February 2, 2020 Love Makes Us Happy

February 2 2020 *Matthew 5.1-12, Psalm 15 “Love Makes You Happy” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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The average person does not often have a crowd following them. Perhaps you have been asked to speak to a crowd, 30 people, 50, 100 at work or a rally of some sort. Matthew tells us that Jesus saw a crowd. It seems like the crowd was following Jesus. It also seems like Jesus may have gone up to a mountain to get a rest from the crowd.

After Ed’s sermon on the Ten Commandments last week, I found an opportunity to reflect on Commandment # 4 - Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Jesus going up to a mountain was a way to rest because addressing crowds had to be exhausting for Jesus as it would be for any of us.

My reflection on the Sabbath brought me to a message by Pastor Robert Morris who reminded us listeners that God demands a Sabbath so that we won’t work ourselves to death. The word Sabbath means to cease and desist from working. Our mind and body needs rest. God can do a whole lot more in 6 days than we can do in 7 days. Pastor Morris told the story of a friend who, at the age of 50, was lying in a hospital bed. His body was shutting down and doctors in all their searching and testing could not find a reason why he was at death’s door. He was hooked up to tubes everywhere. So he prayed. He asked God, “Why are you doing this to me?” God answered, “I did not do this to you. You did this to you. You have worked yourself to death.” Morris’s friend then said he asked God, “If I repent, will you be gracious enough to heal me?” God said, “Of course.” The man then unplugged himself from his tubes and walked out of the hospital, was healed and lived a full, long life.

Jesus surrounded himself with relaxation, in a boat on the Sea of Galilee,  praying in a garden,  and in the mountains.  While Jesus was there he shared a message with his disciples, beginning with “blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek…” From there he went to say blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness…the pure in heart…peacemakers and persecuted.

It is puzzling that Jesus can declare happiness for anyone, much less the persecuted or those who mourn. Researchers say that in order to be happy in this world you need a certain amount of money.  Once we go over that amount, however, we may become unhappy, perhaps because it is stressful trying to keep money rather than focusing on the things that money can buy.

Of course Jesus would agree with the 10 scientifically proven ways to be happy. 1. Exercise – at least 7 minutes, 2. Get enough sleep 3. Spend time with family and friends 4. Spend 20 minutes outside on a nice day 5. Volunteer 100 hours per year 6. Practice Smiling in order to reduce pain, improve mood, and think better 7.  Plan a trip – even if you don’t actually take one 8. Move closer to work and decrease the stress of a long commute. 9. Meditate 10. Practice gratitude – share with someone three good things that happened each day.

I do not think that Jesus would disagree with any of those 10 things. I do think that Jesus thinks beyond our ideas of the perfect life, because we live in a fallen world and our life is not always perfect.

As much as we all enjoy our lives and as much as we want every day to be pleasant and ideal, we live with the consequences of our sinful nature and the sinful nature of our family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.

This week marked the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest of Hitler’s death camps.  Jesus certainly was not deaf and blind to the extermination of 6 million Jewish human beings, 40 death camps where neighbors, family and friends were forced against their will to leave home, starving, sick and dying in the streets of the camp, entering single file into a gas chamber at gunpoint, where men and women, boys and girls in less than two hours, 1000 at a time, would die and be pulled out the other end of the death factory, thrown in a pit and cremated.

Jesus was never deaf and blind to unspeakable suffering. He was there at the first moment when the tiny seed of a lie that any human being inferior were told. He was there when the first thought of an act of violence was done – by choice, free-will. He was there to speak peace to the victims and those willing to sacrifice their lives doing justice and showing mercy against the tide of fear and hatred. He was there. He is always there.

During my time at Yale Divinity School, I remember the phrase from a study of the works of H. Richard Niebuhr and his brother, Reinhold. The oft used phrase was man’s inhumanity to man, a spinoff of Robert Burn’s poem - Many and sharp the numerous ills Inwoven with our frame; More pointed still, we make ourselves

Regret, remorse and shame;  And man, whose heaven-erected face The smiles of love adorn, Man's inhumanity to man, Makes countless thousands mourn.

