Christmas Reflections 12/24/2013

Dec. 24, 2013 Christmas Reflections Pastor Carol P. Taylor

Scriptures read during the service:

Lesson 1 Genesis 1:1-5, John 1:1-5

Lesson 2 Isaiah 9:2-7

Lesson 3 Isaiah 7:14

Lesson 4 Luke 1: 26-38

Lesson 5 Matthew 1:18-25

Lesson 6 Luke 2:1-7

Lesson 7 Luke 2:8-14

Christmas Reflections

Jesus is God's plan from “in the beginning”. Gospel of John deliberately modeled first 5 verses on first 5 verses of Genesis, to show that Jesus was indeed God, was present in the beginning.

You will notice in our readings there is a lot of mention of the contrast of light and dark. Remember in ancient times, there was no electric lighting, when it was dark out, it was REALLY dark! In a city at least, we now don't get that sense of utter darkness now. But we are affected a lot by light or its absense.

During the short days of winter many of us, get a bit grumpy. If there is an extended time of no sunshine, oh my, people get crabby! The short days of winter, which are often dark too, get tiresome.

Author Wendell Berry said, "It gets darker and darker and darker, and then Jesus is born."

Jesus is the Light of the World! (bulletin cover verse)

Light here means light that is energy,-daylight, not pigment.

Immanuel (God with us)

Jesus born as a human being, living as part of His own creation! Becoming human in order to fully experience life as we know it! God became vulnerable... sounds like a fairy tale?!

Yet we who believe, and maybe never even told our kids fairy tales, but we KNOW down deep in our hearts that this story is true.

and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

ahhh Peace....that quality we seek that can be so hard to find...at least this time of year. Yet God's peace is special, and it can be within us even in hectic seasons. God's peace is in the Hebrew, Shalom! The Peace that passes understanding...The peace that encompasses protection, wholeness, prosperity, the peace in which the wolf will lie down with the lamb.. and a little child shall lead them! The peace that brings hope, and joy even in the midst of life's trials.

Thru Jesus, Emmanuel, Spirit lives in us, when we listen and follow, we are living our faith, we are glorifying God.

When things go badly, when the stuff of life happens, and it will....we ask why?

If God is good, etc....we want life to make sense. But often it doesn't. And that just rankles. When Shalom prevails, things make sense. One day it will all make sense, we won't ask why any more, because we will understand, but until that day comes, when someone asks why? It may be that the best thing we say or do is 'I don't know either, but I am here for you.”

We live out God's love and light by caring for others, by sharing our love, our time, yes our money, giving to church and to charities. The word charity is derived from the Greek work Charis... which means “Grace' the Grace of God, the blessing and love of God, lived out and shared.

Our church, like many others, supports organizations that help individuals and families with needs like food and clothing. There is so much need out there, and once a person or family is in the position of needing assistance, sometimes they need help to get out of that position too. There is a cycle that can be a real challenge to overcome. So our church supports organizations that provide various kinds of assistance, to help with immediate needs and agencies that help people obtain knowledge and skills to overcome their circumstances. Folks learn resources and skills to become empowered and move beyond the cycle. And then they are able to help others as well!

The light spreads to others. The protection and well being-the Shalom of God spreads to others. This is one of the ways we honor God.

This is modeled by the shepherds in our final reading

“Lesson 8: Luke 2:15-20

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

When we live our faith, we glorify God. When we sing and pray in Jesus' Name we are praising God and praying to help spread the light, the shalom of God. In just a few moments we will see just how a little bit of light, shared, can spread far and wide!

Tonight we celebrate the birth of a baby, a very special baby.

But there is a shadow over the manger.

A few years ago, I was 'multi-tasking” in the Bible. I was preparing Advent Bible studies and so read thru the Christmas stories, the birth narratives. I'd been asked what is the significance of the baby being wrapped in swaddling clothes. And I explained that is a sign that the baby Jesus was well cared for. Later that day, I was going to write a devotion for a Lenten publication, and read the Good Friday story. And was struck by parallelism in the texts.

Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.

(Luke 23) Then {Joseph of Arimathea} took {down the body of Jesus} and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone.

The shadow of the cross lies over the manger, this baby, Jesus, was born to go to the Cross...for us.

