Ready or Not! Sermon given Aug 11, 2013

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of Asaph.

50 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah

7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

Luke 12:32-40

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Watchfulness

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

opening humor: “Honest Church Signs” (these are likely the work of someone with good imagination and a lot of time...maybe NOT actual displayed signs)

“If we put a lame phrase up here will you come to our church?”

“Your tithe is important to us.”

“We think our use of power point will draw young people like moths to a flame.”

“Do you only sing songs written before 1900? So do we!”

“Easy on the new ideas, all who enter here.”

My personal favorite: On a Presbyterian Congregational Church sign! “We have a female pastor and most of us are ok with that.”

Psalm―vision of immensity of God, yet personal, recognizing individuals who live in covenant to be faithful, and honoring God in thanksgiving! Having that attitude of Gratitude :)

(READ GOSPEL LESSON)

Our Gospel lesson compares to parts of Matthew's gospel again. The section immediately before this says “Do not worry!” and then, here, Jesus says fear not! This is part of a long section that includes parables...stories and 'preaching' to bring home His point of God comes first. Our earthly stuff and worries are nothing compared to heaven!

Watching...in Bible, the word, “watch” or “Keep” means to be watchful, keep close tabs upon, guard. In other words to pay close attention! For example, if you watch your neighbor's house while they are gone, you pay more attention than you might otherwise. So too here, 'watching for the Master” means to pay attention, to keep track and notice the very moment of the arrival!

be dressed and ready for service...

servants waiting for master from wedding banquet. Servants, ready to work and care for the master! The master of course is Jesus. What is this banquet?

The wedding banquet is The body of Christ, come together for eternity. All believers, and Jesus said he would not lose even one of his sheep!

The wedding banquet, is for the marriage of Jesus who is the bridegroom, and the bride....the Church! The worldwide church! All of us! This church, all other churches and people who are truly honoring Our Lord and working to achieve God's plan here on earth..Jesus said over and over in the Gospels, “the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus brought the Kingdom near, and His followers are to help bring it to fruition.

We are to keep watch...paying attention to the details, ready for anything to happen, especially ready for the best of all possible things to happen-for the Lord to come to take us to that banquet! Meanwhile we live our Kingdom lives, helping to bring the love of the Lord to each other and to the world. Paying attention to the needs of others, and helping to fulfill those needs. Did you notice in the passage, the Master dresses and serves the servants? Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

The phrases Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven appear in Gospels total of 85 times! But what does it mean!? It means of course heaven, our final reward, but it also means something for the present time.

Our VBS this week was theme Kingdom Rocks, and there were stories of royalty from the old testament and Jesus of course. The stories help reinforce the ways that we can “Stand Strong” for God. God's Love helps us stand strong and the Bible, prayer, family and friends, and trust in God help us.

It's fun and it made great points to the kids about ways of helping our faith.

But I think it's hard for us sometimes today in this era in this country to get the whole kingdom metaphor. The Hebrew Scriptures, over and over refer to God coming to be the ultimate King of the people. Royalty was something people were quite familiar with. The concept of complete control by only one person was what they understood.

But the VBS stories were powerful. King David of course, told about writing the 23^rd Psalm after his life was in danger! Nehemiah taught about the power of prayer in rebuilding the City wall after Jerusalem had been destroyed.

One story was Queen Esther, the Jewish woman who, by winning a beauty contest, became the queen of King Xerxes, and saved the Jewish people from being annihilated by the power hungry Haman. Her story includes her relative Mordecai saying to her, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

I knew someone who felt that was a key verse for them, that they had been called to a certain ministry task for just such a time.

Indeed, who knows, maybe we have become the United Church for just such a time as this?

This is a time of huge changes within 'organized religion'. Although I am beginning to think that phrase is an oxymoron.

Nationally, even world wide, there are changes happening. There is unprecedented fervor for the Word of God in Africa and parts Asia, where persecution is strong. Yet in Europe and the US, mainline churches are closing everywhere.

Our merger is a radical solution that other churches are undertaking. There are many mergers happening within denominations. To do what we have done tho, incorporating 2 denominations is still unusual, it's a bit 'out there'. And others are paying attention to what we merged churches are up to!

In an article on successful mergers, there were several key points. The most significant is that the church members are committed to a larger vision. The merger itself is just a step towards this Larger Vision.

Are we committed to a larger vision? Are we committed to The Kingdom of heaven? To help others see that the Kingdom of heaven has indeed come near? Whatever our specific vision as a church is, it is all about the Kingdom of heaven!

NT Wright

The establishment of God’s kingdom means the dethroning of the world’s kingdoms, not in order to replace them with another one of basically the same sort (one that makes its way through superior force of arms), but in order to replace it with one whose power is the power of the servant and whose strength is the strength of love.

