RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 09/01/13 Sermon - “Humbled to Exaltation"

Sunday - 09/01/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Humbled to Exaltation”                                                                        

Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 2:4-13

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 14:1, 7-14

          Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters! I greet you in the name of the Risen Christ, on this our Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost. That day so long ago that the mighty spirit of the living God moved through the early followers of Jesus, and then empowered them to go out and transform the world in His name.

You know, to be really honest my brothers and sisters, this is a sermon that I did not desire to prepare for. For who among us likes saying goodbye to the people that they love so much? I know that I don’t enjoy doing this, and in preparing for this sermon I really connected more with the Apostle Paul in the New Testament of the Bible. The Apostle Paul of course wrote many letters or epistles to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Philippi, and etc. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 16:7 the Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth, “For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.” You see the Apostle Paul Lamented not being with his Churches in Corinth. He missed them, and while the Lord had called him elsewhere, he longed to be with his people. In Philippians 1:3-6 the Apostle Paul said, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ^because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” You see the Apostle Paul had concern for the churches of Philippi, and prayed for the people there. In Romans 1:10-13, the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Rome and said, “in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.” While I could continue with the Apostle Paul’s letters or epistles in the New Testament, where he talks about his yearning to be with his people, he realized fully I think the nature of the Church. That the Gospel of Jesus Christ is such, that we are called often too far away places. In those places we are called to preach the Gospel, build the community, and spread the love of Jesus. Yet in doing this, we are then often called somewhere else far away. The Apostle Paul felt this separation as we have heard, while being in the places that he was then called to. I have to say that on this morning, I feel this way. I feel like that I will write a letter not to the Corinthians, but to the Pottersvillians or the Johnburgians, and tell them to keep the faith, and that I long to see them. Yet the Lord has called me to Corinth, or Philippi, or Ephesus, or Rome, to continue to preach and spread the good news that Risen Christ is amongst us, that He has forgiven us, and in Him that our lives never end.

Part of me identifies with the scripture reading from the Prophet Jeremiah from this morning, in that I feel like I am defying my people. You see in this scripture reading, Jeremiah talked about how the people of Israel have turned from the Lord, and in a way, I feel like I am turning from all of you. Yet in all of this, as much as some of you might have appreciated my time here, I am convinced that I have gained much more than you could have ever gained from me.

You see when I started here I was a little nervous and didn’t even know the difference between David Osterberg and Bob Flachbarth. For about 10-months I welcomed Karen and Ken, when I should have been welcoming Karen and Jim. In my time here then, I learned more of what the Christian Community is. That we are people who have been changed in the depths our souls by the love and the saving power of Jesus Christ, and that we seek to share that love with all people.

That when I first started, I didn’t feel worthy to be at this pulpit, that when I went to church dinners, I insisted that I work and not eat. Of course David Osterberg would give me that look where he looks over his glasses at you, and would say to me, “go eat with you wife Paul. You can help us later.”

In the Gospel reading from this morning, Jesus goes and eats at the house of the leader of the Pharisees.  Jesus noticed that many of the guests at the home sat in places of high honor, where the finest tables and chairs sat. Yet Jesus said to these guests, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.” Then Jesus said in this parable these words, “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves with be exalted.” The Gospel then concludes by Jesus encouraging people to give to and serve the poor.

I connected with this Gospel reading from this morning, in that often I did not want to sit in the places of honor like Jesus said, but rather I wanted to sit in the lowly places. Yet during my time here, all of you were content to lift me up to the high guest tables, to the places of honor. While I did not always feel worthy of this, I feel on this day, “Humbled to Exaltation.” In me feeling that I do not deserve much, you all have lifted me up and exalted me. For the rest of my life, wherever I go, and wherever I minister, I will always remember that in Pottersville and Johnsburg that you kind and loving people of God took a young minister who felt humble and unworthy, and lifted him up and exalted him. While he sometimes didn’t feel worthy, you all affirmed his call to ministry and encouraged him to take his place among the leaders in our church.

