Monday, June 27, 2016

“Get that Love!” June 26, 2016 Psalm 77.1-2, 11-20, *Galatians 5.1, 13-25 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
All Bethel gardeners work hard to plant and weed and harvest[slide # 1 gardener] They cannot even begin to number the hours of love that are poured into each shovel of soil and each plant! We can all understand because we all do our part in spiritual gardens.
We are all disciples planted and growing in this church. We are also disciples planted in our homes and our communities. When the world sees us, we want them to see the fruit of our labors. We want the world to see that we are Christians by our love. We want everyone to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit -  the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness-generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. [slide # 2 fruit of the spirit]
Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians that we are reading today. [slide # 3 Paul with scroll] Paul wrote the letter because while he was away, a couple other preachers started preaching something other than what he had been preaching and teaching. [slide #4 Paul teaching] Paul must have felt like hard-working gardeners feel when they look into the field and see that their plants, vegetables, and flowers have all been eaten up by critters during the night. [slide #5 groundhog]
There are all types of teachers, and there is no lack of tension between teachings. There are various philosophies and understandings that have stood the test of time. Whether it be in the field of education or health or business or agriculture or faith. We have come to believe what we have been taught. We have learned that reading is fundamental, exercise is critical, investing secures a future, planting feeds the people and faith fortifies our country. We believe what we have been taught. [slide # 6 graduation cap…]
There are other teachings on which great doubt has been cast, or that we find confusing. We will always be growing and developing as we learn. We will always be learning and testing new ideas. [slide # 7 test tube] Let’s just be as prayerful and careful as we can be so as to avoid being deceived and getting sucked into the ways of the world. [slide #8 hands and bible]
As faithful disciples we want to learn to plant and weed and water God’s word as best we understand it so we can enjoy the harvest that God has promised us. [slide #9 spiritual harvest] We want to enjoy the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness-generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Doing all that it takes to harvest the fruit of the spirit is not easy. Teaching others to be disciples who plant and water and weed is not easy. Yet, it is exactly what we are called to do. [slide # 10 making disciples]
At times, just as we feel like slaves to our gardens, we may feel like slaves to our mission of making disciples. Paul agrees. In verse 13 he writes, “You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.”  [slide # 11 through love become slaves]
Our mission goes better with love. [slide # 12 heart, chained to foot] The way to grow in love is to spend time in the SONSHINE of God’s love, to pray, to sing, to give, to serve, to meditate, to share gratitude, to exercise our spiritual muscles so we can grow stronger where we are weak.
We do well to ask ourselves how we can be the best blessing we can be to other disciples around us. How would our lives be blessed if we spent more energy sharing words of encouragement and thanksgiving instead of complaining or gossiping?
I heard a sermon by Joseph Prince a few weeks ago. He said God hates complaining. One word for complaining is “luna” as in lunatic. In others words to be a complainer is to be lunar, moody, unstable or as the saying goes “crazy as a loon.” Although, the Holy Spirit taught me not to refer to others as crazy. Rather I have learned to say, “mixed up.” Those words make for a kinder, gentler Church. [slide # 13 hands in circle]
This week a banker gave me misinformation and it cost me some time to correct. It was aggravating, and I was just about to complain, but instead I calmed down, looked at the bright side, remembered that God had my back and moved forward. After all, I was glad that the banker and the manager and I all finished with a smile instead of a frown. It turned out to be a good day.
God hates to hear us complaining as much as we hate to hear someone complaining about us. The Holy Spirit is not teaching us to complain. We learn that from somewhere else. The Holy Spirit is all the good stuff. Anything else we learn is from the enemy. The goal of the enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy. The goal of the Holy Spirit is to help us encourage one another and comfort one another and strengthen one another!!