This is what Jesus is talking about in our Gospel lesson. Keeping our eyes on the future...the Kingdom of Heaven, taking care of God's people. Helping to bring to our community the Shalom of God, the perfect peace, wholeness, protection that existed in the Garden and will one day prevail for eternity.

John Ortberg

Community is not built through sitting in the same building and singing the same songs. It is forged in the fires of life. When we know each other deeply ― the good, the bad, and the ugly ― community is experienced. Community grows when we learn to rejoice with one another, celebrating life. Roots grow deep when we know we are loved by others and are free to extend love to them as well. Finally, community deepens and is built when we commit to serve each other and let others serve us. This process of doing ministry and humbly receiving the ministry of others is critical for healthy community life.

Our busy August, including our just completed VBS, the upcoming Book Bag Bash, the August 24 Lay Leadership Retreat-- are all ways in which we are living out our vision, our purpose. We will grow and learn together if we continue to live putting God first. As our Psalm says, those who offer gratitude glorify God! Are we grateful today for how blessed we truly are? And are we living out that gratitude!

Barbara Brown Taylor:

Every morning when you wake up, decide to live the life God has given you to live right now. Refuse to live yesterday over again. Resist the temptation to save your best self for tomorrow... Live prepared! ...{Live your life} ready for God, for whatever happens next, not afraid but wide awake, watching for the Lord!

Let us pray: Holy God, help us to live more attentively and more purposefully for You. Help us to better live as you have called us, not for our own desires but only to glorify you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Treasures Sermon given at United Church of Beloit Aug 4, 2013

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story―
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

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I suspect a couple of you are thinking Oh NO! We give her a few consecutive weeks in the pulpit and It's a sermon on stewardship!

No it isn't. I am NOT going to tell you to give more money to the church! Well unless you want to!

I am using the Lectionary gospel lessons as I preach, the lectionary is the set of 'prescribed' readings that churches can use or not as they feel led. Each week there is are readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, an Epistle, and a Gospel lesson. If one were to go through the entire lectionary, in a 3 year time span, you would have read/and or preached most of the Bible.

psalm is about those who have wandered, no home, no permanence (perfect for hands of faith week...) Their hunger and thirst is physical from being in the desert, but I suspect the Psalmist here is also speaking metaphorically, telling a story, about a spiritual hunger and thirst, which God satisfies!

The Psalmist reminds us to 'let the one who is wise ponder these things' and the Gospel lesson is about a 'fool'! Interesting contrast there, isn't it?

Gospel lesson from Luke, this one of many of Jesus' parables.

Parables. simply defined a parable is “usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle” Merriam-Webster online dictionary ...an earthly story with 'heavenly meaning”

Jesus did not invent the parable, in fact rabbis of this era told stories like this all the time. Jesus did polish the art of story telling :)

Jesus' story here refutes the belief of that time that if you were right with God, you would be blessed materially. A rich person was viewed as being blessed by God. Jesus is not reinforcing this belief is he? In fact, when God says, “you fool!”...the word used here in the original Greek means not only someone who is not bright, acting unthinkingly, but it also means a non believer! Jesus' story equates the rich man with someone who is not believing or cherishing God. He is not wealthy because of his faith, but in spite of it.

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Is Jesus speaking to us about possessions or about our preoccupations?

treasures are not just material things! Also attitudes. That is why we sometimes pray for forgiveness for 'thought, word and deed'

Gerald May in Addiction and Grace

I am convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of us have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways―as a longing for wholeness, completion, or fulfillment. Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger to love, to be loved, and to move closer to the Source of love.

People are HUNGRY! Hungry emotionally and spiritually, Hungry for love, a sense of belonging, wholeness, fulfillment, for peace...for Shalom! The wholeness, peace and protection of God. People were hungry, physically, emotionally and spiritually, 2000 years ago, that's why Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life, as Living water! People are hungry today, literally going hungry, going without food, yet every single day 263 million pounds of food are wasted in this country. And yet people go hungry. And they are hungry, emotionally and spiritually, yearning to know that they are loved, cared for. That there is more to life than scraping by every day, that there is hope and rest. That there is shalom.

That is why we do Hands of Faith, VBS and Book Bag Bash, Meals on Wheels, why we support Caritas and other local groups and missionaries in this country and abroad. To help people know that someone cares! there is satisfaction for their hunger. Their hungers! the physical and the emotional and spiritual hungers!

Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness,

of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given. -Mother Teresa 

THE TREASURE OF THE CHURCH

St. Lawrence was martyred in 258 CE, but we remember him not for his martyrdom. We remember him as the Archdeacon of Rome. His responsibilities included maintaining the sacred vessels of the small, struggling church and distributing alms to the poor. While he was Archdeacon, the Governor of Rome took Pope Sextus captive and demanded, "Where is the treasure of the church?" The Pope would not tell, and they tortured him to death. 

