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]

Loving Our God-Lover's Quarrel

February 12 2017  Scout Sunday “Loving Our God: Lover’s Quarrel” Deuteronomy 30.15-20 *Matthew 5.21-37 Pastor Hines

It is a wonderful thing to get along with one another. [slide # 1 animals hugging] We love living in peace and having harmony in our home. [slide#2 home] It is a beautiful thing. We want to live well and do what we can to keep the peace because as our Old Testament lesson tells us, our behavior has consequences. We are blessed with the good fruit of our labors when we do good, and we risk trouble all around when we neglect to do good.

Our gospel lesson reminds us of the Ten Commandments. The sixth commandment says “Do not kill.” But Jesus helps us to see that you can even kill someone when you are angry with them, [slide# 3 angry face] when you call them names or insult them or hate them. When we hate on those God has created, God is not pleased. When we pour out our anger like a volcano, insult, and ignore, we are in trouble with God. God calls us into the office, so to speak, and deals with us in a way that only God can.

Just like we may have disagreements [slide# 4 two boys] with our friends and people we do not like, we may have disagreements with God. Because we love God and God loves us, we can think of our disagreements with God as a lover’s quarrel. [slide # 5 couple quarreling ]

We want ice cream, [slide# 6 ice cream] but God urges us to eat the broccoli first. [slide # 7 broccoli]We want to relax in the sunshine, but God urges us to finish our work. We want to be with our friends and those who like us all the time, but God may need us to spend time with someone who’s not on that list. So, we may begin to argue with God in hopes that we can have our way.

Whether we are quarreling with one another or with God, it is important to learn to fight fair. [slide # 8 couple]

Fighting fair requires 5 things. # 1 we can fight fair when we understand that our emotions are very strong and can even get out of control. Emotions can be like fire, [slide #9 toes near fireplace] warming you one minute and burning you the next. [slide # 10 finger near candle] Fighting fair means being very, very careful. Being careless with our emotions is as risky as being careless with fire.

#2 fighting fair means putting our best foot forward.  When we fight it may be tempting to trash each other, [slide#11 trash can] to approach each other with our noses turned up or our backs turned on someone as if he or she is worthless. [slide # 12 backs turned] We may be too proud to act like we need someone. We may let our fear of not being loved control us instead of having faith that God is our ultimate source of love, instead of trusting that God leads us in the paths of righteousness so we can have peace.

#3 fighting fair means planning ahead, practicing to respond in Godly ways. We can roleplay [slide# 13 roleplay] and think with friends and family of a few ways that can work well when our anger is at the boiling point. We can make a note of those ways and write down a sentence prayer asking God to help us whenever a fight or even a disagreement breaks out. [slide# 14 prayer journal]

#4 fighting fair means listening kindly and gently so there is no doubt that everyone knows you care. Gentleness is listed in the bible as one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. There is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, (or generosity) faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [slide# 15 gentleness]

The only way we can be as gentle as Jesus is to have Jesus in our heart, and the only way to have Jesus in our heart is to stay in the light of his love by doing God’s will, by praying, reading the bible and being with Godly people in worship and fellowship. It takes supernatural power to be gentle and kind. [slide# 16 bear with flower]

Finally, #5 fighting fair means we give God and each other our best, then step aside and let God do the rest. [slide# 17 let go…] We can only do so much. We are only so strong. We are limited, by design. [slide # 18 baby hand in adult hand]

Maybe the hardest part of fighting fair is also the best part, [slide # 19 Snoopy dancing] knowing we cannot do it alone. We need God’s help and we need each other, [slide # 20 two lions] and that is by design. Amen. [Slide # 21 squirrel praising the Lord]

February 5 2017 Loving God - Loving Secrets

February 5 Souper Bowl Sunday “Loving Our God: Loving Secrets” Isaiah 58.1-9a *I Corinthians 2.1-12  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

+++

Not long ago there was a radio report [slide #1 radio] that declared in order to have well-behaved children, you had to have very clear expectations. [slide #2 clear expectations…] When we give clear expectations to our children, they will most likely stay on track and do what they are taught to do. When we say one thing and do another, they may do what we do and not what we tell them to do. For the most part when we are clear about what we expect, when they notice that we are not ambivalent, they follow the rules.

