Jim's Sermon from Sunday August 31st

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What is Laurie's theological world view?

You scored as Neo orthodox

You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centredness and scepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God's most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth.

Neo orthodox		86%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		61%
Emergent/Postmodern		57%
Roman Catholic		50%
Reformed Evangelical		46%
Modern Liberal		39%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		21%
Classical Liberal		21%
Fundamentalist		14%

What is Jim's Theological World view

I grew up in an United Methodist Church and went to Methodist Colleges. I guess something stuck. :)

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 82% Neo orthodox 79% Reformed Evangelical 79% Emergent/Postmodern 64% Roman Catholic 50% Fundamentalist 43% Charismatic/Pentecostal 36% Modern Liberal 32% Classical Liberal 32%

Mid Week Devotion

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philip. 4:8 (ESV)

What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. There is so much in our media, TV, radio, movies and internet that fill our minds with thing that are not always wholesome.

To train your mind you can use verse eight as your guide. In your thoughts ask yourself: is it true, noble (honest or worthy of praise), right (just or fair), pure (something which has no fault), lovely (love inspiring), admirable (not offending to hear)? If it is, then dwell on it. "Think about such things" should really read: "your thoughts must continually dwell upon" we should focus our thoughts on the good things God is doing and how good He is instead of the garbage and nit picky things we think about each other.

If teachers want their students to learn something they have their students put the lesson into action. We must do more than meditating on scripture. It means putting the Word of God into practice in our lives.

Prayer Request for a YAV

Tomorrow morning a fine young man is leaving for an adventure. John was our intern last year and became a good friend. He is going to be a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) for the PCUSA in India.

Aug. 26, 7:00 am: Fly from Houston to Louisville for International Young Adult Volunteer Orientation at Louisville Seminary.Sept. 2-3: Fly out with the five other India volunteers to none other than India itself (finally).Sept. 3-???: Spend a couple weeks at our site coordinator's house for an in-country orientation of sorts.Sept. ???: Arrive at site, CMS College in Kottayam, Kerala, India and move in for a year!

Please keep John in your prayers.

Laurie's Sermon from August 24, 2008

“Having Gifts that Differ”
Romans 12:1-8; Exodus 1:8-2:10

I want you to reminisce a bit this morning. What is one of your favorite stories about yourself when you were a child, especially a story you grew up hearing, but maybe you were too young to actually remember the events? If you think back upon such stories, can you find any correlation between them and the person you are today? Are there personality traits or preferences that were visible then that you still carry with you today?

For me, one of my favorites came from the teacher of my 3-year old pre-school class in Dallas. Now, I was beyond petite, I was tiny when I was three. And of course, my mother had me dressed like a little porcelain doll. When the teacher first met me, she told my mother she had created a mental note to watch over this little child closely with regard the other bigger children. She was afraid I might get hurt easily. She said it took less than a day for that mental note to be erased. Evidently I was riding a tricycle when a much larger boy came over and tried to take it away from me. The teacher said before she could get to me, I gave the kid a swift kick in the shin, a punch to the gut and he ran away crying while I grinned satisfactorily and pedaled on. The teacher said after that she knew she didn’t need to worry about me because I could obviously take care of myself.

When I look back, over and over again in my life people have misjudged me based upon my size and appearance. That is probably why I worked extra hard to do what others kept telling me I was not capable of doing. Whether it was playing basketball or running hurdles at any level, being an honor student or winning a state solo first division in piano – I think I was driven as much by other’s lack of expectations as I was by most else.

But there are two other snap-shots that also are favorites that speak volumes to who I am today. One is a picture of my two big brothers leaning over the bassinet the day I came home from the hospital, which was on a Christmas Eve. They are staring, grinning, lovingly toward me and my mother always told me that I was the best present they opened that year. So no matter how intense our sibling rivalry or arguments got through the years, I knew in the back of my mind that I was loved and treasured by my brothers who I am still extremely close to today. That love has sustained me through low moments and lifted me higher in successful ones.

The epistle scripture today speaks of us all being unique. That we each have been given special gifts, which are very different, for a reason. God has given us those gifts to use to build up the body of Christ. We need to be thankful for the variety we find within Christ’s body because it is each part of the body, doing what it is capable of doing that keeps the whole body healthy and functioning in the way God desires. We need not compare ourselves to others or say that one gift is better than another because each is needed. Our biggest job is to listen to God and discern what it is that we have been given and use that gift, no matter if it seems ordinary or boring or meager, to give glory to God.

