 Opening Prayer O God from whom every gift derives, we gather to worship You this day. You are an awesome God, greater than our comprehension or our imagination. You are beyond any word we could ever use to describe You. And yet, through Jesus, we know the intimacy of Your vast Love. We have come to You in thanksgiving and praise, to know that You are God and to place our lives anew into Your perspective. Enlarge our vision this hour with Your Word. Instill in us, again, Your hope in place of our despair, Your peace where our hatred threatens, Your joy amidst our depression, Your love overwhelming our apathy. May Your Holy Spirit surround and indwell this congregation now, and forevermore. In Jesus we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer Living God, you are the Lord of all! Only you can send your Spirit to bring us new life. You graciously speak your word of hope in times of struggle and uncertainty and in times of joy and peace. We are grateful that you are continually at work in our lives and the world to fulfill your promises. May our giving today show our trust in you. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Pastoral Prayer Dear Father, you know all there is to know about each of us and how you would like for us to fit into your providence for this world. Open our eyes to your callings for each of us.. Most of our lives, Lord, simply tick- tock – tick- tock along —bound by schedules and agendas which hasten our descent toward a predetermined rendezvous with all things eternal. O God, forgive us for missing the point of life and the mission of Christ. Awaken us just now to the beauty of our loved ones smile – to the joy of walking together in the pilgrimage of faith. O God, why can’t we see beauty in those around us? Why can’t we find appreciation in the ministry of those we have known for most of our lives? Why can’t we accept as your calling and gift to us— each and every child of God in our midst? Deliver us from the caverns of criticism into which we fall and from which we seem unable to escape. O God, bring true confession- heartfelt confession- heart breaking confession—and bring about radical change in our behaviors. Help us to learn to forgive those who hold grudges and nurse bitterness. They seem caught in the tangle of their own depression and negativity. Free us to be grateful for those you give to us each day meant to bless us and sent for our growth in Christ. And free us to be blessings to all your children in our pathways today. Help us to remember the people, the places, where the needs are great and the ache is strong: where chemo treatments & mental illness take place, where hunger persists, where families fall apart, where guns are used, where violent storms ravage the countryside, where grief is renewed. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Shall we now pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray.... Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. // For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Acts 9 New International Version (NIV) Saul’s Conversion Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Act 9 The Damascus road Vs 1-3 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. Life lesson Sometimes we think we are serving God, when we are not. In fact, our “service” hurts God. Vs 3-4 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Life lesson Jesus looks at us and sees Potential and has a plan for us/ Notice Christ how He gets to the heart of SIN. A. He points it out to convict us B. But does not barrage us with accusation and condemnations C. Condemnation is the Devil’s Method D. Vs 5-6 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Notice the respond of Saul : Who are you, Lord? A. This is the single most important significant question, one can ask! 1. Who are you? Lord 2. What do you want me to do? Here I am send Me! When we settle these 2 questions, we have a New destiny, a new purpose, indeed as Paul a New Divine Assignment To kick against the goad would be to kick the end of a shear like tool meant for driving cattle Vs 6-9 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Life Lesson When God gives us an assignement, He rarely gives us the whole picture/ More like daily instructions/ eg Moses Saul is blinded 3 days. He obeyed the vision. Often in those times, God appeared in Visions, but today, we have the cannon of Scriptures to know God’s will. So beware of people’s “visions” from God. The Bible is His word and Instruction. Vs 10-12 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Life Lesson When God is truly involving us in his plan, he Works it out at both ends. He prepared Soul to meet Ananias/ and Ananias to meet Soul. Vs 13 -14 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” Ananias was uncertain, afraid maybe resentful when it came to Soul and no wonder I would be too. Vs 15 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. Paul did indeed go before Gentiles Kings, and the Children of Israel. Life Lesson Some time, we too are sent before Kings, President etc. eg. Billy Graham. Vs 16 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Life Lesson The Lords servants will suffer for Christ for his name sake. Benediction
May the peace of God surround you Like the trees of the forest May the peace of God warm you all over Like the sun in the sky May the peace of God swell and roll over you Like a wave in the sea May the peace of God fill you Like the cool wind May the peace of God be with you