You see while I came here to minister to you and to serve you, you have given me more than I could have ever given you. For you have “Humbled me to Exaltation.” Humbled me to joy, to excitement, to praise, and to then have encouraged me to go forth and serve and spread the Gospel.

So while I have excitement today about moving to my next assignment to serve Jesus, the Pottersville and the RWJ United Methodist Churches will always be the churches that took a nervous kid, and made a pastor out of him. That all of you took a person who wasn’t fully sure of himself, and loved him so much, as to give him the confidence to go forth with the truth and love of Jesus Christ.

You see then my brothers and sisters, on this morning I honor you, and thank you. For you have “Humbled me to Exaltation.” You all have given me more than you will ever know, and like the Apostle Paul, I will contact you and say that I long to be with you, but will then say that God has called me elsewhere.

You see the mission of Christian Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation for the world. These disciples are then sent forth, and this is the painful sacrifice that we make for Jesus and His Gospel. The sacrifice we make when children go off to school or the military, or when loved ones move away for a new job opportunity.

Within all of this though, I know this, we are the “Corpus Christi.” We are the living and breathing body of Jesus Christ, and we are many. We are connected across space and time, and one day we will all be together in glory, feasting at that heavenly banquet. So given this, this is not goodbye then my brothers and sisters, but rather this is so long for now. For we are the people of the resurrection, we are a people of hope, and ours is the glory of the Kingdom of the Jesus Christ. In this Kingdom we will be together, we will all be knitted together through all space and time. For we are the body of Christ, and we are many.

I would like to leave you with one last story. This story is called, “Judge Me by the Footprints I Leave Behind.” “This is a story that is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.” “Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.” “There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!

There’s a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift it always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God’s most precious gift! Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Brothers and sisters, I want to thank you for loving me, even despite all of my quirks, and even despite all of my flaws. I will always consider all of you my dear friends, and want you to know that you have all change my life for the better. For you have all “Humbled me to Exaltation.” God’s blessings on all of you and Amen.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 08/25/13 Sermon - “But it's my day off!"

Sunday - 08/25/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “But it’s my day off!”                                                                        

Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 1:4-10

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 13:10-17

          Welcome and greetings in the name of the risen Christ, on this Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost! That day so long ago, that church was born, and the Holy Spirit flowed powerfully through the early Christians. The day we boldly went forth and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide.

          In looking at today’s message though, I want to talk you this morning about our coveted “time off” that we all look forward to. You know that cruise, that exotic vacation, the old fishing hole. Even we pastors look forward to a day off or some time away. In fact, an older pastor friend of mine recently bought a nice boat to go out on the lake with his family and friends. He had always wanted a boat, and now that he is nearing retirement, he was finally able to afford this boat. This pastor and I were recently serving in a pastoral role together on a retreat weekend, and he talked about his excitement over his new boat. A few of the guys that were at this retreat weekend then asked, what is the name of your boat? Well before the pastor could answer, I piped up and said, “his boat is named Visitation!” This pastor then looked at me like “huh.” Well for the rest of that retreat weekend, when someone was trying to track that pastor down, and they couldn’t find him, I would just tell them, “I know where the pastor is, he’s on Visitation.”

          So taking that time away from it all, this Sabbath day, this day of rest that even God took after making the earth. In the Gospels Jesus would often retreat to the dessert to rest, after extended periods of teaching, healing, and ministering. Given this then, certainly we should take the Christian Sabbath of Sunday seriously right? I mean isn’t today the “Lord’s Day?” This means today, no work at all, and the whole family gets together for dinner right?

          Well wait a second though, doesn’t mom cook the dinner? Well she certainly can’t cook it today then, because that will be work. No she must have cooked dinner last night. Well come to think of it then, do the kids do the dishes after dinner tomorrow, because today is the Sabbath? No they do the dishes tonight. Well what about the lawn, the grass looks light it is ready for a brush hog to cut it? Well I guess that dad will have to wait until tomorrow, when the Sabbath is over.