The apostle Paul spent years studying God’s word seriously and diligently. He was all about making sure everyone knew God’s rules as well as God’s love. Paul presented clear expectations for God’s children. He taught that behavior has consequences and God guides us every step of the way. [slide # 3 God’s rules] When we fall, God picks us up, [slide # 4 Jesus holding man up] when we soar, [slide# 5 dove soaring] we go to unimaginable heights on the wings of the holiest spirit. When we need comfort, it is always a prayer away. [slide# 6 hugging]

Paul says in verse 2 he did not come preaching mystery or as the CEB version says, the secrets,… but he came demonstrating God’s power.

God’s blessings are as clear as God’s expectations to those who are looking for them. They are real and a powerful presence in our lives. We may wonder where God is. We may not appreciate God’s position behind us pushing us or at arm’s length beyond our reach, but we know God beyond a doubt that God is with us. We can see what non-believers cannot see. The secrets of God’s love are clearest when we love God back.

Whether we are on the mountain heights of stardust and glory or in the valley of many shadows our God is still an awesome God. We can still expect great things. There is a song that says, “It is no secret, what God can do. What he’s done for others, he’ll do for you. With arms wide open, he’ll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do.”

The song was written by Stuart Hamblen, known as a “singing cowboy.” [slide # 7 Stewart Hamblen] He was the son of a Methodist minister from Texas, but when he became a famous singer, the story is told that he didn’t handle his fame very well. He went to jail several times for his drinking and brawling behavior, but when he met Billy Graham, he turned his life around and rumors about his conversion spread like wildfire. Finally, a friend came right out and asked him, “Is it true? Are you a Christian now?” He answered his friend, “It is no secret what God has done for me and God can do it for you, too.” His friend suggested he turn those lines into a song. That friend was John Wayne, and that song rose to number one on the gospel, country, and pop charts and was sung by greats like Mahalia Jackson and Elvis Presley.

Apostle Paul taught that the power of God is not hidden. It is a prayer away. But you do have to love God to experience the depths of God’s powerful love.

Those who have been snorkeling  [slide # 8 snorkeling] or scuba diving [slide # 9 scuba diving] are able to see deep things that cannot be seen from the shore. There are marvels to be seen, colors, and light and movement that we witness when we look deeply and prayerfully into what is before us.

After a loved one slips into eternity’s grey shadows,  still we know that God is with us. It is no secret. God reveals Godself in the darkness. When a dream that we have fought and worked for forever, disappears into ashes and dust, we can see still see God in what the great mystic Howard Thurman calls, the Luminous Darkness. It is no secret. If you seek, you will find because Jesus leads us, calls us where we need to go. He says, “My sheep know my voice.”

In troubling times when light is scarce, let the light within you shine every day. You never know who will find their way back to life because of the light you shine on the path. Light works wonders. Our light is energy like the sun that makes life grow. Our light reveals, like a candle in the dark. Our light transforms like the rainbow glow of a campfire cooking a nourishing meal. Our light comforts like a lantern of welcome in a window for the weary traveler. Our light heals like the infrared light used by doctors. Let your light shine. For it is no secret that we are children of the light.

I have grown to appreciate the spiritual disciplines of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the United Methodist Church and other denominations. I have been strengthened by repeating prayers for years in addition to the Lord’s Prayer. I have been blessed with set times of prayer and fasting, too, but it has become more and more clear that spiritual disciplines give us spiritual power only when we are in the light of God’s love and God’s word.

We need to be in the presence of that spiritual light that is within God’s people in worship so we will have less time for worry and wandering. We need to be in the light of God’s word in reading, radio, television, and bible study in the daytime if we are going to be able to glow in the dark.

Stuart Hamblin did not go on a fast when his life turned around. He met Billy Graham and Billy Graham’s light shone on him and transformed him, gave him a new song for all the world to sing.  Shine your light and the power of God will be revealed. It is no secret what God can do.

Pastor Khan from Royersford UMC told a story of how he and his wife prayed to have a second child. They prayed and prayed and the baby was born, not one or two or three or four…but nine years later. I asked Pastor Khan if he got impatient during those years or was he tempted to stop praying and give up or get mad at God. It amazed me that he said he was very calm and patiently waited on the Lord all those years until the answer came. That son is now in seminary and preaching the gospel like his father. He represents the fifth generation of Christians from Pakistan. That is a good example of God’s power revealed.

