August 22, 2010

Awe-Filled

Psalm 71:1-6                 Hebrews 12:18-29

I want to worship the Creator who formed the universe with a word and molded my being from the dust of the earth. I long to sing praises to a God who shouts with excitement through the joys in my life and who holds me tenderly when I weep, weeping with me. I want to surrender all that I am to the workings of a Holy Spirit who guides my life in ways I never dreamed possible for myself. I want to humbly bow to the most humble of babies who changed the course of history for eternity.  I want to lay offerings before a God who offered his own Son to wipe away the distance which I continually place between us. I want to meet this Jesus over and over again, so maybe someday I will begin to understand the magnitude of a love so grand, so extreme and so passionate that he would be willing to give his life for mine.

Wonderful, Incredible, Amazing, Magnificent, Awesome

          Filled with awe in the presence of our God!  Our worship should be filled with the awesomeness of God’s presence!  Do we feel that way when we come here to worship? Our short time together here on Sunday morning should be a reminder that our Holy God is wonderful, incredible, amazing, magnificent and awesome. Our worship should be passionate and full of truth: the truth that God is an awesome God who wants our worship and our reverence.  God is the powerful, mighty God of the universe and He demands our worship as well as our love and our obedience.

          We must avoid worship as the little girl, Susan experienced it. After the offering plate was passed during the Sunday morning service, Susan turned to her father and asked, “Now that we paid, can we go to the park and play on the merry-go-round?”

Worship is not doing our duty, or paying our dues to God. Worship is recognizing who God is and who we are.  Worship is recognizing that there is a holy mystery between our human sinfulness and earthly existence, and the divine purity and heavenly, eternal nature of God.

It is true that awe-filled worship can come in all sizes and shapes and volumes. It can be experienced in an evening prayer service in a cool dark cathedral. If you’ve ever had a chance to visit cathedrals in Europe, you know what I mean. When I walked into one it was like walking back in time. The huge walls of stone and the unyielding marble floors, the mystery of the side chapels of mosaics and the skillfully crafted stain glass windows, the dark ornately carved wood: I dared not approach the chancel area where the altar seemed mysterious and holy, and untouchable.  I could only imagine what an evening candle lit worship service would be like in a place like that.

In contrast, you may have experienced an awe-filled worship around a campfire, accompanied by the music of guitars, with the heavens twinkling down on you filled with millions of stars, maybe even a shooting star flashing across the sky.

 Maybe you come into this place of worship all by yourself to just sit or kneel quietly, offering yourself completely, in prayer, to the presence of our holy God: and your heart is filled with awe at how God touches the very center of your being with his Holy Spirit.

 Maybe you find yourself at a mid-week Bible study where as you hold the hand of the person next to you and pray for the presence of God, you feel the Holy Spirit move among you and the power of unity in faith causes you to catch your breath in awe of God’s intimate power.

 Maybe it is here on Sunday morning as we sing praises, ask for forgiveness, bow in humble prayer and hear the Word of God read and spoken; maybe it is here and now that you give yourself in worship to your God.  Any of these experiences can be filled with awe, when they provide an authentic encounter with the God of creation who came to us in Jesus, to show us his wonderful, incredible, passionate love.

          It is true that awe-filled worship of God can happen anywhere at any time. The one common requirement, as I see it; is that the focus of our heart, soul, and mind must be on the true worship of God.  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

          Sometimes we hear people say, “I’m going to look for another church. I’m not being fed in the church I’m attending.”  I’ve got news. It’s not about you being fed or made happy in worship. Worship is about God. It’s not about us.  Sometimes worship makes us uncomfortable, and that’s okay. It means that we have issues in our life that God needs to work on with us. When we are looking for a place to worship, we must be aware of the theological stance of that church. What it believes about God and His Kingdom and God’s relationship with his creation: and what that particular church believes about how we are to live our lives in obedience to God’s Word. But being a bit uncomfortable when we sing or pray or hear God’s word interpreted and preached; just means God is dealing with us in our humanness.

          God made clear right from the start, what worship was to be about. Leviticus 7:37-38 is a culmination of the way the people were to focus on God. “These are the instructions for the whole burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering. The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.”  Can you imagine how much time and effort the people had to spend getting the offerings ready to bring to the tabernacle to the worship of God?

          Unlike today when we think we should be able to find a church where we feel comfortable and in which we are spiritually fed for one hour one day a week: these people spent days getting their offerings ready for worship. They brought the best of what they had to their magnificent God.   

Do you think that you and I, would find more awe-filled worship in God’s presence if we brought the best of what we have in ourselves, to God? What if when we come to worship we bring our whole selves, holding nothing back?

What if we surrender to God our whole being: our fears, our pain, our joys? Would we experience a more awe-filled worship, if we came to God this way?

          Today’s reading from Hebrews speaks of God’s awesome presence. We read first about Mount Sinai and what an awesome even fearful place that was. It was an ominous place, burning with fire and surrounded in darkness, gloom and a windstorm. Trumpets blast, and a voice speaks such words that those who hear, beg for silence. It is such a powerful place that even if an animal touched the mountain, it would have to be stoned. The author asserts that this place was so fearful that even Moses proclaims his fear and shows it bodily through trembling.

          That was Mount Sinai. Now, because of Jesus, we approach Mount Zion, which is associated with Jerusalem, the city of King David, and because it is the dwelling place of the temple, it is also designated as the dwelling place of God.  Some people may say that Hebrews is talking here about Old Testament wrath-of God stuff, but the New Testament is different—marked by a kinder and gentler spirituality. Well, not exactly.

          God is still “judge of all,” and Jesus is the “mediator of a new covenant” through the shedding of his blood on the cross. (vv.23-24)  Having once shaken the earth in the Old Testament, God now promises, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” This means every created thing in heaven and on earth will change, leaving only the one thing that cannot be shaken—the kingdom of God. (vv.26-28)

                “See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking,” warns the writer of Hebrews. Pay attention to Jesus, the one who speaks to us from heaven; do not reject the one who warns from heaven!” (v.25)  And  “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.” (vv.28-29)  In other words, come to worship thanking God and bringing all that we are, bowing before Him in reverence and in awe.

                And we must pay attention to Jesus. This means to take him seriously when he says to his followers, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you? (John 15:12). Love is the avenue that leads to the kingdom of God. But it isn’t an easy path to follow, and Jesus knows this, which is why he says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (vv. 13—14)

                This Jesus of Mount Zion of the New Testament may be the God of compassion and forgiveness, the New Jerusalem; but he is also the God who commands us to live with self-emptying love, with selflessness. Love one another with self sacrificing love; this is Jesus’ message. Jesus sought out the company of the lowly and looked down upon. He crossed the lines of ritual purity to deal with the unclean—the lepers, the possessed, the prostitutes, and adulterers. He sat down to eat with tax collectors and sinners, showing them a love that was anything but socially acceptable.

          Self-emptying, self sacrificing love is what Jesus demonstrated and it is His call on our lives yet today. It’s not easy to live our lives this way. But it is the pillar of God’s kingdom—which is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We’d like to think that once we say we are Christians, we can slip into heaven. However, our test for entry into God’s kingdom is whether we fed Jesus in the hungry, clothed him in the naked, and welcomed him in the stranger and the outcast. This is the love which Jesus commands us to show. It is a love which crosses all cultural barriers. It is the love which is the kingdom of God. I don’t believe that when we face Jesus, he will accuse of us loving too much. He may however judge us for loving too little.

          But this Hebrew passage doesn’t dwell on the love of God as exemplified in Jesus Christ. This passage focuses on the worship of the God who gave himself to us in Jesus Christ.  It challenges us to give thanks with an acceptable worship. It challenges us to come into God’s presence and focus on worshipping Him in “spirit and in truth.” “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

          You know my love for children. Often it is the openness and honesty of children which opens our eyes as well. Many parents do not bring their children to Sunday morning worship service because they have a feeling that their children do not understand what is going on. A young mother reports that children understand much more than we think. Beth writes this: “My seven year old daughter, who has Down syndrome, re-enacts pretty much every Sunday the whole service in its various parts, (after everybody has left the sanctuary.)  She pretends to read from the lectionary, she “presides” at the altar, she “distributes” the communion elements, she chants the liturgical music and so on. Children may not necessarily understand the liturgy in its entirety (do we adults?), but if we allow them to be immersed in and experience the presence of God, they may teach us that worship can be truly meaningful and awe-inspiring.”

          Experiencing an awe-filled worship is for me a reminder of who I am and who God is. I am human, He is God. I find comfort and peace in this reminder. I am sinful and I cannot do this earthly life alone. God is pure and holy. And in the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ and in the presence of the Holy Spirit I can do this earthly life, not matter what I come up against. I am not strong, God is. My earthly life will end, God will not end.

God was with me when he planned my conception and my birth. God is with me as I journey through my earthly life. God will be with me when I return to his presence one day. This to me is the reason I come to worship Him and in His presence I find I am filled with awe for this wonderful, incredible, amazing, magnificent, awesome God.

          My prayer today is that each one of us will come to a place in our life where we can offer our best, offer our all to the One True God. And in that offering, in our declaration of we are and whom God is, that we would find awe-filled worship and awe-filled lives as well.

Rosemary DeHut

August 22, 2010

                                      Sources: Some of the ideas for today’s sermon came from Homileticsonline.com

The Message by Eugene Peterson Hebrews 12:18-29

          Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—“If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified.

          No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace.

          So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings?  His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking,” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.

          Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

August 15, 2010

Move By Faith 

Hebrews 11:29-12:2           Luke 12:49-56

          Today’s scriptures, from Hebrews and from Luke, bring to mind disturbing visions. Visions of Bible people who suffered because they obeyed God by faith. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of the difficulties many faithful followers faced. The scripture reading from Luke also brings to mind visions: visions of discord within families and communities. We’d probably rather not deal with these readings. Maybe we’d rather just read the Bible stories that tell us that Jesus healed the leper, or that he welcomed little children into his inner circle of earthly love. These are very nice stories and they are true. However, being a Christian, does not allow us the privilege of living a life of ease with the absence of difficulties. Quite the opposite: being a Christian requires us to live our life dealing with everything that non-Christians have to deal with, but unlike non-Christians, we are called to move through our life, by faith.

          There is an inherent difference between relating to another human being and relating to God. * In a human relationship, we encounter the human being and then we act upon our encounter. In our relationship with God, we must act first in faith and then we will encounter our Holy God.

I attended a seminar on Wednesday put on by DOVE, the domestic violence organization in Ironwood. The morning was spent with the leaders teaching us how to identify crimes involving sexual assault and domestic violence. The afternoon was spent learning how we should react and act when we are confronted by these crimes. I learned how to see what was happening and then to act upon what I saw. This is relating to human beings. First we see and then we act.

With God the sequence reverses. First we act and then we see. I don’t see God, like I see people. I see where God has been, in creation and in people’s lives. But I don’t physically, with my eyes, see God. I encounter God in my heart and in my spirit. I am strengthened by God’s presence in my life: but only because I make an effort to know God. I come to know God and then I recognize who he is and how he is working in the world.

The day before I attended the DOVE seminar, I had read a Phillip Yancey devotion that spoke of this very thing. The lines in that devotion that jumped out at me were this, “I seldom run into visual clues that remind me of God unless I am looking. The act of looking, the pursuit itself, makes possible the encounter. For this reason, Christianity has always insisted that trust and obedience come first, and knowledge follows. Because of this, I persevere at spiritual disciplines no matter how I feel. I want to know God. And in pursuing a relationship with God, we must come on God’s terms, not our own.” **

Last week I spoke of God moving among us, pursuing us, never giving up on us. This is a vision of a faithful God; a vision of a God of mercy and grace. This is a God of love, wanting to be in a relationship with us, his creation. This week I speak of us moving in pursuit of God:

In our pursuit of a relationship with God, We are to Move by Faith.

Our text from Hebrews 11 today is a great testimony of the people who did just this. Moses and the people of Israel, Joshua and the walls of Jerico, Rahab, who shielded the men of Israel from certain death. Rahab didn’t know the God of the Israelites, she just moved by faith and then she came to claim Yahweh as her God. We don’t read of them in this passage, but in the New Testament: Mary, Joseph, Peter, James, John and Paul to name a few. They all moved by faith when God called. And we are to do the same.

The writer of Hebrews warns us that there are things that hinders us and sins that easily entangle

“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance, the race marked for us”. (12:1)

 If we sit back too long, if we are too passive in our pursuit of God, we become so burdened with worldly distractions and bound up by our sins that it becomes nearly impossible to move.

 We’ve all, at one time or another, been in a place where we feel so disconnected from the power and promises of God in Christ that even life’s simplest of struggles overwhelms us with fear. When we find ourselves in this place it cripples our ability to experience the peace, the joy, and the purpose God has in store for our life. We must not give up. We must move by faith.

The life of a Christian is not meant to be sedentary. It’s not about simply sitting and listening to a sermon of Sunday morning or passively taking in Christian radio on the way to work. No, the Christian life is to be moving and working, it’s kinetic and dynamic. As illustrated in the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the children of Israel; in Peter and Paul, John and Philipp and many others. The Christian life is a moving life and it is much like a race of endurance.

          God has called us through belief and baptism into a life in which we’re actively seeking to love and follow God, no matter where he might lead us. It’s a life in which we take every step full of faith in God’s goodness and hanging on to the promises of Christ.

          The first move by faith is to know God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

          It is through scripture that God reveals himself to us, and it is through scripture that God directs our steps by faith. God gives us a pattern for living in and through his Holy Word. He gives us examples of those who have gone before us and have accomplished great things in moving by faith. But most of all, through scripture God stirs up our faith and strengthens our trust in Jesus Christ, revealing his plan for our life and for creation as a whole.

          It is my belief that when we get to know God’s Word, the Holy Bible, we come to know the story of God’s love incarnate in Jesus Christ. And when we come to know Jesus Christ, we come to fully live in strength and joy, now and eternally.  The first step in moving faith is getting to know God through the Bible.

          The second move by faith is to understand that we are not meant to run this Christian race alone. We have to run this endurance race with other men and women of faith. Once we get connected to God’s Word, we need to get connected to God’s people.

          Patrick Morley suggests that human beings are a lot like redwood trees. Redwoods grow for millennia and reach as high as 350 feet. Yet their roots run only six to 10 feet below the surface. The only way these monster trees can stand tall and withstand the crazy California weather is to grow close together, intermingling their roots. They make each other strong.

          No man or woman was meant to live as a lonely tree. To do so is death. We weren’t designed to run the race of faith alone: yet many choose to do just that. Earlier in the book of Hebrews, the writer pleads with his audience—and with us---not to attempt life in this world as a solo act. He writes “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25a,) NIV

          When we begin to move by faith and to strive to know God better, we need to become a part of a church family. If the church family is moving by faith themselves, they will encourage one another, they will laugh with one another, and they will weep with one another as well. By virtue of our baptism into the family of God we are fully forgiven members of the Christian Church and we need to love and support one another as well as invite others into our family of faith.

          We are called to move by faith: by reading God’s Word, by becoming part of God’s church and lastly:

We are called to move by faith: by keeping our eyes focused on Christ

“Let us fix our eyes on  Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith-“

Jesus Christ, God incarnate must be our focus and our goal. It is an endurance race of life we run each day. The world tries to slow us down and divert our attention, and we will falter. Only by keeping our focus on Jesus can we move by faith. Jesus Christ’s presence in our lives brings healing, strength, guidance, joy and peace.

       Looking to Jesus we see that he has endured more than we will ever endure, and yet he was obedient to God. He has already confronted, in the cross, the sins that weigh us down. In his death and resurrection Jesus has freed us from the bondage of sin and guilt. If our life is focused on Jesus we recognize when we are tempted and it becomes easier to make the right choice, by faith. If our life is focused on Jesus we understand that true healing comes from Him, and we are healed by faith. If our life is focused on Jesus, we need not be weighed down by guilt; we are a forgiven and a forgiving follower of Christ, by faith.  If our life is focused on Jesus we want to testify to what he has done for us and we will not be satisfied until we move by faith and bring others to salvation through our Savior.

          When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus it doesn’t mean we will have earthly success, but rather that we may have to move by faith through sacrifice and selflessness. Jesus’ words in Luke today give us a good picture of what being a follower of Jesus might bring into our lives. Discord among families and friends, even martyrdom for people who choose Jesus in countries where they see Christianity as a threat to their way of sinful living. There are women and men in prison who endure torture for their Christian faith.

          Jesus did not come to bring strife and suffering to the earth. He came to bring love and peace. But God’s gift of free will causes humans to make choices which bring suffering and pain into human lives. Creating strife was not the message of Christ’s mission: but when his message of love God and love your neighbor confronts our human selfishness, Jesus’ message is rejected, and division and strife happen through choices we humans make. Making a stand for Christ will cause division in our human relationships.

          Her name is Jan. She grew up in a Christian home, attending church and taking for granted that she was a Christian. As she grew into adulthood, however, she let the world invade her mind and heart. She became weighed down by sin and guilt and felt unworthy of the love of her family, much less the love of God. Jan did not know the God of love, only the God which she understood as a God of judgment and condemnation.  In Jan’s life race of endurance, the world had won.

