August 23, 2020 “Is God's Eternity the Eternity You Expected?” Ron Moore Messenger

 

 August 23, 2020 “Is God's Eternity the Eternity You Expected?” Ron Moore Messenger

 

21 weeks and God has given us just barely a clue every day as to what to do next. At least we know we are to pray and wait on the Lord and be of good courage. We are to seek the Lord diligently, serve faithfully, and obey quickly…We have enough goodness in our lives to praise and give God thanks every hour and we are human enough to need to repent every day.  

Today, we are blessed to have as our messenger Ron Moore, husband, a father, a grandfather, a servant of God who has been faithful and inspirational throughout the years. Listen to the words of life as he shares a testimony from his walk with God.

 

First, let’s listen prayerfully to this musical selection.

Good morning. First I would like to say that God speaks to us at times in unexpected ways.

If I were to ask all of my fellow believers; what are your beliefs about Heaven and Eternity?

Your answers most likely would be quite diverse, since none of us have direct knowledge, just perceptions of God’s promises that we have read in Biblical text.

This Message is based on my perceptions that started with a dream.   Early this year I had a dream, a very vivid dream. In that dream I had died and was standing at the door to Heaven. The door, large and massive, skinned in bronze with writing tooled into the bronze in a language that was foreign to me. The door had no door handles or knobs just a large knocker. So I just did what came natural when you are at a door and want to enter. I just knocked.   Almost immediately the door was opened and without words the host motioned for me to enter. The host led me into a room with a large wooden table surrounded by wooden chairs. 12 people were seated around the table apparently waiting for whatever came next. Some appeared anxious, while some appeared to be at peace. As I observed, one by one the guide would enter, whisper something into the ear of a person, and then minutes later re-enter the room and guide the person out. People were entering and exiting from the same door.

This is how my Facilities Management brain was observing …   One door! One route of egress.. this is really unsafe and against most building codes.  No Emergency Lighting.. another violation.  No fire extinguisher.. another.

Then I was getting bored   No Music…Nothing to read… No TV… how will I entertain myself?  This wooden chair is really starting to hurt my butt… NO snacks… I’m starting to get hungry.. I hope this is not what I will be doing for eternity. ( go figure, what should have been my happiest hour, and I was acting like the sermon was too long)

The guide then enters the room walks up to me and whispers into my ear “your next, time to confess your sins to your God.”  And then makes it a point to tell me “Your worst sin needs to be first”.  WHAT!!

Startled, I wake up in an absolute panic from this Vivid dream still trying to think; what do I, what would I, what should I say to that question.  Friends, when do we even come face to face with our mortality?

Little did I know, just a few months later, I would be fighting for my life and making my peace with God for real and not in a dream.

It started March 17^th  after lunch I had pain in my gut and thought perhaps I just ate too fast. Overnight the pain just seemed to get worse, perhaps it was another kidney stone, they are painful and I have had them in the past. The pain continued so I made the first appointment that I could get with my family doctor  at 7:30 am the next morning.  The pain became unbearable that evening and at 2:30 am I was off to the hospital alone by ambulance. Great, the last place I wanted to be, alone at a hospital in the middle of this wretched pandemic.  When they asked me my pain level 1 to 10 at the hospital, I told them 13!!  After some blood work and a Cat Scan they informed me that the surgeon was on his way to perform an emergency appendectomy as soon as he arrived and that the operating room is already waiting. 

    As they prepped me for the surgery, I knew that I was really sick. Sick enough that I felt that it was important to make my peace with God. I knew that I was alone but never felt alone.  I was just glad that God was there to comfort me. Listen  my friends to God’s word. 

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It was now time to surrender to His will and give all control of this situation to him. Not the time to make more empty promises to him like “ If you help me with this, I will do that for you”. The only thing I could say to God was “I’m Sorry”.  I’m Sorry for not being a better husband, I’m Sorry for not being a better father, I’m Sorry for not being a better friend, and I’m Sorry for not doing what I know He wants from me.

I don’t remember drifting off exactly but I do remember the tune I was singing.

