Show Your Colors

October 13, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Worship Theme: Shine For God

Exodus 34:29-30 MSG

Matthew 17:1-2 GWT

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 MSG

http://juliabettencourt.com/dev/fallcolrsdev.html

http://aspiritfilledlife.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/prayer-for-autumn-days/

A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three, verses one through eight. I will be reading from the Message Bible this morning. Listen for a word from God to you and me, the children of God. The Message Bible titles it as “There’s a Time for Everything.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 The Message (MSG)

There’s a Right Time for Everything

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

The other day I was on my way to Howland to visit my mentor. As I crested the hill that you can see Mt. Katahdin, I just had to pull over and take some pictures. It was breath taking. You could see the mountain and just below it was sort of this fog that separated it from the beautiful autumn leaves of the trees below. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it myself…I mean I have seen pictures in magazines but never with my own eyes. As I gazed at the spectacle God created I was again brought back to the thought of those beautiful colors that God had created.

You see…those colors were the true colors of the trees below Katahdin. We, as humanity wait for Spring to arrive and the earth to become resurrected from its winter nap. We wait for the flowers to bloom again…the birds to return with their songs…and for the trees to full again with their green leaves of life. Then, as always, the earth begins to make itself ready for its time of rest…the time when it hibernates with the promise of Spring again. As the change takes place we see the earth…Gods handy work…begin to sing…well…sort of a Swan Song as it shows the beautiful colors that reminds us that the cold winter is just around the corner.

But there is something in those colors that we may not really think about or ponder on. We may hate the fact that the change in the color of the trees signifies that winter is coming but it is within those colors that the trees truly live. You see the green color we see is during their growing season. The trees are drinking in nourishment from the ground and the warmth of the sun. They are making oxygen for the air around them. They are actually waiting for Fall.

Fall is the time when they really shine. It is in Fall that they show their true colors that they were created to show. They need that growing time in order to be as spectacular as they are in the end of their time and the beginning of their rest and restoration only to rise again in the Spring renewed and refreshed. It is their environment that they live in that creates this process. When the weather begins to change to a colder one that has more darkness then sun, it triggers this metamorphous…a transformation…into something that many people come from miles away just to see its brilliance and grandeur.

As I consider the words from Ecclesiastes this morning…the season of Fall has caused me to ponder on what this season means for my own life, for the lives of Christians… There is a time for everything…a time to grow and a time to show the true colors that we are meant to be. I was reading a devotional by Julia Bettencourt about the colors of Fall. The colors themselves have meaning and significance for our walk with God.

Take the color red, it is a color that sticks out in the vast array of the colors of Fall. It is the color of passion. No matter where we are in our faith journey, we can show passion for God and what He is doing in our lives. We need to show that passion for Christ in a world that is dark and grey. WE should show the brilliance of Christ like in the Matthew Scripture this morning. We are to show our light…to shine before men. As we shine, others will see the good works of God and praise Him ever more.

The color orange is beautiful. It is not only found in the trees but in the color of ripe pumpkins that are harvested this time of year. It reminds us of warmth and comfort. This is a virtue…a character trait that we should display. We need to be warm and inviting to others.

We also have the color yellow within the colors of Fall. Now yellow is a happy color. You must all have seen smiley faces. What color are they? That’s right yellow. We need to be that happy, cheerful color. You never know whose life will be changed by our “shiny” outlook on life. As we show the life of joy, even in the tough times, we let our faith shine in each new day. Since we have Christ in our lives we are able to be that shining beacon in a world that is in the dark looking for a light to shine in its darkness. By the way, joy is one of the Fruit of the Spirit that we are studying in our Spirit Study groups.

Now I don’t know how many of you have seen this color but it is a beautiful color none the less…the color purple. Now this is the color of royalty. In Christ…we, as Christians, are royalty…adopted sons and daughters of the most high God. Being royalty we need to reflect royalty. Now I don’t mean that we should look down on others and think of them as peasants…we should be striking as Christians…we should stand out as something beautiful that will attract others to the same royal priesthood we are called…that we are honored…to be part of.

