The View from the Pulpit – 8/2/10

Dear Church Family

Just a quick note this morning to thank those of you who were able to worship God with us yesterday morning.  It was a blessing; wonderful prayers of joy and concern, beautiful special music offered by Daryl Wilcoxson, Ginny Andrews, Iantha Edwards, Jan McDaniel, Anita Brogden, and Emily Story, and a simple meal to remind us of all God has offered to us for our body, soul, and mind.

I want to let those who are squeezing the last drop out of a busy summer before the rigors of school schedules begin to guide our lives, that though we’ve missed your help, the Christians called United Methodist who gather at the corner of College and Washington have not missed a Sunday’s opportunity to worship on the Lord’s Day.  That means we’ve been answering God’s call to proclaim Christ for about 140 years (51,100 days or 7,300 worship services [not counting the 2 a Sunday that began in 2002]).

I just wanted to remind everyone that we’re in this God thing for the long haul.  Come and see why.

In Christ’s Love….Gary

A Service of Anointing, Healing, and Prayer

Join us this Tuesday evening for a time of putting ourselves in God’s way as we gather to offer God our prayers for peace, joy, and healing and receive the oil as a sign act invoking the healing love of God.

Laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and the less formal gesture of holding someone’s hand all point to the power of touch, which plays a central role in the healings recorded in the New Testament.  Jesus often touched others – blessing children, washing feet, healing injuries or disease, and raising people from death.  The oil points beyond itself and those doing the anointing to the action of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the healing Christ, who is God’s Anointed One.

A Service of Anointing, Healing, and Prayer is a monthly addition to our regular Tuesday Night Hour of Prayer.  Prayer time begins each Tuesday at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary.  The Anointing Service begins at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of each month.  Come and see the power of prayer.

Sunday, August 29, 2010 – Be There!

1^st UMC’s Nurture Committee is planning to honor God on the last Sunday of summer by recognizing and consecrating those who will teach Sunday School, recognizing our children who will move from one class to another and gathering those classes together for worship and offering songs and hymns of praise to the One in whose name we gather every Sunday morning to worship and learn about life.

I don’t know what they’re calling it but I’ve decided it’s the SundaySchoolPromotion/TeacherThankingandEncouraging/SingSpiration/WordInspired/ChristianComedian/JumperGymThing/UnitedMethodistWorship/Picnic.

Mark your calendar now so you won’t plan anything else on Sunday, August 29, 2010 beginning at 9:30am.  More information will be revealed at a later time.  The Church will provide the Fried Chicken.  Think “picnic” and you can bring whatever comes to mind.  We’d also like to you bring someone with you who does not currently attend church someplace else.

Leadership Development

Two years ago I participated and told you all about a new thing being offered by the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church.  It was called PLD – Pastor Leadership Development.  It was a good thing and time well spent as it helped refocus my attention on the reason for God’s Church.  The journey continues.

Doing Church today is changing.  Maybe that’s not entirely true.  Perhaps it would be better to say that our hope for the future depends upon us returning to our roots.  We can point to a few trained clergy leaders who allowed the Holy Spirit to ignite their passion for proclamation and order.  But the winds fanning those flames came from Spirit filled Lay People who carried with them a desire to know more about God’s vision and who loved their neighbors enough to risk putting God’s creative vision into action in their local communities and around the world.

Lay Leadership Development (LLD) is an opportunity for a few faithful Lay Members of the Christian Church called United Methodist to develop their leadership skills and help us refocus our ministry for making disciples for Jesus Christ that make a difference in the community.

I would love to pray with you and help you explore a possible nudge from God to take advantage of this opportunity.  There are limited spaces available in the LLD classes that are now forming.  Does God’s creative vision make a difference in your life and are you willing to commit some time to learn how to help us be God’s Church?

“It’s God’s Window”

Hosea 11:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

I’m getting a little tired of all this.  It seems that for the past month we’ve been standing real close to a brightly lit mirror, just looking at all the things we do wrong.  It started with that guy who tended sycamore trees and goats from out of town, Amos, who had the audacity to stick his nose into the way some do business.  What does he know about shifting weights, bait and switch, small print, and buyer beware?  If everybody’s doing it we must be okay.  Right?  Who cares about all those people who have nothing to give to me anyway?

Then there was that “prophet” from next door named Hosea who called us all a bunch of Gomers.  Saying we would forget who we were every time someone flashed the promise of a more comfortable life in our face.  Wouldn’t you want the best?  Wouldn’t you do whatever it takes to get it?  Telling us he married that prostitute, Gomer, (Hey?!) so he could talk about what it felt like to have someone you love and care about turn away, giving themselves to someone else for a little money and a good time.  Even worse were those names he gave his children; Jezreel (God sows) insinuating that God was about to sow destruction in our lives, and Lorhamah (Not Pitied) as if God would suddenly refuse to show us humans (who God made after all in God’s image) any pity, and Loammi (Not My People) as if we don’t know where we come from.

I’m ready for someone to tell us how good we are .  I’m are, at least every once in a while.  I’m ready for some gospel – good news – reminding us that we were created a little lower than the angels and that God’s image lives in us and that God needs us in order to be God.

