tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44487688279788909252024-02-06T18:47:47.063-08:00Preaching SisterDebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-15625049029291012002017-04-16T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-17T16:46:55.840-07:00He is Alive!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">How many of you came to church ready to celebrate?! (<i>raise hand) </i>All of us! Right? That’s why Easter is such an awesome day to worship…it’s all good news! for us…but what about originally? This day didn’t start out bright and shiny. It was dark and scary and sorrowful. The disciples were hulled up in the upper room, scarred for their lives, full of sadness that Jesus was gone, bitterness and resentment that he didn’t do what they thought he would, and remorse and guilt that they hadn’t been better to him at the end. It started out as an awful day…another day in the haze of grief where it still hardly feels real. That’s where the disciples started, so that’s where we will start our story today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was still dark when Mary left for Jesus’ tomb. We don’t know exactly why she was up in the darkness of night before the sun was even peaking over the horizon—maybe unable to sleep, maybe fighting nightmares reliving her friend’s murder, maybe sick to her stomach over all of it, or exhausted from tears but unable to find enough calm to sleep. Maybe instead of tossing and turning any longer, she goes to the tomb to spend a little time with Jesus in the quiet. Sure, he wouldn’t really be there…but she could touch his body…hold his hand, find some solace that she was near him in some kind of way. Mary is like a lot of us, she can’t move on or hurry through her grief, she has to sit in it. It may be hard or uncomfortable, but something is better than nothing. Memories are better than not having known him at all. Touching his cold hand would be better than grasping at the air or relieving that awful nightmare of watching him suffer and die. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only, when she gets to the tomb, and sees the stone rolled away. The story doesn’t tell us she got close enough to look inside—only that she saw that stone had been moved and, of course, she <i>knew</i> what had happened. She didn’t have to see the empty tomb to know he wasn’t there. The guards were gone. The stone was moved—someone had stolen Jesus. She’d have to figure out where they took him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mary was heartbroken, devastated that her friend was gone. She went to say goodbye again—to be near him in some way—yearning for just a few moments—maybe she wanted to share her heart, or rail against the cowards that did this to him, or just be together. Only he wasn’t there. How any of it could be real, and now, as if could get any worse, his body was gone. Who would do that? Couldn’t they offer any kind of mercy? But why would they? They ordered the death of an innocent man, beat him nearly to death, mocked him, scorned him, and then hung him on a cross to die. There was no mercy in life—why on earth would she expect there to be mercy in death? Wretched cowards have stolen his body—but why? and more importantly, where?! Where did they take him? And how could she get him back? There’s no way she could carry him alone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So she got the others. No sooner had she said the words, “he’s missing and I don’t know here they took him.” that Simon Peter and the beloved took off running. She knew they could help so she followed them back. The beloved had been at the cross until the end—he took with Jesus’ mother, Mary magdalene and the other Mary and then watched as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea laid him in the tomb. The beloved knew where Jesus would be—at least where he <i>should</i> be—where they laid him, and so he led the way to the tomb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only when they got there, he couldn't go in. He could see the burial clothes in a heap, but he couldn’t quite face the rest. But Peter had to go in—he hadn’t seen it yet—he hadn’t had to face Jesus’ limp body lying there in the tomb—so he went in—he had to see for himself. But Jesus wasn't there—-only the heap of burial clothes and then the face shroud—all neat and tidy. Had Jesus even been there? Was this the right tomb? They were sure he’d died, right? They said they saw him take his final breath—that they’d helped get him to Joseph’s tomb. It was real, so where was Jesus now? Mary must have been right—they moved him. But where? How would the disciples even find him? Who could help them? They’d have to go back to the others—-they’d need their help. They’d have to spread out and ask for help. But how would he convince them to get out. They’d all been so scared—unsure if they’d be the next one crucified. They hadn’t left the upper room since it happened—not until Mary said Jesus’ body was missing. But they’d have to risk it. They couldn’t just let him lie….wherever….they’d need to find him and soon…but how? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mary saw the men leave the tomb. She heard them say they’d need the others, but she wasn’t ready to go with them. She hadn’t slept in nearly two days and she just needed a minute to be where he was. So she walked over to the tomb, expecting to just go and sit and probably cry some more. Only it wasn’t what she expected. There were 2 angels there, right where they’d lain Jesus/ Maybe they would know something—-they asked her why she was crying—because Jesus was here and now he’s not and she didn’t know where they had taken him. Or how the others would find him. And before they could answer a man appeared—maybe he knew—maybe he’d seen something or someone and he asked the same question…why are you crying? Do you know? Did you see something? Please tell me. I just need to find him. I won’t bother you further if you just tell me where he is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rabboni!!! It was him. Really him! How did she not recognize him? But it’s him—he’s here! Thank God!! and he’s alive. He’s alive?! You’re alive! He’s alive!! That’s why you weren’t here, you’re alive!! But how When? What happened? How is it even possible?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Jesus is alive!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That’s the good news we celebrate today. That in the midst of our grief, our fear, and our confusion, Jesus lives. We may be convinced of all the awful things—that darkness wins, that liars, murderers and power players rule the land…but Jesus says no…he wins. He lives. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></i>He’s greater than sin and death and murder and betrayal. He’s greater than fear and doubt and all the worst things we do to one another. He lives. We’re doubters. We’re skeptics. We struggle to believe. But he’s there to prove us wrong. He is alive!! He is risen from the dead and he’s alive. Hallelujah!</span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-87532471131403638092017-04-09T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-17T16:50:52.847-07:00I Believe in the Life Everlasting<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> It’s a little early to be talking about the resurrection….at least in terms of Lent and Palm Sunday and Easter. And yet, I don’t think any of us need a spoiler alert…We know Jesus rises from the dead. That’s why we can handle the betrayal of Maundy Thursday and the suffering of Good Friday…because we know that’s not the end of the story. There’s Easter. There’s always Easter. There is always the hope and the promise that good things have the final say, not the bad things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Some of us try to rush through the stories of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We don’t want to be stuck in the darkness of death and suffering…we want the joy and light and celebration of Easter. So we are quick to highlight that death isn’t the end of the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And in many ways, that’s the essence of our faith in general…there is hope. There is life. There is light. There is joy. There is cause for celebration. There is Easter…there is resurrection. We know that darkness, betrayal, death and suffering happen. As much as we wish they didn’t, they still happen. And, because of Christ, we also know that light, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing and hope are possible. And not just possible, but plausible. And that almost makes the suffering tolerable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Off and on over the last 17 years, I have struggled with depression. It comes and goes depending on what life is handing me. Some bouts have been worse than others. And in one particularly bad season a few years ago, my best friend called every day. I’d ask if it would get better…would the depression stop and she would say, “Yes. I don’t know when but yes, it gets better.” And she has always been right. She could never give me a specific day and time to look to, but she knew it would get better. Why? Because the darkness and melancholy don’t win. Light and life stand victorious. How? Through Christ. He’s the victor. He’s the one who suffered it all and died and then on the 3rd day he rose again. And he didn’t just do that for himself. He did that for us. And he promises us that through him death and sin do not prevail. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m afraid I can’t make it all make sense, any more than I can make sense of God pre-existing all else and creating everything out of nothing…I won’t be able to rationally explain either, but I can say I’ve experienced life and hope out of the darkest and bleakest situations. I have found reconciliation and forgiveness possible when there was no reason they should prevail. And I have found, every time, that my depression wanes. It’s not scientific or methodical. It’s mysterious and heavenly. It’s beyond reason. Just like the resurrection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jesus dying on a cross and resurrecting 3 days later makes no sense. Let’s just own that. It makes no sense. It’s not plausible, but it was possible and it did happen. And we aren’t the only skeptics….even the disciples doubted. Luke 24 tells us, “They were terrified and afraid.” The women were afraid. The men were afraid. The disciples were afraid. The pharisees were afraid. It wasn’t something they expected. And it didn't make sense. And yet, in the midst of their fear they also found joy….if it was Jesus they saw, if it was Jesus they could touch, who sat down to break bread with them…then life after death was possible. The impossible could actually happen, and that was marvelous. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, with the disciples and others, we come to see and believe in a risen Christ. We believe in the resurrection. We believe in the resurrection of the body because so many have seen and attested to Jesus’ resurrection. Now, when we claim his resurrection, we also claim that through him we can be resurrected. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I want to stop there for a moment. I can’t tell you exactly what resurrection of the body looks like…some of us get hung up there…we imagine a resuscitation of our earthly bodies that looks something like the Zombie apocalypse. That’s not it. I may not know all the details, but I know that resurrection is not the same as resuscitation. And I know that we are restored to glory…not gory….<b>gLory</b>…the way we were created in perfect relationship with God, where our bodies weren’t sick, frail or broken. If we look to Jesus for insight, we will see that he was resurrection, not resuscitated…that’s why the 3 days matter. It means he was dead dead. Not just kind of dead. So when he was restored to life, it wasn’t because he’d had CPR. It was because God resurrected him. And as a resurrected man, he somehow looked different. Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize him, she thought he was the gardener. The men on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize him for 2 days. The disciples were terrified and afraid…they didn’t recognize him…something was different. Something where he could be known, but somehow looked different. So, we can infer for ourselves that something might also be different. We don’t know what age we might be restored to. We don’t know what shape our bodies will be in…but we know we will be healthy and whole. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Apostle Paul tells us this in his letter to the Corinthians: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>A rotting body is put into the ground, but what is raised won’t ever decay. It’s degraded when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in glory. It’s weak when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in power. It’s a physical body when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised as a spiritual body…And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can’t decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can’t die, then this statement in scripture will happen: ‘Death has been swallowed up by a victory.’” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 54)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We can imagine what we might look like. We can imagine what heaven might be like. But realistically, we don’t know for certain. We have the promises of scripture and we have our imaginations. Beyond that we have to look with hope for what will someday be. We don’t reside in the future. We live here. And here, in this moment, is the only moment we are guaranteed to live. So, let us live with hope. Let us live with light and life, and let us share that with those around us. We may be chained with sorrow, a reality this Holy Week is meant to acknowledge and embrace. Sometimes we face the hardest and darkest things, abandoned and betrayed. But that difficulty will not have the final word…for Sunday is coming. In that, there is always hope. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Amen. </span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-36255380427276520062017-04-02T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-17T16:56:29.315-07:00I Believe in Forgiveness<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>Lord God, I need you to fill me with your Spirit. Guide my thoughts. Give me the Words to share with your people. Help us to know your truth and be convicted. Shine a light of hope and forgiveness upon each of us. In Jesus’ name, amen. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>On Wednesday night, our friend, Andrew, was struck head-on by a drunk driver. His car was obliterated and he is in the ICU in critical condition. The drunk driver was reportedly fine. I’d be lying if I told you I hadn't had a few thoughts about what should have happened to the driver or how long he should go to jail….or even wished, at least just a little, that he might have some kind of pain, or be absolutely devastated by what he’s done to our friend. I’ve thought a good bit about justice. I want something in the cosmos to shift, even if just a little, so that it’s not just Andrew who is suffering. That only seems fair. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But then this annoying voice breaks in…one that says, “Do you really want someone else to suffer? Is that really showing God’s love? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And then I roll my eyes and think ….”No….” Sigh. I just want something to make it right for Andrew. I wish the accident never happened. I wish we could take it all away somehow. And somehow it seems that justice might be able to do that….to take some of the sting away. Maybe it wouldn’t be so awful if someone paid the proper price for his broken body. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And then that voice starts to break in all over again..this time with more clarity…he says, you want something to make it right, to heal things…and you think vengeance will do that? It can’t. It doesn’t have the capacity. Justice may balance the scales. But it can’t bring redemption or true healing, only God can do that. So, how about, instead of seeking justice in this, you seek God…and then God can help set things right…bringing light, hope, healing, and mercy to a terrible, heartbreaking situation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That voice makes it sound so reasonable…so simple and straightforward…like I should have thought of mercy and compassion and grace first. But justice really does seem like a decent answer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Think about it. The logic and the standards of the Old Testament were about justice and they make good sense. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. You hurt me. I hurt you. You cut my hand, I cut yours. You steal two loaves of bread, I want two back. You break my heart, I break yours. This is good logic. One for one. This is right and this is fair. It’s reasonable. It’s manageable. It’s consistent. And it’s obvious. One for one, two for two, ten for ten. Anyone should be able to follow that kind of rule. Right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Of course. But when Jesus steps in and pushes on these arguments, he sort of says I’m not really worried about the laws you know, I’m here to teach you something different. You see a man who slaps you on the face, so you’re ready to slap him back. He slapped you, you slap him. Not anymore. If you want to do it my way, you turn the other cheek. Don’t settle the score. Don’t be consumed by so-called fairness. Jesus takes the historical, and biblical teachings and turns them on their head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Why? Well, I don’t think it’s that Jesus is opposed to justice. I really don’t. This isn’t about letting all evil doers run free. I just think that he sees the bigger picture and knows that justice won’t heal our hearts. He knows it’s not simply about one for one or 100 for 100. Righting the world, or shifting the cosmos, or, really, simply helping our heart to heal when we’ve been lied to, betrayed, or hurt takes a whole lot more than justice. It takes mercy and grace. Jesus knew that. So he taught his people to live by grace, to extend the standard beyond the rules of justice and into the realm of God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One of the most powerful stories of grace and mercy was shared by Bishop Meadors years ago when I was in seminary. He was preaching and shared about a civil war in Africa where a woman had watched a soldier kill both her husband and her son, leaving her alone. Eventually, he was charged with war crimes and she sat through his trial and then his sentencing hearing. During sentencing, the judge asked if she had anything to say. She said she wanted part of his sentence to be to come and have dinner with her once a week because she had a lot of love left to give and, now, no one to share it with. And so that became part of his sentence, to share dinner with the woman whose family he had stolen, and allow her to love him and offer kindness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This woman took Jesus’ teaching seriously. Probably more seriously than many of us are prepared for. But you can’t deny that she got it. She saw beyond justice and into the realm of God. She knew that nothing and no one could bring her husband and son back. No form of justice could ever do that. But what she really wanted, was someone to love and share life with. Someone to talk about the day or the week. Someone to cook for. Someone to love. And so she showed God’s agape love to a murderer…one who, by all accounts, should have been counted as her enemy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Living Christ’s teaching is not easy, especially here. But, if we can muster the courage, it is worth it. It will look different for different people and different situations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> But, if it feels antithetical, unreasonable, or unwarranted…it’s probably the kind of forgiveness Jesus would like. Jesus isn’t really into the easy pass with those who are likeable. He pushes the limits with those who are impossible, hate-able, and infuriating. Jesus doesn’t want us to ignore the law. Instead, he wants us to live by the rules of God’s kingdom. Rules that require compassion, forgiveness, and grace. Rules that are immeasurably harder to maintain than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Years ago, I was talking about something with my sister. I don’t remember the specifics, only that I exclaimed, “It’s not fair.” In her infinite wisdom my sister said, “In the end we don’t want justice, we want mercy.” And immediately, begrudgingly, I knew she was right. In the end we do want mercy. We want forgiveness. We want redemption. We want something to make it better and that something has to be God, for only God can do more than we know or understand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(Communion.)</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-15802076397735481062017-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-17T16:53:00.564-07:00I believe in the Church<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:11-22">Ephesians 2:11-22</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> We are working our way through the Apostle’s Creed and today we are focusing on the line that says, “I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In essence, that whole phrase is what it means to be the church together. Let’s start with where most people get hung up: the word catholic. Lots of people read that and say, “I’m not pledging allegiance to the Catholic church.” Let me clarify, the fact that “catholic” is not capitalized means we’re talking about the universal global church, not the Roman Catholic Church. This isn’t a statement for one group of Christians and not the other, this phrase basically says, </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">“If we follow Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are the church, regardless of denomination.” </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> Said another way, I believe in a church that is bigger than my church or your church…the CHURCH, the Big C church includes all of us who follow Christ, regardless of where we live, what language we speak, what kind of music we use, or how long we stay in worship. We are part of the church, we aren’t THE church, but belong to the catholic…universal….global Church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We believe that church is Holy….not in the sense of holier than thou, or divine in and of ourselves. When we say Holy…we mean set apart for God. Holy as in belonging to God. The holiness of the church doesn’t come from us, it comes from God claiming us. We are holy because God chooses us and comes to dwell among us. The church….the people of God who follow Christ gathered together become a holy place—a dwelling place for God. And in being holy, we are reminded that the church is not ours. It is God’s. Our agenda and vision should not be dictated by our will, but by God’s will. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now this global gathering of the people of God is defined by something else….we are defined by Christ. Inherent to our identity as the Church is Christ’s Lordship over us. We’re not just any people getting together. And we’re not just people who love God. We are people who have come to know and love Christ as Lord and Savior and are learning to grow in that together. Now, others can come and visit, everyone is invited; we certainly want them to hear who Christ was and what he does for each of us, that message is not exclusive. But our identity as the Church is inextricably linked to Jesus. We are loved by him, led by him, and saved by him. And we are to seek to follow him with who we are and what we do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Together, we share in the Communion of Saints. Now, in the Bible, saints aren’t those who have been made whole in death, instead saints are those who claim and follow Christ. And they aren’t just the most holy or most righteous. Saints are all those who follow Christ. So, you are a saint, and I am a saint, and he is a saint, and she is a saint. We are all saints and together we share in communion…not just the Holy Meal of bread and juice, but the sharing of life…the ups and the downs, the good and the bad….we become a community together. That may seem like a no-brainer…something that could go unstated…but it’s incredibly important to know that community is inherent to being a follow of Christ…we don’t do faith and church on our own. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Being the community of faith….the gathering of saints means being there for one another. It takes on many forms. It looks like: </span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">calling someone who is grieving</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">taking someone fighting depression out to a meal</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> it might mean taking someone to an AA meeting so they don’t have to go alone</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">or making a meal for a family trying to get back on their feet</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">it means welcoming the stranger and taking time to get to now them</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">it might mean working on a home for Habitat for humanity</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">or showing up to do some dishes or laundry for a new mom</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">it might mean sharing a meal with the homeless man on the off ramp</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">picking up some groceries for someone sick at home</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">sitting and listening</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">sharing of yourself</span></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Being the church means working on relationships with each other. It means giving of ourselves, AND receiving the kindness offered to us. It means paying attention, being aware, noticing what’s going on, sharing love, joy and kindness. I think we know those things. And we live them in lots of ways….I’m not saying we are failing as a church. But I am saying we need reminders. We need to be encouraged to look around, to see who is here, and take the time to find out how they are….how they really are…because we can’t be the church if we don’t know the truth of their lives. Maybe things are going great and we can celebrate that with them. Or maybe things are falling apart and they need to know they aren’t alone. How are you being the church? How is God leading us to be the church together? Sometimes we talk about it as “being Christ” it means showing love, grace, and acceptance. How have you been Christ today? How will you be Christ this week? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Some of us have enough on our plate, we’re not sure we want more. If I’m barely holding on for me, I’m not sure what I might do for you. But, being the church also means receiving help, and sharing that we have a need so that someone knows to reach out in the first place. None of us are mind readers. We have to share what’s going on for people to be receptive. We can’t just get grumpy that nobody cared when we never let anyone know we were struggling. It’s ok to be vulnerable. It’s ok to not have it all together. Being a Christian doesn’t mean getting it all right and having it all together. It means being an imperfect human together with other imperfect humans, some of whom will fail us. Maybe our question is not “How will I be Christ today?” But instead, “How will I let someone else be Christ </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b>for</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> me today?