“Light Within the Wilderness”- Justin Kennedy May 30, 2021

 

“Light Within the Wilderness”- Justin Kennedy

May 30, 2021

 

Good morning! This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it! My name is Justin Kennedy.  I am very happy to be here with you today to celebrate the risen Christ and to celebrate the young and young at heart of this church. I am Louisiana native, born and raised in the Southern Baptist church. I found grace in my United Methodist College and have been member of the UMC ever since. I have about a decade of youth ministry experience… both in small churches and in large, inner-city churches. I currently serve as the youth director at Royersford United Methodist. I’ve seen what God can do through young people and that's why I continue to serve in these roles; for the future of the church belongs and depends on our young people. It is up to us as leaders and mentors and parents and friends to love and to nurture them… so that they may continue on in their faith journey and gain the tools necessary to lead the life in which God has called them.

I’d like to start today with what I commonly refer to as a preacher story. I am sure Pastor Jackie has a few of those. 😊 I first heard this “preacher story” when I was a freshman in college. While the message is simple, it has stuck with me over the years.  It goes a little something like this: “Two men were leaving a downtown skyscraper on their way to a food truck for Taco Tuesday. The truck was a couple blocks away. As they were walking, one of the men says ‘wow, that cricket is really loud’. His friend looks at him and says ‘cricket? How could you possibly hear a cricket with that jackhammer going off across the street or the sounds of Philly traffic.’ So they’re walking along and again the guy says ‘the cricket’s chirping is so loud but it is beautiful.’  His friend looks at him and shakes his head and thinks to himself, ‘maybe my dear friend here has a few screws loose’. They continue on. They reach the taco truck. They order. They eat their meal and as they’re wrapping up, the gentleman says ‘oh man, that cricket is still here  and it is still so beautiful’. He then gets up and goes behind a bush and picks up a cricket.  He tells his friend ‘I’m not crazy.  I hear what I listen for’.”

So often in our lives, we become so overwhelmed by the noise whether it be figurative or literal; whether it's the noise of the bill collectors calling or the stress of trying to juggle a household without enough support; whether it's taking care of an aging loved one and feeling trapped…or whether you are that aging loved one and you  feel a sense of despair or that you have no purpose. The noise of this world can be so loud. The valleys can become so dark that life become simply overwhelming. At times, we do not feel that we have the power to listen for that still small voice.  We feel as though we don’t have the power to rise up from whatever it is that is burdening us. Especially within the last year and a half…. life… has been a struggle. The normalcy that we once knew ceased to exist. Spending time with  friends and family outside of our homes stopped. Going to restaurants stopped. Worshiping in person stopped. Our social lives were disrupted. For many of us, our financial lives were disrupted and we sat in a cauldron of fear of the unknown … asking ourselves “how am I going to pay my bills? How do I work when my kids are learning online at home?  How do I overcome this feeling of dread?” We may have feared the illness that could have come if we contracted COVID-19. We may even be mourning the loss of someone we knew and loved; a life cut short by this tragedy. But, as we hear in that story and in scripture ,even among the chaos… even among all the noise of the world…even among all of the distractions… If we listen, we can find some peace. We can find that sense of purpose. We can find that balm of Gilead to soothe our souls. We find that we, however broken, are beautiful members of the Kingdom of God.

 As we read in First Corinthians 12, we all have a divine purpose. One of the things that I love about Jesus the most is that He didn't necessarily call on the rich folk who might have appeared to have all of their ducks in a row.  He didn’t necessarily call on those who were deemed popular. NO! He called on prostitutes. He called on tax collectors. He called fishermen. He called children. He called broken people. Beautiful, broken people. He worked with those in despair and offered them love, grace and purpose. He gave them the tools to go out and spread his word. Jesus uses everyday people like you and me and even those  in society we might deem lesser than us. What does this say about our living God that he uses beautiful, broken people like us to spread His love, His grace, His peace? God equips beautiful… broken people. How can God use you to be a vessel of peace and grace and love amongst all the noise and chaos of this world?  In that “preacher story” we heard earlier and in the reading from Proverbs, we are reminded that we have to be intentional about our listening.  We have to be intentional about setting time aside…even if it's 5 extra minutes in the bathroom alone to focus on our needs …so that we can meet the needs of others.  To be able to answer the call….we have to listen for it. God didn’t bring us into this world so that we would have sorrow. It’s up to us to rise up against the noise  and to not wallow in self pain and misery… even though it is so easy to do so. We have to listen. We have to listen to hear that voice reminding us that we are worthy. How is God calling you? Are you taking time to listen to the sound of that cricket? Do you believe you're worthy? Well,you are… because God created you.  God found you worthy of creation.