And then there is brown. Now you might think to yourself, “Brown is such an ugly color. It isn’t striking and beautiful. It’s just brown.” But brown has a really important imagery. If there wasn’t any brown in the colors of Fall, the rest might not be a striking as it is. Brown is the color of the earth…the ground on which we walk. It is the color of stability. We are to be grounded in Christ who is our Anchor. Others will see our grounding and want that for their own lives. We show this grounding by our actions and words. If we are not rooted and grounded in Christ, where would the stability be in life? It is not found in the world around us but in the world of eternity which we are promised.

We may feel that the colors we show don’t matter but it is just the opposite. It is within our colors that we live and breathe and have our being. It is within these same colors that others will be attracted to the One who grounds us. When we show our colors we honor God and Christ.

Brothers and sister in and of Christ, we need to be an array of beauty. We, as Christians, need to color our world with the vast array of Godly colors. We, as Christians, are fed by the Spirit within us and now it is time to show our true colors. There people of this world are looking for “brightness” in their otherwise drab life. We need to be that color on the canvas of life. As we show the colors of our God others will be attracted to the creative artwork of the Artisan that puts His brush to the palette of creation. It is within these colors that our witness is found. My question I pose to you and myself is this, “What are the colors that you and I are projecting in and to this world in which we live?” Are they the colors of a rainbow of hope or are they the colors of a life of muck and mire?

I would like to end my sermon with a prayer by Joyce Rupp. It is a poem about the seasons of life. My prayer is that it will be our prayer to the Creator of heaven and earth who splashes the true colors on and for the palette of our lives…

Prayer for Autumn Days By Joyce Rupp

God of the seasons,

there is a time for everything;

there is a time for dying and a time for rising.

We need courage to enter into

the transformation process.

God of autumn,

the trees are saying goodbye to their green,

letting go of what has been.

We, too, have our moments of surrender,

with all their insecurity and risk.

Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves

lying in colored patterns on the ground,

our lives have their own patterns.

As we see the patterns of our own growth,

may we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights,

there is always the dimension of mystery

and wonder in our lives.

We always need to recognize your power-filled presence.

May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain,

many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender.

We must wait for harvest in faith and hope.

Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south

for another season, your wisdom enables us

to know what needs to be left behind

and what needs to be carried into the future.

We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers

touched with frost and windows wearing white designs,

may your love keep our hearts

from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life,

you believe in us, you enrich us,

you entrust us with the freedom to choose life.

For all this, we are grateful.

Amen

Amen…amen…and amen!

Unearthing the Gift

October 6, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 12 of Summer Series

Worship Theme: Stewardship

Luke 12: 42-46 GWT

Matthew 25:14-30 NIV

This summer we are on a cruise together on the SS Stetson Memorial.  We are “Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”.  We are now at the end of our journey. It has been a great journey. We have looked at our Captain with a different set of eyes. We have talked about the name of Jesus and what that name means to Christians. We have stopped by different ports that Jesus is the Captain of. We stopped by the port of Worship and found out why we worship. The port of Fellowship was one that reminded us that Jesus came for all. The ports of ports of Discipleship and Ambassadorship told us what we are to be doing for the kingdom of God as we travel this world. The port of Sonship reminded us of not only who we are but whose we are…we are adopted children of God and our adoption papers were signed in the blood of Jesus. Last week we stopped at the port called “Lordship” and talked about what it means to us and for us as we affirmed that Jesus is the Lord of all. We are now at the last port that we will be visiting on our voyage…The port of Stewardship.

Now I know what you may be thinking…here we go again. The pastor is going to ask that we give more money to the church…we go through this every year… Well yes stewardship is partly about money but it is so much more than that. It’s not a “four letter word” that we should not be talking about. It’s all about thankfulness and gratitude. It’s all about using our God given talents to further God’s kingdom. It’s about sharing what we have with others who have nothing. And yes it’s about paying the bills of the church so that it can function…fulfill its purpose in the world.

