It's Between You and God

Matthew 23

The death of singer Amy Winehouse was caused by alcohol.  That was the report this week.  She died several weeks ago, and finally the cause of death was announced. One of Amy Winehouse’s most catchy tunes is “Rehab,” in that song the chorus says “they try to make me go to rehab. I say, “No, no, no.” Which in light of her alcohol caused death was strangely prophetic.  Often times we do not do the thing we ought to do for our own good.  And often we do the things that we should not do.
When we come to the end of our days on this earth, you will enter the life you have made for yourself for all of eternity.    It will be between you and God.  It won’t matter what your church did.  It won’t matter what happened to you as a kid.  It won’t matter how you did in School.  It won’t matter that you were dealt a bad hand in life or that you were mistreated by those around you.  It won’t matter that more of your deeds in life were good rather than bad, or vice versa.  At the end of your days as in every day until then it is all just between you and God, and that is a good thing.  Because you cannot control what happens outside of your own actions.  In your life have you known God; have you served God and your neighbors; in your life have you had an active relationship with the living Lord Jesus?  I don’t know what kind of relationship Amy Winehouse had with God.  Even if I did know I wouldn’t presume to know what happened to her after death.  That is not for us to judge.  That is between her and God.
Jesus once said "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:21-23
No one would want that. No one would want to be rejected by their teacher much less rejected by the author of creation.  Rejection is painful.
But that will be a matter that is between you and God.
There was a time before I was a pastor when Diane (my wife) and I owned and operated a restaurant together.  The economy in the town we had our business took a major hit when the 2500 jobs were lost when one employer moved their operation out of the country.   Our business dropped off significantly, so much so we decided to open on Sunday afternoons.  We loved God, we understood the concept of keeping the Sabbath holy, but the world crept in.  We had bills to pay, including 20 plus people on the payroll.   We didn’t open until after noon so that we and our employees could still go to worship. It was a difficult decision and I am not saying it was the right one.  But that is what we did.  A few weeks into this new schedule a man from the church, whom I had great respect for said, “I see you are open on Sundays now.”  I said yes.  Before abruptly walking away he said with a bit of a sneer “Anything to make a buck, huh?”
I wanted to say “Hey! That’s between me and God!” but didn’t because I respected him.  His words hurt. I looked up to him as a spiritual man and now he made it clear that he disapproved of my decision.  He judged me with out knowing why.  I still loved God.  I still prayed to God and trusted Jesus for my salvation.  He didn’t ask me that.  In his mind, I broke God’s law.  And so he rejected me and there was a rift in our relationship.  Is that what God meant when he gave his commandments? Did he mean them to be a weapon by which we may attack each other?
Jesus in his wisdom tells us to not look to each other for ultimate affirmation, but rather look to Him.  And he tells us not to take for ourselves those roles of ultimate authority, “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.  And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.” Matthew 23:8-10.
Amy Winehouses’ song says, “I aint got the time.  My Daddy thinks I’m fine…I won’t go, go, go.” If her daddy thought she was fine, she should have been listening to her heavenly father.
Jesus was denouncing the religious leaders of the day. He was telling the crowd and his disciples that the Pharisees, who knew the law very well, make the law a burden to the people.  And they do nothing to help them.  Jesus called them out for using their position to benefit them, to gain favor and notoriety.  There is a pastor of a church out there telling his church to protest at soldiers’ funerals, causing further pain, suffering, and sorrow for people who are already in pain.  And they do it.  At the end of their life, each one will have to stand before God and answer for their actions.  If I ever tell you something that is contrary to eternal truths you are obligated to disregard it, because in the end it will be between you and God.
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  Not one of us is elevated above another. Jesus has made us “to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” Revelation 1:6.  It really is a challenge to keep the notion that it really is just between you and God.
We see people that are clearly mature Christians living in difficult times but with an ever-present peace that can come only by having that relationship with God.  We also see people who are living lives contrary to God’s law and we see misery and shallowness.  It would seem our responsibility to condemn, to wag our finger. But it’s not.  Our responsibility is to offer Christ.  To pass on God’s love that was first shown to us.  What others do with it is between God and them.  Jesus said “The greatest among you will be your servant.”  Greatness is measured by Jesus in terms of servanthood.  Think for a moment who demonstrates a servant’s heart in this congregation.  Who, without self-promotion, serves?  I am sure there are many names coming to mind right now.  The name that comes to my mind is Nancy Houk.  She serves this congregation far beyond her job title as church secretary.   Now I’m not about to judge her relationship with God.  But by the measure that Jesus set, I would say that Nancy is producing good fruit.
Jesus calls us to be great.  Jesus calls us to transcend our earthly teachers and live a life of excellence.  So how do we get there? How do we live a life of excellence?
We get there by doing as St. Paul teaches in Romans chapter 12, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.  Renew your mind. Make your mind new again.  Jesus said that we must have faith like that of children.  So don’t think of yourself as Rabbi, as teacher, or instructor.  Think instead of yourself as student, child, and disciple.  I could say we get there by being humble, but one cannot become humble by trying to be so.  Instead I say re-think your role in this life as a child of God.  Everyone you meet bears the image of God; honor the Spirit of God in each person.  Everyone you meet has something to teach.  What that is, is between them and God.  What you learn; what you take away from any encounter is between you and God.
So, how is it with you today on your journey through this life?  Have you missed a blessing or a lesson because you were too busy worrying about someone else’s journey.  May God open your heart and mind to what God is teaching you through your brothers and sisters.  Would you pray with me?

