Sidney UMC - UMC Scouting Sunday/5th Sunday after the Epiphany - 02/09/2020 - Sermon - “Scouting: Being Salt and Light”

Sunday 02/09/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “Scouting: Being Salt and Light”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10

                                           

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:13-20

          Welcome once again on this our Scouting Sunday, and this our Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Five Sunday after the Wise Men came to Jesus one way and left changed forever.

          Many churches over the years, used to have both a Girl Scout Sunday and Cub/Boy Scout Sunday. Many churches in recent years however, have gone to having just a Scouting Sunday. On this Sunday therefore, in addition to our normal worship this morning, this service is in part designed to honor our Girl Scouts and our Cub/Boy Scouts. So again, to all Girl Scouts, former Girl Scouts, Girl Scout leaders past and present, Cub Scouts, former Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, former Boy Scouts, and scout leaders past and present, on behalf of the church, we say welcome! It’s great to have you in worship with us this morning.

          To get right into it, in our reading once again from Psalm 112 for this morning, we are told that it is good to follow and to serve God. It is good to let God lead us. It is good to want to be like God.

          In our reading for this morning, once again, from the Apostle Paul’s first Epistle or letter to the church in Corinth, or the Corinthians, Paul tells us to focus on Christ. We should preach Christ crucified Paul says, focus on Christ, and:

“have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16b, NRSV). Love Jesus and be like Jesus.

          So, a scriptural theme in our lectionary scriptures for this morning is to know God, to follow God, to know Christ, to trust Christ, to preach Christ, and to grow in faith in Christ.

          This leads me to our gospel lesson for this morning, which once again is Jesus speaking right after he has given the Sermon on the Mount, or what we would commonly call the “Beatitudes”. After giving this sermon, these “Beatitudes,” Jesus challenges us further to be salt and light. This is where I got my sermon title for this morning, “Scouting: Being Salt and Light”.

          In having been a pastor for eight years now, and in having served five churches, I have seen various Scouting Sundays. It is always a joy for me to honor our young men and women in scouting, and their leaders.

Some might ask, well why is scouting so important? Do we really need Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts? I would argue yes, we do! Well why?

          Here is the simple answer, when we look at the teachings of the Bible and the Christian Church, there is an undeniable overlap with scouting. The morals and the values that we have as Christians, are so intertwined with scouts. In scouts, our young men and women learn how to become exceptional men and women. They learn values, morals, right from wrong, and as a result, is it any shock that often we find Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts operating in church buildings?

          Our Unison Prayer for this morning, includes all the elements of the Boy Scout Law. What are these again:

A Scout is:

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent (http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsoathlaw.asp).

Now when I read the Scout Law, I see in it so much of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus coincide so much with that of scouting.

In our call to worship for this morning, we have a Christian Prayer, taken right from the Girl Scout website. You see, these kids and these adults that are working with these kids, are learning and teaching so much of what I teach here every Sunday morning.

So again, to our scouts and to our scout leaders, we are proud of you as a church, we honor the work you are doing, and as a church, we want to help you grow in your faith in Christ and in scouting.

Also, as a side note, I really really like Girl Scout cookies. Melissa and I have bought a fair amount of them this year, and I think at this point I am “cut off” from buying any more. I also like the Cub Scout Popcorn to. The real question is this though, what is better, Girl Scout Cookies or Cub Scout Popcorn? I know I have an opinion on this!

So, every year, many churches like this one take time honor all those in scouting, and all those who lead or have lead in scouting.

In looking more closely at our gospel lesson for this morning once again, we have our reading from Matthew 5:13-20, where once again, I get my sermon title for this morning. Once again, Jesus says in this gospel lesson:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:13-16, NRSV).

     Salt has long been something that we have used as a preserver, something to dry meet, and something used to add flavor. Salt is pure, simple, and it adds much our lives and our very survival. In the same way, light is the thing that removes darkness. When we are pure like salt and shine the light of our love, then we are making the world better.

     Jesus tells us to be salt and light. He tells us to be pure and to shine the love and the hope that gives us in the world. Scouting in so many ways teaches our kids many of the same things. Love God, be good and loving people, and show the love of Christ and caring to the world.

Jesus concludes our gospel reading from Matthew for this morning, saying:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 17-20, NRSV).

     Be salt and light, or to say it another way, be the things that this world is lacking. We as Christians and as scouts change the world, because we have been changed, equipped, and bettered, and God will use us to change Sidney and the world.

