May 3 2020 "Bethel Alive - celebration of 176 Years in Mission and Ministry"

May 3 2020 “Bethel Alive”  John 10.1-10     Bethel History Celebration 1844-2020 (176 years) Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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And we are gathered in the presence of God on this sixth week of our quarantine. Glory to God in the highest, may peace be on earth, and goodwill to all creation!

One of the most appreciated images in our sanctuary is the stained-glass window of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 100 reminds us that the Lord is God and it is God who has made us, not we ourselves, we are God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture. The psalm directs us to enter into the gates to worship with thanksgiving, and into the courts with praise, and bless God’s name. Why? Because the Lord is good. God’s mercy is everlasting and God’s truth endures for all generations. Isn’t that wonderful!

We are the sheep of God’s pasture. It is God who has made us and not we ourselves! What do you think it is like for Jesus to shepherd us? Have you ever felt like you were that little lamb that Jesus gently picked up and held in his arms and carried to safety?  

I suppose at one time or another we all know what it is like to be carried like that poems Footprints in the Sand reminds us.

Footprints In The Sand

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

We are blessed to have Jesus as our shepherd because he is indeed a good shepherd. He watches over us to make guide us in the direction we need to go. He finds us when we are lost and feeds us when we are hungry. We are blessed to have a shepherd and not just a shepherd, but a good shepherd!

In John’s gospel chapter 10, Jesus tells us that there are all kinds of sheep. Some come into the fold by the gate, the expected way, with grateful hearts. Others climb in another way like a thief, hiding, trying to take something that does not belong to them. Some climb in like robbers, not only taking what does not belong to them as thieve do, but taking something by means of violence as robbers do.

Hopefully, most sheep just want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We are the sheep of his pasture; we have a good shepherd.

May is the month Bethel church was born, and like every church, we can look back and see that we were led by God to start this congregation. In 1844, 176 years ago, Bethel was officially started, however seeds were planted months earlier in Silby’s School House where Christians met to hear the word of God.

Even earlier than our 1844 beginnings, seeds of Methodism are on record. They heard the shepherd calling them. John Wesley was born in England in 1703 and he died in 1791. In his effort to live a holy and humble life, following in the footsteps of Jesus the good shepherd, Wesley unintentionally became the founder of what we call the United Methodist Church. It seems obvious now that God had that plan in mind all along.

Wesley strongly encouraged preachers in England to go to America as missionaries. One of the most famous was George Whitfield who came to Philadelphia in 1739. People listened spellbound as he shared the word dramatically, acting out biblical characters, dancing, crying, and even screaming. Crowds of 10 and 20 thousand couldn’t get enough. His preaching of hell fire and damnation got him death threats when he came to this area to preach. That did not stop him. He died in Massachusetts a day after his last sermon.

Another missionary sent by John Wesley from England was Francis Asbury. He also was a powerful preacher in New York and Maryland and was very instrumental in spreading Methodism across the country. He attended the dedication of Hopewell United Methodist Church a few miles from where we are.

He became the first Bishop along with Thomas Coke a great Methodist missionary to India, Ireland, and Jamaica. Our Cokesbury online book and church supply store are named after them. Bishop Asbury preached alongside another powerful preacher and former slave Harry Hoosier. A United Methodist Church in Philadelphia was named after Harry Hoosier.

Those who have paved the way for us have heard the voice of the Good Shepherd. Verse 2 tells us that the Shepherd goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.

The Church is the Church because we are the sheep that follow. We have followed in spite of war after war, persecution after persecution, and pandemic after pandemic. In spite of it all, the joy of the Lord has been our strength.

We are the church because we are listening for the voice of the good shepherd. To those who do not share our faith, the voice may be imperceptible, unimaginable, and even a little crazy. Still we listen for his voice and we follow.

We’ve come a long way. One of my favorite lines in the 150^th anniversary book from 1994 was a recording of minutes from November 1928 requesting that the Board purchase a small tractor to mow the lawn because the horse was not doing a good job.” We’ve come a long way.

When Methodists gathered, in the 18^th century, they would ask the question in the song, “And are we yet alive, to see each other’s face? Glory and thanks to Jesus give for his almighty grace. What troubles have we seen, what might conflicts past, fighting without and fears within since we assembled last!!

We are yet the church alive! By the mercy and grace of God we hear the voice of the good shepherd, we are following, and we are continuing in mission and ministry. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

   Let us pray:

   God of mercy and truth, we give you thanks that it is as well with us as it is. We cry out to you for mercy as we strain to hear your voice in the midst of the storm. We cry out to you to lead us to those who need you most – the hopeless, the helpless, the heedless, the leaderless, and the scattered. Lead us according to your will to those who are suffering, the lonely, forsaken, and forgotten. We pray for justice to roll down like a river and righteousness like a mighty stream. Have your way in our lives God. And may we ever pray as you taught us: …Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.  

If you would like to donate to the blessed ministry of Bethel, go to our website Bethelumchurch.com.

See you next week as we celebrate Mother’s Day with the title of the message "I Will Do It”

May the peace of God and the sweet, sweet spirit of the Holy One, rest rule and abide with you today and forever more.