Two Christians were discussing the problem of a lack of interest
in government. One of them said, "The main problems in our
nation today are ignorance and apathy. Don't you agree?"
His friend said, "I don't know, and I don't care."
I think one of the things that make this reading harder to
understand is that part of it is so well known. How many people
don't know the saying "Render unto Caesar"? And I think it is
this familiarity that keeps us from seeing the deeper meaning in
this passage.
The story starts with the Jewish Church leaders looking for
some way to get rid of Jesus. They know that they do not have
any power to do anything to him themselves, except perhaps
flog him, and that might just have made Jesus even more
popular.

So they tried to find a way to get him to say something against
the Romans, so that they could take over and use their
considerable power to keep Jesus quiet.
So they came up with a plan that, if it worked, and they saw no
reason why it wouldn't, whatever Jesus did would upset one
side or the other. As is often the case, these leaders are not
willing to take a chance themselves or to show which side they
are on and they get others to do their dirty work.
They thought they had a question, that no matter what Jesus
answered, he would condemn himself. The question was "Is it
right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" The conspirators thought
that there were only two possible answers. Yes, it is right to pay
taxes or No it is not right. Either answer would condemn Jesus.
If Jesus said it was right to pay taxes, he would be accused of
being a traitor to the Jews and of being in favour of the Roman
Occupation. This would alienate him from all his supporters.

If Jesus were to say it was wrong to pay taxes, then he would
prove he was against Rome. The Jewish leaders would be able
to say Jesus had shown himself to be a revolutionary and he
could be handed over for trial and execution.
Either result would please those who put this plan in action.
Whatever happened, Jesus would be out of the way and they
would not get the blame for it. They must have felt really
pleased with their cunning plan.
Have you ever been asked a "trick question," a question which
was meant to "trip you up"?
I spent last Wednesday watching the final (and when I say final,
what I mean is.... Thank goodness!) debate of what has been
the nastiest US Presidential campaign in living memory. And
that evening, indeed the entire electoral process, was all about
trick questions: All about two people trying to trip each other
up or catch the other in a lie.

The issue of paying tax to the Roman Emperor was one of the
"hot button issues" in the Middle East in Jesus' day. Imagine
how you'd feel if you woke up one morning and discovered that
people from the other end of the world had marched into your
country and demanded that you pay them tax as a reward for
having your land stolen!!!
If Jesus had been on the big debate stage on CNN on
Wednesday, you can imagine the audience's excitement and
the producer's glee when someone asked about this taxation.
issue.
So.... the Jewish leaders sent off their team to try to set Jesus
up: Their first action was to try and flatter Jesus and lull him
into a false sense of security. They said that they know Jesus to
be a man of integrity. They said that they knew he would speak
fairly and honestly.
Then they asked their question
I bet they smiled to themselves and thought "Gotcha!" as they
waited for an answer. But I also bet they did not laugh for long.

Before he gave an answer, he asked to see a Roman coin, a
denarius. These were the silver coins, with an image of the
Caesar of the day, Tiberius, on them. He then asked whose
image and inscription was on it.
This was a good question, because at that time, any item with a
man's stamp or inscription on it belonged to that man.
Therefore, following this logic, the coin belonged to Caesar. So,
Jesus said, if it belongs to Caesar then give it to him.
But there was another part to the answer: Also give to God
what is God's.
It seemed like a very succinct and simple answer and it certainly
put paid to the Pharisees and Herodians' plans.

This is the bit that is usually left out when people quote from
this passage. "Render unto Caesar...." is what they say, and
then they forget the rest, "..And what is God's to God."

That is where we have our choice. This is where we can decide
whether or not we pay. In some ways, it might seem that God
has a harsher tax regime than anyone else. Our government
may have many tax rates. 20%, 35%, 50% and all varying year
by year.
God only has one rate: 100%

When we give ourselves to God, we have to give ourselves
100%. 10%, 90% or maybe just on Sundays doesn't count. We
have to give ourselves totally to him, all day, and every day.

But there is one major difference in what we pay in taxes and
what we pay to God. If we find that we cannot find the money
to pay our taxes, or if we forget, then we face a punishment.

If we forget to give God his due, he doesn't send in the bailiffs,
he forgives us the debt, he allows us to start again. You might
want to cheat on a government you hated, but do you want to
cheat on someone that you love utterly and whom what you
give does not even begin to repay what they have done for
you?
For many people the worship of money and possessions is a
profound and deadly spiritual problem: The more we have, the
less we seem able to give. The more things we own, the
greater the temptation to allow things to own us.
Remember the movie, "Oh God!" with George Burns? In that
movie the idea was mentioned that the reason God gave Adam
and Eve no clothes to wear was because God knew that once
they had clothes, they would want pockets. Once they had
pockets, they would want money.

