RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 07/21/13 Sermon - “Martha's Lesson"

Sunday - 07/21/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Martha’s Lesson”

Scripture Lesson: Amos 8:1-12

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:38-42

          Good morning brothers and sisters! Welcome in the name of the risen Christ, to worship on this ninth Sunday after Pentecost! That day so long ago that Holy Spirit filled the followers of Jesus Christ, and the Christian Church was born.

          This morning, I want to talk to you about people who feel overburdened, stressed, or worried. For those people who feel these ways, it could be because you are working to much, it could be because you have to much responsibility, it could because you have too much on your mind, it could be because you think that you have to do everything, and etc. Imagine for a moment though that if Jesus himself said to you, “hey relax,” “hey lighten up!” I can only imagine what it would feel like to have Jesus say something such as this to me.

          For me, it makes me think about all of those things that distract us, that consume our time, and that wear us down. I think about times in my own life that I have worried about things, that I have been distracted with work or tasks, and that I have otherwise not saw what was right in front of me. For when we are not focused on Jesus, then what are we focused on? If we are not seeking Christ primarily, then what are we seeking?

          In this morning’s scripture reading from Amos 8:1-12, the Lord showed the prophet Amos “a basket of summer fruit.” The Lord then goes on to say in this scripture, that the people of Israel will suffer, will not be in God’s grace, that they not receive this fruit. For they have become like decaying fruit. For God then said to Amos, “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The scripture goes on according to the prophet Amos saying that the people of Israel will be punished for their ways. That their songs of joy will turn into “lamentation,” that there will be “sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head,” as is the stereotypical look for a Christian monk of the Middle Ages. Surely the prophet Amos is telling the people of Israel that if you want to live, if you want forgiveness, then you must repent, then you must focus on the Lord.

          For when turn away from the Lord, we are like the people in the Book of Judges in Old Testament. In the Book of Judges, it says in 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Brothers and sisters, when we turn from God, don’t we begin to do what is right in our own eyes? Perhaps we start small, but then finally we have gotten to a place of such sin, such depravity, and such falseness, that sometimes we don’t even know how we got there to begin with.

          With that said, like any good young Methodist Pastor, I want to talk about the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. Pope Francis in a recent address to some Roman Catholic Seminarians and soon to be Roman Catholic Nuns said this, “It hurts me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car, you can’t do this, a car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world.” Wow! By the way, in case anyone was wondering what the head of the Roman Catholic Church drives around Vatican City, it is a used 2005 Ford Focus. He is no longer transported in the usual Mercedes Benz. In fact, he no longer wears the ornate vestments of his office, and doesn’t even live in the large Papal apartments. Rather he lives in a small modest apartment, as he is only the head of a church 1.1 billion people.

          For many of us, we have seen this leader of one our sister church denominations, and have been humbled and impressed by him. I know that I have been humbled by this person, and I have been further compelled to give freely, and serve others even more. Imagine a world where we all gave a little more, and took a little less. Imagine a world, where the hungry are feed, where the naked are clothed, and were children live in peace.

          Brothers and sisters, I think that the Christian Church is on the verge of a great awakening, a great revival. I went over to the Lake Luzerne area for part of the day yesterday, to the town of Hadley. I did this to meet with my ministry mentor for ordination, the Rev. John Chesney. Within a few minutes of our chatter, came the usual Saturday question from one pastor to another, “So what are you preaching on tomorrow?” I told Rev. Chesney that I was preaching a sermon called “Martha’s lesson,” and he said that he was preaching a sermon called “Martha, Martha, Martha,” a play on words of the Brady Bunch television show phrase, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.”

          In the midst of our conversation Rev. Chesney was encouraging, and he then asked me what sort of vision I have for the future our collective church. I told him that if we love people so radically, so boldly, and with such extravagant generosity, than they are much more likely to know the Lord. I mean if someone is loving, if they care for you, if they make you feel valued, if they love the Lord with everything they have, and if they love their neighbor as themselves, then others will come follow. You see when we truly live the gospel, people see it, and that love absorbs into them, and they believe. For when we give it all to the Lord to serve his people, when we truly love with all that we have, we seek God, we serve his people, and we see Christ in every face that we encounter.

