One Man’s Journey of Faith!

 2^nd Sunday in Lent!

 

Prayer

                                                                     John 3:1-17

First Movement:                               

            During my first full time pastorate in another faith tradition, I had two deacons.  Deacons in that tradition were kind of like lay leaders in ours.  They were both very faithful leaders in the church, but upon visiting them, I found that there was always a point of contention between the two.  The one was a very deep thinker who was always asking questions; in any discussion, he seemed to always play the devils advocate so to speak.  He always had a question to ponder.  He didn’t take anything at face value.  He taught a Sunday School class and was a big worker in the church.

 

            The other found his ministry in the evangelistical part of the church.  When I first went there, he said he would take me around to meet the shut-ins and to visit prospective members in the area.  He was an important resource in that way.  He helped me meet many people who used to be active in the church who were not.  He helped me meet many people in the community who were not churched.  He had all the scriptures in mind to lead someone to Christ, and he sought opportunities to use them.  One of his favorite scriptures was, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (I John 15:13)  To him, this scripture meant that you could “know” that you were saved, and if you did not know, maybe something was wrong.

 

            When I first visited my deep-thinker deacon, I hadn’t been visiting long when he asked me, “Do you think you can know by any shadow of a doubt that you are saved?”  I said something like, “I think we can have an assurance that we are saved, but I think there will always be times we’ll have our doubts; Satan will see to that.”  He proceeded to tell me about a discussion he had had with the other deacon in which, the other deacon had told him he wasn’t saved if he didn’t “Know” it.  The other deacon felt he was missing something!  As a result, this deacon always struggled with that knowing piece, and as you can imagine, there was always a point of contention between the two.  I think he was a little jealous of the one who seemed to have it all figured out, and he acted out sometimes as a result.  We’ll come back to this later!

           

Second Movement:

            Our scripture today from John’s gospel, is about a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who comes to talk to Jesus by night.  The closest comparison in the synoptic gospels is the story of the Rich Young Man or Ruler who asks what he must do to be saved, but in John’s gospel, he is given a name, is a Pharisee, and he doesn’t ask what he needs to do to be saved, but he just comes, and Jesus tells him, “You must be born again.” 

 

            Remember I told you:  “John’s gospel is different.  John seems to march to a different beat.  His gospel has been called the maverick gospel. Robert Kysar wrote a book about John’s gospel called “The Maverick Gospel” because John’s gospel seems to stand alone.  When you look at something in John’s gospel, you do well to look at what is different from the other gospels and ask yourself why John felt the need to record it differently.”  I also said, “It seems to me that John is more into interpreting what has happened than just recording for us what has happened.”

 

John has this discussion about being born again. It is from John’s gospel that we get this theology of the new birth in Christ.  He says,  if Jesus is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself.  He says, that Jesus came so that whosoever believes can have eternal life!  He is interpreting for us what Jesus did.  Also, I think John wants us to follow Nicodemus’s story a little closer for a reason.

 

Here Nicodemus comes by night.  He is a Pharisee, and following Jesus would not be a popular thing in his circles, but he comes to have this discussion with Jesus.  He seeks him out; he has questions.  Nicodemus opens with “I know you are a teacher from God; you couldn’t do these things otherwise.” This is somewhat of a faith statement!   Then Jesus offers to him, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”  This is a new concept for Nicodemus.  How can someone who is already alive enter into the womb and be born again?  Following this is an explanation offered by Jesus including the very familiar John 3:16 passage.  Here, it doesn’t say he went away sorrowfully because he had much riches; it doesn’t really say what Nicodemus did.  I think we have a man here who has expressed a limited amount of faith in Jesus but is struggling with some of the concepts based on his background.  John picks back up with Nicodemus in John 7:50 with him in a discussion with other Pharisees about Jesus; Nicodemus asks here, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?”  He is kind of coming to the defense of Jesus.  Then finally, John records him in John 19:38-40, when all the other disciples have fled and disowned Jesus, coming with Joseph of Arimathea to claim Jesus’ body and prepare it for burial.  When all the others had fled, he was willing to step up and be numbered with Jesus’ followers. 

