“A Long and Winding Road”

July 27, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “All My Day: A Summer of Prayer”

Inspired by Marcia McFee

Sermon 5 of series-

“Faith Journey”

Luke 12:1-6 Common English Bible

Romans 10:12-15 NIV Bible

“The Long and Winding Road” The Beatles

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination…)

A reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verses 12-15…listen for a word from God to you and me the people of God…

The Twelve sent out

“Jesus called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal sicknesses. He sent them out to proclaim God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. He told them, “Take nothing for the journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money, not even an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. Wherever they don’t welcome you, as you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”

The long and winding road that leads to your door

Will never disappear

I've seen that road before it always leads me here

Leads me to your door

Journey - an act of traveling from one place to another… to travel somewhere. Jesus sent His Disciples on a journey. He sent out to heal and to proclaim the Good News. What a journey that must have been. I am sure they must have been a little frightened…remember they followed someone who was very radical and now they were sharing the words that He had taught them to a world that was about to put Him to death because He was so radical. But He sent them out two by two…kind of reminds us about how on the Ark creation was saved two by two…and gave them power to cast out demons and heal people of their sickness and disease.

The wild and windy night that the rain washed away

Has left a pool of tears crying for the day

Why leave me standing here, let me know the way

Faith Journey – Faith is often called a journey. Faith is a process of moving deeper and deeper into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christian faith comes in an instant but it takes a lifetime to grow and develop. The moment that you accept Christ as Lord and savior, the work of salvation has only just begun…the Faith Journey has begun. Like the disciples being sent out by two’s, we are also being sent out on our Faith Journey by two…ourselves and God. We are never alone; we are always partnered by God…

This summer, we are invited to pray “All My Days” and to make a habit of prayer wherever you are. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on one of the steps of the prayer beads but you are encouraged to pray these categories all summer long. I hope that you brought your beads with you this morning. My continued hope is that our Summer Sermon Series “All My Days: A Summer of Prayer” will help us learn a way of prayer that will bring us closer to the maker of all we see.

We have had an awesome time so far as we have been going through the beads on the string.  We have talked about the first bead…the Gold Bead…which reminds us to begin with adoration and the second bead….the bumpy beady….that is to remind us to “Drop it…leave it”…to let go and let God. How about the silence bead from last week? I have really worked on that one this past week and shall I say it is still a work in progress. The bead this week is one that we all may struggle with from time to time…the “Stepping Stone” the journey of faith bead.

Stepping stone…our faith journey is made up of “stepping stones.” Each step is a new stone set in place. It may be a difficult journey at times and we may wonder if we are on the right track in our journey…are we going in the right direction. It is sort of like the finger labyrinth’s you were given this morning. Our faith journey may have many curves to it but it is in the center where we find God…He is always at the center of all we do in His name…

Do you know how they make stepping stones?

·        They mix the concrete and shape into a rough finish form of a stone

·        Then they wait until it is firm enough to stamp into the form of a stone and they smooth out the sides.

·        Next they put a light coat of stamping powder on it and proceed to stamp a texture on it so that it has depth and texture…Kind of like how I told the children in the Children’s Message last week about how God puts different textures on the canvas of our lives…

·        Then the stone cures of at least 24 hours.

·        Then color is added.

·        The final step is they put a sealant on the stone to protect it from the elements.

Our faith journey is a lot like the making of a stepping stone. As we walk our journey of faith there may be times we feel we are in the “mix master”. As we wait patiently…or impatiently…for God to move, we can feel the pressure of the stamping of our lives. It is a difficult place to be.

Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried

Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried

And still they lead me back to the long and winding road

You left me standing here a long, long time ago

Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to your door

But as God gives depth and texture to our faith journeys it is being formed into a stepping stone for others. As the color is added to our faith journeys it illuminates with His mercy and grace. As we are sealed with the stamp of the Holy Spirit we are now ready to continue on our faith journey. Oh yah…remember we are never alone…we are in partnership with God who goes before us.

