Homer Avenue UMC - Laity Sunday/Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost - 10/16/16 Sermon - “Serving" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 7 of 7)

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

Sermon Title: “Serving” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 7 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 119:97-104

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:1-8

          My sisters and brothers, my friends, welcome again on this our annual Laity Sunday, and on this the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-two Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          This Sunday is also as I said, our annual Laity Sunday in the United Methodist Church. On this Sunday, we celebrate you the laity, and your gift of “serving,” among other gifts. The laity of the church, are all the folks that are not clergy, but are serving God right alongside of us clergy. As pastors, we could not do this thing called church alone, as our pastors and laity work together to make the mission of the church successful.

          On this Laity Sunday, I am finishing my seven week preaching series on some of the various spiritual gifts that God gives us all. Once again, while there are many spiritual gifts, and while our spiritual gifts survey lists sixteen of them, I have been covering, as I said, just seven of these God given spiritual gifts. This list of seven spiritual gifts, comes to us from the Apostle Paul’s epistle or letter to the Romans 12:6-8.

          Since this is the last Sunday of this preaching series on spiritual gifts, let me re-read to you what Romans 12:6-8 says. It says: “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:6-8, NRSV).

Depending on the Bible translation that you use, the spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul cited, might be named or labeled a little differently. The six spiritual gifts I have preached on so far are the gifts of: “giving” or generosity,” of “mercy,” of “exhortation” or “encouragement,” of “teaching,” of “leadership,” and last week the spiritual gift of “prophecy”.

This week to end this series, I want to talk about the spiritual gift of “serving,” or as the scripture of read from Romans 12:6-8 puts it, “ministering”. To serve others in the Christian context is in many ways to “minister” to them.

One definition of the spiritual gift of “serving,” or “ministering” is this: “The word translated as "ministry" is diakonia, which can also be translated "service". Since there are many types of ministries and service to the Church, this then describes a broad array of gifts rather than a single gift” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

So the Greek word “diakonia” can be translated as meaning “ministry” or “service”. This is important as the original Christian New Testament was written in Greek. The word “diakonia” is also where we get the title of “deacon”.

In the United Methodist Church, if someone feels called by God to be a clergy person, they can be a licensed local pastor, which is what I used to be, or they can be an ordained elder, or an ordained deacon.

Generally speaking, ordained deacons in the United Methodist Church, and many churches, are called to a life of teaching and service. Ordained deacons in our church are sometimes called to special ministries, being chaplains, leading worship, and etc. While they are ordained they do not generally administer the sacraments of Holy Baptism, or Holy Communion/the Lord’s Supper, and they also don’t order the life of the church. Yet these clergy persons are servants that are called to love, teach, and serve.

I tell you all of this, to say that we have an entire order in the United Methodist Church of men and women called to service, teaching, and preaching. These folks who become ordained deacons do these things for life, but we all are called to be in service to God and the church. All of us in our own unique ways can serve God, the church, our community, and our world. Do you believe that God has given you or someone you know the gift of “serving?”

I would argue that we all have the gift of serving on different levels, but how is God calling you specifically to serve? Are you called to start a men’s or a women’s evening Bible Study? Are you called to start a quilting group that brings people to Jesus Christ? Are you called to pray for the church? My brothers and sisters, in our own ways we are all called to “service” for God, for the church, and for the world. Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving?”

Even though I am called to serve as your pastor, as your pastor I want all of you to be able to pursue whatever ministries that God has called you to. I don’t want a church where the only one who seen as being in ministry is the pastor. God has called us all according to his purposes. How has God called you? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving” or “ministering”?

Just to explain the spiritual gift of ministering a little better, I want to read a broader definition that I found for this spiritual gift. This definition is: “The spiritual gift of service, or ministering, covers a wide range of activities in its application.  There are two Greek words for this gift.  The first one, found in Romans 12:7, is Diakonia. The basic meaning of this word is “to wait tables,” but it is most often translated in the Bible as “ministry.” It refers to any act of service done in genuine love for the edification of the community. The word Antilepsis is translated "helping" and is found in 1 Corinthians 12:28.  It has a similar meaning: to help or aid in love within the community” (http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gift-of-serving-and-ministering).

So the spiritual gift of serving is broad and far reaching. How is God calling you to serve him and others? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy from this morning, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is telling his young friend Timothy that the Bible is God’s inspired word, and that in it we find everything we need to live a Godly and a Christian life. Part of this, is understanding the spiritual gift of “serving,” and helping us to understand how God has called us according to his purposes.

The Apostle Paul then tells Timothy to preach the truth of Jesus Christ, even if there are many doing the opposite (2 Tim. 4:1-5). He tells Timothy to stay faithful, truthful, and grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ. While much of this scripture is about belief, doctrine, and how the Apostle Paul is instructing Timothy to teach, the spiritual gift of “serving” connects here. For we are called to live out our faith, and to show our faith in part, in “serving” others.

 In our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, we have a fascinating parable or story told to us by Jesus. This story begins in the gospel by saying: “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray and not to lose heart” (Lk. 18:1, NRSV). Now admittedly, this is a parable about persistence and justice, more than it is about service, but I am preaching this morning on the spiritual gift of “serving”. Given this, I will try to make some connections to the spiritual gift of “serving” with this morning’s gospel reading.

So let me tell you again quick this parable that Jesus tells us this morning. Jesus said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent’ (Lk. 18:2-3, NRSV).

The gospel then says: “For awhile he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming’ (Lk. 18:4-5, NRSV).

