Sermon Homework for Sept. 23, 2018
- I see seniors in need! Email the church office to find out how to deliver Meals on Wheels in our community!
- I see those struggling with mental illness!
Go to this website and take the stigma quiz or pledge on your phone: https://www.nami.org/stigmafree
- I see indigenous girls and women in need!
Go to https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s1942 and read up on Savanna’s Act and track it or call and write Congress with your thoughts on the bill. Use the hashtag #NotInvisible and talk about the importance of this issue.
- I see foster children in need!
Spend time at the Seton house volunteering with troubled youth in our community. Email Robby Rockey if you want to know more about the Open Table program which is not a fostering program but rather a mentorship program:
Sharing & Deep Listening
Today, based on this passage, we were asked: “Is St. Paul a hypocrite?”
1st Corinthians 9: 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
True, Pastor Rachel intended it to be a rhetorical question — but it is a good one.
Applying what I think St. Paul is saying here is that if I wish to relate deeply with someone, I have to start where they are.
I have over the years developed what I could described as my personal truth. It’s been a long journey. I know that it’s not over yet and I’m definitely still working on it. My truth, my experience, my understanding, the adventures – the good, the bad, good choices, mistakes and difficulties are all part of me. It’s not theoretical. It’s what I AM and what I’ve come to understand of what that means, all colored by much contemplation, many relationships, insightful teachings and all that I’ve been and everywhere that I’ve gone, and all that I have done. It is personal and real. I haven’t arrived where I am either quickly or easily, and whether in joy or difficulties, I am not likely to be easily changed, persuaded or deflected from it. I think most of us feel that way at some level.
Paul is saying that if he wants to share his truth with someone, he has to start by making it clear to them that he understands where they are coming from. In my experience the only way that one can do that is by listening — and listening with a receptive and understanding heart. When a relationship develops to the point that deep sharing is possible it almost always begins with questions. Questions, followed by listening and more questions can often open doors to deeper conversation. When questions flow in both directions, it’s a pretty good sign that a door is beginning to open.
There is a particular translation of one of the Bible Proverbs that I have found unforgettable. I read it many years ago and it really struck me. The Proverbs often speak of the “fool” or “foolish” person”. It’s translated many ways, but a generous one would be referring to a person who is completely self-absorbed.
Proverbs 18: 2 A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his whole mind.
He’s backing up the dump truck — Look Out – here it comes! I have met that person a few times, and hopefully I haven’t been that person too often. Frankly I think St. Paul nailed it!
“I Thirst.”
“I THIRST”
Lenten Prayer Challenge – Thursday, March 22, 2018
“I thirst” are the last words Jesus utters (John 19:28) before he cries out, “It is finished” and dies on the cross. I’ve spent time with people preparing to give birth, preparing for surgery or preparing for death when they are in pain. They commonly ask for something to drink or ice chips because they are thirsty. I’m not doing a facebook live meditation today because I’ve lost my voice and am home with strep throat. My throat is so infected and swollen that I haven’t been able to eat or drink for over 12 hours and I too, thirst. And while some numbing medication and antibiotics can get me on the road to recovery and end my human thirst, I wonder if John intentionally included these words from Jesus so we would be reminded of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4 where Jesus tells her that if she drinks from the water that he provides, she’ll never thirst again.
What do we thirst for in life? What do we really desire? What satisfies us? The world naturally programs us to thirst for money, status, security, beauty, power and belonging, but we serve a poor, homely looking homeless man who people called a bastard. Jesus wasn’t nominated for Time’s “Person of the Year.” Jesus didn’t belong, he didn’t thirst for the things that the world thirsts for. Jesus thirsted for justice, for grace, for forgiveness and love and healing and wholeness. When we make Jesus our priority and seek FIRST the kingdom of God, then the temporary human thirst we experience in our seasons of preparation pales in comparison to the contentment we experience in Christ. When Jesus thirsted on the cross, he was given wine vinegar on a sponge that was lifted up to him on a hyssop plant. Hyssop plants were minty, sturdy stalks that were used for a variety of things, even medicinal purposes, but God used them as a sign of purification (Leviticus 14:1-7,33-53; Exodus 12:22, Psalm 51:7) . Christ was purified on the cross before he died, as a perfect and complete sacrifice for us. He thirsted so we wouldn’t ever have to thirst again. As we seek to be purified in our hearts and minds and souls, let us fix our eyes on what really matters- not the number of “likes” on your Facebook page or followers on Nnstagram or dollars in your bank account- “fix your eyes on Jesus,” as the author of Hebrews says, “The author and perfector of your faith…and run with perseverance the race set before you.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Where is your home?
WHERE IS YOUR HOME?
Sermon Reflection by Andy Gilstrap
This past Sunday Rachel spoke of the “dwelling” place. Jesus had said, “….destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days”. This reminds me of the idea of home.