But there is a very important thing I want to share about our faith journey. As we walk in faith with God, our paths are illuminated. As our path is illuminated others who come behind us can find the path to God. Now they may begin following our path but God will make them a path of their own but…they need our path to begin their own journey. Think of those in your life that helped you find your path. Did you begin because of their journey that was illuminated? Then we too need to be that illuminating factor in others lives so they too can begin their life’s journey with God.

Our journey of faith…it really can be “The Long and Winding Road” but…but…isn’t the trip worth it? The journey may be filled with the joy of victory and the agony of defeat but we don’t travel it alone. We always go out in two’s, us and God. How awesome is it that as we travel our journey of faith we become those who are up stream for those who are downstream needing someone to show them how to “navigate by the star’s that God has put in their lives”. Let us hold fast and persevere to and on the journey. The Romans from this morning asks us:

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

It is not only our lives that depend on it but the lives of those downstream looking up stream for mercy, redemption, forgiveness, healing and strength that can only be found in our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ…

But still they lead me back to the long and winding road

You left me standing here a long, long time ago

Don't keep me waiting here, lead me to your door

Yah, yah, yah, yah

Let us pray…pray about our journey of faith and how others will follow…

Amen

“Is silence Really Golden?”

July 20, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “All My Day: A Summer of Prayer”

Inspired by Marcia McFee

Sermon 4 of series-

“Silence”

Psalm 37:5-7 Common English Bible

1 Kings 19:9-23 NIV Bible

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination…)

A reading from the book of 1 Kings chapter 19, verses 9 through 13 from the NIV Bible…listen for a word from God to you and me the people of God…

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

This summer, we are invited to pray “All My Days” and to make a habit of prayer wherever you are. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on one of the steps of the prayer beads but you are encouraged to pray these categories all summer long. I hope that you to bring your beads with you to church as we spend the summer sitting at the feet of God spending time in prayer. My continued hope is that our Summer Sermon Series “All My Days: A Summer of Prayer” will help us learn a way of prayer that will bring us closer to the maker of all we see.

Now, we have talked about the first bead…the Gold Bead…which reminds us to begin with adoration and the second bead….the bumpy beady….that is to remind us to let go and let God (remember…drop it…leave it…?) This week’s bead is one of the hard ones…the Bead of Silence.

We live in a world that always has something going on…there is always something that can invade our scenes. We, as a society, have learned to almost hate silence. It’s too quiet. We tend to feel on edge when it is too quiet around us….almost like we are nervous because of the silence. We need to have noise to feel secure. Many people turn on the T.V. or radio because it is too quiet around the house.

I know I am guilty of that sometimes. I need the noise so I don’t feel I am all alone in the house. It can give me a sense of security. But there are times when I crave silence in my life. Sometimes there is just so much going on at once that I can’t keep up with the demands of ministry and family. There are those times when I just want to run away to a quiet space where I can meet God and just be…

I remember the song from the Four Seasons “Silence Is Golden” back in 1964. But is it really “golden”? Silence is something that can be very difficult for us to embrace but that is what God wants us to do, embrace the silence and to quiet ourselves. It is within the silence that we can hear Him more fully.

Throughout the Gospels we hear of Jesus preaching o the masses and healing them from their infirmities. There was always a “buzz” around Him. People would flock from miles around to see Him and hear His message of the Kingdom of God. There was almost a chaotic atmosphere around Him with people pushing and shoving to be near Him. Zacheus, a tax collector, even climbed a tree in order to se Jesus. After he spent time doing what he came here for, to preach God’s love and heal people, He often went away to be by Himself to commune with God. He needed these times of silence in order to reconnect with God, to refresh Himself, to hear God’s instructions for what He needed to do next. We all have that chaos in our lives clambering for attention. Just as Jesus did, we too need that time away with God to regenerate ourselves so that we too can be reenergized to do what we are called to do for the Kingdom of God.

The Psalm that I read this morning tells us that we need to be still before the Lord and to wait for Him. We need to trust enough to take that time away knowing that God will refresh our souls so that we can go on in strength that is only found in and through Him. It is within the stillness that we can refocus ourselves from the chaos around us to following God’s will for our lives. How can we move forward for the Kingdom when so much stuff is crowding out God’s voice of comfort, of strength, of peace?

