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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

January 27, 2002

Text: Isaiah 9:1-4

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

I Corinthians 1:10-18

*Matthew 4:12-23

Title: The Great Adventure

Everything had been leading up to this point - even if it wasn’t immediately obvious. It was time for the adventure to begin. An adventure that may have begun about 2,000 years ago, but one which continues today. John the Baptist had been arrested and Jesus moved to Galilee. Matthew tells us that this fulfilled the prophesy from Isaiah that we heard this morning. A land which had been attacked and annexed by Assyria, a land that was in great anguish would one day be a place that would be honored - a place filled with joy - a place from which a light would come. I think that Matthew wants us to know three important things about Jesus that he highlights in this passage. The first is that Jesus was that light and Matthew sees Jesus going to Galilee as a turning point. He tells us that "From that time... Jesus began to proclaim, `Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’"

John the Baptist was in prison - but as Matthew tells it, Jesus picked up with the same message that we hear from John in the previous chapter, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." When we hear that message we are often inclined to think of it in terms of "Be sorry for what you did wrong. stop doing it and start doing right." When I hear John preach that message it sounds somewhat frightening. From John I hear a message to get your act together to avoid punishment. From Jesus I hear not only an invitation but also a plea to repent - to reorganize our lives, to commit to living in a particular way, choosing to be faithful to a special set of values. Jesus’ message is that it is time for people to reorient their lives and focus on the priorities and purpose of God. Perhaps one of the things that makes the same message sound so differently is the way Jesus lived the message. You may have heard it said that "your actions are speaking so loudly, I can’t hear the words you are saying." In Jesus’ case his actions and his words were the same. His actions gave life to his words - they put flesh on his teaching.

One of the first things that Jesus did was to call others to be part of this adventure of living a life truly oriented toward God. In today’s gospel Jesus calls two sets of brothers Andrew and his brother Simon, whom we know as Peter, and James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee. These men made their living by fishing. Andrew and Simon were in the process of casting a net into the sea. James and John were about the business of maintaining the equipment which was essential to their work, they were mending their nets. Jesus called to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." I think this is the second important thing that Matthew wants us to know. Evangelism was at the heart of Jesus’ call to his disciples. The need for people to reorient their lives and focus on the priorities of God was one which would require more than the teaching of one man - even if that man was the Son of God.

Throughout the gospels we see Jesus sending the disciples out to other villages to spread the message. "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven has come near" is such a radical and deliberate turning or returning to God that it results in major and ethical change and action. It won’t be long before this message will cost Jesus his earthly life. But the importance of the message and of living it completely never fades. After the resurrection, Jesus meets the disciples on the shore, and even at that point he tells Simon, now known as Peter, to "Feed my sheep." In other words, "take care of my people" and then once again, "Follow me."

This is the call which Jesus continues to issue to each of us every day. Evangelism and living out the message are still at the heart of Jesus’ call to his disciples whether 2,000 years ago or today. Peter’s livelihood depended upon his ability to sense a good fishing spot when he found one. Although he might not have been able to tell you why, and even though he didn’t know exactly where this adventure would lead him, he knew that Jesus could be trusted. He knew that when Jesus’ called he had to go with him. Matthew wants us to know that we are to accompany Jesus. Our decision may not be impulsive - although it may be. The decision will be and has been different for each of us. It depends on our needs and our personalities. Still, we have been called to absorb the faith into our own lives, and eventually to make the decision to follow Jesus.

I think the third important thing that Matthew wanted us to know about Jesus was that his ministry had three areas of emphasis. He taught in the synagogues, he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom and he healed disease and sickness among the people. At first glance these may not seem like areas to which most of us are called - but in a very real sense they are. You may argue that you are not qualified to do these things, but don’t be so quick to dismiss your abilities and talents. While some may teach Sunday School classes or Bible Studies, others will teach their children at home or their co-workers as you go about your daily lives. Your proclamation of the good news might not be done from a pulpit, but it can be done in many different ways throughout your life. You may not have the gift of healing diseases, but your calm presence, listening ear and compassionate heart may provide healing to the real emotional wounds of another. You never know where this adventure of faithfilled living may lead you.

At first glance their doesn’t appear to be anything particularly outstanding in the background of Andrew, Simon, James, or John that made them great candidates to help Jesus fish for people. It is important for us to realize that Jesus needs ordinary people who will commit themselves to him. Jesus can do anything with a person who is willing to follow him. That is part of the adventure.

Jesus looked beyond the jobs that these men were doing and recognized qualities that they had developed that made them good fishermen. These qualities were ones that would help them be good in fishing for people. We often overlook the qualities that are part of our personalities, the skills that we have developed as part of our jobs and lives. We forget that these same qualities can be used by God in ways we may not have thought about.

Let’s think for a few minutes about the qualities of a good fisherman and how they would make someone good at fishing for people. You may recognize some of these same qualities in yourselves. First of all, a fisherman is patient. If you remember much about Peter you will remember that he was really very impetuous, but when it came to fishing, he had learned how to be patient. When we are doing God’s work, we too, need to be patient. Most of us will never see great religious conversions because of our efforts. However, years later we may discover that something we said or did made a difference and helped someone come closer to Christ.

People who fish are perseverant. They will cast the line again and again even when the fish keep stealing the worms, or the line keeps getting caught in the weeds. If you invite someone to come to church with you and they say no, don’t be discouraged, try again, or invite someone else.

Those who fish out on the sea must have courage. The stories in the Bible show us that a storm could come up very suddenly on the Sea of Galilee. A common prayer seeking protection was, "Protect me, my boat is so small, and the sea is so large." When we speak the truth or try to be faithful to the Gospel we may be met with opposition that can be very stormy. it takes courage to speak or take a stand when you know it will be unpopular. It takes courage to walk the difficult paths with another person. When someone has experienced a death, lost a job, or received a scary medical diagnosis, it takes courage to be a companion on the journey.

A good fishing person has an eye for the right moment. He or she knows when to cast a net and when there is no point in it. We, too, must often choose the moment. There are times to speak and times to be silent. One of the most difficult times can be when someone has just experienced a sudden death or a tragedy and you feel helpless. You want to say something to help make things better but the words just won’t come. People are often surprised to learn that often the response that is most helpful at that time is just to be there. No words. No advice. No promises that it will get better. No words about God’s love. As true as they are, that’s usually not the time when someone can hear those words. What they need and want is someone with flesh on, someone to be there, to listen if they want to talk, to hug if they need a hug, someone to be present.

Having an eye for the right moment, means being ready to try something when it seems appropriate. A program that didn’t work 10 years ago, may work great today. The tried and true methods are good, but there are times when something new might be better. I’ve often seen a banner that says, "The Seven Last Words of the Church: We never did it that way before." We need to have an eye for the right moment. Society changes. The challenges we face in ministry change. Sometimes new and creative ideas are needed to meet new challenges. Sometimes a different approach can work in a surprising way.

Which brings us to the next quality of a good fishing person. Fitting the bait to the fish. A different kind of bait is used for deep sea fishing than for fresh water fishing. A different kind of bait is used for tuna than for flounder or bass. The same approach will not be effective with all people. Some people may find a small discussion group a great way to explore their faith. Others may cringe at the thought of participating in a small group, but will be responsive to a personal visit. Some people like to read books, others watch videos or listen to music as a way of deepening their faith.

Just as different methods are effective with different people, so, too, our own personalities and life circumstances may place some limitations on the areas where we can work and where God will call us to serve. There are some people who are wonderful about sending a note to someone how needs some special prayers and there are others who would never think of doing that. There are some people who can sing as part of their ministry and others who are better off not doing so. Some people find it easy to talk about their faith, others have to work hard to say anything. However, we should never close ourselves to the possibilities that God may be calling us to an area we hadn’t thought about. I’m reasonably certain that Peter, Andrew, James, and John had not pictured themselves as itinerant preachers. Jesus say something that they didn’t see.

One last quality that a good fisherman learns, and that is essential for us as Christians, is to keep ourselves out of sight. The shadow of a person on the water will keep the fish from biting. In our witness, we need to be presenting Jesus Christ, not ourselves. It may be helpful sometimes to share some of our experiences, but we do so, as an example of God’s work, not as a way of building up ourselves.

Like Andrew, Peter, James and John, we are people who have been called to fish for others so that they too will know about God’s love. We are the ones who are called as Isaiah tells us, to be a light to the nations. We are the people who have been given the responsibility to continue to carry out Jesus’ work, and it is an awesome responsibility, as well as a great adventure.

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

January 20, 2002

Text: Isaiah 49:1-7

I Corinthians 1:1-9

*John 1:29-42

Title: "Have You Heard?"

How many of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing on September 11th when we first heard about the planes crashing into the towers of the World Trade Center? We all do. How many of us made phone calls or did something else to make sure that someone else knew? It was almost an instinctive reaction, we had to tell someone. We had to talk to someone about it. "Have you heard?...."

There are some things that become so indelibly etched in our memories that we vividly remember the details and we are often anxious to compare the details with others. For many, in my generation and older, one of the benchmark memories was, "Where were you when JFK was shot?" Others remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor with that same intensity. In our collective memories it seems often to be the things that are of a sudden and tragic nature that stay with us so vividly.