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Christianity is not a private religion, it’s not individualistic…it is based in relationship and being together, sometimes despite ourselves. We can certainly do acts of faith on our own. We can pray on our own. We can fast on our own. We can even worship on our own. But we aren’t meant for that…we are meant for relationships and community. The church is dependent upon each of us. Without each of us, the church is not the same. The church, God’s dwelling place, needs our gifts, our calling, our talents, our knowledge, our heart, and our care for others in order to be healthy, vital, and fruitful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hezekiah Walker has a song called “I Need You to Survive.” It says: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I need you</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">You need me</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We're all a part of God's body</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Stand with me</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Agree with me</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We're all a part of God's body</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It is his will that every need be supplied</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">You are important to me</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I need you to survive <i>[x2]</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></i>When we say, “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, and the communion of Saints” we confess that we love and need Jesus AND that we need each other and are ready and willing to learn to love each other….to need one another, to care for one another, and do this life together…not because have to, but because God intends for us to be a gift to one another. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Let us pray. </span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-43187996683716306712017-03-12T09:28:00.000-07:002017-03-14T09:28:34.914-07:00I believe in Jesus<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Phil 2:5-11</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>5 </b>Let the same mind be in you that was[</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 30, 22); color: #631e16;">a</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">] in Christ Jesus,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who, though he was in the form of God,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> did not regard equality with God</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> as something to be exploited,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but emptied himself,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> taking the form of a slave,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> being born in human likeness.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And being found in human form,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> he humbled himself</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and became obedient to the point of death—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> even death on a cross.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Therefore God also highly exalted him</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and gave him the name</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> that is above every name,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so that at the name of Jesus</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> every knee should bend,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> in heaven and on earth and under the earth,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11 </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and every tongue should confess</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> that Jesus Christ is Lord,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> to the glory of God the Father.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe in Jesus…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Today we are taking a look at the second main portion of the Apostle’s creed and it is thick with significance. Last week’s single sentence about God: I believe in God the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth was short and sweet and still had at least 5 levels of significance. This week’s statement is much longer and even richer in meaning. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i>I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>who was conceived by the Holy Spirit</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Born of the virgin Mary</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Suffered under Pontius Pilate</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>was crucified, suffered and died</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>descended into hell.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>on the third day he rose again.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and will come again to judge the living and the dead. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There’s the story of the gospel summarized into 9 simple statements. And I’ll be frank, there is NO way we could adequately break it down in a single sermon. There’s just too much. The chapter of the book is great, and even still there are entire books that have been written about just one or two of these lines. To take all this on in one sermon is sort of like eating a protein bar….it’s nutrient dense, may not appeal to everyone, and isn’t really a meal you savor…but it’s good for you and worth having. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, for some of the statements, we’ll be focusing on what it underscores about who Jesus really is. For other statements, they’re more about who Jesus is not. They all make a specific and essential claim about his identity. And in doing that, they’ll also refute some amalgamation of the truth that was starting to spread in the first and second century churches. Now, remember I said last week, us studying the creed does not mean it’s a test for who’s a real believer and who isn’t. Everyone in this sanctuary will struggle with at least one part of this statement. That’s normal. It’s ok to wrestle. And even though the Creed serves as a counter voice to the heresies that doesn’t mean you’re a heretic if you struggle to be on board with all of it. It’s ok to question. it’s ok to doubt. Pushing on what it means and doesn’t mean, hopefully allows us to grow in our faith together and individually. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AND</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, Our Lord.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When we say Jesus = Yeshua = God saves, we believe he is the one God uses to <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>save us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Christ = Messiah = God’s anointed, he’s the one god has chosen and blessed to be <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>our leader. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>God’s ONLY Son = establishes part of the Trinity, there’s not another Divine Son, <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>ONLY Jesus. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our Lord = establishes Lordship over us</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was conceived by the Holy Spirit</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Christians claim Jesus to be both </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">fully human and fully divine</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">—we consider that true from conception…didn’t happen later, like at his Baptism, as some suggest. It’s true from birth. God brought about His life through the Spirit. God didn’t bestow holiness upon Jesus later. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A lot of people struggle with this one. It doesn’t make sense that an invisible Spirit could impregnate a young woman. We’re in the 21st century and we understand biology. They may have missed it 2000 years ago, but you can’t put one over on us. I get it, I’ve been in that camp before. But as a counter voice…think about last week and our discussion of God as creator (even giving credence to the fact that maybe God used the scientific processes like evolution to create…) God still created <i>ex nihlio</i> = out of nothing…if God could do all that…isn’t it at least somewhat conceivable that God did this too? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Born of the Virgin Mary</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b>In a similar way that it’s important to say Jesus is both fully human and fully divine and that the divine part is true all along. Over the years, Christians have found it necessary to claim Jesus’ humanity as true from birth. It’s not just that God walked on earth…but that God did so in human form…as a human. God didn’t just appear to be human….God was human and that humanness comes from Mary. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Suffered under Pontius Pilate</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Jesus lived and died in a particular time. He was a real man. And his real-life death took place under Pontius Pilate. He wasn’t mythological and made up. The importance of his story is not just the idea that God became flesh and lived among us, but that God </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">actually</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> did that. And we know his story because of those who talked and wrote about him and they place him in this historical time. Now, you might think it was just the gospels and the Christians that wrote about Jesus and if it’s only those that followed him that believe in him then maybe there’s an issue. And, theoretically, you might be right, but there’s also this big piece of how the gospel stories match and moved across time and the stories held true…it wasn’t like playing telephone, people stuck to the script, and that’s significant. But there were also others, outside of the Christian movement, who wrote about Jesus and told of his death under Pontius Pilate. Jesus was a real man and he was prosecuted by Pontius Pilate in the first century. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was crucified, died and was buried</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And his suffering resulted in his death. He hung on a cross on the hill of Golgatha and he died. This matters, both for what’s to come in the story and the creed, but also because many have argued that God could not die, so Jesus did not die, or maybe Jesus the man did die but God left Jesus’ body while he suffered and died. How could God be God and also die on a cross? The Creed pushes back and says, he was fully human, and fully divine….from birth….to death….both a man and God….the whole time. If Jesus died, then the part of God that was within him also died. God experienced all of life….birth and death….nothing is excluded. Which also becomes the counter argument to those who say God the Father is a sadistic jerk who somehow needed to make his son suffer so we could be forgiven. No, God is God who lived in Jesus who suffered as God, sacrificing and offering everything so we could be redeemed. God didn’t hurt someone else so we could be saved, God gave of God’s self so we could be saved. And that happens, in part, through his death on the cross. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He descended into Hell</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Over and over again, the creed points to the pieces of Jesus’ story that resonate with ours. Early Christians wanted to be very careful not to intimate that Jesus was somehow exempt from what we experience. That includes that he died and experienced death like we do, and he overcame death…telling us death doesn’t have the final word, God, does. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the Third Day he rose again</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus resurrected from the dead. That’s a pretty key piece to his story. Some might say that, too, is mythology. Yet he was seen by his disciples, and over 500 others. They saw him, they heard him speak, they touched him, and they ate with him. He wasn’t just a spirit moving among them…a ghost of one who had died. He was resurrected….raised from the dead….not resuscitated, but given life after 3 days of death. He overcame death, and all the darkness that comes with it. And he walked among us, in the flesh, on the third day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After he rose from the dead, he spent 40 days with his disciples and others, and then he ascended into heaven…he didn’t die again. His resurrected earthly body went to heaven, where he lives eternally with God the Father…two people…one nature…one God, together forever. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He will come again to judge the living and the dead</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We believe Jesus’ work isn’t done. He will come back to finish the restoration of humanity with and to God. And it will be by him and through him that we are judged, which isn’t something to fear, but something to embrace since Jesus always treats us with grace. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">transition to communion: </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jesus was and is an incredible expression of God among us. The things we’ve talked about today aren’t “church light”….they are thoughtful and powerful examples of what Jesus can mean to us. I hope you don't leave the ideas here. I hope you take them home, mull them over, check them out, push on them a bit to see what your own thoughts are….Who was Jesus? What did he do? And what difference does it make in your life? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I believe that he who was matters, even now. And I believe that it should change who we are, how we live, and how we love. I believe it affects what we will do next as we share in holy communion. As Christians, we believe communion is a means of grace…..a way God conveys grace to us. That doesn’t happen because we eat bread or drink juice, but because of who Jesus was and what he did for us. The bread and the juice simply become a symbol for what he did. In a way, when we come to the table, we are saying: </span></span></div>
<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">If I eat this, I'm eating more than bread</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">If I drink this I can experience forgiveness because Jesus was more than a man</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #232323; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">If I do this it's about more than hunger</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #232323; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">If I do this God might do something special in my life</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #232323; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">That something special is possible because of Jesus and all that he was and is and will be</span></span></li>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-31705278859013594892017-03-05T14:15:00.000-08:002017-03-06T14:15:43.970-08:00I Believe in God the Creator<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Children’s time:</b> cake ingredients to make cake from scratch</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What are these for? (baking) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">what might we make with these? (brownies, cookies, cake)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do we need anything else? (a pan, a spoon) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Can these ingredients make themselves into a cake? (no)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What else do we need? (a baker)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s right! Even with all the right supplies, we still need a maker…a baker…someone to create the cake and make it come out right. In a way, God is the great baker…or creator. God is the one who took all the separate ingredients and make the land and the oceans and lakes. God make the plants and the animals and then God made people. God had to put it all together in just the right way so that we could be here on earth like we are. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Genesis 1:1-5</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>In the beginning when God created[</i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 30, 22); color: #631e16;"><i>a</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>] the heavens and the earth, </i><b><i>2 </i></b><i>the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God[</i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 30, 22); color: #631e16;"><i>b</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>] swept over the face of the waters. </i><b><i>3 </i></b><i>Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. </i><b><i>4 </i></b><i>And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. </i><b><i>5 </i></b><i>God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">History of the Creeds</span></b></span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> We will be taking the next few weeks to study the Apostles’ creed and talk about what we believe as Christians. (Creed Slide)</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>creed: </b>noun \’kred\ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a statement of the basic beliefs of a religion; an idea or set of beliefs that guides the actions for a person or group</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Not “Apollo Creed”—slide of Apollo)—back to Creed Slide</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I understand that some may struggle with certain parts of the creed. That’s ok. This isn’t a litmus test. You don’t have to say you believe each line before you can be a United Methodist or a Christian. But it is important to know our common core and to push on it a little bit. Why do we believe it? What are the alternatives? And how might our beliefs affect our daily lives and actions. (Black slide)</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In studying the creed, it’s important to understand why it was written in the first place. The Christian movement was spreading all over the mediterranean and into Africa and as word spread, so did a variety of nuances about the Christian message. Some of the leadership felt like some groups/churches were getting too far afield and so they had to find a way to bring them back to a common center. They had the Gospels, and some of the epistles, but they were free to interpret them however they wanted. So, the church leaders began holding council meetings to try and decide on Creeds. The Creeds served as a keel…a center…a core of beliefs to which each church should be held accountable. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The councils deciding the creeds were a big deal. They were contentious and people died. Heretics were not tolerated. These statements weren’t decided on easily. The process was arduous and people staked their lives on the statements we will study. So, we should take the time to study them and learn the centerpiece of our heritage. The most common creeds spoken in the church around the world are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed and for most of us, they are so common, it hardly seems like an issue. Even if we don’t fully agree with every statement…we understand, to some degree, why it says what it says. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In the coming weeks, we’re going to dig deeper and connect with the most respected beliefs in our faith. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b>I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">(statement slide)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the first statement in the Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. In it, there are multiple truths that we maintain as Christians. </span></span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">We believe in God (slide)</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">We believe God is Father (slide)</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">We believe God is Almighty (slide)</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">We believe God is Creator (slide)</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">We believe in heaven and earth. (slide)</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>We believe in God.</b> (Slide) That’s our starting point. We believe in God. We’re here because we believe in God…we may not all know what exactly we believe, or if what we believe is right…but God is a given in Christianity. But God isn’t necessarily a given for everyone, right? There are plenty of people who don’t believe in God. I don’t want to try to prove that there’s a God. We could debate around that all day, probably all week, if not longer. But we do need to identify that the things we look at may be seen or interpreted differently by other people. Some of us look at the stars in the sky and stand in awe. (stars slide) We see the hand of God stretched across the sky. Others see the grandeur of the mountains and can only imagine there is someone greater even beyond the size of the mountains. (mountains slide) Others look at the tiny details and wonder how even the minutia could matter so much. (flower slides) But there is beauty and intricacy, not just once, but over (flower slide 2) and over (flower slide 3) again. We, as Christians, believe there is a God and that we can see God at work in a myriad of ways. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe we inherited that belief from our parents or grandparents, or maybe we’ve had experiences that confirm the existence of God for us. But this much is true. We believe in God. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>God is Father. </b> God is in relationship to us. God is personable. God is knowable. God is relatable. And while we’re all inclined to lay the identity of our own father over top our view of God the father, it’s important to know that God as father had a particular connotation in the biblical times, which may or may not line up with our notion of father. God as father meant:</span></span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">provider</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">protector</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">authority</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">the father passed on his trade, so he was also:</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">teacher</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">mentor</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">role model</span></span></li>
</ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As a son, you learned your father’s trade and worked with him until you could continue that work on your own to provide for your own family and in turn, teach your own son. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God as Father means God is one we know, love, and spend time with. God as Father means provider and teacher. God as father means One we mold our lives after—in all the best ways. God is not distant and removed—beyond us or our experience. God is family—known and loved—within our reach. And if God is father, then we are children—all of us—we are the Father’s beloved children and that becomes a defining factor in our relationship. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>God is Almighty. </b>God is powerful. If we look in the scriptures we see God has the strength to move mountains. God can calm the storms of the sea. (slide of storm) God can count the hairs on your head. God can breathe new life into a valley of dry bones. (black slide) God is not weak, incompetent or impotent. In the face of the world, our problems, and our failures, God is infinitely able. God is powerful and able to intervene and act on our behalf. Obviously, we haven’t mastered how to invoke that power, but the truth we fall back on is that God is capable of action—not limited in the ways we are. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>God is creator. </b>Now, we get to the most contentious piece of today’s statement. God is creator. That’s a judeo-Christian belief. It comes right out of the chapter from Genesis that _________ read this morning. God is creator. Well, ok…but if we claim that…if we believe that…do we have to believe that God did that creating in the time frame described in Genesis? Were they 24 hour days? If so, is the world really younger than 10,000 years? Or did God do God’s creative work over billions of years using the means described by science? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>United Methodists, as a denomination, lean toward the latter. We claim God is creator and that the sequence of the creation story falls in line with the order outlined in science. And while we hold to the scripture view of God as Creator…that’s not to refute science but to highlight that if God is creator, then we are created—intentionally designed and made by God. And that, too, defines our relationship with God and with each other. We are created beings connected to all of creation and responsible for its care. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>We believe in Heaven and Earth. </b>We believe there is a dwelling place for God called Heaven and a dwelling place for us called Earth. (Heaven Slide) And we believe that Heaven is the place we go after death…that there is hope for the future. But beyond that, Heaven is the place that is the fulfillment of all that God desires. Heaven is peaceful, it is just, it is joyful, loving and grace-filled. Heaven is the standard to which we aspire for our life on earth. (earth slide) And Earth is the place God gifted us, where we are invited to grow in grace and fulfill all that God has dreamed for us. (black slide)</span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-56285838817359266572016-12-20T10:45:00.000-08:002016-12-20T10:45:29.951-08:00Who Me?<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>30 </b>“Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to wonderfully bless you! <b>31 </b>Very soon now, you will become pregnant and have a baby boy, and you are to name him ‘Jesus.’ <b>32 </b>He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of God. And the Lord God shall give him the throne of his ancestor David. <b>33 </b>And he shall reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom shall never end!”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>34 </b>Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>35 </b>The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you; so the baby born to you will be utterly holy—the Son of God. <b>36 </b>Furthermore, six months ago your Aunt[</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 30, 22); color: #631e16;">a</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">] Elizabeth—‘the barren one,’ they called her—became pregnant in her old age! <b>37 </b>For every promise from God shall surely come true.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>38 </b>Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.” And then the angel disappeared.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The last couple of nights have been rough for our son, Steven. He’s been restless and fussy and mostly just wants to be held…all night. Those aren’t my favorite nights as a mom. I love my kids but I love sleep and my own space in the middle of the night. Lucky for my kids, I love them more, so when they struggle, or can’t sleep, or are sick, they win out. So, Steven and I have snuggled a lot. Like all the time. Which sounds lovely if you think you’re just holding a sweet sleeping baby….but it’s not like that, he’s squirmy and fussy and wants to keep eating and eating—mostly for comfort, I think. And while they’re not the nights I love or the nights I thought I was signing up for when I became a mom, they are part and parcel of the mom-job. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Every mom deals with sleepless nights, sick kids, interrupted meals, constant chatter, boogers, spit up, diapers, throw up, tantrums and the like. It’s part of the gig. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But then there are moms who are forced out of the norm and into the unimaginable. There are far too many moms who have to face something terrible or tragic or tremendous—far beyond the normal… What about when you have a child who can only eat through a g-tube? or who spends countless days in the hospital? or must undergo chemo or radiation? or is hurt in a major accident? or battles more than every day bullying? What about when you face the sleepless nights not because <i>they</i> can’t sleep but because their day to day reality is harder than it should be, worse than anyone should have to deal with? What about when you’re the mom who doesn’t make enough to put food on the table? or confronts sleeping on the street rather than living with an abusive partner? What about when you’re a mom in a war torn country? stuck in a part of the city that’s overrun with terrorists who won’t even let you out when help is available simply because of hate and spite? What about if you’re the mom who carries her child on her back for days simply to reach a doctor who might (or might not) be able to tell you what’s wrong and causing his illness. What do you do when you’re one of those moms? Or maybe worst of all, what about when you’re the mom who has to lay her baby to rest, not comfortably in a bed, but in the earth? These aren’t the “normal mom things” and yet, sadly, there are so many mommas facing the abnormal that we might begin to believe that it is normal. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There are countless moms who face the extra-ordinary, not because they want to, or because they chose to, but simply because they have to—-it’s what life handed them. (Please don’t mistake me for saying God dishes out all those things. I think there are sicknesses and circumstances that happen outside of God’s desire—things I often summarize as “life”—part of being human, but not part of what God wills for us.) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All too often, when we watch the news or hear about the unimaginable realities parents are facing, we think, “I just couldn't do it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And we may not want to. We certainly wouldn’t choose to, but we could do it. No, we wouldn’t sign up for it. No one does. But the reality is you do what you have to do and if you had to do it, you would. Not just the moms, but the dads too, if you had to do it, you would…whatever <i>it</i> is. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> I think all of us deal with the unexpected. We may have an idea of what motherhood is, or parenting is, but there’s so much more…the unanticipated…sometimes the tragic, terrible and tremendous. There’s all the things that would have given us pause. Had we known ahead of time, we may not have signed up at all. But once you’re in, once you’ve held your child and loved them, your threshold goes up…you’re willing to do all kinds of things that were unthinkable in your single days. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I love the song, “Mary Did You know?” I think it speaks to the interconnectedness of Jesus’ birth and his death. You really can’t tell the story of either one without somehow relating to the other. But the reality is Mary had no idea. Can you imagine if she’d known? As she held her precious baby boy that one day he’d be murdered for crimes he didn’t commit. Chosen to suffer on a cross instead of a known criminal. You think she had any idea of those things and didn’t do more to stop it? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I mean, I’m not Mary, and I’m not the chosen one—but you can bet that if I thought my son was going to be murdered, I’d get the heck out of dodge—-I don’t really care what the justifications might have been. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mary didn’t know everything that lay before her or her son, but she still said yes. It wasn’t all spelled out with a bow on top, but she still said yes. She agreed to do what God asked even though she had no idea what on earth that would entail. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mary wasn’t extraordinary. She wasn’t better than any other woman. But she became extraordinary through baby steps of faith that allowed her to ultimately stand at the foot of the cross and watch the horror of her son dying. But that came from 33 years of watching him become the Man of God he was. If you’d asked her on day one, there’s no way she would have consented. She simply trusted God and kept on trusting God one day at a time. I’d bet good money she questioned and doubted and wondered what God was thinking along the way. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Think about it. The first part of this story leaves her pregnant by someone other than her husband, Joseph, which left her as a good candidate for stoning. Joseph was led to act with grace, but what about her family? her parents? siblings? friends? neighbors? She stood to lose a lot as she sought to be faithful to her calling. And so her best bet was to head out of town for months to avoid the gossip, threats, and ugliness. Being God’s chosen one wasn’t easy—not even on day one—and yet Mary stuck with it. Maybe because the good days outweighed the bad, or maybe because she had to choose faith or she would have wound up with despair. Or maybe a mix of both. The gifts of a baby…the sweet smell, the tiny fingers and toes, the adorable little sounds, the love and snuggles can overpower the greatest trials. There’s something about a precious baby that softens the blows of evil. There’s something redemptive just in their presence. And maybe that’s what kept Mary holding on, despite the unknown, despite the early threats from Herod and the need to flee, as a refugee, into Egypt. There’s something about a child, your child, that will make you say yes to all kinds of crazy things. They inspire you to hope for better times, to persevere through devastating trials, and to laugh when all you wish to do is cry. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mommas around the world hold something sacred in common—they hold love…deep abiding love that is beyond all reason. And they hold hope…for a better tomorrow, for their children, for the world. And that hope will give you the courage to stand in the face of unspeakable evil. And it will give you the faith to keep saying yes to God, one step at a time. </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-6504061887301711512016-09-25T10:38:00.000-07:002016-09-28T10:38:10.456-07:00Not Who You Might Think<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Zaccheus is a tax collector.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">We’ve heard about them before…it was 4 weeks ago when we heard about another tax collector, Levi,…they’re sinners.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">They’re liars and thieves…they take from their own, skimming off the top before they pay Rome….or rather, inflating the amount due, before they hand anything over to Rome.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">These guys are bad.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Do you remember Levi?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The one who was supposed to be a priest?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The family failure who not only didn’t become a priest, but became a crook?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Well, it’s another one of him.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">And we all know about them. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We really don’t need much more explanation at this point…Zaccheus was a tax collector… that means, he was a sinner of the worst kind. (sigh) another one of <i>those</i> people that Jesus decides to go hang around with. And not surprisingly when it happens, everyone around them, balks saying, “seriously?!? A sinner?!” Three years into Jesus’ ministry and it still doesn’t make any sense…why would this guy, this rabbi, this man of God, insist on wasting his time with the sinners.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, while the crowd might not get it…we do. We understand who Jesus is…he’s the one who forces us out of our comfort zone to deal with people we normally leave out of our inner circle. We might not like it, but we get it. But, if we dig a little deeper into the text, I think we might find something all together different. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The scripture tells us that after Jesus calls him from the tree and invites himself over for dinner, Zaccheus tells Jesus he’ll give half of what he has to the poor and pay back anyone he’s cheated 4x’s the amount. Now, that seems appropriate seeing as how he’s a lying scumbag. But, there’s actually another way to look at it…2 ways actually. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#1 Think about what Zaccheus is offering to do. He’s going to give HALF of what he has to the poor. AND THEN he’s going to give 4x’s what he owes to anyone he owes anything to. Now, either he’s an incredible investor and grew the money he took from people in some incredible ways…all before the stock market or flipping real estate. OR…he’s actually been a reasonably decent guy such that he hasn’t defrauded many people…so he’s willing to take the risk of offering 4x’s what he does owe. MAYBE Zaccheus isn’t as bad as we thought.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>or #2 there’s a translation issue from the Greek to the English. Most of our translations say he “<b>will</b> give and <b>will</b> payback”. But the way the Greek is, there’s actually the possibility that it says “I’ve </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">been giving half </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">of what I have to the poor and h</span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">ave been giving 4x’s </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">what I owe to anyone I’ve defrauded.” He <b>has been </b> doing these things…and, by translation, will continue to do these things…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, it’s not that he’s some marvelous convert who has a big come to Jesus moment and his life is changed (and we all scoff under our breath doubting that anything will <i>really</i> change for him). But instead, it’s this guy that we’ve <i>known </i> was a sinner…a liar and a thief who doesn’t turn out to be any of those things. We’re forced to immediately re-evaluate him for all the things we thought we knew…but really, then we have to re-evaluate us…because now we have to admit we are prejudiced. And that recognition hurts. We judged him based on superficial things…things we <i>thought</i> defined his character. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m sure none of you have ever made assumptions about someone, believing you knew them, or at least knew enough, because you knew a certain something. Well, since I’m normally one of the lead sinners in a congregation, I’ll just own it. I’ve dealt with racism, sexism, homophobia, size-ism, classism, and age-ism…and that was just last week! I’d like to laugh and say no, but, honestly, if I were to think about it, I’m sure I’ve pre-judged someone in each of those categories in the last 7 days and that does not make me proud. I’ve worked for years to deal with my prejudice that you’d think I’d be a lot further along than I am, but what can I say? I’m a work in progress. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We all learn to make these quick superficial judgments very early on in life. In elementary school the kids make judgements based on gender. The girls think the boys couldn’t possibly be fun to play with and the boys make the same assumption. Hopefully after a few years in class they start to see a little differently but then they adopt other judgements and classifications for one another. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In high school we had about 550 students. And there were 4 main buildings that sat around the quad. During break time you could find certain crowds of people in certain areas. There were the preppy people, the nerds, the indians, the druggies, the cowboys, and the Mexicans. Our titles were about as sophisticated as our judgements. And most of us thought we knew people based on where they stood around the quad and the title that gave them. And, sadly, for us, no one really tried to challenge the titles or the assumptions. I had to wait until college to be challenged on what I thought I knew about people. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I am not proud of my prejudice, but I share about it to let you know you’re not alone, and to say that it’s worth confronting, every time it comes up. When we make superficial judgments based on limited facts, we’re setting ourselves up for prejudice. Before I started at UCLA, we had an on-campus orientation and were placed in various groups. I don’t remember a lot of people from my group, but I do remember Miguel. He was a Mexican with long dark hair in a pony tail, thick glasses, and what cholo clothes…he was a gang member from East LA. At least that’s what I surmised from my 30 second assessment of his outfit and his hair. To be fair, he was actually from East LA, but he wasn’t a gang member. Now, it took me awhile to learn that since I was automatically fearful since I thought he was in a gang. But eventually we started talking and got to one another. Turns out Miguel had never been in a gang. His dad was a chef and his mom was a housekeeper. Miguel was smart and caring and one of the most tender-hearted people I had ever met. Apparently my snap judgment was a little amiss. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And, to highlight the irony of my prejudice, after we graduated, Miguel went to work for the Mayor of LA on his gang reduction task force. Miguel finds creative and fun ways to engage area youth to find connection and value before they get into the gangs. They’ve shown incredible success with their program…so much that he’s been sent around the country to train others and now he is in Honduras, where there is one of the worst gang problems world wide, training people and beginning to bring peace, and hope, and light into those communities. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lots of times we make snap judgements, and Jesus challenges us to see people diffferently. He is always drawing us into the deeper story and helping us see that what we <i>know</i> on the surface isn’t actually the whole story. If we want to know people…we have to spend time with them, we have to get to know their story. People are surprising. They’re rarely everything we think they are…whether that’s kind and prim and proper because we see them well dressed and well spoken, or whether that’s rough and mean and aggressive because they look dangerous, or whether that’s lazy and a drunk because they’re dissolved and spent the night on the street. People are more than they appear and Jesus wants us to know that. He models what it looks like to spend time with people…even the people everyone else scoffs at, because he knows that time together is the key to relationships that change us and grow us into better people all around. </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-16905253933794352452016-09-18T10:42:00.000-07:002016-09-28T10:43:04.258-07:00The Spirit of the Law<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sermon Notes</span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">teaching on the sabbath in the synagogue</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">woman who has been ailing 18 years (much like the bleeding woman who suffered for 12 years)</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">She didn’t do anything more than “appear” and Jesus told her should would be healed</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">too often we get hung up thinking we have to do so much in order to earn Jesus’ healing, but instead he simply offers it….it is a gift of grace. It’s free. It’s unmerited. Unearned. And his gift comes before any action on her part. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He heals her, touches her, and she is able to stand up and the only thing that came to mind for her to do was to praise God and worship. 18 years of staring at the floor and dirty feet and finally she can stand up and move….of course she praised God. And there in the middle of her worship, interrupts the synagogue leader</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Hey, wait a minute, you can’t heal on the sabbath, that’s work! you’re breaking the law! </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">explain Sabbath Law</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Exodus 20: <b>8 </b>Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. <b>9 </b>Six days you shall labor and do all your work. <b>10 </b>But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. <b>11 </b>For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.</span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">this is a big deal and by all accounts Jesus did work and thus broke the law…but he clarifies something…which for me sheds light on sabbath law as a whole. </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He pushes back on the synagogue leader and says don’t you take your animals to get water…you do the work of untying and retying them? So, you work, in order to preserve life? </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">So, when I “worked” to preserve this woman’s life, I wasn’t really breaking the sabbath law…I was fulfilling it…I was giving life, restoring life to someone…which is the whole intent of sabbath law in the first place. Right? </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">and the leaders while maybe humbled a little, were not willing to admit they were wrong. Instead they turned to the people…the other sick people who were ready to be blessed, touched, and restored to health by Jesus and he says, “all of you, get out of here. there are 6 other days of the week that you can be healed and fixed…pick one of those!” </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Clearly this guy has missed Jesus’ point. He’s so hung up on what’s “right” on what’s “lawful” that he misses the opportunity to see God at work in Jesus, redeeming, healing and restoring. </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">UNFORTUNATELY, he’s not the only one who gets hung up on such things. in the midst of witnessing grace, we often like to argue too. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">not when it’s for us of course, but when it’s for others and it breaks our rules or challenges our beliefs </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">What about when we’re asked to serve a meal to the homeless on our family day?</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">or when a pedophile is allowed to worship? </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or</span></span></li>
</ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Grace interrupts the norms, it breaks the rules. We like to think of it as sweet and beautiful and something we would all accept willingly. But the reality is, grace is something given freely to those who don’t deserve it. </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">a gift given freely <b>to those who don’t deserve it</b>. </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">we tend to be ok with good things coming to good people, but what about when good things happen to “bad” people? to people we think don’t deserve it? or worse yet, to people we KNOW don’t deserve it? </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">when blessings fall on the mean-spirited and the unkind, what do we say? </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">THAT’S NOT FAIR!!! That’s not right. </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">you’re likely sitting there wondering, “does she think good things should happen to bad people?” Are you saying we supposed to go out of our way for people who don’t deserve it? </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">well, yes and no. It’s not exactly me speaking…but that is Jesus’ way. He is regularly looking for the outsiders…the “bad” ones, the rule breakers and doing good things for them…even though they don’t deserve it. And if we’re supposed to be imitators of Christ, then logic would follow that we are supposed to do that same thing. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s counter intuitive, I know. And it doesn’t mean we don’t do good things for those who do deserve it. But the call to offer grace isn’t about simple and sweet for the people we love, it’s about stepping out to bless someone who is an outsider (to us or to others). </span></span></li>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">in practical terms it can mean stopping on the side of the road when we’re on our way to </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">our</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> thing to help someone in need</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">it can be helping to cover the groceries in the check out line </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">it can be inviting the co-worker who’s always a pain to the bbq at our house</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">it can mean offering shelter to a refuge</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">it can mean sharing a meal with a hard-hearted family member</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">it can mean giving up our special coffee to buy someone a meal</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">—> sometimes we’ll know how deserving (or not) the person is, and sometimes it’s all left in God’s hands. But it’s not about us knowing “hey, you’re not worthy, I’ll pick you to bless”. But it is about being open and receptive to the movement of the Spirit so we can be about God’s kingdom creating work of offering grace—even when it’s inconvenient, even when it breaks our rules, even when the person doesn’t deserve it…probably most especially when they don’t deserve it. </span></span></li>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-18214845557355230532016-09-04T10:40:00.000-07:002016-09-28T10:43:21.863-07:00You Don't Know the Cost<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This scene is early in Jesus’ ministry.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He’s eating with a Pharisee and we don’t know where the Pharisee stands in regard to Jesus. We don’t know if he likes what Jesus is doing or doesn’t like it. We don’t know why he invited Jesus…was it to trap him or just to get to know him and see what this guy was really all about? </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Pharisee, named Simon, invites Jesus to dinner and the scripture tells us they were reclining…that tells us this was a formal dinner—maybe a sabbath meal—so Simon would have or should have prepared the very best for his guests. Now, as part of this formal meal it would have been customary to wash his guests’ feet—well, not him, but a servant, and the host would have greeted his guests with a kiss and would have anointed their foreheads with oil. It showed hospitality and respect. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Imagine it in the modern day—you invite over someone of prestige, not a friend or a colleague, but an uppity up—say, the mayor, and when he gets there, he knocks and instead of opening the door you just show, “it’s open.” He comes in, you say a quick hello and then you leave him to himself. You don’t offer to take his coat, or show him a place to sit, or offer to get him anything to drink. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, is that the end of the world? No. But is it really bad manners? Yes. Maybe not with friends or family, but with a prestigious stranger? Yes. Simon missed the mark here. Nevertheless, Jesus was very gracious—he just let it go—he sat on the cushion to eat with his dirty feet and dirty hands. Maybe he gave Simon the benefit of the doubt and just assumed he was distracted. I mean, everyone in the room knows it’s weird, but they just played along. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That is, until this woman comes in—this sinful woman. We don’t know what she did, only that she’s a sinner. Some people assume she’s a prostitute but the scripture never says that. She isn’t named. So she could be any woman who has committed any number of sins. She comes in and goes straight to Jesus and begins washing his feet—not with a bucket of water, but with her tears. And not using a towel, but instead using her hair. She’s washing his dirty, dusty, unwashed feet with her tears and her hair. Now that may take us back a little, but in the first century it would have taken everyone back a lot. You see—women wore their hair covered—all the time. and the only ones to see their hair were their husbands. To uncover your hair was a sensuous thing and there she did it in front of Jesus and everybody. and then she caressed Jesus’ feet as she wiped away her tears. The scene has just gone from awkward to a bit scandalous. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let’s go back to our modern scene—our mayor is sitting awkwardly holding his coat in his lap, with nothing to drink and this woman comes in and pours him her finest wine, takes his coat, and then begins massaging his shoulders. To say it simply, things are getting a little weird. Taking his coat would have been one thing but massaging his shoulders pushes the boundaries of decorum. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So the host intervenes, “Wait a minute! Just what do you think you’re doing?! How dare you?!” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So Jesus shifts the conversation. He tries a back door approach to help Simon understand what is happening. He asks this question: There are two debtors—one who owes 50 denarii and one who owes 500. (a denarii was worth about a day’s wages…so one owes 2 months wages and one owes a year and a half…say, one owes about $4500 and one owes about $60,000)—both are forgiven their debts….who do you think is more grateful? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Simon answers easily…the one who owed more. Of course. But Jesus’ question wasn’t really who was more grateful….the question was actually who showed more <i>agape</i>—who showed more selfless, abundant love? The one who had the greater debt. Who showed greater, more abundant, selfless love? The one who had the greater debt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ok, now, look at this woman….she has washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and anointed my feet with oil. You’re scandalized and insulted, but look at what she did…what did she do? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do you know? What did she do? She showed great <i>agape</i> love. Simon, you’re so consumed with what you know she did in the past that you can’t see who she is now. You know she broke the law and you have that marked in stone above her name. Her sin seems to trump her person for you. But you know what? You’ve missed what has happened…along the way, when you weren’t watching, she repented and has been forgiven…it’s already happened, her sins are in the past, washed away by the forgiveness she received. Today, she’s not earning my blessing. She’s not making the sins of the past right, she's saying thank you….wholly and fully with a sign of God’s love. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How many of us have been a bit like Simon? We know the sins of the past and for some people that’s all we see…their record of wrongs. So when they claim their faith or sing praise to the Lord, we look on with disdain thinking, “mmm…hmmmm, how dare you? I know what you did. You’re a sinner.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And Jesus comes in gently and encourages us to look….not just with our eyes but with our hearts. Do you see? Do you know? Their faith and their praises…that’s because of gratitude. They aren’t pleading for forgiveness, they’ve already received it and are saying thank you. You’re hung up on what once was and what they did back when, but they aren’t who they were. Today they’re redeemed. They’re forgiven. They’re saved. Don’t stand with scorn. Stand with praise. And know that if you’re burdened by your own sins. If your heart is heavy with shame, there is forgiveness for you too. You don’t have to earn it. You just have to claim you want it and I’ll forgive you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After explaining things to Simon, Jesus turns to the woman and says, “You’re forgiven. You’ve been saved—you’ve been redeemed and made whole. Now, go in peace.” In essence, he’s confirming, you really are forgiven, don’t worry about what this guy says, or the next, or the next. People may try and hold the sins of the past against you. they may not want to see who you’ve become. But don’t look to them, look to me and trust, you are truly forgiven. You are redeemed and made whole. Now, go in peace.