Sidney UMC - 4th of July Sunday/Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - 07/03/22 - Sermon - “True Sacrificial Service!”

Sunday 07/03/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “True Sacrificial Service!”                                              

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 30                                        

New Testament Scripture: Galatians 6:1-16

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 

          One of the television shows that Melissa and I used to like to watch, is a show called “Dirty Jobs,” hosted by actor Mike Rowe. I am not sure if this show is still on television or not, but we really liked this show. Why did we like this show, because in the show, the host Mike Rowe showed us all what it takes for us have a functioning and healthy country and civilization.

          For example, does the garbage truck wake me up early most Friday mornings when it gets the church’s garbage and recycling? Yes, it does, but you know what, I am grateful that people have made the sacrifice to do that for us. The train comes through town, and sometimes we wait in traffic, but I am grateful that the trains are running. When it is a hot summer day, and we see road crews working, and spreading hot black top, sometimes people are annoyed that they get delayed. They are running late due to road construction they might say, but without the road crews, we would have no roads. Without the farmers, we would have no food, without the truckers we would empty shelves at the stores. Image if we did not have an adequate sewer system, or a plumbing system to bring us our water.

          Imagine if when a house was on fire, and if the brave men and women of the Sidney Fire Department did not respond. Imagine if the police or the ambulance did not come in your hour of need. Imagine if the gasoline or diesel trucks stop arriving at our gas stations allowing us to fill up our cars, trucks, and equipment. Imagine if our brave men and women decided that they no longer wanted to serve in our military and protect our country. Imagine if our teachers no longer wanted to teach, or if companies would not deliver fuel for our homes in the winter.

          For those of us that are not retired, do we need to work to make a living and to pay our bills? Of course, we do my friends, but tomorrow, July Fourth, or Independence Day, is not just a day for hot dogs and fireworks. You see the strange thing to me about July Fourth, us celebrating the Declaration of Independence, is that our country was not free on July 04, 1776. The brave men and women from the American Colonies, under British Rule, then had to fight for our freedom.

          We then founded our Republic, the United States of America, and it was not, and still is not perfect. We had our nation’s original sin of slavery when our country first began, women could not vote, and so on and so forth. Yet, our country is becoming more perfect, as our founding documents state. We live in a country with a free press. We can criticize the President or praise him. We have freedom of religion and worship. Our garbage gets pick up, our streets get plowed and salted in the winter. Are things perfect in these United States? No, but I value freedom, liberty, democracy, and the fact that I can openly declare the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ at this pulpit. Amen.

          As my sermon title says for this morning, to me what July Fourth, what Independence Day is really about is “True Sacrificial Service!” Freedom and liberty are not free. Our Founding Father’s generation fought a hard fought against the strong British Empire, as the Ukrainians are currently fighting against the Russian Army. We gained our independence from the British after five years of fighting, we endured our Civil War from 1861-1865, and our country has been through a lot.

          I think though, I believe, that this holiday weekend, is about celebrating “True Sacrificial Service”. Freedom is not free; people continue to work hard every day so that we can live in a safe and a prosperous nation. Our salvation also is not free, as Jesus Christ on the cross died for our sins. Freedom and salvation come with a price.

          Many of us are excited about our barbeques, our get togethers, and fireworks, but remember, today, tomorrow, and always that the lives we have here come at a price. I reflect upon this fact every single Sunday that I walk into this church. As I see the names on the stained-glass window, the metal placard, as I hear the history of this church. For nearly two-hundred years, countless men and women have served, taught, prayed, led, and gave, so that a young kid like me could be here preaching right now. I am here today, as we all are, because of “True Sacrificial Service”. Everything we are and everything we have is because “we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we stand in the line of heroes”. In this church, on this July Fourth or Independence Day Sunday, we are part of a legacy. A legacy of sacrificially serving Sidney and the world. We are called by God to be light unto the world, and because this congregation had done this for nearly two-hundred years, we are the beneficiaries of what those that have gone before have done.

          We serve Christ, we serve each other, not only because Jesus tells us too in the gospels, but also because freedom and salvation come at price. It comes at the price of “True Sacrificial Service,” and the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins on the cross. I think that sometimes we need to be reminded of this, sometimes I need to be reminded of this.

