March 12, 2017 “Born Again in the Spirit” *John 3.1-17

March 12 “Born Again in the Spirit” *John 3.1-17 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Let me ask you a question. Are you born again? [slide # 1 Born Again] Has anyone ever asked you if you were born again? Being born again is associated with those Christians who look for outward signs that someone is a Christian.

They separate people based on whether or not a Christian can say “yes, I have been born again. I am a new creation in Christ. I have had a supernatural experience with the Holy Spirit that makes me know that I am saved from eternal damnation. I have had a dream, a vision, a prophecy, a special feeling of euphoria, I speak in tongues, or one day I knew I was changed and would never be the same.

There used to be a time when we would often hear the words “are you born again?” Now it is pretty rare. We have grown to appreciate that no one is more spiritually special than another, so there is no need to broadcast our spiritual experiences as if one is more important than another.  

Most of us agree that when someone is anxious about someone else’s salvation to the point of trying to push the gospel down their throat, they are trying to help the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit already knows what to do. If the Holy Spirit needs our help, the Holy Spirit will ask us, and hopefully, we will be just as ready to follow the Spirit’s lead as we are to do our own thing.

Being born again comes from Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in verse 3, where Jesus says, “You must be born anew, born from above, born again.” [slide # 2 must be born…]

Nicodemus naturally asks in verse 5 ‘How does one become born again? [slide# 3 How] You can’t get back into a mother’s womb and come out again? What are you talking about Jesus?’

Jesus was talking about a fresh start. Throughout life, we appreciate a fresh start. [slide # 4 Fresh Start] At times, we can’t wait to start over. We long for a new beginning, a second chance. [slide # 5 second chance] Being born again is not only a fresh start, but a fresh start with God. Being born again is an opportunity to do the right thing and reap the substantial benefits and the holy challenges that come with being in partnership with the Divine.

When we think about it, there are fresh starts and new beginnings everywhere. Every morning the sun rises and the moon sets. Our bodies regenerate every nine months or so. Every few months we have a new liver, [slide # 6 liver] a new heart, etc. We can’t see the new cells of our kidneys or lungs. Our skin is our largest organ, and we can see that old skin comes off and new skin arrives. Cuts heal in a few days and sometimes in a few hours. [slide # 7 cut on finger]

Just like a newborn baby, [slide #8 newborn] God is doing so many new things in us and through us. Through bible study and fellowship, we learn new ideas that encourage us to keep the faith. We find new ways to serve and support one another. [slide # 9 bible study] The evidence is everywhere. At Bethel we have a new bible study on Monday mornings. They are using a new version of the bible called the Common English Bible. [slide # 10 CEB bible] We have a couple of new health and wellness events on the calendar.

We cannot even remember what the front of the church looked like before the new elevator was installed. The new rest room down the hall provides accessibility to hundreds of worshipers and guests. Our Sunday school has  a new format. Dinners and breakfasts are helping us pay the new bills and bring new appliances into the kitchen. During Lenten seasons there are new opportunities to deepen our faith with Lenten Luncheons and Christian Education, monthly mission opportunities and more. [Slide# 11 new]

The bible says that God’s mercies are new EVERY morning! [slide # 12 God’s mercies…] That is why the Church is always creating and being recreated all the time. God’s goodness and mercy follows us every day, and makes all things new.

I especially appreciated the fact that God provided new mercy when we had a heavy rain the day before the Christmas bazaar. Our septic system overflowed, but within hours – even though it was a weekend – God worked it out so we did not have to rent port-a-potties.

We appreciated God’s new mercy when we found out one of the refrigerators went on the fritz, just before putting 10 pounds of Kay’s famous homemade coleslaw inside. Except for God’s mercy, the coleslaw would have been spoiled.

On good days as well as tough days, we ARE born again, and again, and again. We are made new because God always provides a fresh start and a new beginning. We always have something new for which to be very, very grateful.

There may be a particular area in your life that you want newness and freshness. Know that whatever it is, God cares. [slide# 13 God cares] Are you expecting? Hoping for newness in life?  Are you waiting for a new day to bring a blessing in your health or the health of a loved one? Is there a longing in your heart for a new start in a relationship? Do you need financial wisdom and an economic breakthrough? Are you prepared for God to deliver?

This Lenten season reminds us that our conversation with God goes two ways. We talk, God listens. God talks, we listen. Have you shared your heart with God today? What was your attitude like the last time you spoke with God?