Joshua Becker says that complaining fosters a negative attitude, makes us miserable, and makes those around us miserable as well. We really do not want misery when we can have peace. [slide # 14 waterfall]
Complaining does not change our circumstances. Sometimes we complain when we are stuck. Instead we should hurry up and run to God [slide # 15 hurry to God] where we will find the strength to do something about a situation even when it seems too hard and even when it would require some action we may not be ready to take.
Often when we complain, we have forgotten that the circumstances or people that we are complaining about may be the very sandpaper we greatly need in our lives, to smooth out our rough edges! [slide # 16 sandpaper]
Complaining is not only unpleasant and unattractive, it leaves us in the victim mode when God calls us to be victorious. [slide # 17 victory]
We can complain because roses have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorns have roses. [slide # 18 roses]
To get in the habit of complaining less, Becker [slide # 19 Becker] teaches us 8 things. #1 put our thinking caps on and make the better choice for ourselves and all those around us.
2. Accept that we live in an imperfect world, a world that does not exist for our pleasure, but nevertheless requires our dedication and service.
3. Learn the difference between helpful criticism and complaint. [slide # 20 learning is fun]
4. Be mindful of who you complain to. Is it someone who can help solve the problem or someone who wants to swap gossip with you?
5. Try spreading more cheer and fewer complaints. [slide # 21 spread the joy] Complaints may get more attention, but they don’t help us win friends.
7. Become aware of when you complain the most. Do you complain more around a certain person, or during a certain time during the day?
8. Finally, experiment. Set a goal such as going a day without complaining. [slide # 22 stop complaining] A goal that is short and sweet helps us focus and succeed. [slide # 23 never stop learning]
When we enslave ourselves to being loving, that is when we step up our game and deepen our love for God and one another, we avoid producing bitter fruit and we are more apt to harvest the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness-generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And, Lord knows we always appreciate the blessing of good fruit. [slide # 24 fruit of the spirit] Amen.








June 19, 2016 “Get the Name Right!” (Father’s Day)  - Psalm 42, *Luke 8.26-39 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
As Father’s Day approached, a father listened to a small boy’s explanation: "Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the gift."
And the father answered, "What gift?" [
slide # 1 shrugging shoulders]
Most fathers agree that hearing their children call them daddy” is a very, very heartwarming experience. To be recognized as a source of love and protection is the same as being a king. [slide # dad blue ribbon]
Names are important because they tell the world who are. Our name reflects our reputation and our intentions. What we see and what we get, is all put in our name. Calling “Daddy” is calling on someone we look up to in awe like a Hollywood star or a Saviour.
Daddies are made in the image of God. They are created with the instincts to build families and make them strong enough for a lifetime.  [slide # 3 family]
Daddy’s are created to provide, to guide, and step aside so children can become all God has created them to become.
A man came to Jesus. He evidently had a few problems. [slide # 4 troubled man with Jesus]  Luke called his problems demons. When Jesus heard him moaning and groaning, Jesus knew that he was agonizing over several problems or demons that were troubling his mind, his body, or his spirit. Jesus knew!
It is important to name our troubles, to identify our fears, to call those demons out on the carpet so we can be delivered in the name of Jesus! The name of all names. The name we trust. [slide
# 5 power in the name of Jesus]
Often, I think, we humans are as susceptible to demons as we are in catching a cold. At times we do not know whether our symptoms are caused by virus, an unknown bug, an allergy, or the flu. Specialists name the cause of the symptoms in order to prescribe effective medicinal or lifestyle solutions.
Jesus asked the demon, “What is your name?” Jesus knows how important it is to get the name right for the problems, issues, and struggles we have so that we will know what steps to take.
It is important to name demons. At the same time, on this Father’s Day, it is even more important that we name the blessings involved when we say the name “Daddy.” [slide # 6 Dad]  [slide #7 Father hero, etc.]
Psychologists have said that the most important thing a father can do for his child is to love and respect his or her mother. “Dad” is a synonym for loving protector and provider, and love never fails to be a blessing. When a child sees a parent withholding love and respect, a child will begin to fear that they too will someday be denied love and respect.