In closing, to help drive home even further the significance of Girl Scouts, Cub Scout and Boy Scouts to our society and our world, I want to read a couple of things to you. First, I want to read to you a list of famous Girl Scouts, to show you the significance of Girl Scouts. Now there are so many, I am just going to pick two categories. The first category that I will read is former Girl Scouts in business. Here they are:

Bellamy, Carol - Executive Director, UNICEF
Betanzos, Amalia - President/CEO, Wildcat Service Corp
Biggins, Veronica - Vice President, C&S Bank Corp
Chavez-Thompson, Linda - Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
d'Harnoncourt, Annie - Director, CEO, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Diaz Dennis, Patricia - VP, Gov't Affairs, Sprint, Former FCC Comm
Dole, Elizabeth - Former President, American Red Cross
Falk, Susan - President, Express (clothing retailer)
Fernandez, Lillian - Former Director, Int'l Affairs, Pfizer, Inc
Fields, Debbi - Mrs. Fields Cookies Founder
Heifer, Ricki Tigert - Former Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Juliber, Lois - President, Colgate Palmolive
Katen, Karen - Vice President, Pfizer
Marram, Ellen - Former President, Tropicana
Newkerk, Deborah - President, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi
Roddick, Anita - Founder of The Body Shop
Yardis, Pam - President, Nat'l Organization of Mgmt. Consultants (https://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/en/our-council/famous-formers.html)

          A second category that I picked is former Girl Scouts in the performing arts. Remember these are just some. Here is the list:

Anderson, Melissa Sue - Actress (Little House on the Prairie)
Anderson, Marion- Singer
Arroyo, Martina - Soproano
Ball, Lucille - Comedienne
Bergen, Candace - Actress (Murphy Brown and Boston Legal)
Bergen, Polly - Actress
Black, Shirley Temple - Actress and US Ambassador                                     Breslin, Abigail - Actress                                                                                     Carey, Mariah - Singer                                                                                         Carlisle, Kitty - Actress                                                                                         Carter, Lynda - Actress (Wonder Woman)                                                       Cass, Peggy - Actress                                                                                           Chafee, Susy - Entertainer                                                                                 Crow, Sheryl - Singer-Songwriter                                                                     Danner, Blythe - Actress                                                                                     Davis, Bette - Actress                                                                                           Dee, Sandra - Actress                                                                                         Dion, Celine - Singer                                                                                           Fanning, Dakota - Actress                                                                                   Fisher, Carrie - Actress, Author (Star Wars trilogy)                                         George, Phyllis - Actress                                                                                     Hayes, Helen - Actress                                                                                       Holm, Celeste - Actress                                                                                       Kain, Karen - Prima ballerina                                                                             Kelly, Grace - Actress                                                                                         Lamour, Dorothy - Actress                                                                                 Lewis, Shari - Puppeteer                                                                                     Lucci, Susan - Actress (All my Children)                                                           Merchant, Natalie - Singer                                                                               Norman, Jessye - Opera Singer                                                                         Paltrow, Gwyneth - Actress, Singer, Author                                                     Reynolds, Debbie - Actress                                                                                 Rivera, Chita - Actress                                                                                         Shore, Dinah - Actress                                                                                         Star, Brenda - Singer                                                                                           Stewart, Martha - TV Personality; Martha Stewart Living                             Swift, Taylor - Singer-Songwriter and Actress                                               Thomas, Marlo - Actress                                                                                     Tiegs, Cheryl - Model                                                                                           Turner, Kathleen - Actress (Romancing the Stone, War of the Roses…)  

Tyler Moore, Mary - Actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show)            

Warwick, Dionne – Singer                                      (https://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/en/our-council/famous-formers.html)

          So, does Girl Scouting make a difference? Absolutely!

          Now let me read to you some statistics on Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. These are taken from: (http://therealtroop555.com/ScoutmasterMinutes/Scouting%20Statistics.pdf.) These are a little outdated, but this is what it says:

“For every 100 boys that enter scouts: 30 will drop out the first year. Only rarely will one appear before a juvenile court judge. 12 will be from families that belong to no church, 6 of these will be brought into contact with a church and continue. 3 will become pastors, 4 scouts will reach the rank of Eagle Scout. 45 will serve in the Military. 1 person will use scout skills to save somebody else’s live. 2 will report that they used scout skills to save their own lives. 17 will later serve as adult volunteers 8 will find their future life vocations from scouting 5 will receive church emblems. …. Only 4 out of 100 boys in the USA will become scouts but of the leaders of this nation in business, religion and politics, 3 out of 4 were scouts”.