I love that little saying “God don’t make no junk”. For even in our brokenness, we are still children of God. We are worthy.  All we have to do is listen to that call. We have to listen to that voice… that voice that might nudge us to pay for the woman’s groceries in front of us.  That voice that might nudge us into sending a text to remind someone that they matter, or to simply have a good day. Those unsolicited texts can go a long way.

 

 One of my favorite songs is, “This Little Light of Mine”. As a child, we are taught this song, but often as we grow older our light dims. But if we are able to listen to what God is calling us to do and we remind ourselves that we are a part of the body of Christ. We are reminded that our lives matter and without our beautiful, broken selves the body of Christ would not be complete.  Even as beautiful, broken people we can spread our light into the darkness. To make a difference. To spread hope. To spread love. To spread some sunshine on a cloudy day. For we are called to do more. We are called to love. It doesn't matter if you're five years old. It doesn't matter if you're 95 years old. We all have a purpose and a seat at the table…. each and every one of us.

As I mentioned before, the future of the church belongs to our young people. Our young people (probably more than any other generation), are met with SO MUCH NOISE. SO MANY Distractions.  So what is our job as leaders and mentors? We have to listen ourselves. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can be effective shepherds. We have to encourage our young people to listen. When they start fill a tug or when they have an idea of how they can help another person …may we nurture that call. May we  give them the tools necessary so that they can live out their lives as Godly people. Be sure that your influence will have a trickle effect on the young people here and they will in turn influence others. A beautiful trickle of beautiful, broken people who listen for and answer the calls placed by God.

I love Christmas Eve services where we sing Silent Night in the ambience of candle light. How beautiful it is to light each other’s candles.  Remember with fondness, the folks who have gone before us…Who  paved the way. Who helped to light the candle of your spirit. In listening, they realized they were worthy. In listening, they answered the call. In listening… they became light. Amen.

May 23, 2021 “May Flowers: Sudden Baptism of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

May 23, 2021 “May Flowers: Sudden Baptism of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

It was the day of Pentecost, a holiday,  a feast day, a time for a festival giving thanks to God for the harvest, for no matter how hard we work in the fields, the harvest is not guaranteed and we need to be grateful. We depend on the power of God which is higher than we are!

The whole town was shut down on the day of Pentecost in the ancient world. It had to be good for the economy to have all these people needing a place to stay and something to eat for a few days. These days, we also have our special festivities for Easter week. During Christmas we have special dinners with grand decorations and silent lights. There were days at Bethel when there was barely enough room for worshippers, and chairs had to be put in the aisles. We too have holidays and holy days when our world takes a break, shuts down, and slows its spinning long enough for a surge of joy and laughter to find its way into our lives, whether it be a ho, ho, ho or a silent night of rest and recuperation.

The day of Pentecost had come. It had been 50 days since the Passover which is the celebration of God’s deliverance from slavery. As sinners saved by grace, surely one thing or another has enslaved us and God has graciously delivered us, and from time to time we remember and give thanks because the punishment we deserve has passed by us, away from us, and over us. According to one Rabbi this year’s Passover celebration is number 3,333. That’s how many years this celebration of thanksgiving has been going on. That is wonderful! Gratitude is a good attitude that paves the way for good things and even great things to happen for everyone.