          In our reading for this morning from Galatians 6:5-6, once again, the Apostle Paul says of us the church:

5 For all must carry their own loads. 6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher (Gal. 6:5-6, NRSV).

          We are to work together, as the church, as people, as country, and as best we can, as a world. In the church, no one is more or less important than anyone else. We have different gifts and graces, and all have different roles that we can play. We are all called however, according to God’s purposes. For a free country like ours to exist and to continue, I learned from watching the show “Dirty Jobs,” is that it requires “True Sacrificial Service”. In order for the church to grow, flourish, and continue, it requires that we all serve in the ways that God has called us to serve in. No role is any more or less important than others, but we are here, because of “True Sacrificial Service”.

          In fact, the Apostle Paul continues picking up in Galatians 6, starting with verse 9 once again. It says once again:

⁹ So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith         (Gal. 6:9-10, NRSV).

          Pray and think about this week, how God is calling you. Do you feel called to be part of next study starting next week? How is God calling you? I have had people ask me before, “What is so great about the Sidney United Methodist Church?” I tell them, one, the food, and two we are an extended family. We are church that loves each other, lifts each other up, and walks with Christ together. Our church is blessing to us, to the community, and to the world. We are the beneficiaries and the current providers of “True Sacrificial Service”. As the Apostle Paul reminds us this morning once again in Galatians 6:14:

¹⁴ May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world                                 (Gal. 6:14, NRSV).

          Friends, how blessed are we to have each other, to have this beautiful church to worship in, and to have been called by God to “True Sacrificial Service”.

          Our gospel lesson for this morning really touches on the topic of “True Sacrificial Service”. In this gospel reading, Jesus sends out seventy-two converts in pairs, to spread the gospel, to love others, and to transform lives. Picking up in our gospel of Luke 10 reading for this morning, it begins once again with 10:1 saying:

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³ Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ⁴ Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road (Luke 10:1-4, NRSV).

          Jesus sends out seventy-two ahead of him, to preach the good news. To tell people about Jesus, to get to know them, and to display “True Sacrificial Service”. As we know though, in this world, and in general, there people that want to serve and people that want to harm. As a result, Jesus warns the seventy-two that he sends them out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry nothing and nothing of value. Simply go forth loving, healing, forgiving, spreading the good news, and serving.

          Jesus continues starting in Luke 10:5 once again, saying to the seventy-two sent converts:

⁵ Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ ⁶And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. ⁷And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near’        (Luke 10:5-10, NRSV). 

          Our next portion of the gospel of Luke lesson for this morning then ends once again with Luke 10:17-20 taking about the return of the sent out seventy-two converts that Jesus had sent out. Picking up in Luke 10:17 it says once again:

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven”                            (Luke 10:16-20, NRSV).

       So, friends, why does the United States of America exist? I would say because of faith, bravery, drive, work ethic, ingenuity, and “True Sacrificial Service”. Why does the church exist and how can it grow? My answer is through lived faith in Jesus Christ, that is expressed through “True Sacrificial Service”.

          Dear friends, I hope and pray that you enjoy this holiday weekend, and that you

 have a great time tomorrow, on Independence Day with friends and family. I hope you

 laugh, eat, and enjoy the freedoms we all have. Let us all remember amidst the food and

 the fireworks though, that freedom is not free, and that the price for our salvation was

 not free. We are here today, as church, and as a country, because of “True Sacrificial

 Service”. Happy July 4^th Sunday, and happy Independence Day tomorrow, and God

 bless. Amen. 

Sidney UMC - Third Sunday after Pentecost - 06/26/22 - Sermon - “Do You Trust Him?”

                                     Sunday 06/26/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Do You Trust Him?”                                          

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20                                      

New Testament Scripture: Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Gospel Lesson: Luke 9:51-62

          So, I remember a few times when I was young asking my late Grandpa Winkelman what he wanted for Christmas. A few times he told me that he wanted “a good team of horses”. As I got older, I found out that my grandpa who born in 1922, and lived on a farm, for a period time, plowed fields with horses. I don’t know if he himself did the plowing at such a young age, as eventually my great grand parents bought a used tractor.

          My late grandfather however, was old enough to remember on his farm and on other farms seeing people plowing fields with horses. The cover picture that I chose for this morning’s power point really brings home the reality of how challenging and how much harder some aspects of life must have been up until recent years.

