Hump Day Prayer for Medical Personnel

Community rating is most often found as part of health insurance systems in various countries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I give you thanks Father for those who practice medicine and seek to help the body heal.

I am grateful for the doctors who train for many years to bring their skill and knowledge to bear on healing the body.

I am grateful for the nurses who care ‘up close’ for patients, in the hospital, in the doctor’s office, in homes and hospice, and in the most unlikely places.

Thank You Father for the various medical techs who operate the equipment that is vital to our car.

For the EMT’s the First Responders, the medical flight crews, I give you thanks for their care and skill.

Gracious and Healing God who is still the Great Physician, grant wisdom to these persons as the diagnose and treat.

Give steady hands and clear thoughts to all as they treat.

Amen.

Sunday Sermon: The Obedience of a Mother

Scripture Passage – Luke 2:51

Description – 2012 Mother’s Day Sermon

I asked on my Facebook wall this week “In what ways has motherhood changed since your childhood? And in what ways has motherhood stayed the same since your childhood?”

I received two very specific responses. One mother noted “Then: Homemade meals every evening and a family around the table. Mom was home full time until I turned 15. When it was time to learn the “facts of life” my Mom handed me a plain brown envelope with a little booklet in it and said in a quiet voice — “Here, read this.”

“Now: Most Moms I know (including me) have to or choose to be professional women who work at least a part time job. For me, this translates into a more confident Mom. We don’t eat a home-cooked meal every evening, but I do play video games with the kids, go to Chick-fil-a with them after school activities are over, and talk openly and honestly about almost everything, including faith, relationships and life choices to name a few.”

Another mom said, “Then: Not much different than today for me – my mom worked and I was responsible for babysitting for my little brother and preparing meals, etc.

Today, unfortunately in a lot of families mom still works but the kids are not required to help out, or they refuse to. Work ethic has really changed, and not for the better. Also then most babies had both a mom and dad – a lot more single moms out there today than there were when I was little.

It has stayed the same in the fact that moms are required to wear many, many hats! Moms are still the organizers in the majority of families and the ones who are responsible to keep the household going, being the one to be sure that everyone is where they need to be when they need to be. Moms still are the ones who make the sacrifices of their own time and health to be sure everyone else is taken care of.”

One of the interesting things that I have noticed about our congregation in the nearly twelve years that I have been here is that I believe there are fewer and fewer stay-at-home moms than there were when I came in 2000.

Now this does not mean stay-at-home mothers are not important. They are! The last segment of the second mother’s quote is worth noting again: Moms are still the organizers in the majority of families and the ones who are responsible to keep the household going, being the one to be sure that everyone is where they need to be when they need to be. Moms still are the ones who make the sacrifices of their own time and health to be sure everyone else is taken care of.

It’s true! Mom is not allowed to get sick. Not when everybody else gets sick! It just cannot be! Sickness messes up mom’s schedule! That’s why when you get sick mom gets that look in her eye when she hears the words, ‘sore throat,’ or ‘I don’t feel well’ or hears a sneeze or a cough during the time of year when such sounds are not supposed to happen! And of course when she hears you say ‘I just threw up!’ (or actually hears you doing it) then the look gets deeper and more exasperated. You know why? It messes her schedule up!

When these things happen, and there are cold germs starting to make their final assault on her nasal passages, she orders them back to where ever they came from! “Sorry boys, not now, I don’t have time!”

Motherhood is vital, unpredictable, and magnificent all at the same time. Just ask any mom.

This time seventeen years ago my wife and I were anticipating the start of a new chapter in life called parenthood. Visits to the doctor were common as we anticipated the arrival of our first born.

Now I cannot speak for my wife, nor any mother here (nor father either!) as I reflect on the past seventeen years. But I can say it is has been a good journey so far and it has been an interesting journey so far.

And we are aware today that the journey of motherhood for some mothers has been filled with joy and pain; hope and sorrow; life and death. And we acknowledge this reality this morning as well.

As I turned to the Bible for this morning’s message, my thoughts were drawn to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary had no idea of what lied before her as a mother when she gave birth to Jesus. But, she was an obedient mother. Obedient to God. And this morning I want to take a few moments and journey through the gospel accounts and note her obedience as a reminder to all of us whither or not we are moms as example of faith and obedience in all the seasons of life.

We begin with Luke 1:26-38 from the New Living Translation:

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israelforever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Notice the progression from confusion when she first encounters the angel Gabriel to simple obedience though acceptance when she hears the whole story.

