Sermon given as guest speaker at Arena Congregational Church Oct 21
An Attitude of Gratitude

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Philippians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 Andthe peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

~~~

Do you have a favorite tool? 

I follow this rule—if it does not move, and should- use WD-40!

If it moves and shouldn’t—use Duct Tape!

You know, scientists who study behavior in animals say that the use of tools is one of the key definitions of intelligence. So, no matter what sort of tools you use every day, remember, you are being intelligent!

We have tools for our inner life too. For our spiritual, emotional lives. And I want to share with you one of the most powerful tools there is!  It is the tool of gratitude! Of giving thanks every day for the many many blessings we have, and through this thanksgiving, becoming even more aware of our blessings. This tool is the Attitude of Gratitude.

We see Gratitude all thru Scriptures. Especially in the psalms. Our passage today, Ps 100 is a prime example. As you remember, the psalms were hymns sung by the Jewish people on various occasions. This one was a song that was likely sung as people entered the temple for a worship service. Let’s look at our passage for a moment.

Shout for joy, to the Lord! Not to one another, not to the earth, but to our creator! And all the earth should rejoice like this. All of God’s creation needs to celebrate!

And yes, in addition to rejoice, we worship. And worship with gladness and with joyful songs. Worship happily, not out of duty but out of the joy of living. Living in community-in relationship with God and with each other, as we were created to be!

The Lord is God. He is the supreme being. AND He made us and we are his. We are his children! Or his sheep as the psalmist says. I used to really dislike the whole sheep metaphor. After all, sheep are not the brightest of animals! But then I found out that sheep have terrible trouble sleeping. Everything has to be just right for them, quiet place, nice soft grass to lay on, no insects, no scent of predators…or they have insomnia! (Do sheep with insomnia count people?)

As someone who has had insomnia for years, I realized that maybe we are closer to sheep than we like to think! So we are the sheep of God’s pasture.

so because he created all the earth, and we are his and his alone! We live and love with thanksgiving as God's beloved children and for the chance to worship, give thanks and praise him!

God is good, all the time. His love goes on forever…not just God but his love! For you and me and for all of his creation! And he is always the same, loving and faithful, through all generations. For all of us, forever. Isn't that wonderful!?

I love how this psalm is so lively, in just a few verses, you can really get a sense of a deep down joy-joy in being alive and in being a child of God, and deeply thankful to God for life and the opportunity to worship.

This is the sort of feeling is a true “attitude of gratitude”.

The Apostle Paul writes about this attitude in the letter to Philippians.

(READ new testament lesson)

Paul wrote these beautiful words of gratitude and hope while he was imprisoned!

We can not help but be struck by the depth of joy and confidence in the Lord expressed in this passage and throughout this letter.

Rejoice in the Lord! Could Paul have been singing psalm 100 to himself as he wrote? We can rejoice in the Lord every day as we go about our lives. The Lord is at hand, Paul writes. The Lord is everywhere, not just in church..at hand! As close as can be. What a comfort that is!

So...don't be anxious! Don't worry and fret...take your worries, your concerns to God, in prayer, Thanking God for God's presence and compassion, and give all of your cares to The Lord. And the Peace of God will guard your hearts and minds---it will protect you from your worries!

The Peace of God-- the Hebrew word is Shalom. Shalom means peace, but much more ..Peace is of course an absence of unrest...The idea of shalom also means “wellness,” “completeness,” “perfection,” “safety,” “soundness,” “success,” “wholeness,” “health,” and good relationships between people—all people! When there is shalom, everything is as it should be, our lives are as God meant them to be, our world is in the order he intended.

Shalom, that peace that passes understanding, is the gift of God, the God of Love, who promises to be with us always! No matter what we may go through, God is with us.

and then Paul goes on to guide us how to keep that Peace in our hearts and minds...by “thinking on these things.” “whatever is true, honorable, just, whatever is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise”

these are qualities of God. Thinking on these things can help replace the “junk' that separates us from God. Thinking on these things helps us focus on God, help the Light of God's love shine in us, and out to others!

Jesus embodied these qualities of God, indeed Jesus said, do not worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of its own! Perhaps Paul had that lesson in mind as he wrote these words. And he taught us just how to live out those words. Keeping the qualities of God in mind, with gratitude, praying with thanks.

Our pilgrim forebears had this whole idea down pat. Over the years, we have gotten this idea that the Pilgrims were stern, rather mean-spirited people. That just isn't so. They loved God and loved one another as well as they possibly could. They had a strong work ethic, that was based in their gratitude to God for providing life, home, family and so on. One worked because it was taught in the Scriptures, and because in working, one was caring for all that had been given by God. and when they worked, they felt grateful to be able to work. They were grateful to have the tools to work well, and the ability to use them! They were deeply thankful people.

Being grateful for things in life, large and small, is as I said, a powerful tool for our lives. Gratitude can actually help you to “re-program’ your brain out of negative thought patterns. Now some people tend to see the glass as half full, some do not! By practicing gratitude, you can become a glass half full person!

I know this…by personal experience! And there have been scientific studies. People were asked to keep a Gratitude Journal.-a daily diary, where they were to write down things for which they were grateful.

The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, was more likely to help others, exercised more regularly and made more progress toward personal goals. According to the findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved. {The researchers} also noted that gratitude encouraged a positive cycle of reciprocal kindness among people since one act of gratitude encourages another. ¹

I want to challenge you to try this-- write down something each day. Big things or small- the sound of a bird, or a child’s laugh! Or seeing the colors of the sunrise or sunset. And the ability to see. Or having a home. Having family, church family!

Now I have to admit, sometimes it is hard to see something for which to be grateful! There is a story of the little girl who hated certain vegetables. When asked to say the blessing, she refused, saying, “The Lord knows I’m not thankful for brussel sprouts.” Her mother told her she couldn’t leave the table until she thanked God for something. The little girl bowed her head and said, “Lord, I’m thankful this stuff didn’t make me sick. Amen!”

Each day brings something for which we can say thank you to God. and the more often we remember to say thank you for blessings, the more we recognize how blessed we are. And in so doing, we grow closer to God. When we focus on our blessings, we learn to see things as God sees them. And we learn to find God’s presence in those around us, in ourselves, and in the world. Having an attitude of Gratitude, is training yourself to find God. To find God every day, everywhere! In yourself and in others! This awareness of the presence of God in everything and is what the Pilgrims knew so well. This awareness is recognizing that you are a gift! That each of us is a gift-and that all we have is a gift—a gift given out of love. Out of the greatest love of all, the love of God. This is a gift to celebrate today, and every day! And the greatest gift of all, given by God to one of us, is His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have God within. Give thanks today-and every day- for Him and for his blessings to you.

Amen.

1 Study by Dr. Michael McCollough, of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Robert Emmons, of the University of California at Davis, quoted by The Osgood File on the CBS Radio Network.

Where 2 or 3....

Sermon given Oct 14, 2012 as Second Congregational and First Presbyterian were about to vote to become one unified church!

Where Two or Three are Gathered

Isaiah 43:16-19
16 This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
    the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.



Luke 5:27-32
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

