on RevGalBlogPals I found the Friday Five Random questions. here they are with my answers for today, Sept 12 in Purple

Random Friday Five is back!

1. If you could sneak away anywhere this weekend, right now, all expenses paid, where would you go and what would you do?
   A)any sunny beach- ideally Florida. with someone to fetch food and beverage  :) (water and iced coffee...yes, i really AM that boring..)

2. What is for lunch today? (one of the very first FF asked this.)
   A) leftover pizza -one of the best parts about making or getting pizza for dinner is the leftover the next day!

3. Along that first-FF-I-ever-played theme, what are you wearing today?
   A) jeans, and warmup jacket cuz it's freakin' November weather! 

4. Along the Today Theme, what are you doing today?
   A) catching up at home today, and going make soup, cuz it's freakin' November weather 

5. Along the random theme, what is your favorite scent, and why?
   A) cinnamon, tho i love the scent of coffee brewing as i get up in the morning

August 24, 2014     Getting to the Core          

OT lesson: Psalm 150

Let Everything Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

NT lesson: Mark 2:1-12

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd,they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,“Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”―he said to the paralytic― 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Psalm 150, deliberately chosen since we had a variety of music and musicians in worship this morning. Can you imagine a service with trumpets? Cymbals? Maybe worship wasn't always somber and serious! ;)

Sermon series based on various sports....

Weight training....great for muscles, calorie burn etc... muscles that are toned burn calories all the time even at rest!

Must use good form to avoid injury, as in all sports. there is a correct way to do each exercise...One of the biggest ways is to engage core. Core muscles are abs, side and back even hips and glutes. Keeping one's core strong helps posture, balance and stability, helps your back, and a strong core can help prevent injury even in daily activities. (Wish I had learned this 40 years ago...)

So in our faith life...things that are hard about being a Christian...working the CORE of our faith.....especially in an era that does not encourage people to express their faith, to attend church.

New testament reading from the Gospel of Mark...

as I read our Gospel lesson, imagine the scene, picture it...imagine you are there.

READ GOSPEL LESSON

homes in this region and time had a flat thatched roof, which was accessible, as it was used as storage and as a place to sit in the cool of the evening :) One lived with a large extended family, who may have had a few homes together, around an open yard. So Jesus would be speaking in the front part of the house with people all around and probably filling the open yard too.

Jesus in this passage is shown to have 3 distinct divine qualities, forgiveness. He can discern the thoughts of his critics..(omniscience) and he performs a healing.

This is early in his ministry and the author Mark is giving us no room for doubt of who Jesus really is. Jesus' divinity is at the core of this story.

The people who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus...we don't hear what they say....and we don't hear from that man either actually. Was he a passive part of the story? Or might he have been saying, I don't care what you have to do, get me to this Jesus! So the men not only carried him up onto the roof...they dug through the roof, which would have likely been a few layers of dried mud and straw over wooden crossbeams. Luke's version of this story says they removed roof tiles. Luke was writing for a different audience in a different area who would have had clay tile roofs.

Either way, this was not an easy task. And if they were indeed digging through thatch, it would have been messy. Once they made progress stuff would have been falling threw ..maybe even ON to Jesus! Can you imagine the other people around? Can you imagine the home owner? Or his wife...

but Jesus doesn't respond to the unusual aspects of this story, he just looks at the man and says affectionately Son your sins are forgiven.

Then Jesus shows his Omniscience...and finally his authority as Son of Man, a reference to the book of Daniel, one of the Hebrew prophets.

(Daniel 7:13) "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”

This is a prophecy of the Messiah! Jesus is saying I am the one you've been waiting for!

So when I asked you to imagine you were IN this scene...how did you picture yourself. Were you watching it all, taking it all in? Were you in front, near Jesus, watching hunks of dried mud and thatch falling? Were you the homeowner thinking what in the world are they doing to my house?! Were you thinking who is this Jesus person anyway? Were you one of the friends working SO hard to get this man to Jesus? Were you the one in need of healing?