          So then, as Rev. Chesney would put it, on to the “Martha, Martha, Martha” reading from this morning, from the Gospel of Luke. This gospel reading says, “Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.” Brother and sisters, if the Lord entered our house this afternoon, would we immediately sit at his feet, or would we busy ourselves with other things? The gospel goes on to say, “But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister had left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” Anyone her every feel like growing up that you always did all the work, and that one of your siblings slacked off? Her is what Jesus says to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

          When I hear these words, I think to myself, “when have I been too busy for the Lord?” How many times have I found excuse after excuse to be about the business of church, but struggled to take time to be like Mary, and sit at the feet of the Lord. Growing up, I always remember that my mother would go to great efforts to put on a large and multiple course meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. She was always insistent that she didn’t need any help in the kitchen. She was also insistent that I lick the beater blades off from the mixer, a task that she didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to do! I would remember so often at these family gatherings say, “Mom when will you sit with us to eat? When will you join us?”

          Well we got host my parents and Melissa’s parents at the parsonage for this past Thanksgiving dinner, and yes my mom still did a lot of cooking, but not all of it. What a joy it was to have my mom take it a little easier, and not be so busy with so many things.

          Yet we are all a little like Martha some days aren’t we? There are days where we are busy, where we are worried, where perhaps we are angry, or that we are distracted. Yet what I have learned in my young life my brothers and sisters, of all of the things that we can recover from the mistakes we make in this life, and while Jesus will always forgive us, there is one thing that we can never get back. That thing is time. Time my brothers and sister is precious.

I would like to close this morning with a story, from an unknown author. He is how the story goes: Ruth looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter one more time... Dear Ruth, I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit. Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner."

She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Seven dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk... leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt satisfied as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. "Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, OK lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street . . . without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth, It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you too, for the beautiful coat. Love Always, Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed. Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?" The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:37-40.

          My brothers and sisters, how many times have been like Martha, fretting, worried, and forgetting that all that the Lord wants of us, is us. He desires only our hearts, and perhaps “Martha’s lesson” was that she didn’t have to get everything perfect for the Lord, but rather that she just had to come to the Lord. My brothers and sisters, time is precious, and we can never get it back. Let us use our time well, let us use our time loving at the feet of Jesus. I bring this message to you, in the same of the one who has saved us all, so that we never taste death, but instead that we shall live. Amen.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 07/14/13 Sermon - “Could it be any easier?"

Sunday - 07/14/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Could it be any easier?”

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 82

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:25-37

          Good morning my brothers and sisters, and greetings in the name of the risen Christ! It’s a great joy and a pleasure for me to be here with you on this the eighth Sunday after Pentecost. The day where the spirit of God descended upon the disciples and the followers of Christ like tongues of fire, the day that passion and determination filled the hearts and the minds of the early believers, and the day that the church was officially born.

          On this morning though, I want to talk with you about having faith in Christ. I want to talk to you about what Jesus specifically asks of us. Further, I want to talk you about salvation in Jesus Christ. Given this, the question I have for you all to consider then, is what does someone need to do, in order to get to heaven?

          In asking this question, it makes me remember back to my first semester at the Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, NY. I remember especially my first night of class as a new seminarian. As my fellow classmates and I sat in that room on our first night of class, we had as many as 20 different denominations of Christianity represented. We had Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, A Mennonite, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Non-denominational Christians, and etc. Sitting in that room the head of the Northeastern Seminary Dr. Doug Cullum, who is also an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, asked us all “how do you get to heaven?” I remember being in that room with some chatter, with some whispering, and with some shuffling of books and papers. Suddenly though the room grew dead silent, and you could hear a pin drop when Dr. Cullum asked that question. About five to ten seconds passed by, and nobody said anything. Dr. Cullum then said again, “how do you get to heaven?” This question that was asked of me and my fellow classmates is something that I want to talk about more deeply here this morning. To build up to the answer of this questions of “how do we get to heaven,” let us first look at our scripture reading from this morning from Psalm 82. In this Psalm it says, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” God says to us in this Psalm do you seek wickedness? Do you judge in favor of wickedness? Do you alter what you believe to incorporate wickedness? Or do you seek the Lord?

