JOY OF SHARING

Sermon Summary, 7/8/18, “Joy of Sharing!” (Mt 28:18-20; Phil 2:12-13,17; 3:12-14)

I slept in an extra hour on Tuesday.  I had a dream that set up this whole sermon.  I had gotten to church early and there were people everywhere.  I had forgotten that I had invited a young preacher, highly successful preacher, to come and run the worship.  There were kids, bands, music of all kinds.  This young preacher is a friend who loves to share his faith—everywhere with everyone.  .  What he is doing is not a dream.  In a year, he’s tripled his attendance.  He baptized eight in the Missouri River near Glasgow.  In May, he asked everyone in his congregation to invite someone to the next worship.  His granddaughter even invited her school librarian.  It was an awesome turnout.

Paul’s small churches and the letters of the New Testament by Paul, Peter, James and others were essential to the faith.  The churches were no bigger than ours but formed the foundation for the Church Universal, the Body of Christ in that world.  The letters were Paul, Peter, others sharing their faith with them, joyfully sharing.  And these churches joyfully shared because they truly believed that people needed Jesus.

Adam Hamilton says that before we can freely, joyfully share our faith says we have to have the answers to three questions:

1) Why do people need Jesus?  Hamilton  says that the biggest prob-lems of the world are spiritual.  People need Jesus because he is the answer to the deepest longings of the human heart.  If you believed that, really believed that, wouldn’t be a joy to share Jesus?

2) Why do the people need the Church?  The heart of it is that It’s God’s plan for the world.  Without the church to convey Jesus to the world, there is no salvation for you or for humanity.  The world needs the Church.  We are better together.  We need one another, we need one another’s gifts.  The Church as an institution has done more good in the world than any other.  Society needs the Church.  If you believe this, really believe this, you will want people to be part of the Church.  You will share it.

3) The last question is Why do people need this particular church, Prairie Chapel?  We are United Methodists, the people of the middle way. We are authentic, grace-filled, welcoming, sharing.  Prairie Chapel is a place where people can make friends. 

I’ve shared this before, but it remains vital to our joy.  You don’t have to be an evangelist, you don’t have to be a theologian to share your faith, to invite others to church.  You just have to be able to say, “I go to church.  Church is important to me.  Church makes a difference in my life.  Won’t you join me this Sunday?”  Joyfully.  Amen.

JOY OF SERVING

Sermon Summary, 6/17/18, “Joy of Serving!” (Phil 2:1-5; Mt 11:28-30)

So, this engineer dies and goes to hell.  Unhappy with the facilities, the engineer installs air conditioning, a good deal in hell, then elevators to take the sweat out of stairs, even microwaves to replace hot ovens.  Satan is elated.  One day God calls, “Satan, God here, how is it going?”  “Great, we’ve got an engineer here that is just fantastic.  There seems to be no end of his creativity.”  God says, “An engineer?  Satan, that’s a mistake.  Send him back.”  “No way, I like having an engineer on the staff.”  God says, “Send him back Satan or I’ll sue.”  Satan cackles, “and really God, just where do you think you’ll get a lawyer?”

In real life, I experienced engineering managers who would never let you get a word in edgewise.  There was no consideration for the other.  Then there were two lawyers, young women, mothers, that each worked half time but together they comprised one of the best full time lawyers ever.  To be that effective, it required them to always be thinking about the other.  Even in the secular world, consideration of the other makes all the difference.  Together, they were a joyful pair.

The opposite we can best describe as “selfishness.”  We’ve seen it.  In ourselves.  In others.  We’ve seen it in broken and failed relationships.  Selfishness.  “I deserve it,” a prelude to infidelity, broken hearts, greed.  “It’s all about me.”  Tim Keller recently posted, “If each spouse says to the other, “I will treat my selfishness as the main problem in the marriage,” you have the prospect for great things.” Our task is to control our selfishness, and we will then have the prospect for great things!

So how was it that Jesus best described himself?  “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Best described as unselfish, selfless, and his mission? You.  You are his other.  And his selflessness would take him all the way to the cross for you.