          She attended a high school class reunion one summer and there she met a classmate whom she hadn’t seen since graduating high school. As they sat and talked, Jan felt herself opening up to him, sharing how she had made some poor choices in her life and how her life had basically gone, ‘down the tubes.’ Her classmate felt God tugging on his heart and he asked Jan a simple question. “Do you know Jesus Christ?” He then went on to tell Jan how he too had made poor choices in his life and how after he turned and began seeking a relationship with God that he had been healed and strengthened for the trials he faced every day.  He walked to his car and took out a well worn Bible which he then gave to Jan, encouraging her to read God’s Word, pointing out to her passages of love and hope.

          I wish I could tell you that Jan’s life became instant bliss, but as with many who find Jesus, her family and her friends didn’t understand at first and they gave Jan a hard time. However, when they began to see how Jan’s life changed, they too, wanted to know more about Jesus Christ and the love of God. Through the testimony of a high school friend other people began to search for God and have come into a relationship with God because they have pursued Him. They now move through life’s endurance race by faith and find strength, hope and peace in the love of Jesus Christ.

          The question today is this. Do you move through your life by faith?

If you do, please tell others what you have found. If you do not, pick up the Bible and read of God’s love. Join a community of faith and share God’s love. Keep your eyes focused on the love of God in Jesus Christ. Let your life be a life in which you move by faith.

Pastor Rosemary  DeHut

August 15, 2010

                                                        *,** Grace Notes, Philip Yancey, page 232

August 8

The Holy One Among Us

Hosea 11:1-11

Colossians 3:12-17

“I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks.” This is the New Revised Standard Version of this 4^th verse of the 11^th chapter of Hosea. The New International Version says this, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.”  What kind of a vision do these lines and thoughts instill in our minds?

The vision is one of compassion, kindness, caring and love, a vision of strength and a vision of a safe place. There is something about a vision of genuine love and caring that calls out to us and draws us to it. We are looking, indeed longing, for a place to go to when this world we live in explodes around us in confusion and sorrow.

 Joe and I have a small beach cottage on Lake Superior. I find God everywhere, but on this sandy shore I find sanctuary to worship my God. I am safe and in God’s holy presence there. I enjoy sitting on the Lake Superior sandy beach watching the sunset over the lake and giving praise to God.

Do you know the cartoon character Ziggy? He’s the little guy with the big head who utters great one liners.   There’s a great Ziggy cartoon that has Ziggy standing on the edge of a cliff, admiring the sunset, and saying repeatedly, “Go God! Go God!”

That’s how I feel about the beauty which surrounds us in this place we call our home, our planet earth. “You Go God!” I believe that this place we inhabit, this creation, is a place which God loves. We read in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31a) This 31st verse of Genesis 1 happens after God created humans in his own image. “And God saw ALL that he had made, and it was very good.”

When God created the beauty around us and the beauty within us, I believe he wanted and still wants a relationship with his creation. I believe he wants us, to be thankful and to recognize how all mighty powerful and holy God is. I believe God wants us to know how loved we are by him.

 I believe God wants us to know His Holy Presence.

Look at the text today from Hosea. Look at how God is pursuing the people of Israel. Read how he stresses over their behavior. The book of Hosea is a love story. Hosea is a prophet whom God told to marry a woman named Gomer. Gomer would be unfaithful to Hosea, as God predicted she would be. But Hosea would take her back again and again. Their marriage is a metaphor for the way the people of Israel treated God. And Hosea’s pursuit of Gomer and his love and forgiveness for her; is a metaphor for the way God pursued and forgave Israel when the people strayed from God. The people disobeyed God, worshipping idols and other gods, and yet God tells them. “How can I give you up, Ephraim? (a region and a people belonging to the tribe of Joseph’s son Ephraim) “How can I hand you over, Israel?” --- then God tells them, “My heart is changed within me; all  my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. “ (v. 9)

It seems as if there are so many people who think that God has abandoned them, or they don’t believe that God cares about them at all.  God has not abandoned us; God is continuing to pursue each one of us; and God has been, is and will always be The Holy One Among Us. It is not God who has turned from us. It is we who turn away from God. All the tears, and loneliness; all the pain and sorrow; all the stuff we put ourselves through: does not come because God does not care. It comes because we do not care for God and often we do not care for God’s creation; either our earth or our human being.

We can see how God allows us to suffer the consequences of our disobedience. We commit adultery and our spouse divorces us and our children are lost in our selfishness. We continue to smoke cigarettes and our lungs struggle to overcome cancer or emphysema.  We use drugs and/or alcohol thinking we’ll find peace, instead of turning to Jesus Christ. We are sucked in by marketing and buy more than we need with money we don’t have. We cry “Woe is me,” and blame God for our suffering when in fact we’ve done it to ourselves.

But, God is right here, the Holy One Among Us, waiting for us to turn back to him; to run to him for his compassion and kindness, his grace, his mercy and his love. God can always make beauty out of ashes, if we repent and declare Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we stop our disobedience and instead turn and do God’s will.

I believe that illness and disease and even birth defects are caused by our disregard for the sanctity of the life of our earth and of all God’s creation, humans and all creatures. We’ve polluted our air, our water, our land, our bodies and our minds; and even though we suffer the consequences of our sin, God continues to pursue us recreating his creation solely out of His love for it.

God’s love triumphs even in the times when we encounter suffering that seems utterly devoid of meaning. Phillip Yancey in his book, “Where Is God when it Hurts? (pages 204-206), writes this about discovering the Holy One Among Us.

“I think of a man with Alzheimer’s disease; the daughter tries to tend to his needs, but every day her heart is broken by the sad shell of what used to be her father. Or I think of a severely disabled child with an IQ in the 30 - 40 range. The child may live a long life lying motionless in a crib, unable to talk, unable to comprehend, soaking up hours of expensive professional care.”

“What is the point of their lives? Do their lives have any meaning?” asked Dr. Jurgen Trogisch, a pediatrician who works among the severely mentally handicapped.

For many years Dr. Trogisch could not answer the question of meaning. Then he ran an introductory course to train new helpers, and at the end of the one year training period, he asked the young helpers to fill out a survey. Among the questions was this one. “What changes have taken place in your life since you became totally involved with disabled people?”

Some of their answers are:

·        For the first time in my life I feel I am doing something really significant.

·        I feel I can now do things I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of before.

·        During my time here I have won the affection of Sabine (a disabled girl). Having had the opportunity to involve myself with a disabled person, I no longer think of her as disabled at all.

·        I am more responsive now to human suffering and it arouses in me the desire to help.

·        It’s made me question what is really important in life.

·        I’ve become more tolerant. My own little problems don’t seem so important any

longer, and I’ve learned to accept myself with all my inadequacies. Above all I’ve learned to appreciate the little pleasures of life.

As Dr. Trogisch read over these and other responses, he realized with a start the answer to his question. The meaning of the suffering of those children was being worked out in the lives of others, his helpers, who were learning lessons that no sophisticated educational system could teach. *

In the midst of what seemed like needless suffering, The Holy One Among Us is moving and touching lives, and helping others to grow more compassionate, more loving, more like Jesus Christ.

This God Almighty who pursued the people of Israel, forgiving them and loving them unconditionally, even when they failed again and again; is the same God Almighty who pursues us, forgiving us and loving us, even when we fail again and again. There is no end to his mercy, grace and love; and he expects us, to show that same mercy, grace and love to others. God expects us to display the characteristics of the Holy One Among Us in the way we live our lives.

In God’s pursuit of us, never giving up on us, showing us his love; God became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. In our reading from Colossians today we read the words of Paul, who at one time was called Saul and lived his life persecuting followers of Jesus. However, when he encountered the Holy One Among Us on the road to Damascus, Saul’s life was turned inside out and he became Paul, who spread the love of God through his witness of Jesus Christ.

The Holy One moved Saul the persecutor to Paul the evangelist. Paul writes to this early Christian church in Colosse, offering them and us a way to live our lives allowing the Holy One Among Us to guide our every word and deed. Paul tells us this in this 3^rd chapter of Colossians.

1) Imitate Christ’s compassionate, forgiving attitude (3:12-13)

2) Let love guide your life (3:14)

3) Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (3:15)

4) Always be thankful (3:15)

5) Keep God’s Word in you at all times (3:16)

6) Live as Jesus Christ’s representative (3:17) *

Can you find these points of advice in the scripture passage?

“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (verses 12- 17)

Our lives must be lived as new creations in Jesus Christ, because we are God’s chosen ones.  “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,” (Col. 12a)  Holy and dearly loved; what a vision that is. The idea of being divinely chosen, by God - to be recreated – to receive new life- is the gracious action of the divine. God initiates this grace. All you and I have to do is receive it. The imagery of putting on the new life in Christ, which is found in verses 9 and 10 of this passage, is one that Paul uses to describe the new way of thinking, and a new way of living, that those who have accepted the gospel will experience. It is our response to the message of the gospel; it is our spiritual transformation that marks us in our new identity as God’s chosen ones.

There is a great testimony of what the presence of The Holy One Among Us looks like in the transformation of lives in the Upper Room Devotional for Friday August 6.

It is written by Jeff Matthews from Indiana who has been in prison since 1990 and who has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. This is what he writes:

“One principal I have lived by throughout the duration of my incarceration is to always walk in love. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to practice this principal when an inmate started to hassle me about my faith. His derogatory remarks about Christians continued for months. With each encounter, I responded in love, rejoiced in my persecutions and prayed for him. One day during another encounter with this inmate, I calmly interrupted him while he was speaking. I felt there was something he needed to know.” “My friend,” I said, “nothing you ever say to me or do to me will stop me from loving you.” He stood speechless as I walked away.

A few days later he saw me in the hallway. “Jeff, I haven’t slept since you told me you loved me the other day.  That’s exactly what Jesus would have told me. You’re a real Christian. Please forgive me for the way I’ve treated you.”

Jeff writes that he stood there speechless. Since that moment the other inmate has never spoken another unkind word to Jeff. ***

For I Am God, and not man---The Holy One Among You. (v.9)

The Holy One Among Us, moves in our lives, pursuing us with compassion, kindness, grace and mercy. The Holy One, the presence of the Almighty God moves among us changing hearts and changing lives.  The vision of this Holy One is one of compassion, kindness, caring and love, a vision of strength and a vision of a safe place.

          Have you experienced the presence of the Holy One in your life? If you have, should you lift in prayer someone who does not know this Holy One who chooses to pursue us even when we turn away?

          My prayer this day is that each one of us would come to know this Holy One Among Us, who loves us and pursues us and transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ for the transformation of His creation. May God bless you with His Holy Presence. Amen

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

August 8, 2010

Sources: * Grace Notes, Philip Yancey, page 231

**Footnotes from Colossians 3:12-17, Life Application Study Bible, NIV

                                                                 ***Upper Room, July-August 2010, page 47

August 1, 2010

GRACE, LOVE & MERCY = FORGIVENESS

Psalm 32:1-5 & Matthew 6:9-15

The message of last Sunday from the Book of Luke chapter 11 was about the Lord’s Prayer, and was centered toward our need for prayer.

Today’s message is from the book of Matthew and also is the Lord’s Prayer.   We do need to pray not only for others, but also for ourselves.  One thing we can pray for is forgiveness, for those of us who have fallen into Satan’s trap and sinned once again.  We must pray for forgiveness and that those who have sinned against us would also be forgiven.

I would like to read to you from an Upper Room devotional this story.

  An open-air preacher in Australia is beginning his message with these words, “I would like to tell you of some mistakes in the bible.”  A member of the church then exclaims “Good on ya, preacher! I always knew there were mistakes in the Bible.” 

“Yes,” said the preacher, “there’s the mistake of Adam, the mistake of Cain, the mistake of the rich young ruler.  There are so many mistakes recorded in the Bible that you’ll find your mistakes there too!”  

The Bible unveils the truth that God doesn’t turn a blind eye to our sin.  The cross of Christ testifies to the price God paid to forgive us before and after we became believers.

The writer is also Australian.  Just a Christian like all of us gathered here.  The prayer focus for that day was:  SOMEONE I HAVE OFFENDED. One thing about the above mistakes in the Bible is the fact that when you read them, you will find the forgiveness of God when they repented.  Oh, you don’t believe that the Lord forgave Cain?  He did not put him to death, or send him to Hell.  God did banish him from his home and family.  He became a restless wanderer on earth.  Although he was punished I believe he also was forgiven.

There are many other mistakes as the preacher said.  Here are some of the other mistakes:

          Moses: 

His crime was murder of an Egyptian soldier, who was beating a Hebrew slave.  When Moses found out that all the Hebrews knew of this murder and that Pharaoh would probably find out about it soon, he quickly escaped to Midian where he became a shepherd, married and had a family. 

Moses became an instrument of the Lord, along with his brother, Aaron, as they lead the Israelites out of Egypt, where they wandered for the next forty years.  The Lord told Moses that he would not get into the Promised Land because of his sin.

Moses most likely, had more sins than those written in the Bible. The hitting of the rock to bring forth water from it lead to his downfall.  His sin was attributing the glory to himself and Aaron for bringing the water out from the rock and not giving the glory to God. 

Moses did not get to see the Promised Land. When he died he was buried in the Land of Moab.  We know he was forgiven for his sin, because of the New Testament account of the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter, James and John were there with him.  They looked and saw two others standing there with Jesus.  One of them was Moses.  I believe that is enough to prove his sins had been forgiven and he had gone to Heaven.

          David:

David was a shepherd boy who gained recognition in the Bible by slaying Goliath, the giant.  He was anointed by Samuel to become king when Saul fell out of favor. 

David’s sin; an adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his soldiers, whom he ended up taking for his wife. 

His next sin was the murder of her husband, Uriah.  Though he did not actually kill Uriah, David gave the order for his men to fall back and let the soldiers of the enemy kill him. 

God then sent the prophet Nathan to David with a story of a rich man and a poor man.  When David said that this man should be put to death Nathan said to him, “You are that man.”  God told David “I have given you everything and if you would have asked would have given even more.”

If you read Psalm 51you will find where David repents of his sins and asks God to forgive him.

Let’s look into the New Testament and see who might have been a sinner in need of forgiveness.

Simon, whom Jesus called Peter, comes to mind and so does Saul, who will later become known as Paul.

Did Peter have more sins than the one we will hear about; most assuredly, he was after all human.  His sin was the denial that he knew or was a follower of Jesus.  Peter according to biblical accounts was somewhat of a hothead with a short temper as shown in various passages.  How do we know that Jesus forgave him?  Just look at John chapter 20 where Peter is reinstated by Jesus.  Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him and to feed the sheep.  By the third time being asked, Peter was hurt by the continuous question, “Peter, do you love me?”  Is there any reason why Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him?  Maybe not; though maybe it had something to do with Peter’s denial of Jesus three times; or not.

Now on to Saul who also had his name changed by Jesus to Paul.

          In the eighth chapter of Acts we find Saul at the stoning of the disciple Stephen, where he was standing, watching and giving his approval.

Saul was still breathing out murderous threats toward the Lord’s disciples.  We find him on the road to Damascus, with a handful of warrants signed by the chief priest to bring in the followers of the Way.  As Saul is walking along he is suddenly blinded by the light from heaven.  He was blinded for three days and after receiving his sight back, he also became an instrument of the Lord.  Jesus sent him out to minister to the Gentiles and not to the Jews.  The point here is that even as bad as Saul, now known as Paul, thought he was, he was forgiven for his persecution of not only the followers of Christ, but also Christ himself.

By now you may be thinking; look he has saved the best for last.  Or maybe, he has saved the worst for last.  The answer to that is: NO.  We are neither the worst nor the best.  The book of Romans, chapter three, verse 23 said, we have all sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God.  There is no mention of the best or the worst of sinners, in that verse.  We are not comparing apples to oranges, or the best to worst.  The verse reads; for all have sinned.  So we are not the best or worst, we are the all.  Paul did consider himself to be the worst of sinners and not worthy of the Saving Grace of Jesus.  Boy was he right with that statement about being worthy.  None of us are worthy, but by the Grace, Love and Mercy of Jesus we can be forgiven.  Halleluiah!  You know that grace, love and mercy are gifts that are given freely to all.  Forgiveness on the other hand we need to ask for, not only for us but those we need to forgive.  Remember none of us are either too bad or too good to receive forgiveness.   

And how do we receive this forgiveness you ask, simply ask for it, through prayer.  Let’s look again at the Gospel lesson for today.  Matthew chapter 6 verse 12 of the Lord’s Prayer – Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  In verses 14 and 15 are these words, For if you forgive men their debts/trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But, if you do not forgive men their debts/trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your debts/trespasses.  An easier way to say debts and trespasses, try the word sin.

All those names mentioned in the message are but a small number of the sinners stories in the Bible. 

The Internet according to Wikipedia lists forgiven, forgiveness and other words pertaining to them about 107 times.  That does not even count grace, love or mercy.  No we are not going to go through all of them today. 

I can and will tell you exactly where to find them.  You already know the answer, don’t you?  Instruction on forgiveness and everything else you need is right in front of you.  No, not the red book, it’s the blue book known as the Bible.  Since you cannot find or read them all here today, you can do so in your own homes. 

What’s that?  You don’t have a Bible at home.  No problem.  There is a lady who has rejoined us today, from a far away land, and would love to give you a Bible of your own.  Not only will she give it to you, another gift she will give freely, a prayer for you, as she also loves to pray.  If you don’t know her, introduce yourself after the service.  Her name is Pastor Rosemary.