I have a home. It nice, safe, familiar, comfortable, and a place where myself and family live. It exist in a physical space and has an address, but when you think about it, its not really my home. It could burn down. It could be blown away in a storm. We could sale it and move, and then it would become a home to someone else. We could decide it doesn’t meet our needs and build another. The reality is, its just a house.
The truth is whether I’m home, traveling, in the wilderness, at the beach, wherever…my home is where is with my family. When I am with my wife and two girls, when I am connected to the moment and fully present with them….they are my home. The idea of home goes way beyond simply a dwelling place and speaks to something much deeper. Jesus was not talking about the actual temple.
God doesn’t need a cathedral, an arc, or a church building. He is taking up His residence in us. We are His home.
In the ancient near east there were many different versions of religion and gods. It seems that everyone had a god for everything. At this time, no one believed that any one person had personal access to any god except for a priest. If you wanted to know what a god was like, you would watch the priest. How he walked, how he talked, when and where he slept, what he ate, how he dressed, how he treated others, what he found important, the way is filled his time…..all these things would tell you what the god of that religion was like. The priest put the god on display for everyone else.
Then God comes to Moses on Mt. Sinai and says, “…you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:6 You are dwelling place for God and you are putting Him on display. If you want to know what kind of God others believe in, what kind of struggles they have with him, what kind of questions and doubts….if you want to know why people struggles believing whether God cares for them…look at yourself. God has taken up His divine residence in you and has asked you to put Him on display for the rest of the world. You are to reflect the very image of the Divine Himself. How you live, what you deem as important, how you treat others…will be the kind of God, those you can come in contact with, believe you serve. If you want others to believe that God is about love, beauty, truth, light, peace, finding the good in all, and bringing redemption…then it is up to you to do these things, as well. When you show up, you are bringing God with you. It is not enough to say you believe in this type of god, because you are putting God out there for all to see. We must find the resolve between what say we believe and what we live. We must find our home in God, as He finds His home in us….may our home be open, loving, and inviting to all. May you reflect the image of God himself.
The Practice of Vulnerability
I would dare say we already have beliefs about it all. Even if we if we are unaware of our beliefs. We move, live, breathe, and make our choices out of our “real” belief system. Thats in there somewhere. The really weird thing here, if I’m not reaching too much, is that both experiences of loss and of child birth will deeply challenge those already held belief systems. Not only that, it has been my experience that they will strip you down in all sorts of way, expected and unexpected. You will not find many more times in your life where you feel more empty, simple, small, and dependent than you will in these experiences. You are suddenly thrust into a deep understanding of your smallness in the universe. Filled with questions. Searching for larger and bigger truths. What is it all about? The pain, the anger, and the questions that come usually find their way back to God with the ultimate, why. It is good to question. It is ok. It is safe. Let it out. Expose your soul.
Vulnerability.
A brand new baby is so small and dependent. Fragile. Unaware of the world around them. Whether you are holding new life and pondering the state of that child, or whether you are experiencing deep pain and loss, there is a deep state of vulnerability at work. You feel so….exposed.
It is certainly countercultural and counterintuitive for us, but we should practice vulnerability in our daily lives. I know we are taught, even if its indirectly, to hold it all in, hold it all together, to be self-reliant. The strange thing is the lack of life giving energy that is at work there. When we experience loss or new life for the first time, we eventually reach a point where we are keenly aware that we cannot do it alone. It uncovers all sorts of things within us. True vulnerability leads us to the need for community. The difficult part is that it is so hard to be vulnerable with others. When we lose someone we love, we are thrust into a true state of vulnerability whether we like or not. We need help. We need hope. We need someone to be there. Yet we still have a hard time being, open, honest, or asking for help.
Vulnerability is a practice. It takes practice. We must practice it. I think real life depends on it. Being connected truly to current of the universe and the things that eternal, takes being honest and real…with ourselves and with others. It also takes a safe and dependable community of others. Being that we are human beings living here in this century and in this culture, we are not good at being safe or dependable. Vulnerability takes practice from all and with all.
May we move towards vulnerability one step at a time, just as we move towards the vulnerability of our Creator, day by day, to the birth of His Son, this Advent season.
Messengers – Sermon Reflections
You’ve heard said again and again,”Life is a journey”…and we are all on it. We feel the weight and the miles of a well-traveled life. Heavy. Hard. Long. Unpredictable. Joy and adventure, balanced with the tension of trials and heartache. How are we to carry a precious message when we don’t feel so “precious” ourselves? Why even choose to use a vessel that is cracked, unassuming, battered, or thrown-around?
Revelation 1:16, what John saw in the face of Christ is translated as perigee sun.
“…But no matter, the road is life”. So we travel on, toting this message deep within.
YES! You can make a difference in our world!
Foundation – the basis on which a structure rests
Traveling around the country and the world you run across many old buildings in various condition. As a novice fan of architecture, this is something I really enjoy, particularly, old churches and cathedrals in the cities I’ve been fortunate enough to visit. While reflecting on the design of the structures, I often contemplate the aspect of the building that is unseen – the foundation.