Then Paul, emphasizing the other says, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.  (Phil 2:3-5)  Others, others.  “Let my joy be complete,” have regard for others.

Let me draw three circles for you, three circles of others: those you can touch, those you can see, those you can hear.  Touch, your families, close friends, those you care for; provide for their well-being, peace, joy, the others you touch.  Those you can see, your church, your communities; make them places where others can flourish.  We find joy in their growth.  Then, those we can hear.  God said to Moses, “I have heard my people cry and I send you.”  See where God is working in the world and join in.  Provide well-being, joy for those you hear.  Amen.

JOY OF LIVING

Sermon Summary, 6/17/18, “”Joy of Living!” (Phil 1:6; 9-11)

Joy! We are in the midst of a sermon series on joy!  I remember growing up, I wanted a Lionel train.  I would make me happy.  Then a Red Ryder BB gun.  It would make me happy.  Then a Winchester .22.  It would make me happy.  But they didn’t and they don’t.

When we get bigger, our toys get bigger.  Then it’s our spouse and family.  We need to be careful don’t we?  If we base our joy on our children, they will disappoint us; and, God forbid, if we lose them, it can destroy us.  I put way too much dependence on my joy in my granddaughter.  I have no idea what would happen.  I just don’t.  What then must be the source of our joy? 

Our series is based on Paul’s letter to the Philippians, written from prison, but a letter of joy, non-the-less.  “I give thanks every time I remember you, constantly praying for you with joy!”  Be grateful, be joyful, be positive.

Laugh again.  A man walks into a lawyers office and asks, “How much do you charge?”  “A $1000 for three questions.”  “That’s awefully expensive isn’t it?”  “Yes, what is your third question?”  Laugh again.

Be positive.  We are going to focus on a positive attitude.  A negative attitude says I need things to be happy.  A positive mindset says I need virtually nothing tangible to be joyful.  A negative attitude says I need others around me to be happy.  A positive attitude says I have the ability to create my own joy.  A negative attitude ways joy is always out there, always in the future.  A positive attitude says I can choose my joy now.  No need to wait for my ship to come in.  Positive attitude!

Our happiness, our joy depends on the set of our sails.  (“It is the set of the sails and not the gales that determines the way we go.”—from Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

Paul had set his sails on Rome, the center of that day’s world.  He made it through shipwreck and hardship and then was forgotten for two years in jail.  But when he wrote to the Philippians he wrote with joy and with confidence.  “I am confident...that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:6)  Paul had confidence that he was at work in him, in them, and he’s confident God is at work in you.  “and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.”  (1:9)  About living now.  Not that even Paul had already attained it “but I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (3:14)  That my friends is a positive attitude.

Our joy depends not on things, nor others, nor events, but on Jesus, the center of our Joy! “’Tis the set of the soul that decides the goal, and not the calm or the strife.”  Amen.

JOY (FIRST IN THE "JOY" SERIES)

Sermon Summary, 6/17/18, “”Joy!” (Phil 4:4)

I’m back for another year!  Time for a new start.  The Problem of Pain (last sermon series) is behind us.  Time to move on.  Time for Joy!  When asked by friends, “How are you really?”, I arrived at the answer, “I’m grateful.”  I’m grateful.  Gratitude and joy go side by side.  Paul begins Philippians by saying, “I give thanks every time I remember you, constantly praying for you with joy!”  (1:3-4) Side by side.

(A story about who is joyful.  You had to be there.)

Is your Bible a joyful book, or is it stiff-collared and straight-laced?  Do you miss Elijah mocking the priests of Baal, “Where is your god, is he missing or has he wandered off?” (a euphemism for going to the woods to relieve himself).  Did you miss it?  How about Jesus, don’t you suppose when he told his listeners to “first take the log out of your own eye” or told the Pharisees “you tithe mint and dill but forget the weightier matters of the law,” don’t you suppose there were smiles on listener’s faces?  Jesus’ irony, hyperbole, and humor had to keep his listeners on their toes and a smile on their faces.  Did you miss that?  It had to be joyful to be around Jesus.

