Casting Our Nets

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit April 14, 2013

Psalm 30
30:1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
30:2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
30:3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
30:4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
30:5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
30:6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."
30:7 By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
30:8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication:
30:9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
30:10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!"
30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
30:12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

John 21:1-19
21:1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.
21:2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.
21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
21:4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
21:5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No."
21:6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
21:7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.
21:8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
21:9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.
21:10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
21:11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.
21:12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord.
21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
21:14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
21:16 A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
21:18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."
21:19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Our Gospel lesson is from sometime shortly after the first Easter Sunday, after the resurrection. Peter and the other disciples have gone back to Galilee as Jesus told them. This is their home turf, where it all began. They have had extraordinary experiences the past 3 years with Jesus and now, Jesus was crucified, and came back and showed himself to the disciples.

Remember Peter, good old brash Peter, at the last supper said, vehemently, “I WILL NEVER deny you!”....but a few hours later, when the going got tough, after Jesus was arrested, Peter was asked about Jesus and said, “nope I don't know him, no not me, never heard of him”, just as Jesus had predicted.

to deny Jesus 3 times was a legal statement. This was the same as testifying in a court room. Peter had perjured himself. Makes you wonder, doesn't it, what was going through his mind now, some time later, back at home. He has burned his bridges, hasn't he?

He said, I am going fishing. Now this was not, “Oh I'm gonna go relax on the water, drown a few worms.” Fishing was his career, his lifeblood. He fished to make a living, to support his family. Peter went back to his old routine. To his old lifestyle. And the others said, we'll go with you. They went to do what was routine, what was familiar to them.

That's a very human tendency, we tend to do to what's familiar and comfortable. Even after a huge transition, we want to do what we're used to doing. Go to the same places, sit in the same spots.

And they fished, working hard all night, and didn't catch a thing. They didn't have any food, they didn't have anything to take home to the family, they sure didn't have anything to sell! What now?

And a man on the beach called to them, 'cast your nets on the other side of the boat” they did and WOW! There were so many fish they couldn't even haul in the net! This must have seemed familiar to them, it is how Peter and some of the others met Jesus the first time! It's recounted in the other gospels, but Luke 5 has the most detail. They had fished all night, didn't catch a thing and Jesus said, go out into the deep water. And they caught so many fish that their nets began to break and Peter had to call over to another boat to have John and James to come help.

Today, there were again SO many fish, but this time the nets did not break! That first time, they were not yet followers of Jesus. In today's story, they were. They did as he suggested, not even knowing it was Jesus, and were hugely successful! We can do all things through Christ!

And they go ashore and find Jesus is cooking breakfast :) and he invites them to come join him, giving them the bread and the fish. This echoes the stories of the miraculous feeding of 5000 told in all the Gospels, doesn't it? Jesus understands that people need sustanence, that our basic physical needs must be met. After breakfast, he talks to Peter.

Note that he speaks to him formally, He isn't just saying hey pass me another hunk of bread...He says, Simon, Son of John...this is a formal address, much like when I do a wedding and say, Mary Smith, do you take this man, John Jones to be your lawful wedded husband.... Jesus is speaking formally to Peter here.

and Jesus asks Peter 3 times, do you love me, each time saying some variation of “tend my sheep.” note that it is 3 times! This is again, a legal statement! Some of the commentators on this passage make much of the Greek words used here for “love” are 2 different words, one time it's Agape, the deep unconditional love that is of God, others it's Phileos, the more brotherly love! Some of the commentators also make much of the phrasing, feed or tend, my sheep. As much as I love the knowledge we can get from word studies, sometimes fussing over the details can bog us down. This is one of the passages that I think those details actually can distract us from the deeper message. Jesus says, if you really love me, in any way, then I need you to take care of my flock. And the word translated- tend, does indeed mean to care for, to meet the needs of. To feed, care for, watch over.

You see, people have to have our basic needs met before we can work on spiritual, creative labors. We need to be fed, clothed, sheltered. We need companionship. Jesus knew this. That is why He came to earth in human form. To feel what it's like to live in a fragile human body, to know how it feels to be hungry, to laugh, to feel tired, to hold a baby, to weep. And he showed his disciples and us, how to do these things with others. In community.

Love spurs action. God so LOVED the world, he gave God's only son...God loves, God gave...Love spurs action. If we love Jesus we are to care for the flock. Reach out...we, right here in Beloit, we have come together as a United Church for a purpose that is beyond this one hour on Sunday morning. Take a look at our covenant. “We Join together, we seek to reach out in Christian Love....” It means going beyond your normal routine....reaching out, start right here, invite someone you don't know well to sit with you in the pew or over coffee, ask how things are going, ask if you can ride together next week. 'how can I pray for you?” It means continuing to reach out financially, putting quarters in the Goat for Heifer International, giving extra money to help pay off our roof early! It means helping with Hands of Faith, hearing our guest speakers, working this summer with Vacation Bible School, and the Book Bag Bash, attending our extra functions, serving on a board or committee, cleaning up after coffee hour. There are so many ways to help out! And please do pray for each other!

