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

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.