A father who loves, is a father who gives birth to a child becoming all he or she can be. [slide # 8 father and child fishing]
Fathers are about sharing God’s love and healing and hope and help, all around, for everyone. As John Wesley, [slide # 9 Wesley] the father of Methodism reminds us:

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”  May this Father’s Day be a great blessing. [slide # 10 blessed is the man…] Amen. [slide # 11 Happy Father’s Day].

Get Forgiven


June 12 2016 “Get Forgiven” – Galatians 2.15-21, *Luke 7.36-8.3 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
The story from Luke about forgiveness must be important because it is told in all four of the gospels. Like all gospel stories, there is some life-giving lesson in the story for each of us. Now let us ask ourselves, “When was the last time I sat at the feet of Jesus, shedding tears, tenderly touching him in order to wipe my tears away because I felt my tears were an imposition? When was the last time I heard people whispering unflattering things about me, but the word of God came to my defense, and I felt loved and protected? [slide # 1 soldier holding baby]
Certainly we have all cried at the feet of Jesus. [slide # 2 tears at the feet of Jesus] We have cried tears of sadness as well as joy. We have shed tears of genuine repentance and we have cried out of shear relief and excitement for the many blessings that come with simply being in the loving presence of the Lord our God. [slide # 3 tears of joy-Tiger Woods]
If we mean business for the Lord, we have definitely seen the tears of Jesus when we have turned our back on him or each other. [slide # 4 Jesus weeping]
Jesus and the disciples had gathered for a nice dinner. Then a sinner walked in. Everyone knew where she lived. She lived in a crowded city where sin was easily hidden behind closed doors. Everyone knew the rumors about the unspeakable things she had done. In their filthy minds, they wondered how Jesus could stand to let this dirt bag touch him.  
This ancient Middle Eastern culture is very much like all cultures through the ages. Touching is an important message.
When I visited Israel, what was very noticeable to me was the fact that fathers were very, very, very physical with their children. Fathers held their children closely and kissed them repeatedly and were alone with them in the streets, no mother to be found. [slide # 5 Jewish father and son] Fathers nurtured their children with physical affection and contact in ways that are not so obvious or comfortable in other communities.
Every culture has their own excellent way of being close. What is close and comfortable for one can be considered abusive or offensive for another. Wars can be ignited with the wrong tap on the shoulder, pat on the back or kiss on the cheek.
Luke tells us that this city, sinner woman was touching the feet of Jesus and wiping her tears with her hair, but apparently there was no surprise in that as it would be for our culture. Her touching his feet may have been as normal in that culture as the Geisha Girl we see in the movies. Geisha girls survive by bowing toward the ground of those they serve. [ slide # 6 Geisha girls]  They are wrapped, seemingly uncomfortably, tight from head to toe; their feet have traditionally been wrapped so tight that they become crippled and no one cares.
Luke does not point to the shame of her bowing and scraping as if she had no self-esteem. Luke wants us to understand that she stood out because she had been involved in a big mess and that as soon as others saw her, they turned their nose up as if whatever she did was stinkier than whatever everyone else had done.
Every culture has its picks. Every family has its scapegoat. [slide # 7 scapegoat] Every community has its favorite sins to remember and review, while other sins and sinners are put under the rug to be quickly forgotten and ignored.
If we make it our business to turn our nose up at somebody else’s sin, we are sure to miss smelling our own burning pots. [slide # 8 burning pots] On the other hand if we are seeking the Lord diligently and serving God faithfully, we are more likely to have just enough time left to give thanks every hour and repent every day. [slide #9 woman praising God]There will be little time left to mind somebody else’s business until it becomes our business.