I cannot begin to imagine what Mary was feeling. She is told that she is to give birth to both an ancestor of King David, the most revered and honored king in the History of Israel and a divine being, the Son of God! It sounds like science fiction. But it is not! Mary does not deny nor reject Gabriel’s words. She believes and she obeys.

There is a phrase, ‘the fog of war,’ that is used to describe situations in the midst of war when errors in judgment and command are likely because of uncertainty and lack of information. Life has an element of fog in it as well. Moments come when all the information we need to make a decision… is not there.

And when an angel shows up to this young woman (and some have suggested she was around 16 at this point) and says, “God likes you and He has chosen you to carry His divine son for nine months,” talk about a fog inducing moment! But obedience, the kind which I believe Mary shows us here, does not let the fog of doubt and uncertainty get in her way of belief. She believes what Gabriel says to her and she obeys. “May everything you have said about me come true.” This is not arrogance.

Listen to her a few verses later “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl…” She is not bragging, she is rejoicing and she is honored that God would choose her to accomplish His great task of deliverance.

To obey is to choose to do so especially when it is not easy or fully known. Such obedience requires faith and so to walk by faith and not by sight is an exercise in obedience.

Now let’s go to Luke 2 and verses 41-52 and look at another well known passage involving Mary:

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”But they didn’t understand what he meant. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Mary was a typical mother! Her franticness is evident her rebuke of him, “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

Not finding Jesus for at least four days in today’s environment would be considered a fatal thing. Tragically today we read of mother’s who physically abandon their children instead of being responsible for them. Mary took responsibility for her role as a mother and she did the right thing in going back and looking for Him.

But find him they did in an unlikely place – the Temple. They did not understand what He meant and why He was there but Luke notes “His mother stored all these things in her heart.” This was something extraordinary that Mary takes note of to remember.

Now the record of Jesus’ next 18 years is unknown as we move from the end of chapter 2 to the beginning of chapter 3. Little is known about what Jesus did until he turned thirty as noted in Luke 3:23 when He began His public ministry.

Now the next time we read of Mary (and I could be wrong here but I don’t think so) is John 2 at the scene of his first miracle, a wedding. The wedding wine has run out and Mary says to Jesus, “They have no more wine.”

And Jesus responds “Dear woman, that’s not our problem.”  “My time has not yet come.” But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now, how many here have said to their mother, and lived to tell about it, “Dear woman, that’s not our problem.” My friend Meredith Gould has said, “The real miracle was that Mary did not smack Jesus for talking back when she told him to handle the situation.”  “My mother,” she writes (she was raised Jewish), “would have made Jesus perform the miracle and then go wait by the camels until we were ready to leave!”

John gives us a glimpse of a very real and human exchange between Jesus and His mom.

I don’t think that Jesus is being disrespectful to her at all. He is 30 years old and He is an adult. And He is also the Son of God as well!

But Mary does not listen to Him. Well she does but, I think she also knows who He really is by this time.  And she ignores His protest and with great confidence and faith says to the servants, “Do what He tells you to do.”

I think that she walks away with a sly smile on her face. She knows who He is and what He can do…

Then sometime later (one source places it at about a year and a half later) she shows up in Capernaum in a memorable passage in Matthew 12.

“As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

Well, what did mom think of her son then? Was she angry? Did she resent what Jesus said? And, perhaps this is the most important question, why did she show up in the first place and what did they want to talk to Jesus about?

Some believe that Joseph was dead by this point. Were they coming to tell Him that Joseph was dead? Or, did they want Him to come home and stop all of this nonsense?

Then there is the cross as we read in John 19 and beginning with verse 25. “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

I wonder what went through Mary’s mind that day. I cannot imagine the pain and agony of watching your son being publically executed. Did she think about Gabriel’s words of over three decades earlier? Was this what it meant to be on David’s throne? Did she recall her terrified anxiety of trying to find him in the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem? When she saw the sponge filled with a bitter wine raised to his lips in those moments, did she recall that first miracle?

Finally, and it is the last time we read of Mary in the Bible, we find her in awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit along with many others in Acts 1:14 “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” And so she was present with the remaining disciples when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost.

What went through her mind on that day? Was she remembering all that had taken place in the past 33 years? Did she and Jesus ever talk after His resurrection and before His return to heaven?

There are lots of questions that people have asked about Mary over the centuries. And in some parts of the Christian faith she has been give a high place.