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And the same is true for us, once we’ve been forgiven, we find our new identity in Christ. It doesn’t matter what other people think. It doesn’t matter if they’re still keeping tally of the past. Jesus tells us we are forgiven. We can go in peace. Thanks be to God. </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-86014137395671581642016-08-21T10:40:00.000-07:002016-09-28T10:47:03.818-07:00The Power of Healing<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When we read the scriptures, it is often important to take a look at what stories come before and after the one we are focused on. They can often give us extra insight about the current passage. That’s true today. The passage right before this is about Jesus healing a leper. The man is sick and spiritually/ritually unclean. He would have been a social outcast because of his wounds. And he approached Jesus and said, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” To which Jesus replies, “I do choose. Be made clean.” And then Jesus told him not to tell anyone. Jesus was sort of a comedian sometimes. I mean really, you tell a man who was physically sick…has sores on his body—and is not allowed to have normal social interactions who is now healthy and allowed to be with people to not say anything about what happened. Come on. That’s just not fair. People would have noticed. They would have asked him. They would have talked about him with or without information about what really happened. And so word spread. People started talking about Jesus and becoming more and more interested in him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And now we come to today’s passage where Jesus was teaching—surrounded by a large crowd of Jewish leaders—not just locals but from all over—(Galilee in the north, Judea in the south, and Jerusalem—the religious center). The whole house was packed—the fact that it was at a house indicates that it probably wasn’t a formal teaching, otherwise they would have been at a synagogue—but there they were and word was out. Jesus was a teacher AND a healer. Maybe they were asking about the leper and how he healed him. at this point in the Gospel of Luke, there wasn’t a whole lot to be talking about…we have his birth story and the flight to Egypt, we have John the Baptist talking about Jesus and then baptizing him. We have the temptation in the desert and then Jesus calling the first disciples. Those are big events in our minds, but probably wouldn’t have mattered much to the masses at that point in Jesus’ life. And yet, something drew them to him and had them filling every square inch of that house. And it seems likely that that something was the story of Jesus healing the leper. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Then we see these 4 men who brought their friend to meet Jesus. He’s on his bed and he’s there to be healed. Only they couldn’t push through the crowd. So they did what any reasonable friend would do—they climbed up on the roof—opened it up and plopped him down right in front of Jesus. Make no mistake, these friends wanted their friend to be healed and they were pretty convinced that Jesus was the man for the job. And Jesus apparently saw that in them since the story says, “because of <b>their</b> faith, he healed the man.” Well, technically, he forgave the man. He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, some might ask, “Why did Jesus forgive the man, when what he needed was to be healed?” The statement sort of indicates there’s a connection between forgiveness and healing. But making that connection can be a bit of a slippery slope since we begin to wonder…does someone always have to be forgiven before they can be healed? (The answer to which is no…we find that right before this passage in the earlier part of Luke 5 when Jesus heals the leper and there was no mention of forgiveness or sins.) and the other question that arises is “Is the man’s paralyzation a punishment for his sin?” We don’t have the direct answer for that right here in the scriptures, but we have it lots of other places…Jesus came to heal, to restore, to forgive and to save…not to condemn. There are no scriptures where Jesus says, “Hey, you’re a sinner, you should suffer.” Not one. So let’s not read too much into all of this and go around thinking that sick people are the worst sinners. I’m sure we all know someone wonderful who has suffered far more than their share, and on the opposite end, I’m sure we also know someone not so wonderful who could afford to suffer a little more. (at least in our estimation). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ok, so back to the task at hand…”Why did Jesus start with forgiveness when what the man needed was healing?” I think the answer is two-fold. 1) The scripture suggests there is a connection between forgiveness and healing. Forgiveness isn’t always tied to healing, but apparently, sometimes it is. And, 2) Jesus seems to be establishing his authority as the Son of Man and proving that he has the authority both to heal (like he did right before this with the leper) and to forgive (as he does in this passage). He’s showing that God’s power and authority is shared with him for his work here on earth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let’s go back to this man…who has now been offered forgiveness even though he’s confessed nothing and asked for nothing. And before he can say or do anything, there’s a whole bunch of doubters in the room wondering just how Jesus gets the authority to say anyone is forgiven…he has no right…only God can do that. (When maybe just minutes before they were asking how he could heal…when only God could do that…) Whatever the case, the Pharisees aren’t seeing the full picture. And Jesus can tell they’re grumbling and so he asks the most bizarre question, “which is easier to say, ‘you’re forgiven’ or ‘take up your mat and walk’?” Which is easier to say? Like in Aramaic? I don’t know. Is one of them hard to say?! Is it really about the words? It’s kind of like Jesus is saying, “come on guys, it’s semantics. I’ve already shown you I can heal. Now I’m showing you I can forgive.” Do you really want me to say, “you’re healed, now get up and walk?” Ok. “You’re healed, get up and walk.” It doesn’t make a difference in the end since I have the authority to do both. I am the Son of Man and in case you had any doubts about what that means, here’s the beginner’s lesson…it means I can heal AND forgive. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, what difference does any of that make for us? Well, what was true then is also true now. Jesus is the Son of Man who has the authority of God to both heal and forgive. Sometimes the healing will be tied to forgiveness and other times it won’t. Sometimes healing is offered when we ask directly, and sometimes Jesus will bless or heal through the faith and faithfulness of friends. Sometimes we’ll doubt that he can actually do that…we’ll say it’s not possible, we’ll have too many questions to believe in the miracle. And yet Jesus persists in healing and forgiving, proving it’s not just possible, but it’s also probable. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, I have to say, there are also lots of things I don’t understand and can’t explain about healing. It’s not a perfect science. I don’t have the magic prayer or petition formula so that each person is healed just like we want when we want it. I believe healing is possible. I believe that sometimes forgiveness is a necessary first step. I believe God hears us when we pray for our friends—that our faith is taken seriously, even if they’ve weathered so many storms that they can’t or won’t ask for themselves. And I can’t explain when it doesn’t happen. For a lot of us, we want to believe in the power of prayer. We want to believe Jesus can and will do these awesome things. And at the same time our hearts have been broken and our faith has been shattered when it seems God didn’t listen to our prayers. When that really amazing person suffered far more than their share even though the whole church was praying…we begin to wonder what God was thinking and what God was doing. It can be hard to claim faith when we try to do all the right things and still don’t see the results we have asked for. And I can’t help but wonder if that’s what happened for this man…the paralytic. Maybe he did have faith, maybe he had prayed 1000 times to be healed. Maybe everyone else around him seemed to be getting better and yet he wasn’t. Maybe he’d prayed so long and so hard and didn’t see or hear God answering that he had given up. Maybe he’d lost hope. And so when his friends’ faith (which may or may not have been equally strained) heard about this man named Jesus and the way he healed a leper their faith was stirred, and hope was kindled, they went back to their friend to share their hope. Notice, he didn’t let them put him on their backs or simply carry him, he stayed on his mat and had to be taken, bed and all. Now, maybe that was the most necessary given his condition, or maybe it became necessary because he didn’t have an ounce of faith to even try for fear of being let down again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Faith isn’t an easy journey….there are ups and downs and everything in between. When we go through hardship it can be extra hard to believe God cares or is willing to do anything to help us. And yet the power of the Gospel keeps coming back…Jesus has the power to heal and forgive…his purpose is to redeem and restore. That’s his job—100%…even when we doubt it. Even when life has knocked us to our knees and we have to rely on the faith of our friends because ours is just too weak. Jesus is a healer, he’s a Savior…and that blessing, those miracles aren’t reserved for a select few…he came for the world…that means all of us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, I certainly can’t guarantee the outcome, I don’t have that power or that authority, but I will say it’s worth asking…for ourselves and for our friends because the one who came to heal and forgive hasn’t given up on his power or authority. Jesus is still in the business of redeeming and restoring. It’s courageous and risky to ask. We don’t know how God will answer. And often, it seems, God’s reply is not our specific prayer, but that doesn’t mean God didn’t answer us. It doesn’t mean God didn’t act. If you have doubts, I get it; we’ve lived the ups and downs and unknowns in the last few years. My mom has had a hard road of recovery after a hip replacement and then a fall, and now she’s facing stage 4 cancer…I’ve wondered how efficacious my prayers are. And in the midst of her seeming lack of healing, I’ve also seen her persevere to walk after months in a wheelchair. I’ve seen her go from the ICU with sepsis to back in rehab. It may seem minor in the face of terminal cancer, but they’re still answered prayers. And I have to take note and remember those moments as much, if not more, than the unanswered prayers I hold against God. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The heart of the Gospel is about God’s deep abiding love for us. There will be lots of people and lots of things that try to diminish and defeat that truth in our lives. But if we return to the scriptures, over and over again we will see God’s power at work—transforming and changing lives, reaching those on the margins, blessing the afflicted. And, we will see the need to seek after Christ, sometimes for our own healing and forgiveness, and sometimes for our friends (or family) when they’re run down, weary, or feeling hopeless. We are called to call on Christ. And we are invited to be the bearers of good news, offering hope, telling about this man named Jesus, and bringing the broken and the hurting to Christ in faith, just like the friends did for their paralyzed friend.</span></span></div>
<br />Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-72876395942350895752016-08-14T10:40:00.000-07:002016-09-28T10:48:23.341-07:00Not One of Them<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Levi was a traditional name—it was that of the 3rd son of Jacob (later known as Israel) and that tribe of Jacob became the priests—known as the Levites.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They were the ones who performed the priestly duties for all of Israel.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They were the ones who bridged the gap between the people and God.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And that would have been true for all of the men in that family. Since in that time you did what you father did for work and what his father did before him and his father before him. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So when we hear that this man is named Levi we know a bit about him. We know he’s a Jew, from the line of Levi, son of Jacob. His father would have been a priest, and his father before him. And Levi, the tax collector, would have been expected to be a priest too. Yet he’s not. So we know that somehow, some way, something went wrong and derailed him from that course. We have no idea why or how, but he missed or skipped the priest boat. And now, instead, he’s a tax collector, which happens to be one of the most despised professions in all of Israel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You see, tax collectors didn’t work for Israel or the temple. They worked for Rome. They collected taxes for Cesar. And the Romans were basically occupying Israel. So when you worked for Rome, you were working for the enemy…you were a traitor. But it got worse. Because the tax collectors sort of worked on commission…the more they taxed, the more they made. Some inflated taxes so they could line their pockets. In any case, it wasn’t just that they were traitors for working for Rome, but that they were lying, thieving traitors who stole from their family and friends. Needless to say, they were not held in great regard. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Can you imagine the pain and the shame his parents felt? I mean, not that a son is responsible for all of his parents feelings about his choices—they were his choices and he had the right to make them, but imagine their strain on their relationship. He’s set to be in one of the most respected fields for all the Jews and instead he becomes a lying, thieving, traitor who works for Rome and steals from his people. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Can you imagine? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, Levi is a let-down, a family failture. He’s rejected. He’s likely shunned. He’s considered a low-life, not just by his family but by pretty much everyone—because they don’t want to be living in a place that’s occupied by Romw and they knew they were paying a good chunk extra on taxes to pad Levi’s pockets—-Let’s just say he wasn’t going to get the good neighbor award anytime soon. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And then Jesus comes to town and he sees Levi and says, “Follow me!” Now that sounds like a simple instruction but it’s not really about physical following--it’s about becoming a disciple. A better translation might be, “Come imitate me.” And Levi says, “Ok!” He’s on board and excited. He’s so excited that he wants to throw a party. Who knows how long Levi had been a tax collector and if he’d come to love it for the money and luxuries or if he hated it because of what he had to do—but what we do know is that once he had the chance to get out—he went. Forget the money. Forget the perks. And forget being hated by everyone—he was outta there. “Follow you? Do something different? Ok! And, you know…Jesus, maybe you could meet my friends too—because after we started working for Rome, we really couldn’t get out of it—no one wanted to hire us after what we’d done. No one trusted us. They didn’t really care what we’d learned or how we’d grown or even how we’d been changed—they couldn’t get past our reputations and our past. So, um…if you’re willing to give people a second chance, I know a lot of guys who might be interested.” Levi had received grace and he wanted to share it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That’s the amazing thing about grace…not only do you want more for yourself, but you really want to share it. You want other people to know the goodness that you’ve experienced. When I was appointed to Wesley UMC in Riverside, the church I served had some homeless guys who hung out on the steps all day and would regularly stay the night. At first they weren’t really wanted. No one wanted them around. They didn’t want their problems. Didn’t want their drinking. Just didn’t want to deal with them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But they kept hanging out. Folks really struggled to accept these men. They used drugs. They drank all day. They didn’t work. One hadn’t paid child support in years. One had been on the street for 17 years. They weren’t popular…none of the homeless were. They were seen as a problem and no one really wanted to have to be the one to deal with it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I can imagine they had a similarly strained dynamic with their families as Levi did with his. To be sure, homeless and on drugs or booze was not what their parents had envisioned for them. I doubt it’s anything near what they had envisioned for themselves. And yet, that’s where they were, that’s who they had become. Rejected. Isolated. Forgotten. Despised. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And then they began to encounter grace. They were invited to worship. They were invited to have a hot meal. They were offered a hot shower. They were given clean clothes. They were told they had a safe place to sleep. And we began to form friendships. We learned their names, Allen and David, and they learned ours. And then, much like Levi, they invited their friends. More of the homeless came to this place for grace. Jimmy, Cuca, Carlos, and little Allen (different from the original Allen). Then others. And still others. Each time someone was greeted with warmth and care and got a bit of what they needed in terms of food, or clothes, shelter or care, they talked about it with their friends…and so more came. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And people objected, just like the Pharisees…why would you waste your time on them? They are a lost cause. And we were reminded again and again that Jesus came to save the lost; and so our work continued. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, it’s not that the homeless are all a lost cause or considered the worst like the tax collectors. But in them and in their stories we can see the rift between them and their families. We can imagine the rejection and isolation they experience day in and day out. And we can imagine the excitement of being noticed, known by name, invited and included just like Jesus did with Levi. And how receiving that grace could be life changing. But there are other ways we end up with broken relationships with family: unmet expectations, differing paths, rejection, isolation, and all kinds of challenges. And in that we can see our own need for grace—to be acknowledged, called by name, invited, and included. And that’s just what Jesus does. It’s who he is. He is the one full of grace who calls us in from the margins, away from being outsiders and into deep meaningful relationship. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Did you know this isn’t the last we see of Levi? It’s pretty much the last time we hear him called by this name, but if you’ve read or heard the gospels, you probably know him quite well….do you know who he is? He’s the disciple Jesus calls Matthew. Yep. He went from being a failed priest, to a despised tax collector, to a disciple of Jesus, to one of the disciples who founded the church. How’s that for full circle? I guess he was meant to be a godly messenger after all?! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The power of who Jesus is compels us, it draws us in, because it’s often starkly different from what the world tells us and how the world treats us. Grace allows us to be defined not by who we were, but who we are as called by Christ—to be who we were meant to be. The reality is we all fail. We all go off course, somewhere along the way. We disappoint. We struggle with broken relationships. We stand isolated and hurting. We need grace. And Jesus comes to us, as outsiders among the lost and says “Follow me.” And we have the choice to follow him….to choose grace and acceptance, love and inclusion. And we need to be aware that when we do that, when we follow him….it’s not on a stroll down the road, it’s imitating who he is, it’s being transformed by love and then offering transforming love to others. As we become disciples of Christ, imitators of his ways, we begin to notice and find the outsiders, the lost causes and we are to invite them to grace and inclusion in our life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It sounds lovely and shiny when it’s preached in a sermon. But really, it’s messy and hard. It’s hard to find the *right* answer between helping and enabling. It’s hard to find the right answer when people stay stuck in their addiction and we are continuously called to be people of grace. What does grace look like when it’s tied to accountability? They aren’t mutually exclusive. This week we had a man come asking for help. He’s an outsider. He’s someone who is struggling and is seemingly without family support or a network of friends to hold him up as he journeys a rocky road. And his struggles have made him rough, and a bit brash. Quite frankly, it would have been easier to push him out the door and say, “sorry, we can’t help you.” But we are followers of Christ….imitators of his ways, and so we are challenged to include those who seem like lost causes. We are asked to care for them and hold them even when no one else wants to. And the particulars of what that looks like can be difficult to work out, but we are called to get into the mix of it all and listen for God’s voice and work on working it out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Levis of this world are not popular. And they aren’t necessarily easy to work with. But they are beloved and favored by God and as imitators of Christ we are called to work with them offering grace and acceptance. </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-67244836058814990362016-04-03T10:31:00.000-07:002016-04-13T10:32:14.813-07:00The Easter Message Matters<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Matthew 27:1-5 (TLB)</span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When it was morning, the chief priests and Jewish leaders
met again to discuss how to induce the Roman government to sentence Jesus to
death.<sup> </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they sent him in
chains to Pilate, the Roman governor.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About that time Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that
Jesus had been condemned to die, changed his mind and deeply regretted what he
had done, and brought back the money to the chief priests and other Jewish
leaders.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an
innocent man.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“That’s your problem,” they retorted.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and
went out and hanged himself. </span></i></div>
<br />
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<span class="text">Judas hit a
pretty deep low…he betrayed Jesus…for whatever reason…because he was
greedy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because he doubted Jesus would
do what he said he would? Because he was tempted? Who knows…what we do know is
that Judas betrayed Jesus and would forever be known as a traitor of the worst
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after he did it…the reality
kicked in. He did the wrong thing and he knew it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to take it back, to fix it, to un
do what he had done, but at that point, Jesus had been arrested and was
condemned to death…what was done was done. There was no changing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He couldn’t undo the past and he likely knew he
wouldn’t easily be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even if
he moved to tim-buk-no-where to form a new life where no one knew him, this
remained true: he knew what he had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He would have that knowledge for life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, he did what he knew to do, he went to repent. He offered the money
back. He acknowledged his sin and he tried to make it right. And the high
priests told him, “sorry, can’t help you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text">And the pain and
shame of it all was too much for him to bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Judas couldn’t take it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he
threw the money at their feet and he took his own life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judas was overcome with guilt, and shame, and
darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the saddest part is he
never got to see or hear the end of the story. Judas never heard the good
news—his actions, even his sins, didn’t have the final word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, Jesus died, but he also
resurrected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even his worst action
wasn’t able to overcome God’s action in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you ever imagine how things might have
been different for Judas if he had waited, if he could have seen that God was
greater than the worst that anyone had to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God wasn’t just greater than Judas and his
betrayal, but Peter and his denial, Pilate and his complacency, the Sadduccees
and Pharisees and their hypocrisy and lies, the people and their mob mentality,
the beatings, the mocking, the humiliation…God overcame all of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text">But Judas never
knew. Judas never heard the good news. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text">Judas is the name
we know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if we don’t know the Bible
story, we often know the name of Judas and know he wasn’t a good guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But apart from the individual man, there are
a whole lot of people who are like Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are a whole lot of sinners—and generally, we, too, stand among
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any sinners in the room
today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, so maybe you didn’t betray
Jesus…but maybe you have lied, you’ve been greedy, you’ve lusted, you’ve been
selfish, you’ve turned away from those in need, you’ve judged
others…anyone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yeah,
confession isn’t much fun, is it? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always
easier to look at someone else’s sin than to look at our own, so let’s talk about
someone else for another minute. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
many of you follow basketball? And how many of you heard about what happened
with D'angelo Russell & Nick Young? Well, in case you
didn't, both men play for the Lakers. D'angelo is an up & coming
player and he's young. And, he decided it’d be a good idea to video
a conversation with Nick Young about Nick’s scandals and secrets and
"somehow" the video got out. It's been all over the news and if
you've been watching you know things are not good for Russell...his teammates
don't want to play with him, they don't want to share the locker room, they
don't want to pass him the ball...by some accounts his disloyalty, immaturity,
and lack of integrity indicate he should just turn in his jersey because there
is no redeeming his situation--ever. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now
you might consider it a stretch because Young isn't the Messiah, but the weight
of Russell's situation and Judas' are not far off. They were both part of a
tight knit team, they both broke the rules of acceptability for their own
personal gain, they did something they couldn't undo, others told them
they are stuck to live with their consequences, and by most accounts they
should just throw in the towel. Now Russell hasn’t hit the darkness like Judas
did, at least not in a way that’s been reported. But I’m sure this week has
been pretty rough. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Now the danger doesn't just lie
for the D'angelo Russells or the Judases of the world. The danger lurks
for each of us because the threat of darkness comes not just when we sin but
when life happens--when it turns us on our heads. ..when we get the dreaded
diagnosis, when we can't eek out any more love in our marriage, when
we come to loathe our work, when our kids break our hearts, when we fall
into old bad habits, when we can't pay the rent, when there's not enough
money for the month, when the abusers and manipulators in our lives keep
getting their way. ..all kinds of circumstances can threaten to overtake
us. They tell us it'll never get better. They tell us there's no
hope. There's no redemption. There's no chance. Why bother? Just
throw in the towel. Give up! </div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
That's what THEY say. But that’s
the verdict before the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here's
the thing. ..none of those things get the final word. ..you know who does?