It's kind of like the man caught being creative with his taxes
after an audit. He sent a check to the government for his back
taxes with a note attached that said: "I felt so guilty for
cheating on my taxes I had to send you this check........................... If I still
don't feel any better, I'll send you the rest."
But through all this, in all this talk of government and taxes and
what is Caesar, it is essential that we remember the second
part of Jesus' message: We need to give ourselves to God.
Like the Jews, we don't seem to have much choice over the
government and the way it runs our country. Often, especially
recently, it seems as far away as ancient Rome: An
underhanded, partisan, unscrupulous government.
And while we get little choice on paying taxes, we do have a
totally free choice in is in what we give to God.

Please don't misunderstand. As you know, the Scriptures do
not say that money is the root of all evil. And it isn't. We can
agree with Joe Louis' famous words. "I don't like money,
actually," he said, "but it quiets my nerves." It is the love of
money that is the root of all evil. It is the worship of money
that puts it into competition with God.
No, we don't have any trouble rendering to Caesar the things
that are Caesar's. It's straightforward (at least that's what my
accountant tells me), but how can we become more willing and
able to render to God the things that are God's?

The first thing we need to realize is that everything we have,
everything we are, and everything we hope to be is first and
foremost a gift from God. When we understand the magnitude
of this reality, our hearts become captivated by the love and
grace that God has lavished upon us. We then soon discover
our bodies, our minds, and most importantly of all, our hearts
truly belong to God. It's when God takes possession of our 
hearts and sends the spirit to live there that we find it not only
easier to render to God the things that are God's, but it
becomes a great privilege and joy to do so.

When we say to someone, "I love you with all my heart," what
do we mean? We are saying, "I am committed to you. All that I
have is yours. I trust you enough that I am willing to share with
you everything I have, everything I am, and everything I hope to
be." That kind of commitment is what God asks of us. Truly it's
all God's in the first place. Render to God the things that are
God's.

So what, again, does God want from us? Giving ourselves to
God can sound vague and woolly: Just what does he want,
exactly?

I think that Jesus gave us the answer when he was asked what
the most important commandment was. He told us that the
most important commandment was to love God with all our
hearts, all our souls, all our minds and all our strength. The
second commandment was to love one another.

We take the commandment to love one another as one of the
basic ways to live as a Christian. But there is no way we can live
this way if the very foundation of the way we live is not based
on having the love of God at the heart of who we are and in
everything we do.

With the love of God as the centre of our beings, then things on
this world become less important, passing, and transitory as we
learn that God's love is forever. We can still support and pay
taxes to a government that provides the framework of modern
life. We can still oppose that same government when it works
unfairly or unjustly, by raising our voices in peaceful protest.
We can still obey the laws of the land when they work with
God's law and oppose them, with humility and grace, when
they don't.

But, again, don't forget that there's another message here:
While we give to Caesar what is his, we must also give to God
that which is his.
But what do we give to God? What is it that has the Stamp or
mark of God on it?
The answer is that WE do. We are made in the image of God
and we all bear his mark.
When a child is born what people often say is that the child
looks like the father or mother. They immediately notice the
family likeness. Similarly it was God's intention from the
beginning that we should bear the likeness of our heavenly
Father. God intended our relationship with Him to remain
unbroken so that we could grow up to bear the imprint of His
nature.
So we give our taxes to the government and ourselves to God.

Yet when did Jesus ever say something that did not have one or
many lessons or messages in it? This passage was no different.
The messages in his answer were valid then and are still valid
today: First, that Government and Church is not necessarily
incompatible. There is no reason why that cannot work
alongside each other to improve the lives of those they serve.
Indeed they should. When we have a structure, such as
government, to administer and run the laws of the land, then it
is right that we pay for that support and protection. Israel, at
that time, was under Roman rule; but it was not all bad. They
had lost their independence, but they had also made some
gains. They had roads, peace and security. The Jewish church
was allowed to keep going and people could still worship as
they wanted. So it was right for people to pay taxes, using the
coin with the government's stamp on it.
This story happened over 2000 years ago. What could it mean
today when so much has changed? But has it? In many ways
nothing has changed and the answer Jesus gave still applies.
We cannot act as a society without some form of law or
government. We could not possible manage to support the frail
and the vulnerable without some system in place. Yet while the
laws of the land should serve to protect our human lives and
human future, it does not and cannot support our spiritual life
and spiritual future. That is the job of the church: To support
God's people and to teach them about him. To work alongside
the government to ensure it acts fairly, justly and in accordance
with God's laws.
It is also right that we should pay for the service that
government provides: If no-one paid anything, where would
the hospitals, doctors, teachers and all the other things needed
to make life run smoothly come from?
We can still do all this as long, and only as long, as God comes
first.
Remember Jesus' complete answer: "Give to Caesar what is
Caesar's and what is God's to God." We have to do both, but
God's law comes first.
The question Jesus was asked could have been, "Whose side
are you on? Israel, or Rome?" Jesus' reply was not Israel, it was
not Rome. His answer was "on God's side"
It could also have been "Who do you love?
How would you answer that? Whose side are YOU on? Who do
you love? This world, a place of growing discontent, a place
where people put themselves, money and power before the
care for others, a place where more and more people seek
gratification just for the moment? Or God's world, a place
where love grows, a place where you are just as valued as your 
neighbour, a place where we can live in peace and forgive our
enemies and be forgiven when we fall.

