Monday, January 6, 2014

Fresh Start - Forgiveness

January 5 2014 Jeremiah 3.7-14, *Ephesians 1.3-14, Fresh Start- Forgiveness Pastor Jacqueline Hines
Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a Holy Communion. It is a celebration of the Eucharist – from the Greek word that means “thanksgiving.” We come today to give thanks that our God is a forgiving God. What a great way to begin a new year –gathered together as God’s children who know what it is to forgive and to be forgiven!  Forgiveness is one of the spiritual blessings that Paul blesses God for in verse 7. He calls it the forgiveness that we have according to the riches of God’s grace that is lavished upon us.
We all like to be forgiven, even a little bit. Have you ever been forgiven of a small debt?  A commuter drove up to a toll booth to pay, only to discover that the car that had gone before had already paid the toll. The debt that was owed was forgiven. A team from Bethel, delivering meals-on-wheels took a break after their run to have coffee and a sandwich at Coventry Café down on 724. When they prepared to leave and pay the bill, the cashier informed them that the bill had been paid in full by someone who wanted to bless them with an act of kindness. Their debt had been forgiven.
Being in even a little debt can be unpleasant and worrisome. On the other hand, having a zero balance is exhilarating.  Getting a break from what we owe brings us joy. There are days when some who are overwhelmed by life’s challenges cry out, “If I did not have bad luck, I would have no luck at all. Somebody, give me a break!” Sometimes we need a break. We deserve a break, and when a break comes, we are very, very happy.
Part of being a family of God means we will get few if any breaks from being in debt to others. We will have few breaks from making mistakes. We will make little mistakes that are hardly noticed, and we will make big mistakes that will be quite costly and time-consuming to undo. As children of the king, even we may hurt someone’s feelings, betray a trust, disappoint or forget something when others are counting on us to remember. As humans every day we are subject to the challenges of being less than perfect.
We need others to do what Jesus does for us, to look beyond our faults and see our needs. Jesus urges us to follow his example to love each other at all cost while expecting only the best and greatest things from each other. This is how we build one another up and become the awesome church we can be.  Our need to forgive and be forgiven is urgent and constant. Each one of us needs a break from that struggle from time to time. [ slide : “forgiveness” written on a stone ]
Each one of us suffers a little bit or a lot from the mistakes and shortcomings of strangers, family, and friends.  The pain can make our head spin and take our breath away. Worst of all, the pain can even drive us to hate, and hate can grow stronger than our love for God and for one another. Each one of us causes someone to suffer to one degree or another.
The Holy Spirit’s power, comfort, and guidance helps us give each other the break we need. We can forgive someone’s debt they owe for hurting us. We can pay a price that will bring joy and make someone happy.
It is so nice to be forgiven. There is nothing to it but to receive the awesome gift. On the other hand, to forgive those who cause us pain, can be an uphill struggle, even with the help of the Holy Spirit. Today is as good a time as any to make a fresh start and strengthen our ability to forgive and forget rather than revenge and regret. It is a great moment to give up our right to hurt others because they hurt us. [slide: man in anguish with hand in head “how can I forgive when it hurts so much” ] We can forgive in spite of how badly we may be hurting.
The Holy Spirit will help us if we want help [slide – stop hating]. The Holy Spirit will give us tender hearts for one another [puppy  touching nose of another puppy/dog.]
*The story is told of a group who gathered across the ocean for a convention. They had been out for an evening having had a late dinner and entertainment. When they came in, of all things, the elevator was out of order. Their room assignment was on the 51st floor. They decided to make the best of it tell each other stories to make the climb bearable. They would walk the first 17 floors and tell each other funny stories. For the next 17 stories, they would tell scary stories. Then, for the final 17 stories, they would tell sad stories.
It worked. For 17 stories, they laughed and laughed as they told funny story after funny story, taking their minds off of their arduous climb. Then, for the next 17 stories there were the scary tales and that helped because it seemed to energize them. Then as they began the last trek up the steps of the last 17 stories they began to tell sad story after sad story. When they got to the 50th floor, they had run out of stories seemingly. No one spoke up. Then it happened. One fellow broke the silence, "Fellows, here is the saddest story of all. I forgot the key down at the reception desk."
It is an uphill struggle to forgive, to love like we have never been hurt before. The key is forgiveness, a precious gift that comes from God. Let this be the year we never forget it.If we take God’s hand, God will surely lead us all the way.   [slide: hand filled with light, beckoning us forward] Amen.