Sign of the Times

Workers putting up road work signs to prepare for the eventual construction of power generating wind turbines.

Crossing Over

Joshua lead the Israelites across the Jordan to the Promised Land. Okay these photos are no of the Jordan, they are of the Pere Marquette River.
Water has long been a symbol of both life an death. Crossing a body of water, even one as tame as the PM can be a dangerous affair. When one leaves the safety of dry land, on some level we face our mortality. To arrive safely on the other side is a taste of new life.
The Ark of the covenant, the very presence of God, saw them safely through the transition to their new life. Likewise, when we cross over to the next life, God will be there to see us safely across.

The Highest Authority

Matthew 22:34-46

We gather in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; The Risen One.

Jesus and the the father are of one substance, they cannot be separated. The Holy Spirit which comes from the Father and from Jesus is of that same substance. The relationship between the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy is spirit is what we Christians call God. And God is the audience of our worship today and every Sunday.

We gather in the name of the Lord Jesus, The one who died, defeated death and lives eternally at the Right hand of the father because it is through Jesus that God restores us. It is through Jesus that God saves us. It is through Jesus that God loves us and gives us a means by which we may love God in return.

Before Jesus offered his life for us, our broken human nature, our unholiness, kept us from approaching the Most Holy God. We are impure, while God is pure. We are corrupt, wile God is perfect.

We have been granted life by God. It is by his word what we came into existence. It is God's very spirit that is the breath of life in us.

If we are lucky, some of us will have about a hundred years to live this earthly life, for most of us that number will be less. And as the birthdays continue to march on, I come to an increasing realization that that is not a lot of time.

At the end of that time the hope that we all have and the promise That God gives is that we will continue to live. Not in this mortal body of flesh but in a spiritual body. A resurrected body. And we will live eternally. We have that promise when we give ourselves to God in a loving relationship.

God first loved us and is waiting for our love to return.

The Bible records Jesus once saying “If you love me you will keep my commandments (John 14:15).” If we love Jesus we will do what he says. If we love Jesus we will live as he commands us to live. IF WE LOVE HIM. If we don't then we won't.

If we don't love Jesus then our lives will look just like the lives of unbelievers. If we don't love Jesus then our fate will be the same as unbelievers.

Can we earn God's love? By no means. God loved while we were yet sinners and he gave his live for us. But God is asking for the love in return. You have been saved by His love. What are you going to do about that?

In the Gospel lesson today, we started with an expert in the law of Moses coming to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” and he said to him, “You shall love the lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” “this is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as as yourself.” On these two commandments depend the whole law and the Prophets.” From Jesus' mouth, we are to love God with everything we've got and he ties loving our neighbor right in with that!

We are Christians. We must assent to Jesus as the highest authority in our lives. We have only a brief amount of time on this earth to get it right.

Yet we fight for control. We lose our focus on God's priorities and follow our own. When we are violated in some way we seek our own justice rather than trust in God's. There is a group of us that meet in the back of the sanctuary every Sunday. Currently we are reading a book by Bishop Reuben Job called Three Simple Rules. The rules are: do no harm, do good and stay in love with God. Simple and yet as we have discovered and discussed these rules can be very difficult to carry out in every situation. When we are committed to these rules the whole of life is transformed. This week and the next we will be finishing up this profound little book, then we will be starting something new. It will be a book that will help us celebrate Christmas. We are starting it in November so that we have it finished by the beginning of Advent. I invite and I pray that most of you will be able to participate in this upcoming discussion about the baby Jesus who was God in the flesh and yet was born in humility.