All of our Praise and Worship music today deals with the Grace, Love, Mercy and Forgiveness of Jesus to all both here and outside the doors of this church. Without the Amazing Grace, Amazing Love, and the Mercy of God there would be no Sweet Forgiveness found in Jesus.  Freely, freely we have received is our closing hymn today.  Freely, freely we have received, freely, freely give. Give your forgiveness to others and receive all the gifts that God has in store for you.

Do you remember when Peter asked Jesus how many times should he forgive his brother?  To the Jews of that time the answer was three.  Peter, however; doubled and added one.  Shall I then forgive him seven times.  The answer from Jesus was, 70 times seven, some interpretations say 77.  But lets look at Hebrews chapter 8 verse 12.  The word of God says “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember there sins no more.  Never being a genius of any kind, and definitely not a whiz at math I don’t think we can get to either 490 or 77.  So if God never remembers our past sins, we also need to forget the sins against us. 

I hesitate to add this next statement to the message.  According to the Bible and spoken by Jesus there is one unpardonable sin.  This happened when Jesus was healing a deaf and dumb man who was also demon possessed.  The religious leaders there said that the driving out of demons was the power of Satan.  It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus drove out the demons.  Christ refuted their statement and in Matthew 12; 32 said, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.” 

In everything previously heard by me is that the Bible and every word in it is the truth.  Some Bible scholars, however; say that is not the case in today’s world.  They feel that in order to blaspheme the Holy Spirit you had to be face to face physically with Jesus, and seeing as to how we are not, we can no longer commit this sin.  Are these scholars changing the rules?  I have no idea.  As we do have a redeeming God what is the answer to this question?  I read one Pastor’s reason and talked to two others.  This will be left up to you to meditate and pray about.  Result, confused.

In a few minutes we will be welcomed to the “Table of Grace” to celebrate with our Lord and Savior.  When you come and kneel at the cross ask him to forgive not only the sins you have committed, but also those who have sinned against you. 

As you come to receive the body and blood of Christ, remember these ten words Jesus spoke as he hung there on that cross, his battered, bloody, bruised body near death; “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Ronald Singer, Layspeaker

August 1, 2010

July 18, 2010

The Hope of Glory Within

Psalm 52                   Colossians 1:15-27

Do you watch the evening news?  I don’t watch it often, especially in the summer.

 I try to read the paper and keep up with the headlines through the internet, but I don’t sit and watch the evening news very often. However, the other night I was in the kitchen preparing dinner and I happen to catch the NBC nightly news.

Brian Williams was giving what he considered to be breaking news, when he reported. “Scientists in England have answered the age old question, ‘Which came first the chicken or the egg? They have discovered that the chicken had to have come first, because the egg needs a certain protein that can only be found in the chicken itself.’ He went on to say.’ Nobody has yet come up with where the chicken came from in the first place.’

          Maybe he was being fictitious, I hope so, but we have news for Brian, don’t we? Listen to this not so breaking news. In fact this has been around for a very long time, but maybe Brian has not read it.

 ‘And God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”  So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth.” This all happened on the fifth day.’ (Genesis 1:20-23) 

          Why is it that we humans are so dense that even when God writes it down, we don’t believe it? I’m sure that the scientists will spend thousands of hours and millions more dollars to answer the question where the chicken came from, when God has already told them. And even when they do spend all that time and money, they won’t come up with what we know is the right answer

          Today in our scripture from Colossians we are given the answer to the question of : Who is Jesus the Christ. In the early Christian church in and in some minds today, we struggle with ‘was Jesus human or divine?’ He certainly had the features of a human being and yet he displayed the power of God. The early church was trying to figure him out. They were trying to fit Jesus Christ into their understanding of how life works. Just as the scientists and maybe Brian Williams are trying to fit the chicken into their obvious limited understanding of how God works.

          This scripture passage from Colossians is thought to be one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Christ found anywhere in the Bible. Here we find the Apostle Paul telling the church in Colosse and us, who Jesus Christ is.       The church was struggling with the evil they could see in men and on the earth, and their question was, ‘How could something Holy be found in a human body?”

          Let’s take a few minutes to look at who this person, we’ve named ourselves after as we call ourselves Christians, really is.  Who is this Christ we are told we must invite into our hearts and lives if we are to experience life to the fullest, now and eternally. Who is the person the Apostle Paul tell us is the Hope of Glory Within?

Jesus Christ is God

          John 1:1, “In the beginning the word already existed. He was with God, and he was God.”

          Jesus tells the religious leaders in John 10:30, “The Father and I are one.”

Jesus says in John 14:10, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own, but my Father, who lives in me and does his work through me.”

Jesus Christ reveals God to us

          John 1:18, “No one has seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the  Father’s heart; he has told us about him.”

          John 12:45, “For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.”

          John 14:9, “Jesus replied, “Phillip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!

Jesus Christ came from heaven, not the dust of the earth

          Luke 1:35, “The angel replied (to Mary), “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

          I Corinthians 15:47, “Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.”

Jesus Christ is completely holy

          Hebrews 7:26-28 “He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin.”

          1 Peter 1:19, “He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

          1 John 3:5, “And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him.”

Jesus Christ is Lord of all and He has the authority to judge the world

          Revelation 1:5b, “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world.”

          Revelation 17:14, “Together they will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord over all lords and King over all kings.--”

Romans 2:16, “The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone’s secret life.”

          2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.      

Jesus Christ was the first to rise from the dead

          1 Corinthians 15:20, “But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.”

          1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.”

------We have established here through God’s Word that Jesus Christ is God, and that He reveals God to us. We have heard that Jesus the Christ is from heaven, not made like you and I are made. We have established that Christ is Holy and Lord of all and that he will come to judge the earth. And we have heard and believe that Jesus Christ was the first to rise from the dead and all who believe will rise as well.

What does all this mean? What does it mean that Jesus Christ is all these things? And what does it mean when Paul writes in verse 27 “To them (those who believe) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (v. 27 NIV)  My Life Application Study Bible says it this way. “For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.” What does it mean as believers in Jesus to have this divine Christ within you and what does it mean that we will share in his glory?

--- How did your outdoor summer plants fare in that little thunder storm on Wednesday? There were some people, who when they heard the storm was coming,  went outside of their homes, and put their hanging baskets and maybe potted plants on the deck closer to the house or under some kind of protection. If you didn’t, your flowering plants may have received some damage from the high winds and heavy rain. A friend of mine said her outdoor flowering plants took quite a beating and she was hoping that we’d have a few days of bright sunshine, so that her plants could get some much needed nourishment from the sun, to help them recover from the storm. 

We are not unlike those plants which have become battered and beaten. You and I struggle everyday with the things of this life which beat us down and at times threaten to destroy our faith and our hope in who Christ is and what His presence in our life means.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, wants to live within us. Jesus Christ the Holy One wants to nourish our souls with his presence now, that our lives may gain from God; joy, strength and peace. Just as the battered plants need the sun to heal and thrive; we also need the Son of God to live full and joyful lives.

But even more than this presence within us now, God promises, if we believe, that we will stand in his presence one day and share in the Glory of Jesus Christ.

Eugene Peterson, in The Message, his interpretation of Bible, writes this passage       this way:

“We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment ---He was supreme in the beginning and –leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. –Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.----

You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! The mystery in a nutshell is just this. Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message.(Colossians 1:15-28, my emphasis)

          Does Christ, who is divine, live in us? Only you and God know the answer to that very personal question. I will tell you though, that if Christ does live in you, you know the Hope of Glory Within. And if this divine Son of God is alive in our heart, the world will know it as well. The world will know it in the way we treat others. The world will know it by the way we handle the storms of life. The world will know if Christ truly lives in us by the way we speak of Him and by the way our life exemplifies the life of Christ in how to love God and how to love our neighbor. The world knows if our hearts truly belong to the Son of God, who is truly human and truly divine.

          Do you know the Hope of Glory Within? If you haven’t given your heart and life to Jesus Christ, maybe today is the day.

          ‘Lord, we thank you that you came to earth and that you are fully divine and fully human. We are sorry that our lives don’t display your glory within us. This day, I pray, that you will forgive when I turn away; and that you, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God will come and be to me, the Hope of Glory Within.’ Amen            

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

July 18, 2010

July 11, 2010

To Do Christianity

Psalm 82:1-8

Luke 10:25-37

Children are wonderful, aren’t they? Joe and I were privileged to have 5 of our 7 grandchildren enjoy the Lake Superior beach with us this past Monday. They are healthy and happy kids. They swam and played on the beach. We fed them and laughed with them and just enjoyed the blessing of family. We enjoyed them so much, we haven’t cleaned Matthew’s fingerprints off the widows of the beach cottage. Our cottage is set up so that you can come in one door, go through the kitchen, living and sunroom area and out the other. Matthew is a typical 22 month old boy and he went round and round and round. What fun!

You’ve probably figured out by now that one of my passions in ministry is children. If you and I, as ones claiming Jesus Christ as our Savior, can teach the children about God’s love and grace, and help the young ones come into the Kingdom of God, then we are doing part of what God calls us to do. The other part of what we are called to do, however, not only in our neighborhood, but also around the world: is to help provide the necessities of food, shelter and healthy living conditions for children and families.

------If you had seen the place the day before you would have thought there was no way it could be made ready for the celebration. Piles of trash lined the street, some had been percolating for weeks. The road was nearly impassable with deep holes, many of which held water hubcap deep. Trash had been tossed into the crevices as fill. But work crews set about cleaning up the place. And a government official sent a road grader. By the next day: the road was leveled and odoriferous mounds of garbage were gone. The place was transformed.

But that alone wasn’t what led me to think about God’s kingdom. When Yvonne Chaka Chaka called from the stage during the celebration for the children to come forward, hundreds rushed into an open space, dancing and clapping to her music. It was a rush of energy and chattering, smiling faces.

They are why we were there. It is the children and their mothers who are dying of malaria and other diseases of poverty: in this forgotten community that had never before known about prevention and had never received bednets.

For the first time, community health workers were explaining to them how to prevent malaria by keeping the area free of trash and standing water, and to sleep under the bednets and maintain them in good condition. By their actions, they were affirming that the people in this community matter. They were demonstrating a change in both attitude and behavior.

As the dust rose upward in this transformed place, it occurred to me that at least on this day, the kingdom of God was ushered in by the dancing feet of little children.

Wherever we are, when we move toward life and affirm its sacredness, there is God’s kingdom. *

If you’ve read the July/August issue of Interpreter Magazine, which is a publication of the United Methodist church, you’ve read this article. To me this describes being the Good Samaritan. To me this is Doing Christianity.

Notice how Reverend Hollon describes the city of Lumbumbushi in the Democratic Republic of Congo: the forgotten community.  He and other members of the faith community were there to kick off a multi-faith observance of World Malaria Day.  Rev. Hollon states in this article that “the kingdom of God is about attitude and behavior. It happens when we hold an attitude of servanthood and when we care for each other.”

How does Rev. Hollon, and how do each of us know that this is what the kingdom of God should look like? We know this because Jesus tells us so. There isn’t any clearer parable  that explains what God expects his kingdom to look like than the parable of the Good Samaritan, which we read today.

It’s a parable we tend to take for granted, because it is so familiar, but hear again the words of Rev. Hollon. “Wherever we are, when we move toward life and affirm its sacredness, there is God’s kingdom.” 

 Life is sacred

No one’s life is more sacred than another.  Neither my life nor yours is more sacred than a child in the African Congo in danger of dying from Malaria, or the widow down the street in danger of dying from loneliness.

We sometimes think we are more important, don’t we? We sometimes just don’t want to get our hands dirty, or interrupt our comfortable life.  We call ourselves Christians, but do we Do Christianity? 

In the story of the Good Samaritan we tend to think there are three main characters. In fact Jesus, after telling the story, asks the man who had posed the question about who his neighbor was, “Now which one of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” (v. 36)  Jesus is trying to teach this expert in the Jewish law how he should ‘love God and love his neighbor.’ We think of the three characters in the story as: the priest, the Levite or keeper of the temple, and the Samaritan.

How did the victim feel?

          “They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” (v.30b)  Today I’d like to begin the teaching with asking you:  How do you think the man who was beaten and left to die on the side of the road felt?  Where does he fit into the story, other than just being the victim who tests who the real lover of God and neighbor is? What do you think was going through his mind, as he watched, through his swollen eyes and his pain, the Jewish priest pass by, and the Levite, who was a Jewish temple assistant, pass by as well? They not only pretended to ignore the beaten Jewish man, they crossed to the other side of the road.

The suffering man would know that they both had seen him, because they had deliberately turned away. What do you think was going through the victim’s mind as he realized that the only one willing to get his hands dirty to help him, was a man whom he probably had treated unfairly in the past.

The Jews did not think the Samaritans were of sacred worth. In fact there was history of despising the Samaritans. The Jews saw themselves as pure descendents of Abraham, while the Samaritans were a mixed race produced when Jews from the northern kingdom intermarried with people of other races

 Certainly this Samaritan wouldn’t help him, if the people he thought he could count on passed him by. Here’s a thought. Do you think the Jewish man who was lying in the ditch believed up until to this moment that the Samaritan was his neighbor to love as himself?

We all have had times in our life when we have suffered: beaten down by illness, betrayal, depression, or loneliness; and people you thought you could count on have ‘passed by on the other side of the road.’ When it happens to us it hurts and scars our heart. I used to tell my children when they would cry because one of their friends had betrayed them in some way; “Remember what it feels like to be hurt with words or actions: and don’t ever make anyone else hurt the way you are hurting right now.” 

We’ve all been victims.

Each of us has been hurt by others. Our human flesh reaction is to strike back. Our Jesus’ reaction is to remember to not treat anyone else in a hurtful way.  

Last week I spoke of the need for us to ‘catch the kingdom of God’ before we can spread it to others. I encouraged you to know intimately the love of Jesus Christ so that you would believe in what you were selling, that your life would become a witness: helping others to know the forgiveness, the healing, the grace and the joy of a life filled with Jesus Christ.

This week I encourage you to soften your heart, remembering those times when your heart has been bruised by others; not dwelling on the hurt you felt, but just remembering to keep your heart soft because you know what it feels like to be hurt and to be in need. When our hearts are soft and open to Christ’s healing, forgiveness and love, it is much easier to love and treat our neighbors as though their lives were sacred in God’s eyes.

Do you think that maybe the Samaritan had been hurt by others and he was remembering what it felt like? Maybe that was the reason he got his hands dirty and gave of what he had to help another human being. He gave up a lot, didn’t he?

We need to give as the Good Samaritan did.

He gave up his money. The Good Samaritan gave 2 denarii, roughly the equivalent of a month’s food and lodging costs, for the care of the wounded man at the outset. But he essentially handed the innkeeper a blank check when he told him he would not hesitate to pay any additional debts the injured man incurred.

He gave up his time. There are fewer than 24 hours in a day, these days, aren’t there? There must be, because we seem to run out of time with all the things in this world that we’re involved in. We don’t have time to take one day to rest and to worship our Creator. We don’t have time to study God’s Word . We don’t have time to spend in prayer. We don’t have time to just sit with a friend or a stranger in need. We are busy, busy, busy.   

      We, all of us, need to stop and evaluate the value of our time. We do not know where the Samaritan was going or what his time schedule was, but he obviously set it all aside in order to deal completely with the needs of the injured stranger. He also makes a future commitment to spend more time when he tells the innkeeper he will be coming back.

He also gave up his lifestyle. The Samaritan was obviously a man of some means for he was traveling with ample supplies of oil and wine, and he was even riding on his own beast of burden. This genteel method of travel he immediately gives up in order to accommodate the stranger. His provisions are lavished on this man and he gives up the back of his animal so that the injured man may ride. We do not know whether the two denarii the Samaritan leaves with the innkeeper is all he had, but its loss surely affected his own living. 

God blesses those whose life blesses Him.

When we Do Christianity: when we give of our money, our time, and our lifestyle and schedule, and share what we’ve been given with others, God will bless us even more. As our lives become more and more giving, God will give us more. We cannot out give God. He created loving and giving and we are created in image. Shouldn’t we be emulating God’s loving and giving in our lives?

In closing today, I’ll share a story about loving and giving and how God blesses those who Do Christianity. Just because we call ourselves Christians, does not mean that we Do Christianity. Only God and each of us knows how we Do Christianity.

----------Two monks are walking back to their monastery in the freezing cold of winter. As they cross a bridge, the two men hear a man calling for help in the ravine below. They want to stop, but know they must reach the monastery before sunset or they will freeze to death.

The first monk chooses to risk the danger of the cold in order to help another to safety. He climbs down into the ravine and gathers the wounded man into his arms, and slowly makes his way back to the monastery.

The second monk has already gone on ahead, determined to get back before sunset, so he will be safe and warm. Night comes, and with it, the bitter cold temperatures.

As the first monk nears the monastery, he stumbles over something in the middle of the road. To his sorrow, it is the body of his brother who had gone on alone and had frozen to death. In seeking to save his life, he had lost it.

But the compassionate monk, willing to lose his life, was kept warm by the heat exchanged from carrying the stranger in need.

Just as Rev. Hollond was blessed with serving that lost community in the Congo. And just as the Good Samaritan story was used by Jesus as an example of loving God and loving neighbor, our lives must be Doing Christianity.

No one was more hurt, physically and emotionally by other people than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And yet He was willing to give up everything he had to become incarnate and walk among us, to teach us how to love God and to love our neighbor.

