Christmastime is Here!
Well, here we are…All of the waiting and all of the preparation have lead us up to this! We are on the verge of the day where we celebrate the birth of Jesus! It hardly seems like it’s really that time…Even with the decorations up and the cold wind, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas to me…Or at least it didn’t until I watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas a few nights ago.
How many are familiar with Charlie Brown’s Christmas? I forgot just how much I love that movie! There are many movies out that portray the birth of Jesus, but I have to admit that I think that Charlie Brown’s Christmas portrays the message of Christmas better than most movies that I’ve seen! Now, this movie doesn’t depict Jesus’ birth like some other Christmas movies do, but they are preparing for their Christmas play which seems to have some of the characters that we know with the Nativity scene…Shepherds, Animals, and even a Christmas Queen! Charlie Brown just isn’t feeling everything though…He’s honored to be asked to be the director of the Christmas play, but is still struggling with what Christmas really is...
He meets Snoopy decorating his house for the “reason for the season”…MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! And Charlie Brown just doesn’t think that’s the reason for the season…Then he meets with his little sister, Sally and helps her with her letter to Santa…As she asks for her gifts and includes lots of money, Charlie Brown gets fed up again and wonders still what is the reason for the season…What is Christmas really about?? Just when Charlie Brown thinks that he has it figured out, he’s chosen to be the one to get the Christmas Tree for the pageant…He picks the scrawniest tree because he feels sorry for it and thinks that no one else will choose it, and wouldn’t that just be awful for this tree to be on it’s own for Christmas…When he brings the tree to the rest of the cast, they call him names and make fun of him for picking such an awful tree! They just knew that a blockhead like Charlie Brown couldn’t do anything right!
I’ve felt like Charlie Brown this year…On just about every talk show, commercial, signs, or advertisements, something is broadcast as the “reason for the season.” I’ve heard that giving is the true reason of the season…I’ve heard that spending time with family is the true reason of the season…I’ve heard that buying and spending money is the true reason of the season…So much, that I can understand why Charlie Brown and others just don’t know what the “true reason for the season.” Really is…It seems like our culture doesn’t know what the true reason is…
The true reason isn’t about ribbons and bows…The true reason isn’t about trees and family dinners…The true reason isn’t about giving or receiving…Those things happen because we celebrate the true reason…What is the true reason? Maybe Charlie Brown and Linus can help us with that question again. (Clip)
The true reason for the season is that this is the celebration of Jesus’ birth….It isn’t bows, ribbons, trees, family or friends…It’s about Jesus…Now, as we celebrate we have all those things, bows ribbons, trees, family and friends, but we celebrate because of this baby.
Now this is more than just any baby…This baby is God with us…Emmanuel…This baby is hope to all people…This baby is the light in the darkness…This baby is a miracle!
Maybe it’s because it’s hard to put into words what this baby means for us today…Sure we may know the story and have heard it many different ways through many different sounds…But hearing it and knowing it are different…We’ve heard that this baby was to be the Prince of Peace, but have we experienced Jesus as the Prince of Peace in our lives? We know that this baby was born to save the world, but have we experienced Jesus as our Savior?
Jesus is the sign of the ultimate hope…The ultimate joy…This baby; this Jesus is the reason that there is a Christmas!
This story that we have of Jesus’ birth reaches so many people…There’s Mary & Joseph who have traveled far to follow the orders of Caesar…And who have been planning for this baby to come for 9 months! They’ve been through everything that new parents go through in addition to ridicule, death threats, and major embarrassment… There were the angels who were trusted with sharing this news to the world…What big news that they had to share! If they were late or didn’t give the message, what would we have then? And they told the message so beautifully and full of joy and happiness! There are the shepherds, who were minding their own business watching their sheep and they were awoken to an angel telling them about the Messiah that was born….It’s very important to know that the shepherds were there when Jesus was born…Jesus, who was God in flesh, Jesus who was the new King…Jesus wasn’t in a large palace with jewels and crowns, he wasn’t sleeping in an elaborate crib…He was laying in a manger, a feed trough…And dignitaries and celebrities weren’t all around him, but these shepherds who probably smelled from being in the fields with their sheep, who were nowhere near the richest people and were not even celebrities, but some of the lowest classes of people in that society…Jesus was surrounded by these shepherds!
This baby, Emmanuel, God made flesh is for all people…even the shepherds in the fields…Even the wise men traveling from the east…Even all the people of the land…Even you and me…Jesus came to bring hope to all the world…
In that attitude of hope, we celebrate…We rejoice not because we got the best present or we give the best present, but we celebrate because of this baby…This Jesus that was born. The baby that contained all of the joy and hope that we could ever know…Now that’s something to celebrate!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
I'm Having a What??
I’m Having a What??
Whenever I read a passage of Scripture, I read several times and each time I try and get into the character’s mind. Sometimes, I’ll read the from the same character’s point of view in different ways. This particular passage, I have read from Mary’s point of view in just about every way that I think I can. I have read her being angry, excited, nervous, sad, curious, apathetic… and each time, the meaning changes a little bit for me. Mary is such an interesting character in the Bible… We know some things about her: Her mother’s name was Anna and her cousin was Elizabeth, who was already 6 months pregnant when Mary heard from the angel… Her husband, Joseph was a carpenter from the lineage of King David… you know King David, the one who wrote most of the Psalms…She talks to angels…She prays…When the angel came to her, she was probably around 13-15, which would have been the normal time for girls in that time to get married and begin to have children…She may have had more children, including at least one other son named James, and well, there’s that other child of hers that I would hope that we know, Jesus…
For all that we think that we know about Mary, we have no idea about how she felt, which is why I often put different emotions into her sayings…
When we look at this passage in Luke, where Gabriel comes to tell Mary of this good news… It strikes me as funny that Gabriel calls it good news at first. I mean think about it… Pretend you’re Mary’s mother or Father and she comes home and tells you that she’s going to have a baby and an angel told her that it’s God’s baby… What is your reaction? Anger… Shame…Confusion…Happiness… We don’t know how Mary’s parents felt about the news. Maybe they felt all those things… They didn’t disown her…
Then there’s Joseph… If your fiancée had come to you before your wedding and told you that she was going to have a baby… But you weren’t this baby’s father, God was the father… What is your reaction? Anger…shame…confusion…happiness… You can watch just about any daytime talk show and see what other people’s reactions would be… We don’t know Joseph’s initial reaction, but we do know what he did later… He married her and raised that baby with love.
Now, both Mary and Joseph had to deal with the gossip and the rumors about her pregnancy and the confusion about their story. If you heard this story today from someone around town, would the first thing that you thought of be that this story must be true!
And, there’s one character in this story that has to deal with the entire situation from the news of the angel to telling her family and fiancée and dealing with the gossip… that’s Mary. Put yourself in her shoes for a minute… An angel comes to you and tells you that you are on earth most blessed and you are going to have a baby that is the Son of God and you will name him Jesus. What do you say? “I’m having a what?” How do you react? “That’s great news!” What on earth is going on?
Well, let’s see… we’ve got the angel Gabriel standing in front of Mary and what’s the first thing that he says to her? “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!” Sounds like he’s trying to butter Mary up a little bit… Like when someone is trying to get you to do something for them and instead of asking right off, they say “You look wonderful today! You are such a nice person! That project that you did turned out just perfect!” There’s the phrase “flattery will get you everywhere”… Do you think that’s what Gabriel was trying to do? Flatter Mary a little bit and before she could do anything, hit her with the news?
Mary was a little bit wiser than that…Mary didn’t quite accept Gabriel’s words… She thought about them and they made her nervous… If he was trying to butter her up, she could see right through him! Gabriel was probably able to sense her uneasiness, so he told her don’t be afraid…. Then, he began to tell her what God had in store for her. He didn’t come right out and say it though… He told her that God had been gracious to her…. And then… then came the news…. You’re going to be pregnant and have a son, you’ll name him Jesus and, by the way… This will be God’s child… Mary did question a little bit, she wasn’t married…so, how can this be?
Gabriel’s just the messenger, so how do you think he was feeling about these questions? When you have to deliver some kind of project to somebody, but you didn’t create the project and you’re confronted with questions, how long does it take before you get fed up and walk away? Well, Gabriel was a little patient, but he had to remind Mary… God can do anything!
The last sentence that Mary says is a very interesting one, depending on how you read it… It could be happy! “I am the Lord’s Servant! May it happen to me according to your will!” It could be fearful… “I am the Lord’s servant…may it happen to me according to your will...” Sad… “I am the Lord’s servant…may it happen to me according to your will…” maybe Mary just wanted to get Gabriel out of there, so she said what she thought would make him happy… “Yeah, I’m the Lord’s servant… May it happen to me according to your will… Yeah, whatever….” Each time we can see Mary differently… So, how did she say it? Well, we really don’t know… but…
There’s another part of Luke, the magnificat…In the magnifact, we have a song that Mary sings about God and how she is completely humbled that God has chosen her. As she shares what God has done, she also recognizes what this baby means for the world and what future generations will say about her. Whatever her emotions were in the beginning of this journey, she has accepted willingly and with joy this baby that she will have.
While we haven’t had the exact experience as Mary, where an angel tells us that we’re going to have a baby! But…we’ve still heard calls from God. Calls from God to do something…Calls from God to reach out to all people…Calls from God to create disciples…Calls from God…Those calls that we hear are a lot like Mary’s news. We may have different reactions to what God is telling us, and we have a choice of what to do…
There are times when you hear that angel or you hear God calling you and you don’t want to do whatever it is… I don’t want to move away from my family! I don’t want to change jobs! I don’t want to listen to you! I’m in control of my life… I know what’s best for me… You stay out of it! If I want to take this job, I will and there’s nothing that you can do about it! You know, the thing is, that’s true to a certain extent… We do have free will and we can tell God “no” or that we don’t want to… But, God doesn’t always take no for an answer…God isn’t always so quiet when we say that we don’t want to do something….It seems easy to be in charge and to feel important by saying that “I don’t wanna…” But, in the end we know what we should do…Even if we do say no; God’s not going to leave our side… God will still be there, and encouraging us to do what God wants and knows is best… Sometimes it takes bruises along the way, but God is there right there to pick us up and waiting for us to sing our magnificat!
Before I accepted my calling to ministry, I went my own way… I told God, “That’s nice that you think I should be in ministry, but I think I should be performing on Broadway, so that’s what I’m going to do…” and “That’s nice that you think I should be in ministry, but I’m working in retail and I’m going to take that manager’s position…” Both were perfectly legitimate careers and what I thought was right and thought that I wanted…But, God had something different in mind… It took me awhile before I could finally say, “I am your servant…Let it be with me according to your will…” And there are often times when I sit back and I say, okay, you got me here… Now what? But like Mary’s magnificat tells the stories of God’s faithfulness and the stories of God’s work in the history of the Israelites , we are reminded of God’s work still…God provides whatever it is that we need… Be it strength, be it courage, be it the right words to say, be it gentleness… Whatever… God will provide…. God provided for Mary...
Having a baby was something new for Mary…She didn’t know how to do this…It was so far out of her comfort zone. But by going out of her comfort zone, she was part of one of the most amazing stories of God…By going outside of her comfort zone, she became the mother of Jesus…The baby who’s birth we celebrate, the Messiah that we rejoice in…By stepping outside of her comfort zone, she allowed God to do wonderful and amazing things through her! What are we willing to do to step out of our comfort zones for God to do wonderful and amazing things through us? It’s not easy to step outside of our comfort zones because they are just that…Comfortable. We like to be in them because they’re what we know and what we like…But how much are we willing to trust that in getting out of our comfort zones that God will be there? That as we are uncomfortable for a bit that we remember God’s faithfulness…It’s not easy and that’s why it’s important to rely on God that much more.
How much ridicule did Mary face? She must have heard so much gossip and whispers behind her back… Joseph even considered leaving her because of it! But, God provided both of them the strength that they needed to get by…God provided the refuge that they needed that night when she had the baby…God gave them all that they needed and all it took was Mary to say “I am the Lord’s servant, let it be with me according to your will…”
It’s not easy to take that step and feel “out of control” to feel like you’re “not in charge” anymore… Who wants to feel like that? But, when you know that God is in control, things just run so much easier… When you call to God and say, “A little help here!” God answers…What do you hear God calling to you today? Have you told God, no or not right now, but that question keeps creeping up? What do you hear God calling Sheridan-Norway United Methodist Church to today? Have we told God, no or not right now, but God won’t be silent? Maybe we should try this…? “I am your servant… Let it be with me according to YOUR will…. According to your will…”
Whenever I read a passage of Scripture, I read several times and each time I try and get into the character’s mind. Sometimes, I’ll read the from the same character’s point of view in different ways. This particular passage, I have read from Mary’s point of view in just about every way that I think I can. I have read her being angry, excited, nervous, sad, curious, apathetic… and each time, the meaning changes a little bit for me. Mary is such an interesting character in the Bible… We know some things about her: Her mother’s name was Anna and her cousin was Elizabeth, who was already 6 months pregnant when Mary heard from the angel… Her husband, Joseph was a carpenter from the lineage of King David… you know King David, the one who wrote most of the Psalms…She talks to angels…She prays…When the angel came to her, she was probably around 13-15, which would have been the normal time for girls in that time to get married and begin to have children…She may have had more children, including at least one other son named James, and well, there’s that other child of hers that I would hope that we know, Jesus…
For all that we think that we know about Mary, we have no idea about how she felt, which is why I often put different emotions into her sayings…
When we look at this passage in Luke, where Gabriel comes to tell Mary of this good news… It strikes me as funny that Gabriel calls it good news at first. I mean think about it… Pretend you’re Mary’s mother or Father and she comes home and tells you that she’s going to have a baby and an angel told her that it’s God’s baby… What is your reaction? Anger… Shame…Confusion…Happiness… We don’t know how Mary’s parents felt about the news. Maybe they felt all those things… They didn’t disown her…
Then there’s Joseph… If your fiancée had come to you before your wedding and told you that she was going to have a baby… But you weren’t this baby’s father, God was the father… What is your reaction? Anger…shame…confusion…happiness… You can watch just about any daytime talk show and see what other people’s reactions would be… We don’t know Joseph’s initial reaction, but we do know what he did later… He married her and raised that baby with love.
Now, both Mary and Joseph had to deal with the gossip and the rumors about her pregnancy and the confusion about their story. If you heard this story today from someone around town, would the first thing that you thought of be that this story must be true!
And, there’s one character in this story that has to deal with the entire situation from the news of the angel to telling her family and fiancée and dealing with the gossip… that’s Mary. Put yourself in her shoes for a minute… An angel comes to you and tells you that you are on earth most blessed and you are going to have a baby that is the Son of God and you will name him Jesus. What do you say? “I’m having a what?” How do you react? “That’s great news!” What on earth is going on?
Well, let’s see… we’ve got the angel Gabriel standing in front of Mary and what’s the first thing that he says to her? “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!” Sounds like he’s trying to butter Mary up a little bit… Like when someone is trying to get you to do something for them and instead of asking right off, they say “You look wonderful today! You are such a nice person! That project that you did turned out just perfect!” There’s the phrase “flattery will get you everywhere”… Do you think that’s what Gabriel was trying to do? Flatter Mary a little bit and before she could do anything, hit her with the news?
Mary was a little bit wiser than that…Mary didn’t quite accept Gabriel’s words… She thought about them and they made her nervous… If he was trying to butter her up, she could see right through him! Gabriel was probably able to sense her uneasiness, so he told her don’t be afraid…. Then, he began to tell her what God had in store for her. He didn’t come right out and say it though… He told her that God had been gracious to her…. And then… then came the news…. You’re going to be pregnant and have a son, you’ll name him Jesus and, by the way… This will be God’s child… Mary did question a little bit, she wasn’t married…so, how can this be?
Gabriel’s just the messenger, so how do you think he was feeling about these questions? When you have to deliver some kind of project to somebody, but you didn’t create the project and you’re confronted with questions, how long does it take before you get fed up and walk away? Well, Gabriel was a little patient, but he had to remind Mary… God can do anything!
The last sentence that Mary says is a very interesting one, depending on how you read it… It could be happy! “I am the Lord’s Servant! May it happen to me according to your will!” It could be fearful… “I am the Lord’s servant…may it happen to me according to your will...” Sad… “I am the Lord’s servant…may it happen to me according to your will…” maybe Mary just wanted to get Gabriel out of there, so she said what she thought would make him happy… “Yeah, I’m the Lord’s servant… May it happen to me according to your will… Yeah, whatever….” Each time we can see Mary differently… So, how did she say it? Well, we really don’t know… but…
There’s another part of Luke, the magnificat…In the magnifact, we have a song that Mary sings about God and how she is completely humbled that God has chosen her. As she shares what God has done, she also recognizes what this baby means for the world and what future generations will say about her. Whatever her emotions were in the beginning of this journey, she has accepted willingly and with joy this baby that she will have.
