Rob Fuquay, described this just a couple of weeks ago. At the end of the day the Shepherd leads the sheep into the gate of a pen where they will find rest for the night. The next day he opens the gate and leads the sheep out to the pasture to do what they need to do. Jesus says I am the Shepherd. He also says I am the gate. It is through Jesus that we find our rest. Jesus says come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Much like Jesus’ rest was interrupted, so is this story in Mark. Mark interrupts the telling of the disciples returning to report to Jesus with two other stories. One was of the feeding of the multitudes; the other story is of Jesus calming the storms. Those two stories can easily spur on sermons of their own so we skip over them today to get to the rest of the story of the disciples return. Let’s hear that part again as we turn from lessons about rest and nourishment to lessons about the healing power of Jesus. 53. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. Jesus and the disciples were able to rest on the boat on the way to the other side but as soon as they set down their anchors and got out of the boat people recognized Jesus. Thus the first step toward healing was the recognition that Jesus was the source of healing. How do we recognize Jesus? By having spent time with him or with others who have spent time with him. We get to know who Jesus is by listening to or reading the stories of his life. We commit those stories to memory. I’ve been reading a series of books by author Karen Kingsbury. What always strikes me about the characters she writes about is the ease with which just the right scripture comes to mind when it is needed to bring about guidance, direction, comfort, strength, reassurance, or healing. What does that mean? It means recognition by those characters that Gods word is indeed a lamp unto our feet and a light unto my heart. We should write the words on our hearts for when they are written on our hearts they are easily recalled in our minds in times of need. The second lesson regarding healing is that people bring those in need of healing to Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. I am reminded of the story of the house that was too crowded to get a lame man through to see Jesus and his friends carried him to the roof top and lowered him into the house and into the presence of Jesus for healing. There are really two lessons here. First we must recognize when our companions on this journey have a need and we must be willing and ready to carry them to Jesus. Secondly, when we are in need of healing we need to be open to our need to have companions that will carry us to Jesus, who will bring us into the presence of the one who heals. Finally we must be willing to do our part in the healing. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. By taking the step of faith to reach out and touch the hem of his garment the sick participated in their own healing. We must be willing to go to Jesus. Your challenge this week my friends is this: Listen to your bodies signals and refuel your body physically, spiritually and mentally. Trust in the knowledge that Jesus is with you in the times that you are weary. Recognize that when Rest must be interrupted Jesus is there with you providing the extra that you need until such time that you find rest. Recognize when you are needed to carry a friend to Jesus. Let your friends carry you to Jesus when they see that you are in need of healing. Finally be in the word and get familiar enough with the stories of Jesus that when you are in need you recognize him. Go, reach out, touch the hem…..see what happens. Thanks be to God.