A book on the list by H. Richard Niebuhr was Christ and Culture which challenges Christians to pay, pray and pray to let the Holy Spirit work within them to transform the culture, not just accept our culture and go with whatever way it flows because culture does not always flow with the Holy Spirit.

Our culture, when driven by sin, kills. We kill babies in the abortion clinic, teenaged boys and girls on a road filled with humans being trafficked, boats filled with slaves whipped into submission, lynched in line, and drug pushing. Evil is woven so intricately into the fabric of our lives that it is hard to do anything without cooperating in some way with. One example is that those who want to give up using plastic because it is detrimental to the environment, quickly find that plastic is everywhere. You can’t live without plastic unless you want to live like they did in the Little House on the Prairie… Choosing to be on God’s side perfectly is not always possible. So we have to pick and choose a few things we can do to use less plastic, like use more glass.

Joshua asked an angel a question before God sent him to march around the walls of Jericho in order to expose the barbaric ways women and children were being mistreated. It is a question we all ask from time to time. “Are you on our side or are you on the enemy’s side.” The angel answered, “I am on the Lord’s side.

We ask ourselves on super bowl Sunday, “What side is God on?” We ask ourselves as we prepare for elections, “Is God a republican or a democrat? An independent or a non-participant?”

I was amazed to hear that it was the Russians who helped the Jews escape Treblinka’s death camp in Poland, so I immediately thought, “They are on the Lord’s side!” But, yesterday, when I spoke to one of our United Methodist ministers who spent a year as a missionary in Russia, she shocked me by saying that some Russians had death camps just like some Germans did. Man’s inhumanity to man is why we need Jesus. We live our life in two worlds – one utterly divine and the other full of suffering. At times they overlap.

Jesus has overcome the world. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Jesus has come that we might have life and have it abundantly. As we keep that conversation going with God, we see most clearly that God’s grace is sufficient, that God never leaves us emptyhanded, God is bigger than our biggest problem.

Jesus promises comfort if we are those humans in the firing line of cruelty.  He promises, for those in poverty, the heavenly riches of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.  Those human beings who are among the humble, meek and mild – moving at the impulse of God’s love rather than trying to be God or control God…they are given the earth,  all the physical and spiritual space they need to plant and prosper. For those Christians who have an appetite – who are actually hungering and thirsting for what’s right- they will be completely filled.  If we can find it in our hearts to be merciful, God’s mercy will chase us down and bless us.  The pure people – that is the sincere and blameless- have nothing blocking their view of God. They will see God for who God is.   Peacemakers will be called children of God, a people after God’s own heart. Again, Jesus promises the kingdom of God. This time to those who are persecuted for doing the right thing. 

God’s blessings are greater than human curses. In the best of times and in the worst of times we can be happy because we are so incredibly blessed. Something to remember in this month of February when we celebrate love: The love of Jesus makes us happy. Amen. 

January 19 2020 First Lamb

January 19 2020 *John 1.29-42, Isaiah 49.1-7 “First Lamb” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

For the last several Confirmation classes, I have taken the youth and all their young siblings to Chris’s farm to have a close look at his sheep. One year Chris invited the class to take one of the little lambs home for a few weeks. Chris was so concerned about this particular lamb that needed some extra tender loving care. He was behaving like a good shepherd.

Visiting the sheep was always a special time. The lambs always evoked “oohs” and “aahs” from the children as well as the adults because the lambs were so cute, [slide #  1  two lambs with a sheep] so adorable, so soft, so cuddly, so innocent, so pure in heart, so gentle, so meek, so mild, so curious, so animated, [slide #   2  lamb speaking] , so playful [slide #   3  lamb skipping] so warm, so cuddly, so relational [slide #  4  lamb with cat], so sincere.

A lamb evokes peace of mind because a lamb is no threat, no threat at all. A lamb can bring out the gentlest, kindest, humblest parts of us; or it can bring out the beast in us, if we harbor the heart of a bully.

So John’s disciples had a choice to respond one way or another when Jesus arrived in verse 29 : “Look, here comes the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The recognition was repeated in verse 36, ‘Look, there’s Jesus, the lamb of God.’ Saying it twice is what children did while looking over the fence at Chris Siegel’s lambs. Look, there is a lamb. Look! Look! Look! Can you see what I see? They looked again and again. They kept on looking and watching with great delight, oohing and aahing until their heart’s content.

