James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

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James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” What a beautiful, interactive image. Imagine how you feel when you are naturally drawn to a beloved person or pet. Think about that desire you have to share time, touch, conversation. This is the kind of intimate relationship God wants with us. Notice that there is no qualification or “entry fee” to connect with God – if we simply make the effort, God is always ready and anxious to connect with us.

No matter who you are, what you have or have not done, what you have or have not achieved… none of that matters. The Kingdom of Heaven’s doors are open to all. Let’s draw near to God, together.

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

In today’s reading, James addresses what it means to reflect the personal, caring relationship God wants with every person. To offer extra grace or mercy to someone because of their higher socio-economic status implies that God’s grace and mercy are limited and only available to the highest bidders. But that’s not how the Kingdom of God is supposed to operate. Our doors should be open to ALL people, equally.

Our Christian faith proclaims that the Good News of God’s Love is for everyone so we shouldn’t get distracted by the superficial. I would love nothing more than for our town to describe us as “the church that will take anyone, it doesn’t matter who you are; if you want to love God, love yourself and love others… that’s all they seem to care about.” Let’s make that dream a reality.

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

The key to fully appreciating James’ urge for us to be slow to anger is being able to first recognize our emotions and the emotions around us and then understand how everyone’s feelings are responses to our environment. Wrapping that in prayerful conversations with God can lead us to managing our anger (and other emotions) so that we’re motivated in a positive way to fulfill what James calls the purest definition of religion: caring for the most vulnerable people in our society (in his case, widows and orphans).

How can our anger at social injustices motivate us to be quick to listen to the needs of our community, to the cries of the vulnerable? How can we then speak out for their needs?

By listening quickly, speaking slowly, and acting with great compassion, we can be God’s loving, transformative presence for our community.

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Where is God? – God’s Nature: Location

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Where is God? – God’s Nature: Location

If you’ve ever prayed with a young child, they may have asked you, “Who are you praying to?” When you answer, “God” a likely follow-up question is, “Where is this God you’re praying to?” Great question! Today we’re going to address a specific aspect of God’s nature: location. Where is God – far away, nearby, or within us?

Our understanding of God’s location consciously – or more often subconsciously – plays a major role in how we treat ourselves and others as well as how we understand and deal with life’s major questions and events (ex: birth, death, tragedies, etc).

So today, we’ll look at several major schools of thought regarding where God is. FYI, each belief paradigm is supported by Bible verses as well as theologians with PhDs, so no matter what you personally think about God, know that there are many incredibly smart, educated, compassionate people who agree with you.

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John 17 – One Last Prayer / Knowing God

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John 17 – One Last Prayer / Knowing God

Jesus does not describe eternal life as knowing about God, but actually knowing God. So how do we do that? How do we personally “know” the Creator of the Universe?!? We start by having interactions with God. So how do we do that?!? Everyone has their own path, their own journey.

Eternal life – being in relationship with God – and “becoming holy” are blessings we can enjoy now AND look forward to enjoying in new, different, and greater ways in the future. Eternal life is a way of living in love and in hope with ourselves and with others. It is part of what Jesus meant when He said “the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The Kingdom of Heaven is near indeed and there is plenty of room for everyone!

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John 13 – Washing Feet / Communion at a Small Country Church

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John 13 – Washing Feet / Communion at a Small Country Church

The disciple Peter plays a prominent role in today’s story. He is almost comically imperfect as he responds to Jesus’ expression of love – first by saying he wants none of this, then saying he wants it all, and later overestimates his loyalty to Jesus. It’s easy to criticize Peter’s lack of understanding and allegiance. But as someone said, “Peter is there to give the rest of us mere mortals courage.”

During this service, we celebrated Holy Communion. The next time you participate in this ancient, sacred sacrament, I urge you to pray, “Lord, what would you like to share with me through today’s bread and juice?”

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John 12 – Mary Anoints Jesus (a $40,000 pedicure?!?)

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John 12 – Mary Anoints Jesus (a $40,000 pedicure?!?)

Mary’s actions were her way of honoring God’s presence in her life. Her extra-ordinary generosity celebrated Jesus’ life of extra-ordinary service to others AND symbolically prepared Jesus for His extra-ordinary execution and resurrection.
Two questions for us today should prod us to consider how we utilize the resources we have.