Jesus came to be with us, to fully experience life as a Human being, in a human body. Because of Jesus we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will guide and help us. That is God within. Thru Jesus, we have God with us and within us. Just as in the beginning, Jesus was with God and was God, Jesus is us and is with us. Imagine that...the God who is and was and ever shall be, SO LOVED, that he chose this! By living out that love, by caring for others, we spread the light, and the darkness can not overcome it!

1/12/14 Our Favorite Verses: God Presides

Psalm 82

English Standard Version (ESV)

Rescue the Weak and Needy

A Psalm of Asaph.

82 God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;7 nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall inherit all the nations!

Matthew 25

The Final Judgment

31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Sermon series “Our Favorite Verses”

I am enjoying hearing from some of you what scriptures you love, that have meaning for you. And I look forward to hearing more!

I said last week, that I would not embarrass you, I am not going to say Susie Q loves this verse because when she was 7...

this is a fascinating Psalm and I have really enjoyed prepping this week.

Last week Darrah told me after worship that this was his fave psalm and my first thought was 82? who likes Psalm 82? Are we playing “Stump the Pastor”? I wasn’t sure exactly which psalm this was, I knew it was in a section of psalms not written by David, songs of feeling separated from God because of mistreatment by outside forces. Darrah read the psalm and we talked about it then, and I knew immediately which Gospel lesson to use with it!

So who or what are these “gods” in this psalm? There are a few schools of thought here...Bible scholars LOVE to argue over various things in the bible, One pastor friend said that bible scholars love to write their books and then throw them at each other! and this happens to be a passage that has evidently provoked a fair amount of throwing of books!

The “gods” here may be thought of in different ways...

There are several explanations of who the “gods” are in verses 1 and 6. The first is the view which understands the “gods” to be the mythical gods of the surrounding nations. Another is that the “gods” are the human rulers of the nations which are oppressing Israel. Yet another explanation is that they are angels,...

this is what the (online) Reformation Study Bible says :

 This short psalm presents some difficult problems. Chief among them is the “gods” mentioned in vv. 1 and 6. A number of scholars take this as a reference to angelic powers, lesser spiritual beings who make up God’s heavenly council.

A second interpretation understands “gods” literally, as deities made subordinate to Yahweh.

The most commonly held interpretation is that the “gods” are human judges. --People in authority. In ancient times Judges were believed to have been appointed by God!

this psalm is perhaps a lament for unjust rulers over the Israelites, and a cautionary tale for those leaders, with a prayer at the end asking God to bring true judgment! Whatever the meaning, and it could well be more than one interpretation is correct- God presides over all and God has the final authority!

Who are our 'gods' today? Government and judges, certainly, people in positions of authority that may or may not use their power well. What else maybe in our personal lives, keeps us from following God to the best of our ability?

Jesus referenced this Psalm in John chapter 10, when challenged by religious leaders for calling himself 'Son of God'

and in the Gospel of Matthew we see a picture of 'the final judgment”..that is a bit uncomfortable. This passage challenges us doesn't it? It certainly challenged me this week, individually and as your pastor! I am quite certain I am personally not doing enough, and I am praying over whether our church and community are doing as much as we can!

This comes at the end of what is known as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus' teachings that come at the end of his final journey to Jerusalem. The next chapter of Matthew's gospel begins with “the Plot to Kill Jesus”. Jesus is teaching here about the end times. There are several parables about final salvation and what signs of the end times may be. “no one knows the day and hour”.

In this parable, Jesus links final judgment not with military might, as might be expected—he is speaking to people living under the thumb of the Roman Empire! God's judgment comes not with wealth and power, but with works of healing and forgiveness. Of care and compassion. God has the power to 'smite' evil, but Jesus helps us see that God's real work is to care for others, especially those who do not have wealth, power. In other words folks who seem to be out of favor! (the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek...)

Jesus said as you have done to the least of these, you have done to me! These are not just words...no pat on the head to the down and out, saying I will pray for you. Jesus is in the hospitals, in the streets and the trenches, in the prisons, in the homeless shelters. Jesus lives & walks with those who are suffering, and He is with us in our worst moments, even if we are not in prison or in the hospital or homeless.

Because Jesus is God Incarnate, here to be part of our lives! Even the worst of life. Especially the worst of life.

