What is the color for St. Patrick’s Day? Sure, white! No? How about orange? Well, for some it is! But you’re right, green is the color usually associated with St. Patrick’s Day. . But did you know that St. Patrick’s Day also includes the colors orange and white. Do you know why? Because the Irish flag has these three colors! The white in the middle represents the peace between the Irish (Green) and the Northern Ireland (Orange). St. Patrick loved the people of Ireland and is know to have cried tears of love and went to Ireland to tell them the story of Jesus. Jesus sheds tears for us, too. Jesus loves all of us, of every color and nation. Let’s remember this St. Patrick’s Day Jesus’ tears of joy. Each of you can have a green, crystal glass teardrop to represent God’s love for you! Let’s share the teardrops with others in the congregation this morning!
Why do so many Biblical hero’s end up in the wilderness? While Adam started in a garden, he and Eve ended up in the wild. Jacob, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul, to name a few, had wilderness experiences, too. Oh, and of course, Jesus! This week we will meet Jesus where the wild things are. And we will discover that God is present with us when resources run out and unexpected challenges make the way unbearable. God provides a way where there is no way. Do you ever feel you’re in the wilderness? Sure, we all do, at least from time to time. This Sunday, find wilderness tools for the Lenten journey. There is a place for you, here! (If you’re new to our church, discover more about what we believe and why we do what we do by visiting a special Welcome First-Time Guests page on our website.)
“And whenever you fast, do not put on a dismal face like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:16-21).
Our neighbors are feeling more and more like strangers to one another every day. People report loneliness as a persistent experience more than 50% of the time. And our churches, for all their historical and intentional presence, have also become strangers in the community. Hoe can we turn strangers into friends? How can our places of mission and worship become more welcoming? Reach out and introduce yourself to a neighbor. Realize others are as awkward as you may be and still make the connection. Go ahead. During the Lenten journey, during the next 40 days, you may want to turn strangers into fellow travelers, companions, friends, to embrace God’s emerging future that leads to the cross and the empty tomb. “Don’t be a mean-faced people, cruel to grandmothers and babies alike” (Deut. 28:50). But, “Do be a place where the face of God can smile on others” (Num. 23:5). Putting on the Face of Grace is the Lenten Journey.
Around the tables you will find a pile of stones. Choose one to represent your burdens, your weights and fears, your stranger dangers, and remember as you carry this stone with you, that on Easter, at the end of the Lenten Journey, the stone was rolled away!
Honestly. Let’s ask ourselves:
What face does my neighborhood need to see in me today?
How will I put on the Face of Grace during the next 40 days?
Mardi Gras is all the buzz this week. From New Orleans to Cape May, the festive celebrations that precedes Lent’s constraints is a lot to take in as groups of people interact at arm’s length along streets and balconies. All of us want to feel connected, but noisy, chaotic, whirlwinds of activity is not what we are truly looking for. Each of us, and every community, longs for something substantial, sustainable, and shareable. We want to be “face to face” with experiences and people that bring us love, peace, forgiveness, justice, and hope.
Imagine what it would be like to have FaceTime with God? While you can’t pick up your phone and dial God, if you could, that kinda sounds terrifying, right! What would you say? How would you act? FaceTime with God is the title of the message from from Luke 9 and Exodus 24. It will take us from Mardi Gras to the mountain of God with Moses and Jesus. Let’s follow Moses up to the mountain where he experiences God’s incredible and indescribable holiness. When he came back down the mountain, everyone knew something was shockingly different! The people in the camp couldn’t even look at his face because it was so bright! Moses had to put a covering on just to get through his day. Then we visit Moses who joins Elijah who have a conversation with Jesus and his companions on another mountain. In a similar manner, the majestic glory of God was dazzlingly bright. Wow!
FaceTime with God might appear to be a risky idea except that God is good and accessible to us. Where we see God, where we see Jesus “face to face,” is not just in “religious” settings, a beautiful sanctuary, or even in some miraculous vision. Where we see God, where we discover Jesus’ presence most brightly, is in our daily, face-to-face encounters with God’s word, creation, our neighbors, our enemies, our friends, the faces of each and every child of God on this earth. Let’s see God’s face and show God’s face as we make a difference in our neighborhoods in the name of Jesus Christ. You are invited to come as you are and get involved. There is a place for you, here! (If you’re new to our church, discover more about what we believe and why we do what we do by visiting a special Welcome First-Time Guests page on our website, here.)
Listen to this message and discover how and why to have FaceTime with God. You got this!