John’s disciples were amazed to see Jesus, God’s lamb, God’s firstborn one who would take away the sin of the world. Who cares about sin? Do you care about sin? What sin matters most to us? What sin irks us when we watch the news? When we watch our neighbors? When we look at our family? When we pause for a moment of silent prayer asking God to forgive US, begging God to reveal to us what we are doing or saying that offends God or a sister or brother? What sin matters the most to us? What sin matters the least?

John’s disciples were amazed to see Jesus, God’s lamb, who would take away the sins of the world. They could not take their eyes off of him. Two of them followed him until Jesus turned around and invited them to come and see where he was staying. And verse 39 says that they spent the day with him. [slide #  5   they remained…]

They stayed with Jesus for the day. As disciples, we have stayed with Jesus for a morning retreat, for a service of worship, for a day of mission.

When we stay with Jesus we grow to understand the answer to that 90’s slogan WWJD – what would Jesus do? [slide #   6  WWJD bracelet] The slogan originated from an 1897 novel written by evangelical Christian Charles Sheldon called “In His Steps.”  The entire title is “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” The novel told of a preacher who challenged congregants not to do anything until they asked themselves the question, “What would Jesus do?” The book sold 50 million copies. It was one of the best-selling books of all times, especially since the price was real cheap because of copyright glitches. Some Christians have more financial business smarts than others.

A few years ago one of the Maryland Youth Rally’s emphasized that question, what would Jesus do. Young people and adults would say during Bethel announcements and testimonies – What would Jesus do? It was a refreshing throwback to the nineties.

It is good to stay with Jesus long enough to have some idea of what Jesus would do. It is also good to DWJTYTD – [slide #  7  DWJTYTD]  - do what Jesus tells you to do -  DWJTYTD.

As Christians we want to think very carefully about our religious beliefs and behaviors. Our standards are high for a reason. Shallow thinking and shallow loving keep good company.

There is nothing shallow about Jesus being the Lamb of God, the sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world. The idea of animal sacrifice and the symbols of our sin and our guilt being taken from us is thousands of years old. We may not always understand these ideas as deeply as the first church understood them. The Last Supper [slide #  8   last supper] was a vivid and powerful experience for the disciples. For us, it is a precious memory that we breathe life into every time we unite as one, loving one another and enjoying one another.

The Ancient cultural rituals remain fresh and meaningful when we stay with Jesus long enough to get to know what Jesus would do and when we do what Jesus tells us to do.

Then a light bulb goes off in our minds [slide  #  9  lightbulb] and we realize we fall short of the glory of God, we run to the altar, weeping and confessing to our Merciful God, that we have not loved God with our whole heart.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done God’s will,

we have broken God’s law,

we have rebelled against God’s love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the cry of the needy.

Forgive us and free us for joyful obedience….through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Lamb of God that takes away our sin.

The sacrificial lamb came bringing the Words of life. [slide #   10  sacrificial lamb] The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Everyone did not want those words, but the Word came anyway. Some tried, as they try even in this day, to kill the Word, but God’s word cannot die. Scripture tells us that some are always learning and never arriving at the truth of God’s word. Still, God’s word is an everlasting word.

If you have ever given blood you know that blood regenerates in the body. Within 48 hours [ slide #   11     hours 48] the blood plasma returns to carry nutrients through our system. Within 4-8 weeks our red blood cells are back to normal and we have our 12 pints of blood – about a gallon, gallon and a half - flowing again. [slide #   12  gallon jug]

Culturally, most of us are removed from the daily reminder of blood. When we see blood, we expect that it represents bad news. We may be repulsed. On the other hand, those who run blood mobiles, doctors, nurses, lab workers like Tina and ENT’s like Cheryl’s son, all understand and are grateful that there is life in blood. They know that those who have sacrificed their blood are a blessing to many. They know that new life is generating and regenerating and revives and resurrects the lives of many who are dying.

Sin leaves us destitute and dying, but we are saved by the blood of the lamb, Jesus. We expect good news to be revealed to us as the Word cleanses and heals, because we are washed – inundated by the very thought of such love and sacrifice for us. The seven and even more deadly sins are draining our life, but God…makes us whole.