July 8th Sermon

Today’s passage of scripture comes from the book of Mark. We will be focusing this morning on chapter 6, verses 1-15. The Book of Mark is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It’s short and to the point. It also has a lot of lessons set by the seashore. The seashore is one of my favorite places to be and to gain inspiration as I take in the marvel and wonder of God’s mighty creation. There are two things that stand out in the book of Mark for me. These things were pointed out to me by my Uncle Stan Dotson and the other by a former professor, Dr. James Blevins. Mark uses the Sea of Galilee to set the stage for Jesus ministry to be all inclusive. No more is the Kingdom of God reserved for the select Jews. By crossing the Sea of Galilee to teach and perform miracles with the Gentiles Jesus sends an undeniable message of there being room at the table for all of God’s creation. Secondly, Mark brilliantly illustrates Jesus’s non conformity to Jewish Laws and expectations by performing miracles, teaching things and living his life in such a way that the disciples and others are constantly saying in their most surprised and astonished voice: What? These surprises Dr. Blevins called Fish Hooks, things that hooked the disciples in and made them ask for more explanation. The use of Fish Hooks as an image is appropriate given the number of lessons that take place by the seashore in the book of Mark. Before I delve into our focal passage this morning I want to point out some of the “fish hooks” that have occurred so far in the life of Jesus up to this point. Mark begins his account of the life of Jesus with the baptism of Jesus after identifying Jesus from being from Nazareth in the region of Galilee. He follows this with the account of Jesus going into the wilderness. A time of preparation and testing for his ministry to come. Once leaving the wilderness Jesus starts out going into his home region of Galilee preaching that “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the Good News.” The message of Jesus was simple. There was no deep theological secrets, no list of rules to follow. Just “repent and believe the good news.” It is while in Galilee that Jesus calls his first disciples, fisherman who were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. He calls them to become fishers of people. He then set out in Capernaum casting out demons, healing the sick and teaching in the synagogue. He would then retreat and spend time praying in solidarity before going onto what he believed was his next assignment. From Capernaum he felt called to go out into the nearby villages throughout Galilee preaching the message, driving out demons and healing the sick. People were amazed and a following quickly emerged for this man. While in the villages in Galilee Jesus performed the first Major Fish hook. He healed a leaper. You may know that leapers were considered unclean and contact with a leaper would quickly send a person into isolation for a period of cleansing. Jesus had no regard for the rules and had contact with the leaper. He told the leper not to tell but the leper did and Jesus was then in isolation. He couldn’t enter a town openly but stayed outside in the “lonely places.” The lonely places of isolation where only the outcasts remained. Yet, still people came to him. What? The surprises have only just begun. Jesus breaks the Sabbath by healing a lame man, the religious authorities calling him blasphemous. What? Jesus calls a tax collector as a disciple, but wait the surprise doesn’t stop there. He eats with him in his home with a room full of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus’s table of fellowship is full of persons on the wrong side of the law? What? The disciples don’t obey the fasting laws, grain is picked on the Sabbath and this Jesus is okay with this. What? Then when you think there could possibly be no more surprises Jesus begins his series of journeys across the lake to the Gentile area; a whole region of uncleanness. He casts out a demon in a man that has been living in a cemetery. He sends the demon into a herd of pigs, the symbol of the uncleanness of the Gentiles and sends the pigs to their drowning death, symbolizing the death of the uncleanness of the Gentiles. There is room at the table for the Gentiles as well as the Jew. Back and forth across the Sea of Galilee he goes. Showing no partiality in his healing and teaching. He heals Jew and Greek. He heals male and female. The Kingdom of God does not discriminate. There is room at the table for all. This new kingdom that Jesus is living out is not at all what anyone expected. Jesus meets with opposition from the religious leaders, the political authorities, his own disciples and even his family, those that know him best. This leads us to today’s passage. Jesus goes to his hometown of Nazareth where he goes to teach in the Synagogue. How would you picture such a homecoming. Here is the boy that grew up in our church and he is out there healing people, he speaks with such authority and wisdom, he casts out demons. We are so proud to call him ours to know that he came from among us. I was able to recently witness the ordination of Leyton Alan Mears. Alan has been the associate pastor of Longs Chapel for the last 6 years. Alan grew up in the Longs Chapel family. While I have only been at Longs Chapel for 11 years , I still felt a sense of deep pride in watching Alan become a Full Elder of the United Methodist church. I have seen him grow so much in the last 6 years. That is not the experience Jesus had though. The people in his home church questioned his authority, accused him of being blasphemous and crazy. They were saying things like “We know where he come from, this is just a carpenter’s boy.” His mother and brothers and sisters are among us right now. He performs miracles and teaches as if he were of some other authority. How could this possibly be? We know his humanity. Oh how easy it would be to be discouraged, to quit, to find something else to do. I might would. In fact I almost did. I heard god’s call to ministry as a 12 year old girl in a small southern Baptist Church. That didn’t go over very well in my denomination. Women just weren’t called to preach. I spent 30 years of my life trying to call Social Work my ministry and allowing the obstacles put in front of me to stop me, to hinder the call on my life. “I must have heard wrong, this is really what God wants me to do.” If it were meant to be these obstacles wouldn’t exist. Why I am a single mother, I have a great career. I can retire when I am 53 with full benefits. I can fulfill God’s call on my life through volunteering at the church and visiting nursing homes, speaking every couple of months. But, God wouldn’t let me settle for that for that was not God’s plan for me. Recently a friend of mine said don’t view opposition as an obstacle to be overcome, view it as a rock in the river that just changes the direction of the journey. What a great lesson. Jesus didn’t let opposition deter him. He was disappointed in the people’s lack of faith. For him faith was essential for healing to take place and he was able to heal very few people because of the lack of faith that existed. As sad and disappointing as this was Jesus did not let this failure to be accepted in his home town to become an obstacle for him or for his disciples. He kept moving forward with His Mission to bring about this new kind of kingdom. He went out into the villages and he continued to perform miracles, to teach and to heal. Then comes the second part of today’s story: the commissioning of the disciples. Starting with vs. 7. “Calling the twelve to him he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. He then instructed them in how to go about this: Vs. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff==no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave as a testimony against them. What was the result of this instruction. Vs. 12-13….They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. The failure of the hometown people to accept Jesus only pushed him forward to spread the mission outward and through his disciples spread it even more. His hometown folks’ attempt to kill him and thus kill the message was the ultimate fail. Friends we are all called to tell our stories, to let people know the love and grace of God. So what does this story today teach us about our own relationship with God. 1. God comes to us in unexpected, common ways such as through a carpenter’s son, we need to be looking for those ordinary means through which God might speak to us. 2. Failure should not be looked upon as a reason to give up but as a step with which to spawn us forward with even better more expansive plans. Shake the Dust off and move on. 3. We are not in this journey alone. We have companions for the journey. Travel in twos. 4. Travel Light. About this my friend Chip says: “feels like openness, hands free, not encumbered with my stuff - just dependent on God to supply our needs through the kindness of others.” It is very easy to let our attachment to stuff be a deterrent from doing God’s work. 5. Expect times of failure. Let that failure spur you forward, shake the dust off and move on. Where in your faith journey are you stuck, allowing doubt and unmet expectations stop you? Today is the day friends. Won’t you shake off the dust and move forward doing your part of bringing God’s Kingdom to Earth as it is in Heaven.