 

I think John wants us to follow Nicodemus a little closer because our journey isn’t always one with no questions or doubts, but nevertheless, it is a journey of faith.  Today, just like in Nicodemus’ journey of faith,  Jesus is not afraid of our questions!  It is okay to ask questions!   John also wants us to see that sometimes that one who is asking all the questions is the one still standing when all others have fled!  They are the ones who are really growing in faith!

 

Third Movement:  

            John knew that we would have questions; that is why in I John 15:13 he writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”  John is trying to give us some assurance in spite of our questions.  He is trying to answer some of the questions.  He is not trying to say that we will know beyond the shadow of a doubt, and if we do not know beyond the shadow of a doubt or if we question, we aren’t saved!  That is really making this verse say something it isn’t saying. 

 

Forth Movement:

            I said I’d come back to my two deacons.  I think they both had faith.  They were both great workers in the church.  None of us are perfect, and neither of these were perfect.  They both had their strong points.  The one was good at allowing people to ask the questions and grow in their faith.  The other was good at reaching out to those on the outside and trying to bring them in.  The latter and his wife were great friends to us and offered to be substitute grandparents for our children while we were there, for which I will always be grateful!   I wish they could have understood each other’s journey more.  I wish they could have valued each other’s part a little more and not felt intimidated by the other. 

 

            Nicodemus’ story reminds us that there is a place for both types in the kingdom of God.  Do you find yourself relating to either of my deacons?  Like the one, and maybe like Nicodemus, do you have questions?  Do you find yourself being the devil’s advocate sometimes?  Does faith not always come as easy to you as it seems to for others?  Do you find yourself jealous of others who seem to really have it all figured out?  Do you need to come to Jesus and just acknowledge your faith in the one who you see doing great things and to acknowledge that you have questions but that you want Christ’s help as you continue the journey this lent? 

 

            Or maybe faith comes pretty easy for you, and you don’t understand why some people have all the questions.  Maybe you see that as a lack of faith on their part?  Maybe you sometimes doubt their salvation?  Maybe you need to come and as Christ for patience and to help you to be more accepting of others who are also on the faith journey as you continue your journey this lent? 

 

            You can do both of these as you encounter Christ at the table this morning!  I invite you, as you walk away from the table, to look at the cross and be reminded of the price Christ paid for you so that you can live for God today!  It is not anything that we have done.  It is Christ who makes us worthy!

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

The Ultimate Temptation!

 1^st Sunday in Lent!

                                                                             

Prayer

                                                                    Matt. 4:1-11

First Movement:

             When I was a teenager, we moved from St. Louis to NE Arkansas when I was going into the 10^th grade.  During the time between then and when I graduated high school, we found a wonderful church that had an awesome youth group.  We had cottage prayer meetings at the youth director’s home where I grew close to the leaders as well as the other youth.  We had student led prayer times during noon out on the high school campus.  My pastor’s wife taught the youth Sunday school class and I had my first experience at teaching my peers during a time when she gave us opportunity to do that. That was the attempt that I talked about last week where my voice cut out!  Our church grew until it was bulging at the seams.  Many Sundays, we had to pull out chairs to put them in the isles.  It was a great growing time for me.

           

            Also, within that time, our pastor began preaching that God had told him we needed to sell out and build in a new location.  He handled it in a way that he was only able to get less than half of the congregation convinced, and they ended up leaving to start a new church.  It ended up being a very bitter split; I’ve told you about this before, but what I haven’t said much about is the struggle this caused for me.  Most of the people who I had grown to love and who had helped me to grow the most were the ones who left!  My parents wanted to stay with the original church; I’m sure they felt that was the right thing to do.  It has turned out good for me!  God has brought good out of it for me.  It is part of my faith journey that has brought me to where I am today!  I am good with that!  It is hard to know what to do in a case like that (when your church splits), but the thing for me was that the people who had so influenced my life were now on the outside.  I was now an outsider to them because I had not gone with them.  I no longer felt as welcome to meet with them during  the prayer meetings at school.  We grew apart.  The pastor who left said this was God’s will!  Now we had two churches and more people in church!  (On a side note, now, 48 years later, only one of those churches has survived and it is running about 26 on a good Sunday!  The church that split off has since closed and is not apartment buildings.  Satan really did a number!)  I struggled with this being God’s will!  I struggled with God allowing this to happen to our youth group!  I struggled with what I saw people saying to and about each other!  I read the scripture that says,