So that ancient prayer becomes meaningful - Have mercy on us, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, Lamb of God, who takes away my, grant me your peace.

Last week I mentioned that the kin-dom of God, is our Christian governing authority that rules bringing right living, strengthening joy and powerful peace. Under the reign of Christ, we are promised life, and not just life, but abundant life.

The reason we pray is to be better citizens of the kingdom of God with its wonderful benefits.  I want to close this sermon with a question. What are reasons not to pray? I am looking for at least two answers. Don’t pray if ______________! (Congregation participation) Amen. [Slide # 13  worthy is the lamb]

January 12 2020 First In Line

January 12 2020 *Matthew 3.13-17, Psalm 29 “First In Line” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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In his short life of 33 years, Jesus came to his cousin John to be baptized in the Jordan River. There was a long line of folks who came to John to be baptized. [slide # 1 line for baptism] Baptism had become a part of the Middle Eastern culture. If you have ever taken a tour of Israel, you have seen baptism pools. [slide # 2 ancient baptism pool] Baptism represented a revival of faith, a renewal of vows to God, but John did not want to baptize Jesus. [slide # 3  John  with Jesus] John thought of Jesus as so holy that he did not need anything, much less to be cleansed from sin, for he had no sin. John quickly realized that there are many benefits of baptism, even for Jesus.

John Wesley, founder of Methodism and priest in the Church of England noted five benefits of baptism. [slide # 4  John Wesley] First, baptism makes us conscious of our sinful nature and covers us with a since of God’s cleansing power that washes away our sins in what Micah 7 calls the depths of the ocean also called by some, the sea of forgetfulness. Wesley had no problem with infant baptism since the biblical example shows Jesus being circumcised 8 days after he was born and brought to the Temple for dedication – today some call it a Christening. As Methodists, we are open minded to different ways of being cleansed just like we wash a pot differently from the way we clean a bed.

Wesley taught baptism as a symbol but emphasized that baptism makes us officially in covenant with God, a second benefit of baptism. Bethel has an official covenant with God as baptized believers. We have also established an official Covenant of Holy Manners with each other that we have repeated and reviewed together from time to time.

Covenants make our commitment clear. I was friends with a couple who lived together for decades. He refused to marry her. This was very upsetting to her. She did not feel secure because for her, his commitment was too casual and not at all clear. Year after year, she reminded him what Beyoncé sings, “…if you like it…you should put a ring on it…” My friend wanted the world to see that he was committed, that he loved her, and that their love was something the world should see and to which they should hold them accountable, spiritually and legally.

I have never found a reason to do a private baptism. Baptism is a community event, a public confession, an official ceremony affirming that we believe in God, the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Baptism puts our beliefs on record and makes our covenant official. Baptism tells the world what they can expect of us. They will know we are Christians by our love for one another. Baptism is a symbol of covenant. Our love is the sign and living proof that we are keeping our commitment and that we are not hypocrites.

Baptism puts us on the church membership list, which is a third benefit. When babies are baptized, they are listed as Prepatory Members but not counted in the roll until they affirm a covenant with God for themselves during Confirmation.

A fourth benefit Wesley recognized was that baptism adopts us into the loving family of God. Fifthly, baptism affirms the idea that we are now children of the Most High God with all the benefits, privileges and responsibilities that come with being a child of royalty. We are legal heirs. We have the legal right to the spiritual gifts of God, the grace of God, and the promises of God, the God who loves us and calls us, BELOVED. We are heirs of the kin-dom of God. Romans 14 describes the kin-dom of God as the Holy Spirit working side by side us in our lives to bring right living, to bring peace and to bring joy. That is all we need to keep us going.

Jesus came to John to be baptized not simply as a good example, but because he wanted to acknowledge his ongoing need for consecration. He wanted to confirm his commitment to a covenant with God and God’s people. In his humanness he needed the connection with others. By God’s design, we need each other. We need to stay connected. [slide # 5  hands…need each other]

Connection is what helps us care for one another. You’ve heard of the experiment in the days when there were pay phones on street corners [slide # 6  telephone] A researcher left a coin in the change cup, so that when the next person in line went to make a call, they found a quarter. As the researcher left, he smiled and greeted the next person in line and touched them warmly on the shoulder. More often than not, the person preparing to make a call would say, “Hey, wait, you left your money.” When the researcher did not warmly greet the next person in line, more often than not, the person did not bother to let the researcher know that he had left some money behind.