What would your answer be?
​

CALL TO WORSHIP: 
One: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not
        have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 
 
All: If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
      mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that
      can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 
 
One: If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to
        hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 
All: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not    
      boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is   
      not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
      record of wrongs.
 
One: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

INVOCATION & The LORD’S PRAYER  

Let us pray.

Lord, we are in your presence. We are one with you and you are one with us. You have given us the gift of life for which we are truly grateful. We have shared in your abundance, felt the warmth of your love, and walked in all the paths you have prepared for us. Be with us now as we reflect on your truth. Bless us in our worship. Hear us as we pray in the words your son, Jesus, taught us…..Our Father, who art in heaven… 

October 23rd 1956 Revolution
National Holiday for Hungary
October 23rd marks the day of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

2016 is the 60th anniversary of the event with many commemorations, programs in the capital and the whole country.
​
It was a revolution against the Stalinist, communist regime and Soviet oppression that was beaten down by the Russian army. The Hungarian revolution of 1956 is one of the most significant events of the country’s 20th century history.

The Soviet army invaded Hungary, crushing the revolution in early November after a series of vicious street battles in Budapest. Imre Nagy and the leaders of the revolution were lured into a trap and arrested, and as a result of the invasion over two thousand lost their lives, more than ten thousand were wounded and around 150,000 Hungarians fled as refugees.
As an act of revenge, several hundred revolutionaries were executed by the Soviets, and mass arrests continued for months afterwards. Public discussion about the revolution was suppressed until the fall of communism, and only in 1989 did the process of rehabilitating victims began. October 23rd has been a national holiday in Hungary since 1989, and ceremonies are held throughout the country on this date to pay homage to the heroes of the struggle for freedom in 1956.

​OFFERING: 
And now, let us return a small measure of the wealth our God has blessed us with, in our offerings.
​

Congratulations Grace.... great job!!!

PASTORAL PRAYER  
​

Let us pray.
Lord. you are our shepherd and we your sheep. Grant us your love and your protection, not only those in our community, but especially all who suffer everywhere. Offer us all the balm of your love and the salve of your forgiveness, and welcome us into your paradise with open arms when our earthly journeys are done. We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

​Announcements:  Thank You to Joe Hevesy for leading us in worship today.

Thank You, also to Elisabeth Churchill, Grace Sutton and Carol Bye for sharing their gifts of music.

     Thanks to everyone involved in hosting last Tuesday’s Presbytery supper, service and meeting. We have a great team!

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader:    God of grace:
All:   We come with all we have;
        bodies, souls, minds, all here to worship you.
Leader: We have come for a glimpse
              of your kingdom of kindness--
All: a world where love rules over all,
       a world where enemies embrace,
Leader: distinctions between friend and foe
              evaporating in the light of your love.
All: We dedicate this hour of worship to you.

Opening Prayer:    
Inspiring God, you have given us the gift of scripture to teach us, correct us, and equip us to live faithfully in the world.  Open us to hear the word that you have for us today, whether it is challenge or comfort, so that we may participate in your transformation of the world. Amen.

“Forgiveness & Reconciliation”

Fellowship, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, are beautiful words, but they mean something.
​
Have you ever been in love and enjoyed that person's company fellowship so much. Or had a best friend and you can trust and hang out with. There's nothing happening that fellowship that friendship, it's just peace and blessings. It's like your conversation just flows each of you are being encouraged by the other.

I would call that true fellowship with another person In the same way have you ever experience the love of God in a real and meaningful way, you're having sweet fellowship, communion with Him in prayer and in reading the word, in quiet reflection... It does happen. It should happen.
I would call this true fellowship with God.

But then something inevitably comes along and messes up that relationship, be it with a fellow human being or with God. Sooner or later this something raises its ugly head! We think maybe it's personality differences and disagreements, or conflict, or perhaps stress. We find all kind of catch phrases and words and excuses and reasons. I've got my reasons!

But those are just the symptoms, the manifestations of a sickness.
THE SICKNESS or PROBLEM IS SIN...

SIN The Bible says, destroys, separates, breaks fellowship, gets in the way, leads to loneliness, tears down, and ultimately leads to death! And it must be dealt with.

First on the vertical plane, and that is with God.