The gospel then says: “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:6-8, NRSV).

So this is definitely a parable or a story about persistence and about justice. This isn’t really then a parable about the spiritual gift of “serving,” but the parallel that I will draw here to the spiritual gift of “serving” is a good one. The parallel I want to draw is this, sometimes in our lives we are called to serve and love people that are grumpy, who don’t love God, and don’t seem to love other people. Yet when we serve and love others over and over, God can change them. The love of Christ that we have, and that we show others through the spiritual gift of “serving” can sometimes change a person with the hardest of hearts, to a loving heart of flesh.

I think that the judge in this parable or story might have just felt constantly pestered by the widow, but I also think that if we love and serve others, that God does and can use us to break down barriers of anger, frustration, disbelief, and bitterness. So my sisters and brothers, we are all called to “serve” God in our own ways. Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

In bringing this service to a close, I want to give an example of a special way that one can have the spiritual gift of “serving”. This example is taken from a story that has been made into a book, and now a movie called “Hacksaw Ridge”. This movie will be opening in theaters on Friday November 4^th, and Melissa and I are very excited to see this movie.

So you might be asking what is this movie about, and how does this movie connect to the spiritual gift of “serving”?

Well here is how, as this is the plot for the upcoming movie called “Hacksaw Ridge”: “The film is based on the true story about US Army medic Desmond T. Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist conscientious objector who refused to bear arms, yet was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman for single-handedly saving the lives of over 75 of his comrades while under constant enemy fire during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.”

While many in World War II were called to fight, Desmond T. Doss went into combat with no gun, and his objective was save his injured brothers. Not only did he achieve this objective, but he saved over 75 of his brothers, and is now a decorated American hero. Desmond T. Doss felt called by God to “serve,” not to fight.

Now if this isn’t the spiritual gift of “serving”, I don’t what is. A man called by God to risk his life, in order to serve others. My friends, the spiritual gift of “serving” is an amazing and a wonderful gift. How has God called you serve him and others? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

I pray that this day, this week, and always, that we might continue to live the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we might accomplish this in part by “serving” others. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost - 10/09/16 Sermon - “Prophecy" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 6 of 7)

Sunday 10/09/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Prophecy” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 6 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Gospel Lesson: Luke 17:11-19

          My friends, my sisters and brothers, welcome again on this Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty one Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved so long ago on the day of Pentecost and the Christian Church was born.

          This morning, I am continuing my preaching series on spiritual gifts. While the Bible lists as many as twenty-five spiritual gifts, based on your own reading of scripture, our spiritual gifts survey lists sixteen spiritual gifts. While there are many spiritual gifts, I have been preaching about the seven spiritual gifts that Apostle Paul presents in Romans 12:6-8.

In the first five weeks of this preaching series, I have discussed the spiritual gifts of “giving” or generosity,” of “mercy,” of “exhortation” or “encouragement,” of “teaching,” and of “leadership”.

This morning I am going to discuss a hard, challenging, and perhaps even mysterious spiritual gift, the gift of prophecy. The spiritual gift of prophecy is an amazing, scary, and I believe sometimes manipulated spiritual gift.

In defining the spiritual gift of prophecy, one definition of a “prophet” is this: “In the New Testament, the office of prophet is to equip the saints for the work of service through exhortation, edification, and consolation (1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:3 Ephesians 4:11). The prophet's corresponding gift is prophecy. Prophecy is "reporting something that God spontaneously brings to your mind". Many, particularly Pentecostals and charismatics, distinguish between the "office of prophet" and the "gift of prophecy", believing that a Christian can possess the gift of prophecy without holding the prophetic office^” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

                So according to this definition of prophecy, some are uniquely called “to equip the saints for the work of service through exhortation, edification, and consolation” (1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:3 Ephesians 4:11). This is the work of an actual prophet. Yet the spiritual gift of prophecy itself is often seen as one who “is "reporting something that God spontaneously brings to your mind".

Many of us have heard the old statement, “The Devil made me do it,” or “The Devil is in the details”. Well does God ever tell us something, that we are in fact supposed to share with others? If such a thing is truly of God, then it can be the gift or prophecy.

I have to admit when I first hear such things from people sometimes, I can get a little defensive, in that I worry if the person who is “speaking for God,” is in fact “speaking for God”. Or is there message from themselves only.

We certainly have many examples of people who clearly did not have the spiritual gift of prophecy, and as a result have caused great harm. An example of this is Jim Jones, who had the famous Jonestown forced mass suicide at Jonestown in Guyana South America in 1978. Jim Jones lead this group of people both in the United States and then in Guyana South America. In doing so, Jim Jones claimed that he was receiving special revelation, messages, and knowledge from God. More specifically, that God was talking to him directly, and that the things he said were not only true, but were true even if they conflicted with the Bible.

We have had pastors throughout history that have claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, or to possess special powers that only God has. I remember watching Benny Hinn when I was child touch people on the head and heal them, only to find out later that most of these people were told what to do and how to do it ahead of time. We have seen pastors who time and again have claimed to know the year and the day that Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and such years and days come to pass, without the Lord returning. So is the spiritual gift of prophecy not a true gift? Do people not have this gift?

I believe that the gift of prophecy is a true gift, but I also believe that God will not tell us anything that is in direct contradiction to the Bible. I believe that God can speak to someone sometimes to warn them, to inform them, or to do other things.

