GOD PROTECTS US

GOD PROTECTS US
FROM EVIL – when we pray and listen. God has a vision of our broken creation being restored, returned to wholeness, and devoid of evil, of selfishness. God wants all of us to be a part of that plan to restore God’s creation. But it requires something of us to accomplish the plan. The most important thing is our willingness to listen to God, and then respond. God wants to eradicate evil, but we must help. God will give us the strength to help, but we must want to help. God will take away the obstacles, but we must want to be free of them. It is the choice between love and fear. When we fear, our world becomes smaller, and we stop considering anyone but ourselves. There is not even room for God when we are filled up with fear.

By contrast, when we choose love, our world expands to include others, and our fear goes away. Our choice of love is a choice for God because God is love. 1 John 4   “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.  18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  19 We love because he first loved us.”  The power of love is like the power of God, the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing will stop God’s love. When we love and channel the power of God, great things will be accomplished. This is the vision of God. Love has strength, perseverance, and understanding inherent in it. It has no room for fear, and instead gives courage and hope. We are charged to let God cast out evil and replace it with good. This is the work of God, that we are a part of, partners with the Holy Spirit.  God of vision and love, help us see the vision of the world your transforming love will bring into being. Make us a partner with you in this vision becoming a reality. Bless all our lives with forgiving love, and the power to transform the world, working with you.  Amen.     PEACE

GOD IS STILL SPEAKING

GOD IS STILL SPEAKING
JUST AS GOD HAS SPOKEN IN AGES PAST – and the message remains one of love, strength and challenge. Today I share another of my husband’s hymns, a reminder of how and what God says to us, and that still speaks to us today, as the UCC General Synod in Baltimore begins tomorrow. The details may be different, but the call is the same, the work of God’s loving redemption of the world and its people, God’s people is still in need of being answered and using what God provides – respond to human need. God is still calling us to act in love and justice working with God.

God Spoke in Ages Past

[Crown Him with Many Crowns] or [This is my Father’s World

1. God spoke in ages past To call forth and create

A universe that is diverse, A world both good and great.

God spoke in ages past To seek and to redeem;

And those who heard God’s holy Word have shared and served God’s dream.

2.  God’s Word has come to us In story and in song;

A company of people free, To God we now belong.

God’s Word has come to us Through scripture, font, and meal,

That we may know and tell and show God’s work all ills to heal.

3. God spoke in ages past And God is speaking still;

By day ‘n night more truth ‘n light break forth to show God’s will.

Yes, God is speaking still To promise and to call;

In covenant we’re called and sent To speak to one and all.

4. Go now and speak God’s Word, Proclaim God’s message true;

Let all be told, both young ‘n old, That God makes all things new.

Go now and speak God’s Word, Proclaim to all the earth;

By word ‘n deed meet human need, Show forth the gospel’s worth.

Based on the theme “God Is Still Speaking” for the 24th General Synod, United Church of Christ, 2003. Copyright ©) 2002  by Robert A. Lewis.  All rights reserved.  However, permission is hereby granted for this hymn to be copied for use in worship services or in other church gatherings provided that the following credit line is used: “Reprinted with permission. Copyright ©) 2002 by Robert A. Lewis.”

God of the past, we know you are still speaking to us, guiding us in all that you call us to do, to reclaim creation. Help us listen for your call, and show us how to overcome fear, using the tools you so generously give us, to accomplish what you are asking us to do. We thank you for the opportunity to be involved in this great work of redemption and reconciliation. Amen.    PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE – Part 3

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE – Part 3

[from a sermon used on Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

One way we might begin our process of recognizing God’s grace is to hear about God’s grace, and then to begin to look for the effects of God’s love in our lives and in the world around us. We have to know something is possible before we can begin to see the world in a different light. As we begin to allow God to show us the love at work around us and at a distance, we begin to see more of God’s work in people, and our vision is expanded to recognize more of God’s grace. Our awareness is enhanced just like when we get a different car, and suddenly we start noticing all the other cars on the road that are similar to ours. We will have a new vision of what God’s love looks like when it is in others.