“Only 4 percent of our nation’s youth were scouts, yet 65% of all college and university graduates were scouts. 26 of 29 of the first Astronauts in NASA’s program were Eagle scouts, and 133 of the 233 Astronauts were scouts at one time. A Nationwide survey showed that: Of Senior Class Presidents 89% were scouts. Of Junior Class Presidents 80% were scouts. Student Council Presidents 85% were scouts. School newspaper editors 88% were scouts. Football Captains 71% were scouts. Basketball captains 64% were scouts. 64% of Air Force Academy graduates were scouts 58% West Point Graduates were scouts. 70% of Annapolis graduates were scouts. 72% Rhodes Scholars were scouts. 85% of FBI Agents were scouts at one time. So, 4 out of 100, make Eagle Scout”.

“So what about the other 94 or 92 scouts who didn’t make it to Eagle. Is it just wasted time? The scouts have “Aims and Methods”. Things found in the Scout Oath and Law, the Patrol Method, Outdoors training, Personal growth, Leadership and So on. Advancement is certainly one of these, but only one. Just being part of the program gives the opportunity to “better and belong”. Sure we know some famous Eagle Scouts like Sam Walton, James Lovell, Hank Aaron, Gerald Ford, John Glenn Ross Perot and Steven Spielberg. But how about some “Not-Quite-Eagles” like John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Stewart, Harrison Ford, Merlin Olson, Richard Gere, Nolan Ryan, Jim Morrison, Joe Theisman, Bill Gates and not-quite British Scout’s Queen’s Scout – Paul McCartney. The list goes on and on. Scouting makes a difference!”

Friends, brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ, our savior, is the light of the world, and he has called us all to be “Salt and Light”. I support scouting, and I support it being in this church, because I believe that it helps our young men and women to learn to be “Salt and Light”. Today we salute all those who were are part of scouting. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 4th Sunday after the Epiphany - 02/02/2020 - Sermon - “God's weakness is stronger than human strength”

Sunday 02/02/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “God’s weakness is stronger than human strength”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 15

                                           

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:1-12

          Welcome once again on this the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. Four Sundays after the Wisemen came to Jesus one way and left changed forever.

          Last week, we talked about, in part, our reading from the Apostle Paul’s first Epistle or letter to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 from last week, the Apostle Paul once again told us that in the church that we should have “No Division Among You”. He was saying that we should follow Christ, and not follow people. Instead of following a person or a leader, we should follow Christ.

          Our reading from 1 Corinthians 1 picks up this week, right where our reading left off from last week. Once again, our reading from 1 Corinthians last week was 1:10-18. This Sunday once again our reading is 1 Corinthians 18-31. It’s interesting that two weeks in arrow we are given 1:18.

          Once again 1 Corinthians 1:18 says:

“For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18, NRSV).

          It’s interesting that we get this verse, as I said, two weeks in a row. I think what the Apostle Paul is saying hear, is if you are not a Christian, our beliefs might seem odd. Why do we believe that God sent his son to earth to die for us? Why would God require such a human sacrifice?

          The answer comes down to the historic Christian world view, that we are fallen people. We’re not awful, but we are prone to sin. By ourselves, we cannot be without sin. As a result, God chose to redeem us and forgive us through his Son’s shed blood on the cross.

          It can be the tendency of a local church, or the broader church, to use human reason over Christ. We can decide that certain people are better than other people, or we could be divided over something else. When we focus on Christ though, the church, as I said last Sunday will be strong, united, and will flourish. We exist as church because of Jesus. We exist as church to bring people to Jesus, and we exist as church to equip people to serve Sidney and the world in the name of Jesus.

          In our reading from Psalm 15 for this morning, once again, the Psalmists tells us those who dwell with God will be blameless, innocent, and will speak the truth (Ps. 15, NRSV).

          In our continued reading from 1 Corinthians for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us in 1:25 that “God’s weakness is stronger that human strength” (1 Cor. 1:25b, NRSV).

