Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - 07/31/16 Sermon - “A U-Haul behind a hearse"

Sunday 07/31/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “A U-Haul behind a hearse”
                            
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 107:1-9, 43
                                            
New Testament Scripture: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:13-21

          My dear friends, my sisters and brothers, welcome again on this the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Eleven Sundays after the day that the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way, and the Christian Church was born. The day that the first disciples of Jesus Christ went forth loving, healing, and forgiving, through Jesus Christ.
          Those first disciples, which included both men and women, were not millionaires. They were not television evangelists that encouraged you to send in all of your hard earned money, while they secretly or not secretly owned mansions and yachts. According to Christian Church tradition, all but one of the original twelve disciples died brutal deaths, and none of them had great wealth.
          On the day of Pentecost, when the Christian Church was born, the disciples had nothing, but the clothing on their backs. Perhaps they also had a little bit of money and food, but probably nothing more. The Christian Church for a period of time, in its early days, did not consist of buildings, endowment funds, salaries, benefits, and etc. The early Christian Church was the first men and women who followed Jesus Christ, serving with virtually nothing.
          If Christian Church tradition holds true then, all but one the disciples, who is John by the way, died a brutal death. As far as we know, these men and early women had very little if anything. Yet if they had wealth and possessions, could they have taken those things to heaven with them?
          This morning, I want to talk about the very tough and uncomfortable topic of wealth and possessions. In the gospel of Luke reading for this morning, Jesus begins with speaking regarding a debate over an inheritance (Lk. 12:13, CEB). The person disputing the inheritance wants Jesus to back his cause for some of the inheritance, but Jesus says, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?” (Lk. 12:14, CEB).
          Jesus then says, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy” (Lk. 12:15, CEB). To then illustrate this, Jesus then tells a parable or a story about a wealthy farmer. Jesus says:
“A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store my grain and my goods. I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several tears. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself” (Lk. 12:16-19, CEB).
          So a rich farmer, instead of trusting in God, put his trust in his food supply, his bigger buildings, and his possessions.
          The parable then ends with:
“But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God” (Lk. 12:20-21, CEB). Tough words from Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters.
          Given this gospel reading for this morning, when I was thinking about and praying about what to preach on, I kept thinking of an old Rev. Billy Graham quote. This is quote is simple and a little humorous. The quote is, “I never saw a U-Haul behind a hearse”. Interesting quote. For those of us that have been to funerals at a cemetery, and I’m sure we have been to many, how many of you have ever seen a U-haul attached behind a hearse? By this I mean, how many of you know someone who took all of their possessions, their wealth, and their stuff with them to the grave? How many of you know people that took the things they owned and possessed to the cemetery with them?
          What Jesus Christ, and the Rev. Billy Graham were pointing out, is that Jesus tells us to put our trust not in things, or wealth, or possessions, but in God. This is a hard thing to do. Many of us are concerned about things like bills, and having enough money, a reliable car, a good place to live, and etc. Sometimes, some of us have financial worries and other worries.
          Has anyone here ever seen the televisions shows “Hoarders,” or the show “American Pickers.” To me, these are both shows that illustrate what Jesus Christ, and what the Rev. Billy Graham were talking about. In the show “Hoarders,” people that have a real diagnosable mental condition causing them to hoard things, and these people often have houses full of endless things. So many things, that they probably don’t even know much of what they have or they own. The goal of this show, is to get people to give, sell, and or remove much of things, the possessions, and the clutter that they own, so they can have normal life, with a normal amount of things.
          I remember watching the show “American Pickers” on the History Channel a few times. This is a show where a couple of guys buy things from people, fix them up, and re-sell them. In an episode that I saw, these two guys went to man’s house, and the man had stuff everywhere. The man had old cars on his lawn, possessions on his lawn, and a pole barn or two packed full of stuff. The two men scurried through what seemed to be piles and piles of stuff, possessions, and items. They then attempted to buy some of these things from the man. The man sold them some, but oddly enough seem attached to many of his possessions, stuff, and things.