Phone Call From God

“Phone Call From God”
I Samuel 3 and John 1:43-51

The passages of scriptures today take me back to the 1970s when as a little girl I used to like to go through my parents 33 albums. One album I enjoyed playing over and over was an Album entitled “Phone call from God” by Jerry Jordon. It was a comic monologue in which Jerry receives a phone call. It is a collect call from Heaven. In his best Southern redneck accent Jordon has about a 5 minute conversation with God giving all kinds of explanations for why he doesn’t go to church regularly, why he doesn’t tithe a full 10 percent and so on. At the conclusion of the phone call his wife calls from the other room to ask who it was. She asked if it was the wrong number. He said no, the caller definitely had my number but next time the phone rings you answer it because you sure did need it a lot more than me. Wouldn’t it be great if we really did get phone calls from God? How many times in my life I wished that I would have a burning bush moment, or that God would just do some sky writing for me so I would know the answers to the questions of my heart. Does God really speak to humanity. How do we know it’s God? Well, I think that our passages of scripture today provide us with two very real examples of God speaking to humanity. In I Samuel 3 we have a young boy being called by God for the first time. In John 1 we have recorded the calling of Philips as a disciple in the first story God was an invisible voice. In the 2nd one He came through Jesus.
Bill Hybels is the founder of Willow Creek Church in Chicago. He is an author and well sought after speaker on matters of leadership. In His book “The Power of a Whisper” He writes about the “whispers” of God and outlines for the reader filters to put our whispers through to insure they are from God. In the preface to the book he explains that it has taken him 30 some years to write this book because he had to figure out how to explain it without people thinking he was mentally ill.” The first chapter of his book outlines his own experience with whispers from God and his desire to listen for whispers which came from the telling of the I Samuel story you have listened to today. When he was in the 2nd grade his teacher read this story to him. “On a typical day Bill would be the first one out to the playground. On this day, after hearing the story of Samuel and Eli he lagged behind and when all the students were outside he asked his teacher if she thought God still spoke to little boys. From that day on he tried to listen for the voice of God.
One night I got a call from a friend to come over to her house. I got there and she was crying. I could tell she had been crying for a long time. Her eyes were swollen, her face was puffy. Her question was How do I know which voice is God’s voice. I have one voice telling me this and another telling me the complete opposite. How do I know? We spent about an hour going back and forth mulling over this question. My answer was which one is true to your nature. Which one makes you feel at peace? Which voice condemns you? Which voice loves you? I shared some scripture with her and we prayed together and I set out on a quest myself to find the answers. I began pouring myself into scripture and prayer and the more I did that the more I began to experience for myself these whispers from God. God’s callings and whispers have since become a focal point of my life.
So what do these two stories from scripture today tell us about how God communicates with humanity. First I want us to look at Who God Speaks to:
In the Samuel story God speaks to a young boy, Samuel. Samuel had been dedicated to temple work by his mother who promised God if he gave her a child she would dedicate him to God for life. After finishing nursing him she honored her promise and Samuel was taken to the temple where he would live there with the Priest, Eli. In our John Story God speaks to Phillip, a fisherman, an ordinary blue collar worker probably middle aged. There are many different stories in the scripture of God calling young persons, old person, Jews, Greeks, men ,and women. God does not discriminate in people. He does not discriminate. God calls you, God calls me. It is not a one-time deal but a constant renewing.. God begins speaking to you when you are young like Samuel and he continues speaking through adulthood and in to retirement. God is never finished with us. We are never too young, we are never too old to be listening for the whisper of God. Unlike the beliefs of our Old Testament patriarchs, we do not need a temple to be in the presence of God for what we know is that the presence of God is always within each and every one of us.
The second question that our scriptures bring to mind today is how we know who it is that is speaking to us. For Samuel, he originally believed that the voice calling him was Eli. He would hear the call “Samuel, Samuel” he would get up from his bed and go to Eli saying here I am you called. Eli would say no son, I didn’t call you go back to bed. This happened a total of three times before Eli then realized that it was God calling. We see here in the scripture text that Samuel “did not yet know God.” I don’t think that meant that he didn’t know who God was, didn’t know about God but he had not yet had that life turning experience of personal connection with God. Eli, however, older and wiser and more experienced recognized that it was God calling and he instructed Samuel to go back to bed and when he heard the voice call out again to answer, Here I am Lord. Samuel did as Eli instructed. Sometimes to know whose voice we are hearing we need an advisor, we need the wisdom of one who has already had the experience. Why sometimes we may even be called to be that wise advisor. I suspect I’m sitting among a room full of wise advisor Elis today. In the new testament Story, Phillip knows who Jesus comes from because of things he has read in scripture. He goes and tells Nathaniel. We have found the one that Moses speaks about in the Law. Jesus, from Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Sometimes we know a whisper is from God because it resonates with what we have learned in scripture. In His Book the Power of the Whisper, Bill Hybels lays out 5 filters through which we can put the whispers we here that will help us answer the question “who is calling?”
First, You ask yourself is this prompting/whisper truly from God? Who do we ask that of, we ask it of God. You say “Well isn’t that the question we’re trying to answer with these filters? Yes, but the real question of this filter is does this prompting line up with what you know to be the character of God, revealed in scripture. Bill Hybels tells of a man who came up to him one day with a supposed “message from God” that Bill’s children were going to be “struck down” within 30 days. Bill knew they would not be in line with the character of God he knew from scripture and he could without a doubt and with ease and no worries say this message is not from God.
The second filter is “Is it scriptural.” When you feel a prompting to act ask yourself “can I see Jesus taking this action I am considering taking.” Go to the scriptures. See what you can find about the action you are being prompted to take. Read Galatians 5:16-26 which says:
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
The third Filter is “Is it Wise?” Wisdom is knowledge. Wisdom tells us to practice gentle speech. Wisdom tries to live blameless. With wisdom comes honor. Find out all there is to know about that which you have been prompted to do and figure out what the wisdom is regarding that action.
The 4th Filter is “Is it in tune with your own character”. God is not going to call you to go join the Crossfire Ministries Basketball team when you cannot even dribble a basketball God is not going to call you to give a Million Dollars to Haiti if all the resources you have in this world is 1000.00 and you have no gifts for fundraising. If God is calling you to act, He is calling you because you have the gifts and talents to handle the job.
Finally, the last filter is What do the people you most trust think about it. Proverbs 11:14 states “where there is no counsel, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Don’t just go to one trusted friend. Go to all your trusted friends and see what they advise, what they think about this thing you have been prompted to do.

