Faith Mothers – A Mother’s Day Sermon

I thought I’d post this for anyone needing help with a Mother’s Day Sermon. This is (pretty much) the sermon I’ll be sharing at George Street UMC this coming Sunday. This was originally given in 2oo4, just 4 months after my mother passed away. In its original form it was as much personal testimony and tribute as it was a sermon. I pray that God speaks to you through these words that He’s given me.

Faith Mothers

Our scripture comes from Paul’s second letter to Timothy – 2 Timothy 1:1-5. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy from a Roman prison and most scholars believe that this was the last letter Paul would write before he was executed.

(read 2 Timothy 1:1-5)

We first meet Timothy in Acts, chapter 16, verses 1 and 2 as Paul is beginning his second missionary journey.

(read Acts 16:1-2)

 

  “We” meet Timothy here, but Paul probably met him 3-4 years earlier on his first missionary journey through Lystra, and now he is so delighted to see Timothy’s spiritual growth. Also, we see “He was well spoken of by the brethren…” This is much like Christ’s growth as the Scriptures tell us that “He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.”

Timothy, you might say, was a “good boy,” we find out why in 2 Timothy. He had good “raisin’s.”  We don’t know a lot about Timothy’s parents, except that his mother was Jewish, and his father was Greek. Many believe that his father was either dead, or had left his mother, which is why they were living with his grandmother. And as little as we know about his parents, we know even less about his grandmother except that she had a “sincere faith.” She taught her daughter well, and she taught her grandson well. And that’s all we know about her.

There are many instances in the Bible where we see the results of faithful teaching without knowing much about who was actually doing the teaching, or who might have been doing the teaching in the background. For instance, when Nehemiah kneeled before King Artaxerxes and requested permission to return to Jerusalem, we only read about Artaxerxes granting it with very little questioning. And not only that, but Artaxerxes sends him with enough provisions to rebuild the city walls. Why did he do that? God’s prompting? Yes, but most likely God worked through someone. You see, King Artaxerxes’ step-mother was Queen Esther. Remember the story of Esther, and this passage from the book of Esther? “Who knows but that you are in this place for such a time as this?” I believe she was there for more than one reason. She was there to teach the young king. The Bible admonishes us to teach the scriptures to our children and grandchildren. But of course, not everyone does.

Another interesting thing about Old Testament mothers is to read through the books of Kings and Chronicles and see how many times a king’s mother’s name is given. Some of the very good kings had mothers who were daughters of priests. In these cases, even though the king’s father may have been an evil king, his mother had great influence on the son and he became a Godly king. Funny how much influence these mothers had on the kingship and nation of Judah.

Paul says later in this letter to Timothy that Timothy was taught the scriptures from childhood.

 Timothy was fortunate; he had a good grounding in the faith. And I am fortunate; I have had a good grounding in the faith as well. You see, the greatest single influence on my walk with God was my Mother. It’s funny – that never occurred to me until she died. I never realized how much of what, and how I believe, was taught to me as a child.

 I don’t know how my Mother came to be saved. She just always was. I don’t remember my grandparents going to Church, but I never remember Mother missing.

 She was a devoutly Christian woman. She wasn’t perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination, but her attitude toward God was nearly so.

I’m an “idea” person, but she would never let me call my ideas “brainstorms”. I had to call them “inspirations.” She truly believed that every good thing came from God. And I can never, ever remember being told “That’ll never work. You can’t do that. It won’t work.” She and Daddy believed in me and supported me.

 She held nearly every position within the Church at some point. I grew up having Bible readings every night before bed and prayer before every meal, no matter where we were, no matter who was present.

We’ve always had a tradition in the church where I grew up, that on Mother’s Day, you’d wear a red flower if your mother was alive, or a white one if she wasn’t. Well, since my Mother died, I’ve refused to wear just a white rose, because I believe that she is alive in Christ – so I wear both on Mother’s Day.

 All of us have mothers. It’s a biological fact. All of us, here, have “faith mothers” as well. I was very fortunate in that mine was one and the same. But, I’ve had many other “faith mothers” within the churches that I’ve been a part of, too. And I often think of them – each with their own special personality and gifts.