          Now, I am not making the claim that any of us here this morning are hoarders, or that any of us have pole barns full of stuff, but the rich farmer that Jesus talked about this morning was a man that built massive barns for his food, his drink, and as the gospel says his possessions, or his “goods” (Lk. 12:18b, CEB). I would think that if this rich farmer lived in 2016, we might see him on an episode of “Hoarders” or “American Pickers”.
          The point that Jesus Christ, and the Rev. Billy Graham were making then, once again, is that we should not place our trust in things. We should not place our trust in homes, cars, money, possessions, and etc.
          In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says in 6:19-21:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:19-21, NRSV).
          Jesus Christ tells us to put our trust in him, in God, not in things, not in possessions, and not in wealth. Next Sunday I am starting a four part series on pursing or getting deeper in God’s kingdom. The idea of our heart being where our treasure is, will be my sermon topic next Sunday.
          This Sunday though, we have Jesus warning us about greed, about the love of money, possessions, and stuff, and how all of the things of this earth can and will decay, but that God is eternal. The Rev. Billy Graham summed this up by saying that, “I never saw a U-Haul behind a hearse”.
          The reality then my brothers and sisters, is we can’t take our things, our money, our possessions with us to heaven. When the Lord calls us home, we will depart largely the way we can into this world.
          My Grandpa Winkelman, who has passed on to be with the Lord, grew up in the Great Depression. Due to this, he always had a big food pantry, and always had more food than he needed. He didn’t have a lifetime supply though, and I think that it is ok for us to “stock up,” but how far do we go?
          For example, how many of us honestly have more stuff, more possessions, and more things than we truly need? How many of us have old boxes and bins filled with countless items, and other things? Has anyone here ever had to clean out a house for a relative that died for example, and in cleaning out there house, you felt like you were going through a department store?
          If we have a lot, if we have more than we need, if have things that we don’t even know we have, then why don’t we give some away. Why we don’t sell some of it, or let someone who needs it have it. I know that I have been guilty of accumulating, and buying at different times in my own life. I used to love to go to garage sales and buy all kinds of stuff. I loved to buy old history books, until Melissa told me that I cannot buy any more history books. I am still on what I like to call “book buying probation”. I would go to garage sales and buy things I didn’t need, because “they were a great deal!” I remember one time I came home with a nice end table. I had gotten this end table at a garage sale for about 10-20 dollars. What a deal! It normally would have cost much more than this. When I took it out of the back seat of my car, Melissa smiled and said, “Paul, that is beautiful table, but where are we going to put it?” I then looked at Melissa having not even thought about it and said, “I didn’t even think about that”.
          My step-dad Mike Therio has also been known in my family as a notorious accumulator of tools and household items. One of the best stories around this is the story of the door hinges:
* Tell the story of the door hinges *
          Friends, do we have things, possessions, and or stuff that we don’t need? Why don’t we give some of that stuff away? Maybe in the coming days and weeks we can do an “audit” of our own homes to realize how we can bless others with the things that we have, that we don’t need. We also have a clothing and household items give away coming up in October, and we could give things to that.
          Well friends, brothers and sisters, I told you that when enter this world and that when we leave, we tend to come in and leave with nothing. I want to tell you the story of one man though who convinced God to let him take a suitcase to heaven:
* Suitcase to heaven story *
          In the Apostle Peter’s first epistle or letter, he says in 1:3-5: 
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5, NRSV).
          We are told that eternity with God, that heaven, is the true source of wealth and riches. Together then, when work together, when we share with other, we are stronger. When we divide people against other people, then we begin to have fear, we being to store up and hoard, and God says to trust in Him, and to love each other.
          Friends, sisters and brothers, I don’t know about you, but God has blessed Melissa and I so richly. Due to this, we give as much as we can, and sometimes more than we can. Melissa and I know though, that we cannot take the things of this world with us, when go to be with the Lord. What do we all have then, that we don’t need? What possessions, stuff, or things do we have that we can part with? I would challenge us all this week and in the weeks to come to as I said, do an “audit” of what we have, so that we might bless others who need what we have and don’t need. Let us build heaven on earth, as we await the heaven to come. For the Rev. Bill Graham said, “I never saw a U-Haul behind a hearse”. Amen.
         


