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How Long, O Lord?

Hebrew Bible Reading Genesis 32:24-30
New Testament Romans 9:1-5

Message: How Long, O Lord?
With whom did Jacob wrestle? Our scripture starts by saying, “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”
I remember hearing a great sermon that claimed it was a metaphorical story about Jacob wrestling with his own deceptive nature.
It has some credibility when you consider that when he starts the contest he is named Jacob, which means supplanter or deceiver. When the match was over he was named Israel which means God perseveres or contends
However it is clear who Jacob thought he had struggled against because at the end of the story, Jacob says” I have seen God face to face”
Have you ever wrestled with God?
I have! Many times. I wrestled with him at my conversion. I felt God pulling me toward Him and I wanted to believe. However, I wanted to keep one foot in the door. My life was much like the person in the old hymn “Almost Persuaded” by Philip P. Bliss which says,
“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.” “Almost persuaded,” come, come today;“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are lingering near
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wanderer, come!

“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are lingering near
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wanderer, come!

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

We can not be a little bit Christian anymore than we can be a little bit dead. We are or we are not.
My heart was yearning for God! However, my mind would not let me let go of my own self will. Why couldn’t there be a way to ‘test’ God? Couldn’t I have a 90 day trial with a money back guarantee?
Imagine my surprise to find in Malachi chapter three verse ten, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Over the years, I have met many people who tithe because they believed. However, I’m the only person I know of who believed because they tithed.
I took God at his word and put him to the test. I began tithing and the blessing began to flow.
What happened was that the money that had seldom lasted all the way to the next payday, started to last. Even though I was tithing when I hadn’t before.
I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense, but it worked. This “God thing” was working!
Now hold on a minute – I will not let you be misled here. I am not saying that if you tithe, that vast wealth will come your way.
Anybody that reads about the lives of the disciples will see that they certainly did not become wealthy men.
My point is that I put God to the test and He passed. He did what He said He would and proved to me that I could trust Him. That was a beginning.
Over the years, I wrestled with God. I have argued with Him over health issues, family relationship, and employment concerns. And I have to say that even when things didn’t work out as I had envisioned them — God was able to make a blessing from them when I was able to leave them in His hands.
It is okay to argue with God – even to be angry at God. Read the Psalms. Many of them were songs of anger and hurt.
Sometimes you have to ask God to let you see the situation through His eyes. And sometimes you just have to yield and say, “Not my will but thine O Lord!”

Remember – at the end of the wrestling, comes a blessing.

FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION
I find this hymn to be a thought provoking telling of the story that takes it from the past to the present and into the future.
Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown
1. Come, O thou Traveler unknown, who still I hold, but cannot see! My company before is gone, and I am left alone with thee. With thee all night I mean to stay, and wrestle till the break of day; with thee all night I mean to stay, and wrestle till the break of day.
2. I need not tell thee who I am, my misery and sin declare; thyself hast called me by my name, look on thy hands and read it there. But who, I ask thee, who art thou? Tell me thy name, and tell me now. But who, I ask thee, who art thou? Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
3. Yield to me now, for I am weak, but confident in self-despair! Speak to my heart, in blessing speak, be conquered by my instant prayer. Speak, or thou never hence shalt move, and tell me if thy name is Love. Speak, or thou never hence shalt move, and tell me if thy name if Love.
4.’ Tis Love!’ tis Love! Thou diedst for me, I hear thy whisper in my heart. The morning breaks, the shadows flee, pure, Universal Love thou art. To me, to all, thy mercies move; thy nature and thy name is Love. To me, to all, thy mercies move; thy nature and thy name is Love.
Words by Charles Wesley

©Thomas E Williams 2011

“WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS BABY?”

“WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS BABY?”

Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12),
John 1:1-14

MESSAGE FOR CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Wait! We read the gospel reading and this is a Christmas celebration … Where is the Babe in the Manger?
The four gospels each begin differently.
Mark’s Gospel skips the birth and goes to when Jesus began His public ministry.
Matthew and Luke’s Gospels each have stories of the miraculous birth,
John’s Gospel, as we just read, does not give us the traditional “Christmas Story” with shepherds, angels, and wise men.
There is no mention of the Christmas birth.
Or maybe there is!
Let’s look.
John is not interested in relating the story of Jesus’ birth on earth.
In John’s gospel, he makes it clear that the Christ who came into the world, predates the world and in fact is the one who created all things that were created.Hear again his words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all.”
It helps if we understand that the Gospel of John was written primarily to a Jewish audience who were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.
So, his gospel begins with a retelling of the creation story from Genesis.
Those faithful Jews understood that the Word of God was a powerful force for creation.
So he was just explaining that Jesus was the Word of God personified.
There is no question here of John’s theology. Jesus is God in human form.
Let’s take a look at what Paul has to say along that same line in his letters.
We think of Paul mostly ministering to the Gentiles – non-Jews – US.
However, Paul always began by going to the local synagogue and explaining to the Jews how Jesus was the Christ and how He fulfilled all that was written in the Law and the Prophets.
In First Corinthians Paul tells his readers, “I first gave to you that which I also received; the Jesus died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.” This makes it clear that he expected his audience to be somewhat familiar with the scriptures, that is what we call the Old Testament.
Here in Paul’s general letter to the Hebrews, he echoes John’s Gospel by saying, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.
He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
He and John were in total agreement that Christ predates the World and is in fact God.
And how were these messages received by the people who heard them? “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him,”says John.
His own people – who were “his own people”?The descendents of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac; those who followed the Law of God and revered the prophets of old; the people who had been prepared, generation after generation; these were the people who rejected Him.
It was the religious people who could not see past their own self-important, self-proclaimed role as “God’s chosen people.”
And in the book of Acts, it relates how when Paul stood preaching (not just in a synagogue) but in the temple at Jerusalem he was dragged out and it was these religious who then attempted to kill him.
There is a warning to us here. Right?
Lord, Let us not get too sure that we have all the answers and that others are always wrong in their beliefs.
There is still much for us to learn.
So the Jews, his own people, rejected Him.
Now, wait!, let us not assume that ALL the Jews rejected this new understanding about the messiah.
Jesus was not just the Messiah, a godly leader, but that He also is the very embodiment of God.
Most of the early “Christians” were Jewish.
Christianity was not a NEW religion it was just another sect of Judaism.
And in the beginning, many thought it was ONLY for the Jews.
So, I guess even those who got it right – still got it wrong!
We have got to be so careful not to limit our God! Amen?
Remember the promise from God to Abraham that we talked about several weeks ago? The promise that ALL people everywhere would be blessed because of his seed.
Over the past several weeks we have seen that promise passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob.
Over the years, some people forgot the purpose of the promise and began to think of themselves as “specially entitled” by their status of caretakers of the Law from God.
John realized that the Good News was meant for all people when he said, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.“
Praise God that he had a plan for the non-Jew – US! Amen?
Likewise, Paul had the awakening of his ministry to non-Jews and it is recorded in Acts22:17-21 where he says, “
After I had returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the temple courtyard I fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You. And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.’ Then He said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
Some Christ Mass story so far – Huh?
Are you still wondering where the new born baby is in this Christmas story?
Hang on just a little longer and I’ll show you where I found the baby in this lesson.
Christ’s birth was miraculous and marvelous.
The fact that it conformed to the predictions of the prophets helps to confirm it.
The fact that shepherds and wise men were informed of it was wonderful.
However, as we celebrate this Christ Mass in July, let us remember that Jesus was an active force in the world L-O-N-G before He was a baby.
He was STILL an active force in the world while He walked it as a man.
But more importantly He IS an active force in the world TODAY!
Through Him WE, who receive him and believe in his name, He gives power to be REBORN as Children of God.
It is We who are born again because of Christ’s birth, WE are the true babies in this Christ Mass story.
Praise God!
Amen!