Where I get off of this wagon though, is when a pastor or a person tells me that have special powers, authority, and or abilities that not in the Bible, or that only belong to God. If a person where to tell me that they were the second coming of Jesus Christ, I would ask them to show me scripturally how this is true. If they were to then tell me that God is speaking to them in a way that supersedes or cancels out scripture, then I would believe them to be in error. For if the Bible is God’s revealed truth and word to us, then how can anyone speaking for God differ from the truth of God?

Let me give you another set of definitions of prophecy from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, under the definition of prophecy. Here is what it says prophecy is:

1. An inspired utterance of a prophet.

2:  The function or vocation of a prophet; specifically: the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose.

3:  A prediction of something to come.

          So being a prophet is speaking for God, and having the gift of prophecy is telling people what God said or showed you. So does God speak to us? Does God speak to you? Does God ever give us a message for us only, for others, or for the church? I believe that God does in fact do this, but which ones are real, and which ones are made up. This can be the hard thing about the gift of prophecy.

          For those who have the spiritual gift of prophecy sometimes God can speak to those people in dreams, visions, in giving them a sense of direction or calling, or in some measure of awareness regarding current events closely related to the individual (http://www.theopedia.com/gift-of-prophecy). Has God ever spoken to you in a dream, a vision, called you to do something, or given you a heightened sense of spiritual awareness?

          As I said, I believe in the spiritual gift of prophecy, but there certainly have been and continue to be men and women who claim to have this gift, and they pretty clearly to me don’t. These men and women who have chosen to lie, deceive, and slander, claiming to have the gift prophecy to gain power, prestige, and money. If you a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ for example, and you amass millions of dollars, live in mansion like a king, while the poor suffer all around, you had better believe that I will challenge that you in fact do not have the spiritual gift of prophecy. True prophets, true people that speak prophetically do not do it do to manipulate people, to get wealthy, or only for themselves. Such things are not of God.

Due to all of this, I don’t think that we should reject people having the spiritual gift of prophecy, I just believe that we measure what someone is saying with Biblical truth, and what their intended outcome is.

          So if a pastor or any religious leader claims to have power, authority, and gifts that are not biblical, that make claims that they have power that only God can have, then run away from them, and fast. It is possible for God to speak to us though, but we just need to measure this with what the Bible says.

          Within the Bible itself, we have many examples of prophets and the spiritual gifts of prophecy. In the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel talked to God, had dreams, or visions, or other experiences, where God told them what to say, or what to do. The spiritual gift of prophecy is a real gift, but we just have to make sure that this is a gift from God and not just us doing what we want to do.

          Perhaps the greatest book in the Bible that is filled with prophecy is the Book of Revelation. The Book or Revelation was written by the Apostle John while imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. The Roman authorities intentionally put the Apostle John on this uninhabited island, so that he couldn’t preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone. The Apostle John apparently was quite an effective preacher. While there on the Island of Patmos, John received the vision that we now call the Book or Revelation. This book of scripture is about the second coming of Jesus Christ. This book is about Jesus’ returning, a new heaven, a new earth, and the end of days.

          Prophecy therefore, is all throughout the Bible, and we have a strong tradition in Jewish history and Christian history of prophets and the gift of prophecy. Remember though what Jesus said Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Prophets of God and the spiritual gift of prophecy are real, but beware of the wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy? If so, what is God telling you, or what has God already told you?

          In our reading from the prophet Jeremiah from this morning, Jeremiah is speaking what he claims that the living God told him. The prophet Jeremiah claims to have the spiritual gift or prophecy. In this reading, Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Israel who are living in Babylonian exile. Here is what Jeremiah says to the people of Israel that God told him to say: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease” (Jer. 29:4-7, NRSV).

          Jeremiah then concludes this reading by saying, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7, NRSV).

          In this reading from Jeremiah, Jeremiah, the prophet, is telling the people of Israel who are in exile in Babylon that God told him to tell them the things that I just told you, so that they could survive while in exile. Do you believe in the spiritual gift of prophecy? Do you have this spiritual gift?

          In the reading this morning from the Apostle Paul’s second epistle or letter to Timothy, he first connects the Old Testament with the New Testament. He says to Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendent of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim. 2:9a, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is saying that prophets in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible in part prophesized about the coming of Jesus Christ, prophesized that he would be a decedent of the mighty King David, and that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

          The Apostle Paul then repeats some of the same prophetic words similar to that which Jesus spoke: “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 11-13, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy here that he believes the prophetic words of Jesus Christ to be true. That he believes that Christ is the savior, and that we are saved through our faith in him.

          In the gospel lesson form the gospel of Luke from this morning, Jesus heals ten people with the painful and debilitating condition of leprosy. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, we went through the region between Samaria and Galilee, and during this journey, these ten lepers yelled to Jesus, “Jesus, Mater, have mercy on us!” (Lk. 17:11-13, NRSV).

          Jesus instead of healing them himself directly tells them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. And as they went, they were made clean” (Lk. 17:14, NRSV). Now they were all excited that they were healed, but one man came back to thank Jesus. While Jesus didn’t make a prophecy here directly, he told these ten sick people where to go, and they listened. He knew they would be healed through his power, and they were. They had to trust that he was speaking for God when he sent them to the priests. This is in general how it works when prophets speak prophesies. It is a little different with Jesus though, as he was God in the flesh, but everything he predicted has or will come true.

As I said in this gospel reading, one of the ten cleansed lepers came back to Jesus. At this point in the gospel reading from Luke, Jesus seems pleased that one of now cleansed leper return to him, and Jesus said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well” (Lk. 17:15-19).