  • In what ways can we sacrificially give as an act of acknowledging and worshiping God’s presence among us?

  • In what ways can we serve those in need while we confront the systems that neglect and oppress others?

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John 6:47-60 – Flesh & Blood, Power & Life

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John 6:47-60 – Flesh & Blood, Power & Life

If our sacred texts – the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament – provide the bones of our faith, and Jesus’ ministry of words and deeds provide the flesh, the Holy Spirit that ran through Jesus and runs through us today is the life-giving blood we all depend upon to live from one moment to the next. The skeleton gives structure; the flesh gives power; the blood give life.

Our Sunday worship services are a spiritual meal shared among friends, a time together meant to be savored and shared, like the steak and wine meal.

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9 Readings – God’s Voice OR Our Imagination?

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9 Readings – God’s Voice OR Our Imagination?

How to tell if God is calling / drawing / tugging at / communicating with you:
#1: God’s message / communication with you will sound like it comes from a place of love.
#2: God’s voice will help you understand how to better love God, love yourself, & love others.
#3: God will lead you to places of need where you can serve others.
#4: God will draw you to be a light of justice, kindness, and humility.
#5: God’s leading often appeals to our “natural” (i.e. God-given) interests and abilities.

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Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

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Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

firmly believe that God has positioned and equipped us with everything we need to get to the next step. We need to be using all of our senses to detect God’s leadings. We need to trust that, as a loving creator, God wants the best for us and for our community. We need to share our life and faith stories with each other so that we can be encouraged, we can encourage others, and we – working and talking together – can more clearly understand where God is leading us next.

Two weeks ago, we sang Amy Grant’s, Thy Word, a song inspired by Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We can take only one step at a time. Even the great Jesse Owens ran and jumped one step at a time. When we make ourselves available to God and seek God’s leading, we also need to muster the courage to trust God’s leading light and take that next step. If we do so, if we emulate Abram’s unwavering faith in and commitment to God, then we allow God’s life-changing, world-changing Spirit to move in us and through us. When God’s Spirit is freely moving, our lives and our community will be forever transformed and thus better able to accept the Good News of God’s love and experience the Kingdom of God here and now.

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1 John 3:16-24 – Debbie Abbott – Love: The Act of Receiving and Giving

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1 John 3:16-24 – Debbie Abbott – Love: The Act of Receiving and Giving

We cannot bring about change in our community only by what we preach. Our actions must portray what we say and believe. Doing good, by its definition, is never complete. God’s love is a never-ending stream that we can tap every day. All of us have a role in both receiving and giving love. It’s ironic that when dealing with these positive commandments, we don’t ever come to a point when we can say, “I’m done.”

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Psalm 4 – Passionate Prayers, Peaceful Sleep

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Psalm 4 – Passionate Prayers, Peaceful Sleep

We can and should be God’s compassionate, loving, caring presence to everyone – especially those in need. We can be shoulders to cry on. We can offer the psalmist’s advice to not let anger drive any of us to sin, but rather let God work on our anger and worries overnight. We can remind ourselves and each other that the greatest joys come from our relationships with God and each other, not from our accumulations of material goods and wealth.

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Join Us for Dinner! – Mark 2:1-17

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Join Us for Dinner! – Mark 2:1-17

As God’s children, we are ALL warmly invited and declared worthy of celebrating our loving relationship with God through the elements of bread and juice, symbolically connecting us to the table where Jesus shared a meal with Levi and his very imperfect friends.

There is space for everyone: those who have been miraculously healed, those who are skeptical of healings; those who are curious; those who have been rejected by communities of faith, and those who have never before shared in this meal.

This is what the Kingdom of God looks like, everyone equally welcomed, equally accepted, equally embraced. This is a diverse Kingdom that we can ALL call home!

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The Advent of PEACE – Luke 1:26-38

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The Advent of PEACE – Luke 1:26-38

In this season of Advent, this season of looking forward with anticipation, today’s story presses us to ask ourselves – individually and as a church…

  • How is God inviting us to birth God’s loving presence into our community?

  • Will we steadfastly remain connected with God, continuously praying for God’s leading?

  • Can we overcome our own doubts and insecurities?

  • Will we work to prepare ourselves for an unknown future?