You see, in the Jewish faith, the Sabbath, of when the Sun goes down of Friday night until it goes down on Saturday night, means no work. This is so strict that even in conservative Jewish communities today you cannot drive, cook, or do any work on the Sabbath. You can do some things like worship in the Synagogue, pray, eat, and etc., but nothing intense or to physical on this day.

          What if though, a friend’s car was broke down on the side of the road today? What if they called you franticly, and told you that there car was on fire? What if you then said, “Well John I would like to help you, but its Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Don’t you know Christians don’t work on the Lord’s Day John?”

Quite a predicament isn’t it. Jesus our Lord said in the Gospel according to Matthew 12:11-12 “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” This is what Jesus says. Yet, in the Jewish tradition you are not supposed to work on the Sabbath, or do anything physical for that matter. On our Lord’s Day or Sunday, all the stores used to be closed, no business occurred, and it was a quite restful Sabbath day. If we were called on such an emergency on a Sunday on the Lord’s Day though, such as “John” who I mentioned, we would most certainly help them wouldn’t we? Or would we make them wait until the day had ended? Until the Sabbath was over.

What did Jesus have to say about what the Sabbath is? How did he become “Lord of the Sabbath?” Well let’s look at our scripture this morning, first from the Prophet Jeremiah. In this scripture the prophet Jeremiah spoke about the power of God. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah then continued, “Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” So whatever the Lord tells Jeremiah, Jeremiah will do, for the Lord has given him the words and authority to do so. Jeremiah then went on to say, “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over the nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Well, if I was the prophet Jeremiah, I would say “wow that is quite a lot of authority the Lord has just given me.” Given this power, this truth, and this authority, and given the loving nature of the Lord, would God want me to let someone suffer, if I can help them, Jeremiah might have asked? Does God not allow me to serve Him on the Sabbath, Jeremiah could have asked, as well?

When looking at our Gospel of Luke reading for this morning, Jesus Christ had a similar situation occur. You see Jesus was working on the Sabbath. Well any good Jew knows that you don’t work on the Sabbath. Here is what the Gospel reading from this morning says speaking of Jesus, “Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a women with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”

You’ll notice that Jesus did not say, “Woman, it is the Sabbath, perhaps tomorrow when the Sabbath is over I can help you.” The Gospel then goes on to say, “When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the Synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” I can image that leader of the Synagogue saying the woman who was suffering, “But it’s my day off!” “I can’t cure today he might say,” after all he might need to go fishing on his boat, Visitation, in the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus then responded to the Pharisee, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey form the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” The Gospel reading from this morning concludes by saying, “When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”

          So what’s the point of all this, you might be asking? Does this mean that we should never take a day off? That we should never take a vacation? No of course not, but it does mean that while our Sabbath days of rest are important, we can still serve, heal, and help if it is something that needs immediate attention. I am sure you can think of days off that you have had, where an emergency occurred, and you had to break your Sabbath. You see we serve a Lord who took a Sabbath, but broke it when it needed to be broken. For he was and still is the “Lord of the Sabbath!”

I would like to close this morning with a story. This is story was listed as author unknown, and is called “bruised apples.” Here is how it goes: “A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. Well, as such things go, one thing led to another. The sales meeting lasted longer than anticipated.

Their flights were scheduled to leave out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, and they had to race to the airport. With tickets in hand, they barged through the terminal to catch their flight back home. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table, which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere.

Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding, all but one. He paused, took a deep breath and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.

Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the floor. He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl at the apple stand was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping or to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $20 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.” As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister….” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?” He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?” Do people mistake you for Jesus? That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It’s actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

This means that when it’s needed, when it’s necessary, maybe we shouldn’t say, “But it’s my day off!” Maybe we should take the example of Christ, who was the Lord of Sabbath. The one who would come back, and who would help the blind girl. Or perhaps the salesman could have just told the blind girl, “I can’t help you, because it’s my day off!” This week, take your time to rest, but in that rest be ready to serve if needed, for our Lord taught us that is Sabbath is important, but serving the Lord is above everything else. Amen.