Robert Lowry wrote a Gospel song almost a century and a half ago that has become a classic. Lowry described God's power to forgive this way:

"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow; That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

The surgery lasted 1 hour and a half. That must have been in dog years because it only felt like I just blinked. I felt great but they said “ that it is only because I’m still under anesthesia” and that “ I will feel much worse after it wears off”. I was also informed that the risk now is controlling the infection because my appendix had burst and most of the surgical time was spent cleaning up the site. If my fever goes away and stays away that would be a good sign. The next day the fever was gone and they were ready to send me home. They had me call my wife to come and pick me up. However just as Barb was arriving at the hospital, my temperature started to rise. This was a bad sign and it became much worse.

            Hour by hour my temperature continued to rise and when it approached 105 degrees I went into AFIB. I was really feeling bad, my heart was racing and doing flip flops. I think my check engine light must have come on because everyone was racing into the room asking me if I was having chest pain. I can’t totally recall all of the corrective measures that they were performing at that time but I do recall having an EKG performed. Gradually the fever started going down as well as my pulse rate and another EKG was performed.

          In the morning a cardiologist walked into my room, introduced himself, told me he knew my daughter Nicole, and that he wants to consult in on my case. What case I asked? He then showed me the two EKG’s, one during the event and one after the event, and told me that they are different. He explained that they should not be different and that it may be an indication that there is something wrong. He stated that he would like to do a Heart Catheterization to find out for certain one way or the other. I have to tell you that this was the last thing I even wanted to think about while I was trying to fight off and survive the infection. He and my daughter did a great job convincing me that the catheterization was necessary to rule out any damage from the night before. It was scheduled and the catheterization was performed the next day.

            Little did I know the heart catheterization, what it found, and subsequently repaired was the true blessing of this whole nightmarish event. They discovered a 99% blockage in my right coronary artery and a 94% blockage in my left descending artery. This was the true blessing; both were discovered and corrected before causing any damage to my heart. As I expressed when I started this message, God speaks to us at times in unexpected ways.

My hope for this message is that it changes your perception of God’s Eternity.  My perception of Eternity has changed because of one dream and enlightened by one health event. I can now say, no longer does my vision of eternity start with my entrance into Heaven. I’m living in eternity right now. Even though my surroundings will change the day I leave this earth, I won't be any more "real" than I am right now. I actually entered eternity when God created me in my mother's womb.

Solomon wrote, "God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Living your life on earth with an eye on eternity is not a means of escaping reality. Instead, it is living with your eyes wide open and your mind fully engaged on what is truly real and eternal.

I Pray God’s love and His peace will be with you all in your times of need.  Amen.

Let us Pray: 

God of dreams and all things mysterious, how we you lift us up on eagle’s wings and carry us to safe places, lead us to still waters, and feed us with the bread of life. Thank you for this your messenger who has brought your message for all who have ears that would hear your still small voice and eyes that would see Jesus, humble, meek, and mild. Grant us all courage to trust you and live for you.

We pray as you taught us to pray:Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

If you would like to make your contribution to the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is bethelumchurch.com

Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!  

August 16 2020 Matthew 15.10-20, 21-28 “Jesus Said, ‘Listen’ Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

August 16 2020 Matthew 15.10-20, 21-28 “Jesus Said, ‘Listen’ Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Twenty weeks and just when we see some things getting worse instead of better, there are still some things that are getting better instead of worse. This is indeed the day that the Lord has made. We may be mourning the loss of some things, still we are rejoicing and we are glad in it.

Let’s begin with a selection by Donna. (available on youtube)

 Rules, Rules, Rules…some cultures have so many rules. Rules are good when they serve to protect us from harm. The rules for stop signs keep us safer than we would be without them. Rules are great when they help us to regulate ourselves and keep us from overindulging so that everyone has a fair opportunity to maintain their wellbeing and to succeed in life. Signs in the supermarket have told us of rules that we can only buy so many packages of toilet paper at a time. Many are tempted to break that rule. Rules are great when they reserve the rights of law abiding citizens to live and dine freely in all public establishments.

Rules are great, but rules need to be regularly reviewed and revisited. We need to make way for new rules.

Rules can become rigid. Rules can become the rationale for unreasonable and reckless behavior. If we refuse to reflect on our rules, rules will be our ruin. Sometime we have to be forced into new rules. 

Some rules of law seem unfair when they put persons in jail for the same amount of time even though one is arrested for carrying $5 worth of marijuana and another for armed robbery. Frequently, persons accused of blasphemy are killed in some countries, while in other countries blasphemers may be simply embarrassed, shamed, or shunned.