What was God’s message to you the last time you heard from God? Were you told to wait? Were you prompted to take courage and fight? Did God give you specific instructions or remind you of what was already in the bible?

Perhaps you thought you did not get an answer or you got an answer that made you wonder, “Why me?” or “If only I could escape these circumstances, to fly away and be at rest!”

Let us lean into this season of Lent. [slide # 14 Lent/cross] We are sure to hear God more clearly. We will follow more nearly, and love God more dearly.

As we lean in, let us prime the pump with our praise to God. Psalm 92 tells us that it is a good thing to give thanks to our God. This week I was watching Bonanza on ME TV. The title of the show was “A Gift of Water.” I caught the show just in time to see a band of guys on their horses very worried about having to ride into enemy territory to get water for their families and for their horses. [slide# 15 men on horses] One man said, “God did not mean for some to have water while others did not.” They were prepared to fight, and the Cartwrights decided to go with them and try to keep the peace.

But, Little Jo Cartwright [slide # 16 Little Joe] saved the day when he went to a well and started priming the pump. [slide # 17 well water pump] He added a little water to get the pressure going and before you know it, water was gushing out. All the men started rejoicing, slapping each other on the back, and there was no longer any need to go and fight.

Hoss was all smiles and as Ben rode toward home on his horse, he said to the gentlemen, “You were right. God did not mean for some to have water and others not.”

Little Joe just poured a little water into the pump, reminding us that when we give a little, a lot happens. When we prime the pump with praise, God provides the refreshment we need to make it through the hardest of circumstances. [slide # 18 refreshing]

Our praise and thanksgiving to God can bring forth much spiritual vitality and refreshment. Praise primes the pump and we are enveloped and embraced and inundated with floods of joy [slide # 19 floods…] and strength.

Whenever I get into my car alone, I make it a point to spend the first several minutes of the drive to sing praise songs and give thanks for many blessings. After just a few songs and remembering all I have for which to be thankful, I feel energized and refreshed by the presence of God. Sadness and fear are suddenly overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. [slide# 20 power…] Without such moments, how would we make it?

Take full advantage of this Lenten season and give just a little of yourself in praise and thanksgiving of yourself to God, [slide # 21 hands raised praising…] and be prepared to discover the many blessings gushing everywhere. Amen! [slide# 22 waterfall]

March 5 2017 “In the Spirit for 40 Days” *Matthew 4.1-11

March 5  2017  “In the Spirit for 40 Days” *Matthew 4.1-11 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

During this Lenten season, we are setting apart a tithe of our year – 40 days in order to rededicate ourselves to God our Saviour. We are entering into this Lenten journey with our prayers, our presence, our preparations to participate in Lenten Lunches and give testimonies, and find other ways to walk in the footprints of Jesus. [slide # 1 Footprints]

Jesus’ life was jam packed with spiritual activity. Wherever he went, the atmosphere was charged with tension of trouble coming, followed by calm and serenity. Trouble flashed like lightening, [slide# 2 lightening] then the blue skies would resume. [Slide # 3 blue sky]

The gospels tell us that one day Jesus was in a boat, sleeping peacefully even though there was a storm so fierce that the boat was filling up with water. He was sleeping so soundly that the disciples had to wake him up. [slide # 4 Jesus sleeping on boat] Jesus truly had peace in the midst of the storm. That is why he can teach us a thing or two about resting and having peace when we are in a storm. [slide# 5 rest]

There may have been perhaps at least one day or two that he tossed and turned, restlessly, saying, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” We know that feeling, too, don’t we?

In this morning’s lesson from Matthew, we can relate to every step of Jesus’ 40 fay journey in the wildeness.

In verse 1 Matthew tells us that Jesus was led up by the Spirit. [slide # 6 Led by…] You have been led by the spirit. In the various testimonies at coffee hour, committee meetings, and coming up in the next few weeks, we hear again and again of the ways that we, like Jesus, have been led by the spirit.

The Spirit leads us in many ways. We may follow the Sprit’s lead that comes from a gentle thought, a persistent idea, a pricking of our conscience, a still small voice. Every now and then we may have a dream, a vision, a conversation among family, friends, even strangers that is clearly the Spirit propelling us into a state of blessing.

At times we may be led, like Jesus, into a 40-day wilderness. [slide # 7 Wilderness] A wilderness is usually crowded with wild emotions, untamed difficulties, wayward circumstances and uncontrollable fears. A wilderness is a trying time, a time of temptation and testing by Satan.

