Long Flowing Robes, Mark 12:38-44, 1 Kings 17:8-16

 1 Kings 17:8-16

Mark 12:38-44;

 

Commerce Presbyterian Church

Nov. 8, 2015

On Nov 22 we are going to have fun. Pizza and other good food will be served.

We’ll give thanks for all our many blessings;

We’re going to hang the greens.  Donna and Eddie, I warned you not to do it!

And most fun of all, we are going to turn in our pledge cards.  

That’s fun right?

Of course it is!

Turning in pledge cards is one of the most significant acts of faith that we do in our lives...

we give on faith.

And research that I’ll share with you more in upcoming weeks, confirms what the bible has already said, it is more fun – that’s right—fun, to give than to receive.

Yes, that is my translation of the greek word, Makarios--usually translated blessed...but I’m translating fun.

We are in a seasons of thanksgiving. A season of "stewardship." Giving thanks for what we have received and we are ensuring the care of these gifts as good stewards.

Good stewards taking care of what’s been entrusted to us—

through the offering of our time, our talent, and our treasure, we take care of the church and live out its mission;

And when we talk about stewardship, honestly, honestly, it means money…

it means we fill out a slip and try to make a go out of church and ministry for another year.

We can dream big and set a big budget and think of all the wonderful ways we can be church and dream about fixing leaky roofs and broken HVAC systems.

This is coming Nov 22,

Today is Nov 8.

So we have a few weeks to start thinking and praying about what kind of commitment each of us might be able to make.

The two stories we have from scripture speak to this topic of giving.

These two widows may teach us a little about stewardship this morning.

The first widow we find in 1st kings. The Widow of Zarephath.

She’s faced with a dilemma.

A crazy person[1]—the prophet Elijah—is challenging her code of hospitality--which in that culture, similar to ours, when someone comes asking for food and drink we are obliged to provide.

First he requests a little water. "Okay, sure."

Then, then he requests a little food, just a small morsel of bread…but it’s the last of what she has. She gives in to the cultural custom to oblige even if it may mean the end of her.  But she let’s him know what’s up, “ I'm gonna cook what I’ve got for me and my son, so we can eat it and die”....uff.,  Gloomy situation.

But, real life. Just as she faced this difficult dilemma back then, too many mothers face this reality of not enough food for themselves or their children today.

What would you do when the cupboard is bare...there is nothing to eat!?   nothing left?

What would be your response to God?  Or to a stranger who comes asking for food in GOd’s name? God will give you a blessing if you give, says this person claiming they are from God.

Would you Give away? Give up?  

Elijah assures, Trust me, dear. your jar will be filled….

He trusts. She trusts, gives Elijah some bread,

And the promise is fulfilled.

While less people are giving to church, the church as an institution still has tremendous success in raising funds, getting into our pockets. The majority of the giving goes to religious institutions.  The message is still quite compelling, Give when God is demanding it from us :).

The cool thing this story seems to illustrate is that this was something God wanted. The widow and Elijah were blessed through the exchange.

But this is an act we shouldn’t just do blindly, when we are down to our last morsel of bread.  And the church comes a knockin’

Mark’s story about Jesus paints a different picture about giving.

And suggests we need to be careful as a religious institution if we are going to be asking for gifts from the goodwill of the people.

All Saints Day 2015

All Saints Day Scripture

All Saints Day, November 1, 2105
Commerce Presbyterian Church, Commerce GA

Slide: Images of Saints

Never too early for Jolly Ole St. Nick!

What vision fuels your living?

I feel like since there are so many football fans in this congregation it’s okay to use football references from time to time..if you get tired of them, just let me know :)

Yesterday was rough for most of us football fans in this state, but not all of us!

This football story comes from what seems a distant memory.

At the end of the game last Saturday against Florida State, Georgia Tech blocked the field goal attempt.

The chances of that happening were extremely miniscule:

The FSU kicker, a two time All-American, was 23/23, in the 4th Quarter.

The person who blocked the kick, Pat Gamble, had never blocked a kick before.