Rules can keep us civilized and humane, but if we are not careful, we can allow rules to become downright evil, nonsensical, outdated and irrelevant.

When rules are good, they are very good. When they are bad, they can be very bad.

Jesus talked about rules for things that defile us. He was talking about things that make us spiritually unclean and morally dirty. He talked about things that poison the minds of our children and turn our communities into cesspools of corruption. Jesus was, no doubt, also thinking about the hundreds of dietary rules designed to keep God’s people healthy and to take care of the environment. Certain laws prohibited eating road kill and bottom feeders. You could only excavate so much land at a time for several environmental reasons. Just like any society throughout the ages, marriages, divorces, inheritances, taxes and travel, were all ruled and regulated by somebody, somewhere at one time or another.

From Jesus conversation in Matthew 15, it seems God’s people had become overly concerned with certain rules, especially rules about what they put into their bodies.  

Today, we talk about whole foods, 

whole grains,

 herbal supplements and medicinal teas. 

We also talk a lot about good food being good medicine. I am sure Jesus would say it’s good to do what we can to keep our bodies healthy. It is good to think and pray about what goes into our bodies.

We hear the controversy of how toxic children’s vaccines may be. History has shown us that corporations have not hesitated to secretly add addictive substances to tobacco in order to increase sales. Medical doctors are doing hard time as we speak for paying each other thousands of dollars in bonuses to up the dosages of opioids for their patients in pain. All in all, the question Jesus would ask is: do we think about our spiritual health as much as we do about our physical health? Isn’t our spiritual health just as important as our physical health?

  Verse 10 tells us Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: ¹¹it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ 

It is interesting that Matthew does not say the crowd came to Jesus. It says Jesus called the crowd to him and he said “listen and understand.” Listen and understand!

Many times, we come to Jesus with a praise or with our needs…at other times, Jesus calls us to himself, to listen and understand. It’s like getting called into the principal’s office…we may be anxious and not in much of a hurry to hear what we assume is unsettling news.

Do you hear Jesus calling you? Is there something he needs you to hear? Or, is a family member calling your name, trying to get you to listen and understand? Do you hear the faint cry of someone in need or someone who cares about you enough to share a word of wisdom? A word or warning? A word that requires you to change and do something or say something you may not yet be willing to do or say?

We can be bold like the Canaanite women who approached Jesus in the verse. The Canaanites had a terrible reputation. If you were from Canaan you were thought to be associated with moral degradation and not worth very much to your fellow and sister human beings. A Canaanite was thought of as having ungodly ways and lacked concern for the ways of kindness and compassion, choosing cruelty instead. It was the mission of God to turn all Canaanite territory into a land flowing with the milk of missions to humanity and the honey of holiness.

Yet here was a Canaanite woman who did not fit the stereotype. She was looking for help from Jesus. She was respectful and God-fearing, realizing God was for her and not against her.  Verse 21 tells us

21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.

’ ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ ²⁴He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’

  ²⁶He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁷She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

I like this story because it tells us that God works some things out instantly. When we come to Jesus with our loudest, strongest voice, not allowing our fear of naysayers to send us away, when we can confidently declare God’s truth that we are worthy even when we have a reputation for being worthless, we are showing great faith and we find help and healing instantly for ourselves and our loved ones. In one way or another, demons leave us!   

Can you hear the voice of Jesus calling you to a deeper faith in the God who is good and wants good things for you?

There are times we have selective hearing on purpose. You’ve heard the story of an elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”  This story reminds us that we all use selective hearing to our advantage.

Many times we cannot hear because we are just overwhelmed. Medical records tell of persons who have hysterical deafness. Their ears are fine, but because they are the victims of some kind trauma, their hearing is compromised.

The stress of various traumas affect us in many ways. For years Maya Angelo could not speak for fear that her rapist would fulfill his promise to kill her family if she told on him. I once heard of soldiers and women in a certain village who were traumatized by war in their country and they became blind, though medical examinations showed no physical reason for their blindness.

Just like every church has a mission, every District has a mission. Not long ago, our South District set up eye clinics in the Congo. People would lose their eyesight simply because of contaminated water. A billion people are effected.