While we haven’t had the exact experience as Mary, where an angel tells us that we’re going to have a baby! But…we’ve still heard calls from God. Calls from God to do something…Calls from God to reach out to all people…Calls from God to create disciples…Calls from God…Those calls that we hear are a lot like Mary’s news. We may have different reactions to what God is telling us, and we have a choice of what to do…
There are times when you hear that angel or you hear God calling you and you don’t want to do whatever it is… I don’t want to move away from my family! I don’t want to change jobs! I don’t want to listen to you! I’m in control of my life… I know what’s best for me… You stay out of it! If I want to take this job, I will and there’s nothing that you can do about it! You know, the thing is, that’s true to a certain extent… We do have free will and we can tell God “no” or that we don’t want to… But, God doesn’t always take no for an answer…God isn’t always so quiet when we say that we don’t want to do something….It seems easy to be in charge and to feel important by saying that “I don’t wanna…” But, in the end we know what we should do…Even if we do say no; God’s not going to leave our side… God will still be there, and encouraging us to do what God wants and knows is best… Sometimes it takes bruises along the way, but God is there right there to pick us up and waiting for us to sing our magnificat!
Before I accepted my calling to ministry, I went my own way… I told God, “That’s nice that you think I should be in ministry, but I think I should be performing on Broadway, so that’s what I’m going to do…” and “That’s nice that you think I should be in ministry, but I’m working in retail and I’m going to take that manager’s position…” Both were perfectly legitimate careers and what I thought was right and thought that I wanted…But, God had something different in mind… It took me awhile before I could finally say, “I am your servant…Let it be with me according to your will…” And there are often times when I sit back and I say, okay, you got me here… Now what? But like Mary’s magnificat tells the stories of God’s faithfulness and the stories of God’s work in the history of the Israelites , we are reminded of God’s work still…God provides whatever it is that we need… Be it strength, be it courage, be it the right words to say, be it gentleness… Whatever… God will provide…. God provided for Mary...
Having a baby was something new for Mary…She didn’t know how to do this…It was so far out of her comfort zone. But by going out of her comfort zone, she was part of one of the most amazing stories of God…By going outside of her comfort zone, she became the mother of Jesus…The baby who’s birth we celebrate, the Messiah that we rejoice in…By stepping outside of her comfort zone, she allowed God to do wonderful and amazing things through her! What are we willing to do to step out of our comfort zones for God to do wonderful and amazing things through us? It’s not easy to step outside of our comfort zones because they are just that…Comfortable. We like to be in them because they’re what we know and what we like…But how much are we willing to trust that in getting out of our comfort zones that God will be there? That as we are uncomfortable for a bit that we remember God’s faithfulness…It’s not easy and that’s why it’s important to rely on God that much more.
How much ridicule did Mary face? She must have heard so much gossip and whispers behind her back… Joseph even considered leaving her because of it! But, God provided both of them the strength that they needed to get by…God provided the refuge that they needed that night when she had the baby…God gave them all that they needed and all it took was Mary to say “I am the Lord’s servant, let it be with me according to your will…”
It’s not easy to take that step and feel “out of control” to feel like you’re “not in charge” anymore… Who wants to feel like that? But, when you know that God is in control, things just run so much easier… When you call to God and say, “A little help here!” God answers…What do you hear God calling to you today? Have you told God, no or not right now, but that question keeps creeping up? What do you hear God calling Sheridan-Norway United Methodist Church to today? Have we told God, no or not right now, but God won’t be silent? Maybe we should try this…? “I am your servant… Let it be with me according to YOUR will…. According to your will…”
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Advent/Christmas invitations!
Saturday, Dec. 15th-- United Methodist Community Christmas Concert & Ham dinner-- beginning at 4:00 with dinner and concert is at 6:30pm at Sheridan UMC
Sunday, Dec. 16th--Bus trip to Brookfield Zoo-- we'll leave the church at 4:00 pm and get back by 9:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 23--Christmas Caroling around Sheridan & Youth Christmas party to follow. Meet at the church at 6:00 and we'll be finished by 9:00. Dress warm!
Sunday, Dec. 16th--Bus trip to Brookfield Zoo-- we'll leave the church at 4:00 pm and get back by 9:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 23--Christmas Caroling around Sheridan & Youth Christmas party to follow. Meet at the church at 6:00 and we'll be finished by 9:00. Dress warm!
Look at all these crooked roads!
Look at all these crooked roads!
The season of Advent is about preparation…We are preparing for the birth of Jesus, the baby who would become a king, the savior, the messiah….Advent is the time when we prepare for that…It’s four weeks of preparation….And it’s more than the preparations that we make for our homes and celebrations—sure we have baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping and other things to do in order to get ready for celebrations of Christmas with friends and families….But it’s also about preparing our lives for the birth of Jesus…For the next 2 weeks we’ll be looking at what it means to make those preparations and some of the words of those who came before Jesus…Those who helped to prepare the way…
We have passages this morning from Isaiah and about John…The two are separated by thousands of years and may seem to have very little in common…If we look at just these two passages from Isaiah and Matthew, the two almost seem like polar opposites! But, that’s just the surface, because these two are more alike than one would think.
Isaiah is promising a vision of hope and a new ruler…The new ruler will be wise, righteous, the Spirit of Lord will be upon him…in contrast to most of the rulers that Israel had in the last few years…They were used to having kings and rulers who were corrupt and not following what God wanted. Isaiah paints a picture of the future…Not just the future of Israel, but God’s future.
And more than Isaiah talking about the future and what maybe, could be, someday, but the future that the people of Israel were to live into…In this future there are beautiful pictures of reconciliation painted in Isaiah’s words. Isaiah paints pictures of animals that wouldn’t normally be seen together as getting along and in peace with one another…The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the cow and the bear, the lion will eat straw like the fox…Beautiful imagery that Isaiah is using about the reconciliation that is to be in the future…Reconciliation that doesn’t happen overnight, but comes with work. It comes by being intentional about reaching out to all people…To not keep anyone away…
Now of course, with any passage of Scripture, there was an audience intended to hear it…In this case, the people of Israel…But, it’s not just the people of Israel that need to hear this message. That’s what makes Scripture a living document…It speaks not only to the times then, but to us now…
As Isaiah talks about reconciliation, we can think of our own world…Surely there are places in the world that are experiencing times where there are troubles and times of hardship, where there is no reconciliation. Places like the Sudan, Congo, and Uganda where thousands of people are being killed…It feels like there is no concept of reconciliation for the world…And reconciliation doesn’t happen at tables and chairs with leaders talking about what’s best…It happens in the actions. In South Africa going back to the 1940’s, apartheid was the norm. Apartheid was a government sponsored racism…The black Africans were treated as lower class compared to the white Africans. It was an unjust system that people lived in…Homes were taken from black Africans because a white African wanted it…People were put into prison, murdered, and many other things happened because of apartheid. When apartheid was overturned, one of the ways to help with healing of the country was to have times of reconciliation…One person who may have wronged another had the opportunity to apologize and ask forgiveness and it would be granted as a way to help in reconciliation…The system has worked fairly well, there is still a lot of pain and hurt from 50 years that doesn’t go away with an apology, but it is a step in working towards reconciliation…When the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the lion shall eat straw…
And while this passage from Isaiah points to the world and places that need reconciliation in the world…It’s also for us as individuals and for us as a community, the Church. Where are we pushing for the wolf to dwell with the lamb…Where are we inviting someone that we wouldn’t normally to join in the fellowship of Christ…Where are we inviting the wolf to dwell with the lamb and the lion to eat straw? Where are we being invited for the wolf to dwell with the lamb and the lion to eat straw? Because the vision of God’s future starts now and is something that we are working to build up and to live into…Living into God’s future…
John almost picks up where some may have misinterpreted Isaiah’s message…Because Isaiah’s message of God’s vision for the future could be interpreted as something that will happen, not something that we take part in…Something that requires something of us…That’s what John is telling people in his sermon…That there is something that we need to do and that we do play a part in the vision for the future—we are living into the future.
But when we’re invited into the future, we have to give up ourselves in the meantime…It’s not our plans for the future, but it’s God’s plan…It’s not what we want to happen, but it’s what God wants to happen. When we join with God, we give up ourselves…We can’t do what God is about to do, but we are invited to join in and in doing so, we give up ourselves. And that’s not easy to do, nor is it something that our society advocates…
What does it mean to give up ourselves? Well that’s a big question and it does mean different things at different times in life…At least specifically…It means putting ourselves aside in order for God to work…It may mean saying, “I don’t like the music, but I know God works through it to reach people.” It may mean saying, “I don’t like the way you’re doing things, but I know God is working through that to reach people.” It may mean saying, “That makes me uncomfortable, but I know that God is working through it.” It means putting yourself aside in order for God to work.
The irony of that is that it is through God that we are able to put ourselves aside…Yes, it is something that we have to choose to do, but it’s something that we can do through God and asking God for strength, wisdom, and help in putting ourselves aside.
John is not saying these things just to say them or for them to be associated with Isaiah or any other prophet for that matter…It doesn’t hurt that messages fit together, but John is proclaiming the One who is coming who is more powerful than he is—who is coming after him…He’s talking about his cousin, Jesus…The baby that was born, whose birth we celebrate on Christmas…The baby who we are preparing for in this season of Advent. The baby who would grow into the man we recognize as the Messiah…
The One who challenged the structures, who brought about reconciliation, who called people out of their comfort zones to work for God…The One who still calls to us today to bring about reconciliation, to get out of our comfort zones to work for God…We have all been called to follow this One…This One who is called Jesus…Where will you put yourself aside? Where will you work for reconciliation? How are you preparing for the celebration of Christmas? Beyond the ribbons and bows and cookies and trees, prepare your hearts for Advent; join in the work of God happening…
The season of Advent is about preparation…We are preparing for the birth of Jesus, the baby who would become a king, the savior, the messiah….Advent is the time when we prepare for that…It’s four weeks of preparation….And it’s more than the preparations that we make for our homes and celebrations—sure we have baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping and other things to do in order to get ready for celebrations of Christmas with friends and families….But it’s also about preparing our lives for the birth of Jesus…For the next 2 weeks we’ll be looking at what it means to make those preparations and some of the words of those who came before Jesus…Those who helped to prepare the way…
We have passages this morning from Isaiah and about John…The two are separated by thousands of years and may seem to have very little in common…If we look at just these two passages from Isaiah and Matthew, the two almost seem like polar opposites! But, that’s just the surface, because these two are more alike than one would think.
Isaiah is promising a vision of hope and a new ruler…The new ruler will be wise, righteous, the Spirit of Lord will be upon him…in contrast to most of the rulers that Israel had in the last few years…They were used to having kings and rulers who were corrupt and not following what God wanted. Isaiah paints a picture of the future…Not just the future of Israel, but God’s future.
And more than Isaiah talking about the future and what maybe, could be, someday, but the future that the people of Israel were to live into…In this future there are beautiful pictures of reconciliation painted in Isaiah’s words. Isaiah paints pictures of animals that wouldn’t normally be seen together as getting along and in peace with one another…The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the cow and the bear, the lion will eat straw like the fox…Beautiful imagery that Isaiah is using about the reconciliation that is to be in the future…Reconciliation that doesn’t happen overnight, but comes with work. It comes by being intentional about reaching out to all people…To not keep anyone away…
Now of course, with any passage of Scripture, there was an audience intended to hear it…In this case, the people of Israel…But, it’s not just the people of Israel that need to hear this message. That’s what makes Scripture a living document…It speaks not only to the times then, but to us now…
As Isaiah talks about reconciliation, we can think of our own world…Surely there are places in the world that are experiencing times where there are troubles and times of hardship, where there is no reconciliation. Places like the Sudan, Congo, and Uganda where thousands of people are being killed…It feels like there is no concept of reconciliation for the world…And reconciliation doesn’t happen at tables and chairs with leaders talking about what’s best…It happens in the actions. In South Africa going back to the 1940’s, apartheid was the norm. Apartheid was a government sponsored racism…The black Africans were treated as lower class compared to the white Africans. It was an unjust system that people lived in…Homes were taken from black Africans because a white African wanted it…People were put into prison, murdered, and many other things happened because of apartheid. When apartheid was overturned, one of the ways to help with healing of the country was to have times of reconciliation…One person who may have wronged another had the opportunity to apologize and ask forgiveness and it would be granted as a way to help in reconciliation…The system has worked fairly well, there is still a lot of pain and hurt from 50 years that doesn’t go away with an apology, but it is a step in working towards reconciliation…When the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the lion shall eat straw…
And while this passage from Isaiah points to the world and places that need reconciliation in the world…It’s also for us as individuals and for us as a community, the Church. Where are we pushing for the wolf to dwell with the lamb…Where are we inviting someone that we wouldn’t normally to join in the fellowship of Christ…Where are we inviting the wolf to dwell with the lamb and the lion to eat straw? Where are we being invited for the wolf to dwell with the lamb and the lion to eat straw? Because the vision of God’s future starts now and is something that we are working to build up and to live into…Living into God’s future…
John almost picks up where some may have misinterpreted Isaiah’s message…Because Isaiah’s message of God’s vision for the future could be interpreted as something that will happen, not something that we take part in…Something that requires something of us…That’s what John is telling people in his sermon…That there is something that we need to do and that we do play a part in the vision for the future—we are living into the future.
But when we’re invited into the future, we have to give up ourselves in the meantime…It’s not our plans for the future, but it’s God’s plan…It’s not what we want to happen, but it’s what God wants to happen. When we join with God, we give up ourselves…We can’t do what God is about to do, but we are invited to join in and in doing so, we give up ourselves. And that’s not easy to do, nor is it something that our society advocates…
What does it mean to give up ourselves? Well that’s a big question and it does mean different things at different times in life…At least specifically…It means putting ourselves aside in order for God to work…It may mean saying, “I don’t like the music, but I know God works through it to reach people.” It may mean saying, “I don’t like the way you’re doing things, but I know God is working through that to reach people.” It may mean saying, “That makes me uncomfortable, but I know that God is working through it.” It means putting yourself aside in order for God to work.
The irony of that is that it is through God that we are able to put ourselves aside…Yes, it is something that we have to choose to do, but it’s something that we can do through God and asking God for strength, wisdom, and help in putting ourselves aside.
John is not saying these things just to say them or for them to be associated with Isaiah or any other prophet for that matter…It doesn’t hurt that messages fit together, but John is proclaiming the One who is coming who is more powerful than he is—who is coming after him…He’s talking about his cousin, Jesus…The baby that was born, whose birth we celebrate on Christmas…The baby who we are preparing for in this season of Advent. The baby who would grow into the man we recognize as the Messiah…
The One who challenged the structures, who brought about reconciliation, who called people out of their comfort zones to work for God…The One who still calls to us today to bring about reconciliation, to get out of our comfort zones to work for God…We have all been called to follow this One…This One who is called Jesus…Where will you put yourself aside? Where will you work for reconciliation? How are you preparing for the celebration of Christmas? Beyond the ribbons and bows and cookies and trees, prepare your hearts for Advent; join in the work of God happening…
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wreaths and Other Decorations
Well, now that it's Christmas and you're strting to decorate, maybe you've looked at your front door and think that it really needs a wreath on the door!
We have wreaths available throught Sheridan UMC-- Please contact the church office if you would be interested in purchasing one or more! There are other products available also that I can give you information on.
The profits from this will go toward our apportionments which benefit the ministry of the United Methodist Church.
If you would be able to help us meet our goal for apportionments, that would be much appreciated!
We have wreaths available throught Sheridan UMC-- Please contact the church office if you would be interested in purchasing one or more! There are other products available also that I can give you information on.
The profits from this will go toward our apportionments which benefit the ministry of the United Methodist Church.
If you would be able to help us meet our goal for apportionments, that would be much appreciated!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Soul Food
Soul Food
Okay, be honest…How many people ate more than they should have on Thursday? There’s always so much food on Thanksgiving! There’s turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, green bean casserole, other vegetables, pumpkin pies, and other various desserts…And let’s not forget about the leftovers! There’s always so much food…
The story from John where we encounter Jesus, he has just performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand…Feeding five thousand men, which didn’t include the women and children…And when he goes away and rest, they keep trying to find him! Poor Jesus…He can’t seem to get a break! Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I have to chuckle when we start with this passage…We’re not sure how many people “they” are…It may have been the whole five thousand plus…Maybe it was 12…Maybe it was just a couple…But, when I paint the scene in my head, I picture that they were following Jesus the whole time, knowing exactly where he was and when he turns around to see them, they say, “Oh, Jesus! When did you get here?” Whether that’s really how it happened or not, it’s how I see it!