In this church we have had a tough season. Our congregation recently lost some faithful members and several of our folks have had other losses besides, family and friends. Some of our folks are struggling with illness or injury and are probably not going to get back to what they were before. We need a lot of love and prayer right now. We need to love and pray a lot right now. And one of the fastest ways to help yourself is to help someone else.

Jesus says do you love me, tend my flock....and if you cast your nets the way I tell you, you will have astounding success!

How is this church, or any church for that matter, called to cast our nets?

Brennan Manning, the Signature of Jesus

The greatest need for our time is for the church to become what it has seldom been: the body of Christ with its face to the world, loving others regardless of religion or culture, pouring itself out in a life of service, offering hope to a frightened world, and presenting itself as a real alternative to the existing arrangement.

Our United Church is embarking this month on a vision process. Our individual churches did this a few years ago. It was not an easy process, but look where it got us! Our 2 churches have the same core values, but slightly different styles of living those values. We are working on blending those styles, and as we do this vision process, we are going to look at needs in this community and how best we can help. God has created this United Church...yes, we did the work, but this is not OUR creation!! God has created this United Church of Beloit for a bigger purpose! We will reach this bigger purpose by recognizing our own flawed humanity and reaching out with a heavenly love to another flawed human. We can help others to see God at work―even if we can't catch a single fish on our own! Jesus is asking today, do you Love me? How are we responding?

Weakness

Weakness  

Sermon given at  Ecumenical Good Friday Service, River of Life UMC, Beloit.

Scriptures:

Psalm 22:1-18, 25-31 (read responsively as a Congregation)

John 19:16-22, 31-37, 38-42

also responsive reading Litany of the Seven Last Words following the sermon.

(Intro self, Licensed Minister at United Church of Beloit)

These Ecumenical services help us to enjoy different orders of worship, different speakers, worship styles. And we get to spend time together with folks from other churches and be reminded that we are all indeed ONE body of Christ!

Today of course is Good Friday. This past Sunday, we waved our palms shouting hosanna to the king! Thursday evening ws the last supper, where Jesus washed feet and began the tradition of Communion. Then his arrest, and the shouts of Hosanna, became cries of Crucify him! Today we share powerful scriptures about the crucifixion. Right now, let's consider the Psalm.

Psalm 22 was composed by David, the great king of Israel, about 1000 years before the time of Christ. The Psalms have been referred to as the Jewish hymnal and the Christian prayer book. They were composed to be sung in worship. Ps 22 is a lament...a passionate expression of grief or anguish. In the Jewish tradition this Psalm is read at Purim, {poohr-eem} the holiday devoted to the story told in the Book of Esther of the persecution of the Jewish people by Haman. Jesus and his followers were Jewish, so would have known their scriptures well! Many of the things Jesus said during the 3 years of his ministry on Earth were quotes or references to the Hebrew scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. This Psalm, when read through our modern eyes, knowing the story of the crucifixion, is certainly a foreshadowing or prophecy of what Jesus suffered. Jesus said the first line of this Psalm while on the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” this was the only time in the Gospels that Jesus referred to God as anything but “My Father in heaven” or “Abba”.

How could Jesus feel so utterly separated from God? He was God, he was

with God in the beginning, according to John chapter 1. Jesus said in John chapter 14, speaking to his disciples mere hours before his arrest, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” How, HOW, could Jesus feel so utterly separate from God?

He who was without sin, took on the sins of the world. The sin of every human being. Every single thing that keeps a person separate from God, for that is the definition of sin...Jesus took on during the beatings, the flogging, the crown of thorns, the crucifixion. The One who was fully human, fully divine, who endured the worst that humankind could dole out, was perhaps never more fully human, than on that cross, covered in our disgrace.

How could he do this? Could there have been another way? Could Jesus have saved himself, could he have commanded an army of angels to come down from heaven? Of course. But Jesus came to show that God's power and might are not the same as humans envision. Jesus preached, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” God's power, God's perfect kingdom is not like an earthly kingdom. God's Kingdom, a kingdom of “Shalom”, the Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness,

and well-being, protection for all of God's creation. Shalom is when all is right with the world. When humans are in good relationship with God and with each other, as we were created for! In the earthly world, peace is usually obtained & kept by military power. But the peace Jesus offered is a different. It is a peace obtained, not by a show of force but by what seems to be utter weakness — Jesus died on a cross like a criminal and outcast.
How could this be?
Note that the latter part of our Psalm talks about God triumphant over the anguish. Not just personally for the psalmist, but for the Great Congregation....the people of God! That all will worship and bow down, for dominion...the kingdom of Earth.. belongs to God. That all will serve and be told about the Lord and proclaim his deliverance, saying “he has done it!”
How could this be?
Could it be, that with God things are done a bit differently than to the human mind? God's ways are higher than our ways, God's thoughts higher than our thoughts. Could it be that God's power is perfected...in weakness?

God came to earth...taking on human form, becoming an infant...what is more vulnerable than a newborn baby? Jesus was born, not in a palace, not to a family known for wealth and power! No, he was born to an ordinary working class family in a non-descript town. Over and over in his ministry, people had trouble understanding what he was saying, even those closest to him! Jesus, fully human and fully divine, loved people even when they were being clods.