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Message : Why we gather Acts 2:1-21 English Standard Version (ESV) The Coming of the Holy Spirit When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” Peter's Sermon at Pentecost14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.[b] 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants[c] and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Message : Why we gather
12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13 But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ Whenever there is a shared event in life there are those who accept it and those who reject it. It is never more evident than here in the story of Pentecost when there was a great wind and fire and 120 people all proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in many languages. Even then, there were people who scoffed and belittled the miracle right there in their midst! There were actually 2 miracles that day: the first was the speaking in many tongues for each of those gathered but the 2nd is that those outside could actually decipher and single out their own language. We tried this out once at St. Andrew’s with everyone speaking at the same time in different languages but no one understood anything because the voices and languages all blended into one great noise! But on this day of Pentecost, God made sure that everyone had a chance to experience the miracle. Some accepted it – others scoffed. Unfortunately many in the church today are still scoffing. They may not realize it but they are. Many churches are filled with people – well maybe not filled with people – because many are suffering from dwindling attendance and memberships – but the people who are there are scoffers just the same. They go about doing good deeds, working on special events, meals and sales, singing in the choir, serving at coffee hour. To the casual observer they seem very devout Christians. And the work that they do is indeed praiseworthy and helpful to the community. But many of them lack one thing – the most important thing – they lack the power of the Holy Spirit. They go about doing church stuff and believe that that makes them holy and worthy before God. But they are doing it on their own power and are getting tired, or bored, or disillusioned by something that they can’t name. That something comes from communion with the Father, it comes through prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit. By neglecting to pray or to gather in communion with others, they are scoffers – believing that they don’t need the Holy Spirit because they do the good works. One cannot give what one does not receive. Pay attention to the Holy Spirit in your life. How? By prayer and by reading the scriptures. Study the Word of God to know His plans for you. Take the time to pray to the Father in thanks and in petition. Ask to be filled with His Spirit in order that your work may be blessed and in accordance with His will. And then, and this is very important, gather with others who believe as you do. Pray and read the scriptures together. Discuss your insights with one another. Love one another and look after the other’s needs. Remember that the scripture tells us that “they were all together in one place”. This was more than the 12 disciples – this was about 120 people who had congregated to pray for guidance and help. They were obedient to God in their gathering and in their praying. And it was while they were being obedient that the Holy Spirit showed up in full power. That experience was unique and singular – it will probably never happen again in quite that way but don’t think that because there is no wind and flame that there is no Spirit working among you when you gather. Jesus promised that where 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, he is there in their midst. You don’t need to hear or feel him to know that the Holy Spirit is present and active when you gather. You have the promise of Christ himself. We cannot carry out the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ unless we, too, are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. In the world today there are many scoffers who stand outside the church and who criticize it. They do not even attempt to open up their spirit to the Holy Spirit and so they are cold and ineffective. They may believe that they don’t need the Holy Spirit to do good works – and they are right. But, with the Holy Spirit working alongside them, they could do great works – they could be effective beyond their dreams if they only knew – if they only believed. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is for more than doing good works. The Spirit gives unity. Now remember, that just as Passover is a Jewish festival day so is Pentecost a traditional Jewish feast day. For the Jews, Pentecost is the celebration of the giving of God’s law on Mt Sinai. And for Christians, it is a celebration of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. One establishes a single nation living under the reign of God. The other establishes a church of all nations, all languages, all races. That’s why this powerful display of God’s will was unique – it only had to happen once in order for the word and the power to spread throughout the known world. It was the opposite of the tower of babel where God confused their language and spread them out throughout the world. Now, God brings them all back together under the power of His spirit. The same power that dispersed them then, now unites them. They