Our hearts will expand, and the grace already within us will increase the love and mercy we will be able to show to others. Gradually, we will grow in our capacity to let God’s unconditional love flow through us, and God’s light will shine as a beacon to all in need of grace. All those things that Jesus has shown us to do become possible in the strength the Holy Spirit gives us through grace. We cannot do any of it in our own strength or will. We may decide to let God work in us, as we grow and mature in our relationship with God, but we only actually accomplish what we are asked to do in the power of loving grace. In our human state, we may say to ourselves “I don’t know what to do to help”, but as we hear in Hebrews 4:16,  ”Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  The grace of God already within us acts to give us the confidence to open ourselves so we can find God’s grace and mercy at work in us, and use it in response to need. Suddenly our minds and hands will work to help in the ways God calls us to help. This is how we operate on faith, because grace in within us showing us what we can do, and then will guide our hands in doing it. God will even help our ego get out of the way.

We have all heard stories of people acting in saving ways in times of disaster or catastrophe. They often don’t remember what they did when it is all over. At the time of great need, they simply responded and were guided by something both within and outside themselves. They put themselves aside and helped. This is one way grace is at work. At other times, we may just serve as a quiet loving presence, without doing much else. In God’s great plan, we are called to receive grace, and also be instruments of God’s grace.

One of the simplest ways is to acknowledge that God created us to be a conductor of the light. Remember the children’s song, “Let Your Little Light Shine”? God has made every one of us to “be a star”, so that we can shine the light that comes from God, out into the world. This light is not to be hidden. So the easiest way I know to begin being a star is to smile. We can start by smiling at everyone we know. Then see how that goes. I am sure God will help us do this if we ask. God will then give us the confidence to smile at those we don’t know. It isn’t really any harder, except that we think it will be. Not everyone will return your smile, but the key is in the blessing we may pass on to those who are in need of the light that comes through our smile. We are projecting God’s love, in a world where so many people are in need of it. Consider how we can pass on the love and light God has put in us, so that others may come to know the light that is within them.

As I was writing this, I was given this image to help in our understanding. Picture all of us in a very long line, a line so long that we cannot see over the rise to the house on fire at the end of the line. Buckets of water are coming by us, and we are asked to pass them on. We also have a cup of water in one hand. As each bucket goes by, some water is sloshing out over the top, and we pour our cup of water into the bucket to fill it back up. As the next bucket comes by, we continue to pour our cup of water into the bucket. As we stand there for hours, we find we are tired, but our strength is renewed to keep passing the buckets, and pouring water from our cup, that is always full.

May we pray: Gracious loving God, we are grateful for the way you work within us, making us a part of your work of grace, and giving us the strength and resources we need that will always keep our cup full. Help us be a star, shining the light of love and grace, so that others may see it and be awakened to their blessings and the light that is within them. In the name of your precious son, who continues to fill our cup, we pray this.    Amen.       PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE – Part 2

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE – Part 2

[from a sermon used on Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

We can think of grace as the force of God’s unconditional love on the world, and everything in it. Grace is the means by which the Holy Spirit acts in our lives. As we begin to open our hearts to God, we will gradually notice the little things God is putting in our path, seasoning our lives to help us feel the love. Someone else may be prompted to say a word of encouragement, and that will cause us to react in a different and more loving way to others we encounter during the rest of our day. Or the sight of a puppy may ignite the love in us, and help us feel differently than we had been feeling. Every time we acknowledge God’s love in us, it has the potential to change us for the better. Then this has a domino effect. Every time we pass on the light of God’s love, it has an important impact on every other person or situation we meet.

This is because love is not just a feeling, love is energy. It transfers to others, and causes positive change. Love is powerful. God has created it that way. It shows its power in how it moves. When we show love to others, it transfers to them, and then is added to by that next person, or it just rests with them until they choose to welcome it, then add to it and pass it on to others. It is in the act of welcoming it, the energy, the love from God, that God’s grace increases the love, not in our power, but the power that grace puts in each of us because we are made by God to function like that. It is then grace that is behind the love increasing as it passes through us and into others.