Brennan Manning: Weakness relates us profoundly to the people we serve; it allows us to feel with them the human condition, the human struggle and darkness and anguish that call out for salvation. Further, weakness relates us profoundly and apostolically to God because it provides the arena in which His power can move and reveal itself; His power is made manifest in weakness.

Jesus became completely weak...for us, to save us! The word in the Bible that means 'to save” is Sozo. (sode'-zo) it means to be saved for eternity, but it means more than that. Remember the languages of this time had fewer words than our modern English, so each word had more than one meaning, actually layers of meaning. So looking at the layers of meaning of these words adds tremendously to our understanding of the Bible. Sozo, this great word, means to be saved for eternity. It also means to be protected or saved from danger, to be healed, made well, to be restored to health and wholeness. Sozo brings shalom!

Jesus was King of the Jews allright, but not in the way that was expected. He was not a messiah king that the Jewish people expected, one who would overthrow the oppression of the Roman Empire.

In the remarkable book Simply Jesus, Author NT Wright says;

You see, the reason Jesus wasn’t the sort of king people had wanted in his own day is—to anticipate our conclusion—that he was the true king, but they had become used to the ordinary, shabby, second-rate sort. They were looking for a builder to construct the home they thought they wanted, but he was the architect, coming with a new plan that would give them everything they needed, but within quite a new framework. They were looking for a singer to sing the song they had been humming for a long time, but he was the composer, bringing them a new song to which the old songs they knew would form, at best, the background music.

How could this be?

Jesus was a king beyond all human comprehension! He was a king come to bring about peace and wholeness and protection. He became weak, vulnerable, in order to display God's perfect power! How? ok I am gonna reveal the end here...not that the butler did it, but that Jesus rose from that grave! Shh don't tell the others, we'll let them be surprised, ok?

So...God's power was on display! But....where IS this peace and prosperity and protection? Why didn't it happen instantly? how come everythign isn't a bed of roses? How come we still have weeds and thorns and rocks?

Couldn't God have made the world all perfect again? Why can't the poor be housed and fed and clothed? Why are there still wars and genocide and atrocities. God could snap those fingers and make it all right! Why doesn't he? Could it be that the architect of this new framework has something grander in mind?

Our Psalm says, “Posterity will serve him..” We are among the posterity! We will serve the Lord. Love inspires action...For God so LOVED the world, he GAVE his only son.....We are to love and care for others. Could it be that we –those who know Jesus as Lord are indeed to help make this world better? That we are to help bring about this kingdom?

Author Ann Spangler writes:

If God is King of the whole world, why is the world such a mess? Couldn’t an all-powerful God do something about the poverty, crime, and suffering that have been part of the world’s story from the beginning? Wouldn’t an all-loving God want to? The question nags. It’s hard to ignore. It demands our attention.... God.... decided to take the long way round, quelling the world’s rebellion not by brute force but by the power of divine love. That strategy requires restraint. It takes patience. It means justice in a final sense has to be delayed. It means evil is played out to the bitter end so that love can draw as many people as possible into the kingdom.   To say it another way, the weeds and the wheat are allowed to grow up together until the world’s last day.

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

We are to learn God's ways and accomplish God's will! Yes God could make the world perfect again. But in order for humans to be fully in relationship with God and each other as we are created to be, we are to learn God's ways and help achieve that Sozo, that perfect Shalom. We can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. How can we? We who represent half dozen or so church in a non-descript town in the midwest...How can WE help make God's Shalom come to earth? We can reach out, allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to stretch out a hand, and walk alongside someone in their loneliness, their grief, their hunger, whatever. We do this in the Name of the One who loved us so much, he gave his very life for each of us.

How can we? You see as we live our lives...and we go through the hard stuff, we learn compassion. Compassion means to to suffer with...as Jesus did with his friends when Lazarus had died, Jesus wept. They were standing outside of the tomb and Jesus joined them in their grief. He took on their anguish.

We learn compassion and we learn to care for one another, to walk with our friends and strangers through this thing called life, living out the LOVE that we have found in Jesus. When we comprehend that love, how can we NOT reach out? That love, that came to earth, from a throne in heaven, to become mortal, to live in a frail human body with aches and hunger and fatigue. That love that came to earth to live and to die...to die on a cross. That love calls us to reach out!

Author Brennan Manning again:

The greatest need for our time is for the church to become what it has seldom been: the body of Christ with its face to the world, loving others regardless of religion or culture, pouring itself out in a life of service, offering hope to a frightened world, and presenting itself as a real alternative to the existing arrangement.

We who are here today represent several churches here in the Greater Beloit area. Our city has not had it easy over the years. But we have good people here with good values and a core of strength to get through what we must. When we reach out to one another in love, we will find that we are blessed beyond our expectations. Our community needs us, our community needs our churches to show what love means. Our world will be a better place when we do so!

Today, as we contemplate the incomparable love that brought God to earth as a baby who grew up to show us how to love and care for each other, how to live and how to die-- today let us pray to better live out that love. It was our sin that put Him there, it is our calling to make that love shine again in this world.