©Thomas E Williams 2011

THE LAW OF THE FLESH & THE SPIRIT

THE LAW OF THE FLESH & THE SPIRIT

GENESIS 25:19-34,
ROMANS 8:6-11
MESSAGE
“Mom always loved you best!”
That was a running theme with the Smothers Brothers. For those of you old enough to remember them.
For those of you who are too young to remember the Smothers, let’s just say that the argument that started with “Mom always loved you best” ended with some absurd and humorous story.
What a terrible feeling that would be in real life – to think that your parent loved your brother or sister more that they loved you.
Unfortunately children are often raised with the feeling that their parents are playing favoritism and they are on the short end of the bargain.
It may not even be true – but if the feeling is there – it doesn’t matter if it is factual. The hurt is the same..
Here is what I did with my kids.
“I love you best,” I told my oldest son. “Don’t ever tell the others that I said that.”
Are you shocked that a parent would do that?
Well, here is the rest of the story.
I also told that to my oldest daughter, my youngest son and my youngest daughter. I told all of them the same thing. And it wasn’t a lie.
They were such different personalities, such different people, that I did love them each “best” but differently. My point in doing this was to let each of them know how special they were to me.
The story of Esau and Jacob reads like a “what not to do – cautionary tale” Dad has his favorite and Mom has hers.
I often a wonder how two children of the same parents, raised in the same household, can be SO DIFFERENT! These twins were certainly polar opposites.
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Proverbs 22:1.
Here are the meanings of the names given these children: Esau equals hairy H A I R Y not H A R R Y, and Jacob means supplanter. A supplanter is some one who takes what is not theirs and holds on to it. Makes you wonder what were their parents thinking.
Hairy? Imagine how cruel other children would be to a child named Hairy. Especially in the pre-pubescence years when he would not have been hairy. His name would be said in such a mocking tone.
And Supplanter? Oh come on! And he grew up to be devious and manipulative? Who would have guessed? What chance would this kid havc to have grown up with close friends?
According to our scripture reading, these two never got a long even in the womb. Although that could just be a mother’s interpretation of a very active pregnancy. But the prophesy “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.”
How much of this prophesy did Rebekah share with her husband and with the two boys?
The older serving the younger was very much at odds to the cultural expectations. The older son always got a double portion of the inheritance and was the one who received the blessing which was a very real thing to these people in that time.
When we say we are “blessed” we only understand a shadow to what it meant to them. It was something worth going to war or killing for.
So the scene is set and all these years of rivalry between them comes to a head over a seemingly simple thing like lentil soup.
Esau comes in from hunting and says, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!”
It must have not been a good day of hunting or he would have something to eat or to add to the pot of stew that Jacob was cooking.
And when he says that he is famished, he is saying that he is literally going to die if he does not eat something.
Really? How far from home were these two boys? It sounds to me like he was exaggerating just a little.
At any rate, Jacob replies, “First sell me your birthright.” Wow! Right of the bat, go for the biggest payday he could ask for. How long has this lust for his brother’s birthright been on his mind? He is the younger son (by less than a minute – he was hanging on to Esau’s heel – so he had to have been immediately after). That fact must have been eating at him for a long – long time.
The birthright. Here is what is at stake. At their father’s death, his property would be divided amongst all his living sons. However it isn’t an equal sharing. If a man has four sons, his property would be divided into FIVE equal shares and the oldest son would receive TWO shares.
In the case of Esau and Jacob that means that Esau would inherit 2/3rds and Jacob 1/3. So it isn’t an ALL OR NOTHING it is only a matter of degree of inheritance.
Do you remember the parable that Jesus told of the prodigal son? The father (who was still alive) gave his sons their inheritance when the younger son asked for it. This means that the father now owned nothing. The older son received his 2/3rds and the younger son his 1/3. Remember how the older son berated his father for holding a party to welcome back the impoverished younger son. He basically says, “You always loved him best,” even though he had received the larger share of the inheritance.
It is all about greed!
Back to Esau and Jacob. Jacob has just ask for his brother’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of lentil stew. What does Esau do? Does he say, “Get real, brother! Just give me some stew and I’ll bring you some wild game next time.” Does he just laugh and walk on home? No! He says, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
Interesting, While Jacob was lusting after the birthright – Esau thought so little of it that he would trade it for a bowl of soup! Or maybe he thought, “I’ll get the soup now and then deny that I made this deal.”
But Jacob wanted to ratify the deal – to get the notary seal on it. He says, “Swear to me first.” In those days, before legal contracts were written, witnessed, and notarized, an oath was sworn before God that each party would uphold their part of the bargain. And Esau swore it.
For his part of the bargain, Jacob gave his brother the stew and threw in bread and drink at no extra charge. He more than fulfilled his part of the contract.
Where do we see ourselves in this story?
Are we Jacob and we’ve just scored a major (if underhanded) victory over our older brother?
Are we Esau who is more concerned about the immediate present than planning for the future?
Are we the parents who, by our actions, have set these two brothers into this rivalry?
No one in this story is blameless. Each of these characters is living in the flesh (as Paul puts it). They are so much more concerned with the material world that they are ignoring the spirit that God has placed within them.
Paul says, “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
How different would this story have been if their minds had been set on the Spirit?
“Would the parents show love and support for their children and celebrated their differences instead of using the differences as wedges to drive them further apart?
Would Esau have been a different sort of brother? Would he have built a relationship of love and trust between himself and Jacob that would have had him ASK for rather than DEMAND a bowl of soup?
Would Jacob in loving relationship with his father and his brother have trusted them to make fair provisions for him? Would he, in love, insist that his brother sit and eat with him – without his brother even asking?
What a difference it makes to set our mind on the Spirit.
Hear again the words of Paul: But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are to treat all of God’s creation differently. We are to lift up and nourish those around us.
In the parable of the sewer, Jesus is asking us to spread seed (the love of God) everywhere. He knows that some with wither and some will flourish for only a little while but some will bear fruit in abundance.
Realize that in this parable,that we are not asked to “Plant” seed. We are to broadcast it. To throw it far and wide even onto unlikely soil.
This is a call to service.
Today we have seen a bad example in the lives of Esau and Jacob who were living their lives strictly in the flesh, that leads to death.
We have had the assurance from Paul that we are no longer bound to the flesh (the material world) that we are now children of God and live in and through the Spirit.
Now that we are no longer bound to the law of death, we are to reach out to those still living in the flesh and bring them to the Spirit of life.
Here is your bag of seed. Hold up the Bible
Now.
Go
Scatter seed.
Amen.
©Thomas E WilliesWilliams 2011
at 1:10 PM

