“Leave You Death Cloths Behind!!…”

April 16, 2017

Stetson Memorial UMC

Resurrection Sunday!

Psalm 113

John 20:1-18 NLT

Acts 10:34-48 MSG

Isaiah 25:6-9 NLT

“Leave You Death Cloths Behind!!…”

The Lord be with you, and also with you…let us pray…(Prayer of illumination….)

Please stand as you are able from the reading of the Gospel according to John, chapter 10, verses 1-8…

It was a morning like no other. Mary trembled as she made her way to the tomb of her teach and friend. “How could all of this had happened” she thought. “How could they have called for Barabbas instead of Jesus?” She continued on her way to the place she never thought she would have to go…at least not this early in Jesus’ life. All of the sudden the earth shook with a violent convulsion. It knocked her to the ground. She got up wondering what could have caused such a ruckus.

She began to think about the events of the past 3 days and how she stood with Jesus’ mother by the cross as her world was torn apart by the last breath of her teacher. “How could have the others ran away and leave Him to be alone…let alone Peter’s actions?” Then she remembered the stone in front of the tomb. “How am I going to be able to give Jesus a proper burial? I can’t move the stone away myself. But I must try. It is the least I could to for the one who saved me from the demons inside.”

As she neared the tomb she couldn’t believe what she saw. The stone had rolled been rolled away. Then she thought “Oh no…His body!” She ran to the tomb and it was as she had feared. Jesus body was missing. Everything else was there…the death cloths and the cloth that wrapped His head. But the body…it was missing… What was she to do…where on earth could they have taken Him…?

Good morning! Happy Resurrection morning! We have come to the end of our Lenten journey and now here we stand at the empty tomb. This is the foundation of our belief. Without resurrection morning, there is no faith…without resurrection morning, there is no forgiveness of sins…without resurrection morning, there is no victory over sin and death…without resurrection morning, Jesus’ life didn’t matter. This is probably my favorite day in the Christian calendar as well as Pentecost Sunday…but don’t let me get started on that…

When I think about the empty tomb I just want to shout from the mountain tops…Christ has Risen…Christ has Risen indeed! I love this day because it is the day that humanity was given the chance to come out of their tomb, remove their death cloths and come into the glorious light of our God in and through the Light of the world, our RISEN, Lord Jesus Christ

In Isaiah 25:6-9…the prophet Isaiah talks about the day that God will remove the gloom and gloom of death and bring joy and hope. The gloom of death hung over all of humanity and there was no end in sight. But God, in His infinite love, could not leave humanity in the pit it was and is in. He alone brings salvation in and through the frailty of His Son. We now are invited to the banquet with the best of everything we can think of… Death no longer has a grip upon us and we are set free in and through the empty tomb. If we choose to come out and leave behind our death clothes…

When I think about the John scripture from this morning, what stood out for me are these facts:

1.  Jesus death clothes were left in the tomb…

2.  Reminded me of Lazareth being raised…

3.  It represents victory over sin and death…

4.  People are like Mary…not know where He is…

5.  Jesus calls our name as He did Mary’s (she was blinded by the world and what she saw that was temporal)

6.  We are to go and give the message to those who are waiting…as Mary did…

In Acts Peter…the Rock…proclaims the resurrection…read Acts 10:34-48. What can we see from Peter’s reaction that is also for us today?

·        He proclaimed Christ’s ministry of healing and peacemaking (36-39)

·        Proclaimed that God raised Christ from the dead (39-40)

·        Proclaimed that they ate and drank with the Risen Christ (41)

·        Proclaimed Christ is the judge of the living and the dead but there is forgiveness in and through His name…

Resurrection Sunday is not just the end of the Lenten journey but only the beginning of the story, the beginning of the new life…the beginning of a new age. Christ went to the cross not just to save you and me but to save all of humanity and there is so many who need the hope and forgiveness of the cross I just can’t imagine Jesus wanting us to keep it for ourselves. God wants all of humanity to be saved and we are here to share the good news so that it is. That’s part of mine and your mission here…part of the purpose of why we were created…to love, to share, to be Christ for the world. But how can we bring the Good News if we are still in the tomb wearing our death shroud?