Next the Romans took Lawrence captive. "Where is the treasure of the Church?" they demanded, threatening with the same fate that befell the Pope. Lawrence replied, "Governor, I cannot get it for you instantaneously; but if you give me three days, I will give you the treasure." The governor agreed. Lawrence left. 

Three days later he walked into the governor’s courtyard followed by a great flood of people. The Governor walked out onto his balcony and said, "Where is the treasure of your church?" Lawrence stepped forward, and pointed to the crowd that accompanied him – poor families, the disabled, those considered to have no value to that society. "Here are the treasures of the Christian church."

these are the treasures of the Christian Church. The ones who hunger and thirst physically, emotionally and spiritually. The ones who God cares for and satisfies, through God's own followers! The ones called “the Least of these” are the treasures. And so are we, if we treasure others as God treasures us.

You do know that God treasures you, right?

There is a great quote by Max Lucado

“If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning… Face it, friend. He is crazy about you!”

God treasures each and every bit of God's creation, especially us! When we recognize that we are loved so well, so treasured, we want to live out that love. Love doesn't need to be saved up like a possession, love grows best when

we give it away!

Share a bit of that love today! Get to know one another! Reach out to someone you don't know at all, by helping with our church outreach events and with other opportunities in our area. Reach out, right here in church, to someone you don't know well, share a story or two. Sit down to coffee or tea together or a meal.

Henri Nouwen

When we invite friends for a meal, we do much more than offer them food for their bodies. We offer friendship, fellowship, good conversation, intimacy, and closeness. When we say, “Help yourself…take some more…don’t be shy…have another glass,” we offer our guests not only our food and our drink but also ourselves. A spiritual bond grows, and we become food and drink for one another. In the most complete and perfect way, this happens when Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist as food and drink. By offering us his Body and Blood, Jesus offers us the most intimate communion possible. It is a divine communion.

In a few moments we will share in that Divine Communion. We will pray together the prayer taught by Jesus. That prayer that helps us to recognize we pray in community, we reach out in community. We grow in love by giving it away, by giving of ourselves-- And yes, of our treasures.

Let us prepare for that Divine Communion by singing together Let Us Break Bread Together.  

Weigh to go ME!

Wow! I am down a total of 32 pounds in 31 weeks. Thank you God for helping me find a healthy plan that i can live with! thank you Spark People website for great information and tracking tools and community to help along this path! (SP is free! www.sparkpeople.com)

Has it been easy? Not always. There have been days where I was tired, hungry, ornery...and blew the plan. But there have been a LOT more days of feeling good, feeling empowered! feeling, dare i say it? beautiful and strong! Feeling muscles work as i walk...my arms look more toned, and being able to carry grocery bags with ease. I walk faster, further and enjoy it more. 

and i have learned that one mess up of the plan is not a disaster. Just log-track the foods and water and exercise, and journal. Get back on track, and pay attention to what i was feeling and thinking that led to 'blowing' the plan. Then i can take steps to avoid more disasters. Paying attention to the details of of the food tracking, looking at the total intake of carbohydrates and protein helps me see where i might need to adjust my plan. 

and the clothes problem! the clothes i wore the last 2 summers are huge on me now. I got out jeans I hadn't worn in ages, i was too fat for, and now the jeans are too fat for me! 
GREAT problem to have :) 

SO today is a new day, a new day to eat clean, nourishing foods, to be active and enjoy my healthy lifestyle. and it's a new day for YOU too! Join me! 

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit, July 28, 2013

 Lord, Teach Us to Pray 

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever―
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Luke Chapter 11:1-13

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

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I love the humor Jesus uses in the latter part of this passage. Jesus was of course an excellent speaker and humor is a tool speakers use to help people be put at ease, feel comfortable and remember things! “if you son asks for fish would you give him a snake?” that's hilarious! I think people were cracking up, but they were also remembering what He said!

The prayer is similar to the longer prayer in Matthew ch. 6, part of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke's version is shorter. There has been a lot written comparing the similarities and differences between Matthew and Luke's passages. Among those differences, is the intended audience for the original writings. Matthew was writing to Jewish people, people raised to worship Yahweh, the One True God, to help them know that indeed their Messiah had come, Jesus was the One! So there are many references to their faith, to their scriptures and prophecies.

Luke's gospel is written to people who are not Jewish, have not been brought up hearing the Hebrew Scriptures, so Luke's gospel is for people with a vastly different background and spiritual values. Also different concerns in their day to day lives.

So, Jesus' disciples say, “Lord, teach us to pray as John did.” (some of the disciples had been followers of John the Baptist before they met Jesus)

Teach us to pray. They were Jewish, they were already men of prayer! But there was something different, something special about Jesus' prayers, there was some connection there. (well OF COURSE! He was God's SON―we know that, we read the end of the book already!) They just knew there was something profound and they wanted it! So Jesus gave them this model prayer, that now has been prayed daily for 2000 years! We say it in church, many of us say it at home every morning or evening. Because it is so familiar, it can become routine, as anything can that we do or say over and over. It's a good reminder to read these Gospel lessons again to see the context, the connections with other texts and to remind ourselves of the depth of this prayer.