         

RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 08/18/13 Sermon - “The Praying Church” (The Praying Church Series, Part 4 of 4)

Sunday - 08/18/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “The Praying Church”                                                                         (The Praying Church Series, Part 4 of 4)

Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 5:1-7

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:49-56  

          Good morning brothers and sisters! Welcome to worship this morning in the name of the risen Christ, on this Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost! The holiday of Pentecost, the day that the church was born, the day that the Holy Spirit moved like a mighty wind. This was the day of Pentecost.

          To begin this message this morning, I just want to tell you how good it is to be back in New York State. The past two weeks, my friends the Lambert Family, hosted me in there house. They were simply delighted to have me be under their roof. Every day, Nick Lambert’s wife Teanna made Nick and me a big pot of coffee, and she was always saying, “are sure that you don’t want something else to eat Paul.” The two Lambert children were also adorable to, as they would run and hug me before bed, and say “good night Mr. Paul.” In fact, there son Kyler colored this picture for me in there church Sunday school, as yes brothers and sisters, I attended a very Pentecostal Church last Sunday. It was a powerful service of prayer and worship, and in me forgetting what Pentecostal services are like, we heard the closing prayer two hours after the service started. In fact, the church bulletin had no order of service, but instead it had a list of upcoming events.

          In that church, there pastor, pastor Aaron, took a special moment to recognize me, and told his congregation to pray for me, my ministry, and our churches here in New York. For we are the “Praying Church.” Pastor Aaron then said, would you pray for us, and our church.

You know, I think that so often we get stuck in our own churches, and we forget just how big the kingdom of God really is! That over 2-billions voices are in praise, worship, and prayer not just here, not just in Warren County, not just in New York State, not just in the United States, but worldwide!

          These past two weeks, my brothers and sister, I had a life changing experience, in realizing just how big the church is. When I arrived at the seminary in Dayton, Ohio last week, I was introduced to four students from the West African country of Sierra Leone. In this country, there are currently 220 United Methodist Churches, and this number is increasing rapidly. Of all of the pastors in the entire country of Sierra Leone, there Bishop, Bishop John Yambasu, sent his four best pastors in the whole country to our seminary. Among these four students, were two district superintendents, the head of connectional ministries for the entire country, and a pastor who pastors a church of about 600-people.

Now if our Bishop, Bishop Marcus Webb had to pick his four best preachers in our entire annual conference to send to Africa, and you were chosen for this, well this would be quite an honor. So I met, Solomon, Sahr, Winston, and Francis. These men had faith as deep as any ocean, and they told me, “Paul can you pray for the church in Sierra Leone.” The country of Sierra Leone just got over a terrible Civil War about 11-years ago, and through that war the United Methodist Church served the people. Brothers and sisters, when the church prays, and when the church pray together, the Holy Spirit moves. Bishop Yambusa, who preached this past Thursday, and spoke again this past Friday, told of us of what God is doing in Africa. He thanked us for praying for his churches, assuring us that the church in Sierra Leone prays for our churches and our country daily.

          You see when I began to originally plan to write this sermon, I was thinking of the praying local church, certainly not whole praying Adirondack district, certainly not our praying United Methodist Annual Conference, certainly not the praying American Church, and definitely not the praying global church. With this said though, when we pray as a church and lift our voices to the Lord, we should know that right now churches that have hundreds of people in attendance every Sunday are raising you in prayer before the Lord. For we are worldwide church, and we are the “Praying Church.”

          When looking at our scripture reading from Isaiah 5:1-7 from this morning, which is sub-titled in my Bible, “God’s disappointing vineyard,” or “The song of the vineyard” in other bibles, the prophet Isaiah was telling the people of Israel, that they had built a beautiful vineyard, which was there country. They had built a “watchtower” or the Temple, and many other things. Yet they were not giving thanks to God, they not staying faithful to the Lord, and there were not in prayer together. As a result, the grapes that Israel planted in the vineyard would become sour wild grapes. Isaiah said that God will destroy the vineyard that Israel for their disbelief and for their lack of faith. You see the people of Israel had to choose between following God or following people and other non-Godly things. Yet they strayed from God, and they thought that they could flourish in the vineyard of this world, without God. Yet God created the world.