But there are things of great joy that we are also anxious to share. The proposal of marriage, the birth of a child or grandchild, a new job; many of these will send us rushing to tell others. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter whether or not the other person knows us, we seek to be united in our humanity and to share out of our common experiences.

The Whole People of God Biblical Background sheets for this week ask, "How do we hear what’s important in our community? Word of mouth? Computer chat rooms? Newspaper headlines? The news channel? There are many ways to communicate what’s new and noteworthy in our society - some global and some local. All are means of sharing with others what we consider important so that they may know what we know. In today’s passages we see God entrusting important news to the frailest of means - human beings. It is through the witness of the shattered nation of Israel, the quarreling community in Corinth, and the curious disciples of John that news of God’s saving purpose is shared with the world."

Think for a minute of the things that you thought were important enough to share with someone else during this past week. Did any of them have to do with God’s saving purpose, with how you met Jesus, with what your faith means in your daily life? We, in the mainline churches, are often uncomfortable talking about how we met Jesus, or what being a Christian means in our lives. We leave that for the more evangelical churches or maybe for the pastors. Yet, what happens when we do that?

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead who wrote the classic and most helpful little book called The Will of God told of two men who worked together at the same company for years. "At night, they would walk to the bus together. Once in a while, they would stop off together for a pint. One day, after many years, the wife of one man became ill. Soon she died, and the other man went to visit his friend. The visitor, realizing that his friend had no church affiliation, remarked on this to his grieving friend, saying how much strength he could have found in faith had he gone to church. For a long moment, the man stared at his friend. Then he replied angrily: `For all these years you and I have been friends. But not once - not ONCE - did you ever invite me to your church.’"

If we have found strength and comfort in our faith - we do not have the right to withhold it from someone else.

Today’s gospel gives several examples of how people came to know Jesus and to follow him - and more importantly, what they did about it. John the Baptizer, Jesus’ cousin, witnessed to what he saw and knew. "I didn’t know who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel would see him. I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him. Before this I didn’t know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, `You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen, and I tell you that he is the Son of God." (John 1:31-34 CEV)

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. Once again he told his disciples who Jesus was and they left him and followed Jesus. John was very clear that he was not the Messiah. He was not the one for whom they waited. He was not the one to be worshipped. He willingly, eagerly, encouraged his disciples to go after Jesus.

That is something that we also need to remember. We come to church to worship Jesus. When Jesus saw John’s disciple following him he turned around and asked them, "What do you want?" That is a question that we should ask ourselves from time to time as we follow Jesus. "What do we want?" Why do we come to worship in this particular location? We do not come because this is where our friends are - although if we have invited our friends, then they may well be here. We do not come because we like the pastor - although, it’s nice if you do. We do not come because we like the music - although music helps us worship. We do not come because of the good education program for our children - although a good education program is important in helping our children come to know Jesus. We do not come because the schedule is convenient - although that is helpful. The real reason to come to church is to worship Jesus. Everything else is a plus.

When Jesus asked John’s disciples, "What do you want?" "They said, `Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), `where are you staying?’" I understand that 1st century itinerant teachers like Jesus had two venues for teaching. One was in public forums with general teaching for the general public. Afterwards the teacher would return to the place where he was staying and engage in more intimate and deeper teaching. If we follow Jesus through the gospels we find this same pattern of speaking to the general public as we see in the Sermon on the Mount, and the occasions when multitudes gathered and we have the great stories of feeding a great quantity of people with a small amount of food. We find also more private interpretation and teaching with his disciples in the privacy of a home, walking through a field, or fishing in a boat.

When John’s disciples asked Jesus where he was staying they may have been indicating that they had a desire to learn more from him than what he might share with the general public. On September 11th, after we heard the initial news reports, many of us found ourselves glued to the television sets trying to comprehend what we were seeing, trying to absorb the details and wanting to know more. I wonder, do we exercise that same level of curiosity when it comes to knowing about Jesus? Do we ask, "Where are you staying?" Do we want to follow him to the places where we can learn more, where we can understand what Jesus is really all about? Are we anxious to read our Bibles and to discuss what we find there with other people? Do we yearn to talk to others about how being a Christian makes a difference in how we view the events of our lives and our world? Do we seek God’s guidance in how we make decisions about the things that are important to us? Do we ask God to show us the things that are important to God?

When the disciples asked, "Where are you staying?" Jesus replied, "Come, and you will see." He didn’t overwhelm them with answers. He didn’t bombard them with questions. He invited them to come and take a look. So they did. That is a wonderful model for us to use when we invite others to worship with us, or to come and see Jesus. We don’t need to drag someone by the shirt collar or preach until we are blue in the face and they have closed their ears, heart and mind. All we have to do is live a life which puts our beliefs into action and then invite others to come and see.

Andrew was one of the two who had heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. After spending some time with Jesus, the first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is the Christ.) and he brought him to Jesus. (vs. 40-42)

Some of us may have come to Jesus through great preaching like John’s. Some of us may have, like Andrew, heard about Jesus and taken the initiative to find our more. Others may have come to Jesus through the testimony, witness and invitation of someone else - as Simon did. When Simon came to Jesus with his brother Andrew, Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John." But he didn’t stop there. He added, "You will be called Cephas" (which when translated, is Peter). (vs. 42)

Those names may not mean much to us - and that is one reason why it is beneficial for us to study and learn together. Jesus spoke Aramaic and Cephas is the English translation of the Hebrew or Aramaic word for "rock". the New Testament was written in Greek and Peter is the English translation of Petros which in Greek means rock. So Jesus, upon meeting Andrew’s brother Simon, the man we know as Peter, gave him a new name, a name that described what Peter would become. It took time. "In the Gospels, Peter was anything but a rock. He was impulsive and often unstable. But in the Acts of the Apostles, he was a pillar of the early church. Jesus named him not for what he was but for what, by God’s grace, he would become."

God looks at us and sees not only who we have been and what we are now, but also what we may become when we answer the call to "Come and See." God has more faith in us than we have in ourselves.

This Gospel invites us to think again about how we invite people to follow Christ. It confronts us with the question that faces every follower, "What do you want?" It urges us to grapple with our reasons for becoming disciples. Jesus invites us to discover for ourselves where he takes up residence. What we will learn "is that this Christ, this Messiah, will take up residence, not in a building of a town, a synagogue (or church) or any other institution; but this Christ has come to set up residence in the human heart and soul. Christ then offers us a vision of who we can become when we put our trust in God, we can become rocks of faithful witness and builders of the kingdom of God’s love. We join with a company of many people who did not feel worthy or able to do the things to which God was calling them. We discover that as we witness and share with each other we are strengthened in our faith. As we invite others to come and see, they too may become companions on the journey of faith we call life.

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January 13, 2002 Sermon, 

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

January 6, 2002 - Epiphany of The Lord

Text: Isaiah 60:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-12

*Matthew 2:1-12

Title: "By another road"

Matthew's Story of the Wise Men's visit to the Infant Jesus has stirred the imagination of many. Poets have written about them. Longfellow even gave them names: Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. Artists have painted the scene. Songs have been written and the Wise Men - or Kings - have found their way into the Christmas story and into our hearts. There has been much speculation about what really happened and who these visitors from the East really were. The facts behind the story are fuzzy at best, for example, Matthew doesn’t even tell us that there were three - that has become part of the legend. However, even the facts are fuzzy, the truths cannot be ignored.

The original Greek calls them "magi" which covered a conglomeration of astronomers, fortune-tellers, and magicians. William Willimon says that Matthew was probably thinking of astrologers or stargazers which was a pastime specifically condemned by Jewish standards. To good Jewish readers, the magi then would represent the epitome of religious quackery and idolatry.

Matthew says they followed a star which they believed would lead them to a newborn king - newborn Jewish king. They came to Herod, the King. Herod summoned the scholars and the theologians and asked where this legendary Messiah was to be born. They put the pieces together and informed him that the Scriptures said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod was afraid of a new king and wanted to protect his throne so he asked the magi to find the child and report back to him, pretending that he, too, wanted to go and pay respect to the child.

The magi went, found the child and worshipped him. Opening their treasure chests they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Had they not been warned in a dream, they might have gone back to Herod, but being great believers in dreams, they went home another way.

When we encounter the Lord, we, too, go another way. We travel a different road. Once we have heard the story, once we have met the Christ, we are never the same. For some the changes are more obvious than for others. Some people make a total commitment and live their lives devoted to following God's will for them. However, even for the many who don't at first recognize, or for those who wander away, and even for those who reject what they have heard, I am convinced that the road is a little different than it was before. I believe that from time to time, they see and are drawn to the turn that would take them closer to the road which God has prepared.

For some a seed is planted which even though it may not seem to grow or bear any fruit at first, may make a difference at some time in the person's life. In theological language we call this Prevenient Grace. God seeking us out, planting a desire in our hearts, and offering us a relationship before we recognize it.

John Wesley, the man credited with being the founder of Methodism, was riding his horse late one night, singing a favorite hymn, when he was startled by a fierce voice shouting, "Halt", while a firm hand seized the horse's bridle. "then the man demanded, `Your money or your life.'