We do get tested sometimes; just like you stick a toothpick into a cupcake to see if it is ready to be enjoyed, we get tested. Just like the exams we take from elementary school to college, to on the job, we get tested. Tests help us to see where we stand. Tests show us what we need to do to maintain a certain level or advance to the next level. Have you been tested lately? [slide# 8 Tested?]

When I served in Columbia, Maryland I did a very lengthy fast and one of the members jokingly waved a juicy cheeseburger in front of my nose and said, “Aren’t you tempted?” I was not at all tempted, but if it had been a slice of organic double chocolate fudge, 70% grade cocoa cake made from natural sugar and unbromated flour and a glass of raw milk, I would have been in real trouble. 

After going 40 days without food, verse 2 says Jesus was famished. The first thing the devil did was to dare Jesus to use his spiritual power to make bread since he was hungry. [slide# 9 bread] He was dared to make bread out of the stones. [slide# 10 stones]He not only dared him he double dog dared him. Have you ever been tempted to take a dare, to risk doing something that was completely in your power?

The IRS would say people make their own bread all the time. Those who advertise their wares on the street corners or the fancy city hotel lobbies are rolling in dough that they make themselves, the hard way, from stone. Every hungry heart knows the difference between a stone and real bread.

Rather than yield to temptation, it is better to follow Jesus’ steps and read the bible, listen to a Christian radio station, watch a sermon on television, come to church, come to a Lenten Luncheon, complete a Godly mission, serve on a church committee. That is what Jesus would do. Being in the right place at the right time can keep us out of a whole lot of trouble.

1.   This week I was singing that old gospel song Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

o    Refrain:
Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.

After Satan dared Jesus, he took Jesus to the Holy City. Jesus was taken - involuntarily. Can you remember a moment that you arrived at a certain place, but you did not go there on your own? Perhaps it was a ride in an ambulance. You may have been forced to go to court, or pushed into an argument or dragged into a string of detestable circumstances and undeniable unpleasantries.

The devil took Jesus to the top of the temple, in verse 5,  [slide# 11 devil took him] the top of his spiritual game. He was heads above the rest of his peers and elders. Even in our holiest places when we are accomplishing our saintliest acts, the devil may be right there to take us where we do not want to go. He may even be sitting in the pew next to you, looking like an angel! Satan dared Jesus to throw himself off and trust God would protect him just like the bible promised in Psalm 91. Even a devil can quote scripture.

Jesus had an answer for Satan as well we should too. Jesus quoted the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 6 that says after God leads you into a blessed place, do not test God. Do not treat God like your magic wand. Do your due diligence. Work and prepare as the Spirit leads. Do not try God, do not play with God, do not aggravate God. Instead, be cool and cooperate! Be nice and be grateful to God. After all, God is good all the time.

Satan took Jesus away from the heights of the temple and took him to a high mountain where he could see all the marvelous wonders of the world. From where he stood, he could see all the spectacular privileges that are given to the rich and the famous, all the luxuries, all the niceties and the pleasantries. Perhaps you have seen them, too.

They would all be given to him if he would do one little itsy bitsy bow - down to worship the devil.  [slide # 12 Jesus and Satan] But, Jesus had had enough. He could no longer be taken. In verse 10 He commanded Satan, “Get out of here, Satan” [slide # 13 Get out..] and Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6 and Exodus 23 for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Even Jesus worshipped God. Even Jesus humbled himself. He lowered himself and obeyed even to the point of sacrificing his life.

The Hebrew word for worship is said to be derived from the Hebrew word to kiss a master’s hand with the same lowliness as an innocent puppy who licks your hand and looks up at you for approval. [slide # 14 puppy]

That is the posture in which we have come into this place to worship. We have followed in the footsteps of Jesus, and this is the church to which he has led us. We have been tempted to make our own bread, but we have come to this place and remembered that we do not live by bread alone. We remember that God will provide.

We have seen days when we were deceived into thinking that we were higher and more spiritual and more special than someone else. We imagined that God thought the same. Here we remember that we are all precious in God’s eyes.

We have all been on top of the world but no matter how high we go, we will never be higher than God, never. So if we have pictured ourselves bowing above God, and not below God, this is the season to do what Jesus would do.