          Now, I don’t think that the Bible or the Apostle Paul is opposed to knowledge, learning, or wisdom. I do think though that what the Apostle Paul is saying here is that if you are using persuasion or human wisdom to denounce Christ, then you are manipulating who Jesus is. We can all find scholarly and very smart people that could tell us why Jesus isn’t Lord and why we shouldn’t follow Him. Yet, this doesn’t mean that those people are right. The Apostle Paul is telling us to be weary of people that will try to destroy our faith in Christ. People that want lead us away from God, and often for their own advantage. In fact, the Apostle Paul picks up for this morning once again, beginning with quoting the Prophet Isaiah 29:14. This is once again what the Apostle Paul writes in our reading for this morning:

          “For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor. 1:19-25, NRSV).

          If Christ is Lord, if he was the fullness of God and human on this earth, then he is the zenith or the top of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. There will be those however, who will attempt to pick Christ apart, or to tear him down, or to change him into what they want him to be. The Apostle Paul is telling us, I think, that learning, and wisdom aren’t bad, but that Christ is our standard. When we get puffed up and think we know everything, we know in that very moment a fraction of what God knows.

          Once again, the Apostle Paul says,

For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor. 1:25, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul then completes this reading from 1 Corinthians for this morning saying to us once again:

^“Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:26-31, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is saying to the Christians in the church in Corinth, or the Corinthians, that many of them were everyday people like us. Paul says, most of the church in Corinth were not people of vast education, great power, or people born to highest and most noble families. Paul says though, none of this matters to God. You are saved and restored through Jesus Christ, and nothing on this earth can take that from you.

          In fact, the Apostle Paul says to the church in Corinth that God called many of the people in the church, not because they were great by earthly standards, but instead because they were the opposite. Paul says that, God chose the foolish, to shame the wise, and chose the weak to shame the strong. God has called those who are nothing and has given them everything in Jesus Christ.

          The Apostle Paul tells us that God is our source of life in Jesus Christ. May we be humble, righteous, and loving. If we do boast, may we boast only in Jesus Christ.

          The fascinating thing to me is this, we live in the most technologically advanced time in human history. We can get information in an instant. We can call with video chat anywhere in the world in an instant. We have medical technology and other great things that have made our lives in some ways vastly easier than ever before. If we have all these however, then why is the world still so broken? Why is there so much suffering? Why is there so much sin and darkness?

          Well some would say that as humans alone we can fix everything. They would say, we don’t need God or Jesus, we alone can do this. Yet, how has our track record been as humans in recent years? The point is this, I put my trust in Christ to lead me, and I know that if I try to lead myself, well that just won’t work out to well. I put my trust in Christ, as he is my hope and my savior.

          I also am a learner, a reader, but I will never be convinced that humanity on its own, left to its own devices, will be able to fix everything broken and wrong in this world and in us. This has been tried in the secular Soviet Union or Communist Russia. You see, we need God. We need a savior. We have a savior, named Jesus Christ.

          Knowledge and learning are good but let us not get so big headed that we begin to think that we know more than God, who created us. I have been blessed to have been able to attend college and seminary school a combined total of 9-years. I have all sorts of pieces of paper and awards, but all that pales in comparison to Christ.

          My late Grandpa Winkelman went through 8^th-grade. He was a farmer in Northern Illinois and grew up during the Great Depression. After eighth grade, he quit school and came to work on the farm. He was one of smartest, hardest working, and best Christian men I have ever met in my life. If I ever got “to big for my britches” as he might say, I am certain he would come down from heaven and straighten me out.

          The point is, is that I was given educational opportunities that my family didn’t have a couple of generations ago. Yet, Jesus is still Lord, and I still humbly serve him. Any knowledge, wisdom, or education I have then is not to be smarter than God or anyone else, it is instead to help love and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ. After completing four years of seminary studies, do you know what I have learned? I have learned that Jesus is still Lord, and I still do my best to humbly serve him.

          This morning, as you all heard, we are given in our gospel reading from Matthew, the “Beatitudes,” or what we commonly call “The Sermon on the Mount,”. In fact, I went to the historic site of “The Sermon on the Mount,” when I was in the Holy Land 6-years ago. While there, I saw the place that the church believes where “The Sermon on the Mount” was preached by Jesus.

          What Jesus is saying in his Beatitudes, is to be like him. The idea that “God’s weakness is stronger than human strength,” is a theme in this morning’s gospel lesson. Anything we are, anything that we have, is because of God. Sure, we maybe do or did work hard to have what we have, but who gave us the drive, the gifts, and the talent that we have. We are who we are, because God has given us everything through Him, and through those who love us.