But what I want us to take away from these remarks this morning is that there is a steady obedience and commitment to God’s plans and purposes in Mary’s life. At numerous points she could have really began to whine and complain about what He was doing and why He was doing it. Maybe she came close at the wedding in Cana and then at Capernaum. But within the written record of scripture she did not.

She was obedient and faithful.

A mother’s faith is a vital thing. I know that one of the things that I am grateful for is my mother’s faith… not just in me but more importantly in the Lord.

I do not think that it is a stretch to suggest that Jesus learned much from Mary. It is a unique relationship to be sure but Jesus obeyed His mother and Joseph.

Moms, your faith in Christ is vital and important. Your influence is stronger. You are faith shapers.

Be encouraged today, no matter what season of motherhood you are in, in your faith and in your mothering.

Amen.

Hump Day Prayer for Mom’s

Father

As we approach another Mother’s Day, I am very much aware today that there are grieving mothers who are grieving the loss

of their sons and daughters. I ask Father for You to come along side them and love them deeply today and in the days ahead.

I also pray for those who await the return of their sons and daughters, and even grandson and daughters…

from the battlefield, from military service in other lands and even here at home

from college here and abroad

from the hospital.

For the mother who anxiously awaits beside her child’s hospital bed for the news of the surgery

or in the doctor’s office for the results of the test, grant them Your peace and Your comfort.

And for those who sit beside the bed of their mother in a hospice or at home or the ER or hospital room

as they await her passing, grant them O Lord Your peace.

And for those who are struggling with their relationship with their moms or who are perhaps estranged from them

we ask Father that You would work on both sides of the issue to bring about the right kind of reconciliation if it is possible.

For single moms who are struggling to be a dad and to make ends me or to help their child or children navigate a difficult stretch of life,

grant wisdom and strength.

For those moms who are incarcerated, cannot see their kids, and realize the pain and brokeness their choices have caused, we ask Father

that You would grace their presence right now and remind them that You still love them and desire to release them from the bondage of their

choices.

For first time moms we celebrate with them and ask that you bless them.

For mom’s who are launch another child out of the nest either through graduation from High School or college or marriage

we celebrate with them amidst their mixed feelings.

For those mom’s who are in the middle of life – school, work, worship – grant them strength and patience.

We are grateful today Father for moms and ask Your blessing upon them every day.

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Sermon: Unplugging the drain.

Scripture Passage – 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Description – Communion Meditation and final in series on the Holy Spirit

Has anyone had to unplug a drain recently?

It’s disgusting to do, isn’t it?

But drains are vital to our lives and to have them operating properly is important to our sanity and our sanitary conditions.

Lots of things cause drains to back up. (And I will not go into detail about what they are). Some are normal things to send through a drain but others, are not. There have been stories about diamond rings getting accidentally stuck in a drain and a large expense is made for getting it out.

I want to suggest for a few moments this morning before we take Communion together that we have to have clear drains in our souls through which the Lord removes the impurities and barriers to faith we collect day in and day out for if we have blocked drains, the Holy Spirit is impeded in His work.

There are three things which if we allow them to, will plug the drains of our souls. And they are three things which as our main text for this morning indicates, will quench or stifle the Spirit.

One thing that can cause our souls to back up is resentment.

And to determine if resentment is keeping the Holy Spirit from really working in your life you need to ask yourself two questions:

The first question is “Who or what am I jealous of right now?”

Jealousy, I have painfully found, is a pathway to resentment. Let’s say I am jealous of Joe who has the ability to lead a group of people in a manner which seems so easy and gets quick results.

If I do not acknowledge to myself and to God, and if I really want to get my soul drain cleaned out, to another person as well, that I am jealous of Joe, then resentment of Joe slowly but surely begins to build within me. And the result is an inner (and perhaps an outer) battle that causes me to sulk, get angry, withdraw and the like from Joe, who perhaps is a good friend, and others. And then I notice that my prayer life suffers and so does my Bible reading and I become a pain to deal with.

The second question to determine if resentment is an issue or not is “Is/are my expectations not being fulfilled right now?”

I have noticed, more than I often care to admit, that resentments flair up within me when I have had expectations that I often have not clearly seen or acknowledged, rise up as resentment when I have not received something from someone. When I have expected more attention or less attention or certain actions and have not received them, resentment has flared up.