Jesus! Because he lived and died and rose again. Jesus faced the worst. He
lived through all the horrible rotten things that happen in this world and he
came out on the other side victorious. And he did all that, not for his own
sake, but for ours. So that when we face all the horrible awful things life has
to offer—by our hand or by someone else’s—we can still find hope and
redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
That's the power of the Gospel.
..that's why we need the Easter story...because life and struggles and sins all
threaten to do us in but God interrupts, God intervenes and says "I
have the last word and the last word is life! It's victory! It's
hope!" </div>
<div style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text">Let’s listen to Romans 5 again.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span class="text"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Romans 5:6-11 (TLB)</b></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When
we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape, Christ came at just the right
time and died for us sinners who had no use for him. <sup> </sup>Even if
we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of
course, that might be barely possible. But God showed his great love for us by
sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since by his
blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now
that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God’s
wrath to come. <sup> </sup>And since, when we were his enemies, we were
brought back to God by the death of his Son, what blessings he must have for us
now that we are his friends and he is living within us!</i></span><br />
<span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now we rejoice in our
wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ
has done in dying for our sins—making us friends of God.</i></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text">Do you hear
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The promise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The hope? While we were still sinners…still stuck in OUR ways, not doing
it God’s way, Christ died for us. While we were still getting it wrong, not
even close to getting it right, Christ died for us. Most people would question
whether or not they were willing to die for a good person…a faithful person, a
righteous person who has helped them, but Jesus went and died for all the
fools, the folks who jumped ship, the folks who beat him and hurt him unjustly.
He died for the ones who betrayed him. And he died for all of us. And since he
did that for us when we didn’t even deserve it and through him we are absolved
of our sin. We get a new beginning. We get a second chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get forgiveness and grace and mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AND we get even greater blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those blessings can blow our minds,
because they come to us not as Christ’s enemies, but as his friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he was willing to die for us while we were acting
like enemies, imagine how much more he would do for us as his friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I don't know D'Angelo, or any Laker for that matter, but I wish I could talk to him and tell him, "This may have been a stupid thing, a foolish thing to do, but it doesn't have to define you forever. It doesn't have to have the final word. Because of Christ and his victory over sin and death, HE gets the final word. He calls us forgiven, redeemed and worthy. Sure, the world will try and hold onto this. The people around you will call you names and tell you a different story, but you don't have to let them define you. You can choose to claim your identity in Christ instead. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">And the reality is, we all have that chance, we all have the opportunity to push back on the labels and stigmas of the world and instead say we are defined by something and someone much greater. We are defined by the Risen Christ. And that is news worth sharing.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Amen. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-43449114343837972722015-08-16T09:27:00.000-07:002015-08-17T09:27:32.670-07:00Framily--week 1 marriage<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How
many of you have ever had a Lily and Griffith kind of moment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe out to dinner, maybe for a special
celebration, or maybe while cooking dinner, or settling into bed, or driving to
see family….one that reveals your hurts and resentments and struggles all at
once?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their exchange makes us laugh a
little because there’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>truth in it that
resonates for each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The specifics
of their story may be their own, but really, each couple has similar
struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As I read through the scriptures for
the story of a couple, there were a number of possibilities…though no one really
had a flawless moment of love, acceptance, and forgiveness to point to. Even
the couples in the Bible struggled and had messiness in their lives. Being
among God’s people didn’t protect them from that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And one of the couple’s with the richest
story is Sarah and Abraham. And I read through Genesis marking their story and
those two faced a lot together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we
couldn’t narrow it down to just one moment, or just one story to highlight…it
would have been unfair to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
richness of who they are is highlighted in their ups and downs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They start out with a lot of years behind
them before they even come together as a couple, then Abraham is called to be
God’s leader and Sarah to give birth to the generations that will outnumber the
sand on the beach…a notion she laughs at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They struggle and struggle to get pregnant and finally recruit Hagar to
have a son for Abraham, a decision that Sarah later regrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">–She and Abraham went
to Gerar where she played coy— and Abraham pretended Sarah was his sister,
which only got them in more trouble down the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They continued to try for a baby of their own
and finally Sarah got pregnant and then she kicked Hagar and Ishmael out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there was the time Abraham felt
called to sacrifice Isaac and took him up on the hill in obedience to God, only
to have his son question what exactly was taking place up there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it wasn’t long after that Sarah passed
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
couple went through it—the ups, the downs, a few more downs—they were stretched
in their commitment to each other and to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And they aren’t the only couple like that—not in the Bible or in the
modern day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think most of us would
like to think that if we are called by God, and faithful to God we will be
exempt from facing trials, but that’s simply not the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all face challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So what
is our hope?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do we even bother to
get married?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I think the hope is
that the love we share will continue to make us better as individuals and as a
couple and that we’ll find peace and joy and comfort in our relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it can be easy for that to fall
apart…that’s why marriage takes constant investment…you have to talk about how
you’re feeling when all you’d really like to do is slam doors or drive away.
You have to be forgiving when forgiveness isn’t deserved. You have to show love
even when you don’t feel loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have
to laugh at the trivial stuff that gets your goat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to remember that you too are
wonderful and loveable and incredibly flawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sticking with it requires a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Divorce is a testament to how hard it is—life together isn’t successful
on a whim. And when you risk the greatest vulnerability and openness, you’re
likely to get hurt—by a breach of trust, by infidelity, by a betrayal, by
trauma, by unmet expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
sometimes those hurts become insurmountable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t
say that to be a nay-sayer about marriage—I believe in it. I stick with and
work on mine because it’s worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
I also want us to be honest, it’s hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They tell you that when you’re young and engaged…”Marriage is hard” but
nothing really tells you how hard it is until you walk the journey together and
you face financial struggles, or a major illness, or the loss of a parent, or
struggle with infertility, or lose a job, or move away from family—“hard”
doesn’t even begin to describe those realities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if you are married or have been married or live in a committed
partnered relationship, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know…I just want
us to be honest about it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because if
we pretend it’s all roses and chocolates and cuddling on the couch, then we set
ourselves and those who look to us as an example up for failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’d
like the world to think we’ve got it all together, and really, we shouldn’t be
airing our dirty laundry out for everyone to see, that violates trust and often
creates some irreparable harm, but we do need to be able to own our
imperfections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we’re going to do a
little exercise together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s easy to
look at another couple and think they’ve got it made, or they haven’t struggled
like you have, but there’s a whole lot that lies below the surface that we
don’t all talk about on a daily basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For our
exercise, I’ll ask that if you are married or partnered and you’re able that
you stand up. And I’m going to share some situations and if it’s true for you
and your significant other, you should sit down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And once you sit, if there’s another that’s
true, if you raise your hand so that we can visually bear witness to what we
face as couples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, these things
relate to what we fight about…some of us call it fighting. Some of us call it
quarrelling, or a discussion, or an argument, or a disagreement, or a squabble,
or yelling…whatever we call it, it’s the thing you do when there’s tension and
dissent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, stand up, and when I say
something you’ve “fought” about, I want you to sit back down. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
to load dishes into the dishwasher</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Putting
the toilet seat down</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dirty
clothes that don’t make it to the hamper</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
fast or slowly you drive</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where
to spend the holidays</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whose
turn it is to take out the trash</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
temperature for the thermostat</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who
will get up with the baby in the middle of the night</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
much money you spend</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
much time you’ll spend with your inlaws</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
you parent</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
much you work</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who
is more stubborn</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
show to watch</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
car to buy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
amount of debt is reasonable</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
you communicate your wants or needs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The point is, none of us is immune.
None of us, as couples walk through our relationship without struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a couple is hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard for Lily and Griffith, for Sarah
and Abraham, and it’s hard for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
two different people trying to come together and make life work. We fight over
big things and over little things—almost to the level of ridiculous
sometimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rick said I could share a personal
story of ours, so I’ll give a simple example…but one that shows just how easy
it is to get into it—and how ridiculous we can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One Saturday morning about a month ago, I
wanted to get a bunch of things done and so I asked if he would help with just
2 of them…moving the couch, and pulling out the big oriental rug in the living
room and he said sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I worked
on other things, he started to wash the cars and had the hose on, so I went to
turn it off, and he barked at me. So I walked away and left him to wash the car
on his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked back in ticked off,
and decided I didn’t need his help after all….so 6 months pregnant I started
moving furniture and vacuuming so I could pull out the oriental rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it was ridiculous as I struggled to
get around, but I was determined to show him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At one point I went back out and he said he was ready for the water to
be off, I told him to handle it himself and walked back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We practice the utmost maturity in our
house!) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not long after, he finished with the
cars and came in to see that I had moved all the furniture on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shook his head and started to help with
the oriental rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a huge heavy rug
that’s really impossible to move on your own…it easily weighs 100+ pounds and
there’s no way I could have managed on my own, but Lord knows I would have
tried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to work together to
put the room back together and each asked forgiveness a couple of times
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s nothing big, especially in
retrospect, but without humility and a bit of laughter those moments can build
on larger hurts and resentments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But our covenant to love one another,
to forgive and be gracious keeps us striving for better communication, for a
deeper affection, and for laughter through it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully for each couple, it’s worth the
effort, because we are better with our partner, because we find laughter and
joy when we are together. Because they bring us peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because despite all the fights, they still
love us and we still love them and we find ways to make it work. Because we
don’t want to do life without the other. Because they’ve seen us at our worst
and choose to stick with us anyway. Because in being open and vulnerable we are
shaped and transformed by the power of love to become better in who we
are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we stick with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There may not be any perfect
relationships, in this room, or in the Bible, but there are certainly ways to
be better in our relationship—and that’s when we follow godly wisdom and advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we live the words of Romans 12 or 1
Corinthians 13, we become closer as a couple. Listen again to Paul’s words to
the Romans: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">9 </span></sup></i></span><span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Be sincere in your love
for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is
good. <sup>10 </sup>Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor
others more than you do yourself. <sup>11 </sup>Never give up. Eagerly
follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. <sup>12 </sup>Let your hope
make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.</span></i></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></i></b></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-23539846352860255632015-07-29T08:57:00.003-07:002015-07-29T08:57:51.068-07:00Sunday morning prayer<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Lord God, my purpose is to serve you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in serving you it is to serve your
people—to teach them, hopefully to inspire them, to lead them back to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This day as I prepare I feel fully
ill-equipped. I am tired. I am worn out. I feel completely empty with nothing
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Your people need your Word. Your people need your truth. I
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</span>Show me how to proclaim your Word with confidence and with conviction.
What is it you want your people to hear this morning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-24989012494720750012015-07-26T08:58:00.000-07:002015-07-29T08:59:27.330-07:00Keeping It Reel--Despicable Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span class="text">Scripture: Acts 9</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Theme</b>: New beginnings</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Main
points:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> no matter who we are, or what we have done, or how
hated we might be, God offers us second chances and new beginnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Who
was Saul? </span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saul was a
Jewish leader, head strong in what he knew and determined to hold the course
for the beliefs and traditions he cherished.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What
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</span>Even in trying to serve God, he was persecuting others who were trying
to serve God. As a Jewish leader he couldn’t see any truth in the
Jesus-followers. He wanted to stop them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He wanted to follow God and others to follow God, but only in the ways
he had known before.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How
did God speak to him?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">God spoke to Saul through
Jesus, challenging the persecution, not just of Christ-followers but of Jesus
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God caused the blindness. Then Saul
had to be dependent on someone from “the way” for relief</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why
does Ananias matter?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ananias is someone who
was also obedient to God, listening and heeding God’s leading to go and pray
with Saul, even though Saul was hated and Ananias was at risk being with
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why
did we pick this scripture?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
huge part of the Christian journey is the first part, the part where we decide
to choose Christ, to invite him to live in our hearts and to follow him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our defining moment, or at least one of them,
is when we stop going only with what we know in our heads and start listening
to God and doing as God directs us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Being a Christian isn’t about knowing all the right things, not in terms
of head knowledge, it’s about being a faithful follower. That means we have to
go where God takes us, trusting God enough to let our own convictions go so
that we can follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saul’s story captures
that truth and shows us what that looks like in very concrete terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Saul
certainly believed in God. And as a Jewish leader, he would have been well
versed in the laws of the Bible. He sought to be faithful in who he was and
what he did, but he wasn’t prone to listening to God, not from what we see here
in the scriptures anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew that
he knew what to do. And he went with it full force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was not about to be stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, the only one who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> stop him was God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
God did just that—stopped Saul in his tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bright lights and temporary blindness were pretty convicting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
Saul stopped, out of necessity, and he heard from God. We don’t know what his
prayers were in those days, or even what the conversations were with those
around him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what we do know is that
those moments changed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he chose
Jesus, he chose with his heart, even when all of his head knowledge from before
told him “no”, he chose Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For very different reasons, Gru was known as a very
bad guy and most folks didn’t want anything to do with him. He was mean
spirited and only about his own agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He wanted to be the world’s worst villain and he didn’t care who he hurt
in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then these little
orphan girls interrupted his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
at first, he didn’t see any use for them and then he saw them only as a means to
an end--to his ends, he could use them as a trap against his enemy. So he went
to adopt them… not for their sake but for his—so he could have the power he
desired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was purely selfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But slowly they started to chip away at his
hardness of heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this next scene, Gru has to tell his minions that
they are broke, and there is no way to afford the dream of taking over the
world and then the girls do something that speaks to Gru….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-highlight: yellow;">CLIP #4 We
have no money…girls’ piggy bank</span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This simple gesture starts to change Gru’s
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily for Gru subtlety worked a
lot better for him than it did for Saul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Love and kindness started to shift his perspective, and his love for the
girls grew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Saul
needed the 2x4 to the head approach, so God struck him blind…there was no
denying something happened there! For both of these men, a powerful moment, one
of love and one of divine intervention stopped them in their tracks, it forced
them to reexamine what they knew they knew and listen for what the better
direction might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Gru, it meant
choosing love over destruction, for Saul, it meant choosing Christ over the
rules he held so high.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
each of us, our journey begins with a choice…maybe our first choices are to
listen, or to ask questions, or to be willing to go to church with a friend, or
a spouse, or a parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then at some
point, we have to choose for ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will we follow Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we
allow him to live in our hearts so that our lives may be transformed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we choose him, love breaks through in
ways we can’t expect or explain and when it does it changes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now,
some of us have had Saul like moments. We can look at the pieces of our lives
and it’s like one side is here…in a place of darkness, or hard heartedness, or
selfishness, and the other side is waaaaay over here laced with love, grace,
and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Others
of us have simpler nuances that define the changes in our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have one of “those” stories of
conversion or change…God has just been part of our story and part of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
Methodist professor once said that our conversion is kind of like an old roll
up shade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, the ones that were a
solid sheet of some kind of plastic, and you would pull on the bottom to make
it roll up…you could just pull and let go and it would race to the top and hit
the window sill as it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, you could
pull and hold on and help it gradually roll up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This professor said our conversion is often like one of those
options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us are like Saul…it’s
quick and instantly noticeable. One quick flip of the wrist and then we release
and watch it fly. Others of us have a more gradual change, one like Gru that
requires a collection of moments that finally build to a place where we can see
and distinguish the change for ourselves. The light is revealed, but only bit
by bit, inch by inch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We
didn’t read it this morning, but Saul’s story is a powerful one…we could preach
the rest of the year learning about who he was and what he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most of us know him as Paul…the one who
was changed by God who went on to be one of the greatest evangelists and church
planters that ever lived. Gru’s story is a bit different, he’s not an
evangelist, but he is changed by the love he shares with the girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This scene captures his change: </span></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-highlight: yellow;">CLIP #5 time
for bed, unicorn story, transformation, kissing the minions</span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There
is no ONE way to get there. God uses lots of paths and lots of people to help
us see and experience the love of Christ. </span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-22520774627399566952015-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:002015-07-29T09:01:12.343-07:00Keeping It Reel--How to Train Your Dragon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Worship
Focus</span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">: Living Like Christ—all that we are called to
do…includes getting to know people, pushing through our prejudices and past
beliefs to see and know people for who they really are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It might be an unexpected comparison, but we
are using “How to Train Your Dragon” to help us see how stereotypes and
prejudices can stand in the way for really getting to know someone, and how we
need leaders who are willing to risk breaking the rules to show us a bigger
story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get started we’re going to see
a clip on the book of dragons and all the things the Vikings think they know
about them and how they should respond to each dragon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Video:
How to train your dragon: (1:30)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">VIDEO CLIP #1: Book of dragons…all the evil things
they do…kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scriptures</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 Corinthians 1:4</span></b><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="color: black;">(CEV)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with
others in trouble. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Luke
18:9-13</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (CEV) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus told a story to
some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on
everyone else: <br />
<br />
Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, "God, I thank
you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other
people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there.