          The Psalm then goes on to say, “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” For if we side with the wicked, then how can truly do all of these things that the Lord has just asked of us? I think it is the reality, that we cannot serve two masters. Jesus said in the gospels, that “you cannot serve God and money.” In addition to this, you cannot serve God and wickedness. For as the Psalm from this mornings’ scripture reading said regarding the wicked, “They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.” The wicked walk in the darkness, the scripture says. What if we start walking in darkness?

          You know my brothers and sisters I know that my bride and I are leaving here in a couple months, to serve in a new place, but I would submit to you that you are the Corpus Christi. You are the body of Christ, and children of the light. This church and then people in it is part of the universal Corpus Christi. Your faith and trust in Christ, transcends far beyond any pastor, transcends far beyond any sermon, as your faith is strong and resolute. For this community of believers has been here for years, and my brothers and sisters, it will continue with the power of the Holy Spirit for many years to come. For you my brothers and sisters walk in light and not in darkness.

          The Psalm from this morning went on to say, “I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and all fall like any prince.” If we pursue wickedness, and if we pursue darkness, then we will not live. For only when we seek light, truth, and the face of Jesus will we truly live. For how can we be children of the light when we are in darkness? How can we truly love others if we are wicked? This scripture from the Psalm then concludes by saying “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” So one day, almighty God will want to us answer for our lives, and will judge us according to our deeds, our faith, and our hearts.

          So then to answer that question that Dr. Cullum’s asked me and my fellow classmates a few years ago, let us look at our gospel reading from this morning from the gospel according to Luke. This gospel reading is the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” This scripture addresses wickedness and an unloving attitude. The gospel starts by saying, “Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This sounds almost identical to question that Dr. Cullum asked us on that first night at the seminary a few years ago. “How do you get to heaven?”

          For when we peel back all the layers of our faith, we are the most concerned primarily with salvation. Sure the church transforms the world, sure we love and serve all people, but it all starts with salvation. “How do we get to heaven?” Jesus then says to the lawyer from this gospel reading, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” The lawyer than said to Christ, “You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

          Jesus then looks at the lawyer and said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” My brothers and sister, Jesus came to earth to die for us, but also to give us a new way to almighty God. Jesus came to renew our ability to accept the free gift of eternal life with almighty God, and so that we may live in freedom and in love. When I first read this gospel reading in preparing for this sermon some time ago, the first thing I thought is “could it be any easier?” “Could be any easier” than what Jesus asked us to do? Is it too hard to love Christ with all that we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves? For Jesus says to us, if you love me and my Father faithfully, fully, and in your heart, and if serve others in my name, you shall never perish, but rather you shall live. So I say to you this morning regarding our salvation through Jesus Christ, “Could it be any easier?” Could God have made the entry requirements to eternal life any easier? All we have to do is love God, accept Christ as our savior, and treat our neighbor as we treat ourselves. “Could it be any easier?”

          So in the gospel reading from this morning, the lawyer then said to Christ to challenge him, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus is infinite mystery and sense of humor, did what he often did. For instead of answering many of the questions that Christ was asked directly, Christ answered many of these questions with parables or stories. Here is how Christ responds in this mornings’ gospel reading to this lawyer’s question. Jesus then said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.”

          Jesus then said, “Now by chance a priest was going down the road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” “So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. Jesus than said, “But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”

          Jesus then says to the lawyer, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” The lawyer then said speaking of the Samaritan man, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus then tells the lawyer, then “Go and do likewise.”