  • Can we deflect external negative criticisms?

  • Is our skin thick enough to be servants of God?

Like Elizabeth and Mary, despite the inevitable growing pains ahead, can we joyfully await the advent of a new season in our own lives and in the life of our church? Do we have the courage and bold humility to see ourselves and our faith community as instruments of God’s peace?

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

Today’s story shares the advent of a new era, a new way of understanding the Good News that God’s love, peace, and hope is for everyone. Matthew’s story reminds us that, like Jesus, we can expand the Kingdom of God when we share this gift with ourselves and others, especially people who may be feeling a bit Scroogish or Grinchish this time of year.

Matthew’s story reminds us that we are all God’s children, all God’s family and thus, no matter what we have or have not done with our lives, we are all accepted and loved by the Creator of the Universe.

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Sharing God’s Presence – Matthew 26:17-30

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Sharing God’s Presence – Matthew 26:17-30

In Luke’s version of the Passover meal, the Last Supper, Rabbi Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do this… Do what? Last week we talked about the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:34-40) Jesus shared with His disciples: Love God, love yourself, and love others. Our answer lies in those precious instructions.

We can start “remembering Jesus” by following Jesus’ example. In response to God’s love for each of us… In response to your relationship with God, love others to the point of sacrificing your own comfort and security so that others may come to know God and enjoy a loving relationship with Him. Jesus did that repeatedly.

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The Meaning of Life – Matthew 22:34-46

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The Meaning of Life – Matthew 22:34-46

The Great Commandments Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy and Leviticus serve as perhaps the ultimate litmus test for our own lives and communities.
· How well are we loving God?
· How well are we loving ourselves?
· How well are we loving others?

These are not rhetorical questions. In fact, I often think we would do well starting and ending each day reminding ourselves of these three loves as an encouragement, a compass, and a litmus test – a way of determining where we are and what adjustments we need to make to keep everything balanced and healthy.

Here’s the Good News that Jesus proclaimed: The Lord, our God, our Creator is indeed with us and loves us more than we can imagine! God’s “plan,” the meaning of our lives, is to embrace that Divine love, share it with ourselves, and let it flow through us to others. That is how we create the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

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There is Life After Death – Matthew 22:23-33

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There is Life After Death – Matthew 22:23-33

Jesus says the patriarchs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are “living” with God. This gives us great hope for our own ongoing relationships with God. This is the Good News that Jesus was sharing with anyone who would listen: God made you; God loves you; God wants to be in a close, loving relationship with you for forever. That’s not just Good News, it’s GREAT News! And its news worth sharing with people carrying the burdens of guilt, of insecurity, of hate, of neglect, abuse, and suffering of all forms! Our living God offers them and us relief and release!

No matter what is happening in our lives, no matter what we’ve done or imagined doing, the Good News is that we are born into a relationship with the creator of the universe, and that Creator is crazy about us!

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Give to God What is God’s – Matthew 22:15-22

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Give to God What is God’s – Matthew 22:15-22

Everything about Jesus’ ministry challenged the status quo. Jesus urged the people of his day, as well as us today, to use our God-given hearts and brains to decide, in light of our faith, what is the appropriate way for each of us to live. The crucial question is how we integrate our faith into each day. How can you integrate the values of your Christian faith into your workplace? We can do this every day when we vote.

Look at how you’re voting with your time and money. You have these precious resources at your fingertips. Each day is an opportunity to put your faith into action as we all try to live into the Great Commandments of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. Consider the issues and vote each day for a better you, a better family, a better community, and a better church. Led by our faith, we really can vote our way toward making the Kingdom of Heaven a reality around us.

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Who do YOU say I am? – Matthew 16:13-20

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Who do YOU say I am? – Matthew 16:13-20

In life’s most dramatic moments – good and bad – would you rather be connected with a Divine WHAT or a Divine WHO? We need to wrestle with Jesus’ question, “WHO do you say I am?” I encourage all of us to consider WHO answers that are no doubt informed by our understandings – our theologies – of WHAT Jesus was and is.
As we better understand our own theologies and relationships with God, we will be able to more comfortably, more instinctively, and more enthusiastically share our faith with the people we meet – people who desperately need to hear and know that they are precious children of the Living God.

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