Jesus remembers what it is like to be hurt: and out of that remembering comes a love and grace that cannot be matched by anything you and I have to offer. But we can try. In fact Jesus expects us to try.

We must try to emulate our Savior. As Christians who carry his name, we must live each day, Doing Christianity.

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

July 11, 2010

*The Rev. Larry Hollon, general secretary United Methodist Communications, Nashvill, Tenn. And publisher, Interpreter magazine. Page 26 of Interpreter July & August 2010

July 4, 2010

Viral Church

Psalm 30:1-5

Luke 10:1-2, 16-20

What fun we had! We slept on bunk beds. We ate the greatest food.  I liked the pizza the best. Joe liked the mashed potatoes and gravy with baked chicken. My favorite time was around the campfire. Sidney liked the songs at chapel, especially Awesome God.  Horizontal hour was John’s best time: “We got to just talk quietly and sleep if we were tired.” Sierra’s favorite time was our hike to Mount Baldy, you can see all over Lake Michigamme. Did you know it was named Mount baldy because it looks like a bald eagle? Are you coming back next year? Yeah, I can’t wait! And I’m going to bring my friend Chelsea and maybe Ann will come too. I can’t wait to tell them about it. Camp Michigamme is the greatest!

This is the way it works. You find something that has made an impact on your life and you can’t wait to tell someone else. Your enthusiasm is catchy. Evan tells Bob about Camp Michigamme and next year Evan and Bob both come to camp.  This is called viral marketing. The satisfied customer brings in more customers. We adults can tell kids what a great place Camp Michigamme is, but it’s the kids who really sell it.  If their camp experience has made an impact on their lives, they can’t wait to tell their friends.

Do you remember that shampoo commercial where the woman with beautiful hair tells you you’ll be so excited about this particular product that “you’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on and so on.” With each level of word of mouth, the screen splits from one to two to four to 16 models selling shampoo.  This is viral marketing.

This viral marketing approach gets its name from actual viruses in nature. These microorganisms can live and multiply only by invading other living cells. A virus then reproduces and spreads to others; and so on and so on.  We usually try to avoid viruses, because they make us sick, but think about the concept. We get the sickness causing viruses from someone who has it. Viral marketing is used by many companies today as a way of spreading what they have to offer.

Look at the whole concept of Facebook.  You can only use Facebook if you sign up an account. Its popularity has grown because its users tell their friends, and they begin using it and those friends tell their friends and so on. More and more people join in the fun of Facebook, and it has grown exponentially. It’s a viral network, connecting everybody to everybody else, simply by word of mouth, and word of type.

Viral Networking works.

This is not a new idea. In today’s scripture, Jesus is using viral networking to spread the good news of the kingdom. Verse 1of Luke 10 tells us, “--- the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” These seventy others, were not just any people, they were people whose life had been impacted by Jesus. They had “caught,” the Kingdom of God and now they were going out to spread it to others.  These seventy followers of Jesus were the beginning Facebook accounts, which because of face to face and mouth to ear, would become approximately 2 billion Christians in our world today.  They would invite others to experience Jesus, just as they have experienced Him.

Christianity is meant to be grown this way. Jesus has made an impact on the lives of his followers. He has them convinced that He is the Son of the Most High God. They’ve listened to his teachings. They’ve witnessed his miracles. Their ears and eyes have been opened and their hearts have been changed. They have told their close friends about this Messiah, the Savior. Their friends have joined the group and their lives have been changed. As the group grows larger Jesus begins to use them. He knows that they are ready and willing to share what they have found, with others.

 One thing to note is that before Jesus sends them out he tells them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (v.2) In other words, pray first. Before you go, ask God to go with you: to give you the words, to send others to help you, to make hearts receptive to what you have to say. Pray first. ‘Now that you know me and thus you know my Father in Heaven, pray for His help to inspire and enable you to spread the Good News of God’s love.’ (my emphasis)

First we have to believe in what we are selling.

          If Jesus has not impacted our life, if we do not believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then our words are hollow, our lives will not be an example of what we say we believe. If the 70 disciples did not have the power of God within them, they would not have sold the idea of the Son of God to anybody. But look what happens. “The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” (v. 17)

          I think they were surprised the effect that the power of God had on people’s lives and what’s more, they were surprised that they had been given that power.  

          Do you know that you have that same power? Do you know that once you have given your heart and life to Jesus: and you live your life loving God first and then your neighbor, that you have the power to change lives?

It’s true. This is our responsibility and our privilege to share with others the Good News of God’s love through Jesus Christ. When a person gives his or her life to Jesus Christ, and they become forgiven and healed; it is not only that they want to tell others what they’ve found; they find themselves needing to tell others. Thus the viral church grows, penetrating the darkness with the Light of Christ, defeating evil with God’s power of love.

We grow the kingdom of God through our witness

There is a summer camp called Camp New Day, which began here in the U.P. It is a camp for the children of prisoners. It began as the mission of a prison guard who having been a maximum security prison guard for 20 years, began seeing the children of prisoners he had guarded. These children were now entering the prison as prisoners. Statistics show that 70% of the children of prison inmates will make poor choices and end up in prison also. The Camp New Day Program seeks to bring the Light of Jesus Christ into these children’s lives; to give them a chance.

The volunteers for this program seek to spread the love of God, which has filled them and changed their lives. Our story this morning finds counselors for this Camp New Day around the camp fire at Camp Michigamme. The children are sleeping and the counselors are taking a much needed break.

 One of the counselors was a student from Africa who was here on a student visa. He shared his story.

The student’s father had been involved in drug trafficking, using and selling drugs. He practiced the Muslim religion. One day a follower of Christ came to him and told this man about Jesus and testified to what Jesus had done in his life. The father caught the Light of Christ and gave his heart and life to Jesus, giving up drugs and crime. He not only gave up his evil way of life, he answered the call to ministry. This African student was proud of his dad. His dad had become his role model and the student was considering the call into Christian ministry.

The student shared with the other counselors that his father was being made Bishop in his Christian Church back home in Africa. The young man wished he could attend the ceremony, but he did not have the money to go.  The father was proud of his son for going to college in America and wasn’t pressuring him in any way to be at the ceremony.

One of the counselors around the campfire that evening had a daughter who worked for Northwest Airlines. The next day he called his daughter to ask how much a round trip ticket would cost on such short notice.  The ceremony was the following week. His daughter told him the ticket would be around $4,000.  But, she said there was someone her father could call higher up than her and she gave him the number. Chuck, the counselor called the airline official, told the young man’s story and the airline official said he could get the round trip ticket for $1,500. The catch was that the student would have to travel from Camp Michigamme to the Green Bay airport to catch the plane first thing the next morning.

Chuck called the federal building to see if the young man could get a temporary visa to leave. He was told,” yes, a 7 day visa could be given.” That afternoon, the adults told the student, “Pack your bags, you’re going to see your father become a bishop. Bill will drive you to Green Bay to catch the plane to Africa.”

The adult Christian counselors not only paid for the young African student’s ticket, one drove through the night to get him to the airport on time to catch his plane. The young man called his sister in Africa to pick him up at the airport. His sister couldn’t believe that three American’s who had just met her brother would pay the $1,500 for him to make the trip. His father was overwhelmed when he stopped to pick up his daughter for the ceremony and his son answered the door.

The love of Christ had penetrated this Bishop’s life and changed it. Good things continued to happen in his life, even so far as three American Christians giving of themselves to make sure that this Bishop’s family was together to celebrate his ministry.

As a result of this act of Christian love, more people were brought into the kingdom of God. This is how it works: The Viral church continues to grow. As Jesus Christ penetrates our hearts and lives, we change; and as we change we testify about God’s kingdom of love.  Others are then infused by the love of Christ and they testify and the Kingdom of God grows.

The question today is this. Has your heart and life been infused by the love Jesus Christ? Have you caught the Kingdom of God?

The question then becomes: If you have caught it, who are you going to pass it on to?

This world is hurting. We need to be a Viral Church helping others to catch the Kingdom of God: helping others to know the forgiveness, the healing, the grace and the joy of a life filled with Jesus Christ.

Rev. Rosemary DeHut

July 4, 2010

 June 27, 2010

Bless the Lord Twice as Much

By

Annastasia Van Kleek

 1      Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy   name.

 2      Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

 3      Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

 4      Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with       lovingkindness and tender mercies;

 5      Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is   renewed like the eagle's.

Good Morning My Beloved family that was Psalm 103:1-5

I just love the Psalms - they give me encouragement and

The words I want to focus on in this Psalm - are:

Bless the Lord..O My Soul... 

Notice ..... How it says Bless the Lord - O my soul -

not just once (1) but  twice (2)  and it doesn't just say -

Bless the Lord O my soul but it also says - and all that is within me.

That to me sounds like a statement of outstanding joy and leads me to believe that we are to bless the Lord twice as much and with great enthusiasm.

Here's  a thought...

 Are we to focus on Blessing the Lord.. twice as much with great enthusiasm rather than focusing on all his benefits.....

It did say it twice and both times it was at the beginning of the verse...So I thought to myself .....Hmm....." What does it mean to bless God?"

 "How do we bless the Lord" and while I was meditating on that and searching the web, I came across an article on desireingGod.org  

and it made sense to me.  It said:

 When God "blesses" us - we are healed, we are helped and strengthened and made better off than they were before,

So of course we want the blessings of God - Who doesn't want their sins forgiven, or their sickness healed, or the one who's life is in chaos and headed for destruction or  - the one facing the death of a loved one. Who then doesn't focus on or want the blessings of the Lord especially in difficult circumstances?

But keep in mind, my beloved family, what Psalm 103 says
It tells us to bless the Lord first (1st) 

AND  it says it twice (2).

So as I continued reading the article it went on to say,

when we "bless" God - it is different. It is an expression of

praise and thankfulness. It is an exclamation of gratitude and admiration to God - for who he is. He is the fullness of all blessing from the beginning to the end.

So, let me get this straight,

when God "blesses" us - we are healed, we are helped and strengthened and made better off than they were before. But to bless God means to recognize his greatness and richness, his strength and gracious bounty and to express our gratitude and delight in seeing it and being apart of it. It is an exclamation of our praise and thankfulness.

I believe, my beloved family, if we keep our focus on blessing God, his blessings will manifest themselves in our lives.

Matthew 6:33 does say to seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you:

that includes wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

So - I started searching because I never take anything at face value except Gods Word. And it tells us in:  1 Thessalonians 5:21 to prove all things and hold fast that which is good. As I continued on in my search

I found that there are many other scriptures that support

the article I had read.

LIKE:

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

AND

Psalm 145:10

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you!

I thought this one was so----- cool, JUST LISTEN to this:

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

And his marvelous works among all the peoples!

 That is Psalm 96:2-3. After reading that I realized blessing God also means to joyfully announce the good things of God - Even to the point of singing it out. You Know, that made sense to me because the Lord has given me so much through music, and my mind immediately thought of Mary's Song - in Luke Chapter 1 and I thought about Mary's life.

Just think about this, family

- Mary was a young Jewish girl

-the scholars say she somewhere around 14 

- betrothed to an older gentleman - Joseph

- she a virgin (had never known a man - sexually)

- a good Jewish girl by all accounts

she went to the synagogue did everything appropriately to the Jewish customs of Jewish laws and then... the angel of the Lord appears and gives her the news. It said she was troubled by the visit and she wonders what kind of greeting is this, and after hearing Gabriel’s news she questions him saying:

- How can this be I have never known a man

- and who am I to be so highly favored

but in verse 38 she shows that Mary had faith in the Lord

unto obedience for she said to Gabrielle:

I am the Lord's servant - May it be to me as you have said.

And it goes on to tell us that Mary & Elizabeth blessed the Lord

 - the 2 of them together.

Mary sang out and joyfully announced what we know as  Mary's Song -- Luke Chapter 1:

   "My soul glorifies the Lord

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

 for he has been mindful

      of the humble state of his servant.

   From now on all generations will call me blessed,

    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

      holy is his name.

 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

      from generation to generation.

 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

      but has lifted up the humble.

 He has filled the hungry with good things

      but has sent the rich away empty.

 He has helped his servant Israel,

      remembering to be merciful

 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

      even as he said to our fathers."

Awesome isn't it. What a beautiful blessing sung unto the Lord

As I continued to meditate - I thought of David, the king of Israel

and how he blessed the Lord. David loved the Lord and blessed him. It says in 2 Samuel he sang & danced and all the people played instruments. We know he blessed the Lord in songs- the Psalms are the proof. Seventy-three of the Psalms bear David's name.

David was known as a master musician throughout the Old Testament and many of the Psalms reflect events in his life. The scriptures I came across in I Chronicles chapter 29 are an awesome example of how David loved the Lord & blessed him. Just listen to what the word tells us - it says:

 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and he said,

Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel  - Our Father  - for ever and ever.

 You, O LORD are the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty:

        for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is yours;

Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and I exalt you as head

above all.

He goes on to say:

 Both riches and honor come of you, and you reign over all;

In your hand is power and might; and it is to make great,

 and to give strength unto all.

 Now therefore, our God, we thank you,

and praise your glorious name.

You are LORD - The God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel. The God of all. And then David said to all the congregation, all the people standing before him:

Now YOU bless the LORD your God.

And you know something - it says ALL the congregation did – in fact it says that all the congregation blessed the LORD God and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD.

As I pondered that it came back to me again what it said in that article of what it means to bless the Lord. Remember it said: To bless the Lord means to recognize his greatness, his richness, his strength, and his gracious bounty and to express our gratitude and delight in seeing it and being apart of it. It is an exclamation of our praise and thankfulness to him. As I sat there I thought of all I just read and one more scripture came across my mind, so of course I had to look it up:

Deuteronomy 8:10:

“You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” It reminded me of our gardens.

The Lord blessed Jim and me with the farm a few years ago.  Emil lived there for 24 years planting the gardens in the same spot every year - tending well to the land - every year he fertilized it and worked it, and  those who knew him well knew much of his gardens. Not just one but 2.

Jim and I planted our 1st garden together in the summer of 2003. It was tiny, but each year they have gotten bigger and when we moved over to the farm we were elated at the huge garden space, I know many of you have heard me talk of it. Last year when we planted the garden we didn't even have enough to fill it up. But it didn't surprise me when the Lord instructed Jim and me to bring the 1st fruits of our garden to the house of the Lord as an offering. Because he blessed our garden and multiplied it, it made Jim and me so happy to bring it here to our Father’s house, so that our entire family could share in its wonderful bounty and give God the Glory.

Jim and I thanked God everyday for the garden. We stood out in our yard laying our hands on the fence surrounding it and ask God to protect it from the animals and the weather and to multiply it in abundance so that it would bring him glory & feed many.. and when we had ripe watermelon in less than 90 days it astounded Jim because he kept telling me - they couldn't be ripe it was a cold summer and that he tried to grow watermelons downstate and it never produced anything ripe - but here is what I believe made the difference. We Blessed the Lord for the garden twice as much as we expected his blessing and at the same time we had faith that God would bring glory to him self through our garden since he had told us to bring the 1st fruits of it to his house. Think about that family. You know, there is a scripture in Proverbs that says:

"The blessings of the Lord maketh rich.”

And one in Psalm 34 that says

“We are to bless the LORD at all times: and that his praise shall continually be on our lips.”

So, Bless the Lord: My beloved family! Bless the Lord,

All ye servants of the Lord,

Bless the Lord twice as much as you expect his blessings

and praise the name of the Lord.

 and watch with expectancy Have faith in God.

And remember:

when God "blesses" us - we are healed & helped, strengthened & made better off than we were before,  but when we "bless" God - it is different. It is an expression of praise and thankfulness an exclamation of gratitude and admiration to him for who he is.

To bless God means to recognize his greatness, his richness, his strength, and his gracious bounty and to express our gratitude and delight in seeing it and being apart of it.

June 20, 2010

I Will Survive

Psalm 42:1-8        1Kings 19:1-15a

Father’s Day, a secular holiday, and yet one we recognize in the church as well. Bill Cosby, my favorite comedian tells this story illustrating the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. He insists that Mother’s Day is a much bigger deal because Mothers are more organized. Mothers say to their children: “Now here is a list of what I want. Go get the money from your father and you surprise me on Mother’s Day. You do that for me.”

          For Bill Cosby, Father’s Day was an entirely different story. This is what he writes. “For Father’s Day I give each of my five kids $20.00 so that they can go out and buy me a present---a total of $100.00. They go to the store and buy two packages of underwear, each of which costs $5.00 and contains three shorts. They tear them open and each kid wraps up one pair, the sixth pair of underwear going to the Salvation Army. Therefore, on Father’s Day I am walking around with new underwear and my kids are walking around with $90.00 worth of my money in their pockets!”

          Some of you here this morning may have similar stories.  While every man here may not have been a biological father: all of you have influenced children in your life. You may have influenced, a niece or a nephew, a neighbor or boy scout or some child you had the privilege to mentor. All of you have born some semblance to a father figure, whether you realize it or not. So, Happy Father’s Day to all of you men. Remember children are watching you, whether they live in your home, or down the street, or just see you act and react in public.

          I love this story of Elijah we read in 1 Kings this morning. You and I can learn from Elijah’s example in his story.  