Hopefully these filters provide a framework within which for more discussion to take place regarding the whispers of God.

Finally, the last thing to look at in these two passages of scripture are the responses of those being spoken to by God. In the old testament passage Samuel responded by saying “here I am Lord” The Lord gives him a very difficult message to deliver to his beloved mentor and caretaker, Eli. It’s not a message Samuel wants to deliver but he trusts and he obeys. In the John passage Jesus has just called Andrew and Peter to follow him and then goes within the same town and finds Phillip. He says to Phillip: “Come, Follow me.” Phillip not only immediately says yes but he goes, as Andrew did, and finds another companion for the journey and says come on I have found the one. He brings Nathaniel to see and witness for himself that Jesus is one whom should be followed. While there seems to be no doubt in the stories of these two callings, the Bible is chalked full of others who had to be convinced. Moses, who said he stuttered and couldn’t possibly be the one, Abraham who said I am too young, Jonah, who simply did not want to go to Ninevah. They all responded with God, are you sure you’ve got the right number. Well rest assured my friend, just as Jerry Jordon said in his monologue comedy skit, “God has your number.”

Going back to Bill Hybel’s book, the Power of the Whisper, I told you the story about Bill being in Second grade and hearing the story about Samuel and wondering if God still spoke to Little boys. His teacher’s response then was to say “Oh yes Billy, He most certainly does. And if you learn to quiet yourself and listen, he even will speak to you. I am sure of it.” Before he left that day his teacher slipped him a poem. She told him that she had kept it there in her desk for quite some time but somehow she thought she should give it to him that day. The poem went like this:

“Oh! Give me Samuel’s ear,
An open ear, O Lord,
Alive and quick to hear,
Each whisper of Thy Word;
Like him to answer to Thy call
And to obey Thee first of all.”

Little Billy Hybels memorized that poem that very night and it became a life Mantra for him, One that I pass on to you today. A challenge to be still and allow yourself to know that God is with you every moment of every day. At every crossroad you reach, God is there to whisper to you the path to take. Will you have Samuel’s ear to hear and to answer; to trust and obey?

Thanks be to God for this message today.

***All References to Bill Hybels come from Power of a Whisper, copywright 2010