It may seem like I am getting off track, advertising a study after church but it gets us back to the scripture for today. The Pharisees were probing Jesus with questions to test him. But then Jesus finds them and asks them a question that reveals where there heart is. He asks them what they think about the messiah and whose son is he?

They answer, “The son of David.” Which to the people of that time is a term for the Messiah the one that they were waiting for to come and make everything right again. They were expecting an earthly leader, a politician or a military leader to restore Israel to the way things were. They were thinking in earthly terms. But Jesus directs our attention to the Kingdom of Heaven. And he did this with those Pharisees that day. He asked this confusing follow up question, “if David then calls him 'Lord,' how his He his son?”

Jesus was saying that they were thinking in too narrow of terms. They were thinking of only the material world. The Christ, the anointed the Messiah is the son of God. Our gaze should not be downcast looking for someone to deliver us out of our earthly concerns our gaze should be upward to god looking for His guidance, seeking his will and live according to his commands.

It is just like the birth story of Jesus. One would think that the king of Kings would be born in a palace in a beautiful place to much jubilation. In reality all that earthly stuff would have been a distraction. Jesus was born in a stable amongst the animals, announced to the outcasts in an unheard of town in the middle of nowhere. Jesus whole earthly life seems to shake us from our attention from the earthly and direct it to the heavenly. We need to be reminded of this constantly because for now we live in both.

We talked a little last week about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. And we do have to live under earthly authorities. But everything that is done. Every decision that is made on our behalf should be steeped in the Love of God. We should first acknowledge Jesus as the highest authority in our lives. We should also hold accountable those who make decisions for us to that same standard.

So, how is it with you today? How are you loving your Loving God?

Would you pray with me?  

Repairing The Brokenness

Pictures of two brothers taken on the same day hundreds of miles apart. They have never met. One is my son the other, we are trying to adopt. Whenever I have a twinge of doubt the adoption I remember my love for my own siblings. I would be very upset if I found out that I had a sibling was kept from me. The fact that these kids were taken from their birth mother is proof that this is a broken world. When we have the opportunity to mend some of that brokenness it is our responsibility as disciples of the Living God to do so.
Being an adoptive parent has been the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I would not recommend it for every one.
Everyone, however is called for a purpose and a task at every stage and season of life.
What is God calling you to?
There is brokenness all around us and we quite often find it most readily in our own lives. Our own problems, our own shame can seem too much to handle at times. But when we give ourselves to God, the distinctions we make between ourselves and others begin to disappear. The distinction between your challenges and mine fade as well and I might just be able to help you with yours an you mine. While alone we may come to a point of stagnation in dealing with our own issues, but together as a community of God, real healing is possible.
You may not know what specifically God is calling you to do, but you can certainly open yourself to loving God more; You can open yourself to loving your neighbor with less restraint.
I don't know if that judge will let us have that little boy to raise and I will be deeply grieved if we can't, but what ever the outcome, I will continue to be in awe of the love that God has shown me.
It's nearly mid-night on Thursday night an my wife will be landing in Detroit soon. Can't wait to see her again.

God's Time

The liturgical colors help us mark the passage of the church seasons. Young Disciples Time, this week, will focus on using our time to honor God.
The picture is a model of the church year with a colored block representing each Sunday of the year.

Dual Citizenship

Dual Citizenship

Matthew 22:15-22

“Then the Pharisees went out and laid pans to trap him in is words. They sent their disciples to him...”

Have you ever had a plan and then get distracted? ' You ever set a goal just to have circumstances delay or de-rail you in your attempts to reach that goal? ' You ever try to live a good life based in eternal truths only to have folk with selfish or ill-intent come along make life hard? I think, probably, we all have. But after each set-back, after each insult, distraction, and disappointment we get back to the life we have been called to live. We get back to a faith filled life. We get back to living as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

I know that the Fremont football team is likely disappointed but they got to get back out there on Monday morning and get back to practicing football as if their world hasn't been shattered.

Truth is, life is full of opportunities for disappointment. Who could have predicted the things you have faced in your life? Who could have guessed what has happened in the past month? Thank God we have each other. Thank God we live in a place where we don't have to fear the government. Thank God we can gather and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank God that we aren't distracted by our own poverty and we can praise God and give God our full attention so that we may hear what we need to hear.