I go without eating for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn."</span></i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even
to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded
his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner."</span></i><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Message:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Explain
the scripture passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Californian FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Californian FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Who were Pharisees? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Californian FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Californian FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What did tax collectors do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Californian FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Californian FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What were their relationships?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pharisee
related to the tax collector a lot like the Vikings related to the
dragons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of them were the same:
evil…maybe evil in different ways, but all evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they should be treated the same…kill on
sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, Pharisees didn’t kill the
tax collectors, but they didn’t accept them either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You didn’t eat with them or hang out with
them, you didn’t want anything to do with them,. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
a similar way, the Vikings despised the dragons. They had had some really bad
interactions and they only knew them as the enemy so that’s how they treated
them and that’s how they taught everyone else to relate to the dragons.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
then there was Hiccup…the son of the King and he sees things a little
differently. He never really wanted to kill the dragons and one day he came
across one that was injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In dragon
killing class he was told that all dragons will ALWAYS go for the kill…but this
one he had met didn’t….so he started to wonder if they were right about all the
things they thought they knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, he
tried an experiment…he took some food to this one dragon to see what would
happen…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MOVIE CLIP #2: First fish…toothless smile<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2:15)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This simple gesture initiated a relationship between
Hiccup and Toothless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t a feast.
It wasn’t a month’s worth of food, it was one simple fish, but it conveyed
humility, trust, a willingness to build a relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Hiccup’s kindness was immediately
reciprocated with Toothless’ kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kindness begot kindness. Love begot love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I think sometimes we over-complicate the issues in
our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see someone who is
different and all the things we think we know about them and when someone
challenges us to think differently or get to know them we create scenarios in
our head where it would be way too challenging to move past where we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in reality, the potential for change
lies in simple actions…. actions filled with love, kindness, humility, and
openness for what could happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the scripture story today, there is no future in
the story…Why? Because the Pharisee had no willingness and no humility. All he
saw was what he thought he knew and he didn’t care about who the man was, or
his faith in God that compelled him to pray. The Pharisee didn’t see a man, all
he saw was a reputation and a stigma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Hiccup
isn’t a biblical character, but he lives like one…he lived like Christ…by
willing to see Toothless for who he was, not just his reputation, Hiccup shared
grace and acceptance, something that Jesus did often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the scripture from today, the Pharisee
refuses to do anything with the tax collector, but in a different story, Jesus
invites himself to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a tax collector’s
house for dinner…he ate with him, got to know him, spent time with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone else looked at Jesus and thought he
was absolutely crazy, but Jesus didn’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He wanted to show grace, kindness, and humility and when he did that, he
got to know the person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a similar
way, Hiccup reminds us that as Christ-followers it’s our job to live like
Christ, to be open to those that are marginalized, stereotyped, and disliked.
It’s our job to move beyond what we think we know and actually spend time with
people, getting to know them for who they really are. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Toothless
wasn’t the only dragon got to know, as he spent time with Toothless, he was
forced to encounter others….and this is what happened…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MOVIE CLIP #3: Everything we know about you is wrong
(1:01)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everything we know about you is wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever had one of those
experiences?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will confess this to you…I’ve eaten a lot
of humble pie in my life because I thought I knew something about certain
people or certain groups of people and then, by whatever circumstances, I spent
some time with them and got to know them for who they really were and I had one
of those moments where I thought, “everything I know about you is wrong.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most people in this room, I have judged
people like Dan based on their piercings, I’ve judged others based on their
hair style or funky clothes, others based on accent, others on skin color,
others based on where they lived or how they lived, others based on education,
others on social status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve judged a
lot of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I’m not proud of
that, not at all, but I do have to confess it. I have to be honest and
recognize that not only have I judged people, but I have misjudged people. And
God tells me, through the stories of Jesus, that that’s not acceptable, that’s
not who I am supposed to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are called to get to know people, not just know
about them, or listen to what others say. But instead we are supposed to build
relationships, to spend time together, not just once or twice, but long enough
to build a relationship that we would stand up for, one we would fight
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Toothless and Hiccup did just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after they formed a friendship, it required
that they take the next step, that they share what they had learned--that the
dragons weren’t what everyone thought they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let’s take a look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MOVIE CLIP #4: Be careful with that dragon…toothless
to the rescue (3:25)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hiccup took a stand; he dared to go against the
grain. He didn’t just get to know Toothless and the other dragons and then keep
it a secret. He made a statement. He told his whole town that he didn’t agree
with their stereotypes—the dragons were not who they all thought they
were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that wasn’t terribly
popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the same way for Jesus.
When he went home with the tax collector for dinner, people chided him, they
ridiculed him, they said he was foolish, that he was breaking the rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His decision wasn’t popular either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus wasn’t worried about what people
would say about him. He was worried about living with grace, kindness and
humility. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So when we say we are called to live like Christ, it
means we are to take a stand. After we get to know people and learn that they
aren’t what other people say, or that they aren’t who we thought they were, we
are supposed to share that with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It starts with us, but it doesn’t end there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we learn that the person with piercings
is actually a really faithful Christian leader, or the person whose skin color
is different likes the same music we do, or the person who sleeps on the
streets is an amazing musician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
learn a lot about people, about all the things they have done, and the talents
God has given them. And when those relationships break apart our bias, we
should help others to do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God didn’t create us to be divisive and hateful. God
created us for friendships that matter and help us to grow in love, kindness
and humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes that proves more
challenging than others, but that doesn’t mean we should give up…it means we
have to muster our courage and do what we know is right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hiccup and Toothless had an invaluable relationship,
so when Hiccup was in danger, Toothless came to help. And then when Toothless
was in equal danger, Hiccup had to decide whether or not he would do the same…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MOVIE CLIP #5: It’s a mess….I’ll probably do
something stupid…that’s more like it. (1:33)</span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-57938401137350103602015-06-14T09:40:00.000-07:002015-06-15T09:41:47.001-07:00Keeping it Reel: Shawshank Redemption<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">We are
starting<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fun new series called </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Keeping
it Reel</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">.
It</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
about living what we believe</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">living like Christ.
As we move through this series we</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">re
going to be talking about the different tenants of a life in Christ</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">forgiveness,
reconciliation, sacrifice, inclusion, and justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ll
see parts of different movies that help us see what that looks like in real
terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we are starting with
something basic</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">if we are going to
live like Jesus, we have to put our old sinful ways behind us, and be loving,
kind and forgiving</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">and that starts
with one another in the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Our first movie is
Shawshank Redemption</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">which is probably
not the movie that would first come to mind for many of us</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
about Shawshank prison and a couple of the inmates there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
not a Christian community. They aren</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
committed to following Jesus or living differently. But there is one inmate
Andy Dufraine, who lives in such a way that he stands out among the
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lives with kindness,
thoughtfulness, and selflessness, even under the worst circumstances</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">-false
imprisonment dealing with all of the atrocities one might experience in
prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A25-32&version=MSG"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ephesians 5:25-32</span></a></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a lot of ways, the thrust of this passage is pretty
straight forward. It seems like it might hardly be worth our time</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I
mean, it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
not like there</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s a hidden secret meaning or
something. It</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s direct</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">be
good to each other and leave any of your bad habits or sinful ways in the
past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We can all
be on board with that, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So then
why is it worth our time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, for
these simple reasons:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">People
are people</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">no matter the country or the
century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 19.65pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 19.65pt; text-indent: -19.65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Living
the life of Christ doesn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t come naturally.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What I mean
is this: the book of Ephesians was written as a letter to the church in Ephesus
in the first century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even nearly
2000 years later, we in the church still struggle with the same kind of
issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are people. We are sinful
and broken and even when we want to be like Jesus it can be hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we need to remember to love, be kind, and
forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And yes,
even Christians need those reminders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
aren</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
here because we are perfect. We</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">re here because we
know we need help getting it right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
it matters that we get it right together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our relationships serve as our witness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other people hear the words of Christ, the rules we are supposed to live
by, and they look to us to see if we do it, to see if it matters, to see if it
changes anything to follow this Jesus guy. And if what they see is hypocrisy,
judgment, anger, and sin, then they</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">re
probably going to doubt Jesus and his power to do something good in our world. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It matters
how we live our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to live
what we believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if we believe in
Jesus as our Lord and Savior and if we believe that we are called to be like
him, then we have to practice that in our daily living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, we aren</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
perfect. We</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve said that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are going to fall short. We are going to get it wrong. We will have
our days when we don</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t look a whole lot
like Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT, that doesn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
mean we should give up on trying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Living
our faith matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If we think
about the movie, we think about the guys at Shawshank prison, and what might we
expect?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">each
man for himself. We</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve heard about the
violence, the corruption, the insider rings that happen in prisons, and
certainly when you watch the movie, you</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ll
see there</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s a healthy dose of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, we also see something distinctively
different in Andy Dufraine. Andy wants good things for the other guys in the
prison. He spent 6 years writing letters to get money to fund a library. He
helped 6 guys pass their high school equivalency test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He helped the guards do their taxes and set
up trusts for their kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His heart
could have been hardened by prison or the abuses he endured, and yet generosity
and kindness won out in Andy</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, it hardly came as a surprise when Tommy
Williams came and Andy offered to help him change from a life of crime, to
something better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy took the time to
not just help Tommy pass his tests, but to teach him to reach starting with
learning his letters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He taught him to
read. And he taught him his high school basics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tommy passed the test with a C+ average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">d been in and out of prison since he
was 13, probably because he was illiterate and could</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
hang with a school crowd, but Andy gave him the opportunity to change that, to
have something different, to live a life worthy of his family, of something
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In them, I
see our calling</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">to be like Christ
and care about other people, to help them through hard circumstances, to be
just and fair in our actions, to care and help them, even when we don</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">have</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">to,
and to give of ourselves for the benefit of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It matters how we live, not just for our
sake, not just because we are </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">supposed</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">to,
but because our actions have the potential to change the world, one person at a
time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
another scene for us to watch, it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
Andy with his friend Red. They</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve been together at
Shawshank for 10 years and learned to be there for each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Red had played the harmonica as a kid, but
gave it up and certainly wasn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t playing at Shawshank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Andy pressed him and asked why, Red said
it wasn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy contradicted him and said
this is when it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s worth it the most</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">because
it tells the prison that it can</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t have all of you,
that there is a life beyond those walls</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">it
gives you hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These two
men learned to share hope and life with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They marked life</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
moments</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">even
if it was yet another rejection from the parole board, or a full decade of life
in prison, but even if those aren</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
milestones you might want, they were part of life inside and they learned to
roll with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Andy
Dufraine lived what he believed and in some ways it rubbed off on the other
guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, he wasn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
under the best of circumstances, things weren</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
exactly going his way</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">his wife cheated on
him and was then murdered and he was convicted for it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">.he
could have been consumed with anger and bitterness, but he chose not to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He chose something different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may not be our story, in fact it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
probably not, but we all have stuff that could harden and poison our
hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have things that happen that
spoil what we strive for and what we think we should have and we would be
justified to be bitter about it, or we could leave the bitterness and keep
focusing on who Jesus invites us to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could be hope and life in our world, with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It matters
what we believe, but even more than that, it matters that we live what we
believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we believe in hope, we have
to live hope. If we believe in forgiveness, we have to forgive. If we believe
in second chances, we have to offer them, not just expect them for
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we believe that following
Jesus matters, then we have to act like it, we have to follow him and do what
he asks, not just when it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s easy, not just
when life is going our way, but as wholly and fully and often as we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-89321519630603139842015-03-30T14:57:00.004-07:002015-03-30T14:57:35.639-07:00Triumphant Entry<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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when they heard that Jesus was there. They also wanted to see Lazarus,
because Jesus had raised him from the dead. The next day a large crowd
was in Jerusalem for Passover When they heard that Jesus was coming for the
festival, they took palm branches and went out to greet him. They
shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The news of Lazarus being raised from
the dead was pretty incredible and people were intrigued to get a look, both at
the man who once was dead, and at the man who made it happen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Can
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to stink</span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">...can
you imagine the curiosities of strangers? What would he look like? What
would he smell like? Would he be healthy or sick? Look like life or look
like death warmed over? I'm pretty sure folks would have been lining up
to see him. And there was Jesus too....he'd be pretty cool to
meet...after all he could bring people back from the dead. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As folks gathered for the
Passover, I’m sure this story </span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">about Lazarus</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">was then mixed and shared with the
other stories…the ones of the other miracles…miracles of food, of healing, and
of forgiveness. And it seems that people started to take hold of the hope and
possibility of Jesus. They wanted to believe. They wanted him to be
something special and if others were behind</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> him</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, maybe they should
be too. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So they ran to the streets, they picked
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words of scripture: “Hosanna! Save us! Blessed is the one who comes in the name
of the Lord! Holy is the one who is like David, who comes from his line, so
that we might be led and saved from the Romans. Hosanna! Save us
Jesus!” The people were excited and they were ready. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, when we hear the story of the
people on Palm Sunday, we often focus on them…what they did, and then how their
tune changed later in the week. But today I want us to look at Jesus.
What was he experiencing that day? Do you wonder if Jesus thought that
maybe his story wouldn’t have to be what he believed would come to pass—that
maybe the people did get it? After all they were in the streets shouting
Hosanna! And blessed be the one who comes in theme of the Lord. Maybe
they did see him for who he was—for what he’d come to do among them—for what
God was doing. I would think with celebration and acclamation Jesus
probably enjoyed the moment—hopeful and joyful for the way people were
responding to God’s work among them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But we know things didn’t stay so
exuberant—not everyone was so joyful. At the end of the day, the
celebration </span><span style="font-family: "Charter","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of the palms </span><span style="font-family: "Charter","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">was
more hype and mob mentality than it was faithfulness and trust in God. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s
the bitter truth about people—we can be so flippant. We do what sounds good,
what feels good, what’s popular. But we don’t always invest ourselves first.
the crowds weren’t dedicated to Jesus. Maybe they’d heard a story or two
or maybe they came to use him—to see what he could do for them—but those were
just surface things. They didn’t know him. They didn’t get his work, his
life, his ministry. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
people did want God to do something....they wanted God to do what God had done
before...to send a victor, a king, a conquerer who could take the Romans head
on and kick them out of the promised land. </span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They wanted someone
to restore what was, to bring back the past. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But God doesn't go back to fix the past, God
redeems it in the present and breathes new life into the future. If we
want to encounter God, we have to let go of what was, maybe with celebration or
maybe wi</span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">th
lament, but release our grip on the past so that we can move freely into the
future God has designed. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But the people weren't ready to let go. They
knew what they wanted from the past. They knew what God had done before
and so they looked for th</span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">at. Maybe Jesus could be like the
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at work among the people...just not like they anticipated, not like they
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> so
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But </span><span style="font-family: "Charter","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus didn’t
turn with them. That’s the part that’s divine—even though the people were
selfish, myopic, and uncommitted—Jesus wasn’t. Jesus was loyal, invested,
and dedicated to the bitter end—not for his sake but for theirs. He really did
want the story to be different. He wanted people to invest in God, to see God
at work among them, and to have hope when the world was against them. And
so he continued on…he pressed forward into the worst days of his life so he
could change the worst days of our lives with hope, joy, and mercy. </span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-89458479594065953952015-03-22T14:59:00.000-07:002015-03-30T15:00:35.709-07:00Jesus is the Way<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br />
5 Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how
can we know the way?”<br />
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way
to the Father is through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my
Father, too. But now you do know him, and you have seen him.”<br />
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”<br />
9 Jesus answered, “I have been with you a long time now. Do you still not
know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say,
‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me? The words I say to you don’t come from me, but the Father
lives in me and does his own work. <br />
<br />
<br />
One of the things I love about my job is the opportunity to reclaim and explain
scripture. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Too often it’s defined in black and white
terms…but it’s not always so simple</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I think we’ve heard this instead: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You
should be very troubled, because if you believe in God, but not me, you will be
shut out of my Father’s house in heaven, where there are a few small rooms for
the few who get it right.... Then Thomas said to him, “Lord, what about people
who have never even heard of you? Will they go to heaven after they die?” Jesus
said to him, “I am the only way to heaven, and the truth about me is the only
truth that will get you to life after death. Not one person will go to heaven
unless they personally understand and believe a clearly-defined message about
me and personally and consciously ask me to come into their heart.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">That’s not the scripture. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not what the Bible says. But that’s how
people have interpreted it. So for a lot of us, when we hear this passage, we push back and
say, I’m not going to read that scripture, or that isn’t the Bible that I read….</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But much like most of the scriptures we’ve
learned to skip over…this one deserves another look…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If you’ve been reading
along with our 40 day study, you know that our author and many others struggle
with this passage. For a lot of years, by a lot of people, it’s been
taken as a claim of truth and exclusivity in Christ that trumps all others. Meaning
that if you don’t profess Christ with your lips…if you don’t claim him as your
Lord and Savior, there is no heaven in your future. <br />
A good number of us have heard, or had this passage interpreted in this
way:<br />
<br />
Now, that’s not what Bruce or ______ read, and it’s not what the Bible says,
but it is what a lot of us have heard. We’ve heard that Jesus is ruling
people out, excluding them from the embrace of heaven unless they do x, y and
z. The challenge is, that that really isn’t what this passage is
about. This passage is answering a question, but the question isn’t “What
about people of other religions?” The question is “How do we follow you
if we don’t know where you are going?” Those are two very different
questions. To really understand, and trust, what Jesus says here, it’s
important that we learn the crux of the passage. <br />
<br />
Just like last week, Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples. They
are sharing a meal and Jesus is emphasizing the most important lessons of their
time together before his betrayal and crucifixion. This conversation is
another part of that dialogue. In the first part of this chapter Jesus
tells the disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them and that they
know the way. <br />
<br />
But Thomas, always thinking in real concrete terms says, “No we don’t! We
don’t even know where you are doing…how on earth could we know how to get
there!?” <br />
<br />
And, in essence, Jesus answers…you don’t need a map. You don’t need the name of
a city. For “there” is not a place….it is a relationship….it is co-existence
with God and the way to “there” is not by a process, or 12 steps, or 10 rules,
but through the one who already has the relationship. If they want to get
“there”, then they need to look to Jesus and follow him. <br />
<br />
To which Thomas would ask, “Follow him where?! Where are we going?”