Resurrection people. It is resurrection morn and we are now given a new life. We have come from the ashes of Wednesday and have come up from those same ashes as a phoenix into the glorious light of the Son. We are being called from our tombs to a new and redeemed life. We are given the robe of righteousness for the death cloths sin had us wrapped in. The question is…will you come out?

Amen…

"Can I Help You?

September 13, 2015

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Summer Sermon Series:

“Revive Us Again O Lord!”

Adapted from “Revival” by Adam Hamilton

Theme: Works Of Mercy…

Ephesians 2:8-10

James 2:14-18

“Can I Help…?”

James 2:14-18Common English Bible (CEB)

Showing faith

14 My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? 15 Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. 16 What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? 17 In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity.

18 Someone might claim, “You have faith and I have action.” But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action.

Prayer for God’s Word to be heard through me…

“Put your money where your mouth is. Talk is cheap. Put up or shut up. The proof is in the pudding. They are “running of the mouth again.”” Have you ever heard any of these phrases that are used when someone is just talking and talking but you find it hard to believe what they are saying so you kind of challenge them to prove what they are saying… How about when Christians talk and talk? They talk the talk but are they walking the walk? They are a talking but are their feet a walking?

We are almost at the end of our summer of “Camp Meetings”. We are asking God to bring revival to our lives and to our communities…to the world. It has been an interesting journey so far. OK…you don’t have to raise your hand on these questions… This summer we have been trying to awaken that which may have fallen asleep. How many of you have felt that tugging of the Spirit? We have talked about some of those feelings that weighed us down and how we need to bring them to the cleansing water of God. How many have felt a little more filled with the Spirit as you made room by getting rid of some rocks that weighed you down? We have understood that we are saved by grace alone. How many have given room of God’s grace? We long for holiness for we want to be holy as God has called us to be. How many really have felt that more passion for God and His word as you have been intentional with our faith and with Him?

We want to do what God wants us to do but sometimes our motives get a little off course, so to speak. How many of you know someone who talks the talks but really doesn’t walk the walk? They talk about doing but never seem to do. It can get that way with faith at times. There are times when people of faith talk all about their faith but there is no works behind that faith. In the Epistle of James that I read it talks about living our faith and not just having faith. We may have faith but if there are no works behind it then our faith is as good as dead.

OK…here is where it may get confusing at times. We heard in the Ephesians letter from Paul that we are saved by grace and not works and this is true. The last part of the Ephesians 2 verses 8-10 states “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” What James is saying is that we saved by grace found in our faith in Jesus Christ and if there is no works our faith might as well be dead.

OK…let’s see if I can explain this better. We are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are so thankful to God for His grace in sending His Son to die for us that we can’t help but want to do outward things to show our inward change and gratefulness. We are so thankful that we want to show that same grace that we have received to others who are in need of grace. This is doing “Works of Mercy” as they are called. They are divided into two categories: Spiritual and Corporal:

1.   The Corporal Works of Mercy are these kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their material and physical needs.

feed the hungry

shelter the homeless

clothe the naked

visit the sick and imprisoned

bury the dead

give alms to the poor

2.   The Spiritual Works of Mercy are acts of compassion, as listed below, by which we help our neighbors with their emotional and spiritual needs.

instruct

advise

console

comfort

forgive

bear wrongs patiently

We as Christ’s church need to “revisit” some of these works. Some how we have forgotten what we are here for…

We long for revival in ourselves and in our church. But as I have always said…it begins with you and with me. It is a heart thing. It is from within that we begin this wondrous journey of grace.

Ray and I along with the girls watched a movie called “Do You Believe” and it has really made me stop and think not only about myself but have a burden for others. It has got me thinking about a true revival. We can read all we want and pray and do all kinds of works of mercy for others. But there is one question that must be answered if we are to have a true revival. It is a question that every follower of Christ needs to ask themselves. Do you … do I … do we … BELIEVE? Now I am not talking about some superficial belief…I am talking about a deep down belief…

Speak from the Spirit… ( See video of Sermon for this part of what was preached)

Amen…

The End Is Just The Beginning...