Not everyone is capable and equipped to be an evangelist or a missionary or a great visionary and that is good. We need people who are simply faithful in praying or who are good communicators or teachers or planners or workers or even learners. Some of us may have more resources to share, some have more time to share, some have more love and compassion to share. It doesn’t matter who has what, it just matters that we truly ask God what it is we are called to do and then actually do it, use the gifts we have been given.

I think this scripture is a great backdrop to remember when we look at the Old Testament reading for today. This piece from Exodus is so familiar, something we have heard over and over. We even used part of it this summer in VBS. It is a favorite of children and adults alike. I think that is in large part because it is a well-crafted story filled with intrigue, courage, defiance and irony. It is one that you can imagine was told to Moses over and over again as he grew up because we see elements of it resonating throughout his life.

The story opens ominously with the rise of a ruler who doesn’t know who Joseph was nor remembers how this foreigner’s abilities and his God helped to save Egypt and that entire part of the world during a terrible famine. Now the country has fully recovered and is a great world power. And as is often the case, powerful people become rather paranoid over the prospect of losing some of their power. This generally leads to some type of oppression and the formation of unjust and inhumane public policy.

This new Pharaoh feels threatened by the vast number of Hebrews that are living in Egyptian lands. So, he tries on three different occasions to enact policies to diminish their numbers. Part of the irony here is that these Hebrews willingly perform cheap labor that is the backbone of the local economy and the source of the man-power behind Egypt’s great building boom, which ultimately becomes the symbol of its strength and might as a world power.

The first ploy is to increase their workloads by building several new cities. The labor is hard, bitter and rigorous, truly slave work. The Pharaoh hopes that such oppression will reduce their numbers, keeping them from growing their families. Of course, this backfires and the harder they are pushed the more numerous they become. So a second tactic is employed. Two Hebrew midwives are told to kill any Hebrew boys born. But the text tells us that these two, Shiphrah and Puah, who must have been some great women to have their names even recorded, feared God more than Pharaoh. Fear here is used not as a trembling, scared emotion, but rather as a description of respect and awe. They continue to help to welcome new life, refusing to end it. When called to task about it, they sheepishly say that Hebrew women are a lot tougher than the Egyptians because they give birth before the midwives can get there. The crazy thing is that Pharaoh goes along with their story. The final plan is simply the order that any young Hebrew boy found is to be thrown into the Nile and drowned.

It is against this backdrop that Moses is born. He is one of many that the midwives refuse to kill, so God’s great plan begins to unfold because two women used the gifts they were given, especially the gifts of courage and compassion, and let a little one be born. We know little about his parents other than they were both Levites. They obviously loved this baby dearly, though they had no way of knowing what God had in store for his life. They keep him hidden until he is too big to stay under wraps. As parents, they do the desperate and dangerous act of making a little boat out of papyrus and they send him floating down the very river he would be drowned in if found by the wrong folks.

Now enters two young girls, who prove in the end to be more dangerous to Pharaoh than most boys. Big sister Miriam watches her little brother as he travels toward Pharaohs’ palace. Then Pharaohs’ own daughter hears the baby and calls for him to be brought to her. Against her own father’s public edict, she become enamored by the child takes him as her own. The quick thinking sister approaches and says she knows of a wet-nurse for the child and with that baby and mother are reunited for several years until Moses is weaned.

Throughout this story of Moses’ harrowing beginning we can imagine several photos or clippings that might have been placed in his baby book…items he would be shown and told about as he grew. And as is often the case, what was found early in his life marked him and contributed to his rise in stature and faith. The midwives’ actions show that God uses unlikely people to do God’s will. The courage and love shown by his parents and sister tell us that God gave Moses a family that believed in him way before they could ever have known what he was capable of. The daring send-off in the little boat, which in Hebrew is the same word used earlier in Genesis for the vessel Noah built, shows us that Moses was saved in part because God had people who were creative and not afraid to take risks. Finally, the over-arching story for me shows that anyone and everyone has needed help from others in the past and we all will need help at some time in the future. Nothing we do or accomplish is done on our own. Our lives are crissed-crossed with the intersections of others’ gifts of love and courage and faith that have helped form us and will continue to shape us.

This thought leads me to the last of my personal snap-shots I alluded to earlier. It is from Sunday mornings in my home church. I was one of four children in the congregation growing up that included my brothers and one other girl in my grade. I loved Sundays, not because I especially liked getting up early and sitting through an often boring service of ritual and liturgy I didn’t really understand, but because when I walked in the door, there were 30-40 adults who genuinely loved me and each week they would show it. I would be asked how my week had been, what did I do in school, what I was looking forward to the next week. As I got older, they kept up with my many activities, putting news clippings up in the church kitchen, asking if my team won, with many coming to my ballgames, music recitals and school awards. It always made me feel like I was an equal member of the church family, like I was fully welcomed and absolutely belonged. Their response and love to me preached louder than any sermon and I realize now that it was their love and example that ultimately formed the foundation of my ministry today.