And Jesus tells them, “You’re not here because you saw a miracle…You’re here because I fed you!” It certainly seems like not much has changed…Whenever food is offered, you can be pretty guaranteed that people will gather…For some Thanksgiving is that time…There’s an undercurrent in society of people not really wanting to get together with their families…The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year, partly for that reasons…In some families, there are arguments, physical fights, people who refuse to get together, or just plain don’t like each other…And yet they still gather together for the holidays…So, you have to wonder…Is it the food that brings them together? Jesus surely said that it was the food that brought the group of people back to him…Feed them and they will come?
The people then go on and ask Jesus what they need to do to perform the works of God…Are they asking what they can do to multiply food for themselves? So that they can acquire more for themselves? Now this group may be a group of people who really don’t have that much money and to be able to multiply food would be an enormous help! But…This group of people and Jesus aren’t talking about the same things…
Jesus’ response is that they need to believe in the One that God sent…They need to believe in Jesus…And then the question that they ask is one that is also still as relevant today as it was when they asked it…It is still a question that is asked today…I would be willing to guess that it’s a question that most of us have asked ourselves…Maybe not in the exact words and maybe not dwelled on it…But maybe we have…Maybe it’s the basis for some people’s faith…
The question that they asked Jesus after he told them that they needed to believe in Him was, “What are you going give us?” What are we going to get out of this? So, we believe and then what? What do we get? Do we get riches? Do we get glory? Do we get a free pass at life? Do we get a new car? Do we get athletic skills? If there are more than 5,000 people there, we’ve got a lot of questions….What do we get out of this? What do I get for believing?
It is so obvious that this group that is talking to Jesus and Jesus are almost not speaking the same language…the group is talking about something physical…They want something to show that they believe…The want Jesus to give them something…They may still be hungry and want to be fed more…They bring up Moses…
The story of Moses and the manna comes when the Israelites had escaped from Pharaoh and the army and were no longer slaves…They were following Moses & his brother Aaron and they were seeking the land that God had promised them…The Promised Land…But their escape from Egypt was very quick and they didn’t have much food with them…And they were in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights…That’s a long time to go without food…So they asked Moses to give them some help with the food situation and Moses turned to God…So, there came manna from heaven and quail as well…They were given specific instructions about the manna…They were supposed to eat all that they gathered and couldn’t save any of it because there would be some the next day…They were supposed to gather enough on the day before the Sabbath so that they didn’t have to work on the Sabbath…
And this group that is with Jesus has this story of Moses and the manna as a part of their history…And seeing Jesus as someone who is as important as Moses…They say that Moses gave them bread, so what is Jesus going to give them? What are we going to get out of this? What are you going to give us?
And Jesus tells them, first of all it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread…That bread came from God…The bread of God which comes from heaven and gives life to the world…And the people still can’t stop thinking about the physical…So they ask again for the bread…And Jesus, who has already told them that they need to believe in Him…Says to them…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
The argument continues in the chapter…Jesus trying to tell the group that he is the bread of life and the group still wanting something…
When Jesus said that whoever comes to him will not be hungry or thirsty, he didn’t mean physically…There are times when we are hungry or thirsty even when we believe…Even after a filling meal like Thanksgiving…Or a meal of fish and bread….Physical hunger and thirst are a fact of life…So it’s not that we can just not eat or drink because Jesus said we wouldn’t be hungry or thirsty…Or that we should feel like we don’t believe strong enough because we get hungry or thirsty…
Jesus wasn’t talking about physical food….Jesus was talking about soul food…And I’m not talking about southern cooking…Soul food…Food that feed your soul…
When my family gets together in for Thanksgiving, we have the traditional foods or at least traditional for our family…Sometimes there’s something new tossed in there, sometimes not…Three years ago my brother Matt and my cousin Sean made the claim that they saved Thanksgiving. That year, we almost didn’t gather as a family to celebrate Thanksgiving together, but they worked hard to make sure that it happened. Since they performed the act of “saving Thanksgiving” they decided that they could also rename the holiday to be “The Funniest Day of the Year.” And as we sit together, we laugh and share our lives…Sometimes we play games, some watch football, Matt & Sean make jokes and entertain us constantly…Our stomachs and physical appetites are filled by the food…But my soul is filled by the conversation and laughter…
That’s what Jesus is talking about…Not something physical that you can touch or maybe not even see…But your soul will be full…That’s what you “get out of this.” It’s not something physical like food, a new car, or riches and glory…Your soul is full…
The day after Thanksgiving is a kick off for the Christmas season…Or at least the consumer Christmas season…The stores open early and crazy people wait outside in the cold, far earlier than they would get up on any normal day for the bargains that they can get…What they can get out of it…Now, I have to admit that I am one of those crazy people…My dad and I go out shopping every day after Thanksgiving…We wait in the lines and rush through the people…And yes, sometimes we’re buying Christmas gifts…But that’s not really the beginning of the Christmas season…Because Christmas is not about what we can get out of it…What physical things that we receive…It’s not about the presents under the tree or the sales and bargains…
Christmas is about the One whom God sent…The One in whom we need to believe in and be full…The One who is the bread of life…The One who feeds our souls…
Okay, be honest…How many people ate more than they should have on Thursday? There’s always so much food on Thanksgiving! There’s turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, green bean casserole, other vegetables, pumpkin pies, and other various desserts…And let’s not forget about the leftovers! There’s always so much food…
The story from John where we encounter Jesus, he has just performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand…Feeding five thousand men, which didn’t include the women and children…And when he goes away and rest, they keep trying to find him! Poor Jesus…He can’t seem to get a break! Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I have to chuckle when we start with this passage…We’re not sure how many people “they” are…It may have been the whole five thousand plus…Maybe it was 12…Maybe it was just a couple…But, when I paint the scene in my head, I picture that they were following Jesus the whole time, knowing exactly where he was and when he turns around to see them, they say, “Oh, Jesus! When did you get here?” Whether that’s really how it happened or not, it’s how I see it!
And Jesus tells them, “You’re not here because you saw a miracle…You’re here because I fed you!” It certainly seems like not much has changed…Whenever food is offered, you can be pretty guaranteed that people will gather…For some Thanksgiving is that time…There’s an undercurrent in society of people not really wanting to get together with their families…The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year, partly for that reasons…In some families, there are arguments, physical fights, people who refuse to get together, or just plain don’t like each other…And yet they still gather together for the holidays…So, you have to wonder…Is it the food that brings them together? Jesus surely said that it was the food that brought the group of people back to him…Feed them and they will come?
The people then go on and ask Jesus what they need to do to perform the works of God…Are they asking what they can do to multiply food for themselves? So that they can acquire more for themselves? Now this group may be a group of people who really don’t have that much money and to be able to multiply food would be an enormous help! But…This group of people and Jesus aren’t talking about the same things…
Jesus’ response is that they need to believe in the One that God sent…They need to believe in Jesus…And then the question that they ask is one that is also still as relevant today as it was when they asked it…It is still a question that is asked today…I would be willing to guess that it’s a question that most of us have asked ourselves…Maybe not in the exact words and maybe not dwelled on it…But maybe we have…Maybe it’s the basis for some people’s faith…
The question that they asked Jesus after he told them that they needed to believe in Him was, “What are you going give us?” What are we going to get out of this? So, we believe and then what? What do we get? Do we get riches? Do we get glory? Do we get a free pass at life? Do we get a new car? Do we get athletic skills? If there are more than 5,000 people there, we’ve got a lot of questions….What do we get out of this? What do I get for believing?
It is so obvious that this group that is talking to Jesus and Jesus are almost not speaking the same language…the group is talking about something physical…They want something to show that they believe…The want Jesus to give them something…They may still be hungry and want to be fed more…They bring up Moses…
The story of Moses and the manna comes when the Israelites had escaped from Pharaoh and the army and were no longer slaves…They were following Moses & his brother Aaron and they were seeking the land that God had promised them…The Promised Land…But their escape from Egypt was very quick and they didn’t have much food with them…And they were in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights…That’s a long time to go without food…So they asked Moses to give them some help with the food situation and Moses turned to God…So, there came manna from heaven and quail as well…They were given specific instructions about the manna…They were supposed to eat all that they gathered and couldn’t save any of it because there would be some the next day…They were supposed to gather enough on the day before the Sabbath so that they didn’t have to work on the Sabbath…
And this group that is with Jesus has this story of Moses and the manna as a part of their history…And seeing Jesus as someone who is as important as Moses…They say that Moses gave them bread, so what is Jesus going to give them? What are we going to get out of this? What are you going to give us?
And Jesus tells them, first of all it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread…That bread came from God…The bread of God which comes from heaven and gives life to the world…And the people still can’t stop thinking about the physical…So they ask again for the bread…And Jesus, who has already told them that they need to believe in Him…Says to them…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
The argument continues in the chapter…Jesus trying to tell the group that he is the bread of life and the group still wanting something…
When Jesus said that whoever comes to him will not be hungry or thirsty, he didn’t mean physically…There are times when we are hungry or thirsty even when we believe…Even after a filling meal like Thanksgiving…Or a meal of fish and bread….Physical hunger and thirst are a fact of life…So it’s not that we can just not eat or drink because Jesus said we wouldn’t be hungry or thirsty…Or that we should feel like we don’t believe strong enough because we get hungry or thirsty…
Jesus wasn’t talking about physical food….Jesus was talking about soul food…And I’m not talking about southern cooking…Soul food…Food that feed your soul…
When my family gets together in for Thanksgiving, we have the traditional foods or at least traditional for our family…Sometimes there’s something new tossed in there, sometimes not…Three years ago my brother Matt and my cousin Sean made the claim that they saved Thanksgiving. That year, we almost didn’t gather as a family to celebrate Thanksgiving together, but they worked hard to make sure that it happened. Since they performed the act of “saving Thanksgiving” they decided that they could also rename the holiday to be “The Funniest Day of the Year.” And as we sit together, we laugh and share our lives…Sometimes we play games, some watch football, Matt & Sean make jokes and entertain us constantly…Our stomachs and physical appetites are filled by the food…But my soul is filled by the conversation and laughter…
That’s what Jesus is talking about…Not something physical that you can touch or maybe not even see…But your soul will be full…That’s what you “get out of this.” It’s not something physical like food, a new car, or riches and glory…Your soul is full…
The day after Thanksgiving is a kick off for the Christmas season…Or at least the consumer Christmas season…The stores open early and crazy people wait outside in the cold, far earlier than they would get up on any normal day for the bargains that they can get…What they can get out of it…Now, I have to admit that I am one of those crazy people…My dad and I go out shopping every day after Thanksgiving…We wait in the lines and rush through the people…And yes, sometimes we’re buying Christmas gifts…But that’s not really the beginning of the Christmas season…Because Christmas is not about what we can get out of it…What physical things that we receive…It’s not about the presents under the tree or the sales and bargains…
Christmas is about the One whom God sent…The One in whom we need to believe in and be full…The One who is the bread of life…The One who feeds our souls…
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Good Old Days Guide
Sermon study guide
The Good Old Days
November 12-18
God is the God of the past, present and the future. God is the God of our past, present and future. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, November 12, 2007
“The chief calling of Haggai was to provide encouragement to those who had returned that something even more glorious could arise from the mess into which they had come -- IF they would trust God's provision and get to work to restore their ruined towns and cities, including the temple in Jerusalem. They needed to get over their fears about the future, buck up, and start rebuilding. And as they did, the prophet promised, God would provide what they needed to complete the task.” Taylor Burton Edwards, UMC General Board of Discipleship
Where have you not trusted God with your present and your future? What fears are keeping you from trusting in God completely?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Haggai 2:9
The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
Can you think of 3 concrete things that need rebuilding--Three physical examples of something that needs to be rebuilt in your life. Why do those things need to be rebuilt? Is it for God’s work or for your work?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Haggai 2:4
Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.
Where have you seen God active in your lives this week? How have you shared that?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A Franciscan Blessing:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen.May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen.May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. Amen.May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen.
Have you experienced discomfort today? Have you been angry at injustice? Have you cried for others? Have you tried to make a difference in the world?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Prayer:
God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.
Where is God calling you today? Are you listening to the God of the present and the future?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Prayer:
Most Holy and Powerful God, we take courage today that you will provide all we need to keep your presence at the center of our work to rebuild this church and this community around us for your glory. We need you today to shake the heavens and the earth. Shake the trees and the dry land. Shake the hearts and souls, pockets, wallets and pocketbooks of all of us here and those around us. Shake us so that our earthly treasures and heavenly investments would be released freely to carry out your purposes. All we have needed, you have provided. Now may we provide all you need for this temple, our own temples, and this community to be whole. As we bring our gifts to you, instill in our souls the fact that our silver is yours and our gold is yours, no matter how much or how little we have. And unlike the prosperity pimps who spend too much time preaching garbage, may we know that as we prosper you, you will prosper us, not for our own selfish gain, but for the sole purpose of positioning us to prosper others in need. For we are blessed to be a blessing! We thank you and we praise you. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!!
You are blessed to be a blessing. Where have you been a blessing to others this week?
The Good Old Days
November 12-18
God is the God of the past, present and the future. God is the God of our past, present and future. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, November 12, 2007
“The chief calling of Haggai was to provide encouragement to those who had returned that something even more glorious could arise from the mess into which they had come -- IF they would trust God's provision and get to work to restore their ruined towns and cities, including the temple in Jerusalem. They needed to get over their fears about the future, buck up, and start rebuilding. And as they did, the prophet promised, God would provide what they needed to complete the task.” Taylor Burton Edwards, UMC General Board of Discipleship
Where have you not trusted God with your present and your future? What fears are keeping you from trusting in God completely?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Haggai 2:9
The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
Can you think of 3 concrete things that need rebuilding--Three physical examples of something that needs to be rebuilt in your life. Why do those things need to be rebuilt? Is it for God’s work or for your work?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Haggai 2:4
Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.
Where have you seen God active in your lives this week? How have you shared that?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A Franciscan Blessing:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen.May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen.May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. Amen.May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen.
Have you experienced discomfort today? Have you been angry at injustice? Have you cried for others? Have you tried to make a difference in the world?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Prayer:
God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.
Where is God calling you today? Are you listening to the God of the present and the future?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Prayer:
Most Holy and Powerful God, we take courage today that you will provide all we need to keep your presence at the center of our work to rebuild this church and this community around us for your glory. We need you today to shake the heavens and the earth. Shake the trees and the dry land. Shake the hearts and souls, pockets, wallets and pocketbooks of all of us here and those around us. Shake us so that our earthly treasures and heavenly investments would be released freely to carry out your purposes. All we have needed, you have provided. Now may we provide all you need for this temple, our own temples, and this community to be whole. As we bring our gifts to you, instill in our souls the fact that our silver is yours and our gold is yours, no matter how much or how little we have. And unlike the prosperity pimps who spend too much time preaching garbage, may we know that as we prosper you, you will prosper us, not for our own selfish gain, but for the sole purpose of positioning us to prosper others in need. For we are blessed to be a blessing! We thank you and we praise you. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!!
You are blessed to be a blessing. Where have you been a blessing to others this week?
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
Ah, memories…Can you think about your favorite memory? Be nostalgic for a few minutes…What is your favorite memory? (wait for responses) Why is it your favorite memory?
There’s usually some kind of emotion that’s connected to our favorite memories…Joy, excitement, love…There’s something kind of feeling that’s connected to those memories…If we have something physical to remind us of that, it serves to remind us somewhat of the memory itself, but more to remind us of the emotions that we feel…
There’s nothing wrong with memories…The ones that we’ve shared today have been ones that have meant so much to us and still mean much to us right now! The problem comes when we only live in the memories…Watch this clip as Uncle Rico talks with his nephew Kip…(clip)…
Now, it’s funny to watch Uncle Rico living in 1982 as he tries to recapture his high school football days…It’s funny because they’re obviously playing it to an extreme! But if we dissect the clip a little bit more…Uncle Rico can’t leave that moment where they lost the football game in 1982 and he wasn’t even playing in the game! He fantasizes that if he had been playing, they surely would have won…Being trapped in his memories, he throws a steak and hits his other nephew Napoleon in the head…Staying trapped in his memories not only kept Uncle Rico from moving on, but it caused physical injury to Napoleon…Uncle Rico was living in his memories…
There’s nothing wrong with remembering, but when that remembering the good old days paralyzes from moving on, it becomes dangerous…
Sometimes it’s easier to live in the “good old days” because it’s comfortable…We know what those were like because we’ve lived them…And we’ve obviously survived those good old days to be here now…There’s a song by Christian musician Chris Rice, who himself is in his late 40’s, and his song recounts his 8th grade year. The chorus of the song goes like this, “Why does the past always seem safer? Maybe because at least we know we made it.”