This week a business man running a deli was stabbed to death while chasing behind someone who had stolen the tip jar. As mourners gathered lifting prayers and candles their attitude was one of choosing to be a light rather than curse the darkness. One woman declared emphatically that we must help those who need help. We cannot afford to hate each other because if we hate, we cannot help.

It is not easy to connect with one another. It is even harder to stay connected with one another. We are in desperate need of the Holy Spirit’s help to do our part in making this world a better place. Won’t you ask God’s guidance in your life today?

There is an epidemic of isolation and loneliness throughout our world that makes it hard to connect in our times of need. Some have said that the loneliest crowd are college students away from home. We see how important it is to invite those in the armed forces for Sunday dinner, Thanksgiving and Christmas when they are not able to go home and be with family. I appreciate the Bethel family that invited me for Christmas dinner a few weeks ago. When we are not connected to others, medical experts say that our mental and physical health is at risk. Our blood pressure goes up. Inflammation increases, setting the stage for heart trouble and less resistance to illnesses like colds and flus.

Good neighbors are a great blessing. [slide # 7  neighbors] Good friends are more precious than gold. [slide # 8  good friends] Pets can give us joy and purpose. [slide # 9  pets] Emotional support animals [slide # 10  emotional support ..]   [slide # 11  dog giving high five] save lives and bring comfort to those traumatized with post-traumatic stress syndrome for example. We are made to connect. [slide# 12  person hugging dog]

There is even a new app that claims to have a solution to loneliness. It is called a chatbot. [ slide # 13  chatbot app] It is an AI – artificial intelligence robot with whom you can have a nearly human conversation. Chatbots may help sometime, but like Tami Terrell and Marvin Gaye sang -  “...ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby….ain’t nothing like the REAL thing…”  [slide # 14  Marvin / Terrell…]

After Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened. The Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. A voice came from Heaven saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” [slide # 15  Jesus  baptism]

We are also pleasing to God. God loves us just as much as Jesus. We are the apple of God’s eye, the center of God’s attention, first and foremost in the mind of our creator. We are all beloved, we are all important.

Regardless of how we treat each other, God treats us as if we matter, as if we are the head of the class, first in line. It does not matter if we are in a cheese line, bread line, soup line; towing the line or crossing the line, first hired or first fired, feeling glad or feeling bad, God is with us to open up the Heavens for us, to descend upon our lives in the form of a dove and tell the world, this is my child and I am happy about. It pleases me to call you my children. I am not disappointed. I am pleased. I am not ashamed. I am pleased because your commitment is clear, you’re true to your covenant, you trust not in your own might or your power but in my Word that cleanses and restores. I love you! You are precious in my sight.

If you have never felt God’s great love for you, just ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Let go and let God love you. Let go of anything that is not Godly and let God love you. Connect with God. [Slide # 16 hands connecting…] Amen. [slide # 17 we grow]

Youth Sunday Youth Preacher Tyler Collins Is It OK to Be Angry December 29 2019

You’re asking your partner for the 3 rd time to please make sure they put the laundry away and for the third time they’ve made an excuse to why they didn’t do it then all of a sudden you feel something in your chest. You feel you blood boiling and then you realize you’re angry! Anger it’s something we all have. We all have emotions, happiness, sadness, excitement etc but most importantly anger. Now is anger okay? People ask that question to themselves every day is this worth getting angry over or why am I mad? To be 100 percent honest it’s a hard subject to grasp in my opinion in John 2:13-16 it says

21 id the uttermost farthing. “ God is telling us that if we have anger for all the wrong reasons it will end it bad fate and fortunes. There’s plenty of instances of god getting mad I. The Bible from Jonah to the way the Egyptians treated the Jews, however it is okay to be angry if it is justified. Another example For instance. In John 2 13:16 it says” When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” when Jesus flipped the merchants tables In Jerusalem he was angry because merchants were making a holy place become filled with people who were more about wealth and robbing people rather than worshipping god. God had a reason to be angry and he was angry because it was justified but does that make it okay? In Ephesians glad warns us “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” God tells us to exile hate from our souls yet Jesus had anger so is it okay? That’s a question that may never be answered. Anger cause many problems in life from lost friendships to lost spouses. In psalm 55:3 it says because of what my enemy is saying,

    because of the threats of the wicked;

for they bring down suffering on me

    and assail me in their anger.” Waning anger causes division in life because people listen to other people’s opinions rather than trust their own or God’s! Finally in Ephesians 4:26 it says