“They sent their disciples to him...” The Pharisees didn't come out to Jesus that day. Perhaps they got tired of Jesus parables; one after another, convicting them. So they sent their students, their learners instead to set a trap for Jesus.

You see once someone has figured you out. You'll know if you're welcome in their presence. If you desire only good for others and they know it, you will always be welcome and you may even become friends. If you always tell the truth, whether it is easy or difficult, people will learn to trust in what you say. If you live life in a way that is not harmful to others you will invite less hostility.

Jesus obviously had the Pharisees figured out. He knew their game and they knew it. He did what others dared not do. He spoke openly against them in areas where they were misguided or just plain wrong.

I don't know about you but it can be embarrassing to be publicly corrected. This summer I saw a posting on the internet about Pepsi putting the pledge of allegiance on their soda cans. The article said that they left out the words “under God” as to not offend atheists. The article was a complete fabrication and untrue but I believed it. I believed it because that sort of thing happens all the time. God is being taken out of all sorts of things. Or rather, I should say mention of God is being taken out. God is there whether we mention God or not.

God is there we believe in him or not.

God is there whether we follow him or not.

In one way God is like a vast ocean. Whether we believe in that ocean, or talk about it or listen to it or not one thing is true, if we step into that ocean we will get wet.

So the article said that Pepsi was taking the words “under God” out of the printing of the pledge of allegiance in their soda cans. I was infuriated. The posting suggested that we boycott Pepsi. I don't drink much soda, so that would be no big task for me. But did do something that I rarely do. I copied that post and I RE-POSTED. I felt like I was taking a stand!

Until a couple hours later when my older sister in fine older-sister fashion informed me, on-line, publicly that it was a hoax. My first reaction was to be angry with my sister for embarrassing me like that. But really I was just embarrassing myself. And I took down the post.

Jesus continually challenged and corrected the Pharisees in public. The Pharisees, the religious authority of the day, he embarrassed them. Or rather, he was pointing out to them that they were embarrassing themselves. They may have had enough of the humiliation so they sent their disciples. And they buttered him up before they laid out their carefully worded verbal trap. “We know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed my men, because you pay not attention to who they are (You don't pay enough respect to our teachers).

Then the trap, “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus, who came into this world in the most humble of ways, born to an unwed teenager in a barn, came to show the world the love of God. He himself is God in human form. He came to teach, to heal, to set the oppressed free, but ultimately Jesus came to give his life so that all who believe in him will have eternal life.

Jesus mind was set on the highest of goals. Jesus intent was the salvation of the world. Jesus love for humanity is boundless. He was willing to give every thing so that even the least of us could have life and have it in abundance.

They sent their disciples to him...” asking a scheming question about taxes as to be able to discredit and embarrass Jesus. But Jesus would NOT be dissuaded. Jesus would NOT be derailed. His high motives would not be brought low.

They sent their disciples to him...” but that didn't mask their intentions. A good disciple represents their masters teaching as closely as possible. The disciple is an extension of the teacher. Jesus was not to be fooled.

He said to them “you hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” “Whose portrait is this? A whose inscription?”

“Caesar's,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “give to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God's.”

Their question was never about paying tax. It was about chopping Jesus off at the knees. They wanted to discredit him in some way so that he would go away. But he wouldn't go away. He didn't go away. They had him killed and the grave wouldn't even keep him away. Jesus is the eternal Lord and the is here whether you know it or not. Whether you believe it or not. And whether you like it or not.

You see the Pharisees knew that they were living in a world where they had to deal with dual citizenship. They were under the authority of the Roman Empire in their earthly life and they were the people of God bound to His law. And they found difficulty in managing the two. They assumed that Jesus would have the same difficulty. Instead Jesus lays down a principle for that we can use to guide our lives. “Give to Caesar, (the government, our earthly responsibilities) what is Caesars.” Meet your responsibilities do what you have to do. But make sure you give to God what is God's. What is God's? Where do you draw the line between what is Caesars and what is God's. It would be an interesting exercise to go about your day inventorying everything that you give to Caesar and what you give to God.

They sent their disciples to him...”

Jesus too is sending his disciples. He is sending us. When we go out into the world we go representing our Lord, our teacher to the best of our abilities. We try to live and to teach as accurately as we can be to duplicate what Jesus taught.

So how is it with you today on your journey with Jesus? Do the people around you know Jesus and his teaching better because of your life?

Would you pray with me?

