A Thirsty World

Mark 9:38-41

Truly serving God is demonstrated by living a life of love.

This morning the rain came down and gave our garden a cool drink of much needed water. Water is such a common thing.  Water is hardly given a second thought when it comes to beverages.  it's usually something we 'settle for', until you really need it that is. On Friday, Diane, Alex and I went out to run some errands and at one point we noticed just how thirsty we were. It was such a dominating feeling, I could hardly think of anything other than finding something to drink. The way the day went, the schedule of things to do were such that we hadn't had something to drink in several hours. Its a strange thing to have a need like thirst suddenly creep up on you when you have the means to satisfy that need readily available. We stopped off at a grocery store and bought some beverages and off we went. It was that easy.

You would think with the number of churches around the country and the religious diversity in our country that it would be easy for someone to satisfy their need for community and spiritual refreshment as well.

There are those in the family of God, those who have faith in Jesus Christ that feel alienated from the body of Christ. This alienation happens in a lot of different ways. But if we are truly living out our call to be God's people in Jesus Christ, there will be no one who called on the name of Jesus who will go unchanged and none will be left out.

A few years ago, when I was a restaurant owner who wanted to be a pastor, I had an employee that invited me to her church. Actually she invited my kids to come and take part in her church's week long Vacation Bible School. My kids loved going to Vacation Bible School. At VBS you get to sing, hear stories, play games, eat snacks and make crafts all while learning about how much God loves each one of us. So yeah, I sent my two children to this church that we were invited to to have some fun. It wasn't the first day, but it was definitely either the second or third day of VBS that I was introduced to the pastor of the church. He was very nice. He welcomed me with a smile and said how happy he was that I was there and even thanked me for letting my kids come to their VBS. He asked me what I did, you know, what I do for a living. So I told him. I also told him that I was going to school and I would one day go into pastoral ministry. “Oh?” he said, sounding very interested, “what denomination?” I told him that I was a United Methodist. With that he turned around and walked away and said not another word to me...ever.

You see, we United Methodists have a reputation for being too liberal. That is what you would have found out if you would have asked that pastor what his problem with me was. On the other hand a large segment of faithful Methodists and others feel that our denomination is too conservative. The thing is that we are a Big Tent kind of people. We try to draw the biggest circle that includes the most people possible. If you are are ultra conservative or ultra liberal there is room for you in the United Methodist Church. That may be our strength or it may be our weakness. That pastor that walked away from me had a very small circle of people that he felt were good enough, holy enough, Christian enough to associate with. He did not offer me the drink of water that so craved. Jesus says to make the circle bigger!

The followers of Jesus wanted to point out to Jesus that there were some people working miracles in Jesus name and they weren't even part of their group! How dare they?! They even admitted to trying to stop this person. Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Who ever is not against us is for us.

Who ever is not against us is for us. That is a pretty big circle. Sure there are those who are indeed against us. And by us I mean against us because we have faith in Jesus Christ. I'm not talking about the people around the world who may oppose our governments foreign policy; I'm not talking about those who are against the material excess of Western culture; I am talking about the very limited number of people on this planet who are against us because of our faith in Christ. Even then, our hope is like that of king David's when he wrote the words of the 23^rd Psalm: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

So there is a pretty huge number of people, that, by Jesus standard, are for us. That's some good news for today!

Here's some more good news. We are called to serve for truly I tell you, who ever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

This scripture talks about us receiving a cup of water and its the giver receiving the reward. The one that is given the water has a very real need met and the giver is blessed in the giving.

Jesus loves us so much. Jesus does so much with us. He is talking about water. Water is so necessary for life. It's hard to imagine not having enough water, living here, in Michigan where we are surrounded by the largest concentration of fresh water in the world, but there are indeed places that are parched and people who are thirsty, physically thirsty. And Jesus wants them to have water.

Jesus loves us so much he want us to have what we need. He wants us to have a loving relationship with God, but if we are dieing of thirst then we can think of little else. So Jesus is saying you need water. Your brothers and sisters need water. Give them the water that the need. Give them what they need so that they can be free to love the Lord our God.

God has used water to bring people to him before you know. Moses took a his staff from before the Lord, Just as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them “listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you? Then Moses struck the rock twice with his staff. And water come out abundantly. So the community drank and their beasts drank too.

That was a miracle! The people had a need. God commanded Moses into action. Moses was obedient and the needs of the people were met.