          You see my brothers and sisters, I would charge that the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not that complicated. In fact, “Could it be any easier?” Love God, put your faith in Christ, and treat all people with the love of Christ. “Could it be any easier” than this? Imagine a world, were we truly lived the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where we served the people, not for the money, not because of what it is in it for us, but because Jesus said love me and love all my people. Jesus said, do what you do not to profit yourself, but to profit the kingdom of God, and to serve the people. “Could it be any easier?”

Brothers and sisters, I would like to close this message this morning with a story. This story is by an unknown author. Here is the story: “His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby boy. He dropped his tools and ran to the boy. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.” “No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family’s cottage. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly. “I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.” And that he did.

In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill, our friend and ally in Britain during World War II.

Brothers and sisters, to get to heaven, to obtain salvation, there are many things that we as Christians believe and practice that make up our faith. In the most basic sense though, Jesus said to obtain salvation you must put your full faith and trust in the Lord, and treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself. “Could it be any easier?” I bring this message to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen savior. Amen. 

RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 07/07/13 Sermon - “Lambs in the midst of wolves"

Sunday - 07/07/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Lambs in the midst of wolves”

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 30

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

          Well greetings and good morning again my brothers and sisters! I humbly and lovingly greet you in the name of the risen Christ! I must say that while my wife and I very much enjoyed our trip to Northern Illinois to perform my older brother’s wedding, we missed all of you very much this past Sunday. In fact, it felt a little odd last Sunday to not be here in church with you all. I assure you however, that I was put to work doing prayers, blessings, a wedding, a sermon, and etc.

          When Melissa and I returned home this past Monday night though, I began to think about the message I would give to you all this morning. As the week progressed, I began thinking of the many ways that people use to harm others. That these forms of harm happen not only within our own country, but that they happen all around the world. When thinking of the various places around the world, I thought of the ways in which dictators in some countries suppress other people’s freedoms. How that there are some people present in many of the places that we go, that do not have our best interests in mind. I thought about how there are people in this world that have no care for anybody or anything other than themselves. That some of these people seek to harm us not because we are bad people, but simply because they do not believe in the purity, the love, and values of being a follower of Jesus Christ. It is then through our faith, our deeds, and our actions, that we may be known to a world that knows Him not. Sometimes my brothers and sisters, pastors get moved, sometimes our children move away, but we will be known by our faith, our deeds, and our actions. We sometimes have to deal with cutting and hard situations, but we realize that our hearts and how we treat people matter. That you all matter to me, and that you all matter to God.

          In contemplating all of this, I particularly reflected upon these things on this past 4^th of July. I reflected upon the contributions of the Christian Church to the welfare and betterment of this country and this world. The reality that brave men and women, both now and throughout our history have laid down their lives down for the cause of freedom, for the cause of liberty. I reflected upon the reality that there are places in this world where it is not okay to worship Jesus. That there are still many places in the world today where you are not only told what to believe, but how to believe it. In such places, I find that these believers are “Lambs in the midst of wolves.” That in such places people are persecuted, oppressed, and even killed, simply for loving others and promoting peace and freedom through Jesus Christ. For me though, I think that the Christian Church is one of the only bastions of purity, of love, or truth, and of goodness, in a world that knows Him not. This means sometimes though that the leaders of our churches are expected to go forth on new missions, to tackle new challenges, and to serve in new ways. While I knew this reality would come some day for me, the stinging reality of this is very hard for me, and I am grieved.

          To attempt to commemorate this past 4^th of July and better explain this though, I came across a quote from Abraham Lincoln. Here is his quote, as Abraham Lincoln presented this in a message to the then Methodist-Episcopal Church on May 18, 1864, one year before our Civil War ended. Here is what President Lincoln said, “It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospital, and more prayers to Heaven than any. God bless the Methodist Church - bless all the churches - and blessed be to God, who, in this our great trial, giveth us the churches.”