So, we’ve talked about our favorite memories…We’ve seen a video clip about the dangers of living only in our memories…We’ve talked about why it’s easy to live in the “good old days.” But surely those people in the Bible wouldn’t live like that…The Israelites…The disciples…They surely wouldn’t live only in the good old days!
Well…I hate to break the news to you…But the people that are written about in the Bible…Well, they’re not perfect…And that’s what makes them so amazing…That they weren’t perfect, and God who is, worked in and through them…
The Israelites, the Jewish people…They are coming to an important juncture in their lives…They’ve been taken from their homes again and again…And at this point, they’re in exile from their homes…And they’re looking at the task of rebuilding their lives, their communities, their homes…And it’s looking to be very difficult…Can you imagine being torn from what you know is your home and where you’ve been most comfortable and being placed in a new land and you have to start all over? It’s scary…It’s so much easier to look to the past and to live in the good old days…
The Israelites were supposed to be rebuilding the temple…The temple where they would worship God and where they were to give a home to God…Well, that’s what they were supposed to be doing…But they stopped working…Because it all seemed too hard…So they stopped trying…Because it was scary…
Do you know what it’s like to look and see a new place, a new time, a new culture and not recognize…And have to make your home in it? I would guess that we all know that feeling more than we recognize it…Because this world that we live in is like that…We look at the world and it’s not the same as when we grew up…There are all kinds of evidences of it…From the way schools operate…To the programs on television…To the music on the radio…To the way people talk…Do you know what it’s like to look and see a new place, a new time, a new culture and not recognize anything?
It can be scary and hard to look around and see a world that we don’t recognize…Can you see why it’s so easy and tempting to live in the good old days? “Why does the past always seem safer? Maybe it’s because at least we know we made it.”
The Israelites were stuck…They’d given up…They wanted to live only in the good old days…We’re not sure exactly how long they had stopped working, but it was a considerable period of time…It took at least a month from the time they were spoken to by the prophet Haggai to continue…
Haggai gave them a message from God that they were supposed to be working on this temple…Their place of worship…That they had stopped working on because it was too hard…And God wasn’t exactly pleased…Why do you think that God wasn’t pleased? It’s not because that meant that they didn’t have a temple or a place to worship…Or that God didn’t have a house or a place on earth…
God wasn’t exactly pleased because by stopping work and living in the good old days, they had stopped trusting God. By living in the good old days, they had stopped believing that God is not only the God of our past…but the God of our present…And the God of our future…In fact, it is because of God that we have a future…The Israelites had limited God to only be a part of their past by living in the good old days…As Luke reminds us, God is the God not only of the dead, but of the living…
When you look at your own lives, are there places where you are living in the good old days? The places where you are inviting God only to be a part of the past and not the present or the future…Where are you living in the good old days?
When we look at our life as Sheridan-Norway United Methodist Church, are there places where we are living in the good old days? The places where we are inviting God only to be a part of the past and not the present or the future? Where are we living in the good old days?
There’s nothing wrong with remembering…To look at the past and remember…Just like the memories that we shared, we don’t live in those…But we connect with the emotions…And instead of wanting things to be like they were in the good old days…We should want to help others connect with the emotions that we felt…Joy, love, excitement…Not just the way that we did in our memories, but so that they have their own memories…And we may just add a few more to our own…
We can’t live in the good old days…It’s not fair to anyone…It’s not fair to the world…It’s not fair to ourselves…It’s not fair to God…We live in the good now days…We live in the good yet to come days…God is the God not only of our past, but the God of our present, and the God of our future…Let’s live like it…
Ah, memories…Can you think about your favorite memory? Be nostalgic for a few minutes…What is your favorite memory? (wait for responses) Why is it your favorite memory?
There’s usually some kind of emotion that’s connected to our favorite memories…Joy, excitement, love…There’s something kind of feeling that’s connected to those memories…If we have something physical to remind us of that, it serves to remind us somewhat of the memory itself, but more to remind us of the emotions that we feel…
There’s nothing wrong with memories…The ones that we’ve shared today have been ones that have meant so much to us and still mean much to us right now! The problem comes when we only live in the memories…Watch this clip as Uncle Rico talks with his nephew Kip…(clip)…
Now, it’s funny to watch Uncle Rico living in 1982 as he tries to recapture his high school football days…It’s funny because they’re obviously playing it to an extreme! But if we dissect the clip a little bit more…Uncle Rico can’t leave that moment where they lost the football game in 1982 and he wasn’t even playing in the game! He fantasizes that if he had been playing, they surely would have won…Being trapped in his memories, he throws a steak and hits his other nephew Napoleon in the head…Staying trapped in his memories not only kept Uncle Rico from moving on, but it caused physical injury to Napoleon…Uncle Rico was living in his memories…
There’s nothing wrong with remembering, but when that remembering the good old days paralyzes from moving on, it becomes dangerous…
Sometimes it’s easier to live in the “good old days” because it’s comfortable…We know what those were like because we’ve lived them…And we’ve obviously survived those good old days to be here now…There’s a song by Christian musician Chris Rice, who himself is in his late 40’s, and his song recounts his 8th grade year. The chorus of the song goes like this, “Why does the past always seem safer? Maybe because at least we know we made it.”
So, we’ve talked about our favorite memories…We’ve seen a video clip about the dangers of living only in our memories…We’ve talked about why it’s easy to live in the “good old days.” But surely those people in the Bible wouldn’t live like that…The Israelites…The disciples…They surely wouldn’t live only in the good old days!
Well…I hate to break the news to you…But the people that are written about in the Bible…Well, they’re not perfect…And that’s what makes them so amazing…That they weren’t perfect, and God who is, worked in and through them…
The Israelites, the Jewish people…They are coming to an important juncture in their lives…They’ve been taken from their homes again and again…And at this point, they’re in exile from their homes…And they’re looking at the task of rebuilding their lives, their communities, their homes…And it’s looking to be very difficult…Can you imagine being torn from what you know is your home and where you’ve been most comfortable and being placed in a new land and you have to start all over? It’s scary…It’s so much easier to look to the past and to live in the good old days…
The Israelites were supposed to be rebuilding the temple…The temple where they would worship God and where they were to give a home to God…Well, that’s what they were supposed to be doing…But they stopped working…Because it all seemed too hard…So they stopped trying…Because it was scary…
Do you know what it’s like to look and see a new place, a new time, a new culture and not recognize…And have to make your home in it? I would guess that we all know that feeling more than we recognize it…Because this world that we live in is like that…We look at the world and it’s not the same as when we grew up…There are all kinds of evidences of it…From the way schools operate…To the programs on television…To the music on the radio…To the way people talk…Do you know what it’s like to look and see a new place, a new time, a new culture and not recognize anything?
It can be scary and hard to look around and see a world that we don’t recognize…Can you see why it’s so easy and tempting to live in the good old days? “Why does the past always seem safer? Maybe it’s because at least we know we made it.”
The Israelites were stuck…They’d given up…They wanted to live only in the good old days…We’re not sure exactly how long they had stopped working, but it was a considerable period of time…It took at least a month from the time they were spoken to by the prophet Haggai to continue…
Haggai gave them a message from God that they were supposed to be working on this temple…Their place of worship…That they had stopped working on because it was too hard…And God wasn’t exactly pleased…Why do you think that God wasn’t pleased? It’s not because that meant that they didn’t have a temple or a place to worship…Or that God didn’t have a house or a place on earth…
God wasn’t exactly pleased because by stopping work and living in the good old days, they had stopped trusting God. By living in the good old days, they had stopped believing that God is not only the God of our past…but the God of our present…And the God of our future…In fact, it is because of God that we have a future…The Israelites had limited God to only be a part of their past by living in the good old days…As Luke reminds us, God is the God not only of the dead, but of the living…
When you look at your own lives, are there places where you are living in the good old days? The places where you are inviting God only to be a part of the past and not the present or the future…Where are you living in the good old days?
When we look at our life as Sheridan-Norway United Methodist Church, are there places where we are living in the good old days? The places where we are inviting God only to be a part of the past and not the present or the future? Where are we living in the good old days?
There’s nothing wrong with remembering…To look at the past and remember…Just like the memories that we shared, we don’t live in those…But we connect with the emotions…And instead of wanting things to be like they were in the good old days…We should want to help others connect with the emotions that we felt…Joy, love, excitement…Not just the way that we did in our memories, but so that they have their own memories…And we may just add a few more to our own…
We can’t live in the good old days…It’s not fair to anyone…It’s not fair to the world…It’s not fair to ourselves…It’s not fair to God…We live in the good now days…We live in the good yet to come days…God is the God not only of our past, but the God of our present, and the God of our future…Let’s live like it…
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Cloud of Witnesses Study Guide
Sermon study guide
Cloud of Witnesses
November 5-November 10
We are all a part of the Cloud of Witnesses. How do we show that to one another, to the community, and to the world? I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, November 5, 2007
Prayer:
Eternal God, we praise you for the great company of all those who have finished their course in faith and now rest from their labor. We praise you for those dear to us whom we name in our heats before you. Especially we praise you for those whom you have graciously received into your presence. To all of these, grant your peace. Let perpetual light shine upon them; and help us so to believe where we have not seen, that your presence may lead us through our years, and bring us at last with them into the joy of your home not made with hands but eternal in the heavens; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Spend some time reflecting on those who have gone before us in the faith. Think about why they have been important in the Christian faith and important for you specifically.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
“A cloud of witnesses That would see them through the years Cheer them with a smile And pray them through the tears A cloud of witnesses that would see them to the end, And shower them with love that never ends A cloud of witnesses.” ~Cloud of Witnesses by Mark Schultz
We are all a part of the cloud of witnesses. How have you witnessed to God’s grace in your life? Have you cheered people with a smile? Have you prayed for people through tears? Have you showered people with love?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Ephesians 1:11-23. "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance . . . I pray that . . . you may know what is the hope to which he has called you."
What is the hope that we have been called to? How have you witnessed to that hope today
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Prayer:
God of love, we thank you for all with which you have blessed us even to this day: for the gift of joy in days of health and strength and for the gifts of your abiding presence and promise in days of pain and grief. We praise you for home and friends, and for our baptism and place in your Church with all who have faithfully lived and died. Above all else we thank you for Jesus, who knew our griefs, who died our death and rose for our sake, and who lives and prays for us. Amen.
Where has God blessed you in your life? How have you been a witness to that blessing? If you haven’t been a witness, why not?
Friday, November 9, 2007
Prayer:
Almighty God, your people of all the ages live and praise you without ceasing. In our communion with you, we have communion with generations past and generations yet unborn. Before your throne we are one with a great multitude which no one could number, and in praising you we join with those from every nation. Grant to your church on earth that as we celebrate the triumph of your saints in glory we may profit by their example and enter with them into the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Do you praise God without ceasing? Do you have inexpressible joy? How have you been a witness to that praise and joy?
Saturday, November 10, 2007
“When shall I see that happy placeAnd be forever blessedWhen shall I see my Father's faceAnd in His bosom restI am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised LandI am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land.”
~On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand performed by Jars of Clay
We look forward to when we see God’s face and we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Where have you been a good and faithful servant? What of God’s work have you done that you will be able to rest from?
Cloud of Witnesses
November 5-November 10
We are all a part of the Cloud of Witnesses. How do we show that to one another, to the community, and to the world? I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, November 5, 2007
Prayer:
Eternal God, we praise you for the great company of all those who have finished their course in faith and now rest from their labor. We praise you for those dear to us whom we name in our heats before you. Especially we praise you for those whom you have graciously received into your presence. To all of these, grant your peace. Let perpetual light shine upon them; and help us so to believe where we have not seen, that your presence may lead us through our years, and bring us at last with them into the joy of your home not made with hands but eternal in the heavens; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Spend some time reflecting on those who have gone before us in the faith. Think about why they have been important in the Christian faith and important for you specifically.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
“A cloud of witnesses That would see them through the years Cheer them with a smile And pray them through the tears A cloud of witnesses that would see them to the end, And shower them with love that never ends A cloud of witnesses.” ~Cloud of Witnesses by Mark Schultz
We are all a part of the cloud of witnesses. How have you witnessed to God’s grace in your life? Have you cheered people with a smile? Have you prayed for people through tears? Have you showered people with love?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Ephesians 1:11-23. "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance . . . I pray that . . . you may know what is the hope to which he has called you."
What is the hope that we have been called to? How have you witnessed to that hope today
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Prayer:
God of love, we thank you for all with which you have blessed us even to this day: for the gift of joy in days of health and strength and for the gifts of your abiding presence and promise in days of pain and grief. We praise you for home and friends, and for our baptism and place in your Church with all who have faithfully lived and died. Above all else we thank you for Jesus, who knew our griefs, who died our death and rose for our sake, and who lives and prays for us. Amen.
Where has God blessed you in your life? How have you been a witness to that blessing? If you haven’t been a witness, why not?
Friday, November 9, 2007
Prayer:
Almighty God, your people of all the ages live and praise you without ceasing. In our communion with you, we have communion with generations past and generations yet unborn. Before your throne we are one with a great multitude which no one could number, and in praising you we join with those from every nation. Grant to your church on earth that as we celebrate the triumph of your saints in glory we may profit by their example and enter with them into the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Do you praise God without ceasing? Do you have inexpressible joy? How have you been a witness to that praise and joy?
Saturday, November 10, 2007
“When shall I see that happy placeAnd be forever blessedWhen shall I see my Father's faceAnd in His bosom restI am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised LandI am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land.”
~On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand performed by Jars of Clay
We look forward to when we see God’s face and we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Where have you been a good and faithful servant? What of God’s work have you done that you will be able to rest from?
Cloud of Witnesses
Cloud of Witnesses
Today is All Saint’s Day…All Saints is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of the saints as we remember the dead, both of the church universal and of our congregation. John Wesley, who was the founder of the Methodist movement, noted in his journals that All Saints was one of his favorite days in the Church of England, but for some reason he didn’t include it in the calendar that he provided to Methodists in North America. It has been in more recent times that the United Methodist Church has reclaimed this day not to be like any other denomination, but to reclaim the belief that John Wesley also held that we are a part of the great cloud of witnesses to Jesus Christ who makes us saints through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Did you know that you are a witness to Jesus Christ? Now, some of you may be thinking that you can’t possibly be a witness to Jesus Christ…You weren’t there when he lived and died…A show of hands of who was there?? And yet, we are all witnesses to Jesus Christ…We are all witness to the work that God does in the world…Where have you seen God active in your lives? (Wait for answers)…You are part of the cloud of witnesses! We are all a part of the cloud of witnesses!
Today we remember those who have died and who have joined in the communion of saints…These people who are part of the greater cloud of witnesses…A cloud that contains not only us, but all those who have lived and died and are witnesses to Jesus Christ.
Of those who have influenced you in your faith journey in your life, what was it about them that helped to influence you? Maybe it was something that they did…Maybe it was something that they said…Maybe it was both…Maybe it was something that they didn’t do or didn’t say…Turn to the person who is sitting closest to you and tell them about the person that you consider a saint and what it was about them that made them a saint…
Those people that have been influential along our faith journey are important for so many reasons…They taught us many lessons along the way…Lessons about life, lessons about faith, and lessons about how to apply the two together…
The thing about lessons is they’re not supposed to remain stagnant…Not only are we supposed to apply the lessons that we have been taught, but the lessons that we were taught are supposed to be passed on…Have you done that? That’s part of what it means to be a part of the cloud of witnesses…To witnesses to the acts of God in the world by sharing the lessons that have been given to us…
As Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, he is writing to encourage them. He’s not writing to encourage a small group of people, but he’s writing to encourage the whole congregation…The whole congregation is the cloud of witnesses…Paul doesn’t say that Sunday school teachers heard the Word of God and were marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul doesn’t say that those who are in charge of committees heard the Word of God and were marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul doesn’t say that those who attend Bible study heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…Although all those people have heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul says that you heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…You are a part of the cloud of witnesses…
Those saints that we remember today, they have taught us some wonderful and amazing things…There are those saints like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Catherine, Paul who have helped in establishing the Christian tradition and sharing the message of the Gospel to the world…There are those saints like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, John Paul II who have continued to share the Gospel in new and different ways to people who hadn’t heard it before! There are those saints that we remember from our own stories that have helped to show us the Christian faith as best as they know it, who have provided opportunities to know God & the love that God has for all of us…Those who have invited us to join the cloud of witnesses…
To be a witness means that you have to do something…You have to witness to God’s grace…If no one had told you about God’s love, would you be here? If no one had offered to bring you to church, would you be here? If no one had welcomed you, would you be here? One of our responsibilities as Christians is to encourage others to join the cloud of witnesses…Just like there are a variety of saints that have gone before us, there are a variety of ways that the invitation happens…It may be through a movie, a class, a song, a friend, an invitation, a letter, a visit…The responsibility to witness to God’s grace is all of our responsibility…We are a cloud of witnesses…
Today is All Saint’s Day…All Saints is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of the saints as we remember the dead, both of the church universal and of our congregation. John Wesley, who was the founder of the Methodist movement, noted in his journals that All Saints was one of his favorite days in the Church of England, but for some reason he didn’t include it in the calendar that he provided to Methodists in North America. It has been in more recent times that the United Methodist Church has reclaimed this day not to be like any other denomination, but to reclaim the belief that John Wesley also held that we are a part of the great cloud of witnesses to Jesus Christ who makes us saints through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Did you know that you are a witness to Jesus Christ? Now, some of you may be thinking that you can’t possibly be a witness to Jesus Christ…You weren’t there when he lived and died…A show of hands of who was there?? And yet, we are all witnesses to Jesus Christ…We are all witness to the work that God does in the world…Where have you seen God active in your lives? (Wait for answers)…You are part of the cloud of witnesses! We are all a part of the cloud of witnesses!