Then we have the story of Elijah in the cave. Elijah had become so busy and zealous for the Lord that he was weary and couldn’t go on. He felt as if his life had come to end and maybe he couldn’t hear God’s voice because of all the chaos around him. He had just called down fire from heaven. He had just killed all the prophets of Baal. He had just heard the “death sentence” that Jezebel had pronounced over his life. Now, warn and weary, he had climbed into a cave to hide from the world and chaos around him.

Here is where he heard the voice of the Lord. He had finally come to the end of himself and was ready to hear the word of God. But when did he hear the voice of the Lord best and his instruction of what to do next. Was it in the earthquake? Was it in the blazing fire or in the wind? No, it was within the silence…the after math of the noise that he clearly heard the voice of God. And it came in a gentle whisper. How can we hear the gentle whisper of Go din or lives when we are in the midst of the chaos?

Is silence Golden? For me the answer is yes. It is within the silence that we can here God’s still, small voice.  It is within the silence that we are refreshed and renewed. It is within the silence of our hearts that we can hear God’s instructions in our lives. It is within the silence we are given hope and strength. It is within the silence that we commune with God. In all the chaos and noise this world offers it can e hard to tell whether God is speaking or the sirens of the world. In all the chaos of life we too can become tired and defeated as Elijah was. It is within the uncomforting silence that we receive the comfort of God. Being silent is so counterintuitive of the chaos of the world. But we have been called to be in the world and not of the world. We need that silent time with God so that we can be His hands, feet and voice in a chaotic world. We truly do need to be still and know that God is God. Then and only then will we be able to give God the adoration and let go of what needs to be removed so that we can be that refreshed  and renewed person that God has always intended us to be. Yes, silence is golden and more precious than silver and much gold. Silence is what keeps us above water in a world that is sinking in the deep. It is where we meet God…

Let us pray…pray about finding God in the silence…

Amen

“In The Letting Go We Find…!”

July 13, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “All My Day: A Summer of Prayer”

Inspired by Marcia McFee

Sermon 3 of series-

“Letting Go”

Psalm 33:20-22 Common English Bible

Psalm 25:1-3 Common English Bible

Romans 8:30-32 Common English Bible

Matthew 11:28-30 Common English Bible

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination…)

A reading from the book of Romans, chapter 8, verses 30-32…listen for a word from God to you and me the people of God…

30 Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified.

31 So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?

I have a friend who is just awesome with dogs. She is very patient in their training as she teaches them how to be social animals but also to be obedient to her. She has this one thing she does when she teaches them that really amazes me. I can’t believe how obedient they are. She would have them bring one of their favorite toys to her and she would tell them “Drop it…leave it…” and they would do just that. She can walk away from them, even with her back turned, and they would just sit there and not touch the toy until she told them it was OK. They may sit there staring at their toy…really wanting to pick it up and play with it…but they have been told to leave it and they do.

Now I think it is very cool so I have even tried it with the girls. You know when they touch something or pick up something that belongs to one of their sisters. Well…I haven’t gotten it to work yet. Every time I turn my back they pick it back up. They just can’t let it go and leave it. But then again, we as humanity have a hard time with letting go. We can tend to hold on to things that we really don’t need to hold on to and we wind up carrying all this baggage…like David Broadbent talked about last week when he came to preach for us. I can just see God in heaven going, “Drop it…leave it…no I said leave it not pick it back up…” Why can’t we just leave it alone and not keep picking things back up after we give it to God? Or even give it to God in the first place instead of carrying it around with us like an old worn out, heavy suit case…?

This summer, we are invited to pray “All My Days” and to make a habit of prayer wherever you are. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on one of the steps of the prayer beads but you are encouraged to pray these categories all summer long. I hope that you to bring your beads with you to church as we spend the summer sitting at the feet of God spending time in prayer. My continued hope is that our Summer Sermon Series “All My Days: A Summer of Prayer” will help us learn a way of prayer that will bring us closer to the maker of all we survey.

Now, last time we talked about the first bead on our string of beads, the “Adoration Bead”, the one that reminds us to begin our prayer time in adoration of God. This week we are going to the second bead…the bumpy bead. This bead reminds us to tell God our worries and leave then there with God.