Thursday, July 21, 2016

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - 07/24/16 Sermon - “When you pray, say..."

Sunday 07/24/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “When you pray, say…”
                            
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 85
                                            
New Testament Scripture: Colossians 2:6-19

Gospel Lesson: Luke 11:1-13

          My brothers and sisters, my friends, welcome again on this the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. Ten Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved, and the Christian Church was born.
          In the Christian Church being born so long ago on the day of Pentecost, one of the biggest focuses of the church, was, and still is, prayer. As Christians we tend to believe strongly in the power of prayer. We tend to believe that when we pray that God hears us. We tend to believe that prayer is a good thing, a holy thing, and a healthy thing. How many of us here, believe in the power of prayer? How many of us here, believe that God can work through us, so that through prayer and faith, God can use us to do amazing things?
          I believe in prayer, and when I tell anyone that I am going to pray for them in church or elsewhere, I do my best to do that. In fact, I try to pray for as many people as I can. If we believe then in power, the holiness, and the healthiness of prayer, then what is the best way to pray? By this, I mean is there a best way to talk to God?
          I have had people say to me before, “Pastor Paul can you offer us prayer for this, as you do great prayers?” Are my prayers better than other people’s prayers? Is how we say our prayers important, or is it what our heart is speaking to God that matters the most? What I mean by this, is that some folks can offer great and eloquent prayers, but I believe that all prayers that are from our hearts, are heard equally by God. In the gospel of Luke reading for this morning, Jesus gives us one of the two different versions of the Lord’s Prayer. Now the Lord’s Prayer, or as our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters often call it, the “Our Father,” is a great prayer. It is a prayer that was given to us by Jesus as a general prayer. Since Jesus gave us this gift of Lord’s Prayer, this church, and many other churches worldwide say it or sing it every single Sunday.
          While I love to say or sing the Lord’s Prayer, what of other prayers? We can recite other prayers written by the great saints of the church, but what about our own individual prayers? Are our own prayers just as important to God? I believe that the Lord’s Prayer is a sacred prayer and a gift that Jesus Christ gave to us, but Jesus also fervently prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. We might have some snippets and some ideas of what his prayers were, but we don’t have much of it, as Peter and the others fell asleep on him. When Jesus went into the wilderness to rest and pray, what did those prayers sound like? Did Jesus always pray the Lord’s Prayer that he gave us, or did he also pray other prayers? We have tons of evidence in the New Testament that Jesus Christ prayed many prayers. Jesus called out to God on the cross, and Jesus blessed the bread and the cup at the Last Supper.
          I remember many times in my life and in my ministry, while being in a public setting, how someone was asked unannounced to pray for a meal or for something else. Has this ever happened to any of you? Have any of you ever been asked to pray for a group, with no advanced warning? Sometimes when I have seen this, people join hands with everyone else, or not, and pray for whatever the focus of the prayer is. Sometimes these prayers have been extravagant and impressive, and sometimes simple, but so often from the heart.
          A couple of times though, I have seen folks freeze and not want to pray at all. One person even said once, “I just don’t have the right words to say to God”. This person was almost saying, “I didn’t go to seminary! I don’t know how pray properly!” Friends, brothers and sisters, you don’t need a fancy college degree, high social and or economic status, new clothes, you don’t have to be from a highly regarded family, and or etc., to pray to God. All you have to do is open your heart, and tell God exactly what is on your mind and on your heart. God will listen.
          In seminary school, I learned the history of the Christian Church, I deepened my faith, I learned our traditions, how to lead worship, do communion, baptisms, and etc., but I already knew how to pray. I would assert that so do you. If you want to take a class on prayer, you can, but our phone line to God is always open. If we are praying from the heart, I believe that God hears us, and hears us equally.