Nadia Bolz-Weber

This is our God. Not a distant judge nor a sadist, but a God who weeps. A God who suffers, not only for us, but with us. Nowhere is the presence of God amidst suffering more salient than on the cross. Therefore what can I do but confess that this is not a God who causes suffering. This is a God who bears suffering. I need to believe that God does not initiate suffering; God transforms it.

and God transforms suffering through God's followers. Through you and me, caring for folks, visiting, clothing, feeding, sharing, walking with each other. Helping to right a system that has no cure for poverty. Through us acting not as “gods” but as human beings each trying to figure out this thing called life. Through us praying for those in need and for those who are in positions of authority to act in ways that help people- not promote selfish gain. God presides over those in authority, and God resides with us through Jesus!

Our Favorite Verses: The Lord is My Shepherd

Psalm 23

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

1 Corinthians 11

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for[e] you. Do this in remembrance of me.”[f] 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Did you ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

Starting a series on “favorite” Bible passages. I really want to hear from YOU all what your faves are and why? What does this verse mean to you?

And if you are interested in a Bible reading plan...many people start the new year with some resolutions...i have reading plans to read thru either the New Testament or the whole Bible in 1 year!

Psalm 23, most people's favorite, even younger folks who have not grown up in a church like this one for funerals especially. But it is more than a reading for funerals.! there is so much here in these few verses. It is full of hope for every day.

A Shepherd's rod was to ward off predators..a wolf or whatever, and the staff was for guiding the sheep, directing them. The shepherd offers protection, guidance, and is always there. God with us—always!

When Jesus said I am the good shepherd, his listeners would have surely thought of this psalm. They were well educated in their scriptures and would probably have sung this psalm many times.

The reminder and assurance of this Psalm is that God is always with us, even in the darkest valley.

The psalm also speaks of God's provision. Preparing a table in the midst of enemies! “Sit at the table, have some nourishment to help you for the rest of your journey.” And the hospitality overflows!

God's provision is abundant. God's grace and mercy are abundant.

that's why we come to the Table.

Our NT lesson, Apostle Paul is teaching—scolding believers in Corinth. They were folks who do not seem have a worshipful attitude. They are putting themselves, their wants & desires ahead of their worship.

And he says “For I share with you as it was given to me....”

Reminding the people that we come not because of ourselves but because of Jesus, because of what the LORD said and did for each of us.

these are what we call the “Words of Institution” in the Communion liturgy. Very often you will hear exactly these words. I am a bit of a purist when it comes to liturgy, but have come to realize that story is important, people relate well to stories –that's why Jesus told them! and so I combine these words with the story from the Gospels, especially Luke in which he also uses the phrase 'in remembrance of me'

To remember-re-again, member-a part of-- means to recall, to put together again in your mind...to bring back and renew in your mind an image or images. To be mindful. Do this in remembrance of me...do this recalling me, thinking of me, honoring me...Jesus said.
Years ago when I was first becoming a pastor, I had given my Aunt some of my sermons, and she was telling me how proud she was of me. And she gave me a ring, right off her finger. Saying “when you wear this, remember me!” and my first thought was, well you are my Aunt, I am not going to forget you! Then I realized she was talking about an older meaning of “remember me'. Meaning, keep me in your heart, pray for me!'



I think this is what Jesus was saying, keep me in your heart!



The Lord's supper,-Communion (with together) is the one of the purest ways we have to put Jesus first. We set aside several minutes to quietly pray, meditate, with some music playing, or perhaps scripture being read....and we serve each other...isn't that a beautiful thing? Isn't it just what Jesus told us?



Isn't it a mystery? The bread which is broken makes us whole....and drink which is poured out refills and renews us?



What if we treated our Bible like we couldn't get along without it?
What if we used it to receive messages to stay connected?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being turned off because Jesus already paid the bill.

Let's make 2014 the year we renew our faith regularly. Let's make this year the best we've ever had, because we are connected –to God thru the Bible and prayer, and to each other. 

December 1, 2013 A Promise of Hope Pastor Carol P. Taylor

Isaiah 2:1-5

2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.

5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

Romans 13:11-14

{Preceding Verses 8-10}

8  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  9  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”and whatever other command there may be, are summed up  in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”10  Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

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This is the first Sunday of Advent. “Advent” means the arrival of something or someone, or some event that is notable! In the church calendar, Advent is a season of waiting for that arrival....the arrival, the birth of the Savior!