Now Marcia McPhee states that, “As we move into times of prayer and devotion, we are often faced with the distraction of those things that are worrying us, that are demanding our attention and focus. Letting go of these worries, even if for a while, is a practice of trust in God. This Sunday we wrestle with the difficulties (and the joys) of “letting go and letting God.”

Letting go…how hard is that at times? At times we have stresses and worries and it is so hard to stop thinking about them and redirecting our thoughts and hearts towards God. But how can we give our whole selves to God without letting go of those things that take up so much of our thoughts?

Now I don’t know about you but for me it can be really hard. I start with prayer and adoration of God and then all of the sudden thoughts and worries start creeping in…thoughts about what I have to do that day…thoughts of someone who may have wronged me…worries about how Shyanne is doing with her diabetes…worries about family and friends.  These thoughts can take over my whole prayer time with God. But…but…there are those times that as soon as they come to mind I let them go to God. In the letting go we can find peace. In the letting go we can find healing. In the letting go we can find peace.

In the Psalms from this morning we heard how our God is faithful. We heard that our hearts can rejoice in the God who is our shield. We heard how putting our hope in the God that created the universe is a source of joy and blessings. We shall not be put to shame. We can trust God with our deepest, darkest fears and He will give us peace in knowing He is in control…as Romans 8 tells us…if God is for us, who can be against us.

God wants us to have peace and hope in our lives. Mathew 11:28-30 Jesus tells us “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As we let go and let God we are blessed beyond measure. Our burdens in life are so much easier to carry…our worries disappear…when we give it to God and let God be God.

Letting go of what troubles and concerns us is never easy, and sometimes the act of placing these worries in the care of God and the care of others can help us to release them. So this is what I want you to do. As we sing our last song I would like for each of us, as the Spirit leads, to come forward with the note card that was given you this morning with your worries written on them and place them in the basket here up front and I will put them on the altar as we given them to God. But we all must remember to “drop it and leave it” with God. Now during prayer time if you start thinking about these things I want you to say to yourself “I have given it to God and I know that He is moving in my life and will take care of this worry for me. He is for me and not against me. I will trust and not be afraid.”

Letting go is never easy but in the letting go we are blessed beyond measure because we receive peace, joy and hope. In the letting go we enter the heart of God. What can be more precious than that?

Let us pray…pray about letting go…

Amen

All My Adoration

June 29, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Sermon Series on “All My Day: A Summer of Prayer”

By Marcia McFee

Sermon 2 of series-

“Adoration”

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adoration

Psalm 105:1-6 Common English Bible

Exodus 15:1-3 The Living Bible

Psalm 89:1-18 The Message Bible

“All My Adoration…!”

Let us pray…(pray for God’s illumination…)

A reading from the book of Exodus, chapter 15, verses 1-3…listen for a word from God to you and me the people of God…

15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

He has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him.

He is my father’s God—I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior—

Yes, Jehovah is his name.

Adoration:

ad·o·ra·tion  [ad-uh-rey-shuhn]  noun

1. the act of paying honor, as to a divine being; worship.

2. reverent homage.

3. fervent and devoted love.

adoration  (ˌædəˈreɪʃən)

 — n

1.       deep love or esteem

2.       the act of worshipping

I love reading the Psalms. They help me in my times of trouble because they remind me of God’s goodness and mercy even through those rough spots in life. One of my favorites is Psalm 105 verses 1-6. It reads:

Psalm 105

105 Give thanks to the Lord;

    call upon his name;

    make his deeds known to all people!

2 Sing to God;

    sing praises to the Lord;

    dwell on all his wondrous works!

3 Give praise to God’s holy name!

    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!

4 Pursue the Lord and his strength;

    seek his face always!

5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,

    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—

6     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,

        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

I love how it talks about God and how awesome He is. It is right to give God the praise for all He has done…is doing or will ever do in our lives. But…I have a question for each of us. How many times do we begin our prayer time in adoration to God? Do we take time to address God for who He is and what He has done in our lives or do we just get right down to the “nitty gritty” of why we are there? Do we stop and think of how wonderfully awesome our God is or do we just skip that part and get right to our request from Him?