          This morning, in our gospel of Luke reading, we are given one of the two accounts of where Jesus Christ gives us the Lord’s Prayer. The other account of the Lord’s Prayer from the gospel of Matthew 6:9-13. The big difference with the Lord’s Prayer in Mathew 6:9-13, is that Jesus gave us this as part of his famous Sermon on the Mount (Africa Bible Commentary). This morning however in the gospel of Luke, it begins by saying, “Jesus was praying in a certain place, When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1, CEB). So Jesus was praying, and we don’t know the substance of those prayers, as the gospel doesn’t tell us. Jesus’ disciples then asked Jesus to teach them to pray, as Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist taught people to pray. In citing the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Jesus then says, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial” (Lk. 11:2-4, NRSV).
          So, if you haven’t noticed already, Jesus does not say the full prayer, that we call the Lord’s Prayer. He leaves out some bits. Some scholars have said that maybe Luke left some of this out of his gospel account for some reason, or perhaps Jesus intentionally did this. We don’t really know exactly, but the two Lord’s Prayers are different from each other in the gospels of Luke and Matthew.
Now for good measure, this is what Jesus says when he is giving his famous Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew: “Pray then in this way:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one” (Mt. 6:9-13, NRSV).
          Some of you might be saying, well what about the “for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen?” Well our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, who sometimes call the Lord’s Prayer the “Our Father,” speak the prayer that Jesus taught in Matthew 6:9-13. We do also, but we as Protestant Christians added the doxology. A doxology is often seen as a short hymn of praise or a special ending to Psalm, a scripture or something else important.
          In the majority of the Protestant Christian Churches then, when we say the Lord’s Prayer, we include at the end the doxology of “for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”
          I remember when I was at a worship service once with many Roman Catholics and many Protestants. It was funny to me, to hear a large percentage of people stop speaking the Lord’s Prayers, as the rest of us Protestants said the doxology.
          The point of all of this is this, Jesus gave us two different version of the Lord’s Prayer. Also, since as Protestant Christians we are awesome, we added the doxology at the end of the “Our Father,” or the Lord’s Prayer.
          I truly believe that the Lord’s Prayer is a gift from God through Jesus Christ, but I also believe in addition to this prayer, that we can all talk to God. We all have something in our hearts and in our minds, and I believe that our great God listens to us all equally.
          In the gospel of Luke from this morning, Jesus concludes this reading with these famous words of scripture,
“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk. 9-13, NRSV).
          Jesus Christ believed in prayer. When things were hard, when Jesus was physically suffering, he often prayed. Sisters and brothers, as Christians, we are a praying people. We believe what Jesus told us this morning, that God hears us. This is why some Christians after saying a prayer say the words, “Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers”.
          Brothers and sisters, I am going to continue to commit to praying for you, as I hope you will pray for me. Let us also pray for our families, our church, our community, our country, and our world. Remember that God knows the intentions of our hearts, and all prayers matter to God. For our God is His mercy, hears us.
          I have cited a couple of times this morning, my favorite Bible Commentary, the Africa Bible Commentary, which includes African views and perspectives on the gospel (Africa Bible Commentary). Bible commentaries are great, as they can help us to understand the Bible better.
          In bringing this message to a close, there is a prayer that is in my African Bible Commentary. This prayer is an adaption of the Lord’s Prayer, written by a Roman Catholic Priest, named Father Donal Dorr. This prayer is not designed to overshadow or remove the Lord’s Prayer. Instead Father Door is attempting to take the Lord’s Prayer and combine it with what is on his heart, knowing that God hears him and hear us.
          Here is Father Donal Dorr’s adaption of the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father…May your Kingdom come, and may we be active in promoting it – A Kingdom of peace and love, founded on true justice… Give us this day our daily bread, and strengthen us in our efforts to build a world where all have an opportunity to earn our daily bread through meaningful work, where nobody has to go hungry, and no group lives in luxury while others starve. Forgive us out trespasses – our failure to believe in your Kingdom and your call to us to bring it about, our sinful apathy in the face of injustice, our failure to work together, our dissipation of energy in fruitless resentment rather than courageous challenge. Lead us not into temptation: do not test us beyond our strength by leaving us in our desperate situation. But deliver us from evil: lead us out of bondage as you led your people in the past out of the slavery and into the Promised Land; raise up leaders for us as you called Moses and Deborah; inspire and strengthen them to lead us into freedom” (Africa Bible Commentary). Amen.