We all need some healing sometimes...just as we sometimes are the ones saying who IS this Jesus anyway....and sometimes we get to help someone else get to Jesus.

SO how do we engage the core of our faith... we start by knowing God through Jesus.--for God so loved the world.....and what does the bible say?

Be still and know that I am God.

I came across something I have saved for a long time..it's something called the Simple Path..

Mother Teresa's Simple Path

The fruit of silence is prayer.

The fruit of prayer is faith

The fruit of faith is love

The fruit of love is service

The fruit of service is peace.

“be still and know that I am God..” the fruit of silence is prayer... conversing with God, listening as well as talking, listening for that quiet voice..

the fruit of prayer is faith...we know God and our faith and trust deepen...

the fruit of faith is love. Faith helps us to recognize and take in that incomparable, immeasurable unconditional eternal LOVE. And when we realize that love for ourselves, we reach out to share it...that is service.

The fruit of service is peace.

Marva Dawn

God has called everyone to be part of God's mission in the world.

To accomplish this mission in the world we need to be engaged in the core of our faith and our community. This is how we are strengthened and equipped. We then can reach out in love, serving others, carrying them to Jesus! And then we find peace...that perfect Shalom of God, the peace that comes from within.

Last week,along with several other churches, we helped carry some folks to Jesus. They may not have recognized it 100%, but they knew something special was going on...as they received free school supplies, a lunch, hair cuts for kids, and several hours of fun on a Saturday afternoon in the park―in a safe environment. It took several church groups and a lot of time and work and again I thank you all for your support and participation. It's a perfect example of what can happen when we are focused―not on ourselves, but on our Loving Lord.

we're going to continue to engage the core...Jesus--the core of our faith-- our core values of worship, mission and outreach, fellowship, discipleship, and stewardship. We need to gird those muscles and do some weight training....we may need to flex muscles that we haven't used for a long time!

We will add some bible study groups, we are going to work to get to know each other, …I don't think we need to break through a roof!! we may step out of our comfort zone a bit.

“It's good to do uncomfortable things. It's weight training for life.”
Anne Lamott,  Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

Are you ready?  

Sermon What, Me Worry?

I am way behind in my blog, here is the most recent sermon 

(July 20 at United Church of Beloit) 

What, Me Worry? 

Sermon Series: Lord, It's Hard to be a Christian

Isaiah 44:6-8
44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
44:7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.
44:8 Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

Matthew 6 Do Not Be Anxious

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

{series- Lord it's Hard to be a Christian..based on '10 hardest things to do in sports}

Back in High school my best friend and I enjoyed playing tennis. We never had lessons, just what we learned in gym class, so we hadn't learned how to put top spin on the ball or anything, but we could serve and volley. but the scoring never made sense...which goes Love, 15, 30, 40, game or deuce, advantage in.

Q: How many tennis players does it take to change a light bulb? A: "What do you mean it was out, it was in!"

Q: Why should you never fall in love with a tennis player? A: To them, "Love" means nothing. 

Our OT lesson from Isaiah –God says even tho things stink right in this moment, it won't be like that forever....Fear NOT!

READ GOSPEL LESSON

From Sermon on the Mount...Jesus' wonderful 'sermon” that begins with the Beatitudes, this passage is right in the middle of the 'sermon”.

One day I was sitting outside and some birds flew very close to me, so close that I was startled. And it reminded me that the Sermon was preached outside...Maybe a flock of birds flew near by as Jesus was speaking and he said...consider the birds of the air...

Good speakers, good teachers use what is available, what their audience can see and hear and relate to. So Jesus said Look at the lilies blooming right over there...consider the birds flying by....doesn't God take care of them? And you are of more value than they are! So God will take care of you too!! why worry!

Now there is a lot of irony in me preaching on “do not worry”. You see I'm a worrier. It's one of the things I do best. And I read this (and I have read this many times...) and it hits home every time. Do any of you worry? (I KNOW you do....)