have a new common goal – a new focus. That focus is Jesus Christ. They, and we are to be of the same mind as Christ; to imitate his life in ours; and to do it with help from the Spirit that is ours because of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. Remember he promised to send the comforter; he could not do this without first ascending to the Father. It cost him everything. Because of his sacrifice we now live a new life in the Spirit. Our sins are forgiven because of Christ’s sacrifice. We are commissioned to live that life to the fullest. That means to keep ourselves always open to the spirit’s urgings. The Holy Spirit not only comforts us but it equips us to move forward the cause of Christ and to do so in unity of mind and body. The body of Christ which cannot be divided. If you are one of those people whose spirit is closed to the power of God’s holy Spirit then my prayer is that you will soften your heart and open it up to the Spirit’s direction. I pray that you will experience the spirit alive in you as you do the work of the church – as you imitate Christ in your life. And if you know of any scoffers outside the church, pray for them, invite them in, work with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen Jesus goes to his Father
The time had come for Jesus to go to his Father in Glory. He was back in Jerusalem with his disciples. We know that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea. He had died at Jerusalem in Judea. He had risen to life again from Joseph’s tomb in Judea. And now from a mountain in Judea, He was about to ascend into the courts of Heaven. He had finished the work His Father had given Him to do on earth. He had sealed His testimony with his blood on the cross. He had entered the tomb, and from it, He had risen triumphant over death. After the resurrection, He had spent time with His disciples, assuring them that He really was Jesus, and to give them some final instructions. Remember how upset the disciples had been when Jesus was crucified, and now they had trouble believing that he had risen. But once they had been reassured, their disappointment had been turned onto joy. They didn’t think of Jesus as being defeated and buried in the grave. Now they thought of him as the conqueror of death, a living almighty Saviour. Jesus chose the Mount of Olives, or Olivet, as the place of His departure into Heaven. He didn’t choose Mount Zion, the place of Kings’ palaces. He didn’t choose Mount Moriah, where the temple stood. No, Mount Moriah was not to receive that honour, for it was the place where He had been mocked and rejected and spit upon and condemned to die. There His words of Love and mercy had fallen upon the hard rock of evil hearts. It was from Jerusalem that Jesus had often gone to find rest on the Mount of Olives. On his heights, in its groves, in its sheltering home in Bethany, Jesus had found refuge. In the Garden of Gethsemane, at its foot, Jesus had fought His last battle, and had won. Now, from this mountain, he was to rise and to His heavenly home and to His Father. On the last night before Hs crucifixion, Jesus had said to his disciples: “In My Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And I will come back again, and receive you into Myself.” Now the disciples would see that his words would be fulfilled. Jesus led his disciples out of the city, and together, they walked the well-worn road to Bethany. They walked down into the valley of the Kidron and past the gate of Gethsemane. They then passed the slope of Olivet and over the crest, close to Bethany. At this point, the disciples had no idea that this was their last time with Jesus. They knew that they loved Him more they ever had before. They knew the he was their divine Master. And they knew that they were brothers in heart and soul. There was no strife or torment among them now. It didn’t matter to them anymore who was the greatest. Now, everyone was willing to be the servant, because such was the Master. Perhaps it was a bright and sunny spring morning as they walked along the road. They were probably having a cheerful conversation with Jesus. The disciples were at peace and gladness filled their hearts. Some of the disciples, knowing that Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God was completed, turned their minds to the other parts of the prophecies concerning Him. They asked Him, “Master, is this the time when you are going to restore the Kingdom of Israel.” Well, it was not the time, for Jesus had rejected the Messiah, and God had rejected them. Their disobedience had broken the pledge God had given them. And as a people, they were no longer chosen to be the missionary of Christ. Some of them, like the apostles and disciples, were chosen because they had chosen Him. But the nation, as a whole, was lost. However, Jesus knew that the disciples were not yet ready to take in all the mystery of this, and so this is how he answered them: “It is not for you to know times and dates which the father has fixed. But you will be given power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be witnesses for Me in Jerusalem, and all over Judea, and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth.” As Jesus answered them, He raised His hands above their heads and blessed them. And, drawn by the power of God’s love, He was lifted up from their midst, up into the sky. The disciples followed him with their eyes, straining to catch the last glimpse of their beloved Lord. At last a cloud, a cloud of holy