The more time you spend in the light of God’s presence, in God’s word and loving God’s people you are guaranteed to have revealed to you more insight into how greatly you are loved and how great is your need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.[slide # 10 hands in heart over moon]
So to those who paid this sinner woman too much attention, [slide # 11 sinner woman at Jesus’ feet] Jesus tells the story of a man who owed 500 denarii. One denarii was worth a day’s pay. 500 denarii was over a year’s pay. [slide # 12 stack of money]  That’s a pretty large debt. That debt was forgiven. [slide # 13 paid in full]
Another man owed a mere 50 denarii and his debt was forgiven also. Jesus asked which of them will love his creditor more. The answer, of course, is the one with the bigger debt.
In telling the story, Jesus is reminding us that we are hard-wired to give back. [slide # 14 gift in hand] If we take a little, we are very happy to give a little. If we take a lot, we are very happy to give a lot. Giving is part of our nature. When we take of the supernatural nature of the Holy Spirit, however, we give when we owe, but we also give when God directs us to give. [slide # 15 toddler praying]
There is no way to live in this world without debt because living in this world is all about the giving and the taking. Romans 13.8 tells us to owe no one anything – except to love them. As long as I pay on time, I don’t owe.
According to statistics, Americans have an average credit card debt of about $7,000. The top ten states in this country where individuals have the most credit card debt are Alaska, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, California, New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts,
States with the least credit card debt are Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Iowa, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Indiana.
When we add debts for cars, education and home mortgages, the average household indebtedness can reach the tens of thousands. Struggling to keep debt at a minimum is no joke for at least 40 percent of Americans. There are those who have mastered great stewardship and they do well. Others have been blessed with an abundance and have fewer worries. Many have learned to wait and save up, refusing to live off of credit cards. That is to be admired. Sadly, some people ignore their debts and refuse to pay them.
One year I got a late payment fee for a bill for which the payment was only one day late. I prayed, grumbling to the Lord that the company was wrong and I should not have to pay a $35 late fee and I was going to argue my case with the hopes that God was on my side and they would forgive my debt. It occurred to me in a still small voice that I was the one that was wrong, that I needed to be forgiven for not living up to my responsibility and for neglecting the conditions of the contract. That I needed to apologize at least to God for being late and I needed to work on being an even better steward of God’s grace and mercy.
There are times to argue and bargain for grace and the best deal we can get, and there are times that we owe and we need to pay the price and make things right. Bethel is very, very good at this. Our couples who have been married for decades show us how to remain united and harmonious, just like in Noah’s Ark, even when we are constantly bumping into one another and stepping on one another’s toes.
Whether we are sticking a feather in each other’s caps or a feather is poking us in the nose, we have learned to keep the covenant and stay united in love and peace inasmuch as we are able; inasmuch as we have let the Holy Spirit take control of our lives.
There are times that others owe us and we need to forgive them. Joyce Meyers [slide # 16 Joyce Meyers] tells the story that she was feeling much discomfort when she was pregnant. She was not only carrying her unborn child, but she was carrying around a negative attitude toward a lady who owed her an apology. As soon as she confessed her bad attitude to God and talked things out with the other person, that discomfort immediately went away. Forgiving takes a heavy load away from our hearts and souls.
While we are to be the best stewards of God’s resources as we can be, our debt of love is never paid completely, nor do we really want it to be. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are wired to give all the love we have to give. Just as God’s love flows constantly into our lives, we ought to let our love go and let God send it into the lives of others.
I Corinthians 13 tells us exactly what love looks like. Paul says, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails… 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
So when we praise God every hour and repent every day, we are sure to realize how greatly we are loved and how great is our need for mercy and forgiveness. Then we will find that God has more than enough to meet our greatest need. Then we will find ourselves at the feet of Jesus, weeping for joy and crying tears of relief. What a God we serve! What a God we serve! Amen. [slide # 17  God s great]






June 5 2016 Get Up

June 5   “Get Up ” Psalm 146, Luke *7.11-17 Jacqueline Hines
The gospel of Luke is said to have been written by a doctor. [slide # 1 Luke with book] Ancient physicians like modern physicians had special gifts to observe and heal physical and psychological concerns. Men and women, boys and girls may have gifts of showing compassion and insight when it comes to folk who are not feeling their best and who need a friend. Children who could barely talk have saved the lives of family members by dialing 911.