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GOOD SERVANT, BROKEN SERVANT, PERFECT SERVANT

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

MESSAGE
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle th, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to tWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,and the pursuit of Happiness.
So begins the Declaration of Independence. This document lays out the reason that our ancestors sought freedom from the rulers of England.
It also recognizes that all human rights are based in the will of the Creator.
What a remarkable statement of faith. The 56 signers put their honor, their lives and their fortunes on the line for their beliefs.
The parallels to the lives of the early Christians is easily seen. Men, women and whole families put everything on the line to accept this new covenant between God and man.
As we owe a debt of gratitude to those who stood against the injustice of the English rulers and created the nation where we live, we owe our salvation to God and to the brave people who first believed and spread the Good News that
God lived among us, that He took our sins upon himself and died a sacrificial death, that He was buried but rose again from the grave, ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father and acts as our intercessor with the Father.
Praise God!
What does it take for us to be as true to our faith as these early Christians were?
Love!
This is not the kind of love that we see in the movies. This is not romantic love, this is not lustful love, this is not conditional love – you love me, so I love you.
This is the kind of love that is given without regard to the worthiness of the recipient of the love.
This love is a commitment. Love that is given without strings attached. Non-revocable love. The way God loves us. That is the kind of love He wants in return.
Our reading in Genesis gives us the example of a truly devoted and trustworthy servant who loved his master.
An unnamed servant is entrusted with a key part of God’s plan to “make a mighty nation of Abraham’s seed and to be a blessing to all people.”
Throughout the reading are clues that the servant did not expect Abraham to live long enough to see him return with a bride for Isaac.
Hear his words, “Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has.”
This indicates that the inheritance has already been given to Isaac. Normally the inheritance only comes after the father’s death.
Then he continues “My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites”
This shows that Abraham did not expect to be at the wedding. Otherwise he would be able to stop it without the servant having anything to do with it.
Later when Rebecca said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.”
Since the servant is saying that Isaac is “my master” and not “the son of my master” it seems that he expected that Abraham would have died in his absence.
What does this all say about the relationship between servant and master?
First of all, it shows that Abraham had faith that this slave was able and willing to complete the task given to him: To return to Abraham’s home land. (This was probably in modern day Turkey,) where Abraham lived after leaving the place of his birth (which was most likely modern day Iran) This was a long journey in miles and time traveled.
He trusted this servant with his wealth (camels, gold etc) and more importantly, he trusted this servant to help bring about the promise of God that he would make a mighty nation from Abraham’s seed. It was extremely important to Abraham that Isaac not have his faith corrupted by the Canaanite women in the land where they lived. He recognized how important it is that the man have a wife able to support him in all his beliefs.
And last of all, he trusted the servant to carry out his wishes even past Abraham’s death when the servant would no longer be bound to his master.
For the servant’s part it demonstrated the kind of unconditional love for his master that we as servants of God should strive toward. To be willing and able. This is a good servant.
Our reading from Romans gives us the reality of being a Christian; the broken servant. Where Paul says, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
Most of the time we tend to think of the apostle Paul as one of those mighty men of God. Nearly a superhero of the Christian faith.
This is Paul who stood before the council in Jerusalem and defended his calling to share the love of Christ to the non-Jews!
This is the Paul that when arrested by the Jews demanded his right as a Roman citizen to be tried before the emperor in Rome.
And when he stood before the emperor he preached a sermon outlining his faith that Jesus is the Christ, the long awaited Messiah who was hung on a cross by the Roman government at the demand of the Jews.
This is the Christ who died, was buried and rose again on the third day. The same Jesus who appeared multiple times to his followers and to a multitude of 500.
And most of all, this was the risen Christ who appeared to Saul of Tarsus and blinded him to the past and opened his eyes to the truth.
Imagine the strength it took to stand before an emperor (literally a king of kings) and preach that sermon.
It is easy for us to place someone like that on a pedestal. But Paul himself would never have wanted that.
He knew himself too well. He knew that as much as he strove to be as perfect as Jesus his example, he too often fell short of that goal.
He recognized that, though he was willing … he was not always able, that he had to constantly war within himself to avoid sin.
I have known many Christians that I respect and admire for the strength of their faith. However,I have not yet met a person who can honestly say that they perfectly follow Jesus.
We are broken by the sin in our lives.
We do that which we do not want to do and we do not do that which we should.
So, what’s to be done about this inability to do the right thing? To avoid sinning?
Let’s take a look at our reading from Matthew.
Here Jesus shows his disappointment in those who do not follow His teachings. He compares us to children who pout because we did not get our own way. “We played the flute, but you would not dance”
He points out that if he played by “their rules” he would be in a no win situation. If he did NOT eat and drink, they would say He had a demon. If he DID eat, He was called a glutton and a drunkard.
We call that “damned if I do – damned if I don’t”
So what is the answer for us who have been struggling to do what is right?
Hear the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
You see, the problem is not with our will – it is our ability. Jesus says that we fail because we try to do it alone. He is our strength and our redeemer.
If we seek to carry the load alone we will fail.
If we accept the help that He is for us, He is there to do the hard part. It is His yoke.
He says, “Learn from me”
What are we to learn?
He says, “I am gentle and humble in heart”
That is what we are to learn. We should not strive to be supermen, caring the load ourselves. We already know that in our weakness we can never lift the load or finish the race.
By becoming gentle and humble we can come to Christ and have the load shared by the one who is able!
His yoke is easy and His burden light. He is the perfect servant.
©Thomas E Williams 2011

WATER – ICE – STEAM

WATER – ICE – STEAM
Genesis 1:1-2, Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