I have found in my own prayer time that when I take the time to stop and thank God for who He is my whole prayer time is transformed. I feel that connection with God because I have brought to mind who He is. I feel even stronger that my prayer will be answered because I have reminded myself of how God has answered in the past. It is at these times when I feel am sitting at His feet having a personal conversation with Him…a heart to heart so to speak…from my heart to His…

So how do we approach the throne of grace in such a way? For what or how do we really pray so that we can build a closer relationship with God. We want to have that “living-room conversation” with God. This summer, we are going to try and do just that. We have begun learning about prayer and what it is and how to pray. We have all had those times when we have gone to God and not known what to say…what to pray for. My hope is that our Summer Sermon Series “All My Days: A Summer of Prayer” will help us do just that…learn a way of prayer that will bring us closer to the maker of all we survey. But we are going to do it in a very tangible way.

This morning you were all given a set of prayer beads that Jessica, Ray and myself have made. Now the tradition of using a string of beads or rope knots is an ancient tradition as well as being a ritual action shared by many faith traditions around the globe. The common connection is the ability to give structure to personal prayer devotion. It offers a way to remind and revisit various areas of focus and concern. Repeated rituals can be powerful as they help shape our habits. This summer, we are invited to pray “All My Days” and to make a habit of prayer wherever you are. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on one of the steps of the prayer beads but you are encouraged to pray these categories all summer long. Now I want you to bring your beads with you to church as we spend the summer sitting at the feet of God spending time in prayer.

Last week Ms. Sally started us off by explaining what prayer is…it is a conversation between the created and the Creator. This week I would like to talk about a little thing…OK a BIG thing…called adoration. Now I have given you the definition of adoration at the beginning of my sermon this morning.

After reading the definition I really had to rethink how I use this word. For instance…“I really adore these shoes…they fit just right…they are my favorites” or “I adore how much you care for me Ray…”…“ I adore my cat Fiona”…adoration of things and people in my life. Now I “love” people and things but do I really “adore” them…do I really show “adoration” to them and if I do…am replacing God as I do it? Do I worship my things...my cat… or my husband? Do I look to these things instead of God? Well my cat seems to think so but my answer to that is no. But… I need to think more about how I use this word and what I really mean when I use it.

Prayer…it begins with adoration of God. Our God is so awesome how could we not want to spend time thanking Him and adoring Him? As we begin with adoration our whole perspective is changed. As a matter of fact, we can give god adoration any time, not just during prayer time and it will change our perspective on life. Case in point…”My life is so filled with pain and anguish, how can I keep going on?” … “God…thank you that you are so awesome and powerful and that you are always with me. Even in the desert parts you are there. Thank you for helping me to get up out of bed today and move about. I trust that you will get me through whatever I need today by Your grace and mercy…” “My life is so tough, I never have the money I need to do what I want…” “Thank you God for how You provide what I need and some of my wants. I know that I have been in this spot before with low funds and I look forward with expectation for how you will help me through this. You are so wonderful and loving to Your children making sure we never go without.” Makes a difference doesn’t it?! As we begin to rethink our lives we begin to see the blessings all around us. Adoration…it makes a life good…

Let us pray…pray in adoration of who God is…

Amen

“Hello My Name Is…Abba”

June 8, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Peace with Justice Sunday/Fathers Day

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 23 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: Abba”

Luke 15:11-24 Common English Bible

Romans 8:14-17 Common English Bible

Galatians 4:4-7 NIV

    Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The Baker Publishing Group

Spangler, Ann, Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination of our hearts, minds and souls.)

Creator, Sustainer, Almighty God, you who created all that we see. We have come into your house to worship you this morning and hear the word you would have for us this day. We pray for your presence and your Spirit here with us as we listen to your word. May we leave this place today understanding more about you and your will for our lives. May the meditations of our hearts and the words of our mouths be pleasing to you oh Lord, our Rock and Redeemer. Speak Lord; your children are waiting to hear your voice…

Today is Fathers Day. It is a day that we, as society, have set apart to honor our earthly fathers.