I wrote a poem a few years ago titled “The Saints”, and as a woman, most of the “saints” that I remember were women. Some of them were physical mothers, but all were “faith mothers.” I finally put this feeling to paper after a dear lady in one of our churches passed away in 1996.

            The Saints

 

From since my days of childhood,

                        there have always been those saints,

I’ve tried so hard to emulate,

though my efforts fairly faint,

when compared to their deeds. 

They may have played the piano,

or maybe taught a class,

or maybe smiled at children,

or maybe never passed

someone in need.

They may have always spoken out,

or ne’er had much to say.

Sometimes a quiet presence

touches hearts the deepest way.

But whatever was their manner,

and GOD makes no two the same,

we somehow can’t imagine

“Church”

     without their name.

Who’ll be left to carry on?

Who’ll be left to fill the pew?

Who’ll be left to do the things

we depend on them to do?

I know that every generation

has had a childhood,

and watched the saints.

And every generation

feels their efforts

too, are faint.

Then, every generation

becomes the saints in turn.

And childhood eyes are watching them,

with eager minds to learn

the ways of GOD.

And so the awesome task is laid

upon unready hearts.

As GOD calls Saints to their reward,

this earthly cycle starts,

anew.

Past Saints are never forgotten though,

their wisdom;  a gift from GOD.

As we face the challenge before us,

we tread where Saints have trod.

Who’s your “faith mother”? Who did you watch, and listen to as a child and as a young adult? Who are you still watching? Your “faith mother” doesn’t have to be older “age-wise”, just older “faith-wise.”

As I’ve studied the book of Acts, and the letters of Paul, it has amazed me the number of times that women are specifically mentioned as becoming believers. (Acts 17:4, 12 for example.) And just think, these are all “faith mothers.” As Paul writes to Titus, another young preacher, he instructs how older men and older women are to be teaching the younger ones. I believe that this not only refers to older in age, but also older in wisdom and experience.

So, on this Mother’s Day, think about your “faith mother.” But in addition to that, and more importantly ladies, think about whose “faith mother” are you? Who’s looking to you for guidance and direction? Who could be looking to you, and you don’t even know they’re looking? What are you teaching, by word or example? You don’t have to be a mother to be a “faith mother.” You don’t even have to be well known to be a “faith mother.” You just have to have faith. And be willing to share it. Will you do that?

Let us pray:

Father, thank You for Mothers. Thank You, that in Your infinite wisdom You created us and allowed us to share in creation ourselves. We are amazed and awed, and more than a little humbled.

Father, thank You also for “faith Mothers.” Those special women that You have placed in our lives. Thank You that they were faithful to Your Word.

Now grant us, as mothers and “faith mothers” wisdom and courage that we may indeed be faithful.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Will you do that? Will you be someone’s “faith mother?” But if you have no faith, no story, no “grounding” what will you share?  Romans 10: 17 says, “So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Pick up that Word of God. Become someone’s “faith mother.” Make that commitment today.

And if you don’t know Christ, man or woman, He’s calling today. Your “faith mother” is praying for you…

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10 Lessons From the Road

(Sermon text post – Text: Luke 24:13-36 – the Emmaus Road story, but with a “twist.”)  

I filled in yesterday for Rev. Ray Petty at George Street UMC in Jefferson City, TN. Joe and I had a very warm welcome from some wonderful folks. It was a good day!

Intro…

Hear these words from Luke 24:13-36

(Read Luke 13:13-36)

 

May God add His blessing to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word. Let us pray – Father, pour upon us a Spirit of understanding this morning that we may hear both Your words in scripture, and Your words directing our lives this very day. In Jesus’ Name – Amen.

I would venture to say that you’ve heard this story before. And it’s an intriguing story. As I began to study this scripture again last week, I began to see little “applications”, little “lessons” jumping out at me as I read, so I thought we would look at this very familiar story as “Ten Lessons from the Road.”