This morning I want to talk about the talent we have been given by God. You know…that little thing that we do that gives us joy as we do it. One talent might be visiting the sick. Another may be cooking a meal for others. Still another might be listening to others with an attentive ear. The list just goes on. Now some of you might say that you have no real talent. But I am here today to tell you that that statement is not true.

God gives all of humanity a talent…something that we are good at and enjoy doing. I think that sometimes people really underestimate themselves. They think that if they can’t of think of something they can make money with they have no talent. Well…how about those who give good counsel to others? They may not make money at it but it doesn’t mean that it is not a talent. Not everyone has the ability to give good counsel. And without someone to give good counsel, where would the wisdom in the world be? We need to realize that we all have something to offer and as we offer it…no matter how big or small…we are being “Good Stewards” of what God has given us…and we need to unearth that talent for God and use it for His glory.

Let’s look at the definition of stewardship. Wikipedia tells us that “Stewardship is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources. The concept of stewardship has been applied in diverse realms, including with respect to environment, economics, health, property, information, and religion, and is linked to the concept of sustainability.

Historically, stewardship referred to the occupation of a steward. Initially, stewardship was the responsibility given to household servants to bring food and drinks to a castle dining hall. The term was then expanded to indicate a household employee's responsibility for managing household or domestic affairs. Stewardship later became the responsibility for taking care of passengers' domestic needs on a ship, train and airplane, or managing the service provided to diners in a restaurant. The term continues to be used in these specific ways, but it is also used in a more general way to refer to a responsibility to take care of something belonging to someone else.” Something belonging to someone else…

And Christian steward ship is:

“A grateful and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ.  Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions.

Stewardship is lived out in:

1.   living and telling the Good News;

2.   sharing with God in seeking justice, peace, and the integrity of creation in an interdependent universe;

3.   wisely employing God-given human resources, abilities, and relationships;

4.   sharing the material resources we hold and giving them in service, justice, and compassion;

5.   providing for future generations;

6.   Sharing in the life, worship, and responsible stewardship of the Church and of its mission.

Both for the individual and for the community, stewardship is a joyful act for the sake of God's world.” It is a joyful act for the sake of Gods world…Gods Kingdom…

Stewardship is a multi-faceted response to Gods goodness and grace to you and to me. It is like a many faceted diamond that as you turn it…it shows an opulence…a kaleidoscope of beauty and depth. It gives sparkle to an otherwise drab looking world.

The Luke scripture from this morning tells us to be out using those gifts…those talents that we have been given…being a good steward of what we have and what we are given. (And yes…we do need to be good stewards of those special gifts we are given…not deciding we won’t use them for whatever reason.) But…but…as we use those gifts, we are to use them for the good of others. There are so many out there who would use the gift they are given to oppress and hurt others. They have seemed to have forgotten who gave them these gifts in the first place. But then again we live in a world that tells us we are the ones who make who we are…we are “Self made men and women.” Oh how the high and mighty eventually fall…

In Matthew 25 verses 14-30 tells us what happens as we become good stewards of what we are given by God. It reads…And I am reading from the NIV Bible this morning…

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (that is the one thing I long to hear when called home…Well done my good and faithful servant.)

Like the servant in the parable, God has given each of us a talent. It may be small and not that noticeable or it can be large and right out there, seen by all. It doesn’t matter how large or small. We shouldn’t…like the bad servant…hide our talent in the sand. We need to unearth our talent so that it can be used for God’s glory. We need to share what we have to help our church bodies. We need to encourage each other…spur each other on…to use their talent. If it wasn’t for the body using its talents, the body would die.