Here’s the setting. Israel has been divided into two Kingdoms; the Northern Kingdom continuing to be called Israel and the Southern Kingdom called Judah. The king of Israel is Ahab and the queen is Jezebel. They were not very nice people and even less nice rulers.  King Ahab and Queen Jezebel worshipped not only Yahweh, but also other gods. They moved the centers of worship from Jerusalem to Dan and Bethel. They worshipped the baals (Baal was a prominent storm god and fertility god) and other gods and goddesses. Jezebel did her best to enhance such pagan worship and practices. She was responsible for the death of many of the Lord’s prophets. She also worshipped Asherah, a high mother-goddess worshiped by the Canaanites and by many Israelites as well.

          King Ahab considered the Lord’s prophet Elijah the ‘trouble maker”. Elijah, (whose name means “Yahweh is my God”), proposes to King Ahab that he assemble the Israelites, including the prophets of Baal and Asherah, to determine whether Baal or Yahweh was truly God in Israel. They have this great contest pitting Yahweh, the true God of the Israelites against Baal, the pagan god. I’m not going to tell you exactly how the contest went, but you can read it for yourself in 1Kings 18, the chapter preceding the one we read from this morning. If you want adventure, read your Bible!

          I’ll sum up the contest to see which god is greater, by saying that the 450 prophets, which King Ahab and Queen Jezebel supported, all died. Not a one of them got out of that contest alive!

Elijah, of course is on top of the world! He won! Not only does Elijah win the battle of the gods contest, he summons rain upon the land, which has been in a terrible draught for three years, and then he demonstrates the champion runner he is by running the six miles to the city of Jezreel,  faster than the horse drawn chariot King Ahab is riding in!   There isn’t a world cup soccer game that could rival what went on that day in Israel! You want sports, you want adventure; read your Bible!

          Elijah has just won what compares to the World Cup and he’s feeling mighty good. Have you ever had a day like that? Everything goes your way. God answers all your prayers they way you want them answered and you’re on top of the world. We all know it won’t last!

          Elijah soon experiences the fall from his mountain top experience. Jezebel hears the news of the demise of her 450 prophets and she vows that Elijah’s fate will be the same, within the next 24 hours. Elijah goes from being triumphant to being a target. Instead of confronting the queen with the help of God, who has just demonstrated some pretty serious firepower in the contest on the mountain, Elijah panics and flees for his life out into the desert (1 Kings 19:1-3), where fear and despair bring him to the point of wanting to die (v.4) 

Elijah goes into the wilderness, sits down under a solitary broom tree and asked that he might die. He says to God, “It is enough; now O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my ancestors.” (v.4) Elijah then lays down under the broom tree and falls asleep.

          Elijah’s first instinct is to run and hide and then to give up. But notice what happened. God didn’t let Elijah run and hide. God didn’t let Elijah give up. God loved Elijah and God care for his every need. God showed Elijah just how to survive and to live.

          God pursued Elijah and provided for his every need.  God continued to provide for Elijah as he traveled forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, where he became safe in a cave. God then appears to Elijah, not in the wind, not in an earthquake, not in fire, but in the sound of silence. There God instills in Elijah not only the will to survive, but the hope for life.

          God speaks to Elijah and God tells him what to do next. Elijah is to pick up his pity party and go out to serve God. Elijah will anoint a king and a prophet. Elijah has work to do for God. Once he stops running away and living in fear; once he really listens for God’s voice, he can then go for God and he can then do for God.  You and I can learn from Elijah. Because you and I will experience what Elijah experienced.

Your father has been ill, you have been worried, but now you think the worst is over. He’s had surgery and for the first time in months, the doctor is hopeful. Dad seems better today, if fact they are moving him from intensive care into a regular room. You take your mother home from the hospital, laughing and joking and feeling very good about your dad’s chance for recovery.  

          The phone rings. You look at the clock: 2:30 A.M. You hear your mother answer the phone and a chill runs through you as you hear her exclaim, “Oh No!” You run into her room, she looks up at you and says, “You dad has suffered a major heart attack and has died.”

          You’d like to run in the other direction, but instead you hug your mother and help her get dressed for the hospital. The next few days and weeks are busy and noisy and through it all you don’t really hear God’s voice, mostly because there is the din of family and friends.

          There comes a time in the early morning hours, while you sit and read scripture and pray that you do hear God’s voice again. God says to your heart. ‘Get up, find new life. Go and do for me.’

          Each of us has had or will have these moments. Moments when you feel as if you are dancing on the mountain top, like you’ve just scored the winning goal for the World Cup.

We’ve also had those moments when the phone call comes, and the valley of death calls out to us. We’re all only one phone call away from our knees.  Our reaction is the same as Elijah’s: We want to run and hide. ‘this can’t be happening, what can I do?’There are some things we can do.

Surrender, but don’t give up

          If you can’t change the situation, then surrender to it. Elijah couldn’t change the fact that he was being pursued by the evil Queen Jezebel. I couldn’t change the fact that my father had just died. We can’t change some of the happenings in our lives. Sometimes we have to give in to them; but that doesn’t mean we give up on life. God is always with us, prompting us to go on. Only when we are able to surrender and let God carry us through these very difficult times in our life, can we move on past our fear and despair and get back into the living of life. “Why am I discouraged? I will put my hope in God!” Psalm 42:5a)         

Act – do the next reasonable thing

          Get rest and get good nutrition. If we are to survive we must take care of our health. Elijah sat down under the broom tree and fell asleep. The angel woke him up. “Get up and eat!” Elijah fell asleep again, and again the angel woke him “Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you.” (v5-7, my emphasis)

          When someone we love dies, or a when relationship, we’ve invested our heart and soul in, ends. When disaster strikes; the second thing we can do is to act; do the next reasonable thing. Break the future into simple steps and then take one step, one day at a time.  

           Mantra   “I will Survive”

                   When we find ourselves in these situations, it helps to develop a mantra. A mantra is simply a positive word or phrase on which we can focus to help us stay positive. We can sing it, we can say it, we can pray it.  For some it may simply be “I will survive.”  One mantra may be, “God will see me through this.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) How about, “I will trust in God.” “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)  Or maybe a mantra such as “Tomorrow will be better.” “Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.”  (Psalm 42:8) 

          We need to choose a positive mantra, which will help us focus on our getting through the situation. A mantra which focuses on the strength God will give us, trusting in his unfailing love: a mantra of hope for tomorrow. “Faith is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.” (Hebrews 11:1)  “I will survive.”

Serve

          Studies have shown that when you and I find ourselves in despair, we need to help someone else. If we are feeling as if our world has come crashing down on us, as if we are the victim; all we have to do is look around us to find someone who is suffering as much as or worse than we are.

          Studies have shown that people in the Nazi death camps who focused their energy on helping people around them were much more likely to survive than those who allowed themselves to simply be victims. It’s why doctors and nurses have a much higher survival rate in a disaster than the average population—they take responsibility of helping others.

          God knew what Elijah needed. God spoke to Elijah and spurred him into action. “Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Mimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.” (vv.15-16)

In other words; God says, ‘I need you to do my work in this world. Get up and get going.’

Jesus himself  demonstrated this when just before he was arrested and tried and crucified, he took a basin of water and a towel and knelt before each disciple, washing the dust and dirt from each one’s feet. (John 13:1-20) He then told the disciples, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (v.15) Not one of us will have to deal with what Jesus was going to go through, and yet what did he do? He lovingly served others. Jesus knew that his disciples would suffer from despair after his death. He gave them the means to go on.

          Today I give you an acronym SAMS, just think of Sam’s Club, they have everything we could want or need, right? In truth, God has everything we could want and need. We can survive the disasters in our life. Life happens and we need to be able to say ‘I will survive.’

          Choose to Surrender to the situation, but not give up

          Choose to Act – do the next reasonable thing and take care to get our rest and proper nutrition. Put one foot in front of the other. Take the next step: one day at a time.

          Choose a Mantra – I will Survive, Christ will strengthen me, I will trust in God, my Faith will see me through.

          Choose to Serve – Choose to look around and see the troubles of others and love and serve them. You will feel better knowing you have helped someone else.

          Just getting new underwear for Father’s Day and your children taking the rest of the money for themselves is not one of life’s disasters. It’s just a funny story. But you and I will face disasters: Sickness and pain, death, loneliness, betrayal and other situations which cause us despair. When we do, God is with us in each situation and with His help, we can say, “I Will Survive.” Remember SAMS and calling on God’s help, you will survive.

Pastor Rosemary DeHut                                                                 June 20, 2010

June 13, 2010

This Is What It Is to Live

Psalm 5:1-8         Galatians 2:15-21

          “Hannah Montana red number 6, Cody blue number 6, Rico blue #+ 2 : Oh, Oh, Mackenzie you  have to draw two cards”

“That’s not fair, Makayla didn’t have to draw 2 cards.”

“Mackenzie, those are the rules.”

“I don’t care, I don’t want to follow the rules.” She throws her Disney UNO cards on the floor and runs behind the chair and pouts.  So ends the game of UNO around the coffee table in my living room, which Makayla and Mackenzie and I are playing on a rainy evening.

He’s in the principal’s office again. Jimmy just couldn’t follow the rules of sitting still and keeping quiet in class. So ends his after school plans of playing basketball with his buddies.

She’s driving across the bridge on her way home from an early morning workout at the community fitness center. She’s thinking about all the things she has to accomplish today and she’s not obeying the rule of 45 miles an hour. All of a sudden she sees the flashing lights in her rearview mirror. “You were going 70 miles per hour across the bridge, the officer tells her. “No way,” she replies. “I clocked you doing 70,” the officer repeats.

Rules: they are there to help us play games fairly, they are there so the students can learn all the things they have to learn, they are there to keep us safe on the road. We sure have a hard time obeying them, don’t we?

Maybe it’s because we’re human and not perfect. Does anybody relate to that statement? I know I do. See, I was the one going 70 miles per hour across the Ontonagon River Bridge. I still can’t believe I was going that fast, but the State Police officer was sure.

Rules and laws are put into place for our own good, to maintain an ordered society. And yet, rules and laws are only a part of the bigger picture.  For Mackenzie, the bigger picture was that we were spending time together and she is learning that I care enough to spend an evening playing games and making s’mores in the fireplace because it’s too wet and cold to go to the beach as we had planned. For little Jimmy the bigger picture is that he is learning how to get along in society and be respectful of others, in being taught to sit still and be quiet so the teacher can teach and the students can learn. For me and my not paying attention to my speed problem, I’m learning to slow down and focus better on what I’m doing instead of letting my mind as well as my car go 70 miles per hour: Lessons on how to live life.

The scripture reading from the letter to the church in Galatia this morning has some lessons for them and for us as well. The lessons have to do with the tension between following the Jewish laws and looking at the bigger picture of God’s plan for salvation for all people, not just the ones following Jewish laws.

We do not enter into a relationship with God by obeying laws.

The scripture in Galatians this morning is a bit confusing. I’d like to read it again, this time from the version of the Bible known as The Message, but Eugene Peterson. This interpretation may make it easier to see what Paul was getting at.

We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over “non-Jewish sinners.”  We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world had ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Have you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down, I would be acting as a charlatan.

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping the rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am not longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. (Galations 2:15-21, The Message)

We do not enter into a relationship with God by obeying laws.

“If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” You and I cannot have a living relationship with God by keeping the Ten Commandments, or by keeping any other of the rules set down by society or by the church. This is true, because you and I are not able to obey any laws perfectly. We aren’t perfect! We’ll make mistakes. We’ll sin. But the amazing revelation about God’s grace is that a relationship with Him can be obtained through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace, not by keeping the law. We are saved by faith, not by the nice or righteous things we do. There is an amazing amount of freedom in this revelation.

 This is what Paul was trying to get across to the young Christian church in Galatia. The truth of Christ is that you and I are going to sin, but because Christ died on the cross and conquered the power of sin over us, we have the freedom to live. Forgiveness, mercy and grace are ours because of the great love of God manifest in Jesus Christ.

Because the early church was made up of mostly Jews, many of the early leaders thought that any Gentiles who converted had to conform to the Jewish laws, in addition to believing in Christ being the Son of God. Paul writes to the church that salvation is by faith alone. Paul believed this because he had been the best law keeper of all in his day. He had kept the Jewish laws to the letter and yet when he met the presence of the risen Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and experienced his conversion from Saul, the law keeper, to Paul the disciple of Jesus Christ: Paul found freedom and joy he never thought was possible. Paul experienced, ‘This is what it is to live.’  Not to just exist, feeling as if we just can’t get it right, or do enough or follow the rules well enough: but to really live in freedom and in deep down abiding joy.

 It wasn’t the Ten Commandments which saved us. It was Jesus Christ:

 It is through our faith in Jesus Christ that we find freedom. It is through our faith in Christ that we are able to say with certainty, “This is what it is to live:” Freedom to live life to the fullest and to find joy in all of our circumstances.

Paul writes in the 5^th chapter of this letter to the church in Galatia, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.” (v. 22)  If all these wonderful attributes can be ours by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, why would we want anything else?  There is no following of any law that can produce these fruits in us.

Jesus himself told us in John 16:24, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ----- I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

 In John 14:6 Jesus tells us, “I am the way the truth and the life.” And in John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

Too often we get caught up in the righteousness and judgment game. Pastor Paul Sewell, from the Ontonagon Assembly of God church, spoke at the Ontonagon Christian Centre on Thursday evening. He spoke on Christ wanting us to be the Salt and the Light of the world.  Paul cautioned us that too often followers of Christ are seen as hypocritical and judgmental, instead of Salt and Light. He said that too often believers are viewed by non-believers as people who have all these rules to obey and the non-believers don’t want to follow any rules other than their own.

A young man told me recently, “I don’t want to be a Christian just yet. I still want to have fun.” I tried to convince him that it is in becoming a Christian, that you really begin to have fun. It is in becoming a devoted follower of Jesus Christ that you learn, “This is what it is to live.” Unfortunately, he’s still in the mindset of “it’s all about me,” rather than it’s all about Jesus. Until he understands that it is all about Jesus, he won’t experience what it is to live life fully in joy and in peace.

Until we understand that it is all about Jesus, not us, we won’t experience what it is to really live.

Dana was a rule follower. Even as a child she was obedient. She was always polite and had good manners. In school the teachers would commend her for her behavior and her obedience to the rules of not running in the halls, getting her work done on time, paying attention in class.

Often Dana would be upset with herself. When she made a mistake on a homework project she’d feel terrible. When she didn’t get a perfect score on a test, she’d go home and have a good cry. One time she was accused by another student of something she didn’t do and she got in trouble. She was so mad at herself. “I must have done something wrong to have Alice mad at me and to say I did something I didn’t do. What did I do wrong?”

Dana and her family attended church regularly. She went to Sunday School and learned the Ten Commandments. She tried to do everything perfectly. When she found herself telling a little lie to her mother so she wouldn’t get into trouble, she felt terrible. Her stomach hurt and she later had to confess her deception and take her punishment. She punished herself far more than her mother did. “Why can’t I be good,” she cried into her pillow.

Dana graduated with honors from high school and went on to college where she earned her degree in elementary teaching. She met and married Chad and they settled into life. Dana taught 3^rd grade and elementary Sunday School at church.  Chad worked construction.

Life seemed to be good, but inside of Dana was this ever increasing doubt that she could be good enough: Good enough as a teacher, good enough as a wife, good enough as a Christian.

There were times when she got angry because everyone around her seemed to not be good enough. Sometimes people didn’t honor their commitments, or told lies, or didn’t do their job as it was written out in the rules. Dana found herself losing her patience with herself and others. She didn’t feel so kind or gentle or joyful. She found herself unhappy most of the time and it showed in her relationship with her students, with other teachers and with Chad. “Why can’t I get it right,” she’d cry to herself? “Why am I not happy?” 

She tried to find some relief in Church, but when she was there she felt as if she’d let God down because she was such a sinful person. Then one Sunday morning, the pastor spoke about humans not being able to be perfect and obey the rules perfectly. He read the scripture from Romans 8:1-----

 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.”   Then the pastor made reference to the passage from Galatians 2:19, “For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God’s approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God.”

We are not perfect and God doesn’t expect us to be.

It was like Dana’s eyes were opened as well as her heart. She didn’t have to condemn herself any longer. God didn’t condemn her if she wasn’t perfect. God didn’t expect her to be perfect, if fact He knew she could never be. God sent himself in Jesus Christ, the only perfect human who ever lived. God sent Jesus, the perfect one, to die for all, so that the power of sin and death would no longer reign over us; but that we would all know what it is to live. This is what it is to live: a life of freedom from condemnation, a life of strength, a life of joy; a life of abundance in God’s amazing grace. This is what it is to live!

We come to understand God’s plan.

          We come to understand that God’s plan is for HIs love and His grace to be manifest within us in the presence of Jesus Christ. You and I aren’t perfect, we don’t have to be. Jesus Christ is the only perfect One. When we come to this understanding, that God’ plan is love, mercy, and grace: and our part in God’s plan is to simply allow Jesus Christ to live within us, we can then take a deep breath and say, “This is what it is to live.”

This is what it is to live a life of hope: a life of forgiveness, a life of grace, a life of freedom and a life of joy. And to live this life, all that is required of us is to believe in the Son of God Jesus Christ and to give our life to him.

Have you been condemning yourself and others for not being perfect? God doesn’t condemn you, why you should you? Jesus Christ is the complete answer to living life to the fullest. The question this day is this. Do you know this victory in Jesus Christ? Are you really living, or just trying to follow the laws? Can you say, ‘So this is what it is to live!”