April 5, 2015

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Easter Sunday

Matthew 28:1-10 MSG

John 20:1, 11-16 AMP

The End Is Just The Beginning

          A reading from the Gospel of John…chapter 20 verses 1 and 11-16. Listen for he word of God for you and me the people of God

Prayer for God’s word to be heard through me or in spite of me…

(Sponge Bob’s best day ever)

How many of you have ever had such good news that you just couldn’t contain it? I know I have. It seems as if I would explode if I didn’t share the news with someone…be it something about myself or someone else…I just can’t help but spread the news! How about if you had a great idea that would solve so many issues? It might be an easier way to do something or an idea that would help humanity…the possibilities are endless. There is no telling where we might have good news for some one. The only boundary that it may have is our own imagination. We might right now have some good news that needs to be shared. What’s stopping you?

          We have come to the end of our Lenten journey. We have heard the seven last words, or statements, of Christ. We also visited the Upper Room and shared a meal and were given a new command from Christ…the command to love others not as we love ourselves but as Jesus loved and still loves us. We even sat at the foot of the cross and stood with those who stood by when Christ was put to death for all of humanity’s sake. But here…today…we celebrate Christ’s victory over death and joyfully…with enthusiasm…with all of our heart… can say “CHRIST IS RISEN”…YES HE IS RISEN INDEED!

          But is that the end of the story? Are we to just say our thank you’s and good bye’s to the Cross of Calvary? Or, is there something more? My answer is NO! This is not the end but only the beginning of the story, the beginning of the new life…the beginning of a new age. Christ went to the cross not just to save you and me but to save all of humanity and there is so many who need the hope and forgiveness of the cross I just can’t imagine Jesus wanting us to keep it for ourselves. God wants all of humanity to be saved and we are here to share the good news so that it is. That’s part of mine and your mission here…part of the purpose of why we were created…to love, to share, to be Christ for the world.

          There are so many in the world who feel that they have nothing but death ahead of them in life…they don’t know that there is victory over death in Christ and this victory is and will be ours through and by faith. We will all face death at some point in time…we will all experience the death of a loved one at some point on our journey of life and faith…we may even experience death to old things in our lives…death to things that just don’t “work for us anymore.” But, death is not the end…it is a beginning of another chapter in our lives that’s called eternity…death can make new things spring forth in our lives and the lives of others…

          We heard this morning from the Gospel of John about the women who went to the tomb and found it empty. They were shocked and amazed by the angels message to them. And then…and then…they saw Christ on their way to tell the disciples the Good News. Jesus had brought forth new life with His resurrection.  In order to spring forth with a new life that would make His people glad and rejoice in His salvation the old life of a shroud being cast over His people…the sheet spread over the nations…needed to be removed. Death needed to be swallowed up forever…now we are not talking about the physical death but the death to the spirit that was present because of sin. Death, O death, where is thy sting?

          This promise was accomplished through the death and RESURRECTION of Christ that we heard about in the Gospel of Mark I read this morning. Victory over sin and death…victory in Jesus! Even though Jesus had told the disciples He would be back…He would rise again after His death, they still didn’t understand until it was accomplished on the first Easter Sunday morn. Death, O death, where is thy sting?

          And the best news ever was when Jesus was actually seen…in public none the less…by others. These “sightings”; did nothing but only confirm Jesus’ victory over sin and death. They say that seeing is believing and did they ever see. Death, O death, where is thy sting?

          Today, Easter Sunday, is not the end of the story. We have the best news ever to share. There are those out there who haven’t heard the good news and it is our commission to share this news with all who will hear. Are there people in your lives or mine that need a little bit of good news? Are there those around us that are suffering with the penalty of sin that need to be freed from their oppressor? Are there people in our live that are frozen in fear because of their uncertainty of their future of the future of their loved ones? Share the good news…shout it from the roof tops…give others a hope for the future. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Christ has conquered death for you and for me…for all of humanity! Alleluia He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Amen!

The Finale...?

April 3, 2015

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Good Friday

Final Words Sermon Series

 “It Is Finished…Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

John 19:30a NIV

Luke 23:43-47 NIV

Adapted from Adam Hamilton’s book “Final Words From the Cross”

“The Finale…?”