Sermon at United Church of Beloit, Feb 24, 2013. 

Isaiah 61 The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5 Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

The next few weeks, we are looking at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' famous speech or sermon given to his disciples and followers. It's found in the Gospel of Matthew, with a similar teaching in Luke. Matthew's Gospel was written specifically to Jewish listeners, to help them know that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. The Sermon in Matthew's gospel is detailed and helps remind the Jewish People of Moses' teachings. Luke's Gospel is written to Gentiles, so there is less of the traditional Jewish teachings.

Last week's lesson from Matthew 4, Jesus said kingdom of heaven is near.

This lesson, known as the Beatitudes, is where Jesus defines the kingdom.
Jesus was speaking on a steep hillside, the text says the side of a mountain. It was likely near the shore of the Sea of Galilee  The bowl-like setting of a hillside overlooking a large lake made a natural amphitheater in which sound would carry quite well on a spring or summer day :) imagine yourself sitting on the grass, listening to Jesus speak.

{READ GOSPEL LESSON}

Note that the first and last of the Beatitudes both say, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. This is a literary device called bracketing. This bracketing is sign of completeness...and that everything included in this paragraph is also included in the The Kingdom of Heaven. That is, each of the things mentioned are aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven. Comfort, inheritance, to be satisfied, Mercy, to see God and be called a child of God, these are aspects of the Kingdom of heaven!
And to whom does Jesus say it belongs? The poor in spirit, those who mourn, who hunger and thirst to be right with God, the merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers.

This is not a kingdom that is like the world is it!? It wasn't 2000 years ago, either. then and now, society's view of the 'kingdom' belongs to those who are getting ahead, whether one is at the top of the class, the top of the heap, the top of the world.
Hebrew word Blessed, means to be blessed, favored by God, and it also means to be happy....that down deep joy that comes when we realize God is “Large and in charge'. But to be blessed also means to be guided, guided along a straight line, the image here is of a plumb line used by builders to ensure that their work is aligned well. So blessed means to be favored, have joy and to be guided along a straight path.

Jesus says in the kingdom of heaven says that those who recognize their weakness before God, and ask for help are the blessed ones! The poor in spirit, those who know that we are incomplete without God! When we come to God, we regret what has kept us away from God for so long...we mourn our sins and our other losses! And we receive comfort and crave more of this beautiful Kingdom! And as we find more of the kingdom of heaven through our developing faith, through worship, prayer, devotional time, through helping others, we learn compassion, and become merciful. And receive mercy in return. This growing love, faith, forgiveness, caring for others helps us to be more Christlike-pure in heart. We become peacemakers—working to bring about the Kingdom of heaven here on Earth. Helping to house the homeless, feed the hungry, caring for children and the lonely, these are just some of the ways we in this church do help live out our faith. This brings a glimpse of the Kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is completely different than the kingdom of Earth. Something is upside down, topsy-turvy? Which is it?!

God put us here on Earth to be in relationship with God and with each other. The creation story in the Bible is one of intimacy! If that story is fact or a beautiful telling of an old story, it is a story that says God wants us to be up close and personal with God and with each other. That we are to love and care for each other! That is the Kingdom of heaven! That is the way things are supposed to be.

Our OT lesson, are words that were spoken by Jesus early in his ministry. This is a portrayal of that heavenly kingdom. The promises given here include freedom and release from darkness! Of beauty and praise, instead of grief!

Do we not hunger and thirst for these things?! The kingdom of heaven is what we are made for! The kingdom of earth only satisfies for a short time, if at all. The kingdom of heaven, satisfies for all time. This is Shalom, God's peace...perfect peace, wholeness, protection for all of God's creation. When all is right with the world. And what we get glimpses of, when we are caring for each other, when we worship together, and especially when we reach out to others to share what we have, our material blessings and that incredible Love. This is how the Kingdom of heaven comes near on Earth, through us! Through the Holy Spirit guiding us, empowering us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Francis Chan in Crazy Love

We never grow closer to God when we just live life; it takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness. When I pray, I sometimes ask God to make it the most intimate time of prayer I've ever had. Many times when I speak, whether at my church or another venue, I remind myself that I could die right after I finish, so what would I want my last words to be? Second, I remember that we are not alone. Even now there are thousands of beings in heaven watching what is going on down here-a "great cloud of witnesses," the Scripture says. It reminds me that there is so much more to our existence than what we can see. What we do reverberates through the heavens and into eternity. Try for a whole day to be conscious of heaven. Realize that so much is going on outside of this dimension and our existence. God and His angels are watching, even now.

Our cloud of witnesses is cheering us on, praying for us to help our relationship with God and each other, praying for us to help bring the kingdom of heaven to earth!

Richard Foster....Do we truly want life with God? This is the prime question in moving from intention to action in the spiritual life..... there are things for us to do! God wants an active partner in relationship. The spiritual life is just that—a life. We learn as we go. We learn as we do. As we go and do with God, we are changed along the way.

Could God make sure that all are fed, clothed, loved, treated justly? Of course. God could do that faster than you can blink an eye. So why doesn't God do this? It seems to be that relationship thing again. Evidently we are supposed to learn this stuff for ourselves.