The next few weeks we will be looking at some of the prophecies in the Bible, specifically in Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet roughly 700 years before the birth of Christ. He was warning the Hebrew people of hard times to come, indeed about 100 years later their holy city Jerusalem would be conquered, wiped out and many of their people would be taken into exile in Babylon. The exile was a devasting time for the Hebrew people, nearly comparable to the centuries of slavery in Egypt, that Moses led them out of. The Old Testament is a painting of people loving and worshiping God, who blesses them. The people then gradually fall away, turning their backs on God & get into trouble, then consequences of their bad behavior. They repent, return to God, and God forgives, and blesses. And the cycle repeats. This is what is going on here in Isaiah, the people have had it pretty good and they are complacent and falling away from God. And consequences are coming. Not that God is mean or vindictive, but that our actions, as individuals and as a society bring about things that may not be desirable or what we expected.

Yet the writings of Isaiah contain some of the most profound predictions of a Messiah-a savior. And these writings, prophecies, are referred to by the Gospel writers, especially Matthew. These writings point to Jesus. The writings point to the coming of a savior who would live with humanity, the suffering servant,

and to a 2^nd coming, the ushering in of the new heaven and earth, (that are written about in the Revelation)

Our passages today show some contrasts, light/dark, night/day, wake/sleep. Works of darkness, putting on the armor of Light. I am intrigued by that phrase! The Light of Christ can protect us! How do we put on the armor of light? We can help others, share our faith, offer a prayer, give Hope to someone who is struggling.

My favorite of the Christmas programs on TV each year is “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Charlie Brown is dismayed by the commercialism and greediness he sees in all the kids and even his dog, Snoopy! One of the recurring themes all thru all the Peanuts strips over the years is of course Linus carrying around his beloved blue security blanket. At one point during this show, Lucy, as usual, is threatening to slug little brother Linus if he has his blanket with him during their Christmas play!

Lucy: Linus, you’ve got to get rid of that stupid blanket! What’s a Christmas shepherd going to look like holding a stupid blanket like that?!
Linus: well this is one Christmas shepherd who is going to keep his trusty blanket with him (as Lucy is making a fist, he whips the blanket into a shepherd’s headdress) “See, you wouldn’t hit an innocent shepherd, would you?” Lucy walks away disgusted, and Linus smiles, relieved and I think just a bit smug.

Later on, Charlie Brown, in his frustration, cries out “Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” little Linus, with security blanket in hand, walks to the center of the stage, says, “lights, please,” and recites from the Gospel of Luke chapter 2:8-14

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.......

As Linus begins, he is still holding his blanket. But when he says, “the angel said to them..Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy,” he lets the blanket fall onto the floor next to him. The good news of great joy gives him SO much hope that he can even let go of his beloved security blanket!

Granted, he picks it up again and is hanging on to it as he says “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” But for a moment, he felt free to let go and hold only to the Good News that is for all people. The Good News that brings up hope...hope so fantastic that we can let go of our old ways. Now Linus is a cartoon character, he HAS to hold onto his blanket or we won't know who he is! But we can let go, we don't have to pick up and resume the old ways. We can share the hope of the LOVE of Christ that is for this season and all year!

This is what Apostle Paul is talking about here, putting on the armor of light, putting on Christ, living in love...“Love does no harm to a neighbor!”

someone I know is having a rough time right now, and she said, 'with all that God is piling on, I'm struggling.”

I don't believe GOD is piling on bad stuff. God is LOVE. Life happens, things happen. But God loves and is with us in the world, in the stuff of life. That's what the birth of Jesus is all about. Jesus came to earth to live and walk and love as a human being. To live in a frail human body, to fully experience what it means to be human! Jesus did this BECAUSE of love, to be with us, “emmanuel' --God with us. After Jesus life and death He gave the Holy Spirit, which is how we have God with us. It is an incredible story, but it gives HOPE, hope that we are never alone in life, or death, and that death is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life, with our Lord and with our loved ones.

When making the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, it was suggested to Charles Schultz, to not use the Bible message, a blatently religious message. His response was, “if we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?” once the show was made, CBS Execs, actually the producers all thought it was not a good show, it would not be popular, had there not been a contract and publicity, it would not have aired. As it was, CBS said it would be aired once and shelved, one and done.