          So do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy? This spiritual gift is all throughout the Bible, as seen with the many prophets in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, and in the New Testament with Books like the Book of Revelation. Jesus himself also made predictions, as others did to. This gift of being a prophet or the spiritual gift of prophecy is real, but we just need to be cautious in determining who in fact really has this gift, and who is wolf in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy?

          Today, this week, and always, may we be aware of the prophecies that people are making, their claims to predict the future, their claims to be speaking for God, and let us through the Bible, our faith, our reason, and our experience, determine if those people truly have the spiritual gift of prophecy.

          Next week, this series will end with the spiritual gift of “serving”. Until then, may listen for the voice of God, and if we hear God talking to us, may we use first the Bible, and then faith, reason, and experience to determine if we are truly hearing God’s voice, or if we are hearing a different voice. In Christ’s name, Amen.   

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/02/16 Sermon - “Leadership" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 5 of 7)

Sunday 10/02/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Leadership” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 5 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 137

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Gospel Lesson: Luke 17:5-10

          My brothers and sisters, my friends, welcome once again on this the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved and the Christian Church was born.

          As many of you know, I have been preaching a series on spiritual gifts. While there are many scriptures that discuss the various spiritual gifts that we all have, I have been preaching on the seven spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul discusses in Romans 12:6-8.

Thus far in this spiritual gifts preaching series, I have preached on the gifts of “giving” or generosity,” of “mercy,” of “exhortation,” or “encouragement,” and last week of “teaching”.

This week, I want to talk about the spiritual gift of “leadership”. As many of you know, whenever I present a concept or idea, I like to define what it is, so that we all can know better what we are talking about.

In the Christian context, a leader can be defined this way: “This gift speaks to the various leadership roles found in the Church. While many think of roles such as administration, management of funds, strategy planning, etc. as functions outside of the supernatural realm, in reality individuals in these positions are just as in need of supernatural empowerment as are ministers of the gospel. Some writers consider the gifts of governments and leading to be the same gift, but others consider them closely related yet different” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

Given this definition within the Christian context, this means that leadership isn’t just the pastor. Leadership is a variety of positions, ministries, and etc. Being a lay leader is leadership. Being a choir director is leadership. Being one of our many beloved United Methodist Church committees is leadership. Leadership means that you have been called by God to take on certain responsibilities, make certain decisions, and to shoulder more than others might have to shoulder.

Being a leader means that you are able to carry more burdens, more stress, and sometimes much more work than others. It is truly a gift from God, and some of us have it abundance, and some less so. I do think though, that we all can be leaders in our own ways to.

In a more secular context, a leader can be defined like this:

1. A position as a leader of a group, organization, etc.

2. The time when a person holds the position of leader.

3. The power or ability to lead other people (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leadership).

          So are you a leader? Do people follow you? Do you hold a position of leadership in this church, in your work place, or in the world? Do you know what weight and responsibility of leadership feels like?

          How many of us, if we are honest, are content to have as few leadership positions as possible? You see some of us don’t want to be the President of the United States. Some of us don’t want to be the boss where we work, and some of us don’t want to be the pastor of the church that we may attend. Yet while all of this is true, we so often have something to say about the President of the United States, the boss where we work, or the pastor of the church that we may attend.

          The spiritual gift of leadership, in the context of the Christian Church means that God has called you to lead, guide, inspire, build up, love, and make decisions. Many of us have opinions about church leadership, but many of us also don’t want anything to do with church leadership.

          For me personally as a pastor, I remember watching the preachers of the churches that I attended as a child. I remember thinking one Sunday, “man, pastor so and so, must have such a good and easy life. He does a church service, then lays in a hammock all week until next Sunday when he does another church service”. What I know now though, is that when someone is dying, when someone is spiritually devastated, when families are on the brink of erupting, when there are crises, I often get called. As a pastor, as this kind of Christian leader, I am called to shoulder the pain, the burdens, and the struggles of churches, of people, of communities.

          I don’t know some days if I have the spiritual gift of leadership as much as I would like to, but what I do know is that while Christian leadership can be hard, if we put our trust in Jesus we can do all things.

          The spiritual gift of leadership, I believe begins with putting our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, and allowing the power of God to lead and guide us. Strong Christian leaders then don’t just trust their brains, their instincts, and their training, they also have a strong faith in God. To be a Christian leader like a United Methodist District Superintendent or a Bishop, means that you must have incredible faith, to allow God to maximize your spiritual gift of leadership.

          Once again, the spiritual gift of leadership can manifest itself differently, and having the spiritual gift of leadership does not mean that you have to be a pastor, a district superintendent, or a bishop. Yet believe me when I say, that they all shoulder more than you will ever know.

          So, do you have the spiritual gift of leadership? Do you have the gift to motivate, guide, and direct people towards Jesus Christ? Do you have the gift of leadership in such a way, that people follow your leadership in the church and outside the church? We so often can be critical of leaders, yet I find that many people don’t want to be one of them. The gift of leadership is a great gift, but with it comes great responsibility. Do you have the spiritual gift of leadership? My sisters and brothers, our churches are always in need more leaders.

          I remember back to December 14, 2016, when there was a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. On that day, as many of you know, twenty-children were killed brutally and without cause.

          Amidst this terrible national tragedy, I saw great leadership. I saw a community come together, I saw leaders lead, and I saw the clergy of that community come together. Imagine the kind of leadership that the pastors and the priests in Sandy Hook showed in December of 2012. Yet, I would suspect they were and are so blessed by God for shouldering some of that pain, suffering, and grief, and doing it for God.

          My sisters and brothers, the spiritual gift of leadership is a great gift. Do you have it? Do you know anyone that has it?