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

We are to learn God's ways and that is how we can help bring the Kingdom. When we pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” are we praying for God to snap those ever-powerful fingers and make the world a perfectly beautiful place of Shalom, or is Jesus teaching us to pray for God to help us make that happen!

We are called to become people of the Beatitudes. A person of the Beatitudes is to be the hands and feet of Jesus! The kingdom of heaven is what we were created for. The Kingdom of Earth is the upside-down kingdom, we are to help bring about the right-side UP kingdom.

Could it be that THIS is why this United Church of Beloit has been called to come together? To help 2 churches who love to care for others to do an even better job of it? To be a more powerful influence for good in our community? If so, and I believe it is, we can do so by becoming people of the Beatitudes!
During Lent, besides 'giving up' something, we encourage the taking up of something, like some extra Bible and devotional reading, Even a few extra minutes a day of prayer and Scripture will make a difference in your walk with God.

What does it look like to be a person of the Beatitudes? A person who so desires the Kingdom of heaven on earth? Someone who is poor in spirit, mourns, hungers and thirsts for more of God, someone who is merciful, pure in heart and is a peacemaker?

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

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.
My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!

This is a person of the Beatitudes. This is someone who intimately knew Jesus as Lord. This is model of faith we can aspire to. Are we ready to draw closer to God this Lenten season and roll up our sleeves?

Let's Pray,
Help us to be people of the Beatitudes, dear Lord. Help us recognize our shortcomings and ask for your help and guidance. Help us to hunger and thirst for more of you! Help us to be merciful, to be peacemakers, bringing about Your kingdom of Shalom right here on Earth. Help us to stay up, store up, pray up, pay up, and preach up for the cause of Christ! Please bless us as we do these things in the Name of Our Lord Jesus, through whom we pray, Amen.

Thought, Word and Deed
Sermon given at 1st Congregational Church of Emerald Grove WI (UCC)

Click here to read the two Bible passages for this morning

Psalm 19 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Children's Letters to God

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. Joyce

Dear God,
my Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Love, Dennis

Dear God,
is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his golf words in the house?
Anita

Dear God,
maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother. Larry

Dear God,
I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really cool. Thomas

Psalm 19 is just beautiful isn't it., I wish we could take the time to spend to really study it. Both of these passages for that matter!

author C. S. Lewis said of Psalm 19: "I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world."

the Psalms have been called the Hebrew Hymn book and the Christian prayer book. The Psalms were songs, sung in worship :) This is a Psalm of David, the great king of Israel. David lived about 1000 years before the time of Jesus and of course Jesus is a direct descendant of King David.

the child who said “that sunset was really cool” is saying the same thing as the Psalmist...but David was a bit more eloquent. :) Psalm 19 is a more formal version of ....it's a song telling of God being revealed through all of creation, but especially in the skies above us. Just picture in your mind for a moment some of the views you have seen....A brilliant sun shining in the vivid blue sky, Or the power of an oncoming thunderstorm, the colors of a sunset, gazing at the moon and stars on a clear night...

We get a glimpse of the beauty and majesty and even mystery of God in the heavens. And elsewhere in creation too....mountains, the ocean, the forests, and even the rolling hills of Wisconsin...there is such a variety of creation. God created all of this for us! And then created humans, us, to be in relationship with God and with each other.

Of course we keep messing up those relationships. And we have to come back to God don't we. That is why God keeps giving us lovely sunrises and sunsets, or angry looking clouds, and starry nights....to help us notice.

When we recognize the power and beauty of God in creation, what is our reaction? We may stop and say WOW. We may express gratitude. We may just want to soak in the view in wonder. All of these are appropriate and honor God,. They help us reach out to God, just as God is reaching out to us.

The psalmist goes from worshiping God in creation to celebrating the Law...God's word. The “law of the Lord, the precepts, the commands” it says, all refer to Scripture! This is another way God is revealed to us, through Scriptures! And when we recognize God in our lives, we often also then recognize our failings. Because God is perfect, and we are so NOT! David says that keeping The word of God close is how we can keep pure...keep from sin-which is ANYTHING that separates us from God. We do know that David didn't always stay so pure...during his mid-life crisis with Bathsheba-he did indeed break a few commandments! But he repented, and confessed, pouring out his grief over that sin in another Psalm, 51, (create in me a clean heart..) David is a great example of the forgiveness of God and foreshadowing of Jesus, through whom we can obtain divine forgiveness.

Our Psalm concludes with a lovely prayer....May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, oh Lord my rock and my redeemer! In ancient times, the heart is the core of who you were, they did not know that the brain is where we think and process emotions and all that.

We are to honor God in thought and word! The Hebrew word here translated “acceptable” means something much deeper than our English word. It is a word that refers to worship...actually to sacrificial worship, bringing the best gift you can to the Lord. So this prayer means may my words and even my thoughts be more than OK, but honorable and reverent of God, something that can help bring the knowledge of God to others.

Keeping to the Word of God helps us to know God and to better be in relationship with God and with each other. Spending time with the Bible -prayerfully reading, is one of the most powerful things we can do. The Bible reminds us that no matter what, God is with us-always!