MESSAGE
A basic tenet of Jewish faith is e Shema as found in Deuteronomy 6:4 where it says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
One God. One Lord. Jews and Muslims share this basic belief in ONE GOD. The Trinity that Christians believe in seems, at first glance, to say that we believe in THREE GODS. And has and still is misunderstood that way by some today. That is, of course, NOT true., Hear O Christians, Our God is one God. We just see the various aspects of God as; Father, Son and Holy Spirit” Different forms, different functions but one God, Commonly called the Godhead.
The Jews take the commandment,”Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain.” So serous that the name is too holy to be spoken aloud. To make sure it was not mistakenly said while reading the Torah, it was spelled out without vowel marks – therefore unpronounceable. In our English translations, when you see the word LORD written in all capital letters, that is a way of translating the unpronounceable name of God.
Here is another interesting thing about the name of God: as it is written in Hebrew, it is, by its nature, plural. So while saying our God is one God. It recognizes the many facets of God. Also, throughout the Old Testament many ways were used when referring to the One God. They were used various names to describe various attributes of God,
Now, several weeks ago, I mentioned that a instructor of mine had said that anyone who tells you that they FULLY UNDERSTAND the Trinity is a liar. And I said, at that time, that I had A way of understanding the 3-in-1 and 1-in-3 nature of the Godhead – that works for me. So, having said that, let me add my own “fine print.” Trying to understand the Triune God is not easy and it may not even be HUMANLY possible. This, however, is an analogy that gives me a “working understanding” of the Trinity. Now understand that this is JUST AN ANALOGY and if you try to stretch it too far it may fall apart. You may find something else that works better for you.
I find the analogy of water to work for me. Water – H2O – 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen. 3 components combine to be 1 molecule. Water also has 3 states of being.Liquid, Solid, Gaseous. 3 Forms but one substance. Each of the 3 Forms of water have different properties without becoming a different substance. Liquid water flows. The flow can be nearly still or in violent motion. It is essential to life and yet can destroy. Life, as we know it, must have water to exist. We are literally made of water. 50 to 80 percent of our body is water. In my mind I equate this liquid form of water to God the Father. God the creator, God the life giver. Solid water (ice) retains a distinct shape and easier for us to see and touch. It is also, used for preservation. I like to think of God the Son as ice. God in solid form. Emanuel, God with us. God the Son, preserver of my soul. Gaseous water (steam) is harder to see but is the most energy filled form of water. Steam harnessed can do amazing work. So much power from something nearly invisible. To me, the Holy Spirit is like steam. The Spirit is what embowers us to do the work of the Trinity. We can easily see the workings of the Spirit without seeing the Spirit. No matter what form water takes (liquid, solid, or gaseous) it is still water. So God is God whether He is in the form of Father, Son or Holy Spirit.
The Godhead is easily seen in our Genesis reading. God the Father spoke. In the gospel of John we see that God the Son was the agent through which creation took place. And we see the Spirit of God moving across the waters of an unformed world. Let’s take a look at what was the going on in our Genesis reading. Repeatedly “GOD SAID” and miraculous things happened. And it was GOOD. When everything was done it was VERY GOOD.
God commissioned Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” We are part of creation and as God’s final creation, we were to be caretakers of creation; to maintain it the way God willed it to be when he spoke it into existence. However, we, as people of Western Civilization, have set ourselves above and apart from creation. In our error, we have, used His command to “subdue and have dominion” as excuses to exploit and destroy that which God created. This is related to the “fall of man” and how that has affected ALL of creation.
Because of Adam and Eve’s willfulness in disobedience, all of creation was affected. Therefore, we no longer live in the perfect world as it was created. In the computerized day and age, you could say that the default setting for creation was perfection. However, a virus (sin) has corrupted the system.
The Godhead has been and still is working to set the system right. God, the Father, through the Law and the Prophets, gave us rules to live by. The rules are not hard to understand. By living within the rules people could align their will with God’s will. As a matter of fact, If the Law were to be lived out by everyone universally, it would make for a nearly perfect world. It would not, however, restore the world. The system is still corrupted. This would just be a “patch” to make it function better.
As I said, the rules / the Law is easy to understand. It is, it seems, impossible to live within the boundaries of those rules though. Jesus, God the Son, came to set right that which had gone wrong in the relationship between man and God, man and man, and man and nature. For about 33 years He lived among us. He experienced life as we live it. By example and by teaching he showed us how we are to live in relation to God, to each other and to the rest of creation. In His final moments as Emanuel (that is God with us), He gave His disciples what has been called the “great commission”; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” If you look at the Son’s command you will see that it is not that far different than what the Father said to Adam and Eve back in Genesis. Go into all the earth and bring it into the will of God.
We may have a tendency to think of the great commission in connection with sending missionaries or evangelists into the world. You know, sending THEM. It is easy to think that it is somebody else’s job. The truth is, the command was given to ALL His disciples – that is, those who followed Him. The command is to ALL who follow Him. That means US. – YOU and ME.
Here is another thing about the commission that is often misunderstood. It is often interpreted to be, “Go and get people into the church to do what Jesus taught.” But today we are invited to hear it more deeply, and differently. The first word of this text in Greek is not an imperative. It is a participle. That is, the idea of going somewhere else is not commanded, but rather assumed. “As you go,” This means that this is not some special pilgrimage or mission trip we are to take. It means that as we go about our lives we are to make disciples;
that is create and train followers of God who will restore the world to its “default setting”.
How?
As we go. What we do, what we say, what we think, what we demonstrate to the world should all be usable to bring about changes in others.
By the way, I know that in our culture, when we say “make” disciples” we may be tempted to think of some assembly line process where we take the raw product (people) and force it into a mold that stamps out little Jesuses. However, If we follow the example of Jesus, we can see that he didn’t force His followers to become copies of Himself. Yes, He is our example and we are certainly to work toward the perfection that He demonstrated, However, we are not Him. We are US.
Frankly, we are unable to do what God, the Father and God the Son, have commanded us to do. Really!
We are too weak.We are too self centered, too self willed, Too old,, Too young,Too ignorant, Too smart, Too fat, Too thin, Too …. Too … Too … US!
However, God, the Holy Spirit, that dwells in us, will use our talents, our strengths and even our weaknesses to further the Kingdom of God. If we let Him. Did you hear that? If we let Him, through Him, we can do anything. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!” That is what is says in Philippians 4:13, You can do all things through Him who strengthens you. WE can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
Here ends the lesson.