Rebecca Shore tells us that in 1998, the Democratic Republic of Congo became part of what some people called Africa's First World War, in a conflict between seven African nations. There are many reasons why the war broke out, she says, including conflicts over minerals, water, and food. After the war, water became an increasingly sparse resource due to the collapse of the DRC's infrastructure during the fighting. Although the DRC use to be one of the wettest nations in Africa, today the majority of rural Congolese do not have access to sanitary water because of the lack of infrastructure. In fact, one study found that since the war, most Congolese have not died from violence, but rather from malaria, diarrhea, and malnutrition, all problems associated with the lack of water (Global Issues).

Though water is contaminating their lives and robbing them of a future, what happened when someone spoke words of war out of their mouth is the root reason that they have been defiled. Like Jesus said, it’s not what goes into our mouth that defiles, but what comes out of our mouths.

It is said that there are certain have rituals, songs, and dances among some people in New Guinea. They work themselves up into a frenzy and the ritual culminates in what are called “the murder songs,” in which they shout before God the names of the people they wish to kill. Those who became Christian, retained these customs and that ritual. However, in the murder songs, they no longer shouted the names of the people they hated, but the names of the sins they hated, and called on God to destroy those sins. A pagan custom had been captured for Christ. 

Would that we would all be as careful about what comes out of our mouth as we do about what goes into it. Amen.

 

==

 

Let us pray. Holy God you know our heart. You know deep in our hearts we want to be holy like you are holy. We want to do good and to be good. Give us strength to be at peace with doing your will, with listening to your voice until we understand, with listening to each other’s voice, until we understand.

We pray as you taught us to pray: Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Next week we here from Brother Ron Moore who will be bringing us the Word. He is a family man a husband, a father and a grandfather who loves God and people and always has a powerful testimony.

If you would like to make your contribution to the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is  Bethelumchurch.com 

Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!  God bless you. 

August 9 2020 Matthew 14.22-33 “Jesus Said, ‘Be Encouraged’“ Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

August 9 2020 Matthew 14.22-33 “Jesus Said, ‘Be Encouraged’“ Pastor Jacqueline Hines

By now, in this 19^th week of the pandemic, we realize that the myths surrounding the virus are just as contagious as the virus itself. It is also dawning on us that this too shall pass, just like the TB epidemic of the 30’s and the deadly flu of 1918.

A Facebook parent humorously pointed out that they sent a child to school with a batman mask and they came home with a Ninja Turtle mask…now the whole school is shut down.

One day we will have forgotten all about what we have lost. Hopefully, we will be thankful for anything we have gained during this unusual season.

Let’s begin with a musical selection, Lakeshore. 

Do you ever find yourself in need of encouragement? When disappointment comes, when a difficult situation presents itself at your doorstep. Perhaps you are going through something now and you cannot imagine how God’s going to fix it. You may even have something in your life that seems impossible even for God to solve.

From time to time, like a parent trying to get a sliver of wood out of our finger, they find us reluctant to extend our hand and trust that all will be well, for we know that what already hurts might bring a little more pain before it’s all said and done.

The television sitcom, Mom,

 is about a three-generation family struggling to survive against the many odds of addiction and poverty. Most of the time, the characters do not hesitate to steal money and anything else they want. They lie in order to save face and avoid consequences. They affirm sex without boundaries as if that is a ticket to some safe haven and riches without responsibility. In the midst of all those human complications, the drama – in a strange way - encourages viewers to keep watching by making us smile as the characters continue to have the highest hopes of being rich and famous or at least important. Like the rest of us, deep down, the characters only want to want for nothing and to be loved unconditionally, and they want to be encouraged in the hope that this will be true at the end of each day.

Every heart needs encouragement. Jesus was the great encourager. He goes before us, he’s always with us, he never leaves us….all so that we will be encouraged to keep going, to hold on, to take the next step toward a future filled with hope and the fulfillment of the wonderful promises of God.

Matthew 12 starting at verse 22 tells us 

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 

If there were any boats out during the storm we had here last Tuesday, 

they too, were battered by the waves and driven by the winds. Being in the water with no solid place to rest your feet is a situation that can be quite scary as it had to have been for the disciples. The disciples were doing exactly what Jesus instructed them to do, but they were still caught in a storm. Don’t we all want to avoid getting caught in a storm? Sure we do. Still, isn’t it better to be in a storm where we have been called to be than to be caught up in a storm in a place that we know we are not supposed to be? That’s something to think about.

