CALL TO WORSHIP

ONE: God of the open road, 
ALL:  God of the twisting path,
ONE: God of the narrow and upward way, your people are gathered for
         worship!
ALL: In this hour, give us provision for the journey, courage and faith
        and compassion, and endurance to face any hardship.
ONE: Open our eyes to see you walking beside us, protecting us,
         encouraging us, loving us.
ALL: We pray this in the name of Jesus, who moves us, Amen

OPENING PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER

    Loving God, we come this morning with our lives,

our thoughts, our hope and our fears. We come with our plans, our dreams, our memories. We come with our time, our gifts and our skills. We come with our family, our friends, and we come with ourselves. We come to offer to you everything we have and are.

We come to glorify your holy name, when we pray your prayer

The Lord’s Prayer…. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, Forever and ever. Amen.

PASTORAL PRAYER

    As we gather in this place to worship you, we come from different life experiences. Some of us have had days of refreshing joy, and others of us have come to this place to experience refreshment, for perhaps the first time this week. Some of us are in the midst of a wintering season in our lives. We are like trees whose leaves have fallen, waiting for spring’s new blossoms of life to appear. Our empty hearts are waiting sometimes patiently, often times not, for your presence to break through in ways we can see – with a prayer answered, with a freedom promised, with refreshment offered, with resentments released, with spirits renewed, with direction offered. Lord we want to live our lives in such a way that we turn to you not only in the crises of our lives, but also walk with you in the calmer joyful days. Take us by the hand leading us into a deeper faith and a fuller discipleship. Our prayers encircle those among us and beyond this sanctuary who need the mercy of your embrace. We bring to you burdens of over-sensitivity, of anxious worry, of broken dreams, of hurtful memories, of ruptured relationships, of pain in every form.

     O Healing God, bring wholeness to the ragged parts of life – our lives and the lives of all those we lift to you. Somehow, empower us, eventually, to see adversity as one of life’s greatest teachers, and grant the gift of your peace filled presence on each one this morning. Gracious God, we pray that this time of worship would be a time for us to hear your still small voice as you offer us serenity, encouragement and challenge. For this we pray in the name of the one who has walked this path before us. Amen 

”Where are the priest” by Kevin Harvey

Today, I want to look at 3 aspects of the priesthood found in the scriptures.

1.       The Levitical Priests started through Moses and Aron in the first Covenant.

2.       Christ own High Priest in the second Covenant.

3.       What does a Modern day Priesthood today looks like? How does it operate?

And within these 3 aspects, I want to look at what is the

A.      Purpose

B.      Role or function

It is by no way an exhaustive study, but what I want to glean from is, is the basic understanding of what it means for us here today.

In my Bible, before each book or epistle begins, there is an introduction that outlines each book.

In the book of Leviticus the job, role of a priest, which was ordained by God through Moses was to :

A.      Show the people : How to “Worship God”

B.      Fellowship, serve and Obey him.

C.      Offer up Sacrifices….(important) that are “acceptable to God” because as you will see some sacrifices on our part are an abomination to our Father.

D.      To offer us sacrifices to God on behalf of the sins of the people

One scripture found in both the First and second Covenants is:  Old New

Leviticus 19:2

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 


Briefly from Leviticus 1:1-5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Law of Burnt Offerings

1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an [a]offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. 5 He shall slay the [c]young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

And from :  Leviticus 2:1-2

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Law of Grain Offerings

2 ‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Ch. 3 Peace Offering

Ch. 4 Sin offerings either for the Priest or People

Ch. 5 Offering for Guilt, touching unclean corps, swearing i.e. oath, speaking thought less unintentionally

Ch. 6 Lying to his neighbour, false witness, extortion etc.

Basically, we can notice a few things:

A.      God is exacting on his instructions. Why? Life lesson on the nature of God. Remember one thing the scriptures unfold over hundreds even thousands of years from revelation to revelation

B.      The Lord means what He says in his words.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus and his ministry.   Ref: Hebrews…Context is many Jewish believers having stepped out of Judaism into Christianity, want to reverse the course and turn back to Judaism; be it because of persecutions, pressures from friend and family etc. The book of Hebrews has one Main Point: “The superiority of Christ vs the Judaic system”

1st vs 2nd Covenant-Old Testament/ New Testament

Christ is greater than Angels, Moses.