~~~~~~~
This morning, I was on the internet, (shocking, I know) and on Facebook, one pastor friend was unintentionally funny because of a typing error. He posted, “All are welcome this morning in celebration of a baptism, with gratitude for the TIRES that bind us.”   

We are working through series on “Natural Church Development”. According to author Christian Schwarz, there are 8 characteristics of growing churches. Schwarz says that instead of asking 'how do we get more people to come to church?” we need to ask “how can we grow in each of these 8 quality areas?” Today we discuss Holistic Small Groups.

So what does that mean. First, small groups means yes, our Bible study groups, Sunday morning, Friday Prayer breakfast, women's groups, Youth groups certainly. But 'small groups' certainly encompasses more. Small groups can be any group that gets together regularly. This can include...Carl's Coffee, choir!...how about, church boards and committees? Of course! our work groups and teams who have been leading the process of the coming together of 2 churches?! You bet!--so, Are these holistic small groups? Well, what does that mean?

“Holistic” defined according to Merriam Webster online...: relating to or concerned with wholes (W-h-o-l-e-s-not a hole in your sock but the entirety -the complete being) or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts. 
e.g. holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body. 
Holistic medicine knows that your emotions and spiritual life affect the physical being, and how you feel physically affects your mental, emotional and spiritual state.
holistic means to understand that we are more than just the sum of our parts, and also that we are integrated with all that is around us. In the body of Christ lesson Doug gave us last week, we learned that each single part of a body is important, we NEED every single aspect, even the baby toe, right? And holistic theory helps us integrate and celebrate the WHOLE, not just the parts! Holistic small groups deal with the whole person, caring for needs of all participants,  So that we remember –Re-Member...get it!? That each member of a small group is a key part of that group and each group is an integral part of the church, therefore a part of the WHOLE. And that the whole church is a part of, and key, to the larger community, and so on.