They were gathered together on the day of Pentecost. Their hearts were glad and their minds were free. What could be better than that? God had something special in mind that was, indeed, better than that and it came to them suddenly. We may not appreciate a sudden loss like the suddenness of the pandemic changing our lives. We do appreciate a sudden ray of sunshine, a sudden burst of laughter, a sudden breakthrough in a tough problem, or sudden relief from some burden that turns into a blessing. These are a few things we do not mind happening suddenly.

Suddenly there was a sign from Heaven above. Tongues of fire? What could that mean? Could it mean words spoken like rapid fire, or words with very hot topics? Do we hear MC Hammer – singing “Can’t touch this.” What could verse 3 mean by “tongues of fire rested on them?” Was it a fire so hot like the song “Oh Susanna, oh don’t you cry for me. I’m going to Louisiana with a banjo on my knee. It was so hot…I froze to death.”    Or could tongues of fire resting on the people mean that this was a moment so extreme and in contrast to common reality that the proverbial hell had frozen over. Tongues of fire rested on them. Whatever the case fire gets our attention.

Moses saw the fire of God in a burning bush that represented his call to leadership. The enslaved people of God saw a pillar of fire that led them into the night and away from poverty and oppression. A refiner’s fire purified gold that was placed by Biblical goldsmiths in worship spaces to symbolize God’s spectacular and endurable presence. We know that fire can get out of our control, suddenly and quickly, threatening to destroy us and everything and everyone around us that we love and cherish.

Now, in the Acts of the Apostles, we see fire resting on new believers at the birth of the church of Jesus Christ. The fire was resting on them. As we think about it, we most often want to be near a fire only if it helps us to be warm and comfortable, to cook something, or to heat water for cleansing and pleasure. Those who dare to draw near to a fire do so for the purpose of keeping it under control or extinguishing it. They are our heroes.

The fire in the book of Acts is Godly fire and God’s fire is special and spectacular. God’s fire is focused. The focus of God’s fire is to purify and prepare us for a divine purpose, for something holy, something healthy, and something wonderful. When God’s fire rested on them, unimaginable things happened. They had a physically transforming, an in-their-own body experience because God had given them an ability, and they were in tune with God. They evidently did not resist. In fact, it would appear that they cooperated with this movement of the Holy Spirit, that they were in sync, that they allowed themselves to be led gently though they probably had no clear idea where they were going, what they were doing or what they were saying. Their tongues began to speak in unusual and mystifying ways. I don’t think their language included any of the cuss words that I have every spoken or heard.

It seems they were praising God, singing, praying and speaking the psalms aloud. It was noticeable in the neighborhood. It was noisy and folks got nosey. They started asking questions in verse 12. “What does this mean?” Verse 13 shows that some drew their own conclusions, saying “They have been drinking new wine.” In the ancient world, wine may have been from 20-60 percent alcohol. At the least, with new wine, they might have been a little tipsy, not drunk… just a little tipsy. It was obvious to everyone that these Christians were under the influence, at least of this new wine. Some onlookers may have had contempt for this gathering that they neither appreciated nor understood.

But, most of the time, we appreciate new something new. New is often good and attractive. New can make us happy and bring us joy. New wine represents a brand new and exciting path to travel, a new purpose and plan that has not been revealed before, a brighter future, a new relationship with God, and a new covenant. When the time comes, God guides us to something new because it is needed to refresh us and restore us and some situation around us. New often works better and makes life nicer and easier.

Are you ready for something new? Where would you like something new in your life? Where do you think God wants to do something new in your life? Is there room in your life for something new and wonderful or is your life like a closet jam packed with absolutely no room for anything “Inn” between.

As Apostle Peter told the curious crowd, this intoxicating experience that they were witnessing was expected. It represents God’s pouring out his spirit – the new wine – a fresh influence that causes the young men to see visions and the old men to dream dreams. For without a vision we perish and without a dream we die within.

John Wesley had a vision for the Christian church. His vision included no drinking of alcohol and we incorporated total abstinence in our discipline at one time. Now we have evolved to moderation according to the 2016 United Methodist Book of Resolutions. As Methodists became more middle class and the 1960’s gave more freedom to do as one peased, we drank more and more, but in moderation.Another Methodist vision has us leaning toward a pro-life and anti-abortion stance, which is very common in this country.