And secondly on the horizontal plane, that is with each other.
SIN the Bible says separates us from God.

But God himself provides the remedy for sin. It is something that every human being is commanded to do. Paul in epistle in 2 Corinthians ch 5 vs 20 and 21, implores us. Be reconciled to God.

Here's my my main text... first John chapter 1 verse 4 - 10

When reading scripture, if you want to understand it, ask yourself a couple questions.
Here's the first question... What was the purpose of John writing this letter?
The answer is found in ch 1 vs 4. That your joy may be full.

God The Holy Spirit does not want us to be empty miserable human beings.

Verse 5 . God is light there is no darkness etc.
Verse 7 . If we walk in the light there's fellowship with Him. And with one another.
But
Verse 6 . If we walk in darkness, we lie etc.
Verse 8 . If we deny sin etc
But
Verse 9 . If we confess, God is faithful etc.
But
Verse 10. Liar
OK ,so now what?

For believers we want to walk in the light. Not walk in darkness... Seems clear eh? Is that the message? What does that mean? Walk in the light... How do I ."walk in the light" ?

The answer is found in the text. Vs 9-11

Walking in darkness is defined by... Hating your brother... The remedy?
Confession and forgiveness, confession and forgiveness, confession and forgiveness.

Or if you really want to get done properly you can confess and forgive. Every time...

And when confessing and forgiving. Examine your heart and your head.

First John warning chapter 2 verse 15... Hear now the the command. Do not love the world!

What does that mean? Do not love the world! Let's look at the text.
Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

So far I have speed been speaking from the text that is I've been using scripture. The gospel, and that is the most important source of truth. It is the only source of truth. But now I would like to speak from my own thoughts and experiences. So it's just my opinion it is not "gospel".

Some questions thoughts and concerns we often have. Does forgiveness always lead to restoration? Unfortunately no What about abusive relationships? Should I look to restore a relationship that abusive?
Should people allow themselves to be a doormat? There's a lot of legitimate questions and concerns when it comes to forgiveness. Should we put ourselves in harms way, for the sake of forgiveness? These are difficult questions, and should be addressed.

Perhaps Christian May use the verse that Jesus said ''turn the other cheek" this would be a series of sermons and messages, but I know that Jesus was not referring to making yourself a doormat. Or putting yourself in harms way.

Jesus here I believe is referring to,,, what was about to happen to his followers, and that was that Christians were to be dragged into the synagogue. And forced to renounce the name of Jesus, to essentially deny their faith. Jesus was saying that faith in him was so worth it. That if that happens, and they strike your cheek, as was custom. To get you to deny your faith, to renounce Jesus, to reject the Messiah...

In that case if they stroke your cheek....The gladly turn the other cheek!
So we need Gods discernment. We can't take the easy way out. Always our first goal is to seek restoration with others.

How to address the other tough passage found in 1 John ch 2 vs 6 "Walk as He walked"..

I don't know about you but the first time I read that I said to myself. "How can I walk as Jesus walked "it's impossible! I'm not Jesus, He can do it,,,He's the son of God.

But the problem is I was assuming that that meant that I must walk since Leslie and perfect as our Lord Jesus did. But that's not what the text saying. It can't mean that. So what does it mean.

Well in what way did Jesus walk, and in what way are we to walk as our Lord did?

Our Lord Jesus walked, depending on his Holy father, depending on the Holy Spirit, when he resisted the devil when he was being tempted. He didn't call down flashes of light. Perform miracles, which she could've. No He quoted and used the Scriptures... in other words he used the same resources that are available to us. And in this case those same resources are to being a right relationship with God, and in a row right relationship with our brothers and sisters. And for us that means,,, confession and forgiveness.

If we only knew the love of God, how did settled in our hearts. Understood his nature, and knew that he had nothing but the best intentions for each and everyone of us. If we truly understand that Sin destroys, Teardowns, separates, kills. Then we would be wholeheartedly in favour and seeking a right relationship with God. We will want to "walk in the light as he is in the light" and consequently we will be in a correct fellowship with our brothers and sisters.

So what is the end to this matter.

1st Confess, first to God, and get an a right relationship with your lord and receive his forgiveness.

2nd do the same thing with your brothers and sisters, admit confess and seek forgiveness. And forgive those who trespassed against you..
AMEN

God who calls,
We give thanks that through the ages you have spoken to your people,
calling them into the light, showing them the path of justice,
guiding them out of the bondage into freedom.
And in every age you have called leaders to guide and shepherd your people,
gifting them with courage and insight,
and speaking through them to offer comfort and challenge.
You promise to accompany your people at all times.
We give thanks for the ways Rockburn Church  has heard and responded to your call.
We give you thanks for your Holy Spirit, who gives the gift of faith to us,
and for the ways that those who came before us responded
and handed that faith on to us.
  