Special seating for our valued youth

The former choir loft has been repurposed for our "Young Disciples."
This a space in the sanctuary where they can build relationships with their peers as the worship our God.
It also sends them a clear message that they are valued and wanted.
The congregation at St.Paul UMC has the added blessing of seeing and nurturing the next generation of Christian leaders.

The "76th" cross.

The 76th Cross

The seventy sixth cross.

Okay, so I had the young disciples try to count all of the crosses in the sanctuary. What number did you come up with?

Not counting the crosses you all are wearing for jewelry, I count seventy five crosses.

One behind the table,

one one the pulpit, baptismal font and the lectern.

One on the flag. And two in the back of the sanctuary, one on hook-rug and one on the banner.

You with me so far?

How about two on each pew. There are a couple of pews put together so you cant see four of the crosses over there in the “young disciples area”

by my count that brings us to 75 crosses in this sanctuary.

But there is at least one more cross. I didn't notice it until our sister Bev. Saxton pointed it out to me.

If you all look at the back of your worship bulletins to day you will see a copy of a rubbing I did of the “76th” cross. I took this rubbing from the top of the Chancel cross where a natural crack occurred and made that cross.

When Bev pointed that out to me, I thought that was pretty cool. Thank you Beverly. We are all blessed to know that that cross is there.

In my conversation with the Young Disciples we talked about waiting. Particularly about the Israelites waiting for Moses to come down off the mountain. We talked about how they failed in their waiting by doing the very thing that God commanded Moses to tell the Israelite not to do. They made a false idol to worship rather than wait patiently for the One True God. Rather than worshiping the God of all creation they chose to bow down and make and altar to an object made by human hands. They were waiting and found it impossible to wait any longer.

You know we are waiting too. We are waiting for the Risen Lord Jesus Christ to return. Jesus came to offer salvation, to extend the invitation to everyone. Jesus will return and will judge the world.

2 Timothy chapter 4 says, “I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your path. Challenge, warn and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple. You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food-catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages.”*

The Israelites were waiting for Moses to come down off that mountain. And they failed. We have been waiting for Jesus to come again for about two thousand years.

Two thousand years ago the King sent out a message. “I'm goin' ta have a party” every body is invited and everybody is welcome. The invited people. The people that “deserved” to be there didn't come. And so the King decided to fill his party with whomever would want to be there. Every body is invited to the party. Scripture says, Jesus says both the good and the bad are invited.

Both the good and the bad. That's pretty wide scope. I was looking and Jesus doesn't go into any more detail about how to get an invitation to the party. Apparently the two requirements to get in are that you have to 1. Good or bad and 2. You have to be willing to come.

So every one of us meet the requirements. We are all either good or bad. And by our presence in worship this morning we demonstrate that we want to be at the party. But then there is the problem of the rest of the story that Jesus told that day. Jesus said “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend,how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' for many are called, but few are chosen.” **

I have to tell you as a preacher verses like this cause me some distress. Jesus just got done saying that everybody is welcome. You don't even have to be a good person to get in and you get an invitation. But this poor guy doesn't have the right robe and he gets tied up and tossed out?

Its all about preparing yourself.

Its about how you dress yourself spiritually. The king has invited us to a banquet in honor of his son. And we know the King is God. We know the Son is Jesus. We know the banquet is the Kingdom of heaven where God's will is done, both on earth as it is in Heaven.

Even though God has invited everybody to the party there are those who make light of it and don't come, in stead they go and do other things.

And so we, the good and the bad have been invited. We come in our good church cloths and our nice crosses around our necks. But let me remind you of the “76th” cross. Its in this big cross in front of the church. It wasn't intended to be there. It happened when this old piece of wood cracked. That's why I love it. All the other crosses are made of smooth varnished wood. Or nice pieces of fabric. This one is kind of ugly. It's not perfect. But when I look at it I'm reminded of God.

I'm reminded of God because it is in the shape of a cross the symbol we Christians use. But because it is right there in the middle of what we would call an imperfection, to me, speaks volumes. Some of us may appear to be refined and varnished but we are all broken and cracked in some way just like this old cross.

Under the strain of this human life some of us have gotten worn out, cracked and even broken. But that does not mean that we are unfit to be at the banquet. The party that God is thowin' is open to you.

But what if we don't have the right robe like that guy that got tossed out?

The Robe is supplied. The robe required is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring life. He said we just have to believe that he is the Son of God and have faith in him as our savior.