          Friends, brothers and sisters, let us in this worship service this day, and always be in prayer, as God hears all of our prayers. I bring this message to you in Jesus’ name, as I say, “Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers”. Amen.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - 07/17/16 Sermon - “The image of the invisible God"

Sunday 07/17/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The image of the invisible God”
                            
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 52
                                            
New Testament Scripture: Colossians 1:15-28

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:38-42

          My friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, I want to welcome you once again on this the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. Nine Sundays after the day that the Holy Spirit moved in and through those first disciples in that Upper Room in Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost, the first disciples finally had the courage and the power to go forth preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first disciples went forth loving, healing, and forgiving, in the name of Jesus Christ.
          While we don’t have a lot of physical descriptions of Jesus Christ in the Bible, other than a couple of references from the prophet Isaiah, the first disciples knew Jesus. They were with Jesus for his entire three year earthly ministry. Perhaps, when the first disciples were preaching, loving, healing, and forgiving, they may have told some people what Jesus looked like. Other than Jesus’ divine attributes and words therefore, was the man of Jesus Christ. This “God-Man”, who was fully God and fully human. Those first disciples who were alive when Jesus was, could see him. They could touch him, give him a hug, or in the modern day, a hearty fist bump.
          Jesus Christ came to earth, as God in the flesh, to love, to heal, to forgive, and to die for the sins of humanity. Jesus told us that he came from the Father, and that he and the Father are one. Yet, people could see Jesus. What of God the Father, the creator though? What of the Holy Spirit?
In historical Christianity, there is the belief that God is one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is why in many churches a pastor or priest will great and or dismiss people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The pastor or priest is calling upon the one God in three persons.
          So what is my point here? I am not preaching a sermon today on the Trinity per see. Instead, I want us to think about the person of God the Father or the creator. We know that Jesus Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us, and we also know that the third person of God, the Holy Spirit, is the unseen person of God. The Holy Spirit is the person of God that fills us, like the wind on a hot day.
          So what of God the Father or the creator then? Who is God? What does God look like? By this I mean, do we believe that God the creator is a physical being, like Jesus Christ was on earth? Do we believe that God is a spiritual being? Or do we believe that God the Father, the creator is something else? You see I ask these questions, because Jesus Christ is an easy one, in that he was God in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God that we don’t see, but we feel. The person of God that lifts us up and guides us. So what of God the Father or the creator then? What does God look like?
The reason I decided to ask these questions and to talk about God the Father or the creator this morning, is because I was struck by something that the Apostle Paul said in his Epistle or letter to the church in Colossae, or the Colossians from this morning’s reading. Now in this portion of the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter the Apostle Paul begins by saying, “The Son is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:1a, CEB). I was really struck by the first part of this first verse of this scripture for this morning. Again, the Apostle Paul says “The Son is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:1a, CEB). Jesus Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:1a, CEB).
One could then ask, “So God is invisible?” We know that the Holy Spirit is invisible, as the Holy Spirit is the love and the power of God that fills us. Yet is God the Father, the creator is invisible?
          For some of us, we might believe that God is a person like you and I. That God looks human, has a human body, and due to this, we have all sorts of drawings of who God is. We have that famous painting in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome, Italy, where God is reaching out and touching his finger with Adam’s finger. We also have portrayals of the God the Father in the media and in movies.
          I was asking a friend of mine recently if he thought that God the Father, the creator was a physical being or a spiritual being. He said, “Well of course God is a physical being, he is the actor Morgan Freeman”. For many of us that have seen some Hollywood movies in recent years, it would seem that when we portray God the Father, God the creator, the actor Morgan Freeman is our “go to guy”. Some might also remember portrayals of God the Father or the creator being George Burns, or others.