 I read an inspiring story in Decision Magazine (May 2020) about Timothy Tebow’s parents Pam and Bob very serious Christians who do not believe in abortion. When Pam was pregnant with Timmy (means honoring God), she started bleeding so early that the doctor recommended aborting him saying there was no baby there, just a mass of fetal tissue. They refused to abort, though the risks seemed great. They were ready for something new – no matter what the consequences. They believed God would be with them to guide and strengthen them. So we can ask ourselves, am I ready for something new? Where in my life would I like something new, need something new? Where do I think God wants to do something new in my life? Is there room in the “inn” between - what I want so urgently and what I so desperately think I need? Is there enough time after I do my own thing, for me to partner with God for a new thing?

As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, God’s love for us surrounds us. Every morning God’s mercies are new. When you go before God today, you may be suddenly physically transformed and have an in-your-own body experience. You may be gently led to a sacred moment of being in tune with God, speaking golden words and being irresistibly in sync with God. Get ready for something new with God. Amen.

May 16, 2021 “May Flowers: Powerful Floods of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

May 16, 2021 “May Flowers: Powerful Floods of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

It used to be that the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus had a special day set aside for a service. I remember Millie Stauffer talking about a Thursday evening service in her church when she was growing up. It was a service to acknowledge today’s scripture lesson that says Jesus ascended into heaven. Witnesses saw him go up toward Heaven. It was a moment that was magical, majestic, miraculous, and mysterious. We can certainly understand why the early church marked that day on their calendar for celebrating in the first century. We can certainly appreciate that for some countries, even today, the Ascension is an official holiday. And, it’s really ok that many of us have never been to such a service and that the idea has faded away in many places. It’s ok that some things change and some things remain the same. 

It seems that the Christian culture moves as the gentle wind of the Holy Spirit guides us. Some Christians worship on Ash Wednesday and some don’t. Some worship on Good Friday and others won’t. Some wear a cross and some where a crucifix. It’s all good. It’s all part of an ongoing conversation among the children of God, some who are easier to get along with than others.

Before this magical, majestic, miraculous, and mysterious moment called the ascension took place, Jesus told his disciples that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Like many of us today, the disciples were focused on restoring the kingdom. As Jewish disciples, they were now ruled and overruled by the Roman military and government. They wanted all that to go away. They wanted things restored to a place where they were calling the shots and making major decisions instead of the military majority.  Verse 6 says - So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus answered them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority….’

It’s a bitter pill to swallow when our prayers are not answered with the words we want and hope to hear! When we get what we want after praying, we often say, “Our prayers are answered.” However, isn’t it true that “no” and “wait” are also answers?

Jesus did not give them the answer they wanted. Instead Jesus promised them in verse 8, as he promises us “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” It was clear that the power Jesus spoke of could be found in the military, but not first and foremost. It was clear that the power Jesus referred to would be found among cliques and clans, but not first and foremost. It could even have been concluded that the power Jesus meant was available within natural elements like thunderous clouds, rushing waters, and gigantic beasts, but not first and foremost. For sure Jesus meant that power comes from favor shown when we have riches and resources, though not first and foremost.

The power Jesus has is the dunamis, the dynamite. It can be loud or soft, great or mild. God’s power has license to go whenever and wherever God wills. It can fulfill whatever good and perfect purpose that God has in mind. Dunamis is a power, ability, riches, wealth, forces, and moral excellence that makes way for something good and great to be built.

Some days we may feel we are oppressed by the powers that be, that we are overwhelmed by evil and injustice, that there is no way that God’s power – no matter how holy and good – is making a difference or could ever make a difference. We may leave the church and stop serving the God for whom we ask, “How long, oh Lord? How long.” We may leave the church in order to serve the God of the “right now” power, the powers that seem to be winning the war, the powers that have all the good stuff that keeps us from suffering and offer lots of pleasantries and luxuries that keep us entertained both day and night. Believe me, I have thought about leaving God and the church I love. Perhaps you too have sung that song with earnest, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Then the Holy Spirit takes charge of you just in time and you continue singing, “Here's my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.”