It is a day that we think of those who have been like fathers to us…mentoring us and loving us as if we were their own. You know…it is only fitting that not only is it Fathers Day today but it is also Trinity Sunday…the day that we celebrate and give thanks to our Heavenly Father…the day that we think about the “3-Faces of God”…The Father, Son and Spirit that together make up our God.

As we continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of God, we have heard many names for God on our journey thus far. How fitting it is that today we talk about our Father in heaven…the Father of all fathers.  The name Abba…Father is the name that has so many images attached to it. It is a name that for many brings to mind the love and mercy of our Father…which art in heaven…our Abba Father…

The Names of God Bible states:

The Hebrew Scriptures normally depict God, not as the Father of individuals but as Father to his people Israel. Pious Jews, aware of the gap between a holy God and sinful human beings, would never have dared address God as Ab (Hebrew) or Abba, the Aramaic word for “Daddy,” which gradually came to mean “dear father.” Jesus shocked and offended the religious leaders of his day by claiming that he had a Father-Son relationship with the God whose name they feared even to pronounce outside of the temple. Rather than depicting God as a typical Middle Eastern patriarch who wielded considerable power within the family, he depicted him primarily as a tender and compassionate father who extends grace to both the sinner and the self-righteous.

Though the Old Testament provides many rich names and titles for God, the New Testament reveals him most fully. Jesus, in fact, shocked and offended the religious leaders of his day by claiming that he had a Father/ Son relationship with the God whose name they feared even to pronounce. Also, by inviting his followers to call God “Father,” he made this the primary name by which God is to be known to his followers. That’s why we can boldly pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, “Our Father who art in heaven….”

One of my most favorite stories of a father and son relationship is the one found in the scripture I read this morning…the Prodigal Son. Most of us have heard the story of the prodigal son numerous times. But have you ever noticed that Luke 15:20 states that the father saw his son while he was still at a distance? The New International Version says that his father spotted him while he was still a long way off. This detail is there for a reason. It implies that the heartbroken father had been eagerly looking for his son, longing for him to come home.

 I like to think of God this way, as an eager father searching for his child. We may think we have strayed too far for God to take us back, but he is beckoning us home, watching for us even while we are still a long way off. How comforting and hope=giving is the fact that our God…Abba…our Daddy is there waiting for us to reach out our hand to His as He leads us in the path of righteousness for His namesake…

So…with this information…with this knowledge of God and the relationship He desires…no He longs for…from His children, how should we act and feel? Well…let we read a couple of scriptures that might give us a clue to not only who we are but whose we are…

Romans 8:14-17 Common English Bible (CEB)

14 All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. 15 You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. 17 But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.

We are given the right to call God Abba and we are co-heirs with Christ. Now think about that for a moment. We can call the Maker of Heaven and Earth Daddy and not only that but we are adopted as His children… The Spirit within us tells us…reassures us that we are children of God… How awe inspiring is that? It gives us hope when we feel hopeless knowing that God has adopted us as His children…even though we are flawed and imperfect. You see…God signed the adoption papers for us in the blood of His son and our Brother Jesus Christ at the foot of the cross so long ago…and like our earthly fathers He protects us…even unto death.

Galatians 4:4-7 New International Version (NIV)

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to son-ship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

We are no longer a slave to sin and death. God purchased our freedom through His Son Jesus Christ. Our Spirit within us calls out to Him because we are children of the Most High God. God…in His time set us free so that we could be adopted into the Family of God. We no longer are enemies of God but we are called friends of Jesus who for the sheer joy of it, went to the cross for us so that we too can have a relationship with our Father…Abba Father in Heaven.