Hear our prayers, O God, for your church in this place, and all around the world.
 
In this moment and for this particular time and place,
where you have called us all into ministry
may your will be done, Mothering and Nuturing God,
as we join our voices with the prayers of the faithful
across hundreds of generations and with people from all across the globe,
and with your Son Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray this family prayer:
Our Father…


​Offertory Prayer
Caring God, we humble ourselves today by returning the bounty you first shared with us back to your care.  Without pretension or self-righteousness, we resolve to be slow to judge and ready to provide aid.  We strive to increase our commitment to being thoughtful, generous people.     Help us to be unassuming in our service but bold in our witness.  We pray in the name of the one who served you here on Earth, Jesus the Living Christ.  Amen.  
 
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
My the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.

CALL TO WORSHIP:    
ONE: Come let us celebrate the wondrous gifts that God has given us. ALL: Throughout all our lives, God has blessed us with knowledge.         ONE: Praise be to God who provides for us.                              
ALL: May our hearts be truly grateful, and may we show our gratitude by the ways in which we live and care for others.                      
ONE: Hallelujah!                                            
ALL:  Hallelujah! Amen.

OPENING PRAYER:
Lord of bounty and blessing, we come to You this day in gratitude for all that we have been given. We are grateful for the blessings and for the opportunities to be of service to others.  Bless each of us here, that we may become truly blessings to others. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.


PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING & THE LORD’S PRAYER:

Bounteous God, you have lavished Your finest gifts on each one of us. We thank You for the many ways in which You have blessed our lives – with love, hope, friends, our church, and so many other things that we cherish. Help us to be a blessing for others – that they may come to know You and rejoice in Your love. Give us hearts of courage and confidence to step out into the world in service, bringing hope where there is doubt, peace where there is strife, love where there is discord. These things we pray in Jesus’ Name and continue to pray as we sing the words He taught us. 

REBECCA: ln Matthew 28:18-20 the Lord Jesus says: 'All authority in heaven and an earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in ttte narne of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." This is why we do, what we do, as Christians. lt is also the reason that we are all to be involved with the Harvest. 

SARAH: Loudly to the villagers) Wake upl Wake up For the Harvest is ready.
None of the VILLAGERS respond.  (snoring!)
SARAH: {a littte louder) Wake up! The Harvest is ready!
VILLAGERS: Go away! Be quiet! lt's too early! Go back to sleepl {Snore...)

SARAH walks over to VILLAGER #1 and speaks again!

SARAH: Wake upl The Harvest is readyl
V #1: {sleepily) What?l No - You're mistaken. lt is 4 months until the harvest.
SARAH: No, no! Just look at the fields! They are ripe for harvestl
VILLAGER #1 looks at the fields and sees that they are ready for harvest.l
V #1: Well, so they are. Hmmm. How about that? But, I don't care about a harvest that comes too early. l'm going back to bed.

VILLAGER#1 returns to her bed. SARAH goes to VTLLAGER#2.
SARAH: Wake up! The Harvest is readyl
V #2: (dreaming) Not now, Honey. Go back to sleep.
SARAH: (more insistentJ Wake up! The Harvest is ready!

V #2: What is it! Oh, it's you. Go away! lts too early. I'm asleep!
SARAH: But, the Harvest is ready.
V#2: Well, l'm not ready. l'm sleepy. Besides, a harvest is a lot of work. VILLAGER #2 returns to her bed. SARAH goes fo VTLLIAGER #3J
SARAH: Wake up! The Harvest is ready!
V #3: Oh, no! Not again! Please go away! You know I can't help you.
SARAH: But the fields are ripe and ready for harvest.
V#3: I know.,. And you want me to help. But I'm really not very good at
harvesting. You should get someone else. l'm going back to bed.
VILLAGER *3 retums ta her bed. SARAH goes to VILLAGER #4.
SARAH: Wake up! The Harvest is ready!
v #4: Nol I'm having a bad hair day! Go awayl
SARAH: But the fields are ripe and ready for Harvest!
V#4: I don't have the right clothes to wear.
SARAH: You look fine.
V#4: I might break a nail.
SARAH: What??!!
V#4: Look, I told you. t can't do... whathever it is you want me to do. Try that person over there. I'm going back to bed.
VILLAGER #4 retums to her bed. SARAH goes to VILLAGER #5
SARAH: Wake up! The Harvest is ready!
V #5: It's too cold!
SARAH: No, it's not. It's warm outside.
V#5: Then, it's rainingl
SARAH: No, its not raining. lts sunny!
V#5: Well, l'm not going out there.
SARAH: Why not?
V#5: Because there's a fierce lion out there.
SARAH: Really? Where?!!
V #5: Out there in the center of town.
SARAH: No, there isn't!!!
V#5: But, there could be. So, I'm not going out there! I'm going back to bed!
VILLAGER #5 returns to her bed. SARAH goes back to the center of town,
wondering what to do.
REBECCA ENTERS and speaks fo SARAH.
REBECCA: They have lots of excuses, don't they? You know what Jesus said: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Why don't we pray together, and ask Him to do that?