I'm going to touch on the highlights of this passage and the Lord's Prayer, but not go into a lot of depth...tho I could! I would suggest that you spend some time with it. Take your Bible or a written copy of the Lord's Prayer and spend time just reading, and thinking about the prayer, meditating on it and see what comes to you in that quiet time. “be still and know that I am God” scripture says...it's sometimes hard to find true quiet time in this day and age. But we reap benefits when we do!

So what is prayer? There are many types of prayer, thanksgiving, adoration, petition, confession, intercession. First and foremost though, Prayer is expression of our relationship with God. We are created to be in relationship with God and with others. Which comes first? Yes, God does! That's easy to say here in church isn't it. Once we are out the door, however....it's still SUPPOSED to be true, but it's a lot harder to keep God First. Especially in a day & age that is increasingly noisy, rude, materialistic, self-centered. That's one of the reasons we pray! To help us not be all those things, but to be more God-centered.

There's a little prayer that gets posted online now and then: Dear Lord,

So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen

Ok so back to the text...Jesus said pray this way, Father, some translations say, Our Father, or our father in heaven. Notice the plural pronoun. It's not MY Father, my parent, --ours! We pray in community-which literally means with together, we pray together with Christians everywhere!

Hallowed be your name...we revere you, God! We pray that you are revered everywhere, always. Knowing the promises in the bible that one day ALL people will bow before God, that all of God's creation will rejoice! Isaiah says even the trees will clap and the mountains will sing!

Give us this day our daily bread.... we pray for our daily needs. We can pray about seemingly simple things! You are not 'bothering” God with simple prayers. Yes God has big things going on, but God is detail oriented too, Jesus said not one sparrow will fall to the ground without my father in heaven knowing. That's detail! God cares about every aspect of God's creation, including, especially US and our lives! Our Psalm talks about this too, that God is exalted, yet is personal, intimate! God within, that is what Jesus is, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. So God is intimate, closer to us than anything or anyone. We can share anything with God even our anger, our despair...all our junk!

As Author Richard Foster writes:

..what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

We are to pray for our daily needs. Because God's kingdom is a kingdom of provision, of shalom, of Peace, wholeness and healing, protection. Forgiveness, for ourselves and others. That's part of Shalom too. God's perfect love and mercy help us to find forgiveness and to give it. One author says God is FOR-giving, in favor of giving, but also FORE giving -giving ahead of time, that's why God forgives, why we are to forgive, because God is all about giving. (God so LOVED, God GAVE...) to be loving means to be giving and forgiving.

And I believe that part of this prayer is that we are to recognize how blessed we are, that we have our daily bread, and clothing and shelter, and we are to help bring these things to those who do not have enough. That we are to BE part of God's provision in this world. In our corner of it, at least. So when we pray, we are grateful for our own blessings and asking to be shown how to help others.

A book was given to me by a friend, is called Transistioning, Leading Your Church Through Change. There's stuff in that book that I disagree with. HOWEVER there are some gems. The author reminds us that healthy churches are open to change. Change is part of life, every living organism goes through change, change is normal in life and in church life!

That challenges us doesn't it, because most people are uncomfortable with a lot of change, we like our routines. Maybe we like to drive the same road, to park in the same spot, sit in the same pew...we have our routines. And routines can be helpful. But we need to be able to recognize if a routine is no longer working well or needs to be updated. That's where our relationship with God comes in. Our prayer time can help us discern when change is needed.

Some people say that change is the only constant in life. I would argue that, because I am a person of faith-a Reformed Tradition Protestant-a person of the Bible. God is constant! The God who is and was and ever shall be does NOT change. However.... God is always moving forward, always leading us forward to new things, so...to change. So the only constants in life are...God and change.

So our prayer life can help us discern where God is leading us, individually and as a church. This week, the Pastoral Search Committee will publish a survey in the newsletter. The committee asks that everyone think about it and fill it out to help the Committee know what YOU all are thinking about the qualities and goals for our church and for the Sr Minister that needs to be hired. Think carefully, Prayer-fully, about this survey and think about what is on YOUR heart for where God is leading our church this year, next and beyond! Don't be afraid to think and dream BIG! We have this incredible opportunity as a church, a leader in both denominations! Think and pray for BIG -GOD-sized dreams for this United Church! Next month we will also have our Lay Leadership retreat, and keep thinking and praying for those big dreams for all of us!

So we can pray for personal, intimate stuff, daily needs, and we can pray for BIG things, for vision, for God's view of our future! Prayer is versatile, can be many things. Richard Foster again:

The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Son.

Communion...to be together with the Father, by the power of the Spirit, to be more & more like the Jesus...this is the life of faith. This is prayer.