Angels worshipped Christ, Christ created Moses.

Christ greater than Aaronic priesthood. For Christ died one for all.

Christ is better than, in fact fulfillment of the “Law” and its requirements.

The fruits of Christ are Faith, Love self- discipline, Good works.

We need to get this! Christ is our High Priest!

Christ was made like us, merciful,  propitiation

Hebrews 2:17-18

American Standard Version (ASV)

17 Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

Outline, save, intercedes, Holy, blameless, sacrificed once fo all, seated in Heaven, true tabernacle.  

Hebrews 7: 22-8:2

American Standard Version (ASV)

22 by so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant.

23 And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing:

24 but he, because he abideth for ever, hath his priesthood unchangeable.

25 Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

26 For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: for this he did once for all, when he offered up himself.

28 For the law appointeth men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, appointeth a Son, perfected for evermore.

8 Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

2 a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

Hebrews 9:1-5

American Standard Version (ASV)

9  Now even a first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world.

2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place.

3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies;

4 having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

5 and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.

Hebrews 9:11-15

American Standard Version (ASV)

11 But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,

12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh:

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Earthly High priest, once a year offered sacrifice for himself and the people sins in ignorance: a symbol of the true tabernacle.

Christ’s own blood offered :

Hebrews 9:14

American Standard Version (ASV)  

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

So now, what does today’s priest look like? Who are they? Where are they?

1 Peter 1:13-23

American Standard Version (ASV)

13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:

15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;

16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.

17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:

18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;

19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:

20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,

21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:

23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.

1 Peter 2:4-5

American Standard Version (ASV)

4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,

5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10

American Standard Version (ASV)

9 But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

10 who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

You, me, us. All who call on Christ, by Faith are a royal priesthood, spiritual suffer patiently .

Our sacrifice of Love, Good works.

So put on your Priestly Robes and be a priest at Home, at work, at play, to family, to friends, to strangers.

Be Holy for your God is heaven is Holy!

BENEDICTION

  May the Lord bless you, and keep you: May the Lord make his face shine upon You, and be gracious unto You: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon You, and give You peace.  

Because of Peter Seeger's passing a few weeks ago, Mr Burrows has used him as the theme for today's service. ( Webmaster's note : I have  included a few background stories found on the internet)

Call & response

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Leader : 
For everything there is a season, 
and a time for every matter under heaven:


People :

A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Pete Seeger- Sanga Music Inc -BMI

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/peter+paul+mary/where+have+all+the+flowers+gone_20107752.html

PETE SEEGER
"If I Had A Hammer"

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land.


I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.


If I had a bell,
I'd ring it in the morning,
I'd ring it in the evening,
All over this land.


I'd ring out danger,
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.


If I had a song,
I'd sing it in the morning,
I'd sing it in the evening,
All over this land.


I'd sing out danger,
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.


Well I got a hammer,
And I got a bell,
And I got a song to sing, all over this land.


It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.


It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/pete_seeger/if_i_had_a_hammer.html

We Shall Overcome Lyrics
Pete Seeger

We shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday

The lord will see us through, the lord will see us through
The lord will see us through someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday

We're on to victory, we're on to victory
We're on to victory someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We're on to victory someday

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We'll walk hand in hand someday

We are not afraid, we are not afraid
We are not afraid today
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We are not afraid today

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free
The truth shall make us free someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
The truth shall make us free someday

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace
We shall live in peace someday
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall live in peace someday

http://www.releaselyrics.com/eab4/pete-seeger-we-shall-overcome/

Pete Seeger was once asked if he knew any “peacemaking techniques,” and he said, “Keep a cheerful countenance!” I think that that’s certainly a technique we might all spend some time practicing! It really does seem to help. Pete lived through some good times, but also through some very tough times as well, and I am sure that “keeping a cheerful countenance” helped him survive some of those tough moments. 

Once, in the early days of the civil rights movement, Pete had been asked to fly down to Alabama to sing at a demonstration.

Sitting on the plane, Pete conducted an interview with a reported. Throughout the conversation, the man in the seat in front of him was really scowling. He was not keeping a cheerful countenance! Finally, when the interview was done, the man turned and said, “You come down here to sing for those ni**ers?”

Keeping his cheerful countenance, Pete answered, “I hope I will sing for everybody!”