You know how the story begins. It’s Sunday morning – the day after the Sabbath – to the average Jewish man or woman, it’s just another normal beginning of the work week. The yearly observance of Passover has just ended – perhaps they could catch some of those “after-Passover sales” at the local market…

Oh, it was a little more rowdy than normal, what with that rabble-rouser Jesus being crucified and all, but now things are back to normal and life goes on… like I said, for the “average” Jewish man or woman.

To the small band of followers of that “rabble-rouser”, things were a little different. Two of them, at least, decided to leave Jerusalem and go to Emmaus. We don’t know why they are headed toward Emmaus. It’s clear that they aren’t headed toward Galilee, because Emmaus is in a north-westerly direction from Jerusalem, and going to Galilee that direction would take them through Samaria… and a Jew is not going to go through Samaria if they can help it.

We don’t know if Emmaus was their home or if there was another reason, but at any rate the Sabbath had passed now and they could travel more than “a Sabbath Day’s journey”. The Law, of course, prevented them from traveling little more than a half mile on the Sabbath, and Emmaus was about 7 miles away, which would take, roughly, oh, four hours or so when just walking at a leisurely pace. So, off they set – Cleopas, or Alpheus, as some know him, (who many think was Joseph’s brother – making him Jesus’ uncle) and another man… or possibly a woman. If it is Jesus’ uncle, then maybe his companion is his wife Mary who was actually at the cross… – the scripture doesn’t say who the second person was, but whoever it was, they were talking. Verse 14-15 tells us that they were “conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place” and that they were “conversing and discussing” or they “communed and reasoned” as the KJV puts it.

Of course, “we” know what “things” they are discussing, and so therein lies our first lesson.

1. Share your burdens with a friend.

 

Like we said, we don’t know “why” they are going to Emmaus. The scripture doesn’t tell us, but from the context of the story, we get the feel that perhaps they slipped away without telling anyone. In verse 17, Jesus asks them “what words they are exchanging”. The word “exchanging” carries the image of tossing something back and forth. They were sharing their burden with one another. Do you have someone that you can share your burdens with? We don’t know if these were two men, or a man and his wife, but they were close enough that they were traveling together, and they were sharing and discussing.

And then… Jesus comes along side them. Matthew 18:20 tells us that when 2 or 3 are gathered in Jesus’ name, He is there among them. Now, we normally quote this when our church attendance is low, or there are just a few of us at a meeting, but this is true anytime Christian friends come together – for any reason. If you are sitting with a friend at a hospital – Jesus is there. If you are comforting someone on the telephone – Jesus is a part of that conversation. Share your burden with a (Christian) friend and you can be assured, that Jesus will be there.

Well, Jesus shows up, and verse 16 tells us that their eyes were “prevented from recognizing Him.” Again, we don’t really know why, but one reason might be so that they’d actually listen to Him. We saw how Mary Magdalene responded, and the women, if these two had known it was Jesus, they wouldn’t have “heard” His words for being so overwhelmed and overjoyed at His presence.

And that brings us to our second lesson:

2. Be kind to strangers.

Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” In this case we could say, “No joke!”

So, “What’s the problem?” the stranger says. “Why are you upset, why are you so sad, what are you talking about?”

And the two just stop in their tracks, and Cleopas turns and says to him, “Are you the only man inJerusalemwho doesn’t know what happened this past week?”

It would be like someone coming to us on September 12, 2001 and saying, “Why aren’t there any airplanes in the sky today?” “Where’ve you been?” we might say!  But, they weren’t rude to Jesus, or even show fear. Think about it – Jesus had been crucified. One would think that it would be a dangerous thing to be known as a follower of His – yet these two didn’t say “who do you think you are to be asking us such a question.” Or, “What’s it to ya?” They didn’t look at His appearance and determine that He couldn’t be of any importance… no, they said, “Are you a stranger in Jerusalem? Don’t you know what has happened?

And then Jesus says, “Tell me what happened…”

And there’s lesson number 3:

3. Be aware of the needs of others.

 

As we talk with others, we need to always be aware of their needs. Observe if “something” seems wrong, or if their body language indicates something out of the ordinary. Ask them, “What’s wrong?” The song “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” reminds us that as Christians, we are to “share each other’s woe, and our mutual burdens, bear.”