As we sit here today, a new school year is upon us. Our congregation has already shown that it is willing to help fund and support our schools through various ministries we have. It is wonderful and greatly needed what we do as a congregation, but I want to challenge us to take it a step further. Let’s let our children, here in this church and in our wider community, see the face behind the gift, experience the love personally. We are blessed to have a lot of ruckus and rowdiness around our sanctuary. And while it can be annoying at times, this busyness of young ones is the concrete reality of God’s grace and hope. These children are OUR future – not necessarily this particular congregation’s as they may grow up and find their calling in a different location, but they are the future of the body of Christ in the world, and as such they have an opportunity to affect the future of our state, nation and world. What they take from this place, they will carry with them the rest of their lives.

What we may think of as little or insignificant, may in fact make a huge difference and impact upon the life of any child. While you may or may not know the name of every one of our young people, how many of them know your name and face? Do you know who plays sports or music? Who is in 4-H or show stock? I know first-hand the impact upon my life when an adult talked to me in the same manner and way that they spoke to their own age group. It made church a comfortable and welcoming place because I was not stuck in a corner or treated as less than a full part of the body of Christ.

This year we are continuing and growing our youth programs, but ‘the church’ is not what makes them work, people make them work. Jim and I will continue to be leaders, but these are not ‘our’ programs or groups. We need help, volunteers to plan, to be extra sets of eyes for safety, to prepare snacks and to simply let the kids know they are cared about. And while we have had some wonderfully faithful ones, especially on Tuesdays, we can always use more help so that some can take a break now and then. Plus, this year we are adding a new dimension as our kids and numbers grow. The junior high and high school will now meet on Wednesday evenings and kids should not survive on pizza alone! We have sign-up sheets in the hall for two or three families to volunteer to bring, serve and clean up a meal for this group each week. I would love for us to expand this and have volunteers to sign up to maybe come a little early and have a homework help time before the meal.

The same need is true for our Sunday school that will be starting soon. Now, I can feel some of you start to squirm. Every year this is the hardest area to fill. Maybe in the past the practice has been that anyone dumb enough to volunteer was roped in for years, but we would like to split the year up into 4-6 weeks blocks and rotate teachers or have 2 or 3 come together to team teach. This is especially great for those who maybe have never taught before, but would like to try and still have a ‘safety net’ while they gain experience. Even just having a group of 3 or 4 willing to substitute when someone needs to be gone would be so helpful. We have curriculum and we can help with training, but our children and youth need others to guide them.

Paul says in Romans that we each have been given gifts. I don’t think those gifts are necessarily static, I think we are capable of growing and changing, adding new ones. But, how do we know what God wants from us? We need to spend time checking in with God to find out as Paul says, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God….” Gifts of money and talents are so important, so needed and so welcomed, but I think the most valuable gift any of us can give to God is the gift of our presence in the lives of others, especially our children and youth. And you younger kids and youth, your gift of time and presence to our adults is important and needed too. Visits to the nursing home or shut-ins, sending cards or letters of encouragement, offers of help with yard work or house chores or even simply asking them how their week has been are ways you can contribute to the body of Christ.

We all have a responsibility in building God’s kingdom, we all are necessary and needed and valued no matter our age or experience. As harsh as it sounds, we must remember there is no retirement plan for Christians, there is no time when we can honestly say, “Well, I’ve done my share or my part; it is someone else’s turn.” Sure there will be those who don’t do their share and horde some of their gifts and that is one reason why the body of Christ is not as healthy as it could be.

So, I want to challenge you to look at a child or a youth in a nearby pew or think of one in your neighborhood… can you, and if so, will you be part of a foundational and formative memory in their lives? Hear again these words from Romans as you recall or consider the difference someone else has made in your life…”For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ... Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them...” Amen.

Friday Funny

I received this by email today from a cousin and thought that I would share.

Church Feud

Well, it happened --- what the Pastor had never wanted to happen --- a feud between the Pastor and the Choir Director.

It seems the first hint of trouble came when the Pastor preached on 'Dedicating Yourselves to Service' and the Choir Director chose to sing: 'I Shall Not Be Moved'.

Trying to believe it was a coincidence, the Pastor put the incident behind him.

The next Sunday he preached on 'Giving'. Afterwards, the choir squirmed as the director led them in the hymn, 'Jesus Paid It All'.