Even our pets have instincts that lead to healing. You have heard of the cat who perched herself on a leaking gas valve, [slide # 2 sitting cat] and did not leave until the family understood they were at risk. There are service dogs [slide # 3 service dog] who can smell disease and distress well enough for clinicians to diagnose and get us into treatment.
Life is all about staying alive and well enough to complete our God-given purpose and mission. That are limitless resources that help us do what God has for us to do. Every morning we wake up God has a purpose and a plan for us to love someone, to bless someone and to do so as if there were no tomorrow.
In verse 11 Dr. Luke writes that “afterwards” [slide # 4 afterwards….] he and his disciples went to a town called Nain. That is, after a young boy had been healed in verses 1 to 10, Jesus and his disciples went to a town called Nain.
Nain [slide # 5 walled Nain] was most likely a walled city in Southern Galilee inhabited since the Iron Age, which came after the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Nain was no wilderness. The citizens of Nain were fortified with a military and a watch tower as evidenced by the fact that verse 12 tells us there was a gate.  [slide # 6 Nain gate] It may have been a simple opening in a wall.  The gate was like an outdoor lobby to the town hall. Gate keepers were like the first responders who controlled access in and out of the community, keeping things as safe and legal as possible. Nain was an established city. [slide # 7 pottery]
Jesus and his disciples approached the gate and noticed a funeral procession of a young man who had died leaving his mother all alone, [slide # 8 Jewish funeral procession] for she was already a widow. Leave it to Jesus to come to us a Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals. He comes in our despair and hopelessness, when we are alone, wondering if we have been forsaken.
Verse 13 says “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He went over to the pall bearers and they stood still waiting to see what Jesus was going to do. [slide #9 man getting up from the dead]He told the dead man to get up. Jesus raised the young man back to life and the crowd was frightened.  [slide # 10 fear on fence] Verse 16 says, Fear seized all of them;” [slide #11 Gandhi ….far quote] and as Gandhi said, “Fear is our enemy.”  [Slide # 12 ….everything we want…other side of fear.]
Life can be just as frightening as death. We may become so preoccupied with the rough patches in this life that, it sometimes shocks us when someone approaches us with compassion and gentleness. Or we may be stunned when Jesus speaks to our hearts, saying, “Don’t cry.”
We know what it is to wipe the tears of a little child who has just fallen and scraped a knee. We have said, “Don’t cry. It is going to be alright.” But, when we have more serious boo boos and grown up grief, we may not believe it anymore. We may not be as quick to trust God in the midst of our pain and believe that everything IS going to be alright. [slide # 13 awesome power of faith]
If we come into God’s kingdom as a little child, [slide # 14 Jesus and the children] we lean on the God who approaches us. God comes in order to put an end to that which has depleted us, demoralized, diminished, and destroyed us. We trust that our tears, though they have not come to an end, will be wiped away. Our tears will be wiped away – gently, tenderly, every time they flow, no matter how long they flow. [slide # 15 toddler wiping tears]
As our vision clears, we will begin to see that everything is going to be alright, that God does make a way when there seems to be no way, that God will provide, and God will guide us to holier, healthier, and happier places when we are willing to go. [slide # 16 man walking toward God’s hands]

Are you willing to go? What is that place in your life today that is unlivable, unresponsive, and unbearable? Whatever it is for us, let us open our hearts [slide # 17 everything is going to be alright] to the one who can save us; [slide # 18 cross star in sky] let us get up [slide # 19 get up] and let the miracles begin speaking for themselves! Amen. [slide # 20 squirrel giving thanks to God]