Today we remember those who have died and who have joined in the communion of saints…These people who are part of the greater cloud of witnesses…A cloud that contains not only us, but all those who have lived and died and are witnesses to Jesus Christ.
Of those who have influenced you in your faith journey in your life, what was it about them that helped to influence you? Maybe it was something that they did…Maybe it was something that they said…Maybe it was both…Maybe it was something that they didn’t do or didn’t say…Turn to the person who is sitting closest to you and tell them about the person that you consider a saint and what it was about them that made them a saint…
Those people that have been influential along our faith journey are important for so many reasons…They taught us many lessons along the way…Lessons about life, lessons about faith, and lessons about how to apply the two together…
The thing about lessons is they’re not supposed to remain stagnant…Not only are we supposed to apply the lessons that we have been taught, but the lessons that we were taught are supposed to be passed on…Have you done that? That’s part of what it means to be a part of the cloud of witnesses…To witnesses to the acts of God in the world by sharing the lessons that have been given to us…
As Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, he is writing to encourage them. He’s not writing to encourage a small group of people, but he’s writing to encourage the whole congregation…The whole congregation is the cloud of witnesses…Paul doesn’t say that Sunday school teachers heard the Word of God and were marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul doesn’t say that those who are in charge of committees heard the Word of God and were marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul doesn’t say that those who attend Bible study heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…Although all those people have heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…Paul says that you heard the Word of God and are marked by the Holy Spirit…You are a part of the cloud of witnesses…
Those saints that we remember today, they have taught us some wonderful and amazing things…There are those saints like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Catherine, Paul who have helped in establishing the Christian tradition and sharing the message of the Gospel to the world…There are those saints like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, John Paul II who have continued to share the Gospel in new and different ways to people who hadn’t heard it before! There are those saints that we remember from our own stories that have helped to show us the Christian faith as best as they know it, who have provided opportunities to know God & the love that God has for all of us…Those who have invited us to join the cloud of witnesses…
To be a witness means that you have to do something…You have to witness to God’s grace…If no one had told you about God’s love, would you be here? If no one had offered to bring you to church, would you be here? If no one had welcomed you, would you be here? One of our responsibilities as Christians is to encourage others to join the cloud of witnesses…Just like there are a variety of saints that have gone before us, there are a variety of ways that the invitation happens…It may be through a movie, a class, a song, a friend, an invitation, a letter, a visit…The responsibility to witness to God’s grace is all of our responsibility…We are a cloud of witnesses…
Sunday, October 28, 2007
I'm Not Like That! Study Guide
Sermon study guide
I’m Not Like That!
October 29-November 3
On Sunday we heard the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
Luke 18:9-14
The story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector has many messages for the people who originally heard the story and for us today. Where do you see yourself in the story? Which character do you think represents you? Are you okay with that or would you like to see a change in yourself?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I man not so much seek to be consoled as to console; the be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
How have you been an instrument of God’s peace today? Have there been times when you have not shown love, pardon, faith, hope, light or joy? What kept you from showing those things?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Psalm 65: 3
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
Where have you experienced forgiveness today? What is a moment of forgiveness that you have experienced in your life? Have you shared that with someone else?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Prayer of Reconciliation:
Gracious God, ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love; we worship you.We confess that too often our words hurt others and our deeds are selfish; forgive us.In this time of uncertainty and fear, help us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Doing some of the things in this prayer is difficult. How have you asked God to give you strength and to help you do these things?
Friday, October 19, 2007
We believe in the most High GodWho strengthens us and repays us many more times than we expect.We believe in God who gives generously And who expects the same from all creatures God has made.We believe in God whose utmost, loving sacrifice Is experienced through Jesus Christ who paid it all.
We believe that Jesus Christ consciously and lovingly emptied himself So that we may learn to make sacrifice and live joyfully before God.By Christ's impartial love we learn to love all those on the margins.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who enables us to re-present Jesus to the world We believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit a new community will be created Without the labels of orphan, widow, poor, rich, male and female.
We believe all has been accomplished for deliverance and salvation And is now being lived in flesh even as God is glorified in heaven. (Rev. T. Anne Daniel)
How does this speak to you? How do you love those on the margins? How can we as a church show love to those on the margins?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purpose on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal Church of the USA
What walls separate God’s people? Are there literal walls or are they all figurative walls? What walls have you built to separate yourself?
I’m Not Like That!
October 29-November 3
On Sunday we heard the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
Luke 18:9-14
The story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector has many messages for the people who originally heard the story and for us today. Where do you see yourself in the story? Which character do you think represents you? Are you okay with that or would you like to see a change in yourself?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I man not so much seek to be consoled as to console; the be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
How have you been an instrument of God’s peace today? Have there been times when you have not shown love, pardon, faith, hope, light or joy? What kept you from showing those things?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Psalm 65: 3
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
Where have you experienced forgiveness today? What is a moment of forgiveness that you have experienced in your life? Have you shared that with someone else?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Prayer of Reconciliation:
Gracious God, ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love; we worship you.We confess that too often our words hurt others and our deeds are selfish; forgive us.In this time of uncertainty and fear, help us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Doing some of the things in this prayer is difficult. How have you asked God to give you strength and to help you do these things?
Friday, October 19, 2007
We believe in the most High GodWho strengthens us and repays us many more times than we expect.We believe in God who gives generously And who expects the same from all creatures God has made.We believe in God whose utmost, loving sacrifice Is experienced through Jesus Christ who paid it all.
We believe that Jesus Christ consciously and lovingly emptied himself So that we may learn to make sacrifice and live joyfully before God.By Christ's impartial love we learn to love all those on the margins.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who enables us to re-present Jesus to the world We believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit a new community will be created Without the labels of orphan, widow, poor, rich, male and female.
We believe all has been accomplished for deliverance and salvation And is now being lived in flesh even as God is glorified in heaven. (Rev. T. Anne Daniel)
How does this speak to you? How do you love those on the margins? How can we as a church show love to those on the margins?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purpose on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal Church of the USA
What walls separate God’s people? Are there literal walls or are they all figurative walls? What walls have you built to separate yourself?
I'm Not Like That!
I’m Not Like That!
Apples to Apples…Apples to Oranges…Tastes like chicken…We compare things a lot, because if there’s something that’s not familiar, we speak in things that are familiar. If it’s something that tastes like something else…Or looks like something else…Or acts like something else…It’s easy to speak in things that we know instead of things that we don’t know—we translate things into our own experiences.
Think about the last time that you explained something to someone else…Whether it was somewhere that you went or something that you ate or something new…How did you explain it? Did you say, “Well it’s like…” “Do you know how….well, it’s like…” And then there are those times that we use the opposite… “You know how…Well it’s not like that…”
And then there are those times when we compare ourselves to other people…And we all do it really…I was listening to comedian Jim Gaffigan and one of his bits was around this very topic. He said, “We always compare ourselves to other people…You’re doing it right now…You’re saying, ‘at least I’m not as weird as Gaffigan…And I’m thinking ‘at least I’m not as weird as the people in the loony bins’…” And while his statements are meant to be funny and meant to be a joke…They ring some truth…We compare ourselves to other people…Whether it’s a celebrity or our neighbors down the street…We compare ourselves to other people…
Sometimes those comparisons are in good fun or are harmless comparisons…but most of the time, those comparisons are mean spirited or not so harmless…Maybe there are the times when we compare ourselves to someone else to make ourselves feel bad about ourselves… “I’ll never be as good as/as rich as/as smart as/like…” and for some people that may give them motivation, but most of the time it hurts our self esteem…
And if it’s not hurting ourselves, it’s hurting someone else… “I’m so much better than/richer than/smarter than...” Maybe we say things behind someone’s back…Maybe we say it to their face, not necessarily always in words either…But sometimes actions speak louder than words…If we treat someone like less of a person because we think that we’re better than them…
And to be truthful…We’ve all done it…There have been times when we’ve all thought that we were better than someone else…Maybe it was something that we saw as harmless…Something like, “I’m a better driver than so-and-so…” which seems harmless, right? But do you treat so-and-so different in the car? Do you not let them drive you anywhere? Do you tell them how to drive? Do you make snide comments to friends? Something that seems harmless isn’t always harmless…
When I read the stories from the Bible, I like to put myself in the place of the characters that I’m reading about…To put myself in the place of the women and men that I read about and try any think about how I would react or how I would respond to God’s grace and God’s movement in my life…Would I act like one of the people that I read about or would I do something else? Is there anyway that I could do or say the same things that they did? And sometimes it’s uncomfortable to put myself in the place of some of the characters because I don’t want to think of myself in a certain way…But that’s what makes the Bible such a living document…It speaks not only to the time and place of the people then, but it also speaks to the time and place of people today…Sometimes the stories make us uncomfortable and sometimes they fill us with comfort…Jesus didn’t say that having faith was comfortable…We are always called to get out of our own comfort zone to share God’s grace with other people…
Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector…as the passage opens, Luke says that Jesus told this parable to some people who thought that they were more righteous than others…He doesn’t say that he preached this on a mountain or in the middle of the town…He told this to specific people who needed to hear it…And even in what may have been a private conversation…It speaks to us today, right now, in this time and place…
The Pharisee went in the temple to pray and prayed loudly, “God, I thank you that I’m not like those people…I fast twice a week…I tithe…Thank God I’m not like those people…” Now the Pharisee names who those people are for him: thieves, rogues, adulterers, tax collectors…But do we have those people that we compare ourselves to? Those people that we think we are better than? Those people who can’t measure up to our high standards? Who are those people? They may be people who look different…They may be people who act different…The may be people who talk different…Whoever those people are, we think that we are better than them…Just like the Pharisee thought that he was better than the thieves, rogues, adulterers, and tax collectors…
And there’s another person in the story that we would much rather compare ourselves with than to compare ourselves with the Pharisee…The man who went home justified…The tax collector…As the Pharisee stands in the middle of the temple, puffing out his chest and proclaiming all of the wonderful things that he does and that he is and that he’s not like…The tax collector goes into a corner, can’t look at anyone or anything and beats his chest and says simply, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Tax collectors at that time were one of the most despised people…There was nothing good or redeemable about a tax collector…They usually stole money from the people that they collected from, they could make up taxes on the spot…They were considered to be one of the biggest sinners, which would explain why the Pharisee would want to distance himself from them in his prayer…And the tax collector separates himself from everyone else and simply says, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” One could say that he needed to do that because he was such a sinner and he needed to confess…Which may very well be true…But didn’t the Pharisee need to confess something as well? The tax collector couldn’t even look up to make his confession…
Who do you see yourself as? Do you see yourself as the tax collector? Do you see yourself as the Pharisee? Both are uncomfortable to see ourselves as…The tax collector is a hated person and someone who is a thief, a liar, and a sinner…The Pharisee is self righteous, arrogant, and rude…Which one are you? Jesus said that the only one who went home justified was the tax collector…Because those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled…
Jesus showed us what it meant to humble ourselves…Jesus practiced what he preached and reached out to the least, the last, and the lost…Jesus reached out to those people without a second thought…Right in this moment we may be like the tax collector or we may be like the Pharisee…But we can strive to be a mixture of both…We can strive to lead a life like the Pharisee claimed, but confess like the tax collector…And all the while living the way that Jesus taught us…A life full of grace and mercy…We can show the love and grace that we have experienced from God to other people…Instead of seeing them as those people we can see them as our brothers and sisters and part of the family of God…
Apples to Apples…Apples to Oranges…Tastes like chicken…We compare things a lot, because if there’s something that’s not familiar, we speak in things that are familiar. If it’s something that tastes like something else…Or looks like something else…Or acts like something else…It’s easy to speak in things that we know instead of things that we don’t know—we translate things into our own experiences.
Think about the last time that you explained something to someone else…Whether it was somewhere that you went or something that you ate or something new…How did you explain it? Did you say, “Well it’s like…” “Do you know how….well, it’s like…” And then there are those times that we use the opposite… “You know how…Well it’s not like that…”
And then there are those times when we compare ourselves to other people…And we all do it really…I was listening to comedian Jim Gaffigan and one of his bits was around this very topic. He said, “We always compare ourselves to other people…You’re doing it right now…You’re saying, ‘at least I’m not as weird as Gaffigan…And I’m thinking ‘at least I’m not as weird as the people in the loony bins’…” And while his statements are meant to be funny and meant to be a joke…They ring some truth…We compare ourselves to other people…Whether it’s a celebrity or our neighbors down the street…We compare ourselves to other people…
Sometimes those comparisons are in good fun or are harmless comparisons…but most of the time, those comparisons are mean spirited or not so harmless…Maybe there are the times when we compare ourselves to someone else to make ourselves feel bad about ourselves… “I’ll never be as good as/as rich as/as smart as/like…” and for some people that may give them motivation, but most of the time it hurts our self esteem…
And if it’s not hurting ourselves, it’s hurting someone else… “I’m so much better than/richer than/smarter than...” Maybe we say things behind someone’s back…Maybe we say it to their face, not necessarily always in words either…But sometimes actions speak louder than words…If we treat someone like less of a person because we think that we’re better than them…
And to be truthful…We’ve all done it…There have been times when we’ve all thought that we were better than someone else…Maybe it was something that we saw as harmless…Something like, “I’m a better driver than so-and-so…” which seems harmless, right? But do you treat so-and-so different in the car? Do you not let them drive you anywhere? Do you tell them how to drive? Do you make snide comments to friends? Something that seems harmless isn’t always harmless…
When I read the stories from the Bible, I like to put myself in the place of the characters that I’m reading about…To put myself in the place of the women and men that I read about and try any think about how I would react or how I would respond to God’s grace and God’s movement in my life…Would I act like one of the people that I read about or would I do something else? Is there anyway that I could do or say the same things that they did? And sometimes it’s uncomfortable to put myself in the place of some of the characters because I don’t want to think of myself in a certain way…But that’s what makes the Bible such a living document…It speaks not only to the time and place of the people then, but it also speaks to the time and place of people today…Sometimes the stories make us uncomfortable and sometimes they fill us with comfort…Jesus didn’t say that having faith was comfortable…We are always called to get out of our own comfort zone to share God’s grace with other people…
Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector…as the passage opens, Luke says that Jesus told this parable to some people who thought that they were more righteous than others…He doesn’t say that he preached this on a mountain or in the middle of the town…He told this to specific people who needed to hear it…And even in what may have been a private conversation…It speaks to us today, right now, in this time and place…
The Pharisee went in the temple to pray and prayed loudly, “God, I thank you that I’m not like those people…I fast twice a week…I tithe…Thank God I’m not like those people…” Now the Pharisee names who those people are for him: thieves, rogues, adulterers, tax collectors…But do we have those people that we compare ourselves to? Those people that we think we are better than? Those people who can’t measure up to our high standards? Who are those people? They may be people who look different…They may be people who act different…The may be people who talk different…Whoever those people are, we think that we are better than them…Just like the Pharisee thought that he was better than the thieves, rogues, adulterers, and tax collectors…
And there’s another person in the story that we would much rather compare ourselves with than to compare ourselves with the Pharisee…The man who went home justified…The tax collector…As the Pharisee stands in the middle of the temple, puffing out his chest and proclaiming all of the wonderful things that he does and that he is and that he’s not like…The tax collector goes into a corner, can’t look at anyone or anything and beats his chest and says simply, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Tax collectors at that time were one of the most despised people…There was nothing good or redeemable about a tax collector…They usually stole money from the people that they collected from, they could make up taxes on the spot…They were considered to be one of the biggest sinners, which would explain why the Pharisee would want to distance himself from them in his prayer…And the tax collector separates himself from everyone else and simply says, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” One could say that he needed to do that because he was such a sinner and he needed to confess…Which may very well be true…But didn’t the Pharisee need to confess something as well? The tax collector couldn’t even look up to make his confession…
Who do you see yourself as? Do you see yourself as the tax collector? Do you see yourself as the Pharisee? Both are uncomfortable to see ourselves as…The tax collector is a hated person and someone who is a thief, a liar, and a sinner…The Pharisee is self righteous, arrogant, and rude…Which one are you? Jesus said that the only one who went home justified was the tax collector…Because those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled…
Jesus showed us what it meant to humble ourselves…Jesus practiced what he preached and reached out to the least, the last, and the lost…Jesus reached out to those people without a second thought…Right in this moment we may be like the tax collector or we may be like the Pharisee…But we can strive to be a mixture of both…We can strive to lead a life like the Pharisee claimed, but confess like the tax collector…And all the while living the way that Jesus taught us…A life full of grace and mercy…We can show the love and grace that we have experienced from God to other people…Instead of seeing them as those people we can see them as our brothers and sisters and part of the family of God…
Monday, October 22, 2007
From the Hearts of the People Study Guide
Sermon study guide
From the Hearts of the people
October 22-27
This past Sunday was Laity Sunday, which recognized the gifts and talents of those in the congregation. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
As United Methodists we believe that all Christians are ministers of the Gospel, this is often called the priesthood of all believers. Paul refers to this in his writings.