By this time, the Pastor was losing his temper. Sunday morning attendance swelled as the tension between the two built. A large crowd showed up the next week to hear his sermon on 'The Sin of Gossiping'.

Would you believe the Choir Director selected the song: 'I Love To Tell The Story'?

There was no turning back, the following Sunday the Pastor told the congregation that unless something changed, he was considering resignation. The entire church gasped when the Choir Director led them in: 'Why Not Tonight?'

Truthfully, no one was surprised when the Pastor resigned a week later, explaining that Jesus had led him there and Jesus was leading him away.

The Choir Director could not resist and led the congregation in: 'What A Friend We have in Jesus' ..

Great Meeting!

This morning I participated in our local Ministerial Alliance meeting. We had eight people attend representing seven churches including, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist (2), Church of Christ, Episcopal, Catholic, and United Methodist, our Full Gospel member was not present. I am always so encouraged when we can come together to plan events and seek ways to continue to support the less fortunate in our community.

It may be because we are in a small community but we do not let tradition, denomination, or whether we are liturgical or non-liturgical keep us from uniting in common ministry. We planned 5th Quarter events for after our home football games, a See You at the Pole event, and continuing support for folks needing food and financial help. To me this is what it means to be part of the body of Christ in this place. Each of our churches are fulfilling a different role but we are all still part of the same body.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Names we are considering...

You may have noticed the poll on the right, no it is not for who you favor in the upcoming presidential election. These are names that we are considering for our son who is due to join us in January. We have put up the poll for fun and input. Please do not be disappointed if we do not choose your favorite.

Ethan Hebrew Strong

Nathaniel Hebrew Gift of God

Riley Irish Valiant

Samuel Hebrew Asked of God

Zane Hebrew God's Gracious Gift

Sermon August 17th “Who Do You Say That He Is?” Jim

Mark 8:27-38 (ESV)
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." [29] And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." [30] And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

[31] And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

[34] And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? [37] For what can a man give in return for his life? [38] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

“Who Do You Say That He Is?”
Have you ever been faced with one of life’s difficult questions? “May I see your hunting license?” “Do you know why I stopped you?” “How many calories are in that piece of cake?” “Will you marry me?” “Are you saved?”

The disciples were asked the most important question of their lives, and they were not ready to answer it fully. Each of us has to come to grips with the same question, “Who is Jesus?”, and our lives are directly affected by how we answer it.

What does it mean to confess Jesus as the Messiah? This passage begins by focusing on public opinion, a recital of what the disciples hear the people saying about Jesus. Then the question is put to the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” From there Jesus talks about the suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection that he will soon experience. This statement begins to bring the issue even closer to home by defining what type of Messiah that Jesus really is. Peter’s objection is evidence that the point is getting across. Peter reacts with a very human reaction, don’t say that, you’ll be fine, think positive. Finally, what Jesus says about cross-bearing and losing one’s life clarifies the type of commitment followers of Jesus must have. The conversation starts out as a simple but pointed question and ends up as a radical and challenging description of the Christian life.

Jesus knew what was on the horizon and he still had a lot to teach his disciples. It was time for them to learn that He was building a church; an assembly of people that would confess Him as the Messiah. This passage is one of the most dramatic revelations ever made to humanity. It is also one of the most demanding questions ever asked. The answer that we give determines our eternal destiny and it requires just a single answer: “You are the Christ.”

The beliefs of the people shortchanged Jesus. Most saw Jesus only as a man who was highly esteemed and respected. Some said Jesus was John the Baptist. When he heard of Jesus’ marvelous works, King Herod thought that either John had been revived or else his spirit was in the man Jesus. The common people also saw some similarity between John and Jesus: both were doing a great work for God; both were divinely chosen and gifted by God; and both proclaimed the Kingdom of God and prepared men for it. So, when some looked at Jesus and His ministry, they thought Jesus was not the Messiah Himself, but the promised forerunner of the Messiah.

Some said Jesus was Elijah. They believed that Jesus was a new incarnation of the greatest prophet and teacher of all time. Elijah was predicted to be the forerunner of the coming Messiah. Elijah had also been used by God to miraculously feed a widow woman and her son; so, the people connected Elijah’s miracle and Jesus’ feeding of the multitude. Some professed Jesus to be a prophet sent for their day and time.

He was considered one of the greatest of men, but note a crucial point: these professions were not only untrue, they were dangerous. They contained only half-truths, and people were deceived and misled by them.
These same false confessions about Christ exist in every generation. He was only a great man of righteousness who was martyred for His great faith. This line of thought only leaves us with a good example of how to live and stand up for what we believe. Many people could fit this mold. He was one of the greatest teachers and prophets of all time. He was only a great man who revealed some very important things to us about God and religion.