          One of the goals of my ministry is and has been to train and raise up leaders, for anything from committees, to serving in other capacities, and maybe even pursing becoming pastor. One of the things that a good Christian leader or pastor does is inspires, challenges, grows, and leads the people they serving, and this all starts with faith in Jesus Christ.

          One of the great leaders in the Bible is the Apostle Paul. A Christian covert, who would go on to show great leadership, among many other spiritual gifts. This morning, we were given a small portion of the Apostle Paul’s second Epistle or letter to this young friend and brother in Christ Timothy.

          The Apostle Paul begins this Epistle or letter by saying, “Paul, and apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (2 Tim. 1:1-2, NRSV). What Godly words, and what words of a true, humble, and loving Christian leader.

          The Apostle Paul tells Timothy that he remembers him “constantly in” his “prayers night and day” (2 Tim. 1:3). He tells Timothy, “I long to see you so that may be filled with joy” (2 Tim. 1:4). The Apostle Paul then complements and encouraged Timothy in his faith, and then says, “For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:6-7, NRSV). The Apostle Paul this great Christian leader, is doing what Christian leaders do, which is to raise up leaders like Timothy, through the power of God.

          The Apostle Paul then encourages Timothy to keep the faith, to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, to cling to the love of God (2 Tim. 1:8-14, NRSV).

          My brothers and sisters, do you have the gift of spiritual leadership? Where is God calling you? Is God calling you to give, to show mercy, to encourage, to teach, to lead?

          This morning in our Gospel of Luke reading, we have a great scripture. In this scripture, the disciples are asking to Jesus to give them more faith. In fact, this gospel reading begins by saying, “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Lk. 17:5a, NRSV). Jesus then replies by saying, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk. 17:5b, NRSV). Jesus is calling us not be self-righteous, but to lead by example, and to trust God.

          Jesus then gives an example of serving a slave, instead of asking a slave to serve you. Jesus tells us to lead, by example. According to one of my Bible commentaries it says this, “what God needs is a faith that is pure and simple, that is, faith with integrity (17:6-10). Our faith does not make us powerful authorities by humble servants of God” (Africa Bible Commentary). Christian leaders, good Christian leaders, are strong, but humble.

          My friends, my brothers and sisters do you have the spiritual gift of leadership, in that you a called to serve in one of the various leadership roles in the church, or serving God in general? If you think you do, let me know, as I want to raise up as many leaders that God enables me to raise up.

          In closing, I want to tell you a story about a leadership. A story about one of the best military generals that this country has ever had, General then President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower. As many of you might know, on June 6, 1944 the United States, in concert with our Allies launched the largest amphibious military invasion in world history. This invasion was called “Operation Overlord,” or as many of us now know it, “D-Day”. That fateful day that many of us have seen reenacted in movies like “Saving Private Ryan,” where thousands of our young men hit the beaches in France on a quest to rid the world of Nazi terror and evil. On this day, we lost many good men.

Well this story comes to us from Time Magazine, and this story was written by Relman Morin on June 6, 2016, on the 70^th anniversary of D-Day. This article more specifically is read as an excerpt from the book 'Dwight D. Eisenhower: An Associated Press Biography' (http://time.com/4358164/dwight-eisenhower-d-day/).

This article therefore will give us a glimpse into the mind of General Dwight D. Eisenhower on how he personally felt the day before he would lead the largest amphibious military invasion in the history of world. This article begins by saying: “Here, we pick up with Eisenhower on the day before the invasion of Normandy… Dwight D. Eisenhower stretched out in the back of his staff car, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. He was bone-tired. A feeling of numbness began creeping over him. For many months all his thoughts had been concentrated on this hour, planning and working toward it, and now it was at hand with all the unimaginable consequences for good or evil, for success or the most disastrous military debacle in history. His watch showed 9:10. It was the night of June 5, 1944, the night before D-Day”.

“The car rolled through the gates of the airfield and started the long journey to his headquarters in Portsmouth, passing through the blacked out towns and villages. His aides in the front seat of the car remained silent. They thought he was sleeping.”

“Instead of sleep, a montage of memories passed through his mind, pictures new and old. They all pointed toward this hour and came together in it, the apex of a pyramid”.

“The paratroopers on the airfield he had just left were camouflaging their faces with linseed oil and paint and they had said, “Don’t you worry, General. We’ll take care of this for you”…men of the 101st Airborne Division…he shook hands and turned away and a tear glistened in his eye…theoretically, to an officer, soldiers are just “bodies”…you don’t think of them in terms of Joe Jones or Charlie Smith; you think of casualties in terms of percentages, statistics…some of these men, Eisenhower knew, would be dead very soon and he did not think of them as statistics…he stayed with them until they began boarding the C-47s and gliders and now they were on their way to the drop zones, the Douve and Merderet Rivers and the town of Sainte Mere Eglise”.

While you probably want to hear more of this story, I decided to tell you just some of this story about General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the “D-day” invasion, to emphasize that leadership is great, but can be very hard. Yet God makes men and women with different gifts and graces. Some of us are given small, medium, large, and even massive amounts of the gift of spiritual and general leadership. My brothers and sisters, do you have the spiritual gift of leadership? Is it a great gift, but it can also be a tough and a hard gift. Next week I will be talking about the spiritual gift of “Prophecy”. Today, this week, and always, may we put our trust in the greatest of teachers, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/25/16 Sermon - “Teaching" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 4 of 7)

Sunday 09/25/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Teaching” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 4 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Gospel Lesson: Luke 16:19-31

          Friends, sisters and brothers, welcome again on this the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Nineteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved in and on those first disciples, giving birth to the Christian Church. Those first disciples then went forth in Jesus’ name, loving, healing, and forgiving. God had given them, as God has given us all, different gifts and graces. These gifts and graces are part of what God gives us, to enable us to effectively do the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the world.