Author Francis Chan writes in the book Crazy Love, “Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.”

Worry come from fear. We worry when we are afraid...afraid of what we might hear, of something bad happening, of losing control...

yet the bible says over and over...Fear Not.

I was very worried this week..about a few things, but especially about someone I am close to who was in the hospital...and I prayed hard.

Prayer helps with worry. Prayer helps calm and helps remind us that God is in control...you see worry and negative emotions trigger adrenaline and stress hormones. So prayer and physical activity -taking a walk- help dispel those and replace them with dopamine and other 'feel good hormones”

So when I begin to worry, I remind myself to pray....and it helps. If it can help me, a world class worrier, it can help you! And reading the bible helps too. Because pretty soon you will find a “fear not...” and those reminders of God's love and being with us no matter what! The Bible and prayer remind us God is in control and is indeed big enough, powerful enough, loving enough to take care of us, no matter what.

God being with us always was the theme of the NACCC Annual meeting this year, that we attended a few weeks ago. Thank you again for allowing Martin & me to represent you all. The bible lecturer was fantastic, one of the best we've heard. Dr. Richard Cleaves..from Cheltenham, UK and teaches at the University of Winchester.

He spoke on how to read the scriptures...using the Jewish perspective...saying among other things... “It has been the tendency in Protestant circles to seek a definitive meaning in Scripture. This is quite different from the Jewish approach – for the Jewish approach asks questions of  Scripture. And it is in the questioning that the truths of Scripture emerge.”

He quoted Walter Brueggemann “....a recurring Christian propensity is to give closure to our readings  and  interpretations, it is recurringly Jewish to recognize that our readings are always provisional, because there is always another text, always another commentary, always another rabbinic {commentary}midrash, that moves beyond any particular reading.” 

when the Pilgrims were about to launch their journey to the New World., their pastor John Robinson said, “I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word.”

I believe that the movement of seriously looking at the Jewish traditions and context are a part of the way that more truth and light is breaking forth!

People very often take scripture and look at a verse or two or even a chapter...but asking questions, keeping in mind the context and the ancient traditions helps us to remember to look at the big picture, the whole story. When we look at the whole story, it challenges us to think big picture. To put things into perspective. To know that if God cares for flowers and trees and birds...well I guess maybe God's going to make sure we are OK too.

I get that my standing here saying “God will take care of us” sounds pretty hollow when this week there was a commercial jetliner shot down, Palestinians and Israel are bombing each other, YOUNG children are pouring over our borders desperate to escape the abject poverty and violence at home.. and a major corporation is cutting thousands of jobs. It sounds shallow to say “God is with you” when these things are happening...

And there have been times in my faith walk when I struggled with these kinds of things. When it feels like prayer doesn't even get as far as the ceiling....and I know most of us have had those feelings. We all have had losses...

But I can not believe that God CAUSES awful things to happen...

"God does not cause our misfortunes. Some are caused by bad luck, some are caused by bad people, and some are simply an inevitable consequence of our being human and being mortal, living in a world of inflexible natural laws. The painful things that happen to us are not punishments for our misbehavior, nor are they in any way part of some grand design on God's part. Because the tragedy is not God's will, we need not feel hurt or betrayed by God when tragedy strikes. We can turn to him for help in over-coming it, precisely because we can tell ourselves that God is as outraged by it as we are."-Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

“Do not be anxious...Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...”

and we can help bring the Kingdom to people who are in need of help! We can do this out of the love that we have and compassion. Because we know what it's like to lose a job, lose a loved one.

Also in the news this week locally at least...were articles about Meals on Wheels, Caritas, Love INC and the Book Bag Bash and Project 16:49. all of these are missions of this very church. I don't think it's a coincidence that they have all been featured recently. We and all people and other churches who contribute to these organizations need to be reminded that we are instrumental in this community. We individually and especially as a church are making a difference. If we keep our focus on the Lord, on our mission, we will continue to help bring the Kingdom of heaven to people here in Beloit, and the surrounding area as well as in the rest of the nation and world. And this church will continue to grow and thrive to serve the next generations!