Jesus once did something special with water once. Remember? He was at a party. The wine ran out. And Jesus made the water that was in the stone jars that was used for ceremonial washing to become wine. He took the water that was used to fulfill the law as it concerned cleanliness and made it into something used to celebrate with a new married couple. He took something common and ordinary and made it into something extraordinary.

That was a miracle! The Lord Jesus saw a need, called the servants into action and the people were blessed in abundance.

Not only does God give us what we need. God blesses to the point of overflowing. But God always calls us into action. God uses those who are willing to be vessels and conduits of his love. It is when we are obedient to God's call to love and to serve that His will is done.

<invite the participants of the mission to Savannah, GA to come forward>

One week from today you will be arriving in Savannah Georgia. Savannah is a beautiful, interesting city. It is also a city that has needs. The poverty rate is rising. The homeless population is growing. There are thirsty people in Savannah and you have answered the call to go and give them a drink. You will be working for just a few days in that community. You may be asked to do things that may not sound all that interesting. Your work there may not seem that profound. There will likely be a lot of painting going on. But just remember, Moses was obedient and the people were blessed. The servants at the party were obedient and Jesus took their ordinary everyday service and made it into something extraordinary.

Do you know what else Jesus did?

At the last supper he blessed the wine and said that it was his blood, shed for the forgiveness of sin.

Gods grace fill us to overflowing.

And we are made into something new.

I have a drink of water that I want to give you.

Take this little cup of water, you that have taken upon yourselves the name of Christ, and drink it. Keep the cup, it's a gift. When you go to Savannah Georgia let this cup remind you that you go to serve God's people. That you go offering a simple gift of service. Let the Christ that lives in you make the ordinary acts of service that you will perform into extraordinary acts of God's grace for those who receive them.  

Mark 3:20-35

I was in Grand Rapids, MI all week for our Annual Conference. We did the usual things: approved a budget, celebrated with fellow pastors about their new appointments, saw some pastors retire and some new ones get commissioned and ordained. But the thing that struck me the hardest was the theme of the conference and the preaching surrounding that theme: A Healthy World, Mind Body and Spirit. It was good stuff. The message was holistic and applicable from the individual all the way to the global community. If we want healing and and wholeness we have to address our whole selves: Mind, Body and Spirit.

I left home early Tuesday morning and was gone until Saturday afternoon. I pulled into the drive way of the parsonage pulled my luggage out of the van and headed inside. When I walked in the door and I saw Jay, my 5-year-old son, standing there. I admit I was expecting even hoping for a joyful reaction from my son who hadn't seen me for nearly five days. He looked at the suitcase in my hand and said in a low and 'impressed' kind of tone, “That's a pretty nice bag you have there.” Thanks Jay, its nice to see you as well.

Family is great. Your family should be your greatest ally. Your family are those who can make up for your weakness with their strength and whom you are responsible for lifting up with your strength. Our families are often bound by shared genetics but obviously that is not the determining factor of who your family is. Anyone who is married knows this first hand. We choose to be bound to another person through the covenant of marriage to another and we become a family without being genetically related. We choose to adopt children who were born of another mother and father but who become very much our own and are indeed family.

I remember with my wife, who is not genetically related to me, experiences over the last 20 years and those memories are another connection point in our relationship. My children and I have shared memories as well. Even the children that were with me since their birth have different experiences of this life than me and have their own perspective. My children that spent their first years experiencing life elsewhere, also have something unique to bring to our collective experience as a family.

Family is who we choose to love. Family is who chooses to love us back.

Loving someone means that you are very much interested in the health of their mind, body and spirit. In fact Jesus says that “no one has greater love than this-that one lays down his life for his friends.” To see someone else and understand that their life is of sacred worth. That saving their life is worth risking your own. When you can see the intrinsic value of an others life whether they are are of “use” to you or not then you are beginning to approach the idea of family. It took until I had children of my own before I really got this. I would give my life to save any of my children.

Imagine if a child of yours or someone that you love started making poor decisions for their life. Imagine how you would feel if they had a good job but they just quit it. What would you do if one that you loved had a place to stay but they chose a homeless life and was associating with a group of people who have done the same? What would you say if they were starting trouble with some very powerful people?

This was the perspective of Jesus family. They saw the things he was doing. They were hearing the murmurings of the community so they intended to go and “help” Jesus by removing him from the situation. They thought that he had lost his mind and they were willing to help him. But Jesus didn't need any help did he?

Jesus wasn't out of his mind but rather had the mind of God.

Jesus wasn't acting irresponsibly or irrationally, he was on a mission!

Jesus could see things that we cannot see. He could see the brokenness of the world around him. Jesus could see the pain and suffering that people experience because of that brokenness. Jesus could see the need we have for the love of God. Jesus could see that we are blinded by the brokenness of this world; we are distracted by unholy things, and have forgotten to turn our hearts fully toward God. With Jesus birth the kingdom of heaven came near. Holiness entered the brokenness. Jesus offered a new way. Jesus offered a new beginning. Jesus offered healing to the mind. He taught the truth and he corrected the misguided Jesus offered healing of the body. He healed the leper; made the blind to see, and the def to hear. He healed the spirit. Not only did he cast out demons but far more importantly he offered us a way to enter into a state of holiness. He said that we should turn from our brokenness, turn from our distractions and turn toward God in his name. And when we do that we will receive forgiveness for our failures and he will put a new spirit in us.

In this passage of Holy Scripture those that were surrounding Jesus said to him, (and this is a paraphrase), “Oh man Jesus! Your mom is here!” Notice that Jesus in his answer to his concerned friends about the arrival of Mary the mother of Jesus, that he never denounces his family. He never separates himself from them but rather he widens the definition of family of which they may still choose to enter into. He says, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” and looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Who ever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Who ever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. Who ever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. If I do the will of God. I am Jesus brother. If you do the will of God you are Jesus brother or sister. That means you are my brothers and sisters. You are my family. How blessed is it when our family by genetics and by choice are also in the family of God?

Brothers and sisters, Jesus commissioned us to go out and proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near. We are to tell the story of repentance and forgiveness of sin. It's all about turning our hearts toward God. It about the restoration of that holy relationship between God and humanity. God came to humanity in human form and his name is Jesus. That is the message that we have to share. That is the witness that we have to give. It is a holy and good message. It is the Gospel it is the Good News of God. But there will be some who will not hear it. There will be some who hear a distorted, hate filled, judgmental version of it. There will be some who have no interest in it. And there will be some who cannot hear it because they choose not to.

But then there are those who hear it and mistake the Good News for evil. Which brings me to that very difficult passage, verses 28 and 29, “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and what ever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” Tough stuff.

Jesus said this in response to the scribes who were saying that he was in league with the demons. We tend to like rules. They are easier on us intellectually. If you do this or that, then these are the consequences. Many religious faiths are based on law. Do this and this and don't do this and this. This statement seems like one of those kind of situations. The thing is Jesus didn't come with lists. It would be inconsistent of Jesus to add another rule to the list.

Jesus was all about getting people to turn their mind, body and spirit toward God to find wholeness. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but that the world might find life through him.

What I think he is saying here in this passage, is that if you are so far gone in your distractions. If you are so far into your own belief system or ideology that you cannot see and recognize what is good and holy and right, right in front of you, then you are truly lost. He wants us to wake up. Quit digging in our heals on earthly matters that divide the family of God and turn our hearts toward him.

Look around. This is your family. Those who do the will of God are your brothers and sisters. You may not have chosen them but they chose God when God called.

So how is it with you today? You may be distracted by the brokenness of this world. You may be tempted in every way to stray from loving embrace. But God is welcoming you back today. Jesus offers a way to be part of the family of God. It is in Jesus that we will find healing of our of our mind, body and spirit.   

Secret Meetings

John 3:1-17

Any one know about that lighted paining in the back of the sanctuary?

“Offer them Christ”

John Wesley sending Thomas Coke to America.

We are called to “offer them Christ.”

The central character of this story is Nicodemus. It is Nicodemus' struggle to understand and believe the truth that is right before his eyes. He is receiving the word of God in the form of instruction from Jesus and not only that, he is in the presence of the Word Made Flesh, Jesus, yet he struggles.

I don't know anybody named Nicodemus. So lets call him Nic. Nic was a pretty important guy in his day. He was actually kind of a really big deal. To start with, he was a Pharisee. Now I know from reading the New Testament we get a pretty negative image of the Pharisees but these were really devout guys. They learned the whole law of Moses. They dedicated their whole lives to studying and interpreting it. Not just anybody could be a Pharisee, you had to be something special. This Pharisee, Nicodemus...Nic, was also a member of what was the equivalent to our Supreme Court in Israel. He was a leader among leaders (as much as was possible in an occupied country).