We must ask because we don’t know without asking… but Jesus knew. Why do you suppose He asked them something He already knew the answer to?

And that brings us to lesson number 4.

4. Pray anyway.

 

In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6:8 Jesus tells us that God already knows all our needs before we ever ask… so why pray? There are many answers to that question, but in this case when Jesus asked them, “What’s wrong?” He got them to voice their “real” concern. The real concern was not just that Jesus was dead, but that He didn’t do or accomplish what they thought He would. We need to “pray anyway” to clarify in our own minds and hearts what the need really is.

And that’s our 5^th lesson:

5. Look for the deeper need.

In verse 19 we see that they knew all about “Jesus of Nazareth”, but not “The Son of God.” They knew He was from Nazareth (perhaps Cleopas was His uncle). They knew that He was a prophet – “mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and man…” it says. He was a prophet in His doctrine and His doing… but, He was crucified… and things didn’t turn out like they’d expected. Verse 21 gives the real reason for their grief. The NRSV puts it this way “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”

“But we’d hoped…” How many times have you said that? “But, we’d hoped… the doctor’s report would be different.” “But, we’d hoped… we’d get the job.” “But, we’d hoped…” any number of a thousand things. How do we really expect God to answer our prayers? What did they really expect to happen?

Verse 21 continues, “And besides this, now it is the third day since these things happened…” They do admit in verse 22-24 that “some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

The phrase “amazed us” is an interesting phrase. The word “amaze” here means to be “outside of yourself”. We’d say you’re “beside yourself” or “dumbfounded”, but quite literally it means “to be out of your mind.” In other words, they didn’t put much stock in what the women said. (This is one reason why I don’t think the second companion was Cleopas’ wife… I don’t think he’d have said that if she was standing there… at least I hope not…)

Anyway… what did they really expect to happen? And there’s our next lesson.

6. Let God choose the answer to your prayer.

God has an ultimate plan, God sees the bigger picture. We need to let Him answer our prayer in His will, not ours.

The next lesson, number 7 is: Have an open heart.

 

In verse 25 Jesus said to them – (to paraphrase) “Bless your heart” (Southern version…) “Bless your heart, you just don’t get it, do you? Don’t you believe what the prophets said…? Can’t you see that it was ALL necessary?” He calls them “fools” but this is not a derogatory term. This word means “foolish one” or “you’re being unwise or jumping to conclusions.” In Psalms 14:1 we read, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” And while very few people may say outright “there is no God,” many times it is insinuated that “God has no power” and that is foolish!

And then in verse 27 Jesus teaches us a methodical way to study scripture as we read, “And beginning with Moses and the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

He takes them back to the very beginning. You see, the Jewish people, (and most conservative commentators) believe that Moses actually wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, so when it says, “Beginning with Moses” it means the very beginning.

Perhaps Jesus started at Genesis 3:15, the first promise of the Redeemer, and traced that promise through the Scriptures. He may have lingered at Genesis 22, which tells of Abraham placing his only beloved son on the altar, and I’m sure He mentioned the serpent in the wilderness in Numbers 21:9 and the “star coming from Jacob” in Numbers 24:17.

Surely He touched on the Passover Lamb, the Levitical sacrifices, the tabernacle ceremonies, and the Day of Atonement, all of which symbolically represented and pointed to Him.

He may have told of the Messiah as PROPHET in Deuteronomy 18:18, His KINGSHIP from Jeremiah 23:5-6 and the SHEPHERD from Ezekiel 34:23, just to name a few.

As Jesus is teaching “His Story” I just know, I just know, He took His time with Isaiah 53 which foretold the suffering of the Messiah – in excruciating detail. And then, there was that last haunting cry from Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me…?”

They would remember that this Psalm that begins with such anguish, and written a thousand years before Christ, describes with amazing accuracy, a method of torture and execution that had not even been invented yet; and that this Psalm ends with the triumphant words, “All of posterity will serve Him, and it will be told to coming generations. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born that HE HAS DONE IT! (or as the Greek renders it) IT IS FINISHED!”