Just like in tennis, we start with Love―except, in tennis love is nothing.

in life, Love is the beginning, It's the foundation..the Love of God...God who is the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega...

God who created the heavens and the earth, and so loved God's creation..he gave Jesus. Jesus who wept with his friends, Jesus who reminds us to not be anxious, but to seek first the kingdom of God and ALL things will be given to us.

Sermon 2/9/14 United Church of Beloit. All You Need is Love

Our Favorite Verses-All You Need is Love  

A Psalm for giving thanks.

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.

1 Corinthians 13 (NRSV)

The Gift of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Our passage today is a favorite of B.. It was a favorite of her grandmother, who passed her love onto her family. It's a beautiful passage, one that we often hear at weddings! For a wedding is when we really celebrate love. Weddings and Valentine's day...which is this week....Gentlemen? Valentine's Day is FRIDAY...you have now been reminded :)

I paired the Corinthians text with Psalm 100, because this (and many other) psalms remind us of the steadfast nature of God's love. That God is eternal and eternally loving. That is why we worship, why we come to sing and praise God.

Our NT lesson from 1 Corinthians...the Apostle Paul wrote to many churches, the church in Corinth was sort of “his wild child”. Corinth was a large port city, with all the troubles that a large port city can develop in a society in which there is a lot of variety of people, ideas and disciplines...or lack thereof. (sound familiar?) So Paul wrote this and another letter to the church there to remind them of the basics, to help them get back on track.

This is chapter 13. the chapter immediately preceding is about how we are one Body in Christ and we have different gifts, each gift is valuable to serve the body. Then here in Ch. 13, Paul talks about Love.

This is a description of perfect love, of Divine Love. This is the love of God. We, humans, can aspire to this sort of love. This is part of how we follow Our Lord Jesus better...by aspiring to His love.

The intro in one study bible says that this letter “is marked by 3 outstanding segments, the absense of any one of which would leave us remarkably poorer. The first has to do with the Lord's Supper..(ch11, “for I share with you as it was given to me...”) ...the second is the great hymn of love in which Paul states that all of the gifts of the {Corinthian} church shink into insignificance if love is missing. … No matter what we do, if we are doing it for any reason that is not love, we are nothing without the love of God.

I was reading about some of the Olympic athletes. One is a hockey player named Anne Schleper-- From St. Cloud, MN

Anne has been stalwart in her hockey career at U-Minn.. she played a record setting 158 games, often battling thru injuries in order to never miss a game. She not only is extremely talented athlete, but mentors less experienced players as well, knowing from her own experience how important that can be.

Schleper points to her experience with a group called Athletes in Action as the time when the religion of her childhood became a personal faith. Schleper now leads a Bible study at Team USA training camps. "Any time you get in the athletic environment, it's challenging as a Christian. It's easy to have an 'it's about me' attitude," she says. "That's why it's important to be around other Christians who can lift you up and pray for you. It's good to stay connected, and that's where I've seen those Bible studies at camps be so huge...”

yes, it's good to stay connected! To be with others., that's what a life of faith is all about. That;s what living in the Love of Christ is about...staying connected, forming new connections, reaching out in love, to check on others, to care for others. That's how we spread the Light of Christ.

That is why THIS church is called into being. 1^st Pres and 2^nd Cong are both 'daughter' churches of the very first church in Beloit, 1^st Cong. The people who formed that church, back in the 1830s when the new community of Beloit was forming, consisted of Congregationalists and Presbyterians. There was a paragraph in the charter of that first church that the Presbyterian members could, at any time form a new Presbyterian church. (sort of a “no fault” clause)

They chose to do so in 1849. the catalyst for that decision was the issue of the abolition of slavery. Second Cong was founded 10 years later when there was development on the west side of Rock river. A nice wooden bridge had been constructed about where Grand avenue is now, and businesses and homes were springing up. The Second Cong. charter was signed in mid-February 1859. I suspect that folks were tired of slip-sliding across a snowy, icy bridge on Sunday mornings.