Today, more than a billion people in our world call Jesus their teacher, Lord, and Savior. Over 100 million Americans worship him on a regular basis. Jesus’ first question to the disciples is as relevant today as when he first asked it: who do people say he is? Today the answer runs the gamut of opinion. Some say he was a great teacher. Some say he was nothing at all, a misguided man with delusions of grandeur. Some say he was a philosopher, some say he was a myth. What exactly does it mean to say that Jesus is the Christ? After all, a majority of Americans say that they are Christians. Yet our churches, society, personal lives don’t seem to reflect that.

Peter’s confession was that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. The question Jesus asked the disciples is emphatic in the Greek: “But you, whom do you say that I am?” The answer to the question is critical; it is all important. It determines a person’s destiny. The answer given by Peter was immediate “Thou art the Christ,” the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God The confession is momentous, arising from a personal conviction. It’s this confession that is foundation of the church.

Jesus instructed the disciples not to share their confession with anyone else, not now. Why? Because they were just beginning to learn what God’s idea of the Messiah really meant. They had to know the truth and be accurate in their preaching of the truth before they began to share. Confession is just the beginning of our spiritual journey. There is so much more to learn about Christ after coming to know Him.

Death on a cross was a form of execution used by Rome for dangerous criminals. A prisoner carried his own cross to the place of execution, signifying submission to Rome’s power.

Jesus used the image of carrying a cross to illustrate the ultimate submission required of his followers. He is not against pleasure, nor was he saying that we should seek pain needlessly. Jesus was talking about the heroic effort needed to follow him moment by moment, to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak.

Many don’t understand why we gather Sunday after Sunday in this place. It's because of the relationship we have with God. So, who do you say Jesus is? Was he simply a good teacher? Simply a man who lived and died a long time ago? There comes a time when you have to figure out who Jesus is to you and what he means to you. I believe he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who suffered, died, and was raised from the dead, and who now reigns eternally with God. I believe that it is through Jesus that I am made clean and my sins are forgiven. Who do you say that Jesus is?

Sermon for Sunday August 10th Forgiveness, by Jim

Genesis 45:1-15

Forgiveness

There are many times in our lives when things happen to us that we just do not understand. Think back to a time in your life where someone wronged you. How did it feel? How did you react? Some of these events are especially painful if it is a family member or a close friend that hurts us. The big question for us is where is God in these situations and what does God expect from us.

When I was a youth director in Florida I had a good friend named David. David was the youth director at another Presbyterian church in Leesburg. At that time we had a group of youth directors that met every Thursday for a time of prayer for each other, and our programs. There were four of us three Presbyterians and one Methodist. We met on Thursday afternoons for an hour or two after our prayer time we often shared ideas and told each other about upcoming events. This was a place where I felt safe and felt that I could share openly.

At Christmas time every year we would have a lock in for our Sr. High youth. Now because of our weekly meetings my friend David knew about our lock in. Around 12:30 we were having our praise and worship time. Jeff was playing the guitar and we were moving into the slower more worshipful songs preparing for the devotion. Out of nowhere comes this blast from an air horn. Everyone jumps out of their seats. I told Jeff to keep playing while I went outside to see what was happening. Our youth room was a basement area with a set of concrete stairs that led up into the parking lot. I opened the door and went out and as soon as I opened the door I was pelted with water balloons, silly string, and shaving cream. I ran up the stairs to catch my friend and slipped in the water and landed flat on my back. My youth were all shocked to see their youth director lying on the floor in a puddle of water covered in silly string and shaving cream. Needless to say not only was I a mess and embarrassed but I was angry, angry that our worship time had been so rudely interrupted and angry that I was flat on my back laying in a puddle. I went to my office and changed clothes (a smart youth director always has a change of clothes available) and returned to the lock in. The atmosphere of our worship time was ruined and so was my attitude.

After the devotional time we began plotting our revenge. I knew that they were having a lock in the next weekend and the ideas flew. Don’t ever make a group of high school students mad. I soon realized that by plotting revenge I was not teaching these young people what God would want me to and I remembered that David was my friend and he had probably pulled this prank out of fun. He had no idea of what he was interrupting. So when he had a lock in with his youth the next weekend at 12:30 we delivered cokes and snacks. Now the best part of this was that David confided in me later that this really made him feel guilty.