angels received Him out of their sight. And the angels, the angels who had sung to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, now sounded forth their glorious melody once… ( oups missing words) While the disciples were still gazing up into the sly, two figures dressed in white raiment stood by them. They were two angels, sent back by Jesus to give them his last word. The angels said: “You men of Galilee, why are you standing there gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus, who has been taken from you up into heaven, will come again, in Just the same way as you have seen him go into heaven.” What blessed assurance for the disciples. Now they knew that Jesus would come again. They went back to Jerusalem. They weren’t downcast. Instead, they were full of cheer and hope. They returned to the upper room where they had last communed with Jesus. They waited just as Jesus had told them to do. They studied, prayed and sang while they waited for the Holy Spirit to give them power and wisdom in their witnessing for Jesus. Let’s, for a moment, think about the task set by Jesus, which lay ahead for the disciples. They were to go out into the world and spread the word of Jesus. And that is what Christians have been doing ever since. When I was little, I liked to play store, and once, I even ran a lemonade stand. I had some boxes piled up, a few paper cups, an old pitcher, and of course, some lemonade. I’m sure many of you have done the same thing. Well, I want to remind you that we’re running a store now, right here. And it’s a big business, too! Our building is this church. And what does it cost, with its fixtures, seats, lights, furnace, carpets, song book, Bibles, piano and organ? What does it cost per year to run it all? It’s quite a sum of money. If I was putting that much of my own money into a business, I would want to know that it was going to do something. We have many salespeople and clerks- they’re all of you! But what are we selling? Well, for starter, we’re selling religion, friendliness and helpfulness. And who are the customers? They’re the people who live in the community! Our church has one thing to furnish to the public which everyone in the world wants, and that is to know God. If I were to advertise in the paper, and people knew it to be true, that in this church they could see God, actually see Him, this place would be packed full, more than any bargain counter you ever saw. This church of ours should be showing God to the people of the community. We should be showing God in our lives and in what we say, so people will want Him in their own lives and home. Business people call this salesmanship. You know that it’s bad for business to have even one poor employee- someone who is grouchy, or lazy, or makes mistakes. It’s just as bad for a church to have that kind of salesman. We have a big investment here, in Character, money, time and energy. Let’s be open for business, God’s business, Jesus’ business, all year long. People have a right to find God, and they should be able to find him on the shelves of our hearts. Our lives are open for business, God’s business, all the time. Let’s not carry any useless sidelines. Let’s follow the example of Jesus and the disciples. Let each one of us go out into the world and spread the word of Jesus. Honoring Mom!
Did you know that Mother's Day is the third most celebrated holiday of the year after Christmas and Easter? In fact, over 145 million cards are sent, $14.6 billion spent on gifts and dinners, 69% of those gifts are flowers, and more long distance calls will be made today than any other day of the year. So I begin this talk by saying, “Happy Mothers Day.” I hope that your day is special. You may not know the name Anna Javis, but she was the first one to suggest having a national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her mother so much. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, she gave a carnation, which was her mother's favorite flower, to every person who attended. Well, the idea of honoring mothers soon caught on and on May 9, 1914 by an act of congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. He established it as a time for ''public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.'' So, why did God make Mothers? Well, thanks to every worship leader’s best friend: The internet, here is how some 2nd graders answered the following questions about mothers: Why did God make mothers? The top answers: ''Mostly to clean the house'' and ''to help us out of there when we were getting born.'' Why did God give you Your mother and not some other mom? The top answers: ''Because we're related'' and ''God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.'' What would it take to make your mom perfect? Top answer: ''On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.'' So… there you have it straight from some brilliant second graders! Now the Bible is filled with some great women who became great mothers. For instance, there was Sarah the Mother of Isaac and Ishamael. Rebecca, the Mother of Jacob. Rachel, the Mother of Joseph. Jochebed, the Mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam. These were mighty women of faith that raised young champions for God. There’s no doubt that mothering is the toughest job that you will ever have and you love almost every minute of it. Today, we pause and say “thanks” for all of your hard work throughout the year. We probably don’t say “thanks” enough. I read of a husband who was feeling guilty because