Where did Mardi Gras come from? Well, it means Fat Tuesday. Why is it called Fat Tuesday? Because people wanted to eat-up all the foods they decided not to eat during the 40-days of Lent so they had festive parties to empty their cupboards and refrigerators. They also decided not to wear fancy clothes and jewelry during Lent. Lent is Latin for the number “40”, and the 40-day Lenten Journey begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at Holy Week and Easter when Jesus was raised from the dead! So let’s get ready for what’s ahead by sharing these beads to celebrate that Jesus walks with us every day. We should share that message with others, too. These beads will help. Would you help me give away these beads to the congregation today?! What do the beads say on them? Peace, Justice, Power, Hope, Love! God loves us and is powerful to protect us and give us peace, justice, and hope!
All of us want to invest in worthwhile activities because we will earn a proportional return. Paul, the apostle, in his letter to the house church in Galatia, used an agricultural analogy of planting and harvesting. Let’s consider his guidance if he used an analogy of investing and return, as follows: Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person earns an interest on their investment. Those who invest only for their own benefit will earn a return of devastation from their selfishness, but those who invest for the benefit of the Spirit will gain a future, eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of investing in the future, because in time it will be worth it, if we don’t give up (based on Galatians 6:7-9). This week we will consider how investing in the future is a core principle in Scripture as we look at the story of Joseph and the powerful words of Jesus. You may remember Joseph as the favored son with the multi-colored coat, but his focus on the future gave him courage to forgive. The future was also in view when Jesus shocked his audience when he said things like, “Forgive your enemies. Pray for those who attack you.”
Across our country and around the corner, in classrooms and living rooms, there is a climate of rushing to judgment. When have you “turned the other cheek” or extended mercy? Can you recall a time you have received mercy and forgiveness? There is a better way. We can find reconciliation and acceptance from Jesus. Find it here!
And thanks for listening to this important message, and trying with me, and all of us, to put it into practice!
A recent survey of people ages 18-24 revealed that “selfies” are their most popular genre of photography. The result of the survey is supported by evidence from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other media. What’s the difference with a Selfie? Who do you see when you take a selfie? Of course, yourself! The thing is, when you’re always focused looking at yourself you don’t see who? Others, right! When we are walking around all day, whether our phone is in front of our face or not, if we are constantly thinking about ourselves, what we want, we might be being selfish! Jesus wasn’t selfish. He freely gave himself for us so we would be forgiven and given an amazing life! And, Jesus doesn’t want us to be selfish either, but to be selfless!
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
So let’s remember: less selfie, more selfless. Selfie’s are O.K.. Selflessly paying attention to others is Jesus’ way!
Imagine your life is composed of different rooms. Rooms to relax. Rooms to eat in. Places to exercise, and another to enjoy a hobby. Some rooms are especially equipped for making things, or assisting in meeting the needs of guests and taking resources from inside to share with others outside in the neighborhood. Andy Andrew’s in his book, The Traveler’s Gift (2002), writes about a room called Never Was. He calls it “a giant warehouse of a room that holds all of the things God was ready to deliver to people, had they only persevered in prayer a moment longer” (157). For many of us, the Never Was room is practically the largest room in our house. It doesn’t have to be that way.
This week we will visit our house of rooms in our lives as we hear the words of the prophet Jeremiah when he spoke to a war-torn and weary country about God’s hope. We will hear Jesus pronounce blessings available to all. Are you looking for a blessing? Do you need resources to move your hopes and dreams from Never Was, to It Is Now? The blessings Jesus gives are for everyone, especially those who don’t feel blessed; the hungry, the poor, and those who are cast aside by others.
Happy Presidents Day! Whose image is on this ONE DOLLAR bill? Right. George Washington. George Washington, like every president, like everyone, did lots of wonderful things for the country. And, well, some not so good things, too. But he is honored for the good. And, to honor dead presidents, we have placed their image on the currency we use. Its a way to be reminded of those great things. For example, George Washington said, “It is impossible to govern without God and the Bible”. Even in Jesus’ day, they put the image of the king on their coins. But did you know you have an image on you? Yes, that’s right. You are created in God’s image. So when you look in the mirror, I want you to remember that you are created as a unique expression, image, of Jesus. We want to look more and more like Jesus each day. When you help others; Are active in doing good things. You show that image most clearly. You may even be president one day! But until then, all of us help each other to show God’s image in how we act and through the decisions that we make as we serve others. So happy Presidents Day. And be joyful, because you are made in the image of God.