          Once again, our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning says:

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mt. 5:1-12, NRSV)

          There’s a whole lot here. I think Jesus is reminding us, as smart, and as great as we might think we are, that God is greater. God is greater than us, and greater than everything. It is when we begin to think that we are greater than God, or smarter than God, this is when we lose are way. Further, our greatest strength, our greatest gift, according to the Apostle Paul this morning, is God’s greatest weakness. God is so much bigger, stronger, and mightier, than we will ever be.

          We might think we are indeed great and strong, but only through God in Jesus Chris can it be so. May we be humble. If we have achieved various measures of earthly success, let us remember who we, and who’s we are. Let us serve Christ and others and realize that we are his servants. May we move the focus from us, to Him, for he is the object of our worship, our love, and our hope.

           One of the things that always makes me chuckle, is when I am leading a Bible Study or some other small group type of ministry. I sometimes offer anyone who is there to open or close us with a prayer. Usually when I do this, it’s dead silent. I remember I asked once, don’t any of you want to pray. An older woman in one of the churches that I used to serve then said in the Bible Study that I was leading, “Pastor Paul, you should pray it sounds nicer when you pray”. So, I asked in response, “What do you mean?” She then said, “Well Pastor Paul when you pray you say the right words and do it such a way that I think God likes it more than our prayers”. I then asked, “So God likes my prayer more than yours?” She then said, “Well yes”. I paused for a second and looked around the whole room at the Bible Study and said, “Nothing that I have learned or that I can ever say to God will ever be any better than anything that you can say to God”.

          Friends we are all equals before God in Jesus Christ. Let us remember that “God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” Amen.

Sidney UMC - 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/26/2020 - Sermon - “No Divisions Among You”

Sunday 01/26/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:             “No Divisions Among You”

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-4

                                           

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 4:12-23

          Friends, brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. Three Sundays after the Wise Men or Magi visited Jesus. They came one way but left changed forever.

          So, I heard this funny story a few years back. I can’t remember exactly where this story came from, but it was a story about a sports coach. I think the coach was a basketball coach. This coach had a team of middle school boys, and these boys had just beaten their archrival that they had continually lost to for years. The victory was a major upset. The coach was so proud of these young boys, how they played, and that they showed good sportsmanship.

          At the last practice prior to this big game and this big victory, the coach told the team that if they won the game, that he would take them all out to eat anywhere they wanted for dinner. The basketball game ended at about 4:00 pm, and the coach had everything worked out with the parents and the kids to go to dinner.

          What the coach did after the victory in the locker room, was give the boys 10-minutes after the game to discuss and to decide where they wanted to go and eat. The coach asked them to vote on it and come to a consensus on where they were going to go to eat.

          So, ten-minutes went bye, the coach had left the locker room, and when he returned, the students were going to tell him where they were going to eat.

          As it turns out, when the coach came back, the boys were arguing, and no consensus was reached. After the coach tried to get the boys to vote right then, there was still no consensus. As a result, the coach lost his cool, he raised his voice, and he said, “I have just decided, where we are going to eat!” The locker quieted down, and the boys got on the bus with the coach and headed to restaurant. It was pretty quiet on this bus ride. Everyone went to dinner, and then the parents picked up their kids and brought them home.

          The reason that I find this funny, is because the coach was fair, he asked for a voted upon democratic consensus, and it did not work. The big take away for me here, is that just because we are handed all the power in the world, doesn’t mean we will do well with it. Can we work together? Can we play well with others?

          When Moses went up the mountain to receive the 10-Commandments in the Book of Exodus, for example, he left his brother Aaron in charge. While Moses was gone, Aaron allowed the Jewish people to worship a golden calf and to party wildly. I also think of the Tower of Babel story, when the people attempted to build a tower to God. Unsuccessfully of course.

          Perhaps the basketball coach in the story that I just told you, should have put more parameters on his students around picking a place to go to dinner. The coach’s very fair and easy to follow plan was a disaster.

          As humans, when we are left to own devices and not given enough direction, we often don’t have a good track record. We know what to do, and what we have been asked to do, but sometimes we just don’t do it. Are there rules? Or can we just do whatever we want?

          In our reading from this morning from 1 Corinthians once again, the Apostle Paul in part is telling the church in Corinth to continue to teach and live the faith he taught them through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said that he wanted unity. Nothing is worse for a church than division and disunity. Being divided and not loving each other, and not being united can really harm a church. We are called to love and cherish all people.

          Our unity is not only in relationships though. Our unity is centrally first and foremost in Christ. We here a little bit of this reality once again in our reading for this morning from the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-4. Once again, this scripture says:

“But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian”                (Isa. 9:1-4, NRSV).