*Sermons.com

   



Saturday, January 4, 2014

Coming to Nurture Us

December 22, 2014  Matthew 1.18-24“Coming to Nurture Us” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

In this Advent season, we have looked for the last three Sundays at Jesus coming into our lives. We reflected the first week in Advent on his coming to prepare us for the unexpected, for Christmas is about expecting unexpected blessings. During the second week in Advent we looked at his coming to encourage us by lavishing his love upon us by baptizing us with the Holy Spirit. Last week we dealt with his coming to avenge us in ways that are more loving and holy than our ways. This morning we reflect on Jesus coming to nurture us.
Jesus was raised by his earthly father, Joseph. Of all the characters in the Christmas story, Joseph is the one to whom we may pay the least attention.  If we were to look into the crèche, [first slide of manger scene] we would look for the baby Jesus and Mary, and they are there, all aglow. We look for the wise men and the adoring animals. Finally, we would look for Joseph in the manger scene who is often found in the shadows and on the sidelines.  All good men do not get the notoriety they deserve. More attention is naturally paid to the mother. 
One reason we forget about Joseph, in particular, is that the scriptures say little or nothing about him when Jesus was young. By the time Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding of Cana, Joseph was no longer mentioned.  Most readers think very little of fathers who disappear off the grid for any reason, much less a mysterious reason. The scriptures give one detail that puts Joseph in a very positive light forever. Verse 19 says that Joseph was a righteous man. He did the right thing more often than not, he was a good man, and he stood up for what was right. He was a model for those following in his footsteps. He was even a model for Jesus.
This morning we will look at the father who nurtured Jesus. Joseph’s life nurture our lives as it did Jesus” life. We are nurtured from two perspectives, Joseph’s drama and Joseph’s dream.
Joseph was a righteous man, and a righteous man is a nurturing man. According to scripture, he was a carpenter, [slide of Joseph the carpenter] he had to take much care in measuring and building things to last. As a father, he also took care of his family.  Among our Catholic brothers and sisters, he has a reputation for being the Patron Saint of the home, homes that are blessed, homes that are built well, homes where God is at home.
Joseph’s home – besides being the home of the savior of the world - was in many ways a normal home. There was plenty of drama. The marriage had a rocky start with an unplanned pregnancy.  That’s drama. Joseph was within his rights, according to the law, to have her stoned to death. [slide of stone in hand]. As a teenager, Jesus was a missing for three days. That’s drama. His brothers were green with envy, not realizing that God had a wonderful plan for them, too.  That’s drama. The drama in Joseph’s home nurtures us by reminding us that we all have drama in our lives. It satisfies our souls to have someone who knows what we are going through, someone who feels our pain and understands our anguish. It is nice to know that we are not the only one that has had some drama in our lives.
To ease the drama, God sent a dream. Every child of God needs a dream. Having a dream is like hitching a wagon to a star. Dreams help us to soar to heights that lift us above the storms.  Dreams stir up our appetite for all that God has in store for us.  An angel in Joseph’s dream spoke to his deepest emotions, telling him not to be afraid. Feeling lost, Joseph received directions to go on and marry Mary because she would give birth to the savior of the world.
In spite of the incredible emotional turmoil in his life, Joseph was able to keep his covenant with Mary, with his baby Jesus, and most of all, Joseph was able to keep his covenant with God. Keeping our covenant with God makes all our other relationships stronger, purer, richer, and healthier.
Joseph, being a righteous man was able to be a good man in a very uncertain and confusing situation. By nurturing a spiritual home, he bore much fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control  are very sweet things to have in any home, and in any heart. [slide of nurturing Joseph with Mary].
A little girl was asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas. “No” she said, “But it’s not my birthday, is it?  So, we can ask ourselves this morning, “What will I give to Jesus to celebrate his being savior of our lives? He has saved me from at least one sin, hasn’t he?
Surely, the best way to show our love to Jesus is to continue loving one another.  Just being in the house of God among the people of God is an act of love. We overflow with kind words and good deeds at every turn. We all do our share to provide spoons full of sugar that helps us tolerate the bitter medicine of life’s trials. We have learned that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit working in us and among us on a daily basis if we are going to be a church that can last through every changing wind and storm. The Spirit helps us feast on the Word of God and bear much fruit, even during times of famine.
Like Joseph, we can nurture Jesus in our hearts, in our homes, and in a hurry when needed. May we open our lives to receive all the nurture that comes our way; for we can only share it when we receive it.  Amen.







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