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

June 13, 2010

June 6, 2010

He Has Compassion

Luke 8:40-56

          He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was 30. Than for three years he traveled and preached. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He did not go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled more than 200 miles from the place where he was born.

          He did none of the things man usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a stake between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.

          When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone and today he remains the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress.

          All the armies that ever marched, all the fleets that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the lives of men on this planet so much as that One Solitary Life.

          This classic message was written by James Allen Frances, originally published in 1928.

          Why is this? Why has this One Solitary Life, which of course describes the earthly life of Jesus Christ, had and continues to have so much influence over the lives of men, women, children and youth, even more today than it did when the One Solitary Life was lived?

          The life of Jesus Christ ordained by our loving God had and continues to have influence over our lives because of the compassion his life displayed.

           It is God’s compassion for his creation which sent His Son to us. It is Jesus’ life of compassion which heals us, in Biblical testimony and yet today.

          Time and time again through passages of scripture we read of the amazing compassion of our creator: his forgiveness, his grace, his mercy, his love. God’s compassion reaches out to us through Jesus Christ, and it is through the humanness of Jesus that we witness this compassion of God.

          We see the creative and renewing power of God all around us, especially this time of year with new life springing all around us. But, the compassion of God can only be known when we reach out to him and in the way we reach out to others. 

          There are two parts here. Our calling out to God in our need: and our hearing the calls of others and responding.

          Our calling out to God, is admitting that He is who He is.

          There’s a great new song out by Amy Grant called “Better than a Hallelujah.”

God loves a lullaby, in a mother’s tears at night, better than a hallelujah sometimes. God loves a drunkard’s cry, the soldier’s plea not to let him die, better than a Hallelujah sometimes. We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody, beautiful the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts, are better than a Hallelujah The woman holding on for life, the dying man giving up the fight, are better than a Hallelujah sometimes. The tears of shame for what’s been done, the silence when the words won’t come, are better than a Hallelujah sometimes. We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody, beautiful the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts, are better than a Hallelujah

          There is a lot of brokenness in our world today: broken hearts and broken marriages and broken families, broken lives.  God sees our misery and I believe he feels compassion for us. Our prayers are heard by a loving and merciful God. We can testify to God’s compassion in our own lives and in the testimonies of the lives of others. It is in calling out to God, admitting our brokenness and our misery that allows God’s healing power into our lives.  It is in these times of personal brokenness that the power of Jesus is best displayed. This is because it is in these times of admitting our brokenness that we give God the recognition of who he is.

          The scripture passage in Luke, tells us about calling on the power of God, so that his compassion and healing power might be known.

          Jairus,--- “fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.(vv.41-42)” The man pleads with Jesus for the life of his daughter. In his misery he calls out to God. Jesus responds by directing his steps toward the man’s house.

          Along the way Jesus encounters a woman who reaches out to Jesus. She has been suffering for twelve years and now, trembling and frightened reaches out to simply touch the fringe of his clothes. She is healed of hemorrhaging that has plagued her for years. Jesus asked, “Who touched me?----for I noticed the power had gone out from me.” (vv.45-46) As the woman reached out to God’s power, it is given to her because of his compassion for her.

          Jesus has compassion and the power to heal. “She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” (v.44)

          What ever your hurt, what ever your suffering: there are times when it may not be physical suffering, but rather suffering spiritually, or emotionally. What ever it may be, Jesus Christ has the power to heal. Story after healing story is told how people who are prayed for, people who are given to Christ for healing, are indeed healed; sometimes physically, sometimes spiritually, sometimes emotionally. Story after healing story is told of people who have called out to God in their brokenness, and who have been healed because God had compassion on them.

          As Jesus is stopped to address the woman who reached out to him, someone comes to say that the little girl has died. Jesus, knowing his power and feeling compassion for the family, brushes off the bad news. “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.” (v.50)  He arrives at the home of Jairus, takes the hand of the girl who has died and bids her to get up. “Her spirit returned, and she got up at once.” (v.55)

          Can you imagine the rejoicing in that house that day? Our daughter was dead and now she is alive!  Praise be to God! Praise be to God and his power to restore life!

          I wonder what they did with their rejoicing. I wonder if they not only told their neighbors about the compassion and the healing power of Jesus, but if they treated those around them with the same compassion they had received.

          The second part of knowing God’s compassion is that we do something with it. The second part is being aware of the needs of others and responding. This requires stepping out of our comfort zone. This requires us to be involved in someone else’s misery. This requires us to share God’s compassion with others.

---------John was parked in front of the mall, wiping off his car which he had just driven through the car wash. He was waiting for his wife to get out of work. Coming his way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. Form the look of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes and no money.

          There are times, John writes, when you fell generous and then there are times when you just don’t want to be bothered. This was one of those times “don’t want to be bothered” times.

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for money,” John thought to himself.

          The man didn’t. He just came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop, but he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. “That’s a very pretty car,” he said. He was ragged, but he had an air of dignity around him.

          John said, “Thanks,” and continued wiping off his car.

          The man sat there quietly, as John worked. The expected pleas for money never came. As the silence between the two men widened, something inside of John said, “Ask him if he needs any help.” John was sure he would say, “Yes.”

          “Do you need any help?” John asked.

          The man answered three simple words that John will never forget. We often look for wisdom in what we consider great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. John expected nothing from that man on the curb, nothing but an outstretched, grimy hand. The man’s answer took John completely by surprise.

          “Don’t we all?” he said.

          John was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words shook him to the core. “Don’t we all?”

          John said, “I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help.” John reached in his wallet and gave the man not only bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. In this revelation of need, John found his compassion. John needed to feel compassion for another human being and then he needed to do something about it.

           All the armies that ever marched, all the fleets that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the lives of men on this planet so much as that One Solitary Life ---- and the compassion that life displayed then and continues to today.     

          God’s gift of Jesus Christ, is the gift of compassion. Each of us has received this gift in one way or another. The question then is: As He has compassion on us, do we show that same compassion to others? After all, when it comes to the question of help, don’t we all need it?

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

June 6, 2010

May 23, 2010

By Layspeaker, Ron Singer

PSALM 23

The Lord is my Shepherd

I shall not want

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

He leadeth me beside still waters

He restoreth my soul

He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his names sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil; for thou art with me

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of  mine enemies

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup renneth over

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

          The 23^rd Psalm is considered to be a psalm for all occasions from birth to death.  Today we are going to consider it to be a psalm for the living.  It is attributed to King David many hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, although it was written about him.

          There are over 100 places in the Old Testament of the Bible where the name of Jesus is mentioned, though he is not called by that name in them. 

David referred to him as Yahweh over all these other names, El Shaddai; which means God Almighty, El Elyon, meaning God most high, and El Olam, God the Everlasting.  Why Yahweh?  Because that is God’s name.  And just how do we know that?

          When Moses asked him what he should be called if the Israelites asked him who told you to come and bring us out of Egypt, God said that he should tell them I AM sent me to you.  Another place in the Book of Exodus God reminds Moses that his name is, in fact, Yahweh.  God never did give Moses a definition of the word Yahweh and Moses never asked him for one. 

          The Israelites considered the name Yahweh to be to holy and not to be spoken out loud, so instead they called him Adonai, meaning Lord.  If Yahweh did have to be written the scribe would take a bath before writing it and destroy the pen with which he had written it.  I believe they would have used a new pen for this one word only. 

          David, himself was a Shepherd during his younger days and knew the importance of this position.  As Shepherd of a flock of sheep he was solely responsible for their welfare, as sheep are not to smart. 

                   THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

          As a shepherd David knew the intimacy between the shepherd and the flock.  The shepherd would always lead his sheep in his daily routine to find them suitable food, water and a cool and quiet place to rest. 

The very first line of this prayer begins with a promise of Jesus himself.  The Lord is my Shepherd. Not maybe, or could be.  No the word used in that sentence was IS.  He is telling us that we are his sheep and he is our Shepherd.  If we listen to his voice and count on him we are going to be just fine.

          In the Gospel lesson for today, John 10: 14-18, Jesus said of Himself, “I am the good Shepherd.”  Jesus was never a shepherd.  He was a carpenter, a teacher in the synagogues, a doctor making the sick well, a miracle worker, he made the blind to see, the lame to walk and the dead to rise. Did I forget to mention he was also a rebel?  Remember the day he went into the synagogue and made a whip and went around whipping people and throwing them out.  Also turning over the tables of the moneychangers and telling those who were selling Doves and other animals in His Fathers house to get out.  Do any of those come close to being a definition of a shepherd?
          He was all of those things and more.  Remember Mary Magdalene when she came to the tomb on Easter Sunday, the day of his resurrection?  She did not recognize Jesus and thought he was, just the gardener.  When he called out her name she immediately knew who he was.   Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd, my sheep know my voice and I know each and every one of them by name.

How much more personal and closer can Jesus our Good Shepherd be.  He is forever on the watch for our welfare and well being.

                   I SHALL NOT WANT

          Exactly what is it that I shall not want?  Here are some maybes of what we want: Possibly a shiny new car or truck.  Or it could be a new fishing boat, snowmobile, ATV, motorcycle or a new pedal bike, wagon or skateboard, or the ladies might want a new dress, shoes or jewelry.   We have all these and more on our list, but these are only things that the human in us wants. We tell ourselves that if we could just have these we would be forever happy. This is not the want that Jesus, our Shepherd wants for us.

          He wants us to be happy in him.  So let’s just be thankful for all the things that he gives us each and everyday of our lives.  He supplies everything we need for our daily survival.   Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Jesus Christ”.  When we are content with all our needs supplied; we have no wants, perfectly contented, just happy, with our Shepherd.  I shall not want.

HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES

          Matthew 11:28 says, “Just as I was given sleep in my troubles, so also Jesus gives us rest.” You realize that this leads us back to the beginning and the story of our Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd led his flock to a good place to eat their fill.  They then walked to a place of green pastures where they can lay down, chew their cuds, relax and have a peaceful time with not a worry or care.

The ancient fields during David’s time were not green pastures.  A shepherd had to make them that way by clearing all the ruble, brush and rocks from the area.  Jesus did all this for our souls.  He took all the ruble, the thorny brush of condemnation.  He removed all the rocks and boulders of sin.  Then he planted the seeds of Grace for us and dug ponds of mercy.  This is the free gift to us of his grace and mercy.

 It was nothing that we were able to obtain on our own.  Jesus did this on the cross when he died for us.   It was done simply because he loved us and cared about us.  Paul said it in Ephesians 2:8 when he wrote. “For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.”

HE LEADETH ME BESIDE STILL WATERS

Sheep do not like fast moving water.  They don’t like it because 

they are not able to swim like other animals.  Their heavy wool coats would weigh them down and they would swim like a rock. 

The Still waters represents a relief from all the worries we carry around with us.  All we have to do to get rid of these worries is to drop them at the foot of the cross and we can lie down in the green pastures beside the still waters, contented.

          In the book of Matthew Chapter 6 verse 31says, “ So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat, what shall we drink or what shall we wear.  For the pagans run after all these things and our Heavenly Father knows that you need them.”  Again in verse 34, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

                   HE RESTORETH MY SOUL

          Have you ever been in a jungle, maybe the woods here in our little corner of the world or even a really, really, big city; like New York, Los Angeles or Dallas?   Its dark out and you are alone in a place you do not want to be.

          Do you have fears and are you anxious because of your situation.  You are now in a hopeless situation.  There are predators at every corner and turn we come to. 

Now how are you going to get out of this situation and have you soul restored? 

          Let’s see, whom could we call on?  Oh yes, I know.  In the jungle we could call on a guide or a village native.  Maybe in the woods of Ontonagon County we could find one of our many great hunters.  In the big city of New York we might even try to hail a taxi and ask the driver to get us out.

          You might have been able to get out of these situations by calling on these people.  Still you are left with loneliness and confusion and no restored soul.

          Let’s see what’s next?  Oh yeah.  Let’s call on Jesus; surely he can get us out of the things we have gotten ourselves into. If we had done this first we would not have been in this predicament.  So we call out to him because he knows everyone of us by name, he knows our voices, and he will be there to restore our souls.

HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAMES SAKE.

There is a problem here.  There is not one of us who is found righteous, by any of his own doing.  Sometimes we are able to do a few things right and maybe we can even do more things right on other occasions.  In Romans 3:10 Paul said, “There is none righteous, no not one.”  In verse 12 he goes on to say, “No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right, no not one.”

          So if none of us is righteous, who then is righteous?  According to the Bible:

          Our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right, 2^nd Peter 1:1

          God is a righteous judge, Psalm 7:11

          The Lord is righteous, he loves justice, Psalm 11:7

          This is how Isaiah described God in chapter 45 verse 21 – A righteous God

and Savior.

This is what God is.  He is Righteous.  Daniel 9:14 says, “Our God is right in everything he does.”  In verse 16 he says, “His acts are righteous.

          The path of righteousness is found then by following a long winding path up a steep hill to a place where we find the cross.  At the bottom of the cross all the sins of the world all piled up for Jesus to carry.  He is the only way we can be made righteous.

YEA, THOU I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH; I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR THOU ART WITH ME

          Not all who are Shepherds know the way through this valley of the shadow of death.  Actually the only one who does is the Good Shepherd, Jesus himself.  There are many pitfalls along this path, for it is long and winding.  The valleys are dark in the late afternoon and shadows play tricks on the sheep.  Also there are all the predators lurking about, waiting to pounce.  But Jesus can get us through all of these, unharmed and unscathed.  Do you realize why we have shadows?  The sun is at our back.  So if we just stop and turn around, what do we see?  The Son is shinning.  The Son is shinning.  Hallelujah!!  The Son in this case is Jesus the Good Shepherd. We will no longer need to feel afraid of the dark shadows and scarey places.

                   THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME

          The sheep are comforted by the shepherd,  He has his rod and staff along on his daily journey.  The rod was a weapon that was used to fight off wild animals.  The staff was used in various ways, but the shepherd used it often to reach down and pull a sheep to safety after losing its footing and falling to a precipice below.  The staff thus lengthened the reach of the shepherd’s arm.  They were also used as tools to discipline the sheep.  In Hebrews 12:6 “The Lord disciplines those he loves.”  And he will not leave or abandon us he will always remain close to us.

THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES

          Jesus gives us hope in the face of our difficulties and losses.  He is saying to us and our enemies; look the Shepherd has invited us to dine with him while all the while our enemies close around us, we have nothing to fear from them as we are protected by the strength of the Good Shepherd.  1 John 5:4 tells us, “The victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER

          This is how the shepherd takes care of his flock.  At the end of the day he looks over each individual one, calling each by its name.  He makes sure all of their cuts and bruises are looked after.  Like sheep many of our wounds come from just living in the pasture.  Our wounds; however, are a little bit different, old age, illness and failure of the body and mind.  Like the sheep we to have a shepherd.  Psalm 100:3 says, “We belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends.”  As the shepherd tends his flock, that is what the Good Shepherd will do for us. 

          Like the Good Shepherd he is, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.”  John 10:11  This he did for us on the cross.  But he did not just leave us there staring up at him.  He went to a borrowed tomb and three days later he rose again and continues to look after his sheep.  That’s us.

          My cup runneth over from all the blessings that are poured out upon us each and everyday of our lives.  You don’t think you have any blessings, well let’s see:

You had a peaceful and uneventful nights sleep, well maybe not all of us.

You woke up this morning, or else you would not be here.

Maybe you had breakfast.  Or maybe you are going out to eat after the service.

You see and hear everyone in the sanctuary, maybe not great; but you do.

You can tell the time.  Oh no, its getting late and he’s still up there preaching.  I’m hungry.  My feet hurt.  Let’s go to the Konteka. Oh no, what shall we eat???

These are only a few of the blessings you have been given today.  Be on the lookout as more are coming your way.  Your cup overflows.

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE

          David was saying in the phrase, surely goodness and mercy will follow me.  He did not say maybe, or I hope.  He said emphatically, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.  How can this happen to us?  Listen to this:  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  King James Version John 3:16

          AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER

           What an ending to a prayer filled with promises of hope in all areas of our lives.  I think this is the ultimate promise of the Good Shepherd.  He has gone to prepare a place for us to dwell for all eternity.  Not just for a little while; but FOREVER.

          Unlike David though we do get to hear these words from the book of John chapter 11 verses 25-26 where Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”  HALLEAUH AND AMEN!!

May 30,2010

Living Water

John 4:3-15, 39-42

          Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee. To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.

          A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

          The Samaritan woman taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

          Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

          The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

          Jesus said, “Every one who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

          The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again.!”  (verses 3-15)-------------------------

          Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!” (the woman said). They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. They said to the woman, “We’re no longer taking this on your say-so. We’ve heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He’s the Savior of the world!”(verses 39-42)    {From The Message by Eugene Peterson}

          Water for life, a drink that satisfies: just talking about a drink of cool clear water makes us thirsty. Physically, we cannot live without water to quench our thirst. Our bodies long for water and are in fact made up of mostly water.

          Living Water: Spiritually, it is the same.  Spiritually, we cannot be truly alive without the living water of the presence of Jesus Christ. Our souls long for it.

          They say that by the time we recognize our physical thirst, our body is already beginning to become dehydrated. It is the same with our spirit, our soul.  Many times we are so caught up in everyday living that our soul, which is the very essence of who we are, gets ignored and our spirit dries up. We become what the world would have us be, instead of the loving, joyful, nurtured by the presence of Jesus Christ being, that God created us to be.  

