February 19, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“Becoming You…”
“Go Beyond the Ordinary”
Adapted from Marcia McPhee’
“Who Are You?” Sermon Series
Psalm 119:33-40 AMP
Deuteronomy 24:19-22
NLT
Leviticus 19:9-10 NLT
Ruth 2:17-22 NLT
Matthew 5:40-46 NLT
“Who are you” by The
Who
“The Methodically,
Compassionate Life…”
Prayer that God’s Word is heard through me or
in-spite of me…
Please stand for the reading
of the Gospel St. Matthew, chapter 5, verses 40 through 46. Listen to the Word
of God, His Love Letter to His beloved, you and I…Read Matthew from the Message
Bible.
“Who
are you” theme song…
I
have question. Should we go the extra mile when we do things or do you think
just doing what is called for good enough? I mean seriously, when we are asked
to do something, we have that invitation…from the Holy Spirit within us…to go
one step further. Should we live a mediocre, average or runoff the mill life or
an extraordinary life…a life of intension and resolve? Which do you think would
be more fulfilling? What and who do you
think we are called to be when we answered the call of Jesus in, on and through
our life? Random acts of kindness…compassion…not only brightens someone
else’s day but also our own.
The story of the bathroom…
We have been talking about how God’s promises and truths,
can be very hard to understand if we don’t realize who we are in Christ Jesus. Who
are we really…how does God equip us…what are we supposed to do…? We have begun
to look at who we are in Christ… I
continue to truly believe that we all want to become the “you” God wants us to
be. Let’s see what transformation happens as we become who God says we are
and not who the world thinks we are.
On
our journey, we have discovered one fact…you and I are God’s beloved. You and I
are cherished, favored, and loved by God…there is One who never reject us…flaws
and all… We went to the river with Jesus and remembered our baptism and the
promise found there. We are striving to live that life of acceptance and grace
so that we in turn will accept others ab= d offer them the same grace we have
received.
We
talked about the different names that we go by, how we are identified.
Not
only are we God’s beloved we also carry Christ’s name when we call ourselves
“Christ”ians…what a thought that is… God
has called us to an extraordinary purpose that only you or I can fulfill. As we
find our niche…we become an example for those who are looking for a better way…
We
know that when we noble…act with integrity, we honor God and embody the life we
are called to live…one of trustworthiness and honesty. As we show this character trait, we can begin
living relationally with those around us…creating a three-fold cord that just
can’t…no won’t be broken.
Today
I have two words for you “Methodical Compassion” …being intentional in our
lives as we live with others who are just as broken as we are. We need to be
deliberate with how we live out our life here in a foreign country…remember that we are not of this world, only
in it to exemplify our homeland in the way we live and love one another. Now
we are Methodist and we know how to live by a method…so to speak. There is
truly a method to our madness…to reach the least, lost and forgotten with the Gospel
of peace, love, joy, acceptance, forgiveness, and new life.
But
what if we…you and I…decided that we were going to live how God would have me
live? What if we took to heart the Psalm read this morning? Asking the Lord to teach us and give us
understanding…to live life with abandon to the will of God…letting God have
control and rule over everything and anything pertaining to our life journey.
The
Matthew scripture tells us what that life would look like… we would go beyond
what is called and love even those who would harm us. Pretty much what Jesus
modeled for us in His life and death. What
would it take for you and I to live that life of abandon to and for God?
OK…so
let’s look at a couple more examples of methodically, intentionally, showing
compassion for others that may open our mind to the possibilities that are
there for us…The first is from Leviticus chapter 19 verses 9-10:
9 “When you harvest the
crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields,
and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. 10 It is the same with your grape
crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up
the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners
living among you. I am the Lord your God.
Instead
of grabbing everything for ourselves, instead of keeping the whole harvest that
God has given us, we are to share with those who are less fortunate. We are
blessed to be a blessing and when we are Methodically Compassionate, we care
for others and their needs…sometimes even before our own.
The
next sounds a lot like the first but there is a “little twist” to it in the
end. This one comes from Deuteronomy chapter 24, verses 19-22. Listen and see
if you can find that little twist I talked about…
19 “When you are harvesting
your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go
back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord
your God will bless you in all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your
olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the
foreigners, orphans, and widows. 21 When you gather the grapes in your
vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining
grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 22 Remember that you were
slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.
Did
you hear the twist I this scripture? It tells us to remember the time of our
slavery…remember when we were in want…in need. Now I don’t think that this
remembering has do with just our physical needs…I believe it includes us
remembering when we were Spiritually in bondage. When we are engaging others,
they may have a greater need than what can be seen. They may be spiritually
hungry and thirst for more in their lives.
I
think my favorite example about caring for others is the story of Ruth. Not
only did she care for her mother-in-law after her husband’s death but she went
the extra mile and left all she knew for a better way of life and followed her
all the way back to her people. I want to share Ruth chapter 2 verses 17-22 of
this love story with you this morning. This is just one of the many pieces of
this story that you see the compassion for others:
17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day,
and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket. 18 She
carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave
her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.
19 “Where did you gather all this grain
today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one
who helped you!”
So Ruth told her
mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I
worked with today is named Boaz.”
20 “May the Lord bless him!”
Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to
your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our
family redeemers.”
21 Then Ruth said, “What’s more, Boaz
even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest
is completed.”
22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said,
my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You
might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.”
Boaz
showed caring for her by letting her glean in his fields and letting her stay
with his own workers for safety. Ruth showed compassion by sharing her meal
with her mother-in-law Naomi and gleaning for barley in the first place.
So…what
are some ways we can be methodical…to be Methodist…in our lives and in the
lives of those around us? Give people a
chance to respond. OK…how do you think we as a church…not just as Methodist
or even as the whole body but we, here…you and I…Stetson Memorial UMC…can
give/go that extra mile? Remember…methodically
with purpose and intention…
Who
are you…who am I? Are you and I showing compassion to those around us or are we
putting on blinders and seeing only what we want out of life? Are you and I being
intentional with caring for others or are we just halfheartedly caring about
the needs of others…? Are you and I acting in ways that show’s God’s love and
compassion or are we living selfishly? We are called to be the mirror image of
our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. How are we doing with that? My prayer is that we
would live lives that are Methodically Compassionate as we look for ways to
feed both the physical and the Spiritual needs of others…to share the greatest
gift of all…the gift of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ to a world in need of
compassion and love.
Amen
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