Holistic small groups in a church are groups in which the work of Jesus is evident. it's evident in the people and in what they do. The Love, the compassion, the hope of the future, and the knowledge that God is with us through the present. Holistic groups are made up of people who are following Christ. The groups are intentional about keeping Jesus at the heart of what is being done. These groups incorporate prayer, even bible time, discussion of how God is working in our lives, and where God is leading the group, and especially-- recognizing consensus in the group as being the leading of the Holy Spirit! Each of us can be a part of understanding where God is leading, but we really learn and grow together in a group. Each of us brings our own experience and understanding, which is a PART of the whole understanding and experience of God. So we can then complement each other and grow together.

How can we be sure a group we are in is a “holistic” group? Do you enjoy being a part of the group? Are Godly priorities part of the group? Or is there complaining, or other negativity? Recurring negative talk and feelings are a sign that this is NOT holistic, it is not about the work of the Lord! If you are feeling this, please take even a moment to pray within your heart, if not aloud, for people to remember that we are gathered IN Christ, and may the Spirit of Christ be a presence in your midst. The group may even need to refocus, to make a new commitment to Following Jesus.

I believe that our transition work groups and teams have been holistic small groups. The meetings that I attended always started at least with a prayer for guidance. Some incorporated a short bible reading or devotion, to help us focus on the mission of that meeting. To remind us that we are here for a much larger purpose. This transition isn't just about us. In this process, we have recognized that we are doing something new. That God is doing a new thing, right here. We started off thinking this change would be something special, but we've come to realize that there is much more than what we perceived at the very beginning. In this process, we began to realize that God is indeed doing a new thing. We are coming together, not just 2 mainstream churches, but we are becoming a new entity! We of course honor our roots, our history, but we are much more than that! Together we have an amazing capability to reach out in the Name of Christ. Just look at what we have done together just the past several months!

Together we are working with Hands of Faith, helping families on the path from homelessness to a stable lifestyle. We hosted a beautiful music concert, attended by well over 200 people- the donations from which went to Project 16:49 to help homeless teens. Our Vacation Bible school helped 30 some kids get a better grasp of what it means to follow Jesus. We hosted a book bag bash, getting bags full of school supplies to 162 needy kids! And giving many more lunch and time to relax and play in a safe, structured environment. Some of the kids who were there and at VBS have come on Sunday morning! Just think how much we are accomplishing already this year, and we haven't even formally merged yet!
How much more can we do together, if we are committed to following Jesus, and reaching out in His name?!
Our 2 churches proudly come from the tradition of the Protestant Reformation, with its emphasis on the Bible. Our 2 churches have this long history of compassion and caring for others. It is after all, what the Bible tells us! Our churches have thought long and hard about our sense of purpose and our vision for the future. A few years ago, both churches did vision statements. 1st's was at the beginning of their transition process. 2nd's was as we were moving into our 150th anniversary celebration. Both vision statements tell of churches who emphasize worship and music. Both statements tell of churches with a love of fellowship, coming together to share coffee, a meal and good company, churches who holistically care for our members and our community. Both statements tell of a commitment to reach out in the Name of Jesus, as the Bible tells us. We are honoring the long traditions of our churches, as we are forming a new one! We will continue to honor our history, but right now, in this merger process, we need every member to renew our commitment to Follow Jesus! This is the only way we will discern the vision that God has for this new church. A couple days ago there was some discussion of what our vision for the future is. And I believe that we are so entrenched in this immediate process that we have not seen a precise vision for the future. God has not revealed it yet, or we are not quite perceiving it yet! But a few years ago, during the process of crafting our vision statement, I was praying about the future of our church. And this image came to my mind...a beautiful image, it was there for just a moment, but I certainly remember it. It was this church building with beams of light shining out from it. You know how light from a lighthouse can be seen from miles and miles away..there's a light on Cape Cod that can be seen 30 miles out to sea! This is what that light looked like, but shining in every single direction! Bright, warm light, glowing, it could be seen shining over our community for miles! It was the Light of Christ. Emanating from this very place. It was light that tells of love, hope, peace, and healing, from our Lord Jesus.

These 2 churches coming together are the beginning of this vision coming true. There is more to be revealed, the light will only shine as it is meant to when each of us is fully committed to following our Loving Lord. Then this new Unified Church will indeed be a new thing for Christ, perceived far and wide, fulfilling God's dream for us and for the generations to come!


Please pray with me:
Holy Lord God,  we are here in Your name, yearning to better follow You. Help us today and every day, to Live in the love and light of Jesus. Help us to follow You more today than yesterday, and even more tomorrow! Help us to care for the whole person, the whole church, the whole community, as YOU would have us do. Guide us to help the Light of Christ shine ever more brightly from this place into the world. In Jesus' Holy Name, amen.