"Wesley obediently emptied his pockets of the few coins they contained and invited the robber to examine his saddlebags which were filled with books. Disappointed at the result, the robber was turning away when (Wesley) cried, `Stop! I have something more to give you.'

"The robber, wondering at this strange call, turned back. Then Wesley bending down toward him, said in solemn tones. `My friend, you may live to regret this sort of a life in which you are engaged. If you ever do, I beseech you to remember this, `The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.' The robber hurried silently away, and the man of God rode along, praying in his heart that the word spoken might be fixed in the robber's conscience.

"Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service with the people streaming from the large building, many lingered around the doors to see the aged preacher, John Wesley.

"A stranger stepped forward and earnestly begged to speak with Mr. Wesley. What a surprise to find that this was the robber ... now a well-to-do tradesman in the city, but better still a child of God! the words spoken that night long ago had been used of God in his conversion."

Some of you remember attending Sunday School or Church somewhere as a child, but then drifting away for some years. At some point something happened in your life to bring you back, perhaps someone invited you to come for a special occasion and when you came, you rediscovered what you had known a long time ago. Maybe it was a difficult time in your life, and somewhere in the back of your mind, there was a nagging little voice telling you that you needed to get back to God. That was a prompting of the Holy Spirit reminding you that you are a precious child of God's, always loved, never forgotten, and always welcomed and wanted in God's home.

Perhaps the birth of your own child, or your children reaching a certain age, caused you to stop and remember and decide that you wanted your children to have the same kind of experience. Maybe it was the conditions of our world that frequently often look horrible. Maybe you looked around and said, there has to be another way, a different way, a better way. Once we have seen the Lord, once we have been touched by God's love, we are never the same, and the road is always at least a little bit different.

To the youth or children who might be thinking, "I only come to church because my parents make me. As soon as I’m old enough I won’t come any more." Let me say, that your parents or grandparents have given you a wonderful gift by introducing you to Jesus. Right now, you may not recognize what a gift of love that is or how important it is - but if you will only hold onto this gift, you will discover that when bad things happen in your life - and they will - you will be so glad that you have Jesus to hold onto you.

When we see the Christ we are changed. This is good news! Taking a different route may mean that with God's help we are able to overcome an addiction or a way of life that has been destructive to us or to someone else. Taking a different route may mean no longer being a victim and beginning the long road to healing and wholeness. Taking a different route may mean that our motivation for what we do will become finding the best way to serve the Lord. For some it may mean a career change; for many it means dedicating our current career as a ministry to God's people.

Taking a different route may not always mean changes that we want to make. We may discover that there is something in our lives with which we have felt comfortable, but after encountering the Lord, we begin to feel uncomfortable. We begin to ask if this is good stewardship of our time and our resources. Is it something that would be pleasing to God? We begin to look at our relationships and ask whether or not they are ones which bring glory to God. Are they ones that we could freely share with Jesus? Can they stand proudly in the light of day? We may find that some of the things that we are being asked to do as part of our jobs are not compatible with the things that Jesus asks of us as Christians.

It isn't always "fun" to be a Christian. Sometimes the things that God asks of us are hard and we'd rather pretend that we didn't hear, or we twist what we want around so that we can almost convince ourselves that it is God's will.

The Magi traveled a very long distance to see the King of the Jews. When they found him, they responded with joy, worship, and gifts. Too often, we expect God to come looking for us, instead of opening ourselves to God's presence. We expect God to offer explanations and proof and give us gifts.

The Magi came and saw, and worshipped. The temple authorities, the good religious people, couldn't be bothered coming to see or to worship. The Magi went home by a different route. The temple authorities stayed in their rut. Matthew began his account of Jesus' birth with the story of the wise men so that we might understand that God came not just to the establishment, but to the outsiders; to the ones who were not respectable, to the ones who had no authority or power or influence; to the ones who were hurting, and broken, and who knew that they were in need of a Savior.

Jesus came to us, and we are called and invited to take a different route after we are touched by the Savior. Robert Frost wrote a poem called, "The Road Less Traveled." In it he describes two roads, one well worn and obviously popular, the other less traveled. He took the one less traveled and says, "That has made all the difference." We are called to take the road less traveled, a different route than most of society. Our decision may not always be popular or easy, but if we take the different route, we will look back and know that it made all the difference.

Pastoral Prayer

Now that the mad rush of the holidays is over, O center of stillness and peace, we thank you that you are still God-with-us.

As we face the year ahead, help us to accept the difficult parts of our lives; help us to make the changes we must make; bring us to new places of openness and love toward you and the people around us; help us to overcome the fears which keep us from fullness of life.

As the frigid days of January and February draw near help us to keep warm places alive within us, where in secret the bulbs of springtime are nurtured.

As we face the year ahead, we thank you for one another and for your grace in Jesus Christ. Help us individually and as a congregation to be signs of your compassion, hope, joy and unity in this world you love in Jesus our Christ. Accept our prayer of confession which we offer together trusting in your mercy and forgiveness.

God of perfect light, lead us as we proceed through life. Forgive us when, like Herod, selfish ambition makes us willing to hurt others. Forgive us when, unlike the Magi, we refuse to follow the light you give us. Shine in our lives through the light of your Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

First Sunday after Christmas - Dec. 30, 2001

Text: Isaiah 63:7-9

Hebrews 2:10-18

Matthew 2:13-23

Title: The Effect of Christmas

I watched the man remove the garlands that only moments earlier had decorated the diner. The lunch rush nearly over he quickly removed the decorations from the empty booths. It was the day after Christmas and he seemed most eager to get the decorations down and return to normal. The stores and the culture have moved on to the next thing. Outside these walls, Christmas is over.

Inside these walls it is still Christmas. During the four weeks prior to December 25th, while the rest of the world thought it was celebrating Christmas, here in the church, we knew we were in the season of Advent - a time of preparation, a time of being open, a time of anticipation. Now and for six more days we celebrate Christmas - a time of praise and thanksgiving for the incarnation of God - for God choosing to become human, to come to us as the infant Jesus.

We celebrate the messages of angels, the sounds of Christmas, and we long to linger nostalgically beside the manger. But the wrapping paper has been crumpled and stuffed into bags and Herod will not let us rest, will not let us linger in Bethlehem. We discover that the world really hasn’t’ changed and the harsh realities of the real world crush in upon us again.

I wonder about the man in the diner so eager to get back to normal. Normal isn’t’ always nice. The world is often an evil and scary place. We like to think and sing about "peace one earth, good will to everyone," and it sure sounds nice. But now we aren’t in the Bethlehem of our dreams anymore. Now we are in the world and Herods lurk everywhere.

I don’t like today’s Gospel reading and I thought long and hard about skipping it altogether. Yet, Matthew had a reason for including this in his birth narrative. In this gospel reading, we encounter the hard reality of the world into which Jesus was born, and the world in which we live.

Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with innocent people being killed because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, when someone’s anger, fear, or judgment spill over and get acted out and innocent people get killed. As hard as it is to hear this Gospel reading, as hard as it is to hear about innocent children being killed, this is not a story about the children. It is a story about Herod and about what happens when self-interest and power and evil come together. It is a story, as so often happens, of opposition to God’s work.

Herod believed his throne was threatened by the birth of this child and in the horrible monstrous way monstrous way of someone with great power he tried to destroy this threat at the expense of the lives of many innocent children. This senseless slaughter raises more questions than it answers. It reminds us of other times when innocent children and adults have suffered or been killed by ruthless powerful people in the world.

In the midst of our celebration of a joyous event there is the vivid tragic reminder that evil exists. I believe that Matthew included this to tell us that "when God is at work, the powers of this world often align themselves in opposition; as Herod did when he learned of the birth of Jesus. But God is faithful to (God's) promises and purposes."

Even the opposition of a Herod cannot ultimately prevent the divine plans from being fulfilled. So, once again, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him what needed to be done. Joseph was warned to flee from Bethlehem and go to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus.

For Mary and Joseph this was a journey which involved faith being put into action. For us, too, it is a journey of faith expressed in action. I daresay, that for many of us our lives have not followed the path that we dreamed about and planned as children or youth. Even the decisions we've made as adults have not always had the effect we hoped or planned. There have been obstacles in our paths which we didn't want. Into each of our lives there have come detours or obstacles that we didn't plan, and didn't want. At those times, many of us have asked, "Where is God?"

The answer to that question is the story of Christmas. It is Matthew's word and Isaiah's word that a child would be born who would be Emmanuel, "God with us." It is the witness of Jesus' birth and the angel who appeared in a dream to Joseph to warn him to leave Bethlehem. This is the witness that despite whatever happens, God's ultimate plan cannot be defeated.

The prophet Isaiah reminded the people of the ways God had been faithful to them. Isaiah says, "he became their savior in all their distress." We have a God who suffers with us in our distress. From time to time people experiencing the horrible injustices of life have asked me where God is at those times. My response usually is that I believe that God is crying with us. I believe that God is even more angry than we are when people are hurt by the evil of others.