This is a true story from Brennan Manning in the book, Abba’s Child

Once a woman asked me to come and pray with her father, who was dying of cancer. When I arrived, I found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. I assumed the old fellow had been informed of my visit.

“I guess you were expecting me,” I said.

“No, who are you?”

“I’m the new associate at your parish,” I replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bed-ridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, I shut the door. “I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man, “but all my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.

“I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” he continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because He promised, “I’ll be with you always.” Then just speak to Him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’

“So, Padre, I tried it, and I like it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d send me off to the funny farm.”

I was deeply moved by the story. Then I prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the rectory.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell me that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he seem to die in peace?” I asked.

“Yes. But there was something strange. In fact, beyond strange―kinda weird. Apparently just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside his bed.”

We can rest on Jesus. We can talk and listen, just as with our dearest friend. Even if we don't have the right words, we can count on Jesus knowing because we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us, to put the deepest sigh and groan into words. We can lean on our Loving Lord to help us be together with the Father, becoming more like the Son through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray and dream together for ourselves, for our church and for our world!

Holy God, thank you for the gift of prayer. Thank you for teaching us to pray. Thank you for the gift of Jesus Our Lord. Amen.

Let's close by singing together What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

Traveling Heavy

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit July 7, 2013

Psalm 66:1-9
66:1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
66:2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
66:3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
66:4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name." Selah
66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
66:7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations-- let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
66:8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
66:9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

Luke 10:1-11
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

(humorous story about traveling in Florida...)

Gospel lesson today is from Luke 10. starts off “After this...” so I looked to see what was before this! Chapter 9 has stories of healing and miracles. And Jesus has determined to go to Jerusalem, knowing the fate that awaits him! The next several chapters have more stories of healings, miracles, people questioning and challenging Jesus and He responding, and challenging them, especially for their lack of faith. This particular section, chapters 9-11 are all about the Kingdom of God, putting God first, and everything else comes after.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus sends out a large band of his followers. He had the 12 disciples, but as time went on in his ministry, more and more folks began to follow along with the 12. Here we learn there were about 72 and he sent them out to the towns where he would travel next.

READ Gospel lesson

Jesus sends out his followers to minister to folks, telling them, “The Kingdom of God is near!” Did you notice that Jesus sent out the 72 in pairs, 2 by 2? It's practical. It's safer, you are company for each other. You can care for each other. And it's what we are created for. We are created to be in relationship with God and each other, aren't we? And Jesus stresses that relationship with God aspect. Tell them the kingdom of God is near....and that kingdom of God brings healing, brings other things too, enough to eat and a place to stay while traveling. And Jesus tells his folks if someone rejects the message, just move on. It's not personal, it's that they are rejecting God. If they accept the message, they are accepting God. yet he says even if they reject you, shake the dust off your shoes and move on, but tell them, the Kingdom of God has come near you. You may not want to see it, hear it or be part of it, but it's near you and it will affect you one way or another.

I read this passage was while we were in Florida, the morning the National meeting started. I knew I would be preaching this Sunday, and at these meetings, there is worship, music, many speakers, and I make notes to report back to you, but also stuff that I can use preaching or in Bible study. So I read through these texts beforehand. And being away from home, reading this, really spoke to me. Especially that part about 'do not take a purse or a bag or sandals...” I took all of those things. And a lot more. I do not travel light. I prepare for any eventuality. I may even pack a few of my favorite chocolate bars--one never knows where there might be a shortage!

So reading this challenged me. And I was thinking about this in terms of the big picture. We as a culture -Americans in the 21^st century, do not travel light. We travel heavy. People today, our culture, we love our stuff. We love to shop for more of it, we watch commercials to see what we should shop for next. Not just the big stuff either! We go to the grocery store, there are umpteen varieties of bread, lunch meats & hot dogs, ketchup even! There is spicy ketchup, no salt added, no high fructose corn syrup, and oh yes, there is plain, regular ketchup too. In about 10 different size bottles. There is so much stuff from which to choose! We are so accostomed to having SO many options, so much food, so many things, we don't even realize how heavy all this stuff is in our minds and our lives.

We have gotten so far away from the culture Jesus lived in.

at the national meeting, one of the missionary groups represented is called Bread of Life. It's a mission in Florida, serving needy families to provide basic needs, education for adults and children and to share the word of God. Their help for folks includes shoes and school supplies for children, assistance with food and clothing. This is the group the Youth were working with during the meeting and they had a project that the adult folks helped with too. It was to make blankets to give to needy folks. You see in Florida most of the low income folks don't have central heat...a mobile home or small home may have a heater, but it's small, because, well, it's FLORIDA, they don't need heat but a few nights out of the year. But when they do, it's a huge challenge, especially for needy folks. So there were blankets made to give out to families. They were precut fleece and we cut and tied on colorful tassels. 90 blankets were made, and money collected as well.