Prayer is the best example of this. Prayer is not just thoughts sent out to God, for the support of ourselves or others in need. Prayer is energy and has the power of God’s grace within it. Prayer goes beyond thought when we have the intention of giving the power of grace pouring through us, to send love on its way to those we want to help. Even when we don’t know all this, God’s powerful grace sends the energy of prayer where it is needed. Prayer may send love, comfort, healing or change. But prayer exerts its power on those of us praying as well. It is the grace within us that helps us grow, as we pray. Our capacity to think in loving and merciful ways increases, not because we are good, but because of God’s love growing in us. Prayer helps open us to God and the life-changing effects of the unconditional love that is grace.

The world teaches us to only trust what can be seen, but to love God asks us to trust that God has created wonders we can’t see. We can feel them though. It depends on how much we are willing to allow God to show us these experiences. For instance, we can feel energy every time we get zapped by static electricity. We can also feel the energy in our bodies very easily. If you would like to feel it, put your hands out in front of you and squeeze your hands into fists 6 or 8 times and release, then bring your hands almost together in front of you. You should feel a slight tingling or maybe a pulsing, but you will feel there is something there. This isn’t a trick, but the energy in our bodies, amplified so we can feel it. Now consider that whenever we shake hands or touch someone we are sharing our energy and transferring it. It is subtle and we are not attuned to noticing the subtle effect it has, but studies have shown it can have healing power, when used in certain ways. One study said that if we gently apply touch between the shoulders, or move our hand across the back from one shoulder to the other and back again, it relieves sadness or grief. In observing people for many years, I have noticed that many people instinctively do this at funerals. Even placing your arm around someone’s shoulder is very comforting, because it is transferring loving energy, and connecting us to the source which is God’s love.      PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE
[from a sermon used yesterday, Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

How many of us like the Old Testament? I find much of it frustrating to read because it is from a time in the history of God’s people, before God fully revealed the plan for grace. The parts of the old testament that speak to me are those reassuring, loving and prophetic passages that begin to show us the grace that God finally revealed in Jesus and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

It is good for us to know the history of God’s children long ago, but more importantly, it is vital that we see how God’s faithfulness kept them going through the hope and promise for their future. In the passage from Jeremiah 29, we hear about God’s plan, filled with hope and promises. God says to the people in exile – “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  We know from history that not all remained faithful to the hope and promise God gave them.

Then we come to the New Testament and the beginning of the gospel of John, and see a foreshadow of what would happen when we are told that the Jews, Jesus’ own people did not accept him. He did not fit the heroic image that legend had built, over the centuries of their persecution. However, God was faithful to the promise and plan God had told them about. So this is what is recorded in John’s gospel:

12 . . . to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of humankind, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

We believers think of Jesus and the redemption he has made available to us all as the greatest gifts from God. So it follows that grace is the product of that unfailing love. I had a loving aunt named Grace. I don’t know if my grandparents considered the meaning of that word when she was named, but she lived out the essence of her name in her life with others. She had the practice of making several different kinds of cookies every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were not only delicious, but beautifully crafted, a feast for the eyes. She was known far and wide for her cookies, and used them in her gracious hospitality at her church, and to all who crossed her threshold well into the New Year, every year of her long adult life. Her cookies and her smile communicated God’s forgiving love to all. She passed on her faith in practice to both her daughters, as they found their own ways to serve God, and live out their mother’s faithfulness. One worked much of her life in food ministry and the other will be honored by her community in the 4th of July parade for her years as a volunteer EMT and for helping to establish their local ambulance corp many years ago. In 2 Timothy 1, we are reminded of grace as a legacy. So Paul writes to Timothy: “ 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”. . . “9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. God did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was God’s plan from before the beginning of time—to show us this grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.”

One way of knowing God’s grace is in our experience with others. It is because of grace that we know the joy of a baby’s laugh, or a friend’s kind words when we are in need. Another way we know grace is through creation, with all its joy and wonder. When we are in awe of beautiful spring flowers and the glory it brings to our surroundings, it is because of how God has created us, that we are given the opportunity to know the blessings God has placed in our path. God has put in us a capacity to be blessed and to know that we are blessed because of God. It is then our own choice to open to God, and see those blessings around us. They are subtle and small many times, and obvious and in our face at other times. God has given us so much, and God wants us to feel blessed and loved. It is our choice to know that love, and give God thanks for what grace brings us.