If anybody ever had a right to hold a grudge--it was probably Joseph!
When we read Genesis we find a family story that rivals the soap operas. Abraham preferred Isaac over Ishmael. Isaac preferred Esau over his brother Jacob. Jacob preferred Joseph over his other sons. The brothers hated Joseph so much that they conspired to kill him. The oldest brother, Reuben prevented them killing Joseph. The brothers threw Joseph in a pit and then sold him to Midianite traders as a slave. To cover their sin, they made up a story about Joseph's death to tell their father. Joseph was 17. In spite of the bitter loss of status and family, Joseph was an able and loyal servant to Potiphar. Then Potiphar's wife unjustly accuses Joseph and he is thrown into an Egyptian prison. Twice Joseph has lost everything. Surely he has a right to be bitter. Even in prison he rises to become a trusted servant to the captain of the guard. At 30 he is called from prison because a Cup Bearer to Pharaoh remembers that Joseph could interpret dreams. Joseph shows great wisdom to Pharaoh.

So Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the project to prepare for the famines that threaten the land. Pharaoh provides Joseph with a home, a wife and meaningful work. We do get a glimpse of Joseph's spiritual struggle to overcome the hard blows and bitter experiences in his life in the names he chooses for his sons. One son is Manasseh whose name means Making to forget, Joseph praises God for helping him to forget all his hardship and his father's house. The second son is Ephraim whose name means to be fruitful for God made Joseph fruitful in the land of his misfortune. Joseph recognizes that God is sovereign even in Egypt. Joseph credits God with his good fortune and for the strength to overcome the pain.

The famine Joseph predicted came. Joseph sells grain to all who come. One day he is startled to see his brothers. His anger rushes up and catches him off guard. His bitterness shows when he treats his brothers as strangers and spies. He knows their story yet he demands information from them. Was he looking for vindication? Was he looking to see if they had changed or regretted what they had done to him? Bitterness overcomes good sense and he orders them imprisoned. Three days they sat and worried, would this angry Egyptian kill them or keep them in prison? Old guilt over selling Joseph came back to haunt them. When Joseph heard them discuss their sin against him the old claims of love and loyalty, of family soften his heart. Joseph releases them but he demands a test. Are these men worthy of his trust? Dare he restore the relationships that they destroyed? Would they hurt him again? He keeps one brother and sends the others home with grain and silver they had brought to Egypt. "Bring back your youngest brother, bring Benjamin here to Egypt to show your good faith." Joseph must decide what to do with his family.

Joseph finally realizes that God has used the tragic events in his life to save his entire family from a long famine. Joseph had to look at his family from God's point of view. What his brothers did was wrong, what his brothers did hurt Joseph and his father Jacob. Even so Joseph forgave his brothers and provided a home for them in Egypt where God had made him prosperous. This was made possible on the brothers’ part by their genuine repentance, regretting their sin with regard to Joseph, and reversing their actions when a similar situation was presented with regard to Benjamin. But on Joseph’s part, reconciliation was achieved through his sincere and total forgiveness of his brothers for the evil they had committed against him.

One of the hardest things you or I will ever do is to truly forgive someone. Forgiveness is simply making a new start. "The miracle of forgiving is the creation of a new beginning. It does not always take away the hurt. It does not deny the past injury. It merely refuses to let them stand in the way of a new start" (Lewis B. Smedes).

Let me tell what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Do you suppose Joseph could forget what had been done to him? Instead of forgetting, he reminds them! "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." If we can forget a hurt or pain, it does not call for forgiveness.

Forgiveness does not excuse a wrong. Sometimes we mistake forgiveness for excusing. Some people feel that to forgive is to say they’re not responsible. And that to forgive is to detract from wrong-ness of act. Forgiveness is just the opposite of excusing! We excuse folks when we know they are not to blame: When a waiter trips and spills something on our table, or when a blind person knocks over an antique vase. We forgive only when we can hold people responsible: like when a husband or wife cheats on us, or a friend who talks behind our back or a parent who abused us when we were a child.

Someone has put it this way: "Forgiving is tough. Excusing is easy. What a mistake it is to confuse forgiving with being mushy, soft, gutless, and oh so understanding. Before we forgive, we stiffen our spine and we hold a person accountable. And only then, in tough-minded judgment, can we do the outrageously impossible thing: we can forgive" (Smedes, Forgive & Forget, p. 44).

Forgiveness doesn’t mean things go back to the way they were before. It’s nice when they can but that’s not always possible. We don’t let a forgiven embezzler become the church treasurer. We don’t let a forgiven child molester run a Day Care center. A friend who has betrayed you can be forgiven but at the same time you might not be able to count them as a friend anymore. It is idealistic to say that forgiveness means things can go back to the way they were before; sometimes they can but sometimes they can’t. But forgiveness can still take place!