I admit, I don't often think about blankets. at home I have light weight blankets on the bed, and heavier ones in the closet. And a few of those inexpensive fleece blankets in the tv room to get cozy while we watch a movie or a game...i don't really think about blankets because I have several. It was a good reminder to help those who don't have even one blanket. That's a good reminder of the real meaning of the Kingdom of God coming near!

We Americans and we Protestants, especially Congre--terians (Presby-Gationals?) LOVE our independence. We love our individuality. I mean We in general, in this country, not just this church and not anyone in particular, but each of us has an aspect of this feeling, don't we! We may want everything to be JUST the way WE like it, the way we are used to doing things. We want it comfortable, familiar.

But God's ways are not our ways. God's plans are far beyond the scope of our plans, and beyond our perception. We may have to allow God to lead us when we can not even see the next step! We have to keep on, even when we are feeling uncomfortable.

We have to do this as a church, don't we? We are in yet another transition. Someone said last week, “well, we were comfortable for about 15 minutes there!” We don't know what's next. And that can really challenge us. It makes us grumpy when we don't have control and changes happen.

We as a church family need to focus every single day, what brought us together. Our love of God, of coffee and a meal together, of reaching out to those in need....helping to bring the Kingdom of God near to people who need help. and we can keep on doing those things day by day while the big picture gets sorted out. God has the big picture. God is waiting for us to lay aside some of that heavy stuff-the burdens, the worrying, the 'we've always done it like this” attitudes so we can focus on the Kingdom. God will keep taking care of us, we have to pay attention to see it!

The Kingdom of God doesn't weigh one down, it enlivens and lifts us! It doesn't travel heavy, it's light.

“come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”

in the book Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, the authors tell that during the Jewish Sabbath liturgy every week, is a recalling of the Exodus story, the deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea so the people could cross on dry land. This is told every week! God's mighty power reached down and intervened with the natural world and saved his people. That is what our Psalm is referring to. There were other instances of water parting in the Bible too, that echo the Exodus story. The Jewish people remember the Exodus story in every worship service.

We do too, in our Communion liturgy. Jesus, when he took bread and broke it, was at a Passover supper. This meal commemorates the Exodus story. That was another time God told people to travel light, not heavy. Prepare the meal quickly, eat it quickly with your shoes on and your robe tucked into your belt because you are going to leave right away! Jesus was retelling the story of the Jewish people and making a new story for all people. His body, his blood, would become new life for each of us, for all of us. We don't need anything else. We can lay down all our stuff, all our attitudes, all of our heaviness... lay it at the cross. Because he left all of it there for us. We don't need it. All we need is Him. Let's travel light!  

Devotion on the Kingdom of Heaven

This is a devotion that I gave at our National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Annual Meeting. June 25, 2013

One of my “go-to” texts is the Sermon on the Mount. That is in part because I have led a couple Bible studies on the Beatitudes and am currently working through the Lord's Prayer in depth. And I find so much in the Sermon.

Before the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew writes:

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

what IS the Kingdom of heaven? Jesus described it in the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5

He said:

3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4  Blessed are those who mourn,
        for they will be comforted.
5  Blessed are the meek,
        for they will inherit the earth.
6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
        for they will be filled.
7  Blessed are the merciful,
        for they will be shown mercy.
8  Blessed are the pure in heart,
        for they will see God.
9  Blessed are the peacemakers,
        for they will be called children of God.
10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

God put us here on Earth to be in relationship with God and with each other. The creation story in the Bible is one of intimacy! If that story is fact or a beautiful

telling of an old story, it is a story that says God wants us to be up close and

personal with God and with each other. That we are to love and care for each

other! That is the Kingdom of heaven! That is the way things are supposed to be.

The kingdom of heaven is what we are made for! The kingdom of earth only

satisfies for a short time, if at all. The kingdom of heaven, satisfies for all time.

This is Shalom, God's peace...perfect peace, wholeness, protection for all of God's

creation. When all is right with the world. And what we get glimpses of, when we

are caring for each other, when we worship together, and especially when we

reach out to others to share what we have, our material blessings and that

incredible Love. This is how the Kingdom of heaven comes near on Earth, through

us! Through the Holy Spirit guiding us, empowering us to be the hands and feet

of Jesus.

Remember, we are not alone in our efforts, when we pray, we pray in community

with other believers! And too, our cloud of witnesses is cheering us on, praying

for us to help our relationship with God and each other, praying for us to help

bring the kingdom of heaven to earth!

Could God make sure that all are fed, clothed, loved, treated justly? Of course.

God could do that faster than you can blink an eye. So why doesn't God do this?

It seems to be that relationship thing again. Evidently we are supposed to learn

this stuff for ourselves.