So always, as the song writer declares,

1 We have come into His house 
and gathered in His name 
to worship Him. 
to worship Christ the Lord. 

2 Let's forget about ourselves 
and magnify His name 
and worship Him. 

Today and every other day, let us bow below him and not above him and worship him and him alone. Amen. [slide # 15 dog with prayer paw]

“A Stone’s Throw Away from Sorrow”

“A Stone’s Throw Away from Sorrow”

Jacqueline Hines

Phoenixville Connexion  February 26, 2017

Luke 22.39-46

        If you are looking for Jesus today, you will find him at the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane was there. It was a place of prayer and privacy with the help of the walls made of stone or perhaps trees. It was an agonizing time. Jesus was preparing to do what no one else could do. At the tender age of 33, he was ready to give his life as a sacrifice; he had come unto his own and his own received him not.

        He came to express God’s love in the flesh, to make God’s love real and visible in ways that the prophets and the law could only partially do. Yet in return for a message of miracles and a lot of love, he was spat upon. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. He was indeed a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief.

        There he knelt in fervent prayer. His heart was nearly fainting with grief. Sadly, God’s people had sinned; someone must go and save them and cover them with the love blood shield of protective righteousness. God’s people, in their dedication to sin, were in danger, for their sins would cause much harm and much trouble. Danger! Danger! Danger! Sin puts us in danger -Sins of omission, sins of commission. We God’s people need Jesus to save us from our sins.

Jesus had gathered a few disciples for a time of prayer. Prayer is serious business. It was peaceful in the olive garden. The olives reminded them of the anointing oil used to symbolize God’s call to come, come and be healed. Come, come and be delivered. Come, come and be saved from all that your sins can do to destroy your life.

The garden, where they had prayed so often, was a reminder of God’s love, power and presence. Three things happened in that garden that we must never forget. Number one, the first thing we must not forget is what Jesus said to the disciples. He said, “Pray.” Pray so you will not enter into temptation.

Seven days without prayer makes one weak (week). We must pray to avoid some trouble. As the songwriter put it, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Most people say they pray when they are in trouble. But it is wise to pray so we can avoid certain troubles.

We can’t avoid having some trouble. The scriptures say, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.” Sometimes we have to pray to get safely out of the trouble we’re in.

Pray! Pray! Pray! We must never forget that Jesus warns us to pray.

After he said that he went to another part of the garden to pray himself. When he left, he told the disciples to pray so they would not enter into temptation. He did not go very far, only a stone’s throw away. He got down on his knees and prayed the most agonizing prayer anyone could every pray, “Not my will but your will be done, Father.” Here’s my money, Lord. Not my will but yours be done, Father. Here’s my refrigerator, Lord. Not my will but yours be done, Father….here’s my time, my attitude, my vocabulary, my lifestyle…my worries, my fears…Not my will, but yours be done, oh God.

This is the second thing that happened in the garden hat we need to remember. We need to remember that Jesus prayed: “Not my will, but your will be done, Father.

       

        Oh, how we need to pray more often: “Have your way, Lord. Have your way. I surrender, Lord. I know you have a purpose and a plan for my life. I know you intend no harm to me only a future filled with hope. You say so in Jeremiah 29.11. I know I can trust you, so I will obey. I know you know all things. You know the beginning and the end. You know, Lord, better than I where I need to be broken in order to be blessed. Not my will, but your will, Lord.

        When Jesus turned, to get comfort from the disciples, they were no more praying than the man on the moon. Instead they had fallen asleep. At first I felt sorry for them because the bible says they fell asleep because of sorrow.

        Why did they have sorrow? For the same reasons any of us have sorrow. It was dawning on them that the kingdom was coming, but it wasn’t coming as they expected. They knew they were going to be blessed, but the blessings did not always come when they wanted them. They knew the Holy Spirit would teach them, but it wasn’t the lesson they thought they needed to learn. It was dawning on them that they were on the winning team, but the enemy seemed to be laughing in their face and getting away with the cruelest treatment. They were afraid, and they were disappointed.

        When we look around the church universal, do we not also see that we too are a people of sorrow, acquainted with grief? Have not our hearts bled for the unkind deeds that Satan has perpetrated against us or our loved one? Have we not been disappointed time and time again because someone has failed to be faithful or kind? Have not our bodies been wracked with pain and distress? Have we not cried out as Satan snatched a loved one into the slavery of sin and none but Jesus heard us? Do we not grieve the loss of our will and the dawning of God’s purpose in spite of our fondest wishes? How many times have we cried out for healing and relief but God seemed to be silent.