 

“Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ^15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested^d as we are, yet without sin. ^16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.^[1] “ (Heb. 4:14-16)

 

I struggled with this scripture; when had Jesus experienced what I had gone through?  Forty-eight years later, I read this scripture today to people going through a difficult time, usually in the hospital.  I know many times they too are wondering when did Jesus have bypass surgery? Or Etc.                                             

 

Second Movement:

            Our passage from Matthew today is many times read on the 1^st Sunday in Lent.  Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the wilderness is paralleled to some degree with our 40 day journey during Lent.  His temptation is compared with ours, thus he is the Great High Priest who has lived and been tempted as we have, yet was without sin!  As we begin our Lenten Journey today, let’s look at Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, let’s look at the Biblical significance for Matthew’s first readers, and let’s look at how Jesus indeed is our Great High Priest who understands what we are going through and can give us what we need.

 

Third Movement:  

            The temptation of Jesus is divided into three temptations.  First, “The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ^4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”^[2]  Jesus is obviously quoting scripture here, so what is He referencing? 

The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. ^2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ^3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” ^4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ^[3] (Exo. 16:1-4)

This event is summed up in another passage which Jesus is quoting:

Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. ^3 He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.^{a [4]}  (Deut. 8:2-3)

 

Israel is referred to as the Children of God.  In Hosea 11:1, Israel is referred to as the son of God!  In this wilderness temptation, Israel fails at being God’s Son!  They fail to trust God!  They fail to believe that even in the situation that they are in God is still in control and is going to take care of them.  They say you should have left us in Egypt; this hunger episode is all it took for them to bail on their faith in the God who would sustain them!  Jesus, the Son of God (the Messiah), chose to trust God only!  Jesus chose to trust God for his food and with everything, realizing we truly do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord!

 

      The second temptation is this: “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ^6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” ^7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”^[5] (Matt. 4:5-7)  Again, Jesus is referencing scripture here and an earlier event in the history of Israel:

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ^2 The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” ^3 But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” ^4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ^5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ^6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ^7 He called the place Massah^a and Meribah,^bbecause the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”^[6]      (Exo. 17:1-7)

And also: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. ^[7]  (Deut. 6:16)

 

These passages are clearly about putting the Lord to the test.  Will you really trust the Lord, or will you loose faith and not trust?  The Children of Israel, the first son, failed the test!  Israel failed to trust God but instead felt that God had lost control and maybe really wasn’t God at all!  Jesus, on the other hand, completely trusted God!

 

      The third temptation is, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ^9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ^10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”^[8] (Matt. 4:8-10)  This is about idolatry!  The Children of Israel knew about that!

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ^2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ^3 So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ^4 He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold,^a and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ^5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” ^6 They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.^[9]  (Exo. 32:1-6)

 

And the books of the law clearly stated:  “The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. ^14 Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, ^[10] (Deut. 6:13-14)  Israel, the first Son, clearly had a problem with this one, but Jesus, the Son of God and the Messiah,  only wanted to serve God!  He saw this for what it was, a betrayal of allegiance to God. 

 

            Matthew’s readers would have understood this concept as well.  They were daily tempted to bow down to Rome in order to do well financially etc., but Jesus sets the bar to serve only God!

 

Forth Movement:

            What does all this say to us?  All of these temptations have one thing in common, the temptation to treat God as less than God!  That is the ultimate temptation!   They are all about not letting God be God and putting our faith in something else or in nothing at all!  In either way, it is about not letting God be God!  When my church split, I was left with the temptation to abandon God and not let God be God!  I was angry and felt that something had been taken from me; I was tempted to not trust God!  Jesus understands that temptation; Jesus was able to give me what I needed.  When we looe a loved one to death or when we have to watch a loved one suffer leading up to death, we may be tempted to lose faith in God and not let God be God, but Jesus understands that  temptation to not let God be God and can give us what I need!  If I suffer from alcohol or drug addiction, I am putting my trust in something other than God to get me through.  I am not letting God be God; Jesus understands that temptation to not let God be God and can help me through!   If my own health is failing, if I have had a heart attack or have been diagnosed with cancer, the temptation is to lose faith in God, to lose hope that God can make any difference, to not let God be God!  Jesus can help me with that!  Whatever we are dealing with, the ultimate temptation is to not let God be God!  Jesus can help with that; he has been tempted just as we are, yet without sin!  As you encounter Christ at the table today, whatever you are dealing with, leave it here and let God be God!  Amen!

 

Prayer of Confession 

Service of Communion

---

d Or tempted

^[1]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[2]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[3]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

a Or by anything that the Lord decrees

^[4]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[5]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

a That is Test

b That is Quarrel

^[6]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[7]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[8]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

a Or fashioned it with a graving tool; Meaning of Heb uncertain

^[9]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

^[10]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Valentines and Ashes!

 Ash Wednesday!

Prayer

                                                                   I Cor. 13:1-13

First Movement:                               

            I thought as I prepared this, in 37 years of pastoral ministry, I recollect that Ash Wednesday has only fallen on Valentine’s Day one other time that I remember, and that was in 2018.  Now, as I research,  I learn that it hasn’t happened prior to 2018 since 1940 something; it has only happened twice in my lifetime!  What do you do when Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday?  How do you reconcile a day celebrating love and romance with one of sacrifice and somber repentance?

 

Second Movement:

            Let’s look at a little history.   

“Stories of the origin of St. Valentine’s Day frequently include accounts of the martyrdom of a priest named Valentinus or Valentine. Roman emperor Claudius II had nullified engagements and banned new marriages in order to increase the size of his army. Valentine defied the ban and continued marrying couples until he was discovered and killed on Feb. 14, 270 A.D.

Another priest, also named Valentine, was also martyred on Feb. 14, in a different year for helping imprisoned Christians. In some traditions, he may have healed his jailer’s daughter before being martyred. In others, he and the jailer’s daughter fell in love — before he was executed. In any case, the idea of risk and martyrdom for the sake of honorable love replaced a more ancient Roman festival with a new name, purpose and a feast day on the church calendar.

Centuries later, Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized St. Valentine’s Day. Sweethearts began exchanging love notes on Feb. 14, in medieval times.”[i]

            Ash Wednesday is about remembering our sins that caused Christ to have to die.  It is about sacrificing something to draw closer to God because of God’s sacrificial love for us.  It is about sacrificial love! 

 

Third Movement:

            Our scripture tonight, is about love, a love that never fails.  God’s love never fails; it is always there for us, but sometimes our love fails.  This scripture describes love perfectly.  I can preach, I can do all kinds of works, but if I have not love,  I am nothing!  Love is patient!  How many of us lack patience?  Love is kind!  How many of us are always kind?  Love is not envious, boastful, or arrogant!  How many of us are boastful or envious or arrogant?  Love is not rude!  Wow, how many have never been rude?  Love doesn’t always want its own way!  How are you scoring so far?  Love is not irritable or resentful! 

            On the other hand, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things!  These are all positive ways to respond!  These all respresent being a light shining in the darkness!  How many of us are always that?  How did you score?

            Traditionally during Lent, which begins today and includes the 40 days between now and Easter (not counting Sundays which are always little celebrations of the resurrection), people do without something or add something to their practices so that they can draw closer to God, so that they can grow in love.  It is about sacrificial love of our time for one who has sacrificed so much for us!  On Ash Wednesday, we realize our need of forgiveness and our need to draw closer to God through this time of Lent.  As you are marked with the sign of the cross tonight, remember the sacrificial love of God as God went all the way to the cross for you!  Remember how far short we fall of what we should be and how far short we fall of that love, and commit during Lent, because of your love for God and people, to make some sacrifices yourself to draw closer to God and to draw closer to what you should be in service of God in the world.  Amen!

---

[i] “Love and Repentance: When Ash Wednesday Falls on Valentine’s Day” by Polly House; www.umcom.org

My Chosen!