          For some of us, we might say, “I know my spiritual gifts”. Yet others might say, “You know, I don’t know if I know my spiritual gifts”. If every single one of the many spiritual gifts were all different colors, and if we suddenly had those colors on us like clothing, we would then be able to look around this sanctuary right now and see many different colors. Sometimes our spiritual gifts are very apparent, but sometimes they can be buried down deep within us.

          In now officially being in the season of fall, with Sunday School and Public School being restarted, and with all of the busyness that comes with this season, I have been preaching on spiritual gifts. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Or maybe you need to be reminded of what your spiritual gifts are. The seven spiritual gifts that I have been preaching on come from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the Romans 12:6-8.

          So far in this spiritual gifts preaching series, I have talked about the gift of “giving” or generosity,” about the spiritual gift of “mercy,” and last week about the spiritual gift of “exhortation,” or “encouragement”.

          This morning, I want to talk about the spiritual gift of “teaching”. As someone who is a permanently certified New York State teacher, that has been a fulltime public school teacher, I can say that “teaching” is hard. “Teaching” can also be very rewarding, and to be teacher means that you have the ability to connect with the people you are “teaching”. Beyond this, if you have the gift of “teaching,” you have the ability to explain things to people, or to students, in such a way that they will understand what you are trying to say to them or to teach them.

          In defining the spiritual gift of teaching in the Christian context, a definition is: “Someone who devotes his or her life to preaching and teaching the Christian faith. When teaching is provided for the Church by God, two gifts are actually given—to the Church is given a teacher and along with the teacher comes a divine capacity to teach” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

          A general definition of a teacher is: A person who provides education for students (https://outlook.live.com/owa/?id=64855&path=/mail/inbox).

          The challenge with the spiritual gift of “teaching”, at least in the context of the church, is being able to take a biblical concept, or a scripture, and discuss it in such a way, that when folks leave the church service on Sunday, they will understand and grow from what the worship service. The spiritual gift of “teaching” is truly a gift indeed.

          I would ask you to think and reflect for a moment, about those teachers that you had in school, those pastors, those coaches, and those other folks who just had a way of explaining things so they made perfect sense. Can anyone here say that they had or have people in their lives like that? Perhaps you had a teacher, a minister, a coach, or a co-worker, and or etc., and they just always or still do have a way of explaining things to you, so that they made sense.

          I remember one worship service that my classmates and I attended in seminary school, we had a professor doing the sermon for us that evening. Everyone just loved this professor, but when he preached, in about one to two minutes, he had lost me. This professor used so many $5-dollar words and concepts that I had never heard of before. Granted I was early on in my seminary studies at this point, and I hadn’t learned many of these ideas and concepts yet, but this professor did not effectively “teach” me where I was that night.

          One of my goals as your pastor, is to try to preach and teach in such a way that it makes sense, that it connects with you and your life, and that you understand it.

          When looking at our scriptures for this morning, among many other things, we can learn a great deal from reading the Psalms in the Old Testament. They are truly filled with emotion, power, real joy, and struggles. In our reading this morning from Psalm 91, the Psalmist teaches us with vivid language about who God is. The Psalmist says, “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust” (Ps. 91:1-2, NRSV). You see the Psalmist is saying and is “teaching” us to rely on God, and take to “shelter” in God (Ps. 91:1, NRSV). The Psalmist is saying that when we trust God this much, we will then be able to say that God is “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust” (Ps. 91:2, NRSV).

          In the reading this morning from 1 Timothy 6:6-19, the Apostle Paul is “teaching”, loving, and encouraging his young friend Timothy. The Apostle Paul tells his young friend, “Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these” (1 Tim. 6:6-8, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is “teaching” and reminding his young friend Timothy that we were born on this earth with nothing and we will exit this earth with nothing. Since this is true, focus on God, on Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul says, as those are the only true sources of “godliness combined with contentment” (1 Tim. 6:6-8, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is saying, trust God brother Timothy.

          The Apostle Paul then says those famous words, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10, NRSV). The Apostle Paul goes on “teaching” and says to Timothy, “But as for you, man of God, shun all of this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:11-12, NRSV). The Apostle Paul again is “teaching” Timothy how to live for God and not the world. The Apostle Paul was such a great teacher, as he wrote things down so that they just made sense.

          In our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus tells us the parable, or the story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus”. Now the greatest of all the teachers was and is Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us in this story about a wealthy man who had everything, but that the wealthy man never helped a poor and hungry man named Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-20). Lazarus would lay outside of the gates of the house where the rich man lived, covered in sores, and rich man’s dog would like Lazarus’ sores (Lk. 16:20, NRSV). The rich mad had an abundance of food and likely threw out extra uneaten food every night, but never offered any of the food or comfort to Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-21, NRSV).

          Larazus then dies and goes to heaven, where Abraham is, and the rich man dies and goes the other way (Lk. 16:22, NRSV). Lazarus then goes to visit the rich man in hell with Abraham by his side (Lk. 16:23, NRSV). The rich man calls out to Abraham who is with Lazarus, to have Lazarus dip his finger in water and cool his tongue, as he was burning in the great fire (Lk. 16:23-24).