REBECCA and SARAH pray together. REBECCA says the prayer out loud!
REBECCA: Lord... we know Jesus said that the Harvest is plentiful. Please send out workers into your harvest field. We pray this in Jesus' name' Amen. 
{One by one, the VTLLAGERS put down their blankets and come to the center of town. They have come to work in the harvest]
V #1: I guess I care more than I thought.
Y #2: I guess l'm not as sleepy as I thought.
V #3: I guess I can try to help.
V #4: I guess these clothes will be alright.
V #5: Hey, there's no ferocious lion out here!
(Pause - The audience will laugh. )
SARAH: (To all) Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
ALL: Wake up! The Harvest is ready!

THE END

Offertory Prayer:        Heavenly Father, thank you for all the good things You continue to provide for us. Don’t let us take Your gifts for granted or abuse them. Instead, help us always to rely on You in faith. Use us and what You have given us for Your good purposes. Amen.

PASTORAL PRAYER:         God, Your blessings, Your bounty, have been poured out to us that we may be strengthened to be Your people in service to others. Today we have gathered here with an opportunity to step out of the race to possess, to praise You and thank You for the wonderful ways in which You have blessed our lives. We spend a lot of time looking for the big blessings, when all around us are the delightful blessings of everyday living – family, home, friends, the ability to enjoy laughter and share tears. There are so many ways in which You have touched our lives with Your love. Help us develop for all of our lives an attitude of gratitude, never failing to thank You each day for Your love and Your blessings. Help us reach out to one another and to all those in need with this compassionate love. For was ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Walk A Little Slower
          At this time of Thanksgiving, we all go through the motions of giving thanks for what we have, and many of us go to church – but are we really being sincere? Are we really thankful? Do we actually know what were thankful for?
          Life, as we know it today, is fast-paced. We put so many things on our to-do list that we barely get through the list, or we’re so busy, we only get a few hours of sleep a night – because we’re worried about tomorrow’s to-do list.
          How many times have you seen someone talking on the cell phone while driving down the highway? People are obsessed with multi-tasking. I’ve seen people putting on make-up, eating, texting, reading – and I’ve even seen a man shaving, all while driving!
          This morning we read Psalm 46 responsively. I hope you paid attention to verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” There are several Bible passages that tell us not to ‘hurry, worry and scurry’ because it will have a negative effect on us. The Bible says, “Overwork makes for restless sleep.” In other words, you feel more stress. When you’re stressed out, you lose joy and happiness. When you’re stressed out, you’re less productive.
          You can’t keep going and going all the time. None of us is the “Energizer Bunny!” You have to take breaks – you have to slow down. Remember the old saying – “Take time to smell the flowers.” All this fast-paced living affects us spiritually, as well as physically. If we’re always running at high speed, we can’t hear God. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Being still is an action – not a lack of action. We have to work at being still, because it doesn’t come naturally to us. We have to learn to still our thoughts, still our emotions and still our actions.
          If we’re moving at a fast pace all the time, we can’t possibly know God. So let’s ask ourselves these questions. Why are we so busy? Why are we always trying to achieve so much? Why are there always so many distractions in our life? “Be still, and know that I am God.”
 