 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” in my opinion this means that it’s okay to be angry just don’t sin while you are angry and don’t

live every life being angry because at the end of the end of the day you have so much to be grateful for thank you amen

December 22, 2019 Snow Baby Dreams

December 22 2019 Matthew 1.18-25 “Snow-Baby Dreams”  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Snow babies can be collectible figurines of babies wearing snow suits [slide #  1 snow babies]. A German candy maker began making them in the 1890’s as reusable cake toppers.

Snow babies also refers to babies born in the winter. Girls may be named Alaska, North, Noelle, Christmas, Crystal – as in sparkling ice crystals, January, Demetria – the Greek goddess of winter, Elsa – from the Disney movie Frozen, Bianca and Blanche  - both - meaning “white,” Holly, Ivy, and even the names Snow and Ember – call to mind thoughts of winter. Boy’s names for snow babies are Jack as in frost, Nicholas as in saint, Rudolf, Robin – the winter bird, Doug – said to be a Chinese name meaning “winter,” Gabriel – after the archangel that brought the news of Jesus birth to Mary - often pictured as cold and wintery, some snow babies are named Christian for obvious reasons and Jasper which means “bringer of treasure.”

How many of you are snow babies, whether or not you have a typical snow baby name?

In verse 23, an angel of the Lord – we know that Satan has angels, or messengers, too – but it was an angel of the Lord that appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that his fiancé Mary was going to have a baby  [slide  #  2 Joseph sleeping]  and they will call him Emmanuel which means “God with US.” In verse, 25 however, the text reads, “He” meaning Joseph – named the baby “Jesus.” They would call him Emmanuel, [slide # 3  Emmanuel] but Joseph named him Jesus. What does Jesus mean? Jesus is from the Hebrew root word Yeshua, translated as Joshua, meaning rescuer, one who saves. In other words, Jesus means “Saviour.” [slide #  4 Jesus Saviour]

I need to be saved once in a while. [slide #  5  boat]  How about you? I need to be saved from myself sometime. How about you? [slide #  6 woman in ocean] I need to be saved from my enemies sometime. How about you? I need to be saved from fear, dread, worry, anxiety, stress, nervousness, tension, ill health, and poverty of one sort or another sometime. How about you? [slide #  7  Jesus saving man in ocean]

The angel declared that they would call him Emmanuel, but Joseph named him Jesus, because Joseph knew he needed to be saved. He also knew he was not the only one who needed saving. Joseph also knew it’s not what they, the people say, it’s what God says. [slide #  8  You say/God says]

Joseph was a righteous man according to verse 19. In spite of the drama, which by the way, was initiated by the Holy Spirit, in spite of his confusion about what God was doing in his life and the life of his family, Joseph was unwilling to humiliate his woman. What a man! What a man! What a man!

How many of you know that the number one global health problem for women is domestic violence, and men, like Joseph have the solution. Just say “no” to abuse. [slide #  9  Tony Porter] Get out of the “man box” as Tony Porter teaches the NFL and guys on college campuses. [ slide #   10  teaching boys…]  Boys - and girls can be taught at an early age, to respect and affirm the value of women. Joseph was UNWILLING to disgrace Mary.

Last week I mentioned that I was with a woman on her way to a witch’s conference in New Orleans and I wondered if she was one of those witches who put a hex on Christians. [slide # 11 snowflake] I was relating the idea of how snowflakes are six sided hexagons and the world sometimes uses six sided symbols in evil ways. A kind member of Bethel shared the perspective that women have been so abused throughout history that when they called upon God to save them, they needed a God with a female face. If you have ever been abused or mistreated, you know how seeing the right face matters.