The man followed him around, and kept watching him. As Pete got to the end of the boarding ramp the man was standing there fuming. He said, “I gonna knock the stuffing out of you mister, sooner or later, but I can’t do it right here. If we were alone, and you weren’t with that reporter there…” That was one of those times when a cheerful countenance came in handy for Mr. Seeger.

Here’s a small part of a eulogy that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine last week:

``He stood in front of the crowds to protest war, and he sailed up and down the Hudson River fighting pollution. But more than that, he had a gift for bringing people together, for turning a crowd into a community through the power of song.

He was extraordinary, but here’s what strikes me. Anybody who really wanted to could do what he did. Sure, he was a good musician, but there are lots of people with better voices—walk into any college conservatory in the country and you’ll find a singer with a rounder tone, a more operatic sound. Sure, he was good on the guitar and the banjo, but there are people in my personal acquaintance who are better. He wrote some wonderful songs, but they’re hardly models of musical sophistication. His talent was considerable, but not really anything amazing—maybe not even all that special.

What was so incredible about Pete Seeger was not any singular gift or talent. What we celebrate, what we remember, was not a man who could do things no other person could, but rather a man who spent his whole very long life walking with a whole heart toward what he believed in. Whether it was his 70-year relationship with his beloved wife Toshi or an afternoon’s connection with a crowd at a concert or a protest, Pete was fully present, fully engaged, ready to be connected. He was a man who knew the power of the people, and who used the considerable force of his personality not to draw attention to himself, but rather to engage people with each other, and with their ability to create positive change. He gave himself, and he kept giving—not as a martyr, but as someone who found great joy in the giving.”

He was a simple man. He lived the last fifty years of his life in a log cabin he built with his hands; a cabin where he raised his family. He was chopping wood for his fire two weeks before he died.  He put his whole heart into everything he did, a man who had a whole heart, unbroken by cynicism or despair.

Pete Seeger spent a lifetime singing songs of a deep hope – a deep hope that we might put down our arms, put an end to war, and in our spare time clean up the environment which we have wantonly defiled with chemical waste of all kinds. Since his death, the media has been focused on his concerts, public appearances and high profile appearances before congress during the McCarthy witchhunts.

But there was a quiet determination to Pete as well. He stood for his convictions, not for accolades. During the Gulf War, most days he would quietly hike down from his mountaintop home along the Hudson River, stand by the side of the Palisades River Parkway and simply hold up a hand lettered sign that said, “End The War.” He didn’t do it to call attention to himself: He did it to bring his message to people.

He also spent a lifetime doing just what the Hebrew Prophets did back in the day: Speaking Truth to Power. There is no more God-called vocation than that. Pete Seeger did it with three chords and the truth and a banjo in his hand. He could make people sing. He could empower people to work for change. He used music to inspire us all to take on one project at a time, and most notably clean the Hudson River which he could see from his front yard. His annual Clearwater Festival has made the Hudson River a cleaner flowing river and a symbol of what the vision of one old man can make happen. Once upon a time the U.S. Government House on UnAmerican Activities Committee sentenced Seeger to jail time for singing songs that inspired people to join unions, oppose wars, and speak truth to power, and, of course, for not ratting out other suspected “fellow travelers.” There is a long and storied musical tradition called “protest music” in America of with which Peter Seeger has long been associated. I decided this morning that I am not sure I like that designation. Instead of “protest music” I have always heard it as Hope-Filled Music – inspiring hope in others who often feel there is no hope in speaking truth to power.

Any of us could stand up to injustice, work for peace, speak our truth, sing out and keep singing.

Any of us could be an instrument of freedom, of joy, of connection and the power of the gathered will of the people. Any of us could. Pete Seeger did.

He wrote:

So though its darkest before the dawn

These thoughts keep us moving on

Through all this world of joy and sorrow

We still can have singing tomorrows.

In 1962, Pete Seeger recorded a good part of today’s reading as a song which he titled initially titled “To Everything There is a Season”, and later “Turn, Turn, Turn”. I was reminded of it due to Pete Seeger’s passing two weeks ago, which gave me cause to read it again. It’s very often read at funerals and at New Year’s. From my reading this time, I took it as a call for balance in life. Everything has a place in life, and in God’s world. “He has made everything suitable for its time”.