Author Richard Foster in Life With God...

{This} divine assurance .... 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. “I am with you—will you be with Me?”

When we recognize this call to relationship, it is not a solitary thing. It is for us as individuals, but also for families, churches, communities. But of course it begins with each of us one to one. But our new Testament lesson reminds us that we are not in this alone. We humans are part of the Body...the Body of Christ.

We are all a part of the body and we all have different gifts and talents. It would be boring if we were all the same! And we wouldn;t get as much done! It takes a variety of gifts to make things work well!

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

Our gifts and talents are tools to be used in relationship! To help the rest of the Body of humanity find and worship and celebrate the Love of Christ.

No matter your denomination, your upbringing in or out of church, no matter gender, race or idealism, we are connected, we belong to each other!

My husband Martin and I are blessed to be able to travel as our church's delegates to National meetings in different cities each summer. And as we meet folks from all over the country, it's amazing how connected we are! Folks know of Wisconsin and even of Beloit and Janesville. In Massachusetts a traffic cop grinned at our Wisconsin plates, waved and hollered Green Bay Packers! A random conversation in New Mexico with a couple from California, whose son graduated from Beloit College! (What ARE the odds!) I got to meet the author who was the Bible lecturer at our national meeting. Her name is Marva Dawn. She is from Ohio and lives in Washington State. I actually encountered her in the hallway after breakfast one day. Introduced myself and said where I am from, she said, “Oh, Beloit!” in her sweet voice...I said, astonished, “you know us!?” and she said, “My grandfather, my mother's father, who lived to be 100 years old, was from Janesville!”

we are all connected...and being connected we share in each other lives.

If one member of the Body of Christ hurts, the whole body hurts. When one member of a church is grieving, we grieve with them. When there is suffering in our town, we all suffer, maybe not directly, but trouble in any community will affect all the other members.

But when things go well, we all get to rejoice! That's why we pray for each other! We pray in community, praying, sharing our pain and our reasons for joy! And these prayers bring us ever closer together and closer to the heart of our Creator God.

Henri Nouwen In the heart of God we find the true joy of being part of the human race. There we are truly connected, not only with God, but with ourselves and with one another.

As we discover the heart of God for ourselves, that incomparable love and joy

and find our connections, we become more and more like our Loving Lord, and our families, churches and communities will become the places of love and compassion and wholeness that they are meant to be.

Marva Dawn “God's revelation... unmasks our illusions about ourselves. It exposes our pride, our individualism, our self-centeredness - in short, our sin. But worship also offers forgiveness, healing, transformation, motivation, and courage to work in the world for God's justice and peace - in short, salvation in its largest sense.”

this is what real community offers and what I pray our churches, Here in Emerald Grove, in Beloit, all through Wisconsin, and all churches, everywhere!! can be. We find these things, this “forgiveness, healing, transformation, motivation, and courage to work in the world for God's justice and peace” ONLY in our Lord Jesus, the embodiment of God who came to earth to live as a human, born a tiny infant! Jesus lived his life to show us how to live and he chose to go to the Cross, the cruelest death that humankind could devise, out of that incomparable love for us. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have the greatest gift.

We live and worship truly when we honor God in thought, word and in deed...living out the love of Christ, reaching out to the rest of the Body to help us all find that love, joy, healing and transformation. This is my prayer for each of us and for the world. 

Sermon for Dec 30, 2012. Sharing Stories.

Psalm 148
148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
148:2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
148:3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
148:6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
148:8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
148:9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
148:10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
148:11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
148:12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
148:14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

Luke 2:41-52
2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Sharing Stories

Psalm of praise –don;t you just love the imagery? When God is glorified, ALL of creation celebrates!

Pastor Bill is such great story teller, 

stories help us remember, help us figure out things and ideas, help us identify with one another, to find our common bonds. They help us laugh and cry together and learn together. Stories help us build community. Everyone has a story, everyone needs to be able to share their stories.

{READ GOSPEL LESSON}

Gospel lesson seems to be one of those family stories that gets told often, maybe every year as the family is again on the road home from Jerusalem.

Luke says at the beginning of his Gospel that he set out to write “an orderly account” and that he “carefully investigated these things” So he isn't just repeating tales that were floating around 30 years after Jesus’ life. He talked to the sources as much as he could. Scholars believe that Luke personally spoke with Mary, mother of Jesus. This is the only story we have in the Scripture from Jesus’ life from the time between his infancy and the beginning of his ministry. Maybe this was one of those family stories that got told every so often. And it gives us some insight into Jesus’ formative years.

The family had gone to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival. This was, and is, the most important of holidays for Jewish people. The Passover commemorates the escape from enslavement in Egypt. Going to Jerusalem for the Passover was one of the things that a devout Jewish family did every year. So we see from this story that Mary and Joseph followed their faith, raising Jesus in their traditions.