If you have ever needed saving like Joseph and Mary who were oppressed by the harsh rulings of the Roman government, who ran for their lives, crossing the border to a foreign country, if you have ever needed saving, you’d call his name – too. Jesus. They were snow babies of sorts, snowed in, snowed under, victims of a governmental snow job, but God had a plan for their rescue. The plan was revealed in a dream to a righteous man.

We sing praises that God is with us, Emmanuel, but those when we need saving, we call him Saviour, Jesus. [slide # 12  call him Jesus ] Amen. [slide # 13  Thank you Jesus]

December 15, 2019 Snow in Deaf Ears

December 15 2019 Matthew 11.2-11 “Snow in Deaf Ears” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

If you will give me another chance, I will share some snow humor with you!

What do cool snowmen wear on their heads? Ice caps

Where do snowmen go to dance? Snowballs

How do snowmen travel to the snow-field? By icicle

Reflecting on snow reminds us that snow comes from God, so says Job 37.  Snow in deaf ears, shocks us into understanding that God has ways of helping us to hear.

Matthew’s scripture tells us that John the Baptist was in prison for sharing the gospel. [slide #  1 John in prison] What is good news for those being saved is often bad news for practicing sinners. As a prophet, John’s calling was to speak the truth in love, but no matter how kindly you tell someone how immoral or unjust they are, their first thought is not likely to be to celebrate or send you a thank you gift. Fear and anger is the more common response. So when John dared to point his finger at some very private relationship matters in which the Herod was involved, rather than humble himself and pray, Herod was determined to kill John the Baptist, and he did just that.

Like John the Baptist, Jesus attracted enemies as well as friends when he shared good news. The friends built the church. The enemies built systems of persecution, torturer, and murder.   

Those who joined the ranks of the persecuted were folks like Dietrich Bonhoeffer a Lutheran pastor who pretended to be a supporter of Hitler in order to sneak Jews out of Germany before there was an opportunity to send them to the gas chamber. Bonhoeffer was hung for acting on his faith; his brother Klaus, a lawyer, was shot for his participation in the circle of Anti-Nazis.

The Circle also included Dietrich’s brother-in-law, Hans von Dohanyi also a lawyer appointed to Germany’s Supreme Court and leader in the armed forces. He was married to Dietrich’s sister Christel. Two others who joined the circle of Anti-Nazis in order to uphold their Christian values were Hans Oster – son of a preacher and soldier in the German army, and Ludwig Beck. Both worked to keep Hitler from taking over the army and invading other countries who would no doubt become victims of the same insane purging of those considered to be unwantable and inferior human beings – how ungodly is that? They were deaf to the word and will of God.

Eleanor Isaacson author of Dancing from Darkness [ slide  # 2  Eleanor’s book] was born in the USA to her German-born mother, but circumstances sent them both back to Nazis Germany. Eleanor’s mother abandoned her and returned to the US. Nevertheless, Eleanor felt the presence of a loving God in spite her Godless experience, for Hitler did not allow religion, especially Christian. Though through his mother’s faith, Hitler was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church, he left home at the age of 18 and never went back. He wanted to create a national church and failed, but was able to intimidate folks enough to squelch the singing of Christmas songs. After all, Jesus was just another Jew to be exterminated.

Though Eleanor grew up in a culture void of hearing conversations about church and God, she was not deaf to God’s voice. Christmas time was still special. She describes the snow as a wonderful symbol, even the sound of hope and beauty in the midst of terrible times. [ slide  # 3  beautiful snow scene]  Even though Christmas had its painful memories, she listened and obeyed the voice of God directing her and comforting her in miraculous ways. Our BUS – Bethel Senior group heard Eleanor’s fascinating story when she spoke at Brownback, and they have read her book.

Our Christian Faith encourages us to listen for the good news all the time, even in the worst of times. Whatever time it is in our lives, God helps us to hear the good news. [slide  #4  good news] John was incarcerated when Jesus sent him some good news.  ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

Jesus is with us and Jesus brings us good news. Healing and help and health and holiness is everywhere. [slide  # 5  God…everywhere] Despite our being captive by the enemy of ill health, loneliness, isolation, unwillingness to look at God’s will and walk in Godly ways, poverty, or our eagerness to devour each other with weapons and words of contempt, there is still good news. Somebody is doing the right thing all the time. Someone is reaping the good that they have sown everywhere. That is why we can say that God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good! [slide  #  6 God is good]

God’s constant goodness is seen in snowflakes. Snowflakes are dust that get a hug from water. Water - H ₂ O,  two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen, always, join together consistently, and predictably to form a hexagon when they freeze. [slide # 7  snowflake] That’s how God designed them.