I receive somewhere between 25 and 50 e-mails a day — sometimes more. Faxes come into the office. I hate to think of how many times the phone rings — and I even carry a cell phone to make sure I can always be reached. The answering machine catches any calls I may have missed. I listen to the radio while I drive, to catch up on news and hear what is going on in the world. The television reminds me of all the things I need, what I should buy, how I should look and what I should do.

We live in a culture which is overstimulated with messages and demands. How do we sort through all these and find balance in our lives? How do you handle the pressure of what the boss is telling you to do, what your spouse is asking you to do, what the kids want you to do, what the school is requiring of you, what the church is calling for you to do, the expectations of friends, extended family, and community?

There are several approaches. Some people, like me, try to do it all. When someone asks them to do something, they try to do it even if they don’t have time or don’t want to do it. They cannot say, “No.” Sometimes people try to do it all because they love a crammed calendar. The more they have to do, the better they like it. Some people even thrive on chaos — the more the better. Their days are a swirl of overwhelming activity from beginning to end.

Still other people handle it by withdrawing from everything. Maybe they have been burned out by people and activities, and now they just say “No” to everything. They never join anything, or if they were involved they quit everything they used to do. It’s the only way they know how to handle it.

Others withdraw by retreating into a world of fantasy. They enter a false world where they do not have to be involved with other people on a real level. They sit for hours in front of the television, read countless books, play video games or watch an endless string of movies. They retreat into the chat rooms of the internet with its pretend relationships. Fantasy becomes preferable to reality. They sometimes become sullen and non-communicative in their withdrawal from life.

But neither hyper-activity nor withdrawal is the answer to feeling good about life and adjusting to its realities. There must be balance. We were not meant to live like this. What happens when a tire is out of balance on your car? One tire out of balance by just a few ounces can shake a whole car. What happens when you have inner ear problems and lose your sense of balance? Your whole world becomes disoriented. It is the same when your life is unbalanced. There has to be a balance between home, work, rest and fun. There has to be a balance between the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual part of you.

That balance will look different for each person, because we all have such different personalities. I know people who cannot stand quiet and lack of contact with other people. Inactivity drives them wild. For others too much busyness and contact with other people absolutely drains them of energy. Balance will not be the same for every person, but there are some principles that apply to all of us.

The first thing you have to do, if you are going to have balance in your life is: You have to discover your PURPOSE. What is your purpose in this world? This is the core question of our lives. If you have not thought seriously about this, you have not taken life seriously. Many of the problems in people’s lives would be settled if they understood their purpose in life and lived it out. The Bible says, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8). If it is true that we belong to the Lord, then we have the obligation to live for the Lord and his teachings. While lives are our own, we have this obligation to incorporate our faith in our day to day lives. One day my kids were visiting my parents at their house and my father told one of them to do something. She looked up at him and said: “No….  You’re in charge of ice-cream. Grandma is in charge of us.” They knew who the soft touch was. But there are many grown adults who look up at God and say, “You’re in charge of ice-cream, and I’m in charge of me.” Sometimes, we find it difficult to surrender to God’s teachings and His purpose.

The Bible says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Our purpose here in our lives is to do as much good as we can for Him, and for others. We are not here to serve and please ourselves alone; we have a higher calling. If you don’t understand your purpose, then your life is built on the wrong foundation. And if a life is built on the wrong foundation, it does not matter how magnificent the structure is, it will crumble and fall.

Another thing you have to do, if you are going to have a well-balanced life is: You have to establish your PRIORITIES. You may have a firm grasp of what your real purpose is in this world. You may understand that your life must be lived according to God’s teachings, but you also need to understand God’s specific plan for you. Begin by asking yourself, “What are my gifts? What are the specific talents and interests that God has put into my life? How can I use these to fulfill his purpose for me in this world?” The reason that these questions are important is that you may be doing many good things, but you may not be doing the things that God has in mind for you. Your area of interest may be music and you are serving on the finance committee of the church. That is probably not where you should be spending your time.

Setting priorities is not about choosing between what is good and what is bad. That has been settled when you decide to live out your God-given purpose in life. Priorities have to be set when the choice is between what is good and what is best — between what will be beneficial and what is actually God’s will for you. He has made you with particular interests, skills and gifts. Go in the direction of your interests and gifts, because this is how and why God has created you. It is about getting the most from your life. Setting priorities helps you to trim down your involvement to a reasonable level.