In Biblical times, traveling could be a challenge. Ordinary people walked most places. And when making a lengthy trip, they traveled in groups.-extended families, neighbors. A trip like this, going to Jerusalem for Passover, would have had a lot of people going at the same time, so there could have been quite a contingent of people together. Women and children traveled together, the men together. So we can see that Mary and Joseph were not bad parents for losing him! Each would have assumed that Jesus was with the other group. Mary perhaps thinking Jesus, a young man of 12, was traveling with the men. Joseph, possibly thinking Jesus still a kid at only 12, was with the women and children, helping out with younger kids. Families traveled during the daylight hours and made camp at night so they didn't discover Jesus missing until then.

So - the Passover festival was done, at the end of a day's travel towards home, they realized that Jesus was not with them at all. He was lost. Knowing, as a parent myself, how anxious they must have been, they probably slept out of the exhaustion of travel, but wouldn't have slept well! So the next morning they hurried back . And on the 3^rd day, searching through the city of Jerusalem, finally they find him at the Temple! He is talking with the rabbis.The rabbis, teachers of the Jewish faith, would welcome men to join them in the Temple courtyard. The rabbi would sit to teach, the men could stand and ask questions and discuss points of doctrine. So here is Jesus, 12 years old, sitting with the rabbis, discussing and answering! And they were all astonished at the depth of his knowledge. I think this point is one of the main reasons we have this story in Luke’s Gospel. The next piece is why scholars believe that Luke got this story right from Mary. We see her reaction is very much the parent of an adolescent! “Why have you treated us like this?! Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you!” And Jesus' reply is, “Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

This is an interesting family story isn't it?

Our 2 churches who've combined into one have great stories too. 2^nd Cong was founded as the new Beloit was growing. after a sturdy bridge was built across the Rock River, about where Grand Ave bridge is now. Businesses and homes were being built up on the west side of the river. And in February 1859 some of the West side residents thought it would be a good idea to build a church here too. since it was wintertime, I am convinced they were tired of slip sliding through ice and snow across a wooden bridge!

We have a new story to tell now. About how our 2 churches began to discuss a good idea, and share a passion for reaching out to others, and our love of good music and good coffee. And how we recognized that God was calling us together.

But we are still truly in the beginning of our story. We only have a few chapters done.
Bill's pastorate at 1^st and here, through this transition, is one of the more important chapters. Thank you again, Bill.

this United Church has a lot more chapters to write yet :)

When we hear a good story, we want to do 2 things. We want to tell one of our good stories too! And we want to tell somebody else the new story we just heard. When we share stories, when we tell a bit about ourselves, we are helping to know each other and understand where we've been and where we are going. We learn what we have in common. And how to work through whatever differences there are to embrace the commonalities. This is how we learn to truly love one another, as Jesus taught.

Going back to our Gospel lesson...

As I said, this story is the only one we have from Jesus’ formative years. And this story of Jesus’ life is the last mention of Joseph in the Gospels. Throughout the Gospels we see several mentions of Mary, but no more mention of Joseph. The traditional belief is that he died some time before Jesus began his ministry. And since this was a typical family of the times, most likely Joseph was several years older than Mary. Men followed their father’s trade and often would not marry until they were earning enough on their own to support a family. Women married not long after reaching child bearing age, so generally the husband was several years older than the wife.

So we learn from this story that Jesus grew up in a typical family. They followed the customs of their faith; they were parents who were anxious about their son. And after this, Luke writes that “as Jesus grew up, he increased in wisdom and in favor with God and people” This shows that Jesus grew intellectually, spiritually, and socially. So this was overall a healthy family.

Hearing this story, most of us who are parents or spend lots of time with kids, may find ourselves thinking about it from Mary’s perspective.

Don't you think Mary would have remembered this incident, maybe each year as they traveled again to Jerusalem for the Passover, certainly on the way home from there! “Jesus, are you with us?” “Yes Mother!” She would remember the terrible anxiety of believing her son was lost, and how lost she felt as well!

And I am positive she remembered this incident many years later, after another trip to Jerusalem for the Passover. Another morning when she had to go to look for Jesus, on the 3^rd day, for a much different purpose. This time the women were going to a borrowed tomb, to anoint his lifeless crucified body. What anguish must have been in her heart that morning.

The baby Jesus, whose story we told last week, the adolescent who aggravated his mother, was born to go to the Cross. That was His story, His purpose.

But it's not the end of the story.

Because of course when the women went to the tomb, they found it empty!

Jesus had risen! The birth, death and resurrection is THE story, the greatest story.

so when we hear a great story? we want to share it! Share that story today. Tell others about the incomparable love of Jesus Christ. Tell them about the love that is here in this United Church of Beloit, looking ahead to the New Year together, to reach out in Love.

Let's start our telling of that story, by singing together Go Tell It on the Mountain!

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit, Nov. 25, 2012. 

Psalm 93

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord Reigns

93 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!

5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.

John 18:33-37

English Standard Version (ESV)

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Make Way for The King!

Lectionary...3 year cycle of readings that will take a church through most of the Bible. The Lectionary year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, advent being the 4 weeks preceeding Christmas. So the lectionary year C begins next week. SO today is the end of the year...it is Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ Sunday. This day, the end of the lectionary cycle celebrates the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. It makes for an interesting way to get into the holiday season doesn't it? Thinkign about Jesus as the Ruler of Heaven and Earth...and next week we start over, anticipating the story of the Nativity.

so today we celebrate that Jesus is KING.