          In this way, of the founder of Methodism John Wesley called us to pray together, and in unity we are force to be reckoned with. Let us seek holy living together. Let us care for each other. Let us be the “Praying Church.” Let us realize that when we pray, God hears us, and when we pray together, that there is power in our prayers! That God heals, that God blesses, and that God’s power is real and abundant.

          When looking at the Gospel of Luke reading from this morning, we find tough words from Jesus. Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three, they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Jesus goes on to say in this scripture that people know what is right, and what is wrong, by comparing it to understanding the weather. If we see that’s it’s raining, then why can we not see who Jesus is?

           I think in this way then, Jesus is saying to us, will you pursue love? Will you pursue holy living? Will you pray for others? Will you pray for this church? Will you pray for the world? Will you pray for a country in West Africa, were our church is growing rapidly? Or will you serve the will of people, and not the will of God.

          For there is power in prayer, and together we are strong. Together we are not just this church, but we are the worldwide church. We are millions, and together we can do so much. If we all lift our voices to heaven together, then our faith grows, then God blesses us, then the Holy Spirit moves, then God moves us! God moves us and compels us to build churches in village in Africa where the people have nothing. Where our worldwide church collects money to put in sanitation and irrigation, where they have never had it before!

          Brothers and sisters, prayer matters, and prayer moves mountains. Imagine if you were praying with all of the millions and millions of Christians that make up worldwide church. Imagine if we were all physically together in prayer. How powerful that would be! Yet I realized during these past two weeks, that we are all on God’s wireless cell phone plan. That when we all pray, all of our voices are caught up in heaven together, and we are then one people, with one faith, who are one in Jesus Christ. That our prayers and faith compel us forward that it compels to action, that it compels us to transform the world in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

          I would like to this morning with a little bit more of the story I told you about my new United Methodist pastor friends from Sierra Leone. While these are the 4-best pastors that Bishop John Yambusa has in his whole country, my seminary and others have been raising funds so that these 4-pastors can complete their seminary education. I then learned when Bishop Yambusa spoke on Friday night, that the first theological school and seminary is slotted to open in Sierra Leone in 2016. These four top pastors, will be part of the faculty of this new school.

          You see, I met and chatted with Bishop Yambusa. He told me praise God for and your churches Paul. Then he said, when you go back to New York, tell your people what God is doing in Sierra Leone. Tell them how we are feeding the poor, educating the children, and building sustainable living for people that have nothing. For these four pastors were given laptop computers by the seminary that I attend, as they have never owned a laptop.

          Bishop Yambusa, the leader of the United Methodist Church in his whole country told us all, won’t you pray for us. He then said we are a connectional church. He said the United Methodist Church is a worldwide church. He said we all pray and struggle together. The Bishop, of a whole country, said, Paul, “won’t you tell your people to pray for us? We have so many challenges, and yet God is so good? Tell them about us, and if they feel so moved have them pray for us, and if they feel moved further to support our students, our church, and our work building the kingdom of Jesus Christ in our country, this would be a blessing.”

          Brothers and sisters, we are a praying church. A connectional church that includes countless people, all over the world. Let us praying together, and pray boldly. For when we pray together, we are truly united, and we are truly together, building the kingdom of Jesus Christ. I remember before I left school on Friday, the four pastors from Africa who call me “Paul the Apostle,” or “Paul of Tarsus,” said please pray for our churches. I then told them, I will ask all of my people to pray for you, for we are a praying church. So let us this week be united in prayer, in love, and in action. Let us then see what God can do, as his kingdom is growing like wildfire in places like Africa. Let us capture some of that fire, so that we may do the same here. For we are the “Praying Church.” Amen.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC - Sunday - 08/04/13 Sermon - “What do you pray for?” (The Praying Church Series, Part 2 of 4)