Our individual churches were founded in love and practicality. To maintain a beloved denominational identity and take action for a cause; and to have a church home closer to work and home.

We came together because of love and practicality. One group realized their building was in too much disrepair, yet a commitment was made to stay together as a church, as the body of Christ. that is remarkable. As we explored options together, spent time together, we realized that both our churches have that 'family feeling' and we enjoy each other's company. The merger was a LOT of work. And we find ourselves working hard again now to find a new Sr Minister, and some of us are feeling a bit lost. But our core values are intact. When there is a need in the neighborhood or the community, you all step up so fast, I can hardly keep up! A few weeks ago we had ribbons for MLK Day, the ribbons were a fundraiser for a scholarship. $1 got you a nice ribbon to wear sunday and monday. I ordered 30 ribbons, and when I turned them back in, there were a few left in the envelope. But there was also $70!! SEVENTY dollars, for about 25 ribbons. That's the love of Our Lord at work right here. I have a dozen stories like that, our Book Bag Bash, Hands of Faith, we average 45-50 volunteers every session that we host. And we will have even more opportunities this coming year, with a new pastor, with a bigger Book Bag Bash, with Vacation Bible School, more chances to reach out love.

The intro in my study bible says that this letter “is marked by 3 outstanding segments, ... The first has to do with the Lord's Supper..the second is the great hymn of love --

The third is the magnificent defense for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. (chap 15).

Jesus lived out God's Love. Jesus, born to a working class family in a non-descript town, lived and loved and taught. He told stories, healed people, sometimes showed a bit of frustration, “how much longer do I have to put up with you?” but I suspect it was said with a twinkle in his eyes!! Jesus is the embodiment of this perfect love described in our passage! Jesus, purely out of love, went to the cross for each of us, and was raised from the dead...to show the power of love is greater than any other power on earth!

Years ago, a Johns Hopkins professor gave a group of graduate students this assignment: Go to the {inner city} Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and investigate their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future.

The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in jail.
Twenty-five years later, another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys - by then men - were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to jail.

Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was a teacher ..."

They pressed further and found that in 75 percent of the cases it was the same woman. The researchers went to this teacher, now living in a home for retired teachers. How had she exerted this remarkable influence over that group of children? Could she give them any reason why these boys should have remembered her?

"No," she said, "no, I really couldn't." And then, thinking back
over the years, she said musingly, more to herself than to the researchers: "I loved those boys. ..."

there has never been a time when LOVE is needed like now. The LOVE of God, expressed in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is all you need. When we are loved so well, when we comprehend that love, we have no choice but to reach out and share it. That is our calling as individuals, and as a church. Let's live that love today!! THIS is the love to live and celebrate! The Love of our Lord. 

Sermon Jan. 19, 2014 "Who is My Neighbor?"

Deuteronomy 6: 4-12
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him{Jesus} to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Our favorite verses:

Opening joke....A young lawyer died and was escorted to the pearly gates. Upon arriving the lawyer started protesting for he was only 32 years old, and there must be some mistake. The listening angel agreed that perhaps it was a mistake and agreed to look into it. After a few minutes the angel came back and said “I’m sorry sir but I am afraid there is no mistake, we calculated your age by how many hours you billed your clients, and you are at least 96.

Deuteronomy 6, very familiar words, we read this for a baptism! “hear oh Israel, the lord is One...One God”. Not a god of sun and a god of the harvest and a goddess of moon and gods of fertility and whatever..but One God. YHWH. The creator, God who made a covenant with Abraham, saying your descendents will be like the stars in the sky...the Lord who freed the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt.