          Rev. Brian Polston describes it best. “Be still! When you’re not still, all your circuits are busy. You’ve got God on call-waiting. The circuits are on overload. You can’t hear God because you’re too busy and there’s too much noise in your life.” What Rev. Polston is saying is that we need to slow down to truly know the Lord. Most growth takes place in the quiet. It’s in the quietness of the soil that the seed germinates and grows. It’s in the quietness of the womb that a baby develops. And so too, it is in the quietness and stillness that our spiritual growth develops. We need some times of quiet, some times of solitude and some times of stillness in our life.
          We need to turn to our Bible more often. I’m just as guilty as the next person in pushing myself, taking on more than I can comfortably handle, being stressed out and losing sleep. If we turn to the Bible, we find that it is filled with instructions about living the kind of life God wants us to live. God made us. He understands us, and He knows us like no one else.
          God gave us a specific instruction in the fourth commandment: “You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is the day of rest dedicated to Me.” God instructed us to take the Sabbath off from work. Sabbath literally means a day of rest. We think we can keep going and going, but that never really works. We become irritated, which affects our family; we become over-tired; and in the end we don’t get as much done.
          So what do we do with our day of rest? Some people use it to catch up on other work! Wrong – that’s not what God wants. We need to rest our body and recharge our emotions. We need to take time to be alone with God. To be silent and still. We need to reconnect with our family and spend quality time with them.
          We also need to refocus our spirit and remember how great God really is! Psalm 127:2 says; “It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know that God enjoys giving rest to those He loves?”
          We just celebrated our 160th Anniversary a month ago. What would our ancestors think about the fast-paced life we live today? We fly to China in 13 hours, we send messages instantly to any place in the world, we have an endless variety of food readily available and the list goes on and on. Transportation for our ancestors was a horse and buggy or sleigh. A trip to town was to purchase tea, salt, sugar, molasses, tobacco and material to make clothing. They might have been able to visit relatives or attend a cultural event, such as a military band concert or even a circus.
          For the most part, each rural community was a close-knit group, depending on their neighbours for entertainment as well as for help in the time of need. Visiting, story-telling, singing and dancing were common means of social entertainment.
          The duties of the household were many. Food had to be grown and preserved, cream was churned for butter, berries & fruit were preserved and making bread was a daily chore. When wash day rolled around, water had to be pumped or raised by a bucket from a well, or carried from a brook or spring. Clothes were washed on a washboard, scrubbing by hand with home-made soap and pressed with an iron heated on the kitchen stove – a wood stove, wood being chopped and carried by hand.
          Today, we have machines which do most of these chores for us. We can move from place to place in a matter of minutes or hours, instead of days, weeks or even months. So why do we keep saying we don’t have time?
          On this Thanksgiving Day, let’s pause and be still. Take the time to  appreciate what we have. Take time to be with our family and to really listen to what they have to say. Take time to look around and appreciate all the glories nature has to offer. Take time alone with God. Let Him rejuvenate you and help you to refocus. Take time, my friends, to walk a little slower.
         
Let us pray: Today, Lord, as a church family, as a group of people supporting each other, we want to enjoy the life You’ve given us, not just endure it. We want to bring sanity and simplicity back into our schedules. We want to live balanced, healthy lives. We want to have time for the relationships that matter most – with You, with those we love, with each other in our church family.
Dear God, thank You for bringing us here. Help us to learn contentment and to stop comparing ourselves to others. We want to obey You and observe a Sabbath day of rest every week. Help us to pause and pray before making decisions. Help us to be patient and to trust Your timing. Forgive us for the times You’ve put up signs that we missed because we were in too much of a hurry. We invite You to be the manager of our lives. Not just setting the direction but also the pace. We want to spend time alone with You every day so You can set our pace. With Your help, Lord, we can take the time to walk a little slower. Amen.

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:        Beloved of God, place your whole trust in God’s absolute abundant love. Feel the powerful presence of God in your life and know that God’s blessings are with you. Go in peace, and may God’s peace always be with you. 

​“Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow”
Edward Sandford Martin
 

COME AND SEE                            
    Psalm 40: 1-40, Isaiah 40: 1-10
    John 1: 35-40

John the Baptist and Jesus had dramatically different styles of inviting people to follow him. To illustrate the differences I want you to imagine we are in a concert Hall.
CONCERT HALL:
    --imagine packed door to door (like our 160 Anniversary service)
    --we reviewed the program--all eager, excited music lovers.   
    --waiting for the thunderous music to begin.
    --music for the battle cry—the victory cry!
LOOK THE MASTER of CEREMONY IS ON THE STAGE:
--declares in a melodic voice, the famous musician has arrived.
--He gets us to our feet, welcome him with loud applause.
-- It is the musician who is going to fill our expectations.
​
THE SOLOIST
             --we stand eagerly with great anticipation-the curtain opens
             --a small figure stands in the middle of the stage—not what                 we expected.
             --no waving arms-no baton to bring the orchestra alive
             --what’s that he is carrying?  Why it’s a small FLUTE. (might                 be Robb)
WE WATCH:
             --shocked by the silence, then he plays gently, softly.
             --a tune different than we expected, we hear familiar themes                   played in a new way.
             --music haunting-fragile-stirring our imagination,                               transforming our hopes .
              --as he reaches the climax 
              --we are spell bound--  new visions of music 

This master musician and his music WAS NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED!!
Keeping this picture of the concert in mind, let’s compare it to the scene by the shores of the Jordan River.

      --JOHN THE BAPTIST is the Master of Ceremony shouting receive          the Messiah.
      -- He’s coming!  He’s more powerful than me!
      --He’ll give you God’s wind and fire not just water.
      --He’ll sort you out—clear up your mess-he’ll separate the
        wheat from the chaff.
      --we’re on our feet—expecting a great leader--God himself entering           the world.
Instead we get Jesus,!  Jesus who comes and stands humbly before John asking to be baptized.

This was not the kind of Messiah John the Baptist was expecting, this was supposed to be God’s judgment Day, the time had come to separate the believers from the unbelievers. 
John was expecting a great dramatic entry with cries of warning and judgment, but he hears something entirely different.