Sunday - 08/04/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “What do you pray for?”                                                                         (The Praying Church Series, Part 2 of 4)

Scripture Lesson: Hosea 11:1-11

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:13-21  

          Good morning brothers and sisters! Welcome to worship this morning in the name of the risen Christ, on this eleventh Sunday after Pentecost! Pentecost, that holiday in the church so long ago that Holy Spirit filled the followers of Christ, and emboldened them to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

          Last Sunday, while I was I was on an amazing Walk to Emmaus spiritual retreat weekend, we began a 4-part sermon series on prayer. Last week we dove into the topic of the “Lord’s Prayer.” This of course is the prayer that Jesus taught the Apostles. As we heard in the Gospel reading from the Gospel of Luke 11:1-2a from last Sunday it says “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:,” and of course well all know the rest. Now if Jesus specially gave us a prayer, and if He said, “When you pray, say:,” then were going to do it. In fact, were going to do it every Sunday.

          While we all know that this is a timeless prayer, and it is a prayer that has been recited for nearly 2,000 years, the focus of today’s message though, is “What do you pray for?” Next week, Arnold Stevens is going to preach about “When do you pray?” The series will then conclude with a message about the entirety of the Christian Church praying as a family.

          You know for me, I think that for many of us we pray out the ritual of the prayer sometimes. For many of us, and I know that I have been guilty of this, we say the Lord’s Prayer for example, and never really meditate on it. Many times, we just say it. This could lead us to think different things about prayer. Do we pray just because we are commanded to? Do we pray just to make ourselves feel better? Or do will literally believe that there is power in prayer? Do we really believe that we are a people of “Signs, wonders, and miracles?” I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that when we pray, God hears us, and that He responds to us, even if it is not the response that we want, or when we want it.

In doing a search on www.biblegateway.com, which has the Bible in various translations, I did a search on prayer. I found 187-scriptures references from the Bible on prayer. You may have heard a few of these last Sunday, but hear are just a few of them. In the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus said in reference to money changers at the temple, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” The church is house a prayer. A house where we speak to God, and a house where we call upon the power and the Spirit of the living God. Brothers and sisters, this is a house of prayer.

In the Gospel of Luke 6:12, it says speaking if Jesus, “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord of all things, prayed heavily, prayed deeply, and sometimes prayed all night long. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, it says in 12:5 “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” The church was in prayer for the Apostle Peter, as we are in prayer for those who suffer. How often do you pray for those who suffer? How often when you tell someone, “I will pray for you do you?” Do you really believe in the power of prayer? Do you really believe that God has power through prayer? I know that I do.

The Apostle Paul said Romans 15:30, speaking to the church in Rome “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me.” Prayer, all throughout the Bible, we are called to prayer. We are called to prayer by Jesus Christ, by the prophets, and by many others. Let me give just one more scripture reference on prayer. The Apostle Paul in letter to the Church in Collosae or the Colossians, said in Colossians 4:2, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” You see my brothers and sisters we are called to pray without ceasing, to persist in prayer, to speak with God until we get an answer. To in fact, be “vigilant” in prayer, to “P.U.S.H., or Pray Until Something Happens.”

Many of know that famous Janis Joplin song, “Mercedes Benz.” Some of what the song says is, “Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?” How many people here have asked our great God for a “Mercedez Benz?” I have to admit that when I woke up yesterday, I felt incredibly over-whelmed. Melissa and I are preparing to move as you all know, I am about the leave for school for 2-weeks this afternoon, I am still a full-time tutor, and we will soon need to put our house in Moravia, NY on the market. It was one of those moments when I woke up, and I prayed “Oh Lord, can’t I just sleep today?” Once I got up and drank my “Glory juice,” also known as Coffee, I thought about how blessed I am to be in school, and how blessed I am to be serving in the capacities I am. Sure I was overwhelmed, but I began praying for others, I began praying for those on our prayer list who are sick, and I began praying for those who are suffering. I quickly felt a calm and peace come over me. You see, while it is ok that we pray for ourselves sometimes, how often is that the core of our prayers? How often do we say prayer for the church, for its people, for peace, for the world? How often do we simply pray to God, and thank Him for his love, His grace, and His mercy?