Whew! Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard that sermon? You see, the key to understanding the Bible is to see Jesus Christ on every page; in the Old Testament as well as the New.  He didn’t just teach them doctrine or prophecy; He taught them (as verse 27 says) “the things concerning Himself”. And we can only learn this if we study His Word with an open heart. Jesus taught them the Scriptures, period. The Bible is the foundation of our knowledge, and the foundation of our faith.

Well, by now they are nearing their home in Emmaus, and as Jesus prepares to move on, we find lesson number 8.

8. Jesus is not pushy, but is always ready to join us.

 

Jesus will not impose Himself upon us, but will always stay if we invite Him. Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” If we are open to Him, He will open Himself to us. We read in verse 30 “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.” And we need to look at this meal for a moment. This was not a miracle meal like the feeding of the five thousand; this was not a sacramental meal like the Lord’s Supper – no this was a common meal. This shows us that Jesus is always ready to join us, even in the most common things, if we but invite Him. In this we see that “everyday” things are blessed by God – not just “Church” things, but everyday things – He provides our “daily bread.”

And then lesson #9 brings us the “Ah-Ha” moment. Verse 31 says “And their eyes were opened…” The Ah-Ha moment comes when the words of scripture becomes The Living Word of God. When we invite Jesus into whatever we’re doing, whether studying, worshiping, praying or just having a baloney sandwich He:

• Opens the scriptures to us
• Meets us at the table or wherever we are

And then

• Revelation comes

 

Verse 32: “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us…’?” “I felt it, did you feel it? Yes I felt it!” One commentator (Matthew Henry) said that “they did not so much compare notes as compare hearts.” I like that. If you’re a child of God, and the Holy Spirit resides in you, then when someone is teaching or preaching truth, there’s just something that just “clicks” in your heart, and you know it is the truth. Paul speaks of this in the book of Romans, especially in chapter 8. And when that happens, we just have to share it! We can’t help ourselves!

So look at what happens in verse 33, “They rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem.” But wait! Didn’t they just tell Jesus that it was “getting toward evening,” and that the day was “nearly spent”? Yes they did! But I’m sure everyone is familiar with the term “second wind”. It may have taken then four hours or so to travel from Jerusalem to Emmaus, but I betcha it didn’t take four hours to go back! They “jumped up from the table and returned to Jerusalem.”

And that brings us to our last lesson from the road.

10. New life begins when we see Jesus.

They were excited to share the news. Even though it was “toward evening”, and the day “far spent”; even though they were going to stay at Emmaus – but now – Now they had seen Jesus! And they had to get back to the others to share the news with them and comfort them. How will others know what Jesus has done in our lives if we do not tell them? How will others be comforted if we do not comfort them? 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us that God is the source of all comfort and that He comforts us so that we can comfort others.

So they take off back to Jerusalem, and lo and behold when they get there, the other disciples know too! And how? He had appeared to Peter! We don’t know if this happened before He appeared to the two on the road, or after He appeared to them, but He has appeared to Peter. And I imagine them all laughing and crying and slapping each other on the back and jumping around – He IS alive! He WAS raised! It IS true! And at that very moment – Jesus appears in the room and says, “Peace be to you…”

And Peace be to you, too. What do you know that excites you? What prayers has God answered for you? If you leave here and say to someone “Jesus is alive!” They may look at you kinda like the disciples looked at the women when they said that, but if you leave here and share with people what God has done in your life – that’s real. There is a lady in our church that is so excited to share that it has been “2 weeks;” “3 weeks” since her husband quit smoking. We’ve been praying for him, and God is strengthening him. You think that’s a minor thing? Not to her. And anytime God is glorified, it’s never a “minor thing.” But, others will not know if we do not tell them! Jump up from here and run tell someone you know what Jesus has done for you!

(Prayer) Father, we know that through Your son Jesus the Christ, that You have promised to be with us to the end of the age. We pray this morning that our eyes would be open to see You in every situation and circumstance in our lives; that we would listen to You as we walk and be in conversation with You so that we may see our deeper need.