And Jesus would say, “Not follow me where but follow me how.” It’s no
longer about going from Galilee to Tiberias or from Bethlehem to
Jerusalem. It’s about following Jesus as an example and as a model. What
matters is not where they walk, but how they live. To follow Jesus as the
way is to live and love like he did. <br />
In their conversation Jesus tells the disciples they have had the opportunity
to know the<br />
Father and Phillip asks if they can just see God. (Now, if you know
anything about the scriptures, you know that’s not really something you want to
ask for….anyone who ever sees God face to face dies. Don’t ask to see
God. God is too big, too magnificent, too much beyond our comprehension that
it’s too much for us to handle. We can’t bear to be face to face with God
directly. Don’t ask.) Except, that Jesus says, you have seen
God…you have seen God translated into human form. You have walked with him. You
have shared meals with him. You have seen him heal the sick, and forgive the
sinners. You have seen God, for you have seen me. Jesus is God in the
flesh….in a form we can see, and touch, and comprehend. If we want to see
the Father, if we want to understand God in who God is and how God acts, we
need only look to Christ. He is the embodiment of God. <br />
That means if we want to see God, if we want to know God, if we want something
tangible to hold onto about God…then we look to Jesus. Seeing God face to
face would still be too much for any of us. BUT, Jesus is the revelation
of God that makes it so that if we see him and understand him, then we can see
and understand God. And if we want to get close to God, then we need to
get close to Jesus. And the way we do that is to live like Christ. <br />
<br />
“Just trust me. Everything you need is in me. I will bring you to my Father’s
house [whether that means heaven after death or the kingdom of God on earth].
‘The way’ or ‘the truth’ or ‘the life’ aren’t things separate from me. I am
these things, so you’ll find them in me! Whether or not you know what I’ve been
talking about, if you know me, you know the Father, you know the way, you know
the truth, you know the life.”<br />
<br />
“The way is the truth, and the truth is the life, and the life is the truth,
and the life is the way ... and all of these are found in me.”<br />
<br />
“Guys,” he’s saying, “it’s not about knowing information, techniques, direc-
tions, or instructions: it’s about knowing me, trusting me! Stay in
relationship with me, abide in me, and I’ll get you to the place where you
belong – the kingdom of God, knowing God, living in dynamic interactive
relationship with God – the place that I’ve been telling you about from the
begin- ning!” In this way, “I am the way ... there’s no other way apart from<br />
<br />
me” is a restatement of reassurance: “Trust in God, trust also in me. Don’t let
your hearts be troubled – trust me!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-43785270158500523282015-03-16T15:27:00.002-07:002015-03-16T15:27:24.546-07:00Jesus is...the true vine<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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in your house, supposedly following your rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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kind, being honest, helping someone who is having trouble, working hard. When
in doubt, don</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just remember where you came from and who you are. Be who you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that and you</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">ll be fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many topics as
you might cover, it always feels like you</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">re
missing something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you do you best
to remind them of all the most important things they</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">ll need to know to be successful out on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now, if we look at our scripture for today, in essence,
Jesus is giving his last minute pep talk to the disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t mean to
trivialize it, but Jesus is talking to his disciples just hours before the
crucifixion and he wants them to remember all that they have learned
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have already shared in
the foot washing at the Passover meal and he has been reminding them of various
lessons and emphasizing the things he wants them to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His death is imminent and his need to share
what really matters is growing stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus and the 12 disciples have been together for 3 years. They have
worked together, laughed together. I</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">m sure they've vented and even cried together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have built a strong repor of trust and
Jesus knows he won</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t be there
with them forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He anticipates the
resurrection, but even still his days are numbered and he wants them to have
all they need</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to be ready for the next thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So he tells them he is the vine, he is the source of who
they have become and if they want to be strong, if they want to stay steadfast
in God</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s ways and the things Jesus has taught them, then they need to stay
close to his teaching. They need to remain close to all that he has taught
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they do that, then they will be
fruitful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they do that God will be
glorified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They just need to stay true
to what Jesus has taught them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple
enough</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">remain in me and I will remain in you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now this teaching isn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t
universal, it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s not a message to the masses, it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s a message to his disciples, to those who have chosen to follow him
and be in ministry with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when we
look at what it means to us today we can</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t apply
it universally, it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s not a message for the anonymous bystanders,
it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s a message for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus and be
in ministry with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for us, for
disciples</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">those who choose to follow Christ, the same
truth remains</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">for us to stay close to Jesus and be fruitful,
for us to glorify God, we have to stay connected to his teachings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to do what he has taught us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to live the lessons of faith that we
gather on Sunday mornings and in our small groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now that</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s easy to say, but tough to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus says, remain in me</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">stay close and steadfast</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">he doesn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t say, come back occasionally, but STAY with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To become like Christ, to be fruitful and to
really glorify God, it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s not a once in a while, as needed, kind of
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s a
round-the-clock all the time commitment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We have to choose to do the things Christ has taught us:</span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to love our neighbor as ourself</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to pray for those who persecute us</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l19 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to include the marginalized and the outcast</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to give selflessly</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l18 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to be generous</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l14 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to be compassionate</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l17 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to extend grace</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l11 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to be humble</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to be faithful to God</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s teaching</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">to follow the 10 commandments</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And we have to do them over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means biting our tongue when we are
angry, it means caring for the homeless man we pass on the street. It means
offering help to strangers, even when it may inconvenience us. It means being
forgiving even when we</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">ve been hurt by a friend or family
member.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means all kinds of things in
our daily life where we choose to embody the love of Christ in who we are and
what we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And, to really live this lesson, there</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s one more thing</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">we have to allow that which doesn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t bear the fruit of the Spirit</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">the
fruits of love, joy peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and
self-control</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">.to be pruned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If it isn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t making us more like Christ, if it isn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t glorifying God, then it needs to be pruned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following Christ and living his teachings isn</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t just about what we add in</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">s also very much about what we cut out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to submit to pruning that which is </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">greedy</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">selfish</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">prideful</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">lustful</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">vengeful</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l22 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">mean spirited</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l16 level1 lfo17; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">hard hearted</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l20 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">exclusive</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">destructive</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l15 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">tempermental</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>judgmental</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l21 level1 lfo22; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unforgiving</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 13.1pt; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo23; tab-stops: list 13.1pt; text-indent: -13.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-text-raise: -1.0pt; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If we really want to be like Christ, those things have got
to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">d be nice if we could just make a cut and be done. But more often
than not, our bad habits run deep and we have to cut them often, and
repeatedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to continuously give
ourselves over to Jesus as we learn to be more like him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to practice his actions until they
become natural and engrained in us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
when we notice the ugly stuff</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">the fruitless habits that don</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">t give God glory starting to take root in us, we start pruning all
over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-227940807730032202015-03-08T13:28:00.000-07:002015-03-09T13:29:30.905-07:00Jesus is....the Good Shepherd<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was in high school, I had an English
teacher who was pretty fierce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
nickname, which she bore gladly, was “Evil Woman.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wasn’t really evil, we happen to still be
close today. But she was a strict teacher and she didn’t cut any corners for her
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In writing, she would
regularly tell us, “Show don’t tell.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She wanted us to use descriptions to convey our point, not just
statements of fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People believe
stories. They are compelled by illustrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Words are just words until they come alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
when someone asks the question, “What is Jesus like?” We could tell them…he is
kind, he is loving, he is inclusive, he is generous, he is humble, he is
devoted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or we could show them…he is the
bread of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the light of the
world. He is the good shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
titles help us remember, but the stories show us who Jesus was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
story of the good shepherd shows us quite a lot about the nature of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story tells us Jesus is the shepherd and
the gate. He is the one who tends the flock, and the one who lets them into a
safe place for rest and protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus is the protector, the caregiver, and the provider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes to us to protect us from harm, to
shield us from danger, and to care for us in all of our needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where others would cut and run, he’d risk
anything fighting for us because our lives matter even more than his.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the nature of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
the bigger question becomes—why does he do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Verse 10 tells us, “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus watches over us and cares for us not so he can profit and gain but so we
can—so that we might have life and have it abundantly. The purpose of his
existence, the value of his sacrifice is not for his sake, but for ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
doesn’t want us to simply live, he wants us to flourish. He doesn’t want us
just getting by—he wants us to be successful and fruitful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re on board with that, right? So how do we
get from here to there? How do we get from the mess that life offers to the
abundance Jesus died for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We
seek after him. He is the good shepherd—that means we have to follow him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to heed his voice and follow his
instructions. We have to go with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You see the shepherd can’t protect us if we refused to be near him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to choose to follow the shepherd and
let him lead in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
benefit is when we are near, he cares for us, he comforts us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of people wonder how they are going to
get through a particular trial or struggle. And the cliché answer is to draw
close to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the truth is, if we
understand the nature of Jesus as good shepherd, we’d know that it’s not just a
cliché, but that drawing near to him would give us peace and assurance. His
voice is reassuring. He takes away our fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He holds us close to protect us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t mean to sound overly simplistic or like I’m throwing platitudes
at you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’ve experienced the peace
and comfort of Christ and it’s worth having.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve had a lot of moments where I was scared to death and the thing that
has always helped me is prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I
can’t explain why or how prayer works, I only know that it does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I know that in the scariest moment of my
life, when I was rushed into an OR because Ruth was at risk when I was pregnant
and they performed an emergency c-section, I needed prayer. I was
petrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of the worst
experiences of my life. And I was so scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rick was out of the room and the doctors were there doing 100 things to
me to get me ready for surgery and I didn’t understand it all and I couldn’t
control any of it, and I was scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was given the meds and put on oxygen so I couldn’t talk even when Rick was
allowed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear just took over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she came she was purple and the NICU
team was already there to work on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was just more fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
awful and I couldn’t name it in the midst of the chaos, but afterward I knew,
if that ever happens again, just pray with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just say the Lord’s prayer and pray with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sing the old hymns and pray with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is comfort there. There is something
familiar that draws me into the presence and power of God in a way that nothing
else can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now,
there are other ways to draw close to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Different ways will work better for different people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can go to him—in worship, in study to get
familiar with his voice, in spending time with others who are near to him, in
being in nature, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in giving to others,
through music—through any of the means of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in him we can find solace and refuge from
the stress and struggle of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
there are others who aren’t so invested in our welfare. Actually, they’d much
rather profit from our struggles than help us through them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re out to steal our joy, our strength,
and our peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those are the bandits.
Now, they may not have a name, but they’re out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bandits may be people, or they may be
situations. They may be stressors, or temptations, or distractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They take our attention and draw us away from
the shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Remember,
the bandits, whoever they may be in each of our lives, only seek to steal,
kill, and destroy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their goal is not to
build us up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want what’s ours. And
the easiest way to get us to let it go is to convince us we don’t deserve it in
the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bandits in life
will denigrate us so we wouldn’t even dare believe, let alone trust, that
someone like Jesus really cares about us and would do anything for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bandits tell us we’re useless and
worthless. They tell us we’re lazy, stupid, hopeless, and ignorant. They call
us failures before we even try. They tell us we are unworthy, undeserving, and
unimportant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of us buy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not all the words at once. We don’t have to
believe it all. We just have to believe one or two for the bandits to gain
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And unfortunately, we believe
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t good enough, smart
enough, thin enough, successful enough—we just plain don’t measure up—or so
says the bandit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
the shepherd says something very different. He says we’re precious, important,
and valuable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like those words, but
after we’ve bought into all the other stuff, they just wash right over us. But
the good shepherd tells us to stop and listen—he has a truth for us and the
truth is we are so important, so incredibly valuable that there isn’t anything
he wouldn’t try and do to help us and protect us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tells us over and over and over again:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You
are worthy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
as we seek after him, we have to let the other words go. We have to let Jesus’
truth speak into our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to
stop confusing his voice with other voices and their lies with his truth. We
have to claim his truth for ourselves:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
am beloved.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Remember
the shepherd came and does what he does SO THAT you might have life and have it
abundantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question is will you
choose to follow him and claim his truth for yourself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-89800387635055118732015-03-01T13:36:00.000-08:002015-03-09T13:36:49.451-07:00Jesus is...the Light of the World<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
scripture tells us that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the
Feast of Booths or Sukkot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the
7-day Jewish holiday celebrated in the Fall that commemorated God’s care of
Israel for the 40 years they were in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was in those years that the people lived
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sukka</i>—temporary shelters or
booths. And so each year, they would build these shelters again and stay in
them for a week during the festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, in many ways it’s interesting that they would celebrate much of
anything from the 40 years in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those were not exactly the favorite years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were hard and tough with a lot of
fussing and whining and wishing they could go back to Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, every year after they arrived in the
Promised Land, they gathered to remember where they had been and celebrate what
God had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
some ways I might call it the feast of looking back and giving thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The festival elicited that from people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the booths—the tabernacles, made them
look back in specific ways to see all that God had done since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it wasn’t just getting them out of
Egypt or seeing them through the wilderness, it was all that God had done since
too—they could look at the land they had, the crops they raised, the homes they
had built, the schools they’d constructed and all they’d become, and they could
see God at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
closest parallel I know of is project Chacocente.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you’re there with the people they tell
their stories and they talk about moving out of the dumps and how hard it was
to transition to a new way of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
had to change how they related to others, how they earned money, how they structured
their day, what they ate—almost everything was different. And I can imagine
there were many days they felt like they were in the spiritual wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some days they wanted to go back to the
dumps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may seem hard for us to
imagine, but for them, it was familiar and much easier than this entirely new
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they clung to the hope that
what God had offered would be better. They persisted and have come so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each family now owns their 2.6 acres outright
with their home. They have a community well. They have electricity. They have
the school. And each year something new happens and there’s something else to
celebrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If
project Chacocente celebrated their own feast of Tabernacles they would invite
sharing about what they went through and how hard it was AND how they
persisted, how others came alongside to make this dream real—and together they
would see all that God had done. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what the Jews did at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sukkot</i>—they remembered and marked time
together and they celebrated all God had done among them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each night, they would light candles and then
sing and dance together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The candles
represented the presence of God that had seen them through the trials and the
darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
it was there, that Jesus taught and there he said, my words are not my own. It
was there that Jesus said his words point back to God because God’s message is
his message and his words are God’s words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was there that Jesus showed grace and pardoned the woman caught in
adultery. And it was there, a few days into the festival, that Jesus said he
was the light of the world. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
the midst of all the candles, all the lights that reveal how much God was with
them over the years, Jesus claimed to be that light--the real light, the light
that cannot be extinguished, the light of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
what does it mean to have that light in our lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, let’s go back to the story of the
Israelites and their years in the desert. After the fact, they celebrated God,
but in the midst of it, they struggled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They struggled to find hope, and purpose and meaning. They knew they
were on a journey, they knew that God had promised them something great, but
they also knew that where they were was impossibly hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were always on the move, they didn’t
have a home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a routine, but not
one of living and relaxing and enjoying, but one of searching, wandering and
seeking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The years in the wilderness
were unsettled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They challenged their
faith, their hope, and their trust in God’s provision and God’s promise for the
future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those years are often related to
years in darkness. Not because the sun was extinguished or hidden, but because
they struggled to find their way, and to see what was in the distant future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’d
venture that most of us have wandered in the darkness a time or two…literally
and figuratively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our literal wandering
helps us understand our spiritual wandering a bit better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine the darkness, even of your own
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens in the darkness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world becomes black and white and
gray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often we stumble on an obstacle we
didn’t know was there or didn’t remember we had moved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in the darkness of a new place, we
struggle even more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t familiar
with where to go or how far it is from point A to point B, and often, we might
become fearful, because not only can we not see what is there, we can also
readily imagine what isn’t there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Imagine a young child in a new dark place. They are often fearful,
wanting extra lights on, and often calling out for help and protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different sounds, or the reflection off an
object catch them off guard and they aren’t fully sure what to make of them.