The Lord who is not to be forgotten, when we have homes and enough to eat....this was told to the Israelites after their 40 years in the desert, when they were about to enter the land that had been promised to them. Remember Who brought you to this...who was WITH you thru the 40 years, God was with them..as a cloud during the day...a cloud is protection from the sun when you are in the desert...and as a pillar of fire all night...a source of light and heat and protection from animals. Even tho the israelites had to wander, taking 40 days for a 2 week trip...God was with them thru it all. And in deuteronomy, Moses is reminding them of all of that.

this is the beginning of the Great prayer, the Shema, prayed daily by Jewish people every day-for 5000 years! When Jesus said this, his listeners would have known immediately what he was referring to.

Jesus did refer to this prayer...our passage from Luke is one of the times that Jesus said we are to Love God and Love one another. And he told a famous story to illustrate it.

Imagine you are in the crowd around Jesus. Listen to what He has to say...

READ GOSPEL LESSON

now this is a story Jesus told, it didn't actually happen, but it could have. The setting was a road that was well known and known to be dangerous. But Jesus' telling of this story would have challenged his listeners. A priest went by! A holy man, the person perhaps most trusted in the whole community! Remember in these times, one went to temple every day, prayed several times a day. The priests and levites were the most influential, important people in the Jewish community. And Jesus says this man crossed to the other side of the road, from the poor victim. A Levite, was another religious leader who assisted in the operations of the temple... and did the same thing. Not only ignoring the man, but crossing over to avoid him. Jesus -and there may well have been some of these people IN the crowd, was saying that someone could be hurt or dying and the community leaders just might ignore you and continue on their way. Now there were strict rules about cleanliness. If either of these 2 men were on their way to temple, helping the dying man would cause them to become 'unclean' and they would not be able to perform their tasks in a timely manner. But it seems from Jesus telling of this story that there is something else going on here...

now in our times, we speak of “Good Samaritan laws' and so on. We don't truly get how the Samaritan in this story would have challenged Jesus' listeners. You see the Jewish people and the Samaritans hated each other. There had been centuries of bad blood between them. They feuded over worship, over many traditions and by this time in their history, they completely avoided each other. There was hate, mistrust. So for Jesus to say a Samaritan helped the injured Jewish man, well this was radical stuff. I'm not even sure how we can envision today how radical this is.

And Jesus said, which one of these is the neighbor?! And told the lawyer, go and do likewise. Go and put aside all your differences with anyone! Treat others as you would want to be treated, as you would want your nearest and dearest to be treated!

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King day. He spoke on this very passage the last night of his life. I want to share a bit of what he said....

Dr King:

But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that those men {the Priest and the Levite} were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. {did you get that? You descend 3400 feet in a 20 min drive) {Dr King continued} That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the priest asked -- the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

This is what King said...he said we are to reverse the question. We are to ask what will happen to that person if I do not help. What will happen to my neighbor, if I don't help? What will happen, not to me, but to that child—if I do not help. What will happen..., to this community, to this church? If I do not help?

This is what we need to be asking. Every day. What will happen...

Whether they be young or old, spry and fit --or tired & weak of body and soul, whether they be married or single, straight or gay, even male or female. Whether a person has addictions, is recovering from disease or injury, whether they live in a grand home or in a shelter. Whether they just came to this country or have been here since the Mayflower, or are Native to this land, which so few of us are. What will happen if we do not help?

We just read our covenant..in the Reformed Protestant tradition, we 'covenant together' we mutually agree to be together as a gathered body. In that covenant we say “we seek to affirm”. That means we uphold even defend others, no matter their age, marital status, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, health....we choose to AFFIRM, not condemn. We choose to think, what will happen to them....that is at the core of the values of this church, of the 2 churches that came together. Let us think and pray today and every day about how how WE can be better neighbors to each other and to our community and beyond.

What do we need? We need love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice. We need to remember who is our neighbor, and what will happen to that person if I do not act. If I do not give, if I do not care.

Let us pray...

Let's sing together hymn Red 637 Instruments of Your Peace.

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!