Knowing that the Father will keep our souls safe…Abba Father is there watching over us… means we can put our energy not into building up our sense of self but into building up his kingdom. Secure in his arms, we can learn to take the risks that faith requires. If we have been playing it safe, resisting some new direction in our life that we know to be right, maybe…just maybe we need to take some time today to meditate on God’s faithfulness. Tell him you want his will more than you want your own. Then go ahead and do whatever the Father asks! Just saying…

Today is Fathers Day and we celebrate those men in our lives that have loved us and mentored us. Scripture tells us that we…being human and flawed…know how to give good things to our children, how much more will our Father in Heaven…the perfect in all His ways Father…give to those who love Him and are called by His name. Is there someone you may know who needs the love of a good and perfect Father who will never leave them or forsake them? Perhaps it is time that we, as Christians help them find the ultimate Father figure found in our heavenly through the blood of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Maybe…just maybe we could reach out our hand and lead them to life everlasting. Perhaps then there will be a shift in the tide of despair and hopelessness. Let us celebrate our fathers here on earth as well as Abba Father and honor them with our lives. You see Abba Father loved and still loves the world so much, that’s you and me…all of humanity that He sent His only Son and everyone one who believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life. What an awesome privilege we have…what a daunting task we have at hand. But perhaps that’s the whole reason why we are here…to make a change in others lives. Maybe…just maybe if we reach out to the lost…just maybe…

Let us pray…

Father, thank you for loving me even when I was “still a long way off.” You showed your gracious, fatherly love even when I bore little resemblance to you. Strengthen my identity as your child and help me to glorify your name by reflecting your character. Help us to be Your image to the lost and hurting of this world as we live out the Great commission, “Go into the world and make disciples of all nations…baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”Amen.

Adapted from: Spangler, Ann, Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

“Hello My Name is…Ruach”

June 8, 2014

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

Pentecost Sunday

Sermon Series on “The Names of God”

Sermon 22 of series-

“The Sacred Names of God: Ruach”

Joel 2:28-29 Names of God Bible

Genesis 2:7 Names of God Bible

Acts 2:1-18 Gods Word Translation

    Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The Baker Publishing Group

Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination of our hearts, minds and souls.)

As we continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of God, we have heard many names for God on our journey thus far. But one of the most important to the church is the name that started the church. It is why we are celebrating today Pentecost Sunday. It is the name that began all of creation itself. The name is Ruach…(well…it is more of a thing than a name…) the breath…the Spirit…the wind. Ruach Yahweh…the Lord’s Spirit, Ruach…Spirit, Ruach El…God’s Spirit, Ruach Elohim…Spirit of God (breathe), Ruach Qodesh…Holy Spirit…on that day of Pentecost the church was transformed by the very breathe…the Ruach of God…

The Names of God Bible tells us that:

The Spirit offers wisdom, ability, guidance, power, and revelation. So powerful is the breath of the Spirit that it can even bring the dead to life. Though Ruach when used in connection with God in the Hebrew Scriptures may simply refer to his power or his will, more often it signifies that God is present by his Spirit. The New Testament speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Ruach Qodesh) is given to the body of Christ so that together we can do the will of God on earth. The Holy Spirit is the One with the power to re-create the life of God within us.

Today, as we celebrate the power of the Spirit in the church, the scriptures remind us that the

Spirit is a social Spirit – a Spirit that leads us to certain solidarity with each other, the whole world, and all its people. The Spirit does more than make individuals feel good or different.

Let me read to you the account of when the Spirit of God…the Ruach of God…became a reality to the church…the body…the Disciples of Christ from Acts chapter 2, verses 1-21. Now when Christ left He told His disciples that He was going back to heaven but the Spirit…the Advocate would be sent to help them. They had been waiting and praying for days until that fateful day. (I am reading from the God’s Word Translation this morning)

The Believers Are Filled with the Holy Spirit

“2 When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. 2 Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer. 4 All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

5 Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. 6 They gathered when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke.

7 Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are speaking are Galileans. 8 Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects? 9 We’re Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We’re people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done.”

12 All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, “What can this mean?” 13 Others said jokingly, “They’re drunk on sweet wine.”

Peter Talks to the Crowd

14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them, “Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so pay attention to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning. 16 Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

17 ‘In the last days, God says,

    I will pour my Spirit on everyone.

        Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed.

        Your young men will see visions.

        Your old men will dream dreams.

18 In those days

    I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women.

        They will speak what God has revealed.”