How do you feel knowing that you are a minister of the gospel? Have you seen yourself in that light before?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Prayer for Renewal of the Church
Renew your church, Lord, your people in this land. Save us from cheap words and self-deception in your service. In the power of your Spirit transform us, and shape us by your cross. Amen.
Have you used and “cheap words” for your faith today? How has the Spirit transformed you?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
How have you followed Jesus’ commandment to make disciples of all nations? Have you told anyone about your faith today?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
“Within the day-to-day among the ‘A’ through ‘Z,’ there is a world of miracles which God calls us to see.” Within the Day-to-Day #2245
What miracles have you seen today? Are you looking for them?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Prayer for the Unity of Christ’s Body
Help each of us, gracious God, to live in such magnanimity and restraint that the Head of the church may never have cause to say to any of us, “This is my body, broken by you.” Amen.
Where have you promoted unity in your life?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Prayer of Ignatius of Loyola
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward, except that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Where have you served today? What did you give today? What did you fight for today? Where have you toiled and labored?
From the Hearts of the people
October 22-27
This past Sunday was Laity Sunday, which recognized the gifts and talents of those in the congregation. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
As United Methodists we believe that all Christians are ministers of the Gospel, this is often called the priesthood of all believers. Paul refers to this in his writings.
How do you feel knowing that you are a minister of the gospel? Have you seen yourself in that light before?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Prayer for Renewal of the Church
Renew your church, Lord, your people in this land. Save us from cheap words and self-deception in your service. In the power of your Spirit transform us, and shape us by your cross. Amen.
Have you used and “cheap words” for your faith today? How has the Spirit transformed you?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
How have you followed Jesus’ commandment to make disciples of all nations? Have you told anyone about your faith today?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
“Within the day-to-day among the ‘A’ through ‘Z,’ there is a world of miracles which God calls us to see.” Within the Day-to-Day #2245
What miracles have you seen today? Are you looking for them?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Prayer for the Unity of Christ’s Body
Help each of us, gracious God, to live in such magnanimity and restraint that the Head of the church may never have cause to say to any of us, “This is my body, broken by you.” Amen.
Where have you promoted unity in your life?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Prayer of Ignatius of Loyola
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward, except that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Where have you served today? What did you give today? What did you fight for today? Where have you toiled and labored?
Monday, October 15, 2007
From the Mouths of Children Study Guide
Sermon study guide
From the Mouths of Children
October 15-20
This week was celebrating Children’s Sabbath, but recognizing that we are all God’s children. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 15, 2007
Exodus 2:6-9
2:6
When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said.
2:7
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
2:8
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
2:9
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it.
Pharaoh’s daughter could have left Moses in the river or ordered him to be killed like the other Hebrew babies at that time, but she chose to take care of the child, raise him and nurture him.
Last week you thought about someone who has nurtured you in your faith. Can you think of someone that you are nurturing in their faith? How did you meet them?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children.Dietrich Bonhoeffer
What kind of world are you leaving for your children? If you have no children, what kind of world are you leaving for future generations?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
“We are not called to advocate for our children because, or when, it is convenient, or comfortable, or even because we know the difference it makes. We are called to advocate for our children because we know a God who never says ‘I don’t care’ or ‘It doesn’t matter’.” Shannon Daley-Harris, Children’s Defense Fund
How did you encounter God today? Where did you hear God say to you, “I care.” Or “It matters.”? How did you share that with someone else?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Have you asked someone older than you how their week was? Have you asked someone younger than you how their week was? How was your week?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Let All the Little Children Come
By Marian Wright Edelman
Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said.
He did not say let only rich or middle-class White children come.
He did not say let only the strapping boys but not the girls come.
He did not say let only the able-bodied children come.
All the children he bade come.
He did not say let all my children or your children or our friends’ children or those in our
families and neighborhoods and who look and act like us come.
He did not say let only the well-behaved nice children come or those who conform to society’s norms.
He did not say let a few, a third, half, or three-fourths come—but all.
Jesus said let the little children come and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven.
Are there any of God’s children that you have seen that haven’t been welcomed? How have you welcomed them? How can we as a church welcome them?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Prayer: Creator God, Source of Life, you have made us in your image. Each child reflects your handiwork, bears the imprint of your hand, the reflection of your face. Open our eyes to see each child as a unique and precious gift from you, beloved and irreplaceable, a sacred trust. Amen.
Did you see God reflected in someone this week? Who was it and what did you see?
*Some of the quotes and prayers can be found in Covering All Children: An Achievable, Smart, and Right Goal distributed by the Children’s Defense Fund.
From the Mouths of Children
October 15-20
This week was celebrating Children’s Sabbath, but recognizing that we are all God’s children. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. You can also respond or use the website for conversation as well.
Blessings! Pastor Melissa
www.sheridannorwayum.blogspot.com
Monday, October 15, 2007
Exodus 2:6-9
2:6
When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said.
2:7
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
2:8
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
2:9
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it.
Pharaoh’s daughter could have left Moses in the river or ordered him to be killed like the other Hebrew babies at that time, but she chose to take care of the child, raise him and nurture him.
Last week you thought about someone who has nurtured you in your faith. Can you think of someone that you are nurturing in their faith? How did you meet them?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children.Dietrich Bonhoeffer
What kind of world are you leaving for your children? If you have no children, what kind of world are you leaving for future generations?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
“We are not called to advocate for our children because, or when, it is convenient, or comfortable, or even because we know the difference it makes. We are called to advocate for our children because we know a God who never says ‘I don’t care’ or ‘It doesn’t matter’.” Shannon Daley-Harris, Children’s Defense Fund
How did you encounter God today? Where did you hear God say to you, “I care.” Or “It matters.”? How did you share that with someone else?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Have you asked someone older than you how their week was? Have you asked someone younger than you how their week was? How was your week?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Let All the Little Children Come
By Marian Wright Edelman
Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said.
He did not say let only rich or middle-class White children come.
He did not say let only the strapping boys but not the girls come.
He did not say let only the able-bodied children come.
All the children he bade come.
He did not say let all my children or your children or our friends’ children or those in our
families and neighborhoods and who look and act like us come.
He did not say let only the well-behaved nice children come or those who conform to society’s norms.
He did not say let a few, a third, half, or three-fourths come—but all.
Jesus said let the little children come and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven.
Are there any of God’s children that you have seen that haven’t been welcomed? How have you welcomed them? How can we as a church welcome them?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Prayer: Creator God, Source of Life, you have made us in your image. Each child reflects your handiwork, bears the imprint of your hand, the reflection of your face. Open our eyes to see each child as a unique and precious gift from you, beloved and irreplaceable, a sacred trust. Amen.
Did you see God reflected in someone this week? Who was it and what did you see?
*Some of the quotes and prayers can be found in Covering All Children: An Achievable, Smart, and Right Goal distributed by the Children’s Defense Fund.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
From the Mouths of Children
From the Mouths of Children
Let’s start with a little quiz this morning…There are going to be some images on the screen and I want to see if you know who or what they are…(images)
You didn’t need that or me to tell you that the world changes…The world is not the same as it was when you were a child…When I was a child…and it won’t be the same in 10 years…The world changes…
There are events that happen that we can remember where we were and what we were doing…Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s assassination, the Challenger explosion, the fall of the Twin Towers…Some of those events brought up puzzled expressions and some nodded and went back to that moment…Some can only remember those events by reading about them or seeing a news program…The world changes…
At Bible study on Wednesday we were talking about some of the differences in schools…Howard talked about carrying pocket knives and playing with them at recess when he was in school…I graduated high school the year that Columbine happened…A teacher in Freeport found a knife in her first grade student’s backpack and the student was suspended…The world changes…
As the world changes we can choose to do a few things…We can ignore the changes and do things the way that they’ve always been done or we can change with the world…It’s hard to do…Change is scary and it’s hard to do and it’s not always comfortable…But we’re not alone it…We as individuals aren’t the only ones who are changing…The world is changing…
There’s a short story by Sandra Cisneros about a girl who’s turning 8…and she’s had a bad day…Her insight at the end of the story is that instead of thinking that we just become a year older, we collect a year…So, there’s a part of us that’s 2, 8, 16, 26, 32, 47, 58, 64, 76, 89, and so on…Think about it…Is there a part of that wants to throw temper tantrums sometimes? Or that gets giggly and laughs at silly things? Or that gets anxious over taking a driving test?
As old as we get, there’s a part of us that is still a child…there’s a part of us that is still young. Some people embrace that and some people fight against it…But think about it, when was the last time that part of you that was 2 showed up? I would guess that part of us that’s younger shows up more times than we really realize…
There are many things that are amazing about God, but one of the things that is amazing about God is that God doesn’t really see age in the same way that we do…In the same way that God used Abraham and Sarah who were in old age when they had their babies…God used David who was anointed to be king before he was a teenager…God calls those who are old and God calls those who are young…
The two passages that we have this morning are about children, and this is Children’s Sabbath or Children’s Sunday…The passage from the New Testament is the one of Jesus welcoming the children…The passage from the Old Testament is the beginning of Moses’ story…
Moses was taken care of from the very time he was born and placed in the river…How are we caring for our children? Jesus welcomed the children who were not welcomed by the rest of society…How are we welcoming our children?
It’s often said that children are the future of the church…Not just here but all over…Children are the future of the church…I have to say that I disagree with that in part…Children are the future of the church, but children are also the present of the church….Children are just as important to the present of the church as they are the future of the church…Children are the present of the church just as much as you or I are…
Last week, I asked you to think about the person who helped to nurture your faith…And to look around over the past week and see whose faith you were nurturing without even realizing it…I don’t know about you, but when I think of the people that helped to nurture my faith, the first people that come to my mind are the ones who helped to nurture my faith when I was a child…Whose faith is being nurtured without even realizing it?
Children pay attention to a lot more that we realize…Children are affected a lot more than we realize…I worked in a church where the teens didn’t like the hymns…Because the hymns were something that you sang in church and the church told them they shouldn’t be in worship…Children are more aware than we realize…
And there are some incredible things that have been done here for children…This year at VBS there were at least 60 kids everyday…Some days were more…But there were at least 60 kids everyday…There have been some amazing seeds planted because of VBS…There are some wonderful children’s ministries happening here…
At Vacation Bible School this summer, I got to go around and take pictures which meant that I got to join in on different groups at different times…One of the nights; I sat in on Chadder’s Theater and stayed in the doorway as the kids did their lesson. Mackenzie Harris came over to me and asked if there was anything I needed prayed for…I was getting ready to leave for my sister’s wedding, so I told her that I just needed to pray for enough time to get everything done. Before they ended together, Mackenzie interrupted the leader and said that the group needed to pray for me right then and it was important…In that moment, I was reminded of God’s grace and I was ministered to by a group of children…
How much have you allowed yourself to be ministered to by a child? Because it’s one thing to minister to children, but it’s another to be ministered to…Every week during the children’s sermon, I start out by talking to the children…How their week was, the good parts, the not so good parts…Each week as they share their joys and concerns, I am ministered to and I would that you are as well…Have you asked any of those kids how their week was? And kids, have you asked anyone older how their week was? There’s your challenge for this week…Kids, ask someone older than you how their week was…Adults, ask someone younger than you how their week was…
I think that we’ll all be surprised at the responses that we get both when we allow ourselves to be ministered to and we allow ourselves to minister…Because there is the part of us that is still young…So the words that tumble out of our mouths are still from the mouths of children…
Let’s start with a little quiz this morning…There are going to be some images on the screen and I want to see if you know who or what they are…(images)
You didn’t need that or me to tell you that the world changes…The world is not the same as it was when you were a child…When I was a child…and it won’t be the same in 10 years…The world changes…
There are events that happen that we can remember where we were and what we were doing…Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s assassination, the Challenger explosion, the fall of the Twin Towers…Some of those events brought up puzzled expressions and some nodded and went back to that moment…Some can only remember those events by reading about them or seeing a news program…The world changes…
At Bible study on Wednesday we were talking about some of the differences in schools…Howard talked about carrying pocket knives and playing with them at recess when he was in school…I graduated high school the year that Columbine happened…A teacher in Freeport found a knife in her first grade student’s backpack and the student was suspended…The world changes…
As the world changes we can choose to do a few things…We can ignore the changes and do things the way that they’ve always been done or we can change with the world…It’s hard to do…Change is scary and it’s hard to do and it’s not always comfortable…But we’re not alone it…We as individuals aren’t the only ones who are changing…The world is changing…
There’s a short story by Sandra Cisneros about a girl who’s turning 8…and she’s had a bad day…Her insight at the end of the story is that instead of thinking that we just become a year older, we collect a year…So, there’s a part of us that’s 2, 8, 16, 26, 32, 47, 58, 64, 76, 89, and so on…Think about it…Is there a part of that wants to throw temper tantrums sometimes? Or that gets giggly and laughs at silly things? Or that gets anxious over taking a driving test?
As old as we get, there’s a part of us that is still a child…there’s a part of us that is still young. Some people embrace that and some people fight against it…But think about it, when was the last time that part of you that was 2 showed up? I would guess that part of us that’s younger shows up more times than we really realize…
There are many things that are amazing about God, but one of the things that is amazing about God is that God doesn’t really see age in the same way that we do…In the same way that God used Abraham and Sarah who were in old age when they had their babies…God used David who was anointed to be king before he was a teenager…God calls those who are old and God calls those who are young…
The two passages that we have this morning are about children, and this is Children’s Sabbath or Children’s Sunday…The passage from the New Testament is the one of Jesus welcoming the children…The passage from the Old Testament is the beginning of Moses’ story…
Moses was taken care of from the very time he was born and placed in the river…How are we caring for our children? Jesus welcomed the children who were not welcomed by the rest of society…How are we welcoming our children?
It’s often said that children are the future of the church…Not just here but all over…Children are the future of the church…I have to say that I disagree with that in part…Children are the future of the church, but children are also the present of the church….Children are just as important to the present of the church as they are the future of the church…Children are the present of the church just as much as you or I are…
Last week, I asked you to think about the person who helped to nurture your faith…And to look around over the past week and see whose faith you were nurturing without even realizing it…I don’t know about you, but when I think of the people that helped to nurture my faith, the first people that come to my mind are the ones who helped to nurture my faith when I was a child…Whose faith is being nurtured without even realizing it?