Jesus, seems to identifies not with John’s God who condemns and declares vengeance, rather with the people, who are facing judgment and needs help to change their ways,
  --Instead Jesus, the long awaited “anointed one” calls out “blessed are      the peacemakers—love your enemy!”

Poor John the Baptist all he gets is failed expectations! The Concert Hall and the SHORES OF THE JORDAN RIVER produced similar yet Unexpected conclusions!!

It reminds me of: A man who receive a card from his wife, on the front were these words, “SWEETHEART YOU ARE THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS.” On the inside of the card it read, “YOU’RE NOT EXACTLY WHAT I PRAYED FOR, BUT APPARENTLY YOU ARE THE ANSWER!!” 

Full of doubt and disappointment John spends the night in town trying to piece together all that has happened that day. Has God truly sent this Jesus to be his “anointed one?”  

The next day John the Baptist sees Jesus wandering through the streets of Bethany and sent Andrew and another of his disciples, to follow Jesus and discover what he is planning.
 
Andrew soon catches up to Jesus and he seems a little bewildered as to what to talk about so he asks Jesus, “Where are you staying?” Jesus simply extends an invitation, “COME AND SEE,” no long speech just come and see!

So Andrew spends the evening with Jesus and we can imagine their conversation Jesus telling Andrew of his mission and the first thing is to recruit some disciples to help him. 

Andrew was so excited, the very next day he ran to find his brother Simon, who had gone fishing. I’m sure Andrew didn’t have the words to how he had met Jesus so he probably just said to Simon, “COME AND SEE.”

According to the writer of the book of John, these few words COME AND SEE was all that Jesus said that brought him together with his first two disciples. No talk of a revolution-no threats or judgment just a quiet invitation to follow him and help bring God’s kingdom here on earth. 

I wonder how often we say those sew words COME AND SEE in our daily lives?
 
Mothers, you probably remember trying to describe the cake you were baking to your daughter over the phone, it was far easier to say COME and SEE the cake.

Or granddad, do you recall working in your workshop building a bird house or may be a sled for the grandchildren, the kids are sure curious, everyone is curious. What’s granddad making? He’s sure spending a lot of time in his workshop. It’s much easier for granddad just to Say COME AND SEE than to try explain the size, the shape and the colour.
Well, we all know how difficult it is to explain some things and this is especially true when it comes to explaining our faith, we don’t know what words to say, we feel awkward. Yet Christ expects us to be willing to share our faith with others, he wants us to invite them to COME AND SEE and experience our hospitality.

Maybe we can use Andrew as an example s to how we fit in to God’s plan and how we can do our part.  

Last week Stewart talked about the sin of PRIDE and in today’s message we witness an example of complete humility. Of all his disciples, Andrew never belonged to Jesus’ inner circle of disciples.  Jesus seemed to favour Peter, James and John, but Andrew never let this bother him and continually introduced others to Jesus. 

I can recall three times in the gospel story when Andrew brings someone to Jesus; the time when he brings Peter to Jesus; there is the incident in John 6: 8-9 when he brings the boy with the five loaves and two small fishes to Jesus and other times when he brought inquiring Greeks in John 12: 22 into the presence of Jesus.

Having found a friend in, he spent all his life introducing others to that friendship. It was Andrew’s great pleasure to bring people to Jesus. I wonder if he used the same invitation, COME and SEE.

Jesus was available to Andrew and Peter with no questions asked so and when some need in our lives leads us to seek Jesus, whether for the first time or the thousandth time we don’t need any ritual or formality, Jesus just says COME AND SEE!

All of us hear this morning, at some time or other, received an invitation to come to church, it’s hard to find the right words to explain what spiritual refreshment  each of us receive during worship, so the words COME AND SEE is an great invitation that needs no explanation.  

I Remember the time when Sharon and I came to church and STAYED.   WHY DID WE STAY?
 —we felt welcome—we met friends, neighbours-it was comfortable- we had our batteries recharged for the following week-received some help in our daily lives from the scripture reading or prayers. the message was meaningful —  singing familial hymns— and we felt God’s presence. I’m sure you are no different.

Like Andrew, we are called to share what we experience here at Rockburn or at other places of worship with others.

If we are waiting for a big bang event, like those who witnessed John the Baptist we are in for a letdown. I’m not ruling out some dramatic event may change people’s lives but most of the time God works through you and me, quietly encouraging us to seek out those in need and provide a helping hand. 

Earthly rulers use armies, fear and deception but GOD REIGNS THROUGH LOVE. Jesus doesn’t conquer instead he extends an invitation to all.  
​
Let’s not get bogged down trying to find the right words to invite people to share the good news of Jesus. Just use COME AND SEE and be there to meet them at the door.  
AMEN.