Paul may be the most joyful of all in spite of the beatings, imprisonment, hardships he endured.  And he writes this joyful letter to the Philippians from prison.  Prison!  Cuffed to a Roman guard.  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I say again, Rejoice!” (4:4) 

Paul looked for a silver lining in everything.  From prison.  “Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I give thanks every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy.” (1:2-4)  These may be the most grace-filled words in the whole Bible.  These are words I could say to you.  I do thank my God every time I remember you.  I do pray for you with joy.  I am delighted to be back for another year.  I give thanks. 

So while we are waiting for this sermon series to flesh out, how are we to be joyful?  Four things: Be grateful.  Start with an attitude of gratitude.  Wake up in the morning be grateful.  At night be grateful.  Pause during the day, be grateful.  Write it down.  Second, Be joyful.  It is a gift from God.  Let God’s feeling of well-being wash over you.  Accept it.  Say “Yes.”  Be joyful.  Third, Have a Positive Attitude.  Paul saw his imprisonment as a chance to evangelize the guards!  Lastly, Laugh Again!  (Did you hear the one about the blind man that ran into the bar...and the table...and the chair?) (Again, you had to be there.)

Rosemary and I kept books by Barbara around the house in times of despair. (Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and be Happy. etc)  Chapter titles included “Smile, it kills time between disasters.”  Advice included “Each day comes bearing gifts.  Untie the ribbons.”  Laugh Again.

REVIVING THE SECRET WORD

Sermon Summary, 6/3/18, “Reviving the Secret Word” (Micah 6:8; Col 3:12-15; Romans 9:12:9-21)

There was a time that Rosemary was not very happy with me.  I promised I’d change.  She replied, “You won’t change; people don’t change.”  She’d tell you I have changed.  What was the secret?  Secret is the operative word.  God changes us, more correctly the most definitive attribute of God, changes us, and it’s the “Secret Word.”

It is the most definitive attribute of God and the translators have kept it a secret from you.  It shows up 246 times in the Old Testament and you’ve never heard of it.  It’s right there in our Scripture, “and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8) It’s there.

It shows up in your favorite Psalm: :”Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  (Ps 23:6) It’s there.

It shows up in the words of description of many of our heroes: Job, Ruth, Esther, David and Jonathan, the nation Israel.  It’s there.

So here’s the secret word.  It is the Hebrew word, “Chesed.” (the C is silent.)  “Chesed.”  So what?  It’s Greek to me.  No, it’s Hebrew.

No, it’s not Greek. Part of the problem was that for Greek and for English translators, the Hebrew word, “Chesed” took a dozen words to describe.  It was translated as devotion or loyalty, unchanging or steadfast love, mercy or merciful, love, kindness, goodness, righteousness, favor, faithfulness.  One translator, the most literal, the NASB, even made up a word, “lovingkindness.”  “Chesed” is the secret word and it is awesome!  The most definitive attribute of God.

Paul was faced with the same problem and had to use multiple attributes to describe the Christian life: “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness..patience...forgiveness...Above all, clothe yourselves in love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (from Col 3:12-15) 

In Romans 12:9-21, the instruction set for Christian living, he again lists a dozen attributes.  In Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit (note it’s singular) he lists nine to make up a single fruit.  All along the Secret Word was “Chesed.”  If only it had been Greek instead of Hebrew.

But here’s the deal.  If you examine all of what Paul calls us to do, they can all be achieved with “Kindness.”  How was I changed?  I would suggest that Rosemary allowed God’s lovingkindness to flow through her to be her kindness to me.  Kindness changed me.  And here’s the deal, when God forms us to allow His kindness to flow from us, it is not just for one, it is for all.  And kindness changes us, our families, our communities, and yes, transforms the world.  The Secret Word is “Kindness.”  Amen.

LIVIG IN GOD'S WILL

Sermon Summary, 5/20/18, “Living in God’s Will” (Col 1:0-10; Ro 12:1-2)

We’re finishing a series, “The Problem of Pain.”  Talked of God’s nature.  He is not a God who causes pain.  He heals not harms, walks through trials with us, loves us more that we are capable of.  We have a God we can trust, with those we’ve lost, with our lives.