Children pay attention to a lot more that we realize…Children are affected a lot more than we realize…I worked in a church where the teens didn’t like the hymns…Because the hymns were something that you sang in church and the church told them they shouldn’t be in worship…Children are more aware than we realize…
And there are some incredible things that have been done here for children…This year at VBS there were at least 60 kids everyday…Some days were more…But there were at least 60 kids everyday…There have been some amazing seeds planted because of VBS…There are some wonderful children’s ministries happening here…
At Vacation Bible School this summer, I got to go around and take pictures which meant that I got to join in on different groups at different times…One of the nights; I sat in on Chadder’s Theater and stayed in the doorway as the kids did their lesson. Mackenzie Harris came over to me and asked if there was anything I needed prayed for…I was getting ready to leave for my sister’s wedding, so I told her that I just needed to pray for enough time to get everything done. Before they ended together, Mackenzie interrupted the leader and said that the group needed to pray for me right then and it was important…In that moment, I was reminded of God’s grace and I was ministered to by a group of children…
How much have you allowed yourself to be ministered to by a child? Because it’s one thing to minister to children, but it’s another to be ministered to…Every week during the children’s sermon, I start out by talking to the children…How their week was, the good parts, the not so good parts…Each week as they share their joys and concerns, I am ministered to and I would that you are as well…Have you asked any of those kids how their week was? And kids, have you asked anyone older how their week was? There’s your challenge for this week…Kids, ask someone older than you how their week was…Adults, ask someone younger than you how their week was…
I think that we’ll all be surprised at the responses that we get both when we allow ourselves to be ministered to and we allow ourselves to minister…Because there is the part of us that is still young…So the words that tumble out of our mouths are still from the mouths of children…
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Christmas Wreaths!
I know it seems so early to be planning for Christmas, but it's coming up!!!
At Sheridan UMC we're selling wreaths this year to help raise money for mission and apportionments at the church. We sold the wreaths/trees/sprays last year and they are gorgeous!
If you'd like to purchase a wreath or anything else, please contact the church office to place your order and make arrangements for pick-up
The items can be viewed here: http://www.mickman.com/fundraising/products.html
Prices:
Classic--$14.75
Victorian--$22.75
Sprays--$16.75
Centerpieces--$21.50
Living Trees--$23.00
25' Garland--$27.50
50' Garland--$45.75
EZ Hangers--$1.50
Christmas Lights Sets--$2.00
At Sheridan UMC we're selling wreaths this year to help raise money for mission and apportionments at the church. We sold the wreaths/trees/sprays last year and they are gorgeous!
If you'd like to purchase a wreath or anything else, please contact the church office to place your order and make arrangements for pick-up
The items can be viewed here: http://www.mickman.com/fundraising/products.html
Prices:
Classic--$14.75
Victorian--$22.75
Sprays--$16.75
Centerpieces--$21.50
Living Trees--$23.00
25' Garland--$27.50
50' Garland--$45.75
EZ Hangers--$1.50
Christmas Lights Sets--$2.00
Monday, October 8, 2007
Whose Faith? Study Guide
Sermon study guide
Whose Faith?
October 8-13
This week’s sermon was a conversation on who has nurtured us in our faith, and who we have nurtured in faith that we know and those that we don’t know. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. Blessings! Pastor Melissa
Monday, October 8, 2007
Mondays usually aren’t good days…It’s hard to get out of bed after a weekend off. This Monday is Columbus Day, so it may be another day in the weekend for you, but for others it’s time to start a new week.
How did you get out bed this morning? Did you welcome the new day or did you grumble at your alarm? How did that set the mood for your day? Do you treat people differently on Monday than you do on Thursday or Friday?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
1 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
Who has nurtured you in your faith? How have they done it and how do they continue to nurture you? How then do you live that for yourself?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Christian author, pastor, and theologian Brennan Manning has said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
How did you acknowledge Jesus with your lips today? How did you acknowledge Jesus with your lifestyle? Were there times that you did neither?
Thursday, October 11, 2007
1 Timothy 1:8-10
1:8
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
1:9
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
1:10
but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
Where have you seen moments of grace this week? The times when you knew that you couldn’t do something on your own and you knew that God was with you? Try and remember a moment of grace from each day this week and look for them tomorrow.
Friday, October 12, 2007
1 Timothy 1:13-14
1:13
Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1:14
Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
The treasure of Jesus and grace have been entrusted to us. How did you guard that this week and how did you share that treasure?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.”
How did you share the Gospel without using words this week? How was the Gospel shared with you this week without using words?
Whose Faith?
October 8-13
This week’s sermon was a conversation on who has nurtured us in our faith, and who we have nurtured in faith that we know and those that we don’t know. I encourage you to read and let these questions challenge and encourage you this week. Blessings! Pastor Melissa
Monday, October 8, 2007
Mondays usually aren’t good days…It’s hard to get out of bed after a weekend off. This Monday is Columbus Day, so it may be another day in the weekend for you, but for others it’s time to start a new week.
How did you get out bed this morning? Did you welcome the new day or did you grumble at your alarm? How did that set the mood for your day? Do you treat people differently on Monday than you do on Thursday or Friday?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
1 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
Who has nurtured you in your faith? How have they done it and how do they continue to nurture you? How then do you live that for yourself?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Christian author, pastor, and theologian Brennan Manning has said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
How did you acknowledge Jesus with your lips today? How did you acknowledge Jesus with your lifestyle? Were there times that you did neither?
Thursday, October 11, 2007
1 Timothy 1:8-10
1:8
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
1:9
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
1:10
but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
Where have you seen moments of grace this week? The times when you knew that you couldn’t do something on your own and you knew that God was with you? Try and remember a moment of grace from each day this week and look for them tomorrow.
Friday, October 12, 2007
1 Timothy 1:13-14
1:13
Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1:14
Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
The treasure of Jesus and grace have been entrusted to us. How did you guard that this week and how did you share that treasure?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.”
How did you share the Gospel without using words this week? How was the Gospel shared with you this week without using words?
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Whose Faith?
Whose Faith?
Today is World Communion Sunday which is the day around the world where churches of all denominations take communion…It’s a reminder to all of us that no matter what denomination the church that we go to, we are all a part of the Body of Christ…That we are all connected, we are all one in ministry despite all of our differences…Even though we may not believe all of the same things, we all believe in the same Triune God, God—three-in-one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…
The letter from Paul in 1 Timothy is often viewed as the beginning of a “farewell discourse” or one of his final letters before he faced his own death. It is believed that Paul was close to his death and that he knew it and so chose to write letters to the churches and people that he met and nurtured along the way. There are words in this letter like “remember,” “charge,” “hold on”…As though Paul knows that he won’t be with them much longer and needs to get somethings out before that happens…This letter is to Timothy, one of the people that he met along his journey and nurtured him in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Paul tells Timothy that he worships God freely and with a clear conscience just as his ancestors did…Before Paul became a Christian, he was probably a Pharisee…The first time that we encounter Paul he was holding the coats for the people as they stoned Stephen to death…Stephen was the first person killed for being a Christian, or the first martyr…Paul was very strong in his faith as a Pharisee, as a Jewish man…Paul’s reminder that his ancestors worshiped God connects him not only to the Christians, but also to the Jewish people…One in ministry to all the world…
Paul continues to write to Timothy and tells him that he remembers the faith of his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice…Paul reminds Timothy of his past…That his mother and grandmother were believers in Jesus also…When Paul sees Timothy, he’s reminded of these women and their faith…
At the last UMW meeting, we shared people who had been helpful to us along our faith journey…Can you think of someone that you have encountered along your way who has helped to nurture you in your faith? These people that nurtured us in the faith are important especially as we remember them and what they mean to us…Sometimes they are still with us and other times they have passed on…There’s nothing that says that these people need to be a certain age, older or younger….Take a couple of minutes and turn to the person sitting next to you and share about that person for you...(wait about 3-5 minutes)…
Have you ever thought of the people who have nurture you in your faith before you knew them…Or maybe the ones who have nurtured you in your faith and you’ll never meet them? Certainly faith of people like Paul or the other disciples are ones that we won’t physically meet, but we get to know through the pages of Scripture…They’ve nurtured us in faith as they’ve kept the stories of Jesus circulating and kept telling people about Jesus and about their faith even as the persecutions were happening and Christians were being killed for the faith…People who were influencing and nurturing our faith without us knowing them…
Did you know that you nurtured my faith before I came here? 7 years ago I attended an event called Exploration which is a national conference for United Methodist students in high school and college who are feeling a calling into ministry…This conference lasts a weekend the last Exploration event in 2006 there were 860 students who attended and 200 made a commitment to take the next step in pursuing ordination…At Exploration 2000, I made that same commitment…So, how did you nurture my faith through this event? This event is funded through apportionment dollars…By paying our apportionments we are helping to nurture the faith of 860 students and giving them the encouragement to take the next step in pursuing a career in ministry…Did you realize that we were nurturing people in the faith like that?
But beyond large events and groups within the United Methodist Church that function on a large level, there are also the events that happen on a local or conference level…Did you know that you continued to nurture my faith and helped me pursue my calling? I received scholarships both from the larger United Methodist Church, but also specifically through the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church…Without these scholarships, I wouldn’t have been able to complete seminary…Which means that I wouldn’t be standing here this morning…These scholarships were made possible by churches like ours paying their apportionments…Did you realize that you were nurturing people in their faith without ever meeting them?
It’s something that we do without even really thinking about it…I would imagine that most of us don’t see someone and think about how we can nurture their faith…Maybe we do think that whenever we see someone…Maybe it’s just so inside of us that we just do it without realizing…For the people that you talked about that nurture you in your faith—do you think that they knew that they were nurturing you? Do you think that they woke up in the morning and thought “How can I help this person in their faith today?” or do you think that they just did it?
The truth is that the things that have happened to us in our past, whatever that past may be have helped to shape us into who we are today. Those people that we encountered along our way, both that we know and those that we don’t have helped to get us where we are today…And it’s probably just as important to point out that there have been people along our way who have been discouraging to us…Those people who have been negative influences…And those people may also be people that we know or people that we don’t know…And just as we have been nurturing to people, there have probably been times when we have been discouraging to someone else as well…
Paul is reminding Timothy about those who have nurtured him in his faith, while at the same time acknowledging that there are those who will discourage…For Paul it was a literal death, but for others that discouraging can lead to a spiritual death or a lack of belief…For most people who claim not to have a church connection or a belief in God at all, they have had a negative experience with someone in a church or an entire church…Brennan Manning, author, pastor and theologian has said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Whose faith are we nurturing that we don’t even realize? I recently received a joke about a driver who was cut off in traffic and coming up to a stoplight, the driver who had been cut off started honking at the car in front and screaming and yelling and swearing and causing a big scene…A police officer pulled up on the scene and immediately pulled the driver out of the car and began to arrest them…The driver got upset and said, “Why are you arresting me? The other driver is the one who is driving terribly and will hurt someone else.” The police officer said that he noticed the Christian bumper stickers on the car and heard the driver swearing and threatening, so figured that the car must be stolen.” Whose faith are we nurturing without even knowing it?
At some point in the journey, a person accepts their faith as their own…Because of someone else they were introduced to their faith and are continued to be nurtured, but at some point we all have made the decision to believe…That’s what Paul reminds Timothy as well…That he is reminded of the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, but he sees it in Timothy as well…As a result of the nurturing of Timothy, he accepted his faith as his own and made the decision to continue to grow. Timothy didn’t worship or have faith because his mother and grandmother told him to, but because he believed for himself…Those people that nurtured us along our way…Maybe we started to have faith because they told us to, but at some point we began to believe for ourselves…And in believing for ourselves, we live our lives that way…
We don’t pay our apportionments because we’ve been told to…Although that is part of being a United Methodist Church…But we pay our apportionments to be faithful…Because we are nurturing someone in their faith without them knowing it…We are encouraging someone along their journey and we may never physically meet them…If Paul didn’t write letters because he thought that people he didn’t know would read them, where would we be? Whose faith are we nurturing without realizing it?
We are nurturing others’ faith a lot more than we realize it…Maybe it’s the cashier at the store, the car that cuts us off in traffic, or the person sitting next to us this morning…whose faith are we nurturing? How are we helping people to accept their faith as their own? We do it more than we know…
The charge can seem big and hard to do…Because there are times that we have a bad day or we wake up crabby or we accidentally hurt someone…There’s a song by the Christian group, dc Talk called What if I Stumble, Toby Mackeen wrote the song but has said that it shouldn’t really be titled “What if?” when “When I”…One of the verses says, “What if I stumble? I hear you whispering my name…you say, my love for you will never change…” There’s grace when we stumble and faith…There’s grace that helps us to pick back up and continue on…There’s grace that covers all of our mistakes…There’s grace that nurtures us in our faith without us even realizing it…
Beginning this week, in the back of the sanctuary and downstairs there are some study guides…Don’t be scared by the idea of a “study guide,” but look at it as a way to continue to be nurtured in faith this week…A way to be able to continue to reflect, refresh, and renew…A way to continue to believe and accept your faith as your own…
Today is World Communion Sunday which is the day around the world where churches of all denominations take communion…It’s a reminder to all of us that no matter what denomination the church that we go to, we are all a part of the Body of Christ…That we are all connected, we are all one in ministry despite all of our differences…Even though we may not believe all of the same things, we all believe in the same Triune God, God—three-in-one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…
The letter from Paul in 1 Timothy is often viewed as the beginning of a “farewell discourse” or one of his final letters before he faced his own death. It is believed that Paul was close to his death and that he knew it and so chose to write letters to the churches and people that he met and nurtured along the way. There are words in this letter like “remember,” “charge,” “hold on”…As though Paul knows that he won’t be with them much longer and needs to get somethings out before that happens…This letter is to Timothy, one of the people that he met along his journey and nurtured him in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Paul tells Timothy that he worships God freely and with a clear conscience just as his ancestors did…Before Paul became a Christian, he was probably a Pharisee…The first time that we encounter Paul he was holding the coats for the people as they stoned Stephen to death…Stephen was the first person killed for being a Christian, or the first martyr…Paul was very strong in his faith as a Pharisee, as a Jewish man…Paul’s reminder that his ancestors worshiped God connects him not only to the Christians, but also to the Jewish people…One in ministry to all the world…
Paul continues to write to Timothy and tells him that he remembers the faith of his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice…Paul reminds Timothy of his past…That his mother and grandmother were believers in Jesus also…When Paul sees Timothy, he’s reminded of these women and their faith…
At the last UMW meeting, we shared people who had been helpful to us along our faith journey…Can you think of someone that you have encountered along your way who has helped to nurture you in your faith? These people that nurtured us in the faith are important especially as we remember them and what they mean to us…Sometimes they are still with us and other times they have passed on…There’s nothing that says that these people need to be a certain age, older or younger….Take a couple of minutes and turn to the person sitting next to you and share about that person for you...(wait about 3-5 minutes)…
Have you ever thought of the people who have nurture you in your faith before you knew them…Or maybe the ones who have nurtured you in your faith and you’ll never meet them? Certainly faith of people like Paul or the other disciples are ones that we won’t physically meet, but we get to know through the pages of Scripture…They’ve nurtured us in faith as they’ve kept the stories of Jesus circulating and kept telling people about Jesus and about their faith even as the persecutions were happening and Christians were being killed for the faith…People who were influencing and nurturing our faith without us knowing them…
Did you know that you nurtured my faith before I came here? 7 years ago I attended an event called Exploration which is a national conference for United Methodist students in high school and college who are feeling a calling into ministry…This conference lasts a weekend the last Exploration event in 2006 there were 860 students who attended and 200 made a commitment to take the next step in pursuing ordination…At Exploration 2000, I made that same commitment…So, how did you nurture my faith through this event? This event is funded through apportionment dollars…By paying our apportionments we are helping to nurture the faith of 860 students and giving them the encouragement to take the next step in pursuing a career in ministry…Did you realize that we were nurturing people in the faith like that?
But beyond large events and groups within the United Methodist Church that function on a large level, there are also the events that happen on a local or conference level…Did you know that you continued to nurture my faith and helped me pursue my calling? I received scholarships both from the larger United Methodist Church, but also specifically through the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church…Without these scholarships, I wouldn’t have been able to complete seminary…Which means that I wouldn’t be standing here this morning…These scholarships were made possible by churches like ours paying their apportionments…Did you realize that you were nurturing people in their faith without ever meeting them?
It’s something that we do without even really thinking about it…I would imagine that most of us don’t see someone and think about how we can nurture their faith…Maybe we do think that whenever we see someone…Maybe it’s just so inside of us that we just do it without realizing…For the people that you talked about that nurture you in your faith—do you think that they knew that they were nurturing you? Do you think that they woke up in the morning and thought “How can I help this person in their faith today?” or do you think that they just did it?