Like any human body, if one part doesn’t work…if a part is not contributing…the whole body suffers…so it is with the church body of Christ. The  church is a living, breathing, ever growing entity. It needs all of its parts working in order to survive and flourish.  How can a body live if one of its parts decided it was not going to work? How can a body thrive if all of the parts don’t kick in…if all of the parts don’t do it’s God given job? How can we, as Christians, be the body of Christ if we don’t work together, challenging each other to fulfill the great commandment to “Make disciples of all nations”?

Yes Stewardship is about money but it is also about so much more. Maybe…it is not something that should be feared but it is something that should be embraced as we travel on the road God has set us on. Maybe, it’s about stepping out of ourselves and trusting the God given talents we are blessed with. Perhaps, it’s about taking care of what we are given…yes even our church buildings…so that the God News can be heard…the news that so many are waiting to hear.

My question…my challenge for you and myself is to think about  this, “How have we been using our talents? Are we using them for our own pleasure or for Gods pleasure? Are we ready to trust God and His providence for us or are we squandering what we have for a rainy day? Do we even believe you have a talent to share?”

 Church, the body of Christ needs all of its parts to survive. Will we use our resources for our own stability or help others become stable? Are we sharing the gifts and talents we have been entrusted with or are we burying them in the sand? Will you and I hear that well done or will we be thrown out with the other untrustworthy servants? We have a choice to make. Which will you choose? To believe in God and that we are given talents to share or to step out in faith and encourage others to do so? As Joshua pronounced to those around him, “Choose this day who you will serve. But as for me and my house…we will serve the Lord.”

Amen.

Every Knee Shall Bow…

September 29, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 11 of Summer Series

Worship Theme: Lordship

Revelations 19:11-16 MSG

Philippians 2:1-11 CEB

Let us pray… (Pray for Spirit to open the word of God…)

A reading from the letter to the Philippians written by Paul, we will be reading from the second chapter of this letter, verses one through eleven. Listen to the word of God for you and me, the children of God.

Imitate Christ

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:

Though he was in the form of God,

        he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.

But he emptied himself

        by taking the form of a slave

        and by becoming like human beings.

When he found himself in the form of a human,

        he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

        even death on a cross.

 Therefore, God highly honored him

        and gave him a name above all names,

     so that at the name of Jesus everyone

        in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow

       and every tongue confess that

            Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Good morning…there are so many ministries that we can be involved with in life. Some of them may not seem like ministries but they are in fact some of the most important ministries there are. Take for instance the ministry of hospitality. Now we may think that it is just something we do…it is part of our makeup but this ministry is very important. It what makes people feel loved and accepted. Without this ministry I think most churches would be closed. If people didn’t feel accepted and loved in a church why would they bother going?

I think one of the most rewarding and insightful ministries is the ministry of raising children. Yes…raising children is a ministry even if we don’t think of it as a ministry… I find that it is one that I love doing but there are times when it is hard. It is hard to raise children now a day. With all that is going on in the world it is a tough job. But I find that not only do I teach my children but they also teach me about God and how I act towards Him.

It seems like today most parents want be friends with their children. Now don’t get me wrong. It is nice to have my children as my friend. But sometimes they forget that the parent is a parent first. They act as if their parent is just their friend and when we, as parents, try to correct them when they are wrong it is as if they don’t need to listen. They treat them as they would a friend who just doesn’t agree with them so…they can just ignore them and go on their way. Maybe this is part of what’s wrong with the younger generation today. They have no respect for parents and others…they have forgotten who the parent is and why they have one. They have no respect or cherish those who have lived longer and may know a little more than they do.

Now as I said…parenting has really taught me about myself and my relationship with God and Jesus. So, my question is this…have I treated God and Jesus with the respect and awe that is due them or have I forgotten and just treat them as a friend? Ok…do we as Christians forget who Jesus is? We live in a world that Jesus is thought of as our brother and friend. Have we lost that holy awe towards Jesus? Is He just a friend that we visit once and a while? Do we ignore what He has to say because it doesn’t fit in our agenda? Who is Jesus to you and to me?