I think that there were expectations within Judas that Jesus was going to be a political liberator. And when He was not, resentment came flooding out of him so he betrayed Jesus.

There was a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15 over young John Mark. Barnabas wanted to take him along on the next journey with Paul but Paul said no “because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.” So, as we read in Acts 15:38-39, “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.”

Paul had certain expectations that were unfulfilled and so did Barnabas. And there was a clash and I would gather some resentments. (Later though as is noted in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul asks for him by name to come to him)

How then do we let go of our resentments? Well we first want to let go of them, really want to let go of them. We have to become willing, for until we do, we won’t. And even here the Spirit does His work, working on us to let go of them. Here to we can resist the Spirit and quench His work and power in us.

But once we really want to let go of them and ask the Lord to help us here, the Spirit begins to work to make that happen! But we need to replace our resentment with something else. Much like you have to add good bacteria to your septic system (if you have one) to combat the bad bacteria, right?

(I know what you are thinking right now, “Jim, this sermon is quickly going down the drain!”)

What needs to be added is humility. Not humiliation but humility. Humility comes from being content with who you are becoming in Christ. A truly humble person has a contentment with who they are and what they have.

A second thing that can cause a back up in our souls is fear.

Now there is an appropriate place for fear. For example, if you would be in the woods and a bear would appear in front of you, you would have an appropriate fear that would cause you to run the other direction.

That’s not what I am talking about. The fear of which I speak, causes us to become paralyzed. We freeze up. Our faith withers.

We begin to stop believing in God, even in ourselves.

Fear is mentioned quite a great deal in the Bible. The source I consulted had over 250 references to fear.

Fear is common. Some of us have a fear of certain animals (often called a phobia and woe to the person who lets their phobia of something be made public). Others of us have a fear of public speaking or even being up here in front of people. (When I think about my two being up on the school stage like they have, I have thought, “never in a million years would I have dared to be up on that stage at their age.)

A question to ask ourselves if an unhealthy fear is present is perhaps an unusual question: “What am I angry about?”

Some times what makes us so angry is a great fear. That is why kids often have a hysterical (as in angry hysterical) parent in their face after finding out something happened. The parent knows the danger in the situation and is scared.to.death.

But this also holds true when unhealthy anger is expressed. This anger is often expressed in some irrational fears – like being left out of something, or not getting what you think is your fair share, or being heard.

I can hear the fear, and maybe some anger in Eve’s voice (and Adam’s too) when they are confronted by God in the Garden. I can hear it in Saul’s voice when he was trying to deny a disobedient act to Samuel. I hear it in Judas’ voice, even perhaps when he kissed Jesus. These people were on the wrong side of God’s goodness. They were afraid of missing out on something and so their fear drove them to grab for something they wanted.

What needs to take fear’s place in our souls when we confront and surrender it to God?

I thought about it for a few moments. Peace came to mind. And a peaceful mind is one that has fear under control. Love came to mind. Perfect love we read in the Bible casts out fear.

But I am going to suggest is honesty as what need to take fears place. Honest about what we really feel and really think and take responsibility for it.

Jesus found such honesty refreshing and it was often closely related to faith in God. There is the Greek woman in Mark 7 whose persistent honesty, about her social status of that day, was remarked by Jesus and her daughter was delivered from an impure spirit.

There was the Roman Centurion of Matthew 8 who simply believed that Jesus could just speak the word, like he could speak a word, and something would be done. And Jesus remarked about such faith and the soldier’s servant (a Roman soldier’s servant!) was healed.

The final spiritual drain plugger comes to us from James 1:13-15, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

They are our desires. Misplaced and misdirected desires.

Paul reminded the Christian community in the ancient city of Corinth that “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.”

There is a place for our sexual desires within the bonds of marriage that God intended in Genesis 2:24. But when they are allowed to run free, pain, brokenness, and tragedy are always present.

The desire for justice to be done is another strong and good desire. But to give into revenge leads us on a path of destruction and pain.

The desire to make a good living for our family is great! But when greed takes over, look out.

We all have desires. We were born with them. God gave them to us. But they get warped and distorted in the spiritual battles especially when fears, expectations and resentments are added in.

The question that needs to be asked when misdirected desires stifle the Holy Spirit in our lives, “What do I want more than God right now?”

For some of us it is affection and affirmation – we want to be loved. For others of us it is power – we want to be in control for lots of conflicted reasons. For some of us it is loss – there is a gap of something in our lives – family, money,

But, they need to be submitted to God and channeled in the right direction. This perhaps is the hardest thing to do because sometimes we are so tangled and mixed up with our feelings and desires we do not know which end is up.