The night A Charlie Brown Christmas aired, Dec. 9, 1965, 49% of tvs in the nation tuned in. CBS executives were shocked. The producers were shocked too, and even more so when they were nominated for, and won, an Emmy and a Peabody award. The program has aired every year since, sold millions of VHS tapes, DVDs and BluRay. The music soundtrack is a classic as well, having just been remastered and reissued just last year.

If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will? People will doubt and second guess us for our faith. We will have days when we are challenged and it might be hard to just keep on. Life happens. But- we can let go of our fears and frustrations. Because we have HOPE. The Hope of Christ, God within, coming once again!   

November 17, 2013 The Ripple Effect: Giving Thanks

Psalm 100

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 4:4-13

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable―if anything is excellent or praiseworthy―think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me―put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Heard a cute story about the habit of saying Grace before a meal:

PASTOR: Now, Simone, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMONE: No ma'am, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.

(Even though we in this church are all good cooks, we will have our benediction serve as Grace for our turkey dinner!)

This is the final in my sermon series called the ripple effect ...

toss a stone into water and the ripples appear and spread out...sometimes much further than you would imagine! This series has been spread out in part because we had a couple special services recently. The topics have been prayer, bible reading, worship (communion), being together, and today Giving thanks. These are ways in which we can stay in our faith, live our faith and even grow in our faith, to help spread the vision that God has for this church! It's wonderful to say one believes in God and Jesus, but we can do more! Jesus said, “Follow me”. and these practices are how we do better at following. They enable us to do things that ripple out and benefit others..but also enable ripples within ourselves that help us learn and grow in kindness and compassion, to become better human beings and better followers of our loving Lord.

Our passage from Philippians is a prime example.

{READ lesson}

Rejoice in the Lord. No matter what's going on, God is in charge!

You know people will say, 'if God is love, how can this happen...” referring to disasters, illness, sick children. That's a fair question!! Well, if there were no God, there would be only disasters, violence, hatred, illness, devastation. There would be NO joy, no peace, no love, no beauty, no truth-because these are the qualities of God. We only know truth, beauty and joy because of God. Rejoice in the Lord...again I say rejoice.

No matter what is going on in your life, in the world, there is SOMETHING for which to be grateful. There is something that is right, admirable, true, something lovely. Focus on these, give thanks for them and for the ability to perceive them! Give thanks for a bird song and for hearing, for the colors of the sunrise and sunset, and for vision. For the aroma of food cooking, and the ability to smell...See what I mean here? This is how we maintain that attitude of gratitude that Paul is talking about here. And this attitude will help us get through a LOT.

There have been many studies that show that keeping positive thoughts help a person emotionally in many ways. It promotes resilience against stress...can help against depression or anxiety, and can even help a person sleep better! That is what Paul is saying...'the God of peace will be with you” keeping a positive attitude helps us maintain equilibrium even when things are challenging.

That equilibrium can help us to see that when things are falling apart, others are as well. That we are all in the same boat, we are all dealing with STUFF.

Author Anne Lamott says,
“we're all in the same boat. We ALL think we missed school the day that the visiting specialists stopped by our grade school to distribute the pamphlets on what is true, who we are, how we are to live with the great mystery of life, how to come through dark times, how to awaken. We're all sort of winging it, trying to learn self-love and respect, ... and live lives of meaning and joy.”

So we work on holding onto what is true, beautiful, noble, the things that help us remember the qualities of God and that bring us the peace of God.... And that equilibrium can help us to want to reach out! We can share that peace!

Social psychologists are increasingly finding that "pro-social” behavior – including expressing gratitude and giving to others – is key to our psychological well-being. Even how we choose to spend our money affects our health and happiness.

Expressing gratitude confers benefits, so too does giving to others. New research shows that people all around the world --derive more happiness from spending money on others than they do on themselves.

"For the first time, we show that giving away money or spending it on others confers the ...psychological benefit of increasing the giver’s sense of wealth,” says Michael Norton of Harvard Business School and co-author with Elizabeth Dunn of the University of British Columbia of the upcoming book Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending. In {several} new studies, Norton and colleagues showed that charitable giving makes people feel wealthier.

This research follows on other work... that shows that giving time to others – from helping with homework to shoveling a neighbors’ driveway – actually makes people feel that they have more time. "In fact, giving time away ...{helps us feel we have MORE time} even more than unexpected windfalls of free time.”

Giving our money helps us to feel wealthier! Giving our time helps us feel that we have more time! Could it be that our Creator God actually MADE us that way? On purpose?