In the reading from the book of the prophet of Hosea from this morning it says speaking of Israel, “My people are bent on turning away from me. To the most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.” How can we defy God, and then pray for blessing, pray for safety? Do we really think that we can do deny God, and then pray to Him, like nothing happened? God wants our sincerity, our devotion, and our very hearts. In the language that Jesus spoke, Aramaic, there is a word that is used in some Bible translations called “Abba.” This word literally translates to “father” or “daddy.” When we pray to our “daddy” it sort of changes things doesn’t it? It makes us want to go before the Lord with repentant hearts, and be cleansed of our sins. After doing so, we are then more opened up to pray for all things. While God will hear us no matter what, we should strive to pray humbly and in an attitude of repentance before the Lord.

In the Gospel according to Luke 12:13-21 from this morning it says, “Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Jesus then went to tell them the parable of the rich man. In this parable a rich man tore down his barns or store houses, and built massive ones to store his grains and his goods. The rich man then amassed enough food, goods, and wealth to live in comfort and leisure for the rest of his life. God then came to him and said, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward?” “Or Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?” Do we pray for wealth, for riches, for possessions, or do we pray for healing, for peace, for God’s will, for faith, for love, for mercy? “What do you pray for?”

When we pray, we can say the Lord’s Prayer, or we can say anything really. This past weekend I gave a sermon type message to about 50-men. I asked one of the men to pray for my talk before I started, and he said, “I can’t, I don’t have the words to pray right.” Brothers and sisters, there are no perfect words, as God knows our heart. Speak to God as your “Abba,” your “daddy.” Talk to God openly, honestly, compassionately, and with taking others and this whole world in mind. On this past Walk to Emmaus weekend retreat, a brother in Christ, said to me, “Pastor Paul my back has hurt me for years.” I then said to him, “Can we as group of believers pray for you?” He said, “Yes, that would be great!” We as a group then prayed for him, and his head was anointed with oil, as it says in the books of Acts. Shortly after, and for the rest of that weekend, he reported that his back has felt better than it has for years? “What do you pray for?” Do you believe in the power of prayer?

I would like to close this message this morning, with some funny prayers. Let me start first with the “Retiree’s Prayer.” Here it is: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my shape to keep. Please no wrinkles please no bags and please lift my backside before it sags. Please no age spots please no gray and as for my belly, please take it away. Please keep me healthy please keep me young, and thank you Dear Lord for all that you've done. Amen.” Here is the “Drinker’s Prayer.” “Our lager, which art in barrels, hallowed be thy drink. Thy will be drunk, I will be drunk, at home as it is in the tavern. Give us this day our foamy head, and forgive us our spillages, as we forgive those who spill against us. And lead us not to incarceration, but deliver us from hangovers. For thine is the beer, the bitter, the lager. Amen.” This one is called “Baby Brother.” It says, "Dear God, thank You for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy." This one is called “Hard to Love.” Here is how it goes, "Dear God, it must be super hard to love all the people in the world, especially my brother. I don't know how you do it." Let me give you one more. This one is called “How Old Are You?” Here is what it says, "Dear God, my Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go?”

Brothers and sisters, “What do you pray for?” Do you pray just for yourself? Do you pray just when you’re in a jam? Or do you pray for others? Do realize that praying is something we all can do? That we can just pray to our Abba, our “daddy,” our Heavenly Father, at any time? Brothers and sisters, this week and always be in prayer, for there is power in prayer. Amen.

         

          

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

Sunday - 07/21/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Martha’s Lesson”

Scripture Lesson: Amos 8:1-12

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:38-42

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday - 07/14/13 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Could it be any easier?”

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 82

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 10:25-37

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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