A reading from the Gospel of John, chapter 19, verses 30 a and Luke 23 verses 43 through 47 Listen to the word of God for you and me His beloved children.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

Let us pray…Pray for God’s word to be heard through me or in spite of me…

We have been journeying our way to the Cross of Calvary…stopping here and there to hear what Jesus said in His last words from the cross, His last words of ministry so to speak. These were the last words of His ministry here on earth. Even from the cross, Jesus was still doing ministry. His anguish on the cross was leading up of the climax of His ministry and the reason He was sent from above. It is to this place that we have stopped and pondered as we await the celebration of His victory.

We have talked about His words “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing…” and realized that we are part of the “them” that Jesus was praying for and about. We heard His words “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” which are words of hope for us knowing that we will one day be with Him where He is… We know there was an “adoption” at the cross when he proclaimed “Woman here is your son…here is your mother.” And then there was last week’s words…”My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”…Jesus knows our pain and our suffering for He Himself has been there… We have heard that Jesus thirst just as we do but what is it that is being thirsted for?

Now…here we are at the end…His very last words He spoke before His death…“It is finished” and… “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” What power is found in these words of Jesus…what hope and joy humanity has because of this redeeming work that was done this day… We would be lead to believe that this was the end…the big finally but is it? Ok…let’s look at these two phrases and see for our selves whether or not this is the end…

…“It is finished”

It is finished. These are some of my favorite words from the cross. They are words that let me know I have a future and a hope…they tell me that Jesus completed what He came to do. He came and accomplished a way of and for salvation for you and for me.

v It is Finished…the sin we carry no longer can hold us for ransom…Jesus paid the ransom note.

v It is finished…The curtain that was in front of the area that only the priest could go…the holiest of holies…was torn from top to bottom as the veil was lifted and we who believe are now given access to the throne room of God.

v It is finished …loves redeeming work was done. Jesus bore the sins of the world…no mere man could do that.

v It is finished…no more sacrifices were needed. Jesus was and is the final sacrifice. Jesus is the only way to God and it is only in, by and through His name we are saved.

v IT IS FINISHED!!!!

… “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Jesus was done. He accomplished all that He came to do. Now He was returning to the Father to sit at His right hand. But is this the end? Is there all there is to the Easter Story? Well the answer to that was no but those who were around Jesus at the time…His disciples, His mother, the Religious Leaders…they all thought this was the end. They didn’t know any better. They saw Jesus die on the cross and return to God. Here is the Messiah…the One who would save God’s people…hanging on a tree. I am sure all of their hopes and dreams died right there with Him. How could this be? I am sure they walked away feeling something went wrong with God’s plan for His people. Jesus said He was the Messiah but there was no freedom…freedom in the way they thought it should happen.

2000 years later we still walk away at times thinking that something has gone wrong with the plan God has for our lives. Broken dreams. A life of heart ace. Our plans that we have worked so hard for falling apart before our eyes. Families are torn apart. Despair and addiction all around. How could this be? Where is the “Happily Ever After in that?” Our hopes and dreams are lying bare on the ground…

But…but…perhaps this isn’t the end. Maybe there is still hope for us yet. Maybe…as we see the sun rise on a new day…we will see something new on the horizon. But do we dare hope and pray? Perhaps things will be better in a couple of days. Let’s just wait and see… Is there a new day dawning full of hope and promise?

Amen 

Rise Again

November 2, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus

Sermon 6 of Series:

“I Am the Resurrection”

John 11:17-27 the Message Bible

http://www.churchyear.net/allsaints.html

“Rise Again”

Let us pray…Pray for the Spirit’s leading and that God’s word would be heard…

Today we celebrate All Saints Day. It is a day that we celebrate those saints among us and those who have gone before us. Now let me give you a little history about All Saint Day. (From: http://www.churchyear.net/allsaints.html)

“It is when the Catholic Church and some Protestant churches commemorate every saint, known and unknown. The concept of All Saints Day is connected to the doctrine of The Communion of Saints. This is the concept that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification (called Purgatory in the West), are spiritually connected and united. In other words, Catholic and Orthodox Christians (and some Protestants) believe that the saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf. Remember, our connection with the saints in heaven is one grounded in a tight-knit communion. The saints are not divine, nor omnipresent or omniscient. However, because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians.