Author Richard Foster in Life With God: 

"Human beings are so important to God that the divine purposes are worked out through the messiness and sprawl of human history. Apparently, it is more important to God that human beings learn his ways in freedom than it is to get things done efficiently."

We are to learn God's ways and that is how we can help bring the Kingdom. When

we pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” are we praying for God to

snap those ever-powerful fingers and make the world a perfectly beautiful place

of Shalom, or is Jesus teaching us to pray for God to help us make that happen!

What does it look like to be a person of the Kingdom of Heaven? A person who so

desires the Kingdom of heaven on earth? Someone who is poor in spirit, mourns,

hungers and thirsts for more of God, someone who is merciful, pure in heart and

is a peacemaker?

There is a powerful letter written by an African pastor some years back. It was found in his belongings after he had been killed for his faith. Quoted by Brennan Manning in The Signature of Jesus.

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been

cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a

disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or

be still.

"My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is

secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small

planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane

talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

"I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions,

plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or

recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His

presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit

power.

"My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be

narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable

and my mission is clear.

"I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned

back, deluded or delayed.

"I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence

of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy,

ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of

mediocrity.

"I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored

up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all

know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!"

This is a person of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is someone who intimately knew

Jesus as Lord. This is model of faith we can aspire to. Are we ready to draw closer

to God as we go back home to our churches and our communities?

Let us pray.

Help us to be people of the Kingdom of Heaven, dear Lord. Help us recognize our

shortcomings and ask for your help and guidance. Help us to hunger and thirst for

more of you! Help us to be merciful, to be peacemakers, bringing about Your

kingdom of Shalom right here on Earth. Help us to stay up, store up, pray up, pay

up, and preach up for the cause of Christ! Please bless us as we do these things

in the Name of Our Lord Jesus, ...who taught us to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit, June 9, 2013
Arise! 

Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them―
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out―the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

***

Our story takes place in Nain, a smaller town near Nazareth, Jesus' home town, in a mountainous region of Galilee (a region of what is now the country of Israel.) it is known only because of this story which is only told here in Luke.

The tradition of the time was that when someone died, they were buried just outside of the city, so the funeral procession would walk to the site. Nain was not a big town, so one can imagine that there would be a crowd for the service, because communities do pull together in these times! Jesus and his followers have happened upon this procession.

This is one of many stories in the Gospel of Luke about miracle healings and of course this is quite the miracle! This story is different from some of the others, though! This healing is not about someone's faith is it? Many healings in the bible are because of the faith of the person involved. This is one of the stories that is different.

Jesus spoke to a dead man and he came back to life! But why do we have THIS story, surely there were other funeral processions when Jesus was traveling about! why this man, at this time? The key is in verses 12 and 13. “the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.”...”When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Jesus raised the young man, because of the mother! He realized what desperate straights she was in. Notice that she did not ask for help! In fact, she wouldn't have even looked at him. In this culture it was inappropriate for a man and woman who were not married to each other to make any eye contact out in public! Yet Jesus knew her grief, knew how bereft she was. Perhaps he had a vision of his own mother Mary at that moment, and the anguish she would feel at the cross. “His heart went out to her...” Jesus understood at the deepest level, at the very core of his being, the pain of this woman's loss. Not only is there the incredible grief of losing a child, and losing a child, even grown child, is a loss no one should endure. In this time, a widow with no sons had no male protector. She wouldn't have a job of course, and most women had little or no money of their own, unless they were an only child of a wealthy family. This woman might soon find herself homeless.

So Jesus, not knowing her, not being asked, simply came over to the bier, and spoke to the dead man. “Arise!” and he rose!

{Now, just to clarify, I know the NIV translation that we just read says, Jesus said “Get up”. The NRSV pew bibles we have use the word, “rise”. The translation that I use at home, uses “Arise” and that just seemed to make a better sermon title.}

So Jesus said, Arise! And the man rose and began to speak! Notice that detail, not only did he revive but he spoke, he was well! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. This miracle was performed for her...it was about caring for this lonely, grieving woman.

And the crowd “were all filled with awe and praised God.” Can you imagine it? Picture yourself in this scene! What would you do? And they called Jesus a great prophet in their midst.

They said, “God has come to help his people” the Jewish people of this time were living under the thumb of the roman empire. They were people proud of their heritage and some of the Roman leaders were tyrants. Rebellions against this tyranny rose up from time to time and were quickly and violently put down. Any peace there was was tenuous at best. And the Jewish people had not heard from an authentic prophet in 400 years time! So they were hungry for God. Yearning to know that their Yahweh still loved and cared for them. When they sang their psalms in worship there was probably an ache in their hearts...and this day, a crowd of people in an unremarkable little town saw an authentic miracle!

Our Psalm is one of many places in the Old Testament that refers to what God does out of love for God's people.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them―
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind,
8 the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

God cares about all of creation, and especially those who are having a rough time. In our story, Jesus was not asked to help this little family! Jesus came to them, he spoke to the woman, and then walked over to the bier...purely out of his love and compassion. He did this not for Himself but to glorify God.