Giving is a huge key to feeling good.....when we bless others, we feel blessed. That is how the Kingdom of God works! We think we have set out to do something for someone else, and we end up feeling good, feeling that we have more time, money and we just feel better about ourselves in general!

So you want to feel realllllllly good?! How about being a blessing to our church!? You can feel more wealthy and feel that you have more time, both! We need both time and talent, and all of us have things we can do to help out.

Here in this church, we are doing wonderful things to bless others, and will continue to do so, even while we are in transition until the new Sr Minister is called here. The Sr Minister is not the only reason the church runs....it's the people! People who are committed to taking care of others, people who know how good it feels to do something, just because we are able to do so!

We give because we can. Because we recognize that we are blessed, and we can share some of those blessings. And we give because God gave...The Eternal God who Is and Was and Ever Shall be....gave God's Only Son-- For each of us! We give because we realize that we are each a child of God, an heir with Jesus Christ! Jesus, who gave ALL for us, the greatest gift of all, and we can do all things through Him, who strengthens us.

A while back, early in our merger process, I shared this quote with you all....and I think it bears repeating.

Author N.T. Wright in his book Simply Christian, writes of what the church can be:

“It’s a place of welcome and laughter, of healing and hope, of friends and family and justice and new life. It’s where the homeless drop in for a bowl of soup and the elderly stop by for a chat. It’s where one group is working to help drug addicts and another is campaigning for social justice. It’s where you’ll find people learning to pray, coming to faith, struggling with temptation, finding new purpose, and getting in touch with a new power to carry out that purpose. It’s where people bring their own small faith and discover, in getting together with others to worship the one true God, that the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. No church is like that all the time. But a remarkable number of churches are partly like that for quite a lot of time.”¹

This church is partly like that, for part of the time. There is more to do, but we are on our way. I am convinced this vision of what the church can be is part of what we are called to! I was convinced of that early in our merger process, and I am convinced of it today. But I can't do it alone, nor can whomever ends up as our Sr Minister, whenever he/she comes here. It takes ALL of us. And that is who is at work right now. We are becoming that church of vision, even in this time of transition. WOW, that is amazing, it's a gift from God. Let us be generous with OUR gifts today, tomorrow and next year.

The ripples we cast here in UCB are spreading a LONG ways...thru our monetary donations and actions, we in this church are making a big difference in lives in Beloit and beyond. Through Heifer International, which helps families learn to feed themselves and their neighbors. Through other missions, we help disabled people in Mexico, translate the Bible in Mozambique. We gave school supplies to 340 kids here in Beloit, we help educate children in Myanmar. and we are collecting today to help disaster victims in the Philippines. Our ripples are spreading across the globe!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

How about a group of thoughtful, committed citizens who pray, read our bibles, gather as the Body of Christ to worship and give of ourselves and our gifts? Think of our ripples spreading out... we can help change the world! We can do ALL things through Christ who is our strength!

Let's pray

Gracious God, thank you for creating us to be giving people. Help us to be a blessing today, tomorrow and every day, through this church and in our every day lives.

1 - NT Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, p. 123

The Ripple Effect: Being Together

November 10, 2013       The Ripple Effect: Being Together              Pastor Carol P. Taylor

United Church of Beloit

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless―
a miserable business!

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Football joke...from Reader's Digest. As a Catholic, Iam partial to Notre Dame football. As a former Michigan resident, though, I also keep tabs on Michigan college teams. One Saturday afternoon, a neighbor dropped in while I was watching Notre Dame vs. Michigan State. ”Which team do you want to win?” he asked. I replied, “Gee, I don't know,” ”I'm kind of torn between Church and State.” Robert A. Kozma

Community...sports as community building, we bond...but it can promote division too, Packers/Bears etc....

true community runs much more deeply...

Ripple effect.....the rock tossed into the pond....bigger rock equals bigger ripples! When we live out our faith, we are causing ripples that can have quite an effect on others!

And we may cause different kinds of ripples....positive or negative. The ripples we send out can effect others well, or badly. So we need to be mindful about what ripples we cause, what effect we may have on others, right?

We are all part of the body of Christ. Everyone in this church, in every church everywhere. That every single part of the body is valuable and necessary. Even the parts that don't seem special. We are all children of God.