          I remember, in Melissa and I having lived in Moravia, NY, that in 1819 the first cast iron plow was made in Moravia (https://nyhistoric.com/2012/08/first-cast-iron-plow/). From my limited research I have learned that plows and other methods to till and prepare the soil for planting have been around all the way back to the time of the ancient Egyptians, and maybe even further.

          I tell you all of this about plowing, as it is now something that is often done by massive tractors. When Melissa and I visit the North Country though, we sometimes still see Amish men plowing with horses and a steel plow. Plowing a field turns over the soil and brings up the fresh soil and fresh nutrients. This is good soil to plant and grow in, along with fertilizer and other things.

          Many of us in the era that we live in, know some people that are involved in farming or agriculture, but we still might not stop to think about what farmers do, or how our food is produced. Melissa has told me that she has learned through being a 4-H educator that there are even unmanned tractors and combines now.

          To be sure though, the Bible is full of agricultural and farming references, and most of the world at that time was involved in farming or agriculture. If memory serves, I believe that when President Thomas Jefferson was in office, about eighty-percent of this country was involved in farming or agriculture. From a couple of statistics that I have read recently there is less than two-percent of Americans involved in farming today. In fact, I read one statistic as low as 1.3% of Americans are involved in farming today (https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts).

          Given all of this, when we read farming or agricultural references in the Bible, if we are not involved in farming or agriculture, we might need to educate ourselves on what the scriptures are saying. The main verse that I am focused on this morning, from our gospel of Luke reading is Luke 9:62, that says:

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV). 

          In this scripture, Jesus is saying that someone who is plowing a field or land, who loses focus on the plow and the direction it is going in with the horses, is unfit for the kingdom of God. Basically, Jesus is saying that if you take your eyes off of him, the way you take your eyes off of a plow, then you are beneath the kingdom of God. Or to put it another way, we must be fully focused, fully surrendered, and fully following Jesus. Are we all going to lose our focus at some point? Of course, but Jesus was making a point here of our need to trust him. Trust him fully, and don’t look back. This can be hard to do in our lives sometimes, however.

          I do not know about you, but I want to trust God fully. I want to be fully surrendered to Jesus Christ, but we all have moments that we struggle. We all have moments that we look back from the plows in our lives. Our journey in faith is to daily become more like Jesus. Our journey daily is to be made more into the perfect image of God’s love, even when we look back from the plow. As we become more like Jesus every day, we look back less and less.

          We know that times of distress and hardship come and go, as we hear the Psalmist say once this morning in Psalm 77:1-2:

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted (Ps. 77:1-2, NRSV).

          Again, this morning we hear in Luke 9:62:

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV).

          We are not supposed to look away, to sin, to falter, but we all do at times. So, we repent, and keep looking to Jesus, to our plows. Jesus encourages us to stay focused on him, on the plow, even though we have times like I just read in Psalm 77:1-2 where we are praying for God to fill us and to comfort us.

          In our reading from Galatians 5:1, 13-25 for this morning, once again, the Apostle Paul tells us in 5:13-16:

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:13-16, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to seek God and the Holy Spirit, not self-indulgences or earthly pleasures. There are many things than compete for our attention and run the risk of removing our gaze towards the plows in our lives. There are many things in this world that can compete for our time, our energy, and our resources. Do we focus on Christ, or do we focus only on ourselves and pleasing ourselves?

Again, this morning we hear in Luke 9:62:

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV).

          This is a tough scripture, but Jesus is telling us that if we want to be like him, we need to focus on him, and to be in his kingdom we must follow him unconditionally. Our life long challenge once we come to Christ then, is to continue every day to stay focused on our plows. Stay focused on God, do not turn away, for he is leading our lives and guiding us.

          In looking more closely at our gospel of Luke 9:51-62 lesson for this morning. It says once again starting in Luke 9:51:

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them            (Lk. 9:51-55, NRSV).

          At this point, Jesus is beginning to focus on his upcoming trial, torture, and crucifixion in Jerusalem on Good Friday. In fact, in the Luke 9:51 it says once again:

he set his face to go to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51b, NRSV).

          Jesus was hoping in this scripture to be received by a village of Samaritans, but they did not receive him because he was already focus on Jerusalem. Jesus was focused on his trial, death, and execution. For this reason, the village of Samaritans did not want to see Jesus. In response James and John asked Jesus if he wanted them to command that fire come down from heaven and consume the village of Samaritans. Jesus rebuked them, as this would be insane.