          In this scripture predicting the coming of Jesus, we hear of the love and the unity of Christ. We hear that darkness will give way to light, that joy will increase, and that the love and unity of Christ will prevail.

          Getting back to our reading for this morning from 1 Corinthians once again, the Apostle Paul tells the church on Corinth, that we are to have “No divisions among you.” We are supposed to get along, be united, and work together as a church.

          Part the of the one-year leadership training that I have been participating in at our Upper New York Annual Conference Center, is designed to help us pastors grow in leadership and to grow our churches in discipleship. Specifically, create a unified mission in our churches, raise up leaders in our churches, and develop more flourishing ministries that will grow and develop the church. This in turn will help the people of the church better serve and transform Sidney and the world. What I have been thinking about for this church, is that we exist to “Connect people to Christ, to Equip them for service, and to send them forth to serve Sidney and the world”. In order to fulfill the mission of this church, it is important to have “No divisions among you.”

          Now this morning, I don’t think that the Apostle Paul is talking about political parties, or personal preferences, instead he is talking about why the church exists. He is talking about the church teaches and believes. In looking at our scripture from 1 Corinthians once again for this morning, it says:

“Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”                       (1 Cor. 1:10-18, NRSV).

          So, the Apostle Paul encourages us to be in agreement with one another. We don’t have to be in agreement about political parties, sports teams, our favorite food, and etc. We are to be in agreement though and of the same mind about the purpose of our faith and the mission of the church.

          What the Apostle Paul cites this morning is that some people in the church of Corinth, are not following Christ directly. Instead they are following Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or Christ. The Apostle Paul then asks the people of the church in Corinth if Christ has been divided. Paul asked if it was Jesus who was crucified for them, or was it Paul? The Apostle Paul said that in Corinth he only baptized Crispus and Gaius, and the household of Stephanas, and that he didn’t baptize them in his name. The Apostle Paul said that he was called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was called with God’s help to bring people to Christ. He wasn’t called to bring people to him, or to another church leader, but to Christ.

          The center of our Christian faith our church, and the mission of our church, is Jesus Christ. The primary calling of our church is to mission to make “disciples of Jesus Christ”. We are called in various ways to lead people to Christ, and then equip them to transform Sidney and the world. We are not just getting people to accept Christ and stopping there, but we believe that powerful transformation is possible through Christ.

          We are then to be united in Christ. We don’t need to agree on everything, but we should agree on being in Christ. Christ is our Lord, our redeemer, and our savior. The church, the core of the Christian faith, has for two-thousand years revolved around that central truth. Do we know Jesus? Do we love him? Do we live for him and others? A new life in Christ is what we as a church are called to lead people into. People that need hope, who need newness of life, and who need to be made whole. When people are then freed from sin and guilt, they can boldly transform the world. This is what I believe that the Apostle Paul meant this morning when he said to have “No divisions among you.”

          For me, I want to be in a church that profess Jesus as Lord, and that lives this out in radical and powerful ways. A church that loves and treasures all people and professes Christ.

          In looking at our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning once again, Jesus, like last Sunday’s gospel reading, calls his first disciples. Let look once again at our gospel of Matthew reading. It says:

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people”                         (Mt. 4:12-23, NRSV)

          The first thing here, is that Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist has been arrested and will ultimately be beheaded. When you are preaching holiness and repentance, some people just don’t like to hear that!

          The gospel then says that Jesus withdrew to Galilee and “made his home in Capernaum by the seas.” We are told that Jesus did this to fulfill what we read for this morning from the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-4.

          After connecting this gospel reading to our reading from the Prophet Isaiah for this morning, we are told that Jesus began preaching repentance. Essentially, Jesus is telling people repent, to turn to God, and that kingdom of heaven has come near. Jesus then calls Peter and Andrew to be his disciples. Jesus tells Peter and Andrew that he will make them fishers of men.

          Jesus then calls James and John, and with these four, Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the Jewish Synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Lastly, we are told that Jesus cured every disease and sickness among the people.

          What Jesus taught, who he was and is, is the center of the mission of the church. We exist to bring people to Christ, so that they might be transformed, and then transform Sidney and the world. To best of our abilities then, we can be accomplish all of this, when we have “No divisions among you.”

          Friends, we will never have all of the same opinions on everything, but we will all always have the same Jesus. May there be “No divisions among you.” Amen.