        Yet, it seems to me that God is rarely silent. What most often is the case is that we do not want to hear the answer. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 53.8, 9)

        Just think about it. A blind man asked for healing and Jesus put mud on his eyes and sends him to a pool to wash it off. One thing is for sure, he probably needed someone to go with him to guide him. The Lord always has a way of getting us together with other people because we need them or they need us or God just wants to bless us in ways we cannot begin to imagine.

        Another man with leprosy who came to Jesus for healing was sent to wash seven times in the Jordan River across the way where those other people lived. The first thing the man thought was “I have water in my own back yard among people I know. Why do I have to go over there, Jesus? Why is my healing wrapped up in the strength of my relationships? Why is my blessing in a strange place? --Because God is love and always wanting us to reconcile, and influence more territory for the good of all. Since Naaman wanted to meet the God who heals, he had to go to the Jordan and discover that the Lord our God is one God, and the only God. God is the God of us AND them.

        Things were not going as the disciples expected. They were sorrowful. We all understand the heartache that left the disciples sleeping for sorrow instead of praying.

        That is why we must never forget the third thing that happened in the garden. That is that Jesus withdrew merely a stone’s throw away from their sorrow.

        In our sorrows, Jesus is close by. All we need to do is call the name of “Jesus.” He is there all the time. When we call on him, things change for the better. When we call on him he promises to bring us through. When we call on him, a light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out. When we call on him we feel more hopeful.

        At first I felt sorry for the disciples, exhausted and sleeping because of sorrow. Now I know that in the time of sorrow, when things are not going as we expect, it is better to wake up and call on him – Jesus. He’s right here to help us.

        In every area of our life, we need to call on him. If your body needs healing, call on him. If your neighbor won’t do right, call on him. If you need a friend, call on him. All we need to do is call on him. Jesus  -  a stone’s throw away from sorrow. AMEN!

February 19 “Loving Our God: Building A House Together”

February 19 “Loving Our God: Building A House Together” Leviticus 19.1-2,9-18, *I Corinthians 3.10-11,16-23 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

We are the Church. We are not just members of a church. We are the Church. When the world looks at us they see Jesus. [slide # 1 …see Jesus in me?]

I met a Muslim sister this week whose accent reminded me of an Ethiopian. [slide # 2 Ethiopian Muslim] When she found out that I was a Methodist minister she smiled as if she had won the lottery and asked me to please, please pray for her Iranian friend who was going to surgery the next day. [slide # 3 Iranian woman] I was stunned and confused. Concerns and stereotypes swirled around in my head. As I prayed out loud, with the three of us, four when I count Jesus, I could not help wondering if her mother would arrive safely to the United States next week to be with her daughter as planned. We were strangers who had quickly become friends and I dared not open a Pandora’s Box by asking too many questions.

But, what a privilege it was to pray. We are the church and every word we say and every kind and gentle deed we do, no matter how great or small, keeps the church alive and strong. God moves by the Spirit in every corner of the world, for those of every language, race, and creed. We are building the church everywhere. We are building, peace, and love, and gentleness that will last for generations to come. We are the church.

Paul reminds us in verse 10, saying “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, [slide # 4 like a skilled… ] and someone else is building on it.”

We are the church and every day we are building on Christ as our foundation. We are building the house of God. You have heard the story of a man who was contracted to build a house. He cut corners carelessly and whenever he thought he could get away with it, he used second grade products that were made to last just a short time.

The day came and the contractor presented the house to the buyer and the buyer said thank you very much. I want to give this house to you. If he had known the house was for him, he probably would have been more diligent.

God knows that whatever we build is designed to be a blessing to us, too. So we should care for others in the same way we want to be cared for. Everything we do affects someone else, but it also affects us. [slide # 5 give what you…]

As we are building God’s house, we want to build a home. We want to build with heart. We want to build for health.

If you have ever been homeless, even for one day, you have probably given thanks whenever you were living in a place that was safe and welcoming. If you have ever been threatened with homelessness, even for an hour, you may appreciate having a roof over your head. If you have ever felt out of place and that you did not belong, even for a second, you understand how important it is to have God on your side, sending persons and circumstances that help you to feel at home.

The church finds a way to make everyone who wants to be at home with God, to feel at home in the house that we are building. The building is the house of God, but it is welcoming Christians who make it a home.