          Jesus did not do anything wrong, as his focus has shifted to Good Friday and his death on a cross. His shift in focus however, made this village of Samaritans not want to receive him. Jesus’ focus is ever on God, but when we turn away from God, when we turn away from our plows and we look back, then we lose God.

          The gospel then continues on saying in Luke 9:56: 

Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God"          (Lk. 9:56-62, NRSV).

          Someone tells Jesus that they will follow him where ever he goes, and Jesus explains with examples that the person does not really know what they are telling Jesus that they want. Jesus said to another person “Follow Me,” but this person said that they first had to bury their father that just died. Jesus said, no waiting, come now, declare the kingdom of God. Another person told Jesus that they want to follow him, but first wanted to say goodbye to his family at home. Jesus then said, where I got my sermon title in Luke 9:62:

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV). 

          At times we will all falter, all look back from our plows, but what Jesus is saying this morning to us is no half-hearted requests or promises. Jesus is saying either we follow and focus on him, or we do not. There is no partial following of Jesus, no partial following of God. We focus or we do not.

          Jesus is telling us then to be the real deal. Do not pretend to follow him, be all in, or not all in. For Jesus said:

"No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV).

          We all will fail at times, we all will still make mistakes, we all will at times turn and look away from our plows. The journey of our lives with Christ is to grow more and more to stay focused on Christ, focused on the plow. Jesus is like the plow, he is our focus, our salvation, and we must keep following him, and keep focusing on him. Even when we fall or falter, we can continue to repent, and turn follow him, for:

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62, NRSV). Amen.

Sidney UMC - Father’s Day/Second Sunday after Pentecost - 06/19/22 - Sermon - “The Importance of Men!”

Sunday 06/19/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “The Importance of Men!”                                           

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 42                                      

New Testament Scripture: Galatians 3:23-29

Gospel Lesson: Luke 8:26-39

          On this Father’s Day, I hope we can all take a moment to think about the men in our lives that have loved us, cared for us, taught us, and have guided us. Some of us, like myself, have or had a great dad, and I also have a great step-dad. Some of us though might not have, or had the best dad. Some maybe never met their biological dad. Whatever your situation was growing up, or whatever it is today, think about those men that are or were in your life that have done so much for us.

          Some of us can remember dad or another man coaching our sports teams, playing catch with us, teaching us how to make things, helping us in Boy Scouts, etc. I can imagine that dad, grandpa, or a man in your life taught you how do various things. Did your dad, grandpa, or a man in your life teach you how to do something? My dad taught me how to fish, how to line a fishing pool. My day taught me how to hunt, and do various other things. How many of us were taught or shown things by the men in our lives?

          My dad and step-dad taught me how to treat people, to respect women, to respect and honor my elders, to have faith, and to treat others as I wanted to be treated. You see, Father’s Day is not just a day to honor dads and other men simply for just existing, but for all they did for us, and still do for us. In not having my own biological children, and therefore not being an expert on being a parent, I still find it sad to see commercials on television encouraging men to spend time with and care for there children. Given this reality, we should really honor those men that do so much for us all.

          For all of these reasons, we have the national holiday of Father’s Day, but we celebrate it this morning, because we value good men of character, integrity, and faith. Building good Christian men is a great thing that we all get to play a part in, as the church, and as the community. Honoring, remembering, and loving those men that have worked so hard, have done so much, and who have helped to make us who we are today.

          Every year I like to get little gifts for women on Mother’s Day and for men on Father’s Day. This year I got some pens that look like tools and cars. This is not true of all men, but many of the men that I know like tools and cars. I would invite all of the men here to take a pen with them as they leave the church today. Or if you already grabbed one, great, as they are on our check-in tables in the baskets.

          Maybe for some of us, we also learned about God, Jesus, the Bible, church, etc. from dad, grandpa, or other men in our lives. My step-father Mike is a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant, and he retired from the Chaplaincy Corp. He was and is a devout Christian and a man of God. He ministered to soldiers, he gave out camouflage bibles, and was a Godly presence to many soldiers. In retirement, he even drives a van for the VA a few days a week, to bring veterans to doctor’s appointments.

          These influences in my life, along with others, and many women influences, is why I am standing here this morning. I have much to be thankful for, for the various men in my life, as we all do. In fact, the types of things that I learned from the many Godly men in my life, can be summarized with scriptures like Psalm 42:5b-6a:

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.                             (Ps. 42:5b-6a, NRSV).