The disciples were in the boat all night and when morning finally came, Jesus appeared.

 Jesus appeared out of nowhere. Jesus appeared, walking on the water. Walking on water is incomprehensible. But, there are many things in life that are beyond our understanding.

When people say they don’t believe in God because God cannot be explained, I wonder how they understand all the wonderful and magnificent things in this world that go unexplained and unproven. For example, we accept water, we use it, we depend upon it and but we cannot create it.  We are born with bodies as intricate as computers and as functional as machines, but we cannot make ourselves. One of my favorite stories is about a group of scientists took extensive notes on the species of humans and decided they, too, could make a human being. They picked up a handful of dirt and God said, “No, no…get your own dirt.”

Verse 25 says,   ²⁵And early in the morning Jesus came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Despite the fact that they were seeing things they did not understand, Jesus wanted them to be encouraged. They thought he was a ghost. They were seeing something unexpected; they could not understand or explain it and they were afraid. But, Jesus understood their fear. He was right there to encourage them. “It’s me. Don’t be afraid. Take heart. I am here. I am for you, not against you. I love you.” That’s what we can expect to hear and understand when we have a personal relationship with Jesus and we are afraid. “It’s me. Don’t be afraid. Take heart. I am here. I am for you, I am not against you. I love you. You are the apple of my eye. You are precious in my sight. You are a dear one. Come close. Stay near.”

Peter believed it could be Jesus right there on the water. Verse 28 says   ²⁸Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 

³⁰But when Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 

Would that we would all have sense enough to cry out to the Lord, “Save me!! Save me!! Sometime, though, we rather sin than be saved.  

³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught Peter, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  

Have you ever understood that you had very little faith in God’s willingness and ability to work something out for you? Maybe you thought, like a friend of mine, I can’t go back to school for 6 months and get the training I need to make more money on my job. Or, like the one I prayed with who thought, “I can’t stand to wash dishes in a restaurant until God reveals next steps to me.” Or another who said “I can’t tell the Department of Social Security that God healed me because they will stop my checks.

If we could read Peter’s mind we might hear, “I can’t keep my eyes on you Jesus as long as this wind is roaring like a lion and knocking my life around. It is too distracting.  Jesus, I don’t feel safe and sound when my feet are not on solid ground. Jesus, I don’t believe you are stronger than this wind or safer than the solid ground I am crying out for.  

Peter was learning, as we are learning, that Jesus is there to encourage us when we are most distracted by the winds of uncertainty, when evening comes and the unexpected and unexplained arrives on our horizon. When we need encouragement. 

If we are daring enough and still enough to see his face beyond the waves, then we can hear his affirming and encouraging voice confirming, “It’s me. Take heart. Don’t be afraid.” If we record those words in our heart or on our phone, the next time we are in a storm, we can play it or say it aloud. ‘I’m here beyond the waves. It’s me. I am for you, not against you no matter how scary it seems. I am with you. Don’t be afraid. Everything is going to be alright.’

I listened this week to Dr. Ron Archer tell about his unbelievable life with storm after storm that seemed like it would never end. 

The bottom line of his story is that Jesus encouraged him. His mother was lured as a 14 year old into prostitution. So he called himself a “trick baby” though he contends, the trick was on Satan because God had a purpose and a plan for his life. Babies get in the way of profits, so there were many attempts to abort him from his mother’s womb, seven attempts total. He was born premature, without a pancreas, could not function properly. At the age of ten he was put in the school boiler room with other children considered too dumb to learn. What made things worse was his many traumas made him a bed wetter and a stutterer. When he tried to talk, it was a show for others to laugh at. He was brutally molested by a sadistic Madame who was his babysitter. His three uncles, members of a gang called the Devil’s Disciples were addicted to heroin. His father was nowhere to be found. His German grandmother was sick with cancer. His Cuban grandfather was in put in the worst of jails after severely injuring a man who ridiculed their interracial relationship.

At the age of ten he held his mother’s gun to his head, 

thinking that if the next ten years of his life was like the first, he did not want any parts of life. The gun had a safety on it and he did not know how to dislodge it, so he lived.

A teacher shared the word of God with him and gave him hope. He heard that God loved him and had a future like he did for Jeremiah and for Moses who was also a stutterer. Dr. Archer learned that God would turn his pain into power, his wounds into wisdom, his scars into stars, and his tragedy into triumph.

He began feasting on God’s word, memorizing 2,000 verses.

 He says the word of God changed his heart, his head, his habits, his hands, his humanity, his habitat and he became the message of hope for his family until everyone in his family got saved! None of his pain and trouble was wasted. God used everything to create something good. He was healed of traumas and became a pastor and a businessman. His life is another reminder that there is a voice beyond the waves and the dark of night that tells us to take heart and be encouraged no matter how difficult our situation may seem. There will always, always be a hand reaching out to us to keep us from going under. God is good. Be encouraged. Amen.

Let us pray. Oh God, how we thank you for helping us to see you in spite of the roaring waves and the dark of night. Strengthen our voices that we might encourage each other, to be so filled with your life-changing word that our families, friends, and neighbors are changed in ways that fulfill your holy will satisfy our deepest needs and.

We pray as you taught us to pray:  Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Next week we go to the 15^th chapter of Matthew and the topic, “Jesus said, ‘Listen’” 

If you would like to make your contribution to the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is Bethelumchurch.com 

Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you! 

  

 

 

 

 

August 2 2020 "Jesus Said, ' You Give Them Something to Eat'"

August 2, 2020  Matthew 14.13-21 “Jesus Said, ‘Give Them Something to Eat’ ” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

After 18 weeks of the pandemic, surely we have heard God’s voice in small and great ways, reminding us of God’s love for us, reminding us of the blessing of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Whether we have had more time to do certain things or less time to do certain things, because God is God, we can be a walking praise, a neon sign that says God is good, and God’s mercy endures forever. 

Let’s look to the gospel of Matthew chapter 14 for the telling of Jesus feeding 5,000 people. 

Matthew tells us that Jesus went away to a deserted place after hearing that John the Baptist had died. He took a boat ride to a deserted place perhaps to mourn.  Verse 13 tells us  ¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 

Sounds like Jesus was taking time to have the peace and quiet which is a blessing that we all need from time to time!

On his way back to shore, Jesus could see that a crowd was waiting for him. Verse 14 says  ¹⁴When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 

Perhaps you have looked up and seen a crowd waiting for you. Once I planned a meeting with a group of clergy women. It was in the days before cell phones. I was waylaid with an urgency with one of my Germantown parishioners and by the time I arrived, I expected that they would all be gone. What a nice surprise it was to see them sitting on the floor in front of my apartment door, waiting patiently for me.

Another time, on a rainy day, my tires were getting bald and as I was attempting to stop at a four way intersection, my car continued through the red light. No one blew their horn or screamed obscenities out of their window or gave me the sparrow…All those strangers in their cars waited patiently as I backed up out of their way.  

Jesus saw a crowd waiting for him. One can imagine that it was a crowd that cared, a crowd that was waiting patiently, waiting knowing that God is good and something good is always happening and something good is always coming our way and something good is always worth waiting for.

The crowd had found Jesus and was waiting for him. Matthew reminds us that there are times when we must go where Jesus is. We must find him and wait for him.

Even today there are large crowds that look for Jesus. We may have seen such a crowd in a stadium listening to Joyce Meyer teach in Missouri or listening to Rick Warren at Saddleback church, the sixth largest megachurch in the US.

Scholars tell us that every crowd is not the same. We have seen most every type of crowd in the last few months with various types of purposes. Crowds can be conventional, casual, and passive like an audience at a concert, a church service or sidewalk dining. Others crowds are expressive, gathering to demonstrate and make a particular point. Other crowds form during a time of panic to escape a fire or a mass shooter. Some crowds are acquisitive when resources are limited. They may become emotionally intense, growing into mobs. We know there are all kinds of crowds and all kinds of people in each crowd.

There had to be all types of people in that crowd waiting for Jesus. No matter what type of crowd it was, at some point, it is safe to say that some in the crowd were hungry, some were tired, frustrated or angry. There were those in the crowd who were hopeful and optimistic and some who were hurting with enough heartache, aches, pains and ailments that needed healing and help.

How did Jesus feel about this crowd? Did he want to run the other way and not be bothered? Did he feel more important than they were? No. He felt compassion for them. 