A recent CNN poll revealed that 69% of Americans said, “I would like to slow down. I would like more time to relax.” At the same time the latest Harris poll says that we are actually spending 8 ½ hours less time per week in leisure than we did ten years ago. In Time magazine’s cover article entitled, “Stress, Anxiety and Depression,” the author calls our condition “The twenty first century blues.” We are over-involved and stressed-out. As a nation, we are driving ourselves at an increasingly frenzied rate that is pushing us over the edge. We are trying to live out our dreams and finding ourselves living in a nightmare.

Here is the bottom line: If we don’t take charge of our lives, someone else will. Someone else will be making our life decisions and determining how our time is being spent. But God has given us the responsibility of ordering our own life — no one else. We cannot learn to say no until we understand our purpose and set our priorities. Once we do, we’ll be better prepared to say yes to the things that we enjoy and that ultimately matter, and no to the things that do not fit in our list of priorities or God’s plan for us.

If the earth ever got out of balance it would spin chaotically into space destroying life as we know it. The same is true of your life. Christ needs to be at the center, and all other things need to come from your relationship with him if there is to be balance in your life. Concerning Christ, Paul wrote: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Without him at the center, holding your life together, it will be difficult to maintain balance; your life might easily spin out of control.

When your life is in balance you will find more contentment, and you will be more confident. You will be free to be yourself, and not as pressured by the expectations of other people. You will have direction, and your life will take on a new energy as it finds an explosive power from a new direction. You won’t repeat the same old mistakes and spend your time and effort on things that do not ultimately matter. You will enjoy life more. You will grow closer to God and your relationships will be richer. People will take priority over things. God’s will for your life will take priority over your own selfish plans. Your life will take on an eternal dimension. Your life will be grounded in God if you discover your purpose, establish your priorities and make your plan.

Just a last word about Pete Seeger: At his memorial service this week in Beacon NY, his ashes were displayed along with various pictures and items that his family felt represented his life. The Pete Seeger we know from the media would surely have been represented by records, guitars, music sheets and a banjo.

His banjo WAS there…. But so was a picture of his family, a quilt that he loved, his favorite hat, and his wood splitting maul. Sounds like a well-balanced life, well lived.

Lyrics to Michael, Row The Boat Ashore :

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.

Michael's boat is a music boat, hallelujah
Michael's boat is a music boat, hallelujah

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.

Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah

Jordan's River is deep and wide, hallelujah.
Meet my mother on the other side, hallelujah.

Jordan's River is chilly and cold, hallelujah.
Chill's the body, but not the soul, hallelujah.

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah

http://www.lyricsmania.com/michael,_row_the_boat_ashore_lyrics_pete_seeger.html

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time of love, a time of hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/pete_seeger/turn_turn_turn-lyrics-223571.html

Thank you Nancy and Randy for leading us in worship. Thanks Linda for the photos.

Forgive Us Our Debts

"Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." We say these words every Sunday, and yet often forget that there is a string attached. God offers to forgive us - as we forgive. That's a hard bargain. The problem is that we are fickle in our forgiveness. 

We tend to hold grudges and seek revenge. We take retribution and even the scores. What about the relative who wrongs us or whom we have wronged, so that we come to church with angry or guilty thoughts? What about the co-worker who torments us or uses us until we could scream or retaliate? 

Matthew says, "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. 
If anyone slaps you on the cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." Such an idea is alien to our world. We want to hit back when we are struck. We want to hurt others when we are hurt. It's very hard to be kind when others are cruel, hard to love when others hate. 

Ask anyone who believes in non-violent protest - it's hard!

Again from Matthew, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of Your Father in Heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." There must be a limit to what we can endure. Perhaps we can forgive a person once, maybe even twice, but if he still abuses us and misuses our trust, what then?


Forgiving others doesn't always seem realistic. Even forgiveness carries with it a temptation to be self righteous. We may forgive someone and burden him forever with a debt of gratitude to us. That is the time when we seek God's forgiveness for our pride and ego. We expect His full forgiveness for our sins, but deny full forgiveness to others. We need to learn what it is when we say in prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we have also . forgiven our debtors." If our own forgiveness depends on our ability to forgive, then we are on shaky ground.


There is a universal longing, a hunger, in every human soul for forgiveness; both to be able to give, and to receive it. In one of his stories, Ernest Hemmingway tells about a young man who wrongs his father and he runs away from home to the city of Madrid. 