©Thomas E Willuams August 4, 2011

All God’s People Are Prophets?

Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!

Acts 2:1-21, Numbers 11:24-30, 1 Corinthians 12:14-23
Our scripture readings show us two incidents when God empowered not just individuals but groups of people.
The elders in our old testament rackground on these men.
Exodus the 18th chapter says this group of 70 men were chosand hundreds and fiftys because they were men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain.
It sounds like they had the right mind set to me. But that’s not all. The 24th chapter of Exodus says, “then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up (the mountain), and they saw the God of Israel.”
This was when Moses went further alone and received the 10 commandments.
These 70 were the first to receive instruction in God’s law. They had natural skills and formal training –but it wasn’t enough!
Here is a condensed version of the scriptures preceding our Old Testament reading for today. Numbers chapter 11
“The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons ofIsrael wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,
but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”
(I just want to interrupt the reading here to point out that they left Egypt with cattle, sheep and goats. As it says in Exodus 12:36b-38 “Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Now the sons of Israel were about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.“
And they arrived in the promised land with goats, sheep and cattle. So it wasn’t true that they had nothing to eat but manna.
(But that’s another sermon for another day!)
Back to my reading.
“Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?
“I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once,“
The Hebrew scripture passage we read today takes place about a year after they were placed in these positions of leadership – and what are they doing?
Not leading! Not being spokespersons for God!! No they were complaining!
They were supposed to be lifting some of the burden of leadership from Moses’ shoulders. Instead they had added to his burden to the place that Moses asked God to kill him and give him release.
These 70 had been trained in how to lead. They knew all the laws. But they had no idea of the difference between training and empowered by God for the task.
Our new testament reading finds a different group of men. We are more familiar with their backgrounds. These men of widely diverse backgrounds: fishermen, tax collectors, working men and business owners. They were hand picked by Jesus. Presumably he saw some native skill or attribute in these men that he could develop to do the task ahead. Then he spent 3 years training them.
Imagine personally instructed by God incarnate! Not just trained but commanded to go into all the world spreading the good news!
And what are they doing?
They are still banded together and spending time in prayer. They were not telling others the story of Jesus. They were keeping the good news to themselves!
Two groups of good men, skilled men, trained men. But men that hadn’t yet been empowered for the job.
But in an instant that changed. God touched them and they were changed.
I like the way one of the modern translations states the experience. It reads, “They began to shout like prophets.”
Shout like prophets! Spokes people for God.
What they should have been all along. Establishing the kingdom of God.
That Pentecost two thousand years ago was the beginning of the era of the church! It was our Birthday.
This touch of God, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter wasn’t just for the people huddled in that upper room. It was promised to all who believe and confess with their lips that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We, in this room, are another group of people. We come to worship, to praise, to sing and to hear the leader proclaiming the good news. We have been trained. Now what?
We need to be empowered! Are we going to see tongues of fire resting on each other or hear the rush of a mighty wind There are times that I’ve longed for those miraculous displays of God’s power or as Moses said, “I Would that all the Lord’s people would be prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”
But we don’t need MORE demonstrations of God’s power. You see, the moment that you believed in your heart and confessed with your lips that Jesus is Lord, you were infilled with the Spirit of God. You have been empowered! God has injected himself into your very being! And you plus God can do anything.
We all have our own jobs in this Kingdom of God. There are no non-participating members. I Corinthians 12 addresses the outpouring and flow of the Spirit in concrete ways – An empowerment that flows in and through everyone who has been baptized by water and the Spirit in nearly as many ways as may be imagined.
Paul’s list of gifts here is expansive, but by no means exhaustive. Every disciple of Jesus Christ who is walking in the power of the Spirit has been given many gifts not just for use within the Christian community—whether a congregation, a society, a meeting or a class, but to bless people wherever we may go as representatives and embodiment of Jesus Christ.
All of these gifts not only “build up the body,” they also send that body out to be the body of Christ in the world.
All these gifts have both an “inside face” for strengthening Christian communities and a “public face” for blessing and a witness to others.
First Corinthians 12 provides a good starting place for putting names to some of the ways the Spirit is flowing among us and through us to bless the world. Who among us is prophesying, not just in worship but in daily life? How is healing happening around us because of the work of the Spirit in our midst? How are people growing in knowledge and wisdom, and who is helping folks do that with the Spirit’s power?
John 7 records the words of Jesus at another Jewish pilgrimage festival, the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths. Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, this week-long celebration remembers the wilderness wandering of Israel when the people lived in tents and ends with an even greater time of rejoicing in a day called Rejoicing in the Torah. It is also historically a fall harvest festival of barley, in which, as at Pentecost, there would have been a great “ingathering” of the harvest past and blessings for the new planting season to come.
The words of Jesus in the temple on the day of Rejoicing in Torah were thus incredibly provocative. “You want living water? Come to me! Come to me, and you’ll not only get living water… streams of living water will flow out of you!”
This teaching is still provocative today, even for longtime church members. He’s not saying, “Come to me and I’ll bless you and make you feel good and loved by God.” He’s saying, “Come to me, and become stream-sources yourselves!”
The end of the work of the Spirit is not the individual. The end of the work of the Spirit is not realized until every corner of creation is reached with living streams. The streams aren’t there just for us individually, to make us feel good. Instead, Jesus intends us and the Spirit that empowers us to become life-giving change agents for the most abundant harvest of blessing the world will ever see.
The way of Jesus is personal, but it is not private. Experiencing his word speaking to us in worship, in the world, and in our hearts profoundly affects our own lives and perceptions, but that’s not the point, any more than the spiritual gifts described in First Corinthians 12 are for us only. That transformation in our minds and hearts and feelings is intended to overflow into the whole world around us. Wherever we go, we are to become streams of the life-giving flow of Christ. We are to live in the flow of the Spirit in every way we can, not just in worship, but in all the ways the Spirit already flows among and through and even outside us whether we gather for worship or live as Christ’s representatives in the world.
If the Spirit has been nudging you to some special calling, now is the time to acknowledge and “give in” to the Spirit.
Maybe there is someone that God has laid on your heart for a special purpose. Today is the day to follow His prompting.
Maybe back in January you made a “resolution” to spend more time in prayer, or reading the Bible, or to increase your giving, or to sing in the choir, or teach a class, or visit the sick or the imprisoned. Or perhaps yours was for a personal healing whether physical, spiritual, mental or financial.
Well, now is the time and this is the day to claim it. You are empowered. And the good news is … Whatever job we are called to perform in the Kingdomof God, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it.
Now, maybe you are sitting there thinking, “I don’t feel empowered.”
There are a couple of reasons we can feel that way.
  1. Maybe we haven’t made Jesus the Lord of our lives. If you haven’t yet made that commitment, NOW is the time.
Pray a simple prayer such as: “Father, I am a sinner. Forgive me. I believe in you. I believe your word is true I believe that Jesus is your Son. That He gave his life in exchange for my sins. I believe by your power He was raised from the dead and now sits with you in heaven. I give you my life from this moment on. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