          Given all of this, I think that the reality for all of us is that we have days or even times in our lives that we all feel like that we “Lambs in the midst of wolves.” There are days where we all feel like the world is going to you know where “in a hand basket.” Within this though, it is our faith that defines us, that sustains us, and that guides us. That in the greatest depths of our experiences of despair, and in our worst trials and tribulations, that this is often where we find God in all of His fullness and faithfulness. In fact, one of my favorite military quotes is, “There is no such thing as an Atheist in a fox hole.”

With this said, when looking at the Psalm 30 reading from this morning, it said, “I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.” It continues to say, “O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.” It then says, “O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.” The scripture than says, “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful one, and give thanks to his holy name.” What the scripture then says, is particularly striking, it says, “For his anger is but a moment; his favor is for a life-time. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

You see I think that there are days where we all feel beaten down by this world. I remember the movie “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner. In this movie Kevin Costner is a farmer in Iowa. The family is not rich, and much like many farm families, they are dependent upon the harvest of their crops for their very livelihood. Yet one day as Kevin Costner walks through his corn field, he hears a voice, perhaps a still small voice. The voice than says, “If you build it, he will come,” and then sees a vision of a baseball field. After some internal wrestling, Kevin Costner who plays the character “Ray Kinsella” cuts down a good portion of his crops and builds the baseball field. His wife as you can imagine was not happy with her husband ray. At first nothing happens to the baseball field, as it just sits empty. Suddenly a man walks from the cornfield, dressed in old 1919 Chicago Black Sox uniform. Ray quickly realizes that is the now deceased famous “Shoeless Joe Jackson.” Soon after this, many other players begin arriving. At first many cannot see the players because they don’t believe in something greater than just the baseball field itself. By the end though, all people believe, and many cars stream down the highway to see this “Field of Dreams.” Towards the end of the movie, the catcher behind home plate gets up on the baseball field and takes his mask off. Ray quickly realizes that this person is his father, as a young man. He introduces his father to his family, and then asks his dad if he can have one more catch with him, before disappears in the corn field. When Ray saw his father and realized who he was, he told those around him, that that was his father as a young and vibrant man. In fact, he said, “That was what my father looked like, before the world beat him down.”

Now I’m saying go home and build a baseball field if God has not called you to do so, but I am saying that God is sovereign and reigns over all people. If we are not God’s faithful people, if we are not God’s sheep, are we not wolves? If we do not seek to follow God, do we oppose God and his people? Do we desire a better future for our children? Do we desire to believe in the freedom that Christ offers us, or do we desire to destroy God’s sheep as vicious wolves? Sometimes brothers and sisters God calls us from serving him in one place, and then we must leave and go serve in another place. It is vital though that people know that they are loved. That the function of the Christian Church is to raise people up and send them out, but oh how it stings sometimes when we are the ones being called or sent out.

When looking at the gospel reading from this morning from the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus had just “appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended.” The lord then said to these 70 people, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” You know brothers and sisters, I think that sometimes in our churches today we feel like the work of God is plentiful, and yet that the workers are few. In fact, the Lord in this morning’s gospel reading then tells these 70 people, “See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.” Jesus then told the seventy to “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ Jesus went on to say, that the 70 should “remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid.” Jesus continues to talk about the 70 loving and being with the hospitable and the loving, but that if they are not greeted and loves, that they will depart and not be oppressed.

So the mission of the Christian Church is train leaders up and send them out as “Sheep amidst the wolves.” You have indeed greeted me, and I have eaten and drank what you provided like the scripture says, but in being called to somewhere new I have admit I like this house. I like what you have fed me and what you have given me to drink, and I like being here. Our bishop however, who is a great Holy Spirit filled man, has asked me and I have agreed to embark on a new mission beginning on September 8th. Perhaps as any place we encounter there will be wolves, but this is the reality of our calling to serve God. That so often we are “Lambs in the midst of wolves.” I bring this message to you this morning my brothers and sisters will a full, heavy, and a humble heart. Most of all however, I bring this message to you so that you will all know just how much your pastor loves you, values you, and how much you matter to me and the kingdom of God. Amen brothers and sisters.