The truth is that the things that have happened to us in our past, whatever that past may be have helped to shape us into who we are today. Those people that we encountered along our way, both that we know and those that we don’t have helped to get us where we are today…And it’s probably just as important to point out that there have been people along our way who have been discouraging to us…Those people who have been negative influences…And those people may also be people that we know or people that we don’t know…And just as we have been nurturing to people, there have probably been times when we have been discouraging to someone else as well…
Paul is reminding Timothy about those who have nurtured him in his faith, while at the same time acknowledging that there are those who will discourage…For Paul it was a literal death, but for others that discouraging can lead to a spiritual death or a lack of belief…For most people who claim not to have a church connection or a belief in God at all, they have had a negative experience with someone in a church or an entire church…Brennan Manning, author, pastor and theologian has said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Whose faith are we nurturing that we don’t even realize? I recently received a joke about a driver who was cut off in traffic and coming up to a stoplight, the driver who had been cut off started honking at the car in front and screaming and yelling and swearing and causing a big scene…A police officer pulled up on the scene and immediately pulled the driver out of the car and began to arrest them…The driver got upset and said, “Why are you arresting me? The other driver is the one who is driving terribly and will hurt someone else.” The police officer said that he noticed the Christian bumper stickers on the car and heard the driver swearing and threatening, so figured that the car must be stolen.” Whose faith are we nurturing without even knowing it?
At some point in the journey, a person accepts their faith as their own…Because of someone else they were introduced to their faith and are continued to be nurtured, but at some point we all have made the decision to believe…That’s what Paul reminds Timothy as well…That he is reminded of the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, but he sees it in Timothy as well…As a result of the nurturing of Timothy, he accepted his faith as his own and made the decision to continue to grow. Timothy didn’t worship or have faith because his mother and grandmother told him to, but because he believed for himself…Those people that nurtured us along our way…Maybe we started to have faith because they told us to, but at some point we began to believe for ourselves…And in believing for ourselves, we live our lives that way…
We don’t pay our apportionments because we’ve been told to…Although that is part of being a United Methodist Church…But we pay our apportionments to be faithful…Because we are nurturing someone in their faith without them knowing it…We are encouraging someone along their journey and we may never physically meet them…If Paul didn’t write letters because he thought that people he didn’t know would read them, where would we be? Whose faith are we nurturing without realizing it?
We are nurturing others’ faith a lot more than we realize it…Maybe it’s the cashier at the store, the car that cuts us off in traffic, or the person sitting next to us this morning…whose faith are we nurturing? How are we helping people to accept their faith as their own? We do it more than we know…
The charge can seem big and hard to do…Because there are times that we have a bad day or we wake up crabby or we accidentally hurt someone…There’s a song by the Christian group, dc Talk called What if I Stumble, Toby Mackeen wrote the song but has said that it shouldn’t really be titled “What if?” when “When I”…One of the verses says, “What if I stumble? I hear you whispering my name…you say, my love for you will never change…” There’s grace when we stumble and faith…There’s grace that helps us to pick back up and continue on…There’s grace that covers all of our mistakes…There’s grace that nurtures us in our faith without us even realizing it…
Beginning this week, in the back of the sanctuary and downstairs there are some study guides…Don’t be scared by the idea of a “study guide,” but look at it as a way to continue to be nurtured in faith this week…A way to be able to continue to reflect, refresh, and renew…A way to continue to believe and accept your faith as your own…
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Never Alone
Never Alone
I hate quiet… I just cannot have it completely silent when I’m sitting at home. Usually that means that I have some music playing in the background, but it can also be the TV just on. And, I’m not going to lie…Sometimes I talk to myself just for the noise. I can’t even get to sleep without noise. Usually, I have some DVD playing in the background for some light as well, but mostly for the noise. I was explaining this to a friend of mine earlier this week and he was just astounded that I needed to have that much noise and just asked, “Why?” So, as I thought about it for awhile and I couldn’t give a really good answer, so he said, “Well, it always goes back to something as you were a kid…” Now, I can’t say that’s the complete answer, but I did think of something after he said that… How many of you have a basement that you really don’t like to go down into? My basement growing up was like that. Oh, it was great when my brother & sister and I would haul our Barbies down there and play or we would sit at the desk and play school. But, when I was home by myself it was a different story. I hated to go down there by myself even for just a quick trip. I must have watched a movie one time or something, because I was convinced that there must be someone living in our basement. How I got that idea is just preposterous, but I was convinced that a man was living in our basement. So, now being older and wiser and further away from the basement, I started to think about why would I think that? So, I turned off the TV at home to think about it… and that’s when I heard it… when you’re sitting all by yourself in whatever room or house and you know that nobody else is around… The “every day noises” get loud and suspicious. You know, the wind blowing outside is suddenly some one scratching at your window… Or the water dripping is something more ominous… Suddenly, it turns into a scary place… So, of course after I realized that, I turned the TV back on and a little bit louder this time…
There’s something about being alone that is just so scary. It’s why babies usually cry when they wake up… They can’t see anyone around them and can’t logically process anything, so they think that they’re all by themselves… If you ask most people one of their top fears is being alone…What is it about being alone that just shakes us to the core? We are so afraid of being alone...
Maybe there’s some validation to that, you know… I mean who knows what’s lurking around that door, right? Who knows what that sound is really, and who’s going to check it out? Paranoia can attack suddenly and no matter how rational we think otherwise, when we’re alone… it’s different. Suddenly, that noise must mean that there’s a man living in the basement.
Jeremiah was a prophet and was one of the youngest prophets. That didn’t stop him from having a message for the nation of Israel or being called by God to preach to the people. In the passage from Jeremiah, Jeremiah is still not comfortable within his calling…He’s still unsure of what he’s supposed to do and if people are really going to listen to him. God’s response reminds me a lot like the kind of speech that my mom would rattle off when she would leave me home alone. You know the list, phone numbers, don’t answer the door, I’ll be right back…A very important list of things to have and to know… And God knows the list to give to Jeremiah also.
“I knew you before you were born.” This isn’t the first interaction that God & Jeremiah have had with one another…God tells Jeremiah that God knew Jeremiah before he was even born…Before Jeremiah’s mother or father held him…God created him…And not only did God create him, but God called him to do God’s work…
“Don’t say you’re too young.” Because God is talking to Jeremiah, it wouldn’t make sense to say anything else, but God could have easily placed something else in there for any one of us…Don’t say you’re too big…Don’t say you’re too small…Don’t say that you’re too young…Don’t say you’re too old…Don’t say you’re too tired…Don’t say you don’t have enough….Don’t say any of those things…God gives a very simple answer to that…. “You will go where I tell you to go and you will say what I tell you to say…” God doesn’t take Jeremiah’s excuse, God basically says, I don’t care…Do what I tell you to do! And when we give our excuses to God…God says, I don’t care…Do what I told you to do!
Then, before Jeremiah could say anything else, God touched his lips and he was filled with the message…God didn’t let Jeremiah come up with anymore excuses, but sent Jeremiah…But didn’t send Jeremiah alone…God was with him…Just as God is with us…
Then there’s the passge from Luke…The story of the 99 sheep who are left to find the one who is lost…The one sheep who has wandered away from the group and needs to be found…And the shepherd goes to find it…
Now this parable can be looked at many ways and you’ve probably heard it different ways before! You may have put yourself in the place of the 99 or maybe you’ve put yourself in the place of the 1…Or maybe you’ve even seen yourself as the shepherd…No matter what—if you see yourself as the 99 or as the 1 or even as the shepherd…One thing that was constant…None of them are ever alone…For the 99, they have one another….For the shepherd and the 1, they have one another until they return to the flock…
The one sheep that wandered off seemed to be alone for a short time, or however long it was lost…But there was someone to pursue it, someone to come after it…Even if the sheep didn’t know it, it wasn’t alone…
How can you accept that someone is there when you don’t know who or what they are? It’s easy to know that when you stand up and walk out from the pew that you’re going to step onto the floor… you can see that and you can feel the floor underneath your feet. But, what if you close your eyes? How do you know that where you step there is going to be floor there? You have a few different options… You can snap your eyes open and look for yourself… You can just take a step out and believe that where you step there will be floor…Or you can ask the person next to you to help you find a place to walk…Now relate these three options to your faith walk… You can snap your eyes open and make sure that it’s okay to take a step out and you may see a minute detail that makes you think that you should stay still… You can step out in blind faith and just know that there is going to be something there to step on…Now, there will usually be something there, but what if you continue walking and you head to some steps? The third option… You can ask someone to help you… That’s the role of the shepherd…. You have to believe that there is someone there who will take your hand and make sure that nothing happens to you…The shepherd will not leave you alone…The one thing that we need to do in order to be able to see this helper is just love… It is through love that the shepherd starts out…It is through love that Jeremiah was created and called…
There’s the story from Exodus where Moses first encountered God in a burning bush and God told Moses, “I am, I AM.” God’s name is “I AM”… And just as Jesus said, “I am there among them.” I AM there among them…I AM there…I AM…It’s a bold claim, strong and daring, but so comforting at the same time. It’s comforting to know that God is with us at all times…No matter what happens in life. There can be the disputes or there can be something that’s exciting or something that’s mundane and ordinary….God is there…There can be those things that just take your breath away and those things that are so devastating that you can’t bear to talk about them or face what’s just happened…And God is there…There are devastating events that happen…And God is there…
I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who wanted to share a story of a friend of hers… This girl was a freshman at college in New Orleans and had just gotten there in late August 2005, she was dropped off by her grandparents when the news of Hurricane Katrina came in and she wanted to evacuate…Her grandparents didn’t have a cell phone and she didn’t have any way of contacting them, nor a car of her own. As she was trying to figure out what to do and where she could possibly go, a girl from down the hall popped her head in and asked this girl if she wanted to leave with her. They traveled east and staying with the driver’s family, safe. The new freshman was able to contact her grandparents and they were reunited with tears and many hugs. God is there…
We’re not alone—no matter what you think when you’re sitting alone somewhere… You’re not alone at least not completely. We’re not orphaned… We have someone will be with us at all times… We are not alone. Those noises… they don’t mean anything, we do not need to be afraid of them...No matter where you go or which direction you turn, you’re guaranteed to run into God, because you are not alone…We are not alone…That’s so comforting to hear and to know that we are not alone...It’s even more comforting to say out loud…So, say it with me… I am not alone… I am not alone… Praise God! Amen.
I hate quiet… I just cannot have it completely silent when I’m sitting at home. Usually that means that I have some music playing in the background, but it can also be the TV just on. And, I’m not going to lie…Sometimes I talk to myself just for the noise. I can’t even get to sleep without noise. Usually, I have some DVD playing in the background for some light as well, but mostly for the noise. I was explaining this to a friend of mine earlier this week and he was just astounded that I needed to have that much noise and just asked, “Why?” So, as I thought about it for awhile and I couldn’t give a really good answer, so he said, “Well, it always goes back to something as you were a kid…” Now, I can’t say that’s the complete answer, but I did think of something after he said that… How many of you have a basement that you really don’t like to go down into? My basement growing up was like that. Oh, it was great when my brother & sister and I would haul our Barbies down there and play or we would sit at the desk and play school. But, when I was home by myself it was a different story. I hated to go down there by myself even for just a quick trip. I must have watched a movie one time or something, because I was convinced that there must be someone living in our basement. How I got that idea is just preposterous, but I was convinced that a man was living in our basement. So, now being older and wiser and further away from the basement, I started to think about why would I think that? So, I turned off the TV at home to think about it… and that’s when I heard it… when you’re sitting all by yourself in whatever room or house and you know that nobody else is around… The “every day noises” get loud and suspicious. You know, the wind blowing outside is suddenly some one scratching at your window… Or the water dripping is something more ominous… Suddenly, it turns into a scary place… So, of course after I realized that, I turned the TV back on and a little bit louder this time…
There’s something about being alone that is just so scary. It’s why babies usually cry when they wake up… They can’t see anyone around them and can’t logically process anything, so they think that they’re all by themselves… If you ask most people one of their top fears is being alone…What is it about being alone that just shakes us to the core? We are so afraid of being alone...
Maybe there’s some validation to that, you know… I mean who knows what’s lurking around that door, right? Who knows what that sound is really, and who’s going to check it out? Paranoia can attack suddenly and no matter how rational we think otherwise, when we’re alone… it’s different. Suddenly, that noise must mean that there’s a man living in the basement.
Jeremiah was a prophet and was one of the youngest prophets. That didn’t stop him from having a message for the nation of Israel or being called by God to preach to the people. In the passage from Jeremiah, Jeremiah is still not comfortable within his calling…He’s still unsure of what he’s supposed to do and if people are really going to listen to him. God’s response reminds me a lot like the kind of speech that my mom would rattle off when she would leave me home alone. You know the list, phone numbers, don’t answer the door, I’ll be right back…A very important list of things to have and to know… And God knows the list to give to Jeremiah also.
“I knew you before you were born.” This isn’t the first interaction that God & Jeremiah have had with one another…God tells Jeremiah that God knew Jeremiah before he was even born…Before Jeremiah’s mother or father held him…God created him…And not only did God create him, but God called him to do God’s work…
“Don’t say you’re too young.” Because God is talking to Jeremiah, it wouldn’t make sense to say anything else, but God could have easily placed something else in there for any one of us…Don’t say you’re too big…Don’t say you’re too small…Don’t say that you’re too young…Don’t say you’re too old…Don’t say you’re too tired…Don’t say you don’t have enough….Don’t say any of those things…God gives a very simple answer to that…. “You will go where I tell you to go and you will say what I tell you to say…” God doesn’t take Jeremiah’s excuse, God basically says, I don’t care…Do what I tell you to do! And when we give our excuses to God…God says, I don’t care…Do what I told you to do!
Then, before Jeremiah could say anything else, God touched his lips and he was filled with the message…God didn’t let Jeremiah come up with anymore excuses, but sent Jeremiah…But didn’t send Jeremiah alone…God was with him…Just as God is with us…
Then there’s the passge from Luke…The story of the 99 sheep who are left to find the one who is lost…The one sheep who has wandered away from the group and needs to be found…And the shepherd goes to find it…
Now this parable can be looked at many ways and you’ve probably heard it different ways before! You may have put yourself in the place of the 99 or maybe you’ve put yourself in the place of the 1…Or maybe you’ve even seen yourself as the shepherd…No matter what—if you see yourself as the 99 or as the 1 or even as the shepherd…One thing that was constant…None of them are ever alone…For the 99, they have one another….For the shepherd and the 1, they have one another until they return to the flock…
The one sheep that wandered off seemed to be alone for a short time, or however long it was lost…But there was someone to pursue it, someone to come after it…Even if the sheep didn’t know it, it wasn’t alone…
How can you accept that someone is there when you don’t know who or what they are? It’s easy to know that when you stand up and walk out from the pew that you’re going to step onto the floor… you can see that and you can feel the floor underneath your feet. But, what if you close your eyes? How do you know that where you step there is going to be floor there? You have a few different options… You can snap your eyes open and look for yourself… You can just take a step out and believe that where you step there will be floor…Or you can ask the person next to you to help you find a place to walk…Now relate these three options to your faith walk… You can snap your eyes open and make sure that it’s okay to take a step out and you may see a minute detail that makes you think that you should stay still… You can step out in blind faith and just know that there is going to be something there to step on…Now, there will usually be something there, but what if you continue walking and you head to some steps? The third option… You can ask someone to help you… That’s the role of the shepherd…. You have to believe that there is someone there who will take your hand and make sure that nothing happens to you…The shepherd will not leave you alone…The one thing that we need to do in order to be able to see this helper is just love… It is through love that the shepherd starts out…It is through love that Jeremiah was created and called…
There’s the story from Exodus where Moses first encountered God in a burning bush and God told Moses, “I am, I AM.” God’s name is “I AM”… And just as Jesus said, “I am there among them.” I AM there among them…I AM there…I AM…It’s a bold claim, strong and daring, but so comforting at the same time. It’s comforting to know that God is with us at all times…No matter what happens in life. There can be the disputes or there can be something that’s exciting or something that’s mundane and ordinary….God is there…There can be those things that just take your breath away and those things that are so devastating that you can’t bear to talk about them or face what’s just happened…And God is there…There are devastating events that happen…And God is there…
I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who wanted to share a story of a friend of hers… This girl was a freshman at college in New Orleans and had just gotten there in late August 2005, she was dropped off by her grandparents when the news of Hurricane Katrina came in and she wanted to evacuate…Her grandparents didn’t have a cell phone and she didn’t have any way of contacting them, nor a car of her own. As she was trying to figure out what to do and where she could possibly go, a girl from down the hall popped her head in and asked this girl if she wanted to leave with her. They traveled east and staying with the driver’s family, safe. The new freshman was able to contact her grandparents and they were reunited with tears and many hugs. God is there…
We’re not alone—no matter what you think when you’re sitting alone somewhere… You’re not alone at least not completely. We’re not orphaned… We have someone will be with us at all times… We are not alone. Those noises… they don’t mean anything, we do not need to be afraid of them...No matter where you go or which direction you turn, you’re guaranteed to run into God, because you are not alone…We are not alone…That’s so comforting to hear and to know that we are not alone...It’s even more comforting to say out loud…So, say it with me… I am not alone… I am not alone… Praise God! Amen.
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