2. Maybe we gave our lives to God but haven’t quite turned our will over to Him.
Perhaps we’re not doing the job he has empowered us to do.
I can relate to that. There are some of us who just need to be in control.
However, we need to get to the point where we can say, “Not my will but Yours, Lord.”
Otherwise we are trying to wear the crown that only he can wear. Sometimes we need to be reminded that God does not need us to be his advisors. He needs us to be His spokes persons, to shout like prophets He needs us to be His hands and His feet. He needs us to be about the job he has for us.
I used to pray, “Lord lead me.”
Now I pray, “Lord lead me, push me, pull me, put me to doing what is Your will for me.”
If you feel powerless, take a moment now and ask God to touch you and empower you for YOUR job in His kingdom, or to clearly show you what your job is to be.
Empowerment happens where the rubber meets the road.
Remember, this isn’t a club we’ve joined. It is a workforce.

©Thomas E Williams

Thursday, August 4, 2011

“Do not be afraid!”

Do Not Be Afraid
Hebrew Bible Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings; with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth wit it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
Gospel Reading: Luke 5:1-11
“Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on hem to hear the word of God, hew saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of boats, the belonging to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.“

“Do not be afraid!”

I learned, in our Wednesday morning Men’s Bible Study that “Do not be afraid!” is the most often repeated command in the Bible.

Do Not Be Afraid.

What would your reaction be if you found yourself in the physical presence of the Almighty God?

Awe? Reverence? Love? Fear?