A LOVING PARTNERSHIP

A LOVING PARTNERSHIP
IS THE FRUIT WE PRODUCE – from our relationship with God. Each time we make the choice to allow God to work in us, we become the fruit God is growing. The pictures we see painted in John 15 show us how this works. As each new day comes, we can choose to follow what Jesus says:  “4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”   How can we do this though? It seems like it is awfully difficult to do. But when we start to let go of the fear of what will happen, and stop worrying about how it could happen, we can begin to allow God to work in us. It is in this process that the words from the previous verse will help.  “ 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.”  So it looks like there should be nothing to stand in our way – except ourselves and whatever walls we put up to block what the love of God would like to do within us.

Our culture pumps negative attitudes at us all day long. And the institutional church over centuries has sent us the wrong message – that we must do the work of getting rid of our sin, meaning everything we have ever done wrong – before we can come before God, and have any hope of receiving God’s love. John 15 shows us that this is wrong. We are all able to receive God’s love because God wills it. The Bible is full of stories of how people have made a mess of living their lives, and God still loves them. The negative stories distract us from what God does in each of us. In John 14 Jesus describes the process.  25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”  So when we begin each day with the prayer “Dear God, open me to your love and help me live in your love today,” we are allowing God into our whole lives, to do the work of transforming us into who we were created to be – a loving person. When we begin to live in this way, we have started down a new path God reveals to us. We will be reminded of the lessons of love God showed us in Jesus, and how they can help us make better choices for living out God’s love in our own lives. The Holy Spirit will show us ways of living our lives in a more loving and compassionate way, and we will be motivated to continue on this path, by the reactions we get from the love we give to others.   Loving God, we are grateful for the lessons of love and forgiveness Jesus has shown us, and the continuing lessons of love we learn from the Holy Spirit, so that we may bear the fruit of love, and become signs of a life with you. Help us be a light to others because your love shines so brightly, and a compassionate presence because your love is so strong. Help us to allow this work of love within us every day. In Jesus name, who showed us this way.  Amen.     PEACE

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EVER-PRESENT

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EVER-PRESENT
AND A POWERFUL REALITY –  within us, witnessing to the truth of God. We can know the Father, creator of the universe, and see the majority of what was created. We can come to know Jesus from earthly accounts of his time on the earth, from those who testified about him, and the impact he made on humankind. It is perhaps the most difficult to know the Holy Spirit. We must be open to how the Spirit communicates with us, to learn what is of the Spirit, and what is evil. Evil always attempts to disguise itself, and try to fool us. But we see the Holy Spirit clearly reflected in the Father and the Son. In creation,  “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” [Gen 1: 2] Later in Genesis 15,  “the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”  We learn here, that the Spirit communicates sometimes through visions. In the story of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37,  “The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; … 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”  When breath entered, so did the Spirit.

There are many examples like this, too numerous to site here. There were many instances of Jesus teaching about the Holy Spirit, to help us understand the Spirit’s presence within us, and how to recognize the way it speaks to us. Jesus assured us that it is present and working within us, and that a day would come when it would be fully active in the world, that had been prepared for it. The Holy Spirit, as part of the Trinity, God known to us in three ways, is called upon in Baptism, and witnessed to in the early church’s statement in 381 AD, know as the Nicene Creed:   “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets”.     Whenever we pray, we claim the Spirit, to connect us to God as a whole, relying on all the powers of mediation the Spirit extends to us, to be our advocate before the Lord. John 14 explains this role:  “26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” This one verse pulls together the whole Trinity for our understanding. But we are also told that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us, and remind us of all we need to know to do what God has for each of us to accomplish, what kind of fruit we need to bear. Through the Holy Spirit and taking us past what we know from the Bible, God is still speaking to us. God calls us to walk each day knowing that we each have a life’s work, a value from God to share with others.  Lord, in all the ways you communicate with us, may we lay our lives before you as an offering, to be molded into an instrument for your love. Help us hear your voice, and see the path you call us to follow, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we pray.  Amen.    PEACE