he had not been very attentive to his wife. He decided to change. On his way home from work he bought a box of candy and some flowers to surprise his wife. He walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. She opens it, and there he stands, candy in one hand, flowers in the other, singing, "Have I told you lately that I love you?" Instantly she starts crying, big old tears just gushing out of her eyes. She sobs, "Oh, Harry! Everything went wrong today. We had a leak in the plumbing. The kids were terrible. The house is a wreck. And now you come home drunk!" In John chapter two, we see an interesting story about Jesus and his mother at a family wedding. We don’t know exactly which member of his family was getting married, but we know that his Mother Mary felt somewhat responsible for the reception. In those days, the groom’s family bore the responsibility for the wedding celebrations. Now, weddings are generally a big deal. Girls start planning their weddings at what? Age three. At three years old, you were already thinking about it. There are some of you here today that are in the middle of wedding plans and you are starting to feel the pressure of it. How many episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” have you watched? Wedding Days are huge and in Jesus’ day they were a big deal as well. As a matter of fact, this chapter starts out, it says, “On the third day.” Well, what the third day meant was that Jesus and His disciples had been traveling for three days to get to this wedding. Back in those days, it was common for people to travel by foot, by camel, by cart, whatever, and they would come from all over the region to a wedding. A wedding was not a one or two hour event. It was a week-long event. It was a huge celebration that involved a lot of eating, a lot of drinking, a lot of dancing, and good times in general. The story continues: When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." I don’t need to tell you that this is a huge problem. They’re at a wedding, and they are out of wine. So Jesus replies: "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." In some ways, this may seem sort of rude, but in the original, Jesus is saying: “Mom, you don’t understand. It’s not the right time.” She was saying, “I know that you don’t think it’s the right time, but I need some help.” In their culture to run out of wine at a wedding would damage their credibility in the community. This wedding meant a lot to Mary. She look at the servants and then said, “Do whatever he tells you to do.” Jesus understands the Old Testament law that says to honor your mother and father…. so He steps in. He had servants fill large jugs with water and begin to serve it to the wedding guests. As each cup was poured, as the water was poured into each cup, Jesus worked a miracle in that each cup of water was turned into a cup of wine. This was the first miracle that Jesus ever performed. This miracle was a behind-the-scenes miracle that met a huge need that had popped up at that wedding. Jesus’ mother needed help. I am sure that he wanted to help. He wanted to make her proud. He wanted to honor his mother. His mother felt pressure. She looked at Jesus and said, “Listen, you are the Son of God. You have the ability and the power to do something about this,” so when she says to Him, “We have no more wine,” she is just not making a statement. She is asking Him to respond and do something. She is expecting something of Jesus. There was a problem and she needed help. Some of you are wrestling with problems. You have issues that are pressing in. Your life is spinning out of control. Do you expect Jesus to do anything in your life this morning? Faith is important. But, this is what you need to know: Sometimes things will get worse before God makes them better. We see this principle in the Bible all the time. We see characters in the Bible, who lived this. • Joseph had to go to prison before he could be exalted to a place of leadership in the kingdom. • David, who had been promised, “You are going to be the king of Israel.” David, who had been anointed to be the king of Israel, found himself hiding out for his life in cold, dark caves before he was exalted to the place of leadership in the palace to where he would actually lead as the king of Israel. • Peter, in the New Testament, he had to fail before he could experience God’s grace, and before he could lead 3,000 people to Jesus on the day of Pentecost. • Jesus, Himself, had to die on a cross before He could be resurrected and we could have that forgiveness of our sins and the hope of eternal life. Things had to get worse before God could make them better. A lot of us are experiencing worse things, the worst end. We are out of wine. After you have run out of wine. After the bonus didn’t come in. After your wife has looked at you and told you are just not good enough again. After your kids have screamed and yelled at you and told you how much they hated you. After you have suffered a little while, there is a promise, and that promise is this, that God will, Himself, restore you, and what? Make you strong. The truth, the promise that God gives us is that after we have suffered for a little while, God is going to show up and make us stronger, better. He will make life better, but we have to put our hope and our trust in Him. Don’t lose hope. What Jesus did at that wedding, he will do for you today, but you have to look to Him. A lot of us look to solutions in other things. We look to solutions for our