For God so LOVED the world, God GAVE.... Love spurs action. Love doesn't just sit there. Love wants to do for the other person, love wants to care for others. Especially when the other person is having a rough time. Love yearns to reach out and help! And believe me, you may be going through some stuff right now, but so is pretty much everyone else. That's why over and over the bible says we are to care for others.

“We seek to reach out in Christian love with God's extravagant hospitality...” that is part of our covenant--Our promise to God and to each other. And to our community! God's love is alive and well, and telling us-the United Church to ARISE! We have some events again this summer, a missionary visit next week, coming up we host Hands of Faith, help with Meals on Wheels, our Vacation Bible School, and another Book Bag Bash in August. :) and I bet there will be opportunities to do even more!

OK, why do we emphasize reaching out. Yes we have stuff to deal with all our own. Some may say let's just get all our ducks in a row, then we can think about outreach.

There is something to that! But we are people of the Bible. Congregationalists and Presbyterians are people of the Bible, and the Bible says over and over, to care for others. God does, so should we. That is how we live our faith. That is how we provide the best witness to God's love. And God's kingdom is not like the earthly realm. When you honor God and live out that love, you become blessed in ways you can barely imagine!

This story from our Gospel lesson is dramatic. Most of us will never see this type of miracle. But....babies are a miracle! We have seen people who have recovered from illness that could have taken them out! I think it's a miracle that people stay married for 30, 40, 50 years! (I know I wouldn't stay married to me...)

2 mainline churches in an unremarkable midwestern town discovered a lot of commonalities and came together. It hasn't been perfect, but God is working through all our quirks and attitudes and Jesus said to each of these two churches, “Arise!” and we are doing great things, right here in Nain..I mean Beloit! and here we are-the United Church of Beloit!

God is doing new things every day. Saying to people and to churches, Arise! It's happening in both of our denominations. Both the Milwaukee Presbytery and our National Congregational Association are implementing new vision, new strategic plans, which emphasize communication and collaboration, both between the individual church & denomination and between local churches as well.

God's love changes things. I have seen it in my own life, I have seen it in the lives of friends and family. God's Love changes people, it changes lives, and it can―it WILL- change the world. That is why we are to reach out in love, reach just as far as we can!

I want to share a story with you. This was given to me by a missionary, Nancy Loveland, who works as a Bible translator. 2nd Congregational has helped support her ministry, since she began nearly 20 years ago. And she shared a powerful story from one of the other translators. Their mission is to translate the Bible, book by book, into every language and dialect in the world. They work with local people to do this. Then people can hear and read for themselves in the language or dialect with which they are most familiar...the language of their hearts.. about the love of God through Jesus.

Translator Lee Bramlett is a missionary to the Hdi (hee DEE) people of Cameroon, Africa. Lee was searching for the key to reach the Hdi for God, through his work. What clue had God planted to let the Hdi know who He is and how He wants to relate to them?

Then one night in a dream, God prompted Lee to look again at the Hdi word for love. Lee had learned that verbs in Hdi consistently end in one of three vowels. For almost every verb, they could find forms ending in i, a, and u. But when it came to the word for love, they could only find i and a. Why no u?

Lee asked the Hdi translation committee, which included the most influential leaders in the community, “Could you ‘dvi’ your wife?”

“Yes,” they said. That would mean that the wife had been loved but the love was gone.

“Could you ‘dva’ your wife?” Lee asked.

“Yes,” they said. That kind of love depended on the wife’s actions. She would be loved as long as she remained faithful and cared for her husband well.

“Could you ‘dvu’ your wife?”  Lee asked. Everyone laughed.

“Of course not!” they said.  “If you said that, you would have to keep loving your wife no matter what she did, even if she never got you water, never made you meals. Even if she committed adultery, you would be compelled to just keep on loving her. No, we would never say ‘dvu.’ It just doesn’t exist.”

Lee sat quietly for a while, thinking about John 3:16, and then he asked, “Could God ‘dvu’ people?”

There was complete silence for three or four minutes; then tears started to trickle down the weathered faces of these elderly men. Finally they responded.

“Do you know what this would mean?” they asked.  “This would mean that God kept loving us over and over, millennia after millennia, while all that time we rejected His great love. He is compelled to love us, even though we have sinned more than any people.”

One simple vowel, and the meaning was changed from “I love you based on what you do and who you are,” to “I love you based on who I am. I love you because of Me and not because of you.”

Because of this- the Hdi learned that God is far beyond spirits living in trees and water, that God is LOVE, God does not need to be appeased like an angry spirit, but honored, and the number of Christ-followers quickly grew from a few hundred to several thousand.

God's love changes lives, changes hearts, will change the world. That's why we Arise! and share that love.