          How is it with your soul today? Do you feel the soul quenching presence of Jesus Christ in your life?  Or is there a dryness within that you can’t quite explain, but yet you know is there?  When you take the time to look deep within, is there a longing there you can’t quite satisfy with the things of this world?

          The satisfaction is the soul quenching presence of Jesus Christ, the Living Water. If you do not know this presence, yield yourself to Him. Admitting that you cannot flourish, you cannot truly blossom into the person God created you to be, with out this Living Water.

---------Susan attended church on a regular basis. She was active in the choir and she was a good cook, so her hot dishes were always welcome at the pot luck dinners. Susan always believed in God and that Jesus Christ was God’s Son. She didn’t know the time and place when she had come to believe, she just always did. She was a good church person.

          There was, however, something deep within which she couldn’t quite put her finger on that wasn’t quite right. Susan didn’t feel quite whole or complete. There was a dryness, an emptiness, which never seemed to go away. Not matter how she tried to ignore it, it was always there, deep within. A longing for something she couldn’t quite identify. 

          One Sunday morning, the preacher began to read this scripture, The Woman at the Well. As Susan listened, she began to wonder, ‘is this what I’ve been missing? Is there something more that just believing and attending church? Could it be that this missing part of me is the very presence of Jesus Christ in my life? Susan closed her eyes and prayed. “Lord, I want this soul quenching Living Water. I need your Holy Presence in my heart, to satisfy my soul. Forgive my thinking that just believing in you is all I need. I understand now that receiving you is what I truly need, indeed what I long for. Fill me, and use me. Quench the dryness of my soul with your Living Water.”

          In that moment of surrender Susan drank deeply of the love and grace of Jesus Christ. She began to know the joy and the strength of an intimate relationship with God. Susan began to see things differently. She began to see people differently. Life was not about stuff, not about just doing from moment to moment.  Life was about receiving the Living Water of God through the presence of Jesus Christ and then allowing the Holy Spirit’s presence to fill her to overflowing.

          Wherever the water flows…life flourishes…life abounds! This was the theme of our Detroit Annual Conference this year. When we truly surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, the Living Water; our life begins to flourish, to grow, to blossom. From this flourishing, this growing, this blossoming, comes a beauty that people will see and recognize. And from this flourishing, this growing, this blossoming: comes a love which will transform our world, one person at a time. The theme of the Conference, which we were to take back to our churches, to empower our ministries, was that as we are nourished we are called to nourish others.

          Did you notice what happened in the last few verses of the scripture from the Gospel of John? “Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness.” (verse 39)

          The same thing happened with Susan and the same thing can happen with each of us. When we are filled with the life giving presence of Jesus Christ, our lives become a witness that will bring others to this well of life giving water. People will say, “I want what he has. I want to know this Jesus Christ because of what I see in her life.”

          As our spirit flourishes and grows we become the church to the world. 

          As Susan’s spirit began to flourish and grow, her life became a witness to others. She was no longer just a member of her church. She joined others, who had also surrendered their lives to Jesus, and became The Church in her little corner of the world. Sharing with her neighbors, family and friends what she had found. Loving and giving in a way that had not been possible before.

          She was no longer afraid, but instead found courage to start a children’s ministry in her neighborhood: Inviting her neighbor’s children to hear Bible stories and to share a snack one day a week. In doing this she found out that some of the families were struggling with having enough money to buy simple everyday things like laundry detergent and shampoo. Susan told her church about the need and members donated these items and many more as well. Dan and Janice, who lived three houses away wanted to know why Susan was being so nice and she invited them to a Bible study at her home and eventually they began attending church with her: hearing the good news of God’s love and becoming part of the Body of Christ.  Dan and Janice joined Susan in loving the other families in their neighborhood and new life sprang forth in relationships: all nurtured by the love of Jesus Christ.

          Do you see what is happening here? As more and more people are drawn to the life giving water of the presence of Jesus Christ, God’s love overflows and begins to create growing and flourishing places in a world of dryness and hurt.  

          Has your soul been quenched with the Living Water of Jesus Christ? Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit moving within your soul? Are you overflowing with the love of God, so that you cannot keep it within? Only you know the answer to these questions.

          Lord, I come to you this day, recognizing that I need your life giving water to quench the longing of my soul. Nourish me Lord Jesus. Help me to grow and to flourish, that I might be a witness to your love and your grace. Help me to grow and to flourish, that I might bring others to the well of Living Water. This is my prayer. Amen

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

May 30,2010

May 16, 2010

United in One

Psalm 100                 John 17:20-26

Picture this: Pastors from various churches: the United Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Assembly of God, Lutheran (Synod, Evangelical and Free Lutheran), Full Gospel, and non-denominational and a Catholic priest  – all gathered in one place praying for this community, this Upper Peninsula and our United States of America. Prayers are spoken for one another’s families, each person’s ministry and the church each one serves. Joys and concerns for individual people, whose first name only is shared. A prayer is prayed for the revival of the Holy Spirit in our area and for each leader of the church to be strong in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As people called into ministry and who serve in different churches, they pray together and they have lunch and fellowship together.

 This is being United in One Faith in Jesus Christ, United in One Body of Christ (the Christian Church), and United in One Mission (making disciples Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world).  This is God’s plan: that we come together in love for the good of all people.

This is the goal of community Clergy organizations. In Ontonagon County we meet once a month. Not all the clergy participate, but those who do pray also for those who do not. The same scenario is being played out in Gogebic County as well; and in other communities across our country.  

Being unified is what Jesus calls us to be. This whole chapter 17 in John’s Gospel should really be called “The Lord’s Prayer.”  The prayer we recite each week and call the Lord’s Prayer is actually the Disciple’s Prayer – the words Rabbi Jesus gave to his followers who asked their teacher how they should pray. But here in John 17 is Jesus’  own prayer, prayed first for himself in verses 1 – 5; then for his disciples in verses 6 – 19; and then Jesus prays for future believers in verses 20 – 26, which we read today.

Jesus is praying here that God’s plan for the salvation of God’s created world would come to pass. That Jesus would be glorified, that the church would grow and that people would be brought into the Kingdom of God, here on earth and eternally in heaven as well.

United in One Son of God

We are to be united in our belief that Jesus is who he says he is. Jesus prays, “For the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” (v. 8)

All believers are one in our belief that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to save the world, not to condemn it; that Jesus died for our sins: and that in Jesus’ resurrection death was conquered and eternal life for all believers was won.  When we pray our prayers before we receive communion, we pray, ‘By your Spirit make us one with Christ—(UMH p.14)

We heard last week Jesus’ words, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my  Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)

          There is an event held on Mackinac Island every Spring and every Fall called Win-some Women. During this week women from all Christian walks of life, different Christian denominations, come together to praise God, to pray and to laugh and cry together. They are unified by their faith in Jesus Christ. They know that having a personal relationship with Jesus, choosing to give Christ their heart and their life is the one thing which unifies them. Testimonies are given by the speakers of how they tried to do life on their own, only to come to the realization that if their lives were to be filled with peace and joy, they must first begin with faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ the Son of God. United in One Son of God.

United in One Body of Christ (the Church)

          The Body of Christ is the church. This church and the universal Christian church (believers around the world who have become one in Christ Jesus). Paul writes to the early Christian church in Ephesus, “—lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all--.” (Ephesians 4:1-6, my emphasis)

          We are not all the same. We have different finger prints, different characteristics, different personalities, different gifts and talents, different stories of faith and of life: and yet, we are the same in One God and we make up this Body of Christ. We can work together treating one another with humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love to be a unified Christian force in this community and in the world.

          We have to be able to put aside our differences and focus instead on our similarities. 

Jesus prays for us, “I ask not only on behalf of these (his present disciples), but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (vv.21-22)

(“so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”)  Do you see how important it is that we strive to become a loving and unified Body of Christ, Brothers and Sisters in the family of Jesus? What the world sees here, not only within the walls of our building, but in how Christian churches work together to spread God’s love, is essential in bringing non-believers to God.  God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but desires that all would come to know eternal life.

Within our walls: the Bible studies we offer here, the United Methodist Women, the Christian Kids’ Club afterschool program, the mentoring program for our young people in Confirmation; the food pantry and the Good Neighbor Fund, and our Vacation Bible School. Any time two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name, Jesus is here, directing our steps and strengthening us for service.

Outside of our walls; if there are programs going on in other Christian churches in the area, I encourage you to attend them. The more we get to know about other denominations, the less we fear and the greater the possibility of working together for the salvation of all.

  Be aware of things going on in our area and push fear aside to attend and to be enriched by other Christian programs and happenings.  Speakers, missionary programs, music programs, dinners, men’s prayer breakfasts, the Women’s Bible Study at the Ontonagon Christian Center for women from various churches, the Thursday night Praise and Worship held at the Christian Centre, Baccalaureate for our high school graduates to be held in the Ontonagon Theatre at which various pastors and youth will speak and musicians from various churches will perform. The more we know about one another, the more we become - United in One Body of Christ.

United in One Mission

Lastly, Jesus calls us to be united in one mission: the salvation of the world. Jesus commands us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)  Jesus is talking to his disciples.  As soon as we come to belief in Jesus Christ, we too become Jesus’ disciple. Thus Jesus is talking to us. A disciple is a student of Jesus. When we come to believe; we desire to know more about him, to love him better, to serve him better. As disciples then, we are called to tell others of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

          He name is Hannah. She is 7 years old. He mother is raising her by herself and she works long hours so Hannah is often home alone. Hannah doesn’t know where her dad is. She doesn’t even remember him too well. She thinks he has brown eyes, but it’s been a long time and she’s not really sure.

          Hannah has a friend Jesse who lives down the block. One day while Hannah was playing at Jesse’s house a lady from the church on the corner came and talked about a dinner the church was having on Friday night. The lady invited Jesse’s mom and dad and Hannah too. The lady wondered if she could go talk to Hannah’s mother, but Hannah told her Mom was at work. The lady gave Hannah a paper which told when the dinner was and that it was free. There was a sentence on the paper which said. ‘God loves you. We just want you to know that.’

          When Friday night came Hannah’s mother said she’d go to the dinner with Hannah and Jesse and her family. She didn’t really believe in church, she didn’t think she had anything in common with any of those ‘church people,’ but if they were offering a free dinner, why not.

Besides, Hannah was excited about going. What Hannah’s mother found at that church dinner that night was the beginning of her faith journey.  Oh, nothing other than food and fellowship happened that first Friday, but Hannah and her mom went back for the next dinner. Nobody pressured her into believing or joining, they just loved her. Hannah’s mom began to look forward to the once a month dinners at the church on the corner and one time when she had a hard time paying her heating bill, they helped her, asking nothing in return.

          Many people become Christians because someone who was already a Christian loved them. Hannah and Jesse went to the Christian Education program and Hannah’s mom was asked to join a lunch time Bible study at a neighborhood café. Hannah and her mom were baptized into the family of God about 6 months after that first dinner. They became Christians because somebody loved them into the kingdom.

          This is what we are called to do. Put aside our own agendas and step out of our comfort zone to reach out to others with Jesus’ love. Our mission is not to just provide a church building for us to worship in. Jesus tells us that our mission must be to take the love of Jesus to our broken and hurting neighbors.  Our mission is to be the church in the world outside of our doors.

 Each one of us is needed if we are to answer Jesus’ call. One of the most important things we can do is to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance in our mission. If you are able to be a part of the programs this church offers and will offer in the future, please step out of your comfort zone and serve God. If you are unable to be a physical part, please be a prayer partner and pray. Jesus is counting on each of us to share His love, His grace and His salvation.

Let us be United in One

Let us be united in our belief in Jesus; united in one Body of Christ, the church; and United in our mission to grow the Kingdom of God for the transformation of the world.

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

May 16, 2010

May 9, 2010

Love Flows

Revelation  21:22 - 22:5

John 14:23-29

Ahhh,  the wonder of motherhood. Not all of us are mothers, however, each one of us has had one. That’s guaranteed.  God worked it out so that other than Adam and Eve, everyone has a mother.  You know as hard as human beings have tried, we just can’t outguess or outdo God. When God created Adam and Eve, he created them as adults so that he wouldn’t have to go through the stages of diapers and colic, the terrible twos, the traumatic teen years and the young adult years; which include a girlfriend with metal things hanging out of her face or boyfriends who spend time in jail and don’t really feel as if work and a paycheck is right for them.

Those of us who are mothers know just how wonderful and painful motherhood can be: the sleepless nights with a cantankerous baby, to the sleepless nights with a cantankerous teenager. I remember those days when all I wanted for Mother’s Day was a good night sleep.  Each of us should stop on this Mother’s day and say a prayer of thanksgiving for our mother, whether still with us or not, for not only helping us get to adulthood, but also for being strong enough to survive raising us.

As a mother I had this vision of what my children would grow up to be. None of my four children asked me what that vision for them was, they just grew up.  I, as a parent, and I think my mother as well, basically just want for our children to grow up to be healthy, happy, productive adults; people who contribute to a loving and peaceful world. Seeing the state of the world we live in, I think we can safely say that many children didn’t grow into the vision of what their parents wanted for them. Adam and Eve were the first children who went astray and it’s been downhill ever since.

Amazingly, just like mothers and fathers, God never gives up on his children. He sent his divine Son to give hope to the vision he has for the human race and his creation. Out of God’s plan for us, flows a love which you and I can only try to duplicate.

Let’s talk about God’s love for his children, you and me. Let’s look at this amazing love and gift of eternal life which flows from God’s heart.  The book of Revelation reveals the glory of God when Jesus returns and evil is conquered. It’s an amazing vision of a world walking in light and love.  

I love this vision that John writes about in Revelation 22. The vision of light, “there is no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb (Jesus) (v.23) “-the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”(v.24) “—the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God” “—and the leaves of the tree (of life) for the healing of the nations,” (v.22:2)

This is a vision of light and love flowing from God which will eventually come to pass when Jesus returns. But why can’t you and I aspire to live in this light and love now?

When we stand in God’s presence, God’s light shines into our darkness of loneliness, despair, and fear. Even when it seems that we are walking through valleys of darkness, if we choose, we can call out to Jesus Christ and he will come to us and light our way.

 Jesus is the glory of God. He is the Lamb of God. It is from this presence that the river of life flows. The waters of the river of life wash us clean from our sin: and it is from this life giving water that our thirst is quenched and we are filled with the joy and the peace of God’s presence. It is God from whom Love Flows.

We have the light of the glory of God, which lights our darkness. We have the river of life which flows; cleansing us, filling us and from which we find satisfaction for the longing of our soul. And in John’s vision is also a tree which bears not only fruit for us to consume, but also medicinal leaves that heal the nations. What a concept, that God who created us in his image and yet gives us this incredible gift of free will; wants not only to be a light in our darkness, satisfy the longings of our soul, but also wants to heal the governments and nations of the world.

What kind of a vision would the healing of the nations bring?

How about peace; nobody would be trying to kill anybody to gain more power or more land. Nations would work together for the good of not only their people, but also the people of the nation which shares a border with them.

How about an end to hunger; no child would go to bed hungry, no parent would cry because they can’t provide food for their family. There would be no need for food pantries.

How about an end to homelessness; no one would sleep in a cardboard box or under a bridge, but have even a simple home to live in. There would be no need for homeless shelters, because there would be no homeless.

How about a sharing of the knowledge and medicine to eradicate disease? Vaccinations against disease, eradicating malaria, the end to AIDS, cancer cures shared and on and on. All those diseases which we suffer from because of sin, cured because people start loving one another and sharing knowledge and medicine.  The healing of the nations brings about love and caring for one another.

This is what God’s kingdom is in John’s vision. This is what God’s kingdom will be here on earth when Jesus returns. But Jesus tells us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” To me that says, ‘Children, know the love which flows from my throne now and live that love out, flowing from each of you.  Strive to live out my vision for you and for my creation.’

 Notice what Revelation 21:24 tells us. “The nations of the earth will walk in its light (the light of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ), and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it.”

          John the Apostle was shown this vision of the love of God flowing from God’s presence, near the end of his life while he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. He was shown this vision because he was a faithful follower of Jesus. John also wrote the passages from his gospel which we read today.

          John was there in the room that day when Jesus spoke to his disciples, telling them that he would soon leave them. John and the others became afraid. What would happen to them? How could they go on without their leader, their master, their friend, their Lord?

          Jesus speaks to his followers, reassuring them and giving them hope. Jesus promises that even though they soon will no longer be with him physically, his presence will remain with them.

          Jesus’ 1^st promise is that neither he nor his Father would abandon them. “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them. And we will come to them and make our home with them.” (vv.23-24a)

          Loving Jesus, making Him the Lord of our life is a requirement for the fulfillment of this promise. As rebellious children of God, our human tendency is to put ourselves first. And when we give into sin and experience the pain of our choices we feel as if God has abandoned us.

The truth is God has been there and will be there all the time; waiting for us to love Him above all. When you and I love God above all, His love flows into us and surrounds us and His presence comforts and guides us. God never abandons us. It is we who abandon God.

Jesus’ 2^nd promise to his disciples and to us, is if they were worried that they would forget what Jesus had taught them while he was still with them, they weren’t to worry because, “—the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (v.26)

As a mother, I told my children that if they told a lie their stomach would hurt. I think that worked with 3 out of the four. The fourth one had an iron stomach and could lie with the best of them.   