Ok in the USA, we don't have a king, indeed royalty today mostly have limited influence, nothing like in centuries past. So it may be hard for us to think in terms of a king. When we talk in our society about a king, it's usually a pop culture person!

In Bible times, there were local kings, like Herod, who was king of Judea, the southern area of what we know today as Israel. And there was the Roman emperor, Tiberius. These were men who exerted a lot of power, for good or ill. In this time period, the Emperor, also known as Caesar, Tiberias, in the year 19-roughly a decade before Jesus' ministry and trial- had had all Jews kicked out of Rome, and so there was not a lot of love between Caesar and the Jewish people. And adding to the animosity, In these times, one of the titles of Caesar was son of god, which of course was not something that the Jewish people could take to, being worshipers of God, the One true God!

In our New Testament passage...one that we hear during Holy week, Jesus has been arrested and is before Pontius Pilate. Pilate was a Governor, employed by Rome. The job of a Roman governor in a place like Jerusalem was to keep the peace, to administer justice, to collect the taxes, and particularly to suppress unrest.

READ GOSPEL LESSON

this passage is titled, My Kingdom is not of this world. Indeed Jesus' kingdom did not Originate on earth did it...but in heaven.

Pilate, tho not Jewish, may have some familarity with Jewish traditions. He asks Jesus “are you the king of the Jews” Jesus asks Pilate, are you asking on your own authority? And Jesus says My Kingdom is not of this world.

All through the Gospels, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom.

Jesus said the Kingdom of heaven has come near! Repent and believe the Good news!

But seek first the kingdom of God...

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

“Let the little children come to me.... for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Jesus talked all the time of Kingdom.

This is not an earthly kingdom he is referring to. Our Gospel lesson is from John, who begins his gospel saying that Jesus was indeed present In the Beginning, at the creation of all things. Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of all...of all creation, of heaven and earth.

Jesus even taught us to pray for this...we pray Thy Kingdom Come... thy will be done ON earth as it IS in heaven...

we pray for this, how will it happen? The Kingdom come on earth...

can it be that we are to be part of the answer?

Jesus said For this purpose I was born...to bear witness to the truth. What truth? In biblical times, truth was the latest proclamation from the emperor. If it contradicted last week's truth, oh well. Today's statement is today's truth.

Jesus was not talking about a “truth” that changes from day to day. Jesus was talking about eternal truth. That God is ONE God, creator of all. That the Holy Scriptures are truth.. in fact the prophet Daniel refers to 'the Book of Truth.” Jesus prayed for his followers-- Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

John's Gospel chapter 1, Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

and what else did Jesus say about truth? “I am the way and the truth and the life..”

Jesus was born to bear witness to the truth. The truth of the LOVE of God, for God so LOVED the world....all the world, all of God's creation, that God gave (See that? God loved, love spurs action, God gave....God's only begotten Son...that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” The WHOLE world!! and the word saved here means saved for eternity, but also healed, made whole. That is the Saving Grace of the Kingdom!

Jesus was a king, but not an earthly king. Jesus did not attain a crown through military action, through what we consider might and power. Quite the contrary. He came to earth as a baby, completely vulnerable. He served, and taught and healed, and loved. His life ended, on a cross, completely vulnerable once again—enduring the worst that humanity could dish out. His kingdom was not of this world. It originated in heaven-where there will be no mourning or crying or pain.

Jesus was born to bring people together in God. All people Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female..

when all people are together, and care ABOUT one another, they care FOR one another as well. When we love...love spurs action. We reach out to those around us.

In the holiday season, our culture may not encourage the Kingdom of heaven. Quite the contrary. We are encouraged to give more, spend more, to do more, to go to more places...and we may find we enjoy it less. Let us, this season, each of us, and as a church, this United Church of Beloit, make a good effort to remember the One whose kingdom we celebrate. Spend some time with the Word each day, to help keep our focus on Jesus. Think and pray about your giving and your charitable giving. Remember to give thanks for the little things, as well as the big ones. Remember that Jesus is King and Lord and He came for the sole purpose of bringing Heaven and earth--God and Humans, together. And when we follow...we can help others see that Kingdom in us and around us. WE can make the Kingdom happen, here on earth....as it is in heaven. We can be the answer to our prayer! Each of us, working together can help bring about the Kingdom for which Jesus was born. We do this by living our faith, by caring for others, as Jesus did in the Gospels. He took care of people, making sure their needs were met, feeding them, honoring their faith, helping them see the God of compassion. The peace of Christ, the peace that saves, heals, the peace of wholeness, and protection, right here on earth.

Jesus said, For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Today we wrap up the Christian year, and we will soon look forward once again to the arrival of the New Born King. Let us seek and honor His kingdom, and make way for the King of Kings!

CLOSING PRAYER

Sovereign God, ruler of all creation,

you sent Jesus to testify to the truth:

that you alone are the Lord of life.

Help us to listen always to his voice

so that we may proclaim his realm

of justice, peace, and endless love;

through Christ, who reigns forever.