financial issues in casinos or credit cards. We look for solutions to our relationship problems in chat rooms or with inappropriate conversations with the wrong people. Don’t go there. Look to Jesus for your solution. Things may get worse, but remember that, like the miraculous wine in today’s story, Jesus saves the best for last. God’s best is coming. Don’t lose sight of that. Don’t lose hope. His best is coming. Hang on. He’s going to show up. This miracle is about putting our trust in God, knowing that He wants to show up, knowing that He wants to work in the behind-the-scenes stuff, that He wants to be involved in our lives, working out the miraculous, taking out the stress and turning it into joy. But we have got to ask, and we have got to listen, and that leads us to this final thought: We have to do what Jesus says to do. His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." And what about us? We’ve got to ask, then whatever He tells us, whatever He speaks into our lives, we’ve got to do it. We must take action. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. In other words, you can come to church. You can say you believe all day long, but if you are not willing to put action to that faith, then your faith is actually dead. You have no faith, so what part of God’s solution are you simply not obeying? Today’s the day that we begin to obey. Today’s the day that we begin to do, that we respond, that we act. “Because Jesus and the servants obeyed, a miracle happened.” Mary came to Jesus and said, “Listen, they are out of wine. You need to do something about that.” And when His mother took that step, and said to those servants, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it,” Jesus recognized something at that moment. He recognized that for Him to not respond would have been to directly disobey scripture. You see, one of the ten commandments is very clear, “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.” And so, He honored His mother, and He worked that miracle. Quietly and behind the scenes, His mother knew it, the disciples knew it, the servants knew it. That was it, but He performed that miracle. He honored His mother. He obeyed, because the servants obeyed, they filled those jugs with water, because they dipped that water, put it in people’s cups, because of the acts of obedience a miracle happened. There’s no better way to honor your Mother today, than to put your faith in Jesus Christ and obey Him. A LIVING MESSAGE
Mark 12:38-44 New King James Version (NKJV)Beware of the Scribes 38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” The Widow’s Two Mites41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites,[a] which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”ever miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all. As Jesus travelled to Jerusalem, the scribes and Pharisees have been constantly badgering him, trying to get him to say something wrong in order to discredit him. -by whose authority are you doing these things. -then the test on paying taxes to Caesar. -trick questions on the resurrection. -what is the greatest commandment? Our Gospel lesson describes a scene where Jesus is taking the scribes to task. Jesus is pointing out the negative value of their pride and greed and the affect there are having on the poor, especially widows. Jesus goes on to tell them they were using their office to take advantage of those most vulnerable in society- the widows. -They for-closed on the houses of the widows. -They encouraged the poor to make offering they couldn’t afford. (Doesn’t that sound familiar.) Everywhere in the Hebrew scripture, there is condemnation for those who take advantage of the stranger, the widow and the orphan. In spite of these warnings to provide protection and justice for the widows, the religious leaders were using their position to as we would say, “fleece the flock” No wonder Jesus was upset! As we move further into our reading from the scripture, we are introduced to a poor widow, and her behavior is in contrast that of the wealthy and the scribes. She comes to the court of the temple, where there are thirteen (13) trumpet shaped chests, to receive the offering. The trumpet shape allowed the money to easily funnel in and they were made of metal which allowed onlookers to tell what others were giving. Remember there were no silent offering in Jesus’ day and currency was gold, silver and copper coins. One can imagine the scene before Jesus. There the rich people hurrying by in their long robes, stirring up dust, tossing gold and silver coins into the trumpets. And then the widow walks in, looking attentively at a trumpet, and holding the two copper coins in her hand. They were the smallest coin in Palestinian economy. -The widow knew that others were giving more. (she could hear the coins dropping into the trumpets) But it didn’t seem to bother her. Widows were right down at the bottom of the social order in Jesus' time. They had no male to defend them, or work to support them. So widows and poverty went pretty well hand in hand, and to expect a widow to have money to give, was totally unrealistic. Jesus tells us this widow, “out of her love for God”, she gave all she had, two small copper coins. --The widow sent a direct message to those with money. Seemingly the wealthy gave out of their abundance. Like us, they gave up what they really didn’t need. In today’s gospel passage, Jesus is comparing the wealthy to the poor widow. What about us? How much do we cling to our