You may not want God’s blessings in God’s timing. You may be like me, wanting to know the secret to getting a certain blessing instantly. There are very few blessings that we can have on demand. There is very little in life that we are in charge of. If we just take charge of the little we are in charge of, then we will be more secure and on track. Naturally, at times, we rather remain distracted by anything but our own affairs.

You understand this if you ever watch Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer. Cesar is called in to households where the dog is ruling the house, tearing up shoes, nipping at the neighbors, acting aggressively toward other animals. Cesar reminds dog owners, you need to take charge of your dog and let him or her know that you are the leader of the pack and they will no longer be allowed to frighten or destroy. You need to have that in your mind and in your heart so that the dog will be convinced by your body language and your speech. Taking charge of what we are in charge of is not easy. It is easy to do lots of other things to procrastinate doing what we should do which is taking charge of our own lives and our own responsibilities.

Right now, our Bethel business is to take charge of working well together, to be right with God and to be gentle and respectful and kind toward one another in the midst of several conversations about our future.

From my angle, as your pastor, I hear God speaking through you saying four things: Number one God has given us gifts to use in that beautiful kitchen and as we are using those God-given gifts of hospitality [slide # 10 hospitality sign] and cooking, we need a dishwasher and a few important renovations. We want God’s time with our fellowships to be as beautiful as God helps us to make them. The Trustees have taken care of that call to ministry. God has provided all the skill and the money to answer that prayer. [slide # 11 hospitality team]

Secondly, I hear God speaking through all of you saying we need more accessible restrooms. [slide # 12 restroom sign] There is no doubt about that. We are praying continually and there is no doubt that God will faithfully help us to accomplish that. [slide# 13 If….God will help us]

Thirdly, I hear God speaking clearly through you saying, we need to be responsible stewards and pay off the loan [Slide# 14 man with bill] we have for the elevator and the lobby and not leave that debt for our children to pay, and not abandon it for someone else to pay. This is good because God has entrusted us with great resources and we want to use them wisely and not make a mockery of God’s generosity by neglecting to care. [slide# 15 paid…]

Fourthly, I clearly hear God saying loudly through you that if we sincerely love our God, we need to have missions  [side# 16 MISSIONS] as an even higher priority than we do now.

Aside from all the wonderful ways we are already in mission, God is saying, “There is room for more.”  God has stirred our hearts. That stirring is becoming a spiritual whirlwind. God has something special in mind for us to do. [slide # 17  around….across the street]

A Bethel member brought to my attention a church that has been transformed by their answering God’s call to make missions a greater priority. [slide# 18 Jesus knocking] The church is Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, California. They were struggling to meet their budget year after year. At one point, they wondered if they could even afford to do any significant missions because after all the bills had to be paid. [slide # 19 Jesus hand wrestling…] Then the church leaders came up with a deeply spiritual idea. They would tithe from the general fund to missions, just as they asked each member to tithe. Everything got quiet.

It is at that point, Dr. David Jeremiah the pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, California says he went out on a limb and asked a question. He said he was not planning to ask the question and was not even sure why it came to mind. He asked, “What would God do if we tithed not only 10% but 20% of our offerings to missions.” [slide  # 20 mission] He said it got real quiet again. I do not know all the details of what they finally did, but Pastor Jeremiah says from that time on, they never again struggled to meet their budget and all the other ministries that they cared for fell in place! That is certainly inspiring.

God is not asking us to do what other churches do, but there is no doubt in my mind that God is asking us to make missions high priority. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that if we do not find a way to work together and answer that call to mission together, we will be missing one of our greatest opportunities to please God and worship in peace.

There is no other reason to be here than to please God. We please God when we work peacefully and respectfully together, when EVERYONE does their part no matter how great or small that part may be. We please God when we treat one another gently, whether we are building a mission team or an elevator with a beautiful lobby. We please God when we listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd. His sheep hear his voice. May we hear his voice clearly today and always. Amen. [slide # 21 thy will…]

January 22 2017 “Baby Boats” Isaiah 9.1-4 *Matthew 4.12-23

January 22 2017 “Baby Boats” Isaiah 9.1-4 *Matthew 4.12-23 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

One of the most inspiring book titles I have seen is “If you want to walk on water, first you have to get out of the boat”. It fits this morning’s scripture.