This summer we are on a cruise together on the SS Stetson Memorial.  We are “Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”. Last week we stopped at the port called “Ambassadorship” and what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. We decided that in order to take on this call we need to be contagious Jesus Freaks...we need to spread our joy and our story and infect the world with the love of Jesus. We talked about how children have the right idea. If we just trust in God and do all that He asks…If we would follow Jesus no matter what…the world would be a better place…be on fire with Jesus…do what Jesus did for and to others…be a mirror image of Christ to the world. It’s just that simple. Just be a “freak for Jesus”.

Our next port gives us a new perspective of who Christ is. This week’s port is called the port of “Lordship”…the Lord ship of Jesus and why we can get excited…our spirits are set on fire… Let’s look at what this port has to say to us about Jesus’ Lordship. Who is this Lord we have and why should we, as Christians be excited about this port we are visiting? Is Jesus still Lord of all?

OK…so this Lord we have has lessons to teach us. As a matter of fact, the Philippians I just read tells us one of the lessons we should learn from the Lord. We should imitate…have the same mind as…Jesus our Lord. Now Jesus our Lord is our friend but look at what He did for us. Even though He is equal to God…even though He is part of the Trinity…the Three in One…He came from His throne in Heaven to not only teach humanity the way but to die for humanity’s sake. He what?! This King died for His subjects…His followers. This is crazy…really!?

Yes…Jesus died for you and for me. He didn’t think that the cost was too high. He had a choice to follow God’s will for His life or to follow what society would have Him do. Society would have had Him be a savior like David that “took Rome by storm.” His disciples thought that this is the type of Savior…the type of King He would be. But God had different plans for Him. He was to be a savior not just for a short time as a king of earth but a Savior for all time as He conquered sin and death to free humanity from the bonds of sin. Instead of flaunting His power and might He was gentle and loving. He had compassion. He was fully human and divine. His human part wanted to have this not happen but His divine part said “not my will but your own.” Jesus was equal to God but knew that God was the Supreme and that He needed to remember that. Jesus came and in His human form remember that God was equal…a friend but God was to be revered.

The other scripture form this morning is from the Book of Revelations…OK…forgive me about that whole flying to the rafters while reading it. I have told you that this is one of my favorite Books of the Bible and that it gives me hope and excitement. Our friend…this Jesus…is not just a friend. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. This friend is judge and jury of the world but He does so not in the way our legal system is but how God judges…with righteousness. This Lord is full of power and might. As a matter of fact…this Lord…will subdue the nations…all nations. He will rule with an iron rod. He cannot be bought by the kings and lords of this world. He is not in it for His own glory but for the glory of God…no agenda of His own.

But here is an awesome piece that we may not think about when we read this description of this King. We…you and I are part of that heavenly army. We will ride that white horse, dressed in dazzling white and follow Him. Through Jesus…because of the choice He made to follow God’s will for His life…we are washed white as snow when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Think about it for a moment…maybe you will get as excited as I do. It is the end of days and Jesus is coming back with the heavenly army. We too are there with Him and we are ready for battle. We are following our King and we are fighting the final battle that will bring about a new world. Just picture yourself there for a moment…What an awesome picture is the one you are picturing now. Jesus is King of kings and He is coming back to rule the nations and we get to fight with Him. How Awesome is that?!

Church…Christ’s warriors, we…as Christians…need to be sure that we are not taking Jesus for granted. Yes Jesus is our friend but He is so much more than that. He is King of kings and Lord of lords and we have the honor to call Him friend. But with this honor comes with a price. The price is to put Jesus in authority in and over our lives. The price is to not only call Him friend but to remember who He is and where He came from. Is the price to high for you? Are you happy with calling Him just friend or are you wanting to be part of that battle that He leads not as friend but as Lord? Some day everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth WILL bow and every tongue Will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We have an awesome Lord in the person of Jesus. How will you choose to be parented by God…to be lead by God? Will Jesus be just a friend or will He be not only your Brother but you King? Which will you choose?

Amen.