Joseph is a model of forgiveness. Take your time. If it takes you a while to forgive, that’s o.k. I’m sure Joseph wasn’t ready to forgive his brothers while he was in the pit or in the prison! When you forgive be sincere. Some people use forgiveness as a means of justifying themselves. Some people use forgiveness as a means of holding power over another. Take the initiative and talk specifically about the problem. Don’t automatically assume other person knows what you’re talking about. Be specific about what it is that you’re forgiving. Talk about how things are going to be from now on. Express your feelings. Don’t just tell the person that you’ve forgiven them show them.

Forgiveness is not forgetting it is not excusing nor does it a guarantee a return to way things were. It is a new start! Be aware though that not every case of forgiveness will turn out as good as Joseph and his brothers, but when God asks us to forgive, he’s not asking the impossible. I've looked for loopholes. I've longed to find a reason not to forgive those who hurt me. But those reasons aren't there. In the Lord's prayer we pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” My hope for today is that when we pray those words we will feel the impact of what we are praying, and give serious thought to forgiving others. Amen

Tough Week

After we got back from Austin Monday I developed a tickle in my throat and an earache. Tuesday I hurt all over had cold sweats joint pain and slept most of the day. Yesterday I went to the Dr. and found out that I have strep. :( No fun, the good news is that Laurie and Mignon are fine, its just hard not cuddeling with Mignon. I'm feeling better today.

Laurie and Mignon are headed to her parents for a week so I am going to try to get some honney dos taken care of while the 2 year old is not helping.

States I've visited.

visited 24 states (48%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

Big News! Its a...

BOY

Meet Ethan. Yesterday after church we drove to Austin so that we could go to a specialist to get an ultra sound to check out the new baby. This morning we found out that we are expecting a boy. The baby looked perfect everything was where it was supposed to be. Mignon said that she wanted a little sister, but she seems excited about us having an addition to the family.

Wrestling with Love, Laurie's Sermon July 3, 2007

Wrestling with Love
Genesis 32:22-31; Matthew 14:13-21

As I said in the introduction to the OT passage, I have learned to look at the book of Genesis as a “Family Album”. This idea was first presented to me by a friend from seminary, David Gambrell who put the stories of this book to music as a senior project. We have several copies of his CD, which is wonderful. So, the idea of a “Family Album” is not my own, but one that has become very fundamental to my understanding.

Now, if you have never done so, I want to invite you to try to visualize all the people and events of the book of Genesis as the story of your immediate family. At first it may seem really satisfying to think of these handpicked, specially chosen men and women as our direct kin. Heck, they even carried on personal conversations with God directly speaking to them! But, read carefully friends. This isn’t a book published by humanity’s PR agent.

A quick look at our kinfolk… Is there anyone in our family known for lying to get out of trouble or to save their own skin? Didn’t Abraham and Isaac both do this when they said that Sarah and Rebekah were their sisters and not their wives? Do we have a gullible Esau or a crafty Jacob? Are there two sisters that are jealous of each other? Is there a mother that plays favorites between her children and lies and tricks her feeble husband? Is there a baby brother that is brash and prideful like Joseph, that always gets his way? Not exactly a group of folk in line for Citizens of the Year honors.

This leads me to our passage that we heard today concerning Jacob. My initial view had always been that Jacob deserved what he got at the Jabbok River. His whole life he had stolen and cheated and lied and then he ran away from the one to which he had done the most damage, his brother, in fear for his life. Twenty years later, God sends him back to his homeland (which just happens to be Canaan, the later Promised Land). Jacob is definitely scared to see his brother again. As I mentioned, he even tries to cut his possible losses ahead of time by dividing his wealth into two groups and sending them toward his home in two different directions. He really displays little faith! It just seems fitting that God shows up the night before his meeting with his cheated brother and roughs Jacob up a little and then gives him a constant pain in the hip – it was a literal pain in his hip because that joint was was dislocated in the struggle.

This view of mine resulted from reading this story as a complete outsider. Looking at the story line like a newspaper report of a mugging in Central Park, one misses the nuances, the underlying facts. At least for me, family is family, and regardless of how things appear to the outsider, most of us will fight to uphold our family name and honor. Those who really know us the best, who love us even when they may not like us very often, those who are willing to look past the slanted headlines and try to find the person they know and love within the article, are the only ones that can even begin to understand the whole picture. Pick up the newspaper sometime and try reading it as if the people in the stories are your parents, your siblings, or your children. Put a face to an unknown name and see if that alters your perspective of the situation. It can be saddening; embarrassing, even maddening...but it makes the report more than an updated headline. Do the same with the Bible and see if it changes your perspective of the people and the stories…they truly are a part of your family.