Surrender to the Holy Spirit is what we do with our desires. We need His help in untangling them. And we also must learn to trust Him to fulfill them in His good way as well.

So this morning I ask each of us as we prepare for communion, “What resentments, fears, and desires are keeping the Holy Spirit from doing His good work in us and allow us to be truly free?

We are going to spend time in silent prayer and I encourage you to earnestly seek God in these areas. He wants us to live free! Allow Him to do His work in you this morning….

Let’s pray…

 

That Wonderful Moon of May 5, 2012!!!

With my media streams tonight talking about the moon tonight, I thought I would show you my views! Enjoy them!

I think that the street lamp provides a great contrast to the moon and vice versa!

This one is shot with flash. Contrast is not as noticeable. I prefer the first picture!

Hump Day Prayer: Psalm 150

Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta), commonly known as the "Scissor Grinder" due to the unique rasping call the bird makes whilst hovering. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Father,

Today we praise You for many things.

We praise You for the magnificent creatures that greet us with sounds and sights every time we walk out our front doors.

We praise You for the magnificence of music – jazz, classical, pop, gospel, soul, country, ancient, modern.

We praise You for courageous everyday acts of people – to teach, to heal, to protect

We praise You for Your mighty power – that loves on a new born and one who is about to meet You face to face

We praise You for who You are – holy, loving, just, redemptive

We praise You for the magnificent mosaic of this earth and all of creation!

Amen and Hallejuah!!!

Sunday Sermon: Mission Possible

Scripture Passage – Acts 1:8

Icon of the Pentecost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Description – The third of a four part series on the Holy Spirit

A common statement to new pastors is, “everyone has a wonderful plan for your life!”

But whether or not we are a pastor, everyone has a wonderful plan for our lives. And that includes a mission. And there are many missions.

The mission to become wealthy

The mission to become powerful

The mission to become successful

The mission to make the child finish.his/her.homework

The mission to get him to put his dirty laundry IN the laundry basket

There has been a lot of discussion over the past 15 to 20 years at least, regarding the mission of the church. And I would wager that on just about any given weekend, there is an in person seminar or online gathering whose purpose is to help determine a church’s mission.

 we-already-have-it

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We have spent the last two weeks focusing on the purpose of the Holy Spirit that we have determined, based on John 16, is to, “convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment;” and then His plan to come along side us, individually and corporately to, as we read in John 14 to teach us “everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

This morning the focus is on the power of the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose – to give witness to the love, grace and mercy of God in our lives. Our text is Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Just as Jesus is getting ready to return to the Father, He is asked a question, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

And Jesus replies with a response and then a directive. The response is this “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” The second is a directive which is our main text this morning.

What Jesus is doing is giving a clear focus to the remaining disciples who are to become the leaders of the coming to life Christian faith and church. He wants their focus to be on the mission they have been given. To tell what they have seen, heard, and experienced having been with Jesus.

And think for a moment with me what they have seen, heard, and experienced as they walked with Christ for three years.

This is what they had seen:

People healed of incurable diseases.

People delivered out of demon possession.

People who had no hope, given hope.

Lazarus raised from the dead.

A risen from the dead Jesus.

This is what they heard:

Words of a partnership – Follow Me.

Words of forgiveness – Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.

        Words of challenge – Take up your cross and follow me and sell your possession and follow me

        This is what they experienced:

A passion and power that left them scratching their heads.

A sudden change in the weather from calm, to storm and back again with just a word spoken by Jesus.

A new way of life.

A personal, in the flesh, God who loved them.

The call to a journey and a commitment that would eventually lead some of them far away from the familiar places of Israel.

But they were lacking one thing this time, the one thing that was to be needed because of Jesus’ absence. They lacked power but not just any kind of power. They lacked the power of the Holy Spirit that would come in a mighty way as Jesus said it would. Without this power, they could not be the witnesses they would need to be because this power was vital to their ability to share their faith and belief in Christ as they would eventually journey out from Jerusalem as a channel of that power, and the love, grace, and mercy.

Our mission, (should we decide to accept it!) as followers of Christ and members of the Church (with a capital “C”) is simply this: To be witnesses of what we have experienced in our walk with God.