To dress ourselves spiritually in a way that is pleasing to God is to know and trust the Son. You see it's all about love. God first loved us. That's the point of Jesus sacrifice in the first place. God wants our love. It doesn't matter if we are good or bad by human standards the only standard that matters is the one that God sets. And Gods only requirement is that you know and love Jesus.

So how is it with you today? Are you spirituality dressed? Did you come to love and honor our Lord Jesus?

Would you Pray with me?

* from The Message numbered edition. 2002 by NavPress. Eugene Peterson

** From the NRSV Wesley Study Bible 2009 Abingdon Press Nashville.

World Communion Sunday

Matthew 21:33-45

Today is World Communion Sunday. Today, the first Sunday of October, all over the world, people like you and me are intentionally participating in the Sacrament of Holy Communion with a special emphasis on the world wide community of believers.

We don't know them yet but our brothers and sisters in those few house churches in Cameroon are sharing communion with us today. Our new friends Nkemba and Mbwizu are working hard to share the good news about Jesus Christ in that country and their efforts are producing fruit for God. A couple dozen house churches scattered over many miles on a continent on the other side of the planet will celebrate Christ's presence among us. They will be empowered by the Holy spirit to build the church. They will be one more stone in the building of God's holy church, of which the cornerstone is Jesus himself.

As the family of god grows and produces fruit, the more our earthly home will look like our heavenly home. The church is a shadow of what our heavenly home will look like. Our worship is a shadow of what life will be like in heaven.

I'll let that sink in for a moment...Our worship is a shadow of what life will be like in heaven. For an hour on Sunday we are mimicking, duplicating, and participating in the worship that is happening continually in the Kingdom of Heaven. We sing, along with the angels Holy, Holy, Holy. The prayers we lift are joined with the prayers we lifted last week and they are joined with the prayers of all people from all places and from all times.

Through our worship and our service. Through our prayers and gifts and our presence we are building God's holy church we are building a home. The reason we do this is because of Gods ever present love that calls to each of us and puts in us a desire to be present with God in our true home, which is the realized kingdom of heaven.

Sometimes we get glimpses and hints of this heavenly home. Sometimes we get get confirmation that what we are doing is right on target. But sometimes we don't see what is right in front of us. Sometimes we don't see the truth as it is: instead we stick with our own notion often until we get new information that forces us to change our mind. Our Life as the body of Christ, the things we do as faithful followers of Jesus should open our eyes to see the Risen Christ among us and see where the kingdom of heaven is breaking through.

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Is there any one among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone; or if you rchild asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?

Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

God, our heavenly parent, loves you more than you can possibly comprehend.

Jesus once said, “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh and very truly , I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

Of course we think of taking communion in relationship to this passage but when Jesus said this he hadn't yet shared that passover meal with his disciples in that upper room. But it shows that he knew that his earthly body would be given. He knew that he would experience death. But he came to give life. In Jewish dietary law for meat to be kosher, among other requirements, the blood must be completely drained from the animal. The blood is powerful, the blood is the life of the animal. Jesus says you must eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood,” he is offering us his life. His life will be our life.

Jesus self sacrifice was intentional. Jesus who was God in human form knew what he was going to do in order that we could have eternal, abundant life in his name. And so he explained it to the religious folk of that time.

He was talking to the chief priests and the elders, and he told them the parable of the tenants.

The landowner is God. Who revealed himself to the Hebrews and made them his chosen people.

The series of servants are the prophets of God who were often mistreated or killed.

And in the story that Jesus is telling, the son who gets killed is Jesus himself.

Jesus knows what is coming. Jesus knows that his purpose is larger, much larger than his earthly life.

He was born to a Jewish family but his message was much larger than one religion.

He lived in the middle east two thousand years ago but his truth is timeless.

This is World Communion Sunday. A day we celebrate with Christians all around the world. Its about finding life in God through Jesus.

The message started with the smallest of people groups but it was intended for all the peoples of the world.

The Jews have the Torah. Great! Now receive Jesus who is the fulfillment of the law.

The Buddhists have the 4 noble truths and the 8 fold path. Wonderful! Now get to know the one who is the way and the truth and the life, Jesus.

The Muslims have the 5 pillars. Super! Now submit to Jesus who is God in human form.

Jesus came for all people. Jesus is the ultimate in inclusiveness. Jesus will accept all who come to him and trust him for their salvation.

This is World Communion Sunday. We have a message for the whole world. The good news about the Lord Jesus Christ.

So how is it with you today? Can this one family of God be a glimpse of the kingdom to come. Can you build on the cornerstone that was laid 2000 years ago!