Think about the stories of Jacob, all that we are told about him. Now, think of your own life – as far back as you can remember. Have any of us ever exhibited the lack of character that Jacob possesses before he gets to the Jabbok – lying, cheating, running away from responsibility? Can anyone truly answer no? With this in mind, listen to my friend David’s version of the Jacob narratives and try to see if you can find glimpses of yourself.

We struggle for meaning, we wrestle with Love
We climb a ladder leaning on something up above
We beg for our blessings, we borrow our names,
We look to heaven praying to be other than the same.

In the dark and lonely hours, I have seen you face to face
The sun comes up and blinds me finds me limping from the place.

I have slept without dreaming, on a pillow of stone
Awakened by the feeling that I was not alone
And in all of my seeking through worry and woe
The voice of promise speaking, I will not let you go

Everything that I have carried, everything that I could hold
Every treasure I have buried is a weight upon my soul
But I will lay it all before you, everything I’ll ever know
I will put these arms around you and I will not let you go

We struggle for meaning, we wrestle with Love
We climb a ladder leaning on something up above

I have learned to see the story of Jacob as the story of every human’s life. We are less than perfect in our intentions. We have petty and immature flaws in our natures and doubts and fears in our hearts. We must cross the river to make that reconciliation with our past and to be changed into that which can fully serve God’s purposes. Some lives never make it to the Jabbok. They may be prosperous and wealthy in their chosen exile, but they are poor in spirit and in faith. They are estranged from their family, from their history as children of God. Religious events, even dreams, may cover their lives, but it is only a surface cover. They may grow strong and healthy in their physical bodies, but their hearts are stunted because you see it takes some pain to cause deep, lasting growth. Often that pain is facing up to whom we have been, whom we have hurt or who has hurt us and finally whom we have estranged ourselves from.

There are other lives that never seem to be able to leave the river. How appropriate is it that the name Jabbok in Hebrew literally means ‘emptying’. To meet God face to face, to become renewed and renamed, we must empty our lives, our hearts, and ourselves. The Promised Land, our once and future home, is just on the other side of the water and is waiting for our return. But the old saying is true…we can’t go back home, at least not as the same person that wandered away, felt driven away or fled in fear. As we fight and struggle with who we have been or who has hurt us, the pain cuts us deeper and deeper. Nonetheless, it is the voice of promise that clings to us whispering, “I will not let you go”. With persistence, we gain strength and with strength we gain confidence until we finally have the character to not only face our adversary, but to grab hold to the source of our struggle until it becomes a blessing.

The source of the struggle and the blessing are one in the same. God strengthens our character and increases our growth through the pain of our trials. God knows who and what we have been and only this Author of Creation can know who and what we are to become and what it will take to change our identities to match. Because God is Love, is it not Love that tests us, Love that binds us, Love that cuts us to the bone? And is it then not ultimately the acceptance of this unconditional Love with which we wrestle?

For me, these ideas found in this narrative are some of the best ways I can think of to explain what is meant by our Presbyterians doctrines of providence, election, and predestination. These are so often misunderstood and misrepresented by others and even us when reading or hearing them from the outside. God chose to bless Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is a seemingly foolish choice on God’s part. Look at their lives, their character, and their failings. But they were chosen not for their own individual good, but that they might in turn become a blessing to others, to the nations, to the whole world. We too have been chosen, but again not because of our goodness or deservedness, but so that even with our faults, warts and all, we can somehow be a blessing to others.

I believe God elects more than certain individuals or denominations – I believe God has elected humanity, not for special treatment, but for service to our neighbor and our world the results of which include receiving our own forms of blessings. We must remember, though, God sealed God’s promise of blessing through a covenant and a covenant takes two parties to fulfill. Some of us wander off or run away only hearing the promise echo in our ears. Some follow the voice, but can’t bear the pain of frigid, emptying water. Finally, some become strong enough to grasp the promise as they wrestle with that foolish Love, face to face, and ultimately return to their Father’s home a limping, but blessed child of God.

When we learn to wrestle with Love, with God, is this a once and for all time fight? No. Jacob’s life, or rather Israel’s life, did not become free of conflict. There was no time for rest or relaxing. The difference I believe is when we have learned to wrestle with Love, with God; we gain the strength and perseverance to wrestle with all of life. This allows us to in turn use our blessings to bless others. We become veteran fighters in this life with the confidence that God is clinging to us as tightly as we are clinging to God.

Amen.