     We need the power of the Holy Spirit because:

The reality to which we are witness is a spiritual one and there is a powerful opposition that is a part of this reality. We cannot ignore the presence of Satan and the presence and power of the evil that he makes and uses.

Paul’s words to us in Ephesians 6:12 is a reminder that there is a spiritual battle that is fought in our hearts and minds every day, “For weare not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

We also need the power of the Holy Spirit because, as we read in the book of Acts, credibility is necessary to being a good witness. I think that this is noted in Acts 4 when soon after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost Peter and John were taken before some of the same people who had present of Jesus’ arrest and so called “trial” before His crucifixion.

In verse 8 we read “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” And he spoke with power and authority and it was noticed as we read further down in verse 13 the council of leaders “were amazed with the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had been with Jesus.”

That’s a statement of credibility!

We are not always dragged into a religious or civil court to testify about our faith. But we are always in the court of public opinion as to the credibility of our witness.

If you have either testified in court or been on a jury, you understand this issue of credibility because credible witnesses help to build a case. Lack of credible witnesses hurt a case.

But credibility does not assume perfection. None of us are absolutely perfect. None of us.

When we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:48, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” we think we know what He means when He says perfect. Flawless. No imperfections. Our performance is absolutely perfect because there are no errors.

Who here this morning is perfect in this manner? Raise your hand if you are absolutely perfect.

The word used for perfect in this verse means “full grown, mature, complete.” And Jesus calls us to such maturity and growth. But we do not get there overnight, if ever. It is an on-going goal. We are to become maturing and responsible followers of Christ. I am still maturing as a follower of Christ. I am not there yet.

But we need to be credible.

This again is where the Holy Spirit helps us. Credibility is built both with the power of the Spirit and with consistency.

When James opens his New Testament book with “you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do,” he is writing about the need for consistency. Each of us can relate to this anxiety and uncertainty which we wrestle with on a daily basis.

But the Holy Spirit comes to help us with such in-consistency. He wants us to help us live a consistent life of faith as we grow in our knowledge and experience of and with the Lord.

So what does all of this mean for us today and week?

One thing stands out to me – success in living for and with the Lord on a daily basis – comes as we daily (and at times hourly and even moment by moment) allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. In doing so, we do not give up our personality and become like a robot. We still are very much human.

But our character begins to change in a better direction. The fruit of the Holy Spirit begins to be seen in us. We become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and controlled. Our credibility as Christ’s followers grows and we are more consistent in our faith which supports our credibility.

Where do you need to begin to have success in effectively living for the Lord? It starts with surrendering ourselves to the Holy Spirit. And a helpful starting point is to pray at the beginning of each day for the Spirit assist you during that day.

And maybe you have to pray that several times a day sometimes. Our faith requires constant attention not in an obsessive way but in very thoughtful way. Just as we have to pay attention as we drive, we have to pay attention to our faith.

The Holy Spirit helps us here to have the power to live for the Lord. When we ask Him to help us, He will.

Respond to God as you need to do today.

Amen.

Related articles

• The Holy Spirit (scripturenuggets.wordpress.com)

Thursday Thoughts: My One Word

Late last year or early this year, can’t remember, I decided to participate in the One Word project that you can learn more about over at http://www.oneword365.com

I chose this year, and you can see it to your right of this post, the word “follow.”

It has been a suitable word for this year.

When Jesus called the twelve to “follow me” He invited them to a journey that led them to hear, see, and experience things they would have probably never heard, seen, and experienced.

As I have focused on following God more intently it has led me through some interesting experiences:

1. Through a month long bout with a bad respiratory condition but during which I found the strength to do some fasting and praying.

2. A journey from looking for a new place to rent to finding a place to buy! (Which is still in process as well!)

3. Through finding patience in situations that came about only with God’s help.

4. Taking a fresh look at some attitudes and habits that needed to be surrendered to God and let go of, and find that possible.

5. Experiencing the grief at the sudden and tragic death of a young woman of faith who earnestly lived her faith in the nearly 20 years I have known her.

I am not done following the Lord.

But I have found in focusing on truly following the Lord, within and without, that life has been deeply enriched this year.

For this I am grateful.

These are my Thursday thoughts.

Hump Day Prayer: Romans 8:1-2

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.  Romans 8:1-2 (Msg)

Father,

Free us from the black cloud of guilt and shame this day by the work of Your Son.

Blow Your fresh cleaning Spirit though our dust infected hearts and souls which leave us down and fearful.