And so we imagine all the awful things it could be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To minimize a child’s fear, or even our own,
we add a little light…maybe a night light, maybe a bathroom light, or a stove
light. Or maybe we keep a flashlight with us. Whatever the source, we use light
to help us navigate and to help us fear a little more secure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
a similar way, most of us have wandered in spiritual darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the wilderness of life, we struggle to see
what’s around us. We don’t know how far it is from point A to point B.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go slowly and cautiously, not sure of the
obstacles and fearful of the dangers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
to help us navigate and minimize our fears, we add a little light—the light of
hope, the light of promise, the light of Christ, that helps us to see a little
bit more of what surrounds us, and a little bit further down the path, and it
chases away the shadows of fear that might plague us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Growing
up, I don’t really remember being afraid of the dark—not specifically or in
general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I do remember fearing at
night that there was someone lurking in our dining room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The layout of our house was that there was a
hallway with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom at the back of the house. And at the
front end of the hallway was the family room on one side and the dining room on
the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In essence you could walk
from one room to the other or you could go down the hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at night, we turned out the lights, as
you might expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And any night that I
woke up, I would stand at my bedroom door and peer out to see if someone was at
the end of the hall in the dining room and then race to the bathroom and close
the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was done, I’d open the
door and check again and race back to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, there was never anyone lurking, nor had there ever been—it was all
in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for years I ran from my
fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, there are two bits of
insanity to that story…the first is I have no idea what running down the hall
would have spared me if there actually had been someone in the dining room, but
the other thing is there was a light switch right next to my bedroom door…I
easily could have flipped the switch and seen more than shadows and reflections
and been at peace walking to and from the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But instead, I chose to stay in the darkness
and be bound by fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I’ve grown older, I’ve grown out of such fears and become much more
pragmatic…if I can’t see in the dark, I turn on a light. It’s amazing how
simple it is—at least in concrete terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I haven’t always been so mature with my spiritual life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve found myself in darkness on more than a
few occasions. And much like I did as a child, I look out and imagine all the
awful things that might be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I run
and my heart races and I’m plagued with fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I create a false sense of security against my imagined boogeymen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what I fail to realize there, just as I
did as a child, was how easy it would be to shine the light on my path. I could
ask for the light of the world to illuminate my path and take away my fears,
but all too often, I’ve stayed bound by my fear and imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How
many of us do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find ourselves in
a dark and scary place and instead of doing the most pragmatic thing—asking for
light, we run in fear of what could be, not even what is, but what we imagine
might be there lurking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is the
light. He is the one that helps us to see the path, but also the one who takes
our fears and gives us greater confidence to take the next step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we look back on our journey and remember
what we’ve been through, the places of light and hope come from Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the light of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
when we struggle in the darkness, when we wander through the wilderness, we
aren’t banished to fear and struggle, we are invited to call on the light of
the world to shine on our path and help us see, to give us hope for what lies
ahead, and to take away our fears—both real and imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-68748556612471191652015-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:002015-03-09T13:35:26.710-07:00Jesus is...the bread of life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When
God meets Moses at the burning bush at the beginning of the story of Exodus God
calls Moses to free to the Israelites from Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses was anxious and tried every excuse in
the book to get out of it. Moses wanted God to go find someone else to do the
job. But God wanted Moses and had an answer for every objection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point, Moses said, what if I go to the
people and they ask who sent me, who should I say sent me, and God says “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hayah” which means</i> “I AM.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that sounds like a simple name that might
not mean all that much, but in Hebrew, it wasn’t just “I AM” it’s “I AM who I
AM” and “I was who I was” and “I will be who I will be” and it’s closely
connected to Yahweh, which means Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So God told Moses tell the people that the one who was and is and is to
come has sent you. Tell them Yahweh has sent you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so Moses did and that’s how God was
known, by the name Yahweh as the great I AM. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
I know you might be thinking, “that’s great for Moses and the Israelites, but
why does that matter to us?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
Yahweh is how God is known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people
heard hayah, or Yahweh, and they immediately thought of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when Jesus begins to say hayah “the bread
of life” or hayah “the living water”, the people are also hearing “God is the
bread of life” and “God is the living water.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In making these statements to these people, they are associating Jesus
with God and they are meant to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It might
feel like a stretch, especially because “I am” is a statement we use all the
time in every day speech.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But,
we have to admit, there are certain names and quotes we’ve learned to associate
with certain people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may not be that
they’re the only ones to use those words or to be called that name, but their
voice, or even just the words themselves make us think immediately of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that </i>person. So then if someone else
uses that quote and mixes it with their own words, they’re tying themselves to
the other person at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have a couple of samples this morning. We’re going to play the voice or the
quote and you’re going to tell us who it is. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Marsha, Marsha Marsha—Jan Brady</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Here’s Johnny—we think of Johnny Carson
and the person saying the quote is Ed McMahon</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ask not what your country can do for
your—John F Kennedy</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">May the force be with you (Hans Solo)
Obiwon Kinobi, and Luke Skywalker</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“that’s all folks”—Porky Pig</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The only thing we have to fear is fear
itself—Franklin D. Roosevelt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
that shows us that simple words and phrases can easily become recognizable not
just for the words themselves but for the person who says them. So we might
better understand how easily and powerfully associated Jesus becomes with God
when he says “hayah the bread of life”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not just the words, but instead the history of the words tied to
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For centuries God had been known as
the great I AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, as we see him in
the Gospel of John, God is being understood more intimately in the person of
Jesus Christ. This connection to God as I AM will weave throughout the whole
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
today, we will be focusing on the scripture that was read from John 6. This
particular scene takes place right after the feeding of the 5000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people come to find him and he’s frustrated
because he can see they didn’t really want him….they wanted food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shares that he’s the one who’s been sent
by God so that they might believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
so they ask for a sign, they ask for a miracle so that they might believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say “Moses used to lead the people and
he gave us manna, if you give us manna then we will follow you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Jesus gets a little more firm….it’s not
about the food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the manna wasn’t
about the food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The manna was about
faith and trust in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Israelites
had to believe God would care for them each day. They weren’t allowed to
collect extra—if they did it would rot and be filled with worms by
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The manna was given to feed
them, but to receive the miracle they had to believe God would be faithful to
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
when these people asked for physical food Jesus recognized that they didn’t get
it. The miracle of the loaves and fishes centered around food, but it was
really about trusting God to provide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus admits he can do signs and wonders but says that really what he’s
about is giving soul sustaining food. The gift he brings depends on our faith
and trust that he will provide, not just once, but over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Part
of the question for us is are we seeking physical signs and wonders that last
only moments or are we seeking spiritual sustenance where we trust daily that
God will provide for and sustain us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
we interested in Jesus just so he can do what we want? OR are we ready to
depend on Christ daily?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we believe
he’ll be there or are we overly tempted to take a little extra just in case he
fails us? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’ve
gotta say, this is a tough question for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m not just interested in the individual acts—though I won’t deny their
appeal, BUT I don’t know that I’m ready to be dependent EVERY day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a pretty self sufficient person. I’m
capable. I’m willing. And I like getting things done. And generally, I don’t
like asking for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like being
dependent. I can do it by myself thank-you-very-much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now,
I’m sure I’m the only one with this particular problem, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I usually am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in case there happens to be another one
who’s like me I’ll take a minute to describe the struggle.,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of think God could just stock me up
for, I don’t know, a few months and then I’ll do my thing until supplies run
low and then I could go back to God. I could manage that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what this passage tells us is that it’s
not about having the stuff--it’s about having God and being reliant on God
every day for just what we need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
that might not seem that complex, but really, it’s counter-intuitive to how we
think and act.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Everything
our culture says tells us to be independent, self-sufficient, a
jack-of-all-trades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here is our God
in flesh and blood in the person of Christ telling us the opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we want real satisfaction, if we want to
find what we’re looking for, if we want to be full—then we have to stop trying
to make it all on our own and we have to go to Jesus for more than signs and
wonders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">To
really eat of the bread of life, to partake in the gift Jesus offers—we have to
become fully dependent on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we
do that? Well, there’s a lot of different ways and each of us will have
different things we need to let go of and different areas where we need to
relinquish control and become reliant on God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the ways we seek those specific answers is through the
disciplines of Lent. By fasting from technology or giving up a vice, or making
a personal sacrifice, we eliminate some of the noise in our lives and in the
peace God begins to speak truth into our hearts. Through the disciplines of
prayer, reading the scriptures, and journaling, God may speak to us about work,
about our marriage, about grief, about our kids, about our parents, about a
resentment, or about a callous on our heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when we fight to control those situations, we are reminded it’s not
about the thing—God may answer our prayer and give us reconciliation,
forgiveness, a promotion, healing, or a miracle, but really what Jesus is
asking is that we would trust and have faith that God will supply our needs
each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">To
really share in the bread of life, we have to stop seeking the quick fix and
start submitting ourselves daily to be wholly dependent on God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
a tall order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God knows that. But the
greatest gift of a relationship with God is not just coming to God when we want
something, but coming daily to have our needs met and to engage the
relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kind of faith and
trust often requires a complete shift in our way of thinking and many of us
aren’t ready to make that commitment. We’re still doing pretty well on our
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what if this kind of
relationship could change your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you try it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you be
willing to make a short term commitment to see what happens?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent, is an invitation to check it out, to
try and let go of our need to control things and instead to let God be in
control. Lent offers us a chance to minimize the noise in our lives so that
God’s voice might be heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Lent
asks us to stop asking just for what we want in this moment, but to look at the
big picture and ask God what God wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you dare to try it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will
mean some sacrifices. It will means some added faith practices so you can learn
the rhythm of dependency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
promise is that it will be worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
a few moments, you will be invited to break-fast and share in Holy
Communion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will be eating physical
food, but I would encourage you to begin this journey of dependence, if you
haven’t already, by asking God to be your life source each day and to teach you
how to trust in this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448768827978890925.post-55676148558851006452015-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:002015-01-28T11:14:30.951-08:00Go Team! Commandments 7 & 8<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Can
I just say, marriage is hard sometimes?<span>
</span>They tell you before you get married that “it takes work”, but really
“it takes work” comes nowhere close to expressing the truth of how hard it is
to share your life with someone who loves differently, believes differently,
prioritizes differently, spends differently, and thinks differently than you.
And “it takes work” will never be able to encompass the challenges of loving
through miscarriages, foreclosures, bankruptcy, in-laws moving in, job changes,
cancer, parenting, and even just every day misunderstandings and
miscommunications.<span> </span>Marriage is hard and
demands a lot.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I’m
not trying to discourage you who are engaged, but I am trying to state the
facts that marriage can be really tough. It requires 100% commitment and effort
from both people.<span> </span>Some say it’s 50/50,
but really it’s 100/100—each person has to give of themselves to make the
marriage work.<span> </span>And when you’re giving it
all to grow in love—you really have to give it ALL—you’ve gotta give your best
to be your best. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Think
of it this way—say you’re drafted and sign with the Denver Broncos.<span> </span>What’s your responsibility?</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Get to know the team</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Learn the plays</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Practice with the team</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Train for strength and endurance</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Push through adversity</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Celebrate the victories with the team</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">If
you want to be any good, you have to put in a lot of work with your team.<span> </span>But what if you didn’t show up to the Denver
practices. Or maybe you just kind of faked your way through it but never really
learned the plays and hardly learned what would work well with your team
mates?<span> </span>Instead you decided to start
practicing with the New York Jets.<span> </span>You
learn their plays and hang out with those guys, despite the fact that you’re in
a lifetime contract with the broncos.<span>
</span>How well would you play with the Broncos if all your time was with the
Jets?<span> </span>Not well.<span> </span>If you don’t invest in a team, then you can’t
expect to succeed with the team.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Marriage
is like that. If you sign on with your partner—you can’t go and spend your time
and energy with someone else.<span> </span>It may
sound like a good idea, especially if things are rocky, but at the end of the
day, your team isn’t stronger. You need your head in the game. You need to be
all in. You can’t split your allegiances and still expect to succeed. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span> </span>God knows the power of the covenant of marriage. God
knows what it is to be loved for all your strengths and all your failures.<span> </span>God knows what it is to be accepted and heard
and valued when everything is going your way and when nothing is.<span> </span>Marriage is meant to offer us that deep love
and acceptance. But a depth of trust and intimacy don’t just happen by luck,
they take work and intentional effort. And so you’ve got to be all-in.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span> </span>Now, just like any good team, even with the right
players, and regular practice, and strength and endurance training, and good
communication, some plays won’t work, some days you’ll lose.<span> </span>But you don’t quit the team just because it
was hard or just because you lost one game, or even one season.<span> </span>If you signed on, then you continue to give your
best to strengthen the team. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span> </span>Now remember what I said in the beginning?<span> </span>Marriage is hard. Some seasons hit hard.<span> </span>Some years feel like all you’ve done is
lose.<span> </span>BUT, marriage is also rich with
blessings.<span> </span>The hugs, the listening ear, the
companionship, the intimacy, the trust, the adventures, those are the
wins.<span> </span>That’s what make it worth all the
effort and sacrifice.<span> </span>And to know the
fullness of what that commitment can offer you have to give it your all, and
give it your best.<span> </span>We won’t know how amazing
marriage can be if we are always considering what it would be like to be on a
different team.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">God wants you to play for the team
to which you signed.<span> </span></span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span> </span>To be sure, the 6<sup>th</sup>-10<sup>th</sup>
commandments are pretty straightforward.<span>
</span>It hardly seems like they warrant explanation, but there’s always more
than just understanding the letter of the law.<span>
</span>And there’s the fact that we struggle to uphold the laws in their
entirety, regardless of how well we might know them. Commandment #8 says, “thou
shalt not steal”.<span> </span>We get that.<span> </span>No one should take something that doesn’t
belong to them.<span> </span>If I tell you not to steal,
you know what that means. <span> </span>We can readily
define what is ours and what is someone else’s and know that we shouldn’t just take
that which doesn’t belong to us. <span> </span>But why
not?<span> </span>Scripturally, we understand it’s
because God has made enough for all of us—God’s provision is abundant. And if
we understand and live within that, then there’s no need to steal.<span> </span>To live by God’s law is to allow for God’s
provision to provide for all as God planned.<span>
</span>We are invited to believe that playing fair is sufficient and worthwhile
because winning isn’t about having more than everyone else.<span> </span>Winning for God is about being the best of
who we are created to be.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Now
that might sound “soft” and like an “everybody wins” mentality.<span> </span>But it’s not about giving everyone a trophy
regardless of performance; it’s about ensuring a fair game.<span> </span>Think of it this way—this last week the New
England Patriots won the AFC championship game—but then a couple of days later,
the news broke that Tom Brady, their quarterback, had played with deflated
footballs.<span> </span>There’s some question about
who deflated the balls.<span> </span>Was it
Brady?<span> </span>A coach? The equipment manager?
Someone on the sidelines?<span> </span>I’m not here
to solve the mystery, but instead to point out that regardless of who did
it—deflating the balls stole the opportunity for a fair game.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Is
it possible that the patriots still would have won, even with the balls fully
inflated?<span> </span>Sure. But that’s not the
point.<span> </span>The point is we don’t know who
would have won if it was a fair game. It could have been the patriots. But it’s
possible it would have been the colts.<span>
</span>It’s great to win, but if you win you want to know you did it—that you
gave your best and played well and the best team won.<span> </span>Similarly, a loss is a loss—it’s not what any
team wants, but a loss is tolerable if you know the other team brought their A
game and played a better ball game. But you don’t want to lose because a ref
threw the game or because some guy deflated the football.<span> </span>We all want to win, but we know that can’t
happen 100% of the time.<span> </span>Losing
happens.<span> </span>Most of us can accept that.<span> </span>But what we can’t accept is not being given
the chance, a fair chance, to show our stuff and prove we were the better
player or team.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">To
live with the satisfaction that what God has provided is enough is to take our
share, and use it, to play a fair game, and trust that the highs and lows that
will result will pan out in the end.<span> </span>But
your chance to succeed, to be your best, is stolen when someone else rigs the
game.<span> </span>No one wants to play the team that
cheats. No one wants to play in the arena where the refs always call for the
home team.<span> </span>Why bring our best if we
aren’t given a fair chance in the first place?<span>
</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">So
how does all of that relate to the 8<sup>th</sup> commandment?<span> </span>How does cheating in a game relate to everyday
life?<span> </span>Well, in how God designed life,
everyone has a chance, everyone has gifts and talents to use, and everyone
should be given the chance, a fair chance, to be their best.<span> </span>But institutionally and systemically, we have
rigged the game.<span> </span>Now, not necessarily us
personally and individually, but companies, governments, and some groups have
stolen the opportunity for everyone to play a fair game. <span> </span>Now some of those structures and injustices
have been around a long time.<span> </span>It’s hard
to undo systemic injustice.<span> </span>But if we
want to have an honest conversation about playing fair and providing an
opportunity for everyone to live into the world God designed, then we have to
acknowledge that for a lot of folks, the game is rigged.<span> </span>If they don’t have clean water, or enough
food, or access to education, then how can we expect them to bring their A
game?<span> </span>We’ve been taught to absolve
ourselves of responsibility for them.<span> </span>We
are responsible for us and they are responsible for them.<span> </span>But, as Christians, we are called to see the
world not just for what it is, but for what God wants it to be, and that means
everyone should have a fair chance.<span> </span>And
a fair chance includes access to the necessities of everyday living.<span> </span>You wouldn’t expect a fair game if one team
had all the best pads, shoes, and equipment, while the other team played
barefoot, with cardboard pads, and equipment that’s falling apart.<span> </span>Each team may be coming with what they have,
but really, it’s not a fair game.<span> </span>We can
see that.<span> </span>So, how can we think that a
fair chance is offered when they have to walk a mile to get a few gallons of
river water, while we have purified water anywhere anytime.<span> </span>The game has been rigged around the
world.<span> </span>And part of our responsibility is
making sure we play fair and that our brothers and sisters around the world
have a fair chance to become their best.<span>
</span>That means we invest in wells for clean water, schools for education,
and food for their tables. And it means we look at the systems that promote and
protect inequality and injustice and work against it.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As
a church, we’ve worked hard to help create opportunities and chances for people
to be their best.<span> </span>We have given nearly
$200,000 through our Christmas Miracle offering over the years, and more
throughout the year, to create a fair chance for people to have employment,
education, housing, and basic necessities.<span>
</span>As a denomination, we have given millions of dollars to fight malaria in
Africa so people have a chance at a healthy life.<span> </span>United Methodists have built schools, hospitals,
shelters, clinics, and churches to help level the field, providing for the everyday
needs of brothers and sisters around the world. <span> </span>We have truly been about God’s work. <span> </span>And at the same time, we know that we enjoy more
riches in one year than most will enjoy in a lifetime. <span> </span>The game is getting better, but it’s still not
fully fair. <span> </span></span></span></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13351832671251015384noreply@blogger.com0