Out of great love for his son, the father takes out an ad in the Madrid newspaper, "Paco, meet me at Hotel Montana, 12 noon, Tuesday. All is forgiven, Papa." Now Paco is a rather common name in Spain, and so when the father gets to the hotel, he finds 800 young men waiting for their fathers.

We long for forgiveness: to be able to forgive and to be forgiven. If that is so, why is it so hard to forgive? It wasn't any easier for the first followers of Jesus; not even for the disciples. It's a dog eat dog world out there; not a dog forgive dog world.

I love the way Jesus took the opportunity to teach the beauty of forgiveness to His disciples. As with so many of the stories of Jesus, the parable of the debtors arose out of a question that was posed to Him. Peter and the disciples gathered around Jesus and Peter asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" I think Peter may have sincerely thought he had it figured out when he 
calculated the number of times we should forgive. But Jesus startled them with His answer, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." That's 490 times. The point Jesus made was don't count, Peter, just forgive.

Forgiveness is a word we both love and hate. When God forgives our sins, it's like he presses the delete button on His Heavenly computer. And when He forgives, He doesn't send our sins to a temporary recycle bin just in case He needs to remind us of them. They're totally removed from the hard drive! That's what we love about the word forgiveness. But there's a facet of forgiveness that's more difficult for us to deal with, and that facet arises when God asks us to forgive those that trespass against us.

The reason we struggle so much with forgiving others is because it runs contrary to our human nature. When someone offends us, we, instinctively, resent it, and all too often, we end up retaliating. That's the nature of sin taking over; and forgiveness is contrary to that. Remember the words of Shakespeare, "to err human but to forgive is divine."

You have probably heard someone say, or maybe you've said it yourself, "I'll forgive you when you say you're sorry." This isn't God's way. He says, "I forgive you." Now will you accept my forgiveness by confessing and repenting?" If we wait for a confession before we can forgive, we will probably be waiting for a long time. The way that you and I are to relate to people who have wronged us, is that we should act like God toward them. We should forgive them, not because of who they are or what they have done, but because of who God is, and what God had graciously done. Always forgive, for it is a symbol of strength, and never apologize for forgiving, because that is a symbol of weakness.

It's not easy for us to give up our right to be hurt, to be angry, to seek retaliation, or to hate the other for what they have done. You may have had some terrible things done to you by someone you loved and trusted, and they hurt you and broke your trust. You may have lost a great deal because of someone's actions. Here is forgiveness: when you feel that someone is your enemy or when you simply feel that you or someone you care about 
has been wronged, forgiveness means; resisting revenge, not returning evil for evil, grieving at the calamities of others, praying for their welfare, seeking reconciliation so far as it depends on you, and coming to their aid in distress. All these actions point to a forgiving heart. And the heart is all important. Jesus said in Matthew 18:35, "unless you forgive your brother from your heart."


The Bible tells us the story of Joseph whose ten brothers first planned to kill him, and then, because they lacked the fortitude to do it, they sold him as a slave to traders who then sold him to an Egyptian. Joseph went from slavery to prison and then to a place in Pharaoh's court, finally to being in charge of all Egypt second only to Pharaoh himself. When famine drove his brothers to Egypt, Joseph had his enemies in the palm of his hand. He toyed with them for awhile, to see if they were still evil, and just before he reveals to them that he is going to forgive them, we are told he wept so loudly the whole palace heard him. We aren't told why he wept, but I imagine it was because what he was about to do was hard and painful. By society's standards, he had the right and the power to have them killed, but instead he embraced them; not an easy thing to do.


We all know that it's not an easy thing to forgive, but God in His grace gives us the power to do it. We are able to forgive because God is in charge, and because He takes the things that were meant to hurt us and uses them for good, IF we let Him!


There are reasons why God commanded us to extend forgiveness. Believe it or not, God isn't trying to persecute us; He's trying to bless us. God wants us to forgive. An unforgiving person is prevented from having spiritual rest, is hindered from meaningful worship and is impeded from revealing prayer. You simple won't be able to shake a constant inner gnawing if you bear grudges and refuse to forgive.


Another reason for forgiving someone is told in the Book of James. "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Did you know that modem medicine has discovered that a bitter spirit can seriously affect our health? Doctors tell us that unforgiveness disturbs the nervous system, hinders the digestive process and eventually one falls into depression. That's not to mention how unforgiveness sours our disposition and distracts from our work.