          What does the church say about God the Father, the creator? What did our founder John Wesley say? Largely borrowing from the Church of England, John Wesley defined God. In our United Methodist Church Book of Disciple we have among many other things, our Articles of Religion. These Articles of Religion, are the basic beliefs that we have as United Methodist Christians. Our first Article of Religion is called, “Of Faith in the Holy Trinity”. This is what our first Article of Religion says: “There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost” (UMC BOD). Now you might have noticed that our first Article of Religion said of God the Father, the creator, “without body or parts” (UMC BOD).
          It would seem then, that the Church of England, that the founder of Methodism John Wesley, saw God the Father, the creator as a spiritual being, not a physical being. I believe that most Christian Churches today have this same belief.
          You see we are made in the image of God, but does scripture mean that we are made into the physical image of God, or the spiritual image of God? In the Gospel of John it says in 1:1-2: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (Jn. 1:1-2, NRSV). A little farther down, John says of God, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14, NRSV). So according to the Gospel of John, the “Word of God” or the power of God always existed before time itself, and Jesus was with God the Father, or the “Word” (Jn. 1:1-2, NRSV). John then tells us that God the Father, or the “Word” “became flesh” (Jn. 1:14, NRSV). Now if God the Father, or the “Word” “became flesh,” was he “flesh” before Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:1-2, 14, NRSV)? These were the sort of the seminary school discussions that often required Tylenol and a lot of coffee.
          So what is my point with all of this? The Apostle Paul identifies in his Epistle or letter to the Colossians this morning that God the Father, the creator, is “invisible” (Col. 1:15, CEB). In the Gospel of John, John tells us that God “Became flesh” (Jn. 1:14, NRSV). Is it possible then, that God does not have a body like you or me, but is instead that God is a spiritual being? The three main words that describe God throughout the whole of the Bible are life, light, and love. To be in the presence of the Living God, the creator of all that is and ever was, is to be in the fullness of life, light, and love. Or as my friend said, in the presence of Morgan Freeman. So what does God look like? If we were to look at God right now, would he look the way that we thought he would?
          I’m sure there are many other scripture in both the Old and the New Testament that you could find that reference God the Father or the creator. Perhaps some of them speak of God the Father or the creator differently, but most Christians would argue that God the Father or the creator is a spiritual being. So you might still believe that God the Father is a physical being, but I am just explaining to you why I believe, along with John Wesley, Martin Luther, and many others, that God the Father the creator is a spiritual being.
          Some would go even further to say that God is the collective energy that fills the universe, the world, and us. Some would go even further than that, and say God is our internal consciences alone. The big problem with these arguments though, is that if we are made in God’s image, we need an image to be made from. Whether God the Father or the creator is physical or spiritual, we can still be made in that image.
          Now as far the rest of the reading from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the Colossians for this morning, the Apostle Paul makes the case for Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul argues that Jesus was God in the flesh, that he existed before time with God the Father, and that he died for our sins (Col. 1:15-20). The Apostle Paul then talks about his hope in Jesus Christ, the power of the gospel, and growing in faith in Christ (Col. 1:21-28, CEB). While all of these are great things, I wanted to focus on who God the Father, the creator is?
          So what do you say this morning? Is God the Father, the creator, a physical being? A spiritual being? Energy? Our consciousness? I say, that I believe that God the Father the creator is a spiritual being. What do you say? What does God look like?
I would like to close with sharing some selections from an article from Guideposts called: “What Does God Look Like: Kids from ages 4 to 12 share their ideas about the Big Man Upstairs in an illuminating new book,” by Diana Aydin, October 27, 2015. Here is what it says, “I came across an article the other day about a new book, OMG! How Children See God by Monica Parker. In the book, Monica queried hundreds of kids, ages 4 to 12, about the Big Man Upstairs. Questions on everything from God’s special abilities to his appearance. The responses are funny, of course, but also illuminating. “God is like a Transformer,” says 7-year-old Shane. “He can turn himself into anything he wants.” “God doesn’t sleep because he watches over us all the time,” says 9-year-old Kelly. And, one of my personal favorites, from 9-year-old Gabby: “God has giant ears so he can hear everything we are saying.” The article got me wondering about my own view of God. As a kid, I probably pictured Him with a long white beard made of fluffy white clouds! Now that I’m older, He’s lost the cloud beard. And when I talk to Him, I imagine His presence, not so much an actual person. What about you? How has your view of God changed from when you were a kid?”
So brothers and sisters, do we believe that God the Father, the creator is a physical being? A spiritual being? Or something else?                                                