THE HOLY SPIRIT CLAIMS US

THE HOLY SPIRIT CLAIMS US
AND LIVES IN US – giving us new life from within. From within, the prophets of the Old Testament were called to speak to God’s people. Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit in her. The Holy Spirit was there before and during creation, and through the ages, has been part of the plan. From within and without,   “13 we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body”,   as we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 12. It is the backbone of our connection to our creator, that the Spirit inhabits us. Our soul marks us as a child of God, not as something created and forgotten. The Holy Spirit is the first and last thing we know, on a visceral level. Jesus teaches us the framework of how the Spirit works with the Son. As we heard yesterday,  “15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  17 This is my command: Love each other.” He then makes the connection from himself to the Holy Spirit,  “26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.  27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” Jesus tells us what the partnership is like, and then he completes the circle with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is the one who moves us from flawed human beings, unable to do much, to a creature filled with the love, mercy and grace that gives the fruit we are called to bear. We can do nothing without the power of the Spirit, God within us. It is by the Holy Spirit that we grow in wisdom and strength, and are able to serve God more than we could dream possible.  Holy Spirit, you are our comforter and guide, an abiding presence within us always. We give thanks that you lead us where we need to be, to fulfill God’s plan for us. Give us the ears to hear what you are saying, and the open hearts to pass on your love, and to see it in others.  Amen.     PEACE

GOD REVEALS THE TRINITY

GOD REVEALS THE TRINITY
TO US, AS A PART – of the covenantal relationship God offers us. The more we study the Bible, the more God shows how the puzzle fits together, in the narrative and drama of God’s working out the covenant with God’s people, begun so long ago. It is not just part of history though. It involves us, and the invitation we each have, to become part of the work God is accomplishing through God’s people. When we read only small passages in the Bible, as most of us do, it is difficult to see the whole picture of God’s plan. The many ways God has reached out is expressed in all the covenants with God’s people. Understanding the nature of how God acts, as revealed in the Trinity, helps us understand the framework and motivation God had in reaching out to us, and wanting a relationship with each of us, individually and as a people of creation. Jesus, in his work of reconciling the world with himself, tells us in John 15 about the relationship he seeks to build with us, which includes the Father.  1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” … 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  12  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  13  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.  15  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”  The true nature of the relationship with the Father and the Son is spelled out, for our understanding. The New Covenant from Jeremiah 31 is spelled out in detail, as it is more fully revealed through the nature of the Father and the Son, and their relationship with each other. Just as God has declared a covenant many times before, now Jesus reaches out to all of us, with this beautiful invitation to become part of the life of the Father and the Son.  Creator and Redeemer, we thank you for this great love you offer us. Give us the will to accept this gift, and help us to pass it on to everyone we encounter.    Amen.        PEACE

THE TRINITY

THE TRINITY
IS THE COVENANT FULFILLED – to fully reveal who God is. Through the ages, God has made promises. First in creation itself, then to Noah, Abraham, Moses and David, God is revealed, and some would even say that God grew in compassion, love and mercy. Certainly, the nature of the relationship grew, as humans knew more, and understood more about God, and the grace and love God offers without judgment. In Jeremiah 31 God declares:  “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”  After a long discourse in chapter 30, there is this reassuring statement that even though the people of Israel had failed to keep the covenant with God, they were not abandoned in Babylon. Even though they had ignored what they should be as a people of God, the relationship was not broken, because God would not abandon them. We see in this, not only the great love of God their creator, but the intention to redeem them, and reestablish their working relationship.  ‘31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.  32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.’

The Lord’s work reclaimed and added to the people of God, with the life and ministry of the Son, Jesus. In Matthew 9 Jesus says,  “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”   Along with the voice of John the Baptist, Jesus called sinners to repent, and ask forgiveness. Jesus continues to build on the understanding of sacrifice and redemption in chapter 10, “whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”  There is much more in understanding about the covenant with God, and understanding how God is revealed in the 3 persons of the Trinity.  Stay tuned.   God, our creator, redeemer and comforter, we thank you for patience as we seek to understand more of your nature. We ask that we may be motivated to understand how your covenant with your people, through the ages, impacts our lives, and has the power to renew us, for the good you call us to do, in your name.    Amen.        PEACE