We are grateful that the black cloud of sin and death no longer has to reign or rain on us!

We praise You for the glorious Son that shines through the windows of our souls and into our actions of love and grace.

We are thankful that we can be free from the dust that settles on us because of the fallen world in which we live.

Lord, we lift our hands to You in prayer and praise for this great gift of salvation and redemption this day!

Amen and Amen

Sunday Sermon: Who’s Your Mentor?

Scripture Passage – John 14:26

Description – Second sermon in a three part series on the Holy Spirit

If I were to go around the sanctuary this morning and ask you to share a story about one person who made a difference in your life, we would be here quite a while. For some of us that person was a parent. For others of us it was a teacher. For some it was a boss or someone at work. And yet for others, it was a coach or a family member or a friend.

I asked some friends what characteristics come to mind when they hear the word “mentor” and here are few of their comments:

“… spiritual wisdom and nonjudgmental acceptance.”

“… does the right thing no matter what the circumstances”

“… genuine concern for the other person”

 “… true to their convictions, even ones I disagree with…”

 “… compassion”

“… spiritual coach… someone you can trust and go to for help and prayer.”

“… someone who loves you enough to tell you what you need to hear…”

“…someone willing to share the experience of their years.”

These are wonderful definitions and insights on mentoring and I thank those who shared them. Much is made of mentoring these days and in our community the mentoring of an organization like Big Brother, Big Sisters has been highlighted and mentioned a great deal over the years.

One of my mentors was a former college professor of mine. He taught history and he was a stickler for clean and succinct writing. I found this out in my very first college class in which he happened to be the teacher.

We had to do several book reports through the semester and my first one, that I thought was pretty good, went eight pages. He returned it to me. I re-wrote it. Still too long.

So back to the paper, pencil, and typewriter (yes, I was in college a long, long, time ago!). Draft number three.

Nope. Still too long!

Draft number four came out of my blood, sweat, and tears and went down to two pages. Only two pages. Down from eight. If my math is correct, that is a 75% reduction.

Success at last! And an “A” which I think was more for my effort than my content!

When I write these messages each week, three and a half decades later, I am very much aware of the lessons I learned in that freshman year 7:30 AM History class about clarity in writing and still seek to be as clear as I can be each week.

Mentors do leave a mark on our lives, don’t they?

As we continue our series on the Holy Spirit this morning, I remind us that we began last week with a study of John 16:8-11 and the purpose of the Holy Spirit. Today we go back a few chapters in John’s New Testament gospel to John 14:26, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

The purpose the Spirit is to convict us of our need for God in our lives. Today we spend some time looking at the how, the plan. John, quoting Jesus, tells us in this passage: he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

The New American Standard Bible translates this verse as follows: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

I suggest this morning that the Holy Spirit is like a mentor. He is more than a mentor. He is God, part of the Godhead. But His role is to come along side us and to teach us all things and help us to remember what Jesus said. Much like mentors do for us today.

In the ancient Biblical language Jesus uses the word “parakletos” to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. We often hear it translate it as ‘paraclete.’

What does this word mean?

Quoting from the NAS Testament Greek Lexicon via biblestudytools.com, (which is a wonderful tool when you want to understand a particular word, like helper in today’s main verse,) we gain a definition of parakletos:

“…called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid; one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader; counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate; one who pleads another’s cause with one, and in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant..”

Now you might be tempted to feel that after last week’s sermon on the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that to consider the Holy Spirit a helper is a bit ironic. But if we consider the place of mentor we might gain a better view of the Holy Spirit.

We can do this by starting with the context of the verse. Our main text for this morning is in the first chapter of what is now called the Upper Room passage because it is in the Upper Room, where Jesus and His disciples are on the Passover night during which He will be betrayed, arrested, and later crucified, that Jesus makes this remarks. The twelve really do not understand what Jesus is saying (and Judas simply is no longer listening at this point) but what Jesus is saying focuses on what God is going to be doing when Jesus returns to Him after the resurrection which is still a big unknown for the twelve.

And in this chapter Jesus begins to mentions the Holy Spirit from an attitude of love and care that Jesus shows from his opening words on chapter 14, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

He is leaving soon and He wants the twelve to know that they will not be alone. A comforter, an advocate, a supporter will come in His place – the Holy Spirit.

And I suggest this morning that the Holy Spirit comes along side us in two ways: individually and corporately. First, let’s examine how He comes along side us individually.