As we are building, we want to build with heart. We want to be soft and gentle, tender, flexible, and positive. We do not want to be hard because being hard-hearted keeps us from being smooth and vibrant. We DO want to be strong. We want to be strong enough to beat 70 times in one minute. [heartbeats  ] We want to be strong enough to pump all 5 of those liters of blood in 60 seconds. [slide # 6 two liter bottles]

Hundreds of people have climbed Mt Everest. It must be exhilarating to get to the top. On the way though, climbers often see those on the side of the mountain who can’t go on any further. There is no way they can make it to the top. Those who pass by decide to do so thinking there are others climbers coming who are experts at helping and will be far more effective. So they keep going. Some decide that they will keep on their journey to the top because those who are not going to make it to the top are dying anyway and there is nothing that can be done for them. They cannot risk their lives in temperatures that are a hundred degrees below zero and altitudes depleted of oxygen.

On OUR way to the top, we need always ask the hardest question of all, “God, what do you say?” For the church, it is not what we say that counts first. It is what God says. There are definitely times when God calls us to keep moving in spite of the needs of others, in spite of others dying, in spite of our own desire to rest. It is what God says that makes us a Church. [slide # 7 ear listening]

As we build God’s house, we are working to assure that God’s house is a home [slide# 8 home swee…] to all believers and we are building to the beat of God’s heart. [slide # 9 heart beat]

We also want God’s house to be a healthy house. As Paul says in verse16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 

Even before we enter the house of God, even before we do what we do to make God’s house a home, we want to build up our own physical bodies in ways that glorify God. We are born with physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual limits. We are born imperfect by design, so God can work perfectly in us! Whatever our status – God can get the glory. God can shine through us and bless someone else and reflect great blessings back onto our lives. It is good to take   care of ourselves.

A healthy church is a holy church. A holy church is not a perfect church. It is a church that depends on God year after year, it is a church that believes that the Holy Spirit will guide us in the way that we should go and we make every effort to follow where we are led. [slide # 10 healthy church]

We want to be as healthy as we can be in our minds, our bodies, our spirit – which is our connection to God, and our soul which is our will. If we need a good listener to keep our sanity, we can find that in the church. If we need a good therapist, we can find one through the church. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. The church can help us keep our minds healthy.

Medical advancements that keep us alive and physically well have been incredible in recent decades. No matter how ingenious our scans and medications may be, we cannot avoid the fact that God continues to urge us to stick with the basics of exercise, clean water, plenty of fruit and vegetables and learning to relax, meditate and spend quiet time in prayer. The basics make a world of difference for our bodies no matter what our status.

If we need a closer spiritual connection to our Creator, the church has ways to make that happen. If we are seeking our soul’s salvation, that is to have our will be more in tune with God’s will, we can find real strength and power in the Holy Spirit in this holy place. [slide # 11 light bulbs]

A pastor accompanied his grandchildren to a soccer event on a Sunday morning, instead of participating in Confirmation Class. There were hundreds of young people there who had been preparing since 7 a.m. They had all made a choice to be on the field rather than church. It is not for us to say who is right or wrong. All the good people cannot be in church every Sunday. There are good reasons to be in many places. We do know that God gives us power to make good choices that keep the church strong, to say, ”Your will be done.” [slide # 12 strong leaders]

A healthy church is a church that can stand strong in its convictions to do good. A healthy church can manage any problem by the power of God. We do not run from problems. We thank God in every problem because we know God has the perfect solution.

You may have read in a recent Daily Bread that an experiment was done with trees. In a three-acre glass dome built in the Arizona desert. [slide # 13 glass dome] There was no wind in this glass bubble, and the trees grew fast, faster than normal. Then suddenly the trees collapsed.

Researchers concluded that without the stress of the wind, the trees could not grow strong enough to deepen their roots, so they could not stand. Instead, the trees fell to the ground. [slide # 14 fallen tree]

A healthy church is a church that stands by the power of God. We are the church, God’s beloved. We are a work in progress, just like the toddler in a family that had 3 new kittens in the house. [slide # 15 kittens] The mother warned him. DO Not Touch those kittens. He went into the room to play near where the kittens were tucked away in a corner. Mom called out to him, “Did you touch the kittens?” The little boy called back. “No, mommy. I did not touch the kittens. The mother asked, “Were the kittens soft?” He answered, “Very soft, and one of them even said, ‘meow’.” [slide # 16 toddler/kitten]

We are a work in progress. We are beloved. [slide # 17 beloved] We are the church. May we be the church in this generation and the next! May we spend the rest of our days building God’s house that is a home for all God’s children, that moves by the heartbeat of God, and that is healthy enough to handle every challenge that comes our way. Amen. [slide # 18 you are my beloved]