 The Holy Spirit is kind of like that. The presence of the Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s promises and God’s rules. When we make poor choices we hurt. We know when there is a disturbance in our soul that we have pushed God aside and have gone our own way. We also know when we make the right choices, following God’s teachings and living in God’s love. We experience the certainty of God’s presence and guidance. 

Jesus’ 3^rd promise found in this scripture passage is that despite the anxiety that the disciples were feeling right now and all the stress they would find themselves under as Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified – was that his disciples would have peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (v. 27)

I and many other pastors use this passage from John’s gospel to comfort people when someone they loved has died. It’s a beautiful passage about the peace of God which passes all human understanding. Many times when you and I don’t know what to say to family and friends when they are hurting, we can pray for them and with them that God will give them peace in their time of trouble.  

God’s peace is something you and I cannot duplicate, because it is not from our world. God’s peace is something to seek. When you know the peace of God, no matter what trials or tribulations you face, there will be a peace in your heart that comforts and strengthens you.

I’ve seen that peace in the eyes of a woman who smiled as she breathed Jesus’ name in her dying moments. I’ve seen the peace of Christ in the eyes of a man who buried his wife of 58 years knowing full well he’d see her again one day.

I’ve also seen the absence of that peace in the face of a young adult who has made poor choices and still refuses to follow God’s rules of love and life. I’ve seen the absence of peace in the eyes of a elderly woman who still blames God for not giving her everything she desired in this life.

Jesus promises us a deep abiding peace. This peace is ours if we open our hearts up to the love which flows from God. This peace is ours if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and we strive to live out of His love.

This all has to begin with us. John’s vision in Revelation that we read today; the vision of the river of life flowing from God’s glory and the tree of life providing leaves of healing and light and love of Christ Jesus the Lamb of God being available to all people of all nations; has to begin with you and with me.

Receiving God’s love flowing from his presence and then allowing that love to flow to others is what you and I are called to do. 

          Living out the flow of God’s love which comes to us and then must flow from us, doesn’t come naturally, simply because we are humans. Our natural tendency is to put ourselves first. But, we can choose to live out God’s love.  This choice may not be easy, but it is what Jesus calls us to do.

The United Methodist Church has recently launched a campaign titled ‘Rethink Church.’ The Rethink Church campaign stresses taking the love of Christ outside of the church doors and loving people right where they are. Jesus didn’t stay inside and expect people to come to him. Jesus went to where the people were and let the love of God flow through him into their brokenness.  

Christ calls us to be his Body –his feet going to others, his hands helping others, his voice bringing the news of God’s love and mercy and grace. There is no reason that the vision of glory and beauty and healing shouldn’t happen here on earth before Jesus returns. This vision has to begin with each of us. We must continue to draw from the flow of God’s love and then let that love flow through us to others.  

Each day in every word and with every deed, our lives make a difference in this world of ours. May you know how important you are to God’s vision for His creation. May you believe in Jesus’ promises of never leaving or forsaking you, guiding you by the presence of the Holy  Spirit and filling your heart with peace.

          Lord, help us to know the love which flows from your throne and to believe in the promises of Jesus. Help us also to go into the world making disciples for you, allowing your love to flow from us. Amen

Pastor Rosemary DeHut

May 9, 2010

May 2, 2010

Agape Love

Psalm 148                    John 13:31-35

          Agape Love – some of you have heard of this type of love. For some it may be a new term. Some of you may have been the recipient of Agape love. Some may have been the one to give this type of love. Agape comes from the Greek language and it defines the kind of love that Jesus is commanding his disciples and you and me to have for one another.

          Jesus defines this love that the disciples are to have for one another - as unconditional, sacrificial, service oriented and outwardly focused. Agape is love that transcends the fickle nature of feelings, and is instead an act of the will. Loving in this way often means doing hard things such as forgiving, serving and denying one’s own desires in favor of the needs of another.

          Jesus goes on to define this Agape love even further, however, by adding the modifier “as I have loved you.” Keep in mind that this passage follows closely behind the passage which describes Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Remember this passage? Jesus is in the room with his disciples. “He (Jesus) got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.” (John 13:4-5)

          The Son of God kneeling before us washing our feet; feet which are dusty and dirty and smelly from a day of walking. And yet Jesus pours water into a basin, kneels down and takes our foot into his hands. He gently rubs the dirt of life off and massages that tired dirty foot, rinsing it and then lovingly dries it with a towel. This is Agape Love: unconditional, sacrificial, service oriented and outwardly focused. Should we not be loving in this same way?

          I just returned from an Emmaus weekend which began Thursday evening at 7:00 P.M. and ended Sunday evening about 7: 00 P.M. During that weekend 26 women learned about Agape Love. These 26 women came to the Grace United Methodist Church in Houghton, Michigan for a retreat weekend. None of them understood how loved they would be when they entered the church doors Thursday night. They understood clearly what being loved with the love of Jesus is, when they left those same doors Sunday night.  

          During their time at the retreat there were 55 other women in and about the church: cooking for them, cleaning bathrooms, decorating the dining room, sharing testimonies, leading them in singing, praying for them, running to the store to get whatever they needed, preparing snacks and leading them in discussions and guiding them in understanding the testimonies that were shared. There were many more people who were not at the church who were praying for them. Every hour of that 72 hour Emmaus weekend they were being covered in prayer. The weekend itself was the culmination of months of planning and preparation.

          This same kind of Agape love weekend had taken place at Grace United Methodist the weekend before this. 18 men from all walks of life discovered what it means to be loved by other human beings with the love of Jesus.

          This was all done because Jesus commands us to love one another. “Just as I have loved you,” he says, “you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35)

          For Jesus, the command to “love one another” implied that the disciples were to be servants of one another first. That way, they would find their mission of serving the rest of the world to be a natural extension of their way of life. First they learned to love on another, then they could show the world that same kind of love.

          Jesus would demonstrate his love to the fullest measure by dying on the cross, giving himself for the whole world. He would repeat this commandment in John 15:12-13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  

          For Jesus, Agape Love meant literally laying his life down for others. For us, Agape Love means laying aside our natural tendencies to have our own way, to prove our point, to be right, to retaliate when we’ve been wronged and to, ‘put ourselves first.’ What Jesus has shown us clearly is that if we are to love as he has loved, we must put ourselves last. Instead of insisting on our own way, we must insist on the way of Jesus in our living and in our loving. This type of love is difficult.

          It’s always fun to share what children think love is. Some of their insights on love are:

          “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate.”

          “Love is when you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more.”

          “Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.”

          “There are two kinds of love—our love and God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them.”

          “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”

          “My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night,”

          “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.”

          “When they crucified Jesus, God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but he didn’t. That’s love.”

           Coming home from a weekend of experiencing Agape Love and turning on the television was a shock to my heart, and I’m sure to the hearts of others as well. All the violence, anger, hate, and our becoming desensitized to the pain of others in our world grieves me greatly. I’m sure there are others who feel the same way.

          Life in our day and time is tough. Life in Jesus’ time was tough too. There was violence then. There was hate. There were people who insisted that their way was the right way. People were killed because they didn’t agree with the people in power. Judgment and death were everyday occurrences, with crucifixion being only one of the means of punishment.

          I think for a time, as Jesus’ followers began to be examples of Agape love and as the Christian church grew, the world became a more loving place, more sharing and forgiving. But our human tendency to sin soon crept in and abuses, even in the church, were seen again.

          Our nation, the United States of America was founded on the principals of Christian love. People leaving everything they knew to come across oceans in order to worship God as they understood worship to be. The first pilgrims felt that God was calling them to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) They felt God calling them to love others as Jesus loved them.  Unfortunately our human tendency to sin soon crept in and again abuses of power and selfishness took over. We need to pray for our nation and a turning back to God and the ways of love.

          So how do we love others as Jesus has loved us? What can we, in our little corner of the world, do to love others with Agape Love.

                   Know the life of Jesus. Spending time each day reading God’s love letter to us, in His Holy Word the Bible, is essential to knowing the love of Jesus. If we do not know how Jesus demonstrated loving one another, how can we live our lives as examples of that love?

                   Know the love of Jesus. If we have not given our whole life to Jesus, we do not know His amazing love. To fully know the love of Jesus we need to die to self. We need to allow Jesus’ love to overcome our natural tendencies to put ourselves first, to insist on our own way, and to retaliate instead of turning the other cheek. This is not easy. But if we are to love as Jesus loved, we first have to experience His overpowering, His cleansing, and His overflowing love. When we experience Jesus’ love and learn to forgive others as well as ourselves for the choices that have been made, then we can truly begin to love.

                   Know that we are accountable to Jesus. We will mess up. That’s a given. When Judas messed up he didn’t ask for Jesus’ forgiveness and he didn’t receive it. Judas could not forgive himself for his sin. Peter, on the other hand, also messed up in his denying Jesus. And yet Peter declared his love of Jesus over and over again. Jesus forgave Peter and Peter’s life became an example of Agape Love.

                   Our church family, this Body of Christ must be an example of Agape Love. How are we doing? If this church were to fold up and go away, would anybody in this neighborhood or in this community miss us? Have we loved our neighbors as ourselves? Have we loved one another and our neighbors unconditionally and sacrificially?  Can Jesus say to us, “You have loved others as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt. 25:21)

          Do you know how important you are to your creator God?  Each one of us is precious in God’s sight. God wants us to know how precious we are, how much he loves us and how much he needs us to spread his love to others. Jesus needs us, in fact commands us, to spread to our hurting and broken world this unconditional, sacrificial, service oriented and outward focusing love of God: This Agape Love.

                   Lord, you have loved me with love which is hard for me to understand—Agape Love. Help me to love others this way, so that others may know that I am your disciple. I pray in the precious name of Jesus, your Son and my Savior. Amen

Rev. Rosemary DeHut

May 2, 2010.

April 25, 2010

by Guinevere Whiteman

Who are you?

Anybody here old enough to remember the Lone Ranger?  A gang of outlaws, has ambushed a group of Texas Rangers, killing five of six of them. The survivor, barely alive, was nursed back to health by a Native American warrior. When fully recovered, that lone ranger donned a mask to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.  The Lone Ranger and Tonto, may have been the world's first costumed superheros.  We think of Tonto as the sidekick, but without Tonto, there would be no Lone Ranger.  What began as a radio program, ended as a TV series, that many of us watched as kids.  Remember the typical ending question?  Who was that masked man?  The question was always asked after the Lone Ranger had rescued someone, or righted some wrong.   

Today we phrase it a bit differently.  Today when someone does something unbelievable, we might look at them and say “WHO ARE YOU? 

A couple weeks ago, I was in Marquette visiting the granddaughters.  Josie who is about 50 pounds, can pick up Riley who is 30 pounds.  I am not talking, just lift him up and put him right down.  I’m talking, lift him up and carry him around the entire house without putting him down.  When she flexes her muscles, there is actually a big shaped muscle.  Well, big for a six year old girl.  I look at her and say WHO ARE YOU?  Most women in my family have NO muscle. 

Or  when I found out my daughter Jill is going to be a bone marrow donor for a complete stranger.  I say, WHO ARE YOU?  This can’t be my little girl, old enough to make a decision like that, old enough to save a life?

Native American Indian healers were the first people to use quinine, ipecac, vitamin C to cure scurvy, and the active ingredient in cocaine to relieve pain. They invented petroleum jelly, witchhazel, and many other ointments and salves. The world's most common laxative was also invented by Indian people. Many other pharmaceutical products originated from Indian cures.  We look at them and say WHO ARE YOU?  Certainly not the stereotypes from old Western movies.

Quite possibly after we became Christians, and our lives changed dramatically, maybe even our personalities, someone might have looked at us and asked, WHO ARE YOU?  It is important that people know not only who we are, but WHOSE we are.  Dorcas was well known for WHOSE she was and by WHO she was  Whose she was, was Christ’s, WHO she was, was a loving, caring, giving person.

Dorcas lived in Joppa, a seaport about 35 miles NorthWest of Jerusalem, on the Mediterranean Sea.  She only appears in 7 verses in the Bible, yet today there are charitable organizations named after her.

Here is a fictional account of the story of Dorcas written by Bob Goulding.  Hello, my given name in Hebrew is Tabitha but I am known by my Greek name Dorcas which is the Greek equivalent. You see I was born in Joppa which has a large seaport and many foreigners who speak the Greek language. My mother and father favored the name Dorcas because they said it matched my looks. Dorcas in Greek implies “the female of a roebuck” or “a gazelle.” My mother said I was long and thin when I was born. She would tell me that with my big beautiful brown eyes and smooth way of moving, I reminded her of a gazelle.

My father was a merchant who would buy cloth and materials from the ships that came from afar and dock at Joppa to sell their goods. My mother and her two sisters would then make clothes and coats from the cloth and we would sell them to the townspeople. From the time I was only four years old I was taught to make patterns, cut the cloth and sew up the pieces together. Mother said I had a natural gift from God and I should always use my gift to help others.

My father was a Godly man who obeyed all the laws. We always observed the Sabbath from Friday night to Saturday night and went to the temple without fail. He always tithed and taught me the joy of giving to the Lord and to appreciate the blessing we received from God.

From an early age my father would talk about Jesus; how he had been there on Passover when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and had actually met the disciple Peter before leaving Jerusalem. He would become so sad as he told us about how they had crucified the ‘Christ’ and then how He had risen the third day. Father would then read from the Torah and we would pray.

My childhood went quickly, but before a suitable marriage could be arranged there came a sickness upon Joppa and many people died including my mother and father then my aunts soon followed.

The following months were times of deep mourning until Philip the evangelist came to Joppa with his disciples. I offered my large empty home for them to use while they stayed at Joppa and began a church to worship the Christ. After I served the evening meal and they would allow me to sit and listen as they told about the coming kingdom of God. Philip had letters he said were written by the apostles telling about the teachings of Jesus the Messiah.

I had never heard such teaching as this and from that very moment I knew I wanted to be a part of this kingdom. I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to serving and helping others who were not as blessed as I was. From that day forth I gladly gave of my resources and talents to clothe and feed the poor of Joppa, especially those who joined our group to worship the ‘Christ’ but denied no one who came to me for help.

Philip spent much time disciplining me with the teachings of Jesus and I came to understand the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of mankind. O what joy I came to know as my understanding of God’s plan for my life came to fruition. My task took on a whole new meaning as I fashioned and made clothes for the needy. Our fellowship grew daily and my joy increased as my hands became busier with the Lord's work. Then one day as I was sewing I felt like I needed to lie down. The next thing I remember was hearing a man’s voice saying, “Tabitha get up!” I opened my eyes and saw a man kneeling beside my bed and I sat up. He took my hands and helped me stand and then called out to the people that they could come in.

I learned later the man was Peter the Apostle and that I had died but his prayer to the Father had brought me back to life. Imagine that I had actually died and been brought back to life! Well you can imagine the talk going around all over Joppa that such a thing could actually happen but it did and the fellowship grew so large we had to have a bigger building and there was twice as much work for me to do and twice as much joy and blessings.

Dorcas was probably considered wealthy, but based on the widows reaction to her death, she was unselfish in her helping.  We all have opportunities to share the gospel, to share God’s love, to do the right thing, to help,  to cause those around us to ask, WHO ARE YOU? 

Dorcas had helped spread the gospel while she was alive.  Her good works, and care of others, the poor and widows, showed God’s love.  She gave financially, and she gave of herself, her time and efforts.  Today, the Dorcas Society is dedicated to helping others.  But Dorcas death did not complete her mission.  After Peter raised her from the dead, this became known around Joppa, and many believed ini the Lord (42).  Her death, and second chance at live gave others the confidence to believe.  When we became Christians, we get a second chance at life, a chance to do something, a chance to be used by God.

Galations 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”.  1 Titus 6:18  “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”  Our good works testify about our faith:  they prove we are believers.  But our good works are not so that people can see how good we are, they are to Glorify God.  Mathew 5:16 says “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven”.

Once I was on a business trip to Pennsylvania.  I was staying at a Bed and Breakfast in a residential area.  I arrived on Sunday, and decided to take a walk in the afternoon.  I was wearing a T-shirt I had that had a cartoon trumpet on it, and one word, the word REJOICE.  It was very odd.  There were no cars on the street, parking or driving.  There were no other people outside.  Yet it was a beautiful May day, about 70 degrees.  I was admiring the flowers in front of one house, when someone came up the hill on a bike.  They stopped close to me and said “This is the day the Lord has made”.  I answered “We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  I asked him what the flowers were, they were Azaleas.  Then he told me, that he lived in that house with his wife, and if I needed ANYTHING while I was there, to come, and they would help me.  I thought.  WHO ARE YOU?  You stop a stranger and offer help.  I did not need their help while I was there, but I knew they would help if needed.

How many times do we step out of our comfort zone?  How many times do we do that unbelievable thing?  Sometimes, the kind thing we do, is nothing to us, but EVERYTHING to the person who received that kindness.  About 20 years ago, my husband and I helped a new friend with something.  About 5 years ago, she told me how much that had meant to her.  I didn’t remember the event.  I had to ask, what did we do?  Often when I meet someone who was affected by my parent’s ministry, they will share something my parent’s did.  I’m sure my parents had no idea, of the effect of their ministry.

May the love of our Lord and Saviour, be so evident in our lives and our actions, that people will say WHO ARE YOU?  And then you can share WHOSE you are.

Guinevere Whiteman

April 25, 2010

Message for December 3, 2009

Ruth meets Boaz