But here's the beauty of forgiving others. When you forgive, God allows you to radiate His divine nature. You become more like your Creator and it's the crowning jewel He places upon your life. We are able to forgive in the light of God's forgiveness. Jesus lets us know that if we refuse to forgive, then we really haven't grasped our great need for forgiveness. God has forgiven us again and again, and so, in our pride, we haven't truly 
repented. But when we have our eyes on the cross, and the pain and suffering that Jesus went through in order to forgive us and cleanse us from our sin, it can appear pretty minor to forgive those who harm us.

Forgiveness is an act of faith, because we are saying if there is any punishment that is needed, or any giving of mercy, God will look after it. We forgive those who have hurt us, because God commands it, because our own forgiveness hinges on it, but also because it's the right thing for us. When we refuse to forgive, the bitterness grows like a cancer within us and it eats away at us, causing stress and illness and great lack of joy. The only 
therapy for this cancer is the surgery of forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive, we allow the sin that was committed against us to haunt us twice; once when we were first sinned against, and again by keeping us from receiving God's forgiveness. We need to stop the pain and forgive.

Before I conclude, I want to give you a couple of tips on how to avoid an unforgiving spirit. First, don't be easily offended. So what if Aunt Sadie didn't call you when you were sick. And if she did know you were sick, maybe she had her own problems that you didn't know about. Or maybe no one noticed your new hairstyle. Just be thankful you have hair. There are 1001 reasons to get offended in life. You can avoid offenses when 
you concentrate more on God's Word than when you concentrate on the offences.

Secondly, you can avoid an unforgiving spirit by realizing how important forgiveness is to the Christian faith. Remember, it's the crowning jewel of your faith. And it reflects a genuine work of grace in your life. Let us pray together the end of the Lord's Prayer, beginning with 'forgive us our debts.'
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. 
Amen.

Thanks to Alison Boyle for the photos.
Thanks to Sammi for sharing her gift of music!
Thanks to Nelson Weippert for leading us in worship!

WELCOME OUR DIFFERENCES                     FEB. 2-14

          MATTHEW 5: 1-12

In Matthew 5, we find Jesus up on a hill teaching his disciples    who qualifies to enter God’s kingdom here on earth. Jesus didn’t say you must be one of his followers or Jewish or Greek or gentile or Roman. Jesus says if you fall under one of the beatitudes you are welcome into God’s kingdom.   Jesus was preparing the disciples for their job that lay ahead. Jesus knew their task wouldn’t be easy, there would be times they face failure; Times they would be frustrated and times they would face competition.


 I remember the story in Mark, when the disciples saw a man using the all-powerful name of Jesus to defeat the demons and they tried to stop him, because he was not one of the intimate band of the disciples.

The disciples’ complaint is quite ironic: they are trying to prevent someone from doing what they, just a while before, had failed to do. The irony is not lost on Jesus. The disciples have become possessive and perhaps feel threatened by this outsider who heals in Jesus’ name. They want to restrict the activity of chasing out demons to their group alone.



The disciple’s small-mindedness prevented them from realizing that Jesus ministry and power is not the property of their “in crowd.” But Jesus declared that no one could do a mighty work in his name and be his enemy.

Then Jesus laid down the great principle that “whoever is not against us is for us!”(repeat)  “Whoever is not against us is for us!”

What a blow for the disciples’ egos. They wanted Jesus to affirm them as his only representatives.

They wanted to know that they owned the trademark and that others were infringing on what was rightfully theirs. But instead

Jesus told them to let the man do what he would. Jesus was trying to expand their definition of what it means to follow Christ. He wanted them to accept people who didn’t express their faith the same way that they did.

There are times when we too have a hard time accepting other people of other denominations or cultures. We think that our way is the best, and therefore everyone who worships God must be exactly like us.

Here, Jesus is teaching a lesson in acceptance, and it is a lesson that everyone needs to learn.

RECOGNIZE THAT WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO OUR OWN THOUGHTS.

We all have a right to think things out and to think them through until we come to our own conclusions and our own beliefs. And that is a right we need to remember and respect. We must be careful for often we are apt to condemn what we do not understand.