As we begin this new year, most of us have big hopes and dreams in our hearts. We dream of good times, good days, and good results. When we are not dreaming, we, perhaps are dreading! We are worrying. Though we know, worry is worthless. It can’t change the past, the present or the future. It just wastes this moment in time. [slide# 1 worry is worthless…]

Isn’t it better to dream than to dread? Of course. There are days when we barely have our heads above water. [slide # 2 baby in water] We learn from many Bethel wise ones, to keep our eye on God, not on our circumstances. We learn to keep flowing in love and flowing in excellence, rather than stay stuck like a stick in the mud. We learn.

In our leadership training and visioning workshop yesterday, Ann Hoffman and Terrie McKinley opened the meeting with reflections on a training they and other members participated in a few months ago. The two of them reminded us that we need to stop and pray and ask God to tell us what to do in order to be the church.

Through the years, thanks to Sonia Kulp and countless others, Bethel has been a church with many missions. Even when Maggie Shick was treasurer and reported that the balance was 25 cents, even when Janet Long passed the hat at Council meeting in order to pay a fuel bill, Bethel was a mission church. What a legacy, what a witness to the power of God to live in our hearts so we did not give up, what a way to humble ourselves and offer ourselves as living sacrifices to our God.

With all that we have done, God is speaking to our hearts and asking us to listen. We are being called to new places. We may meet new faces, but there is no need to worry. God is with us as God has always been.

There may be nagging situations in our lives that we may see as too small to bring up in prayer. As this month’s sermon series indicates, we can ask God’s help even if we take baby steps, use our baby spiritual gifts and as we will hear this morning, get out of the baby boat. if something is big enough to worry about, it is big enough to pray about! It is a good thing to put everything in God’s hands and watch God work!

God is calling us to get out of the boat so we can experience God’s power in our most desperate and deepest and insecure places. [slide # 3 Get out of the boat…]

It is a good day when we can do what two brothers, James and John did when Jesus called them. Verse 22 says “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.” [slide # 4 immediately] That’s a good day.

Sometimes we hesitate, procrastinate, and pontificate for days, months. We may fear the worst when we get out of the boat. [slide #5 alligator]

It may be some time before we are able to sing sincerely that song:

I have decided to follow Jesus;

No turning back, no turning back.

Though I may wonder, I still will follow;

The world behind me, the cross before me;

Though none go with me, still I will follow;

No turning back, no turning back.

This song are the words spoken by a man who converted to Christianity in India in the late 1800’s.  After a revival in Wales England, English missionaries spread the gospel in his village in India. This was no easy mission since the Indians were deep into the ungodly culture of things like head hunting.

No matter what culture we are a part of, there are likely some ungodly traditions and unholy ways that have, at some point, captured our hearts and our imaginations. [slide #6 boys on capsized boat] Following the footsteps of Jesus, we are led away from evil to a place where we are saved from our sins. [slide# 7 Jesus grabbing hand of one sinking]

No matter what you are worried about today, you can get out of that boat. Whether your worries are big or whether they are small, do not think about how deep or treacherous the waters may be. Keep your eyes on God [slide# 8 glasses]

This week one of my devotions told about a couple who had planted a beautiful flower garden and the blossoms were absolutely gorgeous .[slide#9 flowers] The husband said, “Let’s take a picture.” “Oh we can do it after lunch,” said the wife. As they were eating, a flash storm came through and the garden was decimated except one or two blossoms that reminded them of how beautiful the garden was.

This incident shows time can run out. We do not have forever to do something good. When God calls us to serve, we need to listen because we do not want to miss being a blessing or getting a blessing.

As always, God has great things in store for our church, our family, our community and even, believe it or not, our country. But, if we want to walk on water, and to follow in the footsteps of the one who can take us to a better place, a holy place, a kinder, gentler nation, if we want God’s power in our most desperate and deepest and insecure places, we just may have to get out of the boat. [slide # 10 boat], it’s time to listen and to move when God says “move”. Amen. [slide#11 Jesus walking on water]