          Abraham then speaks to the rich man in the flames, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you in agony” (Lk. 16:25, NRSV). Now the rich man by the way has shown no remorse or apology to Lazarus, but begs Abraham to have someone go and tell his five living brothers to change their lives and repent (Lk. 16:26-30, NSRV). Abraham tells the rich and now tormented man, that his brothers won’t get any short cuts, and that they need to follow and obey God, just like everyone else (Lk. 16:31, NSRV).

          In the parable or story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus”, Jesus is among many other things “teaching” us how to treat each other. It is not a bad thing to work hard and to get ahead, but Jesus is saying remember and care those less fortunate than you. Jesus, who among many other titles, was and is a “Rabbi,” which is Hebrew for “teacher”.

You see, Jesus didn’t just come to earth, to die for the forgiveness of our sins, but Jesus also came to earth, among many other things, to teach us parables or stories like this, and how to live a better life. Jesus wants us to be like God, like him. When Jesus told the parable of story of the “Prodigal Son” for example, he was teaching us about “mercy”, love, and forgiveness.

          In all of these ways my brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to earth to die for us, but he also came to teach us how to live and love better. All of these things that Jesus said and taught are recorded in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We also have great examples of “teaching” all through the Bible, like our readings this morning from Psalm 91, or 1 Timothy, and of course the parable or story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” that I just discussed from Luke 16.

          My brothers and sisters, I believe that the teachings of Jesus Christ are powerful, and because of this, I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. I believe that in Jesus dying for us, and “teaching” us that if we follow his ways and his teachings, then we will be showing and changing the world with a hope that nothing can compare to. For the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.

          So my sisters and brothers, do you have the spiritual gift of “teaching”. It can be a tough and a challenging gift. It is also a gift that bears great responsibility. If you do have the spiritual gift of “teaching” how will you use this gift this day, this week, and so forth, to change the world for Jesus Christ. Next week I will be talking about the spiritual gift of “leadership”. May we all be blessed this day by our great teacher, our God who is three in one, one in three. Amen.

         

         

         

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/18/16 Sermon - “Exhortation" (Encouragement) "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 3 of 7)

Sunday 09/18/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Exhortation” (Encouragement)

                   (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 3 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Gospel Lesson: Luke 16:1-13

          My friends, my sisters and brothers, welcome again on this, the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Eighteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved, and the Christian Church was born. From the first day of the Christian Church on Pentecost, to today, part of what made the church so successful was and is people utilizing their spiritual gifts. Our spiritual gifts, are gifts that God gives us all in different amounts, and in different ways.

          As many of you know, two week ago I started a spiritual gifts preaching series, in an effort to remind us, or to have us for the first time, discover what our spiritual gifts are. For a few weeks now I have made available our spiritual gifts survey and chart, so that you might discover, or rediscover your own spiritual gifts.

          Depending on what you consider a spiritual gift, scripture can list as many as twenty-five, or much fewer. Our spiritual gifts survey includes sixteen spiritual gifts, and I am preaching on just seven of them. The list that I am preaching is again from Romans 12:6-8. Also once again, many of the spiritual gifts are attributed to the Apostle Paul’s Epistles or letters, and perhaps one of the Apostle Peter’s Epistles or letters, and are eluded to in the Old Testament.

          If someone in this church, or a friend, or a family member were to ask you, “what are your spiritual gifts,” would you have an answer for them? What are your spiritual gifts? As I said, I am just preaching on seven of them, but there are many spiritual gifts.

          So far in the preaching series I have talked about the spiritual gift of “giving” or “generosity,” and how God has given some us the gift of “giving” our time, our talent, and our resources. We must really have deep faith in God to give a lot, as we need to trust that God will honor our giving.

          Last week I talked about the spiritual gift of “mercy,” of showing forgiveness, love, compassion, caring, empathy, and concern, even when it is not expected or deserved. “Mercy” is a gift from God, and as I heard Rev. Bob McCune say once in a sermon, “When you forgive people, you disarm them”. Showing people “mercy” when it is not expected, can cause someone to break into tears, or to change considerably. Do you have the spiritual gift of “mercy”?

          This week, I want to talk about the spiritual gift of “exhortation,” or “encouragement”. In defining the word “exhortation,” it says according www.merriam-webster.com:

1. An act or instance of exhorting.

2. Language intended to incite and encourage.

         

          In some Bible translations however, when you read Romans 12:6-8, instead of the Apostle Paul listing the spiritual gift of “exhortation,” it says the spiritual gift of “encouragement”. Now these two words are pretty much the same thing, but the word “encouragement” is much more common to us today than is “exhortation”. For this reason, let me also give you the definition of the word “encouragement”, according to www.merriam-webster.com. The definition is:

1. The act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen.

2. Something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident.

3. Something that makes someone more likely to do something.

          For those who have heard of Zig Zigler, one of his famous quotes is: “Encouragement is the fuel on which hope runs.” Based on the definitions of “exhortation,” and “encouragement,” it would seem that anyone who can motivate and get someone feeling better could be defined as an encourager, or a motivator.

            Sometimes the people we have known with the greatest amount of the spiritual gift of “encouragement” have been coaches from our sports teams, teachers, salesmen, and maybe even clergy. These are sometimes people that when they speak they seem to have a God given ability to motivate, inspire, and to yes “encourage”. People with large amounts of the spiritual gift of encouragement are sometimes people that inspire you, people that you would follow as a leader, and people often times that you respect greatly.