Father I pray for those who don’t know the joy of walking with You; who’ve never felt their hearts “strangely warmed”. I pray, I plead, that they would, however unknowingly, invite You into their lives and that You would reveal Yourself to them in the everyday matters of daily living. So that they then, may jump up and tell others about You. This I pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Closing hymn – “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”

Invitation:

First of all, if you’ve never surrendered your life to follow Jesus, let me encourage you to do that this morning.

If you have – but you’ve just never seen much of Him – let me encourage you to specifically ask Him to be a part of your daily life.

And, if you know the joy of His presence – let me encourage you to tell somebody today what Jesus has done for you!

Hymn

Benediction

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The Sermon Continues… (another short excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount)

(Matthew 5:17-20; 48)

So what is Jesus really teaching in this sermon? In this sermon, Jesus is literally fulfilling His role as a teacher. (As Paul speaks of in Ephesians 4:11-15) 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is equipping His followers (and that includes us) to live in the kingdom of heaven. The sermon is not about how to be saved. It is about how to live once we are a part of the body of Christ. It is how to live in the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 17-18: “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

Jesus said (in essence) “I’ve got some bad news and some good news… The bad news is, don’t even think that things are going to get easier (the way most people think of ‘ease’) since I’ve come. I’m not going to do away with any of the Laws that have been on the books since the time of Moses. I’m not even going to lighten the load.” (And with this you can imagine some groans going through the crowd.) “But the good news is… I am going to fulfill each and every one of them!” the word “fulfill” here means “to fill up”; literally “to fill full.”

 Think of it this way. A prophecy is like an empty glass – it’s just there. But, when Jesus comes, He fills it up – He “makes it happen.”

(and another)

Be ye therefore perfect, just like your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

And the tense of the verb “be” indicates that it is something that we “become”, so the best way to read this verse is “Therefore, I say to all of you, become perfect, grow into complete maturity of Godliness in mind and character in order to become just like your Father which is in heaven Who is perfect in every sense of the word.”

Since He has been speaking of the Law, Jesus hearers would have remembered the words from Leviticus 19:2, when God said to Moses “Say to all the assembly of the Israelites, ‘you shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy’.” And it means the same thing in Leviticus as it does in Matthew – these laws are to help you “become holy” or perfect, they do not “restrict’ but “instruct”.

With this, these incredibly difficult words of Jesus’ become the very words that make the sermon an encouragement instead of desperation. We can live by the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law; we can love our enemies; we can give in the right manner; we can pray in the right manner; we can fast in the right manner; we can spot false teachers without becoming judgmental, we can do all these other things that this sermon calls kingdom members to do – and why?

Because Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” And He did…

 Thanks be to God! Amen.

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Verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.”

So, what does it take to be pure in heart? It doesn’t mean “just trying to be good.” For like Jesus said, “No one is good except God.” 

The Greek word for pure is “kath-ar-os”. It means totally and completely undiluted. It carries with it a sense of being untainted or being free from pollution. The one who is “pure in heart” will have no mixed emotions, no ulterior motives, and does not “serve two masters”. When one’s heart is pure, they will be allowed to “see God.”

They will not just “see God” to look at Him, or see God someday in heaven, but will see, understand, be aware of God at work in the here and now. They will be able to see God’s mighty hand in the circumstances of everyday life so clearly that when others are saying “ah, it’s luck” or “it’s karma” or “it’s just a coincidence”, the pure in heart will be saying, “No, it’s God!” And they will know because they will see!

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“Are You Happy?” (another short excerpt)

This Sunday (August 8th) I will be filling in at our two churches for our pastor. I am compiling the 2-part Beatitudes sermons into one. Below is a short excerpt from this week’s sermon.

Verse 10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

And here we have the other “bookend” to this process. What began with the “poor in spirit” and theirs being “the kingdom of heaven” is now complete with those “which are persecuted” and theirs being “the kingdom of heaven.” But like we saw with those who mourn, this is not just everyone who is persecuted, but those who are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” But if you think about it… isn’t that just the way it is? The more we live the life of Christ, the more we are persecuted.

(and another)

When righteousness confronts wickedness it’s like the charged particles in a storm cloud coming together – there will be thunder and there will be lightening! And in the case of believers, there will be persecution.