But instead our gospel today hits us again with Jesus’ parable of the rich fool.  It’s the start of a series of stories (the Dishonest Manager, The Rich Man and Lazarus, The Unjust Judge, The Rich Ruler) that shine a negative light on what some would just call “life”.  The ultimate insult comes at the end when he compares the temple offerings of some well meaning (I’m sure) rich people with those two cents contributed by a poor widow.

Today’s gospel parable talks about how a property owner dealt with a very, very, very good harvest.  It was more than he’d ever picked before.  The combines only traveled a few yards before the hoppers had to be emptied.  The cotton modules were so thick around the fields that there almost wasn’t room to pick them up with the trucks so they could be hauled to the gin.  (or the picker had to stop every five seconds to disgorge it’s bail)  It was amazingly good and there wasn’t room in the bins/warehouses for the abundance of the harvest.  What do you do?  What would you do?  Of course you’d build bigger barns.  We do it all the time.

How far do you have to remember back to a time when there were no “U-Store” complexes?  I spent the first 10 years of life sharing a bedroom with my three brothers.  I watch HGTV today and wonder why a family with two children, absolutely have to leave their two bedroom house for one that has five; and three bathrooms with walk-in closets that aren’t big enough for the parents to share. (heads up for all you guys…the gals are gracious enough to offer us one three foot rail with a shelf on top – no matter how big the closet)

We all do it.   We fill whatever space we have with whatever we can get and then look for more room so we can get more stuff.  But I digress.  The problem wasn’t that the farmer wanted a big harvest.  The problem was that God provided a big harvest and the guy didn’t know what to do with it so he decided to store it away for future times so he wouldn’t have to work anymore; saying to himself “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”  (He really did say that, Luke 12:19)

I’m tired of hearing all the negative.  Enough already LORD, let me read some good news!  (Enter Hosea; stage right as he writes what is on God’s heart as Holy Eyes look out heaven’s window.)

God said, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. ²The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. ³Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. ⁴I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. (Angela offered a living example as she cuddled her new born under her chin) I bent down to them and fed them. ⁵They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. ⁶The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes. (not because it is God’s will but because it is what the people chose) ⁷My people are bent on turning away from me. To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.

⁸How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? (a city destroyed like Sodom) How can I treat you like Zeboiim? (a town treated like Gomorrah) My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. ⁹I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. ¹⁰They shall go after the Lord, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west. ¹¹They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.

I believe the key verse is the last part of number nine, “…for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.”  Think of the name God gave when Moses asked the burning bush – I AM.  Think of the Holy One born of the Virgin Mary, Emanuel – God With Us.  Go back to the first verse of today’s reading and think of the one whom God called out of Egypt that Matthew says fulfilled this prophesy – Jesus.

Our hope does not lie in who we are.  Our hope is in who God is and Hosea delivers that Good News more than 721 years before Jesus’ birth to a bunch of people who were far from God’s vision of human.  We gather around this table today to confess who we are; humans that continually make choices that move us further from what God had in mind when chaos became creation.  We gather around this table to remember God and all the times God has chosen to save us; Adam & Eve, Noah and the flood, slavery in Egypt, exile in Babylon. And a last supper with Disciples where bread came to remind us we are the body of Christ and wine revealed God’s new covenant based on new life offered for the glory of God’s Household.

Thank you God, for showing that acting out of vengeance and wrath are as far from Holy as any human can get. Thank you for revealing yourself to the prophets and to us through Jesus, your Son and our Savior.  That; I needed to hear.

Next Week

Scripture

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

“What a Morning!”

Call to Worship

The Lord calls us today to be people of justice and mercy.

Our worship is hollow if it focuses only on our own gratification.
The Lord asks that our words of hope become actions of peace.

Thanks be to God who challenges and calls us.
Let our ministry together bring peace and justice.

Let our lives reflect God’s love and mercy. AMEN.

Opening Prayer

Surprising God of mercy and love, thank you for calling to us this day. We praise you that you challenge us to show our faith in ministries of peace and justice, offering compassion to all in need. Open our hearts and minds today to hear your words of encouragement and challenge. We offer this prayer in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

Hymns

Here I Am, Lord – 593

A Charge to Keep – 413

Prayer of Confession

Forgiving God, you know how easy it is for us to celebrate with joy the wonders of your love. We create wonderful art to represent the joy we feel. Our music soars to the heavens in praise of you. Yet how often we have left our service to you as mere thoughts and intentions without fulfillment. You ask us to be ready to serve you at any time, but we place our commitment on the “to do” list of life; we will do these things when we get to them. Forgive our hesitancy and our self-serving ways, O Lord. Heal us of the disease of seeking first our own comfort before we engage in acts of justice and mercy. Open our eyes and ears to the cries of those in need. Help us to give and also to receive ministries of love and reconciliation as we serve you with our whole hearts. Then our music, our art, our worship will truly reflect your awesome and abundant love for us. AMEN.

Benediction

People of God, made ready by God’s love and mercy: Go forth into God’s world to serve in ministries of justice, kindness and peace. Know always that God’s peace is with you. AMEN.

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Gary blogs at http://bootheelpastor.wordpress.com