 Transfiguration Sunday!

  

Focus Statement:  In this scripture, Jesus is transfigured while praying before Peter, James, and John, and Moses and Elijah appear talking to him about his departure.  A voice from the cloud confirms that AThis is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!@

 

Function Statement: Because of this sermon, the congregation will have renewed faith that the crucified Christ is indeed the chosen one of God and our Savior and will realize that God gives us the confirmation we need as we follow God.

 

Prayer

Luke 9:28-36

Watch clip:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVKp72dByM

 

Sermon manuscript:                 

Movement 1: 

Each person's call is different!  About the time I was in Jr. High and helping my dad out in the backyard working on lawnmowers, I thought I might could become a mechanic.  Mom even wrote a little song at one time, AMike the Mechanic!@  When I was in early high school and took accounting, I pictured myself being an accountant.  When I took drafting, I seriously thought about becoming an architect.  When I went to college, I double majored, and one of the majors is a BS in Math Secondary Education.  One of the ironies of my life is that in High School when speech was offered I didn=t take it because I didn=t ever plan to do anything that would require public speaking; the thoughts of that scared me to death.  I did think about the ministry in High School though. My youth Sunday school teacher gave us opportunities to take turns leading a Sunday School lesson; I made a pretty unsuccessful attempt at that.  When I would try to speak, my voice would just stop!  Along about that time,  I can remember at church camp answering an altar call to come up if you felt the Lord leading you into some sort of special service.  You didn=t have to know what it was yet, just come up if you felt that tug, so I went.  I don=t know what I thought it would be without public speaking! 

 

It wasn=t long after that when our church split, and I became very unsure about things and especially that call.  As I continued in the church, some things began to happen that I think are relevant to the message today.  One time, when I was troubled with how things were going at church and how they weren’t leaving the split behind, I talking to my dad about it, he said, well tell them!  Another time I was given the opportunity to lead a Wednesday night Bible Study of adults and was able to do it with confirmation from my class!  While all this was going on, the Spirit was working in my life; “Mike do you love me?  Feed my sheep.  Do what I am calling you to do.” God used this passage as a part of my call; that is why I have a picture with that passage on it over our stairway.  I talked to my pastor at the time.  I was advised to try different things in the church to see if they met the calling in my heart, so I tried different things in the church that continued to confirm, along with the Spirit=s leading in my heart, God=s call on my life until one day I had my answer, and I answered the call into ministry. 

 

Before I got to the place of answering the call into the ministry, this person who didn=t take speech because he wasn=t going to need it needed a lot of confirmation to be sure!

 

Movement 2:

 Just before our scripture today, Jesus has just declared that he will Aundergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised.@ (vs. 22)   In our scripture for today, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray.  While he is praying, he is transfigured (the appearance of his clothes changes and his face becomes dazzling white) and Moses and Elijah appear with him.  This event is recorded in some of the other gospels, but only in Luke=s gospel does it say what they are talking with him about.  Luke records that they are talking to him about his departure!  Peter says it is good for us to be here and see this and declares the need to build three dwellings: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The idea to be sure is to make three temples!   While he is saying this a voice from the clouds says, Athis is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!@  Then Jesus is alone and Moses and Elijah are gone.   God had confirmed Jesus as God=s Son, the Chosen!

 

Movement 3:

I think Luke=s gospel is significant in that he tells that Moses and Elijah are discussing his departure just after Jesus has talked to them about what will happen to him.  After Jesus tells them this, they have got to be wondering if Jesus is who he says he is or if this will really happen.  After Jesus is crucified, they will definitely wonder if Jesus was the Messiah or if they have been misled.  They are and will need confirmation of who Jesus is.  Here Luke finds and gives it in the transfiguration.  This one who will be (or later has been) crucified is Agod=s Son, the Chosen!@  It is him we need to listen to.  If there is any doubt who Jesus is, Luke tells us here in this event of the transfiguration.  It would have given them what they needed at the time, but it also stands as a confirmation to us that this crucified Christ is the Son of God and our Savior.  We can trust in Christ!  We can put our faith in Christ!  Christ will fulfill God=s promises to us and our church, if we believe!