Whatever our opinion is, God is powerful, loving, and all encompassing. I pray that would all grow closer to God the Father, the creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit today and always. Amen.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - 07/10/16 Sermon - “Giving thanks for each other"

Sunday 07/10/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Giving thanks for each other”
                            
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 82
                                            
New Testament Scripture: Colossians 1:1-14

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:25-37

          My brothers and sisters, my friends, welcome again on this the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Eight Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved in that Upper Room in Jerusalem, and the Christian Church was born. On that day, the disciples formally went out loving, healing, forgiving, and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. In doing this, the disciples were given different gifts and abilities from God. The disciples came from different vocations, had different amounts of education, and had other differences. Yet Jesus encouraged them to be unified, to be one in the faith.
          Many of know that the mission of the United Methodist Church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”. I really love this mission statement, and I think that it covers who we are called by God to be. This is also I believe, the mission that those first disciples began on the day on Pentecost. Taking the gospel of Jesus Christ and then going into a broken and a hurting world to transform it for Jesus.
          In the midst of this work though, we gather to worship. In the midst of this work, we fellowship together, we pray, uphold one another, we share Holy Communion, we laugh together, we cry together, and we love one another. While the mission of the church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” that mission is aided I believe when we “give thanks for one another”. By this, I mean that our mission as a local church, as a district, as a conference, as a jurisdiction, as a national, and as a worldwide church, is strengthened when we “give thanks for another”.
          Every year at our Annual Conference in Syracuse there are always special times where we can celebrate people’s ministries and accomplishments, and there always times to celebrate what God is doing in us and through us.
          This church, much like the first group of disciples, is made up of different kinds of people. Yet God has called us all, and has called us all to “give thanks for each other”. Even though we have our own families, even though we have our own extended families, this church family is also an extension of our family. This church family is full of different kinds of people, but God has uniquely gifted us all, and has uniquely created us all.
          My big point here, is that sometime we are ever focused on the mission of the church to “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” and that is a good thing. In the midst of the pursuit of this mission though, let us also “give thanks for each other”. You see this church, and all churches for that matter, function because we as a church family do this thing called living our faith, and we do this thing called ministry together. Not only this, God made us all so unique and so special.
          For all of these reasons, my sermon today focuses on us as God’s people “giving thanks for each other”. Giving thanks for the love, the gifts, the encouragement, the help, and the hope that we all give to each other.

          Look around this church for a minute my sisters and brothers.