possessions? We might be tempted to say, “well the men in the gospel story are rich, I’m not rich.” So this gospel is about Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, but it’s not about me. Wrong! This gospel is about you and me. We live in one of the affluent country in history of the world. No, Jesus is not against ownership of possessions, but he is telling us to lessen our attachment to them. STORY: ***species of jellyfish—in Italian Mediterranian Feeds on tiny snails—protected shell Jellyfish can’t digest—once eaten Bizarre reversal of roles-the diner becomes the dinner Attach to jellyfish digestive tract—eats the jellyfish When snail matures—completely consumed the jellyfish The poor jellyfish is eventually consumed by what it has consumed. What we consume, too can consume us; we can be swallowed up in pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power. Jesus is warning the wealthy and all of us to be careful of the “snails” we consume that can consume us. Jesus had witnessed the widow give all she had to God; and I think her actions were a LIVING MESSAGE to the wealthy and us! --Jesus, he saw that this widow had put her trust completely in God, and made an offering of everything she had, her whole living. It was like a personal message to Him. He knew he was just four days away from his death and that he was also being challenged to give up everything he owned, which wasn’t much. He was being called to do God’s will, he would have to put his trust totally in God, and give up his life, his whole living. The widow’s message : --To the modern scribes Wall Street and today’s gigantic corporations; who have made “ PROFITABILITY” the one emotion driving their decisions, all based on making themselves wealthy. They often have total disregard for how their extreme actions negatively affect so many people’s lives. –– Business executives are tempted to treat customers and employees as cogs in the moneymaking machine. –– Government officials are tempted to sell policy and privilege for campaign contributions or personal favors. –– Military leaders are tempted to put personal promotions above the welfare of subordinates. –– Teachers are tempted to put salaries and work conditions above students. –– Mechanics are tempted to recommend unneeded repairs. –– It is not only people at the bottom who are vulnerable. An embezzler victimizes his/her employer. A person who falsely accuses a supervisor of discrimination or sexual harassment becomes the harasser. In those situations, the employer or supervisor can be vulnerable –– just as a widow is vulnerable The widow is truly an example for them to change their attitude to one of “humility and generosity”; to Love their neighbour as themselves. --And as for us the laity, well I guess we each will have different thoughts on what the story of the widow’s mite can mean to us in the year 2015. In the story there were wealthy people who were faithfully paying what was referred to as a “temple tax.” It’s important to note that Jesus never disparages or belittles the gifts of the large givers. And when he holds the widow up as an example of generosity, he’s not praising small gifts over large ones. "See that woman?" Jesus asks. "She gave more than anybody else because “they” gave out of their abundance, “but she gave everything she had." Taking this statement literally is unrealistic and a bit irresponsible. We all know it takes more than a widow’s mite to run a church. If we gave all that we had to the church we would be wearing loin-clothes, driving horse and buggies and living in tents. ( igloos.) But the verse finishes “she gave everything she, her whole life” I think it means more than just a gift of money, maybe it has something to do with making our lives a LIVING MESSAGE. What do you think? We all might think of the widow’s message in different ways. *Some of us might take a look at how we allocate our finances and give more emphasis on “gifts to others less fortunate.” *Some of us might think of ways our family can live a little a simpler lifestyle; or we might give some thought of the impact our food purchases have on our health and the environment. *Others might search for ways to make time to serve others; visiting the shut-ins or sick, telephone calls to those living alone, maybe help with their grocery shopping. I heard a story—I’m sure it’s not true, but it’s a good illustration. A man applied for a job as a handyman. The perspective employer asked, “can you do carpentry?” The man answered in the negative. “How about bricklaying?’ Again the man answered, “no”. The employer asked, “well, what about electrical work?” The man said “no”. I don’t know anything about that either. Finally the employer said, “Well, tell me then what is handy about you? The man replied, “ I live just around the corner”. So we see that sometimes the greatest ability we can have is availability. To be where God has called us, to be within whisper range of god’s summons, that is the beginning of a life of meaningful discipleship. Maybe it’s a reminder that most important things in life are not the bigger house, the better car, the hotter investment portfolio, up-to-date clothes or a trimmer waist line. According to Jesus, all that we have comes from God and belongs to God. Life itself is God’s gift to us. How we live our life, and what we do with what we’ve been given IS OUR GIFT TO God. AMEN |
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Previously:
June 2022
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