We are reminded in John 3 that “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” And I share this because we need to remember we cannot command the Holy Spirit to do this or that for us.

The Holy Spirit moves and acts as He sees fit. We can be ready for the Spirit to show up. We can be open to the Holy Spirit but we cannot program the work and movement of the Spirit.

Now, does this mean that Holy Spirit works part time? Nope! He is working right now in us and through us and all around us. We don’t “see” it all. But He is there at work doing God’s work.

The Bible has several passages in which the Holy Spirit works in individual lives. For example, in Acts 10 we read about Peter having an important spiritual experience in which I believe that Holy Spirit is at work in Peter.

There is a gentleman named Cornelius who is a Roman army officer a “God fearing man.” In fact, as we read in the opening verses of chapter 10, he is so devout than an angel appears to him and it scares him.

Yet the angel is present to tell him that Peter is nearby and to send for him. And Cornelius does so.

Meanwhile Peter has a vision in which He runs into God saying “eat something from my menu” and all Peter sees is food that is forbidden by the Jewish dietary laws. Peter refuses.

Well this goes on three more times before Peter begins to wonder what all of it means… and Cornelius’s messengers show up. And God makes a point of saying go with them.

When Peter arrives at Cornelius house, he has a realization at that moment of what the dream meant as we read in verse 28, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.”

This is one example of the Holy Spirit at work in a person’s life. He is behind the dream. He is the one who impresses Cornelius to send for Peter. He is behind Peter’s realization.

This episode highlights a major turning point in the early history of our faith – the increasing belief that salvation was for the Gentiles (and Cornelius was a Gentile) as well as the Jews. And the Holy Spirit begins to make this clear to Peter during this time. (And this made clearer in Acts 11)

But the Holy Spirit also comes alongside us corporately and we turn to opening verses of Acts 13 to get a glimpse of this:

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

One of the concerns I have today is that I think those of us who seek and follow after God can focus too much on “Jesus and me” and forget about “Jesus and we.” Yes, our faith is a personal commitment but, as I look back on those moments when my faith was truly deepened, most all of those moments have been in a corporate setting.

My initial profession of faith in Christ occurred in a worship service. A moment when the call to a deeper commitment to Christ occurred in college was during a chapel service. When I had begun the search for a new place to serve that eventually led me here, part that process included a time of personal worship at an altar during a worship service. And as we see here, Paul begins his ministry as a missionary with the calling via the Holy Spirit, in the midst of corporate worship and fasting.

Worship is a vital way for us to corporately discern God’s direction as a local church. As we worship, we draw closer to God, we experience God together, and as a result the Spirit begins to move in our midst as He is doing right now in this hour of worship.

But another important thing that takes place in the community of faith is the support we offer one another in all the seasons of life. It’s not a matter of ‘giving advice’ it is a matter of helping others to listen to the Spirit as decisions and situations are wrestled with.

Parker Palmer illustrates the Holy Spirit’s “coming along side us” in his book Let Your Life Speak. Palmer is a Quaker as well as a Ph.D. and an educator.

In Let Your Life Speak, he tells a story of how he sought to discern the way he need to go at a critical point in his life as he wrestled with whether or not to accept the presidency of a small college. So, he convened a ‘clearness committee’ that is part of the Quaker tradition.

This is a group of people whose wisdom he trusted and they began to ask him questions.

“For while the questions were easy, at least for a dreamer like me: What is your vision for this institution? What is its mission in the larger society?… Halfway into the process, someone asked a question that sounded easier but turned out to be very hard: “What would you like most about being a president?”

Palmer goes onto to state several negative things about the job that he would not like such as … “I would not like having to give up my writing and my teaching…I would not like the politics of the presidency, never knowing who your real friends are…”

His questions gently reminded him of the question was what did he like about the job. Finally, after again listing some dislikes and being confronted again, “Well,” said I in the smallest voice I voice I possess, “I guess what I’d like most is getting my picture in the paper with the word president underneath it.”

To which his questioner responded after what Palmer calls “a long and serious silence” “Parker, can you think of an easier way to get your picture in the paper?”

Mentors often ask hard questions. But they ask because they care.

The Holy Spirit often asks us hard questions through the voices of humans because He cares for us.

“When are you going to forgive so and so?”

“Are you willing to let go of this relationship?”

“Are you satisfied with what you have now?”

“Do you still love Me?”

Let us be open to the Holy Spirit this morning and let us respond to Him honestly and hope and love.

Amen.