          I was taught to have faith, for with God all things are possible. Not only this, God is with us, even when things are hard. For in Christ, we are all brothers and sisters. We are reminded this morning in Galatians 3:28-29 that:

²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise                                  (Gal. 3:28-29, NRSV).

          These values, faith, following Christ as Lord and savior, are good things that many men have taught me, and maybe you, as well.

          I remember, seven years ago, when my Grandpa Winkelman passed away. I was asked, like I was for my grandmother’s funeral to officiate his funeral service. Doing both of these services was a great honor. In doing my Grandpa Winkelman’s funeral service I boiled down the main four things that he taught me. What did my grandpa, a farmer, a hard worker, a man who went through the eighth grade teach me? Well, I still contend that he was far smarter than I was. This is what he taught me:

1.    Work hard. He always used to tell me, “Paul, you need to make a living, and there is nothing wrong with giving a man an honest day’s work”.

2.    Tell the truth, be honest, and have integrity. My grandpa was a man who shook hands, looked people in the eyes, and kept his word.

3.    Never think you are any better than anyone else.

4.    Have faith in God.

So, my Grandpa Winkelman taught me, along with things that I will never be allowed to say in church, to work hard, to be honest, to never think you are better than anyone, and to love God. He told me that if you do these things, you will probably do well in life, have the respect of others, and make the world better. What have the men in your life taught you? How are you better because of them?

Sometimes in this world we might encounter people that others have cast out or have said are less than us. My Grandpa Winkelman taught me to never think I was better than anyone. I remember after graduating from Potsdam College, the first in the Winkelman family to graduate from college, I was little big headed about my new found education. My grandpa told me that I was “growing to big for britches, and that I needed to remember where I came from”. I am glad that he told me that.

In learning these lessons from my grandfather, my dad, my step-dad, and many other male mentors, pastors, and role models in my life, when I starting growing in faith, I made a strong connection. What was this connection?

Jesus, even though he was God in the flesh on earth, loved and cared for all people. There were no people that were beneath Jesus, or unworthy of Jesus. Jesus went to all manor people, and went to some people that society said were unworthy and or undesirable.

I do not know about you friends, but no matter how many titles I get, how many letters after my name I have, or what possessions I do or do not have, once I start thinking I am better or superior to anyone else, then I have lost Jesus. Once I start thinking others are unworthy or unlovable, then I have not learned what my grandpa or my savior Jesus Christ has taught me.

It is interesting to me then, that we have our gospel lesson from the Gospel of Luke for this morning. In this lesson, Jesus heals what many have come to call the “Gerasene Demoniac”. Once again, the “Gerasene Demoniac” walks around naked, is out of his mind, and lives among the tombs. It would be easy for Jesus, or for us to say that we were better or superior to this man. I truly believe that for the grace of God go all of us. I do not know about you, but one of things that drives me nuts is elitism. The idea that a person decides that they are better than other people. What makes them better in their minds? It could be education, wealth, status, possessions, etc. After I graduated from Potsdam College and I thought I was a big shot, my grandpa gave me a good dressing down. Then he told me, “Paul, you get an education to better other people, not to be better than other people”.

So, this naked, demon possessed, homeless, and wild guy was worthy of the time of the savior of the world and the Lord of the Universe. In looking at our gospel lesson for this morning once again, it says starting in Luke 8:26

²⁶ Then they arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had not worn any clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me,” ²⁹ for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss (Lk. 8:26-31, NRSV).

          Jesus heals a man from torment and misery, as this man was worth Jesus’ time. In fact, all people are worthy of Jesus’ time. This man was demon possessed and the demons feared Jesus. The demons did not want to be sent back to hell. They begged Jesus to not send them back there. Jesus agreed to not send the demons back to hell, and in in picking from Luke 8:32, it says once again:

³² Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. ³⁴ When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷ Then the whole throng of people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him (Lk. 8:32-39, NRSV).

          Kind of an interesting story. A demon possessed man is healed, and he then goes forth telling everyone throughout his city about what Jesus had done for him. Hopefully by now he found some clothes too! The pigs are also interesting, as well. I mean demons possessed pigs, and then the demon possessed pigs stampeded down the hill, run in the lake, and drown. Well, that’s different. Not to mention all that wasted ham and bacon! Jews and Muslims consider pigs to be unclean animals, but Jesus also encountered non-Jews who raised pigs.