I would argue that the foundation of a building is the most important, or integral, part of the structure. When visiting an old structure, we are often completely oblivious to the fact that the foundation exists. Yet, at the same time, we are intuitively aware of it. There is something about a failing foundation that is impossible to ignore. Deep down, we all feel a sense of sureness, safety, and comfort in a building, no matter the size, that is built on a solid foundation. A foundation that is failing, shows its weakness in many places and forms throughout the entire structure. I would say these manifestations of a failing foundation, give us a sense of unease and impending destruction. When a building is failing from its core, we know that it won’t be long before its no longer inhabitable, or usable. At this point, the building has lost its function or identity.
We tend to be taken up with grandness of cathedral ceilings, columns, stained-glass, and corridors stretching in all directions…but it is the foundations of these buildings that determine what can and will be built. It is the foundations that allow the creative thinking and design to function freely. It is the foundation, which is laid first, that gives a cathedral its footprint and identity. The foundation determines the structure’s limitations or boundaries, but gives the architect the safe confines on which to use creative imagination.
No matter how grand, well-thought out, ingenious, practical, or creative a building design and construction is, it can be deemed uninhabitable if the foundation is not sure and long lasting. It is the core of our being and our identity that is our foundation. What is your foundation?
We are able to be who we truly dream or desire to be, when we have a sure and strong foundation. Do you have a strong foundation in relation to the Divine? Do you see the divine in the core of who you are? Do you find that foundation strengthened in your community of others? Are you finding your foundation resonating with the hum of life that is at the core of the universe?
A sure foundation pushes us into the current of life. It gives us the certainty needed to go and be who we are. A solid foundation is always moving us into action and being. Just a the foundation of a building is laid deep, solid, and remains hidden, the building resting above is creative, functional, working, and in-use. A building is not a building unless people are coming and going; living, creating, gathering, and thriving within. You can visit these cathedrals, and even the ones that lay in ruins, are still identifiable by the foundation that remains. The legacy of a building is preserved by its foundation. You will know what stood for and how is was used, by the foundation that was laid.
Can we build a foundation within ourselves that always gives movement? Will our foundation move us into things that permanent or even eternal?
That’s something we all can do. One well-chosen word at a time. One stanza of service at a time. And with our words and deeds, we can leave something beautiful behind in the lives of others.”
Do you have a solid foundation? Do you know who you are? What have you built your identity on? A well-laid foundation will always lead to life humming with action. The busyness of life being created, lives, and shared. What is your structure? Is it eternal? Divine? Does reverberate with the echoes of the foundation of the universe itself?
The Story of US – PART 1 – The Aryees
We’re kicking off a sermon series this week called THE STORY OF US where you have a chance to learn more about the people seated beside you in the pew and hopefully learn a little more about God as they share their story with you. In a few moments you will hear from Benetta Aryeee- born out of the country, as was her husband but they met in the great state of Minnesota. While he is on board the non-commissioned Navy Ship Comfort out near Puerto Rico, she shared about what has happened to them over the past few years with the birth of their son, Nathaniel. Let’s hear her story…(click here to see video)
When you receive unexpected devastating news, how do you respond? Are you angry because you are a good person who has lived a good life and it just doesn’t seem fair to have to struggle and hurt so much when you have tried so hard for so long to do what is right? Are you sad and heartbroken because you don’t know how to see the silver lining on this rain storm of a cloud and just want to wave a magic wand and make it all go away? Are you in denial or stonewalling your emotions to devastating news, trying to numb yourself in any way that you can because you just cannot accept what you have heard? What do we do with difficult times and struggles in our lives and how can this church make a difference in our journey through good times and bad? I don’t know about you, but I was amazed by Benetta’s response and it made me think of Colossians 3:15-17 which says,
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
βραβεύω
And it means to sit and act as umpire so when you know this story and when you let it move you into a right and healthy relationship with God, others, yourself and creation, when you have peace then you let that peace be the umpire of your life- not the anxiety, not the insecurity, not the fear of the unknown- let the peace of Christ keep you focused and on track and the most amazing and remarkable things will happen. You’ll have faith like Benetta, to walk into a church and, only knowing folks for one year you let them into your life as you face some hurdles and challenges. Like Benetta, you love your son for the gift that he is as you fight for his health and wholeness. Benetta and Julian are a remarkable couple, Nathaniel is an amazing kid and God will continue to work out his story of peace and hope in their lives and in our lives if we let him. Thanks be to God, amen!
“What is THIS all about?”
I remember hearing an interview with a man who had led a terrible life of big trouble and finally found himself in prison and in solitary confinement. Going through his usual litany of blaming all sorts of other people for his troubles, and his lot in life, and his awful situation; — when suddenly he found himself asking: “What part of all of this am I responsible for?” He said that just asking that question completely changed his life.