          For many of us we might say that a parent, or a grandparent, or another family member or friend gave us a lot of “encouragement” growing up. Maybe we were lucky enough to have parents, or grandparents, or others who would encourage us when we were down. People who would pick us up, when we have fallen.

          I have found for me that the best encouragers that I have encountered in life were people that were optimistic and seemed to liven everyone else up. These tended to be people for me who no matter how bad things got believed that God was leading and guiding them.

          One of the biggest and strongest people in my life that I know has a whole lot of the spiritual gift of “encouragement,” is mother Susan. My mom was single mother for a number of years, went back to school at night, and worked her way up the corporate ladder. She retired from IBM in a low level executive role and had many men and women reporting to her. For many years she was treated differently in the business world because she was a woman, but she was and is tough. I call her mom, or “Judge Judy” depending on the situation.

          While my mom has struggled, she always could see the silver lining in every single situation, and her spiritual gift of “encouragement” has been so helpful for me. Do you, or does someone you know have the spiritual gift of “encouragement,” or “exhortation”?

          When we heard the scripture this morning from the prophet Jeremiah, we heard deep discouragement. Jeremiah says, “My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick” (Jer. 8:18, NRSV). Jeremiah, the great prophet of the Lord is deeply grieved as he knows that God’s judgment is coming the Jewish people. Jeremiah knows that God will purge the sinful, and then drive the Jewish people into exile. Jeremiah is discouraged and grieved over this, yet God has called Jeremiah to among many other things, encourage his people in the truth of God’s love.

          In our reading from 1 timothy, the Apostle Paul is instructing and encouraging his young friend “Timothy”. Though the Apostle Paul is responsible for countless people coming to know Jesus Christ, Timothy might have been his biggest success story. Church tradition holds that first bishop of Ephesus, where the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle or letter to the Ephesians, was Timothy. Clearly Paul had great hope and trust in his young friend, and clearly he believed in how Timothy could effectively use the gifts that God gave him.

          The first thing that the Apostle Paul tells his young friend Timothy in this morning’s reading, is to pray for people, and for our leaders, so that all might come to know Jesus Christ. So that all might live righteously before God.

          What the Apostle Paul then tells young Timothy, I think was to encourage him. The Apostle Paul says, “there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6a, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is encouraging young Timothy to have faith in Jesus Christ, and believe in what is possible through him. I think that I can safely say that the Apostle Paul had the spiritual gift of “exhortation,” or “encouragement”. The Apostle Paul seemed to be able to inspire, motivate, and encouragement so many people.

          Our gospel reading from the gospel of Luke this morning, Jesus tells us the parable of the “dishonest manager”, who was praised for being shrewd (Lk. 16:1-9, NRSV). You see in the parable a rich man had a manager, who poorly managed his property and possessions (Lk. 16:1-9, NRSV). The rich man then fired the manager, and then manager invites in all of the rich man’s debtors in, and then the not fired manager he lower their debts (Lk. 16:1-9, NRSV). The manager did this to curry favor with the debtors, as he was just fired, and would now need friends more than ever (Lk. 16:1-9, NRSV). The rich man then commended the now fired manager for garnering support from the debtors by being prudent and shrewd with his debtors. Now perhaps the debtors who now owed less were encouraged by owing less, but other than that, I don’t think that this parable of “the rich man’s manager” is largely about the spiritual gift of “encouragement”.

          Yet this scripture from the gospel of Luke ends with a challenge from Jesus Christ, that says: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Lk. 16:13b, NRSV). This statement is certainly a challenge, but it can also be “encouragement” to follow God and to not put our trust in the things of this world.

          So my friends, brothers and sisters, do you have the spiritual gift of “exhortation” or “encouragement”? Has God given you the spiritual gift of being able to lift people up when they are down, to motivate them, and to make them feel like that can what they are called by God to do?

          I would like to bring this message to a close this morning with a story on, yes you guessed it, “encouragement”. This story is called “Cory Weisman’s Basket,” and this story is taken was reported by Frank Record, called “When there’s more to winning than winning.” NPR Radio, Feb 22, 2012.

          Here is how the story goes: “In February 2012 Cory Weissman led out the men’s basketball team of Gettysburg College for their last game of the season. Four years earlier he had suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side. Four years of rehab and he was able to walk with a limp, but was still not able to play competitively. But before his stroke he had been on the varsity team and the Gettysburg coach wanted to give him a few seconds on court as a senior. So Cory was nominated captain and led out the starting five for what was both his first and last game for Gettysburg, for he was now due to graduate.”

“Knowing the struggle it was just to be there, the crowd and the players from both teams greeted him with wild applause. The Gettysburg coach gave him a few minutes on court before benching him.”

“With one minute to go Gettysburg was well ahead and the coach sent Cory back out on court. The Washington coach called time out and instructed his players to foul Cory Weissman. For those who don’t know basketball this was a very generous act, for it meant Cory would be given two shots at the basket.”

“Cory takes his place at the free throw line, feels the weight of the ball in his hands, lifts and shoots. It misses badly. But he has a second and final shot left. Again he feels the weight of the ball in his hands, lifts and shoots. This time the ball flies straight through the hoop, and the crowd breaks out in thunderous applause.”

“The assistant vice president for athletics at Gettysburg, David Wright, later wrote to Washington College: “Your coach, Rob Nugent, along with his … staff and student-athletes, displayed a measure of compassion that I have never witnessed in over 30 years of involvement in intercollegiate athletics.”

The spiritual gift of “exhortation,” or “encouragement”. Do you, or does anyone you know have this spiritual gift? May we all be encouraged and filled this day with the love of God, through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.