Compassion is defined as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone who has a problem. To feel compassion is to feel a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. 

Are you like Jesus? Is there a certain person in a particular situation that stirs your feelings of compassion? Do you feel compassion when you see those Covenant House commercials of homeless teenagers telling how they slept on park benches, or those St. Jude commercials of children with terminal diseases, or those ads on milk cartons of missing toddlers, or those documentaries of families starving in third world or widows weeping behind the still iron curtain? Perhaps there is a family member or neighbor that breaks your heart every time you think of them and you tear up and find every way you can think of to take away their suffering and make them smile.

Jesus felt compassion for the crowd. His heart was stirred to be kind, to show mercy, and tenderness. We are like Jesus when we feel feelings of compassion.

Still, as Christians, we may, from time to time, find ourselves praying that Jesus would fill our hearts with feelings of compassion because we feel so empty. We may pray to be purged of our craving for vengeance, of our hate, hard heartedness, and ferociousness. There is enough in every life for which to praise God every hour and repent every day.

Jesus had compassion. We are like Jesus. We pray to be more and more like Jesus.

Jesus not only had compassion on the crowd that day, but he cured the sick. We think about our health a lot. We often need healing for one situation or another. We worry about our health a lot, and we are so very grateful when our health and the health of our loved ones is restored. Jesus has compassion on those who are in need of healing.

When was the last time you went to Jesus about your health? Do it today! Do it today! Jesus loves us, feels compassion for us. Jesus is for us, not against us. Nothing is impossible and when things are not yet what we want them to be, just know that God has a purpose and a plan and everything is going to be alright!

The crowd waited for Jesus. They were sick, they were tired, they were happy, and they were sad. Whatever they were, Jesus had compassion on them, healed them – to one degree or another – as he does today, and when it was getting late and the disciples wanted to send the crowd away so they could get something to eat, Jesus said, they do not need to go away, you give them something to eat. Verse 15 says  ¹⁵When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”    ¹⁶Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 

Isn’t that our call to feed one another, to nurture one another, to help share something so that others can taste and see that the Lord is good… to contribute to one another’s wellbeing, even to cure and heal each other in one degree or another? 

Isn’t that our call to receive the compassion that Jesus has and share it as the Spirit leads us? Isn’t Jesus calling us to be human toward those in front of us, when they are hungry, tired, sick, angry, optimistic, or pessimistic? Isn’t it our calling to trust that little becomes much when we put it in the hands of Jesus?

Think of that person or situation for which you feel the least compassion. Does that image appear on the evening news? Is he or she among your family or friends? Who is it? Where do they live? What do they think of you? How do they feel about you? What do you think of them? How do you feel about them?

Are you willing to receive from Jesus any compassion so that you can show that person that you care? Are you willing to give Jesus your hand and your heart so he can guide you to follow instructions that will help you to be more like him, blessing others – learning to care for those in spite of yourself.

Verse 8 tells us that he gave them specific directions.

¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 

²⁰And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 

²¹And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Yes, we are called to do great things…to feed hungry souls who are hurting rather than send them away to fend for themselves, rather than be overwhelmed – thinking there is nothing God can do with us. It is our call to do our part to heal souls in need of healing and being treated like a human being.

At the very least we are called to pray for each other. It is not the easiest thing to pray for someone that you don’t care about, or someone you think does not deserve to be blessed, or someone who owes you. It is not easy to pray.

One thing that will help is for you to picture Jesus with his arms compassionately around you and that person every day. A picture is worth a thousand words. Picturing Jesus loving each of us is a prayer in itself. Prayer can make pain and many problems go away. May it be so for each of us today and always.

Let us pray: Merciful and compassionate God, use us as healing agents today. Thank you for the sympathy and tenderness you have shown us, for the way you have filled our life with abundant blessings. Help us not to withhold the good you have given us, but help us to be a blessing to everyone you guide us to, especially to those we need to show more care and compassion. We pray as you taught us to pray:  Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Next week we go to the 14^th chapter of Matthew and the topic, “Jesus said, ‘Be encouraged’” 

If you would like to make your contribution to the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is  Bethelumchurch.com 

Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!

We are closing with Donna’s rendition of “What A Fellowship”   song – Donna Upson - What A Fellowship - available on youtube version of this message.