The process of snowflakes forming six sides is just one of millions of processes that God has designed. God’s designs are a heavenly reality, a divine destiny, a supernatural system, a powerful display of that which is far above our understanding and control.

In the ancient world, the six pointed star, the Star of David, [slide # 8 star of David] the shape of a hexagon, is said to originally symbolize God’s protective shield and military might granted to King David. But, any symbol can be quickly usurped for evil purposes, such as occurred with the gestapo as well as those who practice witchcraft and sorcery, trying to put a hex on people.

Amazingly, God designs and creates in the midst of evil and chaos. The atmosphere where snowflakes and stars and the rest are made is turbulent. There is plenty of drama and never a dull moment up there.  That is why each snowflake is different; even though they all have six sides, their journeys are all different. They are shaped as they shimmer and shake while traveling the 10,000 feet from heaven to earth, falling at a rate of 3 to 9 miles per hour. God creates and designs all kinds of wonders among the turbulence of humanity. The human condition from the mind to the womb is a place where chaos and turbulence recur, but that does not stop God from creating. God creates at a greater rate than we can destroy.

The challenge is that in the worst of times, we may not want to hear anything except that trouble has ended. Most of the time we hear only what we want to hear anyway. As we prepare for Christ coming into our lives, it is good to begin to hear in fresh ways.

We can all envision what space looks like [slide #  9  outer space] but it is the radio astronomer who thinks about what space sounds like. Did you know, the sun sounds like a fire roaring and crackling, Jupiter sounds like a pop of corn popping, Saturn sounds like a hail storm, and a star or pulsar has a sound of beat after beat after beat?

Though it is weird to think of listening to space, radio waves reveal things like how large and how far away a planet is. Just as doctors learn things by listening to our hearts, our lungs, our arteries [slide # 10  stethoscope] we also learn something when we listen to our pets or strangers or persons from other backgrounds and languages, or persons with different ways of communicating sounds – like melodious grunts or gregarious groans that come without words.

It’s true the more we listen, the more we hear. Hearing is a “we” thing; one listens, another is heard. What a blessing to be heard. To be heard us to be understood, to be loved and cared for and respected, to be like the God who designed us to listen and to be heard. Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to hear each other, to understand, to love, care, and respect each other. Such moments are indeed sacred! Such moments stir up an atmosphere of healing through mercy and justice.

I heard a doctor say that we can manage our health – physical, social and otherwise - when we stop doing the things that destroy our health. Otherwise, we are keep mopping the floor while neglecting to turn off the faucet as the sink is overflowing.

The difference between illness and wellness [slide #  11  illness vs wellness] is the difference between “I” that is living life isolated and alone and “we” that is living life in holy connection with one another, or as one United Methodist mantra goes: See All the People. Stop trying to fix the church. Just nurture holy relationships.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Holy Spirit helps us to hear ourselves and the God who lives in our hearts. I was at an Advent retreat recently and we spent time being still and meditating, taking time to listen to our inner thoughts and waiting to hear God’s voice. We were reminded of the value of connecting to ourselves, feeling our own pulse and sensing God’s presence as we positioned our bodies to focus our minds and spirits.[slide #  12 thumb and index finger] Here, touching the index finger is said to touch our consciousness and touching the thumb is to connect to and share authority – which relates to scriptures that call for anointing of oil using the thumb – which I use for the distribution of ashes, oil, and water baptisms.  Praying with palms together [slide #  13  praying hands ] exemplifies the connecting of our total being in in intense petition and gratitude with the humility of being all in, surrendered and dependent.

Posturing ourselves in order to listen to our bodies, to ourselves, to God to each other brings wonderful, even miraculous results, proving once again that God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. May the snow always be in our ears reminding us to wake up and hear the sound of miracles of justice and mercy in the making. For they bring healing all the time. [slide #  14  proof of God…] Amen. [slide #  15  let it snow..]