Slide: Photo: Pat Gamble, Brett Davis, USA Today  

In the post game interview, Pat Gamble said, “Actually when I got down in my stance, this is the crazy thing, I saw myself blocking that kick.”

He had a vision, which lead him to the improbable.

Visions. What we see.

These are what inspire or in the very least guide our living.

What else gets you out of bed in the morning?

It has to be what you see...

There are many images and visions which compete for our imaginations,

Political candidates cast visions which they hope will captivate us.

They seek to “reignite” “unleash,” “Heal.” “be a champion”

They cast visions of walls, jobs,  security, revolution!  

There are visions of advertisers who promise us a better life with their product, which can give us better hair, whiter teeth, a beastly vehicle, insurance, the energy we need to get through work since apparently adequate sleep is not an option, even romance well into our golden years.

Yes, so many visions which compete for our imaginations, visions which inspire our living!.

Here we are in church.  we gather as Christians,

Do we realize that Jesus, and that the scriptures are as guilty of competing for our imaginations as any of the product vendors and politicians out there?

I would think that is why we come...we seek an alternative from what we see all around.

And interestingly if we turn off the 24 hour news, turn down talk radio, and skip over the ads, and instead

Read the bible every day--it too will shape your imagination.

Pray and Meditate every day, and you will gain vision for what God wants for your life.

Study the life of Jesus, see his vision,  in order better see how you might walk in his footsteps.

Actually, the visions cast in scripture could be considered ridiculous! And I’m sure many people think they are.

Spiritual Boldness - Mark 10:35-45

Job 42:1-6,10-17

Mark 10:35-45

Commerce Presbyterian Church, Commerce, GA
October 25, 2015

This morning’s sermon: Spiritual Boldness.

Jesus’ path during his life on earth required boldness..but different from the boldness we might identify today which is often enshrouded in domination of one person or group over another….

or simply is an exercise of displaying or boosting up the ego --- the boldness Jesus displayed was a spiritual boldness, meaning it wasn’t about him, it was about the God he served, and the people he served. He boldly stood up against injustices, looked out for the most vulnerable.

.

He did not back down from those in powerful positions whose policies and methods of enforcement perpetuated the systems which lead to this marginalization.

But it wasn’t in order to shame those in power or who were enforcing this system, but it was so that they might recognize their own misguided steps which were leading toward any divisions, in order that they might be reconciled to those who were being oppressed, in order that there might be togetherness oneness

The message of the gospel --the good news--is not a complicated one.  

It is where salvation is achieved not by separation, but by coming together, reconciliation with God, and reconciliation with one another.

But sometimes bringing people together is controversial…

sometimes it requires significant sacrifice, suffering..

And this is why it is about spiritual boldness…

you go about this mission of bringing folks together, tearing down dividing walls, righting wrongs,

it might get you in trouble.

It certainly did Jesus.

Three times in the gospel of Mark, Jesus tells his disciples, what I am doing some people aren’t going to like-

“the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’

Three times he tells them this.

Their responses I find quite curious

After the first

You must not do this, we won’t allow for it! Says Simon Peter.

After his second prediction

Disciples argue about who will be the greatest!

after his third prediction

two disciples make a special request..

pulling Jesus aside so the others don’t hear them…

Hey Jesus…

sorry to hear you’re going to go through that stuff...man, sounds rough.

But you said you’re going to be raised from the dead..and be in glory right.

We’ve been good to you right?

“Will you do for us whatever we ask of you?”

What do you think about us...sitting at your right hand and your left hand--you know the good seats--VIP--in your glory?

If I was Jesus, I would have been pretty agitated…

have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?  you knuckle heads.  

Can you drink the cup I am to drink?

Can you be baptized the way I will be baptized?

Will you take the path I am to take?

The path I will take requires courage...and boldness, says Jesus.

It’s not puffing ourselves up, but humbling ourselves before God and serving serving serving..

this is spiritual boldness.

As people on the way of Jesus, our mission and purpose is really no different from his.

We are to be about reconciliation…

tearing down dividing walls, and bringing people together.