I asked a couple people if they would share moments in their lives when they felt that they were totally out of control of a certain situation or when they experienced God taking control of their lives by the Holy Spirit.

Terry Allen wrote that when heavy rains came her basement flooded. She had to go out and dig ditches so that the rain would glow away from the house. She was not in control. But, God gave her strength.

In 1976 I bought this beautiful house that spoke to me. It had a beautiful view. Little did I know that there was a very big problem. In the next few months, I saw the problem, Rain. We had a very bad rainstorm and I found water in my family room. I could not stop it from coming in. The only thing to do was try to direct the rain from coming in underneath the downstairs door. I went out and started to dig a ditch. But what a job that was. the rain stopped and I was very happy. I thought that took care of it, but it did not. Some time passed and we got another rainstorm, not as bad so I didn't think about the downstairs until my children came up and said rain was coming in again. So, I went out and started to work on the ditch I had dug before and made it deeper, it worked and what a relief it was. But again, it happened, and I not only worked on the same ditch I also investigated as to why it was coming in. I found out how it was coming in and noticed that the drain at the bottom of the outside stairs was not taking the water out.  So, I called a plumber in the next day and had him investigate it. Boy what a surprise I got. The drain was never finished. It went just so far and stopped. Well, I did get it finished but at a stiff price. 

But the problem gave me a bigger problem that I did not know this flooding created a much bigger problem to my kids and to my father who moved in with me after my mom died. You might be already guessing what it was, Mold with a big M., and we lived with it for years. I thank God that none of us got sick or died from this nasty stuff. After my father died from a very rare cancer did, we find it. We could not go downstairs so my daughter and I gutted the downstairs right down to the cement blocks and we found it. There was so much of it that we could have died from it or got very sick. I owe so much to God that I will never, ever pay him back. 

Paul Wolf tells the story of a misunderstanding in a relationship. He suffered long, but things turned out beautifully.

Here is his story:

Was I Really Mad at God?  Have you ever been mad at God? It is fortunate for us that God lets us make choices, even when they are not following the proper path.  When we are in this state as always God still loves us and if we open our minds, he is there to comfort and help us understand what we are going through and to help us find our way out.  I would like to go back to 1992, when my mother and I were able to work out the problems that had created a little tension between us for most of our lives. We had always cared for each other but there were grudges that I had from my growing years that kept something between us. I was able to talk to her about what I was feeling. We cried, yelled and let all come out. When we were done things, we realized how much we did love each other, and I told her I loved her. I really felt it filled my whole being with that love. It was a gift from God.

In 1994 and my mother died after a long debilitating illness from which there was much suffering. I was mad at God and kept asking him why after I finally made peace with my Mother, he took her away from me. I was so angry and wallowed in this for about six months and anger at God stayed strong. Around this time God put two men in my life that were greatly beneficial in helping me make the peace with my mother. Both tried extremely hard to comfort me but, the anger was so strong, no one could reach me. Then one day one of these men sat me down and told me “It is time to let go and stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He said to me did I ever consider that maybe God kept her alive, even though long suffering, long enough for us to make peace with each other, then took her to a place of rest and ended her suffering.  It changed the anger of God to a love for God. I was so at peace and I felt so full of God’s love that I was sure I knew what it is like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I am thankful knowing I was given a gift rather than having something taken from me. I realized the anger was with me for not making peace sooner and having more years of that love. I learned two important lessons from this experience. First even if we are mad at God, he still loves us and wants to help us if we let him. And second if you have a quarrel with someone settle it sooner rather than later.

By faith, we understand that no matter how dire our situation or how great our suffering, no matter how weak we are. God sends the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. God is all we need. It’s a bitter pill to swallow at times. We want what we want when we want it and we need what we need when we need it. As we exercise our faith, it gets stronger and we get better at looking for Jesus in the best of our times as well as the worst of our times.

When it seems that he has left us and all hope is above and beyond us, far out of our reach, we hear the voice of angels echoing through the ages – Jesus will return to be with us in magnificent ways.

Amen.