          The big take aways here are, one, Jesus comes to all people with out distinction. Two, Jesus has authority over all things, even demons. Three, we are all broken people in need of God’s grace. Four, we need to treat all people the way Jesus treated people. I learned many of these things and other from my grandpa, my dad, my step-dad, and many other men in my life, but I am still learning from Jesus. On this Father’s Day let us take time to honor, love, and remember those men in our lives who have sacrificed so much for us. Happy Father’s Day and God bless. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Trinity Sunday/Peace with Justice Sunday - 06/12/22 - Sermon - “Why Christians Believe In The Holy Trinity”

                              Sunday 06/12/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Why Christians Believe In The Holy Trinity”          

Old Testament Scripture: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

New Testament Scripture: Romans 5:1-5 

Gospel Lesson: John 16:12-15

          Since I was young, I remember seeing people getting baptized in churches and in bodies of water, and I remember them being baptized in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Sometimes these folks were immersed in water and the pastor would say right before “I baptize you in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. This also happened from baptismal fonts in churches, and etc.

Some pastors or priests also bless people during worship or in prayer by saying in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Have you ever wondered why some many things are done in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”? When many people get married, somewhere in the marriage service is the term in the term of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”.

How many people here have been in churches and or in other places where you have heard the term in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”? The question that I want to us to consider this morning then, on this “Trinity Sunday,” is why is the term “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” is said so much? “Trinity Sunday” is a special Sunday in the life of many Christian Churches, because we celebrate and praise our God, who is three in one, or one in three. We, as Christians, believe historically that we praise and worship one God, who is in three persons.

          This being said, how does the United Methodist Church define the “Holy Trinity” on this Trinity Sunday. As a side note, the word “Trinity” is not listed in the Bible, but the word was created to attempt to encapsulate “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” or the Godhead, or God three in one, one in three. According to our United Methodist Church “Articles of Religion”, which is the church’s official doctrinal beliefs, our first Article of Religion defines the Holy Trinity.

          Let me read to you what this says, once again from the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline:

“Article I — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

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, pg. 104-105).

          Historically speaking, the vast majority of Christians, of all denominations, and all stripes, have and still do believe that God is a “Holy Trinity”. This is why the United Methodist Church and many Christian denominations celebrate “Trinity Sunday”.

          The historical claim then is that God exists as one God with three distinct persons. One God, who is revealed in the Father who creates, the Son who saves, and the Holy Spirit that fills, guides, and sanctifies. So emphatic are our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters and other denominations about this that before a service begins and before it ends, the sign of the cross is made and the priest says in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. This “crossing your heart” and saying in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” is saying the three persons of God and declaring the Holy Trinity.

          Now, I have been a pastor for 10-years now, and I do not ever think that I will ever be able to fully explain or describe to you in a perfect way what the Holy Trinity is. I have heard examples such as water can be liquid, ice, and steam. Three distinct forms, but one person or essence. The Father creates, the Son saves, the Holy Spirit fills, guides, and sanctifies. Yet, all of these examples cannot fully explain the Holy Trinity.

          Further, the reason that the majority of Christians have baptized in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” for nearly two-thousand years is the “Great Commission”. In looking at the gospel of Matthew 28:17-20, Jesus tells the disciples and us this:

¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ 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 ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:17-20, NRSV).

 

          Jesus tells the disciples, and gives them this “Great Commission” after he is resurrected, so that starting on the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church, that we celebrated last Sunday, we know how we are supposed to baptize, and how we are to speak the full name of God, who is three in one, one in three.

          I also think of the Jesus getting baptize by his cousin John the Baptist. In Matthew 3:16-17 it says of Jesus’ baptism:

¹⁶ And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:16-17, NRSV).

          So, in this scene of Jesus’ baptism, we have Jesus, God the Father speaking, and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. All three persons of God are all present at once, showing us the power the Godhead. As we also say on Pentecost Sunday, the disciples did not fully get it until the Holy Spirit showed up in that Upper Room in Jerusalem. Therefore, we need all three persons of God, the Father who creates, the Son who saves, and the Holy Spirit who fills and sanctifies us. This friends, is why we celebrate “Trinity Sunday,” and why we believe that God is a Trinity, one God in three distinct persons. It is never something that we will fully comprehend, but Jesus told us that he is in the Father, and the Father is in him.