This doesn't mean that God is helpless. No matter how terrible the situation, God is present with us. As Isaiah said, "It was no messenger or angel, but his presence that saved them." No matter how we may feel, we are never really alone. That is the promise of Emmanuel, "God with us". Isaiah continues, in God's love and pity we have been redeemed or rescued from the worst of the effects that the evil could have upon us. And finally God lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. When it seems too hard to keep going, God gives us the strength. Like the poem, "Footprints", we are reminded that in our darkest, most difficult times, God carries us.

When God became human and entered into our lives in Jesus of Nazareth, the letter to the Hebrews tells us that he became like his brothers and sisters, us. "Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested." God worked in Jesus to give humans real hope, not just pie in the sky. Jesus exposed the limits of the power of death and thus, the limits of the power of evil around us. This is the message of Christmas. This is why we cannot "get back to normal." God has entered our lives and we can never be the same again. Along with this change in our lives, goes the call and the responsibility to stand up to the Herods of the world who would seek to destroy others. With this call comes the promise that we do not face these alone.

Let me share with you a portion of a poem written by Ann Weems and entitled: The Church Year.

"God will take away the tinsel and decorate our human hearts in hope .... For no matter how long the darkness, God will send the Light. In Spite of cursing and violence and massacring of human dignity, we will dance in the streets of Bethlehem, for He will be born! ....

"We are freed to free others.

We are affirmed to affirm others

We are loved to love others.

We are family; we are community.

We are the church triumphant -

you, me, anyone who would come unto the Lord -

renewed, redirected, empowered

to change things and lives

together in love and wholeness.

We are the Lord’s church,

the church of justice and mercy,

the people sent to open prisons,

to heal the sick

to clothe the naked

to feed the hungry

to reconcile

to be alleluias when there is no music.

The mantle is upon our shoulders.

Joy is apparent in our living.

We have been commissioned to be the church of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Gracious God, we pray this day for all who have come with us to Bethlehem. We pray for those who are poor and cold and hungry like the shepherds, that they may hear good news. We pray for those who are wandering and searching like the magi, that they may find the place to leave their gifts and their burdens. We pray for those who are busy, hurried, preoccupied like the innkeeper, that they may know the peace that comes from a genuine act of hospitality. We pray for those like Herod who have power, that they may use it with good will. We pray for ourselves - we who each need comfort and peace, even joy, in this starlit season and all the days of our lives. Amen.

==============

North Kingstown United Methodist Church

Advent 4 - December 23, 2001

Text: Isaiah 7:10-16

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

Title: "The Promise of Faithfulness"

The story is told of a young boy whose family lived on the edge of the woods. The child had been taught not to leave his yard or go into the woods by himself. One day, however, as he played outside he spotted a baby deer in among the trees and being a typical child, he wanted to get closer so he crossed the line from yard into woods. He could still see his house so he wasn’t concerned and went a little further. As the deer moved away he tried to follow, but soon had wandered too far from the safety of his house and yard. He wandered about trying to figure out how to get home, until finally he became tired and sat down on a log to rest.

Unknown to the child, his father who had been out in the yard while the boy played, had watched his son begin his wandering into the woods. Rather than call him back, his father followed him at enough of a distance so that he knew where his son was, but the little boy hadn’t seen his father. Now as the child sat to rest, his father came to him. The little boy threw his arms around his father and said, "I got lost, but I wasn’t scared, because I knew you would come."

Although the child thought he was alone out in the woods, his father was always with him, just far enough away to allow his son some independence, but always close enough to see him, to hear his voice, and close enough to come to his rescue. It is this promise of faithfulness which we find repeated over and over in today’s Scripture readings.

During a time of political upheaval, the prophet Isaiah came to King Ahaz and told him to seek a sign from the Lord. Ahaz was a lot like many humans. He was king and he would take care of his own situation, thank you, very much. He didn’t need anyone’s help. Or perhaps, he thought that his concerns were not big enough for him to bother God with. Either way, he didn’t turn to God looking for direction or guidance. He didn’t turn to God seeking reassurance. He relied on himself and on his friends and political advisors.

Isaiah told Ahaz that whether he asked God for a sign or not, God would give him one. A sign implies direction, a future - and the sign which God would give him would have eternal significance, not only for Ahaz but for all of humanity. We could spend time discussing what the sign meant for Ahaz specifically in terms of his political situation, but more importantly, is what the sign means for us.

In this case, the sign was a child to be born. We read this passage during Advent, on the Sunday closest to Christmas, because we understand it to be telling about the coming birth of Jesus. The writer of Matthew’s Gospel certainly understood it the same way, because when he tells about Joseph’s dream he says that this dream, and this birth were to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, that a child would be born and would be named Immanuel.

Immanuel which means "God with us" is a promise and a sign of God’s faithfulness. Like the father in the story, it is a promise of God being always with us, just far enough away to allow us to be independent, when we think we need to be, but always close enough to see us, to hear our voice, and close enough to come to our rescue.

God with us. God with Joseph when he learned that his fiancé Mary was to have a child, and he knew that he was not the father. Society was very different then. When a man and a woman were engaged, it was a serious binding agreement. It was almost like being married except that for that year they did not live together. An engagement could not be broken except by a legal termination similar to a divorce. That was what Joseph contemplated when he learned that Mary was pregnant. The law at the time said that Mary should be killed by having stones thrown at her, but Joseph didn’t want to have that law enforced. He thought that perhaps he could divorce Mary quietly. At the very beginning of the story of Jesus’ birth, there is a conflict with the law. A conflict between condemnation and death and the alternative of protection and life.

An angel appeared to Joseph, in a dream, and told him that he should still take Mary as his wife. The angel told Joseph that this child was from the Holy Spirit, that his name would be Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. Jesus is the Greek name, Joshua is the Hebrew name. It was a very common name, and just as Immanuel means "God with us" Joshua or Jesus means "one who saves, or God saves"

A common name for an uncommon child. A common name to unite him with his people. The child who will be Immanuel, God with us, is to have a common name, because God is with us in the common places of our lives.

God brings together Matthew’s story and Paul’s faith in the letter to the Romans, to say that Jesus was born just like you were born. He had an earthly family. He played with his friends. He had times when he was happy and times when he was sad. He was a fully human child. Yet, he was also the Son of God - and because he is the Son of God he would save us from our sins. Because he is the Son of God and was raised from the dead, we, too, will be raised, like he was.

"Knit together in this Mary’s womb is the aspiration of Israel and the hope of the World. Knit together are God’s initiative and the obedience of Mary and Joseph. Knit together are the weakness of a child and the power of God. Knit together are human need and God’s love. Knit together are our mortality and God’s eternity. Knit together are the Holy Spirit and human history. Having failed to bond with his human creation as a father, God is going to become a child. Having failed to win our allegiance as creator, God will become our brother. "

A promise of faithfulness on the part of the God who loves us so very much. This birth is an act of God too glorious to be trapped by human constraints and limited to a few. This birth is a surprise. It is for everyone to claim.

The promise to Mary: If she would be faithful and accept the words of the angel, she would bear the Son of God. The promise to Joseph: If he would be faithful and accept the words of the angel and take Mary as his wife, this child would be born - this child, Jesus, who would save his people; this child Immanuel, God with us - yesterday, today, tomorrow and throughout eternity.

The promise to each one of us: If we will be faithful, if we will accept the promise of God, the gift of God, we, too, will know God with us not only in the most unusual places of our lives, but everyday, in the most commonplace.

It is my prayer for each of you, that especially during this season, you will open your hearts to the God who loves us so much that God became a child to be among us, to save us. In a few minutes, when the choir sings the anthem, I invite you to listen carefully to the invitation offered there. "Come hold the child and wonder why there’s a tear within your eye. Could it be you know someday he’ll hold you close in that same way? In his arms you’ll ever stay. In His arms you’ll stay."

God’s promise of Faithfulness to us.

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

Advent 3 - December 16, 2001

Text: Luke 1:47-55

Isaiah 35:1-10

James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

Title: "The Holy Way"

Have you ever tried to follow a path or a road when you didn’t know for sure where it was going? Have you ever tried to get somewhere when you weren’t sure how to get there? A few weeks ago, I wanted to get to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence. I knew what the building looked like. I could see it from the highway. But since I wasn’t sure of the way the roads in the area worked, I went into my computer, and asked Map Quest to print out directions for me. I followed the directions carefully, even when I had some doubts about where they were taking me. Sure enough, soon I found myself facing the side of the Auditorium. There was only one little problem. There was a great big highway between the building and me and no way to get across. Sometimes the directions from Map Quest are very good, but this time they led me to the wrong side of the highway.

The prophet Isaiah tells about a highway called the "Holy Way" which will be for God’s people, and no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray." It was a road which would take home those whom God rescued. It was a road that would help them reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy.

This would be a wonderful road. The people of Jerusalem will soon find their city defeated and they will be forced to live in a foreign land. But one day they will be rescued by God and brought back. This passage goes beyond a message to a specific people at a particular time. It proclaims that whatever holds life hostage will be defeated. Isaiah uses the image of the desert rejoicing and flowering. I understand that some of this area is what is called a climactic desert. The soil is rich but the lack of rain prevents things from growing. When there is rain, there is an almost immediate transformation as small flowers begin to grow. It truly does appear as if new life has come from something which was dead and lifeless. That is the image that Isaiah presents. There will come a time when the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap and dance, those who cannot speak will shout for joy. Streams of water will flow through the desert. So, they, and we, should not be discouraged, because God will come to the rescue. This is good news.