As I prayed over this sermon, as I was searching for how this teaching is relevant in today’s culture… in our very lives… I began to see that living in “the kingdom of heaven” is diametrically opposed to “living in the world.”

Jesus says you are happy when you:	But the “world” says:
Are Poor in Spirit	You’re special! Have what you want because you’re worth it!
Mourn over sin	Don’t worry – be happy!
Are meek  - in total submission to God	Have it your way!
Hunger and thirst for righteousness	If it feels good, do it!
Are merciful; when you are stepping into another’s shoes	“My rights! Gotta have MY rights!”
Are pure in heart – when you are undiluted in your beliefs and your service	“We must have ‘tolerance’! Let anyone believe what they want to believe.
Are peacemakers	“Now you’ve got it! But you’ve got to learn to compromise. You must be at peace with the world – not peace with God.
Then Jesus says you are happy when you are persecuted for righteousness sake.	And the world says, “Are you crazy? You have to go along to get along.”

“No,” Jesus says we are happy; we are blessed when we stand against the world. And not only are we happy, but we are to be “exceeding glad: for great… is (our) reward… in heaven.”

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Progressing Blessing, Part Two (short excerpt)

Another thing that we saw last week was that these Beatitudes could also be called “The Superlatives” because each of these “states”, or each of these conditions in which one is blessed, we find is the extreme or “mostest” that that condition can be. But, one of the most fascinating things, at least for me, is how they constitute a “progression” as they go along. They are, as I have titled it, a “Progressing Blessing.”

(Then, from the section on “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children [sons] of God.”)

Think about the person who is in the kingdom of heaven, who is progressing and growing through these blessings: The person who knows that they have absolutely nothing that they can offer God for their salvation / who mourns over any sin; theirs or anyone else’s / who is so meek that they have submitted themselves so totally and completely to God’s will; that their entire being is filled with a desire / a hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, and as they are being filled with that righteousness / that oneness with God  they can then step into another’s shoes and through God’s mercy, can share mercy with the hurting / The one who can do this has such pure motives and such a pure heart that they see God’s hand in every movement of life / and because they themselves are at peace with God, they can then… become the ones… who bring peace… to others. As one writer put it, “Only those who belong to the Maker of peace can be messengers of peace.”

 (And continuing)

And the thing that makes this Beatitude a “superlative” is in the “reward.” The KJV along with many translations say that the peacemakers “shall be called the children of God.” However, in this case the NIV translates it correctly as “they shall be called the sons of God.” The word there actually is “sons.” It does mean male children. However that doesn’t mean that only “sons” only “men” can be peacemakers. The phrase “son of” is a Hebrew idiom or expression that means “to be as nearly like as possible.” Sometimes in our quest to be as “politically correct” and as “inclusive” as possible, we miss the real meaning of what the words are teaching us. But that’s another sermon for another day….

I hope you can join us this Sunday at St. Paul East UMC on Ruggles Ferry Pike at 10:30am.

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Progressing Blessing, Part One (short excerpt)

One snippet:

“The Beatitudes are not laws to keep or tasks to fulfull, but instead are heights to attain, or a righteous character to embody. It’s not something you do, but something you are. One must first attain the character, and the conduct will flow outward from that. We can’t do this (or become this) on our own power. This is a life of grace and glory which must come from God. In that regard then, we are both “blessed”, as grace is given freely; and “bless-ed” which is the internal happiness of a born-again believer.”

And another:

“Each one of these Beatitudes gives us a sort of a “cause and effect.” Jesus is saying “this person in this particular condition is blessed, or filled with internal happiness, and their reward for having achieved this state or condition is the following…” He is not saying they are happy because of the reward. They are blessed, or satisfied, or content, merely because of their state of being. The reward is… well… its “gravy”; it’s the icing on the cake; it’s the topping on the ice cream; it’s God’s pure gracious goodness!”

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Mother’s Day sermon 2004

Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I thought I’d post a link to a Mother’s Day sermon I did in 2004, just 4 months after my Mother passed away.

http://prayerlogue.blogspot.com/2006/05/faith-mothers-part-one.html

http://prayerlogue.blogspot.com/2006/05/faith-mothers-part-two.html

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