In my extended family, my cousins and their spouses and kids, are some pretty strongly held opinions. We have Catholics and Protestants and Jews, agnostics, Democrats and Republicans, GB Packer fans, Bears fans and one Vikings fan, but he is only related by marriage....and we're praying for him.

But down deep, we are family first and foremost. We love and respect each other, even tho our discussions can get loud and lively! We enjoy being together, and that is what is most important.

People tend to label people. Most people like to have things fit into categories. That's just the way our minds work. Gender, economic status, racial background, country of origin, sexuality, dog lover or cat lover....whether as a fan of the other team, or whatever. But we need to be careful because labeling can be a way of “othering”--that is saying that the person we just labeled is different...not one of us..therefore one of the 'others'. If we focus on what is different, we fail to peceive what we have in common. It's harder to remember that we are all part of the same family, the family of God. We fail to see that the other person has had joy and troubles, has loved and has had heartbreak, has been ill and has felt fantastic...

it takes practice to keep looking for and focusing on what we have in common.

Author Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together:

Christian community is not an ideal we have to realize, but rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus Christ alone, the more calmly we will learn to think about our community and pray and hope for it.’ 

You see, we can not fully achieve true community all by ourselves.

In the Old testament lesson, did you notice something? The writer is talking about 2 people, 2 people together...then says 'A CORD of three strands is not easily broken.” two people, three strands....

it's God. The first strand is God. God who created us, out of love, God who created us to Love God and Love and take care of each other. God who so loved that God sent his Only Son....When we make sure God comes first in our hearts and lives, then we are the cord of three strands. THEN we are truly the Body of Christ, living our faith, our commitment to our family―our immediate family, our church family and the family of God.

Dallas Willard

... By relying on {Jesus'} word and presence we are enabled to reintegrate the little realm that makes up our life into the infinite rule of God. And that is the eternal kind of life. Caught up in his active rule, our deeds become an element in God’s eternal history. They are what God and we do together, making us part of his life and him a part of ours.

A Story on a pastors' website....There was a Benedictine community to whom nobody came. As the monks grew old, they became more and more disheartened because they couldn't understand why their community was not attractive to other people. Now in the woods outside the monastery there lived an old rabbi. People came from all over to talk to him about the presence of Yahweh in creation. Years went by and finally the abbot himself went into the woods, leaving word with his monks, “I have gone out to speak to the rabbi.” (It was of course considered humiliating that a Christian community had to go back to the synagogue to find out what was wrong with them.)

When the abbot finally found the rabbi's hut in the woods, the rabbi welcomed him with open arms as if he had known that he was coming. They put their arms around each other and had a good cry. The abbot told the rabbi that his monks were good men but..., and the community was dying. He asked the rabbi if he had any insight into the work of Yahweh in their lives. The rabbi replied, I have the secret and I will tell you once. You may tell the monks and then none of you is ever to repeat it to one another. The abbot declared that if they could have the secret, he was sure his monks would grow.

So the rabbi looked at him long and hard and said, The secret is that among you, in one of you is the Messiah! The abbot went back to this community and told his monks the secret. And lo! as they began to search for the Messiah in one another they grew, they loved, they became very strong, very prophetic. And the old conference ends: From that day on, the community saw Him in one another and flourished!
--Story told by Joan D. Chittister.

Among you, in one of YOU is the Messiah!

Jesus is within each of us. Look for Jesus, look for the heart, remember that there is heartbreak there too, and send out ripples that are positive, kind and loving.

Let's pray together, this is the full version of a familiar prayer.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference,

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

-Reinhold Niebuhr.

The Ripple Effect: An Open Book

Oct. 20, 2013 The Ripple Effect: An Open Book Pastor Carol P. Taylor

Psalm 119:97-105 New International Version

97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

John 17:13-19 Good News Translation

13 And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness. 14 I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. 16 Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world.17 Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18 I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. 19 And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you.

The Ripple Effect: we never quite know what effect we may have on another person. We have all heard those stories of how one person made a difference in the life of someone, by a seemingly small thing said or done. When we live out our faith, we are causing ripples that can have quite an effect on others!

READ GOSPEL LESSON.

I am using GNT here while the NIV is up on the screen very deliberately. In Bible study, it can be very helpful to use different translations.

I love that they use the word “Dedicated” here for “Sanctified”

To be sanctified means to be set apart, separated, saved to be used for specific purpose. In the NT this word is also translated “holy”.