I come from a hugging family, so I’d like to think that I’d hug him like a brother. However, I think I would be like Peter and drop to my knees! In fear with the realization of my sinfulness. I’d like to think that I’m a good man. I’d like to think that I’m a good Christian. However, standing in the presence of the Christ would HE be able to see the Christ in me?

Do not be afraid!

Suddenly, you realize your unworthiness to stand before the Lord God of creation.

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, God was always approached with a mixture of Fear and Love.

The temple priests worked on a rotating schedule when they entered the “Holy of Holies” or the most innermost section of the temple/tabernacle. This is where man went to commune with God. It was an honored position. It was also a frightening one. Much preparation was made before the priest went behind that last veil. The last thing the he did was tie a rope to his ankle. Once he was behind the curtain, other priests listen for the tinkling of the bells sewn to the hem of his garment. If the tinkling stopped for too long of a time, they would know he had been found unworthy and died. They then used the rope to pull him from behind the curtain.

Do not be afraid!

It isn’t really the holiness of God that is feared, it is our unholines.

In Isaiah chapter 6 he says, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

And again. In Luke chapter 5 Peter says, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Peter was still reacting to God in an Old Testament way.

God in the New Testament is revealed in a new way!

Christ Jesus was totally approachable. People reached out in crowds to touch and be touched. He rebuked his disciples when they tried to keep the children from coming to him.

Remember the story of the paralytic man who was lowered through the ceiling by his friends? In the gospel of Mark it is recorded that HE, Jesus was at home when this happened! That means that the roof that was torn off was of Jesus’ own home. Jesus didn’t react the way I would if someone destroyed my home. No. he said to the paralytic,” Son, your sins are forgiven.”

God who from the beginning has sought fellowship with mankind was separated by man’s sin. God in his perfection was fatal to sin. And thus man had to be kept at a fearful distance. God the incarnate, Jesus Christ, had taken on the flesh of a sin-free man so that he could once again enjoy that perfect fellowship he desired.

Do not be afraid! May be the most often issued command however I’m sure that the next most often command is “Go!” For no one comes into the presence of God and is not issued his marching orders.

From the beginning God has partnered with man to do His will.

Adam and Eve were told, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it”

Noah was told to build an ark and fill it with creatures to be saved.

Abram was told “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to land I will show you.”

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to bethel, and settle there.”

In Egypt, Joseph revealed to his brothers, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

Isaiah was told to deliver God’s words to His people.

God spoke to Joseph husband of Mary, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Peter, James, John & Andrew were called by Jesus to become fishers of men.

We have been saved by grace from our sins.

Our home eternal has been provided!

But we’re not just saved from sin, we are also saved for service.

Everyone!

There are people who love to quote all the promises that God has made in ages past. Promises of wealth, and health. One of the difficulties with this “religion of prosperity” is that these were promises made to specific people for specific purposes. And always the abundance was to be passed on as a blessing to others.

If God has blessed you with abundance in money, time, ability, etc. it is because he expects you to use it.

This is a very active church.

We participate in many outreach and community service programs like:

2 worship services each week.

Sunday School for all ages.

UP Kids Wednesday after school program.

Vacation Bible School in the park – open to everyone

United Methodist Women and all of their various programs

Camperships

Camping and Conservation Club

Computer Training

Job Search and Resume help

Weight Loss

Spanish Language GED Classes

Men’s bible study

Food Pantry

UMCOR

Emergency Food & Gas assistance

Mitten Tree

Family and Children’s Urban Ministry

Dog Show

Safe Harvest

Concert Series

Easter and Christmas programs

Work with Bidwell

And Redbird Mission

Volunteers In Missions

We’ve partnered with: United Way

Women at the Well

Voices to be heard support group

Gamblers anonymous

Other Union Park Churches

Other United Methodist Churches

These only begin to show the activities of this congregation

and there are even more things in the planning stages.

You are amazing! Give yourselves a hand!

Now … Give God a hand!

He needs workers!

The harvest is ready but the workers are few.

If you are not actively engaged in service to God and the church, I encourage you to do so.

We need prayer warriors,
inviters,
hand-shakers,
mentors,
carpenters,
electricians,
liturgists, ushers, greeters,
UP Kids workers,
cooks, cleaners,
readers, listeners,
marketers, artists,
painters, planners,
drivers,
planters, weeders, mowers,
flower arrangers, communion helpers,
carpet cleaners, window washers,
baby sitters, shut in visitors,
singers, musicians,
audio visual helpers,
envelope stuffers, general office workers
and the list goes on and on!

Do not be afraid!

Are you too old, too young, too sick, too healthy, too busy, too tired, too much time, too tall, too short, too thin, too fat, too hairy, too bald, too sinful, too holy?

Stand before God and give Him your best excuse! What would He say?

God has used righteous men and women, He’s used courageous men and women.

He’s also used murderers, liars, cowards, prostitutes, thieves and more.
There is no limit to what God can do in partnership with a willing heart!

God can use your inabilities as well as your abilities.

When you are asked to be of service, please say yes. If no one asks you, volunteer.

Here ends the lesson.

Amen

©Thomas E Williams 2019