This is your church family. These are the people that God has called here. We are all different, but God calls us all to “give thanks for each other”. To love, to uphold, and to treasure each other.
          Are we perfect? No, I don’t think so. I remember I heard a pastor say once, if you want to attend a church service with perfect people, try a Monday morning church service. Some churches have Monday morning services, but many churches have no Monday morning services. I heard another pastor say once, “the biggest problem with the Christian Church is the people. Remove the people, and the church would be perfect”.
          I also remember a pastor or maybe it was a bishop say once, that the church had put out advertisements to hire new pastors. The big required qualification for the applicants though, was that all the people who applied be preachers had to be perfect. This pastor or bishop then said, “we have yet to receive any applications”. This same person then said, unfortunately the church only hires sinners as preachers.
          So we are the church, with broken people, and broken pastors, who by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit can become more whole everyday. We are the people that God has called to be this church, and to be part of the worldwide universal Christian Church. Do we truly “give thanks for each other”? Are we truly grateful to God for each other?
          In connecting one of our scriptures to this idea of “giving thanks for each other,” I decided to focus on the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter this morning from the church in Colossae, or the Colossians. The Apostle Paul begins this letter with his usual very expressive greeting. The Apostle Paul says, “From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy out brother. To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father” (Col. 1:1-2, CEB).
          To be fair, the Epistles or letters that are largely attributed to the Apostle Paul were sometimes not all “lovey dovey”. In fact, sometime Paul did not seem happy with the direction that some of the churches that he planted were going in. Some of his Epistles or letters spell out that he had heard some people were straying away from the gospel, or doing this, or doing that. The Apostle Paul will also address some of his concerns in this Epistle or letter to the Colossians to.
          What struck me when I was reading this scriptures for this Sunday, was the next part of this Epistle or letter. The Apostle Paul said, “We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. We’ve done this since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and your love for all God’s people. You have this faith and love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven” (Col. 1:3-5a, CEB). My friends, my brothers and sister, do we “give thanks for each other” in this church? Also, do we not just “give thanks for each other” in our prayers, but do we also tell each other periodically why we are thankful for them?
          In the gospel of the Luke reading from this morning, Jesus Christ tells us, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself” (Lk. 10:27, CEB). Maybe we can try to do this even better today, and from now on. We all know the mission of our church, but I think that “giving thanks for each other” enhances that mission. Maybe after church today then, you can tell a couple of people why you are thankful for them. Why they matter so much to you. I know that in my prayers like the Apostle Paul said, I “give thanks for you”. Sometimes though, it feels good to hear it from each other, doesn’t it? To hear from each other that we are “thankful for each other”.
          The Apostle Paul then ends this Epistle or letter from this morning by saying of Jesus Christ, “He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. He set us free though the Son and forgave our sins” (Col. 1:12b-14, CEB). What powerful word the Apostle Paul gives us here, as we all have hope in Jesus Christ. As we are all saved by and told to love through Jesus Christ. Part of our mission then, I believe, is “giving thanks for each”.
          I want to tell you a quick story called “Sir Michael Costa,” by author unknown. I am telling you this story so that I can better emphasize what I think that the Apostle Paul was try to say this morning in his Epistle or letter to the Colossians. Here is how this very short story goes:
“Sir Michael Costa was a great orchestral Conductor of the 19th Century. It is said that one day he was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great choir. Midway through the session the piccolo player stopped playing. It seemed innocent enough – after all who would miss the tiny piccolo amidst the great mass of instruments blazing away? All of a sudden Sir Michael stopped the entire orchestra and choir. “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo? What’s happened to the piccolo?”
“We may sometimes feel like that piccolo player – that we don’t have much to offer, that if we stopped our ministry no one would notice anyway. Yet the Great Conductor notices, and needs us to complete his orchestral masterpiece!”
Friends, brothers and sisters, we all come to this church, and this church is an extension of our family. We all, like a band or a chorus play or sing different parts, and to God we all matter. While we are often pursuing the mission of the church “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” let us also at the same time “give thanks for each other”. May we this day tell some of our sisters and brothers, who are part of this church, or who are not part of this church, how much you are thankful to God for them. May we tell them what we appreciate about them, and how God has used them to bless us. May we not say then that “the biggest problem with the Christian Church is the people”. Instead may we say, “this biggest blessing in the Christian Church is God and his people”. Let us “give thanks for each other” today, and love our neighbor as ourselves. May it be so, and Amen.