...sanctification is the same Greek word as holiness, meaning a separation. Separated, set apart for a purpose!

Jesus was sanctified, separated FOR US, dedicated for our use.

Just as this beautiful baby has been 'dedicated' for God, set apart so that she can make that choice one day, so we can be dedicated, set apart for God to use for God's purposes. When I say 'we' I mean each of us as individuals, because we never know what effect we may have today! But I also mean 'we' as a church, to help our members, our community (like with Hands of Faith...Trunk or Treat, visting homebound members, and so on. so we, individually and as a church can be dedicated, set apart for God to use for God's purposes.

How do we know God's purposes.....

well, they are here...in the Bible!
Well, yes ok, but the bible is hard to understand sometimes.

Though as mark twain said, it ain't the parts of the bible I don't understand that bother me, it's the ones that I DO!

Richard Foster in Life With God

Pay attention to the recurring themes of the stories of the Bible: God loves human beings; human beings always seem to want what they can't have; God is grieved and angered when human beings rebel but pursues them and forgives them anyway; God is involved not just in the lives of the chosen people, but in the lives of all peoples, and in the concerns of every living thing in creation.

why read the bible? Its confusing, it hard to understand.

yes it is, this is not the latest popular novel or biography. And you can't read it the same way you would read one of those! The Bible is a collection of books of historical events, poetry, instructions, stories that can be hard for us to relate to! Jesus talks about seeds and wheat and chaff, fish and bread as a meal. There are stories of miracles that are just unbelievable..i mean REAALLY unbelievable! And some of the prophecies, well they are scarier than a Stephen King story!
Yes! The bible is challenging! But there's a big picture here....all those events, poems, instructions, stories, and prophecies point to one theme. God is with us!

R. Foster again.....The divine assurance thundering throughout the ages is also a divine invitation: I am with you will you be with Me? This dynamic is the absolute unifying center of the Bible. Every story in the Bible, no matter its twists and turns, whether the human characters are trustworthy or untrustworthy, whether the story is sad or happy, is built on this clarion call to relationship.  {God says} “I am with you- will you be with Me?” 

The bible has survived, parts of it, for thousands of years! There must be SOME reason for that!

And yes the bible is relevant today. There is comfort in the bible, written in beautifully poetic language...to everything there is a season,

Isaiah said that God's word WILL accomplish it's purposes and on the day the mountains will sing and the trees will clap their hands! That verse right there can get you through a tough day.

So why should our bibles be open?

Because God is LOVE. And it says Life ain't about you and me.

Oh I wish it were, I think if I were in charge of the universe for a few days, I could REALLY shape up a few things! But what God is interested in is how we care for each other, how we recognize God in each other. Yes God is in every human being...sometimes we have to look pretty hard! But God is in every single person and all of creation. That's why our covenant says we seek to reach out in God's extravagant love, we affirm!

This week I was prepping for a  funeral and one of her favorite verses is Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.”

and I looked in my bible..and was reminded that the verses immediately before that are " The stone  the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;   the  Lord  has done this, and it is marvelous  in our eyes."

Jesus referred to this Psalm when he was talking about going to the Cross. The stone that was rejected, was Jesus. He endured the rejection –the separation from God, that should have been ours! And became the cornerstone of faith, of the church, of our lives. This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!

The Bible is a LOVE story. That's why we have it, that's why we need to read it, even when it's hard to understand, even when it bothers us, because over and over God says to us I LOVE YOU, Love me and love others!

Jesus sanctified himself for us, dedicated himself, set himself apart, for US. On the cross, He was separated in another way...separated from God, his father (whom he said, “I and the father are one”) but on the cross, covered in OUR SIN, Jesus endured the full separation from God that made him the bridge between us and our perfect Holy God. Jesus became totally separate from God, dedicated himself FOR US. For you and me, purely out of Love. We are to be set apart too. Not to isolate ourselves, but to be in relationship with other believers to carry out the work of God―to make the Kingdom happen here on earth.

Let God's love ripple through you, through your life. Allow that love to flow from you to others and see what the effect is!

Let's pray

Loving Lord God, thank you for your word that challenges, inspires, teaches, scolds, but most of all, shows us your love. Help us better grasp your love and allow it to work in us and through us to better this community and this world in Your name. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.