Notice how intolerant we can become when someone does not think the way we think--- or their ways. Why we know we are right, why can’t they see it to? Maybe we haven’t taken the time to understand their culture, their religion or their ways of expressing their relationship with God.

---Many Christians are amazed to discover there is:

       FAR MORE WAYS THAN ONE WAY TO GOD.

Fifty years ago a book on religious diversity in North America carried the title, “Protestant, Catholics and Jews.” Notice Muslins, Buddhists and Hindu were not included.



In fact where I grew up it was just Catholic and Protestants and I’m sure it was the same for most of you.

But now we are experiencing religious pluralism in our society more than any previous generation of Christians.

If a Ecumenical Spiritual Crusade was called today along with Christians and Jews, we would more than likely find Muslins, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs included.

In fact we now live in Multi-cultural societies not just in large cities but in small towns throughout North America.

Some statistics which you might find interesting, mind you these are in the

United States, but I think reflect what is happening in Canada as well.

6 Million Muslins   --as many as both the Presbyterian              &  Episcopalians(Anglicans) combined.

                   4 million Buddhists  --more than either Presbyterian

 or Episcopalians.

1 million Hindus   --as many as United Church of Christ.

                   300,000 Sikhs

This multi-cultural religious diversity calls for a high degree of acceptance on everyone’s part!

---An old man named Calvin, now that’s a good Presbyterian name, had lived a good life as a farmer for years. One day an evangelist came to the community, and, in the course of his stay, visited Calvin and asked him what Religion he was. Calvin answered the question like this:  “When my grain is ready for selling, after I’ve harvested it and loaded it on my wagon, I can take it to town by any of three roads, the river road, the dirt road, or the highway. But when I get my grain to town and go to the buyer to sell him what I have, he never looks at me and asks, “Calvin, which road did you take to get your grain to town?”

What he does do is ask me, “is my grain is any good.”

----- We must remember that

TRUTH IS ALWAYS BIGGER THAN ANY INDIVIDUAL’S GRASP OF IT.

No one can possibly grasp “all the truth” and we must simply to realize this. We can never know God totally and understand the “hows and whys” of God, to fully understand the extent of God’s Grace and bountiful love that is freely given to all.

But there will always be groups who claim to “speak for God.” Groups that have no doubt that they have the TRUTH.  

Within Christianity we have “Groups like the Moral Right” led by Gerry Farewell, a Baptist pastor and “the Religious Right” led by Pat Robertson a pastor and TV personality. It was these groups that George Bush lined up with to win to election. These groups show complete intolerance to anyone having religious views different from theirs.

Or if you write a book that casts doubt on the teaching of Mohammad, as did novelist Solomon Rushni, causing the Islamic Leaders to place you under a death sentence.

Intolerance is a sign both of arrogance and ignorance, for it is a sign that people believe that there is no truth beyond the truth they see.

When we come up against intolerance, this is the time to put Jesus’ teachings of “love and compassion” to practice.

WE WILL BE JUDGED BY THE KINDS OF PEOPLE WE PRODUCE.

All churches, Synagogues or Temples must be finally judged by the kind of people it produces.

It doesn’t matter how picturesque, or how full or how the church is governed.

The question must ultimately be, “What kind of people does it

produce?”

There is an old eastern fable……..A man possessed a beautiful ring which was passed down from father to son and whoever wore the ring became sweet and true. Eventually it came down to a father who had three sons. Which son got the ring?  The father had three identical rings made and on his deathbed he called each of his sons told them not to tell the others and gave them each a ring. When the sons discovered they each had a ring a big dispute arose-which had the true ring. The case was taken to a wise judge.

 He spoke. “I cannot tell which one is the magic ring, but you can prove it.”  “WE” asked the sons in astonishment. “Yes,” said the judge, “for if the true ring gives sweetness to the character to the man who wears it –then I and all the people of the city will know the man who possesses the true ring by the goodness of his life.

So go your way, and be kind, be truthful, be brave and just in all your dealings and he who does these things will be the owner of the true ring.

The way we live our lives will be the proof. No one can condemn beliefs which produce Disciples for God. That’s all that matters.

When we get to heaven much to our surprise, we will probably find Christians, Jews, Muslins, Hindus, agnostics and others.

And they will be as surprised to see us just as we will be to see them.

We will all meet as people who have lived out our LOVE for GOD through acts of kindness to all God’s people.    AMEN