 

 

 

May Flowers: Gentiles Baptized with the Holy Spirit - Pastor Hines

 

This is another perfect story from the bible. We like perfect stories and we quickly get over the labor pains that come with the fact that when we try to bring perfect stories to life in our own situations there is a whole lot more to the story.

The Acts 10 story says that the Holy Spirit fell on all those that heard Peter’s sermon. We know what happens when rain falls. We know what happens when snow falls, but do we know what happens when the Holy Spirit falls. Yes, we do. When the Holy Spirit falls it means, first of all, that someone has heard the word of God. When we are in a position to listen, we can hear. When we are listening, we draw God’s word to us like a magnet.

It reminds me of a lightning rod that attracts electricity and helps to keep it from destroying. Around the year 1752 a Catholic priest Procopius Divis (1698-1765 – aged 67) from Bohemia Czechoslovakia in Central Europe and got his doctorate in theology, served a parish for five years. Then around 1742 the war came. For whatever undocumented reason, Priest Procopius was arrested – perhaps for some political involvement. His fellow priests resented paying a very, very, large amount in “bail,” so Procopius was “put out to pasture” and wound up managing a farm, taking

care of water conduits and such. He became interested in the scientific talk of the day which was electricity and electrical charges and lightning strikes.

Electricity was “discovered” around 1750. Progress was slow. One hundred years later in 1882 Edison (1847-1931 aged 84) put electric lights in Manhattan. Lewis Latimer (1848-1928 - aged 80) son of escaped slaves, was also an inventor. He worked with Edison to perfect the lightbulb. Nearly 50 years later in 1925 only half the homes in the US had electricity. Bethel Trustees arranged for electricity at the parsonage in 1928! They were probably ahead of most of the neighbors.

With Procopius the priest, one thing led to another in his work and exploration on the farm to which he was sort of banished. He is said to have invented a crude type of lightening rod in 1753 around the same time that Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790 D. 84) did in 1752. They both believed that their lightning rod could attract lightening from storm clouds and pull it safely into the ground. We can surely see God’s handiwork in nature. Just as a lightning rod attracts lightening, the word inside of us attracts the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, bringing light and endless possibilities for spiritual development!

The Holy Spirit fell, not only on those who had prepared for it and expected it, and for whom it was obvious, but the Holy Spirit fell, according to verse 45, on Gentiles as well. God sent the Holy Spirit on those who were not in the inner circle, who did not belong, who did not know the culture, but who were listening. Peter was astounded. He was shocked, surprised and thrown off his game.

What do we do with things that are out of the norm? Or things that stir up a storm. We have to listen for God’s direction. We have to hear our hearts and see if we are in tune with the will of God. We have to be ready to sing when the Spirit says “sing,” to shout when the Spirit says “shout,” pray when the Spirit says “pray.”

Peter listened to the Gentiles and started a courageous conversation and they were baptized just like the Jews who decided to follow Jesus. It was against the “rules” for Gentiles to be baptized. Peter broke the rules when the Holy Spirit fell on him. When the Holy Spirit fell, Peter discovered that the Holy Spirit was doing something far, far above what he had thought possible. Peter understood that the Holy Spirit was leading him to something higher, greater, and more powerful than he had experienced before. It was as if a lightbulb came on in his head.  It was an energizing, if not electrifying moment.

Verse 48 tells us that the Gentiles invited Peter to stay for several days at which time, for sure, there were more courageous conversations, more daring opportunities, more love shared.

When most of us were baptized there were probably no culture rules that were broken, no religious rites that were violated. Baptism is a public proclamation that we belong to God. By faith though, we belong to God whether or not we proclaim it.

But, especially since we have vowed to follow Jesus and to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and spirit we will put ourselves in a position to hear God speak. As we are listening to the word of God, the Holy Spirit may fall on us too. It may come as a sprinkle, a pouring, or a flood, but it should be no surprise, should it?

What might come as a surprise is our courage to break a few cultural rules, or to have several courageous conversations instead of guessing about what’s going on or gossiping about certain situations and people. Listen to God and let the “chips” fall where they may. Amen.