The situations we face may be different in our day from the ones Jesus faced, but there is certainly a lot of hate, division and oppression---

wherever we turn there is work to be done.

As we have done the past few weeks we are looking at figures in our society who making significant marks.

This Sunday we look at someone from a little closer to home, who has worked to overcome divisions and oppression that is part of our not too distant Past.

 

A congressman, John Lewis, who represents the 5th district of our state--which is the area near the state capitol building--a majority african american district where he has served since 1987.

 

Creativity

Commerce Presbyterian Church

October 18, 2015

NOTE 1: Students from UGA Presbyterian Student Center helped to lead worship.  Also, four skits demonstrating Jesus’ and our own creativity were featured as part of this sermon.

Note 2: References to Rex Jung are from his interview with Krista Tippet on the program, OnBeing.

Note 3: Accompanying Slides for the worship service and sermon.

Scripture

Psalm 104 (select verses)

Mark select examples of Jesus’ creativity

SLIDE 1

Today we are talking about creativity.

Create -

Creation -

Creative -

Creativity -

A few questions;

What does it mean to create?

What does it mean to be creative?

Think about those Picassos you drew as a kid.

What thing have you made...what problem have you solved your most proud of?

Maybe it was just winning a hand of bridge recently, and that’s okay

Was God creative?

I find Psalm 104 particularly adept at capturing the creativity of God the Creator!

springs, valleys, mountains, the sea, birds and fish!  Creation is marvelous

The bible would suggest that human beings were commissioned to be co-creators with God!

Participating in this glorious work.

This suggests something about or capacity to be creative as human beings?

Sometimes I don’t feel very creative myself...not like so many others…

my wife who can come up with all kinds of crazy Halloween costumes, like the year she dressed me up as a used Q-tip!  

Or like my neighbor friend who grew up on a farm and is so handy and capable about doing any house project--and he says growing up on a farm there are always problems to solve and you have to work with what you have to fix them.  Kind of emasculating really...

Creative.

Creativity

How creative are we?  

Slide 2: Rex Jung

As we have been doing for the past few Sundays, our accompanying teacher this morning is Dr. Rex Jung of the university of New Mexico. He studies this amazing most complex organ we have in our bodies...the brain.

Slide Brain
And he says, yes, all of our brains are wired to be creative…

Ready for some brain terms.

He talks about the prefrontal cortex--where we do our thinking, our cognitive abilities...

We are exposed to and even crave so much information, which is why talk radio and 24 news and information at the click of a button has been so pervasive.  

But the thing about creativity, says Dr. Jung

is that we have a tremendous capacity for it…

we just have to allow time and space for our brains to move to creative processing

Refugee Sunday Awareness

This resource from Church World Services served as a guide for our service of worship, and the sermon below was an adaptation of some of the speaking points from the resource.

We had about 25 guests, most from the Karen community of Comer, GA--a people with no land; as well as Burundi and Congolese--they shares songs, stories, scripture, and prayers.  It was really beautiful. Many thanks to Blake Ortman of Jubilee Partners for helping to coordinate the visit, and to the session of CPC and Natalie Pinson and Donna Greene for organizing the lunch. 

At the lunch the church was encouraged to consider helping refugees in three ways:
1. teaching English;
2. teaching Citizen classes;
3. Sponsoring a family, such as the Burundi/Congolese family who visited and played music during worship.

These things were proposed by Blake to see what "God might lay on our hearts..."

Scripture

Deuteronomy 24:17-22

Mark 4:35-41

A good part of Jesus ministry centers around the shores of the Galilee. Referred to as the ‘Sea of Galilee,’ this body of water is actually a relatively small freshwater lake, about 8 miles wide. Although small, In Jesus’ time this body of water created a large boundary. The lake separated the western Jewish side and the eastern Gentile side of Galilee.

The Gentile world represented an ‘other’ for the Jews. And the Jews represented an other to the Gentiles.

Human history is one of nations, ethnic groups, and peoples establishing borders as a means of containment, management, and self- preservation. This can be a beautiful thing as different customs and practices emerge in the form of rituals, dances, music, foods, and social customs. Just think about some of our customs, traditions, music, and foods in the south.