Remembering and honoring the saints are beneficial practices, because to remember the heroes of the faith and follow their examples are good things. Many Christians seem to strongly oppose remembering and celebrating the lives of great Christian men and women, yet have no problem celebrating the lives of secular heroes like George Washington. All Saints Day is kind of like a Christian Memorial Day or Presidents Day, a day to celebrate the lives of all the great heroes of the Christian faith, and to celebrate the deep communion we have with them. While celebrating secular heroes is admirable, how much more admirable is celebrating those who fully dedicated their lives to Christ!”

Our church knows a lot about the saints. We have had many go before us in the past year and we may have our own questions of what happens after we die. We may be asking if there really is a resurrection of life. We may be asking if there is really anything after life. It has been hard and we may find ourselves losing hope as we have seen one after another go on to glory. But Jesus has given us the answers to our questions. You see He is the Resurrection and the Life.

We have entered into the Season that we begin to journey towards a manger…the Season that we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. As prepare for the pilgrimage we are looking at the seven “I Am” statements that Jesus made while He walked among us. My prayer is that as we do, we will realize what really happened that day, how that one day changed the tide of sin and death. It’s all about the name and what goes along with that very same name…not just who a person is but also what that name implies.

We have talked about the name I Am and that Jesus, the Great I Am, is always with us even when we don’t feel His presence with us in those times when we feel we are walking in a dark tunnel and not seeing the light at the end. Jesus is The Bread of Life and Jesus fills us spiritually so that we never will hunger again for those Spiritual things that we need for our faith walk. He is “The Light of the World” giving us light for the journey. He is “”The Gate” that keeps us safe in the pasture of His love and grace. Being the perfect gate…Jesus truly is “The Good Shepherd” who shepherds us with His love and peace. Jesus is also the Resurrection and the Life. It is through Him that we rise again and have life eternal.

In the scripture I read this morning, Jesus said the He is “the Resurrection and the Life” but what does that mean to believers? What that means is that through Him we may die but we will have life with Him in paradise…in heaven. Now does that mean we will never die? Certainly not…at least the death we may think…that death that leads to nothingness. It means that though we may die to our earthly bodies, we will live eternal with Him.

The life we now live with Christ is one with promise. The life we live now gives us hope since we have accepted His invitation to new life. When we accept that invitation we die to self, we die to the life we once lived in order to live out that new life in Christ. We know that we WILL have life eternal with Him because we have the hope of His promise. Can you imagine living your life not knowing what the future holds? Can you imagine living life thinking that “this is it…it is all there is…”? We have hope about our death and the life beyond. Not just for us but for all the saints before and after us. Can you imagine losing a loved one and not know that there is a hope in their “afterlife”?

We may have all suffered some kind of death in our life. The loss of a job, the end of a life that we are living, a situation that seems impossible, the list goes on. But…but…we may have also seen new life come from something we thought was dead. I am reminded of a scene in one of the Harry Potter Movies. It is one where Harry is talking to a Phoenix and all of the sudden it burst into flames. Now he is all upset because he thought he did something to cause it. He is happy when he is told that the phoenix must die in order to be reborn. His face lights up as he sees the phoenix begin to rise out of the ashes. What ashes are you sitting in waiting for Jesus to rise you up out of?

In the scripture Jesus does something that gives us hope. Before Jesus here talks about eternal life in John 3:16, “Anyone who believes in Me will not perish but have eternal life”, but here, Jesus provides more detail saying that even though a believer experiences physical death, he will still have life. He is referring to those who die in faith. Here Jesus id confirming that the single qualification…the single thing that has to be done, for eternal life is to believe that His death paid the entire cost for our sins…

Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday…we celebrate those saints that have gone before us as well as the ones we still have. Jesus’ words of hope are perfect for a Sunday like this…I Am the resurrection and the Life…those who believe in me though they die they will have eternal life… May we go forth as the Saints of this world bringing it the hope and joy that it so richly needs. May we bring wholeness and healing to those who are morning their  “death situation”. May we rise above the ashes of life into new life. May we have the persistence of the Saints as we usher in a new way of life…one that brings life out of death. May we proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection and the Life…our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

Pray about Jesus being the Resurrection and the Life…

Amen!