So, what is God’s will for us?  What does a walk with Jesus look like?  A few options: A Calvinistic approach might be that God is Sovereign, there is a plan for our lives, we don’t take any steps that God has not pre-ordained.  Very Calvinistic, extremely Calvinistic.  Predestination.  But that makes God responsible for evil, too.  For the school shootings, for all the rapes and serial killings, for genocide, for all the tears and mourning.  Oh, and yes, for damnation.  We were elected before the foundations of the earth.

I can’t accept that.  Neither could John Wesley.  Wesley believed in grace, that God’s grace was available to all, we just have to accept it, to say, “yes.”  We have the free-will to accept or reject it.  We have the choices about how we live our lives.

Now there are somethings that God may not care about.  The university we attend (but he does care how we act there).  He may not care about the teams we root for even though we care a lot.  Which sock we put on first.  So, what then does God care about?  OTHERS.  God cares about our relationships with others.  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is the theme of the New Testament.  Jesus said it, James said it, Paul said it, John paraphrased it.  Relationships matter.

Others, how we treat others matters to God’s will, how we walk with Jesus, because every decision we make impacts others.  We need to consciously think of others with every decision (or non-decision) we make.  Think of times when you’ve harmed someone you care about.  Most often it is from thoughtless phrases or acts. 

In Colossians, Paul urges us to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will so that we may bear fruit is every good work.  The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) is all about relationships: We love others, extend joy to others, are kind to others, are patient with others, are generous with others, gentle with others, extend peace to others, deal with others with self-control. 

When we walk with Jesus it is like co-authoring our life with him.  Beginning with a blank journal and fill with the knowledge of his will, co-writing our life’s story with him.  We discern his will with him.  We act based on our understanding of his will.  We witness to his will in all that we do.  In so doing, he turns our mourning into dancing, he removes our mourning garments and clothes us with gladness! 

GOD'S WILL AND THE PROBLEM OF PAIN

Sermon Summary, 5/20/18, “God’s Will and the Problem of Pain” (Acts 2:1-12; Mt 7:13-14)

How often do you hear this from someone well meaning at an untimely death, the loss of a child, the loss of a spouse, “It must have been the will of God”?  How could you accept a God like that?  Not my God.  My God heals rather than harms, brings peace rather than pain, stills the storms rather than throwing me to the waves.  My God loves me, even more than I know.  It is the will of my God that we will walk with him and him with me through the storm, the suffering and pain.

But if the losses we experience are not the will of God, what then is the will of God?  How do we find it?  How do we discern it?

My friend Ken posted this on facebook.  Ken and Stephanie can relate to this having to raise a severely handicapped child.  In the midst of life’s twists and turns, Stephanie heard a call and become an ordained minister, not part of Ken’s plan either. 

The secular world will tell you that life is the journey and not the destination.  I would argue it is both the destination and the journey.  The destination gives purpose.  The journey gives meaning.  With our destination as God, we invite Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit to walk with us and we find meaning in the will of God.

We enter life through the narrow gate when we choose to follow Jesus, we journey in his will when we walk in his ways.

The disciples experienced changed lives of meaning at Pentecost through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit used the Resurrection Event to dramatically change all their lives and in so doing gave birth to the Church of Jesus Christ.  In a way, one could say that the Church is proof of the Resurrection.  The Church simply wouldn’t exist today without that foundation.  And it was built by the experience the disciples, Peter, John, Paul, others had with the Holy Spirit.  The Church and the Spirit are the reason that Pentecost is such a big deal.  The disciples walked in will of God and lived lives of meaning and purpose.

We need not be theologians to walk in the will of God.  We are followers of Jesus.  We simply need to ask in everything thing we do, what would Jesus guide us to do?  How would he ask us to love God and neighbor?  It is Jesus that is the center of all things.  The Father has sent us the Spirit of Christ to teach us all things.  We simply need to walk with him.  More next week.  Amen.