Sometimes within these borders there is a spirit of openness and receptivity to the outsider/ the other/ the foreigner. Hospitality.  Sometimes within these borders there is a fear and a suspicion and an apathy toward the outsider/the other/ the foreigner.  

What has been your experience of interactions with people who cross borders?

When I was a child, it was not unusual for my family to host an exchange student in our home.

We hosted a Chinese student named Monica who lived with us for 2 years.

When I was 11, we hosted a Cambodian refugee a few years older than I, named Dina, off and on for 4 years.And there were others, Rotary students from all over, who stayed for weekends and holidays. These were formative experiences for me; my identity was being shaped through interaction with these people from foreign lands.  

-         ---

What has been your experience crossing borders?  

When have you left your home for what was for you distant lands?

I have left my home several times in my life….

I left to go to college,

I left to travel outside of the country

I left for jobs in South Carolina and Arkansas, as well as in Mexico, Chile, New Mexico.

Each time I left my home it was by choice, it was because I had opportunity or was seeking adventure;

Each time I left I was well supported,  

and for the most part had a sense of where I was going and who would receive me when I arrived there.   

In our global reality, roughly 230 million people have left their country of origin; and live elsewhere. Among these are an estimated 60 million who are refugees. Different from my experience leaving home, these refugees leave not by choice or because they have an opportunity awaiting them; they leave because they felt forced to do so for any number of reasons.  They had very little choice—it was life or death. Are they well supported, as I was?

Do they know where they will end up and have people to receive them when they arrive, as I did? Well that depends greatly on our response.

---

As Jesus and his disciples set sail to cross over the Sea of Galilee a huge windstorm arises. Jesus' disciples are terrified at this life threatening storm. Shockingly, Mark tells us that Jesus is asleep. How could Jesus – the incarnation of Godself - be so calm and passive? Surely this moment cries out for immediate intervention. The disciples shout to him: “do you not care that we are perishing?

People are perishing all around us; An estimate of 220,000 lost lives in the war in Syria.

Violence and conflicts continue in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Ukraine, in West and Central Africa,

Hundreds perish every year on the journey north from Central America; migrants drown in boats fleeing from Indonesia, or off the coast of Thailand and in the Bay of Bengal; migrants die crossing the Sahara Desert into North Africa; Many who flee often disappear without a trace.

There are certainly times when we wonder if God is awake. Does Jesus care people are perishing?

Jesus wakes up and calms the storm immediately. His voice and command reflect his authority over the wind and the water: "Peace! Be still!" Reminiscent of God’s spirit hovering over the chaotic waters of creation; Moses parting of the Red Sea; And when there comes peace it is an epiphany of God’s power and presence.

And what about the disciples? The fear of the disciples has overpowered their faith. They lose faith that God could be present even during the threat of an overwhelming storm. The plight of the refugee seems overwhelming doesn’t it. And there are many reasons we could potentially allow fear to paralyze us to inaction in the face of desperate need.

But faith...Faith allows us to see God at work.

Faith allows us to see the gift that comes when countries and cities within the international community respond to the cries of displaced people by offering immediate assistance, and long term durable solutions.

We see the hand of God at work when people of faith rise up together.

Faith overpowers fear when we respond to the needs of displaced people.

And this has been the work of Jubilee partners since the early 80s, in Comer, GA, and it is amazing to see God’s hand at work…how peace and stillness has come to overwhelming situations.  

This church’s elders recall a grace filled time when this congregation hosted a refugee family or two from Vietnam in the early 80s. After worship today, the session is hosting our new friends and neighbors from Comer who have come from various parts of the world to share a meal together. What might God be calling this congregation and each of us within the congregation to be doing in these days? How might we be part of calming the storm?

Do we contact the mayor or state representatives?

Do we consider opening our homes and church doors?

What joy it is that we can worship together with brothers and sisters who sought refuge in our area!

Let’s consider how we might join our voices with the voices of millions who cry, “peace, be still”!