But what is this Holy Way? What street signs mark the Holy Way? For Mary, the street sign was an angel who told her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. She recognizes other street signs as she sings the song we call the Magnificat, which means "Glorifies." When Mary learned the Holy Way that she would walk, she praised God. She recognized that God was doing a new thing. A young peasant woman, scarcely more than a child herself, she was hardly the person that her people imagined would be the mother of the Messiah. It seems that Mary recognized that God was turning things upside down. Instead of this birth taking place in the home of a powerful family, it would take place among the lowly. For Mary walking the Holy Way meant bearing a child who would be the Savior of the world.

For John the Baptizer, walking the Holy Way eventually led to his imprisonment and death. Jesus identified John as the one about whom the prophets spoke when they said, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you." John had also understood himself as a messenger calling people to turn away from their sins and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Confronting some very powerful people with the need for repentance earned John a stint in the royal prison and eventually a death sentence.

It appears that John, along with most other Jews, expected a political Messiah; someone who would restore Israel to power. After devoting himself to a lifetime of preparing the way for the Messiah, John, in prison, needs to know - is Jesus the one, or should they wait for another.

Jesus’ reply sounds at first a lot like the Holy Way that Isaiah proclaimed. Immediately preceding this section in Matthew’s Gospel are several healings and a calming of stormy seas. Jesus didn’t send John’s disciple back to John with a complicated theological answer. Instead, Jesus said to them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them."

What wonderful, exciting things! And then Jesus adds, "And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." What a strange thing to say! Why would anyone take offense at blind people receiving their sight, lame people walking, or deaf people being able to hear? Why, indeed!

Unless maybe, some of these healings threatened the status quo. Unless maybe, Jesus might also have been talking about things other than just physical blindness, deafness, lameness, illness, and death. Unless there was a cost to society to have these things happen, to have the good news brought to the poor.

But then, what could possibly be the price for all these wonderful things to happen? Higher income taxes to cover the costs of health care? Freezing the phase out of local car property taxes to provide affordable housing? Fewer toys for us, so that more people can have the necessities of life?

OOPS! It seems I may have gotten my centuries mixed up a little. Or maybe, that’s what Jesus meant by "Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." Jesus asked the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see?"

We might ask, "What did you expect when you decided to become a Christian?" Did you expect a smooth road? Did you think your marriage would be spectacular and your children perfect? Did you expect a life free from illness, sorrow, and pain? Did you expect material success or did you maybe realize that being a Christian meant working for justice? Perhaps along with Mary, you realized that walking the Holy Way meant following a path where the status quo gets turned upside down. Possibly you recognized that while Christianity can, and does, bring great comfort to those who are afflicted in any way, it also has the effect of afflicting the comfortable with the responsibility of caring for others, of not only doing acts of charity and mercy, but also working for justice.

Mary’s Song is a beloved piece for many because we like to focus on a young girl chosen for a blessing. However, as a statement of faith it is a revolutionary document. It proclaims a spiritual, social, and economic upheaval. Back when India was under British rule, Bishop William Temple of the Anglican Church waned his missionaries in India not to read the Magnificat in public. He feared that it would be so inflammatory that it might start a revolution.

Where is the Holy Way for us as Christians? What are the sign posts that mark this way? Is there a path that will bring us home? Is there a highway that will lead us in the direction God wants us to go? How do we find this Holy Way?

Perhaps, the Holy Way for Christians is not a "where," but a "when." When we are daring to be all that God is calling us to be, then by God’s grace, we are on the Holy Way. One thing is clear from Isaiah’s prophecy. This Holy Way is not a private road. Unlike my trip with my Map Quest directions clutched tightly in my hand, we do not make this journey alone. We travel the Holy Way with Mary, with John, and with countless brothers and sisters in the faith.

Let me share with you a poem by Ann Weems which helps to describe this Holy Way we travel:

The story of Jesus Christ is this:

The people of this earth waited for a Messiah ... A savior ...

and only God would send a little baby king.

The child grew and began to question things as they were,

and the man moved through his days and through this world,

questioning the system of kings and priests and marketplace.

He was called the New Creation

the new Covenant

the Son of God

who brought to all who listened

who saw

who understood

change and new life.

But kings and corporations and churches of this world

work very hard

to keep things as they are out into forever AMEN.

And so they killed him:

he who said, Love one another,

he who said, Feed my sheep,

for they didn’t want to share their bread and their wine.

Now the story should have ended there

except that the story has always been

that our God is the God of the covenant.

The Good News is that

in spite of our faithlessness

God is faithful

and Jesus Christ was resurrected,

for God so loved the world

that he gave his only begotten Son

that whoever believed

might have everlasting Life.

Listen, you who have ears to hear.

Listen, and sit down to bread and wine with strangers.

Feed his sheep ... Love one another,

and claim new life in his name.

Matthew 24:36-44

Title: Remembering God’s Future

"Something amazing begins to happen at this time of year. Christmas lights on homes and businesses brighten the night skies. People scour closets and stores for party clothes suitable for a seasonal gathering. Transitory though it is, there is a sense of anticipation as things transform for the Christmas season. "

Today’s Scriptures may seem a strange way to begin a Christmas season - and they are. That’s because despite what we are seeing in the stores, this is not really the season of Christmas, except in the commercial world. In the church which is where Christmas really has its meaning, it is the season of Advent.

During Advent we celebrate that God changed the world in a dramatic way in Bethlehem long ago when God became human and entered into our world as a newborn infant. However, we also recognize that, as the dialogue at the beginning of the service pointed out, we need more than an infant Jesus. The really big problems of our lives need an adult Christ - and even more they need a Divine Christ.

During Advent as the lights of the season sparkle in the night around us, we are encouraged to think about the ways in which we might walk in the divine light that God gives. As we are invited to parties, and this year as we are a nation at war, we are invited to open ourselves to a world transformed by the peace of God. As we put on party clothes, we are reminded to dress ourselves in Christ’s light so that we may become catalysts for the transformation of the world.

Advent reminds us to keep awake and watch, to live peaceably and get ready, and to look for the day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord or the Second Coming of Christ is something that we particularly hear about on the First Sunday of Advent. It’s something which I’ve usually tried to avoid and this year I decided that I needed to spend some time trying to figure out why. I believe it’s because, in general, the Second Coming of Christ has become something which has been proclaimed with great enthusiasm by some of our Christian brothers and sisters, but frequently in ways with which I am uncomfortable.

Today’s Gospel is typical of the passages used by people who focus on the Second Coming of Christ. "Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left." It has been my experience that generally these are used to instill fear into people to convince them that they must make a commitment to Christ this very instant or run the risk of being condemned to eternal damnation. They are used to motivate good behavior because you never know when the moment will come for judgment.

This approach has taken on a new sense of urgency among many since September 11th. In the 8 weeks after September 11th, the number of nonfiction books about prophecy that were sold increased by 71 percent compared with the previous eight weeks. The country’s top-selling hardcover fiction book is "Desecration" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It is the ninth volume in the enormously popular "Left Behind" series. The first volume begins with a situation like today’s Gospel - the Rapture - where the world is thrown into chaos because large numbers of people suddenly disappear. The series goes on to depict a global battle between the forces of good and evil after the Rapture of the saved. This latest book made its debut atop the New York Times best-seller list immediately after its release on October 30th. It had an initial printing of 2.97 million copies, more than any other fiction book this year.

Those who embrace biblical prophecy have linked the terrorist attacks to both complicated interpretations of Scripture and to a number of specific biblical references from Isaiah and Revelation.

Advent does tell us to prepare for the day of the Lord. However, I think that when we get focused only on the Second Coming of Christ we are treading on potentially dangerous ground. This same Gospel reading which describes one being taken and another left behind also declares that no one knows when this will happen. Since Christians have been waiting for this day for over 1900 years, we are being presumptuous when we think we know when it will be. Far better to focus on being ready.

"An important part of being ready for the return of the Lord is to keep watching for the real thing when the next person has run off with a substitute.... We weren’t ready for the Lord the first time and we won’t be ready for the Lord the second time unless we know what the Lord looks like. We know how the Lord looks when we live as he lived. We are ready when we know what we are about." Advent reminds us to keep awake and watch, to live peaceably and get ready, and to look for the day of the Lord.

All we have to do is look around us to see folks running off with a substitute. Many people will incur great amounts of debt trying to buy the perfect Christmas. Others get so caught up in their work that they almost literally run off and leave behind families, friends and God. Many substitute the second coming for the whole of Christianity and leave behind Christ’s mandate to take care of those who are hungry, homeless, who have no warm coats, or who are imprisoned by circumstances beyond their control.

The four verses that we read from Paul’s letter to the Romans are part of a larger section about Christian living. Let me read some of this to you from the Contemporary English Version. "Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, `Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others.’ But all of these are summed up in the command that says, `Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.

"You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer than when we first put our faith in the Lord. Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave properly as people do in the day. Don’t go to wild parties or get drunk or be jealous. Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you wont’ try to satisfy your selfish desires." (Romans 13:8-14)

William Sloan Coffin - a great preacher and activist - once said, "We have learned to soar through the air like birds, to swim through the seas like fish, to soar through space like comets. Now it is high time we learned to walk the earth as the Children of our God."

It’s Advent - time to keep awake and watch. It’s Advent - time to live peaceably and get ready. It’s Advent - time to look for the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is any day - and every day - when the Lord enters into our lives. It is any day - and every day - when we are letting the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to us as the clothes we wear. The Day of the Lord is any day - and every day - when we do whatever we can to help beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks by making peace with those whom we’d rather meet with a sword - both literally and figuratively.

As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, "Many peoples will come and say, `Let’s go to the mountain of the Lord God of Jacob and worship in his temple.’ The Lord will teach us his Law .. and we will obey him .... let’s live by the light of the Lord."

North Kingstown United Methodist Church

November 18, 2001

Text: Isaiah 65:17-25

Isaiah 12

Luke 21:5-19

Title: "A New Earth"

"The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." Jesus was talking about the temple in Jerusalem, not the World Trade Center. I imagine that those who heard him were filled with disbelief. The Jerusalem temple was a magnificent structure. One stone at the southwest corner was some 36 feet long. Josephus, a Jewish historian, wrote that "Whatever was not overlaid with gold was purest white." Archaeological investigations have discovered a temple that had been elaborated and adorned by Herod who gave a golden vine for one of its decorations. Its grape clusters were as tall as a man. It was almost impossible to imagine that the temple could be destroyed - although, they would remember several hundreds of years earlier when the first temple had been destroyed by invaders. So they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"

Those who read or heard Luke’s gospel had no trouble believing that the temple would be destroyed. They knew all about it. It had happened less than 40 years after Jesus’ death. In a bloody war, the Roman government had put down the Jewish uprising, taken control of Jerusalem, and in 70A.D. burned the temple. Stones were even pried apart to collect the gold leaf that melted from the roof when the temple was set on fire. Luke’s gospel reflects the persecution which the early church was experiencing at this time. It also celebrates the people’s strength and continuing commitment.

In the midst of persecution when being arrested and jailed for their faith was a real fear, they heard the words of Jesus as he approached the end of his earthly life. They read or heard with great encouragement the words of Luke’s gospel. They heard that the arrests and persecution would result in their being witnesses to those who intended to harm them. They heard that they did not need to spend their time worrying about how to defend themselves because Christ would give them words to say when words were needed.

I think that these are some real words of encouragement and exhortation for us today. At the beginning of September, if anyone had asked most of us what would be on our mind now, we would not have thought about war with Afghanistan, fears of anthrax or other bioterrorism, or even being afraid to fly in an airplane. Certainly we are not being persecuted because of our faith, although a case has been made that the acts of terrorism that occurred on September 11th, took place because we are perceived as being a "Christian nation." If that is so, than an even better case could be made for the fact that we are not living out that faith in our national actions, or in many of our personal ones. So, in a time when symbols of our country - the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have been destroyed or damaged, we may hear Luke’s words as an encouragement to keep our faith commitment high. We may hear Luke’s words as a call to be witnesses to what being a Christian is really all about.

In the reading from the prophet Isaiah we hear that God is about to "create a new heaven and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind". The world we are seeing today certainly does seem like a new earth, but not the kind that we wanted - and certainly not the new heaven and new earth that God is creating. Still, the words of Isaiah are words for us to hear. The people who heard those words originally were people who knew about destruction. The homeland they’d left behind 70 years earlier had a Temple in ruins and a tattered economy. They were working hard to rebuild during years of drought and time of conflict and they struggled to maintain a vision of what they were doing.

To them, Isaiah preaches a new vision. Whatever was, will not even begin to compare to the glory of a world transformed by God. It is God’s intention to restore all of creation - long life, peaceful harvests, and cities that never know invasion. In the world as God intends it to be there will be no hurt or destruction. Old enemies will find a way to co-exist and all that is harmful will be removed.

As magnificent as the vision sounds, it is grounded in the reality of a broken world and it holds up the promise of a world made whole. Its purpose is to transform those who see it into those who faithfully work to make it real. God is still at work, still wishing such a new creation, still encouraging each of us to play a part in this. This is where we are called to be the witnesses described in Luke’s gospel. If any semblance of newness is to come, it will be through people like us.

We are witnesses for God. The apostle Paul would later write that we are "ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" or as Luke has Jesus say it, "This will result in your being witnesses to them." God can only accomplish what we are willing to enable. Because God created us as people free to make decisions, we can, if we choose, disregard God’s charge to us to serve the divine Kingdom, to help bring about the new earth.

Living God’s way is not easy. It requires doing many things that seem to go against our normal inclination. Living God’s way requires us to look for ways to be reconciled with those who have hurt us, rather than plotting their destruction. Living God’s way calls us to think well of the other person first. When someone has hurt our feelings we are to first look at why that might have been, what might have happened, rather than to immediately assume that the person was out to get us.

Being witnesses for God requires unfailing integrity. It means doing right not only when we think someone is watching, but also when we know that nobody is watching. It means looking for and finding God in the ordinary places of life and living in those ordinary places as if they are sacred places because they are filled with God’s presence.

"Once upon a time, there was a far-away land that was ruled by a vicious
king. His iron hand reached into every corner of his subjects' lives. Every
corner - except one. Try as he might, he couldn't destroy their belief in
God. In his frustration, he finally summoned his advisors and asked them: "Where can I hide God so the people will end up forgetting about him?"

"One suggested hiding God on the dark side of the moon. This idea was debated, but was voted down because the advisors feared that their scientists would one day discover a way to travel into space travel and God would be discovered again. Another suggested burying God in the deepest part of the ocean. But there was the same problem with this idea, so it was voted down. One idea after another was suggested and debated and rejected. Until finally the oldest and wisest advisor had a flash of insight. "I know," he said, "why don't we hide God where no one will ever even think to look?" And he
explained, "If we hide God in the ordinary events of people's everyday lives, they'll never find him!"

"And so it was done. And they say people in that land are still looking for God - even today."

Being witnesses for God and agents of the new earth happens when we honor every moment and event in our lives as an opportunity to live for God. Only love can accomplish this. Jesus used the word love to refer to something we do, not merely something we feel. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, he replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

All of this begins with prayer, worship, and study. Being a Christian requires all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. I read somewhere that the Bible is not meant to be taken as a capsule and hurriedly swallowed, but as meat and bread, chewed by the teeth of thought, digested by meditation, and used by faith for daily strength, comfort, and guidance.

Little Johnny, looking through a pile of dusty books in a corner, came upon a book labeled, "The Holy Bible." Remembering something he had once heard, he took it to his mother, and inquired, "Isn’t this God’s Book?" "Yes," she said. "Then let’s return it" said Johnny. "We don’t use it."

Don’t let this happen in your house. Don’t think that the Bible is dry on the inside because it is dusty on the outside.

In times when the world seems to be in turmoil, we are called once again to be witnesses to the Gospel, to the Good News. In the midst of turmoil, we are called as in the reading from Isaiah 12 to give thanks to God; to profess, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might. "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth." (Isaiah 12:3-5)

Our hymn was written in 1607 by a German by the name of Martin Rinkart. The name of the hymn is "Now Thank We All Our God." In the year that Rinkart wrote that hymn it is interesting to note that over 6000 persons in his German village, including his wife and his children, died of pestilence. Yet, in the midst of that catastrophic social and personal loss Reinkardht set down to pen this great hymn of praise: Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices.' The Christian faith affirms that in the midst of everything--in death, in loss, in hardship--we are to turn to God in praise.

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

November 11, 2001

Text: *Haggai 1:15b-2:9

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Luke 20:27-38

Title: A Time of Remembrance-Peace-Hope

Step back in time with me. The time is October 520 BCE. The place is Jerusalem. O people of Israel, we remember how our great temple here in Jerusalem was destroyed a long lifetime ago. We were sent into exile, but now we have returned. We have settled here once again. What’s going to happen now? Listen to the prophet Haggai as he speaks to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the high priest, and to you, the remnant of the people.

(The prophet Haggai enters with dignity and pauses dramatically before reading Haggai 2:3-9)

"Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, " declares the Lord. "Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong all you people of the land," declares the Lord, "and work. For I am with you," declares the Lord Almighty. "This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my spirit remains among you. Do not fear."

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: `In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. `The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. `The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ declares the Lord Almighty. `And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty." (Haggai sits)

The prophet Haggai asked, "Who among you can remember the way it was before?" Haggai was asking about the Jerusalem Temple in its glory before its destruction.

On this day in 1918 armistice was signed in what was then called the Great War. By that time 9 million soldiers had died, millions had been wounded, and millions more returned home with horrors from the trenches encroaching on mind and soul. Post-war despair and confusion battled with idealism and hope as people tried to sort out what had happened and what could be rebuilt. People must have asked each other, "Who among you can remember the way it was before?"

Who of us can remember the way it was in our nation and world before the day of terrorism? Perhaps we can recall the New York skyline prior to that day, but even in a relatively short time, it’s hard to remember what it was like to feel totally safe. We have been shaken to our roots, and our affluent lifestyle doesn’t seem to help at all. Who of us can remember when we didn’t give a second thought to opening our mail?

Who of us can remember the way it was in our life before the doctor used the word cancer and our life went into a tailspin? Who of us can remember the way it was in our life before the death of that person we loved so much?

When our life gets turned upside down - no matter what the reason - we realize that nothing will ever be the same again. But God’s message is that even a city totally destroyed, even the destruction of the House of God, even the smoke rising from the empty spot where the towers of the World Trade Center stood is not the end.

Sometimes in our remembering we can be filled with despair and a longing for the way things were before.... On Veterans Day we remember and honor those who served our country through military service. Today we remember the events which changed our world on September 11th. We may remember days before losing a job, before the death of a loved one, before a diagnosis of illness.

It is important that we remember how we and others came through these and other difficult times. The prophet Haggai reminds those in Jerusalem to remember the covenant God made with them when they were brought out of slavery in Egypt. We remember that our confidence is in a God with a history - a God who has promised and reminded us repeatedly, "I am with you."

This message is proclaimed in the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" Commonly known as "The Navy Hymn" this is a prayer cry to the Triune God. It is a prayer for those in danger anywhere. We may well understand the turbulent seas to refer not only to the physical waters but also to the storms of life. I invite us to sing this song as a prayer of remembrance for all those who face danger in whatever form that may be. As we sing, one of our World War II veterans will light a candle of remembrance, reminding us to remember all those situations where we call upon God for strength and help.

Hymn: Eternal Father, Strong to Save.

Lighting of Candle of Remembrance.

O people of the world, so much has been destroyed by war in this century. Whole cities, towns, countrysides, cultures, families, hopes and dreams have been shattered. There are countless civil wars going on even today. Recently we experienced attacks too close to home. Today we find ourselves engaged in what is being called a War on Terrorism. We cannot begin to grasp the depths of people’s suffering. Yet cities, towns, countrysides, cultures, families, hopes and dreams will be rebuilt. Listen again as Haggai speaks to our time.

Haggai: Who is left among you who remembers this earth in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Yet take courage, leaders of the people. Take courage, all you who seek God’s way. Take courage, all you people of the earth. Work, for I am with you, according to all my promises, says God. My spirit is with you; do not fear. I will shake your very beings so your true greatness will come forth. Everything is mine; when you remember that and learn to share and live in peace, your life will be more wonderful than ever.

Haggai’s word to Israel is dig in, there is much work to be done, take courage because you are not alone. To those in New York and Washington D.C. the word goes out, "you are not alone." To those in the military today, the word goes out, "You are not alone." To my friend Mary and others who are part of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the message is "Take courage, work, for I am with you." To those who struggle to bring peace to Ireland, the God of peace proclaims, "Take courage, work, for I am with you." In the midst of life’s turmoil - whether global, national, or personal - we seek peace, the kind of peace which only God can give.

We find ourselves asking, "How do we cope when life sends us far more questions than answers, and the questions are tough and the answers seem so incomplete? How can we return to our normal patterns of life when the world around us has changed forever? Who is there to calm our spirits and bring peace to our souls?" The answer comes, "Take courage, all you people of the land. God’s spirit abides among us."

"As in ancient days, our task now is to rebuild. Our homes and churches have not been leveled to the ground, yet there is much work to be done. We need to repair communication and understanding among the world’s great religions. Nations need to listen and talk to one another. People in our churches and communities are called to build each other up in love." The word comes to us, "Work, for I am with you," says the Lord of hosts.

Often we may feel timid and tired. We are not certain what to do. Indeed, sometimes we are not certain that there is anything that we can do. We know that much work lies ahead and our task seems monumental. We are painfully aware that we can’t accomplish very much by ourselves. We feel like grasshoppers in a land of giants. Yet, with God’s help, we can roll up our sleeves and do what we can, leaning on God’s promise to stay close by.

"Take courage all you people of the earth, work, for I am with you, says God. My spirit is with you, do not fear." We light a candle of peace as we sing our prayer, "Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me."

In the face of the mystery of suffering, terrorism, fear, evil, and war, still we proclaim that life is a gift from God. God works to overcome evil and the results of evil. Despair can be eclipsed by hope. Even death is not ultimate. The future is alive in God.

The very basics of our faith, proclaim that God is a God of hope. When God wanted us to know how much we were loved, how much God wanted a relationship with us, God came to us, not as a king, or a teacher. God came not as a preacher or a healer. God came to us as a baby, a vulnerable infant needing to be loved and cared for; needing to be fed and taught, needing to be held and played with. In God’s infinite wisdom, hope and love was expressed in the form of a child. Soon we would know Jesus as healer, preacher, teacher and heavenly king, but first he was a sign of hope - a whisper that life was valuable.

When evil tried to eclipse the hope, when Jesus’ earthly life was demanded and it appeared as if death had won - then the trumpet call went out. Death is not the end. God is God of the living - for all are alive in God. The promise of the Resurrection is not just for the next world. It is also for this world. If we beleive that God’s spirit abides with us, then we have the hope of resurrection even in our daily lives.

On the global battlefields, men and women have fought for resurrection - the hope of freedom, the hope and prayer that none of their sons and daughters would have to make the same sacrifices. In lecture halls, in pulpits, in the streets, the hope of resurrection has been proclaimed as people throughout the world have stood for the rights of all people to live with dignity and safety, to have enough food to eat.

Martin Luther King’s "student sermon" was entitled "How a Christian Overcomes evil," and it was punctuated by an illustration from mythology. The sirens sang seductive songs that lured sailors into shipwreck. Two men navigated those treacherous waters successfully - and King contrasted their techniques. Ulysses stuffed wax into the ears of his rowers and strapped himself to the mast of the ship, and by dint of will managed to steer clear of the shoals. But Orpheus, as his ship drew near, simply pulled out his lyre and played a song more beautiful than that of the sirens, so his sailors listened to him instead of to them.

We, too, have a song more beautiful than any of the sirens which the world sounds. We have a song of hope which cannot be defeated. We have the memory of a God who has a history. We have the promise of a God who proclaims, "Take courage, all you people of the land. Work, for I am with you. My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear."

We light a candle of Hope as we pray and sing, "This is My Song"

Especially in times such as these, O God, we come to you with heartfelt pleas. We have much on our minds. We’re still recovering from the shock of September 11th. We’re trying to comprehend the enormity of it all. If we could, we’d turn back the clock because we were quite comfortable in the world the way it was. We know we weren’t nearly as safe as we thought; and we acknowledge that much of our comfort was gained at the expense of your people elsewhere in this world. But since you are the God who plants seeds, who gives babies, follows every winter with spring, and starts each day with a sunrise, you aren’t in the business of going backward. You constantly nudge us forward. You beckon us into a future of promise and possibility.

O God of eternity, when things were tough, you allowed your chosen people to lament their difficult conditions. They were rather eloquent in describing how tough life was. We now understand better how they felt. We also have shed tears of sorrow. We have grieved from the loss of friends and family. We’re frustrated because there’s no quick solution to our troubles. We feel victimized and vulnerable. We wonder why it happened? We yearn to know with certainty that you hold us in your hands; that your Spirit, the Comforter, walks beside us with every step of the way.

Remind us that you chose us for salvation; that you have called us, even in our pain, to proclaim your good news. Be patient with us as we recover our spiritual balance. We promise to move ahead, even if our steps are tiny and a bit unsteady. We trust you to comfort our hearts and to strengthen us in every good work and word. O word become flesh, we know we are not alone. You are with us! We are loved! And we believe we shall obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose dear name we pray. Amen.

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North Kingstown United Methodist Church

October 14, 2001,

Text: *Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Psalm 66 (selected verses in Call to Worship)

*2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

Title: A Plan for the Long Haul

They didn’t know what to do. They were the brightest and the best. They had been leading citizens in their country - but now they were in a foreign land. Despite the warnings from the prophet Jeremiah, they never really believed that their beloved Jerusalem could be captured. King Nebuchadnezzar and his troops from Babylon had accomplished the impossible. They didn’t know what to do.

Jeremiah wrote these exiles a letter in which he told them to settle in. He told them to build houses and live in them. They should plant gardens and eat what they produced. They should marry and have children. Jeremiah warned them that they were in this for the long haul. They would need to learn how to live in a foreign country with different customs - without all that was familiar to them. It would be seventy years before they could return to Jerusalem. Seventy long years. It would be their children or grandchildren who finally went to Jerusalem - and even then it would be to a city that was in ruin - not the glorious city and temple of their ancestors. This was not something they had planned and definitely not something they would have chosen.

It is a common experience for us that we often find ourselves in situations and conditions we did not choose. At the age of twenty when I walked down the aisle of my church to meet my future spouse at the altar, I would never have imagined that 12 years later I would be a single mom with two young children to raise. Our lives take unexpected turns and our long cherished hopes and dreams can be dashed in a moment or slowly crumble over a period of years. A couple looks forward to retirement and anticipates traveling, but a sudden heart attack or stroke changes everything. The doctor’s compassionate voice begins, "I’m sorry to tell you ...." Our plans for our children are shattered by a late night phone call and nothing will ever be the same again. Our lives change drastically and we are forced to figure out how to live in a time and place which seems foreign to us.

Just over a month ago, the life of our nation and world changed in an instant. We are still trying to figure out how to make sense of what happened. We are still trying to figure out how to live in a world that feels as if it has been turned upside down.

Our President tells us that we need to get back to "normal" but at the same time we need to have a heightened awareness of the potential dangers around us. So "normal" does not mean "go back to the way you were before." That’s true for any of the changes in our lives. Whether for good or ill, changes big or small, mean that we are never the same again. Like the Israelites in Babylon, we are left to figure out a plan for the long haul.

Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles continues, "This is what the Lord says: `When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, `plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’

According to Jeremiah one part of the plan for them to prosper involves them praying for the city in which they find themselves, because if it prospers, they will also. I understand this to mean that in order for us to prosper in whatever our circumstances are, we need to accept them and work within them. When faced with unemployment, divorce, serious illness, death, or even terrorist attacks we cannot deny that they exist. First we accept the reality that exists, and then we make a plan for the long haul. A plan which helps us deal with the situation. A plan which helps us begin to heal, which helps us find the future. A plan that brings life out of situations which threaten to destroy us.

When I hear Jeremiah’s words to pray for the city in which his people find themselves, it reminds me of how interconnected we are. In our technological age, oceans are more like ponds, with people hopping on planes and traveling to far places in the world. Many people, including some among us, do this routinely as part of their business. We can send images and messages around the world instantly. This applies not only to governments and big corporations but it is true for any of us who have Internet and e-mail access.

Surely this means that the conditions in other parts of the world affect us here in the United States as well. Yet, most of us, myself included, are woefully ignorant of much that happens in the rest of the world. We look to our children as our future and we want them to have good nutrition, a good education and many opportunities for the future. We have to ask how many future doctors, nurses, scientists, diplomats, or brilliant humanitarians are being lost to the world when thousands of children die of starvation daily. We have to ask what kind of outlook those who survive will have if they spend their entire lives wondering when, or if, the next meal is coming, while they see millions who have not only enough, but too much. I want to believe that it is this recognition of our interconnectedness that has led our President to ask the children of our country to help feed the children of Afghanistan.

Another key part of the plan was that, "you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." This is a promise for us to hold onto whenever we find ourselves needing to have a plan for the long haul. No matter what happens in our lives, we are not alone.

Since the people who had been taken out of Jerusalem were all going to be dead by the time the seventy years had passed, the only way there would be a body of people to call out to the Lord was if they were faithful in teaching the word of the Lord to their children and their grandchildren.

This was not the first time God’s people were reminded to tell the story to their children and their children’s children. Nor would it be the last. In our call to Worship. we used words from Psalm 66 which recalled how God had changed the sea into dry land, so that the Hebrew people were able to escape from the Egyptian soldiers when they fled their many years of slavery. They spent forty years wandering in the desert, and all who had left Egypt eventually died. However, the word of the Lord continued. The Word of the Lord lived and sustained them during that time.

We’ve also been reading Paul’s letters to Timothy. "For more than fifteen years, Paul and Timothy had worked together, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and starting churches throughout Asia and Greece. But now Paul had been arrested and was in prison in Rome, facing death. And young Timothy was trying to lead the church through a time of terrible persecution. It took incredible courage and great commitment to be a Christian in those early days. They were attacked and reviled and slandered and falsely accused. Some were burned at the stake or fed to the lions..."

In earlier parts of the letter Paul urges Timothy to be strong and courageous. Here, he calls on Timothy to "remember Jesus Christ" and follows with a declaration, and affirmation of faith. He reminds Timothy that even though he, Paul, is in chains and nearing the end of his earthly life, still "The word of God is not chained."

Paul offers himself as an example of how one may remain serene in spite of the actual conditions of trouble in the world. God has borne patiently with humanity, with our failings and with our turning away. In fact, Paul proclaims, that even if we are faithless, Christ remains faithful, because Christ cannot deny who he is. Paul goes on to proclaim, "Don’t let anyone forget these things."

Like the Hebrews wandering in the desert for forty years, like the Israelites in exile in Babylon, like Timothy and his congregation being persecuted, we are reminded that the plan for the long haul is to depend upon God. The plan is to remember Jesus Christ. Remember that he was a descendent of David - in other words, he was a real human being. That means he can feel our infirmities. He can understand our sorrows and frustrations. He knows how hard it is to face the long haul when the road is not one of our choosing.

Remember that he was raised from the dead - in other words, that he is God. Only if Christ is God does his death have value for all of humanity. Only if Christ is God do we have the hope and the promise that nothing - not even death - can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember that no matter what happens in our lives individually or as a nation or world, the word of God is not chained. It cannot be contained or confined.

There is something that makes many of us turn to God in time of crisis. Those who stand firm in their faith day in and day out find this easy to understand. One thing I have heard repeatedly whether in times of personal, communal, or national crisis, is "I don’t know how people without faith can deal with these things."

Dr. Wesley S.K. Daniel is the Director of Evangelism, for the General Board of Discipleship, The United Methodist Church. He wrote "Today, we live in a new day, a new time. .... We see all around us a new awareness and hunger for God among both young and old - a sincere desire for spiritual renewal and vitality. There is a new awareness of the need to be faith-sharers and witnesses, to proactively share the gospel and take bold steps to invite persons into our faith communities. .... As we are well aware, people in our nation are living through some trying times." By the way, he wrote these words prior to September 11th.

People all around us are looking for a rock to cling to, for something to believe in - for somewhere to put their hope. We know the answer to those deep longings. We know the answer to the question of what to do in the long haul. We know the rock to which we cling.

"About a hundred or so years ago, an elderly gentleman was traveling alone on a train in France. A much younger man, sitting next to him, watched the older man take out his Bible and begin to read. After a while, the younger man decided to strike up a conversation, and he asked, `What are your reading?’

"The older man replied, `I am reading from the sixth chapter of John in the New Testament.’" He went on to describe how Jesus fed a large crowd of 5,000 with only a few loaves and a couple of dried fish. He explained how the leftovers filled twelve baskets.

"Scornfully and cynically, the younger man said, `Surely you don’t believe that!’ But the older man answered, `Oh, yes I do.’

"To which the younger man said, `Well, I can see that you have been brainwashed by ancient superstitions. Not me! that could never happen to me because, you see, I am a scientist. The only thing I trust and believe in is what can be proven scientifically. The story you have read defies the laws of science, and therefore I can’t accept it. Give me facts, provable facts. As a man of science, I have no faith in miracles. But, of course, I can’t expect you to understand that."

"At that point, the train began to slow down. `Here is my station,’ said the young man as he rose from his seat. `It was nice talking to you, Mr. - Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.’ With that, the older man reached into his pocket and pulled out his business card. he handed it to the younger man. The younger man looked at it. Imagine his surprise; the name on the card was Louis Pasteur! Louis Pasteur, of course, was one of the greatest scientists of all time, but he knew that the scientific method (valuable as it is) is not the only road to truth.

"The real truth is that the best things in life cannot be proved in a scientific laboratory - love, courage, integrity, honesty, morality, perseverance, compassion, kindness, commitment, faith - you can’t put those great things into a test tube, but we know how incredibly important they are. And we know how dramatically they were proclaimed in the life and death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

We know that these are the necessary ingredients for any plan that is to last for the long haul. For any plan which brings life out of tragedy, for any plan which gives hope in the midst of despair, for any plan which helps us to face the unexpected problems of life, whether personal, national or global, the first step is as Paul reminded Timothy, "Remember Jesus." It is as Jeremiah reminded the Israelites, to pray for those situations which cause us to feel as if we are in exile, to remember that we are all connected to each other, through God, and that we do need to call upon the Lord every day, not only in time of crisis.

For the long haul, make worship a top priority. This includes weekly worship where we come together as one body and are strengthened and renewed. It also includes daily private worship - a time of prayer, reading of Scripture, adoring and honoring God and giving thanks. If you aren’t sure where to begin, pick up a daily devotional like the Upper Room. For the long haul make being part of a Christian community a priority. Draw upon the strength and comfort of others and extend compassion, companionship and assistance to others.

Find a prayer partner - one person for whom you will pray daily and who will pray for you - someone with whom you can share your concerns and joys. No matter how difficult it may seem, find at least one thing to do for someone else every day. In reaching out, we are often healed within. Be sure to teach the children and others who do not yet know the life giving story.

When you are faced with a decision, whether large or small, ask yourself what God would have you do. Over time, you’ll discover that in most instances that answer will become so much a part of you that you won’t need to ask - you’ll know.

Build houses of faith and live in them. Continue your daily life - walking hand in hand with Christ. It really is the best plan for the long haul.

1. Moore, James W. Attitude is Your Paintbrush Dimensions for Living, Nashville, 1998 p.108.

2. Daniel, Wesley S.K. "It’s a New Day for Making Disciples" in Offering Christ Today Special Issue for 2001. General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN,

3.Moore, p.90