          In fact, the Apostle Paul says of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8:

⁶ who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God
    as something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, ⁸ he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross (Ph. 2:6-8, NRSV).

          So, Paul says, and Jesus said, that he was God on earth. That Jesus was literally fully God and fully human on earth. The religious leaders, in fact, literally tore their robes open in offense that Jesus claimed to be God on earth, the Messiah, the savior of the world. Jesus also said that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to fill us, guide us, move in us, and sanctify us.

           Do we worship three gods then? No, That Father and Jesus are one, as Jesus said, and the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and from Jesus. All one God, in three persons. Also, Jesus on earth had to be fully God and fully human. Why is this? How can you die for the sins of the world if you yourself have sin? No human could die on a cross for the sins of humanity, past, present, and future, because no human is sinless. Given this, only God can die for our sins, as Jesus was fully God and fully human on earth.

          If we do not believe in the “Holy Trinity” on this “Trinity Sunday”, then who is Jesus Christ? If he was not fully God and full human, then who was he? If we were only a man, a prophet, a good teacher, then he could not die for the sins of the world. If this were true, then why did he die? Did he literally raise from the dead as most Christians have believed historically? Did he ascend into heaven, and is he going to return in glory one day? If the answer to all of these questions is no, then what is Christianity? If there is no “Holy Trinity”, then why did Jesus come to earth? What was his mission, and how is the church supposed to live and operate in the world today?

          Remember also that in the Book of Exodus on that first Jewish Passover holiday, the Jews sacrificed a pure white spotless lamb. They put the blood of the lamb over their doorposts and lintels, so that death would “Passover” their firstborn child that night. We then fast forward to the gospel of John chapter 1, where Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, who baptized him says this:

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).

          To use Jewish religious language, John the Baptist was saying of Jesus that he is like a pure spotless lamb sacrificed on that first Passover. John the Baptist was saying that Jesus is the:

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).

          So once again, only God can die for the sins of the world, meaning that Jesus had to be pure, spotless, and sinless, in order to die for the sins of the world. So, if Jesus was not God on the flesh, and if Jesus did not die for the sins for the world, rise again, ascend into heaven, and will return one day in glory, and if we do not believe in the “Holy Trinity”, then we believe in a very different form of Christianity than historical Christianity. I am not judging here, I am just making the distinction on this “Trinity Sunday”, with historical Christianity and other iterations of Christianity.

          So, I would argue as a historical Christian and pastor, that we historically believe in the “Holy Trinity”. We believe in the God who creates, as Proverbs 8:22 says:

²² “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago (Pro. 8:22, NRSV).

          The Book of Proverbs is saying that God created everything, and us. In our Book of Romans reading for this morning, once again, we here about the second person of God, of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ our Lord. Starting in Romans 5:1 we hear of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Starting in 5:1, once again, it says this:

5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom. 5:1-5, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is telling us in the Book of Romans, that while God the Father creator the universe and everything in it, that God’s Son Jesus Christ died for our sins. By repenting of our sins and placing our trust in Jesus, as Savior and Lord, we are justified. We have salvation, eternity, and we become a new creation. We become a new creation more fully through the third person of God, the Holy Spirit. To fully live the Christian life, to be saved, and to pursue sanctification then, we need the fullness of God. The fullness of God is the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe therefore that we need all three persons of God, to fully know God, to be redeemed through Christ, and to be filled with the power and the love of Holy Spirit.

          After all, until the day of Pentecost last Sunday, the disciples did not yet fully get it. They were not yet ready to go forth, preach the gospel, build the church, make disciples, and baptize them in the name of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. This brings me to our gospel of John reading for this morning once again. In looking at John 16:12-15 it says, once again:

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you                           (Jn. 16:12-15, NRSV).

          Jesus is telling the disciples, that they know God the Father, the creator, that they also now know him, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, but soon the third person of God, the Holy Spirit will come and reveal even more.

          I believe friends, in this “Trinity Sunday,” that our God is one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe that the second person of the Holy Trinity became human in Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ taught us a radical new way of living and loving. I believe that Jesus Christ died a Roman Cross for the sins of the world, that he physically rose from the dead on Easter three days later. I believe that this Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples and hundreds of others after his resurrection. I believe that this Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and that he will return one day in glory. I also believe that the best and only hope that the world has is Jesus and his gospel. So, friends, happy “Trinity Sunday”. I bring you this message in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.