There are 4 P’s that we receive from this Ruach Qodesh…the Holy Spirit.:

1.     Power – it came upon the believers in power. As I said that one of the words for Ruach is wind. Now we have all seen the power of wind. It can turn windmills. It can be devastating as in a hurricane. A tornado can pulverize a house. In the account I read we hear how the Holy Spirit…Ruach Qodesh… came as a mighty wind.  When the church is filled with the Holy Spirit, barriers come tumbling down, lives are healed and transformed by that same Spirit. But…but…this power is not to be used to manipulate believers through guilt and fear but to free people from the paralyzing grip of sin in their lives.

2.     Presence – As Jesus came into that upper room where the frightened disciples were after His death, He lifted their spirits by His presence, we can be fearless because we are promised that we will have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. If we know that God is with us and that His love and grace can reach us at our lowest, darkest point, we can face almost anything.

3.     Peace – We can have peace because of the Ruach Qodesh. As the disciples were offered peace when Jesus entered the locked upper room we too are offered that same peace through the Spirit.

4.     Prophecy – The Acts scripture tells us that those who witnessed the “download” of the Spirit were perplexed. They didn’t know what to make of it. They even thought that the disciples were drunk on wine. Peter boldly, through the Spirit, stood up and told them that they weren’t drunk but it was the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had prophesized. The word “prophecy” means to speak forth or declare. As a matter of fact that is what Peter did so that they could make sense of the signs and wonders.

5.     Now I said there were only 4 P’s but there actually is a 5^th one. The 5^th one is purpose. The Spirit acts with purpose. It gives strength and power so that the disciples of Christ can make known the forgiveness of sins…so that others can also receive the gift of the Spirit. There is a purpose for why we stand here today. There is a purpose for the Spirit that is within you and within me…to enable us to preach, teach, to share the gospel of Good News.

6.     OK…let me add one more…personal. The Holy Spirit is not an idea but a person. It is the third part of the Trinity…Father, Son and Spirit. Our job is not to understand but to receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. The Spirit is given to all who know, trust and walk with Jesus.

The Spirit changes behavior and moves us into community.

Ø The coming of the Spirit transformed the early Christian community

1.     Locked doors were opened.

2.     Fear was replaced by courage

3.     Peace was proclaimed.

4.     The power to forgive sins was present

5.     Those who were afraid spoke boldly

Thousands heard the message in their own language.

Ø The coming of the Spirit today is reflected in our social values.

1.     In a world of racism and prejudice, the Spirit speaks to people of every nation under heaven.

2.     In a world of fear and doubt, the Spirit inspires people to open doors and to speak out.

3.     In a world of selfishness, competition, and control, the Spirit gives out gifts that are shared for the benefit of all.

4.     In a world where too many people lack basic freedoms, the Spirit invites us to work for honesty and freedom for all.

5.     In a world with war and violence, the Spirit proclaims a message of peace to all.

6.     In a world of with great wealth and affluence, the Spirit calls us again to a special concern for the poor.

The gifts of the Spirit are for liberation. We might say that the Spirit is an inclusive spirit who

desires to set everyone free.

Today is Pentecost Sunday and we have a lot to celebrate. We are give a Spirit of power and might. We are given a Spirit of presence…we do not travel alone in our faith journey. We are given a Spirit of peace in knowing that fact. We are given a Spirit of prophecy as we proclaim the truth of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ from our own door to the ends of the earth. We are given a Spirit of purpose as we have boldness and strength as we share the Gospel of Peace. And we have a Spirit within us that is not just some ones thought or invention but is living and breathing within us as we walk this journey of faith. It may be hard to grasp this fact but it still remains and we understand by faith what the world cannot ever understand. Let us then go forth and prophesize that Jesus is Lord through the Spirit and have peace in knowing we never walk alone.

Let us pray…

Spirit of the Living God, Ruach, breathe your life into us. Purify, counsel, encourage, convict, and enable us. Give us your gifts that we may use them wisely in your service as we step out in faith and trust in you. Ruach Qodesh, fall down upon us again, give us boldness,  as we share the Good News of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Fill us again with Your salvations power. May we stand in the gap for those who cannot stand…transform us and make us anew.

 ( Adapted from - (2011-09-01). Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The (p. 30). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)

Amen!