Though either his own eyes or from the witness of others ole Nic heard about this young Rabbi in town named Jesus. They say that he is the son of a carpenter from up in Nazareth...but that doesn't matter you see, this Jesus, he's the real deal. He speaks with authority. He heals. He teaches. He is truly from God and, well, those who are in positions of power and authority ought to go and talk with him. Because that is what powerful people do. They make sure that you know that they are the ones with the power. But don't you know that Jesus loved Nicodemus? Don't you know that Jesus wanted Nicodemus to have a good and right relationship with God the Father? It's true.

So ole Nick the Pharisee made plans to go and meet with Jesus. You see he couldn't just go up to him on the street. Jesus was always surrounded by a crowd of people. Nick wasn't just one of the crowd. Plus he had questions that he didn't feel comfortable asking in front of a crowd, given his position in the community.

But I think Nic came with an agenda that was different than just projecting his power. I think he came to Jesus because he recognized that Jesus had something special that he wanted. He said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one an do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”

I think Ole Nic is coming to the realization that every seeker of spiritual truth comes to: that this life will someday end; that, no matter how much power, influence, resources or even knowledge you have, it will one day end. It is when you really grasp this that our illusion of control over this life starts to dissolve. It is then that you find a way to stop being controlled by things below and start following the leading from above.

It is that moment when someone looks toward God...toward Jesus. The thing most folk are like ole Nic. They have the desire to know God. Some even think they know quite a bit about God. But when it comes to admitting that we are powerless we get a little tentative. When it comes to openly asking questions of Jesus, truly seeking answers we hedge our words so that we don't sound uninformed or make ourselves vulnerable. You see, most people have something to lose when they start following Jesus. Like Ole Nic, we build a life for ourselves the best way we know how. We learn from people that we trust. We take on a world-view based on what we have learned in our lives. We go so far as to argue and defend this world-view, this life, this mental construction that we have built. Then Comes someone clearly from God speaking the truth and it cuts to the quick! We hear from God and the false world that we have constructed starts to crumble. When our world starts to crumble we can do a couple of things: we can either re-orient ourselves toward God or we can dig in and try to hold our earthly world together.

The thing is, all those things that Jesus teaches that are so true and right are still there, and we still resist Jesus. We still balk against his words. If you don't believe me, just read what he demands and stop yourself when you start making excuses for yourself for not fully complying. As if your specific situation exempts you from the eternal truths that he speaks. That resistance to Jesus is our earthly nature trying to hold on to control. When we can finally let those things from below that control us go, we can finally die to our earthly nature.

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

Nicodemus' earthly Nature protested immediately to these words, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?”

I am sure that Nicodemus knew very well what Jesus was talking about, but it was difficult for this learned, powerful man to begin to die to his earthly nature. It is difficult to surrender control of ones life to God even though the control that we have is merely an illusion.

Brothers and sisters, we are all somewhere on the path between the illusion of self control and surrender to God. We are all, in some respect a “Nicodemus” coming to Jesus in the night looking for truth, looking for answers, looking for something. There are parts of our lives that we keep hidden. There are parts of our lives that we have not released control of. Yet Jesus remains. Jesus waits at the door waiting for you to knock. Jesus will receive you in the middle of the night with your questions but he will not tell you its okay to stay there.

     Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

     The Son of Man must be lifted up refers not only to his sacrificial love when he died on a cross but it also refers Jesus being glorified, exalted and venerated. But Jesus is comparing his being lifted up to the bronze serpent being lifted by Moses in the wilderness. When the people were being plagued by deadly serpents God commanded Moses to make a serpent of bronze and lift it up and who ever would look upon the serpent would be saved. It reminded the people of God. It reminded the people that God was in control. They were no longer slaved to what was happening below but were lead from above.

When we turn our eyes to Jesus we are reminded of God's love. When we trust in Jesus as our lord we are freed from the bonds of Slavery that this world has and are given freedom in His name.

Our mission here at St. Paul Church To know Christ and to make him Known. We come to this place in the light of day to encounter the living Christ. To follow Him. To learn from Him. And then to go out and “Offer them Christ.”

This a photo of a photo of me in my former life
as a "pizza man." I had plenty of opportunities
to "offer them Christ" in that life as well.

So How is it with you today? What part of your life are you still waiting to give over to God? Are you still having secret meetings with Jesus waiting until you get it figured out? Come into the light of His love this morning be born from above.