 

I think we can also see in this that God will give us the confirmation we need in life to follow God, just like God did for me as I was searching God=s leading in my life, but we have to be open to it.  God will reveal God=s self to us through the Spirit.  God will confirm our calling through other people, through successes that we have, and through the inward leading of the Spirit. 

 

As we encounter Christ, the Son, the Chosen one at the altar today in communion, do you need to have your faith renewed?   Are you searching for God=s leading in your life?  Do you need to ask for God to help you find the confirmation that you need?  You can do all of that as you encounter Christ today, if you would like to kneel at the altar after taking communion, you are invited to do that as well.  If you make a commitment, let me know so I can help you with your walk in Christ!

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

Discerning The Time!

 5^th Sunday after the Epiphany!

                                                      Luke 12:54-56

Introduction:

A.   Kids learn very early to react when they see the Golden Arches of McDonald's. They react to signs!  Watch this clip of the first Ronald McDonald Commercial, kind of scary!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIuXv7Y8QA4

 

B.   In life, we learn to react in certain ways to warning signs that we see:

1.   If we see a red-hot burner on a stove, we know not to touch it!

2.   If we see a red light, we know that it means to stop!

3.   On the other hand, we know a green light means to go!

 

C.   Jesus noticed this about people, but he also noticed they had trouble "Discerning the Time!"

 

D.   They saw the clouds, and they expected rain!

 

E.   Jesus seemed to suggest that there were warning signs that they had missed in discerning the time.

 

Trans.

Let's look at some warning signs that we could be missing today!

 

                    Prayer

 

I.   Warning signs:

 

A.   A Graveyard!

1.   I probably notice this more than the average person, since

I frequent graveyards more often than most.

2.   Graveyards are vivid proof that what the Bible says is

true!  "It is appointed unto [people] once to die and after

this the judgement."   (Heb. 9:27)

2.   The graveyard stands as a constant reminder that nobody

has lived to prove the Bible wrong!  It is our first warning

sign.

 

B.   Conviction of the Holy Spirit!  This is God=s Prevenient Grace.

1.   How many times have we done something wrong and felt guilt

for it?  Where does this guilt come from?

2.   How many times have we heard the Gospel and our heart speeds up? Why?

 

 

3.   It is God=s grace drawing us to God through the conviction of the Holy Spirit!  The Spirit is our second warning sign of the time.

 

C.   The Bible!

1.   The Bible holds many warning signs, but it is in itself a

warning sign too.

2.   How many times has doubt come into our minds about the

validity of the Bible?

a.   Who put that doubt there?

b.   If the Bible is not true and there is no God or Satan, then, why is there such a struggle in our minds concerning the Bible?

c.   The doubt that Satan places in our hearts about the validity of the Bible is proof itself that the Bible is true and contains the key to eternal life!

 

D.   Sickness!

1.   When we have health, we may think we have the world by the

tail, but when we lose our health, we realize that "we"

aren't in control.  We aren't God!  We can begin to see

things in perspective!!

2.   When we see a loved one who has lost their health, we are made

to realize that next time it could be us.  Life is really

very fragile!  Sickness also is a warning sign.

 

II.  What do these warning signs tell us?

 

A.   Today is the Day of Salvation!

II Cor. 6:2b   "Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of Salvation."

1.   We really have no promise of tomorrow, so today is the day

we should come to God through Christ!

2.   Today is the day we should live like we have always planned to live someday!

3.   Life is short at best, and we really need to get our priorities straight!

 

B.   As we discern the time, we learn that it is time to really get serious about our relationships with God!

1.   It is time to be praying and working on our communication

with God.

2.   It is time we listen to God in prayer and through the Bible.

3.   It is time we learn what God would have us be doing, time to

find our place in the kingdom!

 

Conclusion:

A.   Re-read Luke 12:54-56.

B.   Are we Discerning the Time?

C.   What time is it for us?

1.   Is it time for us to hear another message and leave   

unchanged?

